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Marco desperately tried pressing his ear towards the door. He didn't know what it was made out of, but the material was thick enough to censor the entire conversation from inside. That didn't stop him from trying to snoop, though.

They were all alone in there, and Marco wasn't fond of being left out of the commotion. He had always been able there for Star when she needed him the most. Just because Tom had decided to show his face didn't mean that was going to change. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to open the door to take a peak; the door would be heavy enough to echo across the room and bring him attention. Marco was sure that neither Star or Tom would appreciate his intrusion.

The earthling cringed at using their names in the same sentence. Star, his best friend, was supposed to marry Tom, the demon prince—no, King. He wasn't sure what was stranger: the fact that she was marrying, or the fact that it was Tom.

She was Marco's age; however, marriage had been the last thing he worried about in his long list of accomplishments. He didn't even have a girlfriend, much less a fiancé.

It just went to show how different their lives actually were. Most of the time, Marco forgot that they weren't even the same species: he was a human, and she was a Mewman. He was one of the billions of people on Earth, and she was royalty of her entire race.

Marco understood that at one point their paths were going to split, but it was hard to think of a life where they didn't go to school together or fight evil alongside each other. The teen wasn't oblivious; he knew it was going to happen, but he thought he would have had more time. From what he knew, princes and princesses didn't take to the throne until the after King died. Star should have had plenty of years left.

It was stupid of him to think that there would be the slim chance that Star would stay on Earth, that she would stay with him. It was ironic how Earth was supposed to be her punishment, it was supposed to teach her how to mature, but instead, it had taught her to be carefree, to live the life of a normal girl with normal expectations.

Princess or not, Marco was a firm believer of being able to choose one's own destiny.

All this situation reeked of Tom's doing. He would help Star before she fell victim of the demon's schemes. To think, Marco had once thought that Tom had stopped chasing after Star. After three years, it had seemed that the demon was finally moving on, but apparently, that wasn't true. It just went to show to what extents Tom would go to get what he wanted.

The earthling couldn't understand Tom's obsession with Star. Star and that demon had barely been adolescents when they had dated. Marco had a feeling that Tom simply couldn't understand why someone would reject the demon King, so maybe it was the closure what he wanted.

The Hispanic teen would get to the bottom of this, because everybody had a choice, and Star's choice was definitely not Tom. There was no way he'd let him get away with this, that demon was probably manipulating everybody somehow, maybe blackmailing them.

Marco just couldn't get it through his head that Star had to marry Tom, and it befuddled him that no one was objecting. That wasn't right, especially since her parents have always seemed to want the best for her, and while no one was objecting, no one seemed thrilled about the concept either.

He leaned closer to the door, hoping to hear something, anything. His fingers softly brushed the tip of the doorknob. Do he dare open it?

The earthling's choice seemed to have been made for him when the door flung open, causing him to stumble back. Marco tripped and fell on his spine.

Tom emerged from the room, but he didn't seem to notice Marco. "Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your own hands are clean, Star Butterfly."

Marc wondered what that could've meant.

With that, the door was slammed shut. Tom seemed engulfed his own thoughts, so much that he hardly paid attention to the fire igniting at his shoes. Absentmindedly, the Hispanic teen wondered how the leather of the shoe wasn't melting.

Marco quickly stood up and cleared his throat. Tom quickly turned his attention towards the human. He immediately frowned.

"You're still here? Really?" the other young man didn't seem so happy to see Marco. The feeling was apparently mutual.

"What exactly are you up to?" Marco accused. The demon rolled his eyes.

"Straight forward, aren't you?" he scoffed, "You probably get that from Star." Tom began walking away without a second glance.

"Whoa! I'm talking here!" he exclaimed. Tom barely acknowledged him. Marco couldn't believe how easily he was brushed off. It seemed that since he got there, everyone had ignored his presence.

"That's nice, now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do," Tom said, dismissing him. The earthling ran to keep up with him. He blocked his path so that he could fully get Tom's attention. Said demon was less than impressed.

"I'm going to find out what you're up to," Marco said. His voice was thick with conviction.

"Whatever is happening, is none of your business," Tom countered, his voice close to a growl. The fire grew further, causing Marco to conclude that he was irritated.

"It is if my best friend is involved," he remarked. Tom's eyes began turning a vibrant shade of ruby, and his pupils became white.

"Star has been updated on the current situation, if you're really dying to know, go ask her like the loyal dog you are." The King slightly smirked. That struck a cord within Marco, causing his face to flush in embarrassment. Marco, however, was wise enough to ignore the snide comment.

