The Chip Shopp was so full that the pirates were almost piling up on top of each other, and Uma was one step away from losing her temper and screaming until there was no one left. The weather on the island had worsened in recent days, maybe they were going through some kind of tropical storm? And many people on the docks were looking for some shelter in Ursula's. The orders were so many and the dirty dishes in the kitchen were piling up in such tall piles that Uma had to ask Harry and Gil to help her.
"Where's my fried fish?" Asked an irritated voice, a grimacing sailor sitting next to a couple of friends at one of the tables closest to the entrance. "I ordered it ten minutes ago!"
Uma grunted and took a threatening bite into the air.
"Didn't you read our slogan, you idiot? You will take it like I make it! and that implies when I make it!" She yelled at him. The sailor, seeing that Harry approached Uma, threatening with his hook, fell silent.
A sailor had come through the door, drenched, took off his hat, left his sword in the doorway, and sat at the table of the customer Uma had just yelled at.
"So?" Uma asked, ready to take the order.
"Give me a pint of beer," said the sailor. He had the gall to wink at her, and Uma made a mental reminder to spit in his glass. Then he turned to his friends, but Uma could hear his conversation while she attended to the other customers. "I have news, guys. Another treasure. A magical treasure. There are already at least ten bounty hunters looking for it."
Uma heard one of his friends laughing.
"Yeah right, because the trident thing turned out so well! They are all lies from those disgusting goblins; I don't believe anything!"
Uma bit her tongue at the memory of the trident. She had it in her hands, she won… if Mal hadn't appeared, Uma would have left this island, she would be sailing with Harry, Gil and her crew. She cut off that thought. Thinking of how her freedom had literally slipped from her grasp always made her furious.
"It is not the goblins who say it, you piece of moron. Haven't you heard the stories? Don't you remember anything that happened twenty years ago, when they locked us up here?"
Now, that got Uma's interest. She stopped, meeting Harry's gaze, who was also very still, pretending to pick up a plate. But they couldn't hear much more because there was an uproar.
"Who are you calling a piece of moron, filthy rat, useless cockroach?" The other sailor yelled. His friend pulled him by the neck and slammed him onto the table, causing the plates to fly, scattering all their contents. At the adjoining tables, a couple of witches started yelling and throwing food at them, and suddenly everyone was screaming, throwing things at each other, and a dirty customer took advantage of the chaos to try to touch Uma's leg. She gripped his wrist tightly and twisted it until she heard the bone break.
Harry caught the two customers who had started the fight and forced them to leave the establishment, threatening everyone else with the hook. Uma kicked out the customer who had tried to touch her.
Thunder, falling near the shore, made the old establishment rumble, drowned out the shouts and demands of customers, and made Uma unable to think. She was grateful for the moment when night came and the tavern began to empty, although the place was a mess. Harry kicked the last few customers out of the place ("hey, I haven't finished my fried clams!" "Does it look like I care? Pay and go! And don't forget to tip!") And the silence, only broken by the storm, returned to the place.
It had been a long day. While Gil continued to wash the dishes inside the kitchen, Uma allowed herself a little rest, put down the broom and sat on one of the tables, which were so high that her feet were slightly off the floor. Uma threw her head back and let out a frustrated moan from her lips, trying to ignore the pain in her hands and back.
"I was about to murder that pair of old witches," she complained, "honestly..."
Harry, who was sitting on the organ bench, playing with the keys, looked at her. The turquoise eyeliner she always wore gave her closed eyelids a nice glow, but she looked tired.
Harry had been friends with Uma since they were little kids, so he could tell that he knew her very well. For example, he could tell, just by the way she pressed her pretty lips together, that something was bothering her, Harry was sure it wasn't just the two witches or the customers, not even her mother. He jumped up from the bench and walked to her with his carefree steps. Uma was very beautiful, and when she thought no one was looking and allowed her expression to soften, Harry's heart was frankly jumping in his chest.
He didn't remember when he had started to feel... those things: the need to be close to her all the time, his heart pounding when he looked at her, the daze in all his senses when he heard her voice. But Harry tried to ignore all that. They lived on the Isle, and she was his best friend anyway. Yeah sure, they played their question and reject game, and somehow it pleased him to know that Uma didn't do that with other people, but Harry didn't dare to name all of that.
"Harry," Uma said suddenly. Despite having her eyes closed, she had felt his closeness, which was not surprising. "Do you think all that talk about the treasure is true?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "It was true about the trident."
