The Quest For Survival
A/N: First off, it will have some of my OCs. If you don't already like it, well too bad. Turn back and don't give it a backwards glance. But if you guys don't mind my character, then read ahead.
Disclaimer: I do not own SSBM or B, so don't get all worked up Nintendo. We can share. I get the characters from Monday to Sunday, and Nintendo can have them with the remaining time. JK
Chapter 1 The Quest Begins
Marth Lowell sighed and looked out of his best friend's bedroom window. The bright, clear Magickean sky was a beautiful blue. Birds sang and the sun shone brightly on the kingdom, bathing everything in warm light. He thought the setting of this day was a terrible one. Everything should not be as it was. Not when the Magickean princess was so sick.
Many kingdomers kept saying that she was close to death, but Marth refused point blank to accept that. It just couldn't be true. Sounds a little confusing? Well, let me recap, shall I?
His best friend Sasha, had one day fallen deadly ill, and any doctor that looked at her could find nothing wrong with her. No symptoms of any deadly illnesses, so of course this left doctors baffled. But still, she was deadly pale and beads of sweat clung to her forehead. When Marth had tried pointing this out, the doctors had claimed that it was probably a fever. But it made no sense to Marth. And plus, that had been a month ago. Now here Marth sat, and his best friend lay unconscious on her bed, unmoving.
Marth had been here since the beginning of the illness, and it seemed that every day, she was getting worse and worse. During the beginning, she always greeted him when he came to visit. She hardly could talk, but whenever she did, it was to say that he didn't need to worry. She would get better. She always did. But now, here she lay, and she didn't seem to be getting any better.
Marth wiped a cloth over her forehead. He touched his fingers to her forehead, and was surprised by how cold her skin felt. He looked around her room for some blankets, and when he found some, he lay them gently on her. Marth looked at her worriedly. She looked so frail, and so … deathly sick. Her breathing came out shallow and quick, and her body trembled violently every time she coughed.
"Marth, is she awake yet?" his friend Pit, asked. He stood in the doorway, a tray laden with food of soup and tea in his hands. Marth shook his head. "Not yet. I thought she woke up for a few seconds a couple of hours ago, but I'm not sure. I sure hope she'll wake up though."
Pit sighed heavily and put the tray on the bedside table. "I sure hope so too. I brought the two of you some soup and tea for lunch. Hopefully, she'll wake up soon enough to eat some of it. Oh yeah, before I forget, Roy called a few minutes ago and said that the kingdom's pharmacy is out of medicine. But I highly doubt that the stuff you were looking for will work anyway." Pit shrugged his shoulders and patted Marth on the shoulder. Marth buried his face in his hands, the worry even heavier on his shoulders. "Thanks Pit. Call Roy and tell him to get back here. It's okay. Tell him thanks for trying."
"Will do." Pit trotted off, and Marth proceeded to try to feed Sasha some broth from the soup.
He shook her shoulder gently, trying to wake her. "Sasha? Sasha, come on, wake up. You need to eat something." He shook her shoulder again, waiting for a response. Eventually, she opened her eyes. They looked exhausted. She had bags under her eyes, which was weird considering that she had been sleeping for most of her illness.
"Marth? What happened? Where am I?" Her voice was so hoarse, it was barely a whisper. She sounded panicked and Marth was quick to reassure her.
"It's okay Sasha. You're at home. Remember? Roy, Pit, Ike, Link, and I came as soon as we got the letter that you were sick. Ami and Kyon would be here, but they had to run some errands of their own. Now, here, you need something to eat. You haven't eaten in a while." He fed her some broth, which she drank. "Thanks Marth. You've been a great help. I can't wait to repay you guys. Especially since Mom and Dad aren't here."
"No problem Sasha. And don't worry. No need to worry. You'll get well soon enough and everything will be just fine. Roy went to the pharmacy to see if they had anything, and they didn't. He'll be back soon." She nodded and he fed her some more of the broth, which she greatfully ate. Marth felt that he had to reassure himself more than Sasha.
Marth noticed when Sasha drifted off to sleep again. He looked down at the bowl. It was only halfway done. Apparently she wasn't going to eat anymore. He put down the bowl and proceeded to eat his share of the meal, drinking the tea. Tea always helped him think, but this time he didn't seem to be able to think. His head was so full of worry that it was giving him a migraine.
He took the tray downstairs, being careful to be quiet, so he wouldn't wake Sasha. He went through the living room to see Ike and Link sitting on the couch playing cards.
"Hey Marth, how's Sasha?" Link asked, randomly placing down a card. "Not good. She didn't eat much, and her voice sounded terrible. I sure hope she'll get better though. There was this one point in time earlier when she woke up though. She didn't seem to remember where she was. She remembered me, just not where she was." He shrugged and went to the kitchen, and put the plates in the sink. He went back to living room to continue talking to Link.
"Oh Goddesses, I sure hope she's okay," Link said, placing yet another card on the table and sounding worried. "I mean, she's never been this sick, has she?" Marth shook his head. "It sounds weird to me. I sure hope that she'll get better. If she doesn't, it wil crush Roy. You know that he likes her, It'll hurt him worse than we can imagine."
"GO FISH!" Ike suddenly shouted, slamming down his cards and storming from the room. Link frowned after him, and started to gather up the cards. He could be so random at times. Though usually, it was at the wrong times. Marth continued as if Ike hadn't just said something random. Oh don't get me wrong. He sure did stare after him, thinking that he is so weird, but after a few seconds he got over it.
"I know it will. I sure hope she'll get better. I know it will devastate Roy if she doesn't. Well, all we can do is hope. All we do is hope." Marth sighed heavily, and went back to the kitchen to start washing the dishes.
