Lost Boys & Pirates [Completed]

16;

After making sure the chestplate fits properly and a soft warning from me, Peter separates to chat with Tinkerbell and Lily. My eyes follow him across the camp while my little group of boys watches me.

"Mae, he will be fine. He has never lost a fight and has magic at his disposal." One of them chimes up.

I turned towards who spoke. Ollie, an older male who was once one of the best fighters in Issac's group and is now one of my top healers. His soft blue gaze and messy blonde hair are a familiar sight. He limps towards me before throwing an arm over my shoulder.

We stand side by side as we observe the group. The chaos of preparing everything for battle and the nervous energy from everyone sets me on edge.

"That doesn't mean I still can't be worried, Ollie," I comment.

He pats my shoulder before pulling his arm away. "I know, Mae. We are always here if you need us. I'll be guarding your back tomorrow when you arrive back at camp."

My thank you doesn't begin to cover the range of gratitude I feel for all these boys. They are risking everything to ensure I am safe and kept away from Captain. He sends me a warm smile before limping off.

I barely notice the look from Rye, Milo and Issac as they chat before one of the fairy warriors moves towards me. Everyone tenses at the sight of the towering creature as he stops beside me. The sword strapped to his back and the regal clothing is an amusing sight for me.

He glances down at me with piercing gray eyes. His dark hair is braided back out of his sharp face. He crosses his arms over his wide chest, staring me down. I give him a sweet grin.

"Little mortal," he greets.

"Hello, Heath."

His serious expression flickers into a faint smile. I nearly feel the entire campsite sigh in relief at the amusement in his eyes. He follows after me as I move throughout the camp. As we pass by patches of grass, I pick any and all flowers I find to make a small flower crown. After a large handful, I claim my normal spot before the fire.

Nobody says a word at our odd duo and I have a feeling it's due to the angry fairy at my back. Heath sits on the log behind me, his leg nearly touching my back. My fingers work with braiding the stems together to build a crown as my mind wanders.

The thoughts of dread constantly flicker back and forth as realization hits. The flashes of fear and panic are uncontrollable as I see them hold and polish their weapons out of the corner of my eyes. I push out any thoughts of death or loss. I refuse to lose any of my boys. I refuse to lose someone else I care for.

"Mae?" A soft voice calls from my left.

I blink, realizing that I stopped building a crown and that Rye is crouched beside me. "I'm fine."

"Nobody is fine right now." He grunts as he sits besides me. His bow is slung over his lap as he gets comfortable. Heath simply stares at the newcomer.

"I just can't lose anyone else, Rye." My voice is soft and weak. "I lost my brother only a few months ago and now I'm at risk of losing all of you."

"We have been fighting for years and Captain has always lost. This was before we managed to convince the fairies and Lily's group to help."

A sigh is my only response. I stare at the finished flower assortment before lifting it up to glance at. The odd array of colors is pretty and the different display of flowers makes the crown uneven. I glance back at Heath, who seems to know exactly what I want to do.

"No."

I deny him and lean up. He ducks down and allows me to place the flower crown atop his dark hair. He sits upright, pride shining in his eyes at my gift. I twist to face Rye, seeing the amusement and jealousy in his gaze.