Disclaimers are over with, consult the prologue for them. (although I doubt it'd really interest you, it was about, what, one and a half lines?) xD

:RECAP:

Ike and Link learned about the tournament and whatever and started to doubt their chances (well, Ike did) and what not. Link wondered what kinds of people they'll end up meeting. Hm, tough. :) Gosh, that prologue was short. (still not over it.)

IRON BATTLEFIELD

SSBB fanfic

1 – 1 – Second Voice

-ARIESZE-

Day 1/5 remaining days before the GTTB

Day 1 – Marth

It had been his first day being in a town that wasn't as rich as his own.

He started to realize how threatening he appeared to be when he noticed his whole attire grabbing the attention of the townspeople who spectated inconspicuously during his training hours in the conveniently-placed waterfall by the cabins. Although they often wondered what his business was over there and why on earth he'd decided to train by the waterfall without any opponents, they were quickly distracted by his graceful movements. As much as he tried his very hardest to pretend like he didn't realize the watchers crouching behind the bushes, he wasn't that comfortable with all the attention.

In fact, he wasn't comfortable with anything at all. He wasn't a fan of all the people who met up just to watch him. Maybe because of loss of privacy or the issue that he wasn't trying to catch people's eyes. He also didn't want to portray that kind of person either.

It was swordplay, he used to say. Rather than gathering up opponents that would prove to be a nuisance in the future, he described his way of training as 'artistic', and going with the flow. That meant that the main concept of it was to imagine the opponent and carry on from there. Not a lot of people exactly agreed with the effectiveness of his methods, but they couldn't refuse observing anyway. After all, there weren't many people like that there, so everyone was basically in awe.

His dark cape lashed around his breastplates and flew out on his back, and every so often, his terrific leaps would make it cling to him and as soon as he falls handsomely down to the ground, the cape flies above him and lands perfectly back to its starting position.

And his sword – the ever-magnificent Falchion, which gained the men's attention. No one dared to ever take him on with that thing being swung around. Especially to the minority that recognized the weapon itself as the legendary dragon-slaying sword made with the fang of a classified god. Marth only hid that, this was simply a version made from the original Falchion hence its qualities don't quite match up.

An elder, a wise leader of the many people located in that town, slowly approached Marth while relying on focusing his strength on his cane. He was a bit short, and his back hunched down as he walked.

Marth, who had always been the sharpest, noticed his presence instantly and turned to his direction.

"Prince Marth," the elder struggled. "It is an honor to have you visit our town. I-it hasn't been this.. enlightened.. since you arrived."

The prince smiled kindly and offered his assistance to help the old man stand up properly.

"I'm not here as royalty, just think of it as a vacation destination."

As soon as he eyed the countless people peeking again from the bushes, their eyes grew in fear and half of them made the decision to flee from the scene. "So they are afraid of me.."

The old man squinted his eyes. "But.. surely there is a reason for your sudden coming?"

"Ah," Marth grinned. "..actually, you're right."

A few wandering guests turned their attention to the prince and crowded around him and the elder like starving hounds, hoping to get a scoop on why such a famous face would come wandering into such a poor town. Firstly, they didn't get many tourists because of their status. It was a town poorer than the people living in it, and it took countless people to improve it completely, but it became harder than they ever imagined.

"You see.."

Upon noticing all the fuss, he became fascinated at how a royal who didn't have the stylish entrance and the popular accompaniment still attracted them. It said a lot about how they itched for some excitement here and there. He pitied them, though.

"This town is one of the waypoints for tournaments, and I just happened to be near here while on my walk, so I decided to visit to see where the signing up would be held."

A stranger from the crowd suddenly pushed the others away in some kind of a domino effect and ran up closer to the prince.

"T-the final brawl tournament!" he screamed. "Do you plan to fight in it?"

"Shhh..!" Marth attempted to quiet him down. "I plan for my entrance to be a surprise. Even though I've fought in these tournaments previously, no one expects me to come back for the finals!"

The crowd then began to make awkward noises.

"A-are you participating by yourself?" the stranger asked curiously.

"Oh, yes. Just imagine what'll happen to my reputation if I had bodyguards watching everybody." the prince laughed.

He'd never been so friendly before, probably because he hasn't been with a lot of people who aren't in the same nobility ranking as he was. "And I hear a lot of challenging opponents are going to be in the tournament as well." another voice called from the bundles of people watching by the posts.

"I expected that. Those who couldn't really compete in the previous vulgar matches are probably all going for the year-end match. Which is why I'm totally up for this. Not only am I expecting extremely strong opponents but also extremely strong teammates. I'm just excited to see how this will turn out."

