A Tale That Never Was [Book 1 of Selvina's Tale series]

Epilogue

The first thing Selvina heard was the creaking of wood. Her body was slowly rocking back and forth at a steady pace. She smelt salty air, sweat, varnish, freshly sawn wood, and cinnamon. She slowly opened her eyes, giving them time to adjust to the light. The sides of her head ached slightly and she had difficulty breathing through her nose. Memories of what had happened flashed in her mind and her heart began to pump faster as the implications of what that meant dawned on her. She glanced about, finding herself in a large and rather lavish room. There were few furnishings but colourful pillows and blankets were scattered about. On a shelf across the room there burned a candle, the source of the cinnamon scent. To her right, huge windows made up the entire wall and she could see the blue sky and azure sea beyond them. She was on a ship, as she had expected, and, unexpectedly, she was not alone in this room.

Lying on the ground, sitting against the walls, and staring out the windows were four young women. One had hair as white as snow and was hugging her knees against her chest. A rat lay at her feet, curled up and sleeping soundly. Another woman, this one with curly golden hair, was sleeping on a bed of large velvet pillows, her back to Selvina. The third woman, standing and staring out at the sea, wore an elegant yellow dress that fit with well her long, flowing black hair. Hair that, Selvina realized, was so long it lay in a curled in a pile in the middle of the room. Seated across from Selvina and staring back at her was a woman dressed in a nondescript skirt that resembled a barmaiden's apron. Her bob of brown hair and blue eyes made Selvina pause and return the stare. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she knew the woman.

"Wendy?!" Selvina cried out in disbelief.

The woman blinked her eyes rapidly and her face paled. "So it is you. Sandy? No, Selina...no wait, Selvina!"

"Yes!" Selvina replied, grateful to see a familiar face and only slightly bothered that she hadn't immediately remembered her name. "What are you doing here? What are any of us doing here?"

Wendy's eyes went to the carpeted floor. "Peter Pan showed up maybe a day after I had met you when I was closing up the inn. I was caught completely by surprise and blacked out. When I woke up I was on his ship. I've been here ever since..." She took a deep breath and then fixed her eyes on Selvina again. "What happened to you? Where is the captain? Is he all right?"

Selvina could see the fear and hurt in Wendy's eyes from across the room and it squeezed her heart painfully. "I don't know for sure. He tried to fight Pan and save me but I was knocked out before I could see what happened to him. He was alive when I was taken, though, so he should be fine... Jolly Roger is destroyed so I don't know how soon he'll come after me."

"Destroyed?" Wendy asked in shock. "Completely?"

Selvina nodded solemnly. "Pan called it fireworks..."

Wendy frowned and slammed a fist on the ground. It made two of the other women, except the sleeping one, look her way for a moment. "I hate that monster. I wish James had killed him when he had the chance."

"James?"

"Captain Hook. You didn't really think Hook was his real name, did you? His real name is James Hawkins but don't tell him I told you that. That's if we ever see him again..." Tears formed in Wendy's eyes and she averted Selvina's gaze, apparently ashamed of them.

"He'll find us, Wendy," Selvina said, finding strength in the words, even if she had no idea how factual they truly were. "He'll do whatever he can to do that. I know it."

Wendy wiped her nose and looked at Selvina again. "Do you mean that?"

"We've been through a lot together, Wendy, and I have faith that he'll come look for me. He won't let Peter Pan get away with this, especially once he finds out you're here too."