Chapter 2: Quenching our Feelings
Hey everyone hope you like it so far I am putting out 2 chapters since it is my first time ever doing a Fan Fiction, also I just don't want to ruin my idea while it's still super fresh. It is starting out slow I know but I wanted to incorporate more things into the fic to make it work with my ideas and have a bit of originality. This chapter is a bit more character building and hopefully it doesn't hurt your interest. I hope you guys can leave me some feedback and let me know if you like it. Well without further ado let's continue.
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own or Claim Any Sort of Rights for Star vs. the Forces of Evil and its characters. All rights go to Disney and creator Daron Nefcy. This is for entertainment purposes only; I do add other character and choose to have a right to for the purpose of conducting this Fan Fiction. Scenes maybe to obscene for young readers; reader discretion is advised. 18+
"Higgs, how's everything going?" Marco asked as he walked towards the forge. It was the only light seen in the Forest where the knights den was located. The crescent but covered by the clouds so not much light was given but the torches placed around the grounds and the road for the knights to see when going to and from the town.
"Good so far but I am about to quench and this is where it always goes wrong." Higgs wanted to be thorough but didn't know whether she should keep going striking it.
Marco went up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on Higgs, don't doubt yourself just go once more through it and make sure to brush the metal thoroughly after you strike, put your salt and put it to heat again; that'll get it ready for the quench." Marco noticed that something new came to Higgs when she listened. "What?"
"Uhm… salt, like table salt?" Higgs was dumbfounded to find out that she needed salt for making a sword. She had learned to forge by watching other at afar but never really shadowed a descent blacksmith before. From what he saw earlier she isn't half bad when it comes to planning and shaping, everything for the guard had already been made and shaped. It seems she just need knowledge about quenching and tempering the blade.
"No I'm positive it should be Chloride-based, it's used for maintaining the blade during a quench and temper." Marco wasn't 100% on these things but did watch videos on internet back on Earth. "Just this time pull it out and shape it a little more and make sure to brush everything else off. I will just go check and see if there are any bags in the storage room." Marco walked off turned away from Higgs as her eyes were locked onto him.
'Why is he always so friendly with me? I'm always so rude and mean to him but he always seems to want to put a smile on my face or is it to humiliate and shame me. Why am I even thinking these kinds of things?' Higgs was frustrated within her head but her body was on autopilot almost as if Marco made a command and even if her mind refused her body had to obey. She was shaping the body and made sure the tang was still good enough for the other pieces to fit.
While she did this process Marco was a couple meters away and looked back to see a dedicated Higgs following his advice. 'Huh, I wonder why she looks frustrated. Well got to find this salt.' Marco reached a double door storage house went inside to search. After a couple minutes searching he finally found the Chloride based salt behind some discarded shields. 'This must be why there was none out there, seemed someone was polishing these and ended up hiding them under the unpolished pile.' Marco grabbed a bag that about 20 pounds and put it onto his shoulder.
The moment he turned around he could see the wall covered in blades and axes. 'Looks like the armory as well, I wonder if I do end up staying here more often is I can convince them of making a more secure armory for both weapons and supplies. The food in that corner looks torn into.' Marco noticed a hole in the wall and saw seeds and crumbs from rations and preserves; the bags and boxes with chunks chewed threw them almost as if some raccoons got into them. 'I wonder if they're raccoons in this dimension.'
Marcos mind became silent as his head jerked to the door. 'Was that my imagination? Well whatever I need to get to Higgs anyways.' Marco thought to himself as he walked to the door. 'I wonder why I she is making a blade in the first place, she isn't Sir Stabby's squire anymore and I doubt he would order her to make one. Maybe it's for herself, she is still learning and the knives look bad but she is self teaching herself. I wonder why that makes me want to tease her like I would Heckapoo when she was super serious during our trial sometimes. Higgs really is kind of c…' He noticed it again. This time it was a huge vibration in the direction of the forge.
"Ah!" A loud scream was heard outside and Marco bolted, tackling the door but it didn't budge an inch. He heard a roar of what seemed to be something big and ferocious. Marco started hitting against the wooden door with everything he had slowly moving it inching a line in the ground until it stopped completely only showing a wooden beam holding it shut from the opposite side of the door. Another roar was heard past the door and all that came to mind was Higgs.
'All the other knights aren't in the area. They were off at the knights' party Sir Stabby took me to for another celebration since I ruined the one from the night before. I wanted to know why Higgs hadn't showed up for it and I wanted to apologize to everyone again in person but I ended up telling them then sneaking out. They seemed to be having a lot of fun show I'm pretty sure they will be staying thereby passing out from the drinks and just sleeping there the whole night.'