It was already a guarantee for him. Surely in the upcoming grand event, there will be some highly intimidating opponents that will prove to be a hard task in the future.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH,"

A startled Link woke up from his awaited nap and ran to his kitchen where the alarming noise seemed to come from.

"Wh-what.. Ike..?"

The two exchanged glances for quite a while until the other decided to speak.

"You have.. absolutely no meat in your refrigerator!"

Link furrowed his eyebrows in disappointment. After all, he was expecting something surprising- a house fire or a leakage; anything worth to be deprived of sleep. Yet instead he was being bothered by the lack of visible steaks in the fridge.

"Seriously, Ike.."

Ike matched his tone.

"Don't 'seriously, Ike' me. I came in here sweating like I've taken a shower, and you only have piles of vegetables here. What am I, a rabbit?"

Link sighed in exasperation. "'It'll be a good idea', you said. 'It's just like being roommates', you said."

Day 1 – Zelda

"Even up until now.. it still leaves a stain.."

"Heck.. why am I even remembering this? Isn't it over? Isn't it best if I just forget? Oh, what am I kidding. The slightest things remind me of everything. It's difficult."

But you were the one who left the jerk, weren't you?

"What?" Zelda jumped back, surprised. "Y-you have no input on this..!"

She stared perplexedly around her dark, empty surroundings.

"And besides," she sighed. "It was only a cowardly act. I knew it'd be impossible for things to work out for us."

Is that why you abandoned your glorious past lifestyle, then?

"It wasn't glorious."

The ex-princess raised the ends of her dirtied dress from the floor. The accumulated dirt had already clung to the cloth because of the days she spent locked up in the dispiriting room. It was a small house beside an immense, spacious forest with only a few other neighbors. That is, if you consider houses a hundred miles away close enough to be neighbors.

You're an idiot.

"Shut up." she stood up and examined the room. The darkness didn't help her in determining whether it was early morning or nighttime.

Come on, get up.

"..."

You need some fresh air. I hate what you turn into when your remember him. So cut it out.

"I don't see why I have to please you."

Because I know what's best, of course.

"Yeah right."

You're not of much use to yourself when you're like this either.

"I'm not of use to anything."

And now you're bringing yourself down. What is wrong with you?

"I don't know." Zelda pushed her head to turn away.

But from what?

"Princess," a soft, tired voice was heard with a faint knock. "You haven't eaten anything, have you? Come down."

"Y-yeah.." she muttered under her breath.

The trip down the stairs was as frightening as falling down a deep pit. The steps squeaked and new crack lines appeared a second after she stepped on them. It wasn't going down that was worrying, it was having to go back up on those same stairs. The town she stayed in was as poor as she'd ever be.

She glanced at the table made of the same material, and just as delicate. It was alleviating to see a couple of bowls of food. What they were, she didn't care.

Her guardian sat down patiently on the front chair. It was an old woman, short and crippled, but possessed the kindest smile. Zelda couldn't help but sit down beside her, not that there were any more spots, but it saddened her to see such a sorrowful facial gesture. She often wondered if she would someday grow old that way.

You won't be like that. Not even close. Not with what you are right now.

"Tch," she depended on her mind to block out the comments that were uncalled for. "Why are you back..?" she murmured discreetly.

I'm always here.

"I'm sorry, Princess.." the old woman's brittle lips struggled to move. "I won't be able to accompany you to get the water today."

Zelda's eyes started to moisten. "Call me Zelda, Nana. And it's fine. I've trained myself to fight countless times through the forest. I'll be alright."

The old woman smiled, and it was dearly precious to her.

You're so arrogant.

Zelda winced. It just never ended. But she knew her capabilities very well. She recognized the forest best.

As much as you want to, you still can't learn magic.

Like she cared. It was good enough for her.

"I'll be on my way, then." She smiled her nicest to her guardian, who could barely find the strength to stand up. She couldn't help but pity the old woman though, since she often had to waste her time with someone who wasn't worth it. Or maybe it was this negativity that turned her out this way. "Bye, Nana."

After mental preparation, Zelda hesitatingly popped her head outside. The sunlight immediately blocked her sense of vision to remind her of the time of day.

It was only a few minutes after noon, and she already predicted how much more persistent the light would be later in the afternoon.

With clutched fists, she stepped lightly on the porch steps, avoiding any injuries that it promised, and journeyed to the inside of the forest. There had been a well situated past it but since they had no other means of transportation to get there safely, this was the only solution they had left.

