Amberdrake frowns. Somehow he can still look comforting. 

"Not something I am best pleased to hear," he says finally. "We need to speak more, later." And a smile that doesn't quite erase his obvious concern. "I can assure you that you made the right choice, coming back, and I think Lionstar will forgive you for it, once he has his wits about him again. For now, I will need your help in getting him to drink some medicine, and then, if you do not mind, I would appreciate your staying at his side while I do some Healing. Kechara tells me that he finds your presence soothing, and," a brief smile, "our Lionstar can be a rather prickly young man." 

He smiles a little, and nods. "Yes, I help," he agrees.

Lionstar half-wakes to familiar arms supporting him – friend – and a different voice, familiar-yet-not, informing him that he needs to drink something. It tastes bad but Sakshemar is projecting calm at him and so it doesn't bother him much.

Skip, and he's lying down again – but comfortable, warm – only something is moving in his head and he starts to panic, but doesn't get far, because Sakshemar is there with relentless calm-safety. 

This repeats at least a dozen times, but by the end of it, his head hurts less.

Then the half-familiar voice again. "There, I have done all that I can to set him right. Rest and time will do the rest. Unfortunately, I am not sure where he is to go in the meantime. He must have mentioned to you that he is an orphan? After he ran away, we investigated his situation at home, and I think he is justified in not wishing to return to his uncle's household. For the time being, I suppose he can stay here, and I will consider. Do not let him exert himself unduly, please, physically or mentally, but he may have food if he asks for it."

More words, further off, that Lionstar doesn't catch, and retreating footsteps. He means to say something to Sakshemar – apologize, explain, he doesn't know what – but instead he falls asleep again, deep restful sleep without dreams, and when the world comes back, his head is only aching a little. He feels muzzy, but it's more the feeling of pain-drugs than of injury.

He dares to open his eyes. "Sakshemar?" 

Sakshemar is right there, smiling at him. "Lionstar! Awake, good. I find Healer, Healer fix you. Say you need rest now. Want food, water?"

"I would like water." Being able to think and speak in full sentences again is glorious. "Not sure about food yet." He's still queasy, which seems very unfair. 

And he recognizes those limestone walls. And, belatedly, the weirdly-familiar voice; the former inhabitant of Lionstar's body knew Amberdrake, and a few memory-traces are still there. "We are in White Gryphon," he says, redundantly. "What did you tell them?" 

"We meet people in forest, they want take you back, you not want go, I tell them go away, they do, then late night someone attack, I think same people, you hurt, I bring."

"Is anybody nearby?" He lowers his voice. "Did you say that you killed the person? What did Amberdrake have to say?" 

"Yes, I say I kill person," he confirms. "Amberdrake worry. He say talk more later. But later not happen yet. I help take care of you." He checks with empathic senses. "I think no one near for hear us, but not sure."

Best not bring up specifics, then, but there are other parts, only, he’s not sure how to ask. 

“I am sorry.” Start with that. “It was my watch and I was lax.” Nearly murdered by a man with a big stick. Humiliating. “...Are you all right? It cannot have been easy.” And he hasn’t been able to help. For days.

"I all right," he says. "Good you still here. Not need sorry. Sometimes mistake happen. All good."

Lionstar is unconvinced on the ‘fine’ part, but it’s not the time to discuss it. He tries to sit up - and is reminded that he might be feeling better but is far from well, moving makes him very dizzy and he doesn’t seem to have the strength for it.

“...Help?”

Sakshemar helps.

"Amberdrake say not let you do too much," he cautions.

This is the point at which Kechara skids in, tangling herself in the curtain. 

"Friend!" She projects a burst of delight in Sakshemar's general direction. "And Lionstar! Feel better now? Play with me!" 

"Better but not all better," says Sakshemar, smiling. It's hard not to smile around Kechara. "Careful."

"Oh." Kechara immediately freezes, and then proceeds with exaggerated caution, tiptoeing across the room. "I be very careful!" she promises gravely. "Lionstar want snuggles? Friend?"  

Lionstar's mind is spinning in confusion. The former inhabitant of this body of the same name didn't especially like Kechara. Ma'ar never cared for gryphons, period, although right now he's too foggy to remember why, hopefully it's in his notes. But he isn't the boy formerly known as Lionstar, and he...isn't precisely Ma'ar either. Not anymore.

Kechara is cute. And...safe-feeling. He isn't sure if that's a thought Ma'ar could ever have had. 

"Friend," he offers, smiling weakly, and holds out his hand. 

What a good way for things to be.

Lionstar is coaxed to drink, and then dozes off with his head against Kechara's wing, and Kechara has a whispered but equally excited conversation with Sakshemar, and then Lionstar wakes and Sakshemar can persuade him to eat some soup, and finally it's nightfall and a cheerful young man who's probably an apprentice Healer brings Sakshemar a mat on the floor to sleep. 

