Chapter 7 Mystery and Misfortune

Peach took a step towards the fortune teller. As she did, said fortune teller looked at her with glittering eyes and some kind of grin. Peach couldn't quite place what emotion it conveyed, and it filled her with intrigue. She took another step towards Cackletta, all the while holding onto a breath she had just inhaled. The little bean man from earlier followed close behind her, his footsteps especially twitterpated for such a small figure.

"I…" Peach stopped, not taking her eyes off of the (self-proclaimed) great Cackletta. She curled a strand of her hair back, trying to figure out what she should say next. "I, uh…" nothing came. Nothing save for half words and noises that made her appear too weak to be crowned queen in the morning.

"Oh, do not fret, your highness," Cackletta said. She stepped around the desk and took hold of Peach's hand. The princess gasped at how cold her touch was. "Come, come my dear. Come sit; get yourself comfortable." The same grin from before returned, making Peach worry a little bit. "You no doubt are anxious about your future. I can sense many emotions tumbling about within you. You are scared. Deathly scared." She rubbed Peach's shoulders, which only made her shiver. "But you don't need to feel these things. Why, when I read your future, I have no doubts that it will only reveal prosperity." She gestured to her assistant. "Fawful and I wish only the best for you."

Peach frowned. She looked at Cackletta, smiling in a way that only Peach's mother could replicate. She looked back at Fawful the assistant. He smiled at her too, but that smile was accompanied by some high-strung, odd-sounding giggles. Peach squirmed a little bit. A feeling rested in her gut, telling her that she should probably turn back. However, it wasn't strong enough to deter her. So, she did what Cackletta had instructed her to do and took a seat in the chair in front of the desk.

"That's a good girl," Cackletta whispered. She finally took her hand off of Peach and walked around to sit at the desk. "Now, why don't you tell me everything about what's floating through your mind right now." She pulled her chair forward. "That will aid me in knowing exactly what you are looking for in your future."

Peach hesitated. Fawful came up to her, standing right beside her chair and still sporting the giggly grin from before. "Feel the ease of easiness, my princess. Feel the relaxation beginning in the toes traveling through your being."

The princess nodded. She took a deep breath, putting her hand up to the sapphire broach. She squeezed it before finally finding the words she needed to say.

"Well… Cackletta, as you are probably well aware, tomorrow is the day where I become queen. And…" Peach whimpered, hanging her head as she did. "And I'm… I'm…" she thought of her words carefully, not wanting to outright say the words "I'm afraid." "And… I am concerned about this. Everybody has such high expectations for me, and I want to deliver. I just… need reassurance, I guess. I need a way to know for certain if I'm going to succeed. And… well, one of my servants directed me to you."

"Ah, a very wise servant that one was." Both she and Fawful giggled, causing Peach to blink. "I understand your apprehension. And I also understand and am humbled by how you decided to come to me for help." The sparkle in her eyes returned, and it made Peach reeled back. Seriously, what emotion was that exactly? "So, fear not, my pretty little princess. I hold the answers you seek."

With that, she snapped her fingers, and a crystal ball appeared right on her desk with a glittery pop. Peach did a double take while Fawful got wickedly and suspiciously close to her. Trying to ignore the strange little man, she instead focused on Cackletta as the fortune teller leaned over her crystal ball. She hummed a C note and waved her hands over the object, staring at it with such intensity that it looked like her gaze could shatter it.

"Show me, show me…" Cackletta murmured. Peach leaned forward, her breath caught right in the middle of her throat. Fawful's giggles returned, giving her chills. But she wasn't going to back down. She had come this far, and she needed those answers. Needed them more than she needed anything else at this moment.

After a minute, Cackletta closed her mouth and leaned towards the ball. Peach leaned forward even further, almost putting her face beneath Cackletta's nose. The fortune teller squinted, possibly looking at everything that this ball revealed about the princess's future (emphasis on possibly though, as Peach herself couldn't see anything within the ball).

"Hmm…" Cackletta clicked her teeth. "I see you sitting on a throne…" Peach backed up a little bit, almost ramming her back into Fawful's face. "Your expression is hard to make out though…" Cackletta bit her lip. "You are talking to someone. There's an aura around this person, but… *Gah.* It's too blurry for me to really say for sure what the aura indicates."

Peach's heart skipped a beat. "Is that bad?"

"I don't know your highness," Cackletta responded. "I don't have any sort of confirmation towards fortune or misfortune."

"Yes," Fawful murmured. "The fortune teller feeling the very uncertain."

Peach's stomach twisted into a knot. "That…" she whimpered. "Do… so there's no way to know for certain?"

