Peter & Willow, King and Queen of Never-Never Land
Dear Diary, Monday Morning
I've been sitting here for about an hour, trying to figure out where to start my absolutely amazing and utterly unbelievable tale. It's really hard, 'cause I want it to be perfect when Peter drops this diary off to Sienna, my best friend. It's just so everyone back home knows I'm safe. *Sigh* Ok, here I go.
I guess you could say that my outlook on life was turned upside down and inside out almost three days ago on Friday night, the night my parents went out to celebrate their 20th Anniversary. I was home alone, which suited me fine, and was climbing into bed when.
1.1.1 ***
I was getting ready to go to bed when I heard it. I paused, and then quickly slipped my white nightgown on, before heading to the glass doors that lead out to the balcony. It sounded like someone was tapping on the glass.
I pulled the curtain away, but all I could see was the deep indigo night sky, and the full moon that hung in it, glowing almost fiercely.
I opened up the door, and stepped out onto the balcony, shutting the door behind me. The concrete was cold against my bare feet, and the wind softly rustled my hair. It was a beautiful night, and I was enjoying it when I was grabbed from behind.
A hand roughly covered my mouth, and an arm went around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides. I tried to scream, but it only came out as a muffled squeak.
A voice, sounding a little amused, whispered, "Shhh, Willow. I'm not going to hurt you." I could tell that my intruder was male and a million thoughts were racing through my head as I was carried back into my room.
The door shut with a click and I was suddenly released. I turned to face him, fear and outrage fighting for domination on my face, when my breath caught in my throat. Because basically, my intruder was gorgeous.
His forest green eyes were lit with mirth and his raven black hair was slightly wavy. He had a mischievous smile on his face and looked like an unruly tree nymph. He seemed about 17, a year older then me, and right now was standing casually, arms crossed over his chest.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?" I demanded sharply.
He laughed. "Well Willow, I have to say that it's a pleasure to see you again."
I frowned. "Excuse me? I've never met you in my life and don't know how you know my name. So could you kindly get out before I call the police?"
But he wasn't even listening. He was clicking his tongue in disapproval, though the roguish expression never left his face. "You have met me, dearest. Maybe you don't remember, so I'll refresh your memory. Remember the Flying Boy?"
I froze. How did he know about Flying Boy? When I was about five, I used to have a recurring dream about a boy that flew into my room and told me he was going to take me to his world. Of course, because I was young, I thought it had actually happened, and I told my parents so. To cut a long story short, 8 visits to the psychologist had convinced me it wasn't real. But I hadn't told anyone about him, except Sienna, my best friend.
I studied him carefully. He did look familiar, and the only place I recalled seeing him was. "You cannot be telling me that Flying Boy was you! He was a figure from my imagination, and that's all." but my voice was trailing off even before I realised that however impossible it seemed, it was true.
He seemed ecstatic. "Yes, you remember! Oh, and by the way, my name is Peter Pan. But you can call me Peter."
"But.oh, that's.uh.you're not real!" I spluttered, finally getting the sentence out. Naturally, this caused no reaction from Peter, who knew he had already won and that I was in denial.
"Now that we have that settled," Peter began, "let's get down to why I'm here."
Overwhelmed, I sat down on my bed, glad to be seated on something solid. Peter paced in front of me, and words seemed to be flowing without a pause from his mouth.
"I live in this place called Never-Never Land, with my three brothers Patrick, Paul and Phillip, who are all 8 because they are triplets, and my friend Titania, who is a white witch. Me, I'm the King of Never-Never Land, and I need a Queen." He stopped walking and looked me in the eyes. "And that's where you come in."
Peter must have noticed my absolute shock and continued. "You see, I've fallen in love with you and want to take you to Never-Never Land with me, where you will stay 16 forever and be Queen." He sat down beside me and took my limp hands in his. My mouth was as dry as cotton and I could barely hear past the thudding of my heart. "So what do you say, Willow? Will you come with me?"
Flying was an experience I knew I would come to love. Soaring through the air, the wind rushing past me and blowing my hair in my face, and looking down at the tiny buildings and cars, was such an exhilarating feeling. I was holding Peter's hand and it was because of this that I was able to fly, across hundreds of kilometres to Never-Never Land.
I finally caught a glimpse of it through the clouds. Luscious green vegetation covered the mountain and surrounding areas, and a cave loomed to the right side, opposite the mountain. In the middle and stretching out as far as I could see, was the sea, its blue-green colour reflecting glints of the sun.
We landed on top of the mountain, where there was a small clearing. At first I didn't see anything, but Peter gently nudged me to look up, and I noticed that there were hammocks hanging from the trees. They were so high up I could just see them, and it blew my mind how anyone could climb up so high and not die from the fright.
"Patrick, Paul and Phillip!" Peter shouted, his voice echoing. "Wake up and come down!"
I looked over at him; my hand still clasped firmly in his. "Are you sure they'll like me?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't so confident now.
Peter kissed me on the cheek. "Of course they'll like you," he assured me. "And in time, they'll love you as much as I do." I blushed with happiness and he laughed.
There was a rustle in the branches, and then suddenly three figures fell from the trees, shouting with delight. I watched, wide-eyed, as they landed gracefully like cats, and picked themselves up from the ground.
Patrick, Paul and Phillip all had curly carrot-coloured hair, freckles sprinkled across their cheekbones and adorable green eyes like Peters'. They looked like Cabbage Patch kids, all cute and cuddly to hold. But right now, all three of them looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
"Hi," I ventured, uncertain despite Peter's words. "I'm Willow."
