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“Alright, everybody shut up!” Queen Star stopped, surveying the line of nobles bickering loudly at the long oak table in the conference room, then grinned sheepishly. “I mean, enough. I can’t hear myself think with all this yelling.”
“Our apologies, Queen Star,” croaked Lady Avarius, her voice hoarse from shouting at her associates, straightening her crown with her wings. “It’s just...well…"
“We know you are eager to get this kingdom back on track, but we’re afraid you may have bitten off more than you can chew,” explained the Duke of Waterfolk, wiping a handkerchief over his slippery forehead. “In my dimension, our reigning monarch would never try to push this many proposals through at once. Housing plans, anti-discriminatory laws, swamp cleanups — not to mention it is clear our viewpoints clash on many of these debates. Would it not be easier to focus on one thing at a time?”
“He has a point, Star.” The former queen Moon stood from her seat, poised and regal in her satin mauve gown with pounds of makeup desperate to conceal the wrinkles forming at her eyes and mouth. “These things do take time.”
Star shut her eyes, taking several deep breaths to stop her heart from hammering right out of her chest. Six months ago, the fate of Mewni had been officially bestowed onto her shoulders, speaking the vows that sealed her destiny as the crown was placed on her head. Ever since then, it was like wading through a snake pit. She knew there was a sizable percentage of Mewmans who had been dreading the start of her reign and the enormous amount of change it would bring. But as a just and fair queen, she could not just pretend they didn’t exist. Star had to take everyone’s argument into account, no matter how weak or narrow they were.
“Here.” The young queen opened her eyes and saw one of the elder members of the council, a long-time official named Killian of the Calvalier clan, setting a cup of tea in front of her. “These past several weeks cannot have been easy for you. Ever since you and the king returned from your honeymoon, I fear that not only have we asked too much of you—” He gestured with his arm to the room, “—but that you have been asking too much of yourself.”
“It’s pretty much my fault,” Star sighed, gratefully accepted the cup. “But I can’t slow down. I don’t wanna be long gone by the time we’ve achieved full equality for Mewmans and monsters. If we don’t start pushing through now, then it’ll never happen.”
“Star,” Moon began, but her daughter held up a hand.
“I know, how many times do I have to learn my lesson?” She let out a rueful chuckle, recalling the escapades in her youth of rushing headlong into a harmonious Mewni without thinking things through. “But this time’s different. I’m Queen now, and I’ve made my orders pretty clear. Better housing, cleaner swamps, and the sooner the anti-discriminatory act goes into effect, the better.”
“Alright, who wants tea?!” The conference room doors banged open and King Marco entered with a maid rolling a tea tray into the room with three steaming pots and several china cups and saucers. “Whoever picks pot number two, that’s my special chai and cinnamon custom blend.” He knew Star convincing him to join the Tea of the Month Club was a great idea.
“Thanks Marco, but Killian already got me some,” Star said, wearily taking another sip as he sat in the plush velvet chair beside her.
“Killian? Our Killian?” Marco raised his eyebrows over at the balding old man with an exaggerated silver mustache, who opened the lid on the second teapot, sniffed briefly and shut it quickly, turning up his nose. “Sure he didn’t poison it?”
“Oh Marco,” his wife hissed at him in an undertone, swatting his arm. “He’s not that bad. Actually he’s one of the only elder members I can tolerate.”
“That makes one of us,” the king grumbled, watching Killian pour himself and Moon a boring old pot of earl grey. “Maybe he’s gonna poison your mom.”
“With everything my mom’s survived, it’s gonna take a lot more than some measly poison to do her in.” Star cleared her throat, and the chatter from the tea break died down. “I think it’s about time we wrap up, the king and I both have a full day ahead of us.” She and Marco both eyed the stacks of documents piled high on the table beside them and gulped. “But I’d like each and every one of you to have your votes ready for when we reconvene next week.”
“Your Majesty, while the elders are ready to grant the housing and cleanup acts,” Killian stated, and the white-haired men and women around him nodded, “we cannot seem to find common ground on our third order of business.”
Star blinked, swallowing hard. “Killian, the anti-discriminatory act is priority number one. Non-negotiable.”
“But My Queen, to allow monsters full rights to our resources—”
“Is how it should’ve been since day one,” Star cut him off angrily. “Full access to our corn supply, plumbing, electricity, and magic.”
That last condition sent a chill through the room, as if someone had opened a window. A deafening silence that was only broken by Marco practically dropping his teacup back onto its saucer.
“While some have been exceptions, the fact remains that most instances in our history where monsters have wielded Butterfly magic have ended in disastrous results.”
“And that’s just a chance we’ll have to take,” Star stood her ground steadfastly. “There will be background checks, some more rigorous than others. But we can’t withhold one of the biggest luxuries of our dimension from half of the population anymore.”
“Hear hear!” cried Lady Avarius triumphantly, while Killian gave her a slight bow, a bit put out.
“And with that, I think we’ll end it here,” Star announced, and the sounds of scraping chairs and the dull roar of conversations filled the room.
“You got the High Commission next?” Marco asked, sliding her chair back in for her once she stood up.
“No, not ‘til tonight. I’m gonna look over some of these proposals while I have a little time.” Marco moved closer to her once he saw she had started twisting her hands around her hair anxiously. “I’m just worried, I’m always worried. I have to stay on top of everything or else I’m gonna screw up really bad and everyone will hate me more than they already do and—”
“Star, relax. Now look, I really wish I could stay and help,” he told her apologetically as Star groaned dramatically and plopped her forehead against his chest. “But Higgs and I have a meeting with the guard. Probably gonna take up most of the day.”
