Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to
Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving
me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!
I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,
but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this
story to make it more interesting :)
Chapter Forty
Prison hadn't been good to her. There was no doubt about that. She'd reverted to her old form and things had only gone downhill from there. The crust had returned to her bulging red eyes, her lips had grown thin cracked, and her skin was sallow and papery. The old being was drained of all her magic and, in direct correlation, her energy and will. That was why she found herself almost content to lie in her plain, bare grey cell day in and day out, sucking in the meager scraps of food she was granted and losing more and more brain cells with each passing moment. The loss of these made her think she was imagining those noises she began to hear on this day.
The first noise was like a loud, thump. As she lay on her side, her hefty body heaving up and down with the weight of her labored breathing, she listened for a repeat of the odd sound. There was a second thump, this one just as loud. In fact, several more thuds were heard and the louder they got, the closer they sounded. Finally, the thuds stopped and her door creaked open. It was a heavy metal door so the slowness could be understood, but usually her guards manned it two at a time and had no problem swinging it open.
With great haste this new squeezed their three-foot frame through the crack in the doorway and pulled down their cloak, the red thing was the size of a pillowcase, and revealed themselves. Immediately the female prisoner rose to her feet and approached them.
"Well, what took you so long?" She squawked at her tiny rescuer.
"The guards were most formidable, Mistress." The tiny being spoke sheepishly in answer.
"That's not what I meant." The old crony frowned. "Ugh, never mind. Did you bring my diadem?"
"Yes, Mistress." The diminutive figure bowed, then brought out a clump of jewelry.
Once the female snatched it from him and settled it on her misshapen head, she began to transform. Gone was the green-skinned shrewish wretch, and in its place stood a tall, buxom blonde with riveting blue eyes and full pink lips. Her hair was long and wavy and her body was evenly proportioned with plenty of curves. She was clad in a pre-selected tight white dress and white pumps. She bent her head and looked down at her minion, giving him a winning smile.
"Take me to the prince now." She smirked, "I would have words with him."
"Yes, Mistress." Her minion bowed.
The two left the room and only now did the woman see her minion's handiwork; there were guards, the same ones who were posted in front of her windowless cell, all over the ground, unconscious.
"Knockout gas did the trick." Her minion snickered. "They all fell over like sacks of pitiful potatoes, they did."
"Hm. I bet." The woman spoke disinterestedly.
She stepped over the strewn bodies and made a disdainful face. She'd been locked up for over a year and didn't appreciate it. Now it was time to see her retribution in action. She followed her minion out of the labyrinth of the lowest level of the prison facility and cursed their foresight; the entire building was fortified with anti-magic wards. That was the reason she and her minion couldn't just teleport out of there.
At long last they made it to the upper levels, where the wards were weak and where her minion had broken in at in the first place. They popped from that area straight to the front gates of the palace. Naturally, this warranted some surprise. The Beanish guards at the gates were no match for the tall woman, however, and she stepped right over their heads. They had weapons and were prepared to use them, but her minion hexed them before they had the chance.
"Take me to my prince," She demanded of her servant.
"Yes, Mistress," He acquiesced. "Right away, Mistress."
He led the way down the palace's halls and by then there were guards on their heels. The woman groaned petulantly and narrowed her eyes. She strode after her bustling minion rapidly but the sound of footfalls were getting louder.
"There she is!" One of the voices spoke from behind her.
Ahead of her was the prince's bedroom. At that same moment, two distraught girls were leaving his room, disappointed because he'd become something of a shut-in over the last few weeks. The twins had wanted to spend more time with him but he insisted on being alone. They walked with their heads down right towards the escaped prisoner and her minion.
"Don't let her get away!" The human behind her spoke loudly.
The prisoner pouted and narrowed her eyes and stopped. She looked at the twins and immediately recognized them. She smiled evilly.
"You two were my little airheads," She said sweetly. "You and the rest of my court turned on me."
The twins, Mina and Nina shared a confused glance. Unfortunately for them, this being held grudges hard. She grabbed them by the throats and lifted them off the ground, then glared at them.
"You should never have betrayed me." She sneered at them.
"Unhand those girls!" That human had finally reached her.
The prisoner recognized this man as being a prominent general and one of the key figures in her downfall. She dropped the girls to the floor in favor of advancing on him. The seasoned man held his ground and pulled out his sword. He may have had a fighting chance were the prisoner's minion not to have magically bound him in place. It was easy, then, for the woman to pick the man up by the front of his shirt and slam him hard into the wall.
