Chapter 21 - Sleeping Beauty Awakes
Slightly opened his eyes carefully, afraid of what he might see. When he recognized a ceiling above him with nothing strange or glowing crawling about on it, he found a bit more courage and looked down at himself. He was lying in an enormous bed, covered with soft, velvety blankets. Still, nothing strange jumped at him, and he sighed in relief. He vividly remembered the horrifying nightmares that had become visible to him when the test began, and it was with great relief that he realized it was truly over. A soft moan caught his attention, and he turned his head to see Gloriana curled up in a large, overstuffed chair, fast asleep.
He wasn’t sure what he ought to do. He was thirsty and he had to pee rather badly, but he wasn’t sure if he ought to wake the Queen or if he should get up and try to take care of his needs on his own. He knew escaping from the fairly castle was impossible, he’d seen firsthand how futile it was, and yet a part of him whispered that he should try again anyway. It’s what Peter would do… At the thought of his friend and leader, Slightly felt his stomach drop and his head began to hurt. Peter was a girl. He knew that beyond a doubt. He remembered so many times in the past that he’d discovered her secret, one way or another. Once it had been innocent game of “Let’s Compare” that Peter, Nibs, Tiger Lily, and he had played. Imagine everyone’s surprise when they saw that Peter looked like Tiger Lily, both of whom looked NOTHING like the two boys. Tink had been really angry that day, and that’s when she began enforcing the “clothes stay on” rule. She’d dusted them and they’d forgotten the incident.
Then there was the time that Peter had been bitten by the croc, her leg and hip mauled pretty badly. He and Twins had removed her shorts to reveal the wound and to better stop the bleeding before carrying her to the Indian Village. Chief Panther had sworn them to silence about what they’d seen, and they’d kept their promises not to tell. But it hadn’t been good enough for Tink. She’d dusted them that time, too.
But the first time, the very first time Slightly could remember finding out the truth, things had gone awry. He guessed that’s why Tink always was so prompt about using that spell, because things could get ugly really quickly when secrets got out. For the first time Slightly remembered Jojo, and his heart ached at the memory of the vacant-eyed yet joyful little boy. Jojo had been Peter’s friend before Slightly was brought to Neverland. The halfwit child had been here before even Peter, and Tink would only say that the boy had been normal once but that a spell had gone badly and made him silly. It was why they should never mess with magic, she said.
Jojo had been completely loyal to Peter, following her around everywhere and making up silly songs and stories. Slightly had thought it was odd that a boy could love another boy so much, but then Jojo was pretty odd himself, so nothing he did surprised the blonde. Slightly liked Jojo, but the boy’s unpredictability always made him uncomfortable. And then there was the time that the three of them had gone swimming. They were going to go skinny dipping, an activity Slightly had vaguely remembered doing with friends before Neverland, but as soon as the clothes came off all hell had broken loose. Slightly had seen that Peter was different, but he didn’t really think about it that much. However, Jojo had gone wild, screaming “Secret’s out! Gotta hide it, secret’s out!” He’d kept covering Peter up until at last they both put their clothes back on. But even then he’d refused to calm down. He’d glared at Slightly, repeating that he had to hide the secret. And then he’d attacked the blonde, trying to strangle him.
Slightly didn’t remember much after that. He remembered that Peter had pried Jojo off him, but the simpleton had kept coming for him, brandishing a large rock. There was more struggling while Slightly tried to get his breath back, and at some point the large rock sailed through the air to clip him above the ear. He’d heard Tink’s voice, Tink and Jojo’s fairy watcher… Listener was his name, and then there was a scream. He looked up to see Peter standing over Jojo, her dagger red with blood and her face white with shock. Jojo lay on the ground, looking at nothing yet seeing everything, a large red stain growing on his shirt. And then Slightly knew darkness, and when he woke he’d forgotten there ever was a Jojo...and for her part, Peter never once mentioned the boy again.
