Chapter Nineteen

A Dark Night

The fire blazed on top of the pile of wood that Melody and Elsa had collected from the forest. Although it was extremely humid and warm due to the climate, they had no choice as it had grown dark and they needed light to ward off potential predators that could be lurking in wait. After Moana had walked off into the forest, the two girls were left to figure things out on their own. Melody and Elsa had quickly built the fire near the coast line as they were losing light, and found two big rocks for them to sit on beside the fire. They had brought the rocks to put beside the fireplace, and were now silently watching the flames dance, not knowing what to do next. Melody poked the wood aimlessly with a stick that she had found on the ground, while Elsa watched her.

"So…" Elsa began.

Melody continued to poke the wood with the stick.

"Aren't we going to do something?"

"I don't know," Melody broke out of her silence, looking at Elsa. "Why are you asking me? Why does everyone keep asking me what we're going to do?"

"It…just seems like you always have the answers," Elsa replied. "You've had an answer to every problem we've faced so far."

"Well I don't. Not anymore, at least." She turned her attention back to poking the fire with the stick. "Maui's brainwashed, Tracy turned evil, Moana left us, and our ship's wrecked." Melody looked at Elsa again. "Did I miss anything?" she looked back at the dancing flames. "What's left for us to do?"

"I don't know," Elsa stood up. "But I'm sure we can figure something out together. If we try."

Melody chuckled. "Look around, Elsa. There's nothing left for us to do. There's nothing left that we can do. We're stranded here." Throwing the stick into the fire, she watched as the flames consumed it, and mused sardonically that the stick was just like her hope, which had been incinerated and her energy burnt out. Melody walked away from the bonfire to the edge of the coast, leaving Elsa alone by the fire.

###

Meanwhile, in the dense forest not far from where the other two girls were, Moana sat on the uneven ground with her back resting against a tall tree, her knees tucked close to her chest. As she sat in the darkness without any source of light, she allowed the tears to flow freely down her cheeks. No one could see her anyway and she was alone, so she could allow herself to be vulnerable. How did everything in her life go wrong so fast? Just a few days ago, she was living her best life as the Chief of Motunui, and now, here she was, stranded on an island in some unknown part of the world, her family killed and her village destroyed by the Major.

Moana sobbed as she rested her head against the rough trunk of the tree she was sitting under. At least away from the others, she didn't have to hide her emotions. All along throughout the mission, she had tried to put up a brave front and tough exterior to hide her pain and anger, and had even taken out her frustrations on the people around her who were just trying to help. Multiple times! She felt absolutely horrible about how she had treated Melody, Elsa, Maui and even Tracy. A small part of her believed that if she hadn't been so unkind to the octopid, maybe she wouldn't have snapped and betrayed the team, and they wouldn't have lost the battle and ended up shipwrecked on a strange land with no way of getting back.

As she lowered her head to let the tears fall off her face, her watery eyes fell on the family necklace that hung around her neck. Moana lifted the necklace gently and looked at it fondly. After her father had been impaled by Kane, with the few words he could manage he had asked her to carry on the family legacy. But how? She couldn't even get the white magic to work in her favour. She had failed to stop the Major multiple times. Dad would be so ashamed. She sobbed more violently as she dropped the necklace and slumped limply against the tree. "I'm sorry, Dad." Moana whispered through the lump in her throat and buried her face in her hands as she continued weeping in the darkness of the forest.

###

Elsa looked at Melody standing silently by the coast, watching and listening to the crashing of the waves. She had to convince Melody that there was still a way out. Although sketchy, she had a vague plan, but it wasn't going to work without the rest to back her play. Taking a deep breath, she walked across the sand on the beach towards her downcast friend. "Melody."

Melody continued to watch the waves as if she did not hear Elsa.

Elsa reached the edge of the coast where Melody was. "I know things seem bleak right now, but I know that we can bounce back."

Melody bent down to pick up a smooth stone.

"You always see the best in everyone and everything. That undying hope. Don't give it up now, we can figure out a way to get off this island and stop Kane."

"Well maybe seeing the best in everyone was a mistake."

"What are you talking about?"

"Tracy," Melody aimed the stone at the water and threw it. The stone skidded across the water before sinking below the surface. "Moana was right. I chose to believe that Tracy was different from the rest of her family. I was blinded to the fact that being a witch was in her nature." She picked up another stone and threw it with a little more force. "I messed up six years ago by falling prey to her mother's schemes, and I only wanted to redeem myself. So when I found Tracy in the Dark Zone in the Bermuda Triangle, I saw her as a stepping stone to my own redemption, choosing to ignore the constant red flags. Moana saw through Tracy and warned me, but I chose not to believe her. And look where we are now? We're stuck here because I ignored the truth." Melody's voice wavered a little.