Not long after, Roy walked into the kitchen. He dropped down heavily into a chair, looking exhausted. He hadn't gotten as much sleep as Marth had. They switched shifts every so often so the other could get some rest.
"Hey Roy, you look exhausted." Marth said, drying his hands on a dishtowel. "I am. You have no idea. Well, maybe you do." He shook his hair out of his eyes. "I was looking absolutely everywhere, hoping that some medicine would pop up. I kept finding things that I wasn't looking for. After a while, I just gave up." He put his head in his hands, looking defeated. Marth sat next to him and put an arm around his shoulders. "I know how you feel Roy. Believe me, I do."
"Oh yeah? Then how do I feel?" Roy asked, looking up at his friend. His gaze held a small sign of repressed anger, but he didn't seem to have the energy to use that anger.
"Tired of course. Like there's no cure for whatever she has. Like something weird is happening to her and we can't help her." Roy looked into Marth's eyes, and he couldn't help but agree with him. That small hint of anger was still there though. His eyes, and probably his own, looked hopeless. "Never mind. You do know how I feel. But what are we supposed to do? It's not like there's a secret force that is making her sick. There has to be something or someone, that's doing this." He stood up and began pacing. After a few minutes, he spoke once more. "What's happening? What the HELL is going on?" He asked of noone in particular.
Marth sat there and looked at him. For once, he had no words for his friend. "We have looked nearly everywhere for a cure. I don't what else to try."
"Neither do I. I just feel so… so helpless. I wish I could do something useful." Marth stood and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You have been doing just great Roy. We just haven't been doing enough. I mean, we have been doing stuff, but it's having no effect on her. She's still sick. There has to be a cure for whatever she has."
The two friends stood in total silence for a while. After about five minutes of this, Roy headed upstairs to check up on Sasha. Marth just sat there, hopelessly lost to any idea on what to do. It was like any little chore could hold off for now. They weren't that important to him right now.
Suddenly Pit burst into the room, breathless. "Hey Marth! I just remembered something! You haven't tried everything after all." He paused for a breath. Marth looked at him quizzically. Even in this situation, he chuckled a bit. Leave it to Pit to still be optimistic even during the darkest hours. All Marth knew was that there was no cure. They had looked everywhere… Or so he thought anyways.
"You can go visit Palutena!" Pit burst out. "She'll be willing to help you. I know she will. She helps all kindred spirits, so she has to help us." Pit watched as Marth's face went from confusion to surprise to happiness. "Pit! You're right! Oh Goddesses, I can't believe that we haven't thought of this. Pit, you're a genius." Marth was so happy that he grabbed Pit up in a hug. Pit laughed joyfully and squirmed out of his grip. "I'm not a genius, but thanks for the compliment. You have to go on your own though. I can't go with you. You know I would want to come with you, but I'm kind of acting like the doctor right now, so you can see how that could go wrong." Marth nodded his head, understanding. "Thanks Pit, for everything. I really appreciate having you here. We all do."
"No problem Marth. I'm happy to help. Remember, she's my friend too. I would do anything for her like I would do anything for anyone. But I must warn you, the journey is not easy. Some challenges will come up, so be prepared." Marth smiled. "Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind. As for the rest, I know Pit. It's still a comfort having an angel here though. You're the one with the optimism around here. Heaven knows we all need it." Pit smiled his winning smile. "Thanks Marth, that means a lot to me. Good luck on your journey. Be careful. May the Goddess's hand guide you." Pit ran off, and Marth went upstairs to get ready and to tell Roy of what was to happen.
"Are you serious? You're gonna go on your own?" Roy asked incredulously. Marth nodded solemnly. They sat in the living room, and Marth had a travel bag slung over one shoulder. "That's what Pit said I should do. I trust Pit with my life, so I'm going with what he says." Roy nodded seriously, understanding. He sighed. "I wish I could go with you. I'd be doing something at least." His shoulders slumped, and Marth put an arm around his friend's shoulders. "You are doing something Roy. You're taking care of her while I'm gone. I count that as something. Plus, I'll be back faster on my horse. Falicity is pretty fast when it comes to riding the winds, so I'll be back in no time." Roy finally nodded, and Marth stood to go. "Take care of her, and yourself of course." Marth said, stepping towards the door. "Marth, be safe. Her life now rests on your shoulders," Roy called after him. "Gee, like I haven't figured that out Roy. But thanks for the reminder." He called back, walking towards the door.
"And Marth?" Roy inquired again. "What?"
"May the force be with you."
"Oh God, not another crappy Star Wars reference. But… may the force be also with you Roy." Marth turned one last time at the door and looked at his best friend, sitting on the couch, a hopeless expression on his face, before stepping out the door and locking it.
He headed for the stables and saddled up Falicity, his Pegasus. Before riding out, he glanced back and saw Sasha's horse, Mercy, laying on a stack of hay. When he saw that, he swore to himself that he would come back. He would have a cure, and everything would be put right. He couldn't let a sickness overpowering his friend. If this were not for Sasha, then let it be for Roy. He didn't care. All he cared for was that his friend would be fine again.
He rode off into the sky, and not once did he ever look back at the house. Marth Lowell was now on a quest. A quest determining whether his best friend would live or die. Hence the name: The Quest For Survival
A/N: First chapter done! I'm more likely to get this one finished, and I promise that I'll make it extra-good. Poor Marth will be met with many challenges, and I wonder if he'll survive. Please give me feedback and some ideas on some ideas for challenges Marth will face. Thanks guys. R&R!