From Bad to Worse

Mario frowned as he leaned back and listened carefully to the Lord Commander pacing around the table and grousing about the costs of that the Treaty of Gralea had accrued. It was an exciting turn of events to hear the spendthrift military official ranting about national debt while the rest of the Council bore expressions of annoyance for the man. Galapagos had been livid that the Treaty had not only been signed but that it was going through with the official approval of the King. Well, Queen but he didn't need to know that.

"This is unprecedented… unacceptable!" Galapagos snarled. "This foreigner barters away coin that is not his to give and yet he still remains Lord Regent…"

"Perhaps then we should open an inquiry into your own spending habits, Lord Commander." Inquisitor Caretta mused with annoyance dripping in her tone. "After all debt has clearly become a concern of yours, we should leave no stone unturned I feel."

Galapagos snarled angrily, "My projects have been in building the strongest nation on this planet!" He then gestured to Mario, "And this man, this… foreign Mushroomer sees fit to reconcile differences over a past war and one that they started in the first place."

Caretta started to speak; however, Mario raised a hand prompting her silence. Leaning forward, Mario interlocked his fingers together and shrugged his shoulders, "Very well, Commander. How would you have resolved this situation if you were Lord Regent?" He asked calmly, though there was a deceptive bite to his tone.

"You and your kind would not have received a copper penny from us!" Galapagos snarled viciously. "Those foreigners would've left with nothing!"

The Regent shook his head as he leveled a hard stare at Galapagos, "Perhaps we should give thanks to the Star Spirits that it was I, and not you, that led the Koopa Kingdom during the Jade Summit." He gave a smile, "After all, stubborn refusal to cede ground would've left the Koopa Kingdom with nothing as well. Nothing that is… but the status quo."

Solomon nodded, "And what the Lord Regent has done has given us new means to generate income, Commander."

Galapagos glared at the Regent before snorting, "We shall see…" He muttered.

Mario only raised an eyebrow, "I fail to see how my actions are detrimental to the Koopa Kingdom, Galapagos." He mused, "New trade routes open up the markets of the kingdom, the income generated can then be used to rebuild infrastructure across the land putting people to work."

"This kingdom needs more than that, plumber." The Lord Commander rumbled, "This kingdom needs to invest in its military."

"And how many times have they been successful in repelling the plumber or his friends?" Kammy asked with a tired glance at the clock. "Attainable peace with the Mushroom Kingdom is in our grasp, and the King has even committed to the idea of it, yet you would go against his wishes?"

The Councilor looked as if he had swallowed a lemon, "N-no… my lady, I merely wish to express my concern that this interloper—"

"—Has acted in good faith despite governing a nation where the vast majority would see him dead." The witch finished.

"Your people have suffered enough, Commander. I don't wish to add to their misery and woe, nor will I be implicated in fanning flames of dissent against the rightful rule of the King." Mario explained carefully, "Had I acted as you suggested, people would be suspicious of my own intentions and speculation in these uncertain times is not a good thing."

"I don't follow…" Galapagos groused.

"People who can't get a job and people who are hungry make good tools for aspiring tyrants and revolutionaries alike." The Regent replied comfortably, "I simply gave the people a reason to have faith in the system you've established." Sitting down Galapagos looked thoughtful before remaining silent. The plumber sighed before glancing at his watch, "I do believe that is all the time we have for this meeting. Shall we adjourn for the day?"

The Councilors nodded and began filing out of the room one by one as the Lord Regent remained sitting at the table. The Lord Commander was not pleased with current events, even a blind fool could've seen that. Leaning back, Mario watched as Colonel Terrapin entered the room. The Colonel's face seemed bemused with something as he moved to a vacant seat on the Regent's left and sat down.

"Well… it certainly appears that you've been rather busy in rattling the Lord Commander's cage, Excellency." Terrapin gave a grin. "He's been muttering all sorts of profanities about some 'damned foreign interloper' for a bit now."

Mario only shrugged, "The Commander is certainly used to getting his way," He smiled in amusement before grabbing a pen and paper, "What about your investigation? Turn up anything new?"

Terrapin shook his head, "I've not had much luck on that front."

The Regent nodded without even looking up from his note before giving a sigh, "It's a shame that our enemies aren't so apparent to us. I can deal with enemies in the field, but… when they hide behind an opaque mask? Well, let's just say I've gained a lot of respect for the spooks with Internal Security back home."

"My Lord… I do have one question for you, it's been something that has bothered me for a time. I'll understand if you can't answer it though." Terrapin began slowly. At Mario's nod, he exhaled, "What has happened to King Bowser exactly?"

Mario closed his eyes and set down the pen. This was inevitable, he looked up and gave a small smile, "What I'm about to show you is known only to a handful of people within the Kingdom: The Viceroys, Kamek, Kammy, Madame Beauclair, and Chamberlain Berwin." He began, "Once I show you, you must keep this between us. Do you still wish to know?"

