The dry, crisp leaves of the first fall of autumn crunched beneath Bowser's boots as he led his group of knights deeper into the forest. They had reached the section of the road Toadette had described to find clear evidence of someone who had been dragged off further into the trees. Leaving the horses by the roadside, they had split into four smaller groups, led by Bowser, Boo, Sir Toadstool, and one of Bowser's female generals- Dame Wendy- in turn. Bowser's group had headed west, where the tracks appeared to be most prevalent. The group moved quietly and swiftly through the trees, fanning out over the area to cover more ground. They had been searching for over an hour now and as time passed by, Bowser only felt his determination grow. He knew he would not rest until his princess was in his arms once more.
"Commander! Over here!" a knight called out. Everyone stopped and turned as Bowser made his way over to the knight who had called him.
"What is it?" he asked as he approached.
"Look," she said simply, pointing out to her right. Bowser followed her line of sight and was surprised to see what she was pointing at- a small, two storey wooden cabin hiding in amongst the trees.
"I've been on many patrols in these woods, Commander. And I have never seen this place before," the knight said and Bowser nodded his head, feeling a knot forming in his stomach.
"Me neither. Good spot, soldier," Bowser gave her an affirming nod before waving over his shoulder, signalling the other knights to follow him as he slowly made his way over to the mysterious cabin that appeared to have materialised out of nowhere. As they drew closer, Bowser pulled his sword from its sheath. Within seconds, he heard the rest of the knights doing the same behind him. Quietly, he approached the door and gave it a gentle push, surprised to find that it opened with ease. Holding up a hand, he signalled for a few of the knights to circle around either side of the cabin and the others to follow him inside. Bowser pushed open the door fully and stepped inside, sword still raised. His eyes scanned the dimly lit room, barely making out the shapes of furniture and a staircase off to the right. With another silent hand motion, he signalled for three of the knights to go up the stairs while he continued to search the ground floor. As he made his way to the back of the room, the back door to the cabin opened and one of the knights stepped inside, shaking his head- no one outside. He then turned to see one of the knights he had sent up the stairs also shaking his head at him.
"All clear!" Bowser called out; clearly whoever owned this place was long gone. But it also meant there was no sign of Peach. Their lead went dead here, so unless they were lucky enough to find any tracks leading away from the cabin, they were back to square one. But just as Bowser's heart began to sink, a voice sounded from upstairs.
"Commander! Up here, I think I've found something," a knight called from the floor above him. Bowser ran over to the stairs and bounded up them, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the top.
"Over here!" the knight called from the end of the narrow corridor that led from the top of the stairs, "There's a door but it's locked shut, I can't get it to budge,"
Bowser walked over to the door and the knight took a step back. He pulled on the doorknob once to find that it was indeed locked. Bracing himself, Bowser turned sideways to the door and slammed his shoulder against it with all his strength. In one, clean hit the wooden door splintered off its hinges and fell to the floor with a loud crash.
"Good job, sir!" the knight exclaimed but Bowser did not hear him. He did not hear or see anything else around him. All he could focus on was the sight of Peach laying on a four-poster bed in the centre of the room. In an instant, he ran to her side.
"Peach? Peach, my dear heart, it's me. It's Bowser. I'm here, you're going to be okay," Bowser almost sobbed, pushing the hair from her face as he fell to his knees beside her. But the smile that had formed on his lips when he had first seen her quickly fell into a frown.
"Peach? Can you hear me?" Bowser placed his hand under her head and gently lifted her upwards. Her breath was shallow and her pulse slowed, but she was most certainly alive. But her eyes remained closed and her body unmoving.
"Peach, you must wake up. Please, you have to wake up," Bowser felt his desperation growing. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to a knight holding out a slip of paper. Bowser took it from him and read the note written in scrawled letters.
'Say your goodbyes now, monster. Your princess is gone forever. You'll never be able to wake her, I can promise you that. But at least you get your prisoner back. And she is so very pretty to look at.'
The note was signed with a single letter- M.
Bowser felt his heart tighten in his chest as he turned back to Peach, her chest rising and falling with soft breaths. Clenching his fists and crushing the paper in his hand, he stood.
