Lief, Jasmine, and Barda were on the road once again, leading to the Forests of Silence, like they did long time ago, when they were reaching for the seven great gems of the Belt of Deltora.
Lief had promised Jasmine that they were going to go back to the woods again. After several weeks inside the palace walls, all Jasmine wanted to do was go on a journey like the ones they went before. She missed the trees, missed the birds, the breeze, the unpopulated forests. She missed her home.
So there they were. On the same path Lief and Barda took long ago.
"I rember when we started or quest," Barda said staring at the sky. "We took this very same way"
"Litte did we know everything was going to end up like this." Said Lief, as he uncovered his jacket to look at the Belt.
"What if you would never have met me here?" Asked Jasmine.
"Umm… well… I guess Deltora would still be in the Shadow Lord's power," Lief confessed. "After all, you were the one who helped us when the Wenns paralyzed us".
"Indeed," Barda said, as he glanced at Jasmine.
"Oh, yes, all the land of Deltora should be proud of myself" Joked Jasmine.
"Oh, no," Barda answered following the joke. "All the land of Deltora should be proud of the Wenns"
"Well… yes, maybe, but I do not think we want to see them again" Said Lief, more serious, staring ahead.
"What do you-" But then, Barda realized what Lief meant. In front of them stood the sign they had seen long ago, the sign that warned the travellers of the Wenn Del, a zone in First Wood, where many Wenn creatures wandered.
"Alright, we do not want to go that way," Said Barda. "We don't have another Jasmine to save us."
"But I am sure you do not want to go the other way" Jasmine said in a low voice.
"What is it?" Lief began. "What's on the other side of the road, Jasmine?"
"Well…," Jasmine said in the same low voice. "No… never mind"
"Jasmine, what is it?" Asked Lief again.
"It's just that… long ago, Grey Guards used to camp there." Lief said. "That's where my mother and father…" But she didn't end her sentence. For Lief and Barda already understood. That was where Jasmine's parents were caught and taken into the Shadowlands.
"Jasmine," Said Lief as he took her hand. "If you do not want to go that way, we will not"
Jasmine forced a little smile, but she finally found her strange to talk about her tragedy again. "Actually," Jasmine began again. "I think we should go that way. There are no Grey Guards anymore. And if we go that way, I will not be afraid of that place anymore."
"Alright then," Said Barda. "Let us face this side of the road".
The companions kept on walking. This side of the forests were not more different than the rest. But even if the Grey Guards were destroyed forever, there was still some sign that they had once been there. Some old broken chains, and burned wood that was once used to start a fire were on the forest's grounds.
Jasmine smiled. "It is not that bad. It's just as the rest of my forest."
"Your forest?" Lief asked in a childish way.
"Well… yes, it's mine! You are the King of Deltora. And you could at least give me this forest as a gift for me" Smiled Jasmine as she glanced at Lief.
"You know I would Jasmine," Lief said smiling and glancing back at Jasmine. "But then, what would Barda claim as his?"
"Well… I can have the rest!" Said Barda.
Jasmine and Barda kept on discussing about their imaginary properties, but Lief was lost in his thoughts, thinking about what Jasmine said. He knew that they were joking, but why would Jasmine want the Forest of Silence? It's her home, yes. But Lief all this time thought that Jasmine was going to stay at the palace. With Lief, Barda, and her father Doom.
"… Plus, you could have all those beautiful waters of the Maze of the Beast," Lief heard Barda tell Jasmine. "I am sure you are going to love swimming in there".
"Are you not going to help me here, Lief?" asked Jasmine. But when she got no answer, it made her mad, and pushed Lief towards Barda.
"Hey! Why did you do that!" Asked Lief, who had fallen to the ground.
"Do not try to ignore me!" Said Jasmine proudly.
"I am sorry," Lief said finally. "But I was just thinking…"
"What?" Barda said helping Lief to stand up again.
But Lief thought it was fool of him to think that Jasmine was going to stay. If she was really going to, he should wait until that moment then.
"Not so important, just thoughts our old journeys" Lief lied.
"Yes," Jasmine began. "I remember when-" But Jasmine stopped. And for Barda and Lief's surprises, Jasmine ran towards a tree and started to climb up high until she reached the top of it.
When Jasmine realized that Lief and Barda were looking at her in a strange way, she realized they did not know what she was doing. "This is my favortie tree," explained Jasmine. "I used to climb here and stare at the trees and the leaves fly with the breeze. We are close," Said Jasmine as she climed down the tree and went to Barda and Lief's side. "We should just turn here, to the right and…"
But Jasmine did not need to explain anymore. For Lief and Barda saw that they were at Jasmine's little refuge.
Jasmine ran inside her little home, as Kree started to fly faster and Filli went out of Jasmine's jacket.
