Feeling Foolish

The day was beautiful. There was so much laughter that the air seemed to ring with it. But to Lief and Jasmine, the sound of Deltora's joy at their marriage seemed muffled. It was as though the two of them were alone in a room, and everyone else was outside. But neither of them would have had it any other way.

There they stood, hand in hand. But for once, there was no fear, no sadness, no need for comfort. They were not fighting an enemy, nor were they looking death full in the face, as they had done so many times before. Now, they were simply rejoicing, and the whole of Deltora now knew that the wild girl's hand had been their king's lifeline since before he even knew that he loved her. To the people looking from all the way down the hill, it was obvious that the king and his wild girl were now finally gaining something they had both wished for since they had been little more than children. This gave the people even more reason to celebrate then the end of the famine that had plagued the land for years, the return of their loved ones from slavery in the shadow lands, or even the end of the shadow lord's occupation. Their king could now hold his lifeline forever.

The celebrant finally sealed their marriage, and instructed Lief and Jasmine to kiss one another. As they did this, the air around them seemed to explode with cheering. Many in the crowd were pulling handkerchiefs from the pockets of their garments, and wiping tears from their eyes. But the couple at the top of the hill noticed none of this, so absorbed were they in all that had passed.

A few moments went by. Lief and Jasmine finally parted; but the wall that kept the world out stayed strong around them. That was, until it was shattered by a voice.

"The king and queen will now begin the dancing," it was Doom who had spoken. "All are welcome to join in after the first dance."

A great cheer rose up at this announcement, and the loudest voices were those of the people of Broome. Lief and Jasmine looked at one another in horror. Both of them had known this would happen, and both had somewhat prepared for it. What they had not prepared for were all the eyes that were now focused on them as the music began to play

. Jasmine was the first to speak.

"There is no help for it, Lief," she whispered, as she took his hand again. "Besides, I do not think the people really care whether or not we know how to dance."

"We cannot dance in front of all these people," Lief whispered back. "We are going to look like a pair of fools!"

Lief's face had donned a panicked expression, and for a moment, Jasmine thought that he might turn from her and run away down the hill, and if she was being honest with herself, she would not have blamed him. She herself was feeling foolish. But instead, Lief took her other hand, and for a moment they fumbled, until they were finally in the correct position.

Lief and Jasmine completed the first dance, with steps that were awkward and unsure. It was obvious to everyone watching that neither of them had had much education in the way of dancing, but no one cared.

As the second dance began, Lindal came toward them.

"I thought the pair of you would have learned more in Broome!" She called as she offered her hand to Barda. "Now, the Old Bear and I will show you how it is done!"

Lief and Jasmine both blushed as they recommenced dancing, in much the same way they had done before. Both of them still felt like fools, but now that there were not so many people watching them, it did not matter.

But to all the people who had watched that first dance, the sight of their young king and his queen awkwardly moving in time with the music only made the day more beautiful.