Hi Everyone...

I wanted to start off with my usual apology. 1st to everyone who may, also, be reading Parallel & Gabumon & the Huntsmon... I know it's been a while since their last update. That's because I made the mistake of thinking I can writer more than 1 story at a time.

I do intend to finish/update them but not until I finish Diary of a Royal Footstool. I'll probably work on Gabumon before Parallel.

So my apology to everyone on Footstool's diary...

Last Chapter ended pretty awfully (awesome if you ask me) but I wanted to get the next one up asap. Mainly I've been looking forward to this chapter since I start this story and I hope it comes across as good as I hope. I feel it would make a great ending to the diary...

...That said I will have a few more "Days" to write/post. There are a tad too many loose ends to be wrapped up to stop here. Enjoy!

Day 666-

Grogginess… It's the best word describing how I felt when I woke up. My head throbbed repeatedly making it difficult to get my bearings. In fact I was so disoriented I wasn't even sure I was awake. My eyes opened but I was still surrounded in darkness.
I knew it was morning (at least it felt like morning) as a dim light disrupted the shadows. Varying shades of black gave way to a ceiling but the room remained pitch black in front of my eyes. I could only make out a silhouette of something rising and falling in a rhythmic cycle. When my eyes fully adjusted to the darkness I realized I was staring into King Koopa's chest.
My faith in him instantly renewed shattering any and all doubts I had the last couple months. Sleeping on his side, King Koopa's robed collar parted like a V at his neck and slunk against the bed. Luckily the belt kept the lower portion closed. One of his arms rested on top of me while his other arm slinked underneath. My king's muzzle rested gentle upon my forehead while his nostrils released his warm breath like a spring breeze through my hair. Oh how I wanted this scene to last.

"Don't," he requested in a whisper when I motioned away from him.

"But I have to get to work-."

"Don't," King Koopa said firmly. This time it was a command. His arms tightened around me.

"But my king," I started trailing off when his arms tightened around me. I stopped moving and accepted my role as King Koopa's cuddly stuffed animal.

King Koopa's head pulled away from mine but his arms didn't budge. His stare ordered my gaze to his. "You are NOT replaceable," he admitted. His conviction was unwavering as he repeated his message. "Footstool, you are NOT REPLACEABLE."

"But sire," I blushed at his statement. "I'm just a slave."

"STOP," he commanded silencing me. "I don't want to hear you call yourself that again." Joining my silence, King Koopa allowed his command to process and his sincerity to sink in.

"Thank you my king," I mustered the only words I could find. I closed my eyes.

"Um, Footstool," King Koopa said nervously. "If you're trying to choke me out, you'll have to apply more pressure than that."

My eyes opened. Subconsciously my arms wrapped around my king's neck retuning the embrace he's been sharing with me. I laughed applying a little more pressure.

"Better, Footstool," King Koopa spoke softly as I released him. Ironically, his grip remained. His chin found my forehead once again. "And you're warm again."

"What happened sire," I asked unable to recall anything more than fragments from when I passed out.

"I stubbed my foot against your cushion," he said seriously attempting to recall the events of that night. "When I pulled my foot back, I did not realize you sprung a leak."
I could feel King Koopa's jaw stretch and a small dose of humor filled his next sentence. "I found out why I like your cushion so much. You're a waterbed," he smirked. "I didn't realize you were filled with so much fluid."

"At least two thirds full," I laughed.

King Koopa's head drew back. His face looked wretched as he continued his recollection. "When I saw the pool expanding around you, I rushed to your side but couldn't rouse you. I tried looming, glaring, growling, yelling, and ordering you but nothing worked.
"You were so cold despite lying in that warm pool and whiter than any Boo I've ever seen," his lips pressed against my brow. "I remembered my footstool was always supposed to be 98.6 degrees. I knew you were in trouble and that's when I truly started to panic."

"I remember hearing you repeat "No" a few times," finally able to recall a memory from that night, "But that's the last thing I remember."

"I yelled that because I didn't want my footstool to die," King Koopa answered truthfully. "But I had no idea what to do or how to take care of you. I never felt so useless before."

My eyes watered. For my king to admit his feelings of helplessness, truly required courage. "You aren't useless my king," I told him sincerely.

"I didn't say I was useless," he shouted defensively. His tone relaxed giving my body a quick once over. "I said I FELT useless." His emphasis on felt made me smirk. "I came up with a plan.
"First, I needed to stop the bleeding so I ordered a golden mushroom," King Koopa continued the story. "But that's when I hit my first flaw," he paused. "You couldn't eat."

My eyebrow wrinkled. "Why not?"

King Koopa's eyes rolled, "Because you were unconscious."

