Chapter 21

Unlike the skies of Pixie Hollow, which were all dark from the storm fairies, the rest of Neverland was starting to be covered in darkness due to the setting sun. As most of the animals prepared for sleep, Morwen the shape shifting crow flew into the sky with a purpose. He was looking for something, a ship to be exact. But not just any ship, he was looking for the ship of Black Beard himself. Spotting The Queen Anne's Revenge, Morwen descended towards the large ship and entered through the window of the Captain's Quarters.

Black Beard was sitting at his desk, working on something the shape shifter had no care for. Morwen changed form, but this time he became the size of a human. Seeing the captain tense up at the sight of him almost made him smile, but Morwen was too angry to get much pleasure from the sight. The evil pirate set his quill to the side, sat up straight, and looked at the just as evil being in the eyes.

"What can I do for you Morwen?" Black Beard calmly asks.

"Why don't you explain to me why the little fairy I left in your charge is now gallivanting in Pixie Hollow as none other than a new Hawk Rider? Also explain to me why I wasn't notified of her escape in the first place?" Was Morwen's reply, his deep voice sending shivers down the pirates spine.

Trying hard not to show emotion to the dark creature, the pirate confessed "I regret her escape, but I had assumed she had perished in the ocean and felt it was of no matter to ask you to come here for that specific reason. However, I did 'discipline' the man, who was the cause of the fairies escape, quite severely in your stead as any Captain would do."

Suddenly, Morwen had the pirate lifted up by the throat and with anger in his voice, fumed on "But you forget one thing, I needed that fairy to help me bring down the barrier over Pixie Hollow so my master could feed off of the magical energy of the Pixie Dust Tree and now, this fairy has gone to become our destruction. All because of your idiocy as a human."

"What must I do to make this right?" Black Beard questions, becoming desperate for air.

Setting the pirate down, the shape shifter inquired "How many cannon balls do you have at the moment?"

"None at the moment, we used the last of our reserves to fight off Captain Hook and his idiotic crew."

"Then that is your assignment, I need you to build enough cannon balls necessary to destroy Pixie Hollow."

"Won't they be destroyed by the barrier?"

With a cold and calculating smile, Morwen answers "Leave that to me." and with this, he turns into a crow and flies out the window.

Back in Pixie Hollow, the storm continued and both Artemis and Terrence spent the few hours getting to know one another, with Tinkerbell joining in every once and a while. It was strange really, even though Artemis had only known her brother for a few hours, she felt like she had known him her life. Even though the animal fairy didn't know it, but Tinkerbell could tell Terrence felt the same way just by how comfortable he already was with his sister. It made the tinker fairy smile and remember how it was like when she had met her sister Periwinkle.

"I can't believe that actually worked!" Terrence exclaimed as Artemis recounted what happened when Strider attacked the fairies. "How did you know how to do that anyways?"

"By watching the pirates make nets for catching fish in the ocean." Artemis answers.

At this mention, the tone of her brother became more serious as Tinkerbell joins in the conversation "How did you escape, you never said?"

Sighing as she had been expecting this for quite a long time now, Artemis went back through the memory in her mind and began her tale "For years I was stuck in a cage with no way out. I stayed silent as conversation wouldn't have mattered, because they couldn't understand me. However, whenever they would let me be outside I was able to study them. I studied what they made and how they made it, their sleeping patterns, and their usual morning routines. Inside Captain Black Beard's room, I taught myself how to read from his books and from this, I began to learn how to strategize. So I decided to strategize my escape." the memory was in full force in her mind as she described her story.

"One of Black Beard's crew was sewing a new dress for me out of a piece of cloth that was once used to clean the ship. Then we both heard another crew member calling him for something, and the human laid his needle next to the cage without even thinking I might grab it. I grabbed it and when he was officially gone, I hid the needle and feigned sleep the rest of the day. Early in morning of the next day when Black Beard and most of his crew were asleep, I used the needle to try to pick the lock on the cage. It took me a while and I wasn't sure if it was ever going to work, but then I finally heard a click and the lock came undone." She paused to take a quick breath as her forehead began to bead with sweat. "The cage creaked as it opened and I saw the Captain begin to stir from his sleep, when out of nowhere something hit the ship at full force. Black Beard then went to see what was going on and that was when I excited out of my cage and began to climb down from the table it was perched on. Finally free, I squeezed myself under the crack of the door and was all of a sudden in the midst of a battle. The pirates were all distracted as they were being attacked by another ship I later saw in the distance. It was raining and there was debris everywhere from the onslaught. I didn't want to wait to be squished or captured by one of the pirates again and so I started dragging a piece of wood off the side of the ship. There wasn't anything for me to lose at this point and so I jumped onto the floating wood, even though the sea below me was dark and waves were crashing into each other. Then the next thing I know, I wake up in Pixie Hollow and that's it."

After she recounted her tale, Artemis noticed Terrence looking downcast and was about to question why, when he conceded "All this time I'd been here living a happy life with personal problems that don't really matter, and you've been locked up alone without me or anyone else there to protect you."

Tears began to well up in the animal fairies eyes as her own brother's realization hit her at full force. For weeks she had tried to put the past behind her, thinking it no longer mattered now she was finally amongst her own kind. However, he was right and remembering her conversation with Dash the night before, hiding behind her invisible mask was something she could not do. She can't go on pretending she is truly happy now she has friends and a family, but must accept she is a broken person who needs to heal.

Suddenly, Tinkerbell holds both Artemis and Terrence's hands with tears of her own in her eyes, and added "At least she now has you Terrence to give her new memories to replace all the bad and Artemis you don't realize it yet, but your brother is really good at that."

"Thanks Tink." Terrence replies, smiling at his friend.

"Well it's true." The tinker fairy implored, returning the smile.

The trio continued to talk until the rain finally stopped. When both her friend and newfound brother got up to leave, Artemis walked them out the door and was given a hug by both of them. It was nothing new receiving a hug from Tinkerbell, but the hug from Terrence was a whole new feeling all together. It made her feel warm, safe, and excited for the memories yet to come. Artemis didn't even care about forgetting to ask them about the Winter Woods as she eventually drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note: Well here's another chapter! I don't got much to say this time except that I hope you all enjoyed it! Please let me know what you all thought!