The waterfall fell in majestic torrents, the spray billowing out like a curtain of diamonds, and the golden sunlight shining through it sent rainbows dancing into the air. A soft wind blew across the surface of the water, sending ripples racing across it to disappear against the bank. Peace and serenity joined together, and beauty reigned supreme over the place.

A shadow fell across the page, and Mohea stopped writing, glancing up at the young man standing behind her. "You're in my light."

Huko grinned and sat beside her, tugging the journal out of her hands and peering down at it curiously. "What's this?" he inquired, scanning the lines of beautiful handwriting. "'Peace and serenity joined together, and beauty reigned supreme-'"

"Give it back!" The island girl snatched her book back as the young king laughed.

"Poetry?" Huko said in incredulous delight. "You're writing poetry?" Mohea blushed and scowled at him, trying to hide her own smile.

"He said I would, you know. He was so sure." She gave the king a gentle nudge. "I couldn't let him down." Huko smiled. He didn't have to ask who 'he' was; he already knew.

"You've your whole life ahead of you to write, Mohea. Years to organize your thoughts and polish your compositions to perfection. But," he heaved an exaggeratedly soulful sigh, "since it was Billy who said it, you simply had to start right away, and-"

"Oh, stop it!" Flushing an attractive shade of scarlet, Mohea gave him a shove, sending the laughing boy sprawling on the bank. "Just because I thanked him for returning the medallion to our people-!"

"You thanked him at great length, with unnecessary aplomb," Huko said, sitting up with a grin. "And you brought him a bouquet of flowers. That seems like a pretty thorough way of saying 'thank you' to me."

A great deal of water hit him in the face, droplets pattering down around him like his own private rain shower and soaking his mop of brown curls. Spluttering, he wiped water out of his eyes and stared askance at Mohea, who glared levelly back and wiped her hand on her sunset-orange skirt.

"You can't splash me, I'm the king!"

"Then start acting like a king and not like a child!" she retorted, resisting the not-at-all childish urge to stick her tongue out. Huko tilted his head, a faint grin tugging at one corner of his mouth.

"And if I don't, what then? You'll start acting like a queen?" The girl lowered her eyes, knotting her fingers in her lap.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she said, her voice low but firm. "I did what I felt had to be done. The people were looking to you." The young king rubbed her back reassuringly.

"I know," he said quietly. "I just wish it hadn't been necessary for you to do that." He sighed, propping his chin on his fist and staring at the cascading torrent of water before them as it plunged ceaselessly over the cliff. "Sometimes I am afraid...that I will never be like my father."

Mohea placed her slim, brown hand over his where it rested on the mossy ground. "You don't have to try to be your father," she told him gently. "Just do your best to be a good king - that's all anyone could ask of you. You're King Huko, not King Kieli. Although," she smiled into his brown eyes, "if it's any comfort, you are growing to be like him, more each day." One corner of Huko's mouth lifted slightly in a half smile.

"Thank you, Mohea," he said. "Those words mean a lot to me." The beautiful girl returned his smile, her eyes twinkling with a gentle, teasing light.

"You remember them now," she said with mock seriousness, "and don't make me have to go all stand-in monarch again." Huko blew an exasperated sigh.

"Will you just stop with that now?" he pleaded. "I get it - forget king, I was a sorry excuse for a human being. I was arrogant, power-hungry, hasty, selfish, despairing, weak-willed, and all around hopeless." He glared at his friend, who was almost literally rolling with laughter. "Happy now?"

"Yes, quite," Mohea responded with cheerful disrespect. The king scowled at her.

"At least I wasn't a besotted sap," he remarked with a hint of smugness. The girl blushed.

"I was not besotted!" she refuted, almost pouting. "Besides, you seemed quite fond of Allie," she added slyly.

"I was," Huko said unblushingly. "But at least I don't write gushy poetry about her."

This remark earned him another splash of water in the face, which sparked an all-out water war between the two friends. It was a perfect scene of happiness, the two teenaged islanders frolicking in the bright sunshine.


Mud spattered against rocks and tree trunks, dead leaves scattered across the jungle floor, and vines were set swaying by the rushing breeze. The scout pelted along, head thrown back and gasping for air, ignoring the branches that whipped at his face. His bare foot hit a patch of loam and he slipped, landing flat on his back with a grunt. Scrambling to his feet, he took off again, ignoring the weariness that gnawed at his protesting muscles. He had to find the king.

He had to!


