Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to
Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving
me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!
I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,
but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this
story to make it more interesting.
I also don't own anything related to Naruto.
Chapter Eleven
After sitting through what felt like a thousand trials, it was nice to get a moment's peace. That peace came in the form of a quiet hallway in the Court of Justice building in her kingdom of Birabuto. Daisy arrived sometime last night and had slept fitfully in a tent near the rest of her troops. Early this morning she 'woke' and dressed in formal periwinkle robes that were much too hot for the climate in the sandy, arid kingdom, but Chai's bi-laws dictated formal dress for this occasion. And the occasion? Trial after trial after trial after agonizingly long trial of various officials and leaders who were to be ousted from their respective positions. If this sounded like something that could be done by Birabuto's own legislative body, then that was because it was; the only reason Daisy had to come and sit in was to maintain order. Apparently people just couldn't remain civil enough for trials to proceed without the presence of their ruling Princess and the small legion of Chai dignitaries.
But I can't lay too much blame on them, Daisy sighed, dropping her head into her hands. She shifted on the dusty stone bench in the empty hall and stared at the equally dusty ground in between her legs and beneath her feet. She'd abandoned her outer blue robe now and just wore her nice white blouse and tailored blue slacks. Because of the heat, Daisy had her dark locks up in an elegant braided chiffon style. She thought on the state of this kingdom. Like Easton, it wasn't left unscathed from Tatanga's reign.
From what she'd garnered, Tatanga's mind control was heaviest with the leaders of the kingdom, and even after he'd been ousted by the league of retired generals in Chai, the leaders here in Birabuto still remained corrupted. They'd made slaves of their fellow countrymen, laid heavy taxes and outrageous laws for everyone but themselves to follow. The back-breaking work and highway robbery style taxes that the working class had to endure forced many of them into poverty. From then on, people did whatever they had to do to guarantee another meal and that sometimes meant selling one's property, possessions, or even family members over to the government. And when the people tried to civily protests these injustices, even going so far as to have thousands of people sign petitions and whatnot, the government simply spat on their efforts and redoubled their output of harsh laws, bills, and statutes. That bred a lot of enmity between the ruling officials and the citizens, which led the resulting years of constant rebellions and uprisings no surprise to anyone. The rioting people tore up the kingdom's historic landmarks and buildings and artifacts, not deliberately, but once a fire got started or bombs were thrown back and forth, it was hard to control what got destroyed and what didn't.
This kingdom was a mess.
But fortunately, change was on the horizon. Daisy had seen to that for the better part of the last twelve and half hours she'd spent at the Court of Justice building. With each case, a bit of hope was returned to the people. Chai was known to be a stickler for the rules, so no head was turned the other way when prosecuting each and every last individual associated with the crimes of bribery, extortion, petty larceny, blackmail, treason, animal cruelty, manslaughter, and general lawlessness. So many times the judges of Birabuto had simply overturned case after case that the citizens of the kingdom expected no less and were known to storm the courthouse demanding fairness. More often than not that led to violence and no real progress being made. But with Daisy there, their fair Princess, a lot of the citizens held their peace to see which side she would take.
I didn't really do anything, she noted to herself. But that was all that was needed; the people just needed to see her there, to see that she did indeed care about them and their welfare because, for so long, the Birabuto government had tried to instill in them that they didn't matter. So when all the crooked officials were duly put away for prison time or hard labor or whatever the merciless substitute judge from Chai Kingdom thought was fit for them to receive as punishment, a great cry went up from the citizens. At first Daisy feared they were revolting, but she could see the tears, happy tears, and could hear the relief and gratefulness behind that loud herald: they were just rejoicing upon seeing a day they never thought would come to pass. A day where fairness actually prevailed.
And it will continue to prevail, Daisy thought adamantly. She'd been highly upset to hear of the state of things here when she was back in Chai, and she knew she'd have to do something about this. She just knew she'd have to rectify matters. So when given the opportunity, she made sure to leave behind leaders from Chai who would act as surrogate officials in place of the old ones for a probationary period of five years. After that, the people of Birabuto would be free to petition for their own leaders.
Daisy lifted her head when she heard the tale-tale scuffle of sandals hitting the floor of the hall floor. Like a lot of buildings in Birabuto, the structure around the internal courthouse was mostly open to the elements. This was an ingenuitive way to keep people cool seeing as how indoor air commodities were rare and reserved for important events. This was one of those events, which would explain why the princess wasn't drowning in a pool of her own sweat by now. For that she was grateful, but she couldnt' help but wish for a few more moments of peace and quiet after dealing with the racous trials.
