A/N: This chapter was fun to write! Thank you for reading!
Right after Peach had given in to his gesture, though she didn't have much choice, King Koopa pushed past her and headed for the door. He normally tried to abandon her whenever she pushed his limits towards something that bothered him...but something about his departure was too sudden for her to allow complicitly. She placed the crown down on his desk and trailed behind him.
"Wait!" Peach loudly called out to him. She cleared her throat and continued a bit quieter as she realized she sounded far too eager. "Where are you going?"
He ignored her concern and reached for the door's handle.
Ignoring common sense, Peach ducked under his outstretched arm and pressed herself between King Koopa and the door. She forced an apprehensive smile and looked up at him, though with the way he looked down at her, it made her eyes sting from the pressure; King Koopa stared at her with an inconvenienced scowl, clearly bothered that she had the habit of distracting him.
Both were well aware that she didn't have the strength nor the guts to even attempt to keep him in the room, but the second she stood between him and the exit, he froze in place and stared at her with annoyed amusement. He couldn't deny that he was mildly impressed with her sudden confidence. The longer they stared at each other in silence, the further Peach started to regret her actions.
What's gotten into me?! Peach thought to herself as her heart raced. Why am I...
King Koopa's hand lowered away from the door's handle. Peach's smile became genuine the second he gave into her, but it quickly fell as she realized she had accidentally pressed her back against the closed door, locking her in front of him. He noticed her entrapment too and leaned down towards her with a frown.
"I'm not going to let you distract me- Annoy me," he spitefully corrected, "out of more of my responsibilities."
Peach shrunk at his venomous tone.
"I'm simply curious what your responsibilities are. Is that such a bad thing?" She whispered with a frown. Her words trailed off into silence as he loomed even closer over her. She gulped, able to feel his hot breath singe her.
He placed his hand under her chin, directing her to look up at him, and tried to further read her features or the intentions behind them. Normally, such a gesture would make her nearly faint out of flustered confusion, but the condescending look he gave her made her temper double.
"You're already on thin ice," he quietly grumbled. "What I do is none of your concern."
Peach rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away from her. She stared up at him with passionate annoyance as she grinded her teeth at the way he smirked at her disapproval of his touch. Why did it always feel like his goal was to make her react like that?!
"The world is on thin ice to you," she argued. She crossed her arms with a curt turn of her head. "My concern or not, I'm curious."
A dark growl vibrated from the back of his throat at her audacity. He returned back to his full height.
After a few moments of silence, he pushed her to the side and angrily opened the door before storming through it with a curse under his breath. He stepped into the hallway and grinded his fangs together as he heard her close the door behind him and accompany him in the corridor. She didn't hesitate to follow him.
King Koopa let out a frustrated exhale as she silently tailed him as he began heading towards his destination
Peach followed the phantom, her eyes on his shell and her hands locked in front of her. She swore he tried to intentionally bump into her with his tail a few times as it swayed before her, but she held her breath and followed idly, matching his steps and trying to stay carefully behind him. He moved swiftly, almost intentionally trying to lose her through the haze of darkness, as she could hardly keep up with him without losing her footing over random objects that littered the dusty hallway.
She sharply inhaled every time her legs or arms bumped into something she couldn't make out, but beyond that, she was silent, and didn't dare try to spark conversation with him. She tried to move without making much sound, but something told her that even the distant clicking of her heels and her shaky breathing would ignite the fire behind his eyes.
She anxiously looked over her shoulder as she realized she had carelessly forgotten to grab her lantern when leaving the crown on his desk as she was too eager to follow him. It was too late to turn around especially considering she had barely managed to get permission to tag along with him in the first place…
Though, there was one thing she hadn't forgotten: the red gem.
Something within her called for her to snatch it before following him. She held it in the center of her palm, its warmth beating through her fingertips and no longer scaring her, and then shoved it deep into her purse. Her fingers grazed against the crumbled note she had written him in the past, forgetting she had hid it in her purse, and her heart skipped a beat.
She couldn't tell why, but her fear of the gem had left very quickly and instead replaced with a deep purpose.
The further they walked, the more the distant candle-lit light from the king's study faded, taking Peach's vision with it. The air grew cooler and the pressure seemed to double, though she couldn't tell if it was because of her growing anticipation or if they were descending quickly.
The dim reflection that had bounced off of the king's shell's reflective spikes, directing her to follow, had faded in the darkness, and she was left unable to tell where to go.
