A Convergence of Worlds

Disclaimer: I do not own any of this! There is only one character in here (so far) that belongs to me. The rest of them belong to James Barrie, T.A. Barron, and Disney. A lot of the information in this story is not mine either- also gotten from the said owners. I got some of the other things from the movie Hook (I know that may not have been the most accurate choice, but it happened to be convenient and just what the story needed).

Merlin awoke to an assortment of aromas, among them the scents of breakfast on the hearth, his mother Elen, his sister Rhia, and the only too familiar but ever-present smell of Arbassa. But there were other smells too: the wind blew the scent of the entire Druma Wood in through the window. Merlin took a deep whiff of all the smells combined into one.

As was usual when he woke up, Merlin's right hand was on the shaft of his staff, his fingers wrapped around it like a baby's around its mother's index finger. Gradually his fingers broke away from the wood and stretched outward to their farthest extent, his palm still resting on the hemlock bough. Merlin sat up and rubbed his sightless eyes. "Good morning, Rhia," he said, addressing the leafy figure crouched over the hearth and presumably attending to breakfast. She straightened and shook her mahogany curls from her eyes, saying, "Good morning yourself, Merlin."

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Peter had gone up to the top of the treehouse, balanced on the railing of the balcony, and crowed at the top of his lungs to greet the new day. He let it echo with a small grin of satisfaction. He leaped off the railing and soared away high above the trees, feeling the cool morning air blowing on his face and whistling past his pointed ears. He heard a bird call from a tree somewhere below, and then another, and another, and another, and yet another. Peter was definitely a morning person. Come to that, he was an all-day person. You would always find him up at the crack of dawn and staying out late in the night, getting the most out of every day and living life to the fullest. Since Hook had gone, there hadn't been much to work toward, so these passing days were lazy ones. But for some reason, as Peter soared through the sky, he felt some presence on the island. Something that was there that shouldn't be. Something dark. Peter shrugged it off, thinking that Tink must have played some kind of prank. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't help thinking that one side of the island looked different than the rest of it.

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Merlin stood and said to Elen, "Good morning, Mother." Elen smiled up at him from her needlework. "Hello, Merlin. I trust you slept well?" she said brightly. Merlin hadn't. His night was full of fitful dreams of a wild boar and a boy in green with pointed ears. But he wouldn't tell her that. "Yes, I did, thank you," he said, but his second sight was focused on the woods outside. He could see through a gap in Arbassa's ancient branches that the day was promising and the light was growing. He thought back to his dream. There were two people; one he knew, the other he didn't. The boar he knew only too well; he was the spirit Rhita Gawr, an evil but powerful entity who was constantly at war with Dagda. The other, the boy, he did not know, but found interesting, because the boy had the power to fly. Another curious thing about him was that he had been fighting Rhita Gawr. The dream had been nothing but a blur of colors and voices after that. Merlin mentally shook himself, and told himself that this boy might not even exist. But his subconscious self said But wait, haven't all your other dreams about Rhita Gawr come to life in one way or another? Why should this one be different? I don't know, Merlin thought back, but I won't spend my days waiting for it to come true and then miss it completely.

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Peter had been flying for some time before he heard the bell calling the Lost Boys to breakfast. Peter wasn't very hungry, but he went back anyway just to say hi to the gang. He landed catlike at the edge of the courtyard next to the treehouse, and someone shouted,"Hey, Peter!" He knew that voice. It was Squirt, a new member of the Lost Boys. He saw Squirt at the edge of the breakfast table, beckoning frantically and pointing to the seat on his right, which was Peter's accustomed place at the end of the table. Peter drew a deep breath and calmly strolled over to sit adjacent to Squirt. Lately, it seemed, Squirt had been tagging along wherever Peter went, if it was on the ground. It was like having another Shadow, only this one talked. Peter hated to admit it, even to himself, but a talkative Shadow was definitely a step backward.

Of course, immediately after Peter sat down, Squirt had begun to chatter as fast as his tongue would take him, but Peter had become so accustomed to this that he had almost naturally been able to half block it. Regrettably, he couldn't block it out entirely because he didn't want Squirt to think he wasn't listening, and some of the things Squirt said required an answer. Just then, the food arrived, which consisted of twenty or so assorted dishes. Peter stood, and all got quieter as everyone took their places. "It's time to say grace,"he announced, looking around the table. Everyone then shouted at once,"GRACE!" and began to savagely grab for a portion. Luckily for Peter, Squirt came from a family with manners, so he didn't talk with his mouth full, which was another bonus, because Squirt's manners did not extend to the part about not stuffing your face. Because Peter didn't take much, he was finished early, and he left the table.

