Enjoy!

Chapter Forty-Four

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 if you see me throw a little of that, too

It didn't take long for the whole palace to wake up and discover the news. Everyone was running around talking or shouting or wailing and Roy was right in the midst of it. Well, not really. He was in a secluded hall with law enforcement agents standing guard at the front of it. By his sides were two shocked girls and ahead of him were the Elders. They'd taken one look at him and he thought they'd crap their pants. It was obvious he'd surprised them. He had a feeling as to why.

They weren't just trying to kill the king, he reasoned, angry. They were hoping to do us all in.

His scowl tightened and he glared at the lot of them. They were murmuring and whispering with some more law enforcement officials from the Justice Hall, one of which was the chief, himself. He had a look much the same as the teenager's and when Roy locked eyes with him the Carrow made a face of disgust. Roy clenched his fists and stepped forward but Eriana held him back with a hand on his bicep. He looked down at her and only got madder; she was a wreck. Her eyes were red from crying and her hair was all over the place, looking like a curly lion's mane. Ariadne was no better. She was like a little child, frightened and quiet. She rubbed at her arms and throat off and on with a haunted look in her eyes.

"Fuck this," Roy muttered, removing Eriana's hand from his arm and marching forward. He approached the elders and officials and said, "I can't wait to see how you keep this a secret, you old bastards."

They just sneered at him and started to leave. Roy frowned and tried to follow but was stopped. Anthony Carrow was the one to raise his hand and give the signal for a dozen more agents to come flooding in. Four or five of them closed in on the youth and punched him in three different places, jarring him.

"Rex!"

That was Eriana and she was trying to come help him but one of the agents grabbed her and covered her mouth. Roy was putting up a fight, too, but they got the better of him. There was an agent on either side of him, locking him in place by wrapping one of their legs around each of his and behind him, there was another agent with his arm around Roy's neck. They had his hands against his head so if he even thought about using his powers he'd hurt himself in the process.

"Get off of me!" Roy yelled.

He struggled and, thanks to his monstrous strength, started to make some headway. Then he got punched in the gut.

"That was for my brother." Nicky growled.

Roy panted but was smirking when he taunted, "What, did I kill him?"

Nicky backhanded him.

"Don't worry, I'll get you next." Roy spat along with the blood and saliva. "Then you can rot in hell together."

He got punched again for that.

"Stop it!" Ariadne shouted, shaking and sweating.

Nicky rolled his head around towards where the guard had her arms behind her back. She shivered and Roy gnashed his teeth.

"Don't you fucking dare, you coward!" He roared ardently. "You're all a bunch of coward ass rats! You come sneakin' in here and do you dirt in the dark where no one can see! Fuck you! Fuck all of you!"

Nicky rolled his eyes.

"Just wait 'til I tell everybody about this!" Roy threatened, his heart racing and his skin burning hotter than his anger. "We'll see what comes of you when the whole country finds out what you did!"

"They're not gonna' find out." Nicky said with his arms crossed and his feet apart, a confident smile on his face.

"What, you think I'm gonna' along with whatever lies you cook up?" Roy scoffed, which was hard to do with the agent's beefy arm around his throat. "You'd have to kill me first."

Nicky Carrow frowned and said, "If only they'd let me." He glared at the teen and told him disdainfully, "If you wind up dead there'd be riots in the city because everybody just loves you sooo much."

Roy didn't know how true that was.

"However," Nicky smirked, turning on his heel and taking slow steps over towards Eriana. He stood before the quivering girl and yanked lightly on her curly hair. Over his shoulder he said to Roy, "Whatever I can't do to you, I'll just do to her."

"You can't do that!" Ariadne blurted.

Nick looked at her and said, "I'm the law, sweetheart. I can do what I want."

"So can I!" Roy jerked hard in the agents' hold. He asked, "Why don't I just blast a fucking hole in your head? You said you can't kill me so why not? Call of these goons if you ain't too much of a pussy."

