[Freezair]

((Sorry for the bit of a wait. It's been a busy couple of days.))

"Ahh! He knows already!" The man took the paw, but he did not shake it. Instead, he took it up in his hands, and felt the knobs on its back. The man hummed to himself, and looked at Arthur.

"I am sorry, friend, to do this to you. I take no pleasure in forcing those into forms they do not accept, but... You must assume your natural form for this process to take place. However, you may speak to me and tell me your story as you do this."

Halvard nodded. He himself transformed back into a human to help Arthur feel more at ease. "I had a hunch this might happen. Since he's trying to tell if you're telling the truth, being in your 'truest' form makes sense, doesn't it? ...Well, they're both true, of course, but that is the one you were born in. Unless there's other things going on."

[Azura Rayume]

((Finally figured out how to write this. XD Between classes and stuff at the wildlife center, things have gotten pretty crazy for me in the past week. Should be calming down now, though, since schedules are finally in place.))

Natural form. Truest form. Arthur had to assume that meant the human body he was so used to, but he failed to see what kind of difference any of that would make. If this wolf version of himself was as Halvard had explained, a true part of him granted by this realm of unfamiliar laws, then what difference would it make while this man spoke to him? Well, he assumed it had something to do with magic. Things were always strange when it came to magic, and he'd never managed to get a good grasp of it.

"Ah, yes," the king said with a slight shrug. "You'll have to forgive me, though, for I'm sorry to say that I haven't quite mastered this whole transforming thing yet." Maybe he could try thinking about it like Merlin always had him. Think inward and concentrate without fixating and all that. The old mage had been able to change him then, and had even changed himself a time or two, using that idea.

He closed his eyes and laid his ears back, trying to remember both what his old mentor had told him and what Lance had done earlier to get him to change the first time. His face twisted for an expression of concentration, as close as he could remember without the lizard running over his face. He almost wished the first change hadn't happened so fast, if only so he could recall exactly what had happened. All he could remember was a sharp rap on the back of the neck ans simply being annoyed.

Perhaps he was overthinking this, like Merlin had always warned him. Magic didn't work if you tried too hard, it seemed. Perhaps thinking of what it was like to be human would help. He thought of stretching his fingers and toes, of standing straight, of flexing muscles in ways he had been doing since he was a child. Though it was strange to think of, recalling the sensations seemed to do the trick. His paws lengthened back to human extremities, his face shifted, and the blade on his back disappeared. His fur was replaced by his plate armor and normal skin again, and the familiar weight of his blade tugged at his side.

Though the change had one major drawback. The king found himself falling, unbalanced by the lack of wingblades and the appearance of armor. He caught himself with one hand, the other reaching up to steady the crown that teetered precariously on his head. He grinned sheepishly at the sybil, bashful as a lad as he suspected he would be until he got the hang of this.

"So, eh, what did you want to talk about exactly?"

[Freezair]

"This is old magic," the sibyl said. "Old as the birth of time. So it is that we must assume the forms we were born in to use it." He took Arthur's hands and began to hum.

"Tell me of your life," the sibyl said. "It is easy to make magic that tells when men think they tell the truth. Goodness, magic isn't even necessary! They have machines now that see the electricity arching over your skin, and how much you sweat, and your heart rate, and tell if you think you're telling the truth. But this... With this, I can tell if your story resonates with the truth of the universe. If what is within your head is etched upon your heart and soul. A madman may sincerely believe he has a giant invisible Meji named Harvey for a friend, but that does not make it so..."

"I'm afraid I don't understand this much," Halvard admitted. "But I think you did well for someone changing back for the first time." To be truthful, his head hurt, but he didn't want to admit it.