A Tale That Never Was

“So how are we going to find this Captain Hook?” Selvina asked Red as they rode Bigbad down the Western road King Midas had directed them on. The wolf had returned to them after Red had called him a few times from outside the city walls. He had been licking the blood off of his lips as he arrived and Red had hoped it had not been blood from livestock. According to her Bigbad had a difficult time differentiating a deer from a sheep, though she suspected he just preferred the taste of the latter.

“I’ve never really met him as he’s usually sailing all over the place but I heard that he likes to frequent the Neverland Inn. I think he has a liking to Wendy, one of the barmaids there, but I’ve never asked her.”

“You’ve been to the Neverland Inn?”

“Yeah, a few times.”

“You’re old enough to drink?”

“It’s an inn, Selvina. I go there to eat, but…I have had a drink or two.”

Selvina grinned. “How old are you, by the way?”

“I haven’t celebrated a birthday in a few years but I think seventeen, but I could be wrong. You?”

“Sixteen. Wait, how old is Wendy and how old is Captain Hook?”

“Wendy’s older, in her mid-twenties I think and I have no idea how old the captain is.”

They soon saw the town of Tortug in the distance, full of ramshackle homes and elaborate manors all crammed together in a potluck of wealth. It was a strange sight.

As they neared the town Selvina asked, “Do we leave Bigbad out of this town too?”

Red shook her hooded head. “No. They know about him and don’t care too much. Some of the visitors to this town are far stranger and fearsome than Bigbad.”

“Really?” Selvina glanced about but saw only a few people walking about, tending to their own business. None of them looked frightening, though some were eyeing Bigbad with wide eyes.

“All types of people come to this town from the sea. We have local fishermen, merchants, navy men, privateers, explorers, ambassadors, immigrants, and the occasional pirate or two.”

They rounded a corner and were soon among the dockyard. Selvina’s eyes widened in awe at the sight before her. Dozens of wooden vessels of all shapes and sizes lined the harbor amidst a thick forest of masts and furled sails. There was movement everywhere as dockhands loaded or unloaded ships and boats, merchants negotiated the prices of their wares, fishermen hauled their catches to the businesses that sold them, and wealthy men and women examined any vessels for sale as the previous owners bartered with them. Sailors, seamen, and buccaneers made their way from and to the nearest inns and brothels. Immigrants walked down the plank of one of the larger transport vessels, bags of supplies in hand. What surprised Selvina the most were the many different races present. Most were human but she noticed slender, pointy-eared beings she thought were elves, short and stocky ones she imagined were dwarves or maybe gnomes, as well as huge hulking ones she thought were either trolls or ogres. She even thought she had seen a few fairies fluttering about, or at least beings that looked very much like the fairies she had read about.

“No wonder Bigbad isn’t that huge of a deal here,” she muttered to herself.

Red guided the large wolf down the wide lane that flanked the harbor and glanced to the right, where a long line of inns, brothels, warehouses, stores, shops, and various other buildings lined the edge of it. A column of soldiers with King Midas’s insignia upon their breasts marched to their left, their golden spears glinting in the light. Seagulls flew about, complaining even as the many carcasses of fileted fish lay piled behind some of the buildings. The scent of fish, sweat, salt water and wet wood filled Selvina’s nostrils and she rubbed her nose in irritation.

“This place stinks,” she said as Red guided Bigbad toward one of the inns. Selvina looked up at its signboard and read aloud, “The Neverland Inn, where you never grow old.” She followed Red into the inn as Bigbad sat outside for them. She glanced back at the wolf before closing the door behind her. “Are you sure it’s safe to leave him out there?”

Red nodded. “He’ll be fine, Selvina. Even the ogres know to leave him alone.” The inn was dim and rather unimpressive with round tables, wooden chairs, a large bar across the room, stairs that led upstairs and a long hall near them with many doors along its length. The smell of smoke, liquor and body odor hit the two girls hard but only Selvina reacted to it.

They sat down and Selvina felt cold under all the stares she was receiving from the men and women inside. Many of them were intimidating and made her skin crawl. She looked down at her hands on the table and focused on them, doing her best to ignore the piercing stares.

“It’s your dress,” Red informed her. “You look like royalty or someone important. They aren’t use to people like that in here.”

“The Neverland in my world is a place of beauty and wonder, not some dirty and stinking inn.”

Red shrugged. “This isn’t your world. This is the only Neverland I know of.”

A waitress approached them and asked what they’d like. She was young, attractive and had glimmering brown eyes. Her caramel-coloured hair was cut in a bob and she had two blue bows along her temples. Her apron was dirty and repulsive but her glowing face made it difficult to really notice it. “Hey, Red, what would you and your friend like? We’ve got beef stew hot in the pot right now.”

“That’ll be fine, Wendy,” Red replied. She looked at Selvina. “Is that good?”

Selvina nodded. “Yeah, I guess, that’ll do.” Wendy smiled sweetly and then left. Selvina leaned toward Red. “I thought were looking for Captain Hook.”

“We are but I’m hungry. Besides, Wendy might know where he is.”

