I actually wrote this one before Part 3 and I guess it will be the last thing I upload in my old workplace. (I'm happy to have got a job relating to my degree but I'm sad to be leaving at the same time.) And one of these days, maybe I'll actually own Kirby Super Star Ultra. I've played the original a bit but only at my Retro Games Club and there's plenty of other games to play there as well. ^^ Hope you like!

Royal Reflection: Part 4

What a life he had, Dedede thought. It was almost as if the universe was still continuing to punish him for his behaviour during the early parts of his reign. Maybe if he could wish on a Nova to stop such incidents happening to him? Bah, it would probably be impossible even for that clockwork construct. Maybe it was all character-building anyway. He couldn't deny those Dark Matter incidents had had that effect on him.

It was just as well Kirby had his powers considering the number of times he had saved Dream Land, Popstar and Dedede himself with them. And from the beginning, he had been trained by one of Dream Land's, nay Popstar's finest warriors, Meta Knight.

Meta Knight. Honestly, Dedede thought not for the first time, if he had helped develop Kirby's fighting skills and Copy Ability since the Sparkling Stars incident as he since realised, why hadn't he informed Kirby of the reason why Dedede had taken the Star Rod in the first place? After all, he had informed Meta Knight of the actual reason and entrusted him with one of the Star Rod pieces and since he had been training Kirby at the time, he could have simply given the reason then. Maybe it had been part of the training? Maybe Meta Knight wanted to keep his mentor role hidden for a little longer and didn't mention the information in case Kirby blabbed the source to the king? Whatever it was, the gamble had been a pretty dangerous one. And the whole Dark Matter thing? He never did get a full answer on that. But Dedede had long since known that he was never going to work out the inner workings of Meta Knight's mind and that wasn't going to change any time soon either.

Speaking of which, Dedede leant over; he could see the masked warrior now, strolling into the hall, surveying the Waddle Dees and their preparations. At one point he appeared to stop and converse with Captain Waddle Doo over some issue. Technically, Meta Knight should not have been able to come in and out of the castle as he pleased but as Dedede ruefully noted, what authority did he have over the masked warrior?

"Suppose he's talkin' about trainin' or somethin'," Dedede grumbled, "though he ought to consult with me more when it comes to changes in my army."

"You kinda did allow Sir Meta Knight free rein over that matter," Bandana Dee reminded him. "I think you said at the time that the army was full of weaklings who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag or the army was full of idiots or something and that you'd chuck us all off a cliff if we didn't improve any time soon."

"I did?" Dedede grimaced. "Maybe that was a little harsh…"

"No, no, we did need some good training otherwise we'd be steamrolled by every other kingdom," his retainer assured him, "and since we get a lot of monsters in Dream Land, we do need to be able to deal with them. And I certainly learnt a lot from Sir Meta Knight! OK, so he could be really harsh during all the training and stuff but he said I had potential so you know, it had to be done."

"Yeah," Dedede agreed vaguely. "He's a great knight."

Dedede watched from afar and sighed. "Wonder if he would have officially stayed in my service if I'd been a better kind of king?"

"Great King!" Bandana Dee exclaimed as he checked the castle cameras. "Kirby made it here! W-what do we do?!"

Despite the great services Kirby had performed not only to the kingdom and planet but also to Dedede personally (for who else would have saved the king from his unfortunate possession more than once?), he still wanted to test the young warrior, a petty vengeance for the times that he had been humiliated. This time, he had stolen the food from Kirby's house (he wasn't going to try the whole kingdom food-stealing stunt again) and with that, he knew Kirby would absolutely come to the castle. On the way, Kirby would have to deal with the servants King Dedede sent out to fight him. The king thought it would be a good idea to have Kirby fight his army and thus help train them ahead of the real threats they would undoubtedly face. But revenge was the most important thing.

Dedede thought that all the enemies he'd thrown at the pink puffball would tire him out and thus stop him in his tracks but no, he was still coming to the castle and for a moment, Dedede had a panic attack until Bandana Dee calmed him down. Could anyone beat this guy?!

It appeared that he would have to fight Kirby himself after all and while the idea that he would win seemed preposterous, he had been training extra hard. Oh yes, he'd been training hard. He had enlisted Meta Knight's assistance for this and had even taken a leaf out of the latter's book and crafted a mask which he would don when the time came to reveal his new strength.

