A/N:

Thank you for your reviews!!! Almost 100! Wow! The reason I've been updating often is because it's summer. I hope you don't get used to this much updates because once school starts, then you know… Anyway, read on.

Chapter Eleven

One Step Forward, Ten Steps Back

Jerrold intently observed the raven-haired girl before him. She was riding on a tame white mare, yet her whole body was rigid and she was gripping the reins too tightly. Her lips were pursed into thin line; she looked as if she was expecting the horse to bolt if she made one slight movement. It was rather amusing though. She didn't know it, but she looked funny.

"You're too tense," he remarked. "You look kind of ridiculous, you know. Relax."

She glared at him. "I have a five-thousand-pound beast underneath me, so don't tell me to relax. I prefer to stay alive, thank you."

"Not exactly five thousand pounds."

Daria rolled her eyes. "It's called exaggeration."

He grinned. "Right." He paused. "So…where do you want to go?"

She gave him a look. Then she shrugged and said, "Frell has a lot of beautiful places to go to, so that's a pretty hard decision. I remember when I went out on my own one afternoon, and pretty much went wherever my feet took me. The places were really nice, though I must confess that River Lucarno is the most—why are you smiling at me like that?" She shot him a glare, though she was more surprised than angry. She had never seen that smile before…it wasn't a mocking one, nor was it a mischievous one. It was…pleasant.

The type of smile you wear when watching a sunset. She started. Why did I just think that?! She shook her head, wanting to force such traitorous thoughts out.

Jerrold shrugged. "Nothing. It's just that…we were having a decent conversation for once….and it's nice."

Daria started. She hadn't realized that. During those times when they were in each other's presence, all they mostly did was squabble and exchange angry words with each other. And now, she was just talking to His Majesty about how beautiful his city was. "Yeah, well, don't expect it to happen again," she mumbled. "I just forgot that I hate you for a second there."

"Do you really?" he asked intently. He manoeuvred his black stallion closer to her mare and looked at her closely, waiting quietly for her answer.

Daria, avoiding his eyes, sighed softly. "All right. Maybe not hate you…I-I dislike you."

"And why do you feel that way?" he said, arching an eyebrow.

Who do I feel that way? Daria repeated to herself. She knitted her brow in thought as she searched her mind for the reason. Maybe because he smirks at me a lot…or he's just plain annoying…or…

Oh my goodness.

I have no legitimate reason to dislike him.

"I don't know!" she snapped, shifting her mare away from him. "I guess the same reason on why you dislike me." She very lightly kicked her horse's sides, and it picked up its pace a bit, moving ahead of the prince's stallion.

"Well that doesn't make sense," the prince's voice drawled from behind.

Daria pulled the reins and the horse stopped. She then turned around and gave Jerrold a look. "What do you mean?" she asked.

He caught up in no time and halted right next to her. "Because," he said, turning to look at the confused girl, "I don't dislike you. Or hate you. Which means there is no reason available."

That caught Daria off guard. So he didn't dislike her. Or hate her. That was quite some news. If he didn't feel aversion towards her, then why was he always bickering with her? Why did they always have heated arguments every time they met?

This is just peachy. Now he has made things more complicated. Are we allowed to continue fighting, now that we got that cleared up?

"Well?" his deep and round voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

She gave him a questioning look. "Well, what?"

"Well, what is your reason for disliking me?"

Daria hesitated. "W-well…I-I…um…"

Jerrold waited patiently for her to state the reason. Suddenly, in the middle of Daria's tight situation, his eyes widened and his face broke into a broad grin. "Aha!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Daria paused and stared at him. "Aha, what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Aha, you don't have a reason, do you?" He smiled smugly. "You just decided to dislike me for no reason."

"I do have a reason!" Daria said hotly, her face flushing. "For one thing, you smirk too much. At me, mind you. And you're annoying. And you're arrogant, believing that every unmarried maid in Frell is lovesick with your good looks and charms."

"Ah…so you do agree that I'm handsome and charming?" Jerrold said, grinning impishly.

"Stop putting words in my mouth. I'm just saying what other maidens think." She scowled at him. "You're too conceited. You think that every young lady swoons and sighs dreamily at your presence."

"Well, it's true," Jerrold defended himself. "Every young lady does swoon and sigh dreamily at my presence."

