Lewis stretched the tape across the cardboard box before cutting it with his teeth and pressing it firm to seal the flaps. He took a moment to survey the progress he'd made. Except for the larger furniture and a small bag of essentials, everything he owned was now neatly packed away in the moving boxes. He let out a slightly emotional sigh. He was really doing this: He was moving out.

He turned back to lift the box he had just packed and put it with the others by his bedroom door. But as he got his arms around it, he realized he might have packed it too heavy. Why did he think putting all his largest books in the same box was a good idea?

"Ugh!" Lewis groaned rubbing his hands over his face. He really did not want to open it up and repack it but there wasn't anything else he could do. Unless…

He took a couple steps back then raised his fist to look at the new addition on his right hand. The glinting of its stone in the early afternoon light teased him. He hadn't dared to use it since Veridia gave it to him a couple days ago.

"The moon ring is a powerful tool for any competent mer." Veridia had told them during their training one afternoon a couple weeks after they had started. "I went ahead and had these forged with your coronation stones." Veridia had spoken as Balin (Another young merman they had been training with) one by one removed the bands from a velvet-lined clamshell and placed them on their fingers. Lewis had tried not to show his discomfort when Balin bowed to him after placing the ring on his index finger.

Lewis had analyzed the thick silver band inlaid with a gleaming ultramarine stone that had once been dark. While beautiful, it's appearance was quite ordinary: nothing outward to give away its true power or origin. Lewis felt the slight hum of energy against his skin though and could tell this was no ordinary gem.

"What do you mean tools?" Rikki had asked as she studied her piece.

Veridia had looked up for a moment, hand to her chin in contemplation. "I suppose you could think of it like a wizards wand. The stone harnesses moon energy which will amplify and focus your power. You can use it to perform magic you couldn't do without it."

She nodded to Maya who stepped forward. She had stretched her fist out and her own ring had begun to shine as a table on the other side of the room began to levitate. The table hovered in the air for a moment before gently returning to the ground.

"They are charmed to move through the transformation with you and should be charged each full moon."

"How do they work?" Lewis had asked.

"Concentration. Like with everything else you're learning, you're going to need practice, and a bit of skill." Maya had spoken.

Lewis had frowned a little at that, though no one had seemed to notice.

"Normally they would only be awarded during the final stage of training," Veridia had admitted, "but since everything is being expedited with you six, I thought you should start learning of their benefits now. Like anything, they have their limitations, and they can be dangerous for the inexperienced. I'm trusting you all to be careful with them." She had warned.

Lewis now lifted his eyes back to the box then glanced around his bedroom to make sure no one had entered without him knowing. He wasn't sure what he was doing as he held his fist out. He'd seen Maya lift an entire table with a moon ring though, so it should be possible. He pulled his face back as if afraid something might explode, trying to will the hefty box up. Thankfully there were no explosions, but he hadn't managed to move anything either.

Lewis groaned in frustration. Why did he even think that would work? I'm hopeless when it comes to magic.

Before he could muster any resolve to try again his door opened.

"Knock, Knock." His brother Lyle said as he opened the door. "You almost done?"

"I was, but now I'm wishing I could levitate this box." He joked knowing Lyle wouldn't get it. "I packed it too full."

Lyle chuckled then stepped into the room and slapped a hand on Lewis' shoulder, "Still can't believe it, my little brother showing me up by moving out before me. You're not even graduated yet, how did you convince mum?"

"Guess she just couldn't wait to get rid of me." Lewis laughed too.

"Her and me both." Lyle smiled then turned to Lewis. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Yeah, me too." Lewis saddened. "I'll be around though. I'm not going to be gone forever."

"I know." Lyle sobered. "Listen, I just wanted to say… I know something's different about you."

Lewis struggled not to let any surprise or fear show on his face.

"Something's changed over the last few months. I don't what, and you don't have to tell me. I mean, you can of course, you can always tell me anything. You're my little brother." He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is… I'm proud of you."

