Narrated by Kaylee
After we all ate breakfast together around the fire, Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell left to go capture Felix. I walked over to the ocean to soak my leg in the salt water because I was wounded, and the pain just started to really bother me now. I had ended up getting shot in my leg by a dart during the combat with Pan and the Lost Boys, but no one had known, and I had kept it to myself, not wanting anyone to worry when there was a lot going on then. As I lifted my pant leg up to inspect the wound, my veins around where I was pierced were turning black. I knew immediately that I had been poisoned, and it was spreading fast. I felt horror surge through me, and as I quickly pulled down my pant leg so Hook or Aubrey would not catch sight of my state, I heard Hook say grimly, "Bloody hell." I quickly turned toward him, and his face showed great horror; apparently, he caught a glimpse of my leg. "I know what that is; you have been shot with a deadly poison from a plant known as Dreamshade, a poison that kills you once it reaches your heart," he explained darkly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Mate?"
"I didn't realize until now that I was poisoned," I replied, feeling cold inside. I felt abnormally fatigued in that moment.
Suddenly, Aubrey approached. "What's wrong?" she asked nervously, turning her gaze onto Hook then to me.
"Your sister has been poisoned by Dreamshade, a plant containing deadly poison," Hook replied, looking very worried. "We need to slow down the process before it reaches her heart."
"How do we cure it!" Aubrey cried out, panic-stricken. "Where was she shot?"
"Show her your leg, Mate," Hook ordered me.
I slowly lifted my pant leg, and Aubrey gasped with horror. "First, how do we slow the poison from reaching her heart?" she asked fearfully, eyeing my leg.
Hook took out a knife that was on his belt. "I have to cut the wound open and let it bleed so we can eliminate as much poison from her blood stream as possible," he explained. Hook put his knife over the fire to sterilize it, and once it was cool enough, he said, handing a stick to me, "Here, bite on this. This is going to hurt, Mate. Hold still and stay strong, for you are going to be alright," he soothed. I bit the stick, and Aubrey squeezed my hand. I eyed the knife fearfully then closed my eyes. Hook slowly cut open the area of my wound as I bit the stick hard and squealed with agony. Then after he finished, he poured some of his rum onto my wound to clean it. I then collapsed onto the sand, feeling relieved the excruciating pain was over. My wound still bled heavily. "Send for Tiger Lily," Hook ordered Aubrey. "She will provide some natural remedies to relieve the pain."
Aubrey ran off then came back, followed by the Indian. "I heard what has happened," she said with much concern. She inspected my leg. "Eat these herbs," she directed, handing me a bunch of them. "They may not have a pleasant taste, but they will help with your pain." I chewed the herbs, and the taste was repulsive, but I had to force myself to swallow them.
"Now, we have to get you to your cure," Hook said to me. "The Magic Spring of Neverland is where we are going to head to right away. The waters contain healing properties."
"Tinkerbell told us about the spring; it was the location of the Tumtum tree," Aubrey said. "We had actually brought back some of the waters, but unfortunately, they had already evaporated. Anyway, let's fly there to get there faster. We could leave Kaylee here with Tiger Lily and return with a flask of the water."
"Good thinking, Mate," Hook remarked. He then turned to Tiger Lily. "I'll leave her with you," he added, and she nodded.
"Hold on, Kaylee, we will be back very soon," Aubrey reassured, squeezing my hand.
Hook and Aubrey called for Tinkerbell and asked for more pixie dust, explaining about my state, and she gave them some. They then flew away. Every few minutes, Tiger Lily forced me to eat more herbs, then she wrapped my wound up with a cloth. I admired her knowledge for herbs, and for the whole time Hook and Aubrey were away, she explained the purposes of each herb her Piccaninny tribe used in natural medicine which really fascinated me. It took my mind off my pain. By the time they returned, I was so weak that I couldn't sit up. Aubrey rushed over with the flask, and as Hook held my head up, Aubrey poured the water into my mouth, and I slowly swallowed it. A few minutes later, I started to feel a little stronger, and the color started to come back to my face. I sat up and Aubrey gave me a hug and so did Hook. "Thank God you're safe!" Aubrey cried joyously.
