Chapter 11

After Roy's escape, King Marth decreed that should anybody capture him alive they would be awarded with riches beyond their wildest dreams. He also made a priority of hunting down each and every traitor in his castle. Though the town below blissfully continued their strained peace, cries of mercy and bloody murder echoed in the castle walls with the devil king accurately tracking down spies for the Faire army. The spies grew fearful for their skin as King Marth wiped out nearly half of their forces. They relocated into the town to discuss plans for a retreat. They had enough information concerning King Marth's forces. They decided it was enough and quickly fled to the Faire army.

The towns were notified of the bounty on Roy's head. However, many refused to cooperate with King Marth. The word spread how Roy defiantly opposed the king in front of all his soldiers and nearly cut the devil right in half! Although Roy suffered from twenty wounds, he countered each of those injuries with two slashes to King Marth himself! It was said that the traitor actually spat in the king's eyes before he disappeared in a flash of lightning! The country gained strength from hearing somebody else openly clash the devil king. When the Faire army cut deeper into the country, numerous towns willingly surrender to them. Lady Palutena's troops slowly but surely boxed in King Marth's territories. There were only a few towns left under the devil king's flag.

It pained Sir Ike to see the ruin of his country. Yet, no matter how many times he brought the subject up to King Marth, his old friend would just wave it away. He refused to discuss anything about it, leaving Sir Ike no choice but to watch the Faires slowly conquer the lands of his fathers. Although he couldn't do anything to stop the Faires' advances, Sir Ike did continue to train his army. He knew that the time for the Faire army to storm their castle was close. He had to make sure that his men were ready to do their duty. His heart fell when he realized that most likely, Roy would at the head of the Faire army. Despite his friend's change of side, Sir Ike knew that deep down, he could never hurt his friend.

Roy thought along similar lines. He quietly sat with the other soldiers around the fire. While they gloated on their successful campaign so far, Roy could only stare into the fire. Pit looked at him worriedly.

"Hey…Roy, are you all right?" he asked. The Faire's voice seemed to snap the Human's mind out of his thoughts. He looked up with a tired smile.

"Yeah…just thinking about the invasion…"

However, Pit sensed that something else was on Roy's mind and searched for ways to distract his friend. Another soldier in their company, Falco, slapped the Human on his back.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure we'll do fine!" Falco grinned at his comrades. "I was kind of surprised how so many towns just surrendered to us. It really made our job easier!"

"It just shows how evil the devil king really is," an orange armor-clad hunter muttered. "The Humans turn to Faires and AlBaests, species that they saw as inferior to them, for aid."

"You said it," Falco leaned back. "I'm glad our bosses are the Meta Knight and Lady Palutena." Roy stared at the fire, seemingly ignoring the discussion. He finally stood up and walked towards the trees. His comrades looked at him worriedly. Samus punched Falco, earning a wince of pain. He angrily looked a question but gazed away when she returned a glare. Pit began to stand up to follow his friend when the hunter stopped him. She shook her head.

"Let him have some time alone."

Roy strolled through the dark trees, his feet crunching fallen leaves. A slight breeze blew past him. He continued to walk farther away from the light of the army flames until only the moon illuminated the dirt road for him. Roy followed the path to an open lake. He stopped just at the edge, gazing out into the waters. He thought back to how King Marth held his trial. He shuddered when he remembered how close he was to Death's door. Had it not been for Sheik, he would have died.

"Thinking?" a calm voice asked. Roy looked behind him to see the very person he was thinking about. Sheik looked at him with sympathetic eyes. She strode forward, stopping besides him. Roy turned back to the lake.

"Yeah…thank you again, for saving me."

"We're comrades. There's no need to thank me," she replied, her voice slightly muffled by her scarf.

"Nevertheless, thank you," Roy said firmly. The spy shrugged. She appreciated how sincere he was in his gratitude. They stood in silence, watching the wind ripple through the waters.

"Do you…regret betraying King Marth?" Sheik finally broke the tranquility.

"I…a little bit," Roy admitted. "We've been friends since we were children. How can I not regret it? Besides he's never been like that before. To see him as he is now…I just don't understand how he changed so much."

"Did something happen to him to make him change?"

"Nothing that I know of."

"Listen, don't beat yourself over too much. Some deaths…we can't prevent," Sheik placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It was a deceitful move. None of us would have suspected he would actually know our infiltration."

