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Chapter 19 Captives

Celia swallowed a batch of vomit as her cage floated through the air. Iggy was flying in his Koopa Clown Car, and Ludwig was flying right alongside him. The blue haired special had a telekinetic hold on the cages that the Princess and the hybrid were staying in. Celia knew that the only thing standing between her and a fifty foot drop was a metallic floor, and it freaked her out.

She glanced over at Aqua. The young Princess had her eyes on the sky. The bars of her cage were still swirling with electric currents, so she was being careful to not lean against the sides. Celia held her knees up to her chest. Her eyes stung with tears.

All the time that they had been flying, no one had uttered a word. Every time they faced Aqua, Iggy and Ludwig had put on stoic expressions that would make a statue envious. Everytime they looked at Celia, their eyes filled with hurt, as well as a very real sense of betrayal. This made Celia's eyes sting even more. By the time that they got to the Castle, Celia's eyes felt like they had been doused in pepper spray.

The party landed. Celia looked up at the headstone in the shape of Bowser's head that was above the door. Now, instead of being angry at the world, it was angry with her specifically. It's cold, lifeless eyes glared at the human Koopa hybrid. The headstone wanted to eat her soul, jam a knife straight through her stomach. Celia felt shivers run down her spine. She could only imagine how angry Bowser was at her.

The welcoming castle was welcoming no longer. Celia kept sneaking glances at Aqua. The Princess looked brave, courageous. That was what Celia needed to be right now. No matter what came her way, she needed to stay strong. She tried to quell her hyperventilation as her cage was set down on the throne room floor. She stood up for the first time since being taken captive and glanced around the throne room. No one was there. Yet.

Celia dried her eyes. She now got a full view of Ludwig and Iggy. They still looked hurt, and there was also a real sense of sadness in their faces. Celia grasped the bars of her cage.

"Guys, please," she pleaded. Even she could sense that her voice was just minutes away from crumbling. "Don't do this."

Iggy and Ludwig both bit down on their lips. Ludwig even went so far as to sniffle.

"I'm sorry, Celia," Iggy said. "Truly, I am. But…" his voice trailed off. Tears started to trickle down his face like sap trickles from a maple tree. Aqua stood up just as Ludwig turned off the electricity around her cage. The cage door slowly creaked open, allowing Ludwig to take Aqua's hands. Surprisingly, the Princess didn't even try to fight. Iggy opened the cage door for Celia and led her out. He pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his hammerspace and clasped them around the hybrid's wrists.

"Come on, Celia. Let's go."

"What are you going to do?" asked Aqua. Her eyes were sparkling with a mixture of worry and hope. Celia could tell that, in a situation like this, Aqua was groping for hope. Iggy put his fist to his mouth while Ludwig scratched the back of his head.

"Well," said Ludwig. "We're going to take you, Aqua, back up to the room you had been in previously. We're going to wait until Mario and Peach arrive, and then we'll have the hostage negotiation."

Celia felt bile rise to her throat. Aqua, however, looked over at her with an even stronger dose of worry.

"And what about her?"

Iggy and Ludwig remained silent. Iggy swallowed another lump while Ludwig dried his face of any tears.

"I'm taking her down to the castle dungeons," said Iggy. He struggled and reached out for breath. "She will be held there until Bowser reveals her punishment for crimes against the Kingdom."

Celia glanced at Iggy. She could feel her heart hammering. Ba bump, ba bump, ba bump.

"And what is that? Usually?"

Now Iggy bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed. The tears were speeding up, and there was no way to stop them. So, Ludwig spoke for him.

"Usually? It's...it's..."

Celia cast an expectant, worried glance at the blue haired special. Ba bump, ba bump, ba bump. Ludwig sniffled and took in a deep breath.

"Death."

Ba…bump?

Celia's breath caught in her throat. Her heart practically stopped. Aqua looked at them in shock.

"No. You can't do this!"

Iggy sighed.

"We'll talk to Bowser. If he is willing to let her go...well then, hallelujah. However...I do not foresee that being the case. He has to abide by the laws of the kingdom."

Celia felt her spine go stiff. She reluctantly followed Iggy down to the dungeon. The last thing she saw in the throne room was Aqua giving her a frightened look. Iggy led her down the stairs and across the cold, dingy dungeons. He locked the cell, and Celia turned back to him.

"Iggy…"

Iggy didn't answer. He just walked away with tears in his eyes. Now that she was alone in the cell, all of the information that had been piled on top of her came crashing down. She was going to die.

With that, Celia Patch broke down.