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Chapter Sixty-One
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 in, too
With the coming of a new day came the much-anticipated signal from Daisy, something strong enough to make me roll onto my side and rub the sleep out of my eyes immediately. I touched a hand to my burning chest, a small smile growing on my face and outright grinned when I pulled out the mirror and saw Daisy waiting for me.
"Luigi!" She beamed and sang happily.
"Hey," I smiled back, blinking.
It wasn't nearly as dark out as it was last night, but the sun hadn't risen yet. I could see that through the flap of my tent. I looked around briefly and grabbed my water container and a spare shirt from my backpack.
"Hold on," I told Daisy, setting the mirror down, then picking it up and asking hurriedly, "Are you in a rush?"
"No, nobody's up yet." Daisy continued to smile.
"Oh, okay. Good."
I set the mirror on my foldable cot and wet the tip of the shirt I had with water. I used it to wipe my face clean because, looking at the mirror, I'd seen that Daisy had already freshened herself up. I didn't want to talk to her with crust in my eyes or drool on my face.
Ugh, that would be the worst, I thought, forgetting for a second all the bigger concerns in our situation.
I recalled that we were on a time crunch and scooped up the mirror from my cot. I ducked under the flap of my tent and walked around in my uniform and shoes from last night, glancing at the rest of the camp. Some of my troops were up and on guard and they waved over to me. I smiled and waved back, then walked off to the side where it was just me and the sand for miles.
"Hey," I grinned when I returned to the mirror and found my girl waiting for me.
Daisy smiled beautifully and said, "hey sweetie. You slept well?"
"I slept," I shrugged. "What about you?"
Daisy frowned a little and said, "Eh, it was an okay night. I kept waking up, tossing and turning and sweating. The nightmares came back. And every time I heard a noise I was just on high alert." She looked down and said, "my hand is still red from squeezing that knife so hard."
"What?"
She sleeps with a knife? How efficient…but sad, I felt bad for her.
Daisy just cut subjects and asked, "Have you heard from Peasley?"
"Yeah, yesterday." I admitted. "He didn't have any news this time. He's getting even less rest than both of us."
Empathy etched onto the girl's features as she hummed, "Mm, that's not good, but we're in a stressful situation, to be honest." Daisy glanced behind her and then smiled to me. "I'm just glad to be talking to you again, Luigi. I love you."
"I love you, too," I told her automatically, genuinely. "What are you doing today?"
"I don't know." Daisy admitted. "I have to see what the snake's plans are. So far, like I said, everybody's still asleep."
She glanced down again and I knew she was looking at something. Call it intuition, but I had a feeling it was her blade she was looking at.
And call me crazy, but I think I know what's on her mind, I dreaded.
"Daisy," I warned softly. "Don't."
"I won't." She told me, still looking down. Her mouth said don't but those fierce light eyes were as sharp as the unseen blade in her hand.
Honestly, I was surprised she didn't try anything last night. Especially after witnessing firsthand how Bowser bullied that king into signing over his country.
"Let's pull for Peasley getting those stakes soon." I advised.
Daisy nodded. She then looked back up at me. She was so heart-stoppingly gorgeous. It made me ache inside not to be able to hold her or stroke her cheek or especially kiss her right now.
Daisy jumped when she and I—faintly on my end—heard someone banging at a door. I was in the desert, I knew that was coming from her side. She rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Alright, Luigi, I better go." She pushed two fingertips to her soft, ruby lips and held them out to me and said, "I love you, baby."
This time I knew she would leave before I had a chance to say the same.
Daisy was on the balcony, amazed at how tranquil the morning had started out. That was what prompted her to page Luigi. It was so quiet and serene, she felt a moment of peace and privacy. With the light breeze cooling her and the still air surrounding her she'd stood and cleared her mind of all of last night's anxieties and then had called Luigi and was so happy to hear from him.
My ray of light, she thought with a wistful smile.
There was that banging again.
She frowned. That's right, the morning was ruined and her talk was cut short thanks to somebody banging on her door and she knew exactly who it was. Scowling like the man on the other side of the door, Daisy left the balcony and headed over to answer it.