Lewis wasn't so sure he deserved that, but he still managed out: "Thanks." He looked down at his watch. "Oh. I lost track of time. I told Cleo I'd meet her twenty minutes ago."

He made a move for the door before pausing not wanting to hurt his brother with the quick exit, "Really, thanks. It means a lot."

"Always."

Despite running late, Lewis took his time getting to Cleo's. As he was walking, he motioned his hands through the kata Maya had been teaching them. His frustration grew as he continued to trip through it. And by the time he made it to Cleo's he was thoroughly annoyed. He stood on the porch preparing himself to be positive as he checked on his girlfriend… wife he corrected himself. He knocked once and startled a little when she answered right away.

Cleo wore the biggest grin and bounced on the balls of her feet. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the house: her excitement radiating. "There you are! I was wondering where you were. I want to talk to you about something."

"Oh yeah?" He responded trying and failing to meet her energy. "What's up?"

She pulled him down to the couch before she began, "I'm going to be a dolphin trainer!" She giggled searching his face for his reaction.

"Wait. I'm sorry. Dolphin what?!"

"Dolphin trainer. Yeah. Now that Mitch… sorry… Dr. Ross is head of the Marine Park and Laurie's been promoted to his old position as Animal Director, there's a spot open for an assistant trainer. Okay, so it's not a done deal yet. I still have to formally apply, and they don't usually take high school students. But Dr. Ross knows how good I am with Ronnie after that whole… fiasco last year. And Laurie says that I should try, and that if I do apply, I have a very good chance." Cleo rambled. "So, what do you think?"

"I think you're forgetting one thing… the water!" He almost shouted disbelieving that he even had to explain this. "Being in the water is an absolute must for a dolphin trainer!"

"I know." Cleo smiled her eyes twinkling. She jumped up from the couch and sped for the kitchen. Lewis curiously followed behind her.

She stopped in front of the sink and turned on the tap. "That's why I've been working on this."

Lewis watched as Cleo shoved her hand under the water. "What are you...?" He began to ask when she continued to smile and made no move to dry herself or get closer to the floor for a less painful fall.

He counted down the seconds. But when he got to zero, to his utter shock, Cleo was still standing upright grinning from ear to ear.

"What? How?" He asked in disbelief unable to pull his eyes from her dripping hand.

She reached over to turn off the tap and wiped her hand off on a dish towel. "It's one of our new powers as royals. I went back to the library to see what other stuff we might be capable of. It was listed in that book we read, remember? When I saw that I started practicing. It does kind of feel… wrong somehow. It sort of… itches a bit." She paused, "But do you know what this means?!"

Lewis couldn't help but smile now. He didn't regret being a merman, but the uncontrollable transformation with water was a major disadvantage. It's one of the main reasons he had never attempted to become a merman before that fateful night. He had watched the girls struggle and didn't want that life, as cool as being mer had seemed. But if they could now choose when to transform, it would be a total game-changer.

The joy he was beginning to feel quickly dropped though when he thought that there might be a catch. With magic there always seemed to be a catch.

"Okay, but this is just your hand, it might not work if you're fully immersed."

"I took a shower this morning. A Shower. Standing up."

"Wait, you said it itches. That's probably not good. You might get a rash, like when I tried to –"

"It's not a real itch. It's more of a buzz like my body knows it's supposed to change. And I've been practicing for a week now: no rash."

"Cleo do you even know how to swim?"

She raised an eyebrow in contempt.

"With legs…Cleo. Do you know how to swim with legs?"

She startled a little, "Not really, I guess. I was always too afraid to learn. But now that the fear of drowning is out of the way I'm sure I can figure it out." She let out an exasperated sigh. "I was so excited about this! It's been a dream of mine that I never thought I could have as a mermaid. But now… I thought you'd be happy for me." She pouted.

