The interior of the ship shook violently as it dug into the coarse sands that were the shores of Talys, waking the young prince from a deep sleep. The recent events still proved to weigh heavy on the boy's mind, and had already infiltrated his dreams. Still, he had hoped that the real dream was what had happened in Altea, hoping to wake up in his chambers to the sound of a castle guard announcing his father's triumphant return. He would celebrate with his mother and sister, and the world would be purged of all the darkness that he had seen formed. But alas, his hopes were for naught as his awakening in this unpleasant vessel proved that everything that had happened so far was inescapably real. His father Cornelius, his mother Liza, his sister Elice and her personal knight, Frey along with many other soldiers, had all died. Along with the departure of his best friend, Merric just a year or so earlier, never before had the boy felt such loneliness in the world, left with only a few knights to keep him company as he was forced to embrace this new shameful life of hiding in Talys, where he would grow up without a family and with the only thought in his head being the hate he felt for Gra, Grust, and of course Gharnef who had started this meaningless struggle.

Marth rose from the floor that he slept on slowly, his body aching from the time spent in such an uncomfortable position. He heard footsteps on the main deck of the ship from outside the sleeping quarters, hinting that the knights were already awake. The boy let out a sigh, putting on his boots before making his way to the deck. As he slowly opened the door, he was met with the oddly comforting light of the morning sun. Combined with the overhead clouds, it provided for a modest brightness that swept over the tiny island country that they had just reached as he scanned the landscape in front of him. A thin layer of fog in the distance prevented him from seeing too far ahead, but it was enough for him to get a general grasp of the environment. Grass, sand, a few little forests… and well, that was about it aside from a tiny village that peeked out ever so slightly in the fog. He could only imagine how laid back life must be living here, for its lands held less than even his home, Altea, a country famous for its modest landscape.

"So this is Talys," the prince muttered to himself, his voice coated with a certain level of disappointment. He knew he shouldn't feel this way, but with such a small island as a home, becoming bored seemed an extremely likely and recurring event. Marth then scanned the deck of the boat, only spotting Draug, Norne, and Gordin aboard. By the looks of it, they were in some sort of intense discussion.

"There is no way she's better!" Whined the voice of the green haired archer, pointing at Norne as if accusing her of some felony, "I have a few years of professional knight training! She has none!" This caused Draug to sigh, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"For the 4th time, I am not saying she's better," the armored knight groaned, looking down as he began to rub his forehead in frustration, "I am simply saying that we should perform a test to see how her skills stack up to an archer in training…!"

"Draug I can't believe you'd say this!" Gordin continued, the statement from his friend evidently flying over his head, "After our time so far training in the knight academy… y-you think I can be replaced!"

"Oh, come on…!" Draug's face slowly disappeared into both of his hands, seeming to be internally screaming at the obnoxious insecurities displayed by his friend. As this all happened, Norne simply stood there as the event played forward, looking back and forth between the frustrated armor knight and helplessly insecure green haired archer, struck with a mix of confusion and concern for the mental state of her new colleagues.

"Guys-" The young pink haired girl began before getting drowned out in the continuing of the other's bickering, looking down at her feet.

"You always do this!" The armored knight in training shouted at his friend, "You assume the moment that I show a liking to anyone that isn't you, that I am suddenly replacing you!" This statement caused Gordin to draw back with a horrified look on his face.

"So you admit that you are taking a liking to her! I had my doubts, Draug, but it's true!" His voice droned on as he once again pointed a finger of accusation at his friend, "You intend to leave me for a girl!" The distance between the two suddenly became close to non existent as their eyes were locked tightly on each other, the situation becoming more heated.

"I wasn't planning on it, but if you're going to act like this then I might as well!"

"Guys-" Norne tried to interrupt once more before getting cut off, her eyes now meeting with the Prince who had been watching the whole time.

"Fine! Do it if you want! See how much I care!" Gordin shouted back, Draug about to retaliate once more before Norne waved over to Marth with a nervous smile, trying desperately to end the conflict.

