Against The Waves
(A/N) Two-shot.
Summary: He was the thief, yet she was the one who had stolen his heart. The pirate and the princess. Historical AU (HarryxEvie).
Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or any of the characters.
Run away with me.
Every time they went to part ways, their lips brushing in a temporary fair well, he would whisper those words, praying to all the gods and fates that this time, her answer would be different. But each time his princess pulled away, there would be a sorrowful smile on her lips, a regretful look in her dark eyes.
I can't, was always the reply.
Week after week, month after month, year after year, it was the same thing.
The young pirate sighed, resting his head back against the shrouds. Water smashing against the side of ship sprayed across him, the wind billowing his hair and clothes. He was tired and frustrated of hearing those words. I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't. Blast it all, it was driving him insane! How much longer must he wait? He was willing to give up everything for her. His life as a pirate, his father's legacy, his heritage the Jolly Roger and her faithful crew. He would cast it all aside in a heartbeat if only the word yes would fall from her lips.
But no... such a response would not come easily from her.
She was royalty. A princess. Second in line for a throne, after her step-sister the famed beauty Snow White. She told him time and time again that she had obligations, that she couldn't just leave everything behind to be with him.
He knew the truth though. As much as she enjoyed the grandeurs of the palace and the riches of being a princess, she did not want to rule. No, that was her wicked mother's desires speaking, The Queen of The Kingdom Across The Way. In private, safe from listening ears, she was more commonly referred to as The Evil Queen, witch that she was.
He'd never met the old hag, but her brutal policies against piracy had made life for him and his fellow pirates difficult. Thanks to a certain Long John Silver and his crew robbing one of the queen's ships and relieving them of all their gold, jewels, and fancy fabrics, the queen had mercilessly clamped down on pirates. There were more heavily armed royal guard vessels escorting ships with valuable cargo, making acquiring goods next to impossible. Bounties on pirates had risen ridiculously high, prompting many a bounty hunter to take up a living chasing the rascals of the sea. Pirate punishments were more vicious than ever, scaring away many a pirate, both new and old. Harry's father lamented over the times direly, cursing the queen and muttering how the golden age of pirates would come to an end if things didn't change soon.
With how wretched The Evil Queen had made things for pirates these days, there wasn't a pirate alive who didn't have a mouth full of venom to spit at her.
Harry couldn't help but chuckle.
Well, loathe her as he did, he supposed he also had her to thank. Afterall, it was thanks to her men capturing him a year ago, that he got to meet his heart's ache, the Princess Evie.
That memory had been one of his darkest until she had stepped into it like a beacon of light...
"Get in there, ye no good pirate!" A guard shouted, tossing the boy into the cell.
Harry fell roughly, slamming into the stone floor. By the time he had jumped to his feet, the guards had shut the iron bar door over, locking it securely. The guard spat in his direction before thwacking the bars with his fist, rattling it. Another guard stood by him, shaking his head. If Harry hadn't known better, he would have sworn that there was a hint of regret in those dirty green eyes of his.
"Quite young ain't, he?" The green eyed guard muttered, "my boy's about the same age as him."
"Doesn't matter what age is he, a pirate is a pirate and all pirates are rotten to the core," the other guard grunted, his voice grating on Harry's nerves. "And since he's the son of the infamous Captain Hook, he'll be getting three days in the stocks before we measure him up for a nice gibbet, right before his execution."
Harry couldn't stop the swell of fear rising in his chest. He grabbed onto the bars tightly, watching as the guards disappeared down the dank corridor and out of sight.
I need tae get outta here, Harry thought firmly. If I don't I'm done fir.
The guards had taken most of his possessions, his cutlass sword, hook, boot dagger, jacket, hat and his watch. They'd left him in his shredded white shirt and black ripped three-quarter length trousers and most importantly, his boots. Mr Smee had made them especially for him, jack of all trades that he was. Harry offered up his blessings to the auld dog as he pried open the concealed compartment at the sole of his boot, a small, jagged saw the length of his longest finger, falling out.
Harry held the saw, the key to his freedom, between his fingers, giving it a quick victory kiss.
