Chapter 11: The Dark One

PETER PAN'S POV

Peter Pan was lounging in the tree branches in the middle of where the boys hunted most frequently. He was quiet so they could find animals, but he could still hear their voices due to his heightened senses. They were only murmurs, so they were pretty far. He smirked as he crossed his arms behind his head, lying back and enjoying being on his island with his brothers playing. Despite what many thought, he really did care about them, and always paid attention to them. He heard a faint whoop that sounded like Michael. The boy was on the younger spectrum of the group and was still clumsy with a bow and arrow, but it sounded like he'd gotten something. Peter nodded in congratulations, even though the boy couldn't see.

He wondered how the little princess was doing. She'd been hunting and playing with the boys daily now. He liked that, it was good to see that she could adapt and was just as strong—if not stronger, even without her magic—as they were. He was proud of her. He'd never even thought of taking a girl, so when the Shadow brought her he had been angry and confused. But his Shadow never failed him, and she had been increasingly interesting. She still was, there was a lot she didn't mention, he could tell. But all the boys had their pasts, and they were all unpleasant, so he didn't push. He was proud of his boys too, for taking her in so well. Of course, they'd been just as confused and curious as he was at first, they just expressed it more openly. Once he and Felix had demonstrated that she was with them, however, the brothers had let her be their first sister. Even now, as she started going into the forest with them, they kept to tamer games like touch-tag and hide-and-seek to let her get comfortable.

He heard three pairs of footsteps run in an unusual direction, off the hunting paths but closer to where he was. One of the footsteps was lighter and had a faint swish trailing behind it. Not to mention the magical aura around them was so strong he could feel it from where he was. His princess, of course. The princess. Then two of the footsteps stopped, but hers kept going farther away. He furrowed his eyebrows, but she was adventurous and much stronger than she realized, so she had probably just outrun them. She could handle herself, anyway; Felix had mentioned multiple times how impressed he was while training her. Peter tried not to worry about her and redirected his focus to the other boys.

He closed his eyes and hummed a random tune to himself, one with no rhythm but it was still lulling. Drowsily, he focused on Felix, who walked with longer, stealthier strides than the others. Felix also had more magic than the other boys, so Peter could easily track him using his aura. He loved Felix, he was the closest of his brothers, and was completely loyal to him. He always had been. Felix had been the first boy he brought, and the two had become inseparable. This history and proved loyalty let Peter trust Felix and make him his second-in-command. Lately, he'd enjoyed hearing Felix talk about the princess as much as he did, although the occasional twinges in his chest were getting on his nerves. Felix was sauntering through the forest, keeping a general eye on the boys.

Peter thought back to auras, particularly his, Felix's, and the princess', since they were the strongest. All the boys had some magic, but their auras were faint and the magic was only enough for things like campfires or card tricks. He'd tried to explain auras to her, but they were difficult. He could just sort of feel them, like feeling a finger or toe. They were just there, extensions of him.

Peter heard his footsteps stop, and sat up. Felix usually slowed to a stop, not suddenly stumble to one. He had heard another pair of footsteps scamper up to Felix's and heard a faint 'oof', so one of the boys must have crashed into him. Peter expected them to just move on, but they didn't and the sounds got louder. He could hear Felix half-yelling at the boy; Peter swung his legs and sat on the edge of his branch. Felix didn't yell at boys for running into him, they were brothers not self-absorbed kings. He would have to have a word with him…

His thought drifted as the pair of footsteps picked up again, but this time they were hasty and clumsy, scattering leaves and thudding against rocks, clearly not hunting anymore. They were going farther away and in that other direction again. The same one the little princess had run in. He focused intently again: the other boys were hunting as normal, but he couldn't hear the princess' footsteps at all anymore, and Felix's and the other boy's were getting farther away.

Then he felt the bolt of magic and he nearly fell off the branch from the force of it. It wasn't even directed at him, it was surprisingly well-contained in one spot. One spot in the direction Felix's footsteps had gone in. He felt what it was: a circle carved out, very small, by a wall of fire. The fire wasn't spreading, but the magic fueling it was incredible. It clicked. There were a handful of people in all the realms combined who had as much power as he did, and as much to do that. And only one other person on the island right now. He leapt down and started running in the direction he heard them go, not wanting to transport in case he got too close or added too much magic. She was causing it, he could feel how out of control the magic was, being fueled by emotion. But what had gotten her so angry? And it wasn't spreading, which meant it was directed at something.

