Chapter 11

Mario, Peach, and Luigi joined me at the front door. King Boo was eyeing Luigi, giving him a mischievous smirk. "Oh, Luigi…it's been ages since we last crossed paths. Tell me, how is that ghost capturing machine of yours? I see you no longer carry it on your back." I could hear Luigi's teeth chattering, and I reached over and grabbed his hand.

"King Boo, please transform." King Boo scowled.

"You do not appreciate my current form? Does it frighten you?"

"I'm not scared of you, I just think you look like a floating balloon. Hard to take you seriously when you are slobbering all over the place, too." King Boo snickered, which surprised me.

"Oh, you are bolder than Luigi! I see why Waluigi favors you. As you wish." He flapped his arms, or what I thought were arms, and a bright flash of light appeared. I quickly blinked, trying to rid the small spots in my vision. "Does this please you?" My eyes finally adjusted, and King Boo had transformed. He was tall, slender, and white, almost translucent. His eyes were a bright shade of magenta, and large fangs protruded from his mouth. He reminded me of a Victorian vampire. Even his clothes looked like something out of an Anne Rice novel. King Boo gave a deep bow and reached for my hand. I held it out, and instead of kissing the back of it, he licked it. Grossed out, I pulled my hand back and wiped it on my pants. Luigi, who wasn't as frightened now that King Boo was human, looked pissed.

"Luigi, it's ok," I whispered. "Don't let him get to you." I looked at King Boo, who was giving me a surprised expression.

"You are full of magic, Jelina. Did you know? I tasted it. I can feel it." I shrugged.

"Where I come from, there is no magic. I've never felt anything since being out here, either." I turned around to Mario and Peach, who looked puzzled.

"Do you know what type of magic?" It was Peach who spoke up.

"That, I do not know. It has yet to develop and transpire. But it is powerful. Very powerful." King Boo looked at Mario, Luigi, and Peach, confused. "You are all strong magic dwellers, can you not feel it?"

"Wait, magic dwellers?" I turned around and looked at them. "You all can do magic? And I don't mean the dinky little spells that some toad at the castle put on my iPod."

"Even your dear friend Waluigi has magic." I stood there, mouth hanging open, feeling like my mind was blown with this piece of information.

"Hm. Didn't think that'd be something I'd hear today. Looks like YOU all have something to fill me on. Wow…magic…" I gave a big smile and turned back to King Boo. "So, how are you going to help? Let's just get right to the point."

King Boo started picking at his fingernail. "I believe before we discuss that, I require my payment." Mario stepped forward, handing King Boo the purple gem. King Boo held it up to the light, grinning. "Ah, yes. Do tell Waluigi that I do appreciate it and thank him for me." He took off his crown and waved the gem above it. The gem disappeared from his hands and became part of his crown. Mario frowned.

"What did that do?" King Boo put the crown back on his head.

"It amplifies my magic, and it gives my crown more monetary value." Mario didn't look convinced, even looking slightly annoyed. "Oh, Mario, do not worry. I will not use my magic against you. Waluigi made his point very clear." King Boo looked inside the mansion; he knew somewhere inside was Waluigi's ghost zapper.

"So, what will you be doing to aid us?" Peach yawned, clearly ready to go back to sleep.

"The boos in my forest will be monitoring the area, reporting any suspicious activity to me. I will relay information to you all."

Mario nodded his approval with this idea. "What about hiding the mansion?"

"I am unsure how beneficial a cloaking spell would be on your mansion since its location has become common knowledge, but I will try. I shall also cloak warp pipes that lead to your mansion. You all will be permitted to see it, and I assume you'd also want Waluigi to have access. I believe that will be effective. I could do a repel spell, which would deter unwanted individuals from going on to the property." King Boo scratched his chin in thought. "I highly recommend Jelina begin training." King Boo gave me a devious look and rubbed his hands together. "I would love to teach you how to control your magic, hone your skills, and-"

"No." Luigi glared at King Boo. "We'll deal with the magic part."

"Ah, but Luigi, I happened to be well versed and skilled in magic, and I could-"

"-thank you for the offer, King Boo." I stepped in, knowing Luigi would continue to argue. Luigi was already on edge and being tired didn't help his mood any. "We will think about it, but right now I just want to go to sleep."

