The Adventures of Starmonia

Chapter Two: Surprise Announcement

Meta Knight walked steadily along the trail, Cloudy curled up in his arms. As he walked, he told Cloudy about his life and family—some parts of which were shocking and sad.

“My wife left me not long after Liloy became a teenager,” Meta Knight explained, his voice full of sorrow.

“Why?” Cloudy asked, then clapped a paw over her mouth as she realized how rude that was. “Oh, I’m sorry, that was not polite. . .”

“It’s okay,” Meta Knight assured her. “She divorced me because she didn’t love me.”

“Then why did she even marry you in the first place?” Cloudy demanded. “I don’t get that!”

Meta Knight shrugged and shifted Cloudy a little. “Who can say?” He took a deep breath and continued, “My son, Gregory, abuses drugs and drinks heavily.”

“Drugs?! Drinks?!” Horror in her eyes, Cloudy stared at Meta Knight, who looked away, unable to stand her look.

“Yes. My son-in-law, Tilry, is in the hospital with cancer.” On and on he went, explaining about his children and other relatives. But Cloudy found it rather odd that he mentioned nothing about his father or even who his father was.

By and by, they reached the beginning of the trail. Meta Knight halted, not remembering which way to go. “Left or right, Cloudy?” he asked. When there was no reply, he looked down, and to his surprise, saw Cloudy asleep in his arms, her breathing slow and steady. He smiled at how calm and quiet she was and how adorable she looked when she was asleep.

“I hate to wake her,” Meta Knight sighed, “but we need to get back to her house before we get stuck in the dark.” He cleared his throat and gently tapped Cloudy’s back. “Cloudy, wake up.”

“Hmm?” Cloudy murmured, opening one eye. She must have dozed off. “What? Where’s the fire?”

“We’ve reached the beginning of the trail. Where from here?”

“Ummm. . .” Cloudy cracked open her other eye, lifted her head, and looked around. After a few seconds of deduction, she jerked her head to the left. “That way.”

“Very well.”

Meta Knight turned left and continued on his way. Ten minutes later, they reached the beginning of Whispy Woods. He walked out of the woods, but halted at the edge, From where he stood, he saw other children playing on Cloudy’s property. A few puppies and humanoid children were darting around and tumbling over each other, screaming and laughing and having a great time. Meta Knight recognized most of them from the Thanksgiving feast. But as he gazed at the happy kids, a wave of sadness washed over him. He had never had a wonderful childhood because of his father’s abuse, but Meta Knight hadn’t told Cloudy that yet. He wasn’t sure he was ready to trust her with such a dark secret.

“Ah, that is a lot of children over at your place today,” Meta Knight commented.

Cloudy beamed and leaped from his arms. “Aw, those are my siblings and friends. You’ve met them before,” she said. “Let’s go over and greet them.”

Meta Knight nodded and followed Cloudy across the pasture. Of course, the fence down the middle hindered them, but Meta Knight wasn’t fazed in the slightest. He put his right hand on the top rail, boosted himself, then swung himself over to the other side. Cloudy slipped between the fence rails.

“Hey, that was a cool jump you did,” Cloudy complimented Meta Knight.

“Thank you, child,” Meta Knight said lightly. “I’m able to do certain stunts. I learned them in the GSA.”

“What’s the GSA?” Cloudy asked.

“The Galaxy Soldier Army, also known as the Star Warrior Army. Star Warriors fight together in this army and work together to attack monsters and try to take down Nightmare.” Meta Knight chuckled. “One day, you could join the GSA too.”

Cloudy looked up at him, her green eyes serious. “Of course I will,” she said calmly.

Meta Knight frowned a little at her expression, wondering why she didn’t take her job as a Star Warrior more lightly. Most Star Warriors did. As he gazed at her face, he wondered if perhaps she was one of those rare Star Warriors who believed duty came before play or lightheartedness.

At that moment, Springtime and Showerstorm appeared on the porch and Springtime called, “Keep it down, please, children!” Just then, she caught sight of Cloudy out in the pasture standing with someone Springtime thought she recognized, but wasn’t sure.

“Hi, Mommy!” Cloudy shouted, running over to her parents. Meta Knight followed more sedately behind. “Hi, Daddy!”

“My dear, who is your friend?” Showerstorm wanted to know.

“This is Meta Knight, Scazzarda’s son,” Cloudy replied.

“I thought his name was Magnet,” Sniper said with a smirk. “And I see he’s still rolling out the Halloween costume.”

“Sniper, shhh! Mind your manners!” Springtime reprimanded him.

“His name is Magnus Stellarum, but he wishes to be called Meta Knight,” answered Cloudy, shooting Sniper a dirty look. “Anyway, I went to visit his mom, but she wasn’t home, so I met up with Meta Knight and he wanted to take me home, so I let him, and he told me about his fa—” Cloudy quickly shut her mouth, realizing that Meta Knight’s family was not a public subject to be discussed, but rather a matter to be handled in private.