Before he breaks it down, she mentally scoffed.
She turned the knob and opened the entrance a crack and lifted a brow cheekily.
"Can I help you?" She asked. "Or did you come to settle a score with this door?"
Callian told her, "You're lucky I didn't tear it down."
"What do you want?" Daisy sighed.
"It's time." He stated with his disgust not even hidden. "You need to come and cook for the Dark King." His anger was directed at both her and the currently sleeping redhead.
Daisy rolled her eyes and said, "I'm not—"
"Don't be difficult, girl, I don't have the patience." Callian cut in so stiffly and swiftly she was inclined to listen.
He is a lot madder than usual, Daisy observed, rubbing her arms.
"Fine." She capitulated. "Can you get out now so I can get dressed?"
Callian stepped back and let his magic slam the door for him. She grimaced.
Ass, she thought of the Dark King. So he wants me to cook for him? Alright. That's fine. I'll show his ass.
Daisy went to the bed and kept the same baggy black pants on and swapped her tank top for a white shirt with short sleeves. She let her wavy hair remain down and unkempt and cringed; this wasn't a very regal look, but again, she didn't want to give the snake any idea that she was trying to impress him. She did run a comb through her hair, though, and she strapped her blades on her as usual. Onto her feet she tied her combat boots and went to the bathroom; was it strange that she talked to her reflection?
She looked at herself in the mirror and inhaled deeply, then slowly released the breath.
"You got this," She told herself. "Just go along with this shit and don't let him get to you."
'Him' referred to both Bowser and Callian at this point. She was quickly starting to loathe the latter, though not nearly as much as the snake himself.
Daisy headed out of the room then and shut the door behind her. She walked down the still-quiet hall and saw that Callian was nowhere to be found.
Good, she thought, he's probably in the kitchen.
That was true. He stood there in the kitchen with his arms crossed and a glare for her that was previously resting on the open ingredients on the palace's stove top. Daisy was hit with nostalgia when she sat the fresh meat on the cutting board and the same seasonings and items that she'd worked with before ready for her.
Damn, he must really want this steak, she frowned, he got everything down to the last detail.
She didn't know how he'd managed that but figured, with the League at his disposal, the spoiled tyrant could accomplish a lot. Daisy walked slowly over to Callian, taking an apron off a hook on the wall and strapping it around her waist.
"Get a move on," Callian barked.
She stopped short and lifted a brow. The girl let a silence pass between them before scoffing.
"I'm not one of your little peons," She told him. "So don't talk to me like that."
Callian told her, "Just cook the damn food, woman."
Daisy shook her head, smiling at what was on her mind in regards to the 'neanderthal'. She went to the faucet, washed her hands, and got started. Like Callian, she didn't want to prolong this process.
While she worked, he leaned on one of the counters, staring at her. She ignored him at first, but she got annoyed real fast.
"I can write it down for you if you want the recipe," She quipped sweetly, bending down to put the meat in the oven.
Callian didn't blink or acknowledge her sass. In his mind he thought there must surely be no end to it; the girl was a smart-aleck.
"Why are you even with him?" She asked, putting a hand on her hip. She said, "You're the Leader of the League of Immortal Sorcerers, you're powerful enough on your own. Why don't you just—"
"Stop it." Callian interjected. "I'm immune to your wiles, woman so don't waste your breath."
Daisy bristled and muttered, "You're just like your brother; a total jerk."
Callian wasn't surprised she'd met Nikolai. He got around, being the better hunter and all.
Daisy delved back into the engaging task of making a meal and it calmed her. She longed to cook for the two boys in her locket or her fiancé, not her tormentor, though. Out of habit, after she'd slid the steak onto a plate, she looked around for wine. Of course there was some. She grabbed a glass from the cupboards and poured it full. Three times she'd stopped, looked over at Callian, and thought about spitting in the drink. Three times she'd stopped herself.
"There. It's done." She announced, setting the glass and plate on the counter.
Callian went over to the meal, his eyes narrowed at her as he inspected it. He passed his hand over the plate and glass, examining their contents, and nodded to himself.
