As soon as the words had escaped his lips, Apollo’s nervous gaze fell, almost afraid to see the changes that would surely occur in Phaedra’s expression. He had just exposed everything to her, all of his truths and feelings, hopes and dreams… Did he hope that one day, Phaedra would love him in return? Yes, yes he did, with every fiber of his being. Yet, no matter how much he wanted it, Apollo would never force Phaedra to do anything that she didn’t want to do, and that included being with him. If she found someone who stole her heart completely and utterly, and caused her eternal happiness, then the black and white overo would smile and be happy for her. For to him, that was all that mattered.

How it had happened? Apollo wasn’t sure. When he had first come into Helovia and had been graced by Phaedra’s beauty, he had been stunned and captivated from the beginning… And yet, it had morphed from simple curiosity to true, heart-felt admiration and adoration. He loved her like he had never loved anything else in the world, and finally… She knew. She knew… It was like a weight lifted off of his shoulders, but was immediately replaced with the fear of how the cursed Pegasus would react. Would she condemn him for his affection? No, of course not… Phaedra would never do something like that, even if she didn’t feel the same.

Heaving in a trembling breath, Apollo hesitantly lifted his gaze, resting his soft, almost sad eyes upon Phaedra’s sunken face. She took a step towards him, an expression upon her face that the unicorn simply couldn’t place. He gazed into her eyes, and even though he noticed the lack of shine and spark due to her horrible curse, there was no way that he could miss the pure adoration that shone in her gaze. It relieved the tension that had steadily been building in his chest, and an uncertain smile tugged at the corners of his dark lips.

In the next few moments, he had a chest full of Phaedra, the Pegasus pushing her forehead into the soft muscles of his chest. The stallion lowered his head, letting out a soft breath through his nostrils, and pressed his cheek fondly against the sinewy muscles of her neck. He could feel the twitches in the mare before him as she lifted her wings to wrap around him, and unwillingly, the stallion’s eyes fell closed in the comforting embrace. Phaedra may not look the same as she did, cursed as she was, but that didn’t mean that their connection was any different. He loved her, he always would…

“I promise.” The words fell from Apollo’s lips without his knowledge, despite knowing that logistically, there was no way he could fulfill such a promise. War was war; some would come home and some wouldn’t. Yet, right now, wrapped in Phaedra’s loving embrace, he would deny her nothing. “I promise you, Phae, I’ll come back to you.” Pressing his cheek more firmly into her neck, Apollo sucked in her scent, placing it in his mind to remember until the end of his days. It would be Phaedra’s faith in him, and her adoring eyes that would push him on the battlefield, that would be his reason to fight and kill.

“Just please, while I’m away… Take care of yourself, alright? I worry about you, Phae.”

We Don't Have to Miss Each Other
We Don't Have to Fix Each Other
We Don't Have to Say Forever
You Don’t Have To Stay Forever
Come Over