Slightly sighed, pushing the memory away. His other, more personal, needs were becoming more insistent and he knew he needed to do something soon. Should he wake her? He was suddenly struck by the notion of telling the Queen of the Fairies that he needed to pee, and his nerve quailed at the embarrassing thought. It just didn’t seem proper at ALL. Not sure what to do but deciding to figure it out as he went, Slightly sat up. Immediately his head began pounding, but he ignored it as he eased his blankets aside and gingerly set his feet on the floor. So far so good, he thought and stood up. Lightning flared in his skull and his vision went to black, but he could hear a thump as what he assumed could only be his body hit the floor.
Gloriana jerked awake at the strange sound, her eyes immediately going to the bed. Panic quickened her pulse when she saw her charge was gone, but a moment later she saw movement in the periphery of her vision. Looking down she saw Slightly lying on the floor, weakly trying to rise. “Child, what are you doing?” she asked softly as she bent down to help him up. He was shaking and blinking rapidly, as if to clear his vision, but he regained his feet and sat on the side of the bed with little assistance.
“I tried to get up,” he answered, his vision returning as if nothing had been wrong. His bladder was screaming now that he was sitting instead of lying down. He squeezed his legs together and crossed his arms over his stomach, wondering what the hell he was going to do now. “I slightly fell down, Your Majesty, but I’m okay now.”
Gloriana felt a huge weight slip off her heart at hearing the boy’s coherent words. He seemed recovered, and she prayed that he was as well as he appeared. “You must take it slowly, my boy. You’ve been very ill. Do you remember what happened?”
“Umm,” Slightly hummed, trying to think. It was getting harder to do that by the minute and he began tapping his foot to distract himself from his need. “You tested me. It was horrible. Peter’s a girl.” He hoped that summed it up enough that she’d let him go. Go where? He had no clue, but right now any dark corner would be a godsend.
“Yes, Peter’s a girl,” Gloriana agreed, smiling. If he could say that clearly, then obviously his mind had reoriented itself and come to grips with its recovered memories. It was better than she’d hoped, but she still intended for the healers to examine the boy top to bottom, inside and out, before she let herself think for a moment he might have miraculously gone through his ordeal unscathed. “How does remembering that make you feel?”
Slightly shrugged, his foot tapping becoming a leg bounce. Do fairies even pee? We had a privy in our chambers, but would she have something here? Even HOOK left us buckets when he locked us in the brig! “Head slightly hurts, but I remember fine.” He looked at her suddenly, his need bringing the question to his lips, but just as suddenly his embarrassment stole the words from his mouth. Just ask, moron! What’s slightly more embarrassing, asking to go or peeing on yourself?
Gloriana frowned at the boy, noticing his short, terse responses and the way he had begun to literally bounce on the bed. “Are you alright? What is the matter?” she asked in concern. By the frown set on his face, he looked to be in a great deal of pain. He glanced at her again, his face flushing scarlet, and suddenly she thought she understood. She’d never had children of her own, but she’d had a great many human children that she’d cared for. They never lived in the castle, having to go to Neverland to dwell on their own, but there were periods of time when they’d come to stay with her for longish periods. She knew all about the needs of human children, as well as their wants and fears. He’s been asleep… he never did… oh my goodness, the poor child! She smiled at him sweetly, kneeling by the bed and pulling out a large, lidded pot.
“I need to take care of some things. You’re hungry, I expect, so I’ll have the chefs prepare you something to eat. Oberon will also want to know you’re awake. Would you mind if I left you alone for a little while?” Slightly smiled at her and she could see the relief plainly stamped on his face. “If you need to relieve yourself, use this. There’s a washbasin over by the bureau that you can clean up in. I’ll have someone bring you clean clothes when your food is ready.”
“Thank you, Majesty,” Slightly answered, standing gingerly as the Queen made her way to the door. This time he stood without any problems or light-headedness, and he felt stronger. As soon as Gloriana left and the door clicked shut behind her, Slightly frantically untied his pants and went about his business, nearly crying with relief.