Nicky actually did wave off the agents holding Roy and said smoothly, "Go ahead, do your worst. But don't think these orders will die with me." He glanced at the girls and said, "If I die, they die."

Roy rubbed his neck and contemplated calling the agent's bluff. He could do it. He was free now. He could slay every slaver in this hall. But then he thought about it.

What if he's right, Roy frowned. I mean, the king said they'd come after him and they did. He's dead now. I can't do that to Eri and Ari. I can't let them get hurt because of me. Gotta be smart about this.

"Good choice." Nicky said when the teenager didn't do anything. He said, "If you did do something stupid, how do you think that'd look?" He jeered, "The Champion of Arid City knocking off a bunch of law enforcement agents? Terrible."

Roy narrowed his eyes and said, "I'll tell the people the truth."

"Who would believe you?" Nicky asked, waltzing into his personal space. "The king?" Nick tilted his head as if in wonder and then grinned and said, "Oh yeah, that's right; he's gone." Nick shoved the side of Roy's head and said, "You have no one on your side."

Roy shoved him back and said, "It doesn't matter! I'll find some proof! I'll convince them to see what you're doin' right under everybody's noses!"

Nicky laughed and motioned for the other agents to leave. They carried Ari and Eri away with them. Roy made to stop them but Nicky grabbed him by the front of his bloody shirt.

"You better learn to cooperate, hero." Nicky warned, his crimson eyes boring into the youth. "If you keep making a nuisance of yourself, we'll just find a way to drag your name through the mud and all that popularity and adoration from the idiot masses is gonna' turn into hate." Nicky snickered and said, "We can make it so the people start screaming for your head on a stick. They'll gladly turn you over to us and when they do, you'll be at my mercy and…" He patted the young man's cheek and said, "Just between me and you, I ain't got any."

Roy pushed him away and seethed. What could he say? His hands were tied with the girls in the picture. He had the power to lash out but he couldn't get them all, and whoever would be left would no doubt come after them.

"Come on." Nicky ordered, releasing him with a harsh shove.

"Where's Eriana and Ariadne?" Roy demanded.

"You'll see them after this is done." Nicky answered. "Provided you keep your mouth shut."

He guided Roy by a harsh grip on the back of his neck and led him towards the palace entrance. There were agents there, standing like a barrier against all the gathered people of the city. The Elders were near the front, clustered together like a brood of vipers. Roy felt his stomach clench and his anger flare at the sight of them.

At the sight of Roy, the people started cheering and smiling in relief. But then they saw Nicky practically break his neck with the force he used to release him and concerned, upset murmurings started up. Roy wasn't the only one to glare at the red-eyed Carrow; the elders sent him a sharp look and, in appeasement, Nicky smoothed Roy's shirt with a false smile and an exaggerated tilt of his head.

Roy heard them asking questions, like why was his shirt stained, and stared at the Elders. He would keep his mouth shut, alright. He wouldn't say anything to support whatever conspiracy they planned to hatch.

"Settle down, settle down," One of the cap-wearing fiends raised his raspy voice and his arms, the billowing sleeves of his cloak swaying in the pre-dawn air.

The sun had yet to come up but Roy could make out some familiar faces in the quieting crowd. Fans. Slavers. He swallowed and looked away. He saw Ariadne near the Elders, looking pallid and scared. She was rubbing her throat again and when her fingers brushed the teal necklace, he flinched inside.

Man I'm so glad I thought of that, he was relieved, then horrified at what might have happened had he not.

Ariadne glanced at him and gave him a tiny smile. There were agents all around her, but none were touching her. However, a glance in his peripheral sight told him Nicky hadn't gone far and was personally guarding over Eriana. He was sure to stand out of view of everyone, just behind the open palace doors. From that angle Roy could see the Carrow with his arms around Eri's waist and a significantly raised black brow. A glare of mutual loathing passed between them before Roy turned forward again.

"As you have assuredly heard by now," One of the Elders began, "A tragedy has struck the nation." The old man paused, then stated gravely, "Our beloved King Reginald is dead."