"I do hope you consider it. I believe it would be in your best interest."

"Mine or yours?"

King Boo grinned. It was creepy. "Maybe a little of both. I do desire to know more about your magical abilities." He snapped his fingers and a small white stone appeared. He held it out, and Mario took it. "This will be how you can contact me if needed. Just whisper my name into the stone, and I will present myself." Luigi looked skeptically at the stone.

"And what if you need to contact us? You'll just show up on my doorstep?"

"If I must. I promise I will knock, as I am not permitted inside your dwelling." King Boo gave a us all a deep bow. "It was a pleasure making your acquaintance, Jelina. Until next time." He spun around, giggling, and disappeared. Luigi immediately closed the door, heaving a giant sigh.

"He still gives me the creeps." Mario looked closely at the stone.

"Where should we put this?" I took it, and immediately felt a chill radiate through my body.

"Woah, weird." They all gave me an odd look. "I felt cool all of a sudden. Didn't you feel that when you held it?" Mario shook his head. Peach and Luigi both held the stone and shook their heads. I took the stone again, feeling the same chill. I shrugged. "Maybe it has to do with my magic. You all owe me an explanation in the morning, by the way." I was curious to know what type of magic they all possessed, and even more curious to what I had. "I think I'll leave this by Petey." I started heading up the stairs to go to bed. The others followed, and when we got to our room, Luigi and I wished Peach and Mario goodnight. I put the stone beside Petey, who wanted to eat it. I rubbed the top of his head and promised him some food in the morning.

Luigi and I snuggled in bed, and he was extremely quiet. I thought he had fallen asleep, but I heard him sigh. "Jelina, I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I didn't tell you about my magic. I completely forgot, and it's not something I use very often. I hope you aren't upset that I didn't tell you." I leaned over and gave him a kiss.

"It's ok. I'm not mad. I'm more shocked than anything. So…what can you do?" Luigi sat up in bed and a blue spark erupted from his hand. "Wow…" I saw him smirk.

"I can manipulate electricity. I'm out of practice, but I used to be pretty good at it." He extinguished the spark and laid back down beside me. "Probably should work on it, it'd come in handy. Mario can do stuff with fire, and Peach has healing magic. I think Waluigi can do something with water, or maybe it was something with vines, hell I can't remember." Luigi turned to face me, his face suddenly serious. "Look, I know King Boo offered to teach you, but I don't trust him. He might trick you into doing something that would hurt you and benefit him."

"I understand, but I don't want to completely rule it out, either." I yawned. "Let's not worry about that right now. I just want to go to bed." I snuggled up next to Luigi and felt him kiss my forehead. "Love ya, g'night."

"Love you, too."

"Are you two decent?" Mario pounded on our door, waking us up. "Can I enter, or do I need to shut my eyes?"

I groaned, exhausted from being up so late. "Yes, Mario. Come in." Mario peeked in the doorway, letting light shine in our room.

"When do you think you'll emerge? Peach and I just woke up and wanted to have food before we took off." Luigi stretched, and I crawled out of bed.

"We'll be down in a minute."

Mario snickered. "Don't take too long…I know morning time is the best time for s-"

"OUT!" Luigi got up and slammed the door in Mario's face. I could hear Mario sniggering on the other side, mumbling how that never gets old. "See, I told you he would be a nightmare."

I went to brush my teeth, not really caring. I was too tired, and my mind was occupied by more important matters. Plus, Mario would be leaving this morning, so I wouldn't have to put up with his jokes for too long. Luigi followed, and we silently got decent. Luigi and I trudged down the stairs, sluggish and still half asleep. I looked at the clock and saw that we only got about four hours of sleep.

"Good morning, I hope you both slept well." Peach was standing at the stove, making what looked like waffles, bacon, and eggs. "I thought I'd cook this morning." Luigi went straight to the coffee machine, brewing a very strong pot for all of us. I sat down, glaring at everyone for interrupting my snooze. "Jelina, you never were one for mornings, were you?" Peach served breakfast, happily munching on a piece of bacon.

"How are you so perky? I require more than a blink when it comes to my sleep. It's serious business." Peach laughed, handing me a plate. I wasn't very hungry, but I made myself munch on the food. "So, you going home after this?

