Oona

Oona in the 1997 version

**Oona** is the spirit of the Blue Lake.

## Biography

Oona was thought to have come into existence at the very dawn of time. She embodied the spirit of the Blue Lake and protected it for eons until Lord Bleak took over the Jewel Kingdom. The evil Darkling lord managed to curse Oona, forcibly transforming her from a beautiful mermaid to a hideous monster. Not one of her friends recognized her in her new, frightening form and she had no chance to explain to anyone, as they all fled at the fearsome sight of her. Eventually, she gave up trying to talk to anyone and resigned herself to a life of isolation, slinking into an area of the Blue Lake known as the Deep Dark where she remained all alone for years, becoming known as little more than a rumor.

### The Sapphire Princess Meets a Monster

Somehow, Oona becomes aware that the beautiful golden basket of food young Princess Sabrina received anonymously is, in fact, poisoned. Battling with her desire to keep her ugly form hidden and her unwillingness to let the little girl come to harm, Oona chooses to prevent Sabrina from eating anything in the basket while trying to keep out of sight as much as possible.

Noticing that Sabrina is about to eat a small chocolate from the basket, Oona knocks hard against her boat. The young princess peers into the water and catches sight of Oona's monstrous face, causing her to scream. Although Oona hopes that the distraction might cause Sabrina to forget about the basket, this does not turn out to be the case. Sabrina calms her companions down enough to suggest having lunch, forcing Oona to burst above the water and scare the princess more thoroughly. Her plan works and an alarmed Sabrina quickly uses her magical dust to fly herself and her friends away, leaving the forgotten basket behind.

Oona follows Sabrina to the Sapphire Palace in order to make sure the girl does not return for the basket. Suddenly, Sabrina flies out of a palace window and soars across the lake closely shadowed by Oona. Unexpectedly, Sabrina is magically tugged right out of the sky by the enchanted golden picnic basket. To Oona's horror, the princess appears to be mesmerized by the beautiful basket and takes out a pear. Refusing to allow the little girl to take a bite of the poisonous fruit, Oona launches out of the water and swallows the pear herself. The poison works quickly and within seconds, her skin turns from gray to a sickly yellow and she grows so dizzy she collapses onto shore with her nose in Sabrina's lap. Ignoring the panicked shouts of her people, the kind-hearted princess tries to comfort the pained Oona, realizing that "the monster" wasn't trying to hurt her at all, but trying to help her. She and the others finally notice dead flies and ants surrounding the golden picnic basket and conclude that its food must be poisoned.

Sabrina is devastated that the creature is dying because of its efforts to protect her and wishes to help somehow when Sage, wise leader of the Storkz, appears and informs her of a tiny purple flower that has the power to heal. The princess fetches the flower herself and gently persuades Oona to eat it. With a great effort, Oona manages to swallow the little bloom and gradually breathes more easily as its magic heals the effects of the poison. At long last, she is able to open her eyes and see the enormous, frightened crowd of people looking right at her. She begins to cry of shame and begs Sabrina not to look at her ugliness, but Sabrina insists that she's beautiful. With a deep sigh, Oona explains how she once was, until Lord Bleak cursed her. Sabrina begins to say that she wouldn't run from Oona, but realizes that she, and everyone, absolutely did run from Oona simply because she *looked* ugly and evil. The princess and her people kneel to Oona and sincerely apologize for their terrible behavior towards her. Oona accepts their apology, overjoyed to finally be able to talk to someone without them running away in terror.

As Sabrina's sister Roxanne finally arrives, Oona takes the poisoned picnic basket and quietly swims away in all the commotion. While her people prepare the picnic she's been planning since the golden basket's arrival, Sabrina searches for Oona and finds her near the Willow-that-Weeps, clutching the golden basket in her mouth. Oona explains that instead of joining the feast, she is taking the deadly basket to the very bottom of the Deep Dark and will hide it where no creature will ever find it, ensuring the safety of the Blue Lake people. Sabrina gives her a hug and thanks her for protecting the Blue Lake for so long, promising to be Oona's friend always.