Suddenly it disappeared, and he skidded to a halt, looking around. He could feel the residue of the magic still lingering, and the island's own magic immediately working to heal the burnt plants. But the fire was just gone. All that emotion, all that magic, was far too quiet.

It changed again, building back up, but then was stopped, like water with a cap on. Peter realized how wrong it was: no one had the power to stop her when she was this powerful. He was still very far away, and even he swayed a bit off-balance by it. She was fueling it, so who was capping it, and who other than he was strong enough to do that? A few names came to mind, none pleasant and certainly none possible.

"Damn," he muttered, and transported, focusing on Felix instead of their princess. He was thrown off in the middle of his trip by her magic again. He was closer, but now sprawled across a tree root. Before trying again, he focused all his senses on her. Her magic, fueled again by reckless emotion, but this time it was fear. Magic fueled by emotion felt different than controlled, it was more powerful—so much that it could physically affect others who sensed it. Thus, he was staggering instead of walking. But fear-fueled magic was worse than anger, it was the least controlled, and the most desperate. She could end up killing herself on accident. He had to get to her fast.

He was about to transport again when he heard the most terrifying, heartbreaking sound he'd ever heard in his life. Peter Pan had heard men being killed, children being beaten and abused, all the sounds of the helpless. The ones the boys uttered broke his heart every time, that's why he had started taking them in the first place. But this sound didn't just sadden him, it scared him. He, Peter Pan, was scared. He would have laughed had it not been what it was. He just knew the screams belonged to her. And they weren't just out of fear; the continuous, piercing sounds were out of sadness and anger as well. He doubled over and clutched his head, trying to push past the sound.

He felt a jolt as she let out a wave of magic, and heard three bodies hit trees with dull thuds. Felix and the boy. And another boy, perhaps? But then what was she fighting and screaming at? Another wave jolted through, but it was directed this time. She was definitely against someone. And whoever it was must be strong, if they were still alive after the power she was hurtling at them. Peter wasn't even in the line of fire and he was getting dizzy. He fell to his knees and swore.

"Damn it, Princess, stop so I can help you," he pleaded to the forest floor. It did. Her magic was subdued, but not by him. He felt his stomach drop, someone very strong was here, and she was in serious trouble. How Peter hadn't felt him come was beyond him, but he didn't think about it right now. He focused on her aura, more nervous the more he felt it. It was like fire through a stained glass window: the colors were muted and distorted, the heat was almost nonexistent. But it was still there. "Good girl," he murmured, a quick shot of pride at her strength zipping through him as he took a running start before transporting himself to Felix.

As he appeared in a new part of the forest, one just outside the boys' hunting area, he heard two pairs of footsteps sprinting away, one light and one far too heavy. Felix and Daniel were picking themselves up from against trees, shaking their heads urgently to clear the haze.

"What happened?" Peter demanded. The boys gathered their fallen weapons and started running after their princess, Felix jerking his head for Peter to follow.

"Pan, he's after her. He—I don't know what he did, but I could feel her reaction—so could you," he bit out between strides. "It's bad, and she's in trouble."

"Who is it?" Peter bit back, keeping stride with him as Daniel fell slightly behind. Peter and Felix were the fastest.

Felix grabbed hold of his arm, "So you don't lose your pace," he huffed out, "The Dark One."

Peter was glad Felix was holding him, because he did stumble. "Keep going," he ordered, wrenching his arm out of his grip and stopping, "I've got your back." Felix nodded and sprinted ahead, Daniel on his heels.

Peter reached into his pocket and dug out the little pouch of pixie dust he always kept with him. He had more back at the campsite, but he liked to keep a little just in case. It really shouldn't be used often, all magic came with prices and pixie dust's demands were unpredictable, but he needed it now. The Dark One would sense them coming, but if Peter flew over him, he wouldn't pick up on it as fast. Still, he sent Felix and Daniel in case he was too distracted by her, or if Peter needed a distraction to get her out.

Sprinkling it on himself, and of course believing it would make him fly to her, he jumped into the air and sped over the treetops. Listening to the footsteps, he followed their course, but then Felix stopped. Peter heard her and the Dark One, having turned off the path, and swooped to get the boys' attention. He pointed and they nodded, running in the direction.

