A/N: I apologise for my absence over the last couple of months. I won't disclose the details as they are personal, but let's just say that certain 'unpleasant' things happened within my circle of relations that had a (very) negative impact on my mental state. Needless to say, writing fell off my priority list, and I had to remember where I was going with this story since I ended up losing most of my notes... The words written here are the first ones I've written in over two months.
Things have since turned for the better and I finally feel ready to properly gather my thoughts and continue with my projects. I know this has become a bit of an annoying trope, but my sincere apologies for the (massive) delay. I'm out of practice so this chapter is probably gonna suck, but I'll get back into it in time.
That being said, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
P.S. This is to my friend ElleFreak; I didn't send you the Beta this time since I didn't want to delay it for even another day, but you'll get the next chapter!
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 11
Queen's Lament
Part 8
What happened after that, I wonder?
Truth be told, things get cloudy at this point. All I remember is feeling an intense rage burning within my heart, a vile desire for revenge ravaging every corner of my body and mind. I remember fractions; bits and pieces, but the whole image has been illuding me to this day.
Want me to conclude the tale, Mona? I did have the most splendid view of things, after all.
Must you, Diana?
It was merely an offer. And you know I do not lie.
*sigh* I suppose.
Splendid! Where were we again?
The ballroom.
Ah, of course. Well then, our young queen had just discovered the identity of the culprit and-
Must you?
Pardon?
The narration!
What about it?
You are making it sound like a fairytale!
Ahh! But it sounds much more elegant than a simple dry recollection of thoughts, does it not?
Ugh, fine! Just... get this done...
Splendid! Now, as I was saying, with a rage-imbued heart, the young queen of Mewni stormed down the hallway, bent on taking revenge on those that had tricked and otherwise wronged her; *giggle* little did she know just how much she would come to regret her choice...
Indeed... how much...
Ballroom
The guests were scattered all about the ballroom. Some occupied the dance floor, mingling from one dance partner to the next, simply enjoying the evening and ignoring the disapproving glances from the others who kept to the sides in what were effectively two camps; one monster and the other Mewman. Thankfully, after the initial incident, they remained just that: harmless stares that - probably - wished harm upon the other side but were otherwise powerless.
Above the skies, the larger of the two moons was at its zenith, perfectly aligned with the spherical opening of the dome, bathing the ballroom in its pallid light. The guests, even those who were not fond of being trapped in a room with members of a species they saw as utterly vile and repugnant as the opposing side's had to admit to themselves that the scenery was pleasing to the eye. The white tiles of the dance floor glittered like tiny bits of stardust as they were hit by the moonlight. The guards had put out the torches that lined the pillars and walls of the ballroom so that their light would not bother the majesty of the moon.
Ula smiled as she turned her head to and fro left to right and saw the - mostly - pleased faces of the guests.
She was relieved that her gamble was seemingly paying off. A good quarter of the guests of each side were getting along just dandy and enjoying the evening. While it was far from a raging success, it was a start. Baby steps were still steps, and one had to learn to walk before one could run.
She felt a tug on her lower gown and saw her daughter Nerida rubbing one eye while gripping the fabric with the other.
"Mommy, I'm tired..." the child moaned.
Ula smiled at her cute daughter, her precious little pearl of the sea, and knelt down to pick up and cradle the girl in her caring arms.
"I wanna go to bed," whined the tired girl and let loose a howl of a yawn. Ula gave her a peck on the cheek and smiled a tender, motherly smile.
"Alright, I'll tell your father to take you to your room and put you to bed."
"Can't you do it? You're much better at telling bedtime stories."
Ula smiled and shook her head apologetically.
"I'm sorry, darling, but I need to be present until the ball is over. I'm a key figure. I can't just leave."
"Why not?" wondered the little girl.
"It would be rude."
"But Queen Moon left a few minutes ago. Does that mean she's a rude person?"
