Chapter 9: Jeez, Don't You Knock Before Entering A Lady's Boudoir?
Another letter arrived, this time with my father requesting more information about the royal family. I described Junior with delight and each koopaling with ease, but when it came to the king himself, I wasn't sure where to begin. He was something of an enigma to me; he was harsh and brutal with his underlings, yet he was almost sweet where Junior was concerned. He often came off as overconfident and a braggart, but more than once now I had caught him in an unhappy, pensive state.
I wasn't sure which was safe to describe, because I wanted to deliver accurate information, but I wasn't clear on which side I had seen that showed the real King Bowser. I ended up being rather vague, signing off after promising I would write again when I had more information.
I knew for this venture to actually go anywhere, I was going to have to admit to what I was doing and explain the benefits of befriending the trio of kingdoms, but...so far I had tried twice to say I was a princess, to no avail. I had a feeling Bowser wouldn't really listen to anything I said until after this plan, whatever it was, came to fruition.
Said plan occupied his thoughts most days. He muttered to himself a lot, and spent hours at his desk, or consulted with his koopa troop. Whatever he was up to, he was tackling it with fiery determination. Sometimes his eyes glowed with excitement as he pictured putting all his careful scheming into affect. Not that I took any particular notice of his eyes or anything.
And then, one late afternoon, something odd happened. I had spent the morning playing games with the koopalings, then most of the afternoon with Junior, who had been left out again. I was tired and sweaty, so I went to my room, slipped out of my dress and underclothes and went into the shower.
I let the slightly cool water run down my hair and skin for a while, then rubbed lather into my scalp. My sweet maid, who was timid but eager to please, always made sure I had fresh, fragrant soap in my bathroom. I lathered a lavender-colored bar over my skin, liking how it smelled like crushed violets.
I was in the middle of rinsing off when I felt a tremor beneath my feet. In my room, I thought I heard the wall sconces rattle. A second later there was a crash as my door was flung open.
"Rosabelle, where are you?" came the king's voice. He sounded angry. And very loud.
Just the other day I had been thinking that I kind of liked how he said my name. I definitely did not like how he bellowed it.
"I'm in here," I called as I twisted off the water.
"Well, get in here," he ordered crossly.
"Just a moment," I called, turning to find a towel.
"Maybe you didn't hear me," came that roaring voice. "When I say 'get in here', I mean immediately!"
I had to wonder what he would do if I didn't listen. Rip the bathroom door off, maybe? I didn't put it past him. So, my nerves sufficiently rankled, I thought I'd do something that would make him think twice about barging into a lady's chambers barking orders in the future and did what he said. Dripping wet, I left the bathroom.
His royal-pain-in-the-buttness was surveying my room. "I like what you've done with the place," he commented in a calmer tone, his eyes on the decor.
I folded my arms. "You roared?" I said icily.
"Yeah," he grumbled, turning angry again. "I just...I..."
Finger raised and pointed at me, he paused. Mouth agape, he suddenly turned very, very red. With an odd gurgle, he slapped his clawed hands over his eyes. "Something the matter, your Highness?" I asked, in the same icy tone.
"You-you," he stammered. "You're - naked!"
"So I am. You said immediately. I didn't want to test your royal patience by taking the time to find something to cover myself with."
Sometimes I really shock myself. I knew that later I would be so embarrassed I wouldn't want to leave my room for days, but at that moment, I was too cross to care. King or not, he had no business barging into my room like this.
"Cover yourself now," he demanded, still crimson.
I tugged on my robe and folded my arms again, my hair still dripping all over the carpet. "There. Now what was it you stomped in here for? Aside from disrupting the foundation, that is."
Browser peeked at me through his fingers, then lowered his hands with a scowl. "Don't get flippant with me," he snapped. "You're in a lot of trouble."
"For what?" I cried, exasperated.
"You know what," he said darkly.
"No, I don't," I shot back. "All I've done today is play with the koopalings, Junior, and take a shower."
"And move my secret interior floor plans of Mushroom Castle."
"The what?" I cried. "Where the heck are those kept?"
"In the room where I make all my most secret of plans, of course," he responded angrily.
"And where in the world is that? Sounds like something you would need a special - nay, secret - key to open, and I don't have one."
"Don't be dumb," he groused, rolling his eyes. "Of course it opens with a secret key, and its secret location no one knows about but me and my best men is up in the secret spire that..."
He trailed off as it suddenly dawned on him. "Never mind."
For a moment we only looked at each other, him a little blankly, me glaring daggers. "If it wasn't you, then who was it?"
"Maybe the castle is haunted," I suggested sarcastically.
He snapped his fingers. "Of course! Those stinking boos! They think they're so funny, well, wait'll I..."
He left, muttering darkly to himself. I slammed the door after him, then, with a furious groan, threw myself onto my bed. Still dripping but not caring, I pressed my face into my pillow.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, I repeated mentally, over and over. Stupid, lousy, inconsiderate...
But seriously, what did I care? I knew from the start he was a little clueless. So he was just as quick to blame me when things went awry around here as any of his underlings; so what? Even if he was right - unlikely - I knew I could outwit him anytime.
And yet I continued to lie there, seething and muttering to myself. I kept telling myself I had no reason to be upset, that his opinion didn't matter to me. I didn't care that he thought I could commit such a stupid act. I didn't care what he thought, period.
Although I was a little worried he would think I was mildly insane, walking out naked like that. No, that was his fault. I wouldn't have if he hadn't made me. I did it to teach him a lesson. And I didn't care if he thought I was insane or not.
Yes, I did. I cared a lot. I cared because I wanted him to like me...because I liked him. A lot more than I was ready to admit, least of all to myself.
But what was to like, I argued with myself. He was rude, he was obnoxious, and he was bent on world domination. Although...
He was also kind to his children, like any parent. More to Junior, but he showed fatherly affection to the koopalings, too...when they weren't driving him up the wall. He had such a temper, though...but it was exactly that fiery passion I found so alluring. No one else I knew was so vibrant, so free and open with their feelings. My family was so calm, so subdued. None of them ever so much as raised their voice, let alone bellowed with such force.
That was another of my vices my parents had tried and failed to curb; shouting. I was small, so I felt I had to shout sometimes. I never let loose quite like Bowser did - I probably couldn't. I envied him for that. And admired him. I wished I could be so bold, to have such brazen disregard that I let out all that was in me, good or bad, just because I could.
I didn't dare. I was more comfortable with myself these days than I ever was, but that didn't mean I was ready to let out anything and everything I had inside. All a result of my upbringing; a princess was to be soft-spoken and guarded, to be demure and coy, never saying or doing anything that revealed too much.
Speaking of revealing too much...my word, what had I been thinking? No one had seen me naked since I was a baby, and no one was supposed to now except the man I married. And here I had exposed myself to King B in a fit of anger. I just hoped he hadn't taken a very good look.
Regardless, I felt I had to apologize for my behavior. I couldn't leave all this as it was; I had to smooth things over between us, somehow. I wasn't sure what I was going to say exactly, but I got up, dried off and dressed, then went to find his kingship.