Sorry again for the late update. I had problems with this one…
Important Info: This Meta Knight is based on the anime, Hoshi no Kaabii, where he is more of a father/teacher figure to Kirby.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Simple as that.
Flowers and Swords
Sum: He didn't expect to be sitting in the Garden with a Pikmin in his lap.
~~~~~~~~MarthIkeMetaKnight~~~~~~~~
Marth walked the halls briskly. He'd been summoned by Master Hand not a minute ago; instructed to meet him at his office. Which in reality was completely unnecessary, merely a room so the Smashers could find him (or at least attempt before searching for him).
The prince took a set of stairs up to the second third floor where his office was located. In fact, it was the only thing on the third floor; easily accessible and found.
He felt a mixture of fear, apprehension, and curiosity. Master Hand did not summon Smashers very often; in fact Marth could count on one hand how many times it's happened in the course of the tournament.
Politely, the swordsman knocked and waited for a voice permitting him to enter.
"Come in."
"Strange..." Marth muttered, opening the door, "that didn't sound like Mas-"
The prince lost his voice seeing not the floating appendage hovering in the office (which happened to be decorated like an office for no apparent reason), but at the young man sitting behind the lavish desk.
One he was very familiar with.
The young man smiled. "What's the matter Marth?"
"..R...ROY?!"
He laughed, and launched himself over the desk to hug the prince. The two crashed to the floor in a flurry of capes and laughter. The prince held the lord close, "Roy! I can't believe you're here!"
As they untangled from each other the Pherea ruler replied, "Believe it. Since I missed the party I've kept in contact with Master Hand for the opportunity to visit." He stood up first holding out a hand to the citizen of Altea. Marth took it.
"I...I don't..." The prince started and stopped, before finally just laughing and embracing the lord. "I can't wait to introduce you to others!"
"Others?" Roy pulled away. "So, there are new fighters?"
"Smashers. We're called Smashers; all of us."
"...Smashers...interesting. How many?"
The two began walking out of the room, Roy letting the citizen of Altea lead. The Pherea ruler examined the mansion, finding it similar to the one he was housed before.
Marth mentally counted the number of new Smashers. "...fourteen to fifteen. Quite a few, but they are all relatively good. In fact, I want you to meet a few of them."
The lord nodded, "Who are they? Friends?"
"Yes, dear friends, like you." The prince bumped shoulders with the slightly shorter swordsman, a fond smile on his face.
~~~~~~~~MarthIkeMetaKnight~~~~~~~~
"Perhaps you should calm down..." Meta Knight said. The space captain shook his head.
"Oh, no, no Sire Meta Knight. I'm fine, but this is astounding! To think one of them would be above ground!" Olimar replied, the awe and joy in his voice. "I wonder what would cause such a thing? Every time I've encountered one they, sadly, remained underground." He walked around the small bulbmin. "Though he appears to be smaller than average…"
The creature in question was looking between Olimar and the people gathered around him. He curiously tilted his head, the leaf swaying with the motion.
"Awww...he's cute!" Pit exclaimed.
Link ruffled the angel's hair. "Of course you would think that..."
The Captain of the Royal Guards shrugged the other's hand off, though the smile told them he wasn't angry. "Knock it off..."
"Hello?"
Ike straightened up. "Hey! Over here!" He took a few steps past the shrubbery to wave over Marth.
And someone else.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Meta Knight said, eyes glancing at the stranger. "...Milord."
"Salutations!" The Captain of the Royal Guards declared a bright smile on his face. "Are you new? My name's Pit, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Marth smiled, as Roy smoothly replied. "Hello to you as well. I'm Roy of Pherea."
"Hey, Roy. Long time no see." The Hyrulian grinned, offering him a hand. The lord took it, smiling back at the blond swordsman.
"It has been a while. Glad to see you..."
The mercenary blinked. "Roy? As in, the Roy who couldn't make it to the party?"
The Pherea ruler looked at the prince who merely smiled. "Of course I would mention you."
"I see..." Roy nodded at the Smashers.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, My Lord, but I must attend to the plants." Olimar stated. "However, before I leave, may I make a request?"
