Chapter 10: My Golf Trip with Bowser

For Robin, adjusting to the mansion life wasn't too difficult. Sure, he spent most of it reading up on the other smashers and making and adjusting plans for future fights, but it felt good to go back to the grind. Severa had already scolded him for 'being a bookworm' in paradise, but Robin had already managed to get Cordelia and the children passes to the presser, so there would be time for sightseeing after that. He grinned to himself at the thought of Cordelia and her radiant smile. When he thought of her, things didn't seem so redundant …

"Reading this early in the morning, Robin?" Marth had entered the main foyer. Robin looked up from his reclined position on one of the many couches. "One would think you don't sleep." The prince joked.

"Oh, I didn't." Robin smiled. "I'm a morning person, but I got so caught up in reading some history of the Lylat System." He paused, thoughtfully. "By the time I checked the clock on the wall-" He motioned to a giant clock hanging over an inactive fireplace on the near wall. "-It was already 4 am. I figured I might as well stay awake!"

Marth was stunned. "That's a terrible idea!" He stated in shock. "Even the sharpest minds need their rest! You cannot expect to keep the blade of your mind sharp unless you go to the whetstone of sleep!" As he spoke, Marth heard frantic scribbling. "Robin, what are you doing?"

Robin looked up from his notebook, in which had been writing. "Oh, that was just a really good analogy, Prince Marth! I just wanted to make sure to remember that one!" Robin frowned. "By the way … what are you wearing?" Robin hadn't noticed before, but Marth was wearing a set of strange garments. A short sleeved blue polo, white shoes, and pants that, at best, were gaudy. Blue and pink plaid assaulted Robin's eyes.

"Ah, yes! I'm heading out for a game of golf!" Marth answered.

"Golf?" Robin asked. "What in Naga's name is that?"

"It's fun! Make your ball in the cup in the least strokes, and you win." Marth lazily explained. "But Bowser stated that the tradition garb is as such."

"Bowser. You golf with Bowser."

"He is a very entertaining person to be around, Robin." Marth insisted. "Most of the 'villains' here are not so villainous. We just seem to have the poorest luck with our adversaries." Robin tapped his chin, lost in thought.

"So … do you only golf with Bowser?" Robin finally asked.

"Oh, not at all. Usually Mario and Luigi join us. In fact, I think that is who I'm playing with today." As Marth finished his sentence, both men could hear the booming footsteps of the Koopa King coming down the stairs. Robin sat up, and saw Bowser's attire.

Well, attire was a way to put it. Bowser was just wearing a puffed vest and a strange tartan cap. Robin could tell he was bothered by something.

"Marth, we have a slight problem." Bowser said, obviously exasperated.

"I notice that Mario and Luigi are not here, is that part of the problem?"

"Well, um … yes. Peach will be playing with us."

"And what, are you afraid that you will suddenly have the urge to kidnap her?"

Bowser glared at the Prince. "Notice how we had two people missing and now we have one person joining us? That's the problem!"

"Please do not treat me like an imbecile. " Marth's face contorted in thought. "Well, I suppose we could ask …"

"Robin, how would you like to go golfing?" Bowser interrupted Marth's train of thought. Robin hopped up from the couch.

"Sure!" Robin exclaimed. "I need to find some awful clothes first, apparently. I'll be right back." Robin hopped up the stairs towards his room. As he left Marth's sights, the prince glared at Bowser.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I just panicked at little bit." Bowser sheepishly said. "And besides, it'll be fun to see the man struggle." He laughed, his roar echoed in the foyer.

Robin had found a brilliant gold polo, and some purple slacks. Thanks, Anna. I knew you'd put together one ridiculous outfit to try and catch me wearing. He thought. He also found some wonderfully garish socks, argyle socks that were pink, purple, and white. Perfection. As Robin admired himself in the mirror, he heard a knock on the door.

