Magic

Chapter 15: An Alliance

Rapunzel opened her eyes to soft waves bobbing up and down. She had grown used to this ambiance and image over the past few weeks. She had to admit that by now it was comforting and relaxing to her. Plus, at night it would lure her to sleep like a lullaby. By the look of the reddish sky, she could tell that it was early in the morning. In the background, she could hear Olaf's snores and Moana working on something. She lay still for a few minutes before finally sitting up. As she peered down at the water, the reflection of the rising sun left her gobsmacked.

She gently placed her hand on the sun in the water and felt her lip form into a small smile. It looks like I'm touching the sun. The sun caused the memory of her sundrop hair to appear and Rapunzel's smile faded. She remembered that she'd had her hair tied back in a pony just the other day.

Yesterday, they had discovered that her hair reached shoulder length. When Moana asked how it had happened, Rapunzel said that her magic was taking effect. Her fingers were just about to reach for the pony when she heard Moana curse about something.

Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder. Pua, Olaf, and Pascal were fast asleep while Hei Hei was pacing inside the cargo hold. Moana was struggling to tie a sailor's knot while she held the oar underneath her arm. "Moana, is everything okay? Do you need help?"

"No, it's fine, Mandy," Moana assured, finally succeeding in tying the knot. She threw it over the mast and picked up her oar. "I got it under control."

"Okay, just let me know if you need any help."

Moana peered at her with a small smile. "I think that it'll be a while, but thank you."

Rapunzel watched Moana sail the canoe further in the ocean with her oar. The way she navigated that boat was so flawless. Rapunzel didn't know anyone else who could navigate a boat or even a ship better than her. "You're a natural with that."

"Thanks." Moana smiled. "I actually didn't start like that." She chuckled as she put down her oar and went over towards the cargo hold. "You can ask Maui if you ever meet him. Have you ever been in a canoe?"

The memory of being in that canoe with Eugene on her birthday all those years ago brought a smile to her face. She wished that she could tell Moana all about it. "Yes, a few times. It's been a while."

Hei Hei almost jumped off the canoe again but Moana caught him before he even reached the edge of the boat. "No, Hei Hei." She gently put him in the cargo hold. "Stay." She glanced over her shoulder at Rapunzel. "Is there anything that you want from here?"

"Would an orange be okay?"

Moana nodded and reached into the cargo hold. As Moana returned, Rapunzel saw that she had a banana and an orange in her hands. She handed the orange to Rapunzel before peering over her shoulder where their friends were sleeping. "We should wake them up. It's time for breakfast."

"Why don't we let them sleep for a few more minutes?" Rapunzel suggested, rubbing the orange on her sleeve. "We had a long day yesterday and they deserve more rest."

A small smile appeared as Moana peered back at Rapunzel. "You're right." She peeled her banana and sat down beside Rapunzel, placing her feet in the water. "And we'll be having another long day so it would be good for them to get more rest. How did you sleep?"

"Never slept better," Rapunzel replied, sitting on her legs. "I got way more sleep."

"How have you been feeling?"

"Perfect," Rapunzel answered. She knew that she was in good health, but she wouldn't say the same thing about everything else that had been going on. "I haven't been feeling dehydrated or anything."

Moana tucked back a wave of curls that blew in her face. "Good. I was worried about your health. Glad to hear that you're better. Good thing that we picked you up when we did."

Despite the fact that Rapunzel didn't want to drag Moana into her mess, she would have to agree with her. She didn't want to think about what would've happened if she hadn't rescued her from the jellyfish, but she knew that if they hadn't crossed paths, Rapunzel would most likely not have survived another day of dehydration. Their basket likely wouldn't have lasted another day.

Rapunzel placed her feet into the ocean, almost shivering as the water reached her knees. She pulled apart a segment of the orange and bit it as she glanced at her reflection once again. This time, the reflection showed her and her friend on a canoe. It kinda reminded her of a book that she'd read as a child about sailing. Whenever Gothel was away, she and Pascal would always gather anything that they could find and pretend that they were on a canoe, sailing across the horizon. Sometimes they would even pretend to be pirates and then they would always put everything away before Gothel got home. Once, they were so invested in their make-believe that Gothel almost caught them.

Moana swallowed a piece of banana. "So, Mandy, where are you from?"

Rapunzel gulped but kept a calm demeanor. "What do you mean?"

"Well, before you went in that balloon, what country were you from? Were you in the same place all your life? Did you move to a new place before you started traveling?"

Corona. That was what she wished she could say. She would have to tell Moana the first country that came to mind before she would suspect something. "Tirapai Island."

"Oh, with the lorbs?"

"You've been there before?"

"Yes," Moana confirmed. "Maui and I went there and met the lorbs. I had no idea humans lived there! They told me that people get stranded there from time to time, but they never said that there were humans that lived there."

Hopefully the lorbs hadn't told Moana who the group was, otherwise Moana would know that Rapunzel had lied to her. As hard as this was, Rapunzel pushed herself to continue before Moana would notice her expressions. "You know how a ferry would come by the island every so often?"

Moana raised her eyebrow and nodded. "The ferry didn't come when we went, but I remember the lorbs mentioning it."

"My parents used to be captains of one of those ferries," Rapunzel lied. "They had just gotten married and decided to use the ferry as their honeymoon. However, they lost their ferry at sea and washed up on shore at Tirapai Island. My mom found out that she was expecting me so they decided to remain on the island for a bit and wait for the ferry. When they met the lorbs, at first they were at odds with each other until they eventually became best friends and like family. After I was born, we remained on the island for a few more years until a ferry finally came, but we still visit there."

Moana suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Were Pascal and Olaf from there too? Because now that I think about it, one of the lorbs mentioned something about mistaking someone named Pascal as their King."

That just strengthened her story! Rapunzel had proof that Pascal was once on her island! "Pascal was but not Olaf. And yes, they thought that Pascal was their king. My parents were surprised! The lorbs must talk all about it! Did they say anything about this group that they saw?"

After a quick pause, Moana replied, "They just said that some people had stayed there before and that was about it. They never said any names. Why?"

"I was curious," Rapunzel lied. What am I doing? "I thought that they might've mentioned me or my parents or something." She took another bite out of her orange. "So, Moana, what were you and Maui doing on Tirapai island?"

"Maui and I went there after we got his hook back," Moana began, "we were running out of fruit so we decided to go there. When we arrived, Hei Hei got away from us and we eventually found him knocking over the lorbs' home. The lorbs thought that he was a threat and started chasing him until we stopped them. We fought each other for a bit until they saw that I had the heart of Te Fiti. They told me that Te Fiti had created their island long before her heart was taken. Did they tell you that?"

"They might've told my parents but they didn't tell me," Rapunzel lied. "Were they happy to see Maui?"

Moana swallowed another bite. "No, they were furious at him for taking Te Fiti's heart. They said that if it hadn't been for him, their island wouldn't be dying."

Rapunzel dropped her jaw. "What? You're kidding, right?"

The ocean wave moved to the left then the right like it was shaking its head. "The trees were fading away and the fruit was rotting, causing the fireflies to stop coming by. They didn't have much fruit left. I offered the few that I had but they refused. Some of the lorbs had considered moving to another island, but a lot of them didn't want to leave, which led to a fight between them. One of them berated Maui, saying that if he hadn't stolen the heart, Golden Eye would not have come to their island."

Rapunzel squeezed her orange so hard that some juice sprayed into her and Moana's faces. She quickly apologized, which Moana accepted. "You mean the pirate captain Golden Eye?" She remembered reading about him once and she'd heard Hook Foot mention him before. Rapunzel smeared the orange off her forehead. "Why was he there?"

Moana wiped the juice from her cheeks, looking at Rapunzel. "They told us that Golden Eye came to the island because he heard that Te Fiti created Tirapai Island so he assumed that the heart was there. He and his crew invaded the island, stole their fruit, and tried to find it. The lorbs had to fight against the pirates to get them off the island. They said that one of them thought that they overheard them plotting to come back to find it again."

She hoped that the lorbs and their island were safe. "Do you know what happened to the lorbs?"

"After I restored Te Fiti's heart, Maui went back to the island. He said that the lorbs are safe and their island recovered. And so far, Golden Eye hasn't come back to their island," Moana explained, preparing to take another bite.

A fish jumped across from the girls, splashing them in the process. Rapunzel and Moana both laughed at each other and, after they made sure that the fish was gone, they kicked their feet in the water, laughing with each other. Not too long after, Ocean came above them and sprayed them. They paused for a minute and laughed again.

"Okay, you win," Moana laughed merrily. Ocean wave came by her and they high-fived. "You got us, Ocean."

Rapunzel's jaw dropped when the ocean wave came over towards her. She smiled at the sight of it. "Here you go," she chuckled right when she high-fived it. She touched the back of her head, feeling her drenched bun.

"Does it act like this with your people too?"

"The splashing, yes. The high fiving, not really."

Moana took a bite out of her banana. After she swallowed her bite, she said, "I'm surprised that humans lived there. The lorbs called us freinfloofers or something and at one point, tried to treat Maui like their servant. Were they like that with you, Mandy?"

"At first, they were, but then they grew used to us. They even treated us like we were part of the family."

"I wonder why they never mentioned you? Is there any reason?"

Rapunzel pursed her lips and spent a moment in thought before she answered. "Now, that I think of it, my parents are very private people. They have always been afraid that someone would try to collect information about them in order to rob them. For that reason, my parents told the lorbs not to tell anyone our names for our safety." This left such a bad taste in Rapunzel's mouth that not even the delicious orange could take it away.

Moana's eyes narrowed. "Well...I guess that makes sense." She glanced back at the ocean, appearing to be lost in thought.

A tingling of worry rose within Rapunzel. Had Moana caught her lying? Was Moana trying to remember something? She bit her lip as Moana rested her head on her fist, still off in her own world. Rapunzel turned away before she could notice her expression. When she glanced over her shoulder to everyone else on board, she saw that Pascal was peering at her while Olaf and Pua were still asleep with Hei Hei walking back and forth in the cargo hold. By the looks of it, he might've been up for a while now. He must've heard what I was telling her. His expressions at her confirmed her theory.

As the ocean gurgled around her, Rapunzel turned her attention back to the sky. After a moment of gazing at it, she knew that not even the sun could distract her. She glanced down at the water, peering down at the reflection of her and Moana. There was no escaping her thoughts. Maybe she should just ask her what was on her mind and get it over with?

"Moana, are you okay?"

Moana jumped and peered at Rapunzel. "Oh, sorry about that! I was just thinking about something."

"It's fine." Rapunzel took a deep breath. Here goes. "What were you thinking about? Is something bothering you?"

Moana shook her head. "No, not at all," she reassured. The ocean tilted at her like it was implying that it knew that she didn't mean that. "No, really, Ocean. I'm fine. Really, I'm okay."

"Moana, whatever's bothering you, I can try and help," Rapunzel reassured, placing her hand on her shoulder.

After giving her a small smile, Moana sighed and pushed another strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm just—" She sighed before continuing. "I was thinking about Aolani and Luano. I'm worried that something might happen to them. I couldn't bear it if something happened to my people, Motunui, and my family. I don't know what I would do."

This reminded Rapunzel of how she would do anything to protect Corona, Eugene, and her family. She really should tell Moana how they are alike but she couldn't. "I'm sure that Aolani and Luano will be alright."

"How do you know?"

Rapunzel gave her a small smile. "I have a good feeling that everything will work out."

Moana crossed her arms and briefly glanced down at the water before she peered at Rapunzel again. "Let's hope. I guess that we'll find out."

