Note: I decided to go back and re-add the details in the previous chapter. It is no longer uncensored because there was no good reason for me to butcher my story in the first place! Heh Heh :3

Also, warning! There is some abusive content in this chapter.

~Shaka!

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next day Peach didn't come out of her room or let anyone in. Every servant in the castle was panicking. The princess had no food, no tea, no freshly pressed clothes, and no one had cleaned her room for over 24 hours. Several of her subjects, including Toadsworth, knocked on her door and tried to ask what was going on but they were given no answers.

Inside her room, Peach laid on her bed looking at the ceiling. Her tears had run dry hours ago but she still silently wept. Her lungs burned, muscles screamed in pain, head throbbed, and her heart was tattered and torn but… still fully functioning. Bowser's face kept flashing across her vision no matter how much she tried to think of anything else. She never wanted to forget something so much, and yet she had never wanted something any more than she did now.

*Thump*

Peach sat up and looked around to see where the noise had come from. She listened in silence for a couple minutes, shrugged, and laid back down.

*Thump… CRASH!*

"Ouch…"

Peach quickly rolled out of bed and ran to her bathroom door. Opening it, she found Toadette lying on the floor along with a bunch of chocolate truffles scattered across the floor. The little pink-capped Toad jumped to her feet in fright and shuffled her feet nervously.

"Princess… I am sorry to disturb you," Toadette said with a bow, wincing a little with the effort.

"Toadette, how on earth did you get in there? Are you alright?" Peach asked with concern as she walked forward.

"I… came in yesterday to lay out fresh chocolates in the bathroom. They get stale after a day or two when they are left in the open air. And yes, I'm fine. I'll be sure to leave as soon as I clean up the mess. I promise, Princess. I truly am sorry," Toadette explained quickly.

"Oh my, Toadette… have you been in there all night?" Peach asked in shock. "You poor girl. Come out of there and let me check for any injuries. I have a First Aid Kit in here somewhere…" Peach said as she hurriedly grabbed Toadette a chair and looked around for her First Aid Kit.

"You are too kind, your Highness. I couldn't possibly…" Toadette stated, flustered and embarrassed.

"You can and you will. Sit down and tell me if anything hurts," Peach said. Toadette nodded her head and watched the princess clean and bandage the scratches on her elbows an hands.

"Princess?" Toadette asked.

"Yes, Toadette?" Peach answered.

"I am sorry you are so sad. Umm… I know I was told not to ask but… does it have something to do with Mario?"

Peach looked up from her work in surprise and Toadette blushed nervously.

"No… It is something else, but thank you for being concerned. Who told you not to ask?" Peach asked curiously.

"Oh… Toasdworth had us agree to keep Mario topics off limits. After Mario left, Toadsworth didn't want anyone to bother you with all of that stuff. I mean, sorry… I know how much Mario meant to you…"

"Oh, Toadette, don't worry! Everything with Mario is okay now…" Peach trailed off.

Toadsworth…

"Do you know anything about what happened between me and Mario?" Peach asked curiously.

"Well, when we found you, there was an open letter that Mario left for you. It was a breakup letter. No one was there in person, but it was stated in the letter that…"

Toadette trailed off and looking at the princess uncomfortably, but Peach smiled warmly and motioned for her to continue.

"The letter stated that Mario "couldn't do this anymore" and he didn't love you like you did him. He wrote that he wasn't coming back. We were all shocked and, when Toadsworth read it, he told us that bringing it up would only hurt you more. The way you fainted and became sick for weeks was proof of that."

"I see... Thank you for being so considerate, Toadette. But, don't worry too much about me. As much as it hurts to know that Mario is gone, it would be a lie to act like he was never there. He is a good man and, though my heart hurts when I think of him, it makes me want to become better," Peach explained, smiling kindly.

"Oh, Princess! You are the most selfless person I know! I hope I can be as positive as you someday," Toadetted stated dreamily.

Peach chuckled, "You already are, Toadette. I am sorry to have alarmed you. Also, thank you for always being so thoughtful."

"Oh, Princess! Of course! Thank you so much for bandaging my scrapes. I am sure to be as good as new now. I won't keep you any longer either," Toadetter said as she slid off the chair and inspected her hands. Before she opened the door to leave, she looked back at the pale and sad looking princess. "Is there anything you want or need? I promise I won't let anyone bother you and I will sit by your door all day to make sure of it!" Toadette stated with pride.

"Actually, there is one thing I need to do. Could you send for Toadsworth to visit me?" Peach asked with a small smile.

"Oh, yes! I will call him right away!" Toadette stated, hurrying out the door.

"She really is such a thoughtful girl," Peach thought to herself.

As the princess waited, she put her normal makeup on but dressed herself up in jeans and a pink t-shirt. It felt strange to wear it in the castle, but it was one of the most comfortable outfits she had ever worn. By the time she was done, she heard a knock on her door. When she opened it, Toadette stood proudly with a grin on her face.