"Um, Robin? May I come in?" He heard Lucina's voice from the other side of the door.

"Of course, Lucina! Please come in!" Robin called out. The door slowly creaked open, and Lucina walked in.

"You always were a morning person, Robin, I'm worried you never get enou-" She froze, looking at Robin's outfit. "Robin, what are you wearing?"

"Um, well, it's a g-"

"It looks fantastic! It's so bold!" Lucina practically shouted. "I didn't know Anna had such good taste! I'm going to have to double check my closet!" She paused, and stopped herself, embarrassment radiating from her face. Robin smiled encouragingly.

"Well, thank you, Lucina. I appreciate it." Robin continued. "I'm going golfing with Bowser, Marth, and Peach. If you wanted to come, I'm sure they would be okay with it."

"I appreciate that, Robin, but I already planned to train with Samus this morning." Lucina replied. "I was wondering if you wanted to get some lunch after your … golf trip?" She had realized she had no idea what golf was. Robin had just been so casual about it.

" … Severa put you up to this, didn't she?" Robin looked at Lucina quizzically.

"Actually, aunt Cordelia did." Lucina cringed. Not exactly the term that I should be using for Robin's wife, she's not even my real aunt! "Um … that is, she was really worried about you eating and taking care of yourself."

Robin frowned. "I'll have to apologize to her later, then." He replied. "She has to deal with a lot, huh, Lucina?"

Lucina was taken aback by the question. "I don't understand what you mean." She admitted.

"Cordy has always had my back, I guess I feel kind of guilty that I accepted this invitation." He sat on his bed, lost in thought. "I wouldn't blame her if she felt betrayed or didn't feel like a priority in my life, honestly." Lucina felt a surge of awkwardness. She wasn't expecting this kind of personal talk when she walked up to his door.

"Robin ..." Lucina paused, trying to think of what to say next. "... I think you're a great father and husband. And I know Cordelia feels the same way! She's only worried because she loves you!" Lucina was resolute.

Robin looked up. "Thanks, Lucina. To be honest, I have been a little harsh on myself recently." He admitted. He looked at the clock on his wall. "... I should get going, though. I'll see you at lunch?"

Lucina nodded. "Yes, I'll meet you in the main foyer." She smiled.

"Got it." Robin stood up to leave. "Oh, and thanks again, Lucina."

"No problem, Robin."

As Robin went back downstairs, Lucina looked at the clock. She still had 15 minutes until she was supposed to head to the training room. For a second, she considered looking through his desk. She hadn't been able to actually talk about what she wanted to, but maybe, by chance, there was something there that could help her. No no no no no! You're better than a common thief, Lucina. She scolded herself. As she turned to leave, though, she caught a glimpse of something on Robin's desk. It was a small piece of paper, with words haphazardly scribbled on it. As she read it, her mouth involuntarily gaped open. It was just what she needed. No, it was even better. She hastily copied the contents of the note and ran out of the room. Now she needed to call Auntie Cordelia.

"Took you long enough!" Bowser exclaimed as Robin made his way down the stairs. "At least you look the part."

Peach was wearing a pink polo and white shorts. She looked at Robin, and began clapping in earnest joy. "Robin, you really know how to dress yourself! Color me impressed!" She exclaimed.

Bowser rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, let's not butter the guy up." The group headed through the foyer towards the tram terminal. They reached a tram that led to "Koopa Cape Smash Resort". Robin looked at Bowser curiously.

"Personal resort?" He asked.

Bowser raised his hands in a mock defensive gesture. "That's an old friend's idea. Use my name and make a nice resort." He looked slyly at the others. "Of course, free tee times are a perk."

Peach frowned at Bowser. "You just get free tee times because your old baby-sitter owns the resort." She retorted.

"Y'know, Peach, I'm surprised that you wanted to come golfing with me." Bowser shot Peach a glare. "Considering how much you dislike me."

