Sunshine Challenge 5. (Peter) Pan
Prompt 5: Pan
Part man and part goat, Pan is a nature god well known in many mythologies. Born in Arcadia to Hermes and a dryad, Pan was a precocious child whose goat’s feet and horned head delighted the gods, but startled the mortals he lived nearer to; Pan did not live on Mount Olympus, but rather in the forests and wilds of Arcadia. Pan famously invented a musical instrument: the syrinx, or pan pipes as they are more commonly known. He is known for his haunting melodies, and music was often a central part to his worship.
So as I was reading the Pan prompt, the character Peter Pan from Once Upon a Time refused to leave my head, and he did have a story that was close enough and was inspired by Pan mythology, which resulted in this double drabble:
Then:
So this was his grandson, Peter Pan thought as he watched the children who followed the sound of his pipes through the streets of Hamelin, recognising Baelfire immediately among the crowd. So far, so good; more than he had ever imagined had heard his music and chosen to follow him back to Neverland, and Pan hoped that Baelfire would make the choice to accompany him too; they already had enough in common, after all, with both of them disappointed in a life with Rumplestiltskin.
Would Pan have kept the deal with Rumple to let him go had Baelfire chosen his father? He supposed it hardly mattered now; Baelfire had joined him in Neverland after all, and Henry, his son, turned out to be the one of use to him.
Now:
He may have failed with Baelfire, but his son Henry, specifically the Heart of the Truest Believer, was the one Pan really needed, and now he would learn from his mistakes back then. Allowing Baelfire the choice between Rumplestiltskin and himself had been Pan’s mistake; Henry would make the choice that Baelfire didn’t and would choose Pan, and he would believe that he had actually made that choice himself.
Part man and part goat, Pan is a nature god well known in many mythologies. Born in Arcadia to Hermes and a dryad, Pan was a precocious child whose goat’s feet and horned head delighted the gods, but startled the mortals he lived nearer to; Pan did not live on Mount Olympus, but rather in the forests and wilds of Arcadia. Pan famously invented a musical instrument: the syrinx, or pan pipes as they are more commonly known. He is known for his haunting melodies, and music was often a central part to his worship.
So as I was reading the Pan prompt, the character Peter Pan from Once Upon a Time refused to leave my head, and he did have a story that was close enough and was inspired by Pan mythology, which resulted in this double drabble:
Then:
So this was his grandson, Peter Pan thought as he watched the children who followed the sound of his pipes through the streets of Hamelin, recognising Baelfire immediately among the crowd. So far, so good; more than he had ever imagined had heard his music and chosen to follow him back to Neverland, and Pan hoped that Baelfire would make the choice to accompany him too; they already had enough in common, after all, with both of them disappointed in a life with Rumplestiltskin.
Would Pan have kept the deal with Rumple to let him go had Baelfire chosen his father? He supposed it hardly mattered now; Baelfire had joined him in Neverland after all, and Henry, his son, turned out to be the one of use to him.
Now:
He may have failed with Baelfire, but his son Henry, specifically the Heart of the Truest Believer, was the one Pan really needed, and now he would learn from his mistakes back then. Allowing Baelfire the choice between Rumplestiltskin and himself had been Pan’s mistake; Henry would make the choice that Baelfire didn’t and would choose Pan, and he would believe that he had actually made that choice himself.