Hello, faithful readers. I see there is still a lack of Snake x Zelda stories here in the Smash Bros section. It's fine. I'm doing what I can to add a little variety to our page. Anyway, I'd like to thank Heather for her usual awesome beta skills and Carol for helping me shape this up into what it is. I only hope I don't annoy them any time soon. As for the story itself, yes, it is a prequel 'Fearless'. Hope you all enjoy it.
"Undivided Attention"
Snake never noticed, but he always had Princess Zelda's full attention since that day on the Halberd.
If the decision had rested on the shoulders of her associates, friends, or father, Zelda would never have given the man a glimpse of attention. He was everything that her peers stood to avoid- mysterious, cold, unapproachable, and just downright rude. The man was nothing but trouble at first glance, but against her better judgment, Zelda decided to keep a close eye on the mercenary.
It all started on board the Halberd. Trapped within the confines of their cells, Zelda and Peach could only bid their time and await their rescue. For the Mushroom Princess, it didn't matter whether she was taken underground or into the cold depths of space, Mario was certain to come to her aid. It explained why the princess was as chipper as ever, even to the point where she stood humming with a wide grin on her face.
Zelda sat with her knees pulled to chest, her brows furrowed and a small frown on her face. The Hyrulian Princess wasn't nearly as optimistic about their dilemma. It wasn't about the rescue. Much like Peach, whenever Zelda found herself in an inescapable situation, Link, the Hero of Hyrule, would always arrive in the nick of time and save her. With him teaming up with Mario, nothing could stop them in their quest. So why was she worried?
Deep down, it was the true depth of the situation that bothered her- the strange creatures that constantly attacked without reason, the fact that Bowser seemed to have allied himself with the enemy, and Dedede seemed to have been carrying his own agenda in the midst of it all. She exhaled an exasperated sigh. The matter was most frustrating, and she was powerless to stop it.
Then, as if the Goddesses heard her plea, the door to their hidden room shot open. Peach immediately stood at the sight, clapping her hands like a child would for a grade school play, and eagerly awaited her diminutive plumber to rescue her. However, her smile vanished as quickly as it appeared. Zelda took sight of this and aimed her sight at the door.
Indeed, a rescuer came, but it wasn't the one they expected. There were three in fact, none of them seeming familiar in the slightest. The first was an anthropomorphic dog with blue flames escaping from his paws, and he was followed by a much smaller being in stature, bearing a mask that covered more than half of his body and sword. Zelda's royal blue eyes widened when she finally noticed the third member of the band of warriors.
This man, unlike the other two, was actually human. His hair, though short, was well-groomed, coming off as a bit silky but not too much so. Bearing a beard and a scowl, he came off rugged, something Zelda had not seen too much of since she joined the Smash Bros Core. Despite being an elegant woman with a grand sense of maturity, the Hyrulian princess practically had to hold her breath to suppress the gasp that desperately wanted to escape from her mouth.
Whoever this man was, he was handsome. That was the first time Zelda had noticed him.
After the trio repelled the ambush that awaited them, the gruff man lowered the cells and opened the locks, finally freeing both women from their unwanted prison. Unfortunately, before either princess could ask who he was, or thank him even, he simply turned to leave. Once he stopped at the door, he glanced at both princesses, more so Zelda than Peach, and muttered a simple 'Stay here' before finally making his exit.
At the time, the young elf wanted nothing more than to pursue her rescuer and thank him personally, but there were more pressing matters that needed to addressed first. Leaving her doubts behind, Zelda opened the door and proceeded to leave, but her curiosity still sat at the back of her mind, thinking about the mysterious man that saved her.
"Maybe I'll get to see him again?" she asked herself before an idea came to her head, causing a wide smile to form on the brunette's face. Taking Peach by the hand, Zelda dashed through the hallway, earning a surprised yelp from the young blond.
She couldn't let him get away just yet.
"Careless," she muttered, slowly slipping away into the depths of subconsciousness. Her crimson eyes, half-closed and glazed over, stared blankly at the beast that stood over her figure. Her trembling hand rested on her side, feebly trying to close off the impalement wound she sustained.
Despite only occurring a few minutes ago, the young woman's mind replayed the incident through her mind numerous times without mercy. Game and Watch, surrounded by Shadow Bugs, transformed into a pair of monsters, one wielding blades and the other cannons, sharing the same set of wheels. The beast attacked without mercy. As swiftly as a bird, it dashed forward with severe precision, taking out the nearest target with utter efficiency. Sheik, Zelda's alter-ego, misjudged the creature's speed and paid a heavy price for her miscalculation.