"Morning, sire," The pink haired archer greeted, surprising the 2 arguing knights as they turned their heads to see their prince watching them, their faces turning red as a wave of embarrassment swept over them.

"Good morning, I hope I am not interrupting anything," Marth replied sarcastically with a small laugh, taking honest amusement from the fight the young junior knights were having. For a moment, it felt more like they were simply his friends than his future servants.

"O-Oh, good morning, sire..!" Draug greeted with extreme embarrassment, standing at attention. Gordin followed suite, the same level of embarrassment viewable on his face as well.

"H-how are you feeling this m-morning?" The green haired junior archer asked, stumbling over his words as a drop of sweat fell from his cheek down his chin until eventually landing on the wood beneath them. Just like that their intense frustration was practically as good as gone, leaving the prince at a loss of words.

"I am… all right…?" Marth answered slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, "You do not need to be so embarrassed…" He turned to look at Norne who was still perfectly composed.

"Ugh, you guys are freaking him out with your formalities!" She spoke sharply, causing Marth rub his neck once more. That wasn't it at all.

"...Yeah we'll go with that…" The prince muttered, wanting to change the subject. In reality, it was their seemingly instantaneous change of mood that had him stumped.

"Though, if I began screaming so loud that half the island could hear me, I'd be embarrassed too." Norne teased, giggling at the flustered junior knights. However, this little joke caused the scene to lighten up.

"Right… forgive us, sire." Draug spoke softly as he took a deep breath, composing himself. As the mood became more relaxed, Marth scanned the deck once more, still not seeing the other knights.

"Have you three seen where Cain, Abel, and Jagen went off to?" Asked the prince.

"Yes," Draug replied, "They left earlier to make a formal audience with King Talys. Actually, Jagen instructed us to head to the castle once you were awake."

"Yeah! That lousy boatman demanded that he be allowed to leave as soon as possible!" Gordin added, Draug covering his mouth as soon as it came out.

"Idiot! He can hear us, you know?"

"Right, sorry…"

"If that's the case, then I see no reason to not head over now." Marth concluded, grabbing his small amount of belongings. In all honesty, he was ready to say goodbye to this stupid boat.

"Very well," Gordin and Draug said in unison, "Allow us to lead the way!" And they were off, already marching off of the boat without even waiting for the prince.

"Altean knights are pretty weird…" Norne remarked, causing the prince to laugh.

"Aren't you more weird for wanting to join them, then?" Norne shrugged, watching the junior knights march along, her gaze fixed particularly on the one in heavy armor.

"I never said it was a bad thing, besides that Draug is pretty cute, especially when flustered like that." She seemed to start daydreaming.

"...right…" The prince replied hesitantly, walking off the boat to follow the knights. Norne eventually noticed the prince moving without her, stumbling off the boat as well.

"Huh? Wait for me!"

Just a little to the north of where Marth had landed on the island was Talys castle. All things considered, it was a rather small castle in comparison to other countries in Archanea, which was to be expected. However, it still imposed a level of authority on the island that was apparent to the prince as he noticed it appear from the fog. It was so much larger than anything else on the island. All the while, inside was Jagen, Cain, and Abel who were holding an audience with King Mostyn just as they had planned. In the throne room, the 3 knights were knelt before the King to show their respect as they made introductions.

"I see," The King began after assessing the situation as Jagen had informed him. "So the world really has become so lost in the darkness that Cornelius's son must take refuge on our small nation…" His words were solemn, his expression showing evidence of grief.

"I'm sorry to trouble you with this news, King Talys, I understand that his majesty Cornelius was a close friend of yours." Jagen looked away from the king, now keeping his sight on the floor beneath them.

"He was… However, I can only imagine how the boy feels to lose his entire family at such a young age," The king rubbed his chin, closing his eyes. "Watching my daughter cope with the loss of my wife was enough to break me apart, I do not want to know how she would have felt if she lost me as well."

"Your majesty…"

"That is exactly why I plan to keep my promise to Cornelius, my promise to provide his son with a home when or if the time comes where he has nowhere else to go." The veteran knight looked up at the king once more.

