Harvest Moon: A Sorta Fairytale (5)

Chapter Five

Amir stretched and let out a sigh as the warm rays of the early morning sun washed over him, and he looked back over his shoulder to make sure Sanjay was still within the mansion and had not followed him outside. The previous day, he had sent Charles to their homeland with a letter for his parents and a request that the man wait for their reply before returning. He'd paid triple the pilot's usual fee for the task, and also gave him enough money to rent a room at the most luxurious hotel in the palace's vicinity. He knew his parents would be prompt in giving him their answer, especially since he had asked them to do so, and so he was on his way to the travel agency to see if Charles had returned yet.

He knew it was probably still a bit too early, but ever since he'd ended up with Addie in his arms the previous day – albeit briefly and rather by accident – he had been even more eager to receive an affirmative answer to his request that his parents allow him to court her. Even over his heart racing in his chest, he'd been able to feel her breath hitch ever so slightly when he caught her. It had probably been more of a surprised gasp than anything else, but the idealistic part of him liked to think that just maybe she had felt the same sort of spark he had.

"Amir!"

He smile as Hina ran up to him, grinning and waving about an envelope above her head. She stopped in front of him, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet, and thrust it out toward him.

"Here! Daddy said this is for you," she announced, and Amir thanked her as he took the letter from her.

He quickly opened the letter, his hands shaking a bit as it hit him that his parents could have just as easily denied his request if they chose to do so. To his immense relief, however, a quick skimming of the letter his mother had written to him led him to find the words he had been searching for:

Your father and I are quite pleased you have finally found someone who interests you, and we give you our blessing to pursue a romantic relationship with this girl if you so desire.

He let out a relieved sigh, but it was a short-lived reprieve as his nervous tension returned upon reading the next part of the letter.

However, as you know the final decision regarding whether or not you will be allowed to marry this girl is up to your grandfather. I wish nothing but the happiest of marriages for you, my dear son – as does your father – so please remember to keep to the rules we have set for you when courting her. The two of you are not to be alone with one another, so make sure you keep Sanjay with you at all times. I will leave the amount of physical affection you are allowed to bestow upon her up to Sanjay, but as you know it cannot go past anything more than kissing until after the two of you are wed. I know this probably all seems unfair to you, but you must consider whatever sort of future you wish to have with this girl. If you break the rules, your grandfather will see her as the one to blame and you will be forbidden from ever seeing her again. I know you do not want that, and I do not want it to happen, either. I want you to be happy, Amir, so please do not let your heart take control in this situation as it so often does in other things.

Amir swallowed nervously. He had already broken the rules. Granted, when he had decided to go up into the mountains to play with Hina and the other children he hadn't expected to run into Addie. He would merely have to do his best not to go against his parents' wishes again and hope that they never found out about the incident in the mountains.

"Um... Amir?"

He turned his attention back to Hina, who was still standing in front of him. She was holding onto the skirt of her dress with one hand and tugging sightly at her bottom lip with the other, a blush coloring her cheeks as she stared at the ground between them.

"What is it, young princess?" he asked, using the nickname he had given her the previous day.

"Well..." She blushed even more and fidgeted about nervously as she continued to speak. "I was wondering who you're giving treats to for Spring Harmony Day."

"Spring Harmony Day?" Amir repeated, shaking his head slightly as his brows furrowed in confusion. "I have never heard of such a thing."

"It's a day when boys give treats to the girls they like," she explained, looking up to him briefly before averting her gaze to the ground once more.

"I see," Amir said with a smile, kneeling down in front of her. "What sort of treats?"

Hina shrugged. "You know... things like cookies and pudding."

"I see," Amir said once more, nodding. "And when is this special holiday for sharing sweets?"

"Today," Hina told him, and Amir's eyes went wide.

"Today? But how am I to give presents when I have not had the proper time to prepare?"

"Hana and Olivia both sell treats you could give," the young girl suggested, sounding hopeful. "There's still time to get some."

