My eyes fluttered open to the sounds of chirping birds that were sitting on the balcony railing to my bedroom. The first thing that came into focus was the sunlight, turning the loosened ringlets left in my hair into seas of gold that drowned my right hand. I stayed like this for a while, in a near euphoric state at how comfortable I was.

Though after a few minutes of listening to the soft melodic sounds of the birds outside my window, I sat up and combed my hair with my fingers. The sun was bright, foreshadowing a great day. I'd felt a lot more comfortable the past few days of life. I still had my amnesia, and I still had the aching feeling of leaving someone behind, but I was sure that it would reveal itself to me sometime shortly. I'd spent most of my time sitting in awkward preparation meetings with my parents, and hanging around Benito. It was a nearly stress free life beyond the amnesia, and I was surprised to admit that I was ready for my coronation tonight.

My hand reached up to my chest, covering my heart as I looked out on to my balcony. I wondered for a moment about the person I was missing, and if they were missing me too. My eyes shut, as the hand turned into a fist that lightly gripped my nightgown.

"I can't keep worrying about this..." I spoke to myself under my breath. A knock on my door had snapped me from my thoughts, as my eyes turned to the door. "Your highness? I have breakfast!" a voice called to me. I smirked to myself as I knew it was Toadette. She had a shakiness in her voice that was only beginning to smooth itself out when she was talking to myself or my parents. I sat up straight, and smoothed out my comforter that was still draped on my lap.

"Come in!" I responded. The doorknob jostled, followed by it swinging open to reveal an obviously hurried Toadette. She smiled wildly at me, as she brought the tray of food to my bed. "A second earlier and you would have had to wake me up... How are you so on time?" I said with a laugh, helping her with the tray. I felt bad about having her bring me up breakfast, when I was more than capable enough to get it myself. She giggled, and let go of the tray as I set it on my lap. "I was just really excited about today," She said. I patted the spot next to me, motioning for her to have a seat. Her face instantly got red. "Miss, I don't want to impose-"

"It's not an imposition," I laughed, seeing her nerves settle. "I want to share breakfast with my friend." I finished. She nerves I thought had subsided, suddenly rushed back to her. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped. "F-friend?! Share breakfast? Oh miss, I couldn't - "

I laughed again, cutting her off. "Of course you're my friend. You've done so much for me the past few days. I can only imagine how much you've done for me my whole life." I said with a smaller smile, feeling bad for not remembering her at all. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth shut, almost as if she'd spilled a secret. I assumed it was just her being nervous. Maybe there was something she was glad I'd forgotten. I shrugged it off and looked at the tray of food in front of me.

It smelled fantastic. Everything was laid out perfectly, vibrant colors of fruits mixed with the subtle brown of a warm croissant that was shining with a honey glaze. I couldn't believe I didn't remember this wonderful food.

I picked up the warm croissant, twisting it gently as it separated into two halves. Light steam rolled out of it, filling my nose with its scent. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking it in. I could really get used to this.

I picked up a napkin from the tray on my lap (which was actually an expensive looking cloth), and wrapped the base of the croissant half in it, handing it to Toadette. She seemed flustered as she opened her mouth to protest. I gave her another smile, along with a pair of pleading eyes. She smiled back, and accepted it from my hand. "T-thank you, so much Annabelle." She said looking down to the pastry in her hands before blushing and trying to correct herself. "I-I mean y-your highness!" She blurted.

"I prefer Annabelle." I said reassuringly to her. She loosed her tension and smiled again. We sat for a moment as I began to pick at the fresh fruits on my plate, loving how fresh everything was. Not only was it pleasant to look at, but it was pleasant to taste. All of the fruits were sliced so perfectly, as they lay fanned out in half circles. I almost felt guilty eating them, as they seemed more like works of art than a breakfast.

"So, as far as tonight goes, The castle gates will open at 4 pm, allowing everyone to gather for your crowning ceremony in the grand hall at 5," Toadette began, now holding a notebook in her hands as she scribbled things down on it, and read my schedule aloud to me. I continued to nibble on my breakfast, as she continued to read.

"So, this leaves us with only Seven hours to prepare for everything!" She said louder than Id expected her to, obviously stressing about having everything done in time. "Only seven hours?" I asked statistically. "How much could possibly be on my to do list?" I asked again in the same tone. I didn't expect a response, but she flipped the page once before doing so.

