Left to watch his servants clean up the slimy pages, Dedede huffed, his temper raging. It was just like that little, that little… underripe freak to swoop in and make his bad days that much worse. And people called Dedede a hog, attention-seeking, selfish, childish? He paled in comparison to his kingdom's 'hero'. Kirby ate a town's worth of food in the day, and he could probably cause more damage just tripping over something than Dedede did in a week's worth of monster orders, stars' sake, he couldn't even talk. And yet, Dedede was the bad guy.

Dedede kicked at a slobbery pile of pages that had yet to be swept up, nearly slipping. No, Kirby had everyone totally snowed. He got away with it because he was cute and little and they didn't like Dedede because he had the audacity to be wary of a toddler with crazy powers living in his domain. Dangerous, crazy powers, everyone knew so.

He bit back a wrathful shout, pushing past the waddles, to find Waddle Doo. He may not have monsters anymore, but he was still the King, and he was either gonna get Kirby out of his life or under his control for his kingdom's sake, whether they liked it or not.


Meta Knight walked Kirby out of the castle, and beyond it. It was a Saturday morning still, one of their days off from their usual schedule, but Meta walked him home anyways, in silence. Kirby was too busy thinking about what had gone wrong with Dedede, and how he could make it better next time. He only started from his thoughts when he realized he wasn't carrying his colors, but when he looked up in a panic, he could see the four crayons in Meta's glove. Meta gave him an assuring nod but said nothing.

Kirby liked that Meta didn't always push him to talk outside of lessons. It left him some quiet time for thinking and made the conversations he did have with him really special, like a nice treat from the store that you couldn't get anywhere else. Tiff and Tuff and Spike and Honey and Iro and Rick and Kine and Coo and even Tokkori were all his friends (even when they weren't being very nice) but Meta was very elusive. And an adult. Kirby was realizing that it was very different to have an adult friend.

The kids were fun and they taught Kirby all their games and kept him from being bored and lonely. Meta's presence was different, making him feel safe and calm. When Meta opened his front door for him, Kirby walked in without feeling the need to say a word.

Once inside, though, he felt a bit shyer. He lay on the floor, pawing with a few colorful blocks, wanting to occupy himself with them for a moment while he thought. Meta glanced out the open door for a moment, always so cautious, and furtively closed it.

"Kirby." Kirby looked up. He could always get his attention, no matter what was going through Kirby's head. He was just a really cool guy like that, he supposed.

"I know what you were trying to do with the King, I'm sorry it did not go quite as you had hoped."

"Poyo…" Kirby said.

"What you did back there was very kind, you have a strong heart and a noble- that is, a very good and brave- spirit."

Kirby was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. Meta Knight was so good at saying nice things (when he said anything at all), it always made Kirby feel better when he was down.

"That being said, there are some things you need to understand."

Kirby fidgeted with a blue-painted cube and looked away again.

"It was kind of you to make those drawings for him, but I must remind you that spitting things out when you are not in combat can be rude, others may feel that you are trying to attack or insult them, and it can dirty their shoes and floors. It's not polite."

Kirby looked down at the hardwood floor. Meta was right, he knew better than to spit stuff at people, it's just that he had made so much art, that he couldn't carry it in his hands. When Dedede started to get upset, he didn't think, he just jumped into action. Next time he would find something to carry it in before he left.

"Additionally, as hard as this is going to be for you to hear, I do not think you should make any more attempts to earn His Majesty's friendship again, at least for now."

Kirby looked up, shocked. Not make friends? Meta had just said-

"I know I said that it was good of you to try, it is. His… grumpy mood… today was no fault of yours. It's just that, well, you see…" Meta paused, and Kirby was surprised to see that he was struggling to find his words.

"I told you that the King is jealous of you, yes?"

Kirby nodded.

"Well… when people are jealous, they act very foolishly. Sometimes that which they most want makes them angry- when it should make them happy. Envy blinds them, makes them senseless."

Kirby gave this information some thought. How was that fair? Why would someone think like that? And if that was true, what would make Dedede happy?

"Poyo?" There were so many thoughts he wanted to say that he couldn't find a better way to say them.

"I think, for now, you should not bother him. When he has had time alone, he will calm down. However, I don't know that you should continue these attempts, even after that."

"Poyo?!"

"Patience now. You see… Kirby," Meta Knight was quiet again, thinking. "You are a very special child and a very good-hearted one. You may find that there are many who will be jealous of you the way Dedede is, and they will… not want to be your friend in the way you want them to be."

Kirby frowned at the floor, he hadn't always gotten along with everyone. Some of his friends had even been some of Nightmare's monsters at one time, but he had always managed to "appeal to their better natures" as Meta had once said. He didn't want to be anyone's enemy.

"There was a time, even, when I was jealous."

Kirby gasped. Meta Knight, jealous of him?

Meta Knight chuckled and glanced out the window, letting the sun fall on his mask. "Yes, I suppose I was. I could see your natural talents were greater than mine and I was very, very, um, silly at times. During our duel two years ago I feel I even became frustrated. I might have taken things… a touch far."

