Starlight

35

"Don't you go falling down any ravines." Hook said while Aoife was climbing about. She looked down at him, jumping down she landed by his side. Smiling she stepped to walk beside him. "You asked me how I knew what was at Dead Man's Peak, I never gave you an answer."

Aoife eyed him sceptically. "That was a while ago now, it doesn't matter honestly."

"Aoife, I want to tell you." He smiled lightly and looked down at the ground. There was something of a sincere honesty in his voice which made her look at him curiously. Sighing he glanced at her then at the quietly chattering people around them. Tink had started talking to Emma and Neal quietly, and Mary Margaret and David were now on speaking terms, they walked hand in hand. Scratching his head in thought, he looked at her. "You remember what I said about my father?"

"Of course, I felt very saddened for you, no parent should run away from their child like yours did." Aoife said with a small pout, in her hands she twirled a flower.

"I missed out the fact that he left my brother too."

"There's two of you?" Aoife looked up at him wide eyes. "Oh my...I cannot comprehend this...one is certainly enough."

Her words caused him to smile and shake his head. Letting out a quiet laugh, he looked at her again. "Yes, perish the thought, you wouldn't be able to cope." Aoife rolled her eyes yet laughed at his words. Becoming serious again he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I grew up to become a Lieutenant of a ship, my brother was Captain."

"What was your brother called? As well the ship, what was its name?" Aoife asked curiously.

Hook sighed, he naturally knew Aoife would keep interrupting. She was naturally an inquisitive person, asking questions was one way which she made sense of everything. "Liam, and the ship was the Jewel of the Realm."

Pouting Aoife wagged her finger. "That name's too long."

Hook looked at her, "Because you know all about giving things names?"

"I wouldn't give a ship a long name such as that." Aoife shrugged. "So, you sailed under your brother, hm?" She smiled, seemed like a good team up there. She couldn't see how that could not work, two people who'd know each other so well would make a successful team.

"I did. On orders of our King, we were to sail to a far off island and obtain a plant." Aoife sniggered, she found that order ridiculous clearly. "It was dreamshade." Hook said, cutting her sniggering off.

Aoife looked at him with a quizzical expression. "Dreamshade...that only exists here...you've been before, I mean, before we met...?" She was clearly struggling to make sense of this.

"Aye," Hook answered. "Only we had heard rumours that dreamshade had healing properties. It could heal any affliction." Aoife went to say something only for him to put a finger to her lips. "You must understand, we didn't know it was a lie. Anyway," removing his finger he placed his hand back on his sword hilt. "We came under fire soon after leaving port. Liam called for the Pegasus sail to be let down, and the ship glided into the clouds."

"That sounds so magical." Aoife said wistfully.

Hook raised an eyebrow. "It was quite something." He agreed. "Once we landed in the ocean again, Liam and myself rowed to the island. As we stood assessing our surroundings, a young boy appeared."

"Peter?"

"The very same. He took us both by surprise, he did after all just appear in that usual fashion we're all so familiar with now." He looked over his shoulder. He had become alert of the fact that Mary Margaret and David had stopped talking. He didn't want them to hear his tale. He had said to Aoife that one day he'd tell her how he came to be like he is. Today was that odd day. He wanted her to know, it was the decent thing to do. She'd been rather honest to a stretch about her time before and after his departure. It was his turn to be honest about his time before Neverland. Mary Margaret and David weren't listening to him, they had commenced talking again.

Looking to the side, he looked at Aoife's curious expression. "Naturally he confirms we're in Neverland. Liam introduced us both, and explained the basics of our mission, not forgetting to add in that us being here was on orders from the King. Liam has a drawing of dreamshade and showed it to Pan, he confirms that that is the plant we were searching for. But he warned us that it was dangerous, and that for our King to want it he must be a ruthless man." Hook paused, Aoife nodded for him to continue, she was engrossed in his story. "Liam laughs this off and says Pan's talking nonsense and me being me..." he sighed, "I say it's medicine."

Aoife opened her mouth. "Killian!"

"Aoife, you must understand, I was a different man then, naïve to some extent and loyal to my Captain but not to mention no less handsome." He couldn't help it, Aoife laughed and shook her head.

"Peter still continued to say otherwise, right?" She looked up at him to see him nod slowly.

"Just a scratch can take someone's life. Imagine what it could do to an army. That's what Pan had hinted at, and he was right, it would be a slaughter."

"Did you take heed in Peter's words then?" She tilted her head to the side curiously.

He looked around and nodded slowly. "I did," he glanced at her, Aoife blinked and gave a small nod. "Liam however didn't believe Pan."

"You weren't kidding, your brother sounds very stubborn."

Hook smiled. "He was." He confirmed. "Taking the drawing from Pan, Liam turned and walked more onto the island, I followed, I look over my shoulder at the disappearing shoreline and see Pan waving me off."

"That's creepy." Aoife scrunched her nose up.

"I know," Hook sighed. "We stumbled across Dead Man's Peak then, where you know as well as me that the dreamshade up there is in such a huge uncontrollable mass. I continued to try and deter Liam, and he in turn cuts a piece off and cuts himself with it." His tone turned flat, Aoife's eyes widened at this. Looking at her he frowned lightly. "He passed out a few seconds later from the poison. I sat holding my brother as he kept going in and out of consciousness."

"That's horrible." Aoife said barely audible in her shock.

"I pleaded for Pan's help. I didn't want Liam to die. Pan parted the dreamshade to reveal the water behind it. That's how I knew what was up there, because I have seen it before and I had used it on my brother."

Aoife frowned lightly. "...You shouldn't have left...but you did?"

"We did. We left thus ignoring Pan's warning. Needless to say the water healed Liam, as you know it would have. I go to repay the service Pan had given me, but he's gone." He stopped talking to ponder over his next words. "When we were journeying home, Liam proposed we shed light on our King's true colours. He sent us to collect a poison which could be used in warfare, not medicine which could have helped hundreds." Shaking his head he gave a heavy sigh. "Liam collapses as soon as we leave Neverland's seas. He died in my arms." Aoife looked at him sadly and linked her arm with his. "I took my place as Captain then. Renamed the ship, confide to my crew what sort of man our King was, and just like me, everyone agreed not to serve someone as blatantly horrible as him. We embrace our new lives as pirates with honour." He said with a small but sad smile. Inhaling deeply he looked to Aoife, who was still holding onto his arm tightly. "I don't believe you will die when you leave Neverland's waters because you have not had the delight of drinking from those waters. You're not tied to this place, Aoife. You've dwelt here, called it home, but you don't belong here. You belong in the world we all come from." His words caused Aoife to smile tentatively at him. "I am not prepared to watch someone else I care for die in my arms." He confessed quietly, this caused a small gasp to come from her. She looked up at him just to earn an honest smile from him. Wriggling his arm free, he held out his hand. Aoife looked at him sceptically before placing her hand in his. Hook slowly entwined his fingers with hers before looking to the dirt track they had been walking down for the last hour or so.

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(Edited: 24/August/2020)