Captured By Pirates

This chapter depicts the scene from the movie where Ben is tied to a mast on the pirate ship. Parts of the dialogue and what follows have been altered to allow my own version of events to take place.

[Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Descendants 2, nor the dialogue used from the film. Some dialogue from the film has been included in order to maintain continuity with the events of the film. No copyright infringement or theft of intellectual property is intended.]

Chapter 8

"Coochy-coochy coo," Harry crooned as he stroked the king's chin with the curve of his hook, laughing with vicious humor. "How's it feel to be the king now, eh?" he asked.

Ben turned to look at this henchman with scorn and defiance. This lowly lackey wasn't going to get a rise out of him. Sure he had made many mistakes as a new king, being captured by pirates was proof of that, but he was still king, and Auradon needed him to get through this. With any luck he would get out of this situation relatively unscathed and be a better king because of it.

Hook just laughed at the king's resolute stare, knowing that the man was helpless, vulnerable, and for the time being his plaything. As he circled around the mast preparing to take hold of the king's strong jaw, Uma came up from behind to spoil his fun.

"Give it a rest, Harry. Give it a rest," she said with a bored voice, "We don't want damaged goods." This man was not her prey, he was merely the bait. She wanted Mal, not this young fool of a king, standing rigidly against the ship's foremast, in his rope bindings.

'That's rich,' Ben thought, 'After all that she put me through last night. And now she doesn't want me damaged?' Ben had recovered from the injuries he had sustained at the hands of Uma's crew when they had captured him. But his magically healed ribs were still tender from the beating they had given him. And now here he was tied to a ship mast, being harassed by Captain Hook's son. Why was she putting him through all of this, if she didn't want to "damage" him? And how did this relate to Mal? He remembered Uma mentioning Mal when they had first met in that dark building. Could Mal do anything to help him? Would she even want to help him after their breakup?

Captain Uma sat on a trunk in front of the king, looking over Mal's boyfriend. What did she see in him? After all, he had no better sense than to go wandering off down a dark ally, by himself, on the Isle of the Lost. It had been so easy to capture him. Was this really Auradon's king?

"You said that I could hook him," Harry growled through clenched teeth as he clung to the rope ladder reaching to the top of the foremast, his hook pointed at the hostage. Ben looked at the villainous man, calling for his death. He hoped that Mal would come for him, that she really did love him, and would be willing to rescue him. But he doubted her. No, he doubted himself, their last conversation still haunting him. He had thought that she loved him, as much as, he love her. But as the hours of his imprisonment ticked by his doubts grew.

"I said at noon, tomorrow," Uma spoke over Hook's protests, anger rising in her voice.

Hook jumped from the ship's railing and approached the trussed up king. Leaning against the mast, he held up a chain with a watch dangling at its end. The same watch that Harry had retrieved from the belly of the crocodile, which had killed his father. Harry had fought and slain the beast on his 13th birthday and he took the watch as proof of his deed. But, he always regretted that he had been two years too late to save his father from being eaten by the ghastly beast. Still, Harry was proud to have proven himself superior to both the crocodile and his own father. Captain James Hook's death had been devastating for his wife, Mary. Before his death she had been a proud woman, tenacious and full of life. But, after Captain Hook had fallen pray to the deadly reptile, Mary was consumed with grief and regret. Harry had hoped that by killing the creature his mother would be restored to her former self. But when he had shown her the watch and the crocodile's dead carcass, Mary only sunk deeper into her depression. Now she lived out her days in the retired villains home, muttering to herself in words that no one understood.

Harry grew to despise his mother for her weakness. While, he shared her feelings of grief over the loss of his father, those feelings had served motivated him to take revenge against the crocodile. Harry's anger and hatred for the beast had given him the strength to fight and kill it. But his mother had allowed her feeling of love and grief to twist her into a shadow of her former self. Seeing his mother deteriorate into an empty shell had hardened Harry's heart. He saw how love could rob a person of their vitality, their will to live, and he vowed that he would never let that happen to him. He would never allow emotions like sympathy, grief, or love get the better of him. No.

