The disclaimer has been on every chapter so far. I'm not rewriting it. Instead, all I will say is that anyone who sues me will find that its not worth the effort, as I only own this computer.

BrasMonki, I do write this story fully indented and everything, it must be fanfiction.net's formatting. I'll do my best to see that it doesn't happen on this chapter.

Chapter 4: Out of the Frying Pan, and Into the Fire

Part 9: Reminiscences

Mario and Saria were unceremoniously dropped in the middle of Hyrule Field. After brushing themselves off, and picking themselves up, they started looking for some sign of goodly people. As they walked, they kept quiet, each dealing with several thoughts. It was Saria who broke the silence.
"So, who is this Luigi?"

Mario sighed, trying to find the words. Finally he said, "He is my brother."

"Did you love him?"

"Yes, and I still do, and always will, no matter how twisted he becomes. I suppose, though, that his treachery is my fault, at least to an extent."

Saria looked up at him. The expression on her face was one that made his pain seem weak. "How so?"

"I never was much of a brother. I guess that maybe I should have seemed more appreciative of his efforts, less demanding. Things that should have been said were left unsaid, and things that should not have been said, were said. I always assumed he knew how I felt. But I guess he thought I held him in contempt, or thought him a coward" Mario knew, looking at Saria, that the next question out of her mouth would be 'Was he?' so he decided to not give it a chance. "As to that, it was true that he was scared of many, many things. But that never stopped him. He was always there, helping. But enough. Those are now very painful memories. What about you and Kell… um… Link?"

Saria seemed about to break out in tears again. Mario felt like a heel for bringing it up. "I'm sorry. Maybe we can move on? I'll ask later."

"No, you should know. I have known Link all his life. When he was a baby, I was his older sister. When he became a child, we were friends, and finally, when he grew up, he was like an older brother. Every time he needed advice, he would come and talk to me, not to tell me any thing, but just to have someone to listen to him. I should have seen this coming, though. The last few times we spoke, he seemed filled with some pain, which ate at him. He talked about all the good things he had done, and how pleased King Harkinian Nesferato Hyrule was with his work, or his friends, or what the city was like. But he never mentioned the princess, and every time I enquired about her, he would get upset, and leave. He always was full of pride. I could have helped him, but he would never accept it. Finally, he started talking about forebodings he was having, that the princess would marry someone else, and how if that happened, then all of his titles and all of his good deeds and self- sacrifice would be as nothing. But, like the fool that I am, I just laughed it off. I…just…laughed…it…off."

            She started crying, leaning on Mario's shoulder. He patted her on the back, and picked her up. They continued like this for a little while, until they spotted a ranch. Mario brightened up. There, on top of the main building, was the royal Hylian standard. He picked up the pace. That flag would be recognizable any where. A yellow Triforce symbol on a field of blue.

"Tell me, on any of his visits, did Link mention a ranch?"

"That would be Lon-Lon Ranch. That's probably the safest place in Hyrule, right now."

"Good. Because safe or not, we are going in."
* * *

When they reached the ranch, it was already getting dark out. There was a light on in one of the buildings, and the door was unlocked, so they stepped in. As they're eyes were adjusting, Mario heard a voice that he had not heard for over 6 years.
"Hey, Mario! Why don't you join me by the fire? And that little green- haired Chibi-Link-chan can come too", Mario blinked. Only one person talked like that.

"Roy?"

Part 10: Plots&Plans

"Well of course it's me, Mario. I was coming to see Marth and Zelda, and meet my god-daughter, but when I got here, I was told that an evil warlord named Keller had conquered most of Hyrule, and that the royal family had disappeared. That Keller is foolhardy. Boy, when Link finds out what's been going on his absence, he'll be back so fast, this Keller wouldn't know whether he was coming or going." Mario took a good long look at his old friend. Roy hadn't changed a bit. He still had the same sparkle in his eyes, and his hair still looked as if he had stuck a fork in an electrical socket.

"Mario, what did he mean by calling me a 'green-haired Chibi-Link- chan'?"

