A/N: Man... I REALLY need to get this story MOVING...

Ed: What's up with her?

Link: She's already writing the SEQUEL to this sequel, and she wants to get it up.

Ed: O.o Seriously?

Roy: Well, then, SHE BETTER GET MOVING! (smack)

OW! DANGIT! KIM, TAME YOUR LACKEY!

Kim: (ties a dog muzzle around Roy) Done and done. :)

Roy: ;.;

Eliwood: THAT'S ANIMAL CRUELTY!

Roy: ...uh... Dad? I'm not a...

NO MORE TIME! LET'S UPDATE!

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Chapter 3: Meeting the Maiden

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Lunch had come swiftly, and the cafeteria was bustling with excited and chatting Smashers. Ryka slipped in unnoticed due to all the hysteria, and she preferred it that way. She served herself swiftly, then peered around the tops of tables, searching for a certain face, and at last, she found it.

There was the cute redhead, dining with a young cobalt (wearing similar clothes) and a blonde elf, obviously friends of his. Ryka was fine with that; the more friends she gained here, the better.

Mustering up her courage, Ryka strolled on over behind the redhead so he couldn't see her. The other two noticed her first, the elf smiling and the cobalt slightly hesitant. Noticing the change, the redhead turned and yelped slightly just as she sat down next to him. As she settled, Ryka gave him a smile, and he blushed again, looking away with a small, shy smile.

"...H...Hi," he greeted timidly with a tiny wave.

"Hi!" Ryka responded cheerfully, addressing the whole group. "How's everybody doing?"

"Can't complain," the elf answered wily, twirling his fork and popping a bite of his meal into his mouth.

Ryka laughed at his antics, an energetic laugh that made Roy's heart leap. "Well, in case any of you live under a rock, my name's Ryka."

"Name's Link," the elf gestured to himself, then to the cobalt next to him with his fork. "This punk's Marth." He rolled his eyes. "And the shy one next to you is Roy."

Ryka turned to Roy, who fidgeted slightly but bravely faced her, trying to remain calm even though his face madly blushed the shade of his hair.

Then it dawned on her. Red hair, blue eyes...

"So, Ryka," another voice broke her train of thought, and she faced Marth. "What sort of thing do you do?"

"Oh, well, I travel around a lot, get in a few skirmishes with bad guys, the regular stuff..." she answered offhandedly.

"What do you fight for?"

Ryka sat up confidently. "I fight for the preservation of Earth's natural beauties."

"...That's cool." A small voice turned her attention back towards Roy. "...It's good to know somebody really cares."

Ryka smiled at this. "Thanks. Do you?"

"Recently I have..."

"I see," she nodded in acknowledgement.

"Woodwill Forests... That's somewhere in Europe, isn't it?" Marth asked.

Ryka nodded. "In Ireland."

"Ireland? Neat!" Link grew interested. "So, how were you raised up in the forests?"

All of the sudden, Ryka became hesitant. "Ah... I... would rather not... um..."

"S'no problem," Roy interrupted her for a reason not even he knew. When given odd looks, he shrank slightly, embarrassed. And yet Ryka was glad, as the subject of her backgrounds was dropped.

She glanced down and realized she had cleaned her plate of her meal. She stood and addressed them, "Well, it was nice meeting you guys. I'll be looking forward to seeing how you guys battle this afternoon."

"Same to you," Link waved as she began to leave. "See ya later, Ryka!"

Ryka waved back, noticing Roy's shy wave and small smile. She flashed her own smile, and one could visibly see his chest puff up like a bullfrog's in excitement of her noticing him. When she left, Roy was left staring in the direction from whence she disappeared, half-expecting her to waltz back through the doorway any minute now.

Marth sighed and shook his head. "You're hopeless, Roy."

"She... smiled at me..." the boy preened dreamily.

"I don't know..."

"She seems alright," Link voiced his opinion. "And I can understand if she's quiet about her past. Some people are just uncomfortable with it."

This only raised Marth's suspicions. "That means she's got something to hide. I don't like it."

"Well, we just met her, Marth," the Hylian muttered. "Give her time and she may tell us later. Stop being so paranoid."

Of course, that made perfect sense; Ryka needed to trust her new friends before she could tell them her secrets. It was reasonable enough, and it should've eased Marth's nerves, but some part of the prince was stubborn in believing Ryka was holding deep, dark secrets. With two viewpoints laid out before him, Marth wasn't sure what to believe or what action to take...

And then he glanced at Roy, turned back to the table and ignoring his food as he stared off aimlessly with a lovesick grin on his face. One could near-see the twinkle in his peacock eyes and the little pink hearts dancing around his head as it was obvious where his thoughts were wanderings towards.

Seeing this, seeing the possibilities of an actual relationship for Roy, which could possibly help push away the half-dragon's sense of loneliness, Marth was forced to dismiss his suspicions for now, simply for the sake of his young, hopelessly smitten friend. But he'd keep a lookout anyway. Just in case.

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A/N: Hooray. Short chapter.

Roy: But it's TOO short! Mmph! (whimpers as Kim pulls the muzzle tight)

Eliwood: That's IT! You'll hear it from me and PETA! (runs away)

Kim: PETA? What's that?

Link: Sounds like a nutritious breakfast cereal, like Special K or something.

Ed: Actually, it's a protection group for animal rights.

Kim: ...(narrows eyes) Well, YOU would know, nerd.

Ed: -.-

Okay, ANYWAYS, that's not my problem. This STORY is. :P Sorry for the short update. Please review it anyway!