Dr. Luna
The Fairy’s Forbidden Mate Chapter 34

The Sage nodded his head and looked at Rhea with an intense gaze. "The Ocean's Tear is in the hands of the Queen of the Merrow." He watched Rhea's eyes widen which showed that she knew of merrows and mermen. These were not like mermaids that most fantasy books depicted. No. The merrow was vicious and cruel. "Men who have found her end up being used as her own lover and then drowned. Women who have found her are also killed. To be truthful, no one has ever managed to collect the Ocean's Tear from her. Perhaps, with you being the fairy princess you have a chance. Since merrows fall under the fairy queens' wards. They are a marine fairy after all. If anyone has a chance at obtaining this... it is you."

Even in the fairy world the merrows were often avoided. Now she would have to seek out their queen in order to retrieve the Ocean's Tear. Merrows were not very pleasant. The Queen of the Merrow is known to be downright cruel and vicious. She isn't one you can reason with.

"I would suggest that you take your horse and bear with you if you embark on this journey. You will need strong allies in your corner."

"You've got that right." Rhea chuckled and shook her head. "Wait... you told my mom about this. What did she say?"

"I only told your mother of what the Ocean's Tear was. I did not tell her where you would have to go to get it. Knowing your mother, she would have stormed down to the merrow queen and demanded it herself." Grandpa Sage began to chuckle, and Rhea nodded her head and laughed along with him.

Rhea knew her mother would have. It was a good thing she didn't know about it. There was no way she would approve of her seeking out the Queen of the Merrow. She knew she would need Cody and Kelsie with her. But how would they react hearing what she had to do? She would tell them about it. Since it wouldn't be fair to drag them into a dangerous situation without them knowing the stakes. Rhea wondered if there was a way, she could fight the merrow queen for the Ocean's Tear.

"Could I not just fight the merrow and claim the Ocean's Tear?" Yes, this would be an act of war against the merrows, but she wanted to at least know if it was an option.

"If she refuses to give you the Ocean's Tear and instead tries to claim your life, indeed, you should fight back. However, killing the queen will not give you the Ocean's Tear. She would have to summon it from wherever she has it hidden. I'm sorry. I do not know much. What I know is just from the legends of the Ocean's Tear. Levi would know the most about it... but it is obviously something you can't talk to him about. If he even suspects you plan to retrieve it... I do not know what he would do."

Rhea nodded her head in agreement. She knew that Lee would come up with some sort of plan in order to keep her safe. If he ends up being held captive he could ask Titus to keep her captive. She knew he would not want her risking her life. That wasn't how she looked at it. Pfft to hell with that merrow. She will have another thing coming if she thinks she can easily kill the fairy princess. If she fights, it will be her end. Not mine. Her skills as a water elemental would be useless against a merrow. Honestly, this task would be more fitting for her mother, a fire elemental. Bringing her mother along would be too risky. The demons would have cast their eyes upon Elysium and would be watching her movement. No, this task would have to be her burden to carry.

"Thank you, Grandpa Sage. I knew you would tell me what I needed to know. And that is, that there is hope. There are options." Rhea appreciated his honesty with her. Though, she knew he was telling her this for his people's benefit at well. She liked to look at it as mutual beneficiaries. They both had something to gain from this.

"I'm afraid I do not know where to find the Queen of the Merrows. Her location was never disclosed."

Rhea smiled and looked at him confidently. "Being the princess of the fairies does have some perks. I know where to find her." This is also where having a kelpie as a friend would come in handy. Rhea stood up and smiled at the older man. "Thank you once again." She watched him nod his head towards her as she turned and headed to the door. She turned and looked at him once more. "I understand why you said this needs to be kept secret from Lee. It is because he might stop me. But... there is no reason other then that, right? Him having this knowledge doesn't change anything else?"

"No, but do you think he would allow you to embark on such a dangerous journey?" The old man had a gentle smile on his face.

She smiled. "I don't know. Probably not. But I just... I just don't know how comfortable I would feel taking his immortality away without asking... I guess I will just have to think about it for a while... Thank you again." She then opened the door and walked out of the room. She got the answers she needed. She would now need to discuss them with the two people who have been waiting for her out of the room. She needed them on board and to keep it secret. Rhea closed the door and looked between the eyes of Kelsie and Cody. She would need to find a private place to confide in them with everything she had just learned.

"You know something, huh? By the look in your eyes, you have some interesting news." Kelsie smirked and folded her arms over her chest.

