Thanks everyone for the reviews on this story... I'm surprised how many there were especially since it's only a few chapters... I hope I can keep it up.
With that said, I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I've been distracted by reruns of Avatar the Last Air Bender, Digimon, Bleach, & Naruto...
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to anyone in the Super Mario World. They're own by Nintendo.
Day 5-
Arrived a little too quickly for my liking as I awoke to find my king's impatiently tapping foot. He still wore the closed purple robe. I don't really understand the point. It's kind of like Donald Duck wrapping a towel around his waist after a shower even though the duck didn't wear pants.
Speaking of showers, I could really use one considering my clothes were covered in blood, sweat, and grime from my adventures. They made me feel dirty; nothing like a daisy or any flower for that matter.
"You're late footstool," King Koopa growled holding a rolled up newspaper under his arm. "I even gave you an extra hour to get yourself to work on time."
'Tremble' my brain yelled adding 'Be frighten' but for whatever reason I wasn't afraid of my king. "I'm sorry my king," I assumed my position as ottoman. "How would you like to punish my tardiness, sire?"
"I'll let it slide this time maggot since it's your first day," King Koopa sat down crossing his legs atop my back.
"You spoil this slave," I answered trying to sound relieved.
"And don't you forget it," he responded smugly opening his paper.
For the next half hour, we sat quietly enjoying each other's company while still trying to wake up. Well I was enjoying his company anyway when my stomach growled.
We both ignored my stomach's pang but our resistance proved futile once my stomach's persistence enlisted the aid of his majesty's gut. King Koopa's gullet vibrated the room. I struggled trying to suppress my laughter.
"Look what your feebly weak will power did to me," Koopa yelled.
"Sorry my king," I laughed when our stomachs growled in unison.
The king sighed. "I suppose I ought to feed you too."
"Thank you sire," I responded. "Your benevolence knows no bounds."
He chuckled lowering the paper to face the table. "Princess Toadstool, two plates Yoshi bacon."
"At once my king," a sensual female voice responded from the statue.
Two plates appeared in the tray area of the table with foot long sizzling strips of meat. The aroma wafted into the air causing my stomach to growl for ten seconds straight.
"Thank you, Princess Toadstool," King Koopa said sincerely.
"You're welcome my king," the statue answered.
"Wow! That was so cool! How did you do that," I exclaimed excitedly.
He handed me a stone plate. "I had her bewitched," King Koopa explained proudly. "It's linked to the kitchen. Whenever I'm hungry all I have to do is say what I want to eat.
"The chef will place it on a special tray that sends it to my room."
"Wow. I don't care what Master Kamek says. You're the coolest king ever," I said taking a bite of the bacon. It was crispy chewy and tasted kind of like the bacon on top of fast food burgers. "This is really good bacon," I power mumbled with my mouth full. "What kind is it?"
"Yoshi," the king went back to reading his paper.
"Yoshi? What's that?"
My king lowered a section of his paper raising an eyebrow. "Oh. I guess you wouldn't know."
"I'm sorry sire. I am new to this world," I admitted a little upset I couldn't keep up with conversation. I continued as honestly as I could. "There is a lot to this world I don't know yet." I returned to eating my bacon in silence recalling that footstools are furniture and furniture doesn't talk.
I heard King Koopa sigh before closing his paper. "Yoshi are the primary food source throughout the kingdoms." He anticipated my next question. "They are a species of dinosaurs with a lower level of intelligence. Available in a variety of colors, Yoshi are used as livestock, transportation, and pets.
"As livestock, their meat can be cut, cooked, and prepared in a variety of ways. Their milk's used to feed children and has a high heat capacity before souring even in a volcano. Their eggs are an import food source and used in baking."
"I'm eating dinosaur," I frowned looking at my second piece.
"Don't tell me you're one of those "don't eat meat" types," King Koopa growled. I shook my head "No" but he went into an explanation to justify it anyway. "Listen everything is meat. All living things consume something making it meat to them.
"Animals eat animals and plants. Plants eat dirt and Piranha plants eat animals. Bugs eat anything including rocks and fabric. If it's consumed, it's meat."
"It's not that," I said chomping into my second strip of bacon. "I've never seen a dinosaur." The king seemed caught off guard. I was worried the conversation was over. "How are they used like transportation?"
"People ride them," King Koopa explained. "Depending on their color and what they eat people can use them to fly or cross land in no time."
I thought a little bit chewing my final piece of bacon. "Neat. They're like horses," remembering my studies adding when my king raised his eyebrow again. "Animals people ride to get places on earth but they can't fly or lay eggs."
