Neverland – Part One
Chapter One: "Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning." J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan
As she guided her small boat across the harbor's clear waters, Abigail could not help but feel amused at the turn of events her life had experienced that led her here.
The country truly was a beautiful one. Though a relatively small island, it appeared enormous, the great height of the mountains coasting its horizon giving it a depth it would have been missing otherwise. It was alive with all of the traditional creatures to be seen in such a tropical environment, colorful birds and fish with fins that sparkled in the sunlight, but there were other, more unusual beasts as well. As she deftly guided her ship towards the shore, she noticed the shimmering silver of long hair and bright fins as a mermaid, curious as to what this bizarre intruder upon her territory might be, dared to come close enough to investigate. She watched as the being darted away almost as quickly as she arrived; apparently her boldness ventured only so far. Abby's attention was suddenly diverted by the sounds of someone yelling, causing her to reach for the elegant dagger at her waist reflexively. The first call was soon answered by various others, and she swore she saw a brighter flash of green than those of the birds gliding above skirt through the approaching forest's edges. She could not know for sure what it was, but her inclinations seldom ever steered her wrong, and she possessed a general idea of what the country promised. The spectacle increased her anxiousness to reach her destination, her curiosity demanding satisfaction.
Refocusing her attention on the shoreline, she searched for an inconspicuous spot to land. Much of the area had been denied access by the various jutting rocks that threatened any vessel that dared try its unwelcome position. It was here that other mermaids roosted themselves, secure in the knowledge that any would be mad to try mooring in such a setting. Fortunately, 'mad' had been a rather frequent adjective used by those in describing Abby, and she smoothly sent her craft in the rocks' direction. Hers was a small boat, after all, and she had not left without ensuring it had received the appropriate protections.
With only a small amount of difficulty (mostly from the resting mermaids, who were less than thrilled to discover that their sanctuary was unfit to keep out her meager craft), she landed, finding an unnoticed spot to discreetly tuck away her ship before climbing onto land. Her stance wobbled slightly as she readjusted to the solidity of land, and soon she was off without any particular direction in mind, content merely to explore this new, fascinating country.
She had heard much of Neverland over the course of her various adventures of the last year. Tales of what lay there – the pirates with their impressive bounty; savage, almost beastlike Indians; and a pompous, arrogant little boy with his ragtag band of ageless orphans – had teased her for some time, but it was only recently that she had been able to coerce the knowledge of how to find such a place from a former pirate of the country. Now that she was here, she was uncertain of her next plan of action – each place she had visited had had its purpose, even if it had not been obvious at first. There was always someone to challenge, some giant deserving to be brought down, and she supposed it would not prove to be any different here. It would simply be a matter of finding it.
Her first inclination was to find this boy wonder, Peter Pan, and discover what the fuss was all about. She had heard various tales of his many misadventures and was forced to admit that observing him had been her real purpose for coming. He sounded condescendingly clever, completely indifferent to what others thought of him, and young enough to rashly do whatever he pleased, damn be the consequences. As strange as it was, she felt a connection to this boy she had yet to meet simply because they both sounded so completely and greatly alike. It was an uncanny puzzle she was determined to piece together.
But now that she was here, her infamous brashness seemed to falter. What was a six and twenty year old woman doing in searching out a ten-year-old boy? What did she honestly hope to accomplish here? Each of her previous adventures had had at least one understandable reason behind it: prove her worth, gain the prize, destroy the beast. Was she honestly so desperate for a task that she had simply come to spy on some terrible brat? It was this question that had altered her course; Pan could wait. It wasn't as if he, or she now that she had arrived, were getting any older. She would find a way to study him while busying herself with some more meaningful task.
The most obvious course of action was to seek out either the natives or pirates and investigate what they were up to. Both groups held promise; she'd never encountered savage Indians before, and pirates were simply fascinating. She'd met some once while helping one of the various towns seeking the Seventh Warrior's aid – nasty brutes, the lot of them, without an ounce of morality between them. They had tried to interfere for their own monetary gain and the result was their defeat at her wits' hands. She could understand their position, but in the end it was highly satisfying being the means of their demise.
She strolled along the sand, hands casually in her breeches' pockets as she instinctively scanned her surroundings for any sign of ambush. As interesting as pirates were, she could not return to the mainland after this first trip without guilt if she did not have some sort of encounter with these Neverland Indians she had heard so much about. She sincerely loved a good challenge, and the unknown prospect of what those peoples could do tugged at her initiative. Besides, who was to say she could not encounter both groups? It was a relatively small island, in comparison the land she had covered before; she would look in on the natives first, then make her way to the pirates from there. Certainly Pan would reveal himself somewhere along the way.
