The Three Musketeers
A/N I'm sorry it took so long to update. My computer is currently out of commission so I had to write this on my phone. Hope you're all still with me! This chapter is shorter than the others, so I apologize for that as well.
As the three boys and Helios enjoyed one another's company, the darkness faded into daylight and they finally saw where they were. Helios had taken them into the mountains, figuring that was the safest place for them. He stood up and turned to the young boys, noticing that Zoisite had fallen asleep. Jadeite and Nephrite were talking quietly amongst themselves. Helios cleared his throat and the pair stopped talking and turned to look at him.
"I'm going to go look for something for you three to eat" he explained. "If Zoi- er, our new friend wakes up while I'm gone, tell him I'll be back soon." Jadeite and Nephrite nodded and resumed their conversation as Helios turned to walk into the nearby woods. As he strode through the trees, he became lost in thought.
How could I have been so careless? I almost let it slip that I know who that boy is. If they found out, and they found out what I did, there's no way they would trust me. Helios exhaled sharply and tried to regain his composure. After he calmed down, he decided to head back to the makeshift campsite he and the boys had set up the night before. When he arrived, he noticed that Zoisite was awake, chatting happily with the other two. When they heard him arrive, they turned and smiled at him. Their joy at his return quickly faded to confusion as they realized Helios was empty handed.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Jadeite asked, furrowing his brow. Helios stared back at the boy and thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered.
"I'm sorry" he said quietly, bowing his head slightly. "I guess I got distracted." Hearing this surprised Jadeite, as Helios was normally not the type to forget things so easily.
"That's okay…" Jadeite replied, feeling that something was off. He shrugged the feeling off and smiled at Helios, then joined Nephrite and Zoisite while Helios decided to try looking for food again. He walked back into the trees, and as he searched, a rustling noise in the trees startled him. He carefully turned, seeing what looked like the bottom of a woman's skirt disappearing into the grove of trees. Before he could catch a glimpse of the mysterious woman, she was gone. He noticed something sitting underneath a tree. As he came closer, he could see it was a basket filled with fruits, bread and fish. A vibrant purple ribbon was tied around the handle. Helios picked up the basket and headed back to Jadeite and the others. When he returned carrying the basket, the boys eyes widened.
"Where did you get that?" Jadeite asked. Helios shrugged, explaining that he just found it. Nephrite wrinkled his nose and thought for a moment, then his eyes drifted to the purple ribbon on the basket's handle.
"I know that ribbon" he murmured, and Jadeite turned to look at him.
"You do? Whose is it?" he asked curiously. Nephrite shook his head and sighed, turning his body away from the other boy.
"It's not important….it belonged to someone I'll probably never see again…" Nephrite said quietly. Jadeite reached over and playfully poked his friend, chuckling.
"Was it a girlfriend?" he teased, and Nephrite shook his head.
"No, it wasn't like that" he huffed, blushing. "Girls are weird. I don't think I'd want a girlfriend" he chuckled, and Jadeite nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right." He fell silent as his mind drifted back to the night he and his mother had the same conversation, and he smiled. "But I think if I ever had one, she'd be really pretty, smart, and strong. Maybe even stronger than me."
"Yeah, me too" Nephrite said with a smile. "Hey, do you believe in, you know, myths and stuff like that?" he asked, turning toward Jadeite. The blonde boy thought for a moment then shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe" he said. "My mom told me a story One time about a princess on Mars who could control fire. I think that would be kind of cool if it were true."
"Yeah, mine told me about a princess on Jupiter" Nephrite said. "She sounds like she'd be sort of scary if she were real, but maybe not" he said with a shrug. The two boys turned to Zoisite, who had not spoken in a while. "What about you?" they asked. He smiled shyly and shrugged
"When I was a baby, someone told me a story about a princess on Mercury. I don't remember much about it, or who it was that told me" he said sadly. "I wish I knew where I came from" he murmured. The other ywo boys looked at Zoisite, their eyes filled with empathy.
"Hey, don't worry about that, okay?" Nephrite said with a grin. "We're your family now." Jadeite nodded in agreement, and Zoisite's eyes widened.
"Do you really mean it? " he asked, his eyes brimming with tears. The two older boys smiled at him.
"Of course we do" Jadeite said softly, patting Zoisite on the shoulder. "We all know what it's like to feel alone, and there's no way we're going to let you feel that way anymore." Zoisite smiled back at the two boys and tried to hold back the gears that stung the backs of his eyes.
"Don't ever leave me" Zoisite pleased, his voice nearly a whisper.
"We never will. You're stuck with us" Nephrite assured the young boy, pulling him into a hug. Jadeite joined in the embrace, and Helios watched their unteraction, smiling to himself.