"It's not your fault. It was all Kane. He tempted her with black magic, that's on him. Tracy's just a confused girl, just like I was when you approached me back on the North Mountain."

Melody sniffled and looked out into the ocean. "Doesn't change the fact that I was just choosing to see what I wanted to see. Naive. Selfish. Just so that I could redeem myself in my own eyes."

"No," Elsa had a regal tone that was firm but comforting. "I believe that you truly wanted to help Tracy become a better person, to help her find redemption for herself. Because you did that for me."

Melody walked back to her rock by the bonfire, and Elsa followed her, determined to get through to her friend.

"When I believed that my powers were a curse and that I was a monster, you inspired me to find a way to use my powers for good."

"Maybe you turned out fine, but Tracy was my fault. And it led to our downfall."

"You can't keep blaming yourself for everything that's gone wrong in your life. The incident six years ago, Tracy's betrayal, Atlantica's invasion, the loss of the trident, you couldn't have done anything to prevent those!"

"But maybe I could have."

"You couldn't have. We can't stop bad things from happening. But we can keep fighting, just like you taught me. Forgive ourselves and move on. Find a way to redeem ourselves." Elsa said. "And we have a real chance here."

Melody paused for a couple of minutes to ponder about what Elsa had said. Elsa held her breath, hoping that her words had been enough to knock some sense into her friend.

Finally, Melody looked at Elsa. "How?"

"I have an idea. It's a little sketchy, but it might just work. But first, we have to find Moana."

###

Moana's eyes were closed, but she was still wide awake. She was exhausted from crying, but she couldn't possibly fall asleep as she was too consumed by guilt and grief. Suddenly, she heard the rustling of leaves and the breaking of twigs on the ground. Someone was near! Moana quickly wiped her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hands. She didn't want anyone to know that she was crying, no matter who it was.

Could it be natives living on the island? Or what if it was some wild animal stalking the forest looking for prey? She hadn't considered that there could be predators roaming the night, and the sudden thought gave her a sudden urge to flee from the forest. Moana bent down and picked up a fallen branch, brandishing it in front of her. The sound of the leaves rustling and the scrunching of soil was growing louder. "Who's there?" Moana called out, half expecting a tiger to spring out of the darkness at her. "Show yourself!"

"Moana! It's us!" Elsa and Melody came into view.

Moana heaved a sigh of relief and dropped the branch. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We came to find you," Elsa replied. Her eyes had grown accustomed to the dark and she could see that Moana's eyes were puffy from crying. "I know things haven't been great these past few days, but I have an idea. But for it to work, we need you."

Moana looked sorrowful. "No, you don't need me. I'm no good to anyone. I couldn't even fulfil my father's dying wish to master the use of light magic."

"Listen to me," Elsa said firmly in a tone that commanded the highest respect for that of a queen. "We've all failed on this mission in some way or other, but we can't stop to feel sorry for ourselves now. Not when we still have an actual shot at getting off this island and stopping Kane."

"How?"

"Follow me," Elsa started to walk back towards the direction of the beach.

"Actually," Melody interrupted. "Can we have a minute? We'll meet you out front."

"Of course." Elsa said, giving her friend a reassuring look before disappearing into the thick darkness again.

Melody turned to face Moana, who was too embarrassed to make eye contact. She hadn't actually planned to confront Moana, but deep down she wanted to bury the hatchet between them and had just decided to talk to her on impulse. "So…" she ran a hand through her hair while trying to piece together what she wanted to say to Moana.

"I'm sorry, Melody." Moana cut in before Melody could get another word in.

Melody was shocked. She hadn't expected an apology from Moana as she had always appeared tough and unapologetic about everything.

"I'm sorry for everything that has happened between us." Moana continued, still avoiding eye contact with Melody. "I've been a jerk to everyone since you all came to Motunui to find me, and I've had some time to think about what I said and did, and I'm truly sorry."

"Actually," Melody started, after an awkward moment of silence between them. "I wanted to apologise too. About Tracy."

Moana looked at Melody, who swallowed hard.

"You were right about her. She was a sea witch at heart, and was always going to revert to her old nature at some point. You saw right through her." Melody looked past Moana at a tree behind her, down at her boots, anywhere but Moana's eyes. "You tried to warn me that we couldn't trust her. And you were right. But I didn't listen." She swallowed hard again. "I didn't want to listen because I wanted to play a part in Tracy's redemption, in the hope that I would redeem myself too, and so I refused to believe that she would turn against us."

Moana listened intently, realising for the first time why Melody had said and done the things that she did.

"In the end, I realised that even I couldn't trust her anymore and when she only had me left, I had no choice but to admit to her the truth, and that broke her. I'm to blame for her betrayal." Melody paused to swallow the lump in her throat before continuing. "And because of that, now Kane has the trident and all of humanity is in danger."

