After everyone else in the kingdom had gone to sleep for the night, other people had important business to take care of in the evening. Knights on horseback were leading a carriage through a path in the forest. A man was standing in the center of the path, blocking the way, drawing his sword as he caused the knights to stop.
"And just who might you be?" One knight demanded to the stranger.
"I'm the man who's going to relieve you of that chest full of gold you're transporting." The armored man replied mysteriously.
"You and what army?" The second knight laughed with his companion.
"Well, I'm glad you asked," The man replied as he raised his arm just as flaming arrows lit up all around the forest. "Your choice. Save your lives or the gold." he then added sternly.
"Retreat!" The knights panicked at that before they rode away and left the carriage with the gold behind.
The armored man watched them go before removing his helmet, revealing himself to be none other Killian Jones AKA Captain Hook. "Smee! Harry!" he then called out.
Smee, Samantha, and Harry soon came out of the forest together.
"Those arrows took a lot longer to light than discussed." Hook firmly told the three of them.
"It wasn't easy lighting them all by ourselves, Captain." Smee replied.
"Yeah, maybe if we had an actual army it would be easier." Samantha added, agreeing with her brother.
"And share in the spoils? I think not." Hook retorted.
"I gotta say: it's good to be at your side again, sir," Smee replied as Harry began to unlock the carriage and removed a treasure chest with Samantha's help. "And, not as a rat."
"I'm glad my brother's not a rat either." Samantha added.
"Well, that's a lovely side effect of the curse breaking for you, I'd imagine." Hook told his first mate.
"I did like the mobility, but being a human is good too." Smee nodded.
Harry soon broke the lock on the treasure chest, allowing them to see the goods inside.
"What did I tell you, mates? You don't need a ship to be a pirate." Hook beamed and laughed.
Harry beamed in excitement as he laughed along with his father, enjoying the time that they were spending together. "Hey, Dad, I think those knights were 'even scareder' of you this way than they would if you were a pirate." he then commented.
"That's cuz no one messes with your dad." Hook chuckled and ruffled up his son's dark hair.
"Can I be the dark knight on a horse next time we do this and I get a big cut of the treasure, Dad?" Harry then asked hopefully.
"Maybe someday, son," Hook smirked warmly. "Now then, let's go celebrate and remember, diet rum for you and the real thing for the rest of us."
"Aww... Dad..." Harry pouted.
"Mind the Captain, your father, Harry." Smee advised the young pirate boy.
"Yes, Uncle Smee." Harry chuckled and nodded.
And so, the crew went to the tavern to gamble and celebrate their victory.
"To the most clever, dastardly band of pirates to ever set sail-" Hook began to say before looking at Smee as they both laughed. "Stride, on the open road!" he then added.
"Hear, hear!" Samantha agreed, having her own mug while Harry was given a root beer substitute due to not being 21 yet.
"To Captain Hook!" Smee then announced.
The men then all cheered and drank together while Harry sipped his own drink, beaming in the excitement of being the son of a famous pirate.
"Oh, Willy... I think we forgot something." Samantha suddenly told her brother.
"Ah! You're right, Sammy," Smee agreed with his sister as he halted the celebration for now. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. The boys and I chipped in and got you something." he then told Hook before pointing across the tavern to show a wench in the corner who began to approach their table.
"Oh, Mr. Smee. How did you know?" Hook asked innocently as the wench led him out of the tavern.
"It was my idea, Dad!" Harry piped up.
"I'm sure it was, Harry." Hook smirked at his son.
"Enjoy! To Captain Hook!" Smee called out to him before he went to get another drink. "Come on, one more."
The wench soon stood outside with Hook only for the man to give her a pouch of coins. "I don't understand, your men took care of me." she said to him out of confusion.
"And tomorrow, you shall tell them that you had a grand time. Good night." Hook told her with a nod.
The wench accepted the coins and decided to leave once she was allowed to do so. Hook then began to walk away only to be hit over the head with a club, falling down to the ground and a figure soon put a dagger to his throat.
"Move and I'll slit your throat!" The stranger threatened.
"Not a good plan for you," Hook replied firmly and bravely, not seeing who his captor was right now. "I'm guessing you don't know who I am."
"I know exactly who you are, Captain Hook!" The stranger replied, having a feminine voice.
"Well, then I'm at a disadvantage." Hook replied until his vision cleared, seeing a crimson-haired and blue-eyed woman standing over him.
"My name's Ariel. And you're going to pay for what you've done." The woman told him sternly as she introduced herself and stated her business to the adult male pirate.
