A brief thank you to all of you lovely people who reviewed this chapter! You're all so wonderful and are what keeps me writing. I'll stop keeping you waiting. Here's the next chapter!
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I stared at my mother in the mirror in front of me, as she brushed my hair for the second hundredth time. My hair was now completely dry from the shower I'd taken a while ago, and it was as soft as silk.
It smelled different. Maybe it was the amnesia, making me forget my own scent. It wasn't a bad one; it smelled like various flowers in a medley that was extremely appealing to the nose. It wasn't overpowering, but there was enough fragrance to supply to anyone I happened to walk past. It was actually a beautiful smell, it was just different. I guess amnesia is an extremely powerful thing.
I blinked, focusing yet again on my mother who was still brushing my hair. She was humming lightly to herself as she traded off individual pieces of my honey brown locks.
"Mom?" I asked softly, but loud enough for her to meet my eyes in the mirror. "Yes, darling?" She said sweetly, smile not leaving for an instant. I wanted to ask her about my amnesia, but I didn't know how to go about it. Something still didn't sit to well with me about this whole situation.
"What am I going to do?" I asked boldly, not realizing how un-specific I was being until it came out. She slowed her brushing down, but didn't stop. She was probably thinking of how to answer such a question.
"What do you mean, dear?" She asked, looking to me in the mirror with sympathetic eyes. I Intertwined my fingers with anxiety as I thought about how to respond. "Well. I'm supposed to be a princess," I said, eyes falling from hers to my lap. I had changed from my stained and tattered white dress to white bloomers and a simple white undergarment top. I had a feeling I was about to be put into a big regal dress like the one my mom was wearing. She'd somehow gotten ready before me, even though I'd showered before her.
"I don't remember what I'm supposed to do," I said. I began shaking lightly, thinking about all of the people who would need my guidance. "How can anyone count on someone who doesn't know how to be reliable?" I asked, practically to my feet. In a mere instant I felt my mothers warm embrace wrap around me. "Don't you worry, Anna. You've always been a great princess." She said, pausing in the middle. Her hug made me feel better, as I felt a smile creep its way back on my face. I returned the hug, and we stayed that way for a few seconds before she stood back up straight. "Tell you what," She began, catching my eyes to hers.
"How about we throw you a coronation party?" She finished. Coronation? Wasn't that specifically for queens? I didn't respond, but it was obvious that my face held a look of confusion. She smiled and laughed at the sight, and then clarified.
"We can get you adjusted back into life here for a few days, and then on Saturday we will throw a party and make you an official princess," She began, smiling to herself again."You're a princess now, but you don't need to participate in any activities you don't want to until then,"
I felt myself calming down at the thought. "Maybe it will refresh your memory." She finished with uncertainty. Even though she didn't seem certain, it made me feel as though the weight of the world was lifted off of my chest. I smiled wildly. "That sounds perfect. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, darling." She said with another smile.
There was a light knock on the door, followed by a higher pitched voice. "Your highness?"
"Come in, Toadette." My mother said lightly to the door. It creaked open, revealing a pink colored toad with white spots on her cap. She was far younger than Toadsworth, and seemed to be extremely nervous. Everyone seemed to be especially nervous today. Maybe it had something to do with my amnesia. She smiled when she saw us, and quickly came in and shut the door. Two braid-like pigtails followed behind her as she skipped over to the vanity we sat at.
She looked flustered once she got to us, and nervously curtsied. I simply smiled back at her. "What's going on?" Peach asked, catching Toadettes attention.
"Oh, nothing your majesty!" She stuttered, as she turned to face me. "I was told to come and get Princess Annabelle's measurements for gowns," She added, making me cock my head to the side curiously. Her eyes got wide and she immediately stammered, trying to explain. "You'd put in a request for a different design. We needed to confirm the measurements we have are correct!"
That made enough sense. I wonder what type of dresses they'd previously made for me that were bad enough for me to 'file a complaint' about.
I felt a smirk creep on to my face as I stood up, and waited for her direction. She stammered yet again, and rushed over to a stepping stool and brought it up to me. Before I could lift a foot to stand on it, Toadette had hopped on top of it herself. I giggled lightly under my breath. I should have figured it was for her.
"Okay! Now," She said, shaking noticeable in her movements. She pulled out a tape measure, and examined my waist. Then she moved to my bust, shoulder length, leg length, arm width, neck width, and I think even my finger was checked sometime during it all. She quickly shook as she scribbled some notes on a clip board in the corner of the room.
"It looks like you're almost identical to your mother when she was 17." She said with a laugh, seemingly more calm than before. I returned the laugh, as my mother made her way to my side once more.
