The Adventures of Starmonia

Chapter Four: Meeting the Stellarums

A blond-haired girl about seven years old scurried through the massive crowd milling in front of Cloudy’s house and hurried up to the front porch. “Excuse me?” she asked Springtime, who was standing in front of the grill talking to Springtime.

Springtime turned her head and glanced down at the girl. “Yes?”

“Do you have a bathroom here?”

“Yes, just inside.”

“Thanks,” the little girl said, darting into the house. Springtime grinned and called after her, “You’re welcome.”

It was Thanksgiving Day, and the outing was in full swing. The children were playing on a makeshift playground while the adults chatted or helped cook the food needed for the big feast that would take place later that evening. The sky was a cloudless blue and the sun warmed everyone through, though it was not even sixty degrees. The scent of the roses on the bushes in front of the house wafted through the air and created a lovely fragrance. A raven called out to another raven, and a third raven answered them. A goose honked as it flew overhead.

Showerstorm shook his head in amazement when he saw how many were gathered. “This place is packed!” he exclaimed.

“Must be a million people here,” joked Springtime. “Just kidding. Still, I’m surprised so many people turned out here.”

“I hope they’ll have a great day,” the blond-haired child said as she came out the front door. She smiled at Springtime and Showerstorm and then darted away.

“Cute kid,” Showerstorm said.

“Isn’t that Miriam’s friend? The Palmer girl?” Springtime asked.

“Yes, I believe it is.”

“She has a twin sister.”

“I know. I saw. They look exactly the same. Wonder how their parents can tell them apart!”

“I’m sure they have their ways,” Springtime said calmly. Then she nervously cast a look around. “Oh, I hope our plan works. Miriam’s future may depend on it.” She bit her lip in anxiety. “What if these people don’t cooperate?”

“Don’t doubt your plan once it’s underway. If you have one, then stick with it until the end,” said Showerstorm.

Springtime nodded, feeling reassured. She smiled at her darling husband. One of the nicest characteristics about him was that he had the ability to make anyone feel better with just a few comforting words. Just like his father, she thought. Scooting a few feet over to him, she gave him a gentle hug, and he fondly returned the embrace.

* * * * *

Cloudy impatiently peered over the heads of the crowd from her position in the tree house her parents and a few of the neighbors had built almost a week earlier. She was waiting for Eloise Palmer, one of Miriam’s friends and a strong Christian. Nika Palmer, Eloise’s younger twin sister, was sitting on the lone swing attached to the tree house. Zach Linky, a handsome nine-year-old and another one of Miriam’s friends, sat on the slide. Arrow and Lily, a German Shepherd from Cloudy’s class, sat on the ground together behind the tree house. Miriam was standing underneath one of the tree’s overhanging branches. She was wearing her rose bracelet again. Star, bored, balanced easily on the middle of the seesaw.

“Come on, Eloise, hurry up,” Lily muttered, sighing out loud.

Zach yawned and blinked against the dazzling glare of the sun. “What’s the hurry, Lily?” he called down to her. “It’s not like we’re doing anything right now, ya know.”

“We are about to play the prince rescuing the princess from the pirates,” Cloudy called down to him, rolling her eyes. “Sniper and his brothers just need to get the costumes first.”

Zach snorted and swatted at a mosquito on his arm. “Your brothers are really into pirates, aren’t they?”

“Oh, yeah. They even dressed up as pirates for Halloween!” Cloudy suspired loudly and raised her eyes to the heavens. “I mean, they can pursue whatever passions they want, but this is honestly getting a bit out of hand.”

“Don’t you mean paw?” Zach said, grinning. His brown eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Very funny, Zach,” Cloudy retorted.

“But if you’re getting tired of them playing pirates, then why play this game?” Nika asked, looking up at Cloudy.

“Because I’m practically bored and this is only game they suggested that actually seemed fun.”

“Ironic,” Miriam murmured.

