by Unknown
Rexajon almost stopped her to request a different table, but a glare from Solana stopped him. She looked directly at him as she purposefully sat down and picked up the menu.
Rexajon sat down, as well. “I just want to keep you safe, Princess,” he explained with a sigh.
“I know,” Solana replied. “And I understand. But there's a difference between protecting me and smothering me. Besides, this is your first time in London, too, right? You should have a good time, too!”
Rexajon chuckled. “This is not my first time in London,” he said. “We teleported here, didn't we?”
Solana had not put two and two together until that moment. “Oh,” was all she could say. “When did you...?”
“A lifetime ago,” he replied. “I fell in love with a sorceress, and she moved here. I followed her.”
Solana slowly nodded in understanding. She was ashamed to say, but it was hard to remember that Kuri and Rexajon had their own lives before they were assigned to take care of the youngest heir to the Wizterian throne. Moments like this reminded her of such. “What was she like?”
Rexajon smiled at the memory. "Beautiful," he replied. "Amazing. She had such raw energy. Full of life. Full of power. Full of dreams."
“What happened between you two?”
"The war," he answered. "She was not Wizterian. She had no reason to get involved. I, on the other hand, had a duty to the kingdom and the throne. And to you. She stayed here while I went back to Wizteria."
Solana fell silent for a moment. Her eyes lowered to the table. She felt terrible. Kuri and Rexajon were more than her caretakers and bodyguards. They were people, and every moment spent with her was part of their job. A job they have so far spent doing for more than fourteen years nonstop.
Her eyes shot back up at him when an idea struck her. “You said she stayed here?” Rexajon nodded.
“She did.”
“Let's go find her,” Solana volunteered.
Rexajon tensed at her suggestion. “Princess, I don't think...”
“Do you remember where she lives?” Solana interrupted.
“Well, yes, but Princess—.”
Solana hurriedly stood up. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up. “Come on! I bet she'll be super excited to see you after so long! Come on, come on, come on!”
Rexajon hesitated, but Solana's excitement was contagious. It would be very exciting to see her after so long. He chuckled and stood up.
Despite they were not served yet, he pulled a couple of crumpled bills out of his wallet and tossed them on the table.
He followed Solana out of the restaurant and out of the hotel. She looked at him. “We can catch the subway. Where does she live?”
He silently thought for a moment. “The closet stop would be Jubilee Station, I believe.”
Solana nodded, then dashed towards the station. Rexajon followed closely behind. She rushed down the stairs and tapped out the information needed to get two subway tickets. Once it went to the payment screen, she looked at Rexajon again.
He pulled out his wallet once more to feed money to the machine. It gave them two tickets in return. They took the tickets and rushed to the next available subway.
The subway was not crowded at all, but Solana did not bother taking a seat. She would just bounce right out with all the excitement bubbling within her now. She smiled at Rexajon a few times, then rushed to the window to watch the underground lights fly by. She looked back at Rexajon again to see an entertained grin on his face. "What?"
“Nothing,” he replied in slight amusement. “I've just never seen you so excited before. This has
nothing to do with you. Why are you so involved?”
Solana could not help herself. She smirked in response. “I'm just excited to meet someone that knew you before I did. I can't wait to ask if you've always been a stick in the mud, or if that's a recent change.”
Rexajon chuckled. “I'll have you know that I was the fun one of the relationship.”
Solana scoffed. “Yeah right,” she said sarcastically.
Rexajon adjusted in his seat to lean against the window. "It's true," he insisted. "Evelyn Fields was always so cautious. She was very powerful, but she never liked to use her magic, even when it was just the two of us. She heard rumors of human burning magic users at the stake."
Solana frowned. She took a seat beside Rexajon, now fully invested in the story. “What? But that was hundreds of years ago. Humans have come a long way.”
“Because magic users went into hiding,” Rexajon explained. “This generation of humans have never seen real magic. But, to your point, yes. Humans have come a long way, and that is what I told her. She liked to play it safe, though.”
