Chapter 16 Round Intros

Before officially opening the castle door, Ludwig fluffed his hair one last time. He took deep breaths, telling himself that this was all going to work out fine. Sure, his nerves were so high one would think he was about to drop an atomic bomb, but he could still be the gentleman Aria needed him to be. She had come here expecting to meet the entirety of Ludwig's family, and that's what he was going to do for her.

So, once he felt comfortable enough, he opened the door. The first thing that met his eyes was the starry eyed smile that brought out Aria's natural beauty. He smiled back, his heart fluttering (that didn't mean anything significant, right?).

"Hello Aria," he said.

Aria's smile grew bigger as she stepped closer. "Hey! I was beginning to think you were leaving me in the dust!" Ludwig's insides felt squirmy upon hearing that, but he ignored that. "I'm really excited about this; there's no way I would've missed out!"

Ludwig chuckled. "Of that I have no doubt." He looked down at Aria's hand, hesitating. After about half a minute, he decided to take hold of it. So soft, so warm, so…perfect. Was there any part of this girl that didn't make Ludwig fall head over heels? "Come on, my siblings are waiting in the throne room."

Aria followed him, the doors slowly closing shut behind them. He traced the path to the throne room, a path that he had gone down so often that he wouldn't be surprised if he genetically passed the layout down to his children. He didn't let go of Aria's hand, as something about it felt extra special to him. This could be just because he had gotten used to physical contact between the two of them over the course of their outings, but even still, he enjoyed being this close to her. If only he could shake off the guilt that came from the secret he kept from her…

He shook his head, deciding now wasn't the time to dwell on that little devil of a fact. He continued leading Aria, trying his best to not think about anything in particular. For the most part, he succeeded, which did help his nerves to calm down. Before he was able to enter the throne room though, he ran into someone. The sight of them immediately made Ludwig wonder why they haven't informed this person about Aria coming to the castle.

"Oh. Hello Ludwig," Bowser said. His eyes traveled over to Aria, causing his pupils to grow wide. "Holy smokes is that a pretty girl!"

Aria's face turned crimson. "T…thank you." She paused. "Your Highness."

Ludwig chuckled a little and let go of Aria's hand. "Bowser, this is my friend, Aria Shellcreep." He turned toward Aria. "Aria, this is my adoptive father, King Bowser Koopa."

Without any more words, Aria got down into a kneeling position. "It is an honor to meet you, King of the Koopas."

"No no, the honor is mine." Bowser stole one more glance at her before turning toward Ludwig. "Man, I can't believe you of all people managed to make a friend!"

Ludwig scratched the back of his friend. "Well, we met a long time ago…" he realized something, causing him to glare. "Wait, what do you mean by 'you of all people?'"

Bowser laughed. "I'm just saying that because you're super mean…" he noticed Ludwig's hands smoking. "I mean, a super, meanly awesome person!" He chuckled, twiddling his thumbs in a way Ludwig never would've associated with Bowser. "Yeah. You're more than capable of making friends. Your personality is a very attractive one!"

Ludwig continued glaring at Bowser, but thanks to deciding he didn't want to spend too much time on this, his hands stopped smoking. He turned back to Aria. "Well, anyway, let's go meet my family."

They were just about to walk past Bowser when the Koopa King stopped them. "Wait wait wait. You're introducing this girl to your family?" His shoulders slumped as his jaw dropped. "Why wasn't I informed about this? I'm part of your family!"

Ludwig once again felt guilty. "I… uh, I didn't think about that at the time."

Bowser put on a pouty face as he crossed his arms. "Oh. Okay then. Glad to know you value me so much that I fly right under your radar."

Ludwig smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Bowser groaned and shook his head. "It's fine. Go have fun without me." He walked away with his head turned toward the ground. "I like meeting pretty girls too, you know?"

Ludwig felt a pang, wanting to tell Bowser to come with them. He thought against it, however, as Bowser was the type of person who needed space when he was upset. As such, even if Ludwig did invite him, he would more than likely insist on not coming with them. So, the eldest Koopaling decided to just not think about this too hard. Pushing his guilt to the side, he continued leading Aria to the throne room. He almost took her hand again, but ultimately didn't.

