A/N: Happy Easter, guys :)! I've also become a Beta-reader for Heavybond56's 'The Demon Within'. I think it's interesting and definitely worth checking out! Without further ado, enjoy this little heartwarming Chapter I've put together ^.^!

Replies to the latest reviews:

Epitaxus: Shit's on fire, yo.

RobLebron: Wow. Your assumption could be more off xD... And no, Toffee is no longer disguised as Sir Buttocks, since they found out he isn't really Shining's servant. And this is an AU set after Season 1, so the events of season 2 never happened.

kylegriggs13: Um, what xD!?

Rock Raider: She wasn't hated; She was just a servant. But I do have some interesting stuff planned out. Heh, you got most of the trial correct.

TheRealCartoonManiac: Well, you'll just have to read and find out!

Disclaimer: All characters from Star vs. The Forces of Evil belong to the creators of the show. The plot of this story and any original characters that may appear in it, however, do belong to me and I would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this story in your own fanfic.

Beta read by ElleFreak.

Story cover by Luzz015. Be sure to check her out on DeviantArt!


Star vs. The Forces of Evil: Staring it up!

Chapter 5

A Voice in the Cold Wind

Part 3

Mewni, Butterfly Castle, Throne Room

"This is indeed most troublesome," said Queen Moon Butterfly to one of her advisors, an elderly man clad in prestigious blue Mewman clothing. "And you say that monsters did it?"

He gave her a brisk nod. "I fear so, milady. There were numerous signs lying about, such as footprints and a few carcases, although the latter were outnumbered tenfold by those of the villagers. What's more, it wasn't a mere raid; It was a highly organised and planned out attack."

"What makes you so certain of that, Cornwallis?"

"Our men found the remnants of camps scattered all about the nearby surrounding landscape. They were in concealed spots. Over two dozen have been located thus far, and we believe that's less than half of the total number!"

Queen Moon nodded and turned her head to one of the Mewman patrollers who came back from the expedition to report directly to her. "You've seen the devastation first hand, general. Can you confirm any of this?"

The man, his hands behind his back, nodded. "I'm afraid so, your highness. Military tactics were definitely used in the attack. In fact, we speculate that the said siege tactics were similar to the ones our troops are taught to use."

The Queen fell into thought, rubbing her chin with the palm of her hand. "I've never heard of monster employing such tactics. This is almost unheard of!"

"With all due respect, you Majesty," said Cornwallis, clearing his throat and gaining Moon's attention. The man leant closer, and his next words came out in a subtler voice. "If I recall correctly, there was one instance you know very well of, where monsters proved their tactical ingenuity. In fact, I know of a person, if one could call her that, who'd more than gladly teach them our tactics."

Moon's eyes widened and a worried frown settled on her face. Her expression was almost one of disbelief as if she didn't want to acknowledge the man's words. "You don't mean...?"

The man sighed. His expression turned serious, as did his voice. "Your highness, forgive me for my wording, but think about it; Toffee's sudden return and disappearance, the increasing instability of magic in all the plains of reality-"

I must hold another Magic Council meeting and get a report from Comet regarding that, Moon mentally noted. (A/N: Read Chapters 1 and 2)

"-Monsters suddenly fighting as an organised force and using our tactics! Who else but her is capable of such doings?"

"So my sins really are coming back to haunt me..." the Queen murmured. She'd been expecting this day to come, but now that it had, she realised she wasn't ready. To the side, the Captain had no idea what the two were talking about. He jumped as Moon whipped her head and shot him a glare. "I'm sorry, Captain, but-" Queen Moon raised her hand and touched the man's forehead.

Whatever the incantation she whispered was, it caused the soldier to fall unconscious. Moon sighed. He doesn't need to know about any of this...

"Guardsmen! It appears that your fellow here has collapsed. Please, take him to the Barracks and see to it that he makes a swift recovery!" The Queen yelled. Two guardsmen then walked over to the man's body and dragged him out of the Throne room.

"Well it looks like your memory manipulation spells are as sharp as ever, my Queen," Cornwallis Chuckled.

"Need I remind you I don't like using them?" Queen Moon protested. "It was for the best. He heard too much. He'll be fine. For now, keep me informed should anything new turn up."

"As you wish, my Queen." With those words, the man bowed and exited the Throne room, leaving Moon alone with her troubled thoughts.

