Captain Falcon: How's everyone doing today?
Samus: We're already on the SEVENTEENTH chapter of Swordplay.
Captain Falcon: It's sort of hard to believe. These last few ones have been going by so quickly...
Samus: Let's see... back in April we were waiting for Chapter 13 to be loaded. Maybe the recent updates haven't been so bad.
Captain Falcon: The author's writing style has started to change, too. She's starting to write more seriously lately.
Samus: You don't suppose she'll cancel our hosting job, do you? (glances at reader)
Captain Falcon: Uhh, let's worry about that later. Guest speaker, do your stuff!
Luigi: Okey-dokey! The author claims-a no ownership of Nintendo, Super Smash Bros. Melee, or-a any related characters and their-a franchises.
Samus: Apparently, the readers were really excited about something that happened to Link and Marth last chapter... but I don't remember seeing anything happen to them...
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Chapter 17: Hero
No.
No, it couldn't be.
Master made a mistake. Maybe the note was a lie, or a riddle of some sort?
But as Link stood there, his eyes scanning the room among the surprised faces staring at him for the prince who would have waved him over to sit down, he realized it was true.
Marth was gone.
He didn't say a word to anyone; Link turned around and immediately ran down the hallway, back up the stairs, back up to his room. He grabbed his jacket, ran back down the stairs, and slipped it on as he ran outside.
"MARTH!" the Hylian yelled.
He ran north, back through the forest, like the previous day.
"MARTH!!" he screamed again.
He pushed his way through some bushes, running as fast as his legs would take him - possibly even faster than they could handle.
"MARTH!!! MAR-" the Hylian tried to scream again, but his throat had become so raw that he ended up coughing.
He tripped over a root, falling face first in the snow. His bare hands stung against the cold crystals. He tried to catch his breath, before standing up again, ready to run.
At that moment, someone grabbed him from behind.
Link had barely begun to mouth the prince's name...
When Zelda spun him around to face her.
"Link! What are you doing?" she asked.
"We have to find... Marth..." he panted, his voice hoarse.
"I agree that we have to find him... and Ness as well! But you should've at least stayed for breakfast! You'll quickly run out of energy if you don't get something to eat!"
"The sooner we find him... the better..." Link argued, his breathing slowing down to a normal rate.
"Just listen to you," she said. "Your throat's becoming raw!"
The princess gently held onto Link's arm, leading him back to the Suites.
"Get something to eat and have a warm drink. We'll figure out what to do after that." Zelda told him.
Link finally moved his legs, begrudgingly following her back to the Suites.
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The Hero of Time returned to the Suites for a small bowl of cinnamon oatmeal and a glass of hot tea. Much to his dismay, Zelda also had Link head up to the third floor to have Dr. Mario check on his throat.
"Okey-dokey, say 'Aah', please-a," the doctor commanded.
Following the doctor's orders, Link opened his mouth to allow the doctor to place a tongue depressor into his mouth and examine his throat with a small light.
"Well-a... that's not-a good..." Dr. Mario commented. "Your-a throat has turned a serious red-a color. There's-a no infection, but you ought to rest-a your voice for a few days."
"What?!" Link rasped, "But I need my voice! How else can I-" Before Link could finish, he was caught in a coughing fit.
"... call for-a your friend? You and-a Marth both have other friends. Get-a them to call for him. In the meantime-a, drink a lot of fluids, particularly warm-a ones. Try and get-a more sleep at night, and adding some-a Vitamin C to your diet would-a help too."
Link appeared confused.
"I'll put it-a this way... try and have an orange-a with your breakfast everyday for the next-a, say, three days... then see if-a you feel better."
"Thanks," Link replied, though he appeared disappointed with what the doctor had told him.
He left the office with Zelda at his side. Since they were already on the third floor, he walked straight into his room and flopped onto the bed.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Following the doctor's orders." he replied hoarsely, turning his head so his face was flat against his pillow.
"Oh, stop it," Zelda teased as Link coughed a little. "I'll go get Captain Falcon and Fox to look for Marth for a while, okay?"
