Chapter 10 I Need to Tell

Ludwig folded a table cloth with telekinesis, which was something that his siblings and especially the servants appreciated. He could more or less do this activity in his sleep, which was humorously supported by how he felt a little drowsy as he did. He knew that he had to stay awake though, as Bowser had specifically ordered everybody to help out with cleaning the Castle. And sure, Bowser was very lenient when it came to his children, so nothing was stopping the eldest Koopaling from just walking away and taking a nap. But he wasn't going to do that because he was a good person; the BEST type of person! He wasn't going to leave his family out to dry. It was required by the law of his good, pure, absolutely perfect nature that he do this task! And who was he to not obey his completely sinless whims?

Okay, in all seriousness, Ludwig really didn't want to leave the work of cleaning up to just his family. That, and cleaning was an activity so mind numbing and easy that he could focus his thoughts on other things as his muscle memory took over. As he finished folding the tablecloths and moved onto cleaning the very high windows in the dining hall (he did this telekinetically too; he wasn't about to fly all the way up there), he thought about his meeting with Aino. Aino had made him promise that he would think about telling Aria the truth, so…yeah, at the very least, he was fulfilling that promise. He thought about all the possibilities that could occur if he told Aria about Frostwall. They ran races around in his head, each one begging to be focused on in great detail.

The least likely possibility (or at least the one that Ludwig viewed as least likely) was Aria accepting him despite this horrible news. And sure, that had the potential to occur, as Aino had managed to brush it aside. Plus, Aria had already expressed a very blatant liking towards him, so…maybe that'll help soften the blow? Maybe she'd be more willing to forgive him due to the fact that they were friends? This, while being the least likely possibility, was the one that Ludwig hoped would happen the most. Maybe Aria really wouldn't mind, like Aino and Lemmy and a majority of Ludwig's other siblings. Maybe…

Ludwig shook his head as he thought about this, almost releasing his telekinetic hold on the cleaning supplies. He highly doubted that would be the case, as the more likely possibility would be that Aria would leave him. Ludwig was almost certain that would happen; Iggy and Wendy had to take quite some time to think about the events before they forgave him, and they were Ludwig's siblings! If members of Ludwig's own family, people who not only were close to him but also weren't directly impacted by the catastrophe, had this much trouble grappling with what Ludwig did…what hope did he have of Aria forgiving him? She had been directly impacted by the event, and the fact that Ludwig was going out of his way to hide it from her would no doubt sour her reaction if he did end up telling her. So, he didn't want to tell her.

Oh, but she deserved to know! This is such a major event; Ludwig not telling her would just be wrong! He remembered the events that led to the destruction of Frostwall, how Kamek and Bowser had withheld the origin of the specials from him. He felt extremely angry when he did end up finding out the truth, more angry than he had ever felt before. If he felt that way about his parental figures withholding that piece of necessary information…well, was it too much of a stretch to think that Aria would react the same way about this? Sure, she was much older than Ludwig was when he got ahold of that particular kernel of truth, and he knew that Aria wasn't the type of person to go into literally explosive rages like he did all the way back then. But even still, telling her was definitely the right thing to do. Keeping her in the dark by lying to her will make her even more angry when the truth is inevitably revealed.

But Ludwig didn't want to tell her! Maybe this was just him indulging in his selfish side, but he didn't want to risk losing her. He…she was a good friend. That fact was just as undeniable as Ludwig's hair being blue. Although they had only been together for one day, it was such a fun day that Ludwig actually did want it to happen more often.

…What was wrong with him? Why did he think that his own selfish desires held more weight than doing the right thing? Aria should be told about this.

Ohhh….but Ludwig didn't want to! Not only was there the other stuff he had already thought about, but he really didn't want to have to look into her face when he told her the news. He could already see the disappointment in her eyes. The mere thought about seeing that from her actually made him cringe.

What should he do? He had never been this hung up about something, this stuck when it came to trying to determine his next course of action. What should he do? WHAT SHOULD HE DO?

"You're such a dork."

Ludwig blinked. As the cleaning supplies dropped to the floor, he turned and saw Larry and Roy coming into the room. Larry had a raised eyebrow as they had a conversation, which had no impact on the smile Roy wore. Ludwig noted that neither one of them had a hold on items to clean, which ignited his suspicions.

"Why aren't you two cleaning?" Ludwig asked.

Larry sighed and turned toward Ludwig. "We finished."

Ludwig snickered. "You guys finished cleaning something?"

"Yeah." Larry glared at him. "I know it's hard for your royal highness to believe, but we peasants do know how to give our living space a thorough clean."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow and looked at Roy. "Is this true."

Roy visibly seized up. "Um…" he scratched the back of his head. "Uh…um…"

"Say yes," Larry whispered.

Roy cleared his throat. "Y…yes?"

Ludwig snorted. "Well, you have me convinced." He picked the cleaning supplies back up. "So, if you guys are all set being useful for the day, do you mind leaving so that I can focus on my job?"

