Uma couldn't take her eyes off the sea. It was so clear, so bright and beautiful. She remembered the first time she had seen it in all its splendor, the sensation of that enormity covering her, not the waves of gray foam that were on the island, but coasts bluer than the sky, storms of great waves, and always the calm of the white waves after rough nights when the water insisted on touching the sky. She remembered thinking that it was beautiful, but she also remembered the hole in her chest that ached every time she realized how bad it was. She was alone, she was away from her people, away from her ship, from Harry, so there wasn't much point in finding the beauties of the world.
Now, hearing the laughter of her friends somewhere a few meters from her, she felt that the sea became millions of times more beautiful, brighter, and captivating than before.
Jane had arranged the perfect day at the beach. Ben and Mal had just returned from their brief but intimate honeymoon and were now standing near the drinks table, talking to Carlos. They looked happy, which made Uma happy. She did not believe that she could have lived with the result of her rash actions at the cotillion. It would have been devastating for the four of them, Ben, Mal, Harry, and her. Uma knew that she could not have built a life around a lie.
A wave lazily crept up to her feet and as it returned to the sea, left a crab next to Uma. She reached down and carefully returned it to the sea, just to have an excuse to touch it. With a sigh, she forced herself back to the party. It was a fine day, and the sandy breeze left her skin full of salt. Evie had made her a bathing suit and a kind of beach dress of sheer, flowing fabric, both turquoise blue with small shells and beads, like the ones she wore in her hair, sewn together. Harry almost had a fit when he saw her.
Uma looked around for her first mate, who was playing with Gil, Jay and Doug a kind of impromptu tourney that Uma didn't make much sense of, but she got distracted watching Harry's hair move in the wind; he was wearing shorts ripped, and his torso was exposed, so Uma could see the strong muscles in his back filled with sand and wondered if his skin tasted like salt. It gave her an enormous peace to see him like this, happy, carefree, although his look of madness had not disappeared yet and Uma preferred it that way.
"Oh girl, you look so in love," said a girl next to her. Evie flashed her a smile and Uma raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" Uma asked, not sure whether to feel offended or not.
Evie sighed.
"You know what I mean. I just wanted to know if you are taking it well, we both know that showing love on the Island is considered the worst of all weaknesses. And I also know that it's hard to leave all that behind once things change. Mal hurt Ben a few times, being rude because the memory of having to be strong is so etched on our skin… I know that it wouldn't hurt Harry, but I'm worried that it might hurt you," said the Evil Queen's daughter.
Uma followed her best friends with her eyes, trying to find the words to speak. Finally, she forced herself to look at Evie.
"My mom used to say that Harry was going to be my biggest problem, we fought a lot about that," she admitted, "we were close, too close, by the standards of the Island. There is no one, in the whole world, as loyal as Harry is. Many people thought that I had promised him power, or that I forced him in some way. The reality, however, is that… he was always like that, you know? Just Harry. On the Island, I was afraid that my mother was right, and Harry was my weakness. So, I was tough on him, I pushed him, I ordered him, even though I could never completely keep those… feelings at bay. Here, I could see that our bond was always, in fact, one of our greatest strengths. But yes, sometimes… I am afraid that showing how much I love him could put him, or me, in a vulnerable situation."
Evie sighed.
"I know. Trust me, the same thing happened to me with Doug. That is why I was so reluctant to say the word love. It was wrong what Melody said the other night, you know? We grew up thinking that we did not deserve to be loved or wanted, knowing the weight that our parents' crimes had on our lives, but we all deserve love. And you, Uma, you've tried so hard ... I just want to tell you that I'm happy for you and that you can always find a friend in me, in case you want some advice, talk, whatever. "
Uma smiled slightly. Sometimes Evie could be too "princess" for Uma's liking, but she appreciated what she had told her.
"Thank you," she said, the word forced a little from her lips.
The morning was perfect for swimming, so Uma dived where the depth began and then tried to teach Mal to swim. Then the girls basked in the sand while the boys raced or buried each other under mounds of wet sand. Uma couldn't help but laugh when Harry, Doug, Carlos, and Gil buried Jay and molded him into a female body.
Then it was time for lunch and everyone was so hungry. They ate the snacks that Jane, Lonnie, and Audrey had prepared (with the help of a little Mal's magic) and laughed at things like the lousy pirate jokes Harry, Uma, and Gil used to tell, Ben and Mal's eventful honeymoon or Chad's recent attempts to keep using Carlos's 3D printer.
