World and Characters belong to Gail Carson Levine. Writing belongs to Lemonlimesweetness.

Enjoy!

"Eleanor! Such a disgrace. In front of the entire court all the same!"

Daria closed her eyes and leaned against the door she was listening at. It wasn't like she needed to. She already knew what was going to happen. She was merely anxious for Eleanor. Apparently, the 'disgrace' was her fault. It was stupid, Daria realized as she looked back on it, to act so quickly on impulse. That moment of anger had resulted in that sodding prince sending her back to where he first found her. It was all his fault. Entirely and completely. She tuned her thoughts back to the conversation.

"That's enough! She has to go!" Lady Gianna said in a voice that couldn't be reasoned with.

She and Eleanor had been arguing about the matter since morning. When they'd gotten back from the disastrous ball, Lady Gianna had screamed for a maid to follow her to her room for a relaxing massage and went to bed immediately after. But before she did, the two children heard many crashes of breaking objects. Daria knew since then, actually she knew even before, that'd she'd be sent back to the streets.

Ah well, Daria always was a tough cookie. And it wasn't too horrible on the road. She quietly gave herself a mini pep talk as Eleanor kept arguing inside the closed oak doors.

"You know what he did to her! It was his fault in the first place!"

"He can do whatever he pleases! Don't you understand that, Eleanor? He is a prince. Unfortunately, the same privilege does not extend to the rest of us, as Daria so clearly tried to disprove."

Daria heard bustling inside. She guessed Lady Gianna had stood up. "That's enough! One more word out of you and you'll be following her out those doors."

Daria's heart sunk. She had gotten to know Eleanor well enough over the past month to predict what she would say next. And in Daria's mind, it was pretty darn stupid of a thing to do.

"Fine." Eleanor said calmly.

"Thank you, Eleanor." Lady Gianna said, sighing.

"No. I meant, fine, I'll go with her."

Daria could imagine the look of shock on Lady Gianna's face.

"Eleanor!" She exclaimed. "Think for a second what you're saying!"

Daria pressed her eye back into the keyhole of the door. Through it, she could see Lady Gianna and part of Eleanor on the left side. They were both standing up. Lady Gianna's arms were limply at her side, while Eleanor's were crossed stubbornly at her chest. Eleanor nodded curtly.

"I know what I'm saying, Mother. I've made my decision."

Lady Gianna looked close to fainting.

"B-b-bu…" Daria saw the woman stutter. Her discomfort and total lacking in the right thing to do was completely out of character…and kind of hysterical.

"—However," Eleanor continued, and Daria saw the start of a smirk touch her lips, "think of what everyone will say once they hear that you've abandoned your own blood to perish as a peasant." And at this she held her hand to her forehead in mock horror. Daria snickered. Eleanor really knew how to blow things out of proportion.

Lady Gianna looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a very large monster truck (so to say in modern speak).

Finally she held hear head in her hands in defeat and proclaimed very dramatically, "Oh woe is me. What other choice have I?"

Daria sunk slowly to the ground near the doors, light-headed with relief. She was staying, with Eleanor! She let out a strangled yelp of joy. The ladies inside didn't hear because Elenaor had already started squealing and showering her mother with thanks. Daria peered back into the keyhole. Eleanor's face, although happy was clearly unsurprised. Though, Elenaor was a complete mystery to her mother, she knew everything there was to know about Lady Gianna. Eleanor looked towards the door and winked, guessing who was crouching behind, listening intently while simultaneously tittering with joy.

But then, right when their poor ears were adjusting to the quiet, they were struck by the sound of a high-pitched trumpet blowing outside. Daria stood up abruptly, succeeding in slamming into the golden door knob above her. She stepped away from the door as Eleanor and Lady Gianna stepped out of the Living Room. They all knew what the trumpeting meant.

It was the royal herald, sent out to deliver a royal message. They shoved open the front doors and watched as he galloped down the road on his grey-patched steed. This was the richer part of town, where all the nobles lived, and they were all friendly with the family of the castle, but only on certain, special occasions did they send the herald out. They saw other little heads poking out of their windows and doors as they watched him pass. They watched nervously as the herald got to the end of the road and started towards their house. Lady Gianna glared most venomously at Daria; they knew what kind of message the Prince would like to deliver…not too pleasant, so to say.

He stopped a way away fro the door and blew his trumpet once more and then started to speak in his loud baritone. And then he said something none of them expected. "His highness Jerrold, crown prince of our blessed land Kyrria, royally declares his greatest apologies to the fair maiden Daria."