Gasps and shocked outcries arose. It actually made real tears come to Roy's eyes but only for a second. Hearing that out loud just brought home the reality of what'd happened not even a half hour ago.

Speaking over the crowd the Elder said, "It appears he has expired from natural causes. Our law enforcement agents have determined there was no evidence of…"

Roy tuned them out because he started seeing red.

Natural causes?! He thought, enraged, there was nothing natural about it! The slavers butchered him and the old bastards let it happen! Hell, they were most likely the ones to arrange it!

He had no faith in them whatsoever and wanted to run over there and strangle the life out of them, not that they had much of that left. He narrowed his green eyes and swallowed, his thoughts murderous and his face reflecting as much. He heard a soft whimper.

He shouldn't have looked over because he immediately met eyes with the Carrow devil. He had his arm round Eriana's waist and his other hand up to her throat, tipping her head backwards. With the teenager's attention Nicky leaned close to the girl and dragged his tongue up the side of her face, staring intently at Roy as if warning him not to make a scene or perhaps tempting him to.

It took all his self-control and then some to make him steel his jaw, turn his head, and hold his tongue.

"Since he has passed without a will, the kingdom will fall to our hands," The Elders stated before the people started making a fuss again.

Roy blinked, not believing what he heard. When he played it over twice in his mind he shook his head.

Now I know this country is screwed, he thought dismally.

The people were asking questions again, asking about him because it seemed they were under the impression that he'd been made an unofficial heir. The Elders tempered the crowd and explained themselves.

"Your Champion will remain in the nation." The old man cast a contemptuous sidelong glance towards the young one and said, "He will continue to serve his purpose as protector of Arid City."

This did little to appease the people, but the Elders were quick to quiet the dissention with a request for a moment of silence for the late king. The people's respect for the kindly old royal won out and they hushed, but it was clear they didn't agree with these proceedings.

The Elders started telling them about when the commemoration service would be held and where and people started to leave. Well, they did linger a little while in hopes that the Champion would come and speak to them, reassure them or something, but when they saw him making a beeline for the late king's niece they got the picture and headed home to grieve.

"Are you alright?" Roy asked the blonde.

Ariadne nodded, glancing over her shoulder to see if the agents were gone. They were. Roy took her by the hand and hurried over towards the palace doors and was knocked back a half a step when Eriana came plowing into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight and he rubbed her back. Over her shoulder he glared at the guilty Carrow.

Nicky smirked and said, "Hold her now. She won't be with you much longer."

"You won't be alive much longer," Roy threatened darkly, not even sure if he could see a future that didn't involve him ending the slaver's existence at this point.

"When did you start hunting?"

To admit he'd been startled would be too embarrassing, so the fifteen year old played it off. He glanced at his newly-arrived mentor and then stared ahead at the fox he was pursuing. It was gone. Probably got scared off by the sudden appearance of the bulbous white…wait a minute…

"Why do you look like that?" Ludwig blinked, trying not to gawk at the Lord of Illusions.

He was looking more like the latter part of his title with his humanoid body. King Boo grinned impossibly wide and gestured to himself.

He asked, "Do you like it?"

"Why did change yourself?"

"Why did you?"

Ludwig flushed a bit, taken off guard, and turned away. He wasn't his normal self, that was true. Gone was his spiky shell and somewhat chunky, tortoise frame and in its place was a lean young teenager with black, greasy hair and blue eyes. He didn't quite favor the look, but he had his reasons for altering his appearance.

"It won't help your chances." King Boo spoke softly, knowingly.

Ludwig looked up from his shoes at the older being and narrowed his faux-blue eyes.

"What are you talking about?" He hated how his voice gave away a bit of his uncertainty.

He hated it even more that his godfather could sometimes see right through him. Disgruntled, he frowned and stalked ahead. This was a large forest, the biggest one in Evershade Valley. Hopefully he could get lost in them. He didn't feel like being bothered.

