The hall was silent, something that was unusual in the middle of the day. Bowser looked down it, thoughtfully, wondering what his boys were doing that had caused them to fall into a fit of silence. Usually two or three of them would be running through the halls screaming, arguing, and fighting. He crossed his arms and frowned. A lot of things had happened in the years. Maybe it was better to just leave well enough alone.
"I'M NOT YELLING!" Ludwig's door opened and he stormed out.
"Yeah ya are!" Roy followed him out.
"WELL IF I AM I HAVE A GOOD REASON!" Ludwig spoke at the top of his lung, angrily, as he raced up the hallway, away from his younger brother.
"Gettin' all worked up over a stupid machine... Why don't ya just marry ya machine and move into ya labratory if ya love it so much."
"MAYBE I WILL!"
Bowser grinned slightly. Those were his boys, alright. Bickering was a favorite pastime in the Koopa Castle. For a moment, he wondered where they would be in ten years. He saw himself retired, watching as Ludwig ran the kingdom. Ludwig would be a wise ruler and he knew it. He saw his daughter happily married. He saw his sons, successful. He closed his eyes and basked in the idea of growing old with Ludwig running the kingdom, watching with his wife beside him holding his hand as they slowly faded into the background.
"WILL YOU KEEP THE NOISE DOWN?!" Wendy opened her door to scream at Ludwig and Roy.
Bowser clenched and unclenched the clawed fingers in his left hand. It had felt strangely numb all day. The sudden jolt of pain surprised him and he put his hand to his chest just before he fell over.
"Dad?!" Wendy and Roy were instantly at his side.
"Father?" Ludwig asked, his eyes wide. "FATHER!"
All of the Koopalings were now out of their rooms, hovering around him. "I... Love... You..." Bowser whispered and closed his eyes forever.
"No..." Ludwig backed away. "No... Not possible... H-he just needs some help! Get the medics!"
"Ludwig." Wendy looked up with tears in her eyes and shook her head. "No... He's gone..."
"No! NO! He can't do this! He can't do this!" Ludwig ran into his laboratory.
The day seemed to drag forever and the only thing that followed the tears were more tears. The entire Koopa Kingdom, with all its strength, was breaking into tears to mourn its king. There would be a short ceremony afterwards, crowning Ludwig, but what joy could it hold? Bowser, through all his terrible treatment of the people, all of his failed attempts at conquering other kingdoms, had been the pillar supporting the kingdom. Now he was gone and it was falling to pieces, a slow crumble into ruin.
Bowser's last dream would never come true. There would be a heart-broken new king. There would be five sons who would wade through life, barely clinging to it at all. There would be a daughter who would mourn her father so much that she couldn't bare to show her face to any man. Then there would be a widowed Queen, watching in tears as the kingdom of her late husband fell apart around her son.
The End
| If you would like to send some feedback
to the author of this submission, please complete this form.
What's your name?
What's your Email address?
How do you rate this submission?
Does this submission belong in Little
Lemmy's Land?
Would you like to see more from this author? Comments and suggestions:
|
