Chapter 6 My Choice

Junior sighed in relief as he exited the bathroom, wiping his damp hands on his front as he did so. Bowser smiled at him with very strong excitement emanating off of his features.

"Okay," Bowser said. "Now that that is taken care of…." He waited until Junior was situated and had the notebook open to the page that he had been using. "I think it's high time that we continue."

"Yep," Junior said with a nod. He got out the pencil he had been using and gripped it in his hand. "So, where were we?"

"Hmm," Bowser said as he put his hand to his chin. "Where were we…." His right eyebrow twitched. "Did I tell you how much of a pain my Dad was?"

Junior nodded. "Yep. You did."

Bowser growled. "Seriously Junior, he really was the worst. I am seriously tempted to bring him back from the dead just so I can yell at him!" Bowser grit his teeth, a guttural growl escaping from the confines of his lips.

Junior sighed. "Dad, stop. It's not worth it."

Bowser blinked. "Not worth it…" he laughed. "Oh, it is definitely worth it! And once I tell you the rest of this story, you'll see why!"

…

Okay. Now, if I remember correctly, the last thing I told you was that Kamek had suggested something vague and cryptic to me (but then again, that wasn't really new for him even at the time). So, I guess I'll start there.

I stared at Kamek, and blinked my eyes out, wanting him to explain himself. Seriously, there was something I could do so that I actually had someone to talk to? Sign me up!

"What exactly is that?" I asked.

Kamek leaned even further down on his hands, the smile from before growing bigger. "Why don't you look into adoption?"

I blinked. I was like...what? Adoption? Adoption? Seriously? I mean, Kamek was known to be weird in the past (again, not new), but this? It was just….a very bizarre suggestion. I didn't even know whether or not he was being serious.

"Are you pulling my leg?" I asked.

"No. I am not. I think adoption, while it might be a bit of a stretch, would do wonders for you and your social life. Besides, while the children wouldn't be able to inherit the throne, they would train you for when it's time to raise the one who can."

I blinked. That...actually made a lot of sense. Or at least, it would have made a lot of sense if it weren't for one very obvious, very important detail.

"Pop would never allow it, Kamek," I said as my shoulders slumped.

Kamek shook his head. "Who cares? You are a full grown adult koopa. You have the right to make your own decisions. For crying out loud; you are going to inherit the throne in less than a year!"

I snickered. That really wasn't as strong an argument as Kamek thought it was. You see, at the time, I was actually in my twenties; long past the point of when I came of age and when I should have inherited the throne. The reason I didn't? Dad was stubborn. Like...really. Flipping. Stubborn. He had wanted to keep his grip on the throne for as long as possible. He cited the reason why as being that he wanted the Kingdom to being under the helm of someone who they trusted. That was just a fancy way of him saying that he thought I was an idiot.

…

"Well, aren't you?" Junior asked.

Bowser's face turned crimson. "I am not!" He stamped his foot. "I have a brain, and I can access it whenever I want to!"

Junior leaned against his left knuckle. "Then why don't you?"

Bowser paused. An uncomfortable silence filled the ship, one as strong and thick as a heavy stew.

"Uhh…" Bowser said. He chuckled. "Let's just get on with the story, shall we?"

…

"Kamek," I said. "You know as well as I do that if Dad found out about this, he would do everything and anything in his power to stop it."

Kamek sighed. "I know. But you know what? That isn't as much as you think it is. The guy is advancing in age, Bowser. Sure, he's sharp, but physically, he isn't as strong as he used to be."

I snickered. "Could still kick my ass."

Kamek sniffed. "Look, I'm not telling you to do it. I'm just planting a suggestion. Ultimately, it is your choice, not mine."

I thought about that. It was my choice. I was the one who had the yes or no say so. At the time, I felt extremely powerful when that was said to me. Like, I never got to make choices of my own. Someone was always deciding for me. This included little things like what I would have for breakfast to big things like how I would run the Kingdom. This was something offered to me as my own choice. And whether I said yes or no, at the end of the day, I would have made my own choice.

Although….if I said no, I wouldn't exactly be making my choice. I would be making my dad's choice. Sure, as much as I had been playing devil's advocate that day, the truth was that I wanted to do it. Kamek had presented such good reasons for adopting baby Koopas, and I just couldn't get the picture of me holding a newborn baby out of my head.

