. : Sebastian of Havfrue : .

Sebastian was less than a second from knocking Tedros' teeth out.

Sebastian's jaw was clenched tight, his hands in fists next to his body. There hadn't been running water for a few days and he felt filthy, his hair sweaty and sticking to his head. The once Never and Ever boys now melded as one stinking mass of red uniforms and gruesome behaviour.

The teachers had long since been frozen in ice and locked in the dungeon by Tedros. The teachers had tried to defend the girls, and Tedros and a new band of zealous boys had thrown them in the dungeon.

"You are being irrational," Sebastian snapped, feeling once again like he was a soldier in an army, only this time being led by someone insane. "We cannot just invite inside all the princes that are outside, it would be inviting war. Not to mention how dropping the shield outside the school would leave us vulnerable to anything that can make it through the Blue Forest."

Tedros had been standing at the window, his crystal-clear eyes were bloodshot as he focused on the encampment outside the castle. "They deserve our help."

"They do," Sebastian agreed, shaking his hands out to relieve the tension and taking on the role of placating diplomat. "Which is why we can send food out to them, but we cannot take them inside these walls without asking for war from the Ever and Never queendoms."

Tedros snapped his eyes to Sebastian, and Sebastian had to stop himself from physically recoiling at the simmering rage. The man had gone mad.

"What do you know of pain?" Tedros hissed. He shifted towards Sebastian, his hands tight. Dark eye bags hung beneath his eyes like a man from a ledge. Sebastian's gaze flickered involuntarily to the Storien, which had laid dormant since being moved into the School for Boys. It laid thrown on top of an open copy of Sophie and Agatha's tale. Sebastian knew that the ornate gilded pen had not moved since it had been transported here. 

Sebastian dug his nails into his palms hard enough to draw blood. "What do you know of war?" He stepped forward. "I have led armies and sat in rooms while wars were waged. I have been on the battlefield. You have no experience with war and do not know what you are doing by upsetting the Queendoms. You think they won't retaliate when they realize we have provided aide?"

Sebastian waved a hand to Kendrick and new student Aric, who stood like a council placating their king. They were eyeing him with matching beady dark gazes. What a distorted council of advisors they made.  

Sebastian took another step towards Tedros, holding the boy's gaze. "Do it if you must, but I will not provide support and I will not stand behind you."

"Leave," Tedros spoke, waving his bruised hand to dismiss Sebastian. 

Sebastian let out a thick breath through his nose. He had taken this role once before. IT had been a few years now, but he had stood before his father and told him that invading Neverland and angering those who held magic was a bad idea. His father had made him lead the charge.

How ironic it would be if his father found out who he was now. 

As if in response to Sebastian's thoughts, the water magic soared up. He had to dig his hands into his thighs to stop from exploding the glass pitcher full of water. It had been ages since he had had a full release of the magic. He was still sharing a bedroom with Tedros-- although the boy rarely slept there-- and with Aric and Kendrick watching him like a deformed hawk, he rarely risked using it. Only when he was certain he was alone in the dead of night, would he let it out in little batches, holding faintly glowing blue orbs above his head.

Sebastian turned on his heel to leave, and made it halfway to the oaken door and the promise of a warm bath, only to halt and the sound of scratching. 

He turned his neck slowly, squinting his eyes against the evening sunlight coming through the rusted window. The noise had startled him, but it appeared the movement of the pen caught everyone's attention.

The Storian rose, hovering above the ending page of the Tale of Sophie and Agatha. 

Sebastian's eyes widened, and his heart began to pound. This couldn't mean that...

The Storian shook itself as if waking up from a long sleep and aggressively scratched out 'The End' on the last page of the book, before flipping to a blank page. It began to draw, and Sebastian stared as a vivid depiction of Sophie and Agatha running through dark woods appeared. 

The Storian brandished itself with a flourish, and on the bottom, scribbled the words 'And yet, it seemed Sophie and Agatha were not finished yet in their fairytale, as they plunged back into the woods.'

Sebastian let out a heavy breath. They were back. That meant things could change. They could go back to normal. 

