-Chapter 2-

One month had passed. Another month had flown by. Star was down to two more months on Earth, then back to the dreaded Mewni. It wasn't exactly her dream trip, being married off to some stranger. Normally she had an upbeat attitude and was very energetic, but the more she thought about leaving the Earth for the reasons she was, the less cheerful she became. Her marriage was of royalty, making it all the more complicated with two different kingdoms joining together. All the duties of a queen would soon enough be hers. As for the in-laws, they would be expecting an heir to their son's throne. An expanding family was something she could give, but didn't want to. Then again it really wasn't up to her. All members of royalty had sole duties to their respective kingdoms. In Mewni, the queen's duty was mainly to provide at least one heir to the throne so that if anything should anything happen to the parents, there would still be someone to carry on the legacy of that kingdom.

She didn't despise the thought of a family so much as the knowledge that she couldn't choose the course of her life. Everyone in Mewni always thought that just because she was a princess, just because she was rich, her life was perfect. How much further from the truth could they get... Although arranged marriages among Mewni's citizens were never required, they were quite common nonetheless. But with her it wasn't even open for discussion.

At least she got to graduate high school. Apparently it was a really big accomplishment on Earth. The next level of schooling was called 'college'. High school had been rough but it was worth it to learn about all the customs of Earth. College would be so much more amazing...if she were still around to attend it anyway...

She sighed as she lazily flipped through TV channels, never settling on just one. She wasn't even interested in watching TV right now. Nobody would be that interested in anything if they were getting married in two months' time. Plus there would be a significant adjustment period. There were so many things she admired about Earth and that would soon be gone. Was it possible to develop homesickness in one's own home? Mewni had been her home until she came to Earth... If she went back to Mewni, did that mean she was going back home? Or, over the course of all these years, had Earth become her home?

Actually, none of that mattered. Either place could be called home but once the wedding was over, she would be shipped off with her new husband—whoever he was—to his castle, as was customary in royal weddings meant to join kingdoms. Maybe if she didn't like him she could just blast him with her wan— No. That would only scream betrayal and cause a war between her kingdom and his.

On the bright side, she had whole new experiences on Earth that she never would've had on Mewni. There were no organized schooling systems on Mewni so high school was, in many ways, mind-blowing. As such, high school parties didn't exist on Mewni—she'd attended her first, among several actually, on Earth. And everything on Earth was completely natural; no magic. As it turned out, everything she used to think was magic was actually the result of electricity and other invisible things like that. They were like air—she couldn't see them but they were there.

For the first time all day, a smile appeared on her face. She still had two months left here, why spend them moping? Besides, there was always Marco to consider. He would be wondering what was wrong if she wasn't constantly smiling...which admittedly she hadn't been doing much of lately.

"Star!" a male's voice called as the front door slammed against the wall.

She sat up in time for Marco to rush over excitedly, proudly flashing an envelope.

"Reporting for duty, Sir Killthedoor," she said sternly as she saluted him.

He jumped onto the couch and beamed. "Guess who just got accepted into ECU?"

She tapped her chin as though thinking hard about it.

"Is he a neat freak?" she 'asked'.

"I make super cheesy—and insanely messy—nachos, okay? I am not a neat freak—just organized."

"Of course. So what's your major?"

He shrugged. "Undeclared. I'm only taking a core curriculum and then I'll transfer credits. They're fully accredited so it won't be a problem, and I can live at home while I go. Great financial choice. So, did you get your letter yet?"

She fiddled with her thumbs, knowing that the honest answer was no and that his follow-up question would be why. How was she supposed to explain why without telling him she was already engaged to a complete stranger and set to be married off when she turned eighteen? Oh, and not forgetting the fact that she would never come back to Earth to see his face again. Mewni marriages were so rude...

"Well, I sort of haven't applied," she admitted.

"What, why? I thought we agreed we would go to the same college together."

"Yeah, we did, it's just..." She sighed. "I don't know if I'm exactly...ready...for college. I haven't decided what I want to do with my life yet and it's kind of expensive... I don't want to waste all that money."

In terms of a career, no, she hadn't figured it out and never bothered to try. She did, however, know what she wanted to do with her life. Going back to Mewni in itself wasn't necessarily the problem, it was leaving Earth forever that was. If she hadn't grown to like this place—and lately she was wishing she hadn't—she would have no problem going back to Mewni and simply accepting the marriage...because once she was married that was it, she could never go back. It was a trap, that was what it was. Divorces didn't exist on Mewni and running away was grounds for imprisonment. There had been many cases where one of the spouses was violent, be it verbally or physically, but her culture very clearly stated that you could not leave your spouse. Cheating, while nearly unheard of, could result in a beheading. If one was widowed, they weren't allowed to remarry. It was a much stricter and crueler system than on Earth. And if her betrothed was abusive in any form, thanks to the culture that had always governed Mewni and the one that was fiercely enforced by the royal family, then she would spend the remainder of her days miserable.

Other royal families that governed other parts—much smaller territories—of Mewni had slightly different marriage systems. The marriages were still nothing short of entrapments, but families such as the Pony Heads chose their suitors in a different manner. First the king would select a number of princes and line them up in front of his eldest daughter—her marrying age depended on their own familial traditions—who would then choose the suitor she found most fit to be wed to. Sometimes she would demand a gift and pick the one who brought her the gift she liked best. Sometimes she would choose an activity they would perform and she would marry the one who outmatched the others. Every selection ritual was determined by the family of the daughter. In her family, her parents selected the prince they thought most fit and she had absolutely no say in it. An eighteenth birthday in the Butterfly family was a dreaded thing, one not meant to be celebrated.