She still despised the idea, though. What if the old woman all of a sudden lost her strength and fell on the floor hard enough to finish her? The thought was indeed harsh, but it couldn't be ruled out. She at least reminded herself that her Nana would be better off staying in the house than to come with her to walk a couple kilometers to reach the well, especially with what lurks quietly in the midst of the shady trees. Even she had to be careful herself.

The typical everyday thoughts she had locked away inside her after she decided to quit royalty contaminated her completely, and by the time she regained her thoughts, she noticed she was already so far into the forest. It felt slightly lonely, so she couldn't help but pout at the scene.

Her attention was suddenly stolen when sinister laughter echoed.

She could've sworn the trees were only swaying, and only the wind and the sound of her slippers cracking the bark on the ground could be heard, but she noticed the atmosphere also lost the breezy feeling. At first, it was a minor concern. Maybe just a few guys having fun, enjoying the sun. But in a forest?

The laughter increased over time, and she could only determine it as originating from a few grown men. Was it anything to be disturbed about?

"I-I'll go check it out or something.." she whispered to herself. "Or maybe.. I'll just try to avoid that path.."

It took a while for her to decide when it seemed like parts of her mind began to argue unwillingly with each other. In time, though, she came to a conclusion.

"Maybe I'll check it out.." It seemed her curiosity got the better of her.

Be my guest. Just be careful.

"I know that!"

Luckily the noise led her right to them. She wasn't too close, the men were too occupied in their own enjoyment. But they didn't look harmless, and she knew that herself. Why she was still eager to know about them being there, well, she didn't know either.

That's a horrible idea, Zel.

She had no time to talk.

"AAH! HELP ME!"

Zelda noticed that behind the two large men, a hysteric young girl, probably around fourteen, was being harassed and kept captive in their arms. It would've been a better choice to just leave, but the way she was screaming and calling for help rang in Zelda's ears and her instincts shoved away the idea of escaping for her own wellbeing.

Zel..

"You, shut up."

As much as her lips shivered, she bit them and told herself to do the 'right thing', even though it sickened her to take on such a risk just to provide herself credit of being a holy descendant sent from above. Because that's all it felt like.

"You-!"

It seemed she was too occupied in her own thoughts to notice that danger had pointed to her location.

"You think you can just watch us and we won't mind? What, you think we're bad guys, huh? You wanna help, then? Come over here!"

She grimaced at the possibilities. She's dead for sure, although that would've been better compared to what else she'd have to endure once they keep her locked up with them.

"N-" the loud cries of the girl kept her from thinking of running away. She took into consideration how miserable and dreadful it would be to be in such situation, and needed to push away all other concerns.

Zel, let me do this.

"No!" she shouted. "Not at all!"

"So we have a tough girl, over here, huh?" One man slowly approached Zelda while the other kept the captive lady in his reach. What could she do? It sure wouldn't be a breeze to run and break the girl free, would it?

By the time she could react, the man grabbed her wrist painfully while cutting her circulation and put his other hand on her mouth, keeping her from shouting, like there'd be anybody else who could hear it anyway. She couldn't remember the last moment that something terrifying had occurred to her. The sensation was awful; she was grasping for her life while being clenched firmly as all other thoughts just passed, and her eyes just stare at nothing.

"Damn.."

It was more challenging than she thought. She came up willingly thinking that she could finish everything heroically until reality hit her. There was no way she'd break free from the man's tight grip.

I'm telling you, if you'd just let me-

"No!" she couldn't find herself screaming any louder with her breath being deprived from her in the process.

Her panting was vigorous, and everything passed her mind knowing that there was no other alternative. Why couldn't she learn magic? It infuriated her severely to the point that she could no longer take looking at herself in such way. Even though she made the tough choice to live in these situations, she did this knowing full well that her capabilities couldn't match what had been lurking deep inside her. It was a temporary measure, she thought, but at times like these, it was her only other option.

Zel, I'm begging you.

And it just wouldn't stop, as if it were a force that demanded to be let out completely.

Let me take care of this. You think you don't have magic, but you really do.

But she regretted it. She didn't want that kind of magic. She wished to be an individual who could take care of her own problems, not with constant assistance here and there.

As much as she detested it, she had no choice.

She yet again clutched her fists in anticipation. It had been so long since she released a spell of that kind, and reminiscing it isn't the greatest, so she decided to ignore. Maybe if she knew that it would turn out like this she wouldn't have taken on such a task. After all, it was just water she had to get. The energy inside her was overpowering, so any hint of resistance would be ignored. Her body started to feel boneless and numb, and the sounds of the man laughing maniacally began to cease. All she had left was her mind that kept pestering her to retreat the spell. But it had been too late.

