Once A Lost Girl | Once Upon A Time Story | Peter Pan

03x09 - Excuses - Past

        It'd been a week, maybe? I don't know. They did shove me in a cage. I was stuck. I tried it all; every spell I could think of. Pan must've enchanted it. 

        No one ever spoke to me. They fed me regularly, but never spoke. Felix seemed to be enjoying himself. Sometimes they'd speak within earshot, Felix of course referring to me only as Princess Elyssa. He knows I'm ashamed of the title--that I don't really want nor deserve it. Royalty should be kind and care about their subjects. I'm Princess adjacent because the Queen says so. The Evil Queen. 

        Pan showed up this time, strolling up to my cage, no food in sight. What does he want?

        "Hi, Love," he said gently. 

        "Love. Right." I rolled my eyes.

        "Don't do that. I'm here to let you out." The cage opened with a wave of Pan's hand. I didn't move. He sighed. "Elyssa."

        "What's the catch?"

        "No catch. I miss you." He offered me his hand. I ignored it, sliding out of the tiny space he put me in. "Love, please."

        I took a breath, feeling the grass under my bare feet dry out and crumble apart. It didn't stretch much further than myself, but Pan notably took a step back. I stretched my hands, closing my eyes. Reigning it in was harder than I thought. If that cage hadn't been enchanted, how much damage would I have done?

        "You miss me?" I asked. He said it again, like he was trying to convince us both. "You've given me no reason to trust anything you say."

        "You're right. So, give me a chance to prove it to you."

        "And how are you going to do that?" I remarked, "gonna lie again?"

        "No. I'm going to tell you the truth." Pan offered me his hand. "If you'll let me."

        I stared for a while, deciding on if I wanted to take his hand. Should I hear him out? Would he really tell me the truth? Does he even actually feel bad? After a few tense seconds, I took his hand. He smiled. I didn't. 

        Pan led me away, offering to let me eat first. I nibbled. He tried starting a conversation. I didn't even answer. I forced him to sit in that silence. I forced him to think like he forced me when I was in that cage. A cage he put me in. 

        Morning turned to midday and Pan decided it was finally time to tell me the truth. He grabbed my hand, eyes empty once again, and teleported us to his Thinking Tree. There was a rock to the side. I took the liberty of sitting, silently waiting for his explanation. 

        "Love--" He started. I glared at him. "Elyssa. I've never been one for words or explanations. Family, love, none of it ever worked that way for me." His hand brushed the large trunk of the tree, his eyes tracing the bark as he spoke. "I came here to start anew--to change who I used to be. I was a boy when my father and mother abandoned me, and I've never been the same. Neverland has always felt like home." Pan walked over and knelt down in front of me. I watched him carefully. "I see now--I've hurt you. I don't want to do it again." 

        "You locked me up like an animal," I said, voice breaking. My eyes started burning, but I shoved it down. I shoved it all away. "Hurt is an understatement."

        "Give me one more chance." He took my hand in his. "I'll be better. For you."

For me?

Ahhh sorry it's a little short! Sometimes forcing a chapter doesn't produce the best work and honestly this cute little chapter works in my opinion. 

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