She stays silent.

" I'm Lise. " She pointed her flashlight to Isiea. " This is my sister. " She looked back at him. " Who are you? "

(Aww Isiea it's okay)

The old man chuckled. "Worry not, child. I mean you no harm."

" Are you King Machina? "

She stays quiet.

"I was once the Iron King."

"My name is Ferrum," the old man explained. "As you no doubt noticed, I am old. Older than that whelp Machina, older than all of the iron fey. I was the first, you see, born of the forges, when mankind first began to experiment with iron. I rose from their imagination, from their ambition to conquer the world with a metal that could slice through bronze like paper. I was there when the world started to shift, when humans took their first steps out of the Dark Ages into civilization."

"For many years, I thought I was alone. But mankind is never satisfied--he is always reaching, always trying for something better. Others came, others like me, rising from these dreams of a new world. They accepted me as their king, and for centuries, we remained hidden, isolated from the rest of the fey. I realized, beyond a doubt, that if the courts knew of our existence, they would unite to destroy us."

"Then, with the invention of computers, the gremlins came, and the bugs. Given life by the fear of monsters lurking in machines, these were more chaotic than the other fey, violent and destructive. They spread to every part of the world. As technology became a driving force in every country, powerful new fey rose into existence. Virus. Glitch. And Machina, the most powerful of all. He was not content to sit and hide. His plan was conquest, to spread throughout the Nevernever like a virus, destroying all who opposed him. He was my First--my most powerful lieutenant--and we clashed on several occasions. My advisers told me to banish him, to imprison him, even to kill him. They were afraid of him, and rightly so, but I was blind to the danger."

"Of course, it was only a matter of time before Machina turned on me. Gathering an army of like-minded fey to his side, he attacked the fortress from within, slaughtering all who were loyal to me. My forces fought back, but we were old and obsolete, no match for Machinas cruel army."

"In the end, I sat on my throne and watched him approach, knowing I was going to die. But, as Machina threw me to the floor, he laughed and said he would not kill me. He would let me fade away a bit at a time, becoming obscure and forgotten, until no one remembered my name or who I was. And, as he settled back upon my throne, I felt my power slip away and flow into Machina, acknowledging him as the new Iron King."

"So, now I live here." Ferrum gestured to the cavern and the pack rats milling about. "In a forgotten cave, sitting on a throne made of garbage, king of the mighty trash collectors. A noble title, is it not?" His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "These creatures are very loyal, bringing me offerings that I cannot use, making me ruler of this junk heap. They have accepted me as their king, but what good is that? They cannot give me back my throne, and yet they are the only ones that keep me from fading away. I cannot die, but I can hardly bear to live, knowing what Ive lost. What was stolen from me. And Machina is the one who designed it all!"

He slumped on his throne and buried his face in his hands. The pack rats shuffled forward, patting him, making worried chittering sounds.

" Thats...really sad, actually. Machina sounds like a big jerk. "

Isiea still stays silent.

He stared at them through his fingers, his frail form shaking with tears. He sniffed and lowered his hands, his face sullen and dark. "Go, then," Ferrum whispered, shooing them away. "I cannot sway you. Perhaps two unarmed girls will succeed where an entire army has failed." He laughed then, bitter and petulant. "Good luck to you. My subjects will take you under his fortress, through the secret tunnels that honeycomb the land. It's the quickest way to rush to your destruction. Now, go. I am through with you."

"...Nice meeting you, then. C'mon Isiea. "