Unwanted

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Deltora Quest characters.  However, I do own Dakota, a character I have chosen to throw in.  My best friend, Stephanie, owns Dakota's boyfriend and best friend, the mimic, Lillend. (I don't think I will be putting Lillend in this, however, I probably will have Dakota in this)

Summary: This story is pretty much a story about romance between L/J (Lief and Jasmine).  It will also have quite a bit of romance between Ranesh and Marilen.  Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy this fanfic… although, I'm not sure how often I'll update it but I might update it once or more times than that a day, depending on my end-of-the-year homework and such from school.  Over summer you'll probably receive several more fanfics on Deltora Quest from me.

Chapter I

~*~*~

"Jasmine… Jasmine…"

Jasmine did not wish to wake from the dream she was having, she was quite pleased with her dream.  She was back in the forests with Kree and Filli; where she had her nest, her few possessions, and her open space, well, not so open because of the trees, but it was her space.  It was her home.  And she missed it.  Sure, the beds of the palace were comfortable, the meals were delicious, and the fact she had Lief, Barda, Sharn and her father around made it all the better.  Except she still longed for the open space of which she had once had as a home.

"Jasmine, come on Jasmine, wake up, you've already missed breakfast…" Lief's soft voice pried into her head.  Jasmine groggily opened her green eyes, which did not focus, but she swatted at Lief who was standing above her, looking down at her and trying to wake her.  He only laughed at her as she rolled over, face flat down in her pillow.  "Don't suffocate yourself Jasmine…" Lief said.  "Come on now… get up."

"Lief… go away…" Jasmine groaned, swatting at him again, but he caught her by the wrist.

"Ooh no you don't, no hitting me today Jasmine," Lief said.  "Come on!" he began acting like a child, and literally dragged Jasmine so she had to roll onto her back, and then dragged her on to the floor, and he fell on his butt and grinned at her.  "Welcome to the world of the living." He said.

Jasmine glared up at him.  "Shall I also give you your nice warm welcome to the world of manly hood pain?" she asked him.  Lief swallowed and shook his head.  "Didn't think so," she trailed as she sat up and rubbed her tired green eyes.  She ran her fingers through her mangled black hair, but that only got it to the point where there were few knots in it.

"Why don't you just brush it?" Lief asked her as he stood up, offering her his hand, which she took and helped herself up, and releasing his hand once she was standing.

"I still prefer the old ways," she said with a sigh.  "I miss them."

"Me too," Lief said.  "But at least there is no threat left against us, at least it is at peace."  Jasmine could only nod in agreement, eyes distant.  Lief took her hand again, however, and began to lead her out of the room, and down the long halls of the palace.  "Come Jasmine, if you want to wake up, I'd suggest you get some fresh air… I know how you are without your fresh air and it isn't pleasant."

"Ooh, you're a wonderful friend, drag me out of bed, tell me to get some fresh air, and act casual about the entire thing!  And I don't even get a good morning!"

"Hey, I did all that for you, and I still haven't gotten my good morning Jasmine," Lief teased.

~*~*~

Jasmine, however, as much sarcasm she had thrown back and forth with Lief like a ball, she had taken his advice, and was now outside, in the palace gardens.  Ooh how she longed to go home, and yet, she wanted to stay here with her friends as well.  It was all just so hard on the young girl.  She sighed as she sat in the gardens, on one of the several large, flat rocks in the centre of the gardens.

She wasn't alone however, and feeling the eyes on her she turned around, and jumped.  "Ranesh, I've told you to stop doing that!" she said, a little irritated and the man's sudden appearance.

"Sorry Jasmine," Ranesh apologized.  "I did not mean to startle you.  Lief sent me out to check on you.  I suppose I was getting on his nerves, standing there with him and the others as well," he said.

"That's no surprise, you can startle a mouse with the way you come up on people!"

"Looks like I already have, little Jasmine," Ranesh teased.

"Shut up," Jasmine said, facing away from him again, hugging her knees and resting her chin on her knees.  "Lief woke me up again and I'm not in a very good mood, I'm still so tired for some reason, I don't know why.  I just feel so weak," she was not sure why she was telling all this to Ranesh, Marilen's boyfriend and best friend, instead of telling it to Lief, her best friend, or Sharn or Doom.  "To tell you the truth I've been in a lot of pain, especially in my stomach… lately I've just wanted to sleep off the pain, but… I can't, I want to go home.  I miss my old home but if I go I'll miss Lief and my friends here."

"Perhaps you're just homesick," Ranesh said.

"That's easy for you to say, you aren't homesick, you have Marilen here, you have someone to hold onto and to hold you," Jasmine snapped at him.  "Whether you need it or not…" she trailed off.

"Is that your problem?  You're lonely?" Ranesh asked.  By now he was standing beside her at the rock.  Jasmine hastily shook her head, not wanting Ranesh to get that impression, although, now that she thought about it, it was true.  She did long for someone to hold her and comfort her sometimes.  Sure, a friend to comfort was good, but… someone to love her would be far better.

"I can't believe that," Ranesh said.  "You certainly seem lonely." He crossed his arms.

"Well I'm not, okay?" Jasmine snapped as she stood on the rock, taller than Ranesh when she was standing on the large rock.  Just unwanted. She thought to herself as she stormed off, out of the gardens and heading towards the gates of the palace.  She leaned on them, forlornly looking out towards the forests.  Why can't I find a moment of peace here?  How can anyone else?  You constantly have people following you here and there, why can't I just have a place of my own, outside, where I can be all alone?  Why?  What is it with palaces and not leaving people alone once and a while?  Ugh!

~*~*~

Um… please tell me what you think of that chapter.  And the next chapter which I'm going to start to work on right away.  The next chapter will have quite a bit with Marilen and Ranesh, and a tiny bit of Jasmine and Lief.  Ooh, and by the way, in this story, Ranesh and Marilen are to be wed in a few weeks.