Starlight

28

Aoife looked up as Hook climbed. Frowning lightly she looked to the side as David slouched against the wall. Looking up and then back to him she reached into one of her belt pouches. Walking over she lifted the small bottle up to him.

"It's not rum, is it?"

Aoife laughed. "He offered you rum too? Seriously, the man is obsessed." She giggled and shook her head. "It's water." She said honestly, although it wasn't the water they were searching for. That water only flowed through so much of Neverland. The rest of the water was procured from elsewhere.

David drunk slowly and handed her the bottle back. "So, what's the deal between you two? I get it, you don't like him."

"I do like him, David, but I think he's a right twit." Aoife said honestly. David looked at her oddly. "What?"

"You can tell me anything, it doesn't matter what you confess if I have hours left, does it?"

Aoife smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

She leaned beside him. Crossing her arms she looked around. She had ditched her cloak, and a part of her wished she had it now so she could hide in the hood of it. David just glanced at her waiting for her to say anything. "I would say that there was animosity between us. But I think that's a lie. I'm just bitter at being left behind, and lied to."

"You hold a grudge because of this?"

"Wouldn't you?" Aoife looked up at him curiously.

David mused over her question. "Sure, to some extent. But then there's only so much time you can hold this grudge for and not let it slip. You don't seem like a woman of strong conviction for grudges."

Aoife wagged a finger up at him. "Are you trying to deter his attention away from your daughter, so you'll tell me nice words so I can foolishly chase after him?"

"You caught me out." David smiled thinly.

Aoife frowned. "He's not a bad person."

"Coming from the person who's held a grudge against him for how many years?" David countered.

Aoife shook her head slowly. "If you see him as just the villain, he'll always be the villain. In the past he has helped me, he has saved me, if he was such a villain as you deem him as; would he have done these things?"

"People change."

"Hm, yes, but I can openly admit that you do not know him well enough, or have known him long enough, to say this." Aoife said simply.

"Shouldn't the rope be back down by now?" David asked changing the subject.

Aoife frowned, "It should be." She looked up, "What is he doing up there?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not really." Aoife sighed, "Hey!" She called out and clutched onto David's jacket. "No, you can't! If you climb or exert yourself you'll put further strain-"

"Aoife, I'm going to die anyway, I want to know what's taking him so long. Once we're up there, we can get this sextant and go back." David started climbing. "We couldn't even trust him to give us a rope, and you think it's wise for me to not defend my daughter from someone so-"

"I get it! Come on then, let's go." Aoife chimed in interrupting him. She jumped up and clutched onto the stone. "If you falter, if you need help, I am here."

"You're too kind for this place."

"I know." Aoife shrugged and started climbing slowly beside him. "I know." She repeated more to herself distantly staring up at the climb before them.

"What are you two doing?!" Hook exclaimed to them. "I told you to wait." He said while dropping the rope in his hand.

David got helped up by Aoife. "Were you speaking to someone?"

"I have an old habit of talking to myself." Hook shrugged off simply, Aoife looked at him sternly. "Not now," he whispered to her and followed after David who had walked ahead of them. The three of them slowly walk more up the rough path, turning the corner they looked over the tangled branches of thorns. David unsheathed his sword, Aoife and Hook stepped back to allow him to do so.

"Hey!" Aoife shouted with a frown as David held his sword and aimed it in Hook's face.

"Come on, I overheard you and Pan moments ago." David said, Aoife opened and shut her mouth and looked at him with a frown. "Like I am going to trust you to not follow through with his orders."

"Come on now-"

"No, Aoife," David cut her off, "Stop trying to see good and sense and reason in him." She looked sadly from one male to the other, hanging her head she side stepped. David had moved the sword so the tip of it was against Hook's neck. "Where's the sextant?" He demanded.

"There is no sextant," Hook admitted simply. "I lied about the satchel, I planted the insignia so you'd find it. I did it so I could get you up here to save your life."

"No, you bought me up here to die. To make it worse you roped Aoife into it too," David said while moving forward to land the first hit. To stop things getting any worse, Hook dodged the hit and returned the favour. David crumpled in his arms unconscious.

Aoife sighed and shuffled over helping Hook to lay him down. "Nice hit." Aoife said while turning and looking to the thorns. "I have to admit, I heard your conversation too." She glanced at him quickly. "I just played ignorant. Ignoring Peter, wow, have you got some guts."

"I am not in to flat out killing someone because someone says to." Hook said while patting himself down.

"Here," Aoife pulled something out from one of her pouches.

"Cheers," placing the cloth over his mouth he moved forward and unsheathed his sword. He glanced back just to see Aoife crouch down beside David, she was making sure he was all right. Cutting through the thorns, Hook managed to get to the clear spring water which was hidden behind it. Holding out an empty bottle, Hook collected some of the water and returned to Aoife's side.

Pinching the material in her thumb and forefinger she sighed. "I think I'll just destroy this when we get back."

"I think that'd be a wise course of action." Hook agreed, "Hey wake up, mate." He tapped David on the cheeks, he ended up slapping him, which made the man stir confused. "No, no, stop that." Hook waved David's arms away as he tried pushing the pirate as far away from himself as possible. "This water, can save your life, that is why we bought you up here." Hook said, David listened intently and reached for the bottle. "But listen, this is from the island, it can save your life but once drunk you cannot leave."

"That's a small price to pay to save Henry and help my family get home." He reached up and drunk from the bottle. Lifting up his shirt he looked at the black veins which had disappeared. Standing back up, David looked to the hand which was offered down at him. Placing his hand in Hook's he got pulled to stand. "Why would you risk your life for mine when there's nothing in it for you?"

"I didn't do it for you." Hook said while turning away and commencing the walk back to the exit off of the peak.

——

(Edited: 24/August/2020)