Thanks for the awesome reviews everybody, they made me feel tons better in the past couple of days!
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-Six
No one accepted that offer for tea. I personally couldn't stand tea and Daisy had politely declined. Peasley just shook his head and asked for a private place to speak. That's when we'd collected ourselves from off the floor of the king's foyer and headed up the stairs to one of his guest bedrooms. Daisy and I had taken a seat on the plain bed with King Boo leaning on the opposite wall and Peasley pacing the floor. I had to smile when Daisy leaned her head on my shoulder and laced her fingers through mine. Her expression was still alert and a bit bewildered, but her actions spoke volumes about how she really felt.
I bent down and whispered, "Missed you, too."
Peasley let his hood back in the low lighting of the nightstand lamp and I saw a look of consternation on his mottled features.
"So the plan was a success?" King Boo asked.
Since Peasley wasn't going to answer and Daisy's eyes had narrowed, I chose to speak up.
"I guess you could say that," I stated. "Ludwig tried to attack us but Peasley got us out just in time."
"Just in time," King Boo echoed, his eyes cast askance.
He seemed to be thinking about something. I was thinking on how lucky the three of us were to be alive. That plan was the product of last-minute brainstorming and it barely went off. From the very beginning we got off track because the consensus wasn't to just barge in like Daisy did, nor was there a call for her slapping him and shoving him. We were supposed to make him think we'd come back just to talk, so as to make him lose any suspicion he had after seeing me and Peasley come for Daisy. We were enemies, but we were trying to make Ludwig think we were just on neutral terms.
Not that it really matters anymore, I mentally shrugged.
Once Daisy started talking to him, he became totally absorbed in their conversation as Peasley had predicted he might. We really couldn't be sure it would work, since he was notoriously alert and focused, but it did. It surprised me to see that there was actual remorse behind that icy countenance. I'd never seen him keep his mouth shut for so long, and when he'd asked what he could do for Daisy, it was blatantly obvious he was searching for a way to either make amends for what he'd done or to clear his conscience.
Probably the latter.
That reminded me of the confusing part; I'd heard Daisy make a request for one of her friends to be set free, a harem girl or something. It was an odd thing to ask and it certainly threw Ludwig for a loop. In the end he still granted, and I figured he did because he thought it would somehow put him that much closer to getting Daisy to forgive him. Fat chance.
I asked Prince Peasley, "So what did you find out?"
My friend cast me a sidelong glance and said, "I'm sorry, Luigi, but I'm afraid I can't tell you."
"Why not?" I frowned. "Was it really that bad?"
"No, it's just." He began slowly, "Under these circumstances, the less you and your fair flower know, the better."
Daisy and I shared a wary look.
Peasley said, "What I can tell you is that everything Ludwig knows about this situation, I now know."
"And you're not gonna' share that info?" Daisy asked, deadpan.
"No." Peasley answered.
Daisy frowned and said, "I don't understand. How are we supposed to help, then?"
Peasley shot a glance towards King Boo and the older royal nodded in understanding. He left the room via leaning back into the wall to the point of sinking through it. When he came back, it was through the door and it was with the little Ludwig clone. His long hair framed his small face and his huge emerald eyes searched the room for a moment before locking onto Daisy's. I gazed at her, too, and saw her color a bit. The kid's stare was pretty intense. King Boo released his hand and he came over to sit on the bed next to her, putting Daisy in between me and him.
"I'll need you two to watch over him for me." Peasley spoke. "Take the clone and go back to Brooklyn."
"What?" Daisy and I said at the same time.
"Please, friends, just trust me." The prince implored.
He came over and knelt in front of us. With his hood still down I saw all the sincerity and determination in his lime eyes. He gazed at Daisy and me in turn.
"I have a very delicate plan in mind." Peasley imparted. "I'm not at liberty to discuss all the details for practical reasons, but in order for it to work I'll need your cooperation."
"Why do we have to take the kid to Brooklyn?" I asked him.
Peasley said, "Please, no questions."
