Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom: Chapter 1

    It was a fine summer morning as Princess Peach took a walk outside the palace. Normally she would be more wary, what with the kidnappings and all, but from what she'd heard Bowser and his family were busy fighting some other tyrant, an alien from the rumors. It was a beautiful day, and the princess decided there was no reason she couldn't walk around her own kingdom. Peach greeted the various people she saw on her way, regardless of their race.

    It was on that walk that she saw a spot of yellow peaking out through the grass, something that piqued her interest. Peach moved over to it, and pulled away the grass and moss that had grown over the thing. It was a question mark block, old and faded, lying on the ground. She'd never seen one so old. She decided there was no reason she couldn't try hitting it and seeing what popped out. It was possible that there was some kind of poison mushroom inside, but those were clearly marked and could only hurt you if you ate them. She popped the bottom of the block with her silk gloved fist, and with a faded version of the usual sound they made a mushroom popped out the top. It seemed to be a 1UP mushroom, though the green was a little darker than she'd seen before. Peach smelled it, and it seemed to be fresh enough. She could always use an extra life, and so bit into the fungus. It was more bitter and spicy than other 1UP mushroom's she'd eaten, which were usually overwhelmingly sweet. Peach waited a few seconds and shrugged. She didn't feel sick; in fact, she felt stronger than she'd felt in a long time. She smiled, her teeth a little sharper than normal: today was a good day.



    It was a few hours later that Peach was sitting on her throne, doing her daily work of hearing the problems of the kingdom. She scratched her side a little as she waited for the next appointment, her skin had been itchy all morning. Before she could satisfy the urge, a guard toad walked in, and saluted her. The Princess rolled her eyes and waved her hand, giving him permission to speak. "Princess, an ambassador from the Koopa Kingdom is here to see you."

    Princess. The word echoes in Peach's mind, something was wrong with that. "Send him in, immediately." The guard bowed and walked out, leaving her alone with the silent guards once more, freeing her mind to wander. Why did she still go by that title? Her father had died ages ago, yet despite the fact she was of age, ruling the kingdom, and had proven her value as a leader, she was still called Princess. Something needed to be done about that...

    "Hello, Your Highness," said the ambassador, a koopatrol wearing a nice suit. She scowled, an expression rarely worn on her face. Your Highness. Your Majesty would be more appropriate. Peach motioned with her hand, allowing him to speak further. "My Lord King wished to make amends for these years of hostility between our peoples, and gave me the authority to negotiate on the building of embassies here and in our own lands."

    She'd heard many missives like this before, from various untrustworthy rulers over the years, and usually Princess Peach remained calm and wise when dealing with them. But now her temper rose. "You want me to allow Bowser to have sovereign soil in my land? What, so he can use it as a base of operations the next time he invades?!"

    The ambassador was obviously not expecting this, and replied as calmly as he could, "All due pardons if I've caused offense, Your Highness, but this plan would allow you to have land in our country as well!"

    Peach let out a scoff. "Hostages once you're ready to do battle once more."

    The anger was beginning to show in the ambassador's voice now. "Your Highness, why are you being so rude? We are attempting to make a peaceful solu-"

    "I am not being 'rude', I am being pragmatic. I cannot trust your king nor any of the words that slither from his scaly throat. The tyrant has kidnapped me nearly a dozen times in the last decade, he's invaded my land just as often, and he turned my father into a dog! The moment I trust a single syllable of that oaf's peace is the day I turn senile." She turned to look at the shocked, silent guards. "Guards, escort this beast to the dungeon. We'll see what we can get from his master to see him safely returned." Her guards hesitated for just a moment before moving into action, arresting the koopa and hauling him off.

    She turned to another guard. "I'll be suspending court for the rest of the day. Escort me to my chambers." As they walked to her room, Peach smiled. Finally, a victory not won by someone else, a success of her own. She didn't know where this burst of confidence came from, but it had worked. If she kept this up, perhaps she could establish a real peace, one the King Koopa respected. As she entered her chamber, she scratched her side once more, and failed to notice her skin had turned a pale shade of yellow.