A few more days, then Daniel went home. His early summer vacation started just two weeks before his birthday. All the studying he had done, all the preparations he had made, all that was thrown right out the window; he was not allowed to go to the exams, so all his hard work had been for naught.

Pride was all right, just like the others had said. He was still a bit distraught by the whole experience, but he apparently had stormed out of the building before the fire had become rapid, so he did not suffer too much from the shock.

Daniel was not let off easily, though. He might have been determined recovered enough to go home, but he definitely didn't feel fine; he was in a constant state of nausea, and the headaches never left him alone, the drumming against his temples making it hard for him to even think clearly or process anything. He was told that he should consider himself lucky to even be alive, but with all the fainting and vomiting everyday, he might as well have succumbed to the flames – not to mention the punishment he received when he was brought home.

Even though he had almost died of smoke inhalation and his ribs were still sore, his father was furious with him. John nearly beat him up again, but seeing as Daniel was already pretty knocked about, he made do with just giving him a scolding that probably could be heard all over Kent.

At least it was finally summer. Daniel had waited for this for so long. Finally Serena was back.

He couldn't wait to see her. He knew that she had arrived in Canterbury a few weeks ago. He didn't care that he wasn't in the best shape to run around the countryside; as soon as he returned home, he put on some decent clothes and hurried out to go find her. When he saw the tall oak trees and the great white mansion in the distance, the butterflies in his stomach went mad. He didn't know why, but he felt incredibly nervous and slightly sick, but that might just have been the after-effects of the smoke inhalation. He couldn't stop fidgeting with his sleeves, his waistcoat, his tie, his hair, anything.

He walked behind the trees, keeping himself out of sight. There was a lot of noise coming from the house, voices chattering and laughing. He sneaked around to the garden, looking inside through the nicely trimmed hedge. It looked like a huge dinner party was being held. Daniel recognised Serena's father. He was talking to his genteel friends, who all looked to be aristocratic and wealthy much like himself. They were laughing and taking sips of their expensive drinks.

Mr. Thórsson was a handsome and charming Icelandic man. The colour in his hair had faded a bit, but it was obvious that it used to be bright red. His skin was very light, so Daniel understood how Serena could have such a fair complexion despite her mother's dark skin.

Daniel looked around the garden a bit, recognising more members of Serena's family. He saw Regina standing with an elderly woman and a young man her own age. That must have been the suitor, Serena mentioned in her letter. He couldn't see Jemma anywhere, but Katharina was there, standing with a group of older ladies and gentlemen. And a little distance from her, on a small bench isolated from all the other people, sat his best friend. Daniel bit his lip. "Serena!" he whispered.

At first she didn't react. She was reading a book.

"Serena!"

Finally she looked up. She searched around with squinted eyes, a frown furrowing the clear skin between her eyebrows.

"Over here!"

Serena turned around. Her eyes widened as she saw him. "Daniel!"

"Can you come out here?" he said. She nodded and went on her way inside the house. Soon she came out through the main door and met him on the other side of the hedge.

Daniel felt like he was lifted off of the ground when he saw her. She was even more beautiful than the previous year. Her hair had changed; it had grown longer, and he really wanted to run his fingers through it for it looked so soft, but he managed to contain himself. This time the modest ribbon around her slender neck was replaced with a real satin choker, embellished with a pearl charm, which matched the colour of her elegant pastel dress. Her cheeks sported a faint pink flush, and the slanting, brown eyes sparkled beautifully. Her chest and hips were even larger, her waist even smaller. Her lips, pink and plump and inviting.

"What are you doing here? Are you completely mad? What if anyone sees you?" she blurted.

He grabbed her by the shoulders. "I don't care," he said, "I had to see you."

Serena stared up at him for a moment, and he could have sworn he saw her flushed cheeks turn even more red – then she embraced him hard. His ribs hurt, but he didn't mind; it was a good kind of pain. "I was so worried!" she said and looked into his eyes, "Why didn't you answer any of my letters? I wrote to you so many times! And oh God, how tall you have grown…"

"I'm sorry," he said and brushed a few strands of dark brown hair away from her face, "There were some … family complications. But that doesn't matter now. I have a surprise for you."