Mario nodded. "Yeah, we need to get some things taken care of in town. We plan on bringing the rest of your stuff here in a few days." Luigi grabbed the list we started making yesterday and gave it to Mario.

"I'll grab some coins when you leave." Mario looked at the list.

"Anything else you want to add?" Luigi gave Mario a confused look, and Mario winked. "We probably won't be back for a while and wouldn't want you to be out of goods." I rolled my eyes and Luigi rubbed his hand over his face.

"No, Mario. I'm good, thanks." Mario let out a full bellied laugh, eating a piece of bacon.

"Sooooo…moving on. Tell me about magic. What can you all do?" Even in my sleepiness, I was eager to learn about magic.

"Well, I can control fire." Mario lifted his hand up and a bright red fireball emerged from his palm. He got up and shot it at the fireplace, lighting it instantly. Small wisps of smoke were coming out of his hand and he blew them away. "It's called Firebrand, and it's come in pretty handy when fighting some enemies. Did Luigi tell you his yet?" Mario rejoined us at the table.

"Yeah, said he could control electricity."

"So, his is called Thunderhand, and Peach here is a healer." Peach blushed a little.

"I am not as strong as many healers, but I am able to help lift curses and assist in healing wounds, both of the physical and mental variety. I use White magic, gifted by the Star Spirits." Mario smiled at her, proud of her magical skills.

"Luigi and I use elemental magic. I'm interested to know what type of magic you have." Mario scratched his head. "I don't think it is elemental. We would have probably seen some connection by now."

"Do you think I should consult King Boo? Even just to give us a head start on what type of magic I have?" Mario frowned, and Luigi grunted in frustration.

"I already told her I don't think it's a good idea. King Boo doesn't do anything for free. What if he tries to take some of your magic, or tricks you? We don't have anything to offer him, and I call bologna on him doing it out of the kindness of his cold heart."

"I'd have to agree, Jelina. I don't want to owe him anything. And he's not as friendly as he appeared to you last night." I frowned. Peach's face suddenly lit up.

"I have an idea! I'll consult the Star Spirits. It may take a few days to reach them, but they will be able to help guide us." Mario and Luigi smiled at the idea, happy that it was something other than working with King Boo. "I'll reach out to them as soon as I return to the castle. You should also talk to Waluigi about magic. Hyrule has an abundant of magic dwellers." I knew I couldn't argue with them anymore and dropped the subject. We happily finished our breakfast, and I thanked Peach for cooking. She got up and went to her room to get ready to leave. Mario followed, and Luigi and I started cleaning up.

"Anything you want to do today?" Luigi handed me some plates to dry after washing them.

"Not sure. Probably finish my book." We finished cleaning up when Mario and Peach came back.

"Jelina, would you care to join me for a moment? I have something for you." Peach had a small basket in her hand. "Luigi, we will just be in the greenhouse. We'll be back in a bit." Mario sat at the table, waiting for us to go. I went up to Peach and we started walking to the greenhouse.

"I knew that you will be indoors for quite some time, so I thought I'd bring you something to do that will require daily attendance." She smiled at me and held up the basket. "I thought planting some flowers and edibles would be a sufficient use of time." I smiled back.

"Thanks, Peach. Hopefully I won't kill them all. I don't really have a green thumb, but I did enjoy our time in the gardens." We continued to walk to the greenhouse, which was on the opposite side of the mansion. Peach kept giving me small glances; I knew she was waiting to talk about her recent findings about Luigi and me. I decided to let her bring it up, as I had no intention on gossiping about my sex life. If she really wanted to know, she could ask.

We arrived at the greenhouse door, and I was greeted by the aroma of earth and flowers. Luigi had done some minor gardening in here, but most of the area was just dirt. I bet Petey would love it in here…I'll have to find him a good home. Peach picked up a few gardening tools and gloves, then handed me the basket. "Let's plant a few seeds before I head out." We walked to an open area and began planting. Peach, who usually was pristine and hated being unkempt, didn't mind getting dirty when planting her flowers. Sweat started dripping from my forehead from all the moisture in the air; I'd have to remember to bring a fan or something to help keep the room cool while I was in here.

