Ludwig von Koopa had always been intelligent. He had an affluent vocabulary, a mastery in several musical instruments (the most notable being the piano), and a penchant for leadership. He was recognized for his talents on the battlefield, and praised for his skill in sorcery. He clearly outshone all his siblings, even when he didn't intend to.
It was all this and more that made him an excellent choice as heir to King Bowser, even if Ludwig was not his true biological son. The weight of being the next King of the Darklands often rested heavy on the eccentric blue-haired Koopaling, but it was a responsibility he accepted and bore with grace. In some ways, it was something he looked forward to, as he found the current leadership to be somewhat… lacking.
It wasn't that Ludwig disliked Bowser. On the contrary, he was his father-figure, and had been kind enough to adopt him and the other Koopalings when they'd been abandoned in their youth. And in many ways, Bowser was a good king. He was strong, driven, and passionate. It was just unfortunate, in Ludwig's opinion, that all those characteristics were aimed towards the wrong goals.
Namely, choosing a queen. In theory it was a completely reasonable thing– Ludwig himself was expected to select an upstanding future queen for himself, eventually. But Bowser, in the most Bowser-like way possible, up and decided that there was only one woman he wanted by his side, and Princess Peach Toadstool was far from interested. It was this that led to the longest battle Ludwig had ever taken part in, and he quickly learned that winning it was a highly unlikely outcome, especially against an equally-driven plumber named Mario.
But of course, Ludwig had always been intelligent. He was certainly intelligent enough to keep his thoughts to himself and remain silent on the issue. He would follow his King's orders, and secretly roll his eyes at his father later. He would be a good soldier, a good son, and above all, a good heir. He would strive for victory (even when he knew it would never come) until the war against Mario ended one way or another.
Then again, perhaps he'd underestimated Bowser's feelings on the matter, because when Ludwig heard rapid knocking on his bedroom door one smoggy afternoon, he was in for the shock of his life.
"Ludwig! Ludwig, open up!"
Ludwig looked up from the composition he was currently working on with an exasperated sigh and threw his quill down. "Please, do come in while I'm trying to finish my latest concerto."
The heavy wooden door cracked open, and a face sporting oversized goggles and a sprig of plant-like hair poked around it sheepishly.
"Well? What is it, Iggy?" Ludwig drummed his claws on his desk impatiently. Iggy swallowed hard and slowly shuffled the full way into the room.
"Well, uh, you see… it's kind of big news. I ran over here as soon as I heard… and, um, I wanted to be the first one to let you know… that…"
"Just tell him already!" a new voice cut in.
Ludwig stood and marched over to his door, and swung it fully open. He resisted the urge to groan as all six of his younger siblings stood crowded on the other side.
"Hey, I was getting to that, Morton," Iggy hissed at the huskier, black and white Koopaling who had interrupted. "I want to break it to him gently."
"Break what? Whatever is so momentous that all six of you must come to tell me? Please don't tell me you've gotten into some kind of mischief–"
"We have a new little brother!" Morton blurted.
Ludwig froze. "What did you say?"
"Yeah, um, it's like, kind of a long story, but King Dad has a new baby boy now," Wendy, the only sister of the group, threw in with a hesitant cringe.
Ludwig shook his head. "I… I am taken aback, I must admit. But why are you all acting as though this is horrid news? It's not overly surprising that King Bowser would adopt another Koopaling."
The younger Koopalings flinched in unison.
Ludwig narrowed his eyes, feeling his earlier annoyance melt away into suspicion. "Is there something else you've failed to enlighten me about?"
"Ah, you see, it's kinda like this–" a unique pink-colored Koopaling began as he adjusted his sunglasses.
"Gently, Roy," Iggy warned.
"I gotcha, I know." Roy motioned with his hands to back off. "Look, Lu, this new baby, he's kinda special."
"Special," Ludwig repeated.
"Yeah, you see, he ain't adopted. King Dad said he's his son, like… his actual son."
Ludwig bristled. "With who?"
"Bowser said his mom is Princess Peach, but, like, we all know that can't be true," Wendy answered flippantly. "You were the one who saw them first, Larry, what was it he said exactly?"
"He said, 'This is Bowser Jr., and he's my son. And before you ask, Peaches is his mother,'" Larry recited in a deep voice unlike his true one, obviously an attempt to sound like Bowser.
"Wait, wait, he named him Bowser Jr.?" Ludwig questioned as he pinched his brow. His head was spinning, trying to process the sudden onslaught of information.
"Yeah, he said, 'Bowser Jr. is my flesh and blood son, so I am going to name him as my successor from this moment on–'"
"What." Ludwig snapped his head up with wide eyes.
Larry paused, his mouth hanging open with no words coming out. He blanched as he realized his error.
"That was not gentle," Iggy muttered.
"Lawrence Koopa, what did you just say?" Ludwig pressed.
Larry snapped his mouth shut and clamped his lips tightly together, afraid to speak again.
"I'm sorry, Lu," Roy said sympathetically.
Ludwig blinked once. Twice. A small, unamused laugh bubbled up in the back of his throat. "Surely you jest."
