And here we come to the end of this fic. But I have so many ideas about where I want this story to go, so there will definitely be more fics in this series coming soon!

Under the soft, hazy light at the end of sunset and the beginning of twilight, the black gates to the Koopa Kingdom castle opened. Into the courtyard came dozens of horses, mounted by knights of the realm, with some carrying captive bandits or fellow knights too wounded to ride themselves. In the middle of the crowd, Peach rode in on her chestnut stallion with a cold but relieved Luigi sat behind her, grateful to be in a place of safety again. Beside her, Sir Toad rode in with fire in his eyes; Mario in tow, his prisoner now conscious and bound in fresh ropes. And behind them both, mounted on a horse as jet black as the night sky, Bowser entered the gates to his home nearly two days later than he had been expecting to. Boo stood on the stone steps at the castle entrance, with Toadette and Daisy stood either side of him, and couldn't hide his smile when he caught his brother's eye across the crowd. Bowser dipped his head and smiled back, landing softly on his feet as he dismounted his horse.

"Luigi!" Daisy cried out as soon as she saw Peach helping him down from the horse. Luigi's eyes lit up when he heard her voice and turned around to smile widely at her. Holding back a sob, Daisy ran down from the steps and into the crowd. Luigi ran towards her and they met half way across the courtyard, crashing into an embrace, Daisy's arm having healed enough to no longer be in a sling.

"I'm so sorry," Luigi whispered, burying his face in her hair and breathing in her familiar, earthy scent.

"Don't be sorry, my dear. I'm just happy to see you safe," Daisy replied, clutching onto the back of his jacket as though he may disappear again at any moment. Peach smiled at the sight, giving Daisy's shoulder a gentle squeeze as she walked past them both.

"My lady," Toadette dipped into a soft curtsy as Peach reached the base of the steps.

"Toadette," Peach smiled at her handmaid. Suddenly, Toadette rushed forwards and all but fell into Peach's arms. Peach let out a surprised laugh before hugging them, gently tucking their head under her chin. Quickly, Toadette composed themself and pulled back, but Peach made sure to stay close to their side. As she turned, Peach saw Bowser talking to Boo a few feet away. Despite their formal appearances, Peach could see in their eyes how happy they both were to see each other again.

"Your Grace," Sir Toad called out as he approached Boo.

"Sir Toadstool," Boo greeted with a nod of his head, an unusually calm smile on his lips as he turned to face him.

"What would you like us to do with the prisoners, your Grace?" Sir Toad asked.

"Take them all to the dungeons for now. We'll see how their cases fair in our crown court," Boo replied, almost smugly. Sir Toad nodded, gave both Boo and Bowser a quick bow, then turned and began instructing the rest of the knights on where to take their captives. Boo, Bowser, Peach, and Toadette watched in silence as they were all dragged away, just as Daisy and Luigi joined them on the castle steps.

"What will happen to them?" Luigi asked nervously; despite having gotten to know them both better in the past year or so, there was a part of him that would always be slightly afraid in the presence of the Koopa brothers, especially King Boo.

"Don't worry yourself, Lord Luigi. They will face the consequences of their actions and be given fair trial, though I doubt many will come to their defence," Boo replied, staring at Mario's back until he was completely out of sight.

"I am sorry, for Mario. He shouldn't have been allowed to cause you all so much pain. I wish I had done more to stop him..." Luigi sighed, looking down at the floor.

"You did all you could, and you kept our home and our children safe," Daisy lifted Luigi's chin up so their eyes met.

"She's right," Bowser unexpectedly spoke up, "you did everything you could to help us, both of you did, and I am truly grateful,"

"Come, let's go inside. This is a cause for celebration," Peach clapped her hands together once, and everyone nodded in agreement. Together, they all walked up the stone steps and into the castle, happy to be reunited once more.


Mario's fury burned so loudly in his skull that he swore he could hear it talking to him, whispering all the ways he had failed and everything he should have done differently. How could this have happened to him? Everything was all the wrong way around. He should be the one married to the princess, not that awful monster. He deserved so much more than this god-forsaken dungeon cell! Was this really how things were going to end for him? No, he refused to believe it...

Suddenly, as though hushed by a bigger thought, Mario's head fell quiet. In place of all the noise was a singular, focused realisation. He knew what he had to do to make things right again. In order to claim his princess, he would have to prove his worth to her. He needed to show her his strength in battle and have the wealth and power needed to protect her from harm. He couldn't just take her, or even take her kidnapper. He realised he would have to take down the whole system. For Princess Peach to be his, he needed to take down the king.