Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants or any characters of Disney.

Chapter 1: It's A Start

It was hours after her humiliating defeat that the daughter of Ursula allowed the tides to wash her tired body back onto the shore. Her newly gained tentacles were long gone as soon as she had hit the barrier. She could faintly hear the warbling songs of drunken men in the distance as she dragged herself onto the shore. The once lovely gown she had been wearing just hours before melted away quicker than Cinderella's coach had turned back into a pumpkin at midnight, shifting back into her usual pirate garb.

Her mother's old necklace glowed weakly before its light was gone once again, its magic once again dormant under the barrier that surrounded the Isle.

She had failed.

Legs weak from the foreign switch from her newly acquired tentacles (they felt too dry and too restricting after wielding the tentacles of her true heritage) Uma, Captain of the Lost Revenge and self-proclaimed Queen of the Isle of the Lost tripped straight into two pairs of waiting arms.

For a moment, nothing was heard except for the waves crashing behind her as she stole a moment, not yet ready to see the inevitable look of disappointment on their faces. Loyalty was hard won on the Isle but oh so very easy to lose. She clenched her jaw, waiting for them to inevitably shove her away, to mock her stupidity and pride, for losing sight of what was even more important than getting revenge on Maleficent's wayward daughter: being free of their island prison.

Her hands shook as she finally pushed herself away from them, forcing several feet between them and a scowl on her face as she held her head high. She ignored how the moonlight gleamed on the hook of her first mate and how her stomach rolled with nerves as his face was perhaps unreadable for the first time to her. Though her legs still felt like that of a newborn's, she held her ground as the son of Captain Hook slowly made his way towards her. Once he was less than a foot away Uma expected to feel his hook slice through her. It was only fair. He had the right. His captain had failed, used what little resources they had, and the only opportunity they had to get off the Isle only to come back empty handed and smelling like the foul nickname that purple hair fairy had given her all those years ago…

She wasn't prepared for him to literally sweep her off her feet, cradling her in his arms as he stared down at her with what she could only describe as relief and devotion.

"Uma," Harry murmured gripping her tighter as his eyes fluttered shut, his head bowing over her until their foreheads rested against each other. Uma took a moment to let her thoughts and heart settle. Of course, she thought, letting the tension that she hadn't even noticed her body was holding go. How could she ever have doubted the loyalty of her first mate who despite how she always downplayed it, she knew looked at her like the goddess she descended from? Movement behind Harry caught her eye and she remembered that Harry hadn't come alone.

Grinning his usual naive and wanting please grin, Gil stepped forward. "Captain," his grin widened, drawing Harry close to them with Uma still in between them in a quick, somewhat awkward hug, releasing them instantly when Harry glared - albeit weakly - at him.

Uma couldn't help but roll her eyes as she pushed away from her first mate, forcing him to set her back on her still shaky feet. She turned back towards the water hearing the distant horn of a boat where a certain king and his new lady were most likely disembarking after such an eventful night. (Uma didn't think about the lovely teal and turquoise dress Mal's spellbook had created for her. Didn't think about how for a brief moment she felt more than just a girl from the Isle.)

"Uma, I promise I'll give you your chance… You'll have your say…"

Sighing, Uma took her tricorn hat from Gil and allowed Harry's hand on her back to steer her away from the water and back towards their ship where the rest of her crew was waiting. She half listened as Gil gushed and rambled about what he had seen of the cotillion on the TV and how cool her tentacles had looked. Thoughts, many of them opposing and a few that sounded distinctly like a young King swam in her head, demanding to be considered and mulled over. However, for tonight, she would push them aside. She allowed herself one night where she wasn't focused on revenge.

She had failed but she still had the support of her crew. Loyalty was hard won on the Isle but for Uma it seemed, it was her greatest possession and in the coming months, though she didn't know it, would be her greatest weapon.

2 Weeks Later

"I made you a promise to give you your chance," it said in in the margins next to the elegantly scripted offered new title, "Royal Councilor to the King, Ms. Uma of the Isle, Captain of the Lost Revenge"

Eyes flicking from the parchment in hand to her first mate who had been reading over her shoulder, Uma looked up at the parchment's messenger who was sitting primly across from her with the King's royal guard behind her in the unusually empty Fish and Ship ship.

Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen and the new Royal Councilor to King Ben of Auradon.

"You gotta be fucking with me," was the first thing out of Uma's mouth.

The former Isle resident shifted in her seat uncomfortably though maintaining the perfect posture that her mother had drilled into her. "No. Not at all. We actually put a lot of thought into this, Ben and I. And if you think about this, it's actually the best compromise for all parties involved."

Uma leaned back in her chair, feeling Harry shift defensively behind her and Gil stop swinging his feet on the stool next to her as he glanced confusedly between Harry and Uma.

