The march to the longboat was an ordeal for Peter. He kept up the pace, though every step was becoming an agony. He didn’t want to give the pirates a reason to cause Curly any more harm – he knew Hook would fulfill his threat if he slowed. He also didn’t want Hook to know he was injured. If I show any weakness, he’ll use it against me, like he’s using Curly against me. He had to march apart from the other boys, up in front beside Hook. It was even worse when he would try to look back at Curly to make sure he was alright. Hook kept thumping him on the head when he would turn, and when Peter glared at the man in protest, all he got was an eerily pleasant smile and a pat on the back.
When Peter persisted, Hook decided to give a little. “Mr. Mason. Master Pan is concerned for his injured friend. Kindly walk up here with us so that he can see how he is doing. Otherwise, I’m going to have to do something unpleasant to get him to quit dallying. We don’t have the time to stop.”
Mason complied, and Peter was able to keep an eye on Curly. Curly watched Peter, too, and saw the difficulty his leader was having. “I’m sorry, Peter. It’s all my fault.”
Peter shook his head in denial, to tell him that it wasn’t his fault. Hook thumped Peter on the head again and warned Curly to shut up.
It took two trips on the longboat to get everyone aboard, but all too soon the men and their captives were safely on deck. Twins, Tootles and Slightly were bound to the mainmast. Peter, Curly, and Nibs were each shackled to ball-and-chains apart from one another, and Peter and Nib had their hands bound behind their backs. Peter yelped when Mullins clamped the leg iron tightly his right ankle. Peter was the prize, and Mullins didn’t want him to slip out. When he heard Peter’s cry he grinned.
“Hey, Cap’n! I don’t think he likes his new ankle bracelet!” The other pirates joined him in his laughter.
Hook smiled at the joke and cleared his throat for attention. “Welcome to our surprise party, boys!” he announced. “Today, we celebrate a very important occasion! And the guest of honor is Peter Pan!”
“And what occasion would that be, Codfish?” Peter replied. He thought he had a pretty good idea, but Hook’s reply caught him completely off guard.
“Why, Peter, today is your birthday! And I’m throwing you a birthday party! See? I’ve even invited all of your friends! Umm, except for Miss Bell, who wasn’t there to receive my invitation.” Hook laughed at the confused look on Peter’s face.
“Birthday? I don’t have a birthday. What are you playing at, Hook?”
Hook quit smiling and leaned in close to the boy. “Playing? Oh, no, Pan. I’m through with playing. Our little game is ending… today. But we have things to do before I give you your present. Tell me, dear boy. Throughout all of your adventures and the dangers you barely scraped through, were your affairs in order?”
“What are you talking about?” Peter knew Hook loved to torment his prisoners, and thought that if he could drag out the conversation, he would have time to free his hands. After that, he didn’t know what to do, but it would at least improve the situation.
“What I mean is: did you ever name an heir? Someone to inherit your worldly possessions and responsibilities if … I mean when you died?”
“Umm... well, Nibs is my second-in-command. He’s in charge if I’m not around,” Peter answered slowly. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but it probably wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be.
“Excellent. But, if you die, Neverland will cease. Your woe-be-gone pixie has announced that often enough. I’ve developed a nostalgia for this wretched place, and I hate the thought that when I claim my victory, it will all fade away,” Hook looked sad. “So, I have come up with an alternative!” He grabbed Peter by the arm and half-dragged him to stand before Nibs.
“Now, Peter, I’m going to free your hands. If you do anything to fight me or escape, Curly is dead. Do you understand me?”
Peter looked over to where Curly sat on a crate, head bowed. He felt a surge of panic at how bad his friend looked. He’s too pale. He needs more help. “Let them go, Hook. Or at least do something for Curly! He’s dying!” Peter demanded. “Then I’ll do whatever you want.”
“I promise you this, boy: If you do as I tell you, with no arguments and no delays, then my men will take all of your Lost Boys back to the island, alive and relatively unharmed. I’ll even have them land near the IndianVillage for Master Curly’s sake. He’s hurt and weak, but he’s probably not going to die… unless you give him a reason to die.”
