A Koopa's Queen

Chapter 1: A Delicate Girl

It was a beautiful afternoon in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, as well as Mario and Luigi's younger sister Aurora were having a picnic to celebrate Mario and Peach's relationship. The breeze was nice and cool, the flowers were stunning, and laughter was being shared by all of them.

    "Here's to a toast, to my wonderful brother Mario's loving relationship!" Luigi exclaimed, while he held up a glass of orange juice. 

      The glasses clinked together, as each one of them took a sip, a hot blow of air blew by them. Suddenly a smoky fog filled the air, once the fog parted Peach was gone. The brother's propelled into panic, someone would have to lead the kingdom during Peach's disappearance.

      "I say Aurora should hold down the fort!" Mario argues with his brother.

      "Daisy could control two kingdoms, plus she has more experience." Luigi adds on.

      Aurora was sick of her brothers making decisions for her. She had a brain and could think for herself. She wanted to go see the Darklands and help save Peach. But they always made an excuse why she should be left behind. Aurora was sick of it.

     "Lu's right. Daisy should hold down both forts... she's already a princess. Besides, I can go with you guys." Aurora pipes in, hoping her brother's take the hint.

    "Aurora, under no circumstances will you be coming with us." Mario says strictly with his thick Italian accent.

     "Luigi we'll leave at dawn, we've got to make preparations for both us and Daisy temporarily taking over." Mario rushes.

     "Alrighty bro." Luigi responds with his accent present. "Come on Daisy, let's get everything ready."

    Aurora was left behind again. She always was, it's always about her brothers. They got to live their love stories, go on adventures, heck they even got to participate in go-karting and sporting events. However Aurora was always left behind, she never got the spotlight. That's when a thought dawned on her. She could leave at night, beat the brothers to save the princess and get the spotlight for once.

     She sprinted home as fast as her feet could carry her. She mapped out a route from the Mushroom Kingdom to the Darklands. She packed a bag of power-ups, clothes, and food, as well as camping supplies. This time Aurora wasn't going to be on the bench, she was going to be in the game. Aurora had no fear, and she was sick of her brothers controlling her. 

      Later that night, as Mario was making dinner, Luigi and Aurora were having a discussion. 

      "Lu, why won't you and Mar ever take me with y'all?" Aurora asked her older brother, confused.

       "It's too dangerous, besides we don't want you being taken by Bowser either, him knowing you exist is easier for him to hurt us. Just him taking Peach was enough." Luigi responded, with the hopes of his sister understanding. 

       "I'm not a little girl anymore Lu, I'm 26 and I know how to defend myself. A lizard with a power complex ain't that bad." Aurora replied cockily.

       "What's important to us is knowing you're safe." Luigi said, placing his gloved hands on her shoulders. 

       As Luigi got up to grab a plate of food Mario made, Aurora thought if she was making the right decision. She wanted to see more of this world. She was done with the same plain routine of being forgotten. She was willing to risk her life for the spotlight. 

       That evening, after dinner, she walked into the brothers' rooms making sure they were both asleep. Before grabbing her things and departing. 

       "I hope this is the right choice." Aurora mumbles to herself. 

      She parts from the Mushroom Kingdom straight into the forest, the shortest route she knew to get to the Darklands on foot. At the rate she was going she'd be there by sundown the next day. Meaning she'd beat her brothers by twelve hours. Maybe even be back before they arrived.

      Aurora was used to walking a lot, when she lived in Italy, walking was her go to transportation. She doodled some of her sights down in her journal, a journal she was using to keep track of her journey. She figured if she died, her brothers could find it and realize she was dead. But her likelihood of dying was relatively low. 

      Each area she journeyed through was different from the last. Even though it was all trees, she felt something different about each part. Some trees were different from others, tall, piney, leafy, short. Like her and her brothers they were different in every way. Mario was the most egotistical of the three, he enjoyed the spotlight, and the fans, he had a good heart, and was an incredibly good chef. Luigi was a bit more shy, however he was a sweetheart, he kept Aurora the most protected due to his unrealistic fears. However Aurora had an adventurous side to her, and knew she could defend herself. 

       She decided to take a little bit of a break to watch the sunrise. She had gotten out of the forest and created a temporary camp. She sat on a rock and watched as the sky went from a dark color to pretty warm tones. She didn't understand why her brothers never wanted her to see this. She cooked herself a quick meal, after all she went to Italy to study cuisine and was part of the reason that the Mushroom Kingdom had an increase in new dishes and jobs. 

        After she finished eating, she continued, any delay now could cause her to run in with her siblings. She ran through the field of flowers, carrying her bookbag. She couldn't help but smile, it was beautiful outside the Kingdom. She reached the other side of the flower field. Two different signs ahead of her.

      She looked down at her map, with the route she traced. She takes a left, and the temperature rises dramatically. She knows she's now nearing the Darklands but how far really is she?