Chapter 14
There was a collection of houses within the town that was only ten minutes away from the treehouse.
Earthy green paths led the way through the buildings and around the town, small twinkling fairies lighting the way along the edges.
Manicured lawns full of patches of wildflowers and bushes sat in front of the houses, all of them a different shape and color.
The sun above was hovering above the horizon, beginning to creep down the water line.
Above their heads, birds and bats danced through the sky before crashing through the treetops.
Beside Maggie, Peter walked quietly. He dressed simply: a cotton shirt resting comfortably over his golden skin, dark trousers fitting him snuggly.
His hands were swaying slightly at his sides, just a few inches away from Maggie’s hand.
They were quiet for most of the walk, just watching the town appear ahead and paying attention to the fairies twinkling in and out all around them.
As dusk reached them, fireflies rose from the grass and lit up the early evening.
Everything about the town was quaint and welcoming, and more genuine than she thought it would be.
Elves rested outside of their houses, sitting on porches and sipping from their steaming mugs as the nighttime approached.
Some fairies were large and normal, their wings stretching out far behind them as they passed by. A pair of them with matching pink hair eyed Maggie closely as they walked, one of them pausing to gape at the human.
“Hey,” the girl cooed, pointing one long finger towards Maggie, “You’re the human cook, aren’t you? The one who made that killer stew?”
Maggie pressed her lips together and nodded. “T-That’s me.”
“Don’t look so scared!” The girl laughed as she grabbed a hold of Maggie’s shoulder. “That stew was the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Can you tell me what’s on the menu tomorrow night, or is that a secret?”
“Well, I -”
“You know what?” the fairy held her hand up. “Don’t tell me. I want to be surprised.” Releasing her hold over Maggie’s shoulder, she ran to catch up with her twin, and shouted over her shoulder. “Thanks for the stew!”
Maggie turned back forward and kept walking beside Peter.
“Still think they don’t like you?” he asked.
She shrugged and avoided looking at him, knowing entirely that he had been right all along. “Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled.
Peter’s laugh filled the air as they continued on.
Their walk continued in a similar fashion.
All sorts of townspeople who passed by made an effort to stop and greet Maggie, interested in introducing themselves and making sure she was aware of how grateful they were.
She tried her best to remember all the names being told to her, but it grew to such a large amount that she could hardly remember her own name.
Nevertheless, Maggie listened to everything each and every one of them had to say, eagerly storing their compliments within her heart and insistent on letting them know that she heard them.
Though the idea of leaving still lingered in the back of her mind as they spoke to her, Maggie remembered that healing the Everything Plant would be as good of a solution as her staying.
Even if it wasn’t what they were all wanting, it was the best thing she could do.
A pirate, whose clothes were tattered and riddled with a series of holes, wobbled up to them on their walk with a wooden peg in place of his right leg.
The black hat on his head teetered as he approached, but one hand gripped onto it firmly, keeping his outfit in place.
On the other hand, almost glistening in the early evening, was a beautiful flower.
The thing was sort of like a rose, just bloomed, with the qualities of a lily attached to it.
It was unlike any sort of flower Maggie had ever seen before and it caught her eyes immediately.
The closer the pirate came to her, the easier it was to catch onto the sweet and mellow floral scent the petals gave off.
“Good evenin’,” the pirate said with a hoarse voice. He tipped his hat respectfully. “Ye are that beloved human, ain’t ye? The one who so graciously made all of Neverland the finest meal it’s seen in years?”
Maggie smiled, already feeling the blush rising to her cheeks with a delicate warmth. She reached to shake the pirate’s hand. “That would be me,” she replied. “My name is Maggie Hart.”
“Old Louie,” he greeted. “I don’ mean to disturb ye.”
“You certainly aren’t.” Maggie eyed Peter over her shoulder, who looked readily amused. “What can I help you with?”
“Not one thing,” Old Louie replied with a shake of his head. Slowly, he reached forward with the flower, extending the sweet smelling thing to Maggie. “Here, take this.”
“For me?” Maggie shook her head. “It is far too beautiful to simply be given to me!”
The pirate frowned. “Beautiful things need beautiful things.”
With a sheepish smile, Maggie took the flower from his wrinkled hands and held it close to her chest. The pirate bowed deeply and took his leave almost immediately, not sticking around to hear any mementos of gratitude.
With a heart full of love and confidence, Maggie kept the flower close to her chest, everything within her wanting to let a smile beam across her face.
Before she could say anything, Peter stepped in front of her, reaching for the flower.
Pulling the stem from between her fingers, the King of Neverland began to work rapidly with his hands.
Twisting and winding the stem, Peter eventually maneuvered the flower around as to curve it comfortably around Maggie’s ear.
The petals tickled the side of her face as he rested it against her cheek, his fingers grazing her skin a few times.
“You know,” Peter began as they went back to walking, “It’s like you’re the Queen of Neverland.”
Maggie almost choked on her own breath. Stumbling slightly, she searched for something to say but came up empty handed.
“My queen,” Peter continued, his voice teasing but still unable to stop the words from sinking deep into Maggie’s skin.
His queen.
Peter laughed and sighed. “You’re becoming more popular than I am.”
