Notes: Many thanks to everyone who so enjoyed reading He Doesn't See Me. Anyone who hasn't read it probably should before reading this sequel to make better sense of things. Thanks again and enjoy.

Chapter 1: My Sister Makes Sense...Darn It.

Never stop hoping
Need to know where you are
But one thing's for sure
You're always in my heart

I'll find you somewhere
I'll keep on trying
Until my dying day
I just need to know
Whatever has happened
The truth will free my soul
~Somewhere; Within Temptation

I had been Queen of Darkland for about two weeks before I voiced my first complaint. My new life was wonderful and I was happy and comfortable...except for one tiny little thing.

"I know it's important to display a symbol of my royal status," I said to my new husband one morning, "but...do I really have to wear this crown all the time?"

The crown I had been given on the day of my coronation was solid gold, clustered with glittering gems...and extremely heavy.

Bowser took a look at my pained expression and chuckled. "Don't be silly; the only royal symbol you need is me. And I don't need to wear one; everyone knows I'm king around here. And a good thing, too," he added, with a cheeky grin. "My blood runs so hot, any crown I've ever tried to wear has melted clean off my head."

I took this ridiculous statement to mean that my new husband disliked wearing crowns as much as I did and made up any excuse he could to avoid them. Relieved that it wouldn't be seen as being in bad taste, I set the weighty ornament aside for special occasions and had a small silver circlet made up to wear on a day to day basis.

I think in those first few weeks after our marriage my kingly husband found it highly amusing how much I concerned myself with maintaining a good public appearance. What can I say? Proper etiquette and decorum had been drilled into me since birth, and even though I had since figured out that I could be as bossy and saucy as I pleased in my new home, I still strived to make a good impression on my new subjects.

I was queen now, after all. It wasn't a position I was ever going to take lightly - or for granted.

The first major task I undertook as Queen of Darkland was to look over the status of our allied kingdoms. I was quite dismayed when I discovered that we didn't seem to have any...though we seemed to have no shortage of enemies.

"Don't fret, little Rose," was Bowser's response when I expressed my concern over this matter to him. "My army can handle anything."

I knew from my extensive study of Darkland history - particularly the course of my new husband's reign - that this was far from true. Our marriage had automatically forged an alliance - one that could be called on for protection, if need be - with the kingdom of my birth, and a friendly channel had been opened between us and its two neighboring kingdoms, but so far things hadn't progressed beyond civil letter exchange.

Even if the three of them had vowed to battle to the death for us, I wouldn't have felt very consoled. They were awfully far away, and even though I, as my husband had put it, was trying not to fret over it, I was used to the tri-kingdoms I had grown up in the center of, and to that triple blanket of protection. It would ease my mind greatly to know that we were on at least civil terms with one of the nearby kingdoms, but my investigation into the matter informed me that at best we weren't on speaking terms, and at worst...well, let's just say I don't plan on taking a stroll near any of our neighbors any time soon.

When I mentioned this to Bowser, he simply chuckled and told me not to worry about it. It occurred to me then that he had lived amidst conflict for so long, he was downright comfortable with the thought of someone storming the castle in the middle of the night.

I admire my husband's seemingly endless confidence, but at times I suspect he edges dangerously close to the realm of foolhardiness.

If it were just the two of us I probably wouldn't have minded as much, but I now had to look out for the well-being of the children I adopted when I said 'I do' - all eight of them. The koopalings might be used to it, but Junior was little more than a baby and I wasn't about to let him go running off into the jaws of danger...no matter how many times he had done so in the past.

I was still mulling the issue over when my sister Clarabelle decided to invite herself over for a couple of weeks.

After exchanging greetings and the usual pleasantries, we went out to take a walk together in the courtyard. That afternoon was especially nice; the black clouds hanging overhead were thick and billowy, and there were lovely red streaks between them, like someone had lazily dragged a paintbrush dipped in scarlet across the sky. A faint mist hung over the gray-brown path that wove through the foliage of the courtyard, sprung up by the cool of the air mixing with the heat inside the castle - a result of all that lava. I paused to draw in a deep breath of the fragrant air, a faint smile on my face.

