#mapeach

The chain chomp was bearing down on them and there was nowhere to run. The little alcove that had been so sweet and private for her morning meetings minutes ago was now a death trap, leaving her only exit blocked by the wild, barking creature ahead of her. Toads had scattered around the garden, frantically trying to get out of its path and find a way to stop it, calling for reinforcements from the armed guards.

She tried to back away and stumbled over the iron chair she’d just been sitting in, landing hard on the grass below, and that was really all the beast needed to focus its attention on her. She raised an arm over her face as the chomp got closer, cringing away from the oncoming danger, too terrified to even scream.

Was her end really going to come like this?

But then—where she expected blinding pain as the chomp tore into her, there was none. Instead there was a sudden, sharp metallic sound as the chain chomp abruptly stopped in its path, barks cut off by its own surprise. For a moment, she wasn’t even sure what had happened, but as heartbeats passed with no injury, she opened her eyes. She peered around her arm and realized that the chomp’s eyes were rolling with confusion as it strained against whatever was holding it back. Her arm trembled and buckled beneath her, sending her down to her elbow, and when she looked up again she could see who her savior was.

Mario had hold of the chain chomp’s chain, feet planted firmly in the ground and digging holes into the grass as he furiously fought to keep the beast under control. She could only stare as he grit his teeth, pulling with all his might to keep the creature back from its target. Her heart thundered in her ears at the sight—how was that even possible…? It could take up to eight Toads to hold back a domesticated chomp, let alone a wild one—and this one was most certainly wild, given the size.

With a grunt of effort, he took a step back, replanting one of his feet. He let go of the chain with one hand, grabbing it further up, and pulled.

The chomp jerked back, letting out a confused whine.

He did it again. Opposite foot, planted behind him. Opposite hand, pulling the chain. The chomp left a deep trench where it tried to resist. Hand over hand, he pulled the creature back and away from her, arms straining under his shirt with each impossible step. The Toads had stopped running, even the armed guards that had arrived could only stop and stare as they watched.

After another heart-pounding moment of watching him struggle, the fight abruptly drained out of the chain chomp. With another whimper of confusion, it went slack against Mario’s grip and settled onto the ground with a final thud, jaws closed and eyes staring blankly in opposite directions. The Toads quickly sprang into action once they realized it had calmed—they needed to move quickly to get it contained and re-released away from the castle.

Mario, though, dropped the chain the moment he realized the chomp was no longer fighting to get to the princess. He ran around the deep furrows left in the ground by his own feet and skidded to a stop by her side, where she was still sprawled in the ground from her fall.

“Princess! Dio mio, you alright?” he asked.

He reached out for her, helping to steady her as she sat up, and she stared at him shamelessly as he did, unable to muster words. He didn’t seem to realize what he’d just done—did he even know? Did he know how strong chain chomps were, how dangerous?

If he had…would he have cared?

“Princess?”

He squeezed her hands and she blinked, realizing that she hadn’t answered him. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she looked down at their hands again and her voice caught in her throat. His hands were so much bigger than hers, and so much stronger than they appeared. Could she feel it in his fingers now? The power to hold, even pull back, a wild chain chomp?

She threw her arms around Mario’s neck, pulling him in close. “Thank you, so much,” she said, almost too choked to speak as she worked through the last of her adrenaline.

He seemed frozen for a long moment, perhaps because he didn’t know what to do with the sudden affection, but then she felt the gentle warmth of his hands settling on her back. He stroked his hand down her spine.

“You’re alright, Princess,” he said softly, very close to her ear, and she closed her eyes for a moment to relish the reassurance. “You’re safe, now.”

She really did feel safe. With his arms around her, the scent of his aftershave tickling her nose, she felt nigh on untouchable. She’d never felt like this before in her life. She felt greedy for wanting more of it, for being disappointed when she felt she finally had to let him go.

After a long moment, she pulled back from him—though she didn’t let go of his hands. She found herself reluctant to completely lose contact, as though she was afraid he might disappear if she did. She looked into his eyes, and her heart throbbed at how much tender concern she could see on his face. He really was one of the sweetest, bravest people she’d ever met. She’d invited him to today’s meetings because she’d hoped to see more of him, but she never expected something like this.

She opened her mouth to speak, to thank him again, to tell him how amazing that was, that she’d never seen something like it in her life. Instead what came out was: