The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Chapter 48

Recap:

"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.

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The mermaid was seething. She left the Lost Boys to be free from him, and yet here he was. He had followed her all the way to Wonderland.

"He's here to help, love," Killian explains, gently taking hold of her arm to divert her attention away from Pan. "We only made it here because of him. He knows exactly where the dagger is."

"He has you looking for the dagger too?" Belle questions. "That's odd. Why would he agree to free Sirena and I both in exchange for the dagger if he already had you looking for it?"

"Well, he didn't actually ask for the dagger," Pan clarifies. "He wanted the hourglass. And you know why he can't have it, Sirena." She nods solemnly, thinking of her boys on the island. "So I told Hook about the dagger. The Dark One would much rather have that."

"Yeah, I know. That's why Belle and I are free right now. Makes you wonder why he hid it in the first place," the mermaid contemplates.

"Well, now what do we do?" Elphaba breaks the silence.

"Now that we know we have a common goal, let's follow the trail," the mermaid answers, pulling the teacup out of her bag. The gold line appears, trailing from the cup to the building's door. The men mutter in amazement at the magic, still not used to the craft.

Hook walks to the door, pulling his sword from his scabbard. The door had no lock, but everyone watching was sure that it was not going to be so easy. Hook reaches for the handle.

"Wait!" Pan shouts, running to the pirate. He pushes himself in front of the man, waving his hand over the door. A sickly green glow covers the door. "You owe me your life, pirate. You would've been cursed."

"Aye, cursed again." He rolls his eyes, shooting a wink to Sirena. "Last one ended fine enough."

"Not this one," Pan mutters. He waves his hands again, but the door only brightens its glow. "Damn it. Sirena, maybe you can cast the countercurse?"

She nods and tries a different spell, but the door glows a bright red in defiance. "Nope, I can't either."

"Well, now what?" a pirate shouts from the crowd.

"Perhaps I can help." Elphaba walks forward, stopping when she was even with her friend. "Do the spell again," she nods toward the door.

The mermaid nods, determination covering her face and repeats her motions. The witch speaks in a language unknown by all that were present, then flings her hands towards their obstacle. The doors fly open with great force, a comforting yellow light falling from the threshold like snow. The women exchange a hug in triumph. The men let out a cheer.

"Don't celebrate now, men," Sirena orders. "We're not done yet." Killian looks at her with pride. She'd make a wonderful captain. He had missed her fiery attitude and couldn't be happier to have her back. She pulls her sword from its place on her back and steps inside the building, her left hand in front of her, casting a spell to reveal other traps.

The men pull out their own weapons and follow her without question. They descend into a basement. The gold thread leads them to a vault set into a wall. Sirena conjures a small piece of carved wood. Ornate vines curl around its handle. The mermaid uses it to draw a circle in the air, then slashes it downward. "Alhomora," she mutters. The crew exchange confused looks as they wait for something to happen. The vault door doesn't move, though. Sirena lets out an excited squeal. "Sorry, I've always wanted to try that. I'll do the real spell now."

"What was that?" Hook asks Viviane. "Is that some strange mermaid spell?"

Viviane laughs. "No, that's a spell from some books in the Land Without Magic. Sirena was pretty obsessed with it."

"I think she still is," Hook corrects, nodding to the girl in question.

They hear a clank and turn to see the open vault. Sirena faces the crew and raises her fist in triumph, holding the dagger to the sky. "We've got it!"

Everyone lets out a cheer. They achieved their goal. The two crews could free their friends. All that was left was getting the dagger back to the Dark One and everyone could get on with their next adventure.

"Well, Pan, how do we get back to the Enchanted Forest?" Hook asks.

"Enchanted Forest?" a voice floats down the stairs. "Honeys, you're not going anywhere." The door slams shut, locking them in the building. Everyone draws their weapons, ready for a fight. "Aw, it's so cute when they think they can fight back."

"Bloody hell," Hook grumbles.