(MarthRoy)
Authors: Xan and Vallen
Rating: R
Warnings: One thing… Or, lot's of things: This is a story with yaoi/shounen
ai/slash, whatever you want to call it. If that sort of stuff isn't your thing,
then don't read it. But, we hope that you do…
Disclaimer: The characters Marth and Roy, plus "Altea", do not belong to us. We
just use them for our pleasure.
Feedback: Yes. (That means we would love to hear from you and what you think!)
Notes: Xan: Well, this is the chapter for all of you who wanted more "Marth and
Roy together time." Here it is, an
entire chapter of nothing but them and well… Them. Enjoy!
Vallen: Alright, it wasn't that long between chapters, was it? Oh, and I have to say that we absolutely loved all your reviews… So many! ^^ Happy reading! … ps. Xan gets to do the "thank you"'s this time…
Thanks to: Asudem (Yai, crying? Wow, I guess that means that we've really written this well! *cheers* Yes, more Marth and Roy together time!), The Inflammable Shoopuf (I'm afraid there aren't many Trave fans out there to be mobbed by… Just me, Vallen and I think one other person…), turquoisefox (Cornelius… *makes a face* Yuck. Yay, you have high standards for us! Let's hope we keep living up to them… And no, I've never seen the Fire Emblem series. I just wrote him how I thought he'd be. Scary!), Sneasel (YES! I KNEW somebody else liked Trave besides me'n Vallen! I think he was cool! And a blast to write. It's not often you get to write pure evil. ^_^ And thanks for the compliment on the picture! Vallen made that, so all the credit belongs to her. And more thanks for the mention on your deadjournal! We felt so appreciated!), tikimoof (Who knows? But thanks for reviewing this one!), Darkwulfe (*blinks* Fluffiness? I don't know if we can do fluffiness… but we can try! And we update as much as I can!), dani and the voices (A few simple words of advice for you, my friend: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!), RcA (eeh. So we have Trave lovers and Trave haters. Oh well, dun worry about it. He's quite dead and we have no plans on resurrecting him! And you'll just have to see…), Li Kayun (Ack, I didn't realize that Trave was around for so long until you pointed it out. Whoops. But yes, we are taking things slow for a reason. It adds to the story, doncha think? And we won't quite get to saving the kingdom yet… Too many other things to do. It's a long fic, so there's plenty of time for all that. ^_^), Sakuragirl02 (Bwahahaha! Yes, pressure! But here it is, so be happy!), Kanashimi Ame (Thank you! Keep reading, it'll only get better! Hopefully anyways…), dragyn-chan (We've hooked another one! *looks like an insane fisherman* Thanks for the compliment! A few people have complained that we're taking TOO long… But there WILL be more later, I promise!), LiL PriNCeSs Me (*sly look* What did you think we were gonna do? Have we done it? I'm kinda interested now in what you thought… Do tell!), Yoshimars (Where did all the fluff requests come from? I didn't think this was a fluffy fic… Maybe it depends on your defination of fluff… Anyways, I hope this chapter is good enough for you!), HOBO-Jo (Gnarly! I love it! Thanks!), Evil Anime Chick (*blinks* "Sweaty hot wild swordie sex???" Okay then! We'll do the best we can!), LilFilipinoGurl aka Fuzion (Thank you for making an exception for our li'l fic!), Just a random person (Everybody likes Roy better! But that's cool. That means I get Marth-chan all to myself! *huggles Marth* Thanks!), A. Person (Oh trust me, you'll be seeing quite a bit more of Marth and Roy. This fic is NOT ending any time soon!), Spectrum (Many, many thanks! We really loved your feedback! And you'll just have to see…), Unproductivity (Gods, I nearly shrieked when I read your review! We LOVE Mercedes Lackey and Magic's Pawn is the BEST! Vanyel-chan! *glomps him* I've never tried my hand at Mercedes Lackey fanfiction, but I think Vallen did once… Maybe I should…)
Roy woke up shivering, but not as hard as he had been before he had gone to sleep. Perhaps it was because of the body heat eminating from the young man lying beside him.
'What?!' Warning signs went off in his head and he let go of the ex-prince's arm, which he had been hugging.
The teen moved away quickly to hide behind the other side of the tree that they had been sleeping under. He felt his face grow hot and he sat there, mind racing.
Marth made a sleepy noise and rolled over onto his side. He opened his eyes and saw Roy sitting a little ways away, his face flushed. He wondered briefly what could have made Roy embarrassed, but dismissed it. Whatever it was, it wasn't any of his business.
The exiled Prince stood up and ran his fingers through his already tousled blue hair. It was getting long- if he didn't cut it soon, it would reach his shoulders.