"I brought Toadsworth for you! Let me know if you need anything else," the little Toad said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Toadette," Peach answered with a genuine smile. As she thanked her, Toadsworth walked into the Princess's room proudly with his cane in hand. Worry had obviously been his constant friend by the looks of the wrinkles on his face.

As they both sat down at Peach's balcony tea table, Toadsworth was brimming with questions, "Princess! It is so good to see you! I am so glad you are home safe! Everyone was worried sick about you. Well, we still are… Why have you been in your bedroom for so long without any necessities? Did that brute harm you? Are you injured or sick? I can't believe the gull of that monstrous..." He continued to rant until the Princess finally interrupted him.

"Toadsworth," Peach said flatly, earning his immediate attention. "Did you know Mario is engaged?"

Toadsworth's face paled.

"Princess, what are you saying? That is preposterous!" he chuckled nervously.

"Oh, but it is true. Mario is in love with another woman and he is engaged. Which is interesting, because you showed me his tombstone when I woke up five days after his death," Peach continued, never taking her eyes off of Toadsworth's face. He flinched but kept a calm demeanor. A true politician.

"Did you read that in the Celebrity News? Peach, you know they aren't a reputable source for information…" he explained.

"Actually, he told me himself," Peach stated. Toadsworth opened his mouth but stopped when the look on her face changed from pleasant to angry. "Tell me. Why is it that you ordered the whole Mushroom Castle not to speak of or ask about Mario?"

"B-because it could hurt you after…" Toadsworth tried to explain, but Peach would have none of it.

"After what? After he dumped me?" Peach asked. Toadsworth was stunned. "It was hard to believe that Mario was dead but it was even harder to believe that no one else knew about his death and had been misled to believe that he randomly decided to leave." Toadsworth opened his mouth but was once again silenced.

"You were there the night Kamella killed Mario. How did you happen to avoid her sleeping spell? Or should I be asking something else? Such as, how could you blatantly lie to and betray your Princess?" Peach asked calmly but with daggers in her words.

"How dare you speak to me in such a tone? I am loyal to the throne!" Toadsworth exclaimed heatedly.

"You may have been once, but you became a traitor the moment you covered for a foreign terrorist," Peach stated with disdain in her voice.

"I did nothing of the sort! I have only ever done what is best in the throne's interest," Toadsworth claimed with pride.

"Even when you have no authority to act politically without the permission of the royal family?" the Princess argued.

"Peach! Your father has been sick…" Toadsworth contended.

"You may address me as Your Highness or Princess Peach. And no. My father has cut himself off from political affairs, as well as the rest of the castle, to avoid being held captive by your ridiculous schedules. May I also remind you that my rank is higher than yours as you are my adviser, not my personal caretaker?" Peach stated, watching Toadsworth's face burn red in anger.

"Your father was never held captive within these walls! They are required meetings that were and still need to be dealt with as soon as possible. As for your last question, I was assigned to be your advisor along with the responsibility of being your caretaker," Toadsworth explained.

Peach chuckled, "My father specifically stated that your mantle of caretaker would be void as soon as I turned eighteen. I am now twenty-three years old and you have been given no other orders than those originally given to you," Peach said, smiling coldly.

"I have a duty to…" Toadsworth began.

"You have a duty to do as you are told by your leaders! I am your leader when the King resigns for any reason at all unless he says otherwise," the Princess explained with exaggerated diction. Toadsworth was furious and his face began changing to darker shades of red. "As your leader, I now ask you to retire and resign from your post as my advisor."

"What?!" Toadsworth jumped up from his chair and stood before the princess.

"Either that or you will be honorably discharged," Peach continued definitely, remaining seated in her chair.

"You can't do that! I am the head of the Mushroom Kingdom Council! I have been working tirelessly for the crown for years!" Toadsworth stated with panic rising in his voice.

"I can and I already have. I will expect to have your papers of resignation on my desk within the next 24 hours. After all, that is more than fair isn't it?" Peach said icily.

"I… Your Highness I have always been loyal to the crown's future," Toadsworth explained with feigned composure.

"Traitors create a broken system, Toadsworth. You should be hung for your crimes but… I would rather not sully my hands with your blood. Also, don't worry about the kingdom. I will be sure to invest in the most prosperous future possible," Peach stated with a devious smile.

Toadsworth's face blanched. His reaction was the final nail in his coffin. As angry as Peach was, she felt nothing else. There was no sadness as she sent him out of her room. The attachment the princess had felt for Toadsworth was gone. She knew he had done what he thought was best but even the best intentions couldn't give her back what she had lost.

Closing the door behind Toadsworth as he left, the princess sat back down at her balcony table. She felt hollow and everything she had ever looked forward to in her life seemed meaningless. There was only one thing that could make her feel anything now.

"Please, Stars," Peach whispered in a quiet prayer, "Watch over Bowser."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bowser was in a trance. He had been lying under the bridge near the Mushroom Castle since the day before, and he still didn't have the will to move. Why should he? No one knew he was there and even if someone did, they probably wouldn't care. He was the worthless Koopa his former wife had always told him he was.

