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."