Slightly headed down the hill to the forest, he pulled his sword out looking for any sign of his former leader sure that he had fallen back in this direction. From above Slightly hiding in one of the trees was Peter, who as soon as he had stopped rolling jumped up into the trees and was now trying to process everything that had just happened. Peter really didn't have much of an understanding of the balance; he just knew that this was how it worked. There had to be a reason why Neverland and the Dark World were so connected to each other, the problem was no one ever bothered to explain it to him. But even if it was explained it didn't change the fact that stopping Isaac meant giving up Neverland. And things were only made worse by the fact that Wendy had been recaptured by Isaac, so now he had to once again rescue her.
Peter faced the ultimate crisis of conscience, one that he hoped he would never have to deal with always being a boy and having fun. It was all so simple and now thanks to Isaac it had just become all so complicated. "Maybe it is just time" Peter thought to himself as he started to think about his experiences with Wendy in Neverland, the fairy dance, their fights and their kiss on the Jolly Roger. Everything since the moment he first laid eyes on her was leading him in this direction; it was the scars of the past that were holding him back. Maybe everything that was happened there was meant to prepare him for everything that was going to happen here; maybe this is just the way it was all meant to be. But could Peter really be what Wendy wanted him to be? He really didn't know and part of him feared the idea of being a disappointment to her as a man. Peter hated having to face the unknown and especially having to face it without his parents or Solomon or anyone else that could really guide him through it. It was like running down a long a hallway with many doors and having no idea where each door leads or if you could even go back out once you went in, then Peter's thoughts were interrupted from a voice from the ground beneath him.
"You were ordered to leave sir" Slightly said looking up at Peter and having his sword his drawn
Peter jumped down from the branch he was sitting on and faced his former 2nd in command face to face. "And who is giving these orders?" Peter asked defiantly
"Master Isaac" Slightly said cooly his sword pointed right at his former friend
Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head with an annoyed expression "so he has you calling him master now?"
"He is my master" Slightly said "I obey him and you will to"
"Sorry" Peter said with a sarcastic little smile "I don't take orders well"
"Then you shall suffer the consequences" Slightly said taking a swipe at Peter with is sword
Peter quickly jumped out the way dodging the attack, Slightly took several other swipes all of which Peter managed to avoid.
"You forgot who taught you how to wield a sword" Peter said smiling "I know every move you can possibly make"
Slightly then charged at Peter his sword aimed right at him, Peter did a flip right over Slightly and as a result Slightly ended up colliding face first with the tree that Peter had placed himself in front of. As he got up trying to take in his surroundings he saw Peter standing there with his arms folded and a serious expression on his face, "it's time to stop this Slightly" Peter said "Isaac is not your master"
"He is to and I obey him" Slightly responded back getting up off the ground
"Brimstone and Gall Man" Peter said unconsciously repeating the phrase of his former enemy Hook "this is everything we fought against!"
"I will hurt you if I have to" Slightly said pointing his sword at Peter "unless you leave right now"
Peter could see that there was no arguing with his former lost boy. He was completely under Isaac's control and Peter had lost the sword he had moments ago. Oh how Peter wished he had a sword right now, he could disarm Slightly easily. But since Peter couldn't use a weapon he had to rely on something else, his wits, his ability to come up with on the spot plans, something he had done many times before.
"All right Slightly" Peter said with a little half smile "You and your master win, I'll leave" Peter then quickly shot up into the sky and looked back down as Slightly watched him go. Slightly watched as Peter sore high up into the sky and then vanished from his sight. Slightly then put his sword back at his side and headed back to his master's castle, but little did he know that Peter hadn't left the Dark World but had just flown up out of Slightly sights and once he was out of his sights had shot back down right into the forests.
He didn't want to stay up in the sky to long as he didn't want to run into another dragon or anything else that might be lurking up the skies of the dark world. As soon as he landed back down to the ground he looked around to make sure that Slightly was nowhere to be seen. Peter had considered possibly getting the drop on his friend but Peter really didn't want to hurt him. Not to mention that if Slightly hadn't returned Isaac might just possibly hurt Wendy now that he had her again. Peter thought that as long as Isaac was happy he wouldn't hurt her or any of the other children. If Peter was in Isaac's place he wouldn't hurt any of the children so long as he was happy.