"We need to go to Sarasaland." Daisy spoke up. "I have to make sure my people are protected, not to mention I've got to get the troops in place in case of an attack and then we've got to rally aid from the Mushroom Kingdom and any other country that's well-off enough to join the fight."
Yeah, there's that, I thought at her words. I knew we might not be in Brooklyn long but I didn't think we'd be moving so soon. It only made sense, though. Bowser was at large, it'd be better if we were somewhere safe and a palace at Sarasaland beat my apartment any day.
Peasley said, "You're exactly right. That's why I'm only asking you stay in Brooklyn for a few days before returning to this world. A few days is all I need."
"For what?" I blurted before I could stop myself.
"No questions," Peasley told me again.
Daisy mulled over this new turn of events and told me,"This sounds okay. We'll stay in New York for about three or four days to a week, then we can go to the Mushroom Kingdom and talk to your brother."
"Alright." I said, trying to just go with the flow.
This was happening so fast. In less than a week I'd be leaving the city I grew up in for most of my life and this time it'd be for good, not just for another adventure with Mario.
Can't say I'll miss the place in particular, just the memories I made there.
Besides, as long as I had Daisy, I was home. She gripped my hand tighter with a faint smile as if she'd read my mind. My eyes then roved over to King Boo, who'd taken to leaning on the far wall again. He had a very vacant expression on his face. His features were smooth and lax, but in his eyes there was a storm of emotions I didn't expect to see. Before I could try and interpret them, those magenta eyes locked on mine and King Boo lifted a brow in question. I glanced away.
"All I need you to do is keep an eye on him," Peasley spoke while looking at the clone. "Can you do this for me?"
"Yeah, sure." I replied, and Daisy nodded.
Peasley smiled brilliantly and hugged me and Daisy at the same time. I don't know why but I glanced at the clone out of the corner of my eye and I could've sworn I saw something akin to anger flash in those emerald eyes. As soon as I thought to question it, it was gone and he just looked like a regular little kid.
Why is it me who always sees these things?
"So how do we get home?" Daisy asked.
"I can take care of that."
King Boo pushed himself off the wall and came towards us. With practiced ease he opened another gateway for us and we all stepped through. I noticed the child was not hesitant at all about grabbing Daisy's hand once he was off the bed. That didn't concern me nearly as much as what we saw when we got on the other side.
Now I expected the king to be minutely familiar with the other world, seeing as how I'd never heard of him there. I figured maybe King Boo knew some major places, like New York, because he was pretty old and maybe he'd ventured out of his estate every now and again. What I didn't anticipate was that he'd know exactly where I lived: in Brooklyn. Downtown. At an apartment complex. On the third floor. He'd brought us right to my apartment's meager living room and if that wasn't creepy as all get out, I didn't know what was.
I chanced a glance at him where he stood near the door with his arms crossed and a pleased, knowing smirk on his face.
"Um." I started. "How did you you know where I live?"
King Boo's grin stretched impossibly wide and he upped the creep-factor times nine-thousand when he chuckled that raspy laugh.
"Oh, but Luigi, I know all about you." He declared. "We're arch-foes, remember?"
Sometime after he winked at me I realized I'd been better off not knowing. Peasley was right; the less I knew, the better. I shuddered and watched Peasley survey the place.
"This is a, um. Nice room," He spoke from the bedroom. "What do you call this...dwelling?"
"An apartment." I replied.
Peasley then nodded and said, "It certainly is economical."
I knew this place was like a hovel compared to what he was used to, but it was nice of him not to point out the fact. He stared at some pictures I had near the tv and flicked the big screen on experimentally. He flinched when it cut on and then his eyes widened.
I barely heard him murmur, "Moving portraits...fascinating..."
He then turned back to me and straightened, all business again.
"I'd better be going now." He stated, then hugged me and Daisy again. "Be very careful."
"We won't let anything happen to the clone." I told him.
"I was talking about you two." He corrected, "But yes, do protect the clone as well."