As he considered Meta Knight though, a series of troubling thoughts came to the king. Recently, he was sure that the knight's behaviour was somewhat different to normal. He still performed whatever tasks were required of him, yes, but there always seemed to be some sort of reluctance. More than once he had questioned the king's intentions whereas before he carried out his duties with no questions asked. He was never openly in disagreement but he had certainly disapproved of the king's actions concerning the food and Sparkling Stars. There were certain liberties being taken as well; requests for various equipment and parts, that kind of thing, which were apparently for the intention of better protecting Dream Land.

Dedede had said no to all but the absolute cheapest options: did Meta Knight think he was made of money? He was a knight; he should just be out there protecting Dream Land and doing his duties like a good little knight should! And when Dedede ever spoke ill of Kirby, Meta Knight was always quick to speak in the pink puffball's defence. Was there that same level of loyalty anymore? A knight was supposed to be loyal to his liege, was he not?

Well, at least Bandana Dee was definitely loyal. He was loyal no matter what.

We're done fer, Dedede internally sighed. Only one option. "O-OK then," the king said somewhat reluctantly. "I guess it's your turn."

"B-but, Great King!" Bandana Dee squeaked, horrified at Dedede's intentions. "I can't do it alone!"

Who am I kiddin'? There's no way Bandana could even stand a chance against Kirby. He don't deserve that. "...Fine," he said. "You can go. You've been spared."

"Don't go, King!" Bandana Dee cried.

I guess he is concerned about me a lot. Maybe I should give him a pay rise after all. Haha, me givin' pay rises. Dedede shrugged and picked up his secret weapon. Well, if this doesn't pay off, that's it. Kirby will have beaten me fer good.

"I'll-I'll slow Kirby down for a bit so you have more time to prepare, Great King!" Bandana Dee declared. And before Dedede could stop him, despite repeating that he was spared, Bandana Dee dashed out of the room and made ready to face his opponent with more bravery than skill.

"You… didn't have to do that," Dedede mumbled.

Bandana Dee. And his other Waddle Dees. And his other minions too. Perhaps… it was time that he appreciated them properly. For what reason were they loyal to him? Was it out of a sense of duty alone? Or something else entirely?

Maybe I'm doin' a fair kinda job in runnin' the kingdom nowadays. But I ought to; it's my responsibility. An' I'm gonna have to get better at that. I don't want anythin' bad happenin' to these guys. An' maybe this thing with Kirby has been nothin' but a massive mistake.

Dedede glanced at his new and improved hammer and the mask he had made to go alongside it. He shook his head. He couldn't back down now; not when everyone else had given their all, as Bandana Dee was no doubt right now giving his all too. He could have viewed the battle on his security camera system but he felt that he'd rather not, giving the Waddle Dee at least some sort of dignity in his fruitless attempt to hold Kirby back. He could only hope that Kirby hadn't been too hard on all the enemies that he had faced.

He is supposed to be a hero after all, ain't he?

King Dedede made his way to his personal arena and set in place a hammer for Kirby to collect so that they could fight on more or less equal terms, another leaf he had taken out of Meta Knight's book. He sat in nervous wait for a while before he heard a set of familiar steps and saw Kirby step through the door.

"You made it here…" Dedede said. Well, of course he would, the things he's faced before. "Now arm yourself!"

Kirby gave Dedede a look for a long moment. Then, thinking that he might as well just get it over with, shed his current Copy Ability (in this case, Spark), and copied the hammer left out for him.

An' jus' like that he now knows how to properly fight with a hammer. How does he even do that? I guess no amount of trainin' on my part is gonna give me the skills he's got.

"Our grudge will be settled at last," the king continued.

"Our grudge?"

Dedede ignored Kirby's sound of confusion and said: "Meet my powerful secret weapon… the brand-new Dedede Hammer!"

Kirby flinched as Dedede suddenly jumped into the arena wearing a strange mask and carrying what appeared to be a rocket-powered hammer. Not far above him and to the side was an electric fence ringing them in. He didn't have much space to float here although as the king had been doing some serious training, chances were he wouldn't get much time to do that considering the slowness of the move.

"What did you do with Bandana Dee?" the king suddenly asked.

"I swallowed him and then spat him back out," Kirby said. "It seemed the best thing to do since Bandana was adamant he was going to help you out. He's OK."

"You could have hurt him!" Dedede snapped.

Kirby narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather have me used one of my abilities instead? He's my friend too."

Dedede didn't answer that. At least Bandana's OK. He's a good guy. I still should have stopped him though.