They didn't say anything for a moment, and then a look was passed between them. Suddenly, they hurtled themselves at me, and before I knew what was happening, they were all tightly hugging my waist. I leaned over and put my arms around them, not quite a hug but the best I could do in the situation.
"Willow," Patrick said. "Will you tell us stories about the Outside Land?" He looked up hopefully, and I couldn't help but smile back.
"Okay, but not right now," I promised, glancing over to see Peter's face. He was smiling hugely, and when he met my eyes for a second, he winked.
"So this is the famous Willow," a throaty feminine voice from behind us said. The triplets let me go and I turned around to see a beautiful blonde girl. She was tall and slender, with dark blue eyes like sapphires and wearing a white dress that seemed to be made entirely from chiffon, layer upon layer of it.
"Titania meet Willow," Peter said, making the proper introductions. "Willow, this is my friend Titania, the white witch I was telling you about."
Titania smiled, but it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes. On a fit of insecurity, I wondered why Peter had chosen me to be his Queen, when Titania was clearly the better catch. I self-consciously touched my own hair, which was curly and blood red in colour, and thought about my ordinary brown eyes. The girl in front of me looked like a goddess while I felt like a shy little fairy in comparison.
I realized, with a start, that Titania was thinking the exact same thing! Titania's lips curved into a smirk and her gaze slowly traveled over me. I'm not ugly, I thought defensively. But before I could say anything, Peter had started talking again.
"Sorry, did we wake you up?" Peter asked, concerned.
Titania's smile was real this time. "No, I was already awake. I was just starting breakfast." She gestured behind her, and I noticed a fire crackling in the distance.
We all walked over, with Patrick and Paul holding one hand of mine each, and Phillip clinging to the waistband of the jeans I had changed into. It was amazing what a fast liking they had taken to me, and it just proved what a good choice I had made.
I smelt the food before I saw it, a warm aroma of herbs and meat. My mouth watered and I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten dinner the night before and nothing since then. I noticed that Titania was cooking fish over the fire, the really old-fashioned way.
"I knew you were coming," Titania said to me, with mischief playing in her eyes. "So I started cooking." She giggled. "Or at least I tried to cook." I noticed that she was making an effort, so I tried too, even though I was feeling a bit uncomfortable around the white witch.
"It smells wonderful," I said, inwardly grimacing when I realised how much I sounded like my mother. "I love fish."
"I know you do," Titania replied. "Peter told me." She looked at him and smiled for real this time. Her features seemed to soften whenever she looked at, or talked to Peter I felt a stab of jealously at the way he grinned back, but then I realised how stupid I was being and let it pass.
I giggled as he put his arm around me, and I leaned my head against his shoulder. Titania watched all this with no reaction, except to say; "Come sit down and eat, the fish is ready."
The triplets let go of me and ran to Titania, who gave them each some fish. We all sat down on the rocks around the fire, while Titania served us our breakfast.
I bit into the hot moist meat, tasting a spicy zing. I figured it must have been the herbs and spices I had smelt earlier, and thought nothing more of it. It complemented the taste anyway.
But after we had all finished, I started to feel a bit nauseous. My stomach was beginning to hurt, but I ignored it because Peter and Titania had just sent the triplets to play Hide and Seek, and they had starting talking again.
"Phillip saw Captain Hook's ship sail past after you left last night," Titania said gravely, wringing her thin hands nervously.
Peter brushed it off with a shrug. "So?"
"So?" Titania repeated in disbelief. "So we should be worried, Peter! You really pissed him off when you told the pirates to set Tiger Lily, the daughter of the Indian Chief, free! Aren't you worried he'll come back?"
Peter grinned rakishly. "No."
My stomach was really hurting me now, like someone was repeatedly kicking me, and the feeling of wanting to throw up was increasing. "Who's Captain Hook?" I asked, my voice wobbling slightly.
But no one seemed to notice. Titania visibly shuddered, and Peter's lips curled as if he had tasted something bad. "Captain Hook is the meanest, cruelest leader of a crew of pirates. We've been enemies ever since I cut off his right hand and fed it to the wise old crocodile."
I tried to focus on Peter's words, but they sounded as if he was talking underwater. My vision was blurring and like an out-of-focus TV and the last thing I heard before the darkness sucked me in was someone calling my name.
***
"Willow!" Peter caught Willow as she fell forward, cradling her limp body in his arms. She couldn't die, she could! But she was so still, and so deathly pale.
"Oh God," he moaned, hugging her body closer to him. "Willow, come on honey, wake up! Please Will, don't leave me!" He couldn't believe the unfairness of it! For years, he had been watching and admiring her from afar, waiting for when she would be old enough to deal with his love. Finally he had approached her, and she had accepted his proposal. But to have only been with her for the night, then to have her snatched away from him was more then he could take.
Peter stood up abruptly. Titania, tears in her eyes, grabbed his arm. "I'm so sorry, Peter." She bit her lip as he slung Willow's body over one shoulder. "Where are you going?"
"Is there anything you can do for her?" Peter demanded shortly, his voice rough. "Can you bring her back to life?"
Titania shook her head sadly, some tears slipping down her face. "My magic doesn't work like that. I'm so sorry."
But Peter had already floated up, and was hovering in the air above her. "I'm going to the beach to bury her." And he left, leaving Titania opening her mouth to protest.
He felt so cold and alone. It was like a part of him had died with Willow, and the other half of him had already gone into mourning. He landed on the sand, under a tree that overlooked the beach. It was Peter's favourite spot, the one he used to always go to when he watched Willow in the Outside Land, with the help of Titania's magic.
