Kooky decided he'd attend the funeral of his late brother. He was practically his favorite brother….and he wanted to see the dead body. Additionally, it might seem a little suspicious if he was the only one absent while all his other siblings were in attendance. They might think less of him, and that wouldn't be good when it would come time for him to ask them for favors. He'd also wanted to know how he died, and perform the autopsy himself if possible. During his time working in the basement of the Koopa Castle--aside from carrying out the executions of criminals and prisoners of war--he also had some experience as a medical examiner. The Koopas had wanted to make sure the enemy wasn't using any sort of drugs, magic, or unknown power-ups that would give them an advantage and that's where young Kooky came in. He'd learned that, at times, the dead have some interesting stories to tell.
But he couldn't just leave his kingdom unsupervised.
"So, do you both understand what I'm asking of you? No one leaves or enters the Palace except me, keep an eye on the priestesses and make sure they don't escape and all that good stuff."
Fritz wasn't really listening, he was distracted by his new clothing, a chiton Kooky called it. He'd never worn anything like it. It fit like a breezy dress, the fabric so soft it felt like it was barely there. It was an interesting change from his usual short lederhosen.
And Lodewijk wasn't really listening because he was too distracted checking out Fritz in his new clothing. He liked the way his thighs looked in it and he thought about what would happen if a strong breeze were to come by and blow his dress up. Just the thought of catching a glimpse of his cute butt made him go stiff again.
"Fritz, stop twirling around and pay attention, before you accidentally flash us. Nobody wants to see all your junk." Kooky said.
I do, Lodewijk thought to himself, but he guessed he qualified as a nobody.
Fritz stopped twirling and saluted him. "Yes, I understand. I'll try my best to not disappoint you!"
"Good." Kooky replied simply, turning to Lodewijk, who only nodded back.
"What about Ludwig?"
"We thought it would be best if he went dormant for a while. There's nobody in the inner world to really keep him company, so we thought he deserved a break. He'll be fine." Fritz replied.
"Good….don't make me regret this." Kooky warned. The spell he'd casted to give them all their own bodies was quite energy consuming, even with Fritz's added power. He wouldn't be able to enlarge himself or do any really complicated spells, but hopefully he wouldn't need them.
"Alright boys, I'll be back soon, I dunno how soon but soon. Be on your best behavior."
The alters waved him off as he cast a teleportation spell, vanishing into thin air.
*********
Roy's memorial service was to be held in the Rose Garden at Buckingham Palace. His favorite flowers were roses and they were blooming beautifully at this time of year, so Rose Quartz decided it would be the perfect place. She was sure the colors were pretty too: delicate yellows and brilliant reds, Brigitta had described them; She wished her father could've been there to admire them too. There had been roses planted in the rose garden on the roof of the Diamond Palace, but those were all probably dead and gone now, destroyed by the Darkness.
There was an arrangement of chairs set up facing towards a podium and a makeshift stage. On a stand sat Roy's coronation photo, one of the most formal pictures he owned. On a table next to it there was a smaller photo of him when he was younger in his military dress uniform (which she had to admit he looked quite handsome in). There were other, more informal photos on the same table. Photos of him when he was a kid, with Rose, with his siblings, with cars, with his school volleyball team, in his beach volleyball uniform, and others.
Rose also had the option to set up a memorabilia table (in his will, Roy left everything to her so it was technically hers now), but she didn't want to put his personal items on display, where they could be destroyed, stolen or broken.
After Apple's recent attack, she considered revoking her invite from the memorial service and coronation. Normally, Apple would only allude that she thought that Rose Quartz was heavy-set but for her to come out and yell directly that her own daughter was a "fat, sadistic bitch"....it hurt her way more than it usually did. Apple was always asking if Rose knew she loved her, but that's just not something you say to your loved ones. Brigitta had asked if she actually wanted her mother there, or was she only inviting her because she felt like she had to. Rose Quartz had admitted she felt the latter. She had made excuses for her mother's behavior in her head, just like her father did. She thought she'd apologize, or she had too much to drink, or she hadn't really meant it. But Apple never apologized, and Rose didn't expect her to change now.
She often wondered why her father chose such a nasty woman to fuck. Surely she couldn't have always been that mean, surely horny teenage boys had some standards. Those thoughts had plagued her mind so much that she'd done her own internet research, clicking on the first suggestion that appeared. She read through the reasons why many people stay in an abusive relationship, and she realized her father's situation qualified for multiple reasons from not knowing what healthy relationships looked like to fear of the consequences if he left the relationship. Her mother had already convinced practically the whole world that her father was a rapist and domestic abuser, and all with practically no evidence! When she was still living, she might've threatened to do such a thing, and she ended up following through.
Rose Quartz inhaled a deep breath of warm air. She really needed to get her mind off of all of that junk. Her father's memorial service would serve as a good distraction. Today was about him, not her.
Petunia, Gerbera, Sunflower, Mango, Coconut, Piño, and Bowser III were all present. Her Uncle Iggy, Aunt Wendy, Uncle Morton, Uncle Lemmy, and Uncle Larry were all there too, and they'd brought their kids. Bowser had told her that his father couldn't come because he was still deployed in space.
