Crisis on Mau.
Chapter 2: Lady Ariel.
That following morning everything was ready for Luna and Artemis's departure. There home planet was located at the Milky way, at Sagittarius Alpha. There was a collection of Planets located there. Mau, Mermaid, Chuu, Coronis and Cocoon to name a few. Each one of them was vastly different than the next. Each one had their own protectors, their own people who could shift between their human and their creature forms whenever they needed.
Mau was no different.
Luna and Artemis were at the launch pad. The Lunarian Royal family, as well as Princess Serenity's friends, would be seeing the couple off. Luna knew that she would miss them. She had grown accustomed to see them every single day
Princess Serenity and Princess Harmony approached them. They were twins but, due to their hair and eye colour, it was very easy to tell them apart. Princess Serenity had inherited her Father's blonde hair and blue eyes. Her hair was up in pigtails - much like her Mother - and she had two buns in her hair. She was wearing a white gown with white winged shoulder pads and behind the gown was white gauzy bow with long, fluttery ribbons attached to it. At the top of the gown was gold hoops and on the bust were two rows of gold beads. She also had golden spiral earrings and on her right wrist was a golden beaded bracelet. On her feet were white flat shoes.
Princess Harmony, however, was completely different from her sister. She had her Mother's eyes which were lavender but her hair was blue. Her buns were a lot more fluffier then Serenity' and her pigtails were a more shorter, they rested were her gloves were. She was wearing a pink gown with silver ruffled shoulder pads and pale pink gauzy bow with long, fluttery ribbons attached to it. On her arms were long, white gloves with pink bracelets on them. She had the same hoops and beads as Serenity, however, hers were in silver rather then gold. She also had rose earrings, and a necklace made up of pink and silver beads with a circular pendant attached to it. Instead of a crescent moon, however, there was a gold star on her forehead.
Princess Harmony was a Lunarian through and through, though anybody who probably saw the symbol on her forehead might of thought that she was adopted. From the moment she heard that rumour, Queen Serenity had put an end to that rumour straight away. Harmony definitely was her daughter. She had the birth records to prove it, birth records that had not been tampered with. She went on to explain that Harmony was Lunarian but the symbol on her forehead meant something else. It meant that Princess Harmony was aligned to a different destiny.
Everybody knew that. But, nobody knew exactly what that destiny was. Even Queen Serenity didn't know what it was - and she had asked Queen Mercia to give her some insight. But, the Queen of Pluto couldn't tell her what it meant.
In Harmony's hands were a bouquet of flowers. It was common for to give gifts to those who were leaving the Moon and wouldn't be returning in a while. It was a little something to remember them by.
"Come back to us in one piece, Luna." Princess Harmony said as she handed Luna the bouquet. "And, stay safe out there."
"I shall. Thank you, Princess." Luna replied.
Luna smiled as she hugged the bluenette. She was going to miss her dearly. Princess Harmony vivid learner and an excellent student. She always managed to find time to visit Luna, whether it was to talk about certain topics or having afternoon tea in the Palace's garden. Luna enjoyed their time together. They were practically best friends, despite there social standing.
When they were finished Harmony turned her attention to Artemis.
"Take care of her Artemis. Luna is a strong women but she will need all of the support she can get whilst she is on Mau" Harmony instructed.
"You don't need to worry about that, Princess. Luna is my responsibility. She is my partner and I'll protect her no matter what." Artemis replied.
Adding to that, Artemis turned to her and placed a kiss on her check. Luna tried not to blush as Artemis pulled away from her and linked his hand with hers. Honestly, he choose the wrong time to show affection towards her. Not that Luna minded it but she wished he wouldn't do in public. The 'aw' coming from the Princesses were not helping.
Instead, Luna turned her attention to Princess Serenity. In her hands was a navy blue box with a crescent moon in the middle. Luna accepted the box and she opened it. Inside was a crescent moon necklace with a gold chain.
"Oh, Serenity, this is so beautiful." Luna marvelled.
Princess Serenity grinned. "Do you like it? I wanted my gift to be something special, and it needed to be something that reminds you of home, so I decided to give you this. Princess Darlene helped me pick it out."
"I do. Thank you, Princess." Luna replied as the two of them hugged. When they finished Luna turned her attention to the Venusian Princess. "And, thank you two Princess Darlene."
