Several uneventful years went by, and the sisters grew fast — Laeli now eight and Aihe four, the latter of the two now able to keep up with her sister, despite being a little more than half her size. Laeli was a ball of energy; often found roughhousing with her cousins when she wasn't with her parents, and frequently getting into trouble, a fair reflection of her mother's childhood.
Aihe was the opposite, often reflecting her father's shyer personality and quieter than her sister, but was full of surprises herself. She would catch her parents off guard with her sarcasm and wit, something her parents didn't expect from a child her age.
Despite the age gap, the sisters were incredibly close and often seemed to share a secret language, a trait that their older twin cousins had.
And as the girls grew, they proved to be surprising reflections of their parents in all sorts of ways. Laeli inherited her mother's tenacity and bravery, while simultaneously developing similar nervous habits of her father, like wringing out her hands, twiddling her fingers, or chewing her bottom lip.
Aihe took after her mother with her strength, wit, and slightly quirky disposition when put on the spot, but was also shy like her father, on the quieter side, and was often lost in thought. She too, developed similar nervous habits from her father much like her sister.
Yet one thing both sisters shared, was their knack for leadership. Both demonstrated the qualities of a great leader and even with Laeli being the more impulsive one, they were both excellent decision-makers and always looked at a problem from multiple angles. Both girls worked to bring people together, and bounced their ideas off each other, making them a suitable team.
Moana and Keoni knew that when their girls reached the age of chiefdom, they would have to choose who would be the next chief of Motunui, and they both hated the idea of having to put them in that position. The council had eyed Laeli as the obvious choice as she was the eldest and mirrored Moana's best qualities and would make an excellent chief. And while Moana and Keoni agreed, they did not wish to push Aihe to the side in favor of Laeli.
"I will not be forced to choose between my daughters. If anyone is to decide their future, it is going to be them." Keoni agreed.
"History has shown that pitting royal siblings against each other never ends well. With one put on a pedestal, and the other pushed aside... I don't even want to consider the alternative. When the girls are older, let them choose." Tui and Sina had to be consulted with Moana and Keoni's decision, and the council was surprised to hear the former chiefs take Moana and Keoni's side.
"We have to support them both in whatever paths they choose. We know that both of them understand their birthright, we must let them make that decision themselves. We also know that they'll support each other; that's what good sisters do." Sina remarked.
"We're content with our choice. It's just a matter of time and preparation."
Another eight years flew by, seemingly too fast for Moana and Keoni. This was a big day for the family; for the whole of Motunui.
It was Laeli and Aihe's ceremony day. The day they were to be presented to the council to begin their dual chief training. The sisters were the first to celebrate the chief ceremony together, as past chiefs with siblings never did the ceremony together. Not even Moana's 4th great-grandfather, who was a twin, did the ceremony with his twin. He was five minutes older, and therefore, he immediately inherited the title. Not to mention, Moana having two daughters also broke tradition as well. There had only been one woman chief in Motunui's history, well before her time, but she had sons and daughters, and her eldest son had inherited the title just like every other chief before.
But with two sisters, they were changing the history of Motunui forever.
Laeli was 16 now, the same age as Moana for her ceremony, and Aihe was 12, making her the youngest to go through this initiation.
The pair had their unique headdresses to wear and wore their best dresses as well. Aihe was terribly nervous about all the attention that would be on her, but Laeli assured her that they were doing this together, which appeared to partially quell Aihe's anxiety. Little did Aihe realize, that Laeli was just as, if not more nervous, knowing the pressure and expectations placed on her by the council given she was the oldest.
She was expected to hold up and maintain the traditions and proud culture of Motunui, which she had no qualms with. She would never admit that sometimes she did resent being the oldest, and therefore was expected to carry the weight of her whole village on her shoulders.
Why me?
She never feared disappointing her parents or grandparents, knowing she had their love and support with all of these big changes coming, but it was the council she disliked having to deal with. All Laeli truly wanted was to be on the ocean just like her mother, and see the world and what it had to offer. And in that sense, she and Moana were identical. Their desires being tied down by their responsibilities and duties to their village, which they loved as much as the open sea.
After all, Laeli and Aihe had both learned on land and sea most of their childhood. Taught and shown how to navigate on a canoe by their mother and Uncle Maui. They both learned the functions of the ropes and sail, how to use the oar to direct the canoe, the four directions, the currents, wind and waves.
Being on the water made Laeli feel more alive than anything in the world, and her dream was to captain a crew of her own and explore the vast ocean, face dangerous seas, and battle monsters! She wanted it all.
But she also feared leaving her home behind, knowing that if she left, responsibility would fall on her sister, and their duties were something they did together. What would befall Motunui if she left its shores?
She did not express her worries to her parents... not yet anyway. She knew she should, but she also knew what her parents would say; almost always the same thing:
"We're here to support whatever decision you make. Motunui will always be here, as will we. Follow your heart, and listen to what it says."
Yes, of course, she loved her parents and knew they meant well and wanted nothing but the best for her, but those words had gotten old, not that she knew what else they would say. Nevertheless, she remained patient and level-headed for the opportunities to come her way.
With the ceremony complete, and both sisters formally made heirs, they fell into their new duties immediately; Laeli shadowed Moana, and Aihe shadowed Keoni, and would switch periodically.
However, as time passed, it became more evident that Laeli's mind was more or less... elsewhere. While she participated in activities around the village, Moana and Tui noticed that the teen was drawn to the shore... just like her mother. She was often distracted, and frequently snuck off to the shore when no one was looking, but was usually found by her father and Aihe.
Realizing what was going on, Moana chose to nurture her daughter's passion, curious to see where it would lead. Perhaps her eldest was more like her than she anticipated. Together, Moana and Laeli started taking trips on Moana's old canoe around Motunui, expanding on previous lessons from years prior.
Not too long into this new change, when Maui came to visit his nieces and nephews, Moana informed him of Laeli's lessons, and Maui was not the slightest bit surprised.
"She's your daughter, Curly, I would be more surprised if she had land legs." He remarked; which Moana could not disagree with.
Not wanting to be left out, Aihe requested to tag along too, as it had been long enough since she also had wayfinding lessons too. Though it didn't take much for the younger sister to realize that while she loved being out on the water as much as her sister, she did prefer the village more. With the lessons continuing, Moana truly saw herself in Laeli, and it warmed her heart to see her daughter take after her.
Over the course of the year, Laeli's limits were put to the test. Moana and Maui started taking her beyond the reef more and more and would be gone longer. They did not head back to Motunui when the weather got bad, as she needed to learn the rough seas. However, Moana doubted her daughter would be deterred by a storm, as she was born during one. Moana was certain that her daughter was meant to face the hardest challenges, and she knew she'd overcome them with strength and wit.
A new feeling came over the chief as she realized what would be coming next.