By the Sword (part 15 of 'My Brave Wendy')
by Isabelle
Disclaimers: The rights to the film and book "Peter Pan/Peter Pan and Wendy" do not belong to me; this is just done for entertainment. Chapter disclaimer: "You Must Love Me" by Madonna
Rating: PG-15 (for adult themes and mild sexual references)
Feedback: isabelle@komodo-skin.com
Archiving: It's a requirement that I have that you ask me before posting any of my written work. Thank you.
Summary: This is a work of fiction based on the 2003 film "Peter Pan"; it is centered, like the film around Peter & Wendy's relationship, just so you know. Basically the whole "never saw each other again" is out the window and for the purposes of the fiction they did.
Setting: This happens 1 year after Peter last saw Wendy, she's now been sent to a boarding school in Switzerland with her parent's new found fortune, but it's nothing like the place they thought it to be, as WWI is in it's starting stages there's fear all around and she's left without adult supervision along with some of her boarding school girls to find a way home and hoping that a certain first love will find her.
Spoilers: The film, it'll spoil you if you have not seen the film!!
Appreciation: Always to my beta Rogue, who is absolutely awesome!
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The anyone who would dare to intrude upon his solace was beyond acceptable. He was a Prince. A Prince who would soon rule the world as they knew it; he was to be their future.
Nothing would be greater than himself once all these petty struggles were over. The world was just at the horizon.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for the intrusion," his man servant stated behind him and he could almost visualize the man cowering.
In the dark draped room Prince Adrien blew out the smoke from his cigar. He placed down the large leather bound journal he was studying. "What is it?" he growled.
"A message, milord... from Zurich."
This got his attention and he quickly motioned for the telegram to be given to him.
"Out with you," he ordered once the had the small envelope in his hand. Once he heard the large door shut behind him he hastily tore the envelope open and read it's contents.
His jaw twitched at the news; he had to sit back and take deep breaths.
He was running out of patience and he was running out of time. This entire matter had been blown out of proportion and it was increasingly becoming larger than it should be.
He stood up and walked out of his private study into the hall and down to his secretary's desk.
"Miss Petrovsky?"
The perk young woman looked up at him, her face serious and stoic.
"Have Mr. Valance come to my office," he motioned to the greeting area. The place were he met for business and never pleasure.
He entered his office and walked to his desk, settling himself down on the large wine leather chair. Before he finished turning his chair to face the large window behind it the door was opened and Miss Petrovsky informed him that the gentleman was waiting.
"Let him in. We shall not be disturbed."
Seconds later he felt the man enter the room and the door shut behind him.
"Your majesty," he greeted.
"Jackal." Prince Adrien didn't even turn to look at him. "You've never failed me in the past... there is a certain person I need you to take care of for me... I should warn you; he's no civilian."
"He can be a king himself but if your majesty wishes him dead I will make sure of it," Jacked answered, eying the Prince carefully.
"Let yourself be killed rather than failing me, Jackal."
"Always, majesty."
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When Wendy found Peter again he was sleeping in his bed. She felt a blush creep to her face at the though of being in the same room as him while he slept... but then she though back to all those times he had been in her own bedroom.
But things were different now, weren't they? They were no longer innocent children who laughed and fought pirates. So much had changed in such a little amount of time that she felt time was slipping right out of her hands like the sand on a sunny beach.
Nothing gold can stay.
"Wendy?"
His sleepy voice carried over to where she was standing in the other side of the room.
"I was making sure you were alright, Peter... I'll go--"
"No, stay with me." he pleaded.
She could see his golden head peeping at her from underneath the blue covers. A large lump formed at her throat and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
"I can read you a story, if you'd like," she walked to the small bookshelf pointedly avoiding his gaze as she skimmed the titles. She settled her thin fingers on an older volume that brought a smile to her lips.
"That one, read that one." he told her.
She turned to look at him, a bit surprised and tilted her head slightly. "Why?"
His eyes were bright in the night light but she could still see the teasing outline of his smirking lips. "It made you smile."
She gave him a shy smile. "It's... it-it's Jane Austen."
"What is Jane Austen?" he wondered, sitting up, the thick blue quilt falling to his lap and revealing his glistening bare chest.
Wendy blushed scarlet and turned back to the book.
"It's... well, I'm not supposed to read it. It's quite controversial."
"What is it about?" he asked.
"This one is Pride and Prejudice." she picked it off the shelf. "It's about... love."
"Read it." he demanded.
She let out an embarrassed laugh. "I don't dare, Peter!"
"Is it naughty?" there was a tease to his voice and she was quite sure he still did not understand how to joke in that manner.
Wendy turned to him. "I don't know... I guess we'll never know if we never find out."
With that she took a seat at the edge of his bed and he leaned back on the thick pillows to watch her. She opened the book and cleared her throat.