She wanted to talk to her cousins, and greet them like a good hostess, but she found that she was too shy to do so. They were all talking amongst themselves and their company as well, so she thought it best not to disturb them.
She searched for Roi, who she allowed to roam the garden freely. She spotted him a little ways away near a group of 4 of her cousins. Judging by their abnormal ears and tails, they were Morton's daughters. He was swatting at a dark tuft on the end of one of their tails and she was going to go get him and scold him for being so rude, but her cousins appeared to be playing him, taunting him on purpose. So she smiled, and let him be.
The weather was nice and sunny and warm and everyone looked like they were having a good time chatting and hanging out before the service started. She'd set some of her father's favorite tunes to play, "Those Magic Changes" by Sha Na Na currently blaring through the speakers. She felt proud of herself for organizing all of this.
Kooky arrived in the garden in his black himation. It was the only black clothing item he owned (well, practically the only clothing item he owned period, at that moment) , but judging by the stares of the other guests, they evidently had a problem with it. He didn't care though, they said wear black and he was wearing black.
As soon as he arrived, his sensitive nose led him to the refreshments table. There was an arrangement of all of Roy's favorite foods and drinks. There was ruby chocolate, juice, strawberries, and other fruits and sweets and the like.
As he was trying to find some real food among the rubbish, he felt a very strong gust of wind attack his legs, blowing his himation up. Thankfully his hands were unoccupied, and he forced it down so he didn't end up flashing anyone.
Behind him, he heard a flirtatious whistle. "Whoa Marilyn, breezy day, isn't it?"
"Iggy, why did you do that?" Kooky asked through clenched teeth, trying not to make a scene.
"I was just trying to see if you were a true Lochman (Scotsman), it was just a joke, bud." Iggy replied nonchalantly. Kooky didn't think it was very funny, but the sudden breeze did feel nice so he wasn't too annoyed.
"This isn't a kilt though."
"It's still a dress."
"It's not a dress, it's a himation."
"Right…." Iggy replied.
"Where is Kate, why aren't you with her instead of sexually harassing me?"
"Oh! I threw that bitch to the curb! She wanted to be all abusive so I finally yeeted her out of my life. She threatened to out me as a pansexual, so I did it myself! Yeah, I don't know where that bitch is now, and I give zero fucks about it!"
Iggy's profane language made Kooky cringe, and he just wished he would go away.
"So, how've you been?" Iggy asked, putting a hand on Kooky's bare shoulder, causing his body to stiffen up, "I haven't seen you in years! You seem...more gloomy. You're all slouching and crossing your arms and stuff, did something happen?"
"Yes, you came over here and I'd much rather be by myself."
"Jeez dude, fine, I'll go. You don't have to be so mean about it. I know you're probably grieving about Roy's death and all, but us living brothers have to stick together too!"
Hmm, Roy's death, that reminds me, Kooky thought before just silently walking away from Iggy.
"Hi Uncle Ludwig, can I help you with something?" Rose Quartz asked sweetly, like a good hostess should.
"Yeah….where is your dad's body?"
"...Pardon?"
"The body, isn't this a funeral?! Where is the dead corpse we're all supposed to look at?!"
"U-um, his body was left in the Rock Candy Mines. It was forgotten in the stressful chaos of trying to escape the Darkness. This is actually a memorial service."
"But the invitation said it was a funeral."
Rose looked to the grass." Yeah….I know. It was a mistake, I got the terms mixed up, sorry. By the time I realized, all the invitations had already been sent out so it was too late to change them, and I didn't think it was a big deal."
Kooky guessed there would be no autopsy, which meant they'd never truly know what went down that day. And maybe that was the plan. To bury all the evidence where no one could get to it, so everyone would only have the word of an allegedly abused woman to go by.
"Hey," Rose Quartz heard a deep voice say behind her as the voice's owner gently tapped on her shoulder. Startled, she turned quickly to see a man standing there. His large majestic afro immediately caught her attention.
"Hi, are you Rose Quartz?"
She nodded and guessed, "...Derek?"
The man smirked. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Daddy mentioned you a few times, often saying that you wore your hair in a 'majestic afro'."
Derek chuckled. "I'm surprised he even told you about me. I haven't heard from 'im since he left to go play king or whatever. I thought he might've gotten a big head or somethin', started thinkin' he was too good for me. Our friendship was deteriorating even before all that though…."
Rose remained silent, unsure of what to say.
"....But that's all old history now, you prolly don't wanna hear about all that. I guess I'm just happy he didn't completely forget about me. I brought something for you," Derek said, handing her a small photo. It was a picture of him and Roy, when they were really young. Derek still had his afro even then. She'd never seen this photo before.
"My mom took it on the first day of first grade. She thought I ought to give you a copy of it, it's not much and it surely won't bring 'im back but--"
"Thank you. I really appreciate it," Rose said, before putting the photo in the pocket protector of her black dress, right over her heart. "There are refreshments available, make yourself comfortable." She smiled. Derek smiled back at her before wandering off.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Brigitta talking to a tall man over by the photo table. As she got closer she realized it was Sir Dreyfus, his long dark hair as voluminous as ever.