"Y-You have my deepest gratitude, your majesty…" Jagen's voice was breaking, standing on his feet before bowing respectfully, Cain and Abel doing the same. Just then, they heard a group of footsteps approaching from outside of the throne room.

"That must be the prince…" Jagen motioned to the door, a guard opening it upon receiving a queue from Mostyn. As the door opened, Marth slowly entered, Draug, Gordin, and Norne following close behind.

"Sire! How are you feeling this morning?" Jagen asked as the group walked closer, the door shutting behind them. Given all that had happened the previous day, he could not help but be worried.

"I'm fine," Marth replied bluntly, looking up at King Mostyn as he remained seated on his throne. "You are King Mostyn of Talys? Your majesty, I have a selfish request of you, bu-"

"No need," Mostyn interrupted, "Sir Jagen and I just finished discussing this. We're happy to have you here in Talys."

"I… thank you!" Marth bowed, "Truly and sincerely."

"Think nothing of it. Now I will request housing for all of you."

"Is that truly okay?" The prince asked. "I do not want to impede on the citizens." This caused Mostyn to grin, standing up from his chair as he let out a hardy laugh.

"Prince Marth, you underestimate what us here in Talys can do!" Marth tilted his head, unsure if he had said something wrong or funny.

"I beg your pardon?" Mostyn's previous feelings of sorrow just moments before Marth had entered the room were now completely masked as his expression now showed a feeling of immense pride for his country.

"Believe it or not, but Talys is home to three professional wood cutters! Putting together modest housing is child's play for them! ...so to speak." Mostyn sounded off, almost appearing to be gloating.

"Professional wood cutters…?"

"That's right. Barst, Bord, and Cord. They are also some of our elite fighters serving under captain Ogma!" Marth nodded, bowing once more. After all of the pride that the king had shown, it would be a bigger insult to not take his offer.

"Thank you…"

"Think nothing of it! Actually, the three of them should be out cutting wood right now. Just tell them what you need and they should be happy to help." Marth nodded in understanding, Jagen, Cain, and Abel walking back to him to take his side as they prepared to leave.

"Shall we go now, sire?" The veteran knight asked, seeing as the meeting had been a success.

"Mhm, King Mostyn, thank you once more for everything you are doing for us!" Mostyn shook his head.

"It's the least I can do… oh that reminds me! Is there anything else I can do for you before you go?" As soon as he asked, Cain and Abel looked at each other as if having the same idea, gazing back at Draug, Gordin, and Norne, and then back at each other. Jagen caught on, sighing.

"You two have an idea, don't you…"

"Yes, I think if we are to be in Talys for a good few years, it would be unwise to let our skills go to waste." Cain began.

"That is why we think it would be a good idea if we had training grounds to make sure that the junior knights can not only complete their training, but so that we do not also lose the muscle we have built." Abel finished, their idea seeming to impress the veteran knight.

"That's… a good point, actually. Well done." Jagen praised, the red and green haired cavaliers a bit insulted by the gesture.

"Why are you so surprised, old man?" Cain spit out, clenching his fist. "It makes me feel like you're trying to say we're irresponsible!"

"I never said it." Jagen chuckled, the wide smile on his face enough evidence of his implications.

"Regardless of that," Abel interrupted before things got too heated. "King Mostyn, would this be too much of a burden to ask for?" Mostyn shook his head.

"Not at all. Ogma and his men can easily get that taken care of as well."

"Oh behalf of my knights, I thank you one last time." Marth said taking one last bow, Jagen a little impressed by the prince's quick grasp of the professionalism that was required of him now that his father no longer lived. He now led the group outside of the throne room, the king waving them out as they went.

"Sire, I'm impressed," Jagen complimented as they walked down the corridor.

"Impressed? What for?" The prince replied, turning to look at the veteran knight.

"Despite the events of yesterday, you seem to be doing just fine. The level of professionalism you displayed in front of the king was also ideal!"

"I see… well, I haven't forgotten. Not at all. I still feel the pain, but I do not want it to burden the rest of you." The prince paused for a moment before speaking once more. "There's actually a feeling I'm more concerned about, Jagen."