"You were fortunate, Mate," Hook said with a gentle hand on my shoulder. "And I am grateful for your help, Tiger Lily," he added, turning to her.
"My pleasure," said Tiger Lily.
"I lost my brother, Liam, due to Dreamshade when we first landed in this bloody place," Hook suddenly brought up, looking sad.
"I'm so sorry, Hook," I said with sympathy. "I had no idea you had a brother."
"Well, now you know," he replied. "After he died, that was when I learned of the spring. If only I knew then I could have saved him." Hook shook his head solemnly. "There is no other cure other than the spring, not even the strongest of magic can cure Dreamshade poisoning. It could even kill anyone who is immortal, and that is why I plan to bring some back with me to kill an enemy of mine," Hook added, his gaze darkening, "an enemy who cannot die by any other means simply because he is immortal."
"Please tell me you don't seek revenge," I said with a sigh.
"Who is this immortal person you speak of?" Aubrey asked.
"Rumpelstiltskin, also known as the Dark One," Hook replied gravely, gritting his teeth. "I need my revenge, Mate. You have no idea what that bloody crocodile did to me and what he is capable of doing. As soon as I leave this place that is what I vow to do."
Aubrey and I turned to each other grimly. "What did he do to you?" I nervously asked.
"He killed my love, Milah, not to mention who was his former wife, right before my eyes and took my hand," Hook replied, holding up his hooked hand.
I felt cold and unsettled inside. Rumpelstiltskin was even more dark than I had imagined. "He might kill you, Hook, so please don't seek revenge," I pleaded desperately.
"I'm not afraid of the bloody Dark One," Hook responded. "I can't rest until I avenge for Milah." Hook clenched his fist, and his eyes darkened with hatred.
"We actually know Rumpelstiltskin," Aubrey suddenly brought up.
"You know the bloody crocodile?" Hook questioned seriously.
We explained about the contract which resulted in our servitude to him, and this angered Hook greatly. "You need to stay away from him, Mates," he said. "It is so wrong for him to keep children as yourselves under his service."
"Even if we stay away from him, he'll still find us," I replied. "That's why we came here in the first place so that we could find a magic bean to escape Rumpelstiltskin and go back to our real home where our family is. But it turns out there's no luck," I added with a sigh. "We are originally from another world and arrived in the Enchanted Forest through a magic bean that somehow appeared into our realm."
Hook looked sympathetic, then he replied, "I hope to try in any possible way to help you both, so I am going to try and bargain that bean from Blackbeard. I know this is against my conscience, and I am well aware that I could very well be swindled, but I have to take the chance. I have no other choice. A chance is better than none. Trying to help you both is the least thing I can do after you have finally freed me from my prison."
"Thanks, Hook, that's very kind of you, but Blackbeard wants a chest that is probably impossible to find or could likely not even exist," I replied. "And like you said, he can't be trusted in any bargain."
"I know what I said, Mate, but this is the only way to try and help you both," Hook replied. "Aye, he is untrustworthy, but despite that, I will make sure I get that bean even if that means I must kill the scoundrel."
"We don't want you to end up killing Blackbeard as a result of helping us," I said. "That's not you, Hook; you're better than that."
"What do you suggest then, Mate?" Hook asked, taking a gulp of his rum.
"To just hope for the best without killing," I responded.
"Alright, Mate, now I have bargaining to do," said Hook. "I just hope Blackbeard gave up on Davy Jones's chest."
"Can we come?" Aubrey asked.
"It's best that I leave you two here," Hook replied. "Like I already said before, I don't want you near him. Let me do this on my own."
Because we kept insisting that we come along, Hook finally complied. We got onto the Jolly Roger and went to search for Blackbeard's ship. Soon, we saw it in view from a distance, and Hook sailed over to it until the side of his ship flanked Blackbeard's ship. "Blackbeard, I wish to speak with you," called Hook. Suddenly, a drunk man with a black, stubby beard and curly, black, shoulder-length hair topped with a captain hat approached the side of his ship as he guzzled down a bottle of rum. It poured down his chin and neck, and he had a drunken gaze and a sneer on his face. He leaned onto the side of his ship, trying to balance himself.
