Chapter Text
The sound of cannonballs breaking through wood was thunderous, almost as loud as the sound of the storm falling with its relentless cry on the sea. The water churned, causing the ship to shake from side to side, like a broken bottle that falls to the ground and shakes before plunging into stillness, but the Lost Revenge did not give way so soon to the siege of the Royal Navy of Auradon. The crew was fierce and tough, but the captain was a fearsome force of nature, a cyclone unleashed, aimlessly, the naked tide, the laughter of the wind that sinks ships to the bottom of the sea.
She paced the deck, shouting orders to her crew, almost laughing, ecstatic with the storm. She was soaked, like everyone else, and the sea wind ruffled her braids, causing the shrimp scent that had permeated them since Uma was very young to rise and spread across the deck. When her pirates smelled that scent, they remembered who their captain was, and they became even fiercer.
A volley of bullets from the other ship narrowly hit the Revenge, but Uma had steered the helm out to sea, away from the bay where they had pretended to find them off guard as they refueled, and the ship had already started to drift away. The two ships in Auradon's fleet were heavy, too clumsy to keep up with the lightness of Uma's ship, but soon they had managed to turn, their officers yelling orders, directions, readying more ammunition. The Revenge easily left them behind, amid a cloud of smoke and broken pieces of wood.
Countless times they had tried to catch them. The Lost Revenge was one of the most feared ships in the world, and Uma's name, almost sacred, was pronounced among pirates as a plea for good fortune, since she was the most feared captain of the seven seas. A pirate in all her name, the relentless edge of a sword, the cutting laugh that mixes with rum and fire. In Auradon, she was hated and feared, but in the sea, she was a true queen.
The one who hated Uma the most was the queen of Auradon, the daughter of Maleficent, and thanks to her orders now the navy was trying to grab her. However, no matter how many times they followed her, in how many ports they tried to reach her, Uma was elusive as the ocean itself. Ungraspable. Indomitable.
She stepped away from the rudder, ready to contemplate her work. Near the bay, which fell further and further behind, the pair of ships had come to a complete stop. They had some broken masts, and the cordage hung from the poles like cut lint. The cannons were once again hidden behind their wooden doors.
Uma had been forgiving this time. She was in a hurry to get to a nearby port where she could get medical attention for one of her pirates, Desiree, who had discovered that she was carrying a creature in her womb.
The ships looked like just little boats lost in the vast sea, but Uma saw that another of her pirates, Gonzo, was wounded. He had sat on a barrel on the deck, his clothes covered in tar, and was checking his arm, where he had a burn produced by a bullet as it brushed against his skin. Uma frowned, feeling anger welling up from her stomach.
She was possessive. These pirates were hers, and no one touched her people. For many years, they had lived deprived of dignity, until she took them to the ship and gave them a home. And if there was one thing Uma couldn't bear, it was seeing them hurt.
"Let them feel the caress of our fire," she ordered Bonny, the cannon manager. The girl looked at Uma with a raised eyebrow.
“We are already far away, captain. They won't do much damage. At most, destroy the gunwale”.
The ships were so still, so calm. Uma could almost feel the relief it caused to those sailors, to see that the Lost Revenge was moving away...
"They think we're already gone," she said, smiling complacently. “Just scare them a little. I want them to repeat the name of the Lost Revenge with cracked lips and shaky teeth. Do it before we leave the cape”.
Bonny nodded. She never refused her captain's orders, and she enjoyed hearing the sudden thump of the cannons as they dropped the charge. She ran to the lower deck, yelling at the other pirates to ready the stern cannon, and Uma heard the roar of her pirates in reply. Laughter, wild footsteps, rudeness mingling with sweat and the crackle of the sea.
The rain screamed in her ears, making the deck slippery and soaking Uma, who did not feel entirely safe with her victory. There was something, in her heart, in her chest, screaming at her to be careful. The stillness... then something strange happened. A shot of sparks shot up into the sky, gold and blue, the colors of the royal family, from one of the ships. And Uma heard another, but she didn't see the light. Realizing too late, she broke away from the gunwale to yell at her pirates to come up on deck, to draw their pistols and cutlasses.
