All of Uma's life she looked out for the lost children of the Isle, yet she hadn't expected her former rival to approach her with an unexpected proposition. It'd been a year since Uma graduated from Auradon University with honors and she was now teaching at Serpent's Prep which was still severely underfunded. One day while going through her curriculum for the next school quarter she heard a knock on her classroom door.
"If you want an extension, you're going to have to give me the draft to look over," Uma responded in a bored tone.
It wasn't unusual for some of her students to need extensions for various reasons. Whether it was working in their parents' shops or lack of a stable environment, any options besides 'I don't want to' was okay with Uma. She preferred said student seeking an extension to give her a draft of their work so she could advise them and cater to their specific struggles. At the end of the school day, she'd even let them sit in her classroom to finish their work. However, the person at her door that day wasn't a student.
"Uma, is now a good time?" Mal, the queen of Auradon, asked.
Uma stopped reading over her curriculum and jerked her head to look at the doorway entrance. There leaning on the doorway was Mal, a royal crown on her head, wearing a signature Isle outfit colored purple and black. To Uma's eyes, it didn't look right, the crown didn't fit the outfit.
"Mal?"
Uma narrowed her eyes, a guarded expression appearing on her face.
"Hi, Uma, I was hoping we could talk."
Mal pushed herself off the doorway, straightening up her stance.
Uma frowned. "Are you here to cut more funding?"
"No," Mal winces, shifting her gaze away from Uma towards the wall that Uma covered with infographic posters. "And I had no say in that…"
"Yeah, yeah, it was that council of yours. Come in."
Mal walked in, approaching Uma's desk. Uma watched her as she moved and crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for Mal to speak. Mal didn't, instead, she looked around the classroom and when her eyes met Uma's they were widened.
"I've always wondered how the classrooms in Serpent's Prep looked…I can't believe your desks are ship boards."
"Believe it. A lot of sailors donated their broken ship pieces so their kids could have someplace to learn."
"We had the old desks sent from Auradon in our classrooms. I remember this one desk with a squeaky leg andâ€"-"
"Why are you here?" Uma asked, cutting to the chase.
"You've impressed me, Uma."
"What do you want?" Uma sighed, looking up at Mal.
"Fairy Godmother is retiring and traversing to the fairy realm with her daughter, Jane, who wishes to train as a fairy godmother so we need a replacement."
Uma thought on Mal's words. She heard of the realm of fairies before from Mal when she and her former rival were friends. As a child, Mal had dreamed of going to that realm but as a daughter of Maleficent, she was banned because of
her mother's betrayal of fairy kind.
"Wait, why are you telling me this?"
"I want you to be the new principal of Auradon Prep."
"You're joking, right?"
"No, you're the best person for the job. I truly believe you could help the Isle kids already at Auradon and the many to come."
"No. I have to stay here and help the kids stuck on the Isle. Not every Isle kid can just waltz to Auradon Prep."
"They kind of have to. The council is closing down all schools on the Isle."
"What?!"
"I'm sorry," Mal breathed, a heavy breath, and lowered her head."It was the compromise they gave me when I suggested you for the position of principal."
"So you volunteered me for a job I don't even want and then the job I worked hard to get is just gone?"
Uma clenched her jaw, trying to settle her anger and frustration.
"This is for the greater good."
"You always say that, don't you? Don't lie to me or yourself, we both know the greater good is just the best option to keep people liking you."
Mal flinched. "I'm a queen of the people, all people."
"You're a girl from the Isle," Uma reminded her in a harsh tone.
Uma felt helpless as she thought of everything the Isle was set to lose. They had so little already and now the council was closing down their schools. Why?
"I know that," Mal said in a defensive tone. "Which is why in the best interest of the Isle, I suggested you. At Auradon Prep, you can make a real difference."
Uma held back a scoff, she was trying to make a difference here on the Isle but that didn't matter did it? Not to the royal council or even to the Queen who insisted she had the Isle's best interest at heart. Uma's brows scrunched up, her breaths quickened. She had to accept the current situation and figure out how to prioritize the needs of the children of the Isle. She had to imagine the possibility of making real long-lasting changes at Auradon Prep.
