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Chapter Text

"No, no, no! I said maroon! Not firetruck red!" Screamed a eight year old boy, looking down at his red dress shirt in disgust. The maids around him looked at him with wary eyes, shoulders heaved with exhaustion.

"Master Mathew, you picked out that shirt yourself." One of the maids said. The boy, Mathew, scrunched up his nose in disdain and folded his arms.

"You are obviously lying! I hate this shirt! Change it back!" He said. He was about to unbutton the shirt and throw it to the ground when a soft knock on the door stopped him, ceasing all activities inside the room. When the door open, it revealed a man with hair as dark midnight, similar to the boy's, brown eyes - unlike the boy's, who were blues - and was wearing a grey-blue suit. Much like the eyes, the man's skin color also differs from the boy; whereas the man had a peach colored tone, the boy was white.

"How's my little snowflake today?" The man asked. Mathew's face lit up with happiness as he ran towards his father, arms stretched.

"Father!" Mathew cried out, giggling. "You're back! How was your trip? Did you get me anything?" He asked.

Mathew's father smiled.

"It was quite lovely. One day, I would hope you and your mother would join me on my journey to the western side of Andreas Kingdom," He gave Mathew a squeeze. "As for your gift, I would like to introduce you to someone." With that the two turned to see another boy around Mathew's age standing there. The boy was a lot tanner than Mathew, eyes a burning amber and hair dark with a twinge shine of gold. The boy was dressed much like Mathew, except his shirt a royal navy blue. "Mathew, this is Chase Warner. He is the third prince of the Kingdom."

Mathew looked over at the prince, Chase, with curious and slight cautious eyes. He glanced back at his father, who only looked back with expectations and a tiny frown on his face. With a slight grumble, Mathew walked over to the prince and bowed.

"Mathew Wilterson, it's an honor and pleasure to meet you." Mathew said. Chase bowed back.

"The honor's all mine, Master Mathew." The prince said. Despite the politeness, there was a tiny bit of tension in the air, to which, Mathew's father started to laugh nervously.

"Mathew, why don't you show Chase around the garden?" He asked, making the boy look at him.

"Yes Father. Come, Chase." Mathew said, just slightly brushing past Chase, whom in turn started to follow the boy out. Mathew's father sighed.

"I hope, despite his spoiled nature and selfishness, Mathew learns a thing or two from Chase." He said.

"Shall I prepare some tea, Master Wilterson?" One of the maids asked.

"Please."

Meanwhile, the two boys walked through the garden in complete silence, neither of the two looking at each other. When the silence dragged on for too long, Mathew started to speak.

"So, third prince huh? You must be very lucky." At that, Chase glanced at his companion through the corner of his eyes.

"It's not much different from you, I've assume. Being the son of a Duke and all." He said. Mathew initially bristled at the comment and was about to resort when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. There was another boy, one with gray hair and similar color eyes as Chase, except lighter, staring at them. Mathew quickly spotted one of his ears has been wrapped with a bandage, and a spark of curiosity crawled up his spine. Noticing that he's been spotted, the boy quickly covered his bandaged ear and glared at Mathew before walking away. 

"Who was that?" Mathew asked. Chase glanced over at the retreating back of the boy.

"Oh, that's my younger brother, Rocky." Mathew blinked.

"Really? But he doesn't look a thing like you! Not to mention his ear. What's up with that?" He asked. If he had noticed Chase's eyes darkening at the question or how his body tensed up, he didn't say anything.

"It's nothing that I like to share." Chase said and started to walk away from the boy. What Mathew heard was the unspoken with you and Mathew started to whine.

"Come on, you can tell me! I promise I won't tell anyone else!" He said, running after Chase. "Did he do something he wasn't suppose to? Come on, tell me, tell me, tel-" Before he could finish, Mathew had tripped over a rock and started to fall forward. Chase saw this from the corner of his eye, and with a slight panic, quickly turned on his heels to catch the falling son. He hadn't been quick enough, and soon, Mathew fell on the ground.

His vision started having spots, and there was pain in his forehead before he blacked out.

Darkness. That was all I knew. It felt like I was floating with how long I was here, weightless and nothing. What's going on? What happened? The last thing I remember was...was....

What....what was I doing? The last I remember.....I can't seem to remember. Where are my memories?  What's going on? I don't know....

Think, Marshall, think! Wait, Marshall? My name is....Marshall? That doesn't seem correct and yet....it sounds so familiar to me. I'm so confused. I know my name starts with an M, but.... Nothing else seems to come to mind. RRRGH! If only Ryder was here...!

Wait...who is Ryder? Why do I know a Ryder? More importantly, how would a Ryder know of my situation! Whatever that is.

I don't know.....this is hurting my head, I really need to lie down. I have to remember....what my situation is.....what I was doing....

"PAW Patrol is on a roll!"

PAW Patrol? That term....why do I know that term? And why does that voice sound.....

"Marshall, look out!"

There's that name again. Is Marshall my name? It's so oddly comforting if it is.

"Marshall! Marshall, buddy! Can you hear me?!"

Aww, is that Chase? He sounds like he's about to cry. Wait a minute, CHASE?! I only know one Chase and that's..! That's.....

"Mawshall, please don't go!"

Z-Zuma? How do I know these voices?

"I'm sorry, Ryder. Marshall is gone."

No, I'm not gone! I'm right here! Katie! Wait....

Katie?

"Master Mathew, are you alright?"

"Mathew!"

"Are you alright?"

"Please, say something!"

Those memories....those memories are mine. My real self, with my real person. I was never a son of a duke o-or anything remotely close to the high level society. B-but what happened? There are still so many blanks I can't seem to fill. And what's this about me being gone? I'm still....

'Mathew' blinked and looked at his hands. Wait....

HANDS?!

He quickly shot up, much to the surprise of everyone surrounding him.

Why do I have hands?! What happened to me?! I can't remember everything, but the last time I checked, I was a dog! So why....why am I human?!

"Master Mathew!"

"Please, lie back down, your head is still bleeding!"

I have hands, I'm a human, I'm living in monarchy, and half of my memory is gone! If this is a dream, please let me wake up! I can't.....

"I'm sorry, Ryder. Marshall is gone."

....No way. No way, does this mean.....?

"I DIED?!"

"Mathew?!"

"Master Mathew, please calm down!"

"Master!"

But Master 'Mathew' quickly fainted again.      

Chapter Text

A few days later.....

"Are you sure you're okay, Master Mathew?" Chase asked, looking at the white-skinned boy with worried eyes. The boy, Mathew - Marshall - nodded his head with a smile on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine. After all, it's not my first time tripping over something," He laughed. However, Chase and the maid behind him didn't seem to find the humor in this situation, and exchanged worried glances at each other before looking back at Mathew/Marshall. "Anyway, I'm sorry for causing everyone so much trouble."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I caused an injury to your face and hurt your chances of ever getting married." Chase said, looking down at his lap, hands balled. Mathew/Marshall could see the guilt swimming in those amber eyes, and lean over to pat the prince's hand. Startled, Chase looked at the boy.

"It's alright. It's just me being my clumsy self and not paying attention to where I was going. You have nothing to apologize for," Then Mathew/Marshall paused, looking thoughtful. "Speaking of which, we were in a middle of something before the accident, right? And I must've said something to offend you. For that, I apologize as well."

Stun silence followed after his speech and Mathew/Marshall looked up to see Chase and his maid staring at him in complete awe. "....Did I say something wrong?"

"N-No! Nothing at all, it's just...." Chase bit his lip, peering up at the injured boy. "I...think I have misjudged you from first appearance. I apologize. If you like, we could be friends."

Mathew/Marshall smiled. "Sure! It'll be an honor to have a friend like you!"

At that, Chase blushed and quickly got up from his seat.

"I-I should be going now. I'll come over again next week to check up on you. Goodbye, Master Mathew." Chase said. Mathew/Marshall waved goodbye as the prince left, and confusion settled in his stomach.

"Huh. I don't think I ever caught the guy's name." Marshall hummed, to which his maid spoke up.

"It is Chase Warner, Master Mathew. He told you his name when he first arrived." She said.

"Chase Warner, huh?"

How strange is it that this guy has the same name as Chase. On top of that, that name sound so familiar. Marshall thought, laying back down on his bed and closing his eyes. Marshall still couldn't remember all the events that had lead him up to this point, but at least he remembers his friends' names and what he had been doing in his previous life. Though, it is so odd to be called Mathew, knowing my true name. Why does Mathew ring a bell?

"Um, Miss...?"

"It's Ace, Master Mathew." The maid - Ace - stated, looking at her young master with concern. Which make sense, I suppose, Marshall mused. I don't know much about the upper class of society, but I'm sure you are suppose to remember each and every name of your maids. Also, Ace? Like, Ace Sorensen? I didn't know she was reincarnated too.  

"Right. Miss Ace, for the record, what is my name again?" Marshall asked. The concern in Ace's eyes grew.

"Mathew Wilterson. Master, are you sure you are feeling alright? Do you need me to fetch a doctor?" She asked, but Marshall shook his head.

"No, it's quite alright. Thank you, Miss Ace. If it's alright with you, though, I'm going to take a nap." He said, giving her a small smile. Ace hesitated, wanting to press further on the injury her young master required, but decided not to. With a bow, she left the room and closed the door behind her. With a sigh, Marshall turned back to his bed.

"Mathew Wilterson, huh? The name sound like it came straight out of one of those otome games Katie plays," He yawned, cuddling up into his sheets. "You know, the one about princes and magic and how you're suppose to develop relationships with a certain guy. There was even one that Katie said was a difficult route because the guy you could romance was so off-putting. I believe he had the same name as me."

.....

Wait a minute.

Marshall quickly shot up from his bed, eyes wide.

"MATHEW WILTERSON?!" He shouted, unbeknownst to him, startling two maids that were hanging outside his door.

That....that can't be the same Mathew Wilterson Katie was talking about. He didn't even have a scar on his head!

"Apparently, there was a incident that happened at his manor; in which Mathew had tripped over a rock and scarred his forehead." Katie said, to which Marshall looked at her in awe.

"Ah, I see."

Marshall started to pale as the memory came back to him.

No way. No way I'm Mathew Wilterson, a character in one of Katie's game. There's no way I had died and been reincarnated into a game! Then, doubt started to weigh heavily in his stomach and cloud his mind. But what if I did? What if I'm stuck inside a game as a character that is so disliked? What does that mean for me?!

"I have to know for sure!" He said, getting up from the bed and grabbing a book from the self. I have to remember all the things Katie had said to me about this game. What was the name of it again? Come on, Marshall, think! This is important!

"The game, the game, what was the name of the game?" He muttered, tapping the pen against the blank sheet of paper. Frustration started to swell as the name of the game eludes him, somehow blocked by a black cloud. "Come on, come on. Please remember the game."

"Hey Katie, what are you playing?" Marshall asked, sitting next to the blonde haired girl. Katie smiled at him.

"Oh hey, Marshall. I'm playing a otome game called Love, My Dearest." She answered. The dalmatian pup looked confused.

"A o-otome game? What's that?"

"It's a story-driven game in which you play as a female protagonist on a quest. What type of quest depends on the type of otome game you're playing. Usually, besides the main plot, you get a chance to meet several male characters and romance them." She answered.

"Several? Geeze, that's a lot." Marshall said, to which Katie laughed.

"Not all of them at once, Marshall. Though, sometimes some otome games have secret harem routes if you're into that kind of thing. Generally, the several male options allows the player to replay the game to see what would happen if a player choose a different male love interest from their previous play of the game. Or female, once again, depends on the otome game you're playing." Katie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Huh. And so you just started playing?" Marshall asked.

"Actually, right now, this is my fifth time playing it. I'm trying to win the Mathew Wilterson route, though, he's making it impossible to like him." Katie said.

"Really?"

"Really. Mathew Wilterson is a spoiled, self-centered son of a Duke that is determined to have everything his way, no matter who he hurts. He's one of the conquerable love interest that the main character, Skye Limburg, can have." Katie replied. That just makes Marshall even more confused.

"If he is so awful, why go for him?"

"Because he is the only one I haven't romanced yet. There's Chase Warner, who is by far, my favorite romantic partner, Zuma Wilterson, Mathew's adopted younger brother, Rocky Warner, Chase's younger brother, and Tuck Mitchel. All of them are great and wonderful once you get to know them, but for some reason, Mathew is the only love interest that's making this harder than the rest of the conquerable routes." Katie said. Marshall still looked confused. "I want to beat this game 100%, and unlock everything. I already know Mathew dies at least three times in three different routes, all of them being the bad ending."

"Huh. Didn't know you can die in a otome game."

"They have to make the game fun somehow. It is, after all, a game that's mostly story-driven. Most games usually tell their story through actions rather than words," Katie said. "And besides, once I conquer Mathew's route, I'll be in the 9% of players who stuck with Mathew and finished it."

"9%?"

"It is as you said: nobody likes Mathew. At least, not enough to finish his route."

Marshall sat at his desk, his already white face paler than before, eyes wide and terrified. His hand was shaking so much, he dropped the pen he had been writing with.

"If....if this really is the world of Love, My Dearest and if...if I really am Mathew Wilterson, the worst conquerable route of all time, then that means...that means...." Marshall screamed, once again, startling a group of maids.

"I'M GOING TO DIE?! AGAIN?!"

Chapter Text

Inside the mind of Mathew/Marshall....

A gavel slammed on the desk as the five chibi version of Marshall gathered around.

"We will now commence the first meeting to discuss our situation," Said Chairman Marshall. "Would anyone like to share their thoughts?" From the corner of his eye, he could see Fearless Marshall raising his hand. "Go ahead Master Mathew."

"Okay, first, can we please stick to a name already? Our real name is Marshall, so I would rather be called that than Mathew," Math - I mean, Marshall said. The others mumbled their agreement. "Secondly, isn't anyone else seeing a big problem here? We've never played an otome game before! We don't know the rules, or the quest this game has set up for us! How are we suppose to survive it if we don't know what will cause a bad ending in the first place?"

"From our memories of what our dear friend Katie told us, it seems there's only three routes in which Mathew - us - gets the bad ending," Studious Marshall said. "The odds aren't really in our favor."

"And here's another thing: why are we stuck as the worst possible love interest of all time?! I mean, do we really have to die again?!" Fearless Marshall asked, annoyed. There was a sudden sniffle that echo the room and the mini versions of Marshall turned to see Spineless Marshall crying.

"I don't really want to die. There has to be some way to avoid the endings, right?" He asked.

"I'm sure it'll all work out, Marshall! We just have to know what these bad endings are." Happy Marshall said with a smile on his face.

"Fortunately for us, our dear friend Katie has told us what one of those endings are. Take a look," Chairman Marshall said just as an overhead came into the view with a picture of Chase's face on it. "It would appear that Mathew will die on Chase's route."

"Chase? You mean that nice kid that came by to check up on us?" Happy Marshall asked.

"B-but, why would we die on his route? He was so kind to us after the accident." Spineless Marshall wondered.

"Didn't Katie say that Chase and Mathew hated each other in the game? Do you think that hatred still exist?" Fearless Marshall asked to which Spineless Marshall shudder a gasp.

"Oh no! What do we do to get Chase not to hate us?"

"From the way he was acting after the accident, it would appear that the hate is nonexistent at the moment." Studious Marshall said, pushing up his glasses. "So it's puzzling as to when the hate will start to show."

"Y-You don't think it's when the main character appears? I remember hearing Katie saying that the hate-rivalry only grew worse when he and Chase shared similar interest in the girl." Spineless Marshall commented, pointing his index fingers together. A gasp echoed the chamber, making the members of the meeting look up and at Happy Marshall.

"That's right! I remember now!"

Chase and Mathew had hated each other since they were children. Chase had thought Mathew was beneath him simply because Mathew was spoiled and ignorant while Mathew thought Chase was arrogant because of his rare time magic. The two had gotten off to the wrong foot when one day, during Chase's visit to Mathew's manor, Mathew had stumbled over a rock and scarred his forehead. The duke's son blamed Chase entirely for it and had accused Chase of sabotaging his chance at marriage.

"No wonder that marriage line sounded so familiar." Fearless Marshall stated.

The two would later grow up despising each other, with Mathew constantly harassing Chase to a duel, in which Mathew would lose. When they go to the Magic Academy, as per duty to those with magic, the two ends up meeting the heroine of the game, Skye Limburg and end up falling for her. Seeing Chase show interest in her made Mathew's anger and hate grow even more erratic, especially if, by going down Chase's route, the heroine spends more time with Chase than Mathew.

"The more we know about our character, the more I hate Mathew." Fearless Marshall muttered, making the others agree.

In Chase's route, there are two options: In the Good Ending, Mathew challenges Chase for the final time for Skye's hand and ends up losing the duel. In his rage of losing, he ends up attacking Skye with her back turned, but Chase managed to stop it and toss the attack right back at Mathew, who ends up in a coma afterwards. Chase later then feels guilt and, with the encouragement from Skye, starts visiting Mathew daily in hopes that he wakes up. In the Bad Ending, however, everything stages the same except when Chase throws Mathew's attack back at him, he ends up killing Mathew. Out of guilt and regret, Chase breaks up with Skye and goes on living in solitude. It's said to believe that, in the bad ending, Chase may even had feelings for Mathew.

"So, wait, in the good ending, we're in a coma and the bad ending we're killed?! Being in a coma is the same as being killed!" Fearless Marshall screamed.

"Well, we don't know for sure," Studious Marshall said. "After all, the game never suggested we died in our sleep. It is possible that we could've woken up and even bettered our relationship with Chase."

"Speaking of, don't think I didn't see that rare time magic thing," Happy Marshall said. "Does this mean Chase has time magic?"

"It would seem so and, going by the way it was described, it sounds powerful." Chairman Marshall stated. Fearless Marshall threw a fist in the air, a smile on his face.

"Heck yeah it would be! Do you know what you could do if you could control time itself?"  He asked.

"That just begs the question why couldn't Chase stop time and stop Mathew from hitting the ground in the first place." Spineless Marshall said, looking worried.

"Maybe he didn't have it yet." Happy Marshall said.

"That's impossible. If Chase didn't have time magic, Mathew wouldn't have known about it." Studious Marshall replied. "If we have to hazard a guess just by the environment of the game, I would say having rare magic is a big deal. There'll be talks about it. There would be no way Mathew couldn't have not known Chase had time magic."

"And if Mathew knew about Chase's magic, that would mean he would've come up with the same conclusion as we did."

"Hence why he would've thought Chase was sabotaging him. If Chase could easily bend the wills of time, he could've stopped the fall from happening." Chairman Marshall said.

"Maybe that's why Chase was beating himself up earlier. He had the magic to stop the accident, he just....couldn't, for some reason." Spineless Marshall said. "And in the original game, Mathew blamed Chase for it when he was already feeling guilty. Poor Chase."

"But we didn't," Happy Marshall said, blue eyes lighting up. "We did exactly the opposite of Mathew! We even got to be his friend!"

"Aww yeah! How cool is it that we just begun the game and already defeated one of our bad endings?" Fearless Marshall asked, looking quite please with himself.

"We shouldn't celebrate just yet. It's still early in the game, and Chase's opinion of us could change at any moment," Studious Marshall said. "Especially when he meets Skye. Katie said their relationship got worse after her, not better."

"Then we'll just have to continue being Chase's friend! That way, when he meets her, instead of seeing us as a rival, he'll see us a companion for dating advice!" Fearless Marshall said.

"Can we even give dating advice? We've never been on a date before." Spineless Marshall questioned.

"It can't be that hard. And besides, we can always look back at the way Ryder and Katie were flirting with each other for references." Fearless Marshall responded.

"I hope those two got together already." Happy Marshall said, munching on a cookie that seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"So it's settled? All in favor of becoming Chase's friend and getting him and Skye together?" Chairman Marshall asked to which all the Marshalls threw up their hands.

"Aye!"  

Chapter Text

Later that day, Marshall had insisted on putting his plan into action by inviting Chase over his mansion as often as possible, much to the confusion and delight of Chase and his father.

"Master Mathew, are you sure you want company over so soon? What about your injury?" Ace asked, a shine of worry in her brown eyes.

"Of course I want company over! It gets so lonely and boring here by myself and I really enjoy Chase's company," Marshall said as he toyed with the end of his red sweater. He had discovered his distaste for all the stuffy and fancy suits that were littered inside his closet, and decided to wear something much more simpler in hopes of feeling like himself, given the choice. The change in outfit certainly drew lots of attention, emotions ranging anywhere from confusion and wary to curiosity and awe. The only person that seemed unhappy with his choice, however, was his mother. "And, I keep telling you, I would prefer it if you called me Marshall. You don't know have to do it in front of my parents, but when we're alone like this, I want you to call me Marshall."

