Author's Note:
If you don't like this chapter then I don't know what to tell you. This was a blast to write and from beginning to end, I feel like there's something for everyone here. Fluff, danger, action, the whole shebang.
With that being said, this chapter is significantly longer than its predecessors, so please be prepared, this one's a journey, and trust me, this could have been longer. Not a word was wasted.
Sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy! I'll meet you at the bottom!
…
Chapter Four: Prisoner
Moon bursted through her portal into an empty, moonlit room. Her daughter's bedsheets were torn, there were holes in the walls, and as her eyes fell to the floor, she felt her heart stop. Blood, pools of it, all across the ground. She turned to the bedroom's door, smashing through it in a panic.
Her eyes gravitated toward the hallway, where light peeked under only one door.
Without a second thought, Moon thrust herself in that direction, smashing through the door and into another bedroom.
Inside were two beds and two teens. She felt her heart begin to beat again at the sight of her daughter. She walked to the side of her bed and nudged her until she blinked her eyes open.
Confused, Star mumbled to herself, "Marco, stop it… I'm trying to… sleep."
Again, Moon nudged at her, this time more vigorously than the last.
"Star," she whisper-yelled, shaking her until she finally opened her eyes once more.
Star sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Marco, what is your problem-" she began, her eyes widening at the sight of her mother, covered in dirt.
Star jerked back, lifting her wand and pointing it at her mother.
"Who are you," she shouted, "My mother would never be so… gross-looking."
Moon stared back at her incredulously.
"Star, we need to leave, now." Star tilted her head with confusion.
"But you said- I can't leave," she argued, pointing to Marco, "Look at him! Clearly, he's not safe without me."
Marco sat up slowly, confusedly staring at the arguing mother and daughter, who didn't seem to notice that he was awake.
"Star, nobody will be safe if you stay here."
"Why," Star practically screamed, "Toffee is dead! I killed him!"
"No," Moon shouted back, "he's still alive!"
Star went silent in an instant. She turned to Marco and her eyes grew even wider.
"But how," she questioned, turning back to her mother.
"I-" she tried, "I have no idea."
Both of the teens' hearts dropped. They turned to each other, none saying so much as a word for what seemed like a lifetime until, finally, Star met her mother's eyes.
"I'm not gonna leave him behind," she asserted, gesturing to Marco.
Moon glanced in Marco's direction, growing confused.
"Look at the shape he's in," she remarked, "You couldn't possibly-"
"I'm not leaving without him," she repeated, her volume growing.
Moon shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose as she glared back at her daughter.
"Fine," she finally conceded, "but you need to be ready to go in five minutes."
Star turned to Marco and immediately, the two sprung into action.
Marco limped to his closet and pulled out a large backpack, unzipping it and finding all of the essentials that he had packed. He had been ready for something like this since the day that he met the Mewman princess.
Star, on the other hand, was not nearly as ready. She tried to use her wand to conjure up a bag of her own, but as she waved it around, all that she saw were those dastardly green sparks. She scoffed, turning to Marco, who merely chuckled. He walked back to his closet and pulled out a second backpack, a smug smile covering his face.
Having all of his and Star's essentials packed, there was only one more thing for Marco to do. He reached into his school backpack and pulled out a pencil and paper. Only having about two minutes, he scribbled down the best explanation he could for why he was gone.
He wrote "Love, Marco" at the bottom of the page and stared at it for several seconds before facing the expectant queen. He nodded and grabbed his crutch. Only a second later, the woman tore open a portal.
The teens shared a weary glance before finally stepping into Star's old bedroom on Mewni.
Star turned to her mother with confusion as she walked through the portal and closed it behind her.
"What are we doing here," she asked, "I thought we were here to find Toffee!"
Moon shook her head, swiping Star's scissors as she walked by.
Star gasped, "What- Why would you do that?" Moon walked to the bedroom door and sighed.
"I need to know that you won't try and find him yourself because you aren't here to fight him. You are here to stay safe."
Star's brow furrowed. She pulled her wand from her pocket and aimed it at her mother.
"Narwhal Blast," she screamed as her mother slammed the door shut, her narwhal bouncing off of it.
"You can't just keep us prisoner," she shouted, "We won't stay here!"
She pounded her fists against the wooden door, yanking against it with all of her strength to no avail.
Marco watched as she stomped across the room gripping her wand. She walked to her balcony.
"SUMMON CLOUDY CHARM," she shouted out only for her wand to disobey, shooting its emerald flames out of its end, catching her curtains ablaze.
"You've gotta be kidding me," she spat, pulling down her curtains and stomping out the flames.
"Star," Marco called.
"I mean, the nerve of that woman," she roared.
"Star," Marco called once more, an incredulous expression growing on his face as seconds passed.
