There was time for her to shove everything she felt into a box before leaving the throne room. And while she had stopped along the way to wet and wipe her face, she couldn’t get rid of the red rimmed eyes nor return the full color to her cheeks. But she squared her shoulders, and with Cassian leading the way, she entered behind him. She wouldn’t move to join those sitting, but her eyes did lift to find both the Dresmondi from behind Cassian where she stood just behind his right shoulder.

Her eyes flashed in recognition at Zevran, but the moment Cassian spoke, she dropped her eyes to stare at the table. Watching the plates be cleared that the others had eaten and been dismissed. Where there were chairs for all the remaining in the room. She wouldn’t jump forward to speak. She’d listen, and fight the pricks of tears that kept building to fall from her eyes. Silently until she was directed to sit or to speak. She’d listen, and be comforted by two of the voices in the room.

Kezia had not let go of Zevran's hand since they left the throne room. They were finally here. After many nights and days of travel, after spending all the time looking over their shoulder trying to make sure they were okay. All the time, the two Dresmondi remained close. Raiden even jumped down from her shoulders to walk closer to Rune, his soft little feet making almost no noise as they moved along. They didn't have to travel far before they entered a lavish room with smells that made all three of their stomach's growl and rumble with hunger.

They hadn't eaten much on their travels. And she had to admit, everything looked good. But it would be Raiden who's ears perked and he announced 'I heard someone screaming'. A woman, to be more exact. Her dyrs shifted uneasily and looked at the soldiers who rushed forward and started eating. Kezia wouldn't join them. Something told her to wait for the others, the King had said he would be with them shortly. So she ran her free hand along Geb's scales as he rested still wrapped around her shoulders and arm.

When the doors opened once again, Kezia turned, eyes wide as she stared at Cassian. He seemed well, but it was the clearly distraught Alys at his side that had her tensing. The moment their eyes met, she felt her stomach drop. Even when she seemed to just turn her attention to nothing, Kezia didn't quite understand what was happening. But everyone else seemed less alarmed. And surely... if Alys was in trouble, she wouldn't be standing there would she? So she'd cautiously look back to Cassian.

They had come there for a reason. For their people. "Thank you for hosting us," she scrambled to remember her talks with the aristocrats of Arynn Frey. That felt like a lifetime ago... "I am Kezia," She looked down at Raiden whose tail wrapped around the ankle of the foot he was sitting on. His little red nose twitching as he studied the King. "This is Raiden," she then turned her gaze to the smaller dyr on her shoulder. Though that was only if you didn't include the two feet of tail attached to him. "And Geb. You are King Cassian," she said it almost like a question, "Is that what you are to be called?" She asked, finding herself trying to make this easier for both sides here. Zevran had always been more the voice than the others. Kezia just had a bit more training behind her of other kingdoms.

Zevran had filed into the dining area behind Kezia and much like her, had decided to stay standing and wait for the King. Besides, he wasn't sure he'd manage to eat much right now, despite how good the food looked. So he stood next to Kezia, watching the soldiers devour their own meal with some interest.

That is, until Rune's ears pricked forward at the same time as Raiden's, picking up faintly on the scream. Zevran's head snapped toward the door as Rune shared what she had heard, but he wouldn't think of Alys. She had been left with a good friend, as far as he knew, and surely there were many women within the enormous castle. Still, it did not help to settle his nerves at all.

And then the King and Alys finally joined them, and one look at Alys's face had him questioning if it had been her who screamed. His gaze rested on the King for a moment as he dismissed the soldiers, then jumped to Alys. His brow creased, the question in his eyes of if she was alright, but she only looked away from him. His gaze lingered on her but he knew he couldn't press the issue now. Surely there would be time to talk to her later.

Thankfully, Kezia took the lead and began speaking before him. He trusted Kezia and the experience she had from living in Arynn Frey. She was definitely less likely to make a mistake and upset the king than he was, so he remained silent for the time being. 

Cassin would not have faulted Alys for retiring to her room and seeing her boys, giving herself some hours away from all this to just be. She had decided, however, to attend him, and he ignored the possible repercussions for allowing her to.