Peter started after them, increasing his speed. If she stayed straight, she'd hit the cliffs—not far from where he'd taken her to see the sunrise actually. She didn't know the island, he remembered angrily, he hadn't let her go out very far, she had no idea where she was going.

The cliffs were in sight, and so was she. She was just picking herself up, a few steps from the edge, when the Dark One emerged from the tree line. Peter saw her try to run to the side but the imp threw up a wall. He swore as he suddenly readjusted his body, shooting vertically to get over the unnecessarily high wall of magic. He couldn't afford to spend his energy trying to break through it. As he climbed, Peter looked down occasionally to check. Just as he flung himself over the top and began to go back down, she was facing the Dark One straight on, but not moving.

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Princess?" he muttered, lowering himself as quickly as he dare without being detected by the Dark One. He was just below the tops of the trees when she turned, ran, and flung herself off the edge.

Peter abandoned all thought after that as he saw her body twist to face the sky, her eyes wide but her arms by her sides, refusing to let the imp get her. Peter screamed and dove, forgetting the intruder and focusing solely on saving his princess. He felt a tugging on his leg but flung his magic back, knocking it off.

He got closer, his body completely vertical and streamline, his fingers inches from where her body would be. He was plummeting to the side of her, and once he was a bit below her, he angled himself back up. He drifted over her and reached out, wrapping his arms around her waist and flying them horizontally for a moment, putting distance between them and the Dark One and slowing her descent. The ends of her hair were just dipping into the ocean when he gradually angled them so they rose again.

Her arms were locked around his neck and her head buried in his chest; it was a bit difficult to breathe but he didn't comment, he was holding her just as tightly. She was shaking, practically vibrating, against him. Again, he didn't complain, as he could feel himself shaking and his breathing was ragged. He sped up, wanting her on safe ground as soon as possible.

At the top of the cliff, this one a good mile or so away from the Dark One's wall, he landed, falling to his knees from the adrenaline slowly leaving him. She kept her hold on him, curled against him, and he just hugged her back. She was shaking and sobbing dryly.

"Peter, Peter," she breathed quietly, muffled against him. He couldn't help but smile a tiny smile at that, it'd been a long time since anyone said his name. Even Felix usually called him 'Pan'. He ran one hand's fingers gently through her tangled hair, rocking her slightly.

"Shh," he murmured, "you're alright now, I've got you, it's alright. You're safe now." He kept repeating this to her, trying his best to soothe her. Girls were different than boys; boys just needed a slap on the back and to be handed a new knife, and off they ran to keep playing. None of this hugging and talking stuff. Not that Peter particularly didn't like it. Granted, none of his brothers had jumped to their deaths. And then lived. If Peter himself was this shaken, he could imagine the earthquake that was going through her.

He just hugged her, relieved to know she was with him, and safe. He had been scared, he realized, really truly scared when he saw her jump. After a few minutes, she was breathing normally and the shaking reduced to slight tremors. She was still clinging to him stiffly, so he transported them back to the campsite. He picked her up and carried her into his tent and lay her down in his cot. He disentangled himself from her and stood, but she grasped his hand.

"No, please don't leave me," she gasped, eyes wide. He shushed her and leaned down, gripping her shoulders firmly.

"I'll come back, I promise. I have to make sure he leaves," he whispered. "I promise, I'll come back right here, and you'll be here, understood?" she nodded mutely, and let go of his hand slowly. "I'll come back," he said again, before slipping out of the tent and transporting back to the cliff.

The Dark One was standing at the edge of the cliff, fuming, clearly not knowing how to handle losing. Peter scoffed, the idiot. Of course he'd lose, he was up against Peter Pan. Those who cross Peter Pan never come back happy, and those who try to take something Peter Pan values, don't usually come back at all. Peter would have laughed, taunted the imp for losing. But he really wasn't in the mood, surprisingly enough. What shocked him internally was how much he just wanted to make sure he left and get the hell back to his princess.

Nodding for the Lost Boys, the rest of whom Felix and Daniel must have gathered, to come out of the trees, Peter stood behind him. The boys came out and formed a line behind him, cutting the two off from the forest. "Dark One," Peter spat.

The Dark One turned and sneered. Looks like he wasn't in the mood for taunting either. Then he scanned Peter up and down, and smirked. "Our dear little princess is dead, sorry," he bit.