When they got to the throne room, the other Koopalings were lined up in a line in front of the throne. Ludwig smiled; they had done exactly what he had asked them to. That hardly ever happened! Seriously, Ludwig was just one step away from getting out the sparkling cider and throwing a party to celebrate his siblings being obedient for once in their lives! He did more than just smile as he led Aria over to them; he grinned like he had just happened across a big supply of laughing gas.

"Okay, everybody!" He exclaimed with a very potent and distinguishable form of joy. "This is the girl who I've told you about." He gestured toward his guest. "Koopalings, meet Aria Shellcreep!"

"Hi!" Most of the Koopaling replied. Most if not all of them couldn't take their eyes off of Aria, and Ludwig could've sworn he saw Larry give him a jealous look.

"Hello everybody!" Aria replied. She stepped closer to Ludwig's siblings, studying each of them and taking in each of their appearances. "Man, you guys are even more colorful in person!" She giggled. "Someone needs to paint all of you guys together right here, right now!" She laughed. "Especially since I have a feeling you guys all being still at the same time is a once in a lifetime occurrence."

This got Iggy to laugh. "A girl with good taste and a sense of humor. Could Ludwig have made friends with anyone better?"

Ludwig blinked before smiling at him. Seriously, Iggy giving him a compliment instead of stroking his already monstrous ego? That was also unheard of! Had Ludwig stepped into a wormhole that took him to another dimension by accident? Because seriously, the behavior of his siblings was more or less perfect!

He turned back to Aria. "Now, let me introduce you to each of my siblings individually." He took hold of Aria's hand again and led her down the line. "You've already met Lemmy."

Lemmy's eyes glittered. "Hi, Aria! I'm so happy to see you and Ludwig getting along like this! Both me and him really appreciate it."

"That's great to hear!" Aria exclaimed. She looked over at Ludwig, who was blushing harder than the lovestruck main character of a romance novel. "Ludwig is a really good friend."

Lemmy beamed. "I could've told you that." He giggled right alongside her.

Ludwig cleared his throat and looked back at Aria. "Well, we probably shouldn't waste too much time talking to someone you already met." He led her to the next person in the line. "This is my one and only sister, Wendy." He chuckled. "As you can see, she put a lot of effort into getting dolled up for today."

Wendy chuckled. Instead of wearing the pink jacket that had previously been drenched, she donned the white dress with gold trim she showed Ludwig earlier (along with a white and gold bow to match). And honestly, Ludwig was kind of glad that the jacket got ruined, as he felt Wendy looked really good while wearing this particular outfit. Just went to show how little Ludwig knew about fashion, at least on a first instinct.

Aria stepped forward and shook Wendy's hand. "It's very nice to meet you, Wendy. You look absolutely stunning!"

"Aww, thank you!" Wendy did a little twirl, causing the skirt of the dress to spin around with her. The white and gold blended in an interesting way as she did that, making her look like a blur of shining colors. The smile she wore once she stopped appeared just as glorious. "I wanted to put in extra effort into looking nice for one of my older brother's only friends. He's such a sourpuss that people avoid him like the plague."

"Wendy!" Ludwig exclaimed in a fast yet whispery voice. This was almost like that encounter with Bowser all over again! Seriously, was Ludwig making friends and keeping friends just that hard to believe? Sure, Wendy was right about the "one of my older brother's only friends" part, but that didn't make the next statement true! Ludwig wasn't a sourpuss! Well, he wasn't a sourpuss often…

Just as he was starting to grow mightily embarrassed was when Aria looked back at him. "Well, I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that he hasn't been a sourpuss to me. He's been an absolutely amazing person to be in the company of."

"That's so great to hear!" Wendy kept her eyes on Aria. "If you're interested, I would love to be friends! I have a feeling you and I would have so much fun together!"

