AN: Hi everyone, it's Diala. I apologise for the slow and erratic updates. The run up to Christmas, along with other things, has meant that I have not had quite the amount of time to write that I would have liked! I hope that you are all well and I would like to thank you for all of your support. I would also like to make you aware that the next update is going to be a little different. I was hesitant to post it, but I have decided I will, nevertheless. It is still a part of this story, but the style is different. This will be a one-off chapter, then the updates will return to their original format. I have put the author notes here as there will not be any in the next update.

On a side note, I have created accounts on both AO3 and Wattpad as I have recently had trouble with trolls on this site. I do not plan on ever leaving this site, I have created accounts here as well because these sites take trolls more seriously. I do not let these people get to me, in fact, I find them amusing, as their reviews make it clear that they have never so much as read any part of my story and each and every one of their reviews will be continued to be removed. I'm sorry, but can I ever take someone who hides behind their screen as a guest trying to make others feel bad seriously? I don't think so! :)

If all goes according to plan, I will have another chapter ready for Christmas. Until then, stay safe!

Chapter Eight

"Vhy did I agree to this again?" Ludwig inquired as he followed Roy and Wendy down a narrow and overgrown path that led into Kaleido Woods, just opposite the small settlement of Silverlake. It was what would have been first period at Pine Grove School, around eight in the morning. The three friends were now being home-schooled by Edith, who, as a reward for all their hard work was allowing them to take the morning off, although Ludwig knew full well that it was also because Verne would be going round. Why else would his friends have been so insistent on getting him out of the house? As of now he simply refused to acknowledge Verne's existence which made it awkward for everyone involved. He probably could have left things there, but no, instead he had decided he would converse only in German, or not speak at all. Roy hoped that, for Ludwig's own sake, that he never found out that Verne spoke almost perfect German and could subsequently understand everything he was saying about him, and Ludwig had been saying some pretty nasty things, judging by the mortified expression on Edith's face. Who would have thought that one of the kindest, gentlest Koopas he had ever met could have such a vicious tongue?

The forest was a place of exquisite beauty at all times, but the morning air really added a little extra something. The mist from Sunset Waters, the lake where Johann had died, was located only a couple of miles away from where Ludwig was now and the mist that was suspended above its depths was creeping through the trees, creating a mauve haze that sparkled in the light of the low sun. Taking a deep breath, Ludwig could smell that gorgeous scent that pine trees emit filling his soul with an unmatched bliss so great that he very nearly forgot about his troubles altogether…

"Ludwig?" Roy's voice snapped Ludwig back into reality and he looked around. They had reached a little glade in the forest. Ludwig was transfixed, never before had he come across this place and he thought he knew almost every inch of the island! The clearing was carpeted in a lush, dewy grass and the sky overhead, through the mist, was a majestic blue. Ludwig let out a sigh, his breath appearing as a cloud before him.

Roy threw down the basket of food that he had been carrying, indicating that this was where they would be stopping for now. Ludwig went to go and sit down but was stopped.

"Hold up, Lutz, we gotta do some stuff first." Roy told him.

"Stuff? Vhat stuff?"

"Y'know… training." Roy uttered the last word hesitantly, aware that Ludwig would most likely become agitated once he inevitably discovered why they had made this trip. As guessed, Ludwig narrowed his eyes.

"Training?" he asked.

Roy gulped as Wendy chirped in brightly with: "Luddy, will you show us your fire breath? Pretty please?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.

Ludwig glared at Roy, "Seriously?! You dragged me all the vay out here to try and get me to use my powers?!"

"Now, hang on a moment, Lutz, let's not get too carried away here, we only wanted to see you breathe fire-"

"'Only vanted to see me blow fire', bah! Ve could have stayed at my house if you vanted to see me do that! The fact that ve have come all the vay here to a very, very secluded spot suggests that you vanted me to do much more than that." Ludwig responded in an angry voice. Silence fell between the three of them, broken after a spell by Ludwig again, speaking in a much lower voice that was almost akin to a whisper. "You're trying to get me to use magic, aren't you?" The phrase, despite being spoken as a question was really more of a statement. Ludwig wasn't stupid, he knew now what they were up to. Both Roy and Wendy looked at the ground in shame.