From that point on, Harry only allowed himself to feel the emotions that had fueled his victory over the crocodile. Anger, hatred, malice, and rage consumed him more and more each day. And soon all he wanted was to punish those who believed that their love was stronger than his wrath. That's why he hated the man standing before him so much. Ben was there because of love. If the king had not been such a fool for love, he would never have come to the Isle. He would have never sulked unwarily into that dark ally alone. He never would have responded to that cry for help. And he would never have fallen into their trap. Standing before him was living proof that Harry had been right all along; love was weakness, a weakness that needed to be crushed, just like the crocodile.

"Twenty-four more hours," Harry warned, the raised watch ticking in front of the king's face.

Unimpressed Ben informed the first mate, "That says 11:30," giving him twenty-four hours and thirty minutes. Hook sighed as he pocketed his precious watch. Looking with greater contempt on the unflinching prisoner.

"You better hope your girlfriend comes through." Uma called, looking at Ben with increasing amusement.

"Mmm-hmm," Hook agreed as he walked back towards the captain. Resting his foot on the poop deck, as he took up his stance next to Uma.

"But she's not my girlfriend anymore," Ben said, sadness and regret filling his words.

Harry's vindictive chuckles filled the empty space between them. Uma also found the statement to be humorous causing her to smile. She wanted to figure out why this king sounded so brokenhearted, especially when it was over a poser villain like Mal.

"Leave us alone Harry," Uma told the man standing to her left with a nod of her head.

Hook walked up to the king, teeth bared, "Less than twenty-four hours to go now," Harry whispered as he grabbed hold of Ben's leather jacket.

"Go!" Uma commanded.

Harry let go of the man's jacket, patting it roughly back into place. Ben glared at the wicked pirate; trying not to think of what Hook would do to him if Mal didn't show up. Ben turned his gaze from Hook's receding figure and was met with the captain's voracious stare. The king looked into Uma's eyes, and saw more than just hunger, he also saw pain.

"I get that you don't deserve this," he said to her, trying to convey that he understood, or at least wanted to understand, the pain that she was feeling.

Uma's laughter rang out, shock momentarily disarming her. She looked away to regain her composure, and then looked back at him, amusement showing in her smile.

"This," she said, as if to herself. "This island is a prison thanks to your father!" Uma shouted back at the young king, "And don't pretend to look out for me," she said with a shake of her head, "Because no one's looking out for me. It's just me." Uma knew what he was doing, the king hoped to win his freedom by pretending to care about her. But she had no intention of letting her hostage go.

"So, this isn't your mom's plan?" Ben asked. Uma scoffed in response to his ignorance. "Isn't that her necklace?" he asked.

'How clueless can this guy be?' she thought again. "My mom doesn't care about me either," Uma said with a cynical smile. "Well, not unless she needs someone for the night shift," she conceded.

"Ouch," Ben said with sympathy.

"I don't need your pity," she shot back.

"No, you certainly don't," the king agreed. "You're very resourceful," he said looking over the ship filled with pirates all loyal to their captain. As he turned back to look at her, Ben could tell that her skeptical stare, meant that Uma was puzzled his complement. "I don't see you tied up," Ben explained. The woman chucked at his unequivocal observation.

"All right, so let's trash talk Mal," Uma said standing and walking towards him.

"I'd rather talk about you," the king said, skillfully side-stepping the painful subject of his ex-girlfriend.

"Mmm," Uma responded, seeing through his diplomatic answer, "Funny and a gentleman." But the captain wanted to remind him that she was the one holding all the cards. "I really hope I don't have to feed you to the fishes," an expression Uma often used when threatening enemies.

"Oh, you don't," Ben responded, a hint of fear causing his voice to rise in pitch. It was time to try talking himself out of this. "Set me free and we'll go back together," proposed the king."