"Ah, it's nice to see you again, Your Majesty." He said upon noticing her.
"Oh Rosie, Dreyfus was just telling me about his new life in the Sand Kingdom! He's got a nice place near the beach!" Brigitta exclaimed.
"That sounds lovely!" Rose said in her happy hostess voice, trying to sound as genuine as possible. She had know idea how much human interaction would be involved with this whole hostess thing. The memorial service hadn't even technically started and she already felt like she had to charge her introvert batteries.
"It's not a big deal," Dreyfus shrugged modestly, "How have you been doing, with all of this?"
"I'm...better, thank you. I wasn't even entirely sure you'd show up."
"Of course, why wouldn't I?! You're father and I had gotten...closer before your father's death. I'd say we were good friends."
Rose began to wonder just how good. Apple had called her father a homosexual and claimed that he was going to give her HIV. This implied that he had been having sex with another man, but her mother also could've just assumed he would have HIV just because he was gay. Dreyfus was the only other man that Rose knew that was close to her dad….
"Looking at all these pictures….it's kind of hard to believe that His Majesty had a life before us." Dreyfus said, glancing at the picture of Roy in his uniform, thinking about how nice he looked in it.
Either way, Rose was happy to know that if she had come out to him before he perished, he would've accepted her.
"I see what you mean. A lot of guests brought pictures that I'd never seen before, telling me stories I'd never heard. Though, most of them were embarrassing stories provided by his siblings so there may have been a reason why he didn't tell me." Rose chuckled.
Dreyfus chuckled along with her, though it sounded a tad forced. "I just kinda wish there was...more I could've done for him, you know?"
"I feel the same way, and I intend to do something about it after my coronation."
"What kind of something?"
Dreyfus noticed Rose clamming up. He'd overstepped. "Look, if you ever need anything, let me know. I'll be in town for a while, I intend to attend your coronation, it's what...Roy would've wanted." Dreyfus choked. Rose could hear that he was starting to get emotional, and even though she understood, it made the conversation a little awkward.
Thankfully, Brigitta said, "Rose, don't you think it's about time we got started?"
Rose quickly checked her watch. Shoot! She was right! Rose gave Brigitta a quick kiss on her cheek before running up to the podium. She tapped on the little microphone, getting the attention of everyone present. She looked out among the diverse crowd of friends and family, but she couldn't spot Matera Shariee anywhere. She'd sent her an invitation just in case but she hadn't made it, nor did she send a letter saying she wouldn't be able to. She wondered if Matera Shariee really did hate her now. But she couldn't think about that now, today was about her dad, not her.
"Friends and family, thank you so much for coming to remember the life of my father, Roy "Bully" Orbison Koopa. The service will begin shortly, please take your seats everyone. There are little placards on the seats to designate where everyone is supposed to sit….thank you."
Kooky sighed as he crawled up from under the table; he'd just gotten comfortable on the warm grass. If the service had started any later he would've fallen fast asleep and missed it. He'd eventually settled on the ruby chocolate. It was slightly sweet and sour, not really his taste at all. But that was fine, he'd already hunted down and made a fine meal out of a virgin priestess before he left the Meringue Clouds. He still could've gone for a good, juicy, sizzling human meat burger fresh off the grill right about now if they were offering.
He took his seat next to Iggy. As the oldest sibling, he'd most likely be expected to say some words about Roy first. He was kind of over this whole, living-Ludwig's-life thing. Maybe when he returned to the Meringue Clouds, he should grab the alters and Beethoven and then run for the hills. Perhaps he should go to some woodland area, stake out some nice, vast territory there near a nice town (which would serve as a food source) and live his life among nature as the wild boy he knew he was always meant to be.
"...Alright, to start us off, Uncle Ludwig, would you mind coming up and saying a few words please?"
And there it was. Kooky didn't want to come up and say any words, but despite the fact that Rose had asked nicely, he hardly had a choice. He couldn't refuse, or the others would see him as heartless and might refuse to do things for him later if he needed a favor or two.
So he stood up and smoothed out his himation. He walked up onto the stage and took Rose's place behind the podium. He tapped the microphone as she did, believing that was just a thing that you do when you get up to a podium.
"Hello, family and friends. We're gathered here today to mourn the loss of our dear brother, Roy Koopa. I guess you could say Roy and I have the most history together, we're the 2 oldest Koopalings so I guess we spent the most time together. I guess I like Roy, he was my favorite brother. Even though there were times when we didn't even speak the same language, we still enjoyed each other's quiet company. He was quiet, I liked that. We both liked cats…"
Kooky didn't really know what to say, sappy words weren't really his forté. So he decided to go with what he knew best.
"....Some time ago, I made a list of what kind of Big Cat my siblings would be if they were...big cats. If Roy was a Big Cat, I think he would be a lion. Lions come in 2nd when it comes to size, and he was one the biggest members of our family. B-but he was also kinda lazy, and male lions are lazy because lionesses do all the hunting. Um...hashtag girl power…."
