Nask, Steadfast Warrior?
*dodges a rotten tomato* Okay, okay, okay! Sorry! I know I made some of you too perfect! I'll try to reduce the Stu/Sue ness, okay? If you have a problem with it, drop me a PM!
Yeah… see, the thing is that you don't get those Ice Arrows until AFTER the Fire Temple. When you DO get those arrows, those Flare Dancers rarely pop up…
Disclaimer: The things I own are: the plot… and Psyche… the end.
"Get over 'ere!" a guard ordered, throwing him onto the hard marble floor.
Rinku smashed his head against the ground, causing the gash they had created in his head to burst wide open. Crimson red blood slowly dripped from his forehead as he staggered to his feet, only to be forced roughly to his knees. Link felt a surge of concern for his guardian as the guards that held him grabbed the young man by the back of his head and forced him to look up at the throne. At his father.
King Sorius was truly one of the most intimidating men Link had ever seen in his lifetime. Tall and well- muscled, he wore nothing but midnight black plate armor, the armor blending in to his olive colored skin. His eyes were deep yellow in color and gazed out into the world with an icy coldness that only a true tyrant could possess. His hair, black as ebony, was cut short and hidden by the crown he wore atop his head. His thin, cruel mouth turned upwards into a menacing smile as he gad down at his son as if he were nothing more than a mere delicious meal. Indeed as Link watched, his disgust grew for the man before him as Sorius licked his lips at the sight of Rinku on the floor before him. As he moved forward to gaze at his prisoner, Link could just barely make out the flash of a sword hilt at his waist.
"Rinku…" he said with a wider smile that never reached his eyes, "How wonderful that the nice guards brought you home…"
"Dad," Rinku spat, as if it were poison.
Even without reading Rinku's thoughts Link could easily see the hatred he held for his father. Indeed, it was hard not to hate him when Sorius opened his mouth and laughed. This laugh was unlike any other laugh Link had heard. It was deep and menacing, cold and cruel. It grinded, gnashed, pounded, and cackled. It reverted off of every wall in the palace, magnifying the horrible thing to at least ten times its original volume. It caused the heart of every man and woman n the palace to be grasped by the cold hand of fear and hatred. Even as a spirit Link felt a horrible shiver run down his back at the sound of that laugh and he felt as if he was drowning in the coldest lake in all of Hyrule.
Sorius wiped a single tear from his eye when he finished, his eyes still dark and cold. "Amusing as ever, my son, amusing as ever…"
Izia, who had been standing nearby, cleared his throat and stepped forward, carrying a large bundle. "Sire, these items were found with boy when we… ah, rescued him…"
Sorius looked once at his son before motioning for Izia to open the bundle. Link felt a surge of fear well up inside him as one by one, the items Rinku was carrying tumbled out of the sack. His fears were confirmed when beautiful and shining, the Master Sword tumbled out. Sorius glanced over everything from the Mask of Truth to Rinku's hunting knife without interest. His cold yellow eyes grew wide when his gaze fell upon the Master Sword, his smile almost became too wide for his face. With a flick of a wrist, he caused the precious sword to fly through the air and right into his outstretched palm.
Another surge of fear surfaced from deep within the young hero who was once clad in green. The Usurper King was a powerful magic user, no doubt. Though he searched deep within his early memories, Link could not find a time where Zelda, one of the most powerful magic users he knew, had ever done anything like that.
Link watched in horror as the Usurper King swung the sword in a wide arch over his head, seeming to slice the air itself. He did thrusts, stabs, jump slashes, and spin attacks. With every attack even more fear surged into Link's mind. The Usurper King was a powerful sword wielder as well! Though Link was frantic with worry about this new opponent, Rinku remained calm even in the presence of those powerful blows. His deep blue eyes were fixed only on his father's face as his hatred burned bright and hot within him.
"A fine sword, my son," King Sorius announced when he had finished, "A sword fit for a king, no doubt!"
"Fit for a king?" Rinku repeated, "Are you saying that you're the trueborn King of Hyrule, Dad?"
A small chuckle escaped the Hero of Twilight as Rinku rolled out the final word on his tongue, sending all the hatred he held for the man before him with it. Sorius, however, did not seem to hear him as he continued gazing at the Master Sword, checking his reflection on its shining steel blade. A smile curled up on his lips as he then replaced the blade back into the golden sheathe that had come with it.
"Indeed, it is a blade fit for a king," he said again, "But not just any king… a king worthy of the crown he wears upon his head!"
Rinku gritted his teeth in anger as the Usurper King then pulled the sword out of its sheathe. With another swift flick of the wrist, he removed the blade he wore at his waist. After replacing this weapon with the Master Sword, he threw it right out the window, cackling as it clattered into the moat. But neither Link's nor Rinku's eyes were on the blade that had just been rejected. Instead, their gaze was fixed upon the Master Sword.
Link cried out in horror. Rinku clenched his teeth even harder. Before their very eyes, the Master Sword began to change. Once so pure and good, the precious blade was now tainted by the evil King Sorius carried in his sheathe. They watched in horror as the beautiful lilac colored hilt of the blessed sword was swallowed by shadows, emerging black as night and evil as can be.
The Usurper King noticed his son's staring and a wide grinned stretched out upon his face. "Ah, Rinku… you were always the curious sort, were you not? In case you are wondering, yes, I do intend to keep this sword as my own. It suits me, doesn't it?"
"The only thing that suits you is a good old spanking," Rinku snarled, "You're a murderer unfit for your crown!"
