Again In Neverland

Chapter 28: Destiny be told

"I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed." - Paulo Coelho

LIL'S POV:

I mindlessly tap my fingernails against the wooden tabletop that sits in front of me. The air in the treehouse is warm, not quite hot or humid but just, warm. There's a cool breeze that occasionally wafts it's way to me, but it only lasts for a fleeting moment.

Beside me, Peter leans back in his wooden chair with arms crossed and one leg resting over the other. We've been sitting in here for what feels like forever, listening to Queen Madelyn drone on and on about what an "infidel' Peter is, and how much damage he did to the island.

"It wasn't even for that long!" Peter argues back, leaning forward speaking at the Queen.

She and her three fairy guards are sitting across the table from us. Literally on the table since they're too small to be seen anywhere else. Madelyn sits on a small throne, decorated with small jewels and made entirely of plant roots. Little flowers grew around it and added beautiful pops of color to the otherwise solid gold.

I see Madelyn shake her head, "It doesn't matter, Peter. While you were gone the island went into chaos. After only a few cycles of the moon the flowers began to wither, and within nine cycles they died entirely. The sky was clouded with gray wisps that I feared would unleash they're sadness upon us and drown us all with endless torments of rain. A chill enveloped the island and caused the Fair Folk to flee indoors, if we could find it. At night, the mushrooms and ferns would frost over with a light snow."

Peter rolled his eyes.

I could see where his frustration was coming from. It's unfair that he can't leave without there being such grave consequences. He likes to go have fun, wherever that leads him, and for that sometimes the island suffers. I'm not sure how that happened. How Neverland somehow became Peter's responsibility to look after. The island seems to be like a small child - who weeps when their parent leaves them, if only for a short time. It's strange, and yet so very magical that it's hard to comprehend.

Madelyn sighs, "I understand that you don't enjoy being in control of Neverland, Peter. But since you are, you have to take care of it. Otherwise, terrible things may happen."

Peter puts his leg down in anger and I can see he's biting his tongue. He averts his eyes to something on the floor, obviously not wanting to be yelled at anymore.

I lean forward on the table, one hand under my chin. This is becoming increasingly boring. I thought the Queen brought me up here to tell me about that word she called me.

What was it again?
Kuthem?
Kurethum?
Kulet?

The word sounded so foreign I couldn't bring myself to remember it.

Ever since Madelyn said it, Alina hasn't looked at me. She's sitting a distance away from her Mother, on an upside down seashell that was sitting on the wooden table. There was a whole array of shells and cold coins among many candles that lay scattered around the table.
Alina's unmistakable blonde hair fell around her small face, covering half of it from my view.

Every time I looked at her, hoping to clarify what exactly the Queen meant, she gets this look on her face, and turns away.

It's making me nervous. Maybe she knew something all along and that's why she befriended me. Maybe she doesn't really like me at all, and only pretended to. Maybe she brought me here on purpose.