Chapter 10: Guānxi:

Guānxi: (Chinese) (n.) personal relationship or connection based on mutual trust, loyalty, and commitment by exchanging and returning favors so that all share the same benefit.

It has been a whole week since the fanfare from the Archanean banquet had finally settled down.

And while the rest of his friends and family have already settled back into the normalcy of their daily lives, a certain blue-haired boy was still brooding, particularly over the King's unexpected praise and confidence in his abilities.

And for good reason: his father always had a stern eye over his shoulder for most of his life, often criticizing decisions he disagreed on and urged him to put more than one-hundred percent into every little event in his life. While he remained strict on both his children, King Cornelius had put more effort on testing Marth's capability as leader – giving him the impression of his father's distrust at a young age.

Yet, out of nowhere, his father revealed to have held onto some shred of dignity and respect for his own son, to the point of nearly choking up during his speech. Logically, Marth should have been relieved, if not ecstatic – but the sudden change of heart had put him on edge the last few days.

And now, sitting at his desk in his personal office and away from the hustle and bustle of the world was his only source of comfort, with whom sat next to him.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Elice gently asked as she took a seat beside him. "It's about father, isn't it…?

A short-breathed moan with hands over eyes.

"Things would be much easier if you were…"

Marth's voice drifted off, hesitating whether to bring up the subject or not.

'…were chosen and not me...'

His older sister simply kept his hand in her grasp and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"No – I understand. You can say it. I've long accepted my place in the house of Lowell, so you may speak freely of me."

The prince sighed and nodded, knowing that the unspoken topic at hand was no longer a touchy subject. Still, it felt rude that the thought came to mind and often felt the idea of mentioning her sister's exclusion from the royal bloodline was taboo.

It was no news to the citizens of United Archanea that Lady Elice, the eldest child of Queen Liza, was born from a previous marriage prior to her courtship and eventual marriage to the King Cornelius. (1) At a very young age, Elice was warmly welcomed into the ruling house once her mother was coroneted as royal consort, and lived most of her life knowing that someday, her younger sibling would soon become ruler over her.

Sweet and humble just like her mother Liza, Elice never truly envied Marth's position in power. On the contrary, she thought opposite after observing first-hand the intense training and pressure he needed to go through over the years.

Still, in her mind, Elice saw her innocent little brother behind his proud and powerful reputation; the Marth who insisted on putting others first and often questioned his ability to be a leader. Even as soon-to-be king of United Archanea, the image of her sibling would always be the one who would accidentally put his pajamas on backwards before bed, or would get hilariously flustered or exasperated whenever he was victim to Roy's pranks. And now that she was older and wiser, she understood that no amount of change in kingly status would ever break the precious bond she had with her own brother.

Always.

"You know that we had faith in your abilities no matter what," Elice rested her hands on top of the paperwork she set down. "And despite our father's harsh upbringing, even he always knew you had it in you to succeed. I believe it just now finally dawned on him how much you've grown and shined in Iwata – and for that, you should fret no more."

Marth nodded again, taking in his sister's wise words. Looking out the window, the sun settled beneath the brewing grey clouds, leaving blotches of fiery color intermingled with dark skies. On the corner of his window, he curiously spotted a tall, pony-tailed blonde on the cement path with books in her hands, who then appeared to deliver the small bundle to someone out of view.

"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he requested for me to stop checking up on you, just to see how well you do here by yourself."

"…hmm?" Marth's attention was back to Elice. "Hold on, you're not leaving Iwata, are you?"

She raised her eyebrows for a brief moment before heartily laughed back in response. "Of course not! I'll still stop by! I just don't think I need to make sure you are doing alright every week. I'm confident that you can handle yourself on your own."

"…Marth…!"

Both siblings turned their attention to the open doorway leading to the main office, where Roy's loud voice was calling out from.

"…can you help me please…?"

Marth glared back at the open doorway, but not without biting back a smile. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Well, yes. But I can't leave until I've finished painting the spirit week banners and you know Zelda will fry my ass if I don't finish them tonight…!"

Elice giggled before standing up from his desk. "I'll help the poor boy – I have nowhere to be as I finished the rest of my duties for the day."

As he watched his older sibling and his best friend converse outside of his office, Marth turned again to look out the window once more. The sun now peeked through the cracks in the sky, but the mysterious pony-tailed teen was gone.

