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 Fifty-Four
It was hard enough to run through the palace, out the double doors to the courtyard, and straight towards the Black Forest, so answering any one of the million questions Daisy was firing at me was simply not possible. I ignored her in favor of concentrating on not tripping over my own two legs and was relieved when we first broke through the woods. Then I got irritated when the branches started slapping me in the face. In the first clearing we got to, we stopped and caught our breath. In the time that we did, I stared at her fully.
What is she wearing?
It looked like the outfit from I Dream of Jeanie took a trip through Sin City. The crimson fabric that ghosted over her arms and legs did nothing to hide the black garments beneath it. The bottoms were like shorts that clung to her body and the top wrapped around her chest and behind her neck like a halter. She was wearing a gold bracelet on each wrist. Her hair was up but there was a thick strand hanging to frame both sides of her face. I could see that there was a layer of light makeup over her mouth and eyes and her skin shone like it was sprinkled with powdered diamonds. She looked beautiful.
I came over to her and she immediately wrapped her arms round my neck. She smelled like sweat and perfume. The girl was shaking, too, which worried me. For this moment, however, I just held her and contented myself in knowing that she was in one piece and we were finally reunited.
God, I missed her.
I didn't realize how much until she was back in my arms. There were tears in her eyes when I pulled back and kissed her. I guess we got carried away because a feeling of amusement suddenly welled up in me.
Oh my!
My stomach sank to my shoes and I felt unfathomably embarrassed. I stopped kissing Daisy and she pulled back uncertainly. I swallowed uneasily and chanced a single thought.
Did you...feel that?
Oh yes, indeed!
Awesome.
"Luigi?" Daisy asked, a hesitant expression on her face.
So you were here this whole time? Oh, I mean of course, you possessed me. But still, you could have made your presence known!
Oh, but that would have been rude, Luigi
And vicariously kissing my girlfriend isn't?
Well, if you put it that way
"Luigi, are you alright?" Daisy asked me, putting a slim hand on my shoulder. "You've been acting strange. I mean, that thing back there with Ludwig; what was that?"
I sighed and said, "I'll explain but tell me, are you hurt?"
Daisy shook her head and said, "I'm fine."
I glanced over her body, searching for the cuts and bruises that made themselves known. Meeting her eyes once more I cocked a brow. She colored a bit but lifted her chin.
"I'm fine." She said resolutely.
She's got a nasty burn on her knee.
I know
I could assist you in healing her-
Actually, I think you've done enough-
Be reasonable, old friend. The girl needs aid, what kind of lover would you be were you to deny her?
...Fine. But no funny stuff. Just heal her.
"Daisy," I spoke slowly, then sighed.
The girl blinked those pretty eyes and tilted her head, listening. I couldn't help but stare because she had tears staining her cheeks and it broke my heart. I took my thumb and wiped them away, then kissed each cheek. She hugged me again and I rested my chin on her head. I had to indulge in this, even though there were pressing matters to discuss, because the time away from her had driven me crazy. It felt so good to hold her again, to feel her safe and warm and breathing and making those little post-crying sniffing noises. That void that had been in my heart now welled up with a warm feeling. I kissed her head again and felt King Boo express something akin to a mental clearing of his throat.
Would you like me to heal her before or after Ludwig's guards track us down?
Point taken, I acceded. But how am I supposed to explain...this to her?
Let me do that
That was all the warning I got before the Lord of Illusions ejected himself from my body in a quick process that felt like a...soul belch or something. It had me swaying woozily on my feet, gripping my heart that was threatening to pound right through my ribs.
"What the..." Daisy's eyes panned as wide as saucers at the odd display.
The king, looking elegant and wearing his trademark mad grin stood to the side of me, completely clothed in the same Victorian get-up as before. He ran his hand over his fitted coat and smoothed out the material.
"...King Boo?" Daisy frowned. "How did you-"
"Long story short, he possessed me." I cut in before King Boo could freak her out with any weird details.
Daisy opened her mouth as if to remark on that fact but then shut it and shook her head, as if she'd thought better of it.
"Never mind." She stated, then asked, "Are you okay?"
"Peachy." I smiled weakly, though I was still kind of dizzy.
True to his word, I felt no remnant of the sinister yet strangely helpful king inside me. My head was clear and that stuffy feeling was gone. He'd been honest. I think. There was no way I could ever be certain because he was a master sorcerer and could hide his presence in me if he wanted to. I hoped he didn't but the logical side of my mind told me he probably did. There was just no way of knowing.
