CHAPTER ONE: THE FORESTS OF SILENCE

Ten years had passed since the Shadow Lord had invaded Deltora and ten years the people of Deltora had to live with its cruel and merciless rule, with Grey Guards, Ols and Ak-Baba's doing its binding. During this time, only the thought of a new heir being discovered brought the people hope and kept them going, to be free of the Shadow Lord's grasp once more. During this time, the Torans had stopped leaving their city in order to search of a likely heir amongst them before training whoever it was in the way of a king or queen. Jarred, however, spend his time mending the broken Belt to the best of his abilities and finding out where the gems were likely located.

Eventually, on the day of the annual Deltoran Festival, Jarred was ready to go out searching for the seven lost gems...well, almost ready.

'Why can't I come?' demanded nearly sixteen year old Jasmine as she stood with her hands on her hips glaring up at her parents.

'Because it's far too dangerous, Jasmine!' yelled Anna, losing her patience. 'It's bad enough having your father going out into the seven most dangerous places in Deltora without having to worry about you as well!'

'Your mother is right, Jasmine.' Jarred said quietly. 'Besides, you don't know what you are willing to follow me too.'

'Perhaps I don't. All I do know is that it will help rid Deltora of the Shadow Lord! And I want to do everything in my power to make sure it happens!'

'Good, then you can stay here and help your mother disguise my absence.' said Jarred.

Jasmine looked at her parents before letting out a scream of frustration, storming to her room and slamming the door shut behind her.

'Maybe I should lock her in,' muttered a thoughtful Jarred. 'Encase she tries to follow me.'

'I doubt she'd do that.' said Anna. 'When will you be leaving?'

'Tomorrow at dawn.' answered Jarred as he fiddled with his bag. 'I will slip out with the Plains and Mere people. That way, I won't arouse suspicion.'

The next morning, Jarred said goodbye to Anna - Jasmine refused to come out of her room to say goodbye - and slipped out of the Del gates, unseen, before walking towards the Forests of Silence. When he came to a place where a small road branched off the main one to the right, crossing a little bridge and then winding away into darkness, Jarred stopped thoughtfully, before becoming aware of someone following him. He stood there silently, listening to the hurried footsteps, before drawing his sword and spinning around, ready to attack as the footsteps got closer. He lowered his sword angrily when he saw who it was.

'Jasmine! What in the name of Deltora do you think you are doing here?' demanded a furious Jarred.

'I've come to help you.' Jasmine said stubbornly.

'Oh no you're not. You are turning around and marching yourself straight home!' growled Jarred.

'No I'm not. I'm coming with you. And I will continue to follow you.'

Jarred opened his mouth furiously, before closing it, shaking his head and continuing to the Forests of Silence. Jasmine happily hurried after him. Whenever her father did that, it meant that she had won the argument and he could think of nothing to stop her.

Together, father and daughter walked in silence, during which time, Jarred observed his daughter unnoticeably. Her black hair was tied back into a pony-tail and her face was excited and determined. He also noticed that she had taken one of his swords from the forge, which was now resting at her hip. He knew he was going to live to regret this choice of letting her come along. Anna would murder him. And speaking of Anna, she was bound to be sick with worry once she noticed Jasmine missing.

Together Jarred and Jasmine walked down a road that twisted, narrow and eventually became dark. Tall, thick bushed lined it on both sides, with leaves that were large, smooth and stiff, with strange pale veins showing amongst the dark green. It was along this path that Jasmine became aware of something watching them. Silently, she turned around and saw a pair of red eyes watching them.

'Dad,' she whispered.

'I know. I see them.' Jarred said quietly as he continued to walk forward. 'Draw your sword, but keep walking. Look to the front and be ready.'

'Yes, Dad.' said Jasmine, doing as her father asked.

As the continued down the path, more and more pairs of red eyes appeared. Jasmine walked closer to Jarred as a sort of humming filled the air. Then, before they knew it, a host of pale, lanky creatures with blood red eyes were upon them and they fell into darkness.

-THE PRINCE OF DELTORA-

Jarred groaned as he started to come to. At first he couldn't remember what had happened, but when he did, he tried to sit up in a panic, but he couldn't. He was paralysed. This did not help matters.

'Jasmine!' yelled Jarred, trying to keep his voice calm.

'I'm here.' said Jasmine's surprisingly quiet voice from next to him. Normally she was loud. 'But I can't move.'

'Me neither. The creatures must have paralysed us.' said Jarred before saying angrily. 'And this is why your mother and I didn't want you to come with me! We wanted you to grow up, marry some boy you treats you with respect and have children. Not following me, into places that could send you to an early grave!'

'And did you ever think about what I wanted?' demanded Jasmine. 'Did you ever - Did you hear that?' Jasmine asked suddenly, looking around, not that she good move to take a good look around.

'Hear wh - no, I hear it then too.' Jarred said, tensing up. How were the two of them meant to face an enemy when they were currently paralysed?

