. : Laura of Neverland : .

Laura stood, watching the blue forest. Around her, Evers and Nevers mingled an air of gentle interest and nervousness around them. If Tedros and Sophie made it out together, it would turn everything upside down.

Laura ran a finger over the gold details of her dark blue cloak. She had no fears about the Trial. She was going to wait until an acceptable moment, and then drop her handkerchief to avoid any fame attaching itself to her name. The forest was where she was most comfortable, and she had no doubts about her power. If anyone tried anything-- either Kendrick or Sebastian-- then she was ready.

"Laura,"

Laura turned to see Professor Dovey approaching and smiled at her old friend. "Hello,"

Clarissa approached her, wearing a high-necked gown of a periwinkle shade. "I've been ordered by the rest of the staff, from both evil and good, to tell you to keep your magic to an appropriate level."

Laura rolled her eyes but smiled anyways. "Of course. You have my reassurance that I will not do anything hazardous unless deemed necessary."

Clarissa seemed satisfied with that answer, and stood next to her for a moment, her eyes running over the crowd of students. "Do you know who the next Water Sage might be?"

Laura let out a dry laugh. "Yes. I know who it is."

Clarissa's eyes snapped back down to her. "Who?"

"This is going to sound ridiculous, but I was approached recently by someone needing help with water powers, and now they want to learn how to control it."

Clarissa leaned in closer, purposely keeping her voice low to not alert the students around them. "Is it a student here?"

Laura's eyes scanned the clearing, looking for Sebastian. She found him standing near the edge of the gates into the Blue Forest. Tedros had already entered, along with Nikolas and Chaddick. He was next along with Kendrick. 

Her anger jumped up when Kendrick glanced over at her. The pirate had a place in hell. She had spent years manufacturing a tentative peace with the Pirates, only to have it torn up by Kendrick's bloodthirsty and money-blindness. He was lucky this was a school event, or else he would be dead by the time the morning came. 

"Laura?" Clarissa's voice cut her out of her thoughts. "Who is the next Water Sage?"

Laura shook her head and glanced back at Clarissa. "Sebastian of Havfrue."

It was if Clarissa had barely heard her. "I'm sorry what?"

"Sebastian of Havfrue. He approached me a while ago nearly in a breakdown because he had water powers that he couldn't explain. I was reasonably certain then, but I tested them as well and he is."

"Oh, my," Clarissa ran a hand through her hair. Her voice rose in pitch as she continued to speak. "Do you realize how much of an issue this is?"

Laura nodded. She wasn't terrified about him being the Water Sage. Was it a questionable choice by whoever controlled the magic? Yes. But he had asked for help to control it, and in turn, had sworn that no one from Havfrue would try to enter Neverland again to destroy magic. He seemed more determined to stop the magic from driving him insane than he cared about finishing the war. It was beginning to make her question how dedicated he was in the first place.

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions yet," Laura spoke slowly, allowing the words to slide out as she watched Sebastian and Kendrick line up. The tall blue pine trees seemed to lean over and inspect them, copying Laura's analysis of Sebastian.

"Do you know something?"

Laura shrugged, tightening her grip on her blue cloak. It made her uncomfortable to say this aloud. "I'm not sure yet, but I think he deserves a chance."

Clarissa raised her eyebrow at Laura. "What do you mean you think he deserves a chance? You are the one who just spent the last year or so defending Neverland from him and his soldiers. The kingdom of Havfrue will stop at nothing to get the magic that Neverland holds. Now you are telling me that we should give their heir and a brutal warrior a chance at the most dangerous magic in the realm?" 

"Look," Laura twisted her body to face Clarissa head-on, running a thumb over her necklace of pixie dust. "I know I'm not making any sense. The carnal-- and arguably the more rational-- part of me wants to fight him and leave him to bleed to death for what he has done to me, the people I love, and Neverland."

"So why aren't you? Why don't you slip him some poison or do something to release the magic from his confines?"

Laura chewed on her bottom lip for a second. "At the end of the day, Clarissa, as much as we are meant to keep the magical balance and keep the realm from falling out of balance, we are also the good guys. My magic seems to trust him. It keeps fighting against me because it desperately wants to help him. This isn't your cardinal partner, it's mine, and my magic seems to know what it is doing." Laura ran a hand up through her hair, only to forget she had braided it and almost get her hands tangled in it. "Give me until the Snow Ball. If I have even the slightest reason to suspect him of foul motives, I will personally drag him before the council and let Visha, Orpheus, or Pandora kill him and let the magic pass on to the next Sage."

Clarissa inhaled slowly and exhaled before she spoke again. "Promise me that the second you have any suspicions, you come straight to me and we go directly to the council to dispatch one of the Never Sages."

Laura nodded. "Yes, and if not, we will discuss it again after the Snow Ball, to determine whether he can be trusted to be part of the council."

"Until then," Clarissa responded, smoothing her hand over her gown. "We do not discuss this audibly. There have been rumours about the School Master, and I have reason to suspect he had been meddling with the students."

Laura's eyes had begun to drift, but she refocused them on Clarrisa. "What happens then?"