That was the last straw. With a sudden, abrupt force, King Sorius shot right out of his throne and stormed over to where his son knelt, striking him across the face. A searing red mark appeared on the face of the young prince, opening up a gash on his cheek. Both Link and Rinku were filled with utter hatred towards the tall man in front of them, his face beet red with anger.
"Murderer, am I?" King Sorius roared, causing everything in the room to shake, "Unfit for my crown, am I? You should be talking you insolent whelp! Do you not know of what happened to your own mother because you ran away?!?"
Link felt a surge of fear flash within his guardian at those words. "W-What have you done to my mother you bastard!?!?"
Without another word, the dark lord reached into the folds of his cloak and rummaged within a hidden pocket. After pulling out numerous amounts of daggers, he withdrew a tiny black bottle. It was made of midnight black glass, shining a deep sapphire blue in the tainted light. Link's brow furrowed in confusion at the sight of the little black bottle, unable to comprehend what was so important about it. His confusion was heightened even more when he felt Rinku's breathing stop suddenly, as if he was kicked in the stomach. Sorius smiled menacingly at his son's uneasiness, his yellow eyes narrowing into little slits.
"That's right, boy," he whispered, "A little bottle of poison… the poison you left behind, might I add…"
Every part of Rinku's body trembled as he gazed upon the little bottle, his legs transforming to jelly. "I-I… h-how… w-wha-"
"It's funny," his father mused, turning the bottle in his hand, "How it just so happened that this very substance was found in a golden goblet… the same golden goblet that your lovely little mother drank out of the night you left… and funnier still, she learned of your disappearance the moment the poison began working its evil magic on her. Coincidence, boy?"
"Rinku…" Link said, trying to calm his trembling guardian, "Rinku… are you alright?"
If Rinku had heard the hero, he gave no sign that he had. His great blue eyes were still transfixed on the horrible little bottle, his sweaty palms shaking uncontrollably. There was a sick feeling within his stomach as if he had been punched there a thousand times. His face was white as snow as his father continued in his reverie, savoring each and every word that he was now telling his son.
"Oh yes," the Usurper King continued, "Your mother died painfully both outwardly and inwardly. She was dying as painfully as can be, you see, and I suppose the loss of her son was all too much for my little concubine. Yes, I can see perfectly well how I am the only murder in our family…"
Rinku was shaking uncontrollably now, a great lump appearing in his throat. Though he did his best to hold them back, he burst into tears. He was a murderer. Worse, he was a murderer of his own kin. The poison was meant for his father, but his mother, an innocent bystander, had given up her life in his stead. He had cold- bloodedly murdered his own mother, a crime against all three goddesses themselves.
"Rinku… Rinku!" Link shouted desperately, "Rinku, please! Snap out of it! Rinku!!! RINKUUUUUUUU!!!!!"
Rinku did not hear this as he heard the heavy footsteps of his father approach. He did not notice how the rank breath of his father was so close to his hear. He only heard what he spoke and what he said made his heart sink all the while more.
"I can easily have you executed, boy," King Sorius whispered, his voice laced with malice, "But that would be a waste. Join me, boy. Together we shall conquer all. You shall gain penance for the brutal murder of your mother. The goddesses themselves shall bow down and worship you! Join me and we will rule Hyrule as father and son…"
"Don't listen to him!" Link pleaded, "Rinku, there are other ways to gain penance! Rinku, listen to me! DON'T!!!!"
The Prince of Hyrule, still shaking with tears gazed up at his father and nodded. "I accept."
"Rinku…"
**
"Uh… hey, Ike? You alright up there?" Cameron asked uncertainly as he left the tainted graveyard.
Though the mercenary did his best to cover up the trembling in his voice, he was quite unable to and managed to send a small surge of fear into his guardian's heart. "Y-Yes… I'm f-fine…"
Cameron raised one of his hands, shielding his scarf covered face from the sun. "Where exactly are we supposed to go?"
"Mount Smash," Ike answered for the umpteenth time, "If you want to be specific, we're supposed to look for the cave that will transport us to Smashville. Afterwards, we're supposed to scale Mount Smash and once we reach the top, we're supposed to receive instructions on what happens next…"
Cameron nodded, still unable to understand just what the mercenary was talking about. They walked some more in utter silence, trying their best to keep in the shade as the sun was absolutely burning today. Ike shivered slightly as the sounds of the silent world were thrown into even greater notice while the two walked. He was used to the roaring of the laguz, the laughter of children, and even the sounds of battle. He had experienced a world like this once in his lifetime and he desperately wished to never have to enter a world of silence again. But with the deaths of practically everyone on the continent of Tellius, he was once again forced into this silent world and this time, there was no turning back.
A flash of gold in the distance caught Cameron's eye. His curiosity rose as a gleam of red joined it, then a flash of blue. Natural mercenary instinct overcoming him, he began dashing towards the glittering thing in the distance, the wind rustling his hair. As he neared the source of the glittering, his eyes widened in happiness and he practically drooled at the mouth.
Before him stood a great mountain of gold and jewels. It was over ten feet tall, seeming to touch the sky itself. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds decorated this like a great Christmas Tree. He could practically feel the rough edges of the precious coins and jewels between his rough fingers as he neared, almost being able to taste the delicious meat such wealth would buy.
Ike felt the surge of greed in his guardian, felt the rush of the natural mercenary instinct for gold. He had to stop him before it was too late. "Cameron…"
He was much too late. Cameron had dived headfirst into the mountain of gold. At the exact same time, three large shapes leaped from out of nowhere and surrounded the mountain of gold. Ike and Cameron both saw the markings all over their backs. They were face to face with three tiger laguz.
