Chapter 11- A Call to Arms

Butterfly Castle-Marco's Room

Tom and Star walked through the door and were greeted by Marco, who was standing upright and pulling on his armour. Star gasped and her expression suddenly turned to anger "Marco Diaz!" she yelled, causing Marco to jump. Marco turned around with a nervous look on his face to see Stars scowling face approaching him.

Tom backed out of the room, sensing where this conversation was headed, saying quietly "I'll errm let you two talk, I'll come back later", and like that he turned the corner and headed down the hall to leave the couple in peace. Star turned back to Marco and continued her rant.

"I told you to stay in bed! You're in no condition to do anything at the minute, you promised me!" she yelled as she came face to face with Marco, who by now had realised that he was going to need a good excuse here. He lowered his head in shame as he pulled off the shirt he'd been trying to put on, exposing the damage Helvete had done to his abdominal muscles with a single hit. Star gazed at his damaged flesh and a small tear came to her eye.

"I'm sorry Star.." Marco said shamefully "I just...I can't stand by and do nothing when that madman could attack at any minute". Star placed a hand on his chest and drew closer to him, gazing up at the knight with her shimmering, ocean-like eyes. Marco looked down and was immediately weakened, he couldn't resist Star like this, he hated to see her upset especially when he was the cause.

"I know Marco.." she whispered as she rested her head on his chest, trying to avoid accidentally hurting him by avoiding the brusing along his abdomen. "But please..I need you to rest and heal before you go charging into another battle". Tears began rolling down Star's cheeks and onto Marco as she gripped him tight. "I can't loose you Marco...I just...I can't let him take you away from me" she said as she sobbed.

Marco wrapped his arms tightly around Star, and rested his head on top of hers. Small tears also began flowing from his eyes. "Star, you won't lose me I promise" he said through the pain as his wounds screamed at him, but he ignored them. He lifted Star's chin and looked into her sad eyes as he spoke reassuringly to her in a soft whisper. "We're going to win this, we'll survive and beat Helvete and we'll do it together and be together at the end of it all, I promise Star" He then kissed her lightly before pulling away and saying softly "I love you Star".

Star sniffed and wiped her eyes with a frail smile forming on her face "I love you too Marco" she whipsered as she returned a small kiss to her knight. When they seperated they were interrupted by a voice from the door "You know you still need to find me a girl too right?".

The couple turned to see Tom at the door, a smirk present on his face as he watched the young couple. The pair blushed lightly and seperated, Marco then smriking in turn as he faced Tom. "Yeah, I'm working on it, although it'd be much easier if you stopped insisting on waiting for the next blood-moon ball for your first date, just take her to a normal dance man" Marco said sarcastically as he faced the prince.

Tom chuckled and shrugged "Hey, it worked for you two, I just figured I need to have one as well you know?" he said as he entered the room properly strolling towards his friends. Marco once again chuckled "Well, unless you wanna date Hekapoo, I don't know any girls that can live for 667 years" he said as he sat down on the edge of his bed, guided, if not slightly forced, by Star.

Tom pretended to ponder by mocking stroking his chin, as if he had a beard. "Well...she is rather attractive I suppose.." he said, which stunned Star and Marco slightly. However they came back to reality when Tom smirked and waved his hands while giggling to himself "Guys, guys, I'm kidding, Hekapoo might be hot and have the same powers but she's really not my type".

Marco finished his chuckling at the discussion and looked towards Tom, turning serious. "Sorry to change the tone Tom, I really am, But why are the Lucitors helping Helvete..what happened?" he asked with a heavy tone as he watched Tom's smile drop from his face, a look of shame replacing it.

"Turns out there's alot about my history that I don't know Marco" he said solumly as he took a seat in a small chair in the corner of the room, facing his friends. "Helvete knew it though, and he told it to my parents, convincing them that our people and his are somehow 'brothers' and that we should 'rise up together against our retched oppressors'" Tom looked up as he said these words and pointed casually towards Star and Marco "That would be you two and the rest of the Butterfly family apparently" he said sarcastically. Star and Marco pulled resembling faces of digust at the comment, this caused Tom to draw back slightly.

