AN
Hello readers! Just a few things before we begin this story...;
First of all, big thank you for taking the time to read this. You should know that this is a sequel to my previous story, 'Sink or Swim'. So if you haven't read that yet, I would really recommend you do so that you're not confused. If you have read 'Sink or Swim', then welcome back!
Warnings: Swearing (Again, I'll try to keep it down). Some violent scenes. If I think you need any warnings before a certain chapter I'll make sure to add an AN at the beginning. No other warnings for now.
I do think I should add that this particular story is based of Halsey's song (And video) 'Now or Never'. I'm absolutely in love with the woman's music and I really felt that this song was perfect for this story.
I only own my main OC - Queenie, and any other OC's that may appear during this story.
So, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you think. Favourites are also appreciated!
Aside from that, I really hope you enjoy the story. Thanks!
Queenie absent-mindedly wandered about the courtyard, hazel eyes searching for a familiar face. Lessons were over for the day, so she had absolutely nothing to do, and it seemed all of her friends were rather busy. She couldn't blame them, today was a big day.
Today was the day they would finally bring over the last batch of villain children from the Isle. A good few had decided to stay, and these were the last to accept, so it was a pretty big deal for Ben and Mal, and anyone on the welcoming committee. These weren't just any random children, however, these particular VK's were good friends of Uma's and, since she was rather important in Auradon for helping Ben change things over on the Isle, a lot of people were signing up to help the kids feel better about coming to the land of the good. Queenie herself knew how nerve-racking it was, what with her having come over a good few months ago.
Well, at least she thought she had been when she first arrived. She tried to place the exact moment she came across the water and into Auradon, but she found she couldn't quite remember it in vivid detail. Then again, she was rather forgetful. There were a lot of things she tried to think back on, only to realise it'd completely slipped her mind. Ben's coronation, for instance. She could remember it happening, but she couldn't remember being there. Even the Cotillion, where Uma had made an appearance for the first time, was completely lost on the young princess. She knew what happened, everyone did, but she was the only one who didn't know what she'd been doing when it happened. It never used to bother her, but it had been happening a little too often now, and she was starting to worry. It also didn't help that she'd gotten that bump to the head a month ago and ended up bed-ridden for three days straight. She assumed that was the cause, even if no one knew what had actually happened that night it. All she knew was that Jay had found her at the bottom of the stairs, passed out on the floor.
The daughter of the red queen wasn't as excited as everyone else. Where a few other princes and princesses, along with anyone else, had signed up to help with the day, she must have been the only one who hadn't. It wasn't that she was displeased about the idea, how could she be? As a former Isle dweller herself she was absolutely grateful that King Ben had brought people over to the other side of the pond to give them a chance at a happy life. The only thing that worried Queenie was how utterly delighted she was when Uma told her the news. She'd been told that the teal-haired girls crew were on there way, along with her friend Gil, and her first-mate, Harry. When Uma said those name's, Queenie felt something. She felt happy, giddy, nervous and too many other emotions all at once, and she didn't even know why. They weren't her friends, she had absolutely no idea who they were, yet her body was reacting as if it was about to be reunited with a best friend. It was very weird, and Queenie really didn't like it.
Queenie sighed, disheartened as she realised there wasn't anyone around, and slowly began the journey back to her dorm room.
"Queenie!"
The brown-haired girl smiled in visible relief and she turned back around. She waited for the small, red-headed girl to come closer before embracing her tightly. "Ava."
Ava, daughter of Ariel and Eric, was one of Queenie's very few friends. Sure, she enjoyed being around the other former villains, but she'd always loved hanging out with the little mermaid. She was always so bubbly and never one to lose whatever kept her happy, and sometimes Queenie was lucky enough to absorb some of that always-present confidence and joyfulness.
"Where have you been?!" Ava yelled, moving back to grip both of Queenie's hands in her own. "You know they're on their way, right? There's so much to do!"
"You worry too much." Queenie told the smaller teenager as she linked their arms, both heading towards King Adam's statue. "Isn't Jane in charge? I think you need to relax a little."
"And you don't worry enough." Ava retorted, rolling her eyes playfully. "Besides, I'm excited. Aren't you?"
Queenie's smile faltered, but she brought it back before the red-head had a chance to notice. "Of course I am." She replied, hoping she sounded as sincere as she was attempting to be. "I'm just a little nervous. Uma's a good friend and I want them to like me." It wasn't a lie. Uma really was amazing when Queenie wanted to talk or get something off her mind, and ever since their 'chat' a few days ago she'd been nothing but reliable. Queenie was worried about the kids arriving, but she really did want to make a good impression.
