Chapter Text
Quartermaster Ignatius "Gentleman" Starkey stood on the forecastle surveying the day. The sun was shining, the birds singing their merry tunes over the cool breeze that relieved any ardent sunbeam that lingered too long on the flesh. The mermaids splashed in their lagoon off in the distance, and the distant laughter of young men racing their wild ponies down the banks of the shore. It was a beautiful, peaceful day in Never Neverland and everyone was enjoying it.
Almost everyone.
Mr. Starkey turned a dark eye towards the scent of cigar wafting from the prow and followed it, gritting his teeth and muttering under his breath.
“What are you doing here?”
Captain Hook turned his gaze from the island to his quartermaster, studying him before blowing smoke directly up at his irritated expression.
“You told me to get out of my quarters.”
“Yes, it is an improvement that you set more than twenty feet away from your wretched lair, but hiding at the prow is not what I meant.”
James held up his left hand helplessly. “What the fuck do you want from me? You said ‘get out’ and I went to the furthest point on my ship.”
“That is precisely my point; you are still on the ship.”
“You did not specify leaving the Jolly Roger.”
“It was implied.”
“You have never possessed difficulty expressing exactly what you mean, Mr. Starkey, so I do not see why it has become such an obstacle for you now.”
“James!” Ignatius snapped, hands on his narrow hips twitching with an urge to take the whip at his hip and give his captain the lashing he so richly deserved. “Your petulance is not appreciated.” His eyes flicked to the bottle of port at his captain’s feet, nearly empty. “Nor your drinking.”
James rolled his eyes and turned his head away from his quartermaster. “Don’t you have other duties to attend to?”
Starkey shifted uncomfortably. “I am. Right now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been putting this off for as long as I could, James. Truly, I have.”
“What?" James scoffed. "Have the men voted me off?”
“Not yet,” Ignatius was quick to reply. “Though they seem to be growing weary of the fights with Pan you seem to be endlessly spoiling for again. I have managed to quell what grumbles have risen, but they are recent gripes as our situation has worsened.”
“Pray, quartermaster o’ mine, what is our situation?”
Ignatius folded his arms against his chest defensively, preparing for the fight. “We are running low on supplies.”
“Why the dramatics? Send a hunting party-”
“This is beyond meat, James,” Ignatius snapped. “We have replenished our meat locker four times over now, not that you took any notice. This is flour, sugar, tea, salt, all of it-”
“Trade, then,”
“Not possible. The Tribe needs to preserve their stores and besides which, the ship herself needs repairs. Smee has been losing sleep over it and his desire not to trouble us about it. Upon my insistence, he showed me yesterday. She’s covered in barnacles. The quarterdeck has loose planks, we need to forge new barrels...we need to careen.” Ignatius sighed. “We need to return to Dénete.”
Hook looked away. “Out of the question.”
Ignatius dropped into a squat, trying to push past his own pain to make his captain see sense. “James. We cannot go on like this. Neverland’s magic extends to the Jolly Roger only so far; she must be tended to as we must still eat to live despite our agelessness. It is time.”
Feeling a particular surge of malice bubble up inside of him, Hook muttered before he could stop himself, “Is it time for you to move back into your own quarters, then?”
Winded as if a blow had struck the very breath out of him, Ignatius stood up and glared daggers at his best and oldest friend in the world. This is when the Captain expected to hear a huffy 'Fuck you, James' but was mildly surprised to hear Ignatius stalk off in wounded silence instead. Bowing his forehead to rest against his bent knee, James Hook continued to wallow in his own self pity.
--------
That evening, James managed to half forget the argument as he nibbled on his dinner of cold boar and potatoes to give the appearance of being too unconcerned to care whether Ignatius joined him or not. His solitude slowly grew uncomfortable as his eyes kept darting to the trunk at the furthest corner of his quarters. Wendy's trunk, all of her belongings safely tucked away by a very thoughtful Smee after James had blacked out from that first - of numerous - binges. The trunk served as a constant reminder of his failures as a man and husband.
"We were not truly wed," James had argued in a drunken stupor to Ignatius one of those first awful nights after Wendy abruptly left him. "So perhaps we were only playing pretend!"
"Well, she spent many years with Pan," conceded Iggy, then agreeable in their mutual desire to commiserate and drink away their heartbreak.
"Exactly! The vixen has been taught by the master of deception. Perhaps none of it was real!"