“Go protect the kingdom, Safe Kid, I’ll be fine,” she teased, rising to her tiptoes to peck his lips. “And leave the cinnamon chai here for me.”
“Will do,” he winked at her before following the slow-moving elder council out the door, cordially holding it open even though Star knew he wanted nothing more than to slam it in most of their faces.
“Are you certain you’ve sorted them correctly?” Moon whispered to Star as she passed by, jerking her head at the stacks of paper.
“Yes Mom, I checked before the meeting started,” Star rolled her eyes. “Gimme a little credit.”
“I give you much more than that, and you know it,” her mother said, patting her shoulder. “I’ll be heading back to see your father, call me if you need anything at all.”
“Thanks, I will.” With the room now nearly emptied, the newly crowned queen slumped back into the seat and grabbed the first stack off the top of the tower of deeds, notices and proposals. Sliding her jar of sparkling gel ink closer to her, she dipped the pen into it and began attaching her name to each one.
“Madam, you seem a bit tense.” Killian drawled cordially as he glided over in his heeled shoes, peering over Star’s shoulder.
“Deadlines...too many deadlines…” Star muttered like a mad woman, scratching her quill violently across the pages before whipping them aside. “How long ‘til my next appointment, Geoffery?”
“Twenty minutes, Your Majesty,” the chamberlain announced, holding up his pocket watch. “You also must allow ten of those minutes for travel time.”
“Fan-freakin’-tastic,” she spat out, accidentally puncturing a hole in the parchment. “Can’t Marco do some of these?”
“Heavens no!” the older man said a little too quickly, twirling his grey mustache around his finger. “He may be your King, but you are the sole ruler of Mewni. Your hand is law, not his.”
“I need about twenty more hands if that’s the case — oh!” She groaned as the remaining stack toppled to the floor in her haste. “Great, I had those organized by priority, too!”
“No matter, allow me.”
“Thanks,” Star sighed, taking the stack from him after he had gathered it up for her. “Would you mind telling the coachman I’m gonna be a little late getting out there?”
“Of course, M’Lady.” Killian bowed slightly to her before walking out the door a few paces behind Geoffrey’s hastening steps.
A little white lie never hurt anyone. Of course the king could sign with the queen’s permission, but the current Heart Regime king was a stickler for reading the fine print before affixing his signature to anything. That simply wouldn’t do for his purposes. But the queen…
As she bustled out the door minutes later to board the carriage awaiting her outside, followed by a servant carrying the stack of signed deeds, it was clear that she hadn’t noticed the extra packet towards the bottom of her pile.
“Marco...Marco, wake up!”
“Mmm…” Marco murmured groggily as a pair of hands roughly shook him, and he curled his arms tighter around the pillows beneath his head. “Star, you said I could sleep in and miss the meeting this morning.”
“I know, change of plans.” Something in her voice sounded strained, panicked, and it was enough to force himself back to the realm of consciousness. Opening his eyes, he found hers wide and distressed, kneeling in front of his face with her nails latched around his arm.
“What happened?”
“Just hurry up and get dressed,” she panted, practically dragging him to his feet and flinging open his wardrobe doors. She tossed a pair of pants and tunic in his direction, “Something casual, I really don’t care, I just need you downstairs.”
“Star, what happened?” Marco repeated patiently, barely catching the clothes in midair. Her white gloved hands were shaking, and she was staring out the arched window as if waiting for some dreadful event to occur. She shook her head silently, and he hastily threw off his pajamas and shoved his legs into the pants. The second the tunic was over his head, Star whirled around and grabbed his arm, tugging him out into the corridor and down several winding flights of stairs to the second floor.
“Sire, thank heavens!” Geoffery called once they were in the hallway leading to the queen’s private study. The chamberlain, along with Moon, were standing warily in the doorway when Star pushed herself and Marco between them to get inside. Marco’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
The study was in absolute shambles. The stained glass windows were shattered, the desk broken jaggedly in two with countless documents scattered everywhere. Ears of corn and loose kernels littered the rug, and ink poured out of vials that had been struck by rocks — the source of the windows’ destruction. From small sharp rocks to boulders as big as a Mewman’s head. Bending down, Marco retrieved one of the larger rocks, where a note was attached around it with string.
“I—I haven’t read any of them yet,” Star stuttered, twisting her hands so tightly together that Marco was sure she was going to yank her fingers right off. Slowly, he untied the folded paper and opened it. His heart froze.
You have failed us for the last time. You will pay for this, Queen Butterfly.
He passed the note to Star before snatching another rock up from the floor amidst dangerous shards of broken glass. It also bore a message.
Your reign of even more broken promises ends here.
“Why?! Why are they writing these?!” Marco heard his wife exclaim in a crackling voice, and he stood to face her. In his fist, he hid another note threatening her life as he watched her scan the messages in her hands frantically. “I don’t understand, we’ve done our best to spread our wealth and resources to everyone, Mewmans and monsters. But—!”
“It looks like these are coming from just monsters,” Marco concluded, crumpling the letter with the word “death” scrawled on it tighter in his fingers. “And they’re out for your blood.”
“What did I do?” Star whispered, the papers dropping to the rug while she pressed her hands to her forehead, as if physically wracking her brains.
“Star,” Moon approached her gently. “The guards have allowed one monster to step forward and state the case. She is waiting for you in the throne room.”
“Want me to go with you?” Marco asked, taking Star’s hands in his and squeezing lightly.