Daria snorted and pointed at herself. "Not this one."

Jerrold remained silent. Daria shrugged and rode her horse at a fast trot, and Jerrold soon followed. They didn't know where they were going. Their minds weren't focused on it at the moment. For once, there was a long silence. Too bad it was filled with awkwardness. Daria was staring ahead, willing herself to not even glance at the prince. The prince was doing the same.

Sunset was nearing. There were now scattered hues of red and orange in the vast sky. The wind had turned slightly colder, and Daria shivered slightly. She was wearing nothing but her midnight blue servant's dress (which was incredibly stupid of her). Jerrold didn't notice her shiver. If he had, he would have acted like a gentleman he was and offered her his cloak. Though he wouldn't be sure if she would accept it or not.

Daria was surprised to find that the silence was almost unbearable. She had expected to feel happy that the prince was now leaving her alone, but she couldn't help feeling…lonesome? No…maybe "bored" was the word. She wasn't too sure.

So here they were, riding on trotting horses to who knew where. Daria was almost close to starting up conversation, but she reminded herself that she didn't like the prince, so why should she try to make herself good company to him?

Surprisingly, it was Jerrold who broke the long-term silence. "You still look ridiculous," he mumbled.

Daria's eyes widened. She stopped her horse, wheeled around, and glared at him. "See?! That's why I don't like you! You always know when to strike a nerve! You're always angering me, as if you find joy in seeing me get mad! Would it really kill you to act like a gentleman? And I don't mean just helping me in and out of carriages! I mean…treating me with respect, Your Highness! I know I was just a lowly servant before all this, but that doesn't matter. I-I…argh! I can't even voice my thoughts out loud! That's how annoying you can get, all right?" She finished with a loud huff. She turned away from him, not wanting to see the expression in his eyes, and instead focused on the setting sun.

Another silence followed, but it was more tense than awkward this time. Finally, the prince spoke.

"As if your glaring and shouting is considered respectful," he remarked.

Daria spun around and stared at him with wide eyes. "I—"

"I'll make a truce with you," he cut in. "A deal."

Daria arched an eyebrow. Wasn't I just thinking that a while ago? Making a truce with him? She shrugged. "All right…" she said slowly. "What do you propose?"

"I'll be nice to you. I'll be a gentleman," he said, emphasising the word.

Daria grinned devilishly. "Sounds tempting. What's in it for me?"

"You call me Jerrold. Not 'Your Majesty', not 'Your Highness.' Just Jerrold," he said seriously.

Daria tilted her head and gave him a look. She wondered why that was so important to him. Did he really dislike formalities that much? Why was calling him by his real title such a bother to him? She inwardly shook her head. I'll never understand…

"All right," she said, nodding. "You got a deal…Jerrold."

He cracked a grin. "Wonderful." He offered his right hand, and Daria took it. Once again, she couldn't help feeling his warmth as they firmly shook on their little pact. A perfect fit…

STOP THINKING THAT!!! Daria, without meaning to, abruptly pulled away. Jerrold gave her a puzzled look before shrugging and staring ahead. He suddenly smiled.

"Hey," he said. "We're near River Lucarno. Do you want to go there?"

A ghost of a smile crept up Daria's lips. "Let's. I loved it when I went there. I stayed there for hours, just staring at the water. But of course, when I got back to the manor, my mistresses weren't too happy, so I—" Daria's eyes widened with surprise. I received the whippings. I can't believe I almost said it out loud!

Jerrold gave her a look. "So you what?" he asked.

Daria shook her head. "Nothing," she whispered, avoiding his questioning eyes. If I told him, he wouldn't believe me. I have no proof. "Nothing at all," she repeated.

As she was looking at her surroundings (she could tell that they were very near the river now), the cool wind from the north suddenly blew on her bare neck and face. The dress didn't help much either. She shivered, and this time, Jerrold noticed. Instinctively, he took off his large black cloak. He then placed it on top of Daria shoulders, and he could tell that she was very surprised by the look on her face.

She hesitated. "I-I…"

"Don't even think about refusing it," he said seriously. "I know you're cold. Besides," he said, a smile playing across his lips, "I'm trying to be a gentleman."