Serena's eyes widened. "A surprise? What is it?"

Daniel gave her a teasing smile. "Now, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

"All right, then," she said and rolled her eyes in amusement, "But Daniel, you need to go now. I have to go back. My family will start looking for me…"

He raised his eyebrows, a bit confused by her sudden demand. "Um... All right. But can we meet again soon?"

Serena gave him an apologetic look, "Daniel, I am very, very busy, I... I'm not sure when we can meet... A lot of things are happening right now... You really have to go!" She began shoving him in the other direction.

Gentle as the shove was, something about her behaviour was just a bit off. He frowned and grabbed her wrists. "What? What is going on?"

"Nothing! But you have to go!" she persisted, trying to break free of his grip.

Serena was acting strange. Why was she in such a hurry to have him leave? Did she not want her family's high-class friends to see her with him? Was she embarrassed? The headache was nagging him very much at this moment.

Daniel let go of her. "Fine. But won't we be able to see each other at all this summer, then?"

"Of course, we will!" she said, "I just can't see you right now."

"What about tomorrow?"

She bit her lip, "No, I can't. Not for the next few weeks, I'm afraid."

Daniel stared at her, feeling completely discouraged. "Not even for my birthday?"

"No! No, Daniel, of course I'll be with you on your birthday, you know there is nothing I rather would!" she said and placed her hands on each side of his face, "But you really have to go now!"

"So we'll meet on my birthday?" he said with raised eyebrows, not feeling completely convinced. His hands were trembling slightly, but he ignored it.

She nodded. "Definitely!"

"You promise?"

Serena leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. "I promise."

Daniel felt all of his blood rush to his face. Serena let go of him and began making her way back to the mansion, waving at him. He went home, feeling like the butterflies in his stomach finally fainted from exhaustion. And then he threw up.

"Danny... Tell me what is the matter."

Daniel looked up. Hazel smiled at him and put her small, pale hand above his. She had lost so much weight. She didn't look like herself any more. Her green eyes looked larger than usual, but they did not have the same sparkle in them. She looked like she was fading.

He forced a smile. "I don't know what you mean, Hazel. Don't you want another fairytale?"

"I want my brother to lighten up a bit," she said softly, "You have been so quiet these past few days, even towards me. You look like you have a lot on your mind, yet you keep telling me that nothing is wrong." She hesitated slightly before she added, "And I know that you haven't completely recovered from that horrible accident at your school..."

Daniel turned his gaze to the soft duvet. Hazel was still confined to her bed – not because the Doctor said that she should be, but because she barely had the strength to move out of it any more. Daniel spent all of his time in her room when he didn't have to help their father in the studio, reading to her until his migraine became too much, after which they would just talk about anything their minds would stumble upon. It actually seemed to have helped on her condition; she was more alert and some of the colour had returned to her face. She had asked about the school, and he told her what had happened; the fire, Everett's horse, everything. She didn't judge him like he feared she would. She was just glad that he wasn't more injured than he was.

He shook his head, "There really is nothing wrong, Hazel."

"Is there not?" Hazel said. She gave him a look of worry with her large, doll-like eyes. Daniel turned his head away again. When she looked at him like that, it was hard to keep a straight face. Hazel giggled, "You don't fool me, brother. I know you too well."

He let out a soft chuckle and smiled. She gestured for him to move closer to her, "Now, tell me what is bothering you."

Daniel sighed. A lot of things were bothering him. His sister was bedridden, becoming weaker and weaker as the days went by. He knew about Mr. Evans' murder, and Henrietta knew about Serena. He nearly had himself and his horse killed in a fire, and it was his fault that his friend lost his horse. Besides the shame and guilt, he still felt a lingering anxiety by the thought of that night in the King's stables; that long-forgotten nightmare surfacing, how much that could have gone awfully wrong, how he had stared Death in the eyes once again. What could possibly not be wrong?

But Hazel was very intuitive. She did notice that there was something else also, something he didn't tell her about. And she was indeed right that there was something in particular that had been bothering him ever since he returned home. "It's nothing really, it's just..." he started, fidgeting with his shirtsleeve. Hazel watched him patiently. She knew that he needed time, not only because his head had been very foggy ever since he suffered the smoke inhalation, but in general he had never had an easy time opening up to anyone. "I talked to Serena a few days ago, and she is apparently awfully busy... She cannot meet me until my birthday."