"The Fils-Aime Official Chess Club…?"

A pig-tailed Plegian stood in front the big bulletin board out in the hallway, facing toward a rather large and colorful advertisement for said extracurricular. Now that her classes were done for the day, her eyes ended wandered to the given poster when on her way to exit the building.

One of the school counselors did advise Robin to join one of the many sports, clubs, and after-school activities available throughout the campus. While it was not mandatory for battle school students to attend athletic clubs and groups outside of class, it was highly recommended by the school staff as a way to meet new people, promote school pride, and strengthen friendships among the already diverse student body. And with that on Robin's mind, it was only a matter of time until she began looking for possible activities to partake in.

"I take you're here for the chess meet-up?"

"…!"

A voice beside her got her attention as she turned toward the source, a fox-like figure stood at the open doorway next to her.

"Erm…I'm just looking at it –"

"You're in luck my friend," the fox smiled and gestured a wave to follow him. "We're just starting our first meeting now, so if you have nothing else to do today, you're more than welcome to join us."

He held back a chuckle when the tactician stood frozen still, not sure how to respond. "Don't worry, we don't bite or ask you to come to church – just come on in. If you decide it's not your thing, no hard feelings. Promise."

Robin followed him into the small classroom where various members were already setting up tables and chairs, along with opening several boxes that contained chess boards and pieces, one large, purple Pokémon setting up the chess boards with telekinesis.

"I never got a name from you, by the way," He turned around and extended his hand. "Your name is…?"

"Robin," she introduced herself. "And you are…?"

"The name's Fox McCloud. I'm the captain –"

"Excuse you – co-captain…" a blue-feathered friend sarcastically quipped from behind.

"Sorry, 'co-captain'," Fox gestured air quotes with his fingers and a deadpan expression. "Of the Fils-Aime Chess Club. And this fine fellow here is Falco Lombardi – the other 'co-captain.'"

"Robin, huh? Nice to see that we got some new blood here," Falco shook Robin's hand with a smug grin. "You better not plan on dragging the team down, ya' hear?"

"Our numbers aren't as big as they were last year," Fox blew out a weary sigh. "Most of us here are returning members, but a good chunk of our club graduated last year. We've got to kick it to high gear to be on-par for nationals this year, let alone against Iwata Academy."

"Pfft – way to spoil the mood, sour-puss," the indigo-hued falcon stuck out his tongue once he set down a wooden chess set on a nearby table. He then turns over to the club's newcomer.

"Say Robin – how 'bout a round with me? I wanna see if ya' got what it takes to join the team."

"I…I don't know, I was thinking of just watching for today –"

"C'mon, don't be such a scaredy-cat," Falco insisted, even going as far to offer a chair. "It's just a game."

"Falco's got a point," Fox added. "It's only the first meet-up, so practice is pretty casual. Some of us are a bit rusty after the summer break, after all. We won't even break out the chess clocks today."

"I…" Robin's eyes suddenly went downcast, now apprehensive about herself and her barely recovered memories. "I have to admit…I haven't played in a very long time…I'm not sure if I even remember most of the rules…"

"Wait a second, you don't know how to play chess…?" Falco sat mouth agape before laughing out loud. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Don't pay him any mind," Fox reassured her after sending Falco a disapproving look. Even some of the members looked over at the noise level Falco was making.

"Our club helps those who are still learning and it's was more about having fun while learning a few new strategies. Competitions are great and all, but we want to make sure everyone has fun and feels at home here."

"Are you sure…?" she grimaced at Falco's snickering.

"Even that big ol' lunk of a Donkey Kong knows how to play chess, haha…!"

"Look," Fox pulled out a chair beside Robin after sending another fierce glare towards his wingman. "I'll back you up and tell you how to play along the way. Just tell me what you remember and I'll fill in the rest. Chess isn't always about winning, you know…"

"Whatever man – speak for yourself."

The three sat on a flat surface with a standard black and white chess board lying in front of them, Robin and Fox facing Falco with the white pieces sitting closest on her side.

"The goal of the game is the capture or 'check' your opponent's king," Fox pointed to both King pieces on the board. "When you do this, you must make sure your king is protected from capture as well. If your opponent's King cannot move to any space without being captured, then it's a 'checkmate.' The second goal of the game is to capture other pieces from your opponent – logically speaking, less pieces on the board leaves their king defenseless."

