16 | Til Death

REMINDER: There are explicit scenes in my story. As a writer I struggle to be motivated in what i do when people report my work. Please don't report my work for it as I have warned viewers and it's entirely their choice if they want to presume reading, and consequently their fault if they get offended or uncomfortable with the scenes I have in my story. Thank you!

With a long hard look in the mirror, I groaned grumpily. The wedding dress was simply beautiful- something out of a fantasy book. It looked like it belonged to a princess. But the dress was ruined by the one worn by it. My looks had never been a problem before, but I had at least expected to look halfway decent for my bloody wedding day.

A gentle knock almost made me jump out of my skin. Wow, I must really be on edge.

"It's Ian, can I come in?"

I called out a yes and he came in with Frankie by his side. They both looked fairly cleaned up, however they didn't have a change of clothes. Just tucked in shirts and rolled sleeves. They both gawked at me and I slumped. A pathetic attempt to hide my figure.

"I get it. I look stupid." I mumbled.

Ian was dumbstruck, "A.J, you look lovely." He saw the flower crown on top of a drawer and placed it on my head.

Frankie added, "You're like a princess."

I smiled. While Ian added the crown, I couldn't help notice the purple colouring on his neck. I unhesitatingly grabbed his collar and inspected, "oh my goodness. A hickey?"

Ian pulled away, "say it louder, why don't you?"

I covered my mouth and our gazes turned to Frankie. He looked absolutely baffled which caused Ian to sigh in relief.

I nudged Ian, "Who's the lucky man?"

He blushed and scratched the back of his head, "He made me promise to keep it a secret."

I nodded respectfully and asked, "You two must be close then?"

His blushing intensified and I couldn't help but point it out, "aww, you're like a tomato."

He nudged me back, "shut up. Can we go to the beach already?"

I reluctantly agreed. I couldn't avoid it forever.

We reached the beach, Peter kept the ceremony small. Really small that only lost boys and A few natives were invited. I don't know who else I expected. But then my eyes met a women in the far corner. She has dirty blonde hair which was in a scruffy bun was wearing dirtied clothes and jacket. Once she saw me, she stared me down which only caused me too look away. She stood up and left. She clearly was forced to be here. I made a mental note to ask about her later. My eyes then landed on a few natives. Princess Tiger Lilly especially. If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under by now. I wondered why she was so repulsed by me.

Ian walked by my side down the aisle. My face plastered with a fake smile and fidgety fingers. I spent the entire way to the altar worrying about all sorts of things, until finally, we were there. The front rows, left and right from the altar, were occupied by almost all the lost boys, not including Thomas.

I briefly wondered where Peter got everything ready and arranged, but quickly remembered that he has magic. Maybe if I figured out my powers, I could be capable of such things. Peter was standing on the right side of the altar. There was an unreadable look in his eyes, but a tiny smile crept on his face as Ian and I approached. To my surprise, his hair wasn't nearly as the scruffy nest it tends to be and he wore a simple black suit. I had never seen him in ordinary clothes and it didn't feel right.

Right behind the altar, stood the Chief of the natives. Ian lead me to the left side of the altar and with a subtle gesture, motioned me to let go of his arm. I did so and Ian took a step back and handed me into Peter's hand.

"Peter," the Chief said to him. "Will you take this women as your lawfully wedded wife? Do you vow to love, trust and lead her? Do you accept to fulfil your marital duties and to remain faithful until death do you apart?"

"I do." Peter said with a hint of ulterior motive in his thick British voice. I couldn't help notice the Chief's strong accent, clearly he had never spoken english before and had rehearsed these lines.

The Chief said, turning to me. "Will you take Peter as your lawfully wedded husband? Do you vow to love, trust and obey him? Do you accept to fulfil your marital obligations and to remain faithful until death do you apart?"

"I do," I said. There was no time to think, to hesitate, to doubt.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife," the Chief said. "You may kiss the bride."

Peter was the first to move. We had kissed before, but I couldn't help but stay still. He didn't seem to mind my hesitation, but simply pulled me closer. His kiss was short, but undoubtedly with a promise for more. I felt him biting down on my lower lip for a second. We both knew what it meant.

I could hear the waves splashing and clashing, turning around to find mermaids watching with agitation. I guess they had their eye out on Peter's heart. There was cheering and I heard people clapping. It didn't make me happy though, it just reminded me of my plan and the initial reason I came here. To take the lost boys away from here. Away from him. People had screamed then too, overjoyed. Were they really happy for our marital union, or did they just like to see me suffer? I doubted any of them would think of Peter as a loving husband.