The Queen fairly hummed as she walked down the hall, her wings fluttering and lifting her off her feet in her excitement, a very childish thing for a grown fairy to be doing, much less a queen, but she was too happy to care. She was going to see to the boy’s needs first and foremost, but she could barely contain her joy at the thought of telling Oberon everything would be okay. Slightly would be safe in the hands of the healers and she could afford to leave him to go see her goddaughter. She and Oberon both would go to Peter, tell her that all was well, and bring her home. Everything is going to be fine! We can make things right, we can bring my daughter home! She lifted into the air again, contemplating how wonderful it would be to have a real daughter after so very long.
Peter closed the door to Hook’s cabin, smiling smugly at how easily she’d gotten her way. Oh, yes, I’m definitely going to have fun with this. It almost makes it worth being a girl, knowing I can get the better of Hook. She turned around and grinned at Nibs, proud of herself and terribly pleased that her friend had come to visit her. Nibs was staring at her with a strange look on his face, his lips twisted in a half smile as if he’d politely tried a bite of food and wasn’t quite sure if he liked it.
“Kitten?” Nibs asked, bemused by the obvious nickname. He was glad that Hook wasn’t mistreating Peter, he’d been terrified he’d find her being tortured and in chains. But he definitely didn’t like the man’s familiarity with her.
Peter glared at Nibs in mock indignation, tapping him on the end of his nose with her forefinger. “Call me that again and I’ll have Hook keel-haul you, lubber,” she growled, but her happy smile quickly slid back into place. “How is everyone? How’d you get here? Did you escape or did the fairies let you go?”
Nibs looked around the cabin nervously, uncomfortable with being in Hook’s inner sanctum. He followed Peter to a pair of comfortable chairs and sat in one, the softness of the seat only heightening his nervousness. He kept expecting the man to burst through the doors, sword drawn, demanding retribution for the children who dared to violate his personal space. “We woke up this morning and found ourselves home. King Oberon told us last night that they’d send us back, but we weren’t expecting it to be so soon. I guess they used their magic on us while we were asleep so we wouldn’t fuss. We do have two pixie guards – they call themselves Watchers. One of them, named Cob, says he’s supposed to be watching me especially close, since they’re afraid I might still go crackers from the tests. He follows me everywhere I go, always asking me silly questions to make sure I’m ok. But Cob’s scared of pirates so he’s waiting for me up in the crow’s nest.”
“Oberon didn’t hurt you with the test, did he?” Peter asked worriedly, memories of JoJo and Billy running though her mind.
“No,” Nibs answered, smiling at his friend’s concern. “I got a little dizzy and slept for a few days, but I’m fine. We… we all saw what they did to Mr. Jukes, so we’ve been afraid of the tests. Michael started crying every time a fairy came into our chambers and he and most of the others were positively terrified when they said they were going to test one of us next. I went first after Jukes to keep the others safe for a little longer. I saw you dancing with him, so I guess he’s okay now.”
Peter felt heat rise to her cheeks, a little horrified that Nibs had seen her do something so girlish as to dance with the boy. “Yeah, um, I fixed what they did to him so he’s back to his old inventing self,” she said, trying to keep an indifferent tone.
“Good,” Nibs replied with obvious relief. “He’s actually a nice guy when he’s not around the other pirates. Turns out he’s the one that told Slightly that Hook had you so that we could come rescue you.” Nibs frowned as worry for his missing friend reasserted itself, reminding him of the other reason he’d sought Peter out. Part of him had secretly hoped to find Slightly here with their friend.
Peter thought about that for a little while, surprised. Billy had gone through a lot to help her in her first two days of captivity, but to hear that he’d betrayed his shipmates for her was a trifle unsettling. She decided she was going to have a nice private chat with the gunner later on. “How’s everyone else?” she pressed.
