I wish you all a good reading!

Chapter 11 - The Request

The candles of the candlesticks flickered above Cinder and Kamek as they descended to the basement where a fiery breeze blew. The human walking behind Magikoopa instinctively tightened her arms around her as they went deeper and deeper into this more sinister part of the castle. She felt as if she were entering the bowels of the volcano, sinking into an oven. The stone was darker here and the decoration was sparse, almost non-existent. Where was he taking her? Anxiously, Cinder looked around in fear of finding herself trapped in her cage again in the depths of this isolated prison. She did not want to go back there... She did not want to live again this heavy solitude, forsaken and forgotten, waiting for her last hour to ring.

In this long and endless corridor, the two of them ended up crossing another Koopa with the red shell coming in the opposite direction. This one had a patch over his right eye as he quietly passed by them without saying a word. He didn't seem to be very friendly at all. When he reached Cinder, the General shifted his gaze to her and looked at her coldly, staring at her for a long time while she followed Kamek. This simple eye contact made her shiver because she had the impression that he hated her even though they didn't know each other... Or was it more like mistrust? She didn't know, nevertheless she didn't feel like staying near this Koopa who gave off an unsympathetic aura.

"Don't dawdle." Pressed Kamek in front of her without a backward glance.

Cinder swallowed but did as he asked as she pressed her pace to catch up with him in the long hallway leading to a single wrought iron door. She had never been here before, this place was completely unfamiliar to her as he pushed open the large doors to reveal the room behind. There was a powerful rush of air, which sucked in her glowing hair as her terrified green eyes interpreted the place. A titanic room, filled with weapons of all kinds arranged on racks on each side wall with no windows. At the far end was a huge waterfall of lava that flowed continuously, filling the floorless spaces with the deadly bubbling red and yellow liquid. But what frightened her the most was not this most hostile decoration, it was rather what was in the center of it.

Currently with his back to them, the King of the Koopas awaited their coming.

"Here she is, your Highness. Just as you asked!" Kamek made their presence known with this simple phrase as he loudly closed the door behind him with a snap of his finger.

"The little songbird..." Bowser declared in his deep, drawling voice before looking back over his shoulder with a mischievous smile. Laying eyes on the human standing awkwardly next to the Magikoopa, he slowly turned to them.

"I hear you're training Junior to make his first fireballs?" He revealed with disconcerting calm. Keeping his evil smile, he approached Kamek and Cinder.

However the human was far too frightened to answer anything. He knew what she had done to help Junior. Was she going to die here? Was this the end of her adventure? Had she crossed the line? Of course, her recent nightmare decided to resurface at that moment to torment her and laugh at her situation. She felt as if her heart might actually burst out of her chest as it was beating loudly in her ears... Not daring to look up at the threatening giant Koopa, she swallowed when he passed by her and brushed her hair with a claw. The sensation sent shivers down her spine. He was so close, much too close for comfort. She could almost feel his warm breath on her back as he spoke again in that same low, intimidating tone he used to instill fear in the bravest of hearts.

"There is something about you that fascinates me. Something I don't find in other humans. When I picked you up on your drifting little planet, you had only one interest for me. Your fabulous song that had the power to heal the grieving souls... To sweep away all those dark thoughts with the power of your notes. And then you refused to sing for me. Twice." Bowser raised two claws, looking lost in his memories.

"Twice precisely!" Kamek repeated basely with a nod.

"So Junior decided that your life was more valuable than your ridiculous song. Which is pretty amazing coming from my son." Resumed King Koopa after a puzzled shrug.

"Yes, pretty amazing!" Again, Kamek repeated what his Master said.