*Crickets from the audience*
"Anyways, even though he's lazy it seems he also cared about his family and would fight to defend and protect them, like a male lion. Lions are the most social of all the big cats, they look out for each other in their prides. Even though Roy was an introvert, he enjoyed spending quality time with his family--Rose and us Koopalings.
Roy also had majestic hair. He made good use of conditioner, thanks to me, so he had a nice figurative mane, so to speak. It ended up being one of his hallmarks when he started growing it all long and stuff. He could flip it...slap people with his ponytails...good times, good times.
Additionally, lions are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. Even though Roy was strong and was ready to defend his family, I have also observed that he was quite emotionally vulnerable. Things other people did and said...kinda got to him. I used to think he was just a big fat baby for getting so emotional all the time, but now I realize there's more than one way to live. Being emotional doesn't necessarily have to be a weakness I suppose.
Lions have long been a symbol of royalty and upper-class as well. One of the meanings of the name Roy is king. Roy was a king, literally. And he was a good lion father to his lion cub, Rose. If he wasn't, she wouldn't be going through all this trouble to acknowledge his death properly. Not everyone can say they have such a good, loving father. I know I can't."
Kooky paused, for he knew others in the audience couldn't either. He wanted to let that sink in. He was honestly doing much better than he thought he would.
"I've been rambling so I think it's time for me to give someone else a chance at the mic. I don't have anything else to say so I'm just...gonna go now." Kooky mumbled before walking off the stage and going back to his seat. The Koopalings exchanged worried glances. Ludwig seemed to be acting strangely. He was usually so confident and didn't usually stutter or use such informal language when speaking publicly.
Iggy gave Kooky an encouraging pat on the shoulder when he sat down. He then went up to give a speech. Then after him, Wendy. Then Morton, and Larry and Lemmy.
Kooky didn't really pay attention to any of their speeches. This trip was practically a bust. There was no corpse to look at and no autopsy to perform! He'd basically come for nothing!
His stomach growled loudly. Iggy glanced at him. "Dude, I swear, if you fart I'm going to move somewhere else."
Kooky groaned. This was so boring! He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, kicking a small rock with his sandal. There were lots of rocks on the ground. He wondered if any of them were geodes, before realizing he didn't really remember what the exterior of a geode looked like.
Iggy eventually got back on the stage for some reason, perhaps to give another speech.
Kooky picked up a rock and examined it carefully. He then forcefully chucked it at Iggy while he was mid sentence. It hit him in the head, and he let out a loud oof. Everyone quickly searched the crowd around them to find the source of the rock.
Kooky stealthily stifled his laughter. He stood and gathered more rocks before throwing them at others in the audience. They hit a few innocent bystanders and people began trying to run away.
Rose Quartz, who'd been sitting on the stage when the chaos began, looked around helplessly. She didn't know what to do to make it stop. Some attendees decided to fight back and grabbed their own rocks to throw, but they ended up hitting other attendees and a full blown rock fight ensued. Rose had begun to hyperventilate. Someone was going to get seriously hurt. Why were they doing this? This memorial service was supposed to be nice and respectful? Ludwig was supposed to be the most sophisticated of all his siblings, yet he was throwing sharp rocks at people for no reason.
"EVERYONE STOP!" She screamed into the microphone. Surprisingly, everybody froze. Piño fell to the ground in a fit of laughter as one of the rocks loudly struck him. Eventually, the last of the airborne rocks landed softly in the warm grass.
Rose Quartz took a few moments to catch her breath. "I-if you all just want to fool around and act like animals, then this memorial service is over! You're supposed to be paying your respects to my father, not violently injuring each other!"
No one said anything, not even her Uncle Ludwig who'd started the fight in the first place.
"Fine." Rose concluded, defeated and exhausted. Her introvert batteries were officially depleted.
She sighed into the microphone. "The memorial service officially concludes now. I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here."
Rose Quartz felt utterly exhausted as Brigitta led her to her room in Buckingham Palace. She really needed a nap.
***********
On the day of her coronation, Rose Quartz processed through the streets inside the Gold State Coach. As she rode to Westminster Abbey, she could only hope she would have the strength to meet her destiny. I will be good, she told herself. For the event she wore a crimson velvet robe over a stiff white stain dress with gold embroidery.
When she arrived at the Abbey, she proceeded up the steps, her extremely long train dragging behind her. As she entered the coronation theater to the beautiful song of the choir--performing Psalm 22, I was glad--she took her seat on the Chair of Estate.
The Garter Principal King of Arms, the Archbishop of Clementine, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Great Chamberlain, the Lord High Constable and the Earl Marshal went to the east, south, west, and north of the theater. Then the archbishop called for the recognition, calling out with the words:
Sirs, I here present unto you Rose Quartz Jam Koopa, your undoubted Queen. Wherefore all you who come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?
Rose Quartz wondered about the grammar mechanics of that sentence. The archbishop came before her and initiated the official Coronation Oath. Rose gulped discreetly, hoping she wouldn't fumble her words.
