Eirwen jumped at the feeling of her warm hand on his chilled, bare flesh. Petra rubbed his back soothingly and he shuddered. He felt like a pathetic, horny teenager with the way his body was reacting so quickly to Petra’s light, innocent touches.

“You’re so muscular and strong,” Petra praised as she stroked his biceps appreciatively. “The perfect knight.”

“Um, can you stop touching me, please?” Eirwen said through gritted teeth.

Petra leaned over to whisper in Eirwen’s ear, “Why aren’t you looking at me while we’re talking?”

“Uh, because you’re naked, and that would be inappropriate,” Eirwen explained in a throaty voice.

“Inappropriate.” Petra let out a frustrated sigh. “I seem to be having a lot of inappropriate thoughts around you, Eirwen.” She wrapped her arms around Eirwen’s neck and pressed her chest up against his back.

Eirwen gasped at the feeling of her breasts pressing against him and shuddered. “W-What are you doing?”

“Hugging you.” Petra glanced over Eirwen’s shoulder and looked down at his crotch. “I’ve never seen a naked man before. What’s that?”

“Bloody hell!” Eirwen leapt to his feet away from Petra and covered his junk with his two hands. “You’re not supposed to just look at it!”

“I’m not? Why not?” Petra tilted her head at him. “Oh, wait, let me guess - it’s inappropriate?” A mischievous smirk curled her lips.

“Can’t you behave like a lady for five minutes?” Eirwen chided in an exasperated tone.

“Behaving is boring.” Petra pouted.

“Please, let’s just dry off, and put our clothes back on like civilized people,” Eirwen pleaded with a tinge of desperation in his voice. He was trying so hard not to get an erection around Petra Pan, and it was just getting more and more difficult with the things she was doing to him.

“Being civilized is boring too.” Petra pouted. “You’re no fun,” she complained. But, Petra could tell she was making Eirwen uncomfortable, and didn’t like it when people were unhappy around her. She had to make unhappy people - happy. “Alright, fine, I’ll be good.” Petra took a seat by the fire and put her back to Eirwen. “Happy?”

Eirwen glanced over his shoulder and saw Petra seated by the fire with her back to him. He swallowed thickly and couldn’t stop his eyes from traveling down her slim bare back to her thin waist and tiny behind. “Y-Yeah.” His voice had grown rough, husky.

Eirwen returned to the fire and sat down next to Petra, but with his back to her. “Alright then Petra Pan, I believe it’s time you explained a few things to me. First of all, why did you kidnap me and my sisters, and bring us here to Neverland?”

“It’s because I need your help to save Neverland,” Petra started to explain and nervously twirled a strand of her golden hair around her index finger. “I needed a knight like St. George that slew the dragon. A knight to defeat an undefeatable monster.”

“You know, I’m not really a knight,” Eirwen grumbled as he raked a hand back through his hair uneasily. He noticed that his hair was a mess and began to rake both his hands through it in a futile attempt to tame it.

“Oh, but you are!” Petra quickly objected. “I watched you fight with that skinny sword.”

“You were there at the fencing competition, weren’t you?” Eirwen abruptly realized. “I thought you were a hallucination.”

“I get that a lot,” Petra quipped.

“What’s the deal with this monster that needs slaying?” Eirwen prodded.

“The monster is actually a powerful, shape-shifting mage named Tezcatlipoca,” Petra explained carefully.

“Tezcatlipoca? That’s quite the mouthful.” Eirwen’s brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Is that an Aztec name?”

Petra nodded and then realized Eirwen couldn’t see her face, “Yes. He’s an Aztec god.”

“A god?” Eirwen rubbed the back of his neck. This shit storm he seemed to be caught up in just seemed to be getting better and better. “And what can he shape shift into exactly?”

“A gigantic crocodile! At least forty-feet long!” Petra dramatically spread her arms wide. “Tezcatlipoca stole the Neverland Clock and somehow managed to break the fairy spell upon it so time has started moving forward once more in Neverland.” A dark cloud fell over Petra’s face. “But, Neverland is supposed to be a place that exists outside of time. If the clock isn’t enchanted again by the fairies then Neverland will be destroyed.”

“Destroyed how exactly?” Eirwen asked. “Wait, you’re talking about those ‘time worms’, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Petra agreed. “Those time worms will slowly devour all of Neverland until the island ceases to exist. Also, the island is slowly disintegrating into dust.”

“Okay. I think I get it now,” Eirwen said. “You needed a knight to help you defeat this shape-shifting mage that can turn himself into a giant crocodile and that has stolen the Neverland Clock. Tez needs to be defeated so that you can get the clock back. But…what I don’t understand is, why me?”

“I needed to find a worthy, honorable knight,” Petra started to explain. “One that would be able to pull Excalibur from the stone.”

