The Princess and The Piper

Chapter Seven

"Hm...," Pan thought as he stroked his chin, his foot creating an annoying thumping sound as it tapped the ground below us. "Girl-- dark hair, green eyes?" he asked with a raised brow, his eyes clouded with slight sincerity.

I nodded vigorously as my emotions crowded into a mixture of sadness and euphoria, allowing his answer to give me some peace of mind.

"Never heard of her," his lips played into a smirk as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. He lifted his chin while halting the movement of his foot, exhibiting an image of pure dominance.

I growled, letting him know of my growing rage as the smoke rushed out of my ears in a forceful manner, similar to those early morning cartoons that aired on weekends.

"What do you mean, you've never heard of her?"

I threw my arms down to my sides and my head in his direction. I felt the strong power of my body rise through my fists as my face grew warm from my boiling blood.

"Cute," he stated with his continuous smirk. His face grew blank, then I saw an immense increase of curiosity in his eyes at my sudden outburst. "Why does it matter to you?" he pressed.

A glare of golden light shone through the square hole in the hut's wall and hit my enraged face. Knowing that the other boys were surely awake by now, I stormed out of the tent and into the wilderness, letting the wild noises of nature overcome my ears.

Although before I could exit, I heard the mutter of soft, yet impactful words, "Stupid girl."

His last words compiled distress and anguish onto my anger as I marched into the outside.

"Well, you look happy," Baelfire stated sarcastically as I approached the lost boy sitting on a log sharpening the tip of his short iron blade.

"Not the time," I passed him, making my way to the edge of the large forest.

"What happened?" asked Baelfire, his tone genuine and full of care-- something I hadn't felt in a while-- as he struggled to keep up with my fast-paced movement.

"Pan happened," I barely had to explain as I slumped my small body against a thick oak tree, Baelfire quickly taking the seat opposite me. "He's just so...ugh," I exclaimed, not finding the correct words for a combination of excessive rudeness, selfishness, and vexation. I slid my fingers through my long hair and gave it a quick tug.

"You'll get use to it," Baelfire reassured me. "I have to finish sharpening the tools for our hunt tomorrow, _____. See you later." He kissed my forehead before standing and waved, then he was off, leaving nothing but my blooming smile in his tracks.

I was about to follow his path when distant whispers echoed through the trees, raising my inquisition to one hundred and fifty percent.

"Are you sure you saw it?" asked a soft male voice. "If you are lying, I will rip out your larynx and feed it to the rest of the boys for supper."

"Yes, Pan," another voice filled my ears, this one overflowing with uneasiness, yet vengeful. "I saw it with my own eyes, the girl has magic."

My eyes widened when his words had completely been digested by my brain. Girl, I thought. He's talking about me. He must be talking about me.

With each step that I drew closer, more and more leaves crackled underneath my feet. I huddled behind a thick green bush to listen to the conversation. I forced my hand over my mouth to refrain from sneezing as the wind tickled the tiny hairs in my nose.

There, in front of my very eyes, stood Pan, speaking to a shorter, much younger boy. His sleek platinum blonde hair gave shelter to his silvery blue eyes and perfectly sloped nose that lay centered on his pale face.