"I want to hear directly from you. Star doesn't always have the best judgment, but I do; you can't lie to me," the earthling stated.

"I'm not going to repeat myself just because you want to make a judgment call," he growled, "Now get out of my way."

"No." Marco stubbornly stood in his way.

Tom was really livid now. The fire had snaked its way to Marco's shoes, causing his resolve to falter. Nonetheless, he had dared to say no the mighty King himself, and there was no backing out now. He'd have to stand his ground until the end, but it would be all worth in the end if it were for Star.

The Hispanic teen had to think of something quick; the look on Tom's face suggested he was seconds away from throwing him across the hall. Tom's fist clenched, and Marco knew that it would happen soon unless he did something to prevent it.

"I challenge you to a spar," Marco blurted out. Tom immediately froze and his eyes reverted back to their usual red color.

"A spar?" the tone of his voice sounded interested. The teen had the other male's attention, so he elaborated quickly before he lost it.

"Yeah, a spar. No fire, no demonic powers, just pure skill in strategy," he spoke, "I win, you have to tell Star and me the entire truth."

"This seems strangely familiar, except, you know, I'm not the one challenging you this time," Tom said.

Marco couldn't agree more. He felt like this was Deja vu all over again considering what had happened the first time: he had gotten creamed.

However, this time, things would be different. He knew what he was up against. The earthling had been studying martial arts for years, he had spent painstaking hours honing his body to the martial arts he had learned. Marco had forced his body to respond to what his brain commanded him to do. His reflexes were as accurate as they'd ever be.

Tom, in contrast, was nothing without those powers of his.

The demon King probably knew Marco was baiting him; however, he knew that Tom couldn't resist a challenge. The earthling heavily relied on that only assumption.

The young man stared at the earthling with a piercing gaze and if looks could kill, Marco would be suffering from first degree burns by now. The intense stare was beginning to unnerve him, and the teenager felt like looking away from the glare. Marco opened his mouth hesitantly.

"How about we make this interesting," Tom began, "If you were to win, I'd do something greater for you: I wouldn't force Star to marry me," he noticed the elation of Marco's face and continued, "But, if I win, you'd have to pledge your alliance to me, you'd always have bow in my presence, just like all my loyal subjects."

His mouth was agape, "What? No, I'd never do that,"

"Suit yourself. If you can't bother risking the stakes, then don't bother making a deal with the devil. Now, if you're done wasting my time..." Tom sidestepped Marco, his shoes quietly clicking in the large hallway. The earthling began to panic at how quickly he was losing him.

"Wait!" Marco blurted out. Tom stopped with a smirk on his face. "You really wouldn't make Star marry you?" the human asked.

The young King turned towards the earthling. With a mocking smile, he put two fingers on his heart in a pledge. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Alright. I accept to those terms." Marco extended his arm, "But no powers means no powers."

Tom shrugged, "If that's what you want." His hand gripped Marco's in a firm handshake.


Star sat across from her parents. She stared at them blankly, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Sapphire eyes were glazed over, a sign that she was in thought.

King and Queen Butterfly hadn't said anything. They weren't sure whether initiating the conversation would ease the tension, or if Star simply needed more time to think.

The princess was certainly thinking alright, but not about initiating the conversation; she was thinking about the one and only demon King.

The young princess had no reason to trust Tom, to believe what he had explained to her. His confession seemed very biased. He placed no guilt on himself, it was likely that he was blaming her parents to turn her against them. She wouldn't put it past him to stoop that low.

A key factor that caused her to doubt herself was when he had pulled her close to his frame. Star remembered it clearly. She had intended to punch him, maybe use her magic on him, but he had been much quicker than she had initially anticipated.

His skin was seething, but not hot enough to burn her. He smelt of ashes and of masculinity, one not entirely unpleasant. He had spoken his words harshly and with complete conviction.

Star knew that having fear was natural: a person needed fear to trigger the basic flight or fight instinct. She had always made the most important decisions under pressure.

Despite the gravity of any situation the princess had been in, deep down, she had always known that everything was going to be alright. When situations got out of hand, the blonde girl could always rely on someone to help her through the problem.

Now here Tom was, giving her a reality check. The same people she had always counted on to save her, were now the ones putting her in danger. Not even her best friend was in the position to assist her, but she knew that wasn't his fault.

The princess was on her own, forced to solve the problem her parents couldn't. The situation was thrust upon her; she had no choice, all the responsibility was dumped on her. Her parents had put her in a tight position by deciding her fate and leaving the residue weight on her shoulders.