"Look at the time," my king jumped up. "Time to be king for a day" somehow he elicited a laugh from me.
The king went behind the changing screen. I watched him toss his robe over the top then emerged wearing his bulky spiked shell. I wonder if that's bewitched too or if the robe was. The king headed for the door when I asked about my clothes.
"Excuse me, sire, but is there any way I can clean or get a change of clothes," I became more aware of my odor. "I didn't feel like a daisy this morning and I would like to smell better for your return."
King Koopa smiled at my request, "Pretty gutsy for a footstool first day already making demands." I laughed. I think he was being sarcastic. "Just hang your clothes over the screen. They'll be clean by the time you put them back on."
"Sire," I asked when he motioned to the door again. "What if someone knocks while you're away?"
He laughed, "Don't answer it." He was gone.
Alone… Hmm… How to pass the time? I'll need to get a shower but decided to wait until closer to when his majesty returns. So I guess the most important thing would be to support my king's body weight.
I settled on planks to start my routine. Planks are basically holding your body weight in a pushup's starting position for prolonged periods of time. They sound easy but trust me they are not, especially with a couple ton turtle on your back.
Honestly, I think this will be my most important exercise considering I already spent over two hours underfoot. What if he falls asleep? I may have to maintain that position through the night. Every so many minutes I added twenty actual pushups before resuming my plank.
After around three hours (I guess. There really aren't any clocks in here), I decided to walk around the room holding my arms straight up in the air. I rotated them after each step. It was my intention to build their stamina. I saw it in another anime series I saw once.
As the day progressed, I picked at my master's left over bacon for food in between exercises. It was just as good cold well as close to cold as it could get in a volcano. I added some weight to my arm exercises pulling what must have been two fifty pound books from my king's library.
I knew with both arms combined I could lift a hundred pounds but the fifty pounds per arm seemed a little more difficult. I dropped the text every couple laps.
When I finished the last piece of bacon, I set the plates back on the tray and bowed. "Thank you for the meal, Princess Toadstool."
"You're welcome my king," the statue responded when the dishes disappeared.
"I wonder how King Koopa would react to that," I said aloud smirking.
"He probably say "I'd have to get that fixed"," his voice came from the door.
I turned laughing. "Hello my king. I'm glad you're back."
He looked surprised. People must really not tell him they're happy to see him. How sad to only be missed by a piece of furniture. I thought a moment before dismissing that notion.
It can't be true. Even Loki said how cool he was and that he was beloved by everyone in the Darklands. Why wouldn't somebody actually tell him to his face?
"As I expected maggot," King Koopa found his words.
"A- Are you back for the night my lord," I hesitated remembering my stink.
"Not for another few hours footstool," the king walked to the bookcase. He added after I exhaled a sigh of relief. "Are you relieved, maggot?"
"Not really. I miss your company during the day," I answered casually. I saw my king hesitate reaching for the top shelf. I wonder if he was scanning my response for a lie. "But I smell."
The king removed what had to be a seven million page book. It was bound in a brown leathery looking sleeve (Possibly Yoshi skin?) and about a foot and a half long.
He tucked the book under his arm like a newspaper and sniffed the air. "You do smell footstool."
"Don't worry. I'll smell like a daisy by the time you return sire," I laughed.
"I don't care what kind of flower you smell like as long as you don't sass like a daisy," King Koopa chuckled too himself. It must have been an inside joke. I wish I could have joined in his chuckle. He looked at me and sighed realizing I didn't get his joke this time. "Never mind, footstool."
I walked the king to the door. "Have a pleasant rest of today my king."
I don't think King Koopa knew how to respond. He just smirked and disappeared. I decided to get a shower. Stepping behind the changing screen, I stripped removing my jeans, sweat and T shirts, and underpants draping the garments over the screen. If what the king told me was true then I wish I had kept my socks.
I went into the bathroom and found the levers to work the stand alone shower. Thinking back to the sink temperature, I only used the cold water. It was the right choice as the cascading water had to be at least 80 degrees.
The water washed away the caked on blood and dirt from the previous few days as well as the fresh sweat earned during today's workout. There was something of a button on the dial so I pushed it. Liquid soap joined the falling water.
It lathered very easily and I felt super clean. I laughed as I literally squeaked when I moved. My hair became silk and allowed my fingers to slip through without resistance. After all the soapy water disappeared down the drain, I turned off the shower.