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Merlin sighed. Breakfast was ready now, so he went to eat. Rhia had prepared a dish of assorted cooked fruits drenched in berry juice and rolled in mint leaves. It was very tasty, and they all sat down to dine and engage in conversation about their plans to spend the day. Rhia, because it was the dry season, was going down to her garden to begin the seemingly impossible task of watering her shomorra tree. Merlin, upon reflection, realized that he had no specific plans for today, so he would help her. Elen was going down to the southernmost seashore to find a rare kind of coral which, when burned, was said to create a scent so lovely the wood nymphs would leave their trees just to sniff the air. She needed to speak to the wood nymphs and ask them where best to find one of her herbs which just the other day had been growing in abundance just west of the Druma, but had mysteriously disappeared. When Elen first told of her predicament, Merlin sat back and pondered what could have made them stop growing. He didn't have time to ponder long, because Rhia had just proposed that they begin walking to the shomorra tree, which was on the opposite side of the Druma from Arbassa. Merlin had a twinkle in his eye when he looked slyly at Rhia and said,"You know, I could pick up the pace a little bit-" but he was interrupted. "No, Merlin," Rhia said firmly,"I don't want to end up in Eagle Canyon. Your powers aren't strong enough yet." Merlin protested, feathers ruffled. "My powers have been getting a lot stronger every day. I can handle it. It's just a little Leap. We won't end up in Eagle Canyon, or anywhere else that isn't your garden." Rhia looked at Merlin. Merlin looked at Rhia. Rhia sighed. "All right," she said," but I want you to Leap there and back first, just to be sure you can." That was good enough for Merlin. He would show her how much his powers had developed.

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Peter breathed deeply of the fresh morning air. But then his smile faded, for he had gotten the merest trace of a smell he had not detected in Neverland before. It was, without a doubt, the scent of death. He took off for Tink's place; this was not one of those flights he wanted to make alone.

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Moments later, Merlin was outside Arbassa with his staff. Rhia was standing a few feet away, watching closely. Merlin briefly fingered a symbol on his staff, a circle containing a star; it was the symbol of Leaping. Everything is connected to everything else. Merlin had spoken these words himself just over a year ago. Well he remembered that day. And well he remembered the folly he caused and endured to learn this skill, among many others. This time, he knew, he would not cause as much trouble. Merlin readied himself. All around was quiet. Merlin called upon his powers, not with words, but with willpower. He saw the image of Rhia beside Arbassa flicker, then disappear.

Across the woods just split-seconds later, Merlin reappeared. He swiveled on the spot, trying to find out if he made it. And then he saw the topmost branches of the shomorra looming above the trees to his right. He gave a loud whoop of joy, and within seconds, was gone again.

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Peter found Tink still asleep in her bunk and decided against waking her. Not wanting to lose any more time before the Lost Boys got up, he took off into the sunshine. He flew for a considerable amount of time, but the smell didn't seem to get any stronger or fainter. It was almost as thought the entire island gave off the dank odor. Peter thought back to the dark area he had seen and decided to pass over that area, just to be sure. He made a slight alteration in his course and zoomed off into the steadily growing light.

In no time at all, he found that remote corner of Neverland, still as dark and forbidding as he had left it. In fact, the very trees seemed to ward him away, saying Beware.... beeeewaaaare... So he did. For now, anyway.

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Little did Merlin know, when he made his second Leap, a door to another place opened. This other place was another in between place, not quite of Earth but not quite of the Other World. And it was to this place that Merlin Leaped, though he didn't know it until he'd finished Leaping.

When he landed, it was in strange surroundings. Again, he turned around, wondering where he was. Nothing looked familiar. Even the smell was altered. This was not the Druma Wood, or even Fincayra for that matter. Merlin called out,"Hello?" but to no avail. He stood puzzled for a moment until he spontaneously marched off into the brush, searching for some clue as to his location, calling out every now and then.

A thought struck him after a few minutes of fighting through the shrubbery. Ask the trees. They'll know where I am. Merlin found a friendly-looking spruce and put his hand on the bark, feeling the pulse of life flowing through it. He opened his mouth and out came the swishing language of the tree softly uttering a question. The answer came some time after. Merlin couldn't distinguish words at first, but eventually the rustling took on a regular cadence. Neeeveeerlaaand....Neeveerlaand... Neverland... Merlin thanked the tree and stepped away, careful not to trip on the roots.

Merlin noticed a shadow that passed over him; he looked up and hollered, but saw nothing. And then something truly strange happened; the shadow stopped, stood, and looked directly at Merlin. It was in the shape of a boy with pointed shoes and a pointed cap, not quite as tall as a wizard's cap, but still pointed. The shadow cocked its head; if it had had a face, Merlin was sure it would have been studying him. Then the shadow, as if it had come to a conclusion about him, began to beckon Merlin to follow him. Merlin hesitated, thinking he might be being lured into a snare. The shadow persisted, so he followed.

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Peter was aimlessly meandering hither and thither when he noticed that his Shadow was missing again. Peter slowed and dived lower until he was just over the trees. He darted here and there, calling softly,"Shadow... Shadow!" with not much luck. Peter didn't know at what time he lost it, so it could be anywhere. He was concentrating so much on finding his Shadow that he didn't even hear the rustling coming from up ahead until it was too loud to miss. He stopped in midair and watched alertly the shrubbery, trying to see if it was an animal, his Shadow, or something else altogether.