'Duh' my head shouted at me. "How did you manage to stop the bleeding then my king?"

"At first, I pressed your T-shirt against the wound," King Koopa's claw moved to my abdomen and that's when I realized I was topless. As gentle as a lamb, his palm pressed against my skin causing me to flinch. It registered a soreness I hadn't felt earlier. "The blood just soaked through the cloth in a matter of seconds. I knew the wound was very deep.
"I heated my claws with my fire and cauterized the wound," King Koopa's claw caressed my skin. I soon realized that his hand didn't glide smoothly. "I managed to stop the bleeding but since you couldn't eat, I had to wait for time to heal you.
"I'm sorry," King Koopa apologized removing his arm. I got to see the redden silver dollar size circles in my gut. The burnt flesh and area around it looked sickening and ready to burst open any minute. "You'll have a scar."

"A scar's a small price to pay to have your king's breath of life heal you," I said staring at the wound. A sudden chill ran through me as I turned to my king. "Did I say that out loud," I asked embarrassed. I had intended to leave that previous comment in my head.

"Yes," King Koopa smirked. "Thank you Footstool." I felt my king's arms resume this morning's embrace.

Finally registering my king's story so far a realization hit me. Mushrooms have a window of 3 days to take effect. "Sire, how long was I asleep?"

"A little more than 3 months," he answered. "I was so scared. I didn't leave your side once."

I stared dumbfounded at my king. My eyes were swelling. "But my king, you fuss too much over your footstool." I tried not to release my tears of surprise. "What about your kingdom?"

"Bah, you don't become ruler of the strongest nation without establishing a strong foundation. The kingdom can manage without me for a few days," King Koopa answered nonchalantly.

"But 3 months without leaving your footstool's side seems extreme," I countered. "I'm grateful but isn't that why you have servants?"

"Doesn't matter. My footstool needed me," King Koopa replied dismissing my counter argument. "I had to do it. I couldn't trust your safety to my servants. None of them like you."

I interjected with some laughter but my king didn't join me. King Koopa wasn't joking. I thought I had made some headway in his kingdom. Reeducating some of the naysayers that not all humans are their enemy but apparently I was wrong. "Thank you, King Koopa." My arms found his neck again. "Thank you for choosing your footstool over your kingdom."
I released his neck then I guess nestled (seems like the best word for it) against his chest. "To think you spent all this time by my side. You spoil this footstool too much."

"Well," King Koopa started then stopped. I was expecting his usual "And don't you forget it" line but his silence drew my attention. Clearly my king was debating internally with himself. Making eye contact with me, King Koopa conceded. "I wasn't beside you the whole time."

"Oh," I felt my face sag a bit. "Of course it was foolish of me to believe your kingdom didn't take priority."

"It didn't," he said firmly. "I went to the Mushroom Kingdom."

My frown completely flipped upside down. "Really? Why? Did you take your airship? Did you see Princess Toadstool? Were the Mario Brothers there? Did you have to fight," my mouth spewed question after question without allowing my king to respond.

"Bwa, ha, ha," he laughed. "Give me a chance to answer."

"Sorry my king," I apologized feeling my cheeks burn.

"Don't be. It's been so long… too long since I've seen you this full of life," King Koopa answered with a smile. "I've missed it," he admitted adding, "I forbid you to break again."

I laughed, "Yes my king. I'll do my best."

"Good, and to answer your questions," he continued his explanation. "Yes, I really went to the Mushroom Kingdom. I told you I had a plan. After I stopped the bleeding I had to figure out the best way to nurse you.
"For the 2nd phase of the plan, I decided the best way to heal you was by talking to someone with experience healing humans and I knew Princess Toadstool was the only person I knew and could trust with that kind of information."

"How did you know Princess Toadstool would be able to help," I asked.

"From our battle against the Smithy gang," King Koopa answered. "She healed that pipsqueak Mario on more than one occasion. So I got in the Clown Copter and hurried to her castle."

"You didn't take your airship," I muttered sourly.

"No, it's too big and intimidating. This was a covert op," King Koopa's arm covered his muzzle like people in capes do. "Since this op sent me behind enemy lines, I needed to go incognito.
"Since I, like you, am despised by all the people outside the Darklands, I couldn't risk being delayed and because of Peach's compassionate nature I knew she was the only one who'd wouldn't lie or give me false information just because it's me."

I laughed when King Koopa compared himself to me. It seemed ironic considering we were despised in two opposite ends of the kingdoms. Although… I haven't been to the other kingdoms so I haven't had a chance to be despised yet.
I looked my king in the eye. "Maybe but we're not despised to the people who matter most."