“I’ve got this,” Star nodded, clearing her throat and straightening her shoulders. “But stay close, just in case.”
“Will do.” Star turned from the wreckage and lead the way to the thrones, Marco following behind and signalling to a few guards in the corridor to keep an eye on what was about to transpire.
Upon entering the room, Star beheld a tall slender female monster with shiny green skin and webbed hands, wearing a stained dress and apron, her red hair frazzled as if she had just awakened. Flanked on either side of her were two little ones, who gaped as the glittering queen came into view. Their mother, however, only sneered when Star seated herself on the throne, facing her alone with only two guards at the entrance towards the front, and Marco stationed behind her at the archway.
“My Queen,” the woman stated shortly, lowering herself into a curtsy.
“That’s alright,” Star nearly cut her off, holding up her hand and allowing her to rise from her formality. “I’m assuming you’re not one of the culprits responsible for the damage to the castle.”
“I do not condone their actions, but I share in their anger.” The peasant woman’s jaw was set tightly, yet her gold eyes pooled rapidly with tears. “What I cannot understand is why. Why would you do this to us?”
“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Star said honestly.
“Ha!” She jerked her head back in a dark laugh, causing the tears to splash down her cheeks and fall to her chest. “Are we really so insignificant to you royals that you don’t even notice when you evict four hundred monsters from their homes? With the full intent of destroying those structures?”
The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the hitched breath of the poor monster mother fighting to keep her composure. Star was stunned, staring blankly as if a ton of bricks had crashed over her head. “E—eviction? I never called for any—”
“The proclamation was read to us at five o'clock this morning. We were ordered to leave immediately. No warning, no time to pack, some of us were forcibly thrown into the dirt!” Her voice caught, reaching for the hand of the child on her right. “Including my baby Neo. A child, Your Majesty, among others manhandled by your troops. Troops that only act upon your word! And you have the gall to sit there above me and deny your actions?!”
“I never signed it,” Star argued, simultaneously incensed by the accusation and sympathetic to her raw emotional state. “I couldn’t do such a thing. It violates everything I have ever stood for in my journey to the throne.”
“You promised to be an ally to all of monsterkind!” the frog-like woman shouted, pointing a shaking finger at Star, who was finding it impossible to maintain her poise. She looked more like a deer in headlights wearing a sparkling tiara, and the enraged woman huffed. “Obviously just more empty promises, like your ancestors before you.”
“I...I can’t express how sorry I am that this has happened,” the young queen squeaked out. “And I promise, I’m going to do everything in my power to—”
“The damage is done, My Queen,” the mother cut her off in a warbling voice, putting an arm around each of her small children who clutched her legs. “We shall make our home in the forest, as we did during the era of the Accord.” Her voice broke further, “I had only hoped my children would never have to endure the conditions of those days.”
Star stared into the children’s eyes, forcibly reminded of Buffrog’s kids when they were little, and she leapt off the throne to chase after the woman heading towards the door. “Ma’am, please!”
“No,” the peasant stopped her with an icy tone that could have frozen the room over. “I know you meant well. I heard your proclamations and I attended your coronation, Queen Star the Benevolent. But in the end, you are just one girl. And you will never undo centuries of damage to our people single-handedly.” She drew herself up taller, unperturbed by the tears in the queen’s eyes. “And in your reckless thinking, you have just made things worse.”
Don’t let them see you weak, her mother always said. That is for moments of solitude. They must only see their Queen. Yes, Star was a queen. But she was not her mother. And when the door slammed with a deafening thud behind the destitute monster family, her resolve, her courage, and her heart shattered into a million pieces on the floor.
With a great sob, she whirled around to run as far from the throne room as possible — only to slam into someone’s chest as a pair of hands gently held her wrists, rough thumbs rubbing across the white knuckles of her balled fists. That warm gentle voice breathed into her ear as she buried her face right where his heart rested.
“It’s okay,” Marco soothed, sliding his arms around her back to pull her closer, his fingers combing her long blonde locks as she shuddered. “We can fix this, it’s gonna be alright—”
“No it won’t!” Star yelled as she shoved herself away, her face red and washed in tears as she glared at her husband. “I told you, Marco! I knew it was only a matter of time before I screwed something up so bad that no one would forgive me! I just — I-I can’t do this anymore!”
“Star!” Marco called, trying to rush after her, but she had already disappeared behind the curtained archway. He could still barely wrap his head around what had just happened. In a matter of a day, Star’s confidence had done a complete one-eighty, crippled in crushing defeat. Now she was in tears, and there was nothing he could say to console her.
“Sire, should we arrest the woman for misconduct before the Queen?”
“No, that won’t help anything,” Marco replied to Jacques, the guard on the right hand side of the entrance. “Besides, she has every right to be angry about the situation. What we need to do is figure out why all these monsters are being evicted in the first place.” Star would never ever sign an agreement stating such a thing. At least, not willingly.
And then it hit him. That stack of paperwork from last week, the one she breezed through so she could end the council meeting. She must have signed the mass eviction notice by complete accident.
“Geoffrey, I need all of the records pulled from last week’s meetings — anything with the Queen’s signature on it,” he said to the chamberlain, who scurried off immediately. Giving out orders still felt weird to Marco, and what was even weirder was that people obeyed him without question. “I need to get ahold of the High Commission to see if they—”
“Marco,” a soft low voice called from the archway of the corridor under the stairs. Moon emerged, looking even more stern than usual. In fact Marco would say she was downright angry at what had transpired. “You know this was no accident.”