"What Roy was trying to say, in his way, was that you look like a green-haired, female version of a boy we both knew. And Roy, Link and Keller fighting would be interesting, but unlikely, seeing as how... um... seeing as how Keller killed Link. I'm sure that that was a titanic battle, and that most of the area around the battlefield was rendered into wasteland, but that doesn't change the fact that Link is dead" Mario considered what he had just said. It wasn't like he was lying. The man they had known as Link was dead, and in a way, Keller had killed him. Besides, a portion of Mario wouldn't believe Link's treachery until Keller admitted it himself.

"Link? Dead? Oh my. I never thought I would hear those words. That means that it must be up to me to save my oldest living friend, Marth. If only I knew where he was." Mario examined Roy again. There was no sign of remorse in his eyes, but Mario knew it was there. All of a sudden two other people walked in. "Hmm? Oh, yes. Mario, may I present to you Malon and Talon, the owners of this ranch. Malon, Talon, may I introduce to you Mario and Saria, both of whom are good friends of mine." Mario looked at the two newcomers. Malon was a rather well developed girl with long, flowing red hair. Talon was a middle aged man, who Mario guessed was Malon's father, if only because from what he knew of the race, Hylians would never allow such a marriage to occur, and considering the stories Zelda had told him, the 3 Hylian goddesses would probably smite the offending couple. "They have some bad news. It appears that Link is dead." The girl gasped and paled, while the man collapsed against the wall, and drank some sort of red concoction out of a flask, before getting back up.

"That's terrible! And even worse, Ingo has disappeared! I think that he is going to Keller, to inform him that we still have the royal standard flying. What can we do?"

"Don't worry about it. Mario and I will protect you two. Right, Mario?" Roy obviously had his eyes on the girl. But then again, did his motives really matter in this?

"Right, Roy."

"Wrong." A tall thin man, in white clothes, walked in, followed by two heavy set armored warriors. "By the authority invested in me by King Keller, I place the five of you under arrest. Iron Knuckles, seize them, and put them in the Hyrule Castle Dungeons, with former king Marth." The two things looked at each other, and then sliced Ingo open with the largest axes any of them had ever seen.

"Foolish human, giving us orders. He has no authority, and our orders were to kill, not capture." The voice was metallic, and gave them the impression that the Iron Knuckles weren't alive. At least, in a real sense.

"Iffen you want this ranch, then you'll have to get through me first," said Talon, pulling a spear out of nowhere, which is a gift it seems all Hylians can use. "The four of you, run."

Malon seemed about to argue, but Roy quickly calculated their chances for survival, picked her up, and ran for it, while Mario picked up Saria and followed. They ran until they collapsed on a grassy knoll overlooking Hyrule Castle Town. Malon then started to cry and scream oaths, generally swearing to kill Keller, and Roy. Not necessarily in that order. Roy listened for a little while, and then came over to Mario.

"Because of Ingo's slip of the tongue, we now know where Marth is being held. In there.." Roy pointed towards the city. Pure black pennants fluttered from every tower, while the Gerudo Crescent and Star hung on either side of the gates. Even from this distance, Mario could see incredibly large amounts of guards patrolling the wall and streets.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but how are we meant to get in there? The defense of that place makes Bowser's lava moats seem like a puddle!"

"Don't worry, Mario. I have a cunning plan."

"Can I say I'm not optimistic?"

"No"


Chapters are getting longer, it seems. Right. Roy, since your still hanging around, you can make yourself useful and read the Author's notes for this chapter.

"Okay. Firstly, SlyWolf-san is now accepting unsigned reviews. If possible, could you at least leave your penname some where in the review? Thanks. Also, please, in one of your reviews, will you get SlyWolf-san to change my cunning plan to a less embarrassing one? Please? I don't look good in drag."

Perfect. Except for two things. Number one: Stop calling me SlyWolf-san. Number two: Next time you reveal the plot; I will have you thrown into a big pit of spikes.

"My apologies, SlyWolf-san. I guess I should not say that in the next chapter, Marth is released from prison, and then."

Right. Bruno, toss him into spike pit #32. And then, drop in a spider. A big one.

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