A/N: Woah! Dudes! You're taking things out of proportion xD! Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds; He's already retired but does woodwork as a hobby, so it's not like he's lost his financial security, he was just boiling mad at the insurance guy and asked us to help him rebuild xD! And it's not like I suffered or anything; I was just too tired to write, and I'm mad because I fell behind schedule! I kinda enjoyed doing some manual labour, if I'm honest. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, after all.
On a side note, I've started with the new semester of my new College (English, English Literature, and Sociology) so I hope that you'll see some improvements to my grammar and coherence in the coming months/years (If I'll still be on fanfiction)
Replies to the latest (story/chapter) reviews:
Starshine89: Hell the fuck no we're not xD. Well, Janna is Janna, and she's always good for writing humour.
robertkellet: Well, they're not really keeping this a secret. Marco just happened to be in earshot. Well, he did kinda marry their princess without informing them xD. Hehe, I was hoping that it would turn out funny :). Also, I've finally gotten my life back under control, so I'll (100%) give you feedback by the end of the week!
Rock Raider: Again, feel free to express your thoughts and guesses, I may adapt my writing if you want to see something specific. Anyway, I'm not gonna spoil much, but let's just say that this fanfic will NOT be the typical 'and everything turned out 100% ok and they lived happily ever after'. I've mentioned before that this part of the story will have 12 chapters (maybe 13), and then a final fanfic to serve as the conclusion. And yes, I do have the ending, but I'm not sure how many people will like it ;).
RedHood001: We'll see how the whole 'can't have kids' thing will turn out.
Sugar: Hmm, idk, maybe ;)?
Bedrock Armor: So is every politician, ever.
Scarve: I love creating my own universes and sharing them with you guys, so thx!
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 7
The Royal Wimps
Part 2 (B)
The royal carriage came to a stop and the three passengers heard the carriage driver say, "We've arrived at our destination. I shall hold open the door for you in but a moment."
"Can't we just open the door ourselves?" Marco asked the two nobles, Moon and River, both of whom shook their heads, Moon adding a 'tsk-tsk' to her gesture. They offered no further explanation, but Marco didn't protest. Rules were rules, after all, and he'd get used to them in time.
The door of the carriage opened shortly and the carriage driver gestured the three to exit the vehicle and stepped aside respectfully to give them more room.
"After you, Marco," River said, gesturing him to exit the carriage first.
Marco obeyed the King's order and climbed down the single step of the carriage and set foot on solid ground. He instinctively whipped his head from left to right and took in his surroundings. The carriage had stopped in the middle of a flat, grass-covered field with not much else to be seen, apart from a row of seats to the far left, all occupied by the same people he'd met upon his arrival, who were likely to be the judges.
Scanning the area further, Marco saw a huge, black crock-pot placed atop of a raging firepit. Two mewmans were manning it; Oconstantlyntantly adding fresh wood to the pile of burning timber underneath the crock pot, and the other was standing on top of a portable wooden ladder and brewing the contents of the huge pot with a large wooden spoon.
Lunch, probably.
Looking away from the firepit, Marco saw a small oakwood table with a single oakwood chair placed behind it. There was nothing else around the table, so he had not a clue what purpose it could possibly serve. The bizarre thing was that there was absolutely nothing else in the nearby vicinity, and, unless he was mistaken, this desolate place was the location of his first trial.
Marco felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, then gazed upward at the muscular, towering figure. The figure's large arms soon enveloped around Marco and closed in on him, forcing him into the figure's grasp.
"Marco! Is good to see you!" Buff Frog exclaimed as he kept crushing Marco in his tight man-hug. Said boy was gasping for air and he was pretty sure his spine would break at any moment. Before his prediction became a reality, Yvgeny released him and set him on the ground, allowing Marco to gasp for some oxygen. Marco soon recovered from the surprise attack and looked up and noticed that Buff Frog was no longer wearing his old rags. In their place was a blue buttoned shirt of a similar design, blue of colour, royal Mewman blue, with a small badge on the side where the Frog Man's heart was located.
Ivgeny had a beaming smile on his face. He was obviously happy to see Marco, whom he considered as a friend, no doubt.
Marco smiled back, and said, "Hey, Buff Frog. How's Mewni been treating ya and your kids?"
"Is good," Yvgeny said with a nod of satisfaction. "Plenty of food and peace. Mewman's not too thrilled seeing me, but have made many friends."
"That's awesome!"
"Mm-hm, yes."
"Yvgeny Bulgolbov has integrated himself into our court quite nicely," said Moon as she got off the carriage and took her place next to her diminutive husband. "I made the case that his service towards my daughter in a time of need was more than enough to offer him a position as a palace guard. We've also assigned caretakers to look after his children during his shift, and we're planning to dedicate the West wing of the castle to his Children, to offer them more space to hop around and grow without feeling constricted. So rest assured, Marco, he is being treated well."