The king dipped his head as Kezia introduced himself, not low, but a slight motion, acknowledging her. His eyes moved to each animal as she introduced them, remembering what he knew of Dresmond. Which wasn't a lot. They had animals and elements, that was about the extent of it. HE had to assume that these animals were more than mere pets to them. He had no idea that each had a mind comparable to any human's.

"That will be fine." He confirmed @kezia's question, eyes glancing towards the man who he had formerly assumed was the leader among them, though now he knew the truth. She hadn't answered his questions, but perhaps she hadn't known they were questions. He decided to return to the basics with them, and be as direct as one is with children.

"Tell me," he invited, "what is your reason for coming here to Nevermere?" Alys hadn't brought them in handcuffs, so it was easy to assume they'd come of their own volition.

While she had the experience of talking to those who held positions that Dresmondi didn't quite understand. Even now. The Eldouir's called themselves Queen's and the like... but they were not like any other rulers she had seen before. "We met Alys and Grant, albeit not exactly the best first meeting," no sense of titles to come along with their names. She knew their jobs, but never once had Alys or Grant asked them to call them anything but their names. So she didn't now.

"When we finally all listened," there had been more than just the five before him, "Zevran and I thought that we couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask for help." She met Cassian's gaze with her own. Having to tip her head upwards even at the distance to look up to him. It wasn't unusual for her. She would look to Zevran then to pick up what the actual ask was. What had come of Dresmond. Because he knew better than her the first hand horrors of the Eldouir rule.

Kezia turned to look at him, indicating that she was leaving the question up to him to answer fully. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders a bit more before speaking. "As Kezia said, my name is Zevran and this is Rune," he paused to motion towards the dark fox lingering at his feet.

"We came here with Alys and Grant to seek your help with the Eldouirs." Straight, and to the point. Zevran thought it was best to not beat around the bush. "Some years ago now, the Eldouirs attacked our caravans in Dresmond. Some Dresmondi fled to other kingdoms. Others tried to fight back and were slaughtered. The rest surrendered and were all rounded up and forced into what we call Elderkeep..."

He paused again, forcing himself to not run his hand through his hair in what was fast becoming a nervous habit. "Most of those who have not been coerced into worshipping them are too afraid to fight back anymore, but some of us still want to be rid of them... When we ran into Alys and Grant, they thought perhaps it would be beneficial for us to speak with you directly." He trailed off, his gaze once again jumping to Alys before resting on Cassian, unsure if he should continue or wait for the King to ask more questions.

Cassian listened closely. Kezia mentioned the first meeting wasn't the best but then did not elaborate, leaving Cassian to assume it also wasn't the worst and everyone was over it now. He could imagine, but he wasn't sure why she had bothered to mention it if she wasn't going to tell him more. She then mentioned 'all of us' and he had to assume that she was including their creatures when she said it, as there were only two of them and two didn't warrant the words. He concluded their motive when she said it: they were asking for help. When Zevran spoke, however, he didn't ask. He described the situation and trailed off, apparently leaving the conclusion for Cassian to come to on his own. It wasn't hard, it was just odd. Certainly not the way he was used to people communicating. From what he'd heard of Dresmondi, however, he shouldn't be surprised.

"You want Nevermere to help free your people of Elderkeep...of the Eldouirs?" It was barely a question. Moreso a statement. His eyes didn't leave Zevran, as Kezia had left it to him to elaborate, so he had to assume that this man was the leader among them after all. He had come with a request he hadn't directly made, one that could very easily mean the deaths of Nevermereans. Surely they had more to say than just that?

Zevran couldn't tell if this was going well or going poorly. It sounded as if the King thought him mad, and he supposed it could certainly seem like that. A stranger from another kingdom arriving unannounced and asking for assistance. Though, if he had sent Alys and Grant into Dresmond to begin with, he had to have some sort of interest in what is happening there.

Forcing himself to hold the King's gaze, Zevran continued, "We're asking for your help to rid Dresmond of the Eldouirs, yes. I know when you sent Alys and Grant to Dresmond, you did not expect them to return with Dresmondi... but the fact that they did should speak for how dire the situation is in Dresmond."