“No, Peter! Don’t!” Curly looked up. “I’m fine, just get away with the others!”
“Such a brave boy,” Hook laughed. “Well, Pan? What’s your decision: your cooperation and their safety - or defiance and death for all of you? I promise I’ll kill you last.”
I need more time! Maybe Tink will come looking for us. She could free them and help them fly away. Aloud, Peter nodded and said, “Alright, Captain. I’ll do whatever you want, and you will let them go, alive.”
“You see, Nibs?” Hook patted the boys on their heads, “this is a true leader! A leader looks out for his men, and will sacrifice himself for their safety. Right, men?”
“Ay, Cap’n!” the pirates chorused, but shrugged to one another. None of them trusted Hook to look out for them, unless it suited his needs.
“Now then! Back to business,” Hook announced. He pulled out Peter’s dagger and cut Peter’s hands free while Jukes cut Nib’s bonds.
“No funny business, cully,” he whispered to Nibs, “your captain has surrendered, so you have to follow his lead.”
While the two boys rubbed their wrists, Hook continued. “I’ve learned a few things about Neverland, and its connection to Master Pan. I’ve learned that the existence of this land depends on the health and belief of one mortal, in this incarnation it’s Peter Pan. He inherited this responsibility from his mother, who lived here once.”
Peter gasped. For a moment he saw images of a forgotten but familiar face. He could almost hear her voice. “No!” he cried, feeling a great sadness well up within him. In an instant, the image was gone, and he couldn’t recall it again. The sadness lingered on, and a few tears fell from his eyes.
“Ah, yes. Your mother. Do you remember her, son?”
“No… I can’t,” Peter whispered.
Hook reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. He gently dabbed the tears from Peter’s face. “Poor lad, lost his mother and can’t even remember her,” he grinned evilly. “You really are a horrible son!”
Peter recoiled as if slapped. He clenched his fists and glared at Hook.
Hook didn’t notice. He was too busy with something else. He removed a small item from a pouch and began to rub it with the handkerchief. While he did this, he muttered something unintelligible. When he was done, there was a brief red glow around the item. He dropped it back into the pouch when it was done.
“Now,” he continued, “I also learned that this inheritance can only be passed through blood. Do you have any relations, Pan? Any brothers or sisters you’ve forgotten about, too?”
Peter’s face went a shade redder. His memory – or lack of one – always bothered him. Most of the time, the things he forgot weren’t important anyway. But it still embarrassed him when someone pointed out his defective mind. “Who cares? I don’t need parents! And I have brothers – I have them,” he pointed to his Lost Boys, “they are all I have and need!”
“Well, since you have no blood relatives, boy, if I were to kill you now,” suddenly the dagger was at Peter’s throat, “your precious Neverland will die too. Do not doubt, soon you will be dead. Do you want to take Neverland with you? Think of Tinker Bell – what will happen to her? You’re ‘brothers’ here will have no place to go, either. I suppose I could take them in, but a pirate’s life can be hard on a child. Ask Mr. Jukes.”
Peter felt fear grip his heart, fear for his boys. He fought it down and stared straight ahead, “What do you want?”
“You will name one of your Lost Boys as your heir. I assume that will be Nibs. Then the two of you will become blood brothers. When you are gone, Neverland will fall to him. He and the other boys will be released, and my crew and I will leave this place. We will never come back.”
He handed the dagger to Peter and unsheathed his sword. “You will cut your hand, and Nibs will cut his. You will clasp hands to join your blood and say…”
“I know what to say!” Peter snapped. “I’ve seen the ritual before. Who told you of it? Who betrayed me and Neverland and told you any of this?”
Hook grinned, “I protect my sources. Suffice it to say that someone in Neverland doesn’t like you – you’re not surprised? – and is willing to bet this will work Now, if you know what to do, then do it. Now!”
Peter nodded and stepped up to Nibs. We’re caught, and this may be the end. At least I can make sure everyone will be alright if I am gone. “Nibs? Will you be my brother and heir?”