"You ready, Kirby?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," the pink puffball replied.

Kirby didn't look scared. Hell, he didn't even look all that concerned about the impending battle. Dedede gave an angry glare; was Kirby even serious about this? Had he just gone through all the obstacles and traps the king laid out for him as if they were nothing? As if it was just another day for him?

Well, yeah. I'm hardly a threat against him, am I?

With that thought, Dedede wasted no time in engaging Kirby in combat and mightily swung his hammer. A wave of electricity streamed out of it coursing straight through Kirby who cried with the unexpected pain.

See? I have power too. I can land a blow on you too.

Kirby recovered quickly and met Dedede's next blow with his own hammer, swinging upwards, knocking the attack to the side. He evaded Dedede's swinging attack by carefully floating above him just before contact was made while remaining just before the crackling fence above. Without hesitation, while Dedede was vulnerable with dizziness, Kirby brought the hammer down on the king who yelled with both pain and anger.

"I'll get you!"

The two effectively danced around one another, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a good, solid attack. With Dedede actually putting serious effort into training in recent years, he was much faster and stronger than before. His attacks had serious weight behind them and he was no longer as slow and lumbering as he used to be (even if he did still have, regrettably, a rather large belly). Unfortunately for Dedede however, Kirby had also been training and he wasn't about to go easy on the king.

"Hey, pipsqueak! You wanna land that hammer on me? Well, I'll land my new an' improved hammer on you!"

I should have got Meta Knight to deal with him, Dedede grumbled as the two fought. But I bet he would have found some way to wangle outta that. Gonna have to speak with him about this insubordination. Who'd have thought it?

Putting that thought to one side, as the two furiously clashed, Dedede grinned with satisfaction at the physical challenge and the opportunity of trading blows with Dream Land's young hero. But… he'd set this entire thing up in his quest for revenge, right? So why did he find himself enjoying the battle?

Maybe, he thought, as he managed to dodge at the last second Kirby thudding into him, he liked the idea of having Kirby as an opponent because their rivalry provided excitement in the king's life. Maybe it gave him a sense of purpose in life when he often found himself lost and wondering whether he was doing the right thing for his kingdom because for all its faults, he knew that he needed to look after it. Maybe, deep down, he respected Kirby and was grateful for all that he had done so far and would possibly do in the future. Maybe he even liked Kirby.

But… he still had to try and prove himself one more time. He was a king and a king needed to show his power!

"Go, Great King!" came a voice from the far side of the room.

Dedede heard and to his relief saw Bandana Dee sitting in the stands looking none the worse for wear. Kirby had obviously told the truth then. Well, of course he would. And even though Bandana Dee could have just returned to his room at this point knowing that he had at least tried to help his monarch out, he had come back to the arena anyway, cheering his liege on.

OK, I'll give Bandana that pay rise. He sure deserves it.

It was with no small amount of satisfaction that Dedede managed to wail on Kirby several times who, despite having the knowledge granted to him by his Copy Ability, was clearly not as used to the hammer as he was with the sword considering his usual sparring partner. Nevertheless, Kirby gripped his hammer more tightly and began an extended assault on Dedede, striking him several times in a row. With great determination, he struck the king heavily even as the latter pounded him with his spinning attack once more. However, it was impossible for Dedede to keep his own attacks up just as it was impossible for him to ever truly match Kirby in the fighting field.

Dedede knew that he was going to be defeated before Kirby even landed that final blow on him, just as he'd been defeated those other times.

"I don't have a grudge against you, Dedede," Kirby said before striking the hammer home.

Dedede stopped in his tracks and in that moment, was struck hard and sent flying from his castle out of the ring, out of the battle, out of his depth when it came to challenging the hero of Dream Land.

It had been a long trudge back to the castle; goodness knows how Kirby had managed to smash him that far although all things considered, Dedede was fairly unscathed by the match; just exhausted. He was however, genuinely pleased and touched by the fact that his Waddle Dee entourage had gone out to find him in the wilderness and provide him company and security during the trek home.

Dedede provided them with shelter and food true, and such simple provisions often made Waddle Dees highly loyal to their employers no matter their personalities. But did he deserve such loyalty Dedede wondered? He was the king after all but perhaps he hadn't always behaved in such a kingly fashion? Challenging Dream Land's hero to a vigorous trial and deadly duel had not been done for the kingdom's sake or anything like that after all; it had merely been done as part of his extended campaign and grudge against Kirby. Was he jealous still? Even after the boy had saved him on more than one occasion?

