Second Last! I'm actually going to do it, folks! :D


"I got him!" Someone pulled Marth to his feet. Warm arms encircled his waist, holding him up.

"He's cold as ice," a female voice said, "but he's alive."

"There's someone else! C'mon, help me dig him out."

"Got him! But the blasted tree is in the way. Gotta move it.""Here. Now push!"

"Hurry! They'll both freeze if we don't get inside soon!"

"We're going! Come on. Let's head back."

He felt himself being pulled. He stumbled.

"Hey! I think he hurt his leg! Come on, help me carry him!"

A hand pulled his arm across a pair of slim shoulders, clad in fur. "I've got him. C'mon. We have to get back."...

He was lying, surrounded by warmth. Soft blankets covered him.

"Drink this, Marth," a soft voice said, wrapping his hands around a warm cup. Female hands with long fingers covered his and guided the cup to his mouth.

Something warm and bitter slipped down his throat, warming his chest. Warmth spread through his arms and down his right leg. Why couldn't he feel his left?

The pillow he leaned on was lowered, and he slipped into sleep.

He turned in scalding heat. The next minute, the heat disappeared, and he shivered. Someone laid a hand on his forehead. He heard a shout, then another cup of bitter, herbal-tasting drink was held to his mouth. He drank, and the temperature returned to something more comfortable. He relaxed once more.

The piano was playing softly when Marth regained consciousness. His left leg ached, but his head felt much clearer. He decided to open his eyes.

The room was dim, but the light of a candle flickered against the walls. The piano continued to play that naggingly familiar song. Someone softly hummed a melody.

Marth sat up slowly, feeling his cramped muscles complain. He propped himself up on his left arm. His other arm felt weak, and he was sure that it would hurt if he leaned on it.

The person playing the piano was female. She was wearing a long purple dress, gauzy lilac sleeves trailing down from her shoulders. Brown hair was braided, hanging down her back.

A priestess...

Marth thought. Of... Melodia. I must be at the Sanctuary.

The song ended, and the woman turned around. A delighted smile crossed her face when she saw him.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"A... lot better than I thought I would," Marth said. "I thought... I thought that I was going to die. Was it you who found me?" He looked at her. Her face was familiar. "You're... Lady Bethany, right?"

She smiled, clapped her hands. "That's me," she said. "But, please - just Bethany."

Marth nodded. Then he asked again. "Was it you who found me?"

Bethany got to her feet, walked over to sit on the edge of his bed. "For that you have Mimi to thank. If she hadn't Seen that you all were trapped by the snowstorm, you'd still be there. And if you hadn't moved that tree just as we were passing, we wouldn't have known you were there." She smiled gently. "You're very strong. You were already mostly frozen when we found you." She leaned over, picked up a pillow from the floor. "Here," she said, putting it on top of the one he already had. "Lean back. Your muscles are still recovering."

Marth leaned back. He asked, "Thank you... Bethany. Please... Is Nana alright?"

"The little girl?" Bethany asked. She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Nana's just fine. She's a tough little girl. Once we gave her the right medicine, she was up and about within a day or two. You and Ike got the worst of it. Everyone else is doing well."

"Ike. How is he?" Marth asked.

Bethany's face fell. "He's not doing so well. His fever hasn't broken yet." She smiled again. "But we've got our Chief Healer with him, and Healer Scalla's never lost a patient."

"Healer Scalla?"

"Yeah," Bethany said. "She's the most talented Healer here. She made Nana's medicine, and yours, too. You're lucky she was there. You almost died. She's going to come and look in on you later today, to see how your leg is doing. Your left leg got the worst of it... it's bruised and it was frozen, and you almost tore a muscle. It'll be a few days before you can walk."

Marth nodded. "How's Roy?"

"Roy? He's okay," Bethany said. "He'd used up every scrap of magic he has trying to keep them all warm, so he gets a lot of headaches and tires more easily. But he'll be fine. Healer Scalla got so annoyed at him that she dumped a potion over his head yesterday."

Marth smiled. Just like Roy. "Good," he said. "Is he around?"

Bethany nodded. "It's the middle of the day. He told me to tell him the moment you woke up. He should be eating lunch about now. Want me to go get him?"

