Marco was once again walking through the halls of Castle Butterfly. His morning was rather eventful. Right after the defeat of the humanoid cloth beast, around three hundred little spider-like creatures made out of handkerchiefs and string swarmed the laundry room. They had to unfortunately use torches in order to defeat the swarm, which got a little bit out of hand.
Dusting off the rest of the ashes on his shirt, Marco made his way back to the room Higgs was working in. He intended to return her dagger, go to his room and change clothes, and grab some much needed lunch, as confirmed by the grumbling in his stomach that echoed through the quiet halls.
He made his down the stairs the he hoped was the correct set. Once he reached the familiar wooden door, he knocked on twice.
And again.
And again.
Confused, he tried the lock. Knowing that it's unlocked, he slowly opem the door and poked his head in. The room was dark, and an organized pile of shields shimmered in the light coming from the door, but no signs of life.
He closed the door and looked around, hoping to see anyone. That's when he saw Sir Stabby passing by in his usual shiny armor.
"Sir Stabby?" Marco called out, although it sounded more like a question. Fortunately, he caught the knight's attention when he turned his head to the squire's direction.
"Hm? Oh, Marco. What are you doing here?" The knight asked.
"Um, I'm looking for... Higgs. Have you seen her by any chance?"
Sir Stabby put on a scrutinizing look, inspecting Marco like he had secretly done some horrible crime. Marco felt uncomfortable under the knight's gaze, shifting in place and tapping his fingers on his pants.
"You're not planning to do something humiliating to my squire, are you?" The knight asked, still keeping his gaze upon the boy.
Marco was surprised by this accusation, "What? No, no. As much as I'd like too, I'm just... uh... trying to give her dagger back." He unsheathed the dagger he had been carrying all morning, showing it to the skeptical knight.
Sir Stabby's expression softened, but still showed some hints of suspicion. "If that is what you are intending to do, then you can try your luck in the nearby forests north of the castle."
Marco raised an eyebrow, "Forest?"
"She trains there everyday, breakfast until supper." Sir Stabby explained before bidding farewell and walking away.
'Huh, no wonder I don't see her around here much.' Shrugging the though away, he made his up the stairs again and through the marble halls once again.
Marco made his way through the town, dodging carts full of corn and really rude commoners, and made it out of the border that seperates the kingdom of Mewni and the forests.
He travelled to the edge of the forest and searched the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of his rival so that he won't have to start travelling deep into the trees. When he couldn't any signs of the Mewman girl, he sighed and started making his way through the forest.
He kept his senses high for the squire he was looking for and for any danger that may be lurking around. When he still could not see any signs of Mewman life, he unsheathed the dagger and inspected it. The dagger was about the size of his forearm, including his hand. The crossguard was a simple thin metal bar that had small triangular ends. The handle was covered in a white cloth that showed signs of wear and even had a bit of blood on it. The blade itself was well kept and sharp, shimmering against the occassional sunlight he walked through.
He flipped the dagger around, scrutinizing it bit by bit. His mind wandered around his thoughts. He was still wondering why he was returning the dagger personally, when he could just leave it with Sir Stabby for him to give it to her. Yet, there he was, walking through a forest looking for her. It was contradictory to the two squire's... relationship, if you can call it that. He should be avoiding her. Hell, he shouldn't even be thinking about her, he should throwing knives at a picture of her with hateful intent.
It was like there was something inside him that made him want to do this. Something he couldn't explain. It had given him an annoying itch. An itch he just couldn't reach. He wanted to scratch this itch, he wanted to find out the thing that made him to do this.
But not right now, apparently, as he heard the familiar sounds of his rival. He sheathed the dagger and pulled out his sword, just in case his ears were deceiving him. He tracked the source of the sounds and followed it slowly. Once he was sure he was near, he slowed down to a snail's pace and quietly made his way to a tree. He crouched down and sneaked a peak at the clearing.
There she was, punching and kicking at a dummy with strong force. He swore he could see the dummy almost flying off the ground. Her moves were like water, smooth and fluid. Kick after kick, punch after punch. Marco stared in amazement, just admiring how skilled the Mewman squire actually is. The sweat on her skin shined in the sunlight, giving him the illusion that she was glowing, just like her green eyes whenever she glanced in his di-
'Oookay, no. Come on, Marco, focus here.' He shook his thoughts away and stood up from his crouched position. He walked out of the trees and walked to her, him being behind her. He was a few feet behind her, though she was still focused on that dummy.
