Promises of Gold

4. Strange Places and Rules

Cordelia felt as if she was being slung by a rubber band as Peter whisked them off. In less than a split second they had landed on some long green grass. The grass tickled her skin and suddenly made her feel at peace . Cordelia had to shut her eyes and reopen them in order to focus her sight on the beautiful view ahead.

Peter had transported them to an island with the view of a great ocean ahead. A bit further was a skull rock which was the only slightly unpleasant part. Everything else was gorgeous. The colours were eye popping and the world seemed much brighter. Cordelia could not believe the sight ahead of her was real. The mountains ahead and lagoons they could see from the hill they stood on were unbelievable. The amount of green was unreal.

"This is astounding." Oliver said in wonder.

"People live here?" Cordelia asked as she quickly turned to look at Peter.

"Yes. But you are not allowed to speak to anyone at the moment. Just each-other and me. We need to get you to the king." Peter instructed.

Peter began walking down the hill and whistled in contentment. Cordelia and Oliver grabbed their bags and rushed to catch up. They were still astounded by the view in front of their eyes. It was out of a dream. Cordelia felt a strange sense of nostalgia at the sight and began to wonder if Peter had been correct. Had she been here? In a dream perhaps?

"Please slow down! I'm still quite dizzy." Cordelia cried as Peter rushed ahead of them.

"We must hurry. I would fly you two but I'm not sure if the king would approve. You need approval to take advantage of any of our gifts" Peter replied walking at the same quick pace.

"Why are there so many rules at first?" Oliver asked grabbing Cordelia and helping her speed up. Soon they were following right behind Peter.

Peter didn't reply as they passed the lagoon and Cordelia almost thought she saw faces in the water. She looked away quickly thinking she was just delirious. They kept walking behind Peter until they reached some kind of hut in the middle of nowhere. Cordelia looked around confused. Where were the people?

Peter led them inside where you could see a slide that led somewhere underground. Cordelia felt herself suddenly get nervous. Peter motioned for them to go down. Cordelia went first. Her skirts almost flying up because of how quick the slide took her. She had to catch herself from falling down on the floor as she reached the bottom. Oliver and Peter reached the bottom quickly behind her.

Once she had the chance to take in her surroundings she realized they were in a cave of some sorts. She could hear water dripping and it was suddenly cold. She was almost afraid to speak. Peter waved his hand to signal to follow him and began to lead them down a corridor. Cordelia and Oliver walked side by side as Peter led them into the hallway. After a few seconds some light came into sight.

Once they reached it, they saw a meadow with small tents and small kids playing around the meadow. Laughter and childish screaming could be heard, as well as faint drumming. Cordelia felt herself get excited. Peter smiled at their delight. He continued to lead them across the meadow and towards a boy that also looked around their age. He stood by one of the tents and watched the others.

Cordelia felt herself get butterflies. He was even more handsome than Peter. His dark black hair and piercing blue eyes were intensely beautiful. He wore an outfit similar to Peter's but red and black instead of green. He also seemed to be wearing a pirate's hat.

"Peter! Welcome back." The boy said as they reached him.

"These are our newcomers. They need the acceptance before speaking and doing the other aspects." Peter explained.

The boy looked at them and nodded. Cordelia felt herself take a sharp breath as they made eye contact. He smiled at her and walked towards her. She forced herself to stay still and control her shaking.

"You brought her." The boy stated as he examined Cordelia.

"She doesn't remember." Peter told him still sounding hurt.

"She will." The boy assured Peter.

"Oh.. by the way, this is James.. the king."

James smiled and bowed. Cordelia wondered how someone so young could be king. Had he been here for very long? Was he here before Peter?

"To be accepted you must pledge loyalty to me" James explained as he walked around them in a circle.

The children ceased playing and all gathered to watch. There must of been around 40 of them around the small blue tent they were beside. They looked at Oliver and Cordelia with wonder and excitement.

"How do you do that, you may be asking? Well I choose how." James continued.

"He assigns each of you a task and you must perform it. If you succeed and show him what you are willing to do, you will be accepted into the land." Peter explained.

"These tasks will be designed to test you and show how far you are willing to go for me. Each of you will only have one. One that will push you to do what you run from." James told them.

Cordelia looked at Oliver with worry. Oliver looked as if he wanted to go back. This was all not what they expected. Cordelia had the urge to grab Oliver's hand. For some reason these boys seemed more cruel and greedy than kind. Peter seemed different than he was when they had met.

"Now I will assign you the tasks. You cannot change or negotiate your task. It is final. If you fail or do not accept it, you shall be banished and sent home. Nod if you understand." James said watching them closely.

Cordelia and Oliver both nodded. Cordelia could not make herself look at him in the eye. She focused on the ground instead and being calm. She could do this.

"Oliver, I will assign you the task first. There is something precious to me in the Mermaid Lagoon. A bright yellow egg at the bottom. It holds something inside. You just retrieve it. The mermaids may be feisty and tricky to deal with. You may speak to them. But use only 20 sentences. Peter will show you the way and monitor your success." James told Oliver.

Oliver nodded and began to shake. He wiped his palms on his pants and looked at Cordelia with urgency. She only looked away trying not to get nervous herself. What would she have to do?

"Now for you, dear Cordelia. You must do something very special. As my friends know, I am in the search for someone to be by my side. Loyal, smart, and most of all devoted. I need someone who will help Neverland become better." James began, getting closer to Cordelia.

Cordelia felt her heart quicken. She again looked at the ground, awaiting for what he could possibly mean. She took a glance at Peter who simply shrugged. She could not believe what she had gotten herself into. She never imagined she would hear what she did next.

"Cordelia, your task is to become my bride."