"Why, if it's not captain Hook," Blackbeard replied contemptuously. "To what do I owe this pleasure? If it involves my bean, it's not for trade unless you have what I want." He then spat into the water.
"I'm willing to help you find Davy Jones's chest in exchange for your bean," returned Hook. "If I find it, you must swear you will keep your side of the deal, but if you don't, then I will make sure you do. I don't plan on being hornswoggled this time."
Blackbeard smirked. "You got yourself a deal. But if you fail me, the bargain is off." He then took another big gulp of his rum and threw the bottle into the sea. Then he turned around and staggered away.
"How are we going to find this chest?" I asked. "It's not like there's a map to its location."
"I conclude Davy Jones's ship crashed either into a cliff side or a large boulder due to a wild storm or from the result of sirens," Hook said. "We will have to look for a sunken ship."
"Sirens, like mermaids?" Aubrey asked.
"Aye," Hook replied. "Sirens are a pirate's worst threat. They have enchanting singing voices and have the power to change form to that of irresistible beauty, bewitching sailors and luring them into a trap, their death. They are hideous creatures in their actual form. I, for one, have encountered those flesh-eating monsters. I stay far away from them. They lurk about in these waters, but I must take the chance. I will search the cliff sides first then around any rocks in search of the chest."
"We are coming," I insisted.
"It's too dangerous, Mate," said Hook. "You both are staying here."
"We have light magic to protect us all," I replied. "It's either you let us come or you call off the deal with Blackbeard."
"You are a stubborn one, Mate," Hook said, playfully patting my shoulder.
Hook soon ordered Mr. Smee to get out the scuba gear. Our outfits, which looked a lot like hazmat suits, were way too big for us, so we shrunk them with our magic, another thing we learned how to do in Rumpelstiltskin's spell book. We all dived into the dark waters. The further down we went, the colder and darker the water became, and I felt a lot of pressure in my head. I felt a little nervous but forced myself to continue. It was so dark underneath that Aubrey and I used our magic to light the way. We started searching, and we kept on seeing dark outlines of sharks, but we evaded them. After searching without luck, we would resurface and sail the ship to another location to search, and this went on for many hours. The ship was then directed to a huge, protruding rock from the water, and we dived in again. Suddenly, after we reached the bottom, we ended up finding, to our greatest joy, a sunken ship, and we went inside. I had a chilling and unsettling feeling being in this decaying ship. The inside was dark, covered in green scum and barnacles, and there were skeletal remains everywhere. We entered the captain's quarters and searched the room thoroughly. I spotted a loose section of wood on the floor, which turned out to be a trapdoor. Hook and Aubrey helped to open it, and to our greatest joy, a barnacle-covered chest was there which had the engraved initials of Davy Jones on it. The three of us were so thrilled, and we hauled it out together then left the decaying ship. As we were about to resurface, suddenly, we heard piercing, shrill cries, so I shined my magic toward the noise. To our greatest alarm, we saw hideous and scary-looking, half-human and half-fish creatures. They had long, spiked tails and spiked fins along their scaly backs; and they had very long hair, sharp teeth, gills on their human-like faces, and chilling eyes. I knew exactly what these creatures were, they were sirens. At once, they targeted Hook and surrounded him, pulling him down. We dropped the chest, and it landed back onto the bottom, but we weren't worried about it in this moment. As Hook desperately fought the sirens, we shot at the creatures, and immediately, they shrieked and then scattered. As we started to swim upward, they came back around and targeted Hook once again. Their sharp claws pierced Hook's legs, and he bled. The smell of blood attracted more sirens. We bravely fought off all the creatures with our magic, and many were killed while others sped away. We helped Hook reach the surface, and we alerted the crew. They threw over a tube and hauled Hook up, then we were next. Hook lay on the deck, and his legs bled heavily. "Oh, Captain, you are injured!" exclaimed Smee. "I'll go fetch the rum and wrap."
"That won't be necessary," I said. I then healed Hook's legs with my magic.
"Thanks, Mate," Hook said, standing up. "That feels much better. We were attacked by bloody sirens," he explained to Smee.
"We are going back down to get the chest," I said. "The sirens didn't attack us, so we aren't worried."