The two young people lay stretched out on the bank of the lake, letting the sun dry them. They'd been soaked to the skin, but even just a few minutes in the strong, tropical rays had them mostly dried out, although the humidity wasn't helping. They lay side by side in peaceful laziness, until Mohea finally broke the silence.

"Do you suppose they ever think about us?" she asked thoughtfully.

Once again, Huko didn't even require elucidation. "Probably," he answered. "Such an adventure isn't easily forgotten." He turned his head to look at her, smirking slightly. "And I doubt Billy has forgotten the color of your eyes, or the softness of you hair..."

"Your Highness, I will backhand you in the face, I swear I will."

Huko chuckled and turned his face back to the sky again. "That's citing rebellion against your ruler."

"Live with it," Mohea said rudely, and the king heroically resisted the urge to thump her.

A few drops of mud spattered onto his face, and he sat bolt upright, scowling. "What was that for?" he demanded. The girl glanced at him, frowning.

"I didn't do anything."

"King Huko!" Both of them turned, startled, and watched as one of the village warriors dashed up to them, skidding to a halt and almost overbalancing into the water. Huko seized his tunic and steadied him.

"Kani, what is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"My king..." Kani panted, desperately trying to regain his breath. "My king... He's back. He... He has returned."

Mohea got to her feet, watching them. Huko frowned, still holding up the scout, who was on the verge of collapse. "Who's back?" His heart leaped. "Billy?" Kani shook his head.

"Cobra." He whispered the name, as if the mere sound of it would make the jungle wither. Mohea gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, and all the color drained from the young king's face.

"Cobra... But how? How is this possible? He was destroyed!" He grabbed the warrior's shoulders, staring frantically at his face and giving him a tiny shake. "Are you sure? It couldn't be anyone else?" Kani shook his head again.

"There could be no mistake," he said, still panting slightly. "It was him." He raised his eyes, meeting his king's gaze. "He's demanding to see you. He wants the medallion again. He says.." Kani paused and swallowed hard. "He says he will burn the village if you do not give it to him."

Huko's fingers automatically closed over the amulet that hung around his neck, and his jaw clenched. "He knows he cannot use it," he said tightly. "Why would he want it?"

"To destroy it, maybe," Mohea offered. Her smooth brow was creased with worry, and bitter fear was boiling in her stomach. The horror of the last year was resurfacing in her mind, overwhelming her with images that she'd been doing her best to forget. Just the thought of the hot caves and forges beneath Cobra Island made sweat break out on her neck. "Huko, let's just give it to him. You said yourself, he cannot use it! He will burn the village if we don't!"

"He will burn the village if we do, take captive those of us who can serve him, and kill those who can't," the king shot back. "You surely cannot expect him to spare us just because we give him what he wants." He shook his head, then turned to Kani. "Why did he let you come to find me? Why didn't he send his own warriors?" The scout bowed his head, his face shining with modest pride.

"He never saw me, my king," he answered. "I was hidden, and overheard his words." Huko looked alarmed.

"Then he will have sent warriors!" he exclaimed. "We must hide the medallion. I dare not try to use it to drive him away; I'm afraid it's too late for that, and I won't risk it falling into his hands. We can retrieve it later, at a more opportune moment." He glanced desperately around the surrounding jungle, his mind racing through several hiding places before his eye fell on the waterfall in front of them. Instantly, and idea popped into his head.

"Quick, find me a heavy rock," he commanded, and the other two islanders hastily started combing the bank and shallows for a likely stone. Huko yanked the amulet off and slammed it against the heel of his palm, knocking the blue gem out of the center. Immediately, it started to crust over, and the medallion lost it's shine.

Mohea ran up to him and dropped a small but dense rock into his hand, and he pushed it into the empty cavity. Jerking off his royal sash, he wrapped it around the amulet, just like his father had done nine years ago, and pressed the magic stone into the girl's hand.

"Bury it," he commanded. "There, on the bank. Put a heavy stone over it to mark the place." The king stripped off his shirt and dove into the pool of water, the medallion protectively clenched in his hand, as Mohea hurried to do his bidding.

Huko surfaced, shaking water out of his eyes, before taking a few deep breaths and diving beneath the surface again. Immediately, the noise of the jungle vanished, and his ears were filled with the peace of under water. He opened his eyes, ignoring the unpleasant stinging sensation, and swam towards the waterfall, pulling himself towards the rocky bottom with powerful strokes. Releasing some of his air, the young king sank a bit more, ignoring the strain on his lungs, and dug his hands into the soft, silty sand at the bottom of the pool. The disturbed sand drifted and swirled around him in a hypnotically shifting cloud, but he ignored it, focusing on the task and hand.