He could just hear her now…

...

"I told you..."

..

.

"I told you that no one would ever love you more than me," Clawdia said with a knowing smile.

Bowser only sat on his bed watching the TV on the wall. "How much did you pay her? Yet she didn't even strip for you when she saw you without your shell, did she? Tell me, how is a strong, rich man like you so ugly?"

"If you find me so repulsive, why are you still here? You have already given me a child," Bowser growled.

"Because I signed a marriage contract, which clearly states that I cannot divorce you until I give you your true heir. Last time I checked, Ludwig has blue hair, not red. Soooo I am stuck with your disgusting mug until you have a traditional red-haired prince," she explained with a grimace on her face.

"Is that why you paid the last girl not to do her job? If you're afraid someone else will conceive my future heir, don't worry. I'll continue to have children with you until you have a red-haired Koopaling so that we can both be free of this cursed marriage," Bowser stated sullenly as he flipped to another channel.

"And have some other whore-child take the throne that MY blood should have? Absolutely not! I am not going to go through all of this suffering just so MY heir gets second place!" Clawdia snarled. "Speaking of which, I have fully recovered from giving birth. Since the last girl didn't give you what you wanted, how about I do it for you?"

Bowser kept his eyes on the TV but he could hear her set her shell on the floor beside the bed. He was starving for physical touch after being deprived of it for nine months of Clawdia's absence, but her words had smothered his need.

Was he really that ugly? Bowser knew his wife always paid other girls to stay away from him, but maybe part of it was his body. Didn't most handsome Koopas have at least some girls chasing after them? Hell, even ugly rich Koopas had chicks.

"Awww… Are you mad that I think you're revolting?" Clawdia said as she leaned into his side and looked at his face with a devious smile. "Would it help if I told you that you might not be the ugliest person out there? You're the ugliest of all Koopas to be sure. You have no sex appeal at all for women and men alike, but there are still other species out there that you might be better than." Clawdia chuckled and slid her hand under his shell.

"No," he thought to himself with determination. "I am sexy as hell and I'll prove it to her."

Before his wife could react, Bowser was all over her doing everything he could to please her. He had read every trick in the book and he crushed every single technique to perfection... but when he had done all he could, she still left unsatisfied.

He had failed and he cried.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Bowser….Pssssstttt You're Highness," a voice came cutting through Bowser's lonely void.

"Hm?" he grunted, opening his crusted eyes slowly. The sun was just starting to go down and the sky was shifting through certain colors that he didn't want to think about.

"You really can sleep anywhere can't you?" Kamella stated with a smirk. Bowser's eyes flipped open wide when he recognized her voice. A low growl rumbled through his chest.

"Leave me alone, old hag," Bowser grumbled as he sat up from his spot in the grass.

"You look absolutely terrible. Did wooing Peach not go as planned?" Kamella chuckled.

Bowser only looked at her. He knew he should be angry, but he had nothing left. His pride was broken along with his spirit.

"I told you. You should have brought them to fear us. Maybe the princess would have married you if you had been a little more intimidating," Kamella continued.

"Peach deserves better than that and I deserve better than a life built on the fear of others," Bowser stated.

"Well, that isn't what I wanted to hear at all…" Kamella said with a sarcastic pout.

Bowser glared at Kamella but continued to sit where he was. He wasn't ready to leave just yet. This might be the last time he would be this close to Peach again.

"mmph!"

The Koopa King looked around. The muffled noise had come from the direction of the castle. His eyes widened. A group of people clothed in black was running away from the castle with a long wiggly black bag held above their heads.

"Peach…" Bowser whispered under his breath as he got up from the ground and ran forward towards the band of kidnappers.

"Idiots! I told them not to run past the front of the castle…" Kamella stated as she took out her wand. With a swish of her wand, a cloud of blue sparks encased Bowser. He held his breath and looked back at her with fury in his eyes. "Just breath, my King. This will all be over before you know it," Kamella stated with an evil grin.

Putting one hand over his mouth and nose, Bowser ran forward with his other hand stretching out for Kamella. He would at least take her out before the magic took him.

He was quicker than the old Magikoopa had anticipated. With a squawk, she ran in the opposite direction and summoned her broom. Bowser's claw was just above her head when the broom scooped Kamella up and she sped into the sky. In a final act of desperation, Bowser used his remaining breath and let out a massive burst of flame which hit Kamella straight in the back as she retreated.

"Wahhhhhh!" Kamella squealed as she fell from the sky on a smoking broom. Her crashing to the ground was the last thing Bowser saw before he finally passed out from inhaling the blue magic.

"That bastard! This was my favorite broom!" Kamella yelled in anger as she inspected the charred and splintered remains of her cherished broomstick. She looked back at the unconscious Koopa King and frowned sourly, "I'll make sure you pay for that."