The Koopalings all shuffled and looked down at their feet, or at the walls, or really anywhere but Ludwig.
Without another word, Ludwig turned and sat back down at his desk. His shoulders sagged and he leaned forward on his elbows. Music, he needed music.
"Are you okay, Ludwig?" Morton asked gently. Ludwig craned his neck around and saw that his siblings had all followed him inside. Why hadn't he heard them come in?
"I'm not certain. I…" Ludwig trailed off. "How am I supposed to feel?"
"It's okay to be angry that you were, well… replaced as heir," Wendy said. Ludwig shook his head.
"I am not, though."
"Dunno, Lu, you kinda sound angry," Roy commented.
"I am not!" Ludwig's cheeks flushed red. His siblings all flinched at his tone. "I only wish that… I simply desired…" he trailed off as his throat swelled with unbidden tears.
Lemmy, who was both the smallest Koopaling and the oldest under Ludwig, came up to his side and hugged his leg. Ludwig looked down at him, took in a shuddering breath, and started again.
"I apologize for my outburst," he said softly. "This news has put me into a tailspin, I'm afraid."
"It's okay, I think we all feel that way," Iggy said. "We've just had some more time to process it and stuff since we found out before coming to tell you."
"Did… did Bowser say anything else?"
"No, he just seemed… happy," Larry murmured. "It was actually pretty weird to see, to be honest."
Ludwig buried his face into his hands. "Of course, yes. Strange, indeed. Is it selfish of me to think he is being selfish for being so happy?"
"Not sure what you mean, Lu. I mean, King Dad has always been kinda selfish," Roy said with a shrug. "But I don't think I could ever think you were selfish."
"That is endearing, Roy, but what I mean is that I am put off by the king's lack of consideration towards me– towards us." Ludwig ran a hand through his wily blue locks, struggling to collect his thoughts. "Of course he is expected to be overjoyed at the addition of a new son, but why does he not invite us to join him in celebration? Are we not his children, too? How can he be so blatantly ignorant of our struggle?!"
"Ah, well, you know he's never been a particularly great dad," Iggy supplied, tapping his index claws together in a rapid click-click-click. "Remember when he first adopted us? He couldn't remember all our names, so–"
"He came up with ridiculous nicknames instead," Ludwig finished with an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I recall. You were 'Hop.'"
"And you were Kooky," Iggy shot back.
Ludwig rolled his eyes. "So, because he's a terrible parental figure, we ought to just lie back and accept that we have been cast aside? And don't attempt to deny it– King Bowser will continue to ignore us in lieu of this baby– this Junior of his."
"I thought you said you weren't mad," Larry reminded him.
"I am not vexed that he has replaced me as heir, little brother of mine," Ludwig corrected. "But I am entirely infuriated that he should do so with such ease of mind!"
His siblings all went 'oooohhhh.'
"I know this probably isn't what you want to hear," Wendy started, "but maybe you should, like, talk to King Dad."
Ludwig bit the inside of his cheek. "And what good will that do?"
"I dunno… maybe if you just, like, saw how he was feeling right now, you might change your mind. It changed ours." The others all nodded along with her.
Ludwig rubbed his forehead. What Wendy was suggesting might be true, but a large part of him didn't want to be placated. Bowser had wronged him (again) and this time he had the audacity to be happy about it! Ludwig often felt that Bowser regarded he and his siblings more as minions than his children, and this sudden turn of events only confirmed this in his mind.
"If you truly desire it, I shall talk to Bowser," he grumbled despite himself. They all kept staring at him with that mix of pity and understanding, and it was driving him mad. He wasn't going to stick around and endure it any longer.
He stood from his chair, took a single, steeling breath, and made his way to Bowser's throne room. He didn't look back to see if the other Koopalings were following him, but he was certain they were.
Even before he reached the doors he heard the obnoxious, raucous laughter that was so characteristic of the Koopa King. For a moment he sympathized with the baby Junior, because his young eardrums must be positively shot. He shook himself; he was there to give Bowser a (respectful) reality check, and nothing more.
He pushed the doors open with a sense of determination, but found that what he saw on the other side immediately drained him of it.
Kamek was there, unsurprisingly. The old Magikoopa actually had one of his rare smiles stretched across his lips. He stood next to Bowser's massive, stone-carved throne, simply standing and grinning and looking down at the pair next to him. Ludwig paused.
Bowser sat on the throne, of course, but he wasn't gripping the armrests or scowling as he always was. He was sitting almost sideways, one leg propped up on his other knee, and his arms were cradling what he assumed was Junior. Oh, and he was beaming from horn to horn.
Ludwig accidentally let the door go and it closed with a dramatic SLAM! He jumped, and Bowser and Kamek both looked up and spotted him.
"Ludwig? What're you doing here?" Bowser asked, but with far less annoyance than he usually did when Ludwig showed up unexpectedly. He just sounded genuinely surprised.
Ludwig found his sharp words all evaporated on the tip of his tongue. He swallowed hard around the lump that formed in this throat. He knew he looked like a fool, mutely standing there, shuffling in place, but he couldn't bring himself to say what he'd come here to say.
