The Fairy and Her Captain Chapter 14

Not a single soul resided inside of the rundown, dilapidated library. That was until the yellow fae wandered inside in search of a way out of the Underworld back to the land of the living, back to her captain. She surveyed the library to make sure that she wasn’t being watched by anyone, especially by the eyes of the one who ran this place, the God of the Underworld, Hades. Once she was certain that it was safe to continue her venture forward, she began cleaning up the loose books one by one until she had a clean space to work with.

Hazel’s eyes skimmed the spines of the books that sat in the shelves, as slanted as those bookshelves were. Her finger tracing the backing before taking a few out and placing them in a pile. She stopped picking books until she had a few healthy stacks.

She ran her fingers through her loose blonde hair, tucking some of it behind her ears before she sat down in the middle of her towers of books. The fae picked out the first book and opened it in her lap. She searched the table of contents to find the pages that retold the tale that might give her the answer. She read it and nothing. Hazel closed the book with a sigh and set the book aside.

The fae continued to read through the stacks of books she gathered, setting each one aside as she finished it. Her frustration rose with each book and she began to toss them to the other side of the room, not caring for a moment if she knocked anything else over.

Several hours passed until Hazel found some possible ways that she could get back to the land of the living. She could have Hades’ brother Zeus resurrect her, but she had no way of contacting him nor did she really have a good reason to convince him to bring her back.  She could eat from the ambrosia tree, from the food of the gods, that Orpheus and Eurydice used to escape the Underworld.

The chances of either of those pan out for her were slim to none. Hazel slammed the book in her hands shut with a loud thud before she threw it clear across the room. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, pulling her legs into her chest. A few tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. The pit in her stomach only grew with each book she read. The dread of finding a way out of the Underworld and back to Killian grew exponentially.

Hazel muttered a curse under her breath before she finally stood to her feet. She took a deep breath, calming herself before she dusted herself off. She cleaned herself up before exiting the library, not caring of the mess she left behind. It appeared like no one came into the library much anyways.

The fae wandered rather aimlessly and without any intention of where she was going. Her hands behind her back and her fingers fiddling with one another. Her eyes darted from person to person as she walked by them, studying their faces and memorizing them for not particular reason. Her mind seemed to be so distracted that she hadn’t realized that she was on a collision course with the one person she didn’t think that she would encounter in a place like this, Liam Jones, Killian’s older brother.

The force of an impact with the brown haired male caused the fae to fall flat on her backend. Hazel let out a grunt followed by a grumble, muttering an, “Ow…” As she started to move to get up from the ground and dust herself off, an arm was extended in an offer of assistance.

“I am terribly sorry about that, Miss. I wasn’t looking where I was going. I apologize for my bad form.” The male said apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand.

Hazel hesitated for a moment hearing the phrase ‘good form’, but shook it off to see who the hand in front of her face belonged to. She raised a small brown in curiosity. “It’s fine.” She remarked, allowing the male to help her to her feet. “I wasn’t really looking where I was going either to be fair.” She took her hand back and dusted herself off from the small bit of dust that collected on the back of her pants.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. The name is Liam, Liam Jones. May I ask your name?” Liam introduced before he placed his hands behind his back neatly.

Hazel brought her gaze up to the male, as she looked longer, she could see the resemblance and well…she already knew that Killian’s older brother’s name was Liam and that he was dead… and she was dead. “Hazel…and you’ve got a younger brother, do you not? Killian Jones if I’m not mistaken.”

“Why yes I do and that is my brother. You knew him?” The male asked, raising a brow of his own. He did often wonder, in a place like this, how his little brother was fairing in the land of the living.

The fae nodded. “Yeah…He was my captain. I was his scout.” She explained, a little hesitant. Her own hesitation was due to the fact that she had no idea if she should tell him that his brother became a pirate captain after his death. She fiddled with her fingers absently.

Liam’s lips curled into a smile. “I see that he did well in picking out a scout for the Jewel of the Realm. Though I certainly didn’t take Killian for having a woman onboard the ship. Not that you aren’t qualified for it, I’m sure. I’m sure that you have proven yourself well for my brother to have chosen you.” He said, holding out his hand in slight defense in hopes to not offend the fae in any way with his comment. “He was quite persistent on good form when we were together in the Royal Navy. How long were you in service to my brother?”

Hazel felt the pit in her stomach drop a little. She played with her fingers more, itching to pick out her dagger from her pouch to fiddle with it. “Um…The ship’s name. Her name is Jolly Roger now. I assume that he changed it after you died. And I did prove myself useful to the crew. We sort of…found each other.” She pointed out, her tongue pressing for a moment against the inside of her bottom lip. She nipped at it as she thought about how long she had been in service with Killian. “We…were together for centuries. He was a great captain. He taught me a lot.”

