. : Sebastian of Havfrue : .

Sebastian tilted his head back to stare at the tall cobblestone walls of Villeneuve. It had been years since he had last been, but he had always loved the joyous air that surrounded the great Ever kingdom. The castle was cozy, with candles in every corner, and the marketplace took up most of the lower city. 

Merlin had said that the safe house was inside the walls.

There was only one problem. They were stuck on the outside.

Villeneuve's walls only opened for the rightful ruler, the heir, and those who had permission from the monarch or heir to enter. Even the Queen needed permission to enter. It had been that way for centuries.

Unfortunately for Sebastian and the rest of the group, they had no way in.

"How are we supposed to get in?" Tedros asked. "Unless any of you have the rose brooch and can mysteriously get us in."

Sebastian scanned the group. Tedros had walked with him most of the way, the both of them catching up for hours. Sebastian told his old friend how he had discovered that he had magic similar to Laura's that favoured water-- obviously leaving out the part about the Council and his panic-- and Tedros had told him about his time in the reader's world.

Behind him, Sophie and Hort were both dressed impractically and shivered. The sun was nothing more than a small spot in the sky, a steady drip vanishing each time he glanced at it. He could feel the pull in his magic.

Merlin waved his hand to acknowledge Tedros' question but didn't say anything. He and Laura had walked together most of the way, after the surprising display of affection between the two. Sebastian's heart twinged with jealousy at their casual familiarity.

"Let's go," Merlin offered no more explanation. 

Together, Sebastian watched as Laura and Merlin stepped forward. Laura tugged up the hood of the cloak over her hair and pulled up the face covering so only her brown eyes gleamed through. Sebastian watched with mild confusion. What did she have to hide? As far as he knew, Laura had never been to Villeneuve.

Laura and Merlin made it within ten metres of the walls and stopped. The cobblestone groaned before the wall began to peel back and separate, the ancient stones folding in on themselves.

Sebastian watched it happen, his eyes wide. Eventually, a wide archway formed, and the rest of the group scurried forward to catch up with Merlin and Laura.

Sebastian followed suit as they passed through the arch and into the fairytale kingdom of Villeneuve.

Four guards, dressed in the pine green with gold accent uniform, and carrying sharp rapiers, stopped them. The first, a captain of sorts, based on the emblem on her chest, spoke. "What is your business here?"

"We are here to meet with his royal majesty, King Alard and her royal majesty Queen Bella. We have news of the war." 

The captain nodded, apparently accepting Merlin's excuse. Although the wall wouldn't have opened had the King not known they were coming. 

The captain scanned their group and nodded her head in respect when she noticed both Sebastian and Tedros. "I will not keep you. His Majesty will be expecting you. I'll send notice that you've arrived."

Sebastian glanced at Laura. Her gaze was firmly fixated on the ground, her face hidden. Even her dark hair had been tucked inside. 

Sebastian frowned as they began to move through the city, heading upwards to the castle. Where was this safe house? And why was Laura's magic so nervous? 

He could feel the crackling fire magic around him like a phantom, vibrating with fear and anger.  He stared at her, hidden by the dark cloak as she kept pace with Merlin.

"Is Laura okay?"

Sebastian flinched. He hadn't noticed Agatha next to him. 

"I don't know," Sebastian responded. "She's acting strange."

Gently, Sebastian reached out with the water magic, and let it envelop her with calm. She must've noticed because she stiffened and glanced back at him. Her eyes gleamed, and Sebastian gave her an awkward smile. He really liked her eyes.

Seconds later, her magic receded. He could feel her calming it down. 

Agatha shrugged. "She hasn't been herself since we approached Villeneuve. I thought it might have been you, but I'm guessing not." 

Sebastian frowned. "Why me?"

He watched Agatha hesitate. Her eyes darted away to Tedros, who was still in earshot. "Nothing, if you don't know I don't know."

What did that mean? Sebastian watched Agatha dart back to Tedros. The two almost instantly engaged in whispers. 

His gaze drifted back to Laura. She had reined in her magic. Something was wrong with her, and he found himself wanting to help.

They approached the castle-- a large ivory chateau, with towering dark green roofs and golden windows. The flag of Villeneuve flew high above, indicating the monarch was in residence. Guards lined the green grounds, full of hedges and rose bushes. 

The small group moved up the ivory staircase and towards the large archway entrance. The grand entry was large enough to hold balls. It was mostly lit by weak daylight streaming through the windows, but a large chandelier hung above them. The floor was covered in a gold and green rug, and candles glimmered above, hanging in the air. Several hallways branched off. The smell of warm spices floated throughout the castle. 

Agatha, Sophie, and Hort peered at the room, spinning slowly to take it all in. They had never been in an Ever castle before.

Sebastian glanced at Laura. The part of her face that he could see had gone pale, and her eyes darted around. Merlin gripped her arm tight. 

"Come on, let's go." 

Merlin began to move again, and Sebastian was stunned by the speed that the old wizard had. He darted down one of the hallways with Laura close behind. 

The rest of the group exchanged a quick glance before tearing after them. Sebastian entered the hallway and hesitated. The Hallway of Paintings, his parents had called it. Hanging on the walls of the long ornate hallway, was a portrait of every Villeneuve monarch. He had loved this hall as a kid, content to spend hours following the faces from century to century and map the similar features. There was so much history and a story behind every face. His father had encouraged it, insisting it would be good for diplomatic purposes.

Sebastian paused at a portrait of an older monarch, the great-grandmother of the current King. Her face was shockingly familiar. On her dark green dress, she wore the rose brooch, a symbol of her right to rule. Her hair was grey, and her face was lined with wrinkles, but she was smiling, her familiar dark brown eyes shining.

