Star's Strife
Chapter 3: The Dust of the Knight
"Did you sleep well my queen?" Strife asked the Princess of Mewni as she was presented with a breakfast tray, the knight despite his fearsome appearance and large stature carefully lined the silverware in their correct orders for the Princess, she looked astounded from Strife's act of politeness as the Knight slowly placed the tray on her lap.
"Yes...I did, thank you Strife for Breakfast..." Star said awkwardly, the breakfast mainly consisted of a small pile of pancakes, each of them tinted with blue-berry pits and drizzled with a small splash of Maple syrup, along with the main pancake dish was a side plate of freshly cut fruits like apple and orange, adding some more nutrition to the meal.
"A strong breakfast is a strong day." The Strife of Knight said with a cool voice as he turned around Star, allowing the Princess to eat in privacy instead of being watched by the Knight of Strife, she took her first bites of the pancakes, the sweet yet stingy taste of the pancake was complimented by its soft and chewy texture. She smiled in joy from the taste.
"Where did you learn how to cook breakfast like this Strife?" Star asked in wonder as she began to eat in a more voraciously and motivated manner.
"I have served many queens...They all have specific tastes and wants in their meal." Strife stoically answered as he folded his arms in a patient and waiting manner.
"Well, thank you anyway Strife, no one has ever served me breakfast in bed, willingly at least!" Star giggled at her little joke, Strife remained quiet, but scoffed a quick, dishonest and weak. "Hah." Not really finding any true enjoyment from Star's humor.
"So, do you have any plans for us Strife? I hope it doesn't involve any flowers..." Star hoped, Strife noticeably flinched from Star's words, he quickly pulled out a waxy scroll within the folds of his armor, without a word, the Knight of Strife crossed something out from the scroll, Star didn't want to call the knight out, as he stashed it back within his armor ridges.
"What would you like to do today My queen? We have the whole universe to explore...Our potential for euphoria is limitless." The Knight asked of the Princess, she placed a finger on her chin as she chirped "Thanks for putting me on the spot Strife...Let me think..." She said as she pondered on where to go.
"How about we go to the cloud Lounge? I heard that a party of three gets in for free!" Star suggested, Strife raised a metaphorical eyebrow.
"...Cloud Lounge?" The Strife of Knight asked with a definite question mark, Star giggled at the Knight's clueless mood.
"You know, where you dance and stuff? Like, have general fun?" The Strife Knight looked even more confused from such a concept.
"...As you wish my Queen...But who shall be your...Third companion?" The Knight asked with a quick and obedient bow.
"Hmmm...How about Marco Diaz I bet he has nothing to do today, how about it Strife?" The Strife Knight shuddered from his Queen's words, the person that caused her harm, yet it was the same person that could heal her, the same person that could save her, he was like a double-edged sword, it could both protect and harm, even at the same time.
"Your words are Golden, Queen...Remember, The upheaval of a knot can only be through natural causes, not through force."
"What are you implying Strife?" Star questioned the Knight with a slightly hurt look on her face, the Knight sighed under his breath before he spoke.
"I'm saying, that, you should bring your Marco Diaz, to this...Cloud...Lounge." Strife said, his voice being slow and clunkly as his old-fashioned clashed with new concepts.
"Yep! and thats what I'm going to do, and you can be our chaperone in case something bad happens!" Star said with a happy voice, Strife felt a small tinge of pride within himself when he saw the young princess flashing a genuine smile.
"I will protect you as I normally do." The Knight of Strife responded as he bowed obediently to Star, causing her to look a little irked from Strife's insistence on obeying her like some kind of servant.
"Strife, you don't need to bow to me, like I said, I'm not like my mom or my grand mothers..." Star said as an attempt for the Knight to stop being so stingy.
"As you wish...Princess Star." The Knight answered as instead of bowing like some sort of overly controlled servant towards royalty, the Knight simply nodded, Star shrugged lightly from Strife's action.
"Well, that's a start I guess..." Star said as she was finished with her breakfast, getting out of her bed and going to the bathroom, to properly change into her more everyday attire, after minutes of the Knight of Strife quietly waiting for Star to get ready for the morning, she finally came out in the same attire as she did when she first went to the Cloud Lounge with Marco for the first time.
"Wait here Strife, I'll ask Marco if he's free for today." Star instructed the Knight, he silently nodded in return as the Princess went downstairs to see if Marco was up and ready to party at the Cloud Lounge.
The Cloud lounge bristled with life and light as the stage lights began to twist and turn as an attempt to make the lounge more lively than it seems, the party goers laughed and dance with a high tune of energy as the music blasted with a rhythmic surge of beautiful yet catchy, adrenaline -inducing music.
Despite the music and the general mood, Star wasn't moving a inch, she sighed under her breath as she sat backwards on one of the Cloud Lounges chairs as Strife motionlessly stood next to her, not moving an inch in akin to his queen.
"At least we brought one of your...Human friends here Queen...She seems to be heavily invigorated." The Strife pointed out as an attempt to find a silver lining in the whole predicament, Star stared at her friend, Janna who was having the time of her life, never experiencing such a crazy anomaly known as the Cloud lounge.
"I wish it was Marco instead..." Was all Star said, trying to hide her disappointment by cupping her face into the back of the chair as she sighed deeply.
"...Princess Star...Your happiness cannot be sated through the harboring of...Love." Star shot a look at the Knight of Strife with a light but hurtful glare.