"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Salad of Great Britain and Northern Acorn Plains and of your Possessions and other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?"
"I solemnly promise to do so." Rose replied.
"Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?"
"I will."
"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Salad the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? Will you maintain and preserve inviolable the settlement of the Church of the Fruit Kingdom, and the doctrine, worship, discipline, and government thereof, as by law established in the Fruit Kingdom? And will you preserve until the Bishops and Clergy of the Fruit Kingdom, and to the Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?"
Well, that sure was a mouthful. Rose wasn't really a religious person, but she really didn't have a choice in the matter so she replied with what they'd rehearsed, "All this I promise to do. The things which I have here before promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God."
An ecclesiastic then presented a full King James Bible to her, saying "Here is Wisdom; This is the royal law; There are the lively Oracles of God." The Holy Communion was promptly celebrated and was interrupted after the Nicene Creed, just as they'd rehearsed. Rose had begun to get a tad bit antsy sitting there. She hadn't really realized how big of a deal the Church was to the monarchy. She wondered if she was expected to become a Christian as well.
The anthem Come, Holy Ghost was recited. Afterwards, the archbishop recited a prayer in preparation for the anointing. After he finished his prayer, the famous coronation anthem Zadok the Priest was beautifully sung by the choir. As they sang, her crimson robe was removed and Rose Quartz slowly proceeded to the Coronation Chair for the anointing. She sat on the throne in her anointing gown, which had been set in a prominent position. A canopy of golden cloth was held over her head for the ceremony.
The Dean of Westminster poured consecrated oil from an eagle-shaped ampulla into a filigreed spoon with which the Archbishop of Clementine anointed Rose in the form of a cross on her hands, head, and heart. As he did so, he recited the consecratory formula.
After being announced, Rose Quartz raised from the Coronation Chair and knelt down at the faldstool that was placed in front of it. The Archbishop then concluded the ceremonies of the anointing by reciting another prayer. Once he was finished, Rose rose and sat again in the chair. The Knights of the Garter then bore away the canopy.
Then came the ceremony of Investing, in which Rose was enrobed in the colobium sindonis, over which was placed the supertunica.
The Lord Great Chamberlain presented the spurs, which represented chivalry. The Archbishop of Clementine, assisted by other bishops, then presented the Sword of State to Rose, who placed it on the altar. She was then further robed (it was starting to get a little warm under all those clothes), this time receiving bracelets and putting the Robe Royal and Stole Royal on top of the supertunica.
Finally, it was time for the Crown Jewels. First, the Archbishop delivered the Orb, a hollow sphere surmounted by a cross decorated with precious and semi-precious stones. She wondered if there were any diamonds on the orb. If there was, it would've been like her father really was with her at that moment. The Orb was immediately returned to the altar.
Next, Rose received a ring representing her "marriage" to the nation. She was also given the Sovereign's Sceptre with Dove and the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross (such great, unique names they had).
And now, it was finally time for what they'd all come for: the Crowning. The Archbishop lifted St Edward's Crown from the high altar, set it back down, and said another prayer: "Oh God, the crown of the faithful; bless we beseech thee and sanctify this thy servant our queen, and as thou fost this day set a crown of pure gold upon her head, so enrich her royal heart either thin abundant grace, and crown her with all princely virtues through the King Eternal Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
The Dean of Westminster then picked up the crown and he, the archbishop, and several other high-ranking bishops proceeded to the Coronation Chair where the crown was handed back to the archbishop, who reverently placed it upon Rose's head. Finally, is slow these people's only speed? Rose thought. She was ready to go back home and eat and take a nap.
In unison, the guests in the abbey cried, "God Save the Queen! God Save the Queen! God Save the Queen!"
Peers of the realm and officers of arms put on their coroner's, the trumpeters sounded a fanfare and church bells rang out across the kingdom as gun salutes echoed from the Tower of Tomato and Hyde Park.
Finally, the archbishop, standing before the monarch, chanted, "God crown you with a crown of glory and righteousness, that having a right faith and manifold fruit of good works, you may obtain the crown of an everlasting kingdom by the gift of him whose kingdom endureth forever."
To this, the guests with heads bowed all replied, "Amen."
The choir started up again, singing the antiphon Confortare. Everyone stood in their places while Rose remained seated in the Chair, still wearing the crown and holding the sceptres.
After more prayers were recited (WHEN WAS THIS FUCKING CEREMONY GOING TO END??!), Rose Quartz rose from the Coronation Chair and was finally borne onto a real throne for the first time. After the enthronement proper, the act of homage took place. The archbishops and bishops swore their fealty and then the peers paid their homage after. The clergy paid their homage as well, led by the Archbishop of Clementine. Next, the members of the royal family paid their homage individually.
