harry tipped his head to one side as he watched the flutter of emotions cast across the kings face. offense, confusion, denial. he wondered if ben was always this honest with his emotions or if it was because he was trapped and alone. harry raised his brows slightly as ben claimed not to have asked mal to play the pretty pink auradon princess, that same unsympathetic smile resting upon his lips as he listened to him speak. ā you didnāt have to ask. ā harry said with a shrug of his shoulders, ā malās a liar. always has been, always will be. ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā there had been a time when harry had been younger, when the world of the isle hadnāt quite narrowed into a pinpoint, when he had wondered about auradon. wondered what the princes and princesses, the heroes and knights, had been told about the isle. he had wondered if the fairy godmothers and the wizards and the valiant lionhearts ever looked to the isle and saw the struggles of his sisters, of his captain, of him, and consider granting them their wishes. wasnāt that how the happily ever afterās worked? you work hard, you fight, you survive and when you turn sixteen youāre granted a great boon? jay, carlos, evie and mal had been granted their great boon but not uma. not his sisters. not him. ā howās it feel? ā harry asked innocently, ā finding out youāve been lied to your whole life? ā
harry hummed as he dragged the point of his hook up benās thigh until it sat against his hip, he liked the way he pinched his mouth together to keep his lower lip from trembling. he liked the way his voice sounded, thick with emotion, with the desperation to renounce every claim and accusation that left harryās lips. ā because youāre the hero, arenāt you? you throw your parties and celebrate while we burn. isnāt that how all the fairytales end? ā
the pirateās smile became wolfish as ben claimed to be willing to arrange his freedom in return for his own. ā are you going to give me everything i want if i let you go? ā harry asked, dragging his hook up to benās chest where he played with one of the zippers on his coat. ā freedom. riches. a shiny new ship. ā
truthfully, the open emotions on his expression is a side effect of having to spend so much of his willpower maintaining any semblance of calm whilst a hook wielding pirate torments him with the danger he might be in. so maybe a few more emotions than usual are going to slip through. confusion is one he doesnāt mind. at least itās honest. and apparently honestly is hard to come by, if what harry is saying is true. ben doesnāt believe that malās a liar, he knows she might have been once- heās not blind to the goings on of the first few weeks after the vks arrived in auradon, but he doesnāt think sheās a liar, at least not without a good reason.Ā
but- hadnāt she lied to him? hadnāt she spelled him? hadnāt she tried to spell him just yesterday? to make him forget a difficult conversation? the thought turns his stomach far more than harryās hook. to have his mind played with, his memories erased. he pushes that feeling down, as something that he can think about later. after. assuming there is an after. which is seeming less and less likely by the minute.Ā
harry asks how it felt, to learn that his entire life had been built on lies, and on the backs of the less fortunate and ben has no reason to lie.Ā ā awful, ā he admits.Ā ā i had no idea about the injustices happening in my own kingdom. and when i found out, i wanted to fix it. i failed at that and iām sorry. ā he had only ever wanted to help the isle and its people, but reforming the system was a difficult job. he was receiving pushback even for having controversial opinions like everyone should be paid for the work they do.so the isle had been left behind, and that wasnāt fair on them.Ā ā iām not a hero, ā he says.Ā ā i never claimed to be. ā never claimed to be, but isnāt that what heās trying to be here?Ā
the hook is moved from his leg to his chest, easing over the leather jacket that feels so out of place on his own body. harry asks about all the things he could give him if he was freed, but thatās not what this is. he shakes his head.Ā ā no, but i can give you your freedom, i can give you the opportunity to study, to learn, to earn your own wealth so you can buy your own ship. iām not bargaining for my life with elaborate promises, iām offering you the same chance i offered mal, evie, jay and carlos. release me and i will help you, i promise. ā