The Greatest Sea Witch

The Other Side

The days following Cotillion were nothing short of uneventful on the Isle. Anybody who thought Uma would succeed were let down, and anyone who knew she would fail were indifferent. While many expected Uma to take a tumble down the social ladder as she'd done most of her life, she remained at the top of the food chain. She kept her title of captain, which baffled anyone outside of her crew. However, the only person who could dethrone her was against the deed with every fiber of his being.

The once inseparable pair were hardly seen together. Uma spent her time in her mother's shop, and Harry spent his time at the wharf. Uma was thankful that he was giving her space because the last thing she wanted to do was talk to him about what went down between them. Harry, on the other hand, was still repairing his internal bearing while maintaining his exterior madness. No one would've guessed he was heartbroken.

One dark night, Uma closed up the Chip Shoppe early to have her own drinking party by herself. Her mother was no where to be found ever since Uma came home, so the younger sea witch had nothing to fear from her demanding mother. Cook left her alone with a bottle of rum and a couple shot glasses, and that's all she needed to enjoy the night to herself. The booze took an edge off of her distress, and she became so relaxed that she didn't notice a cloaked stranger walk in until they were sitting in the stool next to her.

"We're closed," She drawled, throwing another shot of sour rum down her throat and cringing at the flavor. The stranger didn't move. Instead, he grabbed the bottle, poured himself a shot, and sent it down his pipe. More than annoyed, Uma moved her hand to the hilt of her sword under the table and turned in her chair to face the culprit, "Listen here Bub, I said-"

He threw his hood off, and Uma stopped short. It was King Ben! He was actually stupid enough to come back to the Isle and confront Uma directly, without any backup. His princely smile hadn't lost its glow, but his eyes were different. They weren't as innocent, and they were more determined. Uma was intrigued to say the least. She didn't even think a young king like him could stomach Isle rum.

"What are you doing here, Ben?" She asked boredly, snatching back the bottle and refilling her glass. She let her cutlass fall back onto the shelf under the table, and Ben noticed with a flick of his eyebrows.

"You're not going to try to capture me?" Ben asked, leaving her question unanswered.

"You've caught me at a bad time," Uma admitted with an exaggerated expression of displeasure, "If you're looking to get nicked again, just walk into any other bar around here. That way I can be alone."

"Actually, I came to talk to you," Ben insisted, and Uma scoffed in annoyance.

"Then you clearly have a death wish," Uma mused. Her patience was wearing thin, and it wouldn't be much longer until she actually did pull her sword out. Whether Ben could defend himself or not was the least of her worries. She wanted to be alone, and he was dumb enough to intrude on her privacy.

"Nah, I don't think you're gonna hurt me," Ben challenged, and Uma thought he was rather confident for someone whom she's already captured once before.

"Oh really?" She asked, raising the small glass to her lips, "And what makes you so sure?"

"I'm the only royal in twenty years who thinks the villain kids should come off the Isle," Ben boasted, leaning an elbow onto the table to face her, "You need me to get off the Isle."

"I've told you already. I don't need you," Uma said, proceeding to take another shot of rum, "Besides, royals aren't good for anything. The only desirable thing about them is their worth in a trade."

Ben chuckled, not at all offended by Uma's strike on his character, "I believe those are the words of a true villain." Ben said.

"A sea witch, King Ben," Uma corrected, "A sea witch."