I reread the first few chapters of good old Deltora Quest, way before the Dragons of Deltora and before Deltora Shadowlands. I noticed that Lief had ran into five friends in total before running back home to the forge on that special day when his life changed forever. I attempted to recreate their story...dunno if I succeeded.

EDIT: This one shot used to be called Forgotten Ones: Friends...and then I finally realized where I got the title "Forgotten Ones" from. Another author who writes very good Avatar: The Last Airbender (the cartoon, not the movie) fanfictions used that name for a series of one shots. The idea for this very story was inspired by this author, so if you're interested in that series you should check it out, especially "Forgotten Ones: Lieutenant Jee" Um, anyways, I didn't want it to seem like I was plagiarizing so I immediately changed the title when I realized my slip up. Oopsies!

Enjoy!

Forgotten Friends

The young black-haired boy, still an innocent in his years, made his way quickly through the thick bushes surrounding the city of Del. He clung tightly to the package of prepared meat in his arms, being sure not to let it drop. The boy grinned mischievously as he thought of how cunningly he had managed to steal such a treasure from behind the foolish Grey Guard's back. He knew that soon enough, the Guard would no longer pursue him, and so it was merely a matter of time before...

"Brat! You will dearly pay for taking what is clearly not yours!" the Guard howled fiercely from a distance.

He cursed his luck. Experience from playing in these bushes for several years told the boy that they would come to an end very soon. He had to think quickly.

There was a loud crack from the trees far to the boy's right, and he could hear the Grey Guard stop in his tracks and laugh.

"I have you now," he jeered, and ran off in the direction of the noise, away from the lucky young boy.

"Do not say a word," a voice whispered silently behind him. He jumped in surprise and was close to calling out, but a hand was pressed to his mouth to silence him. "We are friends."

Four young children, all looking to be the same age as the boy withdrew from their hiding places and became known to the black-haired boy who had clearly just been saved by them.

"What is your name?" the only female of the group asked. The one who held him from behind slowly let go and joined the others.

"My name is Lief," the boy responded.

"Leaf? As in the leaves of the trees which surround us? How strange," one of the boys who had many freckles upon his face commented.

"No, my name is spelt with an 'i' and an 'e,'" Lief defended, once again irritated that his name was so easy to jest at.

"And what are those?" another boy with a handkerchief wrapped around his head inquired.

"They are letters, of course," the female answered knowingly.

"Please, I would wager that you only know those letters because they are a part of the only word you know how to spell: your name," the boy who had originally silenced Lief mocked.

"Oh? And what of it, Zeke? At the very least, I know one word more than you," the girl retorted. "Oh my! Lief, what is in that package you are holding?"

Lief was startled by his name being called as the other children had been speaking amongst themselves as though he were invisible. He quickly answered, "Oh...this is meat, I think," he answered lamely. He slowly opened the parcel, peeling away the wax paper with care.

A delicious fragrance filled the air, and a chunk of white meat with brown skin about the size of Lief's hand was presented.

"Lief, I believe that none of us would mind at all if you would share that with us in thanks for saving you earlier," the boy with the freckles said greedily as a grin spread across his face. Lief could not be certain, but surely this boy was starting to drool. "My name is Martius, by the by."

"Mine is Ezekiel, but I prefer to go by Zeke. The know-it-all princess is Caelius, the one with the weird head covering is Tobias, and that over there is Aventine. He and Caelius are siblings."

"Oh...it is nice to meet you all. Thank you for saving me from the Grey Guard," Lief replied.

Soon enough, everyone had gathered around Lief as they enjoyed their first taste of what Caelius thought to be chicken.

"How do you know what that is?"

"Mother once told me of it!"

And so, that was the day that Lief made five new, precious friends.

Several seasons had passed the six friends before they knew it. Lief was now a full member of the group, having scoured Del in their mischief almost daily. Their families had become quite close, and even the hesitant Jarred and Anna would often times visit the homes of his friends during the late afternoon hours.

Zeke, Martius, Tobias, Caelius and Aventine all sat outside the forge to meet with Lief as they had promised the day before. They had not anticipated, however, that Anna would be so insistent on finishing her lessons with Lief.

"I am bored stiff, Zeke. How long have we been waiting for Lief?" Martius complained as he restlessly stretched his arms.

They paid no heed to the sleeping beggar at the door of the forge.

Zeke sighed and answered, "I do not know. Why must a blacksmith do lessons of arithmetics, in any case? It is such a waste of time."

"Why do we not simply find something to do with our time?" Aventine suggested with an air of indifference.

"Ah, so the silent one speaks at last," Zeke chided.

"Shut your mouth."

The five companions found themselves climbing a large tree very close to the forge. Caelius, unfortunately, found it difficult to keep up with the boys of the group. She struggled to reach the next branch, her short stature becoming a nuisance.

