Authors Note:

Hey all! I'm back. (A year too late, too. Sorry bout' that...ahahahah.)

So this story is kind of like Taken...but it's going to be better. Much better. I think fans of Taken will like this one a lot more. The plot is going to be much more well written and the main character is going to be more three dimensional. Ludwig is going to be the main "love interest" within this story, but I may add some Iggy moments. :)

Well, happy reading!

We were a happy village on the outskirts of Mushroom Kingdom with a diverse population, our little village was safe and secure with a cozy atmosphere. Toads, goombas, koopa troopas, and humans; we all got along and lived among each other.

Life was normal until Bowser raided our tiny village in the middle of the night and then it seemed that all hope was lost. The mighty koopa king- a cold, unfeeling, heartless man! There he was, tearing down our doors and ripping apart families! I watched with bitter resentment as he ripped mother from daughter, brother from sister, and father from son…then in no time at all he came for me. I sat cowering in my sitting room when he snatched me up and put me in his ship. I was put in the bottommost level of the ship, which was dark and dank. Within the darkness I could see other villagers. One of the other villagers was another human, a former friend of mine that I had grown apart from. I tapped her shoulder, desperate for company.

"Alina," I whispered. In the distance a toad was crying away in the ship's basement and I was reminded of the severity of the situation. We had been kidnapped by the one and only lord Bowser!

Alina raised her head ever so slightly to show that she was listening.

"Do you know where we're going?" I asked.

Alina smiled bitterly at me. "To Bowser's castle, obviously," She pat the the weeping Toad's back and his grief calmed slightly. I raised my head and gave her a look of horror. Every person captured who went to Bowser's castle became either a slave or servant- either way you were doomed but the lucky few became servants!

I inclined my head and moved closer to her. She was familiar. Safe. There was no way I'd let myself leave her.

A sudden jolt jerked us all out of our thoughts. The Toad wept louder at the sudden jerk and Bowser suddenly opened the trap door on the ceiling and let down the trap door ladder, leering at us.

"Everyone out! I want you all up here right now!" His eyes narrowed and he gave us a shrewd look. "And don't bother hiding down here. I'll know if you don't come up the ladder." And with that, he was gone.

One by one, we climbed up the ladder. The toad was still crying by the time we reached the top. As I climbed out of the ship I squinted to adjust to the sudden transition from darkness to light. I walked forward and took in my surroundings.

Bowser's castle lay just beyond in the distance, and his kingdom was a gloomy looking place. The sky was deep purple and it looked like it was about to storm; the sun was feebly peeking behind a large cloud. Lava pools surrounded the castle, spurts of lava jumping from the pool occasionally. My heart sank as I looked around. This was our new home and the realization of that fact caused me to feel horribly sad.

To my left, eight figures walked towards us. They looked like Bowser- they were obviously the same species as him but each one had something distinct about them. One of them looked like Bowser's mini twin. Bowser's mini was walking ahead of the pack, leading the rest. He was obviously a dominant one of the group. They stopped and stood in front of all of us that were captured, silently observing us. None of us dared to speak as we stood under their gaze as they were watching our every move. Suddenly one spoke.

"Ten captures? Not bad, especially since you got two humans!" A voice said to my right. I looked over at the one who had spoken. He looked younger than the rest and had a blue mohawk. He wore a smug expression upon his face and smirked.

"Yeah, two humans and eight toads! Daddy, why do we need more toads in the castle?!" A feminine voice blurted angrily. She pouted, crossed her arms, and pursed her lips. Bowser rested his hand on her head and patted it, grinning.

"Now, now Wendy! Stop that whining! My sweet koopalings, toads make easy slaves. They serve their use and die- not that their deaths matter! That's what makes them so great. They're disposable."

The koopalings listened attentively to their father, taking in every word. Bowser turned away from Wendy and stared the ten of us down. I didn't dare look at the others that were in the same predicament as me but I could almost smell the fear coming from the toads. I stared ahead of myself, stony faced and determined to not show any weaknesses.

"Do we get to pick who we want?" one koopaling asked. He stared at me with greedy eyes, watching my every movement. I felt myself faltering under his gaze.

Bowser chuckled merrily. "And who is it you're eying, Ludwig?"

Ludwig pointed a single sharp clawed finger at me. "Her. I want her as a servant."

I felt Alina jerk slightly beside me. It surely wasn't a good thing that one of them specifically wanted me as their servant. I knew that she pitied me, for my soul was truly damned!

"What?! That girl? Why? She's nothing special! If anything, I'd have picked that one…" Bowser said as he pointed at Alina. He came up to me and grabbed my wrist with a strong grip that made me grit my teeth.

"You, girl! What's your name?" Bowser jeered.

I fought back a smart-assed remark. "Bria", I muttered between grit teeth. Ludwig smiled.

"Bria. What a lovely name. How about I call you 'Bree'?"

Bowser gave Ludwig a crooked smile in response to his remark.

"Very well! Take the woman." He pushed me towards Ludwig, making me trip and stumble. My calmness and strength broke at that moment.

"What the hell-"

My remark was broken with a loud and painful smack. Bowser had hit me. My hatred inside rose ten-fold as I fought to stay conscious.

"Shut it! Or I'll make you a slave like all nine others of these buffoons!" Bowser roared. Birds scattered in all directions, startled by his roar. Two of the koopalings were snickering at my punishment- Wendy and another one wearing sunglasses- but the rest were cool and detached. Ludwig bent over to help me up; perhaps I was imagining it but there was concern and…pity in his face.

I was ashamed. I had been reduced to nothingness by the almighty koopa king- my confidence? Gone! For god's sake, gone! In just a matter of seconds I had become a miniscule being, whimpering and fighting to gather the strength to go on!

"Ludwig, take her inside. Others accompany me to lead these beings to the dungeon!"

I closed my eyes and breathed heavily. Alina was doomed to a life of slavery. Now it was my turn to feel pity. I didn't want to turn around and look at her. I stood still, afraid to open my eyes and face reality.

"Come. We're going to go in the castle," Ludwig said softly. He led me through the massive entrance and winding staircases of the castle. Neither of us spoke. He beckoned me towards him once we had reached a top level of the castle with numerous doors.

"Bree, this is our destination." He said. The door we were standing in front of was very ornate and beautiful. I gasped when the door opened- to say that the room was beautiful was an understatement. The room was decorated in a style that was reminiscent of modernized baroque furniture and there was another door that led to a bathroom within the room.

"This is your room to stay in as a servant," Ludwig said as he walked over to the king sized bed and fluffed the pillows. "Do not get used to such luxurious treatment. It may be stripped from you at any time. You are very lucky, becoming a servant instead of a slave…and my servant, no less."

He turned to face me and my breath caught in my throat. He was…attractive.

"By the way, my name Is Ludwig. Ludwig Von Koopa. I never formally introduced myself."

"I'm Bria. Or Bree."

Ludwig smiled softly at me. "Yes." He turned and walked away, stopping at the doorway.

"I'll leave you be, Bree. Your day starts tomorrow at six a.m. The slaves will wake you up." He paused, hesitating on his next words. "See you tomorrow."

And with that, he left.

I plopped down on the bed and looked at my reflection in the mirror across the room. Bria stared back at me with wide, scared eyes. I stroked my long, dirty blonde hair and sighed.

This was my life now. A life of servitude and longing.