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 13 Making Amends
1100 hours, day 15
de Ghent's manor
Henry spent the next thirty six hours thinking about the previous twenty four. He wondered if he had been truly fair with Sarah. Had she really deceived him or was he blaming her for his own actions?
He had to admit that he had stolen her horse. She had confronted him and caught him red handed. He hadn't taken much notice of her because he didn't want to.
He had dismissed her as a matter of fact because he didn't want to be bothered and he was running away from his father, which at the time was more important.
That was the crutch of his problem. He never wanted to deal with anything until he met Nicole. Yes, he knew her real name is Sarah, but it was Nicole who made an impression on him.
It had only been a few hours from the time they first met until he saw her again. She had looked familiar, but ... he hadn't remembered who she really was. Was that her fault? Even though she had tried to away from him, she still dealt with him face to face.
Was he that shallow of a person. Did he need to see a beautiful woman in a fine dress before he would pay any attention to her. Sarah did look beautiful in her very fine dress, he needed to know who she was. He had been the one to chase after her when she tried to run away.
It was he who pushed her to give him a name when she didn't want to tell him who she was. He had known she was different. He had told her so himself. She was like no other courtier he had ever known.
Why had he been upset when he found out that she wasn't a courtier? Why was he so angry with her? The time he had spent with her over the last two weeks had been the best time of his life. He had learned so much from her beginning with embracing what life had to offer.
She was so passionate about everything. It excited him. She helped him see that life was worth living. It was up to him to find out what he wanted to do with his life. He couldn't expect someone else to make life exciting for him.
He had told her that he loved her. He kissed her several times over the last few days they were together. She had save his life! And this was how he repaid her! His mother was right. He should be ashamed of himself.
He needed to find her. He needed to tell her that he was sorry and was ready to listen to her. But in order to do so, he would have to deal with the dreadful Baroness and her daughter Jordan as well. He didn't want to see either one of them.
He was really angry with the Baroness. She had ruined a very beautiful moment for him and Sarah. Sarah had been standing there in the moonlight looking so much like an angel. She looked so beautiful.
He had been so happy that she hadn't left and was there waiting for him to welcome her. The Baroness and her timing had sucked all the joy out of such a wonderful night. He should have been happy for the rest of the night.
Instead she had caused him a great deal of embarrassment, misery and pain. The Baroness should have waited to tell him or his mother in private. What was the harm of a poor servant girl having a night to remember?
The truth about Sarah could have waited another day when it wouldn't have hurt anyone except maybe Sarah or him. Why? Why? Why couldn't the Baroness have kept her mouth shut? Sarah was her daughter for Christ Sake.
He was sure his mother would have something to say to the Baroness about what happened. She had embarrassed the royal family. She would have to pay a price.
He couldn't really blame Jordan. She was a beautiful young woman with dreams of her own. Why wouldn't she want to become a princess and be his wife? She hadn't done anything wrong, but she did seemed to have low regard for everyone else.
He rode up to the manor to see the Baroness walking out of the door. Well at least he wouldn't have to get down off his horse to talk to her. It would make it easier to leave when he received the information he was after to find Sarah.
"Good morning your highness." greeted Renee happily. The prince must be here to court Jordan she thought.
"Good morning Ma'am." greeted Henry with a look of distain.
"Are you here to see Jordan?" smiled Renee. She thought the prince was going to ask Jordan to marry him.
"No Ma'am." he replied to a look of disappointment on her face.
"I'm here to see Sarah." he informed her.
"She's only a servant your highness." she argued.
"She's the person I love and whom I've come to see. I need to talk with her." replied Henry in a tone that told her that he was in no mood to deal with her insolence.
"She's not here your highness. She ran off yesterday morning. You broke her heart when you dismissed her like a worn out shoe." she replied shifting the blame away from herself.
Though she hated to admit it to herself, it was the truth. Henrietta had confirmed to her the truth of Sarah and Henry's time together. Sarah had been in love with the prince and knew she didn't deserve him, but that hadn't kept her from hoping that it didn't matter to him.
"Where did she go?" he asked her.
He was anxious to get out of there. As much as he despised her at that moment, she was correct, he was the one who had broken Sarah's heart not her. He was the one who hadn't listened to Sarah. He hated himself for doing so.
"I don't know your highness. She has never done anything like this before. She has never been rebellious until she met you your highness. She has always been a good girl and done whatever she was told. She never was any trouble to me." answered Renee.
Henry wasn't too happy with her frankness and disrespect, but he realized what she had said was probably true. Maybe that was where Sarah got her frankness and directness from. Sarah had told him that she had never spent any time with a man before aside from Michael.
He could see the effects of what he said to her whenever he suggested she was his weakness, that he loved her, and whenever he kissed her. It was all new to her.
"You have put her in a very compromising position Sire. There are certain protocols to follow when courting a young woman to protect her honor. You have failed in every case Sire.