Larry groaned. "Aww! But we wanted to sit at the dining table! There's a lot of space!"

Ludwig opened his mouth, about to object to his brother's whining, when he realized he wasn't in the mood to argue. "Fine," he grunted. He rose into the air. "Just keep your voices down; I need to concentrate."

"Thanks bro," Roy replied.

Larry didn't say anything (big shock). He just snorted and took his seat down at the table (again, really big shock). Whatever; as long as he didn't speak too loudly, Ludwig was willing to let it go and focus on cleaning. So, he flew up to the window, spraying the cleaning solution on the surface. As he got the rag prepared to scrub up the bubbles, he heard Larry and Roy having their chat with each other (cause, you know, a sibling making a polite request didn't mean shit in this day and age).

"Seriously dude, you're such a dork," Larry repeated. "I mean, why do you need to make such a big deal out of a three year anniversary?"

"Because it is a big deal!" Roy protested. "At least for me. Judy and I only got to the two year mark. The fact that Celia and I reached three is a really good thing for me; it's a really big accomplishment."

Larry snickered. "Why sure; only getting the chance to sleep with one girl and only one girl over the course of a three year period is enough to warrant a party." While Ludwig wasn't looking, he knew that the youngest was giving Roy a glare. "If I were you, I would've dumped her six months in so that I could go schmooze the next hot girl who passes my way."

"Well, I guess that just shows the differences between you and me," Roy replied. "But don't worry bro; you'll understand when you're a little older."

"Yeah, says you," Larry scoffed.

Ludwig just rolled his eyes at his brother's ignorance. Because…yeah, Larry didn't know crap about how the world worked. It was actually really impressive that Roy managed to find a girl and stay with her for three years. Heck, it was more than just impressive; it was spectacular! Especially since this was Roy that was being talked about and even more especially considering that this was only Roy's second girlfriend. A genius level IQ wasn't required for someone to see that Roy had gotten extremely lucky (unless of course you're name was Larry). Ludwig hoped, actually genuinely hoped, that Roy and Celia would continue to stay as close to each other as possible. While Ludwig wasn't friends with Celia per say, he could see that she made Roy happy. That alone was enough to satisfy both Roy and Ludwig.

"So…yeah," Roy continued. "For our anniversary, I'm gonna take her to a nice restaurant…like, a really nice one Then…well…" Ludwig could practically see him smiling with how much excitement his voice contained. "I think then we'll come home and…play video games wink wink."

Larry snorted. "Oh wow, look at that! You're actually going to do something sensible as opposed to turning yourself into the biggest doink this Sarasaland! Congrats, buddy!"

Okay. Did Larry just have the code for stupidity written in his DNA? With a roll of the eyes, Ludwig descended down to the ground and glared at Larry.

"That's a lot of talk coming from the guy who's only interacted with female video game NPCs at the most."

Larry's face actually turned red when he heard that. Roy started to laugh, which made his face even redder. He looked between his two brothers, his face making it clear that he realized that he didn't have a leg to stand on. After about two minutes, he shook his head.

"You both suck." With that, he got up and walked out of the dining hall. Ludwig smiled as Roy wiped a tear from his eye, satisfied with his handiwork.

"Thanks Lutz," Roy said. "You've really got my back."

"Of course." Ludwig went up and patted his brother on the shoulder. "Don't listen to Larry; you and Celia getting to three years is really impressive."

Roy beamed. "Thanks!" He removed his sunglasses. "Although, I think most of that is thanks to luck."

Ludwig smirked. "You're just saying that so you can feign humility."

Roy shrugged. "Eh. Maybe somewhat." He put his shades back on. "But I also mean it. Finding a girl and actually having her stay with you is too incredible to just be thanks to effort."

"I see." Ludwig smiled as he telekinetically picked the cleaning supplies back up. "Well, either way, you deserve all the congratulations you can receive."

"Thanks!"

Ludwig smiled and started to fly back up to the mirrors. Before he got up there though, he stopped. A question for Roy popped up in his mind. On some level, he couldn't believe he was considering asking his meathead of a brother for advice. But at the same time…well, he got a girl to stay with him for three years. As unbelievable as it seemed, he was in a position of authority when it came to women (again, Ludwig couldn't actually believe he was thinking this).

So, he descended back down to stand beside Roy. "Roy…" he struggled to speak. "I…I need some advice."

Roy blinked. "Really?" When Ludwig nodded, he blushed. "Well, I'm not really good with that sort of thing…"

Ludwig almost laughed at Roy confirming the thoughts he himself had been having. However, he controlled himself and still pressed forward. "I think you might be better than you realize."

Roy beamed. "Well…okay then. What do you need some advice with?"

"Uh…" Ludwig scratched the back of his head. "Well…if you had a big secret, one that involves, say, Celia…would you tell her about it?"

