Chapter 2—1841

Even the soldiers were enjoying themselves amid the festivities. Of course, why should they not celebrate? The day was truly a momentous occasion for the Koopa Kingdom. Everywhere, effigies of the evil King Edward had been constructed just to be destroyed. Bowser, while still cross at his father, was lost in euphoria. Because it was such a wonderful sentence that aroused the celebration, the mere mention of it caused an eruption of cheers. As a gratuity, Bowser was given the pleasure of seeing Kato again; she had come to Yakoopsk with her family. Very fast, celebratory dances streamed from the orchestra (someone had actually fainted from dancing too much). He felt some embarrassment at dancing with Kato now that he was fourteen and beginning to experience the effects of maturity, but he danced with her nonetheless, often losing his footing and falling to the ground, forcing the skinny young Koopa down onto him when he failed to let go of her. Main Sequence 13th (although the celebration in Yakoopsk was on Enthos 4th) would go down in Koopa history as the most glorious day of the century—King Edward II, the merciless King of the Mushroom Kingdom, the enemy of every Koopa in existence, was dead.

Kato danced with incredible grace—Bowser was quite envious. Thanks to his increasingly strong build, he was more power than agility. Every time he tried a fast dance, he would end up tangling up his legs and falling on his back. Most of the Koopas did not wear a shell while dancing, considering how cumbersome they were, but with Bowser's lack of coordination, wearing a shell was a necessity if he did not want to get hurt. Fortunately, everyone kept their distance from him and Kato was graceful enough to get out of the way if Bowser fell. However, just as a precaution, Bowser was wearing a shell that did not have the usual spikes. The black of his shell went well with his own black-and-red suit. Everyone said he and Kato looked good together, but that was mainly because she was also wearing black. The dances were too fast for dresses, so Kato wore a suit, just like Bowser, albeit one that did not bring out her shoulders.

After falling a fourteenth time (bringing Kato down on him a ninth time), Bowser thought he had done enough dancing for the moment.

"I'm getting a little tired," he said in Koopsian. Kato was now speaking fluent English, but her accent still stood out quite strongly, not to mention her vocabulary was quite limited. Therefore, Bowser felt it would be better if he just spoke Koopsian; he had had plenty of practice living in Yakoopsk for a little over a year. "I think I'll relax for a while."

"Are you tired of falling or are you actually tired?" Kato asked in response.

"Both." Kato laughed.

"I'll go with you, then."

Bowser walked off the dance floor and sat down at a table, Kato sitting down across from him.

"So, what's Yakoopsk like?" Kato asked.

"Cold." Kato laughed again. "Living in the Kooparemlin isn't that fun. For starters, I arrived only a month before Koopyaz Pyotr died. Since no one else was considered worthy of the throne, his wife, Yekaterina, became Koopyaginya. Natalia also died recently. It's hard to raise a family in Shellberia. Most hatchlings don't survive infancy, and those who do still have childhood to make it through. I'm actually worried that I might get some disease and die here; if even the Koopyaz can die from a winter disease, imagine what could happen to me."

"I see your point. Well, I really hope you live; you're the only legitimate heir to the Ruby Throne. If you die, we might have a second Time of Disarray, and considering that we're in the middle of a war with the Mushroom Kingdom, your death would be far from wanted."

"Is that why you don't want me to die?"

"Well, there's also the fact that you're my friend, but I figured you would accept that reason as given. I'm sorry; did I offend you by not mentioning it?"

"A little. Now that you mentioned it, though, I feel better." Bowser paused, thinking of how to change the subject. "You're a very good dancer."

Kato laughed. She seemed to be doing that a lot; Bowser began to wonder if someone had mistakenly given her an alcoholic drink. "Compared to you, anyone would seem good—no offense."

"None taken; I know I'm a pitiful dancer. I'm just hoping I don't fall on my wedding day. It's traditional to dance with one's wife, so falling would be quite an embarrassment."

"Marriage… I'd certainly like to get married someday. I think I can picture your ideal wife. Let's see… kind, intelligent, honest—"

"That sounds like you."

Kato blushed. "Does it?" she asked quietly.

"You were just describing yourself. Perhaps you have hidden feelings for me?"

"No… not that I know of, anyway."

"I'm just kidding. Still, that does sound like someone I'd want as a wife. Beautiful would also be in there, though."

