Disclaimer: I don't own SSBM. At least I don't think I do. I could, but may suffer from amnesia, or I don't remember owning it. Or maybe I have a split personality, and one of them owns it whilst I just write stupid little fanfics about it. Hmm. Best to be on the safe side and say I don't own it. Mainly because I know I'm enough of a bastard to sue myself for the cash I might have.
Hello everyone. Glad to see all my old readers have come back to take a look at my latest offering. And also good to see a few new faces. For those of you who are new to the Exile series of, um, two books, I suggest you go read the first one. Don't worry, it's a quick read. Anyway, on with the show...
...hope you all brought popcorn...
...or at least a beer...
...well whatever's good for you...
...I'll shut up now.
Exile 2 - Trapped in a Routine Plot
Typical weather for an open plain on the eve of an adventure seemed unwilling to budge for this occasion. This meant that the sun was high in the sky like a huge ball of burning gas in the distance, and a gentle breeze swayed the long grass, rippling up the field like a green wave, giving the impression of a huge rolling green lake. The occasional cloud drifted along with the breeze, also seeming to enjoy the fine weather it was not ruining by rain. A bird would sometimes cross the open sky looking for something to eat, or at least a field mouse to victimize for the day.
Seemingly unaware of the sunbathing clouds were two horsemen, riding side by side. One a former prince on a mission, one a fully employed Hero of Time on temporary sabbatical for removing the one great evil of his land. The former rode on a pure white charger, the latter on a fiery chestnut mare. Occasionally the white stallion would sidle up suggestively to the mare, only to be kicked back when the riders were not looking.
After another failed attempt to get cozy with the fiery chestnut, the white horse simply gave up. He had been giving up on a lot of things lately. Like his rider's sanity. After a fortnight on the road after a hard fought battle and a brief but interesting duel with a powerful sorcerer, he was back on the road. Oh there had been the occasional turnip at that stop from grateful townsfolk, but the idiot had left *two days* after his fight. Two damn days! Barely enough time for the horse to get acquainted with the stable boy and to indicate his fondness for sugar cubes. He did not even get the chance to introduce himself to a few of the local mares. Not only that, but he had spent most of the time getting the dried blood off of his obsidian hooves.
But there was a glimmer of hope. The strange forest and pointy-eared inhabitants of Hyrule were left far behind in his hoof prints. And he was more than happy to leave a place where he had been shot at five minutes after he arrived. The nice stable people had also repaired his surcoat, and replaced the silk lining with some suede leather. Although it was not as soft on his coat as the silk, it would last longer, and would also be less embarrassing should the other stallions find out. A horse had to keep up his reputation.
The blue-haired one was vaguely aware his noble steed kept sidling up to his companion's mount, but he was preoccupied with other thoughts. Such as where he was, how he got there, why he was there, and why the hell was the blonde following him?
The first three questions he had a good answer for. He was in the middle of a large field. A very large field. In fact, if he looked into the distance in any direction, all he would be able to see would be field. He felt quite comfortable with this. He being able to see for miles in any direction meant he would have ample warning if there were any would-be attackers. On the downside, he had no idea if the direction they were heading in would lead to a town or even if there was anything beyond the horizon except a cliff and maybe the odd cow.
How he got there was always a fun topic for his memory to parade in front of his eyes. His request for assistance at the court of Hyrule had been politely, and yet firmly, declined. Based on his actions in the happy little land he was not surprised. If anyone had released a great evil in Altea and had failed to put it right, he himself would not have eager to hand over an army. No matter how honest the man's face looked. And the furtive glances the princess had given him indicated another reason why the king had wanted him out of country. He could understand fully. Although if he knew those glances were to make sure that the blue haired prince was not stealing anything, he doubted if it would have made a better impression.
So now he had to continue his merry quest. His own land had been invaded and had been occupied since he was only little. He had tried to take it back once with a small force that had its roots in a small island province. His force had steadily grown, taking back much of his homeland. But then he made a mistake. And his army had been forced into a retreat. And all that was left of his country and his army was him. And now the small island province which had given him his start had fallen to his enemy. So he traveled now to find a country willing to help him.
And as his old friend had always said, 'You travel long enough in one direction; you're bound to pick up a friend or two'.
That would be the how and why he was trotting along under the warm sun. Now, the only way he would find out why old pointy-ears had come along for the ride was that he would have to resort to conversation.
Oddly enough, his companion started it before he did. "You know... that cloud there... looks like a cloud."
The blue haired one looked at the offending clump of hovering water molecules. "Yup. Definitely like a cloud."
"Very cloud-like."
"A prime example of cloudage."
"Yeah..."
There was a long drawn-out pause.
"The only reason I mention it is..."
"What?" The blue one said, idly batting away a sprite. He swore that the bloody thing was following him.
"You've said bugger-all since we set out from Hyrule. Got a problem?"
"No," the man in blue lied.
The blond one shook his head, "You're lying. Now there's two ways this could go. One, you tell me what's bothering you."
