"I have to what?!" Moana asked her father, incredulous, as her headdress was fitted onto her head. Tui crossed his arms, his eyes flicking for a moment to Moana's mother, Sina, who was adjusting the piece atop the young Chief-in-training's skull. Hei-hei pecked at the dirt nearby, about six centimeters from a pile of seed. Pua watched him with a bored expression.
"Get married. And that's final." He told her, straightening his chest jewelry. "Moana you can not be named Chief until you are married. It isn't my rule, it is our ancestors. Even our voyagers married young. It kept our people multiplying. To discover more islands and populate more earth." His voice has lowered and become more pitying than forceful, but that only drove Moana to a new level of angry.
"What if I refuse to be married?"
"Well, then I suppose...eventually...when you have bastard children..."
"What if I don't have children?"
Her mother's hands paused on a braid, while her father seemed to deflate. She crossed her arms defiantly, feeling victorious. Her mother slowly resumed braiding her hair, but she wasn't being quite as gentle.
"You have to have children. It is not optional."
"No I do not. If I never find a "suitor,"" she emphasized with air quotes, "and I never become pregnant, then what will happen?"
Tui glared hard at her, opening the door of her hut. "Then our island...our people...die." He left abruptly, leaving a hard knot behind in Moana's chest.
Sina sighed, tucking the last strand behind Moana's ear and coming around to face her. She held both of her hands and smiled sadly down at her little girl. "You know I have always sided with you when your father is being unreasonable. But this time, I am afraid he is correct, my little minnow. If you do not bear a child there will be no next chief, no order, and no law. Our people have depended on our family for thousands of years. Are you going to be the one to let them down?"
Sina stood, straightening her skirts. "You are 21 today. All of the villagers born in your year are long since married, some with children. Think about that today, Moana."
Moana managed to go the entire day without thinking about marriage or babies or chiefdom. She didn't even notice the whispers and longing gazes she provoked from men of every age as she strutted around in her tight floral skirt and tiny floral top. She mostly just spent time with her mother, ignoring her father, and watching Hei-hei fall off of a rock every time someone put him back. Pua stayed by Moana's side, happily gobbling scraps of fruit and meat.
The feast concluding Moana's birthday celebration was nothing short of breathtaking. There were flowers blooming in every color and hue, every size, shape, and aroma, as if Te Fiti herself had placed her hand on Montenui today. But as beautiful as the flora on her island was, there was only one place she felt truly at peace.
She had shucked her celebration garments at her hut after the feast, leaving only a small red top and a white cloth skirt. As a matter of fact, it was the same red top she wore almost daily, but she filled it out much more than she did before. Her hips were much wider, leaving one to wonder how exactly her clothes stayed on when she was constantly running from one end of the island to the other.
For now, she ran to the beach. The air growing cooler and saltier the closer she made it to the shore. Giddiness bubbled in her core and exploded out of her throat with a howl. She made it to the obsidian sand stage, where her grandmother taught her to dance with the eater so many years ago. She said a quick hello to the sting rays before cutting a left and heading straight for the canoes.
Just as she was untying hers from its dock, she froze, remembering what her father said to her this morning. "Happy Birthday, Moana. Pay special attention to the young men in the village today, because you have to marry one of them soon." She slumped, falling into the sand, her hair falling into her face. "I don't think a single Montenui boy has ever interested me." She mused aloud.
"What's that, Princess?"
"MAUI!"
Moana jumped to her feet, spinning on her heel and jumping into the arms of her best friend, who hugged her tight and spun her around like she weighed nothing. To him, she practically did. You see, he was a demi-god; one who possessed supernatural strength, magical tattoos, and silky hair.
"What's this about boys? Aren't you like, eight?" he asked her. She laughed, though there was a hint of sadness to the sound. "Nothing. Just thinking out loud."
Maui shrugged, "Whatever you say, Princess. Here! Got ya somethin'." He handed her a closed oyster, polished and painted to look like the heart of Te Fiti they had returned together so long ago. She opened it, and inside was a small hook...carved intricately to match Maui's large one exactly. She didn't realize she was crying until she could no longer see the trinket in her hands.
"Maui...this is..."
"Happy 21st, kid."
She laughed, instead of retorting "I'm not a kid" as she usually did, she just fell back into his arms. He held her tightly, letting her cry. Though eventually, happy tears bled into anguished ones, and Maui recognized the change immediately.
"Hey hey hey, what's up birthday girl?"
She sniffed,wiping her wet face on the back of her hand. "It's my father. Well, it's my whole village really. I am expected to be married. Soon. And have children. I know that isn't what I want, but I have no choice! And I don't know what to do besides marry a man I don't love and have his children I don't want, and..."
"I know what to do." Maui stood, offering Moana his hand. She took it, and she allowed him to hoist her over his shoulder.
"Whoa...Maui where are we going?"
"Away."