After all of that, Rose Quartz exited the coronation theatre, entering St Edward's Chapel (within the abbey), preceded by the bearers of the Sword of State, the Sword of Spiritual Justice, the Sword of Temporal Justice and the blunt Sword of Mercy. St Edward's Crown and all the other regalia were laid on the High Altar of the chapel. She removed the Robe Royal and Stole Royal, exchanged the crimson surcoat for the purple surcoat (so many costume changes!) and was enrobed in the Imperial Robe of purple coat. She then wore the Imperial State Crown and took into her hands the Sceptre with the Cross and the Orb and left the chapel while all present sang the national anthem.
The ceremony lasted 5 HOURS! Rose was starving! But unfortunately, the coronation ceremonies still weren't completely over. She returned to Buckingham Palace to get her official portrait taken. As she had no biological immediate family to pose with, it was just her. It had made her feel lonely, so she'd requested if Brigitta could be in at least one of the portraits and they said yes...because she was queen.
Afterwards, she, Brigitta, and her cousins and aunts stood on the balcony of the palace, where they waved down at the spectators.
The moment she was allowed to go free, she bolted back to her room to give Roi a bath. As a water-lover, he enjoyed it very much. The bath made her feel calm and relaxed once more, and she was grateful to be able to do something more than just sitting in a chair. It was about 3:30 pm now, and she'd gotten up early for her coronation so she decided to take a well deserved nap until 6 pm when she'd have to start preparing for her coronation banquet.
Traditionally, there hadn't been a royal coronation banquet since 1821 but Rose insisted that they have one, as there hadn't been a coronation in such a long time. And honestly, she just wanted to attend a ball. She fully intended to dance until dawn!
~~~~~~~~~
For her coronation banquet, she had a dress specially tailored that resembled the dress that Victoria wore at her own coronation ball in the movie. It was a golden yellow dress trimmed with red roses. She'd paired it with other accessories like white gloves, a nice necklace, and an elegant tiara. Her salmon hair was done up to look like a large rose in bloom; her hair stylist was truly an artist.
The ball took place in an elegant dining hall lit by 2,000 candles in 26 vast chandeliers. The Banqueting table was decorated by more crystal candle centerpieces and bouquets of roses spaced evenly on the table. She sat in the center of the table on a plush throne and her relatives and others entered the room and were led to their seats by age.
She organized the whole seating chart and she was quite proud of herself for accomplishing one of her queenly duties before she was even crowned. Despite tradition, she decided to have an adult table and a kid's table.
Her maternal cousins sat to her left while her paternal cousins sat to her right. She tried to sit people who were especially friendly relatives near each other. Bowser Koopa III occupied the seat on her right and Crown Princess Petunia Polland sat to her left.
Eventually, Apple entered the hall. She waltzed in wearing a long dress with an ¾ sleeve illusion bateau neckline as well as a sweetheart neckline underneath. The lace ended at the waist, which led to a long skirt that was shorter in the front than in the back, showing off her ankle-strap sandal stilettos. Rose Quartz might've even thought Apple was beautiful if she didn't know her. She took her seat at the adults' table. She'd forgotten that she'd only revoked her invitation to the memorial service and coronation, not the following celebratory banquet.
Rose Quartz glanced over at her mother, who glanced back, before both girls looked away.
After Kooky's little "episode" at the memorial service, his seat was moved further away from Rose's (he didn't know there had been a change, it was nice and discreet). He'd worn his himation again, as that was still the only piece of clothing he owned. Now he was definitely breaching the white-tie dress code, but he hoped the gold laurel crown and other gold jewelry pieces he wore would make up for it. There was a menu set on his table that detailed the 4 course meal that was to come. The whole fudging menu was written in Waffilian (French)! Was he supposed to know what it said?! He knew a few languages, but that was not one of them. Hmm, didn't Fritz know Waffilian or something? Kooky was starting to wish he was there.
As he began to think he was going to die of starvation, his sensitive nose was assaulted by the new food scents that began to flood the banquet hall as the first course was being served. He couldn't tell what they were serving until one of the waiters set down a plate in front of him. He wasn't entirely sure what it was. He sensed Sake, lemon, dried rosemary, and….garlic. He gagged. He wasn't a big fan of garlic, nor of the white wine the fish was cooked in. But it wasn't too much, and the intoxicating smell of the grilled salmon was causing him to salivate uncontrollably. He had hardly eaten anything at all that day. He greedily dug into the meat, using the fork to shovel the grilled fish into his hungry mouth.
People seated next to him began to look away uncomfortably. Rose Quartz, the newly crowned queen, hadn't even taken a bite of her salmon yet. However, eventually she did and the other guests began to eat after her.
"So...we're both officially monarchs now….How does it feel?" Bowser asked her.
"It...all still seems so unreal. Even though I sat through that boring, 5 hour ceremony it all seems...like a dream. When I was growing up and preparing to become a monarch, I never once imagined that it would be like this! My dad dead, my home country in ruins, sitting on the throne of another kingdom I'd hardly even visited before...my life's not going how I planned but, I suppose that's not necessarily a bad thing." Rose replied.
Bowser dabbed at the corners of his mouth with his white napkin. "I understand how you feel. I had never dreamed I would become king at a mere 10 years old, or that the Koopa Kingdom would go back to war so soon. But, sitting on the throne has taught me quite a bit. Don't worry Rose Quartz, it will get better and it won't be as frightening. And you won't be alone, you'll have Brigitta to advise you and other ministers to assist you with decision-making."
