A Tale That Never Was

The first thing Selvina heard was the creaking of wood. Her body was slowly rocking back and forth at a steady pace. She smelt salty air, sweat, varnish, freshly sawn wood, and cinnamon. She slowly opened her eyes, giving them time to adjust to the light. The sides of her head ached slightly and she had difficulty breathing through her nose. Memories of what had happened flashed in her mind and her heart began to pump faster as the implications of what that meant dawned on her. She glanced about, finding herself in a large and rather lavish room. There were few furnishings but colourful pillows and blankets were scattered about. On a shelf across the room there burned a candle, the source of the cinnamon scent. To her right, huge windows made up the entire wall and she could see the blue sky and azure sea beyond them. She was on a ship, as she had expected, and, unexpectedly, she was not alone in this room.

Lying on the ground, sitting against the walls, and staring out the windows were four young women. One had hair as white as snow and was hugging her knees against her chest. A rat lay at her feet, curled up and sleeping soundly. Another woman, this one with curly golden hair, was sleeping on a bed of large velvet pillows, her back to Selvina. The third woman, standing and staring out at the sea, wore an elegant yellow dress that fit with well her long, flowing black hair. Hair that, Selvina realized, was so long it lay in a curled in a pile in the middle of the room. Seated across from Selvina and staring back at her was a woman dressed in a nondescript skirt that resembled a barmaiden’s apron. Her bob of brown hair and blue eyes made Selvina pause and return the stare. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she knew the woman.

“Wendy?!” Selvina cried out in disbelief.

The woman blinked her eyes rapidly and her face paled. “So it is you. Sandy? No, Selina…no wait, Selvina!”

“Yes!” Selvina replied, grateful to see a familiar face and only slightly bothered that she hadn’t immediately remembered her name. “What are you doing here? What are any of us doing here?”

Wendy’s eyes went to the carpeted floor. “Peter Pan showed up maybe a day after I had met you when I was closing up the inn. I was caught completely by surprise and blacked out. When I woke up I was on his ship. I’ve been here ever since…” She took a deep breath and then fixed her eyes on Selvina again. “What happened to you? Where is the captain? Is he all right?”

Selvina could see the fear and hurt in Wendy’s eyes from across the room and it squeezed her heart painfully. “I don’t know for sure. He tried to fight Pan and save me but I was knocked out before I could see what happened to him. He was alive when I was taken, though, so he should be fine… Jolly Roger is destroyed so I don’t know how soon he’ll come after me.”

“Destroyed?” Wendy asked in shock. “Completely?”

Selvina nodded solemnly. “Pan called it fireworks…”

Wendy frowned and slammed a fist on the ground. It made two of the other women, except the sleeping one, look her way for a moment. “I hate that monster. I wish James had killed him when he had the chance.”

“James?”

“Captain Hook. You didn’t really think Hook was his real name, did you? His real name is James Hawkins but don’t tell him I told you that. That’s if we ever see him again…” Tears formed in Wendy’s eyes and she averted Selvina’s gaze, apparently ashamed of them.

“He’ll find us, Wendy,” Selvina said, finding strength in the words, even if she had no idea how factual they truly were. “He’ll do whatever he can to do that. I know it.”

Wendy wiped her nose and looked at Selvina again. “Do you mean that?”

“We’ve been through a lot together, Wendy, and I have faith that he’ll come look for me. He won’t let Peter Pan get away with this, especially once he finds out you’re here too.”

Wendy managed a smile. “I don’t know if I mean that much to him…”

“Trust me, you do.”

The brunette’s smile widened slightly and her face flushed. “Okay…”

The sleeping woman suddenly stretched her arms and yawned loudly. She scratched her side and moaned. “These bloody pillows are too hard. What I wouldn’t do for softer ones…” She spotted Selvina and raised an eyebrow. “So he got himself another one, eh?”

“Easy, Goldilocks,” Wendy said to the woman. “She just woke up.”

“So did I. Has that handsome servant brought us any food yet? I hope to the gods it’s not porridge again. I’m bloody tired of that foul gruel.”

“Goldilocks…” Selvina mouthed quietly. She eyed the woman staring outside the window. “Rapunzel?”

The woman heard her speak and eyed her strangely. “Who told you my name?”

Selvina ignored the question and looked at the woman with her knees against her chest. “Snow White?”