"Of course they'll like you, silly." Ava giggled. "You're pretty, kind and you always make people feel comfortable around you. How couldn't they like you?"
"Because they're Isle-kids, not Auradon-kids. They're not used to all of..." Queenie waved a hand, motioning towards the decorations. "This." She took a deep breath. "I don't know, I just think being nice will annoy them more than anything."
Ava nodded, knowing where the princess was coming from with her thoughts. "I guess. But they'll just have to get used to it. They knew what they were getting into when they agreed to come here, so they have no right to judge or be annoyed." She finished her sentence with a firm nod, and Queenie laughed.
"I guess you're right."
They travelled in silence for a moment, before another thought occupied Queenie's frantic mind. "What do you think they're like?"
"I don't know, I don't wanna assume what they're like before they get here, but I did talk to Thalia about it. I mean, c'mon, pirates! I've never met a pirate before, not unless you count Uma." Ava said, and Queenie nodded. Thalia was the daughter of Tinkerbell, and Queenie knew that the Neverland fairy had a lot of experience when it came to pirates. "I think they'll be scary." Ava added as an after-thought.
"Really? Why's that?"
Ava gave a small shrug. "I don't know. I just remember what Uma was like when she came here. She didn't have a sword or anything, but she did give off this scary 'I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-get-too-close' vibe. They might be the same, but who knows? We'll just have to wait and see."
Queenie tried to think like Ava, she really did. She wanted to believe that they could be nice people, but she wasn't too sure. She'd lived on the Isle and knew how terrifying people could be and, even though Queenie loved Ava dearly, the girl was a little naive to this sort of thing. She chose to see the best in everyone and one day she would be wrong.
"Look! The bridge is up." Ava exclaimed, shaking with excited nerves.
Queenie nodded but remained silent. She felt strangely entranced with the lights and movement, despite knowing full well she'd seen them before when she came to Auradon herself. It felt like she was seeing it for the first time again.
The bridge eventually disappeared and Queenie knew it meant they were in Auradon now. It wouldn't be too long before they pulled up onto the courtyard. She could see the band getting ready just a few yards away, while Ben stood near the main path hand in hand with Mal. Fair Godmother stood on his left with Evie, and Uma was next to Mal. They were getting ready to welcome the last VK's, and Queenie assumed they had Uma there because they were her old crew.
"I have to go." Queenie muttered, apparently unable to handle the feelings welling up inside of her.
"You okay?" Ava asked, tone clear with worry.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay I just-" Queenie paused as she saw the long, black limo pull up. "I really can't be here." She hastily moved her arm away from Ava's and stepped back, moving quickly towards the school.
~...~...~
Uma watched with a curious gaze as Queenie practically ran back into the school, leaving her friend in a very confused state. The sea-witch's daughter had a small feeling she knew what was going on. She'd told Queenie exactly who was arriving today in the hopes Harry's name would spark something in the princess. It hadn't, but Uma had definitely seen something in Queenie's body language. She remembered it like it was yesterday, the way Queenie sat just a little bit straighter, her eyes lighting up in a strange kind of delight. It had gone pretty quick, replaced with some bewilderment and sadness, like Queenie wasn't happy with how she'd reacted, but Uma had been. If that was how Queenie acted at just the mention of Harry's name, then seeing him would surely snap Queenie out of whatever trance she'd been put under. Well, that was the hope, anyway.
Uma turned back to see the limo, a small smirk coming to her face. She was hiding it well, she knew that, but she was so ecstatic at the thought of having her crew in Auradon. There were very few she really liked here, Ava seemed to be her favourite by far, something she considered idiotic considering how much her mom hated the red-heads parents, but maybe that was why she enjoyed her company so much. Even now she was trying to rebel against her dysfunctional mother, trying to get back at her by any means necessary, including petty things. Either way, she'd been waiting a whole month for this, and she couldn't wait.
The limo door eventually flew open and Uma was rather surprised to see Gil step out first. She'd assumed Harry would be the first, since he loved making an entrance, but even so she was content. She never thought she'd miss the idiot so much, but she had more than anything.
"Uma! Hey!" Gil loudly exclaimed, waving enthusiastically with a large smile. Uma rolled her eyes and nodded, her lips tilting upwards. Oh yeah, she'd missed him.
The others came out after that. Jonas, Desiree, Bonnie, and Harry...eventually. When the others came out they were a little anxious, all fidgeting and moving as they took in the sights around them. Auradon was way too much, Uma knew that, and even though she'd begged Ben to leave the trumpets and decorations out of the equation, F.G. had swayed him in the other direction somehow. It irritated her a little. They were her crew and she their Captain, she'd watched each and every one of them during training and knew them well, well enough to know they wouldn't give two fucks about decorations or band greetings. Yet the Fairy headmistress had gotten her way...again.
