Dislcaimer: None of the characters from the realm of Nintendo, including Mario characters, belong to me.

Chapter Ten

Peach's dinner was brought in by a gloomy looking Anna. Disturbed by the sudden change in the normally-cheerful magikoopa's demeanor, Peach forgot about her own problems for the moment.

"What's wrong, Anna?" She asked, concerned.

Anna sighed. "It's nothing, Princess. Sorry to bother you."

"No, something's definitely wrong, Anna. Why you tell me? Sometimes it helps to talk to someone."

"Okay." Anna gave in, and sat down across the table from Peach. "Well, it seems that Toad, who is trying to rescue you, was captured."

"What?" Peach couldn't believe her ears. But why would one of Bowser's servants be upset about that?

"Yes, well, they captured him in a net and called for Kamek to deal with him."

"Okay." Peach was terrified to think of what they might do to poor Toad. "And?" She asked tentatively.

"And they escaped." Peach breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then why so glum? I suppose you want me to stay."

"It's not that." Anna said quickly. "I like you, and I know you are happy here. It's just that when Bowser found out, he was furious. Kammy told him, and probably didn't help matters any. Bowser had Kamek thrown in the dungeon."

"Oh." Peach wasn't sure what to say. This sounded like typical Bowser behavior to her.

"Well, you see, Bowser's never done anything like that before, at least not to Kamek. I mean, Kammy's been slowly turning Bowser against Kamek, but I would never have thought she would go this far. Kamek did raise Bowser, after all."

"Oh." The significance of what Anna was saying began to sink in. "So I take the two don't get along."

Anna snorted. "They can hardly stand to be in the same room. Kammy always insulting Kamek, and Kamek infuriates her by staying calm no matter what she says. It's sibling rivalry at its worst."

"Wait, you mean they're related?" This set Peach's head spinning.

"Yes, although they don't like anybody to know. I don't think even Bowser realizes yet."

"Then how do you know?" Peach wanted to know. How could this magikoopa know something Bowser didn't? Especially something like that?

"Kamek is my uncle." Anna explained.

"Then Kammy is your…?" Peach trailed off, and Anna laughed.

"No, Kammy is my aunt. They have another sister, my mother. But she doesn't associate with them."

"Why?"

"She doesn't approve of who they're working for."

"Oh. But I thought-"

"That all magikoopas worked for Bowser? Actually, most have gone into hiding because they can't stand him. Those who do work for him may not agree with him, but have other reasons for serving him."

"Why do you serve him?" Peach asked.

"Kamek." Anna replied. "Like I said, he's my uncle. I told you he was training me in magic. He's one of the most powerful magikoopas in the land, and certainly the most powerful for his age."

"His age?"

"Yeah, he's still pretty young by magikoopa standards, only in his fifties."

"Really?" This was a lot of information to digest. Peach hadn't realized how little she knew about Bowser's servants. She had assumed that they were all cruel and heartless, like Bowser himself. "So are all his workers reluctant to serve him?"

"Most are scared to death to rebel, but some really enjoy being evil." Anna replied honestly. Then she shook her head and stood up. "Look, I gotta go, Princess. I'll be back later. Please excuse me."

"Of course." Peach replied softly as the magikoopa left. She had a lot to think about.