Disclaimer: I don't own Star Vs. The Forces of Evil!
Title: Sealed Lips
Summary: In which Star, after giving up her wand and resigning as a princess, has become a captain of the royal guard, with lieutenant Marco Diaz as her right hand. Queen Pony Head finds herself in danger from some familiar faces, and Star finds herself questioning her decision to back down.
...
His majesty, king Butterfly, stood impatiently in the main hall of the castle, foot tapping. He coughed into a fist, straightened his formal shirt, then smoothed his long beard.
Finally the clacking of metal shoes sounded, bringing a light of excitement to his eyes. "Ah, captain Diaz. I'm glad you could make it."
"Sorry I'm late, your highness." The captain lowered herself into a bow. Her long hair tangled with the plates of armor on her back with a sort of familiarity, as though the knots she would get later were commonplace, the tips just brushing the floor. "My second-in-command is gathering the rest of our party now."
"Not at all." He waved his hands, becoming suddenly hesitant. "You don't have to call me that, you know."
"As a guard, I can be put to death if I don't." She informed him grimly. "Ancient laws, and all jazz."
"Well, yes. But, as my daughter-"
"I gave up my right as a Butterfly when I resigned as a princess. Therefore; your majesty."
"Ah. Yes." River stated, a pause between each of the words, as though it hurt to say them. "Ancient laws, and all that jazz."
There was a brief pause. The doors were then thrown open; second-in-command Marco Diaz marched sternly into the room, flanked by five other men.
"Your majesty." He greeted, dropping into a bow of his own. "Your strongest- and most well-behaved- guards, as per your request."
"Thank you." The king smiled at the group of men. "Alright, guards. We're running a little behind, so let's skip the formalities. No big crazy entrances this time."
The captain was sure she heard a soft sigh of relief between the men, and was mildly surprised to realize that she was among them. Her second-in-command gave her a quick look, speaking of equal parts warning and amusement.
Indeed, his majesty himself even looked thankful for the delay; much like his estranged child, he hated lots of show when action can be put in its place instead. "Very well. Dimensional scissors it is, then. You all will have to circle me on the way in, for the sake of safety. And so the others kings don't gossip about how 'unorganized' my army is."
(They're not entirely wrong, she found herself thinking.)
River cleared his throat once more and clapped his hands. A servant scurried into the room, a pair of scissors- perfectly shined and sharpened- perched on a royal display pillow. He waved the servant away, tool in hand. "I will do the honors."
As he turned away to cut into the fabric of space, the lieutenant put a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"It's fine." She whispered to him fiercely. "They know me. No worries about introductions. I'm fine."
He nodded his head and withdrew.
The king whirled around, chin set in a proud line. "Captain Diaz?"
She stood. "Your majesty."
"As head of these men, I expect you'll wish to go first." He hesitated, glancing between the portal and the jewel-encrusted scissors in his hand. "Unless, of course, you'd like to double-check my aim?"
Star shook her head and confidently strode over to the hole. "I trust you with my life, your highness."
With that, she jumped through.
The soon to-be retired king Pony Head waited at the entrance of his castle, greeting guests as they passed. Star noticed, with some dismay, that gray had begun to fleck his mane and beard, and wrinkles tugged at his eyes and mouth. River had shown no such signs of stress-aging, although there were magics out there that could easily hide such things, and while king Pony Head had no reason to hide, her father did. She bit her lip and looked away, straightening her shoulders before leading the men forward.
"There you are." The old Uni sighed in relief. "I was worried you wouldn't make it. The new queen would have missed you sorely. As would I."
"Good to see you, old friend!" His majesty greeted, baring his teeth in a smile. "I apologize for the delay."
"None needed." He dismissed. "Queen Pony Head has very little interest in being on time. She's yet to make an appearance herself."
River hesitated, fiddling with a button on his coat. "How has your daughter adjusted to life as a queen, if I may ask?" He couldn't look at him while he asked it.
"Very well, oddly enough. Her blatant lack of tact and disinterest in keeping poise has done her some good. They don't fear speaking honestly around her, like they do me." He shifted his eyes outward. "Is your own daughter- ah, there she is. Good day, captain Star!"
Star, staring resolutely on the ground, jerked in surprise and bowed. "Good day, your majesty."
"No need for such pleasantries. I'm not your king, after all." He hovered closer. "Speaking of adjustments, how is life in the royal guard for you?"
She perked up a tad. "Pretty good, actually. I kinda like it. Like, a lot."
"Good, good. Still residing on earth, I assume?"
"Yes, sir. Lieutenant Diaz and I got an apartment."