He blinked, unsure of how to respond. “Star wouldn’t do this, not on purpose.”
“Of course she wouldn’t,” Moon shook her head, her silver grey hairs shimmering in the sunlight from the windows. “An elder council loves nothing more than a young queen to manipulate. And it would not be difficult for said queen to fall victim to an underhanded trick.”
She definitely sounded as if she was speaking from personal experience, the way her voice had grown tighter with each word. And it didn’t take too long of a headcount through the older members of the council for Marco’s mind to land on one person who not only had it out for his wife, but possessed the audacity to intentionally deceive her.
“Killian,” he nearly growled. Then he turned to Moon, “Wanna help me out? I could use your influence.”
Moon’s sapphire eyes flashed dangerously, giving him a short nod: “It’s one thing when they make me out to be the fool. It’s quite another when they toy with my daughter.”
“Captain Higgs, have you secured the castle borders?” Marco asked the head of the guard, pacing the floor of Star’s ruined study while servants swept up the broken glass and carried out the splintered pieces of her desk.
“As best as I could since Queen Star removed most of the protective enchantments,” Higgs replied with her arms folded, raising her eyebrows at her queen. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, they weren’t just in place to keep monsters out, but specifically any potential threats to the royal family.”
“Fine, I’ll put them back up,” Star muttered thickly, trying to stifle her crying in front of her staff. “I just didn’t want to shut anyone out.” She shivered so badly that in trying to assist in cleaning, she sliced her palm on a particularly pointed piece of glass, dropping it as she hissed in pain.
“Here!” Marco called, flying across the room with a handkerchief from his pocket. “I never thought I’d say this, but you should’ve used magic.”
Star remained silent as Marco wrapped up her hand, and her lack of a quip back at him was what alarmed him most of all. She was really shaken up by this. Sniffling, she looked up at Higgs with the most composed face she could muster. “I’m going out there. I-I have to say something to them.”
“That wouldn’t be wise, My Queen,” Higgs shot back curtly, her businesslike tone more harsh than she meant it to be. “There’s a mob of nearly five hundred angry monsters ready to storm the castle the second our barriers weaken. So your husband and I have come to an agreement.”
“You...have?” Star raised her eyebrows at both of them. “That’s a first.” Normally, Higgs and Marco couldn’t agree on whether the doors should be push or pull, let alone how to put a system in place for a lockdown.
“We think it’s best if you stay confined until this whole thing blows over,” Marco said quietly, figuring she would take it better if it came from him rather than her captain of the guard. As it turned out, he was completely wrong.
“Confined?” Star repeated, mouthing the word as if Marco had just fed her something rotten and moldy. “You wanna shut me up in a room for Mewni knows how long until those poor monsters just magically go away?!”
“Star, I don’t think you understand just how many of them are out there and what they’ve been shouting. If you even try to make a statement up on the balcony right now, someone will—” He stopped when he could not voice the unthinkable aloud, cradling her injured hand between both of his. “Please stay here. For your own safety.”
“I can handle it,” Star insisted, her voice still warbling with emotion. “If the mob tries to attack me, I’ll—!”
“Use your magic against them?” came a rigid voice from the doorway, and Star spun to see her mother entering the dilapidated space. “As our lineage has done for thousands of years? Do you really think that’s going to strengthen your platform for equality as Mewni’s new queen?”
Star exhaled, wounded even further than she already was by the truth in her words. A queen who campaigned for Monster-Mewman harmony for years, only to make headlines for striking back at an angry mob of evictees with the magic they had been threatened with for centuries if they stepped out of line. How could she even suggest something so hypocritical?
“I...I don’t…” Before she knew it, she had crumpled against Marco’s chest again, feeling his chin rest on top of her head as she hid her face away.
“I’m gonna get to the bottom of this,” he promised, kissing her hair.
“We both are, darling,” Moon added, crossing the room to press her own lips to the top of Star’s head. “You will rise above this like a phoenix from the ashes. And there is no shame in accepting help in getting back on your feet.”
Very begrudgingly, Star nodded. “Okay…you be careful, too.” Pulling away from Marco, her red eyes brimmed with fresh tears, rubbing her arm self-consciously as she used to when she was young. Staring at the floor, remorseful at being forced to give into such demands, she quietly followed Higgs out the door.
“Double down on security!” barked the captain from the hallway. Marco nodded to Moon, and they donned their cloaks to venture out past the borders.
Two warnicorns galloped frantically into the grey afternoon, a blanket of fog concealing the rhythmic hooves as they pounded toward the precinct of the upper crust of Mewni. The “one percent”, as Marco called them, resided on a hilltop to the west of the castle, overlooking the slums below. His stomach churned a bit as he glanced down that way: He and Star had a long difficult road ahead in cleaning those up, as well as equally distributing the wealth as best they could. He shook his head clear. One thing at a time, Diaz.
“Here we are!” Moon called back to him over her shoulder, and Marco followed her as they leapt off the grass and touched down on the pristine cobblestone path. Mewmans dressed in their finest casual clothes looked around at them curiously, surprised to see two cloaked figures on warnicorns cantering down the street. Marco tugged his hood down further over his face. The last thing he needed was to be exposed and subsequently mauled by his subjects at their king making a surprise appearance.
“‘331 Cornsilk Circle,’” Marco read off the slip of parchment tucked into his vest pocket, and he clicked his tongue at Churro to speed up so he and Moon could ride side by side. “You know I just realized, there’s no way we can prove he did this. We’re going in on suspicion alone, and he can easily deny—”
“Marco, hush,” Moon hissed at him, keeping her eyes on the road ahead. “I’m going to need you to follow my lead on this one.” A small smile graced her features, “Just remember yourself when we’re in there. You are a king.”
