Jasmine batted his hand away. “I’m…I’m alright. Piss off.” She struggled to a stand, but then swayed on her feet.

“Stubborn pirate,” Tiger complained as he grabbed Jasmine’s arm and put it around his shoulders. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help, savage,” Jasmine slurred.

Tiger frowned. Jasmine had lost a lot of blood and more of it was still gushing out from the wound on her left forearm. The sight made him want to punch something - preferably Tezcatlipoca’s face.

Tiger wrapped his arm around Jasmine’s waist for extra support, and then started to head for the dock. He had the feeling that if Jasmine wasn’t delirious from blood loss she would have removed his arm from around her waist - maybe she would have even tried to cut his arm off for taking such liberties with her person. The thought made the corner of Tiger’s mouth twitch.

Tiger was surprised that the pirates didn’t appear to have noticed him yet as he drew closer to the ship, and then he began to make his way up the gangplank. As soon as Tiger placed a foot on the deck of the Jolly Roger, however, he was instantly surrounded by pirates, who had their pistols and cutlasses aimed his way.

“Prince Tiger, what have you done to Captain Hook!” a female pirate demanded with an angry snarl. She was quite lovely with tanned skin, short brown hair, and wide chocolate brown eyes. Her name was Cecily.

“I saved her life, foolish woman!” Tiger snapped and glanced at Jasmine. “Tell them how I…” The Indian trailed off when he noticed that Jasmine had fallen unconscious. “Great Spirit…we don’t have time for this. She needs medical attention. She’s lost a great deal of blood.”

“You expect us to believe a man-” Cecily was saying scathingly.

“Oh, do be quiet,” a female pirate with an Irish accent spoke up. “Back off. Give the poor boy some room. Shoo.” The crowd of pirates began to part to let the speaker through. She was a middle-aged woman with graying hair. She had mirthful blue eyes that had crinkle lines around them from smiling a lot. She was wearing a blue and white striped shirt, a pair of dark blue leather pants, and boots. A pair of tiny, round spectacles was perched on her nose. Tiger recognized her instantly. She was Mrs. Bree, Captain Hook’s bosun. “Greetings, Prince Tiger.” There was a twinkle in Bree’s eyes, and a knowing smile curled her lips. “I thought you might be back here one day.”

Tiger offered her a stiff nod in greeting. “Hello again, Mrs. Bree.”

“What did I tell you about just calling me ‘Bree’. Come on, don’t just stand there gawking like an idiot while our captain bleeds to death all over the deck. Let’s get her to her cabin.” Bree turned on her heel and headed for the captain’s cabin, expecting Tiger to follow. The pirates moved aside for Bree again and Tiger followed close behind.

Bree opened the ornate red and gold painted door to the captain’s cabin, and quickly ushered Tiger and Jasmine inside with an impatient motion. As soon as Bree had closed the door behind them Tiger swooped Jasmine up into his arms. He hadn’t done so earlier since he had the feeling that Jasmine wouldn’t appreciate having shown such weakness in front of her crew.

“Where do you want her?” Tiger questioned Bree in a gruff tone. When Bree turned around and caught sight of Tiger carrying Jasmine bridal-style her eyes widened in shock at his caring actions. She’d almost expected Tiger to just dump her captain on the floor.

Bree quickly schooled her expression, however, and merely appeared pleasantly surprised. She motioned towards the four-poster bed. “On the bed. Quickly now.” Tiger did as he was told and set Jasmine down on the bed carefully. Again, Bree couldn’t help but be surprised that the prideful Tiger was taking orders from her.

Bree walked over to the bed and began to inspect Jasmine’s arm wound. She clucked her tongue disapprovingly at the sight. “Who removed her hook? Petra Pan?” Bree’s voice was dripping with contempt.

Tiger flinched at the obvious animosity directed towards his ally Petra Pan, but then responded in a grimly solemn tone, “Tezcatlipoca.”

A knowing look settled over Bree’s face as she adjusted her spectacles. “She tried to kill him.”

It wasn’t a question. A flash of surprise crossed Tiger’s face, but he nodded. “Yes.” He didn’t think that Jasmine’s crew would have known where her true loyalties lay.

Bree let out a heavy sigh. “I take it she failed?”

“Unfortunately,” Tiger confirmed.

Bree swore colorfully in Irish.

“I still don’t understand why she decided to suddenly betray him,” Tiger began in a contemplative tone. “I was under the impression they were allies.”

