As always, I dedicate this to my wonderful reviewers. You give me ideas and inspiration!

After a relatively late night of cake and laughter, getting up on time difficult. The appointed time to meet was two bells before dawn, but the impromptu birthday party had lasted until midnight. If it hadn't been for Lokejo personally waking up half of them, Eleni and her friends would have been late. They were all a little groggy, but they arrived at the stables before Lord Padraig.

More than one stable hand laughed at the sleepy pages.

What roused they pages was the unfamiliar, silver-white mare that was outfitted to ride out that morning. None of them had ever seen her, except for Eleni, and it was rare to see a stranger's horse in these stables. Eleni looked about nervously, knowing who the mare belonged to.

"What's wrong with you?" Schuylar had finally caught up to them. The fool had forgotten something or other and had lagged behind to search for it. "You look like you're about to get eaten by something," he joked. Eleni didn't find him funny and punched him in the arm. "Ow," he whined. "What's wrong with you now?"

"My gra-"

"Myles!" The sound of her grandmother's voice made her jump in the air, drawing out a laugh from Schuylar and a nervous chuckle from Kyle. Alanna of Pirate's Swoop ruffled her grandchild's hair and smiled down at her. "Have been growing out your hair, lad?"

The innocent comment made Eleni remember that she needed a haircut, the sooner the better. Why hadn't she noticed until now? The tips already reached the top of her shoulders. Definitely too long for a boy, especially too long for a boy who was really a girl.

"No, Grandmother. I just forgot to cut it." While trying to avoid direct eye-contact, she asked tentatively, "Are you riding out to Port Legann for business?" Please let it be a coincidence, she silently begged inside her head.

Alanna looked back at her mare, having already forgotten about the impending trip. Being around Myles made her think about her younger days with Thom, the good days back in Trebond.

"Yes," she answered, looking around for something. "Lord Padraig informed me that a chaperon was needed for one of his pages. It meant that I would be spending some time you, and I happily obliged." Alanna was actually beaming at Eleni. It only made Eleni feel even more guilty. "Are you friends with the girl?" she asked. "I thought that mayb-"

"No!" The sound carried into the stables from outside. Pierina of Stone Mountain and Fallen Wall was yelling, screaming, at Lord Padraig. At one point she stompted her foot to emphasize her displeasure. "I refuse to have her as a chaperon! She's of no use to me, I don't need someone like her!"

Those in and around the stables bowed their heads in shame or looked away from the scene. To say such things was, well, it was plain rude. That Sir Alanna was there to witness it just made it worse.

Varick of Storm Pass felt his face redden and a little piece of his soul died. This outburst was simply more proof that the girl he once cherished was gone for good. Shame was coursing through him, painfully accentuated by the continuing yells outside. She'd never take back those words, he had to admit it.

He bowed to Alanna in greeting and apology. "Please, forgive Pierina, Sir Alanna," he said, still bowing before the knight. "Pieri has a way of letting her mouth get the best of her. I apologize for her words."

Brushing off the comment, Alanna placed her hands on the boy's shoulders and righted his stance. "Think nothing off it. I've heard much, much worse." Truthfully, it hurt to hear such words from a female page, but Stone Mountain had always been strictly conservative, so the girl's opinions had deep roots. "To be fair, I only agreed to come on this trip to spend time with Myles."

Alanna's easy smile made them forget the fuming girl-child outside. They were at ease and returned to readying their mounts. Eleni was exceedingly happy to see Candy. She'd missed the butterscotch mare, having been cooped up in the palace for most of the year. Offering a peppermint, Eleni was glad to see that Candy hadn't been too insulted by the separation.

"I promise I'll bring you peppermints every day, this summer," she promised. Her hands ghosted through Candy's mane, before leading her outside.

Her friends, with the exception of Schuylar, were already mounted and waiting for the signal to ride out. Herne was by his knight master's side, dressed in the green and cream of Legann. The only consolation was that the colors didn't clash with his blonde hair. In fact, he looked rather handsome, and judging from his posture, he knew it too.

Looking around for the missing Schuylar, she shook her head in disappointment when she saw what was keeping him occupied. His horse kept moving away whenever Schuylar got close to him. Seeing that Schuylar was having troubling getting his buckskin gelding to stay still long enough for him to get up in the saddle, Eleni handed her reins to the ever-eager Kyle.

