I sigh, leaning on the railing of my ship and looking out at the waves, hoping it will calm my frustrations. I sense more than hear or see my bother come up beside me. Something my father taught me when I was younger. I ignore him and keep my gaze on the water. The sight and sound of the waves settling my frenzied thoughts a little. My thoughts swirl in my head, making it hard to grab hold of a concrete train of thought. 

He remains silent for a few moments, looking out at the horizon with me. He bumps my shoulder with his affectionately to get my attention. "What's on your mind?" 

I glance at my brother for the first time since he joined me. I take a deep cleansing breath and shake my head to try to clear it. It doesn't seem to help much. "Just thinking." 

He narrows his eyes at me. I'm not sure if it's out of curiosity or suspicion. "Thinking about what?" 

I groan in frustration and run my hand down my face. His expression turns to concern. He puts a hand on my back and gently guides me to sit on a nearby barrel. I feel his long fingers start working through my tangled curly black hair as he silently encourages me to talk to him. I sigh and do my best to relax under his touch. My eyes close and I focus on the feeling of his fingers working through the tangles of my inky hair. 

"I didn't want to say anything while Tink was here, but I have my doubts that the Darling girl is actually lost in the mist mazes." I hum in quiet contentment at the feeling of him gently working through my hair. Not for the first time, I am grateful that my father insisted he learn how to brush and braid my hair. It had helped us grow close over the years. 

A sharp tug comes from my hair as his fingers get snagged on a knot. He mutters an apology which I don't respond to. Carefully, he detangles the knot, taking his time and being sure not to hurt me. He continues to brush through my hair while we continue to talk. 

"Why do you think that?" He asks after a moment of thought. 

His fingers gently running through my curls is relaxing me. I can feel all my previous tension melting from my muscles. It is really very nice. I'm very grateful that my brother always seems to know exactly what I need. 

I shrug. "We should've heard something by now. One of the scouts would've seen her by now. It's been two days. If she was lost, someone would've spotted her. It's not like there's a lot of ground to cover." It somehow feels liberating to voice these worries out loud. I didn't want to trouble him with this, but it is a weight off my shoulders to share this burden. 

He hums in thought and continues to work through my curls. "So you think she got out? Isn't that  supposed to be impossible?" The confusion and amusement in his tone doesn't go unnoticed by me. But his voice is still gentle and lulling me into a more relaxed state. 

"She got in. She can get out." I say so softly it's almost a whisper, but a scary one at that. This is the daunting fact that has been swirling around my head for the past two days. This is the revelation that has kept Tiger Lily, Tink, and myself on edge since it was brought to light. 

The thought sinks in and weighs heavily in the air between us. The meaning of it does not go unnoticed. Especially knowing what she got away with. Slowly my brother starts to twist and pulls my hair into a braid. I'm grateful to my brother for doing what he can to try to help me relax a little. When he finishes he ties it off with a small strip of fabric. He gently pats my shoulder to tell me he's done and moves to stand next to me. I open my eyes now, but choose not to look at him just yet. 

"I know it's not great-" he starts in a gentle tone. 

I cut him off. "Not great? Squirt, if I'm right this is potentially catastrophic. She has the map to the door to the Fae realm! And if she's smart enough to not just sneak into the Native Territory but out of it then we have a serious problem. What if she gets into the Fae realm? Or worse, what if she destroys the door? What if she finds out the center of the island's magic?" I start spiraling with my worry and stress on the whole situation. My previously relaxed state replaced once again with anxiety. 

My brother's hands land on my shoulders and he grabs my attention. I stop my rambling and am panting from my constant stress venting. I look up my brother who has a calm expression. I can't help the passing thought in my head that our situation is absurd. I'm usually the stoic and unmovable older sibling and he is usually the one who has these anxious episodes that I have to pull him down from. He looks into my eyes with such a calm, love, and care that I  find myself settling. A tiny smile settles on my lips, thinking about how lucky I am to have him for a brother. Even if he is just a half brother. He has always been there when I needed him. Like right now. 

"Stop. You are Captain Hook." His tone is firm and he leaves no room for argument. "There is nothing you can't do. No one you can't beat or out smart. No obstacle you can't overcome. And you're not alone in this. I know you don't like her, but Tiger Lily is working on this too. And Tink is not going to back down either now that it involves her people. And this crew is behind you completely. You have nothing to worry about." His tone is gentle but firm. 

I nod, not smiling gratefully up at him. He's right. I need to stop with this. I need to stop focusing on the possibilities and start making a plan. If she really did make it out like I think she might have, then this means war. And It's pretty clear that I have been appointed general. And I am not the type to sit back and let others do my fighting. I am going to end this, one way or another.