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Living within the Mushroom Kingdom was anything but dull. There was never a shortage of excitement. Whether it was the Toad people hosting festival after festival or the repeated attacks by the infamous Koopa King and his minions you were always kept on your toes. You ran a small bakery in the town square and were the go to for catering events. Having lived there your entire life you had no other place that felt so much like home.
On a bright and sunny day you geared up for your weekly voyage into the forest around the kingdom in search of fresh fruits and herbs. This time it seemed you had to go a little further in than usual. All of the ones nearby the entrance only held assortments of food not quite ripe enough to be picked.
The idea of walking out into an area you weren't familiar with gave you a little anxiety. It was just a small ball in your stomach but it was enough to make you contemplate coming back a different day. Although, you did have an upcoming ball at Princess Peach's castle to bake for. And you were already dressed and ready with your basket on your arm and your bag over your shoulder.
You really couldn't spare the outing.
At first the walk was normal. The nice bright sun shone through the trees casting warmth on your path. Insects buzzed happily. Forest animals wandered by occasionally approaching you for food which you would happily offer. But as you went on the foliage became thicker and your previous illumination grew a little darker.
Two hours passed as you continued your search and your basket was nearly full already. Perhaps you should have been going further into the forest to begin with.
Suddenly, a loud snap. Like jaws chomping down roughly. You leapt to the side and your eyes scanned for the source of the sound. Sprouting out of the ground beside you was a small bundle of red and white plants. And the plants had…mouths? Sharp teeth repeatedly snapped at your legs and you had to quickly step far enough away to be out of their reach.
"I didn't even know Piranha Plants grew in this forest," you mumbled to yourself.
You'd seen them before in photos but never expected to be so close to a living one. It held a vicious aura about it. Like it would try anything to get you. It continued to try and stretch out to you but pulled itself taut and would writhe almost in pain from the attempt.
Sitting your basket down on the ground you crouched in front of the plant. It was obvious you couldn't touch it. unless you wanted to lose a hand. It took a few minutes but eventually the plant stopped launching itself at you and drooped over dejected.
"You tired?" You asked.
The plant sprung up and turned its jaw in your direction. Did…did it understand you?
It shook back and forth in a 'no' manner. That answered your question. It definitely understood you. But maybe if it understood you then you could help it out. It didn't talk or have facial expressions but somehow you could tell it was stressed. The way it had been snapping at your ankles seemed akin to a hungry animal. Could a plant get hungry? And if so what would it eat?
You reached into your basket and lifted up a juicy blackberry between your thumb and forefinger. Completely unsure of whether this was even going to work you waved the berry in front of the plant. It followed your hand to the left and then to the right and back again. With a gentle toss the berry went into the Piranha Plant's mouth to which it chomped down harshly. Some juice flew out from between its teeth and you turned away to avoid getting any on you.
For a moment you didn't say anything. Once the plant seemingly finished the berry its mouth dropped open again and this time a long red tongue lobbed out. Almost in the same way a dog does when excited.
You decided to leave a small pile of berries in front of the plant and continue on your way. It couldn't hurt you unless you got close so you made sure to avoid the Piranha Plants as a whole. It seemed there were actually quite a few things to avoid deeper into the forest. This made your plans a little more complicated. Originally you'd wanted to fill your basket so you wouldn't have to worry about it for a few days. However you found it might be a good idea to not go too much deeper in. You could always come back more prepared.
It seemed like a solid decision. Just a little bit longer and then home to the safety of your cottage. Checking the time on your watch you noted when you would head back and then set off on a path to the right.
You kept an eye out warily for other dangerous plants while picking berries off a bush. Due to picking your own stuff for your baking you'd read plenty of books on what was safe and what wasn't. And you certainly knew the bundle of blue flowers you were approaching was something you didn't want to touch. Ice flowers. As cool as it would be to have ice powers you had no clue how they worked and you weren't going to find out alone in the forest.
The closer you got to them the colder it felt. They seemed to radiate a chill in the air with their mere presence. You shivered and rubbed your arms for warmth while steering yourself in a different direction. Putting your hands to your mouth you breathed on them, fog poured out from between your fingers, before rubbing them together. It got very cold very fast. So cold that your teeth began to chatter. You set yourself at a quick pace to try and get away. A bone chilling breeze swept through and rustled your clothes roughly. You yelped at the feeling of it biting your skin.
The sea of blue gradually faded and soon there were only one or two ice flowers every few steps. But you had a new problem. As you walked the cold turned to warmth and soon to high heat. You took a deep breath but found that it was a struggle. The sudden heat made you swallow thickly.
Red flowers were sprouting all around the new area. Flowers you recognized as fire flowers. Similarly to the ice flowers they were affecting the very area they grew in. You wiped your forehead and your forearm came away coated in a thin sheen of sweat. In less than a minute your underarms were sweating and you were using your free hand to fan your face. No wonder the area this deep in the forest seemed so untouched by people.
You trudged through the fire flowers with a groan. You were as careful as possible to not touch any of them in fear of catching on fire. You'd seen what those could do to people. Sure you got cool powers for less than a minute but your entire body would be engulfed in flames and the idea of that was terrifying. There was probably some way to touch them without absorbing it. That wasn't a chance you were willing to take.
Any breeze that hit your face made your eyes burn and forced you to blink wildly. It was so hot. You huffed and puffed the entire walk until, the same way the ice flowers had done it, the heat faded and you could breathe nice, normal, fresh air again. You tugged your shirt away from your now sticky body and allowed the spring air to cool you off.
"Phew, is that what the inside of an oven feels like-" you glanced down at the basket on your elbow filled with berries with a bewildered look.
You muttered "I am so sorry."
When you were comfortable enough with the distance between you and both the fire and ice flowers you set your basket down on the ground and dropped to sit against a tree. You needed a pause from the excitement. And a snack. Your legs sprawled out in front of you as you reached into your bag for some food. You took out some bread and cheese along with a small tin of soda. It wasn't until you took a bite of the bread that you realized how hungry you were. You practically inhaled the food and even a few of your berries before you felt satisfied.