"Congratulations!" He exclaimed heartily, although she doubted he knew what an apartment really was. Or, at the very least, how small one usually is. "Come in, come in, all of you! Mingle with the crowd; have a good time! The new queen of Uni demands it!"
"I... think I'll help you greet the others." River sighed, then waved off the guardsmen and woman. "Go on in. I'm in no real danger, and we all know it."
King Pony Head bent down to murmur in the man's ear. "The wand?"
"Safely back at the castle, with Moon." He reassured, whispering as the group marched past. "I didn't trust my own butterfingers."
"So, uh." Marco glanced around the lavish ballroom, complete with ice sculptures and buffet tables. "What do we do now?"
"I dunno." The captain shrugged, taking her own look around the room. "I assumed we were gonna be tailing after his majesty all night. Not... this."
"Uh, cap'n?" One of the guards hesitantly said. "May we all take leave and go to the dance floor?"
"Of course." She nodded her assent enthusiastically, but not before sharing a quick look with her lieutenant. "Dance your hearts out. Just remember; if someone falls into a punch bowl or knocks out a guest, it'll be Mewni's reputation- and your head- on the line."
"Yes, ma'am." The guard tittered, already halfway to the dance area, practically giddy. "We'll remember."
Star rolled her eyes at the display. "Such strong, fearless men we have."
"Hey." Marco chided. "They'd die for the crown, and you know it."
"Of course." She replied, in such a bright tone it made her faith in them completely obvious.
Her second-in-command put a hand on her shoulder, searching the room once more. "I just realized; I don't recognize anybody here. Do you?"
"I know a few, but they're more likely to spill something on my armor than talk to me." She replied with a nervous look to her. "Resigning as princess is a big deal in pretty much every dimension. Not so much in yours, though."
"Star, you realize that usually led to death, right?"
"Death, or being on every royal's hit-list and getting dunked on." She weighed the options with her hands. "Death is quick. Quicker than the other one, that is. I'mma gonna be the scourge of quite a few worlds for some time. So, uh, in the long run? Yeah, death is easier."
"Okay, okay. I see you point." He gently knocked her hands out of the air. "Pointy Head oughta be happy to see you, at least, right?"
"Pony Head is a queen now, Marco. She's got better things to do at this party than talk to another dimension's royal guardswoman. Especially one that's only a captain."
"New plan, then." He said grimly. "Stick together?"
"Stick together. Oh, wait." Star took notice of something over his shoulder. "Looks like someone wants to dance with you."
He stiffened. "Please tell me it's not someone who can break me in half with just their pinkie finger. Dying here would look really bad on my resume."
She snorted and shook her head, giving a thumbs up to the creature in the distance. "Oh, I doubt pinkies are anything you have to worry about."
With that, he turned, only to find himself almost nose to nose with an armor-clad Uni guard, their features masked by a helmet, politely waiting for him to notice him. "Oh." He floundered a second. "Uh, hi."
"Hello." She dipped a bit, mid-float, in greeting. "May I have this dance? Not romantically, of course," She went on, before he could speak. "It will look good for a Mewni guard and a Uni guard to dance. Besides, you're pretty cute, for a human, and her royal majesty has decreed that we all have fun."
"Well, uh... Star?"
He glanced at her nervously over his shoulder. The Uni drooped a bit. "Oh, dear. Have I interrupted something? I'm sincerely sorry." She said, and it sounded like she meant it.
"Not at all!" Marco let out a small yelp as he was pitched forward to stand by the pony's floating head. "I'm his higher-up, so he thought he had to ask permission."
"Sta- I, uh, mean; captain Diaz!" He gave the other guard a wary look, afraid of seeming too close to the girl in public. "Are you sure-"
"Marco, as your superior officer, I order you to try and have fun." Her smile could power the sun, he found himself thinking. "I'm a strong, independent captain who don't need no lieutenant. At a party. On the battlefield, yes, but I can get along just fine on my own at a fancy bash. Go on, now, you two; strengthening the bonds between two dimensions is never a bad thing!"
She waved them off, then turned to the crowd. Almost immediately two or three creatures turned and briskly walked away, while two groups stopped speaking entirely. Others more began to whisper.
"Although, right now, I could certainly use someplace to hide." She swallowed, picked up her chin, and dove into the groups of royalty, her blonde hair and heart-stained cheeks almost like a brand in the light.
Author's Note: I never did see Star growing up to be a queen (I'm just gonna say this was written pre-season two now, despite the fact season two has yet to air, so when this gets completely blown out of the water I have an excuse.)
No, they're not married. Star was forced to cast aside the Butterfly name along with her title, and the Diaz family was more than proud to let her use theirs.
First Star Vs 'fic! Should be fun. =)
-Mandaree1
