Both of the young princes settled in the older one's bed and opened up their textbooks to the page Mario had left off before his tantrum.
"So, you are on… chapter 11… wow Mario, you're way behind…" said Luigi looking down at the pages. Mario folded his arms and huffed.
"Mom will be mad at you if you don't catch up" the green one informed.
"And where are you, exactly?" asked the red one, lowering his eyelids and raising an eyebrow.
"Chapter 16" exclaimed the younger twin, folding his arms triumphantly.
"Now come on Mario, I know you don't want another ear full from Mom. You go ahead and read the first page."
Mario sighed in defeat and placed his finger at the beginning of the first paragraph in the book. He dragged it across the page from left to right as he began to recite the text out loud, while Luigi listened and followed along, pausing him every now and again to quiz him…
A few hours passed and the brothers continued alternating through the reading and quizzing one another to see if each had been paying attention and absorbing the information in the text.
"Do you understand everything so far?" asked Luigi.
"Yeah… I think so" Mario answered back, chin in hand and elbow resting on his knee.
"Well, at least I've got you caught up" said the younger brother.
Suddenly, three knocks at the bedroom door caught Mario and Luigi's attention.
"Who is it?" questioned the red prince.
"Just a guard" a voice responded. Mario stood up from his plush bed and strolled over to answer the door.
"Yes?"
"Sirs, your mother the Queen requests for you and your brother to meet her downstairs for dinner" the guard clad in silver armor informed.
"Alrighty, we'll be down in a minute. Thank you" said Mario as he dismissed the guard and turned to Luigi.
"Come on Luigi, mom wants us down for dinner."
Said one nodded and closed both of their textbooks before getting off the bed and walking to Mario. The teenaged princes then made their way down a large flight of stairs and into the grand dining room where their mother was already sitting at the table awaiting them. She sat with her arms folded neatly infront of her, the sleeves made of netting like material on her dark purple dress pulled halfway up her forearms, her mid-length brunette hair pulled back into its usual bun, the light of the chandelier reflecting off the soft edges of her bangs, unchanged and styled to the right, and a golden tiara rested atop herhead. Her icy blue eyes fell upon the two brothers entering the room.
"Good evening Mario and Luigi" she greeted as her sons took their seats across the table from her.
"Good evening mother" they greeted back simultaneously.
Eyeing Mario, the queen asked, "Have you two been studying?"
The red prince saw this and responded quickly.
"Yes we have, mother…"
She simply nodded, showing a sign of relief and contentedness. The mother and her two boys sat at the table for some minutes before the royal chef entered the dining room with a large turkey along with a waiter pulling a small cart.
"Enjoy your dinner, your majesty" he said, gently placing the bird on the table.
The waiter then came behind him and placed salads on the table as side dishes.
"Thank you Jacque" she acknowledged.
With that, the cook and the waiter made their way back into the kitchen. Mario and Luigi gazed at the glazed turkey before them, forks in hand, and stomachs ready to be filled. However, the Queen paused them before they even began.
"We have to wait until your father gets here" she claimed.
The teen brothers laid back into their chairs, desperately fighting the urge to dive into the turkey…
Time passed and there wasn't any sign of him. In the meantime, Mario nibbled on a few salad leaves while the Queen wasn't looking. Fifteen minutes went by before their father finally entered the room. Mario resembled him almost exactly only this man and Luigi shared similar mustaches. He had a slightly
round build yet it was clear to see he had more muscle than fat, especially in his arms. A scarlet cape made of the finest cotton hung loosely around his form…. a suit of white worn on his body, and a large gold crown rested atop his head.
"You're late, Benito…" said the Queen, staring at him with a piercing look in her eyes.
Said one hesitantly stepped over to the table and took a seat in the bigger chair next to her, lifting his long royal red cape so as not to sit on it.
"Forgive me Marissa" he apologized.
"I was dealing with some finances and…"
Raising her hand in one swift motion, she paused him in mid-sentence.
"You know it isn't proper for a king to be late to dinner with his family" she informed.
"Yes I know…again, forgive me…" he said.
Marissa simply nodded and looked to Mario and Luigi.
"Now we may begin eating…" she declared.
Wasting no time at all, both brothers began carving into the turkey and filling their bellies to the near bursting point.
"So… how has everyone's day been?" Benito attempted to get a family conversation going. Luigi answered first.
"Fine. I managed to get a few chapters ahead in my book and helped Mario catch up on his."
"Impressive. How about you, Mario?"
Said one paused for a second and muttered under his breath- "horrendous…"
"Pardon?" the king raised an eyebrow. The queen shot a disapproving glare at the red prince, who in turn changed his answer.
"I mean… it was okay" he responded, although he didn't mean it in the least. His mother quickly butted in.
"Hmph. I caught Mario outside with the Yoshis instead if studying today" she informed her husband.
"Oh?"
Mario growled, irritated by her. "A simple break won't kill anyone, mom!"
"There are set times for breaks! and that was not one of them! Now finish your salad" she abruptly closed the discussion. Mario sat back in his chair, grumbled, then ate a mere salad leaf. Benito noticed his son's frustration and turned to his wife.
"Marissa, don't be so harsh on him. Too much work does wear on the mind."
"Well he hasn't been doing enough work lately" she refuted. "Besides, someone needs to make sure he's fit to be a king."
"True, but-"
"Enough, please. Let's just finish our meal peacefully."
Benny sighed in defeat. "Yes, Marissa…"
Mario watched his parents' brief exchange and huffed at his father's feeble attempt to stand up for him.
When the four of them finished dinner, Benito rose from his chair and exited the dining room.
"I'm going to finish with the finances" he claimed before walking out of sight.
Mario and Luigi stood up and rubbed their oh-so-full stomachs. Luigi stretched out his arms and began to exit the room as well.
"Good night mother" he said as he too walked out of sight.
"Good night Luigi" she said back.
Mario started to make his way out as well. But before he could, he was suddenly halted by his mother's voice.
"Mario" she called.
Said one turned around to face her.
"Yes mother?"
"There's something I need to remind you of."
"Yes?"
"The royal ball is next week. Invitations will be sent out tomorrow. I'm inviting all of the princesses I think to be eligible for you."
"You mean all the preppy snobs…" he muttered in a low voice. Luckily for him, she did not catch it.
"The princess I feel to be the most suitable shall be your bride" the Queen stated.
Reminded of this, Mario cringed at the idea. He swiftly turned his whole body around to face her, signaling he wasn't too enthusiastic about it.
"That's not fair! Luigi gets to choose his bride!" he proclaimed.
Unfazed, she simply took this as an empty argument.
"But he's not the immediate heir to the throne" Marissa said back.
"So?"
"You must think of what's best for your kingdom."
He sighed, knowing this argument was going nowhere. The red prince turned back around and began to shuffle out of the dining room.
"Good night mother…" he said in a monotone.
"Good night Mario."
The Queen watched as he exited through the grand doors, giving one last reminder before retiring to her own room.
"Remember… one week."
Mario simply rolled his eyes and headed into his bedroom. However, instead of falling asleep, he sat on his bed, knees to his chest, gazing out into the far off distance through his window.
"This is a time where I wish I was a regular…" he said sorrowfully.
"I wonder what their life is like…"
He huffed as a surge of irritability ran through him.
"I bet they aren't reprimanded by their parents…"
With that last comment, the red prince sighed once again and began to tuck himself in for the night…
Meanwhile on the far, far side of ShroomTown, a young blonde teenage girl was finishing un-tacking the yoshis in the small ranch her poor family owned…