Author's Note: I looked up the newest Tinkerbell movie, Legend of the Neverbeast, and I found out that there are actually Scout Fairies who are pretty much like the Council I created, so naturally I'm going to go with what's canon. I haven't actually seen the movie yet, so it might not be completely accurate, but for now I think it'll do.
Peri kept her promise: she stayed in Arendelle to make sure Elsa would adjust well. As soon as they were able, all the citizens were gathered in the courtyard of the palace while Elsa made a speech, where she explained her story (leaving out the whole time travel magic issue; she merely said she learned how to control her powers while in the mountains.) and apologizing for all the pain she had caused in freezing Arendelle. Most of the people believed her, though Peri could see more than a few exchanging shifty glances. It would take time for all of them to overcome the fear and the trauma Elsa had caused. Elsa seemed to sense this as well. At the end of the speech, she invited everyone to return to the castle the next afternoon for an ice skating party and feast.
Peri slept all morning, still exhausted from the day before. She missed the first part of the party, but when she woke everything had gone to plan. Elsa had finally figured it out. Pulling out the ice coat Elsa had made her to hide her wings, Peri joined the skating below. She found her friend talking with two familiar faces: Eugene and Rapunzel. Elsa had been apologizing to them personally, and it looked like Eugene was finally warming up to her. Peri skated up the group gracefully.
"Peri!" Rapunzel said cheerfully. "I thought you had gone to your family in the mountains."
"Well, I found Elsa," she said.
"You can trust them," Elsa assured her.
Peri opened her hand and formed a snowflake. "Frost fairy," she said quietly so no one else would hear.
"Oh," Rapunzel said. "It seems like we all have interesting stories to tell."
"Hey!" Anna said, trying to keep her balance on the skates. "Why don't we all have a sleepover in my room tonight?"
"Sounds great," Elsa said with a smile.
"I'll bring cake," Eugene said.
"Not you," Rapunzel said, nudging him.
"I know, I know. I was only joking. I'll just have a private suite all to myself..."
"You might want to place guards outside his doors and windows in case he tries to make off with anything," Rapunzel teased.
"Hey, you know I gave all that up years ago."
"Bad habits are hard to break," she pointed out.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Elsa assured her.
"Um, Elsa?" Anna called, trying not to sound alarmed. "I'm slowly skating away here. Backwards."
"Going somewhere?" Kristoff asked, catching her.
"Hi," she breathed. "Sorry, I'm, uh, a bit clumsy."
"Well, maybe Peri can help you out," Elsa suggested. "Since she's been skating her whole life."
"You're going to have to learn sooner or later," Peri said, grabbing Anna's hands.
In the palace courtyard that night, the guards built a bonfire, and Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel and Peri stayed up late swapping stories. Rapunzel held a very captive audience for her tale, although it was difficult to imagine her with such lengths of blonde magical hair. Peri especially was interested in the healing powers, supposedly derived from the sun. As she and Rapunzel discussed theories, Pixie Hollow and the light fairies came up, and Peri found herself narrating her adventures. Anna loved the parallels between Tink and Peri and herself and Elsa, which in turn led to their heartbreaking life story.
"You never saw each other for how many years?" Rapunzel asked in disbelief.
"Thirteen," Elsa said gloomily.
"Well, we saw each other," Anna said. "She would come to dinner if she wasn't too busy "studying." We just never spoke to each other very much. And then when our parents died..."
"It was too much for me. The last three years I literally lived in my room."
Peri watched as the sisters recounted the events of Elsa's formation, the reveal of her powers, and their reconnection. They had become extremely close in the past two days, she noticed. It was bittersweet. On one hand, she loved seeing them like that. On the other hand, it reminded her too much of herself and Tink, and she longed to see her sister again.
"Hey," Elsa said softly, nudging her. "Lighten up and enjoy yourself. When's the next time you'll get to have a bonfire sleepover with three princesses?"
"Two," Anna said, her mouth full of sausage. "You're a queen now."
"Oh, yes. I'd forgotten."
"I know," Peri said, laughing a little. "I just miss Tink."
"You can go home tomorrow," Elsa promised. "Or, at least, start on your journey."
"In the meantime," Rapunzel said. "I am very anxious to hear about your mysterious trip to the future."
