Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are the creative property of Emily Rodda.
It was well past morning and the city of Del had already swelled with activity as citizens of all classes emerged from their homes to enjoy the new day, one filled with joy and peace. The people of the Topaz territory could hardly believe it: an entire veritable year had passed without any sort of monumental calamity or impending doom that would have forced the Deltoran Trio to once again risk their lives for the sake of the kingdom. It was an unexplainable, yet welcome surprise and no one dared to question it.
The sun shone brilliantly from the clear blue skies as it slowly made its way overhead towards the west. Shops and merchants sold their wares with vigor, and local eateries worked tirelessly to feed their hungry customers. Meanwhile, this flurry of movement contrasted sharply with the Palace, whose resident king still lay snoring softly in bed.
Lief could not remember another night that he had slept through so peacefully or with such content. Being king often required daily correspondence with his palace advisors in Del and the regional leaders from Deltora's other territories. Needless to say, it was tiring and left him little time to appreciate the sleep that the rest of the population took for granted.
That being said, last night Lief's closest advisor and concurrent father-in-law, Doom, had taken pity on his exhausted demeanor and abruptly ended the midnight meeting, allowing him to gratefully retire to his chambers. The young ruler had immediately collapsed next to his already slumbering wife and snuggled into her small warmth before falling into a blissfully deep sleep. Too soon, however, the sun had risen once more and the cycle was to begin all over again.
"Lief," a soft voice called. Behind his closed eyelids, the voice penetrated his dreaming state and he furrowed his eyebrows as he subconsciously willed his ears to ignore it. Alas, this person was persistent, and he soon realized it was futile to resist when he felt his arm being shaken rather forcefully.
He half-opened his eyes groggily, only to be temporarily blinded by the bright rays of sunlight streaming through the window. Tiredly rubbing at them to adjust to the light, he was met by the elfin face of his queen, who stood next to the bed and leaned over him.
"Jasmine?" Lief yawned. "What is it?"
"You have slept half the day away, Your Highness. It is time to awaken."
"Leave me be, Jasmine," he groaned. "Just a few more minutes." He closed his eyes once more, but knew there was little chance of her allowing him any more undisturbed rest. Jasmine often woke earlier than he did and she always insisted that he not waste the entire day in bed; however, Lief had come to find that he rather enjoyed teasing her with his morning apathy. He swatted lazily at her hands when she continued to shake his arm, and moments later heard the sharp click of her tongue. He stifled a laugh as he envisioned her standing defiantly next to him with a hand on her hip.
"It is almost noon and we have already missed the morning meal," Lief heard her chide. "Do you wish to miss luncheon as well?" The idea of the midday meal made his stomach rumble quietly, but the allure of the comfortable covers quickly silenced his hunger pains.
"I am not hungry," he lied.
Not one to be fooled, Jasmine shook her head in exasperation. "You certainly sound hungry," she rebuked with a sigh. Curse her enhanced hearing.
The boy peeked open an eye to get a more wholesome view of the girl who, as he had imagined, stood impatiently next to the bed, with her hip cocked to one side. Judging from her wild black hair, which appeared even more untamed than usual, he figured she must not have woken very long ago herself.
He smiled and opened both his arms, holding them out to her. "Come back to bed, Jasmine," he coaxed gently in the most charming voice he could muster. When her expression deadpanned at his change in topic, he hurriedly added: "I am... cold." She glanced at the blankets that still covered his lower body and rolled her eyes before obliging to lay down on her side next to him.
Now fully awake, Lief wasted no time enveloping her small frame into his arms and placing a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. Jasmine may have interrupted his much deserved rest, but he was quite content to merely lay in bed and inhale her scent as compensation. They stayed cuddled for a long moment, each enjoying the warmth the other gave.
"We cannot stay here all afternoon," the girl said softly, laying a small browned hand on his chest.
Lief stared into her emerald orbs, admiring the familiar fire and hidden compassion that shone in them. Her black locks flared over the pillow serenely and he reached up to brush away a stray strand that had fallen in front of her eyes. "And why not?" he teased playfully.
She looked strangely at him. "What do you mean 'why not'?" she repeated. "Have you already forgotten about today, Lief?"
