Captured By Pirates
This chapter focuses on a conversation between Captain Uma and King Ben.
[Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Descendants 2 or the dialogue used from the film. Some dialogue from the film has been included in order to tie in the events of the film into my fanfic. No copyright infringement or theft of intellectual property is intended.]
Chapter 10
As Smee helped the king up the stairs he briefly considered sneaking the young man off the ship, but he knew better than that. It would have meant death for him and his family if he ever betrayed the captain and his shipmates. He hoped that whatever Captain Uma had planned for her prisoner it did not involve hurting the young man anymore.
One of the pirates from before joined the two when they reached the main deck. Ben saw that the sun was beginning its decent and wondered how many more of those twenty-four hours he still had left. It couldn't be much later than four o'clock in the afternoon. As he thought this his stomach growled, and he remembered that he hadn't eaten since his scant breakfast of stale bread and water from that morning. As he was taken into the captain's quarters he was made to sit in a chair facing a large, wooden table. And behind this sat Captain Uma, wearing a cynical smile.
"Restrain him," she commanded.
Smee looked to the other pirate, who quickly retrieved two sets of shackles. After locking the manacles around the king's wrists and ankles, the Captain dismissed her crew with an indifferent wave. Both men withdrew from the cabin. Then Uma got up, crossed the room and pulled a key out from beneath her shirt, and locked the door. Finally, she returned and perched on the edge of her desk directly in front of her prisoner. The man was too sore, tired, and hungry to do more than just glare back at her.
Uma smiled down at him. The cuts on Ben's face had faded into thin pink lines and the bruises were barely noticeable. But if the crew had caused any internal injuries it would take several more hours for him to completely recover. She thought about the preparations her crew was making for the inevitable confrontation tomorrow and figured that her plans for Mal's boyfriend could wait until this evening. Then a loud growl broke the silence between them. They both looked down at Ben's stomach as it let out another angry moan. The captain's smile grew even larger.
"Hungry are we?" she asked in a sympathetic tone. Ben looked up, a faint sliver of hope in his eyes. Uma laughed at that. "Well get used to it," she sneered at him, "We're always hungry here." Ben looked down again, as despair filled him. He chided himself for showing weakness to this woman. Of course, his suffering would only elicit pleasure in this ruthless woman. He was a fool to think she would show him a shred of mercy or compassion.
'Still,' Uma thought to herself, 'it wouldn't do for him to be too weak.' She got off her desk and walked over to her ship's intercom system, much like the one Mal used, and called to someone.
"Marcus," she yelled into the open metal pipe.
"Yes captain?" a man's tinny voice responded.
"Bring food for me and my guest, right away!" she commanded.
"Yes, captain!" Marcus replied.
Uma stuck a cork into the open horn and turned back to her captive. Ben was looking at her in surprise and she gave him a mocking smile.
"Is it too forward of me to ask you to dinner?" she simpered with a falsely innocent voice. Ben looked away in disgust.
Uma sauntered back to her chair and continued to watch the chained man. But her leering was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. The captain went to unlocked it and allow the ship's cook to come in with two trays of food. After setting them on the table he exited, and Uma locked the door behind him, tucking the necklace with its key back down her shirt.
Ben was eying the food. Although none of it looked very appetizing, the young man was far too ravenous to worry about that. He was tempted to reach out and grab the first thing his hand touched, but years of courtly training kept him from eating without his host's consent, even if she was also his captor.
The captain returned to her seat and noticed the young king's hesitation. "Go ahead and eat," she told him, as she plucked a piece of fish off her plate and ate it. Ben looked down at his tray; in an instant he was pulling it towards him prepared to devour everything in sight. In spite of the burdensome cuffs on his wrists, it did not take the king long to completely clear his tray. Uma would have heckled the king, if his frenzied eating hadn't reminded her of all the times she had gone without food. Uma knew the wrenching pain of hunger all too well, and she would not mock him for suffering that agony. Especially, when she was the one who had caused it. The realization of just how much pain this man had endured, since she had taken him hostage, weighted heavily on the captain's mind.
'Do I regret kidnapping him,' Uma wondered, 'No, I did what I had to do. If I hadn't Mal wouldn't be getting the wand for me.' She continued to think as she ate. 'Besides,' the captain reasoned, 'all this torment will make it easier for me to control him later on.' A wicked smile played across her lips as she thought over her plans for Mal's boyfriend.
Ben didn't notice Uma's preoccupation with him. He had been too busy satisfying his hunger and thirst. If he had been served food like this back in Auradon, the king would have turned his nose up at it. But now it was all he could do not to choke from eating it too fast. He supposed that's what hunger did to people, it made them willing to eat anything they could get, even if no one else would ever want it, if they had a choice. But Ben's choices had been stripped away from him, just like the rest of those on the Isle of the Lost. They hadn't chosen to live here, but they did what they needed to in order to survive. That's what Uma was doing now. She was trying to find a way to survive and get off of this island prison. Ben couldn't blame her for lashing out at him. The pain of growing up on the Isle must have been overwhelming for her. But he wished that he could make her see that he was on her side. That he wanted the same things that she did. If only Uma could believe him, she would see that all of this torture was unnecessary. But the king knew that trying to reason with her again would be futile. She would think he was just trying to escape, especially since that's all Uma wanted, to escape.
"Now Your Highness," Uma said contemptuously, interrupting the king's brooding, "Let me ask you something." Ben looked up at the captain, wondering what she could possibly want to know. "How serious are you and Mal?" she asked, bitterness tainting her words.
Ben wasn't sure how to answer this question, nor did he grasp why Uma was asking it. He had already told her that Mal wasn't his girlfriend anymore. What more did she want to know?
"I already told you, Mal and I aren't together anymore," Ben answered, the admission causing pain to pierce his heart.
Uma considered this, maybe what she had planned wouldn't hurt Mal as much as she had hoped. But then again, Ben was the King of Auradon, even if Mal no longer wanted him, Uma could still use him. Besides, he was fairly good looking, especially wearing those tight black breeches and that billowy white shirt; sitting before her chained and helpless as her prisoner. This goodie two-shoes would soon learn what true villainy was.
"Hmm, that's too bad," Uma taunted, "Why's that?"
Ben did not want to respond, it hurt too much and it was clear that Uma was just teasing him. He looked down to hide the moisture gathering in his eyes. Uma walked over and put a hand under his chin. She forced his face upwards and looked into his eyes. Seeing his tears made her snicker.
"Oh, poor Ben. You really do love Mal," Uma exclaimed, "But does she feel the same way about you? If she did, then why did Mal leave Auradon? Why did she refuse to go back with you, even after you came all this way for her?"
Uma cackled as Ben's tears broke free and ran down his cheeks. Again, he tried to turn his head, to hide the sorrow from her. But the captain held his face firmly in place; she didn't want to miss a moment of his agony. She relished it; this kind of pain satiated a longing within her that nothing else could. Gazing at this virtuous king cry in pain, made her feel exultant, especially as she thought about her plans for their night together. Now Uma began to contemplate whether or not she would give him back to Mal, even if her old adversary did follow through and bring her the wand. If the King of Auradon belonged to her, then she could be queen. And as queen, she would have the power to take down the barrier forever. She wouldn't need the wand anymore. And this grieving royal would do that for her. Her plans were turning out to be even better than she had expected. All she had to do was make this man fall in love with her.
"Now," she said, malice accentuating her every word, "Tell me all about you and Mal. And how you drove her away."