So, Helovia is a kingdom. Or maybe better thought of as a collection of kingdoms... The prince's little ears drink this information eagerly and without interruption. Ashamin's is a voice made for oration, one both pleasant and easy to follow. It seems a shame, then, he ought have no home. Curiosity gleams in the depths of those dark eyes, but the spotted stallion weighs his words. Calling someone out for homelessness would be a crass way to begin any relationship - and he hopes to begin one here. A relationship - the kind made of camaraderie and not necessity. It's been too long.

"I see," he replies cheerfully. "In... my travels I've come across wandering scholars and monks." Maybe Helovia's seekers of knowledge are different, but the ascetic life has never been a possibility worth entertaining, in the prince's mind. Long hours spent alone with only his thoughts for company... Too recently had that been his own situation, devoid of choice. He craves instead the sound of music, of laughter. He wonders if Ashamin's unnamed companions hold a court of their own, or if they prefer the shared quiet of breathing. There is no conclusion to draw from wondering. "What kind of knowledge do you chase?" He asks instead, his words making even scholarship an exciting game, a challenge to be met with zeal and taken to its pinnacle. Maybe the answer will shed light on Helovia, as well, and what beats most dearly to the center of its peoples' hearts. Knowing the name of a place is nothing; the prince only wonders more about what mysteries are held inside.

It is with no lack of courtesy, then, the prince turns to Lyanna when she takes her turn. It speaks well of her - or Ashamin - or both - that as representatives of such disparate entities, they engage each other with amiable respect. The prince acknowledges this reflects well upon those they represent, as well. The World's Edge. "An impressive name," he says, with an eager bob of his head. And it is; it conjures immediately old images of ancient temples perched upon the crowns of misty mountains, memories of home glimpsed far too long ago. "What is your title there?" And so many more questions brimming on the tip of his tongue! The prince dares not voice them all for fear of wearing his company's patience, but he watches them flit through his head on eager wings, as warmed by conversation as his body is by sunlight. More pressing than his idle curiosity, though, is knowledge of his trespassing (for he is) and the potential consequences (for there must be some). Why else would would Helovia's natives patrol its borders so keenly? What do they have to protect, and what covets it?

The prince wishes in some small way he were still innocent enough to be naive about such things. He regrets, so much as he allows regret to flourish, that he must turn at least one ear toward them in caution. He would beg forgiveness for his lapse in supplying a name, but it is of course entirely on purpose. The last creatures to take from him full name and titles abused them enough to wreck his generosity with such information forever. "Oh!" There's a moment - just a moment - where the prince hesitates. "Please," he says, recovering so quickly the fumble may not even be perceptible, "Call me Hé." Just Hé. He feels his mother's disapproval as if she stands just behind him, but silently he promises it is for her benefit, as well. He can do nothing more to protect the hearts of those he loves, even if they beat too far away now even to dream of. The prince is wise to be cautious; the world is not as kind as he wants it to be.

He will not be cowed, of course. A soft, twinkling smile plays over his features at the sound of Rakt's voice, so different from any of the equine voices among them. There is a story between stag and stallion, one hoped for though not yet called outright. People cannot be asked to give up their secrets if nothing's given in return. Trust is a slow thing carefully grown. The prince respects this as he turns the conversation gently away from himself once more. "You must both have things to do. What brings you to the forest here?" And how do I figure in? is the unspoken question. The prince - Hé - tilts his head. He suspects he will learn much about his immediate future from the answer, and hopes to find it pleasant.