Boo was surprised to find that his brother was still talking, just like he had been non-stop for the past thirty minutes. If he hadn't been so busy trying to reply to letters from various royal dignitaries, he probably would have been able to cover his paper in tally charts counting the number of times Bowser had said Peach's name since he had entered the room. He had walked into Boo's chambers about half an hour ago, much to Boo's annoyance and confusion, and instantly began gushing about his new favourite princess in pink. While Boo was pleased to see his brother finally happy, he knew it wouldn't last. But who would break his heart first? Him or Peach?

"Are you even listening to me anymore?" Bowser's voice broke Boo from his thoughts.

"Of course I am," Boo smiled easily, putting down his quill and folding up the finished letter on his desk.

"Then what did I just say?" Bowser challenged, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably something about how wonderful, beautiful, or generally perfect your new playmate is," Boo sighed, trying his hardest to not roll his eyes.

"She's more than some silly plaything! I'm falling in love with her, Boo. I truly am. And I think she could love me in return," Bowser crossed his arms in front of his chest defensively. Boo shook his head, stood up from his chair, and walked over to where Bowser stood. He had wanted to delay this conversation for as long as possible, but he could feel the truth in his brother's words; he truly thought he was falling in love and, as his older brother and only surviving family member, it was Boo's job to stop him from getting hurt.

"Royals don't know the meaning of love," Boo said as softly as he could, "either you end this foolishness now and send her home, or you marry her and secure yourself an alliance with her parents kingdom,"

"Marriage isn't about alliances, it should be about love and trust," Bowser stared at his brother in disbelief but Boo only shook his head again, a sad expression on his face.

"No one marries a royal for love, they marry us for wealth and power. Why do you think in all the time I have reigned, I have never once considered marriage as an option for myself? One way or another, all women are the same. And honestly, a fair number of men too. Your princess will be no different," Boo explained, feeling his brother's anger grow in front of him.

"You have no idea what Peach is like! How could you? All you ever do is hole yourself up in your castle, hiding behind these stone walls, until you throw another one of your parties just as an excuse to get drunk and screw a local lord's son," Bowser yelled, his hands curled into fists by his sides. Boo's soft expression turned to stone at Bowser's words.

"Marry her or send her home, I don't care what you choose. But when she breaks your heart, and she will break your heart little brother, don't you dare come running to me," Boo said quietly, his fury barely contained. The two brothers stared each other down, a heavy silence filling the room. Eventually, Bowser broke and turned away, storming out the room and slamming the door as loudly as he could behind him. Boo's shoulders slumped forwards and he collapsed down into his chair, his head heavy in his hands.


Bowser wasn't sure how long he had been walking through the castle gardens, his last conversation with his brother still ringing in his ears. His initial anger at Boo had faded into disbelief and confusion. He had always known his brother had been generally against the idea of marriage, but he had never dreamed that this was the reason why. Did he really distrust the whole world so completely? Bowser sighed to himself, unsure of what to do. What if his brother was right? He didn't want to believe him, but what if there was a chance there was truth to his words?

"Bowser?" the voice of Peach called over to him. Bowser raised his head and saw her smiling and waving at him from a few feet away. But her smile quickly faded upon seeing his hurt expression. She rushed over to him as he sat down on the bench behind him, his eyes trained on the ground. As soon as she was sat beside him, she placed her hand under his chin and gently lifted his face so their eyes met.

"What's wrong?" Peach asked, her brow creased with concern.

"It's just... well, Boo and I had an argument and I've been thinking about what he said," Bowser sighed.

"Well, I'm sure whatever he said to you, he didn't mean it. People often say things they don't mean when they're upset and then regret their words later," Peach reassured him with a soft smile.

"I'm not so sure about that," Bowser shook his head, holding Peach's hands in his own.

"And why's that?" Peach tilted her head slightly. Bowser paused for a moment of consideration before deciding that Peach deserved to know what his brother was asking him to do. So, he told her the whole story of his and Boo's argument.

"I see," Peach mused once Bowser had told her everything, "that sounds like he's pushing you to propose to me,"

Bowser blinked silently at her in response, surprised that was her reaction to what he had just told her.

"Well, would you accept if I did?" Bowser asked nervously, his eyes scanning her's for any sign of what she might say.

"I... I don't know," Peach told him honestly, squeezing his hands gently.

"I won't push you either way. For what it's worth, I think my brother's ideas on marriage are ridiculous and this is all happening far too fast. But I also can't promise that he'll let you return if you decide against it," Bowser smiled sadly at her, returning the squeeze of her hands.

"It is moving rather fast, isn't it?" Peach laughed nervously before her face became more serious again, "I want to properly consider your offer, I really do. But I'm going to need some time to think about it first. I think I should return home for a little while,"

Bowser's heart sank as she spoke, but he knew she was right. He nodded then leaned forwards and pulled her into a hug. She returned his embrace tightly, not wanting to ever let go. Once they pulled apart, they nodded solemnly at each other, knowing this was the right course to take even if it was something neither of them had seen coming so soon. Peach would return home and Bowser would await her response with as much patience as he could muster.