"Please," Marth said.

Bethany smiled. "I'm on it. D'you want something to eat, while I'm there? Are you hungry?"

Marth's stomach growled loudly. Bethany laughed. "I'd say that answers my question. I'll be back in just a minute with Roy and lunch. You stay right there." She disappeared out of the door.

Marth looked around. He was in someone's bedroom. There were curtains pulled down - there must be windows. It was small, with just enough room for the bed, a small bedside table, really just a tray on legs, the piano bench, and the piano itself. It was a dark wood, but it was slightly different than pianos he knew. And, where the craftsman's signature was supposed to go, there was the sign that had been on Young Link's pitch-pipe. The sign of Melodia? There was one lit candle sitting on the bedside table, just within arm's reach. The blanket that lay on top of him was dyed red. It was softer than wool, but not smooth as silk. There was a folded pair of breeches and a shirt under the bedside table, and his own clothes, also neatly folded, sitting on one end of the piano bench. Wait, if those were his clothes, what was he wearing?

He looked down at himself to see a white, short sleeved shirt, the kind the Bards wore under their tunics. He pulled the covers back further to see the dark-blue breeches, also of the bard's uniform.

The door was flung open, and Roy peered in. He grinned when he saw Marth, and walked inside. "Marth," he said, sitting down on the clear end of the piano bench, "You are an idiot."

"I know," Marth agreed. "Hey, Roy. It's good to see you, too."

Bethany walked into the room, carrying a tray. On it was a bowl of soup, a piece of bread, a cup of water, and another cup containing an unidentifiable green liquid. "Here's lunch," she said. "I know you're hungry, but Healer Scalla said to keep your first meal light, because it might not sit too well, if you know what I mean. Also, drink this afterwards. It'll speed up the healing. She says to lie or sit calmly, and I'm to tell Roy that if he does anything that excites you, Healer Scalla says he'll regret it." She set the tray on his lap. "I'll be back," she said. "I'm going for a walk."

"Thank you," Marth said, as she left.

Roy looked at the green liquid. "Ugh," he said. "Another of Scalla's concoctions."

"I heard you had a bit of a run-in with her," Marth said, smiling.

"The old lady got so annoyed when I wouldn't take her magic transfusion that she poured one of her herb juices all over me. I don't want to take magic from Zelda or any of the girls here who have it. I'll get my own magic back on my own. The stuff she gives me to speed it up is awful. Smells like old cheese on a bad day, tastes worse. You know her potion has mirich in it?"

"Wait," Marth said. "Isn't that supposed to be lethal?"

"'only in large doses', they said."

Marth laughed. He could just imagine Roy's reaction to that.

Roy, looking slightly vengeful, said, "And who knows what they're putting in yours? Could be even worse." He looked down at Marth's tray. "You should eat. You've been out for three days."

Marth nodded, and picked up his spoon. As he ate, Roy continued to talk, filling him in on the others in the group. Marth half-listened, until something caught his attention.

"... and Zelda and Peach and Melanie are fussing about planning. They keep trying to involve Samus, but she always just stands in the corner and plays her violin. She won't tell anyone what's bugging her. And Nana's ecstatic, because Zelda's letting her be flower girl..."

"Wait, what?" Marth sat straight up.

"Oh yeah, you were out when they decided, weren't you? Link and Zelda are getting married this summer. The moment they decided, Peach came along and swept Zelda away to plan. The whole Sanctuary is in an uproar about it."

Marth smiled. "A wedding. That'll cheer everyone up to no end."

"You bet," Roy said, smiling. "Link's probably the happiest person in the world. But he's going a little stir crazy, because Peach won't let Zelda tell him anything. Even now, she's being fitted for her wedding dress, and Link's sitting on the stairs, playing the ocarina. Want me to get him?"

"Sure," Marth said.

Roy darted out the door. A minute later, he was back, with Link in tow.

Link really did look like the happiest person in the world. His grin stretched across his face, and he had a spring in his step. Marth couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, Link," Marth said.

"Hi, Marth," Link said. "Are you feeling alright?"

Marth nodded. "I'm getting better."

"Good," said Link.

