At The Beach

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Deltora Quest characters. Or anything in this.

"Come on, hurry up Lief."

'Alright, I'm coming!' Lief shouted as he hurried over the slightly jagged hill. As he stood on top of the small hilltop he caught sight of the sandy shore and the tropical waters of the ocean. Looking back he could just see the Palace's top towers looming over the swaying trees.

Sighing he sprinted to the beach where he met up with Doom, Sharn, Lindal, Marilen, Barda & Jasmine. Doom and Barda were waxing their boards (Barda was casting sideway glances at Lindal). Marilen and Lindal were in their bathing suits, Lindal wore a navy blue one piece, while Marilen had a pink bikini on, both women were smearing sun cream onto their slowly burning skin.

Sharn had settled down on the sand in the sun, sun baking. A huge umbrella was stationed next to her and she was lying on a colorful blanket. Lief looked around for Jasmine and found her sitting as far away as possible from the water in the shade of a palm tree. Lief smiled, Jasmine had reluctantly come with them, saying she couldn't swim and it was a big waste of time.

Lief on the other hand couldn't wait to get into the water. He threw his shirt off onto the sand, and slipped his filthy thongs next to it. Now wearing only his board shorts with the sun burning into his well toned torso, he bolted into the water, splashing and laughing like a 2 year old.

From shore Jasmine was watching him with a small smile. He was such a big kid when he wanted to be. She scanned the beach which was deserted beside themselves. Doom and Barda were now riding the waves. Jasmine was slightly amazed to find her father in such good shape. She would have thought that he would have fallen off his board as soon as he stood up. But his skill on the board was as equally skilled as Barda's was.

Marilen and Lindal had joined Lief in swimming a fair way from shore, so that the water reached their necks. Sharn was lying beneath the sun her skin slowly darkening. Jasmine knew she didn't want to got in the water that much either, she just wanted to lay there in the warm sun.

Jasmine was no longer paying attention to them, only on Lief whose muscles were rippling in the gleaming ocean as he dived beneath the surface countless times, trying to sneak up on Marilen or Lindal and grab their foot to scare the life out of them. Jasmine loved the way he laughed, as he managed to get a scream for one of the girls. The way his skin was well toned and muscular. Her trance got snapped by a tremendous SPLSH! As Barda toppled form his board which was floating a few meters away.

Jasmine felt bored, and lay down on the soft sand, arms and legs spread out, like she was about to make a snow angel. Filli and Kree hated the beach and had stayed in the palace; all the others were doing something fun. She closed her eyes and did not see the rapidly approaching figure that was drenched and only in his board shorts.

Lief grabbed Marilens leg from under the water, and heard the panicked shriek that told him he had succeeded. Resurfacing, he grinned like a stupid maniac at Marilen.

"Don't do that again you great idiot" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Gr- Great idiot, Marilen how could you tell your cousin such a thin-"

He was interrupted by a loud SPLASH! And turned in the water to find that Barda had toppled over on the board. Lief roared with laughter that echoed all around the place.

"Shut it" Barda grunted loudly "I think I lost my hearing!" he smiled, rubbing his ears as he swam to reclaim his board. Lief slowly swam ashore and grinned as he saw Jasmine lying there like an angel with her eyes closed. Slowly so as not to let her notice he was sneaking up on her, he placed his feet carefully on the sand, one in front of the other. He quietly sat next to her and quick as lightning placed his dripping wet hand under her shirt on her stomach.

Her eyes flew open and she quickly retaliated knocking his hand out of her shirt. She looked at Lief who was grinning at her, propped up on his elbow.

"Lief"she shrieked "don't do that!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it" he said staring at her while she returned staring at the sky. "Come and swim around a bit, no fun without you."

"You know I can't swim, Lief!" she said annoyed.

"Yea, but that's why I can teach you."

"What teach me to swim?" she asked looking back at him.

"Yea, come on" he stood up and offered her his hand, which she completely ignored and slowly stood, unsure of what to do. When she turned to Lief, she found him staring at her.

"What?"

"You're going to swim in you're cloths?" he asked cheekily. She gave him a glare.

"What" he said "I know Sharn made you put on swimmers, before we all left, though you thought you wouldn't be using them." She nodded.

"So take you're cloths off!" Lief said not taking his eyes from her for a second.

A thought came to her, "Ok" was the only thing she said before she slowly started to slide her top above her head. Liefs confused eyes widened as he caught sight of her flat stomach, which was a nice tanned colour. Getting the reaction she had guessed she begun pulling it up further, Lief took two steps toward her, but just as she got above her rib cage which was slightly visible, toward the bikini top, she quickly pulled her top back down, making Lief groan in annoyance.

"I don't know Lief, I'm not so sure I want to learn, you know me I'm like a cat." She said with a wicked smile, before walking slowly back to her spot.

Lief didn't really take this in, he watched the sway of her hips, and his brain finally caught up. He ran up to her and grabbed her around the waist.

"Wh-"

He gentle lowered her, so she was sitting on him, while he sat on the sand; and he tickled her, until she couldn't breathe and her eyes filled with tears form laughing to hard. He loved doing this.

"That'll teach you not to tease me!" he said finally stopping. As she gasped for air Lief watched the rise and fall of her chest. She closed her eyes and smiled, feeling the water soaking into her cloths.

"So, are you going to take those cloths off or am I going to have to force them off you." He looked at her face, as her smile widened.

"Well, you're going to have to take them off for me, aren't you?" she said.