"You need to meet with your parents in the ballroom to discuss decorations, then its off to get your opinions on fabrics for a proper ballgown to be sewn for you before tonight- Oh, and you also need to go to the kitchen to approve of the dishes that will be served, and then you'll need to run through a practice ceremony with your parents and Toadsworth where you'll recite a few lines that are necessary to be crowned... You'll also-" She said quickly, rushing through everything before I'd even gotten a chance to blink. "Okay, so that is a lot to do." I admitted, cutting her off. She looked at me and smiled as she took a small nibble from the croissant Id given her.

"I'm sure we can do it all before 4. Let's just take it one step at a time." I said smiling, finishing my breakfast.

O0o0o0o

Bella walked down the hall, her heels clicking against the castle floor as she rushed to the ballroom to meet her parents. "Toadette, slow down! I can't run in these!" She said with a small laugh, as Toadette hurried ahead of her. "I'm sorry, Annabelle. We just got out of the dressing room really late, and that wasn't even you getting fitted for your new gown." She said in a frustrated tone. Bella was obviously being rushed, as she was still finding damp sections of hair that hadn't dried yet as she combed her fingers through it. "Your parents have probably been waiting for you a while." She added, still walking at a fast pace.

Bella hurried behind her, hoping her parents hadn't been waiting too long for her arrival. The busy sounds of many voices began to echo through the halls, as they got closer and closer to the ballroom. She could feel her nerves acting up, as she knew that tonight the ballroom would be filled with people she didn't know, all expecting so much from her. She could feel her face turning a light shade of red.

The echos filled her ears yet again as she entered the ballroom. Hundreds of conversations were being held, as people lifted flags against the walls, and hung red banners below them that had golden accents. It looked to take nearly a team of 3 to lift the heavy banners to the walls, using pulleys. Her eyes wandered to the center of the room, where her mother and father stood, talking to toads who were holding colored fabric samples and many assorted flowers. Both of the Toads happened to look up the staircase, to see Annabelle at the same time. "Princess!" They said in unison, nearly racing one another up the stairs with their samples to meet the princess. She blushed a bit, seeing as more than just the two toads had heard of her arrival to the ballroom, and began rushing up to her, samples in tow.

"What about this color for the napkins, Your highness?" "Oh, you'd look so beautiful against these purple roses! What do you think?" "Have you decided what dress color you'll be wearing? What if we made the accent colors match the tablecloths?" "Oh-oh! How about this color? The lights will look so wonderful against them!"

She blushed nervously, not being able to talk to one toad at a time as they huddled around her. She looked down to see her parents both looking up at her with smiles on their faces, as Peach covered her mouth with a gloved hand, probably hiding a laugh.

"You guys, Quit it! She just got here! She hasn't even greeted the king and queen yet!" Toadette squealed, lightly pushing some of the Toads back. Bella internally thanked her for calming some of them down, and beginning to organize things. They separated from in front of her, all looking down the staircase at the king and queen, joined hand and hand as they looked at their daughter. Bella smiled, and whispered a 'Thank you' to Toadette before lifting her dress a bit and hurrying down the steps. She hugged both of her parents tightly as they both exchanged good-mornings.

"So, are you excited for tonight?" Peach asked happily, obviously excited herself. Bella smiled, thinking about it for a second. "I'm very excited." She answered, making her mother smile wide. Some more toads continued to walk down the stairs, cautious about all speaking at once. Bella smiled before turning to them, knowing they needed to know the colors to needed in order to decorate.

"I really love blues and purples, but I feel that with the current decorations and the occasion, I'd like to go with something a bit more classic such as a deep red. If you're looking for accents, I recommend white and a rose-y pink color, as I don't want the occasion to be to dark... It's supposed to be a celebration after all, not a funeral. And as for the roses, can you possibly get multiple colors for them?" Bella said quickly, silencing all of he Toads, and her parents as they were shocked to see such information come from their previously shaken daughter. The toad with the roses stepped forward slightly before responding.