"Damn it Diaz focus!" Marco was frustrated hoping someone would at least try to help Higgs but he knew no one else was near. 'Think, remember something anything. The whole in the wall is too small and I wouldn't be able to brake or squeeze through it. But wait…' Marco started looking around once again. 'Come on they had them along the walls, they need a close by supplies just in case.' Marco frantically looked around shoving crates and barrels out of the way. 'Yes Gunpowder. They're cannons along the wall so it was promising they would have some stored away. Now Rum…'
Marco's eyes were caught by another barrel beside it and all that was seen across his face was a sinister grin almost as if he was a kid who found his favorite toy after he lost it. "Rum…" Marco tossed the 2 barrels to the door and hit the gunpowder lid to make a crack and started shaking and pouring a line from the shields to the doorway.
'It has only been 2 minutes I'm sure Higgs can hold it off for 5 if it's as big as I'm thinking. Now I have Flint but I need a strike but…' Marco turned and saw the wall of weapons. "Oh right, steel." Marco said out loud to show his amusement of luck he had in this moment. He pulled a dagger off the wall and used the point to strike the flint as it sparked.
He lit the Gunpowder and in a flash it lit from him to the door in seconds. "Fire in the Hole!" Marco exclaimed almost as if by reflex. He hid behind the unpolished shields to not dirty the polished ones. The explosion blasted the door into smithereens as broken small planks fell from the sky and Marco yelled out as he emerged from the smoke with a sword and shield at the ready. He had Cuts and splinters from some of the wood bouncing off the walls and some got through the gaps.
"Higgs… Higgs" Marco yelled out into the night as he worried for her. A gust of wind dispersed the smoke and cleared for Marco to notice that the knights and Higgs were standing in front of him with a smile and Higgs' face was slightly red. Marco still noticed even though she looked down the moment there eyes met one another. Noodles was lazing out behind her as she roared again. "Noodles you did good Girl that'll be all." Lady Whosits told Noodles as she moved back through a big foldable wall for her to come and go from the Knights Den.
Sir Stabby started to walk towards Marco. "I am shocked Marco, who would have thought that you had it in you to literally almost blow yourself away just to get to your friend." Sir Stabby patted my back and chuckled a bit. "You blew that door to smithereens and came out like a gallant knight from inside it. No idiot would have thought to do that for risk of blowing themselves up." Sir Stabby was laughing as he kept patting Marco on his back and puts his arm around him. "Uhm Sir Marco…" Sir Stabby traced Marcos gaze and saw what he was so fixated on. For the first time ever he saw a flustered Higgs as she looked to the ground.
Marcos eyes were still plastered to Higgs. 'Well I'm sure they must have scared her and made her play along with the prank. Well even if she was in on it I couldn't really blame her from the night before. Sir Stabby seems to be talking I'm guessing he is either teasing me or congratulating me for being an idiot but I can't hear anything right now.' Marcos ears were bleeding but he didn't care and was distracted anyways.
Sir Stabby noticed his ears and tapped Marco on his back and gave everyone else a signal as they followed him into the Den as everyone followed in toe except for Marco and Higgs. 'I couldn't hear what they were saying but their mouths were moving and pointing at me with both thumbs up almost as if they were hyped that I just blew up a building, I couldn't help but laugh a bit under my breathe. Sir Old Man looked like he was going to literally die because he was laughing so hard. Lady Whosits winked at me as she pointed to Higgs and was the last to enter the Den.'
'Higgs still didn't want to look at me what so ever. She must feel a little guilty but I don't get it. I just don't understand why she would be this hurt by thinking I would be mad.' Marco Sighed and turned around towards the Storage house.
'He doesn't even want to look at me anymore. I did just make him think I was being hurt and maybe even dead. Why would he go so far to blowing a building up that he was still in to get to me? Why do I care so much about what he thinks about me anyways?' Higgs started to tear up as Marco began to walk away but she didn't move an inch from her spot.
'Here it is just got to move these and...' Marco moved a large plank atop some unpolished shields and moved them as well. He grabbed a heavy sack and started walking back towards Higgs with it over his shoulder.
Higgs was still standing in that spot as tears slowly feel from her cheeks and didn't notice the sound of the bag being placed on the floor. She was hugging herself tight and afraid when she had finally noticed the shoes of the boy, she was afraid of seeing her in such a state. She stopped sobbing the moment she felt a soft and warm feeling drape over her shoulders and back. It was almost like her tension all went away.
"Hey if you don't hurry the forge is going to die out." Marco wanted to just move on from it but didn't want to say much about it because if he said it's not her fault she may take it to being there is a reason that it could have been. "Come on Lady Higgs shall we continue the…" Marco was interrupted by a push but not enough force was in it to even be misconstrued as rude or mean.
