As compensation for such a short chapter yesterday, I made a chapter twice as long, with 4 times the emotion, and 87438472 times sooner than normal. This is the second to last chapter, and it's a chapter I don't advise skimming over. (Plot points that will be used in both next chapter and the sequel). I turned into a total sappy mcsapperton in the end A/N, but I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless. Thanks everyone!
"Bella, you don't need to get all dressed up," Rosalina laughed with a smile, leaning against the bathroom door. "They don't expect you to be in high fashion. It's just a gathering." She finished, looking at the door as if she could see through it.
"It's my 17th birthday, can you just humor me?" She said sarcastically through the shut door. She was slipping into a very fancy dress that she hardly ever wore because she thought she'd taint its beauty. It was something Rosalina had made her, but she was too scared of ruining it to ever actually wear it. Today was an exception, however.
She was going to stop at the planet she'd always visit, in hopes of seeing Junior again. She'd never gone a single day without going, even though he never showed up. Today was her birthday; he had to be there. Didn't he? He promised he'd come back... Maybe that was going to be her present? She laughed lightly at the thought of seeing him again.
She missed him a lot, but kept him a secret. They way he got all weird when He found out Rosalina was her mother obviously meant something, even though she had no idea what. Maybe he didn't like her, But Junior wasn't the type to leave like that, even if that was the reason. There had to be something more.
"Fine. Just know you look fantastic in whatever you put on." The queen said with a smile. She turned around, her eyes meeting the opposite side of the bedroom. Bellatrix's easel stood in the corner, paints in a container next to them. A canvas sat on the Easel. Rosalina hovered over to it, examining it once more. The first thing to catch her eye was the pale complexion of a pair of shoulders. They were connected to the lower half of a face which was painted in full. The face was accompanied by a set of peach colored lips, which were standing out due to the bright aqua dress that the girl was wearing. It took her a moment to realize, but it was her... Rosalina.
Bella took her time to paint this? It was gorgeous. The princess had only improved since she first decided to taking up painting as a hobby, and she was incredible at it. The whole observatory was filled with miscellaneous paintings of hers throughout the years. Even so, none of them caught the queens attention quite like this one.
"Do you like it?"
Rosalina turned her head to see Bellatrix standing almost as tall as the queen, in a knee length white dress. 'She's finally wearing it,' The queen thought with a smile. She'd worked really hard on that dress, and she almost got tired of looking at it. Seeing it on Bella was a different story though. Bella stared at Rosalina with a smile, which made Rosalina blink and remember the question she was asked.
"It's incredible." She finally said, looking back to the canvas. Bella smiled again, as she walked closer to Rosalina. "It's not finished, but It's a start." She said, thinking up thousands of ways to make it better. "You're too critical of yourself, dear." The queen said, still admiring the painting.
She turned and looked again to Bellatrix, who was still staring at the canvas behind the queen. "You look-"
"Overdressed?" Bella said, cutting off Rosalina who gave the princess a smirk. "Beautiful."
Bella blushed, as she stared down to her feet for a brief moment. The Queen walked up to Bella, and placed a bent index finger under her chin. She lifted the Princesses face up so their eyes met. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Bellatrix's smiled again and hugged Rosalina as tight as she could. "Thanks, mom." She said with a light laugh. Rosalina froze a bit when The girl called her mom. Even after 17 years, facing the facts still never got any easier. Even though the king and queen were gone, Rosalina still felt like a terrible person for protecting her feelings.
"I'm going to go brush my hair again," Bella began, Snapping the queens attention back. "Sorry for being to critical, but I cant deal with Knots." She finished with a laugh. Rosalina smiled at her, as she let her free from a hug. She ran into the bathroom, and shut the door with a hum.
Something had gotten into her within the past few years. She's been bubbly and often wanting to look more like a girl. Not like she hadn't been before, but Bella was always known for not exactly caring about appearances. Even through her nights where she'd come home from 'adventuring' (which she still did) crying her eyes out, and not telling Rosalina why, she'd still get up the next day and want to repeat it over again. There wasn't a night where she didn't go, and starting nearly a year ago, there wasn't one where she didn't fill her pillow with tears.
Rosalina always asked for a reason, but never got one. She even started to tag along with Bella just to see what was making her upset, but it seemed to be nothing. Bella would be happy, and rush to a sling star on the first galaxy's planet. She'd end up on the beach one above it, and just sit there for hours. As if she was waiting for something, or someone. She'd always end up breaking down into tears, and then coming home after 25 minutes of sobbing.
It seemed to be nothing, which was simple to agree with when that's all the Bella accused it of being.