The last thing she noticed before she was completely enveloped in darkness was that...she hadn't been in this section of the tunnels. The cobble had faded to jagged, cut stone just as it had when she had wandered towards the underground lake. Though, the area was unfamiliar and unexplored to her. Normally, the sense of unknown awoke a wondrous curiosity, but for some reason her skin crawled instead.
Perhaps his refusal to show her where they were heading was intentional: he did not want her to explore this area or come back on her own, unmonitored.
She instinctively stopped in place as soon as her vision was fully taken away, worried of walking into something or someone, placing her palms in front of her face, trying to make out any silhouette of her limbs. She moved her fingers, turning her hands in every direction, desperate to make out any shape of her form.
Where was he?
She looked from left to right, unsettled by the fact that she was unable to trace him; he was unpredictable without her eyes on him. No matter how hard she squinted, it was as if she were alone; away from the phantom.
Without her sight, she felt her other senses heighten as her mind focused on her surroundings; she felt goosebumps trail up her neck and the tips of her fingers run cold from the cave's chilling atmosphere. In the distance, she heard the faint dripping of water…yet, she could not sense him.
Where was he?
Peach yelped as the king silently swooped in directly next to her, his presence warming the air around her. He spoke in a hushed tone, a bit closer than she anticipated.
"Come here," he muttered with a gentle yet irritated tone. "I forgot you can't see."
She looked around, unable to tell where his voice initially echoed from. She knew he was close; she knew she was with him, but she felt completely alone beyond his voice.
Peach yelped again as he suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her a few steps to her left. She stumbled over her feet, only managing to stay standing due to him holding her in place.
"Keep close or else you'll get lost. Or, worse, you'll get your hands dirty with more of my stuff," he darkly whispered above her. "We wouldn't want that happening again, would we."
Peach shuddered at how quiet and powerful his words were. It sent a shiver down her spine, imagining how close he had gotten to her without being detected. Though, her heart raced even further from how tightly he held her in the darkness. Thankfully, she was unable to see him, though she could feel his stare linger longer than she anticipated.
Even though she couldn't see him, she mustered out a small nod of agreement in a random direction, unable to find the courage to do anything else. King Koopa seemed satisfied by her cooperation and began leading her towards wherever he was determined to go.
She carefully walked alongside him, though, besides his warm claws, it felt as if she were alone.
Peach looked up towards where she assumed his head would be above her, trying to make out any of his features. No matter how hard she squinted, it was as if she was walking hand-in-hand with a ghost.
Peach's posture stiffened as she felt his grip slightly intensify around her. Without hesitation, she quickly diverted her eyes as she feared the fact that he could probably see her eyes wandering for him...she glued her gaze back towards the darkened path between the two.
The phantom abruptly stopped, causing Peach to gasp and stumble forward. She groaned at the whiplash but caught her footing.
"We're here. Don't move," he ordered.
Peach felt his arm leave her body. She took a step away and pulled her hands to her chest in discomfort from the lack of guidance in the darkness. She felt a sudden rush of anxiety pump through her, urging her to run away, or at least towards a source of light. But, as he instructed, she stood still.
Peach gasped as the area around her was suddenly lit up by a flash of intense light and a wave of warmth ran across her back. She squinted her eyes shut with a discomforted frown, overwhelmed by the sudden brightness that seemed to spread up the walls from behind her and overwhelm her eyes with vision. The sudden light strained her eyes with the overwhelming red-orange hue, making them sting from the blazing source of fire.
Though she couldn't see him, it was clear he was entertained by her shock, as she heard him chuckle at her reaction.
"I don't know how you managed to survive this long," he snickered. "If you can't even handle a bit of fire, I think you're in the wrong kingdom."
Peach rubbed her eyes before hesitating to open them. Thankfully, the initial blast of light seemed to have faded, replaced with a gentle hue of orange warmth that coated the stone walls in a less-harsh source of vision.
After a few blinks, her eyes had finally grown accustomed to the change of lighting.
She looked over her shoulder from where the sensation of warmth had come from. It had struck her so suddenly but disappeared just as quickly; It had long faded, replaced with the cold, eerie air of the tunnels.
Unsurprisingly, the king was the culprit behind the intense fire as he stood with a metal lantern in his claws. A lively flame danced within the glass chamber, a dark shade of red, releasing an orange hue around him. Though, it was unlike most flames she had seen, as it bounced and flickered with far more energy.
His flames were much more recognizable to her.