"A most elegant and intricate farce," Ignatius had agreed.
"Perhaps! Perhaps..Perhaps even our love...our love...was not..." James swayed on his feet, feeling unsteady at vocalizing his deepest, darkest insecurities. Ignatius had only stared curiously at him, but James managed to pull himself out of his ocean of self-flagellation like a marionette on strings, suddenly smiling and changing the topic of conversation entirely.
By midnight, James could no longer pretend he forgot his harsh words. It wasn't until well after he gave up, extinguished the lights and crawled into bed that Ignatius joined him. Turning onto his side so he could reach out to touch his lover, James reeled his remaining hand back when it was met by a stinging slap.
"Keep your hand to yourself," Ignatius warned. "And any other body parts, I might add."
James rolled onto his back and stared up into the darkness of night, seething with wounded pride.
"Do you think it is easy for me to return to Dénete?" Ignatius asked tersely before tempering his tone. "My brother slain in cold blood, my lover furious at me for being unable to stop you from dragging his well guarded secrets into the open. Our comrade's ship burned to ash because she dared to assist us. I feel the rawness of these wounds, too. Yet we must carry on."
"Why?" James asked meekly, his voice croaking. "Why do we carry on at all?"
He felt Ignatius' sigh.
"Because it is better than the alternative."
James did not need to voice his doubt; they both felt it wedge between them like a chasm.
It felt an age to Hook as the Jolly Roger dropped anchor into the familiar bay. It was strange to see it so empty, with only a dozen or so visiting vessels dotted across the many docking bays. Eager to relieve themselves of the tension and idle boredom that plagued them over the last several months, the crew had to draw sticks for watch duties. James was surprised to see Starkey head below deck. Following him, Hook found his quartermaster in his own quarters tersely packing a rucksack. James hovered in the doorway.
"Staying with Oaken, I presume?" He tried to keep his tone neutral, but he was out of practice and sounded every bit the injured prig he was.
"If he'll have me," Ignatius replied curtly. Hook's eyes darted over to the cot in the far corner, Laddie's bed now cold with disuse. Ignatius pointedly kept his eyes on the task before him, still unable to face the ghosts that haunted his cabin. Once his task was complete, the quartermaster stormed off, brushing past his captain with no lingering words.
James stayed on his beloved ship until they received permission and a careenage location.
"Apologies, Cap'n," Smee blithered, assisting Hook with his packing. "We want our ol' girl looking her best, though, right?"
"Too right, Smee," Hook said obligingly, taking pity on his bo'sun. It wasn't Smee's fault his humor was black as night this last year. "You will stay by the Roger?"
"I will, I will, Cap'n, sir," Smee promised solemnly. "Got a canvas and bedroll and all me simple comforts. Mullins, Cecco, and Jukes will be switching off to stay the time with me."
"Good. Don't let them forget, either. I am sure they are only too eager to crawl to their rooms at the Rogue’s Anchorage and forget their responsibilities."
"Aye, Captain."
"Ensure there is someone on night guard as well," Captain Hook added. "It is the low season, but one cannot be too prudent, given the last time we were here."
"Aye." Smee sat on his Captain’s trunk, grinning with satisfaction when he heard the distinctive click of the lock. James stood up and nodded.
"You know where to send my belongings, then."
"Yes, Cap'n."
----------
There were moments when Captain James Hook wanted to be among his crew at the tavern they co-patronized with the crew of the Storm Breaker, but this was not one of those moments. Having been in a foul mood for over a solar return, Hook thought it best to give ample breath between himself and his crew. He was always welcome at the House of Lilac where Lalita, his good friend, former lover and the good Madame of the Rue des Lumières resided with her partner, Rabi. The Lilac House also offered many distractions catering to his varied proclivities, a feast of flesh which he was determined to gorge upon. He lost himself for an entire week, the pleasures of flesh, drink, and sleep just enough preoccupation to keep his demons at bay. However, no matter how hedonistic his frivolity, it was never enough to sate the plague in his corrupted soul. The wanton debauchery of both men and women were a pale shadow to the profound depths of connectivity he experienced with Wendy; the drink only delayed sleep and sex; sleep itself was haunted with exaggerated reminders of all of his shortcomings. There was no peace for the wicked. Yet, there was naught to do with himself and so Captain James Hook and the den of iniquity carried on. Lalita took his coin grudgingly, but he could tell she was longing to tell him off. He avoided her like he avoided his crew, too sheepish to bear the brunt of disapproval and disappointment in her amber eyes. She only intervened when he attempted to sneak opium in his chamber, her staff far more loyal to their mistress than to his gold. When he expected his drug of mind-numbing bliss, he only found a note written in Lalita’s familiar swirls:
I shall not permit you to destroy yourself, James.
