A Smash of Kings

Chapter 15: Semper Fidelis

Meta Knight slowly left his chamber in the Conqueror's Castle. He walked down a staircase, trying to make sure his white cloak was attached properly to his armor. Once he got down the steps, he saw King Ganon walking alongside Rosalina, who held his arm tenderly. Three Red Cloaks followed closely behind. When they saw Meta Knight, the Red Cloaks bowed, and the couple soon took note. Rosalina greeted the Lord-Commander with a warm expression while the King just nodded.

"Good morning, Your Grace," Meta Knight said.

"I saw Cloud Strife on the training grounds, My Lord," King Ganon replied. Meta Knight stopped, turning to them. The Red Cloaks shifted so their King could see him, "Why wasn't he on your list of recommended Red Cloaks?"

"With all due respect, Your Grace, Cloud Strife has been working as a mercenary in the leaderless Badlands for the past year," Meta Knight began, "I wanted to make sure his etiquette and honor are just as sharp as his ability."

Shocked, King Ganon said, "So, you believe that there are twenty Red Cloaks that can best Cloud Strife in a duel?"

"No I don't, but I also don't know if Cloud is the kind of person who'd put a blade in your back," Meta Knight rebutted. The King drew back for a second, and the Red Cloaks grabbed the hilts of their swords though they did not unsheathe them, "Pardon my frankness, My King, but I can't afford to send another fighter away to be the Lord or Lady of Dreamland because they pose a potential danger to you."

"I've trusted your judgment in the past... I suppose I can continue judging it for now," the King shrugged. He began walking away, but Rosalina let go of his arm and, in her usual sweet voice, spoke.

"I'll catch up with you in a moment, My Love. I'd like to talk with Meta Knight about something."

"Very well," King Ganon said, "I'll meet you in our feast room then."

As soon as King Ganon and the Red Cloaks rounded the corner, and the sounds of their footsteps were gone, Rosalina turned to Meta Knight and said, "You lied to him about Samus' situation?"

"I spun it in a way where he would agree with me," Meta Knight corrected, "Even so, I lie to him all the time about most things. Anyways, what is it?"

"I have a letter for you," Rosalina replied, "It's from the Little Lord."

"I guess he's in the Mushroom Lands right now, getting ready for that wedding," Meta Knight muttered

Rosalina nodded her head curiously and inquired, "Wedding? Who's getting married?"

"The Lady of Dreamland and the Hand of the High King," Meta Knight quickly answered, "I'm surprised you haven't heard about it. Now, the letter?"

From her side, Rosalina produced the letter. Ur was smaller than ones she was used to receiving, making it easy to hide from the King. Meta Knight took the letter and put it up the small sleeve on his armor, underneath his white cloak. "If you had told me that Luigi would marry Samus Aran one day, I'd call you mad," Rosalina commented , "I'm assuming that they aren't getting married on their own accord?"

"No... It was arranged..." mumbled Meta Knight. Under his mask, he yawned tiredly, "At the Castle Town Accords, they arranged a marriage to further unite the two sides."

Rosalina looked down and saw the now-crumpled letter, "I saw there was writing in the envelope next to his stamp... It said something that I didn't recognize," she asked.

After he wrapped his cape around his body, Meta Knight recited, "Semper Fi..."

"What language is that? Latin?" Rosalina asked, "I thought I recognized it."