A/n: Just like a I promised!

Chapter Twenty-One

            The next day, I arrived in the courtyard a little early. Luckily it was deserted. I had something to do. I found a gardener's bench towards the side of the garden and pushed the top open. Inside it was musty and covered in cobwebs, littered with broken gardening tools. I removed the glass slippers from my pocket and placed them gingerly inside the bench. Although the shoes were beautiful, I couldn't bear to look at them. They made me think of Orlando.

            "Daria?" I heard Jerrold say.

            I dropped the bench's lid and turned around. "Hello Jerrold," I said.

            "What are you doing?" he asked, peering around me.

            "Nothing," I said stubbornly, sitting down.

            He smirked. "Okay," he replied.

            He took my hands and pulled me up, and then put one hand on my back and the other around my knees. Picking me up like a child, he spun me around.

            "Jerrold!" I cried. "Put me down!"

            Do I really want him to put me down?

            He placed me down gently and I folded my arms, pretending to be cross. It was habit. Jerrold laughed and turned his back to me. Before I could realize what he was doing, he'd opened the bench and pulled out the shoes.

            He stared at them for a few seconds. "Did you put these in here?" he asked.

            I nodded. "Yes," I replied.

            "Why?" he said.

            I shrugged. "They reminded me of Orlando," I said simply. "I didn't like that."

            "How'd they remind you of him?" Jerrold asked.

            "He gave them to me," I explained.

            Jerrold started laughing. "The note!" he cried.

            "What?" I asked.

            "The note!" he replied. "It was unsigned… and you thought Orlando gave them to you?"

            I paused, thinking. "You!" I cried. "You gave them to me!"

            Jerrold nodded. "Yes! Why would Orlando give them to you?"

            "Maybe because he was going with me?" I cried.

            Jerrold laughed. "I guess you're right," he said. "But I gave them to you. They were my grandmother's, and I thought you'd like them…"

            "That was kind of you," I replied. "Thank you. I guess we should remove them from the bench."

            Jerrold shook his head. "No, let's leave them here. Maybe two others will find them and use them," he said, placing them in the bench and shutting the lid. He offered me his arm. "Walk with me?"

            I took his hand instead and we began wandering the garden. "Daria," he said, "we didn't start off too well, did we?"

            I thought about it, how I'd ran into him and he'd found out that I was a girl. Or when he'd brought me to Roan's, and how angry I was when I found out that he was traveling to Ayorthia with us. Good thing he did. I'd hate to imagine what would have happened if he didn't. I remember how livid I was when he'd revealed that he was a prince, and the awkwardness between us upon returning to Jenn. How we slowly became friends, then confidantes, and our interest in each other flourished.

            I smiled. "No, I don't think we did," I replied.

            "Did you hate me?" Jerrold asked.

            I paused. "I don't think I ever truly did," I said. "I certainly didn't like you when we met. You were nosy-"

            "I was interested in you!" he protested.

            "-And I found you irritating at Roan's. And the way you took charge in Ayorthia because you were the prince, that made me angry too," I continued ranting.

            Jerrold was laughing. "Was I that bad?" he asked.

            "No," I said. "I think I thought I hated you. But when we returned to Jenn, I was truly charmed by you."  

            He turned to me seriously. "Daria, I think I'm in love with you," he said.

            My heart stopped. Do I love him? The hours I'd spent with him, laughing, crying, fighting, dancing, discussing. He'd thawed my heart with his silly grin. Jerrold changed me. For the better. And as I thought about it more and more, I couldn't imagine life without him. I looked at Jerrold, his dusty blond hair flopped into his serious gray eyes, his mouth in a half smile. No words came to me, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. His hands found their way to my waist, and pushed me away.

            "Daria…" he said warily.

            "I love you Jerrold," I whispered.

            He coughed. "What?" he said.

            "I love you!" I cried. "I love you!"

            He smiled. "You-you do?" he stuttered. "You love me?"

            I nodded. "Yes!" I cried.

            "I-I love you too!" he exclaimed.

            Then, suddenly, Jerrold dropped to one knee. "On to the real reason I asked you here, Daria. I know this may seem sudden, almost too soon. But Daria, I'd love it if you married me," he said quickly.

            I smiled, and then began to laugh. "What?" said Jerrold, indignant. "What?"

            "Nothing," I said.

            "Will you?" he replied.

            "I'd like nothing more," I said.

            Jerrold jumped to his feet and kissed me, dipping me backwards romantically. He stood up afterwards, and took my hand.

            "Come on," he said, pulling me along. "We've things to do."

A/n: Aww, cute! You knew it had to happen. This chapter was so sugar-coated it hurt my teeth writing it. But it had to be done. REVIEW!