Princess

Part 2: Prized Possession

Peach felt like an object. Broken, used, discarded. The lock clicked and she whirled around to see her psycho of a fiance standing there. He just stood there, gazing at her. He beckoned her closer, no signs of malicious intent apparent on his face. She warily walked closer. Once she stood in front of him, he started to speak.

"Princess, I've allowed you full access of the kingdom for today. You may take your two other princess friends with you. No leaving the property. You can go explore the entire kingdom, but do not attempt to climb over the walls in an attempt to leave as I will find you. I expect you back by sundown at the earliest and midnight at the latest. Your friends are waiting in the dungeon, you may go and get them. I would advise changing into more suitable clothes before you set a foot in there." Bowser said, scrutinizing her outfit. She was wearing a loose, pink, silk nightdress. Definitely not exploration attire.

"Oh...Thank you. By friends, do you mean Daisy?" she said, trying to keep her expression neutral and not one of joy. He was letting her out of this godforsaken room, she was overjoyed. But she couldn't let him notice.

"It's nothing. Yes, Daisy will be accompanying you, along with Rosalina. I have confiscated her wand, so no, you cannot use magic to escape. Enjoy your time with your friends." he monotonously explained, turning around and leaving the room. Peach felt strange. Had Bowser actually been nice to her for once? Was this all a ploy to trap her in the dungeons? 

She changed into more leisurely clothing, a simple white tank top, pink hoodie and blue jeans. At least Bowser provided her with clothes she liked. Despite how bad that sounds, Peach just expected him to always have her dressed up in fancy lingerie. She was glad he didn't, that was one of the few good things about Bowser. He wouldn't be that seedy.

Peach took a deep breath and left the room she had been confined to. Her first day of freedom. It had been a month since Bowser kidnapped her for the last time. A month since she'd set foot outside these pink walls. The hallway was a velvet red, paintings depicting ancient battles adorning the walls. No one else was in the corridor. She didn't know her way around but she assumed that the dungeons would be in the basement. She walked down a set of long, winding stairs that seemed to last forever. The infamous Wendy O'Koopa, Bowser's chosen assassin for big missions, walked down the stairs next to her. Peach wondered if Wendy was as mean as the stories claimed. Time to find out, she guessed.

"Hey, do you know how to get to the basement?" Peach nervously asked. Wendy whirled around to face her, analysing her closely.

"You're the Boss' new bride, aren't ya? Huh... Ya I know where the dungeon is, I'll show you." she murmured, grabbing Peach's wrist and pulling her with her down the stairs at alarming speeds. Peach thought Wendy  was going to accidentally kill her. Soon, they arrived at a huge, iron door. 

"You're here. See ya around, princess." Wendy called before swaggering off in the opposite direction, pulling a pack of chewing gum out of her leather jacket pocket and jamming a piece in her mouth, chewing as she walked. Peach gulped as she stared at the door. No way could Peach open that. She tried pulling the huge handle. Nothing. She was too weak. Peach now regretted skipping arm day.

"You need help with that?" Wario growled from being her. She turned around, running a hand through her hair and smiling awkwardly at the gruff man. He had blood spatters on the gloves on his hands, which let Peach clearly know that he had just finished an execution. 

"Uhh, yeah. Thanks." she said, flustered that someone else had seen her pathetic attempts to open the door. Wario grunted as an answer and tugged open the door as if it was as light as a feather. He let her through first, following her in. The door slammed shut with a metallic thud and a chill ran up Peach's spine. The dungeon was unsettling. She walked through, hearing joyful whistling drowning out the groaning and complaining of the prisoners. A cart with the decapitated heads and bodies of Toads rolled past, pulled by Waluigi who turned out to be the whistler. He held a revolver in one hand. 

"What's a princess doing down here? This sure as fuck ain't your territory." Waluigi said, falling into step beside her.

"I could ask the same for you." she said, trying to keep a level head. An executioner, with a gun, pulling a cart of dead bodies, was talking to her. It was unsettling.

"I'm down here to get the next victims, which could be your friends if Bowser decided to play a cruel trick on you. And to dispose of these." he said, firing a shot into the back of the cart. Peach flinched at the sound. Guns were loud.

"Can ya just shut the fuck up!" a prisoner yelled, stopping Waluigi in his tracks, a smile spreading across his face.

"Guess I've discovered the next one to get their head on the block! Now to play a little game called find the rat who tries to be a brave boy!" Waluigi said in a sing-song tone, firing another bullet at a random cell. Peach was scared now. The Waluigi she'd known had been a shady, quiet individual who rarely spoke and who's eyes were dull. This Waluigi was  madman, the spark in his deep, black eyes telling her she needed to run. 

"Aye like you'll ever kill me!" the same prisoner slurred. Waluigi seemed to have come truly alive, his eyes bright and a wide grin painted on his face.

"Oh, I will! I know which cell you're in!" Waluigi exclaimed, walking over to a random cell and pulling the door open. He grabbed a Toad by the throat and slung him over his shoulder, picking his whistling back up. 

Peach couldn't help but marvel at the fiasco. It was something out of a play. Now she fully understood why Daisy had always felt slightly uneasy whenever Waluigi was around. He was crazy. Batshit crazy. He resumed pulling the cart down the dungeon hallway. She realised he was going to the furnace room that Daisy had told her about. With the Toad. Oh God. Was he going to cremate the Toad alive? He wouldn't. Peach  felt sick. She was glad he wasn't going to kill her. Or at least she hoped. 

As the furnace room door slammed shut, screams could be heard from inside it. Maniacal laughter was heard. Waluigi was insane. At least he hadn't gone on a killing spree whilst she ruled the Mushroom Kingdom. At least his inner psychopath was being channelled now. Peach walked along the rows of cells, looking for Daisy and Rosalina. Eventually, she found them. She opened their cell and untied them, the group walking out of the dungeons with the insane, high-pitched laughter echoing in the background.

"Jesus, that guy is a fucking serial killer." Daisy exclaimed once they were out in the courtyard. The trio were sitting under a tree, sweating in the blazing sun. 

"He's not that bad..." Rosalina murmured, running a hand through her platinum locks.

"What? Are you seriously crushing on a psychopath? Do you not hear him every morning at like 4am, running a knife along the walls?" Daisy asked, gawking at Rosalina as if she was completely out of her mind.

"He's cute..." Rosalin blushed, biting her lip with a small smile on her face.

"You're as mad as him then." Peach stated, rolling her eyes. She may be forced to love a guy who is kind of crazy, but Rosalina had no idea what she was getting into.

"Also, I'm pretty sure he's gay. Like real fuckin' gay." Daisy drawls, leaning against the tree and folding her arms behind her head. Daisy didn't just assume this information, she knew it was fact. 

"Daisy, stop assuming that everyone you don't want me to like is gay." Rosalina retorted, crossing her arms. Rosalina disliked it when Daisy spoke her opinion on topics that Rosalina didn't want to listen 2, but she had to. Daisy had no filter whatsoever.

"Alright, you guys. Stop. Let's talk about something other than this hellhole." Peach hurriedly said, halting the conversation in its tracks.

"Fine. What's it like with Bowser?" Daisy asked.

Peach gazed off into the distance, clearing all her thoughts from her head.

"To him, I'm just his prized possession." she sighed.