Chapter Four
The two escapees prepared to spend the remainder of the night outside. The found a relatively sheltered spot not far from the path in which to wait.
"We should probably keep a watch." Anna said softly as they settled down to rest. "If those guys notice we're gone they might come looking for us."
Peach nodded, realizing that was probably why Anna had not yet dropped her disguise as a human. "Good idea. Any idea how long it will be till morning?"
Anna looked up at the night sky. "Around six hours, more or less. I'll take the first watch and wake you up in three hours."
"Right." Peach agreed. She leaned back against the trunk of tree, not caring about the dirt or the roughness of the bark or the hardness of the ground. She was too tired.
Too tired to sleep as well, it seemed. Peach lay there in the night staring at the sky, trying to sleep. The sky was clear, and dark, the stars shone out, hundreds of them, many more than Peach had ever seen at Mushroom Castle. It was a beautiful sight, really. Peach sighed.
The dark shadow that was Anna was instantly by her side. "Are you okay?" She asked in a whisper.
"Yes." Peach nodded, and Anna breathed her own sigh, this one of relief. Peach smiled. "Sorry to worry you, Anna. I was just thinking about how beautiful the sky was."
Anna turned her gaze upward, and studied the sky in silence. "It is beautiful." She said at last. "There's a hill, north of the village. If you go up there at night you can see more. There are stars everywhere. And on clear nights like this, if you look deep enough, you can see the beginning of Star Road off in the distance. Occasionally you'll see a wish falling to earth. Mom and I used to sit and stare at the sky for hours sometimes."
"Your mom?" Peach asked.
Anna shook herself from her thoughts. "This is a magikoopa village, one of the few. I grew up here."
"Really?" Peach asked. "How far is it from the Castle? In fact, where is it? Where are we?"
Anna thought for a moment. "You know the hills between Koopaland and Mushroomland?"
"No man's land?"
Anna nodded. "The hills are where the magikoopa dwell. Where they have since the war. They hide there, far from all those who would cause them trouble, and mostly keep to themselves. Some leave to serve Bowser, but most stay in their villages."
"How many villages are there?"
"Five that I am aware of. I'm sure there are a few smaller groupings of Magikoopa here and there, though."
"Oh." Peach said. Then a thought occurred to her. "Do you think that ninjakoopa knew your Mom lived here and that's why he waited till then to help us escape?"
Anna shrugged. "I know Kamek knows. He may have informed the ninjakoopa. It's hard to know for certain, though, exactly how much Kamek puts into these things. There are things he could have done and did, things he could have done and didn't, things he shouldn't have done and did anyway, and so forth. And he'll never admit to anything more than he feels necessary."
They sat in silence for a while. "So what's your mom like?" Peach asked after a bit.
"Well, like Kamek and Kammy, she has a dangerous temper, but doesn't lose it as easily as Kammy does. But of course, she's not as patient as Kamek. She's a lot nicer than they are, though."
"Does she get along with either of them?" Peach asked.
Anna shook her head. "She and Kammy have fought since they were children, and she and Kamek haven't spoken since he left."
"Left?" Peach asked.
"Left the village." Was the only explanation Anna would give.
"So they grew up here as well." Peach thought aloud.
"Right." Anna agreed. "Mom says she and Kamek used to wander these woods for hours at a time. That's how she knew to tell me about the night-ward. They were always getting stuck outside all night." She chuckled softly, apparently finding the thought of Kamek stuck outside the village at night as a child amusing. "Shouldn't you be getting some rest, Peach?" Anna asked at last.
Peach nodded, and laid back against the tree.
She must have fallen asleep, because when she started awake it was morning, and several magikoopa were watching her.
"Anna?" Peach looked around for her friend, and was relieved to see her sitting close by, still in human form, talking softly to another magikoopa. She looked up as her name was called.
"Forgive me, Peach." Anna said hurriedly as she joined her. "I must have dozed off last night during my watch."
Peach smiled nervously. "It's okay, Anna. What's going on?"
Anna looked around. "They sensed our arrival last night, and came to see why we were here this morning. They did not wish to awaken us, and so waited for us to wake on our own."