“But if she thought that way, why did she move here in the first place?” Solana asked with a small frown.
“Good question,” Rexajon sighed. “That would be something to ask when we see her, hm?” Solana nodded. “Are you excited to see her again after so long?”
Rexajon thought about his answer for a moment, then shrugged. “I don't know,” he finally replied.
“It's been a long time, Princess. I'm not sure what to expect.”
“Well, I think you should be excited. True love never fades. She'll be thrilled to see you again after so long.”
Rexajon chuckled. “I've learned not to get my hopes up too much. Times change. People change.
People, especially. They'll throw you a curveball every time. You'll learn that as you grow.”
Solana opened her mouth to object, but stopped when the subway intercom sounded. "Approaching the next stop: Jubilee Station." A moment after, the subway came to its destination, the brake screeching loudly as they slowed the train to a full stop.
Rexajon stood. “Come, little one.”
Solana followed him off the subway and up the stairs to the street above. “Where to now?” she asked.
Rexajon gestured west, then walked in that direction. They walked until they turned a block and entered a street of brownstones. Muscle memory kicking in, he walked to the correct door without thinking about it. He knocked on the door before his mind could catch up with his actions.
Once his mind caught up, though, his eyes widened in horror. “What did I just do...?” Solana grinned. “Something I thought I'd have to do for you.”
The door opened, revealing a boy that looked to been eleven or twelve. “Can I help you?” Solana's smile fell at the sight of him. Did they get the wrong house? It had been years. Did Evelyn move? “I'm sorry,” she spoke for them both. “We're looking for someone named Evelyn Fields. I think we've got the wrong place.”
“Evelyn?” the boy asked. “That's my mum.”
“Oh,” Solana said dumbly. “Your mom?”
The boy nodded. “That's right. Well, except she's Evelyn Cross now. She's not home right now, but my dad is. Can I get him for you?”
So, Evelyn did live here. Not only that, but her son and her son's father lived here as well. There was hardly a chance that she would be interested in rekindling a romance older than her child. Even if she did, without even consulting each other, Rexajon and Solana knew they would do nothing that would break up this family. There was only one thing left to do: go home.
Solana looked at Rexajon, but to her surprise, he seemed emotionless at the new development.
Instead, he smiled and shook his head. “No, it's late enough as it is. It was silly of us to even stop by at this hour, especially without notice. Take care.”
He turned to leave. The boy called after them, “Should I tell her you stopped by, then?”
“No,” Rexajon said. It sounded neutral to anyone that did not know him, but to a trained ear like Solana's the defeated tone in his voice was almost too much to bear. “She doesn't need something like that disrupting her life. Have a good night.”
The kid nodded. “You too,” he replied. With that, he closed the door.
Solana looked at the shut door, then back at Rexajon. “Rexaj
on...”
“Come, Princess,” he said softly. “We should get back to the hotel. We have an early start tomorrow. We're catching the first train to Stonehenge.”
Solana watched pathetically and helplessly as Rexajon started to walk without her. Under normal circumstances, he would never let her stray behind. He always had a sharp eye watching her. That simple action was enough to show her just exactly how much it hurt. The worse part was that there was nothing she could say to make him feel better. So, she simply followed him silently.
The trip back on the subway was much somber than the trip there. Solana sat motionless in her seat.
She glanced at Rexajon, who stared out the window with no motion on his face.
She felt terrible because he felt terrible, and it was all her fault. What made her want to go on this grand adventure anyway? Rexajon did not want to. It was all her idea. After ruining his life fourteen years ago, she proceeded to stick her nose where it did not belong to remind him exactly how it felt when she ripped him away from the person he loved.
“R-Rexajon...,” she said weakly. She could feel the tears bubbling in her eyes. “I-I'm so sorry.” Rexajon did not reply. He kept looking out the window, which made her feel even worse. She continued. “Y-you were right to stay in the hotel. I-I...gosh, I'm dumb. It wasn't enough to cause my own heartbreak with these stupid adventures of mine, but I went and hurt you, too. I'll listen to you from now on.”
