Daring Charming did not get nervous. It was unheard of, preposterous! Yet there he was adjusting his crown and rehearsing lines in the mirror. He cleared his throat, ready to practice method 17 of asking out a maiden, when Hopper walked back into their room, announcing breakfast would be ending in 15 minutes.
"Curses!" Daring muttered. "This will just have to do." He checked himself quickly in the mirror for the hundredth time that morning, before taking a deep breath and walking out the door.
'You can do this, Daring! You're a Charming, you were born to do this! The castleteria won't know what hit it, I'll be so Charming. Explosion of charisma!' Daring continued his strange little pep talk, and by the time he got down to breakfast he was feeling considerably more confidant. And nothing could get in the way of that.
Except the one thing that could. Cerise had looked up from the table where she had been laughing with her friends, and Daring was hit with the full force of her eyes and her brilliant smile. "Man down. Mayday, mayday!" Daring muttered as he turned back into the hallway, blushing. He banged his head against a locker, frustrated with how pathetic he had become.
"Daring!" He heard a female voice call out. He stiffened – this was not how we wanted to be seen. He looked up only to be greeted with his sister.
"Darling!" He said in relief. "It's just you!"
"You ok?" She asked, puzzled.
"No! No, I am not!" Daring 'whisper-shouted', waving his arms around in panic. "I am the opposite of ok, I am the opposite of normal, and I am the opposite of charming! And no, it's not a curse."
"Whoa, Daring. Calm down. What is it, brother?" Darling's face softened. Her brother may be arrogant and difficult to deal with sometimes, but she knew just how insecure her brother really was.
Daring slumped against the lockers, and put his head in his hands. He muttered something inaudibly.
"What was that?"
"A girl! That's the problem! A girl!" Daring shouted. He shrinked away, realizing how loud he'd been. Darling's mouth dropped. Daring had never had girl trouble before!
"I…really, really like her. A lot." Daring confessed. "More than anyone before. But whenever I'm around her, I just become this love struck fool. All my 'charm' is useless."
Darling's brows furrowed as she thought. "My advice…just go for it. I know you're going to be embarrassed, and I know it's going to be hard, but she's worth it, isn't she? And you wouldn't want to lose her. You're just going to have to swallow whatever pride you have."
Daring sighed. She was right. "By the way," Darling continued, "She must be a pretty special girl to do this to you."
"Yeah." Daring smiled. "She is."
So Daring marched back to the castleteria, shoulders back, and ready to humiliate himself in the name of love. As soon as he had gotten his food, he walked over to Cerise's table, heart pounding in his chest. "Ladies! May I join you?"
"Sure Daring!" Cerise said, along with the other's agreement. She moved over on the bench, making room for him to sit next to her. Daring's heart was going a million miles an hour now, but slipped in next to her, fighting the blush on his cheeks. The girls started to talk once again, something about pets in the dorm rooms.
"Do you have a pet, Daring?" Cerise turned to him and asked.
"Uh…yeah." Daring replied. "P-Hawk, my peacock. He's actually pretty intelligent, as well as good looking." The others at the table nodded, and Raven started to talk, taking everyone's attention away from him and Cerise.
"That's cool." Cerise said to him quietly. "I have a wolf named Carmine. She's loyal, and wicked fast. You should meet her sometime." Daring smiled. A wolf seemed a strange pet for the daughter of Red Riding Hood, but he thought it suited her. Then it struck him. 'This is the perfect time, Daring! Ask her out on a date!' He thought frantically.
"So uh, Cerise, I-I…I was hoping... for some more food! Yeah, I'm gonna get some more!" Hexes! He'd been so close! He'd try again before breakfast was over, he decided. He stood up and started to move away to add to his full plate when he felt a small hand wrap around his wrist. He looked down to be met with her deep, grey eyes.
"Wait! Um…I was just wondering, would you like to go on a picnic with me this afternoon?" She asked.
"Like, a picnic, like, you and me, like…a date?" Daring asked tentatively.
"Yeah." Cerise breathed. "Like that." She looked down, feeling very anxious. Raven had assured her he wouldn't say no, yet Cerise was mentally preparing for a rejection.
"I'd love to!" Daring grinned, shocked, but ecstatic.
"Oh!" Cerise said, also surprised. "Well… meet me at the school gate, at four?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Daring replied, still grinning. He'd never been taught what to do when asked out by a maiden, but to be honest, he really couldn't care less.
