Chapter Text
Uma felt that Auradon had its own gravity. Quite different from the Island of the Lost. She didn't know if that made sense. When she traveled to the Blue archipelago, she had felt light and liberated. Hugely different from what her life was like on the island. But Auradon felt different. As if Uma didn't belong there.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked her as he helped her down from the boat.
Uma looked at her turquoise dress with white patterned flowers. She must act as if she were someone from Auradon. One more girl who was used to the intense sun, the light air, and the colorful dresses. Uma held to Ben's arm as they walked towards the castle. If anyone asked, she was a granddaughter of Triton. Granddaughter. She was visiting the mainland. Ben's hand covered hers and that gesture reminded her of Evie. Soft and protective, full of hope. Uma walked nervously as if she had forgotten how to use her legs. Ben had to take her by the waist when her sandal sank into the sand and nearly fell.
“This is a bad idea,” Uma whispered.
“Everything is fine.” Ben smiled at her cheerfully “Think of how happy you will make Gil.”
And herself. Coordinating the move of an entire town wasn’t so easy. Especially when people didn't know they were moving. Ben had suggested that Uma visit Auradon and see Gil, while Evie met Carlos. For a few hours, she could take a break. Uma hadn’t believed that possible, but Ben insisted. A break was necessary. And deep down she was grateful after so many weeks of insane work. Her feelings were about to explode. But Uma kept them under control. Going to Auradon felt like another mission. She had a goal, a plan, and a final objective.
Ben led her through the castle, whispering about the place. Although Uma was barely paying attention to him. She didn't like being there. Since she had killed the Evil Queen, she had avoided castles. Uma had lived on Harry's ship and had only visited prisoners. It didn't matter that this castle was full of light and looked cozy. It was still a castle. And Uma didn't like places like that. But she had a purpose. An objective. And she was going to keep it to the end. Being there guaranteed that Evie allowed herself to be with Carlos and not feel guilty in the process.
Bad habits were difficult to remove. Luckily, Ben was another proud member of Evie's protective squad.
“He must be around here...” Ben promised, opening another door and peeking inside “Gil seems to know this place more than I do.”
“He’s trained to recognize the terrain.” Uma looked around, memorizing her path, and making in her mind a map of the place that matched the external shape of the castle.
“You too, right?” Ben looked at his shoes with an analytical eye. “It seems to me that if I don't cling to you, you will disappear.” He confessed.
“Why?” Uma looked at him in confusion.
Ben waited to give his answer. He took more time to open the door to the next room and look inside before walking away.
“You’re not happy here.” Ben explained and looked at her guiltily “Does it bother you being here?”
“I’m not Evie. I’m not a spy. I’m not designed to infiltrate enemy lines.” Uma looked at her dress with annoyance “But I'm not going to complain. I do this for Gil, for Carlos. And for Evie.”
“...I would like you not to look at my home as your adversary.” Ben looked at her and nodded “But I understand why you do it. And I will try to plan our next meetings elsewhere.”
“Next meetings?”
“I like the idea of being on good terms with a patron goddess,” Ben commented with amusement.
Uma laughed, following him on the search for Gil. That castle was huge. How come people didn't feel claustrophobic among so many walls?
“You want to be on good terms with your girlfriend's best friend.” Uma replied with a sly smile “Oh... aren't you cute when you blush for this?”
Ben relaxed much more beside her. But Uma realized that he was still clinging to her arm. Ben reminded her of Gil in the early days at the Evil Queen's castle. He hadn’t released her and had looked at her in that peculiar and longing way. That way that Ben was looking at her now. Evie had become interested in another wandering soul. Uma wasn’t surprised.
The prince opened another door and stopped. Uma had to stand on her tiptoes to look over the prince's shoulder. A soft melody reached her ears like wind instruments. To her surprise, she saw that it was Gil who played the flute. The small instrument almost disappeared from his fingers. Gil was instinctively playing the flute, while a beautiful woman read aloud. Uma had never seen a woman this beautiful. But she had always imagined that Evie would have that kind of beauty as an adult. Graceful and intelligent. Sweet and kind. Clever and kind. Uma felt vertigo when she noticed the deep and unconditional love that radiated from Gil's eyes towards the woman. He was sitting on the carpet and had his head resting against the woman's lap.
This was how a mother and her son should look like.
That must be the perfect image.
But Uma noticed who that woman was. She looked at Ben and found how similar he was to her mother. And how sad he looked. But at the same time so happy. What a beautiful tragic hero. Uma noticed how Ben was holding onto her arm and dropping his head slightly.
“He deserves it...” Ben whispered.
Maybe to himself. Maybe to her. And Uma wanted to ask him if he ever had a moment like this with his mother as Gil was having it.
The queen he paused her reading and Gil stopped playing the flute. She leaned in as if she wanted Gil to read aloud. Uma stepped forward, feeling electricity in her veins. Gil looked up and when he recognized her, he dropped the flute and ran to her side. Uma had no time to react. Before she knew it, Gil had caught her, taking her in his arms and lifting her into the air. She wanted to scream. Scream with happiness. Scream for the pain of being apart. Scream out of sadness. Scream for joy. But she didn’t share her voice with the woman in that room. So, she left everything in her heart.
“Uma...” Gil kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, and her chin. He lowered her hands and kissed each of her fingers and the palm of her hands “Uma...”
She had heard how Peter Pan sought his shadow from one reality to another, from one world to another. Uma understood that feeling. Gil was part of her, in a way that Evie wasn’t. While Evie was on the other end of the same line, Gil was her contrast. Some would believe that those were synonyms. Uma ran her fingers down his cheek.
