Enjoy!

Chapter Ninety-One

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to

Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving

me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!

I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,

but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this

story to make it more interesting.

I also don't own anything related to Naruto if you see me throw a little of that in, too

No, I didn't have any experience in the law or anything, but I was pretty sure what we were doing was illegal. Or at least unorthodox. It wasn't anything major, just something along the lines of perjury or fraud.

Daisy and I were in her study, working through a stack of papers. She was struggling when I found her in there alone this morning, so I offered to help. She told me this was something she had to do personally, because it required her to read through the reports and sign off on them before sealing them up and putting them in a tray to be sent back to the officials in the other three kingdoms.

I frowned at the thought of her working alone, but I accepted her reasoning. Then the girl had fiddled with her pen and gave me a beautifully devious smirk and suggested that I just read through some papers, too, give her a synopsis, and forge her signature.

I'd asked her if that was alright and if she'd get in trouble, and she'd assured me it didn't matter because no one would know. And besides, she insisted that as long as the reports got read, that was all that really mattered. So now we were both slaving away on either side of her desk in the small study. I was just dotting the 'I' in her name for the umpteenth time when my mind started to wander. I tapped my pen over a new packet of papers and frowned.

I wonder what Roy's doing, I thought. I was glad we'd been able to get the medallion off of him, but did we really help him? I mean, what if his father causes problems for the kid now that Roy isn't on his side anymore? I wish I could have heard what he and Ludwig talked about. I wondered what Roy's next plan of action was. He was a strong kid, but he was no match for Bowser, not in a fair fight and definitely not when his father played dirty.

"What's wrong?"

Daisy was so intuitive she could tell there was something bothering me without even looking up. I watched her eyes scan over her paper and set my pen to the side.

I told her, "I can't stop thinking about Roy."

Daisy stopped reading and gave me a sympathetic wince. She said, "Yeah, me too. I don't know what more we can do for him, though."

I frowned.

Daisy hesitated, wanting to get back to work but looking conflicted. She finally set her pen down, too and clasped her hands.

"How 'bout this." She proposed. "I can send word to Arid City that Sarasaland's decided to renew their alliance with the kingdom. We can let Roy know that our aid and support extends specifically to him."

I thought about it, then nodded. "That sounds good."

"Should he need us, we'll help." Daisy said. "Whatever it is. Soldiers, food, whatever. That way, if his father tries any sinister tactics against him or the people, he'll have someone to come to." Daisy narrowed her eyes and added, "And he's got our protection. If the snake ever lays a hand on Roy, he'll have us to answer to."

She meant it; I had no doubt Daisy would go to war over this. Well technically we'd initiated war the other day.

"That's good," I said again.

I liked the idea. I wanted the kid to know he wasn't in this alone. We had his back. We weren't there before, but now was different.

"This isn't enough," King Boo hated to say it, but it was true.

Mario hated even more to hear it because it meant things would be that much harder for them. He already expected the immortal's remark, because he remembered how huge Bowser was and, looking at the stakes driven into the ground, he knew that circle wasn't big enough. But what could he do?

While Boo walked around the stakes, Mario frowned and took his hat off. He scratched irritably at his thick brown hair and heard two people approaching the barren field.

"There you are!" He dared not get excited at the sight of his two cousins.

They looked at him grimly as they drew near, which only made the former plumber's hopes further plummet. Mario saw the portly Wario holding his cap as well and saw Waluigi looking everywhere but at him.

"Give it to me straight," Mario sighed, expecting no good news.

Wario grunted and looked at his lanky brother. Neither wanted to be the bearer of bad news, but they couldn't keep Mario in suspense.

"Tell him."

"No, you!"

Wario elbowed Waluigi pointedly and the tallest brother glared at him and rubbed his ribs.

Mario watched and flatly begged, "Please tell me you got more copper and the only reason it's not with you is because you dropped it off at the palace."

The brothers shared a dismal look.

Waluigi blurted, "It's not our fault, cuz! We tried to get some more!"

"There was an explosion down at the warehouse," Wario muttered, bitterly recounting, "The coppers tried to blame us—"

"We didn't even do it this time!" Waluigi protested.

"They were gonna' arrest us anyway," Wario groused. "We had to split."

Mario frowned and said, "You should have stayed, I would have bailed you out."

"Yeah, right." Wario rolled his eyes. He said, "Even if we would have stayed, we wouldn't have got nothin'."

"This happened after we tried to get the wire," Waluigi filled in. "They wouldn't give us any more."