Nibs stared. No! I can’t replace Peter! He saw the look in his friend’s eyes, though, and answered, “Yes, Peter, I will.”
Peter took his dagger in his left hand, and with the blade made a long cut across his right palm. He gasped as the blood welled up and began to drip onto the deck. He handed the dagger hilt first to Nibs, and nodded for him to do the same. Nibs glanced over at the Captain standing behind Peter, then over at Curly. He returned Peter’s nod, and cut his own right palm. When he was done, Jukes took the dagger away from him and stepped away. Peter and Nibs stood still a moment longer, hesitant to complete the ritual.
“Hurry up, children. I haven’t got all day, and neither does your friend,” Hook growled.
Peter stepped forward and clasped his bloody hand with Nibs’s. Their mingled blood seeped from between their palms. “I name you my brother, Nibs. To you, my only heir, I bequeath all that I am. Will you accept me as your brother?”
“Yes, I do… brother,” Nibs answered in a shaky voice. A blue aura surrounded the two boys as the ritual took effect. Nibs felt a strange tingling inside and all over. He suddenly became aware of the magic that permeated the island, and he felt secrets enter his mind – things that Peter and the fey knew but never told. He looked at his new brother in wonder as he, for a moment, saw how the threads of magic were interwoven with the boy. He had always known Peter was special to Neverland. He had never guessed that Peter was actually the heart of Neverland.
“Calina terus?” Nibs asked, then stopped in confusion. What was that? That’s not what I wanted to say.
“Jesuru qualin feya. Te’ran ectra ma.” You can speak the fairy tongue. You are like me now. Peter replied. He continued in fey, “I plan to escape when you are away. But… take care of them, Nibs, if this goes badly. Hook knows too much for my own good, and he seems to have been planning this for awhile. Tell Tink I’m sorry I made fun or her and that I love her. She’ll be your fairy when I’m gone. You will be a great captain, Nibs. That’s why you were my second… because I trust you to always do the right thing.”
“I don’t want this, but I will try to make you proud, Peter,” Nibs whispered.
Suddenly Peter was jerked back. “That’s enough of that!” Hook shouted as he dragged the struggling boy away. Nibs tried to help Peter, but Mason grabbed him and tied him back up. Peter’s hands were shackled in front of him, and Hook set him on the crate next to Curly.
“It’s done. Now, Pan, say goodbye to your little friends. I’m not completely cold-hearted, so I will give you these last few minutes. Men! Hoist anchor and set sail! I want us offshore to the IndianVillage, so we can deliver these tatterdemalions to them.”
Soon the Jolly Roger was moving around the coastline to the side of the island closest to Chief Panther’s people.
“I’m sorry Peter,” Curly whispered. He wasn’t getting sleepier anymore, but he was still very weak, and it was an effort just to stay sitting up. “I shouldn’t have upset Tinker Bell. Then we wouldn’t have been caught, or at the least you could have escaped.”
“Don’t say that, Curly! It’s not your fault,” Peter reassured his friend. He put his hands on Curly’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “You didn’t know she would get so mad. It’s my fault because I didn’t pay enough attention to her. If I had, I wouldn’t have hurt her feelings. Besides, Hook has been planning this. He would have just caught us another time. If we hadn’t already been hurt, he probably would have hurt one of you himself to keep me from escaping. He probably would have done something to Tootles, since he’s the littlest.”
“I’d rather be the one hurt than Tootles. Peter… don’t let them kill you. I don’t know what we’ll do without you.”
“Hook can’t kill me,” Peter boasted, and he hoped the words didn’t sound as empty as they felt. “I’ll escape, don’t you worry, and I’ll come back and find you all. Until then, do what Nibs says. And don’t stop playing your pranks just because that last one backfired… you have to keep everyone laughing. That’s your job.”
“Okay,” Curly tried to smile bravely.
Hook sauntered over to them and smiled at his prisoners. “Now that the formalities are over, Pan, its time for your birthday present!” He reached into his coat and pulled out the pouch. He tossed it into Peter’s lap. “Open it, boy.”
