*Many, Many Years Ago*
Liam and Killian climbed up to the top of Dead Man's Peak, despite not knowing its name when Liam pulled out the paper to see if the thorns were the plant they were looking for. And it was.
"It certainly doesn't look like medicine," Killian said as Liam put the paper back into his pocket.
"You choose to believe that boy over our King?" Liam asked as the two brothers walked around the big bush of thorns. "That boy showed us the path to the Dreamshade. Why would he lie about its nature?" Killian asked, sounding really worried about the status of this plant.
"To keep it all for himself." Liam shrugged, still looking at the thorns. "You actually think our King would send us to retrieve something so dangerous?" Liam continued to ask Killian.
"I would hope not. This is not what I signed up for." Killian sighed.
"You signed up to listen to your King."
"Because I thought he was a man of honor." Killian retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "He is." Liam defended, looking shocked that Hook was not listening to him. "If this is a poison, it won't just end the war... it will obliterate an entire race," Killian said, continuing to express his concern.
"What do you know of any of this?" Liam asked, walking back to his brother. "I'm your brother and your captain. You will listen to me." Liam continued to say, making Hook sigh.
"No. I'll fight my enemies. But I'll fight fair." Killian said, making Liam sigh to himself.
"Then allow me to disabuse you of that notion," Liam said, turning to take out his sword and cut a branch off of it. He turned to Killian before going to cut his forearm with the thorns.
"No, brother, don't--" Killian went to say, but he was too late. Liam had already cut a scratch with the thorns.
"You see? Perfectly fine. I told you. Our King would never lie to us." Liam said, looking fine before he turned to get more thorns. "Now, let's collect our specimens and get off this--" Liam paused, worrying his brother.
"Liam..."
Liam turned around, gasping, when the two of them noticed the black veins coming from scratch. "Your arm!" Killian exclaimed when he rushed to hold his brother up, but Liam kept falling to the ground. "I'm sorry, brother..." Liam said weakly while looking up at his younger brother and lying on the ground.
"No... No!" Killian cried out, looking around for anyone. His brother was dying.
*Present Day*
Emma held the boy up against a tree as he kept fighting. "It's too late. Henry is a Lost Boy now. Your boy is one of the most vicious new recruits we've had in ages." The boy continued when Mary Margaret walked over, pulling Emma back. "Don't let him get to you, okay? Dream, what are you--" Mary Margaret stopped when Dream moved to the boy. She didn't say anything as he raised his brow at her.
"What are you--" The boy stopped when Dream grabbed his arm.
"Dream?" Regina asked when Dream gasped.
Dream saw Henry to off to the side while Lost Boys played around, climbing ropes. Henry turned when he felt something poke his shoulder. "Ow," Henry said as the boy had poked him with his sword.
"So, you're the kid Pan has been looking for all this time?" The boy asked, pointing his spear at Henry, who was backing up.
"Ask him," Henry said as the boy went to strike at Henry, who backed up. "Stop it!" Henry yelled out, making the other Lost Boys look at them.
"If you can't take this, how are you gonna handle what Pan has in store for you?" The boy asked with a smirk as Henry bent down to pick up a stick.
The two boys fought when Henry used what David taught him about sword fighting to block his attacks. "Not bad," Pan said, making them stop to look at him. "But wouldn't it be more fun if you had real swords?" Pan asked, walking over to Henry.
"I've never used a real sword." Henry sighed.
"This is Neverland. And you have the heart of the truest believer. You can use whatever you want. You just need to believe, Henry. Close your eyes. And believe you're holding a real sword." Pan said as Henry held up the stick, closing his eyes when the stick turned into a sword. The other boys looked in shock when the first boy's eyes widened. "What are you waiting for? Go on." Pan said as Henry tried to fight him again. Henry ended up cutting the stick before cutting his face. Dream watched in shock before the image started to go fuzzy.
"We have to get Henry." Dream said, looking at the others with worry on her face. "We're almost too late." Dream continued to say when Regina started to get upset by what the boy and Dream were saying.
"Move aside," Regina demanded, going to walk in between Emma and Mary Margaret. "Why?" Mary Margaret asked, stopping Regina. "So, I can rip his heart out. Then he'll do exactly what we want." Regina said, smirking at the boy.
"This is not how we do things. Emma, Dream, we can find another way to get to Henry." Mary Margaret said to the girls. "Really? And what do you think, Emma?" Regina asked, making Emma look at Dream, who was still concerned.
Emma then looked at her mother before looking back to Regina. "I think we need to talk to our son," Emma said as she grabbed Dream's hand. "We can't do this. That is brutal." Mary Margaret fought as Emma grabbed her and Dream, making them look away as Regina walked over, pulling the boy's heart out of his chest.
"We can't. But she can." Emma retorted.
"Emma--"
"Do it, Regina," Emma demanded, holding her mother. "Emma..." Mary Margaret continued as Dream glanced to watch her mother. "I'm sorry," Emma whispered to her mother.
Regina looked back to see Emma holding her mother while Dream was watching her. Regina did not want Dream to look at her mother as a villain. But Regina grabbed the boy's glowing red heart before turning back to the other three. "The hard part is over," Regina said, letting Emma let go of her mother and Dream.