"Well," Amir replied, his smile returning, "thank you for the information. I shall go see Olivia about procuring some gifts."

He patted the top of her head and made his way in the opposite direction of the travel agency run by her parents, passing by the mansion but not bothering to stop in to tell Sanjay about the letter from his mother. He knew he would have to tell him about the contents of the letter, eventually, but he also wanted some time to himself to think about how to best pursue a relationship with Addie. She was an independent woman with a feisty spirit, and likely wouldn't be too keen on having their every interaction watched over by someone whose goal was to keep them from having much more than the briefest of physical contact prior to their wedding night.

That was why he had chosen to go to Olivia to purchase treats for her. Just by learning of the holiday the villagers were celebrating, he had been reminded that the two of them came from different cultures with different customs. Perhaps, since she had been traveling and living outside of their homeland for the past few years, Olivia would be able to help him determine the best course to take in pursuing a lasting relationship with the woman he desired so much it became hard for him to think straight every time she was near.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," Amir heard the smooth, feminine voice calling out to him in his native language, and he blushed when he saw the mischievous smile upon her lips. "I take it someone told you about the holiday today?"

Amir simply nodded, averting his eyes to the confections she had on display, and Olivia laughed.

"This is certainly a sight to behold!" she exclaimed, leaning upon her makeshift counter. "The eloquent Prince Amir, flustered to the point of speechlessness."

"Do you have any traditional confections from the homeland?" he asked, and she nodded in reply.

"I do," she informed him. "However, what is traditional here are madelines. If you are looking for a special gift for Addie, though, I suggest giving her some cream puffs. They're her favorite."

"They are?" Amir asked, his blue eyes snapping up to her face even as his cheeks burned a darker shade of red. He was both surprised by her apparent knowledge of his feelings toward the young farmer and the revelation that Addie had given up her very favorite treat to him the previous day. Of course, he really shouldn't have been taken aback by either of those two facts. He knew Sanjay was friendly with Olivia and had been since before she left the homeland to go on her travels, perhaps even harboring some feelings for the slightly older woman which had never come to fruition. So, really, he shouldn't have been surprised he would talk to her about the things that were going on at the mansion.

"Ah, so it is true," Olivia said with a smirk, preparing a box to fill with treats for him. "Prince Amir is taken with the young farmer."

"She is more special than that," Amir replied, then indicated that he would take some of the cream puffs as well as several boxes of the traditional madelines.

"You don't have to justify your interest in her to me," Olivia remarked as she continued to prepare his order. "She's a beautiful young woman, and she's very kind and spirited. Actually, now that I think about it... She's a rather fitting match for you."

"I think so, as well," Amir said with a smile. "I have met many young women these recent years, but none of them has made me feel quite like I do when I am in her company."

"Just be careful, Amir," she warned him. "Salim and I had enough trouble with wishing to make our own destiny together, and neither of us is royalty."

"I am aware of the difficulties the differences in our cultures and customs will cause," Amir told her, nodding slightly. "I believe she is worth that, however. Also, I have already contacted my parents and they have given me the consent I need to pursue a relationship with her."

"Does she know?"

"Know what? Of my intentions?" he asked, and Olivia nodded. "Not yet. I was hoping to make them known to her soon, though."

"Well, you may get your chance sooner than you thought," Olivia said with a smile, pointing past Amir with her chin as she placed the final touches on one of the packages she had been preparing for him.

Amir turned to look over his shoulder and saw Addie walking across the plaza toward them, a large bag in her hands. She was dressed plainly, in a tan skirt and white blouse with a pink sweater on over it along with her usual brown boots, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. A shy smile began to spread across her face when she saw him, and Amir realized that he had been staring at her and smiling the entire time. He blushed and turned to Olivia, who handed him one of the packages she had been preparing for him with a wink.

"Good luck, my prince," she told him, and Amir went to meet Addie as she drew closer to Olivia's stand.

"Good morning, Amir," Addie called, giving him a small wave as she approached, and he quickly moved to take the heavy-looking pack from her hands.