He looked at the three boys, each with different expressions. Aric's face was cold, yet thoughtless. The malice in Kendrick's face made Sebastian recoil. Tedros was the one that surprised him most. There was an almost wistful look to his eyes.

Tedros shook his head, and faced the three boys again. "Not a word of this to anyone, do you understand?"

Sebastian nodded once, ever the obedient solider, his thoughts swimming. Tedros wouldn't harm the girls, he trusted him enough to know that. 

Yet the way Kendrick and Aric looked...

Sebastian had to get this information to Laura immediately, and she could get the information to the council. Sebastian felt a small twinge of annoyance. It had been months since he had seen Laura, yet he had attempted to keep his training diligent and hadn't spoken a word to anyone. He wanted to know more about the Council of Magic, and who they were.

The girls could find a way to get to Sophie and Agatha. They could find a way to keep them safe from the angry princes outside the castle. 

Sebastian just had to figure out how to get a message to Laura.

~~~

There was an owl on Sebastian's bed. 

Sebastian froze as he entered his room-- the one he shared with Tedros. He had closed and locked his window, despite it being high up, to ward off any rouge princes. Sebastian had stripped the evil bedsheets, terrified of what may appear inside them, and had found some relatively clean ones. He had never liked black though. 

He might have missed the owl, for it was the same colour as the bedsheets, but large yellow eyes blinked up at him.

Sebastian took a step back. He didn't like birds. He certainly didn't like them on his bed.

It stared at him for a moment longer, before stretching its wings and hopping towards him.

Sebastian grimaced as it stuck it's leg at him and cooed. "I don't want to touch you."

The owl blinked as menacingly as the bird could muster. Sebastian winced, but edged forwards, and pulled the small scroll of paper off the bird's leg. 

He unrolled it, scanning the words, which seemed to be written in a peculiar ink.

S,

Underneath the lake, midnight

L

p.s. owl's name is Atlas and he likes honeysuckle tea

Sebastian let out a breath. She must've figured out how to get in contact with him. 

He looked back at Atlas, who seemed to have made himself comfortable on Sebastian's bed. The bird shut his eyes, calmly nesting on the dark covers.

Sebastian ran his thumb over the ink. This could be an opportunity for him to share that Sophie and Agatha were back. It could get them to safety. 

~~~

Sebastian's footsteps echoed in the dark tunnel, reverberating off the damp walls and bouncing into his ears. It was freezing below the lake, his breath frosty in front of him. He could hear the faint sound of water dripping, and above him, he could sense the tons of water. 

He hadn't even known this tunnel was here and had spent the better part of his afternoon looking for a blueprint for it in the evil library-- which thankfully no one frequented.

In front of him, long shadows bounced off the walls, jumping like faeries across the orange light that was cast over the cobblestone. He quickened his step, keeping his footsteps light.

He rounded one last corner and let out a breath. 

Laura was waiting close to the entrance, dressed in what must be the girls uniform. Loose blue pants and top, adorned with a remarkable amount of butterflies. A minuscule ball of fire hovered over her fingers, casting light over the tunnel.

Her eyes slid to him, and although her face was annoyed, he could see the hesitant relief in her eyes.

"You're late." Her voice was quiet, to avoid alerting anyone to their presence.

Sebastian moved towards her, surprised by the way the magic jumped at his skin, happy to be near the fire.

"Tedros is a light sleeper," He spoke. "And there are people watching my every move, it's not easy to sneak out."

"I can relate to being watched," Laura responded, flicking one of the fabric butterflies on her shirt. She was quiet for a moment. "I'm glad you're safe...If only so I don't have to go hunting for another Water Sage."

Sebastian laughed. "I'm glad you're safe too," He glanced around, double-checking that they were alone before he spoke again. "I have news. The Storien is awake again."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "Awake?"

Sebastian nodded. "As of this afternoon, Sophie and Agatha are back in the woods."

~~~

A/N

Hope everyone enjoys the first installment of part two!

Until next time

~Indigo