Peter's bitter tears hit the sand as he set Willow's doll-like form next to him, and turned back so he could start digging. His tears fell harder until he could barely see what he was doing, and soon he sat down, leaning against the tree trunk, with his head in his hands, to mourn the death of his love.
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The sound of a clock made Peter lift his head, already knowing whom it was. The wise old crocodile came scrambling up the sand, it's head cocked to the side as it observed the situation it had come across.
The crocodile looked like any other one, except for the spectacles it wore perched on its nose. It was long, an off-coloured green, and scaly, and it's tail whipped in the air when it moved. But two things made it different from other crocodiles. One, Captain Hook had made it swallow a clock so he would know when the crocodile, who hated the Captain came along and two, it could tell anyone's future. It also seemed to know things others didn't.
"She was a pretty one, hey boy?" The crocodile said, in it's thick English accent. Peter just nodded, to miserable to talk. "I bet ye want to know how she died, hey?"
This caught Peter's attention. He looked at the crocodile with narrowed eyes. "What do you know?" Peter snarled.
The crocodile blinked its huge eyes innocently. "Ay, me know a lot of things, ma boy. And me willing to share, 'cause I know how it is to lose one's true love." The crocodile looked wistful and sad for a moment, then said; "It was da witch who killed her, ma boy."
Peter was startled. "Titania?" The crocodile nodded, and Peter scoffed. "I don't believe you."
The crocodile seemed offended, and replied; "Ay, but 'twas her. She's been jealous of your missy ever since da start. And me also know how to bring life back to your missy, ma boy."
Peter had just been realising how right the wise old crocodile's words about Titania were. A rage so huge it seemed to swallow up his universe started and he seemed to be seeing red, when once again, he was snapped out of thought. "How?"
"Ay, but ye won't like it. It involves da help of Captain Hook. He has da power to bring life back to your missy." The crocodile lifted an eyeball as it watched Peter pick up Willow, and sling her over his shoulder again.
"Thankyou, wise old croc!" Peter shouted as he soared up into the air. He barely saw the crocodile life his tail and wave.
Peter looked for Captain Hook's ship, ignoring all the dangers and reasonable explanations that warned him away from it. He knew that if Willow had a chance at life again, he'd do anything for her, so when he found Captain Hook's ship, he sighed with relief. He flew down to it, trying not to show his disgust.
The expressions on the pirates' faces were all of wonder. It was commonly known across Never-Never Land that Captain Hook and Peter Pan never talked to one another, so when Peter demanded to see the Captain, a stammering pirate took him to Hooks' chambers.
It was dark and dimly lit in the room Peter was shown into, with the only pieces of furniture being a huge bed and desk. The desk was were Hook sat at the moment, his back to the door, and holding a feather pen in his left hand.
When Peter was announced, Hook wasn't very pleased. In fact, he jumped from the chair while pulling a sword out at the same time. He was wearing a frilly white shirt stained with red wine, dirty back pants and a matching dirty vest. On top of his curly black hair he wore a black pirate hat, with a white skull on the front. "What are you doing here?" Hook demanded angrily.
Peter stepped back, saying; "Put your sword down, I'm not here to fight you, Hook."
The Captain seemed suspicious and amazed, but still didn't drop his sword. "Then why did you come here, Pan? Do you have a death wish?"
Peter stared at the floor, then walked over to the bed and lay Willow down on it. Turning back to Hook, he said firmly; "You're the only one able to bring Willow back to life. I want you to."
Now Captain Hook was staring at Peter, not even bothering to keep his sword up. He thought for a moment, then an ugly smile spread over his face. "You want me to bring your little girlfriend back, Pan? Well, you see, I've already made a previous arrangement with your witch friend, Titania, and I'm not sure she'd like it very much if I went back on it."
Peter, for the second time in 15 minutes, exclaimed, "Titania?" He realised how much he was beginning to hate that girl. She had betrayed him in the two worst possible ways, by killing Willow and teaming up with Hook.
Captain Hook seemed pleased with himself. "Yeah, Pan. Don't you love it that your friend was all this time on my side?"
Peter glared at Hook, who only chuckled evilly. "Betrayal's a funny thing, ain't it?" Hook said, smiling as Peter picked up Willow from the bed. "Bye bye Pan, maybe I'll see you again some day."
Peter slammed the door behind him as he hurried down the corridor, taking off from the ground again. He knew what he had to do now, which was probably the only way to fix things. He had to go find Titania.
Peter found her sitting by the fire, reading a book. Titania looked up as he came crashing through the trees, and her eyes took on a dangerous glint to them.
He placed Willow's body on the floor, and stalked over to where Titania was slowly rising from the rock. She no longer looked sweet and fragile like a beautiful flower, but now she seemed more like the Wisteria weed, the stunning purple weed that choked the life out of the other plants.
Peter looked at the girl he had called a best friend for so long, and was sickened at what she had turned in to. "How could you?" Peter asked, his voice portraying his utter disbelief at her heartlessness. "You knew I loved her."
Titania shrugged. "And I loved you," she replied harshly. "But did you care? No. It was 'Willow this' and 'Willow that'. And I didn't even mind that a lot, because I thought it was just a phase you were going through, falling for a human girl, but when you mentioned her being Queen." Titania glared and her voice was hard; "I knew I had to stop you."
"So you teamed up with Hook and killed Willow?" Peter exclaimed.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Titania cried passionately, sounding so desperate and sad that Peter had to stop himself from reaching out to her. "I love you, and I deserve to be Queen. Not some little human bitch you brought back from the Outside Land." She looked away from him, and sat back down. Her eyes were on the ground and Peter came forward hesitantly, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his own.