"For a second a thought you might really be leaving" Peter heard a voice from behind him say
Peter turned around to see Apax the leader of the tribesmen of the dark world step out from behind the trees, "you're a hard one to keep up with"
Peter looked at Apax confused, "keep up with" he thought to himself, had Apax been following him this whole time? If so then why didn't he do anything to help Peter before and more importantly why didn't he do anything keep Wendy from getting captured?
"By the way I found a friend of yours" Apax said opening his hands and revealing Tinkerbell in his palms. Tink quickly flew out of Apax hands and landed right on Peter's shoulder, Peter looked at his fairy with a big relieved smile.
"Thank You" Peter said turning to the half boy/half feline creature in front of him "Now have you been following me?"
"Yes" Apax said simply "I wanted to see whose side you were on"
"You think I would join a villain like Isaac" Peter said with a serious expression
"Fear is a powerful thing, and I know just like he does that you're scared"
Peter would normally put up a huge protest to a statement like that, but after the performance he put on with Isaac he knew there was no denying it anymore. Peter Pan was afraid to grow up right now that fear was the only thing that stood between him and Isaac, "well that and a huge army of monsters" Peter thought to himself
"Not going to deny it?" Apax asked
"Me deny" Peter said at first with a little smirk which then took a more serious and defeatist frown "what is there to deny?"
"If it makes you feel any better, I could care less about what happened in your past, the question is can you do has to be done?"
"I don't know, is there any way to escape it without losing the only thing I have left in my life" Peter said harshly
"No" Apax said simply "If you had a better understanding of things you would know that"
Peter looked at Apax, did he know about the balance, how this whole thing worked, the connection between him and Isaac? Well from what Peter could tell Apax knew something and it seemed like something that Peter was entitled to know, especially since it was his dream that was about to slip through his fingers.
"Explain it to me" Peter said defiantly "I have a right to know what the connection between me and Isaac is"
"The connection" Apax said "Is that you and he are connected to your worlds they can't exist with you"
"What?" Peter asked confused "No Neverland is the world of children imagination; it has nothing to do with me"
"It needs you there to maintain it, and this world needs him to maintain it, without him this world unravels and once the dark world is gone the balance has to be maintained"
"I get banished and Neverland disappears" Peter said with a look of complete realization
"And the balance is maintained" Apax finished "that's how it works"
"No I lived in Kensington Gardens for many moons with the fairies, they were real" Peter said trying to make sense of everything he was being told.
"As is the magic that creates all this" Apax said "Fairies, goblins they both exist in the real world and they all need sanctuary for themselves, you two created that for them as well as a place that keeps the imaginations of every boy and girl and in return the magic keeps you both eternally young."
"But think about this" Apax added "You claimed you lived in this Kensington Gardens for many moons, well why wait so long, why not take you there immediately"
Apax words hit Peter like a thunderstorm; he had never once considered why he had spent so much time in Kensington Gardens. He had never thought about it before, and now everything made perfect sense.
They couldn't take him to Neverland because at the time there was no Neverland nor was there a Dark World. The fairies had found Peter but the goblins must not have found Isaac. It was when he was found that Peter was able to come to his world because the two worlds were now able to have balance one having Peter and the other having Isaac.
Just then another dark thought crept its way into Peter's mind. Everything that was happening, it was all the fault of his parents. If they hadn't abandoned him, if they had allowed Peter to just return home then Isaac never would have created the dark world and none of this would be happening.
Peter stood there with an angry expression on his face as he found yet another reason to despise his mother and father. He didn't put any of the blame on himself for he had tried to return home and he ran away not knowing what was to happen. But they forget and replaced him, they condemned him to this.
"This is all their faults" Peter said angrily "If they hadn't forgotten me none of this would be happening"
Apax just looked at Peter with confused expression completely unsure what to make of his statement. Then it strike him that he had likely just managed to hit a nerve with Peter, one that might tie back to what was making him scared to grow up.
"My mother and father, they did this to me, to all of us." Peter told Apax angrily
"If wasn't going to be you, it was going to be someone else" Apax said "This was unavoidable, sooner or later it always comes down to something like this"
Peter smiled a bit "So tell me what happens to you when this is all over?"
"I get reborn as does everything else here" Apax said simply "And I am looking forward to it"
"Why?" Peter asked with a confused expression not sure why anyone would want to disappear only so they could come back.
"Let me show you something" Apax said, with that he quickly started leaping in the forest and Peter took off the ground, though he kept close to the ground keeping up with Apax.