"Take off your shirt," he said, turning to Roy.
The General looked at him incredulously, wrapping his arms protectively over his chest.
"W-what?" His face turned an even darker shade of red.
Marth merely looked at him.
"I'm going to go exchange these clothes for something less obvious," he walked over to his horse and untied him. "I'd ask you for your pants as well, but I have a feeling you wouldn't enjoy sitting around here naked until I got back."
Roy got up unsteadily, leaning on the tree. He had relaxed some and his cheeks returned to their normal color.
"You mean you're leaving?"
"Just for the day. We need new clothes- these aren't warm enough for winter and they're not exactly discreet," Marth took a pin from his hair and freed himself from the golden shackles that bound his wrists. Luckily, they had not impeded his movement so far, being so loose, but it would be a bad idea to wear them amongst people. He let them fall to the ground with distaste. The collar was another problem, one that Marth was currently unable to do anything about. The lock needed a key to open and that key was far away from where they were. Marth tossed the pin to Roy to allow him to free himself as well and then grabbed his body armor. It would hopefully hide the collar and prevent people from asking too many questions.
"I'll exchange our clothes and shackles for more suitable ones, buy a little food and some bandages," Marth swung himself up on his grey stallion after putting his own exchangable items in a pack. He held a hand out for Roy's. "I"ll be back as soon as I can."
Roy took the pin in his hand and removed his shackles and shirt, handing them to Marth. The ex-prince put them in his pack and galloped away with a wordless goodbye.
The former General let out a sigh and sank back down to the ground. It hurt to put his full weight on both legs, so he opted to sit for the most part. But he ignored his bodily aches and confronted those of the soul.
'What's happening to me? I slept near him for warmth, that's all… But why was I so flustered?' He clenched a fist and laid down, suddenly feeling tired again. 'Dammit, just ignore it…'
Marth rode out of the woods and emerged onto a large, grassy meadow. He could tell from the amount of wear on the path that he found cutting through the tall grass that there was a village nearby. One large enough to at least have a trading post of some kind… Sure enough, once he followed the path, he came upon a small village.
It was little more than a small street with a few dwellings and stores on either side, along with an inn. He looked around and saw a small shop that claimed to sell and trade for a large assortment of goods. He put the horse in the small stable and went inside.
The interior of the store was rather cramped, but clean and altogether well kept. Marth closed his eyes for a moment and concentrated on making himself as un-memorable as possible. But in a place this small, the news of any stranger would spread quickly. He walked over to the counter and placed the bundle with their clothes and shackles on it.
"I need to know how much I can get for these," he said in his quiet, commanding voice. "I need two sets of winter clothing, one for a large boy and another for a man about my size. I also need several yards of bandages."
The shopkeeper didn't look fazed at all by Marth's requests, but he did keep glancing up at the blue-haired man. When he opened the bundle, his eyes widened, but he kept his shock to a minimum.
"These will more than cover the price of the clothes and bandages," the shopkeeper said, calculating quickly in his mind. "But perhaps I can interest you in some of our other items…"
"I'd like that knife," Marth said, eyeing the hunting knife on the wall behind the counter. The shopkeeper took it down for him, applauding Marth's decision.
"Excellent choice, sir. Very sharp and not a fault on it. Is there anything else that I can get for you?"
"That will be all," Marth said firmly.
The shopkeeper hid his disappointment and got the items that Marth had requested and gave him the change- several gold pieces.
"Are you sure that's all I can do for you sir?" The shopkeeper asked, still hopeful that Marth would change his mind. The ex-prince shook his head and silently walked out with his purchases.
After leaving the shop, he went to the tavern and bought as much bread as he could with the change from the shop. It came out to several good-sized loaves, ensuring that he and Roy wouldn't go hungry, at least not for a while.
It didn't take long to get all the items needed and Marth was soon riding back to the clearing.
Roy awoke to the sound of hoofbeats and opened his eyes slowly. He moaned groggily and moved a bit to look in the direction that the horse was coming from. His body felt unbelievably sore and the longing for food had grown worse, seeing as he had eaten nothing for the past few weeks.
He saw Marth astride the big, grey stallion, carrying a bundle of what he hoped to be clothes and food. The wind and picked up, the dropping temperature an omnipresent reminder of the oncoming winter.
Then there was the matter of his leg wound. It would heal, but would hinder their travel for a while. Maybe Marth had brought him bandages as well.
Marth dismounted and tied up the stormy grey next to Roy's black mare. He felt Roy's eyes on him as he turned and walked over to where he was lying. The ex-Prince kneeled down next to Roy and placed the bundle between them, pulling out each item in turn. The clothing, bandages, bread and knife were revealed, to Roy's secret delight. He wanted to eat the bread right then and there, but Marth's voice stopped him.