Smee ye magnificent scallywag. If I get out of this alive ye'll be gettin a massive kiss from me!
Harry quickly glanced around his cell. He had two options, either cut through the cell's bar gate or the window bars. He decided to try the window first as there could be guards patrolling the dungeons.
Harry hopped up onto the prison cot, allowing him to comfortably reach the window. He looked outside, trying to gauge whether or not he could escape through it. The window was a square hole in the wall, blocked off by four metal poles. If he removed the poles then he should be able to squeeze through. The cell didn't look too high off the ground; he could make it without injuring himself so long as he was careful.
Decision made, Harry began the tedious process of sawing away at the bars. He kept a sharp eye on the luscious gardens below his cell, watching out for any guards or people passing by. He only stopped sawing occasionally whenever he heard an odd noise, pausing in case it was the guards returning. After many interrupted hours, he had managed to saw through the top and bottom parts of two of the bars. A swift slam of his hand would knock them free. First, he had to saw the other ones, in case it aroused suspicion if anyone should see the missing bars.
Come on, come on! Don't ye dare break on me now! Harry gritted out, cringing as he his jagged blade strained under the pressure.
Freedom was so close... if he could just-
The blade slipped from his fingers, falling into the garden.
"Darn it!" Harry cursed, punching his fist into the wall. He clenched his eyes shut, his teeth biting down on his lip hard. "Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!"
That was his last hope and he had just let it slip from his fingers like an ejit! He should have been more careful! Now he was a dead man waiting. Of all the rotten-
"Did you drop this?"
Harry stilled at the sound of a feminine voice, soft and sweet. He glanced down into the garden, his breath catching at the lovely sight that greeted him.
There was no doubt in his mind that he was looking at a princess. She certainly stood out among many of the beauties he had come across on his journeys. She had a gentle beauty to her, but he could sense a certain wickedness lying underneath it, warning him to be wary. She had the most vibrant and unusual shade of hair he had ever seen, bluer than the deepest sea. It fell down her shoulders in long waves, the hair at the top of her head braided to look like a tiara of sorts. She was dressed as a princess should be, in the finest of silk gowns embedded with small, glistening gems and that swooshed around her as she moved. Once he was able to force himself to stop gawking at her, he noticed that she held his saw between her fingers.
Normally, Harry would have been all confidence and charm, but he found himself at a loss for words. She was standing there dazzling and immaculate, whereas he was a mess, dressed in dirtied clothes, covered in bruises, cuts, scratches and dried up blood. When she cleared her throat, prompting him for a response, Harry forced himself to muster up some of his usual cockiness. He put on his most roguish smile, quickly running a hand through his messy mop of dark hair.
"That I did, yer Highness," Harry said, playing nonchalant. "Don't suppose ye could throw it back up to us, eh?"
The princess tilted her head, staring up at him with dark eyes that he could have easily got lost in.
"I dearly hope you're not trying to escape," she asked lightly.
"Me? Try tae escape?" Harry asked, sounding applauded at the very notion. "Perish the thought. It's just... that belonged tae my da, so it's quite important tae me. It's all I have left of the auld dog."
The princess didn't look convinced at his fake sob story. She raised an eyebrow, looking at him sceptically.
"Really? Hmmm, it looks like a saw to me." She took a step forward so she was directly under his window, her neck craning up to look at him. "And some of those bars are looking rather sawed through."
Harry let out a quick, nervous laugh. There would be no fooling or charming this princess into giving him the tool back. He had known it had been a long shot, but the gods always loved a trier.
"What can I say? Worth a shot," Harry sighed, sounding deflated as he felt.
She would tell the guards now and he'd probably get a sound lashing for the escape attempt.
"What did you do to get yourself locked in there?" The princess asked.
"I'm a pirate. The Queen ain't too fond of us," Harry muttered.
"A pirate?" the girl sounded alarmed, looking at him with a hint of distress in her eyes. "That means you're going to be executed soon."