Back at Isaac's castle Isaac and Isabelle entered into a secluded area of the dungeon and opened the lone cell to reveal Wendy who was chained against the wall with only a skeleton to keep her company. She was also tightly gagged Isabelle not wanting to hear her mouth go off anymore, not that it helped much as once Wendy saw the two mumbled yelling followed.
"Now is that any way to treat your host" Isaac said mockingly
"Don't you know?" Isabelle added "This one actually thinks she can talk back to us, so I prefer she doesn't talk"
"She will learn her place" Isaac said smiling "especially now that her little hero as abandoned her."
Wendy looked at Isaac with a mixture of shock of disbelief, he couldn't, he wouldn't, and this was Peter they were talking about. Peter the one who saved them all from the Hook, the one who bought them all home, he wouldn't just abandon them all here, would he?
Wendy frantically shook her head no; she didn't want to believe it she couldn't believe it
"Did you really think he would pick you over his precious Neverland? My dear if he wasn't willing to grow up before what made you sure he would do it now?"
What made Wendy so sure? Well because it was not only her and brothers in danger it was the whole world in danger. Tons of innocent children whose lives were going to destroyed simply because Isaac wanted power. Wendy was sure that even Peter wouldn't turn a blind eye to something like that, and this was so much greater then Hook or the pirates.
Wendy still shook her head no refusing to believe Isaac; Isaac just smiled at her and then begged Slightly to come into the cell.
"You and Peter encountered each other, tell us what happened" Isaac asked his servant
"We fought, Peter realized he was beaten and he left" Slightly said completely emotionless "He said that I had won"
"You see that" Isaac said turning to Wendy with a grin "I have won and soon the whole world shall be mine. But not before taking my army on a little test run tonight."
Wendy looked at Isaac confused "what test run?" she thought to herself
"You see I am going to gather my troops and I am going to send them to London, once there they will completely destroy the city killing everything in sight and will send a message to the rest of the world."
Wendy eyes widened in horror and she started screaming through her gag and once again frantically shaking her head no. Her parents, her aunt Millicent, every adult that she knew would be slaughtered. She had to do something to stop all this, but there was nothing she could do she was completely helpless and the only one that could save them had apparently runaway.
"Don't worry my dear" Isaac said touching the side of Wendy's cheek and smiling "I would gladly send you your parent's heads in a basket"
Isaac then turned and headed out of the cell followed by both Slightly and Isabelle, before leaving Isabelle turned to Wendy.
"Just think of all the boys I'm going to have all to myself" she said with a smile "and you couldn't even get one" with that she headed out the cell door closing it behind her leaving Wendy by herself again.
Wendy couldn't believe everything that was happening. All the people she loved were about to slaughtered all because Peter couldn't grow up. In that moment she completely hated Peter Pan and she would never forgive him. All the lives that were going to be lost were all on his hands, all because he wanted to be a boy and have fun. Whatever feelings Peter might have had once had been stripped away from him a long time ago, whatever Peter was it was something that was barely human anymore.
Wendy looked at the skeleton that was chained up beside her and had the horrific image of all the people that would soon become exactly like that. Including her parents, her brothers and perhaps even her, it was enough to make Wendy start violently crying, everything was lost.
After doing his best to keep up with Apax, the two finally stopped at a random spot in the forest. Peter looked around not understanding what was it here that Apax had wanted to show him, he turned to Tink who looked just as confused as he was.
"Why have we stopped?" Peter asked
Apax bent down and started digging up the ground, not to long after that Peter could see what looked like a door. Apax had led Peter to some kind of hidden chamber in the middle of the forest. With all his might Apax opened the door to reveal a dark chamber which he quickly jumped down into. Peter hovered off the ground and slowly floated down into the chamber, it was pitch black and he didn't know where the ground was until he landed on it.
Tink then followed the two down into the chamber and using her fairy dust lit up the entire place, blinding Peter for a moment. When Peter's eyes adjusted he saw Apax kneeling near a figure laying on what appeared to be some kind of bed, she was fast asleep. Peter slowly approached the figure who was exactly the same type of creature as Apax. Except from her features and her cloths it looked to Peter that the creature was female and she looked no older then either one of them.
"Her name is Cassandra" Apax said not turning away from her
"This is a girl?" Peter asked laughing a bit
Apax was not at all amused by Peter's comment; he angrily got up and looked Peter right in the eye glaring daggers.
"Yes this is a girl and one that I cared for very deeply" Apax said harshly
"I'm sorry, I've just never seen one like this before" Peter said apologizing
"All girls are different" Apax said "You might know that if you spent more time exploring the very world you like to visit all the time."
