Chapter Twenty-Seven
Peach panicked. She let go of Bowser's limp hand and proceeded to shake him. His eyes and his mouth were still slightly open but she couldn't feel his breath anymore. There was no sign that he was still alive. She desperately put her hand on his neck to feel for a pulse.
There was nothing.
"Bowser. Please don't go," she sobbed, her chest aching immensely under the pressure. "Wake up! Wake up, Bowser!" Peach cried hoarsely as she grabbed his shoulder and tried to shake him. He was like a thousand pound boulder. No matter how hard she tried to shake him, he lay motionless on the cold ground.
*CRACK*
A bright green spark of magic sped past Peach's head, singing a few strands of her hair. Peach's heart burned with sadness and anger as a hysterical laugh filled the air.
"I have to keep ALL of my old promises, huh?! I guess I can't hurt Bowser anymore, but that damn Contract never said anything about you!" Kamella screamed shrilly.
The princess didn't look back at the Magikoopa. Instead, she laid her head on Bowser's chest and began singing softly under her breath. It was a simple tune and she didn't understand the language but the old spell seemed fitting for her last moments.
Kamella screamed angrily at Peach to get her attention but the princess continued to sing brokenly.
"Sol Deus midons e mo Bel-Vezer sal,"
When her mother was alive, one of Peach's favorite things to do was climb trees. She would climb all of the way to the top of the tallest tree in their garden just so she could catch a glimpse of the beautiful landscape beyond the castle walls. Only when the sun had settled beneath the horizon would she climb back down and skip back into the castle.
Toadsworth, her caretaker at the time, would always panic when he caught sight of the little cuts and bruises on her body and rush her to the hospital wing of the castle. Her mother would then calm Toadsworth down patiently and take Peach out of the hospital and to her bedroom. Here, Peach would cry as her mother scolded her for worrying everyone so much and then lovingly hold Peach on her lap as she kissed each of her scrapes and sang sweetly.
. . . . . . . .
. . .
.
"Momma? What is that you are singing?" Peach asked.
"It's an old healing spell that has been handed down in our family for centuries," her mother smiled, tapping Peach's nose playfully.
"What does it mean?" Peach asked with a giggle.
"It means I love you," her mother answered.
.
…
. . . . . . . . .
Peach never remembered any of her scrapes healing but her mother sang it anyway. No matter how bad or silly the injury, she would always sing the same spell. It had been so long since Peach had heard it but she could still remember every word and note.
Her whole body grew tired as she sang and Kamella's angry yelling was starting to fade away.
"Tot ai can volh, qu'eu no deman ren al."
*CRACK!*
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Peach? Oh Sweetyplum, what are you doing here?"
Peach opened her eyes and frantically looked everywhere. She was standing on crystal. The walls around her were crystal but they seemed to be moving. The closer she looked at the walls she could see images.
"Hey, Sweetheart?" the voice behind her called again. Peach spun around quickly, startled to realize that the voice was calling her. Just a few feet away stood a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman.
"Momma?" Peach whispered in disbelief. After a moment of shock, she ran forward and hugged her mother with everything she had. Her smell, her figure, and the softness of her skin were exactly how Peach remembered it.
"Oh, Peach I missed you so much," her mother said as she returned Peach's hug. After a few moments, her mother pulled away and took Peach's hand with a grin. "Come! There is so much I have to tell you!" her mother said, rushing through crystal hallways until they reached a certain wall. Her mother squeezed her hand and walked through the crystal wall pulling Peach with her.
Suddenly, Peach was outside in a massive open field that seemed to stretch in every direction for miles. Everything in the world looked normal. The grass, the sky, and the air were exactly like Peach remembered it being in the world she had just passed from. The only difference was that the air seemed to glitter and felt slightly thicker than normal.
"Peach, before we go, I must tell you that I am so proud of you," her mother said.
"For what?" Peach asked, a little confused.
"We have all been watching you for a while now. Of course, I have been watching you since I left, but the family only started to watch when Bowser started to kidnap you. Then a whole bunch of exciting things started happening and your grandmother began taking bets from the rest of the gossipers in our family…" the queen giggled and shook her head.