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

"You're only eleven; it's too early to tell. You might end up looking very beautiful."

Kato blushed more. After a very awkward silence, she finally spoke again. "Can we change the subject?"

"Sure. Sorry if I embarrassed you."

"You're blushing, too."

"I am?"

"Yes."

"Well… er… it is… a bit of an… awkward… topic for us to talk about."

"Good point. So, did you hear about the victory in Koopzan?"

"No, I didn't. I thought the Mushroomers hadn't gotten past the mountains."

"Well, Lord Toadsworth actually managed to get a battalion past the mountains. He captured Koopzan very quickly and killed the Koopyaz and his family."

"How is that a victory for us?" Bowser asked.

"It has a happy ending; don't worry. Anyway, King Morton then gathered a huge force and marched straight through Koopva and Konyetsy and started a siege just a week after the Koopyaz's death. The battle started out in Toadsworth's favor, but our troops managed to take back the Vimga Pass and cut off Toadsworth's reinforcements. Then, King Morton captured a bunch of Mushroom supply wagons headed for Koopzan and loaded them with explosives. When the wagons got inside—BOOM! Almost all of Toadsworth's army was blown to bits! Toadsworth escaped, but his army was just a pile of corpses. He'll either freeze to death trying to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom or he'll get killed by Koopa patrols."

"I guess my dad's gotten a lot of pats on the back for that."

"Well, of course. The Mushroom Kingdom's best military mind lost almost all of his army in one battle. Your dad's a war hero. In fact, Modest Mushorgsky wrote a song about King Morton's victory."

"He seems to be doing just fine without me," Bowser said with a disappointed sigh.

"It's a lot easier to become famous with the sword than the treaty. Nothing gets someone famous like a war. You'll probably be just as good."

"He doesn't think so."

"Who cares what he thinks?" Before Bowser could respond, "The whole Kingdom," Kato continued. "I think you'll be a good King. You might not be the smartest guy around, but you're certainly the nicest, and my dad says we could use more nice guys on the throne."

"Do you mean that, or are you just saying that because I'm almost hopeless and you don't want me to feel worse?"

"I mean it. You said yourself that I'm honest." Bowser could think of nothing to say in response, but Kato found something. "Bowser, could you excuse me for a bit? I need to go to the bathroom."

"Sure." Kato got up and walked off. Bowser thought he saw a familiar face in the crowd, but he decided it was his imagination. While Bowser had been in exile, his father had gone and become a war hero. Everyone was praising Morton and cursing Bowser. No one had the courage (or the stupidity) to directly insult Bowser, but he could tell that he was not well-liked after his failure at the Dino Atoll. Kato still thought Bowser was great. Was she in love with him?

"Nonsense," Bowser thought. "She's only eleven; what does she know about love? She only knows what is said in the stories. We just accidentally got on the subject, that's all. But what if I love her?"

"You are only fourteen; you still know little of love," another part of him said. "Give yourself some time; you'll fall in love eventually, maybe even with Kato. You've got time; don't waste it on premature love."

"Prince Bowser," a voice said. Bowser looked in the direction of the voice and saw Kamek. "It's good to see you well."

"It's good to see you off the rack," Bowser said sarcastically.

Kamek shuddered. "I find it hard to believe that prisoners are actually put on that thing. My arms probably grew five centimeters each. Thank the Stars for healing magic. Anyway, I came here with a letter from King Morton."

"You came all the way to Yakoopsk just so my father could scold me from a distance?"

"I do not know what the letter contains. Read it when you please. Anyway, now that I have carried out my orders, I believe the dance floor calls." With that, Kamek got up and walked over to two ladies on the dance floor. One was dressed in blue and looked Kamek's age, but the other looked around seventeen and boasted long, purple hair that matched her suit.

"Those must be Kamek's wife and daughter," Bowser thought. "Hard to believe someone so lovely could come from someone so ugly." Bowser found himself staring and diverted his attention back to the letter. He removed the Royal Seal and started reading. It was nice to see the Astrolatin alphabet for a change.

Bowser,

In your absence, much has happened. Lord Toadsworth, the CO who almost captured you, has reached the Koopspian Depression. Recently, my troops drove him back over the mountains. The Mushroom Army is no longer as susceptible to our mountainous border as it used to be. A victory in Koopzan (under my own command) repulsed Lord Toadsworth and drove him back to Bean Valley. The war is no longer a soldier's war in the mountains. Now, civilians are also in danger of being attacked by the Mushroomers.

