Star's Keyblade4114: Good to hear, my friend.
Bedrock Armor: I could try and Happy Birthday, friend.
Enjoy the next chapter.
Marco looked back and saw Star and Penelope sleeping by a slowly dying fire. He looked back out the forest before sitting down and crossed his arms and looking up at the castle standing in the center of Mewni. A small smirk painted across his lips as he shook his head, "It's almost time," hearing light moans, he looked back and saw Penelope begin to stir and his eyes widened.
The brunette princess sat up and looked at the teen sitting by the entrance of the cave, "You're still up?" Marco groaned and turned his back towards her, "You know, if you set traps throughout the forest, you don't have to sit and watch for any-"
"I'm waiting for either guards from the Butterfly castle or Queen Moon herself to walk through these woods," Penelope sighed before standing up and walked over to him, "Y…you wouldn't understand. Hell, I'm surprised Star knows,"
"That you're a wanted man?" Marco groaned as Penelope sat down next to him, "Every Kingdom in Mewni is aware of your actions. Sneaking through the streets, stealing food and-"
"I only steal so I can live…I'm not giving Queen Moon the satisfaction of dying out here, or at all for that matter." Marco sighed and shook his head, "I know there are other methods to survive, but I really don't-"
"Does this have anything to do with Queen Butterfly sentencing your parents?" Marco looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Star told me. She told me whenever you're like this, you tend to go back to that day,"
"And I suppose you're up to lecture me?" Penelope stared at him with narrowed eyes, "Look Spiderbite, it's true I hate the Butterfly family, but I can't bring myself to hate Star. When we first met, she was stubborn, I'll admit, but that stubbornness eventually showed that never everyone is cold. She invited me to stay in the castle after Queen Moon found us, and I took that as an opportunity to take my revenge, and while I did kill a few servants and guards, I never thought of harming Star,"
"And why is that? Didn't you just get done saying that you hate the Butterfly family?"
"And I also got done saying I can't bring myself to hate Star," Marco sighed and stood up, "I'm going for a nightly run, it's best if you and Star stay here."
He was about to walk out of the cave when he heard Penelope speak, "And why can't you hate her? Her being stubborn and showing you the world isn't cold isn't a good enough answer and-"
"Like I said, she showed me that not everyone in this world is cold as her mother. She showed me that there are kindhearted people out there, but my past experience involving the Butterfly family will cloud my judgement," Marco took a deep breath and shook his head, "I'll be back before the sun rises. Stay here. Like I said, there are traps scattered throughout the forest." Penelope watched as Marco ran out of the cave.
Marco ran through the forest as the creatures played their nocturnal music. Hearing screams followed by a loud crash, he looked up and laughed, "Well, it appears these idiots near learn," he turned and ran towards the source of the screams.
Approaching a deep hole, Marco looked down and laughed at two guards, "You idiots never learn. I told you that these woods are-" the guards looked up and Marco noticed the spider bites on the left side of their faces, "Hey, you clowns aren't from the Butterfly Kingdom."
"No, we're not. We're from the Spiderbite Kingdom and we're looking for Princess Penelope Spiderbite," one of the guards answered, "She has run away from the Spiderbite castle and her parents are very worried about her,"
'Worried my ass. They want to send her to that school thing,' Marco sighed and shook his head, "Well gentlemen, I hate to break it to you, but I'm the only one in these woods outside of an army of monsters. If anyone were to enter these woods, they'd either meet their fate against one of the many monsters that roam these woods, or they'll fall into one of my handmade traps…just like you idiots did!"
He laughed and the guards growled, "Kid, you better get us out of here or-"
"Or what? I've actually set these traps for the Butterfly family, but I can see that even the help from the Spiderbite family is stupid enough to fall into one of my well-placed traps,"
"And who the hell do you think you are?"
Marco frowned and narrowed his eyes, "Who am I? I am but a humble kid trying to make his own way in the world. I am Marco Diaz, son of the late Rafael and Angie Diaz," the two guards looked up, wide-eyed, "I see you've heard of them. Queen Moon unjustly hung them years ago just because they were stealing food to provide for their then 8-year-old son.
I swore vengeance that day, that I will see Queen Moon in a box of wood for wrongfully killing my parents and acting as if it never happened. I escaped from the rundown orphanage she placed in and escaped to here, where I've made myself quite comfortable. I return to the Kingdoms, from the Spiderbite Kingdom, all the way to the Johansson Kingdom, stealing for and other small trinkets I need to live.
I've survived from stealing, and killing and feasting on monsters," the guards looked up in disgust, "I do not care about anyone or anything. People are just that, people. In this world, it's survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. Let no one stand in your way of what rightfully belongs to you,"
"And you think steal and killing is an answer to life?" one of the guards hissed and Marco hummed, "Going against any member of any royal family is a crime punishable by death. You're going after the most powerful queen in all the land and-"
"I've explained this already, it's not my fault you weren't paying attention." Marco turned and growled, "Out of the goodness I have in my heart, I will not harm a single hair on Princess Butterfly's or Princess Spiderbite's heads. They were the same age I was when my parents were taken from me. Princess Butterfly had no idea of my parents' death, and Princess Spiderbite is from a different Kingdom entirely.
I may hate everyone every single royal family in this godforsaken land, but I will not allow my anger to flow towards the offspring of those families unless they wrong me."
"And what about us? And…if you're only angry at Queen Moon, you shouldn't take your aggression out on the other families." Marco chuckled and shook his head, "What if Princess Spider entered these woods and fell into one of your traps? You just got done saying you won't harm the offspring of any of the royal families and-"
"If Princess Spiderbite were to fall into one of my traps, I will gladly assist her, along with Princess Butterfly, I'd say the Pony Head Princesses, but seeing as they can levitate, it'll be a fruitless gesture, and Prince Lucitor." He looked down with narrowed eyes and hissed, "As for anyone else…this might as well be your final resting place." He turned and began running away as the two guards called out after him.
Marco approached the cave and spotted Penelope sleeping by the entrance. He sighed and shook his head, "Goddamn…hey Spiderbite," he walked up to her and shook her, causing her to moan and slowly open her eyes, "Why don't you go inside the cave? It might be a bit better,"
Penelope moaned and shook her head before lying back down, "Are all you princesses bullheaded or something?" he picked her up and carried her into the cave bridal style, "By the way…there were a few guards from the Spiderbite Kingdom wandering around…they were looking for you and they fell into one of my traps,"
"Hmm…not going back…can't make me go there,"
"Right, of course," Marco sighed before gently setting Penelope down. Looking at Star, he sighed and shook his head, "You two should've stayed in your own kingdoms. There's nothing stopping your families from sending armies in here." He looked back and began to build a small fire for warmth.
Okay, I had to put some extra time on this one. Please enjoy everyone and please let me know what everyone thinks.