Chapter 2 Four Princesses

Rosalina took a deep breath. She currently stood in front of Peach's Castle. The red turrets and white walls complemented each other like the red stripes complement the white body on a candy cane. Regardless, Rose couldn't help but feel just a tad bit nervous. After all, she hadn't spent time with Peach (or at least this version of Peach) in a while. While she wasn't worried about the Princess possibly being mad at her, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to interact with her at her absolute best.

However, whether she was at her best or not, she couldn't let that stop her. Peach was waiting on the other side of the door, probably in eager anticipation. So, Rose walked forward and knocked on the door. Much to Rosalina's surprise (although she probably shouldn't have been surprised) the door was not opened by the Princess, but rather, a Toad servant.

The Toad servant smiled when seeing her. "Welcome, Rosalina! We've been expecting you."

Rosalina nodded, twiddling with her fingers as she did so. The Toad gestured for her to follow him in. As the two walked down the hall, Rosalina studied the place. It was very clean, cleaner and sparklier than Rosalina was used to seeing. She wondered why this was, as last time she checked, Peach wasn't exactly known for her cleaning skills. Sure, she wasn't a slob, but she also didn't go out of her way to make her surroundings cleaner than usual.

Perhaps Peach had really been anticipating Rosalina's arrival? While she wasn't one hundred percent certain that this was the case, the thought actually caused her to smile a little bit. Peach was so thoughtful. Well, most versions of her were, but this one seemed extra considerate.

The Toad led Rose straight toward the throne room. When they got there, Rosalina's anticipation was growing more and more uncontainable. It seemed to take forever for the Toad to actually open the door. When he did, light rammed Rosalina right in the face. It took a few seconds to clear, and by the time it did, the Lady of the Shooting Stars was practically blind.

Thankfully, once her eyes adjusted, her heart soared like an eagle that just learned how to fly. Not only was Peach there, sitting on the throne, but her sisters were there as well. Princess Daisy looked like she wore a dress made from woven sunshine, and her Auburn hair complemented her feisty smile. Aqua looked more reserved; her dress looked to be the color of ocean spray, and her chestnut hair was done up in a ponytail. Despite how beautiful these two girls looked though, they were nothing in comparison to the eldest. Peach's beaming face, fair complexion, perfect hair, and gorgeous pink dress made her look like the very definition of a Princess.

All three of the Princesses looked at Rosalina with sparkling eyes. The Toad who had led her to the throne room cleared his throat in the most regal of ways.

"Rosalina, Protector of the Cosmos and Lady of the Shooting Stars, has arrived, your highnesses."

Rosalina took a step forward, doing her best to match the regal atmosphere that the Princesses seemed to be producing. However, as soon as Peach got up from the throne, all of that discomfort melted away. They rushed toward Rosalina. Rose, while taken aback by their sudden burst in energy, still smiled regardless, for the expressions on their faces melted her heart.

"Hey, Rose!" Daisy exclaimed. She grinned cheekily. "Space has really been kind to you."

Rosalina gave a warm smile and nodded. "Thank you. The desert sun of Sarasaland has done likewise to you."

Daisy smirked. "Thanks." She flipped her hair. "Gotta look my best for when the council comes knocking on my door." Her face fell. "Seriously, they are a real pain sometimes."

Rosalina nodded with a solemn expression before turning to Aqua. The teenage girl looked back at her with admiration.

"I don't think we've met before. My name is Rosalina."

Aqua nodded. "Aquamarine of the Lake Kingdom, although I prefer to go by Aqua." She did a curtsey. "I've heard a lot about you, Rosalina. A lot of good things."

Rosalina blushed. The only people she could imagine telling Aqua about her were the Mario Brothers and Peach herself. She looked up at the pink clad princess, who beamed at her with the loveliest smile that Rose had ever seen.

"We are so glad that you could come."

"Thank you. I know….it's been a while...but I was hoping….we might be able to…."

"Rose," Peach said. "It's okay. You don't have to be nervous. Just breathe. Relax. Let all of that weight off your chest."

Rosalina nodded. She took a deep breath, allowing the air to circulate through her body. She noticed how entrancing it smelled, almost like a flower garden. She wouldn't be surprised if Peach had a flower garden somewhere in the back or at the side of her castle.

She smiled at the Princesses. "That's much better."

"Good," said Daisy. She walked back over to the throne and leaned against it in a nonchalant manner. "Now that you're here, what would you like to do? We have a lot of options; golf, soccer, tennis…"

Aqua sent her sister a smirk. "Wow. Of all the things that you mention, the first three have to be some kind of sport. How stereotypical of you."

Daisy shot Aqua a glare. "Well, what would you suggest, Little Miss Know It All?"

Aqua grinned. "Maybe we could swim in the moat? There's a lot of fun stuff we can do there!"

Daisy snickered. "And you call me stereotypical."

Aqua cast her sister another glare just as Peach put her hand on her shoulder. "Ladies, ladies, please. We are all here to have a fun time, not stress each other out. Besides, I won't be able to do a lot of stuff until all my paperwork is filled out."

Aqua cast Peach a raised eyebrow. "Wait. You have paperwork you need to do? And you still invited us all here?"

Peach chuckled. "It isn't a lot; just organizing, stapling, putting things away, shredding; you know, all that fun stuff."

Daisy shook her head. "If that's your definition of fun stuff, you really need to change your definition of fun."

"Ah ha ha, shut up." She turned toward Rosalina. "However, considering that Rosalina is our guest, I think it would be appropriate if we allow her to make the final decision."

All three princesses stared at Rose. She felt her stomach squirm, for she hated being put on the spot. "Well….well…."

"Sports," Daisy whispered in an eerie sort of way.

"Moooaaattt," Aqua whispered in a way that was even eerier.

"Be quiet!" Peach shushed them.

Rosalina kept her head tilted to the ground. They were all good suggestions. However, wouldn't it be the best idea to get the important stuff out of the way first, then dive into leisure activities? Realizing that this was probably the most sensible option, Rosalkna lifted her head.

"I want us to help Peach with her paperwork."

Aqua and Daisy gawked at her, their mouths agape. "Seriously?" They both said in unison.

"Rose," said Peach, waving her hands back and forth as a way of declining the offer. "It's okay. You don't have to do this for me if you don't want to."

"I know. But I think the fun activities will be a lot more fun if we don't have the pressure of something important hanging over our heads. Besides, I want to help you in any way I can, Peach."

Peach paused before nodding. "Okay. Well, then I guess it's settled." She turned toward her sisters. "Come on guys, let's go do the paperwork."

Daisy and Aqua let out groans so loud and so long that they sounded like they hurt their throats.

"Guys, please!" Peach snapped at them. "It was Rose's choice. Now come on."

With that, the three of them followed Peach out of the room. Daisy and Aqua looked at Rosalina with raised eyebrows.

"This had better lead to an extra fun pool party," said Aqua.

"Yeah," said Daisy. "I don't want to spend this visit having my entire brain go numb."

Rosalina tried to cast them a smile, but it felt more like a nervous expression than anything else. "Don't worry. We'll do something fun afterwards. I promise."

AN: I would like to give a shout out to mariobroultimate really quick, as he generously allowed me to include his OC, Princess Aqua, in this story. Thank you, Ultimate.