Immediately the other human troops closed in on the woman but once again, this attempt was thwarted by her minion. The woman sneered down at the general, who was struggling to breathe and was reeling from the trauma to the back of his head.
"Where's my little prince?" She demanded to know.
"I know who you are," The general spoke without fear. "You're going to need a better disguise than that."
"What does it matter what you think," The woman frowned, "In a moment you'll be dead."
"Doesn't matter." The general said stalwartly. "By that time we'll have all our men on the hunt for you."
"So let them hunt me," She smiled falsely. "They won't be able to stop me."
There was a thunder of many footfalls coming down the hall. The woman's minion shifted and glanced in the direction of the impending arrival of more guards.
"Mistress," he urged, "We should leave before we are discovered."
"Quiet!" She snapped. "I am the master here, don't tell me what to do! I'm not leaving until I've gotten my sweet prince."
"He's not here!" The general lied, "He's gone."
The general felt his grasp on consciousness slipping away but before he'd let that happen, he had to ensure that his prince, his liege, was safe from this maniac's clutches. The woman tilted her head, gauging his honesty.
"What do you mean, he's not here?" She asked, then said, "Fawful, go and check his bedroom."
"But Mistress-"
"Now!" She shrieked.
"Yes, Mistress." The minion said as he went to do her bidding.
"It would be pretty stupid to lie to me." She warned, turning back to the old general. "I could make your death very painful."
"I don't fear you." The general spat.
The woman asked again, "Now be honest. Where is my prince? Where is he?"
"Away on business." The general claimed. "But when he hears of your escape, he'll no doubt do away with you for good."
The woman chuckled softly and said, "Hm. I don't think so. Once he figures out that I'm the only cure to his curse, he'll see reason. He'll see that he was wrong when he crossed me before."
"Mistress, the prince is not here." The woman's minion spoke upon exiting the lavish bedroom.
The woman made a face of consternation but released the old man, letting him slide to the floor in a heap. She marched over to her tiny minion.
"Well there's no point in hanging around." She stated. "Get us out of here."
And as Mistress and minion joined hands, they vanished in a puff of nasty smelling green smoke. The spell over the bound men broke and the rest of the guards came rounding the corner. They immediately crouched over the coughing twins and bleeding general.
"Are the girls alright?" he asked weakly.
The guard tending him said, "I think they're okay, but we've got to get you down to the hospital right now!"
"Yes, but make sure you..." He trailed.
"What?" The guard asked. "What is it, General?"
The general had but one breath left in him before he passed out, and he spoke it in a rushed whisper.
He said, "Make sure you alert the prince, keep guards on him at all times, ensure his safety, and send out scouts to search near and far for that bitch Cackletta."
Ludwig was at his wit's end. He'd done all that had been asked of him as requested by the old king. He hadn't wanted to cave, but the pain and the delusions and the sickness was just too much for him to bear. He'd ended up giving in to almost every demand the old king made. Now he was tired of bending to the other ruler's will and wanted results. He stood in front of the smirking redhead and scowled.
"I did it." He spat. "I did it all. I gave you your old room back. I feed you three times a day. I brought you your spawn. I loosened your chains. Now when are you going to take it back?"
"Take what back?" Bowser asked innocently.
Ludwig narrowed his eyes. "I won't be played for the fool. You take this back or I'll-"
"Enough with the threatening." Bowser drawled casually. "That's my thing, not yours."
The Dark King was much more like himself. His health had returned in the several days that he'd been treated better. His hair had that full, healthy look to it again. His handsome features had filled back out with the help of steady meals. His limbs and muscles weren't so sore now that his chains were loosened enough to allow him to roam all over his room without trouble. His voice was back to its usual deep and velvety timbre. He was definitely getting back to himself. There was something about him that was still 'off', but that could be largely traced to the fact that he was missing most of his subconscious mind and that was where all his deepest emotions, thoughts, and desires lay. The king sat on the edge of his bed with his legs open and his arms on the bed behind him. He looked relaxed, as was his typical look as of late. He gazed at Ludwig and shook his head.
"You say you want me to take it back," He spoke dully, "But you haven't even met my last demand."
"What is it?" Ludwig instantly asked.
"My, aren't we desperate?" Bowser smirked.
Ludwig was beyond desperate. He'd passed that point when he started catering to his sworn enemy. He knew he was debasing himself by giving in, but he felt like he was out of options.
"Just tell me what you want."
Bowser tilted his head a bit and said, "You know what I want."
Ludwig frowned but then realization dawned on him. He sobered for a moment because this was just one thing he could not do, no matter how much he was suffering. But as soon as that thought occurred to him, he felt a sweeping wave of nausea and his face started to ache. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"No." He still said. "I can't do that."