Hazel laughed softly, "At least she is not busy on your birthday! I understand that you miss her, but I honestly thought that it was something a bit more serious than that!"

Daniel looked at her with a frown. "It's not that," he said. Hazel's smile disappeared. "It's... She was in such a hurry to have me leave. As if she was stressed about me being there. As if she didn't want to see me at all, because..."

"Because?" Hazel raised an eyebrow.

He looked down at his hands and sighed, "Because maybe she was afraid to be seen with me..."

Hazel stayed silent for a bit. "But… I thought you were supposed to keep your relationship a secret?"

"Yes, but-!" Daniel looked at her with real worry in his eyes, "It didn't seem like that was the reason, though! I think… I think that she is ashamed of me."

"Ashamed of you?" Hazel said in disbelief, "Why would she be ashamed of you, Daniel? You are a perfect young man."

Daniel didn't look like he believed it himself – especially not after everything that had happened. "You might think so, Hazel, but I'm certain that she would be embarrassed to have her aristocratic friends greet a … middle-class … foolish boy like me. I… I do not belong in her world..."

Hazel fell silent. She watched her brother as he fell deep in thought. He looked so frustrated, and awfully pale. Always did he seem so troubled and lost in his own world of worries. She prayed for a day when he would finally be happy and at ease. She thought for a bit, then said, "Daniel... Do you feel something for Serena … stronger than friendship?"

Daniel didn't answer right away. He kept staring down at his hands, but Hazel could tell that he wasn't actually deep in thought any more. He seemed to have frozen in place. "I can't stop thinking about her..." he said at last, unable to look his sister in the eyes, "I kissed her..."

Hazel's eyes widened. "My goodness! Did you really kiss her?"

He nodded. "Last summer." His hand reached inside his shirt and fished out the heart-shaped locket; he clicked it open and showed the portrait inside to Hazel. "She also gave me this."

"Is that her?" Hazel said, her bright green eyes wider than ever, "Oh, she's so pretty, Danny! Did she kiss you back?" She looked back up at him, more excited than Daniel had seen her for a mighty long time; she wasn't even scandalised by what he had just told her.

He chuckled and clicked the locket shut again. It was good seeing her acting more like her normal self again. "She did… For a little while, at least."

Hazel broke into a bright smile. "Then I don't understand what you are so worried about! She would be crazy not to be dazzled by your good looks, Daniel!"

"And you're not just saying this because you're my sister?" Daniel said and raised an eyebrow. He couldn't contain his laughter when the small girl slapped his arm. He was surprised she even had the strength!

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, "Stop being a fool, Daniel! Tell her how you feel!"

Daniel got a serious look on his face. "Tell her? Are you sure?"

Hazel smiled at her older brother and took his hand, "Daniel, I don't believe she is ashamed of you. I think she wants to protect you. Just like you have protected her all these years. I know that she cares about you just as much as you care about her, I just do, even despite never having had the opportunity to meet her."

He considered what she said. Perhaps she was right. Maybe Serena was too scared of losing him to risk having anyone see them together. He himself had been too incautious; both Henrietta and Henry had found out, after all. Maybe Serena just knew better.

Daniel smiled at Hazel, feeling something warm starting to bubble inside of him. "All right," he said, "I'll tell her." Hazel smiled brightly and embraced her brother. He got up from the bed, "I need to go prepare. I can't meet her and then not know what to say!"

She laughed, "Of course not. Good luck, brother!" As the door closed behind him, Hazel rapidly dug under her pillow, the urge almost unbearable. She grabbed hold of the bottle underneath it and unscrewed the lid. She took only a small sip, but it was enough. The pains in her chest slowly subsided again, and she felt happy, so happy, and so relaxed.

She was not in her room any more. She was flying. She never wanted to let go of this feeling.