"Okay, Master Marshall." Ace said. Marshall merely shrugged his shoulders, exasperated.

"Eh, close enough."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door of his bedroom.

"Master Mathew, Prince Chase has arrived and is waiting in the dining room." One of the maids called out.

"Alright, be right there!" He turned to his maid. "How do I look?"

"Handsome as always, Master Marshall." Ace said. Marshall frowned and narrowed his eyes at her, folding his arms.

"You know you can give your real opinion of me, right?" He said, startling Ace. "I promise I won't be mad or have you fired. I'm genuinely asking your opinion, as a friend."

For once, Ace didn't know what to say. She simply stared at the boy, her young master whom she had been taking care of since she first got the job, surprised. Though he looked nothing different than the boy who use to throw fits and projected his anger onto his maids, herself included, the change in personality was startling and yet...Ace couldn't find it within herself to be worried or bring it to the attention of his parents. They were worried (well, one of them was), sure, but this change...isn't so bad, now that she thought about it.

"You look like a child, Master Marshall," She said, and couldn't stop the small twitch in her lip when she noticed Math- I mean, Marshall - looked offended. "But...it suits you. I would rather see you in casual clothing than those formal wears you always seem fond of wearing."

"Thanks Ace! I think," Marshall muttered. He hopped down from his stool and began to walk towards the door. "I shouldn't keep the Prince waiting any longer. Wish me good luck!" With that, he gave her a wink and thumps up before heading towards the dining room. Ace simply waved back, feeling a bit lighter than usual.

"Good luck."

Marshall bust through the door in his excitement. 

"Prince Chase! Good evening!" He said, bowing to the prince. Chase looked at the duke's son, blinking.

"Good evening, Master Mathew. What's all the rush for?" He asked. Marshall giggled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"S-sorry, sorry. I'm just so excited to have you as a friend and start our play date together! I-I hope I'm not being too much for you," Marshall said. When the words started to register into his brain, Chase's eyes went wide as a blush came across his face.

"A-a date?" He whispered, but Marshall didn't seem to hear.

"Also, I hope you don't mind, but would you please call me Marshall?" He asked, twiddling his fingers into a circle, looking up at Chase. Chase could feel his face getting warmer by the second.

"B-But why? Does the name have some sort of importance to you?" He asked. A wry grin made its way across Marshall's face and he clasp his hands together with Chase's. If Chase's heart didn't skip a beat then, it certainly did now.

"You could say something like that," Then he looked deep into Chase's eyes. "Chase, you are one of my dearest friends; and as such, it would really make me happy if you called me Marshall. You can think of it as a nickname, if you must."

"Wouldn't Matt be a better suited nickname?"

"No."

"A-Alright, then," Chase stuttered, trying his best to calm down despite the close proximity between him and Marshall. "If I must."

The grin on Marshall's face was absolutely blinding, and it did nothing to calm Chase's heart.

"Good! Now we can officially began our play date!" Marshall said, ignoring the way Chase tighten the grip on his hand. "Let's go outside. I want to play tag."

Soon the two kids found themselves outside, in which Marshall proceeded to tag Chase, causing the prince to chase after him. This went on for about thirty minutes, the sound of laughter and squeals echoing the air, which brought the attention of the servers of the mansion to look at them.

"I have never see him act such a way."

"He looks like he's having fun."

"I don't think I have ever seen Prince Chase grin as big as that."

"Master really has changed since that incident, hasn't he?"

Meanwhile, in the manor, Marshall's parents looked on at the kids playing in the backyard, hints of wonder in their eyes. Marshall's father smiled, his eyes watering.

"Looks like Chase really helped with Mathew's attitude. I am so happy." He said. Meanwhile, the mother frowned, eyeing her son with slight distaste. Without saying anything, she began to walk away from the window and her husband.

Back outside, Marshall laid on the ground, panting.

"That...was...so....much...fun!" He giggled. Next to him, sitting cross-legged, Chase smiled.

"Indeed. I never knew you could run so fast, Math-I mean, Marshall." He said. 

"Well, I had lots and lots of practice," Marshall stated, smug. After all, in my previous life, I had been a fire pup. I had to be fast, for everyone's safety in case of a large fire breaking out. He thought. "Hey Chase, wanna play superheros next?"

"Superhero? What's that?" Chase asked, curious. 

"It's when we pretend to be heroes with superpowers and we have to save people from bad guys and stuff!" Marshall said, sitting up. "Here's an idea - you can be the hero and I can be the bad guy, threatening a make-believe village. You're going have to stop me~!" He sing-song, getting up and skipping away from the prince. Chase let out a breathless laugh.

"You have so much energy, but fine. I'll play your game." He said with a smirk on his face and getting up. The two were once again in their own world, laughing and shouting out silly things. It caused anyone who looked at them to smile, whispering among each other and giggling at what kind of speculation were being said. The sun was starting to set, and the boys were about to bring their game to end.

"I got you now, evil-doer!" Chase said, holding up a twig as a sword.

"You'll never take me alive, superhero!" Marshall sneered, holding up his own twig. Just as they were about to duel - how ironic, really - Marshall paused when a scent caught his nose. "Wait, do you smell that?" He asked. Chase blinked.

"Smell what?" He asked, but Marshall didn't answer, too busy catching the wiff of something.

"It...it smells like gas," He said, circling around as the scent of gasoline swirled around him. Chase looked concern.

"I...don't smell anything." He said.

"It's coming from the kitchen." Marshall said, running towards the manor. Chase quickly followed, his concern growing. Eventually, Marshall's nose lead him to the kitchen, where the cooks were working. They looked up, surprised.

"Master?"

"Everyone, pause! I smell leaking gas." Marshall said, to which everyone was confused by. Chase tilted his head.

"Leaking...gas?"

Marshall paid no mind to the cooks or Chase as he went about the stove and started to sniff there. Immediately, the scent of gas overwhelmed him and he took a step back. "Can someone please get father and ask him to call a repairman? And nobody touches the stove!"

Confused, but knowing better to question, one of the cooks went to find the older master and report to him with Marshall's findings. Soon, the mechanic came and sure enough, the stove that the cooks had yet to use had a leaking pipe.

"My goodness, someone could've been hurt!" Marshall's mother said, surprised. Marshall's father nodded his head in agreement.

"Indeed. If it hadn't been for Mathew, someone would've used the stove and then...." They left that part hanging, the two throwing glances at each other.

"My problem is, Mathew was outside when this happened," One of the cooks said, scratching his head. "How in the world did our young master figure it out?"

Everyone turned to look at Marshall, who held his shoulders impishly, a small blush on his face.

"I...don't know." He stated.

"It could be another sign of his magic," Marshall's mother said, looking at her husband. "Mathew has fire magic. Gas can create fire. It makes sense."

"It's the only theory we can go on." Marshall's father said.

Meanwhile, Chase continued to look at Marshall, starstruck.

"He's...amazing."   

Chapter Text

Night had settled, and Marshall was slowly making his way to his room, a smile on his face. I feel so accomplished, he thought. I've managed to make friends with Chase and hopefully, spending time together will lessen the blow in case he decides to pursue Skye. If anything, I will at least have Chase's friendship. Humming, Marshall was about to bypass the dining room when he heard his father called out.

"Mathew, can you come here for a moment?"

Stopping short of his walk, Marshall turned and began walking into the dining room, where his father and some other kid, brown skin and hair, green eyes, was wearing a white shirt with gray overalls, was waiting. The boy looked at Marshall with slight worrying eyes. "Mathew, this is Zuma, your new younger brother."

"Brother?" Marshall questioned, looking at his father.

"Yes. Ace told me you've been feeling lonely, and while it's fine to invite Chase over once in a while, your mother and I thought maybe it'll be a good idea to have another kid in the house?" He said, chuckling at the end. Marshall only blinked, still confused, but decided to go with it. "Zuma, Mathew, introduce yourselves."

"H-Hello. I-it's a pleasuwe to meet you." Zuma stuttered, fidgeting in place. Marshall smiled.

"The pleasure's all mine, Zu-" A thought suddenly came to Marshall, which caused him to freeze place. "Z-Zuma?"

Inside the mind of Mathew/Marshall....

"Red alert! Red Alert! The second bad ending just walk into the building!" Fearless Marshall screamed, waving a red flag.

"Is there any information we could use to avoid it?" Spineless Marshall asked, looking over at Studious Marshall, who had shoved his glasses up further on his nose and nodded.

"Indeed. We were lucky to grab the information from Katie before our death." He said just as a overhead of Zuma's face appeared. "Take a look."

Zuma is the adopted younger sibling of Mathew Wilterson. After being recycled from one shelter to the next, Zuma lands himself in the hands of the Wilterson, due to Mathew's father wanting to change Mathew's self-absorbed behavior when Chase and Mathew's friendship falls through. Instead of accepting him, Mathew rejected him as his brother and bullied him for almost all their life, ranging anywhere from mocking his speech impairment to dousing Zuma's water magic with his own fire magic.

"How cruel." Spineless Marshall sniffled, wiping away his tears.

"Can this Mathew guy be anymore of a jerk?!" Fearless Marshall shouted.

It's also said that Zuma is claustrophobic, and, as a prank, Mathew had locked him in a closet one day, ignoring his screams and pleads to be let out. This is the reason Zuma's feelings towards Mathew is resentful and refused to acknowledge Mathew as his brother as they got older. Zuma ends up growing up with a distant personality, though that doesn't seem to stop his playboy charm and bedding women. Upon meeting Skye, however, Zuma seems to acknowledge that his behavior towards women isn't going to get him anywhere, and, day-by-day, he starts opening up to the girl.

"Aww, that's so sweet." Happy Marshall cooed, smiling.

"There's more." Studious Marshall said, shifting closer to the screen.

As their relationship grows, on the sideline, Mathew is stewing with anger and jealously. He ends up confronting Zuma and, much like Chase's route, challenges him to a duel. In the Good Ending: Zuma manages to overpower Mathew and confronts him about all the things he's done when they were younger. They don't make up easily, for Zuma still bores resentment for him, but eventually, once Mathew is done pouting, they begin to talk to each other. In the Bad Ending: Zuma ends up taking all his frustration and anger out on Mathew in the act of petty revenge, trapping Mathew inside his water magic and killing him. He's later found guilty once the Magic Academy finds out, but before Zuma is sent to prison, he ends up taking his own life too.

"No way! That is not how this story ends!" Fearless Marshall shouted, slamming his hands onto the table.

"W-we can't let Zuma go to prison, it will be awful." Spineless Marshall said.

"And besides, it's not his fault he got stuck with the worst person ever. You'll have to admit being bullied by your so-called 'brother' and then being 'prank'd when it's a legitimately fear is a recipe for disaster." Happy Marshall commented.

"Seriously?! Who does that?!" Fearless Marshall remarked.

"Well, the easy solution is to not bully Zuma. Mathew rejected him right? So, we should accept him instead." Spineless Marshall said.

"Just one thing: what are we going to do about Skye? After all, Chase is going to fall for her too." Studious Marshall asked, looking at each member of the council.

"Maybe we can find another girl Zuma can fall for. As long as our relationship with Zuma is good, I don't see the problem in helping Zuma find somebody else." Spineless Marshall counted.

"Yeah! As his older brother, it is our job to help Zuma out whenever he has romantic endeavors! Be it Skye or anyone else!" Happy Marshall said. The others cheered in agreement.

"So, we're all in agreement? No bullying Zuma and, when push comes to shove, we'll have to find another girl for Zuma to fall in love with?" Chairman Marshall asked, looking around the room. Spineless Marshall held his hand.

"W-wait, I want to talk about what happened to us." He said.

"Go ahead." Chairman Marshall responed.

"T-that gasoline thing. Is it really possible for us to sniff out oil like that? Is it part of the game?" He asked, to which everyone else looked thoughtful.

"No," Studious Marshall replied, arms folded against his chest, a troubled look on his face. "I went over the information Katie gave us time after time after time again. There seems to be no evidence in which Mathew gains the ability to sniff out gas as clear as we did."

"So then, what happened? Why do we have something Mathew does not?" Fearless Marshall asked.

"It's just a hunch, but I bet it has something to do with us being dogs in the previous life," Studious Marshall said. "Remember, the Dalmatian is the mascot of the firehouse for a reason. The same way a German Shepherd would make a good military dog."

"You mean, our noses?" Spineless Marshall asked.

"That, and we were trained to sniff out specific smells, like gas." Studious Marshall said. "To keep people's houses from burning down."

"Ah, that make sense!"

"So we're clear now? Does anyone else have something to say?" Chairman Marshall asked. The others shook their heads. "Then I hearby declare this meeting adjourned."

Marshall blinked, coming back to reality as he realized his father and Zuma were looking at him with concern in their eyes.

"Mathew?"

Marshall shook his head and, with the biggest smile on his face, rushed up and hugged Zuma.

"Welcome home, brother!" He said. Zuma blinked, confused, and looked over at the man whom had taken him in. The father just smiled.

"I have a feeling you're going to like it here, Zuma."    

Chapter Text

The next morning, Marshall had begun his day by first showing Zuma around the mansion.

"Zuma! It's so nice out today, why don't we visit the garden? Then I can show you all my favorite spots to relax and play in!" Marshall asked as he barged into the room. Zuma looked at him, surprised.

"O-Okay. Thank you, Mw. Mathew." Zuma stuttered. It's only been a day and Zuma still didn't know how to act around his new environment, more specifically, he didn't know how to act around his new brother. Marshall just smiled at him, walking over.

"Please, we're family now, so none of that Mr. Mathew stuff. You can either call me brother or Marshall, I'll take both." Marshall said. Zuma blinked in surprised.

"M-Mawshall?"

"Yes! But if you call me that it will have to be between you and I, okay? I don't think our parents will take too kindly of the name change," Marshall said, scratching the back of his head, the smile turning a bit wobbly. "But...I have always found comfort in the name Marshall. So will you? Call me Marshall?"

"Y-You'we not going to ask why I pwonounce R's as W's?" Zuma asked, amazed. It's been something that he was asked constantly, from orphanage to orphanage, and often ridiculed for. If he was honest, he hadn't expect Marshall to be any different.

"Of course not! It seems that it bothers you a lot, and I know having speech impairment can be quite difficult." Marshall said. Zuma's eyes widen even further.

"Y-You do?" He stuttered.

"I do," Marshall agreed. You look and sound so much like my Zuma, it's not that hard to grow use to it. "I don't think it's right to tease you over a condition you can't control. It's not like I don't understand you, it's just you have a hard time pronouncing the letter R, right?" At Zuma's nod, Marshall continued. "I'm not going to hold it against you. Believe it or not, many people often slip when trying to pronounce something or get tongue-tied during their talks, it's nothing to be embarrassed by." Marshall smiled. "If anyone's giving you trouble, just tell me, okay? I'll handle it."

Zuma just stared at the boy, unable to say anything. He didn't even know if he could. I have been wanting for someone to say that to me my whole life, he thought, tears appearing in his eyes. Seeing this, Marshall started to panic.

"D-Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I made you upset!" He said, but Zuma just shook his head and laughed.

"I-It's fine. Now," Peeking through his eyelids, green eyes shimmering with mischief, Zuma smiled. "What about this gawden?" 

Marshall beamed.

The two causally strolled through the manor's garden, Marshall pointing out the vegetables and other delicious products.

"Have you ever tried them fresh?" Marshall asked, looking at Zuma. The boy shook his head. "Well, you should! Fresh, raw veggies are absolutely divine, especially carrots!"

"You eat them waw?" Zuma asked, surprised. Most of the time, in the orphanage, the vegetables were cooked and Zuma didn't think they were that bad.

"I do, more nutrients that way." Marshall said. Then he scratched the back of his head, the nervous smile back on his face. "Though, admittedly, some veggies are good cooked than they are raw. I can see why humans cook their vegetables now."

Zuma blinked. "....What?"

Marshall stilled, realizing what he just said. "Er, forget about that last part! L-Let's go the river bank so I can show you the fish!"

Before Zuma could respond that, or the fact that Marshall had said something weird, the black-haired boy grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the mention river bank. If Zuma's heart managed to do a flip, he wasn't going to tell anyone.

"And here's the fish! I love fish, so I always try my best to catch one and bring it home, though, mother always disapproved of it." Marshall said, wincing at the memory of his mother yelling at him for his 'unruly' behavior. 

"Huh," Zuma said, but he wasn't looking at the river. Instead, he kept his awe expression on Marshall.

"Though, we should be careful and not to fish out too many fishes! It could cause the ecosystem in the river to collapse and we don't want that." Marshall said, looking at Zuma. If Zuma was anymore surprised, he's pretty sure his head would explode.

"Y-You study biology too?" 

"I know some of it," Marshall replied. "I don't major it or anything, but I like my world and the environment. If I can help it, I will. The Earth gives so much to us, and it's only proper to take care of it and give some things right back."

"That's...." Zuma bit his lip, looking down at his lap. "That's how I feel too."

For a while, the two children didn't say anything, Marshall looking at the stream of water while Zuma tried his best to keep his heart from speeding out his chest. They were brothers, for pete's sake! Maybe not in blood, but still!

"Come on, let me show this tree with some very awesome shades." Marshall said, getting up and pulling on Zuma's hand. The blush appeared on his face before he could stop it, and Zuma found himself wistfully dragged to the next spot. There lied the biggest tree Zuma has ever seen and Marshall had been right; given the size of the tree, the branches were thick and wide and full of lush leaves that covered a good majority of the ground, a perfect place to beat the heat if one desired.

"I love this spot," Marshall sighed. "It's so nice to just....lay on the grass and let the cool air blow onto your skin, especially after a game of tag."

Zuma just looked over at him. "Huh."

"Mew."  The soft mew sound startled the two boys, making them look up and see a small kitten stuck in the tree, curled up. Its color was purple, with shades of white on its paws and the tip of its tail, grey eyes looking down at the boys. She looks a lot like Cali. Marshall thought.

"A cat?" Zuma whispered.

"Aww, she looks scared," Marshall said. "We have to help!"

"H-How? I can't climb twees, can you?" Zuma asked, looking at Marshall. The white skinned boy shook his head in dismay, watching as the kitten mewed again, still stuck in place. "M-Maybe we should get some help."

"Help....like a firefighter!" Marshall beamed, looking at Zuma who looked at back at him with confusion in his eyes. "Someone like me! I just need a ladder...." Suddenly, a thought came to him and he gasped. "I'll be right back! Can you try to keep the kitten calm?"

"U-Um, suwe, but wh-"

"I'll be right back!" Marshall said, running towards the mansion. He barely stopped even though the servants were asking what was wrong and found himself in the closet, where they kept all the other cleaning supplies. Ladder, ladder, where are you? He thought, looking around in the dark room. He continued to walk until he bumped into something big and metal like. "A ladder!"

He ignored the servants confused and bewildered looks, even going so far as to ignore his own mother - once she found out what he's doing - and rush backed to Zuma and the kitten. The kitten seemed to be meowing a bit more than she previously had done.

"I-I can't calm her down!" Zuma stuttered, looking panic. Marshall smiled at him.

"It's alright. I have a ladder, I'll get her down." Marshall said, and place the ladder by the tree. It had barely reached the branch where the kitten was, but it'll work, Marshall mused. The boy started to climb up, which increased Zuma's worry.

"Mawshall, be caweful!" He shouted.

"I got this!" Marshall said with a smirk on his face. I was trained to do this. He thought. Marshall had reached near the end of the ladder and came face to face with the kitten. "Here, kitty kitty. It's alright, it's time to come down now." He said. The kitten looked at him, wary, but Marshall simply bide his time, hoping the kitten would trust him. A flick of its tail and the kitten hopped into Marshall's arms, the boy barely catching her. The ladder started to wobble. "W-Whoa, whoa!"

Suddenly, the ladder slid from under him, and dread and panic started to pool into his stomach. 

He was falling. He was falling and there would be nothing to break his fall, unlike all those times in the PAW Patrol.

Despite his fear, he held onto the kitten and brace for impact.

As soon as he landed, he fell onto something rough with a small 'oof'. He still had his eyes closed and when he realized he wasn't in pain, he open his eyes, looking around and realized there was nobody there.

"Z-Zuma?" He started. The kitten let out a mew, and Marshall immediately let her go. When he did, it took him a second to see a familiar lump underneath him. "ZUMA!" He squeaked, quickly getting off of him and turning him around. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to sit on you! You didn't break a bone, did you?!" Marshall began checking on him, using all his skills as an EMT pup in hopes he hasn't damaged anything.

