Title: Forever Yours
Author: rooster dawn
Pairing: see below
Alternative Universe
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended. Ever After is the property of Twentieth Century Productions, no copyright infringement intended.
Summary: This story is loosely based on the movie "Ever After"
Good feedback is good for one's soul and everyone's happiness.
Author's note: In the movie the time period covers five days between the time Prince Henry meets Danielle and the Masque Ball. I have tried to stretch out the story to almost two weeks to give them more time to get to know each other better. Besides I think it would be hard for two people from different stations of life to see each other every day and fall in love.
part 11 Putting an End to Love
0800 hours, day 10
de Ghent's manor
The next morning Jordan went looking for Sarah's white dress. She couldn't find it anywhere. It had been in her room the night before when she went to sleep, but now it was gone. Somehow it had just disappeared.
Renee had checked with Sarah, but she didn't know anything about it. She had been in the root cellar all night, so how could she know where the dress was. Of course Louise and Paulette denied knowing anything.
They might be getting old, but they knew when it was best for them to keep their mouths shut. There was no way they were going to let Jordan wear Sarah's white dress.
Renee decided to gather anything of value to sell so that they could get some costumes worthy of their position in society for the Masque Ball. They wanted to look their best for the prince and the royal family.
1100 hours
The Summer Palace
The day after her talk with the Baroness the queen asked Henry to go for a walk around the palace gardens with her. She had left word for Henry to not ride off this morning until she had a chance to talk with him.
At first Henry didn't want to stay in the castle. He hoped to find Nicole and spend some more time with her, but he relented when he realized that he hadn't spent much time with his mother the last two weeks. When he had spent time with her, it was more about Nicole and not as a dutiful son.
"What is it mother? asked Henry impatiently. He hoped that their talk would be short so he could get out of there.
"I have some bad news for you Henry, it's about the Comtesse de Lancret." began his mother.
"What is it mother? Is she hurt? Did something happen to her?" asked Henry as he became quite anxious.
"It's nothing like that Henry. It's ... " she paused wondering how to tell him without hurting him. "She left this morning for Belgium to get married. She's marrying a Belgium prince."
"What! It can't be true. She would have told me. We've spent so much time together. I would have known." he argued, more to himself than to his mother. "I spoke with her yesterday."
"I'm afraid so Henry. The Baroness informed me yesterday when I asked her about the Comtesse. We had a nice talk. It seems that she was only supposed to stay for a week, but had decided to extend it for a few more days.
The only reason she had given the Baroness was that she had met someone very special. She wanted to spend a few more days with him. She was able to talk to him and it help her make her decision to get married." explained his mother.
"She should have told me. She knew how much I cared about her. I told her I loved her. We kissed. She should have told me she was leaving." moaned Henry.
"Would you have listened?" asked Anna.
"No! I would have ... " replied Henry as he suddenly realized the truth.
"It takes a strong woman to resist your charms Henry and say no." consoled his mother.
"I guess she was trying to tell me, but I wouldn't listen to her. I was so excited about telling her that I wanted to build a University for all to attend than to listen to her. She was quite distraught yesterday. Now I understand why. She wanted to tell me she was leaving." moaned Henry.
"There's still time to find someone else Henry." replied his mother trying to reassure him.
"It doesn't matter anymore mother. I don't care. If I can't marry Nicole, it doesn't matter who I marry." sighed Henry in resignation.
2100 hours, day 11
The Summer Castle
The Masque Ball was in full swing. Henry had invited the gypsies to the ball and they were enjoying themselves. They were singing, dancing, and performing acrobatic stunts to entertain the crowd.
Even though it should have been a happy time for Henry, he was in a full blown mental funk. His mother had told him that Nicole had left the province to marry a Belgium prince. He had been upset. Why hadn't she told him?
They had spent so much time together. It had been quite wonderful. She had helped him find himself. He knew what he wanted to do with his life now. Why was she going away? Didn't their time together mean as much to her as it did to him?
He thought she loved him. They had moved pass their initial teasing and testing of their resolve to a very loving place or so he had thought. Of course their courtship had been quite short, only ten days.
Could one make such a decision that would affect one's life in so short a period of a time. Maybe she needed more time. Maybe their timing was bad. It would be pretty tough to meet someone and fall in love with them right before you were supposed to marry someone else.
Now he was expected to make a decision about who to marry when all his energy and thoughts had been about Nicole. Who did he want to marry now? Nicole of course, but she wasn't here.
He hadn't thought about anyone else for at least a week. Should he go through with his father's wishes and marry the Spanish rose or should he resign himself to marry a courtier like Jordan?
It wasn't that long ago he was like her, arrogant and clueless about what was really important. That thought actually made him ill. But Nicole had made him see the light. She showed him the way to becoming a better person and accepting the responsibilities of his position.
He should go and make an appearance at the masque. They were expecting to see him. He hadn't socialized with anyone all night. Instead he had just sat there brooding. Where was his love? Where was Nicole?
