I woke up the moment I heard the loud birds tweeting. That was how I woke up every day, even during those three months when Anna and I were mermaids. I yawned as I stretched before I got out of my bed in the hut I was sleeping in. I wasn't sleeping in my old house when I lived on this island with Tulio, Benito, Altivo and Miguel because that was where my brother Patlee and my future sister-in-law Chief Moana lived in there now. Both the hut and the bed I had for last night and tomorrow night were actually very nice.
I was very tired from yesterday because of all the sailing from the Southern Isles to New Motunui, catching up with Patlee, Moana and Maui, her demigod of honour for their wedding (though he didn't seem too cheerful about it) and going over the final preparations for today last night before we went to sleep. And I was also tired because it was hardly sunrise when I woke up, but I knew there was no time to waste and I had to get ready for my best woman duties.
My first task of the day was to get Patlee up. He was sleeping in the hut with me so that way I could help him get up when I did, but it wasn't easy as he was always a deep sleeper and he was always very hard to wake up, even during emergencies. First, I tried to shake him up, but it didn't wake him up. Then I remembered a trick I did to him to wake up when he had to when we lived in El Dorado. I tickled under his armpits and that always woke him up and he never appreciated it, even when he had to wake up urgently.
"What did you do that for, Chel?" he asked annoyed.
"It's part of my best woman duties, bro," I told him. "Now, come on. We can't be late for your own wedding."
The next thing we did was get some breakfast, which was apples, pears and berries. We enjoyed them. I haven't had them since I left this island with my family and my friends over a year ago and they still tasted delicious as ever.
As we headed to the giant lake to bathe ourselves, I looked around at all and saw the trees, the bushes and the vegetables, like the fruit trees and bushes, were still beautiful as ever. And so was the lake when we approached it. The water was still as lovely and cool as it was since the day I left this island.
"You've lived here for more than a year now, Patlee," I said to my brother, as we bathed in it. "What do you think of this place?"
"This place is heaven," he replied. "How much do you miss it?"
I have to say that even I loved my new life in the Southern Isles, I did miss this island and I was glad that it hadn't changed much, even though more people were living on it. "I do miss this place," I told Patlee, "but I do love my new life in the Southern Isles with my family."
As we continued to wash, I told my brother everything about how grand the Southern Isles was and how everyone said they've never been better now they had a great queen and how she always said Tulio and I were the best advisors the Southern Isles ever had.
"And the only part I miss of El Dorado is being with you and Yaotl," I said. That made me think about our other triplet brother Yaotl and how much I missed him and how I wished he was here on this day for me and Patlee. "Apart from that, I don't really miss living there."
"Yeah, I don't either," Patlee said.
"But I do hope that the people there are safe from harm and they are living their lives happily."
"Well, since you with Tulio, Miguel and Altivo blocked the entrance from Cortez, his army and Tzekel-Kan, I'm sure they will be."
"Do you and the people you grew up with miss Paititi?" I asked.
"Well, I do miss Lllapa and my stepfather there as much as I missed our parents as well," he said. "And there were some friends there that died when it got attacked so I miss them, but apart from them, I don't really miss it. I'm glad I'm here with Moana and all the friends I have. And I still liked spending time with you whenever we can.
I was very happy that he was happy and I still liked spending time with him whenever I can.
"Now, I think it's time to get dried and get changed," Patlee said.
I agreed, so that was what we did.
Soon, after drying ourselves, we were wearing our wedding gear. He wore his newly knitted red male Polynesian skirt. He looked very good in it, even with his new tattoos all over his body. I couldn't work out what most of them were meant to be, but they looked good on him.
As for me, I wore my sleeveless purple dress I brought over from the Southern Isles. It was my very best one. The one I always wore at Queen Nicola's feasts.
"So how are you feeling?" I asked him.
He sighed. "I'm feeling nervous. I love Moana with all my heart, but I keep worrying if I'm making a mistake and I'm going to let both of us down."
"I know how you're feeling," I told him.
"Because you felt the same when you married Tulio?" he asked me.
"Yes." Then I told him that when I got married to Tulio in Kumandra that we were both nervous and so was Miguel being Tulio's best man. "Ans I'm nervous about doing my speech for today."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do brilliantly," my brother said.
"Well, the information that you gave me has been very helpful." Last night, Patlee told me about his life on this island and how well he adjusted to here, how useful he tried to be and how he tried to win Moana's heart which he did.
Then I heard drum banging.
"It's time," he said.
"Well, come on, then. What are we waiting for?" Then I held his hand as we walked ahead.
Patlee and I arrived at the wooden stand on the beach. There was no one else except the drum beaters beside it. The first ones we greeted were Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Kasper and Rika, who was using her magic powers to create flowers.
"Look, Auntie Chel," Rika said happily. "I'm a flower girl."
"And you're doing a marvellous job of it too, Rika," I said, patting her left shoulder before she joined the rest of her family. There were no chairs for the guests, but they were rugs for them to sit down on the sand and they looked very comfortable.
Then Miguel appeared with Elsa and sat next to Anna's family. Then came Raya and Sisu in her human form. Then the rest of the people in New Motunui arrived and sat down, leaving only Chief Moana and Maui to arrive, which they did. We all stepped onto the wooden stand.
Then one old man, wearing a brown male Polynesian skirt, approached the wooden stand. He was the priest for this marriage and then the ceremony began.
After a good hour later, my brother Patlee had finally married Moana and we all celebrated. First, we sat down on rugs for the wedding feast which everything was delicious.
Then it was time to do the speeches. Moana went first.
"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming to today. Today has been a special day not just for me and Patlee and not just to this island, but to all of friends. And I am the happiest woman in the world today, thanks to all of you but especially my dearly beloved husband Patlee."
After we applauded her, it was Patlee's turn.
"Like my dearly beloved wife said, we are all very grateful you are here to share this day with us. This is the happiest day of my life and I considered myself the luckiest man in the world the day when I met her for the first time and now I still consider myself the luckiest man now that I have married her."
Then we applauded him as he kissed Moana on the lips. Then it was time for me to do my speech. I rose.
"First of all, I can't tell you how happy I am for my brother and my new sister-in-law and how honoured I am to be Patlee's best woman here. It means so much to me as I'm sure it does to all of us. And I'm sure that all of our parents and many of our family and friends, in whatever afterlife we believe in, are celebrating with us in spirit. Thank you."
Then everyone gave me applause. Then Maui rose.
"Cool speeches, but I'm glad I'm last because that means it's the best. So, anyway, I have known Moana for a long while and she's a very awesome lady, who convinced me, a demigod, to restore the heart of Te Fiti, a goddess. And she's a very awesome lady who's also a very awesome chief. And it's a very awesome honour to be her demigod of honour. Pretty cool speech, huh?" Maui asked.
The only thing he got was scattered applause, followed by awkward silence.
He turned to his tattoo Maui on his body. "I did good, didn't I?"
Tattoo Maui jut shuddered.
"Oh, come on."
Then Moana rose. "I believe it's time for dancing."
So we did. I danced with Tulio.
I was so tired the next day that I had to be waken up by my brother this time. I joined my friends in having breakfast and then it was time to sail back home. We all hugged Moana and Patlee and the rest of our New Motunui friends before we boarded our boats.
"Thank you for being my best woman," my brother said to me.
"Yeah, you were really great," my new sister-in-law said.
"A pleasure to the both of you," I said to them, as I hugged them.
Then, as we sailed away from Mew Monuti and headed back to our homes, we waved to Patlee, Moana and everyone on the island until we couldn't.