He groaned. "Cleo, of course I'm happy for you! Being able to do this changes everything. It gives us back some normalcy. I'm just concerned about you. You lose focus once and change in front of your coworkers or in front of an audience and it's all over. Don't you see how dangerous this could be?"

"I know about the danger alright. But it's easy I promise. It's like… It's like peeing."

"Peeing?"

"Yeah, you're not always thinking about not peeing yourself, right? It's like that. You only have to think about it at the beginning, after that you just… Don't change. Maybe there's a limit for how long it lasts, but I haven't reached it yet. I promise it really is easy." Her eyes lit up. "In fact, why don't you try."

She reached over to turn the tap back on before meeting his eyes again. She crossed her arms which he knew meant she wouldn't take no for an answer.

He eyed the water in trepidation before thrusting his hand under the steady stream. He pulled his hand away hoping the reduced contact would help him focus.

"Now concentrate on the change and just hold it back."

He stared at the water droplets glistening on his hand, and habitually counted down the time. He could feel Cleo's anticipation and though it was probably meant to encourage, but it only served to frustrate him. Enough so, that when those few seconds were up, he couldn't hold back the surge of magic that washed over him.

Lewis groaned as his whole body collapsed onto her kitchen floor without legs to support him.

"Are you sure you were concentrating?"

He glared up at her. "Of course, I was concentrating!" He sighed in annoyance, "Can you just…" He waved his hand in vague gesture.

Cleo nodded then used her power to pull the water off him. He stood once he regained his legs.

"Lewis I'm sorry. But please trust me, I can do this job."

"Cleo, I do trust you. I just…" He sighed and looked down at his watch. "Look, I'm supposed to meet up with Maya for another training session. I have to go." He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "We'll talk about this more later." He began walking for the door.

"Lewis!" Cleo called after him, but he had already left.

Sweat dripped from his brow and his chest heaved. His opponent hardly looked the worse for wear though. He kept eye contact as he blocked an oncoming jab at his chest but winced when her left hand connected with his shoulder.

He backed off to recenter himself and rethink his approach.

"Good job keeping your arms up. Careful you don't leave yourself open though. Try again."

They had been at this for almost an hour, and he'd hardly had any contact unless the mat counted. He'd asked Maya for private sessions hoping it would help him improve, but so far, he just felt as hopeless as ever.

But as exhausted as he was, he was determined. He made a low and tight run at her, sure that he could at least topple her with his weight. Just as he was about to connect, she brought her hand up to her face and disappeared. The shock alone caused him to trip over his own feet and tumble forward.

Lewis grunted, then flipped himself over to sitting and turned. He watched her blip back into existence and drop her hand to her side before stepping forward, reaching out to help him up.

"What was that?!" he demanded moodily rising to his feet.

"Cloaking. It uses a moon ring. The temple's staying hidden with an amplified version."

"Cool." His curiosity storing that information away for later. "But, no I mean you used magic. This was meant to be hand to hand. I would have had you if you hadn't cheated."

"I didn't cheat. Yeah, we're teaching you magic and fighting separate, but the idea is that you get comfortable enough using them together." Maya sighed. "Aurora is going to throw everything she can at you. She won't hold back, and neither can you."

"Guess I'm just going to die then." He chuckled sardonically.

The mermaid gave him a look, which he rolled his eyes at.

"Oh, come on let's face it. Everyone else is improving. The guys are almost ready to move on to weapons training. Emma can certainly hold her own. Rikki's a beast. Even Cleo, who's not great with the physical fighting is making up for it with her magic. You saw that tidal wave she made the other day, right? Me though? I suck at fighting, and I still can't really wrap my head around magic! So, tell me Maya. What chance do I have hmm? What am I supposed to do!?" His anger poured out of him like water from a burst dam.

Maya didn't deserve this, and it was clear from her face that she didn't know what to say. He had stared now though and couldn't stop.

"I'm supposed to be this destined King, right, this chosen protector? I can't protect myself let alone anyone else. We've been waiting for some crazed mermaid queen to show up and kill us for two weeks, and I'm still hopeless."

