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Anyway, on with the show.

Chapter 19 Mighty King, Mighty Father

Time was at a standstill. The clock barely moved, for it too recognized the tension in the air. The moment, ripe with possibility, nibbled at the corner of Celia's organs as she stood in the throne room. She kept her eyes glued to the door. Her palms felt clammier than they had ever felt before. She bit her lip. Her body broke out in a nervous, hot, sticky sweat.

She was going to see her father.

The door to the throne room remained closed. As a consequence, a lump formed in Celia's throat, a particularly liquidy and acidic lump. She attempted to push it down. It didn't work; it just remained where it was. The sweat on her back felt as thick as honey.

For the first time in her life, she would see her dad.

Celia began wondering. What sorts of things would she be able to do with Bowser once she and him got a little closer? Obviously, they would be able to celebrate Father's Day. Oh, there were a lot of missed Father's Days that Celia had to catch up on. But then again, there were also a lot of her birthdays that Bowser had to catch up on, so it all evened out.

Maybe Bowser would be able to teach her some skills. Like….oh man, what were some skills that Bowser had? He….well, Celia supposed that he knew how to breathe fire. Unfortunately, Celia already knew that she wouldn't be able to do that; she had tried and failed as a six year old.

Either way, she hoped that he would hurry up. It should not take this long to get from the entrance to the throne room; from point A to point B. What was holding him up? Was it the Koopalings? Yeah, it probably was. She imagined the Koopalings were probably hanging onto him, hugging him tightly and squeezing the life force out of him as they stayed in the hallway.

Celia tapped her foot and directed her gaze toward the floor. Her fiery hair fell into her face. She inherited it from him. Of course, she had always known she had inherited her hair color from her Koopa parent, but now? Now, that little factoid seemed all the more important to her. She was going to meet her father. The person whom she had longed for since birth. The koopa who she had always wanted to know. She was going to see him. She was going to see her dad.

Just as Celia started taking deep breaths, the door to the throne room opened. Her breath caught in the middle of her throat, tripping in its path and causing her to cough. Was it Bowser? Was he finally here?

Ah. No, it wasn't. It was just Roy. He entered the throne room, not drawing any attention to himself. Not that there was anybody else who could throw their attention onto him, but that was beside the point. Roy swiftly made his way over to the hybrid.

"Just a couple more minutes," he said.

Celia nodded. "Okay." She shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets.

"You nervous?" Roy asked.

Celia couldn't even try using some snark now. "Yeah," she breathed out.

"Don't be. Bowser's very friendly. Sure, he can be a little grumpy towards people who are familiar with Mario…." Roy looked consternated. "You're not friends with Mario, are you?"

Celia chuckled. "I've heard of him. But I don't know him personally."

"Oh, okay, good," Roy breathed out in relief. He put on a smile. "Then you'll be fine!"

"Are you sure?" Celia curled a lock of her hair over her ear. "What if...he doesn't like me?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. "You're his daughter. Why wouldn't he like you?"

Celia felt her shoulders go clammy. Goosebumps ran up and down her spine as a scar on her head hurt. "I...I suppose he wouldn't have a reason not to, but…"

"Again," said Roy. "Don't sweat it so much. You'll be fine."

Celia took a deep breath. Roy was right. This wasn't a suspenseful and stressful time, or at the very least it shouldn't be. This was a time of excitement!

It's just that Celia really couldn't shake off the feeling that something was horribly wrong about all of this.

Right as she was thinking this, the door to the throne room opened up. Once again, Celia's breath became sharp and quick. She swallowed a particular peppery tasting lump when she saw who was coming in.

There he was.

He looked exactly as he did in the pictures. His skin looked like it was made from pure golden stone. His muscles and stature were big and burly. His shell, with its foreboding, red encircled spikes, was a strong and mighty green. His fiery red hair and fiery red eyes made Celia know. She just knew that this really was King Bowser. This really was her father.

"Yeah, the meeting with King Bob-omb went really well," he said. "Sure, he almost blew up in my face, but we did manage to have a very productive conversation."

"That is excellent to hear," said Iggy. He and the other Koopalings had followed him into the room.

