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Chapter 8 - First step

That night, Cinder could not sleep. Lying on her back in her little basket, she had stared at the ceiling for a long time, Junior's soft snores echoing in the room reassuring her that he was sleeping deeply. It was like a pressure in the middle of her chest that prevented her from relaxing and getting a good night's sleep. She didn't know where it was coming from, but as she gently ran her thumb over her pocket watch, she finally straightened up in bed to cross her arms. The room was dark, but the moon's rays that struggled through the dark clouds illuminated the wooden door in front of her in a halo of light. The castle was back in the air after only two hours of docking in the lands of Beanbean.

With an inaudible sigh, Cinder decided to get up and go to the kitchen to get a glass of fresh water. It was so hot in this place that she felt like she was going to melt! It was certainly not as stifling as the prison cage, but enough to allow her to sleep without her blanket. Slowly and stealthily, she slalomed between the toys that lined the floor to reach the door without waking up Bowser Junior sleeping soundly. Luckily he was a heavy sleeper, so she could easily open the door with a soft squeak and close it behind her. Waiting for a moment in front of the door to make sure there was no noise on the other side, Cinder noticed that the guards were not at their post. Strange. Alone in the large hallway lit by the candlesticks, she picked up the bottom of her white nightgown, which looked more like a rag, and crossed the hallway discreetly.

Her feet sank into the soft red carpet as she walked calmly toward the kitchen on the first floor. On tiptoe, she chose not to wear shoes to avoid being noticed as much as possible. She hoped she wouldn't run into anyone! Being Junior's full-time servant, she wasn't supposed to be walking around without his presence. Turning the corner to reach the large stairs where the light was brighter, the girl on the run suddenly stopped in her tracks when she heard sounds. It sounded more like plaintive moaning... As if someone was suffering. Intrigued by these moans of pain, Cinder dropped the bottom of her dress and walked towards the origin of the noise which was getting louder as she walked down the West wind corridor.

"Stop shaking and finish the job!" Grumbled a big voice belonging to the terrible King of the Koopas.

"But I am trying! I'm not good with this kind of thing..." Lamented a second voice, that of the blue-robed wizard named Kamek.

Cinder stopped in her tracks with a frown of disbelief. What was happening? Continuing her investigations despite her mind telling her to turn back, she walked along the wall when she saw that one of the doors on her right was wide open. On the floor, a source of light was twirling. A fire? She moved forward to the doorway to see that indeed a fire was burning and that the mighty Koopa was sitting in a green chair on the left side. Turned in profile, his massive arms were resting on the armrests of his seat while Kamek stood on a step to reach a nasty wound on his shoulder. The Magikoopa was struggling to heal the latter due to his fingers still aching from Bowser's recent outburst.

"Use your magic to heal that!" Annoyed the big turtle who was losing patience with Kamek's inability to do a simple healing that amounted to stitching up the wound. It was not however very complicated to use a needle and thread! He will be fist of frustration at his answer.

"I can teleport, transform objects into fearsome creatures, summon powerful attacks, but I don't know any healing spells. It's not my field." Kamek reported with a grimace as the King's expression became downright frightening. It was now only a matter of seconds before he was flying across the room for his incompetence... If only his stupid fingers weren't shaking so much! Frustrated with himself, the bespectacled magician held his breath to focus on his hands and the small needle, his tongue protruding from his muzzle.

Despite her instinct tell her to leave, Cinder couldn't ignore this little tug that led her to act to help the struggling Koopa. After all, this Kamek didn't seem that bad... Maybe just a little sneaky and a little creepy, but not bad at all. Hesitantly, she stayed hidden against the wall at the doorway so she could take a look at the rest of the room, which strongly resembled a place to relax with a coffee table and another bookcase. How many were there in this huge castle? Cinder wondered. Despite the king's complaints and Kamek's excuses, which came in a loop every time he made a mistake, she found it very comfortable. She was torn between offering to help or leaving here right away before being noticed.

She finally decided to leave because she didn't want to incur Bowser's wrath.

