Aeris listened quietly and as intently as she could muster. It was not that Lokkir’s words bored her, but she was both physically and emotionally exhausted by the day. Aeris had never particularly been one for politics, enduring only as much as was necessary for her position, and she had little desire to engage in such talks now when all she wanted to do was curl up under the sheets and sleep until the sun was high.

	However, Aeris understood the importance of what Lokkir was telling her and that, in this matter, time was of the essence. Unfortunately, some things needed to be spoken about, right here, right now. It was just one more duty that befell being heir apparent.

	Aeris shifted her position on the bed. The air in the room was crisp and she could feel the prickle of a chill on her skin, gooseflesh and hairs standing on end. It was a kind of comforting, however, and Aeris made no move to pull the sheets around her to block out the cool. 

	As Lokkir spoke, Aeris could not help but notice how his gaze flickered to her prosthetic. She felt indignity bubble in her chest, unbidden. Aeris felt no shame in her loss of limbs, of the scars that criss-crossed across her body, but the way in which Lokkir looked at her arm, or rather, in the way in which he tried [i]not[/i] to look at it, suggested it made him uncomfortable, that he felt it [i]was[/i] something she ought to be ashamed of. Aeris bit the inside of her cheek, quelling the feeling inside; it was hypocritical of her to feel ire at Lokkir when her outburst at [i]his[/i] body had been so much more aggressive.

	[color=FBE5B0]“There are certainly enemies in the Qaeltine Kingdom; those who oppose Hudvalr and those who oppose the Volinix family for their supposed weakness in agreeing to peace rather than outright destruction,”[/color] the princess sighed wearily. Although the war was over, there were still many battles to be fought, those with words and politics than swords and flame. At least out on the field, Aeris knew she was competent; she knew how to secure a victory, whatever the cost in blood. Here, in the shadows of the courts, Aeris felt far more vulnerable and out of her depth than she ever had during even the grimmest of sieges.

	[color=FBE5B0]“At some point, when my brain is more willing to process new information, you will have to list the members of the Hudvalr court who I need to be cautious of, and I shall do the same for you of those in Qaeltine. Although, fortunately for us both, my immediate family are all in agreement with entering peace, and with this union,”[/color] she paused then, a slight smile quirking at the corner of lips as she thought of Aerin,[color=FBE5B0] “at least diplomatically, if not personally.”[/color] Aerin wanted peace for the kingdoms as much as his twin and, begrudgingly, accepted her fate in this marriage; Aerin just wanted Aeris to be happy and, however unlikely, to have been able to marry for love.

	Aerin was lucky; although his wife had been chosen for him, arranged for reasons much as Lokkir had for Aeris, the pair had grown exceptionally close. Their relationship was peaceful, caring and, somehow, they had managed to find a devotion for one another. In these circles, however, Aerin’s marriage was the exception and far from the rule.

	As Lokkir continued to speak of the future heir, of [i]their future child[/i], Aeris could not help but become contemplative. Subconsciously, she ran her fingers across her stomach, feeling the gelid edges of metal against her skin. Aeris had never given much serious thought to motherhood, although she had always known that, being heir, it was going to be an inevitability. Yet, it was not something she could honestly say she was looking forward too, less so now given the covertness that would shroud her pregnancy.

	Then Lokkir made another offer, one that was clearly distressing and uncomfortable on his behalf. Aeris swallowed, unable to meet her husband’s eye. Regretfully, the first thought that had come to her mind was that [i]yes, let someone else do it[/i]. It was unfair though, and she knew it. Pregnancy would be traumatic for them both, but more so no doubt for Lokkir. There was a certain irony, too, that the very thing she had accused Lokkir of using to mock Qaeltine, his biological sex, was the ame thing that gave her the option of avoiding motherhood.

	Lokkir was right, however; it should be a last resort. Had Lokkir been biologically male, as Aeris and everyone had been led to believe, then there would be no alternative to Aeris carrying his child. It made no difference, then, if the child she carried was not [i]technically[/i] his; her role in continuing both bloodlines was to remain the same.