"She- what?" Ula shot her daughter a surprised look. Her gazed darted to and fro one end of the ballroom to the other, and indeed, there was no sign of the blue-haired queen.
"Is something wrong?" a familiar voice asked and her husband Tethys walked up to her, having noticed her jumpy state. B the way he was mumbling his words, Ula could tell he had quite a few drinks in him.
"It's nothing, dear, but out of curiosity, did Moon tell you anything about leaving early?"
"No, why?"
"Because Nerida told me she saw her leave. How strange..."
"Bah!" Tethys waved his hand dismissively. "You women and your overthinking! She probably went to the bathroom or something!"
"You mean that one?" Ula pointed at the restroom that was very much inside the ballroom and shot her husband a glare. "Maybe something bad has happened?"
"You're worried about nothing!" Tethys insisted. "I'm sure she has her reasons. Ah, look! Here she comes now!" he declared and proudly crossed his arms, striking a confident pose. Ula gazed in the same direction as her husband and indeed there was the young Queen coming through the main entrance, her wand in hand, striding at a furious pace straight at them. The young queen was shouldering her way through the crowd and the closer she got with each step, the more curious and concerned Ula was as she could see fury boiling in the young queen's eyes.
She couldn't quite understand why, but her gut was sending signals of distress. Her husband was oblivious to this, instead cheerfully inviting the young queen to join them, beaming a half-drunken smile at the girl.
Before Ula could ask what the matter was, Moon whipped the wand through the air and a beam of blue light sprouted from the want and curved into the tip of a sword which the young queen promptly swung at them with a vicious cry. Tethys's eyes widened and he reactively drew forth his own blade that was concealed underneath the cape on his back, and deflected the maddened Moon's blow that would have cleaved Ula in two. Ula's pupils widened like those of a frightened animal as she watched her husband deflect another blow.
"What's the meaning of this!?" Tethys roared and all ballroom attendees gazed at him, falling silent. Moon answered with another swing of her sword, a blow that knocked the much bigger Tethys back a few feet and he crashed into one of the guests, knocking the man over. Moon was about to go for another swing when she felt a tight grip on her sword arm, and she glanced back to see River gawking at her, shock written on his face.
"Moon! What are you doing!?" cried the young lad, trying to make sense of her actions.
"Unhand me this instant, River!" the blue-haired queen yelled in anger and broke free from the boy's grip. As she rushed forward to take another swing at the baffled Ula, a snake-man blocked her path, flashing her a venomous glare and aiming a dagger at her.
"You sssssshall not harm our queen!" hissed the monster, flicking its snake-like tongue up and down rapidly. In a matter of moments, several of the monsters rushed to the serpent's aid, waling off Moon from the royal trio. Meanwhile another pair of monsters helped Tethys's get on his feet, and several others rushed to Ula's side.
"Are you hurt, my queen?" a monster woman asked, a frantic look on her face. Ula looked past her and saw the monsters edging closer to Moon, who heaved her sword and assumed a defensive stance. Before she could speak up, several guardsmen and mewman guests rushed to Moon's aid, their swords drawn and eyes burning with anger.
"Damn monsters! I knew we couldn't trust me!"
"Us!? She's the one who attacked!"
"Well can you blame her? Just look at yourselves! Any creature with a sane mind would attack you!"
"Why you-" the horned monster grit his teeth and drew a sword from his back. Several of his comrades joined him, and more came rushing to oppose the Mewmans, amongst them even some who had up until this point been of friendly terms until only a handful of young Mewmans and monsters were left who desperately tried to calm the tensions, but to no avail as most were shoved aside and knocked down by the adrenaline-induced guests.
"Why is everyone in here armed!? For crying out loud, we have a guy who was supposed to confiscate all weapons!" River cried in disbelief as guest upon guest drew forth their weapon. Eventually, two goblins aimed their weapons at him as well. "Ah! Fine!" cried River, throwing his arms in the air in defeat, then drew his own sword and held it firmly.