“Jasmine had her reasons for playing the part of the villain in Neverland.” Bree was looking down at Jasmine’s unconscious face as she said this, sorrow swirling in her blue eyes. “Only we, her crew, knew that she was biding her time and waiting for the right moment to strike against Tezcatlipoca.”

“What reasons?” Tiger demanded, thinking of all the fairies and Indians that had died at the hands of Captain Hook and her crew.

Bree chuckled bleakly. “You’ll have to ask her yourself. It’s not really my place to tell you the story about how she became known as Captain Hook. Now, I must tend to the captain. Go take a seat over there and don’t distract me. Shoo.” She waved her hand dismissively at the Indian prince.

Tiger awkwardly took a seat on one of the spindly-armed antique chairs inside of the cabin. The chair had a red velvet cushion embroidered with golden thread. The chair was very dainty and Tiger feared his weight would break it. Women. He thought, shaking his head bemusedly. They always picked pretty things over practical ones.

Tiger watched Bree work intently. First, Bree cleaned and disinfected Jasmine’s wound using hot water, soap, and clean towels. Then she went to fetch a small ceramic jar that contained a healing salve. When Bree opened the jar Tiger could see that the blue salve was sparkling.

“What is that?” Tiger’s brow furrowed.

“This is a very special healing salve that was made with pixie dust,” Bree informed him as she dipped her fingers into the salve and scooped up a generous amount before rubbing it over Jasmine’s wound unflinchingly. “It should heal Jasmine’s wound quickly.”

“How did Jasmine get her hands on pixie dust?” Tiger questioned. The fairies weren’t known for being very generous with their pixie dust.

Bree arched an eyebrow at the Indian. “She stole it, of course.” When Tiger just gave Bree a confused look she decided to add, “Pirate captain.” Once the wound was healed Bree would be able to attach a brand-new hook to Jasmine’s forearm.

Bree clucked her tongue, upon noticing that there was blood and gore all over Jasmine’s green jacket. “Come over here and help me, Tiger. I need to get this jacket off of her. The captain is very persnickety. If she wakes up covered in blood, she’s going to have a fit.”

Bree wanted him to help take Jasmine’s clothes off? Tiger couldn’t stop his cheeks from reddening. “Alright, if you’re sure.” Tiger stood up, feeling awkward. He hesitated for a moment until Bree let out an exasperated sigh.

“Well, what are you waiting for, lad? Get your butt over here and help me,” Bree said persistently.

Tiger made his way over to the bed and proceeded to help Bree with removing Jasmine’s jacket. The only thing Jasmine was wearing beneath her jacket was a lacy black bra. Tiger’s cheeks reddened even more until he noticed that Jasmine’s entire back was covered in scars. Tiger narrowed his eyes at them. They looked like the scars one had after being whipped. But who could have whipped the fierce Captain Hook and lived to tall the tale? Tezcatlipoca?

Tiger unconsciously reached out and traced one white scar with his index finger slowly. He was feeling strangely protective of Jasmine ever since he’d saved her life and didn’t like the idea of someone having harmed her like this. He growled low in his throat. “Who?”

“Ask her when she wakes up, if you’re so curious,” Bree suggested flippantly before walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Tiger asked, his voice slightly panicky. He was afraid how Jasmine might react to waking up being half-naked while in his presence.

“I’m going to go and bake Jass some sugar cookies,” Bree said with a tired smile. “Cookies always help to cheer up the captain, and I just know she’ll be in an awful funk after losing so many of her crew. You look after her, Tiger.” She sent a roguish wink the Indian’s way.

Tiger looked down at Jasmine’s sleeping face as he responded fiercely, “I will.” Bree smiled knowingly, and left the cabin, shutting the door behind her. Tiger moved the spindly chair over next to the bed and took a seat. He watched the steady rise and fall of Jasmine’s chest as she slept.

Jasmine.

When had she stopped being ‘Hook’ in his mind?

Her sleeping face looked so…innocent. Unguarded. And strangely familiar. She looked a little like Petra Pan, but with black hair and darker green eyes. He’d never noticed the resemblance before, but hadn’t Petra called Jasmine ‘sister’ during the battle at the volcano? A thoughtful frown formed on his face. There was definitely a story there.

A stray strand of dark hair was lying across Jasmine’s face. Tiger reached out and tenderly tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?

An hour later, after her wound had been completely healed by the pixie dust, Jasmine began to stir. A slightly pained groan slipped past her lips, and her eyelids fluttered. When she fully regained consciousness she sat up swiftly, and waved her left hand through the air in an arcing slash as if she still thought her hook was attached to her forearm, and wanted to gut anyone foolish enough to be in her presence while she was sleeping.