"I at least remember these," Robin pointed at the row of white pawns. "They move forward one space, right?"

"Ah, yes, the pawn. Pawns can move one space, but only forwards and backwards. The special exception for pawns is that they can move up to two spaces only on their first movement and depending on how you play, pawns can serve as great shields for your King or other pieces. As for the other pieces, each side has two rooks, two bishops, two knights, eight pawns, and one king and queen."

Fox proceeded to explain in further detail each and every piece's function and move set before ending on the king and queen. "Now, your king and queen will be vital to you, of course. Your queen is the most powerful piece, as she can move in any straight direction – forwards, backwards, to the side, and diagonally – and as far as possible as long as there isn't anything in her path. The King, on the other hand, is the most important, but is fairly weak. He can only move one space at any direction, but it's best to keep him protected."

"Since you're white," Falco crossed his arms and yawned. "You go first."

Robin, with the slightest air of hesitation, moved one of her center pawns two spaces forward. "...like this?"

Fox nodded, and the game carried on. Robin's challenger countered her move with his own pawn, moving it straight towards hers.

"And do I...?" Robin pointed at both head-to-head pawns, motioning a potential capture.

"Oh...about that," Fox scratched the back of his ears with a sheepish frown. "Sorry, I forgot to mention – pawns can only capture diagonally rather than forwards, backwards, or to the side. The same applies to bishops, as they only move diagonally anyways."

Another unbridled scoff was the last thing to finally break the camel's back. Robin sat up straight and in a low, nearly quiet voice, she asked,

"Fox. Are there any special rules that you've left out so far?"

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm...I think I just forgot to mention the pawn promotion – if any one of your pawns reach all the way to your opponent's side, they can get promoted to any higher rank. Most pawns obviously are upgraded to be a Queen. But aside from that, I think you're covered. Don't worry, I'll still help you –"

"As much as I appreciate it," Robin sharply lifted her eyes from the board and faced Falco headstrong. "I no longer need any further assistance."

Quick like a snap of the fingers, the mood of the small table suddenly shifted as if a wave a heavy air surrounded Robin's being. It wasn't long before Fox to notice the drastic change of demeanor within the new student.

"Erm...I suppose if you say so." He sat back in his chair, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He never labeled himself as someone who was always perceptive, but Fox caught on to what was going on and slowly observed the inner gears of Robin's mind begin to turn at a rapid speed. Taking a few seconds to scan the chess board one last time, Robin moved one of her pawns forward and motioned the next move to Falco.

"Your turn."

The overly-confident falcon raised an eyebrow to the change his opponent's composure, but shrugged it off. Perhaps it was only a false sense of security or determination in an attempt to intimidate him, but he couldn't be fooled. After all, how difficult could a chess challenge be against a first-time player?

Soon, after fourteen consecutive moves, Robin moved her rook forward and tilted her head to assess her move.

"I believe this is a...check? Checkmate?"

"...what."

Caught completely off-guard, Falco stood up fast and got up close to the chess board to review the last move of her piece. His eyes darted to Robin, then the board, then Robin again.

"No way...! H-how did you even –" he nearly knocked over his chair to grab at Robin's long sleeves. "Did you pull an extra piece out of there or something?! Fox...!"

"Falco, don't be stupid," Fox tugged his friend away before he tried to rip the poor woman's uniform jacket off. "I was watching the entire time, so don't go making ridiculous –"

He glanced at the board, and after a moment, a sly grin broke out on his face as he let out an audible, "huh."

"Well I'll be damned. That's a checkmate if I've ever seen one!"

"Wha – how...I don't even –" her losing opponent slumped back in his seat, visibly stunned.

"Come now, Falco," the strategist reiterated his own words with an innocent, but satisfied, smirk. "It's just a game, remember?"

"Ya' know what..!? Fine." Falco rolled up the sleeves of his jacket and cracked his feathered knuckles. "I was gonna go easy on you, but now I'm just gettin' started…"

Following the next three back-to-back losses, it only took Mewtwo and Meta Knight to hold Falco back from flipping the table out of anger.

The atmosphere in the Headmaster's office was always this damp and cold, particularly during the chilly autumn months.

Zelda's frown only deepened as she was politely escorted into the headmaster's office by his more sympathetic assistant, Elice. As this was her least favorite place to be, she resented being forced to wait this all went well, however, she could get this ordeal over with rather than be forced to flatter his presence more than she could to bear.