"Your Majesty, I cannot thank you enough!" Came the voice of the man coming down the hall.
Daisy blinked at him, it was getting close to sundown, and stood upon recognizing him. He was one of the rare few officials who weren't corrupt, and in turn, he wasn't very popular with the others who'd been thrown into prison. Daisy knew of social politics, she knew what staying true to the people would mean for this man; his common clothing was a testament to how he'd been received by the other shady members of the government: his salary must have been cut when he chose to stand apart from them.
He wore plain white, flowing clothes. White was the color of the working man, seeing as how they weren't rich enough to afford fine dyes and embroiderings. The man not only wore white, but also none of the jewelry and other adornments from when Daisy last saw him when she was a very little girl. He'd not changed much save for the fact that there were a lot more wrinkles on his already-weathered face, and the little hair he still had was gray around his head. He came up to where Daisy stood and reached for her hand, then pulled her into a warm embrace.
"Oh, you've grown dear Princess!" He spoke with heart as he hugged her. "The last time I saw you, your mama was toting you on her hip!"
Daisy smiled and hugged the man back. He'd always seemed so caring and 'grandfatherly'. She pulled back and he patted her shoulder affectionately.
"Again I must thank you," He stated, "You really inspired a lot of people."
"I wish I could do more," Daisy admitted modestly.
"You've done more than enough!" The man claimed, then said, "Won't you do me the honor of letting my wife and me host you at our home tonight?"
"Oh, I couldn't," Daisy immediately declined.
"Please, Your Majesty!" The man insisted. "It would be the greatest honor! We've already got dinner and a room prepared!"
Well, a hot meal and a warm bed does sound good after this long day, Daisy wavered. With her hesitation, the man's smile grew. Daisy nodded at last and together they headed to his home.
Now he was part of the Senate, so his estate wasn't shabby, even after his salary had been cut. The home was large and inviting, and as soon as they got through the door, a petite older woman greeted them.
"I see you've arrived with the little Princess, Joseph!" The woman beamed happily.
She greeted Daisy with a bow and a hug and her husband guided Daisy further into the house. Dinner was already on the table, like he'd said.
He also said, "She's not so little anymore, Merida. You should've seen how she handled those nasty vipers down at the Court of Justice. For once, the place was host to its namesake!"
Daisy smiled under his generous praise and allowed him to show her to a seat at the head of the long table. Joseph sat at the other head with his wife at his right. Another male came into the room with a woman on his arm and several boys and girls in tow.
With twinkling eyes, Joseph told her, "Allow me to introduce to you my son, Philanteas. He's a soldier down in Birabuto's armies. And this is his wife, Ophea, and their children, my grandchildren."
The soldier was wearing his uniform and gave his parents a small nod on his way to the princess. When he reached her, Philanteas bowed at the waist with his wife, who urged her several children to do the same. Clumsily, they did. It put a smile on Daisy's tired face.
"A pleasure and an honor to meet you, Your Majesty." Philanteas spoke in a quiet, reverant voice.
His wife nodded and said, "My father-in-law was too kind to invite us tonight."
So they knew about this in advance, Daisy deduced, then realized it would explain the family's presence at Joseph's house. Surely they didn't all live together, not with Philanteas' salary; being a soldier was a rewarding career, financially that is. She wasn't sure if it could make up for the occupational hazards, the constant threats on one's life, and the extended time away from one's family and friends.
But they look happy enough, Daisy observed, gazing at the couple interestedly as they introduced their many children together.
And that made Daisy's heart ache. Seeing the couple that was right around her and Luigi's age, together and happy, made her smile, but seeing their many children made a bit of envy rise in her. She wasn't jealous of them, per se, but she wanted that. She wanted to reach over and smack her little's boy's grubby fingers for reaching onto his sister's plate, she wanted to gaze at their little innocent faces and then share a private smile with her husband because this was something not everyone knew of, something they wouldn't trade for anything in the world: parenthood.
I want that, Daisy thought and if thoughts could be soft, wanting, and somber, that one would be the softest, most wanting one she'd ever had.
Hundreds of people traveled a certain path to and from a small town, tucked away near the base of a great mountain. The path was in plain veiw of both the city and the mountain and was a wide, dirt road. If anyone of the hundreds of people had thought to turn their head to and glance at the mountain at this very moment, they would have seen a most peculiar sight; a lean, muscular redhead with an equally red-haired little person on his back, walking up the side of the imposing natural structure whose peak pointed high in the sky. They would have seen the infamous, supposedly-dead Dark King.
Walking, of all things.
In poor-man's garb.