“Hi, guys, I’m back,” panted Eloise as she darted over to them. “Sniper and the other boys are right behind me with the costumes.”

“Oh, joy,” Star said sarcastically. “I can’t wait. I’m dying from impatience.”

“Star, cut with the sarcasm,” Zach ordered sternly. “You never know, this could be fun.”

“Yeah, perhaps, but my definition of fun is not always my brothers’ definition of fun.”

Before Zach could say anything else, Cloudy’s brothers reappeared with the costumes. “All right, men—and ladies,” Sniper said importantly. “Here are your roles. I am the pirate leader, Cap’n Dave, and Yodi and Waffle are my men.”

“Why do we have to be your men?” Yodi muttered quietly. Sniper didn’t hear him, but Cloudy did.

“Pancake and Sharkell are the princess’s knights, and Arrow is the prince. Zach, Eloise, Nika, Lily, and Miriam are the princess’s servants; Cloudy, you are the princess; and Star, you are Cloudy’s lady-in-waiting.”

“Oh, great,” Star mumbled to herself. To Sniper she shouted, “And I’m a lady just waiting for you to start this dumb game so we can hurry up and end it!”

Sniper stared at her for a moment, his face breaking into a scowl. “It’s not dumb. Heck, this’ll be the most awesome game you’ve ever played in your whole life!”

“I doubt that, Cap’n Dave,” Star retorted. “By the way, what kind of name is that? That’s the most wimpy pirate name ever! That doesn’t even sound scary; it just sounds lame. Why not choose a name like Bloodthirsty Ben Or Blackbeard Barney?”

“No way! Cap’n Dave’s amazing! He’s the most famous pirate ever!”

“Grow up, Sniper! Cap’n Dave isn’t even real! He’s a character from a stupid movie!” Star shouted.

“He’s real if I say he is!” Sniper yelled.

“Okay, can we just play now?” demanded Yodi, breaking up the argument. “And for the record, Sniper, no one cares if Cap’n Dave is real or not. At least they shouldn’t.”

“Yodi’s right! Let’s get our costumes on and get in the bouncy castle!” Lily said.

The children slipped into the garments that were to serve as costumes and adjusted them to their proper size. When they finished, they stood around a few moments gazing at one another.

“Do I look as silly as you do?” Eloise asked Star.

Star grunted in response as she gazed with disgust upon the blue cloak she was wearing. “This costume is hideous,” she grumbled. She peered more closely at it. “Wait a minute. This is Daddy’s! Sniper, why did you give me a boy’s cloak!”

“Aw, be quiet and live with it,” was Sharkell’s response.

“Hey,” Cloudy demanded suspiciously as she surveyed the pastel-pink cloak wrapped around her shoulders. “Isn’t this Mommy’s?”

“Yeah, duh,” Sniper said. He looked odd with his black eye patch and rusted cutlass.

“What!” Lily burst out. “You took it out of her room?!”

“Of course,” Sniper replied. “There aren’t many princess costumes lying around the house, so I had to scrounge up something. And this was it.”

Cloudy’s eyes popped wide open when she saw a black velvet case sitting on the grass right next to her. “Oh, no. No. Sniper, did you—? You didn’t!”

“Yeah, I did,” Sniper said proudly. “Now you can be a real princess!”

“What is it?” Nika asked, kneeling next to the case and gently lifting the lid. Eloise peered over her shoulder, and both gasped.

Sitting in the case on a bed of soft silk was a magnificent diamond crown. Emeralds and rubies had been skillfully embedded into it and a giant opal sat right in the center on the front of the crown. The sunlight flashed on the jewels and radiated its beauty into the chilly afternoon. When Nika bent sideways while looking at the crown, she could see a rainbow shimmering inside it.

“This is amazing!” Eloise gasped. “Is this your mother’s, Cloudy?”

“Yes, it is,” Cloudy said angrily. “It belonged to an ancient queen and it is very priceless!”