She tightly crossed her arms and tapped her finger against the loose sleeve of her uniform blouse, a childhood habit she picked up whenever she was in an impatient or troubled mood.

'Remember. It's only a small meeting, just like last semester. Over the student government budget. Again, not a big deal,' she thought.

The sudden creak of the door opening behind her got her attention, but Impa's training allowed her to stay externally composed despite her worried thoughts. (2)

"My, my...well if it isn't Zelda herself. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, your highness?"

Even the mere sound of his deep, but mild-mannered voice sent unpleasant shivers down her spine. Nevertheless, she straightened up in her seat and remarked with only the slightest edge hinted in her voice.

"Good afternoon, Sir Ganondorf. I am here to discuss the student government's budget for this semester."

Zelda kept her eyes away as Ganondorf made his way to the side of his office and towards the electric kettle, tea bags, and paper cups. His office was relatively low-lit, as heavy mauve curtains lining the large window behind the headmaster's antique desk. The only illumination was the weak light stemming from a small lamp on the decorative end table. To Zelda's surprise, Ganondorf had decorated his large office in a minimalistic manner, aside from the thickly woven rugs symbolizing his lineage and a few small portraits conveying the Gerudo tribal symbol and the Desert Goddess. (3)

"Would you like any tea?" His gruff voice offered, sending his best smile her way. "I believe we still have some Hylian Berry Medley if you prefer." (4)

"No."

She paused before curtly adding, "No thank you. I'd like to get to business if it's all the same to you."

Zelda felt the Gerudo king simply shrug as he poured himself a cup of hot tea and settled in his large office chair. Zelda wasted no time and pulled the thick packet of papers from her lap, neatly tucked away behind a paper clip.

"These are awaiting your approval. I'll need your signatures on the first and last pages. If there are any changes needed, please let me know."

"And Miss Elice already looked this over as well?"

Zelda nodded back in response. Fortunately for her, Ganondorf made no argument or small talk when looking over the paperwork. After a minute or two of silent reading, Ganondorf gave a disinterested nod and reached for a pen to sign. Shortly after giving his approval to the overall budget plan and placing his signatures, Zelda almost leapt from her chair to take the packet back into her hands.

"Leaving so soon?" The gray-skinned headmaster leaned back in his chair with an amused look on his face. Zelda turned back with a quick retort, but was taken aback by the way he was looking at her. His smile was harmless enough, but shadows looming on his face and the glint in his eyes gave way to something that was off, as if he was hiding some sort of menacing intent.

"Apologies, Sir Ganondorf," she shortly replied while keeping the tone of her voice leveled. Perhaps she was only imagining the look on his face, just like her parents always insisted. "I must leave quickly as I have other errands to attend to today."

With that, she briskly brushed off her skirt and turned to the door. Had her hand reached the knob, she would've left his office and been out of the building without another word.

And yet, Ganondorf managed to halt her in her tracks once again.

"Zelda, if I may..."

The princess refused to look back and face the very person she felt so opposed to in her very core. She grew to despise everything that was Ganondorf and everything that reminded her of the man, and yet the part of her that cared about what her own family and friends think of her was the only thing that kept the stilted peace between them.

"I visited Castle Town just last week..." (5)

While she desperately wanted to get away from this man, that simple sentence managed to take hold of her. Her hand left the door knob.

"And during our meetings to renew alliances and trade pacts, I had the chance to speak with your parents..."

Zelda felt her hands suddenly clench into fists.

"You know..." the office chair squeaked as Ganondorf rose from it. "If you are willing, I believe it may be for the best to attempt some sort of agreement with your parents. Not just for you, but for the sake of the kingdom as well..."

Ganondorf walked forward and leaned on the front of his desk.

"It may be that a simple reconciliation could keep your troubles in check. That is why it seems you haven't been sleeping well, isn't it?"

The very last comment finally struck through the walls Zelda had put up. Her shoulders tensed and her body felt tightly wound like a spring. Of course he would know of the haunting visions that plagued her twilight: the ever-present weariness clouding her thoughts as of late, the wrinkles on her uniform left un-ironed, even the tired bags underneath her eyes for goddess' sake. But her daring heart refused to bend down in weakness – not yet.

"Since you seem so deeply concerned about my well being," she growled with gritted teeth. "My classes are well, my family life is fine, and retreat plans for the school have been finalized. Good day."