"Tell me about it,'' said Lemmy as he giggled. "It sounds to me like King Bob-omb has a really short fuse."

Bowser laughed, sounding like a bass drum being played in an orchestra. He patted Lemmy on the head. "Oh, Lemmy. You and your puns. They're only funny because they're true."

Wendy snickered. "That's weird. I thought they weren't funny at all."

"What?" Larry said. "Lemmy's puns are funny!" He turned toward Morton behind him. "Come on, Morty, back me up."

Morton looked up from the book he had in his hands. "Huh? What? Sorry; I wasn't paying attention."

"That's okay," said Lemmy. "I understand if your schedule is booked, Morty."

Lemmy burst into giggles again, as did Bowser. After his laughter died down, he focused his attention at the front of the throne room for the first time since arriving. His eyes locked onto Celia's, and he blinked. Once, then twice. He turned toward Iggy.

"Who is that?"

Iggy looked over at Celia. She noticed his face fall, but exactly why that was she didn't know. He cleared his throat, doing away with the phlegm and replacing it with formality.

"King Bowser," he said, addressing his adopted father by his title. "There is something very important that we must commence with discussing."

Bowser blinked again. "What? What is it?"

Roy took a step forward, grinning from ear to ear. "Bowser," he said. He took hold of Celia's hand, leading her forward. The girl kept her eyes locked on the king, unwilling to look away or even blink. "I would like to introduce you to Celia Patch."

"Celia Patch?" Despite his confusion, he managed to smile. "Oh, that's sweet; you guys made a new friend." He came forward and shook Celia's hand with a gentle grip. "It's very nice to meet you."

Roy giggled. "Actually, Bowser, she isn't just our new friend."

"She's not? Then...what is she?"

Celia looked into Bowser's strong face. The answer built in her throat, the words she had been wanting to say for years but never got to. "I'm your daughter."

Bowser stopped shaking her hand, holding onto it with a limp grip. He stared at the hybrid, blinking like he had just gotten out of a dust storm.

"You're my what?"

"She's your daughter!" Roy exclaimed, smiling all the while.

Bowser let go of Celia's hand, gaping at her. The color in his face didn't drain away nor get redder. He just stared at the Koopa human hybrid in awe. "I have a daughter?" he said softly.

Iggy chuckled. "Well, actually, Lord Bowser, I think it's safe to say…."

"Iggy, zip it!" Bowser exclaimed. He turned back toward Celia and brushed her hair out of her face, allowing himself to get a deep look into her apple red eyes. He smiled. "You're beautiful."

Celia blushed. "Thank you."

Bowser laughed. "My genes really do produce good-looking children!"

Iggy gawked, his jaw dropping like a stone. "WHAT! But...Bowser…."

Bowser smirked, stood up and turned toward Iggy. "You be quiet, Ignatius; this is the happiest day of my life!" He wrapped his arms around Celia, all while smiling brightly. "I just got reunited with my long lost daughter!"

Celia felt her heart soar. The others stared at the scene, completely flabbergasted. Roy, on the other hand, just flashed them an "I told you so" look before beaming at the father and daughter. "Man, Bowser. I never knew you were such a lady killer!"

Bowser smirked and flipped his scorching red locks. "Well, what do you expect from someone who is the best Koopa King in a century?"

Celia laughed. Her heart beat extra fast as she stared into the face of her proud parent. She didn't care if almost everyone else in the room was doing a double take. All that mattered was that she finally did it. She finally met her dad. The one piece of the puzzle that had been missing for over a decade and a half had finally been put back into place.

Bowser looked down at Celia. "Say, kiddo, why don't you and I take some time to get to know each other?" His eyes lit up. "Ooh! I bet that I could introduce you to Junior!"

Celia blinked. "Junior?"

"Your brother!" Bowser laughed. "I have so many places I have to take you and so many people I want you to meet! Oh, and I also need you to tell me your life story!"

Celia beamed. "That...that would be great." She paused. "Dad."

Bowser adorned an adorable smile. "Aww!" He turned toward the still gawking Koopalings. "Well, excuse me everyone!" He began leading Celia out of the room. "I have a daughter I need to get to know!"