As soon as Harry came out the air changed. Uma could feel the waves of anxiety and slight anger coming off of Mal, and she revelled in it. Her best friend didn't look at anything with much focus, a quick glance and he was done, like he didn't care what was going on around him. Instead he looked directly at Uma, and she really had to hold back this time. Her first mate was with her again and she couldn't be happier.
"Captain." He greeted simply.
"Hey Harry." Uma beamed. She knew they'd properly say 'hello' later on, when she and her crew were away from prying eyes.
"Welcome to Auradon, we're so glad you decided to join us." Ben said loudly, apparently unaware of how the others, minus Uma, stared at Harry.
"Well, we couldn't jus' leave our Captain all alone now, could we?" Harry chuckled, tilting his head at the young King.
"I'm Fairy Godmother, headmistress of this school. I speak on behalf of everyone and we are simple delighted to have you here." The Fairy declared, a little over dramatically in Uma's opinion. The teal-haired girl didn't miss the way the woman's eyes travelled over Harry's hook, like she was thinking hard about something or other, and it made Uma a little antsy. Then again, weapons weren't allowed here in Auradon, not on any of the students anyway, so for now she'd assume that was the problem.
"Oh, I'm sure ye are." Harry sarcastically replied, looking down at the short woman. "Ye're a pretty one for someone so aged, ye got a kid runnin' 'round here?"
It was the first time Uma saw the Fairy get so flustered, but it wasn't with the usual blush or stutter women always got when flirted with by Harry. This one seemed to be more of an angry shuffle than anything else. "You will not speak to me with that tone. I'll also be confiscating that." She nodded towards Harry's hook.
"Actually, it stays with me." Harry stated firmly, his calm demeanour long gone. He was very attached to his hook, and no one would take it from him.
"Weapons aren't permitted here on school grounds, especially that weapon." The Fairy said slowly, as if she were speaking to a child.
"I really don't give a shite."
Uma sensed the situation turning sour and she immediately stepped in. "Couldn't he keep it, for like, a day or two? Just until he gets settled. It's sort of a security blanket. It kept him safe on the Isle, you understand, right?" She was playing the 'abused-child-of-the-Isle' card, knowing it would work.
"Of course." It was Ben who spoke this time. "He can keep it, but just for a little while." He reassured, seemingly not too worried about Harry walking around with a sharp object.
Fairy Godmother stuttered for a moment before finally giving a small nod. She wouldn't win this fight. "He can keep it, but one wrong move and it's in the museum." She warned, and Uma nodded in understanding.
"Of course, I promise he won't hurt anyone. Right Harry?" She looked back at her first mate, who glanced around as if he were debating the idea. "Harry." She said, firmer this time.
"All right, no I won' use it. Happy now?" He smiled with mock-enthusiasm.
"Anyway, Mal will show the girls to their rooms. Uma, I trust you'll show Harry and Gil where they'll be staying?" Ben asked, and Uma nodded her head. "Great. Your schedules will be delivered later by Doug, if you have any questions or worries then don't be scared to ask."
"Right this way." Mal said to the female pirates, turning quickly so that they had to follow fast to keep up. Ben wandered the same way with Evie close to his side, the two whispering about something or other, and Fairy Godmother left to go somewhere else.
Usually, Ben would have shown the guys to their rooms, since he had with everyone else, but Uma had changed that the night before. After everything that had happened with them back on the Isle, Ben knew full well that she was the best person to help the pirates settle in properly. He trusted her, for some reason, and she wasn't going to change that just quite yet. After all, he'd vouched for her when no one else did, and for that she'd play the role she'd been thrown into from the day she got here. It'd also be beneficial to Harry with Queenie, when he finally knew what had happened to her.
"Where is she?" Harry asked as they walked towards the school.
"She's here, Harry. You don't need to know where, you'll see her soon." Uma assured the pirate as quietly as she could. No one else knew that Harry knew Queenie on a rather personal level, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"It's been weeks, Uma. I want ta see her now." He demanded.
Uma speed-walked through the halls and past the crowds of people. Her boys would see her and follow with no problems, but she had to get Harry somewhere where they could talk properly, without being overheard. He was angry and he had every right to be, and she knew how bad it would get when she told him what had happened to Queenie. And for that kind of thing, she needed a large, empty room.