"If I accept this job, there's gonna be a lot of changes."
"I know, and if anyone has a problem with them then they can take it up with me."
Uma wanted to believe Mal had her back but she found herself frustrated that Mal didn't fight harder for the Isle.
Uma leaned back in her chair, trying to quell her frustration. "I'm not qualified for this."
"You used to lead a whole crew of unruly pirates. Trust me, this'll be a breeze."
"Yes, but this is different, Mal. You want me to swim in shallow waters when I'm still a guppy at this job."
"I'm staying on the Isle for a few days and I'll need an answer before I leave," Mal's voice took on a serious tone with a hint of somberness that made Uma feel uneasy.
"A few days? Iâ€"I just can't leave…fine. I'll talk to you before you go."
That was yesterday and now Uma was in the small apartment she shared with her mom, Ursula, who was conversing with her Aunt Morgana about their sister Ulyana the vice principal of the Isle of the Lost's witch school named Brew Academy. Unlike Uma's mom, Ursula, both of her mother's half-sisters, Ulyana and Morgana didn't naturally have the magical talents that ran in Ursula's blood. Both of them were capable, yes, but Uma's mom didn't just inherit her mom's sea witch abilities, but had the capability to delve into the magic infused and powered by the sea thanks to her father being Poseidon. This advantage had caused a rift between the sisters as their mom favored Ursula more. Uma's mom managed to repair her relationship with Morgana but not Ulyana. Uma's seen her Aunt Ulyana around the Isle, especially, whenever she visited Hook's Inlet but her Aunt's never acknowledged her. In fact, she seemed pretty set on ignoring Uma's existence.
Uma sits at the table half-listening to them as she thinks about how tomorrow she has to give Mal an answer. On the table, there's a plate of clam cookies that Morgana had bought from Anastasia's Amazing Pastries, a bakery owned by Anastasia, daughter of Lady Tremaine, and her not villain husband, a baker from Cinderellasburg who had volunteered to come with her when villains were being rounded off to the Isle. They had the best pastries on the Isle and it was better to buy from them than creepy Claude Frollo, the owner of Frollo's Faithful Pastries.
"What's got you so down, angel fish?" Uma's mom asked her as she reached for another clam cookie.
Uma leans forward, crossing her arms on the table then lays her head down on her arms.
"Mal asked me to become the principal of Auradon Prep."
Uma's words are muffled.
"Repeat that again, Angel fish?"
Uma lifts her head up. "Mal asked me to become the principal of Auradon Prep."
"Auradon Prep?" Aunt Morgana repeats while Uma's mom stays silent. "That elite school you took summer classes at before you went to Auradon University?"
"Yes, Aunt Morgana, that's the one. It's the school Mal and her friends went to years ago in that exchange program."
"That's all the way in Auradon's City," Uma's mom says, pursing her lips. "What about the fish and chip shop? Or your job at Serpent's Prep?"
"I know," Uma says, the weight of her responsibilities make her shoulders slump.
She contemplates telling her mom about Serpent Prep's pending closure but stays mum on the topic.
"Do you know how hard it was to run this place after you left the Isle the first time? And when you finally came back you were off to those summer classes then that fancy university?"
"Ma, I know, how do you think I feel? I finally got settled back here and now this."
"You're telling her no, right?"
"I'm not sure yet," Uma admits.
"I think it's a good opportunity," Aunt Morgana states, earning a glare from Uma's mom.
"For who?" Uma's mom replies, her voice elevating a bit. "Just because Mal's queen doesn't mean she can come back here and rip my baby away from me."
Uma looks at her mom in surprise. "Ma?"
"No, I just got you back, you can't leave already," Ursula shakes her head, upset. "You promised you'd stay here with me for a year then you'd get your own place nearby."
"I know what I said."
"We made a deal, angelfish. A deal."
"Ma, it's not like I couldn't come back to visit."
"The first time you were gone was for almost a year, Uma! I had no idea where you were. All I had here were your precious brothers flotsam and jetsam, who were both worried sick about you."
"They're eels, Ma, and…I didn't realize when I was trapped outside the barrier that it was so hard for you."