Tom had uttered unpleasant words to her, and deep down, it hurt her pride to admit he was right. Star realized that she was calling the shots now, and the fact didn't please her as much as it once would have. The blonde girl would have total control of the situation. That statement scared her. One wrong move could cause the death of her people, and that frightened her more than anything.

In previous circumstances, she had mostly never had control of the situation, but things had always fallen into place. Now that she had control, things were becoming erratic and unmanageable.

"Star," her mother called. Her blue eyes suddenly focused on the two beings in front of her.

"They attacked Mewni, didn't they?" Star asked. Her mother's eyes softened and she slowly nodded.

"You must let us explain the situation," River Butterfly interjected.

"I'm listening," Star replied firmly.

"Initially, we were aware that these monsters were headed towards our Kingdom. After all, an attack towards Mewni is not uncommon, we believed that our soldiers could handle the opposing soldiers. We had defeated monsters before, this shouldn't have been more than a romp in the park," her father grew grim, "We hadn't anticipated their newfound strength. We underestimated them and paid dearly for it. No civilians were killed, but our soldiers didn't suffer the same fate—"

"No civilians...?" she questioned.

"That is correct," King Butterfly stated. Star stubbornly shook her head.

"You're lying! Ten percent of Mewni's population... they were... they're gone, aren't they?" she angrily asked. Her father seemed shocked that she knew this information, but it didn't take him long to put the pieces together on who had told her.

"Yes," her father began, "War casualties are no surprise. Those that perished were peasants, nothing but homeless lurkers." Star eyed him incredulously: she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"They were Mewnians, dad. They were part of our dimension," the princess' voice began rising, "They didn't deserve to die!"

"Neither did half of our army, unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it now. What's done is done, the ambassadors have taken care of it," her mother's voice cut like daggers. The girl sunk into her seat, eyes wide in disbelief.

She couldn't believe how easily her parents were dismissing the deaths of all those people. They were acting as if this was a common procedure as if those lives were insignificant. Her father had said that attacks on Mewni happened regularly. Could it be that this had always been their way? Had she just never noticed? Why hadn't she ever realized this before?

"Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your own hands are clean, Star Butterfly."

Was that what Tom had meant by that?

"Why didn't you guys tell me anything?" Star asked, fighting to keep her voice neutral. She knew she was failing miserably.

"You are too impulsive Star. We knew that you would stubbornly dive into battle without realizing who were you up against," her father replied.

Star sheepishly looked down at her lap. The blonde girl knew he was right, she'd admit that much. She attempted to ignore the creeping thought in the back of her head.

"...King and Queen think they can keep this all censored from their innocent little girl, but we know better, don't we Star?"

She clutched the fabric of her dress and prompted to keep her mouth shut.

"Our allies weren't able to assist us, and our greatest alliance was Uni, but you know now that they were defeated as well," King Butterfly sighed.

"We did what any rulers could do: we had to seek out the one Kingdom that could help us defeat those monsters," her mother said. Star's sapphire eyes widened.

"So he was right," the princess muttered, "You—you used me as a bargaining chip."

"Who was right?" her father asked. It took a second before it clicked, "What else did that demon tell you?"

"That's not important, all it matters was that he was right," Star narrowed her eyes at them. So Tom hadn't been lying and her parents had confirmed it. "There's no use in lying now, I know everything." That was a stretch, considering Tom hadn't told her that much. Who knows what he had kept to himself; in fact, he might have told her more if she hadn't have gotten so stubborn.

"Everything...?" King Butterfly muttered wide-eyed.

"Yeah, I see I'm just an after thought after you've made all your decisions," Star sadly mumbled.

"Star, this is exactly why we couldn't tell you. We had no idea how you could react," her mother countered. Her light blue eyes lit up in a fierce glare that was enough to frighten her husband. River Butterfly unconsciously backed up, looking torn between his wife and daughter. The anger bubbling in Star began rising up in response to her mom's words.

"Well, how am I supposed to react at realizing that my parents were lying to me, and surprise! I'm getting married to the demon King, whoop-di-doo," Star stood up from her chair, making erratic hand motions, "And I'm supposed to be happy?"

"The least you could do is be a little more considerate," her mother remarked.

"Oh, so it's my fault now? I'm sorry I'm acting uncalled for," the blonde girl replied sarcastically. Her mother gave an irritated sigh.

"I'm growing weary of your attitude, Star. Your imprudence has shown me that you have learned absolutely nothing from your time in the Earth dimension," the Queen said. Star, usually more placid, was losing control of her emotions. She was drowning in the piles of new information, and her mother wasn't comforting her, though this really didn't surprise the princess.