“He told you about his what, honey?” Springtime asked.

“Later,” Cloudy muttered to Springtime under her breath. Then she smiled. “Well, he’s a nice person and I like him and he’s my friend. I’d like to keep visiting him and he to visit me, if that’s okay with you.”

“We’ll see, honey,” said Springtime. No way was she letting one of her children visit someone they barely knew without first checking their history.

Cloudy turned to Meta Knight. “Let me introduce you to my family,” she said cheerfully. She gestured to her mom and dad and said, “These are my parents, Springtime and Showerstorm.””So nice to meet you, Ma—um, Meta Knight,” Springtime gently told him.

“Yes, we’re very pleased to make your acquaintance,” Showerstorm said formally.

Cloudy then turned and pointed with her paw to each of her siblings in turn, telling Meta Knight their names. “These are Sniper, Sharkell, Yodi, Pancake, Waffle, and Azalea-Star, better known as Star.” The she smiled. “And I suppose you remember my friends’ names?”

Meta Knight smiled. “Not really.”

Moving over to a dark-skinned humanoid girl with brown eyes and glossy black hair, Cloudy said, “This is Miriam Capperdale, my very best friend. She’s eight. And these—” She gestured to two blond-haired twins. “—are Eloise and Nika Palmer. They’re eight too.” Then she stepped over to the last child, a brown-haired boy with sparkling hazel eyes. “And last but not least, this is Zach Linky. He’s nine.”

“It is very nice to meet you all,” Meta Knight said quietly.

“You too, Meta Knight,” Nika responded.

Springtime smiled, glad that she had trained Cloudy to be so polite. Even if none of them particularly knew Meta Knight that well, they still wanted him to feel at home.

After the introductions, for a long moment, there was silence. No one knew what to say. They all stood around and glanced at one another, uncertain what to do next.

“Kids,” Springtime said brightly, breaking the awkward pause, “I just baked some blueberry pie. Anyone want some?”

“Yeah!” the kids cheered.

Just then, a gray car cruised down the road and pulled off onto the grass outside the pasture’s fence. The driver’s door opened and out stepped a pretty humanoid woman with blond hair and dark green eyes. “Hey, all!” she called, opening the gate and entering, then walking over to the others. “It’s so nice to see you all again!”

A warm smile spread across Springtime’s face. “Hello, Scazzarda!” she said. “Thanks for stopping by.”

“I’m glad to be here,” said Scazzarda. Her eyes landed on Meta Knight, who avoided her gaze. “Hello, Magnus. What are you doing here?”

“Mother, do not call me Magnus. My name is Meta Knight. And as for my business being here, I brought Cloudy back to her house. I wanted to meet her family.”

“Why were you away from your house, honey?” Scazzarda asked Cloudy.

“I wanted to visit you, but you weren’t home, and I met Meta Knight and we became friends,” Cloudy explained.

Scazzarda grinned. “I’m so glad you did! My son is very withdrawn and never seems to like talking to a lot of people outside his family. I’m surprised he took a fancy to you.” She gave Meta Knight a questioning look.

“There’s something special about this child,” was all Meta Knight would say. “And I do not mean because she is the Prophesied One.”

Cloudy knit her brow. What did Meta Knight mean by that? It wasn’t as if she were above everyone else.

“Ahem,” Springtime broke in. “Children, Showerstorm and I need to discuss something with you.”

The children instantly perked up and gave her their full attention. “Yes, Mommy?” said Sharkell.

Springtime drew herself up and smiled. “Showerstorm and I are going to take you kids to Cloudy’s aunt’s friend’s house at Vastre Hall for Christmas. Of course, Miriam, the twins, and Zach all have to get their parents’ permission to come with us.”

“When do we leave?” Star asked.

“Tomorrow,” replied Springtime.

“Cool,” said Eloise. “If my dad and mom let us go, then Miriam can come too.”

“My parents will let me go if the rest of you can,” Zach said. “Oh, by the way, is it okay to invite Arrow?”

“Certainly,” said Showerstorm.

Cloudy grinned, feeling very excited now. Arrow was one of Cloudy’s friends from school. He was a gray Malamute with brown eyes and a curious personality. Cloudy suspected that Arrow actually liked her, though he had never told her so.

Springtime clapped her front paws together. “Then it’s settled. If you parents give permission, pack your bags and meet us here at the house tomorrow morning around seven.”

“How long will we be gone?” Miriam asked.

“Once New Year’s Day is over, we’ll start our trip home. You kids are on Christmas vacation now, correct?”

The children all nodded. “We start classes again a few days after the New Year,” Sniper replied.