"I never knew you thought of me in that way. No, don't interrupt. I have to tell you though, that even if I had known you loved me, it wouldn't have changed anything. I love Willow with all my heart, Titania, and nothing you say or do can take that away. I can forgive you for poisoning her, and hell; I can even forgive you for whatever deal you made with Hook. But I can only do that if you bring Willow back to life. So what do you say?" Peter took a deep breath, and stood up. He held out a hand for Titania, and she took it.
"I can't!" She blurted out. "Oh God Peter, I am so sorry, but I can't bring Willow back to life. The crocodile was right, only Captain Hook can do that. He has the potion to bring her back, and he hasn't even let me see it."
"What was the deal you made with him?" Peter inquired.
Titania sighed heavily, looking ashamed. "We made a deal that he wouldn't, under any circumstance, bring Willow back from the dead and I'd get the potion only if." she paused, and mumbled, "Only if I helped him get you out of the way so he could become King."
Peter was thunderstruck. He found it hard to believe Titania would agree to something so horrible, but then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. "But one thing I don't understand, is that if you love me and wanted to be my Queen, not Hook's, why did you agree to it?"
Titania was aggrieved. "I was going to double-cross him, and get you to kill him so we could rule Never-Never Land together."
Peter sighed heavily. "So now what are we supposed to do?"
Her eyes lit up. "I have a plan."
***
Titania knocked on the door to Captain Hook's chambers, and waited for a reply. The door swung open and he snarled, "What?" before seeing whom it was. His face broke into a vulgar smile and he ushered her in.
Captain Hook took Titania in his arms. "Well, sweetheart, how's the plan going?" he asked.
Titania smiled wickedly. "Absolutely perfect," and pulled out from a pocket the olive green t-shirt Peter had been wearing. It was slashed in a few places, and dried blood covered it. "Peter's dead, just like you asked!"
Captain Hook kissed her, but she pulled away. "Now it's your turn. I want that potion that brings people back from the dead." She walked over to the desk and pulled open a draw. "Is it in here?"
He rushed over, slamming the draw shut. "No, it's not," he hissed. "Stop going through my things, witch. If you wait here I'll get it for you." He nodded curtly and left the room, leaving the door open.
Titania realised that she didn't have much time left. Taking off the invisible spell she had put on Peter, he appeared right in front of her, holding Willow's body. "I can't believe you let him kiss you!" Peter exclaimed. He put Willow's body on the desk, just out of sight from the doorway.
"Shhhh!" She whispered, embarrassment heating up her cheeks. "Just stand behind the door, okay?"
Peter twisted his face up one more time, leaving Titania giggling, and then he stood behind the open door, drawing his sword out and getting ready. Titania then sat on the bed, trying to work out what she should say to Hook next to get herself off his ship.
At that moment, Captain Hook walked through the door, holding a glass bottle with thick purple liquid inside, and several wax seals covering the top. He produced it with a flourish and a toothy grin, giving it to her. "And here it is--"
But he was cut off because Peter leaped from behind the door, his sword at Hook's throat. "Give it up, Hook," he crooned. "You helped take Willow's life, so I'm going to take yours!"
Titania watched in horror as Captain Hook also drew his sword, and a terrible fight ensued. She made herself stop watching, and hurried to Willow's side. It took Titania a few tries, but finally she got all the wax seals off, and had popped it open. She held the bottle to Willow's lips, letting it slide down the dead girl's throat. A horrible odour had started up from when she first opened it, but Titania ignored it, focusing all her attention on Willow.
Meanwhile, Peter was clearly winning the sword fight. He was fighting with all his anger and hatred behind him and those two emotions fuelled him with the strength to match Hook's fighting, stroke by stroke. Finally, Peter had Hook backed against the wall, with nowhere to go. Peter smiled with triumph. "I've won, Hook. None of your men are here to help you now, and I'm showing no mercy!" And with that last phrase, Peter pushed the sword deep into Captain Hook's heart.
The Captain fell to the floor, a look of murderous vengeance on his face. "I'll get you Pan," he swore, blood gurgling out of his mouth. "You just wait!" And as his eyes rolled up back into his head, the evil Captain Hook was no more.
Peter turned to look at the desk, where Titania was still holding the bottle to Willow's lips. He dropped his sword with a clatter, rushing to Willow's side. "Is she alive?" Peter asked anxiously, hope sketched into every feature on his face.
Titania shivered. "I don't know," she admitted. "I really don't. The potion should have worked by now." They both stared down into Willow's pale face, waiting for a sign to see if she was alive. Nothing happened.
Peter couldn't help the tear that slipped down his face, and landed on Willow's lips. He brushed the other ones away angrily, and turned to Titania. "Maybe we should go." They both missed seeing Willow's tongue flicker out and lick the salty tear off her lips.
Titania was nodding. "Yeah." They turned to see Willow's eyes flutter open and some colour rise to her cheeks. Peter's face broke up completely and he swept Willow off the table, hugging her tightly and spinning her around.
He stopped and looked deep into her eyes. "Don't ever leave me again!" And then they were kissing, and everything was light and happy and they all lived happily ever after.
***
.So that's my story. Titania met a gorgeous pirate on the ship, who is changing his ways for her. The triplets have decided I'm the best thing since chocolate, and I tell them stories every night. I'm now Queen of Never-Never Land, which is really cool, especially with Peter as my King. So I guess we all did live happily ever after!