The three of them stood still by the doorway, beset with shock.

He cleared his throat and continued. "And the entire royal family extends their invite to her and following family to join them for supper in a moonrise away at the banquet hall." He then bowed as low as he could without looking like he was sniffing his horse. Then he straightened up, tucking that blasted trumpet to a holder slung on his back. "Hyah!" He yelled, and he steered the horse back down the street.

Lady Gianna's face was shining. She hugged Daria close to her. "Oh my child. How pleasant! I always knew you did the right thing."

oOoOoOo

"Eleanor!" Daria screamed at her. She was hiding under the covers. She sat down on the bed and weakly hit the lump underneath.

"Daria…" she groaned. "Do not impair my hearing."

"You can't just let me go alone! With the Prince. Who. I. HATE."

"I can't help it if I'm sick." Her voice muffled out from the duvet. She had called sick this evening, and now she got to bail out with the Prince's "apology dinner", leaving Daria to survive with her own devices. In Daria's mind, it was downright selfish.

By now, Daria had gotten quite used to the "dressed up" thing, and she was now sporting a big white gown split in the skirt and laced with flowers, with a tiara like headband on her hair. It was just like the other dresses she was forced to wear. (And I do not use the word 'forced' lightly.)

"Eleanor, please. Come!" She begged one last time as Lady Gianna called her from outside. All she got from that was a glare. Well as good as a glare that you could give when one was hiding their head beneath a thick cover. She said and gave up, rushing down the stairs and meeting the lady at the front door.

Here goes nothing.

oOoOoOo

Eleanor listened intently as the door shut.

"Finally." She sighed. She slipped out from underneath her covers, careful not to mess anything up. She was already dressed in a nice little white dress. It draped out near her feet, and ruffled at the sleeves. Her hair was up in a messy bun, waves caressing her face. It was much better than a grand ball gown. It was completely Eleanor. She hurried near her mirror, and readjusted some of the yellow petals she fitted into her hair. When she deemed herself ready, she ran to the door of her room and put her shoes on.

She hurried down the stairs. If the maids saw her, they didn't really care, humming their lives away as they mopped or cleaned something or another. What was the drama of the upper class to them?

She slipped out of the front doors and hurried down the road. She looked behind her to see if any of the windows were lighted up. None of them were, so she was safe. She headed along the road to the poorer part of Frell, keeping in the shadows. This time of night was scary.

She jumped as she heard the hoot of an owl. The faster she got to where she was going, the better. Finally she neared the edge of the market place. She headed down to a small cottage. She saw Peter waiting for her, his peasant's garb (undoubtedly the nicest he could find) looking charming on him. She ran the distance between them. She smiled as he grabbed her hand and led her down the dark alley. In the middle was a single table with a wide cream candle lying in the middle, giving out a glowing light. The table itself was clothed with a scarlet setting. Two plates were lying with a scrumptious salad made from his father's left over produce.

"You look like a princess." He whispered into her ear, wrapping his arms around her narrow waist.

Eleanor giggled as she rested her hands lightly on his neck and laid her forehead on his. It was such a perfect moment. And to think, Daria was stuck with a pestering prince.

oOoOoOo

Daria entered the castle for the second time, now knowing what lay behind those pretty doors. And because of that…She really didn't want to be here. Her mother, however, was happier than a sugar craving child at a deserts table. And her cheerfulness was enough for the both of them. Way enough.

Daria smiled stiffly as they strutted up to the banquet hall's large table, their heels clicking loudly on the marble floor. Well actually, it seemed that the family and replaced the large table with a smaller one. One where it was much easier to talk to their guests.

Darn! And Daria was planning to sit as far away as possible from Jerrold. With this replacement table, yeah, that'd be five feet.

"Gianna, and Daria, dear. Welcome. Oh, the children will be eating separately."

Scratch that. Two feet.

The grown ups got all set and done on the table. She quickly glanced to her left. Jerrold had taken the liberty to leading her out into the palace gardens. How pleasant. She gave a strained smile as he tried to start a conversation.

"Daria, right?"

"Yes." She answered stiffly.

"Oh. I'm—"

"The big-headed Prince?"

He flinched.

"Um…No. I'm Jerrold."

"Is there a difference?"

He did really have an answer to this. They just kept walking down the path, Daria wondering how big this garden really was.

