Chapter 7
Blood trickles down my cheek and there is a burning sensation coming from the cut. I lean back against the rocky wall in hopes that the waterfall with disrupt the sight of me. The only thing I can think about is that, that arrow belongs to another tribe. Surely, no one from my city would try to kill me. Peter flashes in my mind. If the elves spot him, they'll kill him. I have to lead them somewhere else- somewhere the boys won't find me.
Taking a deep breath, I dart out from behind the waterfall and into the forest at the water's edge. The whizzing sound of arrows being shot at me runs by me but they miss. I zigzag around trees and bushes, leaping over fallen logs and roots. I don't dare look back to see if anyone is nearby. The world around me blurs to greens and browns as I race towards an unknown destination
I glance down at my feet only to slam into something hard the moment I do. My back lands first on the dirt ground, the air leaving my lungs. I choke out air and try to suck in to breathe but nothing goes through.
Up above me stands a tall man with straight blonde hair. He's an elf. Lean and lanky with a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. His pale blue eyes stare down at me, reading me. Finally, my lungs give in and air flows through me.
"Why are you doing this?" I hiss.
A blonde brow raises. "You're her, aren't you?"
He lifts the hand with the arrow and looks off behind me. Rolling onto my side, I notice a group of elven men running up to us with bows pointed at me.
"It's Lahona." The blonde man says.
"How do you know me?" I roll back over onto my back, my fingers digging into the dirt below.
"I'm Marion. The man you're supposed to be marrying before you ran off."
Marion. My fiancée. The man my father is forcing me to marry. Or was.
"Or did you run off?" He questions.
I hesitate, giving him the answer he's looking for.
"Someone took you." His eyes widen in realization. "Who?" He asks, kneeling down in front of me. He puts the arrow away and hooks the bow around his shoulder.
I look away and remain silent.
"You're protecting them." He ends the distance between us and grabs my hands from the ground. He tugs me up to stand and frowns down at me.
I'm no pretty sight right now. My back and hair is covered with dirt and I am soaked to the bone. But he doesn't let go of my hands. I try to pry them away from his but his grip only gets stronger.
"Let me go!" I demand.
"No. We're taking you home."
"Get your hands off of her!" Orders a young familiar voice. We look around to find no one in our sight. But unlike the other elves, I look up and see Peter flying down at us at top speed with his sword ready to strike.
I try to step back again but to no avail. Peter slips between us and kicks Marion in the chest, sending the elven male flying to the ground. He doesn't let go of my hands at first, and I slam into Peter's back before he releases me.
Peter steps between Marion's spread legs and points his sword down at his chest. The group of archers behind us prep their bows.
"No!" I shout. I step between the archers and Peter, and fling my arms out to block any sight of Peter from their view.
"You're just a boy." Marion says.
"Yes, I am." I can practically hear Peter grinning.
"A human." Marion hisses.
"You'll leave us alone." I order.
"I doubt that." Marion answers.
"Then you die!" Peter yells.
I can hear the slice in the air of his sword as he plunges it down at the elven man but the sound of metal on metal rings. Glancing over my shoulder I see Marion has blocked Peter's attack with a dagger. They struggle against one another. Peter putting all his weight into his sword while Marion holds his dagger up with both hands.
"Permission to shoot." One of the archers says.
"No!" I reply.
"Shoot the boy, leave the girl!" Marion demands.
The archers begin to round us. My ears lower in defeat. There is only one thing I can do. Elves are born of magic and I can use that magic, but it was forbidden to use unless really needed. There is no better time than this.
I swing my right hand in a crescent shape around me, following the movements of the archers. From one side to the other, the ground rumbles and a wave of dirt, rocks, and branches heavily slams into each archer, throwing them off guard and dirt getting into their eyes. Some wail in pain as they scramble to rub the mess from their eyes.
Turning back to Peter and Marion, I place a hand on Peter's straining shoulder.
"Take me away." I mutter.
Peter looks back at me, surprised. He nods and smiles. "If you wish it." He leaps off of Marion and back into me but not yet hitting me. He sheathes his sword and picks me up. "Hold on tight." His smile only brightens.
My arms naturally wrap around his neck and my face digs into his shoulder. Air brushes against me like a windy day, and I know we're flying. I keep my eyes shut, terrified of the feeling of fear of falling.
"I got you." Peter whispers into my ear. The very words send chills down my spine and I shiver against him.
"You can open your eyes now," Peter whispers. And when I do, I notice we're on the branch that is attached to Peter's bedroom. It didn't take long at all for us to get back to the hideout. I squirm in his arms until he helps me to stand and carefully walk to the window that is carved into the hollow trunk of the large tree. My balance is a bit off, even on the thick branch, I struggle to go straight. A pair of hands grabs my waist and guides me along the way until I am able to duck inside.
Peter follows after me, landing so softly on his feet that I can hardly hear him behind me. The room is dark, the sun having set beyond the horizon with only the moonlight to shine for us.
"Tink," Peter says. And on que, the little faerie flies to the candle lamps and lights them up with her faerie magic. A yellow glow takes over the room. To my left is a wooden makeshift bed. I didn't see that before, but before I was also more focused on Peter the last time we were in this room. The bed itself is made of leaves, moss, and surprisingly, a blanket.