"Argh! You touched their gold!" Ike said angrily, "No one has pissed off three tigers and survived!"
Rather than fear, he felt a surge of pride in his guardian. A small smirk appeared on the young mercenary's face as he eyed each laguz one by one. He laughed when one of the tigers growled at him, showing off its white fangs.
"No problem!" he said, "I've got just the weapon for these idiots!"
Reaching into a hidden pocket, he drew out a small red dagger: a beast killer. Ike was impressed by his resourcefulness, yet also worried that his guardian might get a big head after he was done slaying the beasts. After all, there were all too many tales of great heroes falling at the hands of their enemies because they received inflated egos because of the great kills they made. And Ike knew his guardian's ego was already quite large.
He had lived for years in the midst of the laguz, facing off against at least ten at once and defeating them all with his trusty beast killing knife. But like all weapons, it would eventually shatter and be rendered unusable. He had no time to warn his young guardian of his worries as the mercenary let out a loud battle cry and leaped at his three foes.
**
Pikachu watched his guardian eat, unsure of whether or not he should be disgusted by her eating habits. She horked down the food at a lightning fast pace, sometimes even devouring the package in which it was contained. Bits of food and trash flew everywhere as she dug deeper and deeper in the knapsack. Likewise, he was also unsure if the boy who had carried this knapsack could be trusted.
He cast a small glance at the boy, who had long since closed his eyes. A snore escaped him as Pikana's wild eating frenzy continued. A small smirk appeared on the pokemon's face as countless numbers of aluminum cans flew at him, just barely missing his face. He was still smirking when he noticed an electric blue smoke slowly making its way out of the boy's ear.
The blue smoke curled for a second and seemed to sense his presence. Pikachu wafted his way out of Pikana's mind to meet this smoke, his little nose wiggling slightly. Slowly, the blue gas took shape and formed a pair of sky blue eyes. The rest of the smoke twisted and turned to form the body of a tall and imperious woman. Pikachu gave a small squeak of fear and delight as Samus Aran towered over him once again.
"Samus!" the pokemon sobbed, floating over to the bounty huntress, "Samus! Samus!"
A radiant smile broke out on Samus's face as she saw the little ball of yellow smoke in front of her. "Pikachu! I knew she had to be your guardian, I just knew it!"
For the first time in years, Pikachu laughed, "Oh, you mean Pikana? Yeah, she's something else…"
Samus raised a ghostly fist and playfully punched the little ball of yellow smoke. "Uh oh! Is that a crush I am sensing?"
If Pikachu had a body right now, he knew he would be blushing beet red. "N-No! Of course not! I w- would never…"
He was interrupted by another laugh as the bounty huntress heard his stuttering. "I was just teasing you, little pokemon! Jeez, first Golfer and now you… what's happened to everyone's sense of humor these days…?"
"So how was your trip here?" Pikachu asked, trying to change the subject, "And how did you know we were here?"
"Rough," Samus replied, gesturing to her guardian's broken arm, "As you can see, we had some run ins with his pals in the beginning. After I… taught them a lesson, we started walking towards Mount Smash. When we passed by this place, I sensed some strange source of power radiating from it. I take it that it was you who released that electric shock and killed all the Primids?"
Pikachu blushed again and looked down at the ground. "Pikana did most of the work. She used her Bazookie, that's what she calls her bazooka, to kill most of them. I just stepped in when she got too tired to do anything…"
"Of course," Samus agreed.
The two then proceeded to watch as Pikana continued to dig around in the backpack. After some digging, she emerged holding a rather large ham. How the ham fit into the backpack in the first place no one understood, but they had no time to figure it out as the Thunder Mistress reached into the pocket of her hoodie once again and pulled out, not Bazookie the Bazooka, but a small pocket knife.
Pikachu's brow furrowed in confusion. A mere pocket knife was not enough to cut an entire ham. He then gasped, floating back a few inches in surprise. The knife was growing, just like the strange metal tube. Longer and longer it grew until it soon gained more than one blade, plus a motor. The smell of motor oil filled the air as Pikana revved up the chainsaw that seemed to have magically appeared in her hands.
"HAHAHAHA!!!!" she cackled as she lowered the chainsaw towards the ham, "TAKE THAT YA HAM!!!! CHAINY PWNS ALL!!!!!"
Meat gristles and little flecks of blood flew everywhere as she proceeded to try to carefully slice the ham into pieces. Much to Samus's surprise, Golfer seemed absolutely oblivious to the loud motor of the chainsaw, merely turning in his sleep as the noise went on. As usual, Pikachu felt a surge of fear for his guardian's wild and crazy ways. Yet at the same time he felt his growing affection for her grow even more. Pikana, in her own wild and crazy ways, was a nice person. One merely needed to get past Bazookie and Chainy to discoverer that side of her.
Both guardians and Smashers were so wrapped up in their own thoughts that none of them noticed when a single black raven flew into the night, its ruby red eyes glinting in the light of the full moon.
**
Marth sighed. It was not supposed to happen this way. The country of Altea was a barren wasteland, a horrid reminder of his victory. And his failure.
He remembered as clearly as anyone how the great country had fallen, how his sister was killed trying to save it, how his wife died in his arms, how he received Falchion, the sword of light, and how he raised a great army to retake his kingdom. But the kingdom eventually fell again. And this time, it was lost forever.