“Yeah,” Marco exhaled, straightening his shoulders as the white and blue arched roofs of Killian’s abode came into view. More than just that, he was a faithful husband and devoted subject to Star. He couldn’t let the vision she had been so passionate about since she was fourteen fall apart in a single day.
Dismounting at last once they came to a stop at the porch, Marco gave Churro a pat as the horse-like creature helped himself to a bucket of well water on the neighbors’ lawn. Moon had already strode up to the white front door and rapped on it twice by the time her son-in-law made it up the steps.
“Who is it?” came a grouchy voice from the shadowed front hall, which was all they could see through the six-inch crack in the door. “I don’t take house calls unless I get advance warning.”
“Perhaps you can make an exception.” Moon swept back her hood, revealing her glistening silver and periwinkle hair tied back in a bun, the top of her head adorned with a gold-plated headband. The door instantly swung open, and Killian’s shocked face was now fully visible, staring at the fuchsia diamonds on her cheeks.
“My Lady!” he gasped, clutching a hand to his chest. “W-what a surprise to see you here!”
“Hope we’re not catching you at a bad time,” Marco quipped, taking that as his cue to step forward and remove his own hood.
“Your Majesty!” Killian wheezed in a stage whisper so as not to call attention, lowering himself into a respectful bow. His eyes darted anxiously between them, “Forgive me, but erm — was there a meeting this morning that I missed?”
“No, but there is an urgent matter we must discuss with you,” Moon clarified, pushing herself into the house before the balding man could invite her in. “A matter only a distinguished elder of the royal council such as yourself can attend to.”
“I am but a humble servant of the Crown,” Killian replied smoothly, closing the door behind Marco. “And speaking of the Crown, where is your beautiful wife?”
“The Queen is seeing to the damage back at the castle,” Marco said evenly, remembering what Moon told him and deepening his voice to adopt a more proper tone. “This situation’s left her very upset and overwhelmed.”
“Goodness, should you have left her while she was in such distress, Sire?” the councilman drawled sympathetically. “Our level-headed King may be the only one who can balance out her rather emotional temperament.”
Marco chomped down on his tongue to keep the impulsive words he wanted to hurl at this weasel from flying out of his mouth. “She’s perfectly capable on her own, as everyone in this room knows,” he settled on firmly.
“Indeed she is,” Killian agreed, gesturing to the plush velvet couch, and his two visitors lowered themselves slowly onto it. “I remember when she was just a child; rambunctious and loud, feisty and headstrong. Our Queen Moon had quite a handful with her, didn’t she?”
“My daughter has always had a tremendous amount of energy, and has only learned to channel it properly with age,” Moon said with a humored smile that did not reach her eyes.
“And then there was the boy she met on Earth, who followed her like a devoted pet back to our kingdom,” the man continued as if they were not even there. He swung his head around to meet Marco’s steely gaze. “Oh, I don’t mean to make light of your love for the Queen, Sire. It is a deep love in its purest form, and she most surely returns it. For you remained by her side, fought beside her, filled her head with the most interesting thoughts…” He caught himself trailing off and cleared his throat, “Forgive this old man’s ramblings, what was it you wanted to discuss with me?”
“I presume you’ve heard about the mass eviction of over four hundred monsters from the precinct east of the Mewni Swamp,” Moon said quickly, shooting Marco and his curling fists a warning glance.
“Is that what all the fuss is about this morning?” Killian’s eyebrows arched upward, pressing his fingertips together at his lips. “Well, I’m sure Her Majesty had a very good reason for giving such orders. Renovations, flooding, mudslides, dormant ancient magic resurfacing—”
“That’s just it,” Marco interrupted sharply, tightening his fists to stop their shaking. “She never approved of the eviction.”
“But was the order not signed in her hand?”
“It was,” Moon jumped in. “It appears there is no one to blame but the Queen. She merely signed off on the notice without reading it.”
“The weird thing was, the notice was found in a pile of tax proposals and other lower priorities.” The young king found it harder to keep his poker face in check as he stood to level with Killian. “Why would something that would have affected the lives of a few hundred citizens have been in there?”
“Well, you and I both know that the Queen is not the most organized—”
“You’re right, that’s why she’s got me,” Marco cut him off, stepping closer. “Star has me sort her paperwork in order of priority so she can look at it later. And while she might not have seen an order like that right away, you can bet I would have.”
Killian blinked, a vein beginning to pulse in his neck, his grey eyes surveying the king’s stony face. “Surely you don’t believe someone on the council may have slipped the order onto her desk when you turned a blind eye?”
“I’m not saying someone on the council did it at all.” Marco’s hand slid under his cloak, and Moon barely had a chance to react the moment she saw his russet eyes flash. “I’m saying you did it.”
“Marco, stand down!” Moon cried out, but too late. A streak of flame sliced the air and Killian was pinned against the wall, the tip of a golden blade that bloomed from a purple hilt at his neck.
“I’m sorry Moon, I can’t let him get away with any more than he already has,” Marco snarled, nudging the point a bit further into the man’s sagged turkey neck. “Killian Calvalier, you are under arrest for the deception of the Queen of Mewni.”
“You can’t prove anything,” Killian wheezed.
“You were the only one left in the room with the Queen after the last high council meeting. Except Geoffery, but he can’t lie to save his life.”