Before the man knew it, a blinding light shot at his eyes and a gigantic force ruptured and pushed his arms off and he was taken back in a sharp move. When he regained his vision, he was dismayed to witness that the helpless lady he had had control of earlier wasn't there.. and instead, in her place was someone wrapped in ragged clothing and a cloth mask.

It was a man.

"Y-you..! W-what .. are you?" the man jumped back a few steps.

He crumbled in fear as he watched the man in front of him glare at him dauntingly with dark eyes and no words. As if he were the least bit concerned of how the man was slowly breaking away with fear inside, he carried on his duties thinking of it as something in commemoration to what Zelda would've eventually ordered him to do.

"A-answer me..! W-who was that.. woman.. and how d-did she..?"

He was interrupted by the other's swift movement. The image of his body flashed as he quickly disappeared which made the quivering man turn around to find him only a few inches away. And in that flash, there wasn't any time to think clearly about anything to counter the movements.

"You lay your hands on that woman again,"

Hey, wait a minute.. 'that woman'?

"..I'll make sure you'll regret it," the masked stranger said as he relentlessly grabbed the man the same way he did Zelda and sent him crashing to the ground with a painful hit, causing him to lose his consciousness. The other perpetrator, on the other hand, grabbed his belongings and ran off like an alarmed kitten. It seems they're only as tough as they seem when faced with someone weaker. That's always how it's been, hasn't it?

So.. again...

He adjusted his mask and removed it from covering half of his face.

"I didn't want him to think we were one, okay? Imagine how sick that'll sound like."

But it really is, isn't it?

"Well.. just don't think of it like that."

Then how should I think of it?

"I'm your soul."

The wind finally stopped but it left its cold remains still wandering.

"I exist within you as guidance. So don't snub me like that."

The voice inside of him laughed.

I'm not snubbing you.

"Please, that could work if we were two separate people. But sorry, I can tell if you are."

Oh, go away, you. Just transform back already.

"Oh, why? I haven't experienced this lately. Give me a break, Zel. And besides, you seem a lot more cheerful when you're not out here, anyway."

Hey! You can't just use that as an excuse to prevent me from taking back my own body!

"Ah.. ignorance is bliss.." he started walking further.

You better not be having any wrong ideas! One day, I will get the power to shut you up once and for all!

And eventually he stopped.

Wh-why did you stop..?

"Getting rid of me.." he started. "Is that really your wish?"

A few seconds passed. It wasn't a very easy question to be asked at such time.

I.. I don't know.

You are really annoying sometimes.

"Of course." he answered back sarcastically.

I'm sorry.. I don't really know yet..

"I know.." he smiled. "It's fine."

Now, I can tell if you're just pretending. You can't hide anything from me either. You exist with in me, no?

"Yes, yes."

Zelda was at least a bit pleased to know that her 'soul' was still there to laugh with her when nobody else can. Perhaps that was the reason she had him in the first place. Would she be happy if that were to disappear as much as she thought she would be?

I'm sorry, Sheik.

Time seemed to pass without anyone knowing. It didn't make a difference if noon changed to dawn.

"What are you apologizing for?"

Can't you tell..? I don't know.. I'm sorry for being so ignorant.

"Yeah, you really are ignorant."

Sheik! It was a sincere moment!

"I'm not a very sincere person, sorry."

But don't you get it, then? I just want to prove myself that I can take care of things for my own. It's not that I regret you doing everything for me, I'm just sick and tired of knowing that I have to always rely on someone for my wellfare. I just hate the thought that I can't do anything, that's all.

"Hey, hey, don't get too serious. I understand completely, so you don't have to rant all day. I don't want to have to listen to your high voice squeaking all day."

Speaking of which..

Sheik turned his head.

"Where's the girl?"

-end of chapter 1-

[COMMENTS]:

Yeah, we won't be hearing from Zelda for a while.

I was a bit iffy on whether to make Marth either a man who's full of himself or a tsundere. You may be surprised, but it was a difficult decision! urges you to feel bad

I did a bit of research, and even though Sheik was basically an alter-ego used by Zelda to escape Ganondorf's capture, I wanted to make him something more inside of her. I personally like the idea myself.

Here is the first chapter! I hope you weren't expecting jaw-breaking action on the first chapter, but it'll come eventually. :)

Please review on what you think. Your thoughts are very much appreciated! :3

-AERIESZE