Link grunted something against his pillow, but Zelda figured it was probably an "Okay." She left his room and went down to the cafeteria, to check for her friends.
She conveniently found the Captain, Fox, and Falco having a discussion with Roy, likely about futuristic technology.
"Excuse me," the princess politely intervened. "May I speak with you two for a minute?" she pointed to the bounty hunter and the vulpine pilot.
"You can explain things, Falco," Fox commented to his friend as he left the table with Captain Falcon.
Zelda led them upstairs to their rooms, explaining what had happened on the way. As she waited outside Fox's room, Captain Falcon commented to her, "You didn't really need to ask. I was planning to form a search party and head out this afternoon. But I don't mind heading out now."
Fox emerged from his room, clad in his white jacket. After Captain Falcon went upstairs to get his black jacket, the three of them went outside. The skies were clear this morning, and the wind wasn't as brisk today.
"MARTH!" the trio shouted, pausing for a moment to listen for a response.
"Maybe Master was right. Maybe this is just a waste of time." Fox sighed.
"You better not be giving up already! I'll admit, the chances of finding Ness aren't very good. But Marth's only been gone a few hours, we might still have a chance!" Zelda scolded him.
"MARTH!!" Captain Falcon called again.
The three of them paused silently for a moment.
"Captain..." responded a weak shout on the horizon.
Zelda and Fox exchanged a surprised look, then chased after Captain Falcon as he rushed to the source of the voice.
"Marth!!" Captain Falcon called again, running towards the northwestern part of the forest.
The prince emerged from the woods, looking slightly hunched over, as though he was carrying something on his back.
Could it be?
"Captain..." Marth panted weakly, a small smile on his face, walking towards him. "Ness... still alive... I'm... very tired... my side... hurts... doctor..."
By the time Captain Falcon made it over to the prince, he passed out, falling against the bounty hunter.
"I don't believe it," Fox marveled, lifting Ness off the prince's back and into his arms. "You found him! Marth, you're a hero! Marth... Marth?"
Captain Falcon shifted the prince's limp form to place an arm under his knees and lift him for better control.
"I don't think he'll be talking for a few hours," Captain Falcon told the pilot. "Zelda, get the doors for us!"
She led the way for the bounty hunter and pilot, opening the entrance for them. The commotion started to stir up the crowd of fighters that had been hanging out in the cafeteria.
"Captain Falcon! Fox! Zelda! What happened?"
"You found-a them?"
"Is that... Marth?"
"Hur, Shi hup arara!" (Look, Ness is with them too!)
"You don't suppose they're... dead, do you?"
The crowd almost started to follow them upstairs, but Peach, Falco, and Mario blocked them off, not wanting their progress to be slowed by a crowd of people throwing frenzied questions at them.
Link lifted his head when he heard what sounded like a stampede in the hallway. Then he heard voices.
"Thank you, Princess."
"Doctor Mario! Are you in there?"
That was Captain Falcon. And Fox.
I'll go get Captain Falcon and Fox to look for Marth for a while, okay?
Link shot up out of bed and burst through the door, sprinting across the hallway into the medical room.
"Marth?!" the Hylian gasped.
Captain Falcon, Zelda, Fox, and Dr. Mario glanced up at the Hero. Dr. Mario said something to Fox, who went and pushed the call button for the nurse.
He walked over to the bed that Zelda and Captain Falcon were standing by.
"He just got here," Zelda told her dear friend. "Don't worry, he'll be all right."
Marth was now sleeping in one of the hospital beds, still wearing his jacket. His skin was pale from being in the cold for so long, and a few lines underneath his eyes suggested that he had gone without sleep for a while. Nevertheless, the prince appeared to be resting peacefully. It brought a smile to Link's face; it reminded him of when he saw Marth for the first time. To think, it had only been a few months ago...
"Then, the other one..."
"Yeah, it's Ness," Fox confirmed as Nurse Joy walked in the door carrying two sets of pajamas.
