Disclaimer: Oh, we are here again…All righty…I don't own SSBM, Zelda, most of these people…Except for Mark, the ten year old with cursing issues…

*

*

The truth looks so easy now that I'm running out of lies.

*

"I think these rooms are open," Mark told Lindsay, Shiek, and Rhia. Mark tried to open one of the doors. The knob didn't turn.

            "Hey, Mark, that's my room."

            Mark, Lindsay, Shiek, and Rhia all turned to look at the speaker. Her name was Zyuiu Dbyu. "Yeah, Mark, that's definitely my room."

            "Sorry, Zyuiu," Mark said. He moved a couple of doors down. "Are these open, Zyuiu?"

            Zyuiu nodded. Mark opened three doors. "Here you go." He yawned, muttered something that made even Shiek surprised, and ambled off. Lindsay and Rhia, who had both been to the Tourney at least once before, looked excitedly at Zyuiu. "You're the Zyuiu Dbyu?" Rhia asked.

            Zyuiu grinned and responded in a language completely unintelligible to the three girls. She nodded at them and disappeared into her room. The three companions looked at each other, shrugged, and went into their rooms.

*

"Here's a room," Mark said to Link. When Link had gone into his room, Mark muttered, "Don't get why I gotta ** work here for that ** of a mother and ** of a father of mine…"

            Link poked his head out of his room as Mark disappeared. That kid could curse! Then, a young woman—Yomota U—walked by towards her door. She stopped and looked at Link. Screw trusting… "You're new here?" Ymota U asked.

            "Yeah," Link said. "I'm here for revenge."

            "Oh, really?" Ymota U asked. "What happened to who? And who did it?"

            "There's a girl named Shiek who killed Princess Zelda," Link said.

            "Of Hyrule?" Ymota U was astonished. "Oh, wait, I think I might've heard about that…so you're here to avenge the Princess."

            "I loved her," Link said softly, sadly. "Shiek has to pay. I wish I could've caught her before she came here. I wanted to ask her some things."

            "I bet," Ymota U said. She smiled slyly. "There are plenty of questions I want to ask you to…But I'll let you settle in first." Ymota U winked at Link, then sauntered off silkily to her room, several doors down.

*

Shiek flopped down on her bed and sighed. She'd gotten this far…

            Shiek sat up as she heard two voices outside the door. "Well, we always come here. Mark knows we can find rooms. Here, you knock on this one, I'll knock there, and we'll see if they're taken." One of the people talking outside knocked on Shiek's door, and the other knocked on Lindsay's door.

            Shiek got up and opened the door. She had no idea who stood out there, but it was Prince André. "Dammit, this room is taken!" he said. He looked over Shiek's long, lithe body and smiled. "Sorry."

            "It's fine," Shiek said. She looked out to see who knocked on Lindsay's door. It was Rowrun, André's best friend. Lindsay opened her door and blinked. "Oh, goddesses!" Lindsay said. She looked and saw André and appeared ready to faint. Rhia opened her door to see what the commotion was about.

            "Sorry to bother you," Rowrun said. He grinned at Rhia and Shiek, then turned to Lindsay. He was about to say something obviously witty and obnoxious.

            "Don't say it," Lindsay said. "I have a sword and I know how to use it, buddy."
            Everyone heard Rhia mutter, "Now who's PMSy…"

            "Yeah?" Rowrun considered the danger Lindsay and her sword presented him. "Let's see this sword, Flames."

            Lindsay had obviously never been called 'Flames' before. She drew her sword from the sheath on her back and pointed it at Rowrun's nose. Rowrun ducked away and got a better look at the sword. "Shit," he said, amazed.

            "What?" André asked. "It's a sword, Rowrun."

            "Yeah, yeah," Rowrun said. He had a look of wonder on his face. "Listen, Flames, do you know what you're holding?"
            "My father's sword," Lindsay said.

            "This is a sword like…wow," Rowrun said. "This is an old sword. Old, old, old. Infused with magic, they say."

            Lindsay snorted. "Yeah? Magic to do what?"

            Rowrun ignored Lindsay and looked at André. "It's like your sword, André, only I don't think it changes."

            Lindsay looked at Shiek and Rhia. They both looked a little confused. "Changes?" Shiek said.

            André looked at his sword. It did look as old as Lindsay's. He looked at Shiek and grinned. "Why don't you wait until you fight me, eh? Then you'll see what changes means."

