Chapter 3 – heroes
"I can not believe what you are telling me. Who would do such a thing?" Princess Peach didn't understand. Despite Zelda telling her everything she knew, which admittedly was not very much, it seemed obvious, that several important pieces of the puzzle were still missing. Most of all, it was the identity and the motivation of whoever it was that had attacked Hyrule and seemed so focused on getting the princess, maybe even taking her life.
"Given the size of the army that was sent to come for me, this goes beyond a petty grudge, a vendetta or anything similar. It was the first step of an invasion and as much as it saddens me to admit it, isn't wasn't the dumbest first step either. By killing me or by simply forcing me to hide in exile, they cut of the head of Hyrule. Most won't know what to do now and few, if anyone, lives as secluded and independent as the Gorons or the Zora. I fear for my home and I fear for my people. If they have the power and the resources-" She hesitated. Unwilling to believe what she was about to say, unwilling to admit it. For only a moment, though. "I fear that if they attack, Hyrule might fall."
"Assuming it is Hyrule they want." a voice suddenly said. It came from one of the side entrances and belonged to a young man with blond spiky hair, clothes so dark it was hard to tell whether they were blue or purple and a gigantic sword on his back, causing Link to already reach for the hilt of his own weapon, until Peach raised her hand, dismissing the appearance of the stranger.
"Please do not mind him." she said while looking in the blond man's direction. "Cloud does that a lot. That much has become obvious in the weeks and months since he has joined our forces." As she continued her gaze turned to her guests once more. "But he is a respected man within our army and many look up to him. He knows well about war and suchlike, so we should hear what he has to say." Again, she looked at Cloud. "You wish to continue?"
"I do." he replied while basically ignoring Peach and staring at Zelda. "You think it is Hyrule they want? Maybe. But not like that. As long as their princess is still alive your people won't lose hope. Their spirits won't be crushed. And rightfully so. Because, as everyone knows, you have friends with both power and influence, Peach here being the prime example. They know that they would have to face dire consequences if they simply invaded Hyrule. No, it is you they want. Your death would have turned your kingdom into a lost cause. Forcing you into exile was just a beginning. It was a first step, a minor success, that much is a given. But they won't be satisfied by it. They will wait for their opportunity to kill you."
"So she will have to stay here, where she is save, while our army joins the forces of Hyrule and defeat the enemy." Toad suddenly suggested, much to everyones surprise, although at least Peach herself had a similar thought.
"Which leads us to potential problem number two. As I said, people know about your close relationship with other realms such as the Mushroom Kingdom. They know about the potential threat that comes with this. There is no way an enemy capable of such an attack would be stupid enough to ignore the possibility of you getting away and they should knew what comes next. Which means that the sole fact that they were willing to attack to begin with is evidence of their power, because they are not just willing to assault Hyrule. They are willing face the Mushroom Kingdom and others as well. What you saw is probably just the tip of the iceberg. The enemy must have resources that equal or top the Mushroom Kingdom."
"That's impossible!" Toad almost shouted at this point.
Cloud kept the stern look on his face. "Exactly. It is pretty much impossible for any nation or kingdom to surpass the troops of the Mushroom Kingdom, at least in numbers."
"Which means" a voice suddenly began. It was Link, speaking for the first time since their arrival. "it is more than a single enemy."
The blond man nodded. "That is my assumption."
"But who?" Peach began to wonder.
"More important is the question: How many?" Zelda replied.
"It can not be too many." Toadsworth shared his thoughts now as well. "I mean, if they were, why wouldn't they simply attack us and others as well?"
Cloud shook his had at the elder Toad's suggestion. "One step at a time. If you rush into things it may well be suicide. Depending on who and how many are involved this might turn out to just be the start of a world-encompassing war. In the worst case it may even go beyond just that."
"Now you certainly exaggerate, young man." Toadsworth said. "If it comes to a war, certainly the Mushroom Kingdom can-"
"WHAT?" Cloud interrupted him. "What can we do?" There was no reply. "As I thought. Princess Peach, and you as well, Princess Zelda, we need to be more realistic. We have to go into this accepting the possibility that whatever we're up against might be able to annihilate our entire army with little to no problems."
"Nobody ever defeated our army!" Toad declared.
"Except Bowser." came the quick reply. "Sure, he never directly faced our troops. But he never had to. He tricked everybody, countless times, again and again and just as often did he succeed in kidnapping the princess. Which is all that's necessary. Now picture this: An army, double, triple the size of ours. With the likes of Bowser, the kind who knows their enemy, in other words US, at the top of the food chain. A scary thought, isn't it?"
"Until we know what we are up against, we won't be able to tell fear from fact." Link said. "We need to find out."
"That I can agree with." was Cloud's answer.