"Did you tell them I sent you?" Mario checked.

"Yeah, but." Wario looked uncomfortable as he admitted, "I think that made things worse. I…"

"What is it?" Mario insisted.

"I think they know what you're up to." Wario told his cousin. "They're on the side of the Dark King, the ones who run the warehouse. I think that's why they didn't wanna' give us any more wire—"

"And that's probably why they tried to frame us!" Waluigi declared. "We never had a run-in with the law all the other times we did business there, I bet they're only giving us hell now because we're stuck with you…er, not that uh," Waluigi backpedalled feebly. "Not that we don't appreciate you takin' us in, cuz."

"Yeah," Wario agreed, desperate not to go to jail. Again.

Mario wasn't thinking about them, he was frowning at what they'd said.

Of course Bowser's got a lock on the black market, the plumber thought with frustration. How easy it would have been to just go to Brooklyn and stock up on copper! Too bad that wouldn't work. For all that, they may as well let Boo duplicate more wire because, for some reason, copper in the other world bore no magical properties like the copper in this world.

"Looks like we're gonna' have to use artificial wire after all," Mario muttered, glancing over to Boo.

King Boo heard him and thought, that seriously daunts our chances of success, but there's nothing to be done about it now.

"Ready when you are," Prince Peasley said upon arriving via magic in the field.

The other two turned and saw the blonde had a sick white rabbit in his arms. Peasley looked down at the creature sadly and gave its shuddering back a stroke.

"Poor little thing," He remarked, then looked at the grimacing Mario and explained, "He was on his way out, anyway."

"Let's begin," King Boo suggested, preparing for another test run of opening the gateway.

He knew just like the other two that, with the duplicated wire, things were just…unpredictable. Even if the trial run was successful, that didn't mean it'd be successful when the time came to ensnare Bowser. The only reason they practiced now was to get used to opening the gateway, to become as quick at doing so as possible.

Roy became even more distant following his visit with his brother. He spent the rest of the day and night in the arena. Feeling unsafe following yesterday's events, Eriana chose to stick with her other friend Ari. The two spent the majority of the day in the library and slept in the blonde's room. Ariadne woke and went back to what she liked to think was her temporary office. Since she didn't know what transpired the day before, she figured Eriana would be safe in getting to and from the library without her.

Eriana slept in and when she woke alone, she panicked. Not for Ari's sake, she figured the girl had gone back to the library, but for her own. She didn't feel comfortable going anywhere alone.

I could wait in here until she gets back, Eriana thought, but she didn't want to do that. She wanted to be with Ariadne. She felt a little bad because, until now, she'd kind of taken her friend for granted, but now she drew so much comfort from the quieter girl's presence.

I'll just be careful and quick, the Arid City native resolved. Eriana rolled out of Ari's white-sheeted bed and straightened her clothes. She first visited the bathroom and fixed her hair and face as best she could without her own toiletries, then slipped on her sandals and stepped out into the hall.

It was clear, to her relief, so she headed for the library. She was passing the kitchen when someone called out for her, someone she loathed to see. He'd only said, 'hey' so Eriana pretended not to hear him as she hastened her pace.

"Wait a minute," The Dark King insisted.

He easily caught up to the smaller woman in a few strides and grabbed her hand. Eriana flinched and tried to get away. Bowser had gotten something of the wrong idea about her after her impromptu apology. He now stroked the girl's hand and grinned down at her.

"I've got something for you, Eriana." He seemed to sing in a soft, teasing voice.

Eriana shuddered and swallowed.

Bowser pulled something from his hip, between his shirt and his waistband. It was a thin white envelope. He held it out to the girl and released her hand. Eriana looked at the jade-eyed tyrant warily before taking the paper between her thumb and index finger.

"Give it to my son," Bowser instructed, walking backwards. He gave Eri a smirk and a wink before turning around and going on about his business.

Eriana looked from him to the envelope and noted the foreign seal on the back of it.

I wonder what this is?

She thought about it on her way to the library. By the time she got there and found Ari tucked away in a back corner table, she still hadn't come up with an answer.

"Hello, Eriana." Ari greeted, looking up from her book.

She watched Eri nod back in response and come around to sink down in a chair beside her. She could see Eri was troubled by something.

"What is it?" She solicited.

She hadn't thought much of it when Eriana came hanging around her the other day. She was glad for the company, though it bothered her that Roy was on his own now, even in this small way.

Eriana glanced at Ari before sliding the envelope over to her. She wrapped her arms around herself and said, "The Dark King gave this to me today. He said to give it to Rex."