"So, after all these years, she's returned..." Moon smiled grimly. "By the divines, please, let it not be so..."

Earth, Diaz Residence

"Zora" Angie Diaz repeated and received a nod of affirmation from the small girl. "That's a lovely name."

"T-thank you..." the girl said in a tiny voice. She then let her gaze drift across the room. It was big, much bigger than the cramped room she and the rest of the servants had shared. Did it have several stories? Probably, since there was a stairway.

By the looks of it, the room surely belonged to someone of noble blood. This wasn't hard to figure out, given its luxurious internal design and the large bed she was currently lying in. Although, whoever lived here needed a lesson or two about keeping things tidy, since there were clothes and toys just scattered all over the floor. The one thing that stood out the most was a magical mirror hanging on the wall behind two curtains. While she'd never used one and didn't know how they worked, her former master had often used it to communicate with business associates and other dimensional beings. Was she even in the same dimension anymore?

"This is my room," Star said and caught the girl's attention. The young princess sat down on the bed. "Sorry if the bedsheets smell; I haven't really washed them in a while..." To the side, Marco shot her an irritated glare that went unnoticed by either of the three females.

Zora stared at the princess; While she was much older than her, of that there was no doubt, one could hardly say that she was anywhere close to being an adult, which was emphasised by her girlish dress with a pink squid in the centre and the red devil horns on her head. All in all, she looked nice and friendly. Zora then took a better look at the boy standing next to her; His hair was short, brown, and somewhat messy. His red robe was unlike any other she had seen in her life, and his skin was slightly darker than the blonde's. They were about the same age, she judged.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zora spotted her mask resting on the nightstand next to the bed. To her relief, it was undamaged.

"You were wearing it when we found you," Star said, having noticed the girl's look. "Marco's mom took it off while dressing you into some dry clothes."

"Speaking of which," Marco cut in, speaking up for the first time. "What were you doing out there all by yourself?"

A gloom settled itself on her face. "My town was attacked by monsters. I slipped away under the confusion and ran into the forest."

"So you did live there..." Marco said, a worried frown plastered on his face. The girl nodded. Marco thought back on the devastation he and Star had seen, and shook head in disgust, then said whilst looking at the girl, "Did anyone else make it out alive?"

Zora shook her head dejectedly, then said, " I didn't see anyone else, so don't think so. Maybe?"

"What about your parents?" asked Star, knowing very well what to expect. "Were they in the village?"

Again, there was no answer from the girl. She reached for the mask on the nightstand, but the piece of wooden furniture was out of reach for her short arms. Star noticed this and picked up the mask and handed it to the girl.

Instead of putting it on her head, as one would expect, Zora held the object with both hands and tugged it closer to her chest. "No," she said, shortly and firmly. Marco was about to ask something else, when he heard the girl's next sentence, the words coming out in a lifeless and broken voice. Her words left the three speechless and in shock."I've never had parents."

"Never had parents?" Star repeated, her voice a mixture of disbelief and shock. "What do you mean?"

An air of melancholy surrounded the girl. Yet, she smiled. However, this was not a smile of sincerity or joy; Star noticed it instantly. This was the smile of a person who'd just about given up. "I don't remember my parents, at all. The only memories I have are those of living as a slave to that cold-hearted man..."

"Slave?" Marco worded breathlessly. He knew that Mewni and its surrounding Kingdom were comparable to the Middle Ages or maybe the High Renneisance, but slavery? As he continued listening, his mind could comprehend less and less.

"I was his youngest servant. I was basically trapped in his house and forced to do his bidding, no matter what it was. It was either that or starve on the streets. I didn't have any other options..."

"What exactly did he force you to do?" Star asked, expecting the worst, the building rage in her heart almost making her glad that that man was dead along with the rest of the village.

"All sorts of things. Cook for him, clean, bathe him, feed his pets, entertain his guests..." Star's soul came to a temporary respite, relieved that the hadn't forced her into... other things. That was, until Zora concluded her story. "Whenever I'd mess something up, he would punish me; Make me go hungry, yell at me, force me to sleep in a cage, beat me..." her words were coming out as shudders and tears were swelling in her eyes, yet she remained steadfast. "I had no one to turn to for help; no mother, no father; The rest of his servants didn't even bat an eye when they saw me lying on the floor, bruised and sometimes even bleeding. It was torment..." Star could hear her voice cracking with each word. "But I figured that it was better than being completely alone. But then, he just kicked me out, and nobody would take me in!" The girl took a deep breath and fell silent.

