Chapter 2 Royal Lessons, Royal Pain

13 Years Later

Princess Peach sat at a table in one of Beanbean Castle's many rooms. On the table itself was a notebook, a notebook used to write down every last thing that Lady Lima was teaching her and her brother. Lady Lima spoke at incredible speeds, yet Peach wrote down every single last note with a speed just as impressive. And whenever she wasn't jotting down notes, she kept her attention focused solely on Lima.

"And, of course seeing how you two are royalty, the political landscape of these Kingdoms is very important to grasp." She pointed at a map rolled out in front of them. "The Koopa Kingdom calls itself a constitutional monarchy, but…" she laughed. "Who are we kidding; anybody can see that it's a dictatorship." She chuckled to herself before pointing to another section of the map. "And, of course, the Mushroom Kingdom shouldn't even be called a Kingdom at this point. It has established a democracy, with it's current President being a man named Mario Mario." She snickered. "If he isn't remembered for his politics, he is certainly remembered for his odd name."

Peach chuckled to herself. She jotted down more notes, all the while thinking about the Mushroom Kingdom and its… odd choice for a form of governing. Every other Kingdom or world that Peach had ever run across or heard of in this wide wide Mushroom World was a monarchy of some form. Heck, the Beanbean Kingdom she was royalty for was no exception. The fact that the Mushroom Kingdom would do this, defying ever tradition that the Mushroom World set up for it… man, those Toads and humans who populated that area must be very gutsy.

"Another thing that one needs to be weary of," Lima said, her face falling. "Is the strain between these two Kingdoms." Her face looked so grim that it was like staring into a dark, dark void. "Both Kingdoms have been in a sort of Cold War over territory. And, if that Cold War escalates to the point of having violence be involved, then I fear that the Koopa Kingdom will win." She sighed. "In terms of military power, they are the strongest Kingdom in the Mushroom World. They would overpower the Mushroom Kingdom without so much as batting an eye."

Peach frowned. "I see." She turned the page of her notebook. "And this would be disastrous for us because the Mushroom Kingdom is our biggest ally and trade partner."

"Right you are, dear Princess." Lima's shoulders sank. "And I fear the day when that happens. We will no doubt fight by the Mushroom Kingdom's side in a war, but not even our combined forces will be able to stop the Koopa Troop." She very noticeably shuddered. "What a horrible day ind…"

Before she could even finish her sentence, a snore broke out from across the room. Neither one of the two ladies looked surprised as they turned their attention to Peasley, sleeping with his head conked out on his desk. Peach rolled her eyes while Lima sighed and went to wake up the prince.

"Your Highness!" She said with a loud volume as she shook him. "Your Highness, wake up!" Peasley didn't even stir, which caused Lima to growl. "Man oh man! I swear, one of these days I'm going to need a megaphone in order to wake him up."

Peach chuckled. "Well, I don't have a megaphone for you, but I do have the next best thing." She got up from her desk, smoothing out the folds of her crystal blue dress as she did. With dainty and careful steps, she made her way over to Peasley's sleeping form. She stopped once she stood over him. Clearing her throat, adjusting her stance, and taking a deep breath, she leaned down toward her brother's ear and yelled "WAKE UP!"

Thankfully, that finally got Peasley to wake up. The Prince bolted upright, fear prevalent in his eyes. "No, I don't want to eat wasabi ice cream tonight!" Peach chuckled, watching as her impossible older brother finally got his grip on reality back. He looked between her and Lima, blinking out his eyes as he smoothed out his luscious golden locks. "Wh… what's happening?"

Lima sighed. "Your Highness, you are completely aware of what is happening." She gave him a dry yet still very much angered look. "You are aware that it is time for lessons. That's no doubt why you decided now of all times was the best time to sleep."

Peasley just laughed. "Well, of course! These lessons are boring as sin!" He picked up a piece of paper, folding it into the shape of a paper airplane. "Why can't you teach us interesting stuff?" He looked Lima right in the eye. "Why can't you teach us how to go on adventures?"

Lima shook her head and rolled her eyes as Peasley finished with his paper airplane. "Your majesty, these lessons are extremely important for you. As heir to the Beanbean Kingdom throne…" she paused, putting her hand in the way of the airplane just as Peasley let it go. Holding the glorified origami in her hands, she shook her head at the prince while giving him the sternest of stern looks. "Prince Peasley! This is unacceptable! You are going to inherit the throne in less than two months! You need to know this stuff if you want to actually rule a kingdom competently!" She gestured toward Peach. "Why can't you be more like the Princess?"

This caused Peasley to groan. "Oh great, here we go again," he muttered.

"Peach takes all of her lessons seriously! She is engaged in class and recognizes that these lessons are going to aid her in her role as Beanbean royalty!"

Peasley snorted. "Well then, maybe Peach should be the one to inherit the throne…"

Lima glared at him, the face more furious than any face Peach had ever seen from her. "My prince…" it even sounded like she was restraining herself. "Please! You need to take this seriously! It's for your own good!"

Peasley groaned, rolling his eyes so far back in his head. "But… it's so dull!" He looked right at Lima. "If this is what being the King of the Beanbean Kingdom entails… why would I want it? Why would I want it when there's a whole Kingdom to explore? Nay, a whole world to explore?" He sat up straight, looking Lima right square in the eyes. "The farthest I've ever been away from the Castle is Chucklehuck Woods! I want to see more! Teehee Valley! The Oho Ocean! Joke's End!" A longing appeared in Peasley's eyes. "Heck, why do I have to limit myself to just the Beanbean Kingdom? I want to see everything! I want to watch the northern lights in Frosted Glacier! I want to scale the mountains of Rock Candy Mines! I want to walk on the clouds of Coin Heaven." He groaned and sat back down. "I'm not meant for the royal life, Lima! I'm supposed to explore these lands! I know I am!"

