All Bowser could see was red. He stormed towards his chambers and slammed open the doors. His entire body had filled with rage upon hearing Toadette's story. Not anger at them, of course; they were just a handmaid, there was little they could have done to stop what had happened to Peach. But still, Bowser's blood boiled at the thought of someone thinking they could take his wife so easily from him. If they had hurt her in any way... Bowser's hand curled around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white. The sound of the door opening broke him from his quickly darkening thoughts and he turned to see Boo rushing towards him, a strange expression on his face.
"I'll lead my knights into the near-by forest, hopefully we'll be able to find traces of where they've taken her," Bowser said, trying to keep his voice steady as he spoke.
"I'll go with you, if we split up we'll be able to cover more ground. Whoever has her can't have gotten far," Boo said firmly, but Bowser didn't miss the nervousness on the edge of his words.
"You don't have to come. We'll do fine without you," Bowser tried to reassure him; Boo had never been much of a physical fighter, his skills lay in fights of wits and persuasion. But Boo quickly shook his head.
"No, I really do have to come with you... for my own sake as well as Peach's," Boo looked down at the floor and Bowser frowned.
"Why?" Bowser asked, confused at Boo's mixed emotions.
"Because... this may have been my fault," Boo spoke quietly. Bowser stood completely still, Boo's words weighing down on him like a stone.
"How?" Bowser questioned, turning to fully face his brother. Being the taller of the two, he towered over Boo and suddenly, the king felt rather small.
"Just before you found us in the gardens yesterday evening, she and I had been... quarrelling,"
"Over dinner plans, you already told me," Bowser crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"No, I lied. I was too embarrassed to tell you before. But, I've had my doubts about her since you first met her. I thought she was just another power-hungry noble looking to climb the ladder and use you for your position. So I... confronted her about it. I said things to her that I deeply regret; things that upset her enough to make her run away," Boo spoke quickly, still looking down at the floor. A heavy silence hung in the air, the space between the two brothers almost crackling with tension. Unable to take the silence, Boo finally looked up and saw Bowser's green eyes boring into him.
"I was trying to protect you," Boo gently pleaded, unsure of what else he could say; he would have done anything in that moment to stop Bowser from looking at him with such fury. But, as quickly as it had arrived, Bowser's anger seemed to suddenly vanish. His face became a cold, detached mask and he stepped back.
"We'll talk about this later," Bowser said, that quiet fury still in his voice, before picking up his satchel from the bed and slinging it over his back. He pushed past Boo and made his way out of the room. Boo breathed deeply, allowing himself a moment to steady his racing heart before heading out to collect his sword from the armoury. The two of them reunited on the stone steps at the castle entrance ten minutes later. The majority of Bowser's knights, as well as some of Boo's personal guard, were already gathered- all fully armoured, the customary purple cloaks of the Koopa Kingdom military gently flapping in the wind behind them. Bowser stood in front of the groups of men and women, briefing them all on the situation and plan, his righthand Sir Toadstool stood by his side like always. Boo allowed himself the ghost of a smile as he watched his brother; Bowser had always been cautious around others, often shying away from crowds even when he had been young, but when it came to his knights, he led them fearlessly and without fault. He was loyal to them, and they were loyal in return. Boo walked over to the crowd and stood at Bowser's side just as he finished his explanations. Bowser looked at him and nodded but made no move to speak with him. Instead, he turned and walked a little way back up the steps to were Toadette was stood. They had been given new clothes and a chance to re-braid their hair, but they still looked just as tired and if not even more frightened than they had done when they had arrived back at the castle.
"We won't return until she is found, I promise you this," Bowser reassured them. Despite the fact that they looked to be on the verge of tears, Toadette straightened their back and tilted their chin upwards slightly as they looked at him.
"I know, I trust that my mistress is safe in your hands," Toadette nodded, and Bowser found himself smiling.
"Your courage is truly commendable, Toadette. I will honour that trust you place in me," Bowser said softly and Toadette smiled back at him, their shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. Giving them one last smile, Bowser turned from them and walked back down the steps. He swiftly mounted his horse, Boo and the other knights following suit. Then, he led them out of the castle gates and into the wilds of the Koopa Kingdom forests.
Peach awoke slowly, her body aching and a dull throb pulsing in the back of her head. Straining to open her eyes against the light of the room, she groaned as she attempted to pull herself upright, every muscle in her body protesting as she did so. As she pushed her hands underneath herself, she was surprised to find a soft, springy surface. It took her a moment to realise that she was laying on a mattress. Once she finally opened her eyes fully, she was even more surprised at the sight in front of her. She was lying in an elegant four poster bed inside a cozy, warmly lit bedroom. A dresser and mirror stood in the corner with a plush looking armchair and well stocked bookcase on the opposite wall. The room itself was very small, yet still held an expensive air about it. But Peach could feel there was something off about this place; something lay under the surface of the seemingly innocent and beautiful atmosphere that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approach the door and Peach froze, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes fixed on the doorway. Almost in slow motion, the door to the room opened and a man dressed in a red shirt and dirt-covered overalls stepped inside.
