Jasmine stared at Leo, and the admiration in his eyes. She liked Leo, that was for sure, and had come to admire him so much over the past few weeks, as they had so much in common, and lots to talk about, however her feelings for Lief were much stronger, stronger than anything she had ever felt in her entire life. She knew that he would never return the feelings, but she also felt that she couldn't betray her heart. She was so stuck in what to do, as she knew that she could be in a relationship with Leo, whereas with Lief, nothing could ever happen, only in her dreams. Leo continued to look at her, almost inquiring if it were okay to resume what was about to happen only five minutes prior. She thought to herself You need to stop dreaming Jasmine, you can't hope for something that will never come true! You need to move on with your life and be with someone who can feel the way for you as you do about Lief. And with that final thought, Jasmine grabbed Leo's shirt and pulled his mouth onto hers.

As Lief had fallen out of the tree, he swallowed his pain and bolted before Leo or Jasmine could see him. He ran and ran, trying to ignore the pain in his heart. But before long, his eyes began to water, and he started sobbing and sobbing, choking on his tears. He stopped running and fell to the ground, crying harder than he ever had in his entire life.

Barda watched the sun start to rise from his window. He always liked being up early, and decided to go for a run before he had to wake up Leo and the other guards for training. As he ran, he heard a strange sound, a wailing sound. As he continued to run down the track, the sound become louder and louder. Finally, he could tell that it was the cries of a human. He could see a shape bundled up in a clearing up ahead, and decided to see if the person was okay. As he drew nearer however, he noticed that it was Lief. Worried that he was injured, Barda sprinted towards him.

'Lief? Hey Lief! Are you okay?' He called loudly. Lief instantly whipped his head around in fear of being discovered crying alone in the meadow. Barda noticed that his face was swollen from crying, his eyes and nose red, his face a mess of tears.

'Oh, Barda, it's you.' Lief said, his voice hoarse from sobbing.

'What's wrong, Lief?' Barda asked with concern. Lief looked away, ashamed of his tears, afraid to answer the man he considered as a best friend and second father.

'Nothing.'

'Well, it's clearly not nothing, Lief, you look dreadful.' Barda said gruffly, raising an eyebrow at his puffy face.

'Leave me alone, it's none of your concern.' Lief said turning away. Barda looked offended for a second, before shrugging and running off. Once Lief was sure he was gone, tears started forming again. He wiped them away aggressively with his sleeve and screamed

'Oh Jasmine what have you done to me?!'

Josie woke up late in the afternoon. She had loved her visit so far in Deltora's palace. It was so different than the stunning Tora, and she loved to see the way other Kingdom's lived. As she looked out the window, she could see the guards training with Barda, and the boy Leo, the very handsome and exotic stranger from the North. As Josie walked downstairs towards the kitchens, she noticed Lief walking in through the front doors.

'Hey Lief!' She called, blushing. She thought Lief was simply gorgeous, and would love to be in a relationship with him. After spending the past few weeks with him, she wanted to tell him that she liked him a lot, and wanted to be with him. He felt like Jasmine was a threat at first, but after seeing her spend so much time with Leo lately, she dismissed those thoughts. Josie was a strong-willed girl, and so determined that if she wanted something she would get it. So, she smiled sweetly at him, took his hand boldly, and walked outside with him.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING GUYS XOXOX Hope you enjoyed! Sorry for not writing in so long, school has been hectic!

Love you all x