(A/N.) This chapter was the hardest to write, for reasons that will become obvious as you read. I've never written anything like this before, so I would really appreciate some feedback.
Chapter Seven:
The Forest Corner
A few months had passed since Jasmine had given her hair to the Dragon of the Topaz, and it was now only a week before she and Lief were to be married. There was much preparation for this grand event all around the kingdom, and the streets of Del were filled with excited people. When Lief had announced his betrothal to Jasmine at the full moon meeting, the palace had erupted with shouting and cheering, and this had filled Lief with joy. It was true that there were still some people throughout the kingdom who did not approve of their king choosing to marry a "wild girl" from the forests of silence, but Lief took no notice of them.
But now, Lief was nervous. He had had a wedding gift made for Jasmine, and had decided that a week before the actual ceremony would be the right time to present it to her. He only hoped she would like it. Kree and Filli had given him their approval, but he had not really done it for them.
Lief was waiting for Jasmine in the sitting room at the forge, where they both now lived. Despite the fact that this was meant to be about her, he could not help but feel a little annoyed. He knew what she was doing. Ever since Jasmine had returned from giving her hair to the dragon in the Os-Mine hills, she had taken to combing her hair, tying it with ribbons and bows, and experimenting with different styles. Lief had no idea why Jasmine was doing this, he found it very strange. He also preferred her hair the way she had kept it before.
Finally, Jasmine came out of her room, with her hair tied with bright red ribbons today. They certainly made a difference to her appearance, but Lief found that he did not like it at all. It was true that the ribbons were pretty in their own way, but the young woman standing before him looked very unlike the Jasmine he knew and had grown to love.
"Why are we going to the palace?" Jasmine asked as Lief lead her by the hand out of the forge.
"Because I have something to show you," he answered her, still feeling uncomfortable about the ribbons.
When they reached the palace, Jasmine was surprised when they did not enter the palace itself, but walked around to the door that lead into the kitchens. They did not go in there, but instead, walked along a path that looked as though it had been newly built. It was after about a minute of walking along this path, that Jasmine received her first shock. The area they had just entered was full of trees, flowers and other growing things, and unlike the rest of the palace gardens, there seemed to be no order about them. It seemed that everything here had simply been left to grow wildly, almost as if…
"Lief, what is this place?" Jasmine finally asked him.
"It is the forest corner," he said, looking up at her and smiling. "Look." He pointed back in the direction they had come, and there, at the end of the path, was a rock, and fixed it was a metal plaque which read:
"The forest corner
Planted here for Jasmine, Queen of Deltora, who continues to honour her family's tradition of making great sacrifices for the royal family by agreeing to live in Del."
Looking around at the wild, untouched beauty that surrounded her, Jasmine could not believe her eyes.
"You-you had this place planted here for me?" She stammered. "But how? Why?"
"Yes," Lief answered softly. "I had it planted here because I know how much you hate this city, and how you love growing things. I had the gardener collect some samples from the forests and plant them here, to bring a little piece of your home to this palace."
Jasmine did not know what to say to this. She knew the palace gardener, a friendly man called Kent who walked with the aid of a stick, due to an injury he had suffered during the time of the shadow lord. She wondered how Lief had managed to convince him to go to the forests to get the cuttings for the trees that now grew in this garden.
"Kent went to the forests with a few of the guards." Lief said, seeing the questions in Jasmine's eyes. "He did not mind going there, I promise. He knew that the guards would protect him, and he was interested to see what he could find. Kent has always loved growing things, just like you, which was why he was given the job."
Again, Jasmine found herself speechless. She did not know Kent very well at all, but she had known before this how he loved growing things. Once, she had seen Kent chasing little Zerry through the gardens, waving his stick and shouting at him for trampling on the flowers.
But never had Jasmine imagined that that any man from Del, (aside from Lief, Barda or Doom) would go willingly to the forests of silence, king's orders or not. Nor did she imagine that Lief would ever ask anyone to do such a thing, just for her. The place couldn't really be used for anything. It was only there to make Jasmine happy, and it was this realisation that made her come undone. There were no words that could express just how Jasmine was feeling. Or at least, none that she knew. So she did what she always did when she did not know what to say. She showed her feelings through her actions.
