(CHAPTER 3 - LOST ONES)
🦢🗡
Mr Gold stood somewhere in a clearing in the jungle and made a fireball in his hand, throwing it onto the wooden logs he had piled up. He walked around the fire, seeing his shadow projected on the large rock in front of him. Waving his hand, he immobilized his shadow and used his dagger to cut his shadow from himself. The shadow broke free from the immobilization spell and flew up some, looking down at him.
Mr Gold held up his dagger to his shadow, "You know what to do. Hide it where no one can find it, not even me," He said and the shadow took the dagger, flying off with it.
----------<3----------
Elsewhere in the jungle, Maverick was asleep on a small cot and Athena placed a thin blanket over him as Tinkerbell watched her, "How'd you get off the island?" She asked.
"After I had him," Athena turned to the fairy, "After Pan told me he had died, I couldn't stay here any longer," she walked to the table Tinkerbell was sat at, "Guess it didn't matter too much, since I'm back," Athena said, sitting opposite her.
"You didn't say goodbye," Tinkerbell said.
"I know, I know," Athena shook her head a little, "You were the only person here that I trusted, and I left you...just like Hook did to me," She said.
"He left you?" Athena nodded, "No good pirate," Tinkerbell said.
"Do you want to leave, Tink?" Athena asked her.
"What?" Tinkerbell said.
"Do you want off this island?" Athena asked.
"Of course I do, but I can't leave. No one can," Tinkerbell said.
Athena reached across the table, taking hold of her hand, "I will get you off this island, I promise. I'm not leaving you again," Athena told her.
Tinkerbell smiled softly, "Thank you," She said.
----------<3----------
Somewhere in the jungle, David cut through branches with his sword as the others followed behind him, "The ridge is just a few hundred paces up ahead," Captain Hook said.
"You really think we're gonna be able to see Pan's hideout?" Elias asked.
"From there, we should be able to see everything, including where he's keeping your son," Captain Hook said.
"You know, I could have just poofed us up here in an instant," Regina said.
"Where? We have no idea what's out there," Nadia said.
"The lass is right, there are dangers all about. Only I can guide us past them," Captain Hook said.
"He's right. Hook's lived here before. If he says hiking up is the best way, then we listen," Elias said.
"You sure?" Emma asked.
"No, but what choice do we have? If he turns on us, it'll be his own fault," Elias said.
"Here. You two need to stay hydrated," Mary Margaret said, handing them a canteen of water.
"Thanks, Mary Margaret," Emma said and took a drink, before handing it to Elias, who took a drink as well.
"You know, Mary Margaret is a bit formal. You two could call me mom if you want. You've done it before," Mary Margaret said.
"Oh, um...that was back when we..." Emma said.
"We were about to die," she nodded, "Oh, no, I get it," Mary Margaret said.
"Listen, I don't expect Henry to call me dad. It's not necessarily the easiest thing to do...especially after being without parents for so long. That being said, it doesn't make you any less our mother, whether we call you that or not," Elias said.
"No, it's okay. I get it," Mary Margaret said.
Up ahead of the twins and their mother, Regina and Nadia walked together and Nadia cleared her throat, making Regina look at her, "Yes?" She said.
"About the...whispers," Regina nodded, "Do they come at significant times?" Nadia asked.
"Hm, I guess," Regina said.
"When was the first time?" Nadia asked.
"It was after you all saved me from Eva. They told me to wake up," Regina told her.
"It wasn't Snow waking you?" Nadia questioned.
Regina shook her head, "No, it just seemed like it at the time," She said.
"I see," she nodded slowly, "I'll see what I can find out," Nadia said.
Up ahead of them, David was about to cut another branch with thorns, but Captain Hook stopped him, "No, no!" He said.
"I can handle a couple of thorns," David said.
"That's dreamshade. It's not the thorns you have to worry about, it's the poison they inject you with. This plant is the source of the toxins I used on the Dark One," Captain Hook said.
"The poison that almost killed Gold?" Emma asked.
"Indeed. I used a concentrated dose. In its natural form, death would be much slower and far more painful. I suggest we go this way," Captain Hook said, pointing to the left.
"We'll go this way," David said and walked to the right, followed by the others.
"Your father's a distrustful fellow," Captain Hook said to the twins in front of him.
