The Misadventures of the Swordsman Trio (SSBB)

The Dilemma

Chapter Description: Marth doesn't know what to do.

Ike's POV

When I got up to our room, Marth was sitting on his bed, face nestled in his palms. He had been relatively antisocial lately, which was definitely strange. Marth was normally the social butterfly, but I seemed to be stealing that title for now. He wasn't coming downstairs a lot, not even to eat. Even Meta Knight was worried about him, which he had voiced with me earlier. "Hey, Marth. Is something wrong?" I asked. Marth looked up at me, sorrow in his eyes. I noticed that he had dark rings under his eyes, probably from lack of sleep. "Not really..." Even his voice was sluggish. "Just thinking." Thinking can be dangerous. I remembered a lesson that Meta Knight taught me while we were in the wilds. "About what?"

"Home. Will they be alright without me? What if another kingdom invades?" This was slightly confusing to me, as I wasn't royalty, but I let him talk anyway. "I'm beginning to wonder whether coming here was a good idea or not. I mean, what kind of prince leaves his kingdom behind for some silly tournament?"

"One wishing to become stronger." We both jumped at the sound of Meta Knight's voice. "It's alright to take some time for yourself, Marth."

"I know that, I just feel like a bad leader. I left an entire kingdom behind to be here!"

"I left a legion of soldiers." I said, trying to help. Marth looked even more saddened by my words. "They can lead themselves. My kingdom needs me to lead." Marth got up and started pacing about the room. "I don't know what to do about this... I'm debating on leaving, to be honest. I don't want my kingdom to be in turmoil when I get back." I felt shocked that he would even consider that. Not every character gets invited to this, and he wanted to leave it behind? "Marth, I understand your concern, but... Isn't their someone you can put in charge?"

"No! Everyone else is so irresponsible... The don't know anything about ruling."

"Why do you say that?" Meta Knight asked. "Well... They're not royal! They weren't taught.." I thought for a moment, then piped up with one of my ideas. "Don't you have family, or a wife?" Marth shook his head. "I was an only child, and my parents..." He sat down beside me, putting his head in his palms again. "I don't want to leave though... The time I've spent here is the most fun I've ever had. Especially with you two."

"Then why leave?" I asked. "My kingdom!" Marth sounded exasperated. "They won't be able to lead themselves!"

"How do you know that?" I heard Meta Knight say. He was now sitting beside Marth, which was strange, because a few seconds ago he was in the doorway. "Because- Ugh!" Marth groaned. "You guys wouldn't get it." He sounded resigned, like he couldn't do anything. "I lead an army, so I'd probably get some of it." I tried to be helpful, but Marth just ignored me. A silence pressed down on the room. Meta Knight's eyes glowed lime green, then turned back to their normal color as he seemed to come to a conclusion. "You know, there is another leader who gave up his kingdom to come here, right?"

"Oh gods... Is it in turmoil yet? Did someone invade?!" Marth started to panic. Meta Knight laughed quietly. "No, actually. They're doing just fine, maybe even better."

"How do you know?" Marth sounded skeptical, like he didn't believe the warrior. "I was there a few days ago." The prince seemed to struggle to put the pieces together. I was a bit confused too, but then I remembered; He went to visit Dreamland a few days ago! Isn't King Dedede the ruler? I had fought against King Dedede earlier, and it wasn't easy. The king was very hard to knock off the platform, and that mallet he swung around... Whew, it could pack a punch! I rubbed my arm just thinking about it. The prince lit up, as he had finally gotten it. "Dreamland! Wait, that's a kingdom?" The small warrior seemed unimpressed. "You didn't know that? Where do you think King Dedede got part of his name?" Marth made a frustrated noise, half growl and half groan. "It's probably easier for them to be at peace."

"Are you kidding me? There are demons we have to worry about. That's why I left." The star warrior sounded slightly annoyed. "W-wait, demons?!"

"Yes, demons. We had to take care of the problem before they destroyed the town."

"How many?!" Meta didn't answer that one. "They can take care of themselves, Marth. Don't worry about it." I said. "They won't get into a war, trust me."

"I'm still worried..." Marth said quietly. "It's okay to be worried, Marth. Just don't let it consume you." Once again, we were taken by surprise with another lesson from Meta Knight. "Geez, Meta." I said. "You may be hundreds of years old, but you don't have to turn every little thing into a lesson." Meta Knight laughed slightly, his eyes turning bright pink. "Learning takes time, Ike."

"Stop it!"

"Heh-heh. Just pulling your leg."

A/n

Okay, I really enjoyed writing this one. I just hope you guys will enjoy it too. Marth is slightly harder to write about, so forgive me if any info here is off. The ending is my favorite part, to be honest. Tell me what you guys think!

~Zero