Disclaimer: No own SSBM. From now on, these will be done in three words or less.
Three reviews for the first chapter alone... Maybe it was the overwhelming size the first time?
Cool. Thank you to everybody who reviewed; personal shouts are at the end.
Across the room, the painfully forced smile on the blue-haired prince's face was noticeable even to Zelda, but she imagined she would have a much harder time of it if it were her standing there speaking to a bunch of snobbish foreign dignitaries.
Instead she stood by a pillar, a champagne glass dangling limply from one hand. She hadn't yet drunk enough to become intoxicated, or even tipsy, but wished instead that it could all be over soon.
Despite the fact that she hated dancing, she found herself staring at the dance floor longingly more than once – the few times she'd danced with Marth, she had found that he was excellent at it. While her own ballroom-dancing lessons had left her clumsy and inept, he was graceful with it and was able to guide her so that she looked halfway presentable. However, the tightly knit throng surrounding him seemed unlikely to disperse, and Zelda didn't fancy using her less-than-proficient social skills to pry Marth away from them.
They'd arrived a full hour ago, but they'd been immediately separated by the crowd of diplomats with whom Marth was currently speaking. Zelda had been effectively cut off and shepherded away, leaving her alone at the side of the great ballroom, the focus of stares and whispers everywhere. At first she had been puzzled, and had no idea what the undertones could possibly concerning, until she realized that it would, in fact, be news to the rest of the world that Marth was involved with someone. And she had walked in on his arm – it was no wonder there were death-glares following her around the room.
A few minutes ago she'd found a corner and was busy hiding in it, but then she spied a familiar shock of bright red hair and called out.
"Malon!"
The young farm girl whipped around on the ball of her foot, and grinned happily as she ran to the lonely column. Her face looked flushed and healthy – Zelda could see that she had been taking good care of herself – and her hair fell about her face in a wild vermilion mess. Clothed in a simple green dress, she was nonetheless pretty as she had always been, and although she should have been out of place in a ball such as this, she fit in perfectly.
"Malon, how'd you get in here?" Zelda asked, flabbergasted.
"Friend of the princess," Malon responded with a smirk, "they couldn't keep me out if they tried. And I doubt you'd have come to see me, so I came to see you!"
Zelda grinned; in the long time she had been away from home, a village had sprung up at the center of Hyrule Field, the Lon Lon Ranch – Malon's home – at its center. While she was still far from wealthy, Malon's family was doing well for itself.
"That's sweet," Zelda sighed, "how are you? And your father?"
"We're good," the redhead replied, and then grinned, "but we're boring to talk about. How's the Smash Tournament going?"
Zelda smiled. "The formal Tournament ended a few days ago. I wasn't dead last, that was Ness, but I didn't exactly win."
"When did you get out?"
"Fifth round," Zelda grinned, "two from the top."
Zelda had lost to Samus Aran, the intergalactic bounty hunter who, despite popular belief, did not spend her life inside her Chozo suit. Under the helmet Samus was in truth an attractive blonde woman, and she and the princess were good friends. Marth, who had gotten close enough to the title to touch it, had been beaten only in the final round, where a wandering Arwing fighter had blasted him off the stage and given Fox McCloud the win.
"Man," Zelda said inadvertently, glancing over at her boyfriend, who had just given a comically forced laugh in response to something the woman standing before him had just said. As the sole ruler of Altea, he was an important figure, while Zelda was merely a princess and received none of that attention. "That almost makes me glad to have parents. Almost."
"What does?" Malon asked, but when she followed Zelda's gaze she looked back almost immediately.
"I forgot," Zelda said, smiling as she saw the tinge of red in her friend's cheeks, "you've never met Marth, have you?"
"You mean – "
Malon's eyes became very large. "You can't mean Prince Lowell!"
"That's the one," Zelda replied, and then grinned. "I never told you we were involved, did I?"
"Hell no!" Malon whispered fiercely, and Zelda was surprised – Malon hardly ever swore, even as mildly as that. "Goddesses!"
Then the redhead shook with laughter. "Just about all of Hyrule won't be happy!"
"Why's that?" Zelda asked curiously, as she hadn't expected the news to affect the whole of her country.