Aria smiled. "Of that, I have no doubt."

Despite the feeling of satisfaction that Ludwig experienced while watching this exchange, he became aware that they needed to hurry things along when Larry cleared his throat. "Okay, let's move on ladies." He took Aria's hand and led her to the next two Koopas in line. "These are Larry and Roy. They're like the two musketeers if the two musketeers ate wallpaper paste when they were kids."

"Hey!" Larry exclaimed.

"For your information," Roy said, "I happen to have a girlfriend! I think that goes to show I'm smart in some ways!"

Ludwig almost made an inappropriate joke based on what Roy just told him, but thought against it. This day wasn't designed for Ludwig to roast his younger brothers (as easy targets as they were). He could save that for tomorrow; it would probably be much more enjoyable then.

"Right, right; my apologies," Ludwig said. Even with that said, Larry and Roy still sent superheated glares in his direction.

Thank goodness Aria was there to draw their attention away. "It's very nice to meet you two. I think it's really cool that Ludwig has younger brothers; I have to admit that I would love to know what that's like." She chuckled. "Especially seeing how you two seem like pretty cool dudes."

Roy chuckled. "We are pretty cool…"

"Yeah, but don't be fooled, Aria!" Larry took a step forward. "I may be the youngest of this lot, but that doesn't mean you should underestimate me! I'm tough, mean, and can hold my own in a fight against any of these hooligans!"

Ludwig actually laughed. "Yeah, keep wishing Buddy." Okay, so maybe he was willing to poke more fun at them after all.

"That is impressive," Aria said, thankfully preventing a full-out fight to break out amongst the brothers. "You do look like you pack a considerable punch, Larry."

Larry's eyes grew wide. Before Ludwig even knew it, the biggest and happiest smile that he had ever seen today appeared on his little brother's face (which was saying a lot). The youngest Koopaling looked like he was about to swoon and faint in a show of pure happiness and untainted validation. Admittedly, this sight did make Ludwig feel a little happy for his brother.

"Well, anyway…" Ludwig led Aria to the next Koopa in line. "This is Morton."

Morton took a step forward, the tiniest traces of a smile on his face. "Hi," he said to Aria as he extended his hand.

"Hi," Aria replied as she extended her own hand. After they shook, Ludwig expected Morton to say something more. And…well, he did. Technically.

"It's nice to meet you," is what he said. After Aria returned the greeting, Ludwig waited for a good twenty seconds for Morton to say anymore. However, the second youngest kept his lips sealed.

Ludwig snorted. "Yeesh Morty. I've heard of a man of few words, but this is ridiculous."

Morton shrugged. "Eh. Just how I roll."

"Yes clearly." Because of the lack of words on Morton's part, Ludwig had no choice but to introduce Aria to his last sibling. And this particular sibling…oh boy. Ludwig could see this conversation going in several different directions, and none of them were positive.

"And last but definitely not least…" Ludwig held back a disgusted groan. "This is Iggy."

"Ignatius!" Iggy interjected. He looked at Aria with a smile. "My name is Ignatius, Miss Aria." He extended his hand. "Although, if we wish to refer to me by the name Iggy, I would not mind in the least."

Ludwig felt a surge of annoyance. Then why did you make a big deal out of your name being Ignatius? He didn't say that out loud though; fighting with Iggy was never a fun activity, as this particular Koopaling always acted in the most smug fashion possible.

"It's very nice to meet you, Iggy." Aria blinked. "Iggy… Iggy Koopa… why does that name sound so familiar?"

Iggy beamed. "Oh! Well, I do have a considerable amount of achievements under my belt." He did his best to feign humility, but Ludwig saw right through his act. "Not only have I discovered an element when I was four years old, but I also went to college at seven and established the Koopa Kingdom's internet!"

Aria's eyes grew wide. "Oh yeah!" I remember now! All of that was mentioned in textbooks I read in high school!"

Iggy chuckled. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

Ludwig almost groaned. Seriously, if there was a way to stop Iggy from bragging about his accomplishments, he would LOVE to know what it was!