"What is it?" Ariadne asked again, examining the envelope. She turned it over in her hands and contemplated opening it.

"We should see what it is," Eriana suggested, rubbing her arms. Her dark eyes flitted from the letter back to Ari's face. "It might be something bad. I still don't trust his father."

"Right," Ariadne agreed.

She didn't like violating Roy's privacy, but it was in the interest of his well-being. She slowly and carefully broke the seal, then exposed the white parchment inside. There was script on the paper, neat and brief. She read over it, her grey eyes widening and narrowing but never pausing in their scan of the message.

Ari set the letter down when she was done and turned to Eri with a small, growing smile.

"What is it?" Eriana scooted closer to her friend.

Ari said, "It's a letter from Sarasaland. Their princess wants to renew the alliance between her kingdoms and ours."

Eriana blinked, looked at the open letter, and she smiled, too. "Oh," She said, letting out a relieved breath. "That's good!"

"That's very good," Ariadne nodded. "They've offered Rex protection and they said their alliance is only with Rex. They don't support the Dark King."

"That's great!" Eriana brightened. "We have to go find Rex and let him know about this!"

Excitedly she jumped to her feet and took Ari's hand. Ariadne grabbed the letter as the tawny beauty led her out of the library. They found Roy in the arena. He was sitting in the stadium bleachers with a meal in his lap and a drink on the seat next to him. It wasn't alcohol.

"Rex!" Eriana shouted, waving to the boy as she hurried over with Ari in tow.

Roy looked over and saw his friends approaching. His expression remained passive and thoughtful. He had a lot on his mind. Ariadne noticed this, but Eriana was just glad to see him. She rushed over and nearly plopped down on his lap as she gave him a tight hug from the side.

"Are you okay?" Eriana asked, looking him over. "I haven't seen you since you got back."

"I'm fine, yo." Roy murmured quietly.

Eriana had accidentally knocked his food onto the ground. He wasn't mad, he just brushed his pants off and reached down for his water. He took a long swig as Ariadne sat with poise on his other side. She held the letter in her hands.

"What's that?" Roy asked. He wrapped an arm instinctively around Eri's waist and frowned at the letter.

Ari explained, "It's a message from Sarasaland. They want to renew their alliance with Arid Kingdom. They want to offer their protection towards you, Rex."

Roy frowned and looked at the letter. He looked ahead and commanded with a bit of hurt pride, "Read it to me."

Ari did, and Roy also had her explain it to him at times. She was ever patient with him, which did assuage the young man's ego a little. Eriana was also listening, and felt comforted at the tone of the letter; it seemed the other country was serious in their commitment to standing by the young king.

"You should accept their invitation," Ariadne advised.

Roy weighed his options, then shook his head and said, "Nah. I don't wanna' piss of the Dark King."

Eri and Ari frowned.

Ariadne said, "Think about it, Rex. This would make a great statement with the people here; they don't know where you stand when it comes to your father—" Roy scowled when she said that. "—so this would let them know you're officially against him."

"I know that, Ari, I ain't stupid." Roy complained. "But I…found out some shit about him, about myself and…I don't want him here."

"Me neither," Eri agreed, leaning her head on Roy's arm.

"So make him leave," Ariadne suggested.

Roy scowled and said, "I can't."

Ariadne had sympathy for the boy, but she wouldn't let him off the hook so easy. She knew what it was to be afraid, but life was making her grow a backbone and she wanted him to do the same.

She said firmly, "Rex, you can't let him intimidate you. You're the king here, not him. You've got to stand your ground."

"And what if he does something to hurt you or Eri?" Roy growled, taking offense to the insinuation that he wasn't man enough to take on his father.

I ain't scared of him, I'm…scared for them, Roy thought of his friends.

Ari said, "We're all grown here. Eriana and I can decide for ourselves if we want to take the risk of staying here and supporting you."

Eriana nodded emphatically at this.

Ariadne stated, "You have the power to do whatever you want, and you've got Arid's armies to back up your word. You have to do what you see fit and stick by your decisions or else your father will walk all over you."

Eriana rubbed Roy's back and nodded again.

"You have to show him you won't back down." Ariadne finished.

Roy listened to her rousing advice and narrowed his eyes. He stared ahead and got angry and determined.

"You're right, Ari." He gave the girl a grateful nod and stood. "I ain't gotta' take this. I'm gonna' go give that bastard a piece of my mind."

"That's not what I..." Ari trailed, but the boy was already jogging down the bleachers.