For a brief spell, Peach thought she saw a flash of a smile on Cackletta's face. It didn't stay there for long though, making Peach feel uncertain as to the reality of the expression. The fortune teller leaned closer to her ball, squinting so hard that Peach wouldn't be surprised if she acquired vision problems.

"I'm trying to see a closer future." She touched the ball, all while Peach sat frozen still. "I see a ceremony. Your coronation, I believe. You are standing in front of the throne, and the crown is being placed on your head but…" she paused.

"But what?" Peach asked, the sound practically a squeak.

Cackletta sat frozen for a little bit before frowning. "No no, your future is still unclear. Wildly unclear; I can't detect a positive or negative outcome. It's strange."

"Oh yes," Fawful said. "Very strange in the deed."

Peach felt as though her bottom was glued to the seat. "So… you can't help me?"

"No no! I wouldn't say that at all!" Cackletta stood up, smiling the same smile that made Peach feel so strange. "I might not be certain there is a positive outcome in your future. However, there is a step we can take that can ensure that there will be." She looked over at her assistant. "Fawful?"

Fawful nodded and walked over to a box next to the left wall. He rummaged around inside it for a second before pulling out a talisman, one very similar to the one that Peach's servant wore. However, there was one difference, a major difference that actually made Peach a little squirmy. Instead of a purple gem, this talisman had a red gem. A wickedly red gem, one that made Peach's heart rate pick up. The color seared itself into her vision, igniting the imagination in such horrific ways. There was just something so… wrong about this.

"This talisman is something I am giving you for protection," Cackletta said as Fawful walked up to the princess. "Anything or anybody that feels the need to cause you misery during the ceremony won't be able to lay a finger on you when you wear this." She chuckled while Fawful placed the necklace in Peach's hand. "It has extra durable enchantments, gives you superhuman protection, and on top of that, it looks absolutely gorgeous on a Koopsmas tree." She giggled, as did Fawful.

Peach, however, stood completely still. She looked down at the talisman in her palm. She swallowed a lump, trying to tell herself that there was nothing to worry about. Despite that, whether it be because of her gut or her superstitions, Peach just didn't believe this was safe. She felt as though something wicked was lurking in the background, a feeling made even worse by the fact that she didn't exactly know what that something was.

"Are… I'm not sure…"

"Oh dear princess, you have nothing to worry about!" Cackletta placed her hand over her heart. "I swear to you as your humble servant that nothing will come to harm you while you adorn this talisman." Once again, her eyes shimmered. "Your present is heading down a path that leads you to the brightest future possible. You have my absolute assurance."

"Fawful's as well!" Fawful exclaimed, causing Peach to raise an eyebrow. "Your worries and fear do not do the becoming of you. They are more misplaced than the chicken thrown through a clothes dryer!"

Peach's eyebrow rose even higher. "Uh…" she looked back down at the talisman. She really didn't know what to make of this whole thing. However, she needed some form of certainty that tomorrow was going to go well. And besides, her servant had spoken very highly of Cackletta to begin with…

"Alright," she relented with a sigh. She put the talisman around her neck, right above her brother's broach. Prickles formed all over her skin as the gem rested on her chest, but she ignored that. Instead, she turned back toward Cackletta, mustering up the courage she needed to smile. "Thank you, Miss Cackletta."

"Of course, my beloved princess." Peach froze a little at her inflection, especially the emphasis on "beloved." This all washed away however as Cackletta let out a soft chuckle. "No worries, my dear."

"Yes, none of the worries," Fawful parroted (in a strange way).

Peach nodded. She put her hand to the gem, taking deep breaths as she told herself that this was fine. This was fine, this was fine; everything was going to be fine. She just needed to relax. How had Fawful described the process of relaxation before? Oh yeah, "feeling the relaxation beginning in her toes spread through her entire being." A perfect display of word salad, but good advice nonetheless.

"Well… what would you like for payment, Miss Cackletta?"

"Oh nothing, my dear." Cackletta smoothed out her long purple robe. "Helping my soon-to-be-queen is all the payment I need."

Peach smiled at that. "Oh! Well… thank you." She made her way towards the door. "I will definitely remember this."

"Oh, I know dear Peach." Cackletta beamed. "I will too."

Peach nodded and exited the door. Once it closed behind her, she let out a breath and put her hands up to the talisman. Her worries had surely been misplaced! This little gem was the path towards the brightest future possible, in Cackletta's own words. It was a safeguard for her, an excuse to not worry. So what if it looked scary on a first glance?

With this thought in mind, Peach started to make her way down the path. No worries, Peach, she told herself. No worries whatsoever.