"So I have shown mercy by finding a new use for you. I allowed you to stay alive and give Junior some company. Just what he needed. And then you softened him up, made him a practically flawless prince in just a few days of servitude..." Continued the large turtle evasively, looking up at the high ceiling before returning to the human with a fearsome look to make many swoon. She was terrified, it was obvious as her eyes avoided his. The little bird was ready to spread his wings and fly away at the first window that opened. And then he remembered her cold hands on his skin. That ... gentleness she had used to help him that night after his frustrating defeat stuck in his mind. However he was surprised when she finally straightened her head to make the first eye contact since he came.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Even though she was afraid, the girl's voice did not tremble. She remained calm and friendly despite the seemingly catastrophic situation. Had she just accepted her fate to finally have the courage to look up to him? The King wondered as he leaned towards her to give her that same calculating little smile.

"Your power interests me." He unveiled while shaking a claw at her.

"I won't sing for you." Refused flatly as Cinder crossed her arms with a frown. Yes she was scared of him, but she certainly wasn't going to give him what he wanted just because he ordered it! Nevertheless his reaction stunned her when he began to laugh.

"Oh no, I don't want to hear that horrible voice breaking my ears! Please don't." He mocked while shaking his large hands, not trying to get a song. Strangely enough. He resumed after another mocking chuckle; "I'm much better at it than you anyway."

"He's an exceptional singer!" Assured Kamek with a small nudge to Cinder, smiling broadly as he nodded furiously.

"I don't understand..." She shook her head in confusion. Her arms still wrapped around her as if to protect herself, she slowly backed away as Bowser's muzzle lowered toward her, then blinked. She felt sucked into his fiery gaze, sucked into his natural ferocity. The heat from his massive body enveloped her as the spiny turtle began his evil grin again.

"It's simple, I want to dominate the world! But to rule it I need the crown, and to get that crown I need to marry Peach." He explained, counting the steps on his fingers before turning fully to Cinder to clench his fist with conviction.

"You're going to teach me how to seduce members of your species! I want to know everything about humans and especially princesses! I want you to tell me how to go about achieving my goal. How to get to Peach's heart so that she finally gives in to my will!" He thundered, then slammed his fist on his chest, the thud echoing all around them. This statement appalled the girl who quickly shook her head with wide shocked eyes.

"Wait, I-I'm not a princess! I don't know any of their wishes, I don't know how it works! I don't know anything about this world... I don't even know Princess Peach, so how do you expect me to help you..." Panicked by the King's unexpected request, Cinder stammered as she backed away from the exit. Her hands raised, she suddenly felt an invisible force immobilize all her limbs and then her feet left the ground.

"I don't think I gave you a choice." Bowser crossed his arms as Kamek brought the human back to the center of the room in his levitating cloud. With a snap of his fingers, the invisible force disappear and Cinder fell heavily back onto the cold stone at her captor's feet. She groaned.

"And why would I do that?" She gasped with an arm around her belly, one eye squinting at the Koopa hovering over her. She tugged nervously at the edges of her red and black maid's dress as he smiled and inspected his claws.

"I think the answer is pretty obvious." He replied with a frown. But feeling that this retort was not enough to convince her, he decided to use the big tool to force her to cooperate. He played the sentimental card; "You wouldn't want to make Junior unhappy, would you? My adorable son would be so disappointed to know that you don't help his father achieve his greatest dream..."

"You're sneaky!" Cinder horrified with her mouth wide open.

"Yes, I get that a lot." Replied Bowser with a sly smile, taking it as a compliment.

"The sneakiest of all the sneaky ones! He excels in this art!" Kamek nodded behind the human still on the ground. However at the exasperated look on his superior's face, he laughed in embarrassment then closed his mouth.

"But there's probably a better choice than me... Even though I'm a human, that doesn't mean I'm a good advisor for this kind of thing!" Denigrated poor Cinder completely bewildered, her large apple green eyes shifting from one Koopa to the other with concern. She winced as the King yelled at her.

"Because you feel like there are other little humans walking around my castle?! That I have any other choice? Believe me, it pains me to admit it. But I need a human perspective to learn how to win Peach's heart, it's the only way to achieve my goal! All girls are the same anyway! They all want the same thing." Bowser became impatient and stomped his foot on the ground hard enough to make it shake and dissuade Cinder from arguing.