Rapunzel was about to say something when she heard footsteps coming behind her. She glanced over
her shoulder to where Pua was coming up behind her. As soon as he saw her and Moana, Pua started smiling and oinking. "Hey there, Pua." She gently patted his head and chuckled as Pua jumped on her chest and licked her cheek. "Looks like you're in a good mood."

Moana smiled at Pua and pet his head. "Good morning, Pua. How did you sleep?"

After Pua knocked Moana to the ground, Rapunzel peered down at them, giggling. Not too long after, they started giggling as well and Olaf rose from the ground, yawning and stretching his arms.

"What'd I miss? What'd I miss?" Olaf asked, peering over to them.

While Moana answered him, Pascal rose and crawled over to Rapunzel. Rapunzel held out her hand and allowed him to crawl on. She gently brought him towards her face. "Good morning, Pascal. Did you get a good night's rest?" Pascal nodded and chattered to her. "You're hungry?" She glanced over to Moana. "Moana, is there anything that Pascal could have from the cargo hold?"

"Can I have something too?" Olaf asked, rubbing his stomach. "I'm hungry too."

Moana went over to the cargo hold, nodding her head. "It's time for breakfast anyway." She reached inside and pulled out an orange. "Here you go, Olaf," she said, tossing it to him.

Olaf caught the orange and smiled at her. "Thank you!" He peered at the orange and then removed his carrot and replaced it with the orange, causing Rapunzel and Moana to laugh. "There! I got a new nose!"

Moana chuckled and went over to him. "No, you're supposed to eat it." She gently took the orange off and placed it in his hand. She put the carrot back where it was and chuckled. "Wouldn't you eat the carrot too?" After Rapunzel explained more to her about snowmen, Moana nodded in realization. "Got it." She glanced back at Olaf, crossing her arms. "Go ahead. Try it."

As Olaf took a huge bite into the orange, his eyes closed and a smile formed on his face. "It's delicious! It tastes like juice!"

Rapunzel chuckled. "It is kinda like juice."

After Moana reached into the cargo hold, she pulled out breadfruit, coconut, and betal nut fruit. Rapunzel watched her hand the coconut to Pascal, the breadfruit to Pua, and the betal nut fruit to Hei Hei. Hei Hei pecked in the opposite direction of the fruit.

"Moana," Rapunzel began, drawing her legs from the water, "Do you know what the canoe that Aolani and Luano have looks like?"

"It's kinda similar to my canoe," Moana answered. "Except that it's a bit bigger and the mast is a deep red."

Olaf furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay, I'm confused. How do you know that's the canoe that they took?"

"Maui told me."

"Oh, got it," Olaf nodded.

After Rapunzel finished her orange, she peered out into the horizon, hoping to catch sight of the canoe that Moana had described. All she could see was the sky reflecting on the water and the ocean's ambient sound intermingled with the new conversation between Moana and Olaf. She glanced down at Pascal who was also keeping watch while having his breakfast. Rapunzel peered around the area a few more times but nothing changed.

If only she'd brought her father's telescope with her, it would've been much easier to find Aolani and Luano and Celeptois. She recalled that before she and Eugene had left for Arendelle, she considered bringing it with her to show her cousins but decided that she would bring it with her another time. Rapunzel was now kicking at herself, though she shouldn't really blame herself. She and Eugene were supposed to be back home by now.

Olaf narrowed his eyes and peered around the area with a puzzled expression. "Okay, what are we looking for?"

"We're keeping an eye out for either Aolani and Luano or Celeptois," Moana answered, grabbing waves of her curls.

"Can I help too?"

As Moana twisted her hair into a tight bun on the top of her head she said, "Sure. That'll be great!"

Olaf smiled and peered out at the ocean. "Oh! Do you think that we'll see any dolphins? Or mermaids? Or turtles?"

"Maybe." Rapunzel shrugged with a smile. "Keep an eye out, Olaf. We could see any sea creatures out here."

As Olaf excitedly wobbled over towards the edge of the canoe with Pua coming beside him, Moana chuckled and peered back to Rapunzel. Her smile faded as she craned in towards her and whispered, "Let's just hope that it won't be anything like sharks or jellyfish again."

Rapunzel's skin prickled from the cool temperature as she nodded. She bent down and allowed Pascal to crawl onto her palm. He crawled up her arm until he reached her shoulder. After shooting a smile at each other, Rapunzel and Pascal peered back out into the horizon.

Pascal chattered to her. "We'll see something soon, Pascal," Rapunzel assured. Moana was just about to come over towards them when she noticed that one of the knots was untied and went over to tie it. After they made sure that Moana wasn't paying attention to them, Pascal and Rapunzel leaned into each other. Pascal chattered to her. "Yes, I kinda lied about Tirapai Island and the lorbs." After Pascal chattered to her again, Rapunzel sighed. "I know but I didn't have a choice."

They should trust Moana and tell her what was going on, but they couldn't. As much as she, Olaf, and Pascal would miss Moana and her friends, she knew that it would be best that they would go their own way. Hopefully, after everything was sorted out, Rapunzel could go to Motunui and explain everything to Moana.

Once Moana tied the knot and went over towards Rapunzel and Pascal, Rapunzel said, "Okay, hopefully, we should start seeing something."

"I hope. Keep looking."

Again, Rapunzel and Moana glanced out into the horizon. At first, everything was silent except for the ocean waves until they heard Olaf expressing his hopes of seeing a dolphin or a turtle to Pua by the water.

"Are they okay?" Moana asked, glancing behind her.

"They're fine—"

Without warning, Hei Hei leaped out of the cargo hold and darted towards the other end of the boat, forcing Rapunzel and Moana to scurry after him and causing Pascal to fly off Rapunzel's shoulder. Pua turned his head from the water and his eyes widened while Olaf continued to stare out at the horizon, completely ignorant of the commotion surrounding him.

Right when Hei Hei reached the edge, Rapunzel and Moana both dove towards him, hoping to catch him before he touched the water. However, they flew past him and fell into the ocean. Rapunzel opened her eyes to see Hei Hei fall into the water after them. Moana quickly swam towards him with Rapunzel following behind. Right when she caught him, the ocean wave carried her out of the water and onto the canoe. When Rapunzel lifted her head through the water, the ocean wave did the same with her.

"Are you okay, Mandy?" Moana asked, coming towards her while she held Hei Hei in her arms.

Rapunzel hoisted herself from the ground. "I'm fine." Pascal crawled over to her and chattered. "I'm sure, Pascal."

Moana peered down at Hei Hei. "Hei Hei, you need to stop doing that. You scared us."

Rapunzel felt her ponytail coming undone. She reached behind her head and gently pulled the ponytail out of her hair. She slid the ponytail on her wrist and went towards the ocean. She was just about to do her hair when she peered out at the ocean and saw some splashing. For a moment, Rapunzel froze until something hit the surface of the water, producing another splash.

"What was that?" Moana asked.

Rapunzel peered at Moana, putting her arms down. "I don't know." She glanced back over at the ocean. "I just heard—"

Splashing slapped against the water again, giving Rapunzel and Moana pause. Pascal narrowed his eyes at the water while Olaf was still ignorant of the situation. Pua went over towards Moana with a frightened expression and a nervous squeal. Moana took a step towards Pua and assured, "It's okay, Pua. Go help Olaf. We just heard something nearby. I'm sure that it's nothing dangerous."

After standing still for a moment, Pua turned back and went over to Olaf. Rapunzel went over to the middle of the canoe and picked up her frying pan.

"Look!" Moana said, shortly before Pascal let out a squeak. "Right there!"

Clenching her frying pan tighter in her hands, Rapunzel hurried over to Moana and Pascal. "What is it?" Without looking at her, Moana pointed ahead and Rapunzel glanced over to the ocean.

A slender, snake-like figure was swimming underneath the surface far off from them. They couldn't get a good look at the creature, but from where they were standing, the color seemed to be blue. It couldn't be a shark; it was far too slender to resemble one. It was too big to be an eel. What kind of fish was it? Was it even a fish?

"What do you think that is?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't know," Moana admitted, being cautious. "I can't tell what that—"

"Wow!" Olaf exclaimed. At first, Rapunzel and Moana peered at each other nervously until they heard Pua squealing with joy. "Did you see that?"

Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder, giggling. "What is it, Olaf?"

Olaf pointed to the surface. "There's a baby turtle!"

"Really? Where?" Rapunzel asked, letting Pascal crawl on her hand and onto her shoulder before she came over to Olaf.

A smile appeared on Olaf's face as he glanced over at her. "There!"

When Rapunzel reached Olaf, she peered down at the ocean where a baby turtle was peeking out of the water, looking up at the boat. She smiled as she watched the baby turtle climb onto the canoe. Rapunzel bent down and petted its head.

"Hi there, little guy," Rapunzel said gently. She heard footsteps coming behind her. The baby turtle came to a halt and peered up.

Moana bent down and smiled at the baby turtle. "Hi, how are you?" She gently petted the turtle. "Where's your family? Did you get lost?"

Olaf bent down towards the turtle and put his face in front of it. "Hi, there! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs! What is your name?"

The baby turtle's eyes widened as it tilted its head at Olaf. Before anyone could react, the turtle slowly came towards Olaf. After Moana gestured for him to pet it, Olaf bent down and gently petted its shell. The turtle peered up at Olaf and smiled at him, causing Rapunzel and Moana to smile too. Olaf then smiled back at it.

Olaf peered over at Rapunzel and Moana. "Can I name it?"

Moana chuckled. "I don't see why not."

"I think that's a great idea, Olaf!"

Olaf cheered and bent down to the turtle, letting it crawl in his twig hands. "I'll call you, Little Shell!"

Pascal raised his eyebrow at first but then shrugged and smiled. Olaf smiled at Little Shell and brought him towards Moana, Rapunzel, Pua, and Pascal. Everyone couldn't help but adore the tiny creature that lay in Olaf's hands. Little Shell peered up at them with large curious eyes and tiny jaw slightly dropped, bringing laughter to the group. After a few blinks, the baby turtle gave them an endearing smile.

"I wish that we could keep it!" Olaf beamed.

"Me too." Moana's smile faded. "But we can't. It needs to be out with its family in the ocean."

"I know," Olaf said, bowing his head. "As much as I would love to keep it, I don't want it to be homesick."

Moana nodded and wrapped her arm around Olaf's shoulder. "I'm the same way, Olaf. Whenever I would see a turtle, I would lure them back into the ocean. I always wished to keep them, but I know I have to let them roam free."

Her statement forced Rapunzel and Pascal to shoot a glimpse at each other, and they immediately knew what each other was thinking. This is like with Little Big Guy. She wondered how that dragon was doing. It had been so long since they'd watched him reunite with his family. Pascal's eyes dimmed and he bowed his head. Rapunzel stroked his head, comforting her best friend. He missed him very much.

Olaf glanced up at Moana. "Do you name them too?"

Moana chuckled. "Sometimes."

Rapunzel felt Pascal tap her. She turned over to him. "What is it, Pascal? Did you see something?" Pascal pointed his tail forward, and her eyes followed, widening immediately. Baby turtles were swimming ahead of them! "Oh, my goodness. Guys, look!"

Moana, Olaf, and Pua peered up and gasped once they saw the baby turtles swimming farther into the ocean, their heads above the surface and their arms moving up and down. Little Shell peered out at them excitedly.

"I think that it's time you go with them, Little Shell," Olaf smiled. He wobbled over towards the edge of the canoe and lowered his hands above the water. "Here you go. Now you can be with your friends."

Little Shell jumped out of Olaf's grip. After he fell into the water, he immediately went back towards the surface. He smiled back at the group with one last look before he started to swim over towards the other turtles. The group watched as he caught up with the others.

"Why are there so many baby turtles?" Olaf asked.

"They must've hatched recently," Rapunzel answered.

"Where?"

"A nearby island," Moana answered.

