An icy chill filled the forest clearing, but it wasn't coming from the wind. It radiated from the hard look Ike was giving Marth. His face just should nothing but content for Lucina's uncle, which was weird as Ike normally had nothing more than a stoic expression.
If Marth was unnerved by Ike, he was doing an excellent job of hiding it. He calmly stared at Ike and said, "I don't really appreciate you grabbing my niece like that General."
Ike's face flushed as he stepped away from Lucina. He walked towards his weapon while keeping an eye on Marth. "I am simply doing my duty that the rightful Exalt instructed me with," Ike responded as he bent down and retrieved his sword.
Marth tilted his head. "Ah I see. Good old Chrom… Acting rashly as usual."
"I see you haven't changed at all in the last five years since you left…"
"And neither have you it seems… I figured you would have settled down… found yourself a girl by now… and move on from… that night…"
"You dare bring that up?" Ike roared, rushing up towards Marth.
Lucina gasped and ran forward. She didn't make it too far as she tripped over a root and faceplanted into the ground. Despite her now aching head, Lucina lifted herself back up and saw a scary sight. Ike had his weapon against Marth's throat. Still, Marth displayed no fear despite the danger he was in.
"Why are you getting so worked up?" Marth innocently asked before sighing. "But if were going to go down this path… you do realize I will not lose to you?"
He raised his own blade, the real Falchion, but something was off about it. From what Lucina could see, it looked like a dull blade. She remembered how it shinned so brightly in the past, but it certainly wasn't shinning now.
Apparently, Ike had similar thoughts. "You think you can beat me with that rusted stick?" Ike mocked, nodding his head at Marth's blade.
"Yes," Marth simply said with a confident smile as he twirled his weapon in the air.
A vein cropped up on Ike's face as the two men stared each other down. Lucina held her breath, not daring to make a move as she was sure she would just be a hinderance in this instance. The eerie silence lasted for what felt like an eternity.
Then at last, Ike lowered his blade and Marth followed suit. Still with a look of loathing on his face, Ike asked, "Did you find anything to support your theory while you were away?"
Marth remained silent and for the first time, showed some since of discomfort. Ike scoffed as he strolled past Marth. "Should have figured you wouldn't find any evidence to proof your bogus theory." Ike stopped next to the still unconscious Roy. He bent down and easily picked him up with one hand, carrying him on his shoulder like a potato sack. He turned and faced Marth. "I take it you will see the Princess home?"
"…You can have my word that she will make it home."
Ike clearly wasn't satisfied with Marth's response but after giving on last cold look, he turned around and trudged off into the forest.
After a few seconds had past, Marth returned his blade to his scabbard. "Man, that could have ended poorly eh Luci…" He stumbled on his words as Lucina tackled him with a huge hug. "Whoa there! Its good to see you too," he said, returning the hug.
"Uncle Marth," Lucina said, relief etched all over her face. "But… where did you come from?"
Marth let out a laugh as Lucina released him. "Well funny story," Marth began, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I was flying over the area with your aunt on our way back home when that pillar of light appeared out of nowhere! And… and I fell off Caeda's wyvern in surprise."
He laughed it off as a joke. Caeda was formerly one of the best Pegasus knights in Altea. Her skills at flying were so advanced that she was one of the few who went on and tamed a wild wyvern as her loyal steed. She retired from her status once Marth popped the big question for her and the two were happy together, living just a stones throw away from the palace… until about five years ago when they left because off Marth's exile…
Lucina looked up towards the sky as though expecting to see the shadow of a wyvern fly overhead. "Where is Aunt Caeda?" She asked, now looking back at Marth as no wyvern appeared.
"I told her to fly ahead to Ylisse while I would check out that strange light. Truth be told I didn't expect her to actually listen to me…"
"Yeah, we both know she's the only one who can keep you out of trouble."
Both started laughing at the comment. As their laughter subsided, they could hear a soft groan from behind them. Pit was still laying at the base of the tree, wiping the coughed-up blood from his lips. "Oh, don't mind me," he muttered weakly. "Carry on with your family reunion while I lay here in pain!"