"Excuse me," Joy commented, walking over. "We're going to change Marth and Ness's clothes so they'll be warmer. To protect their rights to privacy, I have to ask you to leave for a little bit. When we're done, you're welcome to come back in."
The four fighters left the room without any arguments whatsoever, but still stood outside the door awaiting permission to return.
Dr. Mario carefully removed Marth's jacket and the coat underneath. Upon preparing to remove Marth's blue tunic, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Nurse... are-a you finished?"
Joy finished buttoning Ness's blue pajama top, then walked over to the doctor. Dr. Mario didn't even have to say anything; she gasped in surprise when she spotted the small blood stains on the prince's tunic. Dr. Mario carefully pulled the tunic back, revealing three thin but long gash marks along the side of Marth's torso.
"Nurse Joy, please get-a me some antiseptic medicine and a roll of-a bandages," he ordered, putting on a pair of gloves.
The pink-haired nurse bustled over to the medicine cabinet, pushing aside a bottle of Emotion Elixir to reach a bottle of clear liquid as well as some cotton swabs. She also grabbed the bandages from the shelf below it. She quickly walked back to the doctor, handing him the supplies. Dr. Mario tilted the bottle of antiseptic medicine, placing a swab against the mouth of the bottle, then carefully applied it to one of the gash marks in Marth's side. He tossed the swab into the trash, before repeating the process with two more swabs on Marth's other two wounds. With Joy's help, he then proceeded to wrap the bandages around Marth's torso. He removed the tunic and redressed the prince in his light blue pajamas, then removed the gloves and went to wash his hands.
After Joy washed her hands, she went to the door to inform Marth's friends it was all right to return. Sure enough, all four of them were still waiting there. They went in eagerly, almost as if they expected the prince and the younger boy to be awake. But they weren't; both Ness and Marth were resting.
"Come back a little later," Joy suggested. "Marth will likely be up in a few hours. As for Ness, I'm not sure... but he should definitely be up tomorrow morning, or tonight if we're lucky."
Disappointed, the four fighters left the room. Samus was waiting outside for them.
"Everything all right?" she asked.
Captain Falcon nodded and replied, "Marth found Ness. But we found Marth."
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Three hours passed from the "exciting" rescue mission. At lunch, Roy made a toast to Captain Falcon, Fox, Zelda, and to Marth, although he wasn't present. After lunch, Link slipped away from the cafeteria back up to the medical room. For the past three hours, he had been coming in every hour to check on Marth for fifteen minutes. Joy and Dr. Mario were respectful and left him alone in the room, even though he didn't do anything or engage in conversation with the prince.
He returned now, still waiting for a sign from the prince. Sure, his skin color had returned to normal. But Link wanted to see Marth move, to hear him make a noise. He reached down and gently let his fingertips stroke Marth's forehead, brushing his bangs aside. His fingers glided down the prince's temple, down to his cheek. That simple touch reminded him so much of...
Marth let out a long breath that slowly became a yawn. Link pulled his hand back quickly as the prince stretched out in bed, his eyes fluttering open.
"Mmmm... I must've passed out... good nap, though..." he turned his head to the side. "Oh, hi, Link."
He blinked, then sat up with a huge smile on his face.
"Link!"
The Hylian laughed and embraced his friend. When they pulled away, Marth became quieter.
"I'm sorry if I worried you..."
Link's face fell.
"You really did, you know. I thought I would never see you again. I thought I had lost you."
"... But I had to do it. I couldn't just leave him out there. If it had been you, I would have done the same thing."
"I know. I'll admit, I would have probably done the same thing for you too. Just... tell someone next time, okay?"
Marth nodded. Both the Hero and the prince were now silent in each other's presence. Alone, together, just the two of them.
"So..." Marth started softly. "About my note..."
"You want-a some company, Link?" Luigi stepped into the doorway. "... Hey, Marth! Welcome-a back!"
"Hi, Luigi," Marth chuckled as the plumber pulled up a chair and sat down.