He missed her so much already. He needed her to feel whole again. He went to his father and told him what his decision was. The king offered to give him more time. He didn't really know why. The only thing he knew for sure was what the queen had told him.
She had told him that Henry had found someone he loved, but it turned out that she wasn't available. Their son Henry was heart broken and wasn't in the right mind to make such a life long decision.
She thought they should give him more time, time to heal before choosing a wife. Edward begrudging agreed more so because Henry had come to him about plans to build a University with a library that everyone could use.
He thought that showed that Henry was finally showing some maturity. It appeared that Henry had found a purpose in his life and may someday be ready to be king.
de Ghent Manor
Meanwhile Tom had convinced Michael to go and find Leonardo to help Sarah get free from the root cellar so she could attend the masque ball. He had told Michael
"It's time for you to become a man. Your closest friend needs your help. Find Leonardo, get him to help you. The prince is expecting to see her."
Michael was hesitant of course. He didn't think he could do it, but he somehow managed to get the job done. He found Leonardo and told him about Sarah's predicament. Tom took them both back to the manor.
It took Leonardo two seconds to open the door to the root cellar. He removed the bolts holding the hinges in place. Sarah was surprised to see him there.
"I can't go. I'm only a servant. He's a prince." wailed Sarah.
"He needs to see you Sarah. He's been miserable the last two days without you. He loves you." replied Leonardo.
"I can't, A bird may love a fish, but where would they live?" cried Sarah.
"Then I shall make you wings." smiled Leonardo.
Twenty minutes later Sarah was out the door on her way to the palace to see Henry. All she could think of was how would she be able to tell him the truth. Would it matter to him? If he really loved her did it make a different?
Summer Palace
Edward was about to make an announcement about Henry's future when Henry looked up to an elevated entrance at the back of the large outdoor pavilion. He saw what appeared to him a beautiful angel standing there in the moonlight.
The woman appeared to be glowing. He was awestruck by her beauty. She looked to be of a heavenly existence. He gazed at her for what seemed like eternity. Everyone in the pavilion turned to see what had captured his attention.
What they saw standing there took their breath away. They saw a vision that was so beautiful, it could have come only from heaven. They were all speechless. The moonlight gave her an unearthly quality.
Then Henry realized who the vision was. It was Nicole. She was standing there in a white gown that appeared to be glowing from all the gems that adorned the gown. She had wings that appeared to be moving in the breeze.
She had come back to him. He was so excited he raced to the bottom of the stairs where she stood. He looked up at her. She was even more beautiful than he had ever imagined. It looked like her whole body was glowing in the moonlight.
He walked up the stairs to take her hand. For a moment he was speechless as he drank in all her beauty. He struggled to find the right words as he thought 'Are you for real? Have you come back to me? I love you.'
"You've come? I was told you were getting married." asked an excited Henry.
"Yes, I'm here. You were misinformed." smiled Sarah. It was a special smile reserved only for him.
"Come, I want you to meet my mother." said Henry as he took her small hand in his.
"I need to tell you something first, it's important." pleaded Sarah as she tried to resist, but it was impossible, he was too strong.
"Whatever it is my answer is yes, come with me." replied Henry as he led her down the steps. She wondered why he had always listened to her before, but when she needed to listen, he didn't.
Meanwhile Renee's stomach was beginning to turn acidic as she wondered how Sarah had gotten out of the root cellar. She was going to spoil everything for Jordan. As the prince led Sarah down the aisle to the front of the room she reached out to stop Sarah.
"What are you doing Ma'am!" shouted Henry.
"Stopping you from making a big mistake your highness. This girl is my stepdaughter. She has been a servant in my home for ten years. Her name is Sarah de Barbarac." Renee informed the prince.
"What's going on!" shouted the king. He was quite confused right now along with everyone else. "Who was this girl?"
"She's the Comtesse de Lancret." replied the queen. But she was equally confused at the confusion going on in the middle of the room.
"Nicole?" asked Henry. He was confused and about ready to lose it.
"My name is Sarah de Barbarac. She is my stepmother. I am her servant." she replied.
"I don't understand. You're a servant. The apples ... " he said as it began to dawn on him who she really was. He started to walk away.
"Henry, please! I can explain!" Sarah pleaded for him to stay. They needed to talk.
"Ma'am, you will not address me so informally." he replied looking at her with distain.
Sarah knew her cause was lost. She had come to the palace with such high hopes. That maybe it was possible that Henry might overlook her situation in life if he loved her as much as he proclaimed he did.
Apparently though, that wasn't the case. He wasn't as enlighten as she had hope he had become. All their conversations had been a lie. He had really been belittling her views. He wasn't sincere about his love.
She had been totally humiliated before everyone in the room by the baroness. Why did she have to interfere? Why couldn't she let her have one last night with Henry? Why couldn't she let her tell Henry who she was.
She was crying now. What more could she say if he wasn't going to listen? She turned and ran away. She ran through the palace grounds. As she exited she fell to the ground losing one of her shoe.
Then it began to rain as she ran the three miles back home. She was soaked by the time she got home. A fitting way for her night to end.