"Thank you," I mutter, slowly turning towards him. "For coming to save me."
Peter crosses his arms and lifts his head high while smiling. "I wasn't going to let those adults take you." He, then drops his arms to his sides and twists back to the window, he's about to climb through it.
"Wait! Where are you going?" I interrupt.
He looks back at me with the same smile. "I'll be back. Sing to the boys while I am gone. And then, when I am back, sing for me!" And with that he climbs out and flies off.
I am left staring out the window, a frown drooping my lips.
The sound of chatter and laughter erupts below. The Lost Boys are home. I wonder how long they've been here. Stepping down the ladder, I enter the large round room with the rectangular table.
"The Queen is back!" Rets shouts.
"The Queen!" Weasel and Pint say in unison.
"Peter wants me to sing to you boys so you can get some sleep." I state. I glance around the room for a good spot to sit and eye up the throne. It may be Peter's but I can use it for now. The throne is crudely made, mostly of sticks, a stump, grass, and leaves. I take the seat and cross my legs.
My dress still sticks to me like a second skin, barely having dried in the wind as Peter flew us to the hideout. But most of the dirt has fallen off, leaving me partially cleaned. The boys don't seem to mind my appearance, and gather around me on the floor. I register how they look; already dry but still messy regardless of their swim.
Rets has messy brown hair and green eyes. Weasel has shoulder length black hair and brown eyes, much brighter than Nick's dull brown. Pint has a unique shade of auburn for his hair and hazel eyes. They are all different from one another and I wonder if that was Peter's intention when he picked them. Their bright eyes look up at me expectantly and I take a deep, nervous breath.
I barely sing in front of anyone, mostly kept to my room where only my guard at the door would hear. He never complained about my singing; well, that I know about. And apparently, Peter was listening too. Shifting in the throne uncomfortably, I clear my throat and close my eyes. My voice comes out smooth, much to thoughts that it may be from my mother, and sing in my language. The song is about forbidden love; one that is not allowed to be sung in the city. Of an elf and a human falling in love one summer. The elf was pregnant with her child, but the human didn't care, he fell for her hard for her beautiful eyes and singing voice was delight. I heard this song once; spoken to me by an elven traveling merchant who came through our city.
He got in trouble and was put in the cells. I don't know what happened to him.
But I am free to sing this song to these boys, for they are human, young and innocent. Even so, they don't understand what I am saying. But as I sing, my heart starts to melt because I start to think about Peter with his innocent round eyes, and his smile that never shows his teeth. Sometimes he scrunches up his nose when he smiles. I think about how he watches me with his lips slightly parted and eyes reading me – how he always tries to look away but I catch him when he does. The mop of messy dirty blonde hair on top of his head, that makes him looked unkempt and wild.
When the song is over, my eyes burn and my nose is itchy. I clear my throat once again and inconspicuously rub my eyes to rid of any tears.
Oh no. This game of pretend is becoming more real than I thought possible. But Peter wouldn't feel the same. It's just pretend for him. It has to be. Humans and elves – no. Peter is different.
"What's wrong, my Queen?" Pint asks.
The little boy is so inquisitive, somehow seeing what the other two haven't.
"Nothing, my sweet child." I force a smile, lean forward and gently run my fingers through his auburn hair. My fingers don't get stuck, and his hair is softer than I expected.
A crowing noise erupts throughout the tree, and out comes Peter from one of the four doors. He's holding a red dress and he smiles brilliantly.
"I've come baring gifts for my Queen!"
My heart pounds loudly in my ears, and I shoot up from the throne. "Really?" I ask, taken by surprise.
He walks over to me, stepping around the Lost Boys to get in between us. "A dress." He lifts it up to show me.
"And how did you get this dress?" I chuckle, my brows furrowing together with my laughter. I gingerly take the fabric from him, it's velvet. Not elven made. Human. But I still couldn't be more thankful. I keep the dress from my chest so not to get this one wet.
He shrugs innocently, "you know. Some people leave their windows open."
"Thank you," I smile earnestly. "I am going to get dressed now."
I head for the ladder, throw the dress onto my driest shoulder and climb up into Peter's room. Before I get undress, I listen in on the boys. They are playing around down below, so I know it's safe to get dressed. Letting the damp green dress fall to my ankles, I step into the dry red gown. Taking the green dress, I head for the window and lay it out to dry on the branch outside. When I turn back around I see Peter standing by the ladder with his right hand behind his back.
"What is it?" I question. Obviously he's hiding something. He breaks into a grin and walks towards me, pulling his hand from behind his back. Dangling from his hand is a silver chained necklace with a silver leaf charm hanging from the chain. "You're thieving skills are something to be worried about."
He chuckles, and rounds me. His fingers caress my neck as he moves my hair out of the way and over my shoulder. A shiver runs down my spine and I try not to show it by standing still. Taking the necklace, he wraps it around my neck and locks it in place. The little leaf charm falls to the center of my chest, cold to the touch.
"Be my Queen forever." He whispers at my ear.
Slowly, I glance over my shoulder up at him. His eyes are soft, round and for once, serious. The blood rushes throughout my body and fills up my cheeks. "O-of course."
For the first time, he smiles with toothy grin.