The Once and Future King (Deltora Quest)

CHAPTER 9

" What the hell were you thinking, Jasmine. He could have compromised you." Lief glared at Jasmine as she paced around his study, rolling her eyes at him.

"Really Lief, he is a gentleman, and he likes me." Jasmine stopped in her tracks as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "And besides, it was just an innocent kiss."

"HIS TOUNGE WAS DOWN YOUR THROAT! ITS A WONDER HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO BREATH!"

"Oh shut up, Lief. Is all this shouting really necessary. Plus, he kisses better than you ever will." Smirking at his red face, Jasmine gracefully left the room, all her composure intact, leaving Lief a raging monster.

"COME BACK, JASMINE, IM NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!" Once Jasmine had gone, Lief crumbled to to the ground, running his hand through his hair. What was he supposed to do with a woman who couldn't sit in one spot for less than a minute.

Jasmine skipped down the hall, mentally patting herself on the back. She felt horrible for using Lucian, but seeing a jealous Lief, justified her grief. Her plan was simple: to make Lief jealous and fall for her. So far, it went off without a hitch. The problem was that she enjoyed the time she spent with Lucian. It wasn't an act and that scared her.

Jasmine made her way to the gardens, only to find Lucian laying in the grass. Deciding that this would be a good place to initiate stage two of her plan, she greeted Lucian and joined him on the grass.

"I'm sorry again for yesterday. I never meant for you to get in trouble. I hope Lief wasn't to hard on you?" He turned to lay on his side, with his hand supporting his upper body and his elbow resting on the grass. Jasmine turned to face him, with a sardonic smile on her face.

"Lief isn't as scary as everyone makes him out to be. He's just worried for my safety. Don't worry about yesterday, I thoroughly enjoyed myself." Jasmine smiled at the memory. In the far distance, Jasmine could see Lief watched them. Turning back to Lucian, Jasmine shuffled closer. "I would like to do it again, sometime." Jasmine's eyes gazed over Lucian's shoulder to Lief, who was slowly making his way closer.

"What? Swimming in the lake?" Lucian followed Jasmine's gaze to Lief, who quickly turned and walked away. Jasmine, all of a sudden shy, batted her eyelashes at him.

"No, the kissing part." Lucian smirked and sook his head.

" Not here. not now. It's too public and I fear for your safety. What would Lief say if he caught us again." Why would she care about what Lief said. He's done nothing but hurt her.

"It won't matter what Lief thinks. I just want you."

"Really?" Lucian gives her an exasperated sigh. "Jasmine how do you feel about Lief?"

"What?" The question caught he by surprise. She sat up straight, waiting for him to explain further. Lucian mimicked her movements and rand his hand through his hair.

"I was trying to find a way to bring this up, but there was no good time to do it. Do you have feelings for him?"

"Why would you say that? Have I not been attentive enough?" Ignoring the question, Jasmine started doubting her plan. She was being selfish by using him. She resolved to make things right.

"I just wondered if you have moved on from your past relationship." How did he know? Was she making it to obvious? Jasmine mentally scolded herself for paying to much attention to what Lief was doing.

"There is nothing between us." Deciding that lying wouldn't help revive this situation, she opted to tell Lucian the truth. "How much do you want to know?"

"As much as your willing to tell me."

"I don't usually pour out everything to people I just met. But I want things to work between us." She was getting soft. There was no way the old Jasmine would have been so open to a stranger. What was happening to her?

"I understand. Please go on." Jasmine spent the next few minutes briefly revising everything that happened between her and Lief, without going into to much detail.

" Unrequited love hurts the most." Lucian held held her hand as they both stood up. He leaned down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Laughing Jasmine, rolled up her sleeves and tugged her hair into a ponytail. "I don't like to talk on the past, and I certainly don't want to talk about Lief. He and I are both changing, and I don't like that. It restricts me. I feel confined inside. This garden is my refuge and right now, I want to make the most of it. Care to join me?"

Lucian let out a chuckle. He took of his boots and rolled up his sleeves. " What did you have in mind?"

"Well, it's been a while since I climbed a tree. Race you to the top?"

"Which one?"

"The tallest one of course. Over there, near the gates." Jasmine pointed to an olive tree, which branches reached a fourth floor window. "It will have to do. Back home, the trees would reach the sky and there would be no walls to close me in."

"Ahh. Yes. My forest beauty. Do you want to go back?"

"Yes." Jasmine wanted to add more, but she wasn't sure how much information she should tell him. After all, he could go running back to Lief.

"What would Lief say?" Why was it that all their conversations pointed back to Lief. Why must he be involved in her life.

"Why does it matter what Lief would say? I told him that I wished to go back and that was all he need to know." Frustrated and wound up, Jasmine decided it was as go as a time as any to start climbing the tree. "Are you coming or not?"

"He's the king. Lief seems obsessed with your every move and we would be worried if you just took off one day. When do you think you will go? What-"

"Three"

"What are you doing?"

"Two"

Laughing, Lucian readied himself to sprint towards the tree.

"Go" Jasmine took off, racing and laughing, leaving a stunned Lucian trailing behind.

"Cheater! No fair! You never said one." He called towards her.

" Stop whining and climb." Jasmine's hand reached the bottom of the tree, and she had already started jumping from one branch to another. She looked down to see Lucian pushing himself up from one branch to another. At the rate he was going, it would take him a while to reach her.

Jasmine reached up to the nearest branch holding olives, and plucked a few. "Don't look up!" Two at a time, jasmine sprinkled olives on an unsuspecting Lucian. "Hurry up!" When she had run out, Jasmine leaped from one branch to the other,reaching the top first. She didn't have to look to know that Lucian hadn't made it half way. It prided her to know that her forest skills were being put to good use.

This feeling of being free, was something she missed when she left the forest. Jasmine wanted to go back. It was just a matter of when.