"We're sorry, Luddy. We just thought that, if you tried using them with us around, then maybe you would realise that your powers aren't as dangerous as you think they are…"

"Dangerous? Vendy, they are more than dangerous. You saw vhat I did to Elliot, vhy in the stars vould you vant to put your own life in danger for me?"

She looked at him sadly, "Because you're our friend, Luddy. We love you."

Ludwig felt his anger ebb slightly at these words. It did not dissipate completely, but the thought of his friends doing this solely to make him feel better was a nice sentiment to dwell upon. Strictly speaking, his powers most certainly appeared to be connected to emotions, he didn't know for sure but there was now a substantial amount of evidence that would tie his emotions to his magical abilities. When Elliot had charged at him, he had felt an intense wave of fear sweep over him, and that uncertainty had materialised as a bolt of lightning. Erratic, sudden, in the spur of the moment. Similarly, although not entirely magic related, adrenaline was what had led to the discovery of his ability to breath fire. In his spare time or, rather, whenever his mother was out (which was far less frequently now), Ludwig had been practising his fire-breathing and was actually proud of what he had accomplished. Yesterday, for example, he had managed to light a successful bonfire whilst standing fifteen metres away from the pile of fuel he had collected. His powers though… those he dared not try to use, even when no one was around. He wished desperately that he was on more pleasant terms with his mother, but alas he had pushed her away and, from his perspective, he didn't see any reason why she should forgive him. Still, she was not entirely blame free…

Ludwig turned his thoughts away from his mother for the time being, as when he thought of her, he thought of Verne, then he became angry, something that he couldn't risk as it was very possible his powers would get the better of him again. He couldn't let that happen, not now. He looked at them now, Wendy looked upset and Roy, Roy's face was unreadable. All of a sudden, Ludwig felt terribly guilty. Here were his friends trying to help him, and he had pushed them away too. Besides, he was pretty confident in his fire-breathing, so what were the odds of something going wrong? In addition to this, he didn't want to pass up an opportunity to show off his abilities. He was, after all, never one to pass up an opportunity to impress people.

"Look, I'm sorry I vas so harsh. Of course you can see my fire-breath, but that's it, okay? I have that side of my powers under control, I can't say that about the rest of my magic though, so please, don't ask to see that."

Wendy perked up at this. Roy moved but Ludwig was still unaware as to what was going on behind the sunglasses. Was he annoyed? Upset? When he responded, his tone was light, indicating that, for now, he was happy.

"Thanks, Lutz, an' don't worry 'bout anythin'. We're here to help you if anythin' goes wrong."

Ludwig grinned, "Who said anything about something going wrong?" he said, before darting off to gather some bracken to use for target practice.

It was coming up to ten when Verne arrived at the house. Edith received him joyfully and was in his arms the moment he had crossed the threshold of the house. With Ludwig out of the house, she could love Verne without guilt. Both of them took a seat in the library, the low sun shining on the tiles of the roofs of Astrowatch. Edith decided to initiate a conversation about Christmas, as the holidays were fast approaching. "I'm thinking of inviting Muak and Roy here for Christmas Day."

"I see." Verne's voice was much more distant than it usually was.

"You'll be coming too, won't you?"

He rubbed the back of his head, as though he were in some sort of pain. "That's the thing. Edith, Ludwig despises me. You know he despises me. I think that my being there on such a special holiday would only make him hate me more, but I don't mind him hating me, what I mind is him turning against yourself, which I fear has happened as of late. I guess, what I'm trying to say is… do we put our relationship on hold?"

An awful silence fell. Edith pulled her legs to her chest and buried her head in her knees. What was she supposed to say to that? Yes, Ludwig hated Verne and it didn't look like that was going to change anytime soon. But did Ludwig really hate her, his own mother, as well? She just couldn't see that happening. Was it really too soon for her to be beginning a new relationship? And did Ludwig not see how torn she was about the matter?

