Tide Rising

The Aftermath - Uma

Uma had swam for hours, her limbs ached and her bones felt like breaking but she had to get back home. After pushing through the barrier she washed up on the black sand of the Isle then she allowed herself to finally rest. How could she have been so stupid?

It was idiotic to think she could ever top Mal, Mal seemed to get everything Uma wanted in life. Good food, a good home and good friends. Oh Posiedon her friends. She had failed them, she'd failed her crew, Gil, Harry, the rest of the Isle. She'd only wanted what was best for the Isle! Was that too much to ask?

When Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay when to Auradon only to turn their back on the Isle, that had pissed off Uma to breaking point. She knew something had to be done but it was impossible, so when her chance had arisen to defeat Mal she took it. But failed. She had lost everything now. Her crew were going to push her away and laugh at her pride and stupidity. Harry would be so much better a captain than her.

Uma tried to pull herself up but yelped when a sharp pain went through her leg. She looked down at the spot, a deep gash was in its place and remembered what had happened. She had caught her dress on a rock, when she pulled at the dress she had managed to rip the dress to her knees and stabbed into her leg in the process. Baring her teeth and bracing for pain she pulled herself up and felt the stabbing pain in her leg once more.

Uma lay again a rock for support as she ripped off more of her once beautiful ballgown and tied it round the gash opening. Then she dragged herself to the nearby cove she kept her clothes in. She swam too often not to have clothes in the cove next to The Lost Revenge. She changed into her usual pirate garb but without her hat, she had left that with Harry.

After she had explained her plan of swimming to the Cotillion and pretending to be the love of Ben's life she took Harry down to her captains quarters.
"Harry, you are first mate so hopefully you know what I'm going to say..." Uma started "If I don't make it back,"
"Uma, no don't say..." Harry said sadly
"Let your captain speak!" Uma interupped, "Harry, if I don't make it back you are to be captain."
"Uma, please..." Harry replied tearfully
"So, I need you to have this." Uma made eye contact with Harry as she passed him her hat
"Uma, you will make it back!" Harry said as he tried to give her back the hat
"I might not Harry!" Uma exclaimed "You will have to take responsibility!"
Harry dropped the hat on Uma's bed as he pulled her into a tight embrace, she saw he had tears streaming down his cheeks. Uma wrapped her hands around his back. Finally she pulled away looking up at her dear first mate with tears in her eyes as he put one of his hands on her face, he kissed her forehead and almost whispered,
"Do your best to make it back Uma, please."
She continued to make eye contact as she told him,
"I will."
Uma turned around and went back up onto deck to swim to Auradon, trying to ignore the sniffles she heard coming from her quarters. She would make it back, for Harry. And her crew, she told herself. For her crew. Not just Harry. He's not more important than my crew.

Uma finally allowed herself to cry, crying made her feel weak and she hated that but she let herself sob and wallow in self pity over failing, over losing her reputation, over Mal always doing better than Uma. Mal secretly had a golden heart and it make her want to throw up. Uma was so busy crying she didn't notice the footsteps and smell of sea salt and leather coming toward her, calling her name shakily. "UMA!" She suddenly heard, causing her to look up. Harry had found her.