Marco nodded in understanding and smiled at the tall Queen. He was glad that despite the intolerance towards monsters, which was the result of years of hatred from the side of the people of Mewni, his friend was able to live in peace, for the time being.
"Anyway," Marco began, careful not to let his thoughts wander off. "What's Buff Frog doing here?"
"Upon hearing that your trial shall be held today, he volunteered to be your personal guard, should there be another attack," explained River.
Marco arched an eyebrow. His safe-kid instincts kicked in and noticed the crucial word in River's sentence.
"Attack?" he asked the King.
"Trouble with monsters," Ivgeny began, not sounding very thrilled.
Trouble? Oh, right.
Marco recalled the destruction he'd seen on the day he and Star had found Zora, which had been the result of an attack by a horde of monsters.
"Their movements seemed to have progressed into Mewman territory," said Moon. "One of our villages, Kelmsnir, was attacked yesterday and burned to the ground. There were no survivors."
"Just like Zora's village..." Marco murmured angrily.
Moon sighed, suddenly looking weary.
"The date for your trial had been set long before the attack, so postponing it was not an option. However, I'm not going to lie to you, Marco, the chances of another attack are very real. After all, Kelmsnir was situated deep within our territory, and we're still trying to figure out how a horse of monsters managed to sneak their way past our line of watchtowers and disappear without a trace."
"We have guards posted all about the place," River added. "But your friend here wanted to be as close to you as possible so that he could be at your side in quicker than you can say corncob."
"Huh. That's awfully nice of you, Buff Frog," Marco said tot he giant frogman, appreciative of his willingness to take up such a dangerous job. He also had an easier time trusting Yvgeny than some random guard that Moon and River would have assigned to the task.
"Is no problem," Yvgeny humbly replied. "Some monsters dangerous. Bring shame to monster kind. They hurt you," Buff Frog picked up a stone from the ground and crushed it with his bare palms, then dusted off his hands, "I crush them!"
"That's nice and all, but what are the odds of an attack happening at this location at the exact time that I'm busy doing this test, right?" Marco joked and added an awkward chuckle, feebly trying to make himself seem calm at the imposing danger.
"I still kill them..." murmured Yvgeny drily.
"Are you done?" A female voice asked. Marco looked towards the direction and saw an elderly woman with chestnut hair that was held in a heart-shaped updo, like Moon's hair. A rigid frown was sprawled across her aged face, her scorn no doubt aimed at both of the outsiders who were standing side by side; Marco and Buff Frog. He'd already known what to expect before coming to Mewni, so the woman's scornful look did not phase him in the slightest.
Her clothing was similar to that of Queen Moon; A blue gown with a heart-shaped skirt. Mewman nobles weren't very diverse with their clothing, apparently.
The woman looked much older than Moon, and was, by Marco's judgement, slightly on the obese side.
"Marco, meet Lady Maizewall. She will serve as head of the commission for your trial," Moon's introduction of the elderly woman was met with a 'hmph' as she examined Marco from head to toe, making him feel uneasy. He didn't like being judged by someone he didn't know.
"So," Lady Maizewall spoke to Moon and River, ignoring Marco's presence, "This fragile and scrawny human is the one who's married our princess? Are you joking?"
Marco didn't appreciate her comment and responded to it with a glare.
"Hey!" he said, grabbing her attention. "I'll have you know that I've kicked the butt of Ludo's former henchmen several times, and I'm proficient in karate," Marco folded his arms before his chest. "And I'm not scrawny!" he added.
Lady Maizewall merely laughed at him. She spoke with a sleazy grin, confident in her words, "You will fail today's tests, human. All three of them." She hunched over slightly so that she was now on eye-level with Marco, the latter being just an inch or two shy of the woman.
"As chance would have it, we're so certain of your inevitable failure in completing all three challenges that we'll acknowledge your right to the princess' hand if you so much as complete 2 of the 3 challenges successfully. Not that you'll pass a single one..."
Marco's response was instant.
"Well then, prepare to eat your own words, because Marco Diaz is not a loser!" he said, pointing his thumb at his own chest. "I'll take on whatever you throw at me, and then some!"
"A cocky one, are we?" Lady Maizewall laughed mockingly. "Very well. I look forward to watching you stumble and fall, Marco."
She turned her back towards him and walked over to the rest of the gathered mewmans. However, her words had left Marco with a bitter taste in his mouth and even sourer words that were threatening to escape the confinement of his mouth.
"I apologise for that, Marco," said River from the side. "She's a member of Mewni's eldest and richest houses, the Meizewall family, who think every blasted corn cob in the entire kingdom belongs to them!"
