*past*
Rapunzel ran through the woods in a hurry. The wind moved in her direction, which only made her move faster. She could hear the laugh sand cheers of the Lost Boys behind her. Her breath and heart were steady. She could do that all day.
She found herself at the beach and a small boat approached. She stopped dead in her tracks, watching as Felix walked off of the boat with a few of the Boys trailing behind him. They were dragging a boy with him.
Felix approached Rapunzel, a smirk on his face, and bowed lightly.
"Majesty," he said, complying with Pan's rules.
"Is it him?" She asked.
"We're not sure just yet. The pirate dropped him off," Felix answered.
"Pirate?" She questioned.
"There is much you don't know, My Queen," he said, walking closer to her. "Much he has yet to tell you."
"And you don't think he will?" She asked. Felix was feeling threatened by her lack of fear. He stood up straighter.
"You may think he loves you, but he'll never trust you the way he trusts me," he whispered in her ear. She laughed.
"Oh, you can't even begin to imagine how he feels about you," she said, looking up at him. "But I know full well. So, don't flatter yourself," she pushed him back.
Felix's face contorted and she felt the anger rise in him, which made her smile even more. He couldn't touch her without the wrath of Pan. But he moved back to her, his lips pursed in anger, like he was holding in a scream.
"Felix," Pan's voice was steady and stern. Felix's head shot up, staring behind Rapunzel. She turned and saw the boy standing at the line of the sand. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Nothing," he said quietly, moving away from Rapunzel.
Pan walked toward them, his eyes never leaving Felix's.
"Go. Take care of him. I'll be there in a moment." He commanded. Felix nodded his head and ran off to find where the Lost Boys had taken the new kid.
"And how are you?" He asked, taking Rapunzel's hand.
"Good," she said confidently.
"Not bothered by Felix, I hope."
She shook her head and laughed. "He does not intimidate me."
"I believe that," he said with a smile. He moved his other hand to touch her hair, stroking it gently. "You have done so much for this island and me."
Insecurely, she grabbed her hair and began playing with it, causing Pan to let go.
"I'm happy to have done so," she answered.
"Well, you just let me know if you need anything. I have to go meet with our new friend. We'll see if he can help us. Why don't you head back to the camp, get some rest. I'll be there soon," he said, kissing her head as he walked by her.
"You're not going to hurt him, right?" She said after he had passed. He stopped lightly and smiled.
"No," he promised. "We're not going to hurt him."
Rapunzel quietly made her way back to the camp. She walked slowly, taking in the trees and brush around her. Growing up in the tower, she had come to appreciate any wildlife she could find. The smell of the forest was like a hit of serotonin to her. The feeling of the dirt beneath her feet was like walking on a cloud. She loved every bit of it and couldn't imagine being anywhere.
Suddenly, she heard a rustling through the brush. She whipped her head to the side, trying to decipher whether it was the Lost Boys. Quickly, she realized it wasn't.
"Who's there?" She asked aloud.
The rustling stopped. It was as if whoever was there was afraid to be caught.
Slowly, Rapunzel moved toward the noise, pushing the branches on the overgrown trees out of her way. A small man in a red hat jumped out, making her jump back and yelp in surprise. Once she noticed he was just as nervous, she composed herself.
"Who are you?!" She almost yelled.
The small man look at her in surprise as well, not recognizing the girl. "You're a...girl?"
Rapunzel looked down, then rolled her eyes. "Apparently."
"I didn't know he was bringing girls to the island now," he said.
"He's not," she snapped back angrily. He threw his hands up in defense.
"Stand down," a booming voice came from behind the man. A tall man dressed in black leather walked forward. Rapunzel looked him up and down, immediately noticing the hook in place of his left hand. "Back up, Mr. Smee. Clearly, you're less intimidating than we thought you'd be."
Rapunzel watched this man very carefully. "Are you going to tell me who you are?" She asked, her voice still steady.
"Apologies for my mate's manners. Apparently he has none. Captain Hook, at your service," he said with an over-exaggerated bow. "And you are?"
She stood straighter. "Rapunzel."
"Wait," Mr. Smee said from behind, "I've heard that name. One of the boys said something about their Queen."
She sighed. "That's me. Well, for a few weeks now anyway."
"Well," Hook said, taking her hand and kissing it, "it is a pleasure, Your Majesty."
She took her hand back and grimaced. "Do I sense a bit of sarcasm, Captain?"
He laughed. "Well, you're a child. You can't really be the Queen of anything, can you?"
Before she could process her own anger, Rapunzel felt her hands begin to spark. Hook's eyes gazed down at the electricity and he gasped.
"Now, now, could it be?" He said, unfazed by the phenomenon. "I've heard of a power like this before. It's not magic that was born, but created. A neutral gift, I believe they call it."
