A/N: SURPRISE BONUS CHAPTER! I have so much backlogged that I figured I'd upload an extra chapter. (It also motivates me to write more the less I have ready.) I hope you like it! Also, I accidentally deleted a big chunk of this chapter and had to rewrite it...I hope you like it regardless! Thank you for your support!

Peach snatched her hands out of the depths of the box in distressed confusion as if her knuckles brazing the crown's metal surface had burned her. She stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over her clumsy footing, her mind unable to process what she had just found.

Every human knew of the legends of the royal crown throughout the kingdom's stories and lessons about the historical object, yet it was known that it was lost hundreds of years ago in a battle no one could remember...All that was known was that the koopas had stolen it, broken it, or disposed of it in some way that started a battle that had never ended. Over hundreds of years, it began to represent human society and the morals they fought for, and the hatred between Koopas and Humans.

It all started because of Koopas being selfish and wanting what they couldn't have! It was no surprise that he had it after all of these years. Peach frowned.

The crown was beyond a royal item…it lingered on the line between religious and historical throughout human culture! Stories, poems, songs, and festivals were scattered throughout human history for the sake of that very crown that sat before her. Oh, how just the thought of it rotting away next to him made her shock fade for a moment in irritation! He had no right keeping it locked away!

But, something within her told her that his possession of the crown was more than what she believed. Why would he show it to her? He was cocky, but...he wasn't stupid.

Peach slowly returned to the box after she began to compose her trembling body. Her eyes were hesitant and her steps were slow as her mind vibrated with explanations of his decision to show it to her. She always hated accidentally wandering into one of his games, never knowing what he was aiming to get out of her. Whether he aimed to see a reaction, a change of heart, or even a simple glare, she never knew what to expect.

Something told her this was much bigger.

She peaked her head back over the box. The Mushroom Kingdom's crown was a small golden crown that came to four distinct peaks. It was engraved with beautiful, royal golden patterns along its edges; it was so gentle that the patterns were almost as delicate as lace and seemed to have great meaning beyond their aesthetics. The golden color was deep and glistened against the candle light.

Peach carefully wrapped her fingers around it as she lifted it out of the box. It was heavier than she expected and shook against her palms as she struggled to calm her trembling fingers. Though, no matter how she tried to remain calm, she knew it was impossible.

She was holding the Mushroom Kingdom royal crown.

She looked at the large, deep-blue gem that stared back at her in the crown's core. It was in the shape of a clean-cut oval and laced with the same gold around its edges. It gently faded to a bright aqua at its center and, to her surprise, considering the quality of the king's belongings and the age of the royal antique, remained unscratched.

She spun it around in her hands. An identical blue gem sat on the opposite side of the crown that also captivated her for a moment. But, she quickly noticed something was wrong and her mouth opened as confused shock ran through her.

Peach frowned as one thing was out-of-place: the large, beaming ruby that sat at the front of the crown had fallen out, leaving a hollow, golden pit where it was meant to sit. She bit her lip as she looked between the door and the crown...did he take it? Was it lost to time? Her heart heavied as she hated the idea of such an important object being tainted in any way. She squinted as she held the crown inches away from her eyes...somewhat expecting to blink and have the red ruby reappear.

She sighed in defeat and lowered the crown away from her face. She looked down into the chest and gasped as, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the large gem sat in the corner of the messy papers, its tip peaking out and reflecting the candle light. It was lazily thrown into the box to which she gasped in horror, a bit bothered that it wasn't in a safer spot.

How had she not seen it?! She swore it had appeared out of no where!

She rummaged through the chest and gently placed the tips of her fingers against the royal gem's glossy surface before holding it in the palm of her hand. She held it tightly as if it would disappear and locked her fingers around it in awe.

Peach's eyes glistened with wonder. Just like the blue gem, it was a deep, rich crimson that faded to a bright red in its center, sparkled with bits of orange and yellow as it reflected the candle light. To her surprise, it was warm, and the longer she held it, the more she could feel a gentle, distant beat reminiscing from its core; It warmed her cold hands as if it were full of life. It was much heavier than she expected.

In an instant, Peach cried out as a hot jolt of electricity trickled up her arm in one thick wave, twisting and turning through her neck; the sensation constricted her fingers and she couldn't unwrap her fingers around the gem, the source of the prickling pain that seized her body. It stung her limbs with an intense, warm current that left her fingers numb and her heart pounding.

