Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a brand-new one-shot called Mute. Remember when I was typing Chapter 33 of Cross Examined and I wanted to make a one-shot with Marth? I could not find a title or a right way to create it. Well, now this is a true way to get my feelings across to Marth. This is a gift-fic for my friend Angelic Land, who is probably the one who respects Marth the most, and is truly in love with the character. This is for you, AL. Enjoy, Mute.

Silence was something not many people enjoyed, nor was it something many people had access to. Being silent was like being mute and having the volume of your voice and your heart toned down to a respectable level. The aspect of mute is the only action in the world to calm and simmer the emotion of love, to conquer and brave the most frightened children in all of history. For Marth Lowell, however, being mute was the best way to preserve his self-being. When he was with the girl, the term mute was not in his vocabulary, therefore turning Marth into a sophisticated, yet ill-mannered vocalist in ideals and his intentions of living. Around the girl, he was a scholar or a teacher, someone who knew what caused pain, what resolved such suffering, and the way to get around the incident. When he was the lady he desired, things he did not know were true would come out of his mouth and cause some atomic explosion between the two raging hearts. After the whole process happened, and once it was back to step one, Marth would be once again mute.

The problem in Marth's situation was that he lived with the girl, Samus, because they were part of the same party in Smash Mansion. Once in awhile, the blue clad, blue haired teen and prince would run into the bounty hunter on several occasions throughout the day. Peach and Mario, two of the older Smashers in the congregation had just celebrated their ten year anniversary and had thrown a lavish ball in the ballroom of the mansion, which was underground, next to Master Hand's office. Everyone was invited, so without any waging brawls or other dropped events, most of the invited went.

The party was beyond what anyone had ever expected, the same charisma that Mario and Peach had towards each other wafted into the bubbly atmosphere of the party. Roy got lucky and decided to dance with Sheik, Link and Zelda were the flair of the occasion, and Ike had no one to dance with. He lounged in the back of the hall with Snake, both of them talking about whatever was on their minds.

Marth was looking for Samus, hoping to find the one person who made him feel more than an empty shell. His hair had streaks of purple running through, now making his head look as if it belonged on the back of a peacock's tail. His eyes were sharper than before, the misty cerulean sparkling like the wake of the sea due to contacts. His suit, which was of an edgier, yet light pallid accompanied a pair of beryl and emerald dress pants, which were then followed by a onyx pair of tap shoes. His feet made clicking and clacking noises as he walked amid the dancers and musicians who were enjoying the festivities. He bumped into the person in question, his eyes rising in admonishment and delight.

"Samus... you look absolutely stunning." the Altean prince complemented, bowing to the said bounty hunter.

"As do you." Samus genuinely replied back. She was dressed in a golden, sequin dress with a zipper down the back; laced with pearls. Her blonde hair was curly tonight, the scent of lavender flowing from her bouncy curls. Light powder was applied to her cheeks, bringing out the rosy feel in her complexion, adorning the two silver eyes that shined beneath her skull. The only insinuating way that Samus was not as innocent as you think was her plasma whip, placed hidden in a secret pouch under the hem of her dress, and the five inch cardinal heels that had small glints of blade off the tips where her front toe was.

"Would you care for a dance, my lady?" Marth asked, smiling a way only he knew how.

Samus giggled, placing a gloved hand to her mouth. She allowed the prince to casually take her by the hand and then squealed, as Marth launched forward a little too recklessly. "My, my! You certainly like to make a girl feel as if she is the greatest thing in all of Altea."

"We aren't in Altea, now are we?" Marth quipped, spinning Samus down to where her hair bobbed against the tile floor of the ballroom. The prince's gentle hand rested on the square of the bounty hunter's back, both teens staring into each other's eyes.

"We certainly are not in Altea," Samus replied hastily, stifling a giggle. "But, you still dance like such a man of royalty."

"You know what they say," Marth joked, helping Samus back to her feet. "Like father, like son."

Samus smiled, and was about to ruffle the Altean prince's head when she was how dark Marth's features wavered. His light smile fractured to a scowl or frown, his eyes going from sunny and pleasant to dark, creepy, and remorseful. The couple danced silently the rest of the evening, very few snippets of small talk between the two dancers. Marth made a few jabs of humor at people around him, like Wolf's break dancing, Falco and Fox's acrobatic stunt, and even Zelda's gorgeous straddle leap; even though it lifted a little too much of her dress, it was still a pretty sight to see. After the ordeal, the Hyrulian princess was red in the face and had to slap Link, Ike, Captain Falcon, and even Snake a couple of times in the face for undesirable comments. The whole atmosphere of the party was enchanting and the real finisher was Luigi's commutative and pleasurable contemporary dance with the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario did not seem to be envious, or infuriated with his brother at all, and the happy trio skipped off together, their spirits high with happiness... and booze. Soon, once the guests of honor vanished from the gathering, other dispersed soon thereafter. Lastly, the lone couple of Marth and Samus were the only two dancing in a trashed ballroom. Banners that lined the corners of the ornate hall were scampered around like ribbons of silly string, the pink fabric and paper creating strawberry lines across the reflective mahogany floor. Balloons that had been burst more than once by Bowser's claws were strewn carelessly on a table, a plethora of cardinal, cerulean, and violet packs of rubber piled atop one another.

All the while, throughout the dance that Marth and Samus did, the prince of Altea thought to himself more than ever, allowing the mute part of his brain to come into effect once again. He pondered on whether he was fit for such a celebration of an event if he could not have even mustered the courage to stand up on the pedestal to say a few words about the lucky couple, Mario and Peach. Marth knew that if he stood and said a few words, he would begin to rant, and ranting for him. led to a big problem. The entire party would of been tarnished by Marth's illicit way of talking and how he presented each and every idea to the table. Marth would've gone on about why Mario and Peach deserved one another and then, go in detail of all of the things that Mario did to make Peach feel special. This would be most unsettling because of what Mario actually did for his wife. He would banter on how many countless Goombas Mario trampled or how many times Bowser got his butt kicked into a wave of lava. Surely, some statements the prince would share would be too embarrassing to say in front of a group of about 20 or so people; that would lead to trouble. His problem was that he got too carried away with things, and once he finished, the affection or respect people had for him was gone because he was the loudmouth who vocalized their points too harshly, or with so much ferocity, that the listener now had to wash out their ears with soap. Once Samus got tired of dancing, she asked if she could take a seat. Marth, being the gentleman he was, opted for her sit, and try to not get her dress dirty with dirt or other grime coating the tile.

The bounty hunter collapsed a little faster than she expected, banging her head against the wall. "Since everyone is gone, could you please explain to me why you did decide to not talk to me anymore? Is it something I said, as to why you avoided conversation?"

Marth jutted out of his thoughts abruptly, almost like static trying to recover a jarring picture. He didn't really expect such a question to pop out of Samus's mouth, more than most people he hung around. Swallowing, and taking a few deep breaths, he answered her. "It wasn't really something you said. It was my fault, commenting on about my father. I don't really feel like explaining about my past. I've done that to you already, haven't I?"

Samus shrugged, her curly hair bouncing off her shoulders. "Not that it matters. Seriously Marth, there has to be a legitimate reason to not saying more than a pip the rest of the night."

"It's because I talked," Marth said suddenly, not allowing one second to pass after Samus posed her question. "I was afraid you would of asked me the question of why I changed moods some drastically, and quickly by one phrase. Normally, it does not bother me on whether I answer personal questions or not, but in this instance... that is one of those topics where I engage it to fast, with too much passion and hate."

"That doesn't bother me. I like it when you talk." Samus smiled, throwing her arm around the wounded prince.

Marth shrugged off the kind arm, scoffing as he did it. "You like when I talk," another scoff broke his sentence, "That has to be a lie. Try rewarding me with a cake, and then I'll see if I'll answer truthfully. Most people here do not enjoy my conversations, nor do any of them feel devoted to hearing a single one of them. I scare everyone away with my vocal points."

"Is there a reason behind it?"

"Of course there is. I'm royalty, remember? I need to have the skills to debate and argue hotly to make sure every executive decision I speak is passed. However, this isn't Altea; I haven't adapted to such a change, and may never get the chance to. Here, on Earth, especially in America, we don't need to have our points so thought out or expressed for that matter. Our hearts tug a little easier at the strings, and wherever the grass is greener, we go off to pasture. Simple interests turn into larger scale projects, and most problems we Alteans shrug off is a cataclysmic disaster to everywhere else that isn't my home. Most people don't need leeway into a topic. Whichever deal sounds better, is what we normally choose. It is a losing argument, nonetheless. Hence why I stay mute."

"How do you define mute, in the way you put it as?" Samus quipped, wondering about how the word felt to Marth.

Marth's answer was quick, and did not much time to think he about. It was as if he rehearsed it all before the time had come to respond. "My mute is the tranquility of mind. While I'm mute, and silent throughout whatever event is happening in front of me, I am planning my answer so precisely that I do not screw up a sentence, so no one is drawn back from me. However, I am a perfectionist; I am the epitome of 'Type A'; it ruins me. By the time I am prepared to give my input or advice I should say, the conversation has strayed far past that point and if I was to bring it back, most would be bored of a topic discussed to death. When I'm mute, I stay that way forever, or at least until the time for chatting up with our friends is over, so I can retreat back to my room in solitude."

"I find the answers you give to be beautiful. I can think of another way for mute to be described," Samus commented, leaning her head on Marth's shoulder. The prince of Altea blushed. "Do you get what I'm thinking of? The word that could mean the same as talking and speech?"

"Is it love? Am I right," Marth pondered, facing the bounty hunter. With Samus's nod of approval, the prince's eyes glistened. "I feel the same way sometimes. Around you, I am calm; I let go, and most of all, I feel relaxed and unafraid to say what comes out of my mouth."

"But, it happened about an hour ago." Samus reminded him.

Marth grinned a little, revealing some teeth. "Those are special cases. But, back to your question, I think the word mute can be used as a symbolist, rather than an evoking action. Mute, is an action to silence. Sometimes love can be so over-powering, you need a mute action to shut you off. No matter how many words or sentences that are oddly structured I throw at you, the actions that I do speak more clearly over the resonating tongue. My heart would be muted, in other words. I would not have to say my feelings, more than act them with just as much passion as I do when I talk."

"Do you feel more than just a friend to me?" Samus asked, resting her head back on Marth's shoulder.

"Yes," Marth answered immediately. "As I said before, something about you makes me feel much more spirited, much more different than any other Smasher in this complex. I never have to worry about if my words will over power yours, or shut you off. Genuinely, I find you more rewarding than a victory at battle, more colorful than Van Gogh's Starry Night. You simply allow emotions to drip off the tip of a pencil, or you let them be as loud as they need to be, but invoke much more meaning than they normally do. So, yes, I feel as if I have a special bond with you, that there is something between us meaning other than just friends."

Samus was about to reply when a loud, resonating gong echoed through the empty halls. The teens shot to their feet, and checked the massive grandfather clock against the back of the ballroom stage. The hour hand and minute hand both were placed on the 12, representing midnight.

"We need to get back to our dorms! Master Hand does not like when we are out of our curfew spot. Last time Zelda and Link stayed out past twelve-thirty, they had their lips frozen by the Ice Climbers as punishment. It is even rumored that they had to brawl in the position against Ganondorf." Samus said, as both brawlers leapt to their feet and scurried out of the ballroom.

Luckily, Samus's room was close to the ballroom and not much exercise was needed to get to her room. Marth said goodbye and turned around as soon as the flash of Samus's golden hair rounded the corner. Then the bounty hunter forget to reply back.

"Marth!" Samus called, racing back to the door. The Altean prince showed his face again.

"Yes, Samus?" Marth said, his voice slightly feminine, as to mock the girl.

"That was enjoyable," Samus said, blushing. Before she closed the door, she laced Marth's cheek with a gloved hand. "I would like for you to stop being mute, and just letting go of what holds you back so much."

"Of course," Marth replied, simply. "Oh and Samus," the prince said, as Samus turned to leave, "Don't worry about me. That mute me, that side will never be coming back." he smiled.

Samus said goodnight one last time and shut the door with a silent creak. Marth turned to go and walk down the hall to his room, as he felt the grin widen across his face. Outside, the moon was shining straight above Smash Mansion's roof, the moonlight falling in small, minuet patches across the window panes. Marth's shadow walked through, and if you looked close enough, you could see the broadening smile across the prince's face. No longer was he going to be a quiet soul. Let the fire raging begin. "Let my mute season be finished." he thought with an appeasing smile.

That... that felt good. One, because I tried making this something different from what I've ever written before. Two, because I made a one-shot that does not suck at the 3000 word mark. Three, I think I gave the character Marth justice. And four, I probably just put a smile on my friend, Angelic Land's face. I hope you enjoyed this story AL, since it was dedicated to you and how you are towards me and the world. Sometimes people need a diamond in the rough, and this story can easily prove that. Please review, guys! I love you all! Till next time.

~Paradigm