"Our? You mean ours," Peter gestured to himself and the boys, and narrowed his eyes, "not yours." The boys reacted, gripping their weapons tighter and shifting, eager to fight. It made Peter proud, how readily they defended her. He glanced around and saw the protectiveness and anger in their faces, and he grinned. Even when the imp raised his hands and produced two balls of fire, Peter saw no hesitation in even the youngest of them. He loved his brothers. He turned back to the Dark One, confident. "Leave, Dark One. You lost. We won. She's safe, and out of your reach." Peter smirked darkly.

"I have a deal with her parents, dearie, and thus, with her. My deals don't break," the Dark One sneered.

"This one does. Sorry," Peter shrugged, mockingly sympathetic. Then, he straightened and his eyes narrowed, back to business. "You have two minutes to leave. Think fast, and hope your magic can be that quick." The Lost Boys walked closer, surrounding them so that the imp couldn't move. He giggled at them.

"Little boys with pointy sticks, how charming," he gestured flamboyantly.

"Yes," Peter nodded. "And in one minute and fifty-seven seconds, you'll feel how pointy the sticks can be. I'm being kind, giving you time. One second over, and I let them hunt you like a squirrel," Peter sneered lowly. The Dark One clenched his jaw, and strode towards the edge of the cliff. He conducted a spell, opening a portal a few feet below the edge.

He turned back to them and nodded at the portal, suspended in midair, right through where their princess had fallen earlier. "So sure she's with you?" he giggled, and jumped.

The portal closed and the boys immediately crowded around Peter. He was assaulted with their anxious cacophony of questions and exclamations.

"Pan, you did it! You saved her!"

"She is really saved right? She didn't die, did she?"

"Why'd you give him time to leave?"

"Aw, no, Pan, you didn't let her die! Please, you caught her right?"

"What took you so long to get here?"

"Is he coming back?"

"Will we get to kill him when he comes back?"

"She's not really with him, right?"

"I wanted to roast Dark One tonight! Why didn't you let us get him?"

"Where is she, Pan? Is she alright?"

"Pan, where's our sister?"

He silenced them with a raise of his hand at that last one, narrowing his eyes at the one who said it, Robert. "What did you say?" he asked briskly. A bit too harshly, for the boy dropped his gaze.

He mumbled, with a little pink tinge on his ears, "I-I just asked where…w-where's our…um, our…well, we sort of think of her as our…our f-first sister, I guess…we've never had a girl before, but she's so nice and pretty and, and, and, and she shoots better than us all!" he finished, out of breath, hazel eyes wide.

Peter grinned at them. They looked nervous, but Felix, recognizing it as a grin of something other than mischief, raised an eyebrow. "My brothers," he started, grinning at them all and waiting until they looked back up at him, calmer. "Your new sister," he paused for the shy whoops and smiles at the title, "is safe back at camp."

The boys grinned and took that as the signal to go back. Felix stayed behind and arched his eyebrow at Peter. "She really is our sister, eh?" he chuckled. "They've been calling her that long before now, you know." Trust Felix to know the boys better than he did sometimes.

Peter just nodded. Felix mocked a salute and started after them. Peter took the short cut and transported himself to his tent.

Stepping inside, he found her right in the cot where he had left her, and he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. A part of him must have believed the Dark One's threat after all. Just to be sure, he reached out and ran his fingers through her tangled mass of white hair, feeling its magic pulse in his fingers. She was asleep, her breathing unsteady, but her hair glowed and he ran his hands, glowing gold, in the air over her body. His magic detected no wounds or anything else unusual, so he just sighed and left.

The boys arrived to see him sitting in front of a medium-sized bonfire a few steps away from the front of his tent. He looked up and met their eyes, putting a finger to his lips. They nodded, and sat around the fire to cook and eat their food. It was the one of the quietest meals they had ever shared, but the boys weren't quiet out of fear, rather out of consideration. Peter lost count of how many times today they had made him proud. They were always so good whenever anything serious happened to anyone.

Harry, the youngest at ten years old—when he was taken—and twenty years spent on the island, crawled over to Peter and handed him the carcass of a raccoon. "She got it after all," the boy grinned. Daniel and Robert burst into laughter.

"We were with her when we saw it," Robert said quickly. "We started hunting it but it ran. She took off after it."

"Only the magic-haired princess, the only girl in Neverland, would catch a raccoon in the middle a' the afternoon, 'n' then face the Dark One," Daniel finished. Peter chuckled and shook his head.