Xxxxx

Later that day, the long dining hall bustled with the kitchen staff setting up for the castle dinner. King Bowser strolled in, passing by the busy servants at work. All seem normal, each giving their bow of the head in respect as the Koopa King carried on towards the Kitchen.

"Chef!" he called out, tossing the kitchen door open. "Chef! At attention, promptly!"

Goombas with dishes balanced on their heads scurried by, Toads following close behind with the silverware and freshly pressed napkins to set the table. They all had wide eyes upon seeing the King in the kitchen, doing their best to exit the room with haste and show that they were busy at their jobs.

"CHEF!"

"Yes, Bowser? Your Highness, Sir."

"Shimi, there you are."

A brown cheep cheep hopped out from between the legs of scurrying servants. King Bowser looked down towards the floor. Freshly pressed chef hat set upon his head, Shimi awaited the King to address what his urgency was.

"Peach, her stomach..." the King began.

"Mushroom soup and koopa tea for the Queen, again. Understood."

"Eh, perhaps there is something more substantial you could conjure up for her weak stomach? It has been days of this broth and tea."

The chef pursed his mouth in thought before hopping up and down with an idea.

"Perhaps a bland meal and healthy juice?"

"Tend to it, Shimi."

"It shall be my pleasure."

Hopping away, the cheep cheep went to fill Bowser's request for Peach's dinner. The poor thing had hardly been able to stomach proper foods since surgery. She would sip her tea and taste a few spoonfuls of broth before calling for the tray to be taken away. Each time, Bowser could only sit by as his stomach bubbled with dread.

"Oh, Peach darling..." he mumbled to himself. "You've become so frail."

When coming time to eat, the King hand-delivered Peach her dinner, himself. A Toad servant followed by him, assuring the King that he would watch over the Princess so that he could eat in the Dining Hall.

"Nonsense." he rejected, bluntly. "I will eat with my wife. Have a plate sent to me."

Turning quickly, the Toad went to fulfill his task. Walking back to his chambers alone, Bowser spotted two guards run past a corridor. The Koopas said nothing in passing, prompting Bowser to raise a brow. Prepared to scold the guards for their disrespect, Bowser thought better of it. Peach needed to eat, and soon.

"Peachy?" he queried, creeping quietly in to his chambers. "Are you awake?"

In bed as she'd been for the majority of the day, Peach lay on her side with a silk pillow cradled between her head and gloved hands. Her groggy eyes stared at the basinet, fondly. She blinked slowly, as if fighting not to fall asleep.

"Peach?"

"Mm?"

"I've brought you your Dinner."

"Oh, I couldn't eat..."

Frowning, Bowser set the tray on a nearby table. He sat next to Peach along the edge of the bed, stroking her hip over the silken sheets. Still, her eyes were fixated upon the egg. Bowser followed her gaze, eyes becoming stuck just as the Queen's had.

"Our child..." Peach mumbled, quietly. "Will they look like you?"

"Who's to say for certain?"
"We created an egg. Surely, they shall be a koopa."

Thinking it over, Bowser fretted Peach's questioning.

"...Would a koopa child not please you?"

"I've let the image my parents left for me flutter away... My child shall be my child, tis no difference their race."

Bowser leaned down to Peach's pale cheek, kissing it. Her renouncement of the Mushroom Kingdom's human bloodline bringing sincere relief to his worry.

"Our child." he corrected her sweetly. "Tis our child."

Coaxing the blonde woman to sit up, Bowser carefully helped to arrange her along the silken pillows. She sat up, allowing Bowser to set her tray of food along her lap. As the Koopa King had feared, she picked at it with little enthusiasm. Two bites of the bland meal and she was taking a few sips of her green, healthy juice. Putting the glass aside, the Queen was already prepared to have the tray taken away.

"Bowser, could you place this on the table for me?"

"A few more bites and I would run to the ends of the Earth for you."

Picking up the spoon she'd abandoned, Bowser held a bite near her lips with a large hand underneath to prevent any from falling along the sheets. Peach winced at the sight of the food, appetite having already dwindled out to near nothing feasible. As if the food were vile and not crafted by the finest her castle could provide, Peach eyed it with dismay.

"Please..." The Koopa pushed. "You, need the sustinance."

"Bowser-"

"For me. I beg you."

Letting Bowser feed her, Peach obediently opened her mouth for a few more bites. When the next spoonful was brought to her lips, she gently tried pushing his hand away.

"For the child..." he coaxed her, unyielding to her delicate hands. "Our child needs their mother well fed and out of this bed."

Peach made it through the hand-feeding, grimacing in horror once she'd realized Bowser had successfully fed her the entire portion. The thought of all the food weighing in her stomach was enough to nauseate her. She covered her mouth with both hands and held them there, eyes shut as she focused on taking deep, soothing breathes. Bowser placed the empty dish back on the tray and set it aside on to the table how she'd originally requested. The green drink was left unfinished, Bowser's hope that she'd acquire thirst later.

"Thank you, Love." he praised her, caressing the length of her back to comfort her.