Although the plain white cotton shirt and black pants were lifted from a tailor through the five-finger-discount, they seemed to fit the tall creature well. As did the cheap black cloak hanging from his shoulders. It warmed his son at any rate, who was smaller and more susceptible to the increasingly cool temperatures at the higher levels of the mountains. His son was dressed similarly with his head poking from under the neck of the cloak and his legs secure in his father's grip. He was asleep by now with his head in the crook of his father's shoulder and his tangled red hair occasionally catching the growing breeze. His father was very much awake and trekking steadfastly upwards towards a destination only he knew of, with jade eyes narrowed for many reasons. For one, he was aggravated. Just because he could walk much farther and longer than human men didn't mean he cared to. But that stolen horse would only go so far; the narrow trail along the mountain was much too treacherous to ride horseback upon. Another reason he was aggravated was because of the sheer fact that he had to live like this; hopping from no-name city to city, hiding out like some kind of fugitive. He was a king, dammit, and he should be treated like one no matter where he went! But not everyone knew of the Dark King's more humanoid form, and they didn't know at first who they were dealing with when met with the sight of an impetuous redhead and his 'little brat'.
But I'm pretty sure they know now, Bowser thought with a nasty little smirk. He'd made sure to use his son's help to burn down the establishment of the first person who'd wronged him and, at that display, word of his actions spread and he usually got whatever he wanted from then on. Still. It was no match for what he wanted. He didn't want the innkeeper to hand over the keys to all the rooms with trembling fingers. He didn't want the food vendors to meekly tell him how all their wares were at his service, sir, and if he could please just take whatever he wanted, sir, and they didn't want any trouble, sir. It wasn't the rich food and luxorious lodgings he was used to.
Soon, he tempered himself. Soon Nikky will come back with the clone and I'll get back what's mine and deal with the twerp and rise to power, greater power, than ever before.
And that made the smirk on his face more permanent against the now blistering winds. His son shifted on his back and absently Bowser adjusted his body heat so that his heir wouldn't freeze before he got to the top of the mountain. Well, not quite the top.
A little while later, Bowser stopped upon reaching his destination. It wasn't quite the top, but it was close to it. Just a random spot along the side of the imposing rock edifice. There was a blank slab of mountain wall in front of him but off to the side on the ground, there was a patch of green grass and a bright, yellow flower. If one gave it just the gentlest of tugs, it was said a doorway would appear.
Bowser yanked the flower out of its roots.
"Who the hell-"
The door not only appeared, but swung open thanks to an irate female yanking on the knob. She was very slim and on the short side, but that didn't stop her from trying to unleash her fury on whoever just uprooted her precious carnation. When she saw who was at her door, her angry words died in her throat and a crafty smile found its way to her orange-painted lips. She folded tanned arms over her chest and tilted her head.
"You only had to tug it, you know." She spoke chidingly.
Bowser's smirk remained as he replied, "I know."
She shook her head and the curly, burgundy locks that weren't swept up high on her head in a knot moved freely on either side of her face. Her smooth, golden skin and gold-flecked, youthful brown eyes disguised how very old, ancient, she really was. Nor did her voice give any indication of her advanced years because it was light and sly when she spoke again.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
"Didn't expect or want to be here." Bowser retorted.
"Ouch," The woman's lips twitched in a playful smile, "Then why did you come?"
"There is something I require of you." He told her evenly.
"And what's that?" She then asked with intrigue.
"Can I come in before I freeze my balls off?" He spoke agitatedly.
The woman snorted and said, "Yes, though I can hardly see how that would be anything less than a blessing for the rest of the world; we sure don't need anymore little Dark Kings and Queens running around."
She glanced pointedly at Junior, who was still sleeping and Bowser rolled his jade eyes. And while the woman moved aside, her hand brushed Bowser's arm as he stepped into her home. Suddenly her eyes widened and she smiled curiously.
"What's this?" She murmured, gazing at the fallen king.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't touch me, witch."
"Who's this queen of yours?" She asked instead.
Bowser ignored her, opting to stand very far from the diminutive woman so as not to be in physical contact with her. He'd known her a long time, he knew what...abilities she possessed, and he cursed himself for letting that thought slip to the forefront; once she'd mentioned Dark Queen, his mind had supplied a telling vision of a certain brunette.