Instantly, Rapunzel and Moana shot a look at each other, gasping in realization. They both peered back in the direction where the turtles were coming from. The turtles must've been coming from nearby land!

"What happened?" Olaf asked.

Moana darted straight over towards her oar. "We're getting closer to Celeptois!"

We're almost there. We'll arrive in Celeptois soon.

Rapunzel stared out into the horizon as she bit a piece of orange. They were getting closer to Celeptois. "When do you think that we'll arrive, Moana?"

As she picked up her oar, Moana peered out at the open water. "We should be arriving in an hour." She shivered as the wind blew. "I never thought that I would experience fall weather."

The temperature made Rapunzel wrap her arms around each other. But all she could think about was what she, Olaf, and Pascal would do once they landed in Celeptois. They would help Moana find Aolani and Launo but then what? Where would they go?

"Mandy," Moana began. Rapunzel almost jumped as she was broken free from her thoughts. "Once we get to Celeptois and find the boys, you and your friends should decide where you're going."

Olaf glanced over towards her. "Why can't we just stay with her? She could take us somewhere."

We can't put her at risk for helping us, Olaf. That was what she wanted to say to him, but this wasn't the best time for her to explain it to him. "That's a great idea, but we can't put too much pressure on her shoulders. We have a lot going on."

She definitely would need to explain it to Olaf once they get time alone. Hopefully, he would understand, though it would be hard. Heck, she didn't even like the—she jumped and held her frying pan tighter right as Hei Hei's scream hurt everyone's ears.

"Hey, what—" an unfamiliar raspy voice asked.

Without hesitation, Rapunzel swung her body around, swinging her arms forward. She came to a halt once her frying pan slammed into something, creating a loud clang and sending a blue figure straight into the ocean. Everything had happened so fast that Rapunzel couldn't make out what the figure was.

Moana stepped forward, pointing her oar forward. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Rapunzel admitted anxiously. From the looks on Olaf, Pua, and Pascal's faces, she could tell that they didn't know either. They probably didn't even see what it was. "I just—"

Not even a second later, the ocean wave hovered over the canoe with the blue figure and gently placed it in the middle of the boat. Rapunzel, Moana, Olaf, Pua, and Pascal crowded around the figure. Once they were able to examine the creature, Rapunzel could make it out to be a dragon. Unlike most dragons, this one had no wings and wasn't bulky. Its body was rather a slender, snake-like figure with fish scales and dorsal fins. The dragon's blue hair would remind anyone of a lion. Except for Hei Hei, who wandered around the canoe, everyone stood still for a long minute, gaping at the unconscious dragon that lay before them.

Rapunzel lowered her frying pan, stepping forward to the dragon. "Gosh, I shouldn't have done that." Pascal chattered to her. "I didn't mean it, Pascal. It all just happened so fast. I thought that something was attacking Hei Hei."

"Is it dead?" Olaf asked, peering over it.

"No, it's just knocked out, Olaf," Moana clarified. She narrowed her eyes, craning to the dragon, and paused. "That's what we saw earlier, Mandy!"

Rapunzel peered down at the figure and recognized it was indeed the creature that she, Moana, and Pascal had seen mere seconds before Olaf spotted Little Shell. She felt guilty for hitting it with her frying pan yet she was uncertain why the dragon had come on the canoe in the first place. The dragon remained on the ground, fast asleep.

Hei Hei wobbled over to the dragon. Everyone was expecting him to scream at it again, however, he froze, peered at it for a bit, and bent down to peck at its tail only to miss it by several inches, pecking the canoe instead. Rapunzel peered over at Moana and asked, "You don't think it's dangerous, do you?"

"Ocean brought it here, so I don't think so," Moana doubted, stepping forward to examine it. This made Rapunzel regret hitting it even more. For all she knew, the dragon could've come on board to warn them about something and she knocked it out before it could help them. Moana peered up at the ocean. "Do you know if the dragon was following us, Ocean?"

Olaf furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Wait, that's a dragon? It doesn't have any wings!"

Rapunzel peered over at Hei Hei to make sure that he wasn't trying to get off the boat again. "Not all dragons have wings, Olaf."

"Then how does it—"

"Guys!" Moana quickly said. She pointed her oar at the dragon. "Look!"

As Rapunzel peered back at the dragon, the dragon's head tilted. She slowly dropped her weapon and gestured for Moana to do the same which she did. Pascal titled his head, a low, soft squeak being heard from him. Lowering his ears, Pua started to walk backward until Moana soothed him and petted him on the head.

The dragon rose from the ground and stretched out her legs before she rubbed her head. "Wow, I wasn't expecting that," she chuckled.

"I'm so sorry!" Rapunzel fretted. If only Elsa were there, she would've given her ice. "I didn't mean to. Are you alright?"

She expected the dragon to be angry or something, but instead she just smiled like it wasn't a big deal. "It's okay. I'm fine. I'm just hungry. Do you have anything onboard? Not jack jerky! Anything but that!"

Astonished, Moana made her way towards the cargo hold. "Uh...sure. I have some fruit. Would that work?"

"Yes, please!" The dragon smiled. When she turned towards her, the dragon's tail slammed into Olaf, knocking off his upper body. The ocean wave caught him and brought him back onboard. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to knock you off your booty!" the dragon exclaimed before chuckling nervously. "That happens a lot." She gaped at Olaf as he attached his body back together. "Ooh, I've never seen anything like that before! What are you?" As Olaf explained to her what he was and how he was alive, Moana reached into the cargo hold and pulled out an orange, tossing it. The dragon caught it and pulled apart a segment. She smiled after she took a bite. "Compliments to the chef!"

Rapunzel crossed her arms with a concerned expression. "Do you need ice or anything?"

"I'm good, hun," the dragon chirped. "Don't worry. You're okay."

"Are you sure?"

"All is forgiven! I know that you didn't mean it!"

"How do you know?"

"I can tell by looking into a person's eyes. And I'm sorry that I scared you. I—" The dragon then gasped. "Oh, if I had known I was going to be running into people out here, I would've brought some gifts!"

Moana shot a perplexed expression at Rapunzel before peering back at the dragon. "Gifts?"

"Ooh, is it someone's birthday?" Olaf exclaimed. "Are you going to a party?"

"No, there isn't a party," the dragon chuckled. "Unless there is a surprise party going on that I don't know about. A gift means that you can trust me. I can't believe that I didn't think to bring anything. Pengu wouldn't approve of this."

Olaf smiled, picked up a blanket, and wobbled over towards the dragon, giving it to her. "Here's a gift from all of us. You can trust us!"

The dragon held out the blanket, revealing the red blanket with symbols of Motunui scattered across from it. "Thank you! I love it!" She peered at the blanket with a perplexed expression. "What should I use this for? Is it a scarf? A cape?" She wrapped it around her head like a bandana, bringing laughter to Rapunzel and Moana. "Is it headwear?"

Rapunzel chuckled. "It's a blanket but you can also use it as a scarf if you want."

The dragon wrapped the blanket around herself, smiling back at them. "It's great! Thank you!"

Olaf smiled and held out his hand to her. "I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs! Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too!" The dragon greeted, shaking his hand. "I'm Sisu!"

Moana's eyes widened. "Sisudatu?!" She quickly bowed and formed her hands into a circle. "Oh, mighty Sisu!"

"Sisu!" Rapunzel gasped and formed her hands into a circle just like Moana. Before she, Eugene, and Pascal had left for Arendelle, she read a book on Sisu and the Kumandra dragons but never saw a picture of Sisu. She was planning on reading another book on them that showed illustrations when they got back.

Moana rose from the ground with Rapunzel following suit. "I've heard so much about you and your kind. I am grateful for all that the dragons have done for my island and ancestors. Motunui appreciates your service to our island."

"Motunui?!" Sisu exclaimed. "So, that's the island that Maui talked about!"

Moana's eyes widened. "You've met Maui! You must be one of the dragons that helped save Maui and my island from Zhan Tiri!"

"Oh, those were my ancestors that helped Maui," Sisu said. "My brothers, sisters, and I hadn't hatched from our eggs yet. We did meet Maui when he was stranded once."

"Wait, I don't get it," Olaf commented, furrowing his eyebrows. "Moana said that Maui was stranded for a thousand years and the dragons were turned to stone. Are Kumandra dragons immortal too?"

"No, they can live up to two hundred years, Olaf," Rapunzel explained. "When the dragons were turned to stone, it froze their age until they were revived." After Olaf nodded in understanding, Rapunzel took her attention back to Sisu. "So how did you meet Maui?"

"Five hundred and six years ago," Sisu began, "Ambra, Jagan, and I had just saved the Dark Kingdom from the Druun. We left later than planned because I kinda lost track of time. On our way back to Kumandra, we saw smoke coming from an island so we went to investigate it and when we arrived, we met Maui and recognized him. My sister and brother wanted nothing to do with him and thought that he was unredeemable, but I didn't believe it. I knew that there was still good in him and that he deserved to be forgiven. We wanted to help him get off the island and get his hook from Tamalor—no it's Tameto—."

"Tomatora," Moana answered.

"Yes, that's it! Tomatora!" Sisu recalled. "We wanted to help Maui, but we had to meet Pengu and Pranee back in Kumandra so we decided to come back and help Maui after we blew the Duun away for good. We did save Kumandra but sadly, the dragons were turned to stone at the time."

"Did Maui know that you couldn't help him?" Olaf asked.

"He figured it out," Moana clarified. "He told me when we were on our way to get his hook back. Good thing that we don't have to worry about the Druun anymore, Sisu. I heard that the other islands were afraid of leaving because of the Druun."

Earlier in the year, Rapunzel had heard a rumor that the Drunn was on its way to Corona. If they hadn't banished the Druun, then Corona may be stoned by now and Arendelle could be its next target.

Sisu glanced around the canoe with a large grin. "This is some boat you have here! Did you make it?"

Moana chuckled. "No, it's from my island."

Pascal changed into the same color as Sisu. Sisu peered down at him with an impressed expression. "Hey, there! You look just like me! We could be twins!"

Pascal chuckled as he changed back into his regular color. Rapunzel held out Pascal towards her. "This is Pascal, he's my best friend."

"What is he?" Sisu asked, tilting her head.

As Rapunzel explained to her about Pascal, Olaf peered at Sisu with a perplexed expression. Sisu noticed and asked, "What? Why are you looking at me that way?"

"How can you fly? You don't even have any wings."

Sisu's features formed into a smile. "Here, let me show you."

A whooshing sound was heard and small raindrops flooded the group and created ripples in the water. Sisu leaped and started to walk on the raindrops, heading towards the sky. Then she started to walk in the rain in a zig-zag motion. Everyone peered up at Sisu in total astonishment. Rapunzel never thought that she would see a Kumandra dragon in action.

When Sisu returned to the canoe, the rain disappeared, leaving no trace left. Olaf clapped and cheered. "That's amazing!"

"Impressed, huh?" Sisu smiled. "Wait till you see what I can do in the water! I'm a fast swimmer!"

"Do all dragons fly on raindrops?"

"No, only Kumandra dragons could fly on raindrops," Rapunzel answered, still amazed that she'd seen a Kumandra dragon. "I can't imagine how everyone would react to seeing one after all these years."

"Well, I recently flew over Encanto, but I never went in the town so I don't know how they reacted," Sisu admitted.

"I'm sure that they were happy to see you." Rapunzel smiled. "I bet they were excited and hoped that you would come down to greet them!"

Sisu smiled at Rapunzel. "When I arrive in Celeptois, I'll remember to get you all a gift."

Rapunzel and Moana shot a look at one another before peering back at Sisu. "Wait, what did you say?"

"I'm going to get you all gifts."

"No, before that," Moana answered.

