This AU is completely custom with little to no research for accuracy. Me and a couple peeps got together and all speed wrote a story/one-shot that HAD to be posted in the same day at the same time. This is my product of the RST Speed Writing project. While originally a one-shot idea, I am going to make more chapters up to the story's completion using the same writing style in the same time span in order to accurately depict a not-so-fleshed out idea prompted only hours before.

Bright streaks of gold dug its way through the green brush overhead. The clops of horse hooves on soft ground was the only sound to be heard in the quiet forest. The steed pulled along a small but elegant carriage through the bushes. Its uneven rocking and awkward jostles only insinuated that this was no traveling wagon; as fancy as it may be. The vehicle was all white (at least, before traveling through dirty wilds) and had gold adornments with spots of blue that only spoke of the royalty that lay within. The path was a well worn one; prints and wheel marks to and fro that made a dirt path appear almost natural. Regardless of traffic, the destination at the end of the road was a small tower in neutral territory adjacent to the Kingdom of Alitia. A great many people resided within the cities protected by the so-called impregnable walls erected as a show of protection and power. Citizens lived happily without war or strife, though some did feel rather disappointed with the nobles that represented their land.

Nobles like Prince Marth who patiently awaited inside his luxurious carriage. He was the most handsome and kind of the nobles. People often considered him infallible due to some seemingly overwhelming amount of patience he carried in public. Never the complainer or fussy type; although it was yet to be noted if he had truly been tested. He was supposedly skilled with a blade; almost as much as the knights who defended the castle walls from any sorts of beasts and magic. Even though he had few identifiable shortcomings, the King of Alitia sent him out on a quest to discover his own virtues. 'Meet some people that don't respect his noble lineage' or something like that.

The thought of it made him blow a hair from his face.
"I don't see why I am in need of any testing when I have done so much work already just to perfect my mannerisms. I'm skilled with a blade and well respected by many. I can practically have anything I want. This testing just seems like a misuse of effort." Even his own complaints sounded only like constructive criticisms. What a perfect man! "You understand, don't you Popo?"

Ah yes, the short squire of his. Marth's carriage window was open and Popo was atop the back of the horse attempting to stay steady on the saddle far too large for him. His lack of experience was visible through his uncomfortableness. The young man bit back a retort and instead nodded his head.

"O-Of course I do, master Marth! Your time would be much better spent having leisurely vacations and fancy haircuts!" He wondered if he sounded sarcastic. It was a good idea to not be sarcastic to a descendant of the royal crown.

The Prince leaned back in his seat and lifted up his mirror. "Oh? Is there something wrong with my hair? I suppose it has been a few days since the last trim." While he preened himself, Popo secretly rolled his eyes and pulled the steed to a slow trot. To their left on the beaten path was a small crude shack that had a sign reading: "Link's One Stop Shop of Stuff!" Inside the window was a man dressed in green clothing looking terribly bored. He was carving a stick (likely for an arrow) and didn't even notice the fancy carriage pull closer. Popo lightly cleared his throat to get his liege's attention.

"Nevermind your current look, master Marth, as we are in the middle of nowhere. I spotted a small shop here in case we need-" Before he could finish his sentence, Marth scoffed. He had been looking the sign over as well as the establishment and was quickly shaking his head.

"Heavens no! A spot like this certainly couldn't sell anything that I'll find useful. Not to mention the image I would adopt just by merely entering a place of such…status. Please dear Popo, try and stay focused on the task at hand. Father said there was rumor of a nearby tower that needed investigation. No more distractions." He said, somehow without a single hint of frustration. The man inside the shack looked up which only made Popo realize that his window was open the whole time. He definitely heard that.

He, however, made no attempt to convince the prince otherwise and went back to carving his stick. Looks like someone wasn't interested in snooty customers.