"I'm terribly sorry about the awful things Ludwig said last time you were here. I had no idea he could be so aggressive. I love you, Verne. Vith all my heart, I do. I want you to be there for Christmas. Let me speak to him tonight, just give me a day to try and work something out. I could not bear the thought of having to give you up. I hope that I can make him understand that."

Verne smiled weakly, as though it were causing him a lot of trouble trying to find the energy. "I love you too, Edith. Don't feel you have to apologise for what he said, though. I just can't believe that he thinks my glasses are really that bad!" he said, slyly, a proper grin breaking out.

"Oh, don't!" Edith moaned into her knees. "That was an atrocious thing for him to have said!"

Verne pulled her onto his lap and held her close. "I'm only kidding! Don't you go worrying yourself about anything."

She rustled his rust-brown hair gently. "Things vill get better, I'm sure they vill. Just give me some time…"

Ludwig collapsed next to Wendy, who was clapping away. "Wow Luddy! That was really amazing!"

He had spent the last twenty minutes breathing fire, quite a bit longer than he was used to and the effort had all but wiped him out. Roy chucked him a cupcake out of the basket he had brought with him. Ludwig bit into it with relish. "This is vonderful, did you make it?"

Roy nodded. "Uh-huh, fresh this morning." He watched Ludwig devour the cake whole, studying his face intently. "You know, Lutz, Verne isn't a bad guy."

Ludwig nearly choked, "Can we not talk about him now? Please?!"

Roy almost gave in. Almost. "Ya know what? No. I need to talk to ya about 'im otherwise things are gonna get worse. Will ya just listen to me?"

Ludwig could see no point in arguing with Roy now. What if he went into another one of his sulks? It was becoming increasingly harder to pull him out of them now, to the point where it seemed as though one day, he would never come out of them. Ludwig had no idea what had caused the sudden change in his behaviour and did not want to push him on the matter, as that in itself would be a topic that made him grumpy. "Alright." He relented, "You have five minutes."

Roy seemed happy enough with that. "Thank you. Look, I know the situation you're in right now sucks, believe me I do. But Verne ain't the bad guy, Lutz. I don't wanna be mean or anythin' but you've begun to antagonize him when, realistically, he ain't done anythin' wrong."

Ludwig was in half a mind to get up and leave it at that, but he couldn't. He had made a promise.

"Verne don't want to see ya upset. In fact, quite the opposite. The whole reason we were able to leave school and do home-schooling with you was because of him."

"What?!" Ludwig spoke, incredulously. Roy looked him in the eyes.

"He spoke to both our parents. Don't worry, he didn't give them the real reason and neither did we. He knew how upset you were gonna be, so he told us to cause a scene at school, knowing that we wouldn't get into trouble if our parents were informed. He ain't tryin' to replace your dad, Lutz. He just wants to make you happy. More importantly, your mom loves him, don't you see that? How you've been acting is tearing her apart. She loves you and she adored your dad, but do ya not think she should be allowed to move on, to ease her pain?" He stopped talking, "Well, that's my five minutes. We ain't gotta say anythin' more on the subject." He turned to Wendy and asked her a question, but Ludwig didn't hear what it was. He had become overwhelmed by a sudden wave of remorse and guilt. What had he been thinking? How could he have been so hateful? He hadn't even apologised to his mother for the dreadful things he had said to her that day he lost control of his powers. And Verne. He'd really wanted to help him all along? Oh, what had he done?!

As his friends chatted together, a solution presented itself. Ludwig didn't like it, but it was his only option. He stood up. "Please excuse me, I have something I need to do. Go back without me. I shan't be too long."

A look of understanding passed between himself and Roy. Wendy didn't understand and called after him as he turned and pelted through the glade, down the path, and out of the forest. His destination: Astrowatch.