	[color=FBE5B0]“I must confess that I did not spend much time admiring the Hudvalri men today; I was otherwise preoccupied,”[/color] she said with a wry grin, [color=FBE5B0]“besides, it would be despicable form for me to be making eyes at other men during my own wedding.”[/color] She laughed then, in part at the absurdity of the entire situation, at how she had known this morning that her life would be changed by the end of the day, but had never envisioned it would be changed like this, dancing with mysteries and state secrets. [color=FBE5B0]“I assume that the Hudvalri, much like the Qaeltine courtiers, will be staying for the festivities in the coming days? I shall endeavour to…”[/color] Aeris hesitated, trying to find the find words, but fell short of anything both polite and appropriate. She shrugged, gesturing with her hands in discomfiture, [color=FBE5B0]“to fuck about. Wildly and with great fervour, in the name of Qaeltine and Hudvalr.”[/color] Aeris gave a short, exasperated laugh, placing one hand to her face and rubbing at her eyes; she was trying to make light of a situation she still did not fully comprehend. This entire day felt much like a dream and that tomorrow morning she would wake up once more in a sodden trench, screams echoing through the air blood splattering the ground.

	Truthfully, Aeris could not say which reality she hoped to wake up to.

	After a reprise, gathering her thoughts, Aeris continued,

	[color=FBE5B0]“As for you carrying our child,” [/color]the words felt foreign on her tongue, discussing starting a family with a man she had met only hours before, [color=FBE5B0]“it is… Not something I would wish to burden you with. However, should it come to that, I can guarantee that both of my brothers would honour your discretion.”[/color] Aerin did not trust the Hudvalri as far as he could throw them, but he [i]did[/i] trust his sister; if she asked him for this favour, he would do it and never speak a word. Xeriph, conversely, was always a man of his word and knew the importance of protecting secrets, regardless of whether they were Qaeltine, Hudvalri, royalty or commoner. There were things that Xeriph knew that even threats of death would not convince him to let them slip from his lips. [color=FBE5B0]“My mother… Not so much. She would react much the same way as I did, although in a far greater magnitude.”[/color] Aeris looked away then, ashamed of her earlier response, drawing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her good arm about them, [color=FBE5B0]“I am sorry for that.”[/color]

	Although Aeris had been antagonistic, Kelis would have acted with far more hostility. While she might not use the knowledge to outright engineer a second war, she would certainly use it to renegotiate the peace treaty so that Qaeltine was favoured in the outcome. Kelis was ruthless in the courts and had no qualms in using Hudvalri secrets against them. Of course, if her blackmail failed, then it would place the two kingdoms in an extremely volatile situation once more.

	No, it was best if Kelis never caught wind of this.

	[color=FBE5B0]“Aerin… He would be the more willing of my two brothers to aid us, if necessary. The only issue is that he would not wish to lay with anyone other than his wife; I cannot fault him for that, their marriage is harmonious, and I would never wish to risk damaging that for him. However, there are… Ways around that. Qaeltine medicine has developed ways in which to artificially create pregnancy, of sorts. They would be able to take his seed and plant it within you, without the pair of you ever needing physical contact let alone physical intimacy.”[/color] Aeris frowned in thought, adding, [color=FBE5B0]“although Xeriph bears a greater resemblance to me; he might be the better choice if we wanted to avoid accusations of a bastard child.”[/color]

	Aeris cleared her throat then, patting the sheets next to her.

	[color=FBE5B0]“No matter, Lokkir. I will do what I can and, if I cannot, we shall discuss the alternatives if and when they arise. For now, sit. It would be nice to get to know [i]you[/i], my husband, rather than simply the Prince of Hudvalr.”[/color] Aeris glanced down at her prosthetic, running organic fingers across the join of flesh and metal, [color=FBE5B0]“I, ah… I noticed this makes you uncomfortable. I can remove it for the time being, if you would prefer.”[/color]