Disclaimer: The rights to Deltora Quest and Titanic are on my Christmas wish list. Until then, I don't own them.

11:00am, Saturday, 13 April

Jasmine walked down the deck slowly, her mind all over the place. The morning had been a fairly regular one, with a 'polite' breakfast, and an entire hour taken to get dressed. I hate corsets, Jasmine thought. I did just fine without one all those years in the Forests.

Truth be told, she was just distracting herself. All night, and the whole morning, she had been thinking only about Lief. He was absent from breakfast (as per usual), having likely disappeared off to steerage again.

This was how Jasmine found herself wandering the lower deck, hoping desperately to see him, talk to him if she could. He deserved to know the reasons behind what happened last night – or at least some of them…

The sun shone brightly, nearing the middle of the sky by this point. It felt so beautiful on Jasmine's skin, and she realised that this was the first time she'd simply stood and enjoyed the peace around her in a long time.

"Jasmine?" So much for peace.

"I want to talk to you," Lief said as he drew closer to her. "Please? We haven't talked in so long." He looked slightly pleading, as though it would crush him if she said no.

"Sure." Jasmine replied in a shaky voice. "What about?"

"Anything you want."

"All right. Let's take a walk."

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"Well, it's been pretty easy since everything with the Shadowlord died down. No conflicts or problems at all, really." Lief continued. Their conversation had been simple and polite, yet so refreshing. It was so long since they had a real talk with each other. It struck Jasmine with just how much she had missed him.

"So, Jasmine, we've walked about a mile around this boat deck, and chewed over how great the weather's been and what's going on in politics, but I reckon that's not why you were on the lower deck, clearly come to talk to me." Lief said quite frankly. After a few seconds, Jasmine broke the silence and finally said, "Lief, I want to thank for what you did," she said, fighting to contain her emotions. "Not just for pulling me back, but… for your discretion."

"You're welcome." he said. He gazed at her for just a moment too long. Jasmine, taking notice, walked ahead of him a little faster. Lief, however, caught up to her almost immediately.

"Look," she said anxiously, "I know what you must be thinking. Silly little forest girl. She's gained everything she could ever ask for – what does she know about misery?"

"No," he said, in a surprisingly gentle voice. He grabbed hold of one of the ropes steading the chimneys. "No, that's not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was, 'What could've happened to Jasmine to make her think she had no way out?'"

Oh, damn. She knew he'd ask sooner or later, but she still felt entirely unprepared for the question.

"Well, I…" she sighed. Might as well tell him. "It was everything, it was this whole bloody world and all the people in it, and the inertia of my life – plunging ahead, with me powerless to stop it." she blurted out.

Lief grabbed her hand, looking at the engagement ring on her finger. Jasmine tried desperately to keep her heart rate down.

"Well, look at this thing. You'd have gone straight to the bottom."

"I would've thought Bella had received something similar." Jasmine said. Lief's face flickered with some undefined emotion. Jasmine immediately regretted her words.

"I don't know. Sharn went and bought it for me after everything was arranged."

Jasmine didn't need her extremely sharp hearing to pick up on the bitterness in his voice.

"It's ridiculous, all this 'nobility' stuff. I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a crowded room screaming at the top of my lungs and no one even looks up!"

Lief stayed quiet. Jasmine breathed the fresh sea air and wondered if it would be inappropriate to run away now.

"Do you love him?" The question was quiet, and yet Jasmine felt she would have heard him ask it from a mile away.

No. No, no, NO! I don't love him. But we are not having this conversation, Lief, or I won't be able to hold back.

"Excuse me?" was all she could get out.

"Do you love him?" Lief repeated, giving her a look that told her he already knew the answer. He just wanted her to say it.

"You're being very rude," Jasmine replied. I want to tell you how I feel, Lief, honestly I do. "You shouldn't be asking me this."

"Well, it's a simple question," Lief quipped. "Do you love the guy or not?"

No, no I don't! But she just laughed uncomfortably. "This is not a suitable conversation."

"Why can't you just answer the question? We used to tell each other everything." he said.

He had her there. She turned away.

"We are not having this conversation at all! You haven't changed much. You're still rude and uncouth and presumptuous. I don't know how you could be King." she retorted. Throughout her verbal attack, Lief had simply nodded and smiled as if he agreed with her – and it irritated her to no end.

"I'm leaving now," she said, grabbing his hand and shaking it. "King Lief, it's been a pleasure, I sought you out to thank you and now I have thanked you –"

"And you've insulted me." he said teasingly.

"Well you deserved it!" Jasmine said, continuing to shake his hand.

"Right."

"Right."

Lief looked as though he was trying not to laugh. "I thought you were leaving."

Jasmine scoffed. "I am."

She turned to walk away. He was so infuriating sometimes, but it did nothing but make her heart beat faster. No, it doesn't! Forget about him! Overwhelmed by emotions, she turned back to him and half-yelled, "You are so annoying!"

Lief only laughed, a sound that made Jasmine's stomach do flip-flops. "Wait, I don't have to leave!" she realised indignantly. "This is my part of the ship too – why don't you leave?!"

Lief laughed even more. "Oh, well, well, well, now who's being rude?"

Jasmine opened her mouth to counter him, before laughing. Lief leaned against the railing. "I've met some interesting people down here. Two guys that have great senses of humour – Fabrizio and Tommy. And there's this one woman who sits in the dining room every night, wearing every piece of jewellery she owns. She said she's waiting for her long-lost love."

Jasmine stayed quiet. The way he talked about the people he met… as though he understood everything about them from just a few conversations. Then again, Lief had always had that gift.

"You have a gift, Lief. You see people."

Lief looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "I see you." he said, with a smile that could almost pass as flirtatious.

"And?" Jasmine said, holding back laughter. Lief looked at her seriously for a moment.

"You wouldn't've jumped."

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"After that, none of the boys ever tried to sneak into Mr Roffelo's place ever again. I'm lucky I wasn't caught by the Grey Guards." Lief said.

Jasmine laughed for a moment, before going quiet. "Why can't things be how they used to? When we could just… head out for the horizon whenever we felt like it."

Lief got a thoughtful look on his face.

"Say we'll go again sometime. Travelling around Deltora again – even if we only really just talk about it."

Lief looked at her seriously. "No, we'll do it. I'll need someone to distract me from how much I can't stand Bella."

Jasmine looked at him in amazement, but Lief was staring out over the ocean.

"What are you two doing out here?" A sharp voice cut across them. The two of them jumped slightly. It was Sharn, with a rather annoyed look on her face. Marilyn was behind her, along with a couple of other nobles.

"Oh, Sharn. We were just talking." Jasmine said, anxiety creeping in. What if she heard what we were talking about?!

"I see." Sharn said. The other noblewomen curtsied to Lief. Marilyn, clearly in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence that had descended, said, "So, Lief, I heard you saved Jasmine last night. Good job." Jasmine leapt on the topic immediately.

"Yeah, thank god he was there." she said, smiling at him slightly. Before she could say anything else, a loud bugle call sounded.

"Why do they always insist on announcing dinner like a damn cavalry charge?" Marilyn said, prompting Jasmine to laugh.

"Shall we go dress, Sharn?" Jasmine asked, trying desperately to keep up the polite façade. "See you at dinner, Lief." she said. She felt a sense of selfish joy that Lief would be at dinner that night, even if he did hate it so much.

She waved him goodbye, and set off to her room.

Hmm… I don't like the way that ended. Ah, well, I'll make up for it later.

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