He was where he was before. He looked tired, but didn't sleep. He looked up with a frown. "..Thank you."
She was also frowning, but she looked up as if she were surprised he was thanking her. "You're welcome," she said stiffly, her demeanor colder than it was before. She gave him the plate before looking down at him, her brow furrowed. "So... what's your plan?"
He shook his head slightly, his eyes suddenly fierce again. "I'm going to find Oblivion and my Hearthstone. I just.. don't know where to start."
"But... why do you want those back?" she asked tiredly, sitting cross-legged in the hay and studying him. "Surely you just want a normal life. Lay low."
He laughed a little, standing up. "Lay low? I want what's mine." He clenched his fists. "I want them to pay for what they did to me."
She frowned at him, pulling her knees to her chest as she looked up at him. "What they did to you?" she asked quietly, her voice soft. "Zerras, you killed innocent people. You turned against your own city. People died. Don't you understand that?"
"I.." he looked around, seeming unsure as he bristled. "The city turned against me. I was the king. They turned against me."
She stood up too, her head tilted and her voice raising a little. “You murdered families,” she replied coldly. “The city turned against you because you would have killed us and ground us into the rocks if we didn’t. You abandoned your people.”
He went quiet, seeming unsure what to say. "..Everything I did.. was to strengthen the kingdom and its people."
“So you murdered them,” she replied, her voice sharp with disgust. “You murdered your own people. And now, you have trespassed into my home and threatened my life and that of my entire family.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Your kingdom must be very strong.”
She glowered at him. “Your kingdom left without you,” she replied harshly. “Your kingdom rejected you. It doesn’t want you back.”
He looked down at his hands for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a breath before standing firm. "I don't care what it wants. I am going to take it back."
She watched him, her eyes dark and cold. “Good luck taking back a kingdom that celebrates your demise,” she replied. “You said it yourself; you’re nothing without your kingdom. Maybe, though, maybe you could be good.”
She sighed, shaking her head. “Or you can remain the same as you’ve always been,” she replied. “You can remain constant and be overthrown once again. That’s fine too.”
She was quiet for a moment, considering this. “I can care about both,” she said after a moment. “Sometimes people say that true altruism doesn’t exist because there’s always a hidden motive. That’s probably true, I think, but if it leads to an ultimate good change in the world, I don’t think it’s selfish for me to try to change your perspective. As I say, I’ve seen what you’re going to do if you continue down this path. I don’t think anyone wants that, not even you.”