Just as it seemed Hell would break loose as slurs and insults were being thrown back and forth between the two sides, Ula gave a frightened Nerida to one of the monster women and rushed to the front of the conflict, pushing and elbowing her way through the body of monsters, eventually coming face to face with the young Mewman queen.
"Moon! Moon!" she cried the queen's name. Hearing this, everyone in the ballroom turned to face the monster queen, silent as lambs. Moon turned to face her, every fibre of her body emitting pure hatred for the beautiful monster queen. As Ula took a deep breath and was ready to take a dangerous step forward, her path was blocked by a massive, broad back adorned with a luxurious cape, one she knew very well.
"Stay back, dear!" Tethys yelled commandingly, his eyes narrowed at Moon. Opposite to him, the young queen wore an icy scowl. She stood there, perfectly still as if waiting for something. Tethys was on high alerts, ready to defend his beloved from the traitorous viper before him.
"Now listen here, you," said Tethys, pointing a finger at Moon. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you dare raise arms against my wife or daughter again, I'll cleave you in half!"
"Oh? Will you?" replied Moon, her voice perfectly monotone.
"I swear on my father's grave I will!" roared Tethys. "We came here in good faith and this is how you repay us!? This is nothing short of betrayal!"
"Bertayal, you say?"
"Yes! Betrayal!"
A bitter chuckle escaped the young queen's lips. She stared at the man with an unflinching gaze.
"Well, I suppose you and your wife certainly are experts on the subject, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Tethys's eyes lit up and his forehead furrowed.
"Excuse me?" he said, confusion written on his face.
Moon smiled a wicked smile at the man, then turned her gaze towards an equally dumbstruck Ula who'd since moved to her husband's right side. "Or was it solely your doing?"
"Was what my doing?"
"Choosing to play dumb, are we? You know well what I'm talking about, don't you, Ula?"
"Moon, what in magic's name are you talking about?" asked Ula, clueless about the nature of accusations being thrown at her. "I have no idea what I've done to incite such hostility from you. Whatever it was, please, tell me and we can mend it right here and now and resume this lovely evening," said Ula, her voice filled with naive hope.
"Mend it?" asked Moon and giggled a maddened giggle. Behind her, River looked very worried. "Mend it!?" the young queen roared, suddenly, causing Ula and company to flinch. Even some Mewmans were petrified by the blue-haired fury. With teeth-gritting hatred, she spoke, "How nice of you to offer, Queen Ula, but I do belive it is a little late for mending anything!"
"Hey! Stop yelling at my wife, you roguish weather-bitten banshee!" Tethys cried, jumping to the defence of his wife.
"Hey! Don't insult our queen, fish-lipped drizzler!" a guardsman yelled and aimed the tip of his spear at Tethys.
"Oh, pardon my manners!" Tethys said with evident sarcasm. "I'm just a tad upset because, oh, you know, your queen almost chopped my wife in half!" The guardsman fell silent, looking for a smart response. He found none. "So," Tethys continued, his angry gaze locked with Moon's, "Care to explain what my wife and I could have possibly done to earn such a vile treatment?"
All eyes were on Moon. Calmly, the young queen whipped her wand through the air and summoned forth a wrapped parchment the seal of which had been broken. She grabbed it and held it high above her head.
"This parchment was brought before my eyes mere minutes ago, and within it are the names of the culprits, or should I say culprit responsible for the murder of my parents!" A whirlwind of surprised looks and murmurs stormed through the ballroom. Nobody could believe what they were hearing, least of all Ula, who had several delegations of her best investigators on the case.
"Well," Tethys spoke up, and the ballroom fell silent once more. "It's great that you've uncovered the identity of the bastards responsible for it, but I don't see how that has to do with anything, least of all my wife."
"Oh, it has everything to do with her, King Tethys!"
"W-what?" Ula asked, her expression a mixture of bewilderment and confusion. "Moon, I'm sorry for your loss, I-I truly am! But how does this involve me?"