Eirwen’s eyes bulged. “Excalibur? You mean, King Arthur’s legendary sword that was forged in the dragon’s breath?”

Petra nodded. “The very same. After Camelot fell and the sword was given back to the Lord of the Lake, he brought the sword here to Neverland for safekeeping. Only Excalibur has the power to pierce through Tezcatlipoca’s protective magic shield, and his diamond-hard scales when he is in his crocodile form.”

“Now, I get why you need Excalibur.” Eirwen nodded to himself, but then his expression turned grim. “There’s only one problem with all this, Petra.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not a knight,” Eirwen reiterated somberly. “There’s no way I’ll be able to pull Excalibur from the stone, and there’s no way I’ll be able to defeat Tezcatlipoca and save Neverland. You’ve got the wrong man. My time is already up…” He murmured the last part more to himself than to Petra.

“No. I’m sure that you’re the one that Neverland needs,” Petra argued while she thought silently to herself: The Fairy Queen Mab told me that I would fall in love with the knight destined to save Neverland. So, it must be Eirwen…because I fell in love with him at first sight. “I believe in you, Eirwen Darling.”

“Well, you shouldn’t,” Eirwen denied in a gloomy manner. He let out a heavy sigh. “Why don’t you do it?” He gave her a searching look.

Petra’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Me?”

“Yeah. I mean, you’re amazing,” Eirwen said matter-of-factly, and scratched the back of his neck in an awkward gesture. “You can fight with that wicked dagger of yours and use magic. Why don’t you defeat Tezcatlipoca yourself?”

Petra shook her head helplessly. “I’ve already tried. He’s too powerful. My other dagger shattered against his scales. Only Excalibur will be able to cut through his scales and I cannot wield Excalibur because only a man is able to wield that sword.”

“Well, that sucks.” Eirwen’s shoulders slumped despondently. “Why does Tez want to destroy Neverland anyways?”

“Tezcatlipoca is an ancient god…evil, powerful, and dangerous,” Petra explained as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, mirroring Eirwen’s pose. “Neverland is his prison. It seals the majority of his powers away. But when Neverland is destroyed Tezcatlipoca will be free and he will bring down chaos, death, and destruction to your world - Earth.”

Eirwen felt hysterical laughter bubbling up inside of his throat. “You expect me to fight an evil god? You really do have your head up in the clouds, Petra Pan. I’m sorry, but…no, just, no.” He shook his head. “I can’t help you.”

Petra gave Eirwen an intense look. “Why not?”

“First of all, I have no reason to help you save Neverland,” Eirwen said with a flippant wave of his hand. “Second, I’m no hero.”

“No reason?” Petra blinked. “You don’t want to help stop Tezcatlipoca from taking over the Earth?”

Eirwen shrugged carelessly. “Let him take it over. In a month…it won’t really be my problem.”

“What about your sisters?” Petra asked keenly. “Will you leave them to be enslaved by an evil Aztec god that hungers for the tender flesh of virgin females?”

Eirwen’s mouth pressed into a thin, grim line. My sisters…Joan…Michelle. Shit. Eirwen raked a shaky hand back through his hair. “You want me to help protect the Earth…in order to protect my sisters’ futures?”

“If that is the reason you need to fight with us, then yes,” Petra said firmly.

“How do I even know if what you’re telling me is the truth?” Eirwen groaned, and put his face in his hands. “You could be lying,” he mumbled against his fingers. “You could be making up a story. A fairytale. This could just be a game of make-believe to you.”

“All fairytales have their origins in truth,” Petra said. “But, I’m not lying to you, Eirwen Darling. Neverland needs your help. I need your help. Please.” Her voice cracked slightly on the word ‘please’.

The usually carefree Petra sounded so desperate and afraid. And it made Eirwen feel things. He sighed. “Even if I wanted to help you, I still don’t think that I’m the knight Neverland needs. You’d be better off finding someone else.”

Petra’s dour expression brightened at Eirwen’s words. “Even if you’re not the knight Neverland needs - you are the knight I want. I want you and only you, Eirwen Darling.”

Eirwen stood up, and walked over to the tree where his pj’s were drying. He grabbed his pj pants and started to put them on. “Sorry, but you can’t have me. I want to help you, but I need to get back to my sisters. Then find a way to get them out of this Looney bin and return home. I plan to spend my final month on Earth in peace with them. We’re going to cross activities off our bucket lists. I don’t have time to spare on fairytales, magic and make-believe.” He pulled on his shirt next.

“I…understand, Eirwen Darling,” Petra said dejectedly. There was a forlorn look on her face that Eirwen couldn’t see. She stood up to retrieve her dried clothing and quickly got dressed in silence.