Bye Diary,
Luv ~ Willow ~
Dear Diary, Monday Morning
I've been sitting here for about an hour, trying to figure out where to start my absolutely amazing and utterly unbelievable tale. It's really hard, 'cause I want it to be perfect when Peter drops this diary off to Sienna, my best friend. It's just so everyone back home knows I'm safe. *Sigh* Ok, here I go.
I guess you could say that my outlook on life was turned upside down and inside out almost three days ago on Friday night, the night my parents went out to celebrate their 20th Anniversary. I was home alone, which suited me fine, and was climbing into bed when.
1.1.1 ***
I was getting ready to go to bed when I heard it. I paused, and then quickly slipped my white nightgown on, before heading to the glass doors that lead out to the balcony. It sounded like someone was tapping on the glass.
I pulled the curtain away, but all I could see was the deep indigo night sky, and the full moon that hung in it, glowing almost fiercely.
I opened up the door, and stepped out onto the balcony, shutting the door behind me. The concrete was cold against my bare feet, and the wind softly rustled my hair. It was a beautiful night, and I was enjoying it when I was grabbed from behind.
A hand roughly covered my mouth, and an arm went around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides. I tried to scream, but it only came out as a muffled squeak.
A voice, sounding a little amused, whispered, "Shhh, Willow. I'm not going to hurt you." I could tell that my intruder was male and a million thoughts were racing through my head as I was carried back into my room.
The door shut with a click and I was suddenly released. I turned to face him, fear and outrage fighting for domination on my face, when my breath caught in my throat. Because basically, my intruder was gorgeous.
His forest green eyes were lit with mirth and his raven black hair was slightly wavy. He had a mischievous smile on his face and looked like an unruly tree nymph. He seemed about 17, a year older then me, and right now was standing casually, arms crossed over his chest.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?" I demanded sharply.
He laughed. "Well Willow, I have to say that it's a pleasure to see you again."
I frowned. "Excuse me? I've never met you in my life and don't know how you know my name. So could you kindly get out before I call the police?"
But he wasn't even listening. He was clicking his tongue in disapproval, though the roguish expression never left his face. "You have met me, dearest. Maybe you don't remember, so I'll refresh your memory. Remember the Flying Boy?"
I froze. How did he know about Flying Boy? When I was about five, I used to have a recurring dream about a boy that flew into my room and told me he was going to take me to his world. Of course, because I was young, I thought it had actually happened, and I told my parents so. To cut a long story short, 8 visits to the psychologist had convinced me it wasn't real. But I hadn't told anyone about him, except Sienna, my best friend.
I studied him carefully. He did look familiar, and the only place I recalled seeing him was. "You cannot be telling me that Flying Boy was you! He was a figure from my imagination, and that's all." but my voice was trailing off even before I realised that however impossible it seemed, it was true.
He seemed ecstatic. "Yes, you remember! Oh, and by the way, my name is Peter Pan. But you can call me Peter."
"But.oh, that's.uh.you're not real!" I spluttered, finally getting the sentence out. Naturally, this caused no reaction from Peter, who knew he had already won and that I was in denial.
"Now that we have that settled," Peter began, "let's get down to why I'm here."
Overwhelmed, I sat down on my bed, glad to be seated on something solid. Peter paced in front of me, and words seemed to be flowing without a pause from his mouth.
"I live in this place called Never-Never Land, with my three brothers Patrick, Paul and Phillip, who are all 8 because they are triplets, and my friend Titania, who is a white witch. Me, I'm the King of Never-Never Land, and I need a Queen." He stopped walking and looked me in the eyes. "And that's where you come in."
Peter must have noticed my absolute shock and continued. "You see, I've fallen in love with you and want to take you to Never-Never Land with me, where you will stay 16 forever and be Queen." He sat down beside me and took my limp hands in his. My mouth was as dry as cotton and I could barely hear past the thudding of my heart. "So what do you say, Willow? Will you come with me?"
Flying was an experience I knew I would come to love. Soaring through the air, the wind rushing past me and blowing my hair in my face, and looking down at the tiny buildings and cars, was such an exhilarating feeling. I was holding Peter's hand and it was because of this that I was able to fly, across hundreds of kilometres to Never-Never Land.
I finally caught a glimpse of it through the clouds. Luscious green vegetation covered the mountain and surrounding areas, and a cave loomed to the right side, opposite the mountain. In the middle and stretching out as far as I could see, was the sea, its blue-green colour reflecting glints of the sun.
We landed on top of the mountain, where there was a small clearing. At first I didn't see anything, but Peter gently nudged me to look up, and I noticed that there were hammocks hanging from the trees. They were so high up I could just see them, and it blew my mind how anyone could climb up so high and not die from the fright.
"Patrick, Paul and Phillip!" Peter shouted, his voice echoing. "Wake up and come down!"
I looked over at him; my hand still clasped firmly in his. "Are you sure they'll like me?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't so confident now.
Peter kissed me on the cheek. "Of course they'll like you," he assured me. "And in time, they'll love you as much as I do." I blushed with happiness and he laughed.
There was a rustle in the branches, and then suddenly three figures fell from the trees, shouting with delight. I watched, wide-eyed, as they landed gracefully like cats, and picked themselves up from the ground.
Patrick, Paul and Phillip all had curly carrot-coloured hair, freckles sprinkled across their cheekbones and adorable green eyes like Peters'. They looked like Cabbage Patch kids, all cute and cuddly to hold. But right now, all three of them looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.
"Hi," I ventured, uncertain despite Peter's words. "I'm Willow."
