The trip to Pixie Hollow is a short and quiet one. But it would've been even shorter if I could've been able to fly. And a lot less quieter if Dazzle hadn't seemed so conflicted. Something tells me it's because of that kiss Peter and I shared right before we left.
The place where fairies live is right Neverland's center. It rests at the foot of Mount Neverland, surrounded by smaller mountains for protection. I make sense of the name as soon as we cross between the first group of small mountains: they're literally placed in a hollow of the island, much below sea-level.
I can't help pausing to stare in wonder at the magic before my eyes. There's a great, golden tree in the center, emanating pixie dust. It stands tall above the seasonally colored woods surrounding it.
"There's the Fall Forest over there," Dazzle presents, motioning the orange, red and yellow trees. "And there's the Summer Glades and the Spring Region," she trails on pointing the lush green plains and the pink blossoming flowers on the branches. "And that cold area, is the Winter Woods."
Golden rivulets flow out of the center tree, and trickle through the different woods.
"Why is there only summer on the rest of the island?" I can't help asking.
"Peter chooses which season he wishes to be represented on the rest of the isle. When he's gone, winter usually takes over. He doesn't like it much and we try to balance things out."
"Oh. And in what season do we meet the Queen?"
"Not in a seasons, silly. She'll be in the Great Hearth, in the Pixie Tree," the little fairy informs, giggling. "Let's go now, we're going to be late," she urges, leading the way down and through the Summer Glades.
I can't help eyeing the miniature homes and structures as I walk, amazed to say the least. Never would I have thought I'd be walking amongst fairies sometime in my life. And now I am. I'm about to meet the fairy Queen on and island where children do what they want, where beautiful mermaids swim in lagoons and where pirates are a common find.
The deeper we get inside Pixie Hollow, the smaller I feel. And I'm not sure if it's because the Pixie Tree is looming high above me, or because I feel observed by thousands of small eyes. Many fairies pause to glance at me as I pass by. I notice the shift in their expressions, something akin to fear.
"Don't worry about them," Zee reassures in my ear. "They can see your aura, remember?"
They see your aura Mellie. And it's peculiar. So they're curious. Breathe in, breathe out.
We finally make it inside the Pixie Tree. The gargantuan trunk has been hollowed out into five different halls, one that leads to every season and the last one undoubtedly leads to the Great Hearth. Pixies flutter to and fro, bustling with work, their dust floating in the ambient air.
The entrance to the hearth is impossible to miss. Not only does it stand twice as tall as me, but a river of pixie dust ebbs and flows on its surface, shaping itself into various patterns on the wooden entrance. It's almost as if it's alive.
"This is where I leave you," my small companion apologizes as we reach the door.
"You're not coming in with me?" I exhale, feeling doubt bubble inside of me. Maybe meeting the Queen isn't a good idea.
"I can't," she shakes her head. "She said she wanted to talk to you alone. But I'll be waiting for you here to bring you back to the Indian feast," she adds. "Just don't forget to call her Your Highness and curtsy when you arrive in front of her. And you should always tell her the truth. She'll know otherwise."
"What do you mean, she'll know?"
"She just does," Dazzle shrugs. "It's one of the Queen's talents."
There's a strong whoosh of wind. The massive wooden doors to the Great Hearth open slowly, beckoning me inside.
"Go on," Dazzle smiles, urging me in. "You wanted to talk to her, this is your chance."
"Alright," I swallow, stepping inside. As soon as I cross the doorframe, the doors close carefully behind me. I turn to see Dazzle waving at me between the doors. I wave back until the doors close completely, separating me from her.
The soft, humid earth swallows any possible sound my feet could've made as I step further inside the Hearth. Branches and intertwined vines build the ceiling, making light pour in from everywhere to illuminate a specific spot. The Queen's current floating spot. Her back is turned, and she's gazing outside from a circular hole left by the branches.
I stare openly at her as I keep advancing.
I know I'm taller than her, being a human and all, but her dress makes her seem taller than me. It's nothing less than regal, made of layers and layers of gossamer, multicolored flower petals and leaves. Fairy dust and everlasting water droplets rest on the gossamer, decorating the dress.
Her wings are also something to behold. They stretch farther than any fairy I've seen so far, their span more than thrice the Queen's size. Making them as long as my arm.
I'm ten feet away from her when she finally turns around to face me, her golden hair floating in the air. Her left eyebrow rises.
I rapidly attempt a small curtsy, bowing down to the dirt.
"Come closer, Lost Girl. Let me get a good look at you."
I rise from my awkward curtsy, drawing nearer to the Queen.
