The Old King ~OUAT Panfiction (Book 3)

Lost in a Dream

            "And if you think I believed your sob story for a minute, you're sadly mistaken," he added. Anne furiously pulled away, only to be pinned against his chest again.

"You can't kill me," she began, relieving herself of a shaky breath. "Pan wants you to bring me back, alive," she went on, the knife pressing deeper.

"I hardly think Pan would care whether or not some delusional lost girl lives or dies," he breathed roughly by her ear.

"Then do it." She tightly closed her eyes. "Kill me just to feel better about standing around naked," she taunted. "I have nothing to live for anyway, my brother's gone, Pan'll do it slower than you will so you might as well just end it. He'll torture me until I break, until I'm nothing."

Chester chuckled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's what he does to all those that cross him, and I did. More times than I could count," she confessed. "He would do it to you too."

There was a silence, before the boy sniggered. "Wow, you are really are crazy, bargaining a slower death for a fast one. You're not even begging for your life."

No, she just knew Pan would punish him if he would be so stupid as to kill her. She had herself to live for, and Lily. She had learned that in the last two years, that she wasn't living for Felix or her parents, but herself.

"I don't want or need your mercy," she retorted. "You need mine."

Chester's brows lifted. "Oh really, 'cause the last time I checked, I'm the one with the knife."

"Not in about three seconds." Precipitately, Anne elbowed the boy in the ribcage, hard. She caused him to cry out, his hold loosening, at which she took advantage of. She grabbed his wrist, swinging around and pinned his elbow behind his back. She pushed it up, forcing another cry out of him. "Try again!" She exclaimed as she stole the knife from his enervated grip, then used her foot to kick him forward. Watching as Chester crashed against a tree, Anne took the opportunity to run.

She tore through bushes, made abrupt curves around overgrown hedges and other trees, when she halted at the sight of a dripping plant of thorns. They had served as the perfect barricade , Anne's breath violently hitching in her throat. Dreamshade. How was it, that all that time she ran through the forest at night, she never had an encounter with the poisonous plant? The idea astonished her, almost so much so, that she forgot all about Chester. "Long time no see, old friend," she murmured to herself, watching the tangle of thorns dribble with their thick black venom.

Of course, when she had been running, Pan led her in a way that things like dreamshade could be avoided. He had magically altered the island to fit the brilliant blueprints of his mind. Anne almost wondered if he was doing that now, but there was a separate way around the intertwined poison, a smaller trail at which she very gingerly took. She made her way up onto a clearing that was one of the utmost edges of the island. It rested on a cliff that overlooked the sea.

Anne recognized this, examining the array of rocks as if they were places to sit at one time. At the realization of what this was, Anne knew for a fact that Pan was arranging the island in the way that he wanted. This was the very first Neverland camp, the place they had shared their first kiss. Anne felt an immensity to break down. She could remember every little detail. This was also the place Pan had that underground chamber of hearts. The etch in the rock that would unlock it was still there.

Anne dared to slip Chester's dagger down inside, though when she tried to turn it, it wouldn't work. She attempted to turn the hilt, harder, but came up exhausted and defeated. She slid it back out, figuring that perhaps only Pan could unlock the chamber. Peering around, she listened to the little noises of the forest. The sun had shifted bizarrely faster than it was supposed to. It was long passed noon by now, but how could that be? She made a mental note to ask Pan about it, later, if whenever she could get him to fess up about lying. If he was lying. She refused to believe he wasn't.

After all, she had missed him, had coached herself through all the insanity that happened with the shadow keeper's curse. Pan...or the keeper, had done terrible things to not only her, but others. The Pan she came to know before then was the one she longed for. But could he be forgiven? Could they ever go back?

"Are you lost?" Came a familiar voice that caused Anne to whirl around.

"Pan," she fumbled out, eyes widened. Her lifting hope was torn away when Chester busted through the leaves behind Pan.

"That's right," he replied, narrowing his eyes. "I believe you have somewhere to be."

Anne glared at them. "Maybe, but that somewhere isn't with you," she fired back.

Pan chuckled at the girl's foolish remark. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, lost girl."

Anne anxiously peered around. She furtively glanced toward the cliff, waves crashing against the rocks below. It was risky, no doubt, but she would rather be anywhere else than go back to a lie. "Oh I think I do," she challenged.

Pan took note of the cliff she tried to pretend as if she hadn't looked at, humorously smirking. "Not unless you want those jagged rocks below to run you through."

"Well," she began, a curve in her lips, "it would be better than what you've done to me." She turned around, fearfully eyeing the death trap below. "Goodbye, Peter Pan." With that, she leapt off as far as she could.

"NO!!!" Rang the boy king's voice, throwing himself at the ground in attempt to catch her hand, though he was too late, hanging over the edge of the cliff with wild, desperate green eyes. She crashed into the waves, just barely becoming nicked by the rocks. Bubbles shot up through the crevices of her clothes, hair pulling toward the water's surface and she closed her eyes, sinking into the quiet stillness of the ocean.

For a moment, she felt as though she was lost in a dream, the sounds of Pan's voice echoing in her mind. Had that cry been real? Her lashes shot up in realization and what she saw next terrified her. It was herself, swimming toward her through the glinting rays of the sunlight that cast deep in the ocean. It was her younger self, same long golden hair, emerald hues of...oblivion. There was a curiosity about her, for her face was expressionless and the way she swam was so graceful. Her younger self drew close enough that it was like peering through a looking glass with your nose pressed against it.

"He...remembers...you," mouthed her younger self. Anne's brows furrowed in alarm that not only was she seeing herself, but that this second self was communicating with her. Anne slowly blinked, the air in her lungs dwindling. She blinked again, though this time, her second self was fading, fading faster and faster until there was nothing.

At last, Anne broke the water's surface, gasping for air. Her eyes shot toward the distraught Pan that was still waiting, anticipating and it was him. He did remember her, otherwise, he wouldn't have panicked when she jumped. In that moment, Anne couldn't hold back the triumphant grin that spread across her lips. She had never smiled so bright, gently rocking with the waves as her arms drifted out. She was never mad, she always knew. Her instincts had told her as much, and with that, she spun around and dove under the depths of the infinite sea, swimming into the descending evening.