With a few quick dabs of sparkle-powder, Princess Peach was ready to enter the ballroom for the masquerade. She was dressed as a mermaid, with a sequined "tail" skirt and sea shelled top. Her blonde tresses were curled with pearl clips holding the locks in place. Peach had finished the look with sparkly silver eyeshadow and warm coral lip stick. She walked excitedly through the Sea Side castle to the ballroom. But when she arrived, she realized that she wasn't the only one who wanted to dress "on-theme" with the event. She spotted several other mermaids among the party goers, and a few mermen too. Peach's cheeks burned with embarassment. In years past she had been praised for her unique fashion-sense, but now she feared that she would be labeled as unoriginal. Peach shook her head and cleared the doubt from her mind. She had much more important things to worry about than her outfit.
While Bowser and the Koopalings finished dressing Peach made small talk with a few other party-goers. In the past, Peach had lots of people clamoring to chat with her, but now she initiated all the conversations with the other guests. Yet the masquerade was still her favorite part of the Sea Side Kingdom's annual ball. It was amusing to see the usually posh royalty dressed up in costume. The ballroom was filled with brightly colored fabrics, sequins, feathers, and jewels which created a dazzling display around her.
In the corner of her eye she noticed several small figures pass through the large doors to the ballroom. One by one the Koopalings came in, each in a primary color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Iggy and Lemmy were dressed as fluffy clouds, traveling in the front and back of the line. Instantly Peach smiled as she realized that the Darklands royalty had come dressed as a rainbow.
"I love your costume!" Wendy gushed, coming up to her. "I wanted to dress up as something cute, but of course we all had to be involved in the group costume." She looked down with annoyance at the bright purple dress she had on. "At least we all got to pick our colors."
"I still think we should have gone with condiments." Roy complained, dressed head to toe in orange.
"Guess why I picked yellow?" Morton asked, a fierce grin on his face almost as bright as his neon yellow outfit. "Hint: it's convenient."
"Gross Morton!" Wendy rolled her eyes. "No one asked you."
"That's enough," Bowser chided. He was dressed in all red which complimented his amber eyes. "Your costume is fantastic!" He changed topics, focusing on Princess Peach.
"Thank you," she said politely. "I only wish that it wasn't such a popular one. But your group costume is so fun!"
"Princess Peach, will you dance with me?" Junior asked. He had chosen to wear a light sky blue, not to be confused with Ludwig's darker indigo. "I want to, but the rule is you need to have a partner and no one else will do it with me." He glared at his siblings.
"Of course!" She smiled and took his small hand.
Together they walked towards the dance floor. The music was lively and rhythmic, even the guests seated around the dance floor couldn't help but tap their feet to the drums. Peach leaned over slightly so accommodate Junior's short stature. She grasped both his hands and showed him how to move his feet. Eventually, they moved together in a simple step.
"This is fun!" Junior laughed.
"You're really getting the hang of it." Peach complimented, spinning him in a small circle.
"Thank you for teaching me." He smiled wide. "Look how much I can spin!" Junior announced before twirling rapidly around and around.
"Be careful, you don't want to get too dizzy!" Peach laughed as she watched him.
After a few moments Junior stopped spinning and stumbled forward. Peach quickly caught him before he could fall.
"Let's take a break for a minute." She helped him walk off the dance floor and over to the table where Bowser and the other children were seated.
Seeing Junior's queasy expression, Bowser leapt up and helped Peach gently guide him into one of the chairs.
"Are you feeling ok?" He asked his son.
"I don't want to go dancing for a little while..." Junior admitted.
"That's alright. I can take over for you while you rest." Bowser offered his arm to Peach. "Shall we?"
Peach felt her heart flutter just the smallest bit at his request. But she ignored it, hoping that it was just a coincidence.
"Why not?" She asked, and accepted his arm.