"Uncover your wound,"
Roy complied, knowing that it was, at least for the moment, more important than his growling stomach.
Marth studied the raw, red wound. Roy knew enough about injuries from the battlefield to dress it properly so it wasn't infected, but it did need to be rebandaged. Luckily, Marth had gotten more than enough and knew some healing himself. He rewrapped Roy's wound neatly enough to satisfy even a real Healer. Once that was done, he handed Roy the smaller set of winter clothing.
"For you," he said quietly. "They should be warmer…"
"Thanks," Roy replied gruffly and pulled the neutral-colored long-sleeved shirt on. Over that he put on a dark red tunic that had shorter sleeves than the shirt. Then, being extra careful of his wound, he pulled on a pair of black breeches and sat back against the tree.
"When do we leave?"
"As soon as you're healed enough to ride effectively," Marth answered, pulling on his own clothes- a dark grey long-sleeved shirt with a dark blue tunic over and black breeches, all similar to Roy's. He picked up a loaf of bread and handed it to Roy, nibbling on another one himself.
"I'm going to try to find some game. Can you build a fire?" He asked.
"I can ride effectively!" The teen protested, eating the fresh bread in a hurry. "I just don't want to sit around here, idle!"
Roy stood again and glared at Marth, looking him straight in the eye.
"This is not a camp-out, but if you must have a fire, then I'll make one." He growled. With that, he marched off as seriously as he could in search of dry wood.
Marth ignored Roy's harsh words and concentrated on placing the remaining half of his loaf back in the bundle for later. He wasn't ever bothered by the cold and never had been, but something told him that the temperature was going to drop dramatically during the night and unless they had a fire, Roy would freeze.
…Not that the boy-General's pride would ever let him admit as much, Marth thought as he stood up. He would probably die before he admitted a weakness. He had the character more befitting of a Prince, not Marth. Again, Roy's question, "Do you live for yourself or for your country?" echoed in Marth's mind and he set his face into the icy mask again. He would not answer the question until he was absolutely sure of his reply and believed it with all his heart.
He grabbed the hunting knife and sword and vanished into the woods on foot.
Roy stumbled through the woods angrily, picking up strips of wood and branches as he went until his arms were full.
'He is not my nanny… I am perfectly capable of doing things for myself! He thought furiously.
The clearing where the ex-Prince and General had decided to settle was empty aside from the horses, indicating that Marth had left again. Roy gathered a few stones, made a ring and, with a piece of flint, set to work on building a fire.
Marth returned a short while later with a skinned rabbit. Roy had a blazing fire going already, which was lucky, as it had gotten much colder when the sun had set. He stepped back into the clearing, noticing the scowl on Roy's face. Marth sighed inwardly. He was somewhat used to his companion's moodiness, but it was still not pleasant to be the brunt of all his anger.
The young teen stayed silent, brooding deeply within his mind. He sat close to the fire, rubbing his cold hands in an attempt to keep them warm. Marth walked over and speared the rabbit on a sharp stick. He then constructed a sort of spit over the fire and set about roasting the rabbit. They split and ate it, savoring the much-needed nutrition. Roy didn't notice Marth subtley giving him most of it.
When they were finished, the exiled Prince sat a little ways away from both Roy and the fire with his knees pulled to his chest and his chin resting upon them, staring into the fire, face expressionless. Roy looked at him scornfully once before curling up and going to to sleep.
The next morning was bright, making the frost upon the plants and the ground shimmer. The auburn-haired teen shook his head and moved around to try to get his blood circulating. He stood stiffly and walked slowly around the camp, then to his stolen black horse, absently making himself busy with adjusting the tack.
"Highness," Roy said automatically, waking Marth from his light doze. "I can prove you wrong. I can ride effectively and I think that it's best that we keep moving… Winters are harsh and I have seen too many of them turn deadly."
Marth stared inwardly at Roy's abrupt change of personality, but said nothing outwardly. Wordlessly, he looked around the camp. Roy had already disposed of their debris and it looked almost exactly as it had had when they had arrived. The blue-haired man got to his feet and walked over to his own grey horse.
"I've told you, there's no point in calling me that. I'm no longer royal." He said, adjusting the grey's bridle. "And I never meant that you couldn't ride well. I wouldn't insult you like that. I was merely concerned for your injury, but you look like it's fine."
Marth picked up one of the two bundles and swung himself up onto the back of the horse that he had dubbed "Cloud" and looked over at Roy.