Uma snorted.
"Yes, and look how well it worked." Her voice sounded angry, and Harry would have almost believed it was his fault for bringing it up if he didn't know better. It was not true that they had failed. Uma led them to the trident, she found it, did what no one else on the isle did, but Mal took it away with magic. But the fact was that they succeeded.
"What's bothering you, Captain?" Harry asked, half leaning over to look up at her. Uma ran a hand through his hair, and he preferred not to think about the chills that ran down his spine.
"Is it even worth it, Harry? Try searching for another treasure?"
Harry couldn't bear to see his best friend insecure, so he let the madness invade his eyes, in a way that always made her smile.
"It's what pirates do, love! And, if we want to be the best pirate crew on the isle, we have to look for it!"
Uma laughed happily, exposing her neck slightly; with that spark of energy shining in her eyes.
"What would I do without you, Hook? You are right. We will find it."
Harry noticed that she stifled a yawn, and her eyes were held open with effort. The day had certainly been an exhausting one, so he did something he wouldn't have dared to do if he didn't know that Gil was the only other person around. Gestures like that were not usual on the isle, they would be mocked and, without a doubt, they would be valid to accuse someone of being soft. But this was Uma, and Harry didn't care if she laughed at him, because in the end he knew that if there was one person who would never stab him in the back, who would never betray him, it was her.
"All right, Captain, I'll take you to your bed, Gil and I will take care of this." He reached over to take her in his arms. She was small and slim, even though all her fury and energy made everyone respect her when she walked into a room. Uma started to growl, but she was really exhausted, so halfway up the stairs she stopped struggling, snuggled into Harry a bit (something they were both going to deny to death) and let him carry her.
Her room was small and there was almost no light, but everything in that place had her essence. Harry laid her down on the bed, throwing the only blanket she had over her body, and saw that Uma was already asleep.
He forcefully ignored the tug on his heart when he stopped feeling the warmth of her. He ignored that everything in that place told him that he was home.
The sound of metal on metal echoed in Harry's ears, and he felt the blast of energy run down his hand and through his arm as he spun for another blow, but he found himself rather defending himself against a string of furious blows, one after another, until Uma had her sword pressed against his neck. She was so close to him that Harry could hear her fast breathing and smell her hair, which didn't bother him at all. Uma laughed delightedly and stepped away from him to jump on the ropes of the ship. She clung to them, stretching like a cat, and Harry knew she longed to feel the wind on her face, up there.
"I beat you again," She teased Harry, turning to look at him. Harry picked up the swords and handed them to Bonny to sharpen. He approached Uma, climbing the ropes himself, until he reached her. Her gaze was lost over the horizon, just in the direction Auradon was facing, and suddenly there was something in her expression, like a kind of bitterness he wanted to erase.
"You certainly did," he admitted. Because if there was one person he didn't care to lose to, it was her. It was like in the race, when they competed to see who was going to be captain and who would be the first mate. Harry had a lot of fun watching Uma's determination of not to become his first mate, how hard she worked to win. He wasn't going to deny that he felt secret and dark satisfaction when she claimed him as her first mate on the dock, in front of everyone. But that wasn't something Uma had to know.
It seemed like so much time had passed since that, but it had been a few months. In that time, Uma learned. She was restless, she generally didn't have an ounce of patience in her body, and she liked to give orders, but she loved Lost Revenge so much that she asked Harry for help to learn everything she needed. So, during those months, he had been teaching her to read maps, charts, and everything about the ship, which included swords. And now she practically danced as she fought, twisting her braids like a wave following her; all of her was tempest and squall. As unforgiving as Harry's father always said the sea was.
"Stupid Auradon!" Uma growled, and Harry didn't ask why. Instead, he insulted princes and little princesses. They were having a good time of fun until CJ's voice rose from the noise of the docks.
"Permission to board?", because even if she wasn't as interested in ships as Harriet, Harry, and Uma, she was still Captain Hook's daughter.
"Nope," Uma replied, teasing her a little.
CJ sounded impatient.
"Fuck it, Uma, let me go up!"
Harry and Uma got off the ropes and crossed the ship, meeting CJ. She had a rather ugly cut on her coat, which went down to her arm, and also seemed agitated, so Uma stopped joking more and CJ got on board.