"Mama! Mama!" A luma shouted, rushing into the bedroom, de-railing the Queens train of thought. He looked at the queen with worry, which made Rosalina lightly panic.
"What is it?" She asked back, beginning to hover to the Luma. "You have visitors from the Mushroom Kingdom! They want to speak with you, but they're very grumpy..." The luma said, a frown forming on its face.
Rosalinas heart sank into her stomach. She lost grip of reality, after the Luma said that residence from the Kingdom below were on her Observatory. They were obviously here for Bella; here to argue about why the king and queen of their kingdom had yet to be found. How was she going to clear this up? It's been 17 years since the incident happened. It's been nearly 8 years since she stopped responding completely to the kingdom below, and its been 13 years since the death of its rulers. How was she supposed to break it to them? To Bella? She felt foolish for not expecting them to come claim the princess. Rosalina would have broken down into sobs if she didn't feel so numb.
"Mama? Are you okay?" The luma asked again. Rosalina shook her head, and reality poured itself into her head once more. She looked to the Bathroom door, which was still shut. A humming Bella was still inside. She didn't hear anything, thank goodness. Rosalina formulated a quick plan in her head of not telling Bella anything. Of Solving the issue with whoever was visiting, and having them leave. Bella didn't even have to know.
Without a word, she quickly rushed out to the observatory, and spotted the unmistakable toad that was there to greet her. His hat was a brown color, and he walked with the same cane he always had though he definitely surpassed it in age. She was not looking forward to this at all.
"Toadsworth." She said, catching his attention. He had two toads beside him, both significantly younger. They looked at her with confusion, but also with frowns. Rosalina felt like she could vomit.
"Where have you been?!" He said bluntly, louder than Rosalina was expecting. She was a bit taken aback by this, and was at a loss for words. Toadsworth grew irritated, and hobbled closer and closer to the Queen who began to panic. Lumas from around paused what they were doing, and began to watch the scene unfold.
"Huh?! Where were you!? You haven't responded to a letter in seven years!" He said, now practically shouted. All that could be heard was the sound of Toadsworths sharp breathing, and the pounding in Rosalinas chest. She had no words.
He gave her an even more disgusted look, growing more annoyed with her lack of response.
"We've come to collect Princess Annabelle Maurizia Toadstool." A toad with a red spotted hat said in a softer tone. The Blue clad one that stood next to him nodded in agreement with the same sour look Toadsworth had.
There it was. The words she dreaded, yet knew were coming. All of the lumas and starbunnies were now staring at the scene, mouths agape. They all knew the same information the Queen did, and felt ashamed for being a part of a secret.
Rosalina opened her mouth to speak, but Toadsworth let out a growl, and slammed the tip of his cane on the glass observatory floor. It let out a loud crack, though nothing broke. The tears were welling in Rosalinas eyes, as her throat began to ache.
"There is no discussion! She belongs in her true kingdom! You've had her for More than enough time!" He said, shouting up to her. It was strange how she could feel so intimidated by someone one sixth her size.
"We only let you keep her for so long because you said it's what the Queen wanted for her," He continued, words like heated metal that was stuck through Rosalinas chest. "But Luigi and Daisy have their own kingdom to Run, and I'm not of the royal bloodline!" He said again. The queen of the cosmos felt everything she'd been shoving aside come crashing back into her chest.
"Its also obvious that you stopped caring about finding the King and Queen..." He mumbled, with a disgusted scowl. It was much more sinister than any other he'd given her since he was on the observatory, and hurt just as much. Rosalina deserved everything she was getting, didn't she?
"We need her help. We can finally do what you were asked to do 17 years ago." He said again. Even though it was in a softer tone than his now typical scream, it hurt just as much, if not more. Now she had to tell them the king and queen were actually dead. She feared being ripped to shreds by the trio, but she had to confess. Now was really the time she had to spill her guts. "The king and queen..." She began, silent tears falling from her face. "The king and queen are de-"
"What's going on here?" Bella asked curiously, walking towards the group. Everyone on the observatory turned to face the Princess; all except Rosalina who simply continued to stare blankly in front of her with wide eyes. 'No, not now' she begged silently. Her back was to Bella, which was the only thing not making the teen panic.
The trio of Toads, looked at the princess with awe. Their mouths all dropped as they stared at her in pure wonder. "Your Highness," Toadsworth stuttered, as he began to struggle to bow in front of Bella. She smiled, and stood beside yet behind Rosalina. The queen continued to hope Bella wouldn't see her tears.
Noticing the toad was struggling, she threw her hands forward, shaking them in a 'no' fashion. "No need for the formality." She said with a smile. All three of the toads looked back to her with huge smiles, and wide eyes. "Your father said the exact same thing." Toadsworth said, still in wonder. She was definitely Annabelle. There was no mistaking it. She looked like a clone of her parents combined into a single girl.
