-Chapter 9-

"Aaaand if you would so kindly sit on this stool, your highness…"

The designer scooted a medium-sized wooden stool to her knees and she delicately sat down on it. She'd grown so used to being on Earth, having people treat her like she was one of them, like she was no one too special and without everyone either too scared or too desperate to be her friend, that she didn't much appreciate the royal treatment she would otherwise have come to think of as right, and any other treatment wrong. She wanted to tell him that he could simply call her Star but…she wasn't allowed to do that.

She stared at her stoic face in the enormous mirror in front of her, then moved her eyes just slightly enough to see her dress designer's reflection. He didn't care to look in the mirror and was extremely focused on elaborate frills and lacing. Their length. Their placement. Their width. Their color. Their shape.

The only Earth traditions her parents had allowed for the wedding was a white dress—which seemed to be very taxing on the designer—and a wedding cake. Pastries usually weren't allowed since princes and princesses from the whole of Mewni, as well as a select few from the highest classes, came to bear witness to a marriage of such great importance. In a normal marriage among the commoners of Mewni, only family and perhaps a friend or two would attend. Even in normal royal weddings, other kingdoms and/or cities within the smaller portions of Mewni didn't see it as a very high priority. But this time even their lands, and the neighboring lands of Mewni, were at severe risk of invasion and senseless war. Thagerie was known far and wide and was feared by nearly all kingdoms and entire dimensions that happened to be smaller or weaker. Mewni was no exception.

"My, my, you're as thin as a drafel's back toes…" she heard him mumble under his breath.

Yes, well…anxiety was capable of appetite loss.

She wanted to respond, in one way or another, but instead pretended she hadn't heard a thing.

The designer wrapped a thin string of lace around her neck, almost choking her in the process. It soon went slack and he began sewing it into the collar of her dress.

"A white dress is…unusual," he said.

She would've nodded but being as there was a needle near her neck, that probably wasn't the best thing to do.

"I suppose I've been on Earth a long enough time to pick up some of their ways," she replied truthfully. "It would be a shame to have been there for years and come back with nothing."

"Ah! Indeed! And this is what these princesses wear in such a…primitive dimension?"

"Earth is a very cultured place. There is no magic but there are still invisible forces at work. It has so many amazing things to offer. Oh! And if you ever hear about this one kind of food called 'Chinese food', you have got to try it! And don't even get me started on nachos! We have a lot of good food on Mewni but nachos are my favorite food of all time in all dimensions…"

She intentionally let her voice trail off as she realized that she was by no means striking that royal impression. Furthermore she has shown her adoration for Earth, and she even got excited about it… And to make it worse, she had acted like that in front of someone.

He chuckled. "You're not like other princesses. I'm positive you'll make a wonderful bride, and maybe even influence Thagerie to…stop their invasions of our neighbors, and their neighbors, and even beyond that…" He sighed. "I'm not from Mewni. I was brought here as a refugee when my little village became a battlefield between Thagerie and Kovatch. I know this must be an enormous burden to carry but…thank you so much for finally preventing another war."

"It's for the good of Mewni, and I'm sure Kovatch is now being ruled by a Thagerian army. I'm sorry your village was caught in the crossfire… Rest assured you're not the only one. Thagerie is unforgiving to all lands."

The mention of a war with Kovatch was an immediate concern. Thagerie was getting restless now. Kovatch was a huge kingdom with ten times the strength of any ordinary kingdom. They were known for their hospitality and in turn, they became very respected. No one ever declared war on Kovatch… Even Thagerie must've suffered greatly, but in the end, there was no doubt Kovatch had lost.

If even Kovatch stood little chance against Thagerie, Mewni and its neighbors stood no chance.

"How long was this war…?" she asked.

He took a deep breath and answered, "Years, princess… Eventually Kovatch was forced into surrender. Too many innocent people were dying."

So…Kovatch's strength never faded. Thagerie had used cheap tactics that she found low even for them. It was understandable—awful but understandable—why they would stoop to that level. All prior wars with Kovatch were either short or long-lasting with an insane amount of losses for the enemy. If the war with Thagerie became too drawn out, it was clear that both their militia rivaled the other—a matched strength, in other words. It was a war that was getting nowhere and entire companies no doubt fell on both sides. It was a violent stalemate. One of them would have to do something else to win or both would go down. Kovatch didn't have many allies, as they thought it unnecessary to drag other lands into a war they knew they would win, and Thagerie's "allies" were nothing more than conquered territories. Clearly no other lands dared to involve themselves in a battle between two superpowers.

