Chapter 7: The Blades of Falchion and Ragnell Dance to the Song of Fate
Is this how I'm supposed to feel: panicked? I'm not ready to have such a feeling torture me yet again. Fate works so crazily and on its own terms, and here I am, challenging it like I've done many times before.
I shouldn't feel like this, like I'm not worthy enough to fight him with all of my might, but having the opportunity to battle a legend of the past is making me think otherwise. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't I be feeling some kind of cocky glee to battle the Radiant Hero?
Ugh, all of these doubts and constant questioning is unnerving me. The pressure is overwhelming, and I feel ready to collapse under it all.
Does Ike feel the same way? Knowing him, he is most likely cool and nonchalant about it.
I adjusted my position on the couch so I could stare at the living room's ceiling. The pure white, emotionless walls of the waiting room began to bother me. My eyes followed the intricate patterns of gold and silver, tracing the curves and sharp turns leading to the main attraction: the Smash Bros. logo.
"Lucina? What are doing out here, idiot?" I turned to see Dark Pit leaning against the doorway, his red eyes full of wonder. "You should be in the waiting room, not here. Marth and Little Mac's match is about to start soon, and then it's you and Ike." The fallen angel smirked at me. "You should get down there; the Blueberry Beauty shouldn't keep her fans waiting."
I smiled, not wanting to respond to Dark Pit's baseless flirts. I followed him out the room and to the stairs that would lead me to the waiting room. He asked me if I was okay.
"I'm fine," I lied. I didn't need other people to worry about me. I swallowed my fear, reminded myself of my goal, and walking down the stairs to a newfound fate to challenge.
Mere boxing gloves against a blessed, legendary sword. A glory-driven short boxer pitted against a calm and collected swordsman. Not to sound offensive to Little Mac, but I believed it was pretty obvious that the Hero-King would win. The match barely lasted 45 seconds.
Oh, how I wished it lasted longer.
The short boxer couldn't simply keep up with the swift Marth. It was quite sad, actually, him losing so horribly. I wondered if Marth felt guilty. Surely he must have – I would.
As Marth and Little Mac went to go congratulate each other, I could see the obvious sign of disappointment on the boxer's face. The two shook hands, and in slight shock to me, Marth kneeled down and whispered something in Little Mac's ear. The crowd murmured.
"What the hell did Marth just say to him?" Snow asked.
"I don't know," Lucas said, shrugging, "but it sure made Mac happy."
Lucas was right. Little Mac's demeanor changed immediately to happiness. The two combatants nodded and acknowledged each other's strength one more time before parting ways.
As they both came back into the waiting room, they were met with a series of applause and congratulations. I stood, putting on a fake smile. Soon, two names will be called: the name of a boy of past legend, and the name of a girl of future legend. Ike stood up as well, and without any warning, grabbed my arm and started to drag me out of the room. I tried pulling away from his grip, but my attempts to break free were futile.
"Time to battle, Lucy! Let's go, go, go!" I could hear laughter from behind us. Did they really find this amusing? Why isn't anyone helping me?!
"W-what are you doing, Ike?! They haven't even called our names - !"
"Final match: Lucina versus Ike! Combatants, please come to the stage!"
Though he didn't look at me, I could tell he had a large grin on his face. "Perfect timing! May the best one win!"
Well, here we go: another match to try and survive as if I'm in war. Ike's enthusiasm is indeed admirable, but it's something I cannot share with him. Or maybe I can; I'm not really sure. Maybe this fear is just an unnecessary overreaction; or perhaps it is completely rational. It's hard to exactly choose which to go with or even know what I'm trying to go with. I just pretty much know this: win with your greatest effort, or lose with your greatest dignity.
Which one I choose is up to Lady Luck.
I looked back as if I was leaving behind an old life and saw Marth standing in the doorway, staring at me to send me off to a new life. He smiled his patented smile at me, the smile that always seems to have some deeper meaning behind it.
"It's okay to feel fear," he whispered loud for only my ears to hear, "I guarantee you'll overcome it."
I smiled slightly. It was weird how he always knew the right things to say to me. I guess our blood bond is that strong.
I looked forward and was instantly blinded by bright lights. Stage lights. The cheers of the crowd. I didn't even realize Ike had let go of my arm. It was a relief, but not for long.
"Ready, friend?" His voice was distinct amongst the sounds of other, familiar voices.
Friend.
"Yes, friend. I'm ready."
Yeah, I guess I am ready. Yeah, let us see who the best one will be.
I feel so tired, and yet he hasn't even broken a sweat. He's nothing more than charging brute force: no grace at all. Just pure power. I thought I could use that to my advantage. I didn't know he would be so overwhelming.
Swing. I barely dodge. Ragnell looks like a golden blur.