It was the eyes. He had seen those before. He was certain of it, and more recently than his last meeting with King Alard. 

The rest of the group was moving down the hallway, and slowly, Sebastian began to follow them, his eyes scanning each face, shocked at the familiarity in each set of eyes. Why did he know them?

After passing dozens of paintings, Sebastian came to a halt in front of the one of King Alard and his wife. It wasn't just King Alard's eyes, it was his whole face. He had seen them before. He tilted his head, curious if it was the angle. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he recall where he had seen these faces?

Slowly, Sebastian shifted to the next one. He gasped and snapped his gaze down the hallway to where the rest of the group was. His gasp echoed down the hallway, and the group turned to look at him.

"It's you."

He could see Laura's eyes widen, her magic roaring. Her voice was deadly calm. "Merlin, take them to the safe house. I'm going to speak with Sebastian."

Sebastian stared at her wide-eyed. The painting on the wall was of the two deceased Villeneuve heirs. It was the same miniature portrait that Laura had had in the Council of Magic headquarters. The same eyes that had been passed through every Villeneuve ruler, onto the painting of the heirs, and now, those same eyes were blazing as Laura approached him slowly, tugging off her face covering and her hood.

The painting was of Prince Gabriel-- who had died of illness-- and of Princess Colette, who was the only victim in a fire that had destroyed much of the castle's western wing. Or so he thought. If that Princess had no fear of fire and was incapable of being burned, she would've survived.

"It's you," Sebastian repeated as she got close. "You're Princess Colette of Villeneuve."

Laura stopped in front of him as he continued to ramble, the pieces falling together.

"In History class with Professor Sader. He said all the heirs were in the room. He meant you. And you were the only one to know the purpose of the rose brooch," Sebastian swallowed, his brain running at a rapid pace. "That story you told me, about the way you had destroyed your family home. That was here."

Laura took a step forward, her face expressionless.

Sebastian continued to speak. "One of Colette's middle names was Laura. It's the reason the walls opened for us. You. You are the rightful heir of Villeneuve."

He took in a deep breath, digging his fingers into his hair to push it back. "This whole goddamned time, there have been hints and clues and I hadn't figured out."

He spun so his back was facing her. Why was he freaking out over this? It was just a secret. He paced forward, before walking back to face her. He stepped forward until they were face to face.

"Is that why you were so nervous to come to Villeneuve?"

She nodded.

"Does the rest of the council know?"

She nodded again. Her eyes were hesitant. She must've been holding her magic on a tight leash.

Sebastian huffed in frustration. Everyone around him had known, except him. That would explain why they were so hesitant and cautious around him. "Why wouldn't you tell me?'

He could smell forest radiating off of her and it distracted him. The magic crawled at his skin in time with his anger. She was never going to trust him, never going to let him in. 

Laura exhaled slowly, but he could see the annoyance in her gaze. "It was none of your business."

"Fuck you," Sebastian spat. "This is a damn big secret to be hiding. I have been nothing but loyal to you for well over a year, and still, you hide something like this!"

"Don't talk to me about what I hide from you," She hissed. "You are nieve and immature and have no idea what this fucking castle means to me. You do not get to tell me what I do with my own secrets."

Sebastian scoffed. His chest brushed against hers. "You're a coward. I fucking care about you as a human being and all you do is hide yourself over and over as if you're scared to be seen."

"I'm terrified," She responded, her voice uncharacteristically raw. "I am in the castle that I once destroyed, knowing my parents-- who think I've been dead for decades-- could be just around any corner, and I'll have to face what I have done. You mean nothing  to me, and have no say in my choices."

Sebastian recoiled in hurt. He meant nothing to her. 

He could see regret flash on Laura's face. "Sebastian...I--"

She was cut off by voices at the end of the hall. A man and a woman engaged in whispers.

"Have you heard any news of Merlin?" The woman asked in Villenatian.

They rounded the corner and Sebastian's eyes widened. The Queen of Villeneuve kept pace with her husband. Her grey hair had been pulled away from her face in a loose bun and she almost reminded Sebastian of Dovey. The King kept his brown-eyed gaze laser focused ahead.

"Captain Lumiere at the gates sent notice that they had arrived."

Sebastian glanced behind him at Laura. Her face was white, her dark eyes wide. Slowly, he swallowed his pride, his affection for her winning over his desire to let her suffer. Sebastian slid in front of her, blocking her from view. 

"Your Majesties," He spoke, ducking his head quickly to show respect.

King Alard looked down the hallway at him, and grabbed his glasses, pushing them up. He grinned, his accent coming through. "Prince Sebastian of Havfrue."

Sebastian glanced back at Laura. She was frozen in place, her eyes damp. "Go," He hissed.

Laura's eyes flickered to him, and back at her parents. Her voice was quiet enough that he only barely caught it. "I...Sebastian,"

"Unless you want them to know you're here, I suggest you leave." He kept his voice distant and cold, to hide the radiating hurt that was swimming in his blood. He would still hide her, still protect her. 

Laura looked once more between the royals and Sebastian, before turning and running down the hall. 

Sebastian turned back to the King and Queen. 

"I hope you've been doing well," He spoke. 

Queen Bella gave him a halfhearted smile. "We try our best. You must be looking for the Lady of the Lake. You can accompany us."

Sebastian nodded in acknowledgement and offered the queen his arm. She took it, and together, they set off down the hall. 

As they turned the corner, Sebastian let out a sigh. 

Laura had vanished.