"All right! All right. I'll do my best. So what do you want to know?" Irritated, Cinder finally got up from the floor to dust off her dress and hands as she waited for some explanation from the large, angry turtle.

She had expected absolutely everything but this ...

"I want Peach to finally agree to listen to what I have to say! I want her to open her heart to me, as I have opened mine to her. I want her to stop rejecting my advances! I want her to see what I am willing to offer her in return for the crown. I want to live a real fairy tale, I want to know the definition of happiness too! With this princess by my side, we will be invincible. We'll be the leaders of these worlds and spread desolation, hand in hand, with a single army. Until the end of time." Bowser dreamed after placing both hands on his breastplate, losing his fearsome air for something more thoughtful. He continued.

"I want to know what she sees in that miserable Mario... What does he have that I don't. I'm attractive, handsome, intelligent, strong, charismatic, an excellent King, an authority figure ..." For every positive point he found himself, he counted them on his clawed fingers and soon had none left as the list was so long.

He definitely wanted a lot of things! And Cinder wasn't sure how to help him get them with so little experience. How was she supposed to help him if she had no idea what she was getting into? It smelled bad. She didn't even know the princess, she didn't know any of her tastes, so how was she going to advise him? As the King spoke, she realized how much trouble she was in... Eyes round with amazement, she stood still as the Magikoopa added a layer after the giant Koopa had finished finding qualities in himself.

"And you are so modest!" Granted Kamek with a nod because he was in complete agreement with what his superior was attributing to himself. Ignoring this comment, Bowser paused for a moment and then resumed in a more aggressive tone.

"How can I make her understand that behind this shell is actually a sensitive soul? Ready to give his love and offer her a little piece of heaven? Yet I had promised her the Star for power, a symbol of our passion. But she never accepts any of my gifts, nothing! She doesn't appreciate sacrifices, nor piranha plants, nor diamond rings, nor serenades... She doesn't like my natural charm? Do I disgust her? Am I just a repulsive monster in her eyes?" Annoyed the melodramatic, fists violently clenched as anger grew in his stomach. Before his eyes could turn red with fury, Cinder took a few steps closer to make his disagreement known.

"You have charm. That's for sure. But I reassure you, monsters don't have feelings. It's just..." Not daring to finish her sentence, the girl lowered her eyes until the King's shadow covered her completely.

"Just what?!" He pressed between his sharp teeth.

"That you spend your time yelling... You're impulsive. You bully everyone, constantly. I don't think that's the best approach to getting someone's favor. Fear and love are not compatible, you know." Cinder shrugged nonchalantly as Bowser's face smoothed to feign astonishment. She quickly returned to the main topic.

"Could you possibly find another way to impress her?" She offered with a forced smile as the tall Koopa straightened up to rub his chin in reflection. To her left, Kamek exclaimed.

"Oh yes, that's exactly what I was going to suggest! Another way to impress the princess-" He began however his Master quickly cut him off with a sharp gesture of his arm.

"Shut up! Your advice has been of no use to me so far, a total failure! All I've gained is more hatred from the princess, so let the human speak intelligently. It'll make a change for me!" He reprimanded harshly after which he turned back to the dark red haired girl to invite her to continue. Kamek's muzzle opened blissfully at this scathing return that nailed him.

"Tell me more about what you like so much about this princess. What is it that makes your heart skip a beat for her?" Cinder cleared her throat and then looked up at Bowser when he stopped walking to start thinking about her question. She could squarely feel Kamek's burning gaze on her back, quickly making her uncomfortable.

"She is so beautiful! Her hair is like strands of gold, her eyes look like wonderful sapphires, her lips look so soft... And her blazing tiara shining brightly! She has this little warrior character, this adventurous side that I like." Bowser nodded as he placed his hands to his cheeks, picturing Peach in his mind. His voice was no longer scary at all and his expression had become much softer as he spoke of his princess, this image encouraging Cinder to continue on that path. Except that the latter had not finished idolizing her and the rest was much less romantic.

