The ship rocked slowly amidst the stillness of the sea. It must have been quite late at night, but Uma couldn't tell for sure. She didn't care too much for it either, not when the memories of what had happened shortly before crowded into her mind and her body and, for the first time in her life, all her defenses were completely down. She was vulnerable and unafraid, because the only one who could see her like that was Harry. And with him… with him she didn't have to be on the defensive anymore.
Uma snuggled a little closer to his body. Harry was asleep, exhausted, but she could sense his stillness and calm, although there was not enough light to see his expression. The closeness of his naked body warmed Uma and she stifled a laugh: she still had this curious tickling sensation running through her body from her legs, and it felt good, pleasurable. It made her want to smile all the time. It also made her body shake completely at moments.
She ran her hands over her skin, trying to remember in detail the path that Harry had followed when he kissed her, when he adored her body and offered his reverent lips as a tribute to please her. Her fingers gently stroked her belly and she sighed as she remembered the feeling of Harry's kisses there. Now she felt that her skin would never be the same as before, that he had removed from her all the rest of what had made her feel once deprived of dignity. And she honestly wondered how she had survived all those sensations.
There was a moment, as she felt Harry inside her, buried deep, when Uma truly thought she couldn't take that much. So much love, so much painful pleasure. She thought that she was going to die, that her overloaded heart was going to fail at any moment. But Uma didn't want him to stop. She had clung to his neck, letting herself fall against his torso, and she had just cried softly; low, incoherent sounds coming from her throat, her core clenching every time she heard shaky moans come out of Harry's lips.
The way Harry looked at her, like he was torn because he really couldn't believe he was doing this to her, like there was absolutely nothing better than Uma in the entire universe… he just undid her. And every ripple that remained on her skin also reminded her that he had taken her and made her his; but venerating her. She never wanted to be anyone's, she always yearned for freedom, but the way Harry had claimed her just felt so right, natural; Uma did not feel imprisoned.
It was a feeling that was beyond explanation. He was hers and she was his. The thought made her heart ache in a pleasant way. She had so much more than she ever had, and it made her realize that something inside her had been transformed. Uma felt free. Truly free, not like the adrenaline rush after the storm, not like when all she could see was the red of her anger in a fight. She felt free in her spirit, as if all the things that oppressed her simply couldn't touch her anymore.
She still wanted to break down the barrier, but she no longer wanted revenge. Fuck Auradon, Uma was just going to do what every good pirate would do: she would go out into the world and take whatever she wanted; no crumbs, no charity.
Uma would find a way to free her people, but Harry freed her, not as a lady in need of rescue, not as the prince who gives the life-giving kiss; but as the person who knew her best in the world, as the partner she had chosen.
She had never been so calm as tonight. And the sea seemed to perceive her state of mind, because the rolling of the waves was still soft, and happy.
Ben twisted the hem of his sleeve nervously. He was in his office, waiting for Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos, and he wasn't sure how he was going to break the news to them. After Mal confessed him that she had dreamed of something terrible happening on the Isle of the Lost, Ben had taken the business of investigating what was going on personally.
All Ben knew about the Isle of the Lost was what the Fairy Godmother and his father had allowed to be written down in history, but after meeting Mal and thanks to some of the things his friends had told him about the place that had been their home, Ben was no longer so sure to trust the sources of information he grew up with.
He decided to investigate on his own. Of course, in the books he found nothing. And Ben began to despair more and more, so he decided to resort to desperate measures. He contacted old Yen Sid, who was the only non-villainous person who had been on the Isle of the Lost practically from the beginning, or at least the only one who could tell him more about the place.
When he finished reading the long letter that old Yen Sid had written to him, Ben was frankly disturbed. He wanted to cry, to scream, and something beastly took hold of him almost completely, until he controlled himself and reminded himself that he had to act like a king. And a king tried to give solutions, he could not break down.
Much less when the situation was so delicate. How are you supposed to tell your girlfriend that her mother literally cursed the place that once was her home? How was he supposed to forgive his father and the Fairy Godmother, when Yen Sid warned them what was happening, and they just turned their backs on them?
Someone knocked on the door and Ben got ready to greet his friends. He took a deep breath, let the air out, and gave permission for them to enter. Mal and Ben were laughing at something, and Jay and Carlos looked puzzled. Every time they were called into Ben's office or the Fairy Godmother's, they had that wary expression, as if they thought they'd be sent back to the Isle of the Lost just for the sake of it, at any moment. Mal and Evie, who spent a lot of time with Ben, were calmer about it. But Jay and Carlos couldn't. It hurt Ben to see it.
"Hello," Mal greeted him with a bright smile. He kissed her cheek lovingly.
"Hi," Ben smiled, this time to everyone. "It's good that you were able to come so quickly, sit down; there is something I want to talk to you about."
Jay and Carlos fought for the biggest chair, while Evie looked at them with disapproval and affection. Mal sat down at Ben's desk.
"And well? What's going on?" Asked Mal, always the group's spokesperson.
Ben tugged on his sleeve again. He was sure he was sweating, but he realized that there really wasn't a subtle way to say what he had to say, so he decided to just do it. Explain it as he had ordered it in his mind a thousand times.
"Well," Ben began. "It's about the Isle. I don't know if Mal told you guys about the dream she had recently."
Mal nodded.
"I did, they know."