Lucina gasped and quickly ran over to her fallen friend with Marth at her heels. "I'm sorry Pit," Lucina apologized as she knelt beside him. "How badly are you hurt?"
"I must say that was a nice shot you pulled off," Marth said, grinning. "Is that kid going to be alright?"
"You bet," Pit said, springing to his feet suddenly. He had a familiar glow in his eyes as he looked at Marth with admiration. "I can't believe it! The legendary Marth is here. Praising me!"
He was acting all giddy and Lucina sighed with relief. Pit mustn't be too injured to stop him from being an overeager fanboy. Marth blushed as a response to the boy's enthusiasm. "I wouldn't exactly call myself legendary," he said, waving aside Pit's words.
"But your name kept popping up across all of the regions! Like the time you saved…"
Pit started rambling on about her uncle's endeavors, but something still was bothering Lucina. She was troubled by the look Ike gave Marth… and his overall distrust he had towards him. Some of her worry must have shown on her face as Marth interrupted Pit's talk and asked, "Is something bothering you Lucina?"
She hesitated before asking, "I'm sorry for bringing this back up… but what exactly happened between you and Ike? I remember you two were close friends before you left. Speaking of which… Father said that you left home on a journey… but Pit here said you were exiled. I just want to know the truth…"
Lucina faltered as Marth's face turned stony. She took a step back from her uncle. "I'm sorry," She quickly said, lowering her head. "I overstepped my bounds."
She felt a hand pressed gently on her head. "Don't sweat it," he said, his composure returning to normal. "I'm curious about what happened to you as well. Once we exchange stories, we can decide where we will go from there."
Without warning, Marth plopped down against the ground. "So, we might as well get comfy," he cheerfully said, patting the soil next to him. Lucina and Pit exchanged looks before following Marth's lead. Once the two got situated, Marth added, "Well… ladies first."
Marth was a patient listener. He didn't interrupt at all as Lucina told him her story. She told him about her argument with her parents, the flight Corrin and she took, the encounter with the female strangers, and Skyworld. Pretty much everything that happened to her recently. Pit did make his voice heard adding some details that Lucina glanced over.
Once he started rambling on about his card game, Marth's eyes started to glisten over. He looked up towards the cloudy sky and muttered, "So there really is a place hidden beyond the clouds?"
Pit halted his explanation of the rules to Myth and Monsters looking annoyed at the interruption. "That's right," Lucina said. "Skyworld really does exist."
"It's funny. I've traveled around each region over the last few years, and I remember folks in Hyrule mentioning Skyworld under a different name … and yet no one there mentioned anything about this self-proclaimed goddess of light."
"What do you mean by that," Pit asked with a scowl on his face. "Lady Palutena is a selfless goddess who always put others before herself and…"
Marth held up a hand to silence Pit. "Easy there! I didn't mean to offend,' he said with a laugh. "So, what exactly is Palutena's plan concerning the regions?"
Pit reached into his pockets and pulled out the sealed scroll. "This is a formal invitation for Lucina's dad to attend a peace summit in Skyworld," he proudly explained. "I was supposed to deliver this scroll to the Exalt when… well we were interrupted by General Ike and that kid."
"A peace summit huh?" Marth contemplated this as he itched his chin. Then he turned to face Lucina and said, "You were planning on leaving to search for your missing friend? I'm already heading to Ylisse, and I can ensure that it safely gets into my brother's hands."
"Would you?" Lucina asked. "That would be really helpful Uncle!"
Pit however, looked indignantly between the two. "But…but Lady Palutena entrusted me with the deliver," he sputtered out. "What would happen if you lost it, or it was destroyed?"
Marth arched an eyebrow, looking at Pit with a quizzical look. "Now kid… do you really think that I, the legendary Marth, would lose such an important item?"
Pit blushed. "Your right sir," he quickly said. "I know you can be trusted with this scroll."
