The Princess and the Koopa

Chapter 2

Peach wasn't sure how long she lay there on her bed, trying to sort out her jumbled thoughts and feelings for Mario. Unfortunately, so far she only felt more confused than before. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was the problem here, and that maybe she had led Mario on with her minor shows of appreciation whenever he saved the kingdom.

A soft knocking on her door interrupted these musings.

"Come in," Peach called, sitting upright and folding her gloved hands in her lap.

A short, brown and white spotted Toad sporting a bushy mustache entered and toddered up to the side of her bed.

"How are you faring, poppit? I thought you were out on a morning stroll through Toad Town," he said.

Peach smoothed out some wrinkles on her silky pink skirt. "My trip just took a bit shorter than I thought, Toadsworth. I took a pipe back instead of walking," she offered.

Toadsworth hummed and rubbed his mustache. "Is that all then? Because I heard from some of the Toadservants that you returned early, but then you headed straight for your room, dearie."

"Oh no, did I worry them? I didn't miss something on my schedule today, did I?" Peach fidgeted with the edge of her glove, hoping they'd move on from this part of the discussion.

"No, no, nothing like that. Well, I suppose I was a bit worried, though, poppit. Old Toadsworth here can sense that something happened during your walk, right?"

Peach flinched inwardly. As much as she didn't want to talk about her conversation with Mario, perhaps Toadsworth might offer some good advice.

"Well, I met up with Mario. And we had a rather brief conversation about... us," Peach began. She recounted the short story to Toadsworth, who only nodded or hummed on occasion as she told him.

"I'm afraid that I've been playing with Mario's feelings, or that I'm the one holding us back when I really shouldn't be," she admitted at the end, feeling guilt bubble in her stomach (or maybe that was just the sugary cupcake from earlier).

Toadsworth clasped his stubby hands behind his back, rocking on his heels for a few moments before finally saying, "It sounds to me like you don't really feel as strongly towards Mario as you think you do, dearie."

"What?" Peach's head snapped up. Of all the things she expected him to say, that was certainly on the bottom of the list, maybe not on the list at all.

"I know you very well, poppit. I raised you since your dear parents, rest their souls, passed on. You are a very naturally kind and affectionate person, even with people you don't know that well.

"I don't think you've been leading Mario on, dearie, at least not intentionally. It's not as though he is the only one to receive your kind words or shows of appreciation from time to time, right?"

"No... but I still feel as though I've given him false hope, or that I'm making him wait on me for no reason." Peach sighed.

Toadsworth took her hand and locked eyes with her. "Well poppit, do you want to get into a real relationship with Mario? I don't mean right this moment, but can you see yourself doing that in a month? A year?"
Peach furrowed her brows. Was Toadsworth saying the reason she wanted to put off a relationship with Mario was because she truly didn't want one at all? She took a moment to actually envision them together, going on dates, getting to know one another. Somehow, it didn't feel like it was real at all.

"I don't know Toadsworth," she admitted. "It just feels like we're supposed to be together, but at the same time I don't see it happening, not really.

"Do you think Mario feels the same way I do, deep down? Like we're being forced into this by people's expectations? I like Mario, but the more I think about it, the more I think that my feelings for him aren't ever going to grow past that."