"Yes, your highness... Might I recommend bouquets of red, pink and white?" He asked, considering the information she'd just told the group. "That sounds perfect." She said with a smile, making the toad smile wildly as he began to write information on a tablet in front of him. The toads began to converse amongst themselves, deciding what item was what color as far as the accents went.

"Wow, where did that come from?" Mario asked, surprised at his daughters sudden burst of leadership. She smiled at him before responding. "I just really like those colors... I'd been thinking about them as my coronation party colors for a while," She began, looking to the red banners being hung on the walls still. "And when I saw those, They confirmed that I'd made the right choice." She said satisfied.

Mario and Peach looked to where Bella had been motioning too, seeing three toads staring up at a red and golden banner that draped along the walls. "I haven't seen them since I was crowned the queen." Peach said softly, placing a hand on her chest. Bella could see her mother re-living memories in her head. "I remember that day like it was yesterday." Mario said, placing a hand on his wifes shoulder, also remembering. "And though you're not becoming a queen yet, I still thought they would be fitting for tonight." Peach added, still looking at the velvet banners in awe.

She looked at the moment her parents both shared, and smiled. "I think they're perfect." Bella agreed, making her mother smile back at her.

O0o0o0o0o

"I doubt I've grown since you measured me last," I said with a smile to Toadette who continued to measure me, her tongue out as she got the exact number for how long my arm was. She wrote the measurement down on her notepad she held. "Miss Estrella asked me to take them again before she arrived," Toadette began, still writing notes down.

The room I was in was very lavish, and was filled with very deep purples. There were no windows, but it didn't take away from the rooms beauty. There were silks and velvets, and little jems, pearls, and diamonds, that were strung onto line and draped on the walls on invisible hooks. "She wants everything absolutely perfect for tonight." She finished, looking to me with a smile.

"Its just like her," Mother began, as I could nearly hear her smiling to herself. "I cant believe she's still working here after all these years." She finished, making me think about how long she must have been there. Toadettes eyes went wide in shock as they typically had, and I heard my mother clear her throat before continuing. "I mean, she's had many opportunities to go to far away lands in the past few years. I'm happy she decided she'd rather be here" She finished, calming Toadette down. I wanted to question them about it, but I decided not to. It was just another day of them being odd, I suppose.

The plum colored door on the far left of the room opened, revealing an older toad that wore a purple cap with lighter purple spots. She wore a purple silk dress, with a velvet cardigan vest that had pearls along the pockets. Much like Toadette had pigtails, this toad had one bun at the top of her head that she had decorated with pearls and jems, much like the ones that covered the room. I assumed that this was Miss Estrella, as it looked like the room was modeled after her. Her eyes locked with mine, as she gasped faintly.

"Oh mon Dieu, comment vous avez grandi .." She whispered softly. I had no Idea what she'd said, as It was in french, but I smiled to her anyway. She laughed a bit as she shut her eyes. It almost looked as if tears were welling up in them, but it might have just been allergies."My apologies, your highness." She said to me, walking closer to me. She looked as if she'd been thinking carefully of words to say. "I seemed to have...forgotten...how much you look like your mother."

I blushed, as it was obviously a compliment. I looked over my shoulder to my mother, who was smiling happily at the scene in front of her, as she stood from the guest chair and made her way to us slowly.

"Speaking of the queen," Estrella continued, staring in awe at Peach as she stood. "Je vous ai tellement manqué ..." She said again in French. It seemed that my mother knew exactly what she said, as they shared a silent hug. The separated slowly, as both of their eyes came back to Toadette and myself.

"She even has the same measurements the queen had when she was her age!" Toadette laughed, handing the notebook over to Estrella. She pulled a pair of reading glasses from a pocket I hadn't noticed inside of her cardigan. It had a string attached to it, that was lined with pearls. It was becoming obvious that she'd really liked her outfits to match her room. "Now, lets see." She said, scanning the notebook quickly.

"Goodness, you're nearly identical!" She said with a laugh, Making me blush again. I looked at my mom once more, to see her smiling at me. I blushed a bit more, looking to my feet for a few moments.

"So, lets start off by style," Estrella began, looking me over a bit. "What types of dresses do you like the most?" She said with a smile. All eyes in the room were on me, and I thought for a moment before responding. "Well, I like dresses that are comfortable," I said as I blushed, realizing that what I'd said was stupid. The group giggled. "Don't we all," Estrella said, walking to view me from the right side. "Is there anything else you can think of?" She asked again, smile never fading.

