Innocence (OUAT/Peter Pan)

Chapter 3: Hunger and Threats

It had been four days. Four long, incredible days. At first, she hadn't even minded that they kept her tied to the tree, she had been too full of the new world and all its sounds and feelings and newness. The boys had left her alone, except to throw furtive glances ranging from curiosity to hostility, and went about their hunting and fighting games. They were like animals, so wild and ruthless, it was both exciting and terrifying.

But then she realized the problems with them leaving her alone. She was filthy from sitting on the ground, thirsty, and hadn't eaten since before the Shadow had taken her. The boys ignored her when she asked for food or help; by now, she was drifting in and out of consciousness due to fatigue. She tried to block the dizziness and the pain in her stomach that felt as if it would claw her inside out. Too weak to move her body, she rolled her head to the side, her dirt-matted hair sticking to her face and body, barely glowing even in the darkness of the night before, and she pulled her eyes half open. All she could do was look at him, hoping her face would show her plea, her lips parting but unable to form the words. Her vision grew fuzzy again, and her eyes fell closed. Still, she kept the image of the boy's face and his cold, piercing brown eyes in her mind.

In the darkness behind her lids, she felt pressure at the back of her head, the dizziness increased as her head was pushed up and back. She felt a finger push her lips back, it was smooth and cold and she remembered with a groan the water she hadn't had in so long. Through the blood pounding in her ears, she heard the boys' voices.

"What's wrong with her?"

"What ya doing, Pan?"

"Are we going to eat her?"

"Shut it, you all. When's the last time she ate? Drank?"

"Dunno." "How should we know?" "Why didn't she eat?" "She's tied up, idiot."

The fingers at her lips slid something soft and sweet into her mouth. Warm breath fanned over her face. "Swallow," a voice commanded. She did, with effort. She swallowed two more of whatever he was giving her, not caring.

"Good girl," the voice was gentler this time. She heard scuffling, the pressure at her head shifted and slid to where her head and neck joined. The fingers continued to slowly push bits of, she assumed, food into her mouth. The pain was still burning in her stomach, but the dizziness was slowly fading. She became more conscious after she was given water, but only a few sips. She opened her eyes to beg for more, and met the piercing brown ones again. He looked away, at the ground, at the forest, at the boys, anywhere but her eyes.

"Thank you," she breathed. He looked at her and nodded, then raised his hand again and fed her a few more of the food. He had an assortment in his lap, she could now see, of berries and other plants she didn't know, and even a few pieces of meat. It was night now, but she was sure she had stayed conscious all day. "What..." she trailed, not knowing what question to ask or how to phrase it.

"Been feeding you all day. We forget we have to feed our prisoners, everyone gets hungry," he said blandly. He raised a bowl of water to her lips and she tried to take as many greedy gulps as she could before he pulled away. "Don't gulp, you'll throw it up. Go slowly, you have to readjust, remember how to digest."

He knew a lot for someone who looked her age. Then again, she wasn't an accurate standard, having been locked up most of her life. She just nodded. The boys were dancing and fighting again, and occasionally the boy in front of her raised a pipe and blew a few notes. Now that hunger and thirst were being taken care of, the rest of her body complained. Her arms were sore from being pulled back so long, and her body was stiff from maintaining the same position. She knew how prisoners ought to be treated, but she really wasn't dangerous. They should see that by now.

"I'm not going to run away," she mumbled, meaning to voice her thoughts to herself. The boy's eyes met hers and stared hard for a few seconds. She was too surprised and too honest to look away.

"Why not?" he seemed genuinely curious.

"I-I don't know where I am, exactly," she inhaled and continued; it was exhilarating talking to him, another person, a person her age. "I would just end up in circles or something. I have nowhere to go, and it would be either face a land that I don't even know the name of, or just stay with you. You're my captors, yes, but you haven't hurt me-on purpose-and, and," she breathed out quickly. Then, she surprised herself, "I don't think you will." It was true.

He didn't speak, instead he stood and stepped around her, undoing the ropes. She yelped as the muscles in her arms weren't ready to keep them up, and they screamed at the sudden change. She began to fall forward, too weak and in shock to hold herself up, when his arm whipped around her chest. She slowly pulled her arms into her lap, and arched her back against the tree as he held her up. She gave him another quiet, relieved thank you.

He stood and loomed over her, his face suddenly hardening and his expression cold. "Don't try anything funny. You're absolutely right, you don't know where you are. And I control this island. If you run, I will find you, and I'm not so kind when I've had to chase someone." With that said, he turned and stalked back to the boys, who, she now realized, had mostly stopped dancing. A short one with brown hair turned to him with a heartbroken expression, but the boy just perched on a log and began to play the pipe. The boys quickly cheered up and resumed fighting and dancing.

The boy's threat, though wholly unnecessary, drove a shard of ice cold fear into her. But as the music was played, it melted and she felt calm and peaceful again. Pushing her luck but enticed by the sound, she crawled-still too weak to stand and walk-toward him. He turned to look at her and arched an eyebrow, but did not stop playing or react anymore when she sat next to the log and rested her head on it, listening and watching him play.

Kinda short, I know, I'm sorry!! It's December which means finals and colleges apps all in the next 2-3 weeks! After that is break when I can write more but for now, I'm sorry, just be patient please! Thanks so much for reading!