The adventurous spirit in you must have dulled your sense of hunger because it had been nearly three hours of you walking. You had to remain seated for another few minutes to allow your stomach to settle. It was about time for you to head back and get everything situated. You'd have to do all your prep before bed and wake up early to bake everything in time for the ball.
Relishing in the beauty of the forest you were snapped from your trance by the sound of scratching and tiny screaming. You could hear leaves rustling aggressively but whatever it was didn't seem to be moving very far. The sound had startled you so you quickly moved from your sitting position to your feet. Your head poked around the corner of the tree in search of the noise.
You didn't see anything. Another second of rustling followed by tiny screams and you scooped your basket up before cautiously walking towards it. If it was a scared or hurt animal you definitely needed to make sure you weren't running up on it. It might attack you if it deemed you a threat. The sound became louder as you continued forward and eventually you rounded a tree to see the source of the noise.
"Oh no, you poor thing-" you paused and covered your mouth, yelling would only scare it more.
A bush, barren of flowers but flourished in thorns, was a few feet in front of you. And trapped in the middle of the bush was a small white ball of fur. A rabbit. It was thrashing wildly trying anything to escape while screaming its heart out from pain.
Slowly, you walked up to the bush and knelt down. You set your basket off to the side and pushed your bag to rest on your back instead of your hip. The rabbit didn't notice you; it simply continued to panic.
You'd dealt with frightened animals like this before and you knew it was crucial that you were gentle and calm. Reaching in your bag you grasped the garden scissors you carried and sat them on the ground in front of you.
"It's okay, I'm going to help you," you spoke quietly.
It was enough to grab the animal's attention without frightening it more. It’s head snapped in your direction and it stared at you for a second. Wide black eyes watched fearfully and you could see it’s body violently rising and sinking as it breathed. You held your hands up.
"I'm not gonna hurt you."
To some people, it might seem odd that you tried to communicate with the rabbit. But lots of animals had more sentience than people gave them credit for. If there was even a small chance your words could calm or reassure the animal you would try it.
You reached up into the bush with one hand, hissing when the thorns scratched you, and brought the scissors up with the other. Slowly, meticulously, you cut away section after section all the while calming the rabbit. It’s eyes never left your hands. Occasionally it would thrash again and you'd have to stop abruptly. When you finally got close enough with your empty hand you very carefully pet over the white fluffy fur. The rabbit flinched.
"See? I know you're scared but it's gonna be okay. I promise. I'm almost done, I just need you to hold still." You reassured.
One final snip of the bush left an opening for the animal who instantly shot out and took off down the forest path. You watched as it ran, paused, looked back at you in thanks, and then took off again. A smile cracked across your face. The rabbit would be fine.
All of a sudden, the ground began to shake and you found yourself on your butt after losing your balance. You dropped the scissors onto the ground and your hand smacked down into the pile of thorn bush clippings. You bit your tongue to stop from yelping at the pain. Some blood trickled from the torn skin on your hand and wrist.
You tried to push up onto your feet to no avail. The tremors radiating from below made it near impossible. Your heart raced as you contemplated what in the world could be causing such a ruckus. Whatever it was had to be pretty big. A loud roar echoed through the trees, beyond a large flower bush directly in front of you, and the stomping got worse. You'd helped the little rabbit but you definitely weren't going to run around trying to find that creature.
Forcing yourself to stand you looked around frantically. A place to run? A place to hide? Each roar got closer. It made your bones rattle. With every second that passed your muscles tensed more. The sound of leaves rustling violently sounded nearby and the flower bush shook. In one fatal swipe something swiped at the bush. Petals, leaves, and twigs flew off all around including in your direction. You raised a hand to cover your face.
Watching closely at the scene unfolding you tried to decipher what could be coming your way. Swinging at the bush seemed to be… a clawed hand? It was large, so much that just the palm probably spread across your entire face, and yellow with sharp off white claws protruding out. Before you could even think another roar ravaged making your ears ring as the creature pushed passed the bush and came toward you.
You yelled out in fear. It didn't seem to be stopping, this was the end, it was going to trample you or slice you into ribbons with those claws. Both arms came up to cover yourself.
…
You were still standing?
Hot air wafted against your arms and face while the creature huffed and puffed. You looked between your arms.
There, less than a foot away, stood someone you definitely hadn't expected to run into. He stood tall, the size of nearly two men, and was hunched over your smaller form. Bulky arms with yellow skin pulled taut over muscles were positioned up in the air seemingly prepared to slash down at anything in his way. Angry red eyes peered down at you with thick eyebrows knitted together over them. His mane of red hair stuck out in all directions most likely from his raging. A mouth filled with sharp teeth hung open inches from you and steam poured from his nostrils.
This creature, the only person it could be, was… King Bowser. You'd never seen him in person and had only heard of the things he'd done. Typically, even if you were near when he attacked you were too busy helping the toads escape to cast him a glance. You'd seen him in the newspaper once or twice and you'd heard tales from other toads about what he was like.
And now here you were deep in the middle of the forest where you were unfamiliar with him lingering over you.
His roars had died down into a deep growl that shook you to your core while he stared. The already chilling fear in you was made worse by the fact that he wasn't attacking or speaking. His body simply heaved, the spiked shell on his back making him look much bigger, but he didn't move beyond that.
Slowly, as to not startle him more, you lowered your arms. Your eyes scanned over his leathery skin, his hard shell, his painfully sharp claws and teeth, his piercing gaze, everything. You were frightened beyond belief knowing the kind of damage he could cause. You swallowed thickly as you tried to think of what to do. You could run but he might follow you. You could speak to him but he might not listen. Neither of you made a sound.
After a moment you noticed movement out of the corner of your eye. Down next to his leg was a long spiked tail that was swaying back and forth and occasionally wrapping itself around the limb. There was a stream of crimson making its way over the arch of his tail and down toward the grass below. His growls seemed to line up with the swaying of his tail.
Your throat was dry but you tried to speak, "are… are you hurt?"
You kept your eyes on his tail, which stopped moving the second sound left your mouth. You cleared your throat and prepared to repeat your question. Your mouth opened but shut quickly after.
A deep grunt resounded from Bowser so you glanced up at his face again. He wore an expression of slight pain. That would explain the tantrum. If he was hurt and wasn't able to figure out where it was coming from to fix it then you understood. Any animal, no matter how sentient, might react that way.