"The dress I wore after I got amnesia was very nice," I answered, feeling a bit better about my answer this time. Miss Estrella looked at me with confusion, causing Toadette to speak up. "The Queens winter ball dress that she wore while she was a Princess. Collection A, section 4." She answered. I was amazed that Toadette could remember so much. I also began to think about how many dresses Estrella had designed in her life.

"Ah, a beautiful choice your highness." She responded, flipping the page in her notebook, as she began to sketch something. "How about we loosen the sleeves a bit, and make them a bit larger? Then they will be more comfortable."

All the eyes in the room were on me once again, smiles wide as ever. "T-that sounds perfect." I answered. She continued to sketch silently for a moment, the only audible sound was that of her pencil grinding against the textured notebook paper. I watched her intensely draw out lines, obviously very into her design.

Eyes never leaving the sketchpad, she reached into a pocket on her cardigan, and pulled out a small tin. "Now, what color is your favorite?" She asked again, opening the tin to reveal colored pencils that had obviously been worn down. I thought about this for a moment. I really loved blues and purple, but I thought about how nicely the red dress I wore looked. I also thought about how happy my mother was that I enjoyed the color almost as much as my father.

"Red, probably." I answered, making her pause before looking up to me with wide eyes. "Your highness, would you mind if I recommended some pre-made designs?" She said eagerly, a pleading smile on her face. "I don't mind at all.." I said curiously, as Estrella immediately dropped the sketch book on the ground in excitement. Toadette gasped lightly, as she quickly bent down to pick up the dropped book.

Estrella hurried over to a shelf that was in the corner of the room, and pulled out a thick book from its shelves. It looked very different from the other books on the shelf. It didn't have any golden markings on it, or any mushroom insignia on it. It was the same purple that colored the room, and it seemed to have a velvet cover on it. A lone star dotted the front of the cover, as she smiled and rushed back up to the rest of us who remained confused. She hugged the book to her chest, before speaking.

"This book was my diary," She began with a happy sigh. We all listened closely, not knowing what to expect. "But I was never very good with words. You see, I am a designer after all." She said, as Toadette pulled over an end table for Estrella to set the book down upon. "Thank you," She said to the pink clad toad, who smiled happily. Estrella placed the book down on the table, and flipped it open, as she scanned the pages. Beautiful colors danced through the pages as they fell.

"Whenever I was sad or distraught, I would just draw in here. I would draw my problems away." She laughed, stopping her aimless flipping, as she flipped page by page to find what it was that she was looking for. She paused as if she was thinking of words to say.

"Before your father was a king, he was... very respected here. He was our light in darkness, you could say." She continued. I wondered why she'd mentioned my father so randomly, but payed attention nonetheless. "So, during that time, I sketched these out." She finished, landing on a page that was filled with numerous designs. My eyes scanned them each individually in admiration of how beautiful they were.

"They're all based off of your fathers color scheme. Just some scribbles, really." She said, though the images on the page were anything but scribbles. Most of them had blue bodices while having red skirts and sleeves. There were even headdresses that were drawn on the female models that wore the gowns.

Though one in particular really caught my eye. It was a beautiful red gown, that had a very large skirt and sleeves that were similar to the draped ones that were on her original red gown. Little white spots on a netting that draped around the upper skirt simulated glitter that was sparkling against the light. The models hair was brown, but done up in curls, with roses in a bun that was on the back of the head. Strands of hair draped down her shoulder, complimenting her figure.

"That one." I said quickly, reaching a hand out, and pointing to it. Everyone looked at it, and admired it too. "That dress is absolutely perfect."

I noticed my mother smile at the sketchbook we all looked at. She almost looked choked up. "I couldn't agree more." She added.

OooOoOoOo

I stared at my reflection in the mirror in front of me. My hair was being pinned back by my mother, exposing my bare face. I studied my features, and compared them to the model I saw in Miss Estrella's drawings. I knew that I wouldn't compare to their beauty, and I let out a frustrated sigh.

