Categories > Games > Mario
Forbidden
0 ReviewsPeachxLudwig and one sided BowserxPeach. Drama and fluff. How in the world such a pairing came to be.
Forbidden
The familiar feeling of despair sunk in as Peach walked on the gray stone scenery of Bowser's castle. "You're very quiet today princess" Bowser commented although his voice fell on deaf ears for Peach was too consumed by her own thoughts to hear.
Once they put distance between them and the Mushroom Kingdom she had stopped screaming for help. She knew full well they had heard her and would send for the Mario brothers right away. A part of her was glad to be in the Koopa Castle while another more rational part of her mind dreaded to be there. She wanted to see Ludwig. She wanted to speak to him and straiten things out. She wanted to tell him what could and couldn't be, what should and shouldn't be and make the difference crystal clear even if it wasn't clear to her.
She knew her way around the Koopa Castle all to well. No one had to closely guard her while guiding her to her room. She didn't notice but Bowser had stopped waking and instead watched as she lifelessly put one foot in front of the other and approached the door to the guest room she usually stayed in. She opened the door and entered closing it behind her and sat down on the bed staring at floor lost in thought.
Bowser was a little bothered by Peach's automatic behavior. It was clear her mind was elsewhere. She didn't look worried about being rescued. No, that was a different fear she felt, he could tell. He entered the room to find Peach sitting on the bed staring at the floor while a few teardrops fell. "Peach."
She appeared to be startled this time hearing him quite clearly and being thrown out of her thoughts. She quickly dried her tears as if trying to hide the fact that she was crying. It was odd because Bowser had seen her cry before but he had seen her cry for Mario, not for someone else and she feared he could somehow tell the difference.
"What's happening to you?" Bowser asked.
Peach could feel her heart beats speed up. Did he know? No, he couldn't have known, otherwise she and Ludwig would be in big trouble. If he knew he would waste no time in taking action, he wouldn't be asking her about it. "I want to go home" Peach half lied. She did want to return to the Mushroom Kingdom but it was the confusing that pained her heart what was really making her cry.
"Look at me Peach" Bowser said. He waited a few moments and insisted when her gaze did not leave the floor. "Peach stop staring at the floor and look at me." She looked up frightened that he could guess what was going on simply by the look in her eyes. "You're not worried about your safety" Bowser started eliminating the possibilities. "You've never been hurt here and you know that you won't be. You're not worried about the Mario brothers. You have too much faith in those two troublemakers. You're not worried about your kingdom, you know I'll focus on the plumbers and not launch an attack on the kingdom until they are defeated. What worries you is something else entirely, something very different."
Peach looked away. If he knew that much what was to guarantee that he wouldn't find out about her and Ludwig. Nothing big had happened between them. It was nothing but one innocent kiss yet it confused her enough to worry her greatly.
"Peach, you have to tell me what is happening. I'm not going anywhere until you do" Bowser said.
Peach sat in silence. She longed to get this off her chest but she knew she couldn't. What was she supposed to say? That she started liking Ludwig in a way she shouldn't? When he found them casually talking a few months ago during another kidnapping he didn't think too much of it. If fact he was probably glad she was getting along so well with his oldest son. She couldn't tell him. She didn't care what he did to her but she couldn't let Ludwig look like a traitor. He had only been kind to her and she let herself slip. She blamed herself completely.
She felt the surface of the bed slightly move like it does when someone else sits down. "I might as well sit down if this is going to take so long" Bowser said.
Peach closed her eyes and tried to organize her thoughts. Her memories played like a movie taking her back to an occasion when her anger finally caught up and she had an argument with Bowser. She yelled and screamed every insult she knew which surprised him to say the least. She never yelled at anyone no matter what. He quietly left that time leaving her to calm down. He didn't know what to do with a Peach that was that angry. It just wasn't like her. Ludwig had wandered into her room to ask what happened.
"King dad is furious. He's setting things on fire and yelling at everyone to destroy the Mario brothers immediately. He's throwing everything we have at them like never before and feeling rather frustrated that they're taking it quite well. Strangely he looks more sad than angry which makes no sense. It's like he trying to hide the sadness with anger. What did you say to him?" Ludwig asked in a surprisingly calm tone as she expected him to sound more accusing.
