A Smash of Kings

Chapter 12: You Win or You Die

For the first time since she was captured, Lucina was taken out of her restraints. She knelt down and ate it as the sun began to set. Orange rays lit the clear sky of the Sarasa desert. As she watched a bout between Falco and Mega Man from a distance, she saw Ike swing his greatsword up to rest on his shoulders. He was wearing his armor as well, and he seemed more jovial than their last conversation. Granted, it was while they were being captured by the Steel Foxes. "Enjoying your meal?" Ike asked.

"It's the first time I've had something warm to eat in days," Lucina muttered, stuffing food into her face. Ike chuckled at Lucina; he could barely understand her words because her mouth was full of food. Once she chewed and swallowed, Lucina asked, "Who are you fighting?"

"Donkey Kong," Ike said with a heavy sigh, "The monkey's a bigger brute than I am, believe it or not. I'll have to take a page out of your book and use my quickness to beat him."

She shook her head, having a small laugh at her companion. "After you've bested Donkey Kong, then who?"

"If I beat Donkey Kong, I have to take on Fox," Ike answered, "After that, I've won my freedom. Who are they making you fight?"

"I'll find out after all of your fights," Lucina replied. She put her food down onto the sandy ground and looked up at Ike with a worried look on her face, "Do you think Marth escalated our conflict with Sarasaland?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Ike nodded. He tilted his neck to the side, trying to stretch it until he heard it pop, "Even if we stayed in the camp, I don't think he'd heed our advice."

"Perhaps it is a good thing we didn't sail back to the Realm," Lucina suggested, "Until Marth learns to work through his stubbornness, maybe he shouldn't sit on the throne... He still has growing to do."

"As we all do, I suppose," Ike nodded. With a light hearted grin, Lucina looked up at Ike.

"Don't tell Marth I said that."

****

During a hazy afternoon in the Gerudo Valley, the High King led a company down a slope. Due to the heat of the desert, the Red Council was forced to adjust their attire; for most of the army, the High King included, the large fur scarfs were left behind at the Iron Gate while the rest of their armor remained the same. The engagements in the Gerudo Valley were few and far between to this point; no longer did Lord Bowser meet them in the field of battle, instead opting for more guerrilla-based tactics. Their march was not as swift as the Hyrule Campaign. The High King stopped his Yoshi, taking Luigi by surprise. Luigi, Kirby, and Bandana Dee approached Mario, finally seeing what halted their advance. The slope split into a ravine, one of many inside the Gerudo Valley, with the sandstone dropping about a hundred feet down to a sandy surface, asides a few smaller cliffs poking out. Even then, they were scattered across the cliff-faces.

"What do you think, bro?" Luigi asked, gripping the green tipped pommel of his sword.

"It's a steep drop... This territory is unforgiving," Mario responded, quizzically stroking his chin, "I was hoping that there would be a decent spot for a camp... Instead, it looks like we have to divide our forces to cross this area."

"Even so, this is wide open... Perfect for an ambush," Kirby muttered. At this point, they heard somebody approaching the front. It was the two Princesses, who had been situated at the center of the company.

"Why have we stopped? We're far behind schedule," Princess Zelda asked. However, the moment she saw what was in front of them, she stopped too, stumped at the sight, "Huh... How interesting..."

"Until this point, we've avoided large cliffs like this, but this section of the Valley just bottlenecks us here," Kirby muttered, "Maybe we should turn back and set up camp. We can consult our maps again and find a better route south."