The morning wore on in an uneventful slump as Marth continued to practice his swordplay without cease. After having left his roommate, the Altean had let his feet wander about the enormous airship until he came across an empty practice room. There, he had decided to stay, detached from everyone, until hunger pains became too distracting.

High noon passed and the prince decided to sheath his sword and proceed to the dining hall for the mid-day meal. Since the beginning of the first mission to defeat Tabuu, Sir Meta Knight had had his once humble dining room converted into an expansive great hall to accommodate the all of the Halberd's new passengers. Waddle Dees and Doos manned the kitchen connected to the hall, serving a variety of dishes everyday. Marth wasn't sure how the pantries always remained stocked with different ingredients, but the matter wasn't something that took up too much of his thinking space.

The long corridors of the Halberd were silent as the prince ambled through them.

Where is everybody? Marth asked himself, starting to feel a sense of unease. This silence isn't normal. Then, suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps caught the prince's attention. Quick, light feet were coming towards him, as if someone was running in fear. Turning around, Marth soon spotted a hysteric Pit, heaving as he sprinted toward him.

"Marth!" the younger cried in relief. "There you are!" The angel's wings were tucked behind him protectively and his amethyst eyes glowed with anxiety.

"Pit? What's wrong?" The Altean demanded, running to meet his comrade. Pit halted and leaned over, his breathing hard and uneven. Marth's expression melted into a hushed panic.

Something's seriously wrong, the older thought, gently grasping the angel's shoulders in comfort.

"There…" Pit breathed, still trying to calm himself. "There's been…an…an accident…" Heavy breathing broke almost every word the angel spoke.

"An accident?" The prince repeated, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"It's…" Pit looked up at his friend, finally seeming to have caught his breath. "It's Peach…a-and Zelda." Marth's cerulean eyes shot open as the last word fell from the younger's lips.

No…

"Marth…the deck…" tears formed and fell from the angel's worried eyes.

Within seconds, Marth was sprinting down the hallway from which Pit had come. Adrenaline drove his legs to their limit, hoping to get to the deck as fast as possible. The quiet sobs of the sad angel could be heard behind the prince, indicating that Pit was following not far behind.

Marth's heels burned, but the pain was ignored as he continued to run at full speed. Nothing could stop him from continuing down this panicked path when the possibility of Zelda being in trouble loomed over his head. Before long, Marth could spot the eerie glow of the outside world that emitted from the deck's entrance. The Altean's heartbeat raced as he recognized a few Smashers' silhouettes blocking the doorway.

Oh please, Marth silently begged. Please let her be all right.

Smashers appeared to be tightly packed together on the deck area, causing the haunting entrance to become barricaded by all of the sardine-d bodies. Cries of agony rang from outside; a woman was suffering. The screams ceased for the moment, and Marth was soon pushing his way into the hectic crowd, desperate to find the source of the noise. King Dedede merely groaned as the prince shoved past the penguin's enormous stomach. Other Smasher's didn't seem to notice as the blue haired teen anxiously slipped by them without a word, and then continued to push his way deeper into the crowd.

For the longest time, Marth couldn't see anything of what was happening, but then suddenly, as a taller Smasher shifted, the prince could see a scene of utter tragedy walking amongst the others.

There, in the arms of a young mercenary, laid a heavily bleeding Princess Peach. Her entire body appeared covered in scrapes and scratches, as if some merciless assailant had beaten her. One huge, open wound ran down the center of the princess's delicate face, which oozed bright red blood. Her eyes were closed and her body was limp and fragile in Ike's shaking arms. The mercenary cradled her close to his broad chest as he tried to shuffle through the large crowd, probably eager to get Peach to medical attention.

Meta Knight attempted to guide the two through the gathered Smashers, his booming voice commanding everyone to make way. Marth watched as the scene carried on, captivated by the sight of the fallen maiden and her heart-broken rescuer. As Ike carried his bleeding lover, his eyes became obviously filled with desperate tears. He gazed down upon her longingly, one hand buried in her blonde hair as he clung to her.

"Ike!" Marth shouted toward his crying roommate. "Ike! What happened?" The prince's voice was swallowed up by the noise of the other Smashers surrounding him; Ike didn't even glance his way.