“Marco,” his mother-in-law repeated more firmly, gripping his hand fisted over the hilt. “I asked you to follow my lead.”
“But—”
“If you keep this up, then you’ll be on trial for false accusation.” She lowered her voice, “And it would destroy Star to have to sentence you to any sort of punishment.”
The older man sighed in relief, “So you believe me, Madam.”
“You, Killian, have the right to remain silent,” Moon shot at him, lowering Marco’s sword from his throat. In turn, she held out her palms, and a glow of blue magic materialized a pair of handcuffs around Killian’s wrists. “You will speak only when prompted, is that clear?”
The man gave a curt nod, breathing hard through his nostrils as he trudged over to his armchair and sat obediently. Marco stepped back as Moon approached him with calm grace, yet he saw ire in her sapphire gaze. He knew she was just as incensed as he was, but she effortlessly kept her rage in check. Something she herself had learned to properly manage with age.
“I don’t understand you,” Moon shook her head. “You have served on the Butterfly council since my mother’s reign. I admired how collected and professional you have always been, despite our differences. Why would you do this to my daughter?”
Killian seemed to struggle with himself inwardly, his veiny hands quivering as they gripped the fabric of his dress pants. For several moments, he simply stared at his lap as if it held the answer to Moon’s question. It was more like a plea, a request for pity on her dear little girl. The frigid valiant warrior Moon the Undaunted, coddling and protecting her child, who was now a grown woman — and a queen to boot.
Pathetic.
“It’s best if she learns not everyone agrees with her sentiments sooner rather than later, don’t you think?” Any feigned pleasantries had vanished, and his withered face was hard as a rock, eyes cold as ice. “I am merely speaking from age and experience, and I know the far-reaching consequences of allowing the monster race the same freedoms as us. Queen Comet sympathized with those creatures’ plight, and look what happened to her.”
“Those creatures?” Moon spat out, ignoring the comment about her mother’s untimely death most certainly thrown her way to weaken her resolve. “It’s true. My mother was killed by a monster. A true monster, not in face but in the cruelty of his heart. And I can assure you that the families and children you flung into the street at dawn today do not possess that same barbarity.”
“That I flung into the street?” Killian went on calmly. “The eviction bearing the signature ‘Queen Star Butterfly’ in pink glittering ink is what flung them into the street. All I did was make my stance on the matter known.”
“You tricked her!” Marco shouted.
“And how easy to trick she was!” Killian’s tone rose to match his, wincing as the cuffs prevented him from moving his arms. “You claim she has grown wiser with age, but underneath she is still that reckless girl who set fire to the castle at her Wand Ceremony. And you—” he rounded on Marco, “are still just a common boy with radical dangerous ideals from that dirt rock you came from! Our blessed royal couple are nothing but two rebellious children trying to change a world that isn’t asking to be changed!”
“Remember yourself!” Moon hissed, grabbing Marco’s arm to restrain him from flinging himself at the bound man in the chair. “So that was your agenda from the very beginning, Killian. Finding a queen you could easily dupe into treating our oppressed citizens as filth.”
“My only regret is being caught before I could truly make my mark. But no matter, this alone will leave quite the blight on your daughter’s reign — still in its infancy, mind you. In the end, she will blend in with the long line of queens before her, and everything will remain as it should be: With everyone in their proper places.”
Moon released her hold on Marco when she was sure he was not going to attack Killian again and used a forceful beam of azure magic to yank the elder to his feet. “How do you live with yourself, filled with such contempt?”
“It is my right to have my beliefs as it is for you to have yours,” Killian hissed in the former queen’s face. “Beliefs that my family has held fast to for generations.” His eyes glinted, “Over three hundred years to be exact.”
Moon withdrew her hand as if she had been burned, her expression morphing from anger to shock. “King Shastacan…”
“Had a very devoted mistress after that tart wife of his ran off with that beast. She was the one who convinced him to get rid of that horrid child after the queen was crystalized, then she took off once she discovered she carried his child. But we found our way back into the Butterflys good graces, and have kept that position in our iron grip for years.”
“Until now,” Moon breathed, still reeling from his revelation. “King Marco, I request this man’s removal from Mewni’s Royal Council.” She turned to face the young man beside her, who looked as if he had been clubbed over the head. “I don’t believe holding him in custody will be necessary. For if he dares to show his face in the castle again, every branch of his family tree will be exposed to the public.”
Marco let his eyes linger on Killian, watching the corners of his mouth upturn slightly. It was a smirk of defeat, followed by a slight nod of acceptance. The response of a man who knew his time was up. Moon was right — he didn’t understand this guy either. It was as if he knew he was fighting an uphill battle with his backwards ideals, and that as his generation died out, future generations would do everything in their power to overturn those prejudices. The world was not his anymore.
“Request granted,” he finally sighed out.
And just like that, a new vacancy opened up on Star’s royal council. Marco wore a rather smug smile the rest of the afternoon, as if he had plucked it from Killian’s face to plaster on his own. He couldn’t wait to tell his parents that he got to fire someone today, finally feeling like someone in charge.
But his triumph was short-lived when he realized it was almost evening and Star was still nowhere to be found. After asking several of the guards, he was able to deduce that she was holed up in their bed chambers. So with a plate of Super Awesome Nachos he had whipped up in the kitchen himself, Marco made his way there to tell her the good news.
The guards outside their room stiffened when he approached, looking conflicted as they exchanged a quick glance. It was obvious they had been instructed to not let anyone in, but they couldn’t exactly keep the king from entering his own bedroom.
