It had been a few weeks since Kirby left Dreamland to aid the crown in the war against the Hylian-Toad Rebellion. Since his first day, Kirby had made much progress to get on King Ganon's good side; he suggested a strategic retreat to the Gerudo Valley that would allow Mewtwo to unleash his Pokemon re-enforcements. In addition, he wrote many times to Warden Dedede (and received letters in return). After Kirby finished his reply to the Warden of Dreamland, he folded the letter (as well as he could, anyway) and put the letter in an envelop. He walked out of his chamber in the castle and down the hallway, which had a shiny floor and several Gerudo-style antics and paintings. He handed it to a Gerudo guard to send out to Dreamland. When Kirby turned around, he saw the Queen, Rosalina, enter the throne room. He did not see her face, only the very end of her sky-blue gown and matching shoes. Curious, Kirby followed her inside.

Kirby entered the throne room, seeing that Rosalina walked up and stood next to Samus Aran. Because he had been reading and replying to many letters, Kirby forgot that King Ganon was answering various requests from the residents of Smashville. The pink puffball took note of the great hall in which the Throne of Smash was in; the long hall must have been at least seventy feet in length with many sand-coloured pillars to support the incredibly high ceiling. Besides a carpet in the center of the room, which led from the main entrance to the steps ascending to the throne, the main area of the room was scarcely decorated. Samus, Rosalina and Kirby stood on an elevated balcony, that was only about seven feet above the main area, to the right of the throne. The balcony had a staircase that went down to the main area, just to the right of the steps of the throne.

"You must listen, Your Grace," a Koopa in rags begged, "We haven't had any food in days; all we ask is for some bread for the week."

"We are at war," King Ganon said without the slightest bit of sympathy in his voice. He adjusted the large golden crown on his head, which had two diamonds on it and a ruby broken up in the form of a Smash Ball, "All of the resources in the city must go to our troops on the front. If you want to eat, go enlist yourself into the army."

"But Your Grace, can't you spare some food from one of the many feasts you have? There's basically a famine outside while you're kept up in your keep eating to your heart's content—!"

"Get him out of my sight!" King Ganon ordered loudly, his voice booming through the hall.

As several members of the King's Guard grabbed the poor Koopa and forced him out the throne room, King Ganon slumped in the largely uncomfortable throne. Samus, who looked disgusted, left the throne room without acknowledging the King's fiancée. After Samus left, King Ganon sighed, got up from his chair and walked up to the balcony. There, he saw Rosalina, who looked as sweet as she always did, and Kirby.

"Have you heard from Warden Dedede lately?" King Ganon asked tiredly.

Kirby answered, "Yes, Your Grace. He's trying to organize his own army right now; the people of Dreamland are lazy, so it may take… Some time for them to mobilize."

"We've been at war for nearly a month and a half now; how much longer do they need?" King Ganon asked again.

Kirby thought for a second then gave his answer, "Several more months, perhaps. Maybe longer."

The King, who was already annoyed and tired from taking requests from peasants, groaned in frustration, "You better hope that this strategic retreat works. If it doesn't, I'm recalling Lord Bowser from the front line and executing him for his failures."

Angrier than before, the King left the throne room to go brood somewhere else. As the skirmishes and fights in Hyrule Field continued to fall in favor of the Hylians and Toads, King Ganon's reputation as a tyrant continued to come to fruition. Rosalina, who seemed unfazed by King Ganon's promise, walked down to the main area and to the steps just below the throne. Observing her, Kirby walked down the steps to meet her.

When he was next to her, Rosalina greeted, "I didn't see you there, Lord Kirby."

"I'm not a Lord," Kirby corrected with a sigh, "Why does everybody think that I'm a Lord?"

"Well, you have the status of a Lord; the so-called Hero of Dreamland, the Savior of Popstar…" responded Rosalina, "I just assumed that Warden Dedede made you a Lord."

