Peach sighed - these arguments weren't too draining, but they were becoming so frequent that she wasn't sure how long it had been since the cause of them had arrived. They felt like part of her new routine, like the extra guards, high alert systems on standby, and her inability to leave the castle grounds due to new safety precautions. It was all starting to get to her a little - at least Daisy could keep up her upbeat nature and rattled out a funny childhood story most days.
"Peasley, are you sure you aren't needed back in your home kingdom? I know you're worried about the brothers here but seriously-"
Peasley flicked his hair, the sun gleaming on it almost blindingly as it seemed to always do whenever he flicked it. "Princess Peach! Do not worry - I am free for a couple more weeks yet." He continued to jab his rapier into a training dummy that was as tall as he was, the poor thing had plenty of holes and split ends from wear and tear.
"Peasley please, it's been nearly-"
"Nearly a month, I know." Prince Peasley glanced out of a window that overlooked toad town, just to see if anything had happened. Despite the imminent threat of takeover, there had been almost no activity, apart from some trade routes being cut off. Collectively, they could only hope that the warning statement of a safety curfew didn't fall on deaf ears, and that the lack of news was good news.
Peasley was starting to get a little bored of waiting for something to happen, but he couldn't show up and not do anything - he had to stay in the Mushroom Kingdom. He felt bad for not doing more when the brothers were kidnapped, but he felt that it wasn't entirely his place to take action of instant retaliation without Peach's go ahead, which she was a bit too stunned to make any decisions at the time, even silent ones when the enemy was right in front of them.
Fortunately, he wasn't the only foreign royal presence. Daisy was almost always around somehow, (although not at the moment - she'd mentioned something about exotic mushroom dishes and slammed the castle door behind her, much to Toadsworth's displeasure.) constantly popping in and out, often running little errands and trying to see more of Toad Town each day, although it didn't have too much to offer. Peach almost always remained inside, possibly not wanting to take any risks about Bowser with the brothers gone, and Toadsworth loved to work himself into conversations, asking Peasley how trade was the last time he was there there, and did the value of the coin still fluctuate so, and how is Lady Lima doing these days?
But mostly he missed the presence of Luigi and Mario. A threat had to be grand to stop those two, as together they had proved to be unstoppable, and had saved both him and his kingdom on multiple occasions from, alas, the same threat. To this day, all these years later, he still thought it impressive of them.
And Luigi - he had always found the younger of the brothers' introverted nature slightly charming in its own way, and his handsome mustache and bright eyes were always a pleasing sight. Peasley had been looking forward to spending more time with both him and Mario after all the years since they'd last properly seen each other, but then this had cropped up.
"Nearly a month." Peach parroted solemnly. Nearly a month since the brothers' birthday, nearly a month that they didn't receive their birthday presents, nearly a month that she couldn't do anything for them in their time of need, on their birthday no less. She detested feeling so useless, more so that she had to put her people first over the select few that the brothers were, even if they were an imperative part of her Kingdom's defense.
Toadette, Stars love her, would always parrot the same thing about getting Bowser's help and getting it over with, as of late, Peach had half a mind to suck it up and follow through with her oldest friend's advice, but a piece of her pride and dignity outright refused since he could still do something on his own. Toadette had other duties besides being her handmaiden, and wasn't present at the moment, especially since she found Prince Peasley's presence to be a bit pitiful. Peach couldn't blame her for finding other things to do.
A ferocious knock at the castle door, before the fumbling of forgotten keys - the kind that would happen when you'd only been using said keys for just over four weeks - the clatter of a lock, and slam open of a heavy door. Peach could already feel Toadsworth cringing from the other room.
"I'm back!"
The Sarasaland princess balanced in four paper bags, an oversized hat and a mysterious looking box that was possibly cursed, considering the things Daisy could find when she looked hard enough.
Peasley gave her a quick bow as she wobbled in and offered to take some of her bags, carefully avoiding the box in her arms, and Peach took the hat off her head before that fell too.
Daisy took a moment not to drop the box, and as she half skipped up to the table, what she said nearly made Peach and Peasley drop what they were carrying too.
"And actually, it's been over a month!"
Peasley just about kept his balance. "Wh-What?"
Over a month? Had her kingdom been like this for over a month? The brothers had been held hostage as portraits for over a month? That was enough time for Bowser to get an idea, just about, and that worried her. The kingdom was in danger, and a lot of it. Peach had to be sure Daisy wasn't pulling her leg.
"How are you certain?"
"I've been keeping track with this little notebook!" She held up a small orange pad with a pen tucked in the top. "It doubles as a calendar and a shopping list - I bought it the second day I was here."
