Chapter 8 Crowned

"Princess Peach!"

Peach woke with a start, shooting upwards as her breath caught in her throat. A servant pounded on her closed door, talking to her with such a strong sense of urgency.

"Princess Peach, you need to wake up! Today's your coronation!"

Peach's heart leaped into her throat. She sat still for a minute, not doing anything except try to get her breathing and heart rates back under control. Her thoughts raced around at rapid speeds, too quick for comfort or assurance that things were going to turn out alright.

Eventually, Peach sighed. "I'll be out in a minute." The servant left, leaving Peach alone. She smoothed out her tangled hair, thinking about everything that this dreaded day had in store. The trajectory of the kingdom's economy, infrastructure, as well as its general structure were all on the line here. Today, Peach would either prove everyone wrong or prove everyone right. She didn't know which one would actually happen, and it made her thoughts speed up again. She clung to her blanket, her heartbeat faster than it had any right to be.

She needed to get up. No use prolonging the inevitable. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the covers back and put her bare feet down on the floor. Before officially getting up, she did a deep breathing exercise. Deep breath in; today would be good. Deep breath out; today would be terrible. Deep breath in; everything was going to be okay. Deep breath out; she wanted to go cry in the corner so badly.

Peach looked over at her nightstand. The broach she had gotten from Peasley rested there, shining brighter than it ever had before. Right next to it was the red gem Peach had gotten from Cackletta. She reached out to grab them before hesitating. Had Peasley been right? Had Cackletta been right?

"Your Highness?" another servant asked with a knock on the door.

Peach pulled away, deciding she would put the jewelry on after she got dressed. "Come in."

The next few minutes flew by. The servant… well, servants that came into the room immediately jumped into helping their princess get dressed. They did her makeup, her hair, and helped put on the sky-blue dress Peach had picked out. As they worked on her, being more careful than a sculptor taking a chisel to rock, Peach felt like she was going to throw up. This became especially true when the dress was tightened. That action made her feel trapped, unable to walk away from the coronation now. And sure, that had been the case for the past five years, but now, it somehow felt more official. She prayed the servants didn't notice her nerves. She prayed that she actually had the strength to go through with this event.

"And… done!" One of the servants exclaimed once they had finished tying a bow around Peach's waist. The three servants backed up, getting an eyeful of their handiwork. Peach went out of her way to smile for them, hoping the expression didn't appear as forced as it felt.

"You all did an excellent job. Thank you very much."

"Of course, your highness." All three servants bowed before one stepped forward, handing her the diamond necklace Lima had wanted to go with the outfit. "We look forward to the ceremony."

Peach bit her lip before nodding. "I do too." She actually impressed herself; she didn't sound nervous at all. Rather, she actually sounded quite confident. Maybe in an alternate universe, she would've been an actress instead of a princess.

After the servants left, Peach once again stayed completely still. She looked down at her dress, turning toward the mirror to see it in full. She looked even more gorgeous than she had when she originally tried on the dress. Not only that, but she looked different. She didn't just look like herself; she looked like an alternate version of herself, someone who could rule a kingdom without once fretting or worrying about everything going wrong. She didn't know why; it could've been the makeup. Either way, she looked as though she was ready for this. She looked as though she could handle all the responsibility that would be placed on her the second the crown touched her head.

She took another breath before looking down at the diamond necklace. She hesitated, turning back toward the two other necklaces. She eventually decided on her next course of action, which was to put on the broach and talisman and hide them underneath her dress. When they were snapped into place, she couldn't help but let out a breath. Somehow, things felt a smidge easier. Just a smidge.

So, putting on the diamond necklace, she finally exited the room and went into the dining hall. Lady Lima and Queen Bean were already there, sipping Hoolumbian coffee and eating what looked to Peach like a Hee Bean omelet. Her stomach growled, which alerted the other two to her presence.

They both gasped upon seeing her. "Oh, Peach!" Queen Bean exclaimed. "You… you look dazzling!" She smiled, sniffling as she did. Lima handed her a handkerchief, which she used to wipe her eyes. "Oh, to think that this day is finally here. I don't… I don't know if…" she blew her nose.

Lady Lima chuckled. "We are all very proud of you, dear princess."

Peach swallowed a lump. "Th… thank you. That… means a lot." She lowered herself down into her seat. The second her bottom touched the chair, servants came out with her breakfast. She tried to keep herself from drooling all over the table as they set the colorful, aromatic dish down in front of her.

"So!" Lima announced after Peach had taken the first of many tasty bites. "At midday, we will all gather in the throne room. The doors will be open so that the kingdom will be able to see the coronation for themselves." Her eyes sparkled as she smiled. "It's going to be quite the event, possibly the greatest event in our Kingdom's history." She took a sip of her coffee. "I mean, having your brother take the throne would've definitely been eventful, but this? This is an entirely different matter."