It was wrong on so many levels and even though he'd become quite a bastard, even he had his standards. He wouldn't do what the king wanted. Not this time.
Bowser just grinned at him and said, "Fine. Have fun suffering, then."
"Haven't I indulged you enough?" Ludwig hissed.
"Um. Let's see." Bowser gazed off to the side. "You robbed me, locked me in my own dungeons, and have me chained up to a wall in my own bedroom. No. I don't believe you've done enough, Lud-Wig."
Ludwig cringed as the king drew his name out. He warred with himself for a minute or so. He hated the way Bowser seemed to be relishing his internal struggle. His mind was deteriorating a little more every day, though, so his pondering only lasted so long in the face of such crippling pain and quesiness.
Finally, Ludwig asked, "If...If I do this..."
"Yes?" Bowser grinned widely.
"If I do this," Ludwig continued. "Will you take back your subconscious?"
"Of course." Bowser claimed. "This is the last thing I demand of you."
"How do I know you're not lying?" Ludwig asked skeptically.
"You don't." Bowser smirked. "Guess you'll just have to trust me, now won't you?"
Ludwig shook his head and left the room. He heard the Dark King laughing even after he'd shut the door.
If she never said it before, Daisy was incredibly glad to have a friend like Alicia. The girl had invited her over Sunday afternoon and had spent hours talking with her and showing her how to get the most out of her new phone. True, Daisy was happy to finally have a way to contact Luigi at any time she liked, be it to text him or hear his voice, she found the most interesting thing was the internet. It enthralled her. One of her favorite things in this new world was music and videos, and Alicia had shown her a website that had access to every song she'd ever learned while in Brooklyn. Not only that, but all the questions that would pop in her head throughout the day regarding odd aspects of culture, customs, and jargon in Brooklyn could be researched on something the brown-skinned girl had called a 'search engine'. Daisy was in love all over again.
"Careful, D," The girl now warned. "That game's addictive."
Daisy was sitting at the front counter at work, doing something she wasn't supposed to. Her fingers moved rapidly over her touchscreen's surface as she used every ounce of her focus in playing the game. She lost a few seconds later and sucked in a breath through her teeth, then pursed her lips. She often did that to keep from swearing.
"I can't beat this level." Daisy muttered.
"I think you should give it a break." Alicia suggested, amused. "Besides, wouldn't want LeStrange catching us slacking off."
"You're right." Daisy mumbled, clicking out of the game.
It was a clever distraction, she'd give it that. The phone had a way of making her forget everything that was going on around her. She could watch videos all day, mesmerized by the bass and the vocals and the dances. Or she could spend tons of time researching whatever was on her mind, analyzing each site and article of information to deem whether it was true or not. The phone kept her from thinking about the rising distress in the Mushroom World. Once it was off again and inside her pocket, all her worried thoughts came rushing back. Alicia noticed this change in her demeanor and poked her shoulder.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
Daisy glanced over at best friend. Alicia looked so untroubled. Her eyes were always bright and sparkling, her smile was always at the ready. Even her hair seemed happy; it was all curly and thick and bouncy. Alicia twisted from side to side in her high swivel stool while Daisy stared.
"D, what's on your mind?" She pressed. "Come on, talk to me girl."
Daisy sighed and said, "I don't want to burden you. I've just got some things on my mind."
"Is it about your stud boyfriend?" Alicia pried.
Daisy shook her head and said, "I have some tough decisions to make but have no idea how to make them or what to do."
"Oh. Kay." Alicia spoke slowly. "Um. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so." Daisy frowned.
She knew that, if she were to make the choice to go home, she might not get to see Alicia again. At least not very often. Maybe a few times out the year, at best. That hurt. She'd grown quite attached to the young woman and hated to part with her friend. The only other person, girl or otherwise, to have held the place of a best friend was Pepita.
And I hope she's alright, wherever she is, Daisy thought to herself.
A/N: And yet another chapter done. I really am trying to get out of the habit of posting short chapters, but it's all I can manage at the moment. Trying to get a new job and having no luck. If only Nintendo paid me to write cutscenes for them or something.
Oh well.
I'm pretty sure you all know what the Dark King wants, but I'd like to hear your guesses. He has something planned that even Ludwig doesn't realize yet.
And Cackletta's escaped; is she plotting with Bowser or is this just a coincidence?
And what in the world is up with Munson? What's he hiding? What's in store for the Koopalings, namely Iggy? All this and more will come with each new chapter so stay tuned!
Until next time...
~DymondGold~