A female scream ripped through the atmosphere again, and Marth's head snapped toward the direction from which the sound had erupted. Not far behind Ike and his princess was a much tighter group of people surrounding something.

Zelda…

Once again, Marth started pushing his way through his comrades in an attempt to get a better look at the unfolding situation. His heart beat faster with each foot he gained toward the scene. The prince's mind still reeled over the images he had seen just moments earlier. Peach hadn't appeared to be moving. What if she didn't make it? What happened here? And…

What if Zelda was in a similar predicament?

As Marth pushed passed the final Smasher that blocked his path, he felt his heart sink very low in his chest. In the middle of all of the clustered chaos, lay a sobbing Zero Suit Samus, her arms and face flung across the unconscious Princess Zelda, who lay motionless on the deck floor. Samus was hysterical, screams of agony ripping from her pale lips as uncontrollable tears ran down her frantic face. No one dared move toward the two, even though Zelda was obviously seriously hurt and in desperate need of attention. The female bounty hunter clung to her friend as she cried, her hands pulling the motionless princess closer to her own shaking body.

The prince moved quickly, running to the bounty hunter and gently, yet hastily peeling her off of the hurt Hylian. Samus fought back, flailing her arms about in an attempt to get back to the princess. The huntress was strong, but not enough so that Marth lost control of her. He handed the young woman to Snake, who reluctantly took the female into his large grasp. The Altean was back on the floor within seconds, trying to somehow help the situation. He hovered over Zelda, his hands resting on the ground on either side of her delicate face.

"Zelda!" He shouted at her. "Zelda! Can you hear me?"

Blood was pooling beneath the princess, and gruesome marks covered all of her visible skin. He lifted one hand, continuing to call her name, and tried to forcibly open one of her lilac eyelids. He shook her shoulders and lightly tapped her cheeks, trying anything and everything that might make her regain consciousness.

She didn't respond.

Marth looked about, realizing that everyone was watching him intently.

"What happened to her?" He demanded, staring at Samus, who was trying to calm herself. Snake had wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"I-I dunno," the huntress stuttered, water still poring from her eyes. "She and Peach were just lying here covered in blood! Z-zelda was screaming a few minutes ago…b-but then she just stopped…"

"Did anyone else see anything?" Marth screamed, scanning the rest of the bystanders.

"T-they fell!" A frightened Toon Link shouted from his spot next to Fox.

Fell? From where?

Marth's mind swam in a million different directions. This doesn't make any sense. What do I do? Do I take her inside? Do I try to find Meta first? He gazed back at the princess, knowing that if he didn't get her to help soon, her chances of living would be slim to none. Her blood was already beginning to seep into Marth's trousers as he knelt beside her.

Then, in one swift motion, the princess was in the Altean's arms, held bridal style. Marth had lifted Zelda off the ground, making the decision to take initiative and get her off the deck himself. He could feel his clothing soaking up the warm, red liquid that covered her lithe body as he held her close.

"Move!" Marth yelled. Unlike before, the Smashers obeyed and parted a way for the prince to get through.

Feelings of fear, melancholy, and even love flooded through Marth as he ran towards the exit. I wont let her die. She can't die…

Ike and Meta Knight were nowhere in sight, and Marth had no earthly idea where the swordsmen had taken Peach; therefore he didn't know where to take the princess in his arms. He looked down at Zelda when he had reached the corridor that branched off from the deck. She was still unconscious, but her chest seemed to be rising and falling in staggered breaths.

No one was in the hallway; all of the Smashers seemed to still be packed together on the deck. Then, for the second time that afternoon, Marth heard footsteps sprinting towards him. He turned his attention from the deck to the hallway ahead and found Meta Knight quickly running in his direction.

"Marth," The captain of the Halberd barked, whipping out his wings and flying the rest of the distance to meet the prince. "Bring her this way, quickly."

Marth did as he was told and promptly followed the knight through the winding corridors.

"What happened out there, Meta?" The Altean questioned, holding Zelda a bit closer to him as he hastily tried to keep up with the other's pace.

"I still have no information on the cause of the situation." The knight said, keeping his gaze forward. "No one saw anything, and obviously the two victims are unable to talk at this time."

Silence ensued the short conversation between the two, and all that could be heard was the sound of hurried footsteps falling beneath them. Marth had no clue where the knight was leading them, but frankly, he didn't care. Meta knew this ship better than anyone else (mainly because he built it), and the prince was confident that the captain knew what he was doing.

