“I’ve been here in Neverland for many, many years. Longer than any of you have been alive. Imagine, if you will, a Neverland untainted by the Sudden Night. Our beloved seas so clear and open, all without the Night bringing horror to all who see it. It was a different time. Port Duette was nothing more than a small harbor where locals sold their fruits and the Pilvi Indian children ran shrieking through the street.”
Wendy turned to Oxley, who was leaning against the wall next to them, his eyes riveted on Peter. “Pilvi?” she whispered, remembering that Peter had off-handedly mentioned them before.
Without even looking down at her, he answered, “Pilvinuvo Indians. The people of the earth and cloud. They used to be the main inhabitants of Neverland.”
“And now?”
He gave her an enigmatic look. “Gone.”
“Where did they go?”
“Shhhhh!” hissed one of the Lost Boys near the back, and Peter’s gaze came to rest on Wendy. She gave him a sheepish shrug and mouthed, “Sorry,” at which he grinned, and she saw a faint blush creep up his cheeks. He continued.
“As I was saying, I spent most of my time exploring the corners of Pan Island with a small group of Lost Boys and trading goods with the Pilvi. I had a very close relationship with their princess, the beautiful Lomasi. And I tell you, boys, the rumors of her beauty are true: Her hair was as black as a raven’s wing, but softer than the finest silk that you could find in Port Duette. Her eyes were the same color as rich chocolate, her skin like the bark of this tree, a warm cocoa that glowed in the sun. She was born in Neverland, the pride of her people, their ambassador . . .” he paused. “And my friend. My dearest friend.”
Peter’s eyes betrayed that he had seen her as more than a friend, and Wendy felt a surprising pang of jealousy in her chest. She immediately felt ashamed for it, for it was already clear that this story would not have a happy ending, not if the Pilvi tribe had gone missing. Peter took a moment to collect his thoughts, absentmindedly clenching his hands and giving his fists a shake before continuing. Wendy saw him blink back tears, wrestling with his sudden onset of emotion. The entire room was silent as they watched their leader struggle to find his words. Finally, Peter took a breath before adjusting his crown and moving on. Then he gave a quick twist of his head, as if he were physically shaking the memory loose.
“Forgive me, friends. I have not thought of Lomasi in a long time. I’ll continue.” He coughed into his hand and raised his head. “It was one of those days where the sun rose over our beautiful Neverland Sea, and everything in the world felt possible. I began my morning circling around Shadow Mountain—as I’m known to do. When you fly around the mountain counterclockwise, you can watch the sun hit each rock just perfectly, watch the shadows crawl away from their crevices and make their way to the peak. After I watched the sunrise, I spent the morning down in Port Duette, trading with some of the Pilvi children, eating a ripe pineapple, and—I must be honest—teasing some of the drunk pirates who were pouring out of the tavern after their nightly debauchery.”
The crowd gave a chuckle at the idea of Peter pulling off the hats of drunken men and shoving them against each other, tweaking their noses and dropping items on their unsuspecting heads. Peter sighed, his red hair falling over his forehead.
“But that soon became boring, as it always does, and though I can’t say exactly why, my intuition pulled me over to the dark corner of the island, the place where wicked men go to sneak a peek at bathing mermaids—Miath, The Gray Shore. The Darlings aren’t familiar with Miath, so I’ll quickly explain.” Peter’s gaze narrowed, and a shadow fell across his face as he dipped his chin. “Neverland lore says that if a man lays eyes on a mermaid that he will have good fortune the rest of his days, which we know isn’t true. When a mere mortal sees a mermaid outside of the water, they lose their minds. Jealousy and lust overtake them, and half the time they will fight their companions to the death out of a perceived rivalry for a second look. But as we know here on Pan Island, the world of grown men is full of nothing but blithe idiots. Every year pirates flock to Miath from time to time to try and peek at the mermaids’ beauty.”
Peter shook his head with a barking laugh. “The fools. It doesn’t affect us, does it, boys?”
The boys laughed and clapped, thankful for the youth that saved them. Peter grinned.