You Know That There Are Several Reasons Why You Shouldn't Piss Off the Angel… Right?

Hehe… yeah… sorry about the annoying begging last chapter… but hey, the good news is that I'm all review begged out for the year! Hooray!

Now… I present my beloved chapter two to you people out there! Yes, the title is long but I couldn't think of anything else and I'm also a bit high on sugar right now… SUGAR RUSH!!!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything… not even the plot, which sucks…

The golden circlet was heavy on his head. But it was a great weight he would have to bear, along with the weight of importance that his new role in life played. If he were to be killed, a war could break out over the throne. A single whisper in his ear could change the fate of the entire nation. He was in danger at all cost, yet he knew he could not hide. He was king and as king, he would have to set the course for a golden reign. When Peach finally gave birth to a child, he would abdicate and his child would rule. But for the time being, he was the pawn, the important piece that decided which course fate shall travel on.

A smile curled up on his lips as he gazed at his beautiful queen. Peach sighed in happiness as she listened as the harpist gently plucked the strings of his instrument, creating a glorious melody for her to listen to. Once or twice she would cast a glance over to where the creature, Lucario, stood. His great amber eyes scanned the room every now and then, taking in the beautiful tapestries and the many servants that would venture into the room to serve the two sovereigns.

Peach wondered how the strange being could remain so calm in their presence. Many servants and even the commoners often averted their eyes and often shook in front of their monarchs, as if just looking up would cost them their heads. Peach knew from experience that it would take them a while getting used to them and understood that she had a few long years ahead of her. But this creature, this strange creature, stood straight and tall in their presence, never flinching and when it spoke, it spoke with ease.

"Lucario," she called in her bell- like little voice, "Come here, please."

Lucario blinked once, as if snapping out of a trance, before walking over, his head bowed respectfully. "Queen Peach. How may I be of assistance?"
At the sound of his quiet, soothing voice, something deep within the princess plucked gently and sang like the strings of a harp. She was unsure of what exactly made this strange sensation bubbled up inside her, but she knew that she must venture on if she wished to continue hearing his entrancing voice. She cleared her throat, feeling slight warmth rising up in her cheeks as she once again stared right into his amber eyes. Those beautiful amber eyes…

"I was just curious," she said, her voice fluttery and nervous, "I was just curious as to how you can remain so calm and such in our presence. After all, it is not every day you are able to stand near the king and queen of a great kingdom!"

If Lucario noticed the flutter of her voice or the slight pink tinge of her cheeks, he did not show it. "Ah… so you wish to know the great power of wisdom then?"

Peach nodded, regally folding her gloved encased hands in her lap. "Yes please. I'm fascinated by how you seem to be so calm and yet so fierce all at once. What is that strange substance radiating from your hands? How is it that you can control it while no one else can? How long have you lived and how much longer do you have? What have you seen done in our world as you looked down from above or below the sea?"

A small smile appeared on Lucario's lips as he was bombarded with this rain of questions. Indeed, he liked nothing more than to search for knowledge and share what he learned with those he trusted. It was not every day one would happen across a woman like Queen Peach, beautiful and innocent, yet curious and wise all at once. She bore wisdom beyond her years, just like her mother, and it was this wisdom that truly inflamed the spark of curiosity for this strange young girl in Lucario. In fact, it was not long ago that Lucario had witnessed himself what a remarkable creature Queen Peach was.

It was two nights after he had risen from the sea in the spray of foam. He was meditating on the balcony of his room when he sensed a change in the aura around him. By sensing this aura, he was able to tell that it was the soon to be crowned Queen Peach, walking out the palace doors and into the gardens. For a few moments he watched in slight fascination as the young princess walked about in the garden, tending to each and every flower there was. As she walked by the flowers she would murmur the names of the blooms under her breath and even then she also knew the exact amount of water and plant food they would need for the best results in growing. She did this with every single one of the thousands of specimens in the garden, never getting the names mixed up.

Lucario had been intrigued by this event, his interest only growing with the passing day as he watched the young princess being crowned queen. She had given a speech to the people, one she said herself she had been preparing to write ever since she was only eight years of age. It was a beautiful thing, flowing like poetry in some places and shedding tears from all who heard it in others. She shared the love she felt for her country and her people, how they were like her own sons and daughters. She expressed her wish of how she wanted to forget all social classes and merely merge together as one unified nation. She gave not a single word about the riot that was raised on the day of her announcing her engagement to Mario and for that many of the citizens were grateful. She may have prepared it at age eight, but at that moment, it was as if it were written by a woman of twenty, no thirty.

It was when her rain of questions finally stopped that Lucario was snapped out of his trance. Peach was looking at him expectantly, her smile dazzling enough to rival the sun. Her baby blue eyes were bright and eager, bursting with the want for more knowledge. How he admired her enthusiasm!