The warm, red light from the flame lit up his features like it would a monster; The glow trailed across his body, shadows gently covering his eyes and other segments of his form. His eyes dimly fought through the darkness, focused on her.
King Koopa's mouth leaked subtle remnants of the fire he had produced, smoke pushing and rushing between his sharp fangs and pouring out of his mouth. The haze clouded around his face, gently fading as it rose towards the ceiling and clouding the air around him.
Even though his form was impressively chilling, she wasn't intimidated by his presence, and instead eagerly took the lantern from him with a frown at his carelessness.
"For once, I agree with you," she groaned.
Looking down, Peach was surprised to see that the floor was wooden and creaked under their feet. Wherever they were, they seemed closer to civilization, as it seemed more like a forgotten basement rather than a hidden labyrinth. The air was dry and dusty, smelling of mildew and rotten wood.
Barrels and other boxes adorned the large area, surely storage for wherever under the kingdom they had wandered to.
She was only interested in the room for a matter of seconds before she stared in awe at the large stone staircase stood before the two, wide enough for the largest of koopas to use. The walls were covered in thick, rugged cobblestone that matched the rustic steps. Cracks and scratches scattered across the stone surfaces.
Peach stared in silence, amazed by how far up the stairs seemed to fade into, and how she found her heart beating at the presence of the unknown.
He noticed her curiosity and answered her silent questions.
"We're at an exit. Don't get any ideas."
Peach's eyes sparkled with interest at the word 'exit.' The king noticed her rush of curiosity and released a disinterested huff of air with a roll of his eyes, blowing the rest of the lingering smoke out of his mouth towards the ceiling.
King Koopa turned over his shoulder, heading down a separate opening to do what she assumed whatever he had come down here to do. As intrigued as Peach was with whatever he was up to, she couldn't pull her eyes away from the stairs. She was too enamored with how close she was to freedom to continue chasing after him.
The stairs lead upwards to what she had to assume was the surface, though they were so far below the world above that the steps faded into darkness, eating the light her lantern produced. She waved it back and forth but the most she was able to illuminate were the floating patches of dust.
It was hard to imagine that an exit was so close to her; she was desperate to escape, yet she had been brought directly to what the king kept her locked away from.
It taunted her. It was a bittersweet feeling, being so close to her freedom yet being unable to attain it. A part of her wondered if he found her inner conflict amusing. It seemed the phantom was so confident in his ability to keep her under his control that he didn't mind letting her mind wander a bit close to freedom.
He thought so little of her that it annoyed her!
Without thinking, she took a step towards the mysterious opening, enamored with the thrill of what it held and perhaps the idea of proving him wrong. Thoughts of daylight, the production, and family clouded her mind as she absentmindedly made her way towards the tunnel.
She didn't make so much noise as the gentle click of her heel, but the king seemed to have heard her as he growled a subtle threat without looking at her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
She released a cocky huff under her breath as she turned back towards him. She reluctantly took a step away from the stairs as she had no choice but to obey him. She knew he would catch her if she tried anything…but, she still considered trying, but the thought quickly fizzled out due to common sense.
Peach gasped as she felt something twist and wrap around her leg as she stepped away from the stairs. It wrapped tightly against her skin and bothered her enough to gain her full attention. She looked down, curious to see her leg snagged on a frail piece of string that wrapped around her ankle in several loops. It was clear and hardly noticeable, though she could feel it cutting off her circulation.
She arched her brow and yanked against it. Her movement caused the string to snap and fall loose around her heel with a gentle 'thwap.'
The second the string fell on the floor, the king lunged forward and roughly pulled her against his chest while leaning over her. He raised his arm above her head, effectively covering her from several wooden crates that loudly slammed into his shell with booming crashes in an instant. The noises rattled her skull as she clamped her eyes shut and shrilly shrieked into his chest.
She buried her face into her hands as sharp shards of wood and debris scattered around the two. Quickly after, the wood settled into a cloud of dust and smoke, and all she could hear was her shaky, panicked breathing and the gentle rattles of wood settling around their feet.
The phantom's furious eyes shot down towards her as everything settled, his hair coated in ashy dust and his claws covered in small splinters of wood. He clenched his hand and lowered it back to his side.
Peach finally opened her eyes as she vibrated from the intensity of everything that had happened so quickly. She stared up at him, meeting his angered eyes, enamored how he stood as if nothing had happened to him...and how he had quickly rushed to keep her unharmed.
"I told you not to move!" He barked.