"Well, there's not much to be a Lord of in Dreamland," Kirby explained, looking up at the Throne of Smash, "You know, the people just don't care enough to properly respect the kinship of the Realm. The only people that do are connected to the Warden in some way or another."

"Really? Then, how are you connected to Dedede?" Rosalina asked, still not looking at Kirby.

"He's done many different things to the people of Dreamland, and I've stopped all of his plans," Kirby explained briefly and blankly, "I guess that what contributes to this status thing that all the Smashers have."

"Interesting," Rosalina nodded, listening closely, "I was just asking because I'm interested in the connections people have, you know. All the time, I ask my King about how he knows different people; you know, like Captain Falcon, Mewtwo, Lord Bowser, Wolf, Dark Pit…"

"What interests you about connections?" Kirby inquired.

"Well, I'm sure you know by now, people ask me all the time, "Oh! How could you leave the Mushroom Lands to be married to a monster like King Ganon?" Well, that got me thinking about connections, and because of my own goals, I like to know certain things about certain people for… Leverage."

"Leverage? Leverage for what? And what are your goals?" a confused Kirby questioned. He turned his attention back to Rosalina.

Rosalina rose her eyebrows and nodded to her left. As Kirby followed her nod, which was aimed towards the Throne of Smash. No longer having eye-contact with Kirby, she continued, "I want to be Queen. I will do anything to be in a position of that… Status. Of course, I don't expect you to understand, but now you know why I deal with a man like our King."

Kirby looked down at the ground, then back up at the throne, still comprehending it. "Good day, Lord Kirby," Rosalina bid, smiling slightly, "I hope to see you soon."

A confused Kirby left the throne room, which was completely empty now, and walked down the hallway. He passed several Gerudo and Koopa guards, approaching another chamber in a tower opposite of Kirby's guest chamber. When he finally got over to the tower, he climbed the sand-coloured staircase to the top of the tower. There, he saw Meta Knight looking out of an open window mysteriously in an empty room with sandstone walls.

"Can you explain something to me?" Kirby asked as he entered the room.

Meta Knight did not respond, but Kirby continued anyway, "What's the deal with Rosalina?"

Meta Knight slightly leaned back while his cape was still wrapped around his ball-shape body. He did not turn to Kirby, but he still responded to him, "When Master Hand died, there was a power vacuum in the Realm. The same thing that compelled Ganondorf, and Marth, to consolidate power compelled Rosalina. However, unlike Ganondorf and Marth, Rosalina took more of a cunning approach."

"Cunning?"

"After Ganon crowned himself King, she saw an opportunity of gaining a massive amount of power in a short time; she made herself irresistible to the King, and now she's going to be his Queen."

"At the expense of her reputation in the Mushroom Lands," Kirby commented, coming to a better, but not a full, understanding.

Suddenly, Kirby felt somebody behind him in chainmail. He turned around and saw an armored Koopa with a note. "It's from the King, My Lord," the Koopa informed, "He wishes to meet you in the Small Council chamber."

When Kirby got to the chamber of the Small Council, he saw King Ganon sitting at the head of the wooden table. On the table directly in front of the King was the Golden Crown that he had been wearing early. Kirby found it strange that King Ganon sat alone in a chamber, not one of the King's Guard in sight.

"Your Grace," Kirby greeted, looking up at the giant King, "What do you need?"

"Please take a seat," King Ganon said, motioning his hand towards a chair. After Kirby hopped onto one of the seats, the King cleared his throat, "I would like to name you a Lord."

Surprised by the announcement, Kirby leaned back in the chair, taking it in. A few seconds later, Kirby asked, "A Lord of what land?"

"Green Greens and Butter Building," King Ganon said, putting a letter from Warden Dedede on the table. King Ganon nodded towards the letter. Kirby reached to grab it and opened the letter while he sat in his chair. The letter declared that Kirby would now be a Lord in Dreamland; the Lord of Green Greens and Butter Building, to be precise. Although Kirby already was widely respected in Dreamland, this letter, verified by Dedede, would officially make him the second-most powerful person in Dreamland (next to the Warden himself).

