Sorry this chapter took so long!! I've been really busy with school. I can't WAIT for summer!
Everyone is clamoring about Jerrold—is he the real prince? I guess you'll just have to wait and see… You'll be finding out soon!!
Chapter Five
The pink-yellow light streamed on to my face, shining into my closed eyes. I sat up, stretching, my back sore from sleeping on the ground. As I became more and more conscious, I felt the pain in my calves and thighs, sore from riding all day yesterday. Memories flooded back to me; of Iris and Roan and the mob.
It was late morning and the meadow we laid in was awake. I looked over at Jerrold. He seemed almost angelic; his hair was flopped over his eyes, a silent smile on his face. His skin was damp with dew. He looked so peaceful, I almost didn't want to wake him up.
Oh well.
"Wake up Jerrold!" I said loudly, shaking him awake.
He sat up almost immediately, practically fully awake. "Good morning," he said cheerfully.
"Oh, you're no fun in mornings," I said crossly. I was angry I hadn't irritated him.
"I didn't realize I was fun at all," Jerrold said gleefully.
I scowled, angry at my word blunder. "You're not," I said, trying to recover.
Jerrold laughed. "Let's go," he said. "We could sleep in the Ayorthian palace tonight."
"But how?" I replied. "We're not even out of Kyrria!"
"Yes we are," Jerrold retorted. "We crossed the Ayorthian border yesterday afternoon."
"We couldn't have! There were no border guards!" I cried in disbelief.
"Daria," Jerrold said seriously. "We rode through the forest. There can't be border guards everywhere."
He was right. I was wrong. I gave a frustrated huff in response. Jerrold just laughed, and walked to the horses to untie them. He led them over, handing me the reins, and mounted his horse with ease, glowering. I stared at him, competing without speaking. I scaled the horse, raising my small foot to the stirrup of the crude saddle. Using every ounce of strength in my body, I clutched the horse's mane and pulled myself onto the horse, pushing off from the ground and swinging my leg around. Opening my eyes, I saw Jerrold looking happily surprised.
"Well done," he said.
"Why, thank you," I said sarcastically.
Jerrold just laughed and trotted off.
Around mid afternoon, we reached a large town. There were thin, tall houses surrounding the windy cobblestone roads. The houses were all painted attractive pastel colors, unlike the browns and reds of Jenn, and flowers bloomed everywhere. We came across a market in the town square, and began riding around.
"This is it," Jerrold said abruptly.
"What?" I replied. Sometimes Jerrold would blurt out the most random things, I'd think he was making predictions like some sort of seer.
He surveyed the area. "The town closet to the castle," he said.
"How do you know?" I asked cautiously.
Jerrold swallowed quickly. "I… um, I've seen- um… paintings," he said in a peculiar voice.
I was skeptical. "If you say so," I replied.
We dismounted and wandered around the market. Jerrold bought us some cheap bread and apples, as well as a cheap bar of soap for himself and a bottle of soap that smelled like roses and jasmine for me.
"Jerrold, no," I said at first. "We can't afford that."
He shrugged. "You must complete the part!" he reminded me. "You're to be among high company, and anything to make you stand out, including smelling nice, will help our cause," he said in his matter-of-fact voice.
"How do you know so much about court?" I asked. "You've never been!"
Jerrold shrugged. "I-I just do," he said vaguely. "We should go prepare."
"Prepare?" I asked.
"To meet the Ayorthian royals!" he said, exasperated.
"Oh, that," I replied.
"They're expecting us in the next few days or so, so we'll get into the castle with ease," he said.
"Oh...," I said, uninterested. "Where is the castle?"
Jerrold frowned, looking around. "Hmm… I can't-um, I don't know," he said.
He turned to a shopkeeper. "Ubensu yanga fasi abensu?" he asked. Where is the castle?
The shopkeeper pointed north. "Evume abensu yet jensa iffbensa," he replied. It's about an hour's walk.
"Asura," said Jerrold, thanking him and walking away. I was puzzled, but followed.
"Jerrold, isn't the castle the other way?" I asked.
He turned and grinned at me. "Do you wish to present yourself to royals looking like that?" he asked. I looked myself up and down. My gown was filthy, my hair was one big knot.
"I thought not," he replied. "We're going to get cleaned up, and then go to the castle."
When we reached a river in about a half an hour, Jerrold set down our bag and looked at me.
"Okay, I'm going to sit behind that tree," he said, pointing to a large tree near the bank. "You undress and bathe, then wrap yourself in a blanket and we'll switch. Get dressed while you're behind the tree."
I raised an eyebrow. "Is this appropriate?" I asked, half-joking, half-serious.
"Daria!" Jerrold said in mock horror, "We're in no position to worry about etiquette! What happened to the thrill-seeking girl I know?" He laughed.
"How do I know you won't peek?" I asked, frustrated.
Jerrold laughed again. "Don't flatter yourself," he said, running behind the tree. I heard him plop on the grass.
Cautiously, I took the blanket Jerrold gave me and wrapped it around myself. Under the blanket, I removed all my clothes and walked to the river. I quickly dropped the blanket and slid in. The river's bottom was sandy and soft, but the river itself was cold! It came to my waist, so I sort of squatted and floated to submerge myself. I started using the soap we'd bought at the market to finally wash myself. As the grime of the last few days washed off and down the river, I felt like a new person.
I climbed out of the river and wrapped myself in the blanket. Grabbing my clothes and soap, I walked behind the tree. Jerrold was there, sitting cross-legged, tossing around his sword. It was a fine sword, silver, with the handle inlaid with some red gem. Jerrold moved his hand and maneuvered the sword with precision and speed.
"That's really dangerous, you know," I said suddenly.
Jerrold looked up, startled, and then looked back down again. "Oh, um, sorry, yeah. I'll um- go, um, now." He was completely flustered as he got up, grabbing his stuff, and ran away. What a ridiculous boy.
I looked around warily, and finally picked up the bag and dug around. I pulled out my gown, remarkably wrinkle-free. It was a light blue, with another square collar, and a white cord belt. The bottom of the dress was dark blue, and the top was light blue, and the dress gradually faded between the two as it went down. The sleeves split at the elbow, and a midnight blue, tight, long sleeve continued down my arm and hooked around my middle finger.
The dress was easy to put on, but I found that I couldn't button the back. I reached and contorted, but the buttons remained out of my grasp.
"Jerrold!" I called reluctantly.
He appeared at the tree's side. "Yes?" he said, distracted.
"Would you mind buttoning my dress for me?" I asked, somewhat embarrassed.
He sighed. "Ohhh fine," he moaned, pretending to be annoyed. His hands moved quickly down my back, putting the small buttons in their respected holes. When his hand brushed the small of my back, I felt my stomach flip. What are you excited for? It's Jerrold! I was confused by the emotion, and pushed it to the back of my mind.
Jerrold spun me around and looked me up and down. "You look good," he said, satisfied.
"Thank you Jerrold," I replied in a not-sarcastic voice.
He frowned. "Take your hair down," he said. "It always looks better down."
I smiled. "How do you know when my hair looks good?" I asked, poking fun at him.
A look crossed his face. "All girls look better with their hair down," he said simply.
I scowled. "Fine," I said. I pulled my hair out of it's dirty ribbon. It fell down my shoulders, wavy and attractive.
Jerrold nodded. "Okay," he said. "You're ready."
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