"I ... What do you mean you're not?" How she wanted to adjust herself on the bed and get more comfortable. And, her puzzlement at his answer only made her more irritated at how she was situated.

"(F/n)," her name was already rolling smoothly off of his tongue. He loved it, and he adapted quickly to it. His earlier hesitation was gone. "I can craft what I want; it doesn't have to be weapons." Keiran sat up a little straighter. "I may be a blacksmith, but that doesn't mean that I only know how to shape swords, hammers and others." Leaning towards her, he clarified, "I can mold metal to arms and legs. I can give you them back."

She didn't answer back as the pieces clicked together in her mind. It made sense. (F/n) supposed that she had never thought him capable of anything else simply because she had never seen him make anything else but weapons.

"It'll take time, but I can do it. Due to the level of detail, I'll need a forge where we won't risk being caught. Each limb will take a few months. But once they're completed, they will connect with your skin and function like your arms and legs before."

Her heart beat a little faster at the prospect even if it meant almost a year of waiting. "That's ..." She was at a loss of words, and she felt hope enter her mind once more until she began to wonder how'd they survive. "But, how? How do we make it that far? Where do we go?"

"North. The pine forests will give us more cover than the plains on the rest of the island. Perhaps, it's obvious, but there are places up north where people won't go simply because the terrain is tiring."

"And, there's a forge for you up there?" She wondered how there would be one unless he intended to build one, but that would take its own fair share of time.

"Yes." Her silence begged him to continue. "I have a retreat up there. And no, I didn't disclose it to your father or mother or anyone in Credel, and neither of your parents inquired. Your father and my mentor did permit me time away once in a great while, and my mentor told me about a retreat up north. I imagine that if I stayed back in Credel that I'd never see the place again."

"So, you weren't followed, and your mentor, Barrett, just happened to have a smithy up north that remained untouched?" Frankly, it all seemed too good to be true. It couldn't be this easy to escape the Kingdom of Credel. A missing royal blacksmith, not to mention a magic-wielding one, would be missed quite soon. "And, it just so happens to be in a spot where we won't be discovered?"

A small smile of amusement touched his lips at her skepticism even if it was quite fair. He hid it, though, when he noticed the glare sent his way. "Yes. As perfect as it seems, it really is. The smithy up north has been passed down from royal blacksmith to royal blacksmith in Credel. It was created as Barrett told me four royal blacksmiths ago. And again, it's not in an easily accessible place. Since then, it's been passed down as a retreat to go and spend time away from the kingdom to enjoy the craft with no assignment. One can experiment and take it easy."

"I still don't believe that no one else has found it. There are those who live on the northernmost part of the island: Stowwen. Anigour doesn't just house the Kingdom of Credel on it." She wanted to cross her arms in thought. Instead, she remained as she was. Adjusting herself to get more comfortable wasn't working. "And, they aren't shy of the cliffs that stretch down into the ocean."

A smile found itself on his lips. (F/n) caught on quickly, and it's what made her such a great healer in times of urgency. Despite the horrible and unjust punishment she received, this was one good thing out of it. He finally got time just to be with her. No longer did he have to admire her from afar. She looked annoyed at his expression and silently urged him to continue. "Well, the blacksmith who built the forge made a deal with one of the local residents. In exchange for protection of the forge, the blacksmith would train them in combat."

"And, I suspect that this person's descendant is now the protector of the forge. Why couldn't they and their descendents learn it from someone else?"

"Not every kingdom treats its magic wielders kindly." Realization began to form in her (e/c) optics, but another question was on the tip of her tongue. "And yes, not every descendant bore magic. But, they understood the original agreement just like my predecessors of the royal smithy understood it. It was built on trust and maintained."

"I still don't get why they needed and need combat training. If they had protection magic of some kind, why did they need combat training? Besides, magic isn't consistent with who gets it and what kind it is." She at least could lean back against the headboard and huffed. But, she was thankful for the distraction. If it weren't for the present conversation and the hope it brought her, her mind would n end up not in a pleasant place.

"The original one could only offer protection in the form of barriers and only for so long. As soon as they tired out or went to sleep, the barrier would fail. So, they wanted a backup, and they wanted to learn from someone who wouldn't exploit them. The Kingdom of Stowwen is as you know known for that." Keiran crossed his arms. "As for the others, they didn't have magic and protected the smithy with their knowledge of the area. And again despite local residents, it's not in a well-adventured spot." A small reassuring smile met his lips. "Sometimes, (F/n) you just happen upon the right person at the right time."