"Serve him."
"Bite me."
Callian looked at her, confused, and thought, vulgar tramp.
"Take it to him," he ordered. "Or will I have to commandeer the use of your arms and legs and make you do it?"
"Bastard." Daisy grumbled under her breath, obeying the sorcerer of her own volition.
She walked with an amount of grace instead of with an attitude like how she wanted to and, to her dismay, she got to the dining room and saw the Dark King. He was up now, reclining in his chair at the head of the table with his arms folded and his legs spread open.
How much trouble will I be in if I dump this on his head?
The girl smirked and then caught Callian's expression and saw how it darkened; he'd picked up on that thought and that look answered her question. She let her smirk die down and strode over to Bowser.
"Here's your damn food." She mumbled and dropped the plate and glass down.
Callian narrowed his eyes and some of the wine spilled and the meat slid to the side, but other than that, nothing happened. Bowser didn't seem to mind her bad attitude. He just started eating.
Daisy went back into the kitchen and went to find herself something to eat.
It was a big kitchen and without the staff to guide her, she had to root around to see where everything was. She found bread and jam and fruit and made herself a nice little breakfast.
While she spread the red, sweet jam on the bread she wondered, what's Luigi eating?
Army food, she knew. It was an injustice that brought a little frown to her face; she wished she could bring him some of the fresh food she was about to eat but, since that was impossible right then, she put the thought from her mind. Back out to the dining room she walked, headed to the table with her food and a glass of water she'd gotten out of the faucet.
Bowser wasn't alone now. Callian was sitting at his right but not eating, nor was his son who had his head tipped back over the back of his chair. Across the table was Roy with those two girls sitting next to each other; neither wanted Roy's spot at the Dark King's left. Roy looked very tired and quiet.
"Where'd you get that, yo?" He asked his father, his stomach aching at the sight of the much better smelling food than what he'd been eating lately.
Bowser looked over at Daisy, who was very close to sitting down next to Munson. When she saw those jade eyes lock onto hers and saw the smug smirk unfold around the fork in his mouth, she lost her apetite. No, she had an appetite, alright; an appetite for vicious homicide involving that very same fork shoved through the snake's windpipe.
"I'm going to my room." She stated tersely.
Callian made good on his threat from before and she lost the use of her limbs: she stood there frozen. Throwing a glare his way, Daisy fumed.
"Let me go." She demanded.
"You take your meals with everyone else," Callian said firmly.
"Whatever, just let me go!" She snapped.
He did and she tightened her grip on her plate, then sat down.
"Cal, switch seats with her."
Neither Callian nor Daisy wanted that, but a few looks got passed between Bowser and his ally, and the sorcerer reluctantly agreed. Rather than be subjected to his brand of coercion again, Daisy just went along with this and sat at Bowser's right. She scooted her chair as close to Munson as she could. The young man didn't seem to mind. He was mentally elsewhere.
Just ignore him, Daisy coaxed herself, looking only at her food and eating it monotonously.
That was hard to do when she could feel his eyes on her as they both ate. It was so unnerving, she could feel him staring hard at her, stripping her of her calm confidence as the seconds wore on.
She vaguely noticed Roy and those girls get up to get themselves something to eat and then they left en masse a little while later. Munson held the record for not moving in the span of several minutes. What Callian was doing was a mystery to her because the Dark King's staring was beginning to be too much for her.
Daisy kicked him under the table but that backfired; he hooked his leg around hers and moved his hand to her knee.
"I'm done—"
"Wait," Bowser grabbed her arm.
She'd stood and now looked down at their joined limbs like his hand was bile encrusted and riddled with festering sores.
"I wanna' talk to you." Bowser claimed.
Daisy pulled her arm away and asked, "About what? Your plans to bully every kingdom into submission?"
"Not yours." Bowser murmured. "With yours, there could be an alliance."
"Not a fucking chance." Daisy hissed with so much vitriol and hatred it made her stomach clench.
Bowser looked up at her, accepting her words not for what they were but as a challenge. He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head.
"You outdid yourself," he praised her quietly, talking about the snake now.