"And that is?" Marth stopped in his tracks for a moment, looking forward as the single word he spoke was filled with angst and almost fear.

"Hate."

Daylight began to show its early face as the prince and the knights marched to the forest, the environment of the island slowly becoming more lively along with it. The occasional villager outside of their home became a little more common and the chirping of birds filled the previous silence. However, one sound in particular that was extremely evident was the ever growing sound of an axe splitting deep into a log as the group got closer. The woods showed cleared signs of a master's work as a clear path was formed between a clearing of trees, an open area of sorts appearing to be at the end. Three figures could be seen in the distance, each of them rather tall and muscular. All three appeared to be male, two of them having plain brown hair while the other had blue, making him stand out from the others. These men had to be the three woodcutters that King Talys had spoken of. As they grew even closer, the blue haired woodcutter seemed to notice them, placing his axe down, looking up at the group.

"You guys don't look like you're from 'ere, ya visiting?" He called out, alerting the attention of the other two. His voice was thick with a certain countryside dialect, making it clear what kind of place the prince had found himself in.

"Uhm, yes," the prince began, "I am Prince Marth of Altea, and my knights and I will be taking refuge here for awhile… I apologise for the burden we must impose."

"Prince of Altea, huh? Guess that means another nation has fallen, but hey ya picked a good spot to hide. Hardly a soul steps on Talys for more than a few days." The blue haired woodcutter replied with a certain calmness that was reinforced with a little sarcasm.

"I suppose so…" Marth looked away, briefly feeling the pain of his father's loss once more.

"So, kid, what business do ya have with us?"

"Oh right," Marth looked back, returning to reality, "King Mostyn said we should find three men by the names of Barst, Bord, and Cord to help prepare us a place to stay." The blue haired lumberer smirked, gesturing to the men behind him too.

"Well ya found us! The name's Barst, and these two behind me are my brothers, Bord and Cord." The others waved with a smile, going back to their work.

"I see, it's a pleasure to meet you." Marth bowed causing Barst to laugh.

"Ya don't need to be so formal with me. Anyways, you said you needed a place to stay, right?" Marth nodded, a little flustered.

"Y-Yes. And if you wouldn't mind, my knights would like a place to train as well."

"Consider it done! Our captain 'ought to be returning anytime now from his latest job, so ya probably will run into him while we get this done for ya."

"You mean captain Ogma?" The prince asked, surprising the blue haired woodcutter.

"Yeah, exactly the same! How do you know about 'em?"

"The king spoke of him briefly. Anyways, what job was he tasked with?"

"Oh, ya know… his latest job as a sell sword." Barst answered, rubbing the back of his neck. Did he really not know? However, something didn't seem right. How could this Ogma guy be one of Talys' elite but also work as a mercenary?

"Your captain does mercenary work? I thought he was the leader of Talys' army."

"He is," Barst nodded, "Lemme explain it. Our captain, Ogma, is indeed the commander of Talys' elite force, but he also does mercenary work on the side from time to time. Worry not, his allegiance remains fully with Talys. In fact, me and my brothers usually go on jobs with him!"

"I understand now. Your captain seems rather interesting, I'll be sure to meet him once he returns. We'll be off now." Marth smiled, but truly inside his thoughts were still a blizzard of his emotions. Keeping them all pent up was beginning to wear on him. As they were making their way out of the forest, the prince suddenly stopped like he did in the castle hallway, turning to look at Jagen who was right beside him.

"Jagen, I wish to take a little walk around to get myself… familiar with the land here. Could you and the others allow me to be alone?" He requested, hoping that he didn't sound too harsh. The veteran knight seemed a little shaken by his request, but eventually sighed, nodding in agreement.

"Very well, just don't be too long. Oh, and don't get lost!" Jagen warned, but truly he knew he didn't have to worry about Marth doing either of those things. He was Cornelius's son, and to him that meant a lot.