Peter was still standing beside me and I felt his look burning on my face, "Take my hand," he said.

Peter grabbed my hand in a painful way. But I still smiled through that pain. Frankie came down the aisle with two rings. He looked adorable as a ring bearer.

When we exchanged the rings, he held my hand hard and pushed down the beautiful emerald ring on my finger forcefully. That I gasped in pain. The ring felt like a leash was being tied around my neck. But the worst part was that I was certain it was burning my flesh. How could such a beautiful thing be my branding?

Peter leaned in and whispered before kissing my cheek, "It's enchanted my little robin. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to take it off."

That bastard. He wanted everyone to know who belonged to him. And he knew I couldn't make a scene. Felix's last words was to do as he says. Wendy paid that price, I will not make the same mistakes as her. I'll play his game for as long as I'll have to. To survive.

When it was my turn to put the ring on him, Peter must've chose to give a simple silver ban ring with a black inner lining. His ring slipped on like butter unfortunately.

The reception was held in camp, no natives attended. During most of the wedding, he'd put his palm pressed against my exposed arm and shoulder. Sometimes, his fingers softly trailing up and down my skin.

When it was time for us both to dance, he held me close. He took my one hand in his and my other hand, he placed it on his heart. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest, real close.

As I wore a simple white gown without a veil, his hands lightly caressed my back from the nape of my neck to the end of my waist. Goosebumps following his touch over the thin fabric of my dress.

"I just want you to remember," he breathed against my neck, speaking so soft he almost whispered, "that from now on, you're my wife. Whatever happens."

I found it hard to believe. My title meant nothing, it could just as easily be taken away from me as it was given to me in the first place. My thoughts wandered off to Thomas, and I was just wondering what he was doing at the moment, when I felt the Peter's fingers on my throat.

"Talk to me," he sighed. I felt his fingertips on my skin, lightly pressing down. The lost boys were too busy circling us as they danced. I was afraid he was going to choke me, and since there was no way I could separate myself from his grip, I was forced to stand as still as I could.

"I...", I hesitated for a moment, and continued: "I thought I didn't mean anything to you apart from a pawn in your game. Why say this?"

He stayed quiet for a moment and chose to blatantly ignore my question, "I have a surprise for you elsewhere," Peter said. His body swayed with mine as we danced, while keeping eye-contact. "We have all night after all."

As soon as he loosened his grip on my body, it didn't seem like he had any frightning things planned. I scrambled my courage together and said, straightening my back, "I don't understand. This wedding is fake, all of this doesn't mean anything. It's only to avoid a prophecy. What is in it for you?" I knew my voice was muffled from the howls and hollers from the boys.

He smiled at my frustration and only thought for a few seconds, "The pleasure of your company, of course. A night of fine conversation. Watching the sun set. Nothing dishonourable or degrading, if that's what you think."

That would be something different for a change. I stayed quiet, uneasy about this newly found romance from him.

He grimaced, without looking at me, and said, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes:

"Are you afraid you have to spend the evening with me? Or the night?"

He was smart, trying to answer my question with another question. Still, I wasn't about to let him win that easily, "It doesn't matter if I'm afraid or not, does it?"

That made him think. He glanced away for a second, but then looked back at me and said, a crooked smile on his face:

"It wouldn't change the nature of the night, no. But it could influence the... form of entertainment."

I knew what that meant. It all depended on his mood. If he wanted to hurt me, he would love to see me back away from him, wide-eyed and trembling. If he wanted to play with someone else, or act like a lover, he wanted me to be all over him, submitting to his touch and whispering his name.

"Your form of entertainment," I said. I immediately regretted my words as soon as I said them.

He just grimaced again, "You're right," he said. "You seem to understand the game rather well," His word choice shouldn't have surprised me. It's all a game to him. We're just chess pieces, me, the lost boys and even the natives. Pieces of wood you can order, move, kill, any moment you like. Our lives don't matter, we're just material.

"You taught me the rules," I said, studying his face, hoping he'd feel just as uncomfortable as I did.

"Yes I did," he said, taking a few steps back as we still danced. He still looked relaxed, completely at ease. I hated him for it.

"But you're a good student. Always have." The conversation was taking a wrong turn. I didn't want him to compliment me, I wanted to make him uneasy. I wanted to ask the hard questions, I wanted to break through his facade of false confidence. It wasn't working though, and I was still debating whether to be more straight-forward.