Peter frowned at the pouch. This wasn’t a present he had expected from Hook, though he thought he preferred it. He had expected Hook instead to draw his sword and run him through. He picked up the pouch and awkwardly untied the drawstrings. Fortunately there was enough slack in the chains for him to move his hands to open it. He dumped the contents into his unhurt hand. “Oh, Codfish, you shouldn’t have!” he exclaimed sarcastically. “Sorry, though. Diamonds just aren’t me.”
Hook chuckled and took the earring from Peter. He used his hook to pull Peter’s right hand towards him, and dropped the earring onto the cut. Peter stared in amazement as Hook began speaking lowly again. He realized the man was speaking fey, though it was heavily accented. He could make out some of the words, but not enough to have a clue as to what Hook was doing. The earring began to shine with its own light, and the wound closed up. Peter’s jaw dropped when he saw that some of his blood was being absorbed by the diamond, which in turn began to turn red. When it was done, Hook took the stud back and let Peter’s hands drop. “Would you prefer a ruby then, lad?” He chuckled at the expressions on both children’s faces, and walked away.
“We’re here, Cap’n!” Mullins shouted.
“Mr. Starkey! Mr. Mullins! Please load the boys up and take them back to the shore. As soon as they are unloaded, return here as quickly as possible,” Hook ordered.
“No! Peter! Stop it!” the boys shouted as they were dragged, carried, or shoved towards the longboat. They looked back at Peter frantically, trying to find some way to help him.
Peter stood on the crate and waved encouragingly to them. “Don’t worry, boys! I’ll be back shortly. Captain Codfish and I have some business to settle first. Make sure Curly gets help, then go find Tink!”
Hook stood by the railing and watched the longboat go to the shore. When he saw his men land and begin getting the children onto the beach, he turned and walked towards Peter. “Enough dilly-dallying. I wanted them away, because I didn’t want them to see what I’m going to do to you. But I also don’t want to give them enough time to escape from their bonds and go get help for you.”
Peter crouched and got ready to fight. He knew he was unarmed and hindered by his chains, but he intended to make it difficult for the pirate. Hook’s face broke into a ghastly smile. “No, no, boy. You surrendered to me. Remember, your Lost Boys aren’t safe yet. A signal from my ship and my away crew will slit their throats. Either that, or Jukes will blow them to smithereens with Long Tom. They are sitting ducks right now.”
Peter realized he was still trapped. There was no way out. He slumped and sat back down, waiting to see what his fate would be. Hook’s hand took Peter by the chin and gently tilted his face so that he could stare into the boy’s eyes. “You have to wear your present first, Peter.”
“Why are you doing this? Why don’t you just kill me and be done with it?” Peter moaned.
Hook’s grin widened. “Because I won the game. I pick my prize, to do with as I please! You are the prize, and I will kill you or keep you, when and how I choose!” At Hook’s nod, Mason grabbed Peter’s arms and tied them to his sides so that he couldn’t flail them about and fight. His legs were likewise bound together, and the shackles were removed. Mason’s grip on his shoulders kept him in place so that he couldn’t move around at all.
“All right, boy. This will probably hurt a lot. Don’t jerk your head about or I’ll accidentally take your ear off. Then I’ll have to try the other one. Hopefully we won’t run out of ears or we’ll have to pierce something else.”
Peter’s eyes widened in fear, but he obeyed and held his head still. Hook grabbed the boy’s right ear and lowered his hook towards it. Peter tried not to, but he cried out when the sharp tip of the claw pierced through the flesh of his earlobe. The other pirates chuckled, and Mullins tugged at his own piercing as he remembered his first earring.
When he was done, he handed the earring to Jukes. Billy carefully inserted the stud into the hole and locked the backing onto it. Peter muffled another cry and remained still.
“All done, sir! It’ll never come off now,” he announced as he backed away.
Hook took Peter’s chin in his hand again as he stared at the charm affixed there. After all that hard work, it was almost complete. He looked at Peter’s face – the boy’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut, tears threatening to leak from their corners. Peter shook slightly. What does he feel? Fear…pain…anticipation of the death he expects to fall? Hook found himself enjoying the boy’s torment and wanted to savor the moment, but he knew he had to finish quickly.
