Sunset Legend

• 12 •

It was a hot one already as I stood outside the castle before noon, the sun beating on my neck. It was still unsettling to think about someone had gone shopping for me, knowing my size in everything. I was dressed in black active shorts with a breathable orange tank top, matching bright orange sneakers on my feet. My hair was tied high up on my head, the ends of it still brushing my shoulders as I stretched.
"Here's the game plan," Sol instructed, bending down to touch his feet. "We'll start out with walking so you don't die."
"How kind," I replied, stretching my arms high above my head.
"Then we'll progress to a steady jog. No running today because the queen would be rather upset to go through all this work to get you to find you passed out when she returns." I crossed my arms over my chest and made a face at him. I got a smile in return. "Then afterwards if you would like to begin any fighting training we can, if not I won't be upset about it."
I gave a quick nod. I'd much rather start out punching something, but my stamina was weak.
Sol began walking down the road that was paved that lead to the train station three miles away. I followed suit, walking next to him.
"Why is it so hot? Shouldn't it be Winter?" I groaned, wiping away at the sweat that was already beginning to form on my forehead.
"Technically it is, but we don't get snow here."
"Never?"
"Never."
"Good," I huffed out. I hated the snow that laid under the wicked feet of Frosts and the queen.
We walked in silence for a few minutes. I could feel the sun soaking into my skin that would make me tanner later tonight.
"Does Ray and Jaxon usually accompany you on these runs?" I asked, looking up at Sol who looked bored.
"Sometimes. I told them today was going to be rather slow," I rolled my eyes. "So they decided to stay back." Sol finally looked down at me, wiggling an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Why what?" I asked, confused.
"Why did you want to know?" I smacked his shoulder once I figured it out.
"You're ridiculous. I barely even know him." I thought of Jaxon. I really did only meet him... was it two weeks ago now? Time hasn't existed the last few weeks in the Winter lands, everything was a blur. "I do have a question about him though."
I ignored the smirk on his lips as he said, "shoot."
"His eyes, they do glow right? Like I'm not crazy," I asked, stepping around a crack in the road.
Sol chuckled. "Yeah they glow. I have been able to figure out when they glow yellow that means he is furious so anyone near him better get the fuck out."
It felt like something hit me in the chest as I thought back to the night of the meeting. They were glowing yellow in the dark while he glared at the queen after the arranged marriage was announced.
"Then orange is when he is happy, ridiculously happy," Sol continued, not sounding the least bit winded.
My mind wrapped around all the times they've been like that since I've arrived here.
"And yes, I see it too when he looks at you. Barf." Sol stuck his tongue out as his shoulders heaved in a pretend vomiting motion.
"He barely knows me." Was all I said as I looked over at all the perfectly green grass on this land.
"Solstice, he's been in a castle guarding you for over a year," Sol reminded me like I should of thought about this. I turned back to look at him as he was already watching me. I raised an eyebrow. "I really have to explain this? Alright. He's been there, like we know, a whole year. You knew he was there, but you didn't know how often he was really around. He's picked up on all your quirks that you have. It's like dating someone for that long, you learn to love the little things about them. Except, he knows things deeper than that after guarding you. He knows the way your body tenses when you don't feel safe, he knows the way your jaw twitches when you get outraged, and he knew how much you cared about everyone in that castle. He saw how easily you love and care for others. He knew how lonely you truly were. You weren't supposed to notice him at all, but he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to talk to you, to be there for you. So at Winter Solstice he broke the rule of no contact."
We had stopped walking now, but my heart was beating as if I had just finished a five mile run in ten minutes. Sol ran a hand over his black hair, wiping at the sweat on his face.
He broke one of the few rules he was given.
"And he came home that night in such high spirits I thought someone fucking drugged him. He came flying into my room and grabbed me by the shoulders and said her laugh. Her laugh is so perfect. Then he ran out again like a nut job."
My stomach twisted as my mind could understand every word I just heard. Of course after watching someone for that long you could fall in love with them. All this time I thought was so lonely in that castle, but I wasn't. He was there for me, but couldn't be there for me. Until he finally was.