"Well said Footstool," he complimented. I felt his embrace become firmer. "Anyway, I managed to infiltrate the Mushroom Kingdom from above without resistance.
"When I saw Princess Toadstool wasn't in her room, I waited outside her window until she arrived."

"You peeked in her window," I blushed. "Didn't the guards spot you?"

"No, I cast the spell that camouflages the Clown Copter like I normally do-."

"Like you normally do," I interrupted feeling like my innocence was being stolen. "King Koopa, are you a pervert?"

"No, I haven't looked in Peach's window for months," King Koopa tried defending himself (and doing a lousy job of it). His attempts at avoiding eye contact wasn't help his defense either. "This was the first time I've went to her castle since you arrived."

My voice filled with disapproval, "Oh, my king."

His beak turned as rosy red as mine felt. "Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"

"Yes, King Koopa," I cleared my throat deciding to believe my king was being truthful about his deviant adventures. "Please continue."

"When Princess Toadstool returned to her room, I tapped on the pane of glass," he demonstrated finally releasing his embrace. "At first I thought she was going to scream but something stopped her.
"Instead she ran over and opened the window. A gentle gleam of genuine worry radiated from her eyes and voice when she asked I was okay.
"Apparently the fear on my face was more transparent than the window pane. It was the reason she didn't scream or call for help," his head looked over his shoulder. "I love Princess Toadstool.
"I told her I damaged my footstool," King Koopa's attention returned to me. "She didn't laugh or dismiss my absurd feelings. Instead my queen asked what happened.
"I told her about stubbing my toe puncturing the fluid filled cushion and I let her know I managed to stop the leak but I couldn't get it to stand back up or how to refill it."

"I'm surprised she didn't suggest you to just throw me away and to get another one," I said.

King Koopa's closed his eyes shaking his head. "She didn't make one joke or a lighthearted comment once during my whole visit." He reopened his eyes continuing our pillow talk. "I had 100% of her undivided attention.
"I begged and pleased for the information to fix you because," he paused staring into my eyes with so much conviction it caused me to blush again. "I needed to fix you."

I wonder if he had the same level of intense conviction in his eyes then too. "You did. You did fix me."

"That's because Princess Toadstool told me how. She told me the best way to refill my footstool's cushion would be to mince a golden mushroom into a stew," King Koopa said and quickly added the thought in my head. "I said my footstool couldn't eat and I didn't think a cooked mushroom would help. We had only ever eaten them raw.
"She told me she knew furniture couldn't eat but the mushroom stew will replenish some of the minerals lost during the leak. Also, the soup would warm the footstool's guts while wrapping the ottoman in a blanket would keep the fluid inside from solidifying. Though…
"It would take a while before my footstool would be fully refilled," King Koopa's hand touched my abdomen and his lips pressed against my forehead. "She said I would need to touch the cushion to make sure it was getting fuller and warmer."

"Sire, how did you get me to eat the stew," I asked.

He rolled away and returned holding a large bowl with a turkey baster. "I sat you up and as gently as I could tilted your head back, open your mouth, and squeezed a tube of this down your throat a day.
"Princess Toadstool said to stick the pipette past your gag reflex before squirting the soup," he put the bowl and baster behind him again. "She, also, said I needed to keep you clean.
"I'm so relieved it all worked. I wasn't sure I made any progress because everything took a long time to accomplish," his chin pressed against the top of my head again. "I felt like an ogre trying to hatch an egg."

A smile and small chuckle escaped me.

"What's so amusing, Footstool?"

"It's silly," I said hoping King Koopa would let it go and continue but he just stared expectantly. "I'm glad you were able to find your words around Princess Toadstool even though the conversation was just about furniture."

"She knew it wasn't and even offered to come with me to help," he turned over his shoulder again. "Marry me, Princess Toadstool." He returned to me just like before. "I thanked her but said this was something I needed to do on my own."

I found his neck for a third time. "Thank you, King Koopa for everything."

"Don't. I broke you, I needed to fix you," King Koopa pulled away. "I don't deserve your thanks. Princess Toadstool does."

"I'll have to send her a thank you." I expected King Koopa to respond but he just ended up going silent. Finding myself nuzzling against my king again, I decided to continue the conversation. "How was your half-birthday sire?"

"Lousy," King Koopa replied. "I broke my footstool before the party and it ruined the whole celebration."

"Prince Morton said you weren't very pleasant during dinner that day." I decided not to add 'And the every day since' portion of that conversation. "I'm sorry I ruined your birthday."

"Bah," King Koopa replied. "It wasn't your fault. I did it." King Koopa's arms tightened around me. "But had I known breaking you further would have fixed you, I would have stubbed my toes sooner."

