[ As Ori takes him into another hug, he bows his head, hand slipping from his mouth to cover his eyes instead. He squeezes them shut, trying to get in control of himself, but...

She's right, as usual. He hadn't been given the time to grieve after the Pact fleet fell--Mordremoth's voice had been oppressive, and he had dedicated every once of energy he had to both saving who he could while keeping himself from falling to the dragon. He knew all of these atrocities were happening--committed by people he considered allies, his own soldiers no less--but he had no time to dwell on them. He surely would have given in if he had spared himself even a fraction of a moment to mourn.

Tears at last spill from his eyes, quietly and without ceremony. The thickness in his voice is the only hint that he's actually crying. ]

I wish I could have saved them. I was supposed to protect them. [ Both as marshal and firstborn. He feels that weight bear down on his shoulders. ] I know the Pact soldiers did the right thing. There was too much we didn't know. But...my heart still aches to see them treated that way. If only...

[ He doesn't know the end of that sentence. Unsure of what to say, he falls silent and leans into Ori's hug. ]