"You're not hopeless." Maya assured forcefully. "And you're right It's been two weeks. Do you know how long I trained before I got to where you are? Months." She answered before he could. "You might not be seeing results as quickly as the others, but believe me, you are improving, faster than any human or even another mer would."

"But what's the point? It's still not fast enough. We don't know how much time we have left, but it can't be enough to make me competent warrior. Why should I keep doing this, wasting my time and making a fool of myself if I know I'm just going to die at the end of it all?"

Maya frowned at that seemingly unsure, then looked up in contemplation before asking, "Hey, do you have the time?"

Lewis looked at his watch. "Yeah, it's a little after five."

"Great. Hey, could you bring me what's in the little front pocket of my bag? Thanks."

Lewis turned to find her bag across the room. He walked over and bent down hesitating at thought of going through a woman's things. He opened the pocket though and found all it contained was a small sleeve of what he realized were pill capsules. He curiously analyzed the package as he walked back toward Maya who had grabbed her water bottle. He looked up at her, his eyes asking the question.

She smiled at him taking the blister from his hand. "They're immunosuppressives. For my kidney." She sighed quietly, "I have lupus."

Lewis was unable to hide the surprise from his face. "Oh I'm… I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Lupus. That's… that's an autoimmune disease though, right? I didn't think mer got sick."

"We're still mortal." She chuckled in amusement.

"But how are you…I mean, you don't look ill."

"Lupus doesn't always make you look ill. But I feel it inside. I take pain relievers for aching joints, and these," She waved one of the small capsules in hand before popping it into her mouth and trailing it with water, "to try and stop my body from attacking my own kidneys. I still might need a transplant someday, but until then…"

"But if you're sick, why are you still fighting like this? Wait, does Veridia know?"

Maya turned and took a few steps. "Yes, she knows. Veridia's known since the beginning. I was diagnosed just six weeks after I had finished my training. My job comes with a lot of her trust that when I say I'm good to go I mean it. If I can't perform my duties someone like Balin steps up until I'm okay again. And as for why… Why do I keep fighting when I know I'm going to die?" she paused, paralleling his own question.

Lewis was still in shock over her revelation. He couldn't understand how she could keep going at her pace despite feeling ill. And yet, she did. He watched her turn back toward him in conviction.

"Because it gives me purpose." Maya smiled, "Yeah, I could quit. It'd probably be easier too." She gave a small chuckle laced with a hint of sorrow. "But I don't think I'd like who I'd see in the mirror."

Lewis gave a half smile, "Is this your way of telling me not to give up?"

"Why in fact it is Your Majesty." She teased.

"Fine I won't quit." He conceded. "And thanks, for telling me all that. Your secret's safe with me."

"It's not a secret, but of course. You are my king."

Maya was the only mer who had dropped the honorifics, only using them in jest. Lewis appreciated that. And somehow that gave this one use of his title more weight.

The mermaid laughed, "And now My King, if you have had enough of a break, I'd like to go back to beating you. Let's see if you can pull some ice daggers on me this time like I taught you."

Lewis laughed and followed her move to the mat for another round.

A/N: Hey Friends!

A bit of a long chapter, but I couldn't bear to part with any of it!

Yes, I have included moon rings. They are going to be far more utilitarian in use than they were in Mako mermaids. They won't be solving all magical problems (or causing them).

I loved the idea of Dolphin Trainer Cleo. It makes total sense for her character, but there is NO WAY she would have been able to pull it off without this power upgrade.

I'm having a really fun time writing Maya. For those that might be wondering: no, I do not personally struggle with Lupus. It has been near to my heart though as of late. From my understanding it looks different for every person, so I've given Maya a few common struggles. I've been putting in a lot of research and I hope I am portraying this notoriously mysterious disease accurately.

With that I ask you all to stay safe and healthy! I care about you all and hope this chapter brought you joy.

Much Love,

Odd Lady :)