"I know, but I still can't help but feel that I might have been able to stop him somehow," Roy answered. The hand on his shoulder tightened reassuringly.

"Don't worry. We will stop him," Sheik's eyes crinkled, signaling a smile. Roy returned the smile. The spy patted his shoulder before turning to walk back to their camp. "Come on back when you're ready," she waved. Roy watched her until she disappeared into the shadowy forest. He sighed and turned towards the lake again. He inhaled deeply to take in the peaceful smell of nature. Tomorrow, the army would move out again to take the next town. Although he wasn't sure how he knew, Roy could feel the final battle nearing. They were so close to that sweet victory and liberation that the traitor could almost taste it. He thought back to his time with his old friends, feeling the guilty stabs to his heart once more. No matter how many times he convinced himself he did this for the good of his people, Roy could never stop the remorseful aches that plagued him.

Dark Pit wondered if it was his fault. Lately, Marth avoided many of his duties to spend time with the Faire. Although he secretly enjoyed it, Dark Pit couldn't help but feel that this shouldn't be happening. Whenever he tried to convince the king to do what he must, Marth would simply shrug it away. Those were the only times when the king refused to listen to Dark Pit. He would croon soothing words to the Faire and lead him around the castle. The duo of Dark Pit and Sir Ike were soon replaced with Dark Pit and King Marth in the servants' eyes. Although they didn't appreciate King Marth's new negligence, they found that he seemed to be more tolerant, especially with the black-winged Faire around.

The two have not spoken the three forbidden words. However their actions conveyed the meaning perfectly. During the day, they often visited the garden to enjoy the scenery it had to offer. During the night they made passionate love to each other. Marth jealously made sure that no other laid eyes on his sweet, little Dark Pit, including Sir Ike. The first time in a while that the warlord talked to the Faire, his lord actually glared a deep warning to him. Sir Ike immediately excused himself to train. Though puzzled at first, Dark Pit instinctively understood the cause for the warlord's sudden anxiety. He confronted Marth after they returned to his chambers.

"Marth, why did you do that?"

"Do what?" the king asked innocently as he sat on the bed. Dark Pit crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the king.

He gestured angrily, "Ike and I were just having a little chat. And suddenly, he excuses himself hurryingly to train. He isn't like that, and both of us know it. So why did you do that?"

Marth pouted. He surprisingly looked like a child getting scolded. He stood up and hugged the Faire fiercely, "You're mine, Dark Pit. I won't let anybody have you."

The Faire huffed, annoyed by the king's immature behavior. His wings flapped a bit in aggravation. However he returned the embrace, "Look, Marth, nobody is going to have me. All right? You can be sure of that."

Despite Dark Pit's reassurances, King Marth still continued to protect him from preying eyes. He didn't want to risk that terrible incident ever again. Dark Pit noticed how with each passing day, Marth seemed to grow more affectionate. He often found different forms of entertainment the two could enjoy together. They often dined together and rarely left the other's side.

Dark Pit grew used to the comfortable life Marth offered. However, day by day, he wondered the reason for his capture and Marth's increasing fondness for him. Not only that, he perceived how paranoid the king was getting. He often searched the castle for any signs of attack, looking as if somebody was about to assassinate him. He would also stare outside the window for hours on end.

One day, the Faire finally had to ask. "Marth, why did you capture me in the first place?" Dark Pit rested his head on Marth's legs while the king stroked his hair. At times, they forgo leaving the room and simply enjoyed each other's company in the room. Marth cupped Dark Pit's face. He smiled at the Faire.

"That, you don't need to know."

Dark Pit pouted, "But I want to know. I have to know." Hearing the determination in the Faire's voice, Marth sighed. He knew that if he didn't answer, Dark Pit would refuse to do whatever he wanted.

"If you must know…it was because of Mewtwo."

Expecting a different answer, Dark Pit sat up in surprise, "Mewtwo? But why?"

Marth sighed again. "Mewtwo had prophesied that a Faire with red eyes will be my downfall. I had no wish for my country to fall to something like that."

Dark Pit raised an eyebrow, "Well, thanks…"

"I raised my army, and marched to every Faire village to find the so called 'red-eyes'."

"But there were other Faires who had red-eyes. How did you know to take me?"

