Why am I re-uploading this? Simple: this board refreshes too fast, and before I know it, the story is on the sixth page. Welcome to the new I Never Cried, now in five easy-to-digest sections, revisedjust a bit to tie up loose ends. Just for anyone who hasn't read yet, all you hit-and-no-reviewers!

Disclaimer: Me no own SSBM. There ya go.

PirateGoddess, Whispel, Turquoise Moonlight, Psie, and AsianSmoothie... thank you for your kind reviews, and I only hope others will gather the strength to click that nice shiny review button :)


The petite blonde princess called Zelda Harkinnian did not enjoy turbulent carriage rides, especially when her heart was thumping loudly and her nerves were twisted into snarls of agitation. She was not prone to fits of nervousness such as the one grinding at her now, and thus the nausea in her throat was especially distressing. Although she knew it to be far from the truth, and terribly neurotic, today truly seemed like the worst day of her life.

Staring out of the clear glass window at the rolling hillsides didn't lessen the knot in Zelda's stomach. By all rights she had nothing horrendous about which to worry; there was no terrible atrocity afoot in her immediate vicinity. Hyrule Castle was not in flames, she had not been horribly defeated at the Smash Tournament this year as she had feared… but there was a much more insidious kind of terror that had managed to sneak up on her once again.

This was the kind of fear that ate at her from the inside, never calling her attention outright, but rather gnawing tenaciously at her insides and just refusing to go away. Once again, after many long years away from home, she was back here again – at Hyrule Castle – and waiting for her there was something that merely required mention to make her skin crawl.

She felt the gentle touch of a hand on her own, and she flinched in surprise, but when she looked around her mouth lifted into a smile – her first since the start of the day, as it was only Marth Lowell beside her.

Zelda knew with satisfaction and pride that this man, this prince who would be a prince even if he hadn't been of royal blood, was a gem among men, and she was simply blessed to have him by her side in the carriage today. He had the gift of pulchritude and modesty, elegance and virtue, and a certain nobility that made him more a celebrity in the Tournament than a mere competitor. A striking mess of cerulean hair had been tamed into complementing the handsome face, and then there was the thing that Zelda had always liked about him, from the start – the coronet he wore half-hidden among the azure fringe, set with a blue stone that suited the color of his hair, was barely noticeable. While lost upon those like Link, that gesture had told Zelda that while he retained the dignity of royalty, Marth Lowell was asking neither for special treatment nor recognition.

"It's not that bad," Marth told her quietly, with a smile that still made her quiver, even so long after meeting him. Zelda shook her head and clasped the offered hand gratefully in her own, holding it tightly and taking comfort in the warmth of his skin.

"I know," she answered lamely, and then rested her face in her palms. "My – my parents… that's all. I'm – I'm worried."

Marth was silent for a moment, but when Zelda looked up at his turquoise eyes she saw a glimmer of laughter in them. "You'll have to tell me what to expect, Zel, it's not as if you've ever talked about them before."

Zelda sighed, wryly and humorlessly. "I know, and with good reason."

It was miraculous and wonderful, how her lover could somehow look at her and see her – as if he could analyze her from the inside out – when even her closest friends were simply unable to say the right things around her.

Right now she wasn't at all sure that she wanted Marth to know what she was thinking.

She looked away and felt the heat rising in her cheeks; she could feel him staring at her and muttered in her mind, damn it, stop reading my mind.

She saw a tiny smile out of the corner of her eye, and had to admire how he'd even foreseen that reaction.

"Are you worried about them liking me, or me liking them?"

He'd done it again, and although Zelda expected to feel angry or defeated, all she really felt was relief. All these years with that asshole Link and she still hadn't realized that the best way was to talk about things, and what better way to learn that than with someone she loved and trusted so much as the man beside her?

"A little of both," Zelda sighed, "they can be a bit…"

She screwed up her face comically, and Marth laughed. "Political. At times."

The blue-haired prince shrugged and flashed her a grin. "Curse of royalty. They've been at it too long."

Zelda grinned back. "Goddesses, they have, are they just getting old or something? I just hope I'll never be that way when I'm fifty."

"Be glad you don't have to meet my parents," Marth replied, his grin falling so slightly that only Zelda could have noticed it, "they'd be even worse if they were still alive."

This was when Zelda was the most uncomfortable: whenever the subject of Marth's dead parents came into the conversations – or his country overrun, or the dead love of his life, or the systematic destruction of everything that made a person's life worth living. In fact, Zelda had learned very early that hearing about Marth's life made her melancholy and depressed, and that was from the outside looking in.

He very rarely brought it up, save for marginal passing comments, but the events behind those comments made it simply phenomenal how he could still smile after all of it. It made Zelda sad as well to know that he had nothing but an entire country to rule alone, and she felt constantly ashamed that she had so much and yet complained about it more than he had ever complained in his life.

"It'll be fine," said his voice in her ear, and the smile returned gratefully to her lips.

"I know," she replied, "I'm just overreacting. Being stupid. I've just got to loosen up… you know what I mean."

"Actually I don't," Marth responded, and his smile was genuine as he looked at her. She knew full well his meaning, and wasn't complaining, but it made her feel good to know that she could make him smile simply by being there.

Zelda's own sapphire eyes lit as he continued, with an air of roguishness, "what is this 'loosening up' you speak of? You'll have to show me."

The blonde princess let out a giggle as his arm snaked around her waist. "If you insist."

As he pulled her to him and met her lips in a playful kiss, she marveled at how easy it felt compared to just a year ago, when the mere thought of doing this with Link was uncomfortable and awkward. The carriage-driver must have taken his eyes off the road for a moment to watch, for the coach swayed and dipped roughly into a pothole. The sudden jerky movement threw off Zelda's balance in the backseat, and within a moment she was on her back, Marth's long bangs tickling her nose as she fought to stifle her giggles.

She seriously doubted either of them would have put a stop to it had the carriage-driver, shouting to conceal the redness in his face, not called, "We're here, highnesses."

Zelda realized that they had arrived at Hyrule Castle faster than she had hoped, and with a last gasping laugh, whispered, "Get off, we're here!"

"What if I don't want to?"

Zelda concealed her glee with difficulty; the silly grin on Marth's face was simply too adorable to resist. "Someone's going to see us!"

He reluctantly released her, and as they left the carriage, she knew that they hardly looked like royalty. In fact she assumed they looked exactly as if they had been scuffling in the backseat – Marth's long cobalt cape was askew and his coronet had nearly fallen out, and when Zelda put a hand to her hair she was shocked and embarrassed at how it must look to others.

The palace steps were before them, long and carpeted, attendants on either side holding trumpets just as stiffly as if they were statues. Marth held out an arm, smiling still as if to reassure her, and Zelda linked her own gloved arm with his. His efforts paid off, and a grin spread across the princess's face as she thought that perhaps, with Marth by her side, it really wouldn't be so bad.

The attendants burst to life as they advanced. The trumpets flew high and emitted some of the most appallingly obnoxious sounds Zelda had ever heard – but it only made her laugh more, and together with the prince of Altea she walked boldly towards Hyrule Castle with her head held high.


So cute. Stay tuned, as policy2+ reviewsnew chapter.

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