Chapter 13 A Heartfelt Gift

Dear Ludwig,

Thanks for the letter. I'm sorry that it took me this long to reply. Life's been…well, quite frankly, life has been amazing. Garnet accepted my proposal, first off. We don't have an exact date for the wedding, but we're thinking sometime in the spring. We're also considering having the ceremony somewhere outside the Koopa Kingdom, like either World 4 or Sparkling Waters (we're both really big fans of tropical settings). I know that would probably make things more expensive, but we're both willing to do it. And hey, if we can't have the ceremony there, we can always go there for the honeymoon. Either way, I'm excited.

That's pretty much what's been going on in my life. How have you been? Has anything exciting happened in your world? Please tell me; I'm really excited to know.

Sincerely, Logan.

Ludwig smiled as he read through a majority of this letter. Hearing that Logan's life was going well after spending the past three years as a cat was cathartic. REALLY cathartic. It felt like the world was finally giving Logan what he deserved, the sweet happiness that he had no chance of finding while stuck in Aida's house. Ludwig actually teetered on the brink of tears as he read his friend's message. He didn't, but damn, did he get close.

Obviously, he planned on replying to Logan. He wanted to tell Logan what's been happening in his own life. At least partially. The biggest thing that has been occurring was him going out on outing with Aria, which…well, he was kind of on the fence about whether he should reveal those details to Logan. Number one, Logan was unaware about what happened to Frostwall (funny as that was the place he lived during his childhood). And number two…Ludwig still couldn't come to a concrete decision on how exactly he felt about the outings. He liked them, but he also knew that they were inevitably going to be ruined when he told Aria the truth.

These thoughts flitted about in his brain, some of them even causing him a headache as he placed himself into a corner logically. The logic itself was circular, always leading him down the exact same path, trapping him in the worst kind of circuit. It made his tummy feel funny, it made him feel a little sick…

Ludwig shook his head. No, he shouldn't think about this. Thinking about it too hard would strengthen his already forming headache. So, with one last glance down at Logan's letter, he telekinetically placed it down on his bedside table. He would write a reply to it later. Right now, he just wanted sometime to relax. He looked over at Lemmy's empty bed, at this point feeling happy that his brother went to a circus with everyone else. With him gone, Lemmy wouldn't have the chance to poke at the issue and cause Ludwig to think about it even more. Sure Ludwig loved his brother, but he also didn't want to think himself into a corner.

So, he got out of bed. Wiping dust off the front of his cloak, he decided that what he wanted to do was go on a little stroll around the castle. The day was actually a really nice one, which more than likely meant that the castle courtyard would be a fun place to be. He could see it now; sitting on the bench, smelling the flowers and listening to the birds. That was more than a little appeal; it was exactly what his worried soul needed.

He went out of his room. As he walked, he took note of how quiet it was. Made sense; his siblings were louder than fog horns on good days, so them being absent was the perfect way to provide relief to Ludwig's already sensitive ears. He smiled, taking in a deep breath that caused him to rise into the air. He flew past the doors, already imagining how gorgeous the courtyard would be…

When he heard giggling. He blinked, looking back down the hall. He noticed that the laughter was muffled, meaning that whoever was responsible for it was probably behind a closed door. Just as he was about to investigate was when the door to Roy's room opened. Roy stepped out, and by his side was his half human girlfriend, Celia Patch. Ludwig took note of their appearances; Roy was covered in sweat, and Celia's hair was a mess. It didn't take long for Ludwig to realize what exactly they had been doing.

"Hey guys. Enjoying your anniversary?"

"Oh yeah!" Roy grinned. "Best day of my life so far!" He giggled and put his arm around Celia. "I am so lucky to have met this beauty!"

Celia blushed, making her goldenrod skin turn orange. "Hehe, thanks Roy. Although, I think if anybody is the lucky one around here, it's me."

"What? Are you crazy?" Roy laughed. "Before I met you, I had broken up with my previous girlfriend and was in a really bad place! You were the light at the end of the tunnel that I didn't know I needed!"

Celia chuckled. "Well, I was living in the sewers, outcast from the rest of the world before I met you. I think it's safe to say that you saved me from a very difficult life."

"True, true." Roy grinned at her, the look devilish but at the same time so sweet and loving. "Why don't we call it even then?"

Celia grinned back. "That sounds perfect."

With that, the two of them locked lips, much to Ludwig's chagrin. He cringed at the sight of their kiss, and he only cringed harder when he heard the passionate moaning that could only be associated with arousal.

"Get a room, you two," he said. Neither one of them pulled away, so Ludwig decided to just go to the courtyard. He flew at a brisk pace, all while trying to get the image of Celia and Roy smooching out of his head. Seriously, why couldn't they celebrate their anniversary by going to the circus like the rest of the Koopalings? Why did they have to act extra passionate around a koopa who didn't need to see them act extra passionate?