"I bet!" Aria said, completely oblivious to Iggy's ego (how could she be when his head was big enough to fill the room?). "You are an extremely gifted individual! All the things you've done over the course of your life…of, they're absolutely amazing!"

Why thank you, Miss Shellcreep." This response surprised Ludwig, as Iggy usually followed up praise like that with the phrase "I know." Maybe he was finally learning how to be a humble individual? Ludwig could only hope.

Iggy's face lit up. "Oh, fun fact! The element that I discovered; Galaxium?" He gestured toward Ludwig. "That element is the one that grants Ludwig his incredible power!"

Ludwig did a double take. Wait. Was…was Iggy actually complimenting him? Was his younger brother turning the conversation back onto Ludwig to make him look good? Oh man, that was incredible! Where was this Iggy over the course of…well, Ludwig's entire life?

"Really?" Aria turned to Ludwig, her face painted with a coat of fascination.

"Yep," Ludwig said. "Remember when we were younger, and we discovered that magikoopas gave unborn babies special powers?" He felt a pang when he said that, realizing those particular events were WICKEDLY close to the Frostwall incident occurring.

"Oh yeah, I do!" A flash of terror appeared on her face, one that made Ludwig's heart pump. Fortunately, it faded away quickly; so quickly that Ludwig questioned whether he had actually seen it or if he had imagined it. "Did they use Galaxium to do it?"

Ludwig nodded. "Yeah. Of course, back then, nobody knew what Galaxium was. Fortunately, their magic wands were still able to cast that spell because the star bits used to create the gemstones on the scepters were made out of pure Galaxium."

Iggy laughed. "I still remember the day when we discovered that about Kamek's wand. MAN was that fun to witness!"

Ludwig laughed, actually agreeing with Iggy for once. Unfortunately, Aria met this statement with confusion instead of laughter.

"Who's Kamek?" she asked.

This made Ludwig feel another pang. Oh dang it! First he didn't tell Bowser about this, and now he didn't tell Kamek? Even though Kamek was very much a part of this whole little family unit? What was wrong with Ludwig? Was this just his subconscious making a very bold, very brash, very heartbreaking statement?

"He's our magikoopa advisor," he said.

"Oh." Aria nodded. "Oh! I think I met him before!" Her face appeared confused, and just based on the way her brow furrowed, Ludwig wouldn't be surprised if a headache was developing for her. "I just… I don't remember where though…"

Ludwig cringed, once again thinking back to the destruction of Frostwall. In a way, he supposed he should be glad that he didn't tell Kamek about this. It's possible that Kamek being present would trigger a memory for Aria, already making the complicated secret about Frostwall way more complicated.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Ludwig approached Aria with a step of caution. "So, those are all my siblings." He realized his statement was incorrect as soon as he said it, as Bowser Junior was absent from the group as well. Sure, Junior wasn't related by blood, but he was still Ludwig's brother. Realizing this made Ludwig's insides squirm again.

"They're all really nice!" Aria said, thankfully drawing Ludwig out of his head. "I'm glad to meet you guys."

"We're glad to meet you too!" said Lemmy.

Larry came over to her, his face still bright from Aria validating him earlier. "You're the most awesome person I've ever met!" He took her hand and got down on one knee. "Will you be my wife?"

Ludwig's face grew warm when this happened, and he had trouble pinpointing the reason why. "Okay, okay." He separated Larry and Aria. "Now that we're all acquainted with each other…" He smiled at the group. "Why don't we all go out for ice cream?"

The Koopalings had almost explosive reactions to this question. Every single one of them exclaimed that yes, they should go out for ice cream (even the normally subdued Morton). So, with a smile, Ludwig ushered them toward the door. Aria was the last one to leave, and as she looked at him, he noticed cracks in her expression. They looked…well, it looked like she was fishing around in her mind for something. Something to fill the gap in her memory, perhaps?

Ludwig gulped. Deciding to ignore that as well as the ever developing terror in his gut, he led her after his family.