Full Summary: The opal. The stone that gives glimpses of the future, for better or worse. Upon touching it, Lief sees something that will change him forever. Terrified, he attempts to find a way around it, but there is no escape. Will it or not, he knows that what he saw will come true, and he knows that he must be ready to face it.

A/N: I know that I shouldn't be starting a new story, but I couldn't resist. Please review:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Deltora Quest, unfortunately for me.

Worse Than A Nightmare

The Vraal stared at him, its deadly sharp teeth gleaming as it grinned and its sword-like claws raised, ready to strike. Lief's heart was pounding, but he held his ground, the sword his father had made for him raised high. He had to do this. He would not be taken down without a fight, and he would not sacrifice the life of the child cowering behind him. He swallowed, trying to keep his limbs from shaking, his head held high as he tried to show that he was not afraid of the creature before him.

"Listen to me," Lief muttered to the little girl who was clinging to his leg. "I am going to distract it, and hold it here for as long as I can. You have to get out of here. Run to the palace and get Captain Barda as fast as you can. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," the girl whimpered.

"Good. Back towards the city slowly, until you are about fifteen metres away from the Vraal, then run. Its attention will be on me," Lief whispered. The little girl reluctantly let go of him and began backing away slowly. The Vraal growled upon noticing, but immediately forgot the child as the man with the sword stepped forward slightly, raising his sword even higher, challenging the creature.

Hissing, the Vraal began to circle the young king, its mind focused on what it had been bred to do. To kill. Its attention was entirely on the man before it, and it did not see the small child sprinting back to the city nearby, trembling as she ran.

Lief took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was to come. He could neither run nor hide, as both would result in certain death. Fighting was his only option, and though he was still certain that he was going to be killed, he had to hold the creature off for as long as possible. Otherwise it might enter Del.

Without warning, the Vraal leapt forward and, on pure reflex, Lief's sword flashed up to meet it, making a clanging sound that chilled him to the bone. The Vraal leapt back and continued to circle him, grinning horribly.

Once again, it took a leap towards him, but at the last second whipped its tail, sending Lief to he ground. Gritting his teeth, Lief jumped to his feet again, trying to ignore the blood running down his leg.

Again and again the Vraal attacked, and Lief parried, but the creature was getting impatient. It was not going to toy with its prey any longer, and Lief desperately kept defending himself. He could hear the guards leaving the city gates and sprinting towards him, but they were not fast enough. There was not enough time.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a familiar young woman with wild black hair with the guards, following the man who obviously was Barda. He wanted to cry out to Jasmine and tell her to get back, but he could do nothing but defend himself, ignoring the intense pain from the wounds that were dripping with his blood.

All of a sudden, time seemed to stand still. Lief's breath was suddenly knocked out of him as something sharp seared though the skin of his stomach, making blinding pain spread through his entire body. Without a sound, Lief fell to his knees, the Vraal's claws still inside him. He could see red, but the red was rapidly turning to black as everything faded away…

Jasmine and Barda slammed the king's bedroom door open to see Lief thrashing and screaming on the bed, his body convulsing. Jasmine darted forward and yelled his name, grabbing his arm, but Lief continued to writhe. Leaping forward, Barda attempted to pin the young king down so that he would not injure himself, but was knocked back almost immediately by Lief's arm smashing into his jaw. The king had one hand on the Belt, Jasmine noticed as she leant over him, yelling his name as she avoided being hit by his flailing limbs.

Suddenly Lief's eyes flashed open and he jerked upright, nearly knocking heads with Jasmine, his breathing rapid and cold sweat on his brow. His face was deathly white and fear was clear in his eyes as he saw his friends. It seemed as though he did not recognise them. Jasmine reached out to touch his face and Lief flinched, drawing back from her. Jasmine immediately looked hurt, but Lief continued to stare at her as though she was leaning over him with a weapon. His eyes darted to Barda, then returned to Jasmine, who was looking at him with great concern, and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and hide his fear, remembering who they were.

Jasmine tentatively reached out again and brushed the damp hair from his eyes, and upon seeing no negative reaction, moved forward and embraced Lief, allowing him to hide his face in the crook of her neck as she held his trembling body. Lief opened his eyes again and felt a jolt of terrible shock and fear, his heart pounding loudly in his chest as he realised something. His hand was clutched tightly around the opal.