"I swear, she doesn't even know what she's doing, I-"
"Star," he finally shouted, silencing her in an instant.
"You need to calm down," he commanded, keeping a stern expression even as Star glared back at him, "... getting mad isn't gonna do anything."
He turned away from her and began to pace.
At least a minute passed before finally, he turned to her.
He sighed, "Yeah… I got nothing."
She shook her head and rolled her eyes, sitting on the end of her bed and crossing her arms. Another minute passed before finally, she sighed, glancing at Marco, who stood next to the door, examining it.
"Marco," she finally called, her arms remaining crossed even as she turned around. He stared back at her with confusion, and after only a second, her frustration collapsed in on itself.
She gestured for Marco to come and sit next to her, which he obeyed, hobbling over with the help of his crutch.
"Heh," Marco chuckled to himself, struggling to get himself onto the bed, "... already starting to feel better."
He wasn't lying either. The pain from his leg had mostly already subsided. Of course, he was sure that he would still need his crutch for the foreseeable future, but it helped to know that he really was healing.
Again, he chuckled to himself, his head hung low until he turned to Star.
"What do you think," he asked, "Do I still have a chance with Jackie?"
Star shook her head, giggling to herself.
"Honestly, Marco, I think this helps your chances."
Marco turned to her with confusion, but when he saw her face—that mischievous smile—he knew what was coming.
"... At least now she might give you a pity date."
Marco sighed, "Shoulda seen that one coming."
He couldn't help but laugh at himself. It was good to see Star feeling better, even if it cost him his dignity.
Their laughs died out slowly, leaving only the sounds of Mewni. The serenity of that foreign world brought peace even at such a turbulent time, even to such troubled souls as Marco and Star. Minutes passed as the teens enjoyed the calm when, suddenly, without a word, Star stood up, turning to Marco and holding out her hand.
He was confused, shocked even. He looked into her eyes and saw only exhaustion. Bags hung under her eyes. She looked pale. It was like the antithesis of Star, the girl who was always so cheery—always so energetic. It was like the past week had killed that girl, but still, as he looked into her deep, blue eyes, even just a little bit further, he could still see her.
He took her hand without a second thought and slowly, she helped him to his feet, letting him lean on her as she walked him to her balcony. He reached for the balcony's rails, but as he tried to lean on them, they were so fragile that they nearly broke off. Seeing no other option, he kept his arm around Star's shoulders.
He turned to her, confused, and was taken aback. There was a look in her eyes that he'd never seen before. It was beautiful. He saw the sunset in her eyes. He saw the adoration inside her. She was stolen away by the sunset's beauty, and he was stolen away by…
He shook his head, a knot forming in his throat as he grew frustrated with himself. He couldn't think of her like that. She was his best friend. She was from a different dimension. Plus, he had Jackie… or… well, he had his unrequited feelings for Jackie.
He sighed, glancing at the sunset for a moment before turning away and hobbling back to the girl's bed.
Star watched as he left, confused. She watched as he walked to her bed. She watched his face, the range of emotions that somehow, she couldn't possibly read. Something inside her told her to follow him, but she couldn't make her legs move.
Still, she stared at him from a distance, perplexed. What could have possibly caused him to walk away? Why did he look so sad?
Marco turned away, unable to face her. He tried to push his bad thoughts away, but just when he began to focus, he heard her voice.
"Marco," she screamed.
His gaze snapped in her direction, getting to his feet in an instant. A familiar hellish carriage floated at the end of the balcony, its owner standing just outside. He had Star in his arms. She tried to cast a spell, but he smacked her wand out of her hand before she could even aim it in his direction.
Marco hobbled as fast as he could, but before he could even get to his feet, he pulled her into the carriage with him, smiling smugly.
"Let her go," Marco screamed, but that only seemed to bring the demon boy more joy.
His smile widened, and as fast as he had arrived, he was gone.
Marco ran to the balcony as fast as he could and watched as Tom escaped. He wanted to jump after her, but she was already too far. He nearly jumped after her, but just before he could, his senses returned to him.
He watched as the hellevator sucked the carriage through the ground with his fist balled. He turned back into the room and rifled through both his and Star's bags, searching for something, anything to help him get her back, but as prepared as he was for something like having to leave Earth in an instant, he wasn't smart enough to pack anything in either bag for something like this.
He groaned, holding his head in his hands with frustration when his eyes landed on something that Star had left behind. He didn't notice it at first, but Star's wand was still there. He crawled toward it as fast as he could, but as he reached it, he was apprehensive to lift it for himself.
Images flashed through his mind of the last time someone held the wand. He remembered what happened to "Lobster Claws" or whatever that dumb monster's name was. He remembered the corruption that the wand brought—the temptation that came with just holding it in his hands.
