This is my first Fanfic so enjoy! (:

Disclaimer: I don't own Deltora Quest

Warning: Spoiler for the end of the first, second and third series, if you have not read the books, DO NOT READ ON!

"What on earth are you doing in Broome?" Doom began to shout.

"I, well," Lief then stood up straight, "I cannot stay cooped up in the palace like the kings before me, I need to meet my people and help Deltora. That was how they lost their trust in the other rulers, because they never saw them outside the palace walls."

Doom was slightly thrown back at his response, he had a valid point but he was still angry. "You cannot abandon Del Lief, they need you at the palace."

"Why do they need me anyway? I just sit behind a desk or wander around the palace."

Doom was starting to get impatient with Lief's stubbornness. "If you wanted to travel around Deltora, why did you not tell anyone?"

"I do not need to ask people if I may leave Del or leave anywhere for that matter. I am not a caged animal; I can do as I please," Lief stated.

"You are a king Lief, you cannot just leave your duty."

Jasmine stepped in looking extremely furious, "You cannot just boss Lief around like that Doom, who made you Lief's keeper. Lief is a free person, not a pet." Jasmine was getting red in the face as her temper rose. "It is like those poor caged birds or fighting spiders that they sell in the markets, that people buy. How dare they sell a living creature and how dare you boss Lief around!"

"Thank you Jasmine but please do not get involved, this is my issue," Lief said, "Doom, I am not going back to the palace, but I am not just going to mess around either, we are going to check on all our old friends so that the bond between the seven tribes will be even stronger."

Doom breathed a sigh of defeat; he knew that Sharn would be disappointed. "If that is your wish, but I fear you are choosing the wrong decision. Please do not be too long, your mother is concerned for your safety and Jasmine you cannot talk to me like that, I am your father."

Jasmine folded her arms, "Just because you are my father does not mean that you can tell me what to do. I have lived by myself for sixteen years, doing what I want. I cannot just change who I am because I am surrounded with rules and laws."

Doom was not surprised by her response, she was as independent as ever, but that was what made her strong. He shrugged her last comment off his shoulders and mounted his horse. "I shall see you in Del."

"Thankyou Doom, I am glad that you understand what we are doing, please tell my mother that I will be fine and that I will return soon."

Doom nodded in agreement.

All of a sudden they heard a large grunting sound from behind them, Lief turned around. The ruby dragon! He had forgotten about her.

"Are we flying or not?" The dragon stretched out its wings.

Doom grabbed the reins of his horse, "Goodbye and good luck," he called and galloped back to the city of Broome.

Barda pulled out some rope from his pack and after a couple of minutes, the three had tied themselves to the dragons back.

"Let us fly". The dragon beat its mighty wings and they began to rise higher and higher.

"Good bye Lindal!" the three yelled over the sound of the flapping wings to their friend.

Barda's smile faded.

"Do not worry Barda, we will see her again soon," Jasmine yelled over the noise.

"I do not know what you are talking about," Barda shouted back. Lief and Jasmine exchanged grinning glances but all was silent when the dragon suddenly lurched forward at immaculate speed.

Lief's skin was being stretched back as the force of the wind flew past. He was pressed against the dragon's scales because of the strong wind and he was hanging on to dear life. It all came to a stop when he suddenly felt the dragon descending.

We are here, I am landing

Lief felt grateful that the ride was over, "thank you, your help has been most appreciated."

The dragon landed with a thud on the ground. Jasmine cut the ropes with her dagger and the three fell to the ground. Barda breathed a sigh of relief and Jasmine fell on her back. Lief was sitting on his knees panting. Before he could say thank you to the dragon it leaped into the air and flew away, once again pushing the companions to the ground.

Lief looked around to see where they were. He could see that they were standing in a large clearing, surrounded by a forest.

Barda stood up, "I have no idea where we are, we could be to the left or the right of Raladin."

"The trees say that some people are coming." Jasmine said.

"Who are they?" Lief asked.

Jasmine smiled, "some old friends."

They heard a rustling from the side of the clearing. The three saw a group of blue people with red hair jump out of a bush. One in particular was smiling at them.

"Manus!" they cried and Lief, Barda and Jasmine ran up to their old friend.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality Manus. It is great to see you living above ground now," Lief said and reached for a bread roll. After they had found Manus, he brought them back to his town, gave them a place to stay and now was treating them to a lovely dinner.

Jasmine looked suspiciously at a plate of golden sweets. "What are they?" she asked.

"They are caramels, you melt sugar to make them, try one, they are very sweet," Manus explained.

Jasmine grabbed one of them and popped it into her mouth. She chewed for a bit then smiled. "They're delicious, but what is this, it is stuck to my teeth." Desperately Jasmine put one of her fingers in her mouth and began to scrape the caramel off her teeth.

"Oh, that is horrible, how could anyone ever eat those," Jasmine stated with disgust.

The rest of the table laughed, Jasmine's lack of knowledge for different foods was very funny.

Once they had finished their meal they sat around the large campfire and listened to Manus play the flute. The song he was playing was sweet and sad at the same time. All was silent as the village sat around the fire, staring into its flames and listening to the clear notes of the flute.

Lief was in complete peace sitting in the open world, away from palaces and rules. He had his best friends with him and they were under the starry night, warm and cosy from the fire and were falling into a serene world by the music that drifted through the village. How could he ever trade the life of a king for this?