"I'm sorry" Peter said again "I didn't mean to offend you"
"Yes well soon it won't matter anymore" Apax said
"What happened to her?" Peter asked "Is she asleep?"
"Yes and can't wake up, she will never wake up thanks to Isaac"
"So she's dead" Peter reasoned
"No she is alive, just asleep, she is trapped in the dream world, and it is the only place where we can be together. We can never be together when we are awake."
Just then Tinkerbell started whispering in Peter's ear. She told Peter that Cassandra must be trapped in her nightmare just as Peter was and that she could send him to get her out.
"My fairy knows a spell I can go in and get her out" Peter said with a smile
Apax smiled at Peter's statement "Well you certainly are a noble one and I respect that, but you cannot"
"Why not?" Peter asked with a frown completely confused
"Because we are creatures of the dark world, Isaac controls us and his will is for Cassandra to never awaken and so it will be. I have tried several magic to make her wake up but it does not work, Isaac's will not allow it. The only way we can be together again is for us to reborn and for that to happen Isaac must die."
"Then why not do it yourself?" Peter asked
"Like I said as a creature of the dark world I am under this world influence, I can however kill you and I even thought about killing you."
"Then why didn't you" Peter asked glaring daggers not sure if the two were about to have a fight to the death.
"Because Isaac would have thought of that, I know him to well, the magic he is using comes from the very magic that creates our worlds. And the army he is building comes right from the nightmares of children he has here, and they are all tied to him. Killing you will make this world disappear but as long as Isaac is alive so is his army and they will destroy everything in sight and everything that makes everything here possible will be in utter chaos"
But we both know that is not the issue, imagine Peter, imagine if this had been that pretty girl you were with, imagine if she was in a sleep she couldn't wake up from."
Peter didn't even want to think about something like that, Wendy being in a deep sleep she could never wake up from. No more stories, no more hearing that sweet voice or seeing that beautiful smile again. Peter knew that Wendy would grow up but he knew that she would also tell stories and he would still see her again. Though it wasn't easy to have to see her and not be with her.
Who was Peter kidding he cared about Wendy probably more than any other person he had ever met before. She was the only person who was ever able to take his pain away even if it was just for a moment. But growing up becoming everything he was afraid of becoming. How could Wendy's love possibly be enough when not even his parents wanted him anymore, how could it possibly be long lasting, Peter just didn't know.
Apax could sense Peter's distress. He didn't know much but he did know something about love, he may have been a creature of the dark world but even he had feelings. And the feelings that he and Cassandra shared were worth everything that had happened and was going to happen, for not matter what they were reborn as or how long it took for them to find each other they would be together again.
"When you find someone, someone that makes you feel good no matter how bad you feel someone that can make anyplace seem like the greatest place just because they are there" Apax said "Then that is someone you should be with, that is what living is all about"
"And if that fails you, if that person betrays you?" Peter asked "Or if you betray them, if you become something bad, then what?"
Apax could see that Peter fears of growing up stemmed from being betrayed and from what Apax gathered from Peter's own statements it was from being betrayed by his parents. But if there was one thing that Apax knew it was being with someone who loves you can make even the worse hurt go away. Apax never would have gotten through the loss of his parents without Cassandra by his side; he never would have made it without her.
"That is the thing about love" Apax said "You lose it you find it again, you find the one you're meant to be with and nothing will ever keep you apart, you will always find each other again.
Peter thought about all of Apax's words and thought about everything that happened. Wendy did make everything better not only by telling him stories. But the fight on the Jolly Roger, the worst of his life, the moment Hook had exposed him for what he really was. A sad boy who no longer had his mother and was about to lose the only good thing he ever allowed to walk into his life. And his losing her was all his fault, he was to afraid of being what she wanted him to be, it all just happened so fast with Wendy, Peter couldn't understand it all.
But Solomon had once told him that not everyone gets a second chance, was Peter finally being given his? Did he and Wendy find each other again so that he could fix his mistakes; was it all just meant to be? Maybe it was, maybe everything from the day that he first heard Wendy telling her stories to her brothers was all leading up to this. But if hewas wrong there would be no turning back, Neverland would be gone. Peter really didn't know and there was only one way he could know, he had to see her. He had to tell everything, everything that happened to him, everything he was scared of, she had to tell everything would be all right; he had to see it in her eyes, her smile, and her voice. And the only way to do that was to go and rescue her, to rescue them all, Peter had a mission and he had to see it through.
