Here's chapter 9! Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Sprites of the Planets
Luna woke up late the next morning and was a bit tired from the traveling. Looking up at the sun, Luna assumed that it was about ten. I wonder how Mom is doing with the farming? Luna smiled, I'm sure that Dad is helping her. Luna rose from her make-shift bed, some old linens and furs, and stretched with a yawn. Luna decided to call herself home at a broken down barn on the hill that could look out at the whole town. There was also the destroyed well and a barren patch of land on top of that hill.
Luna stayed up late yesterday and made sure that she prepared enough bread rolls and buckets of water for the villagers to eat for the day. Only if I could get my hands on some produce and eggs. Luna frowned, Maybe I can go look for some seeds in the forest later today, but I think that the eggs are a bit of a stretch right now considering that I haven't seen any birds yet.
"Good morning Luna!" Uranus chirped, "Can we go see the Harvest Goddess today?!"
"Wait," Luna stopped him in shock, "You can actually go and see the Harvest Goddess?"
"Yeah!" Uranus smiled and explained, "She was frozen at the Goddess Springs."
"Uranus," Luna shuffled to her feet, "Do you think that there would be any seeds by the springs?" Luna dressed in the trousers and work shirt that she brought from home.
"I think," Uranus sat himself on Luna's shoulder and thought hard, "If I remember correctly, the Goddess Springs were the only place left fertile because the Goddess put a protection spell over that place long before people roamed this land."
"Wonderful!" Luna exclaimed. She quickly brushed her hand through her braids and pulled it back into a loose ponytail. Luna was more focused on finding the springs than braiding her hair. "Where is the Goddess Springs?"
"I can take you there." Uranus smiled and fluttered above Luna. Without a warning, Uranus poured some green sprite dust over Luna's head and within seconds, they arrived at the springs.
Uranus was correct, the Goddess Springs had been untouched by the Witch's harm. The only thing that was abnormal about the springs was the frozen statue towards the center of the springs.
"So this is the Goddess." Luna allowed herself to float over towards the Goddess with her magic.
"Yeah," Uranus touched the Goddess's cheek and frowned, "I hope that Gaia is okay."
"I'm sure that she is fine," Luna smiled and heard a beeping noise. Her clothes glowed slightly and Luna looked down in alarm. "What in the world...?"
"Luna... Luna... Can you see us?" Her father's voice called out to her.
"Dad?" Luna gasped and she tore a small piece of her shirt. "Hold on, I'm getting the spell ready!"
"What is happening?!" Uranus cowered, "Why are your clothes glowing?!"
"It's a communication spell," Luna smiled and quickly worked at the clothing. She used her magic to enlarge the cloth so that she could see her father's face. "Hey dad!" Luna waved at the face.
Gale, Anna, and Charles were at the other end of the spell in Castanet. Luna could tell that they were in their home and sitting at the dining room table.
"Hi sweetie!" Anna waved happily with her usual carefree smile.
"Hi mom! How long has it been for you all since I left?" Luna grew curious.
"Just over an hour." Charles smiled with a nod, "Where are you child?" He noticed that she was floating above the Goddess Springs.
"It's a long story." Luna did not want to explain the whole situation, "But let's just say I am at the Goddess Springs of Waffle Island and I am trying to figure out how to thaw the Goddess."
"I already told you how though." Uranus interrupted.
"Who is that...?" Gale asked and saw the Harvest Sprite.
"This is Uranus, and he is one of the eight Harvest Sprites of this land." Luna remembered, "Which reminds me, what do you know about a prophecy?"
Luna could see her father freeze up and Anna answered for him, "How did this come up, sweetie?"
"Uranus said that he met someone in the past right around when I was born." Luna explained, "And I think it was Dad."
"I..." Gale coughed, "That was a prophecy that I thought was for your mother... But with time... Found out that it was you..."
"Well, Uranus found me, but the prophecy says that I am suppose to save a guy." Luna pointed to the frozen Goddess, "That is a chick."
"Luna!" Anna scowled, "Mind your manners!"
"She can't hear me," Luna argued.
"You still should be thoughtful," Charles added, "Especially in the presence of a Goddess."
"Luna..." Gale continued, "I don't know anything else about the Goddess... Or the prophecy... But what are all of the sprites named after the planets?"
"Yeah," Luna nodded, "Except for Earth, that one is the Goddess herself."