"Oh," I coughed out. I didn't know what to say. My face was burning, from the sun or all that information I didn't know.
Sol was grinning down at me, enjoying the mess I was. "He's a good guy. Just see where things go, you never know."
I laughed. "Are you trying to hook me up with your friend?"
Sol laughed once too with a shrug. "Just trying to help a bro out. There's a few guys that come to mind who might try to steal you if he doesn't act quick enough." Then he was off in a steady jog into the sunrise.
I would of laughed at him, but I saw the twinkle in his eyes before he could turn away from me. I straightened my back, feeling like the goddess of the sun that I looked like last night by the pool and took off after him.
We jogged the rest of the way to the train station. Sol was not affected at all, standing tall with his shoulders barely moving. Then there was me, my hands on my knees bent over, wheezing like a dying pig.
"How are you," I pause to suck in as much air as I could, "not even phased." I huffed out, staring at my bright shoes. Sol laughed, most likely at me, as I felt his hand on my shoulder. I waved him off like I was okay. I was not.
"I do this every morning, running. So a two mile jog is nothing," he said simply, handing me a water bottle. I don't know where he got it from, but I gladly expected it and chugged half of it. I was finally able to stand up straight without feeling like I was going to vomit. I flung some water over my head, letting it cool me as it ran down my back. Sol was watching me with nothing but amusement on his face. I took the rest of the water and squirted it at his face. He just laughed and shook his shoulders as it ran down his white shirt that now stuck to his sculpted chest.
"That was a nice cool down, thank you." I threw the whole bottle at his face. To my surprise, he didn't see it coming. I exploded with laughter as he glared at me, picking the bottle up and tossing it to the trash can on the platform.
"Can I crawl back?" I groaned, plopping onto one of the few steps that lead up to the platform.
"That would take so long and your knees would end up destroyed," he said, matter-of-factly as he joined me on the step. "Seriously though, are you okay?" I nodded, wiping away the sweat on my forehead once again.
"Just out of shape, but I'm not going to pass out or anything." Suddenly someone was standing before us, hidden in a shadow as the sun shined so brightly behind him.
"Hey, Jaxon," Sol said loudly and very obviously elbowing my side. I smacked his arm away as Jaxon moved so I wasn't blinded trying to look at him. He was looking between Sol and I with an eyebrow raised.
I spoke before either of them could. "It's not even fair how you can just zip zap around and I have to die before I can even run a mile." Sol was laughing next to me as Jaxon smiled.
"I never heard anyone call super speed zip zapping around." I wish I had another bottle so I could throw it at his face this time. "I still need to workout or I would be a much scrawnier man, zip zapping or not."
"Ha ha," I said, rolling my eyes.
Sol slapped my knee as he stood up, looking at Jaxon. "Your turn to babysit." Before I could smack him he was already off back down the road, finally running.
"I don't need a babysitter. It's not like I'm going to run away anywhere or run, actually." Jaxon chuckled as he held out a hand to help me up.
My mind flashed back to the Winter Solstice party where I was looking into a pair of clear eyes. Now I stared into the soft gray as I accepted his hand. With ease he lifted me up. My legs instantly turned to noodles and gave out on me. I shrieked, reaching for his shoulder and missing so I waited for the hit against the hard pavement. It never came. I peeked open an eye to find him watching me, his hands wrapped around my waist to keep me from falling.
"I literally think I am incapable of walking back," I breathed, noticing how close he was to my body. My head was titled back to be able to fully look up at his face that watched me like we were alone again on the dance floor.
In one swift movement, he had thrown me up on his back not even giving me a chance to reject this idea. My arms locked over his broad shoulders as my legs wrapped around his waist. He began walking. I was going to ask why he wasn't running as fast as he was capable of, but my eyelids began to droop as the exhaustion ran over me. The sun was keeping me so warm, even my body felt tired. I buried my head into his back, breathing in his scent of sunshine and smoke. With a content sigh, I was drifting to sleep.