"I'm going to Celeptois," Sisu explained. She lifted her head and peered around the area. "I just have to figure out how to get there. That was what I was going to ask you guys before you used that frying pan on me."

"What are you going there for?" Olaf asked before Rapunzel or Moana could.

"Ambra ran into Maui and he told her that he was looking for two boys that left an island," Sisu began, "Last week, right before I ran into my girl, Raya, I heard a fisherman say that two boys had asked him directions to get to Celeptois. I wanted to find Maui so I could tell him, but I didn't know where he was. Then when I ran into Raya, I told her and she convinced me to go to Celeptois and find the boys myself. Do you guys know where Celeptois is?"

"You know, we're actually on our way there," Moana grinned. "Those two boys are from my island and we're trying to find them. Why don't you come with us?"

"Really?"

Rapunzel nodded. "Yes, together we can find Aolani and Luano." After that, she, Olaf, and Pascal would have to part ways with Sisu and Moana. "What do you say, Sisu?"

"That sounds great!" Sisu exclaimed. "I would love to help out! We'll make a great team!"

"And you can trust us!" Olaf smiled.

"That's right," Sisu nodded. She exclaimed as Pua went over to her, smiling, "Oh, you're so cute!" As Sisu picked up Pua to hold him, she then tilted her head in confusion at Olaf. "Hey, why do you have a carrot on your face?"

While Olaf was explaining to Sisu, Rapunzel's smile faded away and she stared at the ground. I wish that we could trust each other. Pascal crawled over to her and lay his head on her feet, trying his best to comfort his best friend. Rapunzel could tell that he was thinking the same way.

As Moana tied another knot and Hei Hei strolled over to the ropes. He bent down and pecked at them. Moana's eyes widened as the rope began to rip. "Hei Hei!" Before she could go over to him, the rope snapped, but she snatched it in time. "Mandy," Moana said, holding on tighter to the rope. "Can you watch Hei Hei for a minute?"

"Yes." Rapunzel smiled. First, she remembered to put her hairpin in her pocket so he wouldn't grab it again. She bent over to the rooster and picked him up.

"I'll help too!" Sisu beamed. Shortly after she tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, why do we need to keep an eye on him?"

While Rapunzel held on to Hei Hei, she listened to Moana explaining to Sisu about him as the canoe sailed on.

. . . . .

Unfortunately, the hour dragged on slowly for everyone on board and they couldn't be any more eager to finally arrive in Celeptois.

Olaf was sitting in between Rapunzel and Moana, with the three of them sitting across from Sisu, Pascal, and Pua while Hei Hei was walking back and forth in the middle of them. It was time for Olaf to work on his reading and he wanted to show Sisu The Little Mermaid, therefore they decided to read it out loud. The book was laid on the ground so everyone could see the illustrations while Rapunzel helped Olaf with his reading. Hei Hei almost tore some pages out, but Moana was able to stop him in time.

"And they lived..." Olaf paused, peering down at the words with furrowed eyebrows. "Hopping eva alter.

"Close," Rapunzel smiled, putting her index finger on the last word. "It's happily ever after."

Olaf nodded and repeated the words, "Happily ever after. The End."

Rapunzel and Moana cheered and hugged Olaf. "You got it! You got it!"

"I did?" Olaf smiled. Pascal gave Olaf two thumbs up.

"You stumbled on a couple of words, but you're getting there," Rapunzel said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder. "We just have to keep practicing!"

"Yeah, Olaf," Moana agreed, nodding. "You'll get better the more you practice. You're already improving!"

"I am?" Olaf beamed. After Rapunzel and Moana nodded, the snowman peered right at Sisu. "Well, what do you think, Sisu? Did you like the book?"

"Are you kidding? I love it!" Sisu exclaimed. "And you really did well on your reading! I couldn't even tell that you stumbled! Maybe you can read me another book?"

"Okay!" While Olaf peered around for another book, Hei Hei again almost pulled a page out of the book, but Rapunzel snatched it away in time. "Do we have more books?"

"No, only that one," Rapunzel replied, petting Pua.

Moana picked up Hei Hei and strolled towards her oar. "Maybe you can get another book when you get to the market? I'm sure that there'll be a good selection."

"Yeah!" Olaf nodded. He then froze with a bewildered expression. "Wait, how are we going to afford anything? We don't have any money."

Pascal tried to stop him but it was too late as Moana and Sisu had already heard him.

"You're broke?" Moana asked, putting down Hei Hei. She sternly warned him not to leave the canoe and picked up her oar. "What happened to your money?"

Olaf was about to speak when Rapunzel quickly cleared her throat and stood up. "We lost it when we lost our balloon. We assume that it fell in the ocean."

"Ah, that's no problem," Sisu chirped, her tail dropping into the water. "You can just use credit."

"Yes!" Olaf cheered. He abruptly paused and wiped his smile off his face. "Wait, what's that?"

"You take something and then promise to pay it back later," Sisu elucidated. "Boun taught me that. Though I tried it once in Talon and I think I did it wrong or something."

Rapunzel and Pascal caught each other's gaze. Sisu meant well, but it didn't sound like the best option especially since it hadn't worked for her.

"Ooh, I didn't know that we could do that!" Olaf cooed. He shifted over to Rapunzel with a large grin. "Can we try that?"

After a brief pause, Rapunzel replied, "We'll decide when we get there." She reached down and allowed Pascal to crawl onto her shoulder. "So, Sisu, have you ever been to Celeptois before?"

Sisu peered up at the sky, trying to recall anything that she could. "Hmm...I think I went there once when I was a baby dragon, but I'm not sure," Sisu answered. "But I know Pengu went there once and he brought up Celeptois Lagoon."

"What's that?" Moana asked.

"It's this lagoon that leads into the town. Pengu said that it's guarded by trees and waterfalls."

Moana peered back over at the water. "We should be coming to it shortly."

Rapunzel stood there, feeling mixed about their near arrival. Half of her felt eager to help Moana and Sisu, the other half of her couldn't help but feel trepidatious. She knew that she, Olaf, and Pascal would have to lay low and quickly leave Moana and Sisu once they finished helping them. The worst part was that she knew nothing about this place. Was it a town? A city?

As Olaf started a new conversation with Sisu and Moana, Rapunzel went over towards the other side of the canoe. When no one else was paying attention, she peered down at Pascal who chattered at her. "I don't know, Pascal." Pascal chattered to her again. "Well, what choice do we have? It's too late to tell them the truth."

"Oh, there it is!" Sisu shouted with excitement. "That's Celeptois Lagoon!"

"Whoa!" Olaf chirped, excitedly jumping up and down. "Is that where we're supposed to go?"

"Wow," Moana said in awe. Rapunzel placed Pascal back on her shoulder and turned towards her group. "It's so beautiful! Mandy! Come look at this!"

Peering at the scenery in front of her, Rapunzel had no words to describe its beauty. The water was a light blue with the sun bouncing light off it. On each side of the stream, trees with pink, yellow, and even violet leaves were being consumed by autumn, leaning over the ocean and nearly touching the water. Fallen leaves would land on the water and gently float along. Not only were there leaves in the water, but lily pads were also scattered across the sea with purple, pink, white, orange, red, and yellow water lilies and lotuses floating and blooming in the water. From the right, she heard a low, soft sound of water falling and she turned to see that there was a small waterfall nearby. On top of the waterfall was a stone path with trees surrounding it. Without a doubt, she would have drawn and written about it in her journal if she had it with her.

Rapunzel wondered if anyone that she knew had been here before. Whether it was Cassandra, Aunt Willow, Eugene, Kiera, and Catalina, or even her own mother, it was probable that one of them had seen this place before. If they had, what did they think of it?

For a while, they sailed further into Celeptois Lagoon, keeping themselves occupied by glancing at the beauty all around. At one point, Sisu jumped off the canoe and swam underneath the water around them, showing them her swimming skills. Pascal lay on Rapunzel's lap as they kept an eye out for the town or the boys. Rapunzel stroked his head and petted Pua as she peered above them. Purple fireflies were floating above them. Hei Hei tried to catch one but always missed.

Eventually, they came across a small waterfall in the middle of a two-way split. Rapunzel couldn't see where either path led to, but the right path looked rougher with gurgling sounds.

Sisu glanced at the split with furrowed eyebrows. "Okay, now what?"

The canoe came to a halt and Moana froze, holding the oar in her hand. "Well, we're going to have to decide which path to take."

"I have an idea!" Olaf exclaimed. "Why don't we split up? Half of us could go on Moana's canoe while the rest of us ride on Sisu!"

They couldn't ignore Henry's advice of staying together. "No!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "I mean, I know that you're trying to help Olaf but we're supposed to be a team. Besides, we don't know where each path would take us."

Pua backed away from the right path in fear and hid behind Moana. "Or which path our friends took."

Not too long after, something was floating towards them from the right stream. It hit against the canoe and Rapunzel grabbed it. Her eyes widened down at the necklace that consisted of rigged teeth.

"Uh...Mandy? What did you find?" Moana inquired. Rapunzel held out the necklace to her and she gasped. "That's Aolani's necklace! They were down there!"

"Do you think they're okay?" Rapunzel asked, peering back at the path.

Moana swiftly brought the oar over the water and was getting ready to dunk it. "Come on! We have to—"

"Halt!" a voice from far off shouted. "Stay where you are!"

The group glanced behind their shoulders where a small boat was sailing towards them. The color was a dark green and it was slightly bigger than Moana's canoe. From the looks of it, there were three people inside.

"Who's that?" Sisu asked.

"This is the Captain of the guard in Celeptois and his two most trusted men," the voice shouted again like he had heard Sisu's question.

While everyone else kept their sights on the boat, Rapunzel stepped back without being noticed. This couldn't be happening. Why were there guards coming towards them? Had they somehow found out that she had arrived here?

"Uh, anyone want anything to eat?" Rapunzel asked, quickly peering down at the cargo hold. She frantically searched, moving everything around. Please don't be looking for me. Please don't be looking for me. I can't afford for Sisu and Moana to get in trouble because of me. "I think that we could all use a snack."

Before anyone could answer, Rapunzel felt the boat come to a halt. "Excuse me," one of the guards asked, causing Rapunzel's heart to thud. "Why were you heading towards the right path?"

"We're just looking for some people," Moana answered, holding out Aolani's necklace.

"I would look for them on the left path," the captain advised. "The right path is off-limits because of the rapids. It's too dangerous."

"But two of my people went that way!" Moana protested. "I've sailed through worse! I can lead us through the rapids."

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow you to take that path," the captain replied. "Fishermen used to hunt there until an accident happened two years ago."

"That makes me sad," Olaf commented.

"Rules are there for a reason," the captain answered. Rapunzel was tempted to look up, but she didn't dare. She hoped that they would just go away. "We have arrested some citizens because they tried to take a shortcut to the town. Anyone caught would be forced to pay a fine."

"I have an idea," Sisu exclaimed. "I could just swim over and see if I see anything!"

"I'm sorry," the captain said. "You're going to have to take the left path. Besides, I doubt they would be coming down that way. I'm sure that they're sailing down the left path right now. They may even be in the town this very minute. Have a good day."

Rapunzel continued to search through the cargo hold as she listened for the boat to sail away. Once she did, she slowly peeked up from the cargo hold. "Are they still around?"

"No, they just left," Moana answered.

Hei Hei almost fell off the boat, but Sisu caught him. "We should've given them a gift," she said. "They would've allowed us to go that way."

"I don't think they would've changed their minds if we did, Sisu," Rapunzel doubted. She rose and went over towards Moana. "So, what are we going to do?"

Heaving a sigh, Moana dunked her oar into the water, leading the canoe towards the right rapids.

"Uh...what are we doing?" Olaf asked, his voice shaking from fright.