"I'm f-fine." Zuma groaned, to which Marshall just grin and hugged him. He failed to see Zuma wincing as he done so.

"I'm so glad! I thought I killed you with my butt!" Marshall weeped, much to the confusion of Zuma.

You are a weird brother, Zuma thought, unable to stop a smile from coming across his face. But...you are my brother, so I guess....I'm okay with that.         

Chapter Text

As soon as Chase heard the news, he insisted (more like demand) on visiting Marshall.

"Thank goodness you are alright," He said after sipping his tea. "I was surprise to hear that you fell from a tree. I hope you don't find this offensive, but you don't really look like the athletic type. What were you doing?"

Instead of feeling offended, Marshall just laughed. "It's fine. I suppose some things don't change, no matter what you do," He shrugged. "And, there had been a kitten stuck in a tree so I had to help her. The poor thing looked so scared and probably couldn't get down."

"Really? You rescued a kitten? That's amazing." Chase said, eyes widen in surprise. Marshall just smiled.

"Did you know cats are usually great climbers? They rarely ever need help getting down, but I'd say the kitten had to be at least 2-3 months old and probably didn't know how to properly climb down yet." Marshall said, picking up his teacup and drinking the tea out of it. Chase just looked at him with amazement.

"Fascinating." Chase said. Marshall hummed, eyelids half-heavy and a gentle smile coming across his face. He looked absolutely relaxed, and if that didn't cause Chase's face to warm up. He relaxes around me, he thought. He trusts me. "And what of your brother?"

"Oh!" Marshall perked right on up, the smile once again becoming huge. "He's okay. Zuma had decided to break my fall by throwing himself underneath me, and luckily I didn't cause any major injuries. Though, mother was terribly upset with me for climbing a tree in the first place."

"Speaking of," Chase started, the lighthearted humor disappearing. "Your mother....she's been increasingly angry lately, especially at you. Are you okay?" 

There was worry in Chase's eyes that Marshall could see, and just like he had done before, he reached over and patted Chase's hand. If he had seen Chase's blush, he didn't mentioned it.

"I'm fine, though I can't say I'm surprise by mother's attitude. I guess I'm not acting like the proper gentlemen she tried to raise, so maybe she's just frustrated?" Marshall laughed, but Chase didn't join in. Instead, he just looked even more sad. "And well, she wasn't exactly happy with Zuma living here either. But for the most part, she ignores him."

"That's terrible." Chase whispered.

"I guess, but, I've been trying really hard to make up for her behavior," Marshall said. "He's family now, so I want him to feel right at home. That means spending as much time with him as possible."

As soon as those words left his lips, Chase stiffen. Slowly, he turned to Marshall, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Spend...as much time with him....as possible?" Chase should know better. He should know that Marshall only sees Zuma as family and nothing inappropriate, that nothing inappropriate will happen. Even if something did happen, the backlash will outweigh far more than the pros of...whatever relationship he's thinking about.

But Chase also knows that Zuma, technically, isn't bound by blood. If no one knew who Zuma is, because he certainly doesn't look like the rest of the Wiltersons, no one can be blamed for thinking Zuma and Marshall is....are....

Chase felt sick.

"Chase?" Looking up, Chase could see worry shining in Marshall's blue eyes and all he wants to do kiss that worry away. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! S-sorry for making you worry," Chase would love nothing more, but to reach out and kiss Marshall all over his face until his smile came back. For right now, though, he thought. I am content with this. "If you don't mind, though, is it okay if I want to spend time with you as much as possible? I promise I won't get in the way of you and Zuma!" Liar.

Marshall looked surprised for a moment.

"Of course Chase! You're always welcome here, after all. You're my best friend!" Marshall beamed. Chase could feel his eyebrow twitching. Right now? Yes. Yes I am.

Suddenly the door leading to the dining room open, and in came Zuma.

"Oh, Zuma! There you are! Come here and say hi to Chase!" Marshall said, waving his brother over. Zuma blinked at him before his eyes landed over at Chase and then narrowed them. Chase, seeing this, couldn't help but thinly smile back. The younger Wilterson made his way over to the table.

"Zuma Wiltewson, Mathew's bwothew. It's a pleasuwe to meet you." He said through gritted teeth. He reached out to give Chase a handshake which the young prince gladly accepted, both trying to out squeeze each other.

"Chase Warner, Mathew's best friend. The pleasure's all mine." Chase laughed forcibly. Marshall whined.

"You guys, I gave you permission to call me Marshall. You don't have to do that Mathew stuff! Not in front of each other!" He said, and received two blank stares for his efforts. He just huffed, folding his arms with a pout on his face.

"Fine," Zuma conceded. "Mawshall's bwothew then."

"And Marshall's best friend." Chase said, eyes still on Zuma. Tense silence followed as the two glared at each other before Zuma turned to Marshall.

"Bwothew, would you like to pwatice our magic today?" He asked as sweetly as possible, appearing to be innocent. Marshall was about to respond when Chase interrupted.

"What about sword fighting? I can help you with that Marshall." Chase said, amber eyes softening as he looked over at Marshall, ignoring the heated glare from Zuma.

"Oh, they both sound lovely! I'm not really a fighter, so I guess I'll need all the help I can get!" Marshall mused. He looked over at both Chase and Zuma. "Thanks you two! With you two helping me, I'm sure I'll be a good duelist in the future!"

Chase and Zuma let out a tense laugh as only one thought came across their mind.

Love rival.         

Chapter Text

The rest of the day had been spent with Marshall being trained with both his magic and his swordsmen skills - though, predictably, as one would expect from someone who had been a dog in their previous life, Marshall didn't do quite so hot in either.

"That was fun," Marshall said as the three walked back to the manor. "I think I learned a lot about sword fighting and magic, even if I'm not really good at either of those things."

"It's okay Marshall. I wasn't very good at sword fighting when I first started either." Chase said, patting Marshall on the back. Seeing this, Zuma quickly moved over to place his hand on the other side of Marshall's back, mimicking the motion.

"And neithew was I good at magic. It cewtainly doesn't help that ouw magic cancels each othew out," Zuma said, ignoring Chase's glare as he lean down to smile at Marshall. "But, with time I think, you will get bettew at it. I have total faith in you!"

"So do I!" Chase exclaimed, smirking when he heard Zuma grumble under his breath. Meanwhile, Marshall just beamed at the two.

"Thanks for the cheer-up guys! You're right, I'm only kid, so I shouldn't expect my magic to be perfect the first time around," Though it makes me wonder about Mathew. He used his fire magic at a young age, and it had been used for evil. Did he even had control over it? "Though, I'm still amazed by your control over your water magic Zuma! I can't even get a small spark on my fingertips to appear!"

Zuma just chuckled, feeling oddly smug when he sees Chase looking a little sad at Marshall's compliment.

"And Chase! Such wonderful skills you have with a sword! You must've been practicing a lot! Oh and you have rare magic to boot! You're incredible!" It's amazing just how fast two emotions can switch places; Chase, looking incredibly smug, while Zuma looked a little put out.

"Just remember to practice Marshall. I promise you will get better at it." Chase said, patting Marshall on the head. The black-haired boy seemed to like that a lot, and was about to lean into the touch when Zuma grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away, much to the confusion of Marshall and annoyance of Chase.

"As I was saying," Zuma gritted out, and then with an easy smile, he continued, "Chase, isn't it about time fow you to head home? We wouldn't want your pawents to wowwy, wight? Haha."

Chase glared at him, hands becoming fist by his side. "I suppose you're right, Zuma. I should go, but I'll be back. After all, as a best friend, I should be enjoying my time with you, right Marshall?"

"And, as his bwothew, I'm pewfectly capable of keeping Mawshall entewtained. Thewe's weally no need, Pwince Chase."

The two shared a terse laugh, but only Marshall watched the two interact with each other with a bliss smile on his face. Aww, they're becoming friends! I don't know if Prince Chase and Zuma ever became friends in the original game, but I'm happy about this development! Then a thought came to Marshall. Wait, should I be happy about this development? Chase and Zuma are going to compete over the same girl! Who knows what this will do to their friendship! For a moment, Marshall began to panic, unsure whether or not to let their relationship proceed, but then immediately relax. No, no, it's fine. If I can get Chase to meet Skye first, and then try to hook Zuma up with someone else, then their friendship won't be in any danger! Marshall felt a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. So this is safe. This is totally safe! Marshall, you almost caused a bad ending on yourself! Get a grip boy!

Meanwhile, both Zuma and Chase stared at the boy, worryingly.

"He hasn't answered the question." Chase muttered. 

"And he keeps making stwange facial expwession. I heawd about the incident, could this be welated?" Zuma asked, looking over at Chase. Chase shook his head.

"I don't think so...? He seems lost in his thoughts." Chase answered, but even the prince was unsure. "At least, I hope he is."

"Huh."

Later that night, Marshall had been happily sleeping in his bed when he heard screaming from another room. Opening his eyes, he immediately sat up.

"Zuma?" 

Unable to sit in his bed knowing Zuma may be in some kind of trouble, Marshall quickly got up from his bed and ran down the hallway to Zuma's room. He noticed he wasn't the only one up, with Ace and his mother there.

"What happened?" He asked, surprising the two women. Marshall's mother barely spared him a glance while Ace started the conversation.

"We are unsure, Master Mathew. We had assumed Master Zuma was sleeping peacefully and then-"

"And then he started making that insufferable racket," Marshall's mom growled, glaring at the door. "As if one child wasn't enough, now we have to deal with this. In any case, Mathew, this is strictly adults business. I would suggest you going back to sleep."

"No," Marshall replied. Immediately, the woman of the house stiffen and slowly turned to her child. Her eyes weren't unlike Marshall's in color, as did her hair color, however, that's were the similarities stops. The feelings Marshall got when he stared at her felt more like ice digging deep into his skin, freezing his insides bit by bit, and it made him want to run and hide. He has no idea why his mother held such disdain for him, but what he does know, is that she wasn't going to be allowed to do this to Zuma. "If Zuma is hurt, I want to know. We're family, and family cares for one another."

The two adults stared at him, one in anger and the other, glancing between the two, caution and wary. The silence following was heavy, and for a moment, Marshall feared he may have made a mistake before his mother sighed, shoulders heaved.

"Fine," She said, picking her head up and giving Marshall yet another disapproving glare. "Since you insist on misbehaving, this is your problem from here on out. Do you understand me?"

"Yes ma'm." Marshall said. He watched as his mother walked back to her room, just as Ace started to speak up.

"I am to believe that Master Zuma has trouble sleeping due to the harassment he received in the orphanage," Marshall turned to his maid. "I am unsure if you are aware of this or not, Master Marshall, but Master Zuma suffers from claustrophobia. One of the boys at the orphanage thought it would've been funny to lock Master Zuma in the smallest cabin they could find, again and again. I think they even locked him in there with a spider and other insects once, though, Master Zuma didn't know it at the time. He was blindfolded."

Marshall was stunned, unable to speak. No wonder Zuma hated Mathew. If Zuma had to suffer through all of that at the orphanage, and then again at the place he would have to call 'home', Zuma's feelings for Mathew were completely justified at this point. Mathew, you are such an idiot!

Immediately, he knocked on the door.

"Zuma? It's me, Marshall. Can I come in?" He asked. He didn't get an answer, so he knocked on the door again. Once more, there was no answer. "Come on, Zuma! Open the door! Please! I have to talk to you!"

"...It's nothing, Mawshall. Just a stupid dweam. You can go back to bed." Zuma whispered. Marshall's heart squeezed. We were just having fun earlier... Marshall could feel tears appearing in his eyes.

"No! Zuma?! Zuma! Open the door!" He banged on the door with all his might, despite Ace's protest.

"Master Marshall, please calm down."

But Marshall wasn't having it. No, no, no! I won't let you become that person in the game! I refuse! He merely glanced over to his right when he saw something shiny being held in a suit of armor. He grinned. "Perfect."

For a moment, there was total silence, and Zuma figured Marshall had gone back to his bedroom. The chocolate haired boy closed his eyes. I'm such a wimp, no wonder Marshall would like Chase more. He thought and he ignored the tears stinging in his eyes as he tried to go back to sleep.

And then....

"Master Marshall, what are you doing?!"

"Stand back Ace! I don't want you getting hurt!"

Zuma tensed in his bed. What...?

Suddenly, he heard the door to his bedroom breaking, and, turning around, he gasped, eyes wide. 

The door was, in fact, breaking simply because Marshall, cute tiny little Marshall, is wielding an ax and piece by piece, broke the door down. Zuma could only stare in stun silence. Can't use fire magic that well, but is able to hold an ax, which is freaking gold by the way! Meaning it's mostly decorative reason!  Zuma thought, somewhat hysteric. When the final piece of the door was gone, Marshall gently place the ax down and then ran towards Zuma, jumping onto his bed and hugging him.

"I'm so sorry!" He sobbed, and Zuma could feel tears dripping onto his shoulder the longer Marshall hugged him. He blinked.

"W-What...awe you sowwy fow?" He asked.

"For all those mean kids! It's not your fault for the speech impairment and they definitely shouldn't have made your fear of tight close spaces worse!" Marshall said, pulling up and glaring at him with tears in his eyes. 

"B-But,"

"No buts! There are no excuses for what they've done to you! And it's not like they're any better! I'm sure most of them are afraid of something too! Everyone is! It gives them no right to turn your fear into some kind of sick twisted game!" Marshall said. Zuma couldn't say anything for a while. He tried, opening his mouth and then closing it, before finally settling-

"Are you afwaid of something too?" The question was barely audible, but Marshall heard. He sniffed, wiping away the tears and answered.

"Yes," He said. He noticed Zuma's surprised look and smiled sadly. "It's crazy, you wouldn't believe it seeing how you saw me in action, but....I'm afraid of heights."

Zuma's eyes widen. 

"N-No way." He whispered, but Marshall just nodded his head, choked laughing.

"I am! I don't like heights because I'm afraid of falling," Because I had so many close encounters in my previous life. "It's scary, knowing you're at the mercy of gravity. There's nothing really stopping your fall once you're gone and, depending on the height, that could lead to some...rather unfortunate events." That stupid alien toy. If only I had let it go. "It's always on my mind when thinking of heights. I think about how far off I am from the ground, and if I'm too high, I'm shaken to my core."

"B-But if you wewe afwaid of heights, t-then the kitten-"

"I had to place my fear of heights aside," Marshall said, giving Zuma a soft smile. There were still tears in his eyes, but they weren't falling. "Someone was in danger. They needed help. I couldn't let my fear get to me."

"Y-You could've asked someone."

"Yeah, I could've, but I didn't want to," Marshall shrugged his shoulders. "I was terrified...but that kitten was terrified even more. At that moment, it wasn't about me. It was about the kitten. And...that's all it really boils down to, at the end. If I had let my fears take over every time, I wouldn't be useful to anyone. So, despite my fear of heights, I rescued the kitten - and by doing so, I was facing my fear. And gradually, by continuing to help those in need despite my biggest fear, said fear isn't really that scary after all." He looked at Zuma. "Maybe the same can't be said about your claustrophobia, but what I do know is that you don't have to face your fears alone. I will help you, whenever you're ready." He reached over and squeezed Zuma's hand. "You are my brother, and one of the jobs brothers have to do is protect one another. That includes dealing with their fears."

Zuma sat there with tears in his eyes. Once Marshall was done with his speech, he let out a sob and quickly reached out for a hug, which Marshall gladly gave to him. He caressed his hair, just listening to the poor boy's sobs.

"You'll be okay, I promise." Marshall whispered.

"MATHEW!" Growled a voice that sent shivers up Marshall's spine. Slowly turning around, he quickly spotted his mother who looked not to please with him.

"H-Hey," He chuckled weakly, only to yelp when his mother pulled him by the ear and dragged him off Zuma's bed. "W-Wait! I'm sorry about the door! I'll clean it up, I promise!"

Despite his tears, Zuma laughed.

One of the jobs brothers have to do is protect one another, huh? Zuma thought, looking at the space Marshall had been. Marshall....even if your magic starts growing and even if your skills with the sword improves, I will still want to protect you. I will still want you. He smiled. I guess Chase's going have to put up a fight tougher than he has been doing. I'm not giving you up so easily.     

Chapter Text

The past few weeks in the Wilterson's manor was spent with Marshall continuously training his magic with Zuma, and then sword training with Chase, who would stop by as often as possible, much to Marshall's joy. When he isn't training, he would entertain Zuma with tales of his previous life, dressing them up as fairy tales, and making Zuma laugh or playing tag with the both of them. There seems to be a certain light surrounding the manor after the incident, and while many took this as a sign of good things to come, there was one person that seems to get angrier and angrier as time passes.

Meanwhile, Marshall hummed a familiar - to him, at least - song under his breath as he made his way to the kitchen. Becoming human meant that Marshall would have to deal with certain losses he would otherwise have as a dog, and one of those losses were dog treats. It had pained him when he realized asking for one would only draw weird looks from his servants and probably disgust from his parents, so he hadn't even bothered, though he was so sure that most dog treats were perfectly consumable for humans - just bitter and lack of taste. Still, when one of his maids saw Marshall moping and constantly going into the kitchen looking for snacks to eat, only to come up empty-handed, she made it her mission to cook some delicious desserts to help him feel better.

Thus, Marshall's sweet tooth has begun.

He's seen Ryder and others take a bite of some delicious foods that he wasn't able to have, and it had always made him wonder how good they were compared to the treats he gave them. After taking his first bite of a muffin, he wonder no more.

The muffin was been so sweet; so fluffy and rich in taste. It was nothing like the dog treats he was use to. Whereas dog treats usually taste like chicken or liver or peanut butter, treats for humans were so much more than that. They were sweet, fluffy, and melt in your mouth as soon as you took a bite. There were flavors in there that Marshall hadn't even known were in the human treats that weren't in dog treats.

He was in love.

So now, almost every day, Marshall would go into the kitchen to sneak out a muffin before dinner, or even after dinner - much to the maid's amusement and his father's exasperation.

"Lanet? Are you in here?" Marshall whispered, peaking his head into the kitchen. He saw no one, not even the chiefs, but he did spy his prize; a rack of cooling-down muffins. He grinned. Bingo! Quietly, he closed the door behind him and began to tiptoe to the muffins. He had been ready to snatch one when-

"Ahem."

Marshall froze, arms stretched out. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the maid - Lanet - behind him, arms folded against her chest. In spite of how stern she looked, though, there was a tinkle of amusement in her brown eyes and a raised eyebrow.

"E-Er, hi Lanet! I was just wondering where you were!" Marshall giggled, dropping his arms and gave Lanet a smile.

"Young master, we've talked about this," Lanet said, still amused. "You simply cannot diet on muffins and cakes alone. It is unhealthy. Plus, your mother would be very cross with me if I continue to indulge your behavior."

"Aww, but Lan, you make the best sweets!" Marshall pouted, giving Lanet the best puppy dog eye look he could. He watched, with a small amount of pride, as the maid blush at her nickname and compliment. Lanet looked unsure for a moment before she resigned to her fate.

Some days, it seems like her young master didn't change at all, if he knew the power he had over her.

"Alright, just one. If anyone ask, you took it when I hadn't notice." Lanet said, walking over and giving her young master a muffin. Her heart flutter and a smile came unwilling across her face as she watched Marshall's face beam, sparkles of joy and happiness in his eyes.

"Thanks Lan, you're the best!" He said and ran out the kitchen as he took a bite out of the muffin. Lanet sighed.

No, if her young master hadn't change, he would never give out compliments as sweet as that.

Meanwhile, Marshall continued his walk, happily munching on his muffin when he spotted Zuma in the garden, working on his water magic. He paused in his walk, wanting to take it in.

In spite what either he and Chase had said, Marshall couldn't help but envy Zuma's control of his magic. Currently, there was a nice stream of water pouring out of Zuma's hands as he watered the plants and vegetables, before stopping and moving onto the next patch. Marshall looked down at his own hands.

I can't even get a spark to light up on my fingertips, he thought before glancing at Zuma again and saw the younger Wilterson make a small bubble of water and popped it, letting it rain down on the soil where the newest vegetables were growing. Marshall frowned. I should be happy, but....I feel sad instead. Zuma's magic is good for something, and he has perfect control over it. Yet despite having fire magic, a good solid and powerful magic in and of itself, I cannot get it to work. He turned away. What am I going to do? By this time, Mathew's fire magic was powerful, at least, it was enough to put out Zuma's water magic. Maybe I'm missing something.

With that, Marshall turned and walked down the halls to his personal library. Once there, he began searching for a book to help him with his fire magic. There has to be a way, right? He thought, going down the aisle. People can get help with their magic all the time, right? So I shouldn't be an exceptionable case.  

