Hello! This is my first Deltora story, so I hope you like it!
Chapter 1: Preparations
In the summer heat of Deltora, Jasmine awoke from a terrible nightmare. She gasped for breath and felt for Lief beside her. He wasn't there.
Of course he isn't here, Jasmine berated herself. He's in Tora for the full moon meeting. It had been Sharn's idea that Lief should go to Tora every other meeting, for it was better that the people of the west see their king and not just advisors.
Shaking the last bit of sleep from her eyes, Jasmine got up from the bed. Stretching, she decided that she just needed some water to cool off and then get back to sleep. As she left the room, she gazed down at Filli, sleeping peacefully in the wooden crib that Doom had given her and Lief. Both he and Sharn had been very excited to learn that they would become grandparents.
Jasmine instinctively placed her hand on her swollen belly. For nearly nine months she had carried this child, and soon she would finally be able to hold it in her arms.
Walking through the kitchen, she checked the water pitcher. Empty. Jasmine sighed, wishing that she had filled it earlier. Once outside, she gazed up at the full moon, imagining Lief staring at the same moon in Tora, the Belt shining around his waist. She smiled the whole time that she pumped the water.
Back inside, she got a glass and started to pour the water when a dizzying sensation came over her. She dropped the pitcher, not even noticing the spilt water. She struggled to stay standing, but collapsed to the floor. Within moments, Kree and Filli were at her side.
"Kree…Filli…get paper and….a pencil," Jasmine gasped. Both returned quickly, and she quickly wrote a message. "Kree…go to…to Sharn…" A blackness overcame her, and she fainted.
In the palace, Sharn was sleeping deeply when a sudden squawking awoke her. Blearily, she looked around her chamber and realized that something was at the window. With a cry, she noticed that it was a black bird. Crossing the room, Sharn opened the window, and noted that it was Kree, and he had a message. She carefully unfolded the paper and recognized the writing immediately.
Sharn,
Please come to the forge soon. I have fallen. Get Lief!
Jasmine
"Oh!" she exclaimed. Grabbing some stationary from her desk, she wrote a message for Lief. "Kree, if you'd--"
Before she had finished, Kree had taken the note and was flying to Tora. Sharn grabbed a bag from beneath her bed and set out to the forge. I hope I'm not too late, she thought. Fortunately, she had planned ahead and had packed the necessary items long ago. If she was right, Jasmine was about to give birth.
Running down the palace steps, she opened the bag, checking over the birthing supplies. She almost didn't notice the figure coming down the street towards the palace. Sharn glanced at the man, and realized that it was Doom. She called out his name and he rushed over to her.
"What is it?" he asked. She quickly explained the letter, and he followed her to the forge.
"I think you're right," he said after hearing her story. "Anna fainted before giving birth to Jasmine. She wasn't well."
"Then we'll just have to get to Jasmine and comfort her." Sharn said, doubling her pace. She turned the corner and went towards the forge gate, but noticed that something seemed wrong. "Doom--"
"We're not alone."
Okay, that's chapter 1, so please review!