[Fervessence]

Sariel’s eyes never once left the meandering figure of the King as he moved about the throne room. There was a passing beat of pride as he saw he’d made the man speechless. He didn’t quite know what to say himself, but maybe it was best if he continued to keep quiet. If he didn’t give Aki any answers, then there would be nothing he could do. Sariel’s training had built him up for torture, had prepared him to keep quiet even in the face of death. The thoughts of his old kingdom flitting by briefly made the fae wonder if any of his kind would come for him, if his own royalty would send anyone out in an attempt to take him back from Aki’s clutches. Behind the muzzle, a slight frown curled his lips, and by the time he’d been pulled from his trance there was no time to react to the guards who had roughly seized him and shoved him to the floor.

A snarl came as his clothes were harshly ripped off his body; most of his movements were easily subdued, and the cuffs linking his hands together behind him didn’t do much in the way of lending assistance to fight back. Admittedly, Sariel thought the guards had planned to do more, so he was slightly dazed upon watching them step away after they’d removed him of his clothing.

The fae’s skin was characteristically pale of his kind and his body was lithe, as though he’d been made solely for agility alone. Small bruises and welts had formed dark spots across his form, a stark contrast to the lightness of his skin. “You should kill me if I’ve committed such a high crime,” Sariel barked back, undeterred by the shock of his sudden nudity. He’d been ready for a death sentence coming into the throne room so much of everything Aki was discussing was odd for him. What had he done to not deserve getting his head sliced off?