The Shadow's Keeper ~OUAT Peter Panfiction (Book 2)

The Truth

Jumping, Anne caught a branch and pulled herself up. Gripping the trunk, she then came to a shaky stand and pulled herself up higher into the tree she was climbing. As she got comfortable, she pulled out her knife and cut off a branch to see down on the trail below her.
 
This time, she sought out more decoys, to talk to them. She set up a trap that was covered by a layer of brushwood. Shivering at the cold temperature, Anne hugged her bare arms, and struggled against how frigid her muscles were becoming. She then looked down at her dirty and worn down clothes. In her observing, she began to question just how long she's worn them. It couldn't have been years could it?...she asked herself. They seemed to not have one rip or tear.
"We have to find her, before they do," A woman's voice spoke from below suddenly snatching Anne's attention. Looking down she saw an older woman and an older man with her. Intrigued, she listened in.
            "Do you think they'd kill her?" the man asked.
            "I don't know what they'd do, but I don't think they're looking for her to save her," the woman replied. Anne swallowed hard, anxious. She fought the urge to jump down and question them but saw they had swords. She couldn't compete with them, they could kill her.
            "I think they believe Henry would be with her somehow," the man suggested as they stepped on her brushwood. She froze, waiting. Just as they were about to get over, her big dark cloak swooped up from beneath the brushwood, catching their legs and flipping them. They fell to the ground as her cloak made like a cocoon hanging from a tree limb, empty. "Dammit!" Anne cursed quietly to herself then leaned forth to get a better look at the two people. There was an odd familiarity about them.
            "What the hell?!" The woman said as she got up, looking up at the dark cocoon. Stepping onto a branch, it suddenly snapped and Anne screamed as she began falling. Once she smacked the ground, she moaned in pain and weakly lifted her head to meet the eyes of the man and woman that were her parents. It suddenly came to her.
~
"Wait," Emma shook her head, "I don't understand, you're saying this key was just to distract us?"
            "Why would Pan want to distract us?" Snow asked.
            "To round us up, take our attention off of what really matters," Rumple explained. "Anne is roaming the island." Some gasps erupted causing everyone to turn around. Escaping from some trees into the clearing, Anne and Felix's parents entered.
            "There you are!!" Snow snapped, angrily and nearly bolted over when Charming held her back.
            "Do you know where she is?" They asked anxiously towards Rumple, ignoring Snow.
            "No--" Rumple started but was cut off by Emma.
            "We've got her key we can do the locating spell--"
            "That's a fake," Rumple interrupted her, looking back at her.
            "What?" Regina asked in shock.
            "In fact," Rumple then used his magic to teleport the key in his hand, "it's a decoy, to lead us in a trap," he finished, tucking the key away.
            "Wait, what are you going to do with it?" Emma then asked.
            "I'm going to follow it myself and have a little...talk with my father," Rumple answered, despite that he already had many talks with his father but he wasn't going to tell them that. In fact, he wasn't going to tell them that he actually thought the key was the real key. When he said he was picking his own side, he meant it, for he needed the key for his own personal use. All he had to do was convince everyone to let him on his own or trick them, and leave himself.
            "But you said it was fake," Emma mentioned.
            "It is fake but who was it made by?" Rumple smirked. Everyone understood. The Beastly parents suddenly stepped forth.
            "We want to go with you," they said.
            "That won't be necessary," he told them in response.
            "Pan has our daughter, we are going," Isabelle told him sternly.
            "Wait!" Emma spoke up again. "I still don't get it, you said he wanted to distract us with that key so we will come together. How could Pan make a small key do that?"
            "Simply by placing it on the ship," Rumple said.
            "She means how the hell did Pan know finding that key would bring us together," Regina explained.
            "You mean how did he know you'd all go to the ship? For starters, the ship is where you all thought Henry would be, hence your meeting. Secondly, how did he know Regina would fail to cooperate and leave to find me--simply knowing Regina's nature...and her offering the very thing we all want, she made a deal with me. Before she can give me the key, I have to make an appearance...here, to give you all answers," Rumple explained.
            "So you do know what's going on," Emma replied. Rumple remained quiet. 
            "Tell us the truth, Gold," Regina arched a brow.
            "Am I not being truthful enough? Oh, my apologies...just one question, Regina. Why would I lie to you?" Rumple challenged.
            "Because you're my father, you've always been a good liar," Neal told him.
            "The past is the past, people change," Rumple told them, though he didn't believe it.
            "Like your father sure as hell changed," Hook spoke up, siding with Emma. Rumple chuckled more.
            "I don't have time for this, I've got some important business to attend to," he told them.
            "You said you'd give us answers," Regina spoke loudly.
            "And I did," Rumple then replied before he disappeared in a black cloud of smoke.
            "Dammit!" Emma cursed. "There goes another one of your big plans, Regina," she commented, angry.