"We're going this way," Moana answered, stirring the boat to the right path. "We have to find them."

"It looks dangerous." Olaf gulped. "Also, are we going to get in trouble if we get caught?"

"We don't have a choice, Olaf," Rapunzel answered.

. . . . .

For the next twenty minutes, they sailed down the rapids. As they went further, they kept an eye out for the boys. While Moana navigated the canoe, Rapunzel, Pascal, and Sisu kept watch for any guards coming and Olaf and Pua made sure that none of their supplies fell out of the boat. Hei Hei, on the other hand, was put inside the cargo hold for his safety.

"Is there anyone coming?" Moana asked without looking back.

The rapids made Rapunzel jump, but she managed to stay standing as she peered back. "No, I don't see anyone, Moana."

"Are you guys talking about those guys or your people?" Sisu asked.

The rapids jerked Moana forward, but she caught herself. "The guards."

"Nope, I don't see anything," Sisu answered, peering behind her. "Why would they come down here if this path's off limits?"

"There could be some guards patrolling here in case anyone breaks the rules," Rapunzel replied. Being the wife of the captain of the guard, a friend of the guard's mascot, and a friend to the daughter of a former captain, Rapunzel had become familiar with patrols. "The captain could assign them to keep watch here and arrest anyone not welcome."

"Oh, so that was what Eu—" Olaf began right when Pascal stuck his tongue in his ear, making him jump. "Hey, what did you do that for, Pascal? That wasn't nice!"

Moana glanced over her shoulder. "Who was he talking about?"

Rapunzel allowed a large laugh to escape her mouth. "Oh, just a friend of mine. He used to work with the guard and he told me how the patrols worked."

"He didn't have trust issues or anything like those guys, right?" Sisu asked.

The rapids sent the canoe skyward for a moment, saving Rapunzel from responding immediately. "He was just an expert on the whole criminal thing," she answered. "And those guards were just trying to do their job, Sisu."

A quick wave sent the canoe to jump up, causing Olaf's head to fly into the air and towards the water. Luckily Sisu's tail caught it in time and attached it back to his body.

"Thanks," Olaf said, making sure his head wasn't going to fall off again.

"Ah, no problem." Sisu smiled. The rapids caused the canoe to shake. "Wow, this water is really angry."

Rapunzel peered down at Pascal. "Hang on, Pascal." Pua let out a shriek as the canoe jumped up again. Rapunzel picked him up and soothed him. "It's okay, Pua. Everything is going to be alright." She heard Hei Hei bump into the lid in the cargo hold. "Good thing Hei Hei's safe."

"He'd be off this boat in a second," Moana replied. She then squinted her eyes. "Wait, I see something up there."

Holding Pua tighter, Rapunzel glanced over in the direction that Moana was peering at. At the edge of the rapids was a log dam piling up in front of something. "What do you think that is?"

"I don't know," Moana admitted, placing her oar back in the water. "We should investigate it." She pulled her oar out of the water and dunked it back in, sending the canoe forward. "Everyone, hang on!"

Everyone was jerked back and forth while the fast-flowing water carried them. Sprays of water hit them and they felt the canoe hit some small rocks. Olaf screamed throughout and tried his best to cover his eyes. Pua shrilled and squealed and Rapunzel tried her best to comfort him. Pascal held on to Rapunzel's sleeve. Moana almost lost her balance, but she refused to let the rapids overpower her.

"I'm gonna be sick!" Sisu yelled.

This reminded Rapunzel of when she and Stalyan traveled together to track down Mr. Goodberry. She hoped that they weren't heading towards a large waterfall; she trusted that Moana knew what she was doing.

"Hold on!" Moana shouted. "We're almost there!"

Large splashes of water sprayed them again and the canoe hit some bumps. Rapunzel could hear Hei Hei being thrown back and forth in the cargo hold. Olaf was jerked forward and fell into Sisu. Moana almost fell off the canoe. Pascal flew off of Rapunzel's shoulder, but she caught him in time with her other arm holding on to Pua. Suddenly, Rapunzel was thrown back, forcing her to lose her grip on Pua and Pascal. Her own screaming pierced her ears and she expected to be in the violent water, however, she felt her back against the wood of the canoe and once her head touched the canoe, everything went black.

. . . . .

"Mandy? Mandy?" Moana's voice echoed.

When eyelids first flew open, the vision started as blurry. After a few quick blinks, the vision of Moana, Sisu, Olaf, Pascal, and Pua became clear and normal.

"Mandy, are you okay?" Moana asked.

"You're not hurt are you?" Olaf asked with a worried expression.

Rapunzel sat up in the canoe and peered at her group, rubbing the back of her head. To her surprise and relief, she felt no bump. "I'm fine. What about you guys?"

Everyone confirmed that they were unharmed. Heaving a sigh of relief, Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder where the rapids coursed behind them. She glanced around to where the canoe was bobbing on a peaceful river. She glanced back at Moana and saw that behind her was the dam they'd spotted earlier. The canoe was floating closer and closer to it.

"Girl, do you need anything?" Sisu asked.

"No, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Moana asked, concern rising in her voice. Rapunzel nodded. Moana rose and started to head towards the cargo hold. "I'm going to check on Hei Hei real quick."

Rapunzel rose. "I'll check on him. You go dock the boat near the dam."

"It's okay," Moana said. "It'll just—"

"Trust me, Moana."

As Moana went over to the front of her canoe to dock it, Rapunzel wobbled over to the cargo hold while Olaf asked Sisu about something. She opened up the lid where Hei Hei was inside, grunting. He was unharmed, but he looked worn out.

"He's okay, Moana!" Rapunzel called, glancing over her shoulder.

"Good," Moana replied. "We're docking shortly.

Rapunzel peered down at Hei Hei and petted his head. "It's okay, Hei Hei. We're safe now."

At that moment, the canoe came to a halt followed by dead silence, causing Rapunzel to feel uneasy. Had something happened? What was going on? She slowly rose and saw that everyone, most notably Moana, was staring at something.

"Moana?" Rapunzel asked. Moana kept staring out at something. There was sadness and denial in her eyes. "What is it?" Rapunzel slowly followed her gaze, and a small, soft gasp flew out of her lips. "Oh, no."

Next to a large boulder was a canoe crashed against it. The mast was broken and bent towards the water. The front part of the canoe was smashed. Water was flowing over the second half of the damaged canoe. Worst of all, there was no sign of the boys.

"Moana, I—"

A large splash was heard in front of her and Rapunzel watched Moana kick her arms and legs in the water, coming closer to the canoe. Not even a second later, Sisu joined in and slithered over towards it. The ocean wave pushed Moana's canoe further toward the damaged one, nearly causing Rapunzel to fall over.

Moana climbed onto the wrecked canoe. "No, no, no. This can't be true," she muttered. "Aolani! Luano!" She frantically inspected the area again. "Aolani! Luano!"

Sisu reached the canoe and climbed on. "Where do you think they'd be?"

Moana abruptly peered up at the dragon, her wet face filled with terror. "I don't know! They have to be around here somewhere! Keep looking!"

"Olaf, you keep watching for those guards," Rapunzel ordered. "I'm going to help them look."

Rapunzel stepped off and jumped onto the dam. Her arms went flailing, but she regained her balance. She took another step, expecting to feel the logs underneath her bare feet, but instead, she stepped into the water and fell forward, her stomach landing on the dam's edge. Rapunzel felt the cold, deep water pulling her away, but she managed to beat it.

"Mandy, are you okay?" Moana asked.

Rapunzel nodded, pulled herself up on the logs, and sat down peering at a large gap between the logs. It had enough room for logs to seal. That's odd, why would there be a gap here? She heard a squeak and peered up to see that Pascal was crawling on the logs over to her. She heard Sisu dove underwater and Moana frantically search around the area for those two boys. Pascal peered at the gap and back at her.

"I know, Pascal," Rapunzel commented. "This doesn't make sense. Why is there a gap in the middle of the dam?" Water raced through the gap, creating gurgling sounds with tiny bubbles coming to the surface before they broke apart. "Unless I wonder..."

Rapunzel peered down at the logs underneath her. As Moana's frantic worries intermingled with the water sounds, Rapunzel noticed that the gap had two small divots on either side, like it was missing two logs. They were long enough for anyone to ride on them. Rapunzel eyed the larger logs around her, seeing that they looked to be the same size as the gap where the two logs were missing.

Sisu broke through the surface with a splash. "I don't see anything."

"Is that good or bad?" Olaf asked, peering into the water and back at Sisu.

Before anyone could answer him, Moana tucked her hair back and tried to take a breath. "Okay, Moana," she muttered to herself. "Okay, okay."

"Moana, I don't think they drowned," Sisu said. "I didn't see any sign of them."

Rapunzel sat up straight and pointed at the gap. "I think she's right! Look!" Everyone turned their attention and their eyes widened. "These logs are big enough to sit on and ride in the water! They could've pulled one out. They would have to tie two logs together so they could both use the logs."

"What do you think they—" Moana stepped forward and almost tripped over some rope. She arched an eyebrow and picked up the rope. The end of the rope was cut. "They made this! They did stuff like this all the time back on Motunui!"

"You know what this means?" Rapunzel exclaimed. "They're alive! They're alive!"

The entire group cheered and hugged each other. Thank goodness that Aolani and Luano were clever enough to make their own rafts. The group's laughter and cheers died down as they knew that their celebration hadn't actually started yet. They still need to find the boys first.

Rapunzel watched as Moana peeked over the dam. "Where do you think they went?"

Moana peered out at the peaceful flowing water. "They likely followed the water forward. As long as there aren't any more rapids, they should be okay."

"I'm sure they landed in town," Sisu said.

Pua then started squealing. Olaf glanced over his shoulder, picked up his head, and spun it around. "Uh...guys?"

Before anyone had a chance to inquire, a voice bellowed from behind, causing Pascal to let out a shrilling squeak. "Halt! Stay where you are! This is a restricted area!"

"The guards!" Rapunzel exclaimed. A boat—which had the design of the Captain and his two guards—was charging towards them. From what she could see, there were about four guards inside. Rapunzel held out her hand and allowed Pascal to crawl onto her shoulder. "They're coming!"

Moana cursed and ordered everyone to return to her canoe before diving into the water to do just that, Sisu doing the same. Rapunzel stumbled on the dam and leaped onto the canoe in time to meet Sisu and Moana .

As the guards shouted orders at them, Moana picked up her oar and dunked it in the water. The canoe started to push away but the guards were getting closer. Moana cursed at herself in frustration as she kept trying to sail faster. "Come on! We have to get out of here!"

Sisu grinned and raced over towards the end of the canoe. "I'll help! Don't worry, I got it!"

A large splash was heard and Rapunzel peered over in time to see Sisu swim underneath Moana's canoe. She almost fell forward as the canoe suddenly raced faster in the water. Moana almost fell but kept her balance and gave an impressed nod at Sisu's swimming.

"Whoo—hoo!" Rapunzel and Moana both shouted, jumping in the air. Pascal laughed as he held onto Rapunzel's sleeve.

Olaf, Pua, and Hei Hei screamed as the canoe sped faster and faster. The canoe was going so fast that Rapunzel had no time to examine the area around her. She was tempted to glance behind her to see how close the guards were getting, yet the high speed didn't give her a chance. The canoe sailed further onto the path, hopefully out of sight.

. . . . .

After quite some time, they entered a new area with a view of land stretched out ahead of them. Sisu swam out from underneath the canoe and the boat slowed down. As it did, Rapunzel was able to examine the area. They were approaching the shore where a pebbled path led from the water onto the land in front of them. All over the land were trees that looked like the ones that they'd seen earlier except that there wasn't much color left.