The sun was coming down over the sea when Uma signaled for Harry to follow her. Ignoring the cries of "lovebirds" from their friends, they walked along the shore to a hiding place that Uma had detected, behind some large rocks and lay there, right where the waves were breaking and approaching gently, but fluidly, to the shore. Harry could tell that Uma was relaxed, her lips curving into a barely perceptible smile, and then he decided he liked this place and moment.
"The sea is incredible, Harry," Uma told him, moving her hand to feel the water running through her fingers. "I really wanted you to see it. When I got stuck outside the Island, the only thing I could think about while in the water was how much you would love the big waves, how it would feel to be on the Lost Revenge during a storm, and that you would like coconuts more than the fried fish from the Chip Shoppe. "
"I must admit I miss fried fish a bit," Harry complained.
"I definitely miss beer," Uma admitted.
"The rum," Harry completed.
"French fries."
"The clam chowder."
Uma laughed heartily.
"That was gross, Harry," she scoffed, remembering the shoddy clams served at the bar.
"Yes, but you used to give us a big plate when we had a cold. You hid us in your room so your mom wouldn't notice and took care of us until we were better."
They were silent for a long time, listening to the sound of the rough sea. Uma remembered all the times she had taken care of her crew, always earning a good fight with her mother. Her mind was lost in strange thoughts about Ursula and her most recent dreams of hers.
"It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," Harry declared suddenly, Uma looked at him with a frown, not knowing exactly what he meant. "Those six months you weren't there. I had to get up every morning to see that it was not a nightmare, but reality, that you were not there. I had to go to the Chip Shoppe, only to see Cook do it all and find the table empty. Neither Gil nor I knew what to do. And the most difficult thing was to enter your cabin on the ship at night, waiting for a warm place next to you to sleep, and to find that everything was cold and alone."
They hadn't talked much about it. Uma knew that what her crew had done for her, wait her and remain loyal, was beyond any show of love she could have hoped for. But Harry was a separate story. He was telling her this not to hurt her, but because that was the way the two of them were. Honest, without masks. This was his way of asking her not to leave him again. And Uma had no intention of doing it.
She looked at him, hungry for him. His tousled hair, blue eyes, defined jaw… saying "I love you" wasn't enough. Not this time. She knew what she had to do without even hesitating. She wanted to erase the haunted look from his face, she wanted him to know that she wasn't going to leave him. She moved over to him, straddled her hips and Harry sat up, surprised by her actions. Uma tangled her hand in his hair, pulling him close to kiss him. Before she could even touch his lips, she felt the familiar ache in her belly. And when his lips touched and she Uma she could only think of how good she felt and how it seemed that her mouths were made to fit together, she knew that emptiness could only be filled by him. And a desperate need filled her.
Harry moaned her name between kisses, always with that adoration tone that she loved so much. She held his cheek; Harry tightened his hold on her waist. His whole body told her "please, don't go, stay, closer, closer." And she wanted to give him that, the promise that they would be together, on land and beyond the confines of the ocean.
Her body felt uncomfortable, like when it changed into her marine form, but she knew that wasn't the problem. Uma needed more closeness, more warmth. She ran a playful finger across Harry's chest as he pulled her close to kiss her neck. Uma shuddered and a wave crashed hard a few feet from them. She felt Harry smile, the very smug, but she didn't reprimand him. Harry needed to know that he too was able to undo her with his touch, just as she did with him when she ran her fingers through his hair.
"Take me, Harry."
She felt him stop for a second, doubting, and when she was going to ask him what was wrong, Harry renewed his attentions between her neck and her collarbone and Uma could tell that he was happy by the way he started humming her name. Uma took care to place her mouth close to his ear so that Harry could perfectly hear her sighs.
Uma leaned back to remove her dress and her bathing suit. Harry helped her impatiently, like a little boy unwrapping a gift. Uma's heart warmed. She then teased him, playing with the waistband of her shorts, but she definitely took them off when Harry complained pleadingly.
Harry was beautiful. She had always known it. She had seen him practically naked before when she had to heal an injury, or when she had taught him to swim, but this was a thousand times better. And he was hungry for Uma, touching her on every inch of her skin, as if he wanted to make sure she was real. Uma shuddered, her body trembling in anticipation.
He had dreamed of this for so long, Harry thought, now it was too unreal to have her, to feel her. He felt the fire in his temper transform, burning him from his heart with the need to be inside Uma. She was excited, he could feel it in the way her hips moved in the slightest, imperceptible, yet lascivious, movement.
