It had been nearly a year since the death of her father, and Moana was still not entirely comfortable in her role as chief. She loved her people, giving all of herself and more, but it was the little things that wore on her. She had to remember everything about everyone, she prevented fights from becoming vendettas at the same time as knowing how much dried fish was in the village stores and who was stealing who's baby name and the list went on and on.

She had help, of course, her advisors were intelligent and respectful, and her mother always had wisdom to share, but at the end of the day, the impossible weight of the lives of everyone she loved was upon her shoulders, and she was already growing tired.

Not to mention the most pressing issue, which was that after six years of voyaging the endless seas, they had not found a suitable island to call their new home. They had picked up and left many behind on their travels in the villages along the way. Some had stayed for the comfort of a stable home, but many more had come on for the love of adventure or the love of a new partner in the Motunui tribe.

The current island they had stopped at was nearly suitable. It was large, with a great mountain in the middle and wilds dotted with groves of mango trees and bushes full of sweet red berries. No monsters roamed the island and the grass was soft beneath their feet, the reef full of fish and the sea around dotted with smaller islands waiting to be explored. Something about it just unsettled Moana, a worry deep in her soul that she could not root out, not even after two months of finding endless bounty and wonder in this potential new home.

"I think we will prepare to leave after the boats are done with repairs." Moana said to her mother over breakfast, cutting into a ripe mango with her knife as she gazed out over the village, already bustling with activity.

"Already? With three new babies this season, and at least two more on the way?"

Her mother was right, caring for newborns aboard a ship was difficult work, and soon there would be even more babes to worry about. Her tribe was growing rapidly, and they needed stability soon. "I know it's asking a lot of them, but I don't want us to waste time putting down roots here."

"Moana, what is this island missing that you're looking for? Everyone else is ready to put down roots now."

"I know. I know, and it's a lovely place. I know we could do well and thrive here, but I just don't think it's right. We should move on and stop wasting time."

"You know, you can continue doing a bit of adventuring even after we claim a place as home." Her mother said delicately. "We'll still want to trade and visit with our neighbors, and there's plenty of smaller islands around. You wouldn't be docking your boat forever."

"This is about my desire to adventure, Mama. I want to rest as much as anyone else. I want to build our new village and call it home. I just do not think this place is right."

"Darling, is there something missing from this place, or is there something missing within you?"

She knew where her mother was going. "Well there's always room for more of these mangos." She replied, taking a large bite.

"You know what I mean. I know it's hard to want to build a hearth for an empty home. You have plenty of support here, if you need to go visiting to find a suitable-"

"Mother, do I not have enough to worry about with trying to build a home and hearth for our entire village. How many are we now? Three hundred four? Three hundred six if Kalei births twins?" Which was likely, considering Kalei being a twin herself, like her mother before her.

"Moana, I know you understand that this is different. I just think you could look at the problem with new eyes if you could see yourself with a family too, not just as you are, the lone leader of your people."

She groaned, looking up at the wide open sky above her, a great hawk above circling, looking for prey. She had not seen the demigod Maui since before her father died, but it did not stop her from wondering if every lone creature she saw out in the wild was him. It was a silly thing, but a comfort all the same.

"Moana, I'm just asking you to think about it. But please, let us stay here just a little longer, see if this place grows on you."

"I know, I know." Moana said, reminding herself that she was an adult, and she was the chief, and she would handle this with maturity. "We'll stay the season, at least. Just don't try to organize a boat race with my hand as the prize, or anything dramatic, alright?"

One of the many things that Moana had always known about her village, but had learned to an even greater intensity as their chief, was that one could never speak without being overheard, and rumors were quick to catch fire, especially rumors about the romantic prospects of the young and eligible chief.

"I'm not doing this." Moana said, leaning on her oar in the sand and looking out across the crowd that had gathered at the beach, the young men readying their canoes for the race, some from her own village, but more still from the surrounding islands, bold and eager to impress.

"I think it's a bit late for that, wouldn't you think?" Her mother replied, finishing her tailoring of Moana's sail.