"Thank you." Marth smiled weakly, remaining still on the path until all of the others had walked past him and were a good distance away, where he then proceeded to walk back into the forest, except not using the path that was made. The little bit of daylight that had been apparent on the island was now beginning to fade away as he walked deeper into the trees, the lack of sound around him going back and forth from shaking to comforting. All the while, he thought of his father, his mother, and his sister. All alone, yet he hadn't seen a single one of them taken from him with his own eyes. However, he knew it was foolish of him to assume they still lived.

He spotted a log in the distance that was covered with moss, but would provide a decent place to sit down regardless. As he sat down, he noticed that it was conveniently in a perfect spot to view a large opening in the woods, and even further beyond, the beautiful coastal waters of the island even from this distance. It was calming, in a way. That being said, it was not enough of a solace to distract him from the pain and grief continued to linger in his young heart.

"Why would Gra do this..?" The prince questioned, "Why would they betray us? Is Gharnef really such a manipulative force to where one can simply throw away their close ties? Is friendship really broken so easily?" A tear came to his eye as his questions continued to arise.

"How could they do something so evil, knowingly at that! To follow Gharnef makes them support what he does! H-How could they support such a waste of… innocent life? Grust as well… and Khadein… Is this world truly full of monsters?" More tears came to his eyes as the morality of everything truly sunk deep into him. He then thought of his family, shaking his head as he cleared his eyes.

"No, this world is capable of having those who stand up for what is right… if evil is truly so powerful… then…" Marth then recalled the conversation he had with his sister moments before the attack.

... "Is it possible to be so strong that you can save everyone?"...

That question echoed in his head. His sister denied the possibility, but... a king who could save everyone might be what the world needs right now. Maybe, just maybe… it could be him.

"If evil is so powerful… it just needs a hero that's even more powerful to protect the innocent… Maybe one day, I can become strong enough to save them all from dying, so that nobody else must lose their family like me…" All of a sudden a wave of drowsiness swept over the prince, and it wasn't long until he found himself laying down on the log and going off to sleep, his only surroundings the quiet indifference of the forest.

"Hello?" The voice of what sounded to be a little girl caused the prince to wake, his eyes slowly opening to see that he was still indeed in the forest, however the sun was brighter on the outside than before. How long had he been asleep?

"Hey!" The voice called again, the prince sitting upright in response, his eyes now met with those of a blue haired girl. When did she get here?

"Who are you…?" The prince asked, clearing his eyes as the light had brought a certain pain to them.

"Who am I?" She asked with a frown, now placing her hands on her hips. "The better question is who are you? This is my spot!" She pointed at the log that Marth had been laying on, evidently a little frustrated.

"Y-You mean this log?" He asked, a little afraid of the girl's commanding aura.

"Yeah! That's right! You at least need to get your own spot if you mean to come out here."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know this was a claimed spot, here I'll find my own." Marth got up immediately when the girl then stopped him.

"Hey. There's something off about you." She looked him up and down suspiciously, making the prince extremely uncomfortable.

"T-There is?" She began to walk circles around him, ignoring his reply.

"I got it! You must be a prince!" She concluded, proud of her own analysis.

"How'd you figure that out?" He asked, feeling as if he was being questioned for a murder from how pressing she was.

"Easy. That little tiara you have!"

"O-Oh… yeah." He replied, increasingly becoming more uncomfortable.

"So spill it! Where are you from?"

"Uhm, Altea, miss."

"Oh! So you must be Prince Marth! My father has spoken of you before!"

"Your father…?" Marth asked extremely confused.

"Yeah, you know, the king." She rolled her eyes, "Don't tell me you don't know him."

"I do know hi-" Marth paused, his jaw dropping a little. "...wait… does that mean… you're the princess?!"

"Yeah, that's how it works. Did you hit your head in here?"

"No, it's just…"

"Just what?" She pressed him immediately, not even giving him a chance to recover his words.

"Well, it's just that…" he looked her up and down as he spoke, trying to carefully choose his words. "Well you just don't seem… very princess like…?" The girl appeared offended by his words, clenching her fist.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Marth shrunk back into himself, wanting so badly to just go back to sleep now.

"Well uhm, you're… very loud and… assertive, I always thought princesses were supposed to be gentle and elegant."

"So I'm not girly enough, is that it?" She questioned, crossing her arms as she frowned once more.

"M-Maybe…?" As he spoke he could see her become even more upset, "B-but I-I mean it's okay because you can still be charming in your own way!" He blurted out, attempting to save himself.

"You really think so?" She asked, all of her frustration seeming to leave in an instant. Marth blinked a few times, realizing it somehow worked.

"Y-Yeah. In fact, I'd say it's even a little… uhm cute…" he added, slightly unsure of himself.

"Awe you really think so?" She asked with a blush, "You're the first one to say that."

"...I wonder why…" the prince mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! So, uhm, what's your name?"

"Princess Caeda! But you can just call me Caeda." She winked, causing Marth to shiver. Caeda, noticing his discomfort, sighed, "Come on, I'm only teasing."

"R-Right…"

"So Marth, what are you doing here in Talys?" She asked curiously, the question being more sensitive than she would have initially thought.

"Well… long story short, Altea was defeated in the war. Your father then graciously allowed us to seek refuge in Talys. So I thank you as well… you being his daughter."

"I see. Makes sense to me. I was wondering who those other knights were."

"So you have seen them?"

"Yep, they were actually looking for Prince Marth, funny how that turned out to be you!" She giggled, Marth at a loss for words as usual from her.

"Wait, they're looking for me? I must have slept too long!" With that Marth prepared to sprint out of the forest when Caeda stopped him, taking his hand.

"You'll get lost if you just sprint aimlessly. I can help you out." The hold of her hand was much more comforting than he would have thought given her attitude, but he didn't mind.

"Very well, lead the way." The two began to walk out of the forest together, and in such a quiet environment, he had to admit that Caeda actually did look kinda cute.

The afternoon moved on as the two royals walked out of the forest, hand in hand. Sure enough, as they exited, Marth could see Cain and Abel… except they weren't on patrol, rather they were sparring in what appeared to be a handmade arena of sorts, surrounded by all sorts of complex training equipment. Had the brothers already finished?

"I must have been asleep for hours…" Marth muttered, spotting Draug, Gordin, and Norne doing a little training too.

"I wouldn't fret too much about it." Caeda said shrugging it off. Perhaps she was right.

"Ah, there you are!" Called the voice of Jagen from a distance away, him rushing over to the two in an instant. "Where have you been, sire?" Marth became flustered, knowing Jagen would be upset.

"Uhm… sleeping." He answered quietly.

"Just sleeping?" The veteran knight was clearly confused.

"He's telling the truth, when I found him he was sound asleep." Caeda spoke up.

"So he was… Princess Caeda, you have my thanks for finding him." Jagen relented, backing away. "As you were sleeping, the woodcutters finished up their work. Quite nice for the time it took if I say so myself."

"I would agree. I'll have to thank them once more." Caeda then let out a yawn, a frown returning to her face.

"All of you land princes are the same: heavy on the formalities, and can thank and apologize until their blue in the face." Marth blushed, feeling called out by her observation.

"Isn't that how a noble should act, though? With respect?" Jagen watched the two converse, backing away.

"I'll leave you two be." The veteran knight said with a grin, happy to see that Marth had already made a "friend".

"Maybe, but isn't it tiring? A lot of people can't feel laid back around an overly uptight noble." Caeda argued, Marth pondering for a moment.

"But isn't it bad to be a bit too laid back? What if it lowers the confidence people have in their ruler?"

"That's just it," Caeda pushed forward, "The people." Marth wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"My father has a saying: A kingless country is a country still; but a king without subjects rules naught but hills." Marth thought for a moment, seeming to catch on. "Don't you see? Connecting to the people is the most important part of being a ruler. The people must be able to approach their king with comfort and reassurance. The best way to do that is to relate with them! Be casual, crack jokes, anything really!"

"Perhaps… but that's easier said than done."

"Don't worry, Marth. I can help break you in!"

"...I don't like the sound of that." He mumbled worriedly. All of a sudden, Caeda slowly walked closer to the training grounds, seeing intrigued in the two knights sparring.

"Hey Marth, come look at this." She waved for him, the prince reluctantly following.

