Travail (Peter Pan/OUAT)

Chapter 27: The Coconut

I waited for the dead of night to stake its' claim.

    I had to be careful as I prepared to steal myself out of my quarters. If this was going to work, I didn't want any awake and wandering lost boys to happen upon our path, least of all Pan.

    The sleepless monster could be prowling outside my tent for all I know.

    It was so dark I shouldn't have been able to see, but the hours I'd spent waiting had helped my eyes to adjust. Decisions needed to be made, and it was time for me to go, though I was torn. I stared down at my little nightstand and the two objects that occupied the quaint surface on top. The daggers, almost glowing despite the lack of light, stared back at me.

To take them or to leave them?

I nearly groaned aloud at my indecisiveness, glancing around the small interior of my tent once again, almost to seek out any distractions that would catch my attention. Yes, I had already grabbed everything I would be taking with me, and no, I hadn't forgotten anything. Jamming my hands into the pockets of my cloak, I was surprised to find they weren't empty before remembering what had been stuffed in them not minutes before. Bringing out my hands, I peered down at the articles I held. A dirtied, ragged blue scrap of cloth and a chipped arrowhead.

Remnants of the dead.

Insignificant objects that had once belonged to my beloved friends were a treasure to me now. I returned them back into the folds of my cloak and snatched up the daggers. My daggers. They were as beautiful as ever and I loved them as much as I hated them.

Finding Baelfire's tent was not hard, as I had been there many times looking for my elusive friend when he refused to use our own tent. I took some pride in my stealth, not even waking Baelfire as I crept inside and up to his hanging hammock. Tapping him on the shoulder, I advised him to be quiet as he woke.

"It's time, Baelfire. I'm ready."

"What? Now?"

"Yes!" I hissed. "You say you've figured it out, right?"

His own eyes must have been adjusting because he looked a little to my right as he answered as if guessing where my body was standing. "Last week. I've been tellin–"

"Alright then let's go."

Baelfire hopped out of the hammock, grumbling about my needs and supposed terrible timing. I ignored him and when he was ready, followed him out of the tent into the darkness of camp. The path he chose was recognizable enough and I asked him why we were heading toward the Hideout, to which he replied that I needed to trust him. The boy really was bothersome, but I suppose I had to place my confidence in him if this was going to work.

Inside the Hideout, Baelfire found some leftover flint and steel to light a torch he had made. The warm glare made me a little nervous, it seemed like a beacon to me. The cave entrance was open and anyone in proximity to the outside would surely see the light.

"We'll need this, going into the hollow," Baelfire stated, reading my concern. "Here. This is what I made to trap the Shadow."

I took the object from him and inspected it. "You made... a coconut?"

He rolled his eyes. "When the candle inside is lit, the shadow will be drawn into it, that's when I shut the top half and capture it inside."

I raised my eyebrows, not convinced.

"This is all theoretical, of course," he rushed.

"Perfect," I replied, sarcastically. "That makes me feel much better."