"Your tail is bleeding," you pointed out, "I can… um, maybe I can help."
Bowser instinctively dropped his arms and leaned over to look at his tail. There was in fact blood dripping off of it. He hadn't even noticed all he had known was the incredible stinging raging through him for the last 20 minutes. Was that why he'd been in so much pain? He was stressed already so he’d snapped and gone on a rampage.
He looked back at you. Your face was a mixture of worry and fear. Both emotions because of him. Bowser turned slightly to show you his tail so you could see what was causing the bleeding. A couple rather large and sharp thorns were stuck deep within the yellow skin. There was no way he could reach them even if he tried.
"Let me help," you spoke softly.
Bowser was surprised. It wasn't often that someone offered to help him with anything. Typically they just ran away. Which was understandable; he was pretty terrifying.
Letting out another grunt, Bowser wandered off to the side and dropped down onto a large rock. He moved his tail where it would be easily accessible to you. Despite your still pounding heart you genuinely wanted to help. His anger hadn't subsided that much considering he was still huffing and puffing even in his seated position. His eyes were darting around the area and if you weren't wrong he almost looked concerned.
What the hell was he doing out here in the first place? And alone with no underlings?
Those questions could wait.
For now you walked over to him and gently placed one hand on his tail. He flinched.
"Be careful!"
Gasping, you leapt away and pulled your hand to your chest. His eyes were on you and your trembling form. He hadn't meant to scare you. He was just badly on edge from the situation.
He hunched over silently and wiggled his tail as an invitation. It took a second to calm your shaky hands. What the hell were you doing? Why were you helping King Bowser knowing the things he'd done trying to take over your home?
It seemed that regardless you still wanted to help him.
You stepped back up beside him and knelt down. You put one hand on his tail and assessed the injury. You'd seen those particular thorns before and knew that, luckily, they would be easy for you to just tug out. You'd definitely need to wrap it up or it would continue to bleed.
"Now, uh, hold still, this is gonna sting okay? But it’ll only be for a few seconds." You said.
He only grunted.
He was making you extremely anxious. One wrong move and he might decide to send you back to the Mushroom Kingdom as crispy as a piece of bacon. You'd seen the steam escaping his nostrils, those fireballs were no joke.
With your other hand you grabbed onto one of the thorns tightly. The sudden movement caused pain to shoot up Bowser's tail and he yanked it away quickly with a roar. One of his spikes scratched your already injured hand and you hissed. Your heart lept in your throat.
"Watch it! That hurt!" He raged, "Be careful you little-"
Panicking you shouted back, "Stop yelling at me! I told you to hold still!"
He went silent in an instant. That was unexpected. He'd made you so anxious that you'd responded with an aggressive tone mirroring his own.
"Like I said, it's going to sting. But I'll be careful. I promise," you gave him a soft look hoping that he would relax if you showed kindness.
You gently rubbed your hand over his tail in an attempt to soothe his nerves. His breathing eventually slowed and he turned away from you in a huff. You sighed. You readjusted your grip on the thorn and decided the best way to approach it was as quickly as possible. So, with two very fast movements, you yanked both thorns from his tail. He tensed up and you noticed his hands clenched into fists forcing his claws to dig into his palms. But this time he didn't yell.
You reached into your bag for a roll of bandage. Wrapping it around his tail you secured it tightly and ghosted your hand over the top softly. It would work for the moment.
"You'll want to get that properly taped up when you're back at your castle. I'm not a doctor so the most I can do is stop the bleeding." You explained sitting back on your heels.
Bowser, whose mind seemed to be somewhere else, stood up quickly and faced you. You looked so tiny sitting on the ground like that. He offered a hand to you and you, albeit a little nervously, grasped onto one of his fingers and got to your feet. His change in demeanor made you much less anxious.
You brushed the dirt off your clothes and flattened them against you.
"What's a little thing like you doing this far into the forest all alone?" His voice was less angry this time.
Even though it took you by surprise you knew it wouldn't hurt to answer him, "I was picking berries and searching for herbs… I could ask why you're out here too."
Bowser stared down at you. You were just a small human and by the look of your clothes you'd come from the Mushroom Kingdom. Your hair was pushed back and an amalgamation of tiny leaves and petals rested in it giving you the appearance of a pretty little flower. That must have been from when he was slashing at the bush. Your eyes were no longer wide with fear but interest.
His heart raced at the way you looked up at him. You were so adorable. And you'd offered to help him even though you knew who he was. You seemed to be a brave little human. He'd never seen anyone from the Mushroom Kingdom come so far into the forest given how dangerous this particular area was. Fire and ice flowers all over, thorns, uprooted trees, and plenty of holes to fall in. If you went further you'd run into even more dangers.
Unsure of how long he'd be staring at you he looked away when he answered, "I've been out here looking for my son all day."
You gasped lightly. His son? You'd heard of Bowser Junior before, much less than his father.
"I saw him this morning before he ran off to play. Now he won't answer his communication device and I can't find him anywhere." Bowser explained.
Now all his worrying glances out into the forest made sense. Any parent not being able to find their kid would cause stress. You'd probably be upset as well.
Before you thought about your words you stepped forward and said, "I can help you look for him."
Bowser raised a thick red eyebrow at you.
"And why would I need your help? I can find him on my own." He asked.
You gripped onto the strap of your bag.
"It might be easier with two people instead of one. Let me help. Tell me what he looks like and we can start searching."
Your mother had always told you that you were too kind for your own good. If you were any other person you'd be running away locking yourself in your home hoping the Koopa King didn't chase you home and eat you or something. But instead, the thought of a little kid being lost out in the forest and the occasional flash of worry on Bowser's face when he thought you weren't looking made you refuse. You couldn't just walk away knowing what was happening.
Bowser took a moment to contemplate his options. He was smart and strong and he didn't need your help. On the other hand, however, maybe you could be useful to him. You would definitely lessen his load.
"Are you sure you wanna help someone like me, little human? What if I get hungry?" He showed off his teeth to you with those words.
