A/N: This is my first attempt at a fanfic based on something other than The Legend of Zelda. I am usually hesitant to write other fandoms because I don't know the characters as well. But I figure I grew up on A Link to the Past and Super Mario World, so if anything, I can probably pull off a Mario fic.
It's also one of those stories where I wrote what I like to see instead of spending a lot of time polishing, so feel free to comment and suggest improvements.
Though not often seen out and about, the Mushroom Kingdom did in fact have a king. King Toadstool left the day to day operations of his kingdom to Toadsworth, instead preferring to lounge and relax. The kingdom was at peace, and there were more important matters to attend to anyway.
The king loved his family, and spent all of his time with his little daughter Peach. When the girl was five her mother died from illness, so he felt the need to be twice the parent and gave Peach every second of the day he could spare. That included finding her a playmate.
The king himself had two brothers; King Gunpei of Sarasaland and King Dokan of Water Land. Dokan was the eldest and thus the first father of the bunch, his daughter Celiko welcomed a full five years before her cousins Peach and Daisy.
Celiko was to be the next ruler of Water Land, but an unexpected war broke out with the Kuribo army of Giant Land. To save his daughter, Dokan sent her far away to live with King Toadstool.
King Toadstool was sad that his brother's land was attacked, but he was glad to do his part and raise Celiko in his brother's stead. She was smart, having read hundreds of books at a young age, and wasn't afraid of exploring.
Unfortunately, Peach didn't share Celiko's enthusiasm for exploring. Sure, Peach liked a good stroll through Toad Town, or a short trip down Goomba Road. But actual adventuring was out of the question. Princesses didn't do such dangerous things.
Over time, Celiko grew distant. It wasn't just the age gap or Peach's reluctance to get her hands dirty. Celiko didn't like being bound by etiquette. Not that it mattered, she wasn't the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom so no one really cared if she up and disappeared for bits at a time.
By the time Peach had taken over ruling the kingdom, Celiko was just another royal hanging out at the castle. Her own home was lost and Sarasaland's climate was not her taste, so Celiko passed the time helping out around the castle and caring for the aged and infirm king. Though soon, he passed on, and Celiko was left lonely.
That is, until the first time he invaded the castle.
Princess Peach was having tea with Toadsworth and the other advisors, when glass panes shattered across the room. A number of paratroopas flew in and started harassing the toads, their purpose being distraction. A chuckle from the windowsill made Peach jump, and she turned to see the king of the Dark Lands advancing.
"W-what are you doing here, Bowser?! So soon after..."
"Bwahahaha, you think that skirmish with your little plumbers back in Dinosaur Land is enough to keep me down? No way!" The King of Koopas let out a blast of fire breath across the hall, singeing the draperies and scaring Toadsworth under the table. Before the steward could pull Peach under with him, she was seized by Kamek and a pair of hammer bros.
"Take her up to the highest spire, then get working on that cake letter to lure the plumber!" Bowser barked, picking up Toadsworth by the foot and laughing at his fright. "And sweep the castle. Any more of these toadies get thrown in the basement dungeons!"
"...But boss, what about our own toadies?"
"GRRAAAAHH!"
"YESSIR!" the troopas shouted and scampered off, leaving Bowser seething at their idiotic question. He laughed at his plan set in motion, before strolling down the halls of the now vacant castle.
Bowser took the basement path out to the gardens, anxious to see if there were any topiaries he could set ablaze, when a peculiar scuffle drew his attention. A giant boo was pulling the arm of a girl away from the garden door. She was shorter yet bigger than Peach, her hair somewhere between Peach's yellow and his own fiery red. She was clawing and kicking at the boo, enough that he could see she was not wearing any stiff petticoats like other human women he'd encountered.
"Let go of me, you specter! Oh, if I had a flashlight I'd be blinding you!"
Funny as it was she was in his way, so he walked over and yanked her away from the boo. She jumped when she saw him but did not scream.
"The Koopa king...!"
"You recognized me, I'm flattered. Now get outta my way, girlie, I've got effigies to burn."
"Why have you invaded this castle? Are your holdings in Dark Land not enough, that you had to terrorize a kingdom full of walking fungi?"
That caught him off guard. "Funny, insulting me at the same time you insult your own people. You must be the girl the king adopted all those years ago. Aren't you worried about your Princess?"
"Her beloved Mario will save her, so not really. I'm more concerned about your monsters wreaking havoc on the poor toads in the castle. Please spare them your wrath; they have families just as sure as your koopa troopas do."
"What motivation do I have to do as you say?" Bowser raised an eyebrow as he spoke.
Celiko thought for a moment. "None, I suppose. You could take me as a prisoner but I have nowhere near the value of Peach, and I doubt either of the Brothers would run to my aid."
"HA! Why would I take a girl with no value as a prisoner? I have Peach, and this time she'll come to her senses. Especially once she sees how much stronger I am that those 'stached linguini munchers!"
"It was just a thought. ...Can you let go now? It's starting to hurt." Celiko was faintly shaking.
Bowser's eyes trailed down to where he was gripping her, and jumped back in surprise. Her arm was covered in blood. "You stupid girl, why didn't you tell me?! These claws are sharp for a reason, ya know!" Bowser dug around his person for a cloth, finding one tucked inside his shell which he promptly handed to her.
Celiko stared at him stupefied, before she realized the problem. She took the cloth and wrapped it around her arm, then ripped a piece of her dress to provide more pressure. "Sorry, I didn't realize it was this bad. Um, can I go find the doctor?"
The King of Koopas sighed, then picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "I'm not that dumb. I let you out, you go get help. I have someone to patch you up."
Bowser had intended to interrogate the oddball princess, but reports of an incoming plumber cut his plans short. So he left Celiko with Kamek, and dashed off to defeat Mario. Celiko was rather light headed by the time Kamek examined her arm, and fell asleep in a chair shortly after.
She was stirred awake twelve hours later, when a rather beaten and singed Bowser crawled in. "Kamek... gotta go..."
Celiko locked eyes with the defeated king, and cringed at how blackened his skin and shell were. It didn't go unnoticed.
"You worried for me? HA! Nothing can beat the coolest of cool, least of all a little lava. I swim in the stuff to cool down!" Kamek had zipped out of the room to fetch the clown car, leaving his master on the floor. Bowser grumbled at the snub, but got to his feet with minimal trouble. "See? No worries."
"Well, it's just that... your head is bleeding. Did he...?"
Bowser reached his hand up and found the gash. He hadn't noticed it because the blood blended into his hair. "Aw dammit, that bastard must have nicked me when he jumped on my head. Hey, lie back down!"
But Celiko ignored him, standing up and bringing over Kamek's discarded medical box. "You may be an enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom, but you are still a father. And I don't want to read about orphaned Koopalings in the Toad Town newspaper.
"You... know about my kids? Well, that's a silly question, they did help me attack Dinosaur Land." The koopa winced when Celiko dabbed an alcohol wipe on the cut. "But why do you care?"
"Because I'm an orphan, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone." Celiko faked a smile and shrugged, but it was clear he hit a sore spot. He was going to say more, but Kamek arrived with the clown car.
"He's got a wound on his head," Celiko told the wizard, who nodded and helped his boss into the car. As she watched them go, she couldn't help but think that the stories she'd heard about the koopa king's viciousness were a little exaggerated.