"You might find this creepy, but our ENTIRE family has been watching you since the day you made that contract! To be frank, there were a lot of family members who hated Bowser, but there were also a lot of other people that were HUGE fans of him. Your Aunt Clod has been shipping you and Bowser for years now while your Uncle Joey spits whenever he hears Bowser's name. Needless to say, everyone was in an uproar when you admitted your feelings for Bowser! Ahhh!" her mother suddenly hugged Peach and squealed excitedly. Though still confused, Peach giggled as her mother kissed her face all over and squeezed her with all of her strength.
"Mom… I still don't understand… Where are we exactly?" Peach asked curiously.
"Oh, Peach…. I'm sorry. I am getting ahead of myself so let me explain… We are in what mortals call Heaven. Right now, we are standing in the Mushroom Kingdom. The crystal we walked through to get here is Existence. We can be anywhere and see everything while we aren't really… anywhere. Living people can't see us because we don't exist on their plane of Existence but we can see them and walk with them on their journeys. It doesn't technically help, but it makes us feel better when we can be with you through your hardships…" her mother trailed off.
"Anyhow! I have been watching over you since I passed into this plane, but the rest of our family started to watch when I told them that Bowser started to kidnap you. As I said, it may sound creepy, but most of us have been with you the whole time cheering you on," her mother said enthusiastically.
"So where is everyone now? What happened?" Peach asked.
"Everyone is still in the woods. I only brought you here so that you could get a sense of what this place is before throwing you to the wolves… Like I said, the family has been cheering you on… Rather passionately, I might add," her mother said with a hesitant chuckle as she took Peach's hand again and walked forward.
A wall of glass appeared before them but her mother never stopped walking. The glass expanded and then engulfed them within their own reflections. Her mother's hand pulled her through the wall and Peach stumbled a little as she put her hand over her mouth reflexively. If she had been alive, she would have been nauseous from the travel.
When Peach recovered, she lifted her eyes and found herself in a crowded forest. There were hundreds of people gathered in the woods she had just… died in. Some of them sat in the trees while the rest sat or knelt on the ground, eagerly leaning forward trying to get a better look.
"They… all look like me," Peach thought to herself in amazement and then cast a glance around the forest itself. It was exactly how she had left it. A large clearing had been made during Bowser's fight with Kamella. Everything within this clearing had been burnt to the ground or trampled into the dirt. Nothing was left intact except for the two bodies lying in the middle of the clearing.
Peach shivered a little when she saw her own body leaning against Bowser's chest. There was something else that bothered her about this moment as well, but she had no time to dwell on it.
"PEACH!" someone screamed in the crowd. All eyes turned to where she was standing beside her mother. An eruption of cheers broke out from all over the woods and everyone ran towards them. Everyone fought to shake Peach's hand, congratulate her, and hug her. Before she knew it, someone had lifted her up above the crowd and they all started cheering her name.
"Peach! Peach! Peach!"
"Brandon! Put my daughter down! My Stars! Give her some space!" a man with a big black mustache yelled as he pushed through the crowd.
"Papa?" Peach said in surprise as the tall man named Brandon set her down. "You…"
"I passed away, dear…" her father said gently. "Remember when I told everyone to leave me alone and not to bother me so I could rest? Well, I am resting … and no one has found me yet!" the King laughed with a big guffaw.
Peach didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she laughed awkwardly.
"Dear, you're making her feel uncomfortable…" Peach's mother said with warning in her voice.
"Ohh… hmmm… Sorry, my little Pea. Honestly, don't worry about it. Everything will turn out okay for our Kingdom. There will always be someone who will step up to rule the Mushroom Kingdom in our place," the King said, taking Peach's hand and walking her through the crowd. Peach stumbled a little with a new realization. She and her father were the only Mushroom Kingdom royals left. The closest relative would be given the role of King or Queen over the Mushroom Kingdom.
"That would be Daisy!" Peach thought to herself. "She's going to be so mad at me…"
"You know, Peach, I had my doubts about that overgrown lizard for a long time, but when he sacrificed himself to save you it warmed all of our hearts," her father said with a smile. "Peach, I don't care what anyone says, I approve of him and I… ship?... yes! I ship both of you!"
"Papa? Are you talking about…?" Peach stopped dead in her tracks when her eyes caught a glimpse of a large crystal wall. She watched it curiously and then gasped as the Koopa King himself walked through it. He wore a sad smile on his face as he lumbered into the woods where she and her family had gathered.