“Good,” Springtime said with a smile.

Eloise raised her hand. “How are we going to be traveling?”

Showerstorm chuckled. “We’re gonna take to the sky!”

Gasps arose from all the children. “We’re going to fly?!” Pancake exclaimed.

“That’s correct.”

“Wow!” Waffle squealed. “We’re going to fly! I’ve always wanted to fly!”

“So have I!” Star said.

Springtime raised an eyebrow. “Of course, we will probably need an extra chaperone for the trip. Cloudy, can your teacher do it?”

“Nope. Mrs. Ivy’s going away with her boyfriend for Christmas,” Cloudy said.

“Oh.” Springtime turned to her friend. “Scazzarda, do you want to do it?”

Scazzarda frowned a little. “I mean, I’d love to, but we don’t get a break from work until Christmas Eve. . .But maybe Magnus can do it.”

“Meta Knight?” Springtime asked in surprise. “I don’t even know him that well.”

Cloudy felt a stab of sympathy as Meta Knight looked at the ground. Meta Knight was one of the nicest warriors Cloudy had ever met, and she felt certain he was capable of being a good chaperone.

Scazzarda laughed and put an arm on her son’s shoulder. “Oh, Magnus is very kind and good, and he loves children. He’s very dedicated to protecting them with his whole life.”

Meta Knight sighed. “I will do it if you need me that badly.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re dying for a chaperone,” Sniper said roughly, the words coming out a little more rudely than he intended. Cloudy stared at her brother, shocked that he would be so rude to an adult.

“Well, excuse me!” Nika said sharply. “Sniper, apologize to Meta Knight. That was so rude.”

Sniper rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m sorry.”

“That is all right,” Meta Knight said gently.

Springtime cleared her throat, attempting to relieve some of the tension. “Ummm, okay. Meta Knight, you’re the chaperone.”

Meta Knight nodded seriously, his eyes steely.

“Meet here early tomorrow morning,” Showerstorm said. “Pack plenty of jackets and sweaters ‘cause it is chilly up at Vastre Hall. This meeting is now adjourned!”

“This meeting is now what?” Star asked.

Showerstorm laughed. “Adjourned means over, sweetie. The meeting is now over. You kids can go back to whatever you were doing before.”

“Righteous, dudes!” Sniper said. Showerstorm raised an eyebrow at his eldest son, wondering where he had picked up that expression, then shrugged. No use worrying about it, he told himself. It was probably better not to know—if you believed in Sniper, that is.

The children dispersed into different areas of the pasture. Meta Knight was about to walk after Cloudy when Showerstorm placed a paw on his arm. “Meta Knight, wait. We need to talk to you a moment,” he said.

“Yes,” Springtime agreed. “Come with us.” To Scazzarda she shouted, “Hey, Scazzarda, can you watch the children for a few minutes?”

“Sure thing!” Scazzarda replied.

“Thank you!” Springtime called. “Let’s get inside,” she said to her husband and Meta Knight.

Meta Knight, feeling very uneasy, turned and followed the two adults inside. Cloudy watched the three, her eyes filled with puzzlement and a hint of darkness. Without a word to the others, she got up and crept over to the front door as soon as it was shut, pressing her ear to it to listen.

* * * * *

Meta Knight stood in the parlor as Springtime and Showerstorm sat in front of him, their expressions serious. The doors and windows were all shut and the curtains drawn because this was a private conversation.

“Meta Knight,” Springtime said, “we need to ask you about your history. I know Scazzarda says you’re kind and all—and we don’t doubt her—but we just need to check for ourselves.”

Meta Knight dropped his gaze to the floor. “If you really want to know about my history, ask your daughter,” he said darkly. “She knows a lot from my past.”

Springtime looked startled. “You mean Cloudy?” Meta Knight nodded. “What did you tell her?”

Meta Knight shrugged unhappily. “I married a woman a few years ago, but she divorced me because she didn’t love me. I have a younger sister named Tourmaline who was kicked out of the house at age ten because she became a Christian. I never saw her again after that.”

Springtime’s face showed pure horror. “Oh my word.”

“I have two foster children named Gregory and Liloy. Gregory is nineteen and drinks and severely abuses drugs. Liloy is seventeen and is expecting, and she is very sweet and kind like my mother. She is married to her cousin, Tilry, who is dying of cancer.”

Showerstorm and Springtime stared at him as though he were the worst criminal on the planet. Meta Knight cringed at their looks, but continued on.

“My wife hated me and divorced me not long after Liloy reached adolescence. My uncle, Magnus, whom I was named after, is very cruel and wicked, as well as his brother, Exia. My mother, as well as I, suffer from their abuse, but the worst possible abuse comes from my father.” Instantly, Meta Knight faltered and tried to take back what he had said. “I-I mean. . .”