Daisy asked, "When are we leaving again?"
Callian stood and approached her and said, "Anything that pertains to you will be told to you."
"I wasn't talking to you!" Daisy rounded on him and spat.
Callian had it with her. He smirked in perverse pleasure when the girl hissed, startled; from a distance he bent and mangled her fingers.
"Callian." Bowser warned.
In a flash the girl's digits were restored and the agonizing pain but a memory. She trembled, both at the suddenness and graphicness of what the sorcerer had done to her. Daisy glowered at him with a mix of hate and fear and rubbed her shaking hands.
That's it, she thought, there's gotta' be a way I can stick it to this bastard without jeopardizing the mission.
This was the worst pain she'd ever felt; this was worse than when her older brother forced her to train until she puked and her arms and legs felt like limp noodles. This pain kept her in bed all day and in tears all night. This pain was never-ending, debilitating; it struck right down to the heart. She'd never known she could feel this miserable.
Not since I was in the palace and couldn't go anywhere, Wendy recalled, knowing that pain also had in common with this one a cause; Munson. She missed him before, but now it was so much worse. So, so much worse.
At least I had hope last time, the girl thought. She'd known that running away was an option. Getting away from her controlling older brother was and had been an option that she'd taken and while she was free with Munson in Maine, she'd never been happier.
I wish I wouldn't have take that time for granted, the young girl lamented. She wished she could go back to the restaurant and the bowling alley and live in those moments forever. Life was almost perfect. She had her boyfriend, a great house on the beach, no worries or responsibilities…she really was free. Eloping with Munson gave her a taste of a life of peace and carelessness and now she felt empty and lonely.
And now I don't know if I'll ever see him again, she felt tears coming. I didn't even get to say goodbye.
That boy wasn't perfect, but he made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. He made her feel like she could be herself, whoever that was, and not be ashamed. She didn't think she'd ever find someone like him again. She missed him so terribly now, even the little things about him, like the way he called her, 'beauty' and the way he held her hand in public. She used to hate that, but what she wouldn't give now to see him again!
Was Ludwig even telling the truth? Is Munson okay or did he get hurt?
These things plagued her. She couldn't eat lately and it was starting to affect the others in the palace. Larry worried for her and MJ probably would if he were ever around, but the ones who actually reached out to her were the ones who were often overlooked. Wendy recalled how, a few days ago, the two little boys had come into her room asking for something to eat. She planned on ignoring them, but she didn't, and since then she'd drowned out her misery with the familiar task of babysitting. She occupied her time with Junior and Lemmy, cooking for them and playing with them and completely putting out of her mind the boy with the soft smile and sea-colored eyes.
"Wendy," her name was called.
Wendy looked over at Lemmy and asked, "Yes?"
"I think they're finished." He told his sister, pointing to the oven.
Wendy looked behind her at the stove. This palace was a mix of the palace in the Badlands and the bunker; it was ancient in some aspects, like the layout and architecture, but some of the furniture and appliances were more modern. The stove was one example. Wendy wiped her hands on her yellow apron and grabbed a dish towel to pull down the door and remove a pan of cookies. They smelled great and Lemmy was right, they were done.
The fifteen year old set the pan on an island counter and then whirled around in search of a spatula to remove the baked goods. She kept herself busy like this. To the children, especially Junior, she was incredible.
In his little jade eyes, she was a foreign but much appreciated marvel. The girl was bigger than him, but she wasn't cruel to him like Roy or MJ or, sometimes unintentionally so, Larry. She was kind. She played with him, cooked for him, held his hand, gave him hugs, spoke to him in a very soft and caring voice and just doted on him and Lemmy like a mother hen. She didn't know it, but the boy's attachment was quickly moving from his father to her.
"Wendy," Junior spoke, swinging his legs at the table, "How come you cry sometimes?"
Neither Lemmy nor Junior breached the subject before. There was an unspoken boundary even the youngest ones seemed to respect, but Junior was too confused not to speak on it.
The girl stiffened, staring ahead and feeling like a fist was gripping her heart at the mention of her grief. She swallowed hard and blinked rapidly and shrugged. That didn't satisfy the five year old at all.