His thoughts went back to his beloved wife. Anna would never know what happened to them. He then thought about how Deltora was likely to remain enslaved to the Shadow Lord forever seeing as their death would mean the end of the Belt of Deltora. It would remain lost forever, and if it remained lost, then Endon's heir would never wear the Belt, if the young Prince was still alive, that is.

'Show yourself!' Jasmine yelled, startling Jarred from his thoughts.

Nothing happened, but then there was a soft rustle of leaves above them and a boy, probably no older than sixteen, jumped to the ground and landed lightly between Jarred and Jasmine.

The boy had shoulder length dirty brown hair that was lightly pulled back and held back with a scrap of grey cloth. The boy's skin and pants were just as dirty looking as his hair, and Jasmine couldn't help noticing that while he was lean, he had a slight six pack and muscles. He would have been just over a head taller than her and he would probably have been around her age too. His eyes looked coldly down at them, with hate and disgust, but also curiosity and suspicion. She had never seen a boy like him before, and Jarred couldn't say that he had seen one either.

'Thank goodness,' sighed Jarred. 'Please, help us!'

'Why should I help Grey Guards?' demanded the boy as he stole Jarred's cloak. 'Though, I never knew that there were small female Grey Guards,' he added, looking curiously at Jasmine.

'What? We are not Grey Guards!' snapped Jasmine.

'Likely story. Grey Guards are the only people that take the Wenn Del path.' The boy said coldly.

'Listen, my name is Jasmine and this is my father, Jarred. We come here for a reason. Please help us!'

'I do not help Grey Guards.' The boy said stubbornly, though he looked a little unsure, before he turned to leave with Jarred's cloak in hand.

'Come back here!' yelled Jarred. 'You can't just leave us like this!'

'Let me let you in on a little secret.' The boy said, turning to face them once more. 'The creatures that attacked you are called Wenn. They brought you here as a gift for the Wennbar. It's a monster that rules this part of the forest. So when the sun goes down today, you could say that it is dinner time.' He then turned, jumped into a tree and went on his merry way, ignoring Jasmine and Jarred's cries of help.

'That is the coldest boy I have ever met,' grumbled Jarred. It was currently around midday.

'Hmm,' said Jasmine. 'I wonder how long his lived in here.'

'Too long, by the looks of it.' muttered Jarred as he tried to fight the poison that held him in place.

The afternoon slowly crept on and much to Jarred and Jasmine's surprise, the boy came back with a black bird and some strange, small, fury creature on his shoulder. He then bent down next to Jasmine and raised her body, before leaning it again his own. Jasmine noted that he smelt quiet back, due to the fact he probably wasn't able to wash like she was able to. She watched the hands in front of her as they uncorked a small blue vial , before putting it to her lips and telling her to drink it.

'Why?' Jasmine asked suspiciously.

'Because it is an antidote to the Wenn poison! Now open up!' he ordered impatiently.

Jasmine obeyed and drank the liquid he had given her, before he gently laid her back down and did the same thing for Jarred. Minutes later, Jasmine and Jarred were standing up, looking over at the boy who was currently watching them.

'Thank you.' said Jarred. 'But why did you help us?'

'An old and wise tree of the forest just told me all about you.' The boy said simply.

'A tree?' repeated a disbelieving Jarred.

'Uh huh. Now, follow me. I'll lead you to my nest where you can stay the night.' said the boy, climbing up a tree and looking expectedly down at them.

Jarred and Jasmine exchanged a look before climbing up the tree and following him to his nest.

The journey was most unpleasant for Jarred and Jasmine as they tried to keep balance on the tree branches, while the boy leaped lightly from tree to tree, but they eventually made it to the boy's nest which turned out to be a little hollow where the tree branches had grown around.

'Make yourselves at home.' said the boy as he began to split some fruit equally between them, himself, the black bird and the other creature.

'What's your name?' Jasmine asked, sitting down across from him, while Jarred sat next to her.

'Morio,' the boy said casually. 'What are you doing here in the forests anyway?'

'We can't tell you that,' said an apologetic Jasmine.

'But we can tell you that according to some travellers, the object that we seek here is hidden in the deepest and most dangerous part of the Forests of Silence.' said Jarred. 'They also told us of an evil Guardian that keeps watch over it. Which makes me think that it must be hidden with that creature you called the Wennbar.'

Much to Jasmine and Jarred's surprise, Morio started laughing.

'You know nothing of the Forests of Silence, then. The Wennbar lives near the edge of the first forest. Besides, each forest has a hundred didn't dangerous places, and some of which are more deadly than the Wennbar.' laughed Morio. 'Oh, this is Filli -' he pointed to the small creature '- and Kree by the way.' He added, pointing to the black bird.

'Hey, Morio. Have you been living in the Forests of Silence all your life?' Jasmine asked, before taking a bite of the fruit he had given them. It was delicious!

'No. Only since I was six. According to the trees, I fell from the sky and have been here ever since.' answered Morio. 'And it is because of the trees that I have survived here. Anyway, your quest you speak of. I think I know the location of the object you seek.'

'Really? Where is it? And what is it?' asked an eager Jasmine.

'It's known as the dark around here.' said Morio. 'There is a guardian much more horrible then the Wennbar and the trees fear it. In the morning, I will take you there, if you wish it.'