Sea witch, pirate queen, she had been called by many names on the Island, but Harry always knew that Uma was a goddess, and she looked extremely powerful, with the waves crashing on her slim back, her blue hair floating in the breeze, and the smell of salt on her body, she was almost glowing… he kissed her, hungry, and Uma returned the kiss with force, biting her lips. This was one of the things Harry loved about her, the strength she had. She was mocking him, a mere mortal. Although Harry always knew that, in truth, Uma never considered him inferior. For her, Harry was an equal, not for nothing was the first mate of hers.
Uma brought her lips close to his ear and repeated her words. "Take me, Harry."
Uma was always painfully sensual without even wanting to, Harry supposed that was within the part of the sea that inhabited her. The reason why the sailors embarked on very long journeys, without knowing the direction, only to get lost in the seductive waters.
This was a gift that her pirate goddess, sea goddess, was giving him. Harry would never have thought of ignoring a direct order from his captain. But even before he could make a move, Uma took him in her soft hand and guided him inside herself, letting out an angry sigh at her sudden pain. But she didn't stop, she forced herself to lower her hips and Harry believed, in that moment, that he might die. Or maybe he was already dead. He, who had been told all his life that he was worthless, whose father made it clear that he preferred his sisters to him, how could he be worthy of her?
"Uma," Harry sighed, not quite sure why. He just wanted to say her name.
He moaned and Uma, who was kissing him, drank his moans with relish. If Harry thought that was the best feeling, he discovered that he was wrong when Uma moved her hips in a slow sway, in time with the crashing waves, always in sync with the sea. Harry placed one hand on Uma's back and the other buried it in her hair. His heart pounding so hard he wouldn't have been surprised to have a heart attack.
But she had given him an order, so Harry forced himself to move his hips to take her. Uma whimpered when Harry hit a specific spot inside her and practically melted into his arms, saying his name and oh, what a sweet sound, it sounded like a plea too. He would never tire of this, the taste of Uma on his lips and the familiar weight of her on him. There was something swirling inside him, something he knew was going to explode at any minute, like the foam of the sea hitting rocks, like the sound of storms breaking through the sky.
He buried his nose in Uma's neck, breathing in her scent, humming on her skin. He pressed his lips to her ear, just as she had done before.
"Feel me, Uma," he moaned, "feel me."
And Uma fell apart. At that moment, the surf changed. The waves got bigger, erratic, desperate and wild, Harry felt her shudder completely, her legs practically vibrating, her mouth slightly parted, and she looked him straight in the eyes as the waves crashed and broke and at the same time Uma let go, undoing herself, and the sight of that was enough for what was forming inside Harry to finally break and he felt the most perfect and pleasurable of releases, buried deep in Uma, as the two clung to the another as if their lives depended on it.
The waves calmed down, Harry remembered how to breathe, and Uma gave a happy laugh, a sound that echoed through the tide and made Harry feel dizzy, still unable to believe what had happened. Uma leaned against him, sinking into the crook of his neck, still with Harry inside her. There she felt more powerful than ever.
The sun was setting. They both watched the water turn red and orange, like fire, and then the sky began to turn purple. They decided it was probably time to get back to the others, so they dressed and walked along the shore back to the party. They both blushed when the others saw them and whistled in derision. Uma wished Harry´s emotion wasn´t so obvious, but she also liked a little to see the effect she had on him and to make it clear that he was hers. It wasn't a secret that Uma was territorial, she supposed that some habits never quite go away.
Mal and Evie immediately realized what had happened. Harry seemed lost in another world while Uma practically glowed, but they didn't say anything, knowing that this was not the time. They would ask Uma about that later.
Gil joined them, too innocent to know what was going on or why Jay and Doug were making fun of Harry. Night fell, the boys lit a fire and Jane handed out branches and marshmallows, when Uma looked at her blankly, she explained that they had to fit them into the branches and then leave them on the fire. Uma had no idea how something burned could taste well, but she did what Jane told her. The result was something sticky, sweet, and while Uma tried to eat it without smearing her face, Harry and Gil poured the entire candy into their mouth, leaving traces on their chins and sticky lips. Harry glued fake horns to Gil, sticking marshmallow sticks in his hair.
"I swear, you guys are like children," Uma giggled. "Come here Gil, I'll take that before we have to cut your hair."
