First Deltora Quest fic. Just a one-shot. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just my deranged imagination that pairs weird characters together! :D

All she knew was that it was dark and cold.

She couldn't see her parents, or her travelling companions. She couldn't see Kree or Filli. Worst of all, she could see no trees, grass or plants. All she could see was darkness.

Jasmine shivered. "Kree! Filli!" she called out, hoping for a squeak or a caw in answer. This unending darkness, however, was very much silent. "Mother? Father?" she was skeptical about this.

"Jasmine..." a muffled voice groaned out. Her eyes widened, realizing it sounded like her father.

"Father!" she cried.

"Help us...Jasmine..." another voice sounded, and it took the girl a moment to recognize Lief's voice.

"Lief!" she yelled. "Where are you? Where are any of you?"

A tortured caw, a frightened squeal and a man's scream assaulted her ears.

"Kree! Filli! Barda!" she screamed. Jasmine began to run, hoping to find her friends and family. But her world stayed dark, and the voices called out to her in desperation.

"Jasmine..." her father droned.

"It's so cold Jasmine..." Lief whimpered. A blast of cold stabbed through the girl suddenly, and she fell with a sharp cry. She struggled to stand, feeling her body already going numb.

"Why can't I see?" she shouted, a stray tear running down her cheek in despair. Jasmine heard Barda scream again, but this time it was cut short.

"Barda?" she croaked. A moment later, the others began to scream and she slapped her hands over her ears.

"No!"

She bolted upright as she awoke from her nightmare. She shivered, remembering the cold for an instant. The rest of the nightmare rushed back to her, and she hurriedly looked around for Kree, Filli, Lief and Barda.

She let out a sob of relief when she spied Kree, found Filli and saw Lief asleep nearby. Jasmine rubbed her eyes and discovered she'd been crying in her sleep. Instinctively, she pulled the cloak around her closer.

But wait, she didn't have a cloak. She studied it as best as she could in the dark, and realized it to be Barda's. It brought back the sound of his screams in her dream. She looked around quickly, panicking when she did not see Barda. "Barda?" she asked rather quietly. It was a few moments before she realized it was unlikely he had been able to hear, and she stood. Jasmine cursed her shaking legs—she was no coward, what nonsense to be so shaken up by a dream—and took a few steps uncertainly. "Barda?" she asked again, louder this time. She turned quickly when she heard the thump of footsteps, still jumpy from her dream.

But there was no reason for her jumpiness, because there was Barda. She could've cried when she saw he was perfectly alright, but she didn't. Instead she smiled a little. "There you are, Barda. You worried me...A little."

"Worried you?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you be worried?"

She was seated next to him as she described her dream. She was perfectly stoic, no emotion in her voice. Jasmine would let no one think she was a coward.

"That was quite a dream," Barda commented as he put his arm around her in a friendly manner. She looked up at him in surprise and he smiled down at her before she rested her head against him. Her eyes closed and she smiled a bit.

"This almost reminds me of when my father would hold me when I was little..." she said quietly. Jasmine realized he'd heard when his other arm went around her. "You are so warm...Barda the Bear."

"You have heard of that?" he questioned.

"Lief might of mentioned such things," she answered with a smirk. Barda shook his head with a sigh. They were both silent for a little while.

"I hope you realize Lief and I are not going anywhere," Barda said at last. "It will take more than death to seperate us."

"I believe you," Jasmine replied.

The next morning, Lief awoke to a surprising—and later fairly amusing—sight. Barda was on his back, sound asleep, with Jasmine sleeping on top of him. Lief just stared, unsure of whether he should smile or just wake the two.

Lololol, cracky little one-shot. I think I imagined this happening around the events of Dread Mountain. You can probably take it romantically, or just friendship/bonding experience. Whatever floats your boat really. I just like coming up with DQ stuff/pairings I haven't seen anywhere.

...I sort of see why this may not be popular...