Chapter Twenty-Six
Everything in the room was white and very bright except for the people that filled the courtroom. Peach looked about in confusion. She was standing at a table facing the Bench where a figure wearing a red robe sat. Three white-robed figures sat on either side of him. All of their faces were covered with the hoods of their robes, but each of their heads had a different shape. One of the white robe wearers had a large domed head. He or she was obviously a Toad.
The next figure was rather round and seemed to float. That one had to be a Boo because every time Peach looked his way he flinched and went very still. Though she couldn't see his hands, she would bet anything that he was covering his eyes under the hood of the robe.
The red-robed figure was the only one she couldn't figure out. His body, from his shoulders down, was slightly hunched but not enough to look like a shell. His head had no unique shapes that she could she. The only clue she had was his scaly hooked snout and a small horn between his nostrils that peeked out from under his hood.
With a glance to her left, Peach also saw Kamella on the other side of the room, standing at her own table, which was exactly like the one Peach was standing at. Behind both Kamella and Peach, benches were lined up facing the judgment seat. All of them were filled with people that were familiar and unfamiliar to the princess. Some of them were servants from her own castle, while others were political leaders that she had met with on occasion.
Peach was even more shocked when her eyes fell on Daisy, Luigi, Mario, Pauline and... King Boo? The whole group was here! ... Except for one person.
"Daisy!" Peach whispered loudly to get her attention.
"Oh, Peachy! I missed you so much! Where are we? I was sleeping in my bed when I woke up to a loud pop and bright white lights!" Daisy explained with exaggerated hand motions. The rest of the group nodded in agreement and began asking Peach a bunch of questions all at once.
"Order! ORDER!" one of the white-robed counselors exclaimed. The loud chattering in the room ceased. "This is the Court of Magical Law. A Magical Contract has been broken between the two standing before us. Persons who have been seated in the benches behind the Contract signers were affiliated with fulfilling or breaking the Contract and have been brought here as witnesses and/or accessories of the crime committed. Now, as the first counselor to the Red Judge, I pronounce this hearing in session. Let us begin..."
"Excuse me, Your Honor…" Peach asked quietly, raising her hand. The counselor went silent and looked at the Red Judge. The Judge nodded his head and moved for her to continue. "Bowser was also apart of the Contract. Where is he?"
All of the white-robed councilors looked to the Judge who sat silently for a moment, contemplating his answer.
"Princess Peach, to answer your question, look at the condition that your body is in at the moment. You feel no pain because it is only your consciousness that resides within these walls. Each person within the courtroom has been transferred here mentally but not physically," the Judge explained in a deep voice.
"So he is either in a comatose state or… unreachable," Peach stated. Worry wracked her mind as she stood at her table. The Red Judge nodded his head and waved for his first counselor to continue from where he left off.
"Now then, the council recognizes those who signed the Contract. Kamella Koopa's memory has been fully restored and all witnesses are present. To begin this trial, which of you is guilty of breaking the Contract?" the counselor asked. With this, Kamella straightened her back and pointed to Peach.
"Princess Peach broke the Contract by acting with romantic intentions towards Bowser Koopa, King of the Dark Lands," Kamella stated. The audience in the back of the room whispered. Some believed her claim and others shook their heads with skepticism.
"Princess Peach, what have you to say in your defense?" the counselor asked, scratching something down with his quill.
"Guilty," Peach answered.
The audience gasped and some of them even booed at Peach. The panel of counselors looked to the Red Judge who had leaned forward with some interest in what Peach had said. Before the counselor could continue, the Judge himself raised his hand for silence in the room.
"Tell me, Princess. Why do you plead guilty to breaking the contract?" the Red Judge asked.
Peach looked up from her hands and met his gaze, "Because I acted with romantic intent towards King Bowser Koopa."
There was a massive amount of hissing and booing coming from the audience in the back. Mario and the rest of Peach's friends were stunned but they tried to get the rest of the audience to quiet down. Everyone was silenced when the Judge once again raised his hand with a little less patience.
"I see," the Judge said, sitting back thoughtfully. "Bring us the witness for the signing of the Contract."
Kamella eagerly stood and answered, "There was no witness."
"Do you have a copy of the Contract?" the Red Judge asked.
