CHAPTER SIXTEEN

They filed out of the elevator, chatting and congratulating both Ike and Marth on their tremendous effort in their match, Captain Falcon and Red leading them out. Peach, Zelda and Samus were contemplating where they were going to set up the picnic when they nearly ran into Snake and Wolf, who had been arguing about the best types of explosives. Everyone on front of them had also stopped. Whispers flew around the large, echoing room and Samus stood on her toes, annoyed. "What the hell? Why isn't anyone moving?" Peach peered around and over the other Smashers while Zelda darted forward to check it out.

What she saw surprised her. A lot.

Lyssa was slowly spinning in mid-air, unconscious. Her usually perfect brown hair was hanging down, covering her face, and her arms were tied together behind her back. Her head was lolling on her shoulders, and her dress was torn in several places.

It was dead silent now, the only sound the breathing of the Smashers and the unconscious girl in front of them.

The elevator door slid open again, and April, Chiarina, and Cadmon walked out, discussing something in low voices. April tittered at the backs of the Smashers. "Now, what is the hold up here?" She walked through the silent Smashers, and they moved out of her and her sister's way. As soon as April saw the slim figure in the air, her eyes got a strange glint in them and she crossed her arms. Chiarina sighed as April called, calmly yet with a strange undertone of barely controlled anger, "Medina! Please get in here, young lady. Now."

The door to the kitchen banged open as the figure in black and purple emerged. She had her hood up, and the shadow cast on her face couldn't hide the grin on the teen's face. "Finally! I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up." She took her hood down and looked innocently at her mother and aunt as they both glared at her. She titled her head to one side and asked in a sweet voice, "Yes, Mother dear?"

In answer, April pointed to Lyssa's circling body. Medina looked up at her for a few seconds, and then back down at her mother. "Oh. That."

"Yes, that. Please explain now."

Medina sighed and crossed her arms. "Okay, fine. I was walking around, bored out of my mind, when I heard her talking to someone, a dude, in the study. So I just listened at the door for a while and I overheard her talking about 'almost getting caught', and 'the Brotherhood is not strong enough', and random shi- crap like that. All of a sudden, there she is, right next to me, and neither of us can move, we're so surprised. But then she attacks me, and she's absolutely crazy 'cause I overheard her 'secret'. But, I figured out that the tattoo she has on her wrist matches the one that the blond princess now has. So I figured my actions were justified."

As she was talking, the rest of the Smashers gathered around Lyssa, staring at her. It was true; on her wrist, tattooed in violent shade of red, was the symbol Peach had on her arm. A triangle with lines curved out, with a strange rune in the center. Zelda inhaled sharply and Fox said with wonder, "So she's the one who let the attackers in. I guess it's lucky we found her out before the Queen arrived."

April said quietly, "All right, Medina. Put her down."

Medina shrugged and a second later, Lyssa was released from the bonds holding her up and she crashed to the floor. The Smashers closest to her stepped back as she moaned softly and sat up, her knees still locked together. She was shivering violently and her hair was still covering her face. Chiarina was standing over her, arms crossed, and April said quietly, "All of you, go. We'll take care of this."

They left April, Chiarina and Cadmon standing above Lyssa as she started to sob, gently and quietly. Medina stayed close by, although no one noticed her now.

It was silent as they walked into the Dining Hall. There was no sign of Kirly or Michael. They filed in, one by one, and tried to not look at each other when they heard raised voices from outside the closed doors.

Peach looked down. Nana was tugging on her skirt, and she asked quietly, "Are we still eating outside?"

Peach smiled and scooped her up. "Do you still want to?" Leave it to Nana to make her feel better instantly, and get her mind off of... that.

Nana nodded with such seriousness that Peach laughed and said, "Alright then. Go tell Kirly." Nana scrambled down and grabbed her brother's hands. Together they pelted towards the kitchen, and soon, they heard Kirly booming voice telling Michael what to do.

Hesitantly, the chatter started up again. Peach, Samus and Zelda went into the kitchen to help with carrying all of the baskets outside; Wolf and Snake were arguing again, this time with Captain Falcon; Fox, Falco, and Meta Knight were trying to figure out how their ships got scratched and dented; and various other conversations filled the air with pleasant, but cautious talk. Only Ike was silent, thinking hard about something. They carefully strayed away from anything concerning Lyssa and the Brotherhood. One hot topic was when Daisy was supposed to arrive.

"Well, she gave the announcement today, so I give her a week or two."

"No way, she'll be here sooner than that."

"What do you think they'll look like? I mean, they are all dressed up like Medina is, aren't they?"

"Yeah, so probably a little goth-y. Is that even a word?"

"No, it's not, so stop trying."

"Well."

Nana, Popo, Peach, Zelda, and Samus came out of the kitchen, carrying two or three baskets of food each. They led the way outside, ignoring the complaints of Falco and Meta Knight, and taking the long way to avoid another confrontation with Lyssa.

The day was bright, full of color and sound. It was gorgeous, with the sun out and fluffy clouds providing the surrounding mountains with an amazing view. They settled on a hill not far from the mansion or the vast lake, and so when the sounds of a royal procession reached their ears, they all heard and all understood.

MINDSPRING- Okay, so that was shorter than all of the rest. But I do think that this chapter pulls all of the rest together nicely. BTW, you find out exactly what happened with Lyssa and the Brotherhood when Medina overheard them. (CLIFFHANGER) Anyway, thanks for stickin' wit' it and don't forget to leave comments, questions, concerns... and whatever else you want. Au revoir!