Nothing But a Pirate

Chapter Thirteen

Centuries ago…

Over the next few nights upon returning from the Indians' camp, Killian remained alone within his quarters upon the Jolly Roger as much as possible while he contemplated over both Tiger Lily's and her father's words. Mr. Smee could tell they had deeply troubled the Captain far more than he would admit. When Pan first confronted him as he arrived back at the Lost Boys' camp, the boy had asked Hook what he had learned from the Indians' Chief and daughter, but all Hook told him was that his answer laid with the heart of the truest believer.

Though Pan suspected that Hook was holding something back, but didn't push him on the matter and allowed the pirate working for him to leave his camp, then ordered two of the boys to keep their eyes on the pirate, to watch him everywhere he went should he do anything suspicious.

Finally, the short man wearing his red knit hat walked down to the closed door of his Captain's quarters and knocked and when Hook called out that he was free to enter, Smee kept his eyes on the man before him, noticing that he was once again staring at the sketch of the boy Tiger Lily had given to him.

When the newest deckhand didn't speak right away, without turning to look at him, Hook spoke up first as he asked in annoyance, "I don't suppose there's a reason why you've come to disturb me this evening, Mr. Smee? I thought I made it clear that you were to help a few of the other men scrub the decks."

The other man nervously responded, "Yes, Sir. I mean… I finished doing so, Captain. I just… I noticed you seem to be a bit troubled. Those things the Indian Princess and her father said to you really got you thinking, didn't they?"

"My troubles are of no consequence to you," Killian answered sternly when he finally turned around to look at his friend, though he would never actually admit he had quickly come to like Smee more than any of the rest of the pirates who worked under his command. "I prefer to be left alone. Go… do whatever it is you want to do and do not disturb me again."

"Yes, go about your own business and leave us alone to talk about our own," Peter Pan replied when he unexpectedly appeared within the quarters, causing Smee to jump upon being startled by the boy's sudden presence while Killian simply sighed in frustration as he collapsed upon his bed to wait for Pan to talk first once his man turned to leave. "I really don't understand why the fat man wears such a hideous hat."

Killian leaned back against the wall of his ship behind him as he looked at the demon and asked, "Is that really why you've stepped onboard my ship without my permission, or have you actually come here to ask once again for my services?"

Pan smiled as he responded smugly, "I have, Captain. Your services that is. I just think that man's hat is ugly, that's all. I'll be going with a few of the Lost Boys into the Indians' camp tonight. I suspect that the Chief or Tiger Lily are hiding something about the information I sent you in to collect for me. The heart of the truest believer? How is that an answer?"

"I simply told you as they told me," Hook answered as he stared down at his hook he held against his chest. "I doubt you'll get any more out of them than I could. Charging into their camp is a mistake. You think your relationship is rocky now, just wait. Is risking your life and the lives of the boys under your charge really worth this trouble?"

"Worth the trouble to gain eternal youth, you mean?" Pan stated as the Pirate Captain stood again before the island's sovereign. "Surely you of all people would understand that when there's something you want more than anything else in the entire world, then there's nothing that you won't risk. Don't you, Captain? Get ready to leave and meet me and the boys at our camp in ten minutes."

A few hours later, Pan, Hook, and four more of the Lost Boys including Felix and Rufio arrived within the outskirts surrounding the Indian camp as several warriors stepped out from behind the trees surrounding them as they all rose their own weapons to defend themselves should either rival start an attack against the other.

Tiger Lily then walked out among them herself as she looked among the boys until her eyes stopped on the pirate, then she asked, "Was your answer not clear enough, Captain? Why have you returned, and with them?"

Before Hook could say anything, Pan stepped forward as he replied haughtily, "Forgive me, Princess. Captain Hook here has indeed given me the answer you gave to him for me. But I wished to speak to you myself, as your answers were very vague."

"I have no control over what it is I'm shown, even when I seek for one's future," she responded sternly as she turned to the other leader standing in front of her. "I believe you already know this. Neverland's magic does not work exactly as we want, but as we need it to. And if it fails us, then we have become arrogant and we are no longer in the island's favor."

"But the heart of the truest believer?" Peter asked curtly. "Really? Surely you can give me something more than a prophecy with only a few words."

The Indian Princess looked again at Hook with surprise as he turned his head away, but before anyone could talk again, Pan suddenly whistled as several more of his army of Lost Boys jumped out and ran into the outskirts, startling Hook as a fight broke out all around him when each of the tribal warriors defended themselves against their attackers, and defended Tiger Lily as best as they could. Many Indians fell, but they allowed for their Princess to race back to their camp where she could assemble more warriors to continue to defend them, especially their Chief and her father.

Hook fought against each of the warriors who attacked him as he struggled to make his way through the battle around him as he ran into the natives' camp to find Tiger Lily again and when he did so, he swiftly knocked one of the Lost Boys attempting to kill the young woman unconscious using his hook, then she glared at the pirate while she questioned angrily, "What have you done? I thought I saw something different in you. Though I saw your darkness, I believed there was more to you. But instead you lead Pan and his own warriors here to kill my people?"

Killian shook his head as he answered, "I didn't know Pan was planning to wipe out your people. I never wanted this. Why do you think I saved you just now?"

"It doesn't really matter," she replied coldly and rushed past him to try to look for her father. "Perhaps this could have been avoided if you had actually given Pan the sketch I gave you along with the prophecy."

"Forgive me, but I believe it was you and your Chief that warned me what would happen should Pan get what it is he wants," Hook responded coolly as he followed behind her until he was suddenly attacked again by another of the Indian warriors and concentrated on trying to defend himself while Tiger Lily continued her search.

The Lost Boys continued their brutal attack against the Indians while the natives defended themselves as they did. Many on both sides were killed, but Pan was seeking to rid the island he believed was his to rule alone of the Indians' leader once and for all. So when he saw Hook fighting against a warrior trying to defend himself against the Indian from where he stood in the midst of the battle several feet away, then come face to face with the tribe's Chief as two more of the leader's warriors fought to help him to flee to safety, the demon child as Hook called him smiled and swiftly flicked his wrist.

When Chief Great Little Panther appeared before him, Hook rose his sword to defend himself when the warrior with him attacked, but quickly knocked him out cold and turned back to the Indians' leader as he said with sincerity, "I promise you I mean you no harm, but I'm not prepared to die just yet either. I can help you get to safety."

The Chief looked at the pirate sadly as he answered, "I'm afraid not. It's my time. I am prepared. Be careful, Captain Hook. Your future depends on your choices from here on out."

"I don't…" Killian tried to reply until a second warrior rushed toward him as Hook swiftly killed him, then turned back to fight off another by thrusting his hook deep into the man's chest.

"No," he whispered regretfully as he blinked and saw that the brave he had just run through with the piece of metal replacing his left hand still buried within his chest was Chief Great Little Panther, not one of the leader's warriors fighting to defend him as Hook believed he saw him as moments ago.

All of a sudden, Tiger Lily screamed, "Father! No!"

When the Princess and the Indians' new leader ran toward her father and the man who had just killed him, as did two more of her people, Hook ran from the camp as quickly as he could, knowing that if he stayed any longer he would be killed. The pirate didn't know where he was running to, but he didn't care. He just ran until he finally came to the edge of a cliff and froze.

While he looked around him in search for another way down other than by jumping into the ocean below, it was then that Rufio appeared behind him as Pan's second in command glared at the Captain as he called out, "I didn't think you had it in you to kill their Chief, Hook. It appears you are more ruthless than I initially believed. Good for you."