"I…" Moana was dumbfounded, and didn't know how to find the words to respond. "I didn't know you felt that way. That you sided with Tracy because you wanted to help her become a better person. I'm sorry, I always thought you were just plain naive."

"I am. I see that now." Melody replied.

"No, don't stop seeing the best in people. Truth is, I hated that you were always so bright and cheerful and optimistic, because that's the way I used to be before Kane destroyed my village. And to see you like that, it just ticked me off."

"I should've been more sensitive," Melody finally looked Moana in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Moana continued. "I masked my guilt for not being able to save my village by taking my anger out on anyone around me. You guys didn't deserve that."

"Alright," Melody gave a small apologetic smile and extended a hand to Moana. "Bury the hatchet?"

"Yeah." Moana reached out and hugged Melody, who was taken by surprise.

"Now how about we stop beating ourselves up over our mistakes and go listen to Elsa's plan for getting off the island?" Melody said after recovering from the initial surprise of Moana's hug.

"Yeah, let's go."

The two girls walked out of the forest down to the beach where Elsa was waiting for them with her back to the crashing waves, her undone hair being blown about in every direction by the humid breeze.

"Okay, so-" Elsa began, and was stunned when Moana hugged her.

"I'm sorry for being so hostile. Please forgive me?"

"Of course," Elsa patted Moana on the back. "Consider it done."

"So," Moana released her hold on Elsa and stepped back. "What's the plan?"

"Well, it's more like a hunch actually," Elsa began, pushing her platinum blonde hair out of her face and sweeping it over her shoulder. "But I think we have a pretty good chance of getting off the island."

"How?" Melody asked.

"You know how controlling my powers has always been a struggle for me?" Elsa looked around at her audience, and the other two girls nodded. "Well I discovered that when I keep my emotions in check and focus on the positive feelings, I have a better grip over my powers."

"Oh, so with her white magic, she can restore the ship and get us out of here!" Melody put two and two together, realising that Elsa was right.

"That's the plan," Elsa nodded, placing her hands behind her back humbly. "Not that I'm anywhere near fully mastering my powers, but I think I could guide you in learning how to control your magic."

"Oh, and I remember something," Melody suddenly remembered the book she had read in the palace before the war started. "Back in Atlantica, I learnt about the Major's snake totem. The more he uses it, the more he develops a bloodlust and he gets more powerful. The only way to counter his growing power is with white magic. Yours." She pointed at Moana's pendant.

"Mine?"

"You are the key to stopping him, Moana." Elsa and Melody looked at Moana hopefully, waiting for her response.

"Show me how."

"Okay," Elsa exhaled and rubbed her palms together. That went way better than she had planned. She tied her hair back into a ponytail, and Moana tied hers into a bun. "Let's begin."

###

A cold gust of wind blew across the deck, and Major Kane could feel it stinging his skin as he gazed out at the night sky. The Hanedale must be getting closer to the North Pole. He had used the trident to manipulate the waters into propelling the ship quicker towards his destination. Otherwise, it would take forever for them to reach the North Pole where he would complete his quest. It was almost over, and he could see victory within his reach. He had always known that his quest would be a one way trip for him, but he didn't care. He would have saved the world from the corruption of humanity, and be reunited with his family once again. Speaking of which, it was time to use the second wish.

Trident still in hand, Kane headed down to his personal quarters. He closed the door and leaned the trident against the wall. Taking the Lamp of Jafar which was resting on his tabletop, he sat on the ground crosslegged and rubbed the Lamp slowly. A black mist escaped from the spout, and rose into the air, forming the image of Jafar.

"What do you seek, my Master?" Jafar asked, bowing before the Major.

"Jafar," Kane spoke. "It is time for me to use my second wish."

"Yes, of course. What is it you desire?"

Kane took a deep breath. "I want to see my family."

"You know the rules. I can't bring them back to life."

"I'm not asking you to."

"Then what are you asking?"

"Astral projection." Kane replied stoically. "I know that it can be done, but it's out of my wheelhouse. I want you to take me to my family."

Jafar paused. "You do realise that astral projection requires strength of mind and an incredible force of will? Otherwise, your mind will crumble."

"I know."

"Very well then. Shut your eyes."

The Major closed his eyes, and Jafar muttered in a foreign language, conjuring up a dark spell and a thick darkness enveloped the room. When Kane opened his eyes, he found himself in the middle of a forest covered in cold fog. The leaves had fallen from the tree to the ground and were covered by snow, and all that remained were the thorns and thistles of the branches.

"Here we are." Jafar's whispers echoed eerily throughout the forest and Major Kane spun around.

