After the strange incident in the library, it had taken a few days before Jaina laid eyes on her friend again. She had been sitting in the study alcove they normally occupied when he had mumbled a greeting and slid into the opposite seat, saying nothing of what had happened. Over the next couple of weeks, things seemed to revert back to a sense of normality, save for one thing. Kael always seemed distant now, as if something was on his mind. The blonde girl ached to ask him what the hell was going on, but she knew that it would be like squeezing water from a stone trying to get information out of the prince once his mind was made up.

No, instead she just put up with the 'yes, no, maybe' answers that he gave constantly and the inability to hold a conversation that lasted more than three sentences. It was so frustrating.

Though, perhaps the thing that puzzled Jaina the most was that even though something odd had obviously happened to Kael to put him in this sort of state and even though he didn't seem to want to converse with her very much, he always sook her out to spend time with her. More than once, she had looked up to catch him giving her a strange look that she couldn't describe. Before she had the chance to ask him just what it meant, he quickly averted his eyes and devoted his time to pretending that nothing had happened.

Jaina really was nearing the end of her tether, but for the sake of the friendship she thought they had, she bit her bottom lip and kept cutting words from escaping.

Currently, she was sitting in her quarters and pouring over a book that one of her tutors had given her, situated cross-legged on her bed. The exams were but a few days away and the common last-minute panic was beginning to settle in, as it always did with students. Jaina knew that she had the material down inside and out, but as always, there was a nagging doubt in the back of her mind that perhaps there was something that she had missed, some small paragraph somewhere or some minor incantation.

She had spent the whole day alone so far, having made excuses to get out of studying with her other fellow mages – she always felt she did better on her own; although there had been a small hope deep down inside her that perhaps Kael would've come up and requested her presence in the library. It was almost all he said to her lately, come to think of it. He'd just turn up at her door and ask her if she'd like to accompany him, and then she'd follow him down where afterwards they would study for hours in silence.

Recently, his expression seemed to be constantly off-colour and it worried Jaina a little. She had only known him for about a year now, but still- she had never seen him like this before. His bright green eyes almost seemed sorrowful every time she got a chance to meet them, as if something laid heavy on his mind and she got a feeling that he was slightly distracted from his studies, as well. She had caught glimpses of him walking down the paths of Dalaran looking furious, mana orbs either in his hand or floating around him signalling that he had been practicing his arcane- though something about this situation told Jaina that whatever he'd been practicing hadn't gone as well as he would've liked.

With a sigh, Jaina's fingers curled around the old leather book cover and firmly shut it. If she couldn't keep her mind on her own studies, then there was no point trying to cram information in. No… she needed to clear her head. Perhaps it'd be a good idea to go for a short walk as a break from all of this. The weather wasn't exactly favourable for walking, as rain was currently tapping gently against her closed window, but a little water had never stopped her before. The sound – and feel – of rain was comforting to her, and at the moment, a little comfort would be nice for a number of reasons.

Heaving herself off of her bed, she moved over her room to her coat-stand and shrugged on one of her cloaks, tying it securely around her neck. Once she was satisfied that she was well-equipped enough to venture outside, she disappeared from her room, leaving her books and notes lying forgotten on her bedcovers.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kael'thas was hiding.

Well, no, not really hiding, as such. More like he was recuperating in a rather… solitary way.

He had already spent half of his day in an incredibly mundane and boring meeting of the Kirin Tor, which had tested even his tolerance for old men that loved to waffle on about nothing in particular, and right now he was just trying to gather his mental faculties back to him by spending a little time tucked away in a forgotten alcove in the Dalaran library. It was a section that people didn't often come to- probably because some student had spread rumours of a haunting, or something equally ridiculous – but Kael wasn't about to complain about the lack of company.

He was slouching forward slightly, elbow on the table and head resting on his hand as his brilliant green eyes stared listlessly out of the window next to him. It was usually around this time of day that he'd make the journey up to Jaina's rooms and invite her down here to study, but because of his duties he had (regretfully) been unable to do that. Kael understood that he needed to be present at the meetings of the Kirin Tor, though, and that he had a lot to attend to as the prince of his people. After all, he'd been brought up to a life of duty and responsibility- yet still a small part of him wished that he could just ignore them for a day.

