THE LUNA CHOOSING GAME - Season 6 Episode 22

I didn’t know what else to say to Julian, and he likely felt the same. So we both continued to watch the dancers. On the other side of the banquet room, Nicholas and the Queen were swimming upwards as they talked.

I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Bridget’s attentions seemed fixed on Nicholas now, as she began to dance more provocatively with her merfolk partner. Suddenly her arms were around the merfolk’s shoulders. She gave her hips a wider sway.

All the while, she watched Nicholas. All the while, he was entirely oblivious, speaking with the Queen.

The longer it went on, the more Bridget’s bottom lip pouted.

*Her dance partner is going to get the wrong idea,” Julian said. “Too much physical contact could be interpreted in a sexual way, especially if she touches… his gills…”

Just as he suggested it, Bridget’s hands brushed against her partner’s gills. The merfolk man’s eyes sparkled as he seemed to look at her with renewed interest. She was ignoring him though, her gaze still on Nicholas.

“This is going to end badly,” Julian said.

“Should we do something?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure what. Swimming over there to break them up didn’t seem like the smartest move. Bridget would likely take offense to our interference.

As it was, it seemed like watching a train wreck in slow motion, one I could only hope that Bridget wasn’t purposefully encouraging. I had a sinking feeling however that she was.

Someone as worldly as she was would know merfolk customs. She would know that touching the gills is a sign of intimacy. I was fairly certain that there was a scene in one of her recent movies of that exact scenario!

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Then it happened. The merfolk leaned closer and whispered something in Bridget’s ear.

Bridget suddenly yanked herself backwards, away from the merfolk man, and then slapped him across the face. The slap didn’t hit very hard, as we were underwater, but the intent was clear enough.

The merfolk man, looking stricken, immediately put some space between the two of them.

*How dare you proposition me like some kind of whore?” Bridget loudly snapped, drawing the attention of most people in the room. Even the musicians were surprised, and the music stopped.

“I knew it,” Julian grumbled and started swimming toward the scene. I quickly kicked to keep pace beside him.

By now, Bridget had swam halfway to Nicholas. He met her there in the middle.

We arrived at Nicholas and Bridget at the same time the offending merfolk man did. He continuously bowed.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I misunderstood. I meant no offense.”

“This man offended me in the worst way!” Bridget continued to shout. She gripped ontol Nicholas’s arms. He looked down at where she was holding him, frowning, but she did not release her hold at his clear annoyance.

“I’m so sorry,” the merfolk man continued, again and again.

“Bridgel,” Nicholas said to her, his voice lowered. “You are making this out to be worse than it is.”

Bridget drew herself back, offended once again. “You would allow him to speak to me this way?”

What way? The man was apologizing!

“He suggested we go to a private room, as if I was obligated to give him sexual favors!” Bridget shouted.

Anyone who hadn’t been clued in to what was happening would fully know now. I only hoped someone was keeping the children distracted so they didn’t have to deal with any of this.

“I misunderstood the situation,” the merfolk man said. “I swear that I meant no belittlement or offense.”

Bridget ignored the man’s words. She tugged on Nicholas’s arm. “Challenge him, Nicholas. Defend my honor!”

“That’s really not necessary,” the merfolk man said. He lowered himself into a fuller bow. “I admittedly overstepped and will accept punishment.”

Nicholas hesitated. Bridget’s brow furrowed as she watched Nicholas’s inaction.

Bridget didn’t seem to care about international relations, or if this had been a cultural misunderstanding, or that the merfolk seemed exceedingly apologetic. What she seemed to care about was that Nicholas wasn’t coming to her defense.

At least, not with the speed and virility as he had when he had defended me from Ronan. But Ronan’s advances onto me had been unwelcome. Bridget had seemed to embrace those advances from this merfolk man, and when she made clear that she didn’t want sex, he immediately backed off.

Now, he was even apologizing profusely and accepting full blame.

I’m not sure how she wanted Nicholas to challenge a man who was already prostrating so committedly. The merfolk man would likely forfeit the challenge as soon as it was made.

Gradually, swimming with the serenity and grace befitting her station, Queen Sonal approached.

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“Your Majesty,” the merfolk man said at once. “Forgive me for causing such a scene. I should have known better than to suggest such a thing to our guests.”

“Yes, you should have,” Queen Sonal said. “You may see yourself out of the banquet hall and away from the grounds.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The merfolk man bowed deeply once more, then turned and fled the group. He swam all the way to the top of the banquet hall and then exited through the doors.

“That’s it?” Bridget asked. Her outrage was barely in check. As she looked at the queen, she bowed politely. “Your Majesty, surely a harsher punishment should have been necessary in this case…”

Queen Sonal narrowed her eyes at Bridget, but she didn’t call out the obvious faux pas, even as Julian stiffened beside me.

Questioning a Queen’s judgement was never a good idea, especially as a foreign guest under the queen’s roof. Especially when the offending action did not seem all that serious. Bridget turned on her doe-eyes, likely expecting sympathy and agreement. After all, that was the behavior she was used to back at the werewolf palace.

Here, Queen Sonal only frowned deeper. Maybe she hadn’t seen Bridget’s movies. Or maybe she just didn’t like her.

“He will be dealt with for his assumptions,” Queen Sonal said. Her voice was colder than it had been before. It warmed slightly as she turned to Nicholas. “Prince Nicholas, if you could please direct your fellow guests not to touch a merfolk’s gills.”

“I barely brushed them!” Bridget said. Julian and I shared a disbelieving glance. We both knew that was untrue.

“Touching a person’s gills is a romantic gesture,” Nicholas said with a sigh. His patience was wearing thin.

“You might as well have kissed him on the mouth,” Julian said.

Bridget straightened. Her cheeks tumed slightly red. “Forgive me for not knowing that…”

“You did know it,” Nicholas said softer. “I heard you telling the others earlier today when we were waiting for Piper to board the boat.”

Bridget’s face shifted, becoming redder, even as she attempted to laugh it off. “Oh. I’d forgotten in the moment. How silly of me.”

We all gave her flat locks. No one believed her.

Nicholas sighed as he turned toward Queen Sonal, giving Bridget the cold shoulder.

“Queen Sonal,” Nicholas said. “While we are so appreciative of your hospitality, I feel we should leave soon so as not to outstay our welcome.”

Behind his back, Bridget glared openly – straight at me. As if this was all somehow my fault!