"I said very mean things" Peach admitted. Whether it was Bowser or not she refused to excuse her behavior. Her guilty conscience made its rare appearance as usually the princess did nothing that could call its unwanted presence. "Tell him I'm sorry."
Ludwig stared at her for a moment. He tried not to sound upset, which he was, so he wouldn't frighten the princess and make her cry. She cried a lot or at least the few times he saw her she was crying or screaming for help even if it was illogical to be heard by her kingdom from such a distance. "You could tell him yourself you know." It would probably be better that way.
Peach nodded. At least the part about the Mario brothers standing up to Bowser's attacks comforted her but there was no need to push her luck or their luck may run out. Besides she was honestly sorry. "Alright, will you tell him to come here?"
"Sure" Ludwig said. The conversation felt strange. The image he had of the princess was different. He thought she was someone who disliked koopas simply because they were koopas and cried too much. He didn't know why his father kept bringing her over instead of moving on to trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom without involving the princess in a kidnapping.
When she noticed he wasn't leaving right away she took the opportunity to ask his name. "You're Ludwig right?" She knew the koopalings although not too well.
"Yes" Ludwig said.
"Um... well... it's nice to meet you." Peach couldn't think of anything else to say and she felt like she simply had to fill in the awkward silence while she automatically searched her mind for a possible topic of conversation.
Ludwig looked amused. "It's nice to meet you too Princess Peach."
She had to admit it was a rather odd thing to say given the situation but she didn't like the awkward silence. "Are you the one who writes music?" Peach curiously asked. It was a habit of hers to mentally search for any information about the person she was talking to and she had just remembered that. She was a princess and had to be prepared to talk to anyone at any time. Remembering details about people could be quite helpful to avoid awkward silences during friendly conversations with other royals. She didn't like the formality of the so called casual conversations but this was different. It wasn't formal, simply unexpected.
"Yes that's me. I was working on a song a little while ago. I'm almost finished writing it. Well the melody anyway. I always come up with the melody first and not all my songs have lyrics." He stopped. He was talking to princess Peach in a natural almost friendly way. The awkwardness had evaporated and somehow he felt as if it should still be there.
Bowser arrived at that moment. "Ludwig?" He looked surprised to find Ludwig there and even more so that Peach wasn't bothered by his presence at all. He looked like she almost enjoyed the company. Not that it was a bad thing. For Peach to get along well with the koopalings was a good sign. He had kept them somewhat separated thinking it was best to give Peach time to get used to his presence first. Meeting the seven koopalings at once might be a little too much for her but it looked like meeting them one by one could work out.
"King dad, I just wanted to know what was going on. Peach wants to talk to you so I'll go now" Ludwig said leaving the room.
Bowser stood there surprised. "I'm sorry" he heard Peach say. "I'm sorry I was mean. Could you just forget everything I said and forgive me, please?"
"It's forgotten there's nothing to forgive." He was telling the truth for at that moment Bowser could not remember what the princess had said before. Maybe it was his surprise or maybe it was the fact that her previous words didn't fit her but the memory was gone. The fact that she had the thought to apologize meant the world to him even after he kidnapped her and probably deserved everything she said and more.
For a moment Peach stopped thinking of her memories and returned to the present time. Bowser was still quietly waiting for her to tell him what was happening. She wouldn't, he had a long wait ahead of him. Peach then thought of another time she spoke to Ludwig. He had asked about his music before so that time he brought up the subject. He had said he wanted her opinion on some songs. She liked them the truth was she liked those melodies.
He had more songs in his room so he let her out of the guest room. It's not like he was going to let her escape so he didn't think too much of it. She liked his songs and she was curious about his inventions. It was nice to have someone else's opinion on them. She was really a very nice person, the beautiful princess Peach. He smiled as she sang one of the few songs of his that had lyrics written for it. He would have to write lyrics more often. When he realized a considerable amount of time had passed he asked her to return to the guest room.
Peach opposed no argument to the request. It was clear he didn't want her to leave but he didn't want to upset his father by letting her out of her room. She returned with Ludwig. She knew Bowser would come by to check on her soon. "I guess I'll see you later?"
"See you later" Ludwig said. He returned to his room and immediately got a pen and paper. He suddenly had so many ideas he just had to write them down.