Hook removed his glove and carefully pricked his own finger. “Say goodbye to Neverland, Peter Pan!” he whispered in the boy’s ear. Peter’s eyes flew open as Hook touched his finger to the diamond, adding his blood to the charm. Finally, Peter could hear the fey words Hook was saying: “You are mine, boy! Blood, sinew, and bone! I bind you to me, usurping all other bonds! You belong to me, you are bound to me, down to your very soul!”
Peter went rigid as his world shattered around him. The pain was intense, worse than anything he had ever experienced in his entire life. He felt as if the entire core of his being was suddenly ripped away, leaving a ragged hole in his soul. He felt ties to Neverland he never knew existed being severed. In one moment, everything he had been connected to since his birth was gone, and there was nothing to take its place. He was overcome with pain, loss, despair, and grief. He could do nothing but scream, trying to vent the pain that would not lessen.
Suddenly he couldn’t breathe. He tried to draw breath, but none would come. He couldn’t see anything – his eyes were squeezed shut and he couldn’t open them. All he could hear was a roaring in his ears, but he didn’t care. He only wanted that part of himself back, the part of him that was Neverland. Mercifully soon, his need for air overcame him and everything went away – even, blessedly, the pain.
Hook had expected a reaction, but this was definitely not what he had had in mind. Peter lay on the deck where Mason had dropped him in shock. He was still screaming, curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face. And he continued to scream, over and over, with no sign that he would stop. All of the men stared, even Mullins and Starkey who had just returned to the ship. Suddenly, the clear sky was filled with darkness and the entire island shook. Lightning rent the sky and thunder crashed. But over it all, they could still hear Peter.
“Mason! Shut him up! All of Neverland knows something has happened by now. I don’t want him found. The rest of you louts get to your posts! You know what to do!” Hook yelled.
Mason picked Peter up and placed his hand over the boy’s mouth to muffle the noise. Peter struggled against him, still trying to scream, so Mason tightened his grip.
“Quiet boy, quiet! Cap’n’s orders!”
Hook continued to issue commands, shouting over the hellish noises of thunder and earthquake. After a short while, the cacophony ended and the sun shone brightly in the clear sky once more. Hook didn’t pause long to consider what that meant. It must have worked. Neverland accepted Nibs, and the island will endure. Peter is mine. When he was satisfied that his men were going about their assigned duties, Hook turned back to Peter, who was now hanging limply in Mason’s arms. He saw that the man’s large hand had Peter’s nose and mouth both covered.
“Mason! Let go of him, you’re suffocating the boy!” he yelled in panic. Hook smashed his fist into the pirate’s face and took Peter from him. Praying to whatever power might actually listen favorably to him, he felt the child’s neck. He couldn’t find the pulse at first, but he felt relief flood into him when reflex took over and Peter’s lungs drew in a breath. The boy did not awaken.
“Come with me!” Hook snapped at Mason, who was holding his bleeding nose. Cradling Peter to his chest, Hook made his way to the bowels of the ship. The room that housed the box was nearly full now, but the path to the trapdoor had been left free.
“Open it and pull out the board,” Hook ordered. As Mason complied, Hook contemplated killing the pirate for his idiocy. He almost made all of this for nothing! He nearly robbed me of my revenge by killing my prize! Hook forced himself to calm down. No, I have too few men as it is. I will sort this out later. When the board was out, Hook carefully laid Peter on it and removed the ropes that tied him. The two pirates quickly clamped the manacles shut around his ankles, wrists and neck. While Mason locked them, Hook forced Peter’s mouth open and stuffed a wad of cloth inside, securing it there with a gag.
When he was all tucked in, they lowered him into the hole. Hook took a moment to gaze at Peter’s sleeping face. “Sweet dreams, Pan. When you awaken, your nightmare begins!” Hook muttered in joy and relief. Mason shut the door and dragged a crate over it to make sure no one discovered the hiding place. “Get back to the deck, Mason. Let’s see if we can be gone before retribution comes!”
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