"That was nice of them." Peach replied.
"I told them we were lost, and trying to get back to Mushroom Castle. They have offered to let us rest here for today and continue on our journey tomorrow with a guide." She lowered her voice. "They don't know who we are. I told them your name was Peach and mine was Anna, but they don't know you're the Princess or that I'm a magikoopa."
Peach nodded, thinking it wasn't really necessary for them to know that, or that they had just escaped an attempted kidnapping by Bowser.
One of the magikoopa stepped forward to approach them. "If you two are ready, we will head back to the village." He spoke clearly, but his tone of voice was soft. He wore robes of red.
"Yes, thank you." Said Peach. She and Anna followed the Magikoopa to the village.
Peach had never seen a village of Magikoopa before. The houses were small and simple, and seemed to be made of wood with thatched roofs. The streets were dirt, and led through the village and up to the door of each house. There were lots of trees, and the yards usually held flower and herb gardens. It seemed a lovely place.
Magikoopa children played in the yards and the streets, but always seemed to stay out of the way of those traveling the streets. They ran back and forth, playing and chattering happily in some language Peach could not understand. The children wore robes of brown, and like the adults, thick glasses.
They stopped to watch as Peach and Anna passed by. Apparently they were not used to seeing humans in their village. They didn't seem afraid of them, though, simply curious.
They were taken to a larger building in the center of the village. "This is where we have our meetings when the occasion arises." The magikoopa leading them explained.
"We also have breakfasts and dinners here sometimes too." Added a magikoopa robed in green as she approached them. "Welcome to our village." To the other magikoopa she said. "These are they that came to us last night?"
"Ah, yes." Replied the other. "They are from the Mushroom Land.
"Then they are a long way from home." Noted the first. "I trust they will be needing rest and a guide back to their home?"
"I was hoping you might be able to help with that." Came the reply.
"Of course, Kanri." She said. "They will have food, and rest, and we shall see about one of the well-traveled magikoopa taking them home tomorrow. For now, though, perhaps we should see that they are not injured."
"Yes, of course." Kanri replied. "I had overlooked that. My apologies." He said to Peach and Anna before turning his attention back to his fellow magikoopa. "Perhaps Karina would have a look at them."
"I will see." She replied.
"Well, then, I leave them in your capable hands." Kanri said. "If you will excuse me." He bowed and left the two in the hands of the magikoopa.
She smiled. "I am Vivian." She explained. "Karina would be a healer, and I'm sure she would have no problem with seeing if you two need anything."
Anna looked nervous, and Peach said. "Well, we aren't actually hurt, just kind of hungry and a bit dirty. I don't think we really need to bother a healer."
"If you are sure, though it would be no trouble." Vivian said. "Then why don't we let you two bathe and get some clean clothes, and then we'll see about some breakfast. How does that sound?"
"Very good, thank you." Peach said. She hadn't washed since the morning before their capture, and was feeling a bit gross as a result.
An hour later, clean and dressed in brown robes that some magikoopa had offered the visitors (their own clothes being torn and filthy and pronounced unsalvageable by Vivian), the two sat down to breakfast with Vivian.
There was water to drink and fruits and some kind of honey bread to eat, served upon wooden vessels. It was delicious, Peach thought, despite its simplicity. Maybe simplicity wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
They had just finished eating and were just getting up from the table when a child magikoopa came rushing in. He approached Vivian hastily, bowed ever so slightly, and then began to chatter rapidly in the language the children had been speaking outside earlier.
Anna listened as the child chattered and as Vivian gave a quick reply in the same language.
"What is that they're speaking?" Peach asked quietly.
"Our language. The speech of the magikoopa." Anna replied softly, still trying to hear what was being said.
"What are they saying?"
"I think-" Anna began to answer but was cut off as Vivian finished speaking with the child and approached them.
"I must ask you to come with me, please." She sounded worried.
"What is it?" Peach asked.
"Someone is here, and they seem to think they are looking for you." Vivian replied grimly. "Come."
One of Bowser's minions, Peach thought as they followed the magikoopa outside.
She was right, but it was not quite who she expected.