Chapter 4: I stole a birb

Several months passed.

Luna had grown.

Not much.

She was still very small.

Just...

Slightly less potato-shaped.

"...Excellent."

She could now crawl at speeds previously thought impossible by medical professionals and the top scientists of Neptune.

This was unfortunate for everyone except Luna.

The Queen slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she did every morning was smile.

The second thing...

Was reach beside her.

Empty.

She stared.

"..."

A long sigh escaped her lips.

"...Again."

She wasn't even surprised anymore.

She simply rang a small bell beside her bed.

A maid hurried into the room.

"Good morning, Your Majesty."

"The Princess?"

The maid shook her head.

"Gone."

The maid didn't panic.

She shook her head.

"I'll alert the palace."

"...Check the kitchens first."

"Of course."

"And my old friend."

"...Naturally."

The Queen rubbed her temples.

"I hope she isn't forming an army of bubbles again."

The maid smiled awkwardly.

"...About that..."

The Queen closed her eyes.

"...I don't want to know."

Meanwhile...

Luna crawled through the palace like a tiny blue-haired natural disaster.

Her Bubble Soldiers marched proudly beside her.

Well...

"Marched" was perhaps generous.

They bounced.

Very enthusiastically as if they where all getting paid.

Bubble Soldier Number One still wore his tiny bubble moustache.

Luna had promoted him several times.

She wasn't entirely sure what his current rank was.

"...Supreme Ultra Marshall the Great Commander of the Sky and the Sea."

That sounded sufficiently important though.

He saluted proudly.

"...Outstanding work commander."

The palace staff stepped aside as Luna approached.

Not because they feared her.

Because experience had taught them that standing in her way somehow resulted in someone being found a week later with oddly bubble shaped bruises.

One butler bowed politely.

"Good morning, Princess."

Luna looked at him.

"...Good morning."

What actually came out was,

"Bweh!"

The butler smiled warmly.

"What wise words."

Luna nodded.

"...Looks like at least one person here has ears."

A young maid hurried around a corner carrying freshly folded towels, although Luna was never sure how useful they where underwater.

She stopped.

Luna stopped.

The Bubble Soldiers stopped.

The maid looked at Luna.

Luna looked at the towels.

"..."

The maid slowly hid the towels behind her back.

"...Princess?"

Luna continued staring.

"...Those look soft."

She had never touched a towel before.

She suddenly wanted to.

Very badly.

The maid hesitated.

Then slowly handed one over.

Luna grabbed it.

...

It was...

Magnificent.

"..."

She rubbed her face against it.

"..."

Another pause.

"...This is the greatest invention humanity has ever produced."

She had no idea what humanity was anymore.

The maid giggled.

"I'll bring Your Highness one every morning."

Luna nodded seriously.

"...You've earned a promotion."

The maid blinked for she doesn't understand baby talk.

Luna scurried away like a rat underwater.

Far below the palace...

A familiar dragon slowly opened one eye.

Lord Nereus.

One of the 12 Guardian of Atlantis.

Ancient beyond memory.

He sensed something approaching.

He already knew who it was.

Luna crawled directly onto his enormous snout.

"...Morning."

The dragon rumbled happily for he was an existence capable of understanding Luna even though she was a baby.

His growl echoed through the water like distant thunder.

The Bubble Soldiers immediately saluted.

Luna patted one of his enormous scales.

"...Good lizard."

Lord Nereus closed his eyes contentedly.

Several passing guards witnessed this.

One slowly removed his helmet.

"...Do..."

He looked at another guard.

"...Do dragons wag their tails?"

The second guard watched Lord Nereus gently swishing his enormous tail back and forth which most likely caused a calamitous tsunami on the opposite side of Neptune.

"...Apparently."

By the time the Queen arrived...

She found Luna sitting proudly atop the dragon's nose.

The Bubble Soldiers stood in perfect formation around her.

Lord Nereus looked incredibly pleased with himself, as he too became lonely with nobody visiting him.

The Queen smiled.

"...Found you."

Luna waved enthusiastically.

"...Mother, don't take this to heart however I have no choice but to grow my own faction starting with this funky lizard."

"Bwah!"

The Queen laughed.

"I see."

She had absolutely no idea what Luna had just said.

It sounded important though.

The Queen gently lifted Luna into her arms.

"You've become very popular."

