Acorn Plains- Book One (COMPLETED)

-SEVEN-

"Ba-da-ba-"

"Will you stop singing?" Rosalina asks, sighing.

I frown. "It's a song I wrote."

She scoffs. "All it is are ba's and da's."

I sigh.

Daisy starts snickering.

I roll my eyes. "Honestly-"

"Sir Mario?" Toad Kinopio asks.

I stop talking and look at him. "Yes?"

"I, uh, I think we have a problem," he says, nodding to the path ahead of us.

Five turtles the size of Kinopio were standing around each other arguing about something. I motion for the others to be quiet. They all look at me and I finally know I've gained some more respect than I had before. I crouch down and move to the side of the path, the others following. Everything is going absolutely per-

Daisy trips. She cries out involuntarily in pain. The turtles turn They yell at us. I grunt and run over to the turtles, pulling out my sword. I stab one in the neck and I jump up, landing on another. He collapses into his shell. I kick him and knock three others down. I look behind me to make sure everyone else is okay. Rosalina is on the ground, the turtle I stabbed standing over her with a knife to her throat and blood dripping all over her. Her teeth are bared. I run over.

Then I stop.

Luigi stabs the turtle in the back of the head. He collapses on top of Rosalina. She pushes him off and wraps her arms tightly around Luigi. "Thank you so much!" she cries. I hear her sob into his shoulder. 

Daisy moves over to stand beside them and I see Rosalina switch from Luigi's shoulder to Daisy's. Daisy wraps her arms tightly around her waist.

I walk over. "Where's Toad Kinopio?" I ask, looking around.

The three of them look at me, then around. Luigi shakes his head. Daisy shrugs.

Rosalina looks like she's about to say something. Then she freezes.

And screams, falling to her knee's.

I look over and Toad Kinopio is on the ground, face-down, his neck only halfway on. I rush over and kneel next to him.

"Kinopio! Get up! That's an order!" I start panting and I run my hands through my hair. "Kinopio! Stand! You're fine! You're just fine!"

"It's pointless, Mario," Daisy whispers behind me.

My vision goes red. "Gaaah!" I stand and run. I don't even know where. I just run. I run and run until I suddenly realize I'm not running anymore. I'm on the ground, on my side, thinking I'm going to die. That we're all going to die. 

That I am never going to be king.

I feel arms wrap around me as tears spring to my eyes.

I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry.

"It's okay," I hear from behind me. Rosalina. "I understand. It's hard."

"You've had everything given to you," I murmur. "How would you understand? You're just like Luigi. I gave him everything he has today and he isn't the least bit thankful."

She pulls away and the better half of me wishes I hadn't said that.

"Mario, all Luigi wants is a brother that loves him. How can you not see that?"

I frown. I do love Luigi. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given him anything that I got. I'm the one who went to war- risked my life- and got rewarded because I saved over twenty people from being held hostage. He stayed at home with Ma and helped her with the bakery.

"Look," she tells me, moving closer. "Luigi just wants support. He knows he won't get it from many people, but he would kill to have yours."

I scrunch up my forehead. "What do you-?" I stop. I turn and look at Luigi, his hands held in front of him and his head turning side to side. "Oh."

"Yeah," she breathes. "Did you not know?"

I should have known. He never talked about girls unless they were friends. I expected there to be benefits, but there weren't. They were just friends. He never even looked at a girl like that. "Oh my god," I gasp.

She shakes her head. "How did you not realize?"

I ignore her and walk over to Luigi with purpose. He looks up at me and I see fear in his eyes. I soften my features and pull him into a tight hug. "I love you," I tell him. "And I will support you, not matter what, okay? You're my little brother and we're family and you can tell me anything. Okay?"

He's tense under me for a few moments, but then he hugs me back. I smile.

"Thank you," he whispers.

I pull back, my hands on his shoulders. "It's okay if you're gay, alright?" He eyes me warily. "Just let me know if some guy hurts you and I will beat them up."

He smiles softly. "I think that's the least of our worries right now."

I wrap my arm around his shoulders. "All the same."

I see Rosalina and Daisy smiling at us from ahead. Of course, it's only small smiles. However much we try to forget him, Kinopio will remain with us. But right now is not the time to grieve. I walk with Luigi up to the girls and we all head silently for shelter.

But they're following me. I'm the leader and they know it and they're okay with that. I suddenly wonder if I've been going at this the wrong way.

No one likes a cruel king.

Have I been cruel? 

I make a vow to myself to put my people before me and to never, ever, be as selfish as I've been again.