"I wasn't going to do that Strife...You know that!" Star defended herself, Strife didn't look convinced in the slightest, folding his arms as he scoffed loudly in return.
"Please, do not lie, my Queen, your emotions can never be bottled, nor can they masked." The Strife of Knights responded bluntly to counterclaim's Star's words, she sighed once again as she felt small droplets of tears rolling down her face.
"Its not fair Strife...I only been on earth for more than a year, and I know more about Marco than Jackie ever does! Heck! I bet she doesn't even know his Middle name! I know his middle name!...And yet here I am...Without him as he spends more time with Jackie..." Star lamented as her voice started to shake and become weaker and weaker for each passing statement.
"...Its like he thinks he cares about her more than me..." Star said in a depressed tone.
"That is not true, you know that Star." Strife said, addressing his queen by her name, not some folly title of royalty, it was enough for Star to look at the Knight, her eyes were teary and torn, she finally spoke, her voice being damaged and pained.
"...You're right...Strife..." The Princess said, then without a second thought, Strife hugged the Princess, she flinched from the contact of the Knight, he was as cold as the metal that he was made of, despite the coldness, Star could feel a trickle of warmth, as if the fires within the Knight acted like a warming hearth rather than a blazing inferno.
"Your peace...Is fractured...Your happiness has been beaten, the seeds of your sorrow have finally been planted...It would be best to not tend it." The Knight recited as he slowly brushed the golden blonde's long hair.
"But how can I not?" Star questioned back, wanting to fight against the Knight's words.
"If you can't...Grow the seeds...Into something better than sorrow..." The Knight retorted as he let go of the Princess, allowing her to have some space for herself.
"Find happiness...Find joy without your love, find joy in yourself...You were able to do this when you were young, Star." Star thought for a single moment as she began to contemplate Strife's words.
"Maybe I need to blow off some steam..." Star concluded as she got up from her seat, the Knight looked motionlessly hopeful to say the most, the fires within his visor began to burn a little bit brighter from the Young Princess's words.
"C'mon Strife, lets bring Janna back to earth, do you know any place where I can like...Fight and not hurt anyone? I know...Its sounds stupid but I feel like you a place Strife." Star asked of the Knight of Strife, the Knight paused before answering, wondering if the idea he obtained was enough to suffice's Star's inner turmoil.
"I believe I do." The Knight answered.
"Welcome...To my home dimension..." The Knight of Strife said with a cool voice as he bowed to Star once they teleported to the land through traces of smoke and brimstone, presenting his dimension to the Princess of Mewni, she was both curious and shocked from such a dimension.
The air was cold and littered with specs and dashes of ash and shredded metal, yet Star could breath perfectly within the sediment-filled atmosphere, the cloudless sky was black like crude oil and as thick and as heavy as mud.
the dirty sand-covered ground had many spires protruding out of the landscape, spires of unrefined sharpened metal, sticking out of the land like arrows skewering a poor fellow.
The wind slashed against the hole-filled metal spires and mountains as they made flute-like harmonies, they played like controlled symphonies despite looking like a structure of anarchy and savagery, sounds of both beauty and tranquility despite the cruel and inhospitable look of the spires, it brought a strange sense of serenity towards the Princess ears.
"This is where my Duty both begins and ultimately ends...My body is molded from the rain of the tar sky, my voice is gained from the music of the spires, my strength is from the sand of the ground, all of this only being ignited by your spirit Princess." Strife explained as he began to take slow steps within the metal wasteland, the land responding to every step the Knight took, the sand hardening and the air becoming filtered of sediment and dust.
"Now..." The Knight of Strife lifted both of his gauntlets up in air, causing the earth to shake and sprout out numerous more spires out of the ground, causing Star to yelp from the sudden eruption of metal spires.
"Your own strength will be tested...Star." The Knight said with a low voice as suddenly, one of the single newly-made spires began to shake and fall apart, bits and large chunks of the metal spire falling and sinking into the sand, Star realized that there was something inside of the spire as the figure walked out of the shattered spire.
The Knights armor was crudely made and almost animal in nature, barely fitting the tall and muscular build of the Knight, pieces of the armor were never the same type of size and shape, one shoulder pad was twice the size of the other and was riddled with spikes, its shin guards were either spiked or clunky, its helm was big and kept together with fixtures of smelted metal and chains.
All of this ugly and poorly-crafted armor coupled with a single sword, a sword that as long as Star herself, being curved and beautifully-crafted with silver and steel, the Knight stood lifelessly as Star simply stared at the Knight.
"For I am..." Strife suddenly fell limp, as if he was a machine without a battery, losing all of its life as its fiery gaze completely extinguished, after a second of silence, the Crude Armor Knight eyes began to glow a hue of yellow, the Knight twisted and shook as its bodyparts began to pulse with life.
"The Knight of Humility...Celena the Shy's personal Knight...I taught that her vast knowledge never meant she was better than the common people...I will teach you this simple lesson once again by force." The Knight said, his voice being raspy and almost lizard-like as it held its sword with both of its hands, Star quickly got out her wand as she look more determined than ever.
"Come on...I'm ready for you." Star said as the Knight now known as Humility roared loudly, causing the sediment from the air to clear out as if they were pushed away from a gust of wind, Star's wand glowed brighter than ever before as she channeled her emotions into testing her mettle against the Knight.