Author's Note: Much-belated, I know. I'm sorry, everyone, but I really don't have an excuse for the delay this time around besides end-of-term laziness. :/
"So what did you guys think?" Sonic asked as they left the theater a few hours later. "Great movie, huh?"
"I liked it, though I'd prefer if directors didn't shoehorn a love story into every movie they make," Rock grumbled. "There's more to life and relationships than that; this whole cliche of 'love at first sight' is drastically overused."
"Well, we must remember that films are simply works of fiction," Link chimed in. "They don't align with the real world where it suits them. Sure, it's a cliche, but the fact that most people enjoyed the movie means it was effective, as it was for countless others, hence why it was reused."
"I liked it but the story almost seemed underwhelming," Shulk interjected. "I'm not sure why, maybe it's because we did similar things ourselves."
Rock chuckled in response. "Films are meant to inspire the common folk. People like us just don't see it the same way for better or worse."
"Well I thought the story was okay," Ness piped up.
"I never said I didn't like it, just that the story revolves around a hero like ourselves. That changes our perspective on it compared to that of normal people."
"Oh...okay," the psychic child responded before turning to Villager to ask for a simplification.
"Aw, are we heading back now?" Pit asked. "We could always have dinner in town."
"Nah, save it for when you get sick of cafeteria stuff. Not many of us can cook very well or can be bothered to, so special meals are far and few between," Sonic replied. "Besides, once we get a little more coin from some other things, we can afford to spend more. At the moment, I'd rather save up what I have for a Trophy Rush game."
"I don't understand why Master Hand thinks that grinding for coins is fun," Pit complained in response.
"You're hardly working for them at all here, most people have to work forty hours or more a week to earn anything," Rock observed. "Seems more than fair to me as it is."
Lucina, meanwhile, was lost on her own train of thought, ignorant of the bickering.
"The boy in the film...his behavior is strikingly similar to Ike's towards me...could it be...? Is he...in love with me?" Lucina felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought.
But just as quickly as she entertained the fantasy, she banished it from her mind. "I don't have time to be distracted like that. Even if my world is safe now, I can't allow anything to drag me down when the conflict inevitably resumes."
Yet some part of her wouldn't accept that. "Ike can fight too. And he cares for you. You saw how that movie went: the girl talked first because the boy was too shy and preoccupied with everything else. If he is in a similar circumstance, would you so coldly deny him any chance?"
"It must be done for the greater good; I can't afford distractions."
"Oh? Well then, who benefits if you ignore him? Ike is more than capable of fighting, and his status as a mercenary makes for a good cover story. Gaius fit in perfectly fine, even had a child, among the Shepherds, and he started out no differently."
The other side of her was rapidly running out of excuses. "Why should I go to him when I don't love him back?"
"Don't you? Haven't you always been enraptured by tales of the Radiant Hero's exploits? Weren't those the stories you always wanted your friends to help you re-enact? You've been obsessed with him your whole life! And ever since you met him in person, he's been on your mind!"
"Barring the last part, it was the same way with Marth!"
"What does taking Marth's name have to do with anything? You took his name because he is your ancestor. And has Marth been the subject of every wandering thought of yours lately?"
"That doesn't imply anything!"
"Then explain last night! You asked him to hold you, unraveled your emotions and set them at his feet! Not to mention spending several hours thinking about him! When have you opened yourself up to or thought that long about anyone, even among your childhood friends? If those aren't a sign that you're in love with him, then it's indicative of how shallow your attachment to your friends is! But, of course, you care so much about them...when will you stop trying to dodge the matter?"
There was no way to refute that. She cared deeply about all of her friends, male and female. They had played, trained, and fought together since childhood, and forged the special kind of bond that only allies in battle could have amongst each other. Yet she'd never let any of them in on her emotions, not when they were so personal as last night. Nor had she ever given any sort of romantic contact to them, let alone asked for it; even though Inigo had tried to pressure her into giving him a hug a few times when he was particularly flirtatious, she had always steadfastly refused.
She sighed. "Then perhaps...I may...have feelings for him...but still, it's too soon to tell if it's love."
"Is it? How do you know for sure? This is the first time in your life something else hasn't taken precedence over matters of the heart. You know nothing on this subject."
"Then I'll talk to someone about it."
"Please, everyone will just laugh at you. Have they done anything else? They only stepped in earlier once Sonic was being loud enough to draw a crowd. Where it doesn't make them look bad, they ignored you, sans Ike."
"Are you alright, Lucina? You're even quieter than usual," Ike said from beside her, causing the princess to jump slightly at being startled.