Together they walked out to the dance floor. She could feel everyone's eyes on them, and Peach guessed it wasn't simply because their costumes clashed. She searched his eyes to see if he noticed the attention, but he looked too focused on her to care. He smiled and gently grasped her waist. Peach reached up to his shoulder, and they began to dance. He was not a very good dance partner, but Peach could see that he was enjoying himself. From the corner of her eye she saw the hushed whispers and the heads turned in their direction. Peach shut them out and closed her eyes. She moved with Bowser and he led her through the rest of the song, not at all in time with the music.
Her eyes fluttered open as the final beat rang through the air and the band briskly began a new number.
"Were you falling asleep?" Bowser teased.
"Just resting my eyes." Peach played along.
"The best way to wake them up is with a nice view! And the best view that the whole castle has to offer is at the top of the lighthouse. Do you want to come with me?" He asked.
"Should the kids come along?"
"No, I think it would be too much exercise for them. It's fourteen flights of stairs!" He laughed. "Plus, I don't think Junior would be up to it."
"Alright, but just for a minute. I don't want the other guests to miss their topic of conversation." Peach replied wryly.
He smirked at her remark and together they left the dance floor and walked through the castle to the famous stairway. The fourteen flights spiraled up to the heavens in a dizzying circle. Peach knew her calves would be burning by the time she reached the top. She hoped it would be worth it.
Many sweaty minutes later, her hard work paid off. Beneath them lay the bay, dotted with buildings that looked burnt-black against the brilliance of the sky in sunset. The horizon line where the sea met the sky was illuminated with the ripe golden light of the sun's final rays.
"You're right." Peach said. "This does wake up my eyes."
"You're so funny." Bowser said dreamily. "Especially what you said about the people staring."
"I couldn't help it!" She confessed. "It's pathetic that the two of us getting along could cause such a stir."
"I think we should welcome it. It's fun being the center of attention." He joked.
"Only if you're good at dancing!" Peach teased, enjoying the shock and then admiration on Bowser's face. "You know, Junior's actually not bad," she continued, changing the topic.
"Thank you so much for dancing with him. I know he really appreciated it." Bowser absentmindedly tucked a stray lock of hair back behind one of Peach's pearl clips. It had come loose in the gentle breeze, but she hadn't noticed. "Thank you for your kindness towards all of my children. They're a lot to handle sometimes, but you make it look easy."
"It's my pleasure!" Peach smiled.
Bowser stared at her for a moment, his eyes locked on hers. Peach could see that he was pondering something but in an instant she could see the shift in his expression that meant that he had made up his mind.
"Look, Peach, I have to be honest with you. These past few days have been amazing. I've really enjoyed catching up with you again, and I think you should know that I don't mind causing a stir with you. I love causing a stir with you." He looked into her eyes bravely. "I just thought I should let you know that even after you turned me down the feelings that I have for you never went away. No matter what they'll always be there Peach: I love how sweet and funny you are and how you're so devoted to you're kingdom. You are such a strong leader."
Peach's eyes stung at his kind words. She worked tirelessly for her nation and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed to finally receive some acknowledgement.
"I love how you interact with my kids and fit in so well with them. I love that you're the only person who's not afraid to tease me and call me out for stuff. And you're the most beautiful person in the whole world. I know that you don't feel the same way about me, but if there's any chance please let me know because you've always been everything I've ever wanted. You're a phenomenal person and a phenomenal princess."
Suddenly all the disappointments built up around her- from being belittled by the Sea Side Kingdom's advisor to wearing the same outfit as several other guests at the party- and Peach couldn't contain her emotions. Fat tears rolled from her eyes.
"Oh no, Peach, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Bowser backed away from her in shame. "After tonight when the ball is over you'll never have to see me again. I'm so sorry-"
"No it's not that," Peach said between sniffles. "It's just that I haven't been a phenomenal princess. My kingdom is bankrupt, Bowser. We have nothing." She cleared the distance between them and he wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him closer and sobbed. "This whole ball I've been trying to convince the Sea Side Kingdom to give us financial aid but they've refused. I don't have any other allies left to contact. It's only a matter of time before I'll be overthrown and it's all my fault!"