It is customary to seek permission from the young lady's guardian first before beginning any courtship. Then one should have a chaperone present at all times. If one had been present on your trip to the monastery she would have kept Sarah safe.
You put her life in danger when you let her walk off without any protection and got lost. There's no telling what could have happened when you met the gypsies. She could have been killed." sobbed Renee.
She wanted the prince to understand the possible ramifications of his actions concerning her stepdaughter. She also wanted to implant the notion that she loved Sarah and would have devastated if anything had happened to Sarah.
"You swept her off her feet with your attention and seduced her Sire. What young lady could refuse your attention? That's why there are protocols in place, to protect them from more sophisticated suitors, wanted or not."
Henry was beginning to understand where his mother was coming from. She had told him pretty much the same thing, but in a different manner. He was ashamed of himself as he realized that the Baroness was right.
Had he gone to her and asked her for permission to court Sarah, he would have found out that she was a servant. He probably wouldn't have spent the last week looking for her and thinking about her.
Maybe he would have given Jordan more serious consideration. She was beautiful and intelligent. He could have learned to love her. But none of that mattered now. He loved Sarah. He needed to find her.
"You're right Ma'am. All this misunderstanding could have been prevented had I come to see you first about seeing your daughter Sarah, but I didn't. All I know is that I love her and I want to see her. Please tell me where I might find her." conceded Henry.
"Thank you Sire, You might try the lake. She used to spend time there as a child." offered Renee.
Meanwhile Sarah was lying in a grassy area up by the lake. She had left the manor early yesterday morning. She had to deal with the witch before she left. She was so angry with the Baroness. She had interrupted them as she was trying to talk with Henry.
She was trying to get him to listen. She knew or thought that if she had the opportunity to talk with Henry, she could have explained everything to him. He might have been angry with her, but he probably would have forgiven her, eventually.
Instead her twisted stepmother embarrassed not only her, but also the prince and the royal family in turn. Henry had no where to hide from the curious onlookers. He had to suffer the indignation of being a fool to fall in love with a servant in front of everybody at the ball.
No wonder why he didn't want to talk or listen to her. But that didn't change anything. He didn't have to treat her with such disrespect and distain. Why couldn't he have taken her somewhere private and quiet to talk about it.
That is what she had wanted to do. It would have been the right thing to do. Why couldn't he have shown the good breeding that he possessed? He had told her that he loved her. After all the conversations they had had about status of people, that it wasn't who they were.
Why then did he have to revert back to his screwed up way of thinking before they had met? She was so confused. Maybe he was confused too. Maybe after he thought about what happen he would seek her out. Maybe they could talk.
She needed time away from everybody and everyone. She didn't need to deal with her stepmother right now. She could be so mean. Why couldn't she let her have one last night with Henry?
She had packed up enough food to last a few days. She spent the night at her special place up by the lake. She imagined that at one time a long time ago it might have been a bath house for the people who lived during that time.
1400 hours
the bath house
by the lake
Henry had been riding for several hours. He decided to ride around the lake since it wasn't too far from where she lived. He figured she wouldn't have gone too far and it had been one of the first places he had seen her.
Even though she might be angry or hurt she wouldn't go too far from her home. He had a feeling that Sarah wouldn't let the Baroness win. She would fight her. That meant she wouldn't run away and probably would return when she was ready to do battle.
He spotted someone flying a kite. It had to be her he thought. She loved flying that stupid kite. It seemed to make her happy and let her have fun in a dignified manner.
He had taken a chance that she might have gone to the lake to be by herself. It was quiet and peaceful up here. It was far enough away from everyone that not too many people would bother coming by and disturbing you.
His heart felt lighter for the first time since that dreadful night. He rode up to her and dismounted quietly so as not to startle her. Her back was to him so she hadn't seen him riding up. It was probably was a good thing he thought. She might have run away if she had seen him coming.
"Sarah!" Henry called out trying to get her attention.
She froze and stiffened up for a moment as she heard her name being called. She turned around shocked to see him standing there not more than ten feet away. She wanted to run. She wanted to get as far away from him as possible.
But where could she run to? Even if she had a place to run to, he would surely chase after her. That was what he had been doing for the last two weeks. If he did chase after her, he probably would catch her without too much difficulty.
She didn't know what to do. She couldn't even move at that point. Why was he here? He didn't want her. He made that perfectly clear the other night. He didn't really love her as he had told her.
What possible reason could he be out here? Why couldn't he just leave and leave her alone? She didn't want to see him. She wanted to be left alone. What could he possibly want? Hadn't he said enough to her the other day?
He had hurt her more than she had ever thought was possible. She knew that there was going to be some pain when he finally found out that she was only a servant, but she had thought she would have been the one to tell him.
Somehow she thought that would have lessen the pain she was feeling right now. But try as she might, she couldn't move. Her legs had become weak. She thought she might fall. Why was he here? Her mind was racing. So many different thoughts were running through her mind. She couldn't breathe.