Sisu lay on her back as she kicked her feet, swimming around the canoe. Olaf leaned over with a large smile and widened eyes. "Woah, I can't believe you made our canoe move like that!"

"That's part of my water skills," Sisu grinned. "I'm a real strong swimmer."

Moana lay her head on her oar, peering down at Sisu. "Thanks, Sisu. If you hadn't done that, we would've been caught. We have enough problems."

"Yes, thank you, Sisu." Rapunzel smiled. She had no idea if the guards had heard about her by now, but she didn't want Moana and Sisu to get in trouble by being with her "We appreciate your help."

Closing her eyes and smiling, Sisu remained on her back as she slithered towards the canoe. Once she was near, Sisu leaped from the water and jumped on the boat. Olaf clapped his twig hands and wobbled over to her. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Sure, I can teach you some of my water skills," Sisu chirped with glee.

Rapunzel crossed her arms as she went over to Moana. "Do you see anything?"

Moana shook her head. "Not yet." They felt the canoe float further toward the shore and the cobblestone path. As the canoe bumped on the surface of the shore, Rapunzel and Moana almost lost their balance while Pascal hung on to Rapunzel's sleeve and Olaf, Sisu, Pua, and Hei Hei fell forward on the boat. Rapunzel asked if everyone was alright and they confirmed that they were unharmed.

Rapunzel glanced around their surroundings. Everything was quiet and peaceful. She glanced up at the sky where the sunlight broke through the clouds and made the fall atmosphere somewhat warmer. She heard a small whistle nearby and glanced over her shoulder to see a mocking bird leave its tree and flutter over the water, casting its reflection before finding a new tree to rest on.

Pascal peered over his shoulder at the path behind them with a worried expression. Rapunzel knew what he was thinking and asked, "You don't think there are any guards nearby do you?"

"Uh...I don't think so," Moana replied.

"She's afraid that we'll get in trouble," Olaf replied. Without hesitation, Pascal snuck his tongue in Olaf's ear. "Ow! What did I do?"

"I don't want us to get in trouble because I know that you guys have a lot going on," Rapunzel quickly said, coming up with the first thing on her mind. "We still have to find Aolani, and Luano. I'm afraid that if we got in trouble, they would lock us away and then we won't find them."

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about, Mandy," Sisu said. "I'm sure that everything will be fine."

After a few blinks, Rapunzel replied, "Yes, you're right. Perhaps I'm just overthinking it." She forced out a chuckle. She took sight of the sky, trying to start a new conversation. "Well, just look at that! I think that it's already afternoon."

Pascal's eyes grew big, his tail pointed forward, and a loud chatter was heard, drawing everyone's attention. He jumped a few times on Rapunzel's shoulder and kept chattering and squeaking.

"Pascal?" Rapunzel asked, "did you see something?"

When Pascal pointed his tail forward, Rapunzel peered up and saw what he'd noticed. Two sets of logs were tied together and they looked like they could be the same as the ones missing from the dam. She jumped into the water, shivering as the water reached her knees, and raced on the cobblestone path with Moana racing behind.

Rapunzel picked up the logs and held them out to Moana. "They were just here! Aolani and Luano were just here!"

Moana frantically peered around the area. "Aolani! Luano!"

Nothing happened. Rapunzel and Moana peered around the area to no avail until Rapunzel felt Moana tap on her shoulder. "Mandy! Look!"

Rapunzel glanced up and saw that far off from them, there were buildings lined up around each other.

"Celeptois!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "That's it! They must've gone down there!" She glanced over her shoulder at Sisu. "Sisu, there's Celeptois!"

Sisu leaped off the canoe and darted over to them. "Where?" Rapunzel pointed forward and she peered in that direction. "Oh, Celeptois! Wow, it looks bigger than Pengu said it was."

Moana gaped at the sight. "I wonder if Maui's been here before?"

"I don't know..." Sisu said. "I know that one guy has been here before."

Rapunzel tilted her head. "What guy?"

"Oh, he's a good friend of Fang. I only met him once. I don't remember his name, but he always has this neat little watch with him. He carries it in his pocket."

"You mean a pocket watch?"

"That's right, Mandy! He wears that all the time. I think Namaari said something about him being a professor or something. I know that she was heading to his country after she went to King Edgar's party in Reignlen."

"That sounds nice, Sisu. What country is he from?"

"I think Mirahton or something," Sisu answered. Rapunzel and Pascal both exchanged worried glances with each other. Before Rapunzel could process her thoughts, Sisu spoke again. "Ah, now I remember his name! It's Professor Duke!"

Rapunzel suddenly recalled that when she, Olaf, and Pascal were in Mirahton, a man with a pocket watch told them where the market was so they could get Olaf a new nose. They had unwittingly met Professor Duke before he was murdered. Without warning, Rapunzel felt nauseated and she raced over towards a small bush. She coughed, expecting herself to vomit, but luckily, she didn't have the urge to. Maybe she overreacted a bit. Still, that was the least of her problems.

"I didn't do it! I don't even know him!"

Looking back on that now, it made her look like a liar. She had been seen with him before his death. Whoever framed her must have been there when the commotion at the market happened, and when Professor Duke spoke to them, they must've decided to take advantage of it. To make things worse, Namaari was on her way to Mirahton right now and soon Kumandra, and eventually Sisu, would hear about what happened.

"Hey, you okay?" Sisu asked.

"Mandy?" Moana asked. "Are you okay? Are you dehydrated again?"

Heaving a few breaths, Rapunzel tried her best to look calm and spun over to them. "I'm alright. It's just been so long since I've been on land. I'd gotten so used to being on the water."

"Are you sick?" Olaf asked.

"I'm fine, Olaf," Rapunzel assured. She peered back at Pascal. When they got the time, they had to talk to Olaf. "I'm okay." She ran her hands through her hair and tucked her strands behind her ears. "I think we should start heading to town."

Just then, a blue glow came around Sisu. When the glow disappeared, a young woman dressed in a blue robe with grey jeans that reached her knees appeared. She had Sisu's purple eyes and long, messy lavender hair.

"Wait, did you just—" Moana began.

"Yeah, I shapeshifted!" Sisu smiled, revealing her goofy looking teeth and placing a small blue hat on her head. "Now, I have human arms and legs like you two!"

"Woah, your head is closer to your butt now!" Olaf exclaimed.

Sisu grinned, nodding her head. "I know, right!"

"I didn't know that you could do that," Rapunzel commented in amazement. "I thought that was Pranee's magic?"

"That's where I got it from!"

Olaf peered up at the hat on top of her head. "Where did you get the hat?"

"Oh, I got it from Talon." Sisu smiled. "Actually twice. The first time was when I tried to use credit, but it didn't work. The second time was when I went back to Talon with Raya to visit Noi, her Ongies, and mom, we went through the market and I recognized this hat except that time Raya bought the hat for me."

Rapunzel, Moana, and Sisu helped Olaf, Pua, and Hei Hei off the canoe. Olaf held onto The Little Mermaid as he wobbled up the cobblestone path, talking to Pua. Rapunzel grabbed the guitar and wrapped the strap around her shoulder before picking up her frying pan.

She paused when she watched Moana lay her oar on the canoe and start to come towards the cobblestone path. When an ocean wave peered up, she told it to bring her canoe next to a dock in town so she and the boys could leave right away. After Ocean took the canoe away, Moana caught up with Rapunzel.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mandy?"

"Yes," Rapunzel nodded. "Don't worry."

. . . . .

On their way to the town, they kept an eye out for Aolani and Luano but had yet to see them. Rapunzel had hoped that they would stop in an area and search for them so she would have an opportunity to talk to Olaf, but it never happened. As they walked, Olaf started a conversation with Moana and Sisu, which caused Rapunzel and Pascal to pay extra attention to him.

Olaf meant well and had a big heart, but he was liable to be too honest. Rapunzel took a deep breath to herself. It would be alright. When we get a chance, I will talk to Olaf. He'll understand.

Before long, they were entering an area filled with small wooden buildings on each side. The road was stone and bustling with carts going past each other. Rapunzel noticed that there was a canal right by the buildings. On the canal were boats sailing out to and from town.

"Welcome!" a plump man yelled, causing Rapunzel and Moana to freeze while Sisu, Olaf, and Pua let out a surprised yell. "Oh, I'm sorry, mates. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," Rapunzel reassured. "We just weren't expecting you."

"Again, I am sorry about that," the man apologized. "Anyway, welcome to the fishing village of Celeptois! You'll find that we have the best fish and boat rides! Are you guests here?"

"Hi, I'm Sisu." Sisu smiled. "And—"

"We're not exactly guests," Rapunzel answered. She felt compunctious for interrupting and quickly gave Sisu an apologetic glance before returning to the man. "We're looking for some people."

The man rubbed his chin. "Who are you looking for? I might've seen them."

"Two people from my island," Moana explained. "They're teenage boys: Aolani is a year older than me and Luano is a year younger than me. Does that sound familiar?"

The man stood there deep in cogitation for a long minute until he finally spoke. "You know, I think that I saw those boys racing down here." He pointed forward on the road. "They were asking me if I saw someone—which I hadn't—and they went back to running."

They must have been going after the spy. Rapunzel felt like she should inquire more. "Did they say who they were chasing?"

The man shook his head. "They never did, but it seemed like they were trying to lay low from them."

"Thank you," Moana said. "We'll—Hei Hei!" Hei Hei was pulling at and ripping a poster on the wall. She grabbed him and pulled him away. A torn piece of the poster hung in Hei Hei's mouth. Moana held him against her chest and said, "Sorry!" Her eyes widened at the poster. "Whoa, what is that?"

Rapunzel glanced at the torn poster that Moana was referring to. It was a large painting of three boats racing against each other. At the front of the poster was a large font: 'CELEPTOIS BOAT RACE' and at the bottom of the page underneath the boats was another large font: 'HOSTED BY GOODBERRY GAMES MANAGER, VIRTUOUS ST. GOODBERRY'. Wait, Mr. Goodberry?

"That, my dear, is an upcoming boat race," the man explained. "Celeptois is best known for our world-famous boat races. One race is held at the beginning of each season and Celeptois always selects a special host for their races. This upcoming race will start in five days if you are interested in watching or even signing up."

"Sounds fun!" Sisu exclaimed.

"Well, I have to get going," the man declared, heading in another direction. "Enjoy your visit and I hope you find your friends."

. . . . .

For the next hour or so, the group spent their time looking for the boys, either peering around the area or asking some of the townspeople. While they had yet to have any luck with the citizens, the majority of the answers were kind, caring, and polite, and only a few people gave them rude replies such as 'why do you care?' or 'none of your business'.

As Rapunzel was helping Moana and Sisu find their people, she was also keeping an eye out for any potential transportation that she, Olaf, and Pascal could use to leave this country. The hot air balloon they'd had was perfect despite that it hadn't lasted long. So far, she'd only seen carriages or boats that could transport them.

After some time, they entered an unfamiliar area with marketplaces all around and they decided to take a break from walking for a bit while still keeping an eye out for Aolani and Luano. It was bustling with people coming in from everywhere. There was even a tavern nearby. A sweet scent swept over to them and Rapunzel's mouth watered.

"I am so hungry!" Sisu exclaimed. "After we find the boys, we should come back here and eat. I bet that they'll be hungry too."

"That's a good idea! I'm hungry too!" Olaf agreed. Rapunzel couldn't blame them. It was a strong scent and quite impossible to avoid. Olaf peered up at Rapunzel, tugging her dress. "After we help them, can we have a meal together before we go?"

After taking a glance around her, Moana peered at Rapunzel, her long curls cascading over her shoulders. "That reminds me, do you know where you guys are going after this?"

"We haven't talked about it yet," Rapunzel answered. "But we'll figure it out."