            "Oh, you don't know the half of what that word means," Shiek said. Lindsay grinned and Rhia giggled.

            "And what, pray, is so funny?" André asked.

            "Why don't you wait until you fight me, then you'll see." Shiek said.

            "C'mon, André, I'm exhausted," Rowrun said. "Listen, ladies, we'd love to stick around and whatnot, but we've been up since about a day and half ago, for reasons you don't need to know, and those rooms over there seem empty, judging as how no one's come out to yell at this little pow-wow."

            André rolled his eyes and tried oen of the nearby doors. It opened and he went in. Rowrun took the one next to his bestest* buddy and disappeared into it.

            "Yes, and those were who?" Shiek asked.

            "Prince André of Odnetnin and his best friend, Rowrun," Rhia said. "The absolute pride of Odnetnin."

            "I had no idea Rowrun was so obnoxious," Lindsay said.

            "Rhia, do you have any idea what André meant by changes?" Shiek asked.

            Rhia thought a moment. "Yes," she whispered. "It would explain why he almost always wins."

            "We're all waiting," Lindsay said.

            "A long time ago, seven swords were created by an archseer," Rhia said. "The Sword of Healing, the Sword of Light, the Sword of Darkness, the Sword of Eternity, the Sword of Passing, the Sword of Strength, and the Sword of Power. The Sword of Healing healed whomever the bearer wanted it to. The Sword of Light was both a torch and a replica of the Master Sword—it tried and sometimes suceeded in driving away darkness. The Sword of Darkness was an absolute opposite of the Sword of Light. The Sword of Eternity made the bearer invincible, so that even with a thousand mortal wounds, the bearer cannot die. Once the sword was let go, you better hope the Sword of Healing wass around somewhere close. The Sword of Passing controlled time, almost. It could slow down or speed up the things around, while the bearer continued in a normal fashion. The Sword of Strength gave a coward strength and courage. And the Sword of Power…"

            Rhia fell silent a moment, remembering the legends she had spent her whole life learning. "The Sword of Power, say, sees that the opponent carried a sword as well. What can beat a sword? An axe. So it changes into an axe, right in the bearer's hand. It sees something that no weapon can beat—it changes into a monster, or something, to destroy it."

            "And Prince André has it?" Lindsay asked.

            Rhia smiled, slightly amused. "But the Sword is almost useless against another," she said. "Whichever yours is, you'll probably be fine. Me…unless my magic kills everyone in the stadium, I can win. I just have to be quick. And Shiek…you may know how he changes, but he doesn't know how you change."

            Rhia explained a basic rule of the Tourney to Shiek. "Nobody reveals all their tricks in the practices," she said. "André may or may not use the Sword. But you…you can pretend to reveal all your tricks, and everyone—I do mean everyone—will prepare for them. And then, you'll have the ultimate weapon."

            "Surprise," Shiek said. "And Zelda."

*

Damion agitatedly ran his fingers through his hair. His appearance was impeccable, but inside, he was falling apart. He had not slept in days; Ganondorf and his mind-messages took care of that. And then there was the king and queen…if only they'd leave him alone! Damion hadn't had a chance to practice his magic in days, and it was getting Ganondorf angrier.

            Results, Ganondorf had said, I want results, damn you! Magic! Death! Do whatever you must—kill Zelda and Link, do you understand, Damion? Damion understood full well. He knew the longer he took, the angrier Ganondorf would be when finally he was released from wherever he was.

            The king and queen had just dismissed Damion from a grieving session, as Damion liked to call them. The queen would cry and the king would plead with Damion and Damion would disappeared and come back with a potion to calm the queen… Damion sat down hard in his favorite chair and sighed.

            After a few moments of angry sulking, Damion got up and stalked over to his window. He wrenched open the double glass doors and stormed out to the balcony. He stood, breathing heavily, with his hands resting on the balcony railing. "That bloody bitch," he said. "How could she have eluded Link this bleeding long? He should be back by now with her head in a bag!" Damion blew out his breath and thought.

            There was no answer to his problem. He had power to do many things, but scrying had never been his strong suit. He could see no farther than Hyrule Proper. In sudden anger, Damion raised his hands to the inky sky. To his absolute surprise, a lightning bolt came from the clear sky and struck in the empty center of Hyrule Proper. He leaned over the balcony railing and peered hard through the darkness at the spot. It was scorched and cracked.

