Peach laid curled on her side in a massive bed. Her legs were tucked under what felt like a thin layer of silk as they rested near her chest. Her head laid on a large satin pillow that seemed to absorb her small head in its fullness.
She groaned in pure bliss as she shifted and fell deeper into the euphoric comfort. Such luxury was of which she had never imagined, let alone experienced.
Wherever she was, it couldn't be far away from heaven. Had she died? Peach didn't care as she nuzzled her face into the pillow, eager to accept death if this was what followed.
Everything smelt so nice; so calming as she leaned into the fabrics. Every fabric seemed to linger with a slight smell that only pushed her further into the deep rest. She laid contently as she took deep breaths of the air, wanting nothing more than to drift back to sleep.
However, as she continued trying to give back into her exhaustion, her blood ran cold as she breathed in a large gasp of air. For a moment, she choked, feeling the sensation of water running through her lungs. The invisible liquid made her throat close as she tried to breathe.
And, in a moment, the feeling was gone.
Peach's eyes quickly opened as she tried to remember. Her vision was fuzzy and blurry as she squinted, trying to make out where she was and what had happened. Everything had happened so quickly that she wasn't certain if any of it was anything more than a dream.
"Did you seriously try to swim without knowing how to swim?" A deep voice groaned in annoyance. He paused before continuing. "Do you know how long it took me to find you? At least run off somewhere closer next time."
The figure's voice was annoyed, frustrated, and judging, yet also seemed relieved that she had woken up. His voice lowered to a bitter murmur as he continued.
"You could have died, you know."
Peach turned towards the figure, seeing the phantom standing next to the bed. A black canopy drooped around him, locking her in close proximity with the creature. He crossed his arms as he stared at her with disapproval, raising many questions for the actress.
He hadn't hesitated to scold her. Would it kill him to be a little sensitive?
Memories started flying back to her as she sat up, embarrassingly covering her body with the large, heavy blanket. She looked in front of her, even more ashamed to realize where she had ended up.
The room was dark and menacing. It was filled with regal furniture carved out of dark woods and stones that were adorned with jewels, patterns, and royal crests. Paintings of what Peach assumed were royal koopas covered the walls, and treasures of unknown origin decorated the many shelves.
Skulls, jewels, and weapons were piled against many shelves and were...clearly a form of decoration, no matter how eerie and menacing. The skulls were in intricate shapes of beasts she had never seen before. She had no doubt that they were trophies of victory against foreign lands.
She sighed, as long as they weren't human, she couldn't exactly critique his choice of decorating.
The room was far more intricate than any she had seen before, and the space was, quite literally, made for a king.
Peach pulled the blanket up even further, realizing she was in the phantom's chambers.
With the light from one small candle, the room was barely lit up enough for her to see past him. It was dark, adding to the unnerving power that seemed to radiate from this room. It was most definitely his room, as he radiated the same dark intimidation.
She shrunk even further, confused as to why she was there and why he loomed over her.
The phantom's eyes seemed to track Peach's confusion as he spoke up.
"Don't think too much about it," the king muttered under his breath as he used one claw to lean on the bed. He leaned towards her as he closely towered over her. It was clear that he was trying his best to come off as menacing, but such a lack of space between the two only made her heart rate double. "I didn't want the others bothering you so I just put you here, got it? That's why. Don't go off thinking I want you here messin' up my room and going through my junk."
He was close enough to bite her, which only made her even more on edge. Though, she knew he wouldn't dare touch her. Even so, having him so close to her felt like taboo, as he rarely looked at her in such a way; He seemed frustrated with worry...the usual hatred was minimal.
Instead of leaning away, Peach held her ground as she nodded with a small, sheepish smile.
No matter how he tried to look intimidating, Peach could not feel afraid of him. Peach held the blanket against her chest as she looked away in confusion, alarmed by how the way he continued glaring at her made her unable to keep a straight face.
The king groaned as he pulled his claw away as he stood back to his full height over the woman. Peach's eyes flinched for a moment as the space between them grew.
He turned his eyes away as he clearly read the flustered look on her face from how close he had been.
"You just woke up and you're already being weird," he grumbled in embarrassment.
Peach composed herself with a small snicker.
"I'm sorry," Peach quickly responded with a shake of her head. "I'm just happy."
The king stared at the woman in disbelief as she met him with a content smile. She seemed, to his surprise, back to normal, if not a little fatigued and...strange. She refused to flinch away from him, even though she seemed to be nervous of him, but not in the way he was used to.
She was clearly uncomfortable. The scent of it cloaked her entire body. Yet, she didn't flinch away from him, earning an even more concerned scowl from the monster.
"Happy? Great, do you have a fever or something?" He muttered with a frown, leaning forward and placing his claw over her forehead. He stared at her with a curious furrow of his brow as he tried to determine whether she was thinking straight or not.
Peach froze as his rough skin made contact with her forehead. She didn't flinch due to the beast it belonged to, but the sudden, willing contact from him. She pulled away for a moment before leaning into his touch and allowing him to investigate.
She rarely felt him, and when she did, it was never out of choice, but out of necessity. When he had saved her and when she had cleaned his wounds, he had no choice but to let her touch him. But now, he willingly felt her with gentle intentions.