"He's just not used to working with the bad guys," Elias said.
"I can assure you, on this island, I am not the bad guy," Captain Hook said.
"Yeah, well, Pan's not supposed to be one either," Emma said.
"Oh, yeah, that's true," Elias said.
"What possibly gave you both that idea?" Captain Hook asked.
"Every story we ever heard as a child," Emma said.
"Well, they got it all wrong. Pan is the most treacherous villain I've ever faced," Emma walked ahead and the pirate grabbed Elias' arm, making him look at the pirate, "Tell me something, mate. In these stories, what was I like? Other than a villain. Handsome, I gather," Captain Hook said with a smile.
"If waxed mustaches and perms are your thing," Elias said and they continued walking.
"I take it by your tone, perms are bad?" Captain Hook questioned.
"Not if they're your thing," Elias said.
David stood on top of a hill, "Up here! We made it!" He called out.
The rest of them walked up the hill, seeing the jungle in front of them, "Pan's lair should be just right..." Captain Hook said.
"Where? All I see is jungle," Nadia said.
"Aye, the Dark Jungle," the pirate took out a telescope to survey the land, "It's, uh, grown so much since I last stepped foot in Neverland," Captain Hook said.
Regina sighed, "So this nature hike was for nothing," She said.
"Hook may have led us astray, but at least we're in a good position to start combing the jungle," David said.
"Not exactly. The Dark Jungle's the last place you wanna set foot. We'll have to go around it. In order to do that, we're gonna need our strength. I suggest we make camp," Captain Hook said.
"You wanna sleep while my son is out there suffering?" Regina questioned.
"If we want to live long enough to save the boy...yes," Captain Hook said.
"Regina's right, Henry's out there somewhere," Elias said.
"Finally, someone with brains in the family," Regina said.
"And Hook is right. We have to survive, if we're going to get him," Mary Margaret said.
"I know, I just hope we're not too late," Elias said and glanced at Regina, being the only person who could see the worry in her eyes.
"After everything your father and I have been through," Elias looked back at his mother, "There's one thing we've learned. It is never too late," Mary Margaret said.
----------<3----------
During the night, the group had made camp and were all asleep, but the twins had woke up, due to hearing the sound of crying children, "You hear that?" Elias whispered.
"Yeah," Emma whispered as they stood up, grabbing their swords.
Elias turned to the others, who were still asleep, "Guys, wake up!" He whispered.
The crying continued from the jungle and the twins walked together, to find where it was coming from, "You two hear that, too?" the twins turned swiftly, seeing Pan stood behind them, "You're Elias and Emma, right?" the twins glanced at each other, before looking back at him, "I wonder why they can't hear the crying," Pan said.
"Who are you?" Emma asked as they pointed their sword at him.
"Oh, did I forget to introduce myself? I'm Peter," he smirked slightly, "Peter Pan," He said.
Elias lunged at him, pinning him against a tree, "Where's Henry?" He asked, holding his sword to Pan's neck.
"You've got fire. I like fire," Pan said.
"Where's my son?" Elias asked.
"Henry's still alive, if that's what you're worried about," Pan said.
"Why the hell did you take him?" Elias asked.
"He's a very special boy, Elias," Pan said.
"We know. That doesn't answer my question. What do you want with him?" Elias asked.
"I came here to see who I was up against. The Saviors," he looked between them, "Gotta say, I'm not disappointed," Pan said.
"What do you say now? You're gonna tell me how I'm never gonna see Henry again?" Elias asked.
"No, i'm going to help you find him. I'll give you a map," Pan said.
Elias let him go and stepped back, "A map?" Emma questioned.
Pan exhaled and took out a piece of parchment, "A map that will lead you straight to your son," He said.
"If this is some kind of trap..." Elias said.
Pan chuckled, "I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment," Pan said, holding it out to the eldest twin, but Elias didn't take it.
"Why are you giving it to me?" Elias asked.
"See, it's not about finding Henry. It's about how you find him. And, Elias, Emma, you're both the only ones who can," Pan said.
A creature howled in the distance as Elias took the map and the twins looked at it, "It's blank," Emma said.
"You'll only be able to read that map when you both stop denying who you really are," Pan said.
The twins looked at each other and looked back at him, only to find him gone.