Daniel was going to tell Serena. He didn't know how she would react, but it had to be perfect. He wanted to do something grand for her, a romantic surprise – out in the clubhouse. He was so grateful that Owen had helped him finish the building. The house had turned out so much better than he had hoped. His skills had really improved, and Owen had been quite the help. Over the course of the next week, whenever he had the time, he went out to the house with pillows and blankets, candles, glasses, and he even managed to sneak one of John's expensive wines out of his private cabinet.

Daniel arranged the pillows a bit, then backed away from the house to see how it looked. It was beautiful. He sighed, feeling satisfied. He couldn't wait. He was sure that it would turn out to be the best birthday he had ever had. If he was lucky, he might get another kiss. That would definitely be the greatest present he could imagine.

"Beautiful work, Wilkinson. That house sure looks much neater than the one you built for me."

Not again. How did he even manage to find him so far out in the Blean woods? Daniel closed his eyes, trying not to let his irritation show.

Henry walked up to Daniel and took a look inside. "Oh my," he said with raised eyebrows, "It looks like the complete love hut."

"Did you want something, Henry?" Daniel groaned and crossed his arms, green eyes fixed on the small house in front of him, refusing to look at the sturdy blond. If he was coming to demand more money, he could just say it now; there was no need to drag it on.

Henry completely ignored him. "Don't tell me," he said with a stupid grin, "that you actually think you stand a chance with that lass? What would she want with you?"

"Weren't you supposed to look after your mother? After all the trouble I went through to get you that money, I thought you would be a little more grateful," Daniel spat, finally turning his gaze towards his former classmate.

"Oh, I am grateful, Daniel! My advice is my way of saying 'thank you'," Henry said and walked closer to the young man, "And here it is for you on a silver plate; just give up already. You'll never be good enough for her. Don't you think she knows that already?"

Daniel clenched his teeth together. It took him all of his self-control not to lash out at Henry. He wanted to remove that stupid smile from his face with his own bare hands, but he was not going to sink down to his level. "I'd rather be without your advice, thank you very much," he said in a low voice, "Let me work in peace, Henry."

The menacing tone made Henry back away a bit. His smile faltered. Daniel glared at him, daring him to make his next move. He was not afraid of his tormentor any more.

At last, Henry merely snorted. "You're such a fool, Daniel," he said, "But if you want a broken heart, that's your choice."

He turned around and walked away. Daniel stared after him, fisting his hands. He refused to believe him. He refused.

The flowers were beautiful. Daniel had spent the whole day wandering around the meadow where he and Serena had first met, picking flowers; it had turned into quite the bouquet. He was not a florist nor an expert on blossoms, but he thought that it looked very pretty and colourful. He put the flowers in a vase – which he had also grabbed from home – and hid them out in the house. When it was time to meet Serena, he would go pick them up and tie them in a pretty ribbon, so they would look presentable. He didn't know where he got all that creativity from, but he certainly liked his little nifty ideas.

Daniel returned home after his work, feeling light and excited in spite of his slight headache. Henry had not managed to bring him down despite his efforts. Nothing could ruin Daniel's excitement. He couldn't wait. He was nervous, but he somehow knew that it couldn't go wrong. He felt confident when it came to Serena. He trusted her.

"Daniel."

He turned around on the stairs. Henrietta gazed at him with a stern look in her blue eyes. They had been avoiding each other ever since Daniel came home from the school. It was obvious she still didn't feel like talking to him, and he felt no different. "What is it?" he said.

"You will be attending a dinner for your birthday," she said coldly, "No slips this time. I assure you I won't take it lightly if you don't show up, and neither will your father."

Daniel stared at her in disbelief. Had she learned nothing from the experience the previous year? He didn't want a birthday dinner! And he certainly wasn't going to give up his plans with Serena because of one!

She saw the expression in his face and added before he had the chance to answer, "I don't want to argue with you, young man. You better just do as you're told."

"But you know that I won't!" he blurted, "I have other plans!"

"What? Plans with your little friend?" He saw how she nearly rolled her eyes. "Don't be so immature. A large part of the Canterbury society is coming to celebrate you."

Daniel wanted to kick something. Really hard. "Why do I have to be celebrated? I don't want a dinner! I couldn't care less about the Canterbury society! Can you not spare me the attention and give it to Hazel instead?"