Selvina decided that it was a decent enough plan. She didn’t like the inn and had never wanted to go home more in her life. The constant glances and stares upset her and made her conscious of everything about her body. She folded her arms over her chest, kept her head down, and tried to blend into the nondescript chair. It didn’t help.

They received their plates of stew and each a cup of water and Red devoured her food as Selvina picked at it slowly. She ate the meat and some of the potatoes but wasn’t really hungry for the rest. She gave it to Red, who cleaned her plate ravenously. Selvina sipped on her water and sighed. “Are you sure he’s coming here, Red?”

“Looking for someone?” Wendy asked as she was returning from serving another table. “I don’t mean to pry. It’s just that I know the regulars here so I might be able to help you.”

“Captain Hook,” Selvina said immediately, before Red could stop her. “Do you know if he’s coming here?”

Wendy’s face reddened at the mention of the name. “Captain Hook? He…he said he’d come back before leaving. He was getting ready for a trip across the sea to chase this one pirate around but he told me he’d come have dinner here one last time before leaving. He usually keeps his word.”

Selvina noticed the change in Wendy’s posture as she talked about the captain. “Do…you like him?”

Wendy’s eyes bugled and her face grew darker by several shades of red. “I…I don’t…I like his presence. He can be nice when he wants to which is saying more than most of the other guys in here…” She glanced around to see if anyone else had heard her but over the din of everyone talking and laughing no one but Selvina and Red had. “I have to go back to work…” With a nod to the two girls she turned and hurried back to the bar.

“So now we just wait,” Red said as she leaned back in her chair.

Selvina furrowed her brow. She hated waiting. She just wanted to go home already. She had grown to like Red somewhat but she didn’t belong in this world where the fairy tales she had read as a child appeared to be all real. They weren’t completely the same but similar enough and as she waited for Captain Hook she began to wonder if she could really trust a man with his reputation. From what she knew of him he hadn’t been the most likeable of characters…

She then wondered of something. “Red? Once we find Captain Hook and I somehow manage to get him to bring me to see this wizard what will you do in the meantime? Will you return to the forest?”

Red, still leaning back in her chair, glanced down at the table and sat forward. “Well, I was actually wondering if I could join you…”

“Really? You’re not the one who needs to go home.”

“I know, but I don’t really have a home and I’ve always wanted to travel overseas. Captain Hook might also be able to help me get information on acquiring my own ship and crew. I have no money but maybe he can give me an idea of where to get some. He is quite successful after all.”

“The Captain Hook I’ve read about would most likely take you as a slave…”

There was commotion as someone tall, dressed in a black cloak with black gloves and dark brown leather boots walked into the inn. He had long black hair, a trimmed beard and eyes so blue they could be seen from across the room. Selvina glanced at his hands but she saw no telltale hook so she just kept talking.

“He also had this strange fascination with Peter Pan,” she continued. She had started to say something else when Red suddenly grabbed her arm and gave it a squeeze. The entire room had gone quiet and every eye was on her, including those of the newcomer, whose eyes were burning with sapphire flame. Selvina gulped and whispered to Red, “What did I do?”

“That name,” the newcomer said, marching over to their table with a frown and a snarl on his cracked lips. He looked young but showed the signs of being outside for most of his life with his tanned skin and weathered face. “What do you know of that name?!” He slammed his right fist on the table and cracked it, showing no signs of pain whatsoever.

Selvina jumped at the pounding fist and stared at the man, her eyes wide and her face pale. “I was just telling my friend about a story I read when I was young…”

The man narrowed his eyes. “A story, eh? What was this story?” Without asking he grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it to the girls’ table, sitting down and waiting expectantly for Selvina to keep talking.

Not wanting to upset this frightening yet ruggedly handsome man she answered him. “It’s about Peter Pan and how he never grows up because he lives in Neverland and just enjoys fun and games while the pirate Captain Hook keeps trying to catch him to kill him for cutting his hand off and having to use a hook as a replacement.”

The man smiled and chuckled. “Pirate eh? Now that’s interesting. Captain Hook as the pirate. Haha! I like it.”

Selvina glanced at Red, who had her hands on her crossbows, and then stared at the man again. She took a deep breath and worked up the courage to ask, “Why did that name upset you so much?”

The man stared at Selvina for several long, uncomfortable moments before pulling his chair back and standing up. “No reason.” He hailed the bar, ignoring Selvina completely as he made his way to it. “Wendy, my dear! What have you for a weary captain such as myself?”

Selvina cocked her head slightly as something in her mind clicked together. She eyed the cracks on the table left behind from the impact of the surprisingly strong hand, watched the man and Wendy speak as if they had known one another their whole lives, reflected on the reaction the man had to hearing about Peter Pan and began to realize that she might have it all figured it out. She stood up quickly and walked over the man as the inn began to return to its original loudness. She heard Red following close behind.

She stood at his side and looked up at his face with a frown. He glanced at her briefly and continued talking to Wendy but Selvina kept staring. After a few moments he sighed and raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you want, kid?”

“You’re Captain Hook, aren’t you?”

The man stood straight and narrowed his eyes, his full attention on Selvina. “Who’s asking?”

“Selvina! And I was told by King Midas himself that you could take me to the Ocean of Ice Peaks.”