Peach sighed trying to push away her memories. She and Bowser were still sitting in silence. He was looking at her as if trying to find a clue of what was going on. He really had no idea. He would never imagine what her situation was.
Unable to keep the memories away they once again flooded her mind. She remembered the time Ludwig invited her to spend a little time with him and his siblings. It seemed like each one had a very different personality from the other yet at the same time they had their similarities. All in all she got along more or less well with all of them and if she felt discomfort at any point in time she hid it quite well. It was for Ludwig's sake, because they were his siblings whom he obviously cared about and because she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. That's when she first noticed how comfortable she felt around him.
There was another time when she was kidnapped and she hardly made any effort to scream for help. She yelled out of surprise for being taken away from her home so soon after the last kidnapping incident but other than that she only tried to calm her panicked guards as Bowser took her away. She assured them that she would be alright and that the Mario brothers would come as they always did.
This was a bit surprising for Bowser because she didn't appear to be all that upset about going to the Koopa Castle which he saw as a good sign. In truth she was looking forward to seeing Ludwig again. They enjoyed talking about anything and everything. They had a special connection they shared that only they knew about.
Bowser never suspected the truth. Peach was talking to all the Koopalings, probably more to Ludwig because he was the one who appeared to have officially introduced her to his siblings and encouraged her to get to know them a little better. He was the oldest, the most mature, the one who could guide the interaction between Peach and the others. Bowser was happy for him, he thought his son was only trying to help and it was working. Peach was clearly more comfortable in his castle now than ever before.
Then another memory came. One time she was talking to Ludwig while they sat near the window of a tall tower in the Koopa Castle. There was a moment when after they both laughed, the laughter came to an end and the conversation reached a silent pause. They just looked at each other then as if realizing at that moment how much they had told each other. They knew their likes and dislikes as well as their life history as if they had been together every second of their lives. It was obvious how well they got along and their minds wondered into thoughts they both knew they should be thinking.
Peach was confused but she didn't push the thoughts away at that time as she would constantly do later. She wanted to understand her own emotions. She always embraced them and showed what she felt. Ludwig mentally scolded himself for having such thoughts. This was Peach, she wasn't there for him. He wasn't a traitor, they couldn't be together. As much as he enjoyed her presence they could only be friends and nothing more. Somehow it didn't feel like enough yet he treasured that friendship.
Ludwig had always been nice to Peach when she was in the Koopa Castle. She didn't blame him for her presence there so she had no reason to have a negative attitude towards him. Besides, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was naturally nice. She had promised herself never to do or say anything that would summon a guilty conscience ever again even if she would unknowingly break that promise. It came to a point when they both knew they liked each other even if they had not voiced it. It was forbidden. They would both be traitors should they say a word. But could they hide it and ignore it forever? It was hard, too hard.
A memory of a more recent time came to Peach. It was the most confusing memory of all.
"Peach I want to give you something" Ludwig said. "It's a song... I wrote it for you." He wasn't planning to tell her but he felt like telling her and before he could stop himself the words had already come out.
Peach smiled. "That's very sweet of you." She had always admired his talent for inventions and music.
"I left it in my room. Could we go get it now? It will only take a second" Ludwig said. In another area of the castle Bowser and Mario were locked in battle. It would probably end soon.
Peach agreed and fallowed him. She loved the song. It would always be her favorite, she that knew right away. She wanted to thank him but saying thank you just didn't feel like enough so she hugged him. They were comfortable this way. They knew how the other felt even if neither had voiced their thoughts. She was surprised about how comfortable she felt, safe, protected; she wanted to stay with him. He gently touched her long golden hair. She looked at him and kissed him on the cheek before she could resist. "I want to stay like this forever but you know we can't." She had said what they both hid as if running away from themselves.
"I understand." He felt like the worse traitor in the universe but he couldn't stop himself as he gently pulled her closer and they kissed on the lips this time. The abrupt noise of a door being thrown open made them break the kiss. They were relieved to find that it had not been Ludwig's door but another door down the hall. Mario was searching for the princess obviously in a hurry. He wanted to get her out of there before Kamek healed Bowser completely.
Peach didn't know what to do. Her heart was running wild with emotions. "I... I have to."
Ludwig nodded. "Go, I'll be here when you return."
Today, she had returned. "Will this take much longer?" Bowser asked. They had been sitting there quietly for quite a while.