            Damion leaned his head back to the clear summer sky. He raised his arms, gathering his mind and magic…Hyrule Proper experience a storm like never before that night. Wherever the lightning hit the ground, the ground was cracked, and made barren.

*

The Tourney had four parts to it: each contestant faced four challenges. The first was devised of eleven separate tests. The first, fourth, and seventh tests were the tested (Shiek, for example) against a single opponent. In the second test, Shiek would be teamed up with a random ally, and they would face two random adversaries. The third, sixth, and ninth tests were tests of agility and felxibility. The fifth test was Shiek and two random allies against an enemy grown to *large* proportions. The eighth test was Shiek against an entire team of enemies. Contestants could be reproduced by magic in cases such as this. The tenth test was against a single opponent, again, except they were encased in metal. The eleventh test was Shiek against the head of the Tourney…but not in a normal form. He was represented by a huge disembodied right hand. Occasionally, his left hand would join in.

            The second challenge was again divided into parts. There were several stages, most divided into two parts again. Shiek would face enemies in the enemy's own turf (magically generated) and challenges on that same turf. The final three stages went as follows: first, Shiek would face many wire-frame beings; then, metal Mario and metal Luigi; finally, Shiek would face off against giant Bowser.

            The third challenge was harder. In the others, health (Heart Containers and tomatoes that replenished much health) appeared along the way, and the damage gotten in one stage did not carry on to the next stage. But in the final stage, there were only three Heart Containers, which rested in the neutral stage, and damage carried from stage to stage. Shiek would fight several opponents one-on-one, then they would start coming in pairs, and then in threes. The final stage was many Mr. Game and Watches, and that was hazardous if all the healths were used beforehand.

            If a contestant could pass all three of the first challenges, they went on to the final challenge—the tournament that was the original Tourney. Rosters would be set up, and opponents would fight against one another. Once you lost, you were gone for good. Contestants were eliminated until there were only two left…and then one more contestant was eliminated.

            However, contestants in the Tourney could not practice any of the above challenges. They could only practice against each other, however many against however many. That was what Lindsay, Rhia, and Shiek were trying to do. Rhia was actually off in a corner, a frown on her face, trying to control her magic.

            Shiek and Lindsay were battling—Lindsay with her sword, Shiek with everything she had (darts, the whip, and good reflexes)—when they heard the familiar POOF. "Well, crap," they heard Rhia say. They had to hear her: somewhere along the line, she had jinxed her voice so it was projected through the whole arena. Everyone who was in the central arena practicing turned to look at Rhia.

            Shiek and Lindsay stared a while before they burst out laughing. "Ch-chi-chickens!" Shiek howled.

            There were about twenty chickens around Rhia. One was perched on her head, another on her shoulders. She stood, a look of resignation on her face. As she stood, covered in chickens, a regular—Samus Aran—came over. She had been practicing her Charge Shots on the wall (there were scorch marks where she had been practicing). "Um," said Samus Aran. She wore an orange and yellow body-armor suit. "May I ask what's going on?"

            "Rhia here is an archmage," Lindsay said, leaning on Shiek, who was still laughing. "But she can't control her powers."

            Samus looked over at Rhia. "Oh," she said. They could tell she was grinning underneath her helmet. "Chickens."

            "Yeah," Rhia snapped. "Chickens." She kicked at several chickens. She said 'shoo' loudly and threatened them until they waddled off—all but the one on top of her head. She bent down, took it off her head, pointed her finger at it, and

            "Rhia, no!" Shiek said, suddenly not laughing.

            A burst of blue erupted from Rhia's finger and engulfed the chicken. The chicken grew until it was about thirty feet high. And then they noticed it had fangs. Rhia's eyes were huge as she stared up at the chicken. In a whisper that sounded throughout the arena, Rhia said, "Mommy."

            Rhia sped off out of the arena, the huge chicken close behind. Samus looked at Lindsay and Shiek. "New here?" she said.

            "Yeah," Shiek said. "I'm a wanted fugitive from Hyrule Proper, and Lindsay and Rhia are probably wanted as accomplices. I apparently murdered the Princess Zelda…which I didn't."

            Samus held out a meal-gloved hand. "Welcome to the Tourney."