Star and her mother had bickered before on numerous occasions, but this seemed to take it towards a new level. This "attitude", as her mother had called it, had been building up for months, maybe even years, from the overly high expectations her mother had set for her. Every day had been a constant reminder of how she was never good enough.

"You should have sent me to St. Olga's reform, I'm sure you would have just loved for them to brainwash me," Star frustratingly ran her hands through her unruly hair. Deep down, the princess was beginning to feel her magical powers ignite from her unchecked emotions.

"Look at you, pulling these tantrums. How can I trust you to become queen, when I can barely even trust you with this information," her mother snapped. Star gasped, tears beginning to prick her eyes.

"All I wanted was for you to at least give me a heads up. You didn't even bother to ask how I felt, you didn't even give me a choice," her voice was strained, and her face beat red. Star clenched her hands together and released a shaky breath.

"Star, we can give you this choice. If you truly don't wish to be wedded to that demon, then I will find another solution, we can do this together," her father spoke gently. Her mother looked as if she was going to object.

Together. She wished that were true.

"But you're not actually giving me a choice! You put me in a deal where there's no backing out!" Star slammed her hand on the table, a bolt of magic shooting up into the ceiling. Her parents flinched back. Star recoiled from the power of her outburst. Her glare softened, and she sighed in defeat. "You're telling me that I have the option to ignore everyone's suffering... and that—that wouldn't make me a good princess..."

Star was a good princess, or if she hadn't been before, she would start to be good from that point on. The blonde would show Tom that he was wrong about his intuition about her.

She supposed it was time to start taking action now.

Her father gazed at her dubiously. It seemed he wasn't all that enthusiastic about the idea either, at least he was on her side. He opened his mouth as if to interject, but the Queen placed a hand over his shoulder. She looked at him with a persistent stare.

"I'll do it," Star stated with as much conviction as she could muster, "But don't expect me to be happy about it."

Queen Butterfly sighed in relief. She gave the princess a weary smile. "Star, dear—"

"Hang on, I'm not done yet," the blonde girl interrupted. Her mother's eyes widened in surprise. "I have a few conditions."


The earthling watched as the demon rose gracefully across from him.

"What is this place?" Marco questioned. Tom had led him towards another room in the large castle, thought Marco had been skeptical, considering he didn't want to end up in a dungeon again.

The walls around him were worn out with filth. The location reeked of sweat and testosterone. The floor was littered with various pieces of armor.

"This is where Mewni's guards come to train," Tom scoffed, "Though they've obviously been slacking in that department."

Marco wasn't sure what to say in response to the young King's remark. He opted to ignore it.

"How do you even know about this place?" the earthling asked dubiously.

Tom scoffed again, "Do you think this is my first time here? I've visited this castle long before you came along."

"That might be true, but this is the last time you'll be visiting. You've definitely overstayed your welcome," the teen declared. Tom narrowed his eyes in an unfriendly manner.

"Whatever, are we going to get this over with or not?" he sighed impatiently. The young King seemed ready to begin, thought Marco couldn't say the same for himself. Tom's slackened behavior caused Marco to believe he wasn't taking this as serious as he was.

Marco began to falter. He pulled the collar of his jacket out of nervousness "Wait!" he protested.

Tom rolled his eyes, "Now what?"

"Don't we need a witness? Someone to make sure you don't cheat...?" Marco questioned. The demon shrugged. He casually strutted towards the doorway.

"Hey, you there," Tom pointed towards the nearest knight, "Come over here." The young man seemed to have made quite the reputation around there, for the knight took less than two seconds in obeying the demon King. The knight nervously sweated through his heavy armor. "Supervise our spar. If anyone uses powers, you automatically disqualify them.

"Fail to do your job, and I'll have you decapitated faster than you can say wait. Do I make myself clear?" Tom snarled.

The knight whimpered, quickly nodding. The rattling sound of his heavy armor made Marco cringe.

"Good," the young man smirked. He slightly showed off his fangs, succeeding in intimidating the poor guard even further.

Tom returned to the training mats. He calmly resumed his previous position, unfazed that he had just made a death threat. Marco openly gaped at him.

"Are we starting, or not?" Tom questioned. Marco shook his head to compose himself. His got into position again. The young King stood vertically, shoulders and spine straight. Tom didn't bother to remove any of his immaculate clothing; he even kept his earring. Marco wasn't dishonorable enough to fight dirty, but it always helped have a backup plan.

