The King and His Queen

The historic Lava Rock Cathedral was the location for Peach and Bowser's celebration. It had lived through centuries of countless civil wars and invasions. The structure was built inside a volcano with lavafalls surrounding it. Here, the Darklands was to be officially introduced to the Queen of the Koopas.

Within the cathedral is a grand hall and two elaborate staircases leading to an upper balcony. The seating for guests were set up on the floor level. Tables are covered in lavender cloth, the plates a light pink with lavender napkins. And at the tables' center are white platters of food - surrounding crystal vases of purple, pink and small white flowers. The koopalings had spent many nights getting the place ready under Wendy's guidance. There were constant fights and arguments but they succeeded.

As the guests enter, Ludwig provides music with his orchestra. His brothers direct people to the seating for dining. All of them are wearing black suits with purple ties. Meanwhile, Wendy (in a pink dress) ran around making sure everything remained perfect. Once everyone is seated, the royals enter the hall arm-and-arm. The king is dressed in a white tuxedo and purple bow tie. Additionally, his mane was combed and styled under a large top hat. Bowser grins broadly as he looks down at his queen. Peach is in an off the shoulder wedding dress, the top heart- shaped. A sapphire choker encircles her neck including a transparent veil over her styled hair. Finally, a train flows from Peach's dress bearing pink rose patterns.

The audience regards the couple in silent awe as they bypass them. Berry and Gold hold Peach's train as she ascends the stairs to the balcony. The queen's heart beats rapidly as she tries not to trip on the stairs. It would be the epitome of embarrassment to fall in front of everyone! Not helping, Bowser steals glances at her making her even more nervous. However, they make it safely to the top without incident. Bowser helps Peach sit at their table and plops into his chair. He yells for the party to start and returns to staring at Peach.

Conversation and laughter soon echo throughout the hall as the guests wine and dine. A moment later the royal couple dance on the balcony as everyone watches. Afterward, people rush to dance on the floor level. But Bowser and Peach remain in their own little world above. As Bowser dips Peach, she spots Wario and Waluigi below.

"Bowser! Wario and Waluigi made it!"

Bowser groans and looks over the railing. His eyes flare up, the plumbers are wearing white suits and sporting top hats! "Those scum-scrubbers! Are they trying to show me up!?"

Spotting the couple, the plumbers pose dramatically as toads look at them in wonder. Bowser is about to jump off the balcony to get them. However, Peach peppers his face with kisses to draw his attention away from the duo. Forgetting everything, Bowser growls and kisses her back. Disappointed they failed to rile Bowser up, Wario and Waluigi go to the dance floor. Waluigi catches the crowd's attention with his freestyling. On the other hand, Wario finds an unlikely dancing partner in Toadette. The two immediately become friends. Already fuming over the plumbers dressing like Bowser, the general is now glaring daggers at Wario.

Distracted with Peach's lips, Bowser doesn't notice guests visiting them. His red-faced wife must slip out of his arms. While receiving congratulations, Junior finds his way up and sits at their table.

Coming in late is the delegates from Sarasaland, including Daisy and her mother. The princess is wearing a flowing lavender outfit with a single strap. Her appearance catches the eyes of some guests, but Daisy focuses on the balcony. Bowser is feeding Peach a strawberry when Daisy shouts.

"Peachy!"

"Daisy? Daisy!"

Daisy rushes up the stairs to capture Peach in a bear hug. Though struggling for air, Peach pats Daisy on the head. Lilac softly laughs over their antics as she ascends the stairs. Plum and Mop, also attending, greet their former rebel leader. Bowser stuffs a steak in his mouth pretending to be indifferent towards them. Inwardly, he's happy they made it.

"Daisy? You wear dresses?" He inquires.

Daisy spins around to face Bowser (while still holding Peach) and flashes a smile. "Of course, I love them! I just never had time to wear them!"

She sets Peach down who catches her breath. "How has the reconstruction been going?"

"Rough, but we're getting there. Our embassy in the Desert Kingdom is almost done. I can't wait for you to see it!"

Daisy bends to greet Junior who is looking at her curiously. He suddenly becomes shy and hides behind Peach. But a few questions later and Junior is rattling off anything that comes to his mind. Wanting to show her something, Junior drags Daisy to the lower floor. Amused, Bowser shakes his head and motions for Lilac to join them. However, his nobles cautiously arrive on the balcony. To Bowser's surprise, Peach makes a point of greeting the nobles. She even calls up her toad retainers to distribute gifts to them. Bowser chuckles, he realizes Peach wants to show them she is not afraid of them. Taken aback by her behavior, some nobles are standoffish. On the other hand, some are delighted to see her in person. One even kisses her hand. Bowser growls a warning at the koopa. The nobles scurry off and the royals continue to enjoy their friends' company.