"Bowser," Peach whispered, the hole in her chest filled immediately. Her father let go of his daughter's hand as she ran towards Bowser. The Koopa looked up at her and his expression changed to confusion as she jumped in the air and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Peach?" he asked, with a grunt. "What is going on? How are you here? I just watched you leave the courtroom and now…?" Peach didn't know how to answer.
"You died?" he whispered, looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Peach cringed and tucked her head into his chest. Was he mad at her?
"Bowser, I'm sorry for how things ended… I didn't mean to die. Please don't be mad at me," she said sadly.
"What? No! I'm not... I just don't understand…" Bowser said, wrapping her in his arms and squeezing her gently. He held her for a short moment but she felt his head turn when something familiar caught her ear.
"Bowser. Please don't go! Wake up! Wake up, Bowser!"
The whole family, who had been quietly watching, quickly started making their way back to their original spots in the forest. There, lying in the middle of the woods was Peach when she was alive. This was the moment when she had tried to wake Bowser up.
*CRACK*
Peach flinched at the sound. Bowser growled and squeezed her tighter as they watched their bodies in the forest.
"I have to keep ALL of my old promises, huh?! I guess I can't hurt Bowser anymore, but that damn contract never said anything about you!" Kamella screamed.
Peach only hummed in response as she began to sing quietly.
Cela del mon qued eu plus volh,
E mais l'am de cor e de fe,
Au de joi mos dihz acolh
E mos precs escout' e rete.
E s'om ja per ben amar mor,
Eu en morrai, qu'ins en mo cor
Li port amor tan fin' e natural
Que tuih son faus vas me li plus leyal.
"You stupid girl! Look at me!" Kamella screamed angrily.
Be sai la noih, can me despolh,
El leih qu'eu no dormirai re .
Lo dormir pert, car eu lo.m tolh
Per vos, domna, don me sove!
Que lai on om a so tezor,
Vol om ades tener so cor .
S'eu no vos vei, domna, don plus me cal,
Negus vezers mo bel pesar no val .
"Look at me in the face!" Kamella shot a spark to get Peach's attention but it was no good. The princess only continued to sing, paying no attention to the angry Magikoopa.
Can me membra com amar solh
La fausa de mala merce,
Sapchatz que tal ira me colh ,
Per pauc vius de joi no.m recre.
Domna, per cui chan e demor ,
Per la bocha.m feretz al cor
D'un doutz baizar de fin' amor coral,
Que.m torn en joi e.m get d'ira mortal
"Fine! I guess I'll just have to make you listen to me!" Kamella rolled up the cuffs of her purple robes and brandished her wand.
Mo Bel-Vezer gart Deus d'ir' e de mal,
S'eu sui de lonh, e de pres atretal
Sol Deus midons e mo Bel-Vezer sal,
Tot ai can volh, qu'eu no deman ren al .
Bowser's grip on Peach loosened slightly as he watched. Was Peach singing to him? Her voice was small and broken but it was probably the sweetest sound he had ever heard.
"Peach, what does it mean?" Bowser asked, looking down at her.
"It means…" Peach started but was cut off.
*CRACK*
*PVVVRR*
A blast of magical shapes intercepted the magic spark that Kamella shot at Peach. The purple-robed Magikoopa scowled and turned her head.
"Tut tut tut! Someone has broken her parole!" Kamek gave a menacing smile as he flew in front of the Princess to shield her from Kamella. "I wonder if the Red Judge minds if I take your severe punishment into my own claws? Heeeehehe!"
Indirect Translation of "Can par la flors josta·l vert
folh," by Bernart de Ventadorn:
She whom I want most on this earth,
And love the more with heart and faith,
She joys to hear and keep my words,
Gathers and stores my pleas always.
And if men die by true love's art,
Then I must die, since in my heart
I bear her love, so true and fine,
All are false to one whom she'll loyal find.
I know when I retire at night
That I shall barely sleep a wink.
My sleep I lose, forego it quite
For you, my lady, as I think!
And where a man hides his treasure
There will his heart reside forever.
Lady I can't leave, if I see you not,
No sight is worth the beauty of my thought.
When I recall how I loved so
One who was false, without mercy,
I tell you such sorrow I did know
There was no path to joy for me.
Lady, for whom I sing and more,
Your lips wounded me to the core,
With a sweet kiss of love heart-true,
Grant joy, save me from mortal sorrow too.
God, guard my Sweet-Sight from harm
Whether I'm near to her or far.
God, my lady and Sweet-Sight save,
That's all I wish, no more I crave.