Harry swallowed, the full weight of the situation weighing down on him like a hundred tonne stone tied to his ankle, pulling him down under murky waters. He nodded, unable to gather up the strength to brush it off as nothing or make a quip out of it. As much as he hated to admit it... he was scared.
"What age are you?"
"Seventeen," Harry replied, his voice quiet.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Yer rather quizzical, ain't ye?" Harry wrapped his hands around the bars to steady himself. "Ma names Harry. Harry Hook."
The princess let out a breath, a look of understanding appearing on her face. "You're Captain Hook's son! I was learning about him the other day in class. I heard the guards gloating that they had captured his son. Your crew were attacking one of my mother's ships when you got captured, right?"
"Aye, only cause yer guards don't have a lick of good form in em!" Harry said, the snarl in his voice startling the princess. "Three of em snuck up behind me while I was helpin an injured mate! Even the most blood thirsty of pirates have better form than that!"
The princess fell quiet. She held out the sides of her dress, flaring it out as she took a seat on the grass. Harry thought she looked quite the pretty picture sitting there in her periwinkle gown, surrounded by a blooming array of flowers and sunlight gently basking upon her. Harry watched her pick one of the white flowers. She began tugging the flower's petals off, a contemplative look on her face.
Harry took in a deep breath, railing in his temper. It wasn't the princesses fault that he was in this situation. It was his own carelessness and The Evil Queen's guard's poor form.
"Can I ask ye a favour?" Harry asked suddenly.
The girl looked up at him questioningly.
"The guards took sumthin off of me. It was a... fake hook. I don't suppose ye could try and get it sent tae ma da somehow, under a white flag of course. I don't know if he'll care that much... but I think ma sisters would like tae know what's happened tae me."
He never knew where he stood with his father, but his sisters were another matter. They were two of the few people who would truly grieve for him.
Sorrow fell over the princess's features. She pulled the last petal from the white daisy, a determined look settling on her face. She looked like someone who had come to a difficult decision, though what it was Harry didn't know. She leaned over and picked up a yellow iris before rising to her feet, her dress swaying around her.
"I can't promise that... but I promise I'll see what I can do."
She went on her tippy toes, stretching up her arm to hand him the flower. Harry reached down and took it from her, his fingers brushing hers.
"Can I ask one more thing?" Harry said, noticing that she was readying to leave.
"What is it?"
"Tell me yer name?"
There were only two princesses in this kingdom, one was Snow White, the daughter of the late Queen and King, and the other was the daughter of The Evil Queen. Though her name escaped him, he had a strong suspicion that this was her.
Her smile was small, but enough to cause any heart to ache.
"Evie."
Harry smiled at the memory, remembering the feeling of the delicate flower in his hand. Hope, that was what the flower had represented. And hope was something that she had given him.
She had kept her word, retrieved his hook and had it sent to his father. What he hadn't expected was that he would be going along with it.
Harry was sitting on the dusty floor of his cell, his back against the wall, his legs bent and his arms resting on them. The early morning lights shone down on him through the window, lighting him in a menacing red hue. In his hand, he twirled the iris that the fair princess had given to him. A few days in the cell hadn't done wonders for the poor flower, it now looked wilted, had lost many of its petals and its stem was now crooked.
The flower wasn't the only one looking worse for wear. Harry was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Dirt and grime clung to him and he was starving. Blasted guards hadn't bothered to feed him or give him any water. At this rate, he would die of thirst before they got a noose anywhere near his neck.
The jingle of keys and rushed footsteps alerted him to someone approaching his cell.
Harry let out a forlorn sigh.
So it was time. Oh, he was sure his father would be proud. His son a complete failure, his time ending before it had even begone. The seas would never roar his name across the waves. The stars would not shine in his honour. No pirate would stand for a moment's silence out of respect for him. No one would even remember him and if they did it would be for being the worse pirate that had ever dared to sail upon the oceans.
He felt utterly pathetic.
A cloaked figure appeared at his cell. Harry glared up with all the malice he could summon. He would not walk over to them. The git could drag him out of here if they wanted him to come.
"Harry?"
Harry's glare faltered, a frown of confusion clouding his face.