Satisfied with her decision, she turned away from the water's edge, intent upon the forest to her left. She would begin by tracking them – no matter how practiced they might be at concealing themselves, Abby knew she could uncover their whereabouts. A rather large family of various aged humans was certain to leave some sign of passage in a busy wood, no matter how careful they were. It was merely a matter of finding their flaw, just as it was for any other prey. Once that was discovered, her task very nearly completed itself.
As she entered the woods, the first thing she could not help but notice was the almost complete lack of noise. Most forested areas were brimming with action, even in the dead of night; not even the sound of a sleeping butterfly could be heard here. She was instantly suspicious, her guard rising as she sought out the silence's source. It quickly came in the appearance of five large, disgusting looking men, each wielding a rather impressive sword and lacking various appendages. So much for avoiding the pirates.
"Wot's yer bus'ness 'ere, wench?" the center man, obviously the leader, demanded. Abby's hands rested on her hips in apparent exasperation as she replied.
"I intended to pass through this wood, if you insist upon knowing," she smoothly replied, no hint of fear in her irritated tone. The pirates remained mostly unfazed by her words, though the one on the far right (clearly the youngest of them) tightened his grip ever so slightly. She decided he would do nicely.
The lead pirate shook his ragged head, a grin coming to his filthy face. "Imma 'fraid that taint ta be so, miss," he said with a smirk that was echoed by his fellows. "Ye see, we've bin give'n orders ta keep 'old o' any that passers by this 'ere wood. And ye've bin trespassin'."
"I would hardly consider taking one step into an open wood as, er, 'trespassin,'" she stated, eying each of them individually. Her hand automatically went to her belt's buckle, as if the source of her power came from that simple accessory. In a way, it did, but far less so that she was willing to let on. She continued casually, "If, however, your only objection is my presence here, allow me to save you the trouble of a messy disagreement by removing myself from the premises immediately."
Her flowery words confused him, but he did not allow them to alter his purpose even slightly. "It'll naught be that easy, miss, fer we've bin giv'n direct orders – any 'ho pass by are ta be taken ta th' Cap'n, right quick. Tha' be meaning' instantly." His smile widened as he stepped forward, revealing more gaps than teeth. Abby had only enough time to consider how dreadfully expected such a sight was before he lunged for her, hands grasping for her waist. She easily darted out of his reach, causally leaning a foot forward to trip him up. He lurched downward, very nearly landing on his own blade, and the others sprang into action. As two of the pirates raced for her from different directions, she reached for the slingshot and bag of rocks at her waist. Carefully taking aim, she sent one hurtling toward the one to her left, hitting him squarely in the right knee. He howled in pain as he hopped on his uninjured leg, his center of gravity shifting enough that he gracelessly plowed over on top of his approaching companion. They toppled over one another, resulting in a spew of words that would have sent most normal women into a faint.
The last two capable pirates warily approached, glances darting between their bickering companions and their out of breath leader. The older of the two made a swipe at her with his blade, which she skirted around. She bent down, folding herself nearly in half, and plowed into his midriff, sending him flying backwards over the still entwined men. Turning to the last pirate, she smiled sweetly at him, glad that the one she had chosen first was the last standing. She saw him gulp as she approached, but he did something unexpected; raising his free hand up with the palm facing toward her, he shouted a single word. She sensed the rush of magic as it approached and was barely able to put up a shield before it forcefully struck her. She had not counted on the fact that the boy might know magic, but it mattered little; her plans were simply forced to change ever so slightly. With a small flick of her wrist, she sent the spell back to its creator, striking him frozen, his blue gaze wide with panic; she'd always relished the look of fear in their eyes. Just as she was about to send a second spell his way, the resounding crack of the hilt of a sword meeting scull echoed through the trees, and she slumped to the ground. The first pirate, apparently finally recovered from his fall, gave a satisfied nod as he lowered his blade to his side.
"This one's got spunk, she 'as," he declared as her rebounded spell was broken. The young man sank to his knees as the other three worked at untangling themselves, eventually succeeding after many curses and much grumbling. The leader nodded his head down at the unconscious woman at his feet, motioning for his men to pick her up. As they did so, he turned toward the main harbor, a pleased grin on his face. "Come, me lads," he declared, motioning them forward. "The Cap'n'll be none too pleased if'n he don't get ter greet 'is new guest instantly."