A Mysterious New Friend

The next morning, Nephrite woke up feeling rested. He looked out the window and watched the rain water drip from the trees into the grass, smiling to himself. Quiet days like this were the kind he treasured most. He could see Sophia outside, hanging their freshly washed laundry on the line to dry. He excitedly got out of bed and ran outside, the wet grass sticking to his bare feet. Once he reached Sophia, he greeted her cheerfully.

"Good morning, mama" he said with a smile. She finished hanging up the last of the laundry, then leaned down to embrace him.

"Good morning" she said, smiling back at him. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty well, I guess…" Nephrite said, his voice trailing off slightly as he spoke. Sophia looked at him, mildly concerned.

"Is everything okay?" Nephrite nodded and smiled again.

"Yeah, the rain just kept waking me up" he explained.

"I'm sorry" Sophia said sympathetically. "What are you planning to do today?"

"I don't know yet" Nephrite replied with a shrug. Sophia thought for a moment, then knelt down beside him.

"I have an idea. How about you go get dressed, then we can go into town. I have a few things I need to get" she suggested. Nephrite's eyes lit up and a smile broke out across his face.

"Okay!" he agreed, then turned to run inside and change. After a few moments, he was standing in the front doorway, ready to go.

"Looks like someone's eager to get out of here" Sophia said with a giggle. Nephrite stepped outside and walked up next to her, smiling and nodding.

"Is dad coming too?" he asked, looking around for Noah. Sophia giggled again and shook her head.

"No, he had some things he needed to do today, so it's just going to be you and me" she explained. A moment later, the pair were on their way.

They arrived at the market, finding that it was extremely busy. As they maneuvered their way through the seemingly never ending crowd, Sophia grabbed Nephrite's hand and looked down at him, her face stern but calm.

"Make sure you stay by me. I don't want you to get lost" she commanded. Nephrite looked up at her and nodded.

"Yes, mama." Sophia smiled down at him then turned to peruse the various stands. The merchants were selling different varieties of produce, fish and numerous other things. As she was deciding what to buy, Nephrite was watching the people around him. Someone in the crowd caught his eye, and he couldn't help but stare. The man he spotted was dressed in white, and had a cloak over his clothes that covered nearly everything but his face. The man turned toward Nephrite and their eyes met. Embarrassed that he had been caught, Nephrite blushed and quickly turned his head away. After a moment, he carefully looked back and noticed that the man was gone. It was as though he had vanished into thin air. Nephrite was quickly brought back to reality by the sound of Sophia's voice.

"Which apples should we get?"

"W-What?" Nephrite stuttered as he turned to look at her.

"Which apples do you think we should get?" Sophia asked again, confused. "Are you alright?" Nephrite nodded as he felt the blush fade from his face.

"Get the red ones. I like them the best" he said with a smile, and Sophia picked up a small bag of the fruit and placed it in her basket. They then got everything else they needed, and decided to leave before it became more crowded. When they arrived back home, they were surprised to see someone standing in front of their house. As they got closer, Nephrite's eyes widened. He recognized the white clothing the man was wearing, and the cloak that was covering his head. The gravel crunched under their feet as they walked up, and the man turned to face them.

"Can I help you?" Sophia asked cautiously. Without a single word, the man smiled and pulled the hood of his cloak down, and she gasped. "Oh,. It…it's you!" Nephrite looked up at her, then back at him, and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Do you know him, mama?" he asked, confused. Sophia stood in silence, only able to shake her head in response.

"Yes, I do" she finally said, her voice regaining its natural calmness. "He's…an old friend" she explained, smiling softly. The man stepped forward and bowed his head slightly.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Nephrite" he said. His voice was soft, but at the same time, commanded respect. Nephrite gulped, trying not to let his intimidation show.

"It's nice to meet you, too" he replied, his voice shaking. The man sensed his fear and chuckled softly.

"You don't have to be afraid" he said, and Nephrite instantly calmed down.

"Nephrite, this is Helios" Sophia explained. "He is the guardian of this Kingdom."

"So, you're a King?" Nephrite asked. Helios shook his head and chuckled again.

"No, not exactly."

"He's a little more important than that" Sophia interjected, giggling.

"I don't understand…" Nephrite said, blushing slightly. A single raindrop fell from the sky and landed on Nephrite's head, sliding down onto his face. Sophia looked up and noticed that the sky had turned to a dark grey.

"Why don't we go inside? I can make some tea, and we can talk more." She headed in, and Nephrite and Helios followed her. As soon as they were inside, the rain started falling harder.

"Well, it looks like we got inside just in time, right?" Helios said, winking playfully at Nephrite. Nephrite smiled shyly at him.

"I guess so" he said quietly. Silence filled the room, and luckily, it didn't feel awkward at all. There was something familiar about Helios, but Nephrite couldn't put his finger on what it was. Sensing his confusion, Helios leaned forward in his seat and began to fill in the blanks for the boy.

"I've known your parents since before you were born" he explained. "I told them that you were going to grow up and do amazing things" he said, and Nephrite tilted his head in response.

"I am?" he asked, still confused. Helios nodded and continued speaking.

"Yes. However, I can't tell you what those things are just yet." Hearing this, Nephrite's face fell and he sunk down in his chair. A short moment later, Sophia entered the room carrying a tray that held a steaming teapot and three cups. She set it on the table and poured the tea, then sat down next to Helios.

"I'm sorry that took so long" she said apologetically. Helios smiled at her and sighed contentedly.

"Don't worry about it" he assured her. "Nephrite and I were just talking, weren't we?" he asked, turning to Nephrite. Nephrite smiled and sat up.

"Yes, we were" he said, nodding his head. He wanted to know what Helios meant earlier, but he knew he would have to wait to find out. As he, Sophia and Helios talked, the storm finally passed and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

"I suppose I should be going" Helios said, standing up and turning to face Sophia and Nephrite. "Thank you for allowing me into your home. I hope you two stay well. Give my regards to Noah" he said with a smile. Sophia nodded and smiled at him.

"I will. Thank you for visiting us, Helios. It was a pleasure to have you. come back anytime, alright?"

"I will" Helios chuckled, and Sophia followed him to the door. She and Nephrite watched as he left, and when they could no longer see him, Sophia closed the door. She looked down at Nephrite and smiled.

"So, did you two find something interesting to talk about?" she asked.

"Yeah, we sure did" he responded, smiling back at her. He gazed dreamily out the window, sighing happily. This was the perfect way to end the day.