The figure pulled down their hood, revealing a head of blue hair. It stood out shockingly against the dull greyness of the dungeon. Harry let out a stunned breath at the sight of the princess, her hands clasping the bars of his cell lightly.
Harry struggled to get to his feet, weak from lack of food and water. He rested his back against the wall, looking at her questioningly.
"What are ye doin here, Princess?" Harry asked, his voice rough. "A pretty lass like ye shouldn't be in such a dour place as this."
"I've come to keep my promise," Evie replied with a casual shrug. She pulled out his fake hook from under her cloak, a smile that could only be described as wicked on her lips. "But I can't give it to your father, so you're going to have to do that for me."
Harry watched in bewilderment as Evie pulled out a set of keys and unlocked his cell door before pushing the gate open wide. She walked over to the cot, pushing aside her cloak to reveal a satchel. She pulled out several items and laid them on the cot. Harry was astonished to see all his possessions lying there.
"Here, drink up," Evie said, handing him a canister that she had pulled from the bag. "You have a long way to go. I'll get you out of the palace but you're going to have to find your father's ship on your own."
Harry gulped down the water, grateful for the coolness against his throat. Evie took the canister off of him once he had finished, tucking it back into the satchel. Harry picked up his coat, shoving it on before grabbing his other belongings. Once he was ready, Evie surprised him by taking his hand, pulling him out the cell and through the dungeons. He couldn't resist twisting their hands so their fingers were now clasped. She gave him a strange look at that, which he only responded to with an innocent smile.
"Do ye do this often?" Harry asked casually.
"What?"
"Break pirates out of jail?" Harry leaned in close to whisper in her ear, taking great delight when he saw her shiver. "Or am I a special case?"
"Hmm, that would be telling," Evie replied coyly.
Harry's grin dropped when they turned the corner. Standing at the entrance to the dungeon were two guards carrying large lances. Harry readied to draw his sword, only stopping when Evie placed a hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. Undaunted, she carried on towards the exit, her head held high and hand still gripping his. Besides opening the door for them, the guards ignored them.
She must have bribed em, Harry realized, staring at the back of her head in silent admiration.
They found themselves in a finely decorated corridor with ruby red carpets, gorgeous tapestries hanging on the walls and tables decorated with massive bouquets of flowers and lit, golden candelabras.
"How are we gonna get through the castle without gettin spotted?" Harry murmured.
Evie gave him a mischevious smirk. She let go of his hand and walked over to one of the walls, moving aside the tapestry to reveal the stone bricks underneath. Her hand skimmed over the wall, finally resting on one stone that looked no different from the rest. She pushed it and the stone sunk into the wall. There was a light rumbling sound as a section of wall slid aside, revealing a dark passage way. Evie picked up one of the candelabras and entered, gesturing for Harry to follow.
"A secret passageway," Harry muttered in awe, gazing up at the cobweb ridden ceilings. "That's handy."
Evie guided them through the dark passageway. Eventually, a draft stirred against them, signally that they were close to the exit. They came to an old oak door which Evie unlocked and pulled open, revealing the outside world, soaked in the early morning's lights. A loud neigh startled Harry, causing him to look ahead of Evie. Up a head, there stood a brilliant, black, Friesian horse, saddled and waiting.
"This is Snowball," Evie said, walking up to the massive beast and petting its mane. The horse nuzzled her, greeting her with a loud neigh.
"Snowball?"
Evie smiled. "I didn't name him. Judge Frollo did."
Harry slowly approached the horse. Snowball turned to look at him, scuffing its feet angrily off the soil and letting out an irritable whine. Evie tsked, shaking her head at the horse.
"Behave, Snowball. You'll have to excuse him, Harry. He doesn't like... well... he doesn't like anyone, except for me and his master. But he is the fastest horse in our stables so he'll get you to the coast quickly."
Evie handed Harry the reigns. She pulled off her satchel and tied it onto the hook on Snowball's satchel.
"There's some food, water, treats for Snowball, and a medical kit in there. I've also put a bag of gold in there too. It should be enough to get you aboard a ship so you can find your father. From what the guards told me they last saw The Jolly Roger heading to Corona."