"Your welcome, Luna." Princess Darlene replied.
Luna nodded in return. She was merely showing her gratitude towards the Venusian Princess. It was a beautiful gift and Princess Darlene had helped Serenity pick it out. It was only fair that Darlene received the same kindness. She turned her attention back to the Lunarian Princess. "Now then, young lady. Need I remind you to carry on with your studies? It is very important for a future Queen to be ready for anything, and she must be educated in all possible subjects."
Princess Serenity blushed. "O-oh. Of course not, Luna. I promise I'll buckle down and do some work."
"And, if she doesn't, then I'll make sure she doing something productive with her time." Princess Halimeda quickly interjected.
"See, Luna. No need to worry." Princess Serenity beamed.
It took everything Luna had to not roll her eyes. Somehow she had a feeling that Princess Serenity wouldn't be carrying on with her studies.
Princess Serenity didn't have a gift for Artemis, only because she didn't know what to give him. Luckily, for her, her brother Prince Apollo did. Much like his Sister, Apollo had both of his parent's features. He had lavender hair and blue eyes. He was wearing blue royal jacket, white trousers and blue boots. Apollo approached Artemis. In his hands was a black box, he told Artemis to open it. Inside the box was a sword on top of blue velvet. There were a few runes on the blade. The hilt of blade was silver.
"My lord, I can't accept this." Artemis objected. "This sword is a Lunarian sword. It was far more suitable for a member of the royal family. I cannot accept it."
"You can and you will, Artemis, because I intrust you with it. I can't think of no better man to wield it." Prince Apollo responded.
"Are you certain, my Lord?" Artemis questioned.
"Yes, Artemis. Forgive me for the intrusion but I know about your past. You used to be swordsman before you came to the Moon, didn't you?" Reluctantly, Artemis nodded in response. Apollo realised that he had crossed the line, and brought up something that still bothered the man. "My apologies, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. That wasn't my intent. I merely wished to give you a weapon so that you could defend yourself, and to give you a chance to correct your past."
"Correct my past?" Artemis frowned.
"You have remark talent, Artemis, and you are an wonderful teacher. But, in order to move on from your past, you must comfort it. Why not accept this sword and prove to those who harmed you that you are stronger than they are." Apollo explained. "Prove to them that you can come back from anything and show them why you became a swords master in the first place."
Artemis thought about the Prince's words for a moment. It would be nice if he could prove himself to The Council and to Leo, especially since he told Luna that the next time he and Leo meet then they would have a duel, He had come to love archery but swords play would always be his thing.
"What's the sword's name?" Artemis asked.
"Lightbringer, Slicer of the Moonwalker." Apollo told him. "The blade was commissioned by Queen Purity with Lunarian silver. It was for her Husband. I thought it was fitting to give it you."
"I... Thank you, my Lord." Artemis said after he accepted the box.
The Lunarian Prince nodded his head in response before he retuned to the rest of his family. He was glad that Artemis accepted his gift, though he suspected that there was some hesitation lingering in Artemis's mind. He couldn't decide if it was to do with the fact that he had given him a Lunarian sword, especially since that weapon was a relic, or the fact that he was about to take up swordplay again.
He couldn't help but wonder if he did the right thing. He might have been forcing Artemis to take up swordplay again. Perhaps it was too early for the white haired man to start using a sword again. His reassurance had been that he would need a weapon to defend himself should he engage in close combat, and he didn't know if Artemis knew anything about craftmanship or subterfuge. He was brought out of this thoughts when a hand gently touched his left shoulder. He turned his head to left and saw his Father looking at him.
"This is something he has to do for himself." King Remus told him. "You did the right thing, son."
Apollo didn't replied to him. He just nodded in agreement. Part of him wanted to question his Father but he decided against it, telling himself that his Father had his reasons for not disagreeing with his decision. And, he was right. This was something Artemis had to for himself.
The planetary Princess were allowed to give their gifts to Luna and Artemis, Princess Halimeda was the first to give her gift which was for Luna. Much like Moon Prince and Princesses, they too decided to split their gift giving in half - Princess Halimeda and Princess Josephine had gifts for Luna whilst Princess Aithne and Princess Darlene had gifts for Artemis.