Turning on her heels to resume her path, Cinder stopped after three steps when she heard a hiss of pain quickly followed by another excuse. Obviously, Kamek was really clumsy! Which was rather understandable considering the catastrophic state of his fingers... He could not help it, which decided Cinder to act for the good cause. Even if she might strongly regret it. She took her courage in both hands then while holding her breath, she returned to the door to enter the room this time. But her air of determination instantly faltered as the tall, menacing Koopa looked at her with a frown. Without turning his head in her direction, he thundered the following with disgust.

"Enjoying the show?! I imagine that seeing your King suffer gives you immense satisfaction! I see it in your eyes, I know that look. It must give you so much pleasure to see me in pain, unable to keep order in my own castle... Enjoy it because it won't last." He predicts between his teeth. Feeling humiliated by his weakness, Bowser was however very surprised to see the little songbird bursting into the room like that. In her white pajama dress, her hair untidy.

"You shouldn't be here!" Kamek exclaimed, nearly falling backwards onto his step when he saw his Master's new distraction.

But Cinder did not lose her courage. Moving to the stepladder high enough to reach the Koopa's shoulder, she climbed it to stand next to Kamek and take the needle from his hands. Without saying anything or doing anything, the perplexed Magikoopa let her take the thread off his hands to take over. He did not know if it was courage or unconsciousness, but he was very grateful to her because at least it was not him who was going to take a beating if the work was badly done. He hesitated but eventually went downstairs to watch Cinder's movements from a distance, preparing his wand just in case she tried to harm his King. Frowning behind his thick glasses, Kamek kept his eyes on the human as she prepared her needle. Surprisingly, Bowser didn't grumble about this impromptu exchange. He didn't blow her off, nor did he roar at her when she bent over to start the job.

It was, to say the least, an unprecedented reaction explained by his momentary weakness.

"Believe it or not, but I care about all living things." She finally answered him just before making her first move.

Cinder cautiously placed her hand next to the wound to find that his skin was really warm to the touch. Rough because of the scales, but incredibly hot. Glancing around to make sure the turtle wasn't going to spit a jet of flame at her, she began the work of stitching the wound. Each time the needle entered his thick skin, Bowser did not grimace in pain. Not a grin, nothing at all. It seemed he was used to this kind of thing with all those fights that had forged him over time to become so tough and insensitive to pain. Taking care not to hurt him, she allowed herself occasional glances at Bowser's intimidating appearance. He had multiple wounds on his body, especially on the lower part of his face where she could see scars.

"You're ... pretty banged up." Cinder pointed out the obvious with a frown as she busied herself on her task to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Not as much as my enemies. They thought they had me, but they took a beating they won't soon forget! They'll think twice before they come back to face me. I'll spread fear and break their bones!" Bowser replied firmly while clenching his other fist, Kamek's intervention disillusioning him.

"If you don't mind me saying, they took us by surprise when we thought we were going to pull a fast one... They were one turn ahead of us. Just as I predicted." Raising his finger after speaking, the Magikoopa cowered at his leader's reproving look.

"That Mario... He pays nothing to wait! I will have my revenge and on that day, I will crush his brother in front of him! Let him see the extent of my fury!" Bowser exclaimed with a growl at the memory of his last battle that ended badly. Once again, Mario and his gang had succeeded in pushing him back and making a fool of him in front of the princess... But next time, it will be the right time! He resumed in a less biting tone while rubbing his eyes in weariness with his free hand.

"Why are humans so complex! What more does she need than a ring, flowers and a sacrifice to celebrate our wedding? A spectacular proposal and bam, happy wedding for everyone, we move on! So why does she keep rejecting my advances? I open my heart to her! I tell her my feelings ... Why bother with a lot of useless stuff when you can get right to the point?" He questioned with a small shrug of shoulders that forced Cinder to raise his needle not to do anything stupid.

"Maybe you're doing it wrong?" She answered unconsciously, quickly realizing that it was perhaps not the best thing to say. Oh the dumpling. Swallowing, she saw the skeptical look on Bowser's face as he watched her out of the corner of his eye, so she quickly made up for it; "I mean, everyone is different. Some people need a little more time to get to know their fellow man and that sometimes you just need to rethink your approach."

"Ohhh ..." Gawked Kamek as if he had just had a revelation.

