A/N:

Wow! I went over a hundred! Thank you so much!

FalseEyelashes: Thank you! I'm glad my characters seem "human." That was one of my goals for this!!!

Tamaran Girl: Don't like Christian? =) Read this chapter and maybe you'll change your mind…maybe…I don't know…

Shima And Tempis: Thank you!!! I have fun having Daria and Jerrold bicker...haha...

Tayk: I haven't seen EE movie, but the trailers said way enough. People say that if you don't compare it with the book, then it's a good movie. I'll watch it someday, I hope… And I don't mind people demanding an update. In truth, they're the ones that really encourage me to sit down and write…or type…

Swishy Willow Wand: Thanks!!! =D

awaiting impatient person: I love fights too! I love reading about them, and I love writing about them. My stories will always have fights. (I am not weird.) Anyway, my story in ficpress, "Cruising Through" has a fighting scene, and I had soooo much fun writing that! This fight with Daria and Christian wasn't much.

Tallemera Rane: You do have a point, but I needed Daria to have time in her hands to spend with the prince, so I just decided to make her a marchioness. I'm glad you like my story!

CrimsonEnchantress: Ah, you're right. I should not have said who Christian was. Silly me. =)

Lykairo: Here's the next update. =)

Moyen: Daria will ask him to be her escort if Daria swallows her stupid pride and gathers the courage to ask him.

JellyBelly391: I like the ending too! I have been planning that scene since FOREVER. I finally was able to write/type it down.

cutie20: WOW. It's weird (weird, but happyfying…which is not a word) having a reader who has read my stories from both ficpress and fanfic. I think you're the only one! Thanks, I really, really appreciate it! =)

la: You live off my story? WOW! Thanks! (And to think that I almost decided to take a break from this…)

Princess of the Phone Booth: Yup. But you're going to learn way more of Christian in this chapter!

Tallemera Rane: I know it's way to late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Miss Piratess: Hehe…ya…fights are cool. Really cool.

Tindomiel-PA: I know that Daria is being unreasonable. That's part of my plan. I have a motive for making her so…prideful? Impossible? I don't know the perfect word, but yeah… =D

Lillianna-Rose: You're from Canada too? Neat!! And I agree. Canadians are patriotic. Good that you don't drink alcohol, hehe. Thanks for taking the time to send all those reviews!!! =) And oh yeah… those ######'s are caused by parental control (if my computer doesn't have it, dirty ads keep on popping up). Anyway, I fixed that now, and the words "bleeped" out are "utensils" and "prick." I understand why it would bleep out prick, but utensils? If the word "utensils" have any dirty meaning, then don't say it. I'd rather be clueless and than scarred.

fairypixie3: Thank you so much! Here's the next chap… =)

Crazayladay: I'm sorry for updating too infrequently. Since it's summer, I have decided to make it up to everyone by updating as often as I can. I'm not going anywhere, which sucks. (Well, I'm going to Kingston to help my sister move, but does that count? Kingston is only two hours away, I think.)

dragonfirechick: You're review had me laughing ("No biscuit!"àhehe). No chance that Christian will win? We'll see… He's not that bad, I hope…

I'm currently listening to The Reason. Why am I so crazy over that song? I don't get it. Anyway, read on…

Chapter Twelve

Who Is Christian?

There's no saying who won the fight, because there wasn't a "real" fight to begin with. While Daria was throwing (weak) punches and kicks wherever she could, Christian was doing nothing but blocking them with ease. It did not take him long to capture her flailing wrists, then roll over and pin her to the ground.

"Let – me – go!" Daria hollered while struggling to set herself free.

"Calm down," Christian said sternly.

"YOU ARE A BLOODY THIEF!" she screamed at him.

Jerrold, tired (and maybe even annoyed) of watching the scene play before him, grabbed Christian by his shirt and yanked him off Daria. Daria instantly rose from the ground and proceeded to tackle Christian once again, but Jerrold, being very alert, held her back easily by holding her firmly by the waist.

He let out a noise of frustration. "Calm down, will you?" he said in her ear.

"THAT THIEF STOLE MY BLOODY BRACELET!" Daria screamed, thrashing about.