"And the other wa- argh!" The blonde one stood in his saddle and launched himself at the exiled prince, tackling him out of the saddle, both of them hitting the ground rolling. Perhaps we should say who were the participants of the wrestling match on the grassy floor? The one currently on top would be Link, Hero of Time, Defender of Hyrule, and general all around good guy. He had a number of other titles, such as the king of Hyrule's favourite, that damned Kokiri kid with the sword, but he usually didn't bother with formalities. When you're knee deep in a giant tuna's guts you don't have a lot of time for titles.
The one currently elbowing Link in the stomach would be Prince Marth Lowell of Altea. He, on the other hand, had spent a lot of his childhood learning titles. Such as Grand Vizier, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other similar grandiose names to mean people who kept the country running. But then the invasion had taken place, and titles gave way to designations of knights and archers, and other names to mean people who tried to stop a country working. He had become a skilled tactician and warrior, and had managed to find the legendary weapon of his country. But without an army to back him up, all of his skills and even the nifty-looking sword had failed to save his people.
The horses circled their riders, silently placing a bet with each other that their rider would win. Since horses did not have a lot of personal possessions beyond what was on them, they had decided to gamble away grass. And in field this big the stakes were staggering.
After a full ten minutes of hand to hand combat, Link came out on top. "So..." he panted, "What's ... bugging... you?"
"Get... off... me... and... I'll tell you."
Link rolled off him, and both lay side by side staring up at the cloud which had sparked their conversation. Marth took a deep breath, and began to tell Link about his tale. Of how he had been forced from his country. Of how he had wandered forth to find help etc. etc. You've heard the story.
When he finished, he turned his head to look sidelong at Link, "Why are you here though?"
"Me?" said Link, looking slightly confused.
"Yeah you. I don't remember asking you to help me."
"Oh that. Well, you know how the king said that you were to receive no aid from Hyrule?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, he lied."
"Yeah?" said Marth, more enthusiastically. If Hyrule could give him his start then he could return home and give his enemies the smiting they deserved. Yes, at the lead of the Hylean task force he could-
"I'm it."
-and Marth's dreams came tumbling down. "Oh." His imaginary horde of cut-throat Hyleans had been cut down to a solitary pointy-eared blond with a big sword, a bow and a terminally optimistic attitude.
Link jumped to his feet, staring out into the distance. On the horizon he could see what looked like a castle.
------------------------------
A/N: Ok, I lied. Fox will not be turning up anytime soon, reason being I can't find a plausible excuse to go from swords and bows to missiles and blasters. Anyway, I'm back, and I apologize for the wait.
As always best review gets a cookie.
Thanks to Sherra-sama, who went through the hell of having to pre-read for me (grin).
Hello everyone. Glad to see all my old readers have come back to take a look at my latest offering. And also good to see a few new faces. For those of you who are new to the Exile series of, um, two books, I suggest you go read the first one. Don't worry, it's a quick read. Anyway, on with the show...
...hope you all brought popcorn...
...or at least a beer...
...well whatever's good for you...
...I'll shut up now.
Exile 2 - Trapped in a Routine Plot
Typical weather for an open plain on the eve of an adventure seemed unwilling to budge for this occasion. This meant that the sun was high in the sky like a huge ball of burning gas in the distance, and a gentle breeze swayed the long grass, rippling up the field like a green wave, giving the impression of a huge rolling green lake. The occasional cloud drifted along with the breeze, also seeming to enjoy the fine weather it was not ruining by rain. A bird would sometimes cross the open sky looking for something to eat, or at least a field mouse to victimize for the day.
Seemingly unaware of the sunbathing clouds were two horsemen, riding side by side. One a former prince on a mission, one a fully employed Hero of Time on temporary sabbatical for removing the one great evil of his land. The former rode on a pure white charger, the latter on a fiery chestnut mare. Occasionally the white stallion would sidle up suggestively to the mare, only to be kicked back when the riders were not looking.
After another failed attempt to get cozy with the fiery chestnut, the white horse simply gave up. He had been giving up on a lot of things lately. Like his rider's sanity. After a fortnight on the road after a hard fought battle and a brief but interesting duel with a powerful sorcerer, he was back on the road. Oh there had been the occasional turnip at that stop from grateful townsfolk, but the idiot had left *two days* after his fight. Two damn days! Barely enough time for the horse to get acquainted with the stable boy and to indicate his fondness for sugar cubes. He did not even get the chance to introduce himself to a few of the local mares. Not only that, but he had spent most of the time getting the dried blood off of his obsidian hooves.
But there was a glimmer of hope. The strange forest and pointy-eared inhabitants of Hyrule were left far behind in his hoof prints. And he was more than happy to leave a place where he had been shot at five minutes after he arrived. The nice stable people had also repaired his surcoat, and replaced the silk lining with some suede leather. Although it was not as soft on his coat as the silk, it would last longer, and would also be less embarrassing should the other stallions find out. A horse had to keep up his reputation.
