Status: In Progress
Journey of a Lifetime
Chapter 8
Present:
Night fell quickly. I leaned against the railing of Peter’s room. The lost boys were dancing. Henry continued to sulk and refused to play Peter’s game. But Peter was staring into the fire, thinking. Planning. He liked to be many moves ahead of everyone.
The fire went out and all the boys fell under a sleeping spell. Expect Peter. I saw the purple specks hit the barrier around me. The entire tree house around Peter’s hut was protected. He was cautious sometimes.
Peter stood up, saying, “We have a guest. No doubt someone who knows I like guessing games. Who could it be?”
There’s only one person it could be. I climbed down to the ground, waiting by the base of the tree. If this was an attack by him, I didn’t want to be in the middle of it.
“I guess.” Peter lifted his hand, lighting the fire. “The Dark One. Come to save Henry, have ya? The Dark One come to sacrifice his life for his family. Speaking of family, you can come out now Baelfire.”
Baelfire came out of the woods, holding up a crossbow. This would not end well. I crept forward, almost beside Peter.
“The name’s Neal now,” he replied.
“New name but the same old tricks.” Peter held his arm out to keep me from moving him. “It’s heartwarming to see father and son working together. Especially after you abandoned him, Rumple. This is a real family reunion.”
“Lucy, don’t get in my way,” Baelfire said. He should know that shooting at Peter wouldn’t work. Unless he already thought of that.
“What are you waiting for?” Rumple spoke to Baelfire but watched Peter.
“I got this.” Baelfire shot at Peter.
As expected, he caught it, smiling a little. I could feel my heart beating through my chest. He was close enough to me that I could see the arrow well. The tip wasn’t coated with anything. A normal arrow couldn’t kill Peter even if it did hit him.
“Clever, but we’ve been through this before Baelfire. Have you remembered nothing?” Peter asked.
“I remembered plenty,” Baelfire replied. Peter looked over the arrow. There was a dark spot on the wood. He threw the arrow down. “That’s why I didn’t coat the tip.”
A paralyzing magic started to control Peter. It wouldn’t kill him but it gave them a start. This would be the moment of power I had over him. I looked down at the arrow.
“Grab Henry,” Rumple said. He came over to me, seizing me by the arm. “Not today, dearie. You’re coming with us.”
“I’m impressed. Are you sure you’re really saving him Bae?” Peter asked. The prophecy. Of course he would play that card right now.
“What could be worse than leaving him here with you?”
“Why don’t you ask your father? Sometimes the people we should fear the most are the ones closest to us,” Peter said. He looked from Rumple to me. He would find us. We wouldn’t make it off the island.
“What’s he talking about?”
“Don’t listen to him,” Rumple said.
“You mean you haven’t told him? About the prophecy.” Peter smiled slightly. He was driving a wedge between Rumple and Baelfire. This would slow us down.
“What prophecy?” Baelfire asked.
“The prophecy that says you’ve been tricked. Your father isn’t here to rescue your son. He’s here to murder him,” Peter said.
“Let’s put some distance between us and here,” I said. I might be able to resolve this, but not with Peter around.
We walked for a good while in silence until we came upon a small clearing. Baelfire set down Henry before questioning Rumple about the prophecy. I could run but Peter would find me either way.
I dreaded how angry he would be. He saw the contemplation of whether or not I should kill him. He’ll want to make sure that I don’t think of something so stupid again. I scraped my foot in the dirt.
I was brought out of thoughts by Baelfire yelling. Rumple started to explain the prophecy. He began to pleas with Bae. He wanted to mend what had been broken. Baelfire sat down beside me.
“It’s been a long time,” Baelfire said. I rubbed my hands on my jeans.
“You grew up.” I smiled. I knew him from when he was a lost boy… from when everything was good here.
“You don’t look like you’ve aged at all,” he replied.
“Curses will do that to you,” I said and stared at the fire.