"No. It was lost sometime after the signing," Kamella stated. Peach turned her head to look at the purpled robed Magikoopa. Kamella had lost the Contract?
"It doesn't matter. I am guilty of breaking it either way," Peach thought to herself.
"That is not what my file is showing me," the Judge stated, obviously humored by Kamella's statement. "Kamek Koopa, Magikoopa of the Dark Lands, what is the meaning behind this confusion?"
Kamek walked forward from the back of the audience and stood before the Red Judge in the center of the room.
"I was there when Kamella and Peach signed the Contract but neither of them knew of my presence. After they had finished signing, I signed my name in secret before they parted ways," Kamek stated. Kamella balled her fists and frowned angrily.
"That is why he wanted to talk to me…" Peach realized.
"Do you have the Contract?" the Red Judge asked.
"Yes," Kamek unrolled the scroll to reveal that his name had indeed been signed on the Contract. "I took it for safekeeping after Kamella intentionally tried to dispose of it," Kamek explained.
"I object! I had no such intentions," Kamella stated trying to keep her anger under control.
"What gave you the impression that it was intentional?" the Judge asked Kamek.
"She laid the Contract in a pile of used paper and wiped her own memory to forget where it was. The staff burns used piles of paper like the ones she laid the Contract in," Kamek explained.
"Interesting. Your claim will be noted," the judge stated and the councilors each scribbled in their scrolls.
"Your Honor, as a witness, may I also speak on the account of Princess Peach?" Kamek asked politely. The Red Judge merely glanced at his council and nodded his head.
"As you know, any legal restrictions that are tied to the Contract become void once one of the signers breaks their oath. Kamella broke the Contract first; therefore, Peach is exempt from any legal repercussions," Kamek stated.
"I object!" Kamella stated. The Judge ignored her plea and moved for Kamek to continue.
"To start from the beginning, Peach was pressured into signing the Contract by Kamella. From what I gathered, Kamella threatened to take Bowser's life in the name of the League of Investors. Each member of which is standing in this very room. Kamella Koopa created this group in order to keep tabs on both Bowser and Peach while she pulled the strings.
"After each party had signed the Contract, I decided to be a temporary companion for Peach. She had no idea that I was there, but I also watched from a distance to keep an eye on Kamella. This was a very lucky decision because as Peach left Bowser's Castle to travel for Sarasaland, Bowser went after Peach once he found that she had left the castle. I watched as Kamella tampered with Peach's Clown Kart so that Bowser could catch up to her. Kamella also used magic with the intention of revealing the Contract's mark on Peach's back to Bowser," Kamek explained. Kamella was raging mad.
"I object! He has no other witness other than his own!" Kamella yelled. The Judge sat forward once again to look between the three standing before him.
"Princess, what have you to say for his claims?" the red judge inquired.
"Both of these instances are true, but I didn't know they were caused by Kamella," Peach answered honestly.
"Then Kamek may continue and Kamella's objection will be ignored," the Red Judge decided. Kamella only shook her head in anger and sat down in her chair with a huff.
"Thank you, your Honor," Kamek said. "As I was saying, Bowser and Peach traveled together for Sarasaland but were once again impeded by Kamella. She hid roads with question mark clouds so that they couldn't find their way to the Sarasaland Castle. They figured it out eventually, but by the time the Princess had made it to her destination, the entire Sarasaland Castle had been put to sleep my Kamella's magic except for Daisy, Luigi, and two unfortunate servants."
"Daisy, Princess of Sarasaland, can you vouch for Kamek's claims?" the Red Judge asked. Daisy looked at Kamella who glared at her threateningly.
"Yes," Daisy stated, taking Luigi's hand. "Kamella came to threaten us against speaking with Peach. Toadington, my servant, and his wife just happened to be in the room when Kamella came. She kept them awake to send Peach away when she finally arrived at my castle."
"What motive did Kamella have for doing this?" the Judge questioned further.
Daisy thought back, "I got a call from Peach while she was at Bowser's Castle. It had been a long time since we had talked to each other so we caught up as much as we could, but it all went wrong when Peach declared that Mario was dead. Both Luigi and I were confused because we had been told that Mario had only gone missing. We ended up hanging up and didn't get to talk to Peach much after that night.
