The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Chapter 47

Recap:

She nods, then mutters a spell in a language Sirena does not know but recognizes, waving her hands to cast the enchantment. A large, green cloud of smoke appears, transforming into a swirling portal. A glowing, white line connects the teacup's glow and the portal. "After you," she says, keeping her hands still so the portal will stay open. "I have to go last."

The crew walks through the portal one at a time. Elphaba dives into it last as it closes. She gets up and looks around. "Where are we?"

Sirena answers her, "We're in Wonderland."

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"So you need my hat," Jefferson sighs. "Why am I not surprised, Pan?"

"We don't need to take it, we just need to use it. We have to get to Wonderland to save Sirena," Pan explains.

Jefferson takes a deep breath, looks at his daughter, and remembers Sirena's kindness to the girl. She was a good friend of his and was there for his family when his wife died. Sirena was family to him and they were family to her as well. "Okay. For Sirena,"

Killian smiles in relief. "Thank you, Jefferson."

"Grace," he calls. The child skips to her dad. "Can you go get my hat?" Grace nods and turns, but he grabs her hand with a smile. "The special hat." She grins and runs off.

"Here you go, papa!" she calls, sitting on his lap, putting the hat on his head.

"Thank you. Now then, you guys want to go to Wonderland?" They all nod with determination. "Follow me." They walk outside and Jefferson directs them to stand in a circle around the hat. He says his goodbyes to Pan and Killian, gives Viviane a hug, then tells Grace to go inside. "Here we go. Good luck to you all." Jefferson spins the hat and runs out of the way, tying himself to a tree so he isn't swept into the portal.

The portal pulls the men into the purple smoke. The smoke surrounds them as they transport before they hit the ground. Hard. The men cough as they try to breathe again after the portal knocks the wind out of them. Viviane lands on her feet gracefully and chuckles at the men. Killian is the first of them to stand back up.

"Everyone okay?" he shouts. They respond with groans as they stand up. "Good enough. Right, well let's get moving! Pan," he calls, looking for the eternally young boy.

"Up here, captain," he calls from above. The men look up and see him sitting in a tree, completely unharmed. "It's like you've never gone through a portal before," he laughs.

"Hilarious. Now get down here so we can find the dagger," Killian demands.

Pan floats down and walks off. The crew turn to their captain in confusion. "You lot coming or am I going to have to save Sirena by myself?" he shouts back.

Hook rolls his eyes and nods towards the boy, prompting the men to follow him. "Do you know where the dagger is, Pan or are we simply wandering around, hoping to find it by chance?"

"Relax, pirate. When I took the shadow's memories, I took them all. Follow me," he answers as he continues on his path. "It's not gonna be easy though!" he calls over his shoulder.

"And why is that?"

"The Queen of Hearts has it," Pan answers.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Hook questions the boy.

"You will see when we get to the kingdom. But the rest of you need to ensure not to offend her. You do not want to get on her bad side," Pan stresses to the men.

The pirate crew scoffs but begrudgingly follows the Lost Boy anyway. They walk for hours through the bizarre forest. Finally, a giant hedge maze appears on the horizon.

"There it is," Pan shouts, pointing at the maze.

"We're supposed to go through that?" Hook demands, unenthusiastic about the idea of getting lost so close to their goal.

"Technically, yes. But not in the way you're thinking. I'm going to clear a path for us. Straight through to the center. Watch," Pan explains. He waves his hand towards the imposing vegetation. The men watch in awe as the branches curl back, one wall after another, providing the ragtag crew with a straight shot to their goal.

Hook lets out a joyous laugh at the prospect of earning Sirena's freedom. "Come on, let's go save our girl!"

They all run towards the maze, brandishing their swords. Their pace slows once they reach the first wall, but they continue in a triumphant march forward. They end up in a large courtyard. It was empty, only stone benches, a small building, and flower beds are there to see their arrival. The men silence themselves as they fan out to search the courtyard.

One man nears another opening to the maze, holding his sword in front of him. He turns into the maze and his sword collides with another. He brings his sword back to strike again but stops mid-swing. He backs into the courtyard in shock. The men hear the clash of metal on metal and approach the man to provide backup. To their surprise, Sirena saunters into view, followed by two other women. One plain but pretty, the other with a face in a vibrant shade of green.

Hook drops his sword and runs to the smirking mermaid, twirling her in a relieved hug. "Sirena! What are you doing here? We were coming to rescue you. I thought the Dark One had you captured. I'm so glad you're safe." His ramblings slow as he relishes in the comfort of her arms when she tightens her hold on him.

Sirena laughs, stepping back from the man to see his face. "You really thought I was going to sit around and wait to be saved?" Hook scratches his neck sheepishly as he nods. "I made a deal with the Dark One. Mine and Belle's freedom for his dagger."

"Who's Belle?"

"I'm Belle. And this is Elphaba," the brunette answers, gesturing towards the witch. "Oh, and that is Fiyero," she adds, pointing out the living scarecrow.

The group exchanges awkward hellos as they were unsure of what to do next. Pan steps forward to break the silent tension.

"Sirena," he calls to catch her attention. The mermaid's eyes widen in shock and confusion.

"What are you doing here, Pan?" She steps away from the boy, apprehension clear in her eyes.