The first thing Uma does when they return to the Lost Revenge is to go straight to the powderkeg, where all the supplies are kept, the cans of food, soap, personal hygiene items and the few medicines they have on board, to check what they have to survive until the following week, when the next shipment from Auradon finally arrives, although that doesn't mean the problem will be solved.
There are things Uma needs so that her crew can survive, and even to make the necessary exchanges to keep the situation at the dock at bay. The few coins Desiree and Gonzo managed to get are as insufficient, scarce as pure air, and they seem to taunt Uma with her rust-stained solar gold.
Things used to be different on the isle before. Exchanges could be made with anything of value, but that value had been substituted for just coins because people were used to it in Auradon. In the years when Ben had tried to improve conditions on the isle, he, too, regulated commerce.
Uma sits on the floor of the magazine, hugging her legs, and she closes her eyes and leans her forehead on her knees to think.
Thus, she can almost pretend that she is at sea. The weak waves resemble those in some quiet regions, and they sway the boat in a curious way, almost like jumping, and Uma can imagine that she is moving forward, riding the waves… However, the noise of the dock does not allow her to enter the fantasy for a long time. There are screams, voices as well known as hardly distinguishable, and the sound of fights, of ships creaking, complaining, dying in their stillness.
With the familiar and strange sound, Uma ends up moving away from the sea and finds herself years ago, in her room above Ursula's shop, jaded with anger, overwhelmed with impotence. She forces herself to snap back to the present, feeling almost nauseous at the vivid sensation of the memory.
She is at home, on the ship, in her Lost Revenge, and she is with Harry and she never has to hide her feelings for him anymore. She has Nerea, she remembers, and she will not do to her the same thing that her mother did to her.
But her heart is pounding, her stomach feels tight, so Uma stands up, brushing off her clothes, angry with herself for being afraid of a past that can't hurt her. However, the memory of her mother's shop, of her youth, makes her think of the first day they returned to the Isle, how everything seemed the ruins of a long-forgotten nightmare.
There was no escape back then, until she won the ship and her people's trust, but now, perhaps, Ursula's shop could be a momentary solution to the economic problem. The idea disgusts Uma, makes her feel the filth glued to her skin again, the humiliation creeping through her veins from the tips of her fingers, scaly, full of thorns, threatening to settle in her heart again.
She moves away from the powder magazine, from the mocking gazes of the cans, from the void between the wood, ready to find Harry and Nerea, knowing that only they will be able to calm her, because she belongs there, with her family, with her people to whom she loves , so painfully, amid the sullen laughter of her pirates.
Her footsteps lead her to her cabin almost unconsciously, and Uma feels her heart rate normalize when she hears Harry speaking to Nerea. And when she enters her cabin and sees them, him half sitting, half lying on the bed, with the baby on his chest, she finally feels that terrible sensation leave her skin.
"What's wrong, Uma, dear?" Harry asks, because he can always read her, knows when something happens, if it happens, even if Uma doesn't say it. She denies, silently telling him that he shouldn't worry, but she takes off her boots and crawls across the bed to reach him. Uma hugs him around the waist, pulling him closer to herself, and Harry's arm wraps around her in a second. She takes one of Nerea's tiny hands, stroking it between her fingers, and in the end, Harry perceives that Uma needs her and places her in her arms. There is a rearrangement before each piece falls into place, without discomfort, and Uma and Harry tangle their legs together.
He can see the way she holds Nerea, and there is something almost animal in the way her eyes shine with the need to protect, with the longing, an anguish that Harry has also felt, when love of the size of the immeasurable sea and drowns, suffocates, and at the same time one only wants to let oneself be carried away, not to fight against any tide, to give up one's breath. It's a feeling that Harry has had so frequently since Nerea was born. It's a feeling he doesn't want to fight with, so he lets Uma feel it in her way, buries his nose between her algal braids, ready to sleep on that fierce shoreline.
Uma accommodates Nerea on her chest, feeling her heart beat as well. She seeks the warmth of her mother, stirring, squealing a little. She is so small and makes both of them burn with her maritime lighthouse fire, because the light that emanates from her, in their lives, on this lost island so far from the sea, is the way to follow for their wandering ship, which goes around the world searching, not knowing what, but searching, get home safely.
And Uma knows, in an instant and without hesitation, that just for her, it's worth doing whatever, anything, even going back to the fish and chips shop, if that means they can give her something better than what they had in this desolate island.
However, when she turns to look at Harry to tell him, she realizes that he is asleep. And he seems calm for the first time in a long time. His mouth is ajar, but his forehead has no worry lines. There will be plenty of time to talk later, Uma decides, because she's tired too. Nerea no longer wakes up so much at night as she used to do before, when she also perceived the anguish of her parents at having been sent back to the isle, when she could not feed on Uma and that made her restless and anxious; now, Nerea just entangles her hands in Uma's braids, snuggles close to her, where she can also catch Harry's scent, and falls asleep.
