Jasmines Thoughts

Disclaimer: This is just what I think Jasmine would have thought privately.

Jasmine was sitting on a wooden rocking chairby the fire in her and Lief's bed chamber while she rocked her daughter Anna to sleep, all the while thinking of her husband Lief return from Tora, for he was expected tomorrow morning when he returned to Del from the Full Moon meeting in Tora.

She was remembering all that had happened ever since she had met Lief and Barda in the Forests of Silence while on their search for the Topaz. It all seemed like a lifetime ago, for so much had happened.

Jasmine had been wary of Lief and Barda after only being in contact with Grey Guards and the animals and trees of the forest since her parents had been taken away when she was seven. But when she saw how helpless they were she decided to help them, a choice which changed her life forever.

Then in their quest of the ruby she remembered what Lief had done for her when the axe had hit her on her shoulder and Lief had used the sticky green cream of her mothers to repair her damage, she remembered the look on Lief's face when she told him to use the essence Exlir of Lilies on Kree's injured wing. Lief had then been ignorant that animals were much like humans.

Then in Noradz, she remembered how it seemed Lief had taken a liking to Tira, a girl of Noradz who had helped them greatly. And Reehah the giant snake of Noradz, one of the many frightening creatures made of by the Shadow Lord.

Much later after their quest in the Shifting Sands, she had the feeling Lief was feeling something for her then after her retrieved her fathers treasured blade from the bees nest. But then again, it could have been after seeing her great distress after losing it.

But a moment that stood out was when she wore a purple dress to disguise her from Ols on the ferry in the Toran River to retrieve the amethyst. Jasmine remembered both Lief and Barda's shock, especially Lief but after awhile he looked pleased seeing her wear the dress.

But the most memorable from the first quest was seeing Lief's look of jealousy after Dain had offered to help with Barda. She had to admit she had liked Dain, but seeing who he truly was she hated him with every fiber of her body. But after Lief had driven out the Shadow Lord from Deltora, she remembered her heart thudding when Lief asked her to stay in Del to help rebuild the city.

Jasmines mind darkened as she remembered what had happened in the few months after Lief's asking of her to stay. How distant Lief had become and how frustrated she became. The how easily she had been tricked by the Shadow Lord in order she would come to the Shadow Lands so Lief would follow. Her feelings for Lief had grown during those few months and it dismayed her to think he had changed so much. It made it easier for her to leave when she believed the rumors of Lief's marriage to a Toran woman. And after she believed the Shadow Lord's lie that she had a younger sister, Faith that Lief had tired to hide from her.

But then on the island of Plumes, Lief had followed there and saved her from great peril, from the Fear. But it was after she, Lief and Barda had broken the dome of light on the island of the Aurons she truly realised how deep her feelings had become and she had the feeling that Lief may have felt the same about her but she was too angry to dwell on that.

In the Shadow lands Jasmine remembered the perils they had faced and of her determination to find her supposed sister, but it was all a big unforeseen trap, bait for jasmine so Lief would follow as the Shadow Lord knew of their feeling for each other.

When they returned happily to Del with all the prisoners, Jasmine heard the entire true story, of how the supposed bride of Lief's was actually the heir of Lief and of Lief's effort to find the heir and how her had worn a copy of the Belt of Deltora so that Deltora would be safe with the true belt with Marilen.

But when Lief had said he would marry the woman he loved while looking at her, she said maybe but really she intended to do so. In the months after that she and Lief grew closer but she had to leave soon after to celebrate the Wedding of Marline and Ranesh in Tora. But when Lief had called for her father Doom to some to Del, Jasmine decided to come she had been all the quests Lief had undertaken! So why should not she come to Del too!

But one of the worst possible moments had happened when Lief and Barda had jumped into the Toran Sea and she could not find them even through dreaming, but when she saw him, the wave of emotions she had felt had enabled her to react the way she had, holding onto him the entire time while they were at the Dunes.

Jasmine remembered not caring if she lived or died in the palace of Del when they had discovered the Sister of the South. But instead they went to Hira to confront he ultimate danger, the last trap of the Shadow Lord.

They had survived that thanks to the dragons.

The following spring when she and Lief were married she was overjoyed and a year later when she had fallen pregnant with Anna had made the couple even more happy but the day Anna was born made their happiness complete.

Suddenly a noise startled Jasmine, it was the slight snoring of Anna, and Jasmine put her beloved daughter into the cradle beside Lief and Jasmines bed. Then the door opened and the mother grabbed her blade from her waist and turned around when she saw it was her husband Lief.

"You're early" she said

"I had to come home to see you and Anna" was his grinning reply

Lief walked towards her and put one arm around her waist and the other on her cheek.

"I missed you," he said

"As did I" Jasmine replied softly.

Lief walked over to the cradle and bent low to kiss his daughter on her forehead and then he turned and kissed Jasmine softly on her lips. She blushed but kissed him back. She pulled away slowly

"Tell me what happened at the Full Moon meeting"

THE END