Nibs knew he had to tell Peter the truth, but wasn’t sure how best to do it. He’d wanted to come here and rescue their fearless leader, or at least to spy out her situation so they could plan a raid and save her. But Peter wasn’t a prisoner… she’d been dancing and Hook even had a pet name for her! Maybe when she hears about Slightly, she’ll start acting right. She’s been around pirates too long, she needs to be reminded that her friends need her. “Wendy stayed home with everyone else. The littler ones are scared and we wanted to find out if you were okay. Wendy… she wants to see you awfully bad, but she’s scared Hook will hurt her after what happened last time she saw you. Plus, she’s worried about Slightly…”
“What’s wrong with Slightly?” Peter interrupted sharply.
“We don’t know,” Nibs sighed, his anxiety making his voice shaky. Peter will know what to do, he – she has to! “They took him to be tested when I woke up and we haven’t seen him since. We’ve asked, begged and demanded to know where he was but they wouldn’t say anything about him. We don’t even know if he’s still alive!” Nibs felt himself begin to lose control, his fear and frustration mounting. He tried to rein it in, knowing he’d serve Peter best by being the solid, dependable second he usually was. “They took Tink, too,” he added, knowing that Peter would want to know. “She was with us for a little while that first day, but she was really quiet and wouldn’t tell us much. They took her to a different room and we haven’t seen her again.”
“Oh, Tink,” Peter whispered worriedly. Tink had always played the part of guardian, and in the girl’s mind the pixie had been protecting her friends from the King and Queen in Tintangel. Peter hadn’t really considered her fairy friend might be in trouble too, and she felt guilty that she’d been so selfish that she’d not thought about her more.
“We woke up in our bed this morning but Slightly and Tink were still missing. Cob and Bard still won’t say what’s going on. I’m scared, Peter. What if they’ve hurt Slightly with that test? What if he’s dead?”
“Don’t say that!” Peter barked, going very pale. Her anxiety had risen as she’d listened to Nibs and she had to agree with the boy – she was scared, too. If they’d killed Slightly, they would have said something… wouldn’t they? No, don’t think about that. He’s alive, you have to believe that. Perhaps he’d just been hurt by the tests. But if they’d hurt him, why hadn’t they brought him to her as they’d brought Billy? So Slightly must be safe, else she’d know by now. But the only alternative for keeping Slightly from them was that he’d passed the tests. If he’s passed, he’ll replace me. Maybe that’s where Tink is! She’s bonding to Slightly… she’s leaving me to become his fairy. It’s over, it’s really happened. They’re going to come soon and take my Gift from me and send me away.
“Peter?” Nibs called, seeing how pale she’d become. Peter blinked and shook herself, then forced a smile that was as blatantly a fake as Hook in a dress.
“I’m sure Slightly’s safe,” she said tightly, failing to sound confident. “They won’t hurt him,” but she remembered JoJo again and prayed she wasn’t lying. The fairies could hurt him and they didn’t seem to care about human life at all. Not even mine. As much as she dreaded being replaced, she’d rather pass on her Gift to Slightly than see him hurt.
“Come with me,” Nibs said suddenly, taking her hand. “Cob’ll dust you and we’ll go home. Wendy’s dying to see you and so is everyone else. We need you.”
“I can’t,” Peter sighed, her heart clenching as she fingered the collar.
“Do you really want to be a pirate?” Nibs asked incredulously. Peter had played pirate before, but for her to actually want to serve under Hook was outrageous.
“NO!” Peter yelled, insulted. “I can’t leave, Nibs! I’m exiled from Neverland! If I set foot on the island, the magic will paralyze my whole body. That’s how Hook caught me when I tried to escape with Wendy. I couldn’t move a muscle, I couldn’t talk, so I just lay there like a rag till Hook picked me up.”
“So don’t land,” Nibs offered, trying to find a way around the magic and get Peter home. “Twins will design something to keep you off the ground. Maybe a swing will work. Something! We’ll find a way.”
Peter smiled at the thought of remaining perched on a swing, the image reminding her of Short Tom on his swing in his cage. “It’s so much harder than that, Nibs. I’m in exile, and soon they’ll make me leave Neverland forever. Captain Hook has offered me sanctuary on his ship and I have no choice but to accept. If I run away…” she couldn’t stand the look of disbelief and betrayal on Nibs’s face, so she lowered her eyes in shame. “I can’t get him mad at me.”
