Another theme by me!

This takes place after "Bait", so if you have no idea what happened, please look at that story first. Thank you :)

ENJOY!

22. Comfort

Marth lowered himself to sit near the edge of the cliff, the endless sky of rolling clouds, and the restless sea before him both beautiful and serene. He stretched out his arms and inhaled a long breath of the green fresh grass and salt air, and for a moment, he felt as if he could fly.

He lowered his arms, the moment broken as he remembered that he'd come to that place of beauty seeking refuge, the land's king kind enough to allow him to stay as long as he needed. The two years since he'd foiled Roy's abductors had taken their toll. Kingdom reduced to ruins, father gone, sister missing ... could he still consider himself a prince at all?

He remembered the screams from the castle as Gra's men stabbed his guards. At only fifteen, he knew that his guards would give up their lives for him … but seeing them killed in front of him had torn him up. When he went to check on his sister, Gra's men attacked him, and he had no choice but to kill them. Stabbing, stabbing, killing, killing … blood splattered on the castle walls, and he nearly vomited, his innocent heart forever scarred.

When he finally reached his elder sister, his heart slowed and his sweat cooled on his skin. He embraced her, finally taking a deep breath. However, she pushed him to the the door, telling him to run. He refused, not wanting to lose his beloved sister, but she insisted. With tears in his eyes and a final farewell, he fled. Her sad eyes as he left her alone in the castle haunted him.

After reuniting with his platoon, he received a note. To his horror, Gra had kidnapped his best friend, Roy of Pherae, as a way to lure him into an ambush.

He finally broke.

His hand held the note tightly, nearly crumbling it. He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding as rage overwhelms him. Gra's men had gone too far. With that, he set off to rescue him.

When he found Roy in an abandoned fort, seeing his best friend in bonds had given him the courage and strength he'd needed to defeat Gra and rescue Roy.

A knight from Talys had guided Marth and his platoon to a ship. As the ship sailed, he watched from the docks. His body shook with grief as he fought to hold his tears back. The injuries he sustained from previous fights burned and ached, but that pain seemed small compared to watching his kingdom-his home, fade into the fog behind him.

The memories continued to repeat in his head, haunting him.

He shook his head as he struggled to forget these painful memories, but it was no use.

The last words his elder sister said to him echoed in his head:

"I love you, Marth. Be safe."

He broke down crying, holding his face with his hands. Tears stained his face, and his body shook as the memories taunted him.

Elice, I'm sorry. Please … forgive me.

"Marth?"

Marth jumped. Fighting back his tears, he turned to the source of the voice. Roy stood there, his brow furrowed and his eyes filled with concern.

"Oh … Roy. Hello." He mumbled, attempting to sound fine. His body shook a bit as he attempted to stop another tear from running down.

No matter how hard he tried to keep his sadness hidden, he failed to do so.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting beside the prince. His eyes stayed focused on him.

Marth wiped his tear stained face with the back of his hand. "I-it's nothing, Roy."

"You were crying."

Marth froze, his face blushing. Roy saw him fight before. Marth had saved his life, proving that he was strong enough to handle anything by himself. The prince couldn't't let him see how weak he was!

"I-it was just-" He attempted to make an excuse, but Roy interrupted.

"Marth, please don't lie to me," Roy said, placing his hands on both of Marth's shoulders and giving them a squeeze. "I'm your best friend. I'm here to help you."

Marth looked down, his face still red from embarrassment and from crying as he began to speak, "Roy … I'm sorry that I almost got you killed two years ago."

Roy stared at him, his nose scrunched up and his brows knitted close together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Remember when you were kidnapped?" Marth looked up at the sky, tears filling his eyes once again as his memories resurfaced. "It was my fault that you almost died back there."

"Marth," Roy shook his head. "This isn't your fault. It was mine. I should've been captured in the first place."

"Roy …" The memories taunted him with his failures. It taunted him more, and he felt a tightening in his gut.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He suddenly held Roy close, sobbing on his shoulder. He gripped his tunic tightly as he sobbed, as if he'd lose him again. His tears stained the boy's shoulder.

"Roy! I-I-I wish I could've stopped what happened! I shouldn't left my sister behind! I wish-I wish …"

Roy held him close, shushing him gently. He placed his hand on his back and rubbed it, trying to ease his sobs. He closed his eyes as he whispered, "Shhh, it's okay. None of that was your fault. It was those bastards who took away your sister, your father, and your kingdom."

Marth continued to sob on his shoulder for what seemed like hours to him.

Marth held his friend tight, the warrior's slight, muscular frame angular against him, his shoulder bone both sharp and comforting beneath his cheek. He inhaled a long breath, his eyes drifting closed at the heady, earthy smell of crushed vine needles and sweat that felt as familiar to him as his own scent. He finally found comfort, and that was Roy, his best friend for so many years.

Marth released him. "Thank you, Roy. I really needed the comfort."

Roy smiled. "I'm glad to help you, Marth."

The two stared at the vast ocean as Marth placed his head on Roy's shoulder, their bond growing stronger that day.