Peach couldn't take it any longer. "I'm sorry" she whispered. "I'm so sorry." By the look in his eyes she could tell he didn't know what was going on. "I did something I shouldn't have done. I let it happen. It was my fault, it's all my fault."
"Peach what are you talking about?" Bowser asked.
"I can't tell you but I'll fix it. I don't know how but I will fix it somehow" Peach said.
"What is it? You have to tell me. Whatever it is I'm certain it's nothing I can't solve" Bowser insisted.
Peach shook her head. "I'm the only one who can right this wrong. Pease leave me alone for a while. I need to think."
"Peach..." Bowser said.
"Please" she pleaded. Bowser left just as she asked although she knew he would probably bring up the subject again.
Just as Peach suspected Ludwig came as soon as he got the chance to talk to her alone. It was her chance to tell him that what happened had to be left in the past; that it had to be forgotten and erased as if it never took place. For them to be together was forbidden. Ludwig would lose Bowser's trust, the respect of his siblings and be exiled or worse. Peach would lose the trust of the Mushroom Kingdom's heroes the Mario brothers and disappoint her father and her people. They couldn't be together yet they didn't want to be without each other.
"No more running away" Ludwig said. "After Mario comes for you, I will tell father."
"You can't!" Peach immediately protested.
"Peach I have to be honest with him. I guarantee he won't hurt you over it" Ludwig said.
"What about you?" Peach asked. Ludwig never answered. He wasn't one to give false hopes. "Don't tell him. I'll leave and everything will go back to normal without me. No one will ever find me. Ludwig, please keep the secret and forget about me."
"I can't" Ludwig said before leaving the room.
Mario came to save her as she always did and she returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. After the plumbers were gone she spoke to her father and told him what happened. "If Bowser finds out our kingdom is doomed" the king said, his eyes showed disappointment and disbelief.
"He doesn't know" Peach said. Her voice was full of guilt.
"I can't believe this. Peach you've doomed us all! This is treachery!" His disappointment quickly turned to anger. Bowser had not launched a direct attack on the Mushroom Kingdom yet but this time he would for sure and even if the Mario brothers managed to hold him off many lives would be lost in the process. Bowser would certainly be angered and take no prisoners this time.
"I'm leaving" Peach sadly said. "I'll be gone and things may go back to normal."
The king was silent for a moment before saying the last thing he would say to her before she left. "Don't return." He paused for a moment then added. "I'm not saying this because I don't forgive you. You are my daughter and you will always be but for your own safety and the safety of the kingdom, don't come back" the king said sadly.
"Good bye father" Peach said. She was gone, far from the Mushroom Kingdom always traveling. She dressed differently, tied her hair and wore no crown or jewelry. Some asked who she was and told her she looked like the princess of a far away land called the Mushroom Kingdom but she always told them they were mistaken. Except for one who found her against all odds and stayed with her always.
"I finally found you..." Ludwig said.
Peach stared in disbelief. "Ludwig, you're here, you're alright!"
"You're pretty hard to track down" Ludwig said hugging her.
"What happened? You didn't tell Bowser did you?" Peach asked.
Ludwig remembered it all too well even if it had been months. "I did tell him." He told him in private and with all honesty.
"I'm very disappointed in you" Bowser had said. "I trusted you Ludwig, you the first prince of the Koopa Kingdom. How could you do this? You're not my son you're a traitor!" He roared in anger.
"I know. I have nothing to say in my defense but please don't blame her. Punish me but keep her out of this" Ludwig said.
"Suddenly it makes sense. This is why she disappeared. I'm calling off the search and you are exiled. You are forbidden to come to the Darklands ever again. You will never speak to my sons and daughter again and you will not tell anyone about what happened with Peach" Bowser said.
Ludwig looked up for a moment as he had been staring at his feet in guilt the entire time. "I'm sorry father and thank you." His punishment was exile. Not his death and not war on the Mushroom Kingdom. The search would be called off. Ludwig was given freedom.
Ludwig left the Darklands never to return just as Peach had left the Mushroom Kingdom. Their reunion was bittersweet as they knew they had left so much behind. There were friends and family they would never see again and people who would always wonder why they left after all only a few knew of the cause of their disappearance. Even so at least they were finally together without having to hide and they knew that they would always have each other. In a distant land new a beginning awaited.
