Eclipse of the Moon

During this long waiting, we could hear whispers around us, as if every wizard and mate were talking about me and Sylvia. Sylvia was visibly busy but also nervous, trying not to express her true feelings, her nervousness evident nonetheless. In the end, I could still sense it. We were still waiting, and nothing had happened. But suddenly, someone opened the door with a loud crash, shouting, "Mistress, please, it's not appropriate to approach things like that!"

I could hear this, and it sounded serious. But when I looked at the person in front of me, it was like a version of me but older, about 30 years older. She was wearing a beautiful white coat, and even with her age, she was more beautiful than me. I was shocked and someone behind her tried to stop her. She looked at me and focused, tears beginning to flow. I didn't know how to react, so I stood up softly and slowly, with all my respect and politeness, trying to calm her down. But when I stood up, she only hugged me and cried even more, tears flowing freely. I looked around, confused. My palms were still sweating, and even my friend didn't say anything. I just didn't understand what had happened.

She began to speak beyond a whisper, her voice slowly cracking from desperation. "Sorry, I made you wait so much, my child. It was my only choice. I didn't want to give you or your father, but I needed to protect you, at least. My heart knew that you would find the right path, and you did. You never disappoint me."

Her hand tightened in the hug, and I realized she was my mother. Tears welled up in my eyes as everything fell into place. Deep emotions swirled within me, and I embraced her, returning all the love she had given me. Tears flowed from my eyes; I couldn't believe this was real. I felt like I had accomplished everything I wanted. "You know, Mother, I did everything you told me. I made friends, tried to be happy, never lied. Now you see, I have a best friend. I did everything; I'm a good girl."

My mother and I were sitting on the floor, still hugging each other, tears flowing. We were trying to maintain our composure, yet at this point, everyone could see us. My mother looked into my eyes. "Mia, I never thought you'd do something that made me sad. Whatever you want to do in your life, I'll be with you. I tried so hard to communicate with you, but nothing worked. They always tried to stop me. But on your birthday, it's the only day I can send a letter, and this time, they didn't catch it, and everything worked."

She smiled softly as she wiped my tears. My eyes were swollen, and my cheeks were red. I didn't want to let go; I wanted this moment to last forever. I gave her the season necklace and all the magic items we found. "But Mother, why did you go to the Elves Kingdom? Why didn't you choose another one, like the Shadow Kingdom?"

She looked away, avoiding making things awkward. But when she looked at me again, her smile was humble, reminding me of my past, the dream I always had. "The Kingdom is the only place that protects mages. I was the most targeted person for assassination. So, it's the safest place for me. Even though they're different, they helped me so much. Don't judge people easily by their appearances, whether they look different or are a different species. Don't judge; they might have different intentions, different ways of thinking, different paths."

I listened to her words slowly, trying to understand everything she said and to embrace it. Sylvia was still standing in shock. I smiled at Sylvia, feeling like I had finally accomplished what I wanted. Suddenly, something struck my mind; I had to give her the three stones that led me to her. So, I retrieved them from my bag and showed them to her. "Do you want these three stones that led me to you? Because you didn't want anyone to know your location, right?"

But suddenly, her expression changed to anger when she noticed the biggest scar on both of my palms. She became so angry, and I could see her frustration. Even the fairy was scared and went behind my head. "It's nothing, just an accident that happened, don't worry," I said, biting my bottom lip to keep from freaking out and trying to calm her down. But instead, she yelled out of frustration. "Who dared to put scars on you? You didn't do anything wrong, so they'll pay a price for hurting my daughter, even if it's just a small scratch from the past."

Sylvia was a little scared, and for me, she looked like some kind of demon. I put my hand on her shoulder and smiled softly, trying to calm her down. It wasn't a big deal, but I didn't understand why my mother was so frustrated over a scar. "Mother, it's just a small price I have to pay. You know, to save people who mean something to me."