An untameable heat rushed across Maggie’s face as Peter teased and laughed.
Perhaps the words didn’t mean too much to him, but they riled her heart in ways she could hardly understand.
At her side, his fingers kept brushing along her hand, tempting her over and over again, until he took her hand.
She never realized until that moment how much she truly wanted Peter Pan to hold her hand.
“Magpie,” Peter said in a quiet, hesitant voice. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
She gulped. “What is it?”
“I can’t understand it,” he murmured. “Why would you want to get back to the human lands, anyways?”
Maggie gaped, not at all expecting that to have been his question.
“I mean,” he continued, “what happened to running from every home you’ve ever known, all because of the humans and their laws?” He looked over at her, his eyes curious. “Is there something…there for you?”
Frustration nipped at her fingertips. She had to go back home because she simply had to go back home.
What other explanation was needed? Maggie was not a Lost Boy, she wasn’t a fairy, she wasn’t a mermaid or a pirate.
She did not have elven ears or the crooked nose of a witch.
Where else was she to go, other than the home she had always known?
“I have to go home,” she said, her voice holding a little irritated. “I have to go home because it is my home. What else is there to say?”
“Lots,” Peter replied, his tone tense, “Because that place hardly sounds like a home.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” she whispered.
Peter nodded slowly. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t understand. Which is why I am asking you why. To just say that it’s what you have to do isn’t a reason why, is it?”
“This isn’t where I’m meant to be!” Maggie pulled away from walking beside him, the flower still brushing against the side of her face like a caressing hand. “Is that what you want to hear?”
Peter followed behind her still, remaining quiet and composed despite her constant flares of temper.
Somehow, it was his collected nature that riled her up even further.
How could he not be mad? How could he not be frustrated?
How could he not want for her to be returned back to the human realm, and out of his hair?
“Does it sound at all sane to you for someone to stay where their kidnapper brought them?” Maggie continued, hardly able to stop the words from pouring out of her mouth.
Half of her wished to swallow them back up and act like they never existed in the first place, but it was as though there was someone else holding the reins, telling her what to say and where to go.
“That’s hardly a good reason to stay somewhere. ”
Peter did not speak but his eyes clung to her.
Maggie was a few feet ahead of him, her back facing him, forcing her words to be muffled and not entirely carried along the wind.
“Even if I don’t have any friends to return to,” she muttered.
“Even if I have no family. Even if everything I worked for no longer exists. Even if I never have the chance to see Hart’s Crumbs ever again. ”
Maggie turned back around to face him, almost jerking back at how close he was. Regaining herself, she kept her chin raised and her eyes on him, not faltering for a second more. “It’s just what I have to do,” she finally said. “I want to start over again, and make my dream a reality.”
Peter’s chest slowly rose and fell as he stepped closer, his eyes never once leaving her own. Tilting his head to the side slightly, Peter watched her like she was something that she wasn’t, like something that was as beautiful as the flower in her hair.
“You can always change your mind,” Peter said. “Neverland won’t be going anywhere, and there will always be a place for you here. No matter what you choose to do in the end.”
“You’re not going to argue?” Maggie asked, her voice small.
He shook his head. “I won’t stand in the way of what you want, Maggie Hart. Not unless you ask me to.”
Maggie felt as though the air had been taken from the depths of her lungs. Looking away with her breath hitched in the back of her throat, Maggie desperately tried to clear her throat and regain the composure Peter easily carried.
“S-Shall we carry on?” Maggie managed to squeak out.
Peter laughed and motioned forward. “As you wish, Magpie.”
Their trek continued until they walked through the rest of town, and entered the thick patch of woods that protected the Everything Plants.
With Peter’s strength leading the way, they climbed over the steep hill and coursed down toward the quiet beach, the moon beginning to make her way through the sky above.
Reaching for Maggie’s hand, Peter led the way through the busy Everything Plants, searching for the best place to hunker down and keep an eye out for a Boglin.
Maggie tried to keep her composure as they carried on, her mind beginning to race about the upcoming events.
Not only had the Boglin been described as a foul creature by both Peter and the Queen of Fairies, but the description alone of the creature was enough to make Maggie dread meeting it face to face.
Though she knew their endeavors would be worth it in the end, Maggie couldn’t help but wonder what truly laid in store for them as the night carried on.
Eventually, Peter found a small canopy that overlooked the row of Everything Plants, but was hidden from any prying eyes.
Helping Maggie down first, Peter quickly followed, and they hunkered down in the small cove that was only large enough for the both of them.
Maggie scooted and was inches away from Peter, her hip already pressed against his own.
As the silence carried on, all that either of them heard was the other’s steady breathing, and the growing evening nightlife all around them.
“Peter?”
He tilted his head toward her. “Yes, Magpie?”
“How can you want me to stay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You hardly know me,” Maggie whispered. “Any of you. What more do you know about me, besides I can cook and am mostly human?”
Peter smirked. “You also have a cat.”
“Very funny,” she muttered.
“I hope soon, Maggie Hart, you might be able to believe without seeing.”
As the evening began to take a strong hold over the beach, Maggie let the words sink into her skin and echo in her mind.
She hoped so, too.