However, Alanna was helping settle the horse by the time Eleni convinced Kyle that he could keep a grip on the mare. With all the tenderness that only a grandmother could show, Alanna calmed down both horse and boy. Sheepishly smiling beneath a faint blush, Schuylar hauled himself atop his horse. Alanna handed him the reins with a few encouraging words.

Kyle started muttering something behind her, and Eleni was forced to turn away from the scene. "What was that, Kyle?"

"I think your horse is going to bite me," he said timidly.

Lord Padraig sounded his horn before Eleni could say anything she'd later regret. Pier was still complaining about her chaperon, when Lord Padraig reached his horse. Turning with a speed no one had thought he still possessed, he made his point clear.

"You, Stone Mountain, are a female page," the venom in the words struck out at Eleni. Would he have treated that way of she had come to Corus as a girl? "As a young woman who is accompanying men, you require a female chaperon. Sir Alanna," it obviously hurt him to address her by any such title. "Is the only woman who is both capable and available. You should be grateful. If you do not agree with my methods, go back home to your mountains." Without another word, the proud training master was on his black destrier and moving to the front of the yard. "Saddle up!"

After the ensuing scene in the stables, the actual trip was uneventful.

Alanna, though present as a chaperon for Pier, stayed close to Eleni and Schuylar for the first half of the ride south. After leaving the city, the roads were rapidly swallowed by fields and country. A quick stop was made for lunch at noon, but it lasted but a moment.

By late afternoon, Eleni was tired of the saddle and bored by the unchanging scenery. There was nothing to entertain her and no one to chat with. Herne was too busy being a dutiful, if sickeningly attentive, squire, and her grandmother had struck a conversation with Schuylar a long time ago. Warren and Simon were discussing something with Devin, and Varick was nowhere to be seen. That left her alone with her second shadow, Kyle of Masbolle.

How she resented the boy and his overeager personality. He meant well, and some would have found the attention flattering, but her ears were starting to ring from his endless, one-sided chatter.

"Mind if I have a word with your sponsor?" The voice stopped Kyle in mid-sentence, and Eleni blessed the voice's owner. Alexander had ridden up beside her, his smoky black gelding easily keeping step with Candy. "You don't mind, do you, Myles?"

"Kyle," Eleni said, eager to have an excuse to be rid of the boy for a few minutes. "Why don't you join my grandmother and Schuylar for a bit?" The boy instantly blanched and Eleni feared he would fall from his horse. "I promise she won't do anything to you."

Satisfied, Kyle slowed his tiny mare to a walk until Alanna and Schuylar caught up to him. Alanna, barely took note of her newest charge, but she did see the page who had taken his place at her grandson's side. Reining in the curses that she was about to let loose, she tried to keep up a conversation with Schuylar and keep an eye of Alexander of Tirragen.

"Thank you." The words were out of her mouth before Eleni could control herself.

"Is he that bad?" He had the nerve to grin at her discomfort, to chuckle even. "Well?" A small part of him was interested in seeing how well Myles handled being a sponsor. He couldn't be as horrible at the job as Alex had been.

"I won't get my friends to assault him in some dark corridor, if that's what you're asking." Eleni wanted to remind him of his crimes, of what he and Pier had done to her. "Speaking of friends," Eleni hazarded a glance at Alex. "Where'd your owner go?" Oh, yes, she was going to take advantage of the Lioness' presence. Neither Alex or Pier would try to do anything with the Lioness so close by.

"Your friend is keeping her busy." He was hurt, but he didn't show it. Though her words stung, he'd heard far worse. He manauvered his gelding closer to Candy, so close that they were almost touching. "How else do you think I managed to escape?"

"Escape?" Eleni didn't like the way her voice broke. Having him so close was affecting more than she wanted to admit, and he was only too aware of how flustered she was. "What do you mean escape?" That, at least, was a slightly more intelligent sentence.

Pleased that he still had some power over Myles, Alex inched away until there was a reasonable distance between their horses. "Varick is keeping her busy," was all that he said, indicating with his head that she look behind them.

He wasn't lying. Varick was riding right next to Pier, trying to speak to her all the while. She didn't seem interested, but it was enough of a distraction that she didn't notice that Alex wasn't with her.