Swing. How long can I keep this up? I now really understand Priam's deep respect for Ike.
Swing. The timer ticks away. Twenty seconds left.
What? Only twenty seconds?! How could I lose time of like that? Soon, we'll both be in –
"Lucy's so persistent! That actually makes the match more fun. Too bad it'll be over soon. One of us needs to win, and I think we know who it will be!"
Our swords clashed as we tried to hold each other off. His sword was mere inches away from my face and vice versa. How could I turn this match around in ten seconds? Will I receive that kind of luck?
Ten.
Ike smirked. "Looks like this standoff is going to last to the very last second, Lucy."
Nine. Eight.
"That m-may be, but I still believe we know who shall come out as the u-ultimate victor." I spoke through gritted teeth. I felt like I was on the verge of collapsing.
Seven. Six. Five.
"It feels like it's almost over, doesn't it, Lucy? But in reality, we're far from the end."
Four.
"What has gotten you to sound so philosophical just now, Ike?"
Three.
"I don't know. I guess Marth's thought processes have started to rub off on me."
Two.
"Good luck, Lucina." He smiled.
One.
"You too, Ike."
"Time is up! Sudden Death will now begin!"
The stage darkened for a brief second before lighting up again, brighter than it was before. Ike moved away from me, flashing me a devilish, know-it-all smirk. I stood there, dumbfounded, before being startled by bomb that sounded a little too close for comfort. In that moment, I felt like Rosalina, running around like a chicken that has lost its head. Ike didn't even seem to be fazed by the barrage of explosives, keeping a straight and determined face as he made his way to his target: me. I didn't even consider this a battle anymore, just two people running around crazily.
The bombs kept coming nonstop, and so did the "Ooh's" and "Aah's" of the crowd. How could one even keep their concentration in such a chaotic setting?! This is such a great way to handle a tie!
I'm trying not to lose focus, but I can tell my concentration is diminishing. I just barely moved out of the way of a Bob-omb, only to nearly hit the sudden appearance of another one. I hear a voice taunting me – I'm pretty sure it's Ike's – and that's not helping. The mercenary is dodging and sidestepping gracefully like Olivia's dancing, and I'm just flailing around like a certain Taguel.
"C'mon Lucina, make this easier for me to win!" Ike found a clear opening and headed straight towards me, raising Ragnell to strike. At this point, the outcome was to be two things: Either I win, and he loses; either I lose, and he wins. It is time to try and sway fate to my favor.
I waited for Ike appear closer to me. I had quickly thought of an uncertain strategy to victory, and I hoped I wouldn't backfire on me. As soon as he was close enough, I stuck out my foot, managing to trip the surprise mercenary. He tumbled and I moved out of the way so he wouldn't take me with him. His face was comical, all confused and disheveled, so I couldn't help but laugh like a crazed woman.
Ike shook his head, beginning to regain his composure. He glowered at me, obviously not amused. His grip on Ragnell tightened. "Ha ha ha, you're so damn –?!"
A Bob-omb suddenly appeared, slightly startling me. A large explosion followed place, the smoke blinding me. I heard Ike's terrified screams and the smoke cleared away enough for me to see the remnants of a colorful blast.
"GAME! Congratulations! The winner is…Lucina!"
Ah, what a relief to hear those long-awaited words.
"Lucina, come over here!"
I looked at Ike, my eyes narrowed. Sometimes, I wondered how I acquired the friendship of this heroic, yet uncouth, legend. "Add a 'please' to that request, Ike."
Ike rolled his eyes. "Lucina, come over here, please!"
"Thank you." I smiled. "What do you need?" I asked, walking over to him.
"Just follow me," he replied. I sighed. I had no idea where he was leading me, and the way he sounded made me a little uneasy. Ike had planned something utterly ridiculous – I was sure of it. I knew I suspected something when Ike had a calm demeanor after our lucky battle. Whatever he had in store for me, I knew I wouldn't like it.
Ike led me into the game room, a place I don't head to often (the last time I was there, I was caught in a quite heated battle between Chrom and Snake over a game called poker). There was a lot of neat little appliances that I'm sure Owain and Cynthia would appreciate, such as things called an "Xbox One" and a "Wii U". I didn't have a particular liking for such things, and thankfully Ike didn't pay too much attention to them. Instead, he had taken to me to a long table with a net on it. Lucas, Dark Pit, and Marth stood around the table.
"Table tennis," he said, smiling devilishly.
"Table tennis?"
"Table tennis."
I gulped. I was sure I wasn't going to enjoy this. Ike explained that this was his way of having a rematch. If he won, I would have to do whatever he wanted for a month and refer to him as "King Ike."
That did not sound appealing at all.
"If I win," I said, accepting something called a paddle from the obnoxious bluenette, "you'll have to admit to how much of an idiot you are."