"Gather the rest of the knights, send word to the other groups that Peach is found. Re-group at the castle," Bowser spoke as steadily as he could. The knights nodded in unison and all quickly left the room. Slowly, Bowser reached down and slid his arms underneath his wife. He took the blankets from the bed and wrapped them around her before gently lifting her up and carrying her out of the room.
Toadette anxiously paced back and forth along the length of the castle foyer. They could no longer hide the fear that was steadily growing inside them. The coachman Yoshi had returned, along with the carriage and horses that had seemingly disappeared from the road the night before. He had explained to them that he had been tricked by the felled tree and the men had bound and gagged him so that he could not call out for help. He had watched helplessly as Peach was dragged into the forest and Toadette knocked unconscious then carried down the road. As soon as the men had disappeared back into the trees, Yoshi had worked on freeing himself and getting back to the castle to warn the prince. In return, Toadette explained their side of the story and was hopeful that Bowser and Boo would return with Peach safe and well soon. That had been five hours ago... Now the darkness of twilight was approaching fast and still no sign of the search party. Toadette had been pacing for what felt like hours, wishing there was more that they could do to help.
"The king returns!" they heard someone yell out from the courtyard. Toadette ran towards the doors and burst outside, almost tripping and falling down the stone steps as they did so. They caught themself and looked up just in time to see Boo and Bowser dismounting their horses. But whatever happiness they had felt upon their return was washed away when they saw Bowser gently pull Peach down from his horse and carry her in his arms up the steps, wrapped in blankets like a child.
"My lady!" Toadette cried out, running to meet Bowser halfway up the steps.
"She's alive," Bowser reassured them and Toadette sighed in relief, all their worst fears drifting back out of them on their breath, "she is unharmed, but completely unconscious. We cannot wake her," Bowser continued up the stairs with Peach's limp body cradled in his arms. Toadette swiftly followed, alongside King Boo. All those who had rushed out to greet the returning search parties either hurried back to their duties inside or helped the remaining knights from their horses. But everyone's minds followed the prince inside, his wife and their crown princess held tightly to his chest.
The world blurred before Bowser's eyes; his mind fogged with the weight of Peach in his arms. He carried her through the corridors of the castle until he reached his chambers. Slowly, he walked over to the bed and lowered Peach onto the soft mattress, placing her head gently on the feather pillows and removing the blankets from around her before pulling the covers from the bed up to her waist. Toadette had already begun to tend to the fire. Bowser sat down on the bed beside Peach, taking her hand in his.
"What are we to do now?" Boo asked softly, placing a hand on Bowser's shoulder.
"I don't know," Bowser shook his head, trying as best as he could to keep his sorrow at bay, "we must try and find a way to wake her..."
"But how?" Boo sighed, his hand dropping from Bowser's shoulder as he began to pace the room. Bowser also stood and replied to Boo's question but only his brother could hear him. Toadette's ears rang in their head and all other noise drowned under its weight. They turned from the fire and faced the bed, their eyes fixed on Peach's sleeping form. They had seen her asleep many times before, but something about this was different, colder and more distant. Slowly, they walked over to the side of the bed, the voices of the royal brothers muffled as they debated what to do. But, just before they reached their mistress' side, they stopped. Their eyes caught sight of something on her dress. At first, they thought it was just dirt or soot. But upon looking closer, they saw it held a purple sheen and glowed blue in the candlelight. Toadette's heart skipped in their chest; they knew at once what they were looking at.
"I know what's happened to her," they whispered, the noise of the room slowly coming back to them, "I know what's happened to her," they repeated, louder, and both Bowser and Boo fell silent and turned to look at them.
"You do?" Bowser questioned, returning at once to Peach's side, opposite from Toadette.
"Yes. This powder," they pointed to the mark on Peach's dress, "I know what it is. It's a poison, of sorts. Not designed to kill, only to place someone into a deep subconscious state. Some even call it a curse- a sleeping curse,"
"Is there a cure?" Bowser pressed, his eyes filled with desperation as he looked at Toadette. They lifted their gaze to meet his and, at last, they saw hope.
"There is only one way to lift such a curse- an act of true love,"
