Shock. Horror. Disgust. These were all the things he had prepared for. Expected, even. Not this mocking, grating laughter. 

	Wanting to be laid bare no longer, Lokkir quickly threw on the jacket he had so recently discarded to hide what arms could not. His eyes, however, were transfixed on the gleaming brass of Aeris' hand as her voice rang in his ears. The ringing steadily became louder and louder, her words becoming drowned screams as his world was reduced to her shifting metal digits. Unbidden images of metal men slithered their way into his mind, metal men whose bodies were more iron than flesh, whose voices rang like clashing steel, and who all died like grinding rust. The room fell apart, restructuring into a burning plain as his chest tightened and tightened further. One hand held a nonexistent blade, but in the other, his fingers danced in a frantic pattern, the atmosphere cut with a sharp, metallic scent.

	The ringing was deafening at this point, the air suffocating. Everything was suffocating. Duty. Responsibility. Hudvalr. Family. He had given up everything for family. Ever since he was born, his life was never his own. Every word he spoke, every step he took, every scar he received, [i]even the person he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with[/i], all of it was in service to family. After everything he had, after the [i]marathon[/i] that he had practically run today, only to be met with [i]this!?[/i]

	[color=lightskyblue][i]'After the day that you[/i] both [i]went through,'[/i][/color] a small voice reminded him. Immediately, the world snapped back into reality and he realized his right hand was sparking violently. Part of the jacket was smoldering and burning, prevented from being an inferno by unconscious aetheric protections he had put into place. Lokkir quickly dissipated the arcing energy, but still, the anger burned within. It was a comfort though, something he could latch on to keep him in the now. He can't imagine what he must have looked like to Aeris in that moment, however. It seemed to have stretched forever, even though it likely only had lasted a second. Still, this was not the first impression he had wanted to give, nor the lasting one he would have liked her to keep. 

	Abruptly Lokkir composed himself and strode into the middle of the room, mismatched eyes staring straight into Aeris', his left hand raised briefly to his lips. [color=ECA8FF]"As your new husband, dear wife, I have no idea what you mean. However, it would do well for you to be [i]quiet[/i] and [i]silent[/i],"[/color] he began, his voice straining to remain under control, his free hand weaving together more subtle motions, his words flowing between Hudvalri, Qaeltine, and Dracan. He continued in this manner for some time, spinning a spell that would offer them far more privacy than brass, stone, and wood could provide. It was clumsy and far from his best work in hiding the intentions in what he was weaving. In all honesty, his father would have been supremely disappointed and Sigrdrifa would have laughed him off, but he had an obvious enough reason to wish for secrecy that his actual intent could hide behind. They would have to finish their discussion quickly however before more inquisitive and gossip-hungry creatures penetrated the barrier.

	When he was done, Lokkir let himself relax a minute amount before locking eyes with Aeris once more, frustration shaking him to his core. [color=ECA8FF]"I have afforded us some small measure of actual privacy. Now dear wife, before this you believed me a man yes? So too does the rest of the world, and it shall continue to do so, [i]must[/i] continue to do so if this alliance is to survive."[/color] 

	Like an animal in a cage, he began pacing in his small imagined confines wrapped in chain after chain after chain. Emotions he long learned to suppress, locks he had long ago learned to place were starting to become undone. [color=ECA8FF]"Do you think I enjoy being this,"[/color] he turned to her, gesturing to all of his body, [color=ECA8FF]"that I enjoy playing this charade? Living in a body that my mind does not accept as my own?"[/color] Lokkir felt his voice rise, the anger roiling and bubbling just beneath the surface. Duty. Responsibility. Family.

	And then all the day's exhaustion had finally caught up to him. Lokkir allowed himself to drop down onto the bedside, consciously keeping himself away from Aeris' right side, his eyes unfocused and glazed as they rested in his hands. His right socket itched terribly. [color=ECA8FF]"The king required a son, so I became a son. He was desperate for an heir, and there was still no end in sight to the war. If I remember correctly, you and I were actually born during the worse years of it,"[/color] he laughed bitterly. His gaze drifted up to Aeris' eyes, trying to see what lay beyond them. [color=ECA8FF]"Believe you me, we want... I want this peace as much as you. We had tried every other avenue to secure this alliance, but you know as well as I that nothing is more binding than blood, and that none but we of the royal families could make that covenant. Of course, all will come to naught if we cannot produce an heir."[/color]