Springtime’s shocked look morphed into one of alarm. “What?! You were abused by your father?!”

Showerstorm sighed and placed a paw to his head. “It never ends, does it. . .”

“Who is your father?” asked Springtime.

Meta Knight clenched his fists. “I cannot tell you!” he exclaimed. “You will all reject me if I do!”

“Why would you say that?” Showerstorm wondered.

Meta Knight felt like he was going to scream in anger and hatred, but he didn’t. “Because my father is Nightmare!” he burst out before he could stop himself. His eyes grew wide and he took a few steps back, realizing he had just let out his most painful secret.

Springtime gasped and Showerstorm’s face grew darker than the clouds gathered in the sky. Nightmare. . .

“You cannot be serious.” Showerstorm’s voice was full of disdain and rage. “How could a nice knight like you be the son of that wicked, wicked demon?”

Meta Knight didn’t answer. He turned his back on Springtime and Showerstorm, trembling. Springtime bit her lip in anxiety and glanced up at her husband, who shrugged, his eyes full of sorrow. Both were at a loss for words. How were they supposed to have known that Meta Knight had been so severely abused by the worst-feared demon in the universe?

“Meta Knight, sweetie, I’m sorry,” Springtime said, her voice dripping with empathy. She placed her paw gently on his arm. “I’m sorry you went through all that. . .I had no idea. . .”

Showerstorm nodded in agreement. “I’m sorry, too, Meta Knight.” There was nothing else he could say. What could he say anyway? He was practically speechless at Meta Knight’s now-revealed secret.

Meta Knight, feeling emotionally broken, began to cry. Springtime felt terrible for him. She wanted so badly to help him, but knew there was a limit at which she must refrain from helping others. Only God could surpass the boundaries and supply the real healing. Before she knew it, she had wrapped Meta Knight in a warm embrace, hugging him tightly, comforting him as best she could. Meta Knight wrapped his arms around her neck and cried into her fur, desperately wanting and needing comfort. Springtime was more than willing to give it to him.

“Mommy?” Cloudy said quietly, opening the door and stepping inside. Springtime jumped a little upon seeing her daughter.

“Cloudy, what are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “Were you listening to our conversation?”

Cloudy looked sheepish. “Uh, maybe?”

“Cloudy!” Showerstorm said sharply.

“Okay, okay!” Cloudy cried. “Yes, I was! I’m an eavesdropper! Are you happy?”

“And how much did you understand?” Springtime asked.

Cloudy shook her head in disbelief. “Meta Knight was abused by his dad, Nightmare.”

Showerstorm sighed heavily. “Do you even know what abuse is, child?”

Cloudy shrugged. “More or less?” she confessed. “It’s like mistreatment of a person or animal, and it can come in several different forms.”

Showerstorm nodded. “You’re right,” he said.

Springtime placed a paw on her head, her eyes revealing pure shock. “How could something so horrible as this have happened and we never knew it?” she questioned softly. “We live not far from the Stellarums.”

Showerstorm looked straight into his wife’s eyes and his voice was shaking slightly as he replied, “Maybe we never cared enough to go look for others in trouble.”

There was a dead silence as mom, dad, and child stared into each other’s eyes, silently communicating their thoughts. “Cloudy was brave enough to go out into the unknown and she found Meta Knight,” Springtime said finally. “What a strong girl.”

Cloudy just shrugged. She didn’t want praise. She just wanted Meta Knight to be safe from harm. Walking over to her newfound friend, she asked, Mommy and Daddy, promise me you won’t tell anyone Meta Knight’s origins?”

Meta Knight instantly became tense and Springtime knew he was scared—scared that others wouldn’t want or love him if they knew where he came from. She couldn’t let that happen. “Of course we won’t tell, honey,” Springtime said quickly.

“Never in a million years,” Showerstorm promised.

“Thanks,” Cloudy said softly, inwardly relieved.

Meta Knight disentangled himself from Springtime’s embrace and picked up Cloudy. “Thank you all,” he said calmly, though his voice was strained.

Cloudy gazed up at him, her emerald eyes clear and solemn. “You’re welcome.”

Meta Knight gently hugged Cloudy to himself and Cloudy licked his hand in appreciation of his kindness. Then he set her down, opened the front door, and stepped onto the porch

“Meta Knight?” Showerstorm called out tentatively.

Meta Knight turned. “Yes.”

“You’re welcome to come back anytime and visit our kids,” he said.

Meta Knight’s eyes glowed a light blue. “Thank you very much—and I will,” the knight answered. Then he turned and walked down the steps.

Cloudy trotted over to her parents and settled herself between them. “I’m so glad he’s my friend,” she said.

“And we’re glad he’s yours,” Springtime replied, ruffling her daughter’s fur.