Playful Butterflies
Toys lay strewn about the royal bedroom, on the floor and the bed. A short blonde-haired man held his precious newborn daughter, eyes trained on her beautiful face. He stood in front of the balcony overlooking Mewni, the temperature just right. The tiny blonde-haired newborn lay peacefully in her father's arms without a care in the world. One tiny hand gripped her father index finger, crushing it in her vice-like grip. Behind him, the soft snores of his weary wife gently filled the air, mingling with the chirping of birds.
River's precious two-week-old child smiled in her sleep, causing his heart to leap with joy. Never, in all his years, had River seen anything so beautiful, other than his wife, of course. His daughter's tiny pink hearts seemed to stick out, making her cheeks look puffier than they actually were. A soft pale hand rested on the king's shoulder, causing him to jump slightly.
"She's beautiful, just like you," he whispered in awe.
"She looks more like you though. She has your blonde hair and is completely adorable to look at." Moon took the sleeping child from her husband and looked down at her. She looked like the finest piece of art River had ever seen, to perfect to describe in words.
"What? She has you face, and she already has enough strength to rule Mewni," whispered River. The bundled baby yawned as she stretched feebly. The couple silently admired their daughter, their hearts leaping for joy.
"Good morning, little one. Did you have a nice nap, Star?" Moon kissed her daughter on the forehead. Star smiled, reaching up to touch her mother's face.
"Moon, I can't take it! She's too adorable, let me hold her some more." River reached over to take Star's hand.
"I did all the work, so I get to hold her. Besides, you got to hold her earlier. You want to stay with Mummy, don't you my little shooting Star?" Moon playfully slapped away River's hand and tickled Star with a finger.
"Moon, you wouldn't be so cruel and hog our baby all to yourself?" Moon gave her husband a smug look and turned away from him. "Moon!" River ran up to his wife, careful not to hurt Star.
"My baby, my turn." Moon held Star up who was clapping and cooing at her silly parents. River knelt in defeat and crawled on his knees to Moon.
"Please," he begged jokingly as he pulled at the hem of her shirt, "may I continue to hold our precious little girl? I promise I won't throw her around this time."
"Oh, alright. But first, give me a kiss." River did as she asked and impatiently waited for her to carry out her part of the deal. Moon handed over Star and sat on the bed with a tired but happy look. River followed suit and looked at his wife as she brushed her hair with her fingers. Star began to roughly yank poor River's beard in her fierce and merciless grip.
"Ouch, St-, ouch! Moon, a little help here. Ow, Star, please!" Moon laughed at the sight before her, tears forming at the corner of her eyes as she hunched over. She watched as Star continued to pull on his beard, a smile on her cherubic face the entire time. Unbeknownst to Moon, her daughter had found one of her strands of hair while she was laughing. Simultaneously, Star firmly pulled on her parent's hair, causing Moon and River to bump heads.
"Ow, Star, sweetie, that's Mummy's hair. Oh, sorry River." Moon tried to untangle her hair from Star's grasp, but to no avail. "River, help me!" Star's incoherent babbling and squealing drowned out her mother's plea. After ten minutes of fighting Star, the two had finally freed their hair from her grasp. Star laid on the bed between a ring of pillows as she chewed on one of her dolls.
"She's got quite the grip, doesn't she?" River rubbed his sore chin and stared down at his energetic little girl.
"Yes, after all that, I feel like taking another nap." She pulled River in and kissed the top of his head. River grinned and mumbled something about balding. Moon sighed and laid back as River moved closer to Star and began to play with her. Smiling, the queen drifted back to sleep, worn out from the hour of emotions her daughter had put her through.