They walked in silence for quite sometime, each stuck with their own thoughts. And one set of thoughts was not all that pleasant…

Who does he think he is? Sure he's a prince, but that doesn't mean that he can go doing whatever he wants. Oh wait until he's king. There'll be mutiny for sure. And won't I just be at the head of that? And what now? Inviting me to a dinner, thinking that'll make up for it. Pompous brat doesn't even know what he needs to make up for. Ugh! I'd rather be hung than this poor fate of being within a five-mile radius of him. Oh, much closer than that, two inches. Maybe I'll just scoot a little away. Oh! Lookie here. He comes even closer! URGH!

She looked at his face for the first time since they'd come outside. It was still wearing a shocked expression. As though he couldn't remember what he had done in the first place. Well screw him, I'm not telling.

oOoOoOo

Eleanor smiled at Peter as she picked at her salad. Their eyes had not left each other's the whole time they were eating. His was a lovely brown. They were playing footsie underneath the table, smiling those smiles that only lovestruck puppies could wear. She finally put her fork down when she realized that it was scraping the bottom of the copper plate.

She realized that he had been done quite a while ago. Not that it was her fault for not noticing. His eyes were just so enchanting.

"Are you done?" he asked politely.

She smiled shyly and let him collect their plates. He walked blindly to a door on the far part of the alley. A part where the candle light did not reach. She heard the thunk of him closing the door behind him as he went to put the plates away.

She suddenly squealed. This was perfect! Just as perfect as all the other dates. But still, she couldn't help getting excited over each one. Oh how did she never meet him before. She made a mental note to thank Daria once she loosened up to it.

She heard the door open again and saw him approaching the table. He stopped next to her seat and took her hand.

"Come with me. I want to show you something."

She obediently got up and followed him. They walked out of the alley, leaving the table and candle behind. They walked up the road, Eleanor just watching him. Their fingers were intertwined as she leaned onto his strong shoulder.

oOoOoOo

There was a strangely awkward silence as Daria and Jerrold walked through the garden. The garden itself was so overflowed with the most exotic, sweet smelling flowers, and Daria was getting that nauseous sickly feeling from the smell. Of course, the nausea might have been coming from the person walking next to her, feeling perfectly at home. But either way, she desperately wanted to leave.

She looked further ahead. It seemed as though the path split into two, one heading straight onwards and the other veering right. There was a quaint rest area by the middle.

He led her to a small little bench under a tree by this area. It would have been a cute sight, shining under the full moon, if it weren't for the stuck up, good for nothing boy sitting there. Not that she held a grudge or anything. Daria was very anti-grudge.

Stupid, stupid boy.

"So…" he started. Trying to break the ice once more. "How, um, how do you like your new family?"

"More than I like you, that's for sure." She muttered.

That was the final straw, it seemed, for him. He sighed, frustrated. "Okay. What is your problem?" There was only so much antagonism you could get before you started to get suspicious. Smart boy.

Daria widened her eyes. Oh, she'd let him know alright.

oOoOoOo

Peter took Eleanor up a cobblestoned path. They had been walking for a while now. And it was a nice walk, not polluted by chatter. They were now climbing a small hill. It was a fair distance away from the town, and they were surrounded, now, just by grassy moors. Like they were the only two people in the world. It was a wonderful feeling. They finally reached the top of the hill. There was the smallest bench up at the top that could only comfortably fit two people. By the bench was a stone slab with a metal inscription on it. A date and a description.

"This is Yauriy Hill." He whispered behind her neck as she looked at it, sending goosebumps to pop up down her arms. "In the night, you can see every star in the sky."

And he was right, she realized as they sat themselves down on the wooden bench. There were more stars than sky. And it was absolutely beautiful. They looked up together at the unreachable celestial heavens above.

But Eleanor was in her own little heaven right down here on Earth.

oOoOoOo

"You want to know what my problem is!" Daria yelled, hopping up.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" He asked, sneering. So, now the real Jerrold showed up. Well, that was better. Because now, she could scream at him.

"Do you really not remember?" She yelled out. Angry and irritated.

"What did I do? The first time I saw you was at the ball!"

She ground her teeth. "You're kidding me right?"

"When did I see you before?"

"You really don't remember? You big headed, stuck up, no life prat!"

"What am I supposed to remember?" He asked angrily. He had never been more confused in his life. And that was saying something for a boy who'd listened to political conflicts since he could form words.

Daria was angry now. And finally, she let spill.

"That I'm the 'low-lifed' peasant you decided to dump your wine on!"

And then there was silence.