. : Sebastian of Havfrue : .

"We cannot just enter the forest and slaughter everyone in our path."

Sebastian glared at Kendrick across the table. The pirate leader was maybe a few years older than him. He was greasy and smelled like an aggravating mixture of seaweed and oil. His hair was slicked back and pulled into a low ponytail.

Sebastian hadn't wanted to ally with the pirates. He refused to believe Kendrick had an ounce of good in him. He'd sooner team up with the Igni who had burnt him than the son of Captain Hook. He had spent weeks back home, trying to express his concern and his distrust of the pirates, but his father-- who hadn't been on the battlefield since before he was born-- had insisted it was fine.

His father was going to eat his words sooner or later.

The way Kendrick was looking at the map, the blatant greed and malice in his eyes, concerned Sebastian. The Twilight Children were damn good fighters-- most had spent decades training-- and there was no way they would take the forest. That was their territory. The one time they had gotten close enough to the heart of Neverland to place it under siege was the most brutal thing that the Havfrue military had ever been responsible for. He would still wake up every night with nightmares of those few days.

They needed to stick to the beach. They could fight on the beach.

"We cannot enter the forest," Sebastian snapped back. He ran a hand through his auburn hair. Autumn was starting and the night brought with it a chill. He longed to leave, to return to the temperate climate of his home. "You know how good they are at ambush attacks, and at hiding. That forest is their territory. We will have no chance on their ground. Our best chance is dragging them onto the beach."

Kendrick narrowed his eyes at Sebastian, tucking his hands into his dark leather pants. "And how, do you suggest we take them out? We are going to lose if we don't push back soon."

He was correct in that manner. The Twilight Children had been ruthless lately, counter-attack after counter-attack, and had managed to push them back to the shore. They needed one more win and they would win the war.

Sebastian wasn't willing to let them win. He wouldn't return home with more bodies and having lost the war. His parents had entrusted him with this, and he couldn't bear to face the disappointed looks again.

The first loss had been hard, dozens of soldiers had lost their lives in the battle. Since then, he had grown numb. The bodies piled up, all marks of his failure, yet he carried on, numb to the pain and suffering.

Sebastian pointed to a spot on the map, right in the heart of the map. "I'd be willing to bet that they keep the source of all magic here. All we need to do it is a small team, and slide them through their defences."

"And what of the Igni? What will you do about him?"

Then there was the matter of the Igni. In the first fight that Sebastian had gotten into with him, he had nearly turned and ran. He had never seen or heard of anyone with that level of magic. The roaring flames that listened only to their leader had frightened him to the point of nightmares. After the first battle, he would specifically target the Igni, learning the way he fought, and his strengths and weaknesses. Sebastian prided himself on his ability to analyze fighting techniques; it was what had made him such a good soldier.

The Igni was light on his feet, fought in a spinning way that twisted around, and required the opponent to be light on their feet to keep up. It reminded him of being forced into dance rooms as a child, and unable to keep up because he couldn't stop his feet from tripping up. Sebastian was not light on his feet, he was trained with brute force and sharp movements. The Igni relied on his magic; however, they weren't great at hand-to-hand combat. If he could keep him going long enough to exhaust him, it would work to his advantage. Unfortunately, every time he had tried, the battle ended, with the Twilight Children claiming victory. They were too quick, and the Igni was good enough at fighting to keep him distracted for long enough to allow his warriors to stomp out his soldiers.

Then there was the matter of the barrier.

In the most recent battle, Sebastian had noticed the way the Igni had feared the barrier. They had done everything in their power to avoid being close to it. Sebastian had been working on a theory and believed that the barrier would take away his magic. All he had to do was get them beyond the barrier, and if that didn't work, into the water. Water killed Igni. That's what Sebastian had been told growing up. Then again, he had never actually fought one before Neverland.

His dad used to tell him stories as a kid, and it always seemed like there was only ever one Igni. His favourite story-- an ancient tale that seemed to change with each telling-- had a villain that was made of fire and rage. The heroes in that story had won by drowning the villain in the ocean. His dad had said that the kingdom of Havfrue was founded by those heroes, who wanted to build an ocean kingdom, safe from the hands of Igni.

Sebastian was sure that if the barrier didn't work, he would find a way to put him in the water. That would have to do some damage.

The issue was, that they never came close to the barrier. He had to find a way to lure him out of the woods.

Sebastian sighed and pressed a hand onto the table. "I've been working on an idea, but I need the Twilight Children on the beach. I'll figure it out. Let's go, we can plan an attack tomorrow."

Kendrick didn't seem satisfied with his answer, but let the matter drop, turning and making towards the exit of the boat. Sebastian followed him, stepping over the polished wood and heading up the stairs.

A faint splash sounded as he stepped onto the wooden deck. "I didn't know that you had fly fish on Neverland."

Kendrick twisted his neck to look at him. It made the bulging white scar there pop out. "We don't have fly fish on Neverland."

