Rohaan tried very hard to appear unbothered by his current situation. Appearances, as he knew quite well, meant everything in critical situations. And generally he kept his head about him, at least on a surface level. He'd been bound by the wicked [I]ishun-tai[/I], 'death steel' before. The first time he didn't how how he'd survived the ordeal, as it felt like the very fabric that knit his body together was being crushed and squeezed into nothingness. When Berlin, his former sea captain and his closest friend, tried to understand what had happened, Rohaan described the experience as being akin to jamming a whale into a breadbox. He was a creature of many shapes and his body was fluid, and the enchantments in that horrible material bound him stiffly to one. It was confinement like he'd never known before. But he was older now, and more experienced. He knew that mental focus and breathing could help negate [I]some[/I] of the feeling. But not always. While he spent a good period of his very unexpected trip outside and into a carriage casting insults and jabs at his captors, every once and a while he'd turn from exhausted prisoner to something feral and inhumanoid as he wrenched and twisted at the shackle. 

"Have I killed any of your friends?" he snarled at them. He did not fail to notice the insignia on their armor when they'd come to collect him. So, they'd called in the cavalry. Good, at least his presence still merited that level of caution. "I've got a long, sordid history with the empire. Who knows, maybe I've killed family members. Fathers, perhaps? A brother? When I get out of here--and I assure you I will--you all better sleep with one eye open. I have a [I]very[/I] good memory..."

These soldiers were well trained though, and generally did not rise to his taunts. Once or twice he received a kick and a warning to keep quiet, but that was all. 

By the time he was dragged out of the carriage and into a wooded area, he was well drenched in sweat and his body quivered slightly but persistently. The look in his eyes was manic and feral. When the sack was removed from his head, it revealed a man somewhere near the age of thirty, perhaps a little younger, with longer blonde hair tied in an untidy short ponytail of uneven and mismatched curls. A small section of it had been braided just in front of his right ear; a bone pendant adorned its end. His skin was just a little darker than one might expect for a man with straw colored hair, and though he'd obviously spent much of his life outdoors and under the sun, it had a hue that suggested he would never have exactly been pale, even in the winter. He had the lithe, taut frame of a man who lived on the road, and dutifully served his master, toil, his whole life. For a vagabond though, his clothing was not poor. Not rich either, exactly, it was too practical for that. But aside from the dirt and stains of much use, it wasn't terribly tattered. This was a man who saw after his own needs, but needed little. He wore a loose ashen-gray shirt, a light leather vest, black trousers and a pair of decently made but light boots. He wore a leather bandolier of pouches and pockets across his chest, and buckled to the empty space near his hip was a small knife with a bone handle. He carried no other weapons. Rohaan squinted in the harsh sunlight, blinking his eerily blue eyes that were reminiscent of polished lapis lazuli, and had a vibrancy and brightness that nature only gave to toxic, poisonous things. He fixed these on the man clearly in charge, and though his gaze was a little wild, it was sharp, analytical, and keen. 

With much hesitance, the soldiers removed his bonds, including the [I]ishun-tai[/I]. They wisely stepped back as they did, though they were not so skittish as the other soldiers he'd dealt with that day. The moment the horrible thing was removed from his skin, he gave a quick yell and reeled back as if the thing and the man holding it had burned him badly, then, like stretching a long disused muscle, he shifted three times in [I]very[/I] quick succession. Bear. Tiger. Eagle. Back to himself. At this point, he could have changed into some winged shape and flown away, and even a skilled archer would have a real challenge trying to match both his speed and his movement. He could have also turned into a cyradan, a small breed of fire-breathing dragon and either burned or crushed them all to death. But Rohaan was a practical man, and he knew that if they wanted him dead, they had many easier opportunities. No, this man wanted something. 

He spoke, rather condescendingly Rohaan thought, and asked if he knew who he was. Rohaan did not answer at first, he simply held up one finger, turned on one heel, and walked toward the lake, giving a warning glance to the nearest soldier, just [I]daring[/I] him to try and stop him. He knelt at the water's edge and scooped up many handfuls of the cool, clear water and drank like a man out of a desert. He was very aware that he'd just ignored the direct questioning and therefore snubbed the Emperor of mankind, but he was unbothered by that. Let the wretch wait, he thought. If they wanted something form him, and they most certainly did, or they'd have done away with him already, they'd do it on his terms. After all, he was not a placid farm animal to be penned in and told to work. 

When Rohaan had his fill of water, he unceremoniously wiped his hands on his pants and proudly stalked back to the Emperor like he owned the place. Despite looking a little roughed up and exhausted, one would never guess from his demeanor that he'd just been a captive. He looked the man up and down. "I had a good guess as to who you were, but your soldiers gave it away a minute ago, [I]your grace.[/I]" He sneered a little as he said that. "Rheoaan Rohaan Rio Ja'aisen, at your," he spat at his feet, "service." The only genuine part of that was the spitting. "You may call me Rio, or simply Ja'aisen. The other two names are not for you." Where he came from, children were given three names in addition to their family name. Which one was used depended on who was using it and the relationship to that person. Rio, his third name, was the most informal and did not have to be earned. 

"You know, I'd come to your humble abode because I wanted to see if I could steal your crown. Not sure what I'd do with it once I got it, probably toss it in the river, I don't know. But I wanted to see if I could. Got a bit sidetracked by your personal liquor cabinet though. I particularly enjoyed the whiskey, by the way." He didn't mention that he'd filled his own flask with the stuff after he'd finished sampling. "The curtains in your chambers? Ghastly. But you've got some sharp staff. There's a serving girl with red hair that deserves a raise. Not only did she know you were away, but she had the presence of mind to pay attention to my eyes and knew I wasn't you. Either that or the portrait of you I used for my disguise doesn't really do you much justice. You're a bit uglier in person, actually. Perhaps you should get a new artist." 

Rohaan had a slight accent, and though the Emperor was likely very familiar with his people and any shifts in dialect that manifested across his empire, where Rohaan had gotten his was unclear. It had been long since diluted, but not erased. "I'm going to assume you didn't bring me all this way for afternoon tea. Though if you happen to have mint tea I wouldn't be opposed. And if you'd wanted to kill me you'd have done it a long time ago, so that begs the question, what do you want, [I]"Dragon"[/I] of the North?" He couldn't help but laugh a little at that. This man could call himself whatever he liked, but he was no dragon. Rohaan knew dragons, and he wasn't one. "And more importantly, why in Tevira's name should I do anything you ask?" Tevira was the name of a much-storied siren who was said among mariners to be the spirit of the ocean herself. The use of the name marked him as a former sailor. He waved a dismissive hand. "And don't threaten me with death if I don't comply. That's harder to do than I think you realize and it would cost you dearly, even if you succeeded. Besides, it's terribly uninteresting."