Just a walk in the Park

Chapter 7 – Echoes of the Night

Written by Mecha Kraken

Author's note-

I do not own any of the characters appearing in this fan fiction. All characters are owned and copyrighted to Nintendo.

Starting with this chapter, I will be using Microsoft Word to write the rest of the story. Hopefully it will be much easier on everyone's eyes to read =). If things look good structure-wise with this chapter, I'll be going back and re-editing my other chapters in Word so that they will be more readable as well. The originals were all written with notepad, but I think it's high time I got with the century, lol.

Once again, thanks for sticking with me until now, and for all of your wonderful reviews! Now let's get started =]

The sight of the unconscious girl lying in the mud froze both Marth and Lynn. Never before had they seen anyone like her. The girl herself couldn't have been more then 19, and she wore a white linen robe that wrapped around her slender body. Her incredibly long hair seemed to cascade down to her knees, and it was a flowing emerald green, much like Lynn's. She wore leather sandals, and bronze gauntlets adorned her forearms. The most distinguishing features of this girl though, were the huge, feathery wings that grew out of her back.

"Marth, do you see…?" Lynn asked wide eyed, not believing it herself.

"Yeah… but she needs our help!" Marth replied, ignoring the obvious questions they both had.

Kneeling down to where the girl lay, Marth examined the ground beneath her, looking for anything that might be in the way in moving her, or anything that might be harmful to her.

"What are you doing?" Lynn asked, coming down to Marth's side.

"I'm going to try and get her back to the carriage… she'll be safer that way" Marth answered as he worked.

Lynn grabbed Marth's hand, and when he turned, she looked him in the eye.

"Are you crazy? You shouldn't move someone if their hurt, there's no telling what kind of internal injuries she has. The best thing to do is to wait for help."

"What sort of help will be coming for us?" Marth asked, scoffing the notion. "Does anyone even know we're out here? The driver did, and now he's…"

"Marth, stop it!" Lynn shouted. "You're not helping by saying things like that!"

Marth frowned at the attack, and picked up the assault himself.

"I'm doing more then you are! I want to help the girl, and you're busy blabbing about not moving her. So we should just leave her and be on our way?"

Lynn froze, unbelieving in what she had just heard. A cold expression flashed across her face, and she stiffened, before beginning to walk away.

"Do what you want, jack ass…"

Marth remained where he was, trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Lynn called him a jackass…?

"Lynn, wait!" Marth shouted, rising up to chase after her.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted back, continuing her stride.

Marth grabbed Lynn by her wrist, and she flung around with a left hook. Marth went wide-eyed, ducking the blow, and grabbed the fist with his other free hand.

"LET GO OF ME!" Lynn shouted, struggling to get free.

"Lynn, I'm so sorry…" Marth mumbled to her.

"LET GO!" she shouted, shaking her arms violently.

Marth did as he was told, and took a deep breath. Lynn grabbed her wrists, rubbing them and exhaling. Marth could see the tears in her eyes, and she could see the solemn expression he wore.

"I'm sorry…" he repeated again.

Lynn paused for a moment, looked away, and then turned her gaze back to Marth.

"Me too… I'm sorry" she said sheepishly, before walking up to Marth and embracing him. Marth wrapped his arms around Lynn and held her close, burying his cheek into her hair. Lynn nestled her head into Marth's chest, then winced a bit as her face began to hurt again, from where it was cut during the accident. The two of them stayed that way for a moment, in each other's arms, until Lynn spoke again.

"We need to look at that girl…" she whispered.

"Yeah" Marth agreed, turning his gaze back towards the winged female.

Walking up to the girl, this time they both knelt down, examining her body for injuries.

"She's breathing… that's a start" Lynn mentioned, relieved.

"She's scraped up pretty bad though… should we clean those wounds?" Marth asked.

"Yeah. We can use parts of the curtain from the carriage for tourniquets." Lynn suggested. She then crossed her arms with a frown. "We don't have any water, though…"

"The night is starting to get colder too, and we don't have any other supplies either." Marth pointed out, trying to control the panic in him. "I don't think we'll be getting back to Arkaneia anytime soon…" he said with a sigh.

"Let's not worry about that right now" Lynn said, standing up again. "I know a thing or two about wilderness survival…"

"You do?" Marth asked, a bit hopeful.

