The Storm

-Gil-

Harry collapsed in Gil's arms.

"Alice!"

Gil yelled. Alice emerged from the woods, carrying a bulky canvas bag in one hand and stuffing the last of her arrows back into her quiver with the other. She sees Harry in his arms and breaks into a run. She's at his side in seconds, looking Harry over with concern.

"He just collapsed on me"

Gil explained. Alice knelt down and started to look Harry over.

"What happened out there"

Gil asked.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing."

"I saw Hook's men carrying him off the Jolly Rodger and headed into the woods. Then I ran to get you."

"So Hook is behind this?"

"I guess. His crew doesn't do much without his say so."

"But. .. His own son?"

She whispered, Gil looked down at his hands.

"I saw them out there Gil, they were ready to kill him."

"I don't know what to tell you, Alice. He's a villain. Just like everyone on the isle."

"You're not."

"I am, Alice. So is Harry and Uma, just like our parents. We don't have a choice."

Alice wanted to argue but her own father flashed in her mind, lair, trickster, villain.

"But you're right, if Captain Hook is behind this, then there's more to it... How is he?"

Alice sat back on her heels and sighed.

"He got messed up pretty bad. He took some hard hits to the head and abdomen. At best he's got a concussion and some bruises."

"And what's the worst case?"

"Internal bleeding, hemorrhaging, permanent brain damage, or worse."

Gil's heart sank in his chest. It must have shown in his face because Alice was quick to explain.

"The brain is a funny thing, but the body if the body is strong then he's got good chances, he is strong right?"Gil nodded. Still too shocked to speak.

"With rest and care he'll be fine. Laying on the ground isn't doing him much good. We need to get him somewhere. "

Gil gave his shoulders a roll before heaving his unconscious friend up and over his shoulder. He started to walk back to the trail that led to the clearing and the cave.

"Gil."

Gil stopped walking and turned. Alice was still standing where he had left her, the tip of her toe scratching the dirt in front of her.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"He needs help, Alice."

"and I want to help him, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't trust him!"

"Come on, it's Harry, I'm sure he'll understand."

"No, Gil... You don't understand."

She was shaking now. Gil stepped towards her. Alice stepped back so he stopped.

"Alice,"

He soothed.

"Whatever it is you can tell me, I can help."

"Gil it's too much, it's too big. I can't, I made promises."

Tears were streaming down her cheeks now. Sorry, buddy. Gil lowered Harry to the ground and turned back to his oldest friend.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay."

He walked towards her.

"You don't have to explain, I trust you. Okay? I trust you."

He slowly wrapped his arms around her and she collapsed into them sobbing. He held her while she cried for a long moment.

"It's Hook."

She mumbled between sniffs. He leaned back in shock.

"Captain Hook?"

Alice nodded and wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve.

"If he learns I'm alive, he'll do worse than what he did to Harry. Much worse and much faster. I can't trust Harry. I just can't. I'm sorry."

She started to cry again and Gil hugged her tight until those sobs quieted too.

"We need Uma."

"Gil, I-"

"She's like the smartest person, ever. I know we agreed not to tell anyone but..."

He glanced at Harry, Alice followed his gaze. He looked so young and vulnerable when he was asleep.

"... That ship has sailed. If Hook is after Harry then our ship and our crew could be next. We need her and I trust her more than anyone. Once she -"

"Okay."

Gil looked at her, wide eyed. Alice sighed.

"Okay, I trust you."

"We can take him to the ship. Uma will help us hide him... and you, Harry needs you."

"Alight. But we can't let anyone see him, Hook can't know where he is... Or me."

"Let's get him back to the ship. Don't worry. No one will notice. Trust me."

"I'll meet you at the edge of the woods overlooking the Cove. There's some supplied I need to grab."

Alice helped him maneuver the unconscious Harry back over his shoulder before running into the woods with a wave.

Now to find his way back. For all his time in the woods he didn't know them very well. He only ever used the winding paths that led to the clearing.

After a bit of wandering, Gil made it to the edge of the woods overlooking the ship and cove below. He apparently hadn't taken the most direct route, Alice emerged from the woods just as he was setting Harry down against the base of a tree.

Alice peered over the edge of the cliff at the bustling docks beneath them with a frown.

"So how are we going to get past all of them unnoticed?"

"You can probably get through on your own right?"

Alice looked down and nodded.

"What about sleeping beauty?"

I've got a plan for that. Wait here."

Gil ran down the docks and to the goblin barges that were still lined up against the shore. With a few words and grunts, the goblins filled a dented wheelbarrow with his request. He pushed the wheelbarrow up the winding wooden ramps with a smile. He really was smarter than people thought.

Alice looked at him quizzically when he wheeled through the trees and dumped the old canvas and linens into a heap on the ground.

"It's so crazy, it just might work."

Alice praised, as she pieced his plan together. She bent and took a hold of Harry knee's as Gil wrapped his arms under his shoulders. They lifted Harry into the wheelbarrow, folded his limbs as best they could and covered him with the smelly fabrics. Everything that arrived on the barges smelt like trash for weeks afterwards, sometimes the smell lingered for years. You got used to it.

When Harry was sufficiently disguised Alice pulled the hood of her cloak over her head.

"Where will you take him?"

"There's an office attached to Uma's room. She doesn't use it. Uma's room is unlocked, no one would dare go in there anyway."

Alice nods and walks back into the woods, away from the ramp down to the cove. He doesn't question it. From what she told him she'd been slipping into town in broad daylight, unnoticed, for years. He didn't doubt her. Rolling his shoulders for the downhill walk with a much heavier load, Gil lifted the wheelbarrow and pushed his friend back through the woods to the wooden paths.

Some of the crew helped him push the heavy thing up the gangplank without his asking. At the top of the gangplank he thanked them and they waved as they descended back down. They really had created a community out here. Gil felt a wash of pride before he recalled his friend's precarious state. He was glad Harry was out cold because the ride down the steep stairs of the Lost Revenge wasn't the smoothest. He wheeled down the hall and swung the doors to Uma's captain's quarter open.

Uma looked at him, startled, from where she was sitting cross legged on the large bed, a collection of papers laid out in front of her.

"What are you doing?"

She gawped at him as he wheeled the large pile of fabric into her room.

"Get the door to the office will you. We don't want to keep a guest waiting."

Gil closed the office doors and turned the lock. Uma slipped from the bed and walked to the small side door confused.

"What do you mean, a guest? What's in the wheelbarrow?"

Uma opened the door and froze. The small desk had been cleared and a small sheet lain over it. A small glass lantern with a short candle flickered on a stool next to a menacing silhouette in a long dark cloak.

Gil pushed past her with the wheelbarrow.

"Good, you're here."

Alice turned to them and hurried to help him pull the fabric off the hidden boy.

"It's you!? You're okay!"

Uma exclaimed, rushing into the room and embracing Alice in a big hug. Gil looked at them confused as he pulled the last sheet of canvas off the wheelbarrow. Uma stood back, arms still on Alice's shoulder's when she glanced down at the wheel barrow and froze.

"Why is Harry in a wheelbarrow?"

"Help me rectify that situation and I'll explain everything."

Gil interrupted and bent to lift Harry's shoulders. With Alice and Uma's help, he lifted Harry out of the metal bucket and onto the desk. Gil saw the switch flick on Alice's face and pulled Uma back away from the desk to give her space to work. Alice was at Harry's side in an instant, her hands and eyes deftly inspecting his injuries.

"We are going to need some hot water and a few bowls."

"There's a kettle and a small furnace in my room."

Uma supplied.

"I can get the bowls from the mess hall."

Gil announced with a grin. Uma shot him a look and smacked his arm lightly.

"No snacking! Just get the bowls and come back."

"But what if Harry is hungry when he wakes up..."

Gil looked at the ground, Uma smacked him again with a smile.

"Let's go!"

His Captain pulled him out of the room.

-Alice-

Alice fills a small bowl with boiled water from a plastic bottle she brought with her from the cave. She dips a clean rag into the cool water and begins to gently clean the blood and dirt from the young pirates face. His face is swollen and bruised. The cuts he has are minor but red and puckered. Alice cleans them all with salt water. His wrists are ringed with angry red welts. The memory of Harry's head flying back and going limp, hands tied up above him. The rage she felt in the woods bubbled up within her. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and busied her hands with tearing long strips from the softest scraps she had. She soaked a long section of the bandage in a sticky poultice of a slimy pant and some ground herbs. She wrapped the sticky solution over the red skin and bound it with the rest of the strip. She repeated the process on his other wrist and stepped back to check her work. He looked pale and she couldn't help but worry about his head.

Blows to the head were nothing to underestimate, if her books were to be believed. Swelling of the brain after trauma can be deadly. It's also difficult to treat, she might be able to help the healing process by easing the cerebral swelling. She thought back to what she had seen, Harry had taken a few hard blows to the head but also the gut.

Carefully she pushed open his jacket and pulled up the edge of his shirt. Pale skin reflected the lamplight. Like everyone on the isle, Harry was lean. He was tall for his age and slimmer than Gil, with every breath the smooth planes of his stomach dipped to reveal the hard lines of muscles along his abdomen. The sound of a throat clearing behind her made her jump.

Gil stood behind her, one hand holding a stack of bowls the other a stale loaf of bread, with only a few small spots of mould. That's as fresh as they get on the isle. He was looking down at her with a smirk. Alice flustered.

"He took a hard hit to the gut, keep a lookout for any swelling or discoloration. "

Gil just raised an eyebrow at her.

"Internal bleeding is no joke, Gil."

