Id never considered myself afraid of heights. I used to climb trees as a child and do all sorts of reckless things, but as the gap yawned ahead of me, I felt my heart beginning to hammer.

The sun was setting over the distant purple mountains and it was beginning to get cold.

A storm was brewing.

I debated for a moment the wisdom of the stunt I was about to pull, but when I saw how scared my brothers were, all the fear left my mind. I had to get to them.

My brothers were only six feet away, we could almost touch fingers.

I clambered up onto the railing and carefully approached the wall, clinging onto the decorative golden ledge above me, and praying for physical, and mental strength. My bare feet gripped easily onto the white brick underneath me, I inched over slowly.

"Careful Wendy!" John exclaimed.

It was excruciatingly slow, and each time I glanced down for a foothold my stomach dropped.

But with some luck...

I eventually made it onto the other balcony, shakily wrapping my brother's into a warm hug.

"I'm so sorry! I should never have said those things!" John sobbed into my shoulder.

His face was pale and streaked with tears.

"This is my fault, I shouldn't have left you alone." I replied, shaking my head.

"I shouldn't have goaded you." John sniffled.

I let out a sigh, "We both did regrettable things..."

Michael frowned, "I'm scared Wendy."

John sighed, "What are we going to do now?"

I pulled my brothers into the room and shut the doors.

I thought for a moment, there was no way we could escape the palace unaided. The locks on our doors were strong, and the drop from the balconies, was way too high. And though I hated to admit it, I didn't know what these Fae had in store for me and my brothers.

I frowned in resignation. "We're going to do the one thing we can do... play along."

"Play Along?!" John exclaimed. "Wendy!"

"Look John, we don't know what's going on here, the more we learn the easier it will be to escape."

He sighed and nervously adjusted his glasses, "What about Peter?"

"What about him?" I asked.

"Aren't you afraid of him?"

I bit my lip, "Yes, but we must be brave. Sometimes bravery is pretending to be brave even when you're not." I pet both of the boys' hair gently.

"Michael can you do that? Can you pretend to be brave."

Michael nodded slightly into my shoulder. "I'll pretend to be a soldier."

I smiled. "All good soldiers get their rest."

Michael padded over to the giant four poster bed, and clambered into it.

He smiled back at me.

"Goodnight Wendy."

"Goodnight Michael." I replied, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Michael closed his eyes and I led John onto the balcony. Though the cold wind swept off the nearby mountain range, I really needed to talk to him.

"John I want you to promise me that no matter what happens. If I tell you to take Michael and run, you will."

John frowned. "Please don't do anything stupid."

"I can't make that promise. But I need you to take care of Michael, its what mom and dad would have wanted." I didn't notice the stray tear that slipped down my cheek.

John gave me a terse nod.

"Children?" A smooth voice called from the boys' room.

"Go!" I exclaimed.

John gave another terse nod, rushing inside and shutting the doors behind him.

With great trepidation, I faced the wall again, pulling my body parallel to the stonework.

I feared that the doors to my right would fly open and the voice that called my brothers would catch me. I certainly didn't want to be farther than I was away from them. We were separated enough.

I was pondering this, but my breath caught as the lion's head my feet were on let out a loud cracking noise. I had mere seconds to tighten my grip as the lion's head cracked off under my weight and plummeted to the ground beneath me, shattering on the cement courtyard below me.

A scream tore out of my throat unbidden.

The gold framework bit into my fingers as I clung onto it for dear life.

My hands began to sweat, as I searched for another foothold for my feet.

Tears blurred my vision as the fingers of my left hand slipped off of the ledge above me.

"PETER!" I screamed.

The cold wind flung my hair around my face as I hung from the ledge. I watched in horror as my hand slipped farther down to only one knuckle, then time slowed as I lost my grip. And the world beneath me surged upwards.

They say when you die that your life flashes before your eyes. But as I fell I could only think of my brothers in the room above me. What would become of them?

~-~

Peter rolled his eyes as Queen Dulcina glared at him.

"You never told us she was Human." The queen glowered.

"Is that a problem?" Peter asked, rudely.

The Queen sighed, her face pinched with annoyance. "I thought we discussed this Peter... you are to marry... someone with magical blood."

Peter felt the anger bubble in his chest, like boiling magma, hot and dangerous.

