Sofia looked out over the beach near the palace and sighed happily, feeling the cold night wind ruffle her hair. "Can we do a flip, Skye?"

"Be careful to not fall off, dear princess!" The flying unicorn gave a laugh and flipped onto his back, diving towards the ground at an insane speed.

The princess laughed as she brushed a hand against the grass, but in the seconds that she was close to the ground, she heard something that startled her.

"Skye, can you let me down?" she asked. "I think I'll go the rest of the way myself."

"But I...my princess, why?" Skye sounded a bit hurt as he floated down to the ground.

Quickly, Sofia slid off his back and said, "It's nothing, Skye. I just heard something and I want to check it out before I go home. I'll see you next week, okay?"

"Of course, m'lady!" With that, Skye flew off into the air, and Sofia walked towards where she heard the sound.

"Hello?" she asked as she stepped into the sand near the bay.

A small flicker of light appeared in the sand a yard or two away, accompanied by the coughing and retching that she had heard before. In the dim light, she could see a figure laying on the sand.

"Hello?" Sofia asked again, walking closer. "Are you okay?"

"D-don't come any closer. I'll...I'll..." The voice that came from the figure was weak and slightly strained, cut off by more retching and heaving.

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Sofia. Are you okay?"

The figure shakily sat up, revealing itself to be...a girl. Probably around her age, if not a bit younger. She wore a skirt made of red leaves and a simple wrap around her chest. Hanging from her neck was necklace made from string, shark teeth, and a strange abalone shell. She had overgrown auburn hair and pale skin, though the latter was only visible on her legs and feet. From the waist up, she was horribly sun-burnt. As she sat there, she kept hacking and retching. Within a minute or two, she threw up a startling amount of water onto the sand. Then she looked up at Sofia.

"Please...leave me alone..."

"I'm here to help you," Sofia explained, sitting next to her and poking the feeble fire with a stick. "Who are you? Why are you out here all alone?"

The girl grasped at the sand, her eyes flickering from Sofia's face to the enchantlet on her wrist. "You tell me first. Why are you here?"

"My name is Sofia. I was just on my way home after hanging out with some friends when I heard you. Are you okay?"

The girl mumbled something.

"Sorry, what?"

"Nice to meet you," she said, only slightly louder this time. "My name is Ivy."

"Oh!"

"What?"

"Uh..." Sofia gave an awkward giggle. "Nothing. So, what are you doing out here so late? Did you..." Her face fell as the realization hit her. "Were you shipwrecked?"

Ivy nodded.

"Oh. Did anyone else..."

She shook her head. "I'm the only...they all..." Her voice was steady, but she clawed at the sand beneath her hands. "It's all my fault."

"How could it be your fault?"

"It's...it's a long story..."

Sofia scooted up next to her. "I have time. You can tell me everything, if it'll help."

Ivy sighed. "My mom is...was a woman from lands far away. She ended up traveling on a trading ship to the island where my dad was the chief. They met, fell in love, got married, and..." She gestured to herself. "But my mom used magic and my dad...well...let's just say, his side wasn't your average villager either. Have you ever heard of Moana?"

"Oh, my sister Amber is studying her in school right now! Are you..."

"Her granddaughter." She held up that strange necklace. "This is the last thing she left my dad before she disappeared. I got it because...well, just look at me. Otherwise, who'd believe me when I say I'm descended from her? I take after my mom, mostly. Not that looking like my dad would help right now."

"Why?"

"Well, when Moana restored the Heart of Te Fiti, she was changed. She became a kupua, like...human, but better and immortal and more powerful. When she had my dad, some of that passed onto him, and when I was born, his and my mom's magic made...well...I can do stuff like this." She held out her hand, revealing a small flame flickering in the wind.

"Whoa..."

"It's not the only thing I can do, but it's definitely the most useful. That's actually how I did that over there." She nodded towards the fire. "My dad said it was more common back in the ancient days, when the blood of the atua mixed freely with that of man."

"Atua?"

"Gods and spirits of nature. The more powerful are called akua, while ones like...while the less powerful ones are called kupua. At least, that's as simple as I can put it. These sort of powers were more common when they all mingled with humans, but my dad said they're all but gone now. It's not as easy, either. I can't do it for too long or I'll start feeling sick. And listening to animals speak for too long gives me a headache."

Sofia almost brought up her own abilities from the Amulet of Avalor, but she quickly realized now wasn't the time. Instead, she scooted a bit closer. "So...what happened?"

Ivy's fingers nervously combed through the sand, and her eyes began to fill with tears. "The atua...wanted me. They wanted my parents to give me to them and let them decide what to do. But my mom and dad wouldn't let them take me. We were warned by the gods of Wind and Ocean that they were coming, so my dad took a boat and we ran. There was a storm...and they caught up, and..."

Sofia gently patted her on the back.

"My dad pushed me into the water, to get me into the domain of the goddess of the ocean. I tried to go back, but she wouldn't let me. My parents had asked her to take me somewhere safe. All I could do was watch...and..." She raised her shaking hands to her face, as if looking at something only she could see. "...there was light...and blood...and it was so loud..."

Sofia let out a yelp as a wave of seawater suddenly washed over her, leaving her soaked and covered in kelp.

"S...sorry. I...I promise, I...I didn't mean to...I can't...I can't control it when it's so..."

"I'll be fine. I can change when I get..." She paused. Then, she helped Ivy stand. "Here, you can come home with me. I live in the palace. My dad is the king, I'm sure he can do something to help you."

"Are...are you sure?"

"Come on. You're probably hungry, too, right? And cold?"

"Mmhm."

"It'll be way warmer in the castle, and we can get some food too."

"And you're sure it's alright? If your dad is the king, won't he be busy right now?"

"It's Friday night, so probably not. He and my mom are probably talking in the game room like they usually do."