She and Eri shared a look before following after him.

"Don't be so hot-headed," Ari warned him when she caught up to him.

Roy gave her a look because that was the same thing his brother told him. He didn't think he was being rash, and even if he were, he had more than enough right to be.

He walked with his head high and his friends flanking him back into the palace. He thought first to go to his father's bedroom and, if the redhead wasn't there, they'd check the gardens.

Roy was thinking of Ari's words as he got to the room; if he was king here, why should he knock? Besides, the door was already open. He barged right in with the girls on his heels. Ariadne fed off of his confidence and remained in command of her emotions but Eriana looked sick. She was far from thrilled at having yet another encounter with the licentious redhead.

Bowser saw the teenagers enter from his position outdoors; while he leaned on the balcony, he tilted his head with intrigue at their arrival. Callian, who was closer to the door, stepped in front of the young people.

"Get out of my way," Roy scowled. "I got something to say to the Dark King."

Bowser heard the nasty inflection his son put on the title and picked up on the boy's hostile mood.

He told Callian, "Leave us." Then beckoned to Roy, "Come on. Let's talk."

Roy waited until the sorcerer was completely out of the room—he only left in the physical way so that he could slam the door—before sauntering over to his father. Roy felt a bitter stab pierce his heart because the first time he'd been out here, he'd put his trust and faith in his father.

Stupid, he now berated himself. Can't trust no fucking body except for myself and…maybe these two, he glanced over at Ari and the ever-loyal Eriana.

Bowser looked at them, too and smirked at Eriana. That smirk grew when the pretty girl moved a little behind Roy's shoulder but it fell when the fallen king noticed the boy's medallion was missing. Bowser only then entertained the idea that his son could possibly be mad about something of actual consequence instead of just being in a bad mood. He moved past the trio to shut the balcony doors, then took up his spot leaning his back on the balcony.

Bowser crossed his arms and asked easily, "What did you want to talk about, son?"

"Don't call me that!" Roy scowled, laying into him. "That shit you gave me was cursed!"

Well, he wasn't one to beat around the bush.

"All that shit about being on my side was a lie, wasn't it?" Roy accused. "You were just playin' me the whole time, yo."

Bowser asked quietly, "What makes you think that?"

"Am I wrong?" Roy challenged.

Bowser considered lying more to the boy, but with his friends present he knew that wouldn't go over well. So he feigned ignorance instead.

He frowned as if troubled and said, "I didn't realize it was cursed. It wasn't before I gave it to you. It used to be mine. But I had Callian install the magic that was meant to protect you; it's possible he was the one to curse it."

Roy hesitated.

"Forgive me for the oversight." Bowser apologized.

Eriana scoffed and the redhead's jade eyes locked onto hers in a heartbeat. For once, Roy noticed and lost the last ounce of faith he had in his father. He balled his fists.

"Yeah, right." The teenaged king huffed. "I ain't stupid. I know you're planning something bad and really, I don't care. Just leave me and my friends alone."

Bowser looked at the girls and then saw the letter Roy was crumpling in one hand. The older Koopa tipped his head towards it and asked, "What is that?"

Roy didn't want to tell him so Ariadne spoke up.

She informed the villain, "Sarasaland has offered to renew their alliance with Arid Kingdom."

Bowser smiled broadly and said, "That's good. You should accept the alliance. It's always a good idea to expand your territory."

"I'm gonna' accept it, but it ain't 'cause of that," Roy spat. "I'm not taking over, just joining forces."

"Against who?" Bowser smirked. "Me?"

"Don't worry, I ain't gonna' get in your way," Roy sneered. "So long as you stay away from us, you can do whatever the fuck you want." He then amended, "And I have to watch out for these people here in the kingdom, so I don't want you messing with them either."

"I see." Bowser remarked, feeling irritated but at the same time a little amused. "How honorable."

He was frustrated because he'd wanted to have his son as an ally a lot longer; the kid was king here so that meant Bowser had access to the palace, its amenities, and most importantly its armies. But now that the boy was somehow against him, all that may go away.

Nah, Bowser frowned. Just gotta' work on him a little more, I've got to win him over again. Maybe I should bind him like Callian suggested. I'll do it the kid starts to become a problem.

Right now Roy wasn't really being a nuisance. Apparently the teenager was content to stay out of Bowser's way, and because of that the redhead decided he'd leave his son alone. He just found it so amusing and annoying at the same time how those two girls were probably to blame for his son's change of heart.