Tink looked at Peter and she could tell by the seriousness on his face what choice Peter had made. Peter had chosen Wendy, Tink was always scared of losing Peter to that girl, but given everything that was a stake here, the very fate of magic and the balance and the world that made it all possible, maybe Tinkerbell just had to face facts this time. And besides fairies were real just like goblins were so Tink would not disappear, though she would grow old and die. But she could still be Peter's fairy for as long as she could be, she would always be by his side.
Peter turned to his fairy friend and saw the look of approval on her face; she was behind him all the way. Peter smiled and then turned to Apax, "I'll stop him, and I'll end this"
"You are a true and noble warrior" Apax told him "never let anyone tell you different"
Just then Apax looked up at the opening of the chamber, he then looked at both Peter and Tinkerbell, "come" he said "I have some things that you will need" jumping right out of the hole with Peter following him right out.
After closing the door and covering it again much to Peter's confusion. Once this was over the dark world would disappear, Apax took Peter to a small hut in his village. Peter looked around only to see the whole place was filled with weapons, swords, daggers, axes, even bows and arrows.
"Wow" Peter said looking at Tink with a smile "This is bigger than our collection in Neverland"
"Yes I believe you should find everything you need here" Apax said he then pulled out a belt with holsters for the various weapons and tossed it to Peter. "Take whatever you wish" he added
Peter quickly strapped the belt on but paused when he noticed the long pants that he had been wearing. These pants just weren't him; if Peter was going to take Isaac head on he had to at least be loyal to himself in some way. And he figured he would be wearing plenty of pants while he was growing up anyway. No if this was going to be Peter's last battle, he was going to at least have some resemblance to his old self.
Peter then grabbed a dagger and steadily started cutting away at the pants he was wearing; by the time he was done they had been turned into a pair of semi long shorts. With a twirl of the dagger and a cocky grin on his face Peter then holstered the dagger on his built. Peter then looked to see a very familiar looking sword, one with a flower shaped head and handle to it. It wasn't quite like his old sword in Neverland, but it was certainly close enough, "now this is def. me" Peter thought pulling it out and smiling. Peter then dropped the sword when he noticed another weapon he hadn't believed he'd seen before.
It looked like some kind of bow, similar to what the Indians used; only this looked different, more mechanical. Peter took out the weapon and studied it for a moment.
"That's a crossbow" Apax said pulling out a pouch of arrows and taking the crossbow from Peter, "You use it like this" he said putting an arrow on it and then shooting it right into the side of the hut.
Peter smiled, he rather liked the weapon, and it might come in handy inside Isaac's castle. Apax gave Peter the crossbow and the arrows, "take it, you will probably need it" he said turning to finally leave the hut.
"You're not coming with me?" Peter asked
"You got a better chance alone" Apax said "And I don't want to risk getting killed, if I do then I can't be reborn again"
"So that is why you re hid the chamber" Peter said matter of factly
"Yes any creature that perishes their souls pass on, there essence can't be reborn again, can't become something new. We must be both alive when we disappear, that way we can find each other again, that way we can all find each other again."
Peter just shrugged, "well it's not the first time I've been on my own" Peter said "besides if Slightly was here, the rest of my boys should be here" Peter reasoned, just then a dark thought strike him, "what if Isaac did to them what he did to both Slightly and me."
"You think we have to go into their nightmares and get them out" Peter asked looking at Tinkerbell
"Or you can just kill the sorcerer" Apax said "he cast the spell once he's dead they should all wake, either kill him or Isaac. Now you should get going, time is not on your side" Apax said with that he left the hut. After a moment Peter followed him outside only to see that he had vanished from site as did everyone else in the village. Peter looked around for a moment then quickly went back into hut. "Don't worry Wendy, I shall save you" Peter said holstering the crossbow and putting the pouch of arrows over his shoulder. Peter then saw the sword on the ground; he quickly picked it up, "Isaac" Peter said staring at the blade "I'm coming for you." Peter holstered the sword and Tinkerbell once again gave him a brief salute, it was once again time for battle.
To be continued
Wow it's been a long time since I've updated. Had a lot going in my personal life lately, mostly having to deal with work and family, the life of an adult, some days I wish I was Peter Pan, lol. Hopefully with things finally starting to work a bit in my favor I'll be updating the reminder of the story a lot faster.