“You mean this is authentic?” Nika asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes, and very fragile.”

Nika winced and shut the lid. She didn’t want anything to happen to so valuable a treasure. “Sniper, Cloudy can’t wear this. It could break,” she said gently. “You need to take it back inside.”

“No, I’m going to do it,” Miriam said. She stooped and gently lifted the case into her arms, holding it gently as if it were a child. “It’s a miracle it was able to come out here in one piece. Now I’m gonna make sure it gets back inside in one piece. See you in a minute.” She walked off and mingled with the crowd until they could no longer see her.

“You need to bring this back too,” Cloudy said, pulling off the pink cloak and handing it to Sniper. “Mommy doesn’t want this getting ruined. It’s all she has left of her mother.”

“No way! You need to have something to wear!” Sniper insisted. “A princess can’t just wear nothing!”

“Did you even ask her before taking that—or the crown?” Zach asked, crossing his arms.

A guilty look crossed Sniper’s face, and the others interpreted that as a no. “But we already have it. We might as well use it,” he pointed out. He shrugged and added, “Besides, it’s a lot less likely to get ruined than the crown was.”

Thought Cloudy hated to admit it, her brother was right. “Fine,” she consented. “But I swear, if anything happens to it. . .”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to it,” Star said pointedly. “Can we just play now?”

“Wait for Miriam,” Nika said.

In a minute, Miriam came back, and now the fun could start. “The tree house,” Sniper said, “can be the tower in which the princess is imprisoned. And of course, the bouncy castle is the castle in which the princess lives. Got it? Let’s go!”

Cloudy gingerly stepped into the castle and sat down on the imaginary throne, her knights, servants, and lady-in-waiting surrounding her. Arrow sat beside her.

“What would thou have us do, O princess?” Star said, bowing low.

“I want you, O my lady-in-waiting and loyal knights and servants, to guard me from the evil pirate band,” Cloudy replied in a high-pitched tone. “They will do everything they can to capture me and take over the throne!”

“With all due respect, Your Grace,” Pancake said, his blueish-white cloak reflecting the dim light, “there is no possible way they could take you down. You are too strong and brave. You have conquered every villain that has tried to harm you!”

“Don’t waste your flattery on me,” Cloudy said lightly. “Alas! flattery is but vanity.”

“True, my princess,” Arrow said. “As the wise king Solomon once said in his book of Ecclesiastes, ‘All is vanity.’”

“Your Highness,” Eloise said, curtsying, “you remind me of a great philosopher who lived two hundred years ago. He spake almost the exact words as you. Do you know of whom I speak? It was the great Germani, the one who wrote the book Imagination of the Mind.”

“Yes, Germani,” Arrow said thoughtfully. “A good Christian, he was, but he had some odd ideas.”

“Yeah, like that one idea he had after he went sort of wacky,” Sharkell said. “This man literally thought that he was imagining everyone he saw.” His eyes grew wide and his voice became dramatic. “But perhaps, O prince and princess, he was right! Perhaps we are just imagining one another! Perhaps none of us are real! I could be imagining you and never even know it! Perhaps you—”

“Okay, halt,” Cloudy ordered, holding up a royal paw. “I promise that we are not imagining each other.”

“How do you know?” Sharkell asked, for once forgetting to be respectful.

“Because my imagination could never come up with someone like you,” Cloudy said in a bold tone, and the Palmer sisters broke into laughter.

“Well, your imagination isn’t very great, then!” Sharkell snapped back. That time, everyone burst out laughing to the point where their sides began to hurt.

Just then, Sniper, Yodi, and Waffle burst into the castle and began attacking the knights. Pancake pretended to be stabbed to death by Waffle’s cutlass and fell prostrate onto the floor, motionless. Sharkell slipped out the door and tried to run away, but Yodi overtook him and brought him down.

“Aye, lassie,” Sniper said with a wicked grin, brandishing his cutlass in Cloudy’s face as she sat frozen in fear. “Ye know me. I am Cap’n Dave and I have come to take the throne from ye!”

