It all felt too good to be true...I kept expecting to wake up and for it all to have been a dream but the moment my eyes opened and I was greeted with the warm sun shining through the porthole window I smiled every day before I turned into Harry's arms making sure that he was also there before I stood up and got dressed heading out breathing in the new improved fresh and unpolluted sea air as I made my way up onto the deck seeing the Jolly Rodger slightly bobbing in the waves.
"Hey Lizzie" I turned to the helm and smiled at Harriet as I walked up onto the upper deck jumping onto the banister.
"I still think I'm gonna wake up one day and it was all a dream"
"I know" she smiled turning the wheel a little...and to answer the question, yes the Jolly Rodger was sailing again and no we were not using it for pirating ways...well not completely anyway and I couldn't help remembering back a few months ago to a couple days after the barrier had come down.
"We can literally go anywhere but you two are content to sit here and gaze upon Auradon still?" Uma asked as Harry and I sat aboard the deck of the Jolly Rodger.
"What are we supposed to do Uma, it's not like we can enact the things we'd always talked about, things are different now" I shrugged leaning back into Harry who had his arm wrapped around my shoulder holing my hand playing with my fingers.
"We should be working on the Lost Revenge, we could get it sailing again"
"Uma we tried that remember, right after it crashed...the ship is done...fer good" Harry replied and Uma's face fell hearing it from him before she sat next to us...this wasn't exactly like we'd always imagined our freedom since we'd always plotted taking over Auradon and sailing the high seas pillaging and plundering but with the barrier down and everything in Auradon at peace for the most part we didn't particularly fancy doing any of that.
With the barrier down we were free to come and go from the Isle as we pleased and while a lot of people had taken the chance and left the Isle for better lives, things had also improved around here as well for the those of us that chose to stay where we were like Harry, Uma and I...Gil was off exploring with Jay because that's what made him happy but our place would always be the Isle and things weren't that bad here anymore.
In just the few days since the barrier had come down, deliveries upon deliveries of fresh food and new clothes had began arriving for all of us that stayed here which really was most of the villains and a few of us villain kids who didn't want to leave and that's not all that's changed since the Isle was slowly being modernized with Wi-Fi being installed, Mal had communication towers installed and the Isle of the Lost was no longer a forgotten and desolate place with sun shining overhead...everything was slowly becoming even more perfect.
The buildings were all getting upgrades expect for the paint jobs since no one could take our Isle flare and if anything they were getting a fresh coat of paint making it all look fresh and new and becoming a new culture in the United States of Auradon history so things were looking up...the only downer was how things had changed for the residents.
No one had to steal or lie and cheat to get what they wanted, any villains who didn't conform to the new rules were given the choice of accepting the better life or going back to their villainy ways and face the new judge and jury system which seemed to turn nearly all of them from returning to their old ways as they'd already knew what 21 years of banishment looked like and they weren't ready to go back to it so things really were at peace...for now since it couldn't stay like this forever and we weren't naïve to believe they would but that was stories for another time since right now things were good.
"About that" we all jumped startled looking up seeing Captain Hook, Harriet and CJ standing in front of us so we stood. "I've just come from me hearing" Captain Hook said and Harry's hand squeezed mine, it was apart of the new rules, all former villains had to have a hearing with the new King and Queen to assess their threat and a lot of them were given new jobs if they wanted them and I knew Harry had been anxious for his fathers which is why I've pretty much been distracting me all day because he hadn't wanted to be there for his fathers.
"What happened Dad?" Harry asked.
"I'm free son" their Dad smiled and I found myself smiling too as Harry embraced his Dad with a short manly hug with the two patting each other on the back before letting go. "I'm also the new merchant errand rat for the kingdom of Auradon" he held up an official piece of parchment that had the kings seal on it.
"We're becoming merchant's?" Harry questioned grabbing the paper to read it and I read it over his shoulder.
I, King Ben
Herby give my permission to Captain James Hook to have free passage to all of Auradon waters for the delivery and trading of goods to all governing factions of Auradon from this day forward.
Signed
King Ben and Future Queen Mal.
It also had a license with his face on it which he had to show for legal requirements but we couldn't believe it, Captain Hook was a new merchant officer for Auradon.
"It allows us all to travel the seas...that is if you kids are interested?"
"Of course we are Dad" Harriet smiled.