"What a surprise! The girl you kidnap doesn't like you!" Peach began ranting. "Stop the presses! Peach doesn't like being kidnapped!" Robin and Marth looked at each other. Marth smirked. "And perhaps I just like kicking your butt in golf, Bowser! Wouldn't be the first time!" Peach's voice was still raised. Robin leaned over to Marth.

"Isn't butt an inappropriate word for royals to use?" Robin whispered. Marth grinned.

"Peach isn't one for courtesy when it's not needed." Marth whispered back. He reached out towards Bowser, who was about to respond. "Peace, peace. Let's be civil and have some fun today!"

Bowser grumbled in compliance. Peach crossed her arms and muttered something under her breath, but they remained quiet for the duration of the trip.

The resort itself was a beauty. Robin was in awe. The whole resort had a tropical theme. The entrance was flanked by two large waterfalls, and as they entered, there was a large tropical garden in the foyer. He followed Bowser and the others through the resort, which was already packed full of people. As they walked through, people spoke in hushed voices, eyeing the smashers. Two girls ran up to Marth.

"Um... excuse me. Mr. Marth?" One girl meekly called out. Marth looked at them and smiled.

"Yes? How are you today?" He asked them. One girl took in a deep breath, obviously overcome.

"We're, like, your biggest fans!" One girl shouted. "Can you sign our posters?" They pulled out posters that detailed the newest smash event.

"Wow, they work fast." Marth remarked as he quickly pulled out a pen. He signed the two posters and handed them back.

"Um, can we also get a picture with all of you?" The other girl managed to get out. "Our friends will freak out!"

Marth motioned to the others. "Sure, if everyone else is okay with it." The other three nodded, and everyone gathered around. One girl pulled out a small device. It flew forward and floated.

"Say-Cheese." A robotic voice eminated from the device. There was a flash, and the device flew back into the girl's hand. They gave a quick thank you to the group before giddily running through the main foyer. Robin looked at Marth, a little nervous.

"How often does stuff like that happen?" He asked.

"Not as often as you think, but it is something you gotta get used to." Marth answered. "You're a celebrity now!" Robin groaned.

"What did I get myself into?" He muttered to himself.

After a minute or so, the group exited through a large set of doors. Outside, there was a small shack overlooking a large, detailed course of grass, trees, and water. Even though it was man-made, Robin couldn't help admiring how natural some of it looked.

"So, the first thing you need are some shoes and clubs." Bowser explained. "Plum will get you set up."

"Plum?" Robin asked.

"She's really good! She just knows what you need, it's like a sixth sense!" Peach eagerly pushed Robin into the shack. Inside the cabin was much different from the outside. The outside was made with wood, but the inside was clearly modern in style. Clothes and balls, and weird small stick things, and … bigger metal stick things, were all on display. At the counter sat a small teenage girl. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytailShe was wearing a blue polo, with white shorts and white shoes. She was reading a golf related magazine while chewing bubble gum. She looked up at the sound of the door opening, and gave a wide smile.

"Hey hey! What's up, Mr. Bowser?" The teen asked casually.

"Not much, Plum, we have a new golfer for you to help out." He presented Robin. Plum stood up and gave Robin a quick once-over.

"Alright, let's see..." She squinted a little bit. "Alright, I think I know what would work for him." She went into a back room. After several minutes of what sounded like rummaging, Plum came out from the back. She was holding a pair of shoes and a bag full of clubs over her back. "Try these shoes on, man. I think you'll like them." She tossed the shoes to Robin. "And you can try these clubs for today, just make sure you come back after you're done." She put them down next to Marth, who held the bag up. Plum looked at Bowser. "I set your tee time for 8:15. So, in like, 20 minutes. Give the guy a chance to practice, okay?" She pointed at Robin, who was busy putting on the shoes.

Peach gave Plum and hug and peck on the cheek. "Thanks Plum, you are such a darling." Plum waved her off in mock disgust.