Yet despite all this, Kirby didn't appear to grudge Dedede in turn. He didn't seem to particularly view Dedede as an enemy; more one who had often been caught up in unfortunate circumstances which was then Kirby's responsibility to try and solve as it was in his power to do so. Today had practically just been a series of training exercises for the hero; Dedede doubted that he himself would have been able to take that kind of punishment for sure.

"Nearly home now, Great King," Bandana Dee announced with false cheeriness, both to break his liege's silence and to brighten his mood a little. Oddly enough, the king hadn't questioned how Bandana Dee had managed to arrive at his side so quickly though it was probably just as well; he wasn't sure how the king would take it if he mentioned that Kirby had given him a lift on his Warp Star when he asked for the favour. "When we get back, I can instruct the kitchens to make your favourite dish if you wish."

"Yeah," Dedede said heavily. "That'd be great."

"And we'll get that hole in the roof fixed in double quick time!"

"Swell."

"And we could arrange the spa to be set up and then—"

"OK, OK, I get it, Bandana!" Dedede cried. "Jus' let me think already!" Dedede moodily stomped on for some distance before mumbling: "Uhh… sorry I snapped at you, Bandana; I know you're tryin' to help. I'm jus' a bit mad, that's all."

"With Kirby?"

"Dunno. Maybe I'm mad with me."

"Oh, OK…"

"I dunno how to put it," the king sighed, "but I've jus' got a lot of thinkin' to do. Woulda been great if you brought the car mind… but I suppose the walk will do me good," he added before the Waddle Dee could apologise profusely for this oversight.

When Dedede and his entourage arrived back at the castle, he thanked them all for their support and praised them for their good work in general. The Waddle Dees, upon being excused, all walked off rather happily at the unexpected compliments except Bandana Dee whom the king asked to stay behind and follow him to his private quarters. Then, looking furtively to the side for a moment as if he didn't want this exchange to be seen despite the privacy of their location, Dedede handed Bandana Dee an envelope.

"Open it."

Rather worried about its contents, Bandana Dee tentatively opened it up and with a shock, found exactly what it contained.

"Um… is this really for me?" the Waddle Dee wondered.

"Well, I wouldn't have given it to ya otherwise would I?"

"I-I don't know what to say… this is rather a lot…"

"Yeah, I know. Don't remind me."

"Um, well… th-thank you, Great King!"

"Don't mention it. Seriously though, don't mention it. If word gets out, everyone else will also be askin' fer a little favour an' I ain't puttin' myself into poverty fer that. Besides, it wouldn't be much of a reward otherwise if everyone else got the same thing, right?"

Bandana Dee nodded and gave a little smile.

"Right. Well, then. You can go an' join the rest of the Waddle Dees then. If they ask what I wanted you fer, jus' say I was discussin' secret plans with you or somethin'."

"O-OK. Um, thank you again, Great King. I'll, uh, just head to the dorms then."

With that, Bandana Dee gave a small bow and went from the room unable to believe his good fortune.

Dedede slumped into his chair and let out a heavy breath. What a long day it had been. Kirby had defeated him once again and without words made it clear that he was just too powerful for the king to take on. Dedede simply could not win. Not that it stopped a monarch from trying, right?

At least something good came out of it, Dedede supposed. For all that had happened, the Waddle Dees were still loyal to him. Maybe it was time to appreciate the Waddle Dees more. They were likely the only people around here actually truly loyal to him. He had helped them before during the dark times when the castle was invaded but still. Dedede sighed. A king without loyalty wasn't much of a king at all. He wasn't even sure if Meta Knight was truly loyal to him anymore…

He was right to have that assumption.

Dedede read the letter again unable to believe its words.

"Whaddya mean you're resignin'?"

"It means I am leaving and will no longer remain in your employ. I thought my letter made that clear."

"You can't leave!" Dedede cried. "You're my sworn knight!"

"Then I am unsworn."

"No. I refuse to allow it. You ain't leavin'."

Meta Knight's eyes flashed. "You cannot keep me here against my will."

"I am the king, Meta Knight. You forget your place."

"I know my place clearly," Meta Knight spoke icily, "and it is not by your side. I am not a trophy to be displayed before others when you see fit. I am not even a trophy that you earned fairly. I was merely inherited. You display me before royalty as if I was a pet or a prize you rightfully won though I am less concerned about that than your governance of the kingdom. I have stayed for so long because previously no other alternative appeared to me. But certain actions on your part have constantly forced my hand and I cannot stand by any longer."

