I don't really like myself without you
He seems to have better luck with the mares that he sought out elsewhere than the commons. All the commons have brought him in regret, hurt, and sadness. His first claimed mare of the commons was Valka. She never followed him home and he found her grooming the flirty Liland who undoubtedly wanted to get it on with her. After that drama Liland had caused prior with their family and friends, he was enraged. Valka was then traded to Rougaru to gain Medusa as his future wife. His father was excited about the idea and so it happened and Ironclad realized the rough filly he met in the meadow was to be his future Queen.
The second mare he claimed from the commons from Liliya. The mare came home with his easy enough, but then she disappeared without a trace. He never saw her again. The third was Kvothe who stirred such passion in him he never felt before. Their daughter was created soon after bringing her home, but now she was the very mare that he searches for. Kvothe was the reason he stands in front of Chalice so heartbroken and tired. Had she left him too? Now we come to the fourth mare he claimed…the one he was currently staring at. At least Chalice has been honest with him this whole time. She told him outright that she was looking for someone and that someone would be the male she dedicated her life to. He should have known this would happen, but he tried anyway.
Her thanks should be enough, but it wasn’t. He wanted more. A sigh leaves his lips as she speaks on her gratitude. She promises to visit often and keep Ironclad as her friend. If he wasn’t struggling to keep his eyes open right now, he might have fought harder to keep her. Defeat was an even heavier burden than sleeplessness. Chalice stands alongside him and he aches to feel her skin touch his own. Her muzzle presses against him and he quivers. Maybe she wouldn’t notice that. Her last words echo over and over in his mind as he watches her leave. Chalice leaves the Inlet behind and she leaves him behind without a second glance.