"Oh, so now I get an invite," Uma laughed with false humor. "Gee, I wonder why?" she said, her voice turning deadly. The captain struck the mast right by her king's head and leaned in to making sure that he would hear her every word. "When you brought Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay to Auradon, that's as mad as I've ever been in my life," she explained. "And trust me, I've been plenty mad," the captain finished by slapping Ben hard across his right cheek. Uma turned away, trying to remove the pain from her expression. Stunned by her blow, Ben struggled to grasp just how much distress his actions had caused this woman.

"I never thought of it like that before," he tried to explain himself, "that I could've hurt the people I didn't pick. The plan was to start with four kids and bring more people over. I guess I was busy being King. That sounds lame." Uma had turned back towards him as he spoke, wanting to believe his words. "I'm so sorry," he said as Uma approached him again. "You're a leader Uma. So am I. Come to Auradon and be part of the solution," the king said, hoping that she would release him and support his plans to bring over good people like Smee and his family to Auradon.

"Me?" Uma questioned, disbelief in her smile, "Part of your solution?" She looked at the king, his eyes pleading for her to believe him. He presented a tempting offer. And for a moment Uma thought it over. What would it be like to go back to Auradon with the king? And join him in taking down the barrier and freeing her crew and the rest of those trapped on the Isle. But then Mal's face flashed before her eyes, and she remembered how Mal had everything she wanted, even this credulous king. And while Ben was offering her a chance to finally escape the Isle, Uma doubted that she could trust him, especially when he still loved Mal.

'No,' she decided, 'this guy is trying to play me.' Uma was sure that the second she freed him, the king would run off to Auradon. Leaving her behind trapped on the Isle, just like before. She couldn't trust Ben to keep his word. She couldn't trust anyone. No, the only one she could rely was herself. Uma thought this all as she surveyed the king.

"Nah," she responded, and then with a smile said, "I don't need you. I'm gonna get there on my own."

As she said this, an idea struck her. She couldn't trust the king as long as he loved Mal, but what if his feelings changed? What if she could get the king to love her instead? Then she wouldn't have to fear a double-cross from Mal or the king. Uma decided it was time to hedge her bets. In case Mal didn't come through with the wand, she would use Ben to get to Auradon. The only question was how to do it. Then she remembered him pointing out her mother's necklace; the same necklace that Ursula had used to steal the voice of a merprincess and capture the love of a prince. Why couldn't she do the same thing? Uma was more than just a pirate captain; she was also a sorceress, just like her mother. All she needed was the right spells, potions, and circumstances to capture the heart of the king.

To ensure that her spell was as effective as possible Uma would first need to prepare her victim. His mind, will, and heart would need to be broken, so that the king would succumb to her spell without resistance. The weaker Ben was, the easier it would be for Uma's enchantment to take hold and the harder it would be to break. With this newly formed plan, the captain decided to enlist her crew's aid in breaking the king's spirit. Uma looked past her captive and called for her first mate, "Harry!"

The woman's expression filled with malice, as she looked Ben over. "Let's see what this puppy can do," the daughter of the Sea Witch said holding up her mother's magical, shell necklace. The king looked into Uma's dark eyes and his stomach plummeted. Ben remembered the stories of how Prince Eric had been bewitched by Uma's mother, and had almost married the Sea Witch, instead of his true love, Princess Ariel. What did Uma have in store for him? Would she try to entrance him and force him to reject the woman he loved?

Then Uma walked away, to speak with her crew. The king hung his head in despair. How could he resist the enchantments of a sea witch? How could he stop her plans? Ben shook his head.

'No, I will resist,' he thought, 'my love for Mal will be enough. Even if she doesn't feel the same way, nothing will change the way I feel about her.'

Just then Uma returned with Harry, Gil, and several other members of her crew. They all looked at him with hatred and dark desire burning in their eyes. Panic gripped Ben and he began struggling against the ropes, which secured him to the mast. Still, he knew that his futile efforts would not save him from what was coming next.