Suddenly, she slipped and fell.

Lief had at last finished his lessons and gratefully ran out of the forge to greet his friends with delight. Upon his arrival to the outdoors, however, he could see no one, and heard only a scream. He raced towards the sound, and seeing one of friends in trouble, he slid the rest of his path and caught Caelius in time to break her fall.

"Are you alright, Caelius?" Lief asked frantically. The rest of the group quickly climbed down the tree to see for themselves what had occurred.

Caelius carefully opened her eyes, and the handsome sight before her made her breath catch. She found that she perhaps fancied Lief.

Footsteps ran furiously up the paved hill, and they were nearing the forge quickly. Anna could be seen pinning the laundry up to the clothing line on top of the roof.

"Miss Anna!" Tobias called out. "We were wondering if Lief could come out with us today!"

He was not expecting Anna to frown so deeply. From within the forge, Jarred stepped out with his heavy gloves still upon his large hands.

"Lief left us in the dead of the night two days ago. My errant son whom I no longer consider family has grown tired of the blacksmith's trade and broke our hearts. Now leave," Jarred bellowed.

Not one of them dared to speak, running off quickly back to the city. They did not notice the missing beggar that was always sleeping by the forge. They reached the markets of Del shortly after, each of them saddened to hear such news.

"It is not in Lief's character to leave his home. He loved his parents greatly," Caelius said.

"We know," Zeke replied.

There was nothing that they could do but wonder and hope. For the first time in many years, their group was back to five.

In the months to follow, the five friends would frequently sneak up the roads as silently as they would to see if Lief had ever returned home. They did so in turns, for such a large group of adolescent children would surely be noticed by the observant eyes of Jarred and Anna.

It was Tobias who witnessed the horror first.

"Zeke!" he yelled with force as he ran towards the small market stand that Zeke's family owned.

Zeke was simply minding his own business, acting as though the stand before him was carefully watched by his eye. In reality, his mind had wandered to realms unknown, but his daze was halted abruptly.

"Ezekiel!" Tobias called again. He was drawing breath heavily when he at last reached his destination.

"What is the matter?" Zeke inquired with concern.

"Shadow Lord's...brand...door...on forge!" Tobias managed to speak in between breaths.

The words he uttered were understood quite clearly. Zeke paled.

"No...," he whispered.

Lief and Jasmine walked side by side in the streets of Del, dressed in the garments that they had always worn on their travels. Their goal was Lief's old home, the forge, but they had decided to venture directly through the city so they did not have to go around in a large circle.

"The city is looking far better than it has in ages," Lief commented incredulously. "Though, there is still much work to be done."

"I am simply glad to be rid of the palace. I could not have stood to be cramped up in there for another second!" Jasmine clearly announced. "It is fortunate that we could slip away without anyone noticing."

"Those secret passageways were the only reason we could manage such a task," Lief said with a laugh in his words as he fixed his attention on the girl beside him.

They reached the forge a short while after they travelled through the centre of Del. It was in a fairly isolated location from the main city, surrounded by wildlife as though it were in the heart of a great forest. The only difference was that Del and its palace were clearly within eyesight.

"Beware," Jasmine whispered as she thrust her arm in front of Lief to prevent him from walking any further.

"What do you hear?" Lief asked, already knowing that Jasmine had heard a noise that he could not.

"I would hear better if you would only silence yourself, now hush," she hissed at him.

If the person beside him had been anyone else, Lief would have objected with all his might, insulted that someone would bear such an attitude that he deemed as rudeness. Unfortunately for him, it was Jasmine, and she was the most stubborn individual in the entire kingdom, he was sure of it.

Lief simply sighed and did as he was told.

"I hear voices," Jasmine said.

"Many children are fond of playing among these bushes and trees. It is near enough to Del that they feel safe, yet wild enough to satisfy their imaginations," he responded, as he himself was once one of those children.

"No, these voices come from within a building ahead of us. The trees tell me so."

"The only building ahead of us is the forge. Do the trees say anything of these voices being friend or foe?"

Jasmine shook her head.

Lief had half a mind to turn round back to the palace, but the forge was his home and the former home of Doom and Jasmine's mother. It was that reason alone that she had wanted to visit the forge with Lief. He would not stand idly by as someone took advantage of the deserted shelter.

"Let us go then, but we had better tread cautiously," Lief stated as he drew his sword from its sheath.

Jasmine already had her dagger in her hands. They moved off the path and took cover using the thickness of the bushes and trees. Even Lief travelled swiftly and silently, as he gained at least some experience from moving about the several forests they had encountered searching for the gems. They circled around the forge's clearing until at last they reached the closest cover their eyes could see from the entrance.