"Very well, Your Highness," he said, bending forward in a slight bow, "Meet me in the gardens at noontime every day for the next week. I shall teach you all I know and you shall teach me of the ways of the humans."

Peach's smiled only widened as she heard these words. "Then I gladly count the hours until our time in the garden has come!"

With a slight nod, Lucario bent down and respectfully kissed her royal hand. As she withdrew it, she left a single ring from her slender finger in his paw. It was a gift, a reward, for fulfilling the wishes of the queen. He gazed in wonder at the sky blue stone set in this ring before slipping it on his smallest finger. As Lucario was going back to his position next to the queen, the great oak doors burst open and a figure rushed in.

At once the guards reached for their weapons, pointing the cruel sharp blades at the incoming figure. The boy was dressed in the garments of a page, or a squire perhaps. He skidded to a stop immediately as soon as he saw the naked weapons glinting menacingly in the bright sunlight, a bead of sweat falling down his face. After a few moments of gathering his thoughts together, Mario was finally able to recognize the interrupter.

"Head-a Page Lucas-a," he said, fixing his wide blue eyes on the trembling blonde boy, "Is-a there something you need-a?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Lucas stuttered, sweat pouring down his forehead, "E- Ex King Link would like to see you, sir…"

Mario nodded, a good natured smile spreading over his features. "Very well, please send-a him in."

Lucas trembled a bit more before opening his mouth. "S-Sir, he would like to talk to you privately…"

Mario nodded, twirling his moustache with a finger. "Very well-a then. Please-a escort-a me to him."

With that, the plucky king hopped off his throne and proudly walked after the head page to the Royal Council Chamber.

**

"You asked-a to see me, sire?" Mario asked, entering the room and closing the great oak door behind him.

The former king was kneeling in front of a marble altar, staring intently into its bright orange flame. The flame was a sacred blaze, never going out for it carried the blessings of Pit. It was said that if anyone who was pure of heart gazed long enough into this sacred flare, they would gain the ability to communicate directly with the Angel of Light. The former king was doing this now; face pale, jaw line stretched tight. His large, course hands were pressed together in prayer as his lips moved ever so slightly, forming the words to a plea only he could hear.

Mario waited patiently for his time, standing upright with his hands behind his back. He watched with interest as the flame on the altar seemed to change shape with the former king's every word. Sometimes it would flare up brightly, threatening to burn down the room. Other times it would flicker, seeming to die down as its color darkened from bright orange to palest blue. Once it glowed a deep crimson red, as if the angel were angry. Mario watched as a single bead of sweat slid down his father in law's face, landing on his forest green tunic. After what seemed like forever, Link finally concluded his prayer and bowed low to the flames.

"Pit, Lord of Mercy, I thank you in the name of the entire Island of Toadstools," he intoned, "You shall be honoured with nothing less than a great feast and a ball held in your name."

The flame on the altar flickered red once more before settling back to its usual color of light orange with mixes of blue. Link then turned to face his son in law, the strange flames casting a strange shadow on his sharp facial features. In the light of the sacred fire he seemed older than he truly was, older and fiercer. A tiny shiver ran down the new king's back as he saw this frightening image in front of him. He diverted his eyes to the ground just as Link began to speak.

"King Mario," he said quietly, his voice soft and gruff, "You are aware, are you not, of why I have called you here today?"

Mario shook his head in response. "No, sire. The page-a refused-a to tell me what's-a going on-a."

"Of course," Link mumbled to himself, "You can never trust those people… always trying to be cryptic and mysterious…"

There was an awkward silence in the room as Link's murmuring continued. After a few minutes, he remembered that his son in law happened to be in the room with him and immediately turned his attention back on him.

"Well then, I mind as well tell you myself," he told him, gesturing to a nearby armchair, "Go ahead and have a seat. We have a long discussion ahead of us…"

Mario sat down in the great oak chair Link indicated and leaned forward, eager for more information. Irritation flashed beneath his great blue eyes as he watched link calmly stroll over to a large cabinet in the back of the room near the altar. From this cabinet he produced a large bottle of expensive wine and after uncorking it, poured it into two crystal goblets and handed one to Mario. The wine itself was a deep, beautiful crimson, sparkling like a ruby in the dim firelight. Once Mario had the glass securely in his large pudgy hand, Link raised his in a toast.

"To the prosperity of the kingdom," he said, touching his glass to the new king's.

Mario nodded his appreciation and raised his own glass higher. "To the beauty of former Queen Zelda and the flower of-a my life, Queen-a Peachy! May they be forever lovely as-a can be and forever kind-a! May the kingdom-a be forever blessed with-a wonderful creatures such-a as Lucario!"