Verne sat slumped in his armchair next an enormous pile of paperwork, bored out of his mind but at the same time anxious to finish with it. When there was a knock at the door, he was in half a mind to just ignore it, but it soon became frantic, so he figured whatever it was couldn't wait. He swore on all that was good and holy that if it was another resident complaining about a missing Cheep-Cheep, he was going to lose his mind. You can imagine, therefore, the shock he felt upon seeing Ludwig standing on the porch, doubled over and gasping for breath. Verne was speechless, what was he doing here?

"Er, Ludwig? Would you like to come in? It's too cold for you to stay outside."

Ludwig managed to stand up. Being unused to exercise he was at one point almost certain that his run would kill him. He looked at Verne, wonder dancing in his grey eyes.

"Vhy have you been so kind to me?" he asked.

Verne looked taken aback. "Why, it's because I care about you Ludwig. I do my best to be nice to everyone!"

Ludwig felt a lump form in his throat. Why was he being so emotional? It seemed as though he had become a wreck ever since the day Johann died. The smallest niceties could set him off, as they were about to now…

"Ludwig, I think you should come indoors. Come and sit with me in the parlour and let yourself get warm. Then we can talk." Verne pushed open the door and Ludwig walked nervously in, clasping his small hands together in anxious anticipation. Once in the parlour, Verne ordered Ludwig to take a seat on the sofa near the fireplace, fumbling around for some matches as he did so.

"Oh, I can help you vith that." Ludwig jumped back up and stood a little ways back from the fireplace. Mustering as much concentration as possible, he took a deep breath and before Verne could stop him, shot a fireball into it, igniting the neatly stacked logs and kindling. He looked back at Verne who was holding his hands out in front of him, face white, clearly expecting the worst to happen.

"Sorry, Ludwig. I'm not too used to, well, that." He gave an uneasy laugh, which didn't make Ludwig feel any better at all. Verne was nervous not of his powers but because of Ludwig himself, and for that Ludwig felt atrocious.

"Now, what was it you wanted to say?" Verne attempted to move the conversation forward, no doubt eager to get it over with. Ludwig hung his head in shame.

"I came here to see you because I have been treating you abhorrently. There vas absolutely no excuse for my behaviour and I am deeply, deeply sorry. I do not hold it against you if you choose not to forgive me, I wouldn't forgive myself for my behaviour." He could feel the tears of anxiety burning in his eyes. "I have to go… they're expecting me back at home." He turned to go but Verne caught his arm.

"No, Ludwig, I would like you to stay here for a moment longer if that's alright. I would like to talk with you." He gave a reassuring smile, kindness glowing like embers in his eyes. "Don't worry, I won't keep you long. Would you like a drink? I have cocoa powder in the kitchen, how about a hot chocolate?"

Ludwig's anxious expression did not change. He must not stay long, for his friends could only cover for him for so long, before his mother became suspicious. "Yes please." he replied, a tad apprehensively.

Verne disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a few moments later carrying a small tray laden with drinks and biscuits. He handed a mug to Ludwig, who held it carefully, relishing the warmth it provided his small hands. Verne took a seat next to him, placing the large plate of biscuits between them. Looking at them, Ludwig noticed the lebkuchen, one of his favourite winter treats.

"How are your studies going?" Verne asked, holding the plate out towards Ludwig.

"Not too bad. It is very strange studying in our house, though. Apart from the teachers I do not miss school. I am hopeful that I shall be allowed to go to university in the next year or so, but I am undecided on vhat it is I vant to study, or vhere I vant to go. I vould simply love to attend Toadstool University in the Mushroom Kingdom, but they do not care for our kind, so I have been looking into Frankenstein University as they specialise in the sciences. I think I vill study a few subjects, namely Advanced Magical Science, Engineering and Advanced Mathematics." Ludwig replied, helping himself to the lebkuchen.

"Goodness, you're certainly well prepared! Wherever you choose to go, my boy, the university should be overjoyed to have you."

Ludwig blushed, embarrassed by the attention but appreciative of the praise. After a moment, Verne decided to cut to the chase:

"Ludwig. Why did you hate me so? You are under no pressure to tell me, I am simply curious."

