Wendy had been thirteen when she left Neverland a year before. Now she was
turning fourteen and the expectations of his status were beginning to
change. Mr. and Mrs. Darling, at the behest of Aunt Millicent, had begun
to incorporate training to be a lady into her daily life, cutting the time
with which she spent with her brothers.
Peter Pan still came often to the window late at night, sporadically showing up: sometimes several times a week, sometimes once a month. He would drift in with natural ease, expecting her to wake and tell him a story.
Always when he came he would check to see his charm still hung around her neck, and always he would draw John aside before he left to speak privately. What he said in these conferences, John would never tell her.
So it was the night this story begins on. Wendy, who resided in a separate room now, came every night into the nursery where her brothers slept so they could gather around to hear one of her tales. That night she was continuing the story of the seven brothers that turned to swans when the soft footfall caused her to turn.
"Come and sit, Peter," Wendy said calmly. "I've just begun."
Peter nodded without speaking and joined John and Michael on the bed where they were already enthralled with the tale, the Lost Boys crowded about on the floor.
"And so the sister continued her quest to sew seven shirts, one for each brother, out of a prickly native plant, with no voice to cry out her pain, for any sound that passed her lips would break the enchantment. Only this could return them to their natural form," Wendy told. "As she was traveling, she came across a man unlike her own Irish kin, he was British, a foreigner. Though she could not speak, he helped her through her journey. He took her back to his land, for he needed her to give him information on his brother whom she had seen, and waited patiently for her to complete the task of spinning. Each day he protected her from his hostile family and staff, who saw only a threat in her. And each day he became more endearing to her. But one day he had to go back to the shores of her land to search for his brother, who he had received news about. He feared for her safety and offered the protection of his name, thus marrying her. While he was gone, his wicked uncle put her on trial for adultery and attempted to have her burned at the stake. She completed six and three- quarters of the shirts, and as the flames licked at her feet she placed them over the necks of her brother's swan necks and watched them transform. It was then, as the fire came near to consuming her, that her husband returned, heroically pulling her out of danger. But it was not happily ever after, not yet."
Wendy paused, deciding whether or not to finish the story that night. In this brief break, Michael cried, "Oh, please, Wendy. You can't stop now!"
Wendy gave him a tired smile, seeing the same opinion reflected in the eyes of the other members of the audience and nodded, "It was time for her and her brothers to return home, after all, her marriage was in name only. On that last day before she left, she put her hand over his heart and then over hers, communicating without words as she found she had lost the power to speak for an entirely different reason. Having done so, she turned from him painfully and got into the boat with her brothers. At home she suffered. She knew now that she loved him dreadfully, but that it was not possible for her to return there. One night, a stranger was found within their border, unarmed, and was brought before her father. Her heart leapt when she saw him, the familiar form and demeanor, but he could not see her through the blindfold he was wearing. Her father, a protective and stern man, required of him the story of his life. Swaying them with a story centered upon the days after he had met the love of his life, he was begrudgingly permitted to take his wife as his true mate and they lived in the forest for the rest of their days."
Silly smiles were plastered on the faces of her listeners.
"That was a perfectly lovely story, Wendy," John said.
Michael nodded and then nudged his brother who in turn nudged his neighbor and so on, clearly indicating that they should leave the room. They all rose, made their excuses, and left Peter and Wendy alone in the nursery.
Wendy turned to Peter who was watching her with a steady look of appraisal. He glanced down at her neckline, and sighing she pulled down the neck so that he could see his 'kiss' still hanging there. Satisfied Peter spoke, "How have you been Wendy?"
"I've been well, and how is Neverland?" she asked.
A flash of concern crossed Peter's face, "It is changing."
"Changing?" Wendy asked. "How can it change?"
Peter shrugged, trying to feint his usual charisma, "It doesn't matter, let's talk of other things."
"Peter this is important. Has it ever changed before?" Wendy persisted.
"No," Peter replied hesitantly. "I think –"
When he didn't continue, she prompted, "Think what?"
"I think I may be growing," Peter said in a rush.
The story of the swans is taken from the first book of Juliet Mariller's Sevenwaters Trilogy, Daughter of the Forest, which I believe is based on a Irish tale of the same matter. The book is a few hundred pages long, and I gave a basic two paragraph synopsis, but you should definitely pick it up. There are two books that go with it, Son of the Shadows and Child of the Prophecy.