Still, it wasn't like he had any other option. He had to save Star, and he had to do it himself. So, he reached for the wand slowly, his hand trembling more violently with every passing second until, finally, he wrapped his hand around it.
There was nothing at first. It was like he was just holding a completely non-magical stick or something, but after a few seconds, he felt it. The magic flowed through him. The wand's absolute power flowed through his veins.
It took all he had to not burst out and scream. The feeling of the wand in his hand was perfect, euphoric even. It was like all of his pain had vanished. It was like all was right in the world.
He gripped the wand tightly and stared at it as it began to change. Its usual pink tip vanished, replaced by teal, which almost seemed to match that of Star's signature dress. The angelic wings that hung out of the wand's sides were replaced by those of what he knew to unmistakably belong to a dragon.
He smiled, but the wand's transformation was incomplete. There wasn't an inch on it that remained the same. The hilt lengthened slightly, taking on a more metallic appearance. The small horns that stuck out of the wand's tip disintegrated, a large, blade-like end stabbing through the end of the wand.
He marveled at the wand's beauty and knew that the wand could do anything he wanted it to. With boundless confidence, he turned to the balcony with a confident smile, limping in its direction steadily until, finally, he stood at its edge, gripping its rails and climbing over carefully.
His feet hung over its edge. He was confident in the wand, but from where he stood, he couldn't even see the ground. He closed his eyes and felt the wind blowing through his hair. His grip tightened on the rails behind him, and suddenly, the guardrail snapped off, launching him off the balcony.
He flailed his arms, screaming with terror. He turned his head to the wand, his hand shaking. He remembered the spell that Star had tried to cast before.
"SUMMON CLOUDY CHARM," he screamed, but no such cloud appeared. His eyes widened and he felt his heart drop. He looked down and his heart began to pound. He once again turned to the wand, holding it out and focusing with all he had.
"SUMMON… DRAGON CHARM," he commanded, a dragon with deep, maroon scales flying to his rescue and swooping him out of the air with blazing speed.
Marco's eyes widened as he stared at the dragon that carried him and smiled, letting out a triumphant scream.
He leaned forward and the dragon sped up, following his commands before he could even give them. It was like the dragon could read his mind, looping when Marco wanted to, turning when Marco wanted to.
Marco smiled, his confidence returning. He held on tight as he put the thought in his mind for the dragon to fly upward, and in an instant, the beast arched itself back, flying almost directly vertically.
Marco could barely keep his eyes open as the dragon's altitude climbed so quickly. As if sensing this, the dragon slowed down, leveling out and stopping in place.
Marco took a moment to catch his breath. He smiled, his eyes on the dragon's face. He reached out, petting its head before taking note of where he was.
He smiled, staring at the royal master bedroom's open balcony.
"Good boy," Marco remarked, petting the dragon's head.
Without a word, the dragon flew Marco to the balcony, vanishing as Marco waved the wand in his direction.
Inside the room, he heard two familiar voices.
"Come on, Moonpie," River pled, "You can't keep Star locked up forever."
"This is not up for debate, River," Moon denied.
Marco peered around the corner but saw neither the King nor the Queen. Confused, he stepped into the room slowly, scanning from side to side until, finally, he found them. They were both in the master bathroom with the door wide open. Moon was staring into the mirror as she unraveled her hair while her husband merely watched, wearing only his underwear.
Marco shook his head, ignoring the sight that he would have never wished to see, and turned back into the room, scouring for the scissors until he finally saw them.
They were across the room, sitting in the middle of the royal bed. Marco furrowed his brow, turning to the bathroom and focusing. He walked as far into the room as he could without being seen, then laid down, trying to avoid being seen by Moon, who could have seen him in the mirror if he wasn't careful.
He crawled slowly and carefully, doing all that he could to avoid making a sound. He heard the King and Queen talking as he went by.
"Fine," River remarked, "... but what of that Marco boy?"
Marco froze in place, glancing into the bathroom with confusion. He heard Moon scoff at his mention.
"Well, she refused to come here without him," she recalled, sighing, "He's only human, but he could cause trouble."
Marco crawled past the doorway slowly, getting back to his feet and walking to the royal bed. He reached out and grabbed the scissors, but didn't immediately use them. His eyes returned to the bathroom door, where River came to his defense.
"I don't know, Moon," he began, "My impression of the boy is only positive."
Seconds of silence passed before Moon would respond.
"Marco is fine on his own," she concurred, "but they embolden each other, and-"
"Isn't that a good thing," River interjected.
Again, seconds of silence passed, but this time, Moon couldn't refute the King's point.
"I suppose so," she conceded with a sigh.