"For fear of adding insult to injury, would you mind catching me up on your particular grievance?" Hook then asked, trying to remain calm and civil for the sake of his own life.
"You kidnapped Prince Eric. And you're gonna return him to us," Ariel explained sternly. "Now on your feet!"
"Kidnapping a prince. That sounds like something I would do, but I'm afraid you've got the wrong pirate," Hook replied calmly as he stood up and then suddenly grabbed the knife and held it to Ariel's throat for payback. "Or should I say the wrong pirate has you?" he then added in a dangerous voice.
"Go ahead. Kill me, but I still know you're lying," Ariel retorted bravely. "One of Eric's men escaped, so I know the ship that took him was yours. The Jolly Roger."
Hook calmed down just a little at the mention of his ship. "The Jolly Roger? Are you certain?" he then asked her.
The former little mermaid decided to stay silent at first.
"Answer me!" Hook then barked at her, but didn't hurt her.
"You really didn't take him." Ariel said, realizing that the adult male pirate had been telling the truth.
"What else do you know about who's captaining my ship?" Hook asked Ariel calmly, but still had a hint of firmness in his voice. "Did that man tell you anything else?"
"Only that he was able to escape with a weapon he stole from the armory: the dagger that's against my throat." Ariel explained calmly.
Hook then removed the dagger from the mermaid's throat and looked at the handle. He saw certain intials carved into it before he laughed and ran off back into the tavern suddenly.
In the tavern, Smee appeared to be asleep while Samantha was playing with some dice, showing them to Harry as she mentioned two men named Tulio and Miguel where they got the dice from.
Suddenly, Hook kicked the door open and walked in. "Rise and shine you bilge rats!" he announced as he kicked the bench that one of his men was sitting on until he realized what he said. "No offense, Mr. Smee." he then reassured his first mate who was forced to turn into a rodent due to Mr. Gold's wrath.
"None taken. I keep dreaming of cheese." Smee replied as he began to wake up.
"What's going on, Dad?" Harry asked his father with his eyes filled with wonder.
"I know who has the Jolly Roger, and we're gonna take her back." Hook explained in dark excitement.
"Whose funeral shall we be attending, Sir?" Samantha asked with an intrigued smirk along with her brother.
Hook then stabbed the table with the dagger to answer that question. "Blackbeard." he then revealed.
"Blackbeard?" Smee, Samantha, and Harry repeated curiously.
"But, he's the most cutthroat pirate to ever hoist a sail." Smee added.
Hook flashed him a dark look at that.
"After you, of course." Smee then quickly added with a nervous smile.
"To make it all more satisfying, when I take my ship back and make him walk her lovely plank." Hook then told them.
"Let's not be hasty. We've been having fun robbing carriages, getting rich from it too!" Smee then argued with a sheepish look on his face. "Maybe we should forget about the Jolly Roger, you said it yourself, we don't need a ship to be-"
"She's not just a ship!" Hook interrupted and retorted.
"I have a feeling that she is, Dad." Harry spoke up.
"She's more than that. You said your first word, took your first steps, and everything on that ship," Hook insisted and pointed out to Harry as he treated The Jolly Roger as a member of their family. "I haven't been myself since we've returned. I should've realized the reason why. It's because I don't have her." he then added.
"Her?" Samantha observed. "You talk about the vessel as though she's a woman."
"Women come and go Miss Smee, but a pirate's life: it's forever." Hook replied.
"Still, Captain, I doubt we could even find Blackbeard." Smee then said calmly.
"Don't be a bunch of cowards! I know where he moors his vessels," Hook told the three of them. "It's less than a day's trek. And then I'll have my ship again."
"And my daughter and I will have our prince." Ariel piped up.
"Few people have held a dagger to my throat and lived to tell the tale," Hook smirked at the former mermaid. "I'd leave before I change my mind."
"No. I've crossed paths with enough pirates to know your code," Ariel countered. "Any valuable information a pirate captain retains, shall be compensated in equal favor."
"I think she's right." Smee agreed with the former mermaid.
"So? When do we leave?" Ariel then asked.
"Very soon," Hook replied before seeing someone coming up behind Harry, about to strangle him with a necklace. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! You back off of my little buccaneer there!" he then called sharply.
"Melody, leave the boy alone," Ariel told the girl, seeing that it was her own daughter. "He's going to help us find your father."
Melody then stopped herself from strangling Harry from behind with her necklace.
"If your son is going to be involved in this, then my daughter is too." Ariel soon told Hook.
"Deal." Hook groaned and rolled his eyes.
Ariel nodded at that before they left the tavern.
"Guess we better be quick," Harry suggested. "Who knows what Blackbeard might do next if we're not careful?"
