DPOV

The water.

It spoke to me, called to me.

I sat on the beach watching the waves roll in, longing to bask in them.

The sloshing sound was like music to my ears. It calmed me and excited me all at once. The sun was slowly rising, a golden glow kissing the breaking waves. It had become a tradition of mine, sitting at the edge of the threshold between dry land and never ending crystal blue water as the horizon awakened our world.

My father hated it. But this was the one place I truly felt like myself. I knew I sounded crazy, but there was something pulling me to the ocean, begging me to explore it. I gave one last longing look at the sapphire sea before turning back toward the village.

Every step that took me further from the ocean grew heavy in the sand. By the time my bare feet brushed the grass, I was basically dragging them. I could hear the villagers bustling around and starting their day.

From across the way someone called out to me. "Dimitri! Where have you been, I've been looking all over for you?"

I was pleased to find it was my best friend, Ivan, rather than my father. He walked over to me and patted me roughly on the back. "Did you hear the news? A nearby tribe is coming to visit the village in a few weeks' time." His voice was full of excitement.

"Yes, actually I have heard," I replied disinterestedly. My father had spoken of nothing else for days. He was arranging a meeting to discuss trading terms and other possible 'arrangements' with their Chief's daughter.

"Aw come on man, don't look so thrilled. People might start thinking you actually get excited about things other than fishing." I smirked at his teasing. "Besides, there might be girls there," he wiggled his eyebrows.

"What? There aren't enough women here to satiate your appetite?" Ivan was known as a bit of a ladies man among the tribe. His father had come from another land and passed down some of his foreign features to Ivan. His lighter hair and pale eyes caused the girls to swoon over him. He had flirted his way through half of them already but had yet to find one to settle down with.

"Now I didn't say that. Just that it's nice to add variety to my pallet that's all." I laughed at his ridiculousness and he threw an arm over my shoulder as we walked towards the center of the village. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

Despite our differences in demeanor, Ivan and I had been close since childhood. He had a natural act of lightening any mood and was the only thing that made this provincial village bearable. His father was my father's right-hand man and had sat on the Chief's Council since he arrived at Motunui. My father valued an outsider's perspective, despite never allowing any of us to travel to any of these foreign lands. As Chief, his word was law but I had been fighting against it since I was old enough to walk.

As children Ivan and I would stay up at night under the stars planning adventures overseas, dreaming of becoming the best Wayfinders that ever lived. He would tell me about some of the lands his father had seen and I would sneak him out to the nearby docks and teach him how to fish. The older we grew, the less we planned these farfetched adventures, but the desire to be on the sea still resonated deep within me. Every once in a while, Ivan and I would meet up near the docks and admire the canoes. We rarely made time for it anymore, but those nights sitting on the boats were some of the best memories I possessed.

Later that evening, my father requested that Ivan and I attend the council meeting. It seemed to drone on forever as the two of us pretended to listen and fought the urge to nod off. "There is just one last topic of discussion," Ivan and I perked up at my father's words, thankful for the promise to an end. "While the Tahitian villagers are here, we will host a feast in their honor and show them all the beauties of Motunui. But there are also a few matters we will discuss." Our shoulders deflated at the realization that this conversation was far from over. My father began listing the items of trade and procurement they hoped the tribe would agree to, the safe passages to deliver them by, and on and on he went.

"And lastly," Ivan shot me a smirk. "We will solidify the union between our tribes. A union bound by marriage. Between my son, Dimitri, and his daughter, Rose." I made no attempt to hide the shock on my face. My father had hinted that this was something they would possibly deliberate but the fact that the decision had already been made for me, before I had the chance to meet this girl nonetheless, had me fuming.

"What," the only word that could form in my mind. My father shot me a look that said I needed to shut my mouth before saying anything stupid, which only spurred me on more. "How could you make this decision without even consulting me? I can't marry someone I haven't even met!"

"Son, it is your duty as future Chief to strengthen our ties." My father's collected words irritated me more than if he would have shouted back. I shoved my chair back from the sturdy wooden table and stood up in protest.

"This is not something you can just force me into. Duty or not, I won't marry her." Ivan flashed me a worried look as the Chief and I stood at opposite ends of the table staring each other down. His father stood and motioned for the others to follow, "I think this council meeting has concluded. Let us retire for the evening and give these two some time to discuss our next…strategies."