The man laughed and smacked the table with his hand. “The Ocean of Ice Peaks? What in a mermaid’s clamshell would you need from there?”

“It’s my way home.”

“Home?” He looked her up and down and smirked. “Well, do be dressed like that in a place like this you must certainly not be from around here. To be honest I didn’t know people actually lived on those frozen, floating mountains.”

“I don’t, but a wizard named Oz does and he’s going to take me where I need to go. All you need to do is take me to this wizard.”

The man widened his eyes and placed a hand on his chest. “Me? I need to take you there? You speak as if you have power over me. You have courage, girl, and I admire that, I do, but there isn’t a stack of gold high enough to get me to that ocean. I’ve known many good sailors who never returned from there, some of them even better sailors than yours truly.”

Selvina was beginning to lose her resolve but she stomped her foot and tilted her chin up. “I demand you take me there! I have powerful friends, captain! You would do well to do as I say!”

Captain Hook chuckled and pat Selvina’s golden head lightly. “You’re pretty and your dress is quite lovely, this much is true, but don’t kid yourself, little girl. You are not royalty. You may look like a princess but I’ve dealt with royalty before and first of all they would never deal with me here. Secondly, they would never deal with me personally; they’d have one of their lackeys do it for them. Thirdly, they wouldn’t be caught dead riding a wolf with the likes of that little thief behind you. What? You don’t think I’ve heard of Red Riding Hood and her wolf mount? Impressive beast, he is, but I can smell him on you and no princess wearing a dress as lovely as yours would ever stink it up by riding a horse-sized wolf.

“So, before you start to cry how about you return to wherever you came from and leave me be? I have no patience for playing games with spoiled little brats that think they can control anyone they wish! I have to leave soon and you’ve wasted enough of my time already. Get out of my face.” With that he turned his back to her and focused on the plate of food sitting on the bar before him.

Selvina stood motionless for a few moments, her mind in turmoil and her eyes beginning to moisten. Her shoulders slumped and her back rounded as the hopelessness of her situation began to take hold. The only person capable of taking her to the wizard that would bring her home wanted nothing to do with her. She had to convince him to take her but she had nothing of value to offer him. There was nothing she could do.

Red placed a hand on Selvina’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Maybe some other captain will help us. We can go wander the docks and ask around. This one isn’t going to be of any aid.” She offered Captain Hook an icy glare but he never even turned his back at her.

Selvina looked up at Captain Hook with wet eyes and glanced to the side where Wendy stood with a cup and rag in her hand and a worried expression on her face. She lowered her gaze, as if in thought, and then gave Selvina a wink and small smile. The young girl furrowed her brow in confusion. What did Wendy mean by that?

Wendy leaned over the bar and placed one of her hands on the captain’s arm. “Hook, you didn’t have to be that harsh with her. She was just looking for someone to help her.”

Captain Hook grumbled and kept eating, glancing briefly at Selvina, who watched with curious interest. “She dema’did i’, Wendy. She thaw’ she coo’ wah’ a’ ova’ me.”

“Don’t talk with food in your mouth, Hook; it’s incredibly rude.”

The captain swallowed with a roll of his eyes. “My men are not going to want to go that way anyways. It’s too dangerous. I just finished repairing Jolly Roger and I’m not going to get her banged up navigating through an ocean of ice. Besides, I have places to be.”

“So does she.”

“That’s no problem of mine.”

“Hook.” She took one of the captain’s hands in hers and gave it a squeeze. Her delicate and pale fingers were a stark contrast to the black leather gloves he still wore. “If I was the one asking you to take me there would you?”

The captain stared at the young woman for a few minutes before taking a deep breath. “Wendy, it’s dangerous.”

“And hunting pirates isn’t? At least the floating mountains of ice don’t shoot at you! You can do this for her. If not for her, do this for—”

“Don’t you say it, Wendy!”

Wendy smiled wide. “Do it for me, captain. Show me how good of a man I know you are.”

Captain Hook groaned loudly and looked away, clenching his hands into fists as they rested on the table. “Why do you do this to me, Wendy?”

“You know why, dear.”

The captain slammed one of his fists on the table, startling several of the men and women around him, and shifted his gaze to Selvina. He pointed at her with his other hand. “I better get something out of this!”

“King Midas said the wizard had artifacts and other items from different worlds,” Selvina answered, rising hope making her stand straighter. “I’m sure you could get something he doesn’t want and sell it for a lot of money.”

Captain Hook growled and slid off the stool his sat on. He turned to leave but Wendy grabbed his arm before he took a step. He turned around, an eyebrow raised, and she pulled him over the bar and pressed her lips against his, holding them there for a few brief moments before pushing him away.

“Come back to me, captain,” she said, her eyes sparkling.

The captain, startled and shocked, put a gloved finger to his lips and blinked several times. He then gave her a sweeping bow and smiled warmly. “You have my word, my lady.” He glanced at Selvina and Red and gestured at them to follow. “Come on, girls, we have to convince my crew that sailing to certain death is a good idea.” He then marched out of the inn with a noticeable bounce in his step.

Selvina and Red exchanged glances and smiles and then hurried after him.