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the sensation faded though she could still feel the pounding stings in her arm with each beat of her heart. Her chest heavied and she breathed quickly as she slowly regained her senses.

Once able to move, she yelled, dropped the heavy gem with a gentle clank against the table, and stared at it as if it were alive. It rattled and spun for a few moments before landing on its back with another clink of glass. She took a large step away from his desk with her sore hand pressed defensively against her chest as if it would jump at her and strike her.

"It was bound to break. You have nothing to hide."

Peach's panicked gaze shot over her shoulder towards King Koopa as he stared at her from his study's entrance. His eyes were not angry or dark, but intrigued and somewhat soft, surely because of her rising panic. She did a double take between the gem and the phantom as she stumbled over her words trying to explain herself and what the crown had done to her.

She opened her mouth to cry out what had just happened but something forcibly took her voice away; something deep within her held her back from telling him what had just happened and instead of telling him what happened, she bit her lip and looked at the broken crown on his desk. King Koopa seemed to deem her silence as guilt for breaking the crown.

Her emotions fell to rage as reality set in.

"You…" Peach's face contorted into frustration as she pointed at him in accusation. Her flame doubled as she felt his interest in her grow. "The most important object in human history that's been missing for a thousand years…and you have it casually sitting by your feet in a dirty chest?!" She cried an anguish.

He glanced between the broken crown and her panicked eyes.

"I thought it was a paper weight."

Peach groaned at his sarcasm. Her disgruntled scowl earned a chuckle out of him.

"Amusing," she hissed. "How did you find it?"

"Find?" He repeated. "My grandfather stole it. I keep it around as a reminder."

"A reminder of what? That your grandfather was a thief?"

King Koopa's eyes hardened.

"A reminder of the battle that killed him."

Peach's eyes widened as her anger fell to confusion, to realization, then to a deep, apologetic frown as her hands fell to her side.

"I- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize. I never knew him."

"Still…" she whispered.

He sighed.

"I could never understand why he could have wanted to die for a worthless artifact. He wanted it enough to kill him- and it did."

He paused as his eyes shot towards the crown.

"My grandfather stole this crown shortly after the war started. I'm assuming it sent the message quite fine considering you're still taught about the useless thing."

"It is not useless!" She defended. He smirked at her offense.

Peach gave him a small 'hmph' as she turned her attention back to the artifact. It was common knowledge amongst humans that the distant king of the Darklands had stolen the Mushroom Kingdom's royal crown in a fit of rage and jealousy, initiating the battle that started the blood-thirsty war with her peaceful kingdom. For it to be useless to King Koopa, his ancestors clearly didn't agree with him, as it was worth creating a life-long enemy for.

But...Peach's mind focused on his claim: Koopas had stolen it after the war had started? She scrunched her nose in confusion as that didn't line up with everything she knew about the war's timeline. What had caused the war, then? What else did the Koopas do to her ancestors? Or...what had her people-

No! Peach buried the thought.

Her eyes left the crown and focused on the phantom with a frown. He stared at her with confidence; his eyes stared at her with the dark pressure she always felt from him. Yet, her heart questioned his authenticity. Or, rather, the truth of his belief.

She knew he could be a convincing liar when necessary considering how he bottled up their past behind his eyes; what could stop him from covering the fact that his people stole the crown, starting the war themselves? What else could have happened?

"Are you sure he...stole it after the war started?" She sheepishly asked, clearly not believing his story. "I'm pretty sure your grandfather initiated the war after stealing our crown," she softly accused. "As far as I know, Koopas started the war because of the crown."

"Yes," he bluntly stated. He paused for a moment as he considered how much he wanted to tell her. "Your kingdom struck us first, a thousand years ago. Before either of us existed. Your people started a battle that has lasted generations for a reason no one knows. Perhaps it was over land, resources…ideologies, I don't know. No one knows. Honestly, I don't even care to know. It's beyond reason now."

Peach stared at him, clearly hesitant to believe his perspective of the war. He noticed her unconvinced stare.

"I have no proof outside of my words, neither do your people. You don't need to believe me. I have no reason to need you to. It would be stupid not to, though. I have nothing to gain from lying to you."

"Then...why tell me?" She quietly asked. "Why show this to me?"

He paused as her question made him think.