Halimeda was the Princess of Mercury. She had short, dark blue hair that went down to her neck and blue eyes. She was wearing a blue floor-length gown, a choker necklace with ribbons attached and flat shoes. She was also wearing a tear drop necklace in blue an on her forehead was the symbol of Mercury. She was the first to hand her gift over. In her hands was a collection of books, all written by Mercurian writers.
Delighted, Luna accepted the gift. She hardly had anytime to read nowadays but, when she managed to find the time, she had spent most of her time in the Palace's library. "Thank you, Princess Halimeda. I can't wait to read these. "
The bluentte nodded in return. "Your welcome, Luna. I heard the journey to Mau was going to be quite long. I thought you might be able to pass the time with a collection of good books. I hope you have much fun reading these I as did, Luna. "
"I shall. Again, thank you Princess." Luna replied.
Princess Halimeda smiled as she went to hug Luna. When she was finished she hugged Artemis as well. When they pulled away she went back to where she was original standing, allowing the next Princess to give her gift.
It was Princess Josephine's turn next. There was also one of the Lunarian servants walking up with her, in his hands was a white box.
Josephine was the Princess of Jupiter. She had reddish-brown hair, which was tied up in a ponytail and kept in place by a green ribbon with a pink rose in the middle, and green eyes. She was wearing a green gown that went down to her toes and splits into two at the bottom and green heels with a strap across the ankle, on her hips were green roses. Around her neck was a green choker which was tied up in a bow at the back of neck, there was also ribbons attached to the choker that went all the way down her back. She was also wearing a necklace, her ears had pink rose earrings, and on her forehead was the planetary symbol of Jupiter.
"I have baked some delicious treats for the two of you on your journey." She informed them. "You can also share them amongst your people. I made more than I originally planed to."
"You didn't have to do that for us, Princess." Luna said.
"But, I wanted to, Luna. Besides, you'll never know when you will be able to try my chocolate browns again." Josephine replied.
"She has a point, Luna." Artemis pipped up. "And, she does makes lovely brownies."
Luna rolled her eyes. Typical Artemis. Thinking with his stomach and not his brain.
Josephine merely giggled as she allowed servant - Dimitri, Luna recalled - to put the box onto the ship. He offered to take the other gifts as well so that their hands would be free. Both of them accepted the offer. When he came back he accompanied Josephine back to the small gathering and allowed the next Princess to give her gift. It was Princess Aithne's turn next.
Aithne was the Princess of Mars. She had long, black hair and purple eyes. She was wearing a red floor length gown with a pink second down the middle. Around her neck was a red choker which was tied into a bow at the back and there were ribbons connected to it which went down her back. On her feet were red high heeled shoes with straps. She also had her star earrings on. On her forehead was the planetary symbol of mars.
In her hands was a quiver with a set of arrows inside of it. The Martian was well aware of Artemis's capability with a bow, and he still had his bow from the moment he picked up archery, so there was no point of giving him a new bow.
Artemis pulled out one of the arrows. "These were made from Martian steel, right?"
"That's right. They were made from the finest quality steel Mars has to offer." Princess Aithne replied. "And, its also an apology for my behaviour yesterday. I let my emotions get the better of me."
"No need to worry, Princess. All is forgiven." Artemis said as he put the belt over his body with the quiver facing the space ship.
Aithne nodded as she accept the hug Artemis was offering her. She was glad that there was was no issues between the two of them. She wouldn't want him to leave on a bad note. She hugged Luna as well before heading back to the small group of people, ignoring the look Princess Darlene was giving her. Instead, she allowed the blonde to give her gift to Artemis.
Darlene was the Princess of Venus. She had light blonde hair, which had a yellow bow in it with a rose in the middle, and blue eyes. she was wearing a golden-yellow, floor length dress with ruffles. On the straps were yellow bows, attached to them were ribbons which went all the way down to the mid-section of the ruffles. Around her neck was a yellow choker, which was tied up into a bow at the back, and she was also wearing a necklace. She had heart earrings and on her feet were heeled shoes with a strap around her ankle. On her forehead was the planetary symbol of Venus.
She approached Artemis. In her hands was a grey box, there was a white ribbon tied around the box and on top of the box was a bow.
"I don't have any weapons, any books or any chocolates for you. But, my gift is something special for you and I hope it reminds you of me." Princess Darlene said.