Shortly after dawn, Amberdrake is back, parting the curtains. "Sakshemar?" he calls out in a low voice. "Would it be well with you to speak further now?" 

He makes an agreeable noise and gets up to follow him out, since presumably Amberdrake would rather talk where they won't disturb Lionstar.

Amberdrake, unsmiling this time, leads him along streets paved with crushed oyster-shells, already gleaming in the morning light, between more limestone buildings carved out of the cliff. Eventually they come to one particular large, square building with white-curtained windows, and ushers Sakshemar in, nudging aside another door-curtain. It's pleasantly cool inside. 

"Sit," Amberdrake says, gesturing to a stool on one side of a polished-wood table. He takes the other stool, and leans forward. "I think we do us better speaking in your tongue?" he says, in not-quite-totally-fluent Haighlei. "Does that suit?" 

"Maybe so," he agrees. "Your Haighlei is better than my Kaled'a'in, anyway. Though it's surprising how well I can get by with very few words if I'm creative about using them."

A flicker of a smile. "You are a resourceful young man, I think." Amberdrake lays out a long piece of parchment, dips a quill pen in an inkwell. "So. I am sorry to need make you revisit what happened, certain it was difficult. But, I worry. Not good sign for our diplomatic relations. So I wish that you tell me again what happened, I hope more easy in your tongue. And start from beginning, please. Why were you in the woods near our city, to find Lionstar?" 

"I left Khimbata because I didn't like it there," he says. "I wanted to find White Gryphon and see if I liked your customs any better than I liked mine. Seems Lionstar had a similar idea. We met in the woods and decided we liked each other better than either of our homes, so we stayed out there. Fended off a few wild animal attacks—oh, if nobody's told you already, you should know there's creatures out there that eat magic. I think the word Lionstar used was wyrsa? Fast scaly snake-lizard-lion-things. Anyway. So the expedition found our camp, while we were away, and their priest took some meat from our stores."

He frowns slightly.

"I don't know how much you know about Haighlei priests, but—he shouldn't have done that. It's not lawful. Priests aren't supposed to be the sort of people who would steal. But people, you know, they'll do what they like when they don't think someone's enough of a person to count, and he thought he was at the camp of a couple of your scouts, or something. Not the sort of person it matters if you take a little food from. And then we came back, and we were a couple of teenagers, even less like real people than he thought. They wanted to take Lionstar back here—I think they mentioned a reward?—and Lionstar wasn't interested, and they weren't interested in leaving him alone. So."

A small sigh.

"I introduced myself. Sakshemar, son of Naraynan. My father is the king's cousin. That got them listening to me. I told the priest I didn't mind about the theft but he wasn't going to take my friend anywhere my friend didn't feel like going. He was terrified. If I took this story home to my father, made enough noise about it, he could have his Gift taken away. I reassured him I wasn't going to do that, and he convinced his friend not to kidnap mine, and they went away. Then a few days later a stranger attacked us in the middle of the night. I woke up just in time to see them hit Lionstar in the head with a big stick. I attacked and killed them and grabbed all our stuff and Lionstar and went to make another camp somewhere else, because it was clear that one wasn't safe anymore, and I tried to take care of him until it was obvious that I couldn't, and then I told him I was coming here to find a Healer, and he was pretty well out of it but he said he trusted me, so here we are."

Amberdrake's quick indrawn breath at the name 'Naraynan' reveals his recognition, but he doesn't interrupt, only listens and makes soft encouraging noises and occasionally writes something down. 

"You did well," he says finally. "I wish you know that, foremost. Bad situation, you did your best choice available." His expression darkens, but aimed at the window, not at Sakshemar. 

"Political consequences worry me most," he goes on. "Not sure if is helped by your stature. Perhaps worse. This priest, this party – they knew, no? And still sent assassin. That is... Would not go over well, were it known to your people, I think." 

Amberdrake scowls. "And for my people's part? We spoke to party, we asked reward for Lionstar's return, safe and unharmed. Not unhappy that they left it first time, clear he did not care to return. But assassin? Knew who he was, a runaway youngling, no danger to them. I cannot let such an offense slide, and yet, I cannot say how is best to proceed. For start, might send message to Khimbata. Not specify details, ask for talks. Negotiate recompense. I need think on it though." 

He softens again. "But you. Saved a friend from death, not a choice anyone should condemn you for. Yet, killing not easy on spirit, even in self-defense. And–" he leans in closer, lowering his voice, "you is Empath, no? I also. Can recognize it in your aura. This be why you left? Mind-Gifts not an easy thing to carry in your homeland. And a heavy burden indeed, when killing with your own hand. I wish that you have chance to speak of it, to unweave that pain, and I am here for that."