Hours later, Gil opens the door to tell Uma that the first test of planting with soil from the island failed. The seed is putrid, just wet, ruined. The soil of the isle is weak, infertile, and no matter how long Gil waits for something to flourish, nothing will.
And as he sees his friends asleep (they must be exhausted, seriously, and Gil does not really know what to do to help them) he decides to close the door and keep the bitter taste that threatens to emerge between his words.
The day on the island passes normally. When they wake up, around noon, Harry listens carefully to Uma's idea, and doesn't ask if she's sure about it because he knows she is, he can feel it in the way her firm hand squeezes his arm securely, without hurting him, as she speaks. They are cleaning Nerea, changing her clothes, and Uma realizes that it is necessary to find some time in the day to sew, because the baby is growing too fast for her liking.
She carefully folds Nerea's pants, and puts them in a drawer. It is certain that she will not wear them again, but Uma thinks about washing them very well and keeping them to give them to Harriet, who will surely need them. Articles for newborns are practically nil on the Isle.
"Well," Harry finally says, picking up a clean, calm Nerea, pulling her closer to kiss her nose. He inhales the scent of her for a moment, and then he gives her to Uma, and she stands still so Harry can wrap the baby wrap around both of them. "If you think it can work, there will be quite a few repairs to be done in the shop. The last time we were there, it looked really abandoned".
"I know".
The doubt hangs in the air between them, about if Ursula will be there, somewhere. When they were returned to the isle, it was not only the VK's, but also the villains, who were eagerly searched in all corners of the world to be able to bring them back in there. Harry has even seen his father a couple of times now, on the deck of his ship (he's not surprised how gaunt he looks), but Ursula is unknown. They don't know if she's living in her old hiding place, or if she finally died out there, before they locked her up again.
But to think about putting the fish and chip shop on the ship is absurd. To begin with, there is no suitable place to do it, and Uma doesn't want people to have such easy access to the privacy of her family. The only option is the old store, so Harry promises that he will get wood to make the repairs. Later, they will go to the place to weigh what are the needs that they have to cover before being able to open to the public, and later, if everything is in order, they will tell the crew about this idea.
Uma knows that none of them will resist. She can see how hard they work, all the time. And she knows that some of them could survive alone now, with the hardness of their hands, with the mettle that they forged for so many years being the crew of a humiliated sea witch, but they stay, they always stay, ready to keep going on.
"I'll go get the wood. See you later".
Uma nods.
"Take Gil with you. Be careful ".
So Harry says goodbye to Uma with a kiss on the hand, as dramatic and theatrical as ever, staring at her with intensity from his black-framed eyes (and Uma can't deny that she loves the way his gaze is so deep), before leaving. She is used to the feeling of fear that forms in her throat when Harry or one of the crew members leaves. She has been living with her for years, maybe a lifetime.
"Uma," Harriet's voice comes clear and sharp from below the ship, on the dock. It is noon and Uma is on the deck, feeding Nerea, taking her time because the weather today is not so terrible. It is not one bit like the breeze and tropical sun that turned Harry's skin golden, making the Wood of the Revenge glisten with its light, but at least there is no light drizzle or putrid mist. Uma comes to the call, still with the baby clinging to her chest. "Permission to board?"
"Granted," she replies, and then searches for the nearest pirate. "Jonas, give Harriet a hand".
Uma knows what it feels like, to be a captain who doesn't want to lose any of her wild and rambunctious fortitude, but she knows that Harriet won't be able to refuse help. She is not weak, Uma knows that, but almost eight months of pregnancy change things. A fall here on the isle, without the medical care that exists in Auradon...
In the end, Jonas helps Harriet, and Harry's sister comes to Uma, quite agitated. She has to sit on one of the barrels to catch her breath.
"What's wrong?" Asks Uma directly. They have seen each other very little since the day Uma fainted and they had to ask for her help.
"I saw Harry and Gil going to the market, so I thought I'd come over for a while to see my niece," says Harriet, crossing her arms. She pretends to sound nonchalant, but Uma can sense, through the impatience in her voice, that she may be in one of those really emotional moments that produces the giddy feeling of knowing that you are going to give birth soon. And then Uma remembers that not all crews are like hers, and that Harriet lives on a ship full of boys.
"Do you want some tea? Gil has this herbal mixture that he stole from Madam Mim's house".
Harriet nods, and Uma gestures for her to follow her downstairs, into the kitchen. They go slowly, Nerea wedges herself even closer to Uma's chest, lulled by the movement, and she holds her tight with both hands, because she is hers, only hers and Harry's, and Uma feels her skin burn and turning sea when she has her in her arms.
They reach the kitchen. Uma looks for the herbs that Gil keeps in a jar, they must be somewhere in the cupboard, among all those empty jars and bottles... Finally, Uma finds them behind the jar of seeds, which seems somewhat empty, next to a jar of salve that Desiree makes.