She glanced over at a long line to a market stall that the owner was just opening for the public. This caused Rapunzel to glance around the area. She still had no idea how they were going to get new supplies.

"Ooh, what's this?" Olaf asked. Rapunzel glanced around to see Olaf holding a yoyo in his hand. His left palm held the outer shell with the string stretching out to his right hand. "It's a ball on a rope!"

Rapunzel chuckled. "No, Olaf. It's a yoyo. Though I think it should be called a hey hey instead."

Moana glanced over to Rapunzel with a puzzled expression. "What's a yoyo?"

"Here, let me show you, Moana." She gently asked Olaf for the yoyo and, after he gave it to her, she went over towards Moana. "Watch this."

Rapunzel placed her finger through the little hole and flipped her hand over, causing the yoyo to plummet towards the ground. When she moved her hand up, the yoyo swung back up into her palm. Moana widened her eyes. Rapunzel handed the yoyo to her. When she tried to do the trick the first time, it didn't work. However, when Moana tried a second time, it worked and she found herself laughing at it.

Sisu's eyes widened at the yoyo. "Oh, can I try that next? It looks fun!"

Moana smiled and handed her the yoyo. Sisu put her finger in the hole, clenching her hand around the yoyo. Pua stared at the yoyo in amazement.

Sisu released the yoyo and it plummeted towards the ground. She smiled and moved her hand up."This is—" The yoyo hit her in the face, causing Rapunzel and Moana to laugh before showing her how to use it. Sisu then laughed shortly after. She swung the yoyo around and it smacked straight into Hei Hei, sending him flying. "Oops! Sorry, I didn't mean it! I'll need more practice with this thing."

"Would you be interested in purchasing this item?" an older man, probably a merchant, asked.

Rapunzel suddenly remembered that she couldn't afford this item. "No, thank you," she politely declined, putting the yoyo back on the stall. "It's very lovely, though."

"Uh...Mandy?" Moana asked. "Where's Olaf?"

Rapunzel glanced over her right shoulder, feeling her heart beating. "What?"

"Did you send Olaf somewhere?"

Oh no, this couldn't be happening. Rapunzel peered at her group which consisted of Pascal, who was sitting on her shoulder, Moana, Sisu, Hei Hei, and Pua but no Olaf. "No. I was looking at you."

Moana glanced over at Sisu. "Did you see Olaf go anywhere?"

"I was looking at you two."

Olaf must've taken off after he handed her the yoyo. Rapunzel ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn't believe what was happening. Where could Olaf have possibly gone?

"This can't be good," Rapunzel fretted. "I should've been paying more attention to him!"

"Where do you think he went?" Sisu asked.

"Let's hope that he didn't go far," Moana answered, peering around the area.

"You've got to do something!" a woman's voice complained. The group turned to see a woman marching over towards a young guard. "Some snowman or something just took some of my apples and didn't pay for them!"

"Miss, you have to calm down," the guard addressed with a gesture. "Are you sure that he didn't pay for it? He could've just dropped some change on the counter and you weren't paying attention."

"I saw it with my own eyes!" the woman insisted, craning towards him. "He went over to my counter, took some of my apples, said 'credit', and took off!"

"Does he have credit with you?"

"Of course not!"

Sisu started to come over towards the woman and the guard before Rapunzel and Moana had a chance to stop her. They had no choice but to follow her after they made sure that Pua and Hei Hei were nearby. Pascal remained on Rapunzel's shoulder, peering around for the boys or Olaf.

"Oh, that was my bad," Sisu said, causing the guard and the woman to spin around towards her. "I told him to use credit."

"Yeah, he just made a mistake," Rapunzel agreed. "He has never been here before. He didn't mean it."

"Do you want to put him on credit?" Sisu asked.

"No!" the woman rudely replied. "I want him to pay me back or give me back the apples! Or else, he'll be arrested!"

"That's not fair!" Moana fumed. "He didn't know what he did was wrong!"

"I'm sorry, miss," the guard said. "I understand where you're coming from, but the law is the law. If your friend doesn't do either of those things then I'm afraid that we're going to have to charge him."

Rapunzel's fingers wrapped around her guitar strap and then she immediately came up with an idea. If she could trade her guitar to the woman in exchange for the apples that Olaf took, maybe the woman would accept it and wouldn't have Olaf arrested. She was just about to offer the woman the deal when Pascal tapped on her shoulder.

Still clutching onto the strap, Rapunzel glanced toward him and asked, "What is it, Pascal?"

He chattered and pointed forward. Rapunzel peered over to the direction and let out a small gasp. Carrying the apples in his hands, Olaf was going towards a market stall selling bags. He smiled at the merchant and said 'Credit!' right before snatching one of the bags and running off towards another stall with a smile on his face. When the merchant yelled at Olaf, it drew everyone to the scene.

Moana frantically raced over to Olaf, urging him to stop. The woman pointed at the snowman and confirmed to the guard that he was the one that had taken her apples. Rapunzel froze, peering down at her guitar and Olaf. She only had one guitar to trade, how was she going to offer them all the same deal? She couldn't possibly break the guitar into pieces. No one would want scraps of a guitar. Professor Pearl wouldn't even come up with such an idea. He would perform street performances to gain money.

A flashback suddenly appeared in Rapunzel's mind and the images of when she'd donated change to him and Professor Pearl giving her the guitar. That was what he gave her the guitar for. Rapunzel peered at Sisu's hat and again glanced down at her guitar.

"Alright, miss," the guard said, placing his hands behind his back. "I'll go see to him at once."

"Wait!" Rapunzel shouted. She glanced over to Sisu. "Sisu, can I borrow your hat for a moment?"

"Sure, you can!" Sisu smiled, handing her the hat. "It'll look great on you!"

Rapunzel went over to the center of the courtyard and placed the hat on the ground in front of her, making sure that there were enough people around. Fortunately, there were countless people scattered about in the area. They would just have to pay attention. Then, Rapunzel slowly began to pluck the strings of her guitar, allowing a soft, flowing tune to play out into the air.

People suddenly stopped what they were doing and turned towards her. Rapunzel continued to play the beat until she allowed her voice to come out with an intro. After she finished the intro, she changed the previous tune into a cheery, upbeat, catchy tune. People then came over and crowded around her. So far, this looked like a good sign, but Rapunzel paid no attention to them and kept going.

As she started the first verse, she closed her eyes and danced along to the beat. This was one of the first songs that she had ever written when she was in the tower. She couldn't tell what people were thinking because she was so focused on playing as she went right into the chorus. She opened her eyes and saw many people watching her with impressed looks. As she started the second verse, the sound of multiple clicks fell into the hat below her. She was tempted to look, but she pushed herself to keep going. After she did the chorus again and once she reached the bridge, she slowed the tune down into a soft flowing beat for a bit before it swelled back to its upbeat tune. She played and sang the chorus two more times before she finally finished.

Overwhelming applause and cheers filled the atmosphere before she had a chance to move her guitar to her back. Within a second, she heard more clicks being thrown into the hat. After Rapunzel expressed her gratitude for everyone who watched her perform, the crowd split up and went back to their business, revealing Moana and Olaf coming over to them. Moana was walking next to the snowman with her arm around him, peering around the area while Olaf was carrying the bag, apples, a blanket, and a scarf.

Rapunzel bent down, peering at all the gold pieces that lay in Sisu's hat. She ran her hands through the hat, counting the gold pieces with Pascal's help to find about sixty gold pieces in all. Her eyes widened when she saw that the woman was bringing the guard towards Olaf and Moana so Rapunzel quickly rose to her feet, carrying the heavy hat in her arms, and tried her best not to spill any of the money.

"There he is!" The woman pointed at Olaf who froze in fear. "Arrest—"

"Hi, again," Rapunzel said, holding the hat closer to her. "How much were the apples?"

"Two gold pieces," the woman answered.

Rapunzel glanced over at Olaf. "Olaf, how many apples did you take?"

"Five," Olaf replied. He peered into the hat and a large smile formed. "Wow, I didn't know that you could wear money!"

Rapunzel paid the woman ten gold pieces. After the woman went back to her stall and the guard back to his duty, the group had Olaf lead them to the markets where he'd taken the supplies and they paid the merchants. They almost didn't have enough money for everything, but they were lucky. If Moana hadn't stopped Olaf and he'd gotten one more item, they would not have had enough money for it.

"How did you get money?" Olaf asked. Rapunzel brought her guitar towards him. "Ooh, does money come from guitars?"

"I don't think so," Sisu said. "But what is money made out of?"

Rapunzel had to admit that they were lucky that Professor Pearl had given her the guitar. She had no idea what would've happened if he hadn't. Rapunzel glanced over her shoulder at the guitar, grinning. Now they'd solved the problem of getting supplies without stealing.

Her grin faded once she peered at Olaf. "Next time, don't buy anything from the markets until we have money. Okay?"

Olaf lowered his head in shame. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Olaf," Rapunzel soothed. "We all make mistakes. We'll know for next time."

Moana wrapped her arms around his shoulder. "I make mistakes too."

"Me too," Sisu said leaning towards him with a comforting smile. "You can ask my brothers and sisters."

Olaf slowly smiled at them and held out his arms. "Anyone want a warm hug?"

The group slowly came towards him and they all wrapped their arms around each other and pulled themselves in an embrace. Rapunzel had no word to describe the hug except that it was wonderful and what she needed. This was a hug that everyone needed with everything that was going on. After the group pulled away, they stood there in silence for a moment.

"Moana, you know Aolani, and Luano," Rapunzel began, "where do you think they would go?"

"I think they would—"

"Ah, there you are," a familiar voice panted. The group turned around and the man that had greeted them earlier was approaching them. "I was hoping that I would run into you."

The man was out of breath, causing concern to the group. Sisu stepped forward to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I saw your friends again," the man said, causing Moana to let out a small gasp. He pointed forward to another road. "They were chasing someone towards the bridge! I tried to get their attention and tell them that you were looking for them, but they didn't see me! You should get there now!"

As soon as the man took off again, Sisu transformed back into her dragon form and little raindrops appeared. "Get on me! We can get there fast!"

Moana picked up Hei Hei and climbed on Sisu. Olaf climbed on behind her, holding the bag that held all of their supplies. Rapunzel made sure that Pascal was on her shoulder and told him to hold on. She picked up Pua and climbed on last.

"Is everyone on?" Sisu asked.

Moana glanced over her shoulder. "Yes!"

"Hold on everyone!" Rapunzel ordered.

Shortly thereafter, Sisu climbed on the raindrops and went further into the sky. Raindrops flanked them as the buildings became smaller and the wind soughed, making the weather colder than it already was. Rapunzel held Pua and told him not to look down, petting him in comfort. Olaf, on the other hand, peered down and screamed, resulting in Moana and Rapunzel soothing him. When they finally were high enough in the sky, Rapunzel's eyes widened as she peered down at those buildings beneath her.

"I'm scared!" Olaf screamed.

Rapunzel leaned towards him. "Olaf, it's okay. This is no different than the hot air balloon. I promise that we won't fall."

Moana glanced over her shoulder. "She's right, Olaf. You're going to be okay."

"Don't worry!" Sisu shouted to him. "I won't let anything happen to you! I promise!"

For a moment, Olaf sat there until he nodded and replied, "Okay."

Rapunzel took one more look at the clouds above her as Sisu swooped down towards the city. As she flew past the buildings, they were able to get a clear view of the town. Everyone looked like ants, yet they could see everything that was going on.

"There's the bridge!" Moana exclaimed, pointing below.

Rapunzel looked down to see the long bridge. At its far end was a mid-sized fountain with water cascading into a canal, past which a figure was racing. In the canal, two more figures were riding on seals.

"That's them!" Moana shouted. "That's Aolani and Luano!"

