It's Beginning look a lot like Christmas

Merry Christmas! This is part of the festive Deltora Quest challenge. If you wish to add your story to the collection, check out the challenges thread in the Deltora forums for more details!
Summary: Presents? Sledging? An 'I survived the Quest,' Shirt? Is this Christmas in Deltora or what?

Disclaimer: i do not own Deltora. Quit rubbing it in! Let's begin...

'Aieeeee!!!!' Squealed Barda in a girlish manner as the sledge rolled down the hill. Lief laughed and followed suite on a pair of 'homemade' (made by Doom, although this did not offer any consolation) ski's. Jasmine was building a snowman shaped like Sharn though with a couple of 'Vulture-like' features and a sprig of mistletoe on its head. Barda came careering past, still screaming. Jasmine squeaked and hid behind the Snow-Sharn. Lief found himself rolling down the hill in an un-kingly manner before...
WHAM!
'Lief get up! It's Christmas!' Lief gave a grunt and blinked. Curse Barda for waking him... He'd got to the really good part of the dream where he and Jasmine made out under a tree. He'd been having said dream everyday for about a month. Could've meant something, or nothing. Of course, Jasmine herself knew nothing of the dream. Or Lief's harboured soft spot for her. Or...

'Lief! Get up!' Barda knocked loudly on the door again. Lief ignored him and went to the window. Soft white flakes kissed the pane and lightly dusted the trees and roofs of the houses down in Del. Snow had come surprisingly early to Deltora. Maybe even the weather was celebrating the Shadow Lords defeat!

'Lief!' Barda now burst into the room. 'Sharn's getting irate!' he changed his pitch to a high girlish voice (Lief's thoughts returned to his dream and he couldn't help sniggering) 'You tell him to get up right this instant! Christmas is a time for family and being together! And...' Barda added in his own voice 'Prezzies! Come on what did you get me?'
'You'll have to wait.' Said Lief, in a calm way, while heading to his wardrobe to put on a fresh shirt.

'Not even a tiny clue?'

'Nope' Lief was now running out the room laughing. Barda sniggered and followed. Then stopped short, he looked up and cursed. Lief stopped running and found himself standing next to Barda. Under the mistletoe. 'Damn.' He hissed. He felt a brush on his cheek and sighed. Then he heard Jasmine snickering nearby. 'Jasmine! I'll kill you!' he ran down the steps towards her.

'Not if I kill her first!' Barda yelled. Jasmine squealed and hid behind...Sharn. Once again Lief was reminded of his dream. Now almost distance memories of beaky noses, narrow eyes and hunched backs came flooding back.

'I was just coming to see where you'd got to.' Sharn said smiling,distracting Lief from his thoughts, 'Come on. The others are waiting'

'We don't mention this to anyone, Ok Jasmine?' whispered Lief.

'Aye aye cap'n' she said.

*

Apart from the 'Barda and the Mistletoe episode' (as Jasmine had called it, He had a feeling that Jasmine had told Lindal, but what could you do when it came to women?) it had been a fairly good day. Jasmine had been delighted at her gift from Lief (a locket), Barda had been 'mildly' (Total under-statement) embarrassed by his gift –a box within a box within a box containing a shirt which said 'I survived the Quest '(By Golche and Dabana, Natch) - and he hadn't been the only one to be caught out by Jasmine's mistletoe-on-the-stairs- trick; In order from Lief and Barda's escapade: Lief and Lindal, Barda and Sharn, Sharn and Ranesh, Jasmine and Lindal, Marlien and Doom, and...

'Mistletoe Lief,' Lief looked. In his head, he cheered, for standing next to him was Jasmine. It was just after supper, and he had begun to lose all hope of the best part of his dream happening (i.e. the –him-and-Jasmine-making-out-under-a-tree bit) She was smiling at him softly. Gently he pulled her towards him. Their lips met. When they realised they'd taken a simple mistletoe kiss very far, they broke apart, both crimson in the face.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Fin

:) What do you think? Please Read and review, and A Very Merry Christmas to you!