Cornelia
*Sabriel had been so caught up trying to swallow the slow mouthfuls of the rotten fruit they were taking they missed hearing the approach of the horse and rangers, the struggle between their stomach and palate written painfully on their face. Only reacting when they low voice of a man hit their ears, the tone making a pit form in their stomach as they scrambled to turn around quickly in the grass to face the strange voice as they dropped the half eaten morsel.*

*As they would take in the mans ornate appearance, so would he be able to make out more details about the winged stranger. They were small, easily under the five foot mark in fact. Their once white hair stained and matted with dirt and leaves as it hung past their shoulders, covering their face for a moment as they turned to view the newly crowned king.*

*A face that displayed nothing but pure fear, their singular white eye opening wide as they looked the man up and down quickly. Taking in the expensive looking leather and armor at a glance, this man was definitely a noble. The pit in their stomach dropping even further as they noticed the golden crown on his head - nay this man was a **King**.*

*As their one good eye grew wider still at this revelation, the other remained impassive as the white marble orb glinted dully in the light. Settled among the scarred socket it sat in the false eye almost seemed a mockery of the real one, a cheap imitation of life in stone set in the gentle face of one who could not contain their own panic at the sight of someone so far above their own station. Were they trespassing on his lands? Were they committing a crime by eating the rotten fruit?*

*At the thought of that they gulped, swallowing the last of the bitter fruit.*

*Blinking they felt the last of their strength surge through them, a singular thought dominating their mind as their body moved almost of its own intuition. *

**_Run._**

*Without a word they spun around once more, their hands and feet digging into the ground for purchase as they tried to escape. As they began to rise their wings flared up, readying themselves to life the creature up and away from the danger as the light caught on the almost pearlescent feathers. If they could get in the air they might have a chance, a chance to get away and keep running as far as they could.*

*However in their panic they forgot one important detail, as their feet pressed into the ground to propel themselves up a white hot needle of pain flared up their injured leg. The limb collapsing from under them as they yelped at the sudden pain, their wings flopping and flapping uselessly as they slammed face-first into the dirt.*

*Clutching at their injured ankle they rolled a little to face the strange king once more, their wings half folding around them protectively as they screwed their eyes shut and tried to look away, making themselves as small as possible as they tucked their other leg in.*

*As tears began to flow freely down their stained cheeks they whimpered softly, repeating the same plea over and over as their voice cracked in its raspy tone.*

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.."

*Ailbhe meanwhile had been confused by the situation, but seeing their companion reduced to such a state prompted the little Khipy into action. Quickly it flitted over to the fallen creature and placed itself between them and the stranger, fluffing itself up to appear larger as it gave its best growl - bearing its tiny teeth as it did so.*
Lisa
*At first, it seemed that Astalios was going to have to give chase the stranger - but clearly, that was untrue. The more detail he was able to absorb, the less threatening this person became, and as the wings flared up, and they tried to escape, the orbs of metal in front of him began to shimmer and lengthen into whiplike rods of steel that reached out only to become obsolete as they fell to the ground once again, crying tears onto cheeks caked with dirt.

No man that had a heart that sent blood around his body could avoid feeling pity for the creature in front of him, and the king knelt in front of the stranger, metal rods returning to coat his hands in steel once more, like a thin sheet being stretched to fit a hand and resolving into its former shape. He had to be gentle, he knew - they seemed to frighten easily, and there was much more that concerned him with this particular subject of his - the apple they were eating was rotten, their clothes were threadbare, and they were injured beyond the point of mobility.

Clearly, something had to be done. 

Astalios's eyes did not once meet the sight of the khipy - it was inconsequential posturing from a creature that mattered little. He had once killed a kaladon single-handedly, and it was unlikely this was going to give him much trouble in comparison. What did matter, however, was the state of the khipy's companion. 