Peter Pan still came often to the window late at night, sporadically showing up: sometimes several times a week, sometimes once a month. He would drift in with natural ease, expecting her to wake and tell him a story.
Always when he came he would check to see his charm still hung around her neck, and always he would draw John aside before he left to speak privately. What he said in these conferences, John would never tell her.
So it was the night this story begins on. Wendy, who resided in a separate room now, came every night into the nursery where her brothers slept so they could gather around to hear one of her tales. That night she was continuing the story of the seven brothers that turned to swans when the soft footfall caused her to turn.
"Come and sit, Peter," Wendy said calmly. "I've just begun."
Peter nodded without speaking and joined John and Michael on the bed where they were already enthralled with the tale, the Lost Boys crowded about on the floor.
"And so the sister continued her quest to sew seven shirts, one for each brother, out of a prickly native plant, with no voice to cry out her pain, for any sound that passed her lips would break the enchantment. Only this could return them to their natural form," Wendy told. "As she was traveling, she came across a man unlike her own Irish kin, he was British, a foreigner. Though she could not speak, he helped her through her journey. He took her back to his land, for he needed her to give him information on his brother whom she had seen, and waited patiently for her to complete the task of spinning. Each day he protected her from his hostile family and staff, who saw only a threat in her. And each day he became more endearing to her. But one day he had to go back to the shores of her land to search for his brother, who he had received news about. He feared for her safety and offered the protection of his name, thus marrying her. While he was gone, his wicked uncle put her on trial for adultery and attempted to have her burned at the stake. She completed six and three- quarters of the shirts, and as the flames licked at her feet she placed them over the necks of her brother's swan necks and watched them transform. It was then, as the fire came near to consuming her, that her husband returned, heroically pulling her out of danger. But it was not happily ever after, not yet."
Wendy paused, deciding whether or not to finish the story that night. In this brief break, Michael cried, "Oh, please, Wendy. You can't stop now!"
Wendy gave him a tired smile, seeing the same opinion reflected in the eyes of the other members of the audience and nodded, "It was time for her and her brothers to return home, after all, her marriage was in name only. On that last day before she left, she put her hand over his heart and then over hers, communicating without words as she found she had lost the power to speak for an entirely different reason. Having done so, she turned from him painfully and got into the boat with her brothers. At home she suffered. She knew now that she loved him dreadfully, but that it was not possible for her to return there. One night, a stranger was found within their border, unarmed, and was brought before her father. Her heart leapt when she saw him, the familiar form and demeanor, but he could not see her through the blindfold he was wearing. Her father, a protective and stern man, required of him the story of his life. Swaying them with a story centered upon the days after he had met the love of his life, he was begrudgingly permitted to take his wife as his true mate and they lived in the forest for the rest of their days."
Silly smiles were plastered on the faces of her listeners.
"That was a perfectly lovely story, Wendy," John said.
Michael nodded and then nudged his brother who in turn nudged his neighbor and so on, clearly indicating that they should leave the room. They all rose, made their excuses, and left Peter and Wendy alone in the nursery.
Wendy turned to Peter who was watching her with a steady look of appraisal. He glanced down at her neckline, and sighing she pulled down the neck so that he could see his 'kiss' still hanging there. Satisfied Peter spoke, "How have you been Wendy?"
"I've been well, and how is Neverland?" she asked.
A flash of concern crossed Peter's face, "It is changing."
"Changing?" Wendy asked. "How can it change?"
Peter shrugged, trying to feint his usual charisma, "It doesn't matter, let's talk of other things."
"Peter this is important. Has it ever changed before?" Wendy persisted.
"No," Peter replied hesitantly. "I think –"
When he didn't continue, she prompted, "Think what?"
"I think I may be growing," Peter said in a rush.
The story of the swans is taken from the first book of Juliet Mariller's Sevenwaters Trilogy, Daughter of the Forest, which I believe is based on a Irish tale of the same matter. The book is a few hundred pages long, and I gave a basic two paragraph synopsis, but you should definitely pick it up. There are two books that go with it, Son of the Shadows and Child of the Prophecy.