The young King raised a hand, beckoning Marco to dare and attack.

Marco let out a battle cry and charged forward. Tom's reflexes kicked in, aiding him narrowly avoid the blow. The Hispanic teen again attempted to land a blow on the demon's ribs but was unsuccessful when Tom used his forearm to block it.

True to his word, Tom was refraining from using any type of powers. Marco was a little more than impressed at how well his opponent was dodging his attacks; he hadn't been able to land one punch. For the first few minutes, the fight carried on that way: Marco on offense and Tom on defense.

Their spar carried on along the entire room. However, after none of his attacks managed to affect the other male, Marco was beginning to grow irritated. At this point, he was drenched in sweat, and his muscles burned from the intense workout.

"Are you going to fight," he said as he threw another punch, and missed, "Or not?"

"Oh, we're starting now?" Tom mocked, "I thought this was just a warm up."

In a flash, the demon was able to grab the fist Marco had aimed towards his torso. Tom constricted the limb with his own hand, cracking his knuckles in the process. The human used his only free hand to catch Tom off guard. The demon was able to foresee this, managing to grab the other fist as well. Marco attempted to sidestep his opponent to gain the advantage. Tom would have none of that, though. He jumped, avoiding Marco's maneuver. Tom then flipped the earthling, effortlessly twisting his arm in an unbreakable hold. The position was enough to dislocate Marco's shoulder if provoked.

Even the guard winced at the sight.

"What? How did you—" Marco stuttered.

"A King never reveals his secrets," Tom intoned. The young man quickly released Marco, stepping back to let the human regain his composure. Marco groaned, flipping onto his back. He elevated his head to look at his opponent.

"You—you knew you were going to win, didn't you?" the Hispanic teen questioned. Tom released a resonant cruel, wicked laugh.

"You're a fool, Marco," the demon King stated. He brushed off his suit, attempting to maintain its cleanliness'.

Marco frowned, "What...? I don't understand..."

"The fact is that I'm not the one forcing Star to marry me," he spoke, "Whether you would have won this little spar wouldn't have mattered in the long run. This concerns matters you just can't understand. No one can change what's happening, not me," Tom walked over towards Marco's fallen figure, lightly shoving him with his shoe. "Not even you,"

Embarrassment sunk into his gut, and he stood up so that he could regain what was left of his dignity. "You're a real jerk, you know that?" Marco said.

"No one likes a sore loser, Marco," Tom mocked. Marco felt a sudden jolt of fury wash through him. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"To think, I actually thought you were an okay guy," the human frowned. Tom's smirk disappeared. For a second, Marco thought that his comment had gotten to him.

"That goes to show you how bad your so-called judgment really is," the other male remarked triumphantly. The young King turned his back to Marco.

Rule number one: never turn your back on your opponents.

He didn't have to continue the spar, Tom had already told him his efforts were futile, so Marco didn't understand the urge to continue fighting. The earthling wanted to have the last word, to show that wasn't easily bested. Marco was not a fool, he would gladly demonstrate it.

The teen's beating heart caused his blood to pump through his veins. He could hear the loud thumps, each one stronger than the last. He inhaled slowly, channeling all his efforts into one single blow. Determination helped him to clear his head so that he was able to make a single-minded decision.

Fight or flight?

Fight.

Tom slowly looked in the direction of the doorway, giving Marco the perfect opportunity to pounce. His lungs burned once he forced his muscles to react. His pupils dilated, and his knuckled were white because of how tightly his fist was clenched.

Marco gave a satisfactory grin knowing that Tom wouldn't be able to react in time. The demon's hands were at his side and his posture was carefree; everything seemed in the earthling's favor.

Just as his fist was about to connect with Tom's jaw, the demon himself quickly turned in Marco's direction. Their eyes locked, and Tom threw him a smirk.

The grin on his lips suddenly vanished. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't place what it was. It was too late to retreat, so he met his fate.

His fist collided with Tom's bare face. The demon fell to the ground, despite Marco knowing that the force of his swing hadn't been powerful enough knock him down. The sound of his fist hitting flesh echoed through the air. Marco wanted to celebrate his accomplishment, but Tom's smirk had unnerved him too much to do anything.

"Marco, what heck are you doing?" a voice suddenly exclaimed. He turned head quickly to see Star standing at the doorway, her posture hinting that she was not at all pleased with what she was seeing. Marco analyzed the situation: his fist in the air, and Tom on the ground.

"Well Marco, if you really didn't want me to marry Star that badly, you should have just said so," Tom coyly added.

Marco face palmed: How was it that he got into these situations?