The young mare didn’t expect this. She had thought Ironclad would call her a liar, to rage his hurt feelings at her with anger. Instead, he pulls her closer, which she slowly moves further into his embrace. It is warm, and it quiets her sobs some. Though the mare does not miss how he looks over her shoulder, how his blue eyes search the horizon. Lace suspects he looks for Letavice. She wished she were wrong, or that the young stallion had changed his mind and come back to her heart and her embrace. But despite the vision filling her mind of the reunion, she knows it will not come to pass. Letavice had gone, taking with him her heart.


“Thank you.” she whispered, closing her tear reddened eyes. It was hard, but she knew if she wasn’t standing in the warm embrace of Ironclad, it would be even harder. It would never be the same, but it gave her hope that perhaps she could heal from this. That maybe she could move forward instead of collapsing to never rise again as she had wanted only moments before. “I will stay as long as you permit me, Ironclad.” Lace said, pressing her face against his warm skin. “Someday, when I have found my strength again, I will give it to you as you have me this day. I will always be loyal, as long as you are to me.” The spotted woman promised, knowing she could not offer him much now, but someday she would recover. Lace had to think positive, or else why rise from the pit of despair she had fallen in?