Uma's mom deflates a bit, looking a bit embarrassed as she realizes what she said. "It was hard for your brothers. You know they're rather fond of you, Angel fish."
Uma's mom bolts out of her chair then walks away, going into her bedroom. There's now only Uma and her Aunt Morgana at the table.
Aunt Morgana sighs. "She cried a lot of nights when you left."
"She never told me," Uma says, shocked.
"Why would she? You know how she is. Look take this from someone who can't stand your mom. She loves you."
"It didn't always feel that way growing up. I always felt like she cared more about her tv soaps than me."
"I'm not used to being the rational one in a conversation but I'll try. After your father died, when you were a toddler things were harder for her. We're villains, we don't have families, we destroy them, including our own. I remember the day she showed up on my doorstep after he died. She handed me you and just fell on my couch and cried."
"Ma, cried? Over dad? And over me?"
"I always couldn't stand her. Mother saw Ursula as perfect but that was the first time I saw my sister weak in front of my eyes. And you know how I felt?"
"How did you feel?"
"Smug," Morgana confesses with a wicked grin. " A little bit of joy but under all that I felt bad. That was the moment we patched up things between us."
"She really loved my dad, didn't she? How'd they meet?"
"On goblin wharf, she was trying to stock up on seashells and their hands met," her aunt Morgana makes a disgusted face while Uma looks at her with a skeptical look.
"I've been to goblin wharf when the items from Auradon arrived, there's no way that's the real story. Captain Hook almost lost his other hand there. Come on, what's the truth?"
Aunt Morgana contemplates Uma's question, tapping her finger against her chin.
"The truth, huh? Alright, I'll tell you. Your dad was a non villain who didn't belong here. He used to bring your mom the fish for her shop and try to make conversation. He was nice, too nice but she entertained him as she lives for attention. If you want my honest opinion, I always assumed he sailed to her side to earn protection."
"From the villains and criminals of the Isle?" Uma guesses.
"Yes, but I didn't speak to your mom back then, I just knew of your father's reputation. He was on a lot of lists for trying to feed some of the other people who felt like they were wrongly imprisoned on the Isle."
"Am I a lot like him?" Uma wonders, picturing the image of her dad in her mind.
She didn't have any memories of him. Everything she knew about her dad, she found out in old dusty picture albums hidden next to old TV guides salvaged from the wharf whose cover stars were all of Uma's mom's favorite soap actors.
There was this one picture that Uma looked at a lot as a kid. It wasn't a picture where you could see his face as his back was facing the camera. He held a large fish up with pride that oozed off of him like the reek of rotten fish that hit you as soon as you walked into Ursula's fish and chip shop's kitchen. Uma didn't know why she would stare at the photo for so long but something about it would always bring a smile to her face.
"Too much," Aunt Morgana says with a snort. "But you've got our family tenacity and sharp minds that's why despite that kindness of yours, you still live."
"Didn't both Ma, and you die?"
"I was imprisoned, thank you very much."
"I don't know what I should do. I think there's a part of me that wants to take up Mal's offer especially if I could help the kids on the Isle. There's another that's furious with everything. I mean, they're closing down our schools?!"
Yes, those schools weren't very good but that was because of the lack of funding and now every Isle kid would be bussed out to attend Auradon Prep.
"If I was allowed to leave this place I'd run."
Even without the barrier, leaving the Isle was difficult. The royal council had ensured that there was an ample amount of paperwork with many misleading and difficult to decipher questions. The Isle residents who were granted temporary visas had to deal with invasive inspections from the Agency Of Isle Relations and if they were a magic user they were forced to undergo a painful procedure to remove it along with blood tests to check if they were still magic free.
"I spent my whole life trying to run from this place, but in the end, I found myself anchored here."
"You can't change much if you let the isle weigh you down."
"No, I can't, " Uma agrees.
"Unless, you'd team up with your favorite aunt to overthrow Auradon, Atlantica, and take your self-righteous Uncle Triton's trident, so we could rule the seven seas."
"Aunt Morgana," Uma says in a warning tone.
"Ugh, I don't know how you became such a rule follower, Uma. It's very disappointing."