So much was clouding his mind at the moment. His exams and assessments were set for the day after tomorrow, though they didn't trouble him much at all. Child's play, really. He would admit to himself reluctantly that a few simple spells had gone awry recently, but Kael was keen to peg that down to lack of concentration rather than lack of ability, and-

The prince's train of thought was interrupted when a familiar face wandered past the stained glass window. Well, not so much interrupted so much as derailed and crashed- but it was hard not to look at Jaina whenever he saw her now. She had a cloak clasped under her chin and a blank look on her face as she walked through the rain, droplets of water trickling down to the bottom of the oiled cloak and then falling towards the ground.

An impulsive urge to rush outside and gather her up in his arms shot through Kael so powerfully that his expression turned to surprise, and he averted his eyes from the passing visage to stop it. Brow furrowing slightly at his own lack of self control, he was about to get up out of his seat and vacate the building when another (less beautiful, to say the least) face slid into the vacant chair across from him.

Estyr. One of his royal 'advisors', and also someone that Kael'thas tried desperately to avoid at all costs. Not because he was a fan of shirking from duty, but because he was one of the most annoying people on the face of the planet. Arrogant, self-absorbed and most certainly a pain in the ass.

"Going somewhere?" The other high elf drawled as he arranged himself neatly in the seat he had just occupied. Whilst Kael'thas held no loss of love for the other, he was by no means 'ugly'- and he knew it. The bone structure of his face was noble, obviously denoting that he was from a high-ranking family, though his nose was just a little too prominent to be considered handsome, making him look a little like a hawk. The small creases in the skin at the corners of his eyes was the only giveaway that he was probably quite a bit older than Kael, something that he'd probably never admit out loud. Long, waist-length flaxen hair was pulled neatly into a pony-tail at the back of his head, spilling over his shoulder as he leaned forward on the table, fingers clasping together as he regarded the rather melancholy looking prince.

"Not anymore." Kael grumbled, eyes not on Estyr, but instead on the slowly disappearing Jaina in the distance. As always, his advisor's timing was spectacular.

"Oh, really? Because it looks as if I just interrupted something. What's so interesting that you can't stop looking out of the window?"

"Nothing." The prince replied curtly, dragging his eyes away from the rainy scene in front of him to look at the other with a calculating glare. He'd already spent enough time with this man today during the Kirin Tor meeting, and he wasn't very eager to remain in his company. "Now, what do you want?"

"Always so haughty, Prince Sunstrider," Estyr countered in a mock-hurt tone, not phased in the least by Kael's irritability. "Why can't we just get along? It would make both of our lives so much easier."

Kael remained silent, refusing to reply and instead rolling his eyes, turning his head slightly to stare out of the window again. Estyr only waited a few moments before starting again, not caring about the lack of communication from his colleague.

"That aside," He continued, dropping the volume of his voice a little. "The situation in the north is reaching a critical junction. If it's not resolved soon, we're going to have to send some people up there to deal with it- after the seasonal exams, of course."

"I know." Kael's eyes lingered on the spot where Jaina had been just moments before, though his expression was one of barely concealed disinterest. Long fingers began to tap impatiently on the wood of the table they were both sitting at, creating a repetitive drumming sound. "We discussed this all morning, how could I forget? If that's all you have to tell me, then I think you've wasted your time in coming here."

His advisor frowned slightly at the scathing reply, but the attitude didn't disillusion him. "I received a messenger from your father but an hour ago."

That snapped Kael'thas out of his daydream. "What?"

"He suggests that you'd be a perfect candidate to go and resolve the situation, since he thinks that you need more 'hands-on' experience; especially considering your future career," Estyr explained with an annoyingly nonchalant tone, regarding the prince with a level gaze. "He was also thinking of sending a few of the more senior Dalaran students as protection, just in case things turned a little ugly… though, I'm sure it'll be fine. The Kirin Tor was mentioned as an entourage, but he doesn't want things to get escalated- you know how hot-headed they can be, don't you?"

"Fath—Anasterian said this?"

"In not so many words. You of all people know that the political stage is unstable at the moment- and even a group of rogues skulking around in the hills could trigger something off-"

"Yes, yes." Kael'thas grumbled, waving a hand dismissively. He wasn't afraid of going out to a potentially dangerous situation; it was just that it was coming at an inconvenient time. Going into battle when you couldn't even concentrate on the easiest of spells was not the best idea, but who was he to refuse a direct command from his father? "I'll arrange to go in a couple of days, then. That should give enough time to organize an escort and to ensure the completion of the first semester exams in Dalaran, as well- is that satisfactory?"

"Quite." Giving the prince a rather predatory grin, Estyr leaned back in his chair, the crimson and gold robes of state that he was currently draped in rustling as he did so. "I'll coordinate with you early tomorrow, then, once I receive the list of possible candidates to accompany you from the Archmage. I spoke with him straight after I received the message."