Peach was as stiff as a board as she pulled herself out of his claws. The awe she looked at him with instantly faded. He eagerly released her. She wafted the air, coughing as the settling dust filled her lungs.
"When have I ever been known to stay still when you tell me?!" She cried. "You nearly killed me!"
"You nearly killed yourself," he corrected with a snarl.
"Why even have a trap here?" She argued with a point towards the large staircase. "Are you expecting unwanted visitors? This is a bit of a cold welcome," she grumbled with one final poof of her dress. She coughed as a bit of dust clouded around her.
"Most are too scared to travel down here. But, for those stupid enough, I have to give them a reason to be afraid." He nodded towards the broken boxes. "Considering how hard you're breathing, I would assume it worked."
Peach placed her hands defensively over her chest as if that would calm her racing heart or shield him from sensing her.
"Oftentimes happens when one is almost crushed to death," she defended. "I don't know if I should thank you or yell at you," Peach whispered through clenched teeth. "I'm leaning towards yelling."
"Give it your best shot. Next time, listen to me, and you won't have to get your pretty little hands dirty."
Peach lowered her hands to her side with a roll of her eyes.
"Shouldn't you be avoiding places like this?" She gestured towards the gaping hallway that stretched upwards towards the surface.
The phantom shrugged.
"I shouldn't be here." He frowned, staring at her from the corner of his eyes. "To my surprise, it seems as if you're sought after, Toadstool. We've had a lot of unwanted company."
Only then did Peach notice four royal guard helmets carelessly thrown next to the stairs: each helmet's glistening metal surface was scratched and covered in dents, as well as spider-webs of charred ash plastered against them. Her face paled as she assumed the curious guards had met their ends...or, maybe...they were just placed there to scare visitors away.
She struggled to convince herself of that, though. She shuddered as she nervously rubbed her arm.
She knew guards were interested in her; the Queen herself was interested in her because of her involvement with the supposed phantom…but, she had assumed that word of her disappearance had only interested her enough as to monitor the potential exits…she hadn't thought she was sought after so heavily as to warrant attempts at rescue! Considering how protective the king was of his life within the tunnels, it seemed more like a death wish than expedition.
Was their goal even to rescue her? Or, rather, were the remains of the guards proof of attempts at snatching her? Peach shuddered, remembering the guards she had overheard a few days prior and the warnings Daisy had given her.
She knew that no one was searching her out of the kindness of their hearts, but only to capitalize on the information she had, just like Daisy had predicted. She had no doubt that the second she felt sunlight she would be sent somewhere empty of it to be investigated.
The exit was no longer beckoning her as strongly as it had before. Instead, she felt sick staring up into it as she instinctively backed away.
Peach's hands gripped the edges of the lantern, her palm pressing against the warm glass. She fidgeted with it out of anxiety, running her fingers against the metal rim.
"I didn't think anyone would try to come...down here for me."
"I thought the same thing. Who would care so much as to risk their life for a random human girl? I've had to keep an eye on the obvious entrances more than usual. Several idiots have been throwing their bodies down here, surely out of curiosity. Or, maybe a paycheck." He paused as he stared at the boxes. "They're sloppy, thankfully. Easily scared away."
Peach's grip intensified at the insinuation of his actions behind his words.
She had always assumed she would feel overwhelmed with relief after realizing there were people out there attempting to come find her, but, instead, her chest locked with discomfort.
"Would you ever go back?" She nervously asked. She nodded towards the staircase. "Up there, I mean, if you had the chance."
"You ask such stupid questions," he scoffed under his breath.
Peach quickly flushed with color as she realized her question already had an obvious answer; it wasn't even worthy of a response from him, it seemed.
"I suppose so," she nervously rambled. She sighed. "I'm sure you miss it."
She had no doubt that every second he spent underneath the opera house was not one of choice, but one of necessity and fear. She didn't understand why he limited himself away from the outside world or why he faked his death with his children, but she knew that whatever he was hiding from was intimidating enough to give up everything he had.
Peach looked up at him in subtle worry...was he plagued with the same delimma as her? She had no doubt that he wanted to return to the surface more than anything, perhaps more than her, but there must be something, or the potential of something, horrible holding him back from returning to his past life. She bit her lip as the idea of not being alone in her internal struggle slightly numbed her panic.
At least neither of them were alone, though the thought only gave her brief reassurance as she remembered who she was alone with.
A/N: Thank you for the crazy support! Sorry this chapter rambled on! It's going somewhere, promise!