Luna looked around.

Servants smiled.

Guards waved.

Fish pointed excitedly, Luna didn't question this as she had only ever seen fish after being reincarnated.

Even the dragon looked slightly disappointed that she was leaving.

"..."

"...Good good, my faction is slowly growing, soon all shall bow before my might!"

The Queen decided another tour was in order.

"There are still many places you haven't seen."

She carried Luna through another wing of the palace.

"This is the Hall of Witchcraft."

Dozens of witches practiced elegant spells.

Streams of water danced through the air.

Ice flowers bloomed.

Tiny glowing fish made entirely from mana swam gracefully around the room.

Luna watched quietly.

"...Pretty."

One apprentice noticed her.

She smiled.

"May I?"

The Queen nodded.

The young witch formed a tiny bird from flowing water.

It chirped happily.

The apprentice giggled.

"There."

She released it.

The bird looked at her.

Then immediately flew toward Luna.

It landed on Luna's head.

"..."

The apprentice blinked.

"...Excuse me?"

The bird happily rubbed against Luna's cheek.

"...Mine hehe."

The bird agreed.

The apprentice looked genuinely betrayed.

"I made you..."

The bird ignored her completely.

"I barely know you"

The apprentice looked flabbergasted.

"S-since when can you talk!?"

The bird just sat on Luna and puffed it's chest in defiance.

Further ahead...

Older witches practiced combat.

Massive currents crashed together.

Water dragons roared into existence before dissolving again.

Protective barriers shimmered beneath complicated spell circles.

Luna watched everything carefully.

"...Cool, I ask again mother to throw me in front of those water dragons, my research is important."

The Queen smiled.

"One day..."

"You'll learn all of this."

Luna looked at the enormous spells.

Then at her own tiny hands.

"..."

"...I think..."

A thoughtful pause.

"...I'm being ignored."

Her stomach growled.

Again.

"...Traitor."

Apparently this happened every few hours.

Highly inefficient.

Then—

"...NO!"

A familiar tiny voice echoed down the corridor.

Chief Engineer Wilson Buttinson Charlston III.

He froze.

His little shrimp eyes met Luna's.

Silence.

Wilson slowly turned around.

"...Your Majesty..."

He whispered to himself.

"...Not again..."

Luna's eyes sparkled.

"...Shrimp."

Wilson screamed.

Internally.

Very professionally.

Then he fled.

Clipboard held tightly against his chest.

Luna immediately gave chase.

Or...

She crawled after him with incredible determination.

The Bubble Soldiers charged alongside her.

Wilson looked over his shoulder.

"WHY DOES SHE ONLY CHASE ME?!"

A passing maid shrugged.

"You do resemble a shrimp."

"I AM A SHRIMP!"

"Huh... I would have never thought."

Wilson looked ready to cry.

The chase lasted approximately thirty seconds.

The Queen calmly intercepted Luna by picking her up from afar, to the naked eye it looked as if the queen merely grabbed the water in front of her, however Luna was still stopped.

Luna reached toward Wilson hanging in the water.

"...Come back shrimp or else I'll have no choice but to use my ultimate technique."

Wilson collapsed onto the floor dramatically.

"I HAVE SURVIVED!"

Several nearby servants applauded politely.

One even wiped away a tear.

Wilson adjusted his tiny spectacles.

"...I request three extra paid days off."

The Queen approached and took Luna into her hands with a stern look.

"Absolutely not"

Wilson dramatically acted out his heart being in pain.

That evening...

The Queen carried Luna onto a quiet balcony overlooking Atlantis.

The underwater city stretched endlessly into the distance.

Marble towers.

Coral forests.

Glowing gardens.

Sea dragons drifting peacefully between ancient buildings.

Thousands upon thousands of lights illuminated the kingdom.

"It is beautiful..."

the Queen whispered.

"One day..."

"All of this will be yours."

Luna looked across the endless city.

It really was beautiful.

Far more beautiful than Earth.

She smiled.

"...Mine."

The Queen laughed softly.

Luna rested comfortably against her mother.

"...This place..."

She looked at the city one last time.

"...Since it's mine anyway I'll reluctantly protect it."

Only a tiny,

"Ba."

Left her mouth.

But somehow...

The Queen smiled anyway.

"...I beg you though, don't eat Wilson, I do need him to fix everything you destroy."