"What is it?"

"Look at those two knights fight! Their blows seem to perfectly match!" She said in awe, watching it as if possessed.

"Oh, that's Cain and Abel. I hear that they are perfect as partners can be! Trained together, fought together, even raised together… it's only natural." Marth began to watch we well, but not as intensely. Silence followed as the two watched, Marth occasionally looking over at the princess. "Do you have some interest in watching battles, Caeda?" The prince asked, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" She replied, finally turning away to look at him.

"Well your eyes just seem glued to the action."

"Hmm, I suppose I do have an interest. I always like watching Ogma train, I've even picked up on some of his moves." She almost gloated. Yep, this sealed the deal. Definitely a tomboy.

"I see, somehow I expected that." He said in an almost teasing fashion, the princess evidently flustered.

"So what if I am?! It's not a big deal!" Something about all of this was humorous to the prince, him beginning to laugh a little which only fueled the fire. "You're making fun of me, aren't you?!" Marth calmed himself down, shaking his head.

"No no, I'm not." Caeda frowned.

"Liar. You're a boy, you've probably been trained to fight at least a little right? Why don't we go at it right now if you wanna keep laughing!" Marth suddenly stopped, going silent. He couldn't fight a girl, it was immoral.

"I do know a thing or two, but I don't want to fight you." Caeda looked annoyed.

"Why not?"

"Well what reason is there to? I'd rather not get ourselves dirty… and well, my father always said that a true gentleman never fights a lady." Marth answered, his face a little red.

"How very polite of you, though I think you're scared! You think you'll lose!" Caeda teased, it working very effectively.

"N-No! I just…"

"Prove it then." Caeda pressed deep into his conscience. If she wanted a fight, then very well.

"Fine, we'll fight. Just know that it was your idea." Marth groaned out, getting into a fighting position. Caeda did the same, smirking.

"That's more like it! I knew you were made of something tough! First move is yours!" She called out, clearly eager. Marth nodded, beginning to look for an opening in her stance, however, the more he looked the harder it became. He had never fought a girl before… where should he… grab her? These thoughts made him once more red in the face as he was indecisive about the fight as a whole.

"Come on! What's taking so long? I'm getting bored." Caeda whined, snapping Marth back into it.

"Fine! Fine! Here I come!" He called before charging right at her, planning to deliver a punch right at her which she then dodged with ease.

"A lot of power, but not fast enough." She teased, causing Marth to lash out with a second punch which she also dodged.

"Come on, you can do better." She teased again.

"Alright, I'm done warming up, it's time for the real deal!" Marth shouted in frustration, rushing at her once more, Caeda this time ducking down and tripping him as he ran by, causing the prince to fall to his face.

"Boring. Let me show you how it's done." Caeda taunted, waiting for Marth to stand back up. He knew he was being humiliated. She began to charge towards him at enormous speed, him hardly able to throw out a punch to intercept her, but just like before she dodged it easily, grabbing both of his arms while she did before pulling them behind his back, causing him to groan in pain.

"Ow! No fair!"

"Wanna give up?" Caeda asked with a smirk.

"You wish!" Marth shot back, forcefully shaking her off of him, turning around to face her once more. It was already too late. Caeda was charging at him with full speed once more, delivering a fast and precise punch across his face, followed by a few other quick jabs before he could even react. As Marth now struggled to keep balance, Caeda moved in one last time to finish it, hitting him across the face with a swift roundhouse kick, him collapsing in the dirt.

"Man, that was brutal." Caeda teased, Marth struggling to look at her.

"So… fast…" He groaned out weakly. Caeda giggled.

"You know Marth, you're pretty fun. Feel free to rematch me anytime!" She then walked away, leaving the prince to wallow in the uncomforting soil. He had just been humiliated, beaten by a girl in a fight. So much for his chivalrous outlook.

"There's… no way I'll be strong enough to save the people… if I can't even win one fight against some princess…" He groaned out, taking heavy breaths. "That Caeda…" Marth's painful expression slowly changed to a smile, slowly picking himself up. "She's something else."