"You know," Malon giggled, "ever since word got out that we were having relations with Altea…" She laughed again. "We all started fantasizing about relations of our own."
"You're impossible," Zelda said, shaking her head, and then, eager to turn the subject away from the fact that all of Hyrule was pining for her boyfriend, "How is Saria?"
"Oh, she's fine," Malon replied distractedly, now completely unabashed as she stared across the hall to eye the blue-haired prince. Zelda did her best to ignore her. "And?"
"She misses Link," Malon shrugged, "but I'm not going to tell her what an ass he is for trying to force himself on you like that."
"Shh!" Zelda whispered, "Goddesses, the entire room can hear you!"
"So what? So what if he did? All the more reason to let everyone know. You don't wanna be the submissive girlfriend, do you?"
Zelda sighed with frustration. "It's – a little more complicated than that."
"Fine."
Malon's frown turned quickly into a smile, and Zelda felt a twinge of irritation. What could possibly be amusing in the situation?
"It's sad really," the redhead told Zelda, "everyone thought you guys would end up with each other."
"Me included," Zelda sighed, but then her own grin returned. "But I'm not complaining."
"Damn right," Malon replied, "man! Everyone should be so lucky!"
There was a spasm of guilt in Zelda's stomach again, and she recounted with a jolt that once again, she had something that her friend didn't; it was something her friend wanted, for which she was too sensible and too kind to ask. But even if Malon had asked, Zelda couldn't even fathom giving it to her… did that make her a terrible person?
"Oh Goddesses," Zelda muttered suddenly, staring over Malon's shoulder at an approaching pair of dumpy figures, "don't look."
"What is it?"
"My mother," Zelda mumbled, her head down, "and – damn it. Father too."
The redhead's eyes widened, and her voice lowered to a terrified whisper – she had never met Zelda's parents. "Should I leave?"
"No!" Zelda nearly yelled, grabbing her friend's bare arm, "Don't you dare."
A gruff, booming voice echoed throughout the halls, but no one looked around. "Zelda my girl!"
A lighter, yet equally irritating voice followed, saying, "Oh Zelda dear, it's so good to see you! How are you?
"Uh… I'm fine," Zelda said in a low voice, "I, ah. I don't think you've met my friend, Malon."
There was nothing but distaste in the eyes of both of Zelda's parents as they turned to the simply-clad farm girl, who nervously said, "Hi," and waved. The awkward silence was punctuated only by King Harkinnian's occasional "harumph"s and "hmmm"s as he looked over Malon with a critical eye. The single glance Zelda's mother threw at her was clearly indicative of disappointment that she hadn't chosen a richer and more important friend.
"Eh, it's… ah… very nice to meet you, Malon," the king said finally, breaking the silence and pointedly turning away from her to speak to Zelda. "How are things going, my dear?"
Before Zelda could point out that she'd already answered that question, Queen Harkinnian's copiously made-up eyes searched the room anxiously.
"Is – is the prince here?" she asked anxiously, and her husband cast her a disapproving glance that also betrayed some nervousness. "Of course he's here, darling, we'll meet him in good time."
"He's here," Zelda replied helplessly, trying to think of a way – any way at all – to keep Marth from meeting them, "He's, uh… over there. Hold on."
She slowly turned to where her beau was clearly suffering beyond all reason, and saw with apprehension the frequent glances he threw her, hopeful as if she would call him away.
She beckoned to him, and saw him nearly rip himself away from the grasps of the clutching diplomats. As he started towards them, Zelda felt her stomach turn.
Oh Goddesses… please don't hate me for this.
As the blue-haired prince advanced through the crowd, the redheaded farm-girl beside Zelda seemed frozen to the spot, as though she were a deer caught in a spotlight. The blonde princess couldn't help but chuckle a little, and then said to her parents to fill the gap, "He's been, ah, very eager to meet you."
Like a true prince, Marth inclined his head as he came to them and addressed him humbly, "King Harkinnian." He turned to Zelda's mother and took her hand, and as he dropped into a bow he kissed it lightly. Zelda had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as her mother flushed a deep red color and giggled inappropriately – it was amazing how Marth could be a different person entirely when he so wished.