"Nice to have-a you back again! Losing Ness was-a bad enough, we can't lose-a you!"
"But we didn't lose Ness... Marth found him - still alive - and brought him back. He's resting in the bed behind you." Link told him.
Luigi turned around and saw the boy sleeping in bed behind him, but didn't comment. He turned around and said to Marth, "Say, we've-a gotta tell your friends about-a this! Want me to get-a Captain Falcon for you? Or-a maybe Samus? Zelda?"
Marth shook his head. "No, thanks. It was really nice to see you two again, but I've only been awake for a few minutes. I'd like to maybe get a little more rest. You can tell Dr. Mario and Nurse Joy, though."
Link and Luigi exchanged a glance, then looked back down at Marth.
"Sure, we'll tell them,"
"Get-a some rest. Maybe you'll-a feel better by dinner time?"
Marth smiled up at them. "Maybe."
He snuggled into his pillow and pulled the covers up to his chin as his fellow fighters left the medical bay.
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He slowly awakened that evening, a bit unsure of his surroundings, but then recognized the medical bay. He had been here before. He heard voices behind him. At first, he wanted to turn around and say something... but he decided to listen instead.
"I'm so glad you're all right," said a voice... Zelda.
"That was a very brave thing you did. A bit foolish, but still... it was very brave." That voice belonged to Captain Falcon.
"T-thank you," came a modest reply.
Marth?
Ness gasped, but quickly closed his mouth and eyes, pretending to still be resting. No voices remarked about the soft noise, but there was a brief pause.
"Now we just have to wait for Ness to wake up," commented Samus.
Marth nodded in reply, taking a bite from his turkey sandwich.
"So... what happened out there, anyway?" Captain Falcon asked.
The prince wiped a little bit of mustard from his mouth before relating his story.
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Flashback
Marth trudged through the thick snow, wind stinging his face. His legs cramped, tired, numb, and yet so full of pain. It was as if he had become a mindless creature whose only purpose in life was to walk in a straight line. He had been walking like this for several hours. Darkness surrounded him in the night, and the blizzard made it impossible for him to see the moon or any stars.
Slosh-crunch. Slosh-crunch. His boots shoved their way through the snow.
He almost regretted it now. Maybe, instead of trying to save a friend, he was slowly killing himself instead. No, that wasn't right. What Link had said to him... he knew Ness was still alive. After what happened that afternoon...
Marth's cheeks turned red, but this wasn't a reaction to the cold weather.
Link had given him hope. He was going to give everyone hope.
Marth looked up, facing the expanse of trees before him. Surely, there had to be a sign of the boy. Surely, there had to be a sign of hope. He looked on the ground, hoping for footprints or a dropped item.
Nothing.
The prince glanced up just in time to avoid walking into a tree branch. He had to be a bit more careful with where he was walking...
He trudged along further, perhaps for another thirty minutes, before deciding he needed a break. He spotted a coniferous tree and crawled underneath it, giving his legs a rest. Marth brushed aside a few needles; there were only fresh, new ones here.
He paused for a moment.
Shouldn't there have also been some older tree needles as well? Nobody else would have interest in gathering old, dry pine needles...
... unless they were building a fire...!
Marth spotted something beside his mitten... a folded slip of paper. He unfolded it and saw only one word inside- "Bowser"
Yes, it had to mean Ness had been here before!
Marth was filled with excitement. Suddenly, his legs didn't seem to hurt so much anymore.
He crawled out from underneath the tree and ran forward, willing his legs through the snow.
Running.
Running.
Running.
He spotted a stream of smoke further ahead, as the trees started to thin out.
Marth shouted for his younger friend. "Ne-"
He was cut off, however, when his foot slipped and he rolled down the edge of a rocky hill. The prince landed in a heap of snow and dirt at the bottom. His head was fine, but...
Marth clutched the side of his body, feeling pain throbbing in his torso.
"It's just a bruise," he told himself, trying to verbally soothe the pain. He lifted himself from the ground, and spotted a pile of wood and pine needles, burning just enough to create smoke. It had probably been built in a desperate attempt to stay warm.
