Tales from The Word Below

Percival's Prison Part 8

My eyelids are heavy and I want nothing more than to crawl into my bed, but I force myself to stay up and wait for Percival to return from the library where he is once again working with Drow. I must have dozed off because the next thing I know, my friend's hand is over mine and he is gently shaking me.

'Ellie, you should be in bed,' he admonishes.

I uncurl my legs from beneath me and swing round so I can face him.

'How did it go?' I ask.

'The petition is done,' he says, flopping into a chair by the fire in an un-Percival-like manner. His posture reeks of exhaustion.

He stares into the glowing coals and for a moment he appears so forlorn my heart almost breaks. Why is he putting himself through this?

'Percival, are you sure you really want to petition the Queen? I mean, are you doing this because it is what you want to do, or because Drow is so passionate about it, you have been swept along in the current?'

Percival starts at my question and his body tenses and a wave of sadness rolls through me. This is not the conversation I wanted to have with him. I wanted to ask how he was and make sure he was all right.

Turning slightly in his chair, Percival's gaze moves to the window and he studies the reflection of the room backdropped by the night sky.

'This is no frivolous suit, Ellie. It is important to me to stand up for my rights, to not feel like a victim in all of this.' His tone is quiet, thoughtful almost.

'I did not think it was, Percival,' I say. Having started to unpick this problem, I am compelled to continue. ' It is just I sense there is something more to this petition than you are telling me and, well, you are acting differently. My only concern is to make sure this is what you want.'

A small smile plays at the corners of Percival's lips. 'I assure you Ellie, I am not doing this to further one of Drow's many causes. Besides, I do not see how my winning would help the gnomes gain equality.'

Percival drops his gaze from the window to his hands, and the room falls silent. I sense he is searching for something and I stay very still, sure he is about to tell me what is going on with him.

'How can I explain to you what it is like being called a lesser creature, being treated as not quite good enough all my life? Using the terms lesser and greater label us, and changes how other creatures see and treat us.' He raises his head and stares defiantly at me.

My jaw drops. What has happened to the sprite I grew up with, the one who has been my friend all these years?

'Do not look at me as if I am a stranger,' Percival says, his eyes suddenly pleading. 'We could ignore this reality while we were growing up. But when Magnus twisted and shaped my body into something I was not meant to be, that changed. Do you think he would have been able to do that to a greater creature? Somewhere along the line lesser ceased to mean smaller and came to be less valuable.'

'You are valuable to me,' I say, my voice barely a whisper.

Tears well in Percival's eyes. 'You do not see the world like that Ellie, but you are in the minority. After....' He draws a deep breath before continuing. 'After what I have been through, I want to take a stand, to say you cannot treat other creatures this way.'

'Oh, Percival, I do understand your need to fight, but I sense there is more you are not telling me.'

I did not want to press him, he seemed so fragile sitting by the fire, but this is the first time he has opened up to me since arriving in The Capitol. If I do not ask now, I will never find out.

Now tears were making their way down his cheeks. I wanted to rush over and hug him, but Percival had never appreciated the healing powers of contact with another being. He does not speak for a moment, and I suspect he is warring with himself, wondering how much to tell me.

'I feel so alone, Ellie.'

My immediate thought is to tell him he is not alone, he has me, but I bite back the words and wait for him to tell me what he means.

'I have a bond mate, and my heart sings with love for her, and the need to be with her. Yet I am here, so far away. There is... emptiness... inside me. A need to be with her so much it physically hurts. I want, more than anything, to go home. To go back to my life.'

The dam breaks. My fears that Percival is pulling away from me, that he is changed and we will never be close again seem so petty in light of the loss in Percival's voice. Tears are now streaming down my own cheeks and I blurt out, 'Oh Percival, I did not think... What can I do to ease your pain?'

My friend blushes, not comfortable with outpourings of emotion. 'I am not sure you can do anything.'

Brushing the tears from my cheeks, I consider my options. Classes do not begin for a few days yet, and Percival no longer has Drow's petition to distract him.  It might be callous to bring this up now, but I take a chance.

'Percival, I have an idea. I met some creatures today who are trying to find something to fight that blight that will not involve creatures taking it into themselves. They said their work would go better if they spoke to someone who fought the blight. I was wondering—'

'Of course I will help them. The burden of fighting the blight falls heavily on my kind, and many of them have fallen in the battle. Anything I can do to help, I will.'

Percival is animated again, and I cannot help but smile at him. He is more like himself than he has been in days. I stifle a yawn.

'You should go to bed, Ellie,' he says, concern darkening his eyes.

I stand and stretch. 'Are you retiring too?'

He shakes his head. 'No, I must write my letter to Nisha before I sleep. We correspond every day.'

The air of loneliness returns to Percival. I do not want to leave him alone, but I force myself to walk away. This is a part of his life that does not include me.