Now, as she struggled to breath as well as stay conscious, the monster reared its sword back, prepared to end the young woman's suffering in one final swoop. Fortunately, a being landed on the monster's head, causing the attack to cease in its tracks. Before the monster could try anything, the shadow leapt from his cranium and landed right in front of the fallen warrior. Sheik's eyes grew as wide as saucers when she recognize the stranger's hazel colored eyes as well as his rugged features.
He knelt down next to the girl, his glare staying focused on the blood seeping through the woman's uniform. Without saying a word, the man took Sheik in his arms and proceeded to carry her bridal style. Then he simply turned his back to the monster as he made his exit. If not for the mask on her face, the blush on her cheeks would have been easy to spot. However, her eyes widened once more when she saw a familiar blade swiftly approaching her rescuer's back.
Before she could even mutter a warning though, the creature's head was suddenly wrapped in a violent explosion. It's body stood prone for a few seconds before finally falling over with a deafening thud.
"Hey," he called out, knocking the woman out of her dumbfounded trance. Her eyes suddenly met with a stern glare accompanied with a venomous scowl. "I told you to stay in the room. Why didn't you listen to me?" he asked, keeping his tone in check.
"Excuse me?" she blurted out loud, jerking her head to the side to avoid revealing her shock. "I can't say that we've met before," she quickly stated, perhaps a little too fast for her own good.
"If you say so," the man scoffed as a coy smile formed on his face. "I must say though, your blue eyes are easily recognizable."
"What?" the young woman gasped aloud, stretching her arm out as if she was reaching for something. Staring intently at her bandaged hand, a realization snapped into her mind causing the princess to let out a high-pitched peep. Her skin, supposed to be of a darker tone, somewhat like milk chocolate, was as pale as the moon. Once a strand of her dark brown hair drooped over her eyes, the Hylian could only let out a defeated sigh.
Because of her wound, she may have lost enough concentration necessary to maintain her Sheikah form. Such a simple-minded mistake was inexcusable for a divine ruler to make. Unfortunately, the entire day had been filled with filled with mishaps. Even now because of her carelessness, she had to be saved by the same man twice within the span of an hour.
"I'm very sorry for causing you so much trouble," she murmured, keeping her head turned away from the man's face. Still wearing her Sheikah attire, Zelda pulled her face mask down to allow herself to breath with no further restraint. "I don't even know your name, and I've already given you a reason to think of me as a burden," she sighed, her cheeks flushing to a dewy pink.
"Yeah, you certainly did cause some trouble," he gruffly stated. Zelda looked up sharply, feeling her frustration spill into anger. When her furious expression met his coy smile, the young woman lost her nerve, feeling her stomach twist and jump.
"Beauty such as yours isn't meant to experience such violence, yet here you are trying to stand up to it. What you did was commendable," he said, stopping to gaze at the crimson sky that watched over him. "Foolish as hell but commendable nonetheless."
The reason seemed to roll off his tongue naturally, forcing the princess to smile somewhat shyly. Before the Hylian could attempt to mutter a response, the man stopped abruptly, causing her to flinch involuntarily. Gently placing her next to the anthropomorphic dog, he simply nodded before turning to make his way out of the room. Zelda sat up clutching at her side, trying her best to block out the pain.
"Wait!" she called out. The older man stopped, turning his head just enough for the girl to catch his gaze. "My name is Princess Zelda. May I know what yours is, noble warrior?" she asked, abashed by her own actions.
"You can call me Snake," he muttered, simply waved his hand. "By the way, next time I tell you to, be a good little girl and stay put," he growled, putting a great deal on emphasis on his last couple of words.
Just like that, he was gone. There Zelda sat, brows furrowed and lips poked out, imminently frustrated with herself. Her mind flashed back to the days where she would sneak out of her room to go play in the courtyard, only to harshly scolded by her father right afterward. It was a demeaning feeling that was not meant to touched upon again.
Whether it was for better or worse, that was the second time she noticed Snake. Once she recovered, she had to find him so she could give him a piece of her mind.
About a month had passed since the Tabuu incident, and it seemed that HQ grew considerably since then. Master Hand increased the security immensely, and all of the newcomers were invited to stay because of their selfless acts of heroism. However, for young Zelda, her eyes stayed fixed on the enigma, Solid Snake.
