II
o0o
One of Sarasaland's long-sanding traditions was holding open court, so that commoners could approach their rulers and air out grievances, make petitions, or bring to her attention matters of concern. During the first time Tatanga had been here, many open days had been canceled. After Mario expelled Tatanga, Daisy used these days to learn about what was going on through Sarasaland and what was being done in response to the damage caused by Tatanga's invasion.
She'd done her best to advise her subjects, and allocate resources to Sarasaland's needy, and strengthen the country as a whole. It had been no secret that she had been Tatanga's prisoner, and people had felt sympathy for her. Poor Princess Daisy, to be taken as the hostage of a conquering alien, and then left to clean up his mess! Despite Sarasaland's recent woes, she'd helped her subjects foster a can-do attitude, painting a vision of a stronger, happier Sarasaland.
But the veiled hostility and disappointed glances made it clear just what the people before her thought of her quick surrender. Her servants had hinted at it, and her vizier had outright stated it before the two of them came out to face the crowd, Princess Daisy taking her usual seat on the throne with the vizier standing at her side.
There were those who whispered she'd been in cahoots with Tatanga all along, that she'd been unable to resist his charms the first time around and was now his willing concubine. Or that she intended to turn over Sarasaland to him so she could escape, abandoning her subjects so she could have her freedom in a distant place.
The presence of Tatanga's own guards appeared to effectively muffle any outright accusation that might be made against her, but she still felt the hostility in the glances and whispers as she walked a political tightrope between pleasing her subjects and not showing too much favor towards Tatanga. She wanted to stand and scream that she didn't want the alien here any more than they did, but to keep her subjects safe, she would have to withstand their scorn.
o0o
"Is something the matter, my love?" he asked her after dinner that evening. Daisy was looking out at the land below from the vantage of one of Tatanga's ships.
Many of her subjects mistrusted her, so how would she be able to gain their trust if she remained compliant to Tatanga? Going off in a ship with him as he surveyed the land, apparently under her own volition, would gain her no favor among her detractors.
She shrugged. "There is no need to concern yourself with the inevitable." She knew how much he wanted her favor, and there was the possibility he would lash out at her subjects if he knew of the grief they caused her. Goodness knows that would only make things worse!
"There must be something I can do." They were seated together, though armrests separated their bodies.
"There really isn't. This is the second time you have invaded Sarasaland, do you really expect everyone to welcome you with open arms?" she asked. Though her voice was calm and gentle, there was an edge she was unable to quite bite back, and he seemed to have heard it.
"I am not a fool, my princess," he replied, knitting his thick eyebrows into a furrow as he regarded her. "Which is why I am all the more grateful for your compliance. You provide an excellent example for your subjects."
She smiled tightly at that. "I am no more a fool than you are. Until your first invasion, this country has known nothing but peace." As she learned of other worlds beside her own – the Mushroom Kingdom, Hyrule, Zebes, SR288, Monsterpolis, Mobius, even Earth – she was surprised at how filled with conflicts these worlds were compared to her own. "Regardless of what some among Sarasaland's people might think or feel, all I did was act in their best interests."
"You could simply have fled, and even sought help from another world," he replied. Daisy did not miss how he avoided mention of Mario's name, but then, to be defeated by a plumber from another world not just once, but twice, must have been an indeed bitter defeat.
"What was I going to do, Tatanga? Abandon my people? There is a reason you chose Sarasaland for conquest."
Peace might have brought her people happiness for generations, but it made this land ripe pickings for someone desperate for resources. Tatanga wasn't foolish enough to attack a land that already held the interest of another villain. There were larger worlds out there, but then he would have had to deal with the likes of Bowser or Ganondorf.
"Yes, I did choose this land for certain reasons. But what I did not anticipate was falling in love with its ruler." His hand came to rest upon hers.
"That does not seem to have been an impediment to your plans," she replied.
"There is no reason why I can not have you, and the world."
"Hmm." The first time she had been his prisoner, she'd been too intimidated by him to attempt to get to know him better. But now… "Why are you so intent on conquest? What happened to you on your homeworld?" She did not attempt to pull her hand from his own. His eyes widened a bit in surprise before he collected himself, shrugging.
"The resources were inadequate," he finally offered after a moment of silence. It didn't sound like he was lying per se, but more like he was hiding embarrassment.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"Because that is how things were. So I decided to leave."
She was about to press the matter, but there was something about his expression that made her decide otherwise. "So.. times were difficult, and you did what you felt you had to," she offered diplomatically.
"Yes."
o0o
She'd been granted considerable freedom by Tatanga, and found sports an excellent outlet for her stress. As a child she'd been given lessons in the standard activities that were considered proper for the upper classes. Badminton, horseback riding, and golf were standard fare, and she had cherished memories of going a round with her father on the green.
Since then, Daisy had expanded her repertoire, and was now dashing across the well-kept court, hitting the ball back to her opponent with a deft swing of her tennis racket. Over the last few years, several of her servants had become proficient in providing a partner for the recreational activities she liked. It was much better playing tennis against someone who actually knew how to play.
The adrenaline pumping through her, and the concentration she held on the ball and the moves of her opponent was a welcome distraction from matters of state. Here, there was only the now, where there was very little, if any, time to mull or agonize over a decision.
Sweat beaded on her brow as Daisy twisted around, managing to hit the ball.
"Good one," the young princess gasped as the ball arced over the net, making it past the racket that had been desperately swung at it. As soon as he realized his loss, the manservant quickly righted himself, pulling his arm back in as he faced his opponent, presenting a picture of quiet dignity even with the large sweat-stains on his shirt.