Rose Quartz nodded slowly and took a sip of her sparkling white grape juice. Suddenly, she was reminded of when her father had told her it was important to surround herself with people she could trust and to listen to her gut if she felt something wasn't right. She didn't know any ministers. She couldn't be sure who was truly for her or against her. Her father also indirectly taught her that it was also important for her to realize when she needed a mental health break. It seemed Roy only took them when he had no choice--when he had already fallen too deep into the depression to the point where he could hardly move. Sure work was important, but she wouldn't be able to work for long if she worked herself to death.
**************
"Her Majesty, the Queen."
Rose Quartz proceeded into the ballroom, followed by a posse of her elegantly dressed female cousins. In her dreams, she intended for her first dance to be with Roy, or perhaps Matera Shariee. Now that neither of them were an option, it made her experience feel less special. Victoria had her beloved Prince Albert, but she had no one.
As she began to feel sorry for herself, Bowser III walked up to her. She curtsied, and he bowed. He brought her gloved hand up to his gentle lips, kissing it softly. A nice, smooth waltz began to play and they began to sway side to side. Nothing had even happened yet and she was already so excited! Here she was, dancing a real waltz at a real ball! It may not have been what she envisioned, but it wasn't terrible.
He turned, and she placed her hand on the back of his bicep. She tried to be all serious and proper as she looked into his eyes, but she couldn't help but beam widely, her freckled cheeks glowing.
They began the next phase of the waltz. They closed in on one another, lifting their opposite arms and intertwining their hands above their heads. They placed their free hands on each other's lower backs. As they spun and spun and spun around, they seemed so close, as if everyone else in the elegant ballroom had disappeared and they were all alone.
Bowser stopped and they repositioned their hands once more, her right hand taking his left one as they stared into each other's eyes. He began to feel a tad bit awkward. Her dark sunglasses made it impossible to maintain any sort of eye contact, it made him feel a little odd. He flashed her a small smile and she giggled. They began to spin around and around again as the other guests joined them on the dance floor.
But eventually, their moment ended, leaving Rose somewhat breathless. The beautiful song concluded and the two royals bowed and curtsied farewell for now. Bowser III took her hand and gently led her back to the sidelines of the ballroom.
"It's been quite a long day, aren't you tired yet?" Bowser asked.
Rose quickly shook her head. "No way! I intend to dance the night away! I'm having so much fun and we've only just begun! Ha, that rhymes!" She giggled.
Bowser smiled his sweet, gentle smile. "I'm glad to see you are enjoying yourself. I don't believe I've seen you so content since your father passed. But I suppose now you are in your element, you've always loved to dance."
Rose smiled shyly, unsure of what to say. "Y-yes, I have."
As the next waltz started up, she spotted Lumiere Dennel coming towards her, looking as if he wanted a dance as well. She gave Bowser a confused yet sympathetic glance before turning to curtsy to her new partner.
"Your Majesty," He smirked, offering his hand. She took it cautiously and followed him onto the middle of the dance floor. They'd never danced before. He pulled her close to him, placing his right arm around her back and holding her right hand with his left. Rose mirrored his position.
They began to glide around the dance floor. Unexpectedly, he twirled her around as well before she resumed her former position.
"So...we're dancing now? It seems our relationship is leveling up!" She said sarcastically.
Lumiere scoffed playfully, shaking his head. "Well, we can't bicker like schoolchildren forever, can we?" He said before smoothly spinning her around again.
That song must've gone on for about 4 minutes though to Rose it had hardly felt like it. They'd had a good time and it proved more eventful than her waltz with Bowser (no offense to him!).
When their moment was finally over, Lumiere led her back to the sidelines. "You're a very nice dancer."
Rose Quartz smirked. "You're not half bad yourself."
She'd expected him to go on his way then, but unexpectedly he'd said, "I have something to give you."
Rose normally enjoyed surprises, but since it was coming from Lumiere she was a tad bit skeptical. He held up a small cube.
She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Really, Lumiere? Another Rubik's cube, very original." He'd gifted her a Rubik's puzzle every year for her birthday ever since her colorblind diagnosis. Rubik's cylinders, triangular prisms, dodecahedrons, and all other different kinds of shapes. Needless to say, she'd never solved one so she mostly just threw them away. Perhaps Roi would like to take a crack at it this time.
He smiled and shook his head. "I did say we need to stop bickering, didn't I?" When he handed the small cube to her, she noticed that the little cube faces were textured. Some faces had tactile circles, some had tactile squares, some had X's, some simply had raised bumps, others were covered in little raised bumps and some very light colored tiles had nothing at all on them.
"It's a Rubik's cube for blind people like you. Think of it...as a truce. Though I still doubt you'll be able to solve it."
Rose rolled her eyes. She hoped no one saw her, she didn't think that was something a good queen did. "Thank you, I accept your truce."
"...Friends?"