Bella giggled in confusion. "You must have me confused for someone else. I don't have a father." She said, as if it was a common mistake. The blue and red toad gasped, before shooting another sour look to Rosalina. The Queen still was staring off into the distance, pain cracking into her heart. 'stop this,' she said to herself. 'wake up already, wake up.'
Toadsworth formed a face that was of pure shock. It was hard to tell how he was feeling. "You... You lied to her?" He said softly, looking to the Queen who finally looked back to him. Tears fell from her eyes silently like waterfalls. "Lied to me? What are you-"
His face immediately crumpled with a look of pure hatred and disgust. "HOW DARE YOU!" He shouted, rushing up to the Queen who stumbled backwards.
"Dont talk to my mother that way!" Bella shouted over Toadsworth, Jumping in front of the queen, as if to be shielding her from his words. The Toad stopped dead in his track, and stared at the queen. He was in complete disbelief of what he was witnessing. "You told her... you were her mother?" He questioned, eyes twitching. It looked like he was going to blow a gasket.
"Told me? She is my mother." Bella said back to Toadsworth with a look of anger. He looked up to the Brunette princess in front of him, in a completely numbing rage. He clenched his teeth together, and growled. "She's the farthest thing from your mother."
Bella scoffed at the brown clad toad, and regained her composure. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She said calmly, yet firmly. The three toads gasped, yet all continued to look frustrated. Rosalinas tears stopped pouring, but it hurt to hold them back. She was trying to calm herself.
"Leave?! We've been trying to repair that ship for years to come here to get you!" The red toad shouted. Bella rolled her eyes. "You don't talk to my mother that-"
Bellas words were cut off, by a hand on her shoulder. "Stop," Rosalina ordered, eyes emotionless but filling up with tears yet again. Bellatrix was shocked, and looked over her shoulder to see her 'mother' in distress. "Mom, I've got thi-"
She looked Bella directly in the eyes. "I'm not your mother." She said.
Bella gasped in confusion and shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her heart was now in her throat, but also being mushed into her lower stomach. "What? What does that mean?" She said, feeling the back of her throat ache. She could feel tears coming, but she didn't want to believe it. Rosalina was just covering for her, right?
"It means I lied to you." She said, her emotionless face still staring at Bellas now broken one. The only thing that led to any suspicion that Rosalina felt pain was the massive amount of tears silently falling from her eyes. "No... You're kidding... A birthday joke, right?" She said with a laugh, though the laugh was obviously forced. The crack in her voice made itself known as she stared at Rosalina with pleading eyes, begging for it to all be a sick joke or some awful nightmare. More tears fell from the queens face, as no response was given to Bellas plea.
"No..." She said, backing away from Rosalina, looking at all the lumas and Starbunnies who were beginning to cry too. "No... No!" Bella sobbed, as she collapsed to her hands and knees. All that could be heard for the period of time the princess was on the ground was her sobs. They echoed along the observatory, and sent cracks of pain into everyone's hearts. They hated to see the princess so broken. They'd never seen her like that before. She'd always been the happiest being they knew, but she now seemed to be ripped to shreds.
Even Toadsworth began to tear up at the scene, who was originally infuriated. Rosalina looked to be the least compassionate of the group, though she was the one who was aching the most (besides Bella). Her heart felt like it was ripped out of her chest. She could do nothing but stare bold faced to the weeping teenager in front of her. Nobody spoke for what seemed like forever.
A few moments passed, before Bella began to cough, choking on her own tears. She calmed herself down and eventually stopped crying. She was still on her hands and knees; she couldn't face anyone.
"Who is my real mom?" She said coldly, making Rosalina bite the inside of her lip. She tried to make it as unnoticeable as possible that she was being ripped from the inside out. Toadsworth made his way to the teenager, and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it gently. Bella found this soothing, yet was ashamed it hadn't been Rosalina. Who was she kidding, if Rosalina came down there Bella would shove her away. How could she lie to Bella?
"Your mother is the Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom," Toadsworth began, simply coming out with it. Bellas eyes widened. 'No, she couldn't be...' she thought. She swallowed hard, still not looking up to face anyone. "And... My father?" She asked, breathing heavily.
"Your father Is King Mario, of the Mushroom Kingdom," He said, as if it was shocking she didn't know who her father was. An audible gasp escaped the princesses lips as she covered her mouth. The hero from her favorite storybook; he was her father? The man that went through multiple hellish landscapes to save the woman he loved was her father? She couldn't believe it.