A brief knock on the door, followed by a key turning in the lock, signaled Smee’s arrival with the tea. He poured both of the children cups, heavily laced with cream and Neverland’s variety of sugar. Peter and Nibs remained silent, waiting for Smee to leave. When the old man finally did, Nibs took Peter’s hand and stared at her intently.
“I trust you, Peter,” he said earnestly. “You’re my leader and my friend. I always thought of you as a brother, and I still do even if you are a girl. You’ve changed, though, and not just the way you look. Tell me everything that’s happened. I want to understand and maybe together we can figure out what to do.”
Tears welled in Peter’s eyes and she threw her arms around Nibs, hugging the boy tightly. Nibs held her back and she let herself savor the comforting embrace. It was such a relief to hear him say those words. Nibs wouldn’t abandon her. He wanted to help, wanted to understand so he could be there for her. His love and concern was honest and pure, with no undercurrents of malice and manipulation like Hook’s parody of those same emotions.
“Thank you for coming, Nibs,” she whispered, “I’d almost given up hope. I love you all and I’ve missed you terribly.”
Nibs continued to hold the girl, bewildered and worried. Peter Pan rarely cried and he never hugged, so something terrible must have happened to his friend to get her to do both at the same time. “Hook hasn’t hurt you, has he?”
“Not really,” Peter sniffed, letting go at last and sitting back down. “That’s part of what’s so horribly wrong.” She took a sip of her tea, wiped her eyes, and told Nibs nearly everything that had happened to her since Hook had snuck up on her while she’d bathed at the falls, so very long ago.
Hook took his time examining the unfinished sword, enjoying the way Jukes fidgeted and became increasingly nervous. Sometimes the best part of a punishment was making the wrongdoer agonize in his own fear and uncertainty. Billy had a fairly vivid imagination and the life experiences necessary to fill that imagination with punishments both horrifying and realistic. He knew most of Billy’s ghosts. He’d tired long ago of the boy constantly shying from him and breaking into wails of terror, so he’d spent two whole days closeted with the child while he coaxed the boy into confiding in him. Billy’s previous life had been terrible indeed (not so much from what he’d experienced but from what he’d seen his friends and shipmates suffer) and Hook had since been disinclined to punish him for anything but the most serious of infractions.
Making this noncommissioned sword was not even an infraction. He usually let Jukes make what he wanted, knowing that it was vital for the boy to experiment and create, to learn from his mistakes and perfect his methods. The only problem he had with Jukes making this sword was who he had made it for.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, testing its weight and looking for any imperfections. The boy had outdone himself and Hook felt a touch of jealousy. The blade was too delicate for him to want to wield; he preferred heavy swords with long reaches. He could see the old Peter Pan being particularly deadly with this blade. “I want you to complete this sword and show it to me when you’re done. If I approve, I won’t skin you.”
“Aye, Cap’n,” Billy answered, beaming with pride at the compliment. Threats like skinning weren’t serious, while hanging or lashings were. He had a healthy terror and respect for the man most days, but he also knew which threats Hook would actually carry through on. “I hope Miss Pan likes it, too.”
“You are not to tell her you’ve made it for her, and you most certainly shall not give it to her!” Hook barked, his ire rising as he set the blade aside. “I can’t believe you’re dense enough to think I’d approve of you arming my nemesis! You’re lucky I don’t count this as mutiny!” He advanced on the boy, intending to scare the wits out of him to drive his point home.
“Cap’n?” Billy squeaked, backing hastily away. “I never… I didn’t…” His rump came up against the still-warm forge and he jerked away from it with a cry.
“Jukes?” Hook asked, worried that he’d caused the boy to burn himself.
Billy caught the Captain’s look of concern and relaxed a little. If Hook was really angry, he wouldn’t have cared. “It’s only warm, sir, I banked it last night. I panicked when I touched it and felt the heat.”
