Listening, his smile and childish wonder fell. The question seemed innocent enough, but he did have to remember, this wasn't a trip to a ruin, this was a way for him to be distracted in realm recently at war. With his own kin.<br/><br/>"To be honest, I had approached my father with the request," his head dropping, to look at the floor, remembering the talk all to vividly. "I had asked him to allow me to trade the heir to the throne of his kingdom, for the guaranteed survival of it. At first he wasn't, well, let's just say cooperative."<br/><br/>The cold glare he'd received flashed back through his mind.<i>'No son of mine is going to be turned into a blood bag, even if it means you have to become king in my own absence!' </i>his father had scowled so vehemently.<br/><br/>"In fact, up until Ava's armies had gotten closer to the castle, he wouldn't even admit that your kind was a formidable one. Up until Ava was practically knocking on his castle gate, he wouldn't even consider the notion. It was only when I pointed out he had more children, and that I was the most skilled at defending myself out of his sons did he realize he could afford to lose one son to save a kingdom and his land."