The Lost Boys let out sounds of agreeance all around her. It sounded simple enough. Besides, she doubted it would get past negotiations. Why couldn’t they come up with a way to work it all out over easy discourse? It was only a statue, and Maggie doubted the pirates needed itthatbad. There had to have been something they wanted more, or something they’d rather takeinstead. Maggie was prepared to haggle her way out of anything – as long as they were willing to listen to her speak.
“Sounds like a plan,” Maggie said.
A smile beamed across Peter’s face. With the sun barreling down high above their heads, Peter made a straight shot for the pirate’s boat.
TheJolly Rogerwas quiet as they neared. Food was being cooked somewhere below deck, and the sound of quiet chatter could be heard beneath their feet. Obscured by the masts and wide sails, one pirate stood at the lookout, though Maggie wasn’t sure if it was entirely the right job for him, if he hadn’t even seen them approach. The moment they began to hover over the creaking deck, Dash stuck his thumb out towards the scorched captain’s cabin. The ornate wooden doors barely hung onto the hinges. Dark and ashy marks stretched out from the wide room, reaching for the rest of the cabin as though it had talons.
Peter snorted at the mess. “Looks like Maggie sure left a scar across Hook’s ship!”
“Oi!”
Pirates without their trusted hats and belted blades began to peer out from the stairwell that led below deck. They retreated for only a split second, just to return with their sharpened weapons, roaring for a fight. The pirates were quickly met with the Lost Boys unsheathing their own blades, Peter releasing a holler before streaking into the air once more.
Maggie started to speak. “Wait!We didn’t come to –”
And an all out brawl started.
The pirates rushed to Peter and his Lost Boys, flailing their arms wildly as the men took to the sky. A few burdened with peg legs wobbled over to the unmanned cannons, quickly lighting a torch and arming their devastating weapon with heavy iron balls. Maggie watched it unfold from the side of the deck, her feet just barely grazing the railing. Blades shrieked through thesky in front of her, and yet it seemed like they all forgot she was even there. And it was more than obvious that Peter and the Lost Boys forgot why they were really there in the first place!
Maggie shoved her arms through the sky as though she swam through rowdy waves. She glided forward, hovering between the pirates' aimed cannonball and the Lost Boys’ pointed blades.
“Stop!” she shouted.
Everything – even the rolling waves – came to a sudden stop.
Maggie glided closer to the pirates. They hesitated, their weapons trembling the closer she came. She could’ve sworn one of them was muttering ‘flaming witch’under their breath as she neared but chose quickly to ignore it.
“We haven’t come to fight,” she said to them. “We’ve come to strike a deal.”
The splintered doors that barely clung to their hinges whipped out in front of the captain’s scorched chambers. Captain Hook sauntered toward her, one hand pointedly resting over his blade’s ruby studded hilt. Dark eyes stuck to Maggie, his distaste not at all unavoidable.Someone holds grudges,she thought to herself. He spared a moment to eye Peter and his Lost Boys, his expression only glowering further. The rest of the pirates protectively surrounded their captain, still aiming their blades upwards.
Hook crossed his arms over his maroon and leather outfit. “Tell me, my lady. What sort of deal would Ieverconsider making with the likes ofyou?”
She tilted her head. “Harsh much?”
The captain strode forward with an aggressive determination, his head entirely angled up at Maggie, never once breaking eye contact. “Not nearly harsh enough, my lady.”
Peter was upon her in an instant, his presence like a warm ray of sunshine lighting up the right side of her body. The touch of his fingers lingering on the small of her back as he passed wasenough to fill her with adrenaline, to bring the hope back to her. After all, Maggie Hart was hardly ever alone in her endeavors.
The King of Neverland looked over the deck of the ship before his steely eyes landed on something in particular. A statue the length of Maggie’s forearm stood on a wooden shelf against the wall of theJolly Roger’sdeck. It was a simply made statue, one that was no doubt a piece of art. A few jewels stood out along the mermaid’s forehead, like a crown. Peter nodded his chin toward it, and Hook followed his gaze before realizing a loud and obnoxious huff.
Maggie lowered herself to the deck, landing with a soft creak in the floor. Before the rest of the Lost Boys followed, one pirate who smelt faintly of an unpleasant citrus snatched her by the arm. He jerked her toward the rest of the pirates, giving the rest the opportunity to reach at her with their own grubby hands.
“Hey!” Maggie snapped herself out of his grasp. “Haven’t you heard of a thing called manners? How rude of you! I’ve already made it sure and certain that we aren’t here for a fight, haven’t I?”
Silence passed through the crowd of pirates. A deeply red blush erupted across the pirate’s tanned cheeks as he backed away, sheepishly muttering quiet apologies under his breath. Maggie raised a brow. In an instant, they were whipped by a scold or two. They must’ve had good mothers, Maggie decided.
“What’s the matter with you lot?” Hook stepped back to face his crew. “Since when do we listen to a –”
“Now, now, Captain Sir.” The pirate scolded him with a waggling finger. “We aren’t lacking manners, no sir.”
While the captain was left gobsmacked, Maggie grabbed his attention once more. “We need the statue, Hook,” she said. “I don’t know why you’d bother taking it in the first place, but we would be glad to take it off your –”
“No.”
Maggie blinked. “W-What?”
“No,” he repeated with a drawl, the corner of his mouth tugging up into a mocking smirk. “Did you get that, my lady, or are you not used to anyone refusing you?”
