-Chapter 15-
She had only managed to remain on Earth for a shorter time than she'd hoped, the two week mark just out of reach, before a group of armed guards discovered her. She hadn't tried to resist and instead pretended she had been a lost, delicate little creature who was scared and just wanted to go back home. Had they been from Mewni, there was a strong possibility of putting up a fight, but these were Thagerian guards. They hadn't used weapons but she didn't want to find out if they were willing to if she opposed them. In their eyes, it was a search and rescue, so acting the part of the damsel in distress was her best bet at staying off the hook with their king.
Most of the truth had been swept under the rug because she had no idea how to explain how a sick princess managed to randomly get lost and enter another dimension. So her excuse was that she had been kidnapped—which she technically was—while she was asleep, and "assumed" that her captor had abandoned her for reasons she still knew nothing about. At first she wanted to throw in a bit about possible mistaken identity, but decided last minute that it would've been too big a gamble.
Normally this would've been sad or maybe even urgent, but the one sole reason she'd run off in the first place was just to see if the baby had survived. There was still no movement even with more food and a lot of extra sleep. It was never about avoiding a wedding and whether it was getting caught or voluntarily going back, being brought to Thagerie was fully expected.
She had no regrets this time. It was a terrible goodbye but at least Marco knew what was going on and why she had to leave. Hopefully he would understand, or at the very least, accept the knowledge she'd left behind.
She was a small, weak, delicate princess, and the wedding was further postponed until her frail little self could recover from such a horrible, traumatic incident. She knew this was likely the last time anyone would postpone the wedding. Everybody was probably tired of one excuse after another. Part of her wanted to get it over with and just marry the prince, but her mind kept wandering to how Marco would react and it kept weakening her resolve to do something she should've done a month ago.
Her parents now had extremely limited access to her, as they were deemed unfit to protect her. She was free to communicate with them through a mirror but that was it. She actually preferred it that way. She hadn't spoken to either of them since they locked her in a literal death room and didn't plan on speaking to them anytime soon.
Just to count her blessings, she also forced herself to prefer not having Marco around or being on Earth. The separation itself was difficult but Marco pretty much hated her, and she wasn't sure how much a piece of paper would change his feelings on what she'd done. Marco's family was so nice but they were a point of attachment and a painful reminder, and his mom would take no issue in passively implying she and Marco should be together.
There was no point in not fulfilling her duty as a shield for her people.
Yet all she wanted to do was laze around in a bed all day and not think about an entire kingdom completely dependent on her actions.
There was a knock on her door and she sighed. More recently, one maid after another would come in to check on her. Contrary to her beliefs prior to coming to Thagerie, the castle staff was…kind. They were very gentle with her and treated her similarly to the castle staff of Mewni. But, as with her entire kingdom, they did so because she was a security measure for Thagerie's agricultural resources. She had full authority to order them around like servants, but never used it. It had been a few days now and everyone was worried about her mental health. She ate, drank, and slept, but didn't do much else, and if she wasn't sad, she was indifferent.
"Princess?" a male voice came.
She inhaled and sat up in the bed to see the Thagerian prince standing in the doorway.
"I understand the incident was terrifying for you," he said as he approached her. "You are protected now. You don't need to live in fear of another attack."
He sat on the edge of the bed and held her hand.
"I know you'll keep me safe and well," she replied. "It's just…I become so nervous when I try to sleep. Sometimes I see shadows. Figures haunting me in the darkness."
"My father is doing everything he can to find your captor. I swear to you, I will not let this crime go unpunished."
She felt the color drain from her face as she envisioned Marco and his family chained up in the castle dungeon, waiting for an agonizing fate that she would probably have to watch.
"It would help put my troubles at ease if you would allow me to decide their punishment."
The prince leaned over to kiss her hand. "Of course you may. They will regret acting against the future queen. Rest now. I'll let you know if we receive any news."
He left with a hug that she tried to imagine coming from Marco in some attempt to assure her that everything would turn out okay. It was the only way to send the prince off with a halfhearted hug at best.
She stayed in bed for another hour before deciding to get up, go to the bathroom, and brush her hair. It wasn't much activity, but it passed time and got the tangles out, which was always a welcome feeling with hair as long and thick as hers. She could've just asked someone else to pamper her but doing things herself was comforting. She had to do everything herself on Earth whereas here and in Mewni, everything was done for her and there was no sense of self-satisfaction.
As she continued brushing, she noticed how dirty her hair had become. It was oily along her hairline and tangled enough for the brush to hang on by itself if she let go. It didn't end at just her hair, either. She looked like a mess all over. Even the gown she had been wearing was horribly wrinkled.
