The Twelve Kingdoms

Keep Taking Me Higher

/// Peter Pan

Aviary Kingdom ///

Prince Peter woke up on cold cement of the Wind Kingdom's docks. Rain was falling in sheets, making it easy to drown in all the puddles that formed. His auburn hair was plastered to his forehead and his clothes were soaked through. Everything was a dark gray and empty, everyone already hidden in their homes.

He propped himself up on one arm, sitting up and looking around. He had absolutely no clue as to what he was doing in the Wind Kingdom but it didn't bother him. What did bother him was that his wings were wet and he wouldn't be able to fly in this weather. With no better options left, he decided to climb up to the highest window of one of the tower-like buildings a few blocks away.

Crawling into the room through the window, he miscalculated the floor level and ended up sprawled out in the middle of the room. There was a shriek and someone started hitting him with something wooden. He quickly got up, wrenched the broom out of the person's hand and twisted their hands behind their back. The girl tried to fight back but he just tightened his grip.

"Calm down, would you?" His voice came out scratchy, he probably caught a cold already. "I won't hurt you if you stop screaming and struggling."

The girl relaxed in his arms slowly and he let her go. She twisted around to face him and her eyes went wide with astonished recognition.

"Prince Peter?" She took a step closer to him, dark hair in her eyes, and gripped his arms. "What are you doing here? Where's Wendy? What happened to her?"

He stared at her blankly. "Wendy? Do you know her?"

"I'm her sister, of course I know her. Where is she?" she asked frantically. "She's been missing for a few days already and you're the last person who has seen her."

Peter peeled her hands off of his arms and grabbed some towels to dry off. "Huh, Wendy sounds like she'd be pretty. Too bad I don't remember her." He twirled around the room and fell down on the unmade bed. "Now can you please not bother me while I sleep the storm out."

The girl looked floored with shock but her expression slowly transformed into rage. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Peter sighed in disappointment and got off the bed. He grabbed the girl by the shoulders, shoved her out the door into the hall and locked the bolts. He could hear her screaming and banging on the door as he went back to the bunk bed and tried to fall asleep. A few minutes later he heard movement inside the room and peeked from under the blankets to see what it was.

"Why is it so loud?" a sleepy little boy mumbled from the middle of the room.

He probably just climbed off the top bunk bed, Peter thought. He waved to the kid, smiling from behind the dark blue blankets. The boy looked at him cautiously and then back at the door that the girl kept banging at from the other side.

"It's ok, your sister is just being a little bratty," Peter said, patting the spot on the bed beside him. "What's your name, kid? Want to be friends?"

The boy took a few steps closer. "I'm Michael. But what did Johana do?"

"Just let her be, Michael. I'm Peter." He smiled widely and sat up. "When it stops raining, do you want to go on adventures with me?"

Michael's eyes twinkled. "Adventures?" He climbed into bed next to Peter. "Like fighting monsters and stuff?"

Peter nodded eagerly. "Monsters and pirates and beasts. Do you want to know a secret, Michael?"

The banging on the door was getting a lot weaker. Michael nodded and leaned in.

"I can fly," he whispered and Michael looked up at him with such adoration that Peter couldn't help but smile even wider. "And you can fly with me."

"Really?" The little boy was practically vibrating with excitement. "Can we go fly now?"

Peter shook his head. "We have to wait for the rain to stop, but then we'll go."

Michael stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "Promise?"

"Promise."

Peter ruffled his hair laid back down to sleep.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

He was shook awake later by Michael. The rain outside stopped but it was still dark. Peter looked over at the clock on the wall which showed that it was close to 4 in the morning. Michael was staring down at him with barely concealed excitement.

"The rain is gone, can we fly now?"

"Yeah, let's go," Peter said with a lazy smile, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

He got out of bed and told Michael to watch by the window as he jumped out. There was a rush of wind in his ears as he fell. Spreading the transparent wings out behind him, he flew back up to be on level with the window. Michael was gawking at him in awe.

"Can I do that too?" he asked.

Peter stretched his arms out for Michael to take through the open window. "You can do anything you want. Take my hands and jump."

They flew over the dark sleeping city, Michael sitting on Peter's shoulders and screaming in delight. Peter showed him the mermaids from the Water Kingdom and the fireflies that always flew above the water on the southern side and the crocodiles that lived in one of the rivers up the Earth Kingdom.

"This is so fun," Michael commented as they took a rest at one of the rocks jutting out of the sea by the beach. The light of dawn coated everything in a golden glow. "I want to get my own wings and never go home."

"We can do that. Get you wings," Peter said.

"Really? Then let's do it." He jumped to his feet, almost losing his balance, but Peter caught him on time.

"Alright, let's go then."

They took off again, into the direction of the Healer Kingdom. Peter spotted the dark ship kilometers away but by the time they got to it, it was already close to noon. Michael marveled at the ornate carvings of the the ship as they landed and Peter ignored him for a bit as he looked around for Captain Crook.

"Peter, my boy, came back so soon?" the old woman's crackly voice came as she emerged from her cabin.

"It's not for me this time." He took Michael's hand and guided him forward. "This kid wants wings."

Captain Crook took a careful look at the boy whose eyes were rounder than saucers in fascination and fear.

"You're going to take such a young one to Mell?" she asked eventually.

Peter blinked at her blankly. "Mell?"

"Ah! Right, you quit so you don't remember."

"So can I get wings?" Michael asked.

"Of course you can, sweetheart," she said, pinching his cheek. "And Peter, you need any more of the stuff?"

"What stuff?" Michael looked up at them curiously.

Peter bent down so they were at eye level. "There's this really nice drink that lets you forget all the bad things and people that ever happened to you. That way you can always have fun. Is there anything you'd want to forget, Michael?"

Michael took a moment to think. "I want to get wings and forget everything before I had them except for you."

Peter gave him a proud smile and ruffled his hair. "You heard him, Captain."