"Today?" he asked curiously in return while absently rubbing her bare arm. "What is the occasion?"
He realized he must have sounded incredibly dimwitted because she did not hesitate to raise an eyebrow in response. "You truly do not remember?" The young king widened his hazel eyes when he noticed the hint of disappointment in her voice. He had heard many tales of Deltoran wives asking their husbands such questions regarding specific dates. More often than not, the questions somehow evolved into arguments which, as far as he could recall, never ended well for the men.
"Uh..." What had he forgotten? Lief silently berated himself for forgetting whatever today was. The boy had not imagined he would ever be stuck in this situation; up until now, he had always done fairly well in remembering such things. He quickly went over a list of several important days in his mind, attempting to single out which Jasmine was referring to.
It was assuredly not his birthday seeing as it was not yet summer; and if that was the case, then it was most definitely not her day of birth as that was only a few weeks after his own. Lief glanced sidelong at the small nest on the nightstand which held Kree and Filli, both still fast asleep. Was it one of theirs? If it was, then there was clearly going to be trouble ahead; he had come to love them as family surely, but they had never celebrated either animal's birthday before and he had no doubt he would be at a complete loss on how to. He was not sure anyone other than Jasmine even knew when Kree and Filli had been born.
Shaking the thought out of his mind, he proceeded to check off more significant dates. He was certain it was not their anniversary or anything of that sort; after all, they had not yet concluded their first year of marriage. Was it something else that she found important? While Lief knew Jasmine was never one to acknowledge such trivial matters, he was also aware that she could be rather unpredictable when she wished to be.
Jasmine continued to stare at her husband expectantly, causing him to panic and consider merely guessing at what day she was speaking about. However, Ranesh had forewarned him before that to do so was tantamount to a deadly game of chance and that, based on personal experience with Marilen, the repercussions for guessing incorrectly were grave.
Not quite ready to face such consequences, Lief mused whether he would be better off admitting that he had absolutely no idea what significance the day held. Indeed, according to his mother, complete honesty was always the most secure way in maintaining a relationship; and in any case, the truth was what Jasmine deserved, was it not?
On the verge of deciding to come clean, a thought of unspeakable horror soon came to mind. What if it was not one specific event of the year that Jasmine was referring to? Perhaps it was a recurring event; a monthly recurring event, in fact. He prayed with all his might that it was not so. The mysterious workings of a woman's body were very vital for childbearing, and he respected that; yet, at the same time, the way it made Jasmine behave had never truly taken his fancy.
Intending to simply ask what today really was, Lief took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short when he noticed the threateningly unamused expression the girl had donned. He gulped nervously and instead switched to a timeless tactic: "You are so beautiful, Jasmine."
At this, her cheeks brightened into a rosy pink and the boy gave himself a mental pat on the back for successfully diverting her attention as he resumed rubbing her arm. She was doubtlessly still not used to such comments from him, which might have been a helping factor, but Lief reasoned to himself that it was, at the very least, the plain truth.
Indeed, Jasmine had grown into quite an attractive woman and the male populace in Del had recently begun to take notice, especially when she dressed more formally for special occasions. Lief did not understand why all the young men took such a sudden interest in his wife; unlike them, he had always found her captivating. Yet, despite her position as Deltora's heroine and as his queen, their gazes still lingered on her whenever the couple made public appearances, much to Lief's chagrin.
Suddenly, Jasmine's eyes narrowed as she glanced at his hand, which continued to stroke her arm, and misinterpreted the intentions behind his words and actions. "We do not have time for such things, Lief," she scolded while slapping his hand away and turning her head haughtily. "Barda could be arriving anytime soon... and besides, it is much too early for that."
Barda, of course! Lief smiled at the thought of his old friend, who he remembered had sent a letter just last week announcing plans to visit Del with his wife, Lindal. It had been many moons since Barda last dropped by and Lief was mildly surprised at himself for having temporarily forgotten about the former Captain.
Attributing it to his recent weariness, the sensible half of his mind swiftly dismissed the thought while the impetuous half began to focus on everything else Jasmine had said. Lief did not often tease her about their more physical intimacies, but he could not bear to pass up this chance and played along.