"Please, allow me to help you with that," he offered, but she pulled the bag out of his grasp and gave a small laugh.

"It's fine, Amir, nothing I can't handle," she assured him. "You do realize that living on a farm means I'm lifting heavy things pretty much every day, right?"

"Of course, forgive me," he said, blushing and running a hand nervously back through his hair. "I was merely trying to help."

"Thank you," she told him, smiling. "I appreciate the gesture. It's very gentlemanly, but I'm fine. Really."

Amir nodded, then pointed to the bag. "So... What do you have there?"

"Rocks," Addie replied, and Amir's eyes went wide, causing her to laugh. "Seriously. It's material stone. Dunhill mentioned wanting to build some sort of statue here in the plaza, so I volunteered to help with gathering the materials he would need."

"I see," Amri said. "And you carried these all the way from your farm, all by yourself."

"Yep!" Addie told him with a nod.

"That is remarkable. Surely, you must be tired after that. Why don't you take a seat and join me for some tea?"

"Well... I suppose I could," Addie said a bit reluctantly. "I do have some other errands I need to run, but as long as you don't keep me all day I should have time for those."

"Excellent!"

Amir beamed as he led her to one of the tables Olivia had set up for her small outdoor cafe, then he set down the box Olivia had given him and he pulled out a chair for her. He waited until she was seated, smiling when she thanked him for his help, then took up his own spot across from her.

"It was brought to my attention that today is a special holiday," he told her, nudging the box on the table closer to her. "These are for you."

"For me?" Addie said, blushing a bit as she pulled the ribbon from the box and opened it up, then she gasped softly when she looked inside. "Amir, thank you! These are my favorite."

"So I was told," Amir remarked, looking toward Olivia. Addie followed his gaze and laughed a little, then turned back to him.

"Would you care to have one?" she offered, lifting one of the cream puffs out of the box and holding it out to him. Amir accepted the treat with both hands and bowed slightly to her.

"I am honored that you would share something so precious to you with me," he told her. "Especially considering you were so kind to give me one, before."

"Stop being so formal all the time!" she scolded him, waving a hand about dismissively. "Just say 'thank you' and that'll be fine with me."

"Thank you," Amir said, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

Olivia soon brought them each a cup of tea and placed a bag containing several more individually-wrapped packages at the prince's feet, causing Addie to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Amir explained that he wished to follow the custom of the holiday in order to make a good impression upon the townspeople, and she stifled a laugh with the back of her hand.

"Are you trying to make every woman in town think you have a crush on them?" she asked, a teasing smirk upon her face.

"No," Amir replied, giving a small chuckle. "I wish to merely show them a kindness."

"Perhaps there is one young lady you might wish to have something a bit... extra-special prepared for, though?" she prodded, and Amir' cheeks burned scarlet. He cautiously met her gaze and found her staring at him with an impish grin on her face and a playful gleam in her eyes. At first, he thought perhaps she had caught on to his feelings toward her, but the longer he looked at her the more he began to realize she was speaking of someone else within the village. He wasn't quite sure he was ready to let her know of his desire to court her, but he certainly didn't want there to be any sort of misunderstanding regarding who it was he had eyes for.

"Actually, Addie, I-"

"Master Amir!"

The words died in his throat as Sanjay came rushing over to where they were sitting, a scowl on his face and what appeared to be a piece of paper clutched tightly in one hand. Amir sighed and quietly excused himself from his conversation with Addie, then stood and approached his butler, intercepting him before he could make it the rest of the way to the table and do or say something which would cause her any discomfort.

"What are you doing?" Sanjay snapped, and Amir gently grasped his upper arm and steered him back in the direction he'd come.

"I was merely taking tea with Addie and discussing the rather interesting tradition of today's holiday with her," he assured him, keeping his voice down, but Sanjay huffed in disbelief and shoved the paper in his hand against the prince's chest.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Amir blinked in confusion and took the page from him, then smoothed it out a bit and skimmed over what was written upon it. To his surprise, his mother had apparently also written a letter to Sanjay about the situation with Addie. He should have known she would, since she was concerned about him and his well-being so much and had a hard time trusting him after the multiple times he had worried her and his father with his actions.