"Princess?" The blue toad questioned softly, noticing Bellas reaction. "Not only are they real... but they're my parents?" She said, finally looking up to Toadsworth. He looked confused but then smiled at her. He didn't question where she knew them from; she knew them and that would be less for her to have to take in.
Toadsworth said nothing, but continued to rest his hand on the princesses back. Another brief moment of silence, was broken by the princess sitting up on her knees. Her eyes were bright red, and made Rosalina break even more inside.
"Were are they now?" She said with a sniffle, looking to Toadsworth. She payed Rosalina no mind. Not like Rosalina was showing she cared much. Hearing her ask the question, Rosalina could feel her heart beat faster again. She was now going to finally say it. She opened her mouth to speak, but Toadsworth cut her off. This time unintentionally.
"They're in the center of the Universe. Our radar has been picking them for the past month."
Rosalinas eyes grew wide as her heart sank again, but was also filled with instant relief. 'They're alive?' She asked herself, a smile spreading on her face. She remembered how devastated she was when they died; wait, she saw them die. She witnessed it with her own two eyes. Was it just a trick? Bowser was indeed clever when he wanted to be. Rosalina felt like a fool. Shame washed over her as Toadsworth stared at her with a look of 'I cant believe you.'
Bella grabbed her head, and let out a loud shriek that startled everyone on the observatory, including Rosalina. "Are you okay, your Highness?!" The toads asked, frantically rushing up to the princess, who now was facing the ground with her eyes squinted shut. They slammed open as she caught her breath, and the pain was replaced with memories; memories she had no idea she'd forgotten.
"I remember..." She said, earning a look of confusion from everyone except the Queen, who knew exactly what was going on.
"King Koopa has them... They were in a cage; I saw them..." Bella recalled. Rosalina couldn't believe remembering would leave her memories so vivid. She was kind of glad she didn't have to explain what happened to her parents; how they were kidnapped.
There was one thing that was stronger than any kind of magic (including memory spells) Rosalina could conjure. It was Love. It meant she really did Love Mario. Even though she didn't know he was her father until now, she loved him as a man she thought was a spectacular hero. It was no surprise she remembered.
"You saw them!? When?!" The red toad asked frantically, trying to get the Princesses insight. "When I was very young... I remember." She thought for a moment, and then remembered another important fact. Junior was Bowsers son.
It all made sense now. The reason he had to leave after he found out Rosalina was Bellas... 'Mother'... It was all aligning. She couldn't believe what was happening. This was all too much. Rosalina suddenly began to hover away, catching the eyes of the Toads who stared at her grumpily as she trailed off. They didn't say a word, they figured it was no use.
Bella stumbled as she tried to get up, but had help from the toads and a few floating lumas.
"We have to save them." She said proudly, making the toads smile. "Just like your father." Toadsworth said again. Bella smiled, and soon felt happy about the situation. She'd always felt left in the dark about a lot of things. Nothing Rosalina told her about humans really made much sense, but now to find out that it was all lies, it began to make sense. Bellatrix was washed over with a sense of stability, even though the one who originally had made her the most stable was now gone in the direction of the bedroom.
"So, where exactly is the center of the universe?" Bella asked, feeling ignorant. Toadsworth pulled out a device with a weird logo on it. Pressing the logo, a holographic board appeared before the group. A red blinking dot flickered in the eyes of the princess. "It's not too far from here. It's near the first Galaxy." Toadsworth said, as the group huddled around the device.
"Then that's where we need to go." Bella said, smiling at Toadsworth who returned the smile. He was very happy to finally interact with the king and Queens daughter. So were the other toads that had joined him on his voyage through the stars.
"I just need to grab something really quick," Bella said, stepping in the same direction Rosalina left in. "I'll be right back." She said, finally turning around and running to the Bedroom. Of course Bella wanted an explanation, but she knew she wasn't going to get one from Rosalina.
She pushed aside the curtain, only to see Rosalina standing in front of her bed with a necklace in her hand. Bellatrix scowled at her, before running over to her separate bed to get her satchel. Rosalina still had light tears running down her cheeks, but it didn't stop Bella from being upset. Nothing really could.
"Bellatrix, please li-"
"It's Anna." She said coldly, inturupting Rosalina. She choked on her words, as she drew back from the girl. She knew she deserved every bit of Bellas hatred. She clenched her teeth as more tears fell. Bella continued to search under her bed for her satchel.
"I want you to know that this was never my intention." Rosalina finally managed to get out. Bella chuckled before coming from under the bed with her satchel in tow. "What was it then? To ruin my life? Because if so, you damn near hit the jackpot." Bella snapped again, opening the latch to her bag and rummaging through it.