"Right you are! No more distractions." Popo choked out. He felt slightly fortunate to be the squire of Prince Marth and not Princes Roy, Corrin, Ike, or Byleth. The latter was the eldest and rumor had it of his complete lack of interest in ruling a Kingdom and instead longed to teach tactics on the battlefield. His squire was always carrying heavy weaponry and other supplies to aid in the 'research'. The guy's back must have been near its end.

Prince Ike was the second in line for the throne and the man who preceded Marth in age. As if Byleth didn't already have a strict outlook on battle, Ike was a complete psycho about fitness. He had large arms and a barrel chest that could easily make him mistaken for an elite knight rather than a rational prince. Apparently his squire was also being forced to attempt to keep up with him in his physique. Somehow the poor thing still looked scrawny regardless. Not to mention the constant meals he would fetch for his highness. What a terrible fate to be Ike's squire.

Prince Corrin was Marth's first younger brother and he definitely took great enjoyment with the many…'pleasures' offered by being royalty. Always throwing lavish parties with grand bouts of food and showmanship just so he could sneak away with whatever lass or maiden that had a taste for his noble company. Apparently his squire was often left to clean up whatever mess the party left behind; as well as the room that was used for Corrin's entertainment. Blech.

Lastly, Prince Roy was the most unique even though he was the youngest. Not quite old enough to earn his father's approval to have parties like Corrin's, Roy seemed to be the most like Marth in which he put a great amount of effort into formalities. The difference being that his study nights amounted to far more knowledge in ruling a Kingdom than anything Marth had demonstrated. The middle child found it most important to keep up appearances while the youngest turned out to be the only one actually trying to prepare to keep his nation running once his father's time was up. Even still, it only made Roy more likely to command all sorts of tasks for his squire to execute. Such as: holding the candlestick in a certain manner for the most optimal reading, or searching every library in the kingdom and bringing back any titles that could allude to the existence of the Goddess of Light, or even to act as a carrier pigeon who would deliver trivial letters to his brothers as a practice in bureaucratic affairs.

Such requests like that would drive Popo mad. Which is why he was more than happy with simply readjusting his uncomfy position on the horse and moving on. Marth simply closed his side window and leaned back in his seat again. Though working for the Prince was more than frustrating, he at least never went out of his way to make Popo's job any more painful than it already was. And so they pulled away from the shop as the owner gave a slight shrug almost as if he could tell what was going to happen.

Many minutes passed before the brush of forest became too thick to continue through with the (previously) beautiful carriage. Popo made sure to hit extra bumps in the road in order to signify that the trip was growing more and more difficult. The dirt path was also beginning to fade the more they got away from the main route of commerce. The squire had a feeling that they were close.

"Well my liege, this is as far as we go. You'll have to brave the rest on foot to get to the tower. I think I can just make out the gray brick in the foliage…" He could indeed see that the tower was a couple minutes on foot. They could easily make it with a wagon, but practicality was obviously not in mind for the journey. The door opened and Marth, wearing all white (similar to his ride) stepped onto the hard ground. In just that motion did the bottoms of his expensive footwear adopt small bits of dirt.

Practicality was honestly not even close to being at the forefront of the noble's mind.

"Really? Well I suppose a little bit of cardio isn't beneath me. Shall you carry my things?" He glanced at Popo expectantly. His sword and bag (filled with cosmetics and commodities) lay gently on the carriage seat. His squire only replied with a hesitant shrug.

"N-normally I would do such a thing, master Marth, but wouldn't it be a little reckless to leave our-I mean, YOUR carriage unattended? I could always tend to the horse and keep watch." He said. Marth thought for a moment before letting out a perfect sigh.

"Right. Good thinking squire. Well then, I shan't be long. Be ready to depart at a moment's notice." The prince grabbed only his sword and affixed his sheath on his waist. It was a little irritating having to march into the wilderness without an errand boy, but the perfect prince could be resourceful on his own. After all, this journey was meaningless and his time could be better put elsewhere.

With an elegant wave of his hair (the signature Marth move), he pressed through the thick shrubbery to the tower. Popo let out a sigh of relief and quickly hopped into the carriage; likely taking a forbidden nap.

