Pan's Tiger

Chapter 4: Fighting Pan

'The traitor's mine,' Peter ordered, snapping me back to reality. Felix, I presume, was the only other Lost Boy on the beach with him. He approached Oliver, a sickening smile playing on his smirking lips. He was satisfied that he was able to have a bloodthirsty fight with a sailor who had sworn to protect me.

Sliding the weapon from the long, heavy metal scabbard, despising Pan for hypocritically referring to me as a "traitor", I gripped the hilt in a state of terror. The present was the exact scenario I had been dreading since the day I left Neverland. Peter smirked, knowing that he'd been practicing for centuries, whereas I had only been practicing since I began the voyage with the sailors.

Glaring at him, I badly tried not to anger him, my eyes scanning his body, trying not to notice how attractive he had become.

'Long time no see, Tiger Lily.' He winked and darted towards me in anger, silently announcing that he would start the fighting.

'It's just Lily.' I snapped and flicked my sword upwards in an attempt to disarm him, but he was too fast and easily blocked it.

I never thought he'd come back and try to fight me, so I was taken by surprise, but adapted pretty quickly. I had been training for two months for this moment and Peter's wide, fake smile sickened me. He was enjoying watching my pathetic attempt to hurt him.

My weapon slipped past his defences and slashed toward Peter's throat. Peter dodged, laughing as if he was having a marvellous time.

He praised loudly, taunting me, 'Very good, Kitten, you seem to have been practicing with those fools.'

I shrugged him off and continued fighting. When I slashed backhanded in return, refusing to play his game of mockery, Peter Pan thrust his blade vertically and caught it before it cut him in half. 'Excellent, excellent.' He mocked.

I blinked, as if coming out of a daze, but continued to go for the blood. Peter Pan laughed and spouted praise, but I wasn't listening. His purpose was to distract me. It didn't work.

Peter Pan lunged at me, but I deflected his attack with my blade. Then I threw a slash, which he turned around on me, forcing me to dart out of the way. He was good, too good. But he'd been practicing for centuries, I'd only touched a sword for a few months. Our blades clashed and gleamed in the early morning sun, sending flashes of light from the polished metal.

Our weapons caught each other in the air, as the fight began to ease its brutality for a moment. We stood face to face. 'I hope you've packed for your stay in Neverland, because if this is the best you can do I'm going to thrash you.' He teased mockingly.

'I don't need to, because I won't let you win.' I replied angirly, my eyes glaring at him in anger and resentment.

'Oh, I thought we went through this not long ago, Princess. Peter Pan never fails. If I want you to return to my camp, you will,' He snapped, flashing me a small, flirtatious smirk.

'Speaking in the third person, how pretentious,' I commented simply and quietly, but he heard it and his glare thickened as he continued to fight me, surprised it hadn't been such an easy fight.

There were some advantages I had. Peter Pan had expected a quick defeat and my easy humiliation, so became angered by the prospect of an almost equal fight. My simmering anger for Peter now boiled. But he seemed to begin to go for the kill; wounds, injury and victory no longer meant anything to him.

My heart pounded in my chest, fearful for what the future might hold. The air rang with the tinnabulation of the singing metal and the hoarse rasps of our breaths.

With our swords drawn, Peter Pan began to circle me, sizing me up with his eyes. I shuddered, but then was bought back to reality when a massive whack was placed on my left shoulder. I was shocked to see how fair Peter was being, without using magic, but knew that if it turned in my favour, he would certainly use his magic to defeat me.