Author's Notes: So, I heard my good buddy Fox-pilot and the renowned Pit FTW were holding an AU Romance Contest. And you know what? I figured I'd have a go at it, even though romance isn't my strength (Humour is, though :P)
So, here it is: The introduction-format start of Caballero Negro! Enjoy!
High in the sky, beyond the limits of the pristine blue covering of this World, shone the mighty sun, a blazing sphere of fire and gas, its light raining down upon the World, filling it with warmth, light and reassurance in the glow of the star. The dusty path, worn from centuries of travellers and traders moving along its length, was a yellowish-colour in the light, and had a gentle feel to it; Not too stony or rough, smooth enough for bare feet and bordered by lush fields of grass, with an occasional tree peppering the landscape. To the right of this path, if you were heading towards the Airship port at least ten miles down its length, was a titanic wall of mountains, imposing and impossible to climb. And to the left, would be endless hills of the green grass, stricken occasionally by the blue stripes of rivers, with herds of herbivorous Green Yoshis indulging themselves in the botanical matter and fending off attacks from the carnivorous packs of Red Yoshis.
This was simply one area of a magnificent World known only as just that- This World. A world of fantasy, and great heroes and savage monsters, where people would go perform epic tasks and seek adventure wherever it hid, yet it was a world of relative peace. Very few wars had plagued this beautiful land, and it seemed that it was the perfect world to many.
Now, by this certain point in the long path, that stretched from the great Capital of Eagleland, New Pork City, all the way to the delightful territories of Hyrule, was a large boulder that set next to a split in the path, the patch of yellow earth extending a limb directly to the right, reaching for a cave at least thirty metres away from the main path, a dark hole bordered by sharp rock, a hole in the mountainous wall, and the only way one could get through this mountain border, the other side of which lay the great fortresses that made up the territory of Altea, a land ruled by a great king and filled with mighty warriors. Currently, that great power in this World was spreading word that a foul beast was stalking its lands, attacking towns and killing villagers. Thus, many were travelling to Altea, from Hyrule to all the way from the distant states of Lylat and Metroid, to try their hand at finding and ending the great monster, for the one whom ended the beast would be recognised as a true hero, and have all the riches they could desire for destroying the terrible creature.
So, our story within this fantastical land starts with a single being walking down the dusty, yellowish path. He was an odd creature, certainly, for he only stood a mere two feet high, and appeared to have a perfectly spherical body. The body seemed to be coloured a handsome navy-blue, what little of it could be seen at least, for the being wore a dark cape that he kept wrapped tightly around almost all of the body, save the top of the figure and shoulder-pads of a black metal sticking out of the sides. There were glimpses of purple metal boots treading along from under the cape, and the sun gleamed brightly off the silver metal of a mask worn on the front of this spherical person. This mask, complete with a vaguely V-shaped hole for sight, shone in the light of the glorious day, but a closer look revealed sharp scratches and markings on the metal, indicating this person was one of battle, a warrior of great skill to have survived whatever attacked him over the times. However, what really struck anyone who saw this being were two bright yellow eyes seen through the slit of the mask, the curved nature of the hole acting like the eyebrow position required for a serious or perhaps even angered face. The eyes never moved, never blinked, merely stared, as this being casually walked down the long road.
He was nearing the boulder that marked the route that led to the cave, when a voice called out to him: "Excuse me!"
The sphere person stopped, and turned to face the large rock, and noted the figure sat upon it; A woman, smiling pleasantly at him, albeit rather wary as well. Her face was slim and kind, with bright green eyes that, when the sun hit them, could be compared to emeralds, a colourful feat matched only by the long cascade of green hair that fell down the woman's back all the way to her hips. She was a beautiful creature, certainly, slim with soft curves along the hips and the ample chest, with fair skin of a peachy tint, and she was clad in simple green robes, with brown leather gloves and sandals as well. Most interestingly was the staff she held, a long wooden stick of a dark brown colour topped off by a golden claw that held an azure orb, a beautiful tool befitting a beautiful woman.
The woman waved her free hand gently at the stoic masked man, before drawing the appendage up to stroke green hair out of the way of her eyes, which met the yellow glow of the other being's eyes, and she asked: "Greetings, stranger. May I ask where you are going?"
Her voice, much like the rest of her, was gentle, kind and feminine, and it held a trusting tone to it. Clearly making a nice effort for small talk.
The sphere person promptly spoke back to her, a male voice that was deep, betrayed no emotion save for polite exchange, and hinted of some kind of foreign accent: "Fair maiden, I travel to the lands of Altea, to assist those whom are threatened by the monster stalking the night."
"You believe there actually is a creature threatening those lands?" The woman asked in response, her kind voice now seeming a little sceptical.
