Dawn broke quickly on the sea.

Sereia was the first one up. She wanted to see the sunrise over the water like she used to do at home on her island. She clung to the wooden railing as the sun rose over the ocean.

"You didn't strike me as a morning person."

She turned. Sebastian stood beside her.

"And you didn't strike me as one either."

She told him and Sebastian gave a hearty low chuckle.

"I found it hard to sleep well on this tub. At least my bed back at Hogwarts didn't rock with each wave." He said softly.

Sereia found his response humorous but she didn't laugh, or really, she found that she couldn't laugh. All that would change once she had gotten her song back. She would be able to feel she knew she would.

"I used to watch the sun rise over the sea when I lived on the island."

She told him softly as the sun continued to rise, bathing the glittering sea in golden lustrous light.

"I miss that. I miss sitting on the sand and bringing in the day with the salty waves." She told him and Sebastian nodded.

"I miss the sea wind and ocean spray in my face. Not many are fond of that, by the way, I don't know how you can't be fond of that." She continued and Sebastian just listened.

It was the most he had heard her speak in a good while and he enjoyed listening to that drawly improper voice of hers.

Her voice was like the soft rumble of a distant thunder or the hoot of an owl. It wasn't refined and proper like most girls at Hogwarts. It was different, she hung on syllables like her vowels and she said other words with a short chip.

He particularly liked the way she said his name. She always over pronounced the "ian" in the end of his name and it made him smile every time. No one else said his name that way.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

"What are you smilin at?"

She asked him. She had gone on and on about her adoration of the sea, of her home, of her island, and Sebastian had just smiled and listened to her talk. She hadn't noticed his grin until now, nearly five minutes after she had gone on and on about the ocean. He looked to her, still smiling.

"Just you." He told her. She raised a brow.

"Me? Why?" "You're so passionate about the sea," He began.

"You say that without your siren song you can't feel, but you can feel one thing, I can tell, and it's the ocean." Her eyes drew back to the sea that expanded before them.

There was a chill in the air, November had arrived, and it was invigorating. The sea wind in her hair once more breathed a fresh life in her, one she forgot she had.

In that moment, it was true she was a siren. She was connected with the ocean in a way unlike anyone else. The sea to her was like an old friend who every time she was reunited with brought old sparks of life to her heart.

"I wanted to ask you something, actually."

Sebastian began slowly and Sereia turned back to face him. It was obvious by the way his hands fiddled with the other and his shoulders tensed, he was nervous. Whatever question he had, her answer to it would weigh heavy upon him.

"Yes?"

Sereia replied, turning to him and giving him her full attention. She had learned from her time among people, when you were listening to someone you give them your full attention and completely face them.

"Well I- I wanted to ask you- you see it's- I don't-"

He was stumbling over his words left and right. Sereia looked at him with confusion. She couldn't understand what he was trying to say nor what would twist his words into knots like this.

"It's my sister." He finally admitted and his shoulders hung low.

"Sister?" Sereia asked. This was news to her, she didn't know that Sebastian had a sister- or any family for that matter. The subject had never come up between them.

"She's sick. Very sick. And my uncle used to always insist that there was no cure for her, that she was doomed to die a slow death. I never believed him and even now, with him gone, I choose to defy his wishes." He continued.

Sereia grew quiet. What did she have to do with this? How did it involve her?

"Anne has moved away since the death of our uncle. It has torn us apart, you see. Since our parents died he was all we had left as a legal guardian and with him now gone... Well it devastated her. She moved away and she wants nothing to do with me."

He looked down and the shame and agony that crossed his face was enough to make Sereia feel pings and tinges of guilt herself. She was surprised. Out of everyone, out of everything, the only person able to make her feel hints of emotions had been Sebastian.

Weird.

"But I haven't stopped trying to save her." He admitted and looked back up at Sereia who hung on his words.

"That's where you come in."

"Me?"

"Yes!"

He took her hands in his in one swift movement and she instantly recoiled, removing her hands from his. He sighed, he forgot how she was with physical contact.

"I've been researching Sirens, Blue bloods, on my own time. I discovered that they have an immense ability to heal. Greater and stronger than those of wizard healers. You could save Anne, Sereia. You could heal my sister. Mend our bond."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

She didn't say anything at first and Sebastian kept it as an opportunity to keep talking.

"Please, Sereia." He said desperately.

"This is what I have been searching for. You are the cure."

"Is that all you wanted from me?"

She asked slowly and Sebastians eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"What?" He asked, baffled by her words.

"You have been so kind to me, Sebastian. So inviting and heartfelt. Is this why? To get me to do your bidding?"

"My bidding?" He scoffed. "My 'bidding' is to save my sister's life." He replied strongly.

"And I haven't been so kind for you because I want you to feel like you owe me anything... I just assumed if I helped you get your song back you'd help me-" "so you're manipulating me?"

"No."

He snapped.

"Sereia you aren't listening to me." "Are you even listening to you?" She replied.

"It must be hard to since all you do is run your mouth all the damn time. You talk nonstop Sebastian, honestly."

"Better than you! You hardly talk at all!"

"I know when to speak and when not to. You clearly don't have a clue."

"Why are you being so difficult?"

"Why are you being so demanding?"

"Demanding?!" Sebastian scoffed at her. He looked absolutely appalled at her by this very suggestion.

"I am just trying to save my sister. Something you obviously wouldn't understand! You have no family!"

He roared and as the last few words left his lips she recoiled. Her gaze froze over as she looked at him and her eyes were cold as ice as she glared at him. She took a step back. "Sereia... I-I didn't mean that." he began. "Sereia-"

She turned and ran off, not giving him a chance to continue.

"I'm sorry!"

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

"What did you do now?"

Ominis asked, he approached Sebastian with Addeline at his side. The pair was arm in arm.

"We just saw the little blonde one running off." Addeline added.

"Her name is Sereia."

Sebastian corrected her. He gave a sigh, leaned back against the ship's railing, and ran his hand through his brown curls.

"We got into a fight."

"You got into a fight?"

Ominis asked, his expression was skeptical. Though he was more skeptical that Sereia would actually say enough words to get into an argument with anyone.

"About what?" "Anne." Sebastian said. "There is a possibility that Sereia could help her I-"

"Sebastian." Ominis said firmly. "You know how Anne feels about you desperately searching for a cure for her. You nearly destroyed yourself last year for her sake and it pushed her father away and was worse for her. You did more harm than good. Know when to stop."

"Ominis, please." Sebastian retaliated.

"Sereia isn't a monster or a dark wizard. She could help Anne. Or she could have. Now she's too furious at me to speak to me. She thinks I'm manipulated her, having her owe me and helping my sister would be how she paid her debt."

"Well," Addeline spoke up, "I may hardly know her or you, Sallow, but as an outsider's view that's how it seems." She told him.

"You have been kind to her, helped her, and now you are escorting her to some sort of arcane vital heirloom. You are serving her and putting her in your debt when she could have done this all on her own, and then you spring this on her? Yes, it would seem like you are manipulating her." Addeline said.

"Are you manipulating her?" "No!" Sebastian said almost instantly.

"Then why risk so much for her?" Sebastian was silent. He couldn't answer.