"What color is preferable?" Toadette asked me with a smile. I thought this was weird. Did this mean I'd have to stick to one color for the rest of my days?
"I like light blue... and Reds." I said, making sure to add more than one color to the list. My mom made a nervous face when I said light blue, but it quickly turned into a wide smile when I said Red. "I wonder who you got that from, huh?" She said with a smile.
"I think there's a beautiful red gown in the master closet that would meet all of these measurements! Allow me to get it for you!" She said, filled with excitement as she ran out of the room before she finished.
o0o0o
"Dad!" Junior shouted to his father, who was now angrily rushing down a dirt path.
"You can't just barge into their kingdom after everything that's happened. Are you crazy?" He shouted again, getting his father to stop in his tracks and turn around. They'd been walking for a short time, but their kingdoms were practically neighboring so it wouldn't be long before they arrived.
"How else am I supposed to get their attention? Write them a damn letter?" He snapped, biting his tongue after he was done shouting, remembering how he wanted to turn their relationship around for the better. "Junior, It's got to be done this way. Face to face."
Juniors chest ached, but mainly for the reason that he felt so stuck. His father was right, but was doing it so soon really such a good idea? After all the couple had been through, Bowser should be the very last thing they'd want to see. The king took note of his sons lack of response and turned around. "How would they ever let you see that kid if we're enemies?" He said softly. Junior knew he was talking about Bella, and soon felt that ache again. He really did miss her, and he wanted to see her more than anything. He hadn't considered the fact that her parents might harbor ill will to him because of what his father put them through.
The silence was almost deafening in itself, as Bowser finally started walking again. He wasn't interrupted this time.
o0o0o
Rosalina sat in her study, staring at a trashcan filled with failed attempts at invitations. She needed to have a meeting with Everyone (Minus Annabelle, of course.) about the events. This included Bowser and Junior, who were now alive thanks to the Lumas. She felt as though she needed to give The royal family a apology, and inform to them, and Junior, about the 'amnesia' the princess was given.
She didn't look forward to Juniors reaction when she'd clarify that she had indeed wiped her memory.
How could she simply send out invitations? This wasn't something that could be written down... But she couldn't show her face to Bella. She might remember everything, and all of the grief would come back with it.
She sighed in defeat yet again, letting her head hit her desk.
"What am I going to do?" She sobbed lightly.
"Mama? Are the invitations ready to be s-" a yellow Luma began, stopping when it saw Rosalinas defeated state. Rosalina quickly looked at it before realizing she had tears rolling down her cheeks and wiped them away quickly.
"Were you crying, mama?" It asked again, moving closer to the Queen ever so slightly. "No, its just stardust..." She lied, almost laughing at the stupidity of it. "Oh, well thats good!" it smiled.
"What about the invitations?" It asked yet again, Bringing Rosalina back to the heavy chested state.
"I think I'll need to go down there myself, and bring them here, But we cant risk Bellatrix finding out."
She mentally punched herself for calling Bella, Bellatrix. The luma seemed to notice, as it sheepishy hovered backwards a few inches. "I can go down and get them!" The luma offered gleefully.
"What do you mean? Bella cant see you either."
"But I can be sneaky! I can hide and only show myself to the King and Queen!" He offered again, still not convincing the queen. "No, it's simply something I'll have to do myself," She said, standing up. "Tell the others to prepare the ship for takeoff."
o0o0o
Bella looked at herself in the full body mirror in front of her. She was in her large bathroom, trying on the gown Toadette had given her to put on. The dress fit almost perfectly, even though It was made for her mother. Her hair fell down past her shoulders, but most of it was resting against her back, only increasing the likeliness between her mother and herself. She felt beautiful in such a regal gown, though it didn't feel familiar at all.
She again asked herself why amnesia was so weird to make her forget simple things.
The dress was a deep red, that draped off of the sides of her shoulders. It was fitted around her chest and waist, showing her figure off. The large petticoat she wore was layered with a silky underside, so it didn't itch her legs as she walked, or create an odd scratchy noise.
She pulled the dress up a tiny bit, to look at the shoes that had been given to her. They matched the color of the dress perfectly, with what looked like diamonds around the heel. She was royalty, so she assumed that they were probably real. It was amazing how well everything looked on her. She smiled at her reflection once more.
"Annabelle? Are you dressed?" Peach called from the bedroom, knocking gently on the bathroom door.
"Y-yes mother!" She responded, turning to face the door that opened immediately after wards. Peach's face was the first Bella saw, followed by Toadette who had squeezed passed the queens legs. She gasped audibly while Peach remained silent, but was visibly in awe of her daughter.