Jasmine and Lief had kissed one another before, but it had never been anything like this. There was a new urgency in their movements that had not been there before, and yet, it was as though time had stopped. Lief opened his mouth a little, deepening the kiss. Jasmine noticed that he was also untying the ribbons she had put in her hair. But when she felt Lief's hand touch the skin of her belly and begin to move upward, she quickly pulled away.
"No." She said softly.
Jasmine could see that Lief was disappointed, but like the gentleman he was, he moved a little away from her, giving her space. "It's not right Lief, you know it," she said, trying to make him understand.
"Why not?" He asked. "We are to be married within a week, and besides, I have no regard for those rules and traditions. What does it matter, really?"
"It matters because…" Jasmine did not quite know how to continue. It became clear to her that Lief had not heard, or cared enough to hear what some of the people in Del had been saying about her. If he had, he would not have tried to put his hand under her shirt like that.
"Do you not understand, Lief?" She asked, hoping that she would not have to say it aloud.
"Understand what, Jasmine?" He said, becoming even more upset. "Are you waiting for another dragon to come for your hair?"
Lief had not mentioned the dragon since her return from the hills, and Jasmine realised that he was not going to understand without an explanation from her.
"I am not waiting for another dragon Lief," she began. "I have given my hair once, and once is enough. But you obviously have not heard what some of the people say about me. About you. About us. Some of them say that you are marrying a wild girl like me because I have set you upon the wrong path, They say that a girl raised by the forests has no understanding of how proper humans should behave, and they are right about some things. I did not even know what a shop was before I met you, I could hardly read or write, and if I allowed you to touch me like that now, in this place full of wild growing things, which you had made so that I can remember my old home, I would only be proving them right."
Jasmine could see that Lief still did not understand. He looked almost insulted by what she was saying.
"But you never seemed to care what others thought of you before, Jasmine." He said quietly. "Why now?"
It was true that Lief still did not understand why Jasmine would not let him touch her, but he was beginning to understand a few things that had puzzled him before. First, there were the ribbons in Jasmine's hair. Lief now realised that she wore them because the things that people had been saying about her were making her feel bad about the way she looked. Then, there was Kree and Filly, who could not usually be seen with Jasmine these days. When Jasmine accompanied Lief to the palace, Filli would often stay at the forge, and Kree could usually be found in the bird room at the palace, helping to train all the new messenger birds, many of whom were his own offspring. Filli had come with Jasmine today, but he had been hidden under her collar until she had kissed him. He was now sitting on a branch above, looking down at them with interest.
Jasmine had also taken to wearing much finer garments, which Lief thought suited her even less than the ribbons in her hair.
"Most of the people know the truth, Lief, that you really are marrying for love," Jasmine was saying. "But there are those who believe that we are marrying for… Other reasons, like I said. I have even heard one person saying that we already have a child!"
Lief knew that he shouldn't laugh, but he could not help himself. "A child?" He asked, tears running down his face. "I don't suppose they know where we would keep it, do they?"
"I don't know," Jasmine said, a little annoyed at Lief's laughter. "Perhaps they think we keep it in a draw or something, and only take it out to be fed or changed. Perhaps they think that once we are married, the secret heir to the thrown of Deltora will be revealed, name and all, and that will be the end of it."
"Oh?" Lief said, still laughing. "And have these people given any thought to how we took this secret heir on our "tour of the kingdom?" Surely they all know by now that we were riding on dragons, dealing with Laughing Jack, and everything else. I admit, I do not know much about human babies, but I am quite sure they do not survive such adventures. Or perhaps a baby of ours might, because it would have your "wild girl" abilities."
Jasmine was also grinning now, despite herself.
"Lief, you are being stupid now," she said. "Of course, none of it makes sense, but that does not mean I do not feel hurt at times by what is said about me. Even with my "wild girl abilities," as you put it, I can still feel such things."