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Merlin followed the Shadow through the forest, dodging low branches and stepping over fallen ones, which lay strewn on the ground. All of a sudden, the Shadow stopped, as if uncertain about the safeness of continuing. It motioned for Merlin to be quiet, which he did without knowing why. Then it peeked around an enormous healthy oak, and abruptly pulled back out of sight.

Merlin heard a young voice calling uncertainly,"Shadow?" Merlin stepped out from behind the tree and came face to face with the boy he saw in his dream the previous night. Merlin was shocked; never before had his dreams come to life this quickly before. He was sure that the look of surprise on his own face was a carbon copy of the expression on the boy's face. They spoke the question in unison. "Who are you?" Then the boy began to laugh, and even Merlin couldn't suppress the smile that curled his lips.

Then Merlin noticed something else. The boy was floating in midair. The boy said,"My name is Peter Pan. What's yours?" Merlin had been gaping at the large space between the boy's feet and the ground, but was snapped out of his reverie by the boy's words. "Oh... My name is Merlin," he managed to say while still sounding casual. "I heard you calling for someone named Shadow, right? Well, I think you'll find him somewhere over there." Merlin nodded his head toward the tree that he had just been hiding behind not three minutes ago. Peter glanced in that direction, but made no sign of going over there. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Merlin. "So, who are you really? I mean, I know your name's Merlin, but who are you?" he asked. Merlin replied,"I'm... a foreigner. I don't know how I came to Neverland, but I was attempting to Leap when I was transported here. Now I have a question for you. How in Dagda's name are you floating in midair?!?!" Peter grinned and chuckled to himself. "With a little pixie dust and a happy thought," he answered matter-of-factly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Merlin raised one eyebrow dubiously, but said nothing in reply.

Peter said,"Well, that really should be enough questions asked, but I have one more. Are you hungry?" Merlin shook his head. "I had breakfast already. And since you got one last question, I have one. Where exactly is this place?" Peter sighed. "Well, that's complicated. In the summer sky, Neverland is the second star to the right. I'm afraid that's all there is." Merlin did a doubletake. "Wait, did you say that I Leapt to a star?" he exclaimed. Peter nodded. Merlin tried to look nonchalant, while inside his head thoughts zoomed back and forth in an excited frenzy, like air bubbles in a pot of boiling water. If he had Leapt that far, then he must be able to get back. But what if it hadn't been his powers that got him here? Merlin met Peter's eyes and was surprised to find them full of laughter. Merlin bristled, angry that this Peter could laugh at him when he was so uptight.

Peter abruptly turned his face skyward, looking at the sun's position in the sky. He said to Merlin,"If we don't get back soon, the Lost Boys will send out a search party. We'd better head back." Merlin glanced back at the tree, and Peter said,"Don't worry about Shadow," and then raised his voice,"I'll catch him later." Then he looked at Merlin, looked at the ground, and lightly landed beside Merlin. "I guess I'd better travel at your speed if I don't want to lose you," he said, and with that, started off into the trees with Merlin dejectedly following.

There was a question that was still gnawing at the back of Peter's brain, but he resisted posing it to Merlin because of impertinence. Peter had never been known to be overly polite, but he wasn't considered rude, either. He decided that he would ask it when they were able to talk more informally.

After about ten minutes of straight trekking, Merlin still hadn't tired. He was used to extreme traveling on foot; it was the way Rhia preferred to travel, and she was able to keep going at an incredible pace for long periods of time. Merlin half smiled at the memory of the times that Rhia had nearly lost hime because he couldn't keep up. After a few times of being outstripped by her, Merlin had been working on being able to keep up with Rhia's virtually untouchable speed.

Peter took out his pipes and began to toot a cheerful little diddy while still retaining his speed. "Hey Merlin," he called over his shoulder,"you keeping up back there?" He swiveled his head to check on Merlin, and nearly jumped out of his skin when he found that Merlin was almost on top of him. "How'd you get to be so fast on foot? I always find that it's much more convenient to fly," he said quickly. Merlin shrugged and said,"Traveling on foot is my main method of transportation... except for the times when Rhia lets me Leap." Peter cocked his head."Who's Reeah?" he asked. Merlin replied simply,"My sister."

Merlin didn't know why, but he felt that he could trust Peter for now. And when he considered his situation, what other choice did he have? Merlin's intuition had never served him very well; it had been known to lead him in so many wrong directions before. But he had been spending so much time with Rhia that perhaps some of her intuition, flawless as usual, had rubbed off on him. Or perhaps it was just his own, leading him down another wrong path. Whatever it was, he was going to go with it, and if it was wrong, well... he would worry about it later.

After another few minutes, they came to a small clearing. There, directly in front of them, was a tree that contained a treehouse that was so very well hidden in the branches, Merlin almost thought that he beheld Arbassa. But when Peter flew straight up to it and through one of the windows beckoning for him to follow, Merlin sighed, slowly trudged up to the gargantuan trunk, and began to climb.