Roy shook his head to clear it, waking up a bit more. He had reverted back to General-speech, as if he were talking to one of his own men. But this was not a battle like the one last winter. He was here with his exiled Prince in a forest loacated somewhere very far away from the castle with very little supplies. The teen grabbed the other bundle and hoisted himself up onto the mare's back.
"I apologize. I'm not comfortable with calling you by your first name," Roy muttered grouchily, pressing his horse forward, closer to Marth's.
Marth shrugged and urged Cloud through the trees.
"It doesn't matter what you desire to address me as, but a royal title is pointless and dangerous. People may hear and get suspicious."
The trees broke abruptly and they emerged into the great, grassy field that Marth had traveled through the day before. The blue-haired young man halted his horse as he realized something that he had previously forgotten about. He turned to Roy's questioning gaze and motioned to his neck.
"Collars."
He said only that one word before turning his horse and setting off at a canter towards the village.
Roy followed right behind the big grey, seeing as Marth knew the way to the village. He had forgotten about the rich metal bound around his neck in all the time that they had been free.
The two young men reached the small village and Roy pulled up alongside Marth. He looked around the sparely populated area and smelt the odor of steaming metal.
"Over there…" He said quietly, pointing to the blacksmith's shop.
The blue haired man nodded and dismounted, walking into the small shop. Roy followed at a slower pace and saw the blacksmith, hard at work over the fire.
Sweat dripped down the middle-aged man's face as he labored over the makings of a sword. He was black and silver-haired and his dark brown eyes flicked over to the two travelers in his doorway. He dipped the sword in a tub of water, and watched it hiss and steam before setting it down. He approached them, taking off his gloves.
"May I help you two?"
Marth looked at the man evenly and the smith started inwardly. Two pairs of identical blue eyes were looking at him from the faces of the man and the boy. The man's were cold and hard, more so than any statue. The boy's were wild and flashing, as burning as the fire in his forge. But the smith was a clever man and he knew better than to reveal his surprise.
"We need to get these removed," Marth pulled down the collar to reveal the sapphire-studded collar around his throat. "And we're willing to pay to ensure your silence."
The smith studied them. Could they be escaped prisoners? No, with collars and faces like that, they were more likely runaway pleasure slaves. It didn't matter either way- they didn't look like people he cared to fool with.
"Certainly. Right this way," he led them into his forge.
Marth and Roy followed behind the smith to the rear of the building. He paused to select a few tools and led them to the anvil where he crafted his wares.
"You first," he said, turning to Marth.
Wordlessly, the ex-Prince nodded and removed his shirt and armor. He walked over and placed his head on the anvil. The heat from the fire and apprehension made beads of sweat form on his brow. As the smith raised his hammer, he closed his eyes and prayed to every god he knew.
After the first nerve-shattering blow, the procedure wasn't so bad. There was an ear-splitting shriek of metal against metal as the collar was filed to allow it to be removed. Finally, there was a clatter as the collar slipped off and fell to the floor. Marth straightened up, fixing the icy mask in place before Roy or the smith could see his combined anxiety and relief.
The smith bent down and picked up the collar.
"Shall I dispose of this?" He asked, thinking of the high price the jewels would fetch at a market. Marth took it from him.
"No, I'll keep it. To help me remember. Here," he handed the smith some coins out of his bundle and walked out.
Marth walked out into the cold over to where the horses were tied. There was something about the heat of the forge that made him feel like he was being squeezed and that he couldn't breathe. Being out in the cold of the approaching winter brought welcome relief to his lungs and skin. He closed his eyes and let the cold embrace him.
Roy watched Marth leave for a moment, then turned back to the fire. A tremor ran through his body and he struggled to keep the smith from noticing the shiver. After a gesture from the man, he knelt down, removed his shirt and placed his head on the anvil exactly as the ex-Prince had.
The heat from the intense fire was overwhelming, yet it did not bring sweat from his body. It was soothing and the feeling it brought was so deep that it almost distracted him from the force of the blacksmith's hammer on the collar. Soon, it fell away and he lay there moments after, basking in the heat with his eyes half-closed.
"…Sir?" Came the deep voice hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
Roy jumped awake, changing his position so that he kneeled on the floor, catching his breath and breaking away from the daze. He shook his head and stood,
"Fine," the teen answered curtly. "And you can keep the damn collar."
The man could only watch, slightly confused as the auburn-haired teen walked stiffly out of his shop.
TBC…
Vallen: *glares at Xan* You typed too much! Now you're spoiling them! *laughs nervously* Eh… I'm sure you guys don't mind…
Xan: *sticks her tongue out at Vallen* Haven't you ever heard of the phrase "Give the people what they want"? Of COURSE they don't mind! They love it! Bwahaha! Of course, this means we can't post another one for a while, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, isn't it?