Super Princess Peach

Ch. 3

Sleep didn't come easily. Anxiety kept Peach awake most of the night, to the extent that when Toadsworth came by on his nightly rounds, he had to force Peach to stop pacing and attempt at going to sleep. 

It was around three in the morning when Peach's heavy eyelids finally gave up and she drifted to sleep. Her dreams were strange, confusing - Vibe Island hovered at the outskirts, eclipsed from sight by a dreamlike fog. 

When she awoke the next morning, she saw Perry hovering by her open door, a small pink suitcase standing beside him. 

"Gramps came by," the parasol said as Peach rubbed her eyes and climbed out of bed. "He said the General's got your hundred toads waiting for you out at the tarmac. We'll leave as soon as you're done with breakfast." 

Peach didn't think her stomach could handle breakfast - this was the day they were going to rescue Mario, after all. Her belly was all in knots. "Is that for me?" she asked, pointing to the suitcase. 

Perry nodding, grinning widely. "Yep, one of your servants packed some stuff for you. Oh, and don't forget your umbrella. Could be rainy weather where we're heading." He wiggled his handle. Peach couldn't help but grin at him. 

Peach took a quick shower before she and Perry headed down to the grand dining room, where her servants had left a large breakfast of pancakes and sausage ready and waiting for her. She took about two bites before pushing the rest away and getting to her feet.  

"Hey!" Perry protested, gesturing towards her nearly-full plate. "What about all this?" 

"Let's go, Perry," she said, offering her hand to him. Perry obediently floated into her grasp, and she grabbed her suitcase and headed into the main hall. 

Her entire housekeeping staff was there, forming two lines on either side of the hall. She paused in surprise and spotted Toadsworth at the front of the procession. 

"What's all this?" she asked. 

Toadsworth raised an eyebrow. "It's protocol," he said. "Whenever the princess leaves the throne, the servants must gather and wish her a safe journey." 

"Wow," Perry said, looking at all of the waiting toads. "I wish people cared this much whenever I left the castle." 

"This isn't necessary," Peach said, blushing slightly. "It's not like I'm going to be gone for very long." 

"Protocol is important," Toadsworth counseled. 

Still blushing, Peach followed Toadsworth down the aisle to the front doors. The servants toads bowed as she passed, saying, "Safe journey, Princess Peach!" 

Another surprise awaited her as two toad guards opened the front doors: the press was back. 

They swarmed her as soon as she stepped foot into the courtyard, surrounding her and shouting questions in her face.  

"Princess, what do you plan to do if Bowser refuses to give up Mario?" one reporter asked. 

"Are you even sure you know where this Vibe Island place is?" another demanded. 

"What will be your tactics for negotiating with Bowser?" a third questioned. 

A ring of toad guards escorted Peach towards the castle tarmac, a plane sitting at the far end, engine idling. A toad dressed in military fatigues waited for her by the plane steps, leaping to his feet and saluting sharply as she came within earshot. 

"Princess!" he said above the din of the squabbling press. "Captain T. Pleasure!" He took her hand and planted a polite kiss on her palm. "Toadsworth told us all about the mission. We're ready to get back Mario at any cost, ma'am!"