"What should be our course of action?" Lief asked. "Announce ourselves with our weapons raised?"

"No, we strike with the element of surprise!" Jasmine cried, and within a blink of the eye she had charged into the old building.

"Jasmine!" Lief shouted in surprise. He had to take a moment to realize what his companion had done before he chased after her.

A piercing shriek came from within the forge seconds after Jasmine had entered. Lief drew a sharp breath and raced as quickly as he was able to his old room, where the screeching sound had come from.

He stopped suddenly at the scene before his eyes. Jasmine had pinned a young man no older than she to the floor with one hand, as the other held her dagger menacingly to the other four who had been lounging about in his room.

"Tell us your names and your purpose for being here at once!" Jasmine demanded fiercely.

They all seemed to be too afraid to speak a single word as they all stared at this wild and very capable girl. All but one.

The boy that Jasmine had pinned to the ground looked up at the arrival of yet another, hoping with all his might that the newcomer would not start attacking them as well. He then cried out in shock, "Lief!"

The others jumped at the mention of the name, and they all turned their eyes to the new king. They started to approach him, but Jasmine swiftly let go of her prisoner and stood to the front of Lief with her dagger still in hand, instantly becoming his human shield.

"Do not come any nearer!" Jasmine warned.

Lief finally recognized who they were.

"Zeke!" he exclaimed.

"Who?" Jasmine asked curiously.

"Martius! Tobias! Caelius! Aventine!" Lief continued.

The five friends joyously called Lief's name in return and went to embrace him with the vigour of old friends. They halted their actions when they noticed that Jasmine was still standing with her dagger raised, although her expression had now turned to one of confusion.

"Jasmine, please put away your dagger," Lief requested as he sheathed his own sword. "They are friends!"

Jasmine turned to Lief, her eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"They are no friends that I recognize," she said.

"That is because they were my friends in a time before you and I crossed paths. These are the people whom I called my companions for many years before I set out on my quest for the gems," Lief explained.

Zeke stepped forward with a grin spread across his features.

"I should have realized that you would return here accompanied by another, as you are now the king and must have protection. I apologize on behalf of all our friends for trespassing, but after we discovered that you had returned with the Belt of Deltora, we just knew that you would return to your old home. We have been coming daily to wait for you," Zeke explained.

"We swear to you that we are telling the truth," Martius continued on. "Who would have known that you would have a bodyguard with you? And quite a strong one, too...for a woman."

"I am no bodyguard!" Jasmine cried out indignantly. "And you had better watch your tongue, for I would overwhelm your unskilled strength without the aid of my greater arm!"

"I am sorry! I merely said those words in jest!" Martius defended as he took a step backwards.

"If you are not a bodyguard, then...you are his ladylove?" Tobias inquired with innocence.

"No!" Lief exclaimed this time, his cheeks growing deeper in red by the second. "We are close friends. Jasmine was one of the ones who journeyed with me around the kingdom to restore the Belt. I brought her here because this was once her parents' home," Lief explained with a softer voice.

"Here in the forge?" Caelius spoke.

"It is quite a long tale."

The seven young men and women sat around Lief's old room as he explained to his past companions of how the Belt came to his possession, of the vital quest he had set foot upon, and of his journeys to restore the kingdom of Deltora from the Shadow Lord.

"Incredible! I never would have imagined that Lief was the heir to the Belt, nor that the timid Jarred and Anna were the fooli...the Royals of the past," Martius finished, turning his eyes away in his sudden moment of shame.

It was not unknown to Lief that many had viewed his father to be a lazy and selfish ruler, including his friends. Lief himself had once harboured such thoughts in his mind, though he had not known that the man he held in such contempt had been his own father at the time.

The friends recounted the times they spent away from each other for several hours afterwards. They laughed and bantered amongst themselves, often times switching from one topic to another within seconds.

"Did you know that Caelius fancied you quite dearly?"

"Lies! I did not!"

Everyone noticed the obvious flush on her cheeks.

When Aventine spoke at last, he inquired of the prisoners still in the Enemy's grip in the Shadowlands. Lief fell silent, and Zeke's eyes shone with a twinkle.

"I know that look in your eyes, Lief," Zeke said. "I know that somewhere in that mind of yours, you are conjuring yet another one of your brilliant schemes, even as we speak. I would always trust your judgment...Your Majesty," he finished with a smirk upon his lips.

The others agreed wholeheartedly. Lief was touched to his very core. Jasmine witnessed the incredible power of friendship. And so it was that the friends were reunited at last.

I hope you all enjoyed reading! Please tell me your opinions on it; I'd especially like to hear any sort of constructive criticism you all may have because for some reason I feel that this isn't my best work. I'd like to figure out where I might have went wrong.

Please review!