"Um-"
As quickly as you registered his question you took a large step away from him to which he chuckled. It was a deep laugh that seemed to echo through the trees around you. But at the same time it was one that reassured you he was joking. At least that's what it sounded like. You really hoped you weren't misinterpreting it.
He turned to the right and began to stalk off down a new path. His heavy steps shook the ground and you had to readjust yourself to keep balance. It took a few seconds to realize you weren't by his side because he looked down at where he thought you were before turning back to you.
"Are you comin' flower? I ain't gonna wait up." Bowser asked.
Your whole body heated at the sudden nickname. With a flaming red brushed across your face you ran to catch up with him. You'd completely forgotten about your basket of berries.
Walking next to Bowser's hulking form made you feel like an insect. Like at any second he could squash you if he pleased. But there was surprisingly a light air about him. He scoured the area and would call out, 'Junior', every few seconds with a booming voice but apart from that he didn't seem… scary? Even his walking had turned from heavy stomps to more gentle strides now that you were at his side. Like he didn't want to make you uncomfortable.
The first time you shouted out for his son he had to pause and look at you bewildered. You cupped your small hands around your mouth and called as loud as you could without hurting yourself. A string of silence followed.
You looked up at the large koopa whose brows were furrowed as his eyes darted around.
"What does your son look like? So I know what I'm looking for," you asked.
Bowser turned his head to you, "he's a brilliant spitting image of his father," he was proud of that one, "but much smaller."
You smiled, "well I suppose it should be easy to know when I see him. I'm sure he has to be somewhe-" Suddenly and without warning you lost your footing. You'd stepped right into a divet in the ground causing your ankle to roll slightly and in an instant you were falling. Before you could collapse fully a large paw wrapped around you and pushed against your back very quickly. You were lifted off the ground and pressed against Bowser's chest like you weighed nothing.
Your breathing staggered as your own chest heaved.
"Careful there, wouldn't want you getting hurt now would we?" You could feel the vibrations of him speaking radiating through you, "those poisonous mushrooms are pretty dangerous even to me let alone someone so small and defenseless."
You whipped your head around to look over your shoulder as best you could in your position. There was a bush growing about two feet away from where you had just been walking covered in purple mushrooms. Their lifeless eyes made you shiver.
Pressing your hands against Bowser's chest you looked up into his eyes. They were locked onto you, half lidded, and a smile played on his mouth. You knew you most likely had gone red at this point.
"Thank you." You breathed. "That could have been really bad."
With a toothy grin he mumbled, "you're soft." So low you barely heard it but the way his hand lightly squeezed your back confirmed it.
Despite the sharpness of his claws his hold on you was extremely gentle. The moment you started to think about that… you were hyper aware of everything. His hot breath fanned your face, he wasn't squeezing you uncomfortably close to him, and he was warm. Very warm. Almost like a toasty marshmallow. You figured that was due to his body being able to form and dispense pure balls of fire.
It was kind of nice.
Reluctantly, Bowser set you softly back on your feet away from where the bush was. And the two of you continued down the path. Occasionally you would feel the burning of his eyes on you but tried not to react.
"Why are you helping me anyway? You know who I am. Shouldn't you be scared?" Bowser questioned.
It was a very good inquiry. But you figured the only response you could give was the honest truth, "I was. Then I saw you were hurt and I saw on your face how much you cared about finding your son safe." There it was again. His red eyes locked onto your head. You took a deep breath and gathered your words. "I suppose that while I know what you've done I'd never met you before and you're showing me a side that I feel people don’t think about."
You hopped up on a rock for a higher view, "and I figure you must be pretty scared not knowing where Junior is. And I'm not busy so it's not going to hurt. Kindness is free."
Bowser felt a warming under his shell. Almost like a swell of pride and joy. It wasn't usual for people to just help him for the sake of it. And yet he'd done well enough to grab up someone as soft and sweet as you. He was so used to having to force people to do things for him that you choosing to walk next to him was enough to make him blush. And now the pretty words of understanding you were spewing? He didn't think he'd be able to cope.
While he was lost in thought you'd walked a little bit ahead and were standing at the edge of a fork in the path. He caught up and towered behind you following your glance back and forth.
"You go left and I'll go right. We'll cover more ground that way he's bound to be close." You suggested.
Bowser crossed his arms and huffed. With no second thought you began walking down the path to the right but paused to glance back at your new acquaintance. He gave you a wicked smirk.
"You sure it's a good idea to split up? You could get lost out there all alone for some big scary monster to get you." He was joking of course considering he was the scariest thing out there.
Damn. He looked kind of hot when he smirked.
You countered, "I can take care of myself. I mean… I managed to get you to not hurt me."
"Whatever you say little flower," he chuckled.
You blushed deeply and turned to continue down your path. As Bowser went down the other you could feel his footsteps and hear him yelling until eventually it faded completely. How had you even ended up here? Walking through the forest with the Koopa King as your companion. Talking to him casually like he was a friend. Promising to help reunite him and his son.
For nearly an hour you continued down the long and winding path. You yelled out for Junior but your voice was beginning to get hoarse. You left longer and longer pauses. It was a good thing you did too. During one of your extra long pauses your ears picked up a faint high pitched and gravelly response. Quickly, you sped off towards the sound. That had to be him.
The voice was coming from atop a small hill. You couldn't see him but you could definitely hear him squawking for his 'papa'. You walked up the incline of the hill carefully and called his name once more. He went quiet. He probably didn't recognize your voice. Reaching the top of the hill you saw exactly what Bowser had described. It was a much, much smaller version of him. With messy red hair falling out of an elastic band and a bandana with a scary face drawn on it, this was obviously the child Bowser had told you about.
He sat on the ground a few feet away. Based on the liquid running over his cheeks and snout you figured he might have been crying. You scanned his body silently for injuries and luckily only found one worth worrying about. It looked as though he'd skinned his knee at some point but the bleeding had already stopped. If he'd let you close you could wrap it up with something.
How the hell were you supposed to get him to trust you?
The second you appeared at the top of the hill his little black eyes locked onto you. He put his fists on his hips and glared at you but his bottom lip continued to tremble. Clearly, he was just saving face.
"Hey! My papa is coming for me right now so you better not try to hurt me! He'll pummel you!"