"You are a particular creature indeed," she admits quietly, giving me a long lookover. I know my hair is in tangles. My clothes are dirty from the manual work I did today. I should've made an effort to appear presentable. I can hear my mother's scolding voice in my head.
"Why don't you make an effort to take care of your appearance, Amelia? You really are trying to impress this time."
Self-conscious, I can't help looking down at my dirt-caked toes nervously.
"I've given you an audience, the least you can do is look at me when I speak to you," the Queen chides.
My eyes rise up meet hers, and I'm momentarily mesmerized by the flawlessness of her face. Her oval face has a small, pointy nose, with high cheekbones and very fascinating almond-shaped eyes. The iris is bright pink, flecked with gold.
"You're right, I'm sorry, Your Highness," I agree after a moment of silence, feeling stupid. Feeling small.
Her eyes narrow.
"What are your current thoughts?"
"Pardon me?"
"Your aura has gotten darker. What are you thinking about? Do I intimidate you?"
"Yes," I admit. "You make me feel small," I add truthfully. No point in lying to her.
"And are you small, Amelia Peterson?"
What kind of question is that?
"I-I-I'm not sure what it is you wish for me to answer, Your Highness," I stutter.
"I want a truthful answer."
I blink, still unsure of the type of response she expects.
"Are you small, Amelia Peterson?" she repeats, hovering closer to me.
"Not compared to Your Highness," I say finally.
"Right answer," the fairy Queen acknowledges. "You are a giant in Pixie Hollow. You have no reason to feel small," she straightens her already straight dress. "Now, for the matter at hand. I know you have questions, but I can't spare you much time. I'll be answering only three questions. And if my answer doesn't satisfy you, then you'll have to do some thinking on your own," the fairy elaborates.
I nod my understanding, my mind reeling. But I have so many questions? What can I ask? Which three are the most important?
"You may begin with your first question," she states, motioning for me to speak. Peter. Ask about Peter.
"I had a dream last night," I begin, "about Peter. And it ended quite unexpectedly. Now I know it's just a dream—"
"Dreams often tell truths in Neverland. Please do get to the point," she interrupts.
"He mentioned something about not being able to return to childhood. Of not being Pan anymore if he and I went farther than kissing…And I must admit there's been a lot of attraction between him and I for the last few days."
"Humans and their useless attachments…" I hear her mumble under her breath. "So I assume you want to know if this attachment with Peter could end up being troublesome."
"Yes. Because I'm know to mess things up involuntarily—"
"First of all, you must know that Neverland must always have a Pan. It'll die if it doesn't. There's no other way. And your dream was correct. If your human feelings and desires go too far, there won't be any coming back for Peter. His innocence would be corrupted and there would be no purpose to keep him as a leader for the future Lost Children of Neverland."
So Peter and you can never happen Mellie. You've got to control your feelings around Peter. You can't be anything more than friends, and that's okay. Or else Peter will...
"And what would happen then to Peter?"
"Is that your second question?" she counters, cocking her eyes sideways. "Because wasting my breath on enumerating the multiple possibilities is not a very good use of my time. Not a very good use of the time I'm giving you."
"No, that's not my second question, I'm sorry Your Highness," I apologize, searching my head once more for a pertinent question. Ask her about you. "I know you see my aura. And that it's unheard of on the island. Dazzle has already mentioned something about the fact that me and my aura have power to destroy Neverland. How do I avoid that? How do I avoid destroying Neverland?"
"Know this: Neverland is not an island that'll take kindly to a child harming themselves willingly on it. It would do anything to avoid this tragedy. It would destroy its essence: children's dreams. The Mainland is already terrible a child to want to harm themselves willingly?" she continues, her eyes drifting to my wrists.
I know they're covered, Dazzle's outfits always made sure of that, but I can't help holding my hands behind my back to hide them.
"But you're not exactly a child, now are you? You're hovering between childhood and adulthood. You understand things, but there is a lot you don't know. But most importantly, there are many things that you have no control over. Remember that."
So not only do I have to worry about not loving Peter, but I also have to be cautious about self-harming.
"Alright, I'll be cautious."
"You have to be more than cautious, Amelia. You have to be strong. We're all depending on you for our survival," she warns, annoyance lacing her tone. "It would be a terrible tragedy if we were all to disappear because of a moment of uncontrolled weakness on your part. There is a lot of weight on your shoulders, but Neverland tends to present you with challenges it believes you're able to overcome. The challenges are different for every being," the Queen explains. "You are down to your last question."
"Dazzle can't stay around me for long. Peter mentioned it had something to do about a rule you made. Why did you make that rule?"
Sadness fills her eyes. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to ask about her people.
"There has been less and less fairy births for the last couple of years. A decreased number of baby laughs if you will. When a fairy stays for long periods of time with a human, she tires herself much quicker, because her rejuvenating aura works twice as hard."
