It had been quite an average day for our favorite King of Altea, and he found himself wandering through the gardens. A vague thought told him that he should be watching his great descendant's fight right now, but he didn't see why he should critique Lucina's fighting style. In all honesty, Marth was more concerned with the sunny weather, as they hadn't seen any precipitation in a little over a month. The foliage didn't seem to be affected, but this was only due to the diligent watering from a certain few smashers. These smashers were, well, all of the Villagers, Princess Peach, Olimar, and Alph. The king stopped walking, instead kneeling down to pluck a particularly beautiful red carnation. After sending a quick apology to his god for ending a life earlier than needed, he thought to what he knew about flowers.

Carnations generally had something to do with love, and the red colour meant… Well, he supposed it depended on whether it was light red or dark red. Marth wasn't too sure which it would be classified as, but either way it strengthened the meaning of love. Did Marth love anyone? He lowered himself, sitting on the ground in front of the flower bed to ponder this question. It really depended on which love was being spoken of. The flower was twirled in between his fingers absentmindedly. Of course, if it was the sort of love the red carnation was referring to, it would likely be one of the romantic sort. Marth thought back to the people in his life that could apply to.

There was certainly Shiida back in Altea, though she was long gone by now. He could safely say he had loved her in the time they had been married and grown old together. Marth had found it odd when Master Hand asked him to enter the tournaments, but it seemed the gloved hand had the ability to grant him youth once more. It had made parting with Shiida an awkward moment, as there was the woman he had spent many years with, old and greying as he had been only moments before. Her eyes had tears in them, and he never figured out whether they were tears of joy or sorrow. Their kids, Sophie and Anri, had been even older than him, and there were really no words to be said as the four of them shared a sentimental hug before Marth's departure. He vaguely wondered if his kids were still alive. Had they gotten married and had kids of their own? He really had no way of telling how much time had passed since he arrived at the Smash Tournaments.

Back then, there wasn't a mansion. It was just a kind of big house, and everyone had to share rooms. His roommate had been the only one to understand his language, though they spoke different ones. A lot of communication mishaps happened back then, but the two of them eventually learned the universal language everyone else seemed to know. He had definitely had some interesting times with Roy back then. Yes, Roy was his name. Marth hadn't thought of him in quite some time, having been busy with the newest tournament and the strangers who seemed to know everything about him. He didn't dislike Chrom, Lucina, Robin, or Reflet, they were just a bit weird to him. Perhaps he was old-fashioned after all. The flower nearly fell out of Marth's hand as he remembered what his train of thought had been before he got distracted by nostalgic memories of his family.

Love. Were there any candidates for the emotion besides Shiida? A flash of red hair, tanned skin, and a smiling, freckled, blue-eyed face popped into his mind. Did he love Roy? Perhaps, though certainly not in the time he had known him. The Roy he knew was only fifteen, and hadn't know any real hardship. It wasn't until the Brawl tournament that the young boy had to go fight for his country. Marth wondered how that went. Hopefully well, though there was a high chance he had perished in the war. The Hero-King knew he was only alive because of pure dumb luck and the help of his friends. Perhaps Roy had fared the same? He hoped so. After so long a separation, Marth found that his care for the redhead had only grown. As they say: distance makes the heart grow fonder. He couldn't be sure that it was love, but he definitely cared deeply for the younger male. It occurred to him that he didn't find it odd to have such feelings for one of the same gender. Perhaps he wasn't so old-fashioned after all?

"King Marth!" The voice of Lucina rang out from some distance away. Marth began to stand, tucking the carnation behind his ear as a small reminder. "Are you out here?"

"I'm right next to the carnations, Lucina." He dusted his clothes off, smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed from sitting on the ground. The king followed her voice.

"Oh, there you are, your grace!" Lucina bowed, and Marth smiled a little awkwardly. He had gotten used to just being that pretty boy with a sword when the Ylisseans arrived. They treated him how one might have treated Anri in his time, and it was more than a little uncomfortable.

"Lucina." He had gotten used to hiding his discomfort, however. If there was one thing he had learned, it was that all people from his homeland were incredibly stubborn.

"I just finished my match, and I noticed you were nowhere to be seen. Is it safe to assume you didn't watch any of it?"

"Yes, you would be right to assume that." At her crestfallen face, he continued speaking. "Forgive this old man. I simply had confidence in your abilities and needed a quiet moment of thought." Lucina's face was graced with a smile, which Marth returned.

"But your majesty, you don't look a day over twenty!" A wry smile made its way onto Marth's face.

"If only it were true. I think I'm beginning to understand the life of a Manakete." Lucina frowned before changing the subject.

"You missed Master Hand's announcement, milord. We're to have a meeting in two hours announcing new Smashers."

"Is that really today?"

"Yes. I do believe you should attend. There have been rumors that there will be returning veterans, as well as a member from our world." Marth's mind flashed to the smiling face of Roy once more.

"Well, they may just be rumors, though it can't hurt to show up."

Lucina smiled broadly upon hearing his answer, and Marth quietly excused himself to go read. In truth, he should be preparing for the mystery match he had the next day, but he found he hadn't the energy to bother. He was an old man, though he didn't look it or feel aches in his bones. A simple life was all he asked for, but he couldn't just return to Altea. He might end up meeting his great grandchildren by mistake. The two hours passed quickly, and he closed his book before standing and walking to the announcement room.

Nearly all the seats were taken by the time Marth arrived, and he sighed quietly as he adjusted his hair. His fingers brushed against the carnation, making him smile before securing its location behind his ear. A quick glance revealed that Lucina had saved a seat for him, and he made his way over to her quite quickly, not wanting to block anyone's view. Greetings were exchanged, and Lucina seemed to take notice of the red accent in Marth's hair.

"King Marth, would it be rude to ask about the flower in your hair?"

"No, not at all, though there's really nothing to say about it. I plucked it from the gardens because I thought it looked pretty." Lucina nodded, though she seemed a little disappointed that there wasn't more to it. "It looks like Master Hand is about to start announcements. We should pay attention."

And so they did. Lucas was announced, making Ness and the rest of the younger smashers cheer. The blonde boy was practically dragged off stage by his friends, and Master Hand didn't seem to care. It brought a smile to Marth's face to see such childish glee so apparent in their actions. Marth stretched, getting comfortable in his chair as he waited for the second smasher to be announced.

Next, a muscular man named Ryu was announced. Marth thought back to the multitude of axe fighters he had known during the war he fought for Altea. There was polite applause for the stranger, though it seemed quiet when compared to the uproar to welcome back Lucas. Ryu stepped down and sat by someone he seemed to know, though Marth couldn't see who it was. Now it was time for the last smasher, rumored to be from the same world as Marth, Lucina, and the others.

"And lastly, we have a returning veteran that not everyone here knows. Let's welcome back…" There was a pause. "Roy!"

The redhead walked out onto the stage to an almost disappointed silence. He swallowed the lump in his throat and smiled the best he could, waving somewhat awkwardly. Nobody clapped, and Marth's eyes were wide with surprise. Roy looked down at the ground, almost having been expecting the response he received. He looked up, searching for the blue haired king he used to share a room with. It didn't take him long to find him, and when their eyes met, Marth's shocked expression softened, the smile reaching his eyes. Roy found comfort in his friend's smile, making the tension lighten just a little for him.

A soft clapping sounded through the room, the Hero-King's hands being the source of the sound. The two of them didn't break eye contact, and a second pair of hands joined in the clapping. Lucina had followed her idol's example, and Chrom, Robin, and Reflet responded in kind. Ike began clapping as well, and before too long the entire room was filled with applause.

Roy smiled bashfully at the applause, looking around at the large crowd in front of him. The tournament had changed drastically in the time he had been gone, and the most apparent thing was the large roster. His eyes found Marth once more, and by the time he stepped down from the stage he was grinning like a fool. The Duke of Pherae found a seat next to the King of Altea and two greeted each other with a hug before sitting and waiting for Master Hand to finish his speech.

He didn't have much to say, other than the fact that new smashers were still coming. All of these new smashers were, like Mewtwo, 'DLC' Smashers who don't perform in as many battles. Everyone began to disperse, several smashers greeting Roy before the group from that general universe was left alone.

"Roy as in the Young Lion of Pherae?" Robin questioned, him and his alternate self being the only ones to recognize him.

"Is that what they're calling me?" Before the Tacticians could question him, Ike spoke.

"You're not as scrawny as Marth described. Or as short."

"He was younger before." Was Marth's defense.

"Were you a close friend of the Hero-King?" Lucina asked in an almost suspicious manner.

"The Hero-King? Young Lion? What's with all the titles?" Marth laughed slightly at his friend's confusion.

"We have a lot to talk about, now that you've returned."

Not a single one of them missed the look the two exchanged, or the subtle arm resting around Roy's waist. It was clear they weren't trying to hide anything when Marth took the flower from his hair and slipped it behind the tanned swordsman's ear, the red of its petals only slightly darker than his hair. They had barely spoken a word to each other, yet they seemed to have come to some sort of understanding of their new relationship. Marth and Roy were left alone, and as the king began showing him around the mansion he felt satisfied. Perhaps he had found the true owner of both his carnation and his heart.

Word Count: 2,040

tbh I wrote this in like 3 hours like, i'm not gonna lie.

I know, I know, Roy's been back for a reaaaally long time. I already had a return fic written for him but this is all I could think of for this theme :p

Special thanks the Guest who reviewed recently! If you hadn't said anything, I never would have started writing this again! I know you were looking forward to Betrayal and Jealousy, but I'm going to have a really hard time with both of those. I'm no good at angst and I'll feel awful if I have to make them cheat on each other;;;

Anyways, I'm probably not updating anytime soon, just a warning.