Chapter 2

Festival

The sky was forget-me-not blue, with not a cloud in the sky. The people of Del bustled back and forth in the growing city. People who had come from all over Deltora filled hotels. Decorations were put up and excitement filled the air as the city prepared for the anniversary of Deltora's freedom from the Shadow Lord.

"Uuughhaahhh!" King Lief yelled from inside the palace gardens as he was tackled by two young twin boys. The boys wrestled with their father as their mother and older sister, Anna, watched from a bench not far away. Queen Jasmine smiled as she watched her husband play with the boys.

Though they did not live in the palace, they all came here during the day because their father and mother had work to do here. On rare occasions, the whole family would spend the night at the palace because of the large amount of work Lief would have. To make up for the amount of time spent their, Lief had tried very hard to make Jasmine feel at home in the gardens. Sometimes, Lief would be granted a day off by the people, because they felt that, with how hard the king worked, he deserved time to rest and spend with his family. Even on busy days like today, Lief looked for every opportunity possible to be with his family.

Jasmine turned to look at her Anna, who was now playing with Filli. She had missed her own home in the Forests of Silence at first, but her love and joy of being around her family had helped her overcome that. Now, she even helped Lief with some of his duties, for the first time seeing just how much work he had to do.

"Hey Lief, Jasmine!" a familiar voice yelled to them. The whole family turned, smiling, at its owner, Barda.

"Uncle Barda!" the children yelled as they ran towards him. Barda may not have been Captain of the guards anymore, but he still didn't miss a chance to visit. Lief had even made him the first knight in Deltora since before the invasion of the Shadow Lord.

Barda stooped to hug the three young children, only for them to run right past him toward the many young children behind him. Barda laughed as he stood up and Lindal came to join him, their fifth child in her arms. They left the others to play and joined the king and queen.

"It's good to see you again," Barda said as he hugged Jasmine and shook Lief's hand.

"It's good to see you too," Jasmine replied. She then turned to Lindal and her baby.

"Lief," Barda whispered as he shook the young king's hand, "We met Gla-thon on the way here and brought her with us. She wants to speak with you, says it is urgent."

"Alright," Lief said, "Thank you Barda. It is good to see you, old friend." Lief turned to Jasmine and gave her a quick kiss before saying, "I need to go take care of something, I'll be right back."

"Ok," Jasmine told him. With that, she turned to talk to Barda and Lindal as Lief walked back to the castle.

The King found Gla-thon the dread gnome waiting for him in the entrance hall. He smiled at her as he greeted her, "Gla-thon, old friend, it's been a while."

"Good morning, King Lief," the dread gnome bowed, "I have something important to tell you. Perhaps somewhere more private," She gestured to the servants rushing back and forth everywhere.

"Of course," Lief said. He led Gla-thon to his study. Once they entered, Lief shut the door and turned to her. His face was serious; he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like what the visitor from Dread Mountain had to tell him.

"Lief," Gla-thon began, "something's going on in the Shadow Lands. A few days ago we all heard a terrible roar, and then the clouds began to change. They are dark and black now instead of their usual grey. The darker creatures that used to haunt the area around Dread Mountain have gone into the Shadow Lands, and it's as if the Shadow Lord's evil is penetrating the mountain. Our people are getting sick with worry. There have been many reports of strange shadows and noises, and already two of our people have disappeared!"

Lief's stomach churned and he was filled with dread. He had feared something like this would happen, but why now of all times! Taking a deep breath, he touched the topaz to clear his mind. He thought for a while before answering, "Alright. I'll make arrangements to leave as soon as I can. I'm afraid that it's going to have to wait till after the festival, however."

Gla-thon bowed low and answered, "Thank you, King Lief."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. One of the guards guarding the room spoke through it, "Your Majesty, Lady Sharn is looking for you. She awaits you in the great hall."

"Thank you," Lief called back. Then, turning back to Gla-thon, "I will arrange a room for you here. Please try to enjoy the festival as I will even with these bad tidings on my mind."

As it turned out, Sharn wanted Lief to observe the decorating. He spent the rest of the day walking about the castle and the city, giving his approval and help to those decorating. The people were very pleased that, on this busy day, their King was out among them.

That night, Jasmine was found wandering the palace, searching for Lief. She had not seen him since dinner, and it was very late. The children had already been tucked in bed and were fast asleep. After being assured by a very tired Marilen that Lief had not been in the library, she only had one place left to check.

Jasmine quietly pushed open the door to the King's study. There, sitting at his desk, half-asleep, was Lief. A low burning candle lit his bored and tired face as well as the papers he had spent the last few hours signing. Jasmine smiled as she approached and the tired king looked up.

"Jasmine. Is it that late already?" Lief asked.

Jasmine grabbed Lief's arm and helped him from the chair, "C'mon sleepy head," she teased, "Let's go to bed. You've done enough work for a week, and the people appreciate it."

The two of them walked back to their bedchamber. They had decided earlier to spend the night here because of the large event. As they got into bed and Jasmine cuddled up to Lief, her head on his shoulder, the young king looked at her and smiled.

"Jasmine?"

"Mhmm." Was Jasmine's mumbled answer.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome, Lief," she yawned.

Lief smiled a little bit, then said, "I love you Jasmine."

Jasmine's soft, steady breathing was his answer.

The next day was one that would be remembered for years to come. The festival started with a parade led by the royal family, which went through the main street to the city square. Here, Lief opened the carnival and other activities that would continue throughout the day. He and Jasmine spent the time up until lunch chasing their children from one point to the next. They did have a good laugh at watching Lindal and Barda try to at least somewhat contain the excited energy of their five children.

At lunch, the attendees of the carnival sat at many long, huge tables. Lief, starving after the day's events, attacked his food like a starved dragon. Doom, Sharn, Jasmine, Lindal, Barda, and the other adults laughed as the children stared in wonder at the speed at which Lief consumed his food. Jarred and Endon attempted to mimic their father, only to have food caked on their face and their mother fussing over them.

No one noticed a figure in a black cloak peering out at the assembly from the trees. He watched with a smile that was near a sneer as the king gobbled down his food without once looking at the jeweled belt around his waste.

He has forgotten to be cautious. The man thought. Your arrogance will be your undoing, Lief of Del. With that, he slid into the trees in the direction of the castle.

The rest of the day continued much as it already had, except for a magnificent fireworks show and an appearance by the Topaz dragon. As the dragon's fire and the fireworks lit the air, Jasmine slipped her hand into Lief's and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Look," she said, pointing a little ways in front of them.

Lief looked and saw Anna, Jarred, and Endon, all staring at the sky. They were captivated; Anna would ohh and ahh while her brothers squealed with delight at every firework or flaming breath from the dragon.

Later that night at the forge, after the children were in bed, Lief told Jasmine what Gla-thon had told him. He also told her of his plans to leave for Dread Mountain in two days. When he told her that she would be staying with the children in Del, Jasmine objected.

"No, Lief! How can you expect me to let you go running off to danger without me?"

"Jasmine," Lief tried to persuade her, "the children need you here. I know that whenever we toured the country we would bring them with us, but they are more used to me going away for meetings. They need to have at least one of us here."

"But Lief, I can't let you go! What if something were to happen to you? What if…"

As Lief looked into her eyes, his heart and resolve melted away. He sighed and gave in, "Alright, I'll ask my mother and Doom if they will watch the children while we are away."

"Thank you Lief," Jasmine said before she kissed him passionately.