Red / THE MAJOR'S QUEST / 17

Chapter Three

Redemption's Open Door

Maui weakly opened his eyes and sat up, looking around the room. Everything was a blur, but soon his vision became clear, and he could make out where he was. The room was large, the walls were lined with gold, and he was lying in a queen sized bed. His hook! He turned to his left and saw his fish hook lying on a table beside him, and heaved a sigh of relief. He thought he had lost his fish hook!

"How are you feeling?"

Maui's head whipped to the right to see a girl sitting in the corner of the room patiently. He was surprised and a little impressed. She had been so still that he had not sensed her presence in the slightest. Maybe he was still feeling a little wonky. "Who are you?" Maui asked, hazy about the circumstances of his arrival in this strange place.

The girl got up from her seat and walked closer to the bed, sitting at the edge. "My name is Melody, I saw you crash into the water. You flew in as a hawk, but then you shape-shifted into a man and passed out. The doctors that attended to you couldn't seem to pierce your skin with any syringe, and had no choice but to hope that you would recover on your own. How are you feeling?"

Now things were beginning to get clearer. He remembered flying across the ocean on pure instinct, not really knowing where he was going, and then exhaustion got to him. He wasn't sure whether he had reached his destination, but if he was right, the prophecy had led him right to this girl. He looked at Melody. She was slender, had ivory skin and looked incredibly young. By the looks of it, still a teenager. Was this the right girl? She didn't exactly seem like the warrior princess that he was looking for, but then again, how could he judge her based solely on her appearance? Maybe she was the one he was looking for. "I'm fine. My body heals itself naturally. I'm a demigod, after all. But thank you for your help, nonetheless." He smiled at Melody proudly.

Melody looked at the self-proclaimed demigod. He did seem less banged up than when she had found him in the ocean a few hours ago. Upon seeing him crash into the water, she had sprinted back to the palace to get help, and it took several soldiers to drag the huge man out of the water, as they could not lift him. They had eventually managed to get him on a gurney and wheeled him across the beach and into the palace.

Since she was the one who found him, she felt that it was her responsibility to watch over him till he woke up. She found herself admiring the man's huge and muscular physique for far too long and snapped herself out of it. "Demigod? Wha-who are you?" Melody asked, curious to know more about the shapeshifter.

Maui was perturbed. She didn't know who he was? "I am Maui, the shapeshifting demigod! Surely you've heard of me? Folk hero? Legendary warrior?"

Melody seemed even more puzzled, shaking her head in confusion.

"No? How could you not know? I'm famous!" Maui insisted, bewildered. "Polynesian mythology, hello? Wait, which part of the world are we in anyway?"

Melody stifled a giggle. This "demigod" was certainly amusing. "We're in Denmark, in my father's palace."

Maui ran his hand through his thick curly hair. "You're a princess?"

Melody nodded hesitantly, somewhat reluctant to admit the fact.

Maui stood up from the bed, confused. Was she really the one he was looking for? This girl was a princess, not a warrior! But something told him that she was the one in the prophecy: the heroine from Denmark who would challenge the Major alongside other warriors. He guessed he had to take a leap of faith. "Princess Melody-" he began.

"Melody is fine."

Maui cleared his throat. "Right. I've come from far away to seek you out. The world's safety has just been challenged by a man. A monster. And I need your help to stop him." That sounded a lot better in his head. He held his breath, hoping that her response would reveal whether she was the right one.

At that moment, a couple of armed soldiers burst into the room, two ushering an indignant Melody out the door while the rest trained their weapons on Maui.

"We have the target." The section commander called out. "Lace your fingers behind your head."

Maui, knowing fully well that he could take the soldiers out singlehandedly, complied, lacing his fingers and placing them behind his head calmly.

"Safe. Usher the king in."

In walked King Eric, escorted by a soldier. "Stand down. Leave us." Eric ordered, signalling for the soldiers to lower their weapons.

"But your Majesty, it's not safe."

"It'll be alright. Leave now. That's an order."

The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment, before vacating the room.

Eric looked at Maui. "At ease. I am King Eric of Denmark, and I'm just here to ask you a few questions."