"Sarah, I'm sorry." he said trying to allay her fears.
"Hello, why are you here Sire?" she whispered barely loud enough for him to hear.
"I wanted to apologize to you for treating you so badly at the masque. One moment I was so happy to see you. You had come back to me. You looked so beautiful. You looked like an angel who had come down from heaven to be with me.
I was so excited. I wanted you to meet my mother. The next moment I'm acting like an ogre, just like my father. I shouldn't have treated you that way. You've been so wonderful ever since I've met you.
You've helped me find my way in life. I found a purpose. I told you I loved you. Then I treated you so badly at a time when you needed me to love you and understand you the most. I should have found a way to listen to what you had to say." Henry explained sullenly.
"I should have told you who I really was before then your highness." she began.
"Henry, my name is Henry." he corrected her. She smiled for the first time in days.
"I wanted to tell you after the night we spent together, but I didn't know how. Before then I didn't really know how I felt about you. I thought you were better off with Jordan.
But somehow you made me fall in love with you. I didn't know what to do. I was afraid and I didn't want you to hate me Henry." she wailed. She had tears in her eyes that were readying to flow.
"I could never hate you Sarah. I should have known that you weren't a courtier. You were different." he replied.
"It was all your fault. It was you who chased after me. All I wanted to do was rescue a servant who had been a part of my life since the first day I could remember." challenged Sarah.
"When we met for the first time, you didn't even see me. You barely acknowledge my existence. All I was, was a servant. I could have been young or old, man or woman, it wouldn't have mattered to you.
All I had to do was put on a pretty dress and you paid attention. You didn't even recognized who I was. It had only been a few hours." she tried to explain.
"I needed to know who you were. No one had ever talked to me like that before. And as I told you that day, any woman who can quote Thomas Moore was worth the effort to know." smiled Henry.
"You needed to be educated Henry. You needed to do more than just read the book. You need to try to understand what the author intended to say with his words.
You read Thomas Moore, but you chose not to understand. When we first met you couldn't be bothered to look at me to see who I was. You felt indignation that I should even question your right to take anything you wanted." she sighed.
"That was the real reason I quoted Thomas Moore to you. I wanted you to see the follies of your own action. You took my father's horse because as you said, you needed it. Yet you punished the less fortunate who have the same need.
I tried to dissuade you. I thanked you and walked away after you free Tom, but you came after me. You asked me my name and I wouldn't tell you. I finally relented and told you I was visiting a cousin.
You were supposed to understand that meant I wasn't going to be around here very long. You wouldn't have time to get to know me. But you still chased after me anyway. You asked me for a name, any name.
So I gave you the name of my dead mother. No one was supposed to know who she was. You could have asked every person in the province and no one would have been able to tell you who I was and where I lived.
I don't think you know how fortunate you were to find Michael. He was the only person who knew the whole story about my encounter with you. I still can't believe that you found him. He's usually in town." wailed Sarah.
"I saw the kite flying in the sky. I thought it was Leonardo so I rode to where he was flying the kite. I wanted to talk to him about you." smiled Henry.
"I couldn't believe it when he told you that he knew the Comtesse de Lancret and where she was staying. I told him not to say anything to you." explained Sarah.
"It was you that was flying the kite that day. I didn't see you." acknowledge Henry as another piece of the puzzle became apparent.
"I wanted to get away from the Baroness and Jordan. I wanted to spend some time with Michael. I haven't seen much of him since he began his apprentice. Flying the kite in the meadow overlooking the castle was a good place for both of us.
When I saw you coming I hid behind one of the haystacks. He only told you where I lived to cause me trouble." explained Sarah.
"I'm glad he did Sarah. It was the best day of my life. I found my purpose that day and I figured out that I loved you." replied Henry.
"It was the best day of my life too. It was a wonderful adventure. Being able to go to the library and seeing all those books. The time we spent together walking and talking. Even our time with the gypsies was nice.
When you told me you loved me, I knew I was in trouble because I was beginning to fall in love with you too, but I was only a servant. I knew somehow I needed to tell you, but I didn't know how.
I never thought what was between us would go so far. I never thought I would ever see you again after I gave you a name. I'm sorry to have deceived you Henry." wailed Sarah.
"It's okay Sarah. When I talked to my mother after she had visited with the Baroness and learned that you were suppose to be marrying a Belgium prince. She told me it takes a strong woman not to succumb to my charms when I decide I love them." smiled Henry.
"It's funny that the queen had lunch with the only woman in the world who knew my dead mother's name. If your mother hadn't asked the Baroness about the woman whom you had shown so much interest in,
the Baroness wouldn't have known that I was the courtier that everyone was talking about. She probably wouldn't have spoiled the masque ball. She would have been in too much shock seeing me there." finished Sarah.