"Toad." the voice of Peach, deeper and louder than everyone was used to, suddenly exclaimed. She was acting as suited the situation. "I want you to deliver a message for me."
XXX
Ico had trouble breathing. He was sitting on the ground, leaning onto a tree, his eyes closed. He was panting for air. All of a sudden it had all collapsed above him. All of a sudden he began to comprehend the situation he was in. He was afraid. Afraid, that the queen had noticed his absence and was looking for him, maybe even close to finding him. But it wasn't the only thing that scared him. He also had to ask himself – what now? What would he do? What could he do? He needed to find food, shelter, a place to stay. A village maybe, one where they would perhaps accept him. But him being who he was, what he was, was there any chance of that happening?
It was the grip around his hand tightening that reminded him – whatever the situation was, he wouldn't have to deal with it alone. All that mattered was her. All he did, he did because of her. The queen probably didn't even care about him anyway. It was all about Yorda.
It was then, that he calmed down, tightened his grip much like she did and turned his head, looking at her. She knelt at his side, holding his hand, a worried look on her face. She asked him a question. He didn't understand a word of what she said, but the message was clear.
"I am fine." he said while smiling at her reassuringly, hoping she would understand. She also smiled, although it was a much more hesitant smile, but it was there. Assuming that his condition was no longer in question he let go of her hand and stood up. He began looking around before he turned back to Yorda, still kneeling on the ground. It was weird seeing her like this. Or more likely, it was weird seeing her from his position, looking at her from above. She was taller than him, so usually it was him who had to look up, but not now. Amazing what a difference another angle could cause. Amazing that the pale girl could look even more innocent than she usually does. He closed his eyes and shook his head, dispelling the thoughts that had crossed his mind.
"Huh?" the girl stared at him, slightly confused, while Ico began to wonder if she actually learned a word or if some grunts and noises bear the same meaning in any language. Not that it mattered. "I will look for food." the boy replied while trying to show her through gestures that he was talking about the concept of eating. It took a while, but at some point it seemed she got what he was trying to tell her and nodded. Before he left, holding on to the wooden stick that was his only weapon, he pointed at her first and the ground second, indicating that he wanted her to say here. This time around there was no lack of clarity and so he left, though never going to far away from her position. Always remaining close enough so that he could hear her scream if something would have happened. Not that he expected it. But he wanted to make sure. He wanted to keep her save.
It was all about Yorda.
XXX
Countless pieces of ceramic, clay, stone, glass and more shattered as they fell to the ground. Avoiding the enemy fire at all cost, a young man with dark shorts, a yellow shirt and blond hair leaped behind a giant block of concrete that not too long ago was still part of a wall.
"Saki!" he heard a voice shouting. A familiar voice. Looking in the direction it came from he saw her, hiding behind a pillar. Dark hair, yellow dress, holding onto her nunchaku with both hands.
"Selphie." he said. "Selphie!" again, only louder this time. She still had trouble hearing him as the sound of gunfire covered the entire area. "You need to get to the princess!" Saki screamed, as loud as he could. "I will hold them off as long as I can and don't you dare to object!" For a moment the shooting stopped, the guns remained silent. Still staring at Selphie, ignoring the silence he continued to shout. "Now! Go!"
As he saw her run, he jumped out of his hiding-place and began shooting at the numerous robots that had forced their way into the building, annihilating any and all line of defense as they moved forward. Naturally, he now was the center of their attention, which means Selphie would get away. No matter what happened next, he still dared to smile. It was by no means much, but it was a little success. A smile that became even brighter as more and more of the invading machines were shot and fell to the ground. He didn't know why they were here. Not exactly at least. But he wanted to make sure that they knew one thing: One does not wage war against Sarasa Land and expect no resistance.
XXX
Toad ran, as fast as he could. As he reached the throne room and opened the door – just wide enough for him to enter – he was still gasping for air. "Princess." he said, ignoring any conversation between Peach and her guests that may have taken place at the moment. "They are here."
The princess smiled. It wasn't one of those acknowledging smiles she had to show ever so often as a princess. No. She was genuinely happy. She walked closer to the entrance, even passing her guests without looking at them. She just stared at the slightly opened gate as she stood there, right in front of it. And then it began to open further. Cloud and Toadsworth knew very well whom to expect, but Zelda and Link stared at the entrance, much like Peach, out of sheer curiosity. As she saw two men with the colorful outfits and the mustaches enter, Zelda couldn't help but smile. Unlike Link, who was confused by their looks, she already knew who they were.
Peach looked at both of them, happily. And at one of them with something that may go beyond mere happiness. She greeted them and turned around, facing Link now. "I think you never had the honor. May I introduce you..." Looking at the two men once more she continued. "This is Link, the hero of time." she said and turned her head back to the Hyrulian. "And these are the Mario brothers..."