The Dark King was tall so his presence was felt all the more in the tiny little hole-in-the-wall that was the woman's home. She had things everywhere like a cluttered mess; it was like a literal hunt-and-find poster. To the right of the door was her kitchen area, full of pots and pans and dishes on the counters and spices, jars, and boxes and satchels of rice and beans and salt in the cupboards. She had a kettle of tea screaming atop the tiny stove and went over to fetch it while Bowser went over to the left where a couch and coffee table lay. It was hard to distinguish this from all the papers and scrolls and parchments all over the table, and from all the blankets and pillows littering the brown couch. The floor was first covered in rugs and then in glitter and then in whatever had fallen from the table, couch, or walls. Those walls. They were the only thing relatively bare save for a few small tapestries and dream catchers. There was a tall shelf on either side of the door and near the couch and all three of them were full of little knick-knacks and vials of this and jars of that and small weapons and all sorts of other things that couldn't hold the Dark King's attention.
He just went over to the couch to transfer his sleeping son from his back to the soft, plush cushions and pillows and blanketed surface. Once his son was down, he turned and walked towards the table. It only took him a few steps in every direction to clear the entire 'house', so he was at the table in no time. With a hint of condescension he stared at the cluttered mess that lay there. There was a such thing as organization, in his opinion, and for those who couldn't be bothered, there were servants, maids, the like. This was just sloppy. Were it not for the ball of light that resembled an artificial sun over the table, he wouldn't have been able to make out the individual papers and pictures and such that made up the majority of what was on the table. He glanced at his son, still asleep, and then at the woman coming from the kitchen.
"Would you like something to eat?" She asked.
"From you?" He sniffed, "I don't think so."
I'd like my heart to keep beating after this visit, he thought to himself. Even though she put up a decent front, Bowser knew this woman hated him. Lots of people hated him. But he could still get them to do what he wanted.
And again, a vision of that same dark-haired girl came to his mind and he felt the cool touch of unwanted fingers on his person. This time he reached out with a low growl and seized the woman's wrist from where it'd alighted on his bicep.
"Ow, alright," She cried, "Let go! I won't touch you!"
Bowser shoved he offending hand away from himself and vowed to be more careful with his thoughts around this woman, this witch. She could pick up on any errant thought from just a bit of skin-to-skin contact. He found that useful and nerve-wracking on various occasions. Now it just pissed him off.
"Stop trying my patience, Tamaryn," He ordered. "I saved your life once, I could end it if I choose."
Tamaryn cradled her wrist to her chest and sat on her table beside the king. But not for long, because he took up a position across from her with a few feet in between them. She barely resisted the urge to smirk at what looked like the Mighty Dark King running from a woman half his size. Instead she tilted her head and toyed with one of her burgundy locks.
"Why did you come here?" She asked, "And who is that girl I keep seeing?"
Bowser only answered one question when he asked, "What do you know about the Convergence Curse?"
"Plenty," Tamaryn replied, then smirked and asked, "Why? You're not thinking of robbing some poor soul of their powers, which you clearly don't need when you've got your own, are you?"
Bowser looked away because he'd be damned if he admitted what really happened. But then he heard a sharp gasp and had to slap away the woman's hand, for in that small space of time she'd tempted fate and stepped forward to lay a hand on the back of his. Very quickly she darted behind the table as the king advanced on her.
"What did you see?" Bowser hissed, glaring at her and digging his hands into the edge of the table.
While his instincts were urging him to lay into her, his more logical side was urging him to stay back, to let this woman live so that she may be of use to him. It was easy to allay his anger seeing as how he still didn't have all his subconscious mind back and that did wonders for his self-control. Tamaryn kept the table between her and the king anyway and cast a silent protection charm over herself, just in case.
Bowser asked again, "What did you see?"
"Enough to know that you're the poor soul that got robbed," The witch sniffed with a tinge of mockery. "And by a kid, no less. How'd he manage to get you all chained up in-"
"Can you undo it or not?" Bowser cut in tersely, his body rigid.
"Yeah," Tamaryn drawled slowly, "But I need the kid around. I can't do it from a distance."
And speaking of distance, it was as if the witch were emboldened by her protection charm because she started closing the space in between her and the Dark King. He only let her come so far before he took a step back and gave her a pointed glared. Then he indulged in a private smirk for what he was about to say.
On the couch, Junior rolled onto his side and stuck his thumb into his mouth.
"Nikky should be bringing the clone soon." The king spoke offhandedly. "We can get this over with when he gets here."
"Clone?" Tamaryn spoke in question, then narrowed her eyes and asked. "Did you say Nikky? You don't' mean that filthy snake, Nikolai..."
Bowser's smirk grew and he arched a red brow when he asked, "Yes. Is that a problem?"
"DAMN RIGHT, IT IS!" Tamaryn suddenly bellowed, getting right up in Bowser's face.