Sure enough, right by the dimly lit fire, a small body slightly covered with snow was lying near it.
"Ness!" Marth gasped. He crawled over and brushed the snow off the younger boy's jacket and face. His skin was incredibly pale, and when Marth placed a bare hand against the boys neck to check for a sign of life, his skin felt like ice. Much to his relief, there was still a pulse.
"You're still alive," Marth said, hugging the young boy close to his body to try to warm him up. He sat there for a few minutes, clutching the young boy, until he decided he needed to get him a doctor as soon as possible. Carefully placing Ness against his back, in a 'piggyback' sort of way, he climbed back over the rocky hill, ignoring the pain in his side, and started his journey back to the Battle Royale Suites.
End of Flashback
"... After that, I just kept on walking until it was morning. The last thing I really remember after that was Captain Falcon calling for me, and seeing Fox and Zelda as well before I passed out." Marth concluded.
"You're both very lucky to be alive," Samus stated.
"Oh, and as for my side," Marth added, pulling up part of his pajamas to show off his 'battle scars', "Dr. Mario explained that I actually cut myself on the rocks, rather than just getting a bruise."
"... Neat." Captain Falcon complimented sarcastically, after Marth had shared 'too much information'.
Ness stared over at the wall, shocked by the story Marth had shared.
He did that... for me? After what I said to him...
At that moment, the doorway opened to the medical bay, and Ness quickly shut his eyes again.
Fox McCloud stormed in, apparently unhappy with something.
"Something wrong?" Zelda asked.
"Sorry about my mood. I'm glad you're all right, Marth." the pilot responded.
"Thanks," Marth said with a smile. "Now... what's troubling you?"
"Master," Fox snorted. "He sent me to get you, Captain Falcon. We're in trouble."
"What?!" Captain Falcon exclaimed, standing up. "For what?"
"Apparently, just like for Ness, we weren't supposed to go out and search for Marth."
"That's ridiculous!" Zelda complained. "Everything was perfectly safe today! And why does he have to pick on you two? Link and I went to search for Marth as well!"
"He decided that since Link 'came back' so quickly, he would let him off with a warning," Fox explained, then blushed. "And as for me... well, I agreed to take your share of the punishment. He also said that because Marth is recovering from an injury, he wouldn't punish him for searching for Ness."
"If you'll excuse me..." Captain Falcon said to his friends, "Apparently, I have some business to attend to."
"As do I," Zelda put in. "That was very sweet of you, Fox, but I'll just take whatever punishment they throw at me."
The three of them left the room together, leaving only Samus and Link with the prince.
"What do you think'll happen to them?" Marth asked Link.
"Hard to say. I can't really think of anything Master could do to punish them." Link commented.
"I hope everything will be all right. Everything's been so hectic the past few days..." Marth sighed leaning against his pillow. "Maybe Ness will be up tomorrow..."
"You still seem a bit tired. We'll let you get a good night's sleep. Hope you feel better tomorrow." Samus said to the prince. She exchanged a look with Link, then both of them stood up and left the medical room.
Ness started to consider saying something now, but the room suddenly turned dark. Marth was apparently trying to sleep, and Ness decided a little more rest wouldn't hurt either.
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Night faded away into a gray morning the next day. Marth's eyes fluttered open, the window catching his eye. Snow was cascading from the clouds, and the panes in the med bay had frosted over slightly.
Marth sat up on his side at a low angle, rubbing an eye with his wrist. His mouth hung open as he yawned sleepily. Perhaps five more minutes wouldn't...
"... Marth?"
The prince practically did a barrel roll in bed; not because he was surprised to hear his name, but who had called it.
"Ness, you're awake!" Marth gasped, a smile on his face. He started to climb out of bed, but was stopped when Ness started talking again in a rushed manner.
"I'm so sorry for everything! I heard what happened last night, and I... you shouldn't have gone through all of that for me... why did you? I didn't deserve it after what I said to you... and I'm sorry for that too!"
