All Magic Comes With A Price

A Grand Ball and a Family Reunion

Regina and Robin had decided to throw a grand ball in the castle to celebrate the end of the war, and the Kingdom was filled with excitement. Dressmakers from all over the land were filled with work, men and woman all in love, making grand gestures to ask for their dates. Raelynn, however, would be attending the ball alone. It had been almost a month, and she'd still not spoken to Peter.

Neither of them were okay. Both walking around with dark bags under their eyes, snapping at anyone who spoke to them, avoiding eye-contact. Everyone could tell that they were hurting, but they were both too proud to discuss it with the other. But Peter had had enough, and this ball was the perfect excuse to talk to her.

"Raelynn" He said, blocking her entrance to the school.

"I have class" She muttered, trying to step around him, but he just blocked her once again.

"Rae, please. We need to talk about this. There's 10 minutes until class starts, please give me that time. You need to know the truth, and while the truth really doesn't make me sound all that better, it's better than what you think you know"

Raelynn sighed "Fine. 10 minutes"

Peter grabbed her and moved them to go sit in a treetop, away from where anyone might hear them. "The girl on Neverland-"

"Your girlfriend" Raelynn corrected, but Peter shook his head.

"No. Not my girlfriend. Never my girlfriend. Her name is Wendy. She's an old friend, from years before I even knew of you or your father. She was with me on Neverland for a while, helped cook and clean, but she wasn't happy, and she wanted to go back to her family, so I reluctantly let her go. If she didn't want eternal youth, so be it. So she went. Then I met you, Rae, the day the Jolly Roger came soaring into Neverland, and even though we were battling for many years, we both knew I'd never really hurt you. There was something about the twinkle in your eyes, and somehow I knew you'd be the girl to make me go soft. However, as close as we became, and even though I'd fallen so in love you, I'm still a dirty, selfish, teenager. Wendy somehow made her way back to Neverland, something about one of her brothers, I never listen to a word she says, but we started sleeping together. You and I were just friends, and she provided me with that something extra. I know, it makes me a pig, but it was never more than sex. Well, for me at least. Then she got attached, assumed that because I was sleeping with her that I was in love with her and that we were item. She's one of those annoying clingy types, is Wendy. And I'm selfish and I wanted her to stick around. So I never corrected her. But I promise you Raelynn, I promise you with everything in me, I never so much as touched her from the first night I snuck into your bunk on Roger. I thought she'd get fed up and leave but she never did, but then I left, and I kind of forgot about her. Then when I came to get you after the war and saw you'd hung her up, I actually wanted to laugh, it was quite impressive. But I couldn't correct her when she called herself my girl, because she's a tricky little thing, and she somehow manipulated the boys into getting herself into my lair. There's a code in there, that keeps Neverland's magic alive, and she tampered with it. So until I manage to get that code off her, I have to keep her happy. That's why she's in my treehouse, that's why she walks around the island as if she bloody owns the place. Because without her, Neverland dies"

Raelynn sat in silence for a minute, taking it all in. Had all this heartbreak been for nothing. Did Peter really love her? Was what he said about Wendy true? She didn't know what to think or what to believe, she knew she needed time to think it over.

"Take me back down, Peter" Rae said after a while "I need to get to class"

Peter went to say something, but changed his mind and just nodded, taking the girl and gently putting her down on the ground. Where she immediately started to walk towards the entrance of school.