They didn't say anything for a moment, and then a look was passed between them. Suddenly, they hurtled themselves at me, and before I knew what was happening, they were all tightly hugging my waist. I leaned over and put my arms around them, not quite a hug but the best I could do in the situation.
"Willow," Patrick said. "Will you tell us stories about the Outside Land?" He looked up hopefully, and I couldn't help but smile back.
"Okay, but not right now," I promised, glancing over to see Peter's face. He was smiling hugely, and when he met my eyes for a second, he winked.
"So this is the famous Willow," a throaty feminine voice from behind us said. The triplets let me go and I turned around to see a beautiful blonde girl. She was tall and slender, with dark blue eyes like sapphires and wearing a white dress that seemed to be made entirely from chiffon, layer upon layer of it.
"Titania meet Willow," Peter said, making the proper introductions. "Willow, this is my friend Titania, the white witch I was telling you about."
Titania smiled, but it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes. On a fit of insecurity, I wondered why Peter had chosen me to be his Queen, when Titania was clearly the better catch. I self-consciously touched my own hair, which was curly and blood red in colour, and thought about my ordinary brown eyes. The girl in front of me looked like a goddess while I felt like a shy little fairy in comparison.
I realized, with a start, that Titania was thinking the exact same thing! Titania's lips curved into a smirk and her gaze slowly traveled over me. I'm not ugly, I thought defensively. But before I could say anything, Peter had started talking again.
"Sorry, did we wake you up?" Peter asked, concerned.
Titania's smile was real this time. "No, I was already awake. I was just starting breakfast." She gestured behind her, and I noticed a fire crackling in the distance.
We all walked over, with Patrick and Paul holding one hand of mine each, and Phillip clinging to the waistband of the jeans I had changed into. It was amazing what a fast liking they had taken to me, and it just proved what a good choice I had made.
I smelt the food before I saw it, a warm aroma of herbs and meat. My mouth watered and I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten dinner the night before and nothing since then. I noticed that Titania was cooking fish over the fire, the really old-fashioned way.
"I knew you were coming," Titania said to me, with mischief playing in her eyes. "So I started cooking." She giggled. "Or at least I tried to cook." I noticed that she was making an effort, so I tried too, even though I was feeling a bit uncomfortable around the white witch.
"It smells wonderful," I said, inwardly grimacing when I realised how much I sounded like my mother. "I love fish."
"I know you do," Titania replied. "Peter told me." She looked at him and smiled for real this time. Her features seemed to soften whenever she looked at, or talked to Peter I felt a stab of jealously at the way he grinned back, but then I realised how stupid I was being and let it pass.
I giggled as he put his arm around me, and I leaned my head against his shoulder. Titania watched all this with no reaction, except to say; "Come sit down and eat, the fish is ready."
The triplets let go of me and ran to Titania, who gave them each some fish. We all sat down on the rocks around the fire, while Titania served us our breakfast.
I bit into the hot moist meat, tasting a spicy zing. I figured it must have been the herbs and spices I had smelt earlier, and thought nothing more of it. It complemented the taste anyway.
But after we had all finished, I started to feel a bit nauseous. My stomach was beginning to hurt, but I ignored it because Peter and Titania had just sent the triplets to play Hide and Seek, and they had starting talking again.
"Phillip saw Captain Hook's ship sail past after you left last night," Titania said gravely, wringing her thin hands nervously.
Peter brushed it off with a shrug. "So?"
"So?" Titania repeated in disbelief. "So we should be worried, Peter! You really pissed him off when you told the pirates to set Tiger Lily, the daughter of the Indian Chief, free! Aren't you worried he'll come back?"
Peter grinned rakishly. "No."
My stomach was really hurting me now, like someone was repeatedly kicking me, and the feeling of wanting to throw up was increasing. "Who's Captain Hook?" I asked, my voice wobbling slightly.
But no one seemed to notice. Titania visibly shuddered, and Peter's lips curled as if he had tasted something bad. "Captain Hook is the meanest, cruelest leader of a crew of pirates. We've been enemies ever since I cut off his right hand and fed it to the wise old crocodile."
I tried to focus on Peter's words, but they sounded as if he was talking underwater. My vision was blurring and like an out-of-focus TV and the last thing I heard before the darkness sucked me in was someone calling my name.
***
"Willow!" Peter caught Willow as she fell forward, cradling her limp body in his arms. She couldn't die, she could! But she was so still, and so deathly pale.
"Oh God," he moaned, hugging her body closer to him. "Willow, come on honey, wake up! Please Will, don't leave me!" He couldn't believe the unfairness of it! For years, he had been watching and admiring her from afar, waiting for when she would be old enough to deal with his love. Finally he had approached her, and she had accepted his proposal. But to have only been with her for the night, then to have her snatched away from him was more then he could take.
Peter stood up abruptly. Titania, tears in her eyes, grabbed his arm. "I'm so sorry, Peter." She bit her lip as he slung Willow's body over one shoulder. "Where are you going?"
"Is there anything you can do for her?" Peter demanded shortly, his voice rough. "Can you bring her back to life?"
Titania shook her head sadly, some tears slipping down her face. "My magic doesn't work like that. I'm so sorry."
But Peter had already floated up, and was hovering in the air above her. "I'm going to the beach to bury her." And he left, leaving Titania opening her mouth to protest.
He felt so cold and alone. It was like a part of him had died with Willow, and the other half of him had already gone into mourning. He landed on the sand, under a tree that overlooked the beach. It was Peter's favourite spot, the one he used to always go to when he watched Willow in the Outside Land, with the help of Titania's magic.