Daria chuckled. "If you insist." She paused and frowned. Then, she took a deep breath and mumbled, "Thank you."

Jerrold's small smile turned into an impish grin. "Anything for you, my lady."

Daria snorted. "Of course."

They finally reached the river and dismounted. It was slightly dark now; the sun had already set. They tied their horses to a nearby tree. Daria suddenly couldn't help feeling nervous. She was actually going to spend time with the prince! A monarch of Kyrria! It was…odd.

Don't get her wrong. She would rather die than turn into a lovesick fool. No way was she going to swoon at the prince. She just found the whole thing strange, that's all. She was afraid that she was going to say something wrong and get beheaded for it. After all, he did have the power to do so. And yes, she did value her life.

"So…" Jerrold said as they sat down on the grass. (Daria made sure she was a good distance away. She was glad he didn't do anything to move closer.) "Tell me where you come from."

Daria shrugged. "I used to work for Lady Valene and Lord Michael. Their manor is not in Frell. When Lord Michael died, I…well, I decided to leave them." No point telling that him that Lady Valene kicked me out. She gave him a look. "Do you know them?"

Jerrold thoughtfully scratched his smooth chin. "I think so," he said slowly. "But barely. But what I meant by my question is, what's your background? Who are your parents?"

"Do you always go here?" Daria asked, not-so-subtly avoiding the question.

Jerrold gave her a look, meaning he noticed her purposely steering the conversation to another direction. He shrugged, deciding to let it drop. "Not so recently. I've been busy. My father has had me doing so many things for the past months. Today is actually a rare day."

Daria frowned. "Uh…do you like being a prince?" she asked. Truth be told, she didn't care one bit about his life, but she didn't want silence to linger once again. It was too…tense.

He sighed. "I get good days and bad days. It can be really stressful. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm even going to make a good king."

Daria shrugged. "I guess it depends on how much you believe in yourself," she said absent-mindedly as she gazed at the river. The gentle waters swayed around in laziness, giving the air a sense of tranquility.

Jerrold stared at her in thought. Daria, sensing his gaze, turned to him and gave him a questioning look.

"What?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing." He paused. "It's just that…have you noticed that we are actually acting decent with each other?"

She shrugged. "I guess our little deal did its wonders, Jerrold." She then gave him a look. "Though I am curious on why you decided to spend the day with me." She let out a laugh. "It' ridiculous, you know."

"Why do you think so?" he asked curiously.

She frowned thoughtfully. "Well," she began, "I was not exactly number one on your list of preferred companions, was I? As you said before, a day like this is rare. You could have gone with your buddies…whoever they are. Instead, you decided to teach me how to ride a horse—and we both know that that wasn't easy." She paused. "It just seems ridiculous to me."

He smiled. "Maybe I like spending time with you."

Daria snorted. "Please."

He laughed lightly. "All right. I wasn't expecting to spend the day with you today, but I couldn't let you go on a horse without a good instructor, could I? I didn't want you falling and breaking your back."

"I wouldn't have done that! I'm not clumsy," Daria said hotly.

He snorted. "Have you seen yourself curtsy?"

Daria's eyes widened. Did he just say that?! He did! How dare he embarrass her like that! And he called himself a gentleman?! Angry, Daria bolted up from the soft grass and trudged away.

Jerrold stood up and followed her. "I'm just being honest," he said at her retreating back.

Daria whirled around and glared at him. "You are a JERK! And I'm leaving, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

He scowled at her. "Didn't we go through this already?"

"Why should I cover my part of the deal when you are not?!"

He frowned. "Am I not being a gentleman?"

She scowled at him. "No," she said coldly. "Now leave me alone."

She turned and stomped away from him. She quickly untied her mare and walked away, not bothering to mount. (In truth, Daria still hadn't mastered that, and if she had done it, she would have made herself look clumsy, and she didn't want Jerrold seeing any more of that.)

Jerrold, rooted on the spot, stared at her retreating back. Then he sighed and shook his head. "One step forward, ten steps back," he mumbled under his breath. He then walked to his stallion, untied the reins, and proceeded to follow Daria. He wasn't going to take her "Leave me alone" seriously. It was dark out, for crying out loud! He didn't want anything happening to her, no matter how much dispute they had between them.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone," Daria said icily as Jerrold took his place next to her. The two were still walking, their horses silently following them.