----------<3----------
Elsewhere in the jungle, Athena was sat outside Tinkerbell's hut, looking up at the stars, when Maverick walked out, "What are you doing?" He asked.
"Looking at the stars," Athena said.
"I can see that," Maverick said.
Athena chucked softly as she looked at him with a smile.
"Come here, kid," he walked to her, sitting on the grass beside her, "Have you ever just watched the stars twinkle?" Athena asked.
"No," Maverick shook his head, "Why do you do it?" He asked.
"It helps me think," Athena said.
"About?" Maverick said.
"Anything," Athena shrugged, "It clears my mind," She said.
"You know, I'm glad Pan lied," she looked at him, confused, "If he hadn't, you could've actually been dead," Maverick said.
"It broke my heart when he told me you had died, that's why I had to leave this island. Your father had left me, and you were all I had left. Without you...I found myself in a really dark place at the time," Athena said.
"My father...who is he?" Maverick asked.
"Someone I thought would be with me forever. Turns out not everyone thinks the same, or has the same morals," Athena said and leaned back onto the grass, looking up at the stars.
After a moment, she felt someone lean on her shoulder and she looked over to see Maverick lying beside her, resting his head on her shoulder, making her smile softly.
----------<3----------
Back at the campsite, the twins had woken everyone up and told them about the map from Pan, "He so liked his games," Captain Hook said.
"What game? There's nothing there," Nadia said.
"If he said there's a map on this parchment, then there is," Captain Hook said.
"Great. So if we just stop denying who we really are, whatever that means, then we'll be able to read this thing," Elias said, looking at the blank map.
"But how do we know Pan won't use it to lead us straight into a trap?" Regina asked.
"Because he doesn't need to. This whole island's his bloody trap," Captain Hook said.
David and Mary Margaret emerged from the jungle, "There's no sign of him anywhere," He said.
"Any luck with the map?" Mary Margaret asked
"Don't hold your breath," Regina said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Elias asked.
"Don't you two see what he's doing? Every second we spend talking about this, is another second we're not looking for my son," Regina said.
"You got a better idea?" Emma asked.
"Magic. If there's a lock on there, I'll find a way around it," Regina said.
"Maybe a location spell could work on it. It'll lead us straight to Pan," Nadia said.
"Pan said it had to be us," Elias said.
"I'd listen to Elias, loves. Breaking Pan's rules would be unwise," Captain Hook said.
"Sadly, I agree with the pirate," David said.
Captain Hook looked at David, "I'm winning you over, I can feel it," He said.
"And neither of your magic has a gentle touch," Mary Margaret said, looking at the Regina and Nadia.
"Use it on the map, it might blow up in all our faces," David said.
"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take," Regina said.
"Well, I'm not. If we're the ones who are supposed to figure out this thing, we need to do what Pan said," Elias said.
"Great," Regina said, sarcastically.
"They'll get there," Mary Margaret turned to the twins, "Hey, don't give up. He's playing a game. You both can win," She said.
----------<3----------
Elsewhere, Mr Gold was looking at the straw doll, when he heard rustling behind him and stood up. He put the doll down and looked over to investigate, "Who's there? Show yourself," He said.
A cloaked figure came out of hiding, grabbed the doll and ran away, "That doesn't belong to you, dearie," Mr Gold chased after them and removed their hood, when he caught them and looked at them in surprise, "Belle?" He said.
----------<3----------
Mr Gold and Belle were now sat on a log, talking to each other, "Belle, I don't understand. How did you get here?" He asked her.
"I thought you didn't dress like that anymore. I thought that was your past," Belle said.
"Well, this is now my future. Becoming this again, the Dark One, that's the only way I'll save my grandson," Mr Gold said.
"But you haven't completely become him, have you? There's still hope," Belle said and leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away.
"You're not really here, are you?" Mr Gold asked.
"No, of course not. I'm still in Storybrooke, right where you left me," Belle told him.
"Are you okay? Did the protection spell work?" Mr Gold asked.
"It...It did, we're all fine. Storybrooke's safe, we all are," Belle said.
"How do I know these aren't just lies meant to lead me astray? How do I know Pan didn't conjure up a vision of you?" Mr Gold asked.
"He didn't, you did," Belle said.
"What?" Mr Gold said, confused.
"The question is why," Belle said.