Her rejection of his attempted indulgence drove James to leave the premise during daylight hours, the shame of his misdeeds consuming him as much as his self-pity. Out of fear of bumping into his quartermaster or worse, Lord Oaken, James diverted from his usual drinking and gambling establishments. Instead, he found himself in a quiet corner at the Two-Headed Swan where he enjoyed a hot lunch and, several rounds of darts before becoming engrossed in a series of congenial rounds of poker. As much as sulking melancholically in a corner suited him as a companion, James welcomed the distraction of strangers and good old fashioned tavern chatter. When the late afternoon sun began to descend and James ran out of gold on hand to gamble with, he moved to the bar to refill his tankard when a familiar face sauntered over to him.
"Well, as I live and breathe; Captain James Hook.”
"Captain Rubina," James purred as she slid next to him. "Always an immeasurable pleasure."
“Whatever are you doing here during the low season?" Rubina asked as she nodded to the bartender.
"Repairs and restocks." He took the tankard of ale from the bartender, who subsequently slid a chalice stein to Rubina.
"You were missed at the last two Fete's," Rubina said as she casually butt her stein against his tankards and motioned for him to follow her. The crowd was thickening, locals and several members of Rubina's crew among the recognizable.
"It is good to know I was missed."
Rubina glanced over her shoulder as she led the way out to the veranda. "Do not take what I am about to ask as anything other than pure curiosity, but what do I owe the pleasure of your patronage? Surely you are aware I am a benefactor of this tavern."
"Supporting my friends, of course.”
She shot him a dubious look as they settled in a quiet corner. She was not buying his put on mirth and James deflated a little in the shoulders.
"I am avoiding my quartermaster and his insipid lover."
"I see."
"What finds you in Dénete?"
Rubina's dazzling charm faltered for only a moment before she responded. "My new ship is nearly complete."
James paused, feeling a sobering stab of guilt as he recalled the engulfed wreckage of Rubina's ship, the Crimson Knave.
"Of course. How foolish of me to have forgotten. I do not believe I properly expressed my condolences."
"You did not, but I accept them now."
"Do you have a name for your new vessel?"
"Phoenix Rising." She smirked ruefully. "As its creation rose from the ashes of my former ship."
Hook raised his tankard reverently. "Let us drink to the passing of the Crimson Knave and to the birth of new adventures on the Phoenix Rising."
Rubina looked mildly surprised but nodded. "Very well."
One tankard of ale turned into several more until James found himself heavy lidded and grinning like a sly fox.
"Where is your crew?" He looked around as if he expected them to materialize. "I think I spied Arashi..."
"Here and there," Rubina waved. "Some had to find employment elsewhere to make ends meet, but my core crew has remained with me. Armistice Nocturna has been kind enough to pay for our lodgings and she used Alonso's stores to pay for the Phoenix Rising."
Another stab of infernal guilt as James stared into his tankard. "I see."
"But here we talk and you have not once mentioned Mistress Jill! Where is she? Surely you have not left her alone in Neverland?"
Hook winced at the question, swallowing the rest of his ale in one gulp. He instead turned his piercing blue eyes on the other captain and grinned his most charming grin.
“Do you recall our first adventure together?”
She raised an eyebrow at his sudden change of topic, but did not question it as the memory swept over her. “You mean our last adventure together?”
James threw his head back and chortled. “Yes, trying to pillage the naturally alcoholic meroiti berries on the island of Kuivilla.”
“Those vile little lemming creatures descending on us like a Biblical plague!” Rubina laughed, her wrist raised to partially hide her inescapable mirth.
“You laugh now, Captain Rubina, but I do recall you jumping upon my back like a Balinese monkey, your cutlass slashing dangerously close to my persons.”
“Those horrible little beasts were swarming us! We only escaped by sacrificing those damned berries to their voracious appetites that would have otherwise surely feasted on our ankles, once they gnawed through the leather of our boots.”