Gil had his hair in a low ponytail and he was dressed like a prince eager to go hunting. Gil was an impossible mix of Gaston and a hero. Uma stepped back, admiring his gold and blue clothing. As part of royalty. Clothes in his size. Uma pulled him against her body, despite the difference in size and height. She looked at the woman suspiciously. Because that woman had claimed Gil as her own, putting her colors on him. The woman looked at her curiously and only then did she notice Ben's presence.
The queen rose and greeted him with affection. But at a distance. As if she didn't have the right to get close to her own son. Uma looked at Ben, who had a resigned smile and greeted his mother with the same distant longing. It was as if a ghost was sinking over them. A huge presence that forbade them to get close to each other. Uma hid her smile against Gil's arm. So, the queen was pouring out her maternal needs on her hunter. Uma felt that this could be fun. But when she looked up, she noticed that Gil was happy. Happy to be there.
Gil's good heart, different from his father and brothers, was due to a maternal idealization. To an archetype of a good mother. When he joined her and Evie, Gil had looked for that symbol in them. Evie had fulfilled that role as much as possible. After all, she was just a girl. But Uma had suspected that the good mother archetype had been formed from the image of Queen Belle that they watch on television.
The Queen Mother.
The woman who appeared at events with children, who were in acts of charity and promoting education. The queen who on holidays appeared in a nice chair telling a story, encouraging reading.
While Evie had yearned for the noble Prince Ben, Gil seemed to have long for Queen Belle's maternal love.
“Are you going to stay?” Gil asked.
She looked at his large, softer hands than she remembered. Uma denied.
“Then I'll go get my things.” Gil replied without losing his excitement, “It won't take too long.”
“No!” Uma and Ben said at the same time.
She looked at the prince, who approached them and rested his hand on Gil's strong shoulder.
“Please stay. Evie needs you.” Ben asked.
Hiding the fact that it was his own mother who needed him most.
“Exactly. And it will only be temporary.” Uma promised, holding on to Gil's strong hands “This place needs you. And it does you good.” She smirked, “Then I'll offer you something better and you can choose.”
Gil looked at her in confusion. Not knowing what to answer. Evie would know what to say. To her surprise, the hunter hugged her again. Uma clung to him and breathed his essence. Gil had constantly been forced to remain silent, unseen, and had been treated as unworthy of an education. He had been fed and trained as a battle dog. A weapon. A measure of protection. But now he had a protective figure, a safe environment to learn, freedom to be himself and a family.
Evie had mentioned about King Adam and the way he was looking at her. Uma wondered what reasons the queen had for being so motherly to Gil and at the same time acting as if someone had forbidden her to be around Ben. Uma looked up and noticed so many small changes in Gil. He belonged there. But that didn't mean she was going to walk away. Gil was hers. Uma was being a benevolent goddess by allowing a queen to be close to her sunshine.
“I don’t want you to go,” Gil whispered against his hair.
“I would like to take you with me. But I can only trust you to take care of Evie.” Uma looked over her shoulder at Ben “Especially now that etiquette and good manners require that she always have a chaperone with her.”
Gil looked at her confused. But Ben blushed visibly. Uma looked at the queen, who was still static instead. Uma thought of prey, a very smart one, who was analyzing the predator in front of her. Uma was almost flattered by that reaction. Belle, Belle, Belle. The heroine who dreamed of a better future, the lover of books, and who always said what she thought. Queen Belle, who read for children, attended cultural awareness events, never appeared on politics, and was the ideal figure of the Queen Mother. Uma smirk. What had happened in the middle? Between heroin and queen. That must be a story that you wouldn't find in any book.
“I think I have time.” Uma announced and walked to the long armchair in front of the queen and sat down “Majesty.” She greets.
The woman blinked slowly, analyzing her situation. Uma patted the spaces next to her and looked at Gil and Ben. They came to her side. Gil sat quite enthusiastically, surely enjoying that some of his favorite people were with him. Ben approached cautiously as if he felt he didn't belong there. Uma waited until he was at her side and offered her his arm. He took it without asking.
“It seems to me that if I don't cling to you, you will disappear,” Uma whispered against his ear as she closed her arm against her side to catch him.
Ben smiled more relaxed.
“Mother, allow me to introduce you to the Goddess Uma, she is a relative of King Triton.”
Queen Belle relaxed at that and sat in her chair. Surely, she was used to how unorthodox the gods could be. It was also exceptional as the woman didn’t ask questions about Gil and Uma, about their relationship and conversation that must surely have sounded enigmatic. Instead, she seemed quite attentive to all the information she was collecting. Uma wondered if the queen had found out who Gil's father was and didn't care. Or was in denial.
“It’s a pleasure, Uma.” The queen said, “I see that you and my son know each other.”
“Oh, don’t worry. We are like a family now.” Uma replied shrewdly “And I have heard wonderful references to your gift for reading stories. So, before I return to the sea, I would like to hear one.”
Uma enjoyed that. Don’t ask. But order. And do it while he had the future king of Auradon on her arm and Gil playing with her fingers as he always used to do.
“Anyone in particular?” the queen asked.
Uma looked at Gil and he smiled enthusiastically.
“The twelve princesses.” He asked and then looked at Ben “The hero reminds me of Ben.”
Uma leaned against the back of the chair, admiring the surprised expression of the queen, who excused herself to look for the book. Uma looked at Ben, who kept his eyes on Gil, still in shock.
Gil was in good hands. Ben worries about him. Uma felt she could trust the prince a little more.
Just as the queen started reading, Uma whispered to Ben, half-jokingly, half-seriously ‘Welcome to the family.’