"Ellis… Sheeda…" the fallen prince whispered, "Forgive me… I failed you both…"
He flew on for a few more hours, taking in the horrible sights of blood all over the ground and burned homes everywhere. He saw men laid out to die and women and children weeping. He wished nothing more than to descend and give comfort to these people, to assure them that he was here and everything would be alright. But fate was cruel to him. They would not see him if he came. And it was with a heavy heart that he followed the wind that blew him here and moved on.
He was blown into a place he recognized as Castle Altea. His old home. He had no time, however, to take in the familiar sights as he was forced through a crack in a window and into the all too familiar throne room. Upon seeing who was on the throne, he could not help but gasp.
A new man sat on the throne. His hair was fiery red in color, the color of his large and pudgy nose. In his right hand he carried a large turkey leg and out of this he took bites out of, allowing the horrible gravy to dribble down his chin. Marth looked on in disgust as he took in the appearance of this man. He was fat, no obese, in every way possible. His skin seemed too tight for his body as it seemed to cling onto him for dear life, threatening to burst at the seams any moment. His body hung off the great thrones in fat filled chunks, giving him the appearance of a particularly large walrus. Indeed, his great red moustache only added to this walrus like appearance and Marth could not help but feel quite sick to the stomach at the thought of how such a disgusting man dared sit on his throne.
A soldier knelt in front of the man, his face hidden within the visor of his helmet. From what Marth could see the soldier's hands were encased in brown leather gloves. Though covered from head to foot in shining armor, a Naginata, or Japanese polearm, was grasped in his hand. The long pole was made of ash wood, the curved blade shining silver in the faint light of the sun. As Marth gazed closer at the helmet of this soldier, he was just barely able to make out a few strands of dark, very dark, red hair.
"What is it, soldier?" the fat one demanded, tearing a large chunk out of the leg with his teeth, "How goes the search for my daughter?"
"It is fruitless, my lord," the soldier answered him, his voice extremely muffled by the helmet, "Your daughter seems to have disappeared off the face of this earth. The war against the neighboring country is not turning up anything either."
The one who sat on the throne, as Marth refused to acknowledge him as a king, slammed his hand down on the armrest. "Nonsense! My little wench of a daughter is out there somewhere, no doubt! Probably frolicking with those disgusting knights in shining armor again, hoping to improve her skill with whatever that silly weapon is called! I wouldn't be surprised if that goddamned country we're warring with right now brainwashed that girl into thinking that that stupid wichamacallit it an actual weapon!"
"It is a Naginata," the soldier told him, a hint of anger in his voice, "A powerful pole weapon that consists of-"
"I don't care!" the man bellowed, his many chins flapping this way and that, "I just want my little slip of a daughter back here!"
The soldier said nothing, merely bowing as he backed out of the throne room. The man on the throne began mumbling about how incompetent his soldiers were as he left. Marth felt a small tug on him that told him he must follow this strange soldier. After shooting one last disgusted glare at the man, he left.
He found the soldier outside a tent, laying down in a relaxed position. As Marth neared, he heard an audible snore sound from the helmet of the soldier. He thought it was strange that a soldier would sleep with his helmet on, but he thought no more of it as he soon found himself being drawn closer and closer to this soldier. With a great cry of surprise, he was snatched right out of thin air and pulled directly into the soldier's mind.
His thoughts were unusual for a man. Though the majority of his thoughts were dedicated to the field of battle and the thrill of a duel, he also saw galas and parties that he knew no man would ever enjoy attending. Here was an encyclopedic knowledge of every weapon ever seen in the Kingdom of Altea, yet there was also the ten most important rules of conduct for a woman. A small stab of fear found its way into Marth's heart as he soon reached a conclusion: his guardian was gay.
Marth felt a pang of guilt at his hasty conclusion. After all, it was many a time that he himself was accused of being gay based solely on his looks. He hated how people would jump to conclusions like that. Why should he become the thing he hated by accusing this man of being a homosexual? He instead decided to give him a chance and see what he was like before jumping to conclusions like that.
"Erm… hello," he greeted, unsure of how his new guardian would react.
The soldier gave a start of surprise at the sound of his voice, causing him to drop his weapon on the foot of a nearby squire. After a rather grumbled apology, the soldier's eyes darted back and forth. Marth did not dare make another sound, waiting for the solder to gather his wits.
"Who's there?" the soldier asked, gripping his Naginata, "Come out and fight like a man!"
Marth felt the soldier's grip tighten on his weapon, but he found it quite strange. The hand of the soldier felt much too delicate and soft to hold such a weapon. In addition, the soldier was gripping it too loosely for a man. Marth's suspicions of gayness in the soldier rose at this point, but he proceeded to try to strike up a conversation.
"I am up here in your head," he explained uncertainly.
The soldier yawned and leaned on his weapon, stretching his arms as he did so. "Yeah, I sort of figured that out…"
Marth tried again. "Well… yes… my name is Prince Marth. I was once ruler of this great kingdom and-"
He was interrupted by another yawn. "Right… prince guy who took back the kingdom. Well, the name's Nask. I'm a soldier here and a man with no big dreams whatsoever. Hopefully, we'll never have to see that battlefield. It'll give me time to catch up on some sleep…"
It occurred to Marth that this man was rather laid back and lazy, the exact opposite of how a soldier was to behave. But just before he was able to voice his opinions, Nask had fallen asleep again. Incredulously, Marth proceeded to shift through Nask's dreams to try to find the source of his odd behavior. Just as he was about to find something worth looking at, a commanding voice shook Nask out of his dream- filled sleep.
"Get up, you lazy lout!" shouted a voice of someone obviously in command.
Marth felt Nask lazily open on eye as the shadow of a commanding officer loomed in front of him. What surprised him even more was the behavior of the young man towards his senior.
