Captured By Pirates

This chapter tells how Ben spent the rest of the day in the captain's quarters and about an unexpected journey.

[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 11

Ben's heart felt like it was in a vice, being crushed incrementally with every pointed question and biting comment about his relationship with Mal. The captain seemed to delight in his suffering. Her gratified smile grew each time he flinched in pain from her stabbing words. The king sought to deflect Uma's torturous barrage by trying to convince her that he was on her side and offering to take her to Auradon. But the captain remained implacable. And was soon bored with his numerous attempts to negotiate his way out of his predicament. So, to shut him up, she grabbed a black headscarf from her wardrobe, tied several knots into the middle of it, and shoved the twisted ball into Ben's mouth. Then Uma pulled the ends tight behind his head and knotted them together. Once the scarf was securely in place the captain left her cabin.

The king had almost choked on the wad of fabric thrust between his teeth. But he controlled his gag reflex and focused on breathing through his nose. The scarf had been fastened so tightly that it was impossible for Ben to budge it even an inch. He soon felt his saliva beginning to pool, threatening to leak out of his pried open mouth. Ben would have removed the gag if two crewmembers had not come in behind the captain, and lashed him to the chair. He supposed that Uma wanted to make sure he did not slip away while she was out overseeing her crew's work. Not that the king had much hope of this. Even with his meal, Ben was still very weak and tired. Besides, the king had no hope of being stealthy enough to sneak of the ship with shackles on his wrists and ankles.

Now the prisoner sat exhausted, his head nodded against his chest, as he was forced to sit upright by the tight ropes around his torso and waist. The man's limbs throbbed in pain from the cords binding them to the chair's arms and legs. And the gag made his jaw ache every time he swallowed back the spit precariously close to spilling out of his parted lips.

Ben had tried to find relief in the bliss of unconsciousness many times, however his discomfort, the constant yelling of the captain, and loud banging of the crew as they went about their business made this very difficult. In addition to all the external commotion, the king was under assault from his own thoughts. His conversations with Uma had shown him just how little consideration he had given to his plans for the VKs and all those on the Isle of the Lost. Ben had been naïve to expect that coming to Auradon would somehow turn the VKs good. He had believed that he could reason with Uma, get her on his side, and get her to see things his way. Now he realized that he had never once looked at things from her perspective. He was so ignorant. An ignorance bred from living all his life in the safe and happy Kingdom of Auradon. He had been sheltered from the evil prevalent on this island. And now he was experiencing what that evil did to people firsthand.

Then his introspection turned to Mal. And a fresh wave of misery overwhelmed him. Ben's heart bled with the agony of their breakup. How could he expect Mal to come back to him after he had so stupidly tried to force her into his world? Ben never once considered how hard it must have been for her and the other VKs to fit in at Auradon Prep. They had expected so much of the VKs without ever considering how different everything was for them. It must have been so difficult for Mal, and here he was making things even harder by asking her to give up the Isle, just for him.

Suddenly, Ben was torn from his pensiveness by a sharp slap across his left cheek.

"I said, it's time for you to move," Uma repeated vindictively.

Ben's ruminations had led him into an insensible stupor. He had not paid attention to anything beyond his own agonized brooding. Now as he looked around at his surroundings, Ben saw that it was dark, and the lanterns in the room were lit. The king also became aware of how wet his face had become. The tears, which he had fought so hard to keep inside, had finally broken free. They were now flowing steadily down his cheeks, mixing with the escaping drool seeping from his lips.

"Aww, poor baby," Uma crooned, "You just can't control yourself, can you?" She laughed, then forced his head to bow downward, and began untying the scarf. Once it was removed she went over to a low dresser with a mirror perched on top. There she picked up a towel and plunged it into a nearby washbasin. After wringing it out, Uma came back to the king and wiped his face clean.

Ben was grateful for the cool water on his skin, it was refreshing, and helped to ease the tension caused by the fabric holding his mouth ajar for so long. Still his jaw was sore enough that it would be some time before Ben could form coherent words again.

"Now, like I said," Uma continued, "It's time for you to move."