"Jelina, may I talk to you?" Peach finally broke the silence. "If you are uncomfortable at all, you do not need to answer. I don't have many female friends to talk about certain…subjects."

"Sure. What's up?" I knew I'd be embarrassed, but, like Peach, I didn't really have anyone to talk to about that kind of stuff. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Are you and Luigi planning on…or have you already…become…intimate?"

I stopped what I was doing and wiped the sweat off my brow. "We are. I mean, we already have…um…yeah." Peach hugged me. "Really Peach, it's nothing to get gushy about." Peach pulled back and grinned. "I must admit, I'm surprised how quickly you two developed your relationship! You do know that Luigi has…well…"

"I know he's been with Daisy. He told me about it a while ago. I don't care, just as long as he is only with me now."

"Sarasaland isn't as strict in that regards compared to the Mushroom Kingdom. They are more open to the idea of intimacy before marriage, as long as they are promised to one another. So, what this your first time?" Oh gosh, Peach…we are brining up my history?

"Um…no." Peach nodded her head.

"I understand. I'm sure you had someone you loved at one time back in Phoenix." I laughed, which startled Peach.

"Oh, no, it was nothing like that. I love Luigi, yes, but the others were just people I was dating. I liked them but didn't love them." Peach looked shocked. I thought of my Tinder date that became a Netflix and Chill date…definitely didn't love him. "My world is different. Some people wait for the one they love, some don't. It's really a personal choice. I personally chose to not wait. I haven't been with THAT many men, just a few. Luigi knows, we've talked about our past." I shrugged. I had told Luigi a long time ago about my pitiful excuse of a love life. Obviously, it didn't bother him since our relationship continued to develop.

"A few? Wow, your world is a lot different than ours. Though, being a princess, expectations are a stricter than the average person. I've broken my purity vow by prematurely becoming intimate with Mario…" I gave her a smug look. "I don't have any room to speak, do I?" She smiled and giggled behind her hand. "We intended to wait, but after Daisy died, we wanted to fully embrace our…physical love for one another fully. I knew I would never be with anyone other than Mario. Mario felt the same." She blushed and handed me a seed to plant. "We saw how quickly we could lose one another. We've been through tough times but seeing what happened to Luigi and Daisy…I wanted to experience love in all its forms." I finished planting my seed and looked at her.

"Peach, you don't have to explain. I get it. Besides, we are all adults." I stood up and extended a hand to help her up. She picked up the garden tools and put them back on their shelves.

"I know Daisy was very forward in the relationship…but you don't seem that way at all. You and Luigi both appear to be similar in that you are both rather cautious."

"I'm just not used to all the attention. I think I'm a little bolder than he is, but he's been the surprising one by, um, initiating things." Peach and I both giggled as we walked back to the greenroom.

"I hope I have not embarrassed you too much. I've enjoyed our little woman talk."

Smiling, I stopped and gave Peach a hug. "Of course not." She and I arrived back at the kitchen to see Mario and Luigi asleep at the table. Peach rubbed Mario's shoulders, waking him up, while I just stood next to Luigi. I nudged his shoulder and he lifted his head, smiling when he saw me.

"Mmm, back from the greenhouse?" Mario mumbled, stretching and giving Peach a kiss. "Guess we'd better head back." Peach and Mario headed to the door and gave us both a hug.

"I'll let you know as soon as I hear from the Star Spirits. In the meantime, please stay safe, and notify us if anything happens." Peach walked out, and Mario clapped Luigi's shoulder.

"I'll keep an ear out for any news. Stay safe, bro. You too, Jelina." They walked out, waving goodbye, and vanished in the pipe leading back to Toad Town.

Luigi and I sat on the plushy couch in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth. "So, did you and Mario talk about anything special?" Luigi snickered, rolling his eyes.

"What do you think? He wanted to know if we really did it."

"Peach asked me the same thing. She asked about my little history and was surprised I had been with other people that I didn't love. I keep forgetting that she's more traditional than I am. I told her I loved you, though." Luigi put his arm around me, pulling me in to a deep kiss. I sighed when he let go.

"You know I don't care about your past. I'm just happy you are with me now." I nuzzled up to him, enjoying both the warmth of the fire and of his body.

"I know. She didn't dwell on it. We talked about her and Mario, too…it was kind of nice to just chat. Did Mario give you a hard time?"