After the party ends Bowser carries Peach onto an airship, waving goodbye to the kids. The honeymoon was to last a week at the Koopa Coastal Village. Bowser wanted to go to the Shiver Region. But Peach preferred the privacy offered by the small town. He agreed, realizing he didn't want to be stalked. And he wanted Peach all to himself. The only person he had to worry about was Mrs. Kale. Fortunately, the old lady promised not to bother them. Bowser and Peach enjoy walking along trails and beaches, just simply sightseeing. Also, they did snorkeling among the coral reefs. While Peach interacts with dolphins, Bowser notices a sunken ship. Vowing to find treasure, he dives into it. Peach resigns herself to follow him. To her chagrin they have an encounter with an overgrown territorial cheep-cheep. But after a scuffle, they make it to the surface with gold bars and fresh cheep-cheep meat. A pleased Bowser then roasts the meat over a bonfire.

The week went by quickly. Soon it was time to return to their respective kingdoms. The king tosses and turn on the night before they leave. Finally laying on his back, Bowser regards Peach. She is turned on her side, softly breathing as she sleeps. He smiles at her forlornly. Bowser was eager to see his kids again, but he wasn't looking forward to his duties as king. With Peach he can let his guard down, and drop the tough guy act he's maintained for years. But he needs to make sure he keeps his people in line. The majority support him no matter what. But a small group still feels he had weakened; he didn't need them spreading their views. A koopa kingdom can't stand if it loses trust in its leader. Bowser bitterly remembers Lord Arthur's comment about his mother. It meant a lot when Peach stood by him as he greeted the nobles. She didn't fully understand why being tough was important to Bowser, but she still supported him. With that on his mind, he falls asleep.

Bowser finds himself standing before his raging parents. They are shouting at him but he doesn't understand what they are saying. Fidgeting Bowser tries to speak but nothing comes out. Soon he realizes he is looking up at them instead of down. He is now a small child. Bowser wipes his runny nose with his forearm. Fear courses through him as he contemplates what will happen next. Finally, he understands what his parents are saying.

The queen roars as she circles the boy. "I went through all that effort, picking the best brides for you and you reject them all!?"

The father shakes his head. "And you're making peace with the toads!? Disgusting! Have you forgotten who you are!?"

"I'm the king! I can do whatever I want!" Bowser defends. The queen backhands him. Bowser slides a few feet away. Grabbing his stinging cheek, he stares at his mother fearfully.

"Maybe some time in the arena will teach you." She threatens.

The queen rushes at him, teeth bare. Bowser curls into a defensive position. He was unusually strong for his age, but he wouldn't dare strike back against his parents. They only get worse. Suddenly, he feels small arms embracing him. He looks up and realizes Peach is shielding him with her own body. Bowser tries to tell her to run. But Peach doesn't move as the wicked queen snaps her jaws at her.

"PEACH!"

"Bowser?"

Bowser wakes up in panic and is greeted with the lovely sight of his wife. Dressed in a pink gown, Peach looks down at him. Her blue eyes are laced with concern as she clutches his claw. Bowser sighs in relief realizing he was having a nightmare. His rapid breathing slows as she massages his hand.

With gentleness she speaks. "Are you alright?"

Bowser lifts an eyebrow to flirt but stops when Peach narrows her eyes. He resigns to tell the truth. Softly, Bowser wraps his arm around her small form. "I've been so happy…I had forgotten about my nightmares…"

Bowser groans and lifts his free hand; it starts to shake. "To be honest, I thought I would be over this by now. It's so frustrating. It's not as bad as it used to be but…" His eyes downcast as he recalls the last moment in his nightmare.

Peach rests her head on his chest. "The feelings left by bad experiences don't go away fully. But I'm here for you, alright? Y-you can talk to me whenever you want."

Bowser tries to think of the time when she was not in his life. It's hard for him to fathom. His heart wells with joy and the lingering fears slightly fade in his mind. Bowser tilts his head to smirk at her. "One thing I will say is that I'm mad to be going back to work."

Peach giggles. "We have kingdoms to run Bowser."

A mischievous glint appears in his eyes. "Why don't we run away with the brats? We'll go to a new world and start over!"