End
The familiar feeling of despair sunk in as Peach walked on the gray stone scenery of Bowser's castle. "You're very quiet today princess" Bowser commented although his voice fell on deaf ears for Peach was too consumed by her own thoughts to hear.
Once they put distance between them and the Mushroom Kingdom she had stopped screaming for help. She knew full well they had heard her and would send for the Mario brothers right away. A part of her was glad to be in the Koopa Castle while another more rational part of her mind dreaded to be there. She wanted to see Ludwig. She wanted to speak to him and straiten things out. She wanted to tell him what could and couldn't be, what should and shouldn't be and make the difference crystal clear even if it wasn't clear to her.
She knew her way around the Koopa Castle all to well. No one had to closely guard her while guiding her to her room. She didn't notice but Bowser had stopped waking and instead watched as she lifelessly put one foot in front of the other and approached the door to the guest room she usually stayed in. She opened the door and entered closing it behind her and sat down on the bed staring at floor lost in thought.
Bowser was a little bothered by Peach's automatic behavior. It was clear her mind was elsewhere. She didn't look worried about being rescued. No, that was a different fear she felt, he could tell. He entered the room to find Peach sitting on the bed staring at the floor while a few teardrops fell. "Peach."
She appeared to be startled this time hearing him quite clearly and being thrown out of her thoughts. She quickly dried her tears as if trying to hide the fact that she was crying. It was odd because Bowser had seen her cry before but he had seen her cry for Mario, not for someone else and she feared he could somehow tell the difference.
"What's happening to you?" Bowser asked.
Peach could feel her heart beats speed up. Did he know? No, he couldn't have known, otherwise she and Ludwig would be in big trouble. If he knew he would waste no time in taking action, he wouldn't be asking her about it. "I want to go home" Peach half lied. She did want to return to the Mushroom Kingdom but it was the confusing that pained her heart what was really making her cry.
"Look at me Peach" Bowser said. He waited a few moments and insisted when her gaze did not leave the floor. "Peach stop staring at the floor and look at me." She looked up frightened that he could guess what was going on simply by the look in her eyes. "You're not worried about your safety" Bowser started eliminating the possibilities. "You've never been hurt here and you know that you won't be. You're not worried about the Mario brothers. You have too much faith in those two troublemakers. You're not worried about your kingdom, you know I'll focus on the plumbers and not launch an attack on the kingdom until they are defeated. What worries you is something else entirely, something very different."
Peach looked away. If he knew that much what was to guarantee that he wouldn't find out about her and Ludwig. Nothing big had happened between them. It was nothing but one innocent kiss yet it confused her enough to worry her greatly.
"Peach, you have to tell me what is happening. I'm not going anywhere until you do" Bowser said.
Peach sat in silence. She longed to get this off her chest but she knew she couldn't. What was she supposed to say? That she started liking Ludwig in a way she shouldn't? When he found them casually talking a few months ago during another kidnapping he didn't think too much of it. If fact he was probably glad she was getting along so well with his oldest son. She couldn't tell him. She didn't care what he did to her but she couldn't let Ludwig look like a traitor. He had only been kind to her and she let herself slip. She blamed herself completely.
She felt the surface of the bed slightly move like it does when someone else sits down. "I might as well sit down if this is going to take so long" Bowser said.
Peach closed her eyes and tried to organize her thoughts. Her memories played like a movie taking her back to an occasion when her anger finally caught up and she had an argument with Bowser. She yelled and screamed every insult she knew which surprised him to say the least. She never yelled at anyone no matter what. He quietly left that time leaving her to calm down. He didn't know what to do with a Peach that was that angry. It just wasn't like her. Ludwig had wandered into her room to ask what happened.
"King dad is furious. He's setting things on fire and yelling at everyone to destroy the Mario brothers immediately. He's throwing everything we have at them like never before and feeling rather frustrated that they're taking it quite well. Strangely he looks more sad than angry which makes no sense. It's like he trying to hide the sadness with anger. What did you say to him?" Ludwig asked in a surprisingly calm tone as she expected him to sound more accusing.
"I said very mean things" Peach admitted. Whether it was Bowser or not she refused to excuse her behavior. Her guilty conscience made its rare appearance as usually the princess did nothing that could call its unwanted presence. "Tell him I'm sorry."