"Compromise?" Uma scoffed, arms crossing over her chest. "You and Beasty Boy must be confused. Pirates don't compromise. We take what we want."

The young sea witch watched as the blue princess barely flinched at the acid that her tone had held and instead stared at her with a determined look of someone who was used to getting what she wanted one way or another.

"Look," Evie shrugged. "I get it. You don't like the King or what his father did to our parents and us by keeping us under the barrier. And you really dislike me and the others for getting out of this forsaken place and not looking back. I get it. I really do. You have every reason to be mad."

"Mad is understatement," Harry muttered, shifting his hook from one hand to the other, a wicked glint in his eyes as he stared her down. "Try livid, lass!"

Though the guards behind Evie shifted, the Evil Queen's daughter barely raised a brow at the pirate's hostility. Though everyone on the island knew that Harry Hook was wild, unpredictable, and even cruel to his enemies, this was pretty tame. He wouldn't make the first move unless Uma gave him the word. And though Uma was looking at Evie like she wanted to gut and serve her to Ursula's eels, Evie also knew that Uma was smart and her self-proclaimed title as Queen of the Isle wasn't just hype that Harry had threatened people to spread...

The day after the royal cotillion, Evie had worked to get an invitation to Auradon Prep sent out to Dizzy to be the first of hopefully many to be invited from the island as part of Ben and Evie's plan to give the children of villains a chance to choose their own paths. A few hours later, a magical limo ride, and a lavish dinner that made the young girl's eyes wide with awe and disbelief later, the most popular fashion designer at Auradon prep (and probably of all of Auradon) found herself in her room in a designing brainstorm with Cinderella's step-niece.

"It's so good to be designing with you again!" Evie had gushed, squeezing Dizzy tight in another hug, one of the many that she had shared with the young girl that night. Though signs of affections like hugs were scarce on the Isle, Dizzy was young and her family well off enough on the isle that she didn't shrink away from the intimate contact but instead embraced it. (Evie still had to wait several seconds before the tension in Carlos's body melted before he finally returned the gesture.)

"If this is a dream, I never want to wake up!" Dizzy gushed, eyes sparkling as she pulled away to clutch Evie's hands. "Evie, you're like my fairy godmother! But way better dressed of course!" she quickly amended.

Evie couldn't stop the laugh that escaped at her friend's excitement. "Oh Dizzy! I'm so glad you're here now. You're talent will be recognized and you won't be bossed around by your grandmother and..." she said moving over to the small fridge that they were allowed in their room and pulling out something that made Dizzy's eyes widen, "all the ice cream you can eat!"

Evie laughed again as Dizzy squealed taking the carton and offered spoon and bouncing onto Evie's bed. Sitting down next to her, Evie grabbed a brush from her nightstand and started taking Dizzy's ponytails out before beginning to brush them.

"I'm so sorry it took so long to get you off the Isle."

Taking another bite ice cream, Dizzy shrugged, either unaware or choosing to not bring up how Evie's voice shook. "I mean, Grandma was still annoying with her chores and making me always sweep up and clean the mess in the salon but it actually wasn't all bad. Especially after you left."

That caught Evie off guard, the braid she been making in Dizzy's hair slipping from her fingers. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Evie paused turning around to look at her role model with a thoughtful expression. "I mean, the Isle is the Isle. It has nothing on Auradon and life is never easy there but...once Uma started taking over Mal's turf...things weren't as horrible. Any kid who was kicked out or needed to stay away from their parents for awhile were offered a safe place to sleep and some food if they worked a shift at the Fish and Chips Shop or did some errands for her. It wasn't great and Harry always liked to make a mess of things when Grandma didn't want to pay up" Dizzy shrugged, "but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Uma's scary but a lot of people on the Isle like her cause she takes care of hers."

"Hey! Yoo-hoo! You still there Princess Blueberry?"

Evie blinked, leaning back from Harry who was leaning too close into her personal space. She was grateful when Uma pulled Harry back to his place behind her despite an annoyed look on the captain's face directed at her.

"Okay, you were right," Evie sighed, continuing only when Uma shifted her head slightly for her to continue. "When Mal, Carlos, Jay, and I got off this island we only thought about ourselves. We did what we had to do get out of this prison and once we did, we barely gave anyone else another thought. It was always us four, us four against the world and as long as we had each other we didn't care to think about what happened to anyone else. We didn't care what happened to you."

"Mother of-! Uma can I please hook her?" Harry loudly whispered to her but Evie wasn't done.

"We grew up on this island together, Uma. And though I know the unspoken rule is to always look out for yourself, you've always gone beyond that. You may hate this island but you care for its inhabitants who we both know don't belong here. I know you don't want to see any more children starve to death or abused by their parents. I know that you take in kids that have nothing and give them whatever you can."

"What's your point?" Uma growled, slapping her hands on the table and rising to her feet. Her patience was wearing thin.

