"To be honest, I thought you have birthmarks, not a simple mascara."
Moon's voice made Tom's hand twitched and drawn a thick black line down his cheek. Getting bored with waiting for the Queen's returning for so long, the boy had killed some time refreshing his look, and now he had been caught in a very personal, almost intimate moment. An eyeliner had snapped in two in his hand.
"That's not just a simple mascara," Tom answered irritated, wiping waste marks off his face, "this is a piece of art!"
"As you wish," she didn't continue a conversation. The demon prince turned around to find her lounging in an armchair with her eyes closed. Tom was terrible at reading emotions of other beings, but she was definitely exhausted. It had been morning when she had gone for the meeting with The Magic High Commission, and now the first stars had appeared on the evening sky. Had they discussed politics all this time? It would be devastating for anyone.
"Hey, how was the council?" he asked in a calmer tone.
"Very constructive, I suppose," Moon answered, making no move. Tom was curious what decision they had made, though the Queen added nothing to her answer.
"So…" the short-tempered demon didn't endure a long pause, "what are you going to do?"
"The parley," Moon gave an answer at last. "We should persuade monsters not to follow Toffee, and grant them their lands instead."
"That's… that's great! It must work, I'm sure, and it'll fix everything!" Tom smiled triumphantly, yet Moon didn't share his enthusiasm. Something bothered her, and it discouraged the boy a little.
"Hey, what's wrong? You've made an awesome plan which will end this war, you'll see."
"I know," Moon stood and walked to the balcony window. "Just… my mom had the same ideas about peace. And she was betrayed, slew and…"
She trailed off. The demon prince stayed as still as she did, trying desperately to find a proper way to express his compassion to this lonely girl. But all words sounded dull and corny, so he just walked closer to her and stayed near.
"I think, she would be proud of you, that you continue her willings," inside, Tom cringed at how banal it turned out, but Moon gave him a weak smile. Her hands in gloves lain on a marble windowsill - white on white.
"Why are you constantly wearing gloves? I bet it's not an obligatory part of the royal outfit," it must have been a joke, but Moon clenched her teeth, getting Tom to know he had found her pet peeve. "Um, I'm sorry, you shouldn't answer, I've just…"
He didn't end his phrase because the Queen made an unexpected move. She rose her left hand and took a glove off it.
At first, Tom thought it was another one glove under it, a purple one. But the next moment he realized his mistake; it wasn't fabric, it was her own skin. Darkness colored her arm from tips of her fingers to the elbow, from dark and rich purple to light lilac hue. Tom couldn't look away from her veins. He had read enough book in his family's castle to understand some of the wicked black magic caused it, and he must be horrified by the fact that Moon had had a deal with it. And yet…
"Don't hide your hands; they are so beautiful…" Moon widened her eyes and stepped back from him, making the demon realize he said it out loud.
"I mean… I mean… it could help at the parley, yeah," the boy desperately tried to save the situation. "You have monstrous hands, and tribes would appreciate that. They could… would see something familiar in you so that you won't be just another Mewman to them, and…"
"Thank you," she stopped his explanation, taking his glove back. "I'll muse over your proposition."
Tom nodded, wondering if he could have messed up more today.
"It's too late today to make any other preparations. We'll start tomorrow. I hope, you'll accompany me on this journey as my advisor and bodyguard? Sorry for a kind of demotion."
"No hard feelings," the demon took it for granted.
"Glad to hear that," Moon rang a bell. "And now, if you will excuse me, I need some rest. A servant will lead you to your chambers."
A few moments later a maid knocked on the door. Moon gave her brief instructions and only nodded silently at Tom's 'good night.'
The chamber prepared for Tom was located on the level beyond the Queen's room. It was small yet perfectly decorated; from the window, the boy could see the same piece of the garden he had admired before. He laid on a bed, for the first time feeling some kind of confidence about the following day.
The knock on the door made him jump.
"Sorry, sir, I've just brought you your uniform. The Queen's request, sir," the maid's words were polite, though Tom suspected something other beyond them. "For the corn sake," said her eyes, "why the Queen chose a monster for a bodyguard? Is she nuts?"
"Thank you," Tom answered calmly, receiving a package. The maid bowed to him and went away, leaving the demon to wonder if he had seen her contempt for real or if it had been just lack of rest and his vivid imagination?