And with that, his front door was swiftly opened and roughly slammed shut.

"Robin, you played excellently today!"

"Looks like Fils-Aime might have a national champion on our hands!"

"Your quick-thinking approach is quite remarkable."

"Really?" With all the attention surrounding her and chess members applauding her on her successful victories, Robin felt her face warm up by all the attention and kind praise sent her way.

"Honestly, you all flatter me – but thank you..."

"C'mon guys, let her be," Fox chuckled before breaking apart the group surrounding the undefeated player. "For now, let's start putting away everything before we get locked out of the storage closet again."

When most of the members separated to begin breaking chess sets and putting away the tables and chairs, he finally made his way to Robin and proudly clapped her shoulder.

"Kid, I'll let you know that that was probably the most mind-blowing comebacks I've ever seen. I never thought it possible to understand basic chess strategy and vastly improve in such short amount of time..."

He turned to face Robin. "You have to tell me your secret – that is, if you haven't sold your soul to the devil yet."

Robin nearly snorted out loud. "Not at all. I suppose I only listened to your advice and logically thought out the steps within that time," she rubbed her chin. "It's as if...after knowing the rules of the game, all the possible steps to victory just came to me. And to tell you the truth...that's the best I can explain it."

"And you're not some world-renowned chess player only to hustle our co-captain here now, would ya?" the pensive tone returned in Fox's voice as he quirked an eyebrow in response.

"No, no, of course not!" she was pleased with the compliments she received from other members, but she abhorred the thought of stooping as low to deceit in order to defeat and humiliate an opponent. "My hands...they just moved naturally, as if my brain was already registering ten steps ahead."

"I know it sounds strange," she continued. "But I assure you, I have no expert knowledge or skill set in chess prior to our meeting. I give you my word."

Under Fox's serious gaze, it appeared that Robin was telling the truth. He still looked on unconvinced, nonetheless let the subject matter go. If he was going to get a real answer out of Robin, it wasn't going to be right at this moment. It may be that whatever is going on in Robin's head is something more complex and beyond his own comprehension.

Fox then took a look behind her and, to his amusement, saw Falco gruffly take the packed-up chess sets and shove them back into the plastic bins set on the ground .Clearly, most of the members sought out to avoid him in his sour mood after the crushing defeats that happened earlier in the meeting.

"Oi! Falco!" Fox couldn't help but give a lighthearted tease to his good friend. "I don't think you were given the chance to congratulate Robin after your matches today..."

Robin insisted to keep from ruffling any more feathers, literally. "Fox, please, I don't really think it's necessary –"

"We get it, Einstein. You're the best – number one – all hail Queen Robin the Great."

Falco glowered in embarrassed anger, gripping one of the chess boxes hard enough to cause creases. Fox rolled his eyes, all while repressing the urge to laugh at his companion's misery.

"Ignore him, he's just salty that he got super cocky and lost to someone's first chess match."

The fox leaned over next to Robin, keeping his voice hushed.

"Between you and me, I know that Falco comes off as arrogant and brash," he spoke quietly. "But deep down, he holds the game and to those who offer a challenge or motivate him to get better in high regard. Once he's eventually cooled down, he'll come around. You probably can't tell, but he'll probably going to be reading up chess strategies all night because of you. There is a reason why the last club captain assigned both of us as co-captains instead of picking just one, after all."

"You don't say…?"

Fox gave one last thoughtful look. "The more I think about it, I'm so relieved I nabbed you when I did. I hope it's not too forward to ask, but would you come back here next week, same time? We could definitely use someone of your talent here."

Robin thought for a moment. Chess was an intellectually challenging game, which often tested her gifted abilities. And the idea of learning more about the game did intrigue her, if not thrill.

With a nod and a smile, she accepted the extended hand of friendship.

"I would love to."

Midnight.

In the quiet stillness of the night, her eyes blinked open once again. Aside from the faint glow of the streetlight outside her window, Zelda let her eyes adjust to the darkness before glancing over to her alarm clock atop her end table.

12:42 AM.

Not even past 2 AM and she found herself restless and without slumber for the umpteenth time this week. She was thankful enough that she has yet to endure terrifying nightmares like she has been the last few nights. Despite that, she knew the fatigued, sleep-deprived body she would suffer the next morning would not be as gracious.