I tried to stay stern, "I know what happens to the slow learners," I finally said. I tried to copy his way of speaking, drawing circles around the point, never using clear, unambigious terms.

"Enlighten me," Peter said, stepping forward suddenly, "What do I do to them?"

"You kill them." I just blurted the words out, like an unbehaved child. No matter how much I regretted it now, I couldn't take them back, not anymore.

Peter didn't seem to mind, though. He seemed amused by my answer, even though I couldn't think of a single reason why.

"That scares you?" he smirked. It wasn't a question, just a conclusion. He paused after that, but I didn't feel the need to interrupt him. What was there to say? "Why else do you bring it up now?"

"Because I'm not alone with you," I said, struggling with my words. We were out in the open, meaning he couldn't make any dangerous moves on me. I still felt the need to explain it to him, despite how unlogical and useless it was. "And yes, it scares me, but it would scare anyone."

"You're still alive," Peter said. "And I haven't expressed any intention of killing you in the near future. So there is no rational reason for you to be scared of that."

"Of course there is!" I said, raising my voice. "The fact that you've done it in the past... that says enough. You could do it again, and again, and again. That's not irrational of me."

"Do you want me to express my feelings for you?" Peter asked. Again, there was this strange look in his eyes. He was clearly enjoying this, but there was another element. I could hardly describe it, but it had a sense of... almost affectionate. Like deep down, he secretly liked me. Or something.

"What?" I almost bit on my tongue. Express his feelings? Did he have even have feelings? Was this a trap, did I fail the test?

"You seem so desperate to fill in all the blanks," Peter said, still smiling, "I figured you might want to hear my opinion on the matter."

"Please," I said, too tired to object all of a sudden.

"So far, I am very content with your performance. I don't see any need in disposing of you in the near future." That sounds romantic. I couldn't help but swallow loudly. So basically, he is saying that he doesn't want to kill you now, but there are no guarantees for the future. The far future.

"My performance," I said flat. "That is how you really think of me?" It was a tricky question to ask, but somehow I didn't feel like I had anything to lose. My dignity had left me a long time ago.

"Are you disappointed now?" He questioned. All of a sudden, he kneeled down on one knee in front of all the lost boys to see. I rose my guard immediately. "Do you want me to express my feelings for you more lyrically? I could recite some prose or balled, if that's what you want."

He had me. I hated to admit it, but he did. I wanted him to care about me, I still did. I couldn't forget about the first time we kissed. It wasn't magical, it had been dirty and wrong and... yet so satisfying. When I got over my fear, my shock, I ran out of the camp. Although it was the most stupid decision I could've made, running away seemed like the most logical at that moment. I was too ashamed. And of course, it was stupid, but I couldn't change how I felt. Not even when a thought of Thomas popped up in the back of my mind. But then again, I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. He played with me, but I wasn't as stupid as I looked. Or acted.

It was a struggle to run in this forsaken dress, but all rational thoughts were out the window as I fled. I could hear the Peter dismissing the lost boys, but that wasn't what I cared about. It was the overwhelming revelation that I might have feelings for Peter Pan.

THOMAS'S POINT OF VIEW

After stuffing my face at breakfast, I headed straight to my secret hideout behind the waterfall. Although Peter had given specific orders to prepare for the wedding, I just couldn't stand the idea of seeing Aurora kissing another person. Also, I could use a couple of hours drawing to forget my pent up rage.

Once I climbed up the crevice between the waterfall and the stone ledge and made my way into my 'humble abode'. I jumped into the bed of blankets; I could still smell her scent within the sheets. A hybrid between the smell of trees after rain and something flowering.

Damn, she is the embodiment of intoxication.

I snagged some scrap papers and drew the first and only thing that came to mind: Aurora. Hours later I was surrounded by drawings of the same girl. A few had different angles and some of which were lacking a few clothes. My mind kept running over to last night. I couldn't have imagined it being any better. She means more to me than the world. I needed to see her and I figured by now the wedding must be finishing.

I had left the lagoon and headed through the forest. Camp was about a half hour walk away. However, I crossed paths with the person I had least expected:

"Peter?"

"Tom?"

He was wearing a black suit. I had never seen him in ordinary clothes before and it didn't feel right. Peter crossed his arms, "Where were you?"