As the room cleared, Ivan shot me one last sympathetic look and turned to follow the others. My father was still seated, his stare piercing through me. My mother had told me on many occasions that I acquired my stubbornness from him, and as we silently stared at each other, both refusing to speak first it was easy to see she was right.

"Dimitri," he finally spoke as he wiped his hand over his face and let out a long sigh. "I won't be around forever. This tribe needs a strong leader to guide them after I am gone. A union with the Tahitians will ensure we will always have the supplies we need, even during the slow seasons, and will better our community."

"We can still have a partnership with them without me having to marry some stranger," I argued.

"A union bound by marriage will never risk being broken. For once, I need you to stop thinking of yourself and think for the better of the tribe."

"Thinking of myself?!" My temper was rising at his accusations. "You're the one who won't let any of us leave because of your own fears of the unknown!"

"Not this again," he stood from the table and started to turn his back to me.

"Yes, this again!" I slammed my fist down on the hard wood. "Why won't you let me live my life the way I want to? Let me explore and go beyond the reef?"

"No one goes beyond the reef," he boomed. "How many times must I tell you? It's too dangerous for those who are inexperienced. You will do as I say, boy. You will marry that girl!"

His raging voice filled the tent and caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand. I hated that he could still make me feel like a small child under his fierce gaze. I clenched my fists, refusing to relent under his bullying tone and dropped my voice to barely above a whisper. "That's what you think."

Before he could respond I stormed out of the tent, flinging the open canvas flap so furiously I thought it would rip.

/

I watched as the dark waves sloshed against the side of the canoe, the color changing as the water rose higher on the wood. I heard creaking footsteps approaching behind me but kept my gaze focused on the ocean. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Dimitri, you alright man?" Ivan hesitantly stood on the wooden dock.

"Let me guess," I picked up a pebble from the pile I had collected and threw it into the water. "You heard everything."

"It was kind of hard not to. Your voices tend to echo across the island when you're pissed. It's quite the talent."

I watched as the ripples spread from where the pebble had landed and was reminded of my father's words rising and rising. Ivan let out a sigh and hopped onto the boat. He grabbed one of the ropes hanging from the loose sail to balance himself and slowly sat down next to me. We sat there in silence for a while, staring out at the open water and star-speckled sky.

"Remember when we were kids and we would plan all the places we'd see," he reminisced. "Beaches with sand as black as night, mountains covered in white powder rather than lush greenery, lands with women pale as the moon," he nudged my shoulder and I let out a chuckle.

"I'm pretty sure you made that last one up," a small smile formed on my face as I thought back to those nights. Suddenly, an intruding thought crossed my mind and my brow furrowed.

"What is it," Ivan asked.

"What's stopping us?"

"Stopping us from what?" He picked up one of the pebbles and chunked it into the water.

"What's stopping us from going?" I turned to face him as I spoke. "Back then we were just kids, we couldn't handle a canoe, but now…"

Ivan raised an eyebrow at me with a speculating look on his face. "What are you saying, Dimitri? You want to sail across the ocean to escape a bad marriage arrangement?"

"It's not just that," I stood and walked towards the front of the boat. "It's this place. I feel like I don't belong here. Like there's so much more out there for me to see." I gazed out to the place where the sky met the water and longed to see what resided there.

"Well then, when do we leave?" I turned around to face Ivan, his arms resting on his knees with a mischievous smile on his face.

I thought about how well he seemed to fit in here. How quickly he picked up every mundane task, his interest in his father's business strategies, and all the women that flocked to him. "Ivan, you don't have to come with me. You should stay here. It suits you," I scratched the back of my head trying to think of the best way of putting it. "You're happy here. I'm not like you, I can't seem to find the right place for me. But you...you could build a great life for yourself. I can't let you give that up."

Ivan's face turned serious as he responded. "Dimitri, you're my best friend. My brother. There's nowhere you will go that I won't."

"But—"

"Just shut up already," he interjected. "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not so there's no point in trying to convince me otherwise." I laughed at his definitive argument and nodded in response.

"So, how do we do this," Ivan smirked, pleased that he won yet another argument with me and we sat down to plan our escape the following night.