She sniffled. A tear escaped, breaking the dam. Tear after tear ran down her face. “I'm so sorry, Rexajon.”
Rexajon finally turned in her direction. His expression changed from neutral, to confusion, then to concern. “Princess?!” he said in surprise, rubbing her back to comfort her. “Why are you crying?”
Solana rubbed her face, but the tears would not stop. “Y-you didn't hear me?”
Rexajon shook his head. “I'm sorry, I was thinking.”
“About how I dug up a lot of pain for you?”
Rexajon flashed a look of confusion again. "What? Princess, no. About how Evelyn was so adamant about avoiding me that she transformed herself into a child and lied to us."
“Wait, what?” Solana was able to quiet her crying down to the occasional sniffle. “So the little boy...?”
"Was Evelyn herself," Rexajon explained. "I would recognize her energy signature anywhere. Not even her child would be able to match it so perfectly. She made it expressively clear that she did not want to see me, so I played along."
“But, you were so disappointed...”
Rexajon shrugged. “Because she was willing to lie to get rid of me. I suppose it stung a little. I didn't mean to make you think you were to blame, little one. You did nothing wrong.”
Solana sighed. “Except cause you to leave her in the first place,” she muttered. “If you weren't stuck guarding me, you would be happy right now.”
“What?” Rexajon looked at her with confusion for the third time. “Is that what this whole thing is about? Princess, joining your guard was my decision and mine alone. You have no blame to shoulder because I don't have any negative feelings about it.”
“I've cost you fourteen years of your life. Fourteen years you could have spent with your true love.”
Rexajon sighed and ran his hand through his hair, unsure what to make of the mess Solana's thinking
caused. “Alright, I feel like I have some explaining to do,” he started slowly. “First, you know that every dragon has a mate, right?”
Solana nodded. “Kuri taught me that.”
Rexajon smiled. “She taught me, too. Most dragons are well over two thousand years old before they meet their mate. I'm only 1500. Evelyn was not my mate. I knew it when I met her. I loved her, but it was puppy love and nothing more.
“Second, our hearts were in two different places. She loved her craft. She loved to learn different kinds of magic. That was why she came to Wizteria in the first place—to learn the ways of dragon magic. Meanwhile, my heart belonged to my king and his family. I knew when I left for Earth that I would return to serve. We were going in different directions. Her place was wherever magic took her.
My place was wherever Wizteria took me. You're very loved. You're the key to the kingdom's future.
When I learned that my mission was to look after you, I was honored. Now that I've gotten the chance to know you, I feel that tenfold. I've learned so much from watching over you. You've made me a better dragon. I am forever grateful for that.
“Third, Evelyn is not a dragon. Her lifespan is that of an average human. Not even magic can affect that. Fourteen years is nothing for me. For her, it was a large chunk of her lifetime. When I left, we knew it would be indefinitely. We never talked about me coming back. I never planned to come back. I was surprised by her avoidance, but I was not hurt by it. You've done nothing wrong. In fact, I'm honored you cared so deeply about my happiness that you were willing to chase any lead. Your heart was in the right place.”
“But... if Evelyn wasn't your mate, how will you find her if you're always guarding me?” Rexajon shrugged. He chuckled and teased, “Who knows? Maybe you're my mate.”
As soon as Solana processed his words, her face turned a deep shade of red. He chuckled again at her reaction. “Kidding,” he laughed, giving her forehead a poke. “Just worry about saving my mother
and saving the kingdom, why don't you? You have plenty on your plate without worrying about mates and the sort. There's plenty of time to worry about that.”
Solana smiled at him and nodded. “Deal,” she agreed.
They got off at their subway stop and made their way back to their hotel room. Knowing that things were good between them, Solana peacefully fell asleep soon after.