~...~...~
Queenie hummed a small tune to herself, laying tummy-down on her bed as she flicked through the book's pages. She'd found it once in the Library while searching for a book on Wonderland and simply couldn't help herself. It was thick and full of all the history of the families in Auradon. Mulan, Aladdin and Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, even Alice; It was all in this book. She felt that reading up on the history would give her a better view on Auradon, and she hoped she could understand King Adam's reasoning from bringing all the villains back from the dead and dropping them on the Isle.
A rhythmic knock came from her bedroom door and she looked back over her shoulder. "Come in!" She called loudly.
"Hey Q'." Jay greeted, dropping his tourney bag to the floor. His hair was tied back into a bun and he wore his uniform still, so she assumed he'd come straight over from practice.
"Hey, how was training?" She asked, turning back to her book.
"Good. How are you?" Jay asked her, flopping down next to her on the bed.
"I'm fine." She stressed with a small smile. She didn't know why he worried about her so much since he really had no reason to. Maybe it was because she'd known him the longest out of them all. After all, he had taken her in when her mom kicked her out, and a part of her liked that he cared. Even if it did get a bit irritating sometimes. "You know the new kids are here, right?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah I know." He replied, a frown on his face. "You seen them yet?"
"Nah," Queenie shrugged, dog-earring the corner of the page and closing the book. It was a bad habit of hers, since she didn't own the thing, but she didn't have any book-marks just yet. "You know any of them?" She asked curiously.
"Sort of." Jay told her, folding his arms behind his head. "We had a few problems with 'em back on the Isle. Nothing big though."
Queenie tilted her head. "I don't remember that?" She said with some confusion, and he sighed.
"You wouldn't. Like I said, it wasn't a big thing." He sounded a little defensive about the whole thing, so Queenie decided to leave it. For now anyway. "Can you do me a favour, Q'?"
"Of course." She agreed without hesitation.
"I know I have no right to ask but, I want you to stay away from Harry." His request baffled the young princess, and she sat up straight. "It's just I heard some things about him, back on the Isle. He's not a good person Q', he's not like you, he's bad."
"You were bad once too, remember?" Queenie re-capped, and Jay nodded.
"Yeah I know, but I didn't do it for fun. I did it because my dad asked me to. This guy hurts people for fun, Q', and I don't want you around someone like that. Can you do that for me? Please?"
Queenie paused in thought. It was amusing to her, how much Jay cared about her, and she would have agreed to it straight away. However, there was a small, angry voice in the back of her mind yelling at him that he had no right to tell her who to stay away from. She ignored that little voice, like always, and settled on a small nod. Jay was her friend and she trusted him, so if he said that Harry was bad, then she'd stay away.
"Thanks Q', you're the best." Jay muttered, lightly ruffling her hair. She smacked his hand away with a giggle, attempting to pat down any frazzled strands. "I'm gonna go grab some food, I'm starving. You coming?" He asked, moving off of the bed to grab his things.
"No thanks, I'm not hungry. You go ahead, I'll see you in the morning for breakfast." Queenie told him, and he nodded, giving her a small wave before leaving the room.
When he was gone she turned back to her book, flicking through the pages for another chapter she'd marked a month ago. She'd read this particular story many times, yet she always seemed to go back to it. It intrigued her more than ever and now, with pirates in Auradon, she thought it rather fitting to read it again.
'Peter Pan and Captain Hook'.
~...~...~
Uma leaned back against the headboard, playing a small game of 'four in a row' with Gil. He hadn't completely understood the game at first, since they didn't have any games back on the Isle, but he did now. Even if she was winning every round, it kept him occupied, and it gave them something to do while Harry ransacked and destroyed his new bedroom.
Like she'd assumed, Harry hadn't taken the news well...to put it lightly. She'd done as best as she could, even made him sit down before she explained everything, and made sure to tell Gil to move anything breakable away from Harry before she spoke. Harry hadn't just been angry though, oh no, he'd been fucking outraged. The minute the sentence 'she-doesn't-remember-you' left her lips, he'd flown off the handle, and it didn't seem to matter that Gil had done as she asked and moved a few things out of the way. Harry had got to them eventually, kicking, hooking and smashing anything he could get his hands on. Uma could actually sympathise a little. She would be the same if someone took Harry away and erased any memory of her from his mind, but at least she had a control on her anger. Harry didn't, and she didn't know if someone had sound-proofed the rooms or what, but she was glad no one had swung by to see what the noise was. If they had, they'd probably be thrown in with the broken chairs and smashes vases.
"You done yet?" She asked with a bored voice, placing another counter through the hole to make four. She looked away from the game and froze. "Damn it."
