A royal Hero of another land...

Princess Peach sat at the table in the courtyard in the center of the royal gardens, her pink gown folded around her legs in a neat and regal manor.

“Your Majesty,” Toadsworth said walking up, “Is the tea to your liking?”

“Yes, thank you Toadsworth,” Peach smiled, her blue eyes fixed on the elder Toad’s glasses, “Remind me again who I am meeting this afternoon please.”

“The ambassador from the Flower Kingdom Your Majesty,” Toadsworth responds, “A rather interesting lady who had only arrived two days ago.”

“Interesting?” Peach asks politely.

“Well of course she is a Pollin as are so many of Prince Florian’s people,” Toadsworth cocks his head, “But almost hourly since her arrival she has sent letters of apology that she has been unable to meet with you and convey her respects.”

“Hmm, where is Mario?” Peach asked as she picked up her tea cup.

“In the north tower, fixing a toilet Your Majesty,” Toadsworth said calmly.

“And Luigi?” Peach took a sip.

“He took those Rabbids to that ‘haunted’ mansion of he runs with that professor fellow,” Toadsworth noted dryly.

For a moment, Peach paused with a look of concern on her face. The Rabbids were recently arrived refuges to the Mushroom Kingdom and served as agents of chaos above all else. The thought of them with access to Professor Gadd’s lab and all his inventions was a cause for concern, but being on the edges of the Dark Lands, hopefully any mayhem they created would be aimed at Bowser’s territory.

“I am sure they will have a lovely time together,” Peach gave a pleasant smile as she finished her tea, “Please I would like to have tea with the new Ambassador.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Toadsworth bowed and turned to bring the guest to the garden.

Peach sat enjoying the soft breeze on her face as she waited, setting her tea cup down… and noticing the golden glow emanating from under the glass table top of the patio table she sat at. Peach looked down and realized a large Triangle in a circle was forming under her and a large triangle had already formed, a smaller one was forming under her chair dividing the larger one into four equal triangles.

“Oh my,” Peach said in alarm and went to get up.

Before she could move, her seat and her sank into the triangle illuminated on the ground below her and she fell into its darkness beyond.

“Right this way Madam Ambassador,” Toadsworth said leading the guest, “Princess Peach is… Oh dear!”

Both the Toad and Poplin stared in horror at the patio chair half sunk into the ground and the Princess missing.