He reached out to offer the scroll to Marth. Just as Marth reached out to take it, Lucina placed her hand on it. Both men looked at Lucina, who only had her eyes trained on her uncle. "Lucina?" Pit asked, tilting his head in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"I know what your trying to do Uncle," Lucina accusingly said. "We told you our story and your trying to avoid talking about yours!"
Marth grinned. "Heh… you got me," he said, holding his hands up as though he was caught.
"Why are you avoiding talking to me about it," Lucina inquired, ignoring her uncle's playful attitude.
For the first time, Marth shifted awkwardly. "It's because it concerns your Aunt Emmeryn's death," he whispered.
Both Lucina and Pit gasped. Emmeryn had passed away about a month before Marth left Altea. "Father never told me anything about how she died," Lucina admitted. "It was a sore subject to him and I was silenced by Mother every time that I would bring it up."
"I suppose I better start from the beginning then." Marth paused for a moment as though he recollected his thoughts. "As you know, I was the middle child between Emmeryn and Chrom. Our father, was the Exalt at the time and he… well he didn't exactly get along with our neighbors."
"He was always trying to find some excuse to invade one of the other regions. Before his plans could come to fruition, he was stricken with an illness and passed away. Emmeryn as nine at the time he passed away and she was given the title of Exalt. I was five and Chrom was four."
"That must have been a horrible burden for a child," Pit wondered aloud.
"Your right," Marth agreed. "She wished to change Altea's view of the surrounding areas by promoting peaceful alliances. Em was aided by two of our late Father's generals. One of whom was named Greil… Ike's father. He was the one who trained Ike, Chrom, and me swordsmanship."
So that's how Marth and Ike became friends, Lucina thought to herself. She vaguely remembered Greil… he often gave her treats when she was younger…
She suddenly bolted up, staring wide-eyed at Marth. "Didn't Greil pass away around the same time as Aunt Emmeryn?"
Marth wouldn't look at Lucina and simply said, "please sit-down Lucina."
Lucina did as she was told, keeping her attention focus on Marth. "For a while, under Emmeryn's leadership, Altea seemed to move on from our father's brutal actions. She was planning to send me as a representative to our neighbor Corneria as a sign of friendship. I must admit I was thrilled. This was finally my chance to get out of the castle and see the world."
Marth paused as he started to pluck some blades of grass next to his legs. "The night before I was set to depart… a scream pierced through the castle. A maid wandered into the Exalt's chambers… and inside laid both Emmeryn and Greil. They both had several stab wounds across their bodies."
Lucina covered her mouth in horror while Pit looked sick to his stomach. She had no idea about this! Her father said Emmeryn passed away peacefully in her sleep. "Was the person who did this found?" Lucina angrily asked.
"There were no witnesses… but the higher ups within the army believed that the other General was the one who carried out this horrible dead."
"Why did they assume he did it?" Pit asked, still looking queasy.
"It was no secret that the other General was jealous of Greil's skills with a sword. Greil was generally the more popular amongst the citizens and soldiers. It was with that knowledge as well as there was no other suspect so that General was imprisoned despite him pleading that he was innocent."
"Just imprisoned?" Pit inquired. "Wouldn't the people be alarmed that their Exalt was murdered by one of her own Generals?"
"There was one person who blocked the call to execute the General."
Lucina had a good idea who this individual was but nonetheless she asked, "It was you who blocked the execution?"
Marth nodded sadly. "Yes. I was the only one who believed he was innocent. It didn't seem like his style to outright murder his fellow general nor Emmeryn. That and the wounds on their body didn't appear to come from a thin blade and not the doubled bladed weapon he wielded."
"So that's why Ike developed a dislike towards you," Lucina said. "He must have taken it badly hearing that you thought his assumed father's killer was innocent."
"That's right. He and Chrom could not comprehend why I was defending that man. They understandably wanted to see justice for their loved ones… and they felt betrayed when I prevented them from seeing it through."
