A/N: Well, I'm still alive. I'm not gonna go into any details as to why I haven't updated in 3 weeks, let's just say I had lots of 'issues' to resolve, so all I can say is I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Replies to the latest reviews:
Bedrock Armor: Yeah, you ain't getting that yet xD.
Rock Raider: Oh, so you know what Janna is? Well then, sir, let me hear your guess! Also, they will get married, just not yet. But yeah, they've been living on Mewni and will continue to do so.
archivewriter3: I once dreamed an entire day of my life and woke up the next day questioning reality, so yeah, dreams can really f*** with one's mind. Also, Janna is much worse than Loki :P!
Disclaimer: I do not claim the right to Star vs. the Forces of Evil or any of the characters that appear in the show. They belong to Disney and the show's creator, Daron Nefcy. I do, however, claim the right to the plot as well as any original characters that may appear in this fic, and would kindly ask you to inform me should you want to use anything from this fic in your own story. -jolleIQ
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 9
A Thirst for Vengeance
Part 1
Mewni, Castle Butterfly
Zora's heart was beating with the intensity of a raging locomotive as she sprinted through the long, pillared hallways, dashing from one pillar to the next in hopes of hiding from her pursuer. Cautiously, she poked her head out and took a peak.
Nothing.
She exhaled a sigh of relief and tiptoed over to the next pillar, then the next, and so on until she reached the end of the hallway that was indicated by a sharp turn right. She wasn't fully familiar with the interior of the gigantic castle, but if her memory server her, this hallway led to either the dining room or to the armoury. She didn't have much time to think about it as she heard footsteps resonating behind her. She immediately shifted into fifth gear and sprinted down the hallway to the room at the end.
It was the dining room.
The footsteps were approaching fast and she had little time to think about what to do next, so she whipped her head from left to right and quickly scanned the room and spotted an open cupboard across the room. Without thinking, she sprinted across the room, crawled inside and shut the cupboard.
Soon after, she heard someone enter the room. The footfalls stopped but soon resumed. Evidently, whoever was outside was looking for her. Zora swallowed and remained perfectly still, daring not to let out so much as a peep. The figure crept around the room, humming to itself. Each second seemed like an eternity to the girl as she listened to the humming. Would he find her, or could she remain undiscovered?
The footsteps and the humming drew closer and closer to the cupboard she was in, and she swallowed again, unable to blink, so overcome with the tension of the moment.
Ok, just stay calm, she counselled herself. All you have to do is keep quiet until he goes away.
Her plan seemed to be working, for she could hear the person walking away from her hiding spot. Just as she was ready to let out a sigh of relief, her nose and her mouth betrayed her.
"AAA-CHOO!"
Zora froze up, eyes wide. The person outside walked over to her cupboard.
Uh-oh...
Slowly, the cupboard opened. Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness within the cupboard, so the sudden burst of light blinded her momentarily. All she could make out were the outlines of a hand reaching for her.
It was over.
"Found you! I win!" the proud voice of a boy declared cheerfully as he helped her out of the cupboard. Zora puffed her cheeks in annoyance, eliciting a chuckle from the victorious Marco, who then took out a small notepad from the royal pantaloons he was wearing along with the royal garments, boots and cape that he was presented with shortly after the arrival on Mewni. He was told that it was mandatory for every member - or in his case future member - of the royal family to be 'presentable' at all times, which involved a lot of involuntary grooming and the wearing of flashy, royal clothing that distinguishes the nobles from the commoners. Overall, he didn't have a problem with it, but he did miss his hoodie.
"That makes it... 11-0 for me?" Marco said and flashed a triumphant and smug grin at Zora as he ticked off yet another victory for himself. Zora stomped him on the foot.
"Meanie..." she grumbled, but couldn't help hide the smile that crept unto her lips. All in all, despite having lost every single round of their hide & seek game, she'd enjoyed playing with Marco much more than she would have enjoyed her royal classes. Had she known that being a future princess was this much work and reading, she may have declined the offer to be adopted into the family.
Maybe. Just maybe.
Marco rubbed his aching foot.
"You're way too strong for your age," he complained. This was a statement that could be applied to all Mewmans. Why it was so remained a mystery to all, but then again, he was in another dimension. Nonetheless, he was happy that the levels of Zora's timidness had declined. The girl seemed much more relaxed now than on Earth, and she displayed much more of that childish wonder when walking through the castle and dining at a table large enough for twelve families to dine at, as though she still couldn't believe that this was now her life.
Some of that newfound liveliness showed itself as Zora outstretched her arms towards Marco. She wasn't a very vocal person, perhaps because, as Marco had to admit to himself, neither he, Star or Zora were fully used to the prospect of being a family, so some things were still awkward for them - albeit Star was taking her role as Zora's guardian very seriously - therefore remaining silent and communicating with simple gestures that got the message across saved all of them a fair share of embarrassment.
Marco smiled and picked the girl up and placed her atop his shoulders. Zora really loved looking down on people, which was a bit scary, now that he thought about it.
