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

fingers. “Elva would like it. It's what the mermaids do.” She giggled at

slightly, unsure if the term was politically correct. I should have I made certain Elva knew to call everyone merfolk. The

what Ambassador Zale said, that everyone treated the children as if they were they’re own. I wondered if that rubbed off on the older children as well, who saw the younger as their

the shelfs and picked one near the top. “This is my favorite,” the princess said. “The noises aren’t

shelf. She was already drifting. I roused her slightly

excited smile. “I get to sleep like a mermaid...” she said, and then

angel slept, the little princess tugged

said. “I’ll make sure she sleeps undisturbed.” It was so sweet and valiant,

I had

away then, not wanting to interfere in the princess’s self-assigned duties. She seemed to

to keep the other children away from where

absolutely adorable, and warmed me through and through seeing such kindness. Elva has made a friend for life I here, I knew, even

I hoped they would get to see

find a mysterious older

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

black at times, depending on the

as bright and mysterious as the float orbs

just from looking at her

though I knew so little of magic, I had no idea if merfolk were more or less prevalent

Veronica was

children treating yours well?”

her name, but felt she was worthy of some type of honorific. “Thank

poor child of yours is haunted by darkness. I had worried that the cause was linked to you, but I can see now that I was mistaken in

surprised a second time

to share with 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 could be, with Jane’s distance and the