Star was reluctant to speak up, but she had to know. "What happened after you were kicked out?"

It took the girl several moments to muster up an answer. When she did, both Star and Marco's fears came to a realisation."Monsters. Lots of fire. People burning... I fled into the forest and survived the night. The next day, I felt too exhausted and fell asleep in the middle of a meadow."

"The one we found you in," Marco said, cutting in and connecting the pieces of the story together.

"Everything I've ever known is gone... Now, I really am alone..." Zora could no longer hold back the hot tears in her eyes. She sobbed quietly into the bedsheets.

The mewman princess could feel her heart sinking into a dark pit as tears of her own threatened to fall. She shook her head rapidly and, to Marco's surprise, put on a soft smile and wrapped her arms around the small girl, pulling her into a gentle hug. Zora's crying ceased immediately. For the first time in her life, she was experiencing the warmth of a hug.

"You're not alone, silly. I'm here for you, we all are..." said Star, not fully aware where those words were coming from. The young princess didn't know what exactly was causing these odd feelings to surface and take control of her entire being, but all she wanted to do was comfort the girl and be at her side.

An odd warmth filled the small girl's heart as she melted into Star's caring embrace and sobbed into her chest. For the first time in her life, she had a shoulder to cry on. For the first time in her life, someone treated her as a person. For the first time in her life, she didn't feel abandoned and alone.

Marco smiled crookedly as he watched the display. He felt bad for the girl, but he knew that Star was doing her best to soothe her inner pain. The harshness the girl must've gone through was unimaginable to him, and he was happy that they had found her.

The sobbing soon ceased and the girl broke the hug and wiped some of the tears from her face. "What's going to happen to me? I have nowhere left to go..."

"We'll figure something out. Until then, we'll take care of you! You can stay here with us!" Star turned to face Angie Diaz. "Can she stay here, right, Mrs. Diaz?"

Angie rubbed her chin in thought, then smiled. "Of course she can, Star. I'll tell Rafael to get the other guest room ready and-"

"There's no need for that," said Star, cutting the woman off mid-sentence. Angie didn't quite understand the princess' words, and neither did Marco. The two stared at Star curiously as the princess placed both of her hands on Zora's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. The small girl also bore a curious expression. "If you want to, you can stay in my room, with me!" the princess said cheerfully, taking all three off guard with her words. "There should be more than enough room for the both of us. And I can conjure up another bed if you don't feel like sleeping in the same one."

Zora blinked in disbelief. This felt... almost unreal... like a dream that she'd wake up from, only to find herself back in that dreaded mansion and rubbing her master's feet. "Really?" she managed to utter through her hiccups.

"Really," said Star in the softest yet firmest voice she could muster up, one that was normally reserved for her parents and her boyfriend Marco. "If you don't wanna be alone, then I'm not leaving you alone," the princess added as she drew the girl into another warm hug. "So, do you want to stay with me?"

Reluctantly, Zora wrapped her arms around the princess and closed her tear-stained eyes. "Yes. Please. Thank you..." she murmured.

"Well, that's really kind of you, Star," Angie said with a proud smile on her face. "But it's getting late, and I still want to take her temperature and give her some antibiotics before she goes to sleep again. You and Marco go downstairs and heat up some of the Lasagna I prepared for dinner. You two must be hungry."

"Tell me about it! I can't believe we forgot to have dinner!" Marco exclaimed. "C'mon, Star. My mom will take care of her."

Star turned to face the girl. "You be nice to Mrs. Diaz, alright? I'll be back soon."

"Ok," said the girl, this time, with her first, genuine smile, one that Star gladly returned.

The two teenagers then made their way out of her room. They were halfway down the stairs when Marco spoke, "I didn't know you had such great nurturing skills."

"Neither did I!" Star said as the two entered the kitchen. She sat down at the table, while Marco cut two pieces of Lasagna, placed each one on a plate and put them in the microwave, then set the timer to about 1 minute. "I just, I dunno, felt something and had to comfort her! I dunno what came over me!" Star fell silent, then added in a much lower voice, "I also felt, connected to her, but I don't know why..."