"And therefore she dies quicker too," I finish.
"Fairies are not supposed to die," she contradicts harshly, annoyed that I dared finish her sentence. "They never were. It wasn't like this before. It wasn't like this before Tinkerbell got attached to Peter and his human traits," she stresses, angry. "If a fairy gives to much of his or her energy to a human, she ends up trading her immortality with them." She huffs. "Now, leave Lost Girl. Use your newfound knowledge as wisely as you can. I have no more time to spare you. Farewell."
"Thank you for your time, Your Highness," I praise, bowing down. She doesn't say another word as I turn on my heel and join Dazzle outside the Great Hearth.
"So, how did it go?" she enquires once we're out of Pixie Hollow and heading to the Indian camp. Dusk creeps in slowly but surely.
"Do you know you're slowly dying when you're around me?" I counter.
"Dying is part of living," she shrugs.
"But not for a fairy."
"Indeed. But I don't mind much. I enjoy the human company. I enjoy seeing you living through a plethora of emotions at once. I find it fascinating. We only get to feel one emotion at a time, you know," Dazzle explains. "But still, I try to please the Queen by staying with you and the Lost Boys for a short number of time."
"And what do you do when you're not around us?"
"Oh, I'm a light fairy," Zee shrugs. "I help around in the Summer Glades mostly. Directing the sunlight and whatnot. It's not very interesting," she pauses, looking around. Her eyes pause at the horizon. "But my favorite thing are the last rays of sunlight," the small fairy remarks. "Like these." She cups her hands in the air, literally collecting the remaining daylight and rolling it into a bright ball.
"I think it's plenty interesting," I counter, staring at the ball of light in her hands. Squinting, I reach over to touch it.
"Don't. It's pretty hot," she warns.
"It's amazing," I say quietly. "Neverland doesn't stop surprising me."
Dazzle softly blows on the glowing orb, and it dissipates around us, illuminating the Neverwoods around us.
"So what did you ask the Queen, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I asked her about Peter and I. About my aura. About why you couldn't stay with me for long periods of time."
"And what did you think about her answers."
"She's very direct, I'll give her that," I point out. "But I think I know what I can and can't do if I want Neverland to keep going strong. One thing is certain, I can't—"
"No, don't tell me," she interjects rapidly, flying in front of me. "You don't know who's listening." She glances around the woods nervously. "The information the Queen gave you is meant for your purpose, and your purpose only. I'm just glad you figured things out. And that things are going better for you. They have been getting better, have they?"
"Are you talking about Peter and I? Because I'm not even sure what's going on between Peter and I. He's shy, and then he's not. He's overprotective, or he can't be seen. He's a series of contradictions."
"He's a series of contradictions because he's supposed to be a child, yet he's a grown up," Zee reasons. "But I was also talking about the Lost Boys."
"I think I've been too harsh on Ginger today. I didn't know about his past. I wouldn't have lashed out on him if I had. I overreact a lot. I know that."
"He doesn't remember much about his past either. But even without the actual memories, the scars will never disappear. I saw what happened between the two of you. I think he was only trying to provoke you. The past isn't that painful to him."
"But what if it is?"
Dazzle shakes her head.
"His aura tells me otherwise. It's not tinged with pain. Mostly annoyance and rebellion. Typical teenager really."
"Do all the Lost Boys have terrible stories? Did they all suffer abuse back on the Mainland?"
"I don't know Mellie. But what I do know, is that Peter Pan is called to the children he brings. They unknowingly call to him when in great affliction. You called out to him before heading to the cliff. And a good thing that you did, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"And Neverland wouldn't be on the verge of destruction," I add. As if on cue, the earth rumbles loudly under my feet, as if it was going to split in two. I grab on the nearest tree for support. Birds fly out of their nests, panicked chirpings filling the air. It stops almost as quickly as it began. My bad.
"If the message wasn't clear before, it is now," Dazzle exhales, her hand over her heart. Undoubtedly trying to calm it down. "Watch what you say, Mellie. Be careful what what you think," she warns. "I really need to go soon. Let's hurry you over to the Indians. The feast will change your thoughts a bit. For the better."
"I'm sorry Dazzle, I can't help it," I say softly.
"Didn't you mean, 'I can do it'?," the tiny fairy counters, hands on her hips.
"That's for climbing the tree."
"No, it's for everything."
AN: Hello! Yay, another quick update! I hope you're as pumped as I am! Please leave any positive criticism, happy thought or less happy thought, I like reading them all! Peter and Mellie get closer in the next chapter, even though Mellie is set to keep her distance! And Hook is up to no good, so he'll be back too! Love you all! xx