"Gross, Peach! I'm sixteen now, I don't need hugs!" Still, she was smiling. "You guys get outta here, and have fun today!" The group left and headed for the driving range.

"Make it a fluid motion, you're still making it a two motion swing."

Peach had been coaching Robin for about twelve minutes, and while progress was being made, Robin still looked … sub-par, to say the least.

"I'm trying, it's a little harder than I imagined." Robin grumbled. Putting was easy, it took him 3 minutes to get that. But actually swinging the club was proving to be his archnemesis.

"Alright, try thinking of water. Be like a stream."

"You know, telling it to me a fourth time isn't going to change it." Robin swung again.

Bowser called out from behind them. "I think that one was better! Just keep it up!"

Another 5 minutes past. Robin could feel his swing getting better and better. Maybe that was a benefit of the wars he fought. Athletic things seemed to be easier for him than some other people. After a couple more swings, the group heard a voice come over the intercom.

"Bowser 4, please head to the first tee."

"Alright! Time for our fun to really start!" Peach exclaimed, looking at Bowser. "Make sure you don't lose too badly, okay?"

"I could say the same to you, Princess." Bowser grumbled.

"Alright, children, settle it down." Robin joked.

The first tee was set in a beautiful little clearing, surrounded by trees. At the end of a long stretch of short grass sat a red flag.

"The red flag is the goal." Bowser stated.

"I figured as much. There is a '1' printed on it." Robin pointed to the flag. The '1' matched the '1' on the tee-box. Bowser muttered under his breath.

"Well, let us decide who's going first." Marth stated, pulling out a tee. He tossed it to the ground. It landed, pointing at Peach. "Peach goes first" He picked it up and tossed it again. This time, it pointed at Robin. "-then Robin-" Again. "-Then Bowser, which leaves me last." He bowed to Peach. "The honor is your's, your Highness." Peach walked up to the tee, set her ball down, measured for a minute or so, then swung.

At the fifth tee, things were about as expected. Bowser and Peach were way ahead of Robin and Marth, but Robin found himself having fun. As much as Bowser was called 'evil' by the press, he was actually very funny.

"Look, I'm just saying that us married men have to stick together." The Koopa King insisted.

"But you're not married." Marth pointed out.

"But I have kids! How many of the smashers have children?" Bowser was counting on his claws. "You, Robin, and me! That's three! Like, we should have the Father Social Club or something."

"I feel like that couldn't possibly backfire." Peach rolled her eyes as she got back from taking her shot. "Watch out, incoming midlife crisis coming through!"

"I think it could be fun." Robin mused. "I mean, it's better for us to build camaraderie while we're all together." He took a swing. It actually went a good distance down the middle.

"Nice shot!" Bowser gave him a pat on the back. The group headed down the fairway. "See? Sticking together!"

"So who's your wife?"

"Excuse me?

They were now on the 10th hole, and were taking a short break. Peach had eagerly asked the question. Robin stared at her, incredulously.

"Oh, come on! We know all about Bowser's lack of love life, and I've met Marth's wife!" Peach continued. "But I don't know about who you're married to!"

Marth spoke up. "Now that you mention it, you and Lucina are rather close..." Robin coughed the water he was drinking. Peach gasped.

"I knew it!" She practically screamed. Robin waved his hands in rejection.

"No no NO!" He shouted. "She's my goddaughter, not my wife!"

Bowser raised an eyebrow. "Goddaughter? She doesn't look much younger than you."

"That's … a very long story. I'm sure it's on Lucina's smash card." Robin made it clear that he didn't want to talk about it.

Marth crossed his arms. "So, it isn't Lucina. Who is it?" He asked.

"Well, you've never met her, so I don't know how I would describe her …" Robin began. Peach laughed.

"Just describe her, you weirdo!" She said. "You can tell us about when you two fell in love or something?"

