Welcome, friends, to my first multi-chapter story ever! This is my sequel to "Birthday Surprises". I really hope you like it, I've been working as hard as I can to make this a good, descriptive story. Enjoy!

Chapter One: Intruder Alert

The fire crackled in the fireplace as the man sat in a comfortable armchair. The dimly lit room was a small study. Bookshelves adorned the walls and two windows were perched on either side of the fireplace, revealing the night sky beyond.

The man had chocolate-brown hair and a young-looking face. He looked no older than twenty. A glass of blood-red wine was in his hand.

Another man was seated across from him in a separate armchair. His face was slightly concealed in shadow, but the dark smirk across his face was clearly visible. A wine glass was also in his hands.

"I'd like to propose a toast, my king," said the shadowed man. "To Hyrule." The man raised his glass in a toast.

"To Hyrule," echoed the king, also raising his glass. "May it forever prosper!"

And the two drained their glasses. The king felt a slightly bitter taste to his, but he only found it intoxicating. He gulped down the entire glass.

The effect was immediate.

The king felt like the inside of his body had been set on fire. His blood began to burn with such an intensity, that he cried out in pain. His empty glass slipped from his hands as he writhed in his chair. A soft thud was heard as the glass hit the carpet. The king felt the fire spread throughout the inside of his body. It spread from his head to his toes. The king's vision had begun to fade. All he saw was a large shadow hovering above him, cackling with laughter.

"What…have…you…done?" the king choked out.

"I have done what is necessary," said the shadow.

"You…"

But the king could not finish his sentence. For at that moment, his final breath had left him, and he slumped in his chair and moved no more.

"Rest in peace, my king."

"Now, you are positive he was murdered?"

"Absolutely, Princess Zelda."

Princess Zelda of Hyrule stood in the warm bedroom. Sunlight poured through the white curtained windows. On the extravagant bed lay an unmoving man Zelda recognized as her brother.

When she had first laid eyes on her now deceased brother, Zelda had not been able to contain herself. She had spent a good three hours crying before she was able to return and observe her brother more carefully. Her purple and white dress was stained with tears.

The body looked perfectly fine. All except for the man's face, which looked quite different than the young, carefree look Zelda remembered on her brother. His face was pale as a sheet and there were heavy purple circles around his closed eyes. It was all Zelda could do to prevent herself from breaking down again.

Next to her stood a man Zelda knew as her brother's Vizier and best friend, Lord Alistair Ross. The forty-five-year-old man had jet black hair that wasn't thinning at all despite his increasing age. He had dark eyes and a small goatee on his chin. He wore a violet turtle neck and black slacks (Zelda wondered when Hyrule had become so modernized with their clothing). His expression was quite subdued.

"How can you be so sure?" Zelda asked.

"We had Hyrule's top healers examine him," said Ross. "They found a deadly poison in his veins."

"That could have been an act of suicide," said Zelda. Though the thought chilled her to the core, she forced herself to think rationally. She was determined to find the true cause of her brother's death, no matter how painful the truth may be.

"Well we can't rule out suicide," said Ross. "But I'm sure your brother would never kill himself. He dedicated his life to protecting Hyrule. Why would he kill himself?"

"Good point," said Zelda, already thinking of an alternative. Although the only other alternative she could think of was murder. Had her brother been murdered? If he did, by whom? And why? These questions buzzed around the princess' head like an angry swarm of bees. It can't be, she thought. It just can't be. Who would kill him? He doesn't have any enemies, does he? The only living enemy she could think of was Ganondorf, but he was back at home at the Smash Mansion. It couldn't have been him…could it?

"Princess," said Ross hesitantly, snapping Zelda out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

Ross cleared his throat. "Now that your brother is gone, there is the matter of who will take his place that needs to be discussed."

Zelda wasted no time in answering. "I have no problem with assuming the throne for my brother."

Ross however, continued to look troubled. "I'm afraid princess, it is not that easy."

Zelda gave him a quizzical look. "Why? I've been offered the position many times. What could possibly complicate it?"

Ross cleared his throat again before speaking. "I'm afraid a new, or rather, an old law has been discovered."

Zelda was even more confused now. "And what does this law state?"

"It states that a princess cannot assume the throne unless she marries first."

Zelda stood stock still, letting the words hit her. Excuse me? she thought.

"And when did that become a law?" Zelda asked, affronted. The kingdom never made any mention of this law as far as Zelda knew. Just where had this come from?

"You see, princess," Ross began. "While looking through some modern documents, I discovered that one was missing. I spent quite some time searching for it, and at last I found it. It was a document depicting several laws that had been lost along with it. One being the law I had just explained to you. It is a law that, without a current ruler, cannot be abolished."