"Do… you wanna see your new brother?" Bowser raised a fiery eyebrow at him.
Ludwig did not, but seeing as how he couldn't get his lips to form the words, he helplessly nodded and plodded up to the throne. He felt like an imbecile, and his chest was filled with the hot, swollen sensation of anger and shame. Bowser smiled at him, and it sent a bolt of emotion shooting down his spine. How could his king be so cretinous?
"I… I shall take my leave, your Highnesses," Kamek said and poofed away. He probably sensed the tension Ludwig felt. Bowser, on the other hand, obviously didn't.
"Isn't he cute?" Bowser lowered his arms to reveal a small bundle in a dark green blanket.
Ludwig stared, and a pair of beady black eyes stared right back up at him. This was his replacement for the position of heir? He was so… small.
"I bet you're glad he's here," Bowser said.
Ludwig snapped his head up, using every last bit of his self-restraint to keep a trained expression. Why would he say that? Why?
"Don't look so shocked. I know you never wanted to be my heir," Bowser continued, using a free hand to rumple Ludwig's hair. Ludwig flinched. Larry was right, he was acting weird. Very weird.
Bowser hummed. "You were good at hiding it. You were also good at everything you did while training to replace me, don't get me wrong, but I could tell you never really wanted to be king someday."
Ludwig found he was speechless once again, but for quite a different reason.
"Yep, I can see it in your eyes. Nothing gets past this Koopa." Bowser's smile grew softer. "So that's why I named Junior as my heir so quick. I figured you'd want that pressure off your shell as soon as possible. You thought I hadn't noticed, right?"
"I…" Ludwig tried and failed to form a cohesive sentence. Bowser had been purposefully thinking of him when he named Junior heir? How long had he known Ludwig was only training to be future king so he could please him?
"You want to hold him? I find it makes you feel a lot better." Bowser shifted Junior over towards Ludwug's arms. The eldest Koopaling had little choice but to take the bundle.
Ludwig was well-practiced in holding babies, he'd done so six times before, so holding Junior didn't make him uneasy. Rather, it felt all too familiar. The baby's soft breathing, the rounded blue binky in his mouth, the look of innocence and wonder. It made all his remaining anger melt away into guilt.
"He's gonna need your help, you know," Bowser said. Ludwig looked up at him in confusion. "He may be my new heir, but you're still the most qualified for the job as of now."
"Y-You want me to train him?" Ludwig asked.
"Ah! So he finally speaks. Yeah, I want you to train him, when he's old enough. I want all you brats to take good care of your brother, just like you take care of each other," Bowser said with a nod. "Plus, you'll make a much better teacher than me– but don't tell anyone I said that. The King's gotta be the best at everything."
"I thought…" Ludwig trailed off.
"You alright, Lu? I rarely see you at a loss for fancy-schmancy words."
Ludwig glanced down at Junior and back up at Bowser. "No, no, I apologize, I'm quite alright. I will do as you ask." He gently passed Junior back to his father's awaiting arms.
"You're gonna do great. You already lead the rest of the bratpack, and we both know that task is near impossible," Bowser chuckled to himself. Junior cooed and Bowser gave him his finger to hold, and even began to engage in some baby-talk.
Ludwig took that as his cue to leave. This conversation was already strange enough as it was. But he felt much better– though he'd get an "I told you so" from Wendy, no doubt. He sighed and shook his head as he left the throne room. Did he feel perfectly fine now? No. But had Bowser pleasantly surprised him? Certainly.
"Told ya so," Wendy immediately said upon Ludwig closing the door behind him. "Not as bad as you thought, right?"
Ludwig stuck out his tongue at her. "Yes, yes. You were correct in your deduction."
"Did King Dad say anything important?" Larry asked.
"Hmm, not really. Just that I'll be in charge of his education– at least in part– when he's older," Ludwig explained.
"What, no! I wanted to teach him…" Iggy pouted. "We were gonna do so many experiments together…"
"You'll all have a share in his upbringing, let me assure you," Ludwig patted Iggy's shoulder. "We're all going to look out for him… like we look out for each other."
"Phew! You smell that, guys? 'Cause that was real cheesy." Roy fanned a hand in front of his muzzle. Ludwig rolled his eyes.
"I am so ever grateful for your input, 'Bully.'"
"Right back atcha, 'Kooky.'"
"A-and don't forget 'Kootie Pie!'" Morton poked Wendy in the side. She shot him a sidelong look.
"You just, like, always have to remind everyone whenever there's even the slightest chance, don't you? 'BIG MOUTH.'"
"Big Mouth, Big Mouth, Big Mouth!" Lemmy clapped his hands and pointed at Morton.
Morton pouted. "It was funny when it was just you."
"Hey, at least you aren't 'Cheatsy,'" Larry reminded him.
"Yeah well… better than being paired with Lemmy as 'Hip' and 'Hop…'"
Ludwig von Koopa smiled as their banter continued, and for what felt like the first time ever, was very thankful for his siblings' teasing.