"I know this Jasmine," Lief said gently. "But do you not understand? I fell in love with the wild girl from the forests. That is why I planted this garden. I did not fall in love with the girl who wears those ridiculous ribbons, and if you plan to wear that skirt again during our marriage, I might just have to reconsider. None of the clothes that you wear these days suit you at all! I thought you were only wearing them to please Marilen, and even then I thought it was silly. I know she is your friend, but even so…" Lief's voice trailed off. He wondered if he had gone too far.
Jasmine was looking at him with sad eyes now, and Lief found that he did not know how to take back what he had said. "Are my clothes really that bad?" She asked him.
"They are not bad," he replied. "They just don't suit you, that is all. But if you wanted to put something in your hair, you could try flowers." Lief knew that he was taking a risk with this one. He had often heard that women did not like it when men told them how to dress, or wear their hair, and Jasmine was proving to be no different. But still, he pointed to some little white flowers which were growing a little way away from them. "Like those ones." He said. "They are quite pretty."
Lief walked to the patch of earth in which the flowers were growing and picked a handful. Walking back to Jasmine, he handed them to her. "Here," he said. "You could take the ribbons out and put these in your hair… But only if you want to, of course." Lief was blushing now, he suddenly felt younger than he was, not to mention a little foolish.
"Thank you," Jasmine said, taking the flowers. "They really are pretty. I am sorry if I upset you before Lief, I just felt that it would give the gossips something else to talk about if they ever found out that you had touched me like that before we were married. But do not think I did not want you to…" She stopped there, feeling awkward.
"But how would they find out?" Lief asked, sitting down and leaning his back against the trunk of the tree where Filli was still sitting.
"This place is rather open," Jasmine replied. "Someone might see us."
"but someone would have to actually come in here to do so," Lief said. "Nothing can be seen from the path out there, the trees block everything out."
Looking toward the path by which they had come, Jasmine saw that this was true. She could not see anything beyond the rock with the plaque on it. Sitting down beside Lief, she held the flowers out to him.
"Perhaps… you could put these in my hair for me?" She asked, now she was also blushing. "It is quite difficult to put something in your hair without a mirror, and you've already untied half the ribbons." She moved a little closer. Lief took the flowers, and began untying the rest of the ribbons.
As Lief threaded the flowers through her hair, Jasmine felt the same as she did when he had been kissing her. It was a strange, new feeling, and she was glad that she and Lief were the only ones in the garden just now. She felt that she did not want to share it with anyone else, and she now understood why Marilen and Sharn had told her that things such as this were spoken of in private.
When Lief finished, he looked her full in the face. "You would look just as beautiful without these," he said, and then, they were kissing again.
Jasmine put her arms around him, and this time, it was she who opened her mouth. But unlike before, it was soft and slow. As Lief put his tongue into her mouth, Jasmine felt her heart beating faster, and the blood begin to rush through her veins. Lief did not try and put his hand under her shirt again, choosing instead to stroke her cheek with the tips of his fingers. Jasmine enjoyed the feeling, but now she no longer cared what anyone said about her. Her love for Lief was enough to drive any care from her mind.
Gently, Jasmine removed Lief's hand from her face, and guided it to where it had been before she pulled away from him. Lief broke the kiss and opened his eyes.
"Are you sure?" He whispered.
"Yes," she breathed, as she kissed him again. Lief's hand lingered for a while on the skin of her belly before he moved it upward. Both of them gasped as his hand touched the skin of her breasts. Jasmine enjoyed the contact, but Lief's hand was a little cold. With his other hand, Lief lifted Jasmine's shirt from the back, the better to touch her. Feeling the cold breeze on her skin, Jasmine shivered.
Lief felt Jasmine shiver, and broke the kiss once again. He wrapped his cloak around them both for warmth, and felt Jasmine begin to lift his shirt as he had done with hers. As he felt the skin of her belly touch his own, Lief's breathing became more ragged. He was not sure that he could remain in control for much longer. His hands were now moving all over Jasmine's body, and she was lifting his shirt higher, as if to take it off. There was nothing soft or slow about this, the urgent feelings had returned. Lief was now kissing Jasmine's neck, just above her collarbone, and the sound of her gasping told him that she was feeling the same as he was.