"I heard the news from Roy," said Marth. "Congratulations."

Link grinned again. "I'm getting married!"

"What's the day again?" Roy asked.

"July the sixteenth," Link said.

"Well," Marth joked, "Hopefully, I'll be out of bed by then."

Roy grinned. Link's expression didn't change. He had already been grinning.

Another priestess rushed in. "Link," she said. "Come with me a minute." She grabbed his arm and started to pull.

"Is something wrong?" Link's face became serious.

"Zelda just fainted. She's alright now, but I thought you ought to know."

"Where is she?" Link asked.

"The fitting room. It's down the kitchen hallway, third door from the right."

Link dashed out of the room without another word. The priestess stood there for a moment, slightly shocked, then smiled.

"Wow," she said. "Princess Zelda's one lucky lady, to be marrying a guy who cares about her that much." She ran out of the room after him.

"And the fun goes on," Roy said, grinning.

"Is Zelda alright?" Marth asked.

"She's fine," Roy said. "This has already happened twice. The crazy old bat says it's nerves, and running around all over the place when she should be recuperating. In ten minutes, she'll be back to normal." He pointed to the herb drink. "It might taste terrible, but you should drink it."

Marth nodded picked up the cup, and drained it. He grimaced.

Roy grinned. "Terrible, aren't they?"

Marth immediately began to feel tired. He yawned.

"You should get some more sleep," Roy said. "I'll go back to trying to entertain Link so he doesn't go nuts. Get Bethany to tell me when you're awake again, will you?"

Marth nodded. As Roy left the room, Marth leaned back and closed his eyes.

The next day, he was told that Ike was beginning to recover.

"He'll be just fine," Bethany said. "His fever has broken, and he's woken up. He should be up and about around the same time as you." She smiled infuriatingly, and put another herbal drink in his hand. "The more you sleep, the faster you'll be better."

Marth groaned and took it from her. He was tired of sleeping.

Over the next few days, he began to sleep less. When he was awake, Bethany kept him company, bringing Roy whenever she deemed him awake enough, finding him books to read or playing the piano for him when he wasn't. Finally, Bethany told him he was ready to walk.

"Healer Scalla says today you should start walking. Actually, today she said you should have started walking yesterday, but yesterday she said by no account were you to get out of bed." Bethany laughed. "When she gets like that, the only thing I can do is smile and say 'yes, mother'."

"Mother?" Marth asked.

"Yeah," Bethany said. "She's my mother." She shrugged. "C'mon, Marth. Up you get." She pulled his covers back and helped him to his feet. His leg ached, but he could stand.

"Here," said Bethany. "Lean on my shoulder. Take some of the pressure off of your leg."

Marth did so, and the pain receded.

"Where do you want to go?" Bethany asked.

"Can I go to the main hall?"

Bethany nodded. "The instrument hall? Alright. Let's go." She looked down at his bare feet. "But maybe you'd like some socks. The floor, where it's not carpeted, is very cold." She handed him his socks. The hole in the toe of the left sock had been sewn up. Marth put them on.

"Alright, let's go," Bethany said. Marth put his weight on the hand that rested on Bethany's shoulder. He lifted a foot and took a step. Then another. A smile grew on his face. Finally, he was on his feet again. He felt pretty weak, though. He'd have to spar with Roy and Link a few thousand times to get his strength back up, once he recovered the rest of the way.

"Think you can make it?" Bethany asked.

Marth nodded. Bethany grinned, and the two started off.

Leaning on Bethany, Marth walked down a short set of stairs and into a hallway. Priestesses rushing through the hall called out, waving to the two of them. Marth was shocked at how many of them knew his name. A moment later, Peach ran by, carrying a bunch of paper. She looked exited and cheerful. She ran right by before stopping and coming back to Marth.

"Hi Marth," Peach said, smiling. "Feeling better? I'm glad you're on your feet." She greeted Bethany, then ran on.

"It's just through here," Bethany said. She opened a door, and the two went through.

Link was sitting on the steps that led to the door they had just come through. He was playing a song on his Ocarina with his eyes closed, still smiling. Samus was standing in the corner, weaving a sweet, sad melody on her violin.