Luigi chuckled. "No, actually. He said I was lucky and was happy I moved on." He rubbed my shoulder, "happy I was able to love someone again." I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of his heart beating. "We didn't talk too much about it, we were both tired and dozed off." I liked the sound of taking a nap. "Looks like you could use a nap. How about we go back to bed for a while? It's still early." I opened my eyes and stretched, agreeing to the idea. We trudged up the stairs to the bedroom, and I saw Petey chomping at the air, squealing for food.

"Hey, Petey, let me grab some food for you. I think I found a spot for you in the greenhouse that you'll love…there are plenty of flies!" I ran back downstairs to grab some bacon and came back up to see Luigi passed out already on the bed. "Here you go, Petey. Enjoy," I whispered as he chomped at the bacon. I crawled into bed with Luigi, trying not to disturb him. I gave him a small kiss on his cheek and fell asleep.

After a few hours of napping, Luigi and I woke up. "What should we do today?" Luigi asked, changing into new clothes.

"Not sure. I would like to relocate Petey to the greenhouse, but other than that…maybe read?" I picked up Petey, and we headed to the greenhouse.

"You do know that Petey will grow really big…really, really, big. I don't want him to get out of control…" I rubbed Petey's head, and he purred.

"He won't. Right, Petey? You're a good piranha plant!" Petey continued to purr while Luigi looked tentatively at the plant. "Petey, do you have anything else hidden in that mouth of yours? I already know about the key…" Petey gave a small screech, which startled Luigi. I took that as a no.

We arrived at the Greenhouse, and I found a spot near the front that would be perfect for Petey. We replanted him, and when we finished he squealed in delight. "I knew you'd love it here! Now, don't eat any of the plants. But help yourself to all the flies, bugs, and other creepy things." I rubbed the top of his head and he gently nipped on my fingers. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Luigi and I started walking back to the living room. "I am glad that plant is out of the bedroom. I know you like him, but he freaks me out. I was always afraid he was going to bite me in my sleep." I laughed, knowing that Petey was very particular with his company. I think he liked me a lot because I was close with his owner.

"Oh, before I forget, I'm going to grab my cell phone. Wally should be arriving in Hyrule sometime today, and I don't want to miss his call!" Luigi walked to the living room while I bolted to the bedroom. I grabbed the phone, thankful I didn't miss any calls. I also picked up the stone from King Boo. I felt the same cold chill through my body and put it back down on the desk. I was curious what that meant.

I caught up with Luigi and we settled on the couch, reading our books. After a few hours, our stomachs started rumbling, and we went to make lunch. Both of us were in a lazy mood, so we decided on simple sandwiches and sliced fruit. About halfway through lunch, my phone started ringing.

"Waah! Waluigi time! Waah! Waluigi time! Waah! Waluig…"

"Jelina, you really need to change that ringtone!" I stuck out my tongue and excitedly picked up the phone.

"Wally!"

"Hey, toots! I'm in Hyrule, all safe and sound. How are things there?"

"Good, we met King Boo. He told me something very interesting…apparently when he licked me-"

"Licked you? What the hell!?"

"Yeah, he licked my hand instead of kissing it. It was gross. But anyways, he told me I have strong and powerful magic. And so do you. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry, sweetheart. I forgot. Will you forgive me?"

"…maybe." I was trying hard not to snicker. Of course, I really didn't care, but it was fun to tease.

"Dear Jellybean, I am sincerely sorry for forgetting to tell you about my super awesome magic abilities, and am begging, no pleading, for your forgiveness. Pleeeeeeeeeeease forgive me? I cannot fathom the thought of you being mad at little ol' me, and I-"

"Haha, ok, ok, you can stop."

"The thought that you are mad hurts my soul, and I cannot bear to live with myself-"

"Wally! I get it!"

"Oh, toots, I've missed joking around with you. Two days on the road with only a horse to talk to was driving me nuts. Seriously, I'm sorry for forgetting about magic. Magic isn't uncommon…almost every human has some form of magic at their disposal. But the more technology a place has, the less magic is available. Diamond City has almost no magic. Here, in Hyrule, there is a ton of magic. Makes sense that you'd have some abilities."