Oh well. Ludwig decided the second he got to the courtyard that he didn't want to spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on that. No, he had the fresh air to focus on! He took in a deep breath, marveling how the air lacked the stench of sulfur. Seriously, in a kingdom where everything smelled like sulfur, being in this courtyard was like entering through the pearly gates of Aroma Heaven. He smiled as he took his seat on the bench. He kept his feet in the grass, relishing in the fact that it was damp. The coolness soother him, as did the scent of the tiger lilies planted just a few inches away from the bench he sat on.

Yeah, this was amazing. Ludwig sunk his feet deeper into the grass, all while he thought about Aria. He thought about potentially showing her this secret garden locked away from the world. He could already imagine the surprised, delighted look on her face as she saw the tiger lilies. Sure, she lived in Sparksville, so more than likely she was used to seeing flowers of all sorts of different varieties. Even still, her eyes grew wide and twinkled in Ludwig's fantasy. She also wrapped her arms around him in his fantasy, leaning close enough that he could both feel her breathing and hear her heartbeat. He leaned closer to her. He thought about the sight of her face. He imagined what her lips tasted like as he got in even closer…

Ludwig halted. Wait…what…what was he doing? What were these strange thoughts he had toward his friend? Why in the world did he fantasize about kissing her? That…that was just bizarre. No, not just bizarre; it was downright confusing. Aria was his friend! Friend; F, R, I, E, N, D! That was all they were. That was what they were supposed to be, and Ludwig was comfortable with that. Besides, even if he did look at her in that way (which he absolutely, unequivocally did NOT), it's not like they could get together! There was too much history between them!

Why did thinking about that fact cause Ludwig's heart to sink?

Much to Ludwig's relief, he soon found an excuse to move away from this confusing thought pattern. The reason why was because one of the koopa troopa servants came into the courtyard. The servant, named Clover, had an excited face as she came over to the prince. This definitely caught Ludwig's interest a little bit.

"Hey Clover. What's going on?"

Clover's face grew more excited, which only increased Ludwig's interest. "Master Ludwig…there's something for you at the front entrance!"

Ludwig blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's a package!" Clover looked like she was going to explode with enthusiasm. "And it's for you!"

Ludwig blinked a second time. A package? For him? Huh, that didn't happen everyday. Sure, he got tons of fan mail, but packages? Boxes that contained items delivered directly to him? That never happened. Literally never; Ludwig couldn't even recall a time off the top of his head when he received a package.

So, naturally, he was a bit excited. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take me to it!"

Clover nodded as her eyes glittered. Ludwig rose from the bench, bemoaning the fact that he had to leave the courtyard but also feeling mightily excited about the possibilities of what was in the package. What could it be? Was it going to be something that Ludwig would enjoy for years to come? Who sent it? Oh, there were just too many questions. Each one caused Ludwig's heart to beat even faster. He almost broke out into a run, eager and impatient to get to the package as soon as possible. He didn't, figuring that he should still exhibit self control. But man, did he get close!

As the two walked through the hallway, they passed by Roy and Celia. When Roy saw his brother being led by a koopa troopa servant, he blinked. "What's going on?"

Ludwig faced him with a smile. "I got a package in the mail."

"A package?" This question, along with the interest implicit in the asking of said question, prompted Roy to take hold of Celia's hand and follow his oldest brother. Ludwig didn't mind though; there were worse things than having witnesses to watch him open his object of interest.

"What's in the package?" Roy asked when they were almost at the front door.

"I don't know." Ludwig shrugged. "But I want to find out."

Celia looked a little cautious. "How do you know it's even safe? There could be a bob-omb or a poison inside! You are a prince after all; I'm sure there are a lot of people in this kingdom who would like to see you dead."

Ludwig almost stopped. Huh, that was a good point. He was just about to ask Clover when she chuckled and turned back toward them.

"There's no reason to worry about that. We had Kamek scan for any unwanted items with his wand. It came up clean."

Ludwig put his hand to his chest. Well, that's good at least. He suppose he should give Clover some credit; at least she wasn't stupid enough to unknowingly lead Ludwig to an untimely death.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the group got to the front door. Clover opened it up, and the package laid there to greet them. Ludwig looked at it as it sat right in the middle of the walkway. It didn't appear that remarkable; it wasn't even that big. It was rectangular in shape, and it had Ludwig's name on a sticker plastered to the side. Ludwig stepped towards it. Celia and Roy also stepped towards it, no doubt feeling just as excited as he was.

"What are you waiting for?" Roy whispered. "Open it!'