Except, as it turns out, he is. The more he looked into it, the less helpful the books were, which only added to Marshall's frustration and worry.

"Nothing," He muttered, closing his tenth book. Heavy dread filled his stomach and he tried his best not to cry. This isn't fair. Mathew was able to use his magic just fine when he was being a jerk, yet when I'm trying to do it, and I'm being nice, I get nothing! He wanted to scream, but he swallowed the urge. Blinking away the tears that appeared in his eyes, Marshall scooted out of his seat and began to search for another book. "I'm not giving up just yet. There has to be a way." He muttered to himself as he reached for another.

Several minutes passed since then, and when Marshall finally found something that might help-

"To boost one's magical power, it is essential to converse with the source of one's magic," Marshall read out loud. He blinked. "'Converse with the source of one's magic'? How in the world do I do that?" He groaned, slamming his head against the desk. "It isn't easy to do that with fire magic. There are so many ways fire can get started, and you're telling me to pick one?"

Suddenly a thought came to him.

That's right, fire isn't a natural element no matter what authors and writers have to say about it, Marshall could feel himself slumping in his chair. Fire is energy. It's only created when certain chemicals - usually combustible - are being used. Fire would need heat, light, and something flammable in order to well, start, Marshall could only stare blankly at the book. The only surefire way to get fire and have it as a natural source is if lightening were to struck a tree during this world's heaviest thunderstorms.

There was no way either of his parents would allow Marshall to sit outside during a storm, in hopes to somehow what, talk to it? Which meant there was no way for Marshall to boost his magic, not without setting something on fire with the little ability he has, or somehow cause one.

This is all so very perfect, Marshall sneered. A perfect element for the perfect worst conquerable love interest of all time.  

"Fire is only good for destruction," He said. "Maybe I'm better off without using it."

So then, what do I do? If I lose a duel, I'm going to die! He thought, realizing that without magic or even his sword, no matter who he goes against, Marshall was bound to lose in a battle. Suddenly, the happiness Marshall had felt started to drivel away. I'm going to die, and everything I tried to keep from happening will be all for naught. Should I....should I still be here? He thought about running away; away from his home, the school, the people he was bound to face. If, in the end, Marshall is still going to die, maybe he's better off doing something else.

He sighed, laying his head on his folded arms and tried not to cry. He thought about Chase and Zuma, and how they'll probably be devastated to know that their best friend and brother had died in battle all because he couldn't protect himself. Or ran away, whichever came first.

"I don't want to lose them," He whispered. When he opened his eyes, he noticed a book far to his right. It had a light blue cover and words printed in gold, Herbs And Other Medicine For Medics 101.  He blinked. "When did I...?" He wondered, picking up the book to exam it. It was fairly heavy, and when Marshall flipped through the pages, it was only 450 pages long. He was curious. "Well, I was also a medic back in my previous life. I wonder how this will stack up."

And with that, Marshall began to read.

Hours passed since, and Marshall hadn't even notice the sun went down or that he was late to dinner when Zuma came looking for him.

"Mawshall, thewe you awe! I have been looking all ovew fow you," The chocolate-skin boy said, walking towards his brother. Marshall gave him a soft hum in acknowledgement, still reading his book. Curious, Zuma looked at the title.

"Hewbs And Othew Medicine for Medics 101? Why in the wowld awe you weading that fow?" Zuma asked. Almost as if anticipating the question, Marshall beamed, grinning ear to ear.

"I have decided," He started. "I'm going to run a clinic!"            

Chapter Text

That night, Marshall had confessed his findings with his parents.

"A clinic?" Master Wilterson asked, blinking at his eldest son, just missing the way his wife looked on in disapproval. Marshall gave him a small nod, a smile on his face as he spoke.

"Yeah. I figured, if something were to happen and I can't go to the Magic Academy anymore, I should at least have a backup plan; and that plan is to open up a clinic and help those who are in need. I know tons about medical stuff, I've been studying, so maybe I can pass on the knowledge onto other people." Marshall said. His father just looked pleased and was about to comment on that when his wife suddenly slammed her hands on the table, standing up.

"Absolutely not! No son of mine is going to work for such a....commoner job. What makes you think this was a good idea?" She said, glaring at Marshall. Marshall squirmed in his seat, suddenly sliding down as he peered up at his mother, anxious. He felt a slight squeeze on his hand and he quickly spared a glance at Zuma, whom had barely knowledge him in return. Meanwhile, his father looked over at his wife, exasperated.

"Now dear, we mustn't think this way. I think it's a wonderful ambition to have, and maybe Mathew would learn something along the way." He said. She frowned.

"But dear, our young son is already extraordinary gifted with his magic. Is there any chances of him not passing, knowing that?" She asked, to which Marshall's father frowned. Neither of the two seems to notice the small wince Marshall had done in talk of his magic abilities. "And what of the other nobles? What will they say? We'll be a mockery for years."

"You know I don't care about what the other nobles think." Master Wilterson said, tone sharp and eyes a bit darker.

"True, but you should care about your son and what this way of thinking will do to him when the other children of nobles finds out." Lady Wilterson said. It was almost like the seasons had changed with the way the atmosphere had dropped, with the two adults staring at each other in tense silence. The atmosphere then broke when Master Wilterson cleared his throat, giving his wife a look that Marshall knows as 'we'll discuss this later' and smiled at his children instead.

"In any case, Mathew, Zuma I have some exciting news to share with you two. You have been invited to Chase's younger brother's betrothal celebration. Would you like to go?" He asked. 

"Chase's younger brother?" Marshall wondered.

"Rocky Warner. I don't think you two had ever official met before so this will be a good chance for you to meet another friend." Master Wilterson said with a smile on his face. Marshall stuffed the rest of his bread into his mouth, chewed and swallow, before speaking once more.

"Sure, sounds like fun."

"Just be mindful of your manners," Lady Wilterson stressed, narrowing her eyes at Marshall. "And, for once, wear a suit! You are representing us when you go out!"

Marshall let out a nervous laugh as he sunk lower into his chair, not looking at his mother.

The next day...

Marshall couldn't help but gawk in awe at the size of Chase's house. It had to be ten times the size of the Wilterson's manor, the roof a beautifully colored navy blue, clashing well with the white paint of the walls, and the trim gold of the rooftops. There were three windows facing front on each side of the house, each of the windowpane in a different pattern, and at the very top of the house, Marshall could see a statue of an eagle. There was also a chimney, if the small square space next to it was any indication. 

"It's so much more bigger than our mansion!" He said, marveling at the beautiful statues, a small fountain, and a rose bush in front of the gate.

"Well, they awe the princes of the kingdom. It makes sense that the place they live in is bigger than ouws." Zuma said. Just then the gate started to open and the two could see Chase walking towards them.

"Marshall, Zuma, I'm glad you made it! My brother is so excited to meet you." Chase said.

"Happy to be here!" Marshall said. That's when Chase glance over at him, only to take a double take when he noticed Marshall was wearing a black suit with a red shirt underneath.

"Wow Marshall, I think this is the first time I've seen you in formal since the incident. I forgot how good you look when you wear one." Chase said, a tiny blush on his face. Zuma gave him a glare as Marshall beamed with pride.

"Really? You think so? I always feel like I'm suffocating when I wear these." Marshall said, looking over at himself. Chase chuckled and grabbed Marshall's hand, stopping the black haired boy from turning himself all the way around. Zuma's glare intensified. 

"You look handsome." He said, staring straight into Marshall's eyes. Before Marshall could respond - why was Chase so close to him? - Zuma quickly interrupted, pulling Marshall away from Chase and wrapping his arm around Marshall's shoulder as tight as he could. Chase glared when Zuma beamed at him. 

"Anyway, I do believe we have a celebwation to attend to. Chase, if you would be so kind?" He said. Not taking his eyes off of Zuma, Chase said through gritted teeth:

"Yes. Of course. Follow me." 

And lead the way for the two to follow, with Zuma still hanging onto Marshall. Marshall blinked at him.

"Um Zuma? You can let go now." He said. Zuma jumped in surprise, blinking at his brother, before reluctantly letting go of him. Awkward silence fell upon the trio for a minute before eventually, Marshall started to speak again. "I can't believe your younger brother is getting married, Chase. It seems so early, when I think about it."

"Well, these things tends to happen when your royalty, Marshall. We don't really have a choice in the matter, especially when we think it's for the good of the family. Our parents were much more younger when they were betrothed." Chase said.

"And what about you? Suwely, some lovely giwl has captuwed youw eye, Pwince Chase?" Zuma sneered. With fake politeness, Chase smiled and answered-

"None I'm interested in, I'm afraid. There is someone, though for their safety, I rather not say any names." Marshall quickly latched onto that, eyes wide. Wait, Chase already likes someone?! Does that mean I can hook Zuma and Skye up instead? And he can't say any names.... Marshall pursed his lips in thought. I wonder if it's because of the different social status. But wait, Skye's a commoner too, so maybe a different commoner? Or maybe.... His eyes went wide, mouth dropped. Maybe somehow, in someway, Chase and Skye have already met?! Was that part of the game?! I don't know, Katie never said....ARGH! This is all so confusing!

"He's doing that thing with his facial expression again, isn't he?"

"Yep."

Soon the three made it to the room where the rest of the noble kids were. Marshall could see a small group of boys standing around a person, a boy no older than himself, with gray hair wearing a green suit with a white shirt underneath, and from what Marshall could see when the boy turned his head, his right ear was bandaged. Marshall froze. Wait, he thought. THAT'S Chase's brother?! Oh no, I remember so clearly now! I made some rude comment about him that Chase didn't like, I tripped on a rock, which is how I ended up remembering about my past life in the first place! What if Chase told him about it? What if he thinks I'm mean and I think he's weird or something?! Oh no, I have to apologize!

"Um, Mawshall? Awe you okay?" Zuma asked, looking worried for his brother. Marshall just let out a small squeak and nodded his head.

"Y-Yeah. I-I think I'm going to wait for my turn to introduce myself. Why don't you go ahead Zuma?" Marshall said with a high pitch laugh. It only cause some disturbance as some of the kids turned to look at him before going back to chat with Chase's brother - Rocky, Marshall reminded himself. Zuma still looked concern and debated on whether or not to call Marshall's bluff, but when the boy smiled at him and waved him off, Zuma reluctantly went.

Now alone, Marshall sat up straight and quickly made his way to the snack table. I have to calm my nerves before I go and talk to him. If he thinks any less of me, word might get back to Chase and I might cause a bad ending to happen right here and now. He thought and reached out for a cupcake. He took a bite and immediately melted, a smile on his face. This is just what I need! A nice, delicious muffin to calm me down and think of this situation thoroughly.

"Excuse me?" A gentle low voice called out from behind Marshall. Surprised, the boy turned around to address the voice, only to stop full track when he glance into a pair of blue eyes.

Marshall has seen blue eyes before. They were fairly common in Adventure Bay, and even he had some (still do, even as a human). He knows eyes will always come in a different shade of the exact same color, or maybe a weird mix of colors like hazel, but there was something about these eyes that pulled him in. That made his heart beat a little bit faster, his chest tighter, and his nerves on fire; couple with silky blond hair, almost a shade of white, and wearing a sky blue suit, and the boy - who was also in the same age group as the rest of the kids here, Marshall noted - was very...handsome.

He could feel himself blushing.

"Have you seen my sister anywhere?" The boy asked. Another thing Marshall had noted - the boy doesn't smile.

"Sister?" Marshall asked.

"Ella Mitchel? I'm looking for her, but I can't seem to find her." He asked. Marshall shook his head.

"Sorry, I just arrived here. I'll be sure to keep a lookout for her though." He said as the boy left to continue his search for his sister. Meanwhile, Marshall continued to eat as many snacks as he was allowed before eventually, his stomach started to hurt.

"Brother?" This time, it was Zuma who approached Marshall. Marshall hadn't bothered a response, he'd simply left the room.

"Bathroooom!" He shouted, earning some stares and snickers from the other kids, though, Marshall didn't seem to notice.

Moments after....

Marshall sighed, after finally relieving himself. He had spent so much time getting lost in the corridors and ending up in the wrong room, he had feared he wouldn't make it in time.

"Note to self: Don't eat so fast, you'll get stomach pains." He muttered, but smiled to himself. "But I can't help it! Muffins and cakes are the best things that has ever happened to me! They are so good! It's really not that bad being human." He spared a glance outside of the garden only to pause in his walking when he noticed...

Ice sculptures. And they weren't melting.

In trance, Marshall found himself walking towards them, marveling at the art.

"Aww, they're so pretty!" He said, looking at the ice sculpture that seems to be two people dancing. "And amazing! Whoever did this have so much talent!" He continued to walk through garden of ice sculptures, glancing at each of them in awe when he noticed a frozen flower on the bench. "Hey, this doesn't seem like an ice sculpture." He said, picking up what looked to be a frozen rose. "Oh, this can't be good. Some flowers don't do well in the cold, and roses are definitely one of them."

Just as he finished saying that, his hand started to get warmer and warmer, and he noticed the ice slowly melting away from the flower. Marshall panicked.

"W-wait! Maybe someone did this on purpose! S-Stop!"

"M-Master M-Mathew?" A feminine voice spoke out, causing Marshall to freeze in place. What is with people sneaking up on me today?! Turning around, he noted it was a young girl with light blue hair pinned into a ball, though the front feathery bangs seems to be white. Her skin was darker than Marshall's, eyes a darker blue too and was wearing a mint green and white dress. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I-I-I," Marshall stuttered, just as the girl turned her attention to the flower. She gasped.

"T-The rose!"

"I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"I have been trying to unfreeze this all morning before my fiancé had noticed! Thanks so much!" She said, bowing to Marshall. Marshall was confused.

"F-fiancé?" He whispered.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Everest Sinclair, the fiancée of Rocky Warner. It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl, Everest, said.

"The pleasure's all mine, Lady Ev-" Marshall stopped, his already white skin looking ashen. "D-Did you just say you're the fiancée  of Rocky Warner?"

Everest looked confused. "Yes I did."

Oh no.

Bad ending number three!!!!         

Chapter Text

Inside the mind of Mathew/Marshall....

"CRAP! I totally forgot that Chase's younger brother was the final bad ending!" Fearless Marshall screamed, stricken with panic.

"Order, order, let's all come down and take a deep breath," Chairman Marshall said, banging his gravel onto the table. Once everyone was settled, he spoke once more. "Now, let us first go over what we know about the third ending."

Rocky Warner, the younger brother of Chase Warner. Due to Rocky's oddly colored hair as well as his left ear being damaged, it was under the Warners' impression that he would never get married, so they've mostly kept him inside the mansion without ever interacting with anyone outside of Chase. Because of this, there is a rather strange conflict between the two in which Chase tries to shelter and protect Rocky, but because of Chase's privileges and less strict freedom, Rocky harbors bitter feelings towards Chase.

"Not unlike Mathew and Chase, I notice." Studious Marshall said, toying with his glasses.

"Yeah, but only less intense, I feel like. Whereas Mathew and Chase's relationship was mutual feelings, even for the wrong reasons, Rocky and Chase's relationship seems kind of one-sided." Fearless Marshall said.

"That's because it is! Regardless of how Rocky feels about Chase, Chase never once returned the sentiment. He really, truly cares for his brother." Happy Marshall said, a light smile on his face.

"Why couldn't Mathew be that way from the beginning?" Fearless Marshall mumbled, but went ignored as they continued with Rocky's story.

To make matters worse, Rocky was often compared to Chase due to Chase's rare magic and natural talents, which compelled Rocky to start a rivalry and to try to outdo Chase in pretty much everything. It doesn't always work, sometimes Rocky would come out as second best, which only made the grey-haired boy angrier and, truthfully, sadder.

"Aww, now I just want to give him a hug." Spineless Marshall said, to which everyone else agreed.

One day, the Warners had decided to set an arrange a marriage between their youngest and the fourth child of Marquess Sinclair, Everest Sinclair. Everest, a child of Marquess' second wife, a child the Marquess family didn't want nor cared for, was seen as an opportunity to get rid of, and the family happily accepted the proposal. As you would've guessed, neither was happy about the situation. However, that didn't seem to stop them from forming a bond, as they both shared something in common - they were both considered the outcast of their respective family members, and from that, Rocky and Everest might've actually fallen in love with each other.

"That sounds nice." Happy Marshall said. The others muttered their agreement.

Their meeting didn't start off well - with Everest accidentally using her ice magic to freeze one of Rocky's mother's beloved rose. Having seeing this, Rocky had gotten angry and accused her of sabotaging his work in the garden. The accusation immediately fell when Rocky had noticed Everest was crying and genuinely being sorry. From there, they talked and it was later revealed that Everest couldn't control her magic all that well, which Rocky had agreed to help her with. Days turned into months and soon the two were obviously in love about time they got to the Magic Academy. Still, despite the good things that came out of their relationship, Rocky and Everest were still on shaky grounds and it was proven on the day Rocky met the heroine of the game.

For one thing, Rocky and Chase's relationship got increasingly sour, and Everest had no idea what to do, except provide comfort for Rocky. Often, this angered more than help Rocky. There was also the fact that Everest never fully got control of her magic, which lead to incidents of her freezing things throughout the Academy. Despite being able to create beautiful things out of ice, this lead to Everest being isolated in the Academy, due to ice magic being considered rare and often having people fear her.

"Wow, ice magic is also a rare magic?" Happy Marshall asked.

"Not in a sense of what you're thinking of," Studious Marshall said, pushing up his glasses again. "From what I can see, there are two types of rares; there's rare magic and then there's elemental rare magic. Everest falls in the latter."

"Elemental rare magic?" Fearless Marshall questioned.

"As you can guess, the magic in this world is based off the elements; Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. These elements, from what I've gathered, are all fairly common and makes up about 56% of magic users in this world. However, these are just the basics of the elements. The other elemental magic - such as ice, which is considered a secondary element to the element of water, and lightening, a secondary element to fire - are actually much more rare, making up about 13% of the 56% element users," Studious Marshall said. "Chase's magic isn't an elemental therefore, his magic is rare magic; which only makes up about 4% of magic users in total."

"Ah."

During the conflict, Rocky ends up meeting Skye, which helps him soften his heart a little more and helps him improve his relationship with Chase. Eventually, Rocky then realizes he's in love with Skye and one or two things can happen. In the Good Route, Rocky breaks off the engagement with Everest and starts dating Skye. In the Bad Route, they are still together, in spite of the continuing conflict.

"Huh. They don't sound too bad, to be honest." Fearless Marshall muttered.

"But wait, isn't Mathew suppose to die in this route? They didn't say anything about him at all." Spineless Marshall said.

"That's because Mathew wasn't suppose to be in this route. He shouldn't be here at all, considering the rival in this story is Everest," Studious Marshall said. "In fact, Mathew is mentioned, briefly, in the bad route."

Due to the constant harassing of Everest, in a failed misguided attempt to make Skye jealous, Rocky goes to confront Mathew on the matter, but from there, Mathew was never seen again.

Silence echoed the chamber as the group stared at the screen, each of them bug-eyed and pale as they could go.

"Y-You mean...WE'RE GOING TO GET KILLED OFF SCREEN?!" Fearless Marshall screeched.

"T-There has to be a way to stop that right? I mean, we already left a bad impression for Rocky." Spineless Marshall whimpered.

"W-Well, the only reason Rocky kills us is because we kept bothering Everest, right? S-So let's not do that." Happy Marshall stuttered, for once looking not-so happy anymore.

"The problem here is we've already run into Everest. We can't just avoid her, or else we'll hurt her feelings, and then...." Studious Marshall gulped, feeling nervous.

"A-And you know what else is a problem?" Spineless Marshall whispered, causing the others to look at him. "Katie said there are only three routes in which we can die in. They all have something in common, though: all of them are eligible for Skye to date. A-and, you know who else Skye can date? M-Mathew."

The others started to pale.

"B-But I just checked, and I can't find anything on Mathew's route. No good endings, no bad endings, nothing. W-Which means-"

"We died before Katie could tell us about Mathew's route, outside of it being the hardest to complete," Studious Marshall finished, sweat starting to drip down his face. "Which means pretty much anything can trigger a bad ending for Mathew."

"A bad ending for us." Fearless Marshall gulped.

The council was completely silent as they all thought:

We're doomed. 

Chapter Text

The continuation of Marshall/Mathew's mind....

Silence echoed the room as each mini versions of Marshall took the time to gather their thoughts.

"The session will now continue," Chairman Marshall said. "Would anyone like to share their thoughts so far?"