This not-so-nonsensical thought made Bowser leave his thoughts about Peach and Mario and take a closer look at the human who was taking care of him. It was strange to think that someone else besides Kamek was taking care of him... He wasn't used to this female presence. The princess would never have dared to approach him like that, let alone care for him. She had never wanted to be near him, no matter what the situation. The little hands of the human his son had named Cinder were cold on his burning skin. They worked quickly but well because he felt no pain as he had with Kamek earlier. When she bent down to examine her work, her glowing hair brushed his arm, tickling him. Discreetly, Bowser examined the girl's appearance as she remained absorbed in her needlework, a slight frown creasing her features.

"Why waste time when you can get what you deserve right now! Take it by force and crush anyone who gets in the way. That's the only thing that works! The rest is superfluous and pure fantasy. I don't need her love nor her consent to live my idyll!" He went on wearily, still looking at Cinder out of the corner of a small annoyed eye. This one sighed then raised her eyes to make an eye contact with the ferocious however weakened turtle. Once again, he was struck by the beauty of her soft green eyes.

"I'm more for peace. And contrary to what you think, love is important." She answered simply, her hands lingering on the skin of the warlike reptile. She didn't particularly want to debate on a subject she didn't know, but it wasn't easy to remain impartial in front of such an unpleasant speech... Especially after what Junior had told her about the numerous kidnappings of the princess to force her to become his wife.

"You're for a noble cause, yes, I should have known better..." Bowser sneered, looking up at the ceiling with a small shake of his head. Pathetic, that was all.

"I'd rather do that than spread terror." Cinder asserted confidently as she used her teeth to cut the wire. She hadn't liked his mocking tone, or that mischievous little smile. It was hurting her in a way... But she still believed it was just an image.

"It's over." She declared flatly before beginning her descent to join Kamek on the ground.

"That's a good job! A quick wipe down, and you'll be good as new! Ready to take over the reins and conquer the world." Delighted, the wizard offered a smile to Bowser as he rolled his aching shoulder to test the strength of the threads. Indeed, it was a remarkable job, but he certainly wasn't going to congratulate her.

No way.

Cinder couldn't help but smile with satisfaction at her work. Not only had she saved Kamek from his wrath but she had also done a great service. To the King of the Koopas... The most feared being in the universe, known for his greed and wickedness. Her smile faded as she stared at Bowser with an indescribable feeling. She tried to decipher him, but he was so hard to read. He was hiding. Somehow she hoped that in return for her help, he wouldn't roast her as soon as the opportunity arose... Because she didn't particularly want to die in such a horrible and cruel way. Just as she was about to leave the two Koopas alone, Cinder felt trapped as Bowser fixed his weary gaze on her.

"And tell me, what did you expect to get in return? From this... Act of kindness." He almost spat the word, not used to having it in his vocabulary. Leaning back in his chair, the tall Koopa squinted suspiciously at the human when she replied with a small, absent smile.

"Nothing. You just said it, it was an act of kindness." Cinder shrugged though before she turned to leave, she wanted to say one last thing. Because she believed it hard as iron. She hesitated but finally said the bottom of her thought, to the surprise of the two Koopas who were not expecting this statement.

"Everyone has the right to a second chance. Even the most evil beings." She recited after having turned away from Bowser to finally reach the exit. Except that the serious voice of this last stopped her in her stride.

"Do not hope for any mercy. It won't change your condition. As soon as Junior gets tired of you, I will finish what I started..." Protested he in a threatening tone while inspecting his claws with an evil smile, deliberately seeking to destabilize her. He enjoyed it.

Cinder stiffened and then pursed her lips at this statement, which gave her an enormous feeling of loneliness, even though she must have expected it. What had she hoped for? Some gratitude, a thank you? It was Bowser after all, one should never expect anything from him if it was not in his own interest. With a swallow to free her throat which had suddenly become too tight, she resumed walking while she felt the insistent looks of the two Koopas on her. She had to get away from this almost palpable tension as soon as possible. Forgetting to go through the kitchen to get her glass of water as she was so disturbed, Cinder quickly headed to Junior's room to finish her night not without a touch of worry. The threat of Bowser continued to hover over her head.

To be continued ...

It makes my heart ache a little, but at the same time I can't wait to deepen this relationship 😊 Everyone has the right to a second chance, everyone can experience happiness. You just have to reach out to the right person at the right time.

VP