Ludwig nodded. He took the claw of his pointer finger and sunk it into the taped sections of the box like a knife. He cut through the tape, cringing at the horrible sound but also finding it to be somewhat satisfying. His heart pounded like a kettle drum as he did this. The question of what exactly was in the box was so prevalent in the Koopaling's mind that he wouldn't be surprised if Celia and Roy heard it reverberating inside his head. Right as he felt he could handle the suspense no longer, he got the box open. He pulled out the item…

And gasped. He stared at the object, feeling so surprised that he almost dropped it. Roy and Celia adorned confused looks, clearly not seeing the significance behind the item Ludwig currently held.

"Dude, why would somebody send you that?" Roy asked.

A smile grew on Ludwig's face. The item in question was a plastic xylophone with rainbow keys, complete with a mallet attached to it with a string. Just for the sake of it, Ludwig picked up the mallet and hit the keys. The sound was twinkling, like the stars themselves had recorded their voices to be played whenever the keys were hit.

"I don't believe it." Before Ludwig knew what was going on, tears fell out of his eyes. He held the xylophone to his chest, hugging it like it was his firstborn child. The tears fell down at a consistent rate, which only seemed to draw more confusion out of Roy and Celia.

"It's…it's just a toy," Celia said. "What's so special about it?"

Ludwig turned toward them with a smile. "It's just like a toy I had when I was a little kid!" He looked back down at the xylophone, feeling like everything was right with the world for the first time in years. "I've always felt so bad over the original one being lost, but…oh, I can't believe this!" He hugged the toy again. Now, maybe he was supposed to be embarrassed to be getting this worked up over a toy. But he didn't care. It was too great a gift, too perfect. He was going to keep hold of this xylophone and put it in a special place. He wasn't even going to let Lemmy play with it; he was going to make sure that it stayed untouched by everyone.

"Well. I suppose that's good," Celia said. "Who sent it?"

This prompted Ludwig to look in the box again. He already knew who sent it; it was as obvious as the sun in the sky. However, he still looked for proof. He had a hunch that she wouldn't just mail this gift without leaving him a note or something along those lines.

Sure enough, he was right. Tucked in the very back of the box was a piece of paper, folded in half. He fished it out, smiling when he saw his name written on the front. He opened it up and read the note to himself.

Hey Ludwig. I know how much you missed your old xylophone. So, I decided to go to the store and find a replacement. I hope that this little baby will give you as much joy as you had when you were a little baby.

Aria.

Ludwig shed another tear, which landed on the paper. "Aria…" He sniffled and tucked the note away in his hammerspace. Sure, it was a simple message, but he wanted to hold onto the note for the rest of eternity. Just like the xylophone.

"Oh!" Roy exclaimed. "Aria sent you that as a gift?"

"Yep," Ludwig said as he turned back around to face them.

Roy smiled. "Cool!" His face fell after a minute and he turned to face Celia. "How come we never got each other gifts?"

Celia blinked. "You know, that's a very good question." She scratched her head. "Seriously, three years together and we haven't even bothered to by each other presents? What the heck is wrong with us?"

Roy chuckled. "Maybe we should change that." He grinned and turned toward Ludwig. "Lutz, can you text Aria and ask her where she got that xylophone?"

Ludwig actually snickered at that. "I think the point is that you need to get something that Celia will appreciate."

"I know; that's why I'm asking! YOU appreciated the xylophone; that's gotta mean it's imbued with some special happiness magic or something!" He blinked. "Right?"

Ludwig and Celia exchanged a look before chuckling. "Tell you what Roy; why don't you talk with your girlfriend and ask her if she'd like a xylophone. If she doesn't, then ask her what else she might like."

Roy looked a little confused, but nodded regardless. "Um…okay." He took Celia by the hand and led her back into the castle. This just left Ludwig alone with Aria's heartfelt gift. He looked down at it. He stroked the blue key with the tips of his fingers. It was so smooth. It sent tingles down Ludwig's spine. Even though he had been too young to remember the original xylophone, he still felt pretty nostalgic while laying his hands on this one.

So, he went back into the castle and flew up to his room. When he got there, he placed the xylophone on his bedside table right next to Logan's letter. Ludwig smiled; it really did make the room feel a lot more colorful. Sure, he lived with Lemmy; EVERYTHING was colorful when he was involved. But this particular instance felt more special to the oldest Koopaling. It felt like he had reawakened his childhood innocence, found a piece of his soul that had been missing for decades. Aria really nailed it when getting a gift that Ludwig would love.

Which actually brought up an interesting thing to note. That being that Ludwig should probably return the favor. Sure, Aria probably didn't expect anything in return, but you know what? That didn't matter. She took time out of her day to find this xylophone, to make Ludwig just a little bit happier. A gesture like that, from a friend as thoughtful as her, deserved to have a reward. They deserved to get a gift of their own.

The only question now was what that gift should be. Ludwig put his hand on his chin, thinking about any possible options. He expected to be in that position for the better part of the next few hours. Thankfully, he didn't. He figured out something that Aria would appreciate really quickly, and it made him smile. He giggled as he rose into the air.

"Oh, Aria's going to love this!"