As if she heard my words, she slowly hugged me, her face still filled with frustration. I felt a kind of relief from her words; they were warm and comforting, making me feel safe. I wanted to change the awkward situation, so I started a conversation to make her feel happier. I held her hand and kept the Stones away in my bag, deciding I would decide later what to do with them. I just wanted to see my mother smile again. "Mother, let's go to a room and talk privately because I think so many people around are enjoying watching our drama," I chuckled softly as I wiped her tears, and her smile brightened. She held my hand, and we got up from the floor, heading to another room. We sat for a moment, and it was awkward. So, I told her about my journey, about Ethan, who was my friend, Eric, who trained me on the sword, Sylvia, the person who sacrificed for me and kept me on track, and Anna, who helped me. And Lily, the one who kept me fresh when I was down. All of it was to find freedom. But she looked at me, deep in thought, reflecting on all the adventures I had gone through.

"I know you have a brave heart, but I didn't expect you to have the heart of a warrior, my little child. I know you know that we have a bloodline in our family," she said. I shrugged as she mentioned the bloodline, remembering the old memory I had about the Kingdom of the Moon, especially when I knew most of the things and secrets I shouldn't have known from the first place.

"But Mother, how did you know all of that? I didn't mention anything that I know about the bloodlines," I said. She smirked and pointed at my bag. I was confused and gave it to her, and she gave me the Blue Book. I shrugged again because I used it so much, and with a crack in my voice, I said, "It's just a book, Mother, it's nothing more, you know?"

She rolled her eyes and opened it, beginning to write something random on it. Of course, the book gave an answer, and I was activated, scared, because I knew my mother; she was like a calm sea that could rage at any moment. "Okay, I admit I got it from an adventure through a Dungeon in the Shadow Kingdom, and I got this sword too." My mother looked at the sword, seeing the symbol of the Moon on it, and she gasped, covering her mouth, not knowing what to say in our brave moment.

"So, you know you are the Next Generation of the Moon Kingdom, and you are a queen already, and you don't need anyone to make you a queen." I felt a little bit annoyed from the idea, clenching my fist, trying to maintain myself. "But, Mother, I don't want to be a queen. I just want to be free and happy because being a queen is full of responsibilities, and so many of them get depressed."

At first, she looked at me in shock, but then she gave me an obvious look. "My little angel, I don't want to convince you of anything. I know you want happiness, but in the way you are going through, you will not find it easy. Being an adventurer resembles the same concept; did you find happiness easily when you were an adventurer, or did you find it difficult?"

I shrugged more, knowing the answers, biting my lips, drawing to not be that obvious but with a really thin voice. "It was very difficult living as an adventurer." She looked at me in another second, studying my face. I was nervous, anxious, feeling under pressure. She said beside me suddenly and petted my head, "Look, I am not telling you to be a queen, but if you can't find happiness being an adventurer, then find another way. I forget to tell you, now they make rebellions to shut down the Kingdom of Rose, so you can take this chance and be a queen and find your happiness or go with the flow."

I became thinking so hard, trying to understand every point, as if I saw her point of view, that if I become a queen, I will always be happy and always stable, but if I am an adventurer, it will be hard for me to find stability. I began to compare the life between those two and found being a queen is not about being easy, but accomplishing happiness is higher, not so risky. "Okay, I will be a queen, but I don't know what I will do now if you say rebellions and all of that."

She gave me a crystal ball, and the same thing happened, a ball shining white and cracked. I didn't understand the concept, but my mother was satisfied for some reason. "Mia, for now, I will train you to be a queen. I will give you all the culture you need, and you will always be my daughter. Whatever you go, whatever you'll be, you will always be free. Just follow your heart." I hugged her, feeling so happy, and her words felt different, like a big hole that I had finally gone away, solving all my problems. I looked at her in the eyes with a full smile. "Then turn me Queen, my Mother, and after that, we will finally be happy together as a family with my Father." We exchanged smiles, but I knew that my new adventure would be more difficult. I would look forward to it because now no one could stop me, and I would protect my family from the bottom of my heart.