Fellowship & Fairydust

The mood on the Gummi was a foul one, no pun intended. Not only had Jason gotten us kicked out of Agrabah, but any headway Scrooge had made in making a deal with them had gone up in smoke. Guess who blamed who? “You are the worst candidate to be chosen by a Keyblade!” The elder duck was yelling at him after setting the Gummi on autopilot. 

“I didn’t ask to be chosen! All I want to do is kick Mortem’s butt and get back home!”

“There you go again, me this and me that! Even my nephew Donald knows when to put his desires aside for the sake of all worlds!”

“Then why don’t you have him take this thing?”

“You don’t choose a Keyblade! A Keyblade chooses you! Though I don’t think this one was thinking straight.” 

“It’s just a lump of metal!” 

“It is not!” 

“Are they always like this?” Someone asked from the seat next to– gah! There was someone on the ship who wasn’t there before! Turning, I saw it was a woman, but she was really strange looking. She had white curly hair, but didn’t look like she was any older than a high school graduate. She had a bunch of blue tribal tattoos on her and was wearing some sort of dress made from barkcloth with what seemed like a string of shark teeth wrapped around her waist. 

I was at a loss for words. How did she get in here? Why was she dressed as she came to a cultural center? How could she appear young and old at the same time? “J-just today. N-n-not to be rude, but who are you?”

“Oh, yes. I can’t expect you to know who I am given you hail from another world. To answer your question, my name is Hina.”

The two of them were still in their argument when Scrooge said, “Clair, I’m sorry, but I cannot work with… curse me kilts! Who are ye and what are ye doing on me ship?” 

“Oh, hello Scrooge. I was just introducing myself to Clair. I am Hina and I have come to ask for your assistance.” She said. 

“How long were you there?” Jason asked. “Did you stow away?” 

“No. I only came aboard a few minutes ago.” 

That got his attention. “That’s impossible. There’s nothing out there but space.” 

“Well, maybe impossible for a mortal, but a goddess comes and goes when she pleases.” 

I gasped at that. “You’re a goddess?” 

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” My cousin was going to regret those words.

That earned him another whack from Scrooge’s cane. “Are you daft? Ye never ask a deity for proof, unless ye want an early grave.” 

“Wearing a dress,” Hina said, and like that Jason’s clothes were changed to a dress not even Eini would wear. I’m sorry to say this, but I ended up laughing at the sight. It was hilarious, even if the dress was offensive to my eyes. 

While my cousin freaked out over what happened and tried to make sense of it I turned back to the one called Hina. “You said something about needing our assistance?” I asked the goddess. 

“Oh, yes. You see, for a thousand years I had to keep watch over my husband while he did some time for incurring the wrath of the gods. However, he was freed and made amends. I was hoping he’d come home to me, but he hasn’t. I was hoping you could help me to find him.” 

Jason raised an eyebrow at that. “If you’re a goddess, and that’s a big if, then why don’t you look for him yourself? Also, change my clothes back!” 

“Don’t you think I tried?” Hina’s eyes narrowed and I was afraid he was going to get obliterated. Instead, she continued, “In my world, I’m the moon goddess, and my powers are only at their peak at night. During the day, I’m not as powerful.” 

“Let me guess: he travels during the day and hides away at night, making it difficult for you to find him.” My cousin surmised. 

“Exactly.” 

After some thinking, Scrooge said, “Surely ye must’ve heard of me nephew, Donald, and his friends. Why come to us for assistance? Granted I would be able to help, and Clair has a few tricks of her own, but I’m afraid Jason would be nothing but dead weight.” 

“Oh, he won’t be dead weight,” Hina said. “If you agree to help me, I promise I will show you the path to finding your way home.”

Jason perked up at that. “The way home? What are we waiting for?” 

“This is going to be a disaster.” Our chauffeur shook his head. 

“We just need to recruit one more,” Hina said as she waved her hand over the controls. “Next stop, Motunui.” 

 

***

 

I was still surprised by all this development. We were now traveling with a goddess to another world who promised to help us if we helped her. Wrapping my mind around this was proving to be more difficult than I had thought. I had been taught about ancient spirits and powerful entities that served under Gri, but… I had no words to explain it. It made me think of learning from my grandfather as a child.

 

Eight years ago…

“In the beginning, the only creatures that lived in the world were the ferocious kaiju.” Grandpa was telling his story. “These titanic monsters were always fighting among each other, trying to dominate the world. Then, the great griffin Gri came and put an end to the fighting. Many of the kaiju became the mountains we see around us, and others became the islands of the seas.

“Once that was done, Gri brought new life into the world. He brought forth the plants that give beauty and air to Harthyn, and he created the animals to enjoy the world. He even created powerful spirits and guardians to help protect his creations. But, out of everything he made the ones he favored the most were humans. They saw the goodness of Gri, and began to worship him with love and humility. However, it was not to last.”

“What happened, Grandpa?” I asked him.

Looking at me, he answered, “As time passed, humans saw less and less of Gri, and began to develop their ideas as to how the world worked. To this day, people deny the existence of Gri and his deeds, despite having awakened twenty of the kaiju. And it is only a matter of time before the world pays the price.

“But,” He added to me, “out of the people of the world, the Hocamli and our neighbor nations have managed to hold on to the old ways, and Gri has blessed us with strength, knowledge, and families.” At that last part, he picked me up and held me close. “So, Clair, do not forget who you are. You are part of a nation of heroes and warriors, and the spirits of our ancestors will guide you and help you as long as you hold on to your faith in Gri.”

“Thank you, Dad, for reminding my daughter of our heritage.” Mom said as she took me from him. “And to think you were against me marrying outside of the Hocamli.”
“I never said I didn’t make my share of mistakes.” He said while holding his cape over him. “Mark my words, Clair. There will come a day when you will be numbered among the great heroes and warriors of the Hocamli.” 

Shaking her head, Mom said, “How about we help her with her assignment from school first?” Smiling at her words, Grandpa reached into his bag and pulled out a traditional animal-skin dress. “Dad? Is that…?”

“Your dress from when you were Clair’s age? Yes, it is.” Handing it to me, he added, “When you wear this Clair, you connect yourself to your forefathers, to those who came before you. That connection is the greatest treasure of the Hocamli.”

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