A few minutes later, Emma was sitting on a rock while Mary Margaret stood with her arms crossed over her chest. "Mary Margaret, I'm sorry," Emma spoke up. "You don't have to apologize to me. It's Henry I'm worried about." Mary Margaret said, not looking away from Dream, Regina, and the boy.
"I know. That's why I'm willing to let Regina do whatever it takes. You saw Dream's face." Emma continued, knowing that Dream was discovering that she could see other people's memories. "When we finally get to him, I just want to make sure the line is still there." Mary Margaret sighed, making Emma scoff.
"What line?" Emma asked her mother.
"Between what Regina is willing to do and what you are." Mary Margaret sighed, looking at Emma when Regina motioned for the boy to follow her and Dream. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get him home." Emma scoffed at her mother. "But the cost can't be this family." Mary Margaret continued, arms still crossed over her chest.
"It won't be." Emma sighed, standing up.
"Second thoughts?" Regina asked the two.
"Let's get him that message," Emma said as Regina looked at Dream. "Oh, we're going to do more than that." Regina smiled when Dream reached into her pocket. She pulled out a compact with two mirrors in it. Regina took the compact, pulling the two mirrors apart. She handed one of the mirrors to the boy while handing the other one back to Dream.
"We're going to see him." Dream smiled, holding up the mirror.
David and Hook got to where Liam and Hook were many, many years ago. The two were careful to not get poked by any of the thorns that have grown over since Hook was here with his late brother.
"Since you're already dying from the stuff, you won't mind if I stand back while you..." Hook said, looking at David who nodded.
"Yeah..." David said, but he caught Hook off-guard when he took his sword out and up to Hook. "I know about your deal with Pan." David said, when Hook backed up, but still being careful of the thorns behind him.
"You heard that, then?" Hook sighed, trying to talk to David.
"Yeah. I heard that." David said, scoffing at him. "Then you know I didn't agree." Hook said, but David moved his sword closer to him. "Yeah. You also didn't disagree." David said, pushing Hook back towards the thorns.
"Don't you see? This is what he wanted. To turn us against each other." Hook tried to talk to him, getting closer to the thorns.
"Well, it worked."
"You're making the poison spread quicker, mate." Hook said, trying to get out of this situation. He was between a rock and a hard spot. Well, more like a sword to his neck and a bush of thorns behind him. "I don't care. I just have to last long enough to get the sextant back to my family. Now take me to it." David demanded, when Hook sighed, scoffing to himself.
"My brother didn't lose his satchel up here. I made that up." Hook confessed, making David look confused. "What about the insignia?" David asked him, lowering his sword.
"I dropped it on the path so you'd find it." Hook confessed again, when he moved away from the thorns. "Why?" David asked him, scoffing at him while Hook rubbed his neck. "Because I knew you'd never make the journey if I told you the truth." Hook sighed, when David scoffed at him again.
"The truth? The truth, you brought me here to die?"
"I brought you here to save your life."
"You're a liar." David went to punch him, but Hook dodged it, knocking out David for a moment.
*Many, Many Years Ago*
"Come on, Liam. Liam, let's get you back to the ship. Come on." Killian pleaded, trying to get his brother up.
"I tried to warn you."
Killian looked up to see Peter waiting there. "He'll die as soon as the poison reaches his heart." Peter continued to say to Killian who was crying over his brother. "Please. He's my brother. He's all I have left." Killian cried to the boy, holding onto his brother. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have goaded him into it." Peter said as Killian looked back down at his brother.
"He's so stubborn. I didn't mean..." Killian cried, before looking up at the boy. "Can you help?" He begged the boy.
"Well, it might not feel like it but today is your lucky day. There is a way to stop him from dying." The boy said, when Killian stood up, ready to do whatever to say his brother.
"Tell me." Killian begged, when Peter moved over to the vines, moving them to reveal a small waterfall.
"This spring. These waters are rich with the power of Neverland. It's what keeps this land and all on it so young. If one were to drink directly from it, its powers could cure any ill." Peter continued to explain, when Killian walked past him to collect some water for his brother. "But I must warn you. All magic comes with a price. And that spring is no exception. Don't leave the island unless you're willing to pay it." Peter warned him as Killian took off his canteen to collect the water.
"Of course. Whatever you want, it's yours." Killian said, when he collected the water, bringing it back to Liam. "Brother?" Killian asked when he watched his brother stir awake.
"That's Captain to you." Liam said, when the two boys chuckled, while Killian helped his older brother up. "What happened?" Liam asked, sitting up.
"It doesn't matter. Now, let's pay the boy and go." Killian said to Liam, before looking around for Peter. "Boy, what do you want? Boy?" Killian asked, standing up to look for Peter, while Liam looked around for him as well. The boy was no where to be seen. But something did catch Killian's eye. A single rose petal on the ground. He bent over to pick it up, confused when he did not seen any red roses anywhere around them or on their journey up to the peak. He looked back at Liam confused, but let the rose petal fall back to the ground.
~season 3, episode 5: "Good Form"~
~2076 words~