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Author's Note:
Sorry Short Chapter
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Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story idea and any OC(s).
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Chapter 3:
The Treaty
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"WHAT!? You cannot be serious?"
Bowser crossed his arms and smirked. It pleases him to see how worked up his longtime foe was. "Oh, but I am serious, plumber-face; it's either that or I'll just keep coming like I always do."
"But why would you even ask for such a thing?" Peach asked softly.
Bowser turned to her. "Because Princess... he has stolen something most dear to me. So to make it fair, I must have something most dear to him."
"Peach was never yours, to begin with," Mario argued, his face turning red from anger.
"Or yours for that matter," Bowser argued back. "She was fair game until you came along and sweep her off her feet. In a way, you took her from under me and I want something in return."
"This is insane; there is no way I'm agreeing to this."
"In that case, you won't be getting that peace you wanted so much." He sneered "I hope you don't mind my monthly 'visits'. I've been thinking about making it a weekly thing,"
"King Bowser, if you would please, allow us some time to consider you on your offer." asked a Toad Councilor.
Bowser placed his hand on his chin, thinking over this request. "All right, I'll give you some time." He said. "But if I don't get an answer by today then the deal is off."
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"There is no way I'm agreeing to this."
"Now hold on, your highness; let's be reasonable about this."
"There is nothing reasonable about this offer. I'm not accepting it."
"My Queen, please talk some sense into him."
"I don't know, Toadsworth; Mario does have a point."
"But this may be our only chance to finally bring peace to our land and restore it to its former glory."
"You do know this is Bowser we're talking about?" Mario reasoned. "The Koopa that is known for his tricks and lies"
"Still, he was willing to compromise; perhaps, not everything he does is a lie."
Mario snorted in disbelief and looked the other way. Peach sighed and turned to her longtime councilors.
"Could you all please give us a few minutes to ourselves?"
The Councilors nodded. Each one stood up from their chairs and left the room for the royal couple to have some private time. Once they were gone, Toadsworth was the last one remaining.
"I know you two rather discuss this over yourselves," he said. "But I allow me to say this... I have been a steward for a long time now so I'm aware how difficult decisions may be. In all my years, I have learned that not everything will be fair or easy. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made...especially since the lives of many now rest on the choices you make now."
With that said, he bowed to them and left the room. Once gone, Peach turned to her husband who has yet made a response.
"Mario," she said softly.
Silence...
"Mario, please, look at me."
For a moment, he didn't reply. But then, he slowly turned his head towards her. She smiled sadly,
"Mario, I know it's hard," She explained softly. "But Toadsworth is right. Our job as rulers does come first."
Mario sighed.
"I know you are worried," she continued. "Trust me, I'm worried too. But we don't have any other options. We have to accept Bowser's offer."
Mario was silent. He didn't want to accept it, he really didn't. But he was king now. And as the King, he must think what's best for his people, even if he had to give something up to retrieve it.
"How do we know we can trust him?" he finally said.
"We don't." She confessed. "But we can always set up obligations to ensure that he does."
Mario let out a deep sigh. "Fine, I'll accept his offer."
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Mario stared blankly as he watched the large Koopa leave his domain, his large airship disappearing slowly over the horizon. He sighed deeply, rethinking the decision he had just made. It was the hardest thing he had ever done as the King so far...probably forever.
Queen Peach and Toadsworth approach from behind him. Peach took his hand and held it affectionately. Toadsworth came by his other side and pated him on the back.
"You did the right thing, Your Highness," he said. "Tomorrow, we'll begin writing the treaty down and soon peace will be restored to the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Yeah, I guess so." Gently, he took his hand away from Peach and started heading back inside.
"King Mario, where are you going?" Toadsworth asked him.
"To talk to my brother," Mario replied without looking back.
Peach and Toadsworth shared a quick glance. "Do you want me to come with you?" Peach asked.
"No, I think it's best if I see him alone."
Before anything else was said, the red King disappeared around the corner, leaving his Queen and their steward alone in the room.
"Do not fret, my Queen," said Toadsworth. "What's done is done; we only have the future to worry about now."
Peach kept her gaze on where Mario once was. "I hope so,"
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Ending Note:
A guest commented that Mario as a king is sort of odd for them. I'm not going to lie, it feels sort of odd to me as well. It's even worse because I'm the one who have to write about it. Fortunately, the majority of this story doesn't focus on him and his new kingship.
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Review :)
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