"The next day, Luigi spent hours calling our friends and asking if they had seen Mario. The last one we called was Pauline. She told us that she knew where Mario was. Not long after, Kamella showed up out of the blue. She told me that if I said even one word to Peach that she would kill Luigi… so I complied with her demands.
"When Peach came to the Castle, we had Toadington, my servant, tell her that we had left for the week. Peach tried to look for us but ended up giving up. As she left the castle, Toadington hinted to Peach that we were still in the castle but that we were safe… Kamella punished him for giving Peach too much information by killing him," Daisy said sadly. Peach's eyes went wide as she looked from Daisy to Kamella. Toadington was dead?
The council deliberated and the Red Judge merely sat silently as he contemplated. After a moment, one of the council stood.
"Princess Peach, for what reason did you believe that Mario was dead?" the counselor asked in a high-pitched voice.
"I told Kamella that I wouldn't sign the Contract, but she threatened that Bowser would be harmed for my choice," Peach explained. "Because of her threats, I decided to send a letter to Mario to ask him to protect Bowser from Kamella. Mario, who had been apart of the League of Investors, was angry that Kamella threatened to hurt Bowser to get me to sign the Contract so he came to my castle to warn me. When Mario came to my castle, Kamella found out about his intentions and stabbed him in front of me. I believed he was dead and I fainted. Toadsworth was one of the Investors as well so he made arrangements for me to continue to believe that Mario was dead." The counselor nodded his head and thanked her for her answer.
"Mario, can you vouch for her statement?" the counselor asked. Mario nodded fervently and the rest of the panel scribbled in their scrolls.
"Princess Peach, how did you find out that Mario was still alive if you weren't given any information at the Sarasaland Castle?" the councilor inquired.
"Toadington had written Pauline's name on his hand so that I would see it before I left. He was the one that gave me the hint," Peach said, looking back at Daisy whose eyes became shiny with tears. Kamella cussed under her breath. "Later that day, I heard that Pauline would be performing with her band live in the downtown area, so I stayed in Sarasaland and found her after her show. When I confronted her, Pauline took me to her home where Mario had been keeping a low profile and recovering from his fight with Kamella. It turns out that Kamella had stabbed him with a fake knife and erased his memory completely so that he wouldn't come back to tell me the truth. Pauline informed me that she found Mario in the middle of nowhere covered with fake blood and no memory whatsoever."
The Red Judge chuckled a little and looked in Kamella's direction. "Very clever," he said. Turning his head, he asked, "Pauline, do you object to anything that Peach has stated?"
"No. Every word is true," Pauline answered confidently.
"Your Honor, I fail to see how this has anything to do with breaking the Contract," Kamella growled.
"Noted," the Red Judge said. "Kamek? Is there a point to this?"
"Yes, there is. However, let me elaborate just a little further. I promise you won't be disappointed with the outcome."
The Judge thought for a moment and nodded silently.
"While Peach was in Sarasaland, Bowser came back to the Dark Land Castle. He would have stayed longer if a Celebrity New Magazine hadn't been left on his bed. Keep in mind that the Dark Land Kingdom doesn't sell Celebrity News Magazines. They have been banned from the Dark Lands for years. The magazine itself stated that the Princess was still in Sarasaland but was staying in a hotel. Immediately after reading it, Bowser asked for a warp pipe to be prepared for him to travel back to Sarasaland. I asked him not to leave, but he stated that Peach should have been admitted into the Sarasaland Castle. He was worried that something was wrong so I offered to go with him.
"We later found Peach in Pauline's home with Mario who had been rumored to be missing for over a month," Kamek continued. "Once again, I left Bowser and watched at a distance as Peach and Bowser left Pauline's home and set off for the Mushroom Castle. Kamella was also there every step of the way. She was rather irritated by the time that Peach had made it to the castle. I didn't feel comfortable leaving so I kept an eye on Bowser as he stayed outside Peach's Castle.
"The next evening, I watched as a group of people dressed in black stole Princess Peach from the castle. Kamella had also put Bowser to sleep and transported him elsewhere. I couldn't follow her as she magically transported herself so I stayed with Peach. The group that had kidnapped her took her to a bar on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom. Once inside, one of them stayed behind and the rest left.
"A few minutes later, Kamella made it to the bar with Bowser and started yelling at the one man who stayed behind with the princess. He took off his hat and revealed himself to be Toadsworth, Peach's personal advisor. Bowser woke up and began a fight with Kamella but, instead of trying to put Bowser back to sleep, she erased her own memory and passed out. As Bowser freed Peach, Kamella escaped.
