Peach surveyed the Shell Suite warily. The charming ocean-themed décor starkly contrasted with the ominous feeling she had in her stomach. Five bedrooms connected to one communal hall with a bathroom on each side of the walkway. The Koopalings raced from room to room with fresh energy, examining them all to determine which one was the best.
"Can I share a room with Ludwig?" Roy asked Bowser.
"No, I wanted to share with him!" Morton interjected.
"Roy and Morton, you two are rooming together." Bowser told them to their horror.
"That's not fair!" Roy argued.
"I'll never be able to sleep with all of his snoring!" Morton cried.
"Everybody listen up!" Bowser called to the others who were jumping on the bed. "These are the room pairings for tonight: Roy and Morton, Larry and Ludwig, Iggy and Lemmy, and Wendy and Junior."
Peach's eyes flashed, realizing who was left out.
"Bowser, I don't think I feel comfortable-"
"But Dad, you said that I would be with you because I get scared sleeping in new places." Junior protested, interrupting Princess Peach.
Bowser opened his mouth to argue, but Peach cut in before he could start.
"Junior needs to room with you." Peach said emphatically, her voice strung taught.
"I'm fine sharing with Princess Peach." Wendy offered.
After a few seconds of consideration, Bowser acquiesced.
"Alright fine. Junior you'll be with me, Peach will go with Wendy."
Peach breathed a small sigh of relief as she followed Wendy into the bedroom and closed the door.
"I honestly can't believe I'm having a sleepover with Princess Peach." Wendy gushed. "We can have pillow fights and stay up late talking, or maybe we can even make some prank phone calls!"
"That sounds very fun, but I think we should get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow." Peach gently declined.
"True. As you said in your interview with TeenStar magazine, the best skincare secret is a full eight hours of sleep." Wendy agreed as she got under the covers, having already changed into her pajamas.
Peach went to the bathroom to slip into her pink silk robe that she wore to bed. When she returned Wendy was already dozing. Peach climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes. Even though she was exhausted she still couldn't seem to fall asleep. Her head was spinning with worries for the future.
As quietly as she could, Princess Peach slipped out of the Shell Suite early the next morning and headed towards the banquet hall where the servants were still setting up the room for breakfast.
"Excuse me," Princess Peach said, pulling one of the workers aside. "Would you be able to take a message to the King and Queen for me?"
"Certainly." The servant nodded.
"Can you notify the King and Queen that Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom would like a private consultation with them? It's urgent." Peach informed, trying to keep her voice calm and polite.
"Of course, I will leave right away." The servant turned away to alert the Sea Side Kingdom nobility.
Peach left the banquet hall to return to the Shell Suite, knowing that the King and Queen would summon her when they were ready. She hoped that they would be available since it was so early in the morning.
Bowser was waiting by the door when she arrived.
"What are you doing up so early?" He asked in a whisper once she was through the door.
"I could ask you the same question." Peach shot back quietly, irritated that her absence hadn't gone unnoticed.
"I heard someone leave and wanted to make sure it wasn't Iggy- sometimes he sleepwalks." Bowser told her.
"Don't worry, I am very much awake." Peach assured him. She tried to tread past him to her room, but he blocked her path.
"Is everything alright?" He asked. "You seem tense."
"I am fine." Peach replied with a forced smile.
"Good. I just want to make sure that you're ok."
"Thank you, but you don't need to do that." Peach corrected him.
"I know I don't need to. But I want to. I care about your wellbeing." Bowser admitted.
Peach bit back a harsh response. "Thank you." She said curtly instead. "I am going back to my room now." Peach announced, hoping that Bowser would take a hint.
"Do you want to go on a walk with me? It's so early and we have nothing else to do." He suggested.
"No, thank you." Peach declined. "I'm going to try to go back to sleep."
Bowser's face fell slightly, though he tried to hide it.
"Maybe later?" He asked.
"If we have time-" Peach said carefully.
Suddenly she was interrupted by a soft knocking at the door.
Bowser opened it to see a servant standing there.
"Good morning, your Majesty. The King and Queen have requested Princess Peach's presence in the Bayview Chamber."
"I'll meet you at the banquet hall for breakfast, Bowser." Peach told him as she followed the servant out of the room.
To Peach's relief he didn't try to tag along. Each step forward was filled with nervous anticipation as she grew closer and closer to unraveling the strange turn of events that led to her unfortunate predicament.
Bowser leapt up from the table when he noticed Peach making her way through the crowded dining area to sit with him. He helped her get settled into her chair and then sat back down beside her.
"The kids are going to have a sandcastle contest after breakfast to see who can make the tallest one. I told them that you and I would be the judges," he told her excitedly.
"That sounds nice." Peach responded automatically, though her voice sounded distant.
"And then afterward maybe we can go on that walk that we talked about this morning," he suggested. Bowser hoped that she would agree to it.
"Sure." Peach's crystalline blue eyes lacked their usual spark, but Bowser was too excited to notice their dampened expression.
His mouth automatically broke into a grin at her response.
"Great. I guess we're certainly sea-zing the day!" He joked.
"You make me sick." Roy pretended to gag dramatically across from him at the table.
"Are you feeling a little... crabby?" Wendy asked. Roy closed his eyes and lolled his tongue out of his mouth as if he was dying from his sister's joke.
Bowser looked over at Peach, expecting to see her laughing with the rest of the group. Instead her face looked vacant.
"We ordered waffles for breakfast." He told her, hoping that food would lift her spirits. "I made sure to ask for fruit with yours. I remembered that you like bananas and blueberries."
"Thank you." Peach gave a small smile of appreciation.
"It's no problem." Bowser said cordially, relieved to see the glimmer of her old self. Without thinking he placed his hand on Peach's arm.
Her eyes instantly sparked alive, though the gaze she fixed him with was loaded with malice. She yanked her arm out from under his hand with lightning speed.
"Don't touch me." She hissed softly under her breath too quietly for his children to notice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Bowser began to apologize.
"I need to go." Peach pulled her chair out from the table and turned to walk away.
Bowser sprang to his feet.
"Peach, I wasn't trying to-"
"Please. I need to be alone right now." She raised her voice slightly, and he knew there was no arguing with her. Peach stormed off brusquely, anger in every step.
Bowser turned back to the table where his children were staring at him in shock.
"What is she so upset about Dad?" Junior asked.
Bowser was at a loss for words. Even though he was surrounded by his children he had never felt so alone.
A/N: Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I'm so sorry I've made a habit of taking a while to update. I really appreciate all of the feedback I receive on this story, it honestly makes my day. I hope that you have a great rest of your week! Much love, Guardian.