Rosalina hurt, but kept reminding herself she needed to hear it. "I thought your parents were dead." She said with another crack. Bella paused for a moment, squeezing the top flap to her bag. She felt anger beginning to throw itself out of her mouth, forming into words she didn't necessarily mean to speak. "How do I know you aren't just lying again?"
Rosalina stuttered a breath, trying to calm herself down. "You don't," She began, tears beginning to show themselves through sobs. "I also know I don't deserve your trust. I don't deserve anyone's trust." She continued. Bella Paused, as she stared into her bag.
"I lied. I lied about everything. About your parents, about me; I lied, okay?" She said again, still sobbing. Bella could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
"But the one thing, I REFUSE to let you accuse me of lying about, was ever, for a single moment, not loving you."
Tears welled over in Bellas eyes, as she could feel her throat begin to ache again. Bella realized she didn't listen to Rosalinas point of view. It was obvious she had a reason for what she did, and its not like Bella was treated badly on the Observatory. She was treated with love, and compassion; more than most get.
"I know you hate me, and I understand. I really hate me too. But I cant let you leave," She said, pausing because she was crying. Bella looked up to her again, about to say something snappy back, but Rosalina cut her off again.
"Without telling you I'm sorry."
Rosalinas eyes were beat red, as she held the necklace in her hand. She rose it up to Bella who didn't say a word until the sparkling object caught her eye.
"What is that?" Bella said rather coldly. Rosalina faked a smile through her tears. "A gift from your parents." She said, still holding the Locket.
Bella was immediately intrigued, as she closed her full satchel and walked slowly up to Rosalina and held the Necklace herself.
It was a golden locket. Her fingers traced it in curiosity, as they felt something engraved on the opposite side. She flipped it over, and saw engraved on the small golden heart "la nostra piccola principessa". She looked at it confused, as she didn't know what it said.
"It means 'Our Little Princess'," Rosalina said, as Bella scanned it over once more. She smiled through her tears, as she thought of her Hero being her father, and the prettiest woman she knew (Besides Rosalina) being her mother. She opened it sheepishly, almost afraid to see what was on the inside. Rosalina watched as her fake smile turned into a real one, as she saw Bella starting to connect with her real parents. It felt good to not lie to her. She wished shed never told Bella to call her mother. She should have told her the truth from the start.
Bellatrix finally managed to open the locket, to see a photo of her hero's holding her in their arms. Bellas heart suddenly felt large and warm in her chest as more tears fell. They were of happiness and confusion, but mostly happiness. On the inside, the locket read "Princess Bella."
Bella immediately felt sorry for snapping at Rosalina, but didn't say anything. She smiled as the last few tears fell from her cheeks. She clutched the locket to her chest, before she actually put it on. It shone in the twinkling light of the bedroom. Looking up to Rosalina, Bella saw that she was done sobbing, but she still stared at Bella with a smile. The princess couldn't fight it anymore.
She threw her arms around the Queen, and hugged her almost tighter than she had just an hour ago. Funny to think how much can change in an hour. Rosalina was shocked at first, but wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She returned the hug with just as much strength as she could muster at her moment of weakness.
Their hug lasted for a short while, but it was still long enough to be the most emotional one they'd ever shared. It was then that Bella muttered two words that Rosalina never expected Bella to say.
"Thank you."
Rosalina smiled a genuine smile, as the two separated. Rosalina now could let her go. It would be tough, but Rosalina had been through this before with her own mother. Learning to face her mothers death was tragic, but it in a way prepared her for this.
Bella wiped the remaining tears away from her face with her wrist, before she turned around and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Rosalina alone in the silence. She blinked a few tears out of her eyes as she turned around to face Bellas bed.
A lone yet worn Plush Starbunny leaned against a row of pillows on Bellas Bed.
WOOOO Geez, sorry for there not being any comic relief in this story. I just really wanted this chapter to be powerful. I think the next chapter is probably going to Finnish the story off, so you know what that means... (If you don't, I'm talking about motivation.) Everyone leaving reviews so far : Elemental Queen, Willis, Mobyfunk9, belemcillaj, loic-heitzmann.2001, TheFanficTheif101, Kitten core, and a few more guests (who didn't leave names) are all incredible and I honestly cant thank you guys enough for the input. I know there's still another chapter to go, but I just wanted to give you all another big Thank you. Also, an extremely large thank you to those who added this story to their favorites/follows. It really means a lot that I created something worthy enough of being on a list like that. So Basically, if your reading this, Thank you so much for giving me the motivation to continue this. I wouldn't have been able to make it this far without you guys. (: