Recap:
"Okay, just be careful, captain. You said you can't lose Sirena, but she can't lose you either."
"I'll do my best, Viviane. But I can't fail. That isn't an option," Hook vows.
He walks into Skull Rock and starts climbing the stairs as Viviane swims down to the lagoon floor, hiding in some seaweed and coral. She stares at the water in front of Skull Rock anxiously.
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Killian reaches the room with the hourglass. It sits on a stone pedestal and at first look, it appears to be a normal hourglass. But as he steps closer, he sees that the sand isn't actually falling. Instead, it is frozen in the middle of its fall. He reaches out to take the hourglass, but a voice stops him.
"I thought I banned you from Neverland. And yet, here you are. Trying to steal my hourglass, no less." Pan emerges from the shadows.
"I have to take it, Pan. The Dark One captured Sirena and he will kill her unless I bring him this. I can't let him do that."
His words make the smirk on Pan's face disappear. "The Dark One has Sirena?"
"Yes. And I have 2 weeks to get this to him. But I can't let him keep her that long. Who knows what he'll do to her. Please, Pan. Just let me take it," he pleads.
"I wish I could. But if you take it, Neverland will die. That hourglass is what gives Neverland its magic. It's what stops the effects of time, too. I'm sorry, captain. I wish I could help."
"You can. I need to find something else to satisfy the Dark One instead of the hourglass. Help me with that. Help me save Sirena," he begs, desperate.
Pan is silent for a moment. Then he walks towards Killian, stopping when his face was mere inches from his own. "I'll help you, but make no mistake, pirate, you are still not welcome here. I'm doing this for Sirena, not you. I won't let my son hurt her."
Killian's jaw drops in surprise. "Your son? The Dark One is your son?"
"Yes, unfortunately,"
"Wow, okay. Well, since he's your son, you must have some ideas of what he would want?"
An evil smirk appears on Pan's face, "Yeah, come with me." He holds out his hand to the pirate and the two disappear into a cloud of green smoke.
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After that first day in the Dark One's castle, Belle visits Sirena as much as she can. She brings her meals despite no orders from the Dark One to do so. While she visits her, she works on any chore she can do in the dungeon. It's often more work for her to bring everything to and from the dungeon than to just work in the main parts of the castle, but she doesn't mind. She loves her talks with Sirena. It felt so nice to have a friend, especially one who traveled so much.
"So what was Neverland like?" Belle asks, an eager expression on her face. Her hands pause their work so she can listen. Today she was washing some laundry.
"It's a beautiful island. Dangerous, though. There's Dreamshade everywhere, so you have to be careful in the forests. And of course, there's the Lost Boys and Pan, who are only a problem if Pan decides he doesn't want you there. Unfortunately, that would include most people,
"But it's a wonderful place anyway," Sirena assures the girl. "The sunsets there are gorgeous. The lagoons are crystal clear. And the view from the top of the mountain can take your breath away." She closes her eyes, a happy smile on her face.
"It sounds like paradise, despite the danger. I wish I could travel like that. I've always wanted to see new realms and lands. But I was a prisoner long before I became the Dark One's servant."
"What do you mean?"
"My father rules a land that has been fighting with ogres for longer than I can remember. My father was always worried about me, so I had to stay in the village. I never went anywhere else. And then my father made a deal with a king from nearby for some troops, but I had to marry his son. And then the ogres became too much for them, so he called upon the Dark One. And now I'm stuck here."
"I'm sorry, Belle. Is there nothing you can give him in exchange for your freedom? He's greedy. There has to be something he wants more than having a servant," Sirena suggests.
Belle whips her head up to meet the mermaid's eyes. "There is. There's one thing the Dark One wants more than anything in any realm. His dagger."
YOU ARE READING
The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate
FanfictionSirena may look like a normal girl, but she is far from it. Not only is she a mermaid, but she is also a lot older than she looks. She has lived on Neverland for longer than she cares to remember. She lives in solidarity, trying to avoid the annoyi...
