Tiger Lily (A Peter Pan Fanfic)

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Once Upon A Time, except for my very own character or any unrecognizable characters. I do not own the original cover photo and I could not find who made it.

"Aye, nice job there, Lily, " one of the Jolly Roger's crew members, Damien, called.

I'd recently taken up sword fighting and knife throwing. Seeing as the entire crew was basically my family, I had a lot of overprotective dads who wanted me to learn how to protect myself from any threat that came my way.

"Watch your balance there, lass, " I heard my father call from the ship's wheel.

"Got it, dad, " I responded, squaring my shoulders and bending my knees slightly.

Damien advanced on me, sword raised. Gripping mine tightly, I took the offense position and thrust my blade towards his abdomen. He parried my attack and swung at me repeatedly, forcing me back to one of the masts of the ship.

My heart was pounding with adrenaline - I was determined to win this match. Mustering all my strength, I swung my sword and aimed for the hilt of his own. Not acting quickly enough to parry my attack, he dropped his blade for fear of me slicing up his hands.

Pointing my sword directly at his throat, I grinned. "I win."

"That you do, lass. That you do, " he replied, grinning in return.

Damien was one of the older crew mates on the ship, but he was still one of the best. Especially when it came to sparring like this.

The rest of the crew cheered for me from their positions around the ship, whooping and clapping. As they cheered me on, I turned to my dad, who was beaming proudly. He was one of most feared pirates in all the land, but anyone could see he had a bit of his soft spot for his only daughter.

"She's like a tiger, Cap'n, " Damien called to my dad.

"Aye, she is, " my dad replied, a rather thoughtful look on his face. "How would you take to being called Tiger Lily, lass?"

Grinning wickedly, I replied, "I love it."

And that, was how I became "Tiger Lily". People all over the realms grew to learn my name, as my father continued to take me on his adventures. Anyone who caused trouble with us would answer to me. My dad and the rest of the crew gave me quite a bit of freedom with that. I could take on practically any adversary that headed my way, and if I needed help, well, the crew was right there with me.

As time went on, my sixteenth birthday quickly approached, and I was reminded nearly every day about it.

We'd been docked at the Enchanted Forest for quite some time, and it was starting to grow on me. I'd met lots of interesting people, people that, if I didn't live a life at sea, I would probably enjoy being friends with.

As for my dad, he'd met some interesting people, too. Specifically a woman named Milah, who had become quite taken with my father. The two of them cooked up an idea that she would come aboard for a life at sea with us in a nearby tavern, that is, until she saw her young son and decided to back out at the last moment.

I didn't like Milah. I liked the thought of having a mom - but it couldn't be just anyone, especially Milah. Judging by Milah's current relationship, she wasn't very faithful. She was willing to leave her young son and her husband for a man she'd known for only a few months.

Yes, she backed out, but that's beside the point. She doesn't deserve my dad.

My sixteenth birthday rolled around and my father and the crew surprised me with a golden heart-shaped locket, which had yet to be filled with a picture.