"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just wrapped up in personal thoughts."
"Well, I won't force you divulge anything you're not ready to. If you want to talk about something, just find me." He split off from the group after bidding the others farewell, saying that he had business to attend to.
Lucina watched him go and briefly considered following him, but ultimately ended up following the others inside to the cafeteria.
The conversation at dinner could more accurately be described as a smattering of discussions. As large as the semicircular booth was, it left them all relatively compacted, though nobody was really concerned about being overheard above the general din. Rock and Zelda were discussing the latter's ability to transform using magic, with Link taking an interest in the conversation but not saying much. Meanwhile Sonic was playing Euchre with Pit and the PSI Children, Shulk observing the game intently. Lucina sat in between the two groups, listening in on both conversations but less than a spectator to both.
Part of it was that she was't terribly interested in either, but she would be lying to herself if she didn't think the prospect of participating was still a little daunting. Not helping in the least was that whenever she opened her mouth Sonic seemed to be there to laugh about it.
Now that they were done eating, the princess had resorted to absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair in her fingers. It had grown a lot more than she'd realized because it had been held in place by her mask's magic, but she was more than used to fighting with it at shoulder length or longer. Still, it would be a pain to take care of: though she seemed to worry little about her appearance, like shopping, it was something that had fallen by the wayside when history took its dark turns in her time. Now though...
"Something on your mind, Lucina?" As the words came a hand came to rest on her shoulder. A startled yelp escaped her at the unexpected contact.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I scared you," Rock said, removing his hand as he remembered she wasn't used to contact of any sort, platonic or otherwise. Link and Zelda's conversation had become one of Hyrulean politics that he wasn't interested in.
"It's alright, thank you for your concern." She resumed her previous behavior, facing slightly away from the android.
After watching her for a little bit, he spoke again. "Pardon me, but you never answered my question. Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine."
Clearly she was reluctant to open up. Understandable, but there wasn't really going to be a better chance to change that than now, with hardly anyone else able to even hear them over the general noise of the cafeteria and even fewer without another conversation to hold their interest. "You know, if you're struggling with something it might help to talk to other people about it." He glanced over at the other side of the table where the Euchre game was still going on. "Especially now that Sonic's not listening in."
She didn't reply immediately but from the way her shoulders dropped a little and the small sigh that he detected, the android realized there was more to this than he'd first thought. His suspicions were confirmed a few moments later when she did speak. "Will you promise not to speak of this to anyone?"
"Of course. I'm not the type to shoot my mouth off about anyone, let alone one of my friends."
She turned to face him, but kept her voice down. "Ever since I was first introduced to this group, I feel like I'm allowed around here...solely for entertainment purposes. Sonic has continually made fun of me, and, well...I was always left out of conversations unless there wasn't anyone else to turn to."
Rock was taken aback by the statement. The fact that the others had shot Sonic down on every occasion apparently didn't change her perception of them. "Er, well, you didn't exactly jump in on any conversations, so we presumed you didn't want to talk."
The princess sighed and twiddled her thumbs, keeping her head down. "It's a vicious circle..."
"Uh, I think I'm missing something here. Do you mind explaining?"
"I - I'd rather not. You'll probably think it's funny or something."
Her statement made him wince. "Have we really left this bad of an impression on her?"
"Um...well, I promise to reserve judgement until after you finish your story, for what it's worth to you," Rock promised.
To his surprise, Lucina smiled a little. "If you are as sincere as your tone suggests, that means a great deal to me." The smile vanished as she continued. "Where I come from, there are...other priorities to socializing, so I'm afraid I am no good at holding a conversation among people here, especially since whatever conversations I had tended to be succinct."
He gave her a look of understanding. "Well, that explains a lot. However, I'm afraid the only advice I can offer you is to practice. Though I must say, you're doing just fine so far."
He thought he saw her lips twitch a little at the compliment, but the ghost of a smile was as evanescent as it was unnoticeable, and when she spoke her tone was frustrated. "I'm aware of that, I've been told this before."
"Whoa, whoa, I'm not criticizing you. I know it's daunting to try to talk to new people, but I was being a hundred percent serious when I said you're doing fine. And - " he took a moment to choose his words " - getting over those nerves is the biggest obstacle." Rock reminded himself to avoid using slang or reference modern figures of speech that Lucina was unlikely to understand.
"Well, it's just - "A playing card suddenly zinged past the princess, whipping through her hair before lodging itself in the seam between the booth cushions. "Hey!"
"Oops," Sonic said casually from the other end. "Guess I threw that one a little too hard." Ness and Lucas both wore expressions of astonishment at seeing him flick it laser-straight across the whole table.