With no small amount of difficulty, he finally managed to excavate a shallow hole, into which he carefully dropped the medallion before scooping silt and pebbles over it. He smoothed out the surrounding area, piled a few larger rocks over it, and then kicked towards the surface, lungs burning and vision swimming.

Mohea and Kani had been anxiously watching the water, waiting for their king to surface, and they surged forward to help him as he finally broke the surface. The two islanders splashed into the water, taking hold of Huko's arms and pulling him to shore, where he flaked out on the bank and concentrated on breathing.

The young woman bit her lip before addressing a question to her companion. "Huko, why won't you just use the medallion to keep Cobra away? It is not as if the stone is missing again!" Huko couldn't help the faint blush that crept up his tanned cheeks, but he stayed on track.

"I don't know what the exact situation at the village is at the moment, and I don't want to risk phrasing a wish badly," he answered, thinking of the spontaneous wish that brought Billy and Allie back from their own time a year ago. "Besides, Cobra will have men out looking for us, and I will not risk letting him get the medallion. It's better that we retrieve it at a later time and use it when he doesn't expect it - and this way, we have some sway over him." Mohea looked dubious, feeling that that explanation was hardly satisfactory, but she held her tongue as her king continued.

He looked them both in the eyes, his voice taking on a firm tone. "We three are the only ones who know of the location of the medallion and the stone, and it must stay that way," he said. "Promise me you will not tell anyone, unless two of us are already dead and the last is dying."

Mohea and Kani both gave their word, looking faintly apprehensive. Despite their fear, however, their faces reflected true fighting spirit; there was a determined firmness in the tilt of Mohea's chin, and the young warrior looked excited about the prospect of a fight. Huko felt a rush of fierce pride for his people, but was given no time to dwell on it; the sounds of approaching men reached their ears, and the king barely had time to pull his shirt back on before Cobra's warriors burst into view.

"There he is!" one of them shouted, pointing a wicked looking machete at the young king. "Seize him!"

"Run!" Huko hissed to the other two. Kani ignored him and leaped forward, brandishing his own spear.

"Go, your Highness!" he called. "I'll hold them off!"

Scarcely had the words left his mouth before a crossbolt hit him in the throat, and he made a strangled, gurgling sound before pitching forward and lying still. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Mohea gave one horrified shriek, and then she was off, running and stumbling through the jungle as Huko pulled her along, Cobra's men hot on their heels.

"How did he get more lackeys so quickly?" she gasped, tripping over a root that twisted across the path, deceptively hidden beneath the soil. The king pulled her back to her feet, never flagging in his breakneck pace.

"Who knows...mercenaries, maybe, or some of his former warriors," he answered. "Save your breath for running!"

Accordingly, they pelted along in silence, leaping over obstacles when they saw them and stumbling over them when they didn't. Mohea was hampered by her long skirt, and Huko's wet trousers were causing him some difficulty, but they never slowed, even as they began to stagger with weariness. Behind them, the sounds of their pursuers were growing louder as the men gained on them, and desperation lent the two teenagers speed and a much-needed second wind.

Just as Huko was beginning to hope that they might make it to safety, eight more warriors materialized out of the jungle in front of them and fanned out in a semicircle, blocking their way. The two Aumakua islanders skidded to a halt, glancing around wildly for an escape route. There was none.

Huko placed himself in front of Mohea as the warriors who'd been chasing them dashed up. The young king's eyes darted around, seeking one gap, one break in the circle of hostile faces, but there was no way to get by them. There were too many. They were outnumbered.

The young man bowed his head as the tallest of the warriors snapped orders to the rest. "Tie their hands behind them and take them back to the village. And hurry up about it, my lord doesn't like to be kept waiting!"

Mohea managed to land a few good kicks on the shins of their captors before she was forced to her knees and her arms yanked behind her, her wrists bound cruelly tight with a coarse cord. A few feet away, Huko was receiving the same merciless treatment; then they were roughly dragged to their feet and forced to walk, stumbling with exhaustion as they made their way back to the village.

The leader of the group strode along beside them, issuing further commands to the rest of the men. "Hem them in - if they try to escape, shoot them in the legs, but don't kill them. " His dark eyes pitilessly swept the two captives.

"Cobra wants them alive."