Holding her chin gently between his thumb and finger, he turned her head back to face him. "As you said before, it is already almost noon," he reminded cheekily. "That does not seem very early to me." Lief knew better than to expect any sort of concession from Jasmine, but he still loved these whimsical moments nonetheless. In any case, his youthful urges rationalized that there was always the off-chance she would agree, and he saw no harm in that.
In response, Jasmine rolled her eyes with a smirk, earning a boyish grin from him. He leaned forward to capture her lips in his own but was stopped by a gentle push on his chest. Lief glanced in confusion at his wife, who had widened her smirk and lowered her eyelids in a sultry manner.
"I suppose you are right..." Jasmine murmured suggestively, "...that is, as long as we do not wake Kree or Filli, of course." She traced the muscles on his chest with the tip of her finger, causing Lief to shudder slightly at her touch. Was she truly saying what he thought she was saying? An inane grin spread across his young face at the thought of what was to come and he moved his hand to begin rubbing the small of her back. "However, you did say you were not hungry. It is a shame, really."
"What?" Lief said in a voice that broke more than he would have liked. Disturbed by the boy's relatively loud whine, Kree began ruffling his feathers as he and Filli slowly stirred in their nest.
"Now look what you have done, Lief," Jasmine reprimanded with a laugh. In one fluid movement, the girl dove under his embrace and leapt nimbly from the bed. She landed gracefully on the cold floor, leaving behind a dumbfounded and frowning king, and proceeded to scoop up her faithful companions, hugging them close to her chest in greeting.
Lief sat up and folded his arms across his chest. "And when did you become such a minx?" he complained, causing Jasmine to giggle at the childish pout on his face. The faint ringing of the kitchen bell could be heard in the distance, and he wordlessly watched as she gently placed Kree and Filli back into the nest and searched around the room to find her boots and dagger.
As the girl scurried, she tossed Lief's cloak and jacket to him. "Come now, Your Majesty," she goaded with a twinkle in her bright green eyes. "It would still be wise to eat something, even if you are not hungry."
Lief sighed in defeat and grabbed the attire Jasmine had thrown him, silently regretting that he had agreed to allow Kree and Filli to sleep in their chambers. Checking to ensure the Belt of Deltora was still securely fastened around his waist, he glared lightheartedly down at the Diamond. Withick must have been mistaken when he had written about the powers of that particular gem; Adin knows it certainly had not helped the cause of true love minutes before. Standing from the bed with a yawn, Lief stretched his arms in a wide arc before reaching to slip on his own boots.
Meanwhile, Kree flew up to perch on Jasmine's arm as Filli leapt from their nest onto the top of the boy's head. Taking his wife's hand, Lief inconspicuously stroked her fingers with his thumb until he felt the familiar cold metal of her silver wedding band. Satisfied after locating it as he did every morning, he smiled slightly and led her out the door.
As they walked in companionable silence towards the Dining Hall, Lief found himself to be rather excited about Barda's visit. He had missed the bearded man sorely, more so than he was willing to admit. Indeed, the exchanging of letters could only do so much for conversation and both he and Jasmine longed to once again hear the deep boisterous laughter they had grown so accustomed to.
Sensing Lief's excitement, Filli began bouncing happily on his head, causing him to chuckle softly and break the comfortable silence. He reached his free hand up to stroke the Siskis' fur while Kree fluttered from Jasmine's arm and landed on his shoulder. As if apologizing for interrupting what he had deemed to be an opportune moment, the animals began nuzzling into him affectionately. He grinned at their antics; they knew as much as Lief did that he could never stay angry at them.
Realizing they would be late for the start of the meal, the young king hurried his pace as he held Jasmine's hand. Sharn and Doom had agreed that they would all meet outside at the Palace Gates after luncheon to wait for Barda's arrival. This was a convenient plan, seeing as in his letter Barda had said that he would be bringing some important news with him to Del, and that he planned to tell everyone at the same time.
Although enthusiastic at the anticipation of seeing Barda again, Lief vacantly wondered at what was considered so important that it could not be disclosed in the same letter. Pushing the thought out of his mind, he urged his legs to move quicker. The boy knew if he was not there with everyone else to greet Barda upon arrival, the big man would surely never let him hear the end of it.