"But that doesn't make sense," Jerrold interjected.

What? Daria, curious by what he just said, stopped struggling and turned to look at him. "And why not?" she demanded. "Just because he is a friend of yours—"

"And a nobleman," Jerrold cut in.

Daria blanched. "What?!" she cried in surprise.

"Christian is the son of a marques and marchioness," Jerrold elaborated. "In fact, his family is close friends with your new family."

"Wait a second!" Christian said, interrupting Jerrold. "What do you mean by that?"

Jerrold shrugged. "Daria is the new daughter of Lady Gina and Lord Ormond," he explained.

Christian's face broke into a grin. He turned to Daria. "Are you really?" he asked interestedly.

She shot him a fierce glare. "I am not going to talk to you, you thief!" she spat. "You stole my bracelet, and don't deny it! You recognized me earlier!"

He shook his head. "No. I mistook you for someone else," he said calmly.

"You liar!"

"Daria," Jerrold said gently, "why would Christian steal your bracelet? His family is very well off."

She faced the prince and gave him an angry, impatient look. "Why don't you ask him?" she retorted.

Jerrold did not answer. He just looked into her eyes with that same, intense gaze of his. Daria unconsciously bit her bottom lip and fidgeted. There were a lot of things about his stare that bothered her, but what bothered her the very most was that she could not read the emotion playing in it. His eyes were so…blank. And empty. They did not reveal anything to her at all. Not one trace of what he was going through his mind.

Christian cleared his throat. "So…" he said casually, "what did I miss?"

Jerrold blinked. Then he turned to his friend and shot him a confused look. "What?" he said.

Christian shrugged. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you two look…erm…cosy with each other."

For the first time, Daria noticed that Jerrold had his arms wrapped around her waist. She yelped and jumped back one whole mile. Jerrold just shot her an indifferent look and shrugged.

"There's nothing going on," Daria said stiffly to Christian.

He grinned roguishly at her. "I thought you said you weren't going to talk to me," he said.

Daria glared at him, but said nothing. She turned to Jerrold. "Tell your friend to give me back my bracelet."

"I did not steal it!" Christian interjected.

Daria, still facing Jerrold, sniffed and said, "Tell your friend to stop being a big fat liar and just admit the truth."

"Jerrold, talk to her!" Christian whined.

Jerrold sighed. "Daria," he said gently, "I don't think Christian stole your bracelet. He is a rich nobleman who has no use for such a small cheap thing."

Daria eyes widened. "It was not a small cheap thing!" she said hotly. "It is a very valuable bracelet!"

The prince sighed wearily. "My point is that Christian is the most unlikely person who would do such a thing."

Daria's eyes darted from a grave Jerrold to a grinning Christian. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she hissed.

He shot her an innocent look. "So you're talking to me again, I presume?" He shook his head. "No, I am not enjoying this. I just find this…interesting."

Daria scowled at him and turned back to Jerrold. "I hate your friend. Enough said. Good night." She turned, and along with her white mare, walked away. She didn't need more taunting from Christian. He was a thief and a liar! Honestly! How could Jerrold be friends with the likes of him? That…that…scoundrel!

But what if she was wrong? What if it really wasn't him? Daria shook her head. No…those grey eyes were too familiar. It was him. She was sure of it. Well, almost sure of it.

"Daria, don't think you can shake me off that easily," she heard Jerrold say from behind. "You're still very far from home. And with that new criminal leader acting up…"

Daria ignored him. Then, not caring if she looked clumsy or not, she hastily mounted her mare and began to canter off. She heard Jerrold mutter a curse, and she urged her mare to go faster.

A few seconds barely passed when she heard the sound of hooves from behind, and they were getting louder and louder. Daria turned and let out a noise of frustration as she saw Jerrold swiftly advancing towards her. She saw that Christian was also on the horse, sitting behind Jerrold.

Why did he have to be such a good rider? She kicked her mare at the sides, and the mare began to gallop. This is so uncomfortable, she thought as she bounced atop the horse. Her rear end was starting to ache.

The sound of hooves from behind did not pipe down. In fact, they got louder. Daria stole a look back and almost screamed when she saw that her pursuers were naught but two metres away. A couple of seconds later and they were riding side by side.