Slowly, carefully, as he knelt there on the forest floor, the king held out both of his hands palm up, and let the gauntlets coalesce once more into the form of a metal leg brace, shining in the gray of newly formed steel, straps and splints in place perfectly. Magic it was, and magic did his rangers have - at least one healer was always on site with the king, should he be injured seriously.*

"I am not here to worsen your condition." *He spoke at last, offering the implement to her with a gentle tone, encouraging her to take the help - at least symbolically.* "You have committed no offense I see."

_ _
*He nodded to his rangers, and the both of them dismounted as well, waiting for a further signal from the king should they need to render aid - but first, this person needed to accept it. One could lead a horse to water, but making them drink was another matter entirely. And he supposed that being diplomatic was not only limited to the political sphere, but was personal as well. This was a test of another kind.*

"My name is Astalios." *He continued calmly, pressing the words into being like stamping a seal of wax.* "I am king of Alynthi. I apologize for frightening you - clearly..." *What else was there to say? That they looked tattered? That they seemed to have been through hell? That he was sorry?*

"You are in need of some assistance. It is my duty to render it to you." *His speech was measured and carefully selected, as if he were putting together sentences of brick and mortar in a mason's frock, calculating which part to put where...*
Cornelia
*If it were possible the little Khipy looked somewhat insulted by the kings lack of interest in their attempt at a threat display, the small creature huffing slightly as the man knelt and spoke to their companion. They didn't sound threatening to them, and while they couldn't recognize the device he had created they could see they were at least attempting to help. With a final glare they trotted over to the face of their crying friend, encouraging them with soft purrs as they licked their cheeks.*

*At both their familiars reassurances and the soft words from the man Sabriel found themselves uncertain, shuffling to sit up slightly as they peeked over the edges of their wings and blinked some of the tears from their eye. Their gaze quickly shifting from the king to the others now dismounted behind them fearfully, gulping as they took ragged breaths in an attempt to calm themselves, processing what the king had said somewhat as they took in the sight of the metal..**Thing**..He was offering them.*

*As their heart thumped in their chest like a birds wingbeats they realized they had yet to answer, instead they had been staring mutely as their brain caught up with the situation. He had given his name yes?** Astalios**, and he had confirmed he was indeed a king. It would be rude not to also give their name right? Swallowing thickly they responded quietly, bowing their head as much as they could as the shivered - though whether that was from fear or being cold was up for debate. *

"M-my name is... S-Sabriel... Your umm... Majesty?" *They offered uncertainly, sniffling a little as their voice cracked. Though whether that was from overuse or underuse would be impossible to tell for now, though if he looked closely perhaps he could see the scars around their neck - years old from the look of them.*

*Still they kept their legs tucked under their wings, leaning forwards as their gaze flicked between the device and the the man holding it. Still uncertain to its purpose and how he had managed to create it out of his gauntlets, she leant forward a little more as she released one hand from her leg to reach towards it. The hand flinching slightly as her fingers stopped just short of the metal, the manacle on her wrist now more easily visible as its broken chain swayed slightly with the movement.*

*The crude iron device could be mistaken for ordinary if it weren't for the runes carved into it, if the king was at all familiar with such devices he would be able to take a reasonable guess that these restraints weren't just physical - but magical as well.*

"What uhhh... What is... That?" *They asked uncertainly, afraid to touch the thing unprompted lest it be used to harm them. It looked... Complicated, and vaguely like a restraining device. Something they were far to familiar with to be confident in taking this strange device he offered, after all they were not eager to repeat those... Experiences.*
Lisa
"Thank you, Sabriel. It is wonderful to meet you." *He replied, still calm as a pond on a windless summer day, trying to project that particular emotion (or lack thereof) outward, offering the brace as they stared at him, as if he was some sort of giant monument that had happened to fall out of the sky. Whether this surprise was out of reverence or fear was inscrutable for the moment, but it made no difference. Either way, he had a good chance to dig for more details.

There were manacles on their hands, he noted, and scarring around the neck. There was nothing that he could conclude besides the fact that they had been held captive in some manner, and that implied that there was something going on that he needed to know - either this person was in some way dangerous, and should have been locked away, or had been locked away unjustly in his kingdom, which he could not have. 