As Uma starts to respond, her phone rings and she recognizes the ringtone she set for her friend, Audrey. She holds her finger up to her Aunt Morgana then reaches into her pocket and answers her phone.
"Uma! I heard you're coming to Auradon, this is so great! Finally, we can get you a whole new wardâ€"-"
"I am not letting you anywhere near my closet," Uma says, cutting her off. "And where did you hear that I was coming to Auradon?"
"My dad told me Mal went to the Isle to bring you to talk to the council," Audrey replies.
"She did and I've yet to reply to her offer."
Uma hears the sound of hangers sliding on a rack. "You're not going to take the offer? Didn't Mal tell you what the council decreed that they were closing down Isle schools because Mal wants a vk as principal?"
"She did, which is why I don't understand why she didn't back down."
"Well, the real scoop according to my dad is that they already planned to. Mal just put a proposition out there to ensure the Isle kids had someone there to listen to them."
"Wait, what do you mean they already planned to?"
Audrey lets out a dramatic sigh, " Why do they never have what I want in pink? Oh, one of the council members said the curriculum of the schools of the Isle was atrocious and a sure way to make a new wave of villains. They've been saying for years now that bringing them in a more stable environment with stricter goodness remedial classes would be more productive."
"They want to keep an eye on them," Uma says with a disgusted scoff. "Even if they're just kids, they're not trustworthy. There's already magic dampeners all around the isle, and with the amount of royal guards they've placed here you'd think they feel they have enough eyes on us all."
"I'm sorry, I know it must be hard, and I've tried my best to convince my dad that vk's don't deserve to carry out their parents' sentences but he's stubborn."
"Yeah, I know, it's fine, well it's not, but I just wish they let the kids exist. Doesn't everyone deserve the right to exist?"
"They do," Audrey agrees. "I've been studying hard to join the royal council but after the age restriction they've added it feels a bit useless."
"You're telling me? They added that restriction after Mal asked me to represent the Isle there. You know, we still don't have an Isle representative?"
"I know, and it's wrong, but I don't know, Uma. I feel like you can do real good as the principal of Auradon Prep."
"Yeah, I could," Uma admits, frowning. "It'd be good to be there for the kids and maybe I can make real change happen."
"And also we could be roommates!" Audrey says with excitement.
"Wait, what?"
"Think about it. You need a place to stay, and I have a free room."
"Yes, because your last roommate was tired of the woodland creatures they had to deal with in your apartment."
"Is it a crime to be a friend to adorable animals, Uma?"
"When you have to fight them for toast, yeah."
"I told you Betty the bluebird was going through a breakup," Audrey says in a defensive tone at Uma, mentioning the incident that occurred that one and only time she slept over at Audrey's place.
"Well, I was not the one who did her dirty, so why she do me dirty, Audrey?"
"Projection. You have no idea the amount of breakup songs we jammed together to help her move on. I think we listened to every song on After Midnight by tailor turned pop star, Tailor Quick.
And she's better now, she's got herself a cute birdie girlfriend."
"Still don't trust her," Uma replies, shaking her head.
"Ooh, I've got to go, I just spotted the cutest pink dress I have to try on and yes I will be sending pics. Call you back later?"
"Yeah, bye."
"Bye, and think about my offer to be roommates!" Audrey says and Uma hears the sound of the call ending.
She puts her phone in her pocket and sees that her Aunt Morgana isn't in the room anymore. With a contemplative frown on her face, Uma takes a clam cookie off the plate on the table and brings it to her mouth. Taking a bite, she scrunches up nose at the fishy aftertaste. It seemed the clam cookies actually tasted like clams. Even with its awful taste, Uma continues eating, feeling a bit hungry as she thinks about what she should decide. The information Audrey had given her made her feel like taking the principal job at Auradon Prep would benefit the Isle kids. It also helped that she was now officially out of the job and she was sure being a principal of a prestigious school wouldn't provide measly pay. Still, there was the promise she made to her mom and the fish and chip shop to think about. Uma always hated her mom's fish and chip shop. It was always full of unruly pirates and the night shift she was stuck working felt endless. Now that she was older the reality that the fish and chip shop would be hers to run someday was becoming more clear. It was obvious why her mom was pushing more managerial decisions in her direction and while it was nice to be respected, the burden of being saddled with something she definitely didn't want was heavy.
