Uma was in the sea. By the seven seas, she loved the feel of the water covering her, her extended tentacles and her hair floating free. She felt more powerful than ever, the freest and happiest being on the world. The water was clear, and Uma could see corals, a stingray swam past her and pulled herself off to follow it.
She felt a tug on her neck. Uma looked down, frowning, and noticed her necklace shining brightly. It seemed to want to tell her to swim faster, to get away from there. Then she saw a large shadow approaching with speed. It was very late when she realized that it was her mother. She began to swim quickly and agilely, wondering if she could escape, if she would find a way to get back to dry land before she reached her.
"Ungrateful stupid, come here!" Ursula growled, "you have something that belongs to me!"
Uma held the necklace tightly in one hand, continuing to swim, until she felt a hand grasp one of her tentacles. Another of her tentacles whipped the hand, but Ursula did not flinch. She was so much bigger than Uma, she grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to snatch the necklace from her. Finally, Uma felt her cord being ripped from her neck and her mother smiled triumphantly.
And suddenly she was drowning.
It was not possible. She could breathe underwater; she was a sea creature. What was happening? The water flooded her lungs, suffocating her, pulling her down, and as her vision blurred, she heard Ursula's hideous laugh.
"Hey Uma, it's okay, it's okay!" Harry's soft voice enveloped her the moment she woke up. Uma struggled for breath, still feeling the water inside her lungs, her chest hurt, and she was having a panic attack. She clung to Harry and let sobbing sounds roll out of her throat and drift into the boy's skin. Uma felt Harry's hand stroke her hair. She was fine, she was in Auradon. "It was just a nightmare, lass. You'll be fine."
And Uma believed him because she had never had reason to mistrust Harry. After that she didn't want to go back to sleep. Harry and she saw the starry night and witnessed the wonderful spectrum of colors that were painted in the celestial vault as it dawned.
"I heard that you are going to train your crew this afternoon," Jay's voice snapped Uma out of her reveries. They were at lunch, the tray full of food in front of her. Those nightmares were starting to wear her down. She couldn't help but feel uneasy at the prospect that her mother was looking for her. Or maybe they were just dreams brought on by her past and that was it. It could be that Úrsula was far, very far; after all, she had never cared much for Uma. She didn't think she wanted to know about her now that they were free.
"Did Gil tell you?" She asked, looking for her friend. She was next to Harry and they both had that mischievous look that they gave every time they planned a prank or something.
"No, Aziz actually told me," Jay replied, "and from what I see, the rumor has already spread throughout the school."
Uma sighed.
"A pirate does not stop being a pirate."
"So… I want to ask your permission to take the team to observe. They have improved a lot, but I would like them to see your crew, so they may find a bit of their inner toughness. "
Uma laughed, a lively laugh that caught Harry's attention without her even noticing. Gil had to punch his arm so he could remember how to breathe.
"That the little princes learn from the pirates? That would be interesting. Agree".
Bonny and Desiree approached the table with the lunch trays in their hands. Instead of wearing some of the things that Auradon (and Evie) had provided them, they wore their pirate clothes, greeted Uma with smiles on their faces and she could tell they were happy. She looked around the table, realizing for the first time that everyone looked different today. She might not have noticed it because she was thinking about Ursula, but her crew was more like the old crew that hung out at the Chip Shoppe. Gil and Harry planned mischief, Bonny and Desiree looked like strong and confident girls, Gonzo and Jonas played cards. A feeling of pride washed over her. This was what she had fought for, which was why it was worth being outside the barrier for so long. Seeing her people being able to be themselves, happy.
She had to behave at the level of a captain.
"Okay," she said aloud, drawing her people's attention. "Let's make this lunch interesting, do any of you have dice?"
That seemed to cheer them up even more. Uma knew they loved to play dice, they often did it when they were lounging around the Chip Shoppe while she waited tables. Back then, Uma used to watch over them without their noticing, always on the lookout for any argument or fight to break out, although she knew that Harry could control them. She couldn't stop taking care of her people.
Gonzo pulled dice from his pockets and they all gathered closer together at the table, laughing, cheering, and gambling. They hadn´t a lot of money, but they could gamble on things like doing someone's homework for two weeks, the two-day dessert slice, or their crew duty shift.
This time, Uma didn't look from afar, but instead she joined them, playing fiercely. She blushed when she beat Harry, and everyone demanded the award to be some kisses. Uma knew they were happy to see them together, so she indulged them, much to the delight of the crew. Laughter rang out as Harry took a few seconds to breathe again and Uma swore she could see Gonzo's hand reluctantly depositing a bill in Desiree's hand.
On the Island, Uma had once cured each of them, fed them and tried to clothe and protect them. Her crew was not, as many believed, just a group of boys running her errands. They were her siblings, they were her family.
Uma felt the force of her title of captain run through her the minute she touched the hilt of the sword. It wasn't her own sword, and it had a kind of point that she couldn't hurt a fly, but it felt good after all this time. It was as if a part of herself came back.
"Feels good, huh?" She asked aloud, knowing that Harry was behind her. When Uma held a sword, it was as if her senses were heightened to the maximum. Harry leaned closer and Uma felt a shiver of pleasure run through her as he bent his head and kissed the curve of her neck. Her skin burned where Harry's lips touched it.
"No better than this," answered her first mate. Uma bit back a groan that would have been totally inappropriate and turned, sword in hand, to face Harry. For a second, they held their gaze. Desire, love, devotion, that was what Uma found in her eyes. Harry saw the same feelings in her gaze. And suddenly her gaze became playful, provocative, and impetuous, and Harry managed to parry the blow she launched with his own sword. Uma didn't stop, she led him to the center of the amphitheater. Practice had begun, but none of the other pirates raised a sword. The captain and the first mate always met first, it was their tradition.