"Good," Ben said. "Because this is difficult to say. I had the feeling that we could not entrust this matter to the Fairy Godmother, nor to my parents. So, I investigated on my own, and contacted Yen Sid. I was hoping that he would tell me something about what he has lived on the Isle, what we did not know on this side of the barrier. And, well, I was right. There are many things they never told us, including something that could be related to Mal's dream."
Evie raised her hands to stop.
"Wait, wait, don't you trust the Fairy Godmother? But she is…"
"She hid something very big, Evie. And I no longer trust what is the official version of the history of Auradon and the Isle of the Lost." Ben said confidently. "And when you hear what I have to say, I think you will think the same as me. Everyone."
Mal had stiffened, and Jay was frowning. Ben breathed in again and exhaled deeply.
"Yen Sid explained to me what he knows, what he saw with his own eyes. He said that; twenty years ago, when the Isle of the Lost was created, the barrier magic sometimes failed and allowed people in the isle to do magic. Someone promised the villains that she would cast a spell against Auradon, and they all voluntarily gave her a piece, basically an item of energy value thanks to which she was able to access a source powerful enough for the spell to be strong. She deceived them and, instead of taking revenge on Auradon, she enchanted the isle." Ben told them, feeling his heart pound as he repeated the words. It wasn't fair what was happening to those people, what could happen to them if they couldn't find a way to break the curse. "Basically, the spell will make the Isle of the Lost sink forever if two people born there fall in love."
"In my dream, the isle was sinking," Mal said, stunned. "It was horrible, Ben."
Jay raised an eyebrow.
"So should we assume it's happening?" He inquired skeptically.
Carlos nodded, in accordance with Jay's incredulous tone.
"No one on the Isle of the Lost knows how to love," he said, "no one would fall in love. We all know it is a weakness, we all know it is a death sentence."
Ben felt his heart clench. Of course, he knew that things were different there, he knew that there were times when they couldn't help talking like that, so naturally, about things that shouldn't be the way they were. Love was wonderful, Ben knew it. He knew that he couldn't imagine his life without love. And that those children had to grow up like this, not knowing what a caress or a kind gesture was, it made his veins burn with anger.
Evie looked away and Mal, who was her best friend and knew her well, caught the gesture immediately.
"E, what is it?"
Evie shook her head gently, closing her eyes.
"I know who would fall in love, M." She admitted in her calm voice. "The way they behaved on the island was strange, and when we got here, I could understand some of the gestures they had between them. It was love. I didn't think it mattered."
"Who are you talking about?" Carlos asked, and Ben saw a look of understanding form in Mal's eyes.
"Not. They don't…" she started to say, but she didn't finish the sentence, the realization hitting her completely. "You are kidding."
"You know well I'm not."
Jay and Carlos exhaled angry sighs, Ben guessed that, like him, they didn't understand the two girls' conversation.
"Can anyone tell me what I missed?" Jay asked.
"It would be enlightening," Ben agreed.
Mal sighed.
"Evie talks about Harry and Uma."
Jay laughed.
"You can't be serious, Evie. Uma is tougher than stone and Harry is crazy."
Ben frowned, trying to remember what had happened a couple of months ago, when he was back from his little diplomatic journey.
"Isn't Uma the girl who was trying to find the trident, Ursula's daughter?" Mal's worst enemy, but he didn't need to say it. Evie nodded. "And Harry is...?"
"Harry Hook, son of Captain Hook. He follows all Uma's orders like a dog without an owner," Mal said dismissively. Ben could see how much this bothered her, but he could also see that she was torn between letting herself be carried away by her personal feelings and understanding that this was a delicate situation.
He stroked her hand tenderly.
"What do you mean they always acted strange?" Ben asked Evie, knowing she was the one who could be the most objective about it.
"Well," Evie began. "You know, they attended Serpent Prep and we only meet them when we ran into street fights, but… the way they had those conversations just with their eyes. And Harry freaked out if someone touched his hook, but Uma used to do it. She got very defensive when someone wanted to touch her, but Harry always carried or held her. And there was this time... remember? The day Jay hit his head on the cauldron."
Ben tried to translate what Evie was saying. According to what he had learned from the villain's kids, no one showed vulnerability. Not even with close friends, because you never knew if they were going to betray you. And no one could afford the doubt.
"I remember," Jay laughed, then frowned. "I fell because I was about to hit Uma and Harry got in the way."
Evie nodded.
"Exactly. Uma fell backwards and Harry went crazy, we had to flee the area for almost a week." She looked at Ben. "Ben, loyalty is rare on the isle. There is dominance through fear, through exchanges. You may have allies, but no one would come between you and a hit. That is not how it works. I can´t explain it, they just were different."
Mal snorted, uncomfortable.
"Well. Suppose they are in love, or whatever. What will happen now?" She asked, strained.
Ben wanted to erase her haunted expression and felt frustrated because he didn't know how.
"The isle has already started to sink," he forced the words out of his mouth, "Yen Sid told me. He believes that there is no way to break the curse. It is very powerful."
Mal looked him straight in the eye, and Ben just couldn't avoid her gaze. He never could.
"Ben, who cast the spell?"
A lead-like weight settled in his stomach before answering. He didn't want to tell her; he didn't want to hurt her anymore. He saw that she was suffering because what was happening to her old home, as much as she hated it. And he knew that she would suffer more knowing who the cause of that had been. But he was brave. And he couldn't lie to her.
"Maleficent."
