Food was a necessity, not even Ylrid the Protector could live without it, and for as well as he had done in his task of protecting Eira thus far he made the same weekly trip he always did. Had Svorna Ka’ath, or any of the Raven Hawks guild been around they would have reminded him that having a pattern made one vulnerable and an easy target. He had assassinated many such people on that principle, but it just so happened that he liked the comfort it gave to the woman he was charged with protecting. Etra'dragn was paying him enough to do keep watch, and in reality Ylrid felt this was a good cleansing for the soul.<br/><br/>A few deer down the gullet had been enough to satiate his hunger and when he returned his orange eyes scoured and searched for the fair maiden in the windows, she had watched him often, but there was nothing. Ylrid thought perhaps she had gone to sleep, then he saw the footprints to and from the castle in the dirt. His keen eyes saw hoof marks of horses, but there was no one in sight. He had lost her, well he thought as much and a quick scan of the castle after transforming confirmed the truth.<br/><br/>Normally a person might panic and freak out if they lost the one they were charged with protecting, but Ylrid kept a level head about himself. One of the many great things about him was that emotional extremes did not exsist, nor did fear for that matter. Even as an assassin he had not always been perfect on the first try and this was no different, he had a job to do, and he was going to do it. One thing was certain though, a big dragon spewing lightning all over was going to cause more problems, this would need a gentler form of appearance, a human form so to speak.<br/><br/>It had taken nearly a month of searching relentlessly, and then word came to him while in a pub. He overheard a boisterous man telling a story, "Lord Bennington killed a dragon and saved the heir to Norlund..." there was more, but that was all Ylrid had needed to hear before he polished off his tankard of ale and headed out the door.<i>Killed him? Lord Bennington killed him? </i>The urge to shapeshift back into his dragon form was strong, to go on a rampage full of murder and bloodshed, but cooler heads prevailed. Even in his human form he figured he could break in and knock some heads together if necessary, but for now the diplomatic approach would have to do. Ylrid needed to scout the area, check on Eira's condition, and formulate a more concrete plan for her escape and his rescue.<br/><br/>Dressed in a tunic which was just lighter than navy blue with dark lilac trim and belt, and silver trousers Ylrid made his way to the door of the estate. The two guards at the gate instantly looked at him suspiciously and held the hilts to their swords.<i>Fools, if I wanted them dead they would be.</i>"Halt, who goes there?" The one on the left asked in a snide voice.<br/><br/>Ylrid's lips curled upward for a moment. "Tell Lord Bennington that I am a friend of the house of Ellswell, Ylrid Lightningwhirl," he replied with a small bow of his head. From there he waited patiently to enter, playing the role of family friend wasn't too hard. He didn't have to be royalty, and not so low as a peasant, it was a nice blend of the two into a middle class, maybe a bit on the upper side of things. Soon a messenger came back and Ylrid was allowed to enter.<br/><br/>The estate was nice, nothing compared to the castle in Norlund he had once seen, but still the residence had its niceness. His orange eyes scanned around and took note of exits, or potential ones at the very least. Considering he had been pat down before entering Ylrid was glad to not habe his daggers on his person, but he was more than capable as it were.<br/><br/>He knelt upon seeing Eira, his right knee planted while his elbows rested upon his left thigh. His eyes never left her own, but he was aware of the alarm of the guards, "that is correct Eira, I mean you no harm," he replied quickly in a calm manner. That was all it took for the guards to give them some space, but some was the key word. Their eyes were still suspicous of Ylrid, he could tell, and he couldn,'t blame them even if he didn't like it.<br/><br/>In a more hushed tone he spoke, "we need a more private place to talk," he gently took her right hand and rose up from the ground, then took her into a small study just off to the left. He didn't expect their privacy to last long, and he would rely on information from her to possibly get some more. "It is I, Ylrid," he spoke as if she would know his name, then quieter he added, "the Protector." If she had any doubt about him he figured it would die there, though judging by her initial gaze she had clued into him immediately. "We need to get you free, tell me do you want it with or without bloodshed? I can do either one my lady, but I serve you for now." It wasn't always going to be this way, but bossing her around in this venue, if she had agreed to their affiliation, was a recipe for disaster.