And so it was, that neither of them saw the black clouds overhead. Nor did they hear the rumble of thunder that might have warned them of the approaching storm. They only realised their danger when the first fat drops of rain fell from the branch above them. But by then, it was raining heavily, and the tree branch was swaying dangerously. They had to move. Rearranging their clothes as quickly as they could, they scrambled out from under the tree, ran around the palace toward the gates, passed through them, and ran down the hill toward the forge.
From the safety of the tree above, Filli watched them go. He knew what had been happening below him before the storm approached, and he knew what would've happened had it not done so. Filli found it strange that Lief had had to put flowers in Jasmine's hair, and tell her she was beautiful before he finally earned the right to take her for his mate. He wondered why he had bundled her in his cloak and ran with her down the palace hill, instead of climbing the tree, or even the hill with her to continue what they had been doing. Humans really were very strange, and Filli was glad that he was not one.
When Lief and Jasmine reached the forge, they stood together in the sitting room at the cottage, neither of them knowing what to do. Both knew what would've happened had the rain not set in, and both were somewhat disappointed that it had not.
For Jasmine, it was as though everything she felt about Lief could be expressed through this act, and she felt that it would be easier to show him, rather than tell him. She had never been good with words. Their time in the forest corner had seemed like the perfect opportunity, and it seemed unfair that it should be torn away from her.
Realising that Lief was not going to do anything without some sort of signal from her, Jasmine took his hand, and began leading him down the short hallway.
"Are you sure you are not waiting for another dragon to come for your hair?" Lief asked teasingly, as they entered his room, and Jasmine closed the door behind them.
There was a lot of blood. Lief had not expected this. He knew that women bled for a few days each month, but he had not known that Jasmine would bleed now. If he had, he might have changed his mind about what they had just done, or at least been gentler with her. Lief had pulled himself away from Jasmine when he heard her cry out in pain, and when he got off the bed and saw the blood beginning to stain the white sheet, he worried that he had done something wrong and hurt her.
"I am sorry Jasmine," he said, the guilt threatening to take over him.
"Why did you stop?" She asked, looking at him with hurt in her eyes.
"Why, you are hurt." He answered, turning toward the door. "I have made you bleed." He said, leaving the room.
Jasmine did not understand what had just happened. After she had closed the door, they had continued what they had begun in the forest corner, removing their wet clothing as they did so. They had declared their love for one another right before it happened, but Lief had pulled away only moments later. Jasmine had known that it would hurt the first time, Marilen had told her this. But all the same, she could not help crying out. She now knew that this was what had made Lief pull away from her, and when he had seen the blood, he left the room. Perhaps it had frightened him. Or perhaps the blood had made him think she was somehow unclean. She was surprised then, when Lief returned, holding a wet cloth in his hand.
"Let me clean that," He said, kneeling down beside her and gesturing to the blood on her body. "It is the least I can do. I am so sorry, I did not mean to hurt you."
Now Jasmine understood why Lief had left the room. "It was not your fault Lief," she said softly as he began to wipe the blood from her. His hand was gentle and cautious, as though he feared he might hurt her again. "It is normal for a woman to bleed like that, the blood means I am no longer a maiden. A dragon cannot come for my hair now." Jasmine smiled at the shocked look on Lief's face. He had gotten as much of the blood off her as he could, and had stood up to take the cloth back to the kitchen.
"I can sleep elsewhere tonight," he said from the hallway.
"No," Jasmine said, "You can stay here with me." She did not want him to leave her like that after what they had just done, she did not want Lief to feel that she had not enjoyed the experience at all.
When he returned and lay back down beside her, Jasmine covered them both with the blanket.
As they fell asleep, Lief thought that despite everything, he was glad that Jasmine was no longer a maiden. Before the dragon had asked for her hair, he had thought that the shadow lord was the only thing from which he had to protect her. But he had been wrong. As his queen, Jasmine would always be under some sort of threat, but at least he no longer had to worry about dragons now.