Wendy scooped the cookies onto a clean plate, dropped the spatula and pan into the sink, and untied her apron, draping it over the island. She picked up the plate and brought it to the table, then sat across from the two boys. This table was small, only meant for about four to six people. She watched the two children dig into the cookies and tried to focus on them and not anything else.
Lemmy watched his big sister as he ate. He frowned. To him, she was so pretty, smart, and nice. He didn't see why she was so sad. Neither did Junior as she observed the teenager bow her head and fiddle with her painted pink nails. She then toyed with the end of her blonde ponytail and her sky blue eyes glazed over; she was in thought.
"Wendy," Junior spoke, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "how come you're so sad?"
Wendy sighed and shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it, especially not with a little kid.
Junior frowned and asked, "Why you won't tell me?"
"You're too little to understand," Wendy told him gently, looking down.
She looked up and saw the boy pouting and nonverbally expressing the contrary with his put-out look. Wendy smiled faintly, sadly.
She humored him by saying, "Have you ever missed someone, Junior?"
While he nodded emphatically, Lemmy did as well.
The older boy said, "B-Jun always gets sad when he misses his daddy, huh B-Jun?"
Junior nodded, his red hair ruffling. He claimed, "I was sad, too, and I was crying and um, I was so sad about that but I'm not even much sad no more because you been so good and fun to me."
Wendy smiled again.
After a little while she took the two boys outside to the courtyard with the intention of letting the play but that got put on hold when she saw someone there already, someone she didn't know.
Wendy held the boys by the hand behind her protectively and frowned at the stranger. Strangers. There were four or five of them, all looking around and heading towards the palace. They were grown men and they didn't look friendly.
"Hey!" She called, halting them. "What are you doing?"
"Out of the way, girl," one of them called back, still striding forward. "This doesn't concern you."
"You're not coming in here," Wendy blocked the doors to the courtyard. "Not unless you tell me who you are or what you're doing here."
The one guiding the crew approached her and she pushed Junior and Lemmy back even further so that the three of them were indoors. She tried to shut the entrance but one of the strangers grabbed the handle.
Wendy was pushed aside and protested, "Hey! Get out! You can't just barge in here!"
"Shut her up, will you?" One of the men called over his shoulder as he violated the palace with his presence.
The others followed him but one of them turned and cast a spell over the girl, rendering her mute. That was nothing Wendy couldn't handle. Ludwig showed her many things.
While the men headed for the kitchen, slamming open doors and using their magic to search the place and rifle through things along the way, Wendy got frustrated.
Who are these people? They just came out of nowhere!
She rushed on their heels and grabbed one of the men's arm. He reared back and slapped her and knocked her down. Wendy blinked and was now about to cry for a whole new reason.
"Don't hit her!" Lemmy shouted, outraged.
He, too, charged for the men and Wendy looked on, horrified, as one of them picked Lemmy up by the back of his shirt. She clambered to her feet and ran over.
"Put him down!" She shouted, forgetting her stinging cheek.
The man tossed Lemmy aside and he didn't hit the floor too gently. Angry, the girl shoved the man and got hit again, harder this time.
"What's going on?"
Larry heard noises and shouting and came to investigate. Probably because they were fed up with Wendy and Lemmy, one of the men extended his hand towards Larry and clipped the boy with some kind of magical projectile. Athletic as he was, Larry was able to dodge this.
"Stop it!" Wendy shouted, going over towards her brothers.
She righted Lemmy and patted him down for injuries, then went over to Larry, who was rotating his shoulder but otherwise fine. She then turned around and saw the strangers were gone.
The men were moving towards the stairs. In the front room they flipped the couch and knocked over the bookshelf, making all the books and other things come tumbling down. Wendy was confused and angry with the rude intruders.
"Why are you doing this?" She demanded.
They ignored her.
She turned to her brothers and said, "Stay here." Then she went bounding up the stairs after the men.
She asked, "What are you even looking for?"
One of them rounded on her and asked, "Why, you wanna' help us out?"
"Maybe she can," One of them suggested with a smirk, then approached the girl.