"Your Dinner..." Peach whispered back through her hands. "Where is yours?"

With perfect timing, the Toad servant returned with a plate of mushroom steak and potato. He let himself in and hurried over to Bowser to present him his Dinner. The servant avoided the King's eyes as he announced another Toad would be coming in shortly with something to drink. Off in the distance, the metal clambering of armor grew restless and panicked.

Peach reached an arm out to slowly rock the basinet back and forth, Bowser's utensils hitting his plate as he began to fill his famished stomach. As the next Toad entered, the chamber door swung open, allowing Bowser a glimpse of the commotion stirring far down the hallway. His fork and knife paused.

"The guards, have they no sense running around like today that or is there reason?"

"W-We-We aren't sure yet..."

Pointing his steak knife at the frightened Toad, the King gave a brash warning.

"Find me someone who is."

The Toad left in a frenzy, his coworker following suit in equal panic. Peach curiously looked over her shoulder at her husband, but he had nothing to say. Picking up the remaining hunk of the mushroom steak, the King lifted it to his large mouth.

"I'm going to investigate." he huffed, chewing around the food with a few bites of his jagged, pronounced teeth. "This staff of ours... one might think two could at least function at the capacity of one."

Xxxxxx

The broken Window of the castle became a spectacle of sorts as two guards and a Toad servant surveyed the area, bickering back and forth regarding who was going to approach Bowser over the issue.

"As guards it's your responsibility to keep the castle safe." A Toad reasoned bitterly, with an unforgiving demeanor. "Report this to the King at once."

"It's just a mess." The guard barked back. "You Toads are here to serve and clean. Hop to it. You waited long enough."

"Had any of you lousy koopas been doing your jobs this wouldn't have happened to begin with! This never would have happened before Bowser-"

Eyes narrowed, an armed guard picked up his speak and raised the blunt end to the Toad's head, punting his back with a controlled blow. The Toad fell to the tiled floor, the sharp end of the spear now pointed at his face.

"Speak ill of our King and this Kingdom shall need your kind no more."

"... This Kingdom has flourished on my kind. The Toadstool family has cherished us for centuries."

"Yeah? Well, you've got allies now. Bigger, stronger allies."

The two koopa guards exchanged snickers.

"And, bigger problems."

King Bowser's stomping could be heard approaching, both guards standing at attention respectfully. The Toad on the ground scrambled to get up, Bowser walking in upon the mess.

"What is this?"

"We're not sure. This Toad here found this mess and it took him all day to say something."

Evilly, the two koopas awaited their King's wrath to fall upon the Toad. Instead, Bowser had honed in on them.

"You two are standing here fretting over a measly Toad?" he sneered. "There is a BROKEN WINDOW!"

"What's the big deal about a broken window? These damned Toad folks don't like us here. That's all it is."

"Vandalism is not to be taken lightly. Do you understand the implications of this? This is an attack!"

One guard looked to the other as if Bowser was losing his wits.

"...It's a window. This Toad can clean it up-"

"If you don't have a full search of the Castle carried out right this instant, this Toad will have your blood to clean up off these floors. GO!"

The Toad withheld his satisfaction as the guards left to recruit others to search the castle for any threats of danger. He rubbed the green spots on his head and stood up, wincing from having been knocked down.

"I trust that you'll have this cleaned within the hour."

"I've served Peach for years, nothing has changed." the toad assured. "Allow me to fetch a broom."

"...Very well, carry on and do so. I must investigate this."

The Toad bowed and walked away. Bowser turned to leave, spotting something peculiar amongst the mess of shattered glass. An impression lay along the floor, faintly visible from the soil in the court yard.

It was a boot.

Looking over his shoulder, Bowser prepared to inform the Toad of what he'd found but caught sight of him running out of sight. Hastily and with urgency.

"We have traitors amongst us."

Xxxxx

"None shall enter, none shall leave. This castle is to be locked down."

In private council with the King, only Koopas filled the dining hall seating. The only one not seated was the Bowser himself. He paced back and forth, angrily.

"Someone is here. We will find him." he growled venomously. "This time, he will die."

"...Are you certain it's him?"

"Whom else is there?"

All nodded in agreement.

"Storm the castle, leave no corridor or crevice left unchecked. Most importantly, keep eyes on the Queen and heir."

On lock down, all entrances were barred from being used. Parakoopas manned windows of each level. Kammy floated by King Bowser's side, requesting a minute of his time.

"If you must have it."

"I've sought help."

"No one had requested you do so. This castle is to have none come or go."

"You'll thank me, your Highness."

xxxxx

The broken window remained guarded until repairs could be made. Bowser and Kammy waited before it, guards present.

"You're certain they are coming?"

"I swear on the Queen."

"I could have your head for that."

They waited, and true to Kammy's word, they had a visitor. Flying in on a broomstick entered a blue-cloaked koopa. Staff in hand, he approached the King and his mother, pulling back the cloak off of his face.

"Kamek, how nice it is to see you."

"It's been ages, hasn't it Mother?"

xxxxxx