Hook nodded and settled back into his customary scowl. “I don’t mind you inventing and crafting, Jukes. I admire your genius and I’ve always felt it was best to give you a free hand in your work. I wish more of my men were inclined to better themselves; I’d have a crew that was worth a damn, then. But in the future, do not make anything for Peter Pan without consulting me first. We’re still in Neverland and despite the progress I’ve made with her, my hold is still uncertain. She is an excellent swordswoman and I don’t necessarily wish to see her lose any of her talents, but now is not the time to be encouraging her to continue her old way of life. Once she’s tamed and trained, I may allow her to have the sword, but only when I’m certain that everything of the old Peter Pan is long dead.”
He frowned at Billy then, regarding Jukes suspiciously. “Why did you forge a sword for her? And why is it that a sword for my little exile surpasses any sword you’ve ever made for your own captain?”
Billy swallowed, knowing he was on dangerous ground here. Of all the men on this ship, Hook was the absolute last man he wanted to know about his feelings for Peter. Especially considering the look the captain was giving him while he asked that question. To admit to having a crush on Pan would only make Hook angry, and Billy could kiss goodbye any chance to see Peter again after that. Hook would probably keep them as far apart as possible, and if Billy so much as looked at the girl wrong he’s get in trouble. He remembered Flint’s jealous rages whenever a crewman looked at his mistress wrong, one man had even been hung for speaking to her. While he knew Hook didn’t consider Pan a mistress (he shuddered away from that thought), he could see that the captain was obviously possessive of her. Billy was NOT going to give the appearance of being his competition.
“I just figured if she was to be a shipmate, she needed a sword,” Billy replied offhandedly. “Everyone else on the ship has a sword. Once we leave, if we get in a battle she might come in handy with a blade. At the very least, she’d need protection if someone got to her. There aren’t enough of us on the ship to keep an eye on her if we’re fighting.” He smiled at Hook innocently, “Don’t worry, Captain, I won’t give her anything without your say-so first.”
Hook peered at Jukes closely, distrustful of the wide-eyed, childish look the boy was giving him. Jukes had lost the natural use of that look a long time ago. “Are you sure there isn’t another reason? You haven’t grown fond of her, have you?”
Billy did shudder then, his face twisting into a scowl of dread and aggravation that Hook fortunately mistook for disgust. Trying to cover himself, Billy gave a nervous laugh and shook his head. “Shot and shale, Captain, why would I ever be fond of Peter Pan? Mullins says women are evil omens of ill luck, and Pan’s been that ever since we came to Neverland. Do you know how many of my inventions she’s destroyed? Just last night she came in here when I was forging and interrupted me.” He sighed, deciding to throw some honesty in his argument to give it legitimacy. “I kinda lost my temper with her and upset her. I know you want her to fit in and accept her life here, so I figured the best way to help with that is to try to get along with her. So I made the sword as an apology, and I was up all night finishing it. And I danced with her today to help her out with her lesson and to tell her to her face that I was sorry. But if you don’t want me to talk to her at all…”
“No, no,” Hook interrupted, mollified by the boy’s explanation. “You did well, Jukes. I do want her to fit in, and I think having someone her own age to talk to will be good for her. I want you to ignore Mullins, he’s a superstitious idiot, and I want you to maintain a friendship with Peter. Just don’t arm her until I say it’s safe.”
“Aye, aye, Cap’n,” Billy answered, making sure he didn’t sound too happy with the order. Hook turned to leave and Billy picked up the sword, intent on finishing it.
“And Jukes,” Hook called, pausing at the door. When the boy looked up at him, he pointed at him with his claw. “If I ever discover you and Pan in a more-than-friendly exchange, I promise that you will never see her again – her or any other man on this ship. I’ll maroon you, or if there’s not an island handy, I’ll hang you. Understood?”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Billy replied, much more subdued at this clear and believable threat. Hook was serious, and he felt the stirrings of anger rising in him at the restriction. Not that I would want to be more than friendly with her, he thought angrily when Hook left, and I certainly won’t endanger my place on the ship for her. But still, it’s not fair…