The woman’s eyes bugled and she looked up, staring at Selvina. The rat at her feet woke up and hissed. “Who’s asking…?”

Selvina then went on to tell them all about her story. She told them how she was mysteriously transported to their world, how in hers they were only storybook characters, and how she had journeyed far and wide in search of a way home only to end up on Peter Pan’s ship. The four women were captivated by her tale and for a few minutes no one spoke as they took it all in and reflected.

Rapunzel was staring at her reflection in one of the windows. “So a prince does come and save me?”

“In my world one does,” Selvina replied. “He climbs up the tower using your hair as a rope and saves you from Gothel.”

“There is nothing in your world about me on a ship?”

Selvina shook her head. “No. In my world none of this ever happened. Well, except for Wendy. She does get taken by Peter Pan and brought to Neverland except in my world Peter Pan is her friend.”

“He certainly isn’t that here!” Wendy spat, her face red with rage.

“I live with dwarves?” Snow White asked, her white hair veiling her face.

“Yes, seven of them, and an evil queen puts you under a sleeping spell by eating a poisoned apple. You too are saved from a prince.”

Snow White smiled lightly. “A prince…That would be nice…”

“What about me?” Goldilocks asked excitedly. “Am I saved by a prince, perhaps a dashing knight, or maybe even a king?” She chuckled and winked mischievously. “I’m saved by all three, aren’t I?”

“Well…” Selvina started hesitantly. “You aren’t saved by anyone.”

“What?!” Goldilocks asked, eyes round and huge.

“You just break into the house of three bears, sit in their chairs, eat their porridge and then sleep in their beds. The bears come home to find you sleeping and in some versions they end up eating you and in others you just run away.”

Goldilocks swatted the air angrily. “That’s just bullocks! Why do they get princes and I get bloody, stinking bears?”

“At least you don’t have Peter Pan as a friend,” Wendy growled.

“Yeah, you’ve got it bad there, mate. I’d take a bear any day over that pervert.”

Selvina couldn’t help but smile. She was a captive but at least her cellmates were likeable. Her smile vanished when she thought of how long she’d be on the ship and what Pan had in mind for all of them. “Where is Peter Pan? What does he want with us?”

“He’s a monster,” Snow White said immediately, her green eyes staring ahead at nothing in particular. “He comes whenever we wishes and does whatever he wants… There’s nothing you can do to stop him. He’s done it so many times I don’t even feel him anymore…”

Selvina felt her stomach turn and fought back the urge to puke. She wanted to be anywhere else in the world at that moment. The thought of Pan doing such unspeakable things to her was sickening and terrifying. She looked at Wendy. “Has he…?”

Wendy shook her head. “No. Snow’s been here the longest. After he kidnapped me he captured Rapunzel and Goldilocks. We could have freed ourselves after Pan’s ship was damaged in a battle with another but he got away before we got the chance to get out. We were tied up and locked in the cargo hold at the time. All I remember was hearing a loud, terrifying howl and I wonder if it was for the best that we didn’t try to escape.”

Selvina remembered the battle with Peter Pan’s ship vividly. She recalled the carnage, the blood, the puking, and how Bigbad had slaughtered most of Pan’s crew when he had leapt aboard his ship. To know that Wendy had been there at the time shocked her soul. Selvina wanted to tell her that it was Captain Hook that had been captaining the other ship but she didn’t. Wendy had experienced enough sadness already. The guilt of knowing that the man she loved had been so close to saving her when she had thought there was no point in escape would break her.

“If that wanker lays a hand on me I’ll rip his little pickle right off and shove it up his arse!” Goldilocks said through gritted teeth while making exaggerated motions with her hands.

“You won’t be able to,” Snow said dismally. “He puts a spell on you and you can’t move anything. I’ve tried to fight it but all I can manage to do is shut my eyes.”

“Bloody fiend…”

“Where is he taking us?” Selvina asked them, wanting to take her mind off of the cruelties she hoped she never had to experience.

“His island, I think,” Snow answered. “I heard him talking about how he’s low on dust and needs to find more fairies. However, after he threw you in here, Selvina, he mentioned taking us to see some woman. I don’t know who he’s talking about. He just said that now that he had one girl for each finger that he’d play his hand at getting something from this woman.”