Inside the palace Anna looked on in pain as she saw a beautiful young lady who was in love with her son being exposed. She was feeling the pain of rejection from Henry and the humiliation of being exposed for who she was in front of so many people.
Anna wished she could reach out and taken the young woman into her arms to comfort her. No one should have to suffer that much pain and humiliation without someone there to comfort them.
She was particularly upset with the baroness. She was going to have a talk with her. She had lied to her about Nicole the other day. The Baroness had told her she was leaving to get married. Obviously she hadn't.
The Baroness should have told her who Nicole really was. She shouldn't have waited to expose the girl tonight in front of her, Edward, her son, and everyone else who was here.
The Baroness hadn't just humiliated Nicole tonight, she had also humiliated the royal family. The Baroness was going to feel her wrath. And if she thinks Nicole was humiliated, she hasn't seen anything yet.
Leonardo was just arriving back at the palace when he saw her fall. He cried out to her "Sarah!" but she didn't hear him. He cursed, wondering what Henry had done. He wondered if Henry had taken the time to listen to Sarah and let her explain the truth to him about herself.
He saw one of her shoe lying on the ground and picked it up. He went looking for Henry determined to give him a piece of his mind. It took him a while, but he eventually found him sitting on the floor far away from the ball.
"What have you done!" he shouted to Henry.
"She lied to me." Henry replied. He was angry, but he also felt a sense of loss.
"She loves you Henry. She came here tonight to tell you the truth. Didn't you listen to her?" he asked. He shook his head in disbelief. The trouble with youth today is their capacity not to listen to anyone.
"No! She betrayed me. She lied to me. How can I trust her?" Henry replied angrily.
"It was you Henry that chased after her. You asked me why did she kept running away? Maybe she knew that she didn't deserve your attention or to be with you, so she ran away. Maybe she was trying to tell you that, but you didn't want to listen.
Did that deter you? No, you kept on chasing her. What was she supposed to do Henry? Say no to the prince? You told her that you loved her. How was she supposed to feel about that? She's probably as confused as you are Henry about how she feels.
She hasn't felt loved in ten years since her father died. You are the first person to love her since her father. Why didn't you give her the chance to tell you?" he asked.
"I don't want to talk about it old man. Leave!" Henry ordered.
"Before I leave you Henry I want to say one more thing. You complained to your father about who he chose for you to married. He in return gave you the opportunity to find someone you wanted to marry.
He didn't put any qualifiers on your choice of who to love. Don't you see Henry, it's up to you to choose who you want. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. It's okay to marry a servant girl if you truly love her.
The king and queen aren't going to care who you marry as long as you are happy. If you really love Sarah, don't let her status in life determine whether or not you want to be happy.
She loves you as much as you love her. Did you think it was easy for her to come here tonight and tell you who she really was? She didn't have to Henry, the Baroness had put an end to her seeing you again. She wanted you to know the truth." concluded Leonardo.
Henry sat there not moving. What Leonardo had just said made sense to him, but did it really change anything? She had still lied to him. She hadn't chose to tell him the truth. How could he trust her?
Sarah arrived at the manor. She was soaking wet from the rain. She sat on the steps unwilling to go inside and cried. Her worse nightmare had come true. Henry had found out from someone else who she was and wouldn't forgive her.
It wouldn't have been so bad if he had at least listened to her. She knew it was always possible that he would reject her, but to reject her in front of so many people ... and not to listen to her was too much.
She cried for an hour before going inside to bed. She didn't want to see anyone. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She cried herself to sleep.
Anna found Henry waddling in self-pity. She was quite angry with him and she was going to have a word or two with him.
"Stand up Henry." she ordered.
"Not now mother." he replied defiantly.
"We need to talk Henry and we're going to do it now. Stand up!" she wasn't going to put up with his indifference tonight. She knew he was upset and angry, but that didn't excuse his behavior.
Henry stood up to face the music. He knew eventually that he would have to talk with her, but why now? What could she say to make things better? He just wanted to be left alone to waddle in self pity.
"I'm ashamed of you Henry. What you did out there tonight was unforgivable. I know I have taught you better than that. What you did to that young girl was inexcusable.
You told me you loved her and then you broke her heart because you were embarrassed that she wasn't who you thought she was. Why didn't you give her a chance to explain and listen to what she had to say?
You should have taken her to a secluded place and talked to her Henry. You shouldn't have humiliated her that way in front of everybody." she informed him.
"She lied to me." was his only replied.
"Do you remember our talk the other day? I asked you if you would have listened?" she replied.
"I told you no." he replied.
"You thought it was because she was leaving, but maybe she was trying to tell you the truth about who she was. What else did she tell you?" she asked.
"She needed to see me even though she didn't have the time to stay." he replied.
"Maybe she knew it would be the last time she would see you and wanted you to be happy. Maybe she didn't want to break your heart like you did to her tonight. You really need to think about what you have done tonight Henry.
Some times it's not what you have to do, but how you do it. You were supposed to be the better person Henry. You should have handled the situation better." she told him before leaving to retire for the night.