And when both he and King Boo left again, the latter with his trademark mad grin, I felt the weight of the situation come crashing down.
"I hope you know what you're doing."
"Me too."
Just moments ago both King Boo and Peasley had arrived back at his estate and were gathered in the kitchen. The king had meant it wholeheartedly when he'd second guessed the younger royal. To hear Peasley speak a similar sentiment did nothing to set the old immortal at ease but he just sighed and continued to comply with the young Beanish-turned-human's request.
He put a hand on Peasley's shoulder as the prince stood in his thick cloak and prepared to do as he'd asked, when he hesitated yet again.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" King Boo spoke solemnly.
Peasley nodded once and said firmly, "Absolutely."
"I could just teach you to strengthen your mental wards," King Boo offered, hoping to deter the young man in his risky endeavors.
Peasley shook his head and said, "No time."
King Boo frowned at that, having been reminded of another young person, so new to sorcery, who'd never had time to linger on one thing for too long. The main reason King Boo had taken such a fancy to helping Prince Peasley in the past few days was because it so reminded him of helping Ludwig in his early stages of practice. That, and because Prince Peasley's plan was so intricate and tricky that King Boo had gotten invested in seeing if the young royal could actually pull off what he was attempting after having only been practicing dark magic for some weeks.
"Alright." King Boo finally acceded.
He put his index and middle fingertips to Peasley's temples and Peasley's face cleared seriously.
"Think hard on the memory," King Boo instructed. "Do not let your mind wander at all."
Peasley nodded and began to concentrate.
"Ready?" King Boo prompted.
Peasley nodded again.
King Boo pushed his magical vectors into Peasley's temple like tiny spindles of fiber, searching for the mental matter and latching onto it firmly.
"Obliviate."
It felt as if the thin magic cords that had wound around the memory had been yanked by both ends so that the memory was squeezed tighter and tighter, making Peasley recall less and less details until there was an inaudible 'pop' and it was gone. The sensation of losing the memory was akin to the feeling of waking up from a dream; Peasley still knew he had one, but he couldn't remember what it was about.
"That's one hell of a fail-safe." King Boo remarked, wiping his hands on his tailored black pants.
Peasley blinked away the remaining effects of the spell; a sort of dizziness and a shower of faint lights behind his eyes.
In a slightly disoriented voice he murmured, "It had to be done. I won't underestimate him."
King Boo said quietly, "That's very wise."
It was a topic the old immortal didn't much like to discuss, because there was no doubt between them who was being referred to. King Boo knew there was a chance Ludwig may be hurt, but he had plans of his own, plans that would see after his ex-enforcer to an extent.
"Can you open a portal?" Peasley asked.
King Boo tilted his head and asked, "Didn't you open one earlier? When you and your friends escaped from the palace?"
"Yes, but that was a bit of luck." Peasley admitted softly.
King Boo's brows jumped. "I didn't expect you to be so cavalier with the lives of your dear friends."
"You misunderstand me." Peasley stated, "I know that any slight miscalculation when forming portals could render catastrophic consequences, but I had to take that chance. The situation called for it."
"So that was your first time opening a gateway?" King Boo asked, intrigued. "I couldn't tell."
Under his praise Peasley said, "I'd read about forming them but to do in practice what I've studied in theory requires...the right kind of motivation."
"Ah." King Boo nodded, "I believe I understand you now."
"Good." Peasley said, "But...don't tell Luigi."
"Of course not," King Boo grinned.
He opened a gateway to the former Dark King's palace for the younger royal and Peasley stepped towards it. Before he left, King Boo touched his shoulder.
"Good luck." He bade him.
Peasley smiled a rare smile and said, "I should hope I have the best."
A/N: Another short chapter. Don't worry, they won't all be this short. I'm trying my best to work through increasingly trying circumstances so bear with me; life is sucking hard-boiled eggs right now.
As always, I appreciate your thoughts and commentary on the story thus far and hope to hear from all of you in a review. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.
Until then...
~DymondGold~