He then raised his goblet to his lips to take a sip, but a sudden clink! stopped him. He lowered his glass in confusion as the man sitting across from him gently set his full glass down and fixed his piercing blue eyes on his. Gone was the golden spark of happiness that was in his eyes at the mention of his wife and daughter. It was now replaced by a sudden bright flare, almost as bright as the flame which sat upon the altar. His smile was gone now, replaced by a serious frown.

"I am afraid that the kingdom can no longer hold the creature we call Lucario," he said quietly.

For a single moment, fear surfaced from deep within Mario's confusion. "And-a why is that-a…?"

Link's jaw tightened as he spoke. "It is tradition that after three days of being with a messenger sent from the heavens above, it must be sent back…"

"Sent-a back?" Mario repeated, "How shall-a we do that-a? Pit is-a up there and we are down-a here."

"I am well aware of that," Link replied, "Which is why the only way to get Lucario back up there is to… to sacrifice it…"

"Sacrifice it?!?" Mario said with shock and disgust evident in his voice, "Sacrifice a creature so intriguing-a as he? What-a kind of disgusting practice is-a this?!?"

"The smoke shall rise to the heavens, carrying Lucario's spirit with it," Link explained calmly, "Once Pit receives it, he'll know that we appreciate his efforts to help us."

"But-a surely he'll accept-a another sacrifice-a!" Mario protested, "A fine-a bull or goat-a perhaps?"

Link answered with an emphatic shake of his head. "It doesn't work that way. The messenger Pit has sent us is unique, the only one of his kind. Pit requires that you must sacrifice such a wonderful beast to him so that he may know just how much we appreciate him! A feast or a ball in his name won't matter to him because he can't even attend it! A common ram or bull won't matter either because he gets a million of those kinds of sacrifices every night! When dealing with royalty, he requires only the most wonderful things you can find in this world! Kings and queens before you have sacrificed everything from the Ram of the Golden Fleece to the Diamond Dove. Pit uses these creatures as messengers and the only way to bring them back up there to him is to sacrifice them since no mortal is allowed to set foot in Skyworld unless granted special permission by him!"

"But-a I cannot sacrifice him-a!" Mario argued, his face turning beet red, "My queen-a, your daughter, has-a a special pact with-a the creature! He has-a promised-a her that he will teach-a her great-a things! She will become-a even wiser than she already is and-a will that-a be not good for the kingdom-a?"

"It is not wise to try to learn divine knowledge!" Link snapped, "Many have gone mad simply by knowing some of that stuff and even more have lost their lives because of it! I do not want to put my daughter at risk because of it!"

"But-a Lucario offered to teach-a her himself-a!" Mario retorted, "Surely he means-a no harm-a!"

"The divine beings are neither good nor evil," Link said angrily, his blue eyes transforming into twin flames, "They simply exist to help those who are in desperate need. If one wishes to know what they know, they will simply teach all they know to that being, unfiltered and regardless of how much wickedness resides in their heart! If my daughter should try even learning a tiny bit of what Lucario will teach her, it can easily cost her own soul! She will reside forever in the fields of Tartarus while that creature runs free!"

Mario jumped from his chair, sending it cluttering to the floor with a great clash. "I shall-a not deny my sweet-a rose her happiness! She finds-a great happiness in learning-a and learning-a I shall give-a to her! As king of this-a kingdom, I refuse-a to sacrifice the beast-a known as-a Lucario and-a there is nothing you can-a do to change-a my mind!"

The former king's eyes were blazing blue ice right now, seeming to pierce Mario's heart right to his very soul. It was many a time Mario had seen these eyes blaze before, whether it be when the king was sitting on his throne judging a murderer or while on the field of battle. Those eyes were unnerving, as if Link was gazing right through you and into your soul. They haunted the dreams of all who saw them, often not going away until the sin the person committed was undone. Mario had seen these eyes many times and they always sent great shivers down his spine. But nothing could prepare him for the moment when he confronted these eyes gazing directly at him for the very first time in his life.

Every muscle in his body froze at the sight of these blue eyes, full of wisdom and fierceness all at once. His greatest fears were reawakened because of these eyes and he felt as if he were drowning in the coldest lake in the universe. But still he kept his head held high and his posture as dignified as can be.

"Very well," Link said coldly, his every word like a cold steel blade in Mario's heart, "Just remember that once thy angel's wrath descends, thou shall regret speaking to me like that."

The old tongue was confusing in the mind of the new king, but he took care not to allow his confusion to show in his face. "Very well-a… I too wash-a my hands of this-a matter…"

With every shred of dignity within him, Mario walked out of the room and away from his father in law. Link watched his son in law leave his presence, a surge of pity coming to him as he watched his retreating back. But as he reached out to call back the new king, he stopped himself and withdrew his arm. If King Mario wished to go against religious tradition, so be it. Without another thought, he exited the room and walked in the direction of Zelda's bedchambers.

**

"What?!?" Pit fumed, slamming his fist down on the rim of the cauldron, "How dare he!"

