"I don't understand, why does everyone judge me for my hair?" The boy began ranting. "I like my hair! So what if it's long?" The boy crossed his arms, frustrated.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings.. I think your hair looks nice." Ike complimented. This threw the other boy off. No one has actually complimented his hairstyle before. "I.. Thank you," He mumbled bashfully. A sudden wave of guilt hit him; he shouldn't have been so quick to jump to conclusions.
There was an awkward silence between the two until Ike decided to break it. "So? What's your name?" Ike asked.
"M-Marth..." The boy replied. He seemed like the shy type.
Ike raised his eyebrows. "You're not from here, are you?"
Marth hesitated before nodding. He was obviously hiding something. Ike decided to interrogate him more. "Where are you from?"
"Um... the castle.."
Ike's eyes widened. "The castle?!" Marth nodded slowly. "Y-You're royalty?!" Ike exclaimed, completely stunned. Again, the younger boy nodded. Ike was at a loss of words. Everything made sense now. The cloak, the hiding from the royal guards; Marth had escaped from the castle.
"Wait, you're running away?" Ike asked, dumbfounded. Marth shook his head. "No, not that. I'm not running away from home, I'm just kinda stalling so I can stay here longer." The messy haired boy gave Marth a questioning look.
"Well, it's just, the castle town seems and market seems so interesting! I never have the time to leave the castle, and when I do, I don't have a lot of time to explore." Marth's eyes glinted with excitement. "I wanna see how all the people live! It seems so much more lively than back home.." Marth's eyes averted, and suddenly the sparkle in his eyes was gone.
Ike always thought being born into royalty would be an amazing and wealthy life, but sensing Marth's sudden sadness when mentioning his home had him thinking there was more to it than that.
Before Ike could question anything, the familiar sound of clinking of metal began to approach. The guards were nearby. Marth immediately tensed up. "Oh no! They're here.." He whispered. Ike abruptly turned his head towards the shorter boy. "Stay quiet! And put your hood on!" Ike hissed.
Marth was surprised at his sudden demands, but quickly draped the hood over his head without question. He pulled it up as much as possible in order to cover his face. Ike took a seat next to him, listening for the footsteps of the guards. Because he was a bit taller than Marth, his figure would cover Marth and anyone who would glance into the alley would barely see the other boy.
The metal clinking only seemed to get louder. Marth was getting more anxious by the second, letting out raggedy breaths. The footsteps got louder and louder.
A guard suddenly came into Ike's view. There were a few others behind him, but far enough that they were out of the view from the alley. "Hey, kid." He said rather bluntly. Ike shot a look at him. "You seen the royal prince anywhere? He's on the run. About your size, too."
"If I saw some royal prince running around the market, I think I would have noticed." Ike replied coldly, his tone harsh. He was hoping if he came off intimidating then they wouldn't bother interrogating him any longer. The guard raised his eyebrows. "Calm down, boy. I'm only asking." It was subtle, but Ike could hear Marth's
anxious breathing next to him.
Prologue
Start from the beginning