"A charlatan to the bitter end, I see," scoffed Moon and threw the parchment at her. Ula managed to catch it and shot Moon a perplexed gaze. "Go on! Read it!"
Hesitantly, Ula unscrolled the parchment and read it from top to bottom. Tethys joined her. Once they reached the end of the parchment, the royal couple exchanged a look, their brows raised and curved and their eyes wide.
"So tell me, are my actions justified, murderer?" Moon hissed, the tip of her tightly-clenched sword-wand aimed at Ula, and the room boiled. People were shouting back and forth, some were outraged, others sceptical, still others were flabbergasted. Even the royal guards and River could only stare with inflated eyes and exchanged wordless glances. Amid the crowd, a dispute broke loose.
"Damn monsters!"
"Traitorous Mewmans!"
"Just a cheap setup!"
"Off with their heads!"
And many such phrases were being shouted back and forth.
"T-this isn't true!" Ula cried desperately, waving the parchment through the air. "Moon! I have nothing to do with the tragedy that befell your parents! Believe me, I-"
"Silence, liar!" Moon's voice boomed louder than all others, filled with resentment and hate. "I should have listened to my advisors and chased you off the moment you set foot in my castle! I wonder, were you planning to get rid of me as well!?"
"Kid! You'd better calm yourself down and stop yelling at my wife!" Tethys cried. "Just think about it for a damn second! Why would any sober Mewman or monster even run the risk of coming into enemy territory if the stakes were so high? If we wanted you dead, we wouldn't go about it like a bunch of idiots! And we definitely wouldn't have dragged our daughter into it!"
It was then that Ula noticed it. It was a faint glint, so faint that had she blinked at the wrong time, she would have missed it, but a glint it was, tinting her blue eyes crimson for a fraction of a moment, then fading into nothing. And just as it seemed that her husband had gotten through to the young princess, her expression shifted to one of rage and resentment once more.
Growing suspicious, Ula silently muttered a spell and cast it on herself, then innerly gasped at what she saw in Moon's eyes.
"Dear," she said with a shaky voice, tugging her husband by the arm, grabbing his attention. "Whatever happens, don't hurt her."
"W-what!?" Tethys shot his wife a bewildered look. "Ula! She attacked us! And you hear the nonsense she's spewing! She's gone mad!"
"I know! I know! But just look at her, she isn't herself!"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh for the love of-" Ula cast the same spell on her husband and pointed a finger at Moon. "Look!"
Tethys obeyed his wife's desperate pleas and took a good look at the young queen opposite of him. Nothing seemed too off about her. Then he noticed the red glint in her eyes.
"Doesn't she have blue eyes?"
"She does, or rather she's supposed to. There's no mistaking it, that's an enchantment, and a strong one at that."
"Could it be..."
Ula nodded. A single word crossed their minds.
Magic.
"We have to get out of here," said Ula. "There's no reasoning with her, not while she's in that state."
Tethys nodded.
"Alright. I'll call for diplomatic immunity and we'll break things off before things get any worse, then we'll-"
"Ahh!"
The sudden cry pierced the mantle of dissonant yells and murmurs and had everyone's heads turning in its direction. When Ula's gaze arrived at the sight, her heart fell. Lying on the ground was a Mewman noble, a sword piercing her chest, blood pooling around her limp body, next to which stood a tall kobold, his face and clothes sprayed with drops of blood.
Time froze for a moment.
Then, hell broke loose.
"Guards!" Moon cried, lifting her sword-wand high in the sky. "Execute those... those... those monsters! Now!"
Ula cast her gaze on the kobold. The monster turned to look her in the eyes and smiled a sinister smile, and the mark of a spade flashed on its left cheek.
To be continued...
I hope it was somewhat decent. Again, I'm completely out of practice, but it should be fine by the next chapter.
Other than than, feedback is always appreciated, and I'll see you guys soon ^^!
Cheers!
-jolleIQ