"You only said I had to marry, you promised to let me choose whom!" Peter's voice carried considerable anger.

"Don't yell at your Queen." The voice of King Alimond was quiet, but commanding.

"I'm sorry My King."

Allimond's voice was strained. "That's alright."

"Your father is getting tired. We can continue this conversation later."

"Fine, but we will continue it!" Peter exclaimed as the servants helped the King out of the room.

The Queen sighed heavily. "You're going to be king soon Peter."

Peter's heart plummeted. "Don't say that... Alimond could still recover..."

She shook her head sadly. "Peter..."

"I can't hear this right now!" Peter shouted.

And with that Peter stormed away headed for the courtyard, a walk would clear his head.

The heady scent of the wisteria trees engulfed him like a warm hug. Though the air itself was cold and carried a hint of oncoming rain.

Peter walked the edge of the courtyard eventually hopping over the fence to wander into the forest. He knew he should go check on Wendy, but the queen's words still rang in his head.

Peter was no where's near ready to be king.

That was a mantle of too much responsibility.

He finally stopped under one of the trees for a short rest, his eyes drifting up to the balcony that was Wendy's. Perhaps he should talk to her, get her opinion on the subject.

He chewed his lip and was debating taking the short flight to her window, when she stepped out onto the balcony. Her brothers joined her shortly on theirs.

Peter smiled, she would be so happy to find that he had gotten them rooms that were close. Granted they weren't allowed to see each-other right now, but he had to ensure Wendy's safety. He couldn't have her trying to escape right now.

Wendy gazed nauseously down at the ground, as Peter hid behind a tree.

"Wendy!" John's voice cut stridently though the air.

"John!" Wendy's voice called out in response.

Peter climbed up the tree to hear and see better, taking care to blend in with the leaves.

"This is all my fault!" John sobbed.

Wendy thought for a moment, studying the gap intensely "No it isn't...Hang on... I'm coming over."

She WHAT?!

Peter's stomach rolled.

Surely she wasn't that stupid.

"Be careful Wendy!" Michael shouted.

Peter's heart jumped into his throat.

Wendy climbed up the railing carefully and inched her way across the wall.

Peter almost leapt out of the tree right away.

"Careful Wendy!" John exclaimed.

Peter watched in fascination and awe as Wendy risked life and limb to see her brothers, a strange feeling filled his heart. When had anyone ever done anything like that for him?

Eventually Wendy made her way to the other balcony, wrapping her brothers in her arms. Peter felt a twang of jealousy.

"I'm so sorry! I should never have said those things!" John sobbed tears staining Wendy's nightshirt.

Wendy's tone was soft, and kind. "This is my fault, I shouldn't have left you alone."

"I shouldn't have goaded you." John replied.

"We both did regrettable things..."

"I'm scared Wendy." Michael sobbed.

"What are we going to do now?" John asked.

Wendy was silent for a moment before pulling her brothers into their room.

Peter let out an annoyed huff.

She was smarter than he'd given her credit for.

A few moments later Wendy and John returned to the balcony.

Wendy sighed.

"John I want you to promise me, that no matter what happens... If I tell you to take Michael and run, you will."

John paused.

"Please don't do anything stupid." he begged.

"I can't make that promise. But I need you to take care of Michael, its what mom and dad would have wanted."

Peter frowned.

Why did she sound so upset that her parents were gone?

He watched a tear trail down her cheek.

Peter didn't understand. Why, most children would be happy to be free from the rule of their parents!

Though Peter didn't remember his human parents, he did remember what the queen and king had told him. He had run away from them as a child...

John gave Wendy a terse nod.

"Children?" A smooth voice called from the boys' room.

"Go!" Wendy stage-whispered.

John gave another terse nod, rushing inside and shutting the doors behind him.

Shaking like a leaf in the wind, Wendy faced the wall again, pulling her body parallel to the stonework.

She was halfway across the wall when.

CRACK.

Peter jumped, as the stone lion's head shattered on the ground.

Wendy shrieked as she hung from the golden ledge.

And Peter's blood ran cold.

"PETER!" She screamed.

She looked so helpless, and Peter watched in horror as she lost her grip.

.

.

.

The world around Peter went black.

And the next second Wendy was safe in his arms.