"Aye," Killian answered coldly as he glared at the boy now standing before him, then he noticed Pan's shadow fly overhead from the corner of his eye and continued to threaten the boy even though it was only a ruse meant to deceive the shadow so that Pan would come to believe that Rufio was really about to die. "I tried to tell you. I am every bit a villain as is your Pan. And now it's your time to die too unless you agree to move out of my way. I won't allow the natives to take my life, not before I've gotten my revenge on Rumpelstiltskin first."

"You can try," Rufio replied and then thrust his sword at Hook, who easily deflected it with his hook, then raised his own as their blades clashed, as a battle between them began while Tiger Lily appeared upon the cliff as well, watching the man who murdered her father and the boy who she knew was Pan's right hand duel one another before her.

Suddenly, Felix ran out and froze upon seeing Hook and his brother fighting, then rushed forward to fight against the pirate at Rufio's side. It had become more difficult for Killian to keep up with his end of their deception, but he was able to hold his own against the brothers as his height over them, his years as a pirate, and of fighting within the Royal Navy gave him the advantage over them. Finally, Hook was able to knock Rufio to the ground, though he wasn't sure if the boy was actually on his side any longer, then turned back to Felix and suddenly disarmed him too.

Tiger Lily hid herself within the brush where the cliff began while she watched nervously when the Pirate Captain raised his cutlass to Felix's throat as he slowly made him walk back toward the edge of the cliff, then was about to strike him down until all of a sudden, Rufio got back up to his feet and rushed between Hook and his brother, just as Hook's blade entered deep into Rufio's stomach instead.

Killian and Rufio locked eyes in fear for seconds only while Felix froze in shock upon seeing his brother become wounded, then Hook pulled his sword free as Rufio fell backwards off the cliff and into the water below. Felix screamed as he watched his brother fall, then immediately pulled a dagger from his belt and attempted to strike down the Pirate Captain until Hook blocked him and raised his sword again, using its hilt to swiftly knock the Lost Boy unconscious.

When Killian fled, having not seen Tiger Lily at all as he passed by where she was hiding, Felix awoke and weakly stood to his feet, then chased after his brother's murderer. The Princess stepped out and ran to the edge of the cliff, then jumped into the ocean to try to save the boy. It wasn't because she cared about his life, but should he live, the Princess knew she would be able to save him so that she and her people could use him to gather information about Captain Hook, as well as Pan so that one day she would avenge her father.

Four nights later…

Pan gathered all of the Lost Boys who survived the battle against the Indians together and while they began to shout and argue amongst themselves, still angry over their losses, Pan simply smiled as Hook suddenly walked into the center of their camp along with Smee and a few other pirates, for his own protection. He didn't appear happy about it, but the boys' leader certainly did.

Felix immediately pulled his dagger upon seeing Hook enter, but was swiftly forced to drop the blade before he could move to attack his enemy as the pirates all raised their pistols and muskets at him and the rest of the children surrounding them, warning them that they wouldn't allow harm to come to their Captain.

Pan laughed and then spoke up saying, "Everyone just needs to relax and listen very closely. Yes, the Captain here has murdered our friend and my second in charge. Rufio will surely be missed, but Hook's services are still necessary. He has proved to me that for now, he can be trusted again, as he's given me a parchment which he held back before when he shared with us the answers from Tiger Lily.

When he held up the piece of paper to show the Lost Boys the sketch of another boy's face, their leader continued, "This boy, has the heart of the truest believer and one day we will find him. However, Captain Hook might just be the only one who can help with that, since we can't yet leave Neverland without losing our lives."

"Are you saying you're giving me and my men permission and the means to leave this cursed island?" Killian asked skeptically while he glared at the demon.

"I suppose I am," Peter said smugly. "However, you need to continue to prove your loyalty to me a bit longer before I can trust that you will actually return from your travels when my shadow calls on you. I'll let you know what I need. Listen up everyone, no one is to harm Hook or the rest of his crew because if you do, then you will suffer for it. We all have work to do. Don't worry, what we get when we succeed, it will outweigh our hate for one another until this truce between us is no longer necessary."