"No!" Henrietta yelled and stamped on the floor so that it resounded throughout the hall. The young man fell silent. He had not ever experienced her raise her voice like that.

"Hazel is not the family inheritor! This is the law of primogeniture, Daniel!" she snapped, "The family fortune will be handed down to you, and you need to grow up and take responsibility! You have to show the society that you are worthy and that the family name will be safe with you! And that is why a dinner will be held in your honour! Do you understand?"

Daniel didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. Her words merely echoed in his head, over and over again.

Henrietta took a deep breath and regained her calm posture, her lips remaining tight. "Don't bring shame onto our name, Daniel," she said, "Make your father proud." She turned around and made her way back to the living room. "You will attend the dinner. If you don't, your father will know about it. Be selfless for once."

The door slammed behind her.

The sun was setting. Daniel's head hurt incredibly; he had been feeling very sick the whole day. He looked down at the flowers. They didn't look as pretty any more, not in the orange light. The bouquet really wasn't as great as he had thought. It had been a stupid idea.

It had all been a stupid idea.

It was getting late. He had expected to meet her on the meadow by the Blean forest. They always met here. It was their usual spot. Afterwards they would go into the woods or wander around the meadow. But they always met here first.

The sky was filled with pretty orange and pink hues. Soon it would be dark.

He shivered. He didn't want to go home. He knew what awaited there. His father would be furious, and Henrietta also. Maybe she had already told him everything. All of their middle-class friends had nothing but negative things to say about him, he was sure. To all of them, he was nothing but a disrespectful brat.

But somewhere inside him, a little hope still lingered. Maybe she would show up at the last minute. Perhaps she would come running, apologise to her heart's content for leaving him waiting for hours and hours on end, and then they would spend the whole night together, not caring about their families for once; just treasuring the moment.

He still remembered her words. He remembered the time when she would have never missed this day for the world. He never understood why it was so important to her. She always told him the same thing.

"It's a special day because you came to the world! It should be celebrated!"

You should have been born.

The flowers looked sad, somehow. When he had picked them, they seemed to be bursting with life and colour. Maybe he hadn't cared properly for them after all. It didn't matter anyway. An explosion of all kinds of emotions went off within him; anger, shame, humiliation, regret, sorrow. He had been waiting since morning, and now it was later than evening. Henry was right. He had been so foolish, foolish to even believe that he deserved a happy moment.

He stood up and threw the bouquet on the ground, stamping on it. It was withering anyway, just like his feelings. Looking down at the ill-treated flowers, he couldn't help but feel that this was exactly what Serena had done to his heart; thrown it onto the ground and stamped on it. He felt so utterly betrayed.

I might as well have never been born.

Happy birthday, Daniel, he thought bitterly and turned around. So much for never wanting to miss out on his birthday.

Daniel's ribs were even more sore now than before. John had not spared him this time; he was too furious with his immature and selfish son. He had made a fool out of himself and disgraced his family. The society already had trouble accepting the family, all only due to the reckless nature of the brat, they called the heir apparent.

Miss Turner had tended to his wounds afterwards. It stung incredibly. Henrietta came in while the housemaid patched him up, not uttering a single word. Daniel glared at her. She always left the room when John practised his punishments on him. She couldn't watch it, yet she never prevented it. She was a coward and a hypocrite.

The artisan was so angry with his son that he couldn't look at him, so he had left him at home instead of dragging him along with him to the studio as usual. Daniel was fine with that; he would rather spend some time with Pride anyway.

Pride did not act up or play any games like he usually did. He sensed that his rider wasn't well today. He flipped his ears forward and stood perfectly still while Daniel put on his saddle. The weather was nice, so he had brought the young horse outside of the stables and tied him to the bar, so that he could enjoy the fresh air while he curried and saddled him.

Daniel's jaw had been tense for the past two days. He couldn't unclench his teeth. Everything hurt; his back, his limbs, his head, his ribs, and most of all, his heart. The worst thing about it all had not even been the punishment or total humiliation – no, the worst thing was the betrayal. The violation of his trust.