"Oh gosh! Y-Your highness," Toadette stuttered, staring wide eyed at Bella, who could feel her cheeks turning almost as red as her dress. "You're super gorgeous!"
"Thank you," She responded, smile only growing. She felt very accepted and confident. It was another feeling that didn't quite feel all too familiar.
Smiling back up to her mother, Bella noticed tears falling from the queens eyes, as she pulled out a pink handkerchief and wiped them away silently.
"Aw, mother..." Annabelle said sweetly as she made her way to Peach, and embraced her in a warm hug. The Queens crying ceased as she let out a single sniffle. "I guess It's just seeing you in an old dress of mine means a lot to me." She said smiling at her daughter who returned the smile once more.
A gentle knock was heard on the door, followed by the voice of Mario.
"Have you both finished getting ready?" He asked, his voice slightly muffled from the door and the hustling of toads who were planning an extravagant meal. Peach quickly turned her head to the bedroom door from the bathroom, and walked towards it with a smile. "Yes, love. We're very sorry for taking so long." She said with a smile, as the door opened to reveal Bella's father wearing an expensive looking change of clothes. He wore a crown on his head and had a rather flamboyant and stereotypical 'king' outfit on. Peaches Gloved hands met her mouth as she tried to stifle the laughter that was escaping her mouth. Bella laughed softly at the sight, along with Toadette who finally made her way from the bathroom.
The King seemed to smirk in defeat. "It's the Robe, isn't it?" He asked with a laugh.
"It doesn't seem very you at all," Bella said with a smile as he took the Robe off revealing a much tamer yet regal looking outfit that suited him a lot more than the previous robe. Peach's laughing ceased, but the smile on her face remained. She couldn't help but feel ecstatic at the fact that her family was together again.
"Much better." She finished, giving an approving nod to her husband who smiled widely back, and then turned to Bella.
"Figlia mia carissima," He began, speaking in Italian. She didn't know what it meant but assumed it was something about how she looked. "You look beautiful." He added, smiling to her with pride. She blushed again. Everyone was being so flattering, She wouldn't be surprised if her face was the shade of a tomato by the end of the night.
"Thank you, Dad."
The group smiled at each other before Toadette let out a quick squeak. "It's 5 pm! Luigi and Benito should be here!" She began, rushing through the group to the doorway. The little toad opened the door weakly, and then smiled back at Bella. "Follow me!"
The royal couple exchanged glances before both locking eyes with Annabelle. "Princesses first," Mario said with a smile. Bella opened her mouth to respond, but decided against it after seeing Toadette waiting. She grabbed light fistfuls of her dress off the ground and began to walk forward, maintaining her balance on her heels surprisingly well. Toadette smiled and began walking down the long corridor, followed by a curious Bella and her two Parents who were beginning to fall behind, discussing something.
"We decided on throwing a coronation party this weekend." Peach said to Mario, who seemed confused by the idea. "Isn't that for que-" He began in the same way Bella had.
"No," Peach lowered her whisper so that she was sure only Mario could hear her. "I'm not sure what Rosalina was teaching Bella on the observatory, but none of it had anything to do with this kingdom," She began, scowling at the idea for a brief moment. "Or maybe when her memory got erased she simply forgot." Mario suggested, also in a nearly silent whisper. Bella and Toadette were far away enough from them now that they could talk quietly without risking Bella hearing anything.
"Maybe," She said, blinking softly, but then regaining her composure. "But I've told her that she can get acquainted with life here before she needs to make any princess like chores an necessity. She was nearly crying at the thought of letting everyone down..." Peach finished, feeling incredibly sorry for her daughter.
"She obviously gets that from you. You're always worried about everyone else before yourself." He said in a complimentary tone. "It's not a bad thing, but its times like this where it can become difficult to cope with." He added, looking at Bella who continued walking. "She just wants to be the best princess she can be." Peach said softly. "And I'll do everything in my power to help her." She added again, smiling. The king looked to her, and returned the smile. "Even though you're the best person for the Job, I'll help too." He said, making her smile grow even more.
The corridor they were traveling down came to an arch which opened up to the main entrance ballroom of the castle. Light filled the room, making it probably the most lit room in the entire castle. The Group clumped together yet again, as Toads occasionally stopped and stared at the trio in awe. Bella didn't notice them this time, though.