"... Right. I ..." She sighed roughly. "I suppose that's true. I just ... It's hard to believe after everything." (F/n) turned her head and looked out the window. She wanted to trust him and just accept the information he was giving her, but life dealt her something terrible, and it broke her. Repairing what had shattered wouldn't be easy. To trust like she used to would be hard, and she only was being so compliant now because she couldn't really fight back at all. All she could really do was bite him hard enough to break skin if he got close enough if he tried something. Maybe, a head whack, but that was about it.

"Yes, I know, but I don't have anything to gain by lying to you. I left everything behind, and turning you in would just result in my death. No one would believe that I didn't have a part in saving your life." Keiran did crack a smile, though, when her stomach grumbled. "We can continue over some food." He stood up and went over to the fire.

Truthfully, she couldn't stare at it long. Fire didn't really agree with her, and she'd rather keep her distance when she could. The heat from the lava remained fresh in her mind. Even though she knew that the flames wouldn't jump out at her, she needed time to heal if she ever truly could.

"Why did the original creator of the forge even go up that far?" She looked to him and not the fire.

"Curious about the northernmost part of the island. He was probably an adventurer at heart. That's how my mentor described him." Keiran grabbed a ladle, spoon and bowl from somewhere beyond where she could see. Most likely, there was a shelf or table on the other side of the home.

"And, what about the current protector of your forge? Do they have magic?"

It was indeed soup inside the pot. He poured it into the bowl and came back over to her. Keiran scooted the chair closer and spooned some of the food onto it. From what she could tell, there was cabbage and some sort of meat. As if reading her thoughts, he answered, "Rabbit." He blew on it and held it over in front of her lips. They exchanged a glance, and her stomach grumbled. Well if he was trying to poison her, she supposed that it wouldn't be worse than what she already went through, and she couldn't eat on her own anyway. Besides if she did die, she could be with her parents.

She opened her mouth and accepted the food. It tasted decent, despite having no seasonings whatsoever, but she was hungry, and they couldn't exactly get a fine meal given their situation. After she felt no side effects, she relaxed a little. "Well? You didn't answer." He nodded that he knew and prepped another bite for her before she accepted it.

"Yes. She does. And, it'll hide us well." She took a third bite. "She can cast an illusion on an inanimate object of her choice. So, the forge is hidden due to the home it's in having an illusion cast on it."

After swallowing, she nodded. "And, there's always only one descendent? What about her parents and past ones' parents?"

"They assist as well in the past. The forge and the home they're connected to are theirs too. But for her, both of them have passed away from illness. No curatives worked. They would've needed a magic user equipped with healing magic, but, unfortunately, neither of us know of anyone like that. Thankfully, it didn't spread to her."

"What's her name?" (f/n) asked before she took another bite.

"May."

She hummed in acknowledgement before she accepted another bite of food. A silence fell over them. Soon, the food was gone and Keiran was setting aside the empty bowl. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I will. For now, you should get some more rest. You haven't had much, and your body has been through a lot today."

A sigh escaped her lips. "Yes, I guess that you're right. But, the plan ..." She met his eyes. "We're going to go to this forge and stay there until your done with my ... new limbs." That sounded strange but wonderful. (F/n) really hoped that he could pull off designing such details. "Then what?"

"We'll plan that out as we go. It's awhile off, and I don't want to overwhelm you right now." Keiran came over and helped situate her as comfortably on the bed as he could. She winced here and there, and she bit her lip on another occasion. He quietly apologized.

"You already have a plan. I can tell." She could tell in his eyes. He knew what the next step was. "I want to know. I might not agree. Then, what?"

Sighing himself, he chuckled lightly and stood up. "So stubborn and perceptive." She wasn't amused. "Rest, (f/n). You'll need it for the journey north. It's going to take us about one and a half weeks by horse."

"No, I won't. I'm not the one doing all the work. I'll just be strapped to a horse and watching you."

"(F/n), you'll be another set of eyes. I need you alert." He walked back to the fire and began snuff it out. It had run long enough; no need to run it anymore. It wasn't too frigid of a night. "We'll talk more tomorrow. I still have to work on a few things for our trip."

"... Okay." She huffed and closed her eyes. At least, her stomach was satisfied. That was some comfort, and she'd be able to walk again in a little less than a year, which was very much worth waiting for. "... Thank you, Keiran."

He paused before he smiled. "You're welcome, (f/n)."