Marco gave them a quick nod of understanding. “Hold this for a sec,” he said, shoving the plate into the left side guards’ hands, who licked his lips at the nachos while Marco pulled his phone from his pocket.
‘Can I come in?’ he typed, the swoosh of the message being sent a bit too loud in the echoey corridor for his liking. Moments passed with no response.
“Uh, you can have one of those if you want,” Marco pointed to the plate.
“Much obliged, Sir,” the guard exhaled in relief, barely able to contain himself as he indulged in a nacho or two. “Best use of corn I have ever seen.”
“Yeah, we get pretty creative with it on Earth,” Marco chuckled, before spotting his screen light up. Relieved that she wasn’t asleep, he watched the typing bubbles flick by for an instant as a word appeared.
‘Okay’.
“The Queen said I could go in,” he announced, holding up his phone for proof. The two burly men nodded, shifting themselves to the side as Marco pushed the heavy door open, entering the room with a slightly lighter plate.
Star’s gown, heels and tiara were flung unceremoniously in a heap on the floor among her usual organized chaos, the archway leading to the balcony still wide open. The dwindling daylight was the only way he was able to make out the form lying in his bed, golden hair spilled across all of their pillows, arms hugging the one underneath her head. With a sad smile, Marco set the plate down on the nightstand, and the aroma of the familiar snack finally prompted her to lift her face.
“For you,” he gestured, crawling over the mattress to sit on her other side as she gratefully reached for a cheese and seasoning-covered chip.
“Thanks,” Star whispered, nibbling half-heartedly. The blankets dropped from her shoulders and Marco saw she was only wearing her slip, her hair disheveled and her makeup nearly smudged clean off. He couldn’t stand seeing her so miserable, which was why he didn’t waste another moment putting off his news.
“It was Killian,” he said almost a little too eagerly. “He’s the reason the eviction of all those monster families happened.”
Star looked at him blankly. “But I’m the one who signed the notice.”
“He snuck it into your paper stack,” Marco explained, and the slightest flicker of realization flitted across Star’s face. “But don’t worry, he’s gone for good now. Your mom and I made sure of that.” He laughed, “Well, she let me do the actual firing, and man did it feel good—”
“Thanks, Marco.” His wife’s normally sparkling blue eyes were dulled, and his heart sank when she didn’t look at all cheered by this revelation. “Thanks for figuring that out. And for taking care of it.”
“Y-you’re welcome,” he stammered dumbfoundedly. She barely touched the plate of nachos again, simply staring down into her lap, and Marco draped his arm around her. “Star, what’s the matter? I thought you’d be happy. Or—or pissed off at Killian, or— something.”
“Marco, why do you think Killian was able to pull one over on me in the first place?”
“I— well it—” He fumbled over his words, his perfectly rehearsed story of how he saved the day crumbling to dust in his mind. “It was deceit. It was practically treason, come to think of it — I mean, he lied to the Queen of Mewni.” Now that he said it out loud, maybe he should have punished him a lot harder.
“He knew I wouldn’t read over the papers before signing them, especially the ones on the bottom.” She sighed in utter despondency, “‘Cause I never do. I always just wanna get the ‘boring’ stuff over with, get the meetings done as quickly as possible so I can go to my appearances and do the more exciting queen jobs. And he knew that.” Star pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes as she shook her head, “You fired the wrong person, Marco. Killian’s way smarter than I’ll ever be.”
“What are you talking about?” Marco put his finger under her chin trying to get her to look at him, but she stubbornly kept her head down. “It doesn’t matter how smart he is, he doesn’t have a compassionate bone in his body. He’s one of the ones who wants to keep Mewni the way it was — treating monsters as worse than second-class citizens. Well I mean, a bunch of Mewmans do, but we were just able to catch him in the act.”
“It doesn’t matter, Marco,” Star said a little louder, plopping her hands into her lap for emphasis. “You could get rid of the whole council and start over and it still wouldn’t make me a good queen.”
“You’re a great queen,” her husband insisted, despite her shaking her head defiantly. “You are, Star. You have the biggest heart of any queen of Mewni.”
“Which doesn’t mean anything if I keep messing up like this…” Her face crumpled and Marco slid closer, pressing his lips to her forehead as she bunched the sheets up to her chest as a comfort. “I meant it, Marco. I can’t do this. I never could.”
It was like she was a teenager again, having one of her bad days when she had no faith in herself or her abilities. And even after more than ten years, Marco still didn’t know what to say to reassure her. But maybe she didn’t really want him to say anything.
“D-do you want me to leave?” he asked quietly as Star buried her face in the sheets, practically ignoring his attempts at comforting her. Her head shook back and forth as little whines emitted from the back of her throat, followed by sobs.
“Mom was right. Back when I was a kid and she didn’t trust me o-or have faith in me, s-she was totally right!”
“Star,” he breathed out, embracing her as she turned her face into his shoulder. “Please don’t talk like that about yourself.”
“Why?” she gulped. “It’s true.”
“No it’s not. Do you think your mom would’ve placed Mewni in your hands if she didn’t truly believe you were ready? It’s only been six months, you’re not gonna do everything perfectly. I’m sure not.”
Star snorted, peeking up at him with watery leaking eyes. “You don’t have as much responsibility, dork.”