"It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
Marth exchanged a glance with Zelda, and when she saw the amusement that flitted in his eyes she immediately felt the urge to laugh. But she contained herself as he told them, "Zelda has spoken so much about you."
King Harkinnian loosed a loud, booming laugh that made his belly shake, and Zelda felt mortified. "Yes, I imagine so! She would do well, don't you think, to spread such praise of her wonderful kingdom. And," he added with a wink, "the wonderful people who run it, eh?"
Zelda cringed as she saw Marth's smile falter, but he kept his poise well, and Zelda was the only one who saw him hesitate. He didn't answer, and King Harkinnian's grinning expression quickly grew alarmed. Zelda felt a jolt of satisfaction at seeing him squirm; the neurotic state of his smile was hilarious to look at. "After all, we are allies, are we not?"
"I assume, yes," Marth said, but it was a somewhat distant reply. Suddenly Zelda realized with a twist of happiness that he was enjoying this just as much as she was – he was in complete control of the situation, and he could make the king and queen suffer just as much as he wanted to. Altea was very much back on its feet two years after the invasion, and within just a few years it would surpass Hyrule in military power and wealth. Hyrule would be lucky to grow so quickly and efficiently, as King Harkinnian had very nicely brought the country to its relatively small apex, so Zelda's parents were hard-pressed to make the prince of Altea like them in a very short time.
Finally, Queen Harkinnian gushed, "Oh, from the little Zelda and I have spoken, she has had nothing but praise for you! From the first day she met you, I must say she was smitten!"
"Mother!" Zelda cried, horrified, but the queen waved her off. She looked at Marth, whose expression was, for once unreadable, but still she could tell that he was half-pleased at this revelation and half-appalled at the sheer sycophantic nature of Hyrule's queen
"Don't be silly, Zelda, you knew it from the start," the gangling woman told her warningly.
To punctuate this, King Harkinnian threw an arm around Marth's shoulder in a fatherly sort of way. Marth appeared startled at the sudden movement, and Zelda could see his hand twitch instinctively towards Falchion in its scabbard. And if she would have laughed at that, it was nothing compared to the pricelessly alarmed expression on his face as King Harkinnian herded him away.
"Now, my boy," the king started, "I cannot tell you how very impressed I am with your superb rule of an entire country – and all on your own, to boot! I have known so many rulers as young as yourself simply crack under all the pressure…"
His voice faded, and Zelda realized with dread that she would be forced to talk to her mother, alone. But just as soon as she turned around, there came a call from the other end of the room, and with an obsequious smile, Queen Harkinnian left without so much as another word.
Malon did not speak after the queen left, but instead stood staring into space, her limbs rigid and her expression one of shock. Zelda moved to put a hand on her arm, wincing at how it must feel to be stared at and belittled like that. "Don't worry about them, Malon, they're just sore because you're a farm-girl. They're pinheaded that way… Malon?"
But the redhead looked far from distressed – in fact, the next time she looked at Zelda her eyes were filled with excitement. "Wait till I tell everybody back home about this!"
Zelda pretended to be confused. "That you met King and Queen Harkinnian?"
Malon stared at her friend, and Zelda almost felt like pressing it further since she was so indignant that the farm-girl could simply talk about her infatuation – but without speaking again Malon wandered off in a daze, and Zelda didn't stop her.
King Harkinnian and Marth were no longer in sight through the thick crowds, and Zelda gave up hope of speaking to him before the night was over. Sourly she turned on her heel and stalked towards an open balcony-door to spend the rest of the night in the company of the cool twilight breeze.
Anyone who likes this... look forward to my other MZ pairing ficlet, Looking Ahead. Cheesy title, but it's nice, solid soap opera. And who doesn't like that?
RedRose722 - I like stickers, thank you! As for not writing on fanfiction... it's kind of obscene, the sheer amount of material one tends to miss after even a week of not logging on. Keep coming back!
Jamie - Yay! Link fell off a cliff! It's so nice that we're working towards the same end.
Psie - I'm touched that you came back and reviewed a second time... it makes me all fuzzy inside :)
