Disclaimer:

I'm sure the original creators of Marth and Roy never intended anything like this to happen, so there's probably no confusion as to who actually owns them. :D

Author's note:

Things actually happen in this chapter! Slowly, again, as always, but they happen none the less.

I have a feeling that this is the final chapter. It was always intended to be a short experiment, to see whether I could actually write fanfiction again, and shonen ai at that. If you could tell me whether I've succeeded, I would be very grateful indeed.

I may write more in the future. But for now: I hope you enjoy what is, to all intents and purposes, the climax of this story. Roy and Marth are just made for each other. :D

"So where are we now?" Marth asked as they arrived at a small copse of trees a little way away from the track they'd been walking on. This was to be their resting place for the night, as dusk was once again approaching.

Roy dropped his pack and turned to look at the prince. "I, ah, don't actually know. I've never been on this road before."

"It'll be a new experience for the both of us, then." Marth smiled and placed his pack next to Roy's on the grass. "You've shown me so many new places these past few days; it's about time you saw some too."

"Just as long as I don't get us completely lost," Roy said quietly. He sat down heavily and crossed his legs beneath him, slumping forward a bit.

"Hm?" Marth dropped down beside him, crouching. "It doesn't matter if we get lost, Roy. In fact, it might be fun - an adventure, you know?"

"That's what I worry about," Roy murmured.

"Do you want to get back to your home soon, then?" Marth didn't understand the sudden change in his friend. All day, they'd been chatting and enjoying themselves, just as they had done on all the days before this one, and he had shown no signs of being upset or worried about anything. Marth himself had begun to feel lighter of heart than he had done since he had left the ruins of Altea, and he knew it was because he enjoyed Roy's company. He had hoped that Roy felt the same way.

"It's not that I want to go back," the fire-haired boy said at length. "I just… I'm scared."

"Scared?"

"I'm scared that I'm doing this on purpose. And I don't know what that would mean."

Marth was bewildered. "What is it you think you're doing on purpose? I can assure you that, whatever it is, it won't make me think any differently of you."

"Getting lost. I think I'm getting us lost on purpose," Roy said after a pause. He turned his gaze from the floor to the prince. "I think I need to go and think about some things. I'll be back sometime tonight."

"Whatever you want to do, Roy," Marth said as the boy lifted himself up and ran off towards the grassy fields that surrounded their copse. He watched Roy run until his figure had disappeared from view into the long grass.

What was that about? he wondered as he collected some convenient sticks from underneath the trees in order to build a fire to cook on. Whatever it is, it has to be pretty important for him to want to be alone. This concerned him, because Roy had had no such problem before he had met him, and logic suggested that it was therefore somehow his fault. It had to be something he had done: his friend would have talked it over with him if he had felt able to. Oh, it would be terrible if he managed to pass on to Roy the sadness that he felt for his country and his subjects! That was the last thing he wanted to do to the kind boy who had made it his mission to make him happy again.

How long would it be before Roy came back? And why was he scared that he was getting them lost on purpose? What end would be achieved by becoming lost by design? These were questions that he couldn't even begin to find answers for.

The fire was taking nicely now, but Marth didn't know whether to start cooking supper or not. He wanted to eat with Roy, not leave something cold for him for when he returned. He would sit, and wait, for his friend to come.

Marth didn't know how long he had been asleep for; all he remembered was sitting and thinking by the fire for a little while. It was completely dark now, the stars shining in the sky and the moon large. The air was cooler, too, and felt fresher than it had in the day.

As he pulled himself up into a sitting position, he saw Roy sitting opposite him, on the other side of the fire. It hadn't burned itself out, so his friend must have been feeding it while he had slept.

Marth waved at him with a weak smile, not quite sure what he should say.

"I'm sorry I ran off like that," Roy said, looking into the flames that made his hair seem to burn a brighter red than normal. "I just… really needed to do some thinking."

"You're quite entitled to do whatever you feel you have to do, Roy," Marth said gently. "I'm just glad that you returned okay after not taking your sword with you."

The boy blushed at this. "It was a mistake I won't make again," he said, looking even more intently into the fire, avoiding meeting Marth's eyes. "I know I could get into danger without it."

Wanting to change a subject that was obviously embarrassing his friend, Marth said: "I wasn't asleep for too long after your return, was I? I always seem to be sleeping and leaving you on your own."

"I like watching you sleep," Roy said, and then instantly added: "I mean, it's nice to just sit and relax without having to actually say anything, you know?"

Marth nodded thoughtfully. "I quite agree." He lazily threw another branch onto the fire and said, "Are you hungry at all?"

"Not really, but… thank you for waiting for me. It was very thoughtful of you."

"Think nothing of it. I couldn't have had you come back and be hungry."

As Marth began to prepare food for himself, the two young men fell into silence. Roy was paying close attention to his sword, most likely trying to compensate for having left it behind by sharpening it carefully, to be doubly sure that he could fend off anyone with sinister intentions.

After Marth had eaten, he stood up slowly and sat down next to Roy on the other side of the fire.

"You're still quiet," he said. "I worry that it's something that I've done to offend you."

Still avoiding looking at him, Roy murmured: "You've done nothing wrong, Marth. Quite the opposite. I'm… sorry that I'm like this tonight."

"You don't need to apologise. I've had my share of dark moments too. I'm just concerned about you. And curious… but you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to."

"No, I need to tell you. I know I do," Roy said, more to himself than to Marth. He sat up a little bit more, and for the first time that night looked straight at the prince. "I said I was scared, because I thought I was getting us lost on purpose. I was scared, because getting lost would mean that we'd spend more time together."

"But that's nothing to be scared of!" Marth interjected. "I'm flattered that you feel like that."

Roy shook his head. "Getting lost and spending more time with you makes me scared because of… the reason I want to spend time with you. It frightens me." He returned to looking at the fire again.

"The reason you want to spend more time with me…?" Marth wondered what the swordsman was going to say.

"It's because… I think I love you," Roy whispered. But it was too quiet to be heard, and Marth didn't want to ask for a repeat when it had obviously been hard for Roy to say. He waited for the boy to say it again, if he was going to.

"I… think I love you," Roy said a little louder, as if testing out the words to see what they sounded like. "I… I love you, Marth. I realised it this evening, and it scared me. So I'm sorry if it scares you too." If he had allowed Marth to see his face, he would have seen it burn as bright as the flames of the fire.

"Roy…" Marth had not expected this. "I… this is a lot to take in. But until I say something that makes any sense, I want you to know that nothing about you or the way you feel about me scares me."

Roy was visibly relieved, and the slight shift in the way he sat showed that he was, at least, a bit happier at having confessed what had been troubling him.

Perhaps a minute passed before Marth spoke again.

"Roy," he said.

The boy shifted his gaze from the fire to the prince again.

"I don't know whether this would be a mistake, but I… I think it's something I have to do."

Roy was about to question him, but the chance was snatched away with his breath as Marth softly touched his lips with his own. The prince's eyes fluttered open, meeting Roy's for the briefest of moments before surrendering himself to the emotion that the boy had given so much to confess.

"Roy," Marth said, when they eventually separated. "I love you too." He pulled the boy closer and wrapped his arms around him, trembling as they kissed again, less timidly this time. Roy took Marth's hand and squeezed it, before parting his lips slightly, a silent enquiry. The prince answered with a further squeeze, and suddenly he was feeling Roy, he was tasting Roy, he was loving Roy, and he knew that the night was never going to end.