"I see," Eleni whispered. She imagined that Varick was trying to get Pier to apologize to Alanna. Turning back to Alex, she asked what she really wanted to know. "Why did you want to escape to begin with?"

"Can't I want to chat with a friend?" He hadn't stopped smiling throughout their exchange.

"We're not friends." The statement came out more vehemently than she had wanted it to, but the damage was done.

The smile vanished. In its place was a feral scowl, ugly, and marring his already dark features.

"You're right," was his stoic reply.

That was the last time they spoke.

Somehow, they managed to avoid speaking until they reached Port Legann three days later. The dark clouds hanging over the bay reflected Eleni's dour mood. Her mood didn't improve when Lord Padraig said that they would be camping outside of the city.

Sleeping in a tent wasn't a problem, it was the impending rain that bothered Eleni and the other pages. Port Legann and the surrounding waters were infamous for summer storms. Eleni now knew that Lord Padraig definitely hated his charges with a heated passion. Why else would he choose this location?

Lord Imrah and Herne had continued on for the city, promising to return in a few days to help Padraig with the pages' tracking exercises. And just like that, Lord Padraig, Sir Alanna, and the twelve pages were left alone on a the banks of a river that fed a delta leading to the Emerald Ocean. The city would have been more interesting.

Pier still hadn't surrendered to the idea of sharing a tent with Alanna, and started up a resistance as soon as the group made camp. Her screeching, and the distant thunder, were the only things disturbing the quiet wood. Lord Padraig ignored her complaints, but did threaten to send her back to Corus if she did not stop.

With her luck, Eleni had to share a tent with both Schuylar and Kyle. Thinking that the gods were damning her, she set about unpacking her sleeping roll. Kyle, though, was gleeful at the thought of sharing a tent with Myles and Schuylar. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have been befriended two older pages. If only the poor boy had known that Eleni was about to throw him in the river at any given moment.

Dinner was an enjoyable event when compared to the previous four days. Tired beyond belief, Eleni made her way back to her tent, glad that she didn't have first watch tonight. No, she'd have to share the third watch of the night with her tent-mates.

The gods have got to hate me, were her final thoughts as she drifted off to sleep.

Though she drifted off easily enough, Eleni's dreams were filled with screams. Just behind the veil of screams, there was an endearing voice calling out, beseeching her. The voices turned into a delightful song, ebbing and flowing, interrupted every now and then by small splashes. Speeding up, the song began to crescendo, reaching a limitless crest. As the rhythm quickened, so did Eleni's breathing. It became difficult to breath, painful almost, and Eleni was forced awake.

Looking around, she saw that Schuyar and Kyle were not in the tent.

The screaming outside, and the singing that tried to cover it up, told Eleni just where her friends had gone. Loud splashing accompanied the singing, and blood-curdling screams followed. One voice in particular caught her attention, Kyle's tiny soprano could be heard wailing above the singing, the splashes, and the screams. Grabbing a dagger, she wasted no time in leaving her tent.

The nightmare that met Eleni was nothing she could have imagined. Though it was dark, the moon gave off enough light to show her friends who where in the river, and the bare women who were trying to drag them under. Even Lord Padraig was surrounded by three women, all of them wrapping their arms around the stunned man. A particularly sadistic looking woman was gripping Kyle by his throat and taking him towards deeper water.

Eleni's feet were going after the woman, reacting on instinct alone. Not caring that she couldn't swim, she jumped into the river, dagger raised, and sought out the woman holding Kyle. All around her, Eleni couldn't fail to notice her friends trying to stave off the women, but her eyes were focused on Kyle's limp form. She had to get to him, but the water had surpassed her waist, and she could go no further.

Something suddenly wrapped around her feet and pulled her under. Just as suddenly, a hand reached under the water to lift her up. Eleni's violet eyes met the ice-blue ones, Pier's eyes.

"I need your help." Pierina of Stone Mountain asked for help.

Eleni then realized that they were in serious trouble.

This was originally supposed to be much shorter, but my fingers just kept typing. Oh, well.

Whoot for getting out of the palace! And I gave Alex and Eleni some time together, how sweet... Some of you said that Kyle was annoying, so he's going to drown...

Anywho, it seems like our darling page will have to suck up her pride and work together with Pier. That'll happen, sure, right about the same time that Stormwings stop loving battlefields.