On a different note, though, the Testuduma and I have made a very important decision regarding your future: we have chosen your betrothed. All the potential suitors were looked at, and we have chosen Yekaterina Vissarionovna Svanidshell. Treat her well, my son, for she will be your wife someday.

King Morton I

Bowser stared at the name in the letter: Yekaterina Vissarionovna Svanidshell. He was betrothed to Kato! He had to marry Kato! Seeing Kato on her way back, Bowser stuffed the letter into his pocket. What would Kato think of the decision? Did she already know? "She's only eleven; I'll tell her when she's older, assuming no one else tells her," Bowser thought.

"What was in the letter?" Kato asked.

"Huh?"

"I saw you stuffing it into your pocket. Don't pretend you didn't get a letter."

"The letter's content is none of your—"

"How can you say that, Prince Bowser?" Kato's father asked, interrupting.

"Does it have something to do with me?" she asked.

"Yes, but…" Bowser paused. "It's not easy to say."

"Shall I say it then?" Kato's father asked. "She will find out on her own before too long, anyway."

"Be my guest."

"Kato, King Morton and I, in response to the friendship between you and Prince Bowser, have agreed that the two of you should be betrothed—"

"BETROTHED!" Kato cried, half in disbelief and half in surprise. "Us?" The orchestra had stopped; all eyes were on Kato and Bowser.

"Yes. You two have become good friends. In addition, King Morton feels your sensible mind will be the perfect thing to keep Prince Bowser's ambition from getting the better of his common sense. Together, the two of you will rule the Koopa Kingdom with such expertise that even King Aleksandr the Wise would be envious."

"I'm only eleven; isn't it early to be choosing a husband for me?"

"Your mother and I were betrothed when I was only ten and she was twelve, and considering that you're here, our marriage was obviously a successful one. Besides, you and Bowser make a wonderful couple."

"I'm not ready to be thinking about marriage."

"Which is why we had hoped to wait until you were older to tell you, but King Morton insisted that the word be spread immediately. Give the idea more time to grow. As you said, you are only eleven, so you should wait for a few years before giving your input."

Kato was silent. Saying yes or no would do nothing at that point; until she was older, she lacked the authority to respond. The marriage would not be for another seven years at the least, so that meant there was plenty of time for her to decide. Bowser was also curious about Kato's response. He did not love her, but he had a feeling that if he had to, he would.

"I'll leave you two alone, now," Kato's father said as he walked off.

Silence engulfed the table. Bowser looked around and noticed that many people had been staring and were just now going back to whatever they had been doing earlier. Even the orchestra had stopped in response to Kato's cry, but the conductor had gotten them back in line.

"Kato?" Bowser asked softly. "I… I don't know whether I want this or not, but… I hope our marriage… if it happens… is a happy one."

There was little else to say, but the silence only added to the awkward situation. He wanted Kato to say something just to break the silence, but Kato must have wanted Bowser to speak first. Bowser heard some applause from the dancers and observers—the dance must have just ended. Seeing an opportunity to divert from his betrothal, Bowser sat up a tad higher.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked. Kato didn't respond, but she got up and took Bowser's hand. Shortly before leading him off to the dance floor, she raised herself up onto her toes and kissed Bowser on the lips.

The kiss was too quick (and too surprising) for Bowser to have a chance to respond, but he smiled. It was weird that she had decided to kiss him despite saying that she did not love him. What did the kiss mean, then, if not love? Bowser looked at Kato again and for the first time noticed her horns beginning to break through her layer of hair. He could tell she would be a wonderful wife, but he wondered how they could be married without love. He wanted to love her, and he wanted her to love him, but there was no sign of either.

"I hope things turn out for the better," Kato said.

Hope. That was what was in the kiss—hope that they would fall in love, that they would be happily married, that they would rule well. "Me, too," Bowser said after a while. The orchestra started up again in a 5/8 tempo. Bowser found himself on his back before even four measures had gone by, looking up at Kato's chuckling face.

Author's Notes: For those of you who have hunches as to the overall real-world reference in the story, please note that there will be differences between what happens to Bowser and Kato and what happens to the real-world couple. I apologize for taking so long, but the Internet on my side has been behaving worse than an unsupervised four-year-old boy lately. On the positive side, I had the time to give the chapter more thought.