With a pang in his chest, Tiger realized that Jasmine probably woke up like that by habit.

As a pirate captain Hook lived a very dangerous life and had made countless enemies. Until just a little while ago Tiger was one of those enemies. “Hello,” Tiger greeted her softly.

Jasmine’s sharp green eyes snapped to Tiger and instantly narrowed with suspicion. “You. What are you doing here?” She started to question before she remembered…everything. She bit down on her lower lip as she recalled her crew sacrificing themselves for her. Her girls. A red bead of blood formed on her bottom lip. “My crewmates…Tezcatlipoca killed them.” Jasmine clenched her right hand into a fist on her lap. “He will pay for that.”

Tiger gave Jasmine a searching look. “I thought you and Tezcatlipoca were allies? Why betray him now?”

“Betray?” Jasmine arched a dark eyebrow at the Indian prince as a bitter cackle slipped past her lips. “We were never truly allies. I was but his pawn. He used me to get what he wanted - the Neverland Clock.”

“Why couldn’t he just go get it himself?” Tiger asked curiously. After having come face to face with Tezcatlipoca Tiger was well aware of how powerful the god was.

Jasmine let out a heavy sigh. “Tezcatlipoca is unable to leave El Dorado due to an ancient binding curse that was put upon him long ago. He needed someone that could enter the Fairy Kingdom. As soon as I’d stolen the clock from the fairies for him, I knew I’d outlived my usefulness, however. I knew that it was only a matter of time before he would want to consume me.” She shuddered at the thought of being eaten by Tezcatlipoca in his crocodile form. Jasmine feared little, but she did fear Tezcatlipoca.

Tiger hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on Jasmine’s shoulder in a comforting manner. He was surprised when she didn’t flinch at his touch, or jerk away. He kept his hand where it was. “Great Spirit,” Tiger breathed. “Stealing the Neverland Clock must have been no easy feat.” The fairies were creatures of magic, and Jasmine must have somehow found a way to get past their magic in order to steal the clock. “What did Tezcatlipoca want with the clock anyways?”

“He wanted the clock so that he could break the spell that was on it in order to return the flow of time to Neverland, which will ultimately destroy the island,” Jasmine revealed darkly. “Once Neverland is destroyed the binding that has been placed on him will be broken, and he will be free. Free to go to Earth and conquer the world as a god among men. And with his power as an evil mage he will be able to do it.” Jasmine dug her right hand into her hair in a gesture of frustration. “And now that I have failed to defeat him with Excalibur there is no hope. Neverland will perish, and Tezcatlipoca will be unleashed upon the Earth. It will be Armageddon.”

“Excalibur can only be wielded by the destined King of Neverland,” Tiger said gently. “The Chosen One must be a knight that hails from a land called England. And he must be a man. At least, this is what the fairy Queen Mab said in her prophecy. The sword chose Eirwen Darling…only he can wield Excalibur now.”

A dark cloud fell over Jasmine’s face. “And I killed Eirwen Darling. There is no hope. All hope is lost.”

“I doubt Petra just let Eirwen die,” Tiger said confidently. “Knowing Petra Pan, she probably took him to the Fairy Kingdom to try and save him if Tink’s magic wasn’t powerful enough.” The Indian prince stoked his chin in thought for a moment. “We should both go to the Fairy Kingdom and join them.”

Jasmine shot Tiger an incredulous look. “You want me to join forces with my sister? After how she betrayed me? Never! I will never join her! I hate her! All I want is to get my revenge on her! I lost my left hand because of her!” Jasmine waved her stump in Tiger’s face. “I want her to die…I want to kill her!” The pirate captain’s emerald green eyes had gone wide, her pupils dilated, and she’d started to pant as bloodlust began to consume her.

Tiger squeezed her shoulder gently. “Tell me. What happened between you two?” Maybe, if he was able to get Jasmine to talk about what was making her so angry, she would calm down a bit.

Jasmine took deep gulping breaths as she tried to calm herself down so that she could tell Tiger her story. “Hundreds of years ago, Petra and I lived on Earth in a place called London, England. We had a mother and father, but I no longer remember them. All I do remember is looking out my bedroom window one night, and seeing a pirate ship soaring through the sky. At first, the sight was magical. But then a pirate known as Captain Blackbeard entered my home and kidnapped my sister and I.”