“What a wonderful adventure,” James reflected, his eyes glittering with drink and memory. “Tell me, why have we never united our equally formidable forces? What a marvelously powerful pair we would make. You made this observation yourself, did you not?"
Rubina was caught off-guard with his proximity and the query itself. Perplexed by the shift in his whole demeanor, Rubina was too engrossed in thought for a reply to stop his sudden demanding kiss. Astonishment made her body rigid, her eyes wide. After the initial shock wore off, Rubina allowed her eyes to flutter shut and just for a whisper of a moment she leaned into the kiss before remembering herself and abruptly pulling away to crack her open palm across his cheek.
"How dare you." Rubina hissed, instinct compelling her to stagger back from him as she blinked away her intoxication. She raised the back of her hand against her lips as she glared at him, an accusation of betrayal in her green eyes.
Sensing his mistake, but not having the good sense to apologize, James merely gaped at her as he felt the searing burn of her recrimination.
“Captain?”
Rubina whipped around to see Arashi, her quartermaster, peeking around the corner of the open veranda door, hand on the hilt of her kaiken.
“All is well, Arashi. All is well.” She glared at James. “Captain Hook was just biding me a good night before taking his leave.”
It took a moment for his ale logged brain to process Captain Rubina’s dismissal before sending the message down to his feet. Gruffly, he nodded as he passed by his counterpart, feeling the temper radiate from her body as he quickly left the Two-Headed Swan.
Hook hoped everyone was too deep in their cups to have noticed his err with Captain Rubina, and thought he had escaped the prying ears and eyes of a port town until Lalita found him the next evening, marching towards him with great determination.
"Out." The Mistress of the Lilac House demanded of her staff as she kept her piercing amber eyes locked on James. Everyone scurried to leave the dining room, closing the doors behind them.
“James, you really are a scoundrel,” Lalita sighed in frustration with none of her flirt and wink to indicate a jest.
“Everyone loves me for being a scoundrel,” James contested as he swerves for another swig of ale. He had stayed in his room most of the day but hunger and a desire to escape the dread of his own inner thoughts finally drove him downstairs. Lalita quickly grabbed the tankard and relieved the vessel of its contents on top of James’ head. He appeared unaffected, looking up at her like a sleepy dog. “And just what was that for?”
“I know of your indecent proposal to Captain Rubina.” She slammed down the tankard and placed her hands on her ample hips. “That was most cruel, James. Most cruel.”
“Why am I the cruel one? T’was she who rejected me.”
“Because I truly believe Captain Rubina loved you at one time.” Lalita finally sits down opposite her friend. “Though I do believe after a while you simply became a conquest for her.”
“Do you doubt we would cut a dashing duet?”
“I believe you and Captain Rubina would make a formidable couple...for about a fortnight. Then your temperaments would clash and you two would be brawling in the streets to say nothing of the seas. You are both too independent and insist on utter compliance from your crews.” She placed her hand over his. "There is no ship with two captains, James.”
He turned over his palm and delicately took hold of her darker hand before raising it to his lip. “And what of your temperament, my sweet waterlily? You were my first lady in the Neverlands. Shall we rekindle our flame?”
Lalita snatched her hand back with a haughty laugh. “I think not, Captain Hook.” She mocked and mirrored his pitiful pout.
“Fine.” James sniffed. “I do not need any woman. More trouble than they’re worth. That is what old Barbecue always imposed on me and though it has taken many lifetimes to adhere to his sage wisdom, consider it a lesson I have finally learnt.” He hoisted himself from the chair.
“Where are you going?”
He holds up his empty pewter tankard. “I do believe my cup is in need of refreshing and I intend to fill it again and again until I successfully blot out this cursed day and then the next and the next.”
“You are already plenty drunk.”
“I disagree.”
“Damn it, James!” Lalita slammed her palm on the table and rose to her full height. “You are a coward!”
James looked over his shoulder, his watery eyes stabilizing as he hissed, “What?”
“You are a coward. You are the very last man I would have ever called craven, but here you stand before me, a shell of the man I knew. When Pan removed your hand so violently in unfair combat, you displayed only vim and virility; it emboldened you to continue onward. You taught yourself everything left-handed; from perfect penmanship, to swordsmanship, even teaching yourself how to play the harpsichord with hand and hook. Impressive feats, but not for a second did I doubt your ability to master them. That infant dare not crow as he had only temporarily impaired you, and you returned with a vengeance and the spirit for which we all know and love you. But you have finally found your Achilles heel. Wendy did not abandon you for lack of love in her heart, she left because she was frightened of the cruel reality of her childhood fantasy. You inadequately prepared her for our life, so she ran to familiar comforts. And what do you do? Lick your wounds and drown yourself in ale and self-pity!”
