Snowbaz Oneshots

It Starts With the Sun (Part 2)

Part Two: You Were My New Dream

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Baz

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I swear.

The horse's muzzle inches from my face is not fucking kidding me.

I curse at it some more and try to shoo it away, but it just edges further into my personal space, refusing to let me get up off my back, as if waking me up from my peaceful slumber wasn't enough. My body aches from lying on the ground for so long, as it usually does, but I slept better last than I remember any other time in my life.

Snow must've never woken me up.

"Hey Baz!" he says, right on cue. He's sharpening a dead branch with a rock.

"Got bored and made a new weapon?" I ask.

He smiles. "Exactly. I see you've met Penny."

"Penny?" Upon hearing its name, the horse is encouraged to lift a hoof and try to gut me, which I just barely dodge by rolling. "The horse who has been stalking me has a name?"

"Well, obviously. Look." Simon steps towards us and coaxes the horse into a calmer state simply by placing his palm on its neck. He scratches at its chin, and when its head is lifted, I can see the pendant hanging on its chest, emblazoned with royal gold. It reads Penelope as clear as day.

"See? She's got a necklace and everything."

"Indeed she does," I reply, finally taking the chance to stand. Penny immediately goes ramrod rigid and stalks towards me.

"Hey, easy," Simon cuts in, giving the horse another pet. She nibbles affectionately on one of his freshly cut curls. "Don't worry. He'll grow on you eventually."

Penelope and I both huff, her disbelieving, me, offended.

"She'd rather personally drag me to a jail cell then get along with me," I say. "She's hell-bent on justice, maybe even more so than her human rider."

Simon shrugs. "Maybe she was just taught to be that way," he says, choosing his words with a certain degree of purpose. I pick up on it but decide not to press; I'm still feeling raw from unloading my heart onto him last night.

"Ready to go?" he asks. "Maybe we can find something to eat!"

"How are you so peppy this early in the morning, running on no sleep?"

"I dunno. And I can just nap later, if you're worried."

"Not worried," I mumble, but Simon just laughs and nudges me in the shoulder. My lie was quite an obvious one.

After making sure the fire is completely out, doused, and scattered, we start preparing to enter the town. It must've rained sometime in the night or early morning, because we're both soaking wet. I cast spells for warmth on Simon and I, and then a healing one on my nose, now that I've thought of it.

Simon frowns at me. "What happened to your nose?"

"You broke it with a pan," I supply with a snort, and he flushes a deep shade of crimson.

"Right. Sorry about that. In my defence, we barely knew each other."

"Water under the bridge," I say easily. Then, I add as I remember: "And happy birthday, Simon."

He smiles wide.

We both want to ride on Penelope to take a break from walking. However, I can't risk mounting her without being thrown into the nearest creek (the horse is rather fierce, I'll give her that), and Simon is too chivalrous to make me walk on my own, so we end up just traipsing along like the unusual trio we are.