Ludwig stared at her for a moment. He tried not to sound upset, which he was, so he wouldn't frighten the princess and make her cry. She cried a lot or at least the few times he saw her she was crying or screaming for help even if it was illogical to be heard by her kingdom from such a distance. "You could tell him yourself you know." It would probably be better that way.
Peach nodded. At least the part about the Mario brothers standing up to Bowser's attacks comforted her but there was no need to push her luck or their luck may run out. Besides she was honestly sorry. "Alright, will you tell him to come here?"
"Sure" Ludwig said. The conversation felt strange. The image he had of the princess was different. He thought she was someone who disliked koopas simply because they were koopas and cried too much. He didn't know why his father kept bringing her over instead of moving on to trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom without involving the princess in a kidnapping.
When she noticed he wasn't leaving right away she took the opportunity to ask his name. "You're Ludwig right?" She knew the koopalings although not too well.
"Yes" Ludwig said.
"Um... well... it's nice to meet you." Peach couldn't think of anything else to say and she felt like she simply had to fill in the awkward silence while she automatically searched her mind for a possible topic of conversation.
Ludwig looked amused. "It's nice to meet you too Princess Peach."
She had to admit it was a rather odd thing to say given the situation but she didn't like the awkward silence. "Are you the one who writes music?" Peach curiously asked. It was a habit of hers to mentally search for any information about the person she was talking to and she had just remembered that. She was a princess and had to be prepared to talk to anyone at any time. Remembering details about people could be quite helpful to avoid awkward silences during friendly conversations with other royals. She didn't like the formality of the so called casual conversations but this was different. It wasn't formal, simply unexpected.
"Yes that's me. I was working on a song a little while ago. I'm almost finished writing it. Well the melody anyway. I always come up with the melody first and not all my songs have lyrics." He stopped. He was talking to princess Peach in a natural almost friendly way. The awkwardness had evaporated and somehow he felt as if it should still be there.
Bowser arrived at that moment. "Ludwig?" He looked surprised to find Ludwig there and even more so that Peach wasn't bothered by his presence at all. He looked like she almost enjoyed the company. Not that it was a bad thing. For Peach to get along well with the koopalings was a good sign. He had kept them somewhat separated thinking it was best to give Peach time to get used to his presence first. Meeting the seven koopalings at once might be a little too much for her but it looked like meeting them one by one could work out.
"King dad, I just wanted to know what was going on. Peach wants to talk to you so I'll go now" Ludwig said leaving the room.
Bowser stood there surprised. "I'm sorry" he heard Peach say. "I'm sorry I was mean. Could you just forget everything I said and forgive me, please?"
"It's forgotten there's nothing to forgive." He was telling the truth for at that moment Bowser could not remember what the princess had said before. Maybe it was his surprise or maybe it was the fact that her previous words didn't fit her but the memory was gone. The fact that she had the thought to apologize meant the world to him even after he kidnapped her and probably deserved everything she said and more.
For a moment Peach stopped thinking of her memories and returned to the present time. Bowser was still quietly waiting for her to tell him what was happening. She wouldn't, he had a long wait ahead of him. Peach then thought of another time she spoke to Ludwig. He had asked about his music before so that time he brought up the subject. He had said he wanted her opinion on some songs. She liked them the truth was she liked those melodies.
He had more songs in his room so he let her out of the guest room. It's not like he was going to let her escape so he didn't think too much of it. She liked his songs and she was curious about his inventions. It was nice to have someone else's opinion on them. She was really a very nice person, the beautiful princess Peach. He smiled as she sang one of the few songs of his that had lyrics written for it. He would have to write lyrics more often. When he realized a considerable amount of time had passed he asked her to return to the guest room.
Peach opposed no argument to the request. It was clear he didn't want her to leave but he didn't want to upset his father by letting her out of her room. She returned with Ludwig. She knew Bowser would come by to check on her soon. "I guess I'll see you later?"
"See you later" Ludwig said. He returned to his room and immediately got a pen and paper. He suddenly had so many ideas he just had to write them down.
Peach sighed trying to push away her memories. She and Bowser were still sitting in silence. He was looking at her as if trying to find a clue of what was going on. He really had no idea. He would never imagine what her situation was.