"I thought maybe the trouble had ended for the night so I flew in the direction that Kamella had flown, but I was completely mistaken. When I caught up with her, Toadsworth also arrived and spoke with her. I was not close enough to hear what he said, but right after Kamella spoke with Toadsworth, she flew after Bowser and attacked him with magic. Bowser saved Peach by sending her away on the back of his shell but, without his main shell, he was left vulnerable to her magic. Despite this, Kamella didn't stop her attacks for even a moment. Now he is close to death, having been mortally wounded by the very person who agreed not to harm him in any way, shape, or form so long as Peach refrained from acting with any romantic intent towards Bowser, King of the Dark Lands!" Kamek shouted as he pointed an accusing claw at Kamella.
The whole room was in an uproar. Peach was on the verge of tears, her friends gasped in shock, the members of the League of Investors were shouting at Kamek angrily, and the council was whispering to each other as they scribbled in their scrolls quickly. The only one who had kept a calm demeanor was the Red Judge himself.
*SMACK! SMACK!*
"Order!" the Judge yelled with a deep booming voice as he slammed his gavel on the podium. Everyone went silent. "Kamella, you have been accused of breaking the Contract you made with Princess Peach on two instances. The first, by allowing an outsider to know of the Contract you made with Peach, The second, by wounding Bowser, King of the Dark Lands. What do you have to say in your defense?"
Kamella stood from her table. "Your Honor, would you allow me to call on Toadsworth as a witness in my defense?"
"Yes, he may come forward," the Red Judge agreed. Toadsworth walked shakily forward and Peach watched as he passed her and stood next to Kamek.
"For the first charge laid against me, I plead not guilty," Kamella stated confidently. "The scroll I signed specifically states that none other than the signers may know of the Magical Contract's existence. I spoke to Toadsworth of a Magical Promise, not a Magical Contract. The term may be similar but it is technically different and does not count."
Peach shook her head sadly.
"Toadsworth, Personal Advisor to Princess Peach, is what Kamella claims true?" the Red judge asked plainly.
"Y-yes," Toadsworth answered.
"Noted. And as for the second charge?" the Judge asked, only slightly more interested.
"Not guilty," Kamella responded. "As Kamek stated in his narration, I accidentally used a Memory Wiping spell instead of the Self- Multiplying spell that I meant to use. I probably wiped some of the details of the Contract away with some other portions of my memory. It was completely unintentional from what I can remember." Peach shook her head and raised her hand. The Red Judge motioned for the princess to speak.
"Your Honor, before Kamella cast her spell she said exactly these words:
"'A promise once forgotten is as if never made.' I wonder what would happen if I just happened to forget?"
"She knew what spell she was using and she did it on purpose," Peach explained fervently.
"I object!" Kamella cut in. The judge motioned for the purple Magikoopa to speak. "The Princess is lying. I never said such words and I had no other intentions than to keep Bowser under control."
"Toadsworth, is what the Princess claiming true or false?" the judge inquired.
"It is false," Toadsworth answered quickly.
"Kamek?" the judge asked.
"I wasn't close enough to hear what Kamella said… I am sorry Princess." Kamek said honestly as he turned to give her an apologetic look. Peach gave him a small smile of understanding.
"Kamella, you said your intention was to control Bowser. Why would you need to control your King?" the Judge asked.
"Because I wanted him to stop going after Peach. I wanted him to let her go and become the King that the Dark Lands needs him to be," Kamella stated.
"Did you plant the magazine on his bed?" the Judge asked.
"…Yes," Kamella answered hesitantly.
"If you wanted him away from the princess why did you set him up to go back?" the Red Judge asked, pushing her harder.
"Because I wanted her to break his heart. I knew she wouldn't break her Contract. I was hoping that he would become the fearsome King the Dark Lands needed to be if he finally let go of Peach," Kamella explained.
"Ah. A political motive," the Red Judge said thoughtfully as he glanced at his councilors. "What would you have done if Princess Peach would have broken her Contract?"
"I… don't know," Kamella said, a little flustered by the judge's unexpected questions.