“Stay away from my princess!” Arrow barked, drawing his rapier and thrusting it at Sniper. Sniper avoided it and knocked Arrow’s word to the floor, leaving him weaponless.

“Ha, ha! What will ye do now?” Sniper cackled with glee. “Ye are powerless against the great Cap’n Dave and his band!” He turned to Yodi and Sharkell and commanded: “Barney, Mustafa, kill all but the princess! Spare no other!”

Yodi and Sharkell jumped to do Sniper’s bidding. The servants screamed in fear as they all tried to get away from the vicious pirates, but there was nothing they could do. They were all killed except for Star, Arrow, and Eloise, for they managed to escape out the door and run for their lives.

Sniper growled as he realized that three of the royal inhabitants had escaped, including the prince. “Well, they are of no use to us anyway,” he comforted himself. “We have the princess. That’s all we were after.” To his loyal followers he commanded, “Take the princess to the Tower of Torture. She will learn what happens to her if she refuses to hand over the throne to us!”

“Help! Help!” Cloudy cried in her princess’s voice as the pirates dragged her to the tree house and forced her to climb the ladder. Then they climbed up after her.

Down below, hidden in the deep shadows, stood Prince Arrow as he gazed bravely up at the tower in which his love was imprisoned. Star and Eloise stood with him.

“What shall we do, Your Highness?” Star whispered. “Thy princess is a prisoner in yonder tower!”

Arrow had to smile. Though Star had formerly acted like she didn’t like playing this game, she now seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

“Yes, we must save her!” Eloise whispered fearfully.

“I have an idea,” Arrow said quietly. “I shall climb up and fight Cap’n Dave myself and rescue the princess!”

“How, Your Grace?” Star asked. “You have no weapon.”

“I do,” Eloise answered, drawing out Sharkell’s sword from beneath her dress and handing it to Arrow. “I picked it up as we ran away from the castle.”

Arrow accepted the sword and raised it high. “Stay here,” he whispered fiercely. “I will go and save Princess Cloudy!”

“Be careful, Your Majesty,” Star begged.

“I will.”

Arrow stole carefully toward the tower, taking great care not to be seen by Yodi, who was on guard. For a moment Arrow was undecided. Should he storm the tower and fight the pirates? Should he sneak in by a different way? Should he distract the guard?

Arrow took a long, deep breath and made his decision. He was going to storm the tower. He quickly climbed the ladder and struck down the guard before he could react. Sniper whirled and saw Arrow, his sword drawn, standing over Yodi, who was pretending to be dead.

“How did ye barge in here?” Sniper demanded, drawing his cutlass.

“Arrow!” gasped Cloudy.

“Cloudy!” Arrow exclaimed.

“Ye are dead!” Sniper roared, charging toward Arrow at full speed.

“No!” Cloudy screamed, covering her eyes with her front paws.

Thankfully, Arrow leaped aside and avoided being stabbed. Sword in his mouth, he chased Sniper in circles around the tower.

Star and Eloise climbed the ladder and jumped into the middle of the battle, Eloise holding a dagger.

“Let the princess go!” Star cried.

“O lady-in-waiting and Sharrone, what are you doing?!” Cloudy shouted.

“Defending thee!” Eloise called, striking down Waffle, who had heard the commotion and had come running in from the next room. “Quickly, princess! Escape while there is still time!”

“I will not leave my prince!”

The price chased Cap’n Dave out onto the balcony of the tower, and there they stood, several thousand feet above the ground. Sniper raised his shield as Arrow drove his sword at him and knocked the shield over the edge of the railing. It careened wildly toward the ground below. . .

“Ouch!” came a woman’s yell from somewhere down below. Arrow and Sniper froze for a minute, looking at one another. Then Arrow cautiously stepped to the edge of the balcony and peered over the railing at a blond-haired woman rubbing her head, a peeved expression on her face. “Who hit me with that shield?” she muttered.

