The pair rejoined the wedding celebrations as the ceremony to honor Hina was commencing. Dancers grouped near the musicians, and the holy men began their chants, with Huihana and Enele bringing their offerings to Hina forward as a married couple.
Moana pulled Keoni behind her as they found her parents, cousins, and other extended family members as they partook in the ceremony themselves.
It was when the ceremony came to a close, that people began to disperse and turn in for the night, however, the chief, their family, and extended family members and friends would stay up a little longer to celebrate privately.
Upon arriving at the chieftain's fale, food and drink were brought out, and late-night conversations continued. One of those conversations was when Huihana and Enele approached Moana and Keoni with bright, wide eyes.
"Is it true?" Huihana demanded, but not accusatory. Moana and Keoni glanced at each other, both of them with broad smiles, and holding hands. They shared a nod to confirm Huihana's question. The bride squealed in delight, pulling the two in for a hug, "Ah! I'm so excited for you two."
"Thank you, Huihana!" Word quickly spread amongst the other guests, and while one would think Huihana would be upset for her little brother possibly stealing the attention from her, quite the opposite. She had been waiting for her brother to propose to Moana for some time, and with the fact that he had taken the chance during the ceremony to Hina, she couldn't have planned it better herself!
And of course, Tui and Sina were equally delighted with the news, supportive and proud of their only daughter for having found the right person and that she was eager to start this new chapter in her life.
In the time following Huihana's wedding, she and Enele had rapidly settled into their married life, becoming a quintessential Motunuian couple. At the same time, Moana had been thrust into planning her own wedding, with of course extra amenities due to her being chief.
"We will have to communicate with some of the other nearby chiefs if they intend to attend or send someone to represent them." Pania had pointed out. With it being a royal wedding, it would also be an opportunity for diplomacy with other islands and their villages, especially with the islands that Moana had contacted during her early voyages.
"That is true, however, I will not allow the chief of Itimotuka to attend." Moana insisted, which confused Keoni.
"Why not? What's wrong with that chief?"
"He did not like seeing a woman chief show up on his shore." Keoni raised an eyebrow.
"Really?" She nodded, and Pania also confirmed.
"Not a fan of the changes we brought along. He was just overall not a great guy to be around, you know?"
"Huh."
Tui had also taken this opportunity to guide Keoni into his future role as chief. While Keoni had been aware that this would be the new life he was stepping into, he had become extremely consciously aware that this was all actually happening. To him, it still felt like not too long ago he was still fending for his life on his desolate island, and now... he was preparing to become the next chief of Motunui and getting married.
And so, Tui was essentially taking Keoni in as his second successor, and together, the pair would go around the village every day to educate Keoni on the fine inner workings of village life, as well as inter-personal politics, and just general handling of various duties and responsibilities.
At the end of one particular day, with the sun setting, Tui decided to bring Keoni to the sacred stone tower of past chiefs.
Keoni had no idea that this place even existed, even with the trail still being there. It had simply never crossed his mind.
Needless to say, he was in awe as they came to the peak, and Keoni felt a chill run through him, giving him goosebumps. The shell Moana had placed there only a couple of years ago immediately caught his eye, as it was hard to miss. A soft breeze rustled his hair, carrying the sweet scent of blooming flowers. Tui had decided to bring Keoni here after overhearing the young man express his doubts to his sister in passing.
"Keoni." Tui's deep voice came. The older man was not standing by the tower anymore, but overlooking the village down below. Keoni wordlessly joined his side, unsure of what Tui wanted to say.
"I know you have your doubts in your ability to become a chief," Tui began, facing the horizon, his expression stern but not unkind. He then turned to Keoni, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, "but I brought you here to assure you, that you have what it takes. You have the heart and the drive to be an excellent leader. And might I add, a fine partner for Moana as well," Keoni resisted the urge to scoff but remained silent as Tui continued.
"And to put your mind at ease, I can assure you that at some point, for every succeeding chief, they have all had their doubts in their capabilities of leading their people. Myself included, I had to take the role immediately following my father's death, but I had my mother, Sina, and my late best friend, to keep me focused and looking in the right direction. And in those early years, I often questioned if I was worthy of the title," Tui exhaled deeply, clasping his hands behind his back.
"But, there comes a time in every chief's life, when they look to their village and see the smiling families, the children laughing and scampering around, and the elders peacefully sharing stories that you realize, that it is the happiness of your people that reminds you; you're doing just fine. And like I once taught Moana, happiness is where you are."
And that statement clicked somewhere in Keoni's head. He couldn't quite describe that feeling of understanding those words, but it did mean something.
Tui offered a few more bits of chiefly advice and then guided him back to the fale to turn in for the night.
Moana was in a cheerful mood as Keoni came to her side, laying down on the mat, rather exhausted.
"How was your day with Dad?" Although worn out, Keoni relayed the notable events of the day, even the visit to the stone tower.
"He gave me assurance of me becoming chief alongside you. He basically said that I would do just fine." She smiled at that.
"I figured he would say so. But I've been saying that for a while," She added with a slight giggle, "that said, he is right. And pretty much everyone agrees that you're a good fit for both, me, and the role of chief."
"Glad to hear that,"
"I know that won't entirely quell whatever doubts try to work their way up, but just remember, your doubts aren't fact."
"I know."
"Mmm. Now, get some sleep, you still have a lot of training to do with dad, and we still have planning to get done."
"I know, I know. Luckily I'm used to waking up early."
"We both are."