The man who saw the queen coming was named Gaspard and his father had died in exile many years ago. He had spent years trying to prove himself to the Valdes and now his chance was coming. He turned from the pool of water they used to watch other planets and put a hand to his mouth.

"Neverlanders, thirty yards away!" There were shouts and the Army of the Stars rushed forward, holding swords, arrows, and bayonets. One of them frowned at Gaspard and peered into the water.

"This better not be a trick, Gaspard."

"I swear, sir, I saw them moments ago. The Queen of Neverland atop a great gryphon. They're flying straight here."

"Alert the Valdes. Make ready for battle. We captured the queen's army with ease, we shall capture her just as easily."

One of the warriors ran to the Valdes' Palace and hurriedly delivered the message. One of the Valdes pushed his hood back, causing the warrior to shrink back and grimace.

"Where is the babe?"

"Being fitted for his coronation robes," another answered.

"Bring him here. We shall use him as bait and then we will have the queen in our grasp. With the queen as our prisoner and the king disposed of, there is no one to stand against us when we take Neverland for ours." The warrior's jaw dropped as he heard these words. Neverland and Stella Draconis (the current star they lived on and had lived on for nearly a hundred years) had always been peaceful neighbors. Once upon a time, they had even traded with each other. To wage war on Neverland was not something the Astrumi had wished for and the warrior backed out of the room quietly to deliver this news to the army. He knew going against the Valdes was suicide but he also knew waging war on Neverland would throw them into a bloodthirsty battle that no one wanted.

Wendy shielded her eyes with her hand as the light from the star was getting brighter and brighter.

"What is this one called," Wendy called to Ocho.

"I do not know, Majesty," Ocho responded, concentrating on crossing the barrier of the star. They had been at this all morning. At first, it had alarmed Wendy and she had felt sick to her stomach as they breached the barriers. It was like crossing into the realm of Neverland but more like a force field that sort of shocked them as they crossed over. Wendy didn't like traveling from star to star and she hoped they would find Wyatt soon.

"Wendy, you're headed for the Dragon Star," she heard a voice from below her and she quickly looked down to see Nibs and John waving up at her as Vasuki glided through the air.

"What are you doing here?" She called back to them.

"It was the next star we were going to explore but Nibs said there's said to be danger on the Dragon Star." Vasuki quickly caught up to Ocho and they glided alongside one another so that Wendy could talk to the boys.

"What sort of danger, Nibs?"

"I'm not sure, I've just heard stories about Stella Draconis. The Astrumi used to occupy this star thousands of years ago and some great disaster happened and that's why everyone thought they had died off. I don't imagine anyone could be here."

"I still want to check it out," Wendy said, looking straight ahead. She didn't want to admit it but she felt a sort of presence nearby. Almost as if Wyatt was right beside her. But she didn't want to admit to the boys her only clue was a gut feeling.

"Hold on, Majesty," Ocho roared as they crossed over the star's barrier and all of them winced as they felt an electric jolt. Ocho shook herself and looked around.

"Do we want to land?" Wendy glanced out over Ocho's neck and saw the star did not look as barren as she expected. On the contrary, those were tiny houses and what looked like a little village. Someone definitely lived here.

"Yes, let's land." As Ocho and Vasuki touched the ground, there was a loud cry and an army of a hundred appeared around the corner and was headed straight toward them. John gasped and immediately put the whistle to his lips and blew. Nibs did the same and fell forward a little as Vasuki took off into the air. Ocho was about to follow but the soldiers skillfully threw rope around her feet, bringing her crashing to the ground. She let out an angry roar as they started to poke at her with bayonets. Wendy was hurled backwards and tried to sit herself up before they could reach her.

"Vasuki, we have to go back! They have Wendy!" Vasuki let out an almighty roar and dove forward, letting out a torrent of flame toward the army. The leader of the Army, a brute named Cronin, narrowed his eyes at the dragon and dove toward the queen. Grabbing her by the hair, he pulled her upright and held his sword to her throat. John grabbed Nibs's arm and their eyes widened as they saw Wendy in the man's clutches.

"Take one more step, Neverlanders, and your queen is finished."

"Vasuki, take them and find the others! Go!" Wendy yelled, her eyes flashing as she tossed her head to keep away from the sharp blade. With another roar, Vasuki turned and swiftly flew away. The army let out yells and made to follow them.

"Leave them be! I'm the one you want, you don't need them."

"She's right. Bind the gryphon and lock her with the others. I shall take the queen to meet the Leaders." Cronin roughly tied Wendy's hands behind her back and marched her off toward the Palace.

Nibs and John waited impatiently just outside the star's barrier until finally, Nibs pointed up. Beck, Chrysaor, and Chrystalis started to descend and they all hovered near one another.

"What's happened?" asked Slightly, noticing John's and Nibs's pale faces.

"Wendy's been captured."

"WHAT?"
"It's the Dragon Star. That's the home of the Astrumi, it has to be. They knew we were coming and they were ready for us. Wendy told Vasuki to go and find you all. We have to rescue her!"

"How? We only have several hours left before Wyatt is proclaimed King. And where are Lily and her army?"

"Captured, I imagine," John said softly. Michael bit his lip.

"How are we supposed to get Wendy away from the Astrumi AND save Wyatt?"

"One problem at a time," Nibs said, running his fingers through his hair and feeling extremely overwhelmed. "We have to save Wendy first. But I've been thinking. The Astrumi don't want to fight us. I mean, they've always been peaceful."

"Stealing the Queen isn't what I'd call peaceful," Landion said, his brow raised.

"But it's the Valdes' orders. If we can get the Astrumi to ally themselves with us, we might be able to fight the Valdes."

"You want us to try to make the people fight against their own leaders? That's like asking the mermaids to attack Peter!"

"No it's not. Peter is a beloved King. The Astrumi fear the Valdes. They don't love or respect them. If we can make them realize they are stronger than the Valdes, we might stand a chance." Everyone watched Slightly dubiously but Vasuki nodded.

"It's worth a shot. Follow me." He darted back toward the Dragon Star and didn't blink as he crossed its barrier.

There ya go! Please R&R and as always, thank you SO much for your kind words and support! Means the WORLD!