Unable to keep the memories away they once again flooded her mind. She remembered the time Ludwig invited her to spend a little time with him and his siblings. It seemed like each one had a very different personality from the other yet at the same time they had their similarities. All in all she got along more or less well with all of them and if she felt discomfort at any point in time she hid it quite well. It was for Ludwig's sake, because they were his siblings whom he obviously cared about and because she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. That's when she first noticed how comfortable she felt around him.
There was another time when she was kidnapped and she hardly made any effort to scream for help. She yelled out of surprise for being taken away from her home so soon after the last kidnapping incident but other than that she only tried to calm her panicked guards as Bowser took her away. She assured them that she would be alright and that the Mario brothers would come as they always did.
This was a bit surprising for Bowser because she didn't appear to be all that upset about going to the Koopa Castle which he saw as a good sign. In truth she was looking forward to seeing Ludwig again. They enjoyed talking about anything and everything. They had a special connection they shared that only they knew about.
Bowser never suspected the truth. Peach was talking to all the Koopalings, probably more to Ludwig because he was the one who appeared to have officially introduced her to his siblings and encouraged her to get to know them a little better. He was the oldest, the most mature, the one who could guide the interaction between Peach and the others. Bowser was happy for him, he thought his son was only trying to help and it was working. Peach was clearly more comfortable in his castle now than ever before.
Then another memory came. One time she was talking to Ludwig while they sat near the window of a tall tower in the Koopa Castle. There was a moment when after they both laughed, the laughter came to an end and the conversation reached a silent pause. They just looked at each other then as if realizing at that moment how much they had told each other. They knew their likes and dislikes as well as their life history as if they had been together every second of their lives. It was obvious how well they got along and their minds wondered into thoughts they both knew they should be thinking.
Peach was confused but she didn't push the thoughts away at that time as she would constantly do later. She wanted to understand her own emotions. She always embraced them and showed what she felt. Ludwig mentally scolded himself for having such thoughts. This was Peach, she wasn't there for him. He wasn't a traitor, they couldn't be together. As much as he enjoyed her presence they could only be friends and nothing more. Somehow it didn't feel like enough yet he treasured that friendship.
Ludwig had always been nice to Peach when she was in the Koopa Castle. She didn't blame him for her presence there so she had no reason to have a negative attitude towards him. Besides, the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was naturally nice. She had promised herself never to do or say anything that would summon a guilty conscience ever again even if she would unknowingly break that promise. It came to a point when they both knew they liked each other even if they had not voiced it. It was forbidden. They would both be traitors should they say a word. But could they hide it and ignore it forever? It was hard, too hard.
A memory of a more recent time came to Peach. It was the most confusing memory of all.
"Peach I want to give you something" Ludwig said. "It's a song... I wrote it for you." He wasn't planning to tell her but he felt like telling her and before he could stop himself the words had already come out.
Peach smiled. "That's very sweet of you." She had always admired his talent for inventions and music.
"I left it in my room. Could we go get it now? It will only take a second" Ludwig said. In another area of the castle Bowser and Mario were locked in battle. It would probably end soon.
Peach agreed and fallowed him. She loved the song. It would always be her favorite, she that knew right away. She wanted to thank him but saying thank you just didn't feel like enough so she hugged him. They were comfortable this way. They knew how the other felt even if neither had voiced their thoughts. She was surprised about how comfortable she felt, safe, protected; she wanted to stay with him. He gently touched her long golden hair. She looked at him and kissed him on the cheek before she could resist. "I want to stay like this forever but you know we can't." She had said what they both hid as if running away from themselves.
"I understand." He felt like the worse traitor in the universe but he couldn't stop himself as he gently pulled her closer and they kissed on the lips this time. The abrupt noise of a door being thrown open made them break the kiss. They were relieved to find that it had not been Ludwig's door but another door down the hall. Mario was searching for the princess obviously in a hurry. He wanted to get her out of there before Kamek healed Bowser completely.
Peach didn't know what to do. Her heart was running wild with emotions. "I... I have to."
Ludwig nodded. "Go, I'll be here when you return."
Today, she had returned. "Will this take much longer?" Bowser asked. They had been sitting there quietly for quite a while.