Harry was done, but she was far from relieved. He now sat up against the door, hook on the floor with his legs laid out in front of him. His hat was in the room somewhere and so was his coat, probably buried underneath some object he'd destroyed. What got her the most though, was his face. His eye-liner was smudged around his eyes, wet trails down his cheeks and neck, and he looked to be in utter pain. She knew he hadn't hurt himself, if he had he wouldn't feel it now, what with the adrenaline still running through his body. This was a different kind of pain, one that couldn't be healed through medicine or magic. What Harry was feeling was emotional, and even though she wanted to remove it, she couldn't. Of course she knew what he was feeling, everyone on Auradon ranted and raved about it like it was the best feeling in the world, not knowing what would happen if it went south. Harry was simply heartbroken at the thought of the princess not remembering him, and Uma found herself a little dumb-founded at the sight. She knew he had a heart in there somewhere, she'd seen it whenever he stayed with her after a hard day on the Isle, or when he did something nice for her just because she was tired or upset about something. What she hadn't know was how much space Queenie occupied in there, but she knew now, and that mattered the most.
"Harry? C'mon man, you need to get yourself together." Uma rushed over and crouched down, attempting to look him in the eye. "You can't help her like this."
"She doesn't remember me." Harry wasn't looking at her, he was looking at everything but her. "How could she not remember me? Me! I'm gonna kill 'er for comin' here. She shouldn't 'ave come here!" He shouted.
"Harry!" Uma yelled, grabbing his cheeks to make him face her. "It's not her fault, okay? She didn't know." She wasn't defending the little princess, not completely. Harry was right, Queenie had made a stupid decision in coming to Auradon for help, but she'd thought it was the right thing to do. And, after hearing about everything that had happened while she was gone from Gil, she couldn't completely blame Queenie for doing it. "She came here for help and they turned on her, Harry. It isn't Queenie's fault." Uma knew she was getting through to him, she could see the change in his eyes. "We'll get her back, I swear. Have I ever let you down before?" He shook his head. "No, I haven't, and I'm not going to start now."
"Why would they do that to 'er? She was so perfect. My perfect little princess." Harry was muttering now, the lids of his eyes opening and closing as his head lulled about. He was tired. It'd been a long day for all of them.
"I don't know." Uma admitted. "We're going to find out, and we're going to get her back. When we do, we'll take them all down for what they did to you." Harry smiled at the violent scenarios in his head and Uma finally saw him coming back, piece by piece. "You didn't give me a chance to tell you before."
"Tell me what?" Harry asked curiously, fighting the sleep threatening to overtake. He hadn't even slept the night before, too excited at the thought of seeing his princess again, but now he knew that'd been a waste of time.
"Whatever they did, they didn't take all of her away. I've been keeping an eye on her for you, Harry. There's something there, something inside of her that won't let you go. Every day since I found out she was here, I've seen her by the pier, watching the Isle. I mentioned your name a few days ago and I swear, just for a second, she was happy, excited even. Queenie's still in there and I need you to remember that, okay? We just have to bring her out somehow." She told him, slightly relieved at the smile he gave her.
"I should'a known. I'm not that easy to get rid of, girl's got me hook after all." He chuckled, and Uma glared.
"Yeah, I know all about that. But we'll talk about that tomorrow, you need to sleep." She stated, looking back at Gil who was still playing the game. "A little help over here?"
Gil jumped up off the bed, the game now long forgotten, and helped Uma get Harry to his feet. They dragged him over to the clean bed, Uma making sure to grab his hook as they moved. He'd be looking for it soon enough.
"Sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Uma told her first mate, chucking a few blankets over his body to keep him warm. "Night Harry."
"Night Captain." He muttered, eyes closing almost instantly.
Uma moved towards the door, stepping over any glass or wood on the floor. "He moves, you come get me. I don't trust him not to go looking for her." She said to Gil, who attempted to clear away the stuff on his bed.
"You think he'll be okay?" Gil asked, concerned for the well-being of his friend.
"I'm not worried about Harry." Uma replied with a whisper, holding the door open with one hand. "It's the rest of Auradon that should be scared. You don't just take a pirate's girl and get away with it." And with those final words, she left the room, closing the door silently behind her.
AN
Hi guys! Just me again. I really hope you liked the chapter. I know nothing interesting happened here but I wanted there to be an introduction without any intense-ish scenes coming in just yet, as a lot of the big stuff will come in following chapters. I know a few of you will be disappointed that Queenie and Harry didn't see each other here but don't worry, all of that will be in the next chapter.
Anyway, remember to review, favourite or follow if you can. Thanks!