"And why I never knew was because in Phoenix, magic was non-existent. So…what type of magic do you have?"

"Earth magic. Earthquakes, sand pits, growing plants…my favorite is making walls out of vines. Great trick when playing striker." Oh Wally, of course you'd use magic to cheat. "Any idea what you possess? I don't think you have any elemental magic in ya, or we would have noticed something by now."

"That's what everyone else said. No idea. I did notice something strange. King Boo left us this stone, so we can contact him."

"Yeah, he gave me one, too, but can't use it in Hyrule. Too far for him to teleport. Even his magic has limitations."

"Did you notice anything odd when you touched it?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, whenever I touch it, I get a really cold feeling, like a giant cold chill."

"Hm…odd. I'll ask Zelda about that. She knows almost everything there is to know about magic. She can check out the stone to see what it's made of."

"I'd like that. I want to start learning about my magic…but not sure where to start. King Boo offered to help teach me-"

"Don't you dare trust that floating blob. I gave him a very pricey amethyst as payment for helping keep you safe, and a few threats, but you have nothing of value to offer him. And if he's interested in your magic, he'll probably try and take it. He will use you in a heartbeat."

"Alright, alright. I won't take his offer."

"Better not. Promise?"

"I promise." I heard him yawn; he must have been exhausted from all the traveling. "Keepin' busy there? How'd you like my gift?" I heard him laugh, and I knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Well, I've gotten some good use out of it. Thanks, Wals."

"WHAT!?"

"You heard me."

"I wasn't sure if I heard you correctly. You and Greenie finally got it on?"

"Yup."

"About time. So…how was it?"

"Later, Wally. Later."

"No juicy details? How can you do this to me? I thought we were friends."

"Not. Right. Now."

"Ah, he's there. I got it. Ok, you'll have to tell me later. Seriously, all joking aside, I'm happy for ya. With all the shit you've gone through, you've earned a bit of fun."

"Thanks, Wally." I heard him yawn again.

"I really want to keep chatting, but I feel like I'm going to pass out on the phone. Can I talk to Greenie real quick? I promise to say goodbye after I speak with him."

"Ok, don't be an ass."

"Me? An ass? Never." I laughed and handed the phone to Luigi. He looked confused but took the phone.

"Hello?" Luigi stood up and walked away from me a little to talk. I tried to gauge what they were talking about by his reactions. First Luigi was nodding his head a lot, his face determined. Maybe keeping me safe? His face paled, and I could only guess King Boo was the subject. He rolled his eyes, and said he agreed, and I figured it had to do with me learning magic through King Boo. Then his face reddened, and I knew Wally mentioned us. Luigi's eyes grew wide, and he looked a little queasy. What on earth are you saying to him, Wally? Luigi stammered a little, finally mumbling "I won't. Promise." Luigi swallowed, and came back over to me, holding out the phone. I gave him a puzzled look, but he just sat down and stared ahead.

"Wally, everything ok?"

"Yup. Just had to make a few things clear."

"Like…what?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll call you later, I'm in a desperate need of a long nap."

"…Ok. Miss ya. Give my regards to Link and Zelda."

"Will do. Miss you, too. Later, Jels."

"Bye, Wally." I closed the phone and put it on a charger. I sat back down next to Luigi, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "So…what did Wally say to make you look so scared?"

Luigi looked at me and squeaked "nothing."

"Did he threaten you?"

Luigi shook his head, "No. He just made it very clear that he is protective of you. Very protective."

"Did he tell you he'd shove some explosives up your ass if you hurt me?"

Luigi coughed. "Give or take a few words, yes." I rolled my eyes and gave Luigi another kiss.

"Don't worry about him. He told me he was happy for us." Luigi nodded, though didn't look completely relieved. "Well, you know he agrees with you about King Boo not teaching me magic, so you can say I told you so." Luigi finally snapped out of whatever trans he was in and gave me a self-satisfied look.

"I told you so."

"There, does that make you feel better? You were right." Luigi laughed, and kissed my cheek. "I can think of some other things that would make me feel better…" He wiggled his eyebrows, and all thoughts of magic, ghosts, and our lunch left our minds. Wally was right; I did deserve to be happy and have some fun. And nothing made me happier at that moment than being with Luigi.