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." She began and though she could tell as she continued to read that Peter wanted to ask one hundred and one questions she ignored them and continued on with the story.
It was about four hours later when she saw that Peter had been nodding off to sleep that she stopped, placed the book down and stood to leave.
"Don't leave, Wendy..." he slurred with sleep.
"Get some sleep, Peter. You need to heal." she said, looking back at him from the door.
She could see him in the soft glow of the room, his features golden with the taming of the fire.
"I'm sorry, Wendy..."
Her brows furrowed and she came closer to him. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because... because I can't be a proper husband for you." his once bright eyes were dark and shimmering with unshed tears.
She sighed and sat down next to him. "Peter--"
Her voice was cut off as gunshots were heard downstairs, shouts and yells carried themselves to were they were at.
Peter jumped up from the bed as did Wendy, both looking at the door that stood between them and the mess outside.
He ran to where his sword and knife were at, grabbing his battle belt and looping it around himself. "C'mon!" he shouted at her.
Wendy stood in shock, trembling as she heard the screams. "They've found us, Peter!"
He turned to look at her, her eyes were wide and frightened, her lips pale.
"Wendy!" he shook her shoulders. At seeing her frightened vulnerability he did something he had never done before. Pulling her to himself he held her against his chest, cradling her head like a small child.
"It's alright, Wendy... I'm here now."
He held her until she stopped shivering and shaking and pulled slightly back and looked at her determinately. "Listen to me, Wendy. I need you to be brave, alright?"
She blinked and nodded at him. "Yes, Peter... I'll try to be brave."
He smiled softly and touched her porcelain-like cheek. "Yes... be brave. My brave Wendy." Taking her hand he dashed to the door. "Here," he handed her his small knife. "Anyone attacks you, you know what do to."
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He had been simply sitting in his bed, surrounded by his misery and regrets when he heard them break in. He jumped off the cot and ran to the door that kept him safe, for the meantime, from the outsiders.
"What's happening?" he cried to the guards outside.
One of the men turned and nearly growled at him.
"Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit," the guard told him and hit the door with his riffle barrel.
Christian glared at him and cried out. "Let me out! There's a war out there can't you hear it?"
From upstairs they heard a woman's cry of horror and more gun shots being fired. All turned towards the noise.
"Listen..." one of the other guards said, holding his riffle into position as they looked towards the stairs that led to the upper floor of the house.
"We stay here like Mr. Kensington told us to, we don't move!" the guard with rank told the other two.
There was more screaming and gunshots that made all four of them jump in surprise.
"Wendy," Christian whispered in horror. He knew who these men were and he knew all too well who they came for. "Wendy!" he cried, banging on the door.
"Be quiet!"
"Wendy!" he screamed again. "Let me out! I've got to save her!"
As the guard was walking to make him be quiet once more the door that let down to the made-shift cell was blown open.
Before they could react something rolled to the floor, Christian stared at the spot in the floor a second before he threw himself at the other side of the room to shield himself from the exploding dynamite.
He heard the guards cry out in pain and he cringed, then quickly he got up, taking advantage of the smoke covering the room. He crept to where the guards lay dead or dying and took their guns, riffles and swords. He stood and lay flat against the wall waiting for the incoming party.
As suspected two men dressed in military uniforms came in to check for survivors. They passed by him to the guards dead on the floor which gave him a clear view of their back.
Without hesitation he fired at one of the them.
One cried out and fell on the floor, the other turned with his gun, ready to attack. Christian was faster and stronger as he grabbed the man's gun and twisted his arm behind him, then plunging the knife he had in the man's back.
The soldier cried out as he sunk to the floor.
Christian pulled out the blade, picked up what weapons he could and ran upstairs.
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Upstairs Wendy and Peter were basically fighting for survival. Mostly he fought and hid her behind a pillar or a room but often times get would be attack while he was trying to desperately save his own neck as the fighting-pirate in Wendy would come out, brandishing the sword as well as she has last done.
"Wendy, watch out!" Peter cried as he deftly knocked another solider out.
Wendy ducked with his warning and turned to swing her sword around. The man cried out and she jumped back, gasping at what she had done.
Before she could bend down to check on the man Peter grabbed her by elbow sharply. "C'mon!" he cried. She risked one last glance at the man in the floor, the man she mortally wounded and then ran with Peter.
"Look!" he pointed out to a top floor. Wendy's head turned to were he was pointing. Joanna, Anna, Helen and Rosalind were being chased by two men who intended to capture them.
"Peter, we must help them!" Wendy cried, leaping forward. Peter followed her up the stairs to were the screaming girls were running. As they reached the top floor Rosalind basically ran into Wendy's arms, sobbing and trembling with fright.
"You're safe now, Rosalind," Wendy told her and watched as Peter attacked full frontal the two men who had been chasing the girls.
Anna screamed when one of them cut Peter across the chest but Peter didn't even flinch as he took the same knife that had been used to hurt him and gutted the man in one swift move.