Your heart melted a little at his words. Only Bowser could have a son with so much pride.
"You’re right, he is coming for you," reassurance was a good way to start, "we've been looking for a long time. Are you hurt?" You spoke softly, stopping about a foot away and squatting down.
He kicked at you aggressively and pushed himself back about two inches. It only took a second for him to see that was a bad idea because he let out a whine and instantly reached for his knee. Tears pricked his eyes but he tried to hide them from you by making a tough face.
"What do ya mean "we've"? I don't know you." Junior said.
"Well," how could you explain it in a way that would help him trust you, "your father, the big and strong King Bowser, ordered me, a humble and weak member of the Mushroom Kingdom, to aid in his search for you young prince."
Was this working?
"Don't forget smart! Papa is real smart." Junior added.
You smiled at him.
"He is. Super big and strong and smart. I could never hope to deny his orders." You said.
After a moment, Junior seemed to loosen up. He threw his arms up into the air and looked at you angrily.
"Well hurry it up and help me." He scoffed with an eye roll.
You held back your own eye roll and held your hands out, palms facing him, and said, "Your knee looks hurt. I'll need to wrap that up for you. Is it okay if I do that?"
His eyes went to the cut.
"I order you to heal me!"
With a small smile you switched from your squatting position to a seated one. You reached into your bag hoping that you had enough left. Bowser's tail had taken up quite a bit of your bandage.
"What are you doing all the way out here alone? Bowser-"
"King!"
"Yes, King Bowser said that he hadn't seen you since this morning. He's pretty worried about you." You told him.
You pulled out the remaining bandages you had and tried to be as gentle as you could. He only had the scrape but you had no idea if the injury went deeper or not. Depending on how he'd gained it his bone could be fractured. While he spun his tale you started to wrap his knee.
"I was investigating. The Mushroom Kingdom is having a ball soon and I wanted to surprise papa with a plan to steal the princess again, he always seems to enjoy that. But on my way my stupid clown car malfunctioned and I crashed. That's the last time I order Kamek to fix my stuff. That old man just made it worse!" His tiny fist was punching the air in anger. "My communicator broke and I couldn't call for help so I tried to walk to the Mushroom Kingdom. But I got lost and I've been out here for hours."
You pinned the edge of the bandage closed and crossed your arms.
"So how'd you get hurt?" You asked.
His cheeks and the tip of his snout went bright red. He copied your arm movement and turned away from you embarrassed. You noticed the way his eyes bounced to a small and thin tree limb a few feet away. Your own traveled up above where you two sat to see what looked like a snapped off branch. Your conclusion was that he'd mistaken how strong that particular part would be. It was evident that he wouldn't want to talk about it. So you didn't push.
"Good news is that your leg is gonna be okay." You stood up and offered him your hands, "if you can stand then we should go find your dad."
He side eyed you. Right, you were supposed to be some weak peasant under Bowser's orders. You'd almost forgotten.
You pulled your hands to your chest, "How would the young prince like to travel?"
It was extremely hard to not chuckle at the way you were acting. You had to bite your tongue when he turned back to you and held his arms out and yelled, "carry me!" How were you supposed to stay serious when he sounded so precious? He was a tiny tyrant.
You reached down and grabbed under his arms to lift him up. The quick movement caused his leg to swing down and he yelped out so you stopped instantly and sat him back down.
"Hey, watch it! That hurt! If you hurt me worse I'll tell my papa!"
Cheeks puffing out you swallowed a laugh. He certainly was his father's child. Not only did he look like him, he acted like him as well. Bowser had yelled almost that exact thing at you. At least you knew where it came from.
"Dearest apologies. Are you okay?" You asked.
Junior's expression stayed frozen in anger for a few seconds before it dropped and he muttered a response, "ya."
The second time you tried to pick him up you were more cautious of where his injured leg was. He was a bit heavy thanks to the shell on his back. You lifted him up and sat him on your hip with a leg on either side of your body. Locking your arms around him you turned your face to his.
"We're going to have to yell out really loud to find him. Can you help me with that?"
He nodded and instantly let loose an extremely loud call for Bowser right into your ear. You tensed but tried not to react poorly. It was more surprising that he'd even answered your request but you were grateful. Your throat was still on fire from yelling for Junior. Making sure he was secure on your hip you headed down the little hill and back into the forest.
The entire walk, Junior would pause from calling out to ask you questions. A lot of questions. Mainly about you and how you'd been captured by his dad. Your favorite guess was that you'd been caught walking through the bad parts of the forest by Bowser and were then captured and tortured for information and the only way to be set free was to find him. It was your favorite due to the fact that what had actually happened was still fresh in your mind. The kid might faint if you told him that you'd been roped in thanks to Bowser throwing a tantrum.
That was information you decided to keep to yourself. No reason to ruin the image he had of his father.
"You know," you started, earning a questioning look from the boy. "It was pretty brave of you to venture out on your own. That's to be expected of the Koopa King's son."
Junior scoffed. You gave him a teasing smile.
You continued, "I'm sure he'd be proud to know you managed to only get a little hurt-"
"I only got hurt cause that dumb tree branch," Junior interrupted angrily.
"Yeah. That dumb tree branch, how dare it break?" Your voice was playful.
He smiled widely at you filled with pride and popped a fist on his hip.
"I'm pretty awesome ain't I?" He asked.
You nodded. Seeing his grin made your chest fill with warmth. If he smiled, you could too.
At some point during your search for the much larger koopa the child in your arms went silent. Much too silent for your own liking. You glanced over at him in concern but your expression quickly changed. Due to your full attention being on your surroundings you must not have felt him shift his position. Junior had one arm slung around you and his little face smashed into the crook between your shoulder and neck. From what you could see his eyes were closed and his breathing was soft. Your heart warmed.
It was understandable that he'd be tuckered out after such an eventful day.
You ensured that your walk from then on out was quiet and smooth.
Heading into a small clearing your eyes locked to something that… clearly didn't belong there. Damaged and leaning against a giant rock with uprooted dirt around it was what you could only assume was Junior's clown car. It seemed like the perfect size for him. It was white and green with a face drawn on the side facing you. The metal was scratched and dented with chunks that had blown off laying far away.