            "Uhm excuse me, it's not my fault Pan had a good-for-nothing son who's head is bigger than the moon," Regina replied, flicking a hair out of her eye and straightening out the bottom half of her jacket. She then sat down on a rock.
            "Regina's right, he's about as stiff as a rock, you can't phase him," Neal pointed out.
            "So then what are we suppose to do?" Snow panicked.
            "We find Anne," Regina spoke up. "Oh I'm sorry, I forgot my name wasn't Emma," she joked, not amused and looked around at the others.
            "No that's actually a good idea, Rumple said she was roaming the island," Emma then spoke.
            "How?" Snow asked. Everyone then looked at Regina. She then laughed.
            "So now you want me to come up with the ideas?" she asked.
            "For Henry," Emma told her carefully. "Don't you know another spell or something?"
            "We have our teleporting," Regina replied, standing up and walking over to Emma. "it could use some work but we can try it."
            "Wait!" Tinkerbell suddenly spoke up, stepping closer to everyone. "The hideout, maybe Anne left something else of hers."
            "That's good," Regina mentioned, stepping closer to Tink.
            "But what if Pan has the hideout guarded?" John suggested.
            "Why would he take the time for that?" Charming asked.
            "In case we show up," Isabelle pointed out. "Pan is especially cunning, he will leave nothing unheeded," she then warned.
            "If that were the case, we would've already been attacked," Regina replied.
            "Unless he was waiting," Isabelle said quickly.
            "Isabelle's right," John spoke. "I told David over there something similar," he pointed to Charming. Charming then nodded.
            "They're right, we need to prepare for an attack," Charming started.
            "But what about the teleporting?" Emma mentioned, looking at Regina. "Won't it be quicker?"
            "I thought about," Regina started, "but if Pan's letting her roam the island he must have her protected, and considering how little we know, we won't know what to expect if we try teleporting to her. Plus, not to mention we still need to practice. We can get completely thrown off," she finished. Emma understood.
            "So then let's do it," Emma began, looking at everyone, "Let's prepare for an attack and get to the hideout. Tink, you know the way."
The fairy nodded and they began following her. John then pulled Isabelle aside. "Should we stay with them?" he asked her quietly.
            "They've got magic," she replied, whispering.
            "But we've got the doll, perhaps we can find Pan ourselves and bargain with him." Isabelle then shook her head.
            "It's safer this way. Besides, we are keeping the doll, you know why we need it. We aren't just going to give it away, because then we'll never get it back," Isabelle mentioned to him.
            "Why not tell them about the doll? Maybe they can help us?" John then asked, referring to Henry's rescuers.
            "Absolutely not, they'll take it for themselves," Isabelle whispered fiercely.
            "How can you be too sure?" John then asked. Hook then looked back at them.
            "Problem, lad and lass?" he asked them, unaware of what they were talking about.
            "Mind your business," Isabelle told him rudely, "and no." She then looked at John, signaling him to shut up. He listened.
            "My apologies, love, I was just checking to make sure snakes weren't on my shoulders," Hook lightly smiled, turning away and proceeding his walking.
            "What the hell does that even mean?" Isabelle mumbled. John shushed her and they continued onward, following the others.
~
"Anna?!" The older woman teared up. Anne had gotten to her feet.
            "You're not my mother!" Anne yelled at her, holding her dagger out to her and the older man.
            "Anna, darling, please," the father begged. "Please," his voice changed to a scratchy teenage boy's voice. Hemlock's voice. Anne gasped as she watched the two figures shift into one. Hemlock then laughed.
            "Miss me?" he asked her. She crept back, cautious. He suddenly lunged for her and she jumped up. Catching the branch she had her cocoon, she kicked Hemlock back. Too quick to fall, he failed to grab her ankles. Anne then dropped onto the ground again and stumbled back. Once coming to his feet, Hemlock ran at Anne again and she jumped, cutting free her cloak from being in it's cocoon.
 
Watching as the thick and heavy piece of clothing draped over top Hemlock, blinding him, he was suddenly throttled into a panic and stumbled back himself. He then anxiously fought to take it off. "AHHH!! I CAN'T GET IT OFF!!" He continued to fight to pull it off but it wouldn't part from him. It seemed to cling to him like a shadow. Anne couldn't help but watch curiously a moment. Quickly snapping back into focus, she slipped her leg under, knocking Hemlock off his feet. As he fell to the ground, Anne didn't hesitate to run. She made like a blur and before she could comprehend it, she ended a long distance away from Hemlock and could no longer hear his cries.
 
Tiredly making her way over to a cave now, her legs gave out and she fell inside. Feeling her throat burning from all her running, she struggled to catch her breath. In dreadful need of some water, Anne couldn't care less just how her mouth was. Her limbs ached from all her running and especially when she fell from that tree. She was sure she had some bruises and cuts, but too tired to worry about them, she weakly crawled further back into the dark cave. Dropping, she was instantly pulled into a needed slumber.
~
Once Rumple had made his way into a clearing, he placed the key on a rock. Backing up some, he lifted his hands and whispered a spell. The key beginning to glow, Rumple grinned to himself and watched as it began floating into a particular direction. He then pulled out his dagger and started to follow it.