The Princess and The Piper

Chapter Five

Strong gusts of wind blew through the trees and hit the surface of my skin, flowing through my clothes as I thought about what Pan had labeled me.

Lost girl.

As I began my journey before returning to the 'camp', as the boys called it, I couldn't help but notice Baelfire wandering in the opposite direction in the near distance.

"Baelfire," I yelled, cupping my hands around my mouth, hoping he would hear me.

His feet halted, but he didn't rotate his body to face me. My curiosity grew and my legs began sprinting in his direction.

As I ran toward Baelfire, I was anything but swift and subtle, the sticks cracking loudly with each step.

"You should be with Pan in his hut," he spoke softly as I approached him, not daring to make eye contact.

"I was headed there, but then I spotted you," I explained to him. "Are you alright?"

I felt sadness begin to eat what was left of my happiness at the sound of his melancholy voice. Something about it made me want to hug him, to tell him everything was going to be okay.

He raised his head slightly to look me in my eyes. Tear streaks stained his pale, dusty cheeks as his eyebrows furrowed together revealing his true feelings: misery and anguish. His sorrowful eyes alone could tell a story. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words could come off of my tongue.

"I just needed to take a walk, that's all," his focus returned to the ground, making me feel worse.

"May I join you?" I asked, not trying to sound too clingy or bothersome. In response, he gave a slight nod before walking off again with me close on his tail.

As we explored through the dark, unnerving forest, the distant hoot of an owl or caw of a bird caused my body to hesitate in furthering the journey. The fact that Baelfire was with me was enough to calm my pessimistic imagination, but the silence between us was enough to kill me.

"Where are we going?" I questioned, quite curious due to my unfamiliarity with the layout of the island.

He shrugged. "I don't know yet." Sadness strangled his words like a boa constrictor to its prey.

"What's wrong?" I pestered, inquisitive as to what could make him so bitter and somber, a part of me wanting so desperately to force it out of his life.

He gave me a look of pure despair after stopping on the dirt path and studied me for a while. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked me, his tone a bit sympathetic. I nodded.

Of course I wanted to know. The burden was a heavy one, obviously straining him, and needed to be removed from his shoulders.

"It all started when my papa killed the Dark One," he explained.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Dark magic exists? Grandfather has magic, but he uses it for good. Mother told me that all magic was good.

"So your father is the most powerful dark lord of magic in all realms?" I confirmed in the form of a question, receiving a nod from Baelfire as he continued to explain.

He shared with me about his mother, Milah, and the pirate she fell in love with. And I thought my family had issues...

"He was a coward," Baelfire's voice raised to a shout as tears continued to stream down his cheeks. "He let me get sucked into another world! All because he was too much of a coward to rid of his magic," his voice dropped down to a tone full of betrayal and dismay.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and, to my surprise, pulled him into a hug. I usually refrained from touching anyone, let alone hug them. My father ruined that, among many other experiences, by his constant beating.