Pit scratched his head, trying hard to process all this information. "Is that how you got exiled? Because you went against the popular opinion?"
"Not exactly. I brought to their attention that I had a theory that Emmeryn and Greil were murdered by a third party… someone who wanted to spread discord throughout Altea."
"But no one believed you," Lucina said.
Marth nodded. "So, I told them that I would do it myself to find proof of my theory. And you know the rest, Lucina. A week later, Caeda and I packed some belongings and set off in on our self-imposed exile into the regions beyond our border."
Lucina wandered into her mind, mulling over her uncle's words. She was relieved to hear that she Marth wasn't forced into exile. But she was bothered by his words about the joy he felt at leaving the castle… a feeling that she herself felt even now.
"And you didn't find any proof to support your theory?" Pit eagerly asked, brining Lucina's attention back into the conversation.
"Unfortunately, no. I found out other similar situations had cropped up in other regions… but no solid evidence of a third party's involvement."
"Was that your only reason for leaving Altea?" Lucina whispered.
Marth was silent upon hearing Lucina's words. "I admit… I was both upset and angry at the time. Emmeryn's death would have resulted in the next in line to replace her as Exalt. Which would have been me. Being forced to take the throne just as my chance to escape the royal life had arrived."
He took a deep breath as tears started to form in his eyes. "So, there was the part of me that used that theory as an excuse to avoid claiming the throne. I lied on the spot by mentioning that Emmeryn told me beforehand that she wished for Chrom to succeed her in case something would befall her. So, I forced my rowdy younger brother to take the throne so I could live out my dream and see the world."
He choked on his tears. "I was nothing more than a coward, running away from my family when they needed me. I know how much you looked up to me Lucina and I can't begin to imagine what you're thinking right now…"
Seeing her uncle, her hero, reduced to tears over his selfish actions was heartbreaking. Lucina felt her own eyes start to water up. She leaned over and gave Marth a comforting hug. "I understand your feelings Uncle," she soothingly said. "But now this is the right time for you to reconnect with your family and apologize to them."
Marth took his free hand and started wiping away his tears. "Your right," he admitted. "Your one hundred percent right."
Suddenly, another pair of hands wrapped around the two blue haired individual. Pit awkwardly said, "Sorry… it felt weird just sitting there and not getting involved on this hug."
Lucina pushed Pit away and he tumbled onto his back. Marth laughed and got to his feet and offered Lucina a hand up. "It looks like we both have our hard tasks ahead of us. I have both a personal message to deliver to Chrom as well as the invitation… and your going to begin searching for your friend?"
She accepted his hand and got back to her feet. "That's right. You are fine with letting me go and not come with you?"
Marth shifted on his feet. "Truthfully I don't know what's for the best… we both desired to leave Altea for selfish reasons. Yours however are more noble that mine were. I left for me while your going to leave to save your friend."
Pit also got to his feet and summed his bow. "Hang on one second Lucina," he exclaimed as he fired an arrow of light into the sky. It soared past the moving clouds and out of sight. A few moments later, a pillar of light emerged from the cloud and landed just in front of him. "Our ride back to Skyworld," he unnecessarily added, pointing at the pillar.
He extended a hand towards Marth. "It was an honor meeting you sir."
Marth returned the handshake with a firm grip. "Please watch over Lucina and assist her in any way you can."
"I will sir," Pit said, eagerly shaking Marth's hand. The two broke apart and Pit walked towards the light. He looked back over his shoulder and said, "I'll give you two some alone time."
He marched through the light and vanished within. A silence fell between Lucina and Marth as neither knew what to say. Her eyes were drawn the Falchion that Marth had in his scabbard. "I have a question Uncle," she asked.
Marth noticed where her eyes were focused on, and he removed his weapon. "What this?" He asked, holding the dull blade. "I figured you would ask about that…"
Now that Lucina had a closer look at it, she gasped in recognition. "That's… that's the replica that was made for me!" She drew her own blade which gave off a dim light. "Then that means the weapon I've been using is the real deal?"