"Why are you always like that? I do things to you that anyone would want to hit me over but you always have a smile for me the next time you see me. Like you forgot what I did or even what I said. I hate that you never get mad at me even now after that, yeah they asked me to keep my mouth shut but the way you looked after the explosion was like how a knight should be when saving someone in distress. Why would you even care about saving someone like me?" Higgs was looking down the whole time still ashamed to even look him in the eye.
Marco took a step forward from where he was pushed back as she stepped backwards and winced as if he was raising his hand towards her. She closed her eyes waiting but all she felt was a gentle touch under her chin as it raised her face up to his. He wasn't very close but it was the closest she had ever been to another boy in such a state. She was red ear to ear but Marco thought it was due to her crying.
"Higgs I'm sorry I can't really hear right now, but it seems like I made you think something weird so ill just say what I feel in this moment. I did what I had to so I can get to you because as a Knight it is my duty to protect those in need, especially if they are a fellow knight. I'm not saying you couldn't handle a monster on your own I just can't wait in the sidelines when someone I ca…" Higgs looked Marco in the eyes as he backed away a tiny and continued.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't care about you in some way, I mean you're the reason I became a better knight worthy of a Princess. I was trying to be a squire in my own way because I thought I had to be professional but you made me realize that a squire serves the need of their knight and also there to give them a little guidance as well." Marco said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"But back to this mess I know they made you do this probably because I ruined last night being inconsiderate of their feelings and they were having a little payback and probably since Lady Whosits looked at me like that to also tease me." Marco looked away but back to her just in case she started talking.
"I'm sorry for deceiving you Sir Marco." Higgs apologized as she looked at him for him to read her lips. When she noticed he was paying so much attention to her lips and that he was hanging on every syllable she pronounced. She had never had a boy so fixated on her lips before or even on her so closely almost like he was reading her soul itself. She was always small but very intimidating and tomboyish from a young age that would show as she fought with boys for making fun of her.
"No worries, but do me a favor and just call me Marco, the formality isn't needed." Marco picked up the bag of Chloride salt and placed it next to the forge. He turned back to face Higgs.
"Then do the same for me Marco." He smiled as he nodded at her. "Well ill continue this go to Sir Old Man to help patch up your ears; I hear that he used to be a medic." Marco took her up on her offer and nodded once again.
"Well you know what to do, just in case ill write it down in best I can, I barely started learning how to write in Mewman. Sorry if it's incomprehensible, but I'll try and make it simple." Marco started writing on a parchment that was on a planning table.
"How do you know so much about blacksmithing?" Higgs was curious.
"Well I had to make makeshift blades and I learned back on earth from informative videos." Marco explained to her confusion of the last part so she brushed it off and walked over to the forge.
"Hey wait, what about…?" Higgs stopped since Marco wasn't looking at her to see her lips so she went and grabbed him by the arm and turned him towards her. "What about this?" Higgs held out his sweater he placed onto her earlier.
"Nah hold onto it for me, when you're grinding you won't need the forge so much anymore so it might get cold." Marco pushed the sweater back into her arms. Higgs started pulling her braces off her forearms and started to slide the sweater on. "Hey also be careful it's dark out and you never know. I saw that some critters were eating your rations that were in the storage but now I guess they're all over the place now." Marco laughed as he looked at her waiting to see if she was going to add on.
"Don't worry about me due to Noodles; monsters or any other viscous animal won't come near here, the critters are mostly harmless." Marco gave her thumbs up and went to the door of the Den.
Before he went inside he looked back and slightly waved and she waved back as her hand was mostly covered with by the sleeve of his sweater. 'Okay, that was super cute. Calm down Diaz."
'Well let's get back to work." Higgs turned back to the forge and continued with her new instructions.
After a good 45 minutes it was time to quench. She was afraid it would be like the previous attempts but she had trust in Marco, so she ended up sucking it up and going for it. Higgs grabbed her tongs and grabbed the glowing red piece of metal and dunked it into the oil. She waited a few seconds and pulled it out of the oil tank the blade was fully engulfed in a flame almost like she was holding a sword shaped torch.
The flame died out and she placed it on the ground to cool off some more. As she waited she was full of worry but soon put to ease when she had smelled something familiar. She turned around and no one was around and it wasn't food in the air.
'I smell a slight musty smell but it wasn't bad. Over that there was lavender but was overpowered by sandalwood, I closed my eyes and smelled it all almost like I was with Marco in a vast forest.' Higgs didn't realize that her face was covered by the collar of Marco's sweater as she was in a trance of his scent.
'Wait, What?' Higgs noticed the moon had moved a bit further down and didn't notice how long she had been daydreaming as she was engulfed by his scent.
She walked over slightly touching the blade as it was now cold and picked it up and placed it on the workbench next to her. She moved what looked like a monocle on a metal arm drilled into the wood so she was able to swivel it around to look at thing on the workbench. She examined the blade as closely as she could and the only thing that came to mind.
'Marco… Thank You…'