Shit. I couldn't tell him about my secret hideout, "I went swimming in the lagoon."

He lifted a brow, "For hours?"

The only thing I could think of was to change the subject, "Why are you here? I mean, not at the wedding?"

He smirked, "I could ask you the same thing."

I'd like to punch that stupid smirk of his face, I spat "I asked first."

Thankfully he didn't seem to mind. If anything, he found my anger quite amusing, "I'm looking for A.J. Would you know where she is, by any chance?"

"wait- she's gone? What happened?" It took every cell in my body to not kill him. She could be in danger.

"None of your business and I suggest you stay away from her if you know what's good for you." He began walking away, until I let all hell broke loose.

I pushed him against the tree and pulled out a dagger from my scabbard, resting it under his bobbing apple. I spoke through gritted teeth. "I might not be a religious man, but you'd better start praying. If something happened to her, you'll be six feet under."

He was clearly surprised by my attack, but didn't falter. "That was very unwise of you Tom." His voice was hoarse.

"How so?"

"You know what I'm capable of, you know I can kill you in an instant. You must really love that girl a lot to threaten me."

"I- I don't love her." I think. "She's my best friend. Always have been." I added.

He chuckled darkly, "I don't blame you, she is a fiery one. But she's mine."

"She belongs to herself." I moved closer. I could feel the intake of his every breath, the dagger threateningly closer to penetrating his skin.

He didn't seem to cower, however. "It's too bad she's not capable of loving someone like you."

"I might not have grown up on a farm, but I can smell bullshit from a mile away."

"You sure?"

I hesitated, "Yes."

"Stay away from her or-"

"Or what? Banish me? She would never forgive you." I couldn't help a smug grin arose in my face.

However, my victory was cut short when Peter kicked my ankle and I stumbled. He ceased the opportunity to grab my collar and pushed me against the tree. In turn, I dropped my dagger to the ground. His face contorted into a portrayal of vexation, furiousness and a glint of something else. I couldn't put my finger on it.

He yanked the thin fabric of my collar and bashed my head against the tree again before speaking. "Might I remind you, it's your leader that you are talking to. I own everything on this island. You know what that means?"

I parted my lips, about to say something, but came up with nothing. Instead I gulped at the sheer intensity of his gaze. His breath heated my cheek.

His eyes darkened at my vulnerable gesture and he questioned again. "What does that mean, Tom?"

I was getting uneasy and tried to push him away, however his grip was strong and he only pushed me harder against the tree. His feet touching mine; our foreheads millimetres away.

"Get off me."

"No. Now tell me: what does it mean." This time it wasn't a question. It was an order.

Why was he so hooked on this stupid question? "I don't know." I answered.

"It means I own you. So I suggest you treat me with a little respect or you'll be eaten alive by the mermaids. Understood?"

I immediately spoke, "Understood."

He wetted his lips causing my gaze to lower to his lips. I instinctively breathed out, which only caused his gaze to lower to my lips. It was only then I realised how close our bodies were. It felt like we stood still for hours, but in actuality, it was only mere seconds.

I shifted uncomfortably, our eyes met. What's going on? I quietly asked, "C..can you let me go now?"

He looked me up and down before uncurling his hand from my collar. It was almost as if he didn't want to let me go. There was definitely some sort of tension between us and it was peculiar that I wasn't as weirded out by it as much as I should have been.

He was about to leave before I told him, "Can't you use magic to find her?"

"I'd rather not scare her away. Finding her is easy enough, using a tracker spell would only scare off."

I guess that made sense, "I think I know where she might be."

He immediately turned, "Where is she?"

I know Aurora was badly affected by Felix's death. It only made sense that she would be in the one place she wouldn't want to be. I never understood why she would punish herself for things that were never her fault, maybe her morals were too high.

"I don't actually know where she is, but you do."

He was baffled to say the least, "Just tell me."

"Where did Felix end his life?" I asked.

The was a glint of shock in his eyes, "How did you know?"

"Aur- A.J told me. Now tell me where did he do it." I quickly corrected myself.

There was a glint of disappointment from my answer, but he quickly recovered, "At Dead Man's peak, off the cliff, not too far from Skullrock. Why do you ask?"

"That's where she must be." I smiled, proud that I'll always know her better than Pan.

He tilted his head and smirked, "I guess you're not as useless as you make out to be." And with that, he snapped his fingers and dissolved into smoke.

Why did I even tell him? I'm an idiot, I need to go to her.