Reluctantly, Uma takes off the baby wrap and asks Harriet to hold Nerea for a moment, so she can boil the water without danger of hurting her. And she can hear Harriet speaking quietly to Nerea. How soft, Uma thinks; before, they were all sharp edges, and tearing teeth, walking wounded through the world, dying in their evil, dying also their fierce love that they did not want to let sprout from between their veins, and now, in the strangest moments, they are full of painful tenderness, all of them…
"So, has your breastfeeding problem gotten better?" Asks Harriet, and Uma feels a weird urge to laugh right there because it's too weird. When Uma was younger, she thought many times about any possible future scenario of her life. Perhaps she would continue working in her mother's shop, or she could find her way out of the isle and be free, she too knew that she could die. In all those scenarios, she always saw Harry next to her and yet she never thought of this scenario where she should have a daughter with him, where she would be with her sister-in-law, talking about children.
"It's solved," says Uma, placing the mug in front of Harriet and taking Nerea in her arms, and just to annoy Harriet a bit, teasing and cheeky, she adds, adopting a slightly suggestive tone of voice, "Harry helped me to solve it".
Harriet chokes a bit on the tea, and Uma lets out a deep laugh, echoing in her chest.
"Really, Uma, I don't need those images in my mind," Harriet complains, then she seems really thoughtful, so Uma stops laughing. "I came to ask you something, actually".
After what Harriet did for them, feed Nerea… Uma knows there is nothing she can say no to, because the debt they have with her now, they may never be able to pay. So even Harriet is surprised by how quickly Uma answers, without a bit of hesitation.
"Whatever you need".
But Harriet takes the time to ask her. She takes another sip of tea, she chills the water with a puff between her lips. She exhales, resigning herself to, for the first time in her life, asking for a favor. And then she throws it.
"I want you and Harry to be there when the baby is born, to help me... in case something gets complicated".
Harriet has thought about this a lot lately. She hardly ever talks about the baby, Uma has realized, or who the baby's father is. But now, she seems to care a lot. It maybe is just, like all VKs at first, she´s trying to adjust, trying to get used to not feeling weak. Maybe she's just afraid of being seen as fragile. Uma can remember how pregnant women were treated in Auradon, as if they had some kind of condition, some kind of brokenness that made them need soft voices and condescending looks…
"Fine, we'll be there," she says then, and Harriet just nods. She takes another sip of the tea, and then there's a noise up on the deck that Uma can't identify, so she frowns, until she hears Gonzo call out Desiree's name in a panicky voice, and then hurried footsteps in the stairs, going down, and voices looking for Uma in a hurry.
She gets up from the chair, tells Harriet to keep Nerea for a moment, and goes out in search of the roar of voices. Her gaze immediately finds her pirates, Gonzo and Bonny, who come down the ladder helping Desiree, half carrying her, because pain permeates her expression and Uma sees that her leg is stiff in a strange way. There is no blood, nor does she scream, but Gonzo meets Uma's gaze and she knows, in an instant, that Desiree is hurt.
"To the kitchen table," she orders them, and returns to Harriet, who doesn't quite understand what's going on, to clear the table, remove the tea, the jars of herbs, so they can lay Desiree down.
What the hell happened? Of all her pirates, Desi is one of those with impeccable balance. She is not prone to accidents...
So they go in with her, leave her on the table, and Bonny holds her hand so she squeezes it so she doesn't scream in pain.
Uma examines Desiree's leg. It is inflamed, she notices. She feels her muscle, her bone… it must be broken, because there is really no blood anywhere, just bruised skin. Desiree hisses when Uma's fingers squeeze, but she never screams.
"What happened?" Asks Uma.
Gonzo shakes his head. Now that Uma sees him, she notices he has a swollen lip and a long cut on his forearm, although it seems that it no longer bleeds.
"We went to collect some debts. Ginny Gothel still owed us something from last week. We were unprepared".
Uma's mind fills with rage, and she feels her heart turn an absolute storm. Her anger seems to spread through the room, filling everything, like the sea that unfolds and fills every hole in the world.
For weeks, on the isle this sensation of vertigo has been felt, like something about to break. Like a tense rope that can break at any unexpected moment, so everyone waits, every second, for it to happen. And it seems, Uma feels it, that this violent tension is finally broken, torn apart. It is no coincidence that someone has hurt her pirate, hers.
She needs Harry and Gil to come back. Now. She cannot allow someone to harm them, any of them.
"Bonny, help me with this," she orders, her voice accurate and strong. "Des, this is going to hurt, bite something".
Uma holds Desiree's leg tightly in both hands, twists it to the right angle, and then finally hears her scream a little, a sound that is swallowed up by the ship's complicit wood.
"So Evie was right," says Harriet, grimly. "Someone really wants to hurt you".
Uma knows. She feels it, ringing in her heart like a warning.