"Why do I feel like you are going to be marching into danger...?" Cody sighed and shook his head. Yep, being her guardian had to be harder than being Lilly's or Wyatt's.

"I do have some things to discuss with you two, but we will need to do so privately. And it will have to be just between the three of us." Rhea looked up at them and saw Kelsie beaming.

"Keeping secrets from your mate but including us... I feel so special again. I knew you wouldn't forget that I am your favorite even after taking a mate." Kelsie bounced over to Rhea and lifted her into a hug.

"Why would I ever forget you two? Not to mention, how could I? We are always together." Rhea giggled. She could see that a wave of worry had actually left Kelsie's face. It must have been something she was worried about. She thought she was going to end up losing her friend. That would never happen. Ever. Who drops their friends just because they found their mate... well... kelpies do all the time. So, she could understand where her concern would come from.

"Rhea could discard you, but never me. I'm bound to her for eternity." Cody poked at Kelsie who turned and shot daggers at him.

"And I cry for her everyday because she is stuck with you." Kelsie straightened up and turned to face the annoying bear.

"Okay you two. Let's see if we can find a-"

"Rhea!"

Rhea turned and looked behind her to see Reese jogging up to her. She watched as he got closer to her his eyes trailed her up and down. Damn it Kelsie you made me eye candy! A streak of red rose over his face and then he cleared his throat. "My king has ordered me to accompany you throughout the day. I am now your personal guard."

Greeeaaat, now I'll never have any private time. I can mind link Cody easily enough but I'd still need to get Kelsie alone to talk. Well, I have time. I'll have to wait until I get my next opportunity. Rhea gave him a forced smile.

"Yuck! She doesn't need a worm following her around constantly. She has me and Cody. No one would be able to lay a hand on her. Though... wandering eyes might still be a problem." Kelsie didn't withhold any punches and made sure to embarrass the young man. His face almost shaded to purple with embarrassment and he looked down at the ground knowing he had been caught.

"Kelsie, we aren't going to cause any trouble for him. It isn't his fault if Titus ordered him to be here. You should take your grievances up with him." Rhea tried to smooth the situation out. She felt sorry for the guy. She could see he was really embarrassed. Cody and Kelsie seemed to be relishing in his embarrassment though. Yep, they were a lot alike in that sense.

"I'm sorry if me being around is a problem. I am just following orders to protect his mate in his absence."

Ugh, that's right. She is supposed to be Titus's mate. She could see Kelsie shudder in disgust and was almost curling her lips. She was often surprised how well Kelsie had taken to her. She seemed to hardly like anyone or anything. The two of them have been steadfast friends since the beginning.

"Where is Titus at?" Rhea was really asking where Lee was since she knew the two of them would more than likely be together.

"My lord is speaking with the other nobles and lords. It will probably be a while."

Rhea nodded her head in understanding. Of course, he was working on damage control right now. They just heard he was taking a non-dragon as his mate. These were seeds he was planting for Lee of course. He had to first break the soil so that it was primed. She wondered how the talks were going. No one could force Titus into taking a dragon mate.

"Might as well take a walk outside. Last I checked the sun was shining and it would be a shame to waste such a nice day indoors." Rhea turned and looked up at Cody and Kelsie. They both looked like they liked that idea as well.

The moment they walked outdoors the sun greeted her skin warmly. The warm air swirled around her playing with her strands as it passed by. Everything seemed so peaceful. It was as if there were not any problems at all in the world.

"Want to go for a ride?" Kelsie asked with minor excitement.

"In this?" Rhea motioned over her short skirt.

"Why not? No one will be able to see anything with you sitting on my back."

"A run does sound good." Cody wanted to shift into his bear. It had been a while and he wanted to stretch his muscles out.

"Will that be an inconvenience to you?" Rhea turned and looked at Reese who shook his head no.

"Not at all. I will fly above you and keep an eye on you."

It seemed there wasn't a problem and everyone was on board. "Okay, a ride sounds perfect." Rhea grinned. It felt great riding at full speed with the wind flowing in her hair.

Kelsie shifted into her ebony horse. Her dark silky mane flowed in the wind as her head turned and looked at Rhea. Cody also shifted into his huge bear form. His rich dark chocolate brown fur looked so soft. Rhea couldn't help it. She walked over and squeezed her hands in his fur. It was indeed soft and warm. She listened to him snort at her and she giggled. Kelsie took a knee so that it was easier for Rhea to climb up.

"Okay, let's go for a ride." Rhea hopped onto Kelsie and in an instant they were racing across the ground.