Peach rolls her eyes, now muttering under her breath. "I know you're not quitting."

Bowser chuckles at her annoyed reaction. "Of course not! I can't spoil you if I'm broke! I'm just pulling your leg, silly!"

Peach purses her lips as she pouts. "Big oaf!"

"Pinky!"

"Oaf!"

Laughing, Bowser pulls her in closer. Peach snuggles into his embrace and goes back to sleep. Happy and content, he looks up at the ceiling with a smile.

Bowser and Peach's hold their first day of court together in the Darklands. Both sat on thrones of stone but Peach's one was pink themed and less sinister. People from far and wide came to the royals with their problems. Peach handled the affairs of Mushroom Kingdom. So, she simply listened as Bowser dealt with his subjects. But then the gingerbread men come in. A dispute has arisen between the white and red frosting again. This time it is over planting new apple tree saplings. The fear of Bowser prevents them from fighting, so they have come to get help resolving the problem. Already disgusted, Bowser begs Peach to resolve the problem. For the next hour, he endures the pastries arguing back and forth. But Peach manages to resolve the matter.

As it reaches lunch Bowser grips Peach's hand, ready to leave the room.

"You're doing great." He compliments.

"I'm ready to eat." Peach admits.

"Bwa ha ha! Don't worry, we have one more thing to take care of."

Bowser motions for the guards to let the last person in. A large red albatross, wearing a green hat, enters. He raises his bow and aim the arrow at Bowser. Guards immediately surround him with spears.

"Save that energy for the actual fighting, Hooded Robin." Bowser grumbles. "You never could beat me anyway!"

"Vile reptile." Hooded Robin spits and lowers his weapon.

Peach looks at him curiously and the man bows towards her. "Bowser?"

"Vigilante from Sharewood Forest. He's been a pain in the neck for years. Stealing from the local tower and distributing the goods to the locals."

"It was rightfully theirs!"

"Yeah. Yeah. And that is why you are here. Peach, welcome to our first war game meeting."

"War game?" Peach repeats, her expression now concerned.

Bowser puts his hands up. "Let me explain, snookums. I got to keep my soldiers preoccupied. They've been looking for the next fight. And it is going to take some time for them to give it up. To be honest, I'm itching for a fight." Bowser admits.

"So, bird brain here will oversee an army to give my men a challenge. They can do whatever they want to even their odds. And Sharewood will be compensated for their time."

"You'll return their goods too?" Peach asks.

Bowser shuffles in his chair. "Uhhh…. we'll get back to that! Anyway, I'm planning to build two fake kingdoms on an island far away. Hooded Robin guards one castle and the koopas guard the other."

Bowser rubs his hands together in excitement. "The koopas objective is to invade the opposing castle and kidnap the monarch."

Peach folds her arms. "And who is the monarch you're kidnapping?"

"King Penguin."

Peach's eyes bug out and then narrow. "Bowser…" she threatens.

"I asked him to participate and he was willing! In exchange for me loosening restrictions and tributes, he plays the dude-in-distress."

The queen stomps her heels in frustration. "Bowser, I did not go through all that trouble to save him only for him to die in a …"

Bowser leans towards her smirking. "It's perfectly safe, Peaches! No one will get hurt. Trust me."

That seems to reassure her. Peach slowly nods and he takes her hand. The albatross clears his throat and the royals turn their attention back toward him.

"Hooded Robin, please protect the king." Peach begs.

"Of course, my lady! But would you prefer to observe the event in person? I'm sure it would put you at ease."

Peach looks at Bowser, her eyes earnest. "I'll be able to watch, right?"

"Yeah…" Bowser says in reluctance. "As long as you don't get upset if a penguin falls in lava."

Another thought comes to Peach's mind. "Bowser, you took over Sharewood. How would they provide you a challenge?" She looks at Hooded Robin. "No offense."

"None taken, my queen."

Bowser lays back in his chair and folds his arms behind his head. "Hooded Robin is the leader. But I'll be recruiting the best to join his army. Just you wait, Peach. It'll all work out."

Peach is uncertain about this idea, but she agrees to go along with it.

The Sarasaland embassy was completed within a year. Bowser and Peach were invited to attend the opening ceremony. After the event, Peach surprised everyone with an announcement. To celebrate friendship with Sarasaland, she was hosting a doubles tennis tournament in Mushroom Kingdom. Anyone was allowed to participate. Though tempted to join, Bowser left to train his army and plan for the war games.

