Chapter 7 Entrancing Invite

Peach yawned and made her way down the hall toward the dining room. Last night had provided her with a very relaxing session of sleep. Sure, her hair was like a frizzy haystack right now, and her skin was baggy beyond belief. Regardless, she still felt refreshed. And she was definitely going to continue feeling refreshed once she got some food in her system.

When she got to the dining room, she was pleased to see that her sisters were already present. They looked as exhausted and unkempt as she did, but she didn't care. She smiled at them, drawing their eyes and their attention onto her.

"Good morning, dear sisters."

Daisy snorted. "Dear sisters, huh?" She leaned against her closed knuckle. "You must be really tired."

Peach let out a huff. "Shut up. I can address you decently when I desire, can't I?" This got a laugh out of Daisy and Aqua, causing the princess to blush. "Umm...let's just…" she sat down. "Let's just eat breakfast already."

As if that was the cue, the servants came bustling out with food. French toast dipped in a layer of cinnamon, eggs as fluffy as the clouds above, and oatmeal that smelled alluring were all present. Peach in particular had her eyes on the shiny, perfectly ripe fruits. She grabbed a peach off the plate and took a bite out of it.

"Cannibal," Aqua snorted. This got her another glare from Peach and a laugh from Daisy, which seemed to be all that was necessary to satisfy her. She dug into her strawberry pancakes with a grin.

Once she was finished with her breakfast, Peach cleared her throat. "So. How are you two doing today?"

"Oh, we're doing fine, dear sister," Daisy said with a snicker. "Last night was good."

"Excellent, as a matter of fact," Aqua chimed in. "Granted, I spent most of it unable to sleep as I thought about how awful the Koopas are, but hey! That happens."

Daisy grumbled, and Peach's face fell. She directed her gaze down toward her clean plate as a swirl of negative emotions came pouring into her mind.

"It shouldn't," Peach said. "It really shouldn't."

"Yep," Daisy said, causing her lips to pop on the last letter. "You're right Peach." She snickered. "For once."

Peach scrunched up her brow. "Hey! What is this; make fun of your older sister day?"

"No, that's next week," said Aqua. "And believe me, I'm preparing something very special for that occasion."

Peach grit her teeth. "You'd better not…" Before she could say anything more, a collection of sparkles appeared right in the middle of the table. All three of the princesses blinked. "What the…?"

BOOM!

The three of them were pushed straight out of their seats onto the floor. Peach grit her teeth and put her hands to her ringing ears. She stood up and looked at the others. "Are you alright?"

"What?" Daisy screamed.

Aqua nodded, looking taken aback. "We're fine." She stared at the table. "How did that happen?"

Peach approached the table, albeit cautiously. One thing immediately caught her eye; an envelope shining like the sun in the center. Used to close it was a seal that resembled a grand star. In other words…

"I think this is Rosalina's doing."

Daisy shook her head. "Could she use methods that DON'T put our hearing in danger next time?"

Peach picked up the envelope and tore it open. She read through the writing on the parchment, written in golden ink, out loud.

To my dear and precious friends,

First of all, if an explosion occurred, I apologize. This is a relatively new spell that I m learning and still need to perfect it.

Second, I have arranged an event that I long for you to take part in. It involves a very interesting game of A Thousand Blank White Cards. I have invited quite a number of people to participate. I have a feeling that it will be enjoyable.

Please meet me at the Little Fungi Inn in Toad Town at noon today. Please don't be late.

Yours Truly, Rosalina

Aqua looked confused. "What's A Thousand Blank White Cards?"

Peach shrugged. "I don't know. I've never heard of it before."

"Well, Rose said that it is some kind of game in the letter," Daisy said. She grinned devilishly. "That's all that I need to hear."

Aqua rolled her eyes. "You and your one track mind about competition."

Daisy just smirked at her. "You and your one track mind about water!"

"Guys!" Peach snapped. She looked down at the invite again. While she didn't know what A Thousand Blank White Cards was nor what it entailed, she wasn't going to pass up another opportunity to hang out with Rosalina. Especially after their last gathering was so...disastrous. "I say we go."

"Yeah, me too!" Daisy exclaimed.

Aqua smiled. "I guess it's unanimous then."

…

"Here it is," Peach said. "The Little Fungi Inn."

The place wasn't that impressive; just a little cobblestone building with a red roof. Peach hadn't the slightest clue why Rosalina chose this as the base of operations. Nothing stood out about it.

"Well, what are we waiting for; another explosive invitation?" Daisy asked. She took a step toward the door. "Come on you guys; let's go see what Rose has up her sleeves."

So, they all stepped in. The interior resembled a very dimly lit restaurant; the only source of light was one singular lamp hanging over the center table. Speaking of the center table, Rosalina sat there. By her side was a man who Peach didn't recognize.

"Hello, everyone; so glad that you could make it!" Rosalina exclaimed. She stood up and went over to shake everyone's hands. "We are going to have so much fun!"

"Yes, that is the hope," Peach said. She looked at the young man sitting at the table. He looked odd, with his milky white skin and golden hair. "Who is this young man?"

Rosalina beamed. "This is my son, Solar."

When she said his name, Solar got up and came over. Peach noticed that he almost seemed to glow in this dim lighting. He took her hand and shook it. "It's nice to finally meet you, Princess Peach."

Peach smiled. "You...you too." She looked at Rose. "I didn't know you had a son."

Rose laughed. "He's adopted, actually."

"Adopted?" asked Aqua.

"Yes; it's a long story." She went over back over to the table and gestured for everyone to take a seat. "The game will begin shortly; we just need to wait for the other guests."

Daisy blinked. "Other guests?"

"Mmhm," Rosalina said with a nod. "They are...well, you'll see when they get here." Her eyes twinkled. "Let's just say this will be an interesting game."