The Heart Of The Truest Believer (OUAT fan-fic)

13 ~ Henry has fun - and I discover my talent

All I can think about in the morning, is finding out why Pan wants Henry and I so badly. What do we have that he hasn't got? By now I realize that the thing about saving magic is completely false. Maybe I'm just good at detecting when people are lying, but he is lying to us. Peter Pan is the most magical and powerful creature on this stupid island. Why does he need two non magical people to help him? "Henry?" I go over and sit next to him. he's gazing up at the tree with a look of wonder on his face.

"I know this is a bad place to be, but I can't help admiring the flowers on that tree, filled with pixie dust. What do you think it would be like to fly?"

"Ah, that's what they are?" A lightbulb goes on in my head. No wonder this is 'home tree'. Pan keeps the pixie dust here so he can fly whenever he wants to.

"Hey, Henry." Someone pokes Henry's back with a stick. "How do you feel about a fight?"

"What? No thanks." Henry rolls back over.

"Come on, we'll teach you." The boy pokes Henry again.

Annoyed this time, Henry slowly gets up, and catches the stick thrown to him. "Henry..." I warn, knowing where this is going. The lost boys have a tendancy to be a bit... rough.

"It's alright Ruby." Henry smiles at me. "It might be good to know how to fight. My grandfather taught me a few things."

The worried feeling doesn't go away as I watch the two spar back and fourth for a while, seeming to enjoy the fight, when all of a sudden the boy knocks Henry down. Henry falls on his back, stunned. I'm about to run over when some invisible barrier stops me. It's like running into a brick wall... which isn't there at all.

I turn around to glare at Pan, who I know will be behind this. I'm right. He's standing next to the pixie dust tree. He shakes his head at me and looks back at Henry. "Henry," He says encouragingly, "you can beat him if you want to. Just imagine that your stick is a real sword."

I sigh in frustration, because all my instincts are screaming to not let Henry do this, but I'm held back by the stupid forcefield.

Henry obeys, closes his eyes and the stick morphs from a normal tree limb to a sharp looking sword.

I feel my heart start to race as the boys once again knock weapons. Only this time, Henry's sword knocks against the wood. With some degree of satisfaction, I realize that there is no way Henry is going to lose a battle with a sword against a stick. When I reach forwards, there's nothing stopping my way.

I look up at a cry. Someone else has joined in to help his comrad - the two lost boys advance on Henry slowly, and he's doing well, when all of a sudden they knock him to the ground. It's not a hard fall, and it certainly doesn't injure him, but before I even think about the fact that there's no way they're going to kill the boy with the heart of the truest believer before Pan's very eyes, I've hurled myself at Henry, picked up the sword and blocked the sticks from hitting him.

That was an impulse protective reflex. I stand there, in shock, as my arms seem to jump by themselves. The two lost boys look slightly angry that they're getting their butts kicked by a girl, which only gives me more pleasure as I force them backwards with the sword, hitting right to left. I feel like king Arthur in Merlin - like a sword wielding pro. And once I've realized that I've backed both the boys up to a tree, I drop the sword, and take a step backwards.

Where the heck did that come from? I wonder. Henry gasps behind me, and suddenly I remember that he's still on the ground. I turn around. "Henry, you OK?" I ask. His face looks shocked. 

"What was that?" He sputters, crawling to his feet. 

"I don't know." I answer honestly. I have no idea where my mad set of sword skills came from. 

"There's only one explanation. You're obviously related to someone from the enchanted forest." 

"I grew up in a human world, Henry. How is that possible?" I watch the Lost Boys going about their day, grumbling about how they were beaten by a girl. Pan seems to have disappeared - surprise surprise there.

"Realm travel." Henry asks. "Emma did it. She was put in a magic cupboard and transported to your world when she was a baby."

"I doubt my parents sent me through a magic cupboard, Henry." I drop down beside him and look at his banged knee. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, mum." He grins. "You're worse than Emma." 

"I just don't want to see you get hurt." I say protectively. "You're like my little brother. You remind me of someone back home."

"Do you ever want to go back?" Henry asks, all wide-eyed and innocent.

I laugh forcefully. "Home? No. Never. If I was allowed to get off this island I'd make my own home somewhere, without my 'family.' Now, about what you said earlier... do you really think its possible that my parents might still be alive?" I ask, hardly daring to hope.

"Yes." Henry nods. "They might be. And if they are, they're out there somewhere."

"They could be dead." I point out.

"That's not the spirit." Henry says. "I traveled for ages to find my real mum. When you love someone, there's no stopping how far you'll go for them. We both are the same, Ruby. We have something special."

"Belief." I mutter. "I don't know if my belief is strong enough to get my parents back... to find them." I stretch out on the ground beside him, staring at the Neverland stars.

"Belief is always strong enough." Henry says. "Look what it can do. The only thing that defeats fear, desolation.... is hope. Belief."

I stare at the skies, still thinking about everything that's happened. Henry reaches down to grab my hand. I turn over and smile at him. "You're more family than I could hope for, Henry. That's why I'm going to save you."

He presses himself up on his elbows and stares at me. "Ruby, no. I don't need you to save me. You have to live."

"No." I sit up quickly. "Henry, you have more to live for. You have a family - 2 mothers that care about you very much. That love you. You have grandparents... and..." My voice drops as tears sting my eyes. "I have nothing. I have nobody. Please listen to me." I beg. "I can do what Pan wants - I can save this magic, or whatever it is he wants."

Henry smiles softly. "I'm not going to let you do that."

I sigh, frustrated. This would be so much simpler if Henry just agreed with me. Maybe Pan would do a trade.

"Please, Ruby." Henry looks at me. "You can't trust Pan."

I laugh bitterly. "You really think I don't know that by now?"

Author's Note

Hey guys!! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. :) I was walking home from work today and thinking that it might be awesome if I made a second book like this one? I'm having so much fun writing this one. :) What do you think about a girl in Neverland? And Peter Pan? Have I accurately portrayed him? I worry about that. He doesn't seem as ruthless in my book as he does on-screen. ;) I still haven't decided who I want Ruby's parents to be. Any ideas? Their part will probably be written into the next book. But I definitely want to do 2 books. Thoughts anyone? Thanks so much for reading! :) I love you all!!