She hadn't expected that. Her first friend in this new country, someone she'd known all her life. She took his hand and shook it firmly. "Friends."
"How long are you planning on staying in the country?" She asked.
"Maman says we're going to the Waffle Kingdom. I believe we might have family there we can stay with, perhaps we could buy a beautiful, luxury maison in Bubblaine (the French Riviera). We're going to leave tomorrow."
"Oh."
"Don't be too upset, Rose Quartz," He said sarcastically, "we're all starting new chapters of our lives, you see? You may see me again, we can keep in touch…
It's getting late, I should retire to my apartments soon. Bonne soirée, Rose Quartz." He said, planting a quick kiss on Rose's cheek before leaving the ballroom.
She looked down at the unsolved Rubik's cube in her gloved hand. Everything in her life was changing, but she supposed that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Change could be good. Change could even be liberating.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her cousin, Crown Prince Mango Koopa of Sparkling Waters, coming towards her. She took his hand and let him lead her to the center of the dance floor.
*******************
Even though the festivities and ceremonies were now over, Rose Quartz still couldn't relax. Not yet, there was still more to be done--one final thing that she had to do before she could move on. But she couldn't do it alone.
She was going to take her mother to court. Apple Pie was charged with the murder, domestic abuse, and rape of her father, and with Sir Dreyfus' help, her little accomplice Emerald Anson was dragged to court as well. Apple and Emerald pled not guilty of course, and the trial that ensued was rigorous.
It was emotionally taxing for Rose, having to sit there and listen to her mother and this Emerald woman make claims about her father's character that simply weren't true. She served as a witness on the stand as well. She poured out every detail of every time that her mother had ever lashed out at her or Roy. She was questioned vigorously and cross-examined, but she had to stay strong. Dreyfus served as a witness as well, revealing that Roy had confided in him before he passed and that his mother had planned for him to assassinate Roy before getting Apple to do it when he wouldn't follow through. Rose had known about the murder and the abuse, but she hadn't known about the rape.
The trial had made her uncomfortable but she had to push on. When it seemed as if she was about to lose, she brought out her smoking gun: the video of her mom lashing out at her the last time they'd spoken. She'd captured the yelling, the screaming, the slurs, and the slap on the face.
As the evidence played out clear as day on the TV screen, Rose kept her eyes glued to her mother's face. She tried not to seem too surprised, but Rose could see it all over her face. To make things better, Apple ended up ratting out Emerald, thinking she could place all the blame on her for the murder. Rose didn't think that was a very good move; Apple had basically pleaded guilty even though everyone still believed it self defense rather than murder.
In the end, Apple and Emerald were given the mandatory life sentence for their crimes. All those people who'd initially supported Apple through her alleged abuse quickly turned against her, and ran stories about how Rose had tried to warn them all along.
As the days went on after the trial, Rose Quartz began to regret testifying against her mother. All the excuses that Roy had made for Apple played over and over again in her head. What if she really didn't know what she was doing? What if she really didn't mean it? And most of all, what if she really did mean it and she was counting on her daughter's sympathy to bail her out? Rose didn't want to make the wrong decision here.
After doing a little bit of research, she'd realized what needed to be done. Rather than try to guess, she'd decided to let her mother decide whether her own actions were intentional or not. She'd made a therapy program a mandatory part of Apple's sentence. If she complied or not was up to her, but her choice wouldn't be forgotten.
As time went on and Rose began to fall deeper into her role as head of state, she and Brigitta were running around doing more work. At times, even though she hated leaving him, she had to leave Roi at home. She could tell he was lonely without her.
So she ended up getting him a little friend to keep him company. He was a very floofy boy with darker fur coloring on his tail, face, ears, legs and back. Rose had learned that his fur pattern was commonly referred to as seal-point. He was a tad bit larger than Roi, who was already a big boy. She'd named him Dreypuss, after her father's closest known friend. Initially, the boys didn't want much to do with each other. It was somewhat understandable, they had the entirety of Buckingham Palace to freely explore rather than just sit around next to each other. But after a few business trips, Rose had come home to find them playing and grooming each other.
Unexpectedly, it was reported that her mother's condition began to improve. Rose wasn't ready to let Apple back into her life just yet, but she hadn't had any more of her little episodes, she hadn't lashed out at anyone, and she hadn't physically assaulted anybody. In fact, at Rose's last visit, Apple had apologized for her putting her through such hell. She'd said she'd been young, and she hadn't been as ready for the responsibility of motherhood as she'd thought she'd been. Rose Quartz appreciated the apology, but she still wasn't letting Apple out of prison. Perhaps one day the two would truly reunite.
Rose began to focus some of her spare efforts on prison reform for inmates. She wanted to provide them with chances to learn from their mistakes and improve their lives if they truly wished to do so. She'd pushed for more therapy for inmates and more programs for them to learn how to sustain themselves after getting out of prison. She knew it wasn't much, and that eventually some people might start to take advantage of the system, but it was the least she could do after seeing her mother's success.
She was proud to be making some changes around there. And as the new Queen of the Fruit Kingdom, she'd continue to make many more.