Funny, that - the moment you executed a batch of slavers, another seemed to pop up when you least expected it. This kingdom of his needed constant supervision, and this was no exception. The hand of control had to be firm lest the people believe they could get away with breaking the law. 

The restraints on them, also, seemed to be magical in some way, but that in itself posed little to no problem. With a wave of his hands, the metal melted away into a stream of silver liquid, first turning from that black iron sheen into a lighter gray, then melting as if it had suddenly become water. The droplets of what had once been manacles joined together with the king's armor as if drawn to it, like roots feeding a large tree, as they were absorbed into the whole.*

"This is called a leg brace." *He took his time in speaking clearly and slowly.* "It is a device used to lessen the impact of walking during periods of injury. People use them to help recover, so that they do not put too much pressure of a damaged limb."

_ _
*He maintained position, unmoving for the moment, though he was quite aware of the potential investigation needed. There would have to be a lot of paperwork should this person have been mistreated, and he choose to become involved personally. But such letters and records were part of the position. What mattered was making the correct decision for the nation.*

"I'm afraid," *He started again, quietly beginning a line of inquest.* "That I must ask you a few questions before we can really begin, however. I do not know *Why* It is that you were imprisoned, although surely you have been. I know that you do not quite trust me yet. This is understandable. But if I am to help you, I need to know that you are not a danger to me or to my companions here. I intend to render you all the aid that I can, but I have several responsibilities to fulfil in doing so."

"Firstly, let us start with the reason you are here. What has happened to you lately? I... Cannot say that I much envy your situation at the moment."
Micheal
Sabbie: *Though still trembling it was clear that the mans tone was at the very least somewhat reassuring to Sabriel, their breathing starting to slow somewhat as they nodded while listening. It was odd to be simply conversing with someone for once, despite the fear it instilled in their heart it was so far reassuring that he hadn't started shouting or grabbing at them. This kind of respect, and from a **King** No less, felt very strange for them.*

*They had opened their mouth to respond that it was nice to meet them too, after all such a response was the polite thing to say. However their mouth instead stayed in an 'o' of surprise as they not only saw but felt the shackles on their wrists and ankles melt away, going completely still as their brain dredged up a memory of molten metal at a blacksmiths and how hot the metal looked. *

*However, no pain came..*

*Instead they stared incredulously as they examined their scarred wrist, the marks having dug deeply into the skin over years of struggling against them. They could barely remember the last time they had seen their arms without the harsh metal, and feeling the weight removed was almost foreign. Looking between the freed wrist and the king as they reached up to rub the exposed skin, almost disbelievingly as they struggled not to cry once more.*

"Thank... Thank you.." *They said quietly, their eyes filled with gratitude as they once again reached towards this 'leg brace' he had made. The creatures hands almost imperceptibly touching the metal as she appeared to inspect it, her touch like that of a sparrow on a stem of summer wheat. If he allowed them they would gingerly take the device and inspect it, turning it over slowly in their hands as they continued listening.*
Cornelia
*It was fair of him to need to know if they were a threat of some kind, after all they were the one running around the woods in broken chains. If they had seen someone like that when they were younger then surely they would have at least been a little afraid, if not downright terrified. It was an understandable position for him to take after all, he did not know them as much as they did not know him.*

*Shaking their head they spoke quickly, eager to dampen any thoughts of them being a threat of any kind. She didn't want him to get angry, even with their leg healed they knew they wouldn't get far if they tried to run, not with those bowmen behind him. *

"No, no... I..I am not danger.." *They managed to rasp pleadingly, gulping fearfully once more as they continued. *"I... I..Don't like fighting... Or being hurt.."

"I... Do not know why I am here." *They explained quietly as their wings flexed around them a little, trying to comfort themselves with them as the spoke*. "I... I was in my... Room... Under the temple. Everything was so... So loud, there was thunder... And wind... And screaming. I... Dont know what happened next... I just... I think I fell asleep somehow? I was awake one moment then the next... It was black."

"I... I woke up here... In the forest a few weeks ago... I don't know how I got here or really where 'here' even is.."