Roy blinked again. "Well…it depends on what kind of secret. I mean, if it was a surprise party for her birthday…" he chuckled. "Well, even I'm smart enough to know you shouldn't tell someone about that."

"That's not it!" Ludwig's heart pumped. "It's…it's a bad secret, specifically. It's one that she deserves to know. But…at the same time, if you tell her, it would put your relationship in jeopardy." He looked Roy right in the eye. "What would you do? Would you tell her that secret?"

Roy's face sank. "Oh…" He looked down at the floor. "When you put it like that…yeah, I think I would. In fact, I think I should."

"Even if it might lead to her breaking up with you?"

Roy nodded. "As much as that might suck, yes. She would deserve to know about that secret. And as much as I would hate having to tell her…well, I kind of would have to."

Ludwig's heart sank. "That…that makes sense." He rose back into the air, ready to finish his job of cleaning the windows. "Thanks buddy."

"Yeah," Roy said, his voice noticeably lacking in enthusiasm. "Anytime."

…

Later that day, Ludwig sat on his bed. He tapped his leg in a rhythm as he stared at his phone. His stomach churned, and shivers ran up and down his spine. He knew what he had to do. He knew that he needed to pick up the phone, dial Aria's number, and tell her the truth. It was a very simple task. Why then was it so hard?

"Come on, Luddy," he muttered. He held his shaky hand out, almost grazing the surface of the screen. "You…" he pulled away at the last second. He shook his head. "Come on, you need to do it. It's the right thing to do." He looked back at the device, cringing as he did. "But that doesn't make it any less painful…"

He could already imagine the shock on Aria's face when she was told the horrible news. It would create some shame for Ludwig, no doubt about it. He supposed, because of this, it wasn't too bad that he was telling her over the phone.

Except…one shouldn't do that. Telling someone horrible news in a phone call was a very bad idea! A horrible idea, as a matter of fact! He needed to tell her in person! Sure, it would be painful for him, but it was the least that she deserved!

"No." Ludwig shook his head. "She deserves an in person conversation." He cringed. "And to think I was stupid enough to tell her over the phone. Seriously, nice going Ludwig." So, sighed as he looked down at the phone. He picked it up telekinetically, ready to stash it away in his hammerspace for the time being when…

Bring bring!

Ludwig's heart skipped a beat. For a little bit, he remained frozen in place, not putting his phone away but not picking up the call either. With shaking hands, he slowly turned the phone toward his face. Please don't let it be Aria. If it was Aria, then that would mean he would have to set up a meeting with her where he revealed the horrible news. Please don't let it be Aria. PLEASE DON'T LET IT BE…

Ludwig's heart sank when he saw the name. It was her. God damn it. He sighed, plucking the phone out of the air and pressing the accept call button. He had never felt this stressed out when putting the phone to his ear.

"Hey Aria," he said, not having the energy to fake a happy voice.

"Hey Ludwig! How are you doing?"

"I…" Ludwig hesitated. "I'm doing okay." He realized that, if there was anytime to set up an in person meeting with her, it was now. Sure, that would mean he would have a bout of dread hanging over him until the day actually came, but…*sigh* he had to do this. He needed to do this. "Hey, I was wondering. Would you…would you like to have another outing?"

On the other side of the phone, Ludwig heard Aria gasp. "That's exactly why I was calling you!" Aria's voice was high as a kite with excitement and joy; if Ludwig wasn't so sad, he would've found the sound adorable. "I would love to! I think that could be fun!"

Despite himself and his reservations, Ludwig actually smiled. "I…I'm glad you think so." He leaned back in the bed, trying his best to be discreet as he did a soothing deep breathing exercise. "So…what day did you have in mind?"

"Well…" Once again, the excitement in Aria's voice was unmatchable. "I was thinking two days from now."

Ludwig nodded. "Good." He leaned back all the way down on his pillow, hoping that being in a comfortable position would help him feel less anxious. "So, where do you want it to take place?"

"Oh, you're gonna love this." Ludwig heard her shifting positions where she sat. "It's in a bowling alley in Thwompville."

"Thwompville?" Ludwig snickered. "The one place that is shut up tighter than a clam?"

Aria laughed. "You don't have to worry about that. Thwompville is the home of one of the few people in the world who sees demon hunting as a legitimate profession." She paused after saying that; did that fact make her sad? "So, I more or less have permanent access into the town."

"I see." Now Ludwig was completely lying down. "So, a bowling alley."

"Yep! A bowling alley called The World of Thunder Strike!" Ludwig actually snickered at that name; did the person who decided on it think it was a clever pun? "I'll meet you outside at, say….five o'clock?"

Ludwig nodded. "That sounds perfect."

"Great! I look forward to seeing you then!"

"Y…you too." With that, they hung up. This just left Ludwig staring at the ceiling, trying to plan how that conversation was going to go. Would two days be enough time to prepare? He hoped so. Oh sweet Grambi, he hoped so…