"Lucina, dear, I already know how much of an idiot I am. Is that gonna stop me from doin' what I do best? No, it will not."
"That's damn good thinking, Blueberry," Dark Pit said, nodding his head in agreement. I rolled my eyes.
Ike went to the other side of the table, his paddle in hand and his determination evident. He explained the rules to me, which sounded easy enough. Hit this small ball over the net and pray that your opponent doesn't manage to return it. Ah, simple enough.
"Three points to your zero, Lucy! Two more and I'll be reigned as champion!"
I growled. This game was utterly pointless and difficult, and yes, I'm not afraid to admit I feel this way because I am losing. I believe this game is highly unfair and I should win because we never had a game like this in Ylisse; therefore, I've never had the practice required to have a chance at winning.
I served the ball. It was a nice back-and-forth until my grip loosened on the handle and the paddle flew out of my hand, nearly hitting Lucas. There goes another point and now an upset friend. Hooray!
"My apologies…" I mumbled. The snickers from Dark Pit and Ike made it hard to keep my calm. If Ike scores one more point, I'll end up becoming an Ylissean servant for the next four weeks. I shuddered at the thought; I'll be damned to be bowing to Ike's every whim.
This time, it was my turn to serve. Ike threw me the ball and Lucas my paddle (though I was sure he was aiming more for my face). I could serve perfectly fine, but I knew that didn't mean anything. It was either make it or break it, and I was pretty sure I would achieve the latter. Once again, pointless and difficult.
I held the ball to serve when I suddenly felt the touch of a gentle hand on my shoulder. I looked back to see Marth behind me. I tried my best to not jump. He was so quiet that I'd nearly forgotten he was here. His expression was unreadable, so I couldn't tell exactly what he was thinking. He grabbed the paddle from my hand and gently pushed me to the side.
"I'll be continuing this match on Lucina's behalf," he said, "and I want you to know that if you lose, you'll be the one to act upon Princess Lucina's every command."
I looked away and blushed. It was a bit embarrassing to hear him refer to me like that and to take such a sudden interest in my match. That, and I was not expecting him to change the bet like that.
Of course, Ike doing whatever I wanted did sound a bit tempting.
Ike laughed, not taking Marth's words seriously. The Hero-King didn't even crack a smile. "Looks like Marthy-Marth here wants to redeem the honor poor little Lucina has crushingly lost in the name of table tennis."
"It is not about honor, Ike," Marth replied. "It's about Lucina having a fair match. I intend on giving her the chance she deserves."
"Hard to have a chance when it's four to zero."
"We shall see about that."
Marth served the ball. It wasn't long before he scored a point. Ike rolled his eyes; he obviously wasn't impressed.
"Wow, one point," Ike mocked. "Looks like I'm on the verge of losing. Oh no."
"Serve," Marth commanded, throwing the ball to Ike.
Ike flashed a cocky grin. He served the ball and, just as quickly as he served it, the ball shot straight passed him, costing the mercenary another point. Now it was my turn to snicker.
Five minutes barely passed before Marth caught up with Ike. Tied with four to four, Ike was obviously annoyed, much to the amusement of me and Dark Pit. It was the final round and Marth's turn to serve. The Hero-King threw the ball high in the air and brought his arm up. His timing perfect, he quickly hit the ball. There wasn't even a chance for Ike to react; the ball shot straight passed and – oh Gods, it hit Lucas again.
"My apologies," Marth said, sounding more sincere then I had earlier. Lucas glared at us both before sighing heavily, leaving the group to go play with some of the other attractions of the game room. Ike protested, claiming he wanted another rematch and that Marth shouldn't have taken over like that. I didn't say a word. I was too busy contemplating what my first order for Ike should be.
"Lucy, I was kidding about the whole servant thing," Ike started. I shook my head. I wasn't going to let him weasel his way out of this one. I won fair and square…with much-needed help, of course, but I still won! I looked to Marth, who was already smiling at me. I was going to thank him and tell Ike to refer to me as Princess Lucina when Peach ran into the room. She was breathing heavily. She placed her hands on hips and scowled at us.
"How dare you all have me run around the mansion searching wide and far?!" The princess smoothed out her dress and smiled. "Hurry, the matches for the Semi-Finals has been revealed! Congratulations Marth, Lucas, and Lucina! You know things will be harder from here on out."
Oh, I'm so sorry for the long wait! My time has been stolen by school, Staz Charlie Blood, and Kiyoteru Hiyama. It's celebration time! Lucy made it to the Semi-Finals! Oh, Chrom is so proud of her. The table tennis thing was a weird little addition, wasn't it? It was fun writing it. Guess Marth's a table tennis pro, eh? I think Ike wants a rematch again…