"I'm not sure, but until we can ensure safety for the council and the balance, please be careful."

Laura reached out and gently squeezed Clarissa's hand. "I promise you, I know what I'm doing."

Clarissa squeezed her hand back and gave her a nudge. "You are up next."

Laura turned her gaze to the gate to the blue forest. It had just opened to let Sebastian and Kendrick in, and she watched now as it slammed shut. 

"I must go, but I will come to you if anything happens," Laura spoke, giving Clarissa a reassuring smile, though she didn't feel reassured with her own choices.

She turned and walked towards the gates. A never already stood waiting.

"Hey, Laura!" 

Laura turned to look over her shoulder. Nikolas-- who she was fairly certain roomed with Sebastian and Tedros-- jogged to catch up with her.

She had seen the ever a few times before but had never spoken to him. His father ruled in a kingdom far to the west, over the Onyx Sea. 

"I want to wish you good luck! I don't know what the Nevers are planning, but I'm sure you will do great." 

Laura smiled, surprised by the sweet message. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't that. "Thank you, Nikolas."

~~~

The Blue Forest was beautiful at night. The trees were covered in a faint layer of frost, sending the moonlight scattering through their leaves and across the crystalline grass. Someone had come this way, leaving icy footprints through the grass.

Laura glanced around her. She had been in the forest for nearly an hour, the Never she had been with vanished almost the instant they entered, and Tedros and Hester had entered minutes after her. Still, she had yet to see anyone. 

Laura pressed her palm gently to a tall navy blue oak. It was thrumming with light, weak magic swimming throughout its branches. 

She nodded to herself, before grabbing the first branch and heaving herself up the tree. On Neverland, she used pixie dust to climb, giving herself small boosts. Her supply was limited here, and she missed the feeling of the rough bark digging into her palms and the heady smell of sap around her. 

Laura made it up the tree with ease, and slid into the leaves, hiding amongst the tree. She had a perfect vantage point of the ground from where she was. 

Just as she wrapped her cloak around her, prepared to hideaway the whole night, there was the sound of loud crunching footsteps. 

She leaned her head down, balancing neatly on the branches, and peering at the clearing below. 

Her eyebrow raised as Sebastian entered the clearing, his sword lose in his grip. He had already been in a fight, a thin sharp cut across his jaw that was going to scar. 

Her fire magic recognized the out-of-balance water below her and riled up, trying to fight Laura into returning it to balance. Laura huffed and shoved it down.

It seemed the water magic had alerted Sebastian to her presence, and he glanced sharply around the clearing. 

"Laura?" He called out, his voice tinged with confusion. He evidently couldn't pinpoint her.

Laura remained silent, debating whether she should drop to the ground or not. Her decision was made for her however when Kendrick stepped into the clearing. She remained up in the tree. She would only intervene if needed. 

"Laura?" Kendrick hissed. The pirate's eyes were narrowed, his sticky hair pulled sharply away from his face. "Why are you looking for her?"

Sebastian took a step back, his grip tightening on his sword. Interesting, they clearly weren't getting along anymore, Laura thought. 

"I'm not," Sebastian responded, his eyes tracking Kendrick carefully around the clearing.

"Then who were you calling for?" Kendrick's face took on an unsettling smile, and Laura watched a tiny knife slide out of his shirt sleeve. Sebastian noticed it too. "She has nothing she can give to you. Did you forget what your parents said? I am the only one who can help you take Neverland." 

Sebastian huffed. His hair appeared nearly burgundy in the dim light, his freckles standing out. "The only reason you want to take Neverland is so you have access to seaports, which will only last until I become king."

"You are making a dangerous enemy. How are you going to handle having both the pirates and the Twilight Children against you?" 

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, and his voice took on a snarl. "I can handle myself, Kendrick. I know what I am doing. We have a long time ahead of us before either of us leaves this school, and I have no intention of being on the wrong side of history by helping you destroy one of the most important places in the fairy tale world."

Kendrick was silent, and Laura almost thought he had missed what Sebastian had said, until he lunged, the dagger going for his throat. 

Sebastian had been prepared, and his white handkerchief hit the ground a split second before a dagger embedded itself in his throat. 

Laura remained silent for a second, before gripping onto the branch and falling from the tree. She landed in the clearing quietly, and Kendrick turned around. 

"So you were here," He spoke. His voice made spiders crawl up Laura's spine. "What have you done to Sebastian?"

Laura shook her head, and flicked a finger, a tiny flame jumping up at her command. "I have done nothing, and if you want to live to see the morning, you will drop your handkerchief now."

Kendrick snarled but slid the red handkerchief from his pocket. "One day, Laura, I will be responsible for all the pain I can possibly cause you."

His handkerchief hit the ground and he vanished into a spray of sparks.

Laura narrowed her eyes, unsure of what that meant. Instead, she extinguished the jumping orange tongue, and reached into her boot, pressing the handkerchief into the ground, forcing the night to end.

~~~

A/N Note

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter, we may or may not get a peek at Sebastian's training.

Until next time

~ Indigo