"Understood." He nodded and placed his hand to his chin, "Give me some time to research this matter..."
"I have already assumed that Jupiter will come from a storm since he controls the sky and lightning." Luna told her father what she knew from Uranus.
"Yes... Good thinking..." He left the table and disappeared from Luna's view.
"Have you made any friends?" Anna smiled and asked her daughter.
"Within the few days that I have been here," Luna laughed, "I have made a huge enemy and met a few skeptics."
"Who is giving you trouble?" Charles worried.
"Two people actually, but one is just an annoyance." Luna explained, "There is a witch here that somehow she had cast a spell on the Goddess and froze her, but listen to this, she's not actually a witch."
"What do you mean?" Anna asked confused.
"I showed my aura and she could not even tell that I was a witch." Luna sighed, "How is that even possible?"
"What was she wearing Luna?" Charles grew curious.
"All black and she had this huge onyx gemstone around her neck."
"A magic stone." Charles frowned and crossed his arms with a sigh.
"A what?" Luna asked.
"A magic stone," Charles explained, "The name is self explanatory, but that is where she is drawing her power from." He tsk-ed, "And those are a fickle to destroy because magic can't destroy them."
"Just like her fortress." Luna thought aside and then asked, "How do I destroy it?"
"I have only heard this from stories, but the way to destroy it is through a sword made by the strongest ore." Charles shook his head, "But what stone that is, I have no idea."
"It could be the goddess ore." Anna added into the conversation, "Owen once told me that goddess ore is the rarest and strongest of all ores." She changed the topic, "Who is the other person?"
"I'll try that." Luna nodded, "And the other person is just this weird creep."
"Who is it, child?" Charles asked.
"His name is Artemis." Luna said disgusted, "He hunts and shows up at the most random of times."
"Like the goddess of the hunt?" Anna smiled at her knowledge, "Try giving him silver arrows next time that he causes you trouble."
"How come?" Luna intrigued.
"In mythology, it says that Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and the moon. She is also the protector of the young and animals, especially deer, are sacred to her. Her choice of weapon is a bow with silver arrows."
The goddess of the moon... Luna thought about his eyes and how light they were in the dark.
"We have to go now sweetie," Anna smiled, "We will check in soon though, okay?"
"Alright mom." Luna said her goodbyes and the magic receded from the cloth. Luna looked back up at the goddess and circled her several times. Luna hoped that by staring at the Harvest Goddess the answer of how to unfreeze her would pop out; however that was not the case, but after the third time of circling the Goddess Luna noticed something odd.
"She's smiling." Luna crossed stopped circling her, "Like she knew that this was going to happen."
"She always smiled." Uranus dismissed Luna's theory.
"If I saw my attacker head on," Luna stood back and pointed two fingers at the goddess, "I would be in fear."
"Maybe she didn't see her." Uranus shrugged.
"Even so," Luna floated behind her and put her fingers up again, "You would still feel the impact of the spell." Luna placed her hand to her chin and thought aloud, "That is probably how she was able to send my father that message, and from the sound of it, she has sent that message to him long before I was born."
"Once we find my family, we can give her enough magic to reverse the spell." Uranus pulled on Luna's arm, "Let's start searching them!"
"But none of this explains why me." Luna ignored him and frowned, "If I am not here to save her, who is this "him" that I am suppose to save?"
"I don't have the answer to that." Uranus apologized, "But I bet one of my siblings might!" He cheered up.
Luna sighed, unsatisfied, but obliged to Uranus's wishes, "Alright, where do we start?"
"That lady in the cloth said something about goddess ore and I know that Pluto loves hanging out in the mines." Uranus recalled some valuable information.
Luna landed back safely on the ground and placed Uranus on her shoulder, "Then to the mines we shall go!"
"Do you even have a hammer, Luna?" Uranus asked as Luna searched the ground for any type of seed.
"Oh yeah." Luna stopped, bent over, and picked up some berries. Luna hoped that she would be able to extract some sort of seed from the fruit, "I guess that would be a necessity." She straightened up, pocketed the seeds, and walked again with a bounce in her step, "Then to the blacksmith's we shall go!"
Sadly, this chapter did not have an inspiration song, but if any of you can think of one! We'll add it to the list! We hope that you enjoyed reading chapter 9 and if you have the time, please leave a review! Thank you!