"I… I'm so sorry, sir, I just… I…" Ludwig stifled a sob, "I just miss my vati… I miss him so much."

"Oh, Ludwig, you poor little thing!" Verne placed a hand on the small Koopas shoulder and gently rubbed his back, trying to ease his pain as he sobbed pitifully. "Johann was a dear friend of mine and I would do anything to bring him back to you and your mother. I can't bear to see the pain that has been inflicted upon both of you."

"V-vhy did he h-have to… to die though?! It isn't fair!" Ludwig cried. Verne pulled him into a hug and held him until his sobs abated. He had seen a fair amount of grief in his time, so consoling others came naturally to him. Ludwig stared at him with red eyes, his nose running. Verne dug out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

"Thank you." Ludwig croaked, "I don't hate you, sir. I just miss my dad. How has mother been able to move on, whilst I've been stuck in the past? We can't just forget him!"

"I think, Ludwig, that life can be rather unfair sometimes. We never find out why, things just happen for seemingly no reason at all. Johann was a faultless individual and a remarkably kind Koopa. You remind me of him. We never fully recover from the death of someone we love, but we do learn to move on. In the case of your mother, I believe that she needs someone else to help her through the pain, which is what I have been trying to do. I love her, Ludwig, more than anything in the world. I cannot bear to think of how our relationship has hurt you. I do not wish, under any circumstances, to replace your father, for I could never amount to half of what he was. I simply want to make your mother happy. I want to make you happy. You are so young and great things lie ahead of you. I want to be there to see you achieve them. Do you understand that?"

Ludwig wiped his eyes and looked at the kind mayor. "Yes. I understand you, sir. I am so, so sorry for how I treated you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Verne smiled at him. "Of course I forgive you! And please, call me Verne."

Ludwig tried his best to smile back. "Thank you, Verne."

"Now hurry up and finish your drink. We need to get you back home!"

Ludwig wasted no time in devouring the lebkuchen and necking his hot chocolate. Verne saw him to the door. Before he left, Ludwig extended an invitation to dinner.

"Are you sure, Ludwig? I don't know if your mother would like to hold a dinner at such short notice."

"She won't mind, because I'll be doing the cooking!" Ludwig declared, despite knowing full that cooking was not his forte.

"Well, if you're sure. Shall I drop by at sixish?"

"Yes, that's a perfect time."

"Alright. Can I bring anything?"

Ludwig thought for a moment. "Could you bring some of that lebkuchen? It was really nice!"

Verne laughed, "Of course! I'll see you later."

Ludwig waved goodbye before legging it out of Astrowatch and back to his own home, where he arrived, incredibly flustered, fifteen minutes later. Edith was surprised that her son had run all the way from town but asked no questions. Ludwig waited until Roy and Wendy had left before he told her about anything that had happened.

"Vhat are you doing, Luddy?" she asked later that day as Ludwig darted to and fro gathering various items from cupboards in the kitchen.

"I'm making dinner for tonight. Verne is coming to see us; I went to see him earlier." He stopped and looked at her. She looked like she would faint. Had she heard that correctly? Ludwig had visited Verne and asked him for dinner?!

She opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced by Ludwig, who threw his arms around her waist. She could hear his muffled voice apologising over and over.

"Oh, Luddy! I'm sorry too, I have left you in the dark for far too long!" she swept him into her arms, taken aback at how much heavier he had become. Her little koopa was growing up right before her eyes. Before long, he would be off to study abroad! She must therefore make the most of every moment she had with him.

"Mother, I don't hate you! I don't and I'm sorry I ever said I did!" Ludwig buried his snout in her neck, his breath tickling her. She held him close to her, "I know, Luddy. I know."

AN Cont'd: Thank you to the wonderful StarlitDuck, Amethyst Goldenwind and RichMountain112 for reviewing, to Samantha Nuttly for reviewing, favouriting and following the story and to Hip Neptune for favouriting and following it. Your support is, as always, very much appreciated!