"You think no such beast exists?" The male asked politely, a tad curious now at her sceptic tone.
"Personally, I believe it may be nothing more then the exaggerated tales of Altea's King. Gods and Goddesses above now of the tall tales he has spoken of in the past." The green-haired beauty replied coolly, idly examining her staff as she awaited the stranger's answer.
Certainly, this World knew of the King of Altea, a handsome man named Marth Lowell, known throughout the lands for his skill with the graceful blade known as Falchion, as well as his diplomatic heart and keen mind. However, the fair King did have a knack for boasting, and telling tall tales, a notable example being when he started spreading rumours of an evil enchanted hand creature, which was eventually confirmed as false. Nevertheless, he was a good King, and he ruled Altea wisely.
"Perhaps it may be mere gossip. Perhaps there really is a monster. I do not know for sure, but I am travelling to Altea anyway." The sphere person replied coolly, his shoulder-pads moving in a subtle shrug. "It is simply more of a motive for me to reach Altea, if there is a monster. After all, if it exists, I could defeat and prove myself. That is why I go to Altea. I find my life is missing something, and I think I may need to go there, and battle other warriors to determine my skills and strength, to see if that is the missing part of my metaphorical jigsaw." And then, his speech done, his eyes seemed to turn blue, an act of optical colouring that was followed up by a curious question: "But, maiden, if I may ask: why do you sit upon this rock?"
The woman sighed deeply, her previously impressed expression at his tale vanishing, as she turned her gaze to the cave, dark and black even in the day, her face falling with a sadness, before she replied heavily: "I seek to travel to Altea as well, to visit a sacred temple there and perhaps join as a priestess, but unfortunately, I have no way of reaching the land. This mountain cuts off all who want to get there and there is no way I could climb the great rocks."
"But the Airship port is but a mere ten miles away, near the border of Hyrule. Surely you could get a lift there?" The male asked, his cape moving slightly in some kind of pointing gesture down the path, stating the former part of his statement like it was obvious.
The woman flushed with embarrassment, bringing up her free hand to again stroke at her hair nervously, as she replied: "I would, but... I have a deathly fear of heights. I could never bring myself to go on one of the airships, never mind the fact I don't have any money to pay for a trip. My only hope is to go through the cave and travel by foot to Altea, but-"
"-But the route beyond the cave, on the other side of the mountains, is a deadly land of dangerous beasts, poisonous swamps and villainous bandits, so they say." The sphere person finished for her, his eyes returning to the original yellow colour as he observed the woman thoughtfully. "And I suppose you do not have any battle experience to defend yourself from any attacks should you travel down that route?"
"You are correct, sir." The woman sighed softly, sliding down the rock to land on the grass easily, before kneeling down before the other being, her staff set down beside her, before continuing, her eyes staring sadly at the grass stroking her legs: "I wait here patiently in hopes a brave warrior can escort me to Altea. I can help them in battle, for my staff has the power to conjure shields for defence, and it can heal wounds as well, allowing me to keep the warrior generally safe while he battles. But I have either had my request refused, or the ones who were kind enough to help me failed, and were killed, and I had to flee back here before I met the same fate..."
The green-haired female sighed sadly, before speaking again, the stranger listening attentively, cape always folded around him: "The Temple of Altea is my life's dream, good sir; to become a priestess at that sacred place, and learn more about the ways of healing and the Light, but if I can never reach Altea-"
"Oh, but I think you will reach that place."
The woman looked up at the interruption from the stranger, surprise in her expression, as he idly took a step backwards, and threw his cape back in a swirl of dark material, revealing the rest of his body and mask, as well as white-gloved arms, in a slightly impressive display. But most eye-catching of this act, however, was that now, the woman could see that this being wielded a magnificent golden blade, perhaps a foot in length, that gleamed in the sun, a blade that seemed to shimmer in the air as the woman gasped softly in awe of the wickedly sharp weapon, the golden handle embedded with a ruby, and the metallic razor tipped with two sharp spikes on each side of the cutting edge. How he had hidden it under the cape was unknown, but one thing was for sure:
He was a swordsman.
"My name is Meta Knight, fair maiden." The swordsman, Meta Knight, stated politely, bowing to the amazed female as expected of an honourable warrior, as his magnificent blade gleamed in the ever warming light. "And I will escort you through the cave and beyond to Altea."
Author's Notes: Oh yeah! The quest is on! Will Meta Knight be able to get this nice lady through the deadly route beyond the cave in the mountain wall? Find out in the next three chapters of Caballero Negro!
Wait, who is the lady anyway? You'll find out in chapter two, I suppose, but feel free to guess! :D