Marco grinned at the note of humor in her tone. “Nope. But I’m still scared outta my mind.” He felt her tug him closer, securing her arms around his waist as he continued to brush his lips through her hair. “C’mon, don’t cry…”
“I can’t help it,” she said tearfully. “I still put my most important promise as Queen in jeopardy: For monsters and Mewmans to be equal. Once word gets out about what I did, and how my mother and husband had to fix it for me, no one’s gonna stand behind me anymore.”
“Then next time you screw up — and you will, Star,” he stressed when she looked at him in protest. “You know you’re gonna make a million more mistakes as much as I do. But we’ll fix them together. It’s not about the fact that you made a mistake, but how you deal with it.”
“So you’re saying I can’t hole myself up in my room and wish for this to all go away?” She managed a smirk. “Dammit.”
“Mewni’s not going anywhere. And since you took over, it’s only gotten better. Besides today’s hiccup.”
“How many more hiccups is it gonna take ‘til I start a war?” she mumbled into his neck. “Or crash the economy? How—?” Her voice caught, then warbled with tears when she spoke again: “How long ‘til you aren’t standing behind me anymore either?”
“Not gonna happen.” Marco shook his head, gently cupping his hand around her cheek, lifting her eyes to meet his. “I’ve seen the absolute worst in you, Star. Aspects of you that have made me question our friendship, this whole crazy relationship we have. And in all that time, I never once even thought about walking away from us. ‘Cause I have faith in you, and I trust you. There’s nothing you could do that would make me shut you out.”
She managed the smallest of smiles just before his lips brushed hers, tasting them briefly. Their foreheads pressed together, the royal couple leaned back against the pillows with arms tangled around each other firmly.
“I’m starving,” Marco mumbled randomly after laying with his wife for several silent intimate moments. “It was a jam-packed day and I’ve barely eaten a thing.”
Star smiled, reaching over to grab a nacho and pop it into his mouth. “Better?”
“Nope, I just realized I went overboard on the seasoning this time,” he grimaced, swallowing the chip with some difficulty. “Seriously how did you and the guards stomach these?”
“Mewmans have super tough taste buds,” she shrugged casually. A knock sounded at the chamber door, startling them out of their solitude.
“Your Majesties, dinner is served.”
“We’ll be right there!” Marco called, pressing one more kiss to Star’s nose before they rose to their feet and shuffled over to their respective wardrobes. Once dressed in their formal but not too flashy attire, they joined hands and pushed open the door.
“We were wondering where you two ran off to,” came a voice in the corridor, and the couple jumped around to find Moon and River nonchalantly leaning against the wall.
“Marco was just, uh — he was — trying to cheer me up,” Star chuckled nervously, then stiffened when her parents exchanged that knowing look. It felt like they had been doing that even before she and Marco had stepped beyond the boundaries of friendship.
“And did it work?” River asked, only to receive a jab in the ribs from his wife’s elbow.
“I’m happy to report that the record has been set straight, and the mob outside the castle has dispersed,” Moon nodded to her, glad to see a smile had returned to Star’s cheerful features. “However, they will remain homeless until the notice can be overturned.”
“I’ll rush it through the council immediately,” Star told her grimly, her bright eyes dimming again. “Until then, I guess we’ll house as many of them as we can at the summer castle, the cabin in the volcano, here in the guest rooms — and if there’s still more, I’ll have a shelter erected as soon as possible.”
“Wow, nice planning,” Marco remarked with pride, squeezing her hand.
“I had a lotta time to think today,” Star replied, glancing between her parents as the fear of that lost little rebellious girl flitted across her features. “I...I don’t want this to ever happen again. I can’t let it happen again.”
Moon took her hands and pulled her closer, holding Star against her bosom for a moment. “You cannot promise yourself that any more than you can promise your people. All you can do is the absolute best you can. Today was a learning experience. And darling, I assure you that you will have many, many more.”
“Both of you will,” River added, meeting Marco’s gaze significantly. “But we’ll discuss all that in the morning. For now, let’s eat!” Linking his arm through Star’s, father and daughter began chatting animatedly about his latest hunting trip as they headed down the stairs, leaving Marco and Moon trailing behind.
“Thanks again for today,” Marco broke the silence. “You’re right, if I’d handled it myself, I probably would’ve just made things worse.” He paused, biting his lip. “I just get so defensive and protective when Star’s upset, ya know?”
“I know,” Moon sighed in understanding. “Trust me, I know. I have to tell myself every day, ‘Moon, it’s time to step back.’ But it’s hard. I never had my mother to guide me, so I want Star to have hers to turn to whenever she needs help. She’s...she’s still my baby. And she always will be, no matter how old she gets.”
She glanced at him out the corner of her eye, “And as a result, I’ve become rather protective of you as well. Sometimes I still see that little boy wearing River’s meat cape.”
“Not my most shining moment,” Marco laughed.
“If someone had told me then that this boy would be our next King, I would have thought they were insane. Now, I can’t imagine anyone better.”
Marco felt a glow of pride swell in his chest, offering his arm to Moon’s, who gratefully slipped her hand through it. “Thank you, Moon. That means a lot coming from you.”
Moon’s eyes misted a bit, “I love you very much, Marco. As if you were my own. In a way, you have been for a long time already.”
“I love you too, Moon. And River. I wouldn’t be where I am today without either of you.”
Moon snickered to herself, “Perhaps when we next spend quality time together, it will be far more pleasant. I expect Star grows weary of being your sparring partner all the time.”
“She doesn’t,” Marco admitted.
“Well, maybe I can ask her to make an exception for me.”
“I’d like that,” the king agreed. Even though he knew, deep down, he stood no chance against Moon the Undaunted.
And he was completely fine with that.