*

Rhia raced through ancient stone corridors and courtyards, not sure if the chicken was still behind her. After running into a courtyard, Rhia stopped and turned around. The archway that led into the courtyard was only a few feet higher than she was. Surely the chicken couldn't follow her in here?

            Reassured that she wasn't going to die by chicken (at least not at the moment) Rhia turned around. And then she stopped. Her steely blue eyes widened and stared in horror. Link stood there, not six inches away from her, looking unsure of who she was. Rhia was petrified, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the undeniably murderous rage that glittered in the eyes of an otherwise calm face.

            "You're Rhia, right?" Link said. "Rhia D'nalz, the archmage? What part did you play in Princess Zelda's murder? Did you transport Shiek into her bedroom? Or did you just find her after the murder, and was so stricken with admiration that you decided to followed her?"

            "No!" Rhia cried. She took a step back and was about to turn and run—even death by giant chicken was better than this—when Link grabbed her wrist. His grip was unbreakable, and Rhia knew he wouldn't let go. Link suddenly smiled, a terrifying, demented grin.

            "Does Shiek like you?" he crooned in a voice that was like a knife-blade coated in sugar. "Does Shiek think you're a valuable asset to her…to her team?" Link laughed a little. "Would she give her own life so you could live? Is she noble and brave? Or, if I take you now, will you just end up dead?"

            Rhia suddenly recognized a magic-induced mood. "Link, this isn't you!" she cried. "Link, please, listen! You're under  a spell—you don't want to kill me! You don't even want to kill Shiek! I know it, I can tell! Let me go and think—there's something wrong with Shiek! Lindsay and I would kill you, not think of it: you're trying to kill us, what's to lose? But Shiek… Shiek won't kill you, and not only that, she leaves you your weapons!"

            Link's grip softened a minute bit on Rhia's wrist.

            "You know you've stopped to wonder why!" Rhia cried. Maybe if I'm loud enough, someone will come for me…oh, please someone come for me, don't make me kill him… "Think about it, Link! Why hasn't she killed you yet?"

            "Drawing me here!" Link barked, not quite thinking coherently.

            "NO!" Rhia yelled. "Because maybe she didn't murder Zelda!"

            Link stared at Rhia like she had just blasphemed the gods. "She did," he whispered in strained, unnatural voice. "She did!" But then Link dropped Rhia's wrist and ran off.

            Rhia stared after him, breathing heavily, holding her wrist. She stood there a while, frightened to the point of trembling, half-listening as Ness and Mewtwo subdued the giant chicken.

*

The Tourney was an event as well as a building. The building's main attraction was, of course, the arenas. But around the arenas were mazes of corridors and arches, courtyards and dungeons. The arches and the tops of walls were like walkways. Ymota U, Zyuiu Dbyu's sister, sat crouched on one of these walkways, watching Link and Rhia.

            Ymota U had a tainted heart. She cheated to win if she had to—and had been named Champion of the Tourney twice for it. She practiced magic secretly and the magic she practiced was dark and powerful. She could cloak herself and become invisible; she could seduce through magic better than a siren ever had.

            And her tainted heart was set on Link.

            In the several days since Shiek, Lindsay, and Rhia and Link had arrived at the Tourney, Link's story had circulated fast. He was avenging the Princess Zelda's murder, and Shiek was the perpetrator. The details varied on Lindsay and Rhia's roles in the tale, but it was certain that Shiek would stick fast by them, and they to her.

            So as Ymota U listened through magically enhanced ears as Link threatened Rhia, she smiled craftily. She had a way to make Link hers…and beat some of the Tourney's competition while she did it, too.

*

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DONE with chappy 8! Praise the lord! Oh! More coming soon, honest!

Lil' Blue Muse: *laughs out loud*

Simi: Mean.

Lil' Blue Muse: I deal the deal, babycakes.

Simi: WTF? What muse have you been hanging out with?

Lil' Blue Muse: *All* of them! *Beans Simi with the favorite toys of every muse of an author of a Zelda or SSBM fic*

Simi: Meep! *beaned*

Lil' Blue Muse: I'll keep this short, people. The layout for the next few chappys is as follows: 9-practices, threats, and several twisted and evil plots. And plot twists. 10—TOURNEY actually HAPPENS! 11-hehehe, not telling you! But don't worry…it's a good one!

Until then, folk…thank you for still being here!