A harsh wind blew and you instinctively reached to cover Junior's body from the cold. Your warm hand pressed to the back of his shell. He hummed and tightened his grip on you. You took a few steps in order to get out of the shade and into the sunlight. Once the warmth seeped into his skin he relaxed and you heard a big sigh escape his mouth.
You let your eyes wander over the rubble of the machine. Junior had mentioned his communicator being destroyed but perhaps there was something inside that could help you out. You wondered what you'd even look for. You padded across the forest floor and peered inside the car. There were a lot of levers and buttons as well as a Junior sized seat. His smashed communication device laid in a heap on the floorboard.
When you moved to try and get a better look a rumble shook your whole body. And less than a second later a distant yell was audible. You knew that deep and dark voice. It had to be Bowser searching for Junior. The shaking slowly got heavier and it seemed Bowser was heading in your general direction. As much as you wanted to call out to him you would feel awful if you woke the koopa kid up. You glanced around in search of the king. It felt like he was close.
"You!" Bowser's loud call sounded from behind you.
You looked over your shoulder. He stood a great distance away down the path and quickly started to run toward you. The sight was honestly quite frightening.
Trying your hardest to keep Junior steady you whipped around and held a hand out towards Bowser, "shh shh wait slow down you'll wake him up."
Bowser took a few more aggressive stomps before slowing to a walk. His eyes locked onto his son's form tucked against your body. And he was… ecstatic. You were holding him so carefully. Almost the way a parent would. The sight made Bowser feel like swooning right that second. Junior had never been comfortable falling asleep in anyone else's arms but his own. Yet here you were cradling him as if he were your own child.
The sun shone on you making you glow and wind ruffled your hair and the flower petals that you still hadn't realized were there. You were beautiful. If Bowser was unsure about keeping you around before his mind was certainly made up now.
Bowser walked out into the clearing and up to where you waited. You shifted your weight to better support Junior while looking down at him with a small smile. When you opened your mouth to speak was when the Koopa King seemed to notice the wrecked machine behind you.
"Junior's clown car! What happened?!" His voice was filled with concern and you wondered if, since Junior was asleep, he wasn't trying to appear too tough for fear.
You shushed him wildly when the kid started to shuffle around. You both held your breath and waited until he settled down. A sigh left you.
"He said it malfunctioned and he crashed. And he got lost when he tried to walk his way out of the forest." You explained calmly.
His eyes scanned Junior for injuries and paused on the bandage wrapped around his knee. He pointed a clawed finger at it and went to talk but you'd already beat him to it, "he fell and busted his knee up, I think it might be his whole leg but I'm not sure. I wrapped it the best I could but you should have a doctor look at it when you get him home. For now he needs his sleep."
His hand dropped. Bowser gave you a grin and crossed his arms.
"Seems he's taken a liking to you. He doesn't do that with just anybody. Must be fate." He said.
You blushed, turning your glance away from him to keep your dignity and cleared your throat awkwardly. Fate? Fate that you'd been walking in the woods and came across the infamous Koopa that terrorized your kingdom constantly? Fate that you stood your ground instead of running away?
"He’s under the impression that you um… captured me and forced me to do your bidding like," You readjusted Junior on your hip, "forced servitude. I didn't wanna break his illusion so I played along."
Bowser's heart fluttered. How were you so sweet?
"You ought to get him home. Here-"
"Now we wouldn't want to go waking him up would we? You said so yourself that he needs sleep." You paused with your hands under Junior's arms and blinked at Bowser. "If you pass him to me and jostle that leg then he might wake up."
What the hell is he doing, you wondered. Shouldn't he want to get Junior back to the castle?
"Why don't you walk to my castle with me? So you can put him in bed." Bowser suggested.
You tensed. Red flags fluttered in your brain as you locked eyes with him. From all you'd ever heard of him you figured asking wasn't really a thing he did. If he wanted something he'd take it. Land, minions, even Princess Peach were a few examples and yet, he asked you. He didn't tell. He didn't sweep you up in his arms and tow you off.
He asked.
Maybe that was the reason you agreed. The reason you found yourself once more walking at Bowser's side. He was… nice. Honestly a sweetheart compared to the stories of him. Everyone claimed he had no empathy or care for anyone but himself. The Bowser beside you told a completely different story.
He held a device in his hand that seemed to be helping to navigate the forest. When he noticed your eyes on it he showed it to you and explained what it was. When he noticed you falling behind he would slow his steps. When you were close to anything remotely dangerous he would either have you swap sides with him or hold his hand and arm around you for protection. When you said anything he gave you his attention.
His gentleness left you flustered.
"Bowser…" you started.
He hummed and looked down at you. Eyes making sure to adore every inch of the sight he saw.
You puffed your cheek out and looked between Junior and the gargantuan koopa, "you're not at all what I thought you'd be."
Bowser halted instantly and you turned to face him. He gave a wide grin. Showing off all of his sharp teeth.
"Terrifying and intimidating?" He asked.
Shaking your head you earned a confused expression from the king. His red brows knitted together and he hunched over slightly to get closer to your level.
"You're still pretty intimidating but you're also being very sweet to me. The toad people make it seem as though those two can't coexist." You explained.
His heavy and hot breath blew your hair back slightly. He stayed silent. His eyes roamed your face. Maybe trying to detect lies? But all he saw was compassion and understanding. An angel standing not more than a foot away from him. It felt off to have someone look beyond his reputation. Now that's not to say Bowser didn't adore everyone's eyes always holding fear when they saw him or even heard his name uttered. He loved every bit of that. But there was something burning deep within his chest that made him crave someone like you. You knew the things he'd done but had decided to look at the good instead.
Slowly, to not startle you away, he lifted a clawed hand and very gently brushed a knuckle over your cheek. Your face burned with embarrassment.
"I can be terrifying if that's what you'd like, little flower," he suggested in a low tone.
You shook your head lightly, "I like the gentle side of you." It came out in a whisper.
Bowser moved his knuckle from your face and plucked a flower petal out of your hair, dropping it in his palm and blowing it at you. You sputtered and took a step back.
"Where did that come from?" You asked in shock.