Meanwhile on Earth, an eighteenth birthday was one of the 'big birthdays' in which a teenager became a legal adult. There was no set marrying age on Earth so no one was forced into an arranged marriage. Yet the Diaz's—the wonderful Diaz's—would celebrate her birthday unaware of what it would bring. It was for the best that they didn't know though. Her fourteen years on Mewni had instilled the culture in her very essence and despite the four years spent isolated from that culture on Earth, and introduced to an entirely new one, she couldn't bring herself to dream of going against her family's decision. It was kind of like on Earth—the idea of her being forced to marry someone she didn't know would enrage the Diaz's. Well the idea of no arranged marriages would be appalling to her parents.

"Star." Fingers repeatedly snapped in front of her face which, expectedly, wasn't wearing a smile anymore. "Star."

She blinked a few times and looked beside her to Marco.

"You zoned out again," he said. "Everything okay?"

She silently nodded and tried to crack at least a small grin despite all the stress that was ultimately turning her into a nervous wreck.

"Um, look, these past couple months seem to be really stressing you out. At first I thought it might be stage fright from graduation—you know, all those people staring at you when you go up on stage—but it's been what, a month since graduation? And you still aren't getting any better. Actually it looks like you're getting worse."

The fake grin she had soon twitched up into a nervous one.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" he finished.

"Yeah, I know. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

But there was no way he would fall for that, especially since her voice had cracked audibly when she spoke. She knew it had—even she heard it—but there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't have that much time left and her birthday would sneak up on her. Plus, as she was just now realizing, she might actually have less time than she thought. While her birthday was in fact still a few months away, she could be pulled out early for wedding preparations. Measurements for her robes would probably be the main one. For her robes and for a new crown to be fashioned...

There were only a handful of princesses who were actually excited about this. But most weren't. She was sure the princes weren't too happy about it either. They would both be entering a marriage miserable and probably intolerant of each other at first. They would be forced to get used to each other and the other's quirks. Worst of all, as Mewni culture dictated, they would be forced to produce an heir to the throne of their kingdom—that part didn't have to happen immediately but it still had to happen. Earth would consider this sick and unacceptable, that she should be allowed to choose whether or not to have kids and choose who and when she would marry, but she wasn't from Earth, she was from Mewni, and therefore had to follow the customs on which she was raised. It was normal in her home dimension, and although she strongly disagreed with it only due to exposure to Earth's customs, it was normal to her as well.

Marco would be outraged if he knew. Not just Marco, but his parents too. And then what would they think of her? Would they consider her just as much at fault because of her acceptance of Mewni's culture? Would they look at her in disgust? Angry at her for what she was choosing—or rather, not choosing—to do? This was why they couldn't find out. She didn't want their final memories of her to be tainted by the way things worked on Mewni, and how royalty was set up to be this way. She never asked for this and certainly never wanted it, but the Diaz's probably wouldn't see it the way she did.

"Star," Marco said. "You're doing it again. What's going on with you lately?"

She rubbed one of her arms and sighed. "It's nothing."

"It's something and you seem to be really anxious about it," he argued.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

He groaned. "You should at least consider talking to someone. You have to face your problems eventually and someone can always be there to help you do it."

While it was true she would have to face her problems, help couldn't be here this time...

A/N

Welp, here's your next chapter. I'm not really sure I have much to say so, onto review replies! Yes, I do review replies, but as of now only to fandoms that have scarce reviews. And on that note, I've checked and all things considered this story has already gotten a lot of reviews, faves, and follows, so thanks so much, you guys!

Also, if the story seems to drag along right now, it won't stay that way. I'm just trying to show how concerned Star is about going back to Mewni. I'm also trying to cram in the ways of Mewni and diplomatic solutions (which will actually be explained a tad more thoroughly later on). Hope this clears up some of why Star is so nervous.

Anyway, review replies (as always, in the order they were reviewed):

GolfAlphaMike- Thanks! I think you'll like how it goes. :) I gotz big planz.

Hazel Blue Mystery- I hope you'll continue to enjoy it. :D

HandmadeVeggies- Well the update wasn't as soon as I'd have liked but considering these weird headaches I've been getting lately, I think it's good enough.

Prattle of the Sun- Thank you! And yes, this is my first Tragedy fic. It's slightly outside my comfort zone but I specialize more in Angst, Hurt/Comfort, and Romance, so I think this is doable. I believe ARWP is Angst/Family. Or is it Angst/Hurt/Comfort...? :/ I have no idea...

acosta perez jose ramiro- Thank you! And I'll try. ;)

jordynrojers618- Thanks! And I hope I can continue the entertainment. ARWP I hope to update soon or soon-ish, but no guarantees can ever be made on that story... It's not the easiest thing in the world to write; takes a lot of time, effort, and thought.

Gliss Phantom- A PHAN! :'D Glad you like this. ^.^ Well I've been having pretty bad headaches and you know how you just can't focus well when you have a headache? Yeah, that's me all the way. If not for the headaches I'd have been able to update sooner.

bleventeen- Yay! :D I did! second chappie up!

Plugging Up- Awww thank you. ^.^ I strive for perfect grammar, even keeping in mind the exceptions to the rules. ;)

Flimsy- Thanks! ^.^ Updated.