This flaming guardian could be your worst nightmare...
She froze. He admitted it finally and she froze. What could that mean? Did she loathe that he had said it? Was she trying to figure out how to reject him? A crippling fear swamped the stallion and he had to pause and close his eyes to regain composure. Then she finally spoke… or rather snapped.
"Shard has been the ghost on your shoulder since day one. I have always felt that I can’t stand up to his memories, to the trauma of what he did to you." He murmured, feeling like a sail that had lost the wind. The massive stallion felt deflated. Her vulnerable eyes tore at his heart and he wanted nothing more than to crush her to his side and comfort her. But at the same time he was afraid that she would push him away.
Her words were hesitant and slot, but there was something there that felt like a whip to his heart. She didn’t want him to leave his court. Did she not want him at her side? Was this the start of her rejection? The thoughts alone were painful and he had to close his eyes as she continued. "I may mess up and do the wrong thing, but I would never lie to you. No matter what. Anything I say is completely true and I mean every word." He paused, reveling in the cool touch of her flesh against his. He was in it this deep… might as well finish throwing himself at her hooves. Oriens knew that he would probably pay for it later when she called him nothing more than her friend again. "I love you Bel. I have for a long time now…" He admitted.
"I am not mad at you… I am furious with myself and will probably kick myself later for doing this all wrong… but there is nothing to forgive from you. You had no way of knowing. I think I was more defensive than angry when I spoke…" He admitted as she pulled away, feeling the loss of her touch like a dying man in the desert without water.
Sol chuckled and tucked his wings before kneeling to allow the filly to get to the ground. She stared at her father, eyes wide and anxious. "You are safe. There is no one else in the world that I would trust as much as Bel." He murmured to the filly, causing her to relax and turn her gaze to the aquatic mare. "I didn’t steal her. I went to the peak and found her at the base of Oriens’s statue. Below Zero, this is Alfajiri." He introduced the pair as the filly took a few steps toward Bel.
"Hello." She greeted, though her voice was still a little shaky due to the unease from witnessing the mess between the adults. Sol grinned as she spoke, turning his gaze to Bel to see how she would react, what she would say.
@‘Below Zero’
Notes: Oh my heart