So, I put on a smile. "My choice, eh?"

"Yes," said Kamek. "It is your choice."

I nodded. "Well, I want to do it." I looked Kamek deep in the eyes. "I really want to do it."

Kamek grinned. "Excellent."

My heart sank as I realized something. "The only problem is that I don't know where any orphanages are."

Kamek snickered. "You're the king in waiting! You have the ability to find out where such a thing is."

I smiled. "Hey! You're right!" I turned toward the door. "I'm gonna go find out!"

So, after looking through a few reference guides, I finally decided that I would choose to visit an orphanage in Sparksville. I went there in the middle of the night. Dad was sleeping at the time, so he had no idea what I was trying to do. Heck, none of the guards had any idea what I was trying to do either, as I used a rope to climb out of my window. I went to the garage, hopped in my Koopa Clown Car, and flew to the town. I arrived at an orphanage on the outskirts about two hours later, when the moon was at its highest point in the sky.

Once I entered the orphanage, I noticed that it was quiet, dark, and dusty. The only person who was awake was a Koopa troopa who was mopping the floor. When she saw me, her eyes grew wide.

"King….King Morton?"

I tried to hold back a groan. As handsome as I was, one bad thing that I had to experience was constantly being mistaken for my dad. Stuff like that really drove me up a wall.

"No," I said. "Prince Bowser."

The Koopa troopa got down on one knee. "It is an honor to have you here, your majesty. I am the orphan matron, Isla." She lifted her head. "What brings you to this humble little place?"

I grinned and puffed out my chest. "I'm looking to adopt!"

"That's wonderful!" Isla said. Her face fell. "Unfortunately, none of the children are awake at this time. You might have to come back in the morning."

My heart sank. The thing is...I couldn't come back in the morning. I had a million responsibilities piled on top of me by my dad. If I was missing for even one of them, then I would surely be punished.

I slumped my shoulders. "Oh. Well, I uh…" I cleared my throat. "I can't exactly do that." Isla flashed me a saddened look as I shimmied toward the door. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

With that, I made my way toward the door. This was literally the only time I could have possibly done this, and yet, I didn't even get a chance to do it right. The thought of holding a newborn in my arms was fading quickly. There went that dream. Just like every other dream I had up to that point, it was ruined in some shape or form by my Dad.

I opened the door, about to leave the place. However, right before I could, something caught my eye. I looked over at the corned of the room, curiosity overtaking me as I stared at a shiny, glistening white surface speaking out of a bag.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing toward the bag.

"Oh, that?" Isla made her way over and picked up the bag. When she showed me what was inside, my heart skipped a beat. They were eggs! Seven beautiful koopa eggs, all in one place!

My eyes grew wide. "Where did you get those?"

Isla sighed. "They were found floating up the Rio Shroom about three days ago. A Koopa paratroopa fished them out of the water and tried to find the parents. When no one claimed them, he brought them here."

My heart sank as I gawked. What? Who wouldn't want those eggs! They were perfect! They were round, oval shaped, and they had the most colorful speckles. They were certainly going to hatch into amazing, healthy little children.

I gently took the sack from Isla and held the bag to my chest. I could feel a warmth emanating off of the eggs. A rhythm, soft and steady, also thumped against my skin. That meant that these little guys had very strong heartbeats. I shed a tear. I had never experienced something like that before. I probably wouldn't be able to again.

Unless…

"Can I have them?"

Isla blinked before smiling. "Of course! Since they weren't technically born yet, that also means that you don't have to fill out any paperwork."

"No paperwork? Sweet!" I hugged the eggs to my chest, my giddiness overtaking me. "Well, I guess I'll take them back to the castle. Thank you very much, Isla!"

Isla smiled. "You're welcome."

…

Bowser let out a nostalgic sigh. "Yeah. That was a great night. I really did like feeling their heartbeats. It was adorable in the oddest sort of way."

Junior nodded, scribbling down notes in the notebook as he did so. When he finished, he looked up at his dad. A question waa coming to his mind, a question that he just couldn't let go unasked.

"What did grandpa say the next morning?"