"Kirby, Hero of Dreamland, Savior of Popstar, Lord of Green Greens and Butter Building," King Ganon recited, "How does that sound?"

Kirby smiled, but soon wiped the smile off his face, "What's the catch?"

"Well, I want you on the front for a day," King Ganon said, "Oversee the defense of the Gerudo Valley, then, if the defense is a success, you'll return to Dreamland and work with Dedede to raise the army for reinforcements. However, if the defense fails, I want your help. In the short time you've been in The Capital, you've become my best advisor. Captain Falcon's okay, and so are Mewtwo and Wolf, but I can trust you more; you've got that aesthetic, I guess."

"Anything else before I get going?" Kirby asked.

"One more thing," King Ganon answered.

The King whistled and summoned two Gerudos carrying individual items: a green cap with a star on the end and several blades around the crown of it (specifically in the areas where Kirby's ears would be); and a sword with a baby blue hilt with a star emblem in the middle of the crossguard. The blade itself was regular steel outlining a silver-blue filling in the center.

Kirby took the sword as the Gerudo put the cap on the table. "It's forged with Sarasa Steel, the finest and rarest steel in the world. There are only a handful of blades made of the same material, my own included," King Ganon said proudly, "Accept this as a gift, and a welcome of sorts, into Lordship."

Kirby looked down at the sword, then back at the King with a smile, "Thank you, Your Grace."


"WAKE UP!" somebody yelled, shaking Lucina awake. In a cold sweat, Lucina rose and punched whatever was in front of her face. She calmed down a second later and saw Roy in his blue armor, holding his bloodied nose.

"What the hell's going on!?" Lucina screamed, angry that Roy was in her room in the middle of the night and had woken her up violently.

Roy panted, "You need to get up; we're under attack."

Lucina rose and grabbed her sword from the dresser five feet from her bed. She did no bother taking the sheath and just grabbed the blade. She had no time to put on her armour neither, running out of her relatively small chamber still in her loose-fitting pajamas. In the street, she saw many houses of the village on fire, yet no bodies on the ground. Several soldiers from Marth's army ran in and out of houses, rescuing certain villagers from the houses.

"It's Sarasaland," Roy kept panting, "I guess Princess Daisy doesn't like our presence in this Land."

Suddenly, Lucina saw a soldier wearing metallic orange armor with a sword and shield. On the shield was an orange flower. Quickly, Lucina pushed Roy out of the way and caught the soldier's sword with hers. She attacked, but her swing was blocked by the shield. As Lucina fought off a soldier, Roy looked at the wooden Long Hall, which was also on fire. Directly in front of the Long Hall, King Marth cut down an orange-wearing soldier and looked up. He saw Roy standing in the middle of the street, as the village was descended into madness. He ran towards Roy as a nearby empty cottage exploded in flames.

Just as the King got to Roy, Lucina slashed the orange-wearing soldier down. She spun her sword in her hand and turned around to see Roy and Marth with each other. "When did this start?" Lucina asked.

"We've been going at it for like ten minutes," King Marth panted, "We need to keep moving, or else we're as good as dead."

As the trio ran down the single street of the village, it only seemed more and more buildings were on fire. While they ran down the round, they encountered a group of ten Sarasa Soldiers, who just destroyed a force of twenty from Marth's side. As Roy, Lucina and the King readied themselves, Ike kicked out a door of a burning cottage. Ike was covered in ash and sweat from the burning building, and next to him was Robin, who held a burning tome in his hand.

"It's time to tip the scale!" Robin declared, valiantly.

"Shut the hell up, Robin," Ike muttered as he carried his sword in his hand.

Robin sighed, tossing his burning tome to the side. As they joined the other three, Robin drew his own sword. "What happened to your…?" Lucina asked,

"Tomes? They all burned thanks to these brutes," Robin rolled his eyes.

