Peach knew she needed to get out of this place. She had been waiting in the locked room for a while now, planning her escape and biding her time. She surveyed the view out of the small window, which of course was locked- wherever she was being held, she was on the second of two floors, and there seemed to be nothing else around them for miles other than trees and forest. She assumed she was still somewhere within the Koopa Kingdom, given both the vastness of the kingdom's expanse and the fact that her kidnapper would not have been able to carry her far without horses or a carriage. Peach could just about make out a narrow dirt track that led out of the forest and towards, she assumed, a larger road. This was the path she planned to follow, hoping that once she reached the road she would be able to find someone who could help her- or, at the very least, she would pass by somewhere she could steal a horse and ride as far away from this place as possible. The only problem was the vigilance of her kidnapper. She could hear him moving around on the floor below her and he would often climb the stairs and pass by the door to her room. He had not entered or spoken to her again, but she knew he was constantly listening for any suspicious sounds.

She had every step of her plan in place aside from one. She had no idea how she would get past her kidnapper unseen. But, just as that thought began to sit more deeply in her mind, Peach heard the sound of the door to the cabin opening. Running over to the window, she pressed herself up against the wall and peered out to see her kidnapper locking the door to the cabin and walking out into the trees with a basket in his arms. Peach was confused at the sight but couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips at the sudden luck that had struck her. She waited a few more minutes and watched the window carefully but she couldn't see any sign of the man nor anyone else out in the forest. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, she began to put her plan into motion. Pulling out a hairpin from her hair, she carefully placed it into the lock on the window and began to gently tease the mechanisms inside. From when she had been old enough to walk, her parents had placed locks on everything; doors to rooms they didn't want her entering, chests and trunks they didn't want her rummaging through, even the kitchen cupboards so that she couldn't even control what food she could eat. Because of this, Peach had learnt at a very young age how to pick a variety of different locks using what she had available to her. After a few carefully placed movements, there was a click and the lock popped open. She allowed herself the briefest of smiles at her success before opening the window. She leaned out to assess the height of the jump; it wasn't too high. Steeling herself, Peach climbed up onto the windowsill and hung her legs out the other side. She stared at the ground, hoping she wasn't hugely misjudging her ability to make this without shattering every bone in her body. With a quiet gasp, Peach placed her hands underneath her body and pushed. And then she was falling.

Bracing herself for impact, Peach curled in on herself as she fell. She hit the ground and rolled forwards into the dirt. She lay still for a moment, waiting to see if anyone had seen or heard her as well as to test if anything had broken. Quietly flexing each of her limbs, Peach was surprised and delighted to find that everything appeared to still be intact. Pulling herself to her feet, she instantly began making her way towards the dirt track she had spotted from the window, as quickly and quietly as she could. Her heart pounded in her chest as she moved through the shadows of the trees, her head constantly flicking side to side. But, just as she began to calm and the slightest bit of hope crawled into her veins, the silence surrounding her was shattered by a loud bark. Gasping in shock at the sudden noise, Peach turned around to see a massive black dog staring her down. It was larger than any dog she'd seen before, standing almost as tall as her, with a heavy looking grey studded collar around its neck that attached to a chain dug into the dirt. It growled deeply at her, sending vibrations through the ground and up Peach's legs. She froze, unsure of what to do. Then, the dog began barking, the sound so close and so loud that Peach had to fight the instinct to cover her ears with her hands. Instead, she turned and began to run. She sprinted as fast as she could away from the cabin; all ideas and plans gone from her mind as she ran blindly into the forest. Her lungs burned, begging for air. Her legs shook from exhaustion beneath her. She kept pushing forwards, but she could feel her pace slowing. Suddenly, a sharp grip clamped onto her wrists and pulled her to a violent stop. She whipped her head around to see her red-clad kidnapper grinning wickedly at her.

"What a shame," he sighed, looking her up and down, "I was really hoping we would be able to do this the easy way. But sadly, you've forced my hand. The hard way it is,"

Peach struggled against his hold but he was far stronger than his slim build would suggest, not even appearing to register her movement as he held both of her wrists in one hand and reached his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch. Deftly, he poured the contents into his hand and dropped the pouch to the floor. Peach struggled harder; twisting her body, kicking at his legs and torso, digging her nails into his hand, anything she could think of. But nothing she did loosened his grip. Instead, he held her steady and raised his free hand to her face. Now she could see what he was holding- a strange purple powder that seemed to almost glow with blue and black hues. In a quick movement, the kidnapper pulled her towards him and blew the dust from his hand into her face. As soon as it hit her, Peach's body began to collapse beneath her. Her mind filled with fog, and she felt her heart slow in her chest. Her knees buckled and she fell forwards, the kidnapper catching her before she hit the ground.

"What have you done to me?" Peach croaked, her voice scratching in her throat as she spoke.

"Goodnight, princess," the kidnapper smirked down at her, sending a shiver down Peach's spine with all the energy she had left.

"No, please," she begged, wanting to reach out but her arms felt like led at her sides, "you must let me go. You must believe me. I love him..."

Peach's words faded even as she spoke them and her mind clouded into darkness.