"Thank you for an excellent game, Jeeves." She enjoyed her matches with Jeeves, as his skills were almost on par with her own, making him an opponent that would actually make her work to win. And sometimes he won as well, proving to be more adept with a racket than either of them had anticipated. There were also a few other servants who usually were happy to oblige her when she was looking for a game or exercise partner.
Jeeves inclined his head before walking off the court, and Daisy turned to take the towel that was offered. Wiping her brow, she stepped under the shade of the umbrella to take some sips from her bottle of water.
"Good afternoon, my princess," she heard a familiar voice say, and turned to see Tatanga near the edge of the court, clad in his usual black, only this time it was a set of workout clothes. Shirt, shorts, and shoes, along with red sweatbands was so unexpected that she stared for a moment. He'd always dressed formally, and she suspected part of that had been to make an extra impression upon others to compensate for his short stature. Or maybe that was just how people normally dressed on his home world.
"I have observed this game of yours, and believe I have an understanding of the rules. It is my wish to play with you."
"Certainly." What else could she say?
Tatanga did indeed understand the basics of tennis, but as far as technique went, the alien was lacking. It was almost laughable how easy it was to hit in such a way that he was almost guaranteed to miss, but that certainly was not for Tatanga's lack of effort.
In time, she relented, making her serves a bit easier, and giving him a better chance of returning the ball to her. There was no fun playing against an opponent who was so mismatched, but there was a certain gratification in the fact that wherever else the conquering alien might hold authority, Daisy was the undisputed sovereign of the tennis court.
Soon enough, Tatanga's attempts to hold back his pants had Daisy call for a stop to the game. There was no mistaking the flash of relief in his eyes.
A poor sport would have rubbed their victory into the face of the loser, and in this circumstance, many would say that she wouldn't really be a poor sport if she did just that. This alien had taken control of her kingdom, after all. And he expected her to eventually surrender to his displays of affection.
But Daisy only smiled. "That was a good effort for your first tennis game. If you practice, you'll get better."
He stood there, one hand on his hip and lower back as he leaned back a bit, trying to not look too out of breath. Acknowledging her words with a nod, a faint smile came to his lips.
"You are a skilled opponent. I respect that," Tatanga breathed out.
Hmm. Daisy simply smiled back. "Also be sure to have some water. You'll feel much better, and if you intend to continue tennis, or other recreational sports in the future, I suggest a lighter color for your clothing. Gray, at least. You'll be much more comfortable." She'd never seen Tatanga not wear black, and wondered if he could eschew a custom for comfort.
"I need to go and rest. You're my third partner of the day," she said cheerfully as she retreated from the court with her lady-in-waiting trailing after her.
o0o
Three days later, as she was doing warm-up stretches next to the court, Tatanga made his appearance. She did not miss the fact that his attire was a light gray, with red edging. Without the armor he often wore, he looked less intimidating. Heck, one might even consider him cute.
Hmph. He was just an alien with what Luigi referred to as a Napoleon complex.
Tatanga was actually a little better than before, and Daisy fell into a comfortable rhythm with him. The pace was not as grueling, but Daisy kept in motion. Even though Tatanga had proved, she was still the better player by far, and in time, she recognized the signs of him wearing down fast. At the very least she was tiring him out, which had to be a handy distraction to his plans for conquest. He'd complained of sore muscles the day after their first game, and she'd offered polite sympathy followed by some practical advice for such a situation.
With one final swing of her racket, Daisy ended the game. "You scored two more points than our last game," she said cheerfully.
"I shall master this sport," he vowed.
"Not everything needs to be mastered," came her reply as she sat down with a glass of lemonade. "I play tennis because it is enjoyable to me."
"But you play to win, do you not?"
"Trying to outdo the other is part of improving yourself at the game. A certain level of competitiveness and pride is healthy because otherwise, how might we strive to improve ourselves? It certainly is nice to win, but I'm not going to feel angry or threatened if a better player comes along, since it just makes me practice harder." Sarasaland hadn't had any real competition, from within or outside, for many generations. Competitiveness had generally been seen as a bad thing, but Peach and others had taught her that there was nothing wrong with striving towards a goal or pushing oneself beyond their comfort zone.
Without a reply, he slowly approached her. Fortunately, her servant had the foresight of producing another glass, and some lemonade was poured for the new lord of Sarasaland. Daisy watched quietly, sitting gracefully with her ankles crossed, taking ladylike sips from her glass. Her racket rested at her side, and she leaned back into the canvas chair, relaxing as she felt the burn of exertion in her muscles. She motioned for a towel, and one was given to her. Roughly patting away the sweat on her forehead and back of her neck, she became aware of his scrutiny.
Smiling faintly to herself, she slowly wiped at her temples and lifted her chin, patting her throat. She could practically taste his desire in the air. For all his machismo, he at least didn't have the need to conquer her in bed as he had elsewhere. The same could not be said for many villains, and Daisy knew she was lucky in that aspect.
"In a bit, I wish for another match," Tatanga finally informed her.
He would be sore the next day. She would make sure of that. "Sounds like fun," she replied cheerily.
o0o
Yep, I mentioned other worlds from video games in here, including from Mega Man. I figured that if Earth and the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland could all exist in the same reality (as Mario was able to be in all of these places) but in different dimensions, then it was not too much of a stretch of imagination to think that even more worlds could exist in parallel dimensions, and I thought it'd be fun to touch upon Sega and Capcom as well :P. Because I'm a nerd.