The Hylian heir sat up from her bed and tossed her plush duvet and thick quilted blankets aside. For now, she felt no use for simply lying in bed if it was clear that she wouldn't be getting any shuteye for the time being. Especially with stubborn thoughts of an earlier confrontation still fresh in her mind. She frowned abruptly once feeling a part of her soul resonate with something within her proximity.

Zelda became quickly aware of the thin walls surrounding her bedroom and perched herself on the edge of the bed to face her door. Even though she knew her loyal guardian had long retired to bed hours ago, the paranoid part of Zelda had insisted her make sure there was no chance of Impa walking into her room unannounced. A quick check into Impa's bedroom to see her bodyguard fast asleep was enough for Zelda to tiptoe back into her room once more. Carefully and without making so much as a sound, she knelt beside the right side of her raised bed and gently pulled away various shoe boxes, small plastic crates, and storage bins from underneath her mattress. With a small stack of her things piled up next to her, Zelda finally reached in deep until her hands caught the handle of a travel case and pulled out what appeared to be a large, metallic suitcase. The case was rather long yet thin, with the faded blue Wingcrest symbol printed on the front and a 4-digit combination lock next to the handles. (6)

'1...1...2...1...'

After adjusting the code, an audible click was heard from inside the case. The simple sound flooded her being with regret and shame for what she had done.

When she pressed her thumb to open the unlocked case, it took all her own sheer willpower to keep from reeling in guilt. A stinging ache filled her heart as she knew full well that her dear parents were at home, peacefully asleep in the castle, while their own 'honorable' daughter was responsible for taking their most priceless relic in all of sovereign Hyrule and leaving a meager replica in its place. Even Impa, her royal guard who Zelda trusted her whole life to, was ignorant of her actions. If Zelda was born a commoner, she would face severe punishments for committing such treason and thievery.

'Forgive me, father...mother...'

Zelda finally opened the case wide. Tucked inside the soft velvet foam was the mythical Blade of Evil's Bane, the one in which throughout Hyrule's antiquity had both defeated the evil incarnations of Ganon and saved the Hylian Kingdom from utter destruction. The sword of old was blessed by her holy grace, Hylia, and formed by the Goddess' own chosen hero. Every incarnation of the Hero of Time, who after proving his courage and strength through many trials and tribulations, was bestowed the ability to wield the Goddess' sword whenever evil threatened the peace over Hyrule.

'But I must prove to my family, and to myself, that I am worthy of this task…'

This historical sword had both vanquished Ganon's villainous pursuits of ultimate power and prevailed against all darkness alongside the five fabled swords. The sacred blade, now resting upon the princess' lap, was universally known by one name.

The Master Sword.

To be continued…

Author's Note:

UPDATE TIME!

No excuses, this chapter, for whatever reason, was a bit harder to write down compared to previous chapters. Fortunately, I had my SO look over a few things and keep my bad habit of run-on sentences in check, haha! Also, I'll give kudos to those understand the meaning behind Zelda's lock combination key, wink wink!

Aside from IRL issues, I'm trying my best to keep up the once-a-month update. I always aim to update twice, but right now, I can only afford this. *sigh* Hopefully, my workload will lighten up in the future so I can write more.

In other news, I've been anxiously waiting on Nintendo to announce some sort of news for Smash Bros. DLC, now that the character ballet has wrapped up. I understand with the whole transition period Nintendo is going through that there wouldn't be a Nintendo Direct for a while, but man, I'm dying for any kind of news from Nintendo. The idea of new characters in Smash not only excites me as a gamer, but as a writer as well! It's always interesting to see how every new character will fit inside the world I built for the story! Hopefully before the year ends, we'll hear something awesome from Sakurai!

As for extra info tidbits, (in case any of my readers are at all curious) I wanted to include some more information about school uniforms! A few chapters ago, I briefly touched on what the Fils-Aime Battle School uniforms looked like. As for Iwata Academy school uniforms, students dress more formal than most other battle schools in the city.

For boys, they are given a black blazer with the embroidered school crest, a long-sleeved collared white shirt, yellow wool sweater vest, a yellow/red plaid tie, brown dress trousers, black socks and dark brown slip on shoes. And for girls, they are given a generally consists of a black blazer with the embroidered school crest, yellow bow, a collared white shirt with long sleeves, a yellow wool sweater vest, a pleated yellow/red plaid skirt, black knee high socks, and black Mary Jane flats. Their uniform has minor changes, depending on the time of the year, to match the weather. I'll briefly talk about this in the next chapter!