MEANWHILE...
The sun was almost rising after a pretty exhausting evening for the kingdom as well as their descendants who had a Valentine's Day surprise treat. In one particular space though, something was about to happen. Dee Dee was shown to be fast asleep, cuddling into a stuffed mouse doll that was dressed like a ballerina as she was in a cradle that was made just for her since she was aged down into a baby while the descendants went from being teenagers into being preteens. Someone's shadow crawled over and grabbed Dee Dee. The sounds of broken glass could be heard, making a certain couple wake up.
"Huh?" Grumpy mumbled as he began to wake up.
"What? What is it?" Nova added wearily.
The two then gasped and faced each other. "THE BABY!"
The two then ran over to the cradle only to see that it was on the floor and turned aside with the mouse doll left behind as well as a baby pink blanket and Dee Dee was nowhere to be found.
"Dee Dee!" Nova cried out before she began to sob, feeling heartbroken. "Oh..."
Grumpy began to look furious and enraged. "NOOOOOOO!" he then boomed once he and Nova realized the girl they raised as their own child was suddenly gone and they had no idea what could have happened to her.
Back with the others, they began to walk along a path in the forest together.
"Did you guys hear something?" Harry asked as he thought he maybe heard an echo.
"It's probably just the wind, Harry." Melody told him.
"I guess." Harry shrugged at that.
"Trudge, trudge, trudge," Ariel complained. "If you ask me, there is nothing more boring than land travel. I'll take my tail in the ocean any day."
"That's one thing we can agree on," Hook remarked. "Minus the tail, of course."
"At least you're a nice piece of tail." Harry told Ariel.
Ariel gasped with wide eyes and his jaw dropped.
Hook then quickly covered his son's mouth with a nervous chuckle. "Kids say the darndest things, don't they?" he then said to Ariel and Melody.
"Hm." Ariel firmly pouted and crossed her arms while Melody looked confused.
"What? What did I say?" Harry asked out of confusion.
"Beats the barnacles outta me." Melody muttered.
"Melody, don't use that kind of language." Ariel told her daughter.
"Oops. Sorry, Mom." Melody then said.
"You won't be bored for much longer," Hook soon told Ariel, deciding to change the subject. "Our destination is just past this rise."
"Then it won't be long until we're reunited." Ariel smiled hopefully until she gasped as her cloak caught onto a branch, causing her to stop walking.
"Here. Allow me." Hook offered to Ariel as he pulled the cloak off of the branch only to tear it in the process.
"Oops." Harry muttered at that.
"You've ripped it!" Ariel complained to the adult male pirate.
"It's a cloak." Hook defended.
"It's Eric's cloak. And he's had it since before we met," Ariel retorted and explained. "He left it with me while he was away to keep him close and now you have ruined it!"
"If mending a cloak is our biggest obstacle, we're in fine shapem" Hook countered calmly. "You realize you might not find him? Or survive?" he then added.
"I will." Ariel nodded.
"Mr. Hook-" Melody began.
"Captain." Harry, Smee, and Samantha corrected the black-haired girl.
"Sorry. Mr. Captain," Melody said before she continued to speak up to the adult male pirate. "Are you sure about this? About what you can do to help me and my mom find my dad?" she then asked.
"Didn't you see the fear Blackbeard's name struck into my crew?" Hook replied bravely. "You don't become a pirate captain through mercy. If I were you, I'd prepare myself for the worst."
"Why? What are you saying?" Ariel frowned at that. "That you would kill Eric if you had him?"
"You don't believe that?" Harry replied.
"Well, honestly I was a little surprised to hear that you or your father might be responsible for Eric's kidnapping after the stories that I've heard." Ariel defended.
"What stories?" Hook wondered.
"Well, the ones of you helping reunite Snow White and her family in Neverland," Ariel explained calmly. "Some people say that you're a hero."
"And that your son befriended once certain special mermaid that stood out among the rest." Melody added.
Hook then suddenly grabbed Ariel by the hand and pulled her to the side. "Don't believe every story you hear." he then whispered firmly to both the mother and daughter before he signaled Smee and Samantha to keep walking.
"Being good is nothing to be ashamed of. People change," Ariel told Hook calmly. "Look at me. I have legs and I fell in love with a human."
"I don't think anyone saw that coming." Melody added matter of factly since she was the daughter of The Little Mermaid and Human Prince.
"You might have changed. I haven't," Hook retorted to both Ariel and Melody, sounding too sure of himself. "I'm a pirate and I always will be and my son will do the same for his own life someday."
