"Marth," The blue haired Prince slowly turned his head from the ocean before him, acknowledging the female voice that had calmly called his name. The Hylian Princess sat next to him, her head turned and her blue eyes watching him with subtle curiosity.

"Yes?" Marth asked quietly, trying to stay calm. Her radiant beauty always managed to make his heart beat faster.

"Do you have views like this back in Altea?" Her voice was barely above a whisper; as if she feared that speaking too loud would ruin the tranquil atmosphere surrounding them. Currently, Marth and Zelda sat on the deck of the Halberd, watching the sun as it slowly sank beneath the Orange Ocean they hovered over. Meta Knight had halted travel for the day, knowing that no one would get any sleep with the ship rocking back and forth all night.

At this time of the day, the sky seemed to merge with the water. Oranges and pinks danced in and around the clouds, and all of the colors combined to create a breathtaking sight.

"No," Marth finally answered, looking back to the horizon. "There's nothing like this back home." He smiled warmly, content in the moment.

"It's the same for Hyrule," Zelda continued, also smiling. "There are many magnificent sights throughout the kingdom…but nothing like this."

Silence ensued the comment, but this did not produce an awkward situation. Instead, both seemed to understand that the other was merely lost in thought. Marth's mind wandered over the possibilities of the future. When would this adventure end? Would he really just return home when it did?

He couldn't imagine just going back to Altea as if nothing had changed. Being on this journey had changed his life completely, and truthfully, he hoped it would never end. He wanted to stay with his newfound comrades longer, and not be forced to just forget about them. People like Meta Knight, Ike, Zelda, Kirby, and so many others were now his cherished friends, who he couldn't imagine his life without.

"Are you going to miss this?" Zelda questioned again, her eyes never leaving the Prince.

"Yes," Marth answered, a saddened expression crossing his face. "I'm going to miss a lot of things about this journey." He faced the Princess again. "I've gained so many friends here."

"I'm going to miss you, Marth," Zelda murmured, earning a slight blush from the teenage boy. The Princess giggled in her soprano tone.

"I'll…m-miss you, too," Marth replied shakily, trying to hide his reddened face.

Zelda looked back to the sunset; she didn't want to embarrass the boy further. Marth watched her, marveling at her natural splendor. It hadn't been long since the two had become friends, but already they felt as if they'd known each other all their lives. Both being royalty, the pair had plenty of things in common. Both knew the loneliness of palace life and the parental expectation to be perfect.

Marth almost jumped when he felt pressure lean against his shoulder. He looked down to find Zelda resting against him lightly, her eyes closed and a smile spread across her face. Marth's cheeks burned from the sudden close contact, but he didn't dare move. Instead, he leaned his head against hers and breathed in the scent of her hair. He couldn't name the smell directly, but it was something sweet and natural.

After a few moments, Zelda leaned her head up and looked at the boy through half closed eyes. Not thinking twice, Marth closed his eyes stretched his neck down towards the Princess. Zelda's eyelids shut once again as the Prince's lips brushed her own.

Marth awoke with a start, shaken from the very realistic dream. He looked about, reminding himself of who and where he was. A figure lay sprawled out on the bed next to his. Ike, his roommate, was still asleep. Laying his head back onto his pillow, Marth exhaled deeply.

How much longer am I going to be tormented by these dreams? He thought. Lately, memories of the past had been haunting the Prince in his sleep, all concerning the Hylian Princess he cared for. Back when Tabuu was still at large, Marth and Zelda had become close friends, and the Prince had starting gaining more than just friendly feelings for his female companion. Unlike in his dreams, though, he had never acted on his feelings or told the teenage girl how he felt.

When they were forced to separate after Tabuu's defeat, Marth had placed a chaste kiss on Zelda's cheek during their heartfelt goodbye. He assumed he would never see the Princess again after that, so the ultimately didn't mean anything to him. It wasn't until he was called on again to help conquer a new evil that things began to get complicated.

He'd been on the Halberd for several weeks now and the teenage girl had almost never left his mind. The two hadn't spoken much since returning to the ship, mostly because Zelda was almost always with Link now. Marth just figured that the two had grown closer since the end of the previous journey.

He often saw them holding hands or even sharing a kiss in the hallway, things that caused a twinge of longing and jealousy to serge through his heart. Although he didn't want to admit it, Marth knew that he was hopelessly in love, and the constant dreams reminded him of that.

"Nnnggh," Ike groaned as he rolled over in his bed; Marth flinched at the sudden noise. Finding a new, comfortable position, the mercenary soon slipped back into unconsciousness. Marth watched for several moments as the younger's chest slowly rose and fell in silent rhythm, and then slowly forced himself off of the mattress, not wanting to go back to sleep.

Stepping in front of the mirror that hung on one of the walls within the small room, Marth looked at himself in disappointment. His cerulean eyes appeared fatigued and uninterested, traits gained from lack of sleep. In the weeks he'd been back on the Halberd, the Prince had barely slept. The restlessness of his dreams always left him on edge during most of the day, which frequently made him not want to fall back into the anxious slumber.

Well at least it's not as bad as it could be, Marth contemplated. He could still be the innocent and defenseless kid of his childhood. At least his eyes had somewhat become balanced with the rest of his face, instead of making him look like a girl like they use to. Even though Marth was confident with and accepted his appearance, there was always a part of him that wished he were more masculine looking. Some broader shoulders wouldn't hurt, and maybe a less heart-shaped face.

Sighing inwardly, the teenage boy pulled off his cotton nightshirt and retrieved a blue cardigan from a dresser drawer. As he was fastening the front buttons of the garment, Marth noticed Ike shift on the bed again. The mercenary sat up lazily and began rubbing at his tired eyes.

"Good morning," The Prince whispered, careful not to be too loud.

Ike stretched sluggishly, taking his time to become fully conscious.

"Morning," He mumbled, picking the last bit of sleep from his right eye. Marth rolled his eyes, knowing that he wasn't going to get much more of a conversation than that. Looking back to the mirror, the Prince straightened his blue locks into an acceptable fashion.

"Where you headed so early?" Ike's slurred words came as a surprise. Marth didn't think the younger could complete sentences this early.

"I couldn't sleep," The Prince explained, straightening his collar. "I think I'm going to go practice my swordplay somewhere."

Ike's glazed pupils followed the older teenager as he crossed the room and grabbed the falchion that had lay in its sheath against Marth's bedpost. Attaching the sword to his waist, the Prince waved a small goodbye to his roommate. The gesture only half-registered in the mercenary's sleepy mind as Marth reached for the door.

Being around Ike proved to be painful for Marth at times; his presence held too much of a reminder of the past. The Prince often couldn't stand to be around the younger in the morning, and he would frequently find excuses to leave him alone. Ike didn't seem to notice it much. As Marth walked through the threshold of the room, he felt relief, even if just for a moment. With the door closed behind him, a wave of guilt overcame the young Prince.

I shouldn't try to avoid him, he thought with regret. Although Marth thought logically, knowing exactly what he should be doing, he secretly knew that he wasn't strong enough to obey the sense. He let his feet guide him down the hallway, following some uncertain path. The corridors of the Halberd were lit with their usual lanterns, a chore probably done by Meta Knight himself.

Depression loomed over the blue haired teenager as he stalked the hallways, searching for some purpose to be up this early. There must be some way to forget about this situation, he assured himself silently. I just have to find it.

To be continued…

A/N: yeah, I know it's short :) oh well!