"When did you get your cap?"
Toadsworth quirks an eyebrow as he looks up from some paperwork, twiddling his pen in between his fingers. Bright, big and blue eyes stare at him intently from the other side of the table.
He tilts his head. "Eh, pardon?"
Peach points above her head. A second later, realization dawns on Toadsworth. "Ah. Well... I had it when I was delivered. Most Toads do, princess."
She frowns. "I didn't. I still don't."
He points at her with his pen. "Well, you are human."
"But I'm also Toad." She pouts. "You told me I was."
He hesitates, glancing between her and his paperwork. "I'm afraid you misunderstood me," he begins slowly. "You are partly Toad––"
"Yeah, like you said."
"––but you are mostly human," he finishes.
"But dad had a cap," she says, her brows furrowed. "I seen pictures of him."
"Saw, princess. You saw pictures." He sighs, the mention of her father sending a wave of frustration through him. "King Toadstool is partly human, but he is also more Toad than you."
She says nothing for a moment, and then, "So when will I get my cap?"
He purses his lips, looking at her adamant stare. "Dear," he says, as gentle as he can, "I think you're much too human to ever get a cap. You would have gotten one already if not."
She takes a moment to process the answer, and then her bottom lip wobbles. Her gaze falls to the ground. "I want a cap..." she mumbles.
Toadsworth's mind briefly stumbles upon hearing her sniffles, but it eventually catches up as he sets down the pen and slides off his chair, quickly coming to her side. "Oh, goodness, there, there," he says, enveloping her in a hug.
It feels like only yesterday when she began to walk, and yet she is already nearly Toadsworth's height, Toadsworth cannot help but notice as she cries. He wracks his mind for any comforting words, his frustration from before only growing. It is in these moments that he feels the most lost and useless to the princess, and the most angry at King Toadstool for leaving.
Finally, however, his mind alights upon something. "You might not get a cap, but do you know what you will get?"
Peach hiccups, canting her head back up. "What?"
Toadsworth backs up from the hug and moves some strands of hair from her face. "Once you're eighteen, you will get a very beautiful crown to wear on your head."
Her watery eyes light up. "Really?"
He nods. "Indeed! It will be made of gold and have many jewels in it."
She stands on her tiptoes. "And it'll be the most pretty crown?"
Toadsworth cannot help a chuckle. "Prettiest, dear. It will be the prettiest crown."
A smile curls on her face, finally, and Toadsworth returns one in kind. "Do you feel better, now?" he asks. She nods. "Good. Why don't you go wash your face up and then play in the garden until dinner, alright? I have to finish this paperwork."
With another nod, she walks off. Once the door to the office closes, he lets out a sigh, rubbing his hands down his face. Had it done that right? He doesn't even know; he doesn't know what he is doing at all. He never imagined himself in the role of a parent––guardian, he mentally corrects, sliding back onto his seat. Letting out another puff of air, he picks up his pen and resumes his work.
The crowd hums with a chattering sound as Toadsworth nods at the trumpeters. The brazen and sonorous sound of multiple trumpets cuts through the air, ushering the audience into silence as a collective of eyes turn to the podium at front. In Toadsworth's periphery, he sees Peach stand tall and straight, looking upon the citizens of her kingdom.
Promptly, a Toad marches to Toadsworth's side and cants their head, holding up a red velvet pillow with a golden crown atop it. Toadsworth gingerly takes it, letting the crownbearer take their leave.
Toadsworth lets out a quiet breath as he turns to Peach, as she does the same. She bows as Toadsworth steps up to her. It only takes a second or two, and yet it feels like an eternity upon itself as Toadsworth sets the crown upon her head of blonde hair.
Once it is set correctly, Peach rises, wonder in her eyes as she faces the crowd again. Toadsworth clears his throat. "It is today," he yells out over the audience, "that we mark the coronation of our newest monarch: Princess Peach! May she rule the Mushroom Kingdom with the purest of hearts!"
The mass erupts in a thunderous cheer as everyone claps. During the hurrah, he glances up at Peach, who is now twice his height. She also looks at him, something of a smirk on her face. "It is a pretty crown," she says.
The conversation from long ago (and yet it feels like yesterday) comes up in his memory as he lets out a chortle. "Indeed."
Her silly grin softens. "Thank you, Dad," she says softly before turning back to the crowd.
Toadsworth feels his heart swell with pride as he watches the crowd cheer for Peach as she stands before them all, a beacon of hope for the future of the kingdom. Despite always doubting his ability to raise her...
He suppose he did something right.
A/N: Lots of headcanons in this one, particularly the King Toadstool one... I just find it odd that, even during a kingdom-wide issue like in Partners in Time, not once do we see or hear mention of some other monarch in command when Peach is still just an infant. Almost like someone left...
Oh, and a side note: when Toadsworth says, "when I was delivered," he's referring to being delivered by stork.