Siobhan cradled the small figures of her daughters close to her body as she led them down to the ocean for another swimming lesson. She was still terrified at the prospect of trying to take the two of them across the water by herself, and so she remained anxiously in the Inlet. They were bright girls, and despite how small they were, had learned the basics of swimming quickly, but still Siobhan fretted. She couldn't live with herself if she lost either one of them to the ocean, and she knew, intrinsically, that she could not save both of them if the ocean were to grow rough in the middle of their journey and could not bear the thought of losing either of them.

Nor did she think either of them could bear the loss of their other half.

She had always cherished the bond that Roisin had formed with Akadi and Aislinn, but it was nothing compared to the way that Naenia and Saoirse interacted. They seemed to almost know what the other one would do before they did it, and she swore they almost had some sort of telepathic twin bond. Getting to know each of them had been a joy, and she couldn't wait for Ailill to have the chance as well.

"Momma," the pale colored Saoirse began as she walked at her mother's hip. "Tell us about daddy again?"

It was a common topic of discussion between the three of them, likely because of the love that radiated from Siobhan each time she spoke of Ailill. Initially, a part of her had feared that Bjorn would attempt to step into the role of their father, but the grullo stallion had remained distant. His refusal to end her plight or even to discuss it with her wounded the red mare more than she would like to admit. She may have broken much of what had passed between them, but a part of her that she did not want to acknowledge had still hoped that their flame had not gone entirely out. That his love and innate compassion might argue on her behalf and deliver her small family from this torture.

But such had not been the case, and she had since given up hope. Whatever poison Nyimara had injected into his heart had clearly taken over, and Siobhan was no longer so naive as to dream of being his rescuer. Bjorn had made his bed, and now was his time to lie in it.

Over the crashing of the waves that became louder as they came closer, Siobhan entertained the girls with tales of Ailill and her oldest daughters. She told them of the dancing lessons he had given the girls, and of the way that they had dressed him in flowers and feathers. She told them of the way that he took them all up the Ridge to look at the stars, and the way they had all played in the waterfall until they were so tired that they all napped on the shore with tadpoles swimming around their feet.

It is only when they are again at the ocean shore that Siobhan stops the outpouring of love for her mouth and ushers her daughters into the waves. They stand at the edge of the Inlet, where she has stood most days, dreaming of the day when they are not forced to stay here, and she bids them to swim across the narrow gap that leads to the Bay. Each time they practice, she moves a little further out, asking them to swim farther, over deeper water, in the hopes that when the time comes and she must brave the ocean water, that they will be strong enough to make the journey.

Used to this routine, Saoirse barely blinks at it. She grins wildly and bumps Naenia's shoulder before dashing a few steps into the waves. "I'm gonna get there first Nene," she teases with her sister's nickname. In truth, as the second sibling, Saoirse was smaller than her golden sister, but that didn't stop her from doing everything that she could to keep up. Without another world, the pale twin threw herself into the ocean and began swimming for the opposite shore.

When her hooves touched shore again, nearly at the same time as her sister, Saoirse laughed and leaned her shoulder against Naenia as she walked. Even after they had been brought into the world, she sometimes still needed the touch of her sister to ground her and to comfort her. "Next time," she promised with a small smile. Turning her gaze to look back at their glowing figure of their red mother, Saoirse snorted. "We better get back or momma will worry too much."

Worry clawed at Siobhan's heart each time the girls swam, and she fretted at the edge of the water as they did so, her eyes glued to the small figures as they bobbed through the ocean waves. A soft exhalation of relief came as soon as they came ashore and she followed their path with her eyes as they raced along the shoreline back to her.