"Okay I agree with the disgust but its kinda creepy how you both did that at the same time" he said as his eyes darted between the couple, who blushed lightly and simultaniously scratched the back of their heads, Star then spoke up. "Yeah alot of people keep telling us that, we're pretty sure its got something to do with the blood moon" she says while smiling, slightly embarressed, as was Marco.

Tom shook his head and continued his story "Anyway, ignoring that problem for now, It turns out that my people and Helvete's were once a part of the same grand nation, this was centuries before even Eclipsa's time but it's why both of our people share the same industrial capacity and affinity for pyrokinesis, although that being said, it seems that Helios is much more powerful when it comes to use of their abilities" He said as he held a small, gentle flame in his hand. Pondering it and shifting its form gently as he spoke.

"Using this as a persuasion technique, he turned my parents to his side, promising territory and power when Mewni falls to him" Tom stood and said with passion in his voice "But I won't let my kingdom follow that madman, please Star and Marco, I need you two as my best friends to help me stop Helvete and then..." Tom hesitated before he could continue "Help me to remove my parents from the throne so that I can replace them as sovereign of the Lucitor Kingdom".

Star and Marco nodded in unison and Marco struggled to his feet as Star steadied him. He walked over to Tom who also moved from his chair to stand before Marco. Marco extended his hand and Tom took it. The two embraced and Marco spoke "We'll stop this lunatic together Tom, I promise". The two seperated and all three smiled towards each other. Between them they had saved Mewni a dozen times, and they would do it again on pain of death, even if they had to do it alone.

Johansen Kingdom

King River approached the great gates of the Johansen Kingdom, his eyes once again gazing in amazement on his birthplace. The high granite walls of the city, manned by dozens of guards in shimmering plate armour, their hands casually dangling around sword hilts. A voice cried out from the high tower of the gatehouse.

"Who goes there!?" the cry came down towards River. River looked up to see multiple guards gazing down from the wall, directly onto him. He darted his eyes towards the guard who had yelled and shouted up "Come on Grunt, open the gate, you know who I am".

A man peered over the edge of the wall down at River, He had a deep, red scar running downwards across his right eye, and he sported two golden rings in his ears and his bald head glinted as the sunlight bounced off it, near blinding a nearby soldier.

"River!" He yelled down as he smiled "You jammy bastard, I didn't expect to see you until flags, I wont fall for the same scheme you pulled last year you know!". River laughed heartily at the comment "Well I only threw a jar of honey at Prince Rock, it's not my fault you wear a live bear on your back!" he yelled before laughing even harder.

Grunt laughed in turn and slapped his knee in joy "Well, the prince is still abit sore about that one, I'd avoid him if I were you! Come on in you mad sod!" he yelled down from the tower before the portculles raised and the great oakwood gates behind swung open to reveal the city innards. Still laughing from the memory of flags, River strolled into the city and up towards the castle in it's centre.

As he strolled he took out a small sheet of paper with his instructions, pain stakiningly written by Queen Moon, on it.

River,

I need you to go to the Johansen Kingdom and secure their allience. We need their weapons and armies to help us defend the kingdom.

Please don't waste time partying or drinking, if we win this war you can have as much time as you want to party with them. Now is the time to be serious.

Love

Moon xx

River gained a determined look in his eye as he read the words. "I'll get it done Moon-Pie, Helios ain't gonna know what hit it!" he said to himself as he burst through the door of the Castle. He immediately looked into the faces of King and Queen Johansen, who both gained wide grins as they saw River's face.

"Well I'll be dammed, River you bugger, How've you been? You know the Prince is still annoyed about what you did during flags" The king chuckled as he got up to embrace River in a crushing bear hug, which River eagerly returned.