She wasn't even entirely sure how it had gotten this far, first a rumor, then mothers asking her permission to include their sons in the race, to brothers arguing over who was the finest sailor, to nearby tribes sending the best and brightest of their young men. It had all begun to snowball further when Moana had declared that it would be a race against herself, hoping that the realization that none of them could best her would have squashed the dream quickly.

Somehow, it had only made everything worse.

"I believe everyone is ready, Chief." Her advisor Koa said, having finished his inspection of the contestants and their canoes.

"I still need a moment, I'm not quite finished with my sail." There was only so much time she could waste ensuring her boat was in perfect shape, she had already been fretting over the ropes and the sail all morning, which was how it ripped in the first place, but the alternative of actually beginning the race seemed so much worse.

She wasn't going to lose, of course. Not if the gods themselves intervened would she allow her future to be decided in this way.

She would win this race and then the problem would be settled for some time. She could return to important issues. They would prepare to leave this place that filled her with unnamed dread.

There was a commotion, likely a fight between friends or someone's foot being pinched by one of the little crabs that were everywhere this time of year. She paid it no mind, quietly reattaching her sail, taking pains to be as slow and meticulous as possible.

A familiar voice behind her nearly made her leap into the water. "Chief Moana."

She turned to face him, demigod of wind and sea, hero of men, kneeling before her, asking her permission to participate in the race for her hand.

"No. Absolutely not. Why are you even-? Don't you have more important things to do? Monsters to slay, oars to sign? You've got to be-" She was stumbling over her words and that was unbecoming of her. She took a breath. "No. I'm sure this is absolutely hilarious to you, but I'm not having it."

He stood, rising more than a foot taller than her and she wished she had smacked him with her oar while she could still reach. "I swear, this isn't my idea of a joke. I am asking your blessing to participate with all the love and sincerity in my heart."

There was a stillness to him she didn't like. Furthermore, her entire village was watching her tell an actual literal demigod to stop making jokes and get out of her way.

Heat rose in her cheeks and it was very unfair of anyone to expect her to be rational in this situation. What would anyone do in this situation, honestly?

She was Moana, chief of her people, and this had gone on too far already.

"Fine. Okay, fine." The words nearly stuck in her throat, her heart pounding at the realization that he was the only one that could beat her. "BUT the hook stays on shore. You compete as a human or you don't compete at all."

"Of course, who needs magic to beat all these chowderheads" Maui said, taking his hook and offering it to Moana's mother, who had been far quieter than usual during this whole affair. "You must be Sina, hi. Big fan of your daughter, can you hold onto this for me?"

Her mother took the hook like she was being offered an electric eel. "Of course. Do I need to be careful with it- or?"

"Nah, I haven't seen a mortal figure out how to use it yet, you'll be fine."

Moana bit back everything she wanted to say in the moment. "Koa, go with Maui and inspect his boat, make sure it's ready for the race, make sure he knows the route and the rules, whatever else you need to do. I have to finish with my sail here, as you can see."

Maui took a step forward, pointing to something on the mast. "Chief, I think you're using the wrong -"

Moana smacked his hand away with her oar. "Go."

He shrugged, and did as directed.

Moana stared off at the horizon for long enough for them to get a decent distance away before muffling a scream into the thick fabric of her sail. This was NOT happening right now. This was the strangest dream she had ever had, and she was going to wake up tomorrow on the open sea, sailing for a new island. It was fine, it was going to be just fine.

"Moana." Her mother said softly.

She peeked out from the sail. Her mother was still holding Maui's hook like it was going to bite her, the great carved piece of wood far too heavy for her to hold comfortably.

"Let's.. find a place for you to put that down. Where were you planning on sitting?" She took the hook from her mother, laying the strangely familiar weight across her shoulder as they walked away from her boat.

"I've got a seat set up by your cousin Sione, under the shade tree there." She pointed. Cousin Sione was chasing one of her boys, one arm holding her infant daughter and the other reaching to grab her errant child by the back of his shirt.

It would be fine, probably. If one of the boys turned themselves into a crab or something they would be less of a nuisance for a while. It was fine.

She ensured her mother was comfortable with her new charge, and greeted Sione, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

"Good luck, chief."

She was going to need it.