The koopa returned to his regular stance and shrugged, "your hair has been full of them since we met."
Was it possible to blush any harder?
You nearly shouted, "And you didn't tell me?!"
Junior rustled in his sleep at your voice and you quickly went to shush him. You rocked him lightly while softly urging him to not wake up. Bowser swooned.
It was around twenty minutes before the three of you were at the edge of Bowser's kingdom. There were a few fortresses, you figured for his minions, scattered around the area in no particular arrangement. A large bridge cast out in front of you, over a moat of lava, leading directly to the front doors of Bowser's castle. You'd seen pictures of it in the paper before but it was so much more foreboding in person. Your stomach turned. Did you really want to go in there?
Bowser stepped up onto the bridge and looked back at you. Your face had paled.
"Is this thing stable?" Was what came out of your mouth.
It was a stupid question considering it had to hold Bowser. But you'd still asked. So he was polite enough to answer even if it was with a heavy laugh bordering on a growl.
"Of course it is. See?" He said hopping up once.
The ground around you shook but the bridge didn't crumble or crack. The lava moat was really freaking you out. What if you lost your footing and went over the edge? Bowser must have noticed the way you were side eyeing the viscous orange and red liquid.
"I wouldn't let you fall. You can hold my hand if you're scared~" Bowser teased.
As embarrassing as the thought was… maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Thus far on your trip he hadn't let much hurt you so it seemed you could trust him. Nerves made your stomach twist in knots at the knowledge that you were walking above lava. You shifted your weight and swallowed thickly.
You reached out to him.
You held on tightly to Bowser's finger and walked with him across the bridge. For the first time you were the one outwalking him. You wanted nothing more than to be on the other side. The second you stepped back onto regular ground you let out a deep breath you must have started holding at some point.
Bowser pulled you along up the large front doors of the castle. Large wasn't even a proper word. They were humongous considering Bowser had to fit through them. Your brain flashed back to when a Toad neighbor of yours had told you he had different forms and could get much larger than his usual size. Just how big could the Koopa King get? He already towered over you with his natural stance. You weren't sure you wanted to know.
"I'll take you up to Junior's room so you can put him into bed. The castle is easy to get lost in so don't wander off. Otherwise something unsavory might…" Bowser looked over his shoulder and gave a toothy smirk, "get you."
You gulped. You didn't doubt he was telling the truth.
Giving him a nod you said, "I think I'd be too scared to go off on my own."
Bowser used his free hand, you had yet to let go of his other one, and pushed the doors open. They creaked ominously. Directly inside was a long hallway with staircases on both sides. Bright red flames lit up the way on torches which rested in wall crests shaped like Bowser's head.
After taking no more than one step into the castle a small koopa in a blue cloak zipped through the air on a little broom. He was squawking the King's name and profusely apologizing for not having found Junior.
"Sire we have searched everywhere in the castle and even the kingdom. I've sent troops to our surrounding enemies to look for him. I'm sure he's alright he probably just lost track of time and-"
The koopa went silent. His eyes had been drawn to the way Bowser's arm was pulled back farther than the other. He'd followed it down to where your small figure stood behind him shyly. It wasn't normal for Bowser to bring a pretty human back to the castle. And it was even more unusual that you didn't seem to be a captive. You weren't struggling or begging to be let go. You were just… there.
Not only that, you had Junior in your arms.
"Oh good gracious you found him," the koopa sighed.
Bowser glanced back at you and laughed at your anxious expression. Your eyes were darting between him, Kamek, and the floor.
"I didn't realize you were bringing a guest. Most of the servants are out searching for the young prince so nothing is prepared." He kept eyeing you from behind his glasses.
Your hand was gripped lightly and Bowser pulled you around to stand in front of him. He pressed his hand to your back and said, in a rather charming tone, "Oh Kamek I'm sure we can be hospitable to our guest."
You remembered the name Kamek from when Junior was telling his story. Awkwardly you smiled at the magikoopa. He flew down level with your face and moved in extremely close to examine you. You pressed back into Bowser's body trying your hardest not to offend the koopa in case it was some kind of greeting ritual. While you stood unknowing of the wizards intentions Bowser was fully aware of what was happening.
Kamek was inspecting you.
He hummed a few times as if trying to come to a conclusion in his head. Why might Bowser have brought you to the castle? You were cute, sure. And you held Junior with such care. What truly gave Kamek an answer was the way his king looked down at the top of your head. Kamek was positive that, if it was possible, Bowser would have large pink hearts in his eyes.
Well, Kamek thought, at least this one came of their own free will.
"We've been out in the forest all day and I'd like to treat my dear flower here to some food." Bowser noticed the way your head snapped to look up at him, "as a token of appreciation~"
Well you couldn't say no to that. All you'd eaten so far was some cheese and bread. It would be nice to sit and actually eat something. The idea made you salivate. Bowser's chest puffed out proudly when you didn't say no.
Kamek sighed and gave his king a tired look, "I'll see what I can do sire." And with that he flew off quickly.
Bowser gave a hum and stepped around you, leading the way towards a set of stairs off to the right. Your eyes watched as his tail swayed back and forth rhythmically. He seemed happy. You snapped out of your trance and followed. He led you up a flight of stairs that curved up into a long hallway. Plastered all over the floor of the hall were drawings, appearing to be by children, consisting of anything from a fire flower to Bowser. You made sure to step over them instead of on them.
The small koopa in your arms wiggled a little and you heard him whisper something about ruling the world in his sleep. You patted his shell. Just like his father.
You heard a door creak open and looked to Bowser. He was standing next to a now opened door, which was just as large as the others in the castle, and motioned for you to walk inside. You stepped up into the doorway. It was very clearly a child's room. Toys were strewn all over and the blankets hung off the bed. Carefully, you maneuvered across the floor until you were next to the mattress.
From his place outside the room, Bowser watched your movements. He watched you gently climb onto the bed and hunch over. The way you grabbed Junior's arms from where they held you and set him down. You had even flipped him onto his stomach to ensure he wouldn't get stuck on his back. How thoughtful. Grabbing the duvet from the foot of Junior's bed you pulled it over his sleeping form.
"Sleep well little guy," you mumbled to him, petting his head softly.