"Don't worry, Annabelle. Makeup is really a harmless process." She said with a smile that caused me to do the same. "I don't remember it at all... does it hurt?" I asked, causing my mother to raise a gloved hand to her mouth, hiding a laugh. "Well, lashes aren't fun." She replied. I assumed she was being sarcastic, but I wasn't quite sure. I looked at the table in front of me, with dozens of tools. Some being pencils, others brushes, and some that I simply had no idea what they were for.

I laughed nervously. My mother placed her hands on my shoulders as she looked at me through the mirror. "You'll be fine." She re-assured. Her words calmed me almost immediately.

"Sorry for running so late, I was in a meeting with Toadsworth about tonight."

We turned our eyes to the source of the voice- a female toad who wore an outfit of pinks and darker pinks. She looked to be a bit older than Toadette, as she was slightly taller.

"Toadella, so good to see you." Peach greeted, giving me a name for the face I had seen. Her name wasn't familiar to me either. "And you too, your highness. It's been so long," She began, before pausing. "You haven't required my makeup talents in a very long time. You seemed to learn everything on your own." She finished. I looked at my mothers face, as she seemed to have a nervous smile, but she continued to talk through it. "I learned from the best."

Toadella walked slowly to me, and sat down in a chair that was next to me as she sorted through the tools on the table. "So, I hear your big gown is going to be red?" She asked me, hands holding tubes that had various shades of reds lining the packaging. I nodded in agreement as she lined the tubes in front of me. "Which color would you say is closest to the dress color?"

Looking at them, there was very little difference to pick from. It all looked like the same color. I stared at them for what seemed like forever, trying to pick the right one.

"Oh, this one is nearly identical." Mother said, reaching over my shoulder and pointing to a tube towards the middle. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, as I didn't have to make the choice. "Beautiful," She said, putting the other tubes away, and getting other products and tools at her ready. "I just wanted to know what tones I should compliment."

The rest of the session was rather silent, as I watched her carefully brush different creams and powders on to my face and eyes. I could see my face slowly transforming. It was kid of weird. I knew I had amnesia, but I don't think I'd ever experienced this before. Maybe I hated makeup or something. I would have been lying if I said I didn't look nice though. My skin began to glow, and my eyes started to stand out more. My nose didn't look nearly as large as it typically did and my complexion was now flawless.

She told me to close my eyes, as she ran something along the tops of them, and glued eyelashes on to them. Opening my eyes, it was almost like looking at a new person- though we shared the same face. It was a very bizarre experience. "Wow," I heard myself whisper, as I seemed to be staring at my own reflection.

Toadella giggled lightly, before looking at my reflection too. "Just one more thing." She said, reaching over to the tube with the red streaked packaging. She opened it, and inside was what looked to be a crayon in the same tint as the stripe. She leaned close to my face, and began to drag the crayon against my lips, carefully staying inside of them at all times. The red was vibrant and bold, and it complimented the bright blue of my eyes that were defined with black. It was bold, but sophisticated and elegant at the same time.

"You look so beautiful, Bella." My mother said, also looking at my reflection. I could feel myself blushing, as I couldn't disagree with her. It didn't feel that great to have makeup covering my face, but I defiantly noticed that it helped my appearance incredibly.

"The others should be in to take care of your hair and getting your dress on for your rehearsal shortly." Toadella said, though I was still focused on the wonders she'd done with my face.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Wow, I haven't been here for ages." My oldest brother said, admiring the scenery of the Mushroom Kingdom. The town we walked through had obviously been lit up for the occasion. The sun hadn't set yet, so the lights only added to the glow of the days end.

I'd never really cared for the Mushroom Kingdoms scenery when I was younger, but looking at it now, I realized just how beautiful it really was. "It's too bad we didn't ally with them when we had the chance a long time ago." Ludwig said again, striking a nerve with me. Our father walked alongside us, invisible in his cloak, though I could tell that my brothers words hurt him.

"Remind me why you're here?" I felt myself say snappishly to him. He scoffed before responding. "It is a coronation, after all. It is required that all royalty within a 3 kingdom radius be in attendance to recognize the newest figure head." He said back, audibly rolling his eyes. I decided that my brother was still bitter about the events that had taken place over the last 17 years, and he had every right to be. I fought the urge to say something in response.