Roy grunted, turning his attention back to the twenty Sarasa soldiers, "Why are you here!?"

"Orders from Her Majesty, Princess Daisy," one of the soldiers in the front declared, "She doesn't want you here anymore, so we were sent to take care of it. If you surrender now, we'll take you, and your little army, back to Sarasaland as prisoners."

"I'll never surrender," the King said, gripping his sword as hard as he could.

Within a second, the King charged into the crowd of twenty soldiers. Behind him were Lucina, Roy, Ike and Robin. The five warriors battered into the crowd of twenty soldiers, with their weapons drawn. Immediately, Ike swung his sword wildly, hitting seven soldiers. As a few of them rose from the incredibly hard strike, Ike kept swinging. Next to him, Roy clashed with three soldiers at once. After he blocked many attacks from the three, Roy's sword caught fire; easily, he cut down all three of them with his fiery blade and continued to down almost anybody in his path. Lucina herself cut through several of the ill-prepared Sarasa soldiers without taking any hits. The frenzy of their battle was wild, ending mere minutes later; all five of the warriors were exhausted and dirty, but alive and surrounded by the fallen Sarasa.

The next morning, King Marth and Lucina stood in the middle of the village. The day was warm and bright along the countryside, but the village was virtually in ruins; most of the cottages and buildings were engulfed in flames, and several exploded. The people of the village were grateful that King Marth was able to drive the Sarasa forces out of their village with his own army. As Marth observed the damage from the ambush the night before, Lucina saw Ike inspecting one of the fallen Sarasa soldiers. Besides the sword and shield, there was a note from the Princess of Sarasa, Daisy.

When Lucina saw the letter, she approached Ike. After Ike finished reading it, she asked, "What does it say?"

"It says that Princess Daisy authorized the attack in the name of High King Mario," Ike muttered in surprise, "It said that any threat to the Mario's regime is a threat to Sarasaland…"

Lucina nodded, "I guess we can't keep a low-profile until the war for the ends. It looks like we have a war of our own to deal with."

"We have to try to negotiate a peace," Ike suggested, "There's just no way that Princess Daisy authorized this attack; she's a peaceful ruler. Besides, she spends all her time in the Mushroom Lands anyway."

"She used to, before Master Hand got killed," Lucina corrected, adjusting her pin, "It makes sense for her to support High King Mario."

"How far away do you think Sarasaland is from here?" Ike asked, rising from his knee.

Lucina though about this for a second. When she looked down at the fallen soldier, she said, "Three weeks, maybe four, on foot. You know, when you take into consideration stopping for rest or food. Maybe two and a half by horse, taking rest and eating into consideration again."

"If you think that I'm sending you both to Sarasaland, immediately after this, then you're insane," somebody said from behind Lucina; it was their King, Marth, "I'm not sending my Hand and my Commander into the heart of enemy territory right after a declaration of war."

"We'll be safe, my King," Ike said respectfully, "We can't afford to wage a war in exile; the entire point of our exile is to stay out of the violence in the Realm. If we achieve peace here, then we can just focus on our invasion."

"Besides, Roy and Robin can take our place temporarily," Lucina advised, "Roy's Roy, and Robin proved himself last night; he slayed twenty Sarasa soldiers by himself before that last confrontation, right?"

"He did," Ike recalled, "I'll admit, I was impressed."

The King sighed, "Princess Daisy won't even see you. The second she learns of your presence in Sarasaland, she'll have both of your heads shipped back to me within a day."

"It's Princess Daisy, the Flower Princess," Lucina rebutted, "She's not a ruthless killer like Ganondorf. If she refuses our council, then we'll get out of there."

"You're missing my point; you won't get out of there alive," King Marth said, again shaking his head in denial.

"Then, we'll get the hell out of there," Ike promised with some wit, "We'll set out as soon as possible."