"Go!" Jerrold yelled.

Daria started. What is he shouting "go" for?

Her question was soon answered when Christian skilfully jumped off the prince's horse and landed gracefully on her own.

Daria yelped. "Get off! Get off! Get off!" she screamed at the person who was currently sitting behind her.

He acted as if he did not hear her. Reaching over, he grabbed the reins from Daria's hands and pulled. The mare neighed and stopped instantly. Daria yelped and felt herself jerk forward, but Christian grabbed her arm and steadied her.

Jerrold halted as well, and he manoeuvred his horse next to Daria's. "Honestly," he said in annoyance, "do you have any idea how dangerous it can be for a defenceless person like you to be wandering about at night?"

Daria huffed. "I can defend myself."

She heard Christian snort from behind. "Oh, sure. You can definitely beat someone up with your punches and kicks. In fact, you nearly killed me during our little fight." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Daria whirled around and glared at him. "Get off my horse!" She tried to shove him off, but being a strong person, he did not move an inch.

He shot her a lazy grin. "Actually, I kind of like it here," he said breezily. "I think I'll stay."

"Get. Out."

He stared at her, unfazed. "No."

Daria let out a cry of frustration. "Fine!" With this, she jumped off her horse and landed clumsily on Jerrold's.

"Whoa!" Jerrold cried out. He instinctively reached over and steadied her.

"Ouch," Christian said, his eyes sweeping over the two. "So you prefer Jerrold over me?" he asked Daria.

She shot him a cold look. "I prefer an annoying prince over a lying thief."

He shrugged. "If you say so." He paused. "And for the hundredth time, I did not steal your bracelet." With this, he urged Daria's mare forward and rode ahead.

Daria stared at the rider's back, a deep scowl placed on her lips. Who does he think he is? she thought angrily. I hate him! I can't believe this! I can't believe that criminal is friends with the prince! Argh!!!

She was suddenly aware of the thick and heavy silence that lingered in the air. Daria started, having realized that she was sitting in front of the prince. There was barely room between them, and she was very much aware of the warmth radiating from him. Yes, they were that close. Her and her stupid impulses!

Daria turned around and met his expressionless eyes. "Um…I-I'm going to walk," she mumbled. She shifted and was about to dismount, but she felt his arm snake around her waist, holding her in place.

"Stay where you are," he said gruffly. "You're going to slow me down if you walk. And I don't know about you, but I don't have all night." He dropped his arm from her waist.

"Fine," Daria said grimly.

They rode on in silence. Daria tried to shift herself forward to create more room between them, but after almost falling, she decided not to give it another go. Hence, she decided to just cope with sitting that close to him, though her whole body was tense and rigid. She also noticed that she wasn't the only tense one. She felt that the prince's frame was rather…stiff.

It was one awkward ride. Daria scolded herself for being so impulsive. Of course, she just had to jump off her mare like that, didn't she? She sighed inwardly. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

A few minutes more and still no words were exchanged between them. Daria was starting to grow uneasy. She hated silences, no matter what. They were just so…uncomfortable.

"Stop fidgeting," she heard him say.

Daria froze.

"Now you're just as stiff as a board."

She turned and glared at him. "I'm sorry, but I've been stuck in this position forever." She paused, sighed, and turned back around. "Can't we go faster than this?"

He gave her a look, but since she was looking ahead, she missed it. "We can," he said tonelessly, "but you'll fall off. Unless, of course, you let me support you." He raised an eyebrow at this.

Let him support me? Daria started an inner debate. Hmm…a long time of being stuck in this position, or a short time of having physical contact with the prince?

"If you don't decide now, I'll decide for you," he spoke up.

"Just let me think," Daria said seriously. But it's going to leave things so awkward! Well, maybe awkward for me. I have no idea what goes through that mind of his.

Before she knew what was happening, Jerrold shifted closer, wrapped one arm around her waist, and kicked his stallion at the sides. The stallion neighed, lifted his front legs a bit, and galloped off at a gruelling pace.

Daria shrieked as she felt herself slide off the horse's back. I'm going to die, I just know it! I'm going to fall off, and this horse will trample on me!

She unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief when she felt Jerrold tighten his hold on her. A few seconds later and they saw Christian at a distance. Having the better horse, they were swiftly nearing him. A few more seconds later and they reached him, receiving the confused look he sent them.

"Race you to Daria's manor!" Jerrold hollered at his good friend.

Christian grinned. "You're on!"

They were both off, with Daria shrieking, "No races! No races! No races, damn it!"

No one listened to her. Both horses galloped off, neck in neck.

Daria unconsciously grabbed on to the arm that was holding her in place. This is so uncomfortable. Ow, my butt. Ow!

"I'm slipping!" she yelled as she felt herself slowly slide off the horse. She then felt Jerrold grip her by the waist and shift her back in place.

"Just hang on! We're winning!"

Sure enough, they were winning, though Christian was close behind. Daria suspected that he would have undoubtedly won if he had a different horse. The white mare he was riding on was not fit for races, while Jerrold's steed very much was.

Later on, when Daria looked ahead, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her new manor. Finally! She wanted to get off the horse already. The muscles in her thighs and butt were so sore that she knew it would be painful to walk. And she no longer wanted to worry about slipping off and being trampled on.

Finally, Jerrold reached the stables. He pulled the reins and the stallion immediately halted. Daria was thankful that the prince's arm was still around her waist, for she was so sure that she would have sprung forward.

Christian came a few seconds later.

"Ha! We won!" Jerrold announced in triumph as he got off his horse.

"You won," Daria corrected, her voice shaking a bit. "I didn't do anything but add more weight." She shifted slightly and tried to dismount, but found that her stiff legs wouldn't cooperate. Her calves were throbbing slightly, while her thighs were pretty much killing her. "Um…a little help please?" she said, her cheeks burning.

Jerrold gave her a look that she, once again, did not understand. Then he held her waist, lifted her up, and carried her down. Daria hoped that her legs would work once she touched the ground, but apparently, they were stubborn. She would have collapsed to the ground, but Jerrold thankfully kept a firm grip on her.

"My legs hurt," she mumbled.

"Well, that's to be expected," Jerrold said. "Today was your first day, after all."

"Wait a minute," Christian cut in. "Today is her first day riding a horse, and you decide to have a race?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You idiot!"

"What?" Jerrold said innocently.

"She's going to be sore for days!"

Jerrold knitted his brow. "Oh." He reddened. He turned to Daria. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Daria shook her head. "That's all right. I had fun anyway." In truth, she didn't, it was pure torture, but he didn't have to know that, did he?

Christian grinned knowingly. "You did, eh? Let's do it again!"

"No!" Daria said quickly. "I…um…think one race is enough for the day."

He shrugged. "Fine."

"Anyway," Daria said, "I better go."

Christian smirked at her. "Can you even walk?"

She glared at him. "Yes," she said through clenched teeth. "You thief," she added silently. No one heard her. She then sighed and took one step forward. She winced slightly when she felt her strained muscles complain. Thank goodness Jerrold had decided not to let her go just yet. He still kept one arm around her waist.

"Want me to carry you?" Christian said, grinning impishly.

Daria shot him a cold look. "No."

There was silence. Then, "Do you want me to carry you?"

That was from Jerrold. Unlike Christian, he asked in a very quiet, almost hesitant way. Daria stiffened and felt her cheeks burn even more.

"I'm good, thanks," she answered, just as quietly.

He said no more, but continued to support her as she took another step forward. The pain had not lessened. In fact, she could have sworn it hurt even more. Or maybe it was just her imagination. She wasn't sure. Her mind was not in a right state at the moment. All she was thinking about were her aching muscles.

One step.

Another step.

Another step.

Finally, she was walking, although slowly and painfully. Daria half-expected Jerrold to let out a cry of impatience and just leave her, but he didn't. Christian was just following leisurely behind, hands in his pockets.

Finally they reached the front door. Silence engulfed them, and it was in this moment when a conversation from before came to Daria. It was odd timing, but the memory came nonetheless.

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

"Right."

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

The memory hit her like a slap on the face. He was being serious, wasn't he? Yes, he was. Why did she feel so guilty?