"I've noticed you managed to sustain some awful injuries," King Boo said to Daisy. "If you'd like, I could tend to them for you."
Daisy looked taken aback and then glanced at me as if for some kind of confirmation. I nodded at her reluctantly because I figured if Boo wanted to hurt her, he'd have done it by now. While they went over to a rock for her to sit at while he worked over her knee, I heard something rustling to the left. I turned and saw a shady figure break into the clearing.
"Peasley," I greeted, striding over to him.
He wasn't alone; in his arms he carried a red-haired child who he set on their feet gently. I saw the child face me and was a bit alarmed to see it wasn't Junior. Peasley let his hood drop back and stood in front of me. The child, no more than five or six, wandered over to Daisy, who eyed him with soft surprise.
"Are you okay?" I solicited of my friend.
"Quite." He replied.
"Who's the kid?" I then asked.
Peasley shrugged and said, "I don't know but he's of great importance regarding the rise of the Dark King."
"How do you know that?" I prompted.
"I saw it in Fawful's mind." Peasley admitted.
"Oh." I nodded, "How is he important?"
Peasley shook his head and said, "I don't know. Fawful's mind was all jumbled up and confusing. I was lucky enough to glean that much information."
"Wait a minute," Daisy frowned, "You read minds now, Peasley?"
She came over with a newly-healed knee with the Lord of Illusions on her heels. I noticed he'd put up his hood before she could see his face.
"Something like that." Peasley answered.
"When did that start?" Daisy asked incredulously. "And what's with the cloak?"
"If I may interject?"
It was King Boo who'd said that, for he'd chosen now to make his way over to us. His magenta eyes were stuck on the redhead peering behind Daisy's leg. It was odd because I expected there to be some fear or trepidation in the child's jade eyes but there was none. The boy wore a blank expression that just didn't belong on a child's face, it was knowing and it seemed like he held Daisy's leg not out of shyness but out of...possessiveness?
That's just crazy, I dismissed.
King Boo said, "There's something you should know about that child."
"What?" more than one of us said in unison.
King Boo extended a hand towards the boy and said, "Revelio."
Ludwig paced back and forth in the small room but his eyes never left the suspect's. His boots resounded quietly on the metal floor as he made about three even steps in one direction, turned, and made three more in the opposite. The tiny room held a metal table and a high metal chair, to which the suspect was strapped into. There was a leather belt holding his waist to the back of the stiff chair, and by the wrists his hands were strapped to the table in front of him. No matter how much the creature moved, he wouldn't be freeing himself anytime soon and Ludwig knew that. He watched the quivering green creature and finally stopped in his pacing, then came to stand in front of him with his hands laid flat against the metal table.
From nothing he made something; Ludwig lifted his right hand and twirled his wrist, bringing a sharp dagger into existence. He eyed the thing with interest and lifted a brow when the green seated creature paled and quivered even harder. Ludwig pulled out another chair that had previously not been there and took a seat in it. He tapped his thumb against the flat side of the knife's hilt and with his empty left hand he drummed his digits on the metal table.
"Here's how this is going to go." He spoke plainly. "I'll ask you...ten questions. That's ten opportunities to either keep or lose your fingers."
The green creature narrowed his big eyes warily at Ludwig's softly spoken words.
"Do we have an understanding, Fawcet?" The self-proclaimed ruler asked.
Fawcet frowned.
"Good." Ludwig spoke curtly, "Let's begin."
The blue-haired sorcerer reached forward and casually took one of Fawcet Fulsom's pinkies in between his own slender digits. Ludwig rubbed his thumb idly over the smallest finger and Fawcet tensed.
Ludwig asked, "Did my men pay you the silver?"
Fawcet's frown deepened as he hesitated on whether to answer or not. Ludwig had that silver dagger in his other hand but wasn't prepped to use it just yet.
Reluctantly, Fawcet said, "Yes."
"I see." Ludwig murmured.
He moved his grip over to Fawcet's ring finger and stroked the knuckle with his thumb.
"If you'd been sufficiently paid," Ludwig spoke in question, "then why did you return here?"
Fawcet said nothing. Ludwig quirked a brow in prompting and the creature still kept his mouth shut.
"I asked you a question." Ludwig stated.
"I'll never tell you," Fawcet sneered, "Never ever!"
