Daybreak's Crest: A Zodiac Story

Chapter 20: Sunlit Loch Etive

Author's Note: Daybreak's Crest – where I jumble real myths and legends into a big soup of something for our main characters to wade through. A note that the tale of the Deidre of the Sorrows (and the Salmon of Knowledge) is actually a real Irish myth, if anyone's interested in that!

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Night passed by uneventfully. Dinner was yet another meal of rations; fruit, beef jerky and for a touch of flavour, (harmless) mushroom with spice, prepared by Taurus. Night watch was unremarkable and everything seemed to go too smoothly as they packed up and set out again towards the town of Vesper.

"Hey, Cancer."

"What?" Cancer grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as they continued to walk. Her feet still ached from last night and the various bruises from their tumble down the stairs the night before were finally getting to her.

Sagittarius leaned in towards her, her lips almost brushing the shorter girl's ears. (Cancer found this slightly disconcerting and shuffled a few steps away, muttering something about "personal space".) "You see Leo?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't?"

"Don't you think he keeps on looking at Libra?"

"What?" Cancer glanced at the blond-haired knight, who was engaged in conversation with Capricorn yet once again. (Capricorn seemed to really like pestering him with questions about knighthood...)

"Yeah, but he never talks to Libra – like, not as much as the rest of us!" Sagittarius whispered back. "You think that... maybe he likes Libra!"

Cancer would've choked on water if she was drinking it, but she wasn't, so all she could do was gasp and choke on air (which still hurt her throat as much as choking on water would). "WHAT?!"

"Are you alright?" Virgo mustered the courage to ask the grumpy girl, giving Cancer a nervous look.

"Yes, I'm fine." Cancer said impatiently, then lowered her voice again. "I mean... what?! They've hardly spoken to each other and Leo literally just joined the Zodiacs yesterday! You're just seeing things!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to theorise!" Sagittarius protested.

"What'cha guys whispering about?" Gemini bounced over; well, as well as a person with a sprained ankle could bounce.

"Nothing."

"Well –"

"Sagittarius, do not tell her."

Gemini looked between them, hurt flickering over her face. "If you didn't want me –"

Cancer sighed. "No, no! It's just... I'm sorry." Cancer took a deep breath, preparing herself for the tirade to follow. "Don't tell anyone else... especially not Libra or Aquarius, because they'll freak. And especially not Leo. But Sagittarius thinks that –"

"– that Leo finds Libra attractive!"

This earned a very similar response from Gemini.

"WHAT?!"

"Are you lovely ladies alright?" Leo asked, turning around from his conversation with Capricorn to give them a worried look. "You've been –"

"NOTHING!" They all yelled at the same time.

"They're always like this..." Aries muttered to Leo as they continued to walk.

"You said..." Gemini choked on her next words. "Sorry, but..."

"Shh!" Sagittarius flapped her arms about. "It's just that Leo keeps on looking at Libra like he wants to say something to him but can't – look, there it is again!"