Where Shadows Lie (Once Upon A Time)

"If there is going to be a war.", said Peter, as he led her to the weapons shed. "You're going to have to be prepared. Know how to defend yourself. And attack, when needs be."

"There's going to be a war with the pirates?", asked Wendy, almost jogging to keep up with his stride.

"Yes." Peter's face brightened with glee. "I love action. It's going to be so much fun."

"You talk of war as a thrilling game.", said Wendy. "When it brings about nothing but loss and destruction."

"Alas the price of justice is heavy, but isn't it worth it?" There was a spring in his step at the very thought of it.

"But whatever are you fighting for?"

Peter grinned maliciously. "Revenge for destroying our camp, avenging the deaths of the four Lost Boys, and all the boys who have died at their hand!"

"But war won't bring them back, Peter. Nothing can.", added Wendy sadly.

"But this is the next best thing. Just you wait. The adrenaline in your blood, fire in your heart, and the song of war singing in your bones. Best feeling in the world.", he said dreamily, before snapping out of it.
"Right. Here we are!"

They had come to a wooden, unseeming garden shed, in a sort of clearing, where two boys were practicing fighting with swords.  There were several targets dotted here and there. All the trees had deep notches. Some were evidently older, and appeared more like scars in the gnarled bark.

"Are those real swords?", asked Wendy. "That they're fighting with?"

Peter gave her a sideways glance. "Yes. Of course they are."

"But, isn't that dangerous?"

"That's sort of the point." Peter chuckled to himself.

Peter waltzed up to the shed and it flew open with a motion of his wrist. "There's gotta be something in here. . .", he said absent-mindedly.

Wendy peered in. It was dark inside. Weapons glinted in the sparse light. Hundreds of them. Gleaming like mirrors.
Wendy didn't notice that Peter cast no reflection.

"Such pretty things, aren't they?", said Peter.

"Do you normally talk about knifes the same way one talks about shoes?"

Peter tilted his head to the side. "Each one of these knifes has saved my life at least once."

"And what about that gun over there?"

"Oh, that's just for the collection."

Wendy let out an exasperated laugh. "Well, I have not wielded, or held any weapon of the sort, in my life. How do you expect me to learn?"

"Because you'll have the knowledge that some day, your life might depend on it. And you have the greatest swordsman in all the realms teaching you.", he added. Wendy rolled her eyes.

He pulled out a sword, and offered it to Wendy. "Here, try this."

Wendy took it, and held it firmly in her hand. It was surprisingly heavy, and had a tendancy to tip forward.
Peter shook his head. "Nope. Definitely not. Maybe something with a longer hilt. A one-and-a-half-hand, maybe. . ."
He scanned the shelves.

"Hey, what about this?" Wendy picked up a weapon she didn't know the name of. Some sort of sword. She wrapped her hand around it's hilt. Wendy didn't really know anything about swords, but it fit her hand perfectly, as if it was made for her.

"Now that", said Peter. "Is a gladius. One-and-a-half-hand. Twenty-five inches.  Forged of the rock that grows under the tree in Pixie Hollow at the time of full moon. A fine weapon, so to say. You can keep it. It suits you."

"Does it have a name?", asked Wendy.

Peter frowned. "No, actually. No one's thought of naming it before." He clapped his hands.
"Now, let's get started." And he stalked out of the shed, into the clearing.

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Killian shovelled the last bit of earth onto the last grave. He sighed inwardly, and carved the names onto the large rock in the centre of the tree-covered glade, which served as a gravestone. Thomas. Billy. James. Logan. Now just names on a stone, already fading memories. Killian knew Peter wasn't happy about this. They were good warriors. And four slain was too much. Now Peter was going to have to go to London again, and play his magical flute, and convince more to come with him to Neverland. For Peter liked to have a certain number of boys with him at all times.
Killian knelt before the graves. So many, yet they would not be the last.

No one knew this was here. Except for he and Peter. Peter always shared his secrets with Killian.
Except for last time. . .
Killian knew that Peter was worried. But about what, he had no idea. He said something about Rumple.
Killian was going to have a talk to Peter about that later.
Killan heard a twig snap behind him. He spun around. He caught a darting figure out of the corner of his eye, a head of brown curls, run into the woods.

Killian ran after it, breaking into a head to head chase. Sometimes he thought he had lost them, then he could just be seen or heard again. The ground was mossy here. It was hard to see any tracks. Killian came to a ridge of hard rock, then looked about, panting heavily. There was no trace of them. Damn it, he thought. He had lost them.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

The most important things in sword fighting.", began Peter. "Is timing, distance, perception and technique.", he said slowly. "But I'll get into that later. First of all, you need to know how to hold it properly."
He stood to her side, gripped his sword with two hands. Wendy followed his example.
"Just don't, whatever you do.", said Peter. "Tilt the sword downwards. Keep it pointed upwards, else it'll. . ."

Wendy's sword fell  out of her grasp, and fell on the ground.

"Fall."

Wendy picked up her sword, and braced herself.

"Now, again. . .", said Peter, his shoulders set.

After twenty minutes of balancing the sword on her hand (which was surprisingly difficult), Wendy asked;
"When do I get onto the real stuff?"

Peter grinned. "Patience, Darling. Patience is the key to all success."