"They didn't bother you because they only seek male flesh," Hook explained.
We plunged back into the water and retrieved the chest then were hauled back onto the ship. The crewmates took a deep interest in the treasure chest, and Hook explained that it was for a bargain with Blackbeard. "It is extraordinary how it only took us a few hours to find this legendary chest, whereas Blackbeard has been seeking it for more than a decade but has never found it," Hook said with an amused grin.
Narrated by Aubrey (continued)
We sailed back to Blackbeard's ship. "We have what you desire!" Hook hollered to Blackbeard, "the chest of Davy Jones!"
Blackbeard staggered to the very side of his ship and hollered back, spitting into the water, "Prove it!"
"And I shall!" replied Hook. Once the Jolly Roger was close enough to Blackbeard's ship, a close enough distance that Hook could step over onto Blackbeard's ship, Hook, with our help, held up the chest, showing Blackbeard, and we pointed to the engraving of Davy Jones's name that was engraved into a gold, metal strip on the side of the large chest. "Now this is proof enough!"
Immediately, Blackbeard's expression grew wild with astonishment, and he exclaimed with excitement, "How did you find it! Bring it to me!"
"First you hand over the bean," Hook demanded vehemently. "That's the agreement."
"Fine," Blackbeard responded. Then he tossed the bean over to Hook, and he caught it then placed it into his pocket. "Now hurry up!" Blackbeard impatiently demanded. "Let me see it!"
"If you'd just grab the end of it, it would be a help to get the chest over," said Hook. "It certainly isn't light." And at that last statement, Blackbeard looked more thrilled than ever.
Blackbeard grabbed the end of it with the help of his crew, then his men hacked into the lock, opening the chest up. We were also all very curious to see what was inside the chest, so we stood on the very side of our ship and stared at it. Blackbeard gave a laugh of joy and victory along with all his crew because right inside of the chest was so much gold and silver coins, jewels of different colors, jewelry of all sorts, solid gold goblets, and even a golden, jeweled crown. The crew all danced around in celebration, and Blackbeard threw up coins with exhilaration. Because I was so astonished of all the treasure, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. And from Kaylee and Hook's expression, they also looked breath-taken. No wonder why Blackbeard spent all those years searching for that lost chest; for he must had known it was filled with SO much treasure, I thought. He'd rather waste his life searching for greed.
Hook turned to us and said, "Now, Mates, I believe this belongs to you." Then he took the bean out of this pocket and handed it to us.
"Aw, Hook, you really don't have too!" I gratefully replied. "We can just all use it to get back to the Enchanted Forest rather than you sailing for who knows how long to it. Hook, even if we came here for a bean, what is important is that you get to go back to the Enchanted Forest immediately. I'm sure you are tired of sailing. You need this bean more than we do."
Hook smiled, looking touched, and replied, "What true friends you two are; it speaks of your hearts. But you really need it more than I do."
As I was about to hand the bean back to Hook, suddenly, I realized that something about this bean looked off. Looking closely at it, I realized it was not a magic bean, but rather it was a shiny quartz that was carved out into the shape and size of a magic bean, and it was harder and a lot heavier than one. "Uh, Hook, this isn't a magic bean!" I exclaimed with alarm, showing him.
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Hook, also realizing it was a fake. "We've been hornswoggled!"
"That's just great!" Kaylee exclaimed with sarcasm.
"I knew I should have not trusted that bloody swindler in the first place!" Hook exclaimed with rage. Then he turned toward Blackbeard's ship that was sailing away from us, and he yelled out to Blackbeard furiously, "You bloody crook! We had a deal!"
I head Blackbeard laughing, and I wished I could just punch his ugly face. Then he hollered back smugly, "You shouldn't have made a deal with me then, you fool!" Then I heard all his crew laugh with him.
I saw Hook angerly grit his teeth, then he pounded his fist hard onto his ship with frustration. "You bloody scoundrel!" he hollered to Blackbeard. "I will kill you if I must to get my bean! You won't get away with this!"
But I knew Hook wouldn't actually kill Blackbeard and that he was just saying that only as a threat.