He fisted his hands around the bridle as he was about to tighten it and closed his eyes, biting his lip. Pride nudged the side of his face with his soft muzzle in an attempt to comfort him. Daniel opened his eyes again, his face for once relaxing as he offered the colt a grateful smile.

He continued fastening the gear, trying his hardest to push his feelings aside, but they kept coming back to haunt him. Words could not describe how furious he was. Of everything he was feeling right at this moment, anger was the most prominent emotion. All that work, all for naught. All those hours, knowing that he only had one place to go, and that something horrible awaited him there – and that it was his own damn fault for being disobedient once again.

And the promise.

She had promised!

Daniel couldn't keep it together any more. He let out a cry and kicked the ground so hard the gravel flew about. Pride remained calm, merely lowering his head. The young man breathed heavily, refusing to allow himself to lose it. He tried to regain his previous calm posture, and not before long he did. He let out a deep sigh and finished fixing Pride's bridle.

"Daniel?"

He froze. That voice. It couldn't be.

Daniel turned around, not believing his own eyes. For a moment, all the anger he had felt disappeared.

Serena looked at him with her large, brown eyes. Her short form was trembling. She averted her gaze to her fidgety hands shortly, but then looked up at him again. "Daniel, I am so sorry."

He didn't answer.

"Something came up... I..." She came to a halt, seemingly unsure of what to say. Then she continued, "I just... I came to apologise."

Daniel looked at her, his oval eyes wide. She didn't say any more. As time passed by, she became more restless. Finally he moved, but only to focus his attention back on Pride, answering with a short, "It's fine."

Serena stared at him for a moment, expecting him to say more, but he just went on with his business without even sparing her a glance. When she realised that he wasn't going to elaborate further, she blinked and said, "Oh. That's … good, then. Um..." She paused, following him with her eyes. He had finished saddling the colt now. He simply grabbed the currycomb and started currying it again, even though it didn't look like it was needed. "I was hoping..." she continued hesitantly, "... that we might be able to … meet tonight, instead."

"Shouldn't you head home before anyone finds you here?" Daniel said, not looking away from the brown horse, "Talking to me?"

Serena frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?" She had never heard her friend talk to her like that before.

At last Daniel looked at her, and his eyes said so much more than words could ever hope to. It completely overwhelmed Serena. She saw all the emotions that had exploded inside of him, and at that same moment, she herself burst. "How dare you look at me like that!" she exclaimed, "You have no idea how I feel! You don't know anything about my family! You don't know about the expectations, Daniel! You will never understand what it feels like! All the responsibilities! My life is in chaos! You're not the only one dealing with issues!"

Daniel didn't blink.

"How can you be so selfish? It's not all about you!" Serena cried. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so stressed and pressured, and yet I try my best to support you, and this is all I get in return! My brother died, and you didn't even answer my letters!"

She stopped her rambling and stared at Daniel. He still didn't flinch, but the green eyes said more than enough.

Serena broke down. The tears streamed down her pretty face, making her nose and cheeks flushed. "Please forgive me, Daniel," she sobbed, "I am so sorry... It was your birthday, and I didn't even show up... I feel so bad... I just want to make it up to you again... Just let me..."

Daniel kept staring at her. At her slender hands covering her face. The small shoulders trembling violently. He couldn't stand it. "Serena..." Her crying died down a bit. She sniffed and looked up at him with red eyes. He continued, "All right. We can meet."

Her eyes widened. She dried her cheeks. "R-really? Tonight?"

He nodded, looking down at his feet.

Serena was baffled. She swallowed back her crying, "All right, then. I-I promise this time. We'll just pretend that it's your birthday today, all right?"

Daniel still didn't say anything. He merely moistened his lips and nodded again.

"We'll meet on the meadow, by the Blean. As usual, right?" she said, her doe eyes almost too painful to look into.

Daniel tried to keep himself from sighing. "Yes, as usual."

Serena nodded slowly, looking down at her feet. She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, but then she looked up at him again and offered a tentative smile, "Good… I'll see you later. What time do you want to meet?" He turned his head away to look at Pride instead, and this immediately alarmed Serena. "Any time you want! I promise I'll be there!" she continued hastily.

Daniel looked at her again. He didn't have the heart to tell her that right at this moment, her promises didn't mean anything to him. "Eight o'clock."

