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Midwinter Night came and went, and with it Perci. It was a rare hour that he spent with his friends. With the exceptions of meals and training, he wqas always gone. There were days that Eleni wondered about the contents of the mysterious letter she had been asked to deliver, but she knew that it had nothing to do with her. Still, her subconscious told her that Perci's constant disappearances were because of Cerid's letter.

When she delivered the letter, Eleni noticed that his eyes had softened at the envelope, as if he knew who it was from. Eleni's words had only made him smile more brightly, and she had wondered again about their relationship. It was a completely different matter when he read the letter inside. He just walked away from her, never saying a word.

After two weeks of wondering, Herne had amassed enough courage to ask. It had been agreed that a small birthday party would be held for Perci in the Green Library, but they had been hard pressed to convince him to attend. If they all asked together, there was surely no way that he could avoid the questions. He was surrounded by friends who were genuinely concerned.

Perci denied any such changes in his behavior and left at once.

"Simon," Herne said as he watched his friend go. "Follow him."

It was a suicide mission, and they all knew it. Perci had a temper that could match Myles', and he was quick to unleash it. Simon would be safe, though, because Perci saw him as a younger brother. Later that night, when Simon returned to the library-turned-haven, he was silent. Though Herne demanded answers, and it was obvious by the look in Simon's eyes that he had gotten one, Simon remained quiet.

"It's not my place to say," were his only words.

That had made the pages wonder even more. If the matter was grievous enough to haunt Perci for days and weeks, then it was serious. Eleni, was the only one among the pages who knew the affair had been started by Cerid's message. While it could have shed some light on the situation, she, like Simon, knew that it wasn't her place to tell.

Tired of speculating about the letter alone, Eleni confided in Lokejo. His initial response was to chuckle and ruffle her hair.

"Little one," he had emphasized the 'little'. "One day, you'll be writing letters to young men as well. It's not such a big mystery." Eleni was only confused even more. "It's a love letter, chick."

Understanding blossomed in her eyes, quickly followed by doubt.

"I don't think so," she asserted.

"You're young, still. You'll understand when you're older."

"No," she groaned. Eleni was beginning to tire of being considered 'too young' for the discussion. "I mean that Perci was upset after the letter. He's been vanishing for weeks!"

"He's off to meet her in secret," was Lokejo's casual reply. He chuckled at Eleni's blush. "When two people argue like you said they did, it's more than probable that they're in love. They just don't know how to express it. I'm willing to bet the letter was a confession."

"Then why keep it a secret?" Something was not right. If the letter had been a simple confession, then his reaction would have been different. Perci would not have just crumpled like he did. "His actions aren't those of someone in love. It's almost like he's-"

Her heart clenched in her chest. Cerid had been brought to the palace to be presented to the court. That was when marriage contracts were arranged. Even if they had loved each other, there was no hope now. The sigh, the weary looks, the hours he went missing after reading the letter. All of it made sense now. Eleni wished that it didn't.

"Like what, chick?" Eleni had stopped speaking mid-sentence.

"Heartbroken," she croaked. Her eyes had become misted. "Lokejo, it wasn't a love letter! She was rejecting him! Cerid was brought here to find a husband. Guess, she found one quickly."

Lokejo tried to sooth the desolate girl, but it was no use. Long after the midnight bell had been rung, Eleni was still crying for her friend.

Life was just not fair.

Dawn found Eleni in the same spot that midnight had seen her. Softly crying on her bed, wondering how Perci could handle the situation. Why wasn't he crying his heart out? Spiteful laughter brought her out of her trance.

"Look at the little chick, crying her little eyes out."

The crows were back, teasing her her as they were prone to do. The female from the first disturbance was their leader, and always the first to harass Eleni.

"Go away," she mumbled. After a full night of crying and no sleep, Eleni didn't have the strength to argue with them.

"What was that, chick?" Long ago they had learned to not enter her room, that the "dark one" would not allow it a second time.

"I think she fell out of her nest," said another crow. His jab was followed by laughter of his flock.

It was all the motivation Eleni needed to get out of bed. In less than a minute, she had crossed to the window and slammed the shutters closed.

"They are not what I need today." Furious hands rubbed at her eyes, but there was no way to mask her bloodshot eyes. Nothing would make the puffiness recede, and Eleni couldn't summon the will to use her Gift. Bowing down to the fact that today would be one of the most miserable days in her young life, Eleni set to getting dressed.

Lokejo knocked on the door a half-hour later, and when she didn't open the door, he let himself in. Eleni hadn't even made the effort to move away from her bureau. Sighing to himself for what would not be the last time that day, Lokejo took the brush from her hand. Ever so gently he placed his large hands on her slim shoulders and stared into the eyes of her reflection.

"Listen to what I'm going to say to you." Eleni gave the smallest of nods. "None of this is your fault. Compassion is a wonderful trait in a knight, but don't let it eat at you." He gave her a gentle shake. "Now go outside and stand proud. Perci isn't locked away in his room, moping for a lady. Besides, you're not even sure that's the problem."

He could only shake his head in disbelief as he wacthed her go.

Gods, preserve me. Lokejo feared the day his little girl would turn into a lovestruck, sobbing lady. Never let that day come.

Convinced that Eleni would brighten by lunch, he set to righting her room.

Outside of the room, Eleni had already hit a bump on the road to cheering up: Alexander of Tirragen.

While they had managed to avoid interacting for the most part, encounters were inevitable. Just as he was about to comment on her eyes, Pierina exited her room. Without being told to, Alex fell into step a few paces behind the frigid page. Eleni gave a sigh of relief. She hadn't really spoken to him since the day he had healed her cheek, and she meant to keep it that way.

As I was writing this chapter, I realized that I had never mentioned that Perci turned fifteen that winter. He's one of those kids whose birthday is all the way at the end of the year and are held back for it. Generally speaking, pages are ten when they begin page training, and Perci was almost eleven by the time he started.