Chapter 14 Employing Help

Admittedly, the idea Aqua had was a little crazy. Some might even argue that it was the wrong course of action, that it would be getting innocent people involved with this conflict. Aqua would agree with that to a certain extent, but at the same time… innocent people were getting roped into this conflict anyway. Like Metallica; given how she had been minding her business running an isolationist nation, she was the textbook definition of an innocent person. And even putting the innocence of the people involved in this conflict to the side for a second, Aqua would still want to enact the idea she had. It was simple, there was little room for failure (relatively speaking), and it would ultimately help the Mushroom Kingdom take down Bone Mage. It was only sensible.

So, as the setting sun cast the sky in a violet-pink hue, Aqua walked through Mushroom Village. She looked down at a piece of paper, for it had the address where she wanted to go. Passing by the nearly identical Toad houses, she kept her eye on the numbers above the doors. When she found what she was looking for, she let out a breath of relief. She did it. This part of her mission had been accomplished.

Now came the difficult part.

Crumpling up the paper and stuffing it in the pocket of her dress, Aqua went up to the front door and knocked. She internally prayed that the door would be answered; it was late in the day after all, and given the history this family had, they probably didn't let a lot of people in. She tapped her foot as the seconds dragged by. Right as she was about to get worried was when the door was answered by a brunette woman with striking green eyes.

"Are you Ruby Patch?" Aqua asked.

The woman smiled. "I am." She studied Aqua's appearance. "And with that blue dress, tanned skin, and those lively blue eyes, you must be Princess Aqua of the Lake Kingdom." Ruby bowed. "Celia has told me so much about you, Your Highness."

Aqua grinned. "There's no need for formalities; you can just call me Aqua." Aqua curled her hair over her left ear. "But speaking of Celia, is she here by any chance?"

Ruby nodded. "Yes. Aside from when she goes to work or goes out to visit Roy, she… doesn't really get out of the house much."

"I see." Aqua but her lip. "Well, would it be the worst thing in the world if I see her? I have to ask her something important."

"Of course." Ruby gestured for Aqua to come into the house. As she passed by Celia's mother, she noticed a worry in her eyes. It was subtle all things considered, but it was present enough to get the gears turning in Aqua's head. Given how they had a very personal connection to the Koopa Kingdom and especially the royal family, how much about Bone Mage did the Patch-Marksmite family already know? Did they hear about what happened in the Metal Kingdom, or even more likely, the first attack on Peach's Castle? Honestly, these questions made Aqua worry. Again, whether she wanted them to be or not, innocent people were going to get involved in this conflict. At least in minimal ways.

Once Ruby closed the door, she led Aqua to a door on the right-hand wall. She knocked, and Celia Patch answered the door. The Koopa-human hybrid's eyes lit up when she saw Aqua, and despite her burdens, Aqua couldn't help but feel similarly.

"Aqua!" Celia exclaimed, her red eyes sparkling. She extended her arms for a hug, which Aqua gladly accepted. Honestly, this was the exact thing the doctor ordered. Being closer to a friend in a trying time was therapeutic in a way.

"Hey, Celia." Aqua squeezed her friend before pulling back. "I see you got a haircut."

Celia grinned and flipped her hair. On top of being shorter, it was only one color now: red. The orange and yellow that were closer to the tips were gone. Given how they were Celia's natural hair color, they would probably come back if given enough time, but thankfully, the red was striking enough without them.

"Yeah, I figured it was time. My parents really like it, don't you, Mom?"

Ruby laughed. "Yeah, it is nice. And I imagine it feels much lighter."

"Oh yes, definitely. Honestly, I might keep my hair this length for the rest of time."

Aqua chuckled. Part of her wanted to say that she would miss the orange and the yellow, but honestly… no. She really wouldn't. Again, the red was already beautiful enough by itself.

"Sounds like a plan." Aqua let out a breath and stepped forward. "Listen, Celia, I need to talk to you. Can we get some privacy?"

"Oh, sure sure." Celia gestured for Aqua to step into her bedroom, all while the princess's stomach began to churn. Celia slowly closed the door, and her face was notably grimmer than before. "I think I know what you want to say."

"Do you now?"

"Yes." Celia stepped forward. "You wanna talk about what's happening in the Koopa Kingdom."

Aqua sighed. "You read me like a book," she said with no joy in her voice. She looked Celia in the eye, deciding that she wanted to satiate her curiosity before she got down to business. "What are your opinions on that?"

Celia let out a deep, grumbly breath. "It feels like a slap in the face. It really does. I mean, look at it this way: if that Peace Treaty hadn't been established, I would've died."

Aqua cringed. "Gosh, you're absolutely right. I almost forgot about that."

"I didn't." Celia's face grew both grimmer and darker. "I remember it clear as day."

Aqua bit her lip. "I know. Of course you do; obviously you do. And…" Aqua ran her hand through her hair as Celia went to sit down in her bed. "These past few years since the treaty has been established have been some of the greatest in… in Mushroom Kingdom history, honestly. Yes, I mostly stick to my territory of the Lake Kingdom, so I'm not what you would consider a primary source, but just talk to my sister! Just talk to Mario! They were beyond thrilled about this! They could relax a lot more!" Aqua paused. "They smiled a lot more."