"Let's start with the facts of Mathew Wilterson," Studious Marshall said just as the overhead appeared in front of them. "First, we know that in-game Mathew is a horrible person destined to die on not only his own route, but everyone else's too."

"And we've been trying so hard to not let it happen." Spineless Marshall commented.

"I really have to ask why the producers and the game developers thought this was a good idea. You write a horrible character and gave him little to no redeeming qualities, what's the point of romancing them?" Fearless Marshall wondered, to which the others could only nod their head to.

"Maybe that's why he has a good ending route. If we are to follow the common theme of each conquerable character, that would mean that Mathew does, in fact, have some redeeming qualities about him." Happy Marshall said.

"But we don't know that for sure. Since we have no information that would lead us to a good ending for Mathew, we can conclude that we either died before Katie told us about it, or she never completed the game." Studious Marshall replied.

"Adding to that, do you remember what Katie said at the beginning of our journey? "Only 9% of players stuck with Mathew and finished it." Which means-"

"Which means there would be little information about Mathew's route on the internet in the first place." Fearless Marshall groaned. "I give like maybe one, three, walkthroughs on Youtube because nobody else seems to like this character."

"It also means that Mathew's route may be a little longer than the rest," Studious Marshall said. "You might have to grab specific items, know certain characters. Things like that. All of this could depend on whether or not you get a bad ending for Mathew."

"Another thing that stuck to me on par of what Katie said," Spineless Marshall started. "In-game Mathew seems kind of.... obsess with Skye. In almost every route, he's either jealous of the guy Skye likes or he's trying way too hard for her attention."

"Maybe it's because he doesn't see Skye like a person - maybe he sees her like an object," Studious Marshall said, eyes widening in realization. "It would make sense. Mathew is considered spoiled by the game, and from what we've seen, it's the father's fault in doing so. He's given his son anything he wanted."

"And the mother..." Spineless Marshall shuddered. "She scares me."

"She scares all of us, really," Fearless Marshall muttered as he remembered the hateful glares thrown his way. "In that case, Mathew doesn't deserve Skye since he wouldn't be able to treat her like a normal person. It only makes me wonder what the requirements are for the good ending of Mathew."

"And that's not even touching on the subject of Chase, Zuma, and everyone else rivaling for her attention," Spineless Marshall stuttered. "If we are able to get Chase to fall for her, we cannot be seen as a rival. I feel like bad things will happen if we do."

The Marshalls paused as they thought of the dreaded,

BAD ENDING: KILLED THRICE OVER?!?

"So we have to have an less impact on Skye so she don't fall for us. What would that detailed?" Happy Marshall asked.

"I would assume we should have little interaction with Skye if we are able to. If we aren't around her often, there's little chance of us or her liking each other more than friends!" Studious Marshall concluded.

"B-But, wouldn't that hurt her feelings?" Spineless Marshall asked. "If we start avoiding her, she might get upset and if she's upset, she might tell Chase, and if she tells Chase..."

A sudden image of a very angry-looking Chase appeared, holding Skye in his arms protectively.

"I cannot believe you would hurt someone so kind, Marshall! From now on, we are no longer friends!"

"AAAAAH!!!! We can't do that! I veto the idea!" Fearless Marshall shouted, and everyone else agreed. 

"Well...?" Happy Marshall asked, looking around the council.

"I think...for now...until we can meet Skye ourselves, we should best leave this situation alone. There's no point in worrying over something that won't happen until we reach the Magic Academy. For now, let's focus on our other problem. Everest." Studious Marshall said.

"Ah, that's right. Technically, we aren't suppose to be on this route because we aren't the main concern for the heroine." Spineless Marshall said.

"That's not going to change the fact that Rocky will kill us if we hurt Everest or something. What should we do?" Fearless Marshall asked.

"Well, since in the original game, Mathew's only goal for Everest is to make Skye jealous, how about we don't do that? We haven't met Skye yet so there should be no reason why we can't be friends." Happy Marshall said.

"That's true. Plus, it seems like Everest is really going to need someone there for her because of her engagement with Rocky. It really helps that we both have something in common; neither of us can control our powers." Fearless Marshall commented.

"Alright then, all in favor of becoming Everest's best friend and nothing more, say aye!"

"Aye!"

"M-Master Mathew?"

Startled from his thoughts, Marshall looked over to see Everest staring at him with concern in her ocean blue eyes. A small laugh escaped from him as he scratched the back of his neck.

"S-Sorry, lost in thought. By the way, your ice sculptures are beautiful! It's like art, but in ice! You must be really talented!" He said with a smile on his face. Looking at Everest, however, he could feel the smile slowly getting dimmer when it appeared that Everest didn't share the same sentiment. In fact, the girl didn't even look at Marshall, too busy staring at the ground with her hands placed on the front of her dress, fisted. "What's wrong?"

"Y-You...you don't think my ice powers are bad?" Everest asked, sounding like she was coming close to tears.

"Why would they be?"

"B-Because, I can't control them! Everything I touch turns to ice a-and it makes people afraid of me. I-I've been working on it, so much so that I-I can creature ice sculptures, b-but...because ice magic is a secondary magic, a-and yet so powerful, e-everyone kinds of shuns me." She stuttered. "Especially my family. I-I know they didn't like it when my father remarried, b-but I think having ice magic made it worse."

"I don't think that makes having ice magic bad," Marshall said. Startled, she looked at the boy as he sat down next to her. "I mean, I'm looking at a garden filled with ice sculptures of all shapes and sizes, and they are all so very beautiful. It's amazing how they aren't melting from the heat of the sun either. I can tell how much work you put into your magic even if you can't control it and that, to me, is amazing. Take it from somebody who can't control his fire magic either."

"E-Eh? M-Master Mathew, you-" Everest started. The smile on Marshall's face turned at the corners, making it a little sad.

"No, I can't. I'm trying, but I can't just seem to get it onto a level like yours. Which is why your control over your ice magic now is already amazing! I can barely start a fire and you're over here, making sculptures and stuff." Marshall said. "You shouldn't feel too bad. I'll tell you what my brother and Prince Chase tells me; it takes practice. If you keep trying, soon, you'll be able to touch things without the fear of icing them over. But if you ask me, you don't need to practice a whole lot - I think you are already on a fast track of getting a hang of it and who knows? Maybe one day, your ice magic will become useful for anything I might accidentally set on fire." He joked which cause Everest to laugh. "You are talented, Everest. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

Everest could only stare in amazement at Marshall, a small blush on her face.

"T-Thank you, M-Master Mathew." She stuttered.

"Marshall."

"Eh?" Everest blinked. Marshall gave her a smile.

"Call me Marshall. I wish to be friends with you, Everest, if that's okay." Marshall said. Everest couldn't say a word, only looking at him with awe in her eyes as the blush grew darker.

"I-I...okay, Master Marshall." She said, and Marshall grimace.

"Just...Marshall." He said. Everest giggled.

"Okay, Marshall."

Chapter Text

After an wonderful conversation with Everest, Marshall found himself wandering the corridor, in hopes of finding Chase and the rest of the kids.

"I hope Rocky won't be too mad if I was a little bit friendly towards Everest," Marshall mumbled to himself. "Getting on his bad side is something I definitely don't want to happen, hmm?"

Marshall's walk slowed to a halt when he noticed a group of kids surrounding a girl with long, blonde-white hair (almost as similar as the boy's he'd met earlier), a sky blue-and-white dress, and had similar colored eyes just like the boy's. Marshall was in a trance. Could she be his sister? He thought, but then he spied something in the girl's hands that caught his attention. Wait, I know that plant! I've read it in my Herbs And Other Medicine For Medics 101! It's said that the leaves contained some healing properties that, when mixed well, could heal sores and ingrown pimples! But the plant usually grows a little further from here. I must know where she got that!

And with that, Marshall began running towards the group. When he got a little closer, he could hear the conversation.

"You're such a weirdo, playing with grass. Absolutely disgusting."

"Are you sure you and your bother are related? He doesn't seem to have weird hobbies as you."

"In fact, I'd say Master Tuck came out as the better half. He must be so ashamed to have a sister like you."

"Better looking too."

How rude! Marshall thought, furrowing his eyebrows. The girl in question didn't look bad at all! She was very beautiful, just like her brother, so where do these kids get off saying such things?!

"I don't even think you deserve to be in the upper class," Said a girl wearing a plain green dress, hair tied into a ponytail. She stepped forward just as the bullied girl stepped back, fear bright in her eyes. The green dress-wearing girl raised her hand and slapped the white-blonde girl's hands, knocking the plant out. She smirked. "You filthy commoner."

"That's enough!" Marshall shouted, startling the group of kids, including Tuck's sister. Her eyes went wide as Marshall ran passed them and stand in front of her, hands out. "Those are terrible things to say!"

"Who is this kid?"

"I don't know."

"I don't like his skin. He looks like a ghost."

"Great, just what this kingdom needs, another weirdo." 

Suddenly, one of the older boys stepped forward, glaring at Marshall. Marshall swallowed nervously, his heart pounding. If they pick a fight with me, I'm toast!

"Look creep, this isn't your problem so why don't you run off somewhere?" The boy said. Despite his nerves, Marshall didn't back down, staying right in between the girl and the boy.

"It is my problem. You are bullying this girl for no reason." He said. The boy scoffed.

"No reason?! We saw this weirdo playing with dirt, claiming some plant will heal someone. Like that ever happens." He said.

"Well, it's true! There are some plants and grass that can heal the injured. I would know, because I've been studying and researching certain plants and herbs, because...." Marshall paused before narrowing his eyes. "I plan on opening a clinic!"

He didn't notice it, but the girl's eyes widen behind him, staring at Marshall. Meanwhile, the kids started to laugh.

"A-a clinic?! Isn't that what commoners do?!"

"Who is this kid?!"

The bully smirked. "I guess you weirdos come in all kinds, huh? As if anyone wants to come to a clinic run by someone as ugly as you!"

"U-ugly?!" Marshall squeaked in outrage. I don't think I'm ugly! Chase told me I looked handsome! He thought.

"Yeah, don't you have a mirror? Your skin is as white as a ghost, and then there's that scar on your forehead. What, did you lose to a rock or something?" The bully taunted. Marshall didn't say anything, but narrowed his eyes further just as the other kids laughed again. "No one will marry you. Why would they when I'm sure your parents are too embarrassed to be seen with you?"

Marshall couldn't help but flinch, remembering the argument with his parents last night.

"And what of the other nobles? What will they say? We'll be a mockery for years."

There's no way his mother was right, right? That...couldn't happen. If it happens, Marshall thought, feeling like a rock just dropped into his stomach, Would I have shamed my parents? Suddenly, Marshall felt a tiny grab on his arm, and when he turned around he saw the girl looking at him, worried. Right, this isn't about me. This is about Tuck's sister. And just like that, Marshall's fear disappeared and turned around to face the bullies.

"So what? Just because it's not something my parents would approve doesn't mean my hobby is wrong. I want to help people, so I will. That's why I've been studying about plants. I wish to help people and if doing that means being looked down upon, then by all means, continue to look down upon me." Marshall said. It's what I've been doing all my life anyway. He thought.

Glaring, the bully balled his hands into a fist.

"Don't get cocky with me freak!" He shouted, aiming to punch Marshall. Bracing himself, Marshall threw his arms up over face, eyes squeezed shut. Before the punch could even land, a strangled yelp was heard, causing Marshall to look up to see medium size wall of fire surrounding him and the girl. "W-What the heck?"

"He's a fire user!"

"We have to get out of here!"

"Run!"

Marshall and the girl watched as the other kids ran away. Marshall blinked.

"Uh...what? Since when can I do that?!" He asked as the wall of fire slowly disappeared. Meanwhile the girl continued to look at him.

"U-Um..."

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I don't know how to control my magic, so that wall of fire was out of my will! You're not hurt are you?" Marshall asked, checking her over. The girl blushed and shook her head.

"I-I'm fine, but um, what you said about being a clinic. Did you mean it?" She asked.

"Yeah, I do. I know my parents made a big fuss about it, but it has recently came to my attention that there are people in this kingdom that aren't getting the proper medical attention they deserve. So I made it my decision to open a clinic to help those in need." Marshall said with a smile on his face. "I don't know what the higher society has against the lower class, but I feel like if we can help them in any way, we should. For the sake of our kingdom."

"I-I..." The girl stuttered. "I feel that way too. I-It's why I'm studying plants and herbs too."

At that, Marshall beamed. No way! Someone else who feels the same way as I do!

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, since it was the reason I came over; where did you get that plant?" Marshall asked, pointing at the plant on the ground. The girl's eyes widen as she hurriedly picked it up.

"I-I just found it in the garden. It seems to be growing in this particular area. I know this type of plant is hard to come by, so I was rather fascinated to see it grow here naturally."

"Oh that's amazing!" Marshall said. "Oh, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Mathew Wilterson."

"Ella Mitchel."

"Ah, so you're Ella! Your brother was looking for you." Marshall said.

"W-Was he? Oh he must've been so worried." The girl, Ella, said.

"Probably. Come on, let's go find him." Marshall said, grabbing Ella's hand and pulling her with him. Ella stuttered a step, but managed to stay close to him. "And by the way, I don't think those kids were right at all. I think you are just as beautiful as your brother."

At that, Ella's eyes went wide.

"Y-You do?" She asked.

"Hmmhmm. And honestly, knowing that you and I share similar goals, I would like to get to know you more personally. So Ella, after this, why don't you come to my mansion so we can study plants together and even run a clinic together in the future?" Marshall asked. Ella's eyes went wide.

"E-Eh?"

"Feel free to reject of course, but it's so nice to know I'm not alone in this idea. You can become my head nurse, if you want to." Marshall said. Ella could only stare at him in amazement, unsure of what she was feeling at the moment.

"I-I..." Ella smiled. "Of course! I would like that very much, Master Mathew."

"Then please call me Marshall. All my friends do it, and now I think we're friends, and if you're going to become my head nurse one day, I want you to call me Marshall." Marshall said. The smile on Ella's face got bigger.

"Okay, Marshall."  

Chapter Text

The two children made their way through the corridor at an even pace, Marshall happily humming to himself while Ella could only stare at him. It wasn't long before the came across someone else.

"Oh hey," Marshall started, realizing it was the boy from earlier. "I found your brother!"

"B-Brother?" Ella stuttered before looking forward to see her brother standing in front of them. "Brother!"

"Ella," The boy said as Ella ran up to him. "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"I'm fine. I was just in the garden when I ran into Marshall- Uh, I mean, Master Mathew." Ella said, pointing to Marshall. Ella's brother turned to look at him.

"Oh? You're that boy from earlier." He said. Marshall just smiled at him, giving him a little bow.

"Hello. Let me properly introduce myself, I'm Mathew Wilterson, but my friends call me Marshall." Marshall said. Setting himself up right, Marshall couldn't help but be in awe at the siblings. They are so beautiful, I can't believe those children would say such awful things about Ella! Standing next to her brother, their beauty is almost unbearable! With their beautiful blonde-white hair that looks as smooth as silk, and their sharp blue eyes that gives me a sense peace whenever I look at them, and skin with not a hint of blemish anywhere. Both of them are adorable! Marshall thought with a slight blush on his face.

"Hello. I'm Ella's twin brother, Tuck Mitchel." Ella's brother, Tuck, said.  Marshall smiled before a thought came to him. Wait a minute, Tuck Mitchel? Isn't that-

Inside the mind of Mathew/Marshall....

"A CONQUERABLE ROUTE?!" Screamed Fearless Marshall, sending the rest of the group in a panic.

"Oh no! Does this mean we'll die here too?!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"Everyone, please calm down," Studious Marshall shouted over the group, getting everyone to pause in their screaming. "Yes, Tuck is a conquerable route, however, we need not to worry. Mathew barely appears in it, so any interaction with him or his sister shouldn't cause harm to us."

"Which means in Tuck's route, Mathew doesn't show up!" Fearless Marshall said, realization suddenly coming to him.

"Well that's a relief." Happy Marshall said with a smile on his face.

"B-But, wouldn't that mean Chase would have competition?" Spineless Marshall asked. "If we're sticking with the plan of getting Chase and Skye together, wouldn't that mean Tuck and Chase would have to fight each other?"

"You're right! I haven't thought about that!" Studious Marshall said.

"We can't let that happen! Maybe we can hook Tuck up with someone else, like we're going to do with Zuma." Fearless Marshall said.

"According to Tuck's backstory, because of the immense bullying his sister received due to her interest in the medical field, Tuck develops a sister-complex and, more often than not, refused to leave her side. So, if we plan on getting Tuck up on a date, we'll have to deal with his sister first." Studious Marshall commented.

"What's a sister-complex?" Happy Marshall asked.

"Basically, Tuck becomes too overprotective of his sister." Studious Marshall answered. 

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard. If his sister likes the medical field and we like the medical field, could even say we're professionals even, then we should able to make friends with her." Happy Marshall said.

"That's a great idea! If we are able to make friends with Ella, I don't think Tuck would feel so protective of her knowing she had a friend to watch over her, and even enjoy her hobbies as well." Fearless Marshall said.

"That would leave Tuck with enough time to find someone else to like and date! He's attractive enough to do so!"

"And Chase could have Skye all to himself!"

"So it settles it then. All in favor of becoming Ella's friend, say aye!"

"Aye!"

Marshall then turned to look at Ella.

"I hope to see you soon, future head nurse," Marshall said, winking at the girl. Ella's eyes went wide as a small blush appeared on her face. Confused, Tuck looked between the two just as Marshall began to leave, wanting to meet up with his own brother and friend.

"B-Brother," Ella started, causing Tuck to look at her. "That boy....he said he wanted to run a clinic a-and...he wanted me to become his head nurse one day." She couldn't stop the smile on her face. "I...want that very much."

Tuck didn't say anything, but he was surprised. Someone else has the same interest as my sister? He thought before looking down at the hall where the boy, Marshall, had gone. That's...interesting.  

Chapter Text

Marshall continued to walk down the corridors until he was able find his brother and the other kids. 

"Ah, thewe you are bwothew. I was just wondewing whewe you went." Zuma said once he spotted him. Marshall just let out a small laugh.

"Sorry, I had to go to the bathroom and ended up taking a detour through the gardens afterwards." He said. Zuma sighed, exasperated, and closed his eyes.

"Please do not wandew off bwothew. The mansion is incwedibly huge and unfamiliaw, so if something wewe to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to find you." Zuma said. Marshall just shrugged off his concern, a small, sheepish smile on his face.

"Riiight. Anyway, did you meet Prince Rocky yet?" He asked, unable to keep the anxious tone out of his voice. Depending on how things went with Zuma, Marshall thought. This could be my chance to make ammends!

"I did." Zuma said.

"And?!" Marshall pushed, leaning closer to Zuma's face. Startled, the younger sibling took a step back, though there was a tinged of red across his cheeks.

"He was...quiet, fow the most pawt. I told him congwatulations on his engagement, and he simply nodded his thanks." Zuma said. He gave Marshall a curious glance. "He didn't seem all that happy about it."

Probably because it's been forced upon, Marshall thought and felt his throat run dry. Poor Rocky. Poor Everest.

"I'm sure in due time he'll get over it. I've met Lady Everest and I think she's a wonderful lady. Prince Rocky must be feeling very proud right now, even if he doesn't show it." Marshall said with a laugh. He didn't notice Zuma had gone absolutely still, face froze in shock.

"You...met Lady Evewest?" He asked. Marshall nodded.

"I ran into her in the gardens. Her magic is so beautiful, I can't believe everyone's afraid of her because of it." He said, then smiled. "I'm sure with enough practice, she won't lose control over her ice anymore. That is something I can't wait to see." He continued. When Zuma didn't say anything, Marshall looked over at him and blinked in surprise. Zuma's face was shadowed over. "Zuma?"

"O-Oh, uh, y-yeah. M-Me too." Zuma stuttered, a forced smile on his face. Marshall wanted to ask what was wrong, but Zuma stopped him before he could. "A-Anyway, you haven't met Pwince Wocky yet. You should before it gets too late."

Marshall tensed, realizing his time was slipping by, and without a plan to confront Rocky. Ah no! I forgot to think of a plan to apologize to Rocky!

"Er..."

"There you two are." A voice appeared out of nowhere, surprising the two boys. The two turned to look at the newcomer, Chase, who was walking towards them. "I have been looking all over for you."

"A-ah, sorry I made you worry Chase! I was just in the gardens." Marshall stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. Chase let out an amused huff under his breath, his eyes twinkling with laughter.

"It's fine. I would have loved to take you out on a stroll through my garden, someday. Maybe in the future?" Chase asked. Marshall beamed.

