Hooked || Harry Hook x oc

CHAPTER XVII: ALL THAT GOES UP, MUST COME DOWN

Rowan's father had gone from calm to furious once more as the realization of what Rowan's words meant had sunk in. The son of his famous enemy was the one who had captured his daughter's heart. He was outraged by the idea, as Rowan knew he would be. Peter Pan had paced around the room, shouting questions such as, "How?" and "What would your mother think?" and "Of all people in the world, why him?"

To which the sarcastic girl would respond with answers like "The universe works in mysterious ways," and "Mother used to be Red Handed Jill, I don't think she'd mind," and "Maybe the pirate-seeking genes just run in the family!"

After another hour of attempted persuasion to get her father to see her point of view, he had reluctantly accepted that he couldn't change what had already been done. She explained how Harry had come to rescue her, but how she was worried about him now, as he had taken off upon their return home the night before. Though Peter Pan was still not very pleased with his daughter's pick of the bunch, but he had to admit that he was not all that surprised either. Rowan had never been the girly type to swoon over the descendants of princes like the others of Auradon. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before she found the match to her roguish side, though he still groaned at the idea of Harry Hook holding her hand.

Rowan explained how the pair had come to be, as well as the many times that Harry had held her best interests at heart. Peter Pan agreed to give the boy a chance. He knew that—as difficult as it may be to separate the past from the present—that villain's kids more times than not had shown a good side to themselves, unlike their parents. Even so, this acceptance did not lift the expression of concern from his daughter's face.

"Come on, follow me," Peter spoke, extending his hand for his daughter to take. "I want to remind you of something."

Rowan followed her father through the maze of dormitories, as he led the way towards Auradon's orchard. Once surrounded by the trees, Peter kicked off his shoes and ran ahead towards a clearing in the center. He turned, a triumphant smile on his face.

"You know what used to always clear your mind, and bring you joy?" As he spoke, his feet began to lift from the earth below. He ascended higher and higher, until he was floating just below the treetops. A burst of childish laughter escaped his lips as he somersaulted backwards.

"Dad!" Rowan cupped her hands around her mouth, hoping the sound would carry to where her father danced above. "I haven't flown since I got suspended for it during my first year! Who knows if I can still do it?"

Peter pushed off a tree branch, gliding back towards where his girl stood, yet never touching his feet to the ground. "You are the daughter of Peter Pan; you will never forget how to fly!" He shot back up, floating above expectantly.

Rowan closed her eyes, trying to focus. The ability to fly came from two sources: happy thoughts and pixie dust. It had been years since Rowan had seen the glittering substance, though for some reason—same as her father, and unlike any ordinary person—she had only ever needed one dusting in the magical glitter, and had never had to use it to kick-start her flying again. She hoped that after all this time, this still remained true.

Finding the happy thoughts was the next task. Her mind was so cluttered with worry over Harry, anxiety over exams, and curiosity about King Ben's council, that she thought it'd be impossible to find enough positivity to even levitate, let alone fly. Though sure enough, the thoughts did come.

The first was the thought of Evie's smile when she had successfully made over Rowan's hair into the perfect shade of green, capturing the essence of her personality. The second came from the thought of Jay and Carlos laughing at one another's simple jokes, playfully pushing each other side to side. Next was Uma and Gil, leaning over a game from the Isle, focus written across their features. That is, until Gil had sneezed, scattering the board, and leaving Uma to try to hide her smile behind faux anger. Then there was Mal and Ben, walking hand in hand, with a beaming smile on their faces; the oddest of pairs, who had found love in the most unlikeliest of places.