Peach couldn't take it any longer. "I'm sorry" she whispered. "I'm so sorry." By the look in his eyes she could tell he didn't know what was going on. "I did something I shouldn't have done. I let it happen. It was my fault, it's all my fault."
"Peach what are you talking about?" Bowser asked.
"I can't tell you but I'll fix it. I don't know how but I will fix it somehow" Peach said.
"What is it? You have to tell me. Whatever it is I'm certain it's nothing I can't solve" Bowser insisted.
Peach shook her head. "I'm the only one who can right this wrong. Pease leave me alone for a while. I need to think."
"Peach..." Bowser said.
"Please" she pleaded. Bowser left just as she asked although she knew he would probably bring up the subject again.
Just as Peach suspected Ludwig came as soon as he got the chance to talk to her alone. It was her chance to tell him that what happened had to be left in the past; that it had to be forgotten and erased as if it never took place. For them to be together was forbidden. Ludwig would lose Bowser's trust, the respect of his siblings and be exiled or worse. Peach would lose the trust of the Mushroom Kingdom's heroes the Mario brothers and disappoint her father and her people. They couldn't be together yet they didn't want to be without each other.
"No more running away" Ludwig said. "After Mario comes for you, I will tell father."
"You can't!" Peach immediately protested.
"Peach I have to be honest with him. I guarantee he won't hurt you over it" Ludwig said.
"What about you?" Peach asked. Ludwig never answered. He wasn't one to give false hopes. "Don't tell him. I'll leave and everything will go back to normal without me. No one will ever find me. Ludwig, please keep the secret and forget about me."
"I can't" Ludwig said before leaving the room.
Mario came to save her as she always did and she returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. After the plumbers were gone she spoke to her father and told him what happened. "If Bowser finds out our kingdom is doomed" the king said, his eyes showed disappointment and disbelief.
"He doesn't know" Peach said. Her voice was full of guilt.
"I can't believe this. Peach you've doomed us all! This is treachery!" His disappointment quickly turned to anger. Bowser had not launched a direct attack on the Mushroom Kingdom yet but this time he would for sure and even if the Mario brothers managed to hold him off many lives would be lost in the process. Bowser would certainly be angered and take no prisoners this time.
"I'm leaving" Peach sadly said. "I'll be gone and things may go back to normal."
The king was silent for a moment before saying the last thing he would say to her before she left. "Don't return." He paused for a moment then added. "I'm not saying this because I don't forgive you. You are my daughter and you will always be but for your own safety and the safety of the kingdom, don't come back" the king said sadly.
"Good bye father" Peach said. She was gone, far from the Mushroom Kingdom always traveling. She dressed differently, tied her hair and wore no crown or jewelry. Some asked who she was and told her she looked like the princess of a far away land called the Mushroom Kingdom but she always told them they were mistaken. Except for one who found her against all odds and stayed with her always.
"I finally found you..." Ludwig said.
Peach stared in disbelief. "Ludwig, you're here, you're alright!"
"You're pretty hard to track down" Ludwig said hugging her.
"What happened? You didn't tell Bowser did you?" Peach asked.
Ludwig remembered it all too well even if it had been months. "I did tell him." He told him in private and with all honesty.
"I'm very disappointed in you" Bowser had said. "I trusted you Ludwig, you the first prince of the Koopa Kingdom. How could you do this? You're not my son you're a traitor!" He roared in anger.
"I know. I have nothing to say in my defense but please don't blame her. Punish me but keep her out of this" Ludwig said.
"Suddenly it makes sense. This is why she disappeared. I'm calling off the search and you are exiled. You are forbidden to come to the Darklands ever again. You will never speak to my sons and daughter again and you will not tell anyone about what happened with Peach" Bowser said.
Ludwig looked up for a moment as he had been staring at his feet in guilt the entire time. "I'm sorry father and thank you." His punishment was exile. Not his death and not war on the Mushroom Kingdom. The search would be called off. Ludwig was given freedom.
Ludwig left the Darklands never to return just as Peach had left the Mushroom Kingdom. Their reunion was bittersweet as they knew they had left so much behind. There were friends and family they would never see again and people who would always wonder why they left after all only a few knew of the cause of their disappearance. Even so at least they were finally together without having to hide and they knew that they would always have each other. In a distant land new a beginning awaited.
End
Log in to rate and review this story