Stick around for the next chapter, Koi no Yokai. With our heroes now settling in for the year, could it be that love is in the air...?

- A. Mitsuni

Reviewer Responses:

"Lunar: I actually believe that Roy's mother is most likely Ninian because the game seems to surport that, at the last chapter of Fire emblem the blazing sword I believe even if Ninian dies as long as she has A surport with Eliword she fricking comes back from the dead perfectly fine! Plus having Ninian as Roy's mother or even real mother if you decide to make Lyndis a step mother would make Roy part ice dragon! Cool right?

Since Ninian is half ice dragon it would make Roy a quarter ice dragon!Just think of what you could do to unveil something like that! But if you decide to keep Roy's mother as Lyndis I'll be fine, just a little sad but I still love the story so far.(btw Roy has no official mother but the most cannon one which means surported one is Ninian)"

Lunar, thank you so much for taking the time to review! Oh my gosh - I gotta confess something: When I first got into the Smash fandom (which was back around Melee/Brawl time - mid-2000s), I read one fanfic which had Lyndis and Eliwood as Roy's parents. Now, young Mitsuni did not know much about Fire Emblem back then and simply thought 'Oh, that's just his parents. Okay, whatever.'

I DIDN'T KNOW THAT A MARRIAGE AND SUPPORT SYSTEM IN THE GAME.

So for YEARS upon YEARS, I just thought Lyndis was Roy's natural mother, period. Even after learning about Fire Emblem: Awakening, I thought the support conversation and marriage mechanic was a recent thing. It wasn't until a while ago that depending how you play Fire Emblem, Roy's mother could be a number of different women aside from Lyn. WHOOPS.

Now, to me - when I was first writing this story, I just had Lyn as his mother simply because that's what I was used it for a long time. Later on, after doing more research on FE6 and FE7, I understand why Ninian has been a more popular choice, especially among the fandom, but by then, I've already written Lyn in as the mother. But to be honest, Roy's parents don't play a huge role in the story, honestly one, maybe two scenes in Contingency overall. I apologize deeply and I hope this detail doesn't bother you too much! *sweats deeply* I understand that feeling of when a good story has a pairing you don't really ship.

I love the suggestions you given me and I appreciate the feedback! Next time I write Roy, I'll keep that in mind. :-)

Index:

(1) Specifically in this universe (not based on canon lore), Elice is the older half-sibling of Marth – which justifies her inability to inherit the United Archaenean throne and wield the Falchion blade, according to old Archanean law. Liza was married to a nobleman and had Elice; when Elice was two years old, her birth father passed away from a chronic illness and after a few of mourning, Cornelius courted Elice and was betrothed to her later on.

(2) Impa is the surname of several female members of the Sheikah, a mysterious tribe that has served and protected the Royal Family of Hyrule for many generations, specifically being associated with taking care of every Zelda incarnation in the Legend of Zelda franchise. Her role in the games is usually providing guidance and information to Link during his adventures. The Impa in this universe is most based from the Impa featured in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

(3) The Gerudo are a desert tribe featured in many Legend of Zelda games. The Gerudo mostly consists of female warriors in which every one hundred years, a male will be born and have the birthright to become their King, according to Gerudo law. Like many other races under Hylian rule, the Gerudo have their own tribal symbol and the deity they worship is known as the Desert Goddess, or Goddess of the Sand.

(4) In Earthania, Hylian Berry Medley is a type of tea consisting of local berries native to the Hylian fields and various parts of the kingdom. It's most popular among upper-class Hylians.

(5) Hyrule Castle Town, also known as Hyrule Castle Town Market serves as the capitol for the Hyrule Kingdom in various Legend of Zelda games. It's located very close to the Hyrule castle. In this story, Castle Town is most based off of the capital city in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

(6) The Wingcrest symbol is the official crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule in the Legend of Zelda series, serving as a symbol for the ruling house over all of the Hyrule kingdom. This crest goes as far as serving the origins of Hylians who descended from Skyloft. The Goddess Hylia also used this crest during ancient times.

EDIT: Wording. Spacing. Wording and Spacing - issues with Microsoft Word. Verbal tense fix. Wording.