Toadsworth stood at the center of the staircase, watching as the group emerged from the shadow of the hallway into the light ballroom. A series of gasps were heard below, as She heard her father return the gasp with a wide smile. Looking down from the railing, she noticed the same orange dressed woman, but she was accompanied by two men. One wore a similar regal looking kings outfit with a green accent color, and the younger one wore a very fancy tuxedo. She didn't know who was who still, but figured it would all become clear to her in a moment.
"Mario?" The older one asked pleadingly, cautiously walking closer to the staircase in front of him. Mario smiled. "Luigi."
The two couldn't have run faster if they tried, meeting in the middle of the staircase and nearly falling down from hugging each other so hard. They eventually moved down to the first floor of the castle, still not letting go of one another.
Everyone in the room grew teary eyed at the scene, except for a still confused Bella who simply grew more unsure of what was going on. Peach was now wiping tears from her eyes, knowing she was confusing her daughter. "
"Luigi is your fathers Brother," She explained softly to her daughter with a smile. "Your uncle."
"Does everyone typically get so emotional when we go on picnics?" She joked lightly, uncomfortably laughing afterward. Bella was still most certainly confused on everyones emotions that were being shared so openly. Peach cleared her throat, not sure how to explain the sincerity of her fathers actions.
"They haven't seen each other in years." She said, not telling the truth but not necessarily lying either. Bella didn't question it this time, at least that answer made more sense then them just seeing each other after a week or a few days. "Oh..." She responded in a sensitive and understanding tone. She looked at the two in a very different light.
Finally Mario and Luigi split their hug, and both looked up the staircase to Peach and Annabelle. Daisy and who Bella assumed to be Benito followed their actions and did the same. The princess felt her cheeks get hot as it seemed that all eyes in the room were on her.
Mario whispered something into Luigis ear that made his eyes go wide, but he quickly snapped out of it. A curious Benito asked his father something, and Luigi whispered something into his ear that gave him the same response. Mario looked back over the group again, confirming if he'd heard what they'd said, and they all seemed to nod.
"Annabelle?" Mario asked up the staircase to his Daughter, who straightened up her posture at the sound of her name being called. "Do you remember them at all?" He asked with a nervous smile.
Bella really wanted to remember them. They seemed so nice and welcoming. She tried as hard as she could, but it was hard to think about times you've shared with someone you've never seen before.
Her lack of response was expected, as Mario spoke up once more. "How about you come down and meet them, then?"
Annabelle snapped out of her deep thoughts, and looked down once more to the group below her. She could feel the heat make its way to her cheeks again. Peach took a step closer to her, and set a gloved hand on her back. "Go on, darling." She said sweetly, giving Bella the motivation to take the first step down the Grand Staircase.
Even though her dress was nearly a perfect match to the carpet she walked on, she seemed to bring an entirely new light into the room she walked in. Everyone stared at her in awe, which the princess tried to ignore. She wasn't used to all this attention.
Her heel hit the first floor with a light click, as a wide smile spread across her face. She was thinking of what a princess would have done in this situation.
"This is the Royal Family of Sarasaland," Toadsworth said, hobbling in front of the Queen, who was nearing the last step herself. Bella gasped lightly and quickly curtsied in front of the group.
"There's no need for that," Daisy said abruptly, quickly placing a hand on the princess's shoulder. Bella lifted her head up to the group to see if she'd heard correctly. The group of smiling faces had assured her that she'd heard correctly. Bella's face turned red once more in slight embarrassment.
"We're family." Benito said with a smile, both hands in his front pockets. Bella Stood up again, and smiled wildly at her families acceptance.
"Dinner is ready in the dining hall!" Toadette called from a corridor on the right side of the castle. All of the eyes met hers, and it seemed like a silent but unanimous decision that everyone was starving.
"Shall we?" Mario asked, already knowing the answer as they all walked to the dining hall.
o0o0o0o
Bella sat on the end of her parents, as the Sarasaland family sat in the same way on the opposite side of the table, with Benito across from her.
The food that was brought out came in enormous amounts, and smelled even closed her eyes and took a few seconds to simply take in the scent of the food before it met the table in front of her. Everyone had their own plate brought out to them, covered with silver domes to protect the heat from escaping. A nervous servant came from behind her, and placed a plate in front of her, slowly lifting off the silver dome. The heat came off of the plate and warmed her face, and filled her nose with the wonderful smell of Pasta that had been beautifully placed on the plate in front of her. "Mmm," She hummed lightly to herself, imagining how yummy the food was going to be.
Mild conversation occurred, but most of it was awkwardly silent. Luigi and Daisy always seemed rather nervous before bringing up a topic, and it all seemed rather forced to Bella. She was still wondering why everyone was acting so weird.