"Oh, yes!" Anna exclaimed, clapping her hands. "I want to hear that story, too! You haven't said hardly anything about it. Tell me what happened!"
"Well," Elsa said, looking over at Peri. "It started with a boy named Jack Frost, deep in the frozen tundras of Antarctica, when the Man in the Moon decided he would need some help in the near future..."
Very little sleep was had that night, as Peri was anxious to get going. Even if she had been able to sleep soundly, it was difficult when only a few hours separated the time when the four girls ceased their conversations and the sunrise. As the sun rose, so did the fairy. She gathered her belongings: a loaf of bread and some cold sausage for provisions, a small pin bearing Arendelle's Coat of Arms as a memento, and the remainder of her pixie dust supply. Quietly, she opened the door and flew silently into the halls. Elsa, Anna, and Rapunzel were already waiting for her.
"You didn't think you'd get off that easily, did you?" Elsa asked.
Peri smiled gratefully. Together, they walked down to the docks. Only a few fishermen were about town; they looked surprised to see their queen, but kindly let her alone.
"Could I come and visit you in Pixie Hollow, sometime?" Elsa asked suddenly.
Peri shook her head. "I don't think so. Queen Clarion and Lord Malori have very strict rules about the comings and goings of fairies from Neverland. Tink and I got into trouble for going into the wrong places in Pixie Hollow. I'll ask, but probably not."
"Well, you'll definitely have to come back and visit us sometime!" Anna said enthusiastically.
"You could come visit us in Corona," Rapunzel added.
"Anna, Rapunzel, remember she's very busy. Being a fairy isn't all fun and games."
"Oh," Anna said dejectedly.
"Well, I'm not leaving you forever!" Peri promised. "Since we're the only members of the Just-Ice League in this time period."
Elsa looked down at the sea thoughtfully. "We need some sort of signal. Our own sort of Northern Lights if we're ever in trouble and need help."
"You could always recreate Snowflake."
"I want you to do that anyway," Anna said eagerly.
"Preferably before I have to get back to Corona," Rapunzel hinted.
Elsa grinned. "I was planning on it."
"I wonder if Tink could help figure out a way to communicate," Peri mused. "I'll have to ask her. In the meantime..." She reached into her pouch and pulled out a mini bag full of purple pixie dust. "Keep it. Just in case."
"I will," Elsa said, clutching it to her heart fervently.
Peri bid her courteous farewells to Anna and Rapunzel, then hugged Elsa tightly.
"Don't make winter come too early, now," she warned. "That's our job."
"Okay," Elsa laughed. "And if the Scout Fairies won't let you back into Pixie Hollow...and I'm not saying I don't want them to, but you're always welcome to stay here in Arendelle."
"I'll keep that in mind. Bye, Elsa."
"Goodbye, Peri," she whispered.
Almost reluctantly, Peri handed her the silvery ice coat and took off into the bright morning sky. She looked back over the city one last time. From there, she could see the castle, where Eugene and Kristoff were messing around with Sven and Olaf. Anna and Rapunzel had already started back, leaving Elsa alone on the docks, still watching. Peri almost went back. But she knew that Tink would meet her in London; she didn't even know this place existed. So, with a final wave, Periwinkle left Arendelle.
The flight was peaceful, without much event. She flew high, just above the clouds, to avoid being seen. When the sun set, she kept flying, knowing that sleep would be impossible anyway. Her thoughts wandered restlessly, trying not to focus on her friends she was leaving behind. Towards midnight, green and blue lights flickered across the sky. Peri couldn't help thinking about North.
"I wonder how he did it," she wondered aloud, simply for the sake of hearing a voice. "Maybe the light fairies helped him. I should ask Iridessa when I get home." She kept her eyes on the borealis a moment longer. "If I get home," she added.
Neither the friends she left behind or the friends at home gave her much comfort. If unwelcome at Pixie Hollow, Peri knew she was welcome at Arendelle, but that would mean a new home. If she were allowed to return to the Winter Forest, she wouldn't be able to visit Elsa very often. In her mind, there was no ideal situation.
She reached London two days later, though it was some hours before she found the right house. Tink had tried to give her clear directions, but that had been over a week ago, and so much had happened that she had difficulty remembering. Twice she thought she had the right place, only to discover no children lived in that house, or it was only boys, no little girl. Peri was beginning to wonder if the third home was also wrong, when a young boy and girl burst into the room, giggling. She shrank back into the shadows, hidden by the partially drawn curtains.