The only child present jolted on the couch and peered around with startled jade eyes. When he saw his father nearby, unharmed and smirking still, he lay his head back down and went back to sleep.
Bowser couldn't fully relish in riling the woman up due to his current mental state, so he did notice when she tried to get her hands on him. The charm prevented him from touching her but he did side-step her before she could see anything; or so he thought.
"You are working with Nikolai!" She cried accusingly.
Bowser rolled his eyes and said dully, "I've always worked with the League."
"Why him?" Tamaryn blurted. "Why not Callian?"
"Nikky's the better hunter, you of all people should know that." The Dark King sneered.
Tamarayn's brown eyes flickered and she spat, "Yes, I know that. I'm not working with that slimy, foul-"
"See, I already told him you'd meet with him." Bowser cut in dryly.
"Meet with him about what?"
"Hell if I know." Bowser shrugged. "I told him that to get him off his ass."
"Why would you tell him that?" Tamaryn snapped. "I'm not meeting with him; if I see his loathsome hide I'll skin him alive!"
"No you won't." Bowser told her knowingly.
Tamaryn came to stand to the side of him with her arms folded and asked with eyes in slants, "And why is that?"
"Because I need you to do this for me." Bowser answered, then cut in before she could speak again. "Remember, you owe me."
Tamaryn let her hate shine through then. She tightened her arms where they were folded at her chest and directed a baneful glower his way, one that made her brown eyes steel and her face fill with a bit of color. Her hair seemed to catch some undetected breeze as her magic crackled dangerously around her. She could kill him now, knowing what she did about his handicapped state. But killing the Dark King was a fickle, tricky process. Supposedly, many people had come very close and yet here he stood. She couldn't take that chance, because she knew if she failed, her life was over. That's why she backed down, even though she was furious with him.
How dare he force me to deal with that git Nikolai, she fumed within the confines of her mind. It's bad enough I have to deal with His Majesty, but now...
Tamaryn's countenance suddenly lightened as she relaxed her arms so that they were folded more loosely. She regarded the king coolly and stared him right in the eyes.
"Fine." She acceded. "But tell me something, Your Highness."
Bowser arched a brow warily, glancing at her hands; they were safely resting on her own folded arms.
Tamaryn asked, "Who in the world is that girl? The pretty one with the hate in her eyes, the one who fought you and brought you to your knees-"
"How did you-" Bowser stopped when he saw his error.
Tamaryn, barefoot, had inched a single toe up under the cuff of his pants somewhere along their argument so that her skin was just barely touching the skin of his shin. She'd thrown him off when she'd put her hands away and, having been tricked, he grew irritated. He couldn't touch her, but he thought of something else.
"Are you really planning on making her your queen?" Tamaryn pressed.
Very calmly Bowser walked over to the shelf near her couch, the one filled with little glass jars and vials and little pots of this and that.
He told the woman, "That's none of your business."
"What about the Peach?"
Bowser snorted, then reached the shelf and locked eyes with the witch and put his arm behind a bunch of the items on the shelf. It became clear what he intended to do.
"No, don't!"
Bowser ignored her protests and, using his arm, swept broadly so that every item on the first rung of the shelf came toppling onto the floor. Some of them bounced harmlessly a few times on the rug-covered floor, some of them rolled away in one piece, some of them Tamaryn was able to catch in her haste, but most of them shattered and spilled their contents all over the paper and other contents on the floor. Most of those were priceless herbs, brews, ingredients, and potions that would take time and energy to replace.
From her position on the floor, cradling some of the saved jars, Tamaryn shot Bowser a nasty glare.
"Don't look at me like that, you were asking for it." He dismissed. "And you should be glad that's all I did."
"Just get out!" Tamaryn spat.
Bowser smirked and went to collect his son from the couch, deliberately smashing another of the fallen vials. Tamaryn wanted to spit on his boot.
"Nikky should be here in a few days." Bowser called as he walked out her door. "I'll be back then."
Unfortunately, Tamaryn thought, then spitefully muttered to herself, "I hope that girl really does kill you..."
Bowser heard her and lingered in the doorway, and Tamaryn strengthened her protection charm with an inkling of worry creeping into her body. She watched the king as his grip tightened on her doorknob, then felt her blood chill when he glanced at her over his shoulder. Tamaryn readied a curse on her tongue, but Bowser just said one more thing before he left for good.
"You know, she just might."
A/N: There's another chapter for you. It will be a while before I can get another one out, as usual, so I hope you enjoyed the relatively quicker output rate.
I'll see you guys next chapter, don't forget to leave your thoughts/ideas/comments in a nice, nifty review!
Until next time
~DymondGold~