But it didn't change the fact that Kovatch—the one kingdom except Thagerie that hadn't lost a war in hundreds of years—was brought to its knees. Why Thagerie attacked in the first place was a mystery, and a very unusual occurrence. Kovatch kept to itself and never tried to threaten or invade another land; it certainly would never have engaged Thagerie if not for that attack. So the only conclusion she could come to was fear. Thagerie didn't just use military to win wars—they would take down stronger and larger kingdoms to show off their might to all others even thinking of opposing them, and it damaged their spirits.

Being as she had returned to Mewni after four years on Earth, Thagerie's king and queen or advisors could've suspected she would call off the marriage altogether, because even at this moment she had the authority to do that. But by winning a war against Kovatch, they might've been sending her a message—if this didn't happen, Mewni was next.

"Do you think it could've been a show of force? Maybe they would attack part of Mewni…?" she asked him.

He wasn't well versed in war or military tactics, and seemed to know about Kovatch only because his home village had become part of their massive battlefields. He did know about this marriage and Mewni's treaty with Thageriebecause he'd been here long enough to be accepted as a designer for a royal wedding dress—the highest honor any designer could ever achieve.

"Mewni isn't strong enough to defeat Thagerie, everyone knows that. And Thagerie could attack on a whim. However…Mewni is best known for its agriculture. Thagerie has a huge army and many citizens, but the lands they invade have two problems: the larger lands have poor soil, and the lands that do have fertile soil are too small to support such a huge kingdom. Mewni is a rare exception. It's so big it needs separate families to govern separate parts on the edges. And the soil here is perfect for growing food to feed everyone here and the livestock and even then it still has much to spare! So, even during the cold seasons when rations in other kingdoms would normally be low, Mewni can still thrive…agriculturally anyway."

"Indeed."

"Thagerie hesitated on simply attacking because if they did, most of the soil here would be torn up and ruined. And Mewni is a poor land, even if it is large… Thagerie would have absolutely no interest in it if it wasn't for the soil. At most they would use it like they used Kovatch—Kovatch never had very fertile soil and had a strong military so from what I can guess, they were only at war with them to as a show of force.

"To scare me into going through with this…" she muttered.

He paused for a fleeting moment before saying, "I'm afraid so, princess…"

She took a deep breath and he went back to work. The conversation revealed terrible news that her own parents never told her about. Her own parents! She was eighteen now and by tomorrow would be married, taken away, and would never see them or anyone else ever again, and they chose to hide this kind of news this whole time? Thagerie would be under her rule and she had no idea of quite possibly the biggest war to ever exist.

She took a deep breath to remain perfectly calm despite the sudden shock of all this, especially how Kovatch didn't lose by military force… The sad part was that…the war with Kovatch lasted for years, which meant Thagerie must have suffered heavy losses…but still not enough for her kingdom to defend itself… If only Thagerie had been weakened enough, this marriage wouldn't be forced on her.

"I'll make you look beautiful, princess," her designer assured.

For the next hour or so she sat perfectly still, only moving when he told her to. It was long and full of painful thoughts, but finally her dress was ready. It was dotted with small ribbons shaped like little hearts. A sewed-on white jewel adorned her chest while translucent lacing seemed to spread from it. Naturally the entire thing was puffed out.

"Is it…to your liking, princess?" he asked nervously.

She turned her body a little in the mirror and nodded.

The designer breathed a heavy sigh of relief and ushered her out of the room, back into the maze formed by the halls, so she could move on to measurements for her new crown. She wouldn't wear this crown forever—it was symbolic of a new, shared power and life, and her groom would have one identical to hers. It would only be worn during the wedding and then, after she was in Thagerie, she and her new husband would receive new crowns. Those crowns were the permanent ones. Unlike Earth, their coronation would be almost immediate—after the first year of marriage. At least…that was what she was told.

As she walked through the halls, she passed some bakers pushing a cart with a white cake on it. It looked like it would provide enough to go around at the wedding. Normally it would arouse a satisfied feeling, but she hadn't eaten anything recently and the thought and smell of such a sugary pastry only made her nauseous. She would have to eat something soon—the princess couldn't be sick on the day of her wedding.