"Care to move?" he asked calmly, "You're blocking my sun…"
The guard's already scarlet face turned even redder at the soldier's disrespect. "Up and at 'em! We need more men on the fields and you're just lazing about back here! Chop, chop!"
Nask yawned, using his Naginata to stand up. "But you have… ten thousand soldiers out there…?"
"And like they always say, ten thousand and one is always better than ten thousand!" the senior officer concluded, "Now get out of here!"
"Jerk," Nask muttered under his breath as he slowly sauntered away, "If he tries that again, I'll-"
"We should head out to battle," Marth said quickly, trying to avoid a brawl, "After all, commander's orders, right?"
Nask snorted. "Commander? As in the fat guy that sits around all day eating turkey while everyone else out here is dying? Yeah… real nice guy…"
Before Marth could answer, Nask gave a shout of surprise and ducked just as a throwing ax soared overhead, barely missing the top of his helmet. "Hey, watch i-"
"Look out!" Marth yelled as he saw a steel sword flash through the air in their direction.
Nask barely had time to block the blow as another sword came at him, flashing white hot in the bright morning sun. He did a quick leg sweep, knocking one of his opponents off his feet. Marth looked on in horror as many more soldiers rushed at Nask, swinging their weapons to and fro.
He noticed how Nask had exceptional hand – eye coordination as he was able to block many of the blows that came his way and deal just as many back. But still their foes were stronger as one by one, a sword would find its way to Nask's armor, either denting or scratching the precious metal. Nask seemed inexperienced on the battle field as he kept flinching whenever he caught sight of blood. He also had a habit of a graceful and rather regal like manner, quite unusual in a man. All of these signs seemed to confirm Marth's suspicion as he watched his guardian battle. With every flinch at the sight of blood, another weapon found its way through Nask's defenses and onto his armor. It was not long until a sudden crack! was heard, followed by a piercing shriek that sounded more womanly than manly.
The enemy soldier wrenched his lance out of Nask's arm, smiling menacingly as he saw the large red stain he created begin to spread up the young soldier's arm. Nask had only seconds to think up a plan as the lance returned for another blow. With a last ditch effort he raised his arm and caught the pole of the deadly weapon in a weak, but iron grip. Marth knew it was time for him to enter the fray, to once again use his legendary swordsmanship to possibly save the entire country. A flash of blinding pain met him as he closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.
Crunch! Marth let out a cry of fear as the flat of an ax met the arm that held the Naginata. He felt the precious bone underneath shatter under the weight of the heavy weapon as he quickly switched hands and came to meet the ax with the powerful ash wood pole. His other arm throbbed with pain as he was forced to dodge swing after swing. The body he was using, he noticed, also seemed a bit unfit for the battlefield. Delicate, almost…
He had no time to dwell on these mysteries as another enemy rushed at him, sword out and ready. Marth swung the Naginata with all his might, while dodging at the same time. A cry of pain was heard as the swordsman went down on his knees, blood dripping from a slit throat. Despite his horror in being forced to spill blood yet again, Marth smiled. He remembered so well the thrill of the battlefield. How the smallest mistake could cost you your own life and how there was danger at every turn.
Time passed quickly as the battle wore on, as more blood painted the fields of Altea. Marth ignored the ringing in his ears and the painful throbbing of Nask's broken arm as he hacked and slashed all over. Though he was victorious in all those who came to meet him in battle, he would just barely win out every time. The one thing that annoyed him the most was just how delicate and unfit for battle the body he inhabited seemed to be. Indeed, he noticed that the armor was not put on properly, as if the soldier had hurried while putting it on. What's more, the armor was well polished and new, even though he could tell the armor was years upon years old. No soldier cared enough about his armor to polish and clean it so well before a battle.
It seemed like years before the call of a trumpet sounded far away. The enemy troops stopped fighting long enough to listen one before turning tail and running away. While some soldiers chose to give chase to the fleeing foes, Marth was among those who collapsed in exhaustion.
"You did good out there," the voice of Nask told him with admiration evident in it, "Wish I could fight like that…"
Marth found it strange how Nask still kept his voice muffled, even inside his mind. "Forgive me. I have received a great many wounds for your body. I am in need of treatment immediately…"
One of the soldiers, a man about thirty took off his helmet and pointed to a white tent in the distance. "Medical tent's over there, mister. Get y'er wounds treated."
"Thank you," Marth said with a nod.
But as he turned and walked towards the tent, a small tug in the back of his mind signified that Nask did not wish to go into the tent. Confused, Marth sent a thought up to the young soldier, asking why he should not go get treated. Already many of the soldiers were staring at the gaping wounds that covered Nask's body, wondering how on earth one could gain so many wounds and survive.
"I can't go into the med tent," Nask said firmly, "Head over to my tent. I can treat myself."
Marth looked down at the many wounds he received. "Are you sure? These look quite deep. If treated incorrectly…"
"I know what I'm doing," Nask reassured him, "But just head to my tent… there's something I'll have to show you…"
Curiosity rose in the mind of the Prince of Altea at this request, but he walked into a nearby tent nonetheless. The inside of the tent was just like any other soldier's. simple bed, white bed sheets, a knapsack off to the side, and a little wooden table which held a lantern. But there was one item that caught his eye, causing him to jump slightly. What startled him so much was a music box. But it was unlike any music box he had seen. Painted snow white, it possessed a border of pure gold and upon its lid a pure red rose was painted. Precious gems decorated its sides and Marth saw a tiny glimmer next to it, recognizing it as a golden key.