"Yeah, I learned how to take care of myself when I was on my own. I'm not your typical princess" she said with a wink, arms crossed.

"Huh… so what should we do first, Miss Wilderness expert?" Marth asked, his eyes narrowed with interest.

"First, we need to procure kindling for a campfire" Lynn said, her chin in her hand. "Then we need to build some kind of shelter… then maybe do a bit of hunting… I can make a fine roast pig!" she proclaimed with a smile.

"Uh… yeah… roast pig…" Marth repeated, finding slight discomfort in the idea.

"What, you have a problem with pig?" Lynn asked, becoming defensive.

"No, I love pig!" Marth shot back, gritting his teeth.

"Humph, good. Then it's settled" Lynn said, waving her hand in the air.

Marth shrugged, before shaking his head.

("What have I gotten myself into…?") He wondered to himself.

****Elsewhere****

As the trees and foliage passed by him, Link found himself beginning to tire. He had been riding Epona through the forest for what seemed like hours, and according to the map in his hand, he still had a ways to reach Peach's Castle, deep in the Mushroom Kingdom. Link groaned. Sure, he was an experienced rider and adventurer, but it didn't make the trip any easier. As he rode into the dead of night, his lantern continued to burn brightly, wrapped tightly around his belt. The ball of light that surrounded him was his one comfort, both for visibility and warmth. As long as he could see, he felt in control during the trip.

Link observed the passing glades of grass, somewhat impressed that he could see their colors even at this hour of night, thanks to the lantern. He passed numerous trees, silent but sturdy obstacles that he had to be wary for, lest he wanted a more personal introduction with the ground. The sound of a nearby stream caught his attention, and Link turned to his left, viewing the shining waters. It was very beautiful, the night sky reflected perfectly upon the silvery surface, and Link suddenly found himself eager to take it easy for a moment. Nodding to himself, he grabbed the reins.

"WHOAAAH!" he shouted to Epona, preparing himself for what came next.

Epona bucked high into the air, whinnied, and then settled down with a large thud. It seemed that she was just as eager for a rest as Link was, however small. Link took a deep breath, stretched the muscles in his back, then his neck, and rubbed his wrists. They were a little sore from being in use for so long. He rotated his hands, then gripped them and formed fists, loosening them up.

("Good thing I packed a little snack for the ride. I think I'll have that dried honeycomb now…") he thought to himself, removing a package he had held within his tunic. Jumping down off the saddle, Link's feet hit the ground, and a slight shock went up his ankles. He grimaced, but then smiled again as the sensation wore off as quickly as it came. He turned to Epona, stroked her neck, and gave her an apple to chew on. The sound of Epona munching the fruit brought a smile to Link's face. Turning, he then took a walk towards the flowing stream before him.

Finding a large, smooth rock to sit on, Link unwrapped the honeycomb, and took eager bites. It had cheese, some maple syrup, and hints of cinnamon melted on, and was incredibly delicious. Even if he hadn't been on a long trip, he still would have devoured it in minutes, it was so good.

("Oh my god… I think I'm in heaven!") Link thought to himself with a smile.

Enjoying his food down to the last bite, he took a bottle from the side of his belt and gulped the contents, red bourbon that he had received earlier from Malon. It was a good age too, twelve years. Link smiled, and laughed despite himself. He didn't know what was so funny, but whatever it was had him rolling. He then smacked his lips, and put the empty bottle back along the side of his belt.

As the kiss of alcohol wavered off his lips, Link rose, straightening his tunic. He took one last look at the steady stream before him. It was very pretty, illuminated by the warm light of the lantern at his waist. He could see the white reflections of the stars on its surface, and imagined it would be a fine dip if he took one. Watching the gentle waves proved soothing, and Link took one last breath before walking back towards Epona.

("Time to get going") Link thought. Raising himself up on the saddle, he put his feet into the stirrups, grabbed the reins, and gave Epona the signal to begin galloping.

As he rode off, a slim, shadowy figure from behind a tree watched him leave. It had red eyes, shaped like almonds, and it observed him curiously. When Link was gone, the figure slithered out from its hiding place, and onto the rock where Link had sat. Reaching out with a shadowy, four-fingered hand, it touched the surface of the rock, studying its composition. Tilting its head, the figure seemed to be satisfied, before collapsing itself into the shadow of the rock and disappearing.