Sebastian frowned, and picked his way to the edge of the boat, only to have his eyes widen at the mermaid that was near the surface. They were a sister species to his mother's race, but not as beautiful. They had sharp teeth and thick hair. Their tails were nearly six feet long and covered with dark scales. The mermaid waved a clawed hand at him.

"Shit. It's an ambush."

The second he spoke, the massive bonfire that was surrounded by his soldiers and Kendrick's pirates went out.

Sebastian blinked harshly, forcing his eyes to rapidly adjust to the newfound darkness. His eyes had only just adjusted when a raging wall of fire erupted, surrounding them in an arena. Sebastian whipped his sword out of its sheath, and ran down the ramp, charging onto the white sanded beach.

"It's the damned Igni! Do not yield! We have more soldiers." His accent always got thicker when he was angry.

The Igni stepped from the shadows, hands flaming. Sebastian snarled, his face chilling. He was wrong, it turns out they were foolish enough to ambush them on their own turf. Now might be the chance to get the Igni beyond the barrier.

He hadn't had much chance to observe his opponent. The Igni was small, lean, and moved with enough grace to shock an etiquette teacher. He was always dressed in loose clothes and a cloak and mask that hid most of his features. The rest of the Twilight Children preferred tight fighting leathers, so Sebastian had yet to figure out the significance of his opponent's clothes.

"You." Sebastian hissed out, pointing his sword at the Igni. "You're mine."

Sebastian could see the amusement in his eyes. The Igni lit a hand on fire. The flames danced over his small skinny fingers. "Are you ready for a rematch?" He gestured to his wrist with his chin. "It's nice to see the burn is healing nicely."

Sebastian would've spat on him if it weren't something that would get him smacked at home. In a recent fight, the Igni had lured him in and grasped his wrist, charring the skin there. It still ached when he twisted it, and he was lucky it didn't burn the bone.

Sebastian stepped forward and swung the sword towards the Igni, who side-stepped and ducked, digging a sharp knife into his thigh. Sebastian grunted at the sudden pain. He could feel the blood welling along the cut. He stumbled forwards and spun around, swinging his sword toward the Ingi. He was facing the barrier now. Sebastian narrowed his eyes and stepped closer.

"You are light on your feet, Igni." He snarled. The Igni's forehead creased. He wasn't a fan of the term.

"And you obviously don't have much experience fighting in forests. Were you too busy suntanning and hosting tea parties to train in different terrain?" He snapped, taking more steps back. Sebastian kept pointing his sword at him, forcing him closer to the barrier.

The Igni let out a light infuriating chuckle and blasted him with fire. Sebastian ducked, nearly slipping on the ground. He regained his footing and lunged towards the Igni, who continued to back up, nearing the ships and the barrier.

Sebastian took a quick a step, and nearly missed the dagger flying toward his throat. He grabbed his wrist and wrenched it out of his palm, sending it flying into the water. He could see the nervousness in his deep brown eyes now.

Sebastian used the brief moment of distraction, and swung his leg underneath him, forcing the Igni to the ground. He lunged on top of him, grappling to grab his arms. A flaming hand dug into his side and he gritted his teeth, twisting away. Flaming hands pushed into his chest, digging into his skin. He was shoved away, momentarily shocked by the surprising amount of force in that small body.

He stumbled up and turned to look at the Igni, only to freeze. The hood that he often wore had fallen down in their grappling, and it exposed thin delicate features and long braided chocolate hair.

"You're a girl?" Sebastian paused, momentarily stunned. This whole time, he had been fighting a girl? "You don't fight like a girl."

That made her pause, and she broke out of her fighting stance, staring at his baffled face. "I wasn't taught to fight like a girl. I was taught to defend myself and my home."

Sebastian shook his head. "You shouldn't be fighting, that's not a girl thing to do."

She blinked slowly at him. "Didn't your mother take on a sea witch?"

She had, and with the help of his father, they had killed her. Sebastian had never hit a girl on purpose before, had never killed anyone besides grown men who were trained to fight.

He shook his head, refocusing on her. He had to get her past the barrier. "I guess I will feel slightly worse when I kill you."

She laughed at him, her hands lighting up. "I'd like to see you try."

Sebastian lunged at her with his sword, forcing her back. She kept stepping, swinging from side to side to avoid his sword. He could hear the dying screams of his men and blocked them out, a few more steps and she would be beyond the barrier.

She sent fire at his ankles, and he jumped, dropping his sword and running at her. Just a few more steps.

Judging from the way her eyes widened, she hadn't been expecting that. She stumbled backwards, and Sebastian grabbed her shoulders, shoving her back. Her flaming hands grasped over his, and he clenched his jaw, the flames charring his skin.

Her left foot slid beyond, and he grinned, giving her one hard shove. She went beyond the barrier.

Her eyes widened in panic as soon as she realized what had happened. She looked back at him, her eyes angry. She ripped off her mask, and Sebastian stepped back, his victory smile dropping.

"What have you done?" It was barely more than a murmur, but her tone suggested that Sebastian had made a grave mistake.

What had he done?