Apologies for missing a week, life got busy! As such, I will now be uploading further chapters on Saturdays instead of Thursdays.
Bowser was washed and dressed before the sun had even fully risen. Sleep had eluded him all night and there had still been no sign or word from Peach by the time morning came. No one had seen her return during the night and the carriage she had gone out in was still missing from the stables, along with Toadette and the coachman, Yoshi. His initial worry and concern had begun to turn into a deeper fear. It was unlikely she would have purposefully stayed out so late without leaving some kind of note or sign to her whereabouts, so either the coachman had gotten lost in the dark... or something much worse had happened to her. Bowser tried not to dwell on it too much but decided to propose the idea of sending out a search party to his brother over breakfast. As he finished dressing himself, he caught a glance of his reflection in the mirror next to his wardrobe. He stopped in his tracks and watched the tired, anxious, hollow face of the man looking back at him. Sighing, he made one last attempt to fix his hair before leaving his chambers and walking towards the breakfast hall. When he arrived, he saw Boo already sat at the table, a plate of food untouched in front of him. He looked almost as tired as Bowser felt, and it was very unlike him to leave food uneaten. Bowser stared at him with a frown, watching his leg bounce with nervous energy under the table, and started to get the feeling that his brother was more worried about Peach than he had first let on.
"Morning, brother," Boo said with a half-hearted smile, breaking Bowser from his thoughts.
"Morning," Bowser nodded in response, walking over and taking his place opposite Boo at the table. They sat in silence for a moment, both staring at the plates of food in front of them, neither having the energy nor the appetite to eat anything.
"We should send out a search party," both Bowser and Boo said at exactly the same time. Shocked, they both looked up at each other, eyes wide.
"Well, I guess that decides that then," Boo almost laughed and was pleased to see the slightest smile ghost Bowser's lips. Bowser opened his mouth to respond but was cut short by the sound of the doors being opened. Both brothers turned to see a servant stood in the doorway, wringing his hands nervously.
"Your Grace, your Highness," he greeted them, bowing to them both in turn.
"What is it, Master Goomba?" Boo greeted the man in return.
"It's Princess Peach, your Grace. Or rather, the princess' handmaid. They've returned to the castle but... they're in quite a state," the servant spoke quickly. Boo and Bowser stared at each other in disbelief at his words. Bowser was already half-stood from his chair.
"Send them in," Boo beckoned and the man disappeared back behind the door. A few seconds later, Toadette walked into the room.
"My goodness," Bowser gasped, rushing over to them. Their clothes were covered in dirt and dust, and their braids had fallen loose to leave their long pink hair a dishevelled mess. Dark rings set heavy under their eyes and their arms were covered in small cuts, as well as an awful looking red welt that stood out painfully on the back of their head. Bowser took their hand and led them over to a chair.
"Peach, she needs our help," Toadette said shakily, looking up at Bowser with pleading eyes as they sat down.
"First things first," Bowser said softly, trying to calm them, "tell us what happened to you,"
- 12 hours earlier -
Toadette watched their mistress with growing concern. Peach hadn't told them the nature of her argument with the king, but it was clear that it had greatly upset her. She had run to Toadette with tears in her eyes and had all but dragged them away from their duties. They had gone over to the stables with hardly a word and, after Peach had spoken to the coachman named Yoshi for a few minutes, the two of them were in a carriage and riding out of the castle gates so quickly Toadette barely had time to process what was happening. They had both been sat in silence, aside from the occasional quiet sob that fell from Peach's lips, her tears now freely cascading down her face. Toadette's focus flicked between her and the window as they watched the light of twilight fade far quicker than they felt it should; all too soon were they travelling in utter darkness, the shadows of near-by trees only just visible in the gloom. Eventually, Peach's sobs lessened until they stopped entirely, tears still staining her reddened cheeks as she leant her head against the sloped wall of the carriage, her eyes unfocused as she gazed out the window. Toadette went to say something to her but suddenly the coach came to a halt, surprising both of them as they were jerked forwards in their seats. After a moment of silence, Peach slid down the top section of the window to hear the sound of the coachman's boots hitting the ground with a soft thud.
"Is everything okay out there?" Peach called out into the darkness.
"No need to worry, your Highness, there's just a felled tree blocking our path. It's not too big, so it shouldn't be too heavy to lift out of the way," the voice of the coachman called back to them.
"Well, please be careful, don't get yourself hurt. And if it's too much hassle, don't worry. We should probably start to head back home soon anyway. Bowser will begin to worry where I've gone," Peach replied and listened to the sound of the coachman's footfalls grow distant as he approached the tree. Both Peach and Toadette sat quietly, listening out for the sound of Yoshi and any possible movement from the tree. At first, they both just sat patiently, looking out the window into the darkness of the trees lining the road. But, as time ticked by and nothing was heard, Peach began to grow anxious.
"Yoshi? Are you okay?" Peach called to the coachman through the window again, but this time no response came. After a few more moments, Peach reached out and opened the carriage door.
"My lady!" Toadette gasped, reaching out to stop her in protest.
"It's okay," Peach gave them a reassuring smile, "I'm sure everything's fine, I'm just going to tell Yoshi not to worry, we really should be turning for home by now,"
After a moment of hesitation, Toadette let go of Peach's arm. Peach opened the carriage door and stepped outside, before closing the door again behind her. Toadette sat in silence as they listened to the sound of their mistress' footsteps grow fainter as she moved away from the carriage. They couldn't help the nervous feeling in their stomach; something felt wrong about all of this. Toadette began to fiddle with the hem of their dress when a sudden, chilling scream shattered the quiet surroundings. In an instant, Toadette yanked open the carriage door and tumbled out, frantically looking out into the darkness around them. They caught movement out of the corner of their eye and turned towards the road just in time to see a man dragging a kicking and thrashing Peach into the treeline.
"Peach!" Toadette yelled, reaching out their hand and sprinting towards her. Peach looked up and stared with frantic, wide eyes in Toadette's direction before a sharp pain exploded in the back of Toadette's head. They collapsed to the floor in a heavy heap, their arms and hands scraping across the rocks and dirt at the edge of the road.
"No... Peach," they managed to whisper, though it was hardly more than a pained croak, before everything went black.
- Present -
"When I woke, it was still dark. I didn't even know if it was still the same night. Everything was gone, no sign of Peach, Yoshi, the carriage, or the horses. I had no idea where I was. I began walking down the road, simply hoping that I was going in the right direction. Eventually, just as the sun was beginning to rise, I came to a small hamlet on the roadside. I bought a horse with all the coin I had left, which wasn't much, asked for directions to the castle, and rode straight here," Toadette's voice shook, tears gleaming in their eyes. They took a deep breath and looked down at their hands in an attempt to steady themself.
"Did you see who took her? Any defining features? A uniform or coat of arms on their clothes? Weapons? Anything?" Boo asked as gently as he could. He could feel his brother's emotions rising next to him but was trying to remain calm himself. If anyone was going to be rational in this situation, it would have to be him.
"No... I didn't see anything, it was too dark," Toadette shook their head, their whole body shaking as they tried to contain a sob. Boo went to say something to comfort them, but Bowser stepped forwards before he could even open his mouth.
"I'll get her back, I swear to you," Bowser said fiercely and it took all of Toadette's willpower and respect for their mistress' husband to not flinch away from him. Without another word, Bowser turned on his heels and strode out of the room.
