Man of War

O~o~O

"If you will become my faithful servants, I will not harm you."

Funny. Mario had been sure the floor was under his feet a moment ago. He blinked. The world had gone sideways, he thought? There was pressure on the side of his head. Something red and glowing up ahead. Eyes. Her eyes.

Pain. There was pain. He couldn't comprehend where or why.

"Mario!" he heard his name, right behind him. But at the same time, the voice was so far away. "Hey! Come on, get up! You have to get up!"

The shouting hurt his head. He tried to reach up, tried to cover his ears. The voices went on. "What have you done to him?! You evil witch!" The screams were grating, he wanted them to stop.

"Silence!" there was a thunderous, heavenly voice that came above the other. The relief was instant to Mario. He relaxed. "Insolent brat. Let this being speak."

He could feel himself moving. Up? On his feet, maybe. Head tilted. "Tell me, Mario," that wonderful voice came again, and he let out a shaky breath when she purred his name. Then, the voice was right in his ear, sending delighted chills up his spine. "Will you serve me, or will you defy me?"

Mario wavered. He tried to find his voice, somewhere in his mind.

"I will...Serve you." he finally mumbled, and blinked slowly. "...My Queen."

There was a flash around him, and a whirl of darkness before those red eyes were right before him. "Oh, yes, you are obedient. Good, my pet..." she crooned, and he felt her touch his face. "Now you are mine. You will serve me for eternity."

"Mario! She has you under her spell! Please, Mario, snap out of it!" the screaming voice begged, and Mario cringed with pain.

Vivian. Her name was Vivian. For a moment, in his head, he thought he understood the fear and urgency of her cries. But the moment passed. He forgot why they were there. All that mattered was the Shadow Queen, who surrounded him and held him close.

"Don't you see?" the Queen hissed. "This being has such an incredible bond with the vessel I occupy. Turning his heart was simple. You would be wise to follow him, as you said you would." The timbre of her voice was low, soothing to him in a way he couldn't explain. He could hardly keep his eyes open.

The voice behind him said nothing more, and Mario was grateful. He sighed into the Queen's touch, her hand on his cheek, breathing her in because she was so close to him and he wanted nothing else. She chuckled, a dark, husky sound. Mario felt himself becoming lightheaded.

He was hers. Every inch of him belonged to her; he always had.

The days that passed fell in and out of Mario's awareness. He had the strangest sense that there had been something he was supposed to do. Something he needed to finish, like a quest or a job. There might have been people who he cared about who he didn't see anymore, but he didn't remember any of their names. He didn't think it mattered. The Queen was everything he wanted. And he served her, as loyal as he had always been to her. Always to her. His heart belonged to her and she knew it.

The halls of the castle were dim, the skies were always dark. He never noticed. Wherever he went, he felt like he was floating. Like his feet never quite touched the ground even though he could feel himself moving. He processed the world around him in a pleasant, cloudy haze.

"You want to sleep," she told him soon after darkness had consumed the world. "You want to rest until I need you."

He felt himself nod vaguely. "I want to...Sleep. I...want to rest..." he repeated. The words were hard to get out. But they were his own. Whatever she wanted, he wanted. Whatever he wanted, she gave to him. "Un...Until you need me..."