Author's Note: Well, what do you know! I've lost all capacity for original thought and instead resorted to writing pointless LiefxJasmine stories. I know there are plenty of stories of this kind, but I just felt like adding my own version into the mix. I'm worried that this will sound silly or dorky, but there's not much I can do about that. So, enjoy!

-

Jasmine had never been a princess. Having grown up in a deadly forest, she had developed an impulsive, feisty and stubborn nature. Lief couldn't imagine anyone less likely to be a princess.

Jasmine was a queen, his queen, the Queen of Deltora.

But of course, she had not been at all keen to accept the job. Survival in the Forests of Silence depended on looking after one's own self. The idea of sharing the responsibility of governing the beautiful, yet dangerous land that was Deltora had terrified Jasmine to her core.

Yet Jasmine was the kind of girl who never backed down from a challenge before; the kind of girl who would stand by Lief's side, for better or for worse.

'You do not have to do this if you unless you want to, Jasmine,' Lief whispered to her, soothingly, the night before their wedding. The two of them were seated on the edge of their bed, with their arms around each others shoulders. All was silent, apart from the gentle crackling sounds, which were issuing from a single flickering candle. Lief soaked in the tranquil atmosphere, as he watched the candle's light dance upon the cold stone walls of the forge.

'Stop treating me like I am some scared little child, Lief,' Jasmine barked at him in agitation, 'You know who I am and what I have been through.'

'Of course I do. But this is a very risky step you are choosing to take. I want you to be certain that this is the right choice.'

Jasmine snarled indignantly. 'Whatever happened to the hot-headed Lief I used to know, the one who would rush straight into danger's path, just to prove his bravery?'

'I am a king now. I have changed, Jasmine, and I am asking you to change too,' Lief stated firmly.

Jasmine laughed, 'You know I will never change. I will always belong to the forest. But I suppose one must make sacrifices to get what they want.'

'Just know that whatever challenges we may face; they could never be any worse than the ones we have already overcome.'

Lief and Jasmine grinned eagerly at each other, each of them finding an escape from the worries that plagued them.

In a moment containing more magic than the Belt of Deltora, Lief titled his head ever so slightly to the right, allowing his lips to makes contact with Jasmine's for the briefest of seconds. As they did so, the rest of the world melted away, leaving the two of them enclosed in their own private bubble.

'What did I do to deserve a girl like you?' Lief asked, gingerly stroking the side of her face.

'Well, as far as I can remember, you ran recklessly into the forest and got yourself petrified by the Wenn, you silly little boy,' Jasmine mocked.

The two of them climbed into bed in a fit of laughter. As Lief extinguished his candle, a comforting realisation occurred to him. Whether Jasmine was queen or not, was irrelevant to him, because no choice she could ever make would cause him to love her any less.

Hope you liked it! Please leave a review! And feel free to make a suggestion as to what I should write next, beause I'm really lost for ideas at the moment.