Alright chapter 3! Thanks for the reviews! By the way, this story is taking place in the summer time so it's really hot... That should help some confusion later on. Thanks again!

Chapter 3

As I awoke the next morning, I sat up slowly and stretched while smiling about today's events. The first match since the new comers arrival was this morning and I hadn't even gotten the details. I got out of bed cheerfully and jumped in the shower to freshen up for the day. Once I was done I stood in front of my closet and gazed upon the many dresses I had but never wore. I decided today I wanted to wear my green dress, just to mix things up. After I pulled it on and finished getting ready I walked into my bathroom one more time to brush my teeth. I then heard a light knocking on the door and hurried over to open it.

"Oh, hello Link." I grinned. He returned it happily.

"Good morning, how did you sleep?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders.

"For some reason better than usual." I replied with a laugh. "So, what's the details of the match this morning?"

"Well, I believe its between Peach and Pikachu."

"Oh, poor Peach, I know I hate fighting Pikachu. He's just too cute."

"Tell me about it." He sighed. "Anyway, let's get some breakfast and well go sit down."

"Sounds good to me."

We both walked into the kitchen smiling and laughing but I stopped as I noticed Ike sitting down reading a book. Ike reads? I would have never thought... When he looked up and noticed me, he immediately put down the book and turned towards us.

"Hey Link." He greeted. Link stuck out his hand and Ike shook it firmly.

"Mornin' Ike, what's for breakfast?" Link asked sitting in one of the stools. Link however left a spot between him and Ike for me to sit. I did so slowly and never took my eyes off of Ike.

"Eggs and bacon, lots of bacon." Ike laughed.

"Well is that so? We better eat up quickly Zelda. Match starts in about 15 minutes." Link stood and walked over to the counter where the food sat and brought back two plates, one for me and one for him which you could definitely tell the difference between ours. I finished quickly for I had far less on my plate than Link had and sat quietly waiting.

"So Link you know they made a last minute substitution right?" Ike stated calmly. Link looked up from his plate and questioned Ike.

"What do you mean?"

"You're now facing against Peach." Link stopped at Ike's words and choked on his food. He then shoved the rest of the food in his mouth and took away our plates.

"If that's the case then I have to go! Wish me luck!" Link left quickly and his footsteps quickly faded away leaving Ike and I in silence.

"So..." He started. I looked at him and noticed the small smile at the corner of his lips.

"Yes?" I asked standing. He stood as well and allowed to me realize just how tall he was compared to me. I shook it off and smiled up at him.

"Shall we go find some seats?" I nodded my head as we slowly made our way to the stands. No one was really here besides a few others. Ike and I sat quietly as more and more people packed in and sat down chatting in anticipation for the upcoming match. Many newcomers sat in the very front rows watching intently. As almost every seat was now filled, Marth had spotted us and sat down beside me.

"Hello." He simply greeted. I smiled in return.

"Hello Marth, are you ready for the new competition?" I asked. Marth shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

"I guess, I just hope I can still beat them." He continued to laugh as well as Ike who merely chuckled at the statement. The stadium grew louder though as the match was about to begin. When Peach and Link had made their entrance on stage the crowd erupted in chanting and cheering. Soon after, Master Hand's voice boomed starting the match. Though I hadn't really paid much attention to the match, I could easily see that Peach was winning. When I occasionally looked over at Ike through the corner of my eye, he didn't look impressed at all. Shortly after I realized this, the matched had ended and Ike only shook his head.

"You call this a competition? Link barely landed a blow."

"Maybe he had a little more respect for her." Marth stated.

"Respect huh? It's a competition. If this is about respect then maybe princesses shouldn't be allowed to fight. They'll always win." Ike shook his head again and sat back in his chair. I however took offense to the statement.

"Well maybe some princesses can handle themselves and take a blow." I snapped. Ike turned to me remembering my title. Annoyance was still plain on his face. "I for one will not be taken easily because of my title."

"You expect me to sit here and believe that they don't move to your every whim?"

"I like things fair believe it or not." I stood up and walked away after I finished my sentence. Regardless of how much I wanted to be around him, I was not going to stand for he's accusations. His statements angered me more than I realized. So much as to I couldn't stand to be around him. As I was roaming around the mansion to try to cool down, Master Hand approached me in the courtyard garden.

"Ah Princess Zelda, I've scheduled you for a match tomorrow."

"Who is my opponent?"

"The newcomer Pit." As he stated this, I nodded my head slowly.

"And the stage?"

"Final Destination."

"Thank you for informing me Master Hand." He didn't say a word only left me thinking about my match. I sat down on one of the stone benches and looked up at the clear blue sky. Not a single cloud was in sight which allowed the sun's warm rays to comfort me more. As I sat it seemed almost an hour had passed. I was actually quite surprised no one had come looking for me. That made me want to sit under a tree and read a good book in the peace and quiet. But since I didn't have a book, I just walked to sit under one beside the calm pond which was only a short walk away from the mansion. I walked quietly with a small grin on my face. Hardly ever do I get to relax in the quiet like this. When I had approached however I saw someones blue hair blow gently in the wind as he sat on the ground throwing rocks across the water. He looked up and his eyes met mine as I froze in place and stood staring back. Why is he always there every time I turn around? Ike just happened to be sitting underneath the very tree I always sat when I had free time. I had thought for a long time that no one else had known about this little pond. When he looked away and back to the water I resumed walking not taking my eyes off of the mercenary. Now I stood only a few feet away just barely under the shade of the trees. I heard a small chuckle escape his lips as he looked down at his feet.

"How is it that we always run into each other like this?" He asked looking up at me. I shrugged my shoulders and still stood in my spot. As he turned his gaze away he made a small motion for me to sit down beside him. I did so but made sure I was a good distance away for I still felt angered from earlier. Ike looked at me again and only smiled. "Why are you so silent?" I looked at my feet and shrugged my shoulders again. I heard him sigh again but this time more heavily.

"Look Zelda, I'm sorry about what I said earlier." This statement however causes me to look up, as I meet his gaze a small smile was visible on the corner of his lips. "It wasn't exactly towards you, I can already tell that you can handle yourself in any situation. You seem like a strong intelligent woman. Especially from the way Link talks about you."

I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't think of the words to say. My anger instantly vanished and only a smile was formed.

"Can you forgive me?" He asked. I nodded my head and stood dusting off my dress.

"Will you spar with me?" I asked smiling. He stood slowly and smiled back.

"Of course." He raised his sword to me as I stepped back. Quickly, I jumped back and summoned din's fire sending the fireball towards him. He merely blocked with his sword making my eyebrows furrow. He blocked that with just his sword? I then focused my magic in my palms and ran towards him thrusting my hands out. It seemed as if he effortlessly blocked another of my attacks. When I tried to knock his feet out from underneath him he merely jumped over my head and swung his sword at my side. I created a shield around my hands and stopped his sword without an injury. He chuckled at my annoyance. As we continued sparring, it didn't seem like either of us could land a blow on each other. I didn't notice of how weak I started to feel. Ike stopped and looked at me with a worried expression.

"Zelda? Are you alright." I nodded my head slowly an went in for another attack. He blocked it and before I knew it my knees had given out on me. The last thing I saw was Ike dropping to his knees as everything around me blacked out.