"Marrying her would be the greatest victory of all, for I would finally have access to the power that is rightfully mine. With her by my side, no one will be able to do anything against us! I was ready to use this star for her, to show her that my steps were sincere... That we could rule together and bring everyone to their knees with the power of our love!" Making a dramatic theatrical gesture, the King closed his eyes with a small whimper that earned him applause from the Magikoopa impressed with his performance.

It wasn't over yet.

"Okay. Let's change tactics." Murmured Cinder who moved towards the big Koopa to position herself right in front of him and thus stop Kamek's useless applause. Waiting for the King to look down at her, she crossed her arms.

"Pretend it's the princess in front of you and say something nice to her." She suddenly challenged him, wanting to see his ability to react to an unpredictable situation. Immediately, his confident air broke to reveal uncertainty.

Here it is, the breach in the shell of the infamous Evil Bowser. The one she hoped to see one day, the one she was waiting for... Because she had always known deep down that there was more to him than this bad image. The gift of clairvoyance was a fabulous gift. In a fraction of a second, the Koopa in front of her was no longer the brutal and virulent turtle she had come to know at her expense, but a person filled with insecurities. He had dropped his mask, probably inadvertently, when she had taken him out of his comfort zone with another exercise that required repartee. And on the face of it, Bowser had always referred to his advisor who was not necessarily the best option in terms of seduction. Otherwise, Peach might have already fallen under his spell, who knows?

"Go ahead." Cinder insisted when he still didn't respond.

"What, right now?" Nervous, Bowser knotted his claws together but at Cinder's unchanged expression, he looked at her with perplexity. This prompted her to act.

"Go for it. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt a fly." She said with a big smile that she hoped would be encouraging, her voice full of good intentions. The huge Koopa wanted to retort that he was never afraid, but he was actually scared to death ... Finally, he cleared his throat to launch himself with a hand on the chest.

"Ahem. Princess Peach, your two deep blue eyes are like two drops of water in a field of straw..." He smiled awkwardly as Cinder's eyes widened slightly and then her smile faded.

No, this was definitely not a win-win.

"What?" Bowser worried with a touch of annoyance, his right eyebrow rising at the human who was searching for her words.

"That was brilliant your highness! You are a poet at heart." Kamek immediately congratulated as he pressed his small hands against him. He was so proud of himself and his seductive abilities!

"What did I say?!" Bowser raised his hands to Cinder who was looking at him in a strange way. He couldn't make out her look and it was starting to scare him! Was he that bad? Looking at her hopefully, he raised his eyebrows when she finally spoke again hesitantly.

"That's... A good start! But think with your heart instead of your head. Listen to your emotions, let them guide you!" Encouraged Cinder with a shrug of her shoulders that resulted in a violent backlash, narrowly missing getting a spit on her face.

"That's exactly what I do!" He growled in a threatening tone.

"What if I dressed up as Princess Peach, would that help?" She wanted to add to relax but she didn't particularly want to take a flame spray for her boldness. She was already in constant danger and each of her sentences could end up on a misunderstanding ... However it was not Bowser's reaction that surprised her but the magician.

"No way! It's my job to play the princess! I'm the best imitator and I will make a much better princess than you for the King! He deserves the best of the best to train with." Kamek grumbled while raising his wand in the air after pushing the human aside to stand proudly in front of Bowser.

Cinder sighed quietly and then rubbed her eyes in weariness as the two Koopas went back to a long debate about how they were going to proceed from now on. This day, unlike any other, was going to be difficult and long.

Very, very long.

To be continued ...

Honestly? I loved writing this part, it was very funny. And as Cinder just said, it looks complicated for her. What do you think? Will she be able to survive this new role? Time will tell.

VP