"Euchre game's going great, I see," Rock grumbled as he plucked the card out and slid it across the table back where it came from.
"Oh, it is, I just decided to take the opportunity to break up whatever things you two are keeping hush-hush. Wouldn't want Ike seeing this, would we?"
"What are you talking about?" Lucina asked as casually as she could manage.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to make you say anything you don't want to. But I notice a lot; comes with all the traits of being fast, specifically, being observant."
"You are just grasping at threads of nonsense," Lucina replied stiffly.
Sonic chuckled as he dealt the cards out to the PSI children, Shulk, and himself. "Whatever you say, but I'm not the one who stands to lose something, or..." he paused for effect. "...Someone."
Lucina stood up, now looking quite annoyed. "That is enough! If you will continue to do nothing but make a mockery of me, then I will be leaving now! Shame on the rest of you for letting this go on!" Her stare swept across everyone present, lingering in particular on Rock for a bit, before she stormed off with an indignant huff.
"Good riddance," Sonic muttered, breaking the awkward silence.
"What was that all about?" Link asked.
The others shrugged and looked at Sonic, but the hedgehog gave nothing away. "What? I'm not going to go spouting stuff about people's personal business," he said when they continued to glare at him. "Secrets are secrets for a reason; just because I pick up on them doesn't make them public domain."
"Perhaps next time they ought to remain wholly that way and not be spoken about at all," Rock snapped. "You heard what Lucina said."
"That I was making fun of her? Her fault for not having a sense of humor - "
"That she thinks all of us are laughing at her expense! You're giving all of us a bad name! I am seeing none of your observation skills being employed here!"
"Come on, are you really going to set so much store by just her judgement?"
"When it lines up with my own, I certainly will!"
"Enough, you two. Calm yourselves." Zelda cut in before either of the two could say anything more. "Sonic is right, Mega Man: you would do well to take the opinion of just one other person a little more lightly. There will inevitably be those that you cannot appease. However, Sonic, that gives you no right to continually tease Lucina like that, especially after she has already made it clear that she does not like it."
"Spoilsport," the hedgehog grumbled. "Those kinds of people are the best kinds to poke fun at."
"And you wonder why people think you act immaturely?" Rock couldn't keep the heavy incredulity out of his sentence.
Keeping her tone even, Zelda addressed the android. "Mega Man, I do not need you to comment. Please calm yourself." Turning back to Sonic, she continued. "I do not know and do not desire to know why you find entertainment in making fun of others, but surely you understand that a line should be drawn somewhere? And hasn't Lucina made it clear to you where that line should be drawn?"
Sonic just shrugged, so the Hylian princess went on. "If you are even half as observant as you claim to be, you would have seen by now that she already has difficulty mustering the courage to speak out, and that your teasing isn't helping her overcome it. Far from it; it's likely the greatest reason she continues to be afraid to say anything. If you can't do something to help her be more comfortable with socializing, is it too much to ask of you to not act against those who are?"
"Alright, alright, you make it sound like this matter is life-threatening," he muttered.
"If it's so trivial, then surely there isn't an issue with you making a promise to abide by our request? Or are you just being rude?"
"Er..." Sonic realized too late that he'd backed himself into a corner.
Zelda was staring at the hedgehog intently. "Look me in the eyes, Sonic, and promise sincerely."
"Alright. I'll leave her alone if you guys insist."
"You'd best remember those words," Rock grumbled.
"Then I'll bore him so much with the next lecture that he'll adhere to it." The android looked quizzically at her only to realize that she was dead serious. "What? The strategy worked with Mr. Resetti."
The instant she walked out, Lucina regretted it. But she couldn't just walk back in, that would make her look foolish or insincere. No, better that they see what they were doing to her.
Yet a part of her mind kept nagging her to return and apologize. Lucina tried to force it away by thinking of something to do, but Crazy Hand hadn't announced what he was planning yet so she couldn't think of anything as she paced the halls of Smash Mansion.
Eventually her wandering took her past the cafeteria. She peeked inside to see if her friends were still there. They were, but she couldn't muster up the courage or indifference to their potential opinions to go back inside. So she ended up loitering awkwardly around the entrance, trying to pass it off as casually waiting for someone.
"Aw, what's wrong, have no friends?" Lucina turned to see it was Wario mocking her.
"My life is none of your business," she replied, stepping away from the wall.
"Oh?" He took a few steps closer. "Did I..." He was suddenly uncomfortably close. "...hit a nerve?"
