The open seas, commotion of the crew, and tales of the past were something that I came accustomed to as I traveled with Liam to Neverland. The King sent the fleet to retrieve what he told Liam to be a healing plant to help his men in battle. This plant was located in Neverland, a faraway realm that was as magical as all the rest. On the way here Liam and I became inseparable. The stories of our childhood were shared along with the things we loved and had a distaste for. I got to see how close his sibling bond was with his younger brother, Killian. Their love for the sea and sailing was obvious with the way the spoke of their travels. The attraction between Liam and I was obvious to all except the two of us but would be known sooner than anyone would assume.
The crew, at first, was not thrilled about having a woman on board for the journey. After a couple days they began to warm up to my presence, accepting that I was here to stay. Killian and I became fast friends within my first day or so. While on board I learned how to sail and the beauty of the peacefulness that came with being on the sea at all times. Nights were spent above deck spending time with Liam enjoying each other's presence whether in silence or talking about anything that came to mind. Sometimes I would awaken to find that I had fallen asleep up top and Liam had carried me down below to his bed in the captain's quarters, where Liam and Killian slept. Liam would take Killian's bed or a chair since they two boys switch manning the ship.
One morning, while above deck reading next to Liam as he was steering the ship, one of the members of the crew said that he could see land ahead of us. The excitement went through us all as the shore became closer. I placed my book down and went to stand next to Liam. When I got next to him and looked to where the others were looking I could not help the smile that came to my face. I turned to Liam to see him smiling at me and could not help but to hug the man. My reaction slightly shocked him but Liam returned the hug.
Once the anchor was down Liam, Killian, and I traveled to land in a smaller boat. The two boys insisted I tag along in case any sign of my family was on land, which there was none. The plant that we were to find was at the top of a mountain and was ominous looking. Liam, not listening to Killian or I's uncertainty of the plant, cut the plant and a thorn pierced his skin. Almost immediately Liam fell, obviously in pain, and there were dark veins quickly appearing along where he was cut that continued to grow.
"Liam!" I rushed towards him not knowing what to do. I could feel tears start falling down my face as I took his head and placed it on my lap. I looked to Killian seeing the distress on his face. Liam reached up, his hand grasping mine where it laid on his cheek, causing me to look to him. "What's happening? This plant is not a healing cure, Liam. What do we do?" The last part directed at Killian.
"I can help." The three of us look to find a teenage boy coming towards us. Even though Liam was in obvious pain he tried to sit up and push me behind him but did not have the strength to do so. "That plant has a toxic liquid covering its thorns and he will die if he does not drink from the springs up this path."
"How do you know this? What if you're saying this so that my brother dies?" Killian was clearly unsure about this boy. I looked to Liam and saw he could barely keep his eyes open. The color was quickly leaving his face and I began to panic.
"Killian he is going to die if we do nothing! Trust the boy! Please, just get the water it may be the only thing to save Liam." There was no hiding the immense sadness and dread I was feeling. Killian saw that this was our only option. My books with my spells was back on the ship and he knew that we had to act quickly. Nodding his head Killian left with the boy to fetch the water. "Liam, please, don't give up. The crew needs you and so does Killian. Don't leave us. I need you." The hand that Liam had on mine squeezed my own as a way to reassure me that he was still here. The tears were streaming down my face as Killian returned with water and poured it in Liam's mouth. At first nothing happened and I began to sob into Liam's shoulder thinking I had lost him.
Arms wrapped around me, thinking it was Killian I cried harder. Another hand placed itself on my shoulder and I pulled away slightly to see Liam looking down at me. Turning I saw Killian smiling at me and I looked back at Liam as he whipped tears from my face. Launching myself at him, I caused the both of us to tip over. Liam tightened his arms around me as I buried my face in the crook of his neck. The relief I felt knowing he was perfectly fine was overwhelming. The entire way back to the ship I refused to let go, even as we went down the stairs to the captain's quarters with Killian. When the boys were talking about how they were going to reveal the Kings lies to everyone once we returned I let go of Liam to sit on the bed. As we crossed into another realm Liam immediately look like he did once he was pierced by the thorns of the plant. I rushed towards him and looked to Killian.
"The boy was right, I thought he was lying." Killian rushed towards us and sat on the other side of Liam. "The effect of the water stopped once we left Neverland." I jumped up and ran to my books looking for a healing spell. As soon as I found one I ran straight back to Liam and performed the spell. Once I was done I was afraid to open my eyes. A pair of hands touched my face, one on both sides, as someone's forehead touched my own. I opened my eyes and was met with the sky blue ones that I have come to known as Liam. I took a breath of relief knowing that the spell worked and leaned towards him. Killian joined the hug, his arms around both Liam and I.