The package contained a full form of Mewni guardian, but this outfit was adorned more than the usual. Tom winced at such showy clothes. Even the respect for Moon couldn't make him wear that. So the next two hours he spent fitting the uniform for his taste, ripping gems off, ruining the embroidery and decorating the doublet and trousers with patches and duds. At last, his costume looked not so bad. Tom smiled triumphantly and immediately yawned. He spent too much time, so now he needed to take a rest before the new and important day.
Tom had been very sleepy when a sudden thought flashed in his mind. Moon had shown him her corrupted hands… revealed her secret… she had made him her advisor and guardian… did it mean she trusted him? A warmth appeared somewhere in his belly; it was very unusual feeling for someone who got used to being put aside.
"But all of it can wait," Tom had thought before he fell asleep.
…Next two weeks turned for Tom into one blurry cloud. He woke up, put his special Mewman outfit on, joined Moon on her breakfast and followed her for the rest of the day until she finally let him go to sleep. For these weeks he had attended more councils than he had in his entire life before; he had crossed the whole Mewni at least twice. Moon didn't want to lose time, so the next day after Tom's arrival she had announced about her 'peacemaking tour.' Though the Magic High Commission hadn't approved that idea, Moon could be very persuasive.
'I still don't like it,' muttered Rhombulus, the only one member of the Commission who joined the tour. He, Tom, a Bannerman, and a few servants - that was all the Queen's escort. And that day they reached the misty swamp were the Frog people lived.
And they were waiting for the Queen's visit. Warnicorns stepped quietly at the oozy path, and aside there were monsters - men and women, young and old. But they all had alertness in their eyes. Tom was looking around, seeking for the tiniest things that were looking fishily. But even his sharp sight didn't notice anything that could hint of an ambush. For sure, the Frog people didn't like the Queen, but this day they wouldn't kill her.
The Mewmans reached the most significant building in the village; three elders of the commune were standing there. Moon dismounted and went to them.
"May Nature be kind to your village," she intervened her fingers together. "I am grateful that you allowed me to visit your lands."
The Queen bowed so low that her hair touched the ground, and froze. The elders of the Frog people stared at the girl's greeting. After a few horribly long moments they bowed back. The parley began.
Moon had a long and quite persuasive speech. For every tribe, she had found different words, though the meaning had been the same: the Queen fully realized all the damage her ancestors, and her people had made, and she wanted to restore tribe's rights and return them some lands. In return, the Queen asked for peace - she didn't want them to fight for her, just not to fight against with Toffee.
The elders had listened to her silently, without even blinking. They remained silent after she had ended her performance, and that discouraged her a little. At last, the oldest among the elders said: "Why should we trust your words, child?"
Moon prepared herself to long discussions, but this simple question seemed to hit a ground under her feet. The same question awoke a memory in Tom's mind in which also a Frogman and a foggy forest were. He felt that he had to intervene.
"Because of me," he stepped forward and stood near Moon. She threw a short, slightly angry look at him, but he was unfazed. "I am a demon - a monster if you please. The Underworld and Mewni almost all the time has rough relations, and despite that, I can judge the Queen and her intentions without stereotypes. And I can tell you; I found no dishonesty in her words and her thoughts. She is the one who can finish the centuries-old feud between monsters and Mewmans. In fact, she already started to finish it, taking a demon like me as her guardian. Would you allow your prejudices to ruin the chance to a better and peaceful life?"
At the and of his speech Tom had been already gasping from desperation and anger for the elders' stubbornness. Then one of the old Frogmen croaked: "It's just your opinion, boy, not the whole kingdom's."
"Even if you're one of us, it doesn't mean that she didn't put a spell on you to say all that words you've just said. Mewmans, especially their women are tricky," the other added.
The oldest Frogman studied Tom's face, his pose, and gestures carefully. Unexpectedly, he said: "We're thankful for your words, child. The elders discuss all that had been said and say their decision tomorrow."
After that, he turned around and hid inside the building. The others followed him. One by one, all the Frog people disappeared, leaving the Queen and her escort alone.
"It was all in vain," Tom thought bitterly. "Like the last time, all the same."
But then he caught an eye of a young Frogman, with tiny winged ears and bright yellow eyes. He gave Tom an approving grin before hid inside his home.
Tom chuckled nervously. So, maybe there was a reason after all?