"That's right kiddo. Before I departed, I ended up swapping the real Falchion with your replica. No, I want you to keep it," he quickly added as Lucina moved to return his weapon. "That blade is one of the Eight Sacred Treasures, and it has some secrets that someday you will be able to draw out."
Lucina looked down at the radiant blade that she held in her hands. She could feel the power softly flowing into her arms. "But why did you swap the replica with the real sword in the first place?"
Marth rubbed the back of his head in an uneasily way. "Well… it was mostly Caeda's idea. I think it was because she was jealous of the secrets in that blade."
"…Why would Aunt Caeda be jealous of the Falchion?" Lucina blankly asked.
"Oh, I can think of two huge reasons," Marth said mysteriously. "I'm sure you will notice them once the secrets of that blade come out."
He suddenly looked stern and said, "But I have a question for you now that your friend is gone Lucina… can you trust this Palutena?"
Lucina was stunned by this question. "What do you mean by that?"
"You don't find it strange that this goddess, who disappeared for centuries, has suddenly reappeared and came up with a solution to relive the tensions between the four regions?"
"I must admit when you put it like that it does sound weird," Lucina admitted. "But she saved my life and she's offering to help me find Corrin. I want to believe that she sincerely wants to help the regions out."
Marth returned the replica Falchion to his scabbard. "Very well… if you trust her then I feel better about giving Chrom that invitation."
"Oh, that's right!" Lucina handed Marth the sealed scroll. "Here you are."
Marth accepted the scroll and placed a hand on Lucina's shoulder. "Promise me… you will stay safe and won't go overboard."
Lucina laughed. "I promise Uncle!"
"Well then I'm sure we will see each other again soon. Take care Lucina."
With one last look at Marth, Lucina turned and walked into the pillar of light.
Once she stepped through the light, it quickly disappeared into the day. Marth looked down at the scroll and tightened his grip. "Right… time to go home."
After the uncomfortably sensation of her body breaking down passed, Lucina stepped out of the light and emerged on the marble floors of Skyworld. "Oh Lucina," a cheerful voice came from beside her. Lucina looked over and saw Palutena beaming at her. "It's wonderful to see you again."
"Its good to see you too Lady Palutena," Lucina politely replied. "I'm sorry for coming back here after I told you that I would return home. It's just that…"
Palutena waved aside Lucina's words. "Pit told me everything. You were willing to put yourself in harms way to continue searching for your friend. I find it touching."
"Where is Pit anyway?" Lucian asked, looking around for the angel.
The goddess pointed towards the wall. "Pit is talking with… on dear…"
Lucina looked in the direction that Palutena was pointing. Pit was standing next to the wall, looking down at what appeared to be a box. She and Palutena walked over towards Pit where they could hear him saying, "You should have seen me! The way I took out that huge threat!"
"It truly was a sight to see Pit," Palutena warmly said causing the poor angel to jump in surprise. Lucina simply stood there bewildered. Why on earth was Pit talking to a box?
"You… you were watching Lady Palutena?"
"We were. And I think he has some words of advice for you Pit."
Pit froze in fear as Lucina was about to ask who Palutena was talking about. The answer came to her as the cardboard box flipped over, revealing the strange looking person. He had a scruffy beard and wore a weird body armor that Lucina had never seen before.
"A huge threat?" The man muttered in a gruffy voice. "You knocked out a kid and got yourself taken out in the process!"
"Yeah well…" Pit weakly retorted. "That kid was a menace."
The man ignored Pit's comeback and turned to face Lucina. She took a nervous step back as the man grinned. "It's nice to meet you Princess. I'm impressed you managed to disarm the Ylissean General."
"Er… thank you?" Luciana responded.
Palutena smiled between the two. "Allow me to introduce my… er… what is it you wanted to be called again?" She asked the man.
The stern man grunted. "I am Palutena's Enforcer. You can call me Snake."
