I jump on Vivo’s back when she gets to me, and hold on tight so I don’t fall off as she takes off towards the battlefield. I can sense my pirates, and I send them the only feeling I know they might need. Love. I spot other changed ones using their powers in the fight below. Someone is using fire, another is making large plants rip out of the ground, and vines are grabbing guards. I look back at the castle, just as more cannons are fired into it. The ships are behind the cliffs, firing cannon after cannon at the castle, or what is left of it now.

“We need to fight the king and his dragon. Fire must be destroyed!” I shout to Vivo, who roars, gaining the attention of the king and his dragon as we get closer. They turn around, and the king’s eyes lock with mine, a sinister grin spreading over his lips as his eyes burn with anger. I try not to be frightened, but some fear still fills me as I remember what he did to me. I close my eyes for just a second, and remind myself that this is his ending, not mine. He lifts his hand as I open my eyes, and his dragon breathes a long stream of fire straight at us. Vivo roars, and a long breeze of icy wind comes from her mouth, hitting the fire right in the middle of us both. Vivo pushes the dragon’s fire away, her strength is too much for it to keep up with. The fire dragon stops suddenly, flying straight towards us and knocking its huge body into Vivo. I scream as I try to hold on. Both of the dragons claw at each other, and I can’t lift my head from the pressure of the wind to look at the king or anything that is going on. A loud roar fills my ear, and then the dragons hit the ground, sending me flying off the dragon and rolling across the grass. I groan in agony, feeling my shoulder hurting me, and my right leg is shooting with pain. I bite my lip as I grab the crown near my head, shakily standing up and looking around. I can see all my pirates fighting in the distance, and the dragons are back in the sky, battling with each other. I don’t know who is winning, but they are covered in blood. I spot the king near the edge of the cliff, and no one is here to stop me from getting to him. I run over, avoiding the few bodies on the floor until I’m close enough to him.

I stand on the edge of the cliff, holding the blood-covered crown. The crown we fought so long to get. The crown that will win this war. I glance around at the men I love, each one of them I would die to protect. My pirates are fighting all around me on the battlefield, keeping me alive as I face the king alone. This was always the plan, the only one that would work. The ground shakes as more screams fill the night. I can’t look away from the king to see if anyone I know is dying. If anyone I love is.

Everything we have fought for has led us to this moment, and I won’t let them down.

We don’t say any words to each other, as words are not needed. He knew this was coming, and the war around us is proof. The king started this, not me. I was chosen to stop this.

“You will never save the seas,” the king sneers at me after a long silence between us.

“I don’t need to. The Sea God will save us all,” I say, my voice loud as the wind howls, and lightning fills the skies.

“What did you promise him in return?” he shouts back at me. I look the king over, remembering every cruel thing he has done to me, the people he has taken from me, and the deaths he has caused. 

“Your death,” I say and lift the crown, placing it on my head, and the power floods my mind.

“Kill me, and you will have my soul tarnishing yours forever,” he says, opening his arms.

“This is for my mother,” I hear said next to me, and I turn facing Ryland as he steps to my side, throwing his dagger, and it lands perfectly in the centre of the king’s chest.

“No!” the king blurts out, staring at the dagger and lifting his hands in shock.

“You have no power now,” I say, and close my eyes, remembering his shock. I lift my hands slowly, pulling as much water as I can from the sea. When I open them, a wall of water is hanging over the cliff, the king standing right next to it. The crown lets me control the sea, control everything. I can feel the power, so much power.

“Cassandra, stay with us. Remember why you have the crown, and why you are here,” Ryland coaxes from somewhere near me, and I open my eyes, looking at him.

“I remember,” I say, lifting my blue glowing hand. I look down to see all of my body is glowing blue before looking back at the king.

“Return to the sea, and meet your fate,” are the last words I give him before he screams as I let the sea pull him back over the cliff. There is a deadly silence as I still hold the wall of water and turn around. I see Vivo sitting on what is left of the castle, all frozen over from her power, and the king’s dragon frozen at her feet, clearly dead. We have won. All my pirates walk over to me, many of them covered in blood and cuts, but alive. That’s all that matters. I spot Everly as she comes over, with Tyrion holding her up as her leg bleeds. I use my water to lift myself into the air, until I’m standing above every person on this field.

“The king is dead!” I shout, and cheers follow my words. I wait for them to stop before carrying on. “This land will be known as the final fight between our people. The final war. We will have peace!” I shout, and the people cheer again. I watch as the guards, the changed ones, and the rebellion army all fall to their knees. I pull some more water over, lifting Everly into the air as she lets go of Tyrion. She stands tall, despite the blood pouring down her leg.

“Rise, Queen Everleigh. Queen of Calais!” I shout, going to my knee in the water and lowering my head. Everyone shouts her name, cheering about their new queen, but I keep my eyes below me, on my pirates as they smile.

Hunter mouths one word. “Home.”

I lower myself and Everly back down to the ground, before pulling the crown off but keeping hold of the water.

“I need to do this, return the gift that was stolen from the sea. I must finish the deal,” I tell Chaz who gets to my side first.

“We do this together. We are here,” Jacob says, and the others all stay close, their actions making it clear they are in this with me. I walk to the very edge of the cliff, holding the crown over it, and place it in the risen water.

“I never thanked you for your gift, and I don’t mean the powers. I mean the bond. Thank you for my soul mates, and thank you for blessing me. The sea god will never be feared again, only worshipped. That is my promise to you. Goodbye,” I say, and I let the crown fall with the sea as the power leaves me. I watch as the water drops back down, and the tornadoes, whirlpools, and the anger of the Storm Sea disappears, only leaving peace. The next thing I feel is myself falling back as darkness takes over.