"Ah! I'm glad to see you're finally awake," the man smiled at her from beneath his moustache, but Peach could sense the malicious intent disguised by his apparent kindness.
"Where am I?" Peach demanded, trying to appear far more confident than she really felt. After all, every princess is trained to deal with kidnappers from a young age and Peach's childhood had been no different in that respect. For a while, the man didn't reply. Instead, he walked over to the other side of the bed and placed down a mug of something hot next to her, before reaching over and opening the curtains that covered the one small window on the righthand wall. Peach watched him carefully, never taking her eyes off him.
"You don't need to be afraid. You're safe here with me," the man spoke softly, staring out the window. Briefly, Peach's eyes flicked to the window to find the first signs of the sun beginning to rise.
"Is that usually how you make people feel 'safe'? Kidnap them from the roadside after dark and imprison them here?" Peach challenged him.
"Kidnap?" the man turned around and Peach saw a look of genuine confusion on his face, as though what she had said was complete madness.
"Yes, that's generally what it's called when you lure people out of their carriages and drag them off into the forest," Peach continued, sitting up straighter.
"Oh no, my dear," the man suddenly laughed, shaking his head, "I wasn't kidnapping you, sweet princess. I was rescuing you,"
"I beg your pardon?" Peach asked; now it was her turn to be utterly confused.
"You are Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, are you not?" the man questioned, walking over to stand at the foot of the bed.
"Who's asking?" Peach asked, drawing her legs in towards her.
"It doesn't matter who I am," the man brushed off quickly, "what matters is that you were violently taken from your homeland by those awful, greedy Koopa brothers and forced into marriage with that brute, Prince Bowser. As soon as I heard of your tragic story, I knew at once that I had to save you from their clutches. So here you are, saved at last,"
"I assure you, whatever stories you seem to have heard about my circumstances are false. I left my parents' kingdom and married Bowser completely of my own free will. I have no need of rescuing from neither Bowser nor Boo. They do not keep me imprisoned; I simply choose to stay because with them is where I am happiest," Peach explained, hoping that this was all just some misunderstanding.
"Oh dear, this is worse than I thought," the man frowned, shaking his head again.
"I am quite content with my life in the Koopa Kingdom, and I would very much like to return to it," Peach continued pushing; maybe, if she could get the message through to him, he would let her go.
"You poor thing, you've been so terrified by those monster's that they've managed to brain wash you into thinking you're actually happy with them. What a ridiculous notion!" the man gave her a pitying look and it took all of Peach's willpower to keep her anger at bay.
"I am happy," Peach insisted, her confidence fading as she spoke; it looked like it was going to be harder to escape from this madman after all.
"You're not, you can't be. Not there, not with them. No, Prince Bowser has clearly manipulated you beyond reason. But, no matter. The longer you stay here, the clearer your mind will become," the man appeared to almost be speaking to himself, his expression lost in deep thought.
"You will not hold me here," Peach allowed some of that anger to slip into her voice; she was sick and tired of everyone else thinking they could control her and that they knew 'what was best'.
"It's for your own good, trust me," the man gave her one last sad smile before walking quickly back towards the door.
"No, wait! Listen to me," Peach scrambled out of the bed towards him. But her muscles were still weak from her fight earlier that night and her legs buckled beneath her. She stumbled forwards just as the man closed the door and she slammed into it, her wrists stinging from the impact.
"You must listen to me!" Peach yelled through the door, her fists hammering against the wood. There was a moment of silence that passed, and Peach almost began to hope that the man would open the door again. But, instead, she heard the sound of a key enter the keyhole on the other side and turn, locking her inside the room. Then the sounds of fading footsteps moving away from the room until Peach was once again left alone. Sighing to herself, she slid down the side of the door until she hit the floor, her legs curled up underneath her. She could feel the tears beginning to form in her eyes as a dull ache encompassed her heart; would this always be her life, destined to forever be imprisoned by those who thought she were incapable of making her own decisions? Would she ever be truly free? But, just as the fear and hopelessness began to take hold, she closed her eyes and turned her vision inwards. She steadied her shaking hands and slowed her racing heart. Breathing deeply, she calmed her nerves and formed one very important thought in her mind- she would not be held like this. She needed to escape. Exhaling and opening her eyes, Peach started to plan.