Artemis accepted the box from the Venusian. Opening it up, his eyes widen once he saw what was inside. There was a gold bracelet in the around with diamonds around it.
Artemis marvelled at the bracelet. For a moment formalities were brushed aside. "Darlene, I... I... I don't know what to say."
"Do you like it?" Darlene asked.
"I don't just like it. I love it. Its beautiful." Artemis replied.
"Then there's no need to say anything else. Your reaction told me everything." Princess Darlene said before she hugged him. When she pulled away she took his spare hand. "Pleasant journey, Artemis and come back safely."
Artemis nodded. "Thank you, Princess."
Darlene smiled as she went to hug Luna. She was really going to miss the two of them. Not only was Artemis her close friend, he was the best person to give her advice. Sometimes she would find herself in a difficult situation and she would usually seek out the advice of her parents. But, they were on Venus and she was the Moon and sometimes she wouldn't get the opportunity to talk to them. However, she still had Artemis and he had helped her more times then she could remember. was like a Brother to her.
So did Luna. She wasn't just the advisor to Queen Serenity, or the teacher to Princess Serenity and Princess Harmony. She was also a mentor for the Princesses and she always had time for the four of them.
Darlene went back to where she was originally standing. With all the gifts taken care of, Queen Serenity and King Remus walked up to the couple.
"Now then I need you two to listen to me for a moment. No matter what happens to you, whatever hardships you might face, remember that you two have each other. Your bond is extraordinary and your love is true. As long as you have each other no one will harm you." Queen Serenity told them. "The next few days will be troublesome. Remember to support and comfort each other when needed."
"And remember to trust in your abilities and your gifts" King Remus added. "You both know how to fight, whether it be as a Sailor Soldier or as an archer. You are not going into this defenceless. And, just like my wife said, you have each other. Remember to watch over and guard each other. Together, you have the strength to over come any obstacles that will your way. May you be victories in your upcoming battles."
"We shall. Thank you, your majesties." Luna replied.
"Your welcome, Luna. And, please, be careful." Queen Serenity said. "I have a feeling that this mission isn't going to be easy. There's going to be a lot of trials and tribulations throughout your time on Mau. You should act with caution."
Luna nodded before they hugged each other. The Queen's words echoed in her head. She had a feeling that Queen Serenity had seen something about . Perhaps she asked Queen Mercia for some insight on this mission, yet she knew the Queen of Pluto wouldn't be able to tell her everything. That just made her feel uneasy. She hope that, whatever Queen Mercia had seen, it wouldn't be too horrible.
She hugged King Remus just as Artemis was hugging Queen Serenity. When they were finished the King and Queen went back to the gathering. It was time for Luna and Artemis to leave. The Princesses, the Prince, the King and Queen said there finally good byes to the two of them before allowing them to board the spaceship. They put their remaining gifts in their bedrooms. When he was finished, Artemis made his way to the cockpit. He had completed the final preparations by the time Luna entered the cockpit. When they were ready the ship lifted off and they took off into space.
The journey to Mau had been fairly pleasant. Artemis was the one guiding the spaceship to the feline planet, though both he and Luna agreed to take turns piloting the ship should the other wish to sleep. Luna spent most of her time preparing meals for the two of them when needed, reading or practicing her magic. To everyone's surprise, Luna had been blessed with a Crystal and she had the ability to become a Sailor Soldier. She can only imagine what type of response she will recive once the people of Mau noticed her newfound strength.
Despite that both of the were nervous. They were returning to their home planet - returning to old friends, old hardships and scrutiny in order to bring back peace to their planet. The next few days, maybe even longer than that, would be hard for the both of them. Not only did they have to deal with a murderer, they would also be under the watchful eyes of The Council - they would be ones questioning their every movement, why Luna was allowed to solve a murder and, of course, putting herself and Lady Ariel down.
"We will be landing soon." Artemis informed her. He managed to sneak in a quick glance at the raven haired women. "Nervous?"
"Yes, for many reasons." Luna replied. "I'd never thought we would return to Mau and, if we did, I'd imagine it would be under better circumstances. Not like this."
"Me too." Artemis admitted. "I was hoping that there would be some sort of change happening, that everybody would be allowed the live peacefully without somebody questioning or judging them. I was re-reading some of Lady Ariel's reports before we left the Moon. Its... not looking good."