“So will the promiseo f never growing up and a powerful lover.” Lover. I hated that word. He always used to tell me when we’d go the lagoon at night. We’d been good friends. I should have left with him.
“Tell me what I have to do to gain your trust again and I will,” Rumple interrupted. I always thought him to be a good man. He just always makes the wrong choice. Choosing darkness over light.
“Give me the Dark One dagger. I know you. I know you wouldn’t come all the way here to Neverland without it. It’s the only thing that can control you. It’s the only thing that can stop you. You wouldn’t take any chances with it,” Baelfire said.
“I don’t have it,” Rumple pleaded.
“Why are you lying?”
“I’m not lying to you, Bae. I hid it. So Pan wouldn’t get it. So he couldn’t stop me.”
“He’s telling the truth, Baelfire,” I interjected. I could tell he had a genuine good intention. The same intention he had that day on the ship. He loved his son.
“So unhide it!” Baelfire yelled.
“My shadow took it.” Rumple was losing his connection with Baelfire.
“Shadow?” Baelfire started to laugh, and then he stood up. “You have answer for everything don’t you?”
I tuned out the rest of their argument. No one would listen to me. The dagger was taken by Rumple’s shadow. That information could be useful to Peter. It could keep him from locking me up, or worse. Can I give up such important information? Would I want Peter to have the dagger?
“Bael, what are you doing?” Rumple asked. I looked up to see that paralyzing magic had been used on him.
“I’m going to find Emma and the others and get the hell off this island. I’m going to get my family back home. Let’s go, Lucy.” Baelfire had picked up Henry and I followed after him.
“You can’t go into the jungle alone,” Rumple said. “Without my power to protect you, Pan will capture you all.”
“I’m sorry but I’ve got no choice. We’re safer without you. Goodbye Papa,” Baelfire said, and then we headed out into the jungle.
He was wrong. Henry and I would be taken back to the camp. Baelfire would be locked away somewhere. Rumple might make mistakes but he had magic. Magic that could match Pan’s power. I chewed on my lip in silence. I hated his games.
Night fell quickly. I leaned against the railing of Peter’s room. The lost boys were dancing. Henry continued to sulk and refused to play Peter’s game. But Peter was staring into the fire, thinking. Planning. He liked to be many moves ahead of everyone.
The fire went out and all the boys fell under a sleeping spell. Expect Peter. I saw the purple specks hit the barrier around me. The entire tree house around Peter’s hut was protected. He was cautious sometimes.
Peter stood up, saying, “We have a guest. No doubt someone who knows I like guessing games. Who could it be?”
There’s only one person it could be. I climbed down to the ground, waiting by the base of the tree. If this was an attack by him, I didn’t want to be in the middle of it.
“I guess.” Peter lifted his hand, lighting the fire. “The Dark One. Come to save Henry, have ya? The Dark One come to sacrifice his life for his family. Speaking of family, you can come out now Baelfire.”
Baelfire came out of the woods, holding up a crossbow. This would not end well. I crept forward, almost beside Peter.
“The name’s Neal now,” he replied.
“New name but the same old tricks.” Peter held his arm out to keep me from moving him. “It’s heartwarming to see father and son working together. Especially after you abandoned him, Rumple. This is a real family reunion.”
“Lucy, don’t get in my way,” Baelfire said. He should know that shooting at Peter wouldn’t work. Unless he already thought of that.
“What are you waiting for?” Rumple spoke to Baelfire but watched Peter.
“I got this.” Baelfire shot at Peter.
As expected, he caught it, smiling a little. I could feel my heart beating through my chest. He was close enough to me that I could see the arrow well. The tip wasn’t coated with anything. A normal arrow couldn’t kill Peter even if it did hit him.
“Clever, but we’ve been through this before Baelfire. Have you remembered nothing?” Peter asked.
“I remembered plenty,” Baelfire replied. Peter looked over the arrow. There was a dark spot on the wood. He threw the arrow down. “That’s why I didn’t coat the tip.”
