CHAPTER XI

The grand day had arrived! The day of the Star Shower Festival was finally upon us!

All of the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom were readying themselves for the fair. Decorations, stands and effervescence bubbled at the town's square and its surrounding. Nothing but smiles and joy were imprinted on the people's faces. Master Luigi, Princess Daisy, Princess Peach along with our friends, Yoshi, Toad and the castle guards helped around town to finalize the town's preparations.

Despite the enthusiasm, Mario's absence was noticed by many.

Bowsette had told him that she would come join him at his home. And here he was: waiting for the woman he had asked out for this joyous event.

The Koopa princess was known for being many things. Nervous was not one of them.

Except for today.

Her bed was littered with many colorful dresses. Her hands pulled each dress one after the other, but not one seemed to fit her desire. She ran to her large wardrobe and scanned almost each piece of clothing, but her quest to find the perfect dress seemed to have failed.

"Damn it!" She grunted on her bed exasperated. "I got only four hours left and I still can't decide what to put! I got nothing!"

Her eyes aimed at the ceiling for a moment as she took a deep breath. It was not every day that an invitation such as the one Mario sent her was given. Mario had been very good to her; very humane. She was grateful for it. Even if she accepted his invitation in a nonchalant way, worry started to take hold of her strong confidence.

She did not want to mess things up.

"Maybe I should call and cancel..." she said, but immediately waved her head. "No! I can't do that! Come on Bowsette, what's with you? It's just a date!"

She knew her last words were a lie. It was not just a date. It was her first.

"No..." her hand took a random dress and pressed it against her. "I can't do this to him. He's been too good to me. And truth be told, I..."

The door creaked and opened. A small figure dressed in blue entered Bowsette's room. Kamek had appeared.

"Princess," he bowed to her.

"Oh, it's you Kamek." Bowsette said. It was obvious that she did not miss him. She stood back up and returned to her search for the perfect dress. "What do you want? I'm busy."

The sorcerer walked closer as he saw the mess on her bed. "What's all this?"

"Going on a date," her tone sounded uninterested, "with Mario."

"I beg you pardon?" the shock was palpable.

"What? 'Got a problem?"

"A problem?!" Kamek's voice rose. "This is the greatest insult in Koopa history!"

"Oh, here we go..." Bowsette crossed her arms. "Go ahead! Let out your dirty laundry!"

"You can't just go on a date with Mario! He's our worst enemy! We as the Koopa Kingdom are meant to rule all and be the mightiest of all in the realm! And the Mushroom Kingdom is fated to fall under our feet, not befriend us! This is the greatest aberration in our name!"

"Our name or yours?"

He growled. "I've let you have your fun, but now it's time to return to your senses! You're the monarch of the Koopas, not just some random jezebel!"

Bowsette's eyes turned red as she bared a sarcastic smile with fangs towards Kamek. "Wow... If I didn't know better, you sounded exactly like dear old Father."

"That's not what I—"

"No? But you want me the good little freak experiment I was born to be, right?"

"Look of what you've become! You've let yourself become weak due to Mario's influence while you're supposed to obliterate him!"

"And for what?" She shouted back; very loudly. A furious aura started surrounding her. "And to prove what? That I'm better than Father? So I can conquer the Mushroom Kingdom and that's it, end of story? She lived evilly ever after? Is this my sole purpose of life to you all? To you, to Father, to my fucking brothers and sister that made my childhood go through 50 different shades of Hell? Am I just a fucking tool to use for your evil ends?"

"NO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OUR QUEEN!"

"THEN LET ME BE THE QUEEN OF MY OWN LIFE! NOT MY FATHER'S SHADOW, NOR YOURS OR TO BE A FUCKING EXPERIMENTAL WEAPON!! OR WAS I EVEN DENIED THAT WHEN I WAS BORN AS WELL?!"

There was great history between the two of them. Bowsette had known Kamek for as long as she existed. It was not the first time that Kamek faced her wrath. But it was the first time that he had witnessed something else mixed with her angers.

Tears. They had flowed on her cheeks.

"Bowsette, I—"

"Just... just leave me alone!" A small glimpse of hurt was heard in her angered voice. "Just leave!"

She continued to rummage the sea of dresses on her bed. She wiped her tears swiftly, but Kamek saw the damage that he had caused already. He knew his words went somewhere that they should have never gone to. Like a cold knife cutting through a warm soul; that was how he described his offense to his princess. The hurt showed on his face, but it screamed louder on the one that he had sworn to serve and protect her.

He finally walked closer to her side. There was a chance that she would retaliate physically, but he took that chance.

She paid no attention to the wizard. This one picked a dress out of the many ones in his hands. It was a burgundy dress; sleeveless, a pleated knee-high skirt, an elegant opening just above the chest and colored like fresh red wine.

"This one," he lent it to her, catching Bowsette's attention. "I always thought that this tone of red suited you best."

She delicately took the dress. She looked at it and sized it by laying it on her body. It fit wonderfully her taste. This was the needed dress.

"Thank you." She said.

Kamek bowed. He did not desire to cause her any more harm. He started walking away from her. He had done enough damage to her heart already.