Peach leaned hard against a table as it felt like gravity took a shot at her kneecaps. "Time is passing far too quickly - I'm worried about Mario, Luigi, and the activity of King Boo. We haven't heard anything since we released the statement."
Peasley pulled her out a chair, and she took the seat. "What do you think he could be up to?"
"I have no idea."
That was a lie. Peach had many ideas. None of them were pleasant.
"Shall this be pleasant, Sire?"
"Pleasant? It's far more than pleasant! It's excellent! Perfectly scary, and exactly the architecture that I like."
Bootstrap gave his boss a genuine smile. "I'm glad you like it, Sire - we Boos have worked hard to build this mansion on such a short notice, especially with the strain on numbers, because of the invasion, of course." It was just him alone with the King today, Booreaucrat was busy putting in finishing touches in the mansion herself. Evidently she felt he was ready to completely handle the King on a business level by himself, so long as he updated her on everything discussed between the two, which was a given.
King Boo looked around at the golden dunes nearby. "Quite the exotic location. How long has this been ours again?"
Bootstrap adjusted his lenses."Probably nearly a month Sire - we conquered it as soon as we had captured the Mario Brothers, who are on their way over here in their paintings as we speak."
He nodded at that last point. "It must be over a month!" The king gave his most loyal subject a confusing glance. "I've been keeping track in my other diary, the violet one."
"Oh, then it must be, Sire." He made a mental note to check his planner later. "Shall we enter the mansion?"
"Of course! I have some important business to discuss with you."
There was actually little activity as King Boo entered his new mansion, due to sunrise not being too long ago, so most Boos had found themselves still on their way back from their missions. This was why Bootstrap had decided to reveal the mansion at this time, even though it had gone through its finalization close to 2am the previous night. He couldn't help but invest in a few self indulgent thoughts as he walked the new yet already dusty hallways. He, a smaller-than-average short-sighted nobody of a Boo was soon to be second in command (if not third in command because of Booreaucrat) to the greatest leader that ever didn't live - to think he'd only been working directly for him over the past six months!
But that was not appropriate to think about now. There was the task at hand of conquering the kingdom and pleasing its new king, who didn't seem too pleased when Bootstrap brought up the invasion again once they arrived in a brand new feature in the mansion - King Boo, Booreaucrat, and Bootstrap's personal office. Booreaucrat must still be finishing up touches in the upper levels.
"About that." The king felt a little embarrassed to admit his next point, but he dared not hide behind his hands, for he was no common boo - he simply glanced slightly to the side.
"I want to stop the invasion."
"Stop the invasion?" Bootstrap wheezed and just about kept his balance mid-air, but he wasn't going to question the king's decisions. At least not out loud. He would to Booreaucrat though, wondering how she would take it.
"Yes." He sunk into his spinny-office chair. "We can use the power, land, and people that we have to strike an unfair deal with the Princess."
"That… does make sense Sire, but, may I ask a question?"
His answer was a simple eye raise.
"What do you wish to gain from this?"
King Boo thought for a moment. "A play-thing; a pretty one. If my plan goes correctly, which it will, we can keep our power and land while I have a real, living human here all the time to mess with."
"You have the brothers, Sire. They shall be arriving here soon."
"Good! They're important to my plan. No - I'd like someone less dangerous and more… alive to torture."
"Sire, are you suggesting that we-"
"Bootstrap! Send one of the gamer-boos for Boovelope! I require a letter sending. And take note! Dearest Princess Peach … "
Bootstrap quickly reached for a sheet of paper and a quill, and copied down what he had to in a rough copy of the king's handwriting.
"Sincerely, King Boo. Forge my signature at the bottom."
He finished it off with a fake scribble.
"Sire!"
The familiar voice of Game Boo came from behind the door.
"Sorry it took me so long, Sire! I'm having trouble finding my way around the new mansion, Sire! I've brought Boovelope, as instructed Sire!"
"Good!" King Boo dismissed him with one of his short arms. "Fetch your siblings."
"Oh, of course Sire!"
"Boovelope! I want this letter delivered to Princess Peach's castle by midday - it is a matter of great urgency."
Boovelope took the letter from Bootstrap and with a slight snarl bowed in front of King Boo. "Of course your Highness, right away."
And, with that letter in hand, he disappeared into the shadows.
Hope you're ready for more Boos y'all.
Also, belatedly, yes, Toadette's usage as a handmaiden is heavily inspired by Tanookris' (Yep, they changed their name!) Super Mario Bros.: The Legend Begins over on Ao3