I Am Your Queen✔

Chapter 17

Hope

Alicia Knights sat on a log, staring into the fire with no emotions. Her life had no purpose anymore and all she could bring herself to do was stare away into nothing and let her mind run wild.

And that's what she did every day.

After Pan activated the Forget-Me-Not spell, Alicia could feel the pull of her family fading away slowly. She tried to remember its familiar magical pull until suddenly, it was gone. The memories that they had created had disappeared from everyone, except herself.

That's when Felix and Slightly saw a change in her attitude. Every day the young girl sat alone on a log for the entire day, doing nothing and refusing to move. She never spoke a word, a strange sight for the usual chatterbox. She only ate to keep her strength up and that was only because Pan would threaten to kill Henry in his sleep if she didn't take care of herself. After all, she was the nutrients of the island.

Alicia would sit still when Felix came to take a pint of her blood. Her blood was then injected into the hourglass. Ali could already see a small difference in the sand. It was becoming brighter, and she could feel her magic growing weaker by the day.

But she didn't care. She wouldn't care if she dropped dead the next day if she was honest.

And only Felix and Slightly were concerned by her new behavior.

"She hasn't let me braid her hair in days. I feel useless," Felix mumbled. He was embarrassed that he craved to braid Alicia's hair. He had grown accustomed to hearing her rambles and opinions.

"She hasn't requested any meals either. She's usually snapping at me to make her some sort of pastry," Slightly said.

"Should we tell Pan?"

"I don't think he cares."

Peter Pan had been over the moon when he noticed his island would soon be restored to its once glorious self. The magic laced into Neverland had awakened again and everyone could see Alicia's magic was truly helping.

But he didn't realize Alicia was slowly dying inside.

Felix cleared his throat. He spotted Pan, examining a map. The blond pushed Slightly away and headed towards his leader.

"Pan?"

"What?"

"I think it would do Alicia some good if you were to take her to the river," Felix said. Peter immediately stopped and looked up over to where Felix had gestured to. Sure enough, he saw Alicia still looking into the fire. Pan straightened his back and wondered how long she had been there in that same position.

"How long has she been there?"

"I've lost count," Felix admitted.

Peter huffed and threw aside the map. He dismissed Felix and walked towards the statue-like girl.

"Get up. We're going to the river," he commanded. Alicia sighed but still didn't say a word and stood up. She followed Peter close behind as they both walked down the plowed man-made dirt path. When they arrived at the river, Peter expected Alicia to run to the river excitedly and jump for joy, maybe get in and swim or collect rocks like she used to.

But instead, the energetic girl sat down at the end of the bank and stared at her rippling river. Ali didn't bother moving nor did she take an interest in the water. She merely stared at it.

Pan then realized he had to change something about the girl's behavior. Any longer and she would end up throwing herself off Dragon's Cliff, the tallest cliff in all of Neverland.

So while her back was towards him, Peter conjured up a ball of magic. He didn't want to resort to using his abilities, but Alicia left him no choice.

Without so much as a word, Pan let the pretty purple powder wash over the young girl. The magical dust covered her from head to toe and Pan slowly turned her around. He checked her eyes and saw that they had clouded over, as the magic was taking its effect.
                     
Peter gently moved her hair that had fallen over her eyes. He sighed and waited for the magic to clear up.

When Alicia's eyes turned its usual bright blue, she blinked a couple of times as her eyes ached. She turned slowly to Peter and tilted her head slightly.

"What the fuck are you looking at, Pan?" She snapped.

Peter resisted a smile.

"Your eyes. They're pretty," he commented. Ali growled and crossed her arms in a fuss.

"You wait till Regina gets here. She'll break your arm in half like a twig and bury your body in a discreet place where not even the worms can get you."

Peter leaned away from her when he realized the magic had worked. Alicia's memories had retracted back to a week ago, and she still believed Regina was looking for a way to save her. She didn't remember Pan stripping her away from everyone's memories.

And he decided that was for the best.

Alicia functioned better when she had hope in her life.

~

Alicia was never one to depend on others. She was independent from the beginning, facing the world alone. So for her to depend on Regina to come and save her was a downgrade she was willing to take, because she trusted the queen.

She regretted it.

Sitting on a log alone, she realized it had been four days since the was still sitting there waiting for Regina and nothing had happened. Ali growled and knew she shouldn't let her hopes get up.

She wanted to devise a plan so she could leave but she knew it was impossible. Pan said he knew everything that happened on the island and everyone who stepped foot on it. If what he said was true, Alicia wouldn't even make it to the ocean before he captured her again.

She continued to be a source of nutrients for the island. On the third day, she had been so annoyed at Peter that she refused to eat after they took a pint of blood and she ended up fainting.

Pan was not pleased.

"You could just avoid all problems by actually doing what he says," Slightly mumbled to her while she was bedridden. Alicia scoffed as she sipped on her tea.

"Where's the fun in that?"

*unedited*