She was beyond nervous as she felt him touch her. She had never grown accustomed to contact from the opposite sex, but this sense of tense apprehension was different.
Why did this feel so familiar? Peach's heart skipped a beat as she looked up towards the beast as he continued trying to examine her.
She did not feel familiar with the way he looked, as she had known of King Koopa's menacing face all throughout his reign over the Darklands. But, this feeling as she laid under him was exclusive to the beast, only further convincing her that she already knew him. She frowned as her heart filled with a sense of longing for an answer.
He turned his eyes towards her, his face flushing with a hidden rush of anxiety from the way she eagerly embraced his contact. He slowly pulled his claw away as he turned his attention towards another direction, clearly not understanding her intentions. He didn't want to pursue what laid behind her stare and motivated her sudden change of heart.
Peach gently put her hand over the phantom's claw before he could escape. He complied with her sudden actions, making her heart rate double. She held the beast's hand dearly as she stammered over her words, finding herself melting under the pressure he exerted. With the audacity to touch him, Peach could feel his intimidation double as he stared in silence.
Peach's voice shook as she spoke. "I'm just...I meant I'm happy that you came for me," Peach whispered as she held onto his claw. She held it in the palms of her hands, wrapping her fingers around it with care.
His hands were rough from years of combat. The scars covering his fingers wrapped along his wrists and up his arms, smoothing out his scales. She had no doubt that these were the hands of a hard-working leader who had many close encounters with death.
These rough hands were the cause of so many acts of violence. Yet, here he stood, allowing her to hold it as he stared at her with pure confusion.
The phantom turned his glare back to her as he stood frozen in shock. He hadn't meant to comply with her affection, but was too caught off guard to react accordingly. Contact was something he was not accustomed to and it made his skin crawl with anxiety.
Peach flinched as she felt him start to pull away from her, causing her to quickly lose control of what she was saying. In a panic, she abruptly called out.
"Can I stay?" Peach asked with a hopeful glance.
She was beyond nervous, and even the king could read that. Her hands seemed to shake against his own as she spoke, almost as if she had been building up the courage to ask him such a stupid question.
The look in her eyes was becoming dangerously similar to the eyes he used to know...it scared him. Every moment they stared at one another, the emotions in her eyes seemed to stare through him. The king's posture stiffened as he tried to feel oblivious to it, but the presence of the woman was a constant reminder.
Peach wasn't sure what had come over her, but all she understood was that she wanted him near her. His familiarity seemed to soothe her and the idea of him leaving was the opposite of what she wanted.
Ever since she had admitted her wanting for a friendship with the phantom, everything had crumbled. Her hatred and apprehension of the king vanished as soon as she realized she wanted to know him.
Ever since she had come to the Darklands, she had felt him. She knew she was meant to meet him, somehow. Whether or not he felt the same way was up for debate.
The king finally forced out a hesitant nod. He hadn't planned on kicking her out until she had recovered, and her behavior was obviously a sign that she was still out of it. He was not shy of his cruel ways, but he was not one to turn away from someone so helpless.
"Only if you let go of me," he muttered with a sheepish glance towards their hands.
Peach shook her head in disagreement. She refused to let him go.
The king flinched in shock at her abrupt defiance. His pulse doubled as he felt her grip on him tighten, further locking him with her. Instead of feeling anger at her actions, he felt his anxious distress fly through the roof. He cursed under his breath as his claws began to shake against her own.
"Can you stay?" She added with a nervous frown. "I feel so...scared. Can't you stay?"
Peach looked down at her hands in embarrassment. She couldn't believe what she was saying or feeling, but she felt the need to be around him. He was the only familiar thing with her, after all.
Perhaps it was because he had saved her, or maybe because nothing bad could possibly happen with him around. Even though she was only locked away because of him, his company reassured her safety, as he was always there to keep her safe.
She couldn't shake off the feeling of the pool draining the life out of her. Every time her eyes closed, even for a fraction of a second, she was back underneath the hidden pool, breathing in gulps of water while fighting for anything to save her.
WIth him...she had no reason to fear. He would always come rescue her.
Peach sighed as she felt a rush of sadness while meeting the monster's stare. His eyes had shifted from annoyance to a distant longing as he refused to answer her request. So much hid behind him, so much she wanted to understand. He didn't look at her, but through her, seemingly lost in thought.
Was that why she felt so inclined to be around him? To ease whatever pained him? Even with something so simple as touching his hand, he flinched and shook in fear, surely doubting her intentions. Was that what made Peach ache to befriend him? Whatever had hurt him?
Suddenly, the king snatched his hand away with a bitter frown, as he seemed to have made up his mind. His eyes darkened as they lost any softness behind them. Peach reached out for him before hesitating and dropping her hand back into her lap.
He towered over her, angrily glaring at the woman. She met his eyes with a saddened plea for him to forget whatever she had done to make him feel this way.
Silently, Peach thought to herself.
I won't hurt you, she cried to herself. Why don't you believe me?
The beast huffed with a frustrated growl. With one swift, furious movement, he pushed the canopy out of his way, allowing it to droop down and separate the two from one another.
With the thin fabric blocking her view, she was barely able to make out his figure. He hesitated for a moment before turning around, angrily opening the chamber's door and slamming it behind him, leaving her behind.