Bowser's eyes were wide with concern. "It's not your fault," he soothed. "You've done everything that you can for your people. I'm so sorry Peach, I wish I had known. I would have helped you but right now the Darklands needs all the finances we have. I have to double our territory by the end of the year or else I won't be able to continue raising my children. I'll have to bring my kingdom into war. It's the only way I can keep my children in my life."
He held her in his arms quietly a few moments longer as some of the dread that had clutched them dissipated. Peach felt a small sense of relief to have finally told Bowser the truth about her kingdom and Bowser felt content knowing he had finally confessed his feelings to Princess Peach. The waves, small and insignificant, crashed and rolled beneath them as they clung to each other at the top of the lighthouse, a whole city deafly flickering beneath them under the evening sky.
Suddenly, Peach's body tightened against Bowser's. She drew her neck back so that she could look at him face to face. A fresh idea was on her mind, so strong that it transformed her face with new energy.
"I just had a thought;" she suggested, "we need money and you need land. So, I'll make you a deal. The Darklands can purchase a portion of the Mushroom Kingdom's western farmland that borders the two kingdoms. Then, the Darklands will double their territory and the Mushroom Kingdom will have finances. We can rule over that territory together. This will solve both of our problems!" Peach's smile was breathtaking.
"You certainly know how to make a business offer." Bowser beamed. "It's a deal." New hope filled his chest.
"There's no one else I'd rather have ruling by my side." Without thinking, Peach stepped on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Her coral lipstick left a mark. Embarrassed, she reached up to rub it off but Bowser grabbed her hand.
"Just leave it. Let's cause a stir." He grinned.
Bowser took Peach's hands in his and together they raced down all fourteen flights of stairs, eager to tell the Koopalings of their new agreement. Peach's heart was beating quickly and she knew that it wasn't only from the intense physical activity. She felt electrified. Everything had happened so quickly that she hadn't taken any time to think about the repercussions of her deal with Bowser. She could only imagine the drama that it would create, with every media outlet abuzz with the news of the negotiation. But her brain was too overloaded with the events of the day to spend much time envisioning her future. She was locked in the present, every instant capturing her full attention.
Together Bowser and Peach re-entered the ballroom, though it took a few moments for the other guests to acknowledge their arrival. The look of surprise and horror on the faces of the other royals was priceless, but neither Peach nor Bowser took notice of them. However, if Peach had been paying closer attention, she would have seen the slight nod of approval that Sir Roberto Lumis gave in their direction from his seat beside the King and Queen.
"Is that Princess Peach with King Bowser Koopa?" The Sea Side King asked his wife from their exclusive dining area on the far side of the ballroom.
"It must be, though I never would have thought that the two of them would get together." She answered. "Is that a kiss mark on Bowser's cheek? My, some people have no sense of decorum."
"As I've always said, Princess Peach has never been predictable." Sir Roberto Lumis interjected.
"The situation in the Mushroom Kingdom must be dire for her to resort to use her charm to get into Bowser's wallet. She seemed smarter than that," the Queen said snidely.
"I must disagree, You Majesty," Sir Roberto Lumis argued. "Princess Peach is not stupid. Nor is she a gold digger. She is simply resilient. And such resiliency deserves the deepest respect."
"Indeed." The King agreed. "Only time will tell if such acts of resiliency were enough to save her nation."
A/N: Don't worry! There is still one more chapter left to go in this story! I really appreciate all the follows/favorites and especially reviews that this story has received. Thank you so much for reading it! Writing this story has been a whirlwind, and although it has been very challenging in a lot of ways I also know I've grown a lot as a writer throughout this process. I don't know what I would do without you! My gratitude is immeasureable. I hope that you have a wonderful new year filled with festivities! Much love, Guardian.