Harry nodded, unsurprised to hear that his father was setting off on another adventure, not even attempting to rescue his son. Oh, didn't he feel loved?
"Why have ye gone through all this trouble tae help me?" Harry asked. "I'm just a pirate. Hardly worth yer time."
Or anyone's time if the way his father was treating him was anything to go by.
Evie looked at him quietly, her dark eyes staring into his misty blues.
"I don't think you deserve to die. Especially not so young. You've not had a chance to leave your mark on the world yet." She looked a little bashful as she added, "go rattle the stars while you can, pirate boy."
Harry couldn't help but smile at her in wonder. He took a bold step forward, reaching for her hand and taking it in his, his thumb caressing her knuckles. He dared to take another step forward, bringing them close enough that he heard her sharp intake of breath at his nearness. He felt his confidence grow and he leaned in close, placing a lingering kiss on her cheek. He whispered his thanks in her ear, his breath hot against her, before pulling away, unable to stop the grin spreading on his face at the sight of the blush on her cheeks.
"To remember me by," he whispered, grinning mischievously.
The princess looked utterly flustered, flabbergasted by his kiss. "You... you..."
The grin never leaving his face, Harry pulled himself up onto Snowball.
"Well, Princess, perhaps we'll see each other agai- Ouch!"
Harry glanced down to see what had struck him against the head. It was a pretty blue shoe. He turned around to see the princess taking off her other shoe and readying to toss it at him. There was an indignant scowl on her face, her eyes alight with fury.
Well... that wasn't the usual reaction he got when he lavished the ladies with kisses. Sensing the danger to his health should he stay, he blew the princess a cheeky kiss before setting the horse off in a light gallop.
He thought he had gotten off clear until the other shoe thwacked him hard on the head and landed in front of him on the saddle. He grabbed a hold of it, casting one final glance over to Evie, watching her vanish back into the secret passageway and out of his sight.
He dearly hoped it wasn't forever.
As it turned out it hadn't been the last time he had saw her. After he had tracked down his father several months later, he had waited impatiently for the day when they would cross paths again. Her beauty had spellbound him, but her act of kindness had rendered his defences uselessly, allowing the princess to steal his heart - not that he had known at the time. To this day it still grated on him. He was the pirate. He was supposed to be the one stealing, not her. Capturing her heart had been one of the hardest ventures he had ever taken. But when she had given it to him freely, refusing to allow it to be stolen, he knew it had all been worth it. It was the greatest treasure he had ever - or would ever - hold.
When fate he showed no plans of setting him and the princess on the same path, Harry had taken matters into his own hands. He convinced his father to set a heading back towards the Kingdom Across The Way, goading the auld codfish onto a revenge strike. Captain Hook wasn't striking out against The Evil Queen's ship's for revenge for his son though. No, he was doing it for his own reputation, Harry having planted doubts in his head about his ill-famed reputation being questioned.
With them sailing the seas around Evie's kingdom, it had allowed the pirate many an opportunity to slip away and meet with her, much to her irritation.
"Oi! Master Harry!"
Mr Smee's voice knocked Harry from his thoughts. He glanced down from his place in the shrowds, giving Smee an unimpressed scowl.
"What do ye want, Mr Smee?" Harry sighed, closing his eyes. Or better yet, what did his father want this time?
"We need ye to get to yer station! The Cap'n has noticed a mighty fine ship from the Southern Isles!"
"Time for a good auld raid then?" Harry said with a sinister grin.
He swung down from the shrouds, following Mr Smee up to the sterncastle deck. From his pocket, he pulled out a golden telescope. In the distance he could see the ship, sailing further and further away from him. He reckoned they'd probably spotted the Jolly Roger's flag and were trying to hightail it out of here.
Oh, he always loved a good chase! It always served to brighten his mood. At the very least it would take his mind off a certain blue haired princess who was never far from his thoughts.
Little did Harry know, that he couldn't have been more wrong.
(A/N) Hope you liked it! I'd love to hear what you think! :D xx