The Luna Choosing Game



I froze, unsure what to do.

"Goodbye Mister Zale," Elva said.

Zale gently patted Elva's back. "Goodbye, little Elva." As she began to pull away, he smiled at her.

*Such innocence," Queen Sonal said, her smile soft as well. "The purity and kindness of a child knows no bounds. We could learn much from her sincerity."

"We could," Nicholas agreed. He returned her smile, and just like that, the tension between the two groups began to lift. Nicholas dipped his head, as I know he'd done many times before. This time seemned different than the past - more earnest, somehow. "By your grace."

Queen Sonal dipped her head in a mirror movement. "Please return again."

Elva swam back to me. Then, after one last look at the underwater banquet and the people within it, we turned and made our exit.

Once we were safely on the boat again, with the boat on route to return us to our more familiar island, Nicholas scooped up Elva into his arms and kissed her cheek

"A brilliant little girl you are," he said. Elva giggled. To me, he praised, "She saved that disaster of an event."

Julian, within earshot, laughed. "Usually I'm the one with the flair for dramatic, Nicholas. Not you."

Nicholas shook his head. "I'm serious. If we had ended the event on such a tense note, the alliance may not have initially suffered but relations would have been strained over time. But Elva saved the day."

Nicholas kissed her cheek again and then set her down. Elva continued to giggle. She rushed over to me.

"Did you hear what he said, Mommy?"

"I did," I told her, and praised her too. "You did such a good job. I'm so very proud of you, following your heart."

As with the trip to the merfolk palace, during the return trip, the camera crew remained on the deck below, while the candidates and princes and Elva were on the highest floor of the ship.

Nathan, having likely finished whatever meeting was going on down below, chose this moment to come upstairs and join us. He appeared deeply unhappy, with the line between his brow prominent and his frown deeply-set.

"Lighten up, Nathan," Julian said, "Or your face might stay that way."

Nathan shot him a withering look. Julian shrugged.

"Everything went well," Nicholas said. "Queen Sonal seemed pleased as we left."

"Yes," Nathan agreed. "As we left." He looked at Bridget. "Most everyone did a good job today."Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

Bridget seemed appropriately cowed for a moment, tilting her shoulders downward, but she bounced back almost instantly and stood. "I know you aren't trying to insinuate anything about me, Nathan."

Nathan sighed. "You were out of character today, Bridget. You did not act with the poise that you usually do."

Bridget stood her ground, chin lifted. Her eyes slid toward Nicholas. He looked back at her but didn't say a single word. Her lip twitched like she might frown but didn't quite manage.

"I defended myself and my honor, even if no one else would," Bridget said. "I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I will not let anyone tell me otherwise." Yet even as she said the words, a bit of red rose in her cheeks. She really did look like she was ashamed.

Her gaze on Nicholas was fierce for one more moment, like she expected him to defend her. When he didn't, she crossed her arms and turned around. She walked toward the edge of the boat and held onto the railing.

Nathan tumed to glare at me. I startled, unsure why I was the subject of his ire.

"She's lashing out because of your argument, Piper. You need to resolve this."

Then he walked away.

He was blaming me for Bridget's actions? How was any of this my fault?