"Of course, Olimar." Link answered.
"Would you please look after the bulbmin for me? Master Hand has a few requests that I need to fulfill and it would be nice to know he's looked after..."
Pit nodded, all smiles. "Why we would love to look after him!" Roy raised an eyebrow at that.
It was rather presumptuous of the angel to assume he would aid in watching the strange creature. The Pherea ruler glanced at this 'bulbmin'. It was looking up at him.
A little unnerving.
The angel gently held a white pikmin. "Would it be fine, if this guy stayed too? I like him!"
The Hocotate Freight employee shook his head, "She can stay. Besides, I think she likes you." He chuckled as Pit uttered a heartfelt apology to the white pikmin. "Thank you, I shouldn't be too long..."
Ike looked at Roy. "So...visiting?"
"Yes."
Pit practically skipped over to them, after seeing Olimar off. "That's great! Maybe we could have a match together!"
"I'm not officially apart of the tournament, so any matches would be for practice." The lord replied.
"That's fine. I'm always up for a fight! If I fight others with different styles, I'll be better prepared for Medusa and any evil plans she will have!"
Meta Knight chuckled softly. "If Your Highness and Milord are not busy, will you join us for some time?"
Roy followed suit, but saw something in some of the bushes. What was that? He kept pace with the others, as they walked deeper into the Garden. The lord was astounded by the multitude of plants and flora that dotted the land, giving a welcoming aura and a sense of tranquility. Whoever had designed it was very skilled and had an eye for detail. He situated himself on the ground between Marth and Pit; who was still holding that white creature. Ike, Link, and Meta Knight sat opposite of the three, completing their makeshift circle. The one they were supposed to be watching was wiggling his way out of the Hyrulian hero's hands. The mercenary let the bulbim go without question. He stumbled; making a small noise that Roy had to admit was kind of cute.
"You alright?" The native of Crimea asked, aiding the bulbim in standing back up. He chirped(?) and skittered over to Meta Knight, pausing just in front of the puffball. Humorously, they stared at each other.
Roy muffled a laugh, before clearing his throat, "I'm afraid we weren't introduced properly." He nodded towards Ike and Meta Knight.
"I'm Ike. And that's Meta Knight."
The Star Warrior's gaze settled on the lord. "My apologies, Milord."
"None are necessary, Sire Knight." Roy replied smoothly. "...I do believe he likes you."
Meta Knight looked back at the bulbmin, surprised to feel it nuzzle his hand. "...so it would seem..."
"Hey…!" Ike exclaimed, feeling something collided into his back. Marth leaned back to see four pikmin pulling themselves up after the crash. He smiled, helping a yellow one up. A blue one ran forward to the bulbmin, tapping him on his hind end. He didn't appreciate it and smacked the blue pikmin.
She made a noise and backed away. The swordsmen watched as the red pikmin smacked the bulbmin back, his bud bouncing a little after the attack. Another noise of pain and the bulbmin huddled behind Meta Knight.
"Hey..." Ike poked the red pikmin, who retailed, hitting the mercenary on the hand. "Stop that! It's a misunderstanding. You just surprised the little guy."
Link had held onto the yellow pikmin, keeping him from attacking the bulbmin as well. The purple pikmin was talking to the white one in their strange language. Pit was frowning. "That's not very nice of you..."
Roy couldn't believe this. Out of all the possible scenarios he'd pictured, this was by far the most unexpected one. He held out his hand. "Come here...Your bud looks a little frail. Another attack would render it gone, so it would be best to not attempt another confrontation."
The blue pikmin was now preoccupied with Marth, who was letting her play with one of his gloves he'd taken off. The purple pikmin was sitting now, back resting against Ike's knee who was staring at the pink flower. "...are pikmin like pokemon?"
"You mean like Bulbasaur?" The Hyrulian asked, playfully setting his cap onto of the yellow pikmin. He squealed, not out of fear, but amusement.
Roy pulled the red pikmin to him, though the small creature tried to avoid his grasp. "Hold still. Otherwise you're going to make your bud fall yourself..."
