Under the Moon - Book 1 in the Bewitching Moon Series

Chapter 12

I swim in, closing the door behind me. The first one to greet me was Chelsey.

"Aiden! You're back!" she squealed as she swam into my arms.

"Yeah," I said, not sure what else to say. I didn't really want to say that I was packing up and leaving for who knows how long, and especially in front of Chelsey.

"You went to see THE QUEEN! Really! What was she like?" Chelsey questioned me with many more questions before I could convince her to go play in her room so I could talk to Mom and Dad.

"Hey," I said as I swam into the kitchen. Both my parents were busying themselves at the table but quickly turned their attention to me.
"What's up son?" Dad asked.

"Um, it's about why I was requested by the queen."

"Yes?" Mom said in a questioning tone, I could tell she was already jumping to the worse possible conclusion.

"I-I'm not in trouble!" I said quickly, relief washed over her face.

"Then what is it?"

"Queen Anastasia wants to send me on a mission, and if I complete it, then I will be accepted into the royal guard, without needing the entry test."

"That's amazing son!" Dad said excitedly, getting out of his seat to embrace me in a hug.

"B-But, I need to go up on land..."

"What? No! I won't have my first and only son participate in such dangers." Mom nearly screamed. I could understand her I guess, I was her first child and her first and only son, she would be devastated if I were to die, and by the humans on top of that.

"Michelle, Aiden's not a little boy anymore, and the Queen chose him, she must see him as strong enough," I didn't bother to tell Dad that the more likely reason that she chose me was that I was his son.

"Your right, the Queen chose him so he has to go, but if he dies up there under the hands of the humans, don't come crying to me telling me I was right." With that, mom swam angrily out of the room. Dad sighed before turning back to me.

"Now what is your mission son?"

"I was tasked to find Diana Ciro's daughter." Dad's face immediately lit back up again.

"Diana Ciro! Well, would you look at that! I can help you, as you know I was tasked once to make sure she never came back after she was exiled. That was until she died that is. Follow me, son." Dad swam off in the direction of his office, and I followed him close behind.

Dad went from his desk to his filing cabinet to back to his desk, shuffling through multiple stacks of paper and making a mess of his office.

"Ah-Ha!" he said in delight when he pulled out a manilla folder marked Diana Ciro.

"In here is any information you would need to know about Diana Ciro, it might help you find her daughter." Dad handed me the folder and I took it carefully.

"I am only sharing this with you because you are my son, but please do not tell anybody that I am giving you this. It is disclosed information."

"Yes dad, and thank you."

"You are very much welcome son, now go make me proud."

I left Dad's office and went to my room. Locking the door, I swam over to my desk and carefully opened the manilla folder, quickly glancing over the not-so-important notes and indulging in the more important matters of Diana Ciro's case, her last known address, and anyone she had contact with while she was alive.

Diana Ciro was exiled by the Queen because the King was caught having an affair with Diana Ciro herself, who at the time was one of the King's servants.

The Queen really couldn't punish the King but rumors say that she hasn't talked to him in ages, let alone sleep in the same room. People have concluded that is why they still do not have an heir to the throne.

This information disgusted me but I continued to read on.

On the record written in my dad's handwriting was that she did have a child whose name was Antoinette Akosia Ciro, this made finding her a bit easier, I just had to find someone about my age who had that name.

The record also stated that the house Diana Ciro lived in was burned down by the human government with her and supposedly her baby in it. Well, I knew her daughter was alive, she had to be if I was supposed to find her.

Diana Ciro's only acquaintance while she had been on land had been a woman named Gwendolen Cooper, whom the record says, was human.

I closed the folder, these four pieces of information were really all I needed at the moment, so I slide the folder into an empty backpack I had lying around. Then I started picking random pieces of clothes that were in my closet and putting them into the backpack, I didn't need too many because I could update my wardrobe once I got on land. I also packed my spellbook which had some essential spells I might need up on land. I packed a pair of shoes and zipped up the backpack, grabbing the satchel of human money as I left my room.

I said goodbye to my parents then made a final stop at Chelsey's room.

"Hey Chelse," I said as I swam into her room.

"Hey, Aiden! Do you wanna play with me?"

It broke my heart that I was going to have to leave my little sister behind.

"I'm sorry, brother can't play with you right now, brother's leaving."

"Leaving? Where are you going? When will you come back?"

"I-I don't know when I'll come back, so I'm saying bye right now."

"But, but I'll miss you,"

"Yeah, and I'll, miss you two, Chelse." I pulled my sister in for a hug, then pulled out a small porcelain bear from my pocket. I had found it while training up in the cave a while back. One of its ears was chipped off, but other than that, it was relatively in-tacked.

"He is something so that you can always remember me, ok?"

"I will never forget you Aiden," Chelsey said, carefully taking the bear from me.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

I swam up out of Chelsey's room, out the front door, and toward the water's surface, to where a new and dangerous adventure awaited me.