"Tell me a story, Wendy!" the boy pleaded. "About Neverland!"
"Oh, alright, John," Wendy agreed pleasantly. "Neverland is a magical country far away from here."
"Is it truly magical?" John asked, his eyes round in wonder.
"Well, of course it is! It's Neverland! Magic happens every day. There's a lagoon full of beautiful mermaids splashing in the waterfalls, and pirate ship sail in the blue water looking for dazzling treasure."
"And the injuns run through the tall grass hunting!" John added.
"Oh, yes, and the Indians," Wendy said, nodding wisely. "There's lots of birds, and fruits, and everything is colorful and there's no rain."
Smiling softly, Peri leaned her head against the glass as a few tears slid down her face. Oh, how she missed her home!
"But how does everything live?" John asked, wrinkling his nose. "I thought plants need water to live, mother told me so."
"Yes, John, they do. Rain is how the plants in our world get their water. But do you remember that in the summer there is no rain, and mother takes water out to them? That's what happens in Neverland all the time, only our mother isn't there to take care of it."
"Then who doesn't?"
"Don't be silly, you know this part of the story. It's the fairies! They live all over the island taking care of the plants and the animals, even the humans who live there."
"Like Peter Pan?"
"Yes, like Peter Pan!"
Here, Wendy left off her explanation of Neverland and turned to the glorious adventures of their hero, Peter Pan. Peri had heard of such a boy before, and she knew that some fairies liked to stay with him for awhile and take care of him. But she had never met him in person, and even doubted his existence. Furthermore, she had no idea how these human children knew such tales.
"Psst!"
Startled, Peri looked up from the window. There, perched on the next gable of the Darling house, was Tink. Periwinkle wasn't entirely sure how she got from her relaxed position by the window into her sister's arms, but it happened in the blink of an eye. All of the stress, danger, pain, and homesickness poured out of her at once in an odd mixture of relief, joy, sorrow, and love.
"I thought I would never see you again," Peri sobbed.
"I've missed you, too," Tink said, slightly bewildered. "Man, who knows what state you'd be in if you'd been left here much longer. You act like you haven't seen me in a weeks!"
"I haven't," she whispered, still clinging to Tinkerbell.
"It's only been five days," Tink said, even more confused.
"Has it?" Peri tried to tell her about meeting Elsa and being pulled to the future, but the words would not come out. She decided to wait. "Well, you at least knew what was happening in Pixie Hollow."
"Oh, of course!" Tink said, drawing back so she could look at Peri directly. "Duh, you were in suspense all that time! No wonder it seemed longer to you."
"Yeah, well, what happened?" Peri asked when Tink paused.
"Queen Clarion and Lord Malori talked with the Scout Fairies and Zarina. They were able to convince them to stop punishing all of the disobedient fairies. Instead, they've all been rounded up and they're going to have a long discussion about everything just as soon as you get back."
"Oh. Great, I guess."
"It's progress," Tink admitted. "You may not like everything they have to say, but at least you can come back to Pixie Hollow."
Just then, there was a commotion inside the Darling house. The two fairies peeked through the window in time to see Wendy and John rush to the door. Their mother had entered and was kneeling on the floor, and the two children were bending over her.
"Say hello to your baby brother," their mother said. "His name is Michael."
"They know about Neverland," Peri told Tink quietly. "They think it's a story. Wendy was telling John earlier. They've heard of Peter Pan, too."
"Hmm. I've heard of him, too, but I've never even seen him."
"I think he's a myth. Humans can't go to Neverland."
Tink looked at Peri in surprise. "Of course they can. I mean, it's rare, but it's possible. What did you think those pirates were?"
Peri's jaw dropped as she realized that Elsa could possibly visit Neverland, if not Pixie Hollow. Tink looked at her in concern.
"I think we should get you home, little sis," she said, helping Peri to her feet. "You're not at all acting like yourself. What happened to you these past few days?"
"I might as well start telling you," Periwinkle said. "Because it's so long I'll still be telling you when we get to Pixie Hollow!"
"Did you have another adventure without me?" Tinkerbell teased.
"I most certainly did."