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The Mercenary (Beautiful_Disgrace and I)

"And how fares the Lady's Champion, Althea?" Ganondorf mused. My, that was quite a serious wound he had...and his face always settled in such a stern frown. He wondered what it meant, had he accepted his fate...or was it merely the pain of his injury?
 
"He will overcome this injury. Though had the woman from the stars not brought him in as fast as she did..he would have died." Althea said as she reached into her robes and produced a salve to put over Ike's freshly stitched up wound. It was very nasty looking. Perhaps Medusa would go easy on him when reprimanding him. However...

"Where were you when he got this wound, Samus?" Medusa asked, feeling her daughters eyes on her. She was trying to behave, more than likely.

"...I was commanded to help the other soldiers box in the escapees." The blonde haired woman answered as her eyes continued to stay on Ike.

"Then why did they escape?" Medusa asked as her eyes slightly narrowed. "Why did they escape? And why are you not looking at me when I'm talking to you?" Maybe there was a small hint of annoyance left over from earlier.

"..They have capable fighters, in the end I was ordered to retreat." Samus responded as she dragged her eyes to Medusa. There was too much..defiance in them. It was annoying the Goddess even more.
 
"By me," Ike grunted, carefully shifting to sit up as the salve burned and sizzled against his wound. That hurt like hell...but regardless, he wasn't going to let Samus be punished for his own orders. "I held off what I could, my lady. Thanks to your blessing, I was successful."
 
"Ike..." Samus muttered, but stopped herself when she realized that it wasn't her place to speak. She wasn't too happy that he was sitting up already, but Althea said nothing. It would be easier for her to wrap the bandage.

Medusa frowned, knowing that Ike was simply trying to direct her attention away from Samus. "Oh..? Let me ask you..what were your intentions when you chased after my prisoners?"
 
"To capture them, or kill them," Ike said idly. "As you would have liked, my lady. Palutena is not a threat to your power, but an annoyance is best contained or removed if not to be controlled. It was unfortunate that Link and the others were there. It was my hope that we could pin them to the river."

"Mm, it would have worked,' Ganondorf confirmed with a rub of his beard. "Save for Impa and her Sheikah trickery."
 
Medusa was quiet for a moment, as if staring him down to sense the slightest hint of dishonesty..but she didn't. So her eyes moved back to Samus. "So is that why you failed to box them in? Because of this..Impa?" She pressed further. Samus nodded, but felt the need to further defend herself and Ike.

"She figured out the weakness to my shadows, so I thought I'd personally deal with her and the rest of her warriors. Unfortunately, I couldn't in time. They were very skilled." She quietly explained. She was waiting for more of Medusa's questioning...but the Goddess just stood there quietly.

"..We'll talk about this later, Ike. When you are rested." Medusa replied as she turned away from them.
 
"Thank you, my lady," Ike murmured. "...Forgive me, I was unable to secure Lady Palutena. It is my fault that they escaped."

"Not entirely," Ganondorf smirked. "But that is for another day, boy. Your Goddess said to rest, so rest you shall...Ganessa, come. We have lessons to begin," he said, turning as Ike slumped back against the bed, grimacing faintly in pain.
 
Ganessa's eyes brightened when her father only called her name. She stuck her tongue out at Sieg and then ran over to join her parents. Medusa caught sight of this, but she simply looked at Sieg and gestured for him to follow. "You too, Sieg. We're going to teach you and Ganessa a few things." She wondered how Ike felt, knowing that she had adopted his and Palutena's son. No doubt for intentions that could only be summed up as "Because she could".

Althea managed to finish bandaging his wound and was now putting away her things so she could leave him be.
 
Ike's face was as passive as ever as Seig cast a curious glance to Ike and Samus, two people he had only seen remotely...it was hard not to notice the similarity. Blue hair, with a young face that seemed as serious as Ike's did. He wondered where he got that from, or it was simply a greater awareness of where he was. Truth be told, the only reason he kept looking at him was because that Medusa would suspect something otherwise. But...eventually, his son turned his head and they headed off together as Ike stared at the wall in front of him, hand on his ribs.

"...You alright, Samus?"
 
"I'm fine..Sona's magic was...annoying. But I will manage." Samus muttered as she sat down on the bed next to him. "You on the other hand..you are lucky to be alive. You shouldn't have sent me away..I could have helped." She whispered lowly in case any ears were still on them. That blind woman had a very good sense of hearing, even if she wasn't in the room.
 