"Indeed," Queen Bean said. She reached up and pulled the Beanbean crown off of her own head. "Oh, I can only imagine how you would look while wearing this." She beamed as she looked at her one and only daughter. "You will certainly be a queen worth waiting for!"

Peach swallowed another lump. "That's the hope."

"It's a guarantee is what it is!" Queen Bean took another bite of her omelet before getting up. "Well, we have about two and a half hours before midday, so Lima and I will go get ready. And Peach?" Peach's hairs stood on end as her mother looked at her with the warmest expression ever. "I love you."

This, admittedly, did help Peach to feel better. Combined with the comfort she got from her necklaces, she now felt as if she had a better chance of pulling this off successfully.

"I love you too, mother."

With that, both the queen and the royal advisor exited the room. Peach put her hand up to her hidden jewelry. "This is going to be okay," she told himself. "Everything is falling into place." She smiled. "Peasley would be proud of you. I bet he's going to be standing in the audience, cheering you on."

Right at that moment, a hot sensation developed underneath her palm. Confused, she lifted the front of her dress. She saw the talisman, glowing with a mysterious red light. Peach gawked at this, all at once feeling concerned. What did this mean? Was this good, or was it bad?

Well, Cackletta had said that the talisman would protect her. Maybe this was part of that process? Maybe the jewel's magic was warming itself up, getting ready to cast a protection spell over her?

Peach bit her lip. She wasn't sure. That could be the case, but it could also mean something entirely different. All the possibilities folate through her head, almost making her take off the necklace.

Almost. Cackletta had said it would protect her. And Peach desperately wanted that at this time. So, she got up from the table, hiding the talisman back underneath her dress before going to prepare.

When Lima said that the entire kingdom would be here to witness the coronation, she really wasn't kidding. A sea of people crowded through Beanbean Castle as well as the surrounding Castle Town. They talked at incredible volumes, excitement brimming with each and everyone of them. While looking at them, Peach squeezed Peasley's broach much tighter than she ever had in her entire life.

"It's all going to be okay," she said. She did another deep breathing exercise while standing in the doorway to the throne room. "You can do this. I know you can."

Right at that moment, the trumpets started playing. Every eye in the room turned to see the Princess, who stepped forward. Her steps were slow at first, methodical, and precise. She held her head high, doing her best to not show any of the emotions plaguing her. She once again thought of the possibility of Peasley being somewhere in this audience, which was the boost she needed to keep walking up to the throne.

She stopped at the front of the room. The audience whispered amongst themselves, and Peach's ears were able to pick up some of the things they said amongst themselves. "She looks so pretty!" said a younger voice, possibly that of a young girl.

"I've always wanted to see a coronation; I'm so glad we finally got the chance!" said an older, much gruffer voice.

"I still wish that it was Prince Peasley ascending the throne," said a third voice. "I mean, I have nothing against the princess, but I think Peasley would've been a better choice, personally."

Peach's breath caught in her throat. Deciding that listening to these voices was more trouble than it was worth, she faced forward and stood as stiff as a board. Lady Lima came in from the sidelines, and she looked upon the sweating princess with such an excited air to her.

"Dear subjects of the Beanbean Kingdom, I am so glad that you have taken the time to come." She made eye contact with Peach. "The soon-to-be former queen and I couldn't prouder of this bright, vibrant young woman standing right here."

Peach actually felt misty eyed upon hearing that, but like on her walk to the throne, she did her best not to show it.

"And so, it is with great pleasure that I will be crowning our new queen." A servant came up to Lima, carrying the Beanbean crown on a red velvet pillow; the very same one Queen Bean herself had taken off at the dining table that morning. Lady Lima picked it off of the pillow and held it above her head. Unlike before, the audience stood in complete and reverent silence as Lima displayed the crown that thousands of royals had worn before Peach.

Another servant walked up to Peach, his head held high as he opened a book and cleared his throat. "Princess Peach of the Beanbean Kingdom. Do you vow to serve and govern the Beanbean Kingdom with all your strength?"

"I do," Peach answered.

"Will you solemnly promise to have Law, Justice, and Mercy shine through in all of your judgements?"

"I solemnly promise."

"And will you, with all of your heart and mind, promise to follow the laws and maintain peace in the kingdom that you have raised to rule?"

"I promise."

The servant bowed, closed the book, and made his way away from the throne. This left Lady Lima with the crown in hand. Closing her eyes, Peach knelt before her advisor. The silence affected the atmosphere. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. When Lima officially placed the crown on her head, Peach felt as though a large weight had been taken off her shoulders. At the same time though, it felt as though a new, different kind of weight had been placed there in its stead.

"Rise, Queen Peach of the Beanbean Kingdom."

Peach did. She turned toward her subjects, who all cheered at her. Her face grew warm. She held her hands in front of her, doing her best to smile. It's fine, she told herself. She inadvertently placed her hand to the gems on her chest. It's all…

BOOM!