Ryder
***This character interview contains spoilers for the Neverland Chronicles, read at your own discretion.
1. “Where did you grow up?”
“In a house.”
“Umm, can we get a bit more detail than that.”
“Oh right, sorry. I’m a bit nervous. No ones ever interviewed me before.”
“It’s okay, I don’t bite.”
“Maybe you don’t, but I—”
“Behave yourself, Ryder. Just answer the question.”
“Yes, sorry again. I grew up in London. Mayfair to be exact. That bit about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth, well that was me, Preston Daniel Ryder IV. Sounds like a pretentious little shit if you ask me.”
2. “How does a the child of a prominent English family end up in Neverland?”
“I think you know the part of the story about me not being able to read. But it all started the night I’d brought home a poor report from school. My father had given me a thorough tongue lashing and sent me to my room to contemplate my life choices at the ripe old age of nine. I was feeling sorry for myself when Pan showed up at my window, asking if I wanted to play. He filled my head with wild adventures and promised me a life I could never have in our realm. It was an easy choice at the time.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Nah. I could never regret anything that brought me to Hen. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the guilt of hurting my parents, of putting them through so much heartache. But Hen’s helped me come to terms with it. She makes everything worth it.”
3. “If you were still on Earth, what do you think your profession would be?”
“Well that was part of the problem. I was destined to be a solicitor, like my father, and work at the family firm. But you can’t be a solicitor if you can’t read. Likely my father would have bribed the right people so I could get through school and then sat me in a office to play pretend. I’d have lived off my trust fund like a fucking wanker.
4. “What’s your favorite color?”
“I use to say it was blue, but I had no particular reason why. Now… now its a particular shade of pink.”
“Really? Pink?”
“Not just any pink. The way the sky blushes when the sun rises on a clear day. I still remember making love to Hen in the grass the day after our wedding. That same pink colored her cheeks and its got to be the most beautiful color I’ve ever seen.”
5. “What’s your favorite food?”
“Oh, Eben told me you’d ask that question. I think you’ll get the same answer out of us all. I could eat my girl for days and still be starving for more.”
6. “Coffee or Tea?”
“Is that a serious question? I may have been in Neverland for a while, but any self-respecting Brit knows there is only one answer—Tea.”
7. “Who’s your favorite Lost Boy?”
“All of them.”
“There isn’t one that has an edge over the others?”
“If Hen doesn’t have to choose, than why do I?”
”Touché”
8. “Has there ever been a time when you didn’t like any of the Lost Boys?”
“Do I look like someone who holds a grudge?”
“No, I guess not.”
“Well listen, in the beginning when Hoo— I mean James entered the group, I wasn’t keen on him, but it was only out of fear for Hen. I’m a pretty easy going guy, but you mess with my girl and there will be problems. But for all his faults, James is just misunderstood. Really he’s a good guy. I think I’m rubbing off on him.”
“Oh really?”
“I mean no, not literally rubbing off on him—you have a sick fucking mind you know. Think that’s why I like you so much!”
9. “What’s something you’re passionate about?”
“Books.”
“Books? Are you sure you didn’t copy from Eben’s answers?”
“Well to be more precise, I love listening to Hen read books to me. Guess that would make me a, what do you call it? Audiobook? Yeah, I’m an audiobook fan, especially when Hen’s narrating and we get to act out all of the spicy scenes as soon as she’s done reading them.”
10. “Do you have a favorite sexual position?”
“Is anal considered a position?”
“I don’t think that’s a position.”
“May favorite position is for my cock to be in her ass, so yeah, in my book that’s a position.”
11. “How about a favorite kink?”
“I like watching.”
“You mean voyeurism?”
“I mean, it doesn’t have to be a boat or anything.”
“No, Ryder, voyeurism doesn’t mean—On never mind, continue.”
“Whatever it’s called, I love watching Hen fuck all her boys. I could sit back in the corner and watch that shit all day. Damn—I’m getting a fucking cockstand just thinking about it. Moving on before I have to cut this interview short.”
12. What was it about Gwen that you were initially attracted to and why?
“It was genuine, 100%, love at first sight, like the Divine had burrowed into my brain and picked out everything I wanted in a girl and set her right in my path. Best fucking day ever. She is absolute perfection.
13. “Have you ever experienced heartbreak before?”
“Before Gwen, I didn’t think it was possible to be heartbroken. I was with a girl for a bit and then I’d move on to the next. My heart wasn’t picky.”
“Was that your heart or your cock?”
“Aren’t they the same thing?”
“Don’t make me smack you, Preston Daniel Ryder!”
“What can I say, I was a lover. There was always more of me to give to someone new, until I met Hen. After that, my heart belonged to her. When I thought she was dead and that it had been all my fault, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Thank the Divine she was given back to us.”
14. When you were in the dungeons at Black Lake Castle, you said “I won’t break?” What was going through your mind at that time?
“Okay, my hard on is officially gone. This interview went from sweet and sexy to dark and depressing.”
“Well I think it’s important for readers to hear your story. Sometimes reading about heartache and pain that you’ve suffered, helps others to deal with their own.”
“Just give me a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.”
“It comes back in flashes. I don’t remember a steady stream of consciousness, just beats in time. Hen think’s I’ve blocked a lot of it out as a coping mechanism, and if that’s the truth, I am okay with leaving it that way. The memories I do have are terrifying enough. Even when I’m wrapped up with Hen and all my boys around me, I still have nightmares. Dorian tried to sever all of my ties to Hen. Corrupt all my happy thoughts. I was a more pliant pet if he stripped me of the very things that made me want to fight, to live. He tortured me over and over again. At the time, I thought he was trying to beat the love I had for Gwen right out of me. I kept thinking ‘I won’t break.’ I wouldn’t let my love for her break, no matter what he did to me. I may have been a shell of a man when she found me, but I didn’t break.”
“Thank you, Ryder, for taking the time to answer all of our questions, and for a few laughs along the way. I know all of the fans will enjoy finding out more about you. Do you foresee any more stories to be written about you and Gwen?”
“Roadtrip! I’m thinking there is a roadtrip in our future. One big, happy fucking family. The Pan clan does London. I think it has a nice ring to it!”
“Can’t wait to hear all about it. Definitely needs a new title, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks again Ryder.”