"Of course! I would love that!"

"So would I!" Zuma spoke up, grinning when Chase shot him a glare.

"Well, I haven't given your brother my congratulations yet. I should probably do that before we leave." Marshall said.

"Of course. Follow me, I'll lead you to him." Chase said and with that the two began walking back inside the mansion. Even it seems as though the celebration was over, there was still plenty of people hanging around, mostly chatting with each other. "Ah, there he is."

Marshall looked up to see Chase pointing at his brother, who was mostly standing in the corner, barely given anyone a glance.

"I know he seems a bit...off-putting, but, Rocky really is a nice guy. I'm sure you'll like him, Master Mathew." Chase said, giving Marshall a smile - though there was a lingering sadness in his eyes. Marshall looked at Rocky for a bit before looking back at Chase, and then slowly made his way over to the loner boy.

"Hi." Marshall said. The gray-haired boy took one look at Marshall, scowled, and then turned away. Disappointed, but not enough to feel deterred, Marshall continued on. "My name is Mathew Wilterson, it's very nice to meet you."

"...I know who you are." Rocky grumbled, causing Marshall to blink in surprise - only to freeze in fear. Oh no! Does he remember what I said?!

"U-Um, if this is about what happened during your visit with your bother, I'm really sorry. I-I was just curious that's all." Marshall stuttered, but he could see Rocky's face getting darker the more he kept talking. He didn't know what to do. He is so scary! How am I suppose to make up with him when he looks at me like I'm a bug under his shoe?! "A-anyway, I heard about your engagement with Lady Everest! Congratulations!"

"...Yeah."

The silence between the two was tense, and Marshall was left feeling completely out of his element. What do I do now? He thought.

"W-Well, this was a nice party. I hope everything goes well with you and Lady Everest in the future! Hahaha..." And with that, Marshall practically ran from the boy, somehow making the dark aura around Rocky even darker without realizing it.

This is going to be difficult. He thought, trying his best to calm down.

Little did Marshall know, things were about to get...weird.       

Chapter Text

The following weeks had seen Marshall spending as much time with both Everest and Ella as much as he could, with Everest coming over daily to show him her labors of hard work with her ice magic.

"Aww, Everest! That's so cool! Er, pun not intended." He said, looking at the little ice sculpture of a swan in Everest's hand. Everest giggled at the joke, blushing.

"I'm glad you liked it. I have been training really hard so I can give this as a gift for you- as a token of my thanks for believing in me." She said, urgently pushing the sculpture into Marshall's hand. A bit unnerved at her insistence, Marshall let out an uneasy laugh, still taking the gift.

"Everest, this is nice and all, but you don't have to gift me your artwork - especially when you've been doing it every time you came over." Marshall said as he remembered he has a freezer full of ice sculptures in his mansion due to Everest's overwhelming gifting. "Using all that magic must make you tired."

Everest shook her head.

"Not at all," She said. Then she proceeded to cup her cheek, a dreamy smile and a strip of redness coming across her face. "If anything...it makes me happy to know you enjoy my gifts. And that I'm able to talk to you about my magic. I know I have Prince Rocky, but I always thought, in the back of my mind, he wouldn't understand...that I was the only person who couldn't control her magic."

"Well, you're not alone. You have me," Marshall said with a smile on his face. Then a thought came to him. "Speaking of which, how are things between you and Prince Rocky?"

"Oh, it's been swell. Rocky wasn't really happy about the force engagement, which I understand, but we've manage to talk to each other and hit it off pretty well." Everest said with a smile on her face. At that, Marshall beamed. 

"Oh? Have you two shared any common interest?" He asked. When he saw Everest's mood drop a little, Marshall immediately backtracked. "E-eh, I mean, common interest in like...hobbies and stuff! He likes gardening right? Did you tell him about the rose?"

At that, Everest's eyes went wide.

"I...I did," She said. "And then I told him that you helped unfreeze the rose, so he wasn't quite as mad."

"Huh." Hopefully, that helps me out in the future, Marshall thought with a hint of worry. He...he can't be mad at me now, right?  "Sooo....hobbies?"

"A-Ah," Everest started to twirl her thumbs, a light blush on her face. "It's just that...After I showed him my ice magic and told him I couldn't control, I also told him that you couldn't control your fire magic either, and I...well...I was inspired by you to keep trying. So, we never really got to talk about any hobbies."

"Eh?!" Oh no. Oh no, no, no. Marshall thought, slightly panicking. If the only thing Everest talks about with Rocky is him, then he might be in the worst spot imaginable. Just a slight hiccup is all. He thought.

"The few times when we were visiting each other," Everest continued, still looking very pleased. "We had a pleasant stroll, and I told him about the gifts too."

"Did you give him one?" Marshall asked.

"Of course! He is my future husband after all, but," Everest started to wiggle in her seat. "I don't think he's very pleased since...the gifts I made for you...are usually a lot more better."

The more and more Everest talks, Marshall thought with despair, more and more he's started to realize how much trouble he's going to be in. I have to clear this up! He thought. And then faintly added: I am so sorry, Rocky.

The next day, Marshall had been in the garden, practicing his sword skills, when his maid - Ace - came out to him.

"Master Marshall! The prince is here to see you!" Ace said. Marshall blinked.

"Why the excitement Ace? Chase has always came to see me." Marshall said, but Ace shook her head.

"Not him, the fourth prince, Prince Rocky!" She said. Marshall felt his body tensed up at the name, eyes wide. O-Oh, he thought. So the day of reckoning has come, huh? He gulped.

Rushing back into the manor, Marshall made his way to the living room where the prince was sitting, glaring at him with venom in his eyes. Marshall, once again, gulped down the fear that bubbling in his stomach.

"A-Ah, s-sorry for being late!" Marshall stumbled out, bowing his head. Rocky just glared at him.

"Took you long enough." He said. Marshall winced. What's his deal? He was the one coming over unannounced!  He thought.

"R-Right..."

"Mathew Wilterson, is that your name?" Rocky asked. Marshall blinked and was about to tell him no, his actual name was Marshall, but remembered that most of the characters in the game didn't actually know that. Nor do they know that I am a dog, who apparently died in a previous life, only to be reborn as a human inside of a video game. He thought.

"Y-Yes, that's my name."

"So then, Master Mathew, it would appear we need to have a little conversation." Rock said. 

"A-about what?" Marshall stuttered, still a bit nervous about the dark aura that was casually growing from the prince.

"Everest Sinclair." At the name, Marshall felt a stone drop inside his stomach. "Are you aware that she is my fiancée now, yes?"

"...." 

"...."

"....."

Marshall couldn't say anything for a moment, before bundling up his nerves and spoke. "Y-Yes, but-"

"If you know she's my fiancée, then stop seducing her!" Rocky shouted, glaring at him. Marshall jumped, surprised at the loud tone, but immediately tried to defend himself.

"I-I'm not!"

"Yes you are! It's bad enough I couldn't go one day without hearing so much about you from my own brother, but now my fiancée?! All she ever talks about is you and how you two have so much in common, and how she's building ice sculptures for you! Are you planning to ruin the only happiness I ever had?!" Rocky accused, to which, Marshall denied.

"I'm not trying to ruin your engagement! I just want to be her friend is all! I promise I want nothing to do with Everest romantically!"

"Lies!"

"It's the truth! I swear on my honor, I am not trying to seduce your fiancée! I-In fact, I'm trying to help her help you!" 

"Eh?" Rocky blinked.

"It's obvious you're hurting and Everest wants to help you so much, b-but Everest is hurting too. She has explained to me that even though you've encouraged her with her inability to control her magic, it wasn't the same. S-So, since she couldn't control her ice magic and I can't control my fire magic, I-I just thought...she needed a friend in a similar situation as her. I swear, I am not trying to do anything! I-In fact, I would like it very much if we were friends too!" Marshall said.

Silence filled the room as the fourth prince just stared at Marshall, unable to comprehend what he just heard.

"...Friend, huh? Even when I look like this?" Rocky asked, pointing at his ear and hair. Marshall blinked.

"I don't think you look too bad. In fact, I think you are very cute," He said, just missing the way Rocky blushed at the comment. "As I said before, I'm curious about your ear, but I know that isn't my place to know. But just know, that I think it's very...erm...what's the word?" Marshall muttered to himself. "It's very...odd, that your parents and Everest's are forcing an engagement onto you two for things you can't control. I don't think having a damage ear or gray hair is bad, nor do I think having ice magic is bad. At the end, it's what makes you, you! So yes, Rocky, I would like to be your friend, even when you look like that!"

Rocky continued to stare at the boy.

"...You are such a weird kid," He said, smirking when he heard Marshall huffed in annoyance. "But, if you can beat me in a race, then sure, we can be friends."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Guess you never heard that I was the fastest runner in my family?" Rocky asked. Hearing this as a challenged, Marshall raised an eyebrow.

"And what makes you so sure you're going to win?" He asked.

"You may be fast, but rest assured, I'm faster." Rocky said. Marshall smirked. Challenged accepted, Mr. Fast runner.    

Chapter Text

"Master Mathew, are you sure you want to do this?" Ace asked with a tiny bit of concern in her voice. When it was announce that Marshall would challenge the fourth prince to a race, the maid had been unsure of what to make of it. Prince Rocky was indeed a fast runner, but she had watched the third prince, Prince Chase, play and chased her young master around; they seem to be evenly matched, if she were honest with herself.

Marshall just nodded with a grin on his face.

"Of course Ace. I'm pretty confident in my speed so this shouldn't take long. Plus, between you and me, I think Prince Rocky deserves to have fun, you know?" He whispered the last part. Ace was confused on what he'd meant, but decided to indulge her young master anyway.

"Alright then. The race between Master Mathew and Prince Rock is about to begin, are we ready?" Ace asked.

"About ready as I'm going to be." Rocky said as he stood next to Marshall, both taking their setting up for their run. They both had a competitive look on their faces, staring down at the end goal, the large tree in Marshall's backyard.

"3...2...1...go!"

And with that, the two were off. For a moment it seemed like Rocky was in the lead, but Marshall quickly caught up, catching Rocky by surprised. Marshall just smirked at him.

"Told you I was fast!" He taunted. Rocky scoffed.

"You haven't won anything yet!" And with that, Rocky pushed himself to go faster. The tree soon came in view, making the prince smile. "Almost..."

Just then, a gust of wind blew passed him, causing Rocky to stop in his tracks and his jaw dropped when he realized that Marshall was gaining ground towards the tree. W-What? He thought.

Placing his hand on the bark of the tree, Marshall smiled. I won! He thought and looked over his shoulder at the prince.

"Looks like I'm the winner!" Marshall said. Rock sputtered a protest.

"N-No fair! I almost won! I demand a rematch!" He shouted, glaring the white-skinned boy. Marshall couldn't help but laugh. Oh Rocky, if you only knew....I use to win most of our races back in my past life with the PAW Patrol. With a slight haughty look, Marshall replied.

"Sure, but I don't think it'll change much."

At that, Rocky fumed and the two made their way back to Ace and Rocky's butlers.

"3...2...1...go!" Ace shouted. Once more, Marshall had left Rocky in the dust and won the race. 

"Again!"

And again, Marshall was the winner of the race for the third time.

"Again!"

And again.

"Again!"

And again.

"Again!"

Eventually, the sun was starting to set and the prince's butlers were beginning to worry when Rocky started to look tired. 

"Prince Rocky, I really think you should take a break." One of the butlers said, watching their young charge sit down on the grass, panting. Marshall just cocked his head to the side.

"Are we done?" He yelled from the tree. Gritting his teeth, Rocky shouted back.

"No! Not until I win at least once!" Looking at the sky, Rocky huffed. "I'll be back tomorrow and we will settle this once and for all to see who's truly the fastest, Master Mathew."

Before Marshall could respond, Rocky was already getting up and walking away, his butlers not too far behind. Marshall blinked just as Ace came up to him.

"Looks like you're going to be busy for the next couple of days." She said.

Indeed, Marshall had quite a busy month and then some. Almost every day, without fail, Prince Rocky would show up and challenge Marshall to a race and almost every time, Marshall would win those races. The boy had assumed that the prince hated him, given how angry Rocky got with the results, but as it turns out, Rocky actually enjoyed his time with Marshall. When they weren't racing, Marshall had introduced him to a bunch of homemade snacks and goodies he liked to eat, making the prince - for once in his life - smile. He also laughed whenever Marshall told jokes and stories during this time.

He had completely forgotten that Marshall was also his brother's best friend until....

"Mathew, I came to challenge you to a race ag-huh?" Rocky stopped when realized Marshall wasn't alone, but instead, was having a snack with Chase. With some slight hesitance, he spoke. "W-what are you doing here?"

Chase cocked his head.

"What do you mean? Marshall's my best friend. Why shouldn't I be here?" He asked. A bit jolted by the answer - and maybe the name change too, Rocky bit his lip, unsure how to answer that.

"Chase, that's rude. I think Rocky's a friend to me too." Marshall said with a pout. Blinking, Chase looked as though he wanted to respond, but Marshall looked over at Rocky. "By the way, since I like to think we're friends, you should be able to call me Marshall too. It's only fair that those closest to me gets to call me that."

Rocky's eyes widen at the comment, but seeing how Chase was frowning and looked a bit unpleased with the situation, any hope and happiness he was feeling dampen a little. Instead, he puffed out his chest and glared at Marshall.

"Don't be so arrogant. We are not friends, we are rivals. I only came to challenge you to a race, that's all."

"But you haven't won one yet," Chase said before Marshall could make sense of that. Glancing back at Chase, the fourth prince saw Chase was still frowning, but this time, there was concern in his eyes. "And I'm worried about all that running. It's not good for your asthma."

"Wait, you have asthma?" Marshall asked just as Rocky hissed, glaring at his brother.

"He didn't need to know that!"

"Oh no, we have been running all this time, I didn't think-" Marshall frowned, getting up from his seat and walking over to Rocky. The prince took a step back just as Marshall looked at him, worry shining in his blue eyes. "Are you okay? We can stop racing if you want."

But Rocky shook his head.

"No, no, I don't want that! I don't want any of that! Don't start feeling sorry for me now!" He shouted, glaring at Marshall with tears in his eyes before running out of the room.

"W-Wait, Rocky!" Marshall yelled, running after him.

"Leave me alone!"

"No wait, come back! Prince Rocky!"

But Rocky continued to run all the way to the Wiltersons' garden, hiding away underneath the tree. For a couple of seconds, Rocky sat there with his head in between his legs, emotions running high. Shut up, I can do it too! I don't need your help! I can...

"Prince Rocky..." A gentle voice called out, causing Rocky to tense up.

"Don't. Just don't. I already get enough pity from my family and my brother, I don't need yours too." He said, unable to keep his voice from choking. Despite this, Marshall moved closer to him.

"...I'm not going to pity you. I don't think Prince Chase is either. We just care about you." He said. Rocky snorted, shaking his head.

"Got a funny way of showing it." He mumbled, lifting his head up, revealing his tears. "...It's not fair. I can't help my hair color, but my ear...it was an accident. It'll heal over time, I think, but my family....they don't care about me. It's why they forced me to marry Lady Everest. I can't complain, she's a very beautiful girl and so very sweet, but then..." He squinted at Marshall. "You happened. My brother...he's always talking about you at home, always going off about how great you are. I hated it. I didn't have a whole lot of friends, Everest was my only one but then-"

"We can be friends." Marshall interrupted him. Rocky glared, but Marshall continued. "Never mind what your brother said; remember we had a deal. If I had won the race, we would've been friends. I still cherish that. And...I can't pretend to know what's going on with you and your family, but what I do know is that Prince Chase cares a lot about you. It's hard to see it, because everyone compares you to him, but Chase..." Marshall paused. "When I saw you for the first time, I tried to ask about your ear. You should've seen Prince Chase's face, he looked like I was a bug underneath his shoe." He laughed at the image, knowing that scene could've started it all for him. "I think he's just protective. I'm sure it has something to do with your accident, but Prince Chase never gave me that impression that he thinks of you as lesser than him."

Rocky didn't say anything for a while, more content to listen to Marshall than say anything.

"As for your hair color....I really, really can't complain. You're right, it's not fair that you're being treated like this from your family for something you can't control. But if I'm being honest, I don't care about your hair color. I care about your personality, and Rocky....you came off scary to me, but....since we've starting racing, you've really opened up." Marshall said with a smile on his face. Surprised, Rocky turned to him. "I would like to continue that. I want us to be friends."

At that, Rocky snorted.

"Like I said, we're not friends," He smirked when he heard Marshall whine. "We're rivals."

With a huff, Marshall glared at him, making Rocky laugh. Another moment of silence passed before Rocky spoke up again, hesitant.

"Can I...Can I still call you Marshall though?"

At that, Marshall beamed, happy to make process with Rocky.

"Of course you can! You may not see us as friends, but to me, we are!" Marshall said.

Tears appeared in Rocky's eyes as he offered him a smile.

"...Okay."      

Chapter Text

Soon after Prince Rocky's visits, Marshall had spent a majority of the rest of the month in the favor of Ella, chaperon by her brother, Tuck. The two had spent hours in the Wilterson's backyard, looking for herbs and other plants used for medication, while also gathering books on some unknown plants.

"This right here is called aconitum napellus, or wolfsbane, in short. They are typically poisonous when touched, but they can be used to soothe aches and pain." Marshall said as he pointed out the flower. Ella could only look on in awe.

"You have so many wonderful, useful flowers and herbs growing here. Were you aware of this when you wanted to become a doctor?" Ella asked. Marshall shook his head.

"No, I just came across this book one day and wanted to try my hands on running a clinic. It's just something about the job I really liked, you know?" He said with a smile on his face. Plus with my experience in the EMT, should anything happen to me at the Magic Academy, I should be able to make a living from that. He thought.

"Y-You're really nice. I don't know many nobles who would give up their lavish style of living for something most people would look down upon." Ella said. At that, Marshall made a noise in the back of his throat.

"Why is that? The looking down on a doctor career thing." He asked.

"I-I guess it's because most nobles see it as a job mostly done by commoners or non-magic users. I-I don't really understand the logic myself, given that doctors are usually paid well." Ella said. Before Marshall could commented on it, Tuck - who had been quiet and in the background for this - suddenly spoke up.

"A lot of noblemen and women were already inherently rich about time they came into their titles. They don't know the meaning of hard work and because only the higher class of society has magic, it's safe to assume that for most of them, magic would fix everything they need or give them what they want." Marshall blinked at the firm tone of Tuck's voice just as the boy stepped closer. "So when an upperclassmen or women declares they want to do something that isn't the standard, they will look down on you."

"Kind of like how those kids were picking on you, Ella." Marshall wondered out loud, causing Ella to freeze in place and her brother to tense up. Realizing his mistake, Marshall quickly tried to backpedaled. "E-er, which they shouldn't! I think it's really cool you want to help out when you can, money or magic or neither. You don't have to listen to them, Ella."

"I-I...I know," Ella stuttered out, sounding like she was close to tears. "I-I know I don't have to b-but...it was so hard. N-nobody took me seriously a-and most of the time, I would hear whispers."

"Whispers?"

"Slander." Tuck said. "They would slander our family just because of Ella's interest. Sometimes jealously, because of our father's achievements too."

Marshall frowned. He knew the higher society wasn't exactly the friendliest when it came to lower, middle and working class, but to think they would also turn on one of their own as well...The more he learn about it, the more glad he was to never be brought up as a prince or king or duke or whatever. However, stuck in a game where the titles DO matter, I should be on my best behavior. Coming from his thoughts, he realized Ella was still crying.

"I..I didn't want to bring any trouble to my family..."

"You're not!" Marshall shouted, startling Ella and Tuck. "I'm sure your parents are very lovely, and I'm sure they support you. Did they say out of their own mouths that they didn't like what you're doing?"

Ella hiccupped. "N-No..."

"So it shouldn't matter what people think of you! The only ones who matter are your family and your friends! And if they support you, then I'm telling you, 100% go for it!" Marshall said, grabbing Ella by her shoulders and smiling into her face. Ella, herself was speechless. "And...you know you're not alone in this. I'm with you too. You're my future head nurse, remember?"

At that, Ella started to cry again. Before Marshall could panic about it, Ella was shoving her face into his chest, hugging him.

"T-Thank you, M-Marshall!" She sobbed. Awkwardly, Marshall wrapped his arms around her, comforting her.

"There, there." He patted her on her back.

Meanwhile, Tuck watched the two as close as he could, surprised by Marshall's words and actions. Before anyone realized it, Tuck began to smile.