There was a pause before Bowser sighed. "He didn't say anything. I made sure to hide the eggs somewhere, hoping he wouldn't look in that place. For a while, I was proven right. But…."

…

"BOWSER!"

My stomach and heart hurt. That yell...I had never heard Dad yell with that much intensity before. I was nervous to find out what exactly it meant. However, deep down, I think I already knew. There was only one thing that it could possibly mean; Dad had found the eggs.

So, I nervously inched my way out of my room and made my way down to the throne room. When I got there, I saw Dad sitting on the throne. In his hands was none other than the sack. I swallowed a nasty tasting lump and scooted over to him. When I got to the throne, I forced on a nervous smile.

"Hi, Dad."

Dad's brow scrunched up. "What...the hell….are these?"

"They're eggs, Dad. Are you blind or something?"

"I'm not blind, you imbecile!" He stood up, still gripping the eggs in his hands. "What are they doing in MY CASTLE?"

I swallowed another lump. "I went to an orphanage about a month ago. I picked them up."

Dad narrowed his eyebrows. "You want to be responsible for raising a bunch of filthy commoner children?"

I felt sour tasting bile rise to my throat. I gripped my hand into a fist. "So what if I do?"

"You can't do this, son! You are defying every law of the Kingdom!"

I snickered. "Oh really?" I crossed my arms. "Dad, the law only states that I am allowed to have one biological child. It didn't say anything about adoptees."

"Don't talk back to me!" Dad stormed. He thrust the sack towards me. "I order you to get rid of these filthy things this instant!"

Horror shocked me in the spine. "NO!" I took the eggs from him. "I am not going to get rid of these! I adopted them, fair and square! They're mine!"

"They're. Commoners." Dad growled through grit teeth. "They have no place in this palace. If their peasant parents didn't want them, then clearly that means that they are not good enough for royalty. Get. Rid. Of. Them."

I felt tears build in my eyes. I looked down at the eggs. I felt their heartbeats thump against my chest in a perfect rhythm again. Thump. Thump. Thump. What used to be a pleasing sensation was now a heartbreaking one. Slowly, I turned toward the door with my tail tucked between my legs.

Just when I was about to exit, however, I noticed something. Or rather, someone. Kamek stood on the side of the throne room. He smiled at me warmly and nodded his head. That's when I remembered the conversation that we had. In the end, it was my choice. I couldn't let anyone else make the choice for me. It was my choice to decide whether or not I kept these eggs.

I slowly turned back toward my father. "No."

"No?"

I gripped the eggs tighter to my chest. "I'm keeping these babies. You might not see any value in them, but I do. They are more than just commoners. They are my children."

Dad narrowed his eyebrows, making his face look hideous. "Bowser….!"

"No!" I stamped my foot. "I don't care what you say, Dad! You can call me stupid or iditoic or anything else you want to call me. But I made a choice. I am keeping these eggs. I don't care what the consequences are; I'm keeping them!"

Dad stood up from his throne. "Then you leave me no choice." He pointed toward the door. "Guards, take both him and his egg sack down to the dungeon."

No one responded. No one took a step forward. Dad looked around in confusion.

"Guards?"

Kamek smiled and stepped out of the shadows. "Your majesty, I am afraid you can't do that. Bowser is not breaking any laws."

Dad started to fume. "He's defying his king!"

"Which, technically, he has every right to do. You are well past the age of when you are permitted to rule. If you do not allow your son the right to keep these eggs, then I am afraid you very well might cause a mutiny within this castle. If that happens, Bowser can very well challenge you for the crown. And I am sure you don't want that, now do you?"

Dad's face turned vermillion. He grit his teeth as steam shot out of his nostrils. However, I stepped toward him unfazed.

"Either I keep the eggs, Dad," I said. "Or you lose the crown. Which would you choose?"

There was a pause before Dad threw up his hands. "Fine!" He stomped toward the door. "You keep your dirty eggs," he grumbled under his breath.

With that, he slammed the door shut. I turned toward Kamek with a grin.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, your highness." He grinned. "I am glad that you stood up for yourself like that."

I chuckled. "Well, I have to make my own choice." I peeked into the bag. "And in the end, I think I made the right one."