Though Luna herself had seen those reports, it had been a long since she had read them. Whilst part of didn't want to hear it, there was no doubt in her mind that she needed a brief refresher. "How bad is it?"
"Lady Ariel is trying but its difficult to make any changes with The Council in charge. They keep fighting back and forth about certain things." Artemis summarised.
"Because they would never allow a women to be fully in charge." Luna said bitterly.
"Exactly. If there's ever going to be some change on Mau than they need to get over the prejudice and allow Lady Ariel to do what she needs to do. She played by their rules, was triumphant in the combat test, showed how intelligent she was and was crowned ruler of Mau. She won fair and square." Artemis agreed. "They should just let her rule in peace."
"But, they won't do that, Arty." Luna countered. "They are still trying to control the planet, even after Lady Ariel proved herself. And, look what happened, Artemis. A murder has took place and the criminal is still out there. Do you honestly think for one minute that they are going to leave their chambers and find the criminal themselves?"
Artemis flinched as the question was directed at him, as if he was the one with all the answers - Well, he was the only other person in the spaceship, wasn't he? Except he didn't have the answers to Luna's questions. He knew she was right, the members of The Council wouldn't help anyone unless it benefited them - although, now that he thought about, what not use this situation to their advantage and win back the interest of the public?
Not every member of The Council was horrible. Some of them were more nicer and they actually wanted to help the public. They didn't treat women like objects and they were a lot more inclusive. But they couldn't go against their Leader unless they wished to suffer the consequences. If only they put their differences aside and teamed up with Lady Ariel? She was afraid of the members of The Council and she did sympathies with those were afraid of defying there leader.
But, that was just wishful thinking. There was no way that was going to happen unless something happened to their leader.
"I'm sorry, Artemis. I didn't mean to snap at you. Luna apologised.
"Huh." Artemis turned towards the raven haired women again. She looked upset. "Its not your fault, Luna. I was just thinking about what you said. Your right, they're not going to find the murder themselves unless they gain something out of it. That's why its up to us and Lady Ariel to find them. We cannot allow the murderer to strike again."
Luna nodded. He's right. They had to stop this before the situation got out of control. Who knows what could happened if they didn't find them soon.
"Luna."
"Yes, Artemis?"
"Its will be alright, you know. I won't let them degrade you whilst we are here. We are in this together." Artemis told her.
"Thank you, Arty." Luna said.
"No problem, Luna." Artemis replied.
Artemis had managed to land the spaceship without any complications. They spent the new few minutes gathering their belongings, everything else was going to be brought to their chambers inside Whisperclaw Fortress by the servants if needed, before heading towards the door. Luna tried to steady her nervous as she waited for the doors to be lowered. She wanted the first day to be smooth as possibly. The last thing she needed right now was trouble, though sooner or later trouble would eventually find them.
Besides, eventually they would have to meet with The Council. There was no escaping that.
Artemis placed his hand on Luna's shoulder. She turned to face him. There was a smile on his face and look of reassurance in his eyes, a sign that he was with her no matter what.
The doors were finally lowered, allowing Luna and Artemis to head down the ramp. There were a few people waiting for them. They weren't expecting a welcoming committee. They had only been communicating with Lady Ariel through letters and reports so nobody, if anybody, knew about there arrival. Luna suspected that Lady Ariel had informed a few people, if she were to guess it would probably been on a needs to know basis.
There was, however, one person that they did recognise. It was a young man with brown hair, gold eyes and tanned skin tone. He was wearing a navy blue tailcoat, a black waistcoat, a white shirt and trousers and black boots. His name was Arthur. He was Lady Ariel's Brother. Luna could tell that he didn't like the outfit he was wearing and she couldn't help but wonder why he was wearing it in the first place. Maybe it was to make him look like royalty.
"Welcome, Luna and Artemis." Arthur greeted. "Its been far too long."
"Hello, Arthur." Luna replied. She hugged him and, when they were finished, he shook Artemis's hand. "How have you been?"
"I'm feeling alright. Still getting used to layout of the fortress." Arthur replied before frowning. "Although, sometimes I've been feeling rather frustrated lately. I have been forced to attended meetings with the members of The Council. I'm not sure what they want out of this but they are trying to mould me into something I'm not. They want me to become a spy and give them any information on my Sister."