"Whaddya mean by that?" Dedede asked coldly. "Don't tell me this is about the Sparklin' Stars? That were ages ago!"

"Not just about the Sparkling Stars although it was the pivotal event that sent my apprentice out into the world."

"Your apprentice? Wait…" Meta Knight rolled his eyes waiting for the penny to drop. "Kirby?!"

"Evidently."

Dedede was aghast. His knight, his knight, was the one who had trained Kirby?! "You… you…" He couldn't even think of the words to express his anguish at Meta Knight's betrayal. "Why?"

"If you're asking why I trained Kirby, then it's because Kirby has the innate power and skills needed to protect Dream Land and indeed the whole of Popstar for it is obvious that the land needs protecting from evil threats."

"Trainin'! He could only spit stars when the Sparklin' Stars were taken."

"You say that as if you were not the one to take them for yourself."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't answer my point!"

"Kirby's Copy Ability had not developed by that point and under normal circumstances, I would not have sent him out so soon but your actions threatened the entire kingdom. On the other hand, I suppose it provided good training for Kirby before he fought and will continue fight far stronger enemies than yourself."

"So then I guess that's the reason why you jus' let Kirby sail on by with the Sparklin' Star piece," Dedede noted bitterly.

"Oh no, I did fight Kirby. It would not do to just let Kirby have an easy ride of it and the only way he can improve his skills is if he is forced to test them in combat."

"An' he jus' happens to be so good that he happened to beat you, the best knight in the land?" Dedede drawled.

"I may have held back a little considering I knew what was lying ahead," Meta Knight admitted. "But at least I have ensured over the years that Kirby's strength as a warrior has continued to grow. Something I think you ought to be grateful for considering your predicaments. But ah, no, you must continue to fight him like an ungrateful, petulant child."

Dedede's eyes narrowed and he scrunched the letter in his hand. "Whether you're in my service or not, I am still your king an' you can't speak to me that way. I could have you arrested fer treason."

"For speaking the truth? One may think that this reflects once more your paranoia that someone will seize your throne. Perhaps they have good cause to."

"I've only overlooked your actions because you're good at what you do but this? I never thought you of all people would break your oath to me, Meta Knight."

Dedede flinched when Meta Knight suddenly laughed, a most uncharacteristic sound indeed.

"On the contrary, I have not broken my oath at all. My oath dictates that I protect the kingdom. I protect Dream Land from whatever happens to be threatening it and you, King Dedede, have threatened the kingdom more than once. True, my oath suggests that I protect you but that does not extend to continuing to protect the king if he represents a threat to society. Protecting the people and land takes greater precedence. Improving the people and land, following a code of honour, also takes a part in my oath which I will uphold. And that is what I shall do."

Dedede folded his arms. "Jus' what are you plannin'?"

Meta Knight let his cape take the form of wings. "You have seen my Halberd, correct?"

"KIRBY! PLEASE HELP ME!"

Kirby opened the door to his house before it was unceremoniously bashed in and saw a desperate-looking Dedede on his doorstep.

"Meta Knight's gone crazy!" Dedede gabbled before Kirby could ask what was going on. "He wants to take over the kingdom with his Halberd an' throw me off my throne. He said somethin' about endin' Dream Land's corruption or endin' its lazy lifestyle or somethin'. I'm worried he's gonna do somethin' extreme an' I can't do anythin' to stop him."

Kirby's eyes were wide as Dedede continued the rest of his explanation. Would… would Meta Knight really go so far?

"He… he might listen to you," Dedede mumbled. "I know he's your mentor so maybe you could go to him an' maybe stop him. You're the only one who could stop Meta Knight. Please, Kirby, I'm beggin' you!" And for the first time in his life, Dedede went down on his knees and begged.

"O-OK," Kirby said after a while, disturbed by the king's behaviour. "I don't like it but… I'll try. I guess I'll have to chase down the Halberd. Don't worry Dedede, I've got this."

With that, Kirby pulled out his trusty Warp Star and, with only slight hesitation, hopped on and took off into the atmosphere.

"Thanks, Kirby," Dedede said softly once the pink puffball was a speck in the sky. "You'll be fine. Everythin' will be fine. Right?"

And once more, Dedede felt helpless. There was nothing more he could do but return home and think over what he could potentially lose.