"I'm home!" Cried Jasmine smiling. "I am finally home! And so glad I am finally here!"
Lief had promised Jasmine that they were going to go back to the woods again. After several weeks inside the palace walls, all Jasmine wanted to do was go on a journey like the ones they went before. She missed the trees, missed the birds, the breeze, the unpopulated forests. She missed her home.
So there they were. On the same path Lief and Barda took long ago.
"I rember when we started or quest," Barda said staring at the sky. "We took this very same way"
"Litte did we know everything was going to end up like this." Said Lief, as he uncovered his jacket to look at the Belt.
"What if you would never have met me here?" Asked Jasmine.
"Umm… well… I guess Deltora would still be in the Shadow Lord's power," Lief confessed. "After all, you were the one who helped us when the Wenns paralyzed us".
"Indeed," Barda said, as he glanced at Jasmine.
"Oh, yes, all the land of Deltora should be proud of myself" Joked Jasmine.
"Oh, no," Barda answered following the joke. "All the land of Deltora should be proud of the Wenns"
"Well… yes, maybe, but I do not think we want to see them again" Said Lief, more serious, staring ahead.
"What do you-" But then, Barda realized what Lief meant. In front of them stood the sign they had seen long ago, the sign that warned the travellers of the Wenn Del, a zone in First Wood, where many Wenn creatures wandered.
"Alright, we do not want to go that way," Said Barda. "We don't have another Jasmine to save us."
"But I am sure you do not want to go the other way" Jasmine said in a low voice.
"What is it?" Lief began. "What's on the other side of the road, Jasmine?"
"Well…," Jasmine said in the same low voice. "No… never mind"
"Jasmine, what is it?" Asked Lief again.
"It's just that… long ago, Grey Guards used to camp there." Lief said. "That's where my mother and father…" But she didn't end her sentence. For Lief and Barda already understood. That was where Jasmine's parents were caught and taken into the Shadowlands.
"Jasmine," Said Lief as he took her hand. "If you do not want to go that way, we will not"
Jasmine forced a little smile, but she finally found her strange to talk about her tragedy again. "Actually," Jasmine began again. "I think we should go that way. There are no Grey Guards anymore. And if we go that way, I will not be afraid of that place anymore."
"Alright then," Said Barda. "Let us face this side of the road".
The companions kept on walking. This side of the forests were not more different than the rest. But even if the Grey Guards were destroyed forever, there was still some sign that they had once been there. Some old broken chains, and burned wood that was once used to start a fire were on the forest's grounds.
Jasmine smiled. "It is not that bad. It's just as the rest of my forest."
"Your forest?" Lief asked in a childish way.
"Well… yes, it's mine! You are the King of Deltora. And you could at least give me this forest as a gift for me" Smiled Jasmine as she glanced at Lief.
"You know I would Jasmine," Lief said smiling and glancing back at Jasmine. "But then, what would Barda claim as his?"
"Well… I can have the rest!" Said Barda.
Jasmine and Barda kept on discussing about their imaginary properties, but Lief was lost in his thoughts, thinking about what Jasmine said. He knew that they were joking, but why would Jasmine want the Forest of Silence? It's her home, yes. But Lief all this time thought that Jasmine was going to stay at the palace. With Lief, Barda, and her father Doom.
"… Plus, you could have all those beautiful waters of the Maze of the Beast," Lief heard Barda tell Jasmine. "I am sure you are going to love swimming in there".
"Are you not going to help me here, Lief?" asked Jasmine. But when she got no answer, it made her mad, and pushed Lief towards Barda.
"Hey! Why did you do that!" Asked Lief, who had fallen to the ground.
"Do not try to ignore me!" Said Jasmine proudly.
"I am sorry," Lief said finally. "But I was just thinking…"
"What?" Barda said helping Lief to stand up again.
But Lief thought it was fool of him to think that Jasmine was going to stay. If she was really going to, he should wait until that moment then.
"Not so important, just thoughts our old journeys" Lief lied.
"Yes," Jasmine began. "I remember when-" But Jasmine stopped. And for Barda and Lief's surprises, Jasmine ran towards a tree and started to climb up high until she reached the top of it.
When Jasmine realized that Lief and Barda were looking at her in a strange way, she realized they did not know what she was doing. "This is my favortie tree," explained Jasmine. "I used to climb here and stare at the trees and the leaves fly with the breeze. We are close," Said Jasmine as she climed down the tree and went to Barda and Lief's side. "We should just turn here, to the right and…"
But Jasmine did not need to explain anymore. For Lief and Barda saw that they were at Jasmine's little refuge.
Jasmine ran inside her little home, as Kree started to fly faster and Filli went out of Jasmine's jacket.
"I'm home!" Cried Jasmine smiling. "I am finally home! And so glad I am finally here!"