****Meanwhile****

"Ready for another round, Peach?" Daisy whispered from behind, kissing the side of Peach's neck. Even though they had been at it all afternoon, Daisy showed no signs of slowing down, and Peach was hardly complaining. Grabbing Peach's pink breast in her hand, she squeezed it and rubbed the nipple gingerly between her slender fingers.

"That sounds… Peachy…" the pink princess giggled, as she allowed her best friend to explore her body.

Daisy ran her hands all along Peach's breasts, fondling them, kneading them, squeezing them together. Hearing Peach moan only made Daisy fondle them harder, and with more fervor. She then laid Peach down on the bed, and climbed on top, straddling Peach's delicate waist between her bare, tanned legs. Peach moaned as she felt Daisy's wet pussy rubbing into her tummy. Daisy held onto Peach's knees behind her, tensed her toned back, and started rocking her hips back and forth, thrusting them into Peach. She couldn't help moaning herself, feeling Peach's soft flesh between her lips.

"You like that, Peach?" Daisy teased, sweat riding down her face.

"Mmhmm" Peach agreed, as she fondled her own breasts with her gloved hands.

Watching Peach play with her own tits made Daisy feel even hotter, and she leaned in to take one of the erect nipples into her mouth. She sucked it eagerly along with Peach's fingers, while continuing to rock her pussy against Peach's abs.

"OH!" Peach moaned, shaking her head as she arched her back, raising her chest up into the air.

Daisy only giggled, pleased that Peach was smiling once again. She slid her tongue all around Peach's bare breast, trailing a circular path and licking the nipple up and down. She took one of Peach's fingers into her mouth, sucking on it a bit and nibbling into the space between the joints, causing Peach to moan again. Smiling, Daisy then gave the bare breast another kiss, sucking the now puffy nipple a bit more, before beginning a line of kisses towards Peach's other breast. She stopped in the middle between Peach's mounds for a moment, kissing the valley between them and giving it soft licks up and down. Finally working her way over to the other breast, Daisy suckled the nipple deeply, enjoying the taste of Peach's sweet and heated flesh.

"Oh, Daisy…" Peach moaned, as she grabbed Daisy's thighs. The feeling of Daisy's wet vagina rubbing against her was so invigorating, she felt like she would cum again any minute. Peach's own pussy was flooding with honey now, and the sheets were drenched entirely.

Grabbing the brunette princess' hair, Peach ran her fingers through it, combing out the strands as Daisy continued to suckle her heaving breasts. Peach began breathing deeply, and smiled while watching her best friend make love to her boobs. Daisy's face was so beautiful, her amber eyes, cute nose, amazing tongue… Peach just wanted to run her wet pussy all over it. Thinking about that gave her an idea.

"Sixty-nine again?" Peach asked softly, a slight smile on her face.

Daisy peered up at Peach, the pink nipple still in her mouth, and smiled a toothy grin. She nodded, and gave the breast one last kiss before rising. Rolling over, Daisy lied on her back, and Peach took the lead this time, positioning herself so that her dripping pussy rubbed against her friend's face, and moaned a bit as she felt Daisy slide her tongue in. Peach's own face was over Daisy's snatch, now soaked beyond belief. It was a beautiful pussy, with a neatly groomed landing strip, that was somewhat messy now with all of the love water gushing out. Leaning in, Peach softly licked the crevice that lay between the two plump, red lips. She played with the clitoris for a bit, teasing it with the tip of her tongue. Taking the hood into her mouth, Peach sucked on it for a while, running her tongue all around Daisy's pearl, before giving it a gentle nibble.

Daisy moaned into Peach's vagina, her toned arms wrapped tightly around Peach's slender waist. Daisy licked all around her friend's quivering vulva, taking her pleasant time and enjoying the sweet tastes that flooded her mouth. The only sounds in the room were the moaning of the two princesses, and the sounds of tongues swishing against flesh. Until…

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Princess! Princess, my dear, are you awake?" came a sound from the other side of Peach's door.

Peach gasped, raising her surprised face that was coated full of Daisy's love juice.

"Toadsworth!" she whispered quietly.

"Get rid of him!" Daisy whispered back, sticking one of her fingers in and out of Peach's vagina.

"Yes, Toadsworth?" Peach cooed at the door in her best innocent voice.