Unfortunately, the other members of the Core weren't quite as ecstatic about the man's presence. Though words never left his lips, his hazel glare seemed to have done the talking for him. They seemed to always say "Stay the hell away from me" and "If you fail to do so, I'll snap your neck in an instant" in one voice. That alone was a good enough reason to stay away from the mercenary, but why was Zelda drawn to him in spite of the warning? Normally as a princess, she was suppose to answer the question with grace and elegance, but much like a child in search of her longing, she was left speechless on the matter. For this kind of behavior to come from someone of royal heritage was inexcusable.
Even now, as she stood in conversation with Princess Peach, her mind stayed fixed on the mercenary for reasons unknown. Today was the day of the annual picnic, and everyone was finally ready to celebrate their victory over the Subspace Army. This was a grand opportunity for the newcomers to open up to the veterans, and she'd hate to come off as rude during a formal meeting.
"Zelda, are you okay?" Peach called out, waving her hand across her friend's face in hopes of gaining her attention. It was no use. Her eyes were practically glazed over. If there was one thing Peach didn't like, it was to be ignored so bluntly. Inhaling deeply, the Mushroom princess yelled out, "Earth to Zelda!"
After what seemed like an eternity, Zelda shook her head slightly and softly glanced at the woman with a mildly curious expression on her face. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?" she politely asked.
Taken aback from the brunette's dense response, an exasperated sigh escaped from the blond's mouth. "No, not really," she desolately replied. However, her frown quickly dissolved and formed into a smile when Peach saw the blush that hovered over her friend's cheeks. "I swear, you've been like this ever since you met Snake," she quipped, deliberately causing the elf's face to flush even further.
Zelda looked up sharply, feeling her embarrassment spill into frustration. "I can't say I know what you're talking about, Peach," she snapped. Confusion filled her mind now. Were her feelings that easy to read on the outside now? "Do you know what you're saying? Why would I even think twice of a man as rude as him?"
Simply shrugging her shoulders, Peach's smile only grew wider before she responded, "I don't know honestly. I was hoping you'd tell me."
Furrowing her brow, Zelda only let out a defeated sigh in rebuttal. Such a simple response was enough to force the Hylian princess to yield in her defense. Today was truly a horrid one for her morale.
"To be honest, Peach, I don't think he's as bad as he lets on. Ganondorf sends chills into my soul whenever I'm around him, but whenever I'm around Snake, it's quite the opposite," the brunette stated as she ran her free hand through her lush hair, feeling her cheeks warm up. "Given he puts up a steel barricade between himself and everyone else, but..."
"...you feel there's much so more to him than he's letting on," Peach finished up, allowing herself to giggle soon afterward. "I would tell you what exactly what's going on," she started to explain, before stopping abruptly. Her eyes seemed to have been fixed on something right behind Zelda. However, not wanting to spoil the surprise, Peach simply nodded and whispered, "but I'd rather let you figure it out on your own," before silently taking her leave.
The Hyrulian princess could only watch her friend leave with a curious expression on her face. Almost out of instinct, she turned around to see what could have caused Peach to depart so prematurely, but her head snapped back around the second she recognized the tall brooding figure standing by the door.
"Snake?" she muttered, making sure to pretend that she hadn't noticed his presence. For Zelda, the situation was most unusual. The mercenary rarely left the sanctions of his room so early. More so, he had made it a habit to stay under the radar most of the time within the headquarters, whether it was in the back of the dining area or the lonely sanctums of the rooftop.
Which only raised the question in her head- why was he out now? He couldn't have been going to picnic, could he? She quietly brushed her hair back and smiled lightly. This man had caused so much infliction in her life over the past month, but he was probably unaware of it and rightfully so. A frustrated groan escaped from the dainty woman's mouth. She was considered a vastly mature princess with much wisdom and the heart of a maiden. Right now, she felt like a immature girl who couldn't see anything in plain sight.
She felt... childish.
Enough was enough. Zelda brushed her dress off before exhaling loudly. Her feelings had to be sorted out, and the truth had to be learned. Why was she so drawn to the cold, unapproachable solider, and why did her feelings betray her common sense and logic? Her body moved towards the man, almost as if it were on its own. Whether or not, he turned her away or accepted her company, Zelda was more than determined to find the man underneath the beast.
He's had her undivided attention since the start, after all. Now she had to see if she had his...
That's that. Leave a review and tell me what you thought. More to come!
-Thanks, guys!