A few more days has passed since that conversation, and eventually, after being a little hesitant at first, Everest began to join in their adventures and discoveries of the different plants growing in the garden.

"Hmm...this one smells like mint." Everest said, picking an ivory green leaf.

"I believe that is a type of plant people often use to make teas for those who were sick." Ella said. Marshall nodded.

"Makes sense. Mint is usually a very good herb to use for colds, or just to add some extra kick in foods, maybe the plant is related to it somehow." Marshall said. Everest beamed.

"In that case, would you mind if I take some? I'd love to mix it in with this batch of tea I have." Everest asked.

"Sure! Just remember to share it with us!" Marshall teased, causing Everest to huff, a slight blush on her face. 

"I will."

Soon the sun began to set and just as Ella and Tuck were about leave, Ella suddenly stopped.

"Oh, I just remembered! There was this book I wanted to show you, but I had left it at home." Ella said, looking at Marshall. Marshall blinked.

"That's fine. There's always tomorrow." He said. Ella hummed a little, before giving Marshall a smile.

"Of course. It's a wonderful book about the human body. I figured, since we're studying plants and herbs, we might as well studied on how it will effect the human body too." She said with a blush on her face. Marshall smiled back.

"That's very smart of you, Ella. Can't wait to borrow it from you."

And with that, two headed off into their carriage, waving goodbye.

"Lady Ella seems to be in a happiew mood." Zuma said. Marshall hummed.

"That's my goal, honestly. I don't like the idea of just because we're royals that means we are limited to what we do. I have found out recently that I enjoy helping people, so opening up a clinic isn't too bad for me." Marshall said as the two walked back into the mansion. "And Ella...she's really nice. I like her a lot."

Marshall blinked when he heard Zuma coughed, sounding like he was choking.

"E-Eh? Z-Zuma?" 

"Y-You...like hew?!" He squeaked out. Marshall was confused on why Zuma looked freaked out all of the sudden.

"Of course I do. She's my friend!" He said with a smile on his face. With his eyes closed, Marshall didn't see how Zuma deflated, looking slight harassed if anyone were to see him now.

"A-Ah...a-ah...a...fwiend, wight."

Poor Marshall was giving his own brother a heart attack and didn't even know it.

Chapter Text

(Marshall's POV)

It's been eight years since the spring when I recalled my past life at the age of nine, with the addition of rebirthing inside of a game that my friend, Katie, once played. While the details of my untimely death is still a little fuzzy, I have tried to not worry about it too much and instead put my energy into this new life I now have. So far, all things considered, things has been swell for me. I have managed to befriend one of the conquerable routes that aided into my downfall, Prince Chase. In the game, Mathew and Chase hated each other, and when they were dueling over the heroine, Skye Limburg, in the bad end, Chase accidentally kills Mathew. The other ending was implied that Chase did not kill Mathew, but instead left him in a coma, which - to me - was almost as horrible as being dead.

Luckily, I don't have to worry about it too much. With me being friends with Chase, Chase will no longer have a rival for Skye to fight over, and the two could potentially have their happy ending while I still live.

(Spineless Marshall: "Though I do wonder who is this mysterious person Chase claimed he has interest in. He said he rather not say any names for their safety, so I'm assuming it's someone the public won't approve of."

Fearless Marshall: "AGH! This whole thing annoys me! So what do we about Skye?!"

Happy Marshall: "I guess only time will tell when it comes to it.")

After that, I made sure to have a better relationship with my brother, Zuma Wilterson. In the game, Mathew had rejected Zuma as his brother and tortured him when they were younger, causing the two to have ill feelings towards each other. In the bad ending, Zuma kills Mathew using his water magic, and then commits suicide before anyone was able to bring him to court.

Now, though, with me spending as much time with him and helping him when necessary, we get along great! 

(Happy Marshall: "Zuma grew up to be quite handsome, and has quite the following to boot. This should make it easier for Zuma to fall in love with someone else instead of competing with Chase for Skye."

Studious Marshall: "Sadly, it seems that Zuma has yet to find someone attractive. Anytime we talk about it, he gets so flustered and protest a lot."

Happy Marshall: "I wonder if that means Zuma thought about it once in a while."

Spineless Marshall: "B-But wouldn't he tell us? We're his big brother!"

Fearless Marshall: "I just hope he finds someone soon. Preferably, someone not Skye.")  

Then, there was Rocky. Or rather, Rocky's fiancée, Everest. Technically, Mathew was never meant to be on this route, so any interaction between the two characters wouldn't really change the game all that much except...

Somewhere, in the bad ending, Mathew gets killed off screen by Rocky due to Mathew's harassment of Everest. It was never explicitly stated how, just that he was, or rather, he never showed up again in Rocky's route in the bad ending.

Having known that, I was going to make it my mission to avoid Everest at all cost, except, well, I couldn't. I accidentally met her first before meeting Rocky, and ended up befriending her due to having similar problems with magic - as in, we couldn't control it very well. Turns out, she was a nice girl and as long as I made it clear that I had no romantic interest in her, I didn't see a problem trying to be her friend.

Unfortunately, and even more fortunately, Rocky had misunderstood this and challenged me to a race - to which, I had won the most. However, it was because of this that we became closer and I was able to get Rocky to forget about his misfortune in his home. I'm a little worried about his relationship with Chase though, but Rocky had assured me that they were working on it after he'd confessed his feelings to Chase. I'm not entirely sure if Chase was happy about it or not, given that every time I see him, the smile looked like a sad smile, but once more, I was reassured that it didn't mean anything by Chase.

Very odd, those two.

And then finally, there was Tuck and Ella.

Really, these two were bonuses. Mathew, much like Rocky's route, does not appear in Tuck's route thus meaning it was perfectly fine for me to befriend them. However because Tuck is a love rival for Skye, I had decided to befriend them and hopefully, with me by his sister's side, Tuck would be able to find someone else to romance instead.

Honestly, though, I really enjoyed my time with Ella and Tuck. Ella was so nice, much like Everest if not a little shy. I can see a little bit of protectiveness from Tuck, but he was rather 'lax whenever he and his sister visited me and we explored the plants in my backyard. The boy was mostly quiet, though he did speak up once or twice whenever I made a comment about something I didn't understand. Eventually, they had invited me to their home for tea and cakes, continuing our deep discussion of medical treatment. It was there I had met their parents.

...They look so much like Katie and Ryder. The woman was very beautiful with her golden locks, not quite as bleached-white as the siblings, but was still consider blonde. Her eyes were bright blue, much like the siblings too, wearing a beautiful pink gown. The man's hair did not defy gravity like Ryder's did, but it still reminded me of him with the spikes. His eyes were a warm, welcoming brown too.

....

.....

......

Come to think of it, I just noticed most of these characters were named after my friends.....

I'd like to think it's just a coincidence, but there's no way someone would name their child Zuma by accident.

.....

....

....

Oh well. Can't really do much about it, can I? Anyway.

The siblings were lovely. The more I spent time with them, the more the two seemed to grow out of their shell. I even got Ella and Everest to be friends.

(Spineless Marshall: "Though I do wonder why Everest was so reluctant in the first place. She got that same look as Zuma did when I told him that I liked the siblings."

Happy Marshall: "Could it be that Everest was just nervous around new people? It'd make sense."

Studious Marshall: "True, young Everest seems to be a wallflower. Well, thankfully, she'd grew out of it, it seems."

Chairman Marshall: "Well, yes, it's great Everest is no longer shy and reserved. However, I do wish she'd stop sending us a lot of ice sculptures. We're running out of room to put them all."

Happy Marshall: "On the bright side, her ice magic is coming along nicely! She seems to really be in control of it now!"

Studious Marshall: "Her dedication is admirable."

Spineless Marshall: "It's too bad we still can't control our magic." 

Studious Marshall: "Maybe it's for the better. Being a fire user seems to scare people, it seems."

Fearless Marshall: "And yet our mother insisted we go to the Magic Academy anyway!")

....That's right, the Magic Academy. The setting of the game.

With me - along with the rest of the group - being seventeen, we are officially of age to go and train our magic and skill at the Magic Academy. It's the place where the love rivals gets to meet Skye.

....It's where I, a love rival myself, gets to meet Skye.

(Studious Marshall: "With no memory of Mathew's route, good or bad, most likely because we died before Katie could tell us, we must find a way to navigate Chase's route without letting Skye fall for us. If we don't, it might trigger Chase's routes and he'll see us as a rival instead of a friend."

Happy Marshall: "Not to mention the others. If we're trying to set Chase and Skye up, we must deal with the other love rivals as well."

Spineless Marshall: "W-With no help from our memory, anything could possibly trigger Mathew's bad endings as well. S-So we must be careful of our interaction with things and people."

Fearless Marshall: "It's a lot, but I think we can do it! We have to! For our lives!"

Spineless, Happy, Studious, and Chairman Marshall: "Aye!")

"Master Marshall?" Opening my eyes, I turned around and spotted my maid, Ace, at the door. With a bow, she spoke. "Everyone has assembled and is ready to see you. Please come to the hall."

I couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Ace." I said and began walking out to the ballroom, where everyone was ready to greet me for my seventeenth birthday.

Today is my final day in the mansion. After this, I will be attending the Magic Academy and meeting the heroine for the very first time. I can't help but feel nervous, knowing that I no longer have the protection of fluff content, but instead, starting the game where my very life is on the line. Just think happy thoughts, Marshall. I thought to myself. It's especially important for me to keep calm, as no one knows the doom I will be facing, and I didn't want anyone to worry. Not on my birthday.

"Happy birthday, Master Mathew." Prince Chase said as soon as he saw me. Chase grew up to be especially handsome; tall, lean, muscular built that no suit was able to hide. His skin tone got darker over the years, and his hair, still dark with a twinge of gold, was hanging across his face now, though, he kept it trimmed. His eyes were still a bright and burning amber and maybe it was just me, but I could've sworn Chase grew dimples as well. Or maybe he always had them and I never noticed. Either way, Chase was a heartthrob of a prince, and still, to this day, has been getting more and more letters about engagements of other nobles' daughters. Surprisingly, he has rejected them all.

I smiled.

"Thank you." I said.

"Happy birthday Master Mathew." All my friends said. I looked over to them, one by one.

As aforementioned, Zuma was not far behind on the scale of how handsome my friends grew up to be. Zuma was lean as well, not quite as muscular as Chase, but more like a swimmer's built instead. Unlike Chase, Zuma kept his hair, brown, short and out of his face, neatly trimmed across the forehead. His eyes were a shimmering emerald as well, skin a dark chocolate color, making his white suit stand out more. Over the years, Zuma had gotten better at pronouncing his R's and now he could speak his words clearly as a well-mannered son of a duke could.

Much like Chase, too, Zuma was a heartthrob, though, he doesn't seem to notice. It drove me crazy, as there were a couple of cute girls that I thought Zuma had interest in, but apparently not.

Rocky, too, was handsome. His ear had managed to heal, like he said it would, with only a small little scar being left behind. He never did tell me what happened, but that was okay. Likewise with Zuma, Rocky remained on the skinny side of things, but that doesn't stop many people believing that Rocky had a breathtaking smile, and eyes that glittered like gold. Not to mention he was extremely talented with music, making him yet another catch except unlike the other two, Rocky was in a faithful relationship with Everest.

Speaking of, Everest was so beautiful as well. Her blue hair grew to be back length, her bangs still white as snow and as feathery as the day I saw them. She had a shapely figure; bosoms well endowed, made obvious when wearing tight dresses - as she had on right now (such a beautiful mint green and white dress too). Her skin was fair, with no hint of blemishes or beauty marks. Her eyes were still a sharp ocean blue, kind but also hinted trickery as well - why, I have no idea.

Lately, Everest has been bolder, no longer that shy girl I once knew. She's still polite enough, but something's been...a bit off. I'd worry, but then Everest would tell me to not to, and that it was just her becoming a lady for Rocky. I've never questioned it, knowing how deeply in love the two could be if the game was any suggestion, but I'm still confused as to why Everest continues to give me gifts before Rocky. I'm very happy as a friend that her ice magic is coming along well, but it feels...weird, to be the first person she thinks about giving gifts to.

Meanwhile, the siblings were as beautiful as ever. Tuck hadn't changed much since the day I met him, but Ella had allowed her hair to grow long as well. They still had eyes like the blue sky, their hair was still a beautiful blonde-white, and they still had the ability of causing people to stop and stare wherever they go. Likewise with Everest, Ella have long since stopped being shy, though she still keeps to herself when she's not around me or Everest. She spoke up more and more about her passion, and often giving me ideas of what I should do when I become a doctor and her my head nurse. It pleases me to see how much she's grown, but I am troubled at the idea of Tuck still being around her as often as she is with me. I had thought, with me looking after her, Tuck would lose a little bit of control of her, but apparently not.

Ella had just laughed when I told her this and she said it was nothing for me to worry about it.

Apparently, there's nothing for me to worry a lot bout.

Still, looking at my friends, some of which would become my rival, I couldn't help but be pleased. I have, so far, avoided disasters at the beginning of the stage. Now I can only hope I can continue this way.

"Thank you." I said, realizing I was taking too long for answer back.

"May I have the first dance?" Everest asked, looking at me with happiness written on her face. I smiled back.

"With pleasure!"

And with that, we began dancing. It was a little awkward for me, as I have never ballroom danced in my life, previous or otherwise, but with all the lessons forced upon me - it'd helped a lot that Zuma volunteered to help me after hours - I had managed to become...somewhat decent at it.

"You know," Everest started to talk, a devious little smile on her face. "Dancing like this...between a man and a woman...it's quite romantic, don't you think?"

"Eh? I guess so." I said. I've always liked dancing, no matter the form, but I've never thought it was romantic. Then again, wasn't the dancing at Farmer Yumi and Al's wedding considered romantic?

Everest sighed. "Yes, quite romantic. Just a man and a woman, bodies so close to each other."

I blinked when I felt Everest pushed up against me, her breast pressing against my chest. Before I could speak, she took my right arm and hooked it around her waist, forcing me to pull her close to me. Once more, I blinked.

"E-Eh? Everest?"

All Everest did was sigh.

"I can only imagine doing this for the rest of my life." She said.

"You mean...with Rocky?" I asked. For some reason, Everest tensed in my arms. Looking down at her, I realized she was looking at me with a tense smile on her face as well.

"Yes...I suppose I could do this with Rocky," Everest blinked, as if she was pondering something. "Or rather..." Before I knew it, Everest was leaning heavily against me, standing on her tippy toes as I was much taller than her due to my growth sprout. Then I felt something on my neck. Leaning back, she smirked at me. "One day, you'll realize..."

And with that, Everest walked away before I could even question her. I could only stare at her back before-

"Brother!" 

"Ah, Zuma!" I startled, just as Zuma started to rub a cloth up and down my neck quite harshly. "W-what are you-"

"Getting rid of a bug that was on you." He said.

"Ah, I see so that was a bug I felt just now, thanks so much!" I beamed. For whatever reason, Zuma just gave me a blank stare.

"A-Ah....You're welcome, I suppose." He said, before muttering something about vixens and trickery. Vixens? Trickery? What does he mean? I thought. Then, Zuma looked at me. "Listen to me, brother. Lady Everest....she is a taken woman, did you know that?"

I blinked at him. Where was this coming from?

"O-Of course I know that Zuma."

"Then it'll be in your best interest to remember that, okay brother?"

"Y-you don't have to worry about that Zuma. Rocky and I had this talk years ag-"

"Okay brother?" Zuma hissed out, startling me and being honest with myself....made me frightful. Was dancing with Everest a bad idea? Did Rocky believe I was going to take her away from him again?

"O-Okay."

"Excuse me," A voice that I knew so well spoke up. I turned around to see Ella standing behind me with a smile and a blush on her face. She's so cute, why has no one married her yet? I thought. "May I have the second dance?"

"With pleasure!" I said. Grabbing her hand, I led her to the dance floor and began the same ballroom dance I had been doing with Everest not too long ago. Looking around, I noticed quite a few people staring and blushing, before I realized they were probably staring at Ella. She's quite beautiful, I know. So is her brother. "So, Lady Ella. Have you or your brother been betrothed yet?"

She shook her head.

"Not yet. We're waiting for that special someone, although," She hummed. "Lately, for my brother, there's been someone on his mind he can't stop thinking about."

"Oh?" I piped up. Strange, considering that wherever Ella went, Tuck went with her. Who could that lucky person be? "And yourself?"

She blushed.

"A-Ah, well, there is...someone. B-But, I'm afraid that that someone wouldn't return my feelings. Or rather, maybe they're just too good for me." She said. I scoffed.

"Nonsense. You're a beautiful, smart, good woman Ella. Any guy would be lucky to have you," I said. I must be embarrassing her, because her face was turning so red. "And the same goes for your brother as well. Both of you are wonderful people that I'm happy to have as a friend. I'm sure that special someone you're waiting on is going to be so happy to have you two."

I really should learn to keep my mouth shut. Poor Ella looks like she's going to faint. Or cry. Or do both.

"T-Thank you so much, Master Mar- Master Mathew." She said.

The night continued and after about three to five more dances with different women, I was growing tired. Eventually, I decided to take a break and ended up on the balcony for some fresh air, away from the people.

"Tired?" A voice called from behind. Turning my head, I saw it was Chase. I smiled at him.

"A little." I said. He hummed, moving closer to me as I went back to stare at the moon.

"That's a shame," He said. "I was just about to ask you for a dance." 

I blinked, looking at him just as he turned to me.

"E-Eh? Me? B-But,"

"Brother there you are!" Blinking, I saw Zuma, Tuck, and Rocky all coming out to the balcony. "You're not tired, are you? I wanted to dance with you, if that's okay."

I blinked again. "Um.."

"If we're being honest about it, I wanted to dance with you too." Rocky mumbled, crossing his arms and looking away. For whatever reason, there was a slight blush on his face as well. Tuck just nodded his head.

"R-Really? You all wanted to dance with me?" I asked. Before I could get a response, I felt Chase slide his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. He wasn't looking at me, however. Instead, he was smiling right back at the other three - Zuma was glaring at him, I noticed from the corner of my eye.

"You're all going have to wait your turn, I'm afraid. I asked Marshall for a dance first." He said. I couldn't help but wince at how tightly his grip was on me. I patted his arm to let him know that he was hurting me and instantly, the grip loosen a little.

Zuma huffed. "Just like when we were younger.."

Chase smirked.

"U-Um, I don't mind dancing with you guys, it's just...I don't know how to dance the women's part." I said with a tiny blush on my face. Even though I practice dancing with Zuma, it was always the men's part he'd give to me. 

"That's okay. I'll happily dance the women's part if it means dancing with you." Chase said with a smile on his face. 

"And it'll be just like when we practice, Marshall." Zuma said. For some reason, that made Chase stiffen and turned to glare at Zuma.

"You two...danced with each other?"

"Of course we did. How else was Marshall going to learn for when he dances with a woman?" Zuma said and I couldn't help but winced. During my time growing up, my mother would always make a fuss about how no one would marry me and in spite of that, always gave me lessons for when I do, eventually, settle down with one. I never really thought that, but apparently, engagements were a thing in this game. I guess titles really do mean something in this world.

With a huff, Chase turned to me. "Shall we?"

"Y-Yes, of course."

And with that, I began dancing with my friends. Soon the ruckus brought the attention of Ella and Everest, and all they really did was enjoy the sight of me dancing with my friends.

Ah, my friends. I wish to keep them forever, even if they end up hating me in the end.    

Chapter Text

The day had finally arrived for Marshall. He and his brother were waiting by the carriage as they said their final goodbyes to their father and mother.

"Work hard, you two." Mr. Wilterson said, teary eyed. Both Marshall and Zuma smiled at him.

"We will."

Meanwhile, their mother gave them a once-over before scowling at Marshall.

"Just don't do anything that will bring shame to our family." She said. Marshall chuckled nervously, having a feeling she was talking mostly to him. After all these years, my mother still doesn't like us. He thought.

"I-I won't, mother. Anyways, we best be going now, bye!" Marshall said as he turned around and got into the carriage. Zuma just waved goodbye at their parents before also getting into the carriage. With one final wave from their parents, and the carriage began to move and headed towards the city, where the academy took place. This is it, Marshall thought. This is where the game begins and depending on what happens with Skye, I will either live to see another day or get killed off by one of the love rivals. He looked over at his brother. My, so handsome. I hope he ends up meeting the girl of his dreams one day! "So, are you excited for the academy?"

Zuma, who had been lost in his thoughts, blinked and looked at Marshall.

"I...I guess. I'm mostly worried about you, though. I know you've worked so hard on your fire magic when we were younger. Will you be okay?" Zuma asked, green eyes softening. Marshall nodded.