"Connected?" Marco repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Star nodded. "Yeah. It's strange, but all I wanted to do was make her feel welcome and stop her crying. I couldn't stand seing her like that..."

Upon hearing a loud *beep* Marco took the two plates out of the microwave and carried the over to the table, then took a chair next to Star, but only after going over to the drawer and grabbing two forks. He handed one to Star, then said, "Well, you did a great job."

"You think so?"

"Yep!"

Star smiled at the remark and ate some of the food. The Earthly cuisine was an oddity; Minced meat encased in several layers of pasta-like sheets. Buy hey, it was tasty, so she wasn't going to complain.

"I just can't imagine what she's been through in the last one or two days," Star murmured. "It must have been living hell for her!"

Marco swallowed some of his food. "I know. A little girl like her, all alone in the middle of the woods-"

"Not to mention the life she's had so far, with some blockhead treating her like garbage!" The Mewman princess said angrily and set down her fork, then sighed.

"What's wrong? Other than, ya know, the obvious..."

"No mother or father to love you and take care of you... That's horrible..." Star locked her gaze with his own, and said, "I was wondering; Can we help her?"

"I think we already have."

"I know that!" Star rolled her eyes. "I meant long term, dummy! Help her have a better life. Help her find a family."

"I don't know..." Marco said. Sadly, he had to admit that he was clueless and hadn't the slightest idea how to answer that question. "But I wouldn't worry about it, yet. She can stay with us for the time being, and we still have to ask her whether she knows or saw anything that could help us figure out who was behind the attack, as your mom told us to."

"You're right," Star sighed. "For now, let's make her feel at home here. We'll worry about finding her a family when the time comes." Star stood up from the table and gave Marco a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to go take a shower and then go to bed. Your mom should be done with those antibiotiky thingies or whatever they're called."

"Antibiotics," said Marco. He didn't expect much from Star, but she could have at least learned to correctly pronounce the word. "Yeah, I'm gonna turn in early, too. Just make sure you don't use up all of the hot water this time! I don't want to risk getting hypothermia again!"

Star giggled and narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Alright, I'll be mindful of it. See you in the morning, my sweet prince."

"Goodnight!" Marco said as he watched his girlfriend go up the stairs. "Seriously, what is it with women and hot showers..." he murmured silently.

Just as Star was finished with her shower and came out of the bathroom in her pajamas, she saw Angie Diaz exit her room and close the door. Upon spotting the princess, the woman smiled, and said, "Her fever's gone down, and she's out cold. I left a glass of water on your nightstand, in case she wakes up and is thirsty. Sleep well, alright?"

"Thanks. You too, Mrs. Diaz."

Angie smiled in appreciation and headed downstairs. Star opened the door to her room and, just as she was about to enter, heard a loud scream from the bathroom, along with the words, "Star! Again!? Again with the cold water!?"

The princess giggled; Boy, did she love that dork.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to her bed, where she saw the peaceful face of the slumbering girl.

Star crawled into the bed, careful not to wake the sleeping child, and tucked herself in. Luckily, her bed was big enough for both of them to have plenty of space.

Just as she'd closed her eyes and was ready to fall asleep, she heard a soft whimper from the other side of the bed. Turning her head, she noticed that the girl was tossing and turning in place while making odd, scared noises. What she heard ached her heart. "No... Don't... It was an accident... Don't hurt me, please... Not again... Please..."

Star gently wrapped her arms around the girl and tugged her closer to herself. "Shh... Shh... It's alright. You're safe now. I'll protect you."

The girl's restlessness immediately ceased and she too instinctively drew herself even closer to Star, burying her face in the elder girl's chest and wrapping her arms around her waistline.

Star hummed happily and closed her eyes. Together, they fell asleep.

End of Chapter 5!


Chapter End Notes

Well, all of my Slovenian brethren should understand what her name means since it IS in my native language; The rest of you can just use Google translate :P!

Also, to those of you who still think the woman Moon talked about is Eclipsa, it's not. Again, this is my own Universe, where the events from Season 2 never happened; BTW my Universe is MUCH Darker! Although, I am playing to do a crossover between my universe and the show's canonic universe. Should I do it? Leave your thoughts!

Anyway, please remember to leave a review and a favourite/follow if you've enjoyed the story, and I'll see you guys again in 2 weeks! Bye!