"So, How do you like it here?"
Bella snapped out of her thoughts and looked to see Benito picking at his vegetables, Smiling at her. She was kind of confused, but didn't question it. "W-what do you mean?" She asked back in a soft tone, confusion evident in her voice.
Benito's eyes went slightly wide, as he picked his words carefully. "I mean, You've got amnesia, right? You don't remember anything?" He asked cautiously. She blinked a few times, and shook her head with a light laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, I like it here very much," She began, eyes looking back to a relieved Benito. Why did he look so stressed out?
"I hate that I don't remember anything, though." She finished with a forced laugh, making Benito smirk. "That's amnesia for you," He began, eating a piece of food that was resting on his fork. He chewed and swallowed before continuing. "But hey, look on the bright side. If there was anything bothering you or stressing you out before, you don't have to worry about it."
Bella smiled at the thought. She'd been so worked up about all the things that she was missing, but she should be glad about some of the unfortunate things that might have been forgotten. She'd remember that.
"Thank you," She replied with a smile. He smiled a bit wider, showing his pearly white teeth that looked to be extremely straight. His mannerisms were odd. If it weren't for his obviously expensive tuxedo and perfect teeth he'd look nothing like royalty. His hair was clean, but rather shaggy and was longer than most. He had freckles across his cheeks and nose, but they were very faint. The way he walked with a slight slouch and his lack of grace were also factors that added into it. He was incredibly tall and lean, yet had muscle, meaning he must play some sort of sport. That wasn't something royalty did, was it? He was a curious case, but Bella didn't care. He was her friend.
"It's no problem, ding dong." He said happily.
Bella gasped lightly before dropping the fork she held in her hand. Something snapped in her head, and it was the most satisfying feeling ever.
"I remember you!" She shouted, catching everyone's attention at the table. Even Benito looked extremely surprised, as he exchanged glances with everyone at the table. There was a moment of silence before Benito thought he should be the one to speak. "You...do?" He asked, turning everyone's attention from Benito to Annabelle, who was now nearly laughing with excitement.
"You used to call me 'ding dong' all the time!" She said happily, causing Benito to laugh out loud. The rest of the family at the table was still incredibly confused as Bella joined in on the laughter.
"How do you even remember that?!" He laughed happily, echoing in the dining hall.
The family started to smile with amusement at their children laughter. "Ding-dong?" Peach asked with a smile, being the question that was on everyone's mind at the moment.
Benito calmed down his laughter for a brief moment. "It the noise Bells make," He said with another laugh interrupting him. "I thought calling her Bella or Bells was too un-original."
The group was amazing that Bella could remember something from when she was only a year old. They didn't question it though. They were extremely happy.
"Remember when you knocked over the potted plants in the garden, and then blamed me?" She said, making Benito burst into laughter again. "You even put dirt on me!" She said laughing even harder. The family joined in on the laughter this time, now understanding what was happening.
"You expected us to believe an infant had enough strength to knock over that plant," Daisy said with a laugh, remembering the evening rather clearly now.
"I could have gotten away with it if it wasn't for the mud on my shoes." He responded, mimicking the princess's amusement. "There was mud all over the carpet!" Peach laughed, also remembering the situation.
It stayed like this for a short while; laughter and sounds of glee and happiness from the royal families. It was so nice for them to connect. Bella felt happier than she'd ever thought she'd feel. She remembered something! This was the first step to her recovery.
"Um, Your Majesties?" Toadette called softly from the doorway, just loud enough to be heard. "There is a guest here... They uh... Requested to speak with the king and queen of both the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland." She said, completely unsure of herself.
"Can't it wait? We're in the middle of dinner-" Mario asked, a smile still on his face. Toadette had interrupted him, speaking in a much louder tone than before. "It's Urgent." She said, but then immediately felt small and meek again.
The tone in the room had shifted back to confusion, as the Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Daisy got up without a word, setting their napkins down at the table and walking towards the doorway. "We'll be back in a moment," Peach said to her daughter, as she also looked back to the Sarasaland family. "Try to not destroy the castle like you did last month," Luigi said with a smile, trying to forget the weariness in Toadettes voice. Benito smirked at his father. "No promises."
o0o0o0o
Ooh, who's the guest? (I think its obvious but YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT MUAHAHA) I plan on not taking as long with the next chapter (i say that every time, ugh.) But I've been really busy on Deviantart and stuff so I'm not writing too much, because I don't have any spare time. I'm not going to give up on this story though. I promise that It will be finished!
Thank you for reading. I read each and every review, and against popular belief, they really do encourage me to get done faster.
