Love in the Oddest Places (bowuigi story)

Chapter 28: Onward

Bowser sat in his captain's quarters, working on some documents; a pair of heavy-rimmed glasses rested on his face. A steaming cup of coffee lay on his desk; he sighed in relief at the sight. It felt good to have some decent supplies around here, thanks to the Kongs' generosity. As Bowser continued to review the documents, his mind wandered back to this morning's events.

.

.

.

The ongoing interrogation of Rool was in full swing, and as Cranky had predicted, he was loosening his tongue and revealing a plethora of information. It seemed as if there was no stopping him, as he went on and on, divulging answers to every question asked of him. The atmosphere in the room was tense, and the royals present were hanging on every word that came out of his mouth, trying to piece together the puzzle.

When pressed on how he met Stheno, he had shakily responded. "I-I found her outside the capital! She wanted to get out of the Darklands just as much as we did, so we made a temporary alliance!"

Bowser snarled at him, "What did you hope to gain?"

"S-she knew the kingdom better than all of us! We'd give her a ride, and she'd give us directions to get safely out of your kingdom. W-well, relatively safely,"

He ran a cuffed hand on the jagged burn scar running along his face. Bowser huffed and crossed his arms. At least that explained how Stheno could have survived long enough to get the peace negotiations canceled; however, it didn't explain how she meddled with them. Cranky put a hand on his shoulder, "Did she say anything else? Where did you leave her?" he asked.

King K. Rool grimaced. "She barely talked to us and kept to herself," he replied. "We parted ways in some forest, I- I don't know, south? Of Bowser's castle."

"Dimble Woods."

Cranky and DK looked at Bowser. The Koopa King crossed his arms, "The only forest anywhere near the Darklands is Dimble Woods; from there, it's a few days walk to the Mushroom Kingdom."

The royals exchanged looks while Rool nervously fidgeted. He scratched at the cuffs, "H-hey, what's this all about?" he asked.

"We have reason to believe that Stheno meddled with my kingdom. And you helped her live," Bowser growled.

"HEY! Whoa, hold on. I-I had nothing to do with that! Like I said, she wouldn't even look at us."

The Kongs left the room, and the Koopa King started to follow. He stopped when Rool yelled his name. The prisoner was visibly shaking, "I had nothing to do with it, I swear," he whispered.

Bowser nodded. "I believe it. You're too much of a coward to pull a stunt like this."

.

.

.

The draconic Koopa exhaled smoke and rubbed his eyes below his glasses. Confronting the past sucks and keeping a neutral opinion toward Princess Peach was an uphill battle. Bowser couldn't stop thinking about what Cranky and DK said about her.

I don't understand... Why would she hide this? DK said.

Whatever happened might have something to do with the fact she's never fully accepted the throne...

This situation was proving to be a lot more complex than he thought; the more he learned, the more it seemed like Peach was also a victim. Bowser had the horrible sense that something truly tragic had to have happened; she was just a child when she took the throne... At least he had been given the chance to grow up before becoming king, so why wasn't she?