Chapter 17 Sometimes The Truth Hurts
Roy began to stir. The first thing that he felt was the sun sending a boatload of heat down on his face. It was like it was trying to slap him and say "Rise and shine, dipstick!" Roy slowly opened his eyes and saw that the sun was directly above him. If he wasn't wearing sunglasses, then he would be blind.
Roy rose to a sitting position. He rubbed his aching head as it all came rushing back to him. He remembered Celia, who had said that she would choose to help Princess Aqua. Roy felt tears build in his eyes. That is, until he remembered how he almost tore her hand off trying to get her to come with him. That caused him to start bawling. He had acted like a total jerk. And the worst part was that he was completely ignoring the elephant in the room.
What if what Celia said was true? What if Bowser really did kill Aqua's parents? What would that mean? What would that make Bowser? A liar? A murderer?
Roy shook his head and stood up. This was crazy. The princess was obviously lying to Celia. And there was one way that Roy could prove it.
…
The doors to the entrance hall burst open, slamming against the walls and creating an echo. Roy started to march. He found Bowser almost immediately, resting in the throne room with an ice pack over his forehead. He dramatically had his arm over his eyes, like a princess who was just about to be swept off her feet by a handsome prince. Roy approached him quietly.
"Bowser?" Bowser removed the ice pack and glanced at Roy. He smiled at his adopted son.
"Oh thank the lumas. Roy, I'm so glad that you're here." He leaned forward, a glimmer of glee present in his squinted eyes. "Do you have any info on the girls?"
Roy felt his stomach drop. He hesitated, allowing his hands to curl and unfurl. Bowser's glee transitioned into concern.
"Roy, what's the matter?"
Roy let in a pained breath and allowed his mouth to scrunch up. This was obviously not going to be easy. After all, it wasn't everyday that you asked your dad how many bodies he had buried.
"I...I do."
The grin returned to Bowser's face. He sat up in his throne.
"Well, then spill! I want to know where they are and what caused Celia to do what she did!"
Another pang hit Roy, this time straight in the heart. He scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I talked to Celia in Tostarena…"
"Tostarena!" Bowser exclaimed giddily. "Oh I love that place! It's so...colorful!" Roy chuckled apprehensively.
"It is. She and Aqua were staying there. Celia told me that she was now friends with the Princess, and that she would help her in any way she could."
Bowser's eyebrows scrunched up. His smile transformed into a scowl.
"She really said that?" When Roy nodded, he started rubbing his temples. "Great. That's just...Grrr!" Bowser banged his fist against the arm of his throne. "Like I need another enemy! I already have enemies coming out my ears!"
Roy curiously looked at the side of Bowser's head. Bowser gritted his teeth.
"Why in the Mushroom World would Celia do this? I was so close...so fricking close to get Princess Peach. Why would she just stab me in the back like that?"
Roy gulped. He could feel his answer rising in his throat. It was like a very potent form of vomit.
"She told me it's because you killed Aqua's parents," he said quietly.
A moment of silence lingered in the air. Bowser seemed to be frozen, staring off in the direction of the throne room door. He slowly turned toward Roy.
"What?" he asked. Roy bit his lip.
"She said that you killed Aqua's parents."
Bowser blinked once. Then twice. Then a third time. Finally, he sighed and placed his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes wearily, letting out very low breaths.
"Well, did you?" Roy asked. Bowser slowly turned toward him. Roy could see so many different feelings battling on the foreground of his face.
"Yes, I did."
Roy reeled back. He stared at his adopted father. It seemed that Bowser had suddenly morphed into a monster. His fiery red eyes were vicious, his strong, nurturing hands were covered in blood.
"How?" Roy squeaked. "How could you do this?"
Bowser sighed. Once again, he looked absolutely pitiful.
"Roy….what you need to understand is that it was not my first choice." He shook his head. "It was a long time ago. You would have been about four at the time; Larry wasn't even born yet." A sad look set over his body. He seemed to slump in his chair. "I had received word from one of our spies that the Mushroom King and Queen were planning an invasion. It would be a very powerful and destructive one. So many of our people would have perished. I tried reasoning with them, but because of the reputation our race already had, they refused to listen to me. So, I did what I had to do. I turned a majority of the King's army into stone, and I ended up taking out the monarchs. I reasoned that it would better that two people would die rather than a whole Kingdom's worth." He looked at Roy sadly. "If I didn't do it, I would have easily lost you and your siblings. Roy, you've gotta understand that."
Roy's mouth gawked open. He felt like he couldn't move from his spot. He tried to talk, but even then it was hard.
"Was Aqua there?"
"Yes. She witnessed the whole thing; she and her sisters." Bowser sniffled. "I never got over it. Even though I knew it was for a good cause, I just could not get over it."
"Well then, why didn't you tell any of us?" Roy asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I was afraid of how you would react! I know I've done horrible things, but I never imagined myself having to resort to killing someone." He shook his head. "I hoped that, by keeping it a secret, you wouldn't have to feel like you guys were being caught up in the middle of something...terrible."
Roy stared at the king. His red eyes were watery. He was biting down on his pointer finger. He looked so distraught that Roy felt extremely sorry for him. That is, until he remembered his conversation with Celia.
"Well, it seems that you're too late. Thanks to you, my girlfriend is now a bad guy!"
Bowser turned.
"Roy…"
"No! You always tell us that you are doing what you do for a good cause! Well, how can this be good? How can any of this be good?" Roy took off his glasses and squinted his eyes at Bowser. "You think that Peach would want you after what you did to her? You're flipping delusional."
This only caused Bowser to sink further into his seat. He stared down at the floor as Roy held his shades at his side.
"I think…"
"Think what? That you can make it up to her? You can't, Bowser! You can't!" Roy sighed. "I'm going up to my room. I need to rest after what happened last night."
With that, Roy left his adopted father in the dust.