Still…she didn't even like the thought of eating… She just felt too sick for that. And seeing that cake didn't help at all… Plus, she was wearing her wedding dress. It would be a shame if she messed it up by dropping food on it.

Once the baker was out of eyesight, she leaned against the nearest wall, closed her eyes, and held her head. It was probably from both the nausea and loss of appetite, but a sudden wave of lightheadedness came over her.

Of all days to start feeling horrible…

"You're just nervous," she mumbled to herself. "Just get your head measured and go…"

With a few more breaths, she managed to get off the wall and make it to the next room. A forger greeted her fondly and bowed.

"Such an honor meeting the peacemaker of our beloved kingdom," he said. "I'm sure you must be busy. This will only take a few minutes."

He whipped out a roll of measuring tape and began carefully wrapping it around her head, tightening it ever so slightly, as though he thought she was a very delicate ceramic doll and might break if even so much as tapped with a pencil. Feeling the smallest amount of pressure on her forehead tempted her to lean forward and rest her head on it. She could feel her stomach ice cold and wanting to growl, but thankfully it never did. Unfortunately, despite the luck of her stomach making no noises to indicate hunger, her head was feeling no better than it had before. She didn't want this to take only a few minutes. Yes, she was a bit on the busy side thanks to her earlier nap, but she wouldn't mind at all if this took hours.

"My lady, you look pale," the forger pointed out. "Are you feeling well?"

"Worry not. My mother always told me I would be nervous before my wedding."

He smiled softly. "Ah, I see. Don't be nervous, princess. I've heard your groom is a very kind young man."

She almost went into a rant about how her groom could possibly be kind if all his life he had grown up believing it was okay to scare and kill the innocent for no reason at all. But…she restrained herself. It wasn't her place to say any of that no matter how much she wanted to. And since Mewni would soon transfer from matriarchy to patriarchy, she wouldn't have as much say as she normally would.

"P-Princess Star…please forgive me but…you really don't look well. I'm not sure this is merely anxiety…"

Somehow she just knew he had a concerned look on his face. Whether it was concern for her or concern for the marriage, she didn't know. In her mind she wanted to assume it was for the marriage because at this point it felt like that was all she was good for. It was the only reason so many people respected her now. Forget about being a ruler, she was a heroine. It didn't feel like anybody actually cared about her anymore, just the wedding. Beyond that she was nothing right now. Or perhaps at this moment she could be dubbed a sacrifice minus the death portion.

"I'm fine," she sighed, despite double vision beginning to set in. It was only mild though, and she found it nothing to be too worried about. If she could simply rest for a bit then it would go away.

"Should I call a medical wizard, princess?" The concern was evident in his voice now.

It was in that instant that she knew she looked horrible and sickly. She didn't need any mirrors for her to see that. But any sort of wizard was a bit extreme. The wedding was in a few hours, she still had things to do, and she couldn't waste her time with an examination over nothing. Yes, she was hungry, very much so, but there was a simple cure for that called "food". She could eat later and all this would be solved.

"There is no need," she said, clearing her throat to sound more firm and in control of herself. "You may continue."

"Yes. Of course, princess."

It seemed—seemed—to have worked, and his voice had hints of relief to it. It appeared she wasn't the only one who had a hard time hiding her emotions…

He was right when he said it wouldn't take long. Instead of minutes, it felt like seconds. After he announced he was done, she stood up and nearly fled the room before he could suspect that her body had hardly been able to keep up with her.

It was like back on Earth, when she would get sick from not eating. The difference was that back then she could rest whereas right here, right now, she couldn't afford to for the next several hours. If she could just tough it out until then, she would be golden. If not…she wasn't sure what would happen. She hadn't heard anything about Thagerie being understanding or patient, though to her knowledge they were only patient with Mewni because she hadn't been of marrying age.

She put one hand against the wall to steady herself and started walking slowly so her vision wouldn't get worse. Her dress and crown were both done. Her shoes were done. The cake was done. Unlike Earth, where weddings were carried out in chapels, Mewni's took place in what would appear to Earth as small colosseums. On Earth the father would give the bride away. Not one Mewni. Her groom would be waiting for her with unicorn. He would help her up on the unicorn and then get on himself, and carry them both up the aisle. And everything past that point, aside from the ring, was totally different from Earth.