We approached the castle, as there was an obvious group of toads and humans gathered along the bridge to the front doors which were propped open. There were lots of crowns, signaling the royal families who had all come to see Bella's coronation. There was a toad, who was carrying around a notepad with him, signaling that it was okay for people to enter. I bit the inside of my mouth briefly before finally filing towards him. We stuck out from the crowd almost an absurd amount. It would be hard for them to not stop us.

I could see him trying to peer into the shadow of the hood I had pulled up over my head. "Darklands." I said flatly, causing his eyes to go wide. "Y-yes, of course. You're right here," He began crossing off a tally on the list. "Your seating is marked inside. I've been asked to remind you to not mingle with others-" The toad began, before my father growled from behind me as if to shut him up. The toad stopped his lecture, assuming we already knew. He was right, we knew all to well.

He looked back to his tablet. "Oh, Junior is it?" He said softly, but loud enough to catch my attention again. I faced him, as his small eyes traced the papers in front of him. "You're requested to be pulled aside to the garden area."

"What?" I asked, not knowing what this was about. Two guards came from behind the toad, and extended their arms as if to show me where to go. "Do what you've gotta do, son." My dad called, as he began to walk through the doorway, alongside my brother who was probably starting another conversation that he wasn't paying attention to.

oOoOoOo

I stood in the garden and stared at some roses that seemed to have been freshly watered. The sun seemed to be falling faster and faster as time passed. I wasn't sure why I was being pulled aside, as I thought that everything for tonight had been planned out in advance. I didn't want to miss my one chance to see Bella for some stupid precaution. Seconds felt like hours that were draining energy from me.

"Sunsets really nice tonight."

I turned around quickly, to see a human male, who had shaggy brown hair and a slouched posture. He wore an expensive looking suit, and had a crown on his head.

I ignored his attempt at small talk, as I was confused as to who he was. "You... called me here?" I asked, wanting to figure out what he'd wanted.

"Indeed I did," He began, hands in his front pockets as he walked closer to me slowly. It was so weird seeing someone of royalty with such mannerisms as this. "My name is Benito. I'm Annabelle's cousin." He introduced himself. My eyes widened a bit, as I realized who he was. I felt rather embarrassed for being snarky.

He looked to the sunset again before speaking. "I wanted to get a chance to meet you myself," He began, catching my attention. "My whole life I've thought you and your dad were pricks who ruined my family, so If I'm bitter, please don't take it the wrong way." He said with slight sarcasm. I was really hoping he wasn't going to give me the same treatment his father had earlier in the week.

"Bella came to me the other day, and said she felt like she was forgetting someone who was very important. Someone who meant a lot to her."

I felt my heart skip a beat. She did remember me... Well, not directly but. The feelings were still there. I could feel a smile spread on my face before brushing it off.

"And well- if she really is in love with you, you can't possibly be the prick I thought you were." He finished, eyes meeting mine even though I knew there was no way he could see them. I could tell he was being sincere. I also knew he wasn't going to let me go to the coronation until he'd looked me over.

"Well, I'm no hero, that's for sure." I said as the self loathing began to creep its way back into my chest. "But I really do love her. With everything I have."

There was a brief moment of silence, as he was probably taking in everything I'd just said. I felt my face get warm at the realization of what I'd just said. They were my honest feelings, but It didn't stop me from knowing Bella and I wouldn't be able to see each other again.

"I see," He said, looking back to the sunset. He seemed to be dissatisfied with the answer I'd given. I suddenly found myself adding on to my plea for his acceptance.

"She's just perfect," I began, catching a confused glare from Benito, who now stared at me silently with an eyebrow raised. "I mean.. She's not perfect.. She's clumsy, outspoken, and holy hell is she stubborn..." I said with a laugh, remembering the numerous times she refused to accept defeat. I wasn't looking at Benito anymore, but I could tell he was still listening closely to my words.

"But I love it about her. I love having the opportunity to pick her up when she falls. When she's blunt, she's typically doing everyone else in the room a favor- and the amount of determination she has is more than anyone I've ever seen. Maybe it's even more than Mario's."

There was a small moment of silence, as I tried to think of more to say about her. The truth was, I could have gone on about her forever. I just didn't know what he was wanting to hear from me.

"I just... love her. More than I've ever loved anything."