A few easy swipes of his sword helped Marth through the bramble, but he had to admit that this was no behavior befitting his status. Trudging through mud and greenery was better left to knights and commoners. Before he could really get too bothered by the situation, the tower came into sight after crossing a narrow gap in rock foundations. A slightly maintained, yet craggy building made of concrete bricks stood tall in the woods. The trees were more open here, letting the sun spill over the branches and onto this one spot. The 'tower' was really just a run-of-the-mill abandoned cylinder that had many carbon copies all around the region. Its only defining features were thin, mossy vines crawling up and around the gray stones, a lone glass window near the top, and a single brown door that looked rather sturdy. The thing was roughly 30-40 feet tall as far as the Prince could tell. Strange how something like this wasn't already investigated before.

It really did look like a location out of a story book or the tall tales told to children as a bedtime practice. The thought tickled Marth to a degree and he let out a small chuckle. Would there next be a great dragon lurking around to frighten him?

The sound of nearby bushes rustling made him jump. He had his falchion out almost in an instant and steadied his grip. He had not seen much physical conflict outside of the training grounds and bouts that his father arranged to test his mettle. A small rodent scurried from the shrubs.

"Goodness, for a moment I trifled with the idea that such beasts lurked near imposing towers. A silly thought." He spoke aloud before stilling his heart. The place was so quiet that his voice echoed and bounced off every surface. "That being spoken, I believe that an abandoned tower is hardly of any importance to my fa-"

"Is that a visitor I hear?" A feminine voice rang out from the window of the tower. Marth startled once again. A woman? In the tower? This really was similar to a fairy tale. As quickly as he could, he composed himself and silently wished he brought his bag so he would be able to freshen up.

"Calm down Marth. This will be well and over with soon." He whispered to himself. He cleared his throat before directing his gaze to the distant window. Some witch or harpy could simply be peacefully residing in the forest.

But she was no witch, harpy, or commoner.

A gloved hand pushed the half-open pane up and she leaned out. In a moment's glance, Marth was immediately overwhelmed by her beauty. Well kept brown locks of short hair gently lay at her shoulders. Glamorous earrings in the shape of a common flower decorated her head. Her skin was a delicate pale and her eyes a deep yet radiant blue that was as beautiful as flowing rivers. Her nose was sharp at its bridge and button-like near its end only made her light pink lips seem all the more gorgeous. Lastly, her clothing was a soft orange to compliment her persona. Mixed with her voice that sounded moments ago, it was as if she were a perfectly put together lady.

Marth's attraction to her was beyond his own speech. Had there ever been a more beautiful woman that he had laid his eyes on?

"Oh, hello down there~! Another princely type to pay me a visit? Here I thought I would be alone for a full week this time." She called out. Marth didn't really hear the last part. Or even the first part. He was stricken with such a raw desire for her that it put him even more out of his element. He had to pull himself together.

"Oh, madam." He knelt down and bowed his head in respect before returning to his standing position. "I had no clue that such a wonderful maiden as yourself was trapped here! I am Prince Marth of Alitia and I came here to rescue you from your imprisonment!" He spoke. It was mostly a lie, but he now felt rather appreciative of the tall tales he recalled earlier. The woman looked thoughtfully at him before giving a…mischievous(?) grin.

"Well you're cute…But no!" She shut the window and disappeared. Marth could only blink rapidly as he made out what happened.

"W-wha? No?"

This chapter was written and composed in 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 38 seconds. I will upload the rest of the story as it releases and, once again, all parts will be written in the speed writing RST project style. If you like this or have any criticisms (there is a lot of room for improvement) then please submit feedback. I love hearing how you feel!

If you've read anything else I've wrote, maybe this will stand out as an uncoordinated mess. Mind the details, I may rewrite this another time. Also, I encourage EVERYONE to give speed writing (and uploading) a shot. It really gives some people (my other two peeps) the push that is needed!

But for now, until the next messy chapter of elegance.

that is, if anyone is speed reading of course.