Uma decides she needs to take a walk. She grabs another cookie off the plate and leaves her apartment. On her walk, she finishes her cookie and finds herself reaching the old spot where the ship she won in a boat race called The Lost Revenge once docked. The ship was shipwrecked ages ago and the broken pieces that her best friend and first mate used to try to rebuild with were now all used for his own boat, The Lost Revenge 2. Uma looks at the empty spot, putting her arms over her chest. She imagines the barrier up once again and herself outside so desperate to return back to her family and friends. Now, she was the only member of her crew still on the Isle. Gil, had traveled around the world with Jay, son of jafar, and they now own a trinket shop. Harry sailed the seven seas and teamed up with his little sister, CJ, to bring mischief and terror wherever they went but not too much terror as he didn't want to be imprisoned on the Isle. Desiree, got a loan and opened a blacksmith shop somewhere in Auradon. Jonas lived in Corona where he on occasion sent Uma hand painted postcards with brief summaries of his life. Yes, all of Uma's friends have found places for themselves but all Uma has found is that the changes she wanted to bring to the Isle were never going to happen.
"Is there even a point?" Uma says to the empty space where the ship used to be. "They're probably going to create even more sudden restrictions as soon as I sit at that desk."
A gentle wave comes forward, hitting the wooden beams of the dock. As connected to the sea Uma was, she knew the answers she sought would not be found there. Uma places her hand on her seashell necklace, a gift from her mom that started out as a broken piece but with the help of her friend Gil after she found the other pieces, it was now whole. She rubs it between her fingers like a desperate man rubbing a golden lamp with hopes of finding a genie. Only she could answer what she wanted, and only she could fuel her determination. She wasn't one to give up so why would she dare let the fight in her fizzle out?
"I'm going to take the job," she says to the waters, dropping her hand from her necklace. "I'm going back to Auradon' and I won't let anyone be forgotten."
A breeze touches her face and the soothing scent of the salty air erases any lingering doubt within her. Closing her eyes, Uma enjoys the moment and soon it's time to face her future. When she walks home, she takes her time, stopping to buy a box of sea-shaped sweets from Anastasia's Amazing Pastries. At the register is Anthony Tremaine, son of Anastasia, and her beloved baker. He's also Harriet Hook's fiancé. He stands at the register looking bored as he eyes Uma with annoyance.
"Can you hurry up and order?" He asks in a bored tone.
"I just walked in, Anthony."
"I know, and I was about to close up when you walked in."
"You are nowhere near that entrance."
"I was getting there," he says, a bit defensive. "Can you please just order something premade, please?"
"I actually was here to order a custom seven layered cake," Uma jokes.
"No," he responds in his monotone voice with a blank stare.
"Do you have any fish cookies or anything similar in taste?"
"Those fish flavored stuff that all the sailors buy?"
"Yeah, but could you give me half a dozen, not fish flavored cookies?
"Oh yeah, Harriet told me about your thing with fish."
Uma's surprised to find out Harriet discussed her food preferences with Anthony. Uma thought back to a time when she had dinner at the Hook household and Captain Hook had put a large fish on the table with such a repugnant scent that Uma…ah that's probably why he knows. After Uma hurled the contents of her stomach, Harriet and CJ laughed and laughed. Captain Hook just looked confused all while Harry looked at Uma with concerned eyes that were heavily covered in his sister Harriet's stolen eyeliner.
Uma grimaces at the memory and feels a bit embarrassed that Anthony might know about it.
"You try working in a fish and chip shop and tell me if you'd still like the taste," Uma responds but her feelings on fishy scents and flavors were a lot more complicated than that.
She had spent almost a year smelling like shrimp thanks to the now queen of Auradon and it had made her already distaste for fishy scents even worse.
Anthony doesn't respond, instead, he slips on gloves then turns to grab a small box from a stack behind him. Once the bag's in his hand, he moves to the right and opens the display case full of pastries. Uma watches as he puts a dozen cookies in a box then comes back to the counter where he rings Uma up. Uma pays for her cookies then leaves.