Samantha soon whistled to the others and waved them over once she thought she saw something important. Everyone else soon joined her sides as they came closer and they soon finally found The Jolly Roger and began to hide behind barrels to avoid being seen by Blackbeard or his crew.
"Up close, she's even more beautiful than I remember," Hook noted as he looked at his precious ship admiringly. "Don't worry my dear. You'll soon be in my loving arms."
"Uh, your dad is talking to a boat." Melody said to Harry as if that was the craziest thing she had ever seen.
"Your mom has her love, my dad has mine." Harry retorted smugly.
"So, how are we going to get on board, Captain?" Smee wondered.
"Aye. Blackbeard's crew outnumbers us." Samantha added.
Hook didn't say anything and he soon got up and came out from behind the barrels. He came behind a sailor while pulling out his sword, hopping onto the ship before Samantha, Smee, Ariel, Melody, and Harry followed him. Hook whistled to the sailor in front of him before he punched and knocked that man out instantly before he decided to get everyone's attention.
Below deck, Dee Dee appeared to be inside of a cage which was clearly an attempt at a poorly made cradle.
"Oh, don't look so distressed," Blackbeard smirked as he looked at Dee Dee who looked afraid of him a little as she had Harry's old rattle in her pudgy little hands. "Things are going to be just fine after this is all over, of course... I'll need to give you a more suitable name... like perhaps Jetta or Onyx."
Dee Dee firmly pouted and blew a raspberry at him.
"Is that supposed to upset me? Nice try, little lass, but not nice enough," Blackbeard narrowed his eyes at her. "I'd prefer a son of my own, but you'll have to do. Besides, I'm doing you a favor... Everybody knows that fairies and dwarves can't be together."
Dee Dee grunted and angrily babbled as she whacked him on the head with a rattle in her infantile frustration.
Blackbeard grunted and rubbed his head after that while Dee Dee seemed to smirk at his pain until they both heard a thump from above them. "Now, what was that?" he then wondered firmly.
"Stand at attention, mates. Now boarding the ship, the rightful captain of the Jolly Roger!" Hook soon told the rival crew once he came on deck. "Now, if the coward who tried stealing her from me would kindly show his face, I'll give him the punishment her deserves."
"Gladly," A familiar voice replied before a certain other pirate showed up with his own sword from below deck as he kicked a barrel down. "But it's not me who'll be punished. You want you ship back? Then take it." he then added smugly.
"With pleasure." Hook retorted as a fight broke out between both of them.
Hook then hit Blackbeard's sword while Ariel, Smee, Samantha, Melody, and Harry began to sneak onto the ship. Hook and Blackbeard began to fight together while the crew cheered for their captain.
"I was afraid you weren't going to show up," Blackbeard smirked. "Word on the waterways is that Captain Hook had gone soft."
"The only thing soft will be your guts spilling on this deck," Hook retorted as he grabbed on a rope, then swung in the other direction, pulling the mast down and covering the crew. He then landed on his feet back on the deck. "I'd never give up the Jolly Roger without a fight." he then added as he and Blackbeard began to fight.
Samantha blinked and then looked around.
"Sammy? What is it?" Smee asked his sister.
"I thought I heard some kind of noise." Samantha explained.
"What sort of noise?" Harry asked the older woman.
"Well, I'm not sure how this could be possible, but it almost sounds like a baby crying." Samantha explained.
"A baby?" Melody and Ariel repeated curiously.
"A baby? But that's impossible," Harry remarked. "Blackbeard doesn't have any descendants."
"Only one way to find out," Samantha said before looking at Harry. "Come on, while your father is fighting for his life."
Harry bit his lip in concern.
"Don't worry, your old man will be fine," Smee reassured the boy pirate. "I happen to know your father is too stubborn to die."
Harry bit his lip before nodding as they went to sneak away to where Samantha heard the sound during the pirate fight.
"You think you know this ship?" Hook smirked at his rival.
"Oh, every inch of it, I assure you." Blackbeard replied confidently.
"If that were the case, you'd know not to step there~" Hook smirked as he then hit a wooden plank with his sword.
"Argh!" Blackbeard cried out once he got his foot stuck in the hole.
"Oh, I've been meaning to fix that." Hook smirked smugly.
Blackbeard glared in frustration. "Finish it!" he then challenged.
"Fancy a shave, do we? Well, I'll be happy to oblige." Hook smirked as he was about to swing his sword, but then...
"WAIT!" Ariel cried out as Samantha carried Dee Dee after she and the others came out from below the deck. "Eric's not aboard. You have to get him to tell you where he is." she then reminded Hook.