"Damn thieves," she complained, outraged, when Harry asked her what had happened. "Since the rumor of the treasure started, I swear there are more rats on the streets than ever. They thought I was carrying a map or something like that, because they started yelling at me and demanding it, so I fought with them, but some of them managed to cut me and I think I need someone to sew me up. Harriet wasn't on her ship and honestly Sammy faints if he sees blood, so I thought of Uma. Harry's skills with the needle are a mockery."
She removed the red jacket with a hiss, refusing to make another noise in pain, and Uma saw that her wound was bleeding quite a bit.
"Fine," agreed Uma, "Harry, where do we leave the needle and bandages?"
"I think you put them in the kitchen," Harry recalled. Uma's sewing equipment was used a lot, because they were gaining territory and usually her boys came back with one or two wounds that required stitches. "I'll go get them."
"And don't forget the rum!" CJ yelled, before releasing a string of curses.
When Harry returned with everything she needed, Uma examined the wound, wiped it with a rum-soaked cloth, and then CJ took a large sip, preparing to start the stitches.
"So you're going after the treasure, huh?" Uma asked, one of her tactics to distract CJ from the procedure.
"Of course not! Half an island, or more, is after it. And I don't like to share the glory."
Harry laughed.
"So why did they attack you?"
CJ snorted. Captain Hook's three children had quite different personalities from each other, which made them fight a lot, but somehow (they wouldn't call it love, not even families really meant anything on the isle) they ended up gathering around each other. Harriet had always been bossy and know-it-all. She was beautiful and that, combined with her aggressive nature, scared many. CJ was selfish, shameless, independent, and moody, so she was likely the cause of most of the fights they had.
But Uma always considered Harry the most interesting of the three (not because he was her best friend), he had a glint in his eye that bordered on madness, but he could be calm too. Despite always being ready to do crazy things, he knew how to be patient; he was the dangerous calm before the storm (and the storm was brutal when it raged). Harry always gave Uma a sense of firmness and security that felt nice.
She stopped the course of her thoughts, unsure of where they were going.
"Maybe they thought our father had it, being the most famous pirate on the island and all that," CJ said, suppressing a grimace. "If they only knew that old Captain Hook hadn't even recovered from his last fall..."
Uma stopped sewing.
"Maybe he really did."
Harry and CJ looked at her like she was crazy.
"Your captain has lost her mind," CJ told Harry mockingly.
"Uma?"
She impatiently made the last stitches, causing CJ to complain, but in the end her work was flawless, so she couldn't claim anything to Uma.
"Listen, Smee said your father was up to check something, right? And he said he was carrying a map that got lost in the water when he fell. What if it was the map of what everyone is looking for on the Island right now?"
"Couldn't be," CJ said petulantly, but Harry was looking at Uma with bright eyes. "Could it be?"
"You are brilliant, darling!", said the boy. "So maybe dad knows..."
CJ groaned in despair.
"And if he knows, he won't tell us. Also, Uma just said it, it got lost in the water. There is no way to get it back, period. Now can we, I don't know, plan a hostage-taking at Frollo's until they give us coupons for Tuesday 2x1 on nearly rotten crepes?"
Harry and Uma looked at her in disbelief.
"You don't even have anyone to share 2x1 with," Harry stung. He and Uma always went to Frollo's creperie on Tuesdays and they did take advantage of the promotions. CJ seemed to want to argue, but Uma didn't have time for this. She ordered Gil to keep an eye on everything while she returned, and she got off the ship in the direction of the Jolly Roger; by the time Harry and CJ reacted, she was halfway there so they had to run to catch up with her.
"We're not going to bother your father, we'll just ask Mr. Smee," she said determinedly, and both Harry and CJ knew there was no way they could change her mind.
The good thing was that they didn't even have to board, because Smee was going out of the port towards the market to get some things. He was glad when he saw them, although Captain Hook had told him many times not to smile when he saw other people (much less my children! People on this island will think you love them or something!).
"Callista, Harry, Captain Uma, how can I help you?" He asked, cordial as always. There was no way to make him understand that he should be tougher.
Uma looked very pleased with herself. She loved being called by others as captain, which Harry knew very well. That had been another step in the reputation that she was earning across the Isle: once everyone in the port recognized her as captain, she began the fight for territory. Now, from the docks to the end of the market it was full of their insignia, which meant that all of it belonged to her.
"My captain wants to know a little more about the map my father was looking at the other day," said Harry, "you know, the day he fell."
Smee seemed to take a while to remember, but then he smiled.
"Oh, of course I do!"
"Do you remember any of its contents, Mr. Smee? Did you see it?" Uma asked, unable to contain herself another minute.