"My mother's," Nask explained, "That's the one thing I have to remember her by… she died long ago…"
Marth noticed a mirror and a first aid kit on the bed. He heard a nervous sigh escape the mouth of his guardian as he walked over and sat down on the bed, reaching up to take off his helmet. After fumbling a bit with the straps, he proceeded to lift it off.
"So what was it you wanted to show me?" he asked, sighing in relief as the stuffy piece of armor was removed from him.
"Prince Marth, I haven't been exactly honest with you…" Nask murmured, "You see, I'm-"
Nask was interrupted by a gasp as Marth picked up the mirror and gazed into it. Marth's hands trembled in fear as he gazed open mouthed at his guardian's reflection, unable to believe his eyes. When he finally found his voice, it came out cracked and full of disbelief.
"N-Nask… y-you're… you're a… a…"
"Yes," Nask said gloomily, voice no longer muffled, "My true name is Naskara. I am indeed a girl…"
**
Sunlight. That was the first thing he saw as he emerged from the secret grotto and out into the daylight. For just a moment he was blinded by the bright light, a light that he had not seen since the day he turned thirteen. It was also the day when he began his training as a Disciple of Wisdom.
"Argh!" Cimar growled, shielding his eyes form the blinding light, "Curse this sun! Ow!"
"Your eyes have not adjusted yet, Cimar," Zelda told him soothingly, "Just give yourself some time and soon you'll be able to see miles upon miles around."
True to her word, Zelda soon sensed Cimar's eyes adjusting to the bright upper world as he lowered his arm. The fields of Hyrule reeked with the acrid stench of blood and death, causing hr guardian to gag on the horrid stench. Dropping his books, Cimar took up his collar and placed it over his nose, preferring to breathe in the scent of musty book rather than the horrible stench of Hyrule field.
"That's another thing I don't understand," he said, gesturing to the secret grotto they had just come out of, "How does simply stepping on a platform allow you to float upwards?"
"Perhaps it is the blessings of the goddesses?" Zelda suggested, though she knew he would dismiss this answer, as he did to all the other answers relating to the goddesses and their miracles.
"No, no, that's not it," he said, confirming her suspicions, "Not everything in this world could possibly be because of some phenomena created by the goddesses. After all, was it not long ago that we discovered the ever so interesting theory of diversity? And of course, we cannot forget the forces of gravity. It is not by the will of the three goddesses to things eventually go down when they go up, but by the force of gravity pulling down on the object. It then accelerates down to the earth at a pace of-"
Zelda could not help but chuckle a little as her guardian's explanation went on. During their wandering through the tunnels, the princess had noticed that though her guardian possessed a vast amount of knowledge, it came at a great price. He was too technical, too narrow- minded when it came to other worldly possibilities. Though she understood that science could solve many things, it couldn't solve everything. He even once dismissed the idea that fate played out the way the goddesses willed it.
"Though it may be true that a small part of fate is decided by the goddesses," he had said, "Fate is also decided by the choices we make as a person. If we wanted to kill someone and did it anyways, I'm pretty sure the goddesses didn't will anyone to get killed before their time!"
"And that is why chickens cannot fly," Cimar concluded, smiling triumphantly.
Zelda was unable to hold back her laughter, much to the confusion of her guardian. "Cimar, your mind is so full of ideas and facts! Whatever happened to opinion and those fun little teachings about how when it rained it meant the goddesses were crying?"
"That is another wrong fact," Cimar said automatically, "You see, water in a puddle on the ground goes through a process called evaporations, which then leads to-"
He was interrupted by the wild call of trumpets. Neither Zelda nor Cimar had noticed that they were walking up a hill while they were talking. Now, gazing over this hill, they were able to see quite clearly Hyrule Castle in the distance, sparkling pure white in the bright sunlight. The golden flash of the trumpets met them as the doors of the balcony facing castle town opened up.
Using Cimar's naturally sharp eyesight, Zelda was just barely able to make out a lone figure coming out on the balcony. The figure was large in stature, dressed all in black. Even from a distance Zelda felt a shiver run down her spine as the figure seemed dark and menacing. Cimar seemed to know who this figure was as his breath stopped short and a flash anger rose within him, startling the princess.
"Who is that?" Zelda asked, squinting harder to try to get a better look at the figure.
Cimar gritted his teeth, his hands curling into fists. "Sorius, the Usurper King. He was the one who took your father's throne for his own while your father was weak and ailing. He claims to be the greatest king in the history of Hyrule, but he is as ruthless and as cruel as can be. He is the devil himself in human form."
As Zelda turned her attention back to the balcony, she was able to make out another figure coming out. This figure was a great deal shorter than Sorius, about the size of a typical adolescent. Unlike his father, he wore a dark green tunic and a floppy hat, similar to the outfit Link had worn long ago. Unlike Link's, however, this outfit was dark enough to almost seem black, though not quite. She saw his golden hair flash in the sun and for the briefest moment, she also felt a surge of raw power, a power she had not felt in what seemed like forever.
"Link…" she whispered, bringing up her hand to touch her heart, "Link is in there somewhere…"
It was then that she noticed that Cimar was gaping at the balcony, his eyes seeming to pop out of his head. He blinked thrice before coming to his senses, panting as if he had just ran ten miles.
"P-Prince Rinku…" he gasped, still unable to take his eyes off the balcony, "The prince… he… he's returned…?"
"Prince Rinku? Didn't you say earlier he hated his father and disappeared a few months ago?"