"I don't know. Believe it or not, I don't enjoy pointless war. There's less thrill in a battle without a purpose. I'd much rather get my claws dirty with a more important slaughter. I have nothing to gain from your kingdom."

Peach squinted in suspicion.

"I find that hard to believe."

He softly laughed at her prying eyes.

"A part of me is lying. There are many things I want from your kingdom," he muttered. "There are many ways for me to get what I want without war...but, your kingdom prefers violence. Who am I to decline?" He shrugged. "But I don't like the feeling after a meaningless fight: returning to my kingdom, seeing my people in distress from attacks or a lack of resources. I hate seeing loss from a battle with no victor. There is never a winner between our kind."

"If you hate loss so much, why haven't you given us the crown back? You know that would end everything, don't you? It's the only reason we've been fighting!" She accused with a squint. "You keeping it hidden makes me think you aren't exactly complaining about the war."

King Koopa's eyes widened in bewilderment at her claim as he tried to figure out if she was joking or not. She crossed her arms and held her ground, trying to come off as confident as possible, but that only broke his composure further. Peach's continued seriousness caused his head to buckle back in an eruptive fit of laughter as he slammed his fist against the door, trying to contain himself from her ignorance. His booming laughs fell to snickers as he began to hold back his snickers.

"You're so naïve it's almost endearing!" He laughed. "How amusing. Is that what they've taught you?"

King Koopa's bitter laughter and dismissive tone made her eye twitch. Her annoyed silence gave him his answer.

"If returning a crown could fix your people's mistakes and end the war, I would've handed it over right away," he shrugged. "It's worthless to me. It's nothing more than a scapegoat to excuse your kind's motives."

He said it so casually, so insignificantly, that Peach couldn't stop the way her eyes flared open in offense. She took a small step towards him with a genuine, heated frown but he did not budge. Instead, he arched a brow, interested in why she was on the verge of blowing up.

"My kind's motives?!" She repeated. "First off, let's say hypothetically my kingdom's royals do have some sort of hidden goal with this war. Do not group me with them!" She angrily demanded with a hand over her heart. "I don't want pointless fighting either! Tell me, do you truly see that sort of emotion in me?"

King Koopa initially smirked at her usual amusing temper but his reaction fell to a curious squint at her confidence as her question, as seemed to be common with her, caught him off guard. He opened his mouth with a quick answer in mind but quickly shut it. No, though he would not outwardly say it, he did not see any hatred within her beyond the trickery he knew she was capable of.

Perhaps ignorance, something he was often guilty of as well, but never hatred.

He had never seen her look up at or speak to him with such heated passion before...the way she tightly dug her fingers into her palms by her sides, the way her breathing heavied in surely both anger and anxiety, and the way her face contorted into a pure, irritated scowl intrigued him enough to smother his amusement from her reaction to take her seriously. She had always stood up for herself when around him, but this was different.

She was serious.

He tried to bury his amusement as it crept back to him; the fire behind her eyes always suited her and he loved pulling it out of her. But, he bit his tongue, and silently complied to her demand as he knew this was not a game. Peach's flame slightly dwindled as his demeanor shifted from dismissal to silent understanding. Though he would not admit it, he gave into her request, and waited for her to continue.

"Second, if the war didn't start because the Darklands stole our crown...what started it, then?" she asked with a suspicious furrow of her brow. To her satisfaction, her question earned a deep grumble out of him as he pondered the answer.

Peach knew the war had started as a battle for the golden object, but through years of battle, mutilation, and loss, the war's purpose had faded over time and become meaningless: there was no reason for the bloodshed caused by the Darklands' bitterness and it would not end until the Mushroom Kingdom fell. The humans just wanted their crown back, but Koopas...she didn't know what they wanted outside of violence and territory. There was a goal for the initial war: the crown...but, now, the war would not end until one party was destroyed, it seemed.

"Like I said, I don't know. If your people are telling you a crown could fix a war, then you are solely mistaken," he muttered. "There is no fixing a war based on hatred."

"Have you...tried?"

He grinded his fangs. Why couldn't she understand that things were far more complicated than trying to do the 'good' thing. Often more than not, having good morals got you into more trouble, no matter how you tried.

"I was the first king to try and negotiate things peacefully. Numerous times," he hissed. Peach's eyes widened in surprise. "I made a lot of progress though it was damn near impossible. There were deals set in action that might've ended things...though, looking back, maybe not. Things were mildly improving between the kingdoms, but then I..."