He paused, thinking before he spoke again. Kezia had told him before that Arynn Frey would not help because they could not see the benefit for themselves. He did not know this King, but he had a feeling he would be much the same and would need to see the benefit in it for his own kingdom.

"The Eldouirs came and took over our people by force, but they are not maintaining the kingdom. They're more interested in gaining as much power as they possibly can. They already took our warriors and anyone else they could train to fight for them. Now, people sacrifice their own children to them at this thing they call Tribute, knowing what they will do to them to raise them as their own warriors. But at least that way, they know their children will be fed and have a proper place to sleep."

He paused, taking a breath and glancing at Alys again. She had told him she wanted to help and he wished she would speak up and offer a little bit of that in this moment. He continued on, "Because they do not allow anyone to leave Elderkeep, we cannot travel the land and maintain it as we did before. The land itself is dying. Animals are scarce, which means food is scarce. When everything is gone and the land is fully depleted, I do not think they will continue to rule over a dead kingdom. They will move on to another one."

He waved a hand, gesturing vaguely around. "They could decide to attack here next. They could take the army they have created from Dresmond and march onto your kingdom and put your people in danger. But if you decide to help us now, in Dresmond, we could stop that from happening. You could protect your people and keep the fight away from your land." Finally falling silent, Zevran clasped his hands in front of him, still holding the King's gaze, and waited for him to speak again.

Alys felt like she was in a fog. She could feel the people in the room, but she felt so far away. Like she was a bug flying above… until she heard Zevran say her name. Her head lifted and the glaze over her eyes seemed to lift a bit as she made eye contact with him. Sorrow, for her loss… for Dresmond… was not hidden in her gaze as she looked at him. Watching him as he finished his speech before she’d turn to look, mostly, at the back of Cassian’s head. As if she was waiting for him to turn to her and ask her a question.

Cassian listened. He was very good at that. He held still, held his shoulders square and his eyes true, and heard every single word uttered by the Dresmondi. There was a lot there. There was also a point at which the man should have shut his mouth, but he kept going. It was good to remember the kind of kingdom he came from. No doubt he had to scrape at the bottom of the barrel to explain things to individuals who didn't spend day in and day out contemplating the finer details of life. As it happened, however, that's all that Cassian did. He didn't think about his next meal, he thought about his next conversation and whether the noble would be loyal or plotting against him and how to discern the reality based on what the individual said and how he said it.

In Zevran's case, the Dresmondi was trying to convince Cassian of a cause by projecting a threat to Cassian's people. If he was Nevermerean then Cassian liked to think he would have known better. Since he wasn't, it was a blunder the king could forgive.

"I have heard your request." He said noncommittally, because if it was a sure guarantee that Zevran was looking for then he would not get it. Not yet. Cassian might hold similar perspectives to Kimora, but Nevermere wasn't Arynn Frey. Cassian was more ambitious than the old queen. Still, attempting to liberate Dresmondi from enemies like the Eldouir would be a challenging feat.

"Until my decision is made, I invite you to remain in the castle as guests." It was a dangerous thing, perhaps, allowing magical entities into the resting place of the king and his family, but Cassian would not treat them like enemies until they first proved themselves to be so. It was the very reason there was so much unrest in Lorendale with gifteds. This also didn't mean he wouldn't have guards on them, perhaps as much for their security as against any potential threats.

"You will have a guard detail on you that will also serve to assist you during your stay. I welcome you to walk the castle and wander the streets of Skia. I must ask, however, that you refrain from use of any destructive or dangerous magic." His eyes jumped between Kezia and Zevran.

A spark of anger lit in Zevran's eyes. They had come all this way and he had laid the terrors of Dresmond out for this king, just for him to tell them they could hang around until he made a decision? Zevran wanted to shout, to tell him they didn't have time for him to wait to make a decision. His people were suffering now. They needed help now.

But before he could so much as move a muscle in protest, a sharp warning from Rune pulled him back. The King had not said no, and surely they owed him time to think. After all, he would be putting his people in danger to assist them. If he pushed too much, the King could simply decide not to help them. So with only a small twitch of his fingers, Zevran forced himself back under control, that spark of anger dying away to nothing.

He bowed his head slightly, murmuring, "Thank you for considering, Your Majesty."