The blue-haired one was vaguely aware his noble steed kept sidling up to his companion's mount, but he was preoccupied with other thoughts. Such as where he was, how he got there, why he was there, and why the hell was the blonde following him?
The first three questions he had a good answer for. He was in the middle of a large field. A very large field. In fact, if he looked into the distance in any direction, all he would be able to see would be field. He felt quite comfortable with this. He being able to see for miles in any direction meant he would have ample warning if there were any would-be attackers. On the downside, he had no idea if the direction they were heading in would lead to a town or even if there was anything beyond the horizon except a cliff and maybe the odd cow.
How he got there was always a fun topic for his memory to parade in front of his eyes. His request for assistance at the court of Hyrule had been politely, and yet firmly, declined. Based on his actions in the happy little land he was not surprised. If anyone had released a great evil in Altea and had failed to put it right, he himself would not have eager to hand over an army. No matter how honest the man's face looked. And the furtive glances the princess had given him indicated another reason why the king had wanted him out of country. He could understand fully. Although if he knew those glances were to make sure that the blue haired prince was not stealing anything, he doubted if it would have made a better impression.
So now he had to continue his merry quest. His own land had been invaded and had been occupied since he was only little. He had tried to take it back once with a small force that had its roots in a small island province. His force had steadily grown, taking back much of his homeland. But then he made a mistake. And his army had been forced into a retreat. And all that was left of his country and his army was him. And now the small island province which had given him his start had fallen to his enemy. So he traveled now to find a country willing to help him.
And as his old friend had always said, 'You travel long enough in one direction; you're bound to pick up a friend or two'.
That would be the how and why he was trotting along under the warm sun. Now, the only way he would find out why old pointy-ears had come along for the ride was that he would have to resort to conversation.
Oddly enough, his companion started it before he did. "You know... that cloud there... looks like a cloud."
The blue haired one looked at the offending clump of hovering water molecules. "Yup. Definitely like a cloud."
"Very cloud-like."
"A prime example of cloudage."
"Yeah..."
There was a long drawn-out pause.
"The only reason I mention it is..."
"What?" The blue one said, idly batting away a sprite. He swore that the bloody thing was following him.
"You've said bugger-all since we set out from Hyrule. Got a problem?"
"No," the man in blue lied.
The blond one shook his head, "You're lying. Now there's two ways this could go. One, you tell me what's bothering you."
"And the other wa- argh!" The blonde one stood in his saddle and launched himself at the exiled prince, tackling him out of the saddle, both of them hitting the ground rolling. Perhaps we should say who were the participants of the wrestling match on the grassy floor? The one currently on top would be Link, Hero of Time, Defender of Hyrule, and general all around good guy. He had a number of other titles, such as the king of Hyrule's favourite, that damned Kokiri kid with the sword, but he usually didn't bother with formalities. When you're knee deep in a giant tuna's guts you don't have a lot of time for titles.
The one currently elbowing Link in the stomach would be Prince Marth Lowell of Altea. He, on the other hand, had spent a lot of his childhood learning titles. Such as Grand Vizier, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other similar grandiose names to mean people who kept the country running. But then the invasion had taken place, and titles gave way to designations of knights and archers, and other names to mean people who tried to stop a country working. He had become a skilled tactician and warrior, and had managed to find the legendary weapon of his country. But without an army to back him up, all of his skills and even the nifty-looking sword had failed to save his people.
The horses circled their riders, silently placing a bet with each other that their rider would win. Since horses did not have a lot of personal possessions beyond what was on them, they had decided to gamble away grass. And in field this big the stakes were staggering.
After a full ten minutes of hand to hand combat, Link came out on top. "So..." he panted, "What's ... bugging... you?"
"Get... off... me... and... I'll tell you."
Link rolled off him, and both lay side by side staring up at the cloud which had sparked their conversation. Marth took a deep breath, and began to tell Link about his tale. Of how he had been forced from his country. Of how he had wandered forth to find help etc. etc. You've heard the story.
When he finished, he turned his head to look sidelong at Link, "Why are you here though?"
"Me?" said Link, looking slightly confused.
"Yeah you. I don't remember asking you to help me."
"Oh that. Well, you know how the king said that you were to receive no aid from Hyrule?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, he lied."
"Yeah?" said Marth, more enthusiastically. If Hyrule could give him his start then he could return home and give his enemies the smiting they deserved. Yes, at the lead of the Hylean task force he could-
"I'm it."
-and Marth's dreams came tumbling down. "Oh." His imaginary horde of cut-throat Hyleans had been cut down to a solitary pointy-eared blond with a big sword, a bow and a terminally optimistic attitude.
Link jumped to his feet, staring out into the distance. On the horizon he could see what looked like a castle.
------------------------------
A/N: Ok, I lied. Fox will not be turning up anytime soon, reason being I can't find a plausible excuse to go from swords and bows to missiles and blasters. Anyway, I'm back, and I apologize for the wait.
As always best review gets a cookie.
Thanks to Sherra-sama, who went through the hell of having to pre-read for me (grin).