Her words were like Pan’s blade all over again, only a deeper cut in his soul. A shudder went through him as his facade finally cracked with a shaky gasp. Her eyes softened as she approached him, her hand cupping his rough and unshaven cheek.
“Do you remember the day we ended our dalliance? More importantly, why we parted ways?”
“Yes.” He replied in a ragged whisper.
“Tell me.”
“You knew I was in love with Wendy.”
“More to the point, I saw you were in denial of your love. I made you say it out loud, admit it to yourself. That you were in love with Wendy.”
“Yes.”
“James, that love has not dimmed, only grown in brightness.”
“It is not my love for her I question.”
“I know, but I do not believe for a moment that her love for you has extinguished.”
“I cannot know for certain.”
Lalita deeply inhaled and exhaled her retort. “Which is why you must leave the Neverlands and return to the mainland.”
James sobered immediately. He sputtered, unsure how to even wrap his mind around such an idea.
“Leave?”
“When was the last time you left?”
“Before…” His right wrist twitched at the reminder.
“Too long, then,” Lalita said.
“Is it even possible to leave?” He asked, more to himself as he returned to the chair he previously occupied.
“I would imagine so, you’ve done it before.”
“That was before I became an integral cog to the workings of Neverland.”
Lalita pondered as she paced around him. “Then we must seek out guidance from an authority more powerful than us.”
“Such as?”
Lalita rapped her well manicured nails along the wood of the dining table. "It is the full moon tomorrow night. I can commune with my sisters and seek their counsel."
Hook raised a curious brow. He had witnessed Lalita's transformation into an Undine but a handful of times in all of the years of their acquaintance; it was not a power or form she publicized or relished exercising for the benefit of others. He was moved by her willingness to assist him in such a sacred, magical way.
"I am humbled by your friendship, Lalita."
"You can thank me by pulling yourself together, sobering up, and be pleasant company." She flashed him her most dazzling smile as she pinched his cheek, hard, followed by a light open palm smack. He grinned ruefully and nodded in acceptance of her proposal. “In the meantime, you may find it prudent to work on your apology to Captain Rubina!”
_________________
That next evening, James dined alone as Lalita prepared for whatever communion she was planning for them that night. Though he had broken his abstain of patronage of the Street of Lights, Hook resumed the enjoyable platonic company of Lalita’s employees. In the lounge, he played a variety of card games with the whores, someone always ready to replace their co-worker once duty beckoned. Shortly passed midnight, Rabi appeared to fetch James.
“Thank goodness,” James said jovially as he folded his hand. “I do believe I owe Marigold an obscene amount of gold.”
“And a ruby encrusted hairpin!” Marigold called, rosy cheeked and pleased with herself. James waved her off before following Rabi down to the back of the House of Lilac where only staff was typically permitted. Through private corridors, Rabi led James until he found himself in the doorway of a lanai. Rabi pointed to another door leading to the outdoors.
“Through here, in the back garden.”
She left him to follow the flickering firelight of a dozen torches and several dozen candles, all strewn about the garden in their jars, candelabras, lanterns, and lamps. Lalita stood waiting for him by the grand fountain, wearing a silk sheath that was more fabric than dress. Her dark hair was loose in thick waves down her back. She looked at him expectantly.
“Remove your boots.”
James started, ensuring he heard her instruction clearly before complying. The grass tickled his feet as he tread towards her. She looked him over, his simple breeches and a loose linen shirt seemed satisfactory as she nodded and handed him a dainty demitasse. With his left hand, James cupped the fine thing as delicately as he could as Lalita took a water lily from the fountain and poured a mysterious liquid into the demitasse.
“Drink the contents in full,” Lalita commanded as she returned the water lily to its place. James did so without hesitation, confident her magic would bring him no harm. The sweet and briny liquid reminded James of fresh, plump oysters tinged with the floral sweetness of candied violets. James swooned; he felt the demitasse being taken from him, enabling him to use his intact hand to brace himself against the stone fountain. His vision blurred into soft pastels of Lalita’s dress and the flowers floating in the pool beside him. He felt gentle hands on his shoulders, easing him down. He was only vaguely aware that there were more hands assisting his descent than Lalita possessed. A soft voice shushing him to the ground, to be still and lie back. His head was swimming, like a whirlpool pulling him downward, downward into the briny sea.
_________
Waking with a start, James suddenly found himself in the jungle forest of Neverland, dressed in full glorious pirate regalia. Blinking, he tried to remember his last whereabouts, in vain. Alternatively, Hook permitted his feet to take him wherever they ventured. His thoughts rumbled like the gathering of dark clouds; dangerous like the threat of a thunderstorm, thinking only on the traps of Peter Pan, whose murderous distractions were the only stimulus Hook cared about. Consumed by self-loathing, self-pity, and impotent rage, Hook did not realize where his feet were taking him until he found himself standing by the very tarn he and Wendy first began their affair. Gobsmacked and winded from the emotional response this sacred place elicited from him, James could only look around at the former haven. Fury bubbled in him, boiling over with a primal shout as he slashed his iron appendage across the trunk of a tree which bore his and Wendy's initials. He tore blindly, violently slashing away at the epithet until it was raw and layers deep into the pulp.
"Damn Ignatius! Damn the crew! Damn that blasted ship! Damn this cursed island and its impetuous youth guardian! Damn that marvelous girl for bewitching me, for making me love and letting me believe in someone outside of myself. Damn her! And damn me for letting her into my heart...for letting her go."
Exhausted, his snarls and growls eventually turned to sobs until he no longer had the energy to continue his savage assault. Feeling the relief of tears, James leaned against the tree, resting his forehead on the arm between trunk and man. His sobs shook him until he was dry heaving and hobbling over to the nearest rock to sit down and collect himself. He stared at his own reflection in the water below, watching the ripples distort his features. He did not notice the face of an Undine carefully watching him from the shadowed corner of the tarn.
"What sort of wretch am I to have alienated the woman I love? Is this how Captain Jas. Hook is defeated? His own inability to allow love into his black heart...send him spiraling into chaos and self-destruction until Pan, pain, and drink drag him to the bottom of the briny deep." James closed his eyes and envisioned his choices, searching within himself if the answer was to finally allow fate to swallow him. "I have been cheating death for so long, perhaps it was time to embrace my old friend Grim with open arms?"
To not see my precious Wendy lady again…
Hook shuddered at the thought of eternity without her. A great swell of emotion engulfed his breast as he envisioned eternity without her and shuddered violently in response. To his tremendous astonishment, James realized that he was not, in fact, prepared to relocate to Davy Jones's locker. "I am going to lose everything if I do not take some sort of action," Hook spoke to his reflection. "I cannot blame Iggy for his anger; he too has been wounded and has been doing his best to hold the crew together. It is unfair to shoulder him with such a burden. And yet...would he be amenable to more responsibility?" The tendrils of a new idea was formulating in James' mind, twisting and coming to life. Is it even possible at this point?
"It is madness," James whispered out loud to himself. Hook turned to face the water where hundreds of tiny lights danced across the surface of the tarn. The waterfall itself began to glow, prompting James to rise and walk towards it as if hypnotized.
"Hello?" he asked carefully. "What sorcery is this?"
The tiny lights began to emit a delicate tinkling noise, as if hundreds of little bells rang out at once. It was the sound the fairies made - Hook recognized their language. They danced and played, beckoning him to follow beyond the waterfall and into the cave behind it. He did, hook raised ever so slightly ready to spring to his defense. When he stepped into the cavern, it was lit up from the glow of the waterfall and the dozens of dancing, laughing lights. Only now they began to merge and morph, growing bigger until they were unified as one sphere of light, their glow so intense Hook had to shield his eyes until the light dimmed for his comfort. When he blinked back his vision, there was only one fairy - she was no bigger than an infant’s foot, swathed in a dress fashioned from a peony. She could only be one creature, though Hook had only ever heard of her in legend: the Fairy Queen.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, your Majesty?" Hook asked, his curiosity forcing his politeness. Her tinkling bell answered:
Only Neverland herself can answer the questions in your heart.
"Neverland herself? What sort of riddle is this? How may an island commune?"
You have lived in the Neverlands long enough to know that everything has a spirit. How can you doubt that there is a heart of Neverland with who you may commune?