I laughed. I knew he was joking. "Ow." I said feeling my side ache.

"I've missed that sound too."

"What? My laugh?"

"No, your OW," he shot back smirking. I laughed again triggering another session of painful recovery.

Rubbing my side, I asked, "Did you get anything else you liked for your birthday besides Prince Morton's essay?" I had hoped the change of subject would end his joking.
Instead King Koopa put his lips together and vibrated his tongue between them. I laughed at his raspberry causing another round of soreness. "The gifts were that good huh?"

"The best present was Morton's essay and that was the root of that day's problem," my king answered. "I don't even know if I can keep it anymore-."

I sat up on my side wincing from the pain caused by stretching my skin. "You have to keep it, sire. Don't let my ignorance ruin the way your son feels about you and the meaning you felt behind it. Keep it for me."

King Koopa stared at me a minute or two before responding. "Very well," he smiled. "I'll keep it with me at all times." I exhaled a sigh of relief.
His claw patted the mattress. "Now lay back down. I don't think you're healed well enough for those kinds of sudden movements."

"What about Master Kamek's gift," I complied with my king's request. He was right. My soreness had intensified after that movement. "He was very excited about his present, about his clock."

"He got the same gift as everyone else and I already had it," King Koopa sighed. "I ended up giving each clock back along with the mushrooms to help with Ludwig's symphony.
"My half-birthday was very disappointing this year," King Koopa held me in an embrace once again. "But now that day's a distant memory."

Wow. I really ruined my king's birthday and every day since didn't I. There was only one way I could think of to make it up to him. It meant holding off upgrading his alarm clock. This item was a bit more sentimental.
I nestled against King Koopa again. "I don't remember much about my father or my family for that matter."

"Footstool-," King Koopa started but I ignored him.

"I was 9 and a half when they left me," I admitted. "I'm not even sure I can recall my dad's eye or hair color. All I remember of him is his smile had a bushy mustache."

"He wasn't a plumber was he," King Koopa said solemnly.

I laughed picturing the few Mario images around the castle. "No, my king. He was an accountant and like me wasn't very handy."

"Not handy," he interrupted me again. "You built my favorite clock in the world."

I laughed. "That was an accident-."

"It was not. That took real skill," my king was getting fired up defending me from… myself.

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not," I asked laughing. He was showing the same level of energy I had after he told me about the Mushroom Kingdom.

He finally calmed down. "Yes but don't tell me your not handy," King Koopa answered back. "You're handy in other ways."

"Yes, my king," I laughed then added, "thank you." I ended up blushing realizing my king's compliment. "Anyway, my father wasn't handy and on our way to a friend's birthday we got a flat tire.
"Since my dad couldn't repair it on his own, he drove the station wagon to the local auto-shop. While they plugged the leak, I had snuck away to the bathroom. It all happened so fast.
"By the time I returned to the lobby, my family was gone. Apparently the tire was repaired and my father's car rolled out of the parking lot and sat alone waiting for the light to change." King Koopa had disappeared from in front of me and was replaced by, "My brothers pointing and laughing at me from the middle row. My father spotted me and pointed straight down telling me to wait there.
"I remember it all clearly. It was an early Saturday morning and we weren't in a heavily traveled area. There wasn't much traffic," I continued. "When the light changed, my father was U-turning when a tractor trailer ran the red light.
"My parent's car folded into a triangle," I showed my king the shape with my fingers. I think. I was finding it difficult to keep my eyes from tearing. "It crinkled rolling over and over before coming to a stop upside down. But the tractor trailer kept coming forward and fell on top of my family's car crushing it.
"I tried running over to them but a gas station attendant held me back," I sighed returning to my king's bed. "I ended up in foster care and have bounced around ever since."

King Koopa looked like he was fighting back his own tears. "Didn't you have any relatives to live with?"

"No, my parents were only children and my grandparents had all past away by the time I was born," I informed my king. "I've been alone since."

I felt King Koopa's chin press against my head and his arms pulled me into a snug hug. "How come you're telling me this now?"

"You said you wanted to hear about my family back on your birthday. Since I ruined it," I replied. "I wanted to finally honor my king's request.
"Truthfully, I don't like talking about what happened, sire," I spoke from my heart. "I feel responsible. I know I'm not but it's the last memory of my family and I try hard not to relive it."

"I'm glad you told me, Footstool," he said sincerely. "Now go back to sleep. You'll have off until I believe you're fully healed. Until I'm convinced you are I want you to stay in bed and rest."

"Yes, my king," I accepted his order. As if my body understood, it didn't take long for everything around me to disappear in darkness once again.