Focusing more on his task at hand, he pinpointed the wayward fox's location. He'd magically tagged the creature at first sight and was using that as a sort of tracking mechanism. It was a trick he picked up from the infamous League of Immortals. Well, he hadn't picked it up from them directly, but he'd heard about it.

"Looking like them won't make them accept you," King Boo was right behind him.

Ludwig flinched, mostly at those words. He stopped and rounded on the black-haired king.

"That's what you think." He snapped irritably.

King Boo tilted his head and asked, "Why don't you start your own organization?" With an eager grin he said, "You'd have a proud first member."

"As if." Ludwig scoffed. "The League's been around for generations. They're the best of the best."

King Boo smiled and said, "That's not entirely true. There are plenty of other great sorcerers."

"If they were any good, I would've heard of them," Ludwig dismissed, ending the conversation by disappearing and leaving his mentor in the woods.

Hn. Ludwig reviewed the memory with mixed feelings. He had nothing better to do. Here he sat, chained to a metal chair behind a metal table in a tiny metal room, somewhere in the League's headquarters. He had nothing but time now, however much of it, so it only made sense that he'd retreated to the confines of his mind.

I'm probably going to die, he acknowledged. It didn't frighten him so much. The only thing he feared was how much Callian would torture him before that happened. It wasn't as if he could defend himself either because he was without his normal strength and his magic. In every sense he was a helpless child. He only had his mental facilities to prepare him for the inevitable.

This would be his first funeral and he was positive he'd hate it. He was already dead on his feet because he couldn't sleep the night before. How could he after what happened the previous evening? He'd spent the whole night pacing his room and standing guard over the two girls who'd come to mean the world to him. Eri and Ari. He glanced at his bedroom door for a glimpse of the blonde and had half a mind to go and check on her.

"She's coming back," Eriana told him, coming out from the bathroom. She stood near him at the vanity and rubbed his arm, saying for his benefit, "She's coming right back."

Roy looked down at her and started to ask, "Are you—"

"I'm okay." Eriana assured him, looking like she was barely holding it together.

She'd cleaned up well. Her hair was full of diamonds and held together with a black spiraled clip. With it out of her face he saw the miniscule lines between her brows and the worried emotion swirling in her lovely dark eyes. She'd put on a bit of makeup to conceal the bags under her eyes; she'd slept worse than him. Tossing and turning and clinging to Ariadne. For once the blonde had no qualms about sharing the bed with her two friends and didn't mind when Eriana held onto her in the night. She only left the room to get dressed for the funeral.

"You need to be careful, Rex." Eriana said quietly.

Roy ignored her, leaning on the vanity dresser and staring hard into space. The tawny-skinned girl bent down to pull the straps of her black heels up onto her ankles and then pulled the hem of her black dress down over her kneecaps. She then walked up to Roy and straightened his sleeveless black shirt. She made sure it was tucked in all the way and smoothed her hands over his chest.

"A lot of people still love you, Rex." Eriana stated. "I could see it. You're not alone. You do have people on your side."

"What good is having 'em there if they can't do shit for me?" Roy scowled.

"You don't know that." Eriana protested. "They might can help."

Roy rolled his brilliant green eyes and looked away. She stroked his arms and then ran her hands up his neck and held either side of his face. Guiding his attention back towards herself she gave him a very tiny, very desperate smile.

"You can't give up hope, Rex." She pleaded. "You are the hope this nation has. You can still change things."

Roy didn't see how but he didn't say that aloud. He could see Eriana was already stressed enough. He brought his toned arms around her and held her close. So relieved he was to see Ariadne return a few seconds later in one piece.

She stopped in the doorway and blushed, feeling as if she'd walked in on something; but then, that's how she always felt with those two. She wiped her hands on her black dress and wrung her hands nervously. Roy was used to seeing her flyaway blonde hair down near her cheeks but now it was pinned haphazardly in a bun. She had to have done it herself. Her stylists may have been dead.

Roy's retainer came up behind her and nearly gave the girl a heart attack when he rapped on the door. The only difference in the portly man's sweat-inducing outfit was that it was in mourning colors now instead of bright white.