King Koopa's words fell to a growl, then to a grumble, and finally to silence as the rest of his story remained locked behind his mind. Peach frowned...whatever was playing through his memories was enough to break his mask and reveal all of the pain and frustration within him for only a few seconds before it was skillfully hidden again. Peach stared at him in obvious concern but held her breath. Something about whatever plagued him scared her.

Was it true? Had he gotten close to repairing the damage between kingdoms? It almost felt impossible to consider the idea...especially considering he was the one behind it!

Peach's eyes fell to her hands, wondering if the pressure of ruling a kingdom was part of the reason he seemed so frustrated with his attempt at peace failing. Or, so-called attempt at peace...Peach wasn't sure if she fully believed him yet. She knew that her people would have jumped at the idea of ending all war, after all, so how did it all fall apart?

The idea of being responsible for a kingdom's protection, resources, and happiness was enough to make her stomach fall in anxiety at the thought. Did he blame himself for being unable to keep his people safe from a pointless battle? She couldn't begin to imagine the weight he had on his shoulders to maintain it all.

That must've been what was bothering him, right?

Was their war not as black and white as she had thought? Good versus evil? Or…who was truly on the side of 'good' if no one knew why they were fighting anymore? Peach bit her lip. Was any of this true?

"I never saw war. My father never allowed me near anything like it, though he would always tell me awful stories about his time in the army. My mind can't help but wonder about it all. Especially with what you've just told me…I don't know if I believe you, but…"

He shook his head in disagreement.

"A girl like you isn't meant to see war."

"A girl like me? Whatever do you mean by that?" She asked defensively.

He glared at her as if she should know the answer.

"The fact that you don't know what I mean further proves my point."

Peach rolled her eyes at his dismissal and looked back into the crown's intact blue gem. She wasn't meant to see war? Why?

Her mind wandered back to the night she had managed to slip away from him. The memory was clear as if it had happened yesterday: she could feel the rain against her skin and the slippery cobblestone beneath her heels as she tried to back away from the violent koopas that had trapped her in an alleyway.

But most vividly, she remembered him: how he had towered before her, his wet hair cascading over his features and his face in a deep, aggressive scowl. He was closer to a beast than she had ever seen him yet she had never felt so safe near anyone before. If she closed her eyes, she could feel the raw emotion dripping from within him and it made her heart race.

She could hear how his voice had deeply rumbled when he had ordered her to cover her eyes before defending her from the violent goons. Had that been the reason behind his demand? To isolate her from the violence he was capable of?

Was that what he meant when there were things she wasn't meant to see?

Her heart raced as the potential behind his actions forced a small, pleased smile out of her. She quickly smothered it.

"You can keep it."

Peach's mind returned to reality. She pulled her eyes away from the crown and stared at him with a shocked, dumbfounded frown; she stood still for a few moments, expecting him to burst out into laughter or snatch the crown away from her when she least expected it. Instead, he stood still and his words held no humor.

"What? No, I-"

"Keep it before I change my mind," he repeated.

Peach nervously picked up the crown and frowned.

"I…I can't take this," she whispered with a pleading frown towards him. She felt him stir from the way she looked at him. Peach's mind debated with herself as she tried to convince herself to take it as, after all, it belonged to her more than him, but...no, she wasn't worth of something so precious. She bit her lip.

She extended the crown towards him with another quiet whisper for him to keep it. His eyes sharpened.

"You were just whining about how I shouldn't have it. Take it," he grumbled as he gently shoved it back against her chest. "Your eyes lit up when you looked at it. It's better in the hands of someone who looks at it that way."

Peach's face flushed as she realized King Koopa wasn't aware that she hadn't been thinking about the crown while staring into it…she forced a small, flustered nod as she tried to convince herself that the thoughtful look behind her eyes wasn't because of him.

"Maybe one day, if you're right, you can end the war for me. Give it back to your royals. Tell them I send my regards."

Peach's fingers ran over the grooves and engravings in the golden crown's surface. She shot another glance towards the broken red gem on his table.

"I don't know what to say," she whispered. "Thank you."

A/N: Apologies if I repeat myself at all in this story. It's been so long since I've looked at older chapters so it muddies in my head sometimes. Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you on Wednesday with another chapter!