Characters: Makoto/Demeter and the queen.

A tiny, olive-skinned, brunette girl, no older ten, rushed into the queen's bedchambers, tears in her eyes. "Your majesty, your majesty," she sobbed. "She's dead! She's dead!"

Instantly, the queen got up from her chair, waving off the servant who had been brushing her hair. "Who's dead, dear?" she asked, approaching the brunette and kneeling down in front of her. A few more whimpers escaped the little girl, and the queen placed two fingers under her chin, lifting her head. "Demeter, dear, who's dead? You must tell me what's going on."

The little girl sniffed before opening her hands, revealing a blackbird, one of its wings torn through. "E-Endymion and I were just w-watching her fly, and someone shot her! She's not even big enough to eat! Why would someone shoot her?"

The queen sighed, a bit relieved but also saddened. The youngest of the prince's guards had a lot to learn about life and death. "Some people don't understand the importance of beauty in this world, Demeter," she explained. "But she is in a better place now, no more troubles of this life to bother her." She pet the girl's hair and kissed her forehead. She'd become somewhat of a mother to the girl since her training began, seeing as she had no mother of her own. "What have you done with the arrow, dear?" she asked.

"Endymion took it to the king," Demeter assured the queen. "He said whoever did this is gonna be in big trouble!"

"That they are," the queen replied. She looked down at the bird to see Demeter petting its wounded wing. "The poor thing never had a chance."

Another sniff came from Demeter, and she nodded. "Mean old poacher probably did it for sport," she replied in agreement, carefully taking the creature's whole wing in her hand and letting her hand run over it one more time. As she did, she felt the creature twitch in her hand. The brunette gasped, pulling her hand away. The bird opened its eyes, sitting up in Demeter's hand.

"Your majesty!" Demeter cheered. "Your majesty, look! It's a miracle!"

The queen stared at the bird in Demeter's hand, unable to hide the shock on her face for a moment before she could right herself. "That's incredible, dear," she replied, her smile returning, though forced. "Why don't you go show Endymion? Let him know." Demeter nodded, carefully wrapping the bird protectively in her hands once more before running out of the room.

The queen and Demeter didn't talk for quite some time after that.