Sisu abruptly swooped down and flew closer to the area. "Wow, they're going really fast on those!"

"Ooh, they're riding on seals!" Olaf exclaimed. "I didn't know people could ride on seals!"

Something about those seals seemed familiar to Rapunzel. She swore that she'd seen those two seals before. She squinted her eyes as Sisu dove closer and closer and gasped. Aolani and Luano were riding on Trevor Jr. and Lucille! How had they found those seals in the first place? What were Trevor Jr. and Lucille doing in Celeptois?

"Who's that guy?"

Moana's eyes widened "That must be the spy, Sisu!"

Rapunzel swiftly turned her attention to the figure racing on the street, knocking everyone in their way down. The figure was dressed in a light-yellow suit with long gloves, boots, and a mask that only showed their eyes. Rapunzel couldn't identify the person's gender, age, or anything else.

"Sisu, dodge in front of the spy!" Rapunzel ordered as Pascal jumped from her shoulder to Olaf's.

Sisu quickly dove forward and swooped towards the ground, landing right in front of the spy. The spy skidded, nearly losing their balance but caught themselves. Without hesitation, Moana and Rapunzel sprung off Sisu and lunged straight towards the spy. However, the spy hastily spun around and scampered towards the town center.

"Who are you?!" Moana shouted, darting after the spy. "Why are you spying on Motunui?!"

Rapunzel raced after Moana. "You guys stay here with Hei Hei and Pua!" She shouted to Olaf and Pascal. "We'll be back! Don't go anywhere until we get back!"

"I'll catch up after I help the boys out!" Sisu called out to her.

In no time, Rapunzel caught up with Moana as they chased after the spy. The spy quickly glanced over their shoulder and knocked over a cart full of apples, trying to slow the girls down. It almost worked, yet Moana and Rapunzel weren't going to give up.

"Stop where you are!" Rapunzel shouted.

"I can see you!" Moana yelled. "Stop!"

The spy leaped over a small group of people, yet Moana and Rapunzel each went around the crowd and darted towards the spy. The spy again tried to knock things over, but Moana and Rapunzel dodged out of the way.

"What do you want from my island?!" Moana growled.

"Why are you doing this?" Rapunzel shouted.

Without warning, the spy climbed up onto a stall, grabbed a rope and swung over to the other side, and let go. The spy leaped into the air and took off.

"Come on!" Rapunzel shouted. "Let's stop them!"

Suddenly, two carriages passing by each other in front of Moana and Rapunzel, forcing them to stop. To make matters worse, there were three other carriages in line behind them on each side. Rapunzel and Moana anxiously tried to find another way around to no avail. When the road finally cleared up, they saw that it was too late.

Rapunzel and Moana stared down the path, hoping that for some reason the spy would come back to try to find another way around, but, of course, their hopes were dashed. Rapunzel peered over at Moana and can't imagine how she must feel.

"Moana, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

Moana shook her head, her voice shaking as she said, "No, I'm not! I tried to catch the spy, but I failed. I don't even know if they'll come back to my island! It was my job to protect my people and I failed!"

Rapunzel placed her hand on her shoulder. "You didn't fail your island, Moana. You're a strong and caring leader. You did what you could. And we know what the spy looks like now. That'll help us out a lot."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Mandy," Moana sighed, wiping her eyes. "When I see Maui, I can tell him and he could help find the spy."

"Exactly. And you didn't fail your island at all, Moana. We found Aolani and Luano."

Moana smiled weakly. "I'm glad we found them before something happened to them." Rapunzel was about to speak when they saw Sisu darting over towards them. "Sisu," Moana began, "how are the boys?"

"They're okay," Sisu answered. Moana heaved a sigh of relief. "They're back with Olaf, Pua, and Hei Hei waiting for you. So, what happened? Did you catch the spy?"

"No, they got away," Rapunzel answered.

"What? How?"

Rapunzel was just about to explain to Sisu when they heard a voice yell from the direction Sisu had come from. "There they are! Arrest them!"

That voice sounded familiar.

"What was that about?" Sisu asked, grabbing her tail before someone stepped on it.

"I don't know," Moana admitted.

Could this have something to do with them taking that path earlier? Rapunzel thought they'd gotten away with it, but maybe she was wrong. They had taken that path and so had Aolani and Luano. The guards must have caught up with them and arrested their party for disobeying them. Then again, it could also just be a criminal getting arrested in the same area that their friends were in.

"Let's get back there and see what's going on."

. . . . .

When Rapunzel, Moana, and Sisu returned to the area, Rapunzel spotted Mr. Goodberry's cart crossing the end of the bridge far off from them. The horses led the cart further into the street until they came to a halt. A governor riding on horseback was coming towards the cart. Rapunzel gulped. It had been years since she'd seen Mr. Goodberry, so she had no idea whether or not he would turn her in. Heck, he could've even heard about her run from the law in Mirahton. Either way, she had no desire to find out.

"That's them!" the voice shouted.

Sisu changed into her human form and peered around for their friends. "Okay, where are they?"

"Over there," Moana answered.

Olaf with Pascal sitting on his head, Hei Hei who kept running into a sign, and Pua were standing by the canal where a group of guards crowded around something. As the trio raced over to them, Rapunzel recognized the guards by their uniforms.

Two guards were each holding a teenage boy in custody with Trevor Jr. and Lucille nearby. The boy on the right was tall with long curls tied back in a ponytail, a well-built figure with tattooed arms, and a green skirt. The boy on the left was younger with a slim body, curls that reached his chin, a necklace around his neck, and a dark brown skirt.

"Well, you think that you could just steal my seals?!" a voice asked in irritation. Footsteps started to make their way out of the group of guards and King Trevor came to a halt in front of the two boys, crossing his arms at them. "Don't you understand that they don't want to part with me?"

Rapunzel almost gasped, but stopped herself. She quickly tossed some strands of hair to cover her face, allowing a small gap between her hair for her to see without revealing her face. This was the last person that she expected to be here.

"Your majesty, we weren't trying to steal them!" the boy on the left protested. "Aolani and I didn't even know that they were your seals!"

"Yes!" Aolani nodded. "Luano and I were just trying to catch someone! Your seals offered to help us!" Trevor Jr. and Lucille quickly turned to Trevor, nodding their heads at him. "We just—"

"But they're my seals!" Trevor fumed, obviously ignoring his own seals.

"Wow, I never heard of a human having pet seals," Sisu commented. "Is that a thing nowadays?"

"No, he's just...his own person," Rapunzel replied.

Moana stepped in front of Aolani and Luano, glaring at Trevor. "Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?"

Trevor stood up straight, peering down at her. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to charge those two thieves for taking my seals."

Sisu quickly snatched an apple from Olaf's bag and went over to Trevor with a smiling Olaf. "Here, a gift. Our boys meant no harm, they were just trying to help." She handed the apple towards him with a smile. "You can trust us."

Trevor's face turned red and he knocked the apple straight out of Sisu's hand. Sisu's face turned white as she stood there dumbfounded and Olaf backed away, startled.

"Uh...do you not like apples? We can get you something that you—"

"It is not nice to treat people like that!" Rapunzel fumed, lowering her voice so no one could recognize her. "She was just trying to be nice and they were just trying to help us. Your seals even wanted to help!"

Trevor wrapped his arms around Trevor Jr. and Lucille, pulling them closer to him. "They want nothing more than to be around me, Trevor Jr.'s precious daddy! I always make everything perfect for them, especially at their wedding." This gave Moana a perplexed expression and she mouthed 'what?' in bewilderment. Trevor released the seals and clasped his hands together. "Can you imagine the horrors they went through when they got taken? Oh, no, no, no no. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. So, my dear, I suggest that you leave me be and let me deal with them."

"I am not going to let you do that!" Moana refused, crossing her arms. "You're not going to have them arrested."

"Oh, yes I am!" Trevor snapped. "I am the King of Equis! They are now wanted in my country!"

"But we're not in Equis," Rapunzel said through her husky voice. "This happened here so that couldn't possibly count."

"I'm a king from Equis and my seals are from Equis, so I say that it counts!"

"Well, I am Moana of Motunui," Moana began. "You will release my people, pardon them, and allow me to take them back to their island."

"Wait, did I hear what I think I just heard?" Mr. Goodberry's voice said nearby. "The Chief of Motunui is here in Celeptois?"

Everyone turned to see that Mr. Goodberry was coming over to them with the governor walking beside him. Mr. Goodberry looked and dressed pretty much the same as the last time Rapunzel saw him, except that he had aged a couple of years. Rapunzel slightly lowered her head, in order not to make eye contact.

"Wow, I'll be damned!" Mr. Goodberry exclaimed. "I've heard that you're a master way-finder aren't you?"

"Uh, not at first but—"

"Oh, I can see it now!" Mr. Goodberry exclaimed. "The Chief of Motunui competing in the event of the fall! Say, would you be interested in signing up for the Celeptois Boat Race? You could even race solo or with a partner, or as a team? I invited the Madrigals, but they turned it down."

"No, no, no!" Trevor pouted, stomping his foot like a child. "She can't sign up! One: I'm charging her friends for stealing my seals, and two: my best guard, Dean, is participating for me in the race!"

The governor sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, what happened?"

All at once, the complaints of Moana and Trevor intermingled with each other, causing the governor to roll his eyes, shaking his head.

"Wow, this doesn't seem to be going well," Sisu commented. "How can we fix this?"

"That guy's a bully!" Olaf commented. "He should let Moana's friends go!"

Pascal peered up at Rapunzel, chattering to her. "You're right, Pascal," Rapunzel agreed. "There must be something that we can do."

Suddenly, Rapunzel formed an idea. She grinned at Pascal and went over towards the Governor, Mr. Goodberry, Trevor, and Moana. She cleared her throat, becoming the center of attention. When they glanced at her, her heart froze for she hoped that this would help.

"Can I help you, miss?" the Governor asked.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Rapunzel asked, lowering her voice and reflecting on when she and Stayalan competed in one of Mr. Goodberry's games. "Mr. Goodberry, a friend of mine told me that she went to one of your games and remembered hearing that you and two of your contenders made a deal with each other."

"That's right!" Mr. Goodberry recalled. "I remember that!" He then raised an eyebrow. "Have I seen you before?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "No, you haven't."

Trevor glared at Moana. "Yes, let's make a deal! If you beat Dean in the race, I will pardon your friends. But if Dean beats you, then I will send your friends to the Prison Barge of The Lost Sea."

Rapunzel gulped and was reminded of what had almost happened to Atilla. Maybe she should've come up with a better plan.

Moana glared back at Trevor. "Fine, it's a deal. And you will let your seals decide if they want to live with you or out in the ocean."

As Mr. Goodberry handed her a paper and quill, Sisu jumped up and raised her hand. "I'll help!"

The Governor raised his eyebrow. "Help with what?"

"I'll race with her!" Sisu chirped. "I can be her partner! I'm a real strong swimmer!"

"Oh, this just keeps getting more interesting!" Mr. Goodberry exclaimed. "Is anyone else helping or are you two going to be partners?"

Rapunzel knew that she would have to leave Celeptois soon, before she could be discovered. She'd already seen two people that she knew, and who knew who else she could run into here. She must follow Henry's advice to lay low...but she couldn't let Moana and Sisu do this on their own either.

"Me," Rapunzel said, stepping forward. Everyone turned to her. "I'll sign up."

Her knees started buckling as she approached them. Mr. Goodberry grew even more excited as he handed her the quill. Rapunzel peered down at the signup. The race was in five days, so she, Olaf, and Pascal would have to be in this country for a little longer and help Moana and Sisu. As long as no one discovered her before then, she'd be okay.

Heaving a small breath, Rapunzel slowly signed her name.