[ - And he respects her more, for the asking. ]

Mm. Do you know - bronze? It's made of tin and copper, usually. Both tin and copper are soft metals, beautiful when pure but not good for much. Bronze can make weapons, armor.

Iron into steel is another alloy. Alloys can be made of two materials but be entirely unlike them both. Like a bastard - not quite of one family, not of another. They become their own.