Celia nodded. "I know what you mean. Whenever I visited Roy and the Koopalings after the treaty, they seemed a lot happier. You might not believe this Aqua but they HATED kidnapping Peach. They vehemently HATED it."

Aqua snorted. "It might take a little bit for me to fully believe that. But if it's true, that makes what Bowser is doing even worse. He's going against the best interest of his family. He's practically spitting in their faces."

Celia sighed. "Yeah." She pinched her brow, rubbing her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "I haven't talked to Roy or any of the Koopalings since this happened. I want to, but part of me is scared to go down to Bowser's Castle or even text them."

"Ohh…" Aqua's confidence and optimism fizzled out into nothing. "You feel that way, huh?"

"I do." Celia looked Aqua right in the eye. "Which probably makes your reason for coming here null and void. Right?"

Aqua felt a pang. "Well, yeah, in some ways." She slowly took a seat at the foot of Celia's bed. "I was… hoping you could help me. You have a connection to the Koopa royal family, so I hoped you could…" Aqua sank a little into the bed as she looked down at the floor. "Gather intel on what's happening."

A silence came over the room. After about two minutes of staring at the floor, Aqua looked up toward her friend. Celia had a thoughtful look on her face that seemed to contain some traces of anxiety. Aqua could only imagine what was happening in her head right now.

"Aqua," she finally said, "I don't know what the scene in Bowser's Castle would be like if I went there. Sure, I trust the Koopalings, but I don't trust anyone else. All things considered, Bowser and I don't have the best history with one another. And this Bone Mage guy that I heard rumors about? If he's as dastardly and powerful if the rumors have led me to believe, then not only would going up to him be risky." Celia frowned. "It would be suicide."

Aqua's heart filled with hurt. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I should've never even considered coming to ask you, I just… after seeing firsthand the damage Bone Mage is willing to do…" Aqua hesitated, looked into the eyes of the inquisitive Celia, and shook her head. "Forget I said anything." She got up off the bed, about to make it to the door when…

"What kind of damage are you talking about?"

Aqua stopped, her hand hovering over the doorknob, before slowly turning back toward Celia. "Bone Mage and Bowser attacked the Metal Kingdom, a Kingdom that has been neutral and divorced from world affairs for centuries. They attacked it, and they almost killed its princess." Aqua bit her lip and winced as Celia gave her a wide-eyed look. "I'm not being hyperbolic, by the way. If she hadn't warped to the Mushroom Kingdom, and if we hadn't found her… she'd be dead. There's no doubt in my mind about that."

Celia's jaw dropped. "Oh my God…"

"I know." The image of the injured Metallica flashed through Aqua's mind, prompting her to dry a tear out of her eye. "I don't want that to happen to anyone else," she whispered, her voice weak.

"I don't either." Celia seemed to consider this before getting out of the bed. "Which is why I'll go to Bowser's Castle."

"No," Aqua said with a shake of the head. "Celia, you can't. Like you said, you going to Bowser's Castle right now would be a suicide mission. I never should've even brought it up; you can't do this!"

Celia walked over to stand beside her friend. "That is true. But if Bone Mage is willing to attack someone unprovoked, without showing them any mercy, then he needs to be taken down a peg. If I don't get in touch with the Koopalings and try to find out more about him, then there's no telling what he'll do next. He might attack another kingdom." Celia's brow furrowed. "He might attack the Lake Kingdom."

Aqua cringed. "True, but… at that point, that would be entirely my problem, not yours.

"You're my friend, Aqua; of course it'll be my problem. And besides, if anyone gets hurt because of him… if you or Roy or any of the Koopalings get hurt because of him… I could never live with myself. Especially when I would know I could've done something and just lay back at home instead."

Aqua stared at Celia in awe. "You really feel that way?"

"I do. Which is why I'm going to do everything in my power to help." Celia put on a smile, one that made her look stronger and more beautiful. It was this smile that made Aqua let out a relieved breath and hug her.

"Thank you."

"Of course." Celia squeezed her back before letting her go. "I'll keep you posted. Anything I find out about Bone Mage will go straight to you. Alright?"

Aqua smiled. "Sounds good."

"Hmm…" Bowser held a power-up flower in his hand. Specifically a bubble flower, which he studied with a careful eye. "How exactly will this help us on our mission?" Bowser asked as he turned to Bone Mage.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked the skeletal wizard. "I can combine more troops with these power-ups, which will help us out on a full frontal assault of any of the Kingdoms."

"Yeah, I get that, but… I was thinking, since we now have that star thingy, we should get some metal for it to control."

"And we will." Bone Mage smiled. "We're taking things one step at a time, Your Highness."

The confidence and certainty Bone Mage spoke with prompted Bowser to smile. "Alright. I trust you. You're definitely a guy who knows what he's doing."

"Of course I am, King Bowser." A crackly giggle came from Bone Mage's mouth. "Believe me, I…"

Before Bone Mage could finish that sentence, the ground underneath both their feet began to rumble. Bowser's heart pounded as it grew in intensity. "WHAT'S GOING…?"

BOOM!