Without preamble and with his cold emerald eyes locked onto Fawcet's, Ludwig sent fire to his digits and burned the ring finger clean off. There was minimal blood, seeing as how the extreme heat cauterized the wound. In the small room, Fawcet's pained screamed bounced back and forth off the walls.
Ludwig's expression remained unchanged as he pointed out, "I'm not a very patient man and you only have so many fingers. I'd advise you start cooperating."
He clenched Fawcet's middle finger at the joint and Fawcet jumped in his seat. The pain was still eating at him so he couldn't possibly think of it happening once more. In vain he tried to move away or get his hands away from who he perceived was a maniac, but thanks to the restraints, he wasn't going anywhere.
"Now," Ludwig spoke easily, "Let's try again; why did you return here?"
Fawcet stammered something but it wasn't intelligible.
"Speak up," Ludwig threatened.
"...I was ordered to," came Fawcet's meek reply.
Ludwig moved on to the creature's index finger and received another jolt from the creature when he did. Wild fear danced in Fawcet's big eyes but Ludwig looked unperturbed.
"Ordered by who?" He wanted to know.
Fawful began to sob.
Ludwig grew irritated fast and started bending the index finger backwards.
"Who ordered you?"
Backwards.
Fawcet continued to sputter and loyalty kept him from producing a coherent answer.
Backwards.
"I'm waiting." The sorcerer reminded him.
Fawcet suddenly shouted, "My Mistress!"
But his change in heart was not due to anything other than the fact that the finger Ludwig had been bending finally snapped loudly. Fawcet gasped and trembled and nearly became sick at the sight of the abused digit. Ludwig didn't spare him a moment to grieve before he tugged on Fawcet's thumb.
"No!" Fawcet howled, trying again futilely to pull away.
Ludwig gazed at him almost boredly and asked, "Who is your Mistress?"
"No, no no," Fawcet babbled between sobs.
"Is she the blonde woman who escaped with the bastard?" Ludwig pressed.
Fawcet flinched when his thumb was gripped tighter and jerked backwards in his chair. Ludwig narrowed his eyes.
"Who do you work for?" He asked with an edge behind his voice.
With sniveling resolve Fawcet said, "I'll never betray my Mistress!"
Ludwig scowled briefly and yanked the thumb out of its socket. Fawcet screeched and kicked his legs rapidly under the table as the agony of this latest injury was added to the rest.
"Are you sure about that?" Ludwig asked, the darkness making his voice sound low.
"...Her name is Ca-C-Cackletta." Fawcet whimpered, shuddering hard and close to hyperventilating.
Ludwig moved on to the creature's other, less mangled hand and closed his fingers around Fawcet's pinkie, which warranted renewed efforts on the restrained creature's part to escape.
"If she was the one to break the bastard free," Ludwig mused, "Why did she need you around?"
"I..." Fawcet struggled to speak through the overwhelming anguish.
Ludwig asked once more, "What purpose did you serve tonight?"
Fawcet mumbled something and whetted Ludwig's anger. Remorselessly Ludwig brought his fist down on the creature's pinkie and squashed the flesh and blood over crumbled bone. This elicited more howls and screams from the interrogated party but Ludwig didn't care. He spoke loudly so as to be heard over the yelling.
"What was that?" He asked once something of an answer came amidst those yells.
Fawcet stuttered, "I w-w-as su-p-p-posed to g-g-get..."
"Supposed to get what?" Ludwig asked sharply, poising the dagger over Fawcet's ring finger.
"The clone!" Fawcet cried desperately, "I was s-supposed to get the clone!"
Ludwig's emerald eyes gazed off to the side for a moment, pondering this. He kept his digits locked on Fawcet's middle finger and began to apply heat there.
"For what?" He asked the terrified creature.
Fawcet began shaking like a leaf and it wasn't until Ludwig had turned the finger to ash that he answered this question.
"Because," he panted, "If you kill the clone, you kill the host!"
Ludwig frowned and said, "Why would she free the bastard if she was just going to kill him anyway?"
Fawcet answered once his index finger was seized, saying, "She isn't! She isn't going to kill him!"
"Elaborate." Ludwig ordered icily.
He took the dagger and sliced a layer of skin off the top of Fawcet's index finger, making the creature squirm and whine like a dying horse.
"It's not, the clone, it's not." Fawcet tried to speak.
Ludwig made a cleft in Fawcet's skin, just where the joint began, with the sharp tip of the dagger.
"What are you trying to say?" He demanded.
"The clone isn't of the Dark King," Fawcet imparted in a voice garbled with pain, "It's of you!"