/

Nightfall was almost upon us and I was squirming in my seat at dinner. The anticipation was eating at me and I couldn't concentrate on the plate of food in front of me.

"Dimka, is everything alright? You haven't even touched your food," my mother probed.

"Yes, Mama. I'm fine." I made a point to take a bite of the roasted pork and continued to eat in silence.

"Is this about yesterday? Are you still upset with your father?" I paused mid-bite at her questioning, then promptly filled my mouth to avoid answering her. The Chief rarely joined us for dinner anymore and was held up in one of his many mundane tasks.

"Dimka, look at me." I set down my fork and looked at my mother's concerned face. "I know his methods may seem stern or unsympathetic, but he really does want what is best for you. He loves you Dimka, and just wants to ensure the best future for you."

I huffed at her fleeting efforts. "It would take him actually knowing me to know what's best for me. He doesn't understand me." I looked back to my plate and stabbed a forkful of vegetables realizing this may be the last decent meal I'd have for a while.

"You two are more alike than you think." I rolled my eyes and continued eating. Mama placed her hand on my arm, stilling my aggressive face-stuffing. "Just talk to him Dimka. I hate it when the two of you argue."

My demeanor softened under her loving gaze and I let out a relenting sigh. "Yes, Mama. As you wish."

She smiled at me and motioned to my plate. "Good. Now eat!" I smiled, happy to placate her and finished off the rest of my food.

Back in my room, I started feeling like a complete jackass for lying to my mother. I stewed about how it would break her heart to leave without word, and began to weigh my options.

Maybe I was making a mistake. I mean how bad could this really be? It was just marriage, right? I started to think about the Tahitian ships arriving and a young girl coming off the ship with a flowered crown. What if she was terrible? If her father was having to barter a trade route deal to get her off his hands then there was no telling what she was like. She was most likely either a hag or a complete brat that no one else in their village could be convinced to marry.

Maybe I should stay and talk to my father. I tried to picture how the conversation would go and knew that it would be pointless. There was no reasoning with him when he made up his mind about something.

I shook my head to rid it of all my second-guessing. No. I had made up my mind. I was leaving. I wanted to be on the sea, and that's exactly what I intended to do. I reached under my bed to pull out a satchel that I had prepared earlier that day and headed for the door. I gave one last look at my room, committing this place to memory and headed out to meet Ivan.

He was already at the dock preparing one of the canoes we had decided on. "About time. I thought you might have changed your mind," he teased. "How did Olena take it?"

"I didn't tell her," I shamefully replied. It would have been too hard to see that disappointed look on her face. "I left a note for her to find in the morning."

Ivan just nodded, noticing my discomfort, and reached out to grab my bag as I jumped into the boat. I looked up to the sky to see some dark clouds filing in. It would make it more difficult to read the stars, but there was still enough visibility to make our initial descent.

We both got to work on the boat, prepping it to leave and making all the final checks. When we were satisfied, we took position on opposite ends of the canoe. Ivan looked over to me with excitement on his face. "You ready for this?"

I took in a deep breath and summoned up the courage I needed to go through with it. "Let's go." I kept my eyes fixed on the sea ahead, not sparing a glance at Motunui for fear of not being able to leave it behind. We took out our oars and began paddling towards the reef. At first, it was relatively simple. Ivan and I were some of the strongest men on the island, especially for our age, and took pride in our strength. Each time the oar sank into the water my heart began beating harder and harder in my chest.

We approached our first big wave and prepared ourselves for the break. Saltwater sloshed onto the boat as we crashed over it, soaking our legs and feet. The next wave was about the same size, but we hit it at an odd angle and came down later than before. The spray hit us in the face as we dug in deeper to align our course. The next one came on us quickly and we raced to straighten out the canoe in time. When we finally made it over the last break, our breathing was heavy and we were soaked from head to foot.

"HA!" Ivan cried out in relief. "That wasn't so bad?" I laughed in agreeance and let out the mainsail, propelling us forward. Ivan walked over to me to help secure the rope. When it was tied in place we both turned around towards our island and gave it one last look.

"We did it, Dimitri. He patted me on the shoulder." I looked at him, thrilled to have my best friend on this journey with me. We could really do this. We would sail across the sea to all the exotic beaches we heard of and the faraway lands that had yet to be discovered. We would be the Wayfinders we had always wanted to be.

