"Something wrong? You've been acting strangely."

Astro looked up from his drink and towards Sarasim. He had been sitting on the edge of the castle wall, watching as the rest of the Queensguard all celebrated their recent victory. Since it was predicted to be a tough battle, he'd been called back to help out. Despite having been away for a bit, he blended back into his role as captain perfectly.

The battle had gone smoothly, and they'd suffered no casualties. And now that everyone was back, they'd decided to hold a celebration. He'd been down there with them for a bit until Sarasim had showed up. Then he'd casually excused himself and came up here. His disappearance obviously hadn't gone unnoticed by the knight.

"I'm alright," he said simply.

Sarasim walked over and took a seat beside him. "You know, back when you were a child and you lied or did something mischievous, I'd knock you upside the head with my club," she said as she reached up and tapped his skull with her fist. "You're a bit more sturdy now so I doubt it'd be the same, but I could always give it a shot."

Astro let out a small chuckle. He had never been able to get anything by her or Higgs. Or any of the women in his life really. They picked up on even the smallest thing. Not that he would consider this small. But still… "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh, well let me just rephrase what I said then. Tell me what's wrong with you, it's not a question," she said, narrowing her eyes. "You've been acting oddly around me since I've come back, and you know how I feel about matters like this. If you have something you need to say to me, then just say it."

"Maybe we can do this later?" Astro asked.

"Or maybe we can do it now?"

The prince sighed. He'd forgotten just how demanding she could be when it came ro stuff like this. She'd always been of the belief that if people were going to be fighting alongside one another on the battlefield, then the air needed to be cleared between them. Even if they didn't like each other, there had to be a very clear and respectful understanding between them.

"I'm just… I'm a little upset."

"Upset or angry?"

"Both. I mean, I'm not exactly sure I know how I feel about you lying to me all this time. I thought you were dead, and now you're not. I'm happy you're alive obviously. Happier than I'd ever been in my life I think. But… all that time I was grieving and suffering over you, it was just a lie. It's a little hard to just get over."

She hummed. "I understand why you're still upset, but we talked about this."

"You still could have told us…"

"We needed everybody to think-"

"Why?"

"It was a precaution."

Astro narrowed his eyes. "I could understand doing it. I could even understand not telling us at first. Everyone needed to see us grieve, and it needed to be genuine. But after a while you could have let us know," he said, shaking his head. "I thought I let you die. Breeze, thought she let you die."

"You suffered, I know-"

"You do not know," Astro said, cutting her off. "You have no idea how many times I replayed that moment in my head over and over again. Thinking that maybe if I was just a little bit quicker, that if I hadn't have been able to just…" He gripped the edge of the wall, and Sarasim saw cracks forming in it.

She let out a sigh and walked over, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You have a right to be angry at me. And I'm sorry for what I put you both through. But I don't regret my choice. Someday you're going to understand that there are things that need to be done for the greater good. Including things that may push others around you away."

"Like telling lies to everyone?"

Sarasim nodded sadly. "Unfortunately."

"I think that's bullshit."

She looked at him slightly surprised. Mostly because of the way he said it. It wasn't said out of anger or malice, but… conviction? "Do you?" she asked. "Which part?"

"All of it," Astro said bluntly. "I think if you have to keep secrets and tell lies to maintain and kingdom, then that kingdom isn't really being maintained. It's just… it's a farce."

"What would you suggest then?"

"The truth."

"And what if the truth causes a panic? You know the history of how mewmans react to change. They panic and fall apart," Sarasim reasoned. "The idea of always being truthful and never keeping any secrets is nice in theory, but it doesn't always work. It rarely does in fact. Sometimes people need to be told what they need to hear."

Astro let out a breath. "My family's entire kingdom is built on a legacy of lies," he pointed out. "The Queens of mewni always did whatever they could to make things seem peaceful and placate the people. And yes, for a while, it worked. But what happened when the truth was revealed? Everything shattered like glass."

"The circumstances were different."

"The circumstances are always different. But the kingdom always ends up doing the same thing. We just lie and cover everything up," Astro said irritated. "And like I said, I know that you did what you did for a reason. But I thought… I thought things were different now. And they're not. There's still lies and secrets."

Secrets that the Commission were keeping, that Sarasim had kept, and even his mother. It wasn't anything like what happened with Meteora, but still.

Sarasim crossed her arms. "You make a valid point," she said, surprising him. "So, it's not just me you're upset with then. It's a number of things."

"I guess it is," Astro said, shrugging her shoulders. "I just want the lies to stop."

"Asterossa… I can't pretend as if there's any simple answer to this. There are some issues that just seem impossible to solve without taking certain measures. And maybe you're right. Maybe taking those measures is a short term solution. All I can really do is hope that the choices we make will help you all get to a position where you all don't have to make ones like it."

She walked over and put her hands on his shoulder. "You, and Breeze, and your sister. You're all the future of mewni. So if we have to dirty our hands now so that you won't have to, then we'll do it without a second thought. Even if it makes you think less of us."

Astro stared at her, and then frowned before stepping forward and hugging her. "I don't think less of you," he said hugging her tightly. "I never have, and never will. Even if I'm still upset, I just… I'm glad you're alive. More than anything, don't forget that."

Sarasim seemed a bit surprised, but then hugged him back. "Thank you…" It was rare to see him get emotional like this towards her. This really must have been bothering her. "There are still some things I have to keep a secret Astro. But I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always have your and Breeze's interest at heart."

The prince nodded. "I know…"

"Good. Now, what do you say we go down there and do our best to get drunk? I have a day off tomorrow and I intend to take full advantage of it."

"I can't get drunk."

"Give it your best shot anyway. I believe in you."

A/N: Some Astro and Sarasim content! I thought they could use a bit more interaction and some clearing of the air.