Peter's bitter tears hit the sand as he set Willow's doll-like form next to him, and turned back so he could start digging. His tears fell harder until he could barely see what he was doing, and soon he sat down, leaning against the tree trunk, with his head in his hands, to mourn the death of his love.
Tick-tock, tick-tock. The sound of a clock made Peter lift his head, already knowing whom it was. The wise old crocodile came scrambling up the sand, it's head cocked to the side as it observed the situation it had come across.
The crocodile looked like any other one, except for the spectacles it wore perched on its nose. It was long, an off-coloured green, and scaly, and it's tail whipped in the air when it moved. But two things made it different from other crocodiles. One, Captain Hook had made it swallow a clock so he would know when the crocodile, who hated the Captain came along and two, it could tell anyone's future. It also seemed to know things others didn't.
"She was a pretty one, hey boy?" The crocodile said, in it's thick English accent. Peter just nodded, to miserable to talk. "I bet ye want to know how she died, hey?"
This caught Peter's attention. He looked at the crocodile with narrowed eyes. "What do you know?" Peter snarled.
The crocodile blinked its huge eyes innocently. "Ay, me know a lot of things, ma boy. And me willing to share, 'cause I know how it is to lose one's true love." The crocodile looked wistful and sad for a moment, then said; "It was da witch who killed her, ma boy."
Peter was startled. "Titania?" The crocodile nodded, and Peter scoffed. "I don't believe you."
The crocodile seemed offended, and replied; "Ay, but 'twas her. She's been jealous of your missy ever since da start. And me also know how to bring life back to your missy, ma boy."
Peter had just been realising how right the wise old crocodile's words about Titania were. A rage so huge it seemed to swallow up his universe started and he seemed to be seeing red, when once again, he was snapped out of thought. "How?"
"Ay, but ye won't like it. It involves da help of Captain Hook. He has da power to bring life back to your missy." The crocodile lifted an eyeball as it watched Peter pick up Willow, and sling her over his shoulder again.
"Thankyou, wise old croc!" Peter shouted as he soared up into the air. He barely saw the crocodile life his tail and wave.
Peter looked for Captain Hook's ship, ignoring all the dangers and reasonable explanations that warned him away from it. He knew that if Willow had a chance at life again, he'd do anything for her, so when he found Captain Hook's ship, he sighed with relief. He flew down to it, trying not to show his disgust.
The expressions on the pirates' faces were all of wonder. It was commonly known across Never-Never Land that Captain Hook and Peter Pan never talked to one another, so when Peter demanded to see the Captain, a stammering pirate took him to Hooks' chambers.
It was dark and dimly lit in the room Peter was shown into, with the only pieces of furniture being a huge bed and desk. The desk was were Hook sat at the moment, his back to the door, and holding a feather pen in his left hand.
When Peter was announced, Hook wasn't very pleased. In fact, he jumped from the chair while pulling a sword out at the same time. He was wearing a frilly white shirt stained with red wine, dirty back pants and a matching dirty vest. On top of his curly black hair he wore a black pirate hat, with a white skull on the front. "What are you doing here?" Hook demanded angrily.
Peter stepped back, saying; "Put your sword down, I'm not here to fight you, Hook."
The Captain seemed suspicious and amazed, but still didn't drop his sword. "Then why did you come here, Pan? Do you have a death wish?"
Peter stared at the floor, then walked over to the bed and lay Willow down on it. Turning back to Hook, he said firmly; "You're the only one able to bring Willow back to life. I want you to."
Now Captain Hook was staring at Peter, not even bothering to keep his sword up. He thought for a moment, then an ugly smile spread over his face. "You want me to bring your little girlfriend back, Pan? Well, you see, I've already made a previous arrangement with your witch friend, Titania, and I'm not sure she'd like it very much if I went back on it."
Peter, for the second time in 15 minutes, exclaimed, "Titania?" He realised how much he was beginning to hate that girl. She had betrayed him in the two worst possible ways, by killing Willow and teaming up with Hook.
Captain Hook seemed pleased with himself. "Yeah, Pan. Don't you love it that your friend was all this time on my side?"
Peter glared at Hook, who only chuckled evilly. "Betrayal's a funny thing, ain't it?" Hook said, smiling as Peter picked up Willow from the bed. "Bye bye Pan, maybe I'll see you again some day."
Peter slammed the door behind him as he hurried down the corridor, taking off from the ground again. He knew what he had to do now, which was probably the only way to fix things. He had to go find Titania.
Peter found her sitting by the fire, reading a book. Titania looked up as he came crashing through the trees, and her eyes took on a dangerous glint to them.
He placed Willow's body on the floor, and stalked over to where Titania was slowly rising from the rock. She no longer looked sweet and fragile like a beautiful flower, but now she seemed more like the Wisteria weed, the stunning purple weed that choked the life out of the other plants.
Peter looked at the girl he had called a best friend for so long, and was sickened at what she had turned in to. "How could you?" Peter asked, his voice portraying his utter disbelief at her heartlessness. "You knew I loved her."
Titania shrugged. "And I loved you," she replied harshly. "But did you care? No. It was 'Willow this' and 'Willow that'. And I didn't even mind that a lot, because I thought it was just a phase you were going through, falling for a human girl, but when you mentioned her being Queen." Titania glared and her voice was hard; "I knew I had to stop you."
"So you teamed up with Hook and killed Willow?" Peter exclaimed.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Titania cried passionately, sounding so desperate and sad that Peter had to stop himself from reaching out to her. "I love you, and I deserve to be Queen. Not some little human bitch you brought back from the Outside Land." She looked away from him, and sat back down. Her eyes were on the ground and Peter came forward hesitantly, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his own.