"Sailing the seas, for sure" CJ added and Harry turned to me, I smiled nodding my head since the seas was where he belonged and I knew this is what he wanted.
"When do we set sail" Harry smirked back at his Dad who had a proud look on his face, one only had to look at the former villain to see how much he loved his kids and how much it meant to him that they wanted to stay with him instead of leaving for the lands of Auradon...just wish my parents had felt that way.
"Your welcome to join too girls and your crew since we could always use the extra hands" Captain Hook added looking at me and Uma.
"Of course sir, I would be happy to" Uma replied and then it felt like all eyes were on me.
"Sailing with my family...count me in" I said and they all laughed as Harry put his arm around my shoulders but I could see how my words had effected them all, they all knew just how much I longed for a family that wanted me and with the people in front of me I felt that which is why I was glad to call them my family.
"Well then...we better get this old girl sea worthy" CH smirked and we all got to work really fixing up the Jolly Rodger making me shine and gleam like a new ship especially with government funds to help fix her up and who knows perhaps we'd be able to save up and buy a fleet of ships and expand our new family business.
I overlooked the deck as it begun to get busy with all the crew going about their tasks of swabbing the decks, angling the sails...all in all keeping the ship running smoothly, we don't have those extra ships just yet but we were working towards it and who knows maybe Harry and I will captain our own ship one a day.
"Hey Liz, Harriet" I smiled at Uma as she came up...she wasn't captain anymore just like I wasn't but we didn't care about such things and were quite happy sailing under a name like Captain Hook since like I'd said this was a family business and Uma had been excepted by the Hook's just like I was and she sailed with us but also visited her mother who had opened up a better restaurant in Auradon actually serving exquisite seafood instead of the old Chip Shoppe slop and was vastly becoming the second best seafood restaurant in Auradon next to Louie's in Ariel and Eric's kingdom. "Is Harry still sleeping?" she asked me and I just shrugged with a smile.
"He was when I left him"
"So when are we gonna hear wedding bells?" Harriet smirked leaning on the wheel and the two looked at me wiggling their eyebrows.
"I told you Harry and I arent thinking about that"
"But that was before the barrier fell, you can't use our old crappy lives as an excuse anymore Ilizabeth" Uma argued and I rolled my eyes. "Look at where we are girl, you can't say this isn't the beginning of a happy ending...we're not complete villains anymore so none of that 'villains don't get happy ever after's applies anymore"
"She's right" Harriet agreed right before CJ dropped down by a rope since she loved being up high and swinging from the masts.
"I agree, plus you and my brother are too sickly sweet with each other that were all dying for the chance to have a wedding aboard"
"I wouldn't mind seeing that" CH agreed coming up to take the wheel from his daughter and I was feeling severely ganged up on. "I'd even be honored to be the one to marry you kids"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, first off Harry and I haven't even gotten engaged yet and when that's gonna happen none of us know but Harry and I but if you really want to know then fine okay yeah I've thought about it a lot more since the barrier fell but I haven't even brought up changing the original plan of waiting two years with Harry since yeah maybe I'd like to take that step a lot sooner now that we're not trapped under that suffocating dome but that is all waiting for the time that I tell all this to Harry"
"You just did" I heard behind me and looked at everyone in front of me smirking as they looked over my shoulder.
"Please tell me he was not standing behind me the entire time?" I asked them but none of them replied, only continued to smirk which answered my question, I sighed quickly sending them all a glare before I turned around finding my boyfriend standing behind me with a matching smirk to theirs. "Oh sink me!" I exclaimed before marching down the stairs onto the lower deck and headed for the bow of the ship.
"Anything yeh want to say to me princess?" I rolled my eyes at Harry's voice.
"Don't play games Harry, I know you heard me"
"Aye I did but I want to hear yeh say it to me face" I turned to face him. "Was it true or were yeh just getting our insufferable family off yeh back" I smiled at little since I never ceased to get a racing heart when he said our family which I hoped one day would literally be our family.
"I was true, I've been thinking about it ever since the barrier fell...I feel as if things really can change and maybe...we could be happy as the barrier falling proved that not all things are good to stay as they are and I love you so why couldn't we take the step and become...more"
"We already are more, yeh are my whole world Ilizabeth Hearts but I'll take yer new timeline into advisement" he replied wrapping his arm around my shoulders and I smiled laying my head against his as we gazed out at the open sea feeling at home amongst the waves, aboard the Jolly Rodger and in each other's arms.