The hardest part would be smiling and acting happy. But…it had to be done.

Lost in thought, she tripped and fell, catching herself by one knee to where it looked like she was kneeling. And as if that in itself wasn't bad enough, the bakers had forgotten to put red and white rose decorations on the cake and had decided to turn back around. Sure enough, this meant they would stumble across the princess down on the floor.

The one in front abandoned the cake and cart and quickly ran to assist her, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her arm around his neck to steady her.

"My princess! Are you okay?!" he panicked.

She nodded her head. "I was only examining my shoes."

She was surprised at her own quick coverup but nevertheless grateful and proud of her brain's snappy decision.

She looked up at him and noticed that her eyesight had indeed gotten worse. She could still see past the double vision but she was more nearsighted now because of it, and the farther away something was, the more one image became two and one object would separate into two of the same objects. Even the cake and cart were beginning to multiply. She refused to quint even though the urge was strong—no one could know she wasn't feeling very good.

"We should have the sh—"

"No," she interrupted. "I'm fine, as are my shoes."

Then, realizing she could possibly trip again, she immediately added, "But I may check them again sometime."

"You're not well, princess," he said. "Please, let us call a wizard. I know you're busy but—"

"No. I'm well."

"Princess, please, I insist!"

"I'm perfectly fine."

"You can't even stand up without my support!"

She had a sudden awareness that most of her weight was on him. As much as she wanted to get off and balance on her own, the truth was, she just couldn't. If she did she would only fall again. If that happened there was absolutely no way she would be able to pass it off as "checking her shoes".

"Princess, you can sentence me later for this but you are not healthy," he said.

He looked over his shoulder at the three other bakers that had accompanied him.

"You three take that cake back and make sure you the petals right. I'll take the princess to her room."

She shook her head as the other three bakers carted the cake past her.

"Can you walk, princess?" he asked her.

She nodded her head and, with his help, shuffled forward. She only made it about halfway there before the dizziness became too much and overwhelmed her. Her knees buckled underneath her and had he not caught her in time, dizziness wouldn't have been the only thing she felt.

He changed her position and instead of having her lean against him, he picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to her room. She barely held back a groan from being swung around so much but couldn't have possibly been more thankful than when she felt him set her down on her bed. Once she heard her door close, she frowned in discomfort and kept her eyes shut, feeling an extreme rocking and spinning movement that logically she knew wasn't there. But it physically felt that way and felt real enough shake her certainty a bit.

They came in spells, with only brief intermissions. In a sense, it was torture. In another, it was…a bit fun, despite the weird feeling she had in her stomach and nausea. And in another, it provided the perfect way to both lose track of time and to pass it.

That distraction made it seem like only a minute or two before a few people came into her room. Rather than looking to see who it was, she pretended to have lost consciousness. And it was probably for the best. She didn't want to open her eyes to a swirling world right now, nor did she want to have to answer any questions. So instead she stayed motionless and simply listened in.

"Go on, then." The voice was her mother's, and she suspected that her father might be in her room too.

A third person approached her and before she knew it she felt a strange tingling sensation in her head, then in her neck, then it moved to her chest. The person grabbed her hand and pulled her arm out. The tingling sensation slowly ran up that arm and the person grunted. They put her arm back beside her and lifted up her other arm. Tingling. Another grunt. Then the tingling moved down to her stomach, where it intensified as though it was digging deeper. Another grunt. By now she had identified these grunts to be of a male voice.

The tingling—which by now she knew to be scans from a medical wizard—moved past her stomach and down to one leg. He pulled it out, the tingling sensation ran all the way down to her feet, and he grunted again. He pulled up the other leg and the sensation swept down to her foot again. Another grunt.

She felt him place a hand over her stomach. No more tingling but the odd feeling of imbalance she'd had before was still there. An outside physical disturbance messed everything up. His hand moved up to her heart, then her lungs. He started to hum in concern as he circulated through them, as if sensing a pattern of some sort.

"Well? What's wrong with her?" her mother asked.

The wizard sighed and took his hand off her.

"It's hard to say… She's very sick. She's malnourished, dehydrated, and I think this is affecting her breathing and heartbeat," he explained. "Her body just…couldn't take it anymore. But…your majesties…there is one more very important thing you should know about the young princess…"