Neverland, Wiser Than Us All

Take Her Away

It wasn't that nobody at the castle liked Wendy, quite the opposite, in fact. She was likable, and funny, and good. Of course they liked her. Ever since she had been dismissed from her lady's presence, however, she had become a pariah of sorts, a token of ill news.

The disappearances and repercussions of helping Wendy were never subtle. A crust of bread here, a whipping. A place to sleep there, lack of a place to sleep for them. One woman even went so far as to give Wendy her old coat. The woman was never seen at the castle again. Where she interacted angry guards followed. The torment was endless and unrelenting.

Her only escape, quite literally, was Neverland. More precisely, it was Peter. He never failed to ease the tension from her shoulders, relax the strained lines of her face and kiss away stray tears. With him she felt warm. Wendy's place in the attic had never felt like home the way that Peter's wiry arms around her did. The moon never shown as bright as when he soared to her window.

Before she had ever said it, she knew she was in love with Peter. And would be in love, forever. But, the only way for the torment and fear of her fellow servants and slaves was to give in to the Duke.

The thought sickened her, but she knew it to be true. To save so many lives and families, she need only relinquish this one thing. Herself. Everything that she was and hoped for. Her freedom. Peter.

She couldn't leave yet. In her heart of hearts she knew what the honorable choice was, she just couldn't bear to make it. Being a servant she would have to walk to his doors and surrender. The thought made her sick.

All this roiled through her mind as she looked at the short missive in her hand. "Come to the castle after dinner is cleared. Look presentable." There was no mistaking her lady's hand. This was another way to ease her dear one's suffering.

Wendy looked once more at her small haylocker, her only possessions a blanket and bag from Neverland. She rolled the blanket and placed it gingerly in the bag. Wherever she went after she was dismissed, she would not go without these. She was to be dismissed. She knew it. It was for the best.

Would Peter be able to find her where she went? She wished he would fly in now so she could say goodbye.

With the Duke hunting her after she was dismissed, she would never live so well again. She wouldn't be able to find a job and she would be afraid of him every minute of every day. He would rain down horror on anyone she came in contact with. More people in danger.

Wendy slung the bag on her back and went out the back way into the stables. She washed her face in a watering trough and put her hair up the way her lady liked. She went to the exit of the kitchen and waited for the dishes to be brought down signaling the end of dinner. When things were quieting Wendy entered the kitchen with her eyes to the ground. Everything went silent. Wendy raised her eyes to find everyone looking at her. She raised her head and walked slowly to the staircase leading to the dining room. Wendy looked back one last time on the kitchen. The head cook, a large red faced woman, met Wendy's eyes and nodded. Wendy turned again and scaled the stairs, the noise of the kitchen resuming behind her.

When she emerged into the dining room she dropped her eyes to the floor and simply waited until she was addressed, just as she had for years before this.

She heard hushed conversation, which included a man's voice. Odd, she thought, who else would need to be present for my dismissal?

"Wendy, step forward." Her lady's voice commanded her, and so she obeyed. "I have made a very prestigious match for you. Duke Geralt has offered me the entirety of this quarter's income for...you." Wendy's head shot up. Her eyes too quickly found the eyes of the cause of her pain for the past months. She watched as his tongue flicked across his slimy teeth and upper lip. "Honestly I can't imagine you are worth such a sum. Though, I suppose you do show some sort of spirit."

Duke Geralt didn't say a single word as the moments dragged on, but his eyes twinkled, the sight making Wendy sick. Wendy's lady sighed as though bored and lazily flicked her hand towards the doorway. "Take her away."

The Duke stood slowly from his chair and bent to kiss the woman's hand as Wendy's arms were seized from behind. The shock of the rough treatment brought her out of her daze.

"My lady! Please, send me not from thy sight. I promise-" The rough hands began dragging her towards the door, "ANYTHING. I PROMISE ANYTHING, MY LADY! PLEASE!" The woman smiled slightly and flicked her hands toward the opening, and Wendy crossed the threshold of the dining room's main entrance being dragged by both arms.

The girl thrashed and screamed, cried, begged, bit, pleaded, all to no avail. The only thing it earned her was a sound slap across the face. Anyone she passed along the main staircase leading down to the castle had the decency to go pale, but then pretended they could neither see nor hear her. She plead with them by name. Nothing. All they could see was an end to their watching around corners, life back as it always had been.

The grand doors of the castle's entrance opened and she gave another valiant attempt at escape, but the muscle hauling her grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her head back painfully so she could no longer move.

Her head caught back at such an angle, as they began their descent down the steps, she caught a view of the night sky. It had gotten dark quickly. And then...there it was. The smallest and yet brightest star.

Wendy, tears streaming down her face, plead with the star in a subdued voice, "Please Neverland, please save me." She closed her eyes and a torrent of tears slid down her face. "Please, Peter."

Her eyes flew open.