Uma reaches her apartment and calls for her mom. Her mom doesn't respond. She calls for her Aunt Morgana and no response from her either. Uma places her cookies on a table and sees the plate full of cookies is now empty. She takes the cookies out of the box and places them on the plate. Uma then trudges to her Mom's door, knocking on it. She hears the familiar sound of opening music to her mom's favorite soap, and her shoulders slump.
"Ma, we gotta talk," Uma calls through the door.
Uma hears the sound of her mom's soaps get louder.
"Ma!" Uma says, elevating her voice.
The sound of the TV is gone and Uma looks at the door with widened eyes. Seconds later, it opens, and she sees the familiar sight of her mom.
"You and I had a deal," her mom said with a frown. "You know how sacred a deal with a sea witch is?"
"Ma, I'm your daughter. There's no sea witch deal between us. And it's not like I put my soul up for collateral."
"Then why does it feel like you're tearing mines apart?"
Uma blinks at her mom with surprise, "Ma."
"What about the shop?"
"I don't want to run the shop, Ma. I hate the shop."
"That shop is all I've got to give you."
"No, Ma, you've got a lot to give me and I got a lot to give this world which is why I gotta go."
"I always knew you put those orphans up in the shop at night," her mom reveals. "And you know what I thought?"
"No," Uma answers, afraid of where the conversation might go.
"I thought, what a silly girl, just like her dad. Always wanting to help somebody even if nobody will ever help you."
Uma didn't have a response.
"I used to push you to become villainous and wicked because I didn't want you to stumble into your daddy's fate," Uma's mom continues, letting out a heavy breath. "But maybe I was wrong, maybe it's good you're like him."
Uma's mom lifts her hand, touching her daughter's cheek. Uma feels a wetness on her cheek and realizes she's crying.
"Ma?"
Uma lets out a shaky breath.
"I don't want you to go, Uma. Iâ€"I love you."
Uma's mom wipes her tears from her face.
"You do?" Uma says, surprised.
"Of course, I do," Uma's mom removes her hand, looking ashamed. "You may look a little like me but you've got your daddy's spirit and I love it. I love you."
"Then why? Why did you never let me feel that love? There were so many times I wanted to talk to you but you would rather spend time with your soaps than me," Uma's voice takes on a bitter tone.
"There were so many days I was too sad to speak or move. And when I could I was…so frustrated, so upset. After King Beast revived me and put me here, I was consumed by phantom pains. I can feel that ship impaling me over and over…then I met your dad. He was determined to get me to smile." Uma's mom chuckles at a memory. "Do you know how long it had been since I smiled over something that wasn't another person's misery?"
"How did he get you to smile?"
"He dropped and slipped on one of the fish he was insisting was the best catch of the day. I thought he was so foolish, a mere mortal daring to approach a sea witch but I also admired his bravery."
"He sounds wonderful. I wish I had memories of him."
"I wish you do too, Angel fish but you have to understand why that shop is important to me. It's more than just my means of income. It's the place where I stumbled upon the heart I thought was crushed so long ago. Under his gaze, I felt my heart revive, beating along to a hopeful song."
"I'm sorry that he died."
"I am too," Uma's mom responds in a broken voice. "Okay, I won't like it but if you want to go, I guess I can forget our deal."
"I'll visit," Uma promises.
"It's okay, I have your Aunt Morgana to keep me company."
"I'll call you too."
"As long as it's not during my soaps…"
Uma feels a bit annoyed at that response but sighs.
"Of course, I won't call during your soaps."
Uma's mom touches Uma's face again and slides her hand to Uma's chin. She leans close to Uma and places a kiss on the crown of her head.
"Don't forget to show, Auradon, what a girl from the Isle can do," Uma's mom says with a wicked glint in her eye.
"Don't worry, Ma, I won't let them win."
The next morning, Mal shows up at Uma's apartment, wearing a nervous expression on her face as she looks at Uma with expectant eyes.
"So?" Mal asks, fidgeting.
"I accept your offer and I'm going back to Auradon with you."
As Uma says those words, she no longer feels anchored and sails into a future in Auradon with determination as her guide.
A.N. I am ready for Uma's principal era