Bowser's heart thumped. He absolutely adored every ounce of kindness you exuded. He wanted to keep you. He wanted to pick you up and hold you close to him as his own. He wanted to watch you give that love and kindness to all of his children. And he wanted to feel it for himself.
He blinked and suddenly you were standing in front of him, a hand suspended over your mouth to cover a yawn, and looking at his face. He cleared his throat.
"Did you say something?" He asked.
You had. Though it was obvious he'd been spacing out. You nodded.
"Said that he's sound asleep for now but he might be cranky when he wakes up." You repeated.
Bowser backed up as you stepped out of the room and pulled the door shut behind you. You gave him a tired smile. That's right, you'd been walking around the forest the entire day. You were so much smaller and more fragile than his kind so you were most likely exhausted.
Bowser crossed his arms and said, "Someone seems sleepy."
"Just a tad, I'll-"
There was a clanging from the end of the hallway. You both turned, Bowser growled at the intrusion, to see a small dry bones head pop over the top of the stairs. He bounced up them quickly and stumbled over his own feet. He was heaving trying to catch his breath and the sounds of his bones rattling together made you cringe lightly. The dry bones stopped in front of Bowser and bowed so low his snout brushed against the rug.
"Lord Bowser! Sir, the meal you requested is ready." His voice was as shaky as his body.
Bowser let out a deep laugh and scooped your hand up in his.
"Wonderful, shall we, flower?" He asked. Though you knew you couldn't really get out of it if you wanted.
Your stomach growled at the thought of food. Even if it was hastily thrown together you bet it would be amazing. With a curt nod you followed alongside Bowser behind the dry bones down the hallway and the stairs. He led you into a dining hall. The table was extremely long and seemed meant to feed large families of royalty but you only saw nine chairs. And they were all bunched towards the end of the table where the biggest chair was. You figured that was Bowser's. But who were the others? Surely one was for Junior… but the other seven? Did he have more children?
Around the room candles were lit and they cast everything in a soft glow. A fireplace off to the side was also lit for heat. In front of two of the chairs were dishes and silverware. One chair was the one that had to be Bowser's given the size and the fact that it sat at the head. The other was the one directly to the right of it on the side.
"You'll be seated in Junior's chair. I would let you sit in Wendy's on the other side but she might find out and have a fit." Bowser explained.
He led you over to the table and pulled the chair out for you. A bit flushed from the gentle nature he showed, you sat down and he pushed the chair in. He moved himself to sit in his.
"Should you find anything you dislike, let me know and I'll deal with it." He said.
You glanced off to a door in the back corner where three koopas as well as the dry bones from earlier peeked out. They all look very nervous.
You smiled at them, "oh I'm sure it will be lovely. Thank you Bowser and thank you all for making something so quickly." You addressing the servants caused Bowser to look back over his shoulder with a strong glare.
They all slammed the door shut together.
A giggle rose in your throat and Bowser thought he was going to melt. It sounded so perfect coming out of your mouth. He wanted to hear it more.
He turned back to the front to apologize for his servants only to see you already nibbling on a piece of bread. Your eyes widened with worry. Were you not supposed to eat yet? You'd never eaten at a table with royalty before. Maybe there were some kind of rules you were supposed to follow. Bowser didn't say anything though he just smiled and picked up a utensil to start eating as well.
As odd as it was, he actually had better table manners than you. Your etiquette was that of someone who ate alone every night. You were also confused why there were multiple forks and spoons when they did the same thing. But you didn't ask. You figured that would be embarrassing.
Anytime a servant came to the table to ask if either of you needed anything you made sure to tell them how good the food was and thank them for doing so well. Regardless of how many times you said it they seemed surprised. They weren't used to being appreciated. Bowser picked up on the way you treated them no different than him or Junior. It was interesting. You had even offered to help carry plates back to the kitchen when the dry bones seemed to be struggling.
"It was very kind of you to feed me Bowser. I appreciate it. You really are a sweetie." You said when you finished up your last few sips of water.
He blushed, "as I said a thank you for helping me find Junior."
"It's no problem! I was happy to help you out." Your smile was so contagious. "Perhaps I should get ready to head home. It is getting very late and-"
Bowser panicked, "it's dark, I don't think a little thing like you should be walking in the forest alone."
His voice was harsh and it felt like he was… ordering you to stay. The sudden authority in his cadence scared you slightly and his heart sank at the small glimmer of fear in your eyes.
He coughed and tried to slip into a softer tone for you, "I simply mean that. You should stay here. I'll have you safely taken home first thing in the morning. When the sun rises."
"Oh um," you weren't sure what to say exactly, “While I do appreciate your concern…”
Bowser wanted to see if you'd stay without force but he wasn't above putting you in a cell. Before he had a chance to argue back with you the door to the kitchen opened and Kamek flew into the room. You hadn't even known he was back there. He had two plates with some kind of pastry on them.
"Dessert for my king and his esteemed guest." The wizard spoke.
He dropped a plate in front of both of you. It was some kind of cake with a circle of dark jelly in the center and a small amount of icing. Bowser was sure to hide his smile from you. He knew exactly what that cake was. Kamek had used the same spell on Peach before. Of course, his wasn't laced like yours so he was able to dig in without fear.
Kamek didn't leave the room. That should have been your hint not to trust it. Food coming from a wizard could have anything in it. But, it looked and smelled so good.
You took a bite. It tasted like an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Good enough that you quickly ate two then three more bites. Once the third one slid down your throat you noted… your exhaustion. It was creeping back in on you. Your muscles were so tired. You had walked so much. You struggled to keep your eyes open. They burned slightly and you reached to rub them dropping your fork in your lap. You yawned.
Bowser's eyes never left you.
"Shall I call for a cell to be opened?" Kamek asked.
The king hummed, "No. They deserve the luxury I can offer. Have a spare room prepared."
"And if they decide to run?"
Bowser laughed heavily.
"I don't think that'll happen."
Your body slowly lowered down against the table. Yawning once again you stretched out and your eyes closed. The second your head rested on the table you were out cold. Bowser reached over and brushed his claw across your cheek. You were so pretty and soft. He knew you'd be perfect.
King Bowser was going to keep you.