"Where will I find this heart of Neverland?"
It is within the one who is the summer wind, they who are spring eternal, the second star to the right.
Hook only had to contemplate the puzzle for a moment before the answer clicked, prompting him to close his eyes and sigh.
"Pan. The heart of Neverland is inside of Pan."
The Fairy Queen merely nodded. As Hook made to leave and cross by the waterfall, a pair of hands shot out of the water, grabbed hold of his ankles and yanked him with force which can only be described as supernatural. As soon as his lungs filled with water, James jerked awake again, this time nearly propelling forward were it not for a serendipitous tree he was able to stabilize himself against. Catching his bearings once more, James recognized he was deeper in the jungle forest. The light was too brilliant, though, the foliage too verdant and the forest too bucolic, such as a lovely memory of a place rather than the place itself. Before he could decipher the dream from reality, Hook recalled what the Fairy Queen told him and strained his ears beyond the serenity of the glorious day, waiting for the telltale sounds of his bounty. Hook waited until he heard the faint sounds of crowing in the distance before raising his pistol and firing it into the air, the reverberation disturbing the peace of the afternoon.
"Pan! Come down you good for nothing scourge! I'll gut you from belly to eyeballs and leave your carcass on my figurehead as a warning to all who dare cross me. Where are you? Pan!"
There was a stillness Hook had long become familiar with, impending doom on its way. Finally, a familiar figure clad in foliage began his descent from the sky, charging directly for Hook, golden sword gleaming in the sunlight. Just as the savage boy came speeding down, Hook held up his hand in a universal gesture of peace.
"Halt! I am implementing a temporary armistice."
Pan pulled up suddenly, confused as he stood suspended in midair. A head above Captain Hook's reach, Peter Pan held out his sword and slashed the air in front of him.
"What sort of game is this, Hook?"
James squared his shoulders and sent a silent prayer heavenward in the hopes he was not mistaken.
"I am speaking to the spirit of Neverland that resides in this boy. Heart of Neverland, Captain James Hook implores you to reveal yourself and speak with me."
At that moment, the sunlight that shone through the canopy was extinguished like a snuffed out candle flame. Pan's eyes rolled to their whites as his head tilted back and his mouth opened wide. A bright, golden light lit his body from within, shining out from his eye whites and open mouth. Hook was breathless to watch, but amazed nonetheless.
"Am I speaking to the Heart of Neverland?"
"Yes."
The voice was both near and far, the entirety of the gender spectrum, youth and age all rolled into one. Ponder though he might on its ethereal wonder, James understood he had precious little time with this spirit.
"If I were to leave Neverland...would I be able to return?"
"Yes."
"Will the effects Neverland has had on me, on my physical form, on my mortal life, carry over to the mainland?"
"For a time. The longer you stay, the more our magic will wear off."
"How long will I have?"
"We do not know."
James clenched his jaw, trying to work up some other excuse to stay. "What about my link to this island? Can another pirate take my position?"
"Leave your ship on my shore. Your ship has always provided a barrier against those who would claim me for their own." Peter’s hands raised parallel to one another, a foot lengths apart from one another. A clear bottle materialized with a rolling ocean on its bottom and an exact replica of the Jolly Roger bobbing on the waves. James was stunned as the bottle floated down for him to take.
“You must stay connected to Neverland for the island, your ship, and yourself to remain safe.”
James suddenly realized the depths of the separation he was about to endure. A fanciful thought was swiftly materializing into tangible reality. Wendy was no longer a dream but a possibility.
"Thank you."
Captain Hook turned and began to walk off, feeling the weight of a stare on his back. Glancing over his shoulder, Hook saw the possessed boy in all of his golden fae glory staring back. Guessing that the heart of Neverland was giving him a fair chance to disappear into the wooded cover before releasing its youthful host, James hastened to make himself scarce. As soon as he passed by a narrow tributary snaking through the forest, another set of hands quickly lunged, grabbing his ankles and snatching him back into the water. He clutched the bottled ship to his chest as he remained suspended in the water, the crystalline teal water fading into shades of midnight. There was a disturbance in the darkness before a mermaid emerged, swimming to him curiously, her long coral tail propelling her closer, the shimmering scales catching the sunlight from above. Just as her slightly webbed fingers grazed his chin, she looked up and bared her teeth before snatching her hand back as sheer fabric wrapped itself around her wrist, twisting her until she relented and maneuvered backward from Hook. Following the fabric, James saw another woman just behind his left shoulder. She was not a mermaid for she had legs, her ocean hued skin was partially scaled, and her body was wrapped in prehensile semi-sheer fabric. He was only confused for a moment until their eyes met and a shy smile of recognition broke out. Floating closer, the Undine’s fabric wrapped around his shoulders like a lover’s embrace and their lips met.