"Have you told Lady Ariel about this?" Luna inquired.
"I have, despite them telling me not to. She has talked to them about this, told them that they weren't allowed to use me in their little games, but they won't listen to her." Arthur said.
Artemis shook his head. Really now, this was getting out of hand. It was one thing to completely ignore their leader, it was another to use her Brother against her. He knew Arthur and Ariel since they were younger and he knew how close they were. To use her Brother against her... what exactly were they trying to accomplish by doing this? Where they trying to manipulated Ariel so that they would be able to control her? Or, perhaps they wanted Arthur to become a member of The Council?
Speaking of Lady Ariel...
"Where's Lady Ariel? Is she not well?" Artemis inquired.
"Actually, my Sister is waiting for us in her chambers. We thought that would be the ideal meeting place without anybody disturbing us and, well, you know about the attempts on her life. It would be safer for her to stay inside the fortress's walls, as much as she hates it." Arthur explained. "So its just me and a few servants here at the moment, per my Sister's request."
"But, do they know the actual reason as to why we are here in the first place?" Artemis muttered.
Arthur nodded. "They do but Ariel didn't give them the full details. Only myself, Ariel and Carmentis know the full details."
"That makes sense." Luna thought. "The less people know the better."
"Now then, if you would kindly follow me, I shall take you to your chambers and then we shall met with my Sister." Arthur said.
They followed the brunette as he guided them inside the walls of Whisperclaw Fortress. It had been a long time since they had been inside the fortress so they would need to get used to layout again. Arthur was guiding them through a very precise route that avoid particular rooms, mainly through the secret passage way that was connected to the kitchen to a parlour room on the second floor. He told them that the parlour room was closest to the bedrooms and that the fewer people that saw them the better.
Arthur went on to add that this would only apply to Whisperclaw Fortress since the Fortress was connected to the tower that the members of The Council reside in - not all of them since some of them had families and had residence outside of the Fortress. Ariel trusted the members of staff in the Fortress but somehow Ariel had a feeling that someone would inform The Council about Luna and Artemis arrival and they would have to force them to attended a meeting with them.
Arthur showed them their rooms for the duration of the there stay. Luna and Artemis's rooms were next door to each other and near Lady Ariel's. Arthur allowed them time to unpack and to inspect there rooms.
Both rooms were cosy. There was a double post bed near on the right side of the room with fluffy pillows and dark blue covers. On the opposite side of the room was a fireplace. There was a closet and dresser, a dressing table with a chair in front of it, a bookcase with a collection of books on the shelves. There was a table and chairs by the window, which showed a lovely view of the garden.
Luna had managed to finish putting away the last of her clothes in the closet before she started looking for a certain book that would be vital for this case. She managed to find the book that Queen Amaryllis had leant her. She too had been curious about the contents of this murder and had asked for a report whenever they were finished, providing that Lady Ariel didn't mind of course. The book in question was on witchcraft. Luna was busy reading it when Arthur entered the room. He raised an eyebrow as he was reading the front cover.
"Witchcraft, eh?" Arthur said "I never heard of that before. What is it?"
"Its a type of magic only see on Earth and, as far as I'm aware, on another satellite. Its more to do with spells and black magic." Luna told him as she closed the book. "We think its related to the death of that young women. Somebody on Mau has been practicing witchcraft and, whoever it is, they are responsible for that young women's death."
"I see." Arthur said.
Well, that doesn't help, does it? How exactly do you find somebody with magic? A part from his Sister, hardly anybody had magic on Mau. They were known for being highly skilled in either swordplay or archery.
"Is Artemis ready?" Luna inquired.
"I'm right here, my darling." Artemis said as he entered the room.
"Well then, shall we go?" Arthur asked "We don't want to keep my Sister waiting."
He lead them out of the room and down the corridor to Ariel's chambers. When they were outside the door Arthur knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Its Arthur, Sister. You said you wanted to see me?" Arthur replied.
"I did. Come in please."
Arthur opened the door for them. The insides of Lady Ariel's chambers very lovely, just how Luna remembered them. The walls were painted blue and gold, the flooring was black and white checkered with an embroidered large rug in the middle of the room. On top of the rug was a low table with white piece of cloth on top of it, there were two elegant couches with pillows on either side of the table. There was another table over by the window with chairs on both side of the table.