"... Alright, fine." Robin conceded. "Her name is Cordelia, she has crimson hair, she's almost as sarcastic as I am, and she has this beautiful little laugh." He started to find himself getting lost in thought. "She always knows how to make me smile, and ..." Peach waved him off.

"Easy there, lovebug!" Peach laughed. "How about you tell us a story about you two?"

Robin thought about it for a minute "Hmm … well, this one time, we had all traveled to a beach that Anna's sister had turned into a resort like this..."

" … And then she admitted that she just liked collecting shells! Well, the only real time I had seen her relax was when she was around me, so to see her having fun..." Robin paused. "... It was nice."

By this point in time, the group was enamored with Robin's story. "What happened next?" Bowser asked eagerly.

"Well, I gave her some good-natured teasing. It only seemed appropriate." Robin gestured wildly. "That was when she faked a thrust of her spear, and well..." He blushed.

"Out with it!" Peach exclaimed. "You have to finish the story!"

"Alright, alright! She grabbed me by the waist and brought me into a kiss." Robin blushed even more furiously when the chorus of 'awwws' came in. "It turned out the whole thing was just a way to get to that situation, too!"

"That's so romantic!" Bowser sniffed, trying to hold back tears. "I like this Cordelia already!"

Marth gave Robin a wink, and stood up. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, I think that's enough reminiscing. We need to finish this course!" As the group stood up, Peach walked up to Robin.

"Your wife better be invited to some events." She mock threatened. Robin laughed.

"Are you kidding? She's going to most of them!" He replied.

By the 18th hole, Robin had gotten to know his three partners much better. Bowser spent two holes talking about his children, and how proud he was of them. It was clear that Bowser put a lot of effort into raising his kids, and loved them all dearly. Peach talked about her romance life, which was … pretty strange, to say the least. She was definitely not the average Princess. Marth had talked about Caeda, and he and Robin talked a lot about Tiki, and how she had changed and stayed the same.

"You know, you should invite Tiki to an event if Cordelia cannot go." Marth had said.

"Tiki might completely run you over out of excitement." Robin joked. "I'm not sure you want to be out in the medical ward for a few months." He nodded. "I'll ask her."

As the group finished up, things had proceeded about as expected.

"So, Peach had a -5 today. Bowser had a -3, and I had a +2." Marth read the scorecard aloud. "And our newest member, Robin, had a ..." He blinked hard, squinting at the card. "+21?" Robin smiled.

"Wow, is that a good score?" He asked. Peach laughed.

"No Robin, that's a … pretty bad score." Marth responded. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned that lower scores are better."

"Oh well." Robin shrugged. "I had fun, at least. It was a new experience!"

"Well, I think we all know who the best man today was." Peach smugly declared. "It was the wo-man!" Bowser gave a snort.

"Yeah, yeah, you had a good round." He admitted. The tension between the two was much less severe than earlier, Robin noticed.

"Did you have fun?"

Lucina was sitting on a recliner in the foyer when she heard Robin and his group walk in. As the others passed by and gave their greetings, Robin stood up next to her.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it while we eat. Are you ready to go get some lunch?" Robin asked. Lucina nodded. She had changed out of her armor, and was now wearing a white tank top with blue jeans. She also wore dark blue sneakers. "Did Samus pick out your outfit?"

Lucina sighed. "Is it that obvious? She wouldn't let me go with my more bold choice."

"It looks fine, Lucina." Robin reassured her. "Sometimes you sound like Severa."

"Oh!" Lucina popped up out of her chair. "Speaking of Sev, can we go shopping? It's her birthday the day after she arrives, so I'd like to go get her a present." Robin raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Sure thing, Lucina." He said. "We'll go after lunch." She gave Robin a small smile as they went back into the terminal.

Peach had told Robin about a great sandwich shop inside the major mall that they had explored a couple days before. Robin had seen several things to get his daughter in that mall as well, so the whole situation seemed like a win-win. As they waited for their food to arrive, Robin talked about the golf trip in detail. Lucina found herself slightly envious.