Their moment of bliss lasted but a moment as it was interrupted by a certain blonde princess, who cleared her throat to grab their attention. Marco turned around to face her standing in the doorway and noticed her expression on ire. Star, like him, was dressed in her royal gown and had her crown atop her head. She would look really cute if she didn't look so terrifying as she kept glaring at him and tapping her foot.
Marco swallowed and chuckled nervously, fully aware of the trouble he was in.
"Marco Ubaldo Diaz, I cannot believe you!" barked Star, shooting him an impatient glare as she walked up to him and removed Zora from his shoulders, hugging the girl to herself. "You promised me you would take her to my mom for her Mewman history lecture, not play hide and seek in the castle!"
"C'mon, Star, loosen up a little!" It felt odd that he was the one telling Mewni's own reckless princess to relax and not take things too seriously. Truly, an odd occurrence, one that had been repeating itself regularly for the last month. "Is it really that important for her to learn about a few dead guys? She's a kid."
For a brief second, Zora wanted to protest against being called a kid but figured that it would benefit her more if she simply stayed quiet. She would allow the comment to slide.
This time.
"Loosen up? This isn't funny, Marco." Star sat Zora down carefully, all while keeping eye-contact with the boy. "We're walking on very thin ice," declared Star with a worried expression. "If one of Mewni's nobles shows up and sees us goofing off instead of doing the stuff we promised, then we're gonna be in big trouble. Like, really big trouble." Star made a gesture with her hands by clasping them together then outstretching each arm to the side as wide as it could go. "I expected you of all people to be aware of this!"
"Star, calm down," said Marco, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What's gotten into you lately? I haven't seen you goof off in over two weeks." He'd rarely if ever seen the princess so stressed, and it was clear that she couldn't handle the stress too well. It's not that he didn't share any of her concerns, but he didn't approach them in such a frantic manner.
"Listen, I'm fully aware of the situation we're in, but we can't just act like a bunch of robots," said Marco. "Besides, it was just a stupid game, and where's the harm in that? It's not like we're being watched or anything, so we may as well try and enjoy ourselves, right?"
There was no harm in a little fun. Marco expected her of all people to understand that much. It was rather funny how their roles had switched in such a short amount of time, with him trying to have fun and Star attempting to enforce an anti-fun polity; at least when it came to anything and everything involving Zora.
Star finally sighed in defeat and nodded, casting a downcast smile at the boy.
"Sorry," she apologised. "I just don't want anything bad to happen, you know?"
"And neither do I, but I think we're entitled to have a little fun every now and then." Marco took her hand and smiled lovingly at her. She looked him in the eyes and he could tell that her mood was gone. "There's no need to worry so much, Star. You've been overworking yourself and trying way too hard there last few weeks. Just loosen up a bit and stop worrying so much. Everything'll be fine, I promise."
Hearing those words planted a smile on the princess' lips, and she nudged closer to Marco and abruptly brought them closer to his, capturing them in a light kiss.
"Yuck..." Zora declared and shuddered in disgust. No matter how many times they did it, she couldn't tolerate the sight.
Star and Marco ended their wordless exchange of affection and Star sighed deeply.
"Maybe you're right," said Star. "But for some reason, my gut keeps telling me that something bad's gonna happen. What if you or me or Zora gets hurt or worse?"
"Well tell your gut that he's wrong because absolutely nothing bad is gonna happen, not on my watch." Marco didn't say that just to comfort her, he was determined to protect his two girls.
Star smiled mischievously and turned to Zora.
"Did you hear that? Daddy over here is awesome, right?"
"Hey!" barked Marco, blushing at Star's remark. "Don't call me that!"
Both girls laughed in unison and Marco growled throatily.
Star's expression shifted back to a serious one.
"Do you really think I'm worrying over nothing?"
"Yes, yes I do. As long as we play our parts in public and take our responsibilities seriously, which we have been doing, need I remind you, then we can do whatever the heck we want while in here, and as much as I like learning more about Mewni, I wanna have some fun and just chill with the two of you," he smiled at the two girls. "It's not like we'd be breaking any rules or anything," he added.
Star rolled her eyes.
"Fine, but next time you play hooky with her, at least tell me about it."
"Weren't you the one who did the exact same thing but worse awhile ago?"
"Hey! That was-"
"Princess Star and Prince Marco," a voice called out, putting a halt to their dispute. The trio looked towards the source and saw one of the many servants standing in the doorway.
"What is it, Harold?" Star asked.
"Her Highness and his Majesty request your immediate presence in the throne room, and they've asked to bring the young Princess Zora with you."
Star exchanged a curious glance with Marco, who shrugged. It was odd for her mother to send a servant to fetch them, and they usually talked during dinner, so for her to call them to the throne room so suddenly meant that it was something urgent.
"Tell her we'll be there right away."
"Yes, my princess." Harold bowed and exited the room.
"Huh, your mom never calls for us like this," Marco commented.
"I know. Something's up, so let's hurry over there and find out what." Star turned to Zora. "You wanna walk or do you want a ride?"
"Ride please."
Star smiled and picked Zora up and placed her on her shoulders, and the trio made for the throne room.
A/N: Cutting this one a little short so you guys won't have to wait even longer. Remember to leave feedback! 'Till next time (hopefully without any more delays; again, sorry...)
Bye!