"Are you ready, Rex?" The man asked. He still had a smile for the young man: a grim one.

Roy nodded and took Eri's waist and Ari's as well—much to her discomfort and surprise—and followed behind the unwaveringly loyal assistant.

Yeah, I bet he could be a real big help, Roy thought dimly in his mind. He was starting to think his face would get fixed in a permanent scowl.

His retainer led him to the arena and Roy felt a stab of pain at the sight in the middle of the dirt coliseum. There was a temporary stage with chairs for the Elders and probably himself and in front of the stage was a casket and he just couldn't look at that right now. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth and felt Eriana lay her hand over his at her hip. Ariadne was starting to cry. It actually helped, though, because it was easier for him to be strong for her than to deal with the grief rising up inside him.

"Right up here, then." His retainer said only after they'd crossed the expanse of ground to get to the stage.

Roy didn't make eye contact with the Elders or the agents who were already up there. He just wanted to get this charade over with. He went over to where his designated seat was and found only two chairs where there should've been three. Predictably Nicky Carrow was there but Roy held Eriana even tighter.

"She can come and sit with me." The sadist smirked.

Roy glared at him and sat down next to Ariadne. He took Eri by the hand and sat her in his lap.

One of the Elders said, "That's hardly appropriate!"

"Then get her a chair!" Roy shot back, and when they didn't he said firmly, "She's staying with me."

He was stalwart and the Elders could see that, so one of them jerked their head at Nicky and made him leave. He did so but he wasn't happy about it. However, Roy did agree with them. Having Eri in his lap was neither respectful nor comfortable, so he let her have his seat. Behind the girls he stood with his arms folded. Now he was definitely ready for this to be over.

It went by quickly and, as long as he pretended not to hear or see what was going on around him, he was able to endure it. He was remarkably good at turning off his brain and just zoning out. But when Ariadne started to fidget, he brought himself back into the moment.

"What is it?" He frowned, bending down and rubbing her shoulder.

She whispered, "It's…they…" Roy didn't expect her, shy Ariadne, to abruptly stand and address the Elders.

"Yes?" One of them asked her. It would seem their disdain extended to the blonde as well.

Ariadne wrung her hands and stammered, "You…you can't bury him here."

"What?!" Roy blurted, alarmed and outraged. "You're burying him here? In the arena? Are you fucking crazy?!"

The people reminded him of their presence when they started buzzing. They were more than used to Roy's foul language since he had no filter with anyone, but this was over the top. The Elders were less than impressed and that pissed Roy off to no end. To him it was the highest form of disrespect, to bury the king where he'd be trampled underfoot by brainless, sweaty warriors day in and day out.

Ariadne glanced at Roy before telling them, "My uncle would want to be buried in the garden."

One of the Elders asked coarsely, "He's left no will so how would you know of his preferences?"

"He's my uncle, I know!" Ariadne's voice was no longer shaky. She said, "He loved his gardens so lay him to rest there." Her eyes moistened when she begged, "Please."

"Very well." The Elder acceded.

It had to be because the crowd was siding heavily with the king's niece and not because they felt any tug or pull on their heartstrings. Nonetheless Ariadne released a sagging breath of reprieve. All three of the young people were on their feet now and Roy was ready to go. That was the last straw for him. He didn't want to be here anymore.

"Come on," he said, helping Eri and Ari off the stage. "Let's get out of here."

A/N: Roy did a lot of cursing in this chapter. Sorry if that offends. He normally lets stuff slip and since things have started to get crazy he's having trouble controlling himself; like he's being pulled in multiple directions. And of course he has a pretty bad temper so I hope that explains it.

I'm gonna get back to Daisy and Luigi next chapter, and then we'll see how much luck they'll have in their upcoming mission. Do you guys think they're ready? Daisy definitely is.

I'll try to update soon for whoever's still reading. Love you guys (I know it's weird but it's true! XD)

~DG~