A/N: Umm... oops? I was going to update 'A Burden Too Great To Bear', then this jumped into my head, and I decided to write it, seeing as it's only a one-shot. As you may have noticed, I am actually a huge fan of Lief/Jasmine, and this was just a random idea. Trust me, it could have been worse...
I'd appreciate feedback, negative or positive. :)
Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise from the Deltora Quest books belongs to me.
The Beginnings Of Winter
The stars shone brightly in the dark sky, and a cool breeze rustled through the treetops, but King Lief of Deltora saw none of this. His eyesight was blurred, but he held the tears back; the tears that he thought he would never cry. He had never imagined that Jasmine would love another man, but he had been proven wrong, and his heart felt as though it was shattering into millions of pieces.
Lief remembered proposing to her in the beautiful garden, with the flowers blossoming and the trees vivid green, like her eyes. She had seemed so happy, completely elated, as she had accepted and promised to become his queen. They had walked together, and they had kissed for the first time in a beautiful sunset. That was one of the best moments of his entire life, and he should have known that it was too good to be true.
Lief remembered the promises they had made each other a few months later as they lay contentedly on the grass, watching the clouds go by above their heads.
"Promise me that you will always be here for me, Lief. Promise me that I will not be left alone again, like I was left in the forest when I was a child," Jasmine had said, showing him an insecurity that he had not been aware of.
"I promise. I will always do my best to protect you, even if you do not need protecting. I will never leave you," Lief had vowed, squeezing her hand in his. Jasmine had smiled and pecked his cheek in a display of affection.
The young king found himself walking down the little path and discovered himself at the place where he had proposed to Jasmine, making his breath catch in his throat as he found it harder and harder to breathe. He turned and took a different path, his pace quickening and his fists clenching.
Lief remembered the dance they had attended in honour of his mother's birthday, and he remembered holding her close as their bodies moved in time to the music. They had laughed and danced the night away, before eventually collapsing in Jasmine's bed, just to hold each other as they slept. Lief had thought it would always be that way.
The nearly full moon was illuminating the path in front of him, but Lief could not see it as he stumbled down it, still restraining tears.
"How could she do this to me?" he choked, his throat feeling very tight.
The clearest memory in his head was one that would scar him forever, he knew. The memory of Jasmine's betrayal that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He had walked into the library, expecting it to be empty at that time of night. It was two night's before his wedding to Jasmine, and he needed a break from all the commotion.
He had strode down to the end of the vast room, looking for a place where he would be more difficult to find, a small smile on his lips, but as he rounded a corner, that smile faded. There was Jasmine, wrapped in another man's arms, kissing him passionately. Lief had frozen and just stared with wide eyes, numb, trying to tell himself that it was just a bad dream, that it was not happening, but he knew it was real. He had staggered back a step and the two had torn apart to look at him and, upon recognition, their faces whitened. Lief had stared at the man that had just been embracing his fiancé, and realised that it was one of the young men that worked in the stables. A worker with sandy blonde hair that contrasted Lief's black hair so much.
"Lief…" Jasmine had begun, taking a tentative step towards him. Lief, regaining control over his limbs, turned on his heel and fled, ignoring her cries of his name as she begged that he come back.
The heartbroken young man found a little hill just off the path he had been taking, and sat down on the top of it. A tear rolled down as he watched a leaf fall to the ground from a nearby tree, just like him, he realised. He too was falling, and there was nothing there to catch him.