Illusions and Lies (A Super Smash Brothers fan fiction)

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: CONFESSED.

"Okay Caeda, you can do this. No big deal. It's just our weekly meet-up for tea. This week is no different from any other." Caeda mumbled to herself as she stood outside of Marth's door. Normally she wasn't this nervous about their weekly meet-up, but this week... 

Well, she was going to tell him the truth. About who they'd been as kids, and what hung over their heads now. 

Hopefully the scones would kind of make up for that. Just to double-check, Caeda peeked inside the bag. Sure enough, two scones wrapped in napkins were nestled inside. Her mouth was already watering at the prospect of eating the lemon poppy seed scone she had picked for herself, since the scones from Abel and Est's were absolutely amazing. 

Enough delay, it was time. Just knock on the door. That's all it would take. Caeda raised her hand and knocked, barely flinching as her knuckles hit the wood. 

Marth opened the door sooner than Caeda expected him to, and his sudden appearance very nearly startled her. As if sensing her shock, Marth's eyes widened and he laughed softly. "Sorry for startling you, Caeda. Please, come in." Marth stepped to the side, allowing her to enter the apartment. 

"Don't worry about it. I just wasn't quite expecting you to open the door so soon." Caeda replied a little sheepishly.

"Yes, of course. I might have been, ah, fairly close to the door when you knocked." Marth rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, messing up his hair. 

After a moment of awkward silence, Caeda held up the brown paper bag. "I brought scones!" she announced, because these scones were definitely worthy of a grand announcement. 

Marth smiled, his eyes lighting up in excitement. His smiles were so rare nowadays... when they were kids, he was always smiling. But now, because of Roy, he hardly smiled at all. It was painful to see how Roy's betrayal had wrecked him, really. 

Of course, that only added to the effect Marth's smiles had on her. Knowing that they were rare made them more beautiful, in a way. 

"Did you get them from Abel and Est's?" Marth asked as he walked into the kitchen to get the tea. 

"I did." Caeda replied when he reappeared, teapot in hand. 

"You're the best. Thank you!" Marth said cheerfully. "Is there a holiday that I'm forgetting about or something? Last time you brought scones, it was a minor holiday celebrating... ah, what was it again?"

"The anniversary of the end of the Hyrulean Civil War. It's a minor holiday to most people besides Hylians." Caeda replied, sitting down at the little table Marth had set up on his balcony. "But no, there aren't any holidays that you're forgetting this week. I actually have something I need to talk to you about, and it's not exactly the most pleasant thing in the world... I was hoping the scones would make up for it." 

Marth sat down across from her, as usual. A confused frown crossed his face briefly, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. He poured Caeda a cup of tea first, then poured one for himself. "I'm not sure why you'd feel the need to make up for anything you tell me. You know I... I trust you, right?" he remarked. 

Caeda pretended not to notice how he hesitated before saying "I trust you." 

"It's about who you and I used to be, and what's going to happen to us in the future." Caeda said, steeling herself for what comes next. 

"I'm not sure I know what you mean." Marth did look pretty confused. Caeda didn't blame him, really. She knew that she was being pretty vague with that response, but it was the easiest way she could ease him into this conversation. She reached into the bag and drew out the two scones, handing the chocolate chip scone to Marth.