In truth, Meta, despite his confident demeanor, was just as scared and apprehensive as his princely friend. No emergency of this magnitude had ever occurred amongst the Smashers; the knight had no experience in handling a situation like this. When Meta had heard the screams of the now unconscious women, he'd quickly made his way to the deck to investigate, leaving the ship's wheel to a trusted Sailor Dee. There, he'd found two princesses, both heavily bleeding and one crying for help. Peach had been unresponsive from the beginning, which had led Meta to believe the worst.

After ensuring Zelda that he would return, the knight had left the two in search of someone who could help. He'd found Ike within seconds of exiting the deck, who had then assisted in retrieving Princess Peach. By that time, Smashers had already begun gathering on the deck, and everything was getting crowded and uncomfortable. Zelda fell silent as soon as the mushroom princess was in Ike's grasp, probably a result of her blood loss. Meta didn't want to leave the Hylian, but he had no choice. No others were willing to help, as if the act of touching the wounded was some kind of taboo amongst them.

So, Zelda was left in the midst of the assembling bystanders, helpless until Meta Knight would return for her. The knight had worried about the Hylian all the way up until he saw her in lying within Marth's reassuring grasp. Now, Meta swiftly paced ahead of the prince, anxious to get the other injured victim to the makeshift infirmary he had set up in a nearby room.

When the two were merely feet from their destination, a clear voice rang out from behind them.

"Zelda!" A young swordsman yelled, his voice laced with desperation. Both the prince and the captain knew who has running towards them, but neither of them stopped to acknowledge the Hero of Time.

"Hurry," Meta whispered, opening the infirmary door. His eyes locked with Marth, conveying the unspoken message 'Get inside before Link sees her'. The prince obeyed, and slipped into the room, Meta closing the door behind him.

Link was fumbling all over himself as he frantically tried to reach his princess, who had disappeared into a dark room in the arms of another man. He almost fell several times before he halted in front of the commander of the Halberd, his eyes wide with worry and fear.

"Link," Meta uttered, looking into the young man's sapphire eyes. "Please calm yourself."

"Calm myself?" The Hero spat. "I'll calm myself after you let me see Zelda!"

"I'm sorry," the knight retorted, his voice remaining monotone. "I cannot let you in until you have settled down. What if Zelda were to wake up from her condition? Do you think it would be healthy for her to see you in this state?"

"I don't care! I need to see her!" And with that, Link easily pushed past Meta in hopes of making his way into the infirmary. At that moment, Marth stepped out of the door that Link was hurriedly reaching for. The front and arms of his cardigan was drenched in blood, and his expression was serious.

"You really shouldn't see her now, Link." The prince murmured, putting his hands up in front of him, as if ready to physically hold the Hero back. Link looked up at his fellow swordsman, his eyes beginning to become filled with hate. A wave of guilt came over Marth, but the Altean refused to let the emotion show on his could still feel the weight of Zelda's warm body on his limbs and the smell of her lingered on his soaking clothing, but he tried to push those heartbreaking facts far from his outer expression.

As Marth stared at the glaring Hero, it took all of his control to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall at the edge of his eyes. Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, the prince was experiencing the intense feelings of grief and internal pain that could not surface until now. Without another word, Link pushed passed the prince and opened the infirmary door. Marth stood frozen in his spot.

"No!" Meta Knight bellowed, flying in after the Hero. The door closed with a thud and still Marth hadn't moved. Then, all at once, tears started flowing from the blue haired boy's eyes and fell onto his stained clothing. His face became twisted with grief, and he brought his bloodied hands up to cover his crying face in shame. All of the feelings that Marth had strove to deny and hide came crashing down around him in that moment.

He did love Zelda, more than anything.

Holding her in his arms, seeing her unconscious, and all of the other images that he'd seen that horrific afternoon only proved that fact more. What if she didn't live through the accident? What if he never heard her speak again? Could he handle that kind of pain?

More unanswered questions swirled in the Altean's mind, and for once, he let the uncertainty consume him. The prince leaned his back against the nearest wall and slowly slid down into a sitting position. Heavy breathing and subtle cries of agony echoed down the hallway. Marth could only hope that no one was close enough to hear his forlorn weeping…

To be continued…