"You threatened Princess Peach with Bowser's death and others say you may have killed someone else to keep a secret. What makes you think that we won't rule your accidental Mind Wiping as intentional?" the Judge pushed.
"Because there is not enough evidence against me to be ruled as guilty," Kamella said boldly. Even the councilors gasped this time. The Red Judge chuckled and leaned forward with his arms on the podium.
"So we have one death, one mortally wounded King, a radical political group, an amnesiac, two tricksters, treason, and a good helping of confusion," the Red Judge said with humor in his voice. "Take notes, Council, this may be the best case we will ever have."
Everyone else in the room went silent as the Judge stood from his seat and walked down in front of Kamella. He was a little taller than her and walked with a slight wobble. As he stood and looked at her he smiled.
"You would make a wonderful addition to my council with a bright mind like yours," the Judge stated. Kamella stayed silent, a little confused by his actions. "However, this whole charade will go on your Magical Record, making you unfit for the position." With that, he stuck out his claw and laid it on her head. There was a bright flash of light and Kamella stumbled back into her chair with a groan.
"Yes. She is guilty," the red judge said simply and walked back up to his spot at the podium. "Kamella, Magikoopa of the Dark Lands! I hereby pronounce you guilty for breaking your Magical Contract with Princess Peach, future Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom through self-inflicted amnesia. Let it be a lesson to all other magic users! Forgetting a promise is as if it was never made, but beware of self-inflicted forgetfulness. Forget or not, if your original intentions are fulfilled, then you might as well never have forgotten in the first place."
"Princess Peach," the Judge continued. "What is your sentence for Kamella, Magikoopa of the Dark Lands?"
Peach was stunned. Kamella, who she was sure was going to walk free was now at her mercy. The princess thought hard for a moment and then smiled as she looked at the purple Koopa who was just starting to sit up with Toadsworth's help.
"To live out her days fulfilling every promise that she has not kept," Peach said.
"WHAT?!" Kamella screeched.
Kamek began to laugh uncontrollably.
"It shall be done," the Judge said decidedly. He knocked his gavel on the podium and said, "Kamella Koopa, you are sentenced to fulfill every promise you have not kept. You will not be allowed the use of magic unless it is the only way to satisfy your sentence. If you use your magic for any other reason or ignore your sentence, you will be severely penalized. The Magical Probation District will watch your every move closely from this day forth. Case closed." The Red Judge gave the podium another good smack with his gavel decidedly and got up from his chair. Each of the council members stood as well and followed the Judge as he made his way to the exit. Before he could go, Peach ran after him.
"Your Honor, wait! Thank you, but I don't understand. How did you know that Kamella was guilty?" Peach asked eagerly.
"My child, I knew she was guilty before the hearing even began," the Red Judge stated. "To be honest, I have a second job as a teacher of Magical Law so I thought my class would enjoy sitting in during one of my meetings."
The group of white-robed councilors nodded enthusiastically.
"So you already had a sentence for Kamella but had us recount the whole dispute for your students?" Peach asked as multiple emotions ran through her chest.
"If hurting Bowser was never Kamella's intent, it never would have happened," the Judge said. "Tell me. Why did you think that you were guilty when you first got here?"
"Because the mark on my back burned when I told Bowser…" Peach began.
"Ahh… That was my fault. You see, when someone breaks or is close to breaking their Contract, the burning sensation on their mark happens because I send it personally as a warning. I keep an eye on more complicated matters such as yours. But! The burning can also serve as a sign that your consciousness is being transferred to this courtroom…
"The only reason I didn't teleport you both when Kamella broke her Contract was that I had just put my robes in the dryer… I couldn't pull you both to the courtroom without my Judging robes! Never in my entire life would I allow myself to be so unprofessional!" the Red Judge stated with pride.
Peach smiled a little but a troubled look came over her face. The Judge put his claw on her shoulder.
"Time isn't the same in this room. An hour here is a mere second in reality. I cannot guarantee that Bowser will live, but I can say that you have a small chance of saving him. Use your heart, young one," he said kindly. Before Peach could say anything else, he tapped her forehead and she saw a flash of white.
Peach suddenly felt a sharp pain in her side as her consciousness was transported back to her physical body. She could feel her hands wrapped around Bowser's hand and the warmth of his chest on her face as she rested her head on him. There was only one difference...
He was no longer breathing.