He had just finished witnessing the scene between King Mario and the Former King Link. With every word that Mario said, his anger rose more and more until he was actually tempted to storm right over to the piece of string that represented Mario's life and slice it right then and there. Once the string was cut, he knew that the ignorant mortal would drop dead then and there and King Link would surely take it as a sign of his wrath.

He watched as the two royals stormed away from each other, one in the direction of his wife's bed chamber and the other in the direction of the throne room. He saw with his own two eyes how they passed countless numbers of windows, all of them facing the lawns outside. The lawns were horrible. Bodies, countless numbers of bodies, could be seen outside. The blood from these corpses painted the ground a startling crimson red.

He knew it was because of him so many lives were lost. It was because of the wrath he had unleashed upon the citizens of the Island of Toadstools that had cost them so many lives. And what for? To show them who the true king was, of course.

He watched as the many citizens of the Island of Toadstools walked about the bodies, searching for their loved ones. He saw smoke far off in the distance, as if a great bonfire had been lit. The horrible stench of burning flesh, though faint at first, curled up to his nose, causing him to reel in fear and disgust. He hated human sacrifice. It was cruel and inhumane. But he knew that they were doing this because he had taken so many lives. They wished to appease him and chose to do so through the most disgusting religious practice possible.

Pit gripped his bow and clenched his teeth, tears stinging his eyes. He watched in horror of himself as a great family of ten wept over the body of a single man. Out of all nine children in the family, only one looked old enough to be able to help take care of the others. A lump formed in Pit's throat as he saw this. He had ripped apart families all for the benefit of an ungrateful king.

"No mortal dares defy me without going unpunished," he whispered angrily, raising his bow and making an electric blue arrow appear on it.

His first intent was to let the arrow fly at the life string of Mario, ripping it in half right then and there. But death was not a suitable punishment for a crime that was not so inhumane. He instead diverted his attention to the man's queen, the beautiful Queen Peach. Her every feature reminded Pit so much of her mother's that for a moment he longed to become the milk white stallion again if only to be with her for one day. But he pushed those thoughts from his mind and took aim, allowing his arrow to glow a bright hot pink. After measuring the exact amount of trajectory it would take for the arrow to hit its target, he let if fly and smirked in satisfaction as a small gasp indicated that the arrow had found its mark.

**

It had happened so suddenly. Peach had been walking in the gardens, enjoying the beauty of nature when she felt a sudden fleeting sting on her left bosom. It was right where her heart was and for a single brief moment, she gasped in surprise, clutching her left breast. Her heart rate had increased ten fold, seeming to squeeze itself tight and expand with every beat. She could feel it against her ribs, as if it wanted to burst right out of her chest. She moaned in agony as this continued, the pain blinding her from all her surroundings.

Through her tears she saw servants passing by, watching in horror as their mistress collapsed to the ground, still clutching her bosom. Many of them came running at her immediately, hands outstretched to help her. As a few reached her, she waved them away, still writhing in pain. Her vision began to blur as her torture continued, her breath shortening into tiny pained pants.

"Mistress Peach!" one of them cried out, reaching out for her again.

Peach looked up and recognized this servant to be Marth, who dreamed of becoming a great knight. He was the most loyal out of all of her servants, ready to fight against the rebels when they tried to storm the castle. Even then it was he who took care of Lucario and helped out the wounded after the great siege. Peach gave him a small smile, which immediately melted to a frown as another spasm of pain seized her.

"Shall I fetch King Mario?" he asked in alarm, grabbing her and holding her steady.

Normally, the mere mention of her husbands name would cause a great warmth to rise up in the princess's cheeks, making her skin glow like a candle on a dark night. She would always smile at the mention of his name, remembering how wonderful his smile was, how kindly his hands. But she felt none of this now. In fact, she felt nothing except exceptional boredom at the mention of his name. It was not Mario, but another face that now occupied her mind. In fact, the mere image of that face lessened the pain so much. She smiled as she remembered his soft blue fur, his beautiful amber eyes…

"Lucario," she croaked, feeling the blush rise to her cheeks, "Get me Lucario…"

Her vision was darkening now, black dots appearing in front of her eyes. She heard the running bare feet of the other servants as they ran to fetch the strange creature that head emerged out of the sea. More footsteps were heard not long after, but these were calmer, more dignified.

She began to descend into the warm embrace of darkness. She found herself gazing into beautiful deep amber, the beautiful color feeding her dreams and weaving its way into her dreams. The last thing she heard was his soft, soothing voice in her ear.

"Do not worry, my queen. I am here. Do not be afraid…"

I just realized something… the myth I chose to loosely base this on is probably the sickest, twisted, most disgusting myth in all of Greek mythology…

AWESOMENESS!!!!!

See y'all next chapter, ya hear? :D