“That…is good to know.” Liam glanced off to the side and brought it back to Hazel. “How about we talk about this all moreover a cup of whatever beverage you like? That way we can sit and become acquainted while we share stories. I certainly wouldn’t mind knowing how my brother has been doing.” His mind, safe to say, was a bit taken back by how long Hazel said that she had worked for Killian.

“That sounds lovely. Thank you. I am sure that we both need the drink.” Hazel remarked with a slight chuckle.

“Then allow me to lead you to the perfect spot for such a thing in a place like this.” Liam offered his arm to her and lightly nodded his head towards it, gesturing to her to follow along.

The fae looped her arm in his a tad bit hesitant. Killian’s voice played in the back of her mind, reciting her feelings towards her former pirate captain and to be wary of any male that wished for her hand in any manner, especially for a drink. She shook her head to clear those thoughts in her head. Surely this was innocent. After all, this was Killian’s highly esteemed older brother that he talked so fondly of. She couldn’t imagine that he would be anything like the younger Jones brother, especially after he became a pirate and a captain no less.

The brown haired male led the way to what was Granny’s Diner in the Underworld. He opened the door for the fae first before following suit after her. He picked out a seat and gestured to the booth. “You can choose which seat to take. I’ll take the one opposite of you, of course.”

“Thank you.” Hazel uttered before choosing the closest seat towards the door. An unconscious lesson taught to her by her captain. If needed, she could make a quick getaway if something unsavory would occur.

Just as he said, Liam sat across from Hazel and he folded his hands in his lip before placing his hands on the table. He laced his fingers together and centered his joined hands on the table. He flashed her a friendly smile. “Judging by how you speak of me and know about my life, I take it that Killian talked about me?”

Hazel nodded her head. “Quite fondly, actually. He told me countless times that you saved him and your time together in the Royal Navy. Though he never mentioned how.” She moved to adjust her pouch to sit on her lap. The fingers of her right hand slipped into the opening of the pouch and traced along the familiar handle of her dagger. To not arouse any suspicion, the fae brought her opposite hand to the table and rested her cheek against her palm.

“That is a long story, but we have all the time in the world here. That is until we either move on or go to the Fiery Pits if we cannot resolve our unfinished business.” Liam explained.

“I am aware of that. I went to the wreck of a library here to assess my situation and how I can get back to Killian to resume my duties as his scout. If it is at all possible…” Hazel sighed softly, closing her eyes for a moment. Thoughts of her predicament rolled through her mind. Her guilt for the situation that she put herself in willingly. It seemed rather silly now that she looked at it in a new light.

She willingly left Neverland, knowing that she was going to die because of the dreamshade poison…all to tell Killian how she felt. She wasn’t able to do that because of her own jealousy that rose to the surface after holding it in for so long while watching her captain fraternize with women in taverns, completely drunk off of rum.

She let out a single chuckle while her gaze dipped to the necklace around her neck. “…I put myself in this situation. I knew what would happen to me if I left Neverland…and I still did it. For what?” Hazel flicked her gaze back up to Liam, laying her arm on the table.

A small half smile curled on Liam’s lips, watching the fae. “We all do crazy things for the ones we love.” He advised. “I presume that you fell for my little brother over the centuries you spent together with him on that cursed island. And you had yet to confess those feelings to him which is why you left to tell him because you couldn’t wait a moment longer.” A knowing look came over his face and he raised a brow similarly to how his brother would.

Hazel’s gaze flicked to the table briefly before landing back on Liam’s face. “…Yeah. Is it that obvious?” She asked, shaking her head mainly at herself. She pressed her hand against her forehead.

“Quite so. But it is okay. I am certain that my brother would have figured it out eventually if you were still with him.” Liam heartily chuckled. He paused for a moment before saying something else. “I’ll help you find a way out of this place and get you back to Killian. I promise you.”

The fae pulled her hand away from her forehead and met Liam’s gaze. It seemed sincere and genuine. It reminded her of Killian and her heart ached for her captain. Her face softened. “Really? You would do that? Why?”

“Because my brother deserves a happy ending and it is clear that you care deeply for him and have for a very long time.” He answered, giving her a cheerful smile.

The fae’s heart swelled a little in her chest. She felt hope again, as small as it was, it helped her. “Thank you, Liam…Let’s meet here tomorrow and we can follow my first lead on getting out of this place.”

“Of course. Tomorrow it is then.”