A paralyzing magic started to control Peter. It wouldn’t kill him but it gave them a start. This would be the moment of power I had over him. I looked down at the arrow.
“Grab Henry,” Rumple said. He came over to me, seizing me by the arm. “Not today, dearie. You’re coming with us.”
“I’m impressed. Are you sure you’re really saving him Bae?” Peter asked. The prophecy. Of course he would play that card right now.
“What could be worse than leaving him here with you?”
“Why don’t you ask your father? Sometimes the people we should fear the most are the ones closest to us,” Peter said. He looked from Rumple to me. He would find us. We wouldn’t make it off the island.
“What’s he talking about?”
“Don’t listen to him,” Rumple said.
“You mean you haven’t told him? About the prophecy.” Peter smiled slightly. He was driving a wedge between Rumple and Baelfire. This would slow us down.
“What prophecy?” Baelfire asked.
“The prophecy that says you’ve been tricked. Your father isn’t here to rescue your son. He’s here to murder him,” Peter said.
“Let’s put some distance between us and here,” I said. I might be able to resolve this, but not with Peter around.
We walked for a good while in silence until we came upon a small clearing. Baelfire set down Henry before questioning Rumple about the prophecy. I could run but Peter would find me either way.
I dreaded how angry he would be. He saw the contemplation of whether or not I should kill him. He’ll want to make sure that I don’t think of something so stupid again. I scraped my foot in the dirt.
I was brought out of thoughts by Baelfire yelling. Rumple started to explain the prophecy. He began to pleas with Bae. He wanted to mend what had been broken. Baelfire sat down beside me.
“It’s been a long time,” Baelfire said. I rubbed my hands on my jeans.
“You grew up.” I smiled. I knew him from when he was a lost boy… from when everything was good here.
“You don’t look like you’ve aged at all,” he replied.
“Curses will do that to you,” I said and stared at the fire.
“So will the promiseo f never growing up and a powerful lover.” Lover. I hated that word. He always used to tell me when we’d go the lagoon at night. We’d been good friends. I should have left with him.
“Tell me what I have to do to gain your trust again and I will,” Rumple interrupted. I always thought him to be a good man. He just always makes the wrong choice. Choosing darkness over light.
“Give me the Dark One dagger. I know you. I know you wouldn’t come all the way here to Neverland without it. It’s the only thing that can control you. It’s the only thing that can stop you. You wouldn’t take any chances with it,” Baelfire said.
“I don’t have it,” Rumple pleaded.
“Why are you lying?”
“I’m not lying to you, Bae. I hid it. So Pan wouldn’t get it. So he couldn’t stop me.”
“He’s telling the truth, Baelfire,” I interjected. I could tell he had a genuine good intention. The same intention he had that day on the ship. He loved his son.
“So unhide it!” Baelfire yelled.
“My shadow took it.” Rumple was losing his connection with Baelfire.
“Shadow?” Baelfire started to laugh, and then he stood up. “You have answer for everything don’t you?”
I tuned out the rest of their argument. No one would listen to me. The dagger was taken by Rumple’s shadow. That information could be useful to Peter. It could keep him from locking me up, or worse. Can I give up such important information? Would I want Peter to have the dagger?
“Bael, what are you doing?” Rumple asked. I looked up to see that paralyzing magic had been used on him.
“I’m going to find Emma and the others and get the hell off this island. I’m going to get my family back home. Let’s go, Lucy.” Baelfire had picked up Henry and I followed after him.
“You can’t go into the jungle alone,” Rumple said. “Without my power to protect you, Pan will capture you all.”
“I’m sorry but I’ve got no choice. We’re safer without you. Goodbye Papa,” Baelfire said, and then we headed out into the jungle.
He was wrong. Henry and I would be taken back to the camp. Baelfire would be locked away somewhere. Rumple might make mistakes but he had magic. Magic that could match Pan’s power. I chewed on my lip in silence. I hated his games.