The Luna Choosing Game

Chapter 0519 With the drama mostly settled forthe moment, I thanked Nicholas for his help.

He smiled once more at me.

Then we split ways, and I made my way down to where the children were playing I to check on Elva. As I drew closer, I could see how tired she was.

It made sense, while the other children were swimming around using their strong tails, Elva had only her two weak legs. Of course she would be exhausted trying to keep up.

She was still smiling, still having fun, but she wasn’t moving with quite the vibrancy she’d earlier displayed.

When she saw me, she waved. I kicked my way over to her, opened my arms, and immediately she came closer to rest.

“Are you having fun, sweetheart?” I

asked her.

“So much fun,” she said with a yawn.

“Don’t make me go home, Mommy” “Not yet, dearest. But you better rest for a moment.” “Just a minute,” she said. Her eyes drooped, but she fought off sleep.

Watching her efforts made my heart ache.

Poor thing didn’t want to miss a minute of this adventure.

One of the merfolk children tugged at my arm. She was a bit older than Elva, maybe seven or eight, with her hair done up in elaborate pigtails. A row of pearls dotted across her forehead. A royal, then.

She pointed at the wall behind them, where I noticed some shelfs had been set up, each covered in some soft-looking cushions.

“When we get sleepy,” the little princess said, “that’s where we sleep.” She

so that she could twirl her fins around her fingers. “Elva would like it. It's what

blanched slightly, unsure if the term was politically correct. I should have I made certain Elva knew to call everyone merfolk. The little princess didn’t seem to mind though. She looked at Elva with the kind of fondness

said, that everyone treated the children as if they were they’re own. I wondered if that rubbed

you,” I told her. “Would you show me the best spot?” The little princess guided me to the shelfs and picked one near the top. “This is my favorite,” the princess said. “The noises aren’t so

then eased Elva onto the shelf. She was already drifting. I roused her slightly so

get to sleep like a mermaid...” she said, and then

where my angel slept, the little princess tugged on my arm

she sleeps undisturbed.” It was so sweet and

she beamed like I had given her

interfere in the princess’s self-assigned duties. She seemed to

to keep the other

adorable, and warmed me through and through seeing such kindness. Elva has made a friend for

they would get to see each other

to find a mysterious older merfolk woman behind me. She

a head of wild gray curls, topped with a towering crown, second only, that I'd seen, to Queen

black at times, depending on the light. Even her fins were different than the

bright and mysterious as the float orbs at times, much dimmer at

at her that this

magic, I had no idea if merfolk were more

wished Veronica

children treating

said. I didn’t know her name, but felt she was worthy of some type of honorific. “Thank you,

had worried that the cause was linked to you,

I was surprised a second time but

meif you are unable,” the merfolk said. “Though I suspect you too know she is cursed.” ' So Iwas right. Only those with magical abilities would have been able to detect the curse, especially as it was currently inactive. Or, as inactive as it