Cimar nodded, a thick line of sweat forming on his brow. "He did. I saw him myself as he fled into the forest. Disciples in Training were allowed to venture out at night from time to time to learn how to move in the shadows. I watched from the shadows as the prince fled in the night, never looking back. He was disguising himself on the way, cutting his hair so that it was extremely uneven and cutting his face to give himself scars. Curiosity got the better of me and I chose to leave the group I was with and followed him. He eventually got lost in the woods and collapsed from exhaustion. It was then that I came out and gave him some of the food and water from my pack. When I asked where he was going, he told me that he was in search of the Warriors of Courage. Being taught in the ways of the forest, I drew him a map leading to their camp. He dashed away after thanking me and I thought I would never see him again… but why would he return, to his father of all people? What's more, why was he standing by his side? These things just don't make any sense…"
"Perhaps we should demand an audience with him," Zelda suggested, "After all, as king, Sorius will have to grant audience when one requests it, right?"
Cimar shook his head. "I wish. But Sorius isn't exactly what you would call a good king… we'll have to break in and ask the prince ourselves if we wish to ask him what's going on."
Zelda bit her lip at the thought of having to break into her own castle, but the thought of Link, stuck somewhere within the castle, possibly within Rinku himself helped her decide her choice. "Alright. What's the plan?"
Cimar got down on his knees and began to sketch diagrams in the soft dirt using one finger. Many of them were complicated and confusing, but Zelda recognized some as the layout of Hyrule castle. How her guardian knew of the layout she would never know, but it fascinated her to see him draw like this. He drew arrows and calculations as well and when he was finished, he smiled proudly at his work.
"What we must do," he said, "Is use the sewage passage in Telma's Bar, point A, to enter the sewers of Hyrule castle and navigate our way through. Rinku's room, point B, is our main goal and with the exact calculations, we should end up right underneath where his bed would be. One by one, we can pry the boards loose from the floor and enter point B within a few hours. Rinku should be at his study desk at this time, which is traditional for all royals, and we should give him a good shock, but a pleasant surprise of he trusts us. He should recognize me from the night a long time ago. In addition, if we need a quick escape, we can easily use the window facing outwards and if we jump at an exact 67 degree angle, we should land quite safely on the grass rather than the moat… oh, and if we can't reach the window, there's always-"
"Or," Zelda said, holding back a chuckle, "Or we could just simply climb through the window…"
Cimar looked towards Hyrule castle, where the window to Rinku's room could easily be seen from that view. Lo and behold, there was a great set of vines growing up to the window and even a great tree that loomed over it. He felt a light blush rise up his cheeks as he saw how he had over- thought everything in his plan, rather than going the simple way. Zelda noticed that Cimar's habit of over- thinking was also a small flaw as a result of his vast expanse of knowledge. She let out a small giggle as her guardian scuffed up his diagrams.
"Right, well… we can go with that too," he said, still blushing.
"To Hyrule Castle then?" the princess asked, trying to keep his mind from dwelling on his little mistake.
"To Hyrule Castle," Cimar agreed.
Without another word he hoisted his knapsack on his back and began the long walk to the gleaming castle in the distance.
**
Mah gritted her teeth as she tried to calculate the exact angle she needed for the oar to strike the one weak spot on the cloud- like enemy before her: the battery on its back. She groaned in frustration as the Spaak glided out of the way just in time and sent another ball of electricity hurtling at her. She let out a shrill scream as the oar burst into flames, almost losing her balance as a Spaak came charging at her.
"Watch out, Mah!" Yoshi cried out as a Spaak came charging at her as she dunked the flaming paddle in the water.
"Where?!?" she asked frantically, looking around too late.
The Spaak smacked right into her, sending her flying towards a blast of electricity that another Spaak released. Pure pain coursed through her veins as she was hit, making her hair stand on end. Mah swung frantically at her foes as they closed in, all serenity gone from her. Yoshi took over for her just as a group of three Spaaks came charging at them, their evil electrical blasts filling the air with the sounds of crackling and the stench of something burning.
Yoshi rubbed his hands together and blasted a few eggs at the Spaak, using his amazing jumping power to dodge a few electrical orbs in the process. He watched in horror as a particularly large blast of electricity hit their box of food, causing it to burst into flames.
"Oh, how are we going to get more food now!?!?" Mah wailed in anguish, "And it made SUCH a mess!"
Before Yoshi could tell Mah about how he thought it wasn't a good idea to be thinking about food in a situation like this, he was forced to dodge yet another blast of electricity. Though he retaliated with his trademark exploding eggs, he couldn't help but notice how tired he was getting. He was used to being able to last hours in Brawls, never tiring, not even when the timer reached 8 hours. The concept of energy was a new thing to him and it was how quickly humans tired out that scared him the most.
"We won't make it!" Mah shouted as another electrical sphere set the sail on fire, "It'll take a miracle to save us!"
Though the little green dinosaur wanted so desperately to tell her everything was going to be alright, he knew that she was right. Even if they were able to defeat the powerful cloud- like enemies, they would surely either drown or starve to death. His energy supply was almost exhausted now, causing him to collapse to his knees. He gazed up at the horrible enemies that surrounded him, his vision fading.
Bang! A great black ball appeared out of nowhere and smacked right into one of the Spaaks, sending it careening off into space. Bang! Another one followed it, this time hitting two at once. The two Spaaks exploded into Shadow Bugs, melting away as another cannonball took one of its brethren. Bang! Bang! Bang!
The air was soon alive with the sounds of gunshots as cannonball after cannonball flew through the air, taking down at least two Spaaks at a time. Yoshi cowered beneath the burning sail, his every muscle shaking with nervous tension.