Yet another moment of silence. I could feel the last rays of the sun shining on my face, as they sank lower and lower. A breeze began to pick up, whistling softly, disrupting the silence.

"I wanted to know if my folks were doing the right thing." Benito suddenly admitted, still looking at the falling sun. "When they first confessed that she forgot everything, I immediately went along with it for obvious reasons. But once I heard her say that she was hurting emotionally, I knew I needed to dig a bit deeper," He explained to me. He finally looked over at me, smirking.

"They're making a mistake." He said boldly, making my blood run cold in shock at what he'd said. Was he agreeing with me? That easily? I mean, everything I'd said had been completely genuine. I just was expecting him to be more like his father.

"I wish I could refresh Annabelle's memory, because its obvious now that you two really did love eachother. It's just not in my place to do so." He said, walking closer to me. His words tied my chest into a knot, knowing that I was completely stuck in this situation of Bellas amnesia. "But It doesn't mean I won't push the issue with my family. It's not right, what she did." He said, scowling a bit as he talked about who I assumed was Rosalina.

"I know that now." He continued, lifting a hand out in front of him, as if to be waiting for a handshake. I tried to study his face, to see If I could read any emotion from it. While his motives seemed sincere, He still had this smirk on his face. It made it so hard for his emotions to be read.

I lifted my hand from the cloak, and slowly shook his. A smile spread on his face.

"After coronation, I'm going to the RAOYR Program. As you probably know, that's two months." Benito mentioned. I'd remembered hearing about the RAOYR program, but I'd only heard about how nobody from the Darklands had ever been invited to it.

"I know you're not allowed to be seen by Annabelle... But, could you look out for her?"

I blinked in confusion at his words. He still gripped my hand firmly, as if to increase his sincerity of the situation.

"You're right. She's a complete clutz. And the amnesia has made her so naive its unreal... Just... try and keep your eye on her. From what you've told me about how much she means to you, it seems that the task shouldn't be that hard."

"Of course." I agreed immediately. I wasn't so sure what he meant by that, but I knew that I'd never let anything happen to Bella.

OooOoOoOo

I could feel my heart beating what seemed like a thousand beats a minute. I could feel my foot tapping quickly against the tiled floor of the building we'd been filed into. I was so anxious to see Bella. It would be the first time I saw her since the incident.

"Nervous?"

I turned quickly to my Right, looking at my dad through his cloak. I was close enough to where I could make out the smirk he had on his face. I felt myself blush as I noticed how obvious my anxiety was. "Kind of." I laughed, calming myself down a bit. Toads and Royalty all filed into the church-like building, and sat in the many rows of chairs. We'd been seated in the very back row against the wall, as not to cause too much of a distraction. I wasn't sure what they would tell Bella when she saw 3 cloaked people attending her coronation. I happened to notice Benito in the very front row, conversing with his parents who wore enormous smiles. I thought briefly about what he'd asked of me.

"I don't remember this language in the multicultural classes I studied..." Ludwig said, making myself and my father turn to look at his confused state. He held a notebook that contained things that we were supposed to say in order to confirm our knowledge of the crowning. I'd read it numerous times since I'd been seated.

"It's because they don't use the language anymore except for Mushroom Kingdom crowning ceremonies." Dad answered. Ludwig didn't seem to be satisfied with his response as he let out a sigh. "It should have still shown up in my lesson at least once. It is a language after all, regardless of how old it Is." He argued.

"I don't even think its really a language. It's probably just gibberish. I've never heard anything else in that same dialect. I believe its only used for this, Luddy. Really." He said again, a certain kind of softness coming back to his voice that I hadn't heard in a really long time. I was waiting for My oldest brother to burst into a fit at being called 'Luddy', as He'd always opposed that name. But nothing came from him. I turned to look at him and he had a smile on his face. He was still looking at the notebook, but it was obvious that our fathers words had moved him.

"Maybe you're right." He said in a hushed tone, smile still wide on his face. I felt an involuntary warmness in my chest that I hadn't felt in a long time.

"All rise for the King and Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom!" A toadish voice spoke into a microphone, that echoed softly through the cathedral like building. The sound of shuffling followed, as everyone in the room stood up straight.