Hook looked at her, then realized she had a point before he faced Blackbeard again. "You heard the lady. Where is he?" he then demanded.
"So that's what this was: a rescue mission for some wench? Ha!" Blackbeard smirked. "They were right about you, Hook. You have gone soft."
"You take that back!" Harry glared as he faced the other adult male pirate who wasn't his father. "He can either make this painful or quite painful. Now answer!"
"You heard the boy. Out with it!" Hook added firmly.
"I have him stashed safe and sound on a deserted island. Only I know where," Blackbeard replied smugly. "I was planning to ransom him when the time was right."
"Whatever it is, I'll pay it." Ariel offered.
"Money is not what I'm after anymore." Blackbeard retorted
"Then what is it that you want?" Melody then asked.
"Besides this poor defenseless baby." Samantha added as she tried to comfort Dee Dee who was clearly scared and distressed right now.
"The satisfaction of proving Captain Hook is no longer a pirate and his son has a path leading to nowhere." Blackbeard then revealed.
"Take that back!" Harry snapped.
"How are you going to prove that?" Hook demanded from Blackbeard.
"By giving you a choice: Surrender the ship to me, and I'll tell you where I'm holding her prince," Blackbeard replied. "Or refuse, and he dies along with me."
Samantha firmly pouted and gently bounced Dee Dee as they wondered what they should do next. However, Hook decided to make that choice for all of them even if the cost would be risky for Ariel and Melody. He had tied up Blackbeard and had him ready to walk the plank.
"You can't do this!" Ariel cried out and protested. "We had an agreement. You promised me that you would help find Eric."
"Please. We know that you are a good man, and we know that man is still in there somewhere," Melody added, trying to help defend her mother. "It's not too late to do the right thing."
"Isn't true love more important than a few planks and a sail?" Ariel then rhetorically asked.
"She might just be a few planks in the sail, but she's mine. She's all I need," Hook countered. "Love brings nothing but wasted years and endless torment. I'm doing you a favor," he then added before cutting Blackbeard in the shoulder. "A little something to whet the appetite of our razor-toothed friends below." he then added before pushing Blackbeard off of the ship suddenly.
"NO!" Ariel and Melody cried out.
Samantha and Smee just watched in silence and Harry began to look horrified at what his father just did.
"Enjoy the feast, boys!" Hook told the sharks in the water before he faced the crew bravely. "The Jolly Roger is mine! Any man willing to swear an oath to me shall be given quarter. Those who don't, you are welcome to follow your former captain," he told the crew before deciding to let Ariel and Melody go. "You may release them, Mr. Smee."
Smee them let go of Ariel and Melody and soon, Ariel walked right up to the adult male pirate and slapped him in the face.
"We were wrong about you, Captain," Ariel firmly told him. "You're selfish and you're heartless. And that is what will bring you wasted years and endless torment."
"We feel sorry for you," Melody added before she came to join her mother on the plank. "You'll never be happy."
"Where do you think you're going?" Hook demanded.
"Eric's is still out there, and we will find him, no matter what it takes," Ariel replied. "Melody, follow me."
"Yes, Mom." Melody nodded.
And soon, the two jumped into the ocean together, both growing tail-fins and began to swim away to go and look for Eric.
Hook watched the mermaid mother and daughter go before he saw Harry about to leave as well. "Harry Jones, where are you running off to?" he then asked his son.
"Away from you." Harry replied firmly.
"Harry!" Hook cried out with wide eyes.
"Sorry Dad, I don't wanna hurt you like you hurt Blackbeard." Harry retorted.
"Are you forgetting he's your old man's worst enemy and he stole a baby, not to mention The Jolly Roger which has been your home ever since you were brought to me?" Hook reminded his son sharply.
"I'm sorry, Dad, you can do whatever you want, but I'm going to follow my true heart." Harry replied before he began to leave The Jolly Roger as a tear rolled down his cheek before he wiped it away as he headed back to where everyone else would be.
Hook frowned, watching his one and only son run away like that before he bowed his head and began to feel like maybe he made a big mistake as he eyed Dee Dee curiously as he held onto her, wondering what he could possibly do now.
"Do you need us to go after him, Captain?" Smee asked.
"No," Hook sighed and shook his head. "Let him go..."
"What are we going to do now, sir?" Samantha added.
"I'll let you know once I think about it," Hook replied before he looked down at Dee Dee. "Especially with what to do with you."
Dee Dee just looked at him blankly, though was at least a bit calmer compared to how she dealt with Blackbeard when he kidnapped her to make her into his own successor like Harry was destined to be for Captain Hook himself.