Uma unsheathed a knife from her belt. She held it up in front of the man. Flourishing it before Ben's anxious eyes. Another surge of dread filled the king and he shuddered in anticipation of the next horrors the captain had in store for him. Uma rested the flat of the blade against his cheek. At first the cool metal felt almost pleasant to his aching jaw, but then she began to draw the edge downwards toward his throat. Ben shivered at the touch not knowing if she planned to cut him or just scare him. The blade continued to glide down his throat and skimmed across the exposed flesh peaking out from under his open laced shirt. Ben felt the razor edge trace along the contours of his muscles, until the tip rested just above his heart. Then he felt the point prick his skin and thought that the captain had decided to sink the blade into his chest. But before the king could brace himself for the deathblow, the sharp metal lifted away. Then his breathing eased, as the pressure constricting his sternum, was suddenly removed. Uma had cut the bindings from around his torso. Then the ropes around his waist fell away, and Ben was finally able to inhale freely. He took a deep breath relishing the sensation with gratitude and relief. Apparently, the captain was just using the knife to cut him loose. Uma continued to cleave the cords holding her captive in place. Although she had removed the ropes, the captain left the shackles on her captive's wrists and ankles. Ben just sat there, lost in the ameliorative sensations of blood flushing his newly freed appendages with warmth, air inflating his unrestricted lungs, and tension fading from his aching muscles.

Uma surveyed the king's inert form sagging in the chair. She concluded that the man would not have the strength to get up on his own. So she called two members of her crew to escort, or rather carry the king out of her cabin. It was a struggle for Ben merely to place one foot in front of the other as he walked, so he did not notice where he was being taken. He was soon surprised to find himself seated in a small lifeboat. His curiosity peaked even further when the boat was lowered down to the water below the pirate ship with just him and Uma in it. Then she did something even more unexpected, the woman jumped out of the small craft into the ocean.

'What was she doing?' Ben wondered, his mind racing to make sense of her actions.

Then he felt the little boat jerk forward, pulling away from The Lost Revenge and out into a mist that was settling over the undulating waves. Ben looked around trying to see what had happened to Uma. There behind him he saw her hands gripping the stern of the craft, the blue braided top of her head was just visible beyond them. And then he was startled to see tentacles trailing behind the boat. He realized what Uma must be doing. Rather than row to their destination, she was using her octopus half to propel them through the water. Where was she taking him? It's not like they could go that far from the Isle, after all the barrier only extended 5 leagues away from the island. She would not take him that far out to sea, would she?

After almost twenty minutes the vessel finally came to a stop. Ben looked back; he could just barely see the dim lights of the Isle blinking through the sea fret that now surrounded them. He heard a splash as Uma dove beneath the waves. The king looked to see where she had gone, but saw nothing in the inky, black water. Minutes later he heard the sound of a heavy weight sliding over the bow of the boat. It looked like some sort of anchor on a chain as it slid into place before the front bench. Then he heard Uma's voice calling from below.

"We're here," her voice rang out. "Well, almost," She qualified as she climbed back into the craft; her tentacles helping her easily rise up from the ocean to stand on the wooden planks.

Ben looked at her in amazement. Uma's tentacles were the exact same shade of aqua blue as her braided hair. By the gauzy moonlight she was a wonder to behold. Countless water droplets, shimmering in the pale light, cast miniature rainbows as they trickled down her curvaceous body. The king was stunned. She was powerful, confident, and beautiful. His father could say what he liked about villains; but Uma had something that most girls at Auradon Prep lacked. The woman possessed a fierce, bold, beauty that came from being unapologetically herself. Ben supposed that this is what first drew him to Mal. He now regretted how much his girlfriend had tried to change in a pointless attempt to fit into his world. Mal was perfect just the way she was, there was nothing about her that he would change. And as he thought this Ben decided that the next time he saw her, he would tell Mal just how much he loved her, exactly as she was.

"Now," Uma said to him. "Sit still, this is going to take a moment, and if you move while I'm casting the spell you'll drown," she said with a wink.

Ben gulped back his fear and watched as Uma took hold of her seashell necklace and began chanting. He did not recognize the language and assumed it must be Atlantean or something similar. Then a dark ultramarine haze began to seep out of the shell. It crept towards him and began encircling his body. Soon the king was completely enveloped in the deep blue fog. When he could see nothing but the midnight cloud, it collapsed in around him. Ben choked on the fumes as they forced their way down his throat and into his lungs. The stifling vapor penetrated more than just his mouth; it seeped into his eyes, ears, even his pores. He felt it invading every last inch of his body. The gas filled him entirely, not a wisp of the smoky haze remained. For a moment Ben thought he would loose all of his senses, that unconsciousness would take him. But the feeling quickly passed, leaving the king unscathed, but feeling weaker than before.

'What more will this woman do to me?' Ben wondered. 'Will she ever be satisfied?' he questioned.

The king would soon find out.

Ben looked up at his captor. She flashed him a cruel smile. Then without warning Uma grabbed his arm and jumped into the water, pulling Ben in after her as she descended deep into the sea.