"... And I played absolutely terribly, but I think you would really enjoy it!" He exclaimed. "We should go, just you, me, and our families. We can play together!"

"But we'll all be terrible."

"That's not the fun part of the game, though!" Robin insisted. "Just being with your friends is what makes it fun!"

"Maybe Severa and I will stick to the shopping; you can take father and mother with you." She joked. "I would enjoy going, in all seriousness."

"Speaking of couples …" Robin thought about it for a second. I hope I don't embarrass Lucina too much. He thought. "All three of them thought we were a couple." He laughed, but was interrupted by Lucina shouting.

"What?!" Lucina shouted, absolutely stunned. "Agh, that's so embarrassing!" Her entire face was beet red. "Have I been acting strange around you? I've really been acting strange around you, haven't I?" She kept muttering. "That's not it at all, I'm not romantically attracted to you, you're just like a father to me and I..." Robin held his hand up, and Lucina stopped.

"Lucina. I know." Robin said with a comforting voice. "You're my goddaughter, and trust me, I know a lot more than you think." Lucina began blushing even more furiously. "And I know you're not into me at all!" He finished. Lucina was still blushing. "... So, how was training with Samus?"

"Um, it was good, I think." Lucina replied. "Honestly, we watched a lot of other fighters on one of those screen things?" She made a big motion, trying to show the scale of things.

Robin nodded. "I need to make use of those. I feel like they could be really helpful." He made a mental note of it, and continued. "So who did you watch?"

"A lot of Fox, Pikachu, a small chimpanzee named Diddy Kong, and a lot of Marth." Lucina kept going. "Samus said that the moment you get in a smash, we're studying you, too."

Robin laughed. "Well, I'll tell Samus that I'm flattered." He paused for a second, before changing the subject again. "So, what about romance?"

"R-romance?" Lucina spluttered. "Whatever could you mean?"

"Don't lie to me, Lucina. You've definitely been acting strange recently. You're way more nervous than before."

"T-that's because I'm doing a lot of new things that I couldn't do in my timeline." Lucina stuttered.

"Nope! I know what it looks like to have a crush." Robin said stubbornly. "I'm your godfather, you can tell me!"

"Honestly, this seems like a mother/godmother sort of talk." Lucina argued.

"But your mother and Cordy are just going to tell me anyway!" He insisted. "You can totally cut out the middleman here!"

"Fine." Lucina said flatly. "It's Sev."

"Are you serious?"

"Serious as can be."

"Serious serious?"

Lucina took a sip of her iced tea she had ordered. "Well, whatever makes you drop the subject." She smiled slyly. Robin put up his hands in defeat.

"Alright, you win." He conceded. "I'm sorry I pushed too much there, I know it's a hard subject to talk about." Robin saw a waiter approach them with their food. "So, shopping after this?"

Lucina smiled. "Yes, I would like that."

The cubano that Robin ordered smelled heavenly, though he had no idea what 'mustard' was. Everything else looked good. Lucina had gotten a chicken pesto sandwich, which made Robin smirk. Lucina frowned.

"Your pizza looked good, I thought I would give it a try myself." She admitted.

"So are your mother and father coming by tomorrow as well?" He said inbetween bites. After all this time, Lucina still ate with the vigor of someone who had to survive on little to nothing. He was five bites in, and she was already finishing off her chips and coleslaw.

"I did imply that by saying you could take them golfing while Sev and I shop." She replied. She had emptied her plate and was once again sipping on her iced tea.

"Good point." Robin noticed Lucina eyeing his food. "Would you like my coleslaw?" Robin offered. Lucina nodded.

"If you do not mind." She gave him a small smile as he handed it to her.

The mall was rather large, but Robin knew where he wanted to go. As he searched through the first department store, he heard Lucina call out.