“Sorry about that,” Arrow called down to her.

Surprised, the woman looked up at Arrow dressed in his prince outfit. Blinking a few times, she asked, “Did you throw that?”

“Throw what?” Arrow wondered.

The woman pointed to the shield lying on the ground nearby. “That.”

“Nobody threw it. My friend and I were playing and I knocked the shield away from him.”

Instantly, the woman looked contrite. “Oh.” She glanced around, then up at Arrow again. “Who else is over here with you?”

One by one, Cloudy and her friends abandoned the game and met together in front of the tree house. The woman carefully counted them and said in amazement, “Thirteen children. My, that’s a lot.”

Cloudy noticed for the first time that the woman was wearing a white rose in her hair.

“Mother!” came a shout from nearby. Cloudy turned her head and saw a masked knight wearing a navy-blue cape, gray pauldrons with yellow lining, and a rapier in a brown sheath running toward the woman. He stopped in front of her, breathless. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m okay, dear,” the woman said gently, laying her hand on the knight’s arm. She seemed touched by her son’s concern.

“Whoa, hello,” Sniper muttered to Yodi. “That guy’s rocking his Halloween costume a little too late, isn’t he?”

“Excuse me?” the woman said sharply, snapping her head toward Sniper. “My son is not wearing a Halloween costume. This is his regular clothing.”

Sniper shut his mouth and remained silent.

“Umm, what’s your name?” Cloudy asked the woman.

“My name is Scazzarda Stellarum. This is my son, Magnus,” the woman replied.

“Stellarum?” Star repeated. “Mommy told us she invited you.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“You look like a really nice lady,” Nika said shyly. “You almost remind me of my mother.”

“Yeah, you do,” Eloise agreed. “She kinda looks like you.”

Scazzarda chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that. Yes, I am a very kind person. And I’m sure your mother’s a very nice woman as well. I’d like to meet her.” She eyed each of the children in turn. “What are your names?”

One by one, the children told her their names. Cloudy went last. “My name is Cloudburst, but I prefer to be called Cloudy. I am the Prophesied Star Warrior who will save Dreamland.”

Scazzarda started, then exclaimed, “Why, I had no idea! I can’t believe my eyes! You’re here at last!”

The knight said not a word, but his eyes flashed light green.

“Ah! Hey! Your son’s eyes just turned green!” Zach told Scazzarda. He sounded a bit frightened.

Scazzarda laughed, her laugh sounding the patter of rain on a summer day. “Oh, don’t be alarmed. His eyes change colors depending on what his emotions are. Yellow is his normal eye color. They turn light green when he’s deep in thought. They turn blue when he’s happy or calm, dark green when he’s anxious, orange when he’s confused, red when he’s angry, pink when he’s amused, purple when he’s in love. . .”

“Mother,” the knight said sternly, clearly embarrassed. Cloudy stifled her laughter, pretending to clear her throat.

“. . .and white when he’s shocked, scared, or fearful of others’ lives,” Scazzarda finished. “I have learned to read his emotions quite well.”

“I can believe that. After all, he is your son,” replied Miriam.

Sniper was studying the knight’s clothing. “Hey, Magnet!” he shouted. “Are you a soldier or something?”

“My name is Magnus, and yes, I am a soldier,” the knight said shortly. He didn’t seem to want to volunteer any more information on the subject.

“Magnus is a wonderful name,” Nika said sincerely, clasping her hands in front of her. “Who named you that?”

The knight stood looking away toward Whispy Woods. He visibly tensed, and Cloudy began to get concerned. “My father,” he said in a tone so quiet that Nika barely heard him.

Nika turned to Cloudy, jerked her thumb at the knight, and mouthed, “What’s up with this guy?!”

Cloudy shrugged, wishing she knew, but she didn’t. It wasn’t her business, anyhow; it was Magnus’. But his strange behavior did make her wonder—what was the matter with him?