She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. "The only one besides Pan that knows about that is-"
"Rumplestiltskin," he sneered. Her eyes widened.
"Does everyone here know Rumple?"
Hook began to circle Rapunzel very slowly, beginning to tell his own story.
"The Dark One stole my true love, my true happiness, from me. Tore out her heart and smashed it right in front of me," he said, mimicking the feat.
Rapunzel gulped. "Wow, I'm so sorry," she said, feeling the pain course through his body. Once his memory of her faded and the pain rushed out, she felt an overwhelming sense of anger in him. "And you're looking for revenge," she insinuated.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, I can feel your anger," she said. He cocked his head to the side in confusion, to which she rolled her eyes. "Neutral power equals empathy," she said, pointing to her head.
"You might be able to help me get my revenge," he said, growing closer to her.
"I hate to break it to you, but Rumplestiltskin made a deal with Pan's shadow. I can't leave the island. I can't get back there." Then, in a moment of fear, she decided to lie to him. "You realize that no one can kill him without becoming the Dark One themselves, right?"
Hook paused. Obviously, the thought hadn't occurred to him. She could feel Smee's eyes on both of them as the realization hit them.
"Then I'll just have to destroy the one thing he truly loves," Hook said in a hushed voice.
"Except he doesn't love anything," she stated.
Hook and Smee exchanged a look. They knew something.
"Unless you know something I don't," she said.
"We don't," Hook said, keeping his gaze on Smee. "But he'll find something, eventually. I don't care if I have to wait another hundred years."
She could tell he was lying, but she didn't want to push it anymore.
"Did you say 'another hundred years?' How long have you been waiting for your revenge?"
"Almost 200," he said with no hesitation.
Her jaw almost hit the ground. She couldn't fathom anyone waiting that long, or being alive that long for that matter.
"So that's why you stay near Neverland," she said.
He nodded. "Pan and I have an agreement. He hates The Dark One almost as much as I do. He lets me stay here as long as I destroy him, eventually."
"Makes sense," she said.
"So, love," he said, stepping in front of her, "how do you know the Dark One so well?"
She shrugged. "He was the one that taught me to use my magic. He said it would be used for a greater purpose. Then he took me to a weird land where time stood still and then sent me away to another weird land where time stands still. It's almost like he doesn't want me to grow up."
"Maybe he needs you for something bigger," Hook said.
She froze. If she told him the truth about her power, he could force her into using it to kill Rumple, which would then strip her of her neutral power. But he sounded like he was on to something.
"Like you'd know anything about it," Rapunzel muttered.
"Listen, I've been rummaging through this island for years. There are things that no one understands about it. You being "the Queen," I'm sure Pan is going to...well...hide certain things from you. He wants it to seem like sunshine and rainbows, but as you'll notice," he said, peeking up at the sky, "the sun never comes out," then his eyes met hers again. "If you tell me everything you know about The Dark One, I'll tell you all of the secrets of this island, secrets that he won't share with you."
"He'd tell me anything I asked of him," Rapunzel contested.
Hook shook his head. "Did he tell you of the poison that runs here?"
"Poison?" She asked.
Hook smiled. "You want to know how I found Neverland? My older brother and I were in the Royal Navy. They sent us on a quest to find a tree to defeat our enemies. They sent us here, only to find out that the tree they wanted us to use was poisoned. My brother, Liam, didn't believe it, even though the boy said it was true," he moved closer to Rapunzel, tapping her arm with his hook. "So Liam took a vine from the tree and scratched his arm with it," Hook traced the outline with his hook on her arm, "and he fell instantly. The poison would have reached his heart if Pan hadn't given us the island's water. But what he didn't tell us was the water's healing element only worked while we were on the island. As soon as we sailed away, my brother died...in my arms," his voice caught on the last statement.
Rapunzel stood, frozen.
"That's a...sad story," was all she could say.
"The poison, which he calls Dreamshade, is the second most deadly thing on this island. If he didn't tell you about that to keep you safe, what else do you think he's not telling you?"
"Second?" She asked. "What's the first?"
Hook chuckled. "Don't you know, love," then he leaned his head in and whispered, "it's your boyfriend."
"And why should I believe you?" She asked.
"Ah, well, maybe you shouldn't," he said, standing up straight. "All I know is if Pan really wanted to keep you safe, he'd tell you everything."
"And what? You will?" She asked.
"Aye," he answered. "Because I know that you can help me. You were obviously the last person close with the Dark One. So, I'll help you. If you want to be the real Queen with any real power, you deserve to know everything."
"You know everything?"
He shrugged. "I know enough. But there's one person on this island who knows more. The closest to Pan before you," he answered.
"Who?" She asked, curiosity taking over.
Hook laughed and threw his arm around Rapunzel. "Come now, darling. It's time for you to meet a fairy."