This one gripped Wendy by the crown of her head and she cried out at the burning, searing pain of having someone else in her head, ransacking her memories as recklessly as they did the palace. She saw things being forced to the forefront; mainly anything involving Ludwig. The man saw her last encounter with her older brother here at the palace and released her.
Wendy shuddered and latched onto the banister with both hands, dizzy and feeling like her scalp was on fire.
"Where is he?" The man demanded callously.
"Leave her alone!" Larry shouted, standing at the bottom of the stairs with his fists balled.
"Larry, no!" Wendy called, holding onto the railing and watching her brother come flying up the stairs in her defense.
"Stupid brats," one of the men sneered, flicking his hand and sending her little brother toppling back down the steps.
Larry's arm was probably broken. He lay on his side on the floor and groaned like he was about to cry. Wendy tried to go to her brother but another of the men grabbed her arm and stopped her.
He said, "So Ludwig's your brother, huh? Tell us where he is and we won't kill the lot of you."
"Why do you want to know?" She frowned, bewildered.
The man told her, "I'll ask the questions, little girl."
Wendy clawed at his hand and stopped. She tensed because those markings, those markings made something click in her mind and her baby blue eyes went wide.
She looked at the man and whispered, "You're…you're with the League Munson was talking about." Her heart raced as she asked, "Where's Munson?! Is he alive? Is he okay?"
The men exchanged glances and muttered between themselves.
The one that had her bound asked suspiciously, "How do you know Munson?"
"He's my…" Wendy was getting too excited and nearly forgot who she was talking to.
She was intent to keep silent but the man raised a hand to her head again. She knew what was coming and jerked away and the struggle for freedom led to her also falling down the stairs. She wasn't hurt though. She scrambled backwards like a crab as the men hurried down the stairs after her.
"Where's Ludwig?" one of them asked again.
She cried, "I don't know, don't touch me!"
Larry rose bravely next to his sister, weak arm and all, and a League member scowled at him and raised his hand.
"NO!" Wendy shouted, thrusting out both hands.
Purely on emotion and instinct she relied, willing her body and her magic to come to her and her brother's aid. It got very, very quiet. She was frozen, Larry was, too. Her brother's mouth dropped open and he glanced at his sister nervously.
"…Wendy?" He whispered, unsure of what he was seeing.
She didn't respond. Time seemed frozen just like her and the League members. By the blood she gripped them, her fingers curled and her will strong as iron as she solidified every drop of life source inside of them. They went rigid, and she held them that way, her rage sustaining her. She was so mad at them for attacking her brothers and for taking away the boy she was in love with. She blamed them and she wanted to hurt them, but as soon as she realized what she was doing, she lost her nerve and the men slumped to the ground.
Shaking, Wendy collapsed and felt exhausted. Larry came over to her and wrapped his good arm around her shoulder.
"Wendy," He murmured, frightened.
She trembled and looked at her hands. She was about to have a panic attack. She couldn't get her hands to stop shaking.
"I killed them." She whispered, terrified. "I…I killed…"
Larry then looked ten times more afraid and cried, "No you didn't, look! They're getting up!"
The technique she said she would never do, she'd done but it wasn't enough to kill the sorcerers. She didn't know how she felt about that, but she did know she didn't have the strength to run or move out of their way, not when she felt like vomiting. Just as scared as she was, Larry cowered next to her with his broken arm and watched the approaching sorcerers. They were beyond pissed off.
They're gonna' kill us, Wendy thought, and started to cry.
No, they couldn't kill them, not when they were on fire.
Where he'd come from, that was something only Lemmy knew since he and Bowser Junior were waiting like Wendy told them to near the living room. But after the five year old heard the older girl's cries, he'd disobeyed her with Lemmy on his trail. It'd taken a moment for Junior to realize what was going on, young but keen as he was, and his father's training took over. He'd spread his feet, stretched out his arms, and rained fire down on the sorcerers.
Wendy's eyes widened again and Larry's too. Being adept sorcerers, the League members extinguished the flames quickly and turned to this new opponent, but unlike last time, they hesitated.