They were passing one side of the cape, and Uma understood why the two ships had come to take them out of the bay. Behind one of the large jagged boulders that jutted out at the tip, the bow of a light and fast ship pushed through the thunder and rain, catching the stern wind, and positioned itself in the direction of the Lost Revenge faster than Uma expected. The crew, having heard the captain's call, was reaching the deck. Uma hurried impatiently toward the rudder, turning with all her force, trying to avoid the other ship, but the wind was not favorable, and the Revenge veered too slowly.
“It's going to crash!” Jonas yelled, leaning out to starboard to see the approaching ship. "It is inevitable, captain!"
Uma knew it. She screamed angrily and returned the rudder to its original spot. The ship creaked, mingling with the growls of the sky and the long cries of the sea, and causing all the air to fill with noise. In a second, the other ship, also from the Auradon Navy, made it to the Revenge, and Uma drew her pistols first.
“Defend the Lost Revenge! What is my name?"
"Uma!"
The chorus of screams, with which Uma felt powerful, rose amid the hiss of cordage sliding from the deck of the other ship to the Revenge, which was soon filled with screams as the officers boarded. The cold, icy rain penetrated every strand of the sailors' clothing, but it was not enough to quench or silence the wild roar of the pistols. Uma fired her four pistols, one after another, before pulling out the cutlass to face an opponent who was too close to her. Around her, the crew defended themselves.
“This is the jurisdiction of the sea of the territory of the Kingdom of Auradon, pirate! Surrender so we can bring you to trial to our honorable…!"
“Talk too much”, she complained.
Uma silenced the chattering sailor with a blow from her cutlass, then kicked him out of the way. Teeth gnashing with fury, she whirled to face another of the officers, hearing the gasps, the growls, the metal colliding with metal, the pistols to their musical and unflappable pounding. The Revenge crackled, and as she turned to face another opponent, she let out a surprised gasp.
Desiree was facing her, held by one of the officers, the edge of a cutlass clinging to her neck. Her gaze sought Uma's, trusting her, almost calm. As if she was sure that Uma would protect her.
“Drop your weapons now!” The officer holding Desiree yelled, drenched from head to toe but firm.
Uma tried to think fast, to find some solution, but the cutlass was very close to Desiree, and Uma couldn't risk. If she tried to take the cutlass from the officer... and her pistols were out of ammunition. It was useless.
Perhaps, if she sank into the sea and turned into her marine form, if she used her heritage of ocean magic...
But looking out of the corner of her eye, she realized that she was surrounded. If it was only Uma's life that was at risk, she wouldn't hesitate to do something crazy. But it was Desiree. She wasn't going to put her in more danger than she already was, no matter what.
"What do you want?" She growled impatiently.
“Surrender!” The officer yelled again, and Uma suppressed an indignant growl as she dropped the cutlass. She would trick them, fake her surrender until they released Desiree, and then, if the water was enough near, she could sink the old ship to the bottom with her tentacles.
The officer laughed, being seconded by the others. Uma's pirates had begun to be captured, though some were still fighting. Uma gave a deep, drunken laugh, scoffing at the situation. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.
"Don't let her talk, she's a sea witch!" Warned another of the sailors, and she didn't even have time to frown before she felt her mouth gagged and her hands tied. Now, desperate, Uma looked everywhere looking for an escape, a way out. She felt her heart hammering in her chest. For several years, no one had managed to catch her, no one had emerged unscathed from the fire of the Lost Revenge, or from Uma’s fire, but now they were blackmailing her. So easy, so fast… and it was all overwhelming. She felt nauseous. She tried to scream, to speak, but it was useless.
Desiree had fear in her eyes, and the other pirates looked like cornered animals. The officer gave a cruel laugh, which Uma never thought she heard from any auradonian.
"We have done it," he told one of the officers. “Tow the ship and get these prisoners back to our ship. They will be a good material for sale”.