"Why don't you sit down?" Bethany suggested. "I'll go get Roy and tell him you're on your feet."

"Alright," said Marth. Bethany helped him to the piano bench, where he sat down. He closed his eyes and started to play, feeling all his frustration at being stuck in bed disappear.

He heard Bethany say something, then her footsteps retreated.

Beth almost couldn't bear to leave. The song Marth was playing on the piano was amazingly beautiful, filled with joy. As all priestesses did, Beth responded to music, and now her heart was bubbling over. The worry she had felt for him was eased. Marth would be okay.

He was one of the best piano players she had ever heard. The emotion he could create with the keys was something beyond her abilities, and even perhaps those of the man who taught her to play piano.

An image drifted into her head, of the two of them playing a duet together. She laughed a little. I wish, she thought.

Then she raced down the hallway to get Roy, hoping he would still be playing when she returned.

Samus raised her eyes from the strings of her violin when she heard the door open. Ike walked into the room, looking thinner and a bit worn. A priestess in a healer's robes walked beside him. But he was alive, and he was walking.

Samus put down her violin. Ike looked over, saw her, and smiled. "Hey, Samus," he said.

Samus raced across the room to him. "You're alive," she said.

"That's right," Ike said. "You think a little snow is going to do me in?"

"That was more than a little snow," said Samus. "You almost died!"

"But I didn't die," Ike said, smiling.

Samus hugged him, pulling him close. The listless unhappiness that had affected her was replaced with joy. "I'm glad you're alright."

Ike hugged her back. Warmth spread through her. "I think I'd like to take you up on your offer now," she said. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Ike said. He turned to the priestess. "I'd like to talk to my friend alone, if that's alright."

The girl nodded and left.

"Come on," said Samus. "We can talk over this way." The two walked into a small room just off the larger one.

Ike sat down on a chair, and Samus sat down beside him.

"So, what is it?" Ike asked.

The whole group stayed in Melodia's sanctuary for the winter. The freak storm had started off a winter filled with snow. Bethany showed Marth around, and learned the techniques from her mother about how to bring his leg back up to it's best. Preparations for Link and Zelda's wedding went right on schedule, now including Samus. When she wasn't helping Zelda and Peach, she was spending time with Ike. The two were practically inseparable, come Yule.

The Yule celebration was a thing of beauty. Everywhere you looked, there were decorations, there was delicious food, and someone was singing or playing an instrument. About two weeks beforehand, Bethany shyly asked Marth to play a duet with her for the annual Yuletide performance. Marth accepted, and the two spent hours practising together.

"Beth, you missed the key change on page three," Marth said.

Beth laughed. "Right," she said. "That's why that sounded so bad. Okay. Shall we start from four bars before, then?"

Marth nodded. "I'll count us in," he said. "One, two, three, four."

Marth continued to recover at a surprising pace. He and Ike duelled to keep up their strength, then they became strong enough to duel with the others. He noticed that Bethany seemed to enjoy watching them fight.

Bethany herself seemed to be happy. Marth grew to enjoy her company, and she always seemed to be glad to spend time with him. Sometimes she acted oddly, but all women were strange sometimes.

It seemed like they had been at the sanctuary forever, when it came time to leave. They had packed up the things they had, and were saying goodbye to the friends they had made.

"Beth," said Marth, smiling. "Thank you so much for everything."

Beth blushed. "It's nothing..."

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?" Marth asked.

"There is... one thing..." Beth said quietly, as if she had half-wanted him to miss her words.

"What's that?"

"Hear me out, please," Beth said. "Over the time I've known you, you've become a really amazing friend. And I wanted to say..." her face became red. "Umm... well..." she looked around, desperately trying to find some distraction. She looked like she wished she hadn't said anything at all.

"If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to," said Marth.

She smiled slightly. "Thanks," she said, blushing even more. "Maybe someday I'll be brave enough." She looked at the clock. "Oh! Look at the time. I've got to go. I've got, uh... kitchen duty!" She fled the room.

Marth watched her run, baffled. What had just happened?

He picked up his bag and went to join the others as they left.


:D ONE MORE! And that's the epilogue. Thanks a lot for reading this, and I hope you REVIEW!