Even though he was working on his castles, Bowser kept up with the games. He was pleased with Peach hosting a tournament. It was a nice diversion for the Darklands. Many koopas, with a natural drive to compete, participated. But Daisy and Peach dominated the matches. They quickly rose through the ranks and into the final match. The two had even developed a fanbase. At the final event, many spectators are wearing t-shirts themed after the humans.

Lemmy is hammering on a platform as Bowser watches the tv. The two are doing work in the fake castle. The other koopalings are outside terraforming the various territories between the castles. Bowser gazes as Peach ran along the court. He would never admit it out loud but he is a secret member of an online fan site, dedicated to Peach. For the past month, he would spend hours viewing the highlights and participating in forum discussions.

Daisy and Peach win the final challenge and Bowser accesses the fan site on his phone. It was buzzing with discussion. Some were rejoicing over her win, and one member wished they could marry Peach. Bowser's expression goes blank. He then lets out a roar and a startled Lemmy falls off the platform. Steam escapes Bowser's nostrils and his eyes become bloodshot. The koopa angerly types out death threats to that user. This is going to get him banned from the site but he doesn't care!

"King Dad, a little help?" Lemmy complains as he sits on a rock surrounded by lava.

"Oh… Can't have you falling in that! Your hide is not thick enough yet." Bowser jokes and he lowers an arm to allow Lemmy to climb up. As they return to work Bowser realizes Toad is there. He scowls.

"Here to finish the job, fungus?"

Toad groans and pulls out a flyer. "No, Your Majesty. I'm here to join Hooded Robin's army!"

Bowser eyes him with doubt. "You couldn't handle the training regime!"

Bowser turns around to get back to work, but Toad runs in front of him. The king glares at him over his boldness. Even though he is shaking, the captain doesn't move. He suddenly bows on the floor. The king regards him with confusion.

"You must let me join! Your men still haven't found Antasma! I must protect Peach! But I'm too weak! I must get stronger! Please, let me join!"

Bowser rubs his chin. "Alright, captain. You're in."

"Toad volunteered?"

Bowser grunts in acknowledgement as he carefully places sliced kiwis on the cake. Peach bites her bottom lip and return to supervising Junior. He is squeezing a piping bag to decorate the cake. The koopalings are arguing behind them while chopping fruit.

"That is not star shape!" Iggy declares, pointing at Morton's round shape melons.

"Well, maybe your glasses are broke!" Morton yells while holding up the knife.

Ludwig scolds him, "Don't wave that, Morton! You'll poke someone's eye out!"

Lemmy chuckles. "They'll get an eye patch and become a pirate!"

"We are not pirates, Lemmy!" Wendy argues. Ludwig turns toward her.

"Technically we are. Or were. We raided kingdoms in flying airships…"

"I'm not a pirate!" Wendy stubbornly argues back.

"Larry, I see you sneaking off! You promised to help!" Roy complains and grab Larry by the shell. Larry laughs sheepishly while Iggy and Morton continue arguing.

"Don't make me come over there!" Bowser threatens. He turns back around to continue decorating.

"Good job, Junior." Peach encourages. Her son pauses and looks up at her beaming.

Bowser can tell she clearly doesn't want to interfere in Toad's life, but she is unsure. Bowser closes his eyes and sighs. "Look, if I see the first sign he's about to splat against a wrecking ball, I'll pull him out."

Peach rubs the back of Junior's head. "I'll trust…" Her eyes flare up. "Wrecking ball!?"

"Brats, go buy us some take out!" Bowser yells and throws his wallet at Wendy.

"But Peach cooked a big roast …"

"The toads will eat it. They're always sneaking around in the castle."

Wendy picks up Junior. "Oh, all right."

They leave out, verbally voting on where to get food. Peach notices Bowser staring at her with half-lidded eyes.

"You have a cute frown." He flirts.

Peach responds by folding her arms. "Don't try sweet talking your way out! I'm coming to watch!"

"To see me in action?" Bowser leans over the counter to get closer. Peach lowers her gaze to the floor.

"Will you stop…." She tries to hide a smile.

"No. And I'm giving you 15 seconds to hide. If I catch you, I'm tickling the life out ya!"

A wide-eyed Peach dashes out the kitchen, laughing. "That's not fair! You usually give a 30 second head start!"

"Then I'll drop it to one!" Bowser yells and pursues her immediately into the hall.

A/N: I wanted to answer a review! Yes, Antasma is becoming a yandere. And he is going to get worst.