The doorway on the wall which our backs were faced opened without a sound, as I could hear the light taps of heels against the red carpet that lead up a small staircase to a podium.

Everyone turned their heads to face the king and queen, and My father, brother and I were no exception. Light ambient music began to play, as choir sang even softer over top of it.

Peach wore her typical colors, though they were worn on a far more lavish dress than anyone had been used to seeing her wear. I used to see her every single day, but she managed to bring a new set of beauty to the room she'd just entered. It was one I'd still had yet to see. She walked in hand and hand with Mario, who also wore a very lavish outfit. It was odd to see him in anything different. Especially with a crown atop his head.

I looked at my dad out of the corner of my eye, expecting him to be seething. To my surprise, his face bore a smile that I'd never expected at this event. It was almost as if he was proud. I assumed he might have been at himself for letting her go.

After a short stroll to the podium, Peach smiled to everyone, including Myself before clearing her throat silently. "You may be seated." She said softly into the microphone. Everyone did just that, and sat down. An older looking toad was on stage beside to two, in a goofy looking outfit that was probably tradition.

"We are gathered here today, to begin a new era for our kingdom," She spoke, looking at the crowd as If she was trying to make eye contact with everyone. "An Era, that begins with a new generation."

Peach continued her speech, but my chest had been pounding so loud, that I couldn't hear anything she'd been saying. I gripped the seat below me with my hands, trying my best to remain calm, and to not be so jittery. She wasn't even going to know I existed. It just felt like I needed to be prepared.

"-Our daughter, Annabelle Maurizia Toadstool."

I quickly turned to face the doorway, as the angelic choir had began to sing once more. Everyone rose in an instant. My heart completely stopped at the sight of her. It felt as though all of the air had been taken from my lungs.

She wore a beautiful red gown that lit up the room. The light shone through the stain glassed windows and reflected off of the gown she wore, and seemed to give her a glow I'd never seen on her before. He eyes were as crystal blue as I'd always remembered them being, as she blinked softly, making sure to only focus on her parents in front of her. Her hair held roses of white, pink, and red, as the bun they'd been kept in trailed off into a ponytail that revealed golden curls that rested on her chest.

There were audible gasps, as it was obvious that I wasn't the only one who was stunned by her beauty. I fought the urge to rush up and hug her, and tell her how much I'd missed her.

She made her way to her parents, and bowed to both of them. Before turning to face the crowd. She was absolutely terrified, though it wasn't obvious on her face. I knew the face she'd made when she was putting on an act. I knew it all to well.

She scanned the audience, and eventually, her eyes locked with mine for what seemed like forever. She looked into my eyes, even though there was know way she'd have been able to see them through the cloak. I wondered what she must have been thinking about the group of 3 cloaked strangers attending her royal celebration. I couldn't help but stare back at her, still admiring her beauty.

The old toad walked up to Peach with a pillow that contained a small scepter, and what looked to be a large Christmas ornament. Picking the pillow up, she turned to Bella who slowly grabbed both- one in each hand and faced the crowd once more.

The toad behind her began to speak in the gibberish language that Ludwig had been complaining about before. Nobody lost interest for a single second. Even though I'd read the notebook a dozen times, I forgot all about the words that were written in it. I continued to take in Bella's features, taking hundreds of mental photographs.

"-you are hereby known as Princess Annabelle, of the Mushroom Kingdom." The toad completed, causing the audience to roar with a unison-ed "Princess Annabelle, of the Mushroom Kingdom!".

Bella Lifted the scepter above her head, signaling that she confirmed this, as a wild smile spread across her face. Mario and Peach clapped from behind her, as you could see them crying as they stared at her with pride. The audience clapped and cheered, as they remained standing.

In that moment, there was no fear in her face. There was only a look of excitement and joy. It was a face of hers I hadn't seen in a very long time.

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oh my gosh I'M SO SORRY.

I say this every chapter but this time It's honestly crazy.. I cant believe I've gone so long without updating. I hope the long chapter is okay enough for you guys for now! I promise I'm not giving up with this story! I love it far to much to abandon it.

Feedback is ALWAYS welcome! (PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU LIKE THIS. IT HONESTLY MEANS SO MUCH TO ME, AND MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN MY MOTIVATION TO WRITE.)

Thank you so much for reading!