The dark brown mare might have laughed if she’d known Adelheid’s thoughts and been aware of her presumptions, though the sound would have been bitter and humorless. While some found it easy to shift the burden of blame onto the shoulders of others, Iris had been unable to find comfort in lies since the day her world had first been shattered. And even if she had possessed the ability to convince herself that her Vulcan companion was the sole obstacle standing between herself and the sister she had failed to protect - what would it have said of her that she hadn’t simply plowed over, through, or past the Codebreaker to find her way back to Eve’s side? That she had allowed a single creature to hold her here in the Peak while wept in both anger and despair about the bitter unfairness of it all?

In truth, it was neither Adelheid nor the spotted mare’s convalescence that had kept her from leaving. More than anything, it was fear that had paralyzed her. Not of the stallion who had taken Eve, but of the truth that she had likely come to realize: that it was her fault that her sister’s child was dead. Her fault that the younger mare had been forced to endure the same unthinkable situation that their mother had already faced. That Iris had already witnessed. Time and again her family suffered, and she was powerless to stop it - too weak of both body and will to stand between those she loved, and those who sought to harm them.

If there was any benefit to the seasons that she’d spent here, it was that they had given her time to face those fears, and cast them aside - for the present, at least. Each day that had passed had only served to increase the mahogany mare’s desperation, and in her desperation she found a sort of courage. If Adelheid had not approached her soon, she might have awakened one morning to find Iris gone with neither explanation nor farewell. That said, Gnome’s daughter was grateful that she would not have to face the coming trials alone - even though she could not find the words to express the gratitude that she felt towards her companion. But perhaps words weren’t needed. If there was one thing she’d learned from the reticent woman, it was that even silence could hold a power of its own - particularly when paired with the expression of touch.

Slowly- tentatively - Iris extended her muzzle towards the Vulcan’s withers. She brushed her lips gently up the dip in the dark mare’s back, ending the gesture with a soft sigh of breath into the inky threads of Adelheid’s mane. This time, she did not pull back after the brief contact had ended. It was easier to remain where she stood - her chest parallel with the Codebreaker’s, and their bodies close enough that it would be difficult for the other to see the complicated maelstrom of emotion that was evident just beneath the surface of her dark brown eyes. “I only know that the stallion who took her was pale gold - with white patches,” she uttered, unable to entirely disguise the frustration she felt for not having a name to offer for either the stallion or the kingdom that he claimed. It would take not only determination, but also luck to find a single individual with an entire island to search.

But Eve and Gnome had searched far for the half of their family that had been stolen, and their sacrifice gave Iris the strength that she needed. “I’m ready,” she affirmed, not knowing if the words that she spoke were the truth.

After today, her world would either be mended, or destroyed in its entirety - and there nothing that could truly prepare her for either possibility.