That night, Eirwen and Petra curled up close to the fire, and soon fell asleep.

***

At the break of dawn, Eirwen and Petra set out into the forest, heading for the Lost Girls’ encampment. An hour later, they were entering the area of the jungle that was known as the Lost Girls’ Forest. The sounds of celebration reached their ears - singing, laughing, pipe playing, and drums.

When Petra and Eirwen entered a large clearing the sight that greeted them was a party in full swing. The Lost Girls were decked out in more flowers than usual, and dancing around tall, blazing bonfires where fish was cooking on spits. The delectable aroma of roasting fish reached Eirwen’s nose and he began to salivate.

Eirwen caught sight of Nibby skipping around while playing on pipes. The Twins were seated on the ground and playing on drums. The pink-haired Lost Girl was running while holding onto several long pieces of colorful ribbon. Slightly, the Lost Girl with the fox ear headband was singing along with the pipe and drum playing, and Eirwen was pretty sure she was making up that nonsensical song as she went. The Lost Girl with the curly purple hair was busy watching the cooking fish.

The Lost Girls made Eirwen think of ‘wood elves’ in that moment. They seemed so joyous, free, wild and untamed. Eirwen arched an eyebrow at Petra. “Is it always this…lively?”

There was a small, thoughtful frown on Petra’s face as she observed the spectacle before them. “No. I don’t know what is going on. They’ve never had a party without me before…or without my permission.”

That’s when Eirwen spotted his sisters - Joan and Michelle - dancing. They were a part of a circle of Lost Girls that were dancing around one of the bonfires and all holding hands.

A bemused look fell over Eirwen’s face. Apparently, Joan and Michelle had gone ‘native’. Their Earth clothes were nowhere to be seen. Joan was dressed in a dark green dress decorated with ivy, and wearing a pair of brown boots. Michelle was dressed in a dress that had been made entirely out of flowers and willow branches. She looked like a little wood pixie or sprite.

“Joan! Michelle!” Eirwen called out to them, a slight tremor in his voice. He was so happy to see them, and looking well, unharmed, and unhurt.

When Joan and Michelle heard their brother’s voice they looked around frantically before finally spotting him standing there at the edge of the clearing. Their eyes widened and grins spread across their faces. Michelle let out a happy little squeal.

Both girls shouted out ‘Brother!’ simultaneously before leaving the dancing circle of Lost Girls and rushing over their brother at top speed.

A bright smile spread across Eirwen’s face at the sight of his sisters charging towards him like little hellions. He knelt and spread his arms wide, ready to swallow them in a fierce embrace.

Petra did a double take upon seeing that happy smile on Eirwen’s face. So, he can smile like that.

The circle of dancing Lost Girls came to an abrupt halt, and the musicians stopped playing their instruments. Everyone’s attention was suddenly on Eirwen and his sisters. The Lost Girls appeared to be thoroughly shocked by the girls’ exclamation of calling Eirwen ‘brother’ and their jaws were hanging open almost to the ground.

Because this could only mean one thing - Tinker had lied to them.

Joan and Michelle slammed into Eirwen’s chest and began to hug the life out of him. He chuckled at their overzealousness and wheezed. “Joan, Michelle, are you girls okay?” Eirwen asked, just to make sure.

Both girls nodded readily. “Yeah, it’s awesome here!” Joan began to gush. “The Lost Girls are just like Amazon warriors. And they said they’d teach me how to use a bow and arrow - just like Katniss! Oh, and they invited us to become a part of their tribe, so now we’re Lost Girls too!”

“I’m a Lost Girl now,” Michelle bragged proudly. “Officially.”

“This party is to celebrate us becoming Lost Girls,” Joan continued to explain.

Yep…his sisters had gone native.

“Brother.” Michelle tugged on her brother’s shirt to get his attention. “Did you know that the flowers talk here? And the squirrels are purple, and really friendly. Can I have one?”

Eirwen blinked. “A squirrel? I’m going to have to think about that.” Don’t those rodents have rabies? He wondered to himself.

“There was also this friendly giant snake with polka dots on it-” Michelle was gushing with obvious excitement, a twinkle in her blue eyes.

“Pet squirrel it is.” Eirwen ruffled Michelle’s hair that was still styled in her usual twin pigtails.

Nibby frowned as she watched the family reunion closely. “Brother?” The Lost Girl shot Tinker a questioning and somewhat accusatory look.

“Oh shit.” A guilty look had formed on Tinker’s face and he tried to fly away unnoticed.

But Nibby noticed Tinker trying to escape and reached out to grab the fairy by his wings to stop him. “I thought you said he was a slaver, Tink?” Nibby questioned in a loud voice so everyone would hear.

Petra frowned. “Tink said Eirwen was a slaver?”