Ludwig stood so fast he knocked over the chair he was sitting in. He glared at the creature who was warbling like a stuck pick because he just realized he'd been had. The sorcerer stalked towards Fawcet and ripped through his restraints like a hot knife through butter. Ludwig hoisted him up in the air by his shoulders and shook him hard.
"Where are they?!" He shouted, "Where did they go?"
"I don't know!" Fawcet answered, already knowing it was his mistress and the king who were being referred to.
Ludwig sneered, "Liar. Don't make me beat it out of you!"
Fawcet cowered and said, "I don't know, I swear! My Mistress never told me!"
"Lies!" Ludwig denounced.
I still don't know exactly what's going on here, but if this little waste of space is right, then I've got to get that clone back. I've come too close to let this happen, he thought bitterly. It made him furious to know that he'd been tricked by the diminutive pathetic magician, and that in a matter of time the Dark King would be close to thwarting all his hard work. No. I'm not gonna' let that happen.
Ludwig dropped Fawcet and watched him scurry off to the corner of the room, still shaking and shuddering in what he thought was real pain. Ludwig rolled his eyes and released the illusion. Like paint melting off a wall, the room disappeared and revealed itself to be the very closet Ludwig had found the creature in earlier in the night. Fawcet was completely intact, with all ten fingers as they should be, still writhing on the ground.
It was because of the former king's power that Ludwig was able to cast such a convincing illusion, and that power also explained his enhanced strength and fiery abilities. Ludwig was getting used to the power and wasn't inclined to let it go just yet, which lent to his ardent desire to get that clone away from Bowser and Cackletta as soon as possible.
Ludwig shut the closet door behind himself and reset the wards against Fawful's magic, then headed out to the throne room.
"Can somebody please explain to me what's going on?" Daisy asked. "Why is there a little child that looks exactly like Ludwig?"
"Because it is Ludwig." King Boo told her, "Well, it's a clone."
"Who made a clone of him?" Daisy then asked.
King Boo shrugged.
Peasley said, "Whoever did it doesn't matter. It's important in some way to the rise of the Dark King, so we need to find out how."
"About that," Daisy spoke. "How long have you been reading minds?"
Peasley glanced at me. We'd left the woods and re-convened at King Boo's palace because the guards had begun to tear through the forest in search of us. Now we were in the foyer with my girlfriend asking questions. Peasley couldn't impart to me the slight fear and embarrassment that came with showing someone what he really looked like, but I could understand the sentiment even when he had his hood up.
He turned back to Daisy and opened his cloak and let down the cowl. Her eyes widened but they also softened with concern. She came over to him and put her hand on the curve of his cheek.
"What happened?" She frowned.
Peasley told her, "The curse has worsened.'
"Curse?" Daisy echoed. "I thought it was a rash or something."
"No, it's a curse that Cackletta's laid upon me."
"Cackletta? But I thought she was in prison." Daisy blinked. "Wait a minute..."
She began thinking back to her experiences with the Dark King and with the mysterious, clingy blonde who'd mentioned the prince. Her mind put two and two together.
"She's working with Bowser." Daisy relayed. "She's changed her appearance and she's the one who escaped with Bowser."
"Do you know where they went?" Peasley asked her.
Daisy shook her head.
Peasley said, "I've got to catch up with Cackletta so that I can get her to lift this curse."
"What makes you think she'll lift it?" I couldn't help but ask my friend.
Peasley grew very quiet and lifted up his hood, saying softly, "She won't have a choice."
Okay, then, I thought in response to my best friend's ominous answer.
Aloud I said, "If we're gonna' get a trace on Cackletta and Bowser, we've got to go back to the palace to get a hold of Fawful."
"Right." Peasley nodded.
Daisy nodded and said, "I'm going, too."
"No, you should-" I didn't even get to finish that sentence.
Daisy told me, "I know it's not the safest choice, but there's something I need to take care of."
"Okay." I said slowly.
Both she and Peasley were all business tonight.
"If you're going after the little magician, you'd better hurry." King Boo advised solemnly. "You'll need to get to him before Ludwig does."
Junior sat on the floor in front of a blazing fireplace, watching the two adults in the room go at it like cats. On one side there was his father, pacing the span of the remote cottage's small living room. There was steam coming from his body because of how incensed he was and it made Junior hold his peace, though there were tons of questions he was just itching to ask. Questions regarding their location, the duration for which they'd be here, and inquiries about when he'd get to go back to the palace and see Lemmy again. Junior had his legs crossed and a plate of cheese and crackers in front of him, though he was too enthralled with the argument he couldn't really understand that was unfolding before him.