“Well, well,” came a chilly voice from behind the group. “What are you all standing around here for? Having a meeting?”

“Oh, no,” whispered Star.

Sharkell’s eyes narrowed. “It can’t be.”

Cloudy was stunned. Slowly, she turned and looked straight into the eyes of Wylanda Coven. Wylanda wore a stunning aqua-colored dress and a brown headband studded with tiny pumpkins, and a turkey charm bracelet hung around her wrist. A pink porcelain rose hung on a golden chain about her neck.

“Well, I didn’t want to go to your lame party, but Mom decided it would be fun, so here I am,” Wylanda said snottily. Her gaze rested upon Scazzarda and the knight, and a disgusted look settled over her features. “Are you having a meeting with this old hag here?”

Cloudy and Star gasped and the boys looked ready to throw hands. Scazzarda looked hurt, but she maintained her dignity and politely replied, “We’re not having a meeting; we’re just chatting. My name is Scazzarda Stellarum, in case you were wondering.”

“I wasn’t, but thanks,” Wylanda said insincerely. She sniffed and turned up her nose at the knight, who watched her with steely eyes. “And who is this? A blueberry?”

“His father must be a strawberry, then,” said Wylanda. She looked at Scazzarda. “And with that mussed, grotesque yellow dress of yours, you could be a squashed, inedible banana.”

Cloudy’s mouth dropped open. She stared, speechless, at Wylanda. How could she even think of saying such rude things to an adult? Just because Scazzarda was older than the rest of them or because the knight looked odd didn’t give Wylanda a right to make fun of them.

“Someone please give me the go-ahead to slap this girl in the face,” Pancake hissed.

“Yeah. She deserves it,” Star whispered. “She can’t get away with being mean to the Stellarums—or anyone else.”

The knight’s eyes glowed a bright red, and Cloudy found herself getting nervous. “You do not talk to my mother that way.”

Wylanda scoffed and burst out laughing. “Ha! I knew your father was a strawberry! Your eyes are red just like a strawberry!”

“Yeah, and my face is turning red with anger,” Eloise said under her breath. “I’m seeing red—never mind, I’m cracking too many jokes.”

Star did her best to suppress her laughter. Zach hid a smile.

Wylanda then glared with distaste at the children’s costumes. “What kind of getup are you all wearing?” she demanded. “Yo, this is, like, last year’s fashion, okay? You all just totally put the uncool in school with these freaky clothes.”

“Shut up, Wylanda,” Sniper said curtly. “We were playing a game.”

“Oh? What game is that? A fashion contest?” Wylanda asked. “If so, then I say all of you lose. You have no clue what it means to be cool.” She tossed her head, causing her brown corkscrew curls to dance. “In fact, you only know what it’s like to be suckers. You all belong in the geek squad. Except for you,” she told the knight. “You belong in a grocery store. Though it would probably be a waste of time to sit around in the produce section, ‘cause I don’t know who in their right mind would want to buy such an ugly fruit as you.”

Some people overheard Wylanda’s statement and snickered. Scazzarda bit her lip. She could see how upset her son was getting and knew that if somebody didn’t make Wylanda be quiet, he could blow up and do something dangerous.

“Cut it out and stop being mean, Wylanda,” Sharkell ordered. “Magnus can’t help the way he looks.”

“I agree,” Wylanda said sarcastically. “Magnet can’t help the way he looks. Hey, come to think of it, that’s a good name for him because he attracts ugliness.”

“Wylanda!” Star yelled. “Shut your trap!”

“Yeah! What’s your problem?” Cloudy asked. “Why do you enjoy being so mean?”

Wylanda smirked in answer and tossed her head again, then walked off without so much as a backward glance. Cloudy shook her head in exasperation. Wylanda had to be dealt with or else she would cause a riot.

Note: I do not own any Kirby characters that are not created by me (such as Meta Knight.) All canon Kirby characters are owned by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo.