Illusions and Lies (A Super Smash Brothers fan fiction)

CHAPTER FIVE: A TEST OF LOYALTY.

Warnings: Gory descriptions of multiple wounds. This occurs during the flashback sequence and concludes once the flashback has ended. Read at your own discretion.

Breakfast was a subdued affair. Hardly anybody spoke. Corrin noticed how Sheik seemed out of it, like most mornings now. He could still remember the mornings that Sheik would come to breakfast with so much energy and a smile on his face.

Corrin missed those mornings. His heart ached when he saw how sad Sheik looked all the time. Those mornings had been some of the best moments of his life that he could actually remember. He knew that he had other memories that had been locked away somehow. And yet his thoughts always seemed to be occupied by his best friend.

If he was being honest, he knew that the way he felt when he thought about Sheik wasn't exactly how you were supposed to feel about your best friend.

It hurt to think about, because Corrin didn't want to ruin the one good thing in his life. He didn't want to place unnecessary burdens on Sheik, because the guy had enough going on already.

That day Sheik came to breakfast looking like he'd been beaten almost to the brink of death and like he hadn't slept at all, Corrin had been the first one (besides Zelda, of course) to just sit next to him and offer his support quietly.

He still remembered that day vividly, like it had happened yesterday.

././.

He was late. Sheik was late to breakfast, and he was never late. Hell, the Caretakers never let anyone be late. But now?

He was late, and Corrin was worried.

Still, Corrin couldn't have been prepared for what happened next.

Almost as if his worried thoughts had summoned him, Sheik appeared in the doorway.

But he wasn't standing on his own. Zelda was holding him up, helping him stand. Slowly, leaning heavily on his twin, Sheik limped into the breakfast room.

The lights didn't help him at all. Instead, it only revealed the extent of the injuries that Sheik had. His face was a patchwork of bruises, and one of his eyes was swollen shut with an impressive black eye that almost blended in with the other bruises on his face.

If previous experience was anything to go by, those bruises probably decorated his whole body.

And the reason Sheik was limping? His right ankle looked like it had been smashed by a hammer. His foot hung limply from his leg, unable to support his weight. As Zelda helped him sit down at their usual table, he winced but didn't say anything.

Corrin could see bandages wrapped around Sheik's chest, likely meaning he had whip marks on his back. Corrin knew from experience that whip lashes stung while you got them, and they hurt more the next day. Whip marks ached until they healed, and by that time you'd likely have received fresh lashes.

It was a sad truth, but the kids were whipped often. But this was something else... Sheik had obviously been beaten badly, but what could he have done to deserve such a beating?

That thought was possibly more disturbing than anything else. Sheik didn't speak for the rest of breakfast, and he picked disconsolately at his food, pushing it around his plate with a sullen look on his face. 

Which was a far cry from his usual cheerful optimism. 

Later that day, the kids had a sparring session. Sheik was forced to participate, even though he couldn't stand without help.