Maui relaxed, leaning back against the backing of the bed. "Ah, you're the ruler of this land."

Eric nodded.

"I'm Maui, the shapeshifting demigod." Maui proclaimed proudly, certain that this king would have heard of him.

"Now I've seen and heard many weird things, my wife is a mermaid queen ruling an underwater kingdom below us, so believe me when I say that I'm not exactly surprised," Eric smiled. "But I haven't heard of you before."

Maui's heart sank. Come on! Did no one know who he was? Gahh! What did a demigod have to do to be known these days?

"As the King of Denmark, it is my responsibility to protect my kingdom, so it is my duty to ask you: where have you come from, and what are your intentions here?" Eric inquired, staring straight into the eyes of the man before him.

Maui looked at Eric. If Melody was the princess, this King Eric had to be her father. It wouldn't be wise to tell Melody's father straight up that he had come to ask her to join his quest in bringing down an evil warlord. But that is exactly what he had come to Denmark for. Time was running out, the Major could be making his next big move at any moment. He didn't really have much of a choice, now did he?

###

Melody stood outside the room, slouching against the wall. She hated that the soldiers had burst in and pushed her out just when Maui was telling her something important. Her father really had the poorest timing, choosing to come in at that moment. He simply couldn't see past the fact that she was no longer a 12 year old girl that needed protection from everything. He thought that she was in danger, but she really wasn't! As far as she could tell, Maui wasn't going to hurt her. He seemed nice and friendly. Maybe a little boastful, but he wasn't dangerous. He certainly wasn't an ordinary man though, she had seen his shapeshifting abilities. He was most likely who he said he was: a demigod.

And that mission that Maui was telling her about? It sounded like the perfect opportunity to her. Melody had been desperately looking for a shot at redemption for six years ever since she played a part in the Morgana's Takeover, and now Maui had presented it to her, literally crashing into the ocean to drop this chance right at her feet! Sure, it did seem daunting and a little bit out of her league, but she was sure that this was going to be her only shot at redeeming herself. Not only in the people's eyes, but in her own. Where else would she get an opportunity like that? She had made up her mind about it. She was going to help Maui. This was redemption's open door for her.

At that moment, her father burst out of the room, his face red, seething with rage. "Guards! Take him to the tower! See to it that a trial is arranged! Demigod, my-" he paused, realizing that his daughter was looking at him with a puzzled look on her face.

"Dad? What's going on?"

Eric ran his hand through his hair, trying to compose himself. "The intruder. He claimed to be a demigod on some special mission to seek out the world's warriors. And he said he was looking for you." His face started to turn red again. "What rubbish! He's obviously some sort of special agent sent to Denmark to try to destabilize our kingdom's infrastructure or something similarly sinister. Or worse, to assassinate our family! If he wanted to lie, he could at least try to be realistic."

A couple of soldiers rushed into the room and a moment later, Maui was dragged out in chains. Maui looked at Melody confidently and nodded slightly, as if to tell her to make her decision soon.

Eric put his arm in front of his daughter, attempting to shield her from the intruder. "Melody, stay far away from the prisoner. He's dangerous, and I don't want you getting hurt," Eric's eyes softened as he looked at Melody. "I'm sorry this had to happen when you just returned home. I need to be sure that you're safe." He stroked her cheek and walked away, following behind the soldiers to ensure that the prisoner was locked up securely in the prison tower.

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Various weapons, equipment and basic necessities were laid out on the bed. Melody placed several items into a light brown backpack, and stuck her pocket knife into the pocket of her jeans. She had tied her hair back into a ponytail and had changed into a white tank top with a quia green leather bomber jacket, black jeans and a pair of high cut black boots. She looked out of her bedroom window. The moon would occasionally duck behind the clouds and render the sky pitch black, which would give her perfect cover out there. Now would be the best time for her to make her move, in the wee hours of the morning.

Was this everything? Food, water, what else was she missing? Oh, she had almost forgotten. Looking over to her desk by the window, she spotted her bag of trinkets. She walked over to it. Inside were the sea shells and other treasures she had found over the years when she explored the ocean. She picked up her special locket necklace and put it around her neck. She would have to take extra care to make sure it remained intact on her mission, especially since she predicted that she might use it on her journey. One last thing.