"Watch me!" Blackbeard hollered back tauntingly. Just then, I saw him throw something far out into the sea, and suddenly, a giant vortex appeared in the water. I realized it was a portal and that it was created from the magic bean that he had thrown into the water. "So long, Suckers!" he exclaimed, laughing.
"No!" Kaylee and I exclaimed with distress.
"I know where he is going, to the Enchanted Forest, his original home too," said Hook. "We have to get to that portal too!"
A moment later, I saw Tinkerbell along with Tiger Lily descending from the sky toward us, then they landed on Jolly Roger. "What are you two doing here?" questioned Hook, looking distracted and stressed.
"We have come to help," Tinkerbell responded, "to help you get to that portal fast."
"And to make sure you didn't leave without saying goodbye," Tiger Lily added lightheartedly.
Just then, with a wave of the fairy wand at the ship, suddenly, the ship started moving very speedily toward the vortex, quickly catching up to Blackbeard's ship. "Bloody brilliant!" Hook exclaimed over the wind.
"Thanks, Tinkerbell!" I exclaimed gratefully. "Are you and Tiger Lily going to come with us?"
"As much as I would love to, this is my home, a home I've only ever known," Tinkerbell replied. "But perhaps someday we may meet again." Then Hook, Kaylee, and I embraced her.
"I'm going to miss you, Pirate," Tiger Lily said, giving Hook a hug. "Hopefully some day we may meet again. But like Tinkerbell, this is the only true home I know, and I shall remain here where my ancestors have always dwelled." Then she turned to us warmly and embraced us too. "Good luck to you all, and I shall miss you all dearly. I won't ever forget about you."
After we said our goodbyes and farewells, they left, and then right after Blackbeard's ship entered the portal, the Jolly Roger did too.
Narrated by Kaylee (continued)
We were now back in the Enchanted Forest, rocking on its pleasant, calm sea. I squinted in the sunlight and spotted Blackbeard's ship in the distance. "I sure wish I could break Blackbeard's face right now," I said indignantly.
"Next time I see the bloody scoundrel, I'll do the honors for you," Hook said with an amused grin and a playful pat on my shoulder. Then his expression grew solemn. "I'm sorry for failing you both."
"You didn't fail us, Hook; we really appreciate what you did for us," I replied. "To be honest, I am not surprised he swindled us. Hey, at least we landed into the portal on time. It would have probably taken us a really long time sailing all the way back to the Enchanted Forest."
"Thanks, Mate," Hook responded warmly. He then gazed at the vast, blue ocean and took a deep breath. "I have missed this place dearly. It sure feels good to be back. Now I finally get to do what I have so long hungered for, to get revenge on the bloody crocodile, Rumpelstiltskin."
"So, that means you brought back Dreamshade?" I questioned.
"Aye," Hook replied with a nod. "I cannot pass up my opportunity to kill the Dark One."
I let out a sigh and leaned onto the side of the ship. Hook sailed to shore, and we got out. "It has been a pleasure knowing the two of you. I hope we can meet again soon," Hook said with an outstretched hand at me. I took it, and we shook, and he did the same to Aubrey. "Thanks again, Mates. I can't tell you how great it feels to be here again after eleven bloody years sailing in circles on the Neverland Sea."
"We will meet again soon," I said. We waved at Hook, then he got back into his ship and sailed away.
We ventured into the forest, and I felt a new energy flood through me. It felt so nice being back. I breathed in the pleasant, pine aroma and listened to the song of birds that perched in the trees. It took us a few hours to reach the village because we were in another location of the Enchanted Forest. We were very excited to see our friends again, except we dreaded to see Rumpelstiltskin; for we knew he would without a doubt be angry at us. When reaching the dwarfs' cottage, we stopped abruptly in our tracks when sighting all the dwarfs mournfully surrounding a glass coffin that was decorated with many flowers. They all had slumped heads, and many of them were sobbing and blowing their noses into their hats. Grumpy leaned onto the glass coffin, woefully staring down at a beautiful figure clothed in white who peacefully lay. To our great alarm, we realized it was Snow White. I felt my heart lurch, and the two of us felt deeply agonized in that moment. Then suddenly, we turned to each other, a thought striking us. "True love's kiss might wake her up!" we said in chorus, hope beaming in us. If all this fairy tale stuff and magic really existed, maybe true love's kiss could awake Snow. As in many of the Disney princess movies, true love's kiss always broke spells.