Bowser looked livid enough to tear someone in half with his bare hands, had he had access to his full strength at the moment. He'd garnered every last drop of energy that had been stored in his medallion as soon as the girl had threatened to toss it out. The only reason he hadn't soaked up the energy as soon as he got it from his son was because he really hadn't planned on the girl figuring out its importance so soon.
Clever little thing, he recounted with a faint smirk.
The memory of her only served to grate on his nerves further, and not because of their calamitous last encounter. No, he'd enjoyed that. He just wished he could have taken her with him. In fact, he would have, Ludwig be damned, if it weren't for the blonde pulling him away at the last second. That brought him back to his current ire.
"This is your fault, hag." He sneered. "You told me you had the clone."
"I thought I did!" Cackletta shouted from her place near the door.
She had her right hand behind her, carefully poised on the doorknob should the king's rage threaten to come down on her in the form of physical blows.
Bowser shouted, "My son! You brought me my son!"
"It's not my fault!" Cackletta hissed. "Fawful made them look just alike."
"Aren't you supposed to be a damn sorceress?" He spat, "Can't you tell the difference? No? Well let me help you."
The Dark King gestured to Junior and said, "This is my son; a product of me and some bitch fucking. That clone was a product of magic. How could that not get through to your little pea-brain?"
Cackletta narrowed her eyes and said, "It wasn't my fault! Fawful blew our cover, I was trying to get us out of there before everything went south. And I did! You should be thanking me, really."
Bowser advanced upon her angrily and Cackletta cowered.
"I'll thank your sorry ass when I'm back on the throne." He muttered. "That is what you promised, isn't it? I knew I shouldn't have listened to you."
The Dark King had reached Cackletta now and loomed over her with a present scowl. He rose his fist, flaming with fire, and held it near her head.
"It's not too late to just cut my losses," He drawled.
Cackletta tried to recite a hex to push him away but his hand snapped up to grip her throat. Her words died on her tongue and she started to tremble. Her fingers scratched against his hand but his skin was thick and his grip was like a manacle; tight, stalwart, unforgiving.
"So weak," He frowned. "And you dare claim to be in league with me?"
He dropped Cackletta and she slumped against the wooden door. The king leaned against the brick fireplace with his arms crossed, glaring at the woman. She coughed and massaged her heated, flushed neck.
"Bring me that clone." Bowser ordered.
"Yes, of course." Cackletta acquiesced. "I'll get Fawful right on it."
"I don't care how you do it." Bowser snorted. "Just don't keep me waiting."
Cackletta nodded rapidly and hurried out the door.
Little Junior, who'd witnessed the entire display in silence, abandoned his untouched snack and climbed onto the fur-covered couch that was below the window, along the same wall as the door. He peered out one of the four panes to gaze outside the cottage and could only see buckets of rain coming down.
Outside, Cackletta cast an invisible shield around herself so as not to get wet and touched her diadem, trying to summon Fawful. Her magic was coming back slowly but surely, so she still had to rely on the stored amounts in her headpiece. She frowned.
Why isn't he responding, she thought when Fawful didn't appear. She tried summoning him again and again, then sighed and forcefully had him teleported to where she was. It was an invasive technique, seeing as how he didn't have a choice this way and would be yanked away from whatever task he may be in the middle of. Cackletta didn't care, for she had been embarrassed for his sake and would let her minion know just how displeased she was with him as soon as she saw him. But when he still didn't appear, even after she'd willed him to, she knew something was wrong.
Idiot's probably gotten himself caught or something, she reasoned, then sighed again. I guess this is a job I'll have to take on alone...not. She decided to leave the cottage, to give the Dark King some space, and to try summoning Fawful again in a few days. For now, she resigned herself to finding some shelter for the week.
A smile graced her ruby lips. Perhaps in the company of some hapless, but handsome, human male.
A/N: Um, yeah. Cackletta's a fiend, but she's got looks and magic on her side so woe to whatever poor sap she comes across tonight.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it was kind of uneventful, but like I said, it's the aftermath of what happened at the palace. Next we'll see what business Daisy is referring to and what the gang and Ludwig will have to say to each other.
Stay tuned because there's still a little ways to go, though this story is coming close to the end. Until next time!
~DymondGold~