'It would be much appreciated, thank you.' said Jarred.

Morio nodded, before laying down and going to sleep with Filli curled up against him and Knee sitting above them, watching Jasmine and Jarred's every move.

When morning arrived, Morio shared out his fruit once more before leading them to where the first gem laid hidden, through the tree tops. Along the way, Morio explained how he could speak to the trees, birds and animals, which impressed Jasmine a lot, while Jarred just looked sceptical.

By midafternoon they had reached the place Morio had spoken of, though one would have thought it was night and Jasmine now knew why it was called "The Dark".

'This is the centre,' breathed Morio, looking anxious. 'There is a terrible danger here. The trees are silent and will not answer me. They are in torment, for an evil lies here. An ancient evil. Those who go in never come out.'

'This definitely sounds like the place we were looking for,' said a cautious Jarred, before turning to Morio. 'Thank you for all you have done for us, Morio. But you can do no more. We must go on alone.'

'Yes, thank you, Morio.' said Jasmine, reaching forward and kissing him lightly on the cheek, before following her father down to the forest floor. She was sure Morio was watching them the entire time.

'We're in the right place,' Jarred whispered to Jasmine as he move uncomfortably as the Belt began to grow warm. It was too tight for Jarred to wear. Noticing this, Jasmine held out her hand and Jarred handed her the Belt, which she slipped around her own waist and then covered it with her jacket.

Jarred and Jasmine cautiously walked through an opening in a wall of vines, with the Belt getting hotter and hotter with every step Jasmine took, before they came out in an opening with a golden knight standing motionlessly in the centre with a massive sword in hand. One of the gems of Deltora was set into the sword's hilt. The topaz.

'Who goes there?' demanded the knight, who Jasmine took to be the guardian that even the trees feared, though she could not see why.

'We are two travellers from the city of Del.' answered Jarred. 'To whom do I speak?'

'I am Gorl, guardian of this place and owner of its treasure,' answered the knight in a hollow voice, before attacking them.

Jarred and Jasmine drew their swords and blocked his attack, before lunging their swords at him. Together they dodge and lunged at the golden knight, but it was no use. He was just too strong for them. By the end, Jarred was sent flying into the vine wall, sword falling from his grip. He then laid their in pain, trying hopelessly to get to his feet. Meanwhile, Jasmine was forced to her knees in front of the knight, who raised his sword, ready to end her life. Jasmine could only stare at the massive sword in horror, before something wrapped around her slim waist and she was then flying up to the vine wall. It was Morio. Morio had come swinging down on one of the vines and was now holding her protectively against the vine wall.

'Stay here,' he ordered, before moving to the other side of the vine filled cavern calling out to an enraged Gorl. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, the tree branch that Morio was standing on, broke and went falling down and landed on top of Gorl, killing him instantly from the weight.

Jasmine stood there, holding onto the vine wall, for a while, before climbing down and hurrying over to Jarred, who embraced her in a relieved hug. Moments later, Morio was next to them. He was holding Gorl's sword.

'Thank you, Morio.' smiled a grateful Jarred. 'You have saved our lives once more.'

Morio shrugged and handed Jarred the sword.

'This is what you are after, isn't it?' he asked. 'The trees said it had something to do with the sword.'

'Indeed it does,' said Jarred, taking the topaz out of the sword.

'That's it?' asked a slightly disappointed Morio. 'You risked your lives for a gem? Are you kidding me?'

Jasmine and Jarred exchanged a look. Morio had earned the right to know of their quest.

'It's not just a gem. It is the topaz, the symbol of faithfulness.' said Jasmine.

'And it is said that the gem can bring the spirit world in contact with the living.' added Jarred.

'So? Surely you could have found another topaz somewhere else.' said Morio.

'It's not just that. This gem belongs to the Belt of Deltora...'

'The Belt of Deltora,' repeated Morio. 'Hasn't that got something to do with the royal family?'

'Yes,' frowned Jasmine. 'How did you know that?'

'While I have no memories of my past, I can get little flash backs when I hear certain words or smell certain smells.' shrugged Morio. 'So, what is the topaz doing here and why isn't the royal family wearing it?'

Jasmine and Jarred quickly explained to Morio of the Shadow Lord's invasion and of their quest to find all of the gems and find a new heir to the throne.

'So I guess you two must be off.' said Morio, watching Jasmine put the gem into the Belt of Deltora.

'Yes, it is important that we be on our way.' answered Jarred.

'In that case, Kree will lead you to the edge of the forest, so you can continue your journey.' said Morio. 'I hope we will meet again.'

'You and me both, Morio.' Jasmine said sadly, before following Kree and Jarred to the edge of the forest, wondering if she would ever see Morio again.


A/N: In this story, Filli is going to be a girl so please don't send me reviews saying Filli is a boy.

Azaelia Silmarwen facebook page: link on profile
Written: 17 January 2012

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OVER THE ORIGINAL COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IN THIS STORY. THIS IS A NON-PROFIT FANDUB CREATED BY FANS, FOR FANS. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. FAIR USE ONLY.