Chapter 18
Maggie
A pair of seagulls flew by over Maggie and Peter’s heads.
They flew out over the sea, which stretched out past the horizon, and beyond the hilltop they stood upon.
Their overlook allowed them to peer far out over the sea, where the kingdom of Atlantis stood far beneath them.
Maggie let her hands tighten around Peter’s as she faced him once more, a few strands of her long hair flying across her face as the wind picked up.
Beside her feet, Sunny smacked his wide paw down on the ground as he desperately tried to snatch up a grasshopper.
The insect seemed to play with the feline by hopping around just out of reach, never staying in one place long enough to be caught.
Maggie’s pearly white dress flew out behind her.
It once belonged to her mother, stowed far beneath piles of clothes and old boxes.
Once tailored to Maggie’s size, the dress hugged her waist and had a heart shaped bodice, fitting her as though it was always meant to be hers.
A matching veil stretched down her back, filled with sewn in marigolds and lilies.
Across from her, Peter stood in his nicest three-piece suit, a tie bringing the look together at the center of his chest. A delicate flower poked out of his jacket pocket, matching her pearly colored dress.
Peter mouthed to her, you are beautiful.
Before she could stop herself from shyly blushing and looking away, Hazel stepped in front of them on the hilltop.
On the opposite side, sitting in rows along the grass, were all of their friends.
The Lost Boys were in the very front, their faces as excited as Peter’s.
Behind them, the fairies took their own seats, with thei r Queen, Vespera, already swiping tears off her cheeks.
The merpeople of Atlantis sent their regards a little while ago, and promised to watch the ceremony from afar.
There was no way that King Neptune was allowing himself to miss it.
Maggie could hardly believe it was happening herself. A wedding. A real wedding to the King of Neverland – Peter Pan. She was still stuck in her own trance when Hazel began to address the crowd.
“Citizens of Neverland,” she proclaimed, “we gather on this joyous day at the turn of the season to celebrate a love that has extended past walls, past realms, past divisions. Most of you know that Maggie Hart was brought to our island to bring us food, to help us cook, to keep us well-fed until the Everything Plants were restored to their full glory. Instead, we were given a friend for life, a loyal guardian, a friendly face, a loving daughter, and a just Queen.” Hazel gave her a sly wink.
“And now, the couple may share their vows.”
Peter slipped the pearly ring onto Maggie’s finger. “I, Peter Pan, take thee, Marigold Broomlin to be my wedded wife, to have to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part.”
The words struck Maggie far deeper than she thought they would.
And as she spoke them back to Peter, she found herself becoming choked up with unbridled emotion, the tears streaking down her face when she realized that this would be it.
There would be no more searching, no more looking for a safe place to hunker down in, no more craving a home that stood just around the corner.
There was only Peter, and he was right in front of her.
Their future was only just beginning, and Maggie could hardly believe how much more was still to come.
“And now,” Hazel said once the vows were completed, “you may kiss the bride.”
Peter reached for her, tucking one arm around her waist and pulling her close to his chest. The kiss was soft at first, gentle, merely a question.
But as her arms fell around his neck, her shoulders falling in total comfortability, Peter engulfed her with a fiery flame, not daring to let her go for even a split second.
Cheers echoed all around them. The Lost Boys were already on their feet, tossing flower petals excitedly into the air. They rushed forward as fast as they could, trying to talk to Hazel, Peter, and the growing baby that rested deep in her belly.
“We’re going to be the best uncles on the planet,” Twitch exclaimed.
Dash almost toppled over him. “Well, no matter if it’s a boy or a girl, we’ll be teaching them to swordfight!”
“Don’t forget about flying,” Scamp added. “They’ll need to know how to fly on Neverland.”
“And the waters, of course.” Dusty nodded to himself. “They’ll need to fly with the fairies and swim with the mermaids.”
Peter threw his arms around their shoulders. “Relax, boys! You’ll each get your chance to teach the baby something!” He lowered his head teasingly. “But not if I get to it all first!”
The Lost Boys were suddenly chasing their King around on the hill top, shouting after him as he desperately tried to get away. Maggie watched from where she stood, reaching down to lift Sunny into her arms. Her mother came up behind her, curling one thin arm around her waist lovingly.
Out of all the ways Maggie expected her life to end up, where she was then was the very last thing.
Despite that, Maggie couldn’t imagine having anything else.
Where would she be if Peter hadn’t shown up that night to take her away from that filthy tavern?
If he hadn’t come searching for a great cook, if he hadn’t tried a taste of her soup?
The idea of things being different almost pulled a shudder out of her.
She would never have to know it after all.
The very best outcome that she could’ve had stood right in front of her, it stood all around her.
There was the family she had always searched for, a future she always deemed impossibly out of reach.
A smile pulled back at her lips, the expression spreading and spreading until her cheeks ached with utter happiness.
This, she realized, was what it felt like to be truly happy.
To not be worried about what stood around the corner, to not crave safety, to not fear what was eventually to come.
Maggie almost cried then, but she feared there was hardly any left to spare.
She simply let her smile take over her face, until it hurt to even try to smile anymore.
She would rather have that than anything else in the entire world.
Peter came swooping down from the sky as the Lost Boys called out after him overhead.
He landed in front of her with a smile similar to her own, his hand reaching for the side of her face before cupping her cheek.
With small motions, he dragged his thumb along the curve of her face, admiring everything she might’ve once believed to have been what was terrible about her.
Maggie leaned into his touch, and when he leaned down for another kiss, she only let herself bend to get closer to him.
Across the beach, far from where anyone could see, the Everything Plant bloomed for the first time in months.
Out from the center of the flowers came a particularly large berry, one that would be replicated across all of the plants.
The very thing Maggie had returned to complete had finally been healed.
But who at all was paying attention?