Rexajon, on the other hand, lay awake in his bed for some time. He stared at the ceiling as he thought.
Everything he told Solana was true. He was not hurt by Evelyn's deception, but it did surprise him. They were in a good place when their relationship ended. There were no hurt feelings. There were no tears.
Why had she gone out of her way to avoid him?
Did she feel something for him? Did he hurt her when he left?
A part of him wished that he dared to go back to her house and ask Evelyn directly, but the other part —the logical part reminded him that he had a mission. He shifted to his side, looking in Solana's direction. There was no sense of curiosity that was stronger than his sense of duty for protecting Princess Solana. He would have to bury any lingering questions for her sake. At least, that was what he told himself to go sleep that night.
It worked. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Chapter Three
The next morning kicked out exactly how they planned.
Solana and Rexajon caught the first train to Stonehenge. It was still early, so Solana opted to sleep on Rexajon's arm as they traveled. He was tired, too, not used to the time difference, but Rexajon stayed up. He rarely slept on trips. There were too many variables. He hated variables.
Instead, he watched the British countryside quickly pass by. The train sat high in the sky, making it easy to see everything. To add to that, it was a beautiful day, a little windy, but sunny. He chuckled inwardly. It helped to have the Sun Goddess's daughter with him to guarantee that.
He scanned the train car. The sun barely peeked into the car, weakly lighting an otherwise dark and quiet area. He could count the number of people in it. A doctor behind him that, like Solana, used the travel time to sleep. A little boy that played video games in the corner. A teen girl sending text message after text message on her phone. And of course, them: two dragons looking for a magical orb.
Rexajon relaxed in his seat and closed his eyes. Maybe he could follow Solana's lead and get some sleep before the train stopped. After all, there were not even enough people on the train to cause a ruckus. He chuckled. Unless the little boy decided to throw a colossal tantrum that even his mother could not handle.
His eyes shot open as a realization suddenly
hit him. Hard.
Where were the kid's parents? He sat up at looked to the child's seat, but it was empty. Thinking about it, there was a lot wrong. Who was that teen texting at six a.m.? Even better question—why was she not in school? Why was a doctor in scrubs taking a train to a tourist site instead of a hospital?
He shook Solana awake. Her eyes fluttered open. “Rex...?” she asked groggily.
“Stay alert,” he whispered quickly. “There's something wrong here.”
Solana sat up and frowned. “What is it?”
The little boy stepped beside her. Rexajon's eyes narrowed. Where did he come from? “Excuse me,” he said in a small voice, tugging on her sleeve a little. “Could you take me to the bathroom, please?”
“Go yourself,” Rexajon snapped.
Solana's frowned deepened. “Rexajon!” she said in an appalled voice. “He's just a kid!”
“Yeah, I thought so, too,” Rexajon said. He stood and pulled Solana away from the child. He flashed angry eyes at him. “I can't even see an energy signature from you. What kind of cloaking spell are you using?”
The boy maintained a look of confusion and fear. “What are you talking about? You're being scary!”
“I'll find out myself,” Rexajon growled. He waved a glowing hand in the boy's direction.
“Rewoathole!”
The magic hit the boy directly, sending him roughly into the wall. The boy grunted, then collapsed to the floor. “Oh my goodness!” Solana said in horror, cupped her mouth with her hand. “Rexajon!”
Rexajon pointed to the boy's crumpled form. “Look.”
The boy's body glowed and changed shape before their eyes. It bulged out of his shirt. His hands sharpened into claws. His teeth grew rigid until they stuck out of his mouth. His skin turned an ugly shade of green.
Solana's stomach dropped. She hated it when Rexajon was right. "What is that thing?"
“A golem,” Rexajon answered, eyes focused on the creature in front of them. “Someone built him to carry out their dirty work. Based on his skin, I'd say this one is made of frogs.”
As though to confirm Rexajon's theory, the golem let out a loud croak. It launched towards them.