"I just did," Marth answered simply. Dark Pit knew that he couldn't get any more answers about that from him. The Faire hugged his knees close to his chest, remembering the first time he laid eyes on the king. At that moment, he hated the Human with every fiber in his body. King Marth had marched into their village and mercilessly attacked it. Dark Pit couldn't stand to see his village being destroyed. He had taken up his bow and actually shot at the king. A skilled marksman, his arrow only scratched King Marth's shoulder as the king had dodged at the last second. Dark Pit stood his ground and glared down at the king from his position. The moment their eyes met, shivers ran down his spine. After a stunned silence, King Marth had quickly ordered his men to capture the Faire. Once he caught the angel Faire, his army retreated.

Dark Pit felt arms wrap around him. He leaned back into Marth's embrace. "Are you…sad that I captured you?" he whispered. The Faire shivered from the king's hot breath. He didn't met Marth's gaze and refused to answer. Marth didn't seem to mind; he wasn't sure whether he wanted that question to be answered. Both were contented to stay as they were. The comfortable stretched while they simply relaxed in each other's presence.

Mewtwo's warning suddenly came to mind. Marth shifted, earning a curious look from Dark Pit. He turned back when the king seemed to relax. Marth thought about Mewtwo's prophesy. After everything that's happened, he knew that Fate would soon play its hand. Unfamiliar sorrow filled his heart at the thought. Before Dark Pit, he fully intended to follow Fate's command. Now, however, he wished that Fate didn't have to be. Coming to a decision, he whispered quietly, "My mother died a few months after I was crowned king."

Dark Pit looked at Marth sharply. He wasn't expecting this at all. He saw a faraway look in Marth's eyes, as if replaying a scene in his mind. The king continued, "One of my father's oldest advisors died around the same time. Nobody exactly knew what happened…because I never revealed the truth.

"I was crowned at age thirteen. Many people deemed that I was still learning, so they trusted a few of my father's advisors to guide me. I knew that they would never accept me as their new ruler, but I foolishly thought that I could change their mind. Only my mother encouraged me to try my hardest. I could still remember the sound of her voice…

"Then it happened. I was walking through the west wing when I heard some strange noises. It came from one of the advisor's rooms. I realized that the door was open. Although something told me that I shouldn't do it, I still opened the door. I saw the advisor bending over my mother, his hands at her throat. At the creaking of the door, he looked up in surprise. I could see the fury in his eyes at his discovery. However, he soon paled when I drew my sword," Marth tightened his embrace around Dark Pit. The Faire's heart leapt when he felt something wet in his hair, yet he didn't turn around to look. The king inhaled sharply, "I killed that bastard. His voice was so annoying to me, I just had to stab him more than once, even after he died." Dark Pit shivered at the familiar cold tone. Marth didn't seem to notice as he continued his story, "When I made sure he had a ticket to Hades. I hurried to my mother's side. I was too late…he already killed her…looking at her state, I knew he did more than kill her. Don't you see?" Marth buried his face into Dark Pit's feathers, "I can't let anyone have you. I simply can't. If I do…you'll turn out like Mother…"

Everything suddenly made sense to Dark Pit. Why he killed Ganondorf so brutally, why he drove Roy and Sir Ike away. It was because Marth was afraid, afraid that they would take Dark Pit away from him. The realization made his heart ache for the king. Although the simple trauma couldn't excuse the other horrendous actions Marth committed, somehow, Dark Pit couldn't bring himself to hate the king any further. He squirmed in Marth's embrace to turn around. He returned the king's hug, feeling the king's head fall on his shoulder. Somehow, Marth just seemed so pitiful now. Dark Pit wondered briefly that if the advisor didn't rape and kill Marth's mother, would Marth have turned out differently? Dark Pit was surprised to find that he wished it wouldn't have gone that way. If it did, he wouldn't be sure if he would have met the devil king. That was something he couldn't fathom.

He felt the sudden desire to take Marth's mind off of his past. Dark Pit leaned back, prompting Marth to move. The Faire then moved forward and kissed the king on his lips. They held that position until the need for breath. His plan seemed to work as Marth lovingly stroked Dark Pit's cheeks.

"You are mine, my sweet, little Dark Pit…I won't let anyone else have you…"

"I told you before, Marth. Nobody else is going to have me…" Dark Pit kissed him again. "I promise you that."

Marth smiled softly to him. The cold traces of his former smile were gone. Only warmth greeted Dark Pit with this smile. He hugged the Faire again, "I'll be holding you to that promise then…"