That stilled him. The red pikmin turned, sullenly, to look at the lord. "...it's a pikmin?"
"Yeah," the angel answered. He was leaning back on his hands, a leg bouncing up and down, letting the white pikmin bounce on it. Roy recalled his father letting him sit on his leg and he would bounce him up and down as well. He smiled at the memory.
"That's what Olimar calls them. He says they reminded him of pikpik carrots."
The Pherea ruler's brow furrowed. "What are pikpik carrots?"
"We don't know." The Hyrulain answered. "He didn't explain that, but I guess they look like these guys."
"I believe that is a safe assumption." Meta Knight spoke up. The bulbmin was lying next to the knight; eyes drifting close as the puffball gently petted his head. "As to your question Ike, I would not assume so. We do not know the antonym of either species and drawing such a comparison would be reckless."
The lord nodded. It was clear that the knight had experience and wisdom. How old was he? Roy observed the puffball.
Meta Knight didn't contribute a lot to the conversation, keeping mostly to himself. However, he'd cover the bulbmin with his cape, and a hand remained on top of the creature's head.
The lord made a mental note to spar with the knight. Like Pit had stated it was a good idea to train with others, learn techniques, strategies, to aid in the future. Roy felt that Meta Knight would be able to pass on much knowledge. Speaking of Pit...
The Captain of the Royal Guards was animatedly waving his hands in the air. The white pikmin was no longer on his leg but somehow was now in his hair. He was holding on tightly, as Pit shook his head at Link's teasing. The angel was young in appearance, and acted like a teen that'd yet seen battle. But what he'd said before signified he was experience in the art of war. Roy felt a tightening in his chest. Pit looked too innocent to be caught up in bloodshed and death. It didn't feel right, but when was war ever right? Still, the Pherea ruler admired the angel's attitude and loyalty to his duty.
"So, what...they're like walking vegetables?" Ike questioned.
Marth smiled, laughing. Link shook his head, "You're still on that?"
The mercenary shrugged. "I haven't gotten an answer." The purple pikmin pulled Ike's cape around him and closed his eyes, very intent on taking a nap apparently.
Ike was honest, Roy concluded. Bluntly honest. It was actually refreshing. While he and Marth had become friends, the lord knew it took almost half a year before they were completely honest with each other. He sighed. Every word, every sentence, was always scrutinized when one was in a position of power. The wrong tone could land a county into a war they weren't prepared for, leading to devastation, loss, and grief.
"Roy?"
The lord smiled. "No, Marth. I don't mind sparing later. Is Falco in attendance?"
The prince rolled his eyes, though a smile played on his lips. Roy always had the uncanny ability to follow the conversation and strategize three steps ahead each with two different possibilities. "Yes, he is. I'm sure he still wants pay back for last tournament."
"Last tournament?" Pit echoed, his eyes already alit with amusement. "What happened?"
"Near the end of the tournament there was one final One-on-One Stock to determine the winner of it." Link explained. The yellow pikmin had happily made the green hat a sleeping bag. Roy could see his feet swaying underneath the material. Why did the pikmin have to be cute? He glanced at the one in his lap. The red pikmin had resigned himself to remaining in the lord's lap for the time being. His bud lazily swayed to the song he was singing softly.
As the Hyrulian hero retold the story, Roy leaned over to Marth. "They're good people, no doubt."
FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS! THIS WAS A PAIN!
I seriously went through dozens (okay like five or six) variations with Roy visiting. And truthfully this isn't what I wanted. But, Roy isn't a fiery youth, who's hot headed and rash and all that other stuff. He's actually perceptive, cunning, thoughtful, etc (according to the FE wiki). Ugh…and from that I couldn't see him running around and accusing Ike as replacing him…or something along those lines. I'm not even sure if this is good, but I'm too tired to really care.
On another note, Roy's artwork for FE: Awakening (aka FE: Kakusei) looks awesome!
Bulbmin are from Pikmin 2. I'm too tired to add anything...you can always google it if you're curious...
Later...I'm going to get sleep...
ZeroGravityDog
