Page 36 of Lost Starlight
William was a noble, and Peter’s best friend. I had only seen him a few times about the castle.
“Alright, we have things to prepare, then.” Dominick walked past me, moving to the door. “Thank you,” he said with a nod, his long dark hair falling into his face. His golden hoop earring on his left ear, making him appear more pirate than prince, which was the case.
“I will come, too. I must—”
The queen held up her hand. “I do not want you hurt, Gwendolyn.”
“I will not be hurt, I assure you, my queen.”
“She may be needed,” Meria said, stepping up to my side. “Please, my queen, let her come.”
“If you think she will be safe—”
“I will protect her with my life,” Dominick began.
“I will, too!” William called out.
“Alright, then, please be careful,”the queen said.
“We will leave right away. See you as soon as we return,” Dominick said.
The queen looked at us with a sad smile. “Please, bring the prince back to us. Be safe.”
Then, one by one, we left the throne room, each with determination in our steps.
“I hate ships,” Michael said beside me. I turned to look at him, his spectacles resting on the tip of his nose as he used the side of his jacket to wipe away the sea spray.
At least, during that time traveling to Pixie Isle, I would remember it. It had been unsettling, waking up somewhere with no knowledge of how I got there.
“Well, Iloveships,” I said, leaning against the railing. Yes, I loved anything that would bring me closer to Peter. I needed to see him, to know he was safe.
“Are you okay, Gwendolyn?”
I turned to see Meria, walking up to me. She was wearing a loose-fitting dress that exposed the bottom half of her legs above her ankle, and her feet were bare. I tried not to let it shock me. I knew that Meria was a mermaid. She could breathe underwater and swim impossibly fast and dive to depths no human could ever travel. But her stateof undress always caused me a little discomfort. I gulped, pulled my shoulders back, and smiled anyway.
“I am–I am very grateful to be here, heading to him, to rescue him.”
“I really thought he had worked everything out with the pixies,” Meria said, her long, wavy, light hair moving with the sea breeze.
“Yes, so had I, but pixies are sneaky little creatures.”
I remembered when I first saw Peter after I had been captured. The realization that he had come for me made my heart swell back then, and even just thinking about it at that moment, it caused a flutter. The pixies had brought me out to see Peter from behind the waterfall at the lagoon, leaving the children behind. Those poor children. They had been living in such awful conditions. They had sweetly called me “Mother” as that’s what the pixies had called me, but when I first saw a particular set of eyes—I realized what had happened to the lost children of Walden; they were stolen by the pixies.
I had sweet memories helping them wash up for their suppers and gathering around me as I told stories from memory. I wasn’t their mother, but I tried to be one for them while we were all held captive to the pixies’ whims.
I would never forget when I stood there, behind that waterfall and was pushed forward by the pixies onto the bank of the lagoon. I was struck with immense joy at seeing Peter there. Not only had he come to save me, but together,we could also save the children. I’d never been more grateful and happy in my life than when I saw his handsome face.
He came to save me.
I will, now, save him.
Chapter Sixteen
Peter
Present Day
Ihurried through the wet jungle, back to the lagoon where the pixies were, that next morning. While I wanted to help those lost boys, I also wanted to make sure I understood exactly what the pixies wanted from me before I went about the island. The lost boys had set me up with a tent, and I fell asleep quickly without speaking much to them that first night. I would return and glean from them what I could, but I could not waste any of my time.