"Well?" Sanjay prompted after a minute, and Amir sighed and looked up at him as he handed the letter back.

"I did as you said I should and wrote to my parents in order to request permission to court Addie," Amir explained. "Permission which, I assume you already know, has been granted by them."

"Yes, unfortunately," Sanjay replied, then cast a glance to where Addie was still seated at the table Amir had been sharing with her. "However, they also granted me with the authority to oversee your courtship with her in order to maintain its propriety – and I have already found you breaking the rules."

"We merely ran into one another in a public space," Amir pointed out. "I did not go seeking her out on my own and invite her on a date."

"That is not the point, and you know it, Master Amir!" Sanjay reminded him. "The rules of proper courtship dictate that all interactions between you and your intended are to be overseen by a chaperone – namely, me. I would be every bit within my right to report this infraction to your parents."

"Don't," Amir requested, shaking his head. He knew he couldn't stop Sanjay from informing his parents that he had gone against their wishes if that was truly what he wished to do, but he hoped that their friendship meant enough to him that he would allow this single instance to go by without repercussions.

"Please, don't," he repeated once more, bowing his head and shoulders toward his faithful companion in a pleading gesture.

Sanjay sighed and his tense muscles relaxed a bit. Amir raised his head and found Sanjay staring at Addie, grinding his teeth a bit. The prince was unsure if it was merely the situation the other man found distasteful, or if there was some reason he harbored a dislike for Addie, herself, and the question bothered him. Perhaps, once Sanjay had been allowed ample time to come to terms with his desire to court the young woman, he would broach the subject and attempt to get some answers.

"Consider this a warning," Sanjay finally said, his eyes flicking to him briefly before he turned his gaze toward Addie once more and nodded in her direction. "Go and tell her you must be leaving now, for you have things to do today."

"About that," Amir said, forcing an apologetic smile. "Would it be alright if we first took an hour to deliver some packages to the women of the town?"

"What sort of packages?" Sanjay asked with a confused frown. "And why only to the women?"

"Today is a local holiday, Sanjay," Amir informed him, his smile taking on some of its childlike wonder once more. "It is tradition for the men to give gifts of treats to the women. I have already had Olivia prepare them, so I need only deliver them. I figured it would be a good way to get to know the people about town better."

Sanjay huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose we can spare some time to make a few deliveries. Where are these packages?"

"Over by the table," Amir told him, pointing to where Olivia had placed the bag of small boxes filled with madelines next to the chair he'd been sitting in.

Sanjay nodded, and followed Amir when he made his way back over to the table. Amir smiled as Addie as he approached, and she stood from her chair and smoothed her skirt down in the back as she returned his smile.

"I'm guessing this means you need to be going now," she remarked, looking briefly to Sanjay, who was retrieving the bag next to Amir's chair in order to carry it for him.

"I am afraid so," Amir replied, taking one of her hands in his. "I wish I could stay longer, but there are things I must do."

"It's okay, I understand," she assured him. "A prince's life must be rather busy."

"Sometimes," Amir said with a light chuckle, then he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Please enjoy the rest of your day, Addie."

"I will," she told him, her cheeks turning the same shade as the sweater she had on. "You, too. And thanks again for the cream puffs."

"You are quite welcome," he said, the continued holding her hand a second longer before finally releasing it.

"I hope to see you again, soon," he told her as he backed away, and she nodded and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Come, Master Amir," Sanjay urged, lightly tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

Amir offered Addie a smile and a polite bow before following after his butler, but chanced a look back over his shoulder at her when he wasn't paying attention. To his delighted surprise, she was still watching him and even raised a hand to wave when she saw him look back. He mirrored her gesture, then turned back ahead of him before Sanjay would have a chance to notice his distraction. As the two of them continued walking, he smiled to himself and wondered if maybe he should propose his intention to court her sooner than he had originally planned.