"Spectacular." Kael mumbled darkly, the prospect of having to deal with advisor at such a time not being the most appealing thing he could think of. Thoroughly done with discussing such mundane matters, he moved to get up and leave from the table, having no further business. After all, he had exams to prepare for, didn't he? "I'll await your consul."

"And I'll await your attention."

Begrudgingly nodding in Estyr's direction, Kael excused himself from his seat, straightening up before leaving the shrouded alcove he had originally come to for some solitude. Now it seemed as if he had a lot more on his mind than just his studies and Jaina. The weight on his mind showed as he navigated through labyrinth of bookshelves that made up the massive library by a slight frown creasing his brow, his emerald eyes appearing a lot duller than usual.

The situation was… tricky, to say the least. A little to the north, just past Hillsbrad and into the Alterac mountain range, there had been a few rumours of magi that had turned… mad. Not only were they dangerous due to both the power they wielded and the unpredictability of their movements, but civilians were starting to associate their erratic, violent behaviour with other Dalaran mages. The hatred they were stirring up by random killings, ambushes and 'accidents' was beginning to affect Dalaran's own reputation, something that could easily become a problem with the negative stigma that was getting attached to them.

What was even harder was to explain just what had turned them this way. There had been no explanation available as to why they had gone insane, which was probably what was worrying his father more than the fact that Dalaran's reputation was getting tarnished by proxy. Kael'thas was interested in politics and history, and therefore had studied the topics thoroughly over the years, under the watchful eyes of tutors back in his homelands. It was easy to see how a small situation like this could spiral out of control, having read about similar situations before- and the human saying, 'history repeats itself' was constantly running through his mind- and, no doubt, Anasterian's.

It looked as though the next couple of weeks were going to be very… eventful, to say the least.
Kael'thas only hoped that Estyr managed to assign a group of people to him that was tolerable so the mission could run all the more smoothly. Elune knows they needed all the help they could get.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

She had only gone on a short walk, cutting the length down because she had gotten the strangest feeling that someone had been watching her. Jaina had circled the gardens in the dreary weather, her flaxen hair now sticking wetly to her forehead despite the heavy cloak she had been wearing. Currently, it was hanging up where she had taken it from before she had gone, the leftover rain trickling down the creases of the fabric and dripping onto her floor.

It wasn't like she often got a feeling like someone had their eyes on her, either- no, there had been a certain electricity in the air that she couldn't quite place. Instead of feeling ill at ease and scared, it had felt familiar, like it was someone she knew- but that was preposterous. Really, what was she thinking? Perhaps all the studying she had been doing was finally going to her head and loosening the cogs up there. She wouldn't be surprised.

Letting loose a drawn-out sigh, Jaina gazed dejectedly at the books that were still littering her bed, just as she had left them. The walk had done little to calm her and the prospect of studying didn't particularly appeal to her right now, especially when her head was so unclear. Finally deciding to move over to her writing desk, she sat herself down at the proud oak table and pulled out a piece of parchment from a drawer to the left. She couldn't afford to be this way over the next few days- not with exams so close. Her father was proud to have her as his daughter and she had to maintain her studies so that she wouldn't disgrace him, so she was going to have to shake this.

Fingers curling around a quill that lay next to the inkpot in front of her, she paused momentarily before dipping the nib of the feather in. She figured it would be best to do what her mother had taught her to do, a failsafe that had worked so many times before. 'Perfect for clearing your head', she could remember her mother saying, the memory distant but as clear as the day she had been told.

'Write your thoughts down. Draw them out of your mind and onto the paper and it'll almost be like you're storing them somewhere else. It's an easy way to get rid of your worries, so why don't you try it, Jaina, dear?'

Needless to say, with the responsibilities that Jaina had ended up piling upon herself- studies as a magi, the functions that she had been required to attend with her parents, upholding the family reputation- she had ended up with quite a few pieces of paper, all of which she kept in the bottom drawer of her desk. Of course, they were all piled neatly into a small pine-wood chest that she had locked with her magic (and double-checked, at that) and even though she felt slightly childish still following the habit like gospel, it did seem to help her, funnily enough.

Drawing in a breath, her hand poised, Jaina touched the nib to the paper and began to write.

'Kael has been acting odd, lately. It seems almost as if he's preoccupied with something that he can't quite figure out, but he refuses to talk about it, as stubborn and 'prince-like' as ever…'