"Uh, Higgs-" Suddenly, she twirled around and punched whoever was sneaking up behind her. And whoever that was, he was now on all fours on the ground, gripping his neck and coughing violently.
She looked down and noticed the familiar black hair of his rival. "Marco?!" She yelled.
He was still coughing and struggling for air, but he was able to let out a few words in a high pitched voice, "Higgs- *cough* what the- *cough* heck was that- *cough* for?"
Higgs crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, ignoring how he's struggling for air, "I thought you were one of those creeps that spies on girls."
Marco managed to stand up, but kept on coughing and wheezing. "*cough* Jeez, I can taste the blood."
Higgs rolled her eyes, "Oh, suck it up. What're you doing you here, anyway? And how the heck did you find me?"
"Sir Stabby said you were here. *cough* I'm here to give you this." He unsheathed her dagger and showed it to Higgs. The Mewman squire was surprised for a split second before putting on an angry expression. She quickly snatched the dagger out of his hands and brandished it at him.
"How did you get this?! Have you been stealing my stuff?!" She demanded. Marco raised his hands up like he was caught. "What? No! I found it on the floor where we bumped into each other."
She squinted her eyes, skeptical of his reason. She scoffed, "Nice try. Like I'd ever believe that excuse."
Swiftly, she lunged forward and managed to unsheath Marco's sword. He was left disoriented for a second before he turned to see his sword in his Higgs' hands.
"Hey, what the heck are you doing?" He demanded. She tossed the sword in the air and caught a few times, taunting him, "Returning the favor." She quickly turned around and headed straight into the forest.
Marco sprinted and followed her. He jumped over fallen logs and dodged protruding branches. She was fast, faster than Marco had expected, and he only got a few glimpses of her before he completely lost her. Angry, he glanced around his surroundings, hoping to find a hint of her location. Unfortunately, there was nothing but trees and fuana for miles.
Suddenly, he heard the snapping of a stick, and charged to where he thought was the source of the sound. He ran, his body demanding for air and his legs demanding for rest.
He stopped to catch his breath, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees. He heard more snaps from behind him, and when he turned around, it was too late. He was met with the a leg sweep from the Mewman squire, and fell to the ground face first. He tried to get up, but he was stopped by a boot to his back.
"All that training with Sir Lavabo and yet, you still fall victim to the element of surprise." She taunted.
"Come on, Higgs. Give that back, it's a gift from Sir Lavabo." He tried to get up again but was met with more resistance.
"Well, you should be more careful with your gifts."
He groaned, "Higgs, I didn't steal your dagger!"
She rolled her eyes, "Keep telling yourself that, 'cause I'm not believing it one bit."
Marco felt his blood boil. With the newfound strength he got from his anger, he pushed himself off the ground, causing Higgs to stumble backwards and fall on her back. She tried to push herself up with her elbows but her hands were suddenly above the top of her head, subdued by Marco's hands.
Marco was too angry and Higgs was too dumbfounded that the two hadn't realized the position they were in. Marco was on top of Higgs, her legs inbetween his. They were so close that their chests almost touched and their noses were only an inch away.
Marco snapped out of his anger and realized what he was doing, causing his face (and her's) to become a deep red color. They stayed like that for a few seconds, not moving an inch. Marco wanted to move away, but he couldn't. It was like something was preventing him to push himself off the ground and turn away from those bright, beautiful, green...
Marco snapped his eyes shut and shook his head. He glanced down and saw his sword hanging off the Mewman squire's belt. He quicklt unsheathed it and got himself of off Higgs and off the ground.
Higgs was staring up into the sky, still shocked and red-faced from the recent series of events. Both squires were panting, both from running and from... that.
Marco stared at Higgs, who was still on the ground. "Um... yeah." He sheathed his sword and started running into the forest, leaving Higgs alone to her thoughts.
'What the heck...'
so... two weeks left of summer here. i'll probably have bump my quota down to one update a week, but i'll try to update as much as i can (if writer's block, being unmotivated, or school work doesn't get to me)
also:
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first person to pm me the EXACT answer wins a vague story spoiler and a shoutout in the next chapter :)