"No, I am very sorry. That was one of the ones in Captain Hook's secret trunk, so I don't know what it contained, but I do remember that it was leather. Bit strange."
"Damn!" CJ cursed.
"I'll swim to see if I can find it," Uma declared.
Mr. Smee said goodbye, and the three of them hung around the dock until Harriet appeared and joined them. They wanted to wait until it was done later, and people stopped coming to the docks, because if they found something that was valuable, they would surely put up a good fight before letting someone else take it away. Fortunately, the bad weather had kept most of the people in their places; so around mid-afternoon, Uma took off her hat, gave it to Harry to take care of, left her boots in the sand, and started swimming around the Jolly Roger.
Even when the coasts on the Island weren't the most beautiful or cleanest in the world, Uma loved swimming. She was fascinated by the sensation of water hugging her, welcoming her like the arms of a loving mother (not that she knew how that felt). Many times, during her childhood, water was a constant comfort to Uma. Harry had been scared almost to death on more than one occasion, because Uma was so happy to be in the sea that sometimes she just forgot to come back to the surface.
For hours.
The water was a bit murky, and she could see a lot of trash, skeletal fish, pieces of wood and rope, and broken fishing rods. She decided to move away from the Jolly Roger, in the direction of the barrier, and the water gradually cleared. She surfaced just out of curiosity, to see how far she had come, surprised and a little disappointed to see that she was almost at the barrier. She hadn't seen any maps, but she couldn't come back empty-handed. So, she tried to think of where it could be. Maybe it had sunk, too low...
And then something occurred to her. She didn't know why she hadn't thought of that before… maybe she was really freaking out, like CJ said; but something inside told her that none of the things that had happened lately was a coincidence. Captain Hook had muttered one of the lines of the song the day he lost the map, so maybe, just maybe, they were somehow connected.
Uma was far from the coast anyway, so there was no one to listen to her. For the first time she seriously thought about singing the song. Although it was forbidden, the reality was that she did not believe that Harry's father would hear her from such a distance. In case he was awake, in case he was conscious.
She remembered Harry's mother singing to them that night, remembered the verses, and felt her mother's necklace throb on her neck. Uma held it, closed her eyes, and sang. It was just a whisper at first, but then she began to enjoy so much the words and the sound of her own voice in the middle of the ocean, and somehow, she couldn't stop.
There was no magic on the Isle. It was Auradon's plan for everyone to suffer without being able to use any of their power. Uma was the daughter of a Sea Witch, but until she retrieved her mother's necklace, she had never been aware of her true strength. So, there must be some magic still, not enough for the villains to use, anyway, but a little; for something rumbled beneath her and suddenly the map floated to the surface. Uma hurried to swim to take it.
The weather changed and became more sinister if that was possible. Clouds were gathering quickly, and the wind began to blow as if it had no control. Uma returned to the Island, where Harry, Harriet, and CJ were waiting for her on the dock. Despite their different personalities, they were very alike at times. As at that time, the way in which the three were scattered on the dock, carefree and almost dying of boredom, gave away their family ties.
"Did you find it?" Harriet asked when she saw her come out of the water.
Uma nodded. It had started to rain, thick drops falling relentlessly from the sky, but none of the four was fazed.
"Here it is!" She held it up for others to see.
"Let me see it," CJ urged. Uma was about to answer when a voice interrupted them from above the ship. The four looked up and there, holding onto the ropes and completely sober, was Harry's father. He didn't look anywhere near his good old age, but his black curls were still mesmerizing, and his smile was dangerous, his eyes glowed red.
"My children! Come aboard. You too, dear Uma. I want you to join me for dinner tonight." Captain Hook said. "I'd also like you to tell me which one of you sang the song."
Uma hastened to hide the map, put on her boots, and took her hat without looking at the others. The Hook siblings looked totally taken aback. Harriet and CJ hurried onto the ship, and Harry stayed to wait for Uma. She didn't miss the apprehension in her best friend's eyes, nor the way he put a hand on her back, near her waist. She didn't know why that gesture suddenly seemed so important to her.
As they got on board, Uma was very aware of how close Harry was, so warm. So familiar. He offered her a hand to help her up, even knowing that she didn't need any real help at all.
Harry searched her gaze, silently asking what the hell his father was referring to "the song". And Uma plunged into his blue eyes, suddenly calm. And she wasn't afraid of Captain Hook because Harry was with her.
There was a strange flutter in her heart, but Uma chose to ignore it.