Zelda sighed, thinking of what he would think when he found out. "It makes no difference," she said. "I still meet the requirements."

"But princess," said Ross alarmingly. "You must be married! Or at least engaged!"

Zelda smiled, raising her left hand. A diamond sparkled on her fourth finger. "I am," she said proudly.

Ross looked taken aback. "Y-you are married?"

"Engaged," said Zelda. "It happened recently actually. Three days ago to be precise."

Ross still looked shocked. "My word princess, this is…" he paused, a smile spreading across his face. "This is wonderful! Who is the lucky man?"

"His name is – " but her words were cut short by a voice coming from the doorway.

"Your majesties!"

Zelda and Ross turned and saw a guard standing by the door. Silver armor was glinting in the sunlight streaming through the window.

"What is it?" Ross asked.

"An intruder, my lord," said the guard. "He was attempting to force entry into the castle. He says he knows the princess, but we have never seen him before."

"Take me to him," Ross commanded.

"Yes, sir," said the guard, and he led Ross out of the room. Confused, Zelda followed.

The guard led Zelda and Ross down several red carpeted halls and down many flights of stairs. By the time they had reached the main hall, Zelda was slightly tired. She had forgotten just how big her castle was. It was at least three times as large as the Smash Mansion.

The main hall was a simple hall. A long flight of stairs stood on the far end of the room. A large window adorned the high ceiling, letting in the bright daylight. A long, red carpet led to the oak front doors, which were currently open.

From the stairs, Zelda looked on as two guards stood by the doors, holding a struggling man by his arms. The man had spiky-blue hair and a black headband. He had on a blue tunic and beige khakis. Brown boots were raised almost to his knees. A beige, battle-worn cape adorned his back. The man was putting up quite a fight. His muscular arms were at least twice the size of both of his captors', giving him a slight edge. However, one of the guards pulled out a blade and held it to the captive's throat, immediately halting him in his tracks.

Zelda took one good look at the man before shouting at the guards, "RELEASE HIM THIS INSTANT!"

The three stopped struggling and looked up at her. The captured man's face twisted up into a wide smile as the princess sped down the stairs. She whisked the guards away (they obeyed her instantly) and embraced the man.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," the man responded. "Your guards take their job very seriously."

"Yes, they're like that," said the princess. "Now tell me; What are you doing here?"

The man gave the princess a surprised stare. "What do you think? Did you honestly think I'd let you go through this alone? Especially since you conveniently forgot to tell me when you were leaving?"

"I'm sorry," said Zelda. "I should have told you, but I didn't want to get you involved in anything."

The man chuckled. "Honey, I'm involved with everything about you now, or have you forgotten already?" He took her left hand in one of his thickly-gloved ones. His thumb played lightly with the diamond ring.

"No, I haven't," Zelda said, giving him a small smile.

"Good," said the man. "Now do me a favor love, and tell that idiot to give me back my sword, please?"

He pointed a finger towards a shadowy corner, where a guard stood, holding a huge golden sword in his hands. Zelda gave the command and the guard obeyed, staggering humorously due to the intense weight of the sword. He bestowed the blade to the man, who took it effortlessly in one hand. The guard gave him a wide-eyed look and walked away rather hastily, as if afraid the stranger would behead him on the spot.

At that moment, Ross approached them. "Princess Zelda, who is this man?"

Zelda turned to him, giving him a confident smile. "This, Lord Ross, is my fiancé, Ike."

Zelda, Ike, and Ross sat at the long, rectangular table in the dining hall. Night had fallen. The windows on the walls bore the image of the starry sky. A chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, giving light to the room. Ross sat at the head of the table, while Ike sat in the chair closest to him with Zelda next to him. Ross and Ike were talking cheerfully as they ate dinner. A good sign, Zelda thought. She wanted her fiancé to make a good impression on Ross. So far, he was doing a great job.

Ike was telling Ross all about his life as a mercenary. From his father's death to the wars with the Black Knight. Ross seemed to enjoy his stories. Zelda happily listened to the two men talk, adding her two cents whenever necessary (which wasn't very often).

"…and after all that," Ike said. "I thought my life would just go back to normal, but no. Less than a week later, I get a letter from Master Hand, my boss, inviting me to his mansion to compete in his tournament."

"Ah yes," said Ross. "The tournament. Why have you stopped fighting in Hyrule, Zelda? I've missed watching you."

"The Hyrule stage was banned," said Zelda. "It was declared too big and unfair to the fighters with lesser muscular strength."

"I see. Well it's alright. Now that you two are staying here, I'll not have to worry about seeing you more often." Ross spoke his words with a serene smile. Ike however, choked on his wine and gave Ross a wide-eyed look.

"What do you mean by 'staying here'?" he asked the Vizier.

Ross gave him a cheery smile. "Now that Princess Zelda's brother is gone, the two of you must take his place. Originally, Zelda wouldn't have been able to take the throne without a husband, but now that she has you, everything fits."

Ike stared, openmouthed at the Vizier. Luckily, he was spared from this situation by a guard entering the hall. His armor rattled slightly as he ran.

"My lord," he said to Ross.

"What is it now?"

"More intruders have been caught trying to force entry into the castle. There are five of them."

Zelda gasped. Five? She turned to Ike, who was still ogling Ross. She hit him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention. Ike jerked and looked at her.

"What?"

"Just how many people are coming?" Zelda whispered.

"I don't know," he whispered back. "Master Hand forbade anyone else from leaving the Mansion. I was the only one who got permission. Nobody else should be here."

Zelda sighed and stood up, Ike following suit. Together, the two, along with Ross followed the guard back to the entrance hall.

Zelda shook her head in frustration at the five sheepish grins the "intruders" were giving her. The first was a woman in a frilly pink dress and long blonde hair. To her left, stood a warrior in all blue. He had blue hair, a blue tunic, blue armor, a blue cape, blue pants, and blue boots. In the middle was an elf in a green tunic and tights. Untidy blonde hair stuck out of his green hat. Next to him was a blonde-haired woman in a blue bodysuit. An ornate, red eye was on the chest. To the woman's side was the youngest of the bunch: An eighteen-year-old boy in a red vest along with blue jeans. A red cap topped a mess of brown hair.

Peach, Marth, Link, Sheik, and Red the Pokemon Trainer all stood under Zelda's scrutinizing stare. Red, she noticed, was sporting a swelling bruise on his left eye. A prize gained most likely from struggling against the guards.

Each of them had explained that they wanted to be there for Zelda, which she appreciated, but still berated them for breaking the rules.

"Master Hand is going to kill you guys for disobeying him," she said. They all just shrugged.

"Let him try," Sheik said defiantly. "You are like a sister to me Zelda. I could not let you do this alone. But – " her eyes fell on Ike, who was standing a few feet behind the princess. "It seems you are not alone. I assume Master Hand gave you permission to come?" She directed her question at Ike, who answered,

"Yes, but it makes no difference. She's my fiancé, I would have come no matter what he said."

Sheik seemed satisfied with his answer, so she remained silent. Zelda turned to the Pokemon Trainer, who was still wincing in pain.

"Weren't you supposed to be taking care of Leo for me?" Zelda asked, referring to the little fluffy Pokemon Red had given her for her birthday. "Leo" was the Eevee's nickname.

"I left him with Lucario," said the Trainer. "He's taking good care of him, don't worry."

"It's alright," said Ross, who was behind them all at the stairs. "We have space for them all." He turned to walk back up the stairs. But he stopped halfway. "Aidan," he called to one of the guards.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Bring the one in the cap to a healer and have them fix his eye. Afterward, show him to his room."

"Yes, sir!"

The guard led the Trainer up the stairs and out of sight.

"The rest of you," Ross commanded at the remaining guards. "Show the rest of our guests to their rooms."

"Yes, sir!" sounded across the entrance hall.

The guards each claimed one guest and led them up the stairs.

"I can walk, thank you!" shouted Sheik at her guard, who apparently attempted to touch her.

Zelda chuckled and followed her guard, Ike at her side. Suddenly, however, Ross' voice rang out into the hall.

"Ike," he called out. "A word, please?"

Confused, the mercenary hung back with the Vizier. Zelda hesitated, but followed her guard out of the hall nonetheless.

"Is something the matter, Lord Ross?" asked a confused Ike.

Ross had his back to the mercenary. His hands graced the railing of the stairs they stood on. He took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Young man," he said. "I have been serving this kingdom since before you were born. Thirty years I have worked in this castle as the Vizier. Even as a teenager I was advising the kings and queens that graced the throne.

My point, of which I am sure you are wondering, is that while I think you are a great man, I am not very willing to hand over the throne to you."

"Pardon me?" said Ike.

"Being a king is no laughing matter good sir," said Ross, now face-to-face with the mercenary. "One blunder could ruin the entire kingdom and spill innocent blood. However, I have no say in the matter. The decision is yours and, of course, Princess Zelda's. All I am saying is that I suggest you think long and hard about whether or not you are prepared for this. As I have already said, I have been serving this palace for thirty years. I do not wish to see it crumble after all of my hard work."

And with that, the Vizier walked up the stairs and vanished from view, leaving a shocked and speechless Ike behind.

And that's the end of Chapter One. This Chapter pretty much set up the story. Introducing all of the main characters and whatnot. In the next Chapter, I will reveal another OC that will serve a role in the story. Chapter Two will follow soon. Keep your eyes open!

Review if you liked! Peace!