Kirby hopped to his feet so he could look closer into Meta's visor. They were friends, he had never noticed that Meta had been anything but strong and brave and heroic. Even when they had battled and Kirby had gotten a few bruises, he realized soon after that it had been Meta's way of teaching him to wield a sword of his own.

"When you first arrived, I vastly underestimated you. I did not understand, after so many years of doing things my way, that your way of doing things could be better. I was very proud and I became arrogant. Even while I knew you would save this land, there were times when I envied you for it."

"Poyo!" Kirby's eyes sparkled. No one had ever talked to him like this before.

Meta Knight bowed his head, folding his hands in his cape.

"I hope you can forgive me, for my silliness in the past."

Kirby could not contain himself anymore, he ran to Meta Knight and gave him a big hug, nuzzling him and purring.

"Alright, Kirby, I understand," Meta laughed, a little strained under Kirby's tight squeeze. He gently returned the hug with one hand, using the other to give Kirby a small pat. "Thank you. You will be an amazing person, whatever you choose to do."

Kirby beamed at him and let go, full of sunshine.

Meta Knight took his hands back within his cape, back to his usual sober self.

"Please, take my advice to heart. I changed my feelings in time and Dedede might as well, but you must allow it to take its course. Can you agree to this?"

Kirby wasn't sure, but he would nod 'yes' for now, and make his teacher happy. If Meta could have once been jealous of him, Kirby knew Dedede could change too.


Meta Knight left Kirby in his house with his art supplies, who bid him a loud "bai!" and immediately took them up in his paws to begin a new project, humming loudly enough to be heard through the door. Meta hoped that it wasn't going to be more drawings of the King, but so long as he was occupied and in higher spirits than before, he supposed that was all that mattered. He wished he could stay and ensure that there would be no more prodding at the proverbial bear, but said bear was waiting for his own return to the castle. He could not afford to make the situation worse.

He would have preferred to retire from the King's service, now that Nightmare had been beaten. Dedede may have had less means to express it so violently but his poor attitude had only gotten worse in those proceeding months. He stayed in his service to be close to the Halberd, it was too valuable to leave under the castle dungeons. That, and Kirby still needed an advocate and teacher, that was sufficient reason to put up with Dedede for now.

He walked through the castle halls, moving with purpose, but wary that he not run into any servants who might report his whereabouts sooner than he wanted. He preferred that this conversation stay with the King.

The chamber was still lit, and the orange carpet has been cleaned up. Dedede sat in his chair, glowering at nothing, running his fingers along the armrest.

"Sire?" Meta Knight was not sure what to make of his silence.

"About time you show up back here," he growled. "When I let you stay in this here castle it was 'cause you swore a' oath to me, you remember that?"

"Of course, my King."

"Uh-huh. And I let you stay in this kingdom so long as that's the case. Now, you and that brat keep testing my long-sufferin' patience and I have a mind to strip you both o' your citizenship and banish you."

The controlled look in Meta Knight's visor slipped a tad. He and Kirby had never been threatened with such a thing as banishment.

"Not a day won't go by that the Waddle Dees and I won't be houndin' you down until you're outta my borders."

Meta Knight was silent. He could leave relatively free of consequence. If there were any remaining forces loyal to Nightmare they had not arrived. He had commanded the Halberd and defeated his enemy of so many centuries. His work in Dreamland was complete, but it was not himself he feared for. A banishment for Kirby would be terrible, uprooting him so suddenly from everything and everyone he'd ever known after so little time. Not to mention how deeply it would hurt him.

Dedede smirked at him. A good leader, he was not, but he did have the wits to recognize when his opponent had been cornered. "Now, if you don't want that to happen, I suggest you get that iron outta ya' ears and listen up. I want you and your knights patrollin' the borders of this kingdom, all around, all of it."

Meta started. To patrol so far would be a big undertaking, even with Sword and Blade, even if he flew. "This is a very serious task, do you expect an attack?"

"I wanna make good and sure that Nightmare is gone. He and that slimy salesguy took advantage enough of my good nature." Dedede rose and pressed a button on his armrest, triggering a screen to fold out from the wall and display a map of the kingdom, its borders highlighted in red. Dedede detailed the route and several necessary stops along it in a flat tone. It was a small country, and much of the territory was empty. Meta had to admit that there was ample opportunity for their enemies to hide, lying in wait, should they actually be out there. He doubted that was the reasoning for this conversation.

"Sire, if I may, why now? Why not do this immediately after our attack on the base."

"Shows what you know. If there are friends o' that old kook looking to get even with us then they would'a spent that time reorganizing."

"True, perhaps, but this seems-"

"More important, because I said so. You're doing this to earn back my good graces. You make a pledge to be a Knight, you gonna act like one. Unless you wanna talk about packing yourself up and gettin' out."

He didn't like this mission. In a practical sense, Dedede was already banishing him. This patrol may not have been the same punishment in name, but it would be very simple for the King to change that.

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Good. You leavin' at dawn tomorrow. There'll be guards followin' you until you're out of my village, so don't try any o' your usual tricks, metalhead. You're dismissed."