There was no one else in the forest but himself. Kane narrowed his eyes, and pushed past the branches of the trees, his skin getting scratched by the thorns as he bashed through the dried up vegetation. The snow grew thicker and squelched under his boots as he finally made his way out of the forest. As he emerged from the multitude of thorns, he stood on a hill above his home village where he used to live with his wife and children. The roofs of the houses were covered in snow, and the roads leading through the village were rocky and uneven. The village itself was quiet, as if it were abandoned, and a couple of armoured soldiers patrolled the streets with flaming torches, looking for houses to raid. The winter breeze blew heavily against Kane's back, pushing him forward as he made his way down the steep hill carefully.

Kane walked through the village, musing at how it felt to be back home where life for him was normal before it got plunged into chaos. He wondered how different his life would have turned out if he hadn't been on that naval mission five years ago. Maybe his family wouldn't have been murdered and his village wouldn't have been razed to the ground. As he walked along the street towards his old cottage, a couple of armoured enemies in masks blocked his path. He clenched his fist, and the snake totem glowed red. With a swipe of his hand, the enemies were tossed off the path like they were rag dolls, and they were impaled on the large thorns that hung from the tree branches. Their blood dripped onto the fresh powder of snow on the ground, turning white to red.

Kane walked up to the front door of his old house, and opened it. The wooden door creaked as he stepped into his house, and he was instantly greeted by the warmth of the fireplace that burnt brightly in the corner. As his custom was, he dried his boots on the carpet by the door. Kane looked around at the interior of his house. Everything was exactly how he remembered it.

"You're back."

Kane spun around to see his wife sitting by the fireplace, watching him. "Honey?" His voice was thick with emotion and his eyes which were usually hardened by resolve softened at the sight of his beloved wife. "Is it really you?"

She smiled lovingly at Kane as he walked towards her.

"Where are the kids?"

"I tucked them in early," She replied as Kane stopped before her. "No point having them stay awake what with all this pillaging and violence going on in our village."

Kane fell before her on his knees. "I've really missed you."

She looked at him and stroked his head gently like he was a child as he buried his face into her lap. "I've missed you too, Kane," she caressed his cheek. "Things haven't been easy with the soldiers out roaming our village. The kids keep asking why we need to stay indoors all day. I wish you had been here, you've always had a way of explaining things to them."

With tear stained eyes, Kane looked up at his wife.

"Are you leaving again?"

Kane's heart melted within him. Those were some of her last words to him before he had left for the naval mission five years ago. He stared up at her in dismay, a lump in his throat.

"Please stay. Our children never know when they're ever going to see their father again."

Kane broke down, sobbing uncontrollably on the wooden floor before his wife. "I'm sorry. It's just that…you seem so real."

"No, not really," she replied. "After all, I'm just a memory of your wife locked away deep in your subconscious, and this is all part of your own guilt manifesting itself before your eyes. But don't worry, it'll all be over soon." She wrapped her arms around Kane and hugged him tightly. "And we will be together again. With the children."

Kane embraced his wife and closed his eyes, never wanting to let her go again. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you and the kids."

"But you can save millions more. Go, my love." She smiled at Kane confidently "Redeem yourself, end this once and for all, and come back to us."

Opening his eyes, Kane found himself alone back in his quarters on the ship. He remained silent for what seemed like eternity, processing all that he had just experienced. Then, from above, there was a loud thud, as if something heavy had landed on the deck. Maui the demigod must have returned with the heart of Te Fiti. Kane stood to his feet, resolve written all across his face. Picking up the Lamp, he walked out of his quarters and climbed up to the deck.

Writer's Commentary:

Wow. This is by far the longest and darkest chapter that I've written. And that's saying a lot. I just hope I didn't overdo it with the whole black and sombre feel for the chapter. Our heroines and villain actually harbour quite a few depressive thoughts and painful memories which contribute to their character arcs.

Melody goes through quite a bit of guilt, and for the first time, we see her having lost her joy and hope, and she doesn't have a plan. Meanwhile, Moana hides out in the forest by herself, finally able to express her emotions in private.

However, surprisingly, Elsa is the one who anchors the team and brings things back together. This is where I hope her character arc shines through. When we first found her up on the North Mountain, she was depressed and had no idea what to do with her powers which seemed like a curse. But now, she's discovered how she can use her powers for good, and believes that it isn't over yet, devising a plan to get off the island, but she's going to need Moana and Melody to work with her.

Melody and Moana also go through a cathartic moment where they put aside their differences, having understood each other. Together with Elsa, they actually have a chance to get back in the game before it is too late.

And the second part of the chapter where we see things from Kane's perspective is honestly the most heartfelt and emotional piece that I've ever penned thus far. I hope I succeeded in making you feel for him. Even though Kane's a monster, deep down, we know he's still a man, capable of emotions and affection.

Anyway, get ready for the next chapter, which shall be like a fresh start for our heroines. Let's see how they manage to get off the island!