Ophelia and Lana are twin sisters who live with their aunt and uncle in Dublin. While exploring the basement in their seaside cottage, they find something that makes them question the fact that their parents are away on business in America. Suddenly...
"How is it possible that I'm sweating underwater?" said an extremely nervous Moana to an equally nervous and pale-faced Ophelia. It had been arranged, by a series of more letters, that they were to meet in a secret alcove behind the castle that the girls hadn't known existed. Ophelia found many secret doors and hallways on the way there.
"I don't know," Ophelia said and scratched the back of her neck. "Where do we begin? It's been more than a year."
"Hi, I guess," Moana said, then took a mocking tone. "Hi, mom. How you doing? Got a quick question for ya. Why'd you leave your two girls alone without knowing where the heck you were for more than a year? And while we're at it, why are we turned into fish people? Just wondering."
Ophelia laughed and slid down the coral wall, sitting, and admired her fin fanned out in front of her. Moana continued to pace in front of her, nervously humming an indecipherable tune. Then Moana paused, and bagan to sing a familiar song that caught Ophelia's ear.
"Rest tired eyes a while, sweet is thy baby's smile, angels are guarding and they watch o'er thee," Moana sang, and Ophelia's eyes immediately teared up, and she joined in.
"Sleep, sleep, grah mo chree, here on your mamma's knee, angels are guarding, and they watch o'er thee."
"The birdeens sing a fluting song, They sing to thee the whole day long, Wee fairies dance o'er hill and dale, For very love of thee." Suddenly a new voice had joined in the song, and in front of them, with a beautiful golden tail, was their mother.
Moana gasped and swam as quick as she could forward, sobbing, into Fiona Murray's arms. Ophelia quickly followed behind, and all three of them held each other in a tearful embrace.
"I missed you so much," Moana said, breaking the comfortable silence.
"Oh, honey, I missed you so much more," Fiona said, and released her daughters.
Ophelia looks into her mothers eyes with a happy but serious look on her face. "You have a lot of explaining to do, mum."
Fiona laughs, wiping tears from her eyes. "Yes. Yes, darling, I do. I owe that to you, at the very least. Come, let's do it somewhere else."
"Hold on, mum," Moana said. "Are you announcing that you are back? Or is this still a big secret?"
Fiona bit her lip and looked down. "I... I don't think I had the strength to decide that. What do you think?"
Moana already knew the answer to this. "You need to tell Grandma. No one else, at least not yet."
Fiona's hand came up to her mouth at this. "You've... You've met her."
Ophelia pursed her lips. "Yes, mum, yes we have. The one you told us was dead."
"Yes. Her," she says, more tears streaming down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, girls. For everything."
Moana lowered her head and covered her eyes. Ophelia's face remained expressionless and cold. This sent Fiona into a breakdown.
"Please, darlings, give me a chance to explain myself," she said, reaching out to stroke her daughter's cheek, but Ophelia backed away.
"Let's just go," she said, and Fiona nodded, swimming off the way she came. As she flicked her fin, the light from above reflected off her golden tail and sparkled as she moved gracefully. She looked true to her part as a princess.
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Her daughters followed behind as quickly as they could. Ophelia tried to mimic her mother's movements, but still getting used to her fin, she was a little slow and starting fall behind. Moana was a little quicker, but slowed her pace to match her sister's. The girls swam together with their heads down, anticipating the conversation that would soon follow. They soon approached an entrance to the palace that they hadn't seen when they went to their previous meeting spot. Their mother opened the wooden door and they saw another staircase. Moana once again wondered what the stairs were for, as they ascended them without actually touching a step. At the top of the staircase, Fiona turned into a room complete with comfortable spongey armchairs and a long, ornate rug covering almost the entire floor. Fiona looked around the room with a sentimental expression on her face and sank into a chair. Moana and Ophelia did the same. She looked around and sighed.
"I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I," Fiona said.
Ophelia and Moana nodded wordlessly.
"Okay. The book. I wrote that many, many years ago," she said, letting out a breathy sigh. "It was a much simpler time. And I thought I had all the problems in the world."
"Get to the point," Ophelia said bluntly. Fiona was beginning to look agitated, but so was Ophelia.
"Fine. Fine. I wrote that book, and I was still living in the castle, life was simple. One day I was sent to deliver a message to one of the Bay Protectors on the outskirts of the island. Do you remember when I talked about my fathers' feelings toward humans?" Fiona said, a grave look forming on her face.
Fiona scowled, but continued. "Yes. I arrive at their post and much to my surprise it is deserted. When I look to the horizon, I see nothing else but a ship. A human one."
Ophelia scoffed, interrupting her mother. "That explains where they all went." Fiona pursed her lips to keep from losing her temper, took a breath, and went on.
"Going against every rational instinct in my body, I decided to chase after them and join in. I didn't realize how far away they actually were, but I kept going. When I got there, they'd already lured four of the crew almost over the edge, but one man was still on the deck. His hands were pressed really tight over his ears, and his eyes were squinted shut. He was breathing so heavily, trying to resist the song with everything he had in him. And... I don't know. I couldn't let him die. Something in me was telling me that this one was more than the greedy and bloodthirsty creatures we'd been told the humans were. Then I realized that the Bay Protectors... they couldn't see him. And I decided I wouldn't tell them. I had a plan.
"By the time I reached one of the Protectors, all the rest of the crew had gone. They still had no idea about the lone sailor, still on the ship, plugging his ears as his life depended on it. One of the Protectors hoisted himself up out of the water using a ladder on the ship's side. According to rule, the ship was to be boarded by a Protector once it was evacuated, and sailed over to the Sirens' reserve of confiscated ships. I shouted out for them to wait, just as the Siren boarding the ship's tail morphed into human legs. I told them by order of the Crown, the ship was to be taken by the me. I lied that they wanted this ship for wood and I would take it to a new and special place for it to be taken down. They didn't even seem skeptical.
"The Siren jumped back into the water and I swam over to board the ship. I waved them all away and back to their posts once I was aboard. The man was still hiding and covering his ears. I walked over to him and when I put my hand on his shoulder, he relaxed and thought it was a member of his crew who survived. He looked at me, and he screamed! He pointed at me and kept screaming something like, 'Get away from me, you monster!' I managed to calm him down in time for him to relax a bit and let me tell him I wasn't going to kill him and the ones who killed your crew were gone, and not coming back. Then he finally seemed to trust me. And with him... I felt... I don't know. I fell in love with him, honestly. I told myself, I... I didn't want to leave him. I didn't care he was human. I would protect him. And in time, he started to love me too. So we decided to take that ship he was on, and ran away back to his hometown, to start a family. Have you figured it out yet?" Fiona finished with a soft smile.
Moana and Ophelia shook their heads, confused.
"The sailor I rescued that day, Ophelia and Moana," Fiona said softly, "Was your father."