"It's so dreadfully dull at home right now," Clarabelle informed me as we continued on. "Mama is off fussing over Lulubelle - making sure she's adjusting to her new home and station and all - and Papa is off on some manly excursion with Frederick. I think it's all quite silly, so I thought I would come stay here until they return and we start planning our wedding."

Frederick was the prince Clarabelle was betrothed to, and they were scheduled to marry pretty soon. It didn't surprise me to learn that my father was off on some hunting and fishing expedition with her future husband; he had done the same thing with Lulubelle's husband, who had recently been crowned king.

I was a little perturbed, though, to learn that my mother was currently clucking around Lulubelle like a hen as she worried about how she was taking to her new role as queen of the next kingdom over. "Funny how she's so concerned with her daughter there, in a kingdom as familiar as her own, while I'm all the way over here," I commented with a sniff.

Instead of growing sympathetic, Clarabelle gave me an oddly smug smile. "Of course Mama isn't worried about you," she said, as if it were obvious. "You aren't frail and goose-witted."

"You have a point."

I suddenly pitied my oldest sister, who was probably fanning herself and working herself into a flutter over something that very minute. I paused to pat one of the chain chomps tethered beside the path, who happily snuffled my hand.

"I'm glad you're here, though," I said as Clarabelle and I walked on toward the round, murky pond in the center of the courtyard. "And that you're not frail and goose-witted either."

In fact, I had always suspected that Clarabelle was the one person in my family who would most appreciate stepping outside of her normally stiff, posh lifestyle - aside from myself, that is. Although I doubted Clarabelle would ever want to step out of that life completely. Me, I had danced with joy.

"I pretend," she noted, with a sigh and a twirl of her pastel skirts. "Frederick finds it charming."

I 'tsked'. "Typical. But maybe you can help me with something."

And I explained to her my concern with my new kingdom's lack of friends and allies.

"You have us," Clarabelle reminded me.

"We do," I allowed, pausing once again as we reached the pond. I looked down at our reflections in the water - her with her tumbling gold curls, naturally pink cheeks and white-and-blue gown, and me with my ivory skin, hair as black and smooth as a raven's breast and my gown of black and scarlet - and didn't wonder why people found it hard to believe we were sisters.

"But I would feel better if we were on better terms with a kingdom closer at hand," I went on as I lazily leaned against the trunk of a slender tree.

Clarabelle clasped her delicate hands in front of her as she thought. "Papa always says that the stomach doesn't only lead to a man's heart," she said after a moment.

My father had coined plenty of colorful phrases over the years - and that certainly sounded like one of them. I was tempted to say something along the lines of, 'No, it also leads to his intestines, his liver, his bladder...' but held my tongue...which had grown quite loose in recent weeks.

"I know," I said instead, "a mouth-watering, breath-taking feast that lasts for days can sooth hurt feelings and build bridges. I thought of that, but I don't know who to invite."

Clarabelle considered it for a moment. "Why not start with whichever kingdom is closest?" she suggested.

I had thought of that, too. But the closest kingdom was...

"It's the Mushroom Kingdom, isn't it?"

I cringed inwardly. "It is, but..."

I scrambled for an excuse. "But we could never invite them. Bowser has caused so much trouble over the years, they would probably see an invitation to dinner as a lure into a trap, or something. They would never come."

That was what I hoped, at least...though the true cause for my objection was because I did not want to have the woman my new husband had spent so many years kidnapping in the hopes of marrying sitting at the same table with us, thank you very much.

Not knowing the real reason behind my hesitation, Clarabelle pushed on impatiently. "But it's the perfect place to start," she insisted. "Since he has caused so much trouble for them, it will send a strong message out once he makes amends. It will make other kingdoms much easier to approach."

Unfortunately, that made perfect sense. And why couldn't Clarabelle be as goose-witted as Lulubelle?

"If you really want this idea to work, you're going to have to at least try," she said logically.

And why was forging alliances for my new kingdom so important again? Oh, yeah; I was trying to protect my new children. Out of all the things I didn't inherit from my mother, I had to get her powerful maternal instincts.

Finally I breathed a sigh of defeat. "I doubt he'll agree. But I'll ask him."

No quotes for chapter titles this time...coming up with my own is work enough.