Sunset stood beside Adagio, looking utterly aghast at what she had just heard. But, in the silence that persisted between them, Adagio took this opportunity to turn towards the counter of Sugar Cube Corner, placing a few dollar notes upon it to pay for their drinks. Mrs Cakes took it graciously, but one look at Sunset's motionless face gave her a pause for a moment. She said nothing of it, however, and simply returned to serving her other customers, giving Adagio a moment to look to her companion herself. And it was here that Sunset finally spoke, albeit in a hushed and slow manner.

"I...I can't believe it."

Adagio gave a grim nod.

"Believe it, Sunset. The ancient world was a dark and brutal place. Nations may rise and become strong over the centuries, but when they fall, it is usually through...barbaric means."

The Siren started to make her way towards the door, with Sunset close behind her. The latter said nothing, instead listening closely as Adagio continued.

"My sisters and I managed to escape the castle with little issue. Those old passages were forgotten, even by the royal family, and so we had nobody following us. We walked and walked for days, but by the time we felt we'd stopped far enough away...the damage was done."

She turned to Sunset, narrowing her eyes as she did so.

"The city had been overrun that night. Every man, woman and child put to the sword. Days afterwards, every outlying village was also taken. In less than a week, that proud and mighty nation was gone. Wiped from the face of the Earth like it had never been there at all."

Looking away again, she let out a sigh.

"Even today...nobody but my sisters and I even remember that it existed."

Sunset, needless to say, was at a loss for words over this, but, as she and Adagio began to leave the Corner in earnest, she took a few deep breaths, before finally breaking the silence between them.

"And your husband? The prince?"

Adagio nodded, already knowing what her companion would have asked of her.

"From what I heard, he died in battle, alongside his Father."

For just a moment, a look of amusement crossed her face.

"It is strange to think of it. All that time we were together, he was nothing but meek, nervous and unsure of himself. But in the end...he went down fighting."

Stopping, Adagio looked up at the sky, to the stars that now revealed themselves now that the sun had finally set.

"I suppose it is as noble an end as he could have hoped for."

Sunset regarded her carefully, hearing the softer tone in which she spoke, and stepped forward to speak up herself.

"Did...did you ever really care for him? In the end?"

Slowly, Adagio looked down to her, thinking carefully on the question before letting out a sigh.

"I will admit, he had a somewhat...boyish charm to him. And he did treat me well in our time together. I had grown somewhat fond of him."

However, her expression soon become a little more serious.

"But if you're asking if I actually ended up loving him...then no...I don't think I ever did."

Sunset, upon hearing that, looked away from Adagio, bearing a look of slight sadness. Adagio herself noted this, but said nothing of it. No mockery or anything to suggest that she disapproved of the reaction. Instead, she simply resumed walking forward, with Sunset not far behind her. Onwards they marched, heading down the street in relative silence, until, at last, Sunset finally deigned to ask something else.

"So...you were still heavily pregnant at this point, right? What did you do now that the kingdom was gone?"

Placing her hands into her pockets, Adagio considered that question carefully.

"We needed to keep moving. The horde that reduced that realm to ashes was still too close for comfort, so we maintained a steady pace as far away from the conflict as we could."

Shortly afterwards, a grimace crossed her face.

"However...on the third day of our exodus...I could walk no further."

Now, when one travels through a lush green forest, they expect to find many things. They would expect to feel a gentle breeze flowing through the branches. They would long to hear the beautiful songs and calls of birds. They might even hope to catch sight of one or two woodland animals. However, one thing they would not expect, or even want to hear, is the sound of a woman screaming in agony. But that was exactly what was happening, as the Siren sisters had stopped from their arduous trek from the ruins of the kingdom, and now stood beside a nearby small river, running right through the middle of the forest.

Adagio, while normally composed and in-control, was sitting on the ground, her back against a nearby tree, with her legs splayed out before her. She was breathing heavily, and her face had become almost red from her exertions. Sonata kneeled beside her, holding her hand, albeit with concern, given how tightly her sister was gripping it. As for Aria, she was kneeling right in front of her elder, looking up the latter's skirt, which had been pulled up slightly to allow her to get a better view. After a few more sharp breaths, Adagio shut her eyes tightly, letting out another ear-piercing scream. Sonata, naturally, looked to Aria with worry.

"Aria! What is happening?!"

The middle Siren sister shook her head upon hearing that.

"I...I don't know. I'm not seeing anything yet!"

Adagio, looking to her, narrowed her eyes, panting as she spoke.

"Aria...if things go on like this for too long...you know what to do."

At first, Aria seemed confused by this, as did Sonata for that matter. But, after looking to Adagio for a few moments, and the intense look in her eyes, Aria's expression became one of realisation. Slowly, she turned, looking upon a motionless object in the grass beside her. It was the sword they had taken from the prince's chambers. With hesitancy in her movements, Aria picked it up, before looking to Adagio once more.

"Sister...is that not...extreme?"

But Adagio frowned at this.

"I...I have been going through this fo-AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!"