"But who will wake her?" I asked.
"The man she loves, David," Aubrey replied. "Hopefully he feels the same about her." We hastened over and joined the dwarfs who were too saddened to welcome us.
"The Evil Queen poisoned Snow, putting her into a sleeping curse," Grumpy said, gritting his teeth in rage. "She will pay for this!"
Suddenly, to our great joy, a handsome man in a prince's attire rode up on a white horse then quickly dismounted, and we made room for him. It was David, and he quickly approached the coffin where Snow lay. He opened the glass lid and gazed down at Snow, his face full of love, then he leaned down and kissed her lips. Immediately, a magical wave passed through, and Snow opened her eyes, took a deep breath, then looked up at David as he smiled down at her. "You saved me," she said lovingly.
"I told you I would always find you," David replied, his gaze full of emotion. "It's love that led me. The queen can never pull us apart because our love makes it impossible for her." He helped Snow out of the coffin, and they kissed as the dwarfs celebrated, danced, hugged, and threw up their hats.
"I knew you would find me," Snow said through tears of joy, "because the power of love makes it always possible to find each other. We have love, the most powerful magic of all."
"I always had the feeling he loved Snow just as she loved him," Aubrey said, turning to me with a smile.
"I will never let the queen harm you ever again, Snow," David said, hugging her. "I won't lose you, and I will never let her separate us."
"As long as we have love, she can never tear us apart," reassured Snow. "She can never get in the way of our true happiness."
"Marry me, Snow," David said, getting down onto one knee and popping out a ring. "You are my happy ending what I have searched for."
Snow looked deeply emotional and smiled through tears of joy. She exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes!" Then she jumped into his arms, and they kissed. We all celebrated once again. It was such a happy day. Snow was not only awakened by Regina's curse, but she was going to marry her true love. Snow and David greeted us warmly, and we congratulated them. Snow then explained that Regina threatened her that she would kill David if she would not take a bite of a poison apple, then we told the reason of our long absence being in Neverland, to find a bean and finding out that we were prophesied to restore peace there."
"So, we must have missed a lot while we were away," Aubrey said.
"Yes, I was being forced to marry Princess Abagail in hopes that our kingdoms would be united," David explained. "But I wanted to marry for love, for I knew that my heart belonged to someone else, to Snow, and I knew from then on, I couldn't marry Abagail. Snow and I sent letters back and forth to each other, and we secretively met up a lot, for we needed to see each other, and no one had the right to stop us. The day before I would marry Abagail, I ran away to be with Snow, and I found her like this." David turned a loving gaze to Snow and took her hands into his.
"How did you know where to find her?" I asked.
"Rumpelstiltskin informed me of the queen's doing," David replied, "so he told me where she was but with a price of course."
Later, as Aubrey and I walked through the forest, a familiar chuckle was suddenly heard from behind us, and we quickly turned around. It was Rumpelstiltskin. "So, running from our deal, are we?" he said.
"Trying to get away from you," Aubrey retorted hotly. "We were in Neverland trying to locate a magic bean."
"Neverland, I've heard tales of that place," Rumpelstiltskin replied. "If I'm not mistaken, it's a land where no one ever grows old. So, any luck, Dearies, finding what you were looking for?"
We shook our heads, then Rumpelstiltskin replied, "As I always say, magic beans are very rare."
"You can't keep us trapped forever!" Aubrey exclaimed angerly.
"I will as long as I see fit, until our contract is done, Deary," Rumpelstiltskin responded firmly. "Now you're coming with me." He appeared us into his castle.
"Oh, you're back," said Belle, greeting us warmly. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"Nope," I replied with a disappointed sigh.
"I hope you had no part in their escape," Rumpelstiltskin said, turning to Belle questionably.
"If you'd excuse me, I'll go fetch your tea," Belle returned, embarrassed, and she quickly turned away.
Rumpelstiltskin settled down to his spinning wheel, and he looked to be in deep contemplation.