Despite the fact that he was a bit shorter than her, the fat Italian's sudden approach was unnerving nonetheless. "If you don't mind, I would appreciate it if you did not get so close." Lucina gave him a light push to emphasize the point.
"But what if I do mind, hm, princess?" Though she was practically trying to push herself through the wall, there was almost no space between the two. "Then what are you going to do?" He cackled after that statement. Lucina resisted the urge to gag at his horrible breath as it wafted right under her nose.
Ike suddenly stepped out of the cafeteria, in conversation with Marth, Robin, and, to Lucina's horror, Chrom. The Radiant Hero, being the only member of the group facing her direction, immediately caught sight of what was going on. Lucina frantically shook her head, hoping he would get the message. Thankfully he did, but the pause in his dialogue as he assessed the situation had made Robin turn in the direction he was looking.
Immediately Lucina shoved Wario to the ground, hoping to pass her predicament off as...something, anything that wouldn't make it look like she was being bullied by him. The instant he tried to stand she kicked him in the stomach, planting her boot on his chest afterwards to keep him pinned down. "Don't you dare come near me again, you filthy miser. Understood?"
"Wha - " Chrom had turned around at the sound of the blow. "Oh, hello, Lucina. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Father," she replied casually, taking her foot off of Wario, who was still gasping for air. "He knows what awaits him should he try anything now."
"I'm taking this to Master Hand!" he grumbled before turning to leave. "You're not getting away with that, mark my words!"
Ike and Marth rolled their eyes, knowing that the chances of the fat Italian going on a diet were greater than the odds of the deity believing him let alone sympathizing with him. Lucina, however, was without this knowledge.
"That's right, just because I'm not the nicest person around here doesn't give you the right to molest me like that!" He sneered in triumph at the brief expression of panic that flitted across the princess' face before it return to its stoic mask. "We're all equals here, aren't we?"
"I - I'll call your bluff then." Her stutter was returning when she least needed it, much to Lucina's embarrassment.
"Aw, is wittle Wucina scared? Do you need daddy to give you a hug?" Wario now adopted a horrible mock-baby voice that made everyone in the vicinity cringe. "Daddy, the nasty man hurt my feewings!"
Lucina couldn't see it, but Chrom's fists were balled at this insult to both him and his daughter. Robin had positioned himself to be in the best position to restrain his friend if things got out of hand.
Ike stepped forward, slinging Ragnell off his back. "That's enough, Wario. I will not have you insult my friend or her family any more; may the gods help you if you do..."
"Hey, Wario!" Captain Falcon suddenly walked out of the cafeteria, a scowl on his face. "So this is what you were up to when you said you had 'other things' to do, you snake! You still owe me a rematch for earlier today!"
"For what? You killed yourself with your own stupidity!"
"What?! Don't you dare insult my style; unlike you, I have an audience to please!"
The Fire Emblem cast were now the first of a progressively-growing crowd watching the two squabble about their earlier match. Soon words gave way to physical acts, which consisted only of Falcon pushing Wario and the latter's retaliation as Captain Falcon immediately resorted to a Falcon Punch upon being pushed back. The crowd promptly started dispersing upon its use, not wanting to be unnecessarily detained by the Hands over the incident.
Ike took advantage of the sudden chaos to break away from the others. "Well this is quite a commotion you've caused, Lucina." Before she could say anything he quickly put an arm around her shoulders and guided her away so they wouldn't be questioned by Master Hand, at least not immediately.
Once they'd made their way down to the courtyard, he sat down on a bench and beckoned for her to join him, which she did, though she sat with her back to him.
"Alright...so do you mind explaining to me what was going on back there?" The Radiant Hero eventually asked. Lucina didn't respond, though he saw her head dip and she pulled her legs up so that she was hugging her knees. "Lucina - "
"I know what you're going to say, Ike. I should take this as a learning experience."
"No, not at all, I was going to ask if Wario did anything to you!"
"He didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have held back on hitting him."
"Well...you didn't."
"Ike, imagine how angry my father would get with Wario if he saw what you did. I didn't want to get him in trouble with Master Hand for my sake, which is why I did what I did."
"So knocking the breath out of him was necessary, too?"
"I...I had to make it seem like my self-defense was warranted - "
"That's a lame cover-up and both you and I know it." The rebuke shocked her and she turned her head to be met with Radiant Hero's intense stare.
"I - Ike...?" she asked timidly, afraid to meet his eyes.
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath before he gently unwrapped her arms from around her knees and guided her to a normal sitting position. "I'm sorry, that was unnecessarily harsh, but I know you better than that, Lucina. I know something's on your mind; you don't have to say what. Whenever you feel comfortable talking to me about whatever's on your mind, just find me." He made to leave.
