Chapter 20 Royal Appreciation

Bowser was as giddy as a puppy as he led Celia down the hall. The koopa human hybrid herself wasn't feeling too bad either. In fact, she was in what could only be described as a state of euphoria. Her heart beat fluttered like a pair of hummingbird wings, her face just had to keep its pearly white smile.

The two walked through the castle. Bowser seemed to be bringing Celia to a place that she had never seen before; the west wing. It looked very similar to the east wing in terms of layout; the only difference was that everything about it was mirrored. Celia wondered why exactly the Koopa King was bringing her here when he stopped at a door at the bottom of a staircase. He knocked on it with his meaty, gigantic fist.

"Yes?" A high pitched voice called out from the other side.

"Can you let us in?" Bowser asked.

"Who's we?"

"Your father." Bowser directed a smile at Celia. "And a very special guest."

Celia couldn't help but blush at that statement. Of course, she was more than just a guest, but still. It was very flattering.

The voice on the other side of the door groaned. "Ugh…..fine. Whatever." The door opened a tiny crack, allowing both parties to enter.

Celia studied the room. It was littered with toys of all kinds. The carpet underneath her feet showed a race track, and a TV rested near the window on the back wall. There were at least four different video game consoles attached to the television, one of which Celia actually recognized as the Nintendo Switch. All the others were unfamiliar to her. The bed leaned up against the left hand wall was messy; it's blanket was crumpled in a ball, and it didn't even have a sheet!

But what really caught Celia's attention was the little Koopa in the corner, leaning over a coloring book. He looked exactly like Bowser. Exactly like Bowser; the only difference was his size and the fact that he wore a little bib with a gnarly teeth design on it. Bowser beamed at the little kid.

"Hey, Junior! I've got some amazing news!"

Realization hit Celia. Ohh. So this was Bowser Junior. Well, she could certainly see the resemblance between her father and her brother.

Junior cast a raised eyebrow in Celia's direction. The incredulity and discomfort were so strong that they could be used as the seasoning for a stew. "Who the World Eight are you?"

Celia felt herself seize up. What the World Eight. A very rude and condescending greeting if she had ever heard one. And yes, she had heard a lot of rude greetings directed at her, particularly in her youth. She couldn't open her mouth and speak.

Thankfully, Bowser was there to save her. "This is Celia Patch. She's your sister."

Junior blinked, then cast a horrified look in Celia's direction. "What? How is that possible? She...she's...human! How can she be my sister?"

Celia was about to open her mouth and explain, when Bowser let out a laugh. "To be honest, I'm not even sure myself. But hey! She and I have been reunited, and that's all that matters!"

Celia sent a confused look up toward Bowser. Uh...what? Bowser himself didn't know? He didn't know that she was half Koopa? Come on! He should know; he should remember going out with her mom!

Before she could question this, Junior sent another confused, horrified look up toward his father. "Dad! I don't want a sister! I'm perfectly fine with just myself!"

"Well, too bad son; you've got a sister!"

Junior's lower lip trembled. Suddenly, he got down on the floor and threw a tantrum. He banged his fists against the wood, crying out like a banshee. He said things like "I don't want a sister! Put her back!"

Celia cringed. This….this was actually a little hurtful. Her throat felt as if it was tightening up, her heart beat in a way that caused the rest of her chest to sting.

Thankfully, Bowser grabbed her by the arm and slowly took her out of the room. He closed the door gently. Although Celia could still hear Junior's wails, at the very least they were muffled.

"Well, that was not how I wanted that meeting to go," said Bowser. He chuckled nervously. "Why don't I introduce you to Kamek next?"

Celia looked up at him. "Who's Kamek?"

"Why, my magikoopa advisor, of course!" Bowser grinned. "He can be a real grumpy guy, but you know what? At least he's my grumpy guy!"

With that, Bowser led Celia to another door. He was just about to knock on it when it opened up. A magikoopa in a blue robe came out with his hands over his ears.

"Goodness gracious!" he said. "What in the world has set Prince Junior off now of all times?"

Bowser grinned. "Why, her of course!" He gestured toward Celia. "Kamek, I would like to introduce you to Celia Patch, my daughter!"

Just like Junior before him, Kamek blinkee out his eyes. "What?"

"She's my daughter!" He wrapped his arms around her. "Isn't she a beauty? She has my eyes!"

Kamek looked between Bowser and Celia, his face slack jawed. After a while, his expression morphed into an angry one. "You have another child?"

"Yep!"

"You broke the tradition and the law set in place by the Kingdom?"

"Why yes! Yes I...wait." Bowser looked at Kamek and chuckled nervously. "Actually, now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have introduced her to you yet."

Kamek's face grew red. "Even if you didn't, you still would have broken the law!" He turned toward Celia. "How old are you?"

"Umm….sixteen?"

"Sixteen!" Kamke gawked at Bowser. "That means she would have been born around the same time as Roy! You broke the law while you were still taking care of Lemmy and Ludwig?"

Bowser gulped. "Uh...yes?"

Kamek shook his head. "Unbelievable, Bowser. Just unbelievable."

Bowser just chuckled, the same nervousness present in his tone. "Okay, you know what? Why don't we discuss this later."

"No! We are discussing this now!"

Bowser adorned a stern expression. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm the king. And I order you to save this conversation for later."

Kamek sputtered and fumed, but still went back into his study. He slammed the door behind him, causing Bowser to blink. He turned toward Celia and chuckled. "Well, that was interesting."

Celia nodded. "Dad, what will happen to you if you broke the law?"

Bowser waved his hand to dismiss the question. "Pfft. Who knows, who cares?" He looked at Celia with sparkly eyes. "Say, why don't you and I have some lunch in the dining hall? We can discuss whatever you want while we're eating."

Celia, despite the sour taste left in her mouth by both Kamek and Junior, still smiled. "Sure! That would be great."

Bowser grinned and led the way. Celia followed, all while trying to drown out the sound of Junior's horrific screams.