Harry pouted, pretending to be mad at Uma for destroying his "artwork".
"Wait!" Ben said, surprising everyone. "I need a photo for my mom, she is going to love this."
Ben's mother, Belle, had a strange maternal softness for Gil. She couldn't believe that this boy was actually Gaston's son. Gil posed for several photos and they ended up doing a ridiculous and funny photoshoot. It was too dark to play anything, but they sat around the campfire and Ben insisted they tell horror stories. So, Doug started, telling a story about a haunted house with ghosts, when he finished, Evie put a hand on his shoulder, comforting him, and shook her head.
"I can't believe this," she said, shaking her head sadly. "But really, guys, is that really scary?"
Doug and Ben looked offended.
"I couldn't sleep for two weeks when I heard that story," Ben complained. Audrey laughed.
"On the other hand, we were five years old," the princess reminded him.
"Seriously, guys. That can't be the scariest thing you can think of" Mal said, looking completely disillusioned.
Uma stifled a laugh on Harry's shoulder, who was trying to put on a serious face for the sake of his recent friendship with the Auradon boys. Gil and Jay shared a look of disbelief.
"Haunted houses are terrifying," Jane defended herself.
"Yeah sure, butterflies too," Jay said wryly.
"Then let's hear some of your stories," suggested Audrey.
Mal and Uma looked at each other. Oh, there were many stories, that more than stories were memories of their lives on the Island. Memories that were with them always, wherever they went, even far from the Island.
"Well, our parents never told stories, exactly, and there weren't many books on the Island, so I can't think of horror stories right now," Evie said, somewhat unsure.
"Oh, but there must be something that scares you," Jane insisted.
"Memories," Uma replied simply and honestly. All the villain children nodded in agreement. "That's what scares us."
Ben frowned.
"Mal?" He asked. She didn't meet his eyes.
"It's a party," she replied simply, "you don't want to know about it now."
Ben nodded, knowing they would talk about it later, although the atmosphere had already become somewhat tense. Everyone was silent for a moment, not quite sure what to say, and it was then that Uma heard the voice. It was a whisper that caressed the back of her neck and entered her ears and made her shudder all over and jump up. Her name. Úrsula's voice saying her name.
"Uma? What's wrong?" Mal asked seeing the scared look of his friend. Uma never showed fear, so Mal wondered what had caused her to react that way.
"Did you hear that?" Asked the girl, focusing her gaze on the sea, almost expecting her mother to crawl towards shore at any second. Her heart was beating fast. She had to protect Harry and Gil, she had to keep her from touching them. She saw a flash in the waves and heard her mother's voice again, so she ran towards the water, knowing that if they faced, perhaps she would have more strength in her marine form. She heard Harry calling her, but she ignored him, she plunged into the sea, changing immediately.
The water was dark from the lack of sunlight, but Uma could see perfectly everything around her. She swam some more, eager to find her mother's hiding place. But she only saw emptiness and silence. Had she imagined the voice? No, it was too real. She had felt the whisper against her skin.
Something pulled her down and Uma felt the fear trying to break through her mind, but she didn't let it. She struggled to surface, her necklace flashing with the magic of her will, finally letting go and swimming upward. As she ascended, Uma clearly saw the shape of two eels in the distance. She would recognize them anywhere, but she blinked, and they were gone. She surfaced, only to see that she had gotten quite far from shore. She swam across the surface and saw a figure approach.
"Uma!" It was Harry.
"I'm here! Wait there, Harry!" She ordered him. She hurried to swim toward him, her heart hammering hard against her chest. She reached out a hand when she was close enough to Harry and he took it and pulled her towards him. Uma hugged his body, wanting to feel safe.
"What was that, Uma? What's up?" He asked.
Uma glanced quickly over her shoulder, but the sea was calm. There were no signs of eels, but she knew what she had seen.
"I heard my mother's voice," she told him. "Harry, she's up to something. The last time I saw her… she was so furious. And down there… I swear I saw Flotsam and Jetsam."
Harry nodded, knowing how much Uma worried about this. He cradled her in his arms.
"Easy, Uma. She can't hurt you here. Stay calm."
She clutched her necklace in her hands, wanting to make sure she didn't drop it into the sea. Harry and Uma swam together to shore, where the others were waiting for them. Uma changed to go ashore. Right away, she was peppered with a bunch of questions, but she ignored them and turned to Ben and Mal, who looked very puzzled.
"We need to talk."