Now how am I supposed to dry off without a towel? I suppose the warmth of the volcano must naturally dry me off. Motioning to get out of the shower, I was blasted by a warm breeze. It was constant like stepping into a full body hand dryer. I was completely dry within a minute.
Back inside the bedroom, I found my clothes cleaner than me and fully repaired. Now I really wished I kept my socks. I put on my underwear, jeans, and T-shirt electing to leave off my sweatshirt and sneakers since I was in a volcano.
The chair sat high enough to slide the pieces under so they'll be out of the way. Truthfully I was excited that I had a pillow for tonight.
I know the king said I had access to anything and everything in his room but I figured I shouldn't abuse his generosity. So I had better be a neat slave. Gulp. I guess part of being "neat" means to keep the bathroom clean.
I returned to tidy up the shower and was surprised to find that it had already been cleaned. It looked as if it wasn't used at all. I bet Jimmy would be so jealous of the king's self cleaning latrine.
I spent the rest of my time reading. There were so many "How to" books that I didn't know where to begin. Not finding a book on the history of the Darklands or Mushroom Kingdom, I settled on a how to guide for building and repairing clocks.
I felt proud of myself lying in front of my king's chair when I easily read the title of Chapter 1: So You Want To Make A Clock. It was easy and I read up to Chapter 21: How To Hold Time In Your Hand, when his majesty returned.
"Hello my king. Welcome home," I smiled.
King Koopa smirked placing the book he took back on the shelf. "Good evening footstool. Did you have a good day?"
"Yes, sir. How about you sire," I said closing the book to give him my undivided attention. As king his day would be infinitely more interesting than mine.
"Boring as usual," King Koopa responded.
"I'm sorry to hear that, my lord," I answered taking my position.
"It's your fault," King Koopa said stepping behind the screen.
I laughed, "My fault?"
My king emerged wearing his slimming robe. "Ever since our talk this afternoon, all I could think about was putting my feet up."
"I'm sorry sire. Did you remember to eat dinner at least," I asked watching King Koopa walk to the portrait wall.
He tapped a stone and an old time record player appeared on some kind of cabinet that housed a serious amount of vinyl. "No, but if I get hungry, I always got you," he said nonchalantly.
I started laughing uncontrollably. Regardless whether he was serious or not, didn't matter, it was funny. My laughter didn't subside until the music entered the room. The sound reminded me of the Four Season's band my parents use to listen to but had alligators on the cover art.
"Did you eat footstool," he asked.
"No sire."
"How are you going to keep up your strength if you don't eat?"
I could be wrong but I swear King Koopa's tone sounded more fatherly than slave and master. "Sorry sire," I responded. "I lost track of time reading."
"Princess Toadstool, two plates of Yoshi steak," King Koopa ordered.
"At once my king," the statue barely finished before the steaks appeared with stone forks protruding from each steak.
Thanking the king when he handed me a stone plate with a two prong fork and I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to cut it. The meat was thick. I pulled the fork finding teeth running the length of the outside prong. So the fork functioned as both utensils slicing the meat like butter. Somehow I didn't cut my tongue between bites.
"What are you reading," King Koopa asked after thanking the princess for the meal.
"A guide on building clocks," I answered. "I'm surprised at how easily I've been able to comprehend your language since coming to this world." I thought back to my prior conversations with Loki.
"That's one of this world's mysteries," King Koopa ate half his steak. "Everyone speaks and writes the same language." King Koopa places his hand to his chin. "I'm not sure how it happens but it makes decrypting messages allot easier."
'That's lucky for me. Thank you mystical planet' I thought smiling. "Well I'm glad. My old world was boring. None of the animals, heck none of the people speak the same language," I said eating a piece of steak. "Do you know anything about clocks sire?"
"Do I know anything about clocks? I once created a whole world inside of a clock," he started going on and on about different gears and sprockets. He even admitted to using cogs as escaladers and getting dizzy riding the horizontal cogs like a merry-go-round.
I laughed while I listen to his story and thanks to the book was able to continue the conversation late into the night. Almost five hours passed before King Koopa looked to the bed.
"Time for bed footstool," he yawned moving toward his bed.
"Awe," I moaned powering through my own yawn to which King Koopa chuckled his delight. Maybe his majesty really doesn't have any friends. I may reach pet status yet.
Pulling my sneakers then laying my sweatshirt on top of them, I wished my king a "Good Night" resting my head against the makeshift pillow. I just barely heard my king's likewise response before sleep took me. It was a good night with my king.