"Farewell, my lady," Jerrold spoke up quietly, interrupting her thoughts.

Daria started. Farewell? Oh, right. He had promised to leave her alone forever. She swallowed and nodded. "Um…farewell."

The front door opened and Lady Gina's face came into view. "Oh there you are, Daria!" she exclaimed. "I was starting to worry about you, but then I remembered that you were in good hands." She flashed Jerrold an appreciative look. Then her eyes travelled towards Christian. Her eyes widened. "Christian!" she cried out. "What a surprise!" She beamed. "Such nice visitors! Would you two like to come in?"

Jerrold shook his head. "I have to go now, but thank you anyway."

"Yes," Christian said, "I have to go too, but thank you, Lady Gina."

Lady Gina let out a disappointed sigh. "Well, come back some other time, all right?"

Christian's eyes travelled towards Daria. She was unusually quiet, and was successfully avoiding both his and Jerrold's eyes. He smiled. "Sure," he said, replying to Lady Gina's request.

"What about you, Jerrold?"

Jerrold's eyes flickered towards Daria. It was very brief, but the only person who missed it was Daria. He shrugged. "If I do get the time," he said quietly.

"Oh. All right." Lady Gina smiled at them. "Good night."

The two young men nodded. "Good night."

Lady Gina closed the door, leaving Jerrold and Christian into silence. Christian was looking curiously at Jerrold, who was busy staring at…nothing in particular. He was just staring.

"So…" Christian said slowly. "Let's go then."

They both left the property and began to walk down an empty road. Christian's manor was very close to the palace, so they were both heading off to the same direction.

They walked side by side, the heavy silence lingering in the atmosphere. Christian kept on shooting his friend curious looks, wondering why he looked so…grave. Jerrold was just staring and walking ahead, his hands in his pockets. He looked too lost in his own world to start up a conversation. So, Christian decided to do it.

"So…" he said slowly, "Daria is pretty interesting."

Then Jerrold did something surprising. He reached over and smacked the back of his friend's head. "Ow!" Christian cried out as he rubbed his head. "What did you do that for?"

Jerrold shot him a look. "Why did you steal her bracelet?"

Christian groaned. "I had no choice!" he said exasperatedly. "I had to do it in order to gain the bandits' trust! It was an initiation thing. I had no choice but to steal from her."

"Did you get it back?"

"Um…no," Christian said sheepishly. "I suspect that it went with the three bandits that escaped the raid."

"It seemed really valuable to her," Jerrold remarked. "What did it look like?"

Christian frowned in thought. Afterwards, he sighed and said, "Well, I think it was a chain bracelet with one round charm on it. The charm had very detailed engravings on it. It was a…what was it?" He frowned. Then his eyes lit up a moment later. "A phoenix! It was a phoenix! It was a frontal view. Its wings were spread out, it was looking to the right, and its beak was open, I think." He paused. "Come to think of it, there was something familiar about it. But I can't quite place it…"

Jerrold sighed. "I wish we could get it back to her. She was so angry at you, did you notice that?"

"The fact that she leapt on me, tackled me to the ground, and started attacking me said enough," Christian said in amusement.

"I guess it was really special to her," Jerrold said thoughtfully.

Christian gave him a look. "Do you like her?" he asked cautiously.

Jerrold started. Then he sighed, shook his head, and said, "She intrigues me a little bit. That's all."

"I see…" Christian said slowly.

"Anyway," Jerrold interjected, "I won't be seeing her again. I promised her that I'd leave her alone forever."

"Forever's a long time," Christian commented.

"Is it really?" Jerrold said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Christian sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that you should try to set things right with her."

"I already did try," Jerrold said bitterly. "We're just too different. It's in our nature to not get along." He let out a sound of frustration. "It's not like I care, anyway. There's nothing special about her."

Christian sighed exasperatedly. "Just keep saying that to yourself. The way you're behaving says otherwise." He paused. "You know," he said with a wry grin, "sometimes I hate my job. I go for a few days, and I miss so many things going on here."

Jerrold shrugged. "You're the one who decided to be a spy."

A/N:

Oooh...Christian's a spy. Please review!