"Wait!" Lucina grabbed his arm. "Don't go..."
Ike unhesitatingly sat back down. "Alright, then can you answer my question?"
"Well...you know how I sat with the others at dinner?"
"Of course. Was Sonic making fun of you again?" he asked sympathetically.
She nodded. "I - I thought someone would tell him to stop but - "
"You didn't say anything yourself?"
"I did, when nobody else said anything. I just got up and left."
He digested this for a moment. "Well, good for you, but I can't see why you're troubled by it." Off her expression of disbelief, he continued, "What? You handled yourself fine there. Unless there's something you withheld from me I can't see why just leaving was a bad thing. It lets them know that you're not happy with how they're treating you."
"Um...well, I sort of...yelled at them too..." Lucina admitted hesitantly.
"And? If anything, it reinforces the message that you won't stand for being teased like that."
"...But...that's such an awful first impression to make - "
"Having to make a good first impression doesn't mean you submit to intolerable things by any means! It's more dangerous to stay with people you dislike than walk away!"
She sighed. "And here I was thinking I was being extraordinarily rude..."
"Time and place, Lucina. When you want something from people, it's necessary to be submissive, but if you're there of your own free will, it's something else entirely. It's their privilege to have you in their company, and you have the right to take that away if you choose." When she just nodded and said nothing more, Ike decided to press the matter a little bit. "So, how exactly does all of this relate to what happened with Wario?"
"I...didn't want to yell at anyone else if I couldn't help it, which is why I was hoping he would get bored and stop bothering me on his own. I've only got one theory as to why I tried to restrain myself around him though, he's disliked me from day one."
Ike looked surprised. "Well...your patience shows itself in very odd ways. "
Lucina shrugged. "Perhaps it was because I didn't know how he would respond. I can't fathom any other reason why I didn't push him away."
"Either way, I'm sure Master Hand will let that slide. He typically doesn't sympathize with the plights of some of the...er...less popular members of the Smash Brothers."
"Wait, so does that includes me?!" The princess suddenly looked alarmed.
"No, no, of course it doesn't. It's just that there isn't really a blanket term for people like Wario, and I dislike using the term 'villains group' like other people do. Some of them, like Bowser, are truly confusing as to what they are. He'll be competing with his enemies in friendly a go-kart race one week and be trying to kidnap Peach the next."
"I see," she mumbled, looking embarrassed at her outburst.
Ike put a hand on her shoulder. "You had the right idea, standing up to Sonic. He likes to make fun of people but he's above ignoring his friends; he'll honor your request, I'm sure. And the others probably gave him a lecture about it too if you yelled at him."
"I still don't understand why he chose to tease me in the first place."
"He does it for fun. Sonic is...rather shallow-minded when it comes to entertaining himself. If it amuses him, he'll do it until it ceases to. You happened to give him the reaction he was looking for in the theater. It's natural to be caught off-guard like that, but if I may give you some advice on the matter, try to minimize your reaction. The less of a dramatic response you give to people like Sonic, the less likely they are to see you as worth poking fun at. I'm sure you're also aware that people's decisions tend to be more irrational the more emotional they are."
She nodded, looking at her feet. "I was told I can be literal, but I never expected it to be exploited like that."
"Don't stress yourself over it, nothing is worse than trying to change yourself to fit someone else's expectations. You did the perfect thing in that situation, which was to stand up for yourself. There's absolutely no harm in seeing things literally, and I'm sure some of the humor used here will come to you with time. You just need to understand more about the others, then you can more easily tell when they're having a joke."
Lucina unexpectedly smiled and looked at him. "Thank you for all the advice, Ike. I honestly don't know what I would do without it."
"All I'm doing is giving feedback. Seriously. Give yourself some credit, Lucina, you've made a good number of friends in just a couple of weeks."
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day yet happened when she scooted closer and took his hand, still smiling. "Only because I had help from someone."
"Oh?" he asked casually to mask his surprise. "And who might that be?"
The smile vanished. "Perhaps subtlety was best not used there..."
Ike forced the mixture of amusement and exasperation down so as to avoid hurting her feelings. "Lucina, it's just a joke."
The princess slapped a hand to her forehead with a noise of frustration, covering her face with her hands afterwards. "Why did I take that seriously?"
"Hey, remember what I said, you're expecting far too much of yourself," Ike told her, standing up and stretching. "We should head inside, it's getting dark."
She nodded. "Then I shall return my room, goodnight, Ike. And...thank you for standing up for me earlier."
"Think nothing of it. Goodnight, Lucina."