Leave it to a couple of females to get in between a good father-son relationship, Bowser thought. He looked at Eriana and mused, but I guess I won't hold it against them. They could be useful later on. If not to Rex, at least to me.

He resolved to let the boy have his way for now, since he was so close to unlocking his full power. Bowser knew he couldn't afford to lose focus because he had to master the technique as soon as possible. This mess, this falling out with his son could wait.

Bowser dropped his arms and announced, "You know, son, it's unfortunate that you feel this way, but I completely respect your wishes. I won't force or trick you into doing anything you don't want to. And I promise I won't touch this kingdom," He gazed at Eri, "or your little friends." He looked at Roy and warned, "So long as you keep your word and stay out of my way."

"Done." Roy grimaced, hating to do business with the liar. But if it prevented conflict, he'd obey Ludwig and form a compromise.

Roy figured this was the end of it, but Ari touched his arm and said, "You should make a public address before the people so that they know you're not affiliated with your father anymore."

Roy frowned, but not as hard as Bowser. Ari wasn't afraid, she just spoke her piece.

She told the king calmly, "No offense, your Majesty, but you are the Dark King; you must be aware of the negative connotation your title bears. It could bring unwanted attention and enemies towards your son." She locked eyes with the beast and said, "As his father, surely you can understand how that would be a problem?"

"Of course." Bowser didn't miss a beat. He stared at the blonde as he would a new threat and then turned to Roy and said casually, "You do what you gotta' do, son." He leaned forward and clapped a hand over Roy's shoulder and claimed, "No hard feelings."

Roy flinched angrily and said, "I will."

He left the room with his friends.

Bowser went back into the room still considering things to be reversible at this point. He'd let Roy keep his good image with the people, that was ultimately for the best. But he had no doubt he could get the teenager back on his side again.

Callian, however, wasn't of the same persuasion. He entered the room after the trio left, having heard everything: the Dark King had asked him to leave, but he hadn't told him how far to go.

The sorcerer approached his ally and grumbled, "The boy's allegiance has changed."

The Dark King went over to his bed and sat at the foot of it with his feet propped onto the embroidered couch below. He rolled his eyes at Callian's obvious assessment.

"It's those damn tramps," Callian groused. "This is why I told you to separate them early on—"

"I know."

"You must not, you're letting him run around here challenging you and whatnot." Callian sneered. "You need to reign him in before he starts siding with your enemies and working against you—"

"Everything you're saying, I already thought about." Bowser cut the sorcerer off in aggravation. "I got this under control."

"If you let this slide, it could get out of control," Callian warned.

Bowser glared at the sorcerer and snapped, "Why don't you concern yourself with your own damn son? He's been sneaking around the palace lately like he's up to something. That's what you need to be worrying about instead of standing here, getting on my case about shit I already took care of."

Callian narrowed his eyes but nonetheless went to hunt down his boy. If the prone-to-oversight Dark King could see something was amiss, Callian knew his suspicions weren't unfounded.

As he vanished, the sorcerer vowed, If that good for nothing boy is doing what I think he is, I swear I'll kill him.

This is a bad idea, Mario thought. Like…a terrible, baseball-bat-to-a-beehive kind of idea.

He felt that way but he still went along with the plan. He took the slumbering child from King Boo's arms and then handed the redhead to his wife, who also seemed to feel the same way he did.

She thought, we should not be doing this. Her maternal instincts dulled her fears when she held the boy, though, and Peach stroked the tangled mass of hair on his head gently as he wrapped his arms round her neck in sleep.

Mario looked at the serene sight and then turned to the immortal who'd disturbed him and his wife in the middle of the night. Peach went to sit on the bed they shared, she laid the child down and tucked him in. Mario rubbed a hand over his face.

"Really?" He asked the immortal sorcerer.

King Boo assured him, "Your part to play in this is minimal. Just have him around when the Dark King comes to visit."

"And when's that gonna' be?" Mario huffed.

"Sometime soon. I guarantee it." King Boo replied.

Mario rolled his head back and, with his gaze heaven-bound, muttered softly, "Mamma mia…this is insane…"

"Be prepared," King Boo told him.

"Sure, sure," Mario shook his head in disbelief. He really didn't want to do this.

He looked over to where his wife was hovering over the son of their enemy, stroking his back.

He's such a little guy, Mario frowned. But he's about to cause a big, big problem for the rest of us.

A/N: It's a little shorter, but things are definitely moving towards that final battle! Some surprising things are in store so I hope you're ready :)

Until next time !

~DG~