"I like this design a lot!" Robin closed his eyes. 90% of the time, that statement from Lucina ended in fashion tragedy. As he turned to look, he saw her holding a dress very similar to the one he had spotted a couple days ago. In fact, it was exactly what he was looking for! A light pink dress with a singular red ribbon design on the side. Robin looked at Lucina quizzically.

"I like it too, Lucina. Did you want this to be your gift to her?" He asked. Lucina nodded in excitement.

"I would love to, uncle." She used the last word with a smirk on her face.

"Don't uncle me, young lady!" He scolded. "... It makes me feel old."

The next store featured several beauty products. Robin bought three bags worth of shampoos, soaps, and various other things that Severa would make the most of. Robin also bought Severa another dress and a set of earrings.

"Robin, you really do not skimp on your daughters, do you?" She asked. Robin grinned sheepishly.

"I do tend to dote on them, don't I?" He laughed. "Not that Chrom is any better, though!"

"Father does tend to … entertain my requests often." Lucina admitted. She thought back to her birthday last year. Lucina had called it a great shopping trip. Severa had called it the 'Technicolor Terror of Chon'sin'.

"That does remind me, I did intend to get something for Morgan and Cordelia as well. Maybe you can help?"

"I'd love to help!" Lucina smiled.

Morgan was easy, Robin found several books on tactics and history from the various worlds of other Smashers. But Robin was worried when it came to Cordelia. He knew what he wanted to get her, but was anything good enough?

"Robin, I think you're overthinking it a little." Lucina insisted. "Just get her something you know she'd like."

"She has to love it, Lucina!" Robin retorted. "Liking it is like, settling for second best."

She was silent for a moment, before speaking. "I have a theory about you and Aunt Cordelia." Lucina stated, attempting to imitate Miriel.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Robin grumbled.

"I think you like her." She teased in response. Robin laughed, and quickly joked back.

"Oh, you figured me out! What if she doesn't like me back? I'm sooo nervous!" He threw his hands up in an exaggerated gesture of frustration. As they passed a jewelry store, Robin froze. There was a silver necklace sitting in the display window. A ruby in the shape of a teardrop was set at the end of the piece. Robin took a deep breath and blinked hard, just to make sure he was awake.

"I think I just found it, Lucina."

Robin had also decided to buy a dress for Cordelia as well. A simple white dress with emerald swirl patterns on it that complemented the ruby necklace perfectly. He admired it for a minute or so on the tram before Lucina spoke to him.

"I was serious about what I said earlier, Robin." She stated. Robin looked up, smiling.

"I know, and you were right! I do like Cordelia." He joked with her.

"I'm glad you could come to this conclusion." Lucina laughed with her godfather all the way back to the mansion. As they said goodnight to each other, Robin entered his room. He knew what Lucina had meant, and he supposed she was right about that, too. But that was for another time. He peered onto his desk. His note had been moved a slight bit. The note had a list of everything he planned to buy Severa and Morgan at the mall. That explains Lucina knowing what dress to get. He thought. He slowly removed both the list and his history of the Lylat system book. Underneath was a much older book, covered in strange runes. He couldn't read them, but he knew people that could. The book was open to a particular page. Facing Robin, with only a lamp illuminating it, was the drawing of a mask. Robin sneered. Zelda knew what that mask was, but was too afraid to tell him what it meant. But, maybe Zelda isn't the only one who knows about it. Robin thought.

Maybe Ganondorf knew as well.

In all honesty, this chapter was difficult to write. Eventually, I edited it down and made it snapshots of a long day for Robin, but it was definitely both longer and more long-winded. A lot of the Lucina-Samus training stuff that's mentioned and things pertaining to Zelda, Marth, and others will appear in future chapters, though. I wanted to thank everyone again for all the support and reviews. It really helps keep me motivated! Thanks again! And as always, reviews and comments are appreciated!

Next Chapter: Meet the Press