When she reached her room the first thing she did was slam the door in frustration. She had her part of the exchange with Ike all thought out, down to each word, but hadn't planned out how to respond to anything he said. Her oversight was showing itself now.
The princess sank into the chair and put her head facedown on the desk, still severely annoyed. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you not perceive that he was making a joke? You can't even get something that simple about him right; you have no right to be obsessing over him!"
There was a knock at the door. Lucina ignored it. Another knock. Now she was starting to get even more irritated, but still she said nothing as the knocking came both louder and more frequently. When there was finally a pause, she thought they had finally given up, but when the knocking resumed she lost her temper. "Go away! Can't you take a hint, or do I have to make a Do Not Disturb' sign for you?" Remembering that the doors didn't lock, she stood and went for her sword in case that wasn't enough to drive whoever was disturbing her away.
The door opened and Ike poked his head inside. If had any reaction to Lucina with her weapon aimed at him, he didn't show it. "Just so you know, there already is one in the closet. I'll talk to you later since you want to be left alone, but remember what I said." As quickly and quietly as he'd entered he left.
Lucina numbly stared at where he'd disappeared, letting Parallel Falchion slip from her loose grasp and clatter to the floor. She slid to the floor at the foot of her bed and heaved another sigh.
"Calm down, remember what Ike said." The princess forced herself to relax. "Forget about it; move on. He'll be back later, you can apologize to him then. Deep breaths, think about something else."
Easier said than done, but she managed to compose herself after a few moments. Once she had calmed down she reached for her sword and sheathed it, unbuckling the scabbard so her current position was more comfortable but keeping her weapon by her side. The room was comfortable and the blanket she was leaning against was soft...
Plegia Castle
"Heheheh..." Grima chuckled, switching to another perspective once he'd ascertained that Lucina was asleep. "The things people will do when they think they're unwatched..."
As much as he wished for a hand in this, he hadn't dared do anything. All he'd been doing was conducting some reconnaissance around the mansion, making a rough floor plan for future reference, when he'd seen the princess with Ike and shadowed her for a bit to learn what was going on. It was too risky to attempt anything so close on the heels of his latest mischief.
Now that he had that knowledge though, the possibilities were endless.
There was a knock at the door and he closed the connection before answering it, putting on his hood as he opened the door.
"Sir, King Validar has returned from Ylisse. He requested that you meet with him in the throne room."
"Very well. Tell him that I will be there shortly." The courier bowed reverently and ran back down the corridor as the Fell Dragon started clumsily walking to the throne room.
Validar immediately dismissed his advisers and nobles upon his arrival, all of whom bowed to their hierophant as they passed him on the way out.
"Well?" Grima asked as soon as he was sure the room was empty, gesturing for Validar to follow him to the battlement outside. "What news do you have for me?"
"The negotiations went smoothly. That air-headed woman they call queen hasn't the faintest idea of how to conduct matters of state."
"I presume she agreed to your proposed free trade deal between Plegia, Ylisse, and Regna Ferox?"
"Indeed." Validar was far past questioning his master's foresight.
"Do not mistake her motives in doing so, Validar. She is doing so out of prudence, not naivete. Underestimating the Shepherds already cost you your life once; do not expect me to be so merciful if you commit that error again. This is as beneficial to our enemies as it is to us; do not forget, they are both demanding reparations for the war. If they were truly being generous towards us, they would not have. Even if Chrom is only being so stringent with foreign policy for the sake of maintaining popularity, doesn't that demonstrate competence?"
"Yes." The king's face held no small amount of annoyance at his incorrect estimation, but the Fell Dragon was no longer interested in pursuing the topic.
"Now then, what else?"
"With the embargo lifted, trade is picking up again. The economy as a whole is on the rise; soon we will be prosperous enough to where we can worry about...pruning the tree, so to speak. Per your request, my master, I will give you command of forces in charge of the effort when the time comes."
"Ah, yes. The purification of this country. You should be ready, Validar, because far fewer of your officials pay proper homage to their god than you think."
They continued in silence for a bit. "Master, if may ask, what are you up to in your chambers? Rumors are circulating among even Grimleal clergy that you made have something to hide."
"Tell them that it is none of their business to know. Likewise, it is not yours. If they are truly curious then invite them to ask me in person. I can best answer them that way." The Fell Dragon spotted a soldier leaning against the battlement, fast asleep, and sneered with disgust at the lack of discipline as he pulled a Mire tome from within his robe before casting the magic on the sleeping man. Wisps of dark energy began to gather around him before solidifying into bubbles of an ominous shade of green, and both of them stepped back before they ruptured, the shower of caustic acid dissolving the unfortunate man into a puddle before he could even wake up.
"It appears your royal guards are in need of improvement, I would hardly trust such slackers with a coin let alone my personal security." Without another word Grima turned to head inside again, once more leaving an annoyed Validar behind. The king examined the remains of the soldier for a moment before setting off to find the Captain of the Guard.
Smash Mansion
Lucina wasn't sure how long it was before Ike knocked on the door, rousing her. Though he knocked, it was merely a formality as he let himself in. "Are you alright, Lucina?"
"Yes, I'm fine now. About earlier - "
Ike gently stopped her. "It was my fault for not being considerate of you. I didn't mention it was me at the door, for one. You bear no responsibility for my mistakes."
"...So...what brought you here?" she asked after a brief silence.
"Well, I noticed this on the ground." He pulled out a half of her butterfly mask from his pocket. "It fell from your pocket, so I assumed you had a reason to hold on to it."
"Yes, I was planning to see if someone in town could either repair or duplicate it before I ran into you."
"To conceal your identity from your father, I presume?"
The cerulean swordswoman nodded. "That was the main reason when I first came here, but there is another. This belonged to a friend of mine; it wouldn't do well for me to return it to him in pieces."
"I see."
"I wonder how I didn't notice this fall out of my pocket?" she mused aloud.
Ike shrugged. "Well, no harm done now that it's been returned, right?"
"I suppose not," Lucina sighed. "Still, I thought I'd have kept better track of it. Either way, it's a reminder that I need to find someone who can repair or replicate this mask, so thank you."
"Perhaps I could help you with that. Do you mind if I take a look at the fragment?"
She handed it over and Ike studied it closely. "Hm...what exactly is this made of?"
"Er...I don't know, exactly. If I had to hazard a guess it would be either bronze or wood, but..." she shrugged helplessly. "I'm afraid I never bothered to answer that question, before or after it broke."
"Not to worry, I'm sure there's a place that can help us identify what it is." Ike pocketed the fragment again.
"...Us...?"
"Yes, I'll be more than willing to help you if you want. I figured that since I know my way around Smashville, it would be more efficient for me to assist in a search for a place that suits your needs."
She nodded in agreement with his assessment. "I think that would be best. When do you want to meet?"
Ike made a noncommittal sound. "Whenever works for you. We don't need to go out of our way to do this; Crazy Hand said he was delaying the start of the next tournament a few days, so we have plenty time. I heard from Marth that some of the others are organizing a Target Blast competition, but we should have plenty of time to practice. It's not for a few days, and I already got in some practice so - "
"I can do this myself if you want to participate," the princess offered quickly. "I wouldn't want to take from your practice time, even if you're more prepare than most."
"The arena will be so crowded that it won't matter. I understand if you don't trust me with something so valuable to you - "
"No no no, it's not that! I won't have myself be a burden to you if - "
He suddenly put his hands on her shoulders, instantly silencing her. She remained instinctively tense at the contact before relaxing, upon which he spoke. "Peace. I've told you already, it's no burden to me to help you out."
It was now the Radiant Hero's turn to be surprised as Lucina hugged him. "Ike...thank you, I don't know what else to say."
"Hearing that is enough." After a moment longer he gently pulled himself away. "I must be going now, if you want to talk to me, I'm three doors down to the left."
He was at the door when she spoke again. "Um...Ike, I think you have a piece of my mask."
He groaned. "Gods, you're right. My apologies - " He was cut off when she extracted the other piece and made her way to his side again. "Are you sure?"
She nodded as she placed it in his palm, on top of the other half. "I have complete faith that you won't misplace either of them."
"Lucina...this isn't necessary - "
"But I want you to know that I trust you. Completely."
"...I..." He took a breath before looking her in the eyes. "I won't give you any reason to think your trust was misplaced."
"Of course you wouldn't." The princess withdrew her hand and Ike promptly pocketed both pieces. "Good night, Ike."
When he'd bidden her farewell and left, Lucina knelt beside her bag and rummaged inside of it until she found a simple cotton pouch. She carefully extracted it and pocketed it, in the same one that had until recently held the pieces of her mask.
Inside were smaller pieces of her mask, most of them decorate with delicate pieces of trim, that had fallen off when it was broken. Despite the ornate appearance, the mask wasn't highly valuable - she would't have worn it so often if it was that expensive - but nevertheless the smaller pieces were just as important to her as the rest. And though she wasn't lying when she said that she trusted Ike wholly with the majority of the mask, the delicate nature of the remaining pieces meant that these were things she didn't trust to anyone but herself.
