Again In Neverland

Chapter 34: Pre-battle jitters

"Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up." -James A. Baldwin

LIL'S POV:

"The pirates. The pirates have returned. And they've got a mighty load of treasure just ripe for the picking."

Peter's shoulders perked at the name 'pirates'. Centuries of fighting with them and it never seemed to bore him.

"What do you mean, Lucky? What kind of treasure?" He asked, wonder in his tone.

The breathless grin on Lucky's face gave away just how big of a hoard it was, "They went on some voyage somewhere. Dunno where. Some of us were playing on the beach when we saw a ship return. We knew it had to be them, who else would it be? So we looked through our telescopes, and boy oh boy did we hit the jackpot! Hundreds of chests filled with gold, buckets and buckets of rubies and diamonds, crowns and jewelry galore. It's unlike anything they've ever had. And I swear, Peter, they're just begging us to take it! Who knows what else they've got hidden below deck?"

Peter clapped Lucky on the shoulder and grinned.
"Gather the weapons," He said with a devious chuckle, "The treasure will be ours by night time!"
Lucky saluted Peter and ran off into the forest.

Peter looked to me, but I stood there speechless.

It hadn't even taken him a second to contemplate how this might not be a good idea? Maybe attacking the pirates is dangerous? And what if the treasure isn't all they think it is? What if someone gets hurt... or worse? The last thing I want is for those visions I had... those monstrous visions... to come true.

Seeing the worry on my face, Peter grabbed my arm, "Don't be scared, Lilith. Those silly, old pirates don't stand a chance against us. We've beaten them before, and we'll do it again. This time, the reward will be well worth it."
"But Peter," I shook my head, "Don't you think you're being a tad rash about this? They're just kids, how are they going to go up against some pirates?"

He brushed a flake of fallen snow from his shoulder and began walking towards a huddle of Teepees, "They're more than just kids, I thought you knew that already."
"I do!" I shouted as I ran after him, "But the pirates must know that too. So don't you think it's suspicious that they've got such a load of treasure out in the open? For us all to see? If it were meant to be theirs, why is it being shown off?"
Peter shrugged, "Smee and his babbling crew of idiots do things that you and I find ridiculous, but they don't think twice about it. Leaving the treasure out on the deck like that, they aren't even smart enough to tuck it away."
"Exactly!" I said, tugging at his arm, "But what if it's not meant to be tucked away? What if it's going to be traded or bartered or something?"

Peter stopped as he came to a Teepee, "Well that's sorry news for them, because they'll have nothing to trade by the time they reach land."

He poked his head inside and announced, "Back to the treehouse boys! We've got a treasure to steal!"

Just as fast as it took to convince Peter, the Lost Boys hollered in excitement and came bursting out of the tent.

I tugged at Peter once again,
"Peter, I implore you to think twice about this! You'd willingly start a fight when there isn't one?"
He walked quickly behind the chanting Lost Boys and pulled his sharp sword out in front of him, "There will always be a fight as long as they keep showing up on Neverland. They don't belong here, and I'll see to it that every last one of them is gone."
I finally was able to yank Peter's shoulder hard enough to make him stop and look at me, bringing his sword down to his side, "What if it's a trap? What if they're luring you out there just to kill you?"

He paused, leaned closer to me, and smiled, "Let them try. They haven't succeeded yet, have they? And they won't today either."

I sighed, seeing that my protests were going nowhere.
Peter gently tilted my head up,
"Look, everything will be fine, alright? We'll slip on board, steal the treasure, kill some pirates, and be on our merry way. There's nothing to it. We've done it a million times before."
"We? You don't think I'll be joining you, do you?"