A Smash of Kings

Chapter 1: A Royal Proclamation

In the dining hall of Peach's Castle, sat in the capital of the Mushroom Lands known as Mushroom City, Lady Peach sat at the end of a long table that stretched nearly the length of the great hall. The hall must have been at least thirty feet in length and was only dimmed by various candles and a fireplace directly behind Peach. On the table was a lavish meal that she had arranged to be prepared; she was hosting the Warden of Hyrule, Lady Zelda and her Anointed Knight, Sir Link; while Zelda always adorned the most lavish white and purple cloth before the Ascension, her colours were always more muted, and her hair was more brown than blonde. Link, too, changed, always opting for more chain mail underneath his green tunic. Beside Link were the Mario Brothers, who ate their food with the rest in silence, listening closely to Peach and Zelda's conversation. Just as they finished their meal, a toad entered the large hall with a blue hedgehog at his side, holding a rolled up piece of paper.

"Princess, Lord Sonic the Hedgehog has arrived from Green Hill Zone," the Toad announced loudly.

"It's not princess anymore," Peach reminded the toad with a sad tone, "I'm the Lady of the Mushroom Lands now..."

"Can't get used to the titles?" Sonic said upon entering the room.

"You can never get used to them," Zelda responded in the same elegant tone she always had, "We went from being Princesses to puppets for Ganon; everything we had only a few months ago we lost within days of his Ascension."

"For His Grace," Mario muttered, mocking the titles and courtesies that Gannon enforced, "I heard a few young Toads on my way over refer to him as Ganon The Conqueror... He should be called Ganon the Unworthy... Ganon the Usurper..."

"Ganon the Murderer," Luigi added with a sigh.

"Well, it isn't all that terrible," Sonic suggested, trying to lighten the situation, "I mean, your armored Toads outside are in nice chainmail and have capable swords and shields. Has anything really changed, besides the titles?"

"But compared to what the world was before, this isn't ideal... I have some contacts in Smashville, and the stories I hear about his reign are... Shocking," Zelda replied, stirring her golden wine glass in her hand, "Well, now that everyone is here, I have an announcement."

"An announcement?" Luigi said, suddenly interested in what was going on. He looked at the only other person in green, Link, and asked, "Did you guys not just come here for a visit, or dinner?"

Link shrugged his shoulders and put his hands up, indicating he did not know what Zelda was talking about. Apparently, nobody else around the table knew either. "I have kept this a secret for months... When I returned to Hyrule after the Ascension of the Unworthy, I began plotting... Stewing in my time in my cold castle, and... I do not intend to honor His Grace any longer."

"You wish to overthrow Ganon?" Peach asked, leaning on the table to get closer. Suddenly, there was life in her eyes again, "Well, whatever you have planned, I'll have your back."

"Peach, think about this for a second," Luigi advised quickly. Unlike their hostess, Luigi was not as eager to commit to a call of treason, "Ganon is the most powerful man in the Realm right now. We all saw his army, and we know who his advisors are. This is a call for total war. To go against him right now would be—"

"Justified," Mario finished suddenly while looking down at the table. Glancing up at the others, he said, "You also have my full support, Princess Zelda."

"Well, before we actually finalize anything, I need the support of everybody in this room," Zelda explained, "I know three of you are with me already, but I still need to hear from Luigi and Lord Sonic."