"They're indeed very arrogant, but they are also one of the leading backers of our kingdom's army," said Moon. "Without them, our troops would lose every forth head, and that's not even counting the number of troops who would lack proper equipment. So, Marco, I ask of you, as a personal favour, to try and act respectfully towards her. Believe me, I know it's not an easy task, but-"
"I get it. I'll try to digest whatever she throws at me," Marco cut in. He didn't even bother to hide his dislike of Moon's request, but he understood that his cooperation would spare both her and the Kingdom a lot of trouble.
Moon inclined her head respectfully.
"Thank you, Marco. That means a lot to me. River and I shall go take our place amongst the rest of the spectators, you wait here and do some catching up with your old friend. Lady Meizewall will call for you when you are to begin the first trial, understood?"
Marco gave the Queen a thumbs up. "Got it."
Moon and River walked off, leaving him alone with Buff Frog. Looking at the frogman, Marco noticed that, replacing the usually cheerful smile, there was a resigned frown present on his face as Yvgeny seemed to be mulling something over in his head.
"Is everything ok?" Buff Frog looked down at the boy in the red hoodie, his eyes suddenly looking worn out, stirring up worry in Marco. Yvgeny sighed, and said with resentment in his voice, his tone blot.
"I very ashamed of monsters who destroy village, you know," he murmured, lowly, a touch of malice present in his rumbly voice. "I trying best to show good side on monsters, and when I finally making progress-"
"The attack happens," Marco finished for him, knowing where Buff Frog was going with his speech. Ivgeny nodded, affirming Marco's assumption.
He couldn't blame him for having a bitter frown and a sour attitude. The topic that had been talked about mere minutes ago and was spoken of anew wasn't a pleasant one if you were on the receiving end of it, like Buff Frog was.
Marco had a feeling that the mewmans' disproval for his position at the Castle had only increased after the attack. Some had, perhaps, even tried to push the blame on him, but Marco wasn't foolish enough to ask. He knew that, if he were in Yvgeny's position, he would prefer to dodge the topic and discuss something, anything else.
Yvgeny's struggles were nothing unfamiliar to Marco. Humans were the same, after all.
Humans were the same, after all.
While he'd never been the target of harassment, fortunately enough, others in school and around the world were. The worst part was that it wasn't their fault. A peer or member of their so-called 'culture' did something wrong and boom! You were suddenly put in the same pot as that person, or persons, despite being different. Buff Frog was now in such a situation; He left Ludo and was now dedicating himself to serving the Butterfly family, and consequently the kingdom of Mewni, but was still mistrusted by many and blamed for the actions of others of his kind.
Yet, here he was, standing strong and resenting the members of his kin for shaming their own kind.
Although, the mewmans weren't all that innocent either...
Marco playfully punched Buff Frog's shoulder and flashed him a small grin.
"Hey, you're different," he said, completely honest. "Star and I know you are, her parents know you are, and soon everyone will. Just... give them some time. Change doesn't happen overnight."
"I know." Yvgeny nodded and smiled back at Marco. "How you say again... um... Groceries, Marco!"
"It's Gracias! It means thanks in Spanish" Marco laughed, and Buff Frog joined him.
"So, how Star doing?"
"Oh, she's doing fine," Marco waved his hand dismissively while smiling. "Her grades could be better, but considering that she neither does any homework or studying, it's a wonder that she even has passing grades. Other than that, she's really happy about Zora living in our house."
"Sora?" Buff Frog scratched the top of his confused head.
"No, Zora," Marco corrected. "We found her and now she's living with us, and her and Star have gotten really close," he explained but avoided mentioning the destroyed village, seeking to retain the light mood of their conversation.
"I see," Buff Frog replied. "And what is hat girl doing here?" he added, earning an arched eyebrow from Marco.
"Hat girl?" he repeated, unsure who Buff Frog was referring to. Ivgeny pointed towards the giant cooking pot, its contents still being stirred by one of the two chefs. Panic overcame Marco upon spotting Janna crouching underneath the portable ladder that the man was standing atop of, somehow going undetected by anyone else. She had a devious smirk on her face as she took something out of her pocket and threw it into the firepit underneath the crock pot, then smiled pridefully and ran off without drawing any attention. She slipped into the unmanned carriage where nobody would spot her.
Marco swallowed. His stomach churned.
What did she do?
End of Part 2B!
A/N: So I brought up this heavy topic because I think it's stupid that people hate others just because of their religion or ethnicity. Like, why would you hate someone you've never met or talked to before? I hope none of you are like that. I'm not saying you have to like everyone, but if you are the kind of person to stereotype people and hate them before you've even got to know them, then all I'm asking is that you learn to be more tolerant.
Next chapter will be longer, I promise! (1-2 weeks, as usual)
Till then, bye!