"Well I just wanted to cover the boy in honey for a laugh" River chuckled as they seperated "Sort've forgot that Grunt's bear goes nuts for the stuff, how is the little blighter anyway?". King Johansen laughed heartily and slapped River on the back as he did.

"He'll be fine, honestly he reminds me a little of you when you were his age, needs to get a little bit of gusto in him" King Johansen said as he sat back down in his throne alongside the Queen. "Now then, I assume you're not hear for just a flying visit" he asked as he took a more serious tone towards River.

River also grew serious, "Unfortunately not, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Mewni is at war and we're losing, we need help desperately and I'm here to ask you for it" River said as he watched the King's face turn to concern and ponderment. The King leaned towards his Queen and a small hushed conversation was had between the two. River couldn't make out the words and as such stood, unmoving as he watched the royals talk.

After a few minutes of this the King sat up once again and faced River with a look of concern. "Who are we facing River?" he asked in a serious tone. River took out a small piece of cloth and opened it up, unveiling the Helios flag to the King before saying bluntly "Helios, an older Kingdom, but a powerful one, they have also formed an unholy allience with the Lucitor family if my reports are correct".

After several more minutes of pondering the King looked up again and turned to an advisor "How are we on anti-pyrokinisis weaponry?". The advisor looked down towards a clipboard and adjusted his thin glasses to better read. "Well your highness we've had a lull in production since the Lucitors have been peaceful for so long and...well Helios was considered a destroyed state, however we do have enough to currently ourfit around 45% of our forces" The advisor stated in a plain tone.

"How quickly could we get that to 100%?" The king asked with growing concern, the advisor then flicked through a series of notes on his clipboards and muttering figures and notes to himself as he read before finally turning to the King and saying with a troubled look on his face "To arm our entire forces would take around 8 months, even accounting for increased war production and changing production lines to fit the army's needs".

The King stroked his impressively long beard and turned to River "Well my boy, for now we can't give much" he said before pausing and standing to his feet, walking over to River and placing both hands on his shoulders. "But we'll give everything we have to help family, that's what it means to be a Johansen". He then slapped River on the back and guided him towards the door "Now then, lets celebrate with a drink shall we!?" He yelled with a hearty laugh.

"Well.." said River, thinking about Moon's letter and warning "What harm can one do?" he chuckled as the two monarchs strolled into the castle's grand beer hall.

Helios-Grand Hall of Engineers

General Kahchi was stood on a platform high in the factory, overlooking the grand space with great interest. He was jotting down note upon note into a small journal that he kept with him about the observations he was making on this area. Notes of everything from; random facts that he himself found intriguing, down to tactical plans that involved the developing technology he saw before him.

"I told you that one day I'd build you an army that could never be rivaled, now I trust you to deliver your end of the bargin general" A voice came from behind him, startling the general slightly out of his notes. He turned to see the face of his sovereign before him. Kahchi saluted, which was returned, and he placed his journal back into his breast pocket.

"Your Highness, you have done more than your word, these devices, these machines of war change the dynamic of conflict forever" he said as he gestured towards the machinery lining the grand space below them. "With coal and steel, fire and gunpowder I shall not cease my attacks until your flag flies high over all of Mewni".

Helvete smiled, "That is good, I expect nothing less general, the final battle begins soon, and I will not be denied again" he said as he turned to leave, causing Kahchi to catch a glimpse of the half charred doll Helvete cradled in his left hand.

"She would be proud to see how far we've come your Highness, we will avenge the fair princess on pain of death...I promise" Kahchi said. Helvete stopped in his tracks and turned to look over his shoulder with a thin smile on his face. A genuine look of kindness towards his general.

"I know we will general" He said as he turned back once again to leave the room "I know...".

A/N: The Butterfly family now has new allies in the fight, but it seems Helvete is bringing something new to the fight. Can his new weapons overcome the Mewnian alliance? Only time will tell. Thank you once again for continued support of this story, I always enjoy reading your comments and thoughts on the writing so thank you again. Until next time guys :)