"Ness, Ness..." the prince held up his hands, trying to calm the younger boy down. "... calm down. It's okay. I was upset about you running away... and I still am a little hurt by that. But it's not because I had to go find you, it's the fact that you ran away that made me so worried. And I know you didn't mean what you said. Sometimes we say and do things we don't mean to when we're upset."
"I'm still sorry," Ness apologized.
"It's all right. I forgive you," the prince replied. "And, if you'd like, I'd be glad to continue training with you when we're released."
"Would I!" Ness exclaimed loudly. "I mean... okay. That'd be great!"
"I thought I recognized that yell," said a voice.
"Captain Falcon!" Marth exclaimed, recognizing the man as he entered with additional company. "Link! Samus!"
"And don't-a forget Doctor-a Mario!" added the doctor as he walked in. "I'm-a surprised to see you in such good-a condition, Ness."
The male bounty hunter walked into the room carrying a tray with two mugs. He set it down on a bedside table.
"I brought you guys some hot chocolate," he explained as he removed his hands from the tray.
"Before-a you drink any-a, though, I have-a to take your temperatures. Vital-a signs, you know," Dr. Mario explained, pulling the thermometer and sanitary covers from a cabinet. After measuring and recording Marth and Ness's temperatures, he gave a nod to the racer to let him know it was all right.
"Be careful, it's a bit hot. You might want to blow on it a little before you take a sip," he cautioned as the doctor removed a hand from Ness's wrist, finished taking his pulse.
Marth and Ness nodded, releasing a small breath against the surface of the beverages, before lifting them to their mouths.
"What do you think?" Captain Falcon asked.
Ness and Marth both had unpleasant expressions on their faces.
"Ugh, I think Ruby needs a new recipe!" Ness groaned.
"Tastes really watered down," Marth stated.
Captain Falcon frowned as Link and Samus shook with quiet laughter, and even Dr. Mario had to hide a grin. "... I decided to try and do something nice, and made the hot chocolate myself..." he muttered.
"Oh..." Marth said awkwardly. "Well... um... it was very thoughtful of you! Maybe you should ask Ruby for a little advice. Perhaps you could've added more milk?"
"Excellent! Excellent-a!" Dr. Mario rejoiced, removing the sphygmomanometer (1) from Ness's arm. "You've made an excellent-a recovery, my boy!"
"Okay... thanks..." Ness replied.
"The same-a for you, Marth. You're-a both fit to return to the Suites-a to continue living normally."
"Wonderful!" Marth responded, pulling the covers off of him. Ness repeated suit, stretching as he stood up out of bed.
All six fighters, including the doctor, left the med bay.
"By the way, Captain..." Marth whispered in a hushed tone. "... what was that 'punishment' Master talked about?"
The bounty hunter frowned.
"We're being grounded," he muttered.
"Does it hurt?" Marth asked, concern in his eyes.
"No, not at all. It's just... boring. Fox, Zelda, and I will be confined to our rooms during the weekend, and we'll have our meals brought to us. We aren't allowed to let guests in, and we're not allowed to leave unless we have to bathe or if we get sick."
"It does sound boring," Marth agreed with a sigh.
"I'll be right back, guys!" Ness called, catching their attention. "I'm going downstairs to get changed."
Marth glanced down at his pajamas. "Yes, I could probably stand to change my clothes."
"Just don't forget to grab your presents," Samus commented, turning to head upstairs. "From what I've heard, we're exchanging gifts today."
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Captain Falcon: We're getting much better with updates!
Samus: This chapter was longer than the last few, and we actually put it up after three weeks, rather than having the readers wait three MONTHS.
Captain Falcon: So, who got who for Secret Santa? (grins)
Samus: (rolls her eyes) I have a feeling I know who...
Captain Falcon: Thank you for reading!
Samus: Hmm, interesting. The author says she's looking forward to writing the next chapter...
Captain Falcon: She always says that.
Samus: Yes, but something about her seems different this time...