"Princess, Master Mario is here to see you… he says it is urgent that you speak with him."

Peach looked back at Daisy, who shook her head no with an annoyed expression.

"Toadsworth, can you ask Mario to come by tomorrow? I am tired, and about to go to bed."

Toadsworth cleared his throat, thinking how best to relay the message. "My dear, Master Mario was adamant in his request to see…"

"Good night, Toadsworth…" Peach beamed, her voice absolutely dripping with syrup.

"Urm… yes. Very well, I will inform Master Mario to convene with you in the morning. Sleep well, my princess…" Toadsworth replied, staring at the door before him. Playing with his mustache a bit, Toadsworth then turned and went back down the hall.

("She didn't make this much noise the last time that harlot was here…") he thought to himself.

Peach listened to the sound of Toadsworth's cane clacking against the marble floor, and how it grew fainter with each clack.

"That was close!" Peach giggled, looking back at Daisy. Peach then moaned a bit, as she felt Daisy's tongue again.

"Hee hee…." She giggled, enjoying the feeling well into the night.

****The next morning…****

The sun glared brightly through the windows of the throne room in Peach's Castle. Mushroom servants busied themselves with their daily chores, and townsfolk walked freely about through the many corridors. Mario himself sat alone in a plush, pink sofa, his eyes heavy with deprived sleep.

"Master Mario, the Princess will see you now…" Toadsworth beamed, leaning on his cane with both hands. Mario sighed, heaving himself off the sofa, and steadying his posture as he felt the loss of sleep take its toll.

"My word, Master Mario." Toadsworth inquired. "Are you feeling alright? Shall I get the royal medic to assist you?"

"I'm fine, fine" Mario mumbled, rubbing his nose. "I'm gonna see Peach now…"

"Yes, quite. Do be careful on your way there, Master Mario…" Toadsworth continued, not noticing that Mario had already left towards the throne room.

Passing by numerous toads and many attendants, Mario swirled his way around them as best he could. He had a few close calls with waiter toads who carried trays of covered breakfast items, one of which he silently lifted the cover and grabbed an egg croissant from, unbeknownst to the toad.

Licking his fingers after devouring the croissant, Mario at last arrived at the throne room, where Princess Peach sat twiddling her fingers against the arm rest.

"Mario!" Peach beamed, smiling cheerily once she saw him.

"Hey Princess" Mario gruffly replied. "Listen, we need to have a little talk…"

"Huh?" Peach swallowed, wondering what was on Mario's mind.

"I looked everywhere for you at the festival, and was afraid that you'd been kidnapped again. Nobody told me anything the whole night." He started.

"I…I'm sorry. I-"

"Hold it, Princess. I'm not finished yet" Mario interrupted, waving a hand in the air. "You do this all the time, becoming lost and then eventually kidnapped. I can't even remember how many times you've been fucking kidnapped. And every time, I'm always the one who comes to rescue you. I'd do anything for you, but this… this takes the cake…"

"What does…?" Peach asked, clenching her hands with worry.

"What I heard later that night, much later." Mario stated, his eyes cross with anger. "About how you were with this other guy… ZELDA's guy…"

Peach went quiet, looking away as she closed her eyes.

"What did I do wrong, Princess? Wasn't I always there for you? Didn't I save you whenever you got kidnapped? Didn't we have good times together, you and me? What's up, Princess?" Mario asked, waving his hands in the air.

Peach only looked at him, her sad eyes betraying her silence.

"I thought we had something good, Princess…"

Peach then sighed, shaking her head. Holding her brow with her fingers, she spoke at last.

"Mario, listen to me closely. When did we ever agree to be boyfriend and girlfriend? I don't remember agreeing to that…"

Mario became quiet all of a sudden, as if too stunned to speak. Sighing, he brought his gaze to the floor. Peach sighed too, not sure what else to do.

"Mario, I know that you have always felt this way about me. I'm so flattered…" Peach began. "But I… I…"

"But what, Princess?" Mario inquired, raising his head to meet his gaze with Peach's.

"I've always had feelings for another guy, I think you know who, and I loved him very much. Now though… I don't know… but you, I've always thought of you as an extremely close friend. Someone who could support me, who I could rely on, share fun times with, who I could tell what was bothering me… a really close friend..."