Melody turned away from the desk, her eyes glancing to below her bed where a dark brown wooden trunk lay. She stooped down and opened it. Inside the trunk was her black take-down recurve bow, with a detachable quiver mounted securely on the bow's limbs. Inside the quiver were numerous small diameter arrows that were black and sleek. She took the bow and quiver out from the trunk. This would be her perfect weapon when she was out there in battle. Now she was ready.

Fortunately, the tower where Maui was being held wasn't too far away, on the other side of the beach where Melody could run to it. It took her about fifteen minutes to reach the tower, which was being heavily guarded. Melody was extra cautious when she arrived near the tower to not be seen by the guards, since her father had given strict orders for her not to be let anywhere near Maui. She would get in huge trouble if she was caught.

Hiding behind the palm trees, Melody surveyed the area and looked for a way in. She looked up. She knew that Maui was being held right at the top of the tower, which was a spot reserved for the most dangerous criminals. Her father would have given orders to incarcerate Maui there based on his assumption that he was a spy or assassin, and also to keep her safe. There was a large opening near the top of the tower where two snipers were positioned by the parapet to catch any fleeing prisoners. Even if she could get up there, the snipers would spot her. Thankfully, the moon was hidden behind the clouds most of the time, so it was impossible for the snipers to see her poised behind the palm trees. There was only one thing for her to do. And she had to do it quick.

Taking out the disassembled recurve bow from her backpack, she quickly pieced it together. She selected a special arrow from her quiver and looked at it. It had a small tube attached to the tip of the arrow, and inside the tube was a colourless liquid. Yes, this was the right arrow. Melody placed the arrow in the nocking point of the bow, and drew it back. Aiming high at the opening and calculating the effect that the gravitational pull would have on the trajectory, she compensated and adjusted her angle. She checked to make sure that the snipers were spaced far enough from each other so that she wouldn't hit one of them accidentally, because she only had one shot, so she had to make it count. If she missed, the snipers would be alerted to her presence and sound the alarm, triggering a lockdown of the entire tower. If that happened, there would be no way for her to get to Maui. No pressure.

She made sure her breathing was constant and calm, before she let the arrow fly. The arrow soared into the air and through the opening, landing on the ground in between the two snipers. The tube broke on impact and a colourless gas escaped into air. The effect was almost immediate, and the snipers choked, gasping for air. After a brief struggle, they collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Melody waited for a few minutes until she was sure that the snipers had been knocked cold, before running quietly to the base of the tower. She took another special arrow from the quiver and nocked it. Drawing back her bow, she aimed at the opening again. She released the bow string, and the arrow flew with a cable attached to it. It was a grappling arrow with a hook at the end, which utilized the bow as an automatic pulley system. The arrow found its mark, and as Melody jerked the bow, the arrow's grapple hooked onto the side of the tower's balcony, anchoring itself securely. She then used the bow to recoil the cable like a pulley system, lifting herself up into the air and scaling the tower at a steady pace.

Climbing up and over the side of the tower and through the opening in the wall, Melody put the grappling arrow back into her quiver and looked at the dark passage in front of her. A stairwell connected to the end of the passage, and she walked towards it. She had no idea if there were more guards around, as this was her first time in the prison. Shuddering, she walked past a couple of locked doors. This place creeped her out. As she reached the end of the passage, she looked down at the stairwell. It was a long way down. She looked up. There was only a couple more flights of stairs to the top of the tower. Good. She climbed the stairs quietly like a cat, being extra careful not to make any noise.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Melody crouched down, hiding behind a pillar. Out in front of her stretched a long dark hallway, and at the end, a single steel door.

Two guards stood outside the door talking. One held up their prisoner's hook weapon in both hands, and the other was trying to read the engravings on it.

She wasn't going to risk being spotted by them. Everyone in the kingdom knew her, and if she showed her face, it would be game over for her. She had to come up with a different plan. Knockout gas? She only had one tube left, and she wasn't about to hurt her father's soldiers. She prepared herself, aimed at the steel door between both guards, and let fly. The arrow smashed against the steel door, shattering the tube, and the guards unwittingly inhaled the gas. They fell to the ground, unconscious like the other guards before them.

Running through the dark hallway, Melody reached the fallen guards. They had dropped Maui's hook weapon that they were entertaining themselves with to pass time. She crouched down, searching them for the keys. Please, they had to have the keys on them. If not, her rescue attempt was in vain. A feeling of dread swept over her as she considered the fact that they might not be carrying the keys to the cell on them. Ah! There were the keys! Relieved, she took the keys from the guard and inserted various keys into the lock until the right one clicked. Picking up Maui's fish hook, she grunted as she realised how heavy it was. With her shoulder, she pushed open the steel door and walked in.

There on the bed lay Maui, fully awake, with his hands behind his head, smiling as if he had been expecting her. "Hello again, Princess. Took you long enough." Maui boomed.

"Shushhh!" Melody hissed, shooting her head over her shoulder to see if anyone heard him. She passed the heavy weapon to Maui, glad to get it off her hands. "How did you know I was coming?"

Maui beamed, standing up with his fish hook in hand. "I didn't, really. I wasn't even sure if you were the one I was looking for, but you've just proven yourself. If you weren't the one, then why would you come to my rescue? Speaking of which…" Maui curled his enormous hand into a fist and punched the stone wall. It crumbled, revealing a large hole facing the ocean. "I could have escaped at any time. I was just waiting for you, Princess!"

"Melody." She reminded him, slightly annoyed. "This quest you spoke of, you said you needed my help to stop some attack?"

Maui nodded, resting the fish hook against his shoulder.

"Why me?"

"The prophecy say so. The great Maui rarely needs help, but this time, I can't do it alone. I need you and a few others to stop the man called Major Kane from achieving his goal."

Just as Maui finished his sentence, shouts could be heard from down the passage, and Melody spun around, her worst fears realized. Light could be seen coming from the stairwell, which meant that guards were headed their way! The next detail of snipers must have come to replace the ones on duty, only to find them unconscious from a vial of knockout gas. Melody wanted to kick herself, wishing she had taken more time to study the guards' schedules in detail before embarking on this rescue mission.

"Come on, Maui, you said you're a demigod right? Now's a great time to shape-shift into a brown hawk and fly us out of here!"

Maui smiled. Finally someone around here believed him! "Say no more!" In a flash of light, Maui transformed himself into a brown hawk and used his claws to hold onto Melody's shoulders gently. He lifted the both of them out of the tower and let out a loud victory screech, just as the guards burst into the room to see a brown hawk carrying the princess away from Denmark and across the ocean.

"Where to next?" Melody asked, looking down at the ocean far beneath her feet. She flinched and closed her eyes, immediately regretting her decision to let Maui fly her out of the tower.

Maui noticed her twitch and let out a hearty laugh. "Norway! We will find the next warrior for our little alliance in the bustling kingdom of Arendelle!"

Writer's Commentary:

This chapter was amusing to write, as it brings together two very different characters: Princess Melody and Maui the demigod. I'm totally in love with the character of Maui, who was played by Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, in the 2016 movie Moana. I thought it would be an awesome challenge to write how these two characters would gel together in the same room.

Maui reveals that he's travelled across the world to find a warrior, who we know is our protagonist Melody, from reading the previous chapter which was solely focused on her. I wanted him to be the one who presents her with the big break she's been looking for, a chance to save the world and redeem herself in the process. Maui represents that the world Melody lives in is bigger than just Denmark, Auradon, Atlantica, sea witches and merpeople, and that there is a whole lot of danger and adventure out there that's waiting for her.

I had a great time writing Melody in action with her bow and arrows, breaking into the prison to free Maui. This gave me a chance to showcase her badassery and how much she has grown into a strong and feisty teenager over the last 5 years. The last few paragraphs also serve as the first major plot point in the story, where our protagonist answers the call to adventure and flies off into the night with her new mystical friend.

Can't wait to see yall in the next chapter! Stay stoked!