"Eight o'clock! I'll be there!" she said, nodding eagerly.

He sighed and nodded back. Then he finally untied Pride from the bar and mounted him, "Now you better get out of here, before anyone sees you."

It was half past seven, and Daniel was in Hazel's room, lying in the bed next to his younger sister with a fairytale book open in his lap. "'As the princess threw the frog against the wall, it suddenly turned and became a handsome prince. The prince said he wanted to marry the princess instantly, and so they lived happily ever after'," Daniel read.

Hazel snorted, "I don't think the princess deserved a happy ending. She was so cruel to the frog before she realised he was a prince. She is just shallow, really!"

Daniel sighed and closed the book. "It just proves that fairy tales actually are realistic portrayals of our world." He looked at Hazel with a regretful expression, "Sometimes, the bad people get the happy ending, while the good people are left to fend for themselves in the gutter. The real world is unfair, Hazel."

She pouted and took his hand, "Daniel, please don't be angry any more. I'm certain that Serena is very sorry about standing you up."

"She is," he said, looking away, "She came to apologise today and asked me to meet her tonight instead."

Hazel lit up, "Oh, there you go! See, that's what I told you! When are you supposed to meet, then?"

Daniel crossed his arms, "At eight o'clock."

"But..." Hazel frowned and looked at the clock on her bed stand, "Daniel, that is in less than thirty minutes!"

"I know," he said, "I'm not going."

Hazel gaped at him in disbelief. "What? But why not?"

Finally the young man let his aggravation show. His face contorted in an angry expression, "Because then she might know what it feels like to wait hours and hours for someone, who never intended to show up in the first place!"

"Daniel!" Hazel gasped, "I don't believe this! This is not the dear, loving, forgiving boy that I know! What have you done with my brother?"

Daniel sighed. "He is right here. But he is quite angry…"

She brushed some of his hair away from his face. "I know, Daniel. But please do not sink this deep into your own bitterness. I thought Serena was your best friend. Surely she deserves your forgiveness?"

"I don't know what she deserves any more," he mumbled, "I don't want to be made a fool of any longer… Especially not by her…"

Hazel tilted her head. "I don't think she wants to make a fool of you, Daniel…" He didn't respond. "Daniel... I think the reason why you are this upset is because you care about her so much…" she said softly, green eyes seeking their siblings, but he avoided her gaze. "You trusted her, and you feel like you were wrong to do so…"

"And I was, wasn't I?" he exclaimed, slicing the air with his hand, "She let me down! I learned my lesson!"

"Is that the lesson you learned?" Hazel said, placing a small hand on the side of his face. He finally looked at her. "Daniel, if you truly love someone, you should be able to let go and forgive. Not lock yourself up and alienate someone you love."

He closed his eyes, a deep frown furrowing his forehead. "But I don't love her."

Hazel stared at him. "You don't?"

"Not… Not any more."

She fell silent and removed her hand from her brother. They both kept quiet for a while. Daniel opened his eyes again and looked away, biting his lip. The young girl spoke up again, "But even if your feelings for her have perished … it is not right of you to want to hurt her just because she hurt you."

Daniel kept quiet. The sound of the clock ticking filled the room.

"Daniel… Don't be this stranger whom I don't know," Hazel said, "You are not a man who holds grudges. You are not the type to be angry and never forgive. Through all of these years of taking our father's abuse for the both of us, you never faltered from your good nature once. And you know why?" She took his hands and squeezed them in her own, "Because you are a better person, Daniel. You don't want to hurt anyone. You are not selfish. You are just blinded by your heartache. Go and meet Serena, tell her how you feel. But don't hurt her. She doesn't deserve that, and you don't either."

Daniel pondered what she said. She had hit all the right nerves. He didn't like it. It was too much of a detailed description of all the things, he knew that he felt but couldn't word himself, and much less understand. It was painful to have to face the truth when you just wanted to shut it all out.

But Hazel was right. It wasn't only Serena's fault that he was so angry; it was just that too many horrible things had happened. He didn't know how to deal with it all any more, and his last hope had been for Serena to make it all better, but even she had let him down. He didn't want to deliberately hurt her, but at the same time he still wanted her to know just how bad she had hurt him. He knew that he was being very selfish. Serena's brother had died recently, and he hadn't even offered his comfort.