"Wait." Bowsette held him back. He turned to her.

"Yes, your Highness?" Regret was felt in his voice.

"You know it better than anyone," she said, "that... I wasn't born out of love."

"I... I know. It's not something one forgets."

"Especially if that certain one is me..."

"I know... and I'm sorry for what I've said."

She nodded as accepting his apologies. A moment of soundlessness installed between the two. As it extended, Bowsette cut it with her breath exhaling hair.

"Even if I wasn't born out of love," she said, "despite who I was and what I've done in the past, he gave me a chance. Mario had all the necessary reasons to let me die on that night. But he didn't. Even today I'm still trying to wrap my brain about that. Not only that, he showed me that just because I was my father's daughter that I didn't need to live in his shadow nor his legacy. I could be anything I wanted to be."

Bowsette sat on the bed as she held the dress close to her. She gazed at the floor, but it was not in any interest. She smiled, but her lips carried a glum mood.

"So many people dream to become whoever or whatever they want: a doctor, a comic book artist, an astronaut, a novelist, a soccer player, and so on. They live and make the best of it to make those dreams come true, win or lose. Why should I be denied that? Why can't I be whatever I want to be? Can't I be something that isn't imposed and expected by others?"

"Is there something you always wanted to be?"

She shrugged smiling. "Well... I'd like to have the chance to explore what life has to offer than forever being typecast like an evil generic video game character. I think it's worth the journey, don't you think?"

Kamek hummed thoughtfully on the words of the princess. The Koopa sorcerer was forced to see the wisdom behind her words. It might have been due to Mario's influence, but her determination's strength bloomed in her speech. She was royalty, she was the leader of the Koopas and the worst known enemy of the Mushroom Kingdom. But she was the master of her own life and destiny. It was not something easily shown towards a stubbornness as thick as Kamek's. But Bowsette did it anyway.

His hand laid over hers. "Princess... Whatever you choose to be in life, I know one thing for certain: you'll be a queen of it."

Bowsette's face regained more cheerful colors. The words that he had just said illuminated her mind; with relief, happiness and hope. Her smile was now more genuine leaving her sadness behind.

"Go on, child. You're going to be late for your date." He offered a warm smile to her.

Her smile beamed as bright as a sun. She knelt to him and pulled the old wizard into her arms. Kamek was trapped in her great strength, but he endured this strong act of love despite his old body.

"I don't say it often, but..." she let go to look at him directly, "you're the closest thing I have from a real father."

"Ah, come on my child!" Kamek looked away. "You're going to make this old man blush."

"But you are. I can't imagine how this life would have been if you weren't around. I thank you for that."

He nodded accepting her compliment. I did not know the whole story myself, but Kamek seemed to be very responsible of Bowsette's upbringing and education. Perhaps the old Koopa had its good side within him behind his cranky, stubborn and devious ways.

"If he tries anything that is unlikable, I'll turn him into an insect and squash him."

"I'll make sure to tell him that." Bowsette laughed.

"Now run along. You'll be late."

Bowsette jogged towards her private bathroom to get ready. Kamek could not help but feeling happy for her. The smile she had just shown; the last time he had seen was at her childhood. It was a moment of the princess's life where innocence was thin and fragile in the household, yet vibrant and strong. He desired the best for Princess Bowsette; nothing but the absolute best. And he would make sure she would get it, sooner or later.

As his smile faded, he walked back to the door to exit her room. Lost in his inner thoughts, he would hope that he would be forgiven for the action he was about to make.

...

Kamek walked down a spiral-shaped stairway only illuminated with a ball of magical light that floated above his head. The stairs went down a very, very long way down. He lost the track of time, but his mind roughly thought that he had been walking down for hours. He did not complaint. This trip was not his first time after all.

After all this time in perfect silence, his feet finally landed on the destination. With a flick of his finger, the ball of light rose higher and glowed brighter. A very wide and circular space was revealed. The area was loitered with countless skeletons; all of them were either warriors, mages or any one with fighting capabilities. They were all gathered around a very tall door, as if the once-alive warriors had fought to hold a demonic creature inside this grand gate. An imposing and dominating power pulsed from the strange door. It felt strange, alienated, but rooted in ancient darkness.

The door held the markings of seven stars, as if they were missing from it. Kamek produced a leather bag out of nothingness. As it floated in midair, the bag opened on its own and released seven stars made of crystals, beaming with powerful energy and vibrant colors.

"Have you made your decision?" A mighty and vile voice resonated from the door.

"Yes..." Kamek said with regret. "Please, make sure you don't harm her."

"Do not worry," the voice replied with hidden wickedness. "I will be nothing but an amplifier to the princess's powers. Once we are one, she will return to her former self and become the ruler of all, including the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Thank you..."

As the crystal stars flew to their respective slots, a loud boom resonated through the castle. The door opened with brute force, and pure evil started crawling out as a gigantic hand made of shadow grasped the ground, followed by an eerie voice filled with devilish ambition.

"I'm sorry, Princess. But this is for your own good. I hope you'll understand..."