Jerrold scoffed. "As much as how this is hard to believe for you, I don't want anything happening to you. It's already dark, and who knows what lunatic is lurking about." He paused. "Is that not gentlemanly?"

Daria snorted. "Not really," she replied coolly. "You just want to protect your own skin, that's all. Because if something happens to me, my mother will blame you for it."

Jerrold sighed noisily. "Look!" he cried in frustration. "I'm sorry for offending you. Can we not start over once more? Why are you so stubborn?!"

Daria groaned. Why couldn't he admit that there was no chance for them to get along? They were just not the right companions for each other! One day wouldn't even pass without them fighting over something! "Your Highness," she said angrily, "no matter how many times we start over, we will still end up where we are right now!" She sighed exasperatedly. "Trust me when I say it just won't work. All right? You and I are…" She trailed off. Why wouldn't it work out? What was it that always caused angry sparks between them?

She didn't know the answer.

"You and I are what?" he asked quietly.

"Just forget it," Daria said coldly. "Our attempt for friendship has failed, Your Highness." She paused. "Why don't we part ways? I'm sure it's the best thing. I don't know about you, but every time we come across each other, I get so strained. You always strike this nerve in me, and I hate it!"

"As if you don't strike a nerve in mine!" the prince shot out. He scowled. "I try to be nice, I try to be patient with you, but do you have any idea how much your bitterness pesters me? Here I am, wanting to help you with whatever bothers you—and don't deny and say that everything is fine and dandy, because it won't work—and you just brush me off!"

Daria glared at him. "Since when did I ask for your help?!" she said furiously. "I'm doing just fine on my own! And what makes you think that something's bothering me?!"

"Because you're always angry!" he retorted furiously.

"FINE!" Daria screamed, balling her fists. "Do you want to know what bothers me?! It's you! You bother me! Stop and realize that I'm only angry when I'm with you! So it's you! It's always about you!"

There was silence after that. Jerrold was taken aback. He did not expect that. She was blaming him?! He was the cause of all her anger? They barely knew each other, for crying out loud! No…she was just making up stupid excuses. She had to be.

But she still angered him. How dare she point the blame at him! He had done nothing but try to befriend her!

"Fine!" Jerrold yelled. "You win! I'll leave you alone forever. That's what you want, right?"

Daria gave him a cold look. "Right."

He frowned. So this was how it was going to be. Fine with him. This was actually better. Now, he didn't have to put up with her. They would go their separate ways and never have to see each other again. This was better, right?! Right.

Jerrold took a deep breath. "All right, my lady," he said quietly.

Daria swallowed and nodded. "Farewell".

Jerrold nodded and mounted his horse. "Fare—" He paused. "Wait," he suddenly said. "Not yet."

She gave him a look as he dismounted his stallion. "What?" she asked.

"I'll say farewell after I see you safe in your manor," he said steadily, not looking at her.

"Oh." Daria admitted to herself that that was very nice of him. They had just exchanged very angry words with each other, and he was still worried about her safety. That made her feel guilty, but she refused to say anything.

They walked on in very tense silence. They even kept a great distance away from each other. It was a sad situation.

Jerrold sighed inwardly. Then he looked straight ahead and saw a figure. He could make out the person's strong build and pale hair. That someone looked familiar...

He face suddenly broke into a grin. Daria saw it and gave him a curious look, but he ignored her.

"Christian!" he called out.

The person turned and upon seeing the prince, stopped. Jerrold quickened his pace, and Daria, curious on who "Christian" was, followed. She smiled slightly when she saw the two hug fiercely, slapping each other on the back.

When the two broke off, Daria looked at Christian, wanting to catch his attention. Christian, sensing her gaze, turned to her.

They gasped.

"You!" the guy cried out in disbelief.

Daria's jaw dropped. Fury immediately coursed through her veins as she stared upon grey eyes. Familiar grey eyes.

Then, without thinking whatsoever, she let out an angry cry and tackled him to the ground.

They rolled on the ground and began to fight.

A/N:

In case you haven't figured it out, Christian is the guy who stole Daria's bracelet, the only item that she ever loved and valued. I had fun writing this chapter, so I hope you had fun reading it! =)