Hiraeth: Return to Neverland #1 (a darlinghook fanfic)

9 | pirates

Wendy had been on the island for about three days. At least, she thought it was three days. There had definitely been three nights. Sometimes the days seemed too long, but it had given her time to practise her swordplay.

She was ready now.

It was finally dark. The day had lasted longer than usual. Wendy crouched in the bushes at the edge of the forest. Blue sat beside her. Some fog had rolled in and that was perfect; it would muffle sound and would allow her to swim to the ship without being heard.

The Jolly Roger sat ominously on the surface, lamps flickering and being reflected on the water. Wendy had left her boots behind and still wore the clothes she had arrived in. She hoped that she could steal some weapons and new clothes.

She had washed her clothes in Cannibal Cove and had gone swimming as they dried, but only once because she had felt so vulnerable, especially with no real allies.

Before she slipped into the water, Wendy took inventory of her weapons. She had the dagger and the sword that she had taken from the pirates strapped to her belt. The pistol she kept in a tightly sealed plastic bag in her pocket to keep the powder dry. She had her hunting knife and had thought of bringing her bow and arrows as well to maybe pick off a few of the pirates on watch. But she wasn't confident enough about her aim, and one bad shot could alert the whole ship.

Her goal was to get on the ship undetected, kill Captain Hook, maybe get some supplies and then leave.

Wendy took a deep breath and slowly waded into the water. Blue followed her and they both swam towards the ship.

The Jolly Roger loomed above them as they approached. Suddenly, Wendy realized that while she could climb up the side of the ship, Blue could not. She looked over at him and he seemed to understand. With a look at her and then up at the ship, he started swimming back to the island.

She watched him go, then swam farther to the front of the ship, soon finding ladder rungs fixed to the side. Squaring her jaw and mentally preparing herself for the fight, she started silently climbing up the side of the ship.

At the top, she peeked over the side and saw two pirates on duty. Neither of them looked familiar to her. One stood by the forecastle while the other was closer to the captain's quarters, standing by the steps that went up to the quarter deck.

The one by the forecastle walked back and forth, and the other stayed in one place. She would never get aboard without the former seeing her.

Looking down again and noticed a small ledge a little ways down from the ship's railing. Quickly, she shuffled along it, holding onto the edge of the ship and keeping her head down.

She was about to peek over the edge, but she heard his steps approaching. Wendy held her breath, praying that he had not heard her, but he didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry. She waited until he had just turned, then she launched herself over the railing and held her dagger at his back.

"Not a sound," she growled quietly.

The pirate froze and Wendy quickly knocked him over the head with the butt of the dagger, trying to catch him before he hit the ground. He was heavy but she managed to put him on the steps to the forecastle deck and it sort of looked like he had sat down.

At the other side of the main deck, the other pirate had noticed that his crewmate had stopped walking, and he glanced over. Wendy quickly hid in the shadows behind the steps.

"Hey, Marius," called the pirate. "tired of pacing?"

Marius, being unconscious, said nothing.

"Marius?" He started making his way towards the front of the ship and Wendy smiled. This was going very well. She waited for him to come closer, her sword ready in her hand.

Just as he came close enough to notice that Marius was unconscious, Wendy stepped out into the light, holding her sword out in front of her. "Don't make a sound," she said, in her real voice. There was no point now pretending to be anyone else.

He looked confused for a moment, but then an amused smile spread across his face. "And who are you?"

"I am Wendy Darling, and I am taking over your ship," Wendy said confidently. It wasn't exactly the plan, but he didn't know that.

His eyebrows arched. "Is that so?" He pulled out a cutlass and attacked, but Wendy parried easily. His manner was sloppy, relying on brute force than on swordplay. So, while he was stronger and bigger than Wendy was, she could match him quite well. After all, Peter Pan had taught her how to handle a sword, and for all his faults, he was a good swordsman... swordsboy.

He got close a few times, slashing a hole in her pants and just grazing her thigh. She cut him on the arm, and soon after that he got so close to her neck she thought she was done for.

And yet, she was having the time of her life. Something about the adrenaline coursing through her and the swordplay and the life-or-death-ness of the situation made her feel alive. Even with the practice of the last couple days, it was now all coming back to her.

She found a hole in his defences and plunged her sword into his stomach without hesitation. Surprise etched his face as he realized he had been beaten and he gave a sort of choked cough.

Wendy's eyes widened. Everything until now had been very different, it had been like a game, like the stories she used to tell her brothers and the Lost Boys.

But this was real. She had just stabbed someone. She couldn't just watch him die, so in her panic, she pushed him over the edge of the ship. The splash was louder than she had expected and she jumped, looking around her wildly, expecting pirates to suddenly appear at the noise.

None did, and Wendy tried to breathe deeply and slow her racing heart. There was blood on her sword and she quickly cleaned it on her shirt, leaving a great red stain on the green fabric. She checked the cut on her leg, but it was nothing serious. She took some rope from the deck and used it to tie up and gag the unconscious pirate to make sure he didn't warn anyone.

Now it was time to do what she had come to do. Bracing herself for what was to come, Wendy made her way to the captain's cabin, her bare feet making hardly any noise on the wooden deck. The door was unlocked and she entered quietly, leaving it slightly ajar behind her.

Sword held out in front of her, Wendy crept into the cabin. It was fairly dark, but she could make out the shapes of a desk, some chests against the wall and a bed to the left. She tiptoed to the bed, but it was empty. Where was he?

Suddenly, the door closed and Wendy jumped.

"What do we have here?" asked a smooth voice from behind her.

The voice of Captain Hook.