The sparking at Lokkir’s hand caused Aeris to leap to her feet, her worst fears confirmed; the wedding was a farce, designed to embarrass Qaeltine; and now the Crown Princess, the heir to the throne, was locked alone in a room with a Hudvalri perjurer whose fingers were crackling with arcane energy. A mockery and a murder Aeris’ hand went to the dagger concealed beneath the voluptuous folds of her dress, bringing it into a defensive stance. Before she could strike, Lokkir’s light was extinguished and his demeanour seemed to change. Aeris’ fingers shifted on the handle of the blade, not letting it go, but she allowed her defence to drop, if only a little. Her muscles were still tense, adrenaline still surged through her veins and she did not trust the flow of his fingers. But she hesitated, enough to hear her husband out. As Lokkir spoke, Aeris’ eyebrows knit together is confusion and disbelief. After the revelation and the albeit brief, startling aetheric display, the princess found herself on edge and unable to have faith in his words. She took a deep breath through her nose. [i]She had too trust him[/i]. Aeris could not tell if the decision was foolish, one that might lead to the dissolution of peace between the Kingdoms, but she risked much the same if she refused to believe him, too. Aeris was as war weary as all the people of Qaeltine and Hudvalr combined; as difficult as it was to do, she [i]wanted[/i] to trust Lokkir. She [i]wanted[/i] peace for the Kingdoms, but just as much, she wanted peace for herself. Aeris doubted she would ever love the man, but she sincerely hoped she could at least live with him. [color=FBE5B0]“So,”[/color] the princess began slowly, still trying to make sense of Lokkir, of who he was, of [i]what[/i] he was, [color=FBE5B0]“you are… My husband? This is… You are not here to make a fool of me? Of Qaeltine?” [/color]The doubt was evident in her tone, but she was [i]trying[/i] to understand. Aeris shook her head, unsure of her next steps. She had known the evening would be uncomfortable, but she had not expected this, she had not expected the politics to continue into their bedroom. Aeris looked down at the dagger in her hand and then looked at her husband. In a fluid movement, she flipped the weapon, so that the blade was held between her fingers; she offered the handle to Lokkir. [color=FBE5B0]“Here,” [/color]Aeris mumbled, unable to meet Lokkir’s eyes. By surrendering her blade she was opening herself to harm; as a decorated soldier, Aeris was never truly defenceless, but this was as close as she would get. She was making herself vulnerable in an attempt to show Lokkir that she was listening, that the peace was important to her too. Without a weapon, Lokkir and his ability to twist and bind the aether was at the advantage, and Aeris knew that he would know this also. Aeris was tired; both from the day, but also from fighting. She wanted to rest, to sleep. Aeris chewed her bottom lip, considering something. She nodded, more to herself than to her husband, her mind set on her idea, and sat back on the edge of the bed, fingers fumbling with the laces and buckles of her boots. Soon, she was pulling them off and throwing them to the corner of the room discarded, starting on the next clasp, the next lace, of her bodice. Slipping out of her wedding dress, she discarded that too, standing before Lokkir in nothing more than her undergarments. Her body was marred with scars from fighting; deep cuts and burns and scars that were still healing. So scantily clad, her right arm was completely displayed; the skin seemed raw where her stump slipped into the prosthetic, brass bolts screwed into the flesh, the raw connection between technology and biology. [color=FBE5B0]“It… It seemed only fair,”[/color] Aeris said with a noncommittal shrug, as if she were stripping down in front of her comrades and not an effective stranger. [color=FBE5B0]“So,”[/color] she continued, removing the last articles of clothing and climbing onto the centre of the large, double bed, [color=FBE5B0]“please, Lokkir. I… Explain this to me. Help me understand. You… Peace seems as important to [i]you[/i] as it does to [i]me[/i]. I fear there may be times when we are the only allied force in this peace treaty. I-I want to work [i]with[/i] you, not against you.”[/color] Aeris dug the fingers of her organic hand into the soft sheets of the bed, rubbing the fabric between her knuckles, taking small comfort in the silky feeling. [color=FBE5B0]“I feel that you want the same, but… It does appear that we do have a problem. How do your propose we solve the issue of an heir?”[/color]