"And yet you just leave me out in the cold, not telling me anything? And then after that, refusing to talk to anyone for three days? Not talking to anyone at all? You call that being a friend to me…?" Mario retorted.

Peach only became quiet, shaking her head silently.

Mario became quiet for a moment too, letting Peach's words sink into him. It was then that Peach suddenly became very worried, afraid that she had upset him too deeply, in her attempt to let him down gently.

"Mario…?"

Only silence hung in the air. Inside his head, Mario's thoughts raced, what was going on, what he wanted to go on, what he didn't, why this was happening, why he didn't want it to happen, what he could do to change things…

"Mario…?" Peach asked again, more worried this time.

More silence. Mario thought for a long while, looking over everything that had happened, and trying to figure out why. He knew he couldn't ignore the princess forever though, and looking up finally, Mario brought his gaze in line with the Princess'. It took him a moment, but finally he spoke again.

"Friends, huh?" Mario's voice trailed off.

"Friends" Peach repeated, nodding with relief and a sure smile.

("I know that I haven't been honest with him…") she thought to herself. ("But this is the least I can do, is to tell him finally how I really feel, how I've always felt about him… I hope this doesn't take long.")

Mario found himself breathing heavily, despite the fact he knew this sort of thing was coming.

("This is crazy!") He thought to himself. ("I was so sure that me and Peach would always get together one day… that we could have little Bambino's running around, and she could help me fix the sink drains in my bathroom… they've been stopped up for so long now. I think since last February, no wait, since last December, at least. Back when I washed that plate of rigatoni off in it, yeah, that was some good rigatoni… wait, what am I thinking?") Mario thought, shaking his head to clear it up.

Looking up, Mario saw Peach's shining face beaming back at him, with a smile so warm and sweet he thought he would get a cavity. Somehow her expression seemed to say everything for her, in one neat little package. ("Let's be friends…") he guessed.

Strangely, Mario felt himself smiling a little, even as he rubbed his eyes to brush away the tears welling up.

"Friends…" he repeated, clearing his throat.

"Friends" Peach agreed, rising from her throne to give him a strong and honest hug. Mario returned the hug, rubbing Peach's back, and emitting a soft sigh under his breath.

Peach continued the hug for a moment, and then released herself from Mario, smiling at him as if everything had been cleared up between them.

"So Princess, how long between you and… that other guy…" Mario asked finally, crossing his arms. "The one that people saw you leaving with in the middle of the festival?".

Peach paused for a moment, wide eyed, before turning to look away.

"I don't want to talk about it right now…"

"Why not…? Did he do something to hurt you, Peach?"

Peach shook her head, trying to absolve herself of Link's memory.

"I'm not talking to him right now. I… don't know what else to say about it…" Peach said, arching her shoulders as she clutched herself.

"You're not seeing him anymore…?" Mario pressed further.

"I don't… know…" she replied, taking a deep breath.

"If he did anything to hurt you, just let me know. I'll stomp his ass all the way back to wherever he came from!" Mario stated, rolling up his sleeve in a defiant pose.

Peach emitted a small smile at this, followed by a soft giggle, but then looked away again.

"Mario, I'm tired. I think I'm going to go rest in my bedroom now…"

"Princess, its morning time…" Mario stated, pointing out the window.

"I had a rough night last night… very rough" Peach mumbled.

Mario watched her leave, offering no more input. For a moment he simply stood there, alone, his arms still crossed. When he was sure that she had left, he at last let the tears stroll down his chubby cheeks, clenching his fists, taking deep breaths of air.

("She rejected me… And now she knows how I feel… This is horrible!") He thought to himself.

("No, she said that we would always be friends… always. But I want more! I want her… there has to be a way to win Peach's heart! Maybe Daisy has some idea's…?").

Mario rubbed his nose, cleared his eyes, and straightened his cap. Clearing his throat, he adjusted the suspenders on his overalls, turned, and bounced his way out of Peach's castle, intent on finding his brother's girlfriend to ask for advice on making Peach his…

As he left, unbeknownst to Mario, Link watched him bounce away from a distance, as he was settling Epona down.

("Did Peach get back together with Mario…?") He wondered with fear. Link tensed, afraid at what might be happening, what he didn't know about.

"C'mon Epona…" Link stated, leading his horse over the wooden drawbridge and into the castle.