Harry recovered, and suddenly nothing else in the world mattered. It was just him and Uma, slashing, dodging, attacking fiercely, their breaths racing, the sound of metal colliding with metal. Uma had that typhoon in her eyes that made her unpredictable, erratic, and dangerous like the sea, her turquoise hair moved behind her like waves, and she was slippery and agile like fish. This was who she was, a pirate, a sea witch, and Harry found himself overcome by her beauty and power. How could he be worthy of this goddess? He knew that if she asked him to throw his sword to his side and kneel in front of her, he would do so without a second's hesitation. Maybe there was something crazy in it, he always had that weakness, even on the Island, although he knew how to make the winds go in his favor, he gave him that air of madness that everyone had feared. Because no one could be crazy enough to show his deepest weakness on the Island, only him.
Uma dodged another of her slashes and suddenly found her sword against his neck. She smiled, breathing hard. Their faces were so close, if she leaned a little more, he would kiss her...
"What is my name?" She asked him. Harry melted completely, letting any survival instincts leave his body, knowing that Uma would never hurt him.
"Uma," he whispered, his voice low and husky with desire. She smiled shamelessly and winked at him. She pulled the blade of the sword away from Harry's skin and gave him a quick kiss where she had been pressing.
"I won," she turned to the crew, who viewed her with the same respect that they had had on the Island. "Gonzo, Bonny, up front."
Harry forced himself to move his legs and stay away, but always close to her. It was his duty as first officer to take care of her, so he supervised the perimeter. Jay was in the stands, watching, next to the team, but they weren't the only ones. Apparently, the novelty of Uma practicing with her crew had spread quickly around the school, because there were so many people there. Harry saw Jane, Carlos, Evie, and Doug watching, also Celia and Dizzy were there, Princess Audrey, who was staying a bit away, Loonie, along with some girls, and Chad. He also saw boys from the Island, and boys and girls from Auradon, who looked really surprised. Harry knew that fencing training was the closest they had ever come to true sword fighting, and yet they would never have seen pirates practice. They didn't follow rules, they played dirty.
At that very moment, he saw Bonny hit Gonzo with her elbow, destabilizing him enough for her to make him drop his sword. Bonny was distracted for a second to high-five with Desiree and Gonzo recovered, attacking with strange, quick blows, which the girl defended by hitting his side with force with the flat part of the sword. Then Uma demanded that Gonzo respond, yelling at him where to attack, although at the same time she told Bonny what her weak points were and how she could protect them. Uma never physically intervened in the fighting, she only gave advice and they followed it.
Then it was Gil and Jonas's turn. Gil used all the strength he had, which was a lot, to launch the first cut. He was always like that, he never waited for the opponent to attack first, because on the Island that was a death sentence. He never attacked lightly first, he was always direct and fast, but not that agile, so Jonas started to get the upper hand. Uma yelled at Gil to pay attention to his feet, his steps could betray him, making him fall and giving Jonas an advantage. The next second, exactly what she had said happened, so Gil seized the opportunity and tripped his opponent to the ground. Before Jonas could recover from his shock, Gil got up and pointed the sword at his neck. Uma nodded at him, acknowledging that he had done well.
Harry would often hear surprised exclamations or shouts of support from onlookers. Even Jay looked at Uma with renewed respect and maybe even a little fear. Harry couldn't help but feel proud for her. At last, these people saw her as something more than Úrsula's daughter or the girl who had put a spell on the king.
After everyone practiced in pairs (Uma clashed with Desiree), they started joint practice, where basically everyone slashed at everyone. Uma beat Jonas and Bonny first, then Harry knocked Desiree off balance and in the end, it was the two of them again. The last meeting was short but intense. Uma wasn't thinking anymore, she was in her captain mode, but Harry knew her completely, so this time he was able to match her movements and was about to beat her when he decided there were too many peepers, so he wouldn't take away his captain's victory. He dropped his sword at Uma's feet and held her by the shoulders until he saw the swirl of her eyes slowly fade away. She came to, realizing where they were. She released the breath she was holding and turned to smile at her crew.
"Nice work, guys. Work on what I told you."
Practice was officially over. Uma turned to go to the corner where they had left their things, looking for a bottle of water. She drank in long gulps and then passed it to Harry, who drank too.
"I really missed this," she told him.
Harry nodded.
"Maybe we all missed who we were there, huh? Remind me to tell Bestie that maybe the transition would be easier if we can do things that we were used to. "
Uma looked at him proudly.
"That's a great idea, Harry. I think you're right; we can't forget who we used to be. "
Uma finally caught her breath and raised her voice for her crew to hear.
"Now, I want you to wash up and I'll see you at dinner, understood?"
She couldn't help but feel her heart warm as she heard his familiar chorus of: "Aye, captain!"
"Okay, so this is the plan. Mal and Ben are coming back tomorrow from their honeymoon and I think we should greet them with a quiet and festive picnic on the beach. Everything is arranged, the food, the decorations, I just need to know who will go ", declared Jane at dinner that night. Since it was Friday, they had done this thing of putting all the tables together so that the pirates, the Core Four, and Auradon's friends like Jane, Doug, and Audrey were all having dinner together.
"Of course we will go, Jane. I want to see Mal and Ben now! "Evie screeched, and Uma had to avoid wincing at the sound.
"Sure, why not?" Said Audrey.
Jane looked at Uma.
"What do you say, will you guys go?"
Uma sighed.
"Any excuse to be near the sea."
Jane began to chatter about her wonderful plans for the lovebirds' welcome, but Uma was already beyond the conversation. In fact, she was daydreaming about sea ponys.