"What are those sounds?" his guardian asked nervously, "What's going on? Are we dead yet?"
Yoshi opened one eye, watching as the final Spaak went down under the weight of a powerful cannonball. He saw a rope ladder fall down in front of him. He hesitated, unsure of whether or not to take it.
"Come on!" Mah said excitedly, "This ship saved us, didn't it? It has to be our ally if it saved us! Besides, we should at least go up there and thank the crew!"
"I don't know, Mah…" Yoshi said, still unsure, "Just because the crew on here helped us out doesn't mean that they're… nice…"
"It's not like we have anything else to lose…"
Yoshi gazed forlornly at the burned supplies and heaved a deep sigh. Taking the rope ladder between his fingers, he began to make the long climb up the side of the great ship. Mah looked around as Yoshi climbed, taking in the outside of the ship. She frowned slightly at the un- scrubbed wooden shell, slightly disgusted by the copious amounts of redness that covered it.
"Probably just came back from a paint job," she said dismissively, "After all, there's no way that red stuff is blood… right?"
Yoshi had not the heart to reprimand her as he continued to climb. They were about a yard from the main deck now, the sun occasionally getting in the way of the little green dinosaur. As he continued to climb up the side, Mah could not help but notice a single name written in gold lettering on the ship. Being a former slave, she had never been taught her alphabet, let alone to read.
"Yoshi, what's that?" she asked, "That gold lettering thing…"
Yoshi took one look at the lettering and frowned. "It's the name of the ship… but it's such an unusual name…"
"What is it? It can't be that bad, could it?"
Yoshi shrugged. "It's not bad but… it's unusual…"
"The ships name… what is it?"
Yoshi grabbed the railings of the deck and heaved himself up, answering her as he did so. "The name of the ship is…The Eye of the Apocalypse …"
**
"Do you hear that?" Pit asked.
"Hm?" Psyche answered, refusing to get up, "Hear what? Your non stop whining?"
"No!" Pit said, his annoyance getting the better of him, "Although I would stop 'whining' less as soon as you suck it up and actually make an effort to improve your fighting skill instead of lazing about like you own the place!"
"I'll train when you stop whining!" Psyche retorted, shooting wide awake, "And don't even get me started on how annoying it is to be trying to sleep, but to have to listen to your complaining and your 'reviewing of army protocol'…"
"Well, excuuuse me for wanting to stay in shape," the angel snapped back.
Psyche threw up her thin arms in frustration. "I'll never get you! How can anyone spend all their days worrying about tomorrow and actually have a life!?"
In her mind, Pit did a similar movement. "I'll never get YOU! How can anyone be this laid back?!?"
"Oh, so I'm not lazy, I'm laid back?" Psyche asked with a smirk, "You're sweet…"
Before Pit could counter, he was interrupted by the call of what seemed like a thousand trumpets in the distance. He saw his guardian's face whiten at the sound, her hands trembling. Curiosity overcame annoyance and anger as he formed a question that had been nagging at him the whole time she was sleeping.
"What do those mean?"
Psyche took a deep, shuddering breath. "Three short blasts and one long blast… followed by a bunch of short notes… someone's being hanged today…"
Pit bit his bottom lip at the news. "We need to help them…"
Psyche frowned at his sudden change in behavior. "Whatever happened to 'You're wasting time!'?"
"This is different now," Pit admitted, "I just get the feeling that this is something we can't pass over…"
"You're the boss," the girl muttered, tucking the diary under her arm, "You're the boss…"
**
"No, no," Fox insisted, "It went me, then Toon Link, then you."
"I insist otherwise!" the Prince of Phrae retorted, "It went me, then you, then Toon Link!"
"You've both got it wrong!" Kirby piped up, "It went Luigi, then Falco, then Fox, and then Roy!"
"No, I say I got it right!" Fox said, "I have the best memory out of everyone here!"
"Oh yeah?" Sonic asked, glaring at the cloud of orange gas, "If you're so good at remembering things, when was the last time I walked?"
"You never walk," Fox answered, "Apparently, it makes you too slow."
While Sonic grumbled, Captain Falcon chose to voice his opinion. "I don't know about you guys, but I do know I was one of the last to go down fighting!"
"Last my eye," Ganondorf shouted at him, "You were the first idiot to go up there and try to PAWNCH Tabuu!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!?!?!?" the a new voice bellowed, his voice filled to the brim with anger and frustration.
For a few moments, his fellow Smashers said nothing. Then, they resumed arguing again. The Smasher sighed as they continued to bicker. It had never been like this on his team.
He had once been a feared space pilot, striking fear into the hearts of all who knew his name. Very few times he had been defeated and it was all because of the person he had come to call his enemy. There were many times when he swore revenge against him, but though he tried time and time again, he would never succeed.
Not anymore. Once he was freed, his first goal was to get revenge on his enemy, to tear him limb from limb for the wrongs against him. He was thirsty, thirsty for the blood of his enemy.
Lightning flashed across the sky. It was then that he knew what was happening, even before the great gust of wind swept him up and hurled his jar against the wall. For a brief moment, he hovered over the shattered remains of his container, smirking as the other Smashers voiced their protests. It was his turn.
"Seeya later, suckers!" he shouted happily, disappearing into the midnight black sky.
There was a full moon out tonight. His very being tingled with delight as he neared the great white orb in the sky. This was as close as he had ever been to the world outside of this world in over a hundred years. At that moment, he did the one thing he could do in this grey cloud that was now his form.
He howled.