"I do, my lord." –

Nodding, the Regent stood and gestured for the Colonel to follow him. Leading Terrapin up the staircase towards the Queen's chambers, Mario couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation at the turn of events. He wasn't sure as to how the Colonel would take the news of their "new" ruler as it were. True, Terrapin was loyal to the Koopa Kingdom, and only a fool would doubt that, but even a loyal soldier had their limits. This was a gamble and one that he was hoping he could profit from, the two approached the large doors and with a knock, entered the darkened room.

"Your Grace?" The Regent began slowly, "I've brought Colonel Terrapin to meet with you."

Rather than acknowledge his statement, the sounds of clicking heels on the porcelain floor greeted their ears while Mario clasped his hands behind his back. Sparing a glance to the Colonel, he noted a confused expression upon Terrapin's face before it morphed into complete shock. Bowsette emerged from the shadows and stepped behind her desk, she gestured to the two seats before her, and while Mario casually took his place, the Colonel moved slowly staring wide-eyed at the Queen.

"H-how?" Words seemed to fail the Colonel.

Bowsette only chuckled softly, "Your eyes aren't lying to you, Colonel Tolaris Terrapin of Kul Elna, I am indeed Bowser, King of the Koopa Kingdom, Master of the Koopahari, and First Lord of the Empire." She rattled off the extravagant titles while leaning back, "As for the how? Well… a mysterious crown"—She laid the object in question on her desk— "And a rash decision to wear the blasted thing turned me into this."

"And that is just the simplest way of explaining it," Mario mused as he sat in the other open chair, "I was not kidding when I said that only a handful knew about this, Colonel."

"With that being said, Colonel. The Regent and I have come to an agreement in bringing you into this inner circle. Your loyalty has earned something that I do not freely give: Trust." Bowsette explained carefully.

"More than that, Colonel I have an offer that I wish to extend to you, and only you." The Regent chimed in. "Should anything happen to me, should I die or otherwise become incapacitated, I want you to act in my stead as Acting Regent of the Koopa Kingdom."

Terrapin blinked as he stared at the Queen then looked at Mario, "Uh… wow… um… forgive me, but…" He closed his mouth feeling that words were failing him. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, "I am honored my Lord, Your Grace." He nodded at the two, "If you feel that I am best qualified… then I humbly accept the offer."

Bowsette nodded her head in approval, "Excellent, Colonel. Between you two, we might just be able to salvage this mess of a nation." She mused happily. "Now I—"

The door burst open as all three of them darted to the intruder, Chamberlain Berwin shuffled in grasping a letter. The Chamberlain stood gasping for breath as the Queen raised an eyebrow, "Berwin? Is something the matter?" The Queen asked cautiously, Mario could tell that she was perhaps dreading the answer.

"P-please forgive me, Your Grace…" Berwin gasped out as he presented the letter, "But… this came addressed to you with the Prince's bandana accompanying it."

Everyone's eyes widened as the Queen's eyes became cold as ice, "Where is my son…?" She asked calmly.

The plumber could scarcely recall a time where Bowser had unnerved him the way Bowsette did now. The even tone of her voice betrayed an inferno that was aching to burst free. Mario spared a glance to Terrapin who swallowed hard as the two leaned closer. If something had happened to the Prince, then it was probable that the Queen would likely level an entire province just to ensure his safety.

"It appears that the Prince was taken hostage in Westria during a raid on the Koopaseum." Berwin explained carefully, "Those who have taken the building hostage have only identified themselves as the Banished. We should consider ourselves fortunate, however—"

Bowsette's eyes flashed for a moment, "And what pray tell is fortunate about this situation?" She asked while drumming her fingers along her desk. "For that matter, I want Viceroy Ludwig on the line now."

Mario cleared his throat, "It's probable that these terrorists are simply unaware of just who they have in their custody, Your Grace." He explained noticing the look of relief on Berwin's face, "Think about it, if they were aware that they were holding your son then it's very likely that they would have found a way to go public with this."

"I concur with His Excellency," Terrapin chimed in, "It's also probable that the Viceroy understands the situation and is trying to stall for time."

Bowsette closed her eyes as she exhaled softly, "…Very well. What do you propose we do?"

The plumber-turned-Regent only smirked, "What I do best: Rescue royals."

Author's Notes:

I'll admit I sort of lost interest in this story until I started reading through my old notes and immediately some ideas came back in full force.

I figured a little tension from the Jade Summit's conclusion would be needed, especially since the treaty itself basically undermines a lot of the aspirant revolutionaries' attempts to foster animosity to the Throne. Galapagos himself is very much a hardliner, and because of that, he's not nearly so willing to see the tangible benefits of peace with the Mushroom Kingdom. In a sense, it's like how the Soviet hardliners opposed Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms and ultimately tore the USSR apart.

Bowsette's reaction to the news of her son's kidnapping is by no means out of character given that in the games Bowser is fiercely protective of his son. Even the Nintendo Switch commercials show that Bowser is a caring father. Now… how Bowsette handles her son being held hostage is a question for another time.

As a side note, I did at one point toy with an offshoot of this idea except Luigi was able to follow through on his thought of suggesting Mario go to the Waffle Kingdom, the Bowsette incident never happening. Don't think it'll go anywhere, but it's an idea anyway.