She turned back to Harry and pulled the hem back down. She hoped the darkness hid her blush. Had she been staring? She busied herself with cleaning his cuts and scrapes while Gil laid out the bowls in front of her bag on a small table by the open window.

Uma let her know the water was ready and Alice went to her bag and searched through the bundles of herbs until found the one she was looking for. She passed the sprig to Gil.

"Put this in the water."

Gil walked away and Alice returned to the contents of her bag. She would need more than just that. In a few minutes she had assembled and prepped almost everything. She pulled open a tin of salve and with the corner of a rag dabbed the goop over the few cuts and scrapes she could see. Gil returned from the other room, just as she was pressing the lid back on.

"In a few minutes I need you to pour that water into here and add these."

She motioned to a small pile of thin shavings on a broken piece of porcelain beside a few cups and a small siv on the table.

"Let it sit for 5 minutes and then strain it into this. If he wakes up before I'm back, have him drink a little. It should help with the pain. "

"Before you're back?"

"I'm out of lion heart mushroom stalks. They help with concussions. He's going to need it later. There are some in a grove nearby. I should be back soon."

"Are you sure? It's dangerous."

"It's the best chance he has. All I have here will only help with the pain. We need to relieve the pressure in his head. We need those mushrooms."

Alice pushed the table away from the window.

"I trusted you, now you gotta trust me."

She lifted herself up and slipped out of the window. Gil rushed to the opening and looked out only to see the top of her head climbing down the back of the ship.

Uma came into the room.

"So we made tea, now what- Gil? Where did she go?"

-Harry-

When Harry woke, he had no idea where he was. His aching head spun to recall what led him to this sorry state. The world around him was hazy and dim and his eyes hurt to open. He lay in quiet agony, both physical and emotional as he recalled his fathers words and orders, his mysterious saviour and Gil's miraculous appearance. Gil. He tried to sit up but his head and abdomen exploded with pain at the motion. Groaning Harry lay back down.

Gil was above him in seconds, staring down with concerned eyes.

"Here, you should drink this."

Gil said, bringing a small tin cup to his lips. Harry managed a few deep gulps before he collapsed back. The liquid tasted like nothing he had ever had before. It was like fermented fruit but without the bitterness. The pleasant taste coated his tongue and Harry relaxed back into the soft pillow. The pain from his head and body faded and he felt giddy and light. Harry opened his eyes, he hadn't realized he had closed them.

Flashes of light bloomed beneath his eyelids in a dizzying display, exploding with each and every jolt and ache. He heard voices but they sounded muffled and more like a child's babble than actual conversation. The thought made him giggle. Two golden figures hovered above him. They spun around and blurred in and out of focus. Something cool touched his forehead and he closed his eyes.

Harry dreamt of a golden angel standing on the bow of a great ship guiding them through a storm. Her ethereal iridescent gold form stood straight and proud, hair whipping behind her in the wind. A brilliant light shone from her over the waters ahead. Harry spun the wheel back and forth dodging great spires of rocks that jetted up from the inky black sea as if by magic. A cold gust of wind sprayed him with icy sea water. His eyes stung from the salt but he had to keep his eyes open. He had to steer the ship or it will surely crash, sending them all to their doom. A great clap of thunder deafened him for a long moment, Harry risked a glance at the sky, no lightning. Through the roar of the wind and waves, a terrible cry rang out. The keen was so raw with emotion, the sound broke his heart. Harry dodged another spire and the wailing continued. Harry looked towards his angel, she had fallen to her knees and her head tilted up towards the heavens, hair spilling down her back. Her mouth was open in another cry. She was clutching something at her chest. Red light bloomed in the centre of her golden form, it's eerie red glow staining her golden light. The angel cried out again and her back arched in pain. Harry felt the cry rip at his soul. He wanted to run to her. To protect her, but he needed to steer the ship. They needed to make it through the storm. He could see the eye, a great stretch of calm waters and bright sunlight shining like a beacon ahead. The glow of their guiding light was dimming and the red was growing, devouring her light. The angel was almost entirely red now, she lay in a heap on the bow. Her cries turned to screams of agony as she writhed. Just a little more, Harry prayed and guided the great ship around the last rock. As the ship sailed into the clearing Harry rushed across the great deck to the rumpled form. He dropped to his knees and pulled her dimming form into his arms and brushed the hair from her face. Droplets landed on her pale cheek and Harry realized they were tears, his tears. He was sobbing uncontrollably and hugged the girl to his chest. All the golden light had faded from her body except for her eyes, they burned bright, searing into his. She reached a hand up to his cheek and brushed away a tear.

"I'll always protect you" She whispered and smiled.

That smile filled him with such joy and hope it startled him. The light in her eyes flashed before dimming. Panic swelled in him.

"No! No, no. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!" He cried. But the light faded and gold eyes turned a dull green.

"Wake up!"