She sighed. "Why are you still stall—"
The sound of water splashing against a hard surface interrupted her and she looked at the sink faucet, which was completely dry and not even dripping. It was only when she felt wetness run down her leg that she looked to her feet in dread.
She immediately dropped the hairbrush and ran out of the bathroom to her mirror to contact the only person she trusted that would have any idea of what to do now.
"Call Moon Butterfly!" she said in a panic.
Her mother's face replaced her reflection in less than a minute and brightened at the sight of her daughter.
"Star! Thank corn you're alright, your father and I have been worried sick, we've been trying to call you over and over and well, we thought perhaps your mirror service might not be working or maybe…something worse," her mom rambled. "We're not able to be there physically but rest assured, we'll be there however we can—"
"I need you now," Star grunted.
She felt her stomach tense as much as it could and the following pain forced her to curl over. She used one arm to brace herself against the wall while she waited for it to pass and bit down on her lower lip to turn any loud noise into a minor squeak.
"Star?! What is it, are you okay?!"
It took several more seconds for the pain to let go.
"I was brushing my hair," she said after a quick breath, "and liquid started running down my leg and now I'm pretty sure I'm having the baby. And I'm in Thagerie, Mom, and I thought the baby was dead because there was no movement or growth or anything—"
"Wait, wait," her mother interrupted. "Star. Does anyone else know about this?"
She shook her head.
"Then I need you to listen to me. If you haven't been growing and you haven't felt anything, it's a sign that the baby is dead, but you may have already been too far into your pregnancy to reabsorb it."
"So, a stillbirth?"
"Yes. I can tell you what to do but you must follow every instruction I give you, do you understand?"
"People check on me in here—"
"Shhh. Just listen to my voice, sweetie. You'll be okay," her mom calmly said. "Try to stay calm. Stressing yourself out only puts your health at risk."
"Okay, sure, but what do I do?" she asked. "If anyone else finds out about this, they'll kill me!"
"I know, that's why I need you to get a piece of cloth. Any material will do as long as it isn't thin."
Star headed back into the bathroom to grab a clean wash cloth and came back to the mirror with it.
"Roll it up," her mom instructed.
She unfolded the cloth and rolled it back up to resemble an inedible burrito.
"Like this?" she asked, presenting it to her mother.
"Yes. Now put that beside your pillow. Go back and get a clean bath towel, then spread it out under the bedcovers. Your…um, 'lower half' should be resting on it when you lay down."
Star set about doing as she was told before any more cramps could come, starting with setting the burrito cloth about an inch away from her pillow.
"What if someone comes in?" she asked as she spread out the towel.
"Now get in bed and cover yourself up."
She slid under the bedcovers and positioned herself over the towel as her mother had told her to.
"Mom, what happens—"
"The moment you hear something outside, lie flat on your back and pretend to be asleep."
"But what if I have another contraction?"
"Turn onto your side, curl up if you can, and breathe. Try to cover your face and try to keep your breathing even," her mom answered. "It won't be easy but I believe you can do this."
"And…what happens after it's all over…? What do I do with…the…y-y'know…"
"Hide it."
"But—"
"Star, we're going to take this one step at a time. I spent almost three days giving birth to you, we have plenty of time to figure out what to do next."
"Do you…d-do you really think I can make it through three days, Mom?" she nervously asked.
"You're a strong young lady. I know you can do this," her mother replied. "I'll be right here the whole time, however long it takes."
"You promise?"
Her mom smiled gently.
"I promise."
Star straightened herself out and stared at the ceiling. She wanted to ask what the cloth was for but instead tried to divert every ounce of focus she had into evening out her breathing and very much elevated heart rate. It would've probably been better to prepare for three days, like her mom, but the more she thought and focused on what was to come next, the more she psyched herself into expecting five days. Possibly even more.
Several minutes passed before she felt another one of the most intense cramps she had ever experienced hit her. Laying flat wasn't an option and she propped herself up on her elbows, biting her lip again to minimize noise. Her mom was saying something but no attention was being paid to it. Two contractions were all it took for her to realize that she had no choice but to ride this out.
A/N
This felt rushed to me, but more because I didn't want to update after another...what, three years' hiatus? I figured 2,000+ words was enough and I also felt like including the next part in this chapter would be very jarring. I was actually hoping to get in about 500-1,000 more words but Star's not really doing anything and the action will pick up next chapter so I'm just cutting it off here.