The next few days in the mansion had seen an atmosphere change once word of the first Target Blast competition had gotten out. Though Palutena had made the announcement a few days in advance, many of the Smashers were scrambling to practice as often as possible, a goal frustrated by the arena's maximum capacity of two simultaneous users and the number of people who wanted to compete. Master Hand had even volunteered to referee and be commentator for the tournament, along with providing a prize, though he explained his participation was only because Crazy Hand was off planning their next official event.
It really hadn't come as a surprise to many, however, since a number of scuffles over the usage of the Target Blast arena had already resulted in the creator assuming a police role. Among other incidents, Wario managed to get Falcon Punched a total of three more times, and the feud between the two was getting to the point where some Smashers were requesting that both be barred from participation lest either of them try anything underhanded.
Though Master Hand hadn't weighed in on the matter, with the day of the contest upon them, most of the Smashers were more worried about whether they were prepared than the feud. Though Peach and Palutena had set aside one of the arena's two courses for people to sneak in some last-minute practice, that news hadn't done much to alleviate the widespread feeling of unpreparedness.
Not helping was the fact that many of the townsfolk had already taken their own crack at the game already on a digital scale. Nobody wanted the humiliation of being beaten by some stranger who was playing as them; though the so-called "remote contestants" weren't a part of the contest proper, it was an added layer of pressure that had caused some Smashers to drop out. Despite the relatively small competitor's pool, almost everyone, Smashers and Smashville citizens alike, had shown up attendance, though mostly because of the free food.
The added pressure wasn't bothering some people, notably Captain Falcon, who was as unmoved by the higher stakes as an island by a hurricane.
"I forgot how annoying he is," Wario grumbled to Bowser as they watched the F-Zero racer throw punches and kicks, some of them accompanied by pyrotechnic displays as he charged his body with fire. "Makes me regret dropping out of the competition just because he's going to be on about that for the next month."
"Why does matter?" The Koopa King growled in response. "You don't have to compete, and only cravens and narcissists worry about what others think. I gotta say though, it's not like you to pass on gold of any sort."
"Hmph, when it's worth my own skin to, it is." Wario held up a pair of branch cutters. "Stole these from the gardening shed last night; I was supposed to be just ahead of Falcon, but since I forfeited, the bombs meant for me will be given to him instead. Let's see how long he keeps up his trash-talking when they blow up in his face!"
"You really think it's worth getting punished for?" There was something approaching mocking admiration in Bowser's tone when Wario confirmed this by way of silence. "You sure you're not suffering from food poisoning or garlic deprivation?"
"Shut up, I'm not even asking anything of you in this! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to snag some food and get out of here." The fat Italian slunk off, leaving Bowser to lumber towards the spectator stands; he would make a poor father if he didn't watch his kids compete.
The tournament had proceeded smoothly until Captain Falcon started a practice round of Target Blast just before his turn to play officially.
"What?" he grumbled when approached about the problem. "I'm in the middle of a game here!"
"Falcon, you knew since the start of the event when you would be up," Palutena refuted patiently. "Now you're holding up the entire tournament."
"Come on, can't you just make me swap places with someone?"
"Nobody else wanted to." Peach had joined her co-organizer. "Falcon, we try to be understanding. Do you think we'd approach you about this if there was an alternative way?"
He shrugged as he stretched in preparation for beating up the second bomb in his practice game. "Not my problem. If you really can't find anyone to take my place, I'll be done in a few minutes - "
"I'll go." Ike suddenly emerged from the crowd. "If Falcon isn't feeling up to speed right now, then let him practice. We can trade spots."
"Excellent!" Peach ran off to go make the change on the rankings board while Palutena disappeared back into the crowd, her job done for the time being. Falcon gave the Radiant Hero a nod of thanks before returning to his practice game, while Ike hefted Ragnell and headed for the competitor's platform.
Once the course had been generated, Ike took a minute to analyze it before pummeling the first bomb with quick blows. When the fuse timer reached five seconds, he wound up and slammed it with all his strength. The bomb sailed above the course, falling into a gap before detonating. Another bomb encased in the structure went off too, taking out more targets.
"Not bad," he muttered as he observed the results. The second bomb was larger and the remaining targets were clustered together, so it would be a cinch to get them.
Ike stretched briefly before repeating the routine with the second bomb. As he wound up to launch it, this time aiming at the back wall so it would bounce and go low, he noted that he had four seconds left. All according to plan.
The instant Ragnell's blade touched the bomb, however, it exploded, enveloping the platform in a pillar of fire and smoke.