Not all of them. One snarled, "Little bastard!" and he advanced but the other members held him back.
"That's the Dark King's kid." One member said, gazing down at the suddenly soulless jade eyes of the little child.
Junior was still on the offensive, poised for another attack with a deadly calm air about his posture and demeanor.
The belligerent member gestured to Wendy and Larry and said, "They're his kids, too, like Ludwig and you were about to do 'em in!"
"Nah, it ain't the same." The other member explained. "This one's his heir."
"So what?" The bitter member exclaimed.
The other member retorted, "So do you want to be the one to answer to Callian when he comes asking why the League's alliance with the Dark King's been dissolved?"
The belligerent member looked absolutely opposed to backing down but he did so, but asked, "What about the punk? We're supposed to find him."
"She doesn't know where he is." The member who'd assaulted Wendy's mind said. "Let's get the hell out of here. We're wasting time."
The belligerent member glared at them all, even his fellow members, and was the first to vanish. The rest of the members followed suit and Wendy broke down and cried.
Junior relaxed, dropping his arms and letting that mask slide from his face as he stared over at the crying girl. Lemmy found it safe to approach his friend again and the two of them went over to Wendy. Larry was subdued, unsure of what to make of Wendy and Junior's display of power.
"…Don't cry please," Junior implored her, his expression going from calm to concerned. He knelt near Wendy's other side and Lemmy joined him.
"You don't have to cry no more," Junior tried to soothe the older girl by rubbing her shoulder and petting her hair. He said earnestly, "I made them go away, okay?"
Wendy wiped her face and gazed at him. She cupped his cheek and kissed his forehead.
"That's right, you were very brave." She told him shakily. "Are you okay?"
Junior nodded. She asked the same of Lemmy and he, too, nodded. Then Wendy turned to Larry and winced.
"Lemmy," She instructed, "Go get me a bowl of water."
The boy nodded and went to fetch the water. Junior sat on his knees next to Wendy and watched as she gently prodded at Larry's weak arm, trying to gauge the extent of his injury. He would flinch and whimper when she hit a tender spot and it made her heart hurt.
"What's happening, Wen?" Larry asked timidly. "Why did those guys attack us? Why were they looking for Ludwig?"
"I don't know, baby." Wendy replied. "But it's gonna be okay. Just be still."
Lemmy came back sloshing water out of the bowl and Wendy thanked him for his help. She calmed herself down enough to draw on the last of her strength in order to heal her brother.
"Alright." She wiped her brow and her face when she was done. "How does that feel?"
"Good," Larry answered, flexing his arm. He looked up at his sister, scared, and asked, "What do we do now?"
Wendy looked at him, then at Lemmy and Junior. She was unnerved and impressed with Junior's protective stunt, but she didn't want to count on his abilities and his status as his father's heir for protection.
What if these guys come back? We can't stay here, she deduced.
Wendy stood and said, "We have to leave. As soon as I get my strength back, we're getting out of here."
Lemmy and Junior exchanged a look.
Larry stood, too and asked, "Where are we going?"
"…I don't know." The girl admitted, "But we cannot stay here."
"What about MJ?" Larry asked quietly.
Wendy chewed her lip and said, "...I'll leave him a note. If he even comes back."
He's strong like Roy, she reasoned, he can defend himself. With or without him, we've got to get out of here.
A/N: Thanks for reading everyone.
As you can see, Callian is still looking for Ludwig, and the League knows a lot more about Ludwig so they are getting better at tracking him. In death Ludwig's magic over the palace dissolved, and when he was brought back the wards were reinstated but they're not as powerful as they were before so the League could get past them with relative ease.
Wendy and the others did fight somewhat, but they didn't showcase everything they learned because they kind of froze up. They're not used to people trying to kill them like Ludwig is. Even Roy and MJ would fare better because they came into contact with that kind of hostility, too. But Wendy hasn't faced that and neither has Larry so this was a shock for them. Lemmy and Junior have been around Bowser, so even they handled it a little better.
If there's inconsistencies, please let me know so I can rectify them. Thanks again for reading!
~DymondGold~