“The fool makes no stinkin’ sense,” Goldilocks said with a shake of her head. “Shoulda’ never taken that drink he offered me… Wasn’t even that good of one…”

“Do you think this woman might be able to help us?” Rapunzel asked hopefully. “Maybe if we tell her how he’s been treating us she can do something to help.”

Wendy shrugged. “It’s worth a try but for all we know this woman is as mad as he is.”

The door abruptly slammed open and Peter Pan floated in, followed by a dark-haired young man dressed in rags with a platter of food in his hands. “My pretty little presents!” Pan exclaimed with a laugh. “I have food for you all! Yes, eat up! I need you all alive and well for where we’re going.”

“Which is where?” Selvina asked, holding back the urge to strangle the orange-haired creep.

“Hoohoo! I won’t tell you that! No, that would spoil the surprise! It is a spectacular place that I will be taking you, a real land of wonder! Oops! I said too much! Heeheehee! Anyways, my pretties, eat up, play nice, and don’t make a mess in my cabin! We’ll be arriving there before you know it!”

As he floated toward the open door Selvina had half a mind to charge after him but decided against it. She’d have nowhere to go once she left the room anyways. His crew would capture her before she had a chance to jump off the ship and even if she did she’d most likely just drown. She had no choice but to wait and see what was in store for her.

The servant shuffled after Pan, his head bowed and his shoulder slumped. He glanced at Selvina and she saw that beneath the dirt and grime was a handsome blue-eyed gentleman. Goldilocks was right; he was indeed attractive. He looked sad, though, as if he was not here by choice. Considering who Peter Pan was Selvina didn’t think it unlikely that some of his crewmen were as much his slaves as the women he kidnapped. Her heart went out to him and she hoped that once Captain Hook came to save her that she might be able to save him too, as well as any other crewmen that were here beyond their will.

“Caught you sneakin’ a gander at Eric,” Goldilocks said to Selvina as she grabbed a piece of bread from the food platter. “Now if Pan sent him to have his way with us I wouldn’t mind, just sayin’.”

“Eric?” Selvina asked as she took some bread Goldilocks offered her. “You know his name?”

“Aye, that I do, mate. He comes in here at least once a week to clean up the place. Pan is never far but we get to talk to him sometimes. He’s a poor lad, that one. He was once royalty but his family lost all their money and Pan found him wandering the streets. Said he could show him a life of adventure and riches and Eric decided to join him. He told us it didn’t take long before he realized his mistake and told Pan that he quit. Thing is, Pan didn’t let him leave. He beat him senseless and now has him doing all the dirty work. He’s as much a prisoner as we are.”

Selvina took a bite out of the bread, surprised that it actually tasted good, and swallowed. “Are there more people like Eric?”

“Captives? Maybe. Eric is the only one we’ve met, though.”

Selvina took another bite and reflected on Eric’s situation. She remembered an Eric from the fairy tales she had read but in her world he had been a prince. Could he be the same one? It was possible he was just another man named Eric. In any case, he deserved to be freed as much as she and the other girls did. She’d see to it that he was.

Hurry, Captain Hook, she thought. Hurry up and bring Jack with you… Dear Jack, how she missed him. She longed for the warmth of his arms and her body shivered when she thought of him. Munching on her bread in silence, she filled her mind with memories of Jack. It helped to bring her comfort, if only a little.

****

Her powerful tail propelling her forward, she struggled to keep up with the fast ship. She was on there, she knew, that girl that had tried to teach her to speak. She had been kind to her and though she barely knew her she felt compelled to follow this ship. She would do so and hope for a chance to see that yellow-haired human again.

“Ssssss,” the little mermaid said. No, there was more to it. She had to keep trying. She had done so ever since meeting the girl and had almost managed to say her full name once but had ultimately failed. Her mouth and tongue weren’t listening to her. She sucked in her breath, her lungs filling with air, and tried again. “SSSSSSSSSSS!!!!”

The mermaid splashed the water in frustration, frowning deeply, and then sighed. She’d get it one day. She’d find her voice. Maybe seeing that girl again would be enough to make it happen. It was worth a try.

It couldn’t be that difficult say Selvina after all.

Speeding through the water like a fish, the little mermaid followed the ship into the sunset.

All around her, the ocean blazed red as if it was on fire.