Chapter 8: Sparkling Jewels
Contrary to what the Green Toad had been told, the crown was shining before him exactly where it had been: on the pedestal. In fact, everything about the throne room was exactly the same except the shattered window in the back. Even then, the glass had been swept up from the floor. The Toad looked around in shock before sprinting the other way down the hall, racing downstairs.
"Guys, guys! I have to tell you all something!" he shouted excitedly, but arrived at the dining table to find no one there. "Hello?" he asked the room as a whole, before sighing in defeat. "Well, I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow." he concluded, skipping upstairs with a smile on his face.
Three hours later, there was only one person left awake in the castle, and that was Toad. He stared at the ceiling of his room for a few minutes before flipping over onto his tummy and sighing.
"Why is it so hard for me to get to sleep...?" he asked himself. "I fought a darn Mechakoopa; surely my body needs rest." he groaned, looking around his room for the third time in the past five minutes. He then sat up on the edge of his bed, forced himself to stand, and walked out of his room towards the throne room. He threw open the double doors to find the crown greeting him. He smiled faintly and looked at it for a few seconds, taking in the ornate embroidery and jewels.
"They sure made this one a sight." he marveled. "I remember the last one had one gem on it... this one has one, two, three, four, five." he counted. "And they're different colors and everything. Wow..." He stared at the crown some more, seeing his reflection in the jewels like he did before. "I wonder how she's doing... does she miss this crown on her head?" he wondered to himself. "I wonder if she misses it more than she misses us..." he proposed, putting a hand on his chin. "She's probably in the cabin now, ready to fly back tomorrow." he told himself, sitting in the metal chair he had slept in the night before. "She had fun over there. Well, maybe a little too much fun." He joked. "But I know she misses home... she probably can't wait." he smiled. "I know I can't."
He shifted around in the chair, the metal furniture moving with him. "Oh, who am I kidding?" he sighed, looking at the crown once more. "You love the girl, Toad, you know you do." he told himself. "Everything about her is perfect... her smile, her demeanor, the way she handles everything as if all situations have the same importance. Not to mention her choice of assistant. For mushroom's sake, I can't keep up with that!" he raised his voice, throwing his hands in the air. He then sighed again, looking around to see if anyone heard. A few seconds of silence confirmed that no one had.
"Seriously, Toad..." He put his head on the back of the chair. "You might as well ask her... alone, tomorrow. What have you got to lose?" Everything. he thought. His eyes slowly closed, and despite being in an uncomfortable position, he slept soundly for the rest of the night.
To be continued...