Just then, a bolt of lightning cracked across the sky seemingly splitting it in two. We shot our faces up and saw the earlier gray clouds had doubled in size and animosity. A booming thunder echoed across the horizon and reverberated through my chest. Before we could even react a gust of wind whipped into the sail causing the boat to jolt and sending us toppling to the canoe's hard surface.

We grabbed our bearings and sprang into action. Ivan tugged on the mainsail and I rushed over to the back to steer us away from the storm. Rain began pouring down from the sky and seemed to be hitting us from every direction. Ivan yelled something from the front, but the noise of the roaring sea muffled his words. Suddenly, a wave twice the size of the reef's crashed down onto the canoe threatening to swallow us whole. I took a gasp of air as the water oozed off the boat and wiped my face to clear my vision. Ivan was still at the front calling out to make sure I was okay.

My pulse was racing and my thoughts were scrambled. I didn't have time to form any sort of plan, only time to react. Before I could respond to him, another wave hit us from the side, tipping us into the sea. Ivan and I scrambled for the rope and pulled onto the sail. The canoe slowly rose back to its righted position, but not in time for us to avoid what was ahead. The storm was in full force and the sea had turned black with disarray and chaos. Ivan looked at me and I could see the fear in his pale blue eyes mirroring my own.

We grabbed onto the sides of the canoe to brace ourselves and silently prayed for a miracle. Waves like mountains crashed over us, one by one barely sparing us time for a breath. Just when we thought we had seen the worst of it, the largest wave I have ever seen formed into a giant wall in front of us. Its hammering fist pounded down in front of us, sending our canoe airborne. My body slammed into the water so hard, if I didn't know any better I would have guessed I was hitting solid ground rather than liquid.

Below the surface, I could see the ship sinking to the bottom. I looked around wildly for Ivan hoping he had fallen somewhere near me. I could normally hold my breath for quite a while, but the landing had knocked the wind out of me and I was in a losing battle with time. I finally spotted him next to the canoe, his unconscious form drifting. One of the loose ropes was tangled around his ankle and he was quickly descending with the boat.

I frantically tried to swim over to him, my chest becoming tight with each stroke. I reached my hand out, still too far to touch him and continued to push deeper. My vision was becoming blurred and I was fighting with everything I had to reach him, but suddenly, something latched onto my leg and began pulling me away. I looked behind me to see what it was, but there was only a mass of water surrounding me. I jerked my body trying to reach my friend, but the pull on me was too strong. My lungs felt like they were about to burst and my eyelids were becoming heavy over my vision. The grip on my legs tightened and my body began to rise further and further away. I looked down and the last thing I saw was Ivan falling into the black abyss before darkness finally overtook me.

/

An orange haze rested under my eyelids and I could feel coarse flecks of sand stuck to my cheek.

What happened?

Was I dead?

Where was Ivan?

Ivan. I shot my eyes open to see my hand near my face half-buried in sand. "Iv—" I tried to cry out but salt water poured out of my mouth, burning my lungs as I coughed up the sea. When it appeared I had finally rid my body of the last remnants of the ocean I slowly rose from my stomach and pushed off the soft ground with my hands. I looked around at the familiar beach and realized I was back on Motunui. I tried to get up but couldn't get past my knees, still exhausted from the lashing of the storm.

I heard shouting in the distance. My vision was hazy and I couldn't make out the figures coming towards me. Their voices sounded muffled through the water still clogging my ears until someone knelt down beside me.

"Dimitri." My father. He placed his hand on my back, careful not to accidentally knock me down. "Dimitri, are you okay?"

I was terrified to meet his gaze. Everything he had told me about the sea had been right. We thought we could make it through the humming breaks we had grown up next to, but were met with an unforgiving roar instead.

"I...I…" My voice trailed off, unable to finish any of the thoughts flooding my mind.

My father pulled me off the ground and into his embrace. I latched onto him like I did as a small boy, my fear finally taking hold. "Dimitri I'm so glad you're safe. When we found Ivan I thought…"

The mention of my best friend pulled my attention. I looked up to him about to ask where he was, but with one glance at his grim face, I already knew.

Ivan was dead.

/

Weeks had gone by since the storm and I was almost fully recovered. I suffered from a few broken ribs, a severe concussion, and a few other minor injuries—but nothing compared to the pain I felt over the loss of Ivan.

Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night shouting his name, reliving those last moments of his lifeless body sinking into the sea.

My grandmother Yeva had tended to my wounds and asked me what happened out there. I wasn't sure how I had survived. I should be dead. I should be with Ivan.

"How is it you came to that beach, Dimitri," she had asked.

"I don't know. One minute I was in the middle of the storm, the next I was waking up in the sand," I replied somberly.

She continued adjusting the wrap along my torso. "What did you see out there?" Her voice held an odd sense of curiosity and I looked over to her. "When you were in the water, what did you see?"

There was something in her look that seemed like she was seeking a specific answer. Some kind of familiarity. "Nothing, just the wreck and the water."

Disappointment crossed her brow and she refocused back on her task at hand. "But," I started. "There was something else. You'll think I'm crazy, but I swear it was as if the ocean pulled me out. I felt something grab me and bring me to the surface. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but…"

"Yes," her eyes stared eagerly into mine, waiting for my response.

"There was something there. Something saved me." I looked down at my hands, a sickening feeling filling my gut. If that was true, why would it save me? Why not Ivan?

As if reading my thoughts, Yeva replied, "You are destined for more, Dimitri. One day, you will see that." I brushed off her comments and let her continue my wraps, wishing it had been me instead.

We hadn't discussed it again since that day, but every once in a while I would catch Yeva giving me a look that said she knew something she wasn't telling me.

The arrival of the Tahitians was finally upon us and I stood beside my family as the boats filed in. I was in no mood to be social but agreed to do anything my father had asked from here on out. My mother squeezed my arm as the Tahitian Chief's boat pulled ashore and gave me a comforting look. I tried my best to smile at her in return but since Ivan, I no longer felt like smiling.

The Tahitian Chief hopped down from his ship and my father made his way towards him with a warm welcome. "Ah, Chief Ibrahim it's good to see you. I hope your journey was swift."

"Indeed it was. We are so pleased to visit your beautiful island." The Chief seemed normal enough, but his tattoos and pareo were more extravagant and colorful than others I had seen before.

"This is my son, Dimitri." I bowed my head towards the Tahitian man as my father introduced me.

"A strong lad he's grown up to be," Ibrahim complimented. "Allow me to introduce my daughter, Rose."

I prepared myself for the bratty hag that was sure to emerge but was stunned still when Ibrahim moved to the side to reveal her. She was the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen. Her dark hair fell in silk waves down to her waist with a few dainty braids peeking out, and her darker eyes held an exotic glint that I couldn't look away from. Her pink lips parted with a sharp inhale and her cheeks flushed under my stare.

"Dimitri," my mother whispered. "Close your mouth or you'll catch flies." I snapped my jaw shut and refocused my attention.

"Um, hello. It's nice to meet you. I'm Dimitri." I stuck out my hand towards her and she hesitantly reached hers out as well.

"I'm Rose." Her heavenly voice flooded my ears like a beautiful song. When her hand made contact with mine, I felt a tiny jolt of lightning spark from my fingertips to my bicep. We stared at each other for a moment as our father's rambled on. Still holding her hand, I quietly asked, "Would you like a tour of the island?"

"Sure," she smiled in response. "I don't know about you, but if I have to hear one more word about bartering coconuts for bananas I'm going to bash my head in with one."

I raised one of my eyebrows at her joke, something I'd seen Ivan do a thousand times. "A coconut or a banana?"

"Well a coconut would probably be more efficient, but I'll settle for either if it gets the job done."

I let out a small laugh and ran my hand through my hair. Beauty and wit. This girl might not be so bad after all. "Well then, I'll see what we can wrangle up," I teased.

We finally dropped our hands and I suddenly felt like something was lacking within me. I turned to the side and raised my arm. "After you."

"Thanks, Comrade," she winked and walked passed.

I wasn't sure what she meant by that but right then, I made a promise to myself; if I had to, I would spend the rest of my life trying to find out.

A/N: So, I've had this conspiracy theory in my mind since I saw Moana that the ocean saved her father in the flashback it shows. To me, it looked like he was being pulled away from his friend and it sparked this idea to recreate the scene with Dimitri and Ivan. As somber as it was, I hope the happy-ish ending helped a little.

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