"I will be fine. Fire magic may not be in the cards for me, but that doesn't mean I can't protect myself! I still have my swordsmanship, after all." Marshall said, just missing the way Zuma frowned.

"You aren't very good at that either."

Soon, the two had arrived at the gates of the school. When the stepped out of the carriage, Marshall was in awe at the building. 

It was fairly large as one would expect a school to be, with a beautiful garden and neatly trimmed hedges setting out in front. The pathway to the entrance of the school looked very clean, not a brick out of place, and Marshall could see many students entering the building.

"Let's go." Zuma said. With the nod, Marshall began to follow both his brother and his maid, whom he'd asked to come with him, to the school. It had taken a good amount of time before everything was settled by the council, and soon, Marshall was being lead by Ace towards his own, private, room. "If you ever need me, I'll be right next door to you."

"Okay, thanks, Zuma." Marshall replied, smiling at him. Opening the door, Marshall couldn't help but grin in glee. The room was just as big as his own in the mansion and as spacious too. The walls were painted a soft blue color, the sun shining through the open window to the far left side, and the bed seemed to be a queen size. Marshall loved it. "It's lovely."

"I'll bring the rest of your things." Ace said.

"Okay, thanks." Marshall said. Once alone, Marshall made his way to the window, a serious frown on his face.

This is where the game, Love, My Dearest, is set. The game's heroine should be here too. Remembering what Katie had said about her, it is expected that most people who have magic are usually born in a noble linage, but she isn't. Instead, the heroine is a commoner. On top of that, she also has a very rare magic type, light magic. The extraordinary Skye Limburg. He thought. She'll have many people fighting over her, unknowingly. I just hope whoever she chooses, it won't make me meet my end. 

Later on, after everything was settled and Marshall was able to get his things into his room, he and the rest of the students began to walk over to the auditorium for the school's assembly.

"Marshall, why don't you come sit by me?" Prince Chase asked, placing a hand on Marshall's smaller back, already leading him away to his own spot. Startled a bit, Marshall blinked at him in surprise but smiled. 

"Okay." He said and began following Chase to his seat.

"This academy is the largest in the kingdom of Andreas. We have our own Department of Magic, for the research of magic, and students who achieved superior marks are permitted to join the Department of Magic after graduation. You will spend the next two years studying here-" As the head of the school drone on, Marshall couldn't help but start looking around, his mind on something else entirely. The heroine should be here too.

His moves didn't go unnoticed, and Chase raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you alright, Marshall?" He whispered. Once more, he had managed to startle the young noblemen and he quickly turned around to face the prince. 

"O-Oh, I'm fine. Just a little...antsy is all." He chuckled. With a soft laugh, Chase shook his head.

"You never were the one to sit still, were you?" He asked. Marshall looked as though he wanted to respond, but Chase continued. "By the way, I have some sweets in my room that I want you to try. Are you willing to join me?" 

At that, Marshall's eyes sparkled.

"Of course!" He said.

"Next, we will hear from the student council president." The head of the school continued, bringing Marshall attention back up front. He was surprised to see a kid in a wheelchair rolled out, hair two-toned as black and brown and brown colored eyes. His outfit mostly considered a blue vest over a bright green shirt and an even darker green dress pants.

With a smile, the president started to speak.

"Everyone, I'd like to congratulate you all on your acceptance to this academy. I'm the student council president, Xenon Chapman." Xenon said. Marshall could only stare at him as the rest of the students - mostly the girls - awwed and sigh affectionately. He's really cute. Marshall thought. "I'm sure there are things that will worry or confuse you at first, but if you need anything, the student council is here to support you. Let's work together to make our time here both fun and meaningful."

And with that, everyone began to clap.

There was a knock on Chase's door. Not surprised, and maybe even a little excited, the prince hurriedly ran to the door and open it. To his delight, it was Marshall. He smiled.

"Welcome." He said. Marshall smiled back.

"Thank you for inviting me." He said.

"And me!" Zuma appeared, causing Chase's eyebrow to twitch. Of course, he thought. Can't have one without the other.

"Why did you come along with him, Zuma?" He asked. The dark-skinned male just gave Chase a knowing look, smile looking all the more smug. 

"I asked our servant to inform me immediately if anything were to happen to my brother." Zuma said as he and Marshall stepped into the room. "You were lucky to distract me from reaching him during the assembly, but rest assured, it won't happen again."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Chase lied. Zuma hummed.

"I'm sure you don't."

"Don't you think you're being a bit overprotective? Your brother isn't as helpless as you think." Chase asked.

"Maybe, but he obviously doesn't know danger when it stares at him right in the face." Zuma said. Chase's eyebrow twitched again.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

Meanwhile, Marshall just watched the conversation unfold with a smile on his face. Such, such great friends! I really hope Chase falling for Skye doesn't ruin it. Soon, the three settled down just as a plate of treats were placed in front of Marshall. Once more, his eyes sparkled.

"Oooh, they all look so good! Are you sure it's okay for me to have these, Prince Chase?" He asked. The prince smiled.

"Of course. I brought them specifically for you." He said. Marshall beamed.

"In that case, thanks!" He said, picking up a colorful macaroon and eating it. He hummed, pleased as the taste of strawberry filled his mouth. "So good."

Chase just grinned at him before looking over at Zuma. "By the way, I met a girl with the light magic."

At that, Marshall began to choke on his food. Startled, the two boys looked over at the choking noble just as Zuma began patting his back.

"A-Ah, are you okay brother?" Zuma asked, concerned. But Marshall paid no mind to that. Instead-

He...he already met Skye...He's already falling in love with her!

Marshall was too busy panicking to notice the conversation continuing.

"Oh yes, I have heard rumors about it. It's all the students could talk about, really." Zuma said.

"Yes. She seemed to be a bit lost, so I showed her to her dorm," Chase looked a bit nervous, though he smiled. "The most surprising part was she was going to climb a tree in a skirt. I didn't think most ladies would."

"Ah yes, that is a bit unusual, I'd say," Zuma said. "Still, climbing trees doesn't surprise me anymore. I have a brother that does that as well, usually with ladders and rescuing kittens."

At that, Chase looked a bit more relaxed and even looked over at Marshall with a fond expression.

"Yes, your brother is quite unique, in that regards. It's why I adore him." He said. Zuma nodded.

"Agree. I really do like my brother." He said, also looking over at Marshall. By then, Marshall seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts, and turned to Chase with a determined stare, catching the prince off-guard.

"You should do it."

At that, both the prince and Zuma began to choke....on nothing. There was quite a flush on Chase's face as Zuma started to sputter.

"B-b-b-b-brother...!"

"I'm sorry...? I don't understand. Do what, exactly?" Chase asked, still red in the face.

"I think you should ask that girl out!" Marshall said. Total silence fell between the three young adults, two of which were staring directly at one with a blank look on their face.

"Ask...her...out?" Chase repeated. Meanwhile, Zuma had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Marshall nodded.

"Yeah, like a date! For what it's worth, I think you two would totally be cute together and no matter what, I will support you!" Marshall said. Zuma damn near crackled while Chase continued to stare at Marshall with the blandest of all expressions. I fell in love with an idiot. He thought.

"I...will think about it???"

Marshall nodded, proud of himself. Unbeknownst to him, both Zuma and Chase just thought...

I seriously have my work cut out before me. 

Chapter Text

Later that night, Marshall was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he replayed the memory of the last evening with Chase and Zuma.

I can't believe he'd already met Skye and is on the verge of being conquered right after enrolling here. He thought. He could feel the worry wrapping itself around him like a blanket as he turned to the side to stare outside his window. He's already going to be in love with her. All I have to do now, is keep my distance and show my support when I can. He closed his eyes. I pray I won't meet my bad ending.

The next morning came about, and Marshall, after getting dressed and eating, began walking to class with his brother and maid.

"So today's the first day of classes." Zuma said. Marshall hummed.

"So it is." He agreed. A sudden thought came over to Zuma and he looked over at Marshall.

"Oh that's right. I met the girl with the light magic that Prince Chase mentioned."

"You WHAT?!" Marshall shouted, turning very quickly to look at Zuma, who was a bit startled by the reaction. Zuma looked at his brother with a bit of confusion and worry in his eyes, seeing how Marshall looked as though he was on the verge of panicking. 

"E-Er, what's wrong, Marshall?" He asked.

Inside the mind of Mathew/Marshall...

"This is bad. This is so very, very, bad!" Fearless Marshall said as the others panicked around him.

"What are we going to do? If Zuma met her too, then he'll fall for her as well!" Spineless Marshall asked, sniffling.

"And if he does, he'll have to fight Chase and who knows how that will end!" Fearless Marshall screamed.

"Order, order! Let's all calm down and talk about this." Chairman Marshall said, banging his gravel to get the others to calm down. Once the chaos was settled, everyone took their turns to talk.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, first of. It's still pretty early in the game, and the romance probably hasn't settled yet." Studious Marshall said. At that, everyone perked up.

"But does that mean Prince Chase still hasn't fallen for her yet?" Spineless Marshall asked.

"Probably not, but from what Katie had told us, there are several events in the game that would lead to Prince Chase falling in love with Skye - including their first time meeting each other, so it's still anyone's game." Happy Marshall said.

"But we want Prince Chase together with Skye, right? So Zuma falling for her is going to cause some problems." Fearless Marshall said.

"I just wish Zuma would pick someone already. It's not like we haven't tried to set him up or anything. We have, he just keeps turning them down." Spineless Marshall whimpered, sounding very close to tears. At that, Fearless Marshall grunted, sounding annoyed.

"I wish we knew why he keeps turning them down. The girls we picked are very pretty and aren't shallow at all...! At least, I hope they aren't." He said, sounding just a tad nervous on the end.

"Well, it's a game. Maybe it's coded for him to only fall for the heroine." Happy Marshall said.

"Wouldn't that mean we should be falling for her as well?" Spineless Marshall asked. Silence fell upon the group as they soaked in the question.

"I...I don't think so," Studious Marshall said, but he sounded very unsure of himself. "How we're acting and how Mathew was in the original game is totally different. If we have no interest in the heroine, then maybe it's the same for everyone else?"

"Everyone else has never died and been reincarnated into a game before, so I would think everyone is still programmed to act like their normal selves." Fearless Marshall said.

"This is confusing..." Spineless Marshall whimpered, placing his head on the table.

"We're getting off subject," Studious Marshall said. "The fact is Zuma is now a prime target for the heroine to fall for. If we want her and Chase to be together, we have to find a way to keep her and Zuma apart."

"But what do we do? Zuma really has no interest in anyone romantically." Spineless Marshall said.

"We'll just have to keep trying! And if we see Skye when we're with Zuma, we'll have to avoid her!" Fearless Marshall said.

"Sounds like a plan to me. All in favor of keeping Skye away from Zuma until we can find someone he's interested in, say aye!" Chairman Marshall said.

"Aye!"

"Hey, did you hit on her?" Marshall asked. Startled by either the question or both the serious tone and look in his eyes, Zuma blinked.

"Hit...on...her?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. Realizing this world didn't have that type of lingo, Marshall quickly rephrased himself.

"Um...it means, er," It was at this time that Marshall realized he, himself, didn't know what 'hitting on someone' meant either. "Well...it's kind of like asking someone out on a date! Did you ask her out on a date?"

"Eh?! No! Why would I do that?!" Zuma looked and sounded scandalized, staring at his brother like he'd grown another head.

"You said you met her."

"And that's what I did. I met her, I didn't...what made you even think-? I-"

"How did you meet her? And what was she like?" Marshall asked. Zuma blinked.

"Well, she had dropped her handkerchief, so I picked it up for her." Zuma said. At that, Marshall stilled. Oh no, he thought. That was one of Zuma's events! In the game, Zuma picks up the heroine's handkerchief and flirts with her! And when that fails, he goes after her again!

In-game Zuma: "This is yours, right? If you want it back have some fun with me."

"As for what she was like, well..." Zuma paused, folding his arms as he gathered his thoughts. "She's a very nice girl, I guess. Very pretty too."

I knew it, Marshall thought. He's falling for her. So that must mean that after meeting her, Chase fell for her too. The game's already begun.

"Do you like her?" Marshall asked. Zuma shrugged.

"I guess, don't know much about her to judge that." He said. "Though, if you're asking if I could be friends with her, I suppose so."

"No! That's not what I'm asking at all!" Marshall shouted, startling Zuma.

"Marshall?"

"I meant, do you love her?!" 

At that, Zuma's face turned really, really, red and he started to sputter, shocked beyond belief.

"L-l-l-l-l-LOVE?! I-I-I...w-what?! I don't-?! Wh-what are you even talking about?!" As Zuma continued to sputter in disbelief at such a ridiculous notion, Marshall could only stare at him with a sad smile on his face. Oh Zuma, I'm so sorry. But I don't want you to get heartbroken knowing you have a rival. With that, Marshall began walking to his broken brother, and began patting him on his head. Zuma stilled at the touch, his face still very much red, but somehow, even brighter than before. "B-Brother?"

"It's okay, Zuma. I know you must've really liked her," And then he grabbed him by the shoulders. "BUT! I'm sorry to say, I don't think that girl is a good match for you! I'm sure she likes someone else! But don't you worry, brother! Because my brother grew up to be so handsome and strong, I'm sure you'll find the one that will be yours forever if you looked hard enough! There are plenty more other girls that can be right for you, I just know it! And as your older brother, I'm cheering for you to find her! You have my support all the way! Please don't give up!"

When Marshall opened his eyes after giving Zuma his speech, he was shocked to see him in such a gloomy state.

"Eh, Zuma?"

"Master Marshall, that's quite enough," Ace said, looking both amused and exasperated. "You already did enough to the poor boy today."

'Enough' meaning Zuma was in tears knowing that somehow, somehow, his life came to this. That Chase was right - he really did fall for an idiot. 

After Zuma got himself together and two went their separate ways, Marshall found himself walking to class alone. Now that he was away from everyone else, Marshall allowed himself to frown, sadden by the events today. In just two days, he thought. She has already conquered the hearts of the prince and my brother. This is girl really something.

So lost in thought, Marshall almost missed the gentle footsteps walking his way until he looked up and saw a very pretty girl walking his way. She had curly, dirty-blonde hair tied into two pigtails with small curled bangs coming across her forehead, had pink eyes that matched her pink dress. She also had a pretty sparkly pink hairclip in her hair, shaped like an airplane. Her feet were covered by some large brown boots. It was very clear that she was not like the rest of the high-class girls Marshall had seen and knew, and it made him very curious.

The two walked passed each other, with Marshall sparing her a glance out of his corner eye - and to his shock, the girl did the same. Marshall felt his heart flipped into his throat as he watched her walk, adrenaline going through his veins.

Wow, he thought. She's so pretty....

.....

......

......Who is she?    

Chapter Text

Marshall had just barely made his way into the classroom when he heard a familiar voice called out to him.

"Over here Master Mathew!"

He looked up to see Everest waving to him, along with Ella, who stood by their seats. With a smile, Marshall made his way over to them.

"Please come sit by us, Master Mathew." Everest said. 

"Okay."

Marshall pulled out his seat in between Everest and Ella with students slowly making their way into the room as well. Briefly, he looked up to see the pretty girl from the hallway make her way into the room, heading towards a row in the back. So she's in this class too, huh? I wonder who she is. Marshall thought. Soon, it didn't take long for the teacher to begin the class.

"As you all know, magic is divided into four elements; Water, Fire, Earth, and Air. From there, other types of magic branches out depending on the type. For example, there is a chance of you having ice magic if your based element is water, or lightening magic if your based element is fire. However, having secondary elemental magic is rare, roughly making of about 13% of all magic users. The other type of magic is rare magic; magic that evolves in some other way that isn't elemental. For example, there is music magic - a type of magic that can made by any given object as long as it can produce a sound. There is also light magic - a type of magic that is said to be a blessed and is able to cure anything." The teacher said. As he talked, Marshall struggled to pay attention. Light magic is blessed magic huh? "It is crucial to understand your own magical attribute and learn how to use it effectively. Now, open your textbook."

As the other students obeyed, Marshall couldn't help but glance at the girl from the hallway from the corner of his eye. She's so pretty, he thought. I wonder what magic she has....

"Master Mathew, please open your book." The teacher said. When it appeared that Marshall wasn't listening, he snapped his fingers, causing the book on Marshall's desk to open up, startling the duke's son. "Please pay attention, Master Mathew."

"H-Heh...yes sir." Marshall said, blushing and slumping in his seat when he heard the other students giggles. He never noticed that the girl he was looking at was looking back at him, curious. The day went on after, with Marshall going from class to class until the sun began to set and he, along with Everest and Ella, were free and walking towards their dorms.

"Is there something wrong, Marshall?" Ella asked when she noticed the sad look on Marshall's face. Startled out of his thoughts, Marshall blinked and turned to her.

"E-Eh.."

"If you feel unwell, just say so. I'll look after you day and night." Everest said, looking way too eager for someone who's engaged to another man. Marshall just smiled at the both of them. Such good friends.

"Thank you, but I am fine."

"Ella."

At the voice, the three looked to see Ella's brother, Tuck, walking towards them. Ella smiled.

"Big brother!"

"How's school? Are you okay?" He asked. 

"Yes. I share a dorm with Lady Everest and have been mostly at her side. For classes, I share majority with Lady Everest and Master Marshall, so I'm having fun." Ella said. At that, a little smile appeared on Tuck's face - one that didn't go unnoticed by Marshall. Huh, he thinks. That smile is kind of cute.

"We only separated in our practical classes," Marshall said. Then he frowned, looking down at the ground, disappointed. "My fire magic is still weak. I'm surprised they haven't kicked me out for having such weak skill."

"Well, that's why we're here, Marshall; to use our magic better." Ella said. "Additionally, I don't think the Magic Academy is going to kick you out for that. Many of us just aren't as skillful as others and the Academy knows that. This is a place to learn, not to mock. Besides, you aren't the only one whose magic is practically useless. Take my brother and I's magic for example. Both of us have air magic, but I can't use it the same way he can."

"And I have a rare elemental magic that sometimes is a little hard to control." Everest said with a sad smile on her face. At that, Marshall is surprised.

"Really? But you've been working hard at it, I know you have! And every time, your magic comes out so beautifully." He said, making Everest blush. She giggled.

"True, but it took a long time and even now, I still have my slip ups. But thanks for the boost of confidence, Marshall."

"And yours will be the same way, Marshall," Tuck said, causing the boy to look at him. "It may not seem like it now, but I doubt your magic is actually weak. Keep practicing, and work hard. I know you can do this."

Looking into Tuck's eyes, Marshall couldn't help but blush a little, heart thumping into his throat. Gosh, he's so handsome. Why is Tuck so handsome? 

"Keep practicing huh? That's what Prince Chase and my brother Zuma told me when we were younger." Marshall muttered.

"Doesn't Prince Chase have a rare magic too? Time magic, I believe?" Everest asked. Tuck nodded his head.

"He does." Tuck said.

"That's amazing, I don't think I've ever seen it." Everest replied. At that, Marshall looked thoughtful.

"Come to think of it..." He started as the memories of his childhood with Chase started to play in his head. "I don't think, in all the times I was practicing my magic, I have ever seen Prince Chase use his magic either."

"From what he has told me, time magic is a very tricky magic. There are things that Chase can and cannot do, can and cannot change, and no matter what the timeline, he must never interfere with what was meant to be." Tuck said. "He is very cautious of the fact that he can create a time paradox if he isn't careful."

"Huh," Marshall said in a thoughtful tone before his body turned into absolute stone. "Wait, so, hypothetically speaking, if someone were to die...then..."

"Then Chase cannot use his magic to bring them back to life." Tuck said. Marshall let out a nervous laugh.

"O-Oh."

Well, there goes that plan, he thinks.

"Still, from the few glimpses I've seen, Prince Chase has been doing all he can to workaround certain events and making his time magic stronger. If he keeps it up, there's a possibility where not even time rules would apply to him." Tuck said. At that, Marshall looked curious.

"Oh? What events?" He asked. As soon as the words left his lips, Tuck tensed.

"Oh...I said too much," Tuck shook his head. "Let's forget this conversation. Prince Chase would be mad at me if I say anything else about his magic."

All this really did was reward Tuck a few bewildered looks from Everest, Ella, and Marshall, but they decided to let the conversation drop and turn to something else. However, in the back of his mind, Marshall was still pondering about the things he'd learned from Tuck. I wonder what events could he be trying to workaround?  Maybe....Maybe he wants a route in which Skye falls for him even more? if so, good luck Chase! I will be rooting for you!