Evie stood up as well, staring unwaveringly into Uma's. "My point is that you know - really know - more of the kids on this island who deserve a second chance. We can't get rid of the barrier because our parents, for the crimes that they committed years ago and the crimes that they commit every day on this island deserve to be here without magic. But the sins of our parents are not ours." Evie turned to her bag, purposely showing her back to the three pirates in a gesture of trust and how serious she was about this offer. When she turned around, she had another scroll in her hand. She offered it to Uma but Gil was the one who grabbed it before smelling it, shrugging, and then passing it to Harry who unrolled it. Uma kept her eyes on Evie while she allowed her first mate to read the scroll.

"It's a list of names," he murmured to Uma as he handed it over to her. "Kids on the isle. Most from that old loon Yen Sid's little Anti-hero club."

Glancing briefly at the scroll, Uma's frown deepened before tossing on the table between her and the best friend of her rival. "You barely have any names on it"

Evie nodded. "Which is why Ben and I need your help. You always knew more kids. Write whatever VK's name you want on there and they'll finally get what they never had here."

"And what is that?"

"A chance to really make something out of their life."

A snort escaped Uma as she sank back into her chair. "Is that so? And how do you and Good King Ben know that I'll actually play nice this time? I knew the inhabitants of Auradon were dumb but I didn't think they were that dumb to give the girl who put their king under a love spell another chance."

Uma was somewhat put on edge by the mischievous smile that spread on Evie's face at that comment. "You'd be surprised how forgiving they are."

Filing that tidbit away for later, Uma stood up again, moving away from the table and off to the side, snapping her fingers for Harry and Gill following her. Once they were out of hearing distance from the surprisingly patient former evil princess, Harry and Gill stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking Uma from sight, just in case anyone attempted to read lips.

"Thoughts?"

"I don't trust that blue powder puff!" Harry spat. "Who's to say that this isn't some sort of trap of that overstuffed flying lizard Mal again? Revenge for messing with her boy toy king?"

Uma nodded before glancing at Gil who usually didn't contribute to these type of conversations, however, he had a rare though not completely unheard of thoughtful expression on his face.

"But what if it isn't?" he asked looking so hopeful at Uma. "What if this isn't a trap and she's being honest?" A grin broke out on his face as he looked between his captain and his first mate. "What if this is real? And King Ben actually wants you to be on his council? You're so good at ordering people around, Uma, and people actually listen. And Ben seems nice. Maybe he'll even get you a nice ship and we can go on real adventures," he gasped happily at the thought, grabbing Uma's hands excitedly.

Rolling her eyes, Uma couldn't help but let a small smile slip. If anyone on her crew deserved to get off this prison it was Gil. Naive but well meaning and loyal Gil. There were others like him on the Isle. Those who never quite got out of the grey between hero and villain. Was she really going to let her pride and dislike for Mal ruin this opportunity?

She turned her gaze at Harry who seemed to have read her mind before she had even come up with a decision. "Whatever you choose, Captain. You know I'll follow," he sighed, tugging lightly on one of her braids. He then stepped aside, sweeping into a bow as she moved past them and returned to where Evie was waiting.

"I have conditions."

"I expected nothing less," Evie smile, a brilliant real smile that almost made Uma reconsider before Evie handed her paper and a pen to write down her items of negotiation.

Though outwardly she radiated indifference, her heart was pounding. She couldn't mess this up a second time. She let her rage and frustration take over last time and made the same mistake her mother made all those years ago when she relied on spells to motivate and manipulate people. Though Uma wasn't above using magic to get what she wanted, she unlike her mother and many of the other villainous parents on the isle, was able to adapt to her situation in order to get what she wanted.

For now, it was a start.


So despite no longer being part of Disney Channel's target age population I really liked Descendants and Descendants 2. Admittedly, I did feel disappointed with the end of the second movie. Despite Uma being against Mal, I never really saw her as the villain of the movie and her anger was justifiable. When Ben was stuck on Uma's ship I really believed he meant every word he said to her and that he believes that she's a good (albeit somewhat misguided) leader. After the movie ended, I could definitely see Ben and Evie working together to get more kids off the Isle but Evie hasn't really hung out with any of the Isle kids in awhile and I could see her trying to make a comprehensive list of all the kids who deserve a chance off the the island but being aware that she just doesn't know everyone. But Uma would, and I like playing around with the idea that even though Uma can scare the crap out of people on the Isle and people know not to mess with her or her crew, that she can lowkey be protective of those under her care which has gained her a lot of loyalty in Mal's absence.

Also, I just wanted an excuse to write some Harry/Uma fluff (maybe even Harry/Uma/Gil...but not totally sure about that).

Anyway, tell me what you think! I haven't decided if I want this story to be a traditional multi chapter story or have connected but maybe not necessarily in chronological order one-shots so if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them!