_________
Gasping for air, James abruptly spouted a stream of water plaguing his airway. Rolling onto his side, the sea captain coughed and coughed, expelling more freshwater from his gut and lungs until he could finally sit up and catch his breath. He was lucid, though shook from having his oxygen deprived. Back in the garden at the Lilac House, his feet bare, clad only in his now drenched breeches and linen shirt that clung to his skin. Movement from the fountain distracted him as Lalita emerged from its deceptively shallow basin, her aquamarine scales slipping back to smooth, cool amber skin. The semi-transparent fabric clung to every curve and crevice of her body, no longer possessed with preternatural abilities. Though intimate with Lalita’s body, James politely lowered his gaze to the grass. She came to crouch beside him.
“You are able to travel between waters,” Hook observed, awestruck at his friend. “All of this time…”
“It is not a secret one lets out easily,” Lalita said. “Not even to old friends.”
He nodded in understanding. He would guard her secret powers well.
“Damn mermaid almost got ahold of you before I was able to transfer you back here.”
Raising his knees to rest his forearms, James nodded at her remark before looking at her.
"Dare I ask what you gave me to drink?"
"An elixir that permits you to travel between realms as I can. There are roads unknown to man that only Never-creatures may access."
"It felt like a dream," James commented. "Was it real?"
"Quite real." Lalita stood up and fetched the bottled ship, which had rolled from his grasp upon his awakening. She made her way to a stone bench where two large fluffy fleeces were waiting. "But your body stayed with me while your spirit took you to the place you needed to go for your answers." She handed him the second fleece. "Did you find them?"
"Yes," he replied, gently placing the bottle on the grass before he unfolded the fleece and rested it upon his head.
"That's wonderful. Why do you look so bewildered?"
"I think the effects of your elixir, and...I learned something about Pan. His true nature."
"Oh? Was it awful?"
"In a sense," James replied with a soft snort. "I find myself unable to loathe him as I once did."
"Gracious. It must have been quite a revelation."
All at once the power of the drug given to him broke its enchantment over him. Shaking his head to clear away his mental vision, James rose to his feet and gave a gracious incline of his head.
"You have helped me solve this riddle, Lalita. I continue to be in your debt."
She smirked playfully. "Think nothing of it. Just tell me what the verdict is."
"I can return to the mainland, but I must leave my ship in Neverland to ward off potential usurpers.” He tilted his head and squeezed the ends of his wet curling hair with the fleece. “The magic will sustain for a time, but the longer I am away, the more it will fade from me.”
“You must not be careless, then,” Lalita teased. “No duels or other silly war games.”
He smirked wryly. “Hopefully Wendy will not attempt to shoot me, then.”
“When will you leave?”
“As soon as I can formulate and execute plans.”
She nodded before querying, “And how long do you imagine you will be away?”
“Wendy is at school and I do not intend to disrupt her education. I want to be there to support her, to show her that I do love her enough to alter my life for her as she had been willing to do for me…” James looked down at his bare feet and the bottled ship, feeling the weight of his impending journey. “It is not an insignificant amount of time.”
Lalita’s expression reflected the sorrow of his premature absence before quickly evaporating into a determined smile.
“We have much work to do, then, for you cannot travel to the mainland as you are.”
The nervous melancholy vanished from James’ face, now replaced with indignant offense.
“I beg your pardon? What is wrong with the way I am? Drenched to my bones notwithstanding.”
Lalita burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth when she realized James’ outrage was in earnest. “Oh. You do not know.” She took his arm and began to take a turn around the brightly lit garden, leading him towards a fire pit to help further dry them. “While you are the very definition of handsome and dashing here in the Neverlands, I am afraid you are quite out of fashion on the mainland. Your plumed hats, brocade, and leather breeches will only garner attention you will certainly not desire.”
Hook hummed in contemplation. “I suppose you are better suited to this knowledge, my dear. So be it. I am at your mercy. In the meantime, however, I have some overdue restitution to accomplish.”