The sudden bout of pain was unexpected, but the elder Siren endured it all the same, gripping Sonata's hand even tighter, much to the latter's discomfort. Aria, for the first time in this, looked very concerned, but stayed silent as, after letting her pain subside, Adagio resumed speaking.

"This has been going on for too long now, sister. This child will be born, today...one way or the other."

As one would expect, Aria couldn't help but bear a slight grimace at what her sister was asking her to do, and so stared at the sword in her hands for a few moments. However, her concentration was interrupted by another scream from Adagio, prompting her to look up again. This time, it was Sonata's turn to speak, with her looking like she was on the verge of tears at this point.

"Aria! We have to do something! She's already lost too much blood!"

Looking down, Aria knew that her younger sister had the right of it. The grass where Adagio had placed herself was indeed stained red at this point. And she knew that things were only going to get worse. Letting out a sigh, Aria set the sword to the side for the time being, instead looking up her sister's skirt once more.

"We just need to hold and, and maybe we..."

But, before she finished, she paused, her eyes widening.

"I...I see something!"

That caught Adagio and Sonata's attention immediately, as they both looked to Aria, staying silent as she continued.

"I think...yes! It's the head!"

Finally finding reason to smile, Sonata broke out into a wide grin, before looking to Adagio and speaking to her in as calm a voice as possible.

"Alright, sister, this is it. Just a little while longer."

Adagio nodded, watching as Aria reached out with her hands towards her. She looked up, giving her elder sister as nod, which Adagio promptly returned. Then, after taking a number of deep breaths, she pushed, harder than ever before. Her face felt like it was going to explode, and while she tried her hardest to keep back the screams of pain, it was simply beyond her ability to do at this point. Instead, she resolved to mentally count the minutes as she kept this up. One minute. Then two. Three. Four. Five. Minute after minute, and still, nothing was happening. Frustration would have been an understatement as to how Adagio felt right now, but after what seemed like an eternity of this, it happened. Adagio felt as if a great weight had left her, and before she could even open her eyes, she heard a new sound

It was crying.

Slowly, she looked up, panting furiously from her exertions. Her vision was blurry, but as the moments passed, it began to clear. That's when she saw. There, in Aria's hands, a tiny thing, wriggling around for the first time. Covered in blood, but still healthy. A child. Her child. While still exhausted, she nevertheless managed to get her words out.

"What...what is...?"

She didn't finish, but Aria already knew, and looked up to her.

"It's a boy."

Adagio stopped speaking, her eyes drifting down to her new-born son once more. The crying had stopped, but now that it had, she watched as Aria got on with another job. Slowly, she lifted up the nearby sword, carefully, placing it at the umbilical that still connected the two. She paused, looking to Adagio, her eyes asking silently for permission. Though still weak, Adagio nodded, and with a single motion, the cord was cut. Adagio felt the sting, as did the child, as the latter now resumed crying. Minutes more passed them by, and Aria got down to the business of cleaning up what had just been cut, while Sonata did her best to do the same on Adagio's side of things.

"How are you feeling?" the youngest Siren asked.

Adagio turned to her, raising an eyebrow, giving Sonata all the answer she was going to get. But, at this point, Adagio noted that Aria was regarding the tiny child still in her hands, in particular the blood that still stained him. The middle Siren looked around, until her gaze fell upon he nearby river. Adagio knew what was going on in her mind, and so spoke up first.

"Wait."

Aria stopped, looking to her sister. After a few more moments of deep breaths, Adagio spoke again.

"I...I will do it."

Both of the other Sirens looked to her, clearly shocked by those words, but said nothing as Adagio reached up for a nearby low-hanging tree branch, using it to help herself get to her feet. But, as she did this, it was a great strain on her, as evidenced by the grimace she bore, which prompted Sonata to finally speak.

"Adagio! You mustn't! You've already lost too much of your strength!"

To that, Adagio looked to her with a frown.

"I...have strength enough...for this."

And to that, the other Sirens said nothing. Instead, they kept their mouths shut as, slowly but surely, Adagio finally got to her feet. Her lower dress was still stained with blood, and she was still panting heavily, but even in spite of all of that, she took slow step after slow step. Reaching out her hands, she looked to Aria, who, after looking thoughtful for a few moments, finally handed her the child. Adagio looked down at the new life before her, so small, and having finally stopped crying. Her expression was neutral, but, as she looked to the river, her eyes narrowed. Gradually, she made her way over, with her sisters close behind her, just in case something went wrong. As soon as she reached the banks, Adagio took a step in, and then another, and another, until, at last, she was waist-deep in the waters.

Now, she got down to business, holding her son securely in one arm, while using her free hand to scoop up some of the cool and refreshing waters around her. Raising that hand, she gently poured it over the child, washing away the blood that covered him. Again and again she did this, until, finally, he was rid of the birth fluids, at which point she noted his skin tone, so very much like hers. And it was here that he opened his eyes, looking up at his Mother for the first time. Adagio stared into his eyes, and their familiar colour, and looked on with surprise as the child actually smiled at her. It took a few moments, but, in he end, she too began to crack a smile, bringing the boy closer to her face before whispering her first words to him.

"Welcome to the world...my little Forte."