Lima, who had been silent for most of this round of complaining, sighed and pinched her brow. "Peasley, you know you can't do that. There is a whole Kingdom waiting for you to take the throne; a whole Kingdom that needs you to take the throne. The Mushroom World's political landscape gets more and more treacherous everyday! What this Kingdom needs is a strong, confident leader who can guide them through the dark times they sense are coming!"

Peasley just snorted. "Then why don't we have Peach inherit the throne?" He gestured toward the princess. "She could be all that!"

"Me?" Peach asked, doing multiple double takes. "But… but Peasley, I'm the second born! I'm not meant to rule this kingdom! Yes, I have a lot of other duties, but nothing like that!"

"Exactly!" Lima exclaimed as she crossed her arms. "So, Mr. Peasley, I would appreciate it if you would please pay more attention in class! The Beanbean Kingdom's future is dependent on it!"

Peasley just sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Fine."

Lima smiled. She went back up to the front of the room, and Peach went back to her desk. As Lima started talking again, she resumed with writing down everything in her notebook. She tried her best to get absorbed back into the interesting material that Lima went through, tried her best to dedicate every single last ounce of her focus to the royal advisor.

Unfortunately for Peach, she never did manage to fully dedicate her attention to that. Peasley was still right there, and he looked as grumpy as ever. As such, every so often, Peach would look back into her brother's eyes. Sure, she knew that it was entirely his fault for getting in trouble and that he was supposed to focus on this to the best of his ability. But… there was something about his face. He looked so… uncomfortable. There was also a flash of sadness there too, a sadness that Peach couldn't remember ever seeing on his face. It made her stomach churn. It made her heart ache.

…

Later that night, Peach was just about to get ready to go to bed. She brushed her long, silky blonde hair in the mirror, wanting to make sure that it looked as good as possible. She was a princess after all, and princesses needed to keep up appearances even in times where it didn't seem like it was necessary. After she had finished brushing, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. Man, was she ready to get some sleep. Today had been a pretty long day after all. She got in bed, just about ready to pull up her covers and go to sleep when…

Knock knock knock.

Peach blinked. Who in the world would be visiting her at this hour? It couldn't be one of the servants, could it? Curiosity grabbing hold of her, she got up and went over to the door. Not knowing who to expect, she was still surprised to see who it was on the other side.

"Peasley?"

Peasley let out a breath. "Hey sis." His tone sounded… scared. "Do you mind if we can talk for a minute?"

"Oh, sure." Peach allowed him into the room. She watched as he took a seat in the chair next to her bureau, feeling all sorts of emotions tumbling around inside her. "Peasley, is something wrong?"

Peasley bit his lip. "I, uh…" he sighed and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry Peach. I really am. I just want to say that in advance because I know what I'm about to say is going to sound absolutely horrible."

Peach leaned toward him as she sat on the bed. "Okay…"

Peasley sighed again. "I realized something during our lessons today. I… I'm not leader material. And no amount of lessons from Lima or anything like that could ever make me into that. I'm an adventurer. And because I am an adventurer, I know I won't be able to rule a kingdom to the best of my ability if I do end up taking the crown. My focus will always be on the land I have yet to see. The journeys that I could potentially go on. And… and that is not what this kingdom needs. As Lima said, the political atmosphere of the neighboring kingdoms is growing more and more strained by the day. And I know I'm not well equipped enough to handle that!" He hung his head. "So, I ask this for the sake of the kingdom as much as I ask it for the sake of myself. Peach?" Peach leaned forward even more, her heart pounding. "Will you inherit the throne instead?"

Silence. It took a little bit for her brother's words to fully sink in for Peach. When they did, her jaw dropped. "Wait. Are you… do you want to abdicate the throne?"

Peasley nodded, his expression ultra serious. "I think it would be for the best."

Peach's jaw dropped even more. She shook her head, with so many thoughts rushing around inside her. It felt like she was going to explode from information overload. "Peasley, I can't!"

"Yes, you can!" Now it was Peasley's turn to lean forward. "I'm not the leader type Peach. But you? You would make a great leader! Nay, a great queen! You're strong and smart, gentle and loving… you're everything that a kingdom could ask for from a queen!"

Peach's face grew warm. "You flatter me Peasley." She still felt uncertain. "But… but it's your birthright! It's your Kingdom! As I said, I'm just the second born!"

Peasley smiled. "It's your kingdom as much as mine, Peach. And because it's my birthright, I can give it to anyone I please." He took his sister's hands. "And I choose to give it to you. You are more than worthy if what I've seen in our lessons with Lima is any indication. You are exactly what the Beanbean Kingdom needs." He smiled. "I know you can do it, Peach. I know you would make an amazing queen. You'd be an infinitely better ruler than me."

Peach thought about this for a little bit. Inherit the throne instead of her brother? Hours… nay, minutes ago it seemed like an impossibility. It seemed like a joke their mother would tell. It almost seemed too outlandish to take seriously.

But at the same time, Peasley made good arguments. He wasn't leader material. Nothing about his personality indicated that he'd be good at running a kingdom. And that wasn't what their kingdom needed. They needed someone to be firm, kind, and loyal to their subjects. Could Peach be that for them?

Well… she certainly wanted to be. She would do whatever it takes to keep her citizens safe and happy; she knew that all too well. So, taking a deep breath, she looked right into her brother's eyes and smiled.

"I'll do it."