"You had your orders," Ike said, even if the hand on her leg was a silent gesture of appreciation for her concern. "And you followed them, I expected nothing less. I could have handled it, it was merely a bad position." It was hard to say that with a straight face, admittedly. Link was an exceptional swordsman, probably one of the finest he had ever seen. Lucina and Chrom were no slouches either, it was inevitable that he'd lose.
 
Samus looked at his hand, and placed hers on top of it. She would drop it..he did know what he was doing after all and even if she was there she wondered if she truly could have made a difference with so many competent sword users there. She could barely keep up with Sona...who seemed more of a magic user than anything. "You're right...perhaps next time we should make sure Sona can't do those tricks again."
 
"Perhaps," Ike grunted, shifting a little. "Help me to my room," he instructed, sliding his feet over the bed. "I'd rather rest somewhere comfortable." He had to find a way to keep an eye on his son, Palutena never had the chance...but maybe he could in some way. He doubted it, but...ugh. No, he had to focus. He just wished that Seig wasn't a by-product of his ignorance...
 
Samus was at his side in an instant, her eyes narrowed with displeasure. She was all around displeased from this entire experience. She thought she would lose him..just like she lost all of her other friends. If it hadn't been for Ganondorf watching, she would have ignored his orders and fought alongside him. She had no connections to those people and she wouldn't have hesitated to kill them. Even Sona...she would have gladly killed her if it meant keeping Ike safe.

She was holding on so tightly..she felt like it was only a matter of time before she was alone again...
 
Ike didn't say anything as they walked for a while, until they were finally in his-...their room.

"I'm sorry," Ike grunted, careful as he sat down on his bed. "...I realize I worried you, it wasn't my intention."
 
"You were worried about a lot of things, Ike...It probably wasn't easy facing Sona..or any of them for that matter." Samus helped him lay back down..she wasn't giving him a choice in it either. If he kept moving around, the stitches would bust. And she really didn't want Althea tending more to him than she had to. That woman and her pet snake just made her feel uneasy.
 
"No," he admitted. "I held them off better than I thought I would...I suppose I'm learning a few tricks while I'm here," he said, hand slipping along her neck to pull her closer. "...But you're more important than that," Ike murmured. "...I need you alive, Samus. I want you alive. I don''t know how I'd be without you here."
 
Samus was quiet, as usual. She wasn't sure how to feel about it...mainly because he had said what she wanted to say to him. Those exact words were how she felt about him. Why did he feel that way? All of his friends were still alive, the only difference was that he betrayed them. Maybe that's what it was. "Is it..because they know now? They know who you really are and what you've done?" She was really the only one he could call an ally now.
 
"Maybe," he admitted. "Or I just like having a tall, attractive woman carry me everywhere." Humor with a straight face, or was he trying to be charming? He was terrible at it, after a moment...his expression shifted faintly to embarrassment. "...As long as you're okay with that, of course."
 
"..Heh." The closest thing to laughter he'd ever get from her, really. But she was genuinely amused by his attempt at humor. "Of course I'm okay with that...but I'm serious, Ike. Why do you need me?" She pressed as she narrowed her eyes. Or maybe..that's really all it was.
 
"Because you're my friend," he stated. "...Well, more than that..." he murmured. "...I want someone I can rely on, I can trust. You've never given me any reason to doubt that...among, other things..." He wasn't very good at this kind of thing...romance? It was...a bizarre life he lead, all of his experiences with women were romantic and intimate...but they usually initiated. He felt like a boy fumbling through a schoolyard.
 
"I see." That was definitely a much simpler reason than what she was expecting. Then again..she didn't know what she was expecting. "Well..I need you too. Because...every time I make a friend...I always seem to lose them." Since he told her his reason, she would tell him hers. They were..close enough. She could open up, little by little...
 
"I'm a little more durable than most," Ike said simply. "I won't be going anywhere, you have my word...and even if I was, I have you to pull me out of the fire, right?" Well, he wasn't honestly expecting that response...
 
"..Right." She could only hope that he was being serious. Honestly, it wasn't that she got him to Althea fast enough..it was just that he wouldn't let himself die so easily. At least..that's what it seemed like to her. "Just like I did today.." She muttered. She had nearly killed Sona to do it, but..she did it.
 
"Just like you did today," Ike murmured, hesitating a moment before grabbing her rear to push her closer, he could be bold...sometimes. "...and I trust that you'll always be there, anyway." he said.
 
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