He raised his eyebrows in agreement, pausing in his walk to turn partly toward her, waiting, without looking her way. Terrible. One of the many words he'd heard himself repeat in his head on the days he'd allowed himself to look back. He looked at her again when she asked why, his brow furrowing. After all the things she'd seen as an empress and a paladin, she still needed to ask why? Because cruelty will always be found. 

She stepped closer, and he tensed just slightly, feeling her touch the line embedded in his cheek. "I ran away." He confirmed. "The only one to do so and live, as far as I know. Unless others did before me and we were just lied to." Which, frankly, wouldn't surprise him. "I kept crawling through the sand until I couldn't. Woke up in the company of buzzards after days, I think. I didn't keep track. Found Ziad a few days later. I did the same thing Envy did. I went underground. To shade."
Ruli inhaled, reaching up to grasp her wrist gently, prying her hand away from his face. "I gave you one question, and you've gotten far more than that. I think I'm due the next five. And I don't see your boots." Ruli jerked his head to point out the lack of footware on the beach, which meant Narda or Envy likely had them.