"Daniel?" Hazel peeped. Her large eyes were full of worry for her brother.

Daniel kept his gaze lowered, unable to look his sister in the eyes. The frustration and confusion was obvious in his expression. "I guess you're right, Hazel," he mumbled. He forced himself to look at Hazel, offering a strained, but thankful smile. "I don't know how you have come to know so much, but in the end you are the one who always leads me down the right path again. I don't know where I would end up without you."

Hazel's lips broke in a bright smile. She embraced her brother hard. He ignored his sore back and ribs, hugging her tight in return. "You're welcome, Danny. I just don't want you to keep sabotaging your own happiness. You don't deserve it," she said.

"I... I'll go meet her, then," Daniel said, without really being sure about that decision.

Hazel smiled excitedly. "Then you better get going!" she said, "You're supposed to meet in ten minutes!"

Daniel's eyes widened as he glanced at the clock. He jumped out of the bed and rushed to the door, "I've got to go, Hazel! Bye!"

The meadow was beautiful as usual. The sun still hung high in the sky despite it being way past dinnertime. Summer in southern England was a magical one.

Serena sighed, leaning up against a tree by the outskirts of the Blean. It had been nearly twenty minutes since they were supposed to meet. She felt restless. Worried. Had something happened? Hopefully not anything serious.

But deep within, she knew what was going on. He was punishing her. Feeding her her own medicine. He probably never wanted to see her again. She had ruined everything.

The tears came back to the corners of her eyes, threatening to redden her face once again. She bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat, but soon a tiny sob made its way out anyway. A single tear streamed down her cheek. She wiped it away, cursing her own emotional weakness.

"Serena!"

She looked up with wide eyes. A fair distance away a figure came running towards her, waving. Her heart started beating faster, her whole body sighing in relief. Daniel soon caught up with her, stopping to catch his breath.

It took him an awful amount of time. It wasn't like him at all; Daniel had always been in excellent shape. Serena was nearly afraid that he was going to choke, but then he finally stood up straight and said, "I'm… I apologise for being late." Serena had both her hands covering her mouth. As he noticed the thin moist membrane over her wide eyes, he spoke, "P-please, don't cry, Serena!"

But she couldn't help it. Tears came out in endless streams. She hugged herself, closing her eyes as she sobbed, "Daniel, I'm so sorry! I know I left you waiting yesterday! I didn't mean to, if I could, I would've found a way to tell you that I couldn't meet after all... I feel horrible, I was so scared you didn't want to see me any more..."

Daniel also felt horrible, but that was for a completely different reason. Normally, he would've embraced her when seeing her like this, but at this moment it didn't feel right. He just cleared his throat and said, "Serena, it's all fine. I'm not angry with you."

She laughed through her sobs, wiping her tears away as more formed. "I know, else you wouldn't have showed up... God, I feel so silly, crying like this," she said and sniffed. He pursed his lips. "I just hope you … didn't wait too long before you realised that I wouldn't show up." She wiped the last tears and looked at him.

Daniel was quiet for a bit. Then he smiled and said, "I didn't wait that long."

Serena smiled in return. She fidgeted with the lace on her pretty dress and blushed, "Um, I'm sorry I didn't bring you any cakes or a birthday present this year like usual... I've just been really busy, very much so!"

He didn't want cakes nor presents. He just wanted to spend time with her. That was all he had ever wanted. He scratched the back of his head and said, "Well… I do have something for you, though. The surprise, I mentioned a while back."

Serena's eyes widened, "Oh, I remember! But is it really right that you give me a present when it's your birthday? I don't even have anything for you!"

He smiled, "I'm never there to celebrate your birthday."

"No, because it's in October," she giggled, shaking her head.

"So I think it's only fair that I give you something now," he said, "To make up for all those years, I couldn't be in London for your birthday." He offered his arm to her, "Now, shall we go?"

She looked at his arm, then up at him. She seemed a bit insecure at first, but then she looped her own arm through his and smiled at him, "Yes, let's."