His sense to honor his fallen father and honor his lost twin was strong. Medusa would be Queen in honor of his father’s wishes even though she was the child of the enemy. Lace would be the lessor Queen in honor of his twin Letavice who would have chosen her to stand at his side when they took over the Inlet together. The issue of Medusa’s thoughts was on the line as he waits for her answer to his proposal. Why does he worry so much about what she thinks? The one thing she had asked of him was to try harder. Give her more attention like she deserved and now he would include her on decisions if he was to be Queen. Kvothe took up most of his attention in the beginning, aside from his disappearances to see Xiomara, but now he was with Lace a lot.

Ever since the spotted pony came to him upset over Letavice’s disappearance, he has been with her. She needed him right now and the only time he left her side was to make a hasty trip to see Cerosi. Poor Chalice probably hated him at this point for neglect. He would need to do better to win her favor because he did not want to miss out what they could be because of his own failings. At the same time, Kvothe was probably feeling upset. She was used to him always being around and now he wasn’t. After this talk with Medusa he would need to go find her. Or find Lace and make his offer (pending Medusa’s reply). There was so much to do! Little Pike and Lakota needed him too…

For now, this was his chance to keep showing Medusa his growth and his want for this relationship. After nearly losing her to bachelor stallion after just bringing her home…he did not want to lose her again. A small grin spreads over his lips as she teases the idea of a spar. It was a fine idea, but if he lost to her rough housing, again, his male ego may be crushed forever. He continues with what he has to say, hoping the spar could be something for the future and not right now. There were more important things to do right now. He thinks that if he made sure to tell Medusa that Lace was under her power than she would be more for the idea. Just knowing her father and her own personality, he knew sharing power would not be an easy feat.

He noticed that twinkle in her eyes as he mentioned what power she could hold. He would have to watch her movements closely to make sure she didn’t put their herd in danger with her displays of power. He was worried about it, but a leap of faith was needed here. Ironclad falls silent after his speech and waits for Medusa to collect her thoughts. She doesn’t take long to reply about Lace, noting she was fine with the spotted mare aiding in her duties as Queen. Without Lace, Medusa would be expected to do all of the things he just listed for herself and she didn’t seem intrigued by those tasks. He hopes Lace would be. His greying head nods just as his tobiano beauty steps towards him.

Her muzzle reaches for him and he obliges, but he notices her hesitation. This reminds him that they had much to work through. Not just the problem of their rankings and power, but also their personal relationship. If they were going to rule together, they could need a personal relationship. Thankfully, whatever worry she had moving forward was pushed aside and she got closer. Ironclad smiles and takes in her intoxicating scent. The once rough filly who scared him to death was growing into someone very beautiful. It was clear to him she was in heat. This was the season of making foals and he knew first hand he had trouble stopping his hormones. A sigh leaves his lips once she pulls back, but her different colored eyes stare at him.

She begins to speak as Ironclad holds his breath. He tries to keep his mind from getting too distracted by her scent, but that was a hard task. He releases his breath once she gives her declaration of wanting to become his Queen. He waits until she is finished to nod his head, but before he could speak her eyes grow soft. He was going to ask why, but she quickly made her thoughts known. ”Thank you,” he says softly. His own head drops a little, but he steps closer to Medusa and pushes his nose under her nose in order to raise her head back up. ”But my Queen must keep her head high.” A sad smile displays over his lips as he steps back away from Medusa. Was it time to tell her what really happened?

”Medusa did you know….” His words trail off as his eyes leave her face to search for some unknown object around the Inlet. ”Do you know how my father died?” The words choke out unpleasantly. If she knew then maybe she wouldn’t have accepted his offer as Queen. Would she still want to be at his side when she learns his intentions to get revenge on her father?