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.
Please Review.