There were a few more items of the furniture in the room. A lamp, several bookcases with books on the shelves, a credenza and a large dresser. On the right side of the room was a desk with documents On the left side of the room were lavender curtains that went of to the bedroom. On the walls were a few panting's, a clock and a mirror. There was also a tea set on the table.
Sitting at the desk was a women with brown hair, which was tied up into a ponytail, tanned skin and gold eyes. She was wearing a black pant suit, a white shirt and brown heels. There was a locket around her neck. This was Lady Ariel. She took one glance at the people standing before her and her eyes lit up once she realised who was standing before her.
"Luna, Artemis!" Ariel squealed. The chair had knocked down as she stood up. "You made it!"
She went around the table and walked straight over to them. She hugged Artemis first then she hugged Luna.
"Easy now, Lady Ariel. No need to overexcite yourself." Luna chimed in.
"Sorry. I'm just really happy to see you guys. Its been far too long." Ariel apologised as she pulled away. She pouted slightly. "And, there's no need to be so formal, Luna. We have talked about this. I might be royalty now but I'm still your friend. Please, call me Ariel."
"Fine." Luna sighed.
"Why don't we sit down?" Artemis suggested. "We need to talk about the reason as to why were are here in the first place."
They walked over to the couches. Luna and Artemis took the one on the left and Arthur and Ariel took the one on the right. Arthur poured tea for them.
"So, as we all know, there has been a murder on Mau and the murderer has used a unique method in order to kill someone. We don't know what the motive is and we don't know how they have done it. What we do know is that there were strange markings seen on the victim's body." Ariel summarised. "Were you able to figure out what those markings were?"
"Yes. They are symbols used in witchcraft." Luna replied.
Ariel frowned. "Witchcraft?"
"Its another form of magic, only it can be a lot more sinister in some cases." Artemis told her. "Essentially, it is a form of black magic."
"So, we are dealing with some sort of magic user then." Ariel said. "Well, that narrows things down but not for the better. There hasn't been a magic user since... Well, me actually. But, I know for certain that is not me so its got to be someone else."
"It could be somebody outside of Mau. Both King Remus and Queen Amaryllis of Earth told us that witchcraft was predominantly used on Earth for number of years. Not all of it was bad. Anybody who was gifted with magic sometimes used their gifts for healing, or used their gifts for the greater good." Luna suggested. "However, whoever is behind this has malicious intensions and they killed this young women for a reason. And, since we are a planet known for swordplay and archery, it has to be someone who wasn't always living on this planet."
Ariel placed her tea cup down on the table. She rested her her chin on her right hand as she thought about the body she saw in the hospital. Whilst she was aware of the fact that some magic users could have abilities relating to fire, the only thing that didn't make sense was the symbols on the women's body. Perhaps they were responsible for the women's death. After all nobody saw anybody using magic in public, unless they were hiding in plan sight. But, there was no traces of magic in the area or signs of scorch marks on the ground.
"Why don't we visit Carmentis in the hospital?" Arthur suggested. "She might have new developments for us and, as horrible as it is, Luna and Artemis need to see what happened to the young women."
"Is that necessary, Arthur?" Artemis questioned. "Ariel sent us some photos in her last letter. I'm sure there's no need to see the body in person."
"I did do that." Ariel replied. "But, I still think you should
Luna considered the offer before she turned to Artemis. Despite not wanting to see it, she had a feeling that they needed to check the body in person. Besides they needed to talk to Carmentis. They needed to hear her observations and her own theories on the matter. Perhaps something she had lined up with there own discovery.
"Alright." Artemis sighed. "Lets go and see Carmentis."
With that said everybody finished drinking there tea. They talked to each other as they were drinking. It was mostly to do with there time on the Moon, Luna had noticed that Ariel was avoiding talking about anything to do with Mau. The raven haired women had a hunch about that, it was probably to do with the fact that she was having trouble changing Mau for the better. That she wasn't able to keep her promise. She was failing her home planet. Luna knew she would have to talk to her about that at some point.
When they were finished they placed there teacups and there saucers down on the table, they would be collected by the maid later. They stood up and left the room.