Robbie Kay/Peter Pan Imagines

Divided We Fall - Part 5

The last hour of training went by much more quickly than the girls expected, and it was mainly due to the fact that it stopped raining and the wind stopped blowing. Mercy dismissed them all before the end; much to everyone's relief her mood seemed to have improved since the last time she checked on them.

She had no idea what happened for the storm to stop and the clouds to disperse so quickly, but the sun had never felt so delightful on Mercy's skin. When the first ray pierced through the branches of the trees, Mercy raised her chin and closed her eyes to better appreciate its warmth. The sudden silence made her aware of the pounding of her heart in her chest and for the first time of the day, she breathed in and relaxed. Her shoulders were tense, her feet hurt and she was tired. She sat on the nearest rock and simply enjoyed the sun for as long as she could before it set.

Which happened all too soon. She stood up the second it stopped basking her in its rays and walked back to the training field. All the girls froze and stopped talking when they saw their leader arrive. Mercy ignored the wary glances and smiled gently.

"You've done well today," she complimented them, walking past Sybil who was covered in mud from head to toe and panting. "I know I make you work hard and it doesn't always seem justified or fair, but I have your best interest at heart. Now go get cleaned up so you can eat and rest. I'll be the only one on watch duty tonight and tomorrow's training is canceled. Everyone will participate in bringing food back to camp."

Sybil looked angry and like she was going to say something she would regret, but Winnie placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze that made her swallow it back. Dorothy let out a sigh of relief from across the training field when she was certain that the situation wasn't going to escalate. Sybil, the troublesome child, the wild one. Mercy liked the girl, if only because she stood up for herself and her friends, but she needed to learn the right way to do it.

The girls began to walk toward the pond to get rid of all the dried dirt and the leaves in their hair when Mercy grabbed Winnie's arm. She waited until the others were gone before speaking.

"You did a very good job today at showing the new girls the fighting moves and sharing your knowledge – it's noble, but it's not what I'm asking of you. You can't just fight smaller than you, you'll never improve this way. Try and pair up with Sybil next time, she's a fighter, she plays dirty, and that's what you need."

Winnie lowered her head in shame and nodded faintly, thinking she just got scolded.

"But again, you're a good person with a lot of skill. And you might have a positive influence on Sybil too. Mutually help each other, and let me take care of the young ones." Mercy punctuated her sentence with a smile and looped her arm around Winnie's shoulders to lead her to the pond. As they approached they could hear laughter and loud conversations, it lifted the mood.

"Join the others," she said and pushed her slightly forward.

Their surroundings basked in soft, orange-red light filtering through the branches of the trees around them, and the girls relaxed in the water and washed one another's hair as they chatted and let the steam out. Mercy lived for moments like these.

"Hey!" Dorothy called from up on a rock. Her hair was back to the usual shining blond everybody secretly envied her. She was a beautiful person inside and out. She kept waving at Mercy to come over, and she did just that. "No offense but you look like you need a bath too," she simply said, as though she was any other Lost Girl and not the stern instructor who has yelled at them all, all day long.