"I never knew you thought of me in that way. No, don't interrupt. I have to tell you though, that even if I had known you loved me, it wouldn't have changed anything. I love Willow with all my heart, Titania, and nothing you say or do can take that away. I can forgive you for poisoning her, and hell; I can even forgive you for whatever deal you made with Hook. But I can only do that if you bring Willow back to life. So what do you say?" Peter took a deep breath, and stood up. He held out a hand for Titania, and she took it.
"I can't!" She blurted out. "Oh God Peter, I am so sorry, but I can't bring Willow back to life. The crocodile was right, only Captain Hook can do that. He has the potion to bring her back, and he hasn't even let me see it."
"What was the deal you made with him?" Peter inquired.
Titania sighed heavily, looking ashamed. "We made a deal that he wouldn't, under any circumstance, bring Willow back from the dead and I'd get the potion only if." she paused, and mumbled, "Only if I helped him get you out of the way so he could become King."
Peter was thunderstruck. He found it hard to believe Titania would agree to something so horrible, but then again, he shouldn't have been surprised. "But one thing I don't understand, is that if you love me and wanted to be my Queen, not Hook's, why did you agree to it?"
Titania was aggrieved. "I was going to double-cross him, and get you to kill him so we could rule Never-Never Land together."
Peter sighed heavily. "So now what are we supposed to do?"
Her eyes lit up. "I have a plan."
***
Titania knocked on the door to Captain Hook's chambers, and waited for a reply. The door swung open and he snarled, "What?" before seeing whom it was. His face broke into a vulgar smile and he ushered her in.
Captain Hook took Titania in his arms. "Well, sweetheart, how's the plan going?" he asked.
Titania smiled wickedly. "Absolutely perfect," and pulled out from a pocket the olive green t-shirt Peter had been wearing. It was slashed in a few places, and dried blood covered it. "Peter's dead, just like you asked!"
Captain Hook kissed her, but she pulled away. "Now it's your turn. I want that potion that brings people back from the dead." She walked over to the desk and pulled open a draw. "Is it in here?"
He rushed over, slamming the draw shut. "No, it's not," he hissed. "Stop going through my things, witch. If you wait here I'll get it for you." He nodded curtly and left the room, leaving the door open.
Titania realised that she didn't have much time left. Taking off the invisible spell she had put on Peter, he appeared right in front of her, holding Willow's body. "I can't believe you let him kiss you!" Peter exclaimed. He put Willow's body on the desk, just out of sight from the doorway.
"Shhhh!" She whispered, embarrassment heating up her cheeks. "Just stand behind the door, okay?"
Peter twisted his face up one more time, leaving Titania giggling, and then he stood behind the open door, drawing his sword out and getting ready. Titania then sat on the bed, trying to work out what she should say to Hook next to get herself off his ship.
At that moment, Captain Hook walked through the door, holding a glass bottle with thick purple liquid inside, and several wax seals covering the top. He produced it with a flourish and a toothy grin, giving it to her. "And here it is--"
But he was cut off because Peter leaped from behind the door, his sword at Hook's throat. "Give it up, Hook," he crooned. "You helped take Willow's life, so I'm going to take yours!"
Titania watched in horror as Captain Hook also drew his sword, and a terrible fight ensued. She made herself stop watching, and hurried to Willow's side. It took Titania a few tries, but finally she got all the wax seals off, and had popped it open. She held the bottle to Willow's lips, letting it slide down the dead girl's throat. A horrible odour had started up from when she first opened it, but Titania ignored it, focusing all her attention on Willow.
Meanwhile, Peter was clearly winning the sword fight. He was fighting with all his anger and hatred behind him and those two emotions fuelled him with the strength to match Hook's fighting, stroke by stroke. Finally, Peter had Hook backed against the wall, with nowhere to go. Peter smiled with triumph. "I've won, Hook. None of your men are here to help you now, and I'm showing no mercy!" And with that last phrase, Peter pushed the sword deep into Captain Hook's heart.
The Captain fell to the floor, a look of murderous vengeance on his face. "I'll get you Pan," he swore, blood gurgling out of his mouth. "You just wait!" And as his eyes rolled up back into his head, the evil Captain Hook was no more.
Peter turned to look at the desk, where Titania was still holding the bottle to Willow's lips. He dropped his sword with a clatter, rushing to Willow's side. "Is she alive?" Peter asked anxiously, hope sketched into every feature on his face.
Titania shivered. "I don't know," she admitted. "I really don't. The potion should have worked by now." They both stared down into Willow's pale face, waiting for a sign to see if she was alive. Nothing happened.
Peter couldn't help the tear that slipped down his face, and landed on Willow's lips. He brushed the other ones away angrily, and turned to Titania. "Maybe we should go." They both missed seeing Willow's tongue flicker out and lick the salty tear off her lips.
Titania was nodding. "Yeah." They turned to see Willow's eyes flutter open and some colour rise to her cheeks. Peter's face broke up completely and he swept Willow off the table, hugging her tightly and spinning her around.
He stopped and looked deep into her eyes. "Don't ever leave me again!" And then they were kissing, and everything was light and happy and they all lived happily ever after.
***
.So that's my story. Titania met a gorgeous pirate on the ship, who is changing his ways for her. The triplets have decided I'm the best thing since chocolate, and I tell them stories every night. I'm now Queen of Never-Never Land, which is really cool, especially with Peter as my King. So I guess we all did live happily ever after!
Bye Diary,
Luv ~ Willow ~