Helen cried out when this happen, holding on to Anna and burying her head in the older girl's shoulder.
More gunshots were heard downstairs and the girls watched as the Duke's men fought the oncoming invaders; many bodies now decorated the once immaculate floors and blood ran like a river down the corridors.
"So much death," Helen whimpered. Then her eyes went wide in realization. "Father," she whispered.
Wrenching herself from Anna's arms she ran down the corridor.
"Father!" she screamed, running down the stairs.
"Helen, no!" Wendy cried after her. She grabbed her sword and went after her.
"Wendy!" Joanna gasped, then turned to Peter who had just killed the second soldier. "Peter!"
Peter turned sharply to her, still in fighting mode.
Joanna pointed at the running girls. "Look!"
Peter watched in horror as Helen got through the middle of the fighting men with much luck and disappeared into on of the rooms, but Wendy was grabbed from behind by one of the soldiers who managed to loose Helen.
"Wendy," he whispered.
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She had really been only trying to catch up with Helen to prevent her from being killed and somehow she had been the perfect distraction for her to get away and for herself to get caught.
"Let me go!" she cried, wriggling against the man who held her.
"I've got one!" the soldier told one of his mates.
Another soldier came up, chuckling and eyeing Wendy. "She's no child."
Wendy flushed scarlet and struggled some more. "How dare you!"
"I dare just fine," the man smiled, coming closer to her and extending his hand dangerously close to her still-maturing breasts.
Her eyes went wide and she started whimpering. She didn't know anything about any man touching her body but she knew as much as not to let them because to let them was a disgrace.
"So I." A voice said behind the solider.
A gunshot was heard that made Wendy scream and as the soldier that was about to touch her collapsed in the floor, Christian stood before her.
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Stay back!" the man holding told Christian. "Or I'll blow her brains out!"
Christian considered the man then shrugged. "Go ahead."
It all went in a sort of dream to Wendy.
She felt Christian reach out and suddenly grab her hand, wrenching her from the man's grasps then the solider being shot... from behind.
She landed curled up against Christian's strong and wide chest, his hand cradling her trembling head.
"You're safe, Wendy." he told her.
Slowly she disentangled herself from his arms, turning to see what had happened and there was Peter standing over the soldier with his bloody sword on his hand.
"Thank you," Peter told Christian.
Wendy willingly walked to Peter's arms --letting herself be wrapped in his embrace.
Christian nodded and looked away uncomfortable. "We need to get you to safety."
"Helen!" Wendy suddenly realized. She left Peter to go into the room were Helen had run to.
"Wendy, wait!" Christian cried after her.
A hand grasped his forearm. "She's fine."
He turned to look at a neutral Peter. Christian took one look at the direction Wendy went then sighed and let go.
"There's no soldier's there..." Peter pointed to the dead men in the floor. "Almost all are de--"
"Duck!" Christian cried.
On instinct Peter fell to the floor but it was too late.
A man who was neither a soldier nor a royal guard stood there with a very advanced riffle in his hand and shading glasses in his eyes. He winked at Christian as he realized just who he was.
"Jackal," Christian whispered just as the man shot him.
Peter watched with wide eyes as Christian fell before him, he quickly grabbed the riffle Christian had dropped and turned on his back and fired at the man.
Jackal had really done the mistake of his career. He had concentrated too much on his target that he failed to think if anyone else might be dangerous. After all, killers never socialized with other killers.
So there it was. On the floor of Duke Waterford's summer house in the highlands of Switzerland that so many men died that day.
Moments after the Jackal had fallen the Duke came out with Helen and Wendy at either side he congratulated Peter with much enthusiasm for saving the girls once more.
Peter watched as Wendy gasped when she saw Christian's fallen body.
"No!" she cried and sunk next to him.
His legs were still twitching as the last wisps of life were slowly drained from him. He cradled the dying man's head on his lap and held on to his hand. The closed eyes slowly opened and he smiled at her.
"You're an angel, are you not?" he whispered, hoarsely.
A tear left Wendy's eyes and rand down to land on his face which only made him smile more.
"You are... and the angels shall weep for him." he said, softly.
"You're going to be alright, darling," she said holding his hand ever tighter even as his grip failed.
Christian blinked once more. "So will you."
Then taking one last breath his body convulsed and went limp.
"Oh god!" Helen cried, holding on to her father who shielded her from the dead young man.
Peter slowly came behind Wendy, wrapped his arms around had and pulled her away.
"May he find peace," the Duke said.
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TBC....
A/N: I am so very sorry this chapter took so long, I had midterm time at school and I really didn't have time to write. I am now on Spring break and I'm hoping to get 1 or 2 more chapter done this week before classes start. In reality this story only has 3 more chapter to go so I'm thinking I will finishing it before the end of March :) Thank you all and please done forget to leave feedback!