A/N: Finally I found the motivation to write something related to Star of Deltora. :) Here's a small fic I managed to come up with involving Lean Alice. I haven't named the other characters in this story, but it should be pretty clear who they are.

Young Love

From where she sat at the corner, Lean Alice could see the shadows at the edges of the narrow street growing longer as the sky darkened and the sun sank below the horizon. A mystical time, she thought. A time when the veil between this world and the world of the spirits was thinned. It had always been her favorite time of the day.

Two young people stood across the street from her. They did not see her. That was unsurprising, for no one ever saw Lean Alice. To their credit, they did look as if they were blind to everything but each other, at that moment.

It was a very special moment—Lean Alice could feel it. The air crackled with electricity and she knew in her soul that whatever happened here on this night, entire lives would be changed, for better or for worse.

The boy said somewhat in a low voice; the girl blushed a dusky rose and looked away. There was a hint of a smile on her face which she was trying, and failing, to hide. The smile grew as the boy continued to speak, until it was as radiant and joyful as the sun itself. It was so radiant, in fact, that the boy found himself lost for words, and could only stare at the girl in awe. Still smiling, the girl spoke in a soft voice, her eyes filled with more emotions than could be named. The boy listened, with eyes as emotional as the girl's. Then, as gently as if she were something very precious, he cupped her face and brought his lips to hers, something to which the girl responded very readily. After a long moment, they drew back from each other, their faces flushed with happiness, and walked hand-in-hand from the street.

From within her shadowy corner, Lean Alice could not bring herself to smile. The girl and the boy were both ringed with faint shadows now, shadows of a dark and grim future. Whatever happiness they had, it would be brief indeed, especially with the coming of the years of darkness. Should she have told them?

No, she decided. It would only have dampened their joy, and they would need joyful memories such as that one more than ever when the time of darkness finally came. And even if she had seen true, she knew that their path could not be changed, not now. Whatever happened next, their future would be filled with hardship and fear. It saddened her deeply, but she could also feel the rightness of it. This was the way it was meant to be.

Years later, she would look back and recall just how right she had been.