Marco's face softened as he stared at the open door. He smiled, glad to have impressed his best friend's parents, but his happy moment was short-lived. A silence followed the conclusion of the conversation, and seconds after it ended, River turned around, walking out of the bathroom.
Spotting him, Marco rushed to cut open a portal, stepping through as quickly as he could. River turned his head in the boy's direction, but the portal closed before he could be seen.
Marco was greeted with unbelievable heat on the other side of the closed portal. It was nothing like the last time that he had come to the Underworld, for the Blood Moon Ball. It was hotter. There was more fire. There was more lava. The place actually seemed like hell. Still, he had a mission to finish.
Since River had caught him off guard, his portal didn't put him exactly where he would have wanted to be, but there was no mistaking it, he could see the Lucitor Castle in the distance. Marco focused, holding the wand in his hand.
"SUMMON DRAGON CHARM," he shouted with his eyes closed, expecting to see his favorite dragon when he opened his eyes, but all there was were a couple of green sparks.
Marco's shoulders fell.
"Of course not," he muttered to himself, limping toward the castle on foot.
Geysers of lava blasted all around him. Clouds of ash blew through the air. Sweat ran down his brow, but he continued to push forward with the castle near.
It took Marco about ten minutes to arrive at the castle's front gate. His cast made every step a struggle. There was no pain, but he was sure that if this kept up, he would feel it tomorrow.
At the front gate, he saw two guards, each being several feet taller and exponentially more muscular than himself. Under any other circumstances, he wouldn't have dared to fight them, but he couldn't give up now. He had to save Star.
Seeing no other option, he approached the gate, his hood over his head.
Both guards lifted their massive battleaxes from the ground and pointed them at him. He glanced up at them nonchalantly, despite the insurmountable fear he felt.
"State your business," one of the guards demanded, his voice impossibly deep.
Marco smiled, holding the wand in his hoodie pocket.
"Oh, nothing, I just wanted to-"
"BLACK BELT BARRAGE," he screamed, pointing the wand at one of the guards only for a pathetic beam of green light to come out, landing on the ground just ahead of the guard.
Marco chuckled nervously, holding his hands up as if he hadn't just tried to attack them.
The guards shared a glance, then looked back to Marco, rearing back their axes in unison and swinging for him.
He dodged away as quickly as he could, stuffing the wand back in his pocket.
The demons lifted their axes once more and Marco readied himself, lowering himself into his combat stance.
Once again, the demons swung in sync, and again, Marco evaded the attack, this time using their axes as platforms, which he jumped off of, landing a kick to the side of one of the demons' heads, shattering his cast in an instant. He landed softly between the two, his eyes wide as he stared at his leg.
How had he done that? Why did his leg not hurt? Had it somehow already healed? But that wasn't possible.
Distracted by his lack of pain, the demons were able to catch him off guard, smacking him in the back with the blunt side of both of their axes, which knocked him to the ground in an instant.
One of the demons lifted their axe to deliver a finishing blow, but just as he began to swing down, his partner stopped him.
"Amonthorak," he called, quickly earning the demon's attention, "Remember Master Thomas's orders. We were waiting for a hooded human. I think we found him."
Amonthorak lowered his axe with a scowl.
"You've been saved," he taunted, turning to the other guard.
"Lyraxion," Amonthorak addressed, "You can deliver him yourself while I watch over the gate."
Amonthorak nodded, picking up Marco by his arm cast and dragging him through the gate. He bled from his mouth and everything seemed blurrier than before.
He glanced ahead as he was pulled into the castle, squinting as he tried to make out what was in front of him.
The floor was black marble. The walls were made of deep maroon bricks. He couldn't make out what was at the end of the room with his eyes, but after he heard a familiar voice, he could make no mistake.
"Hello, Marco," Tom called.
A second later, he heard another familiar voice, this one far more pleasant than Tom's.
"Marco," screamed Star, gripping the bars of her cage.
Marco chuckled, noting that the whole experience seemed vaguely familiar. Images flashed through his mind of Toffee and his glass cage. So that was it.
"Let her go," Marco commanded as the massive demon released him, his arm cast shattering as it hit the ground.
"I don't think so," Tom retorted, smiling smugly, "She's mine."
Marco turned to Star. He saw the fear in her eyes. He clenched his fist.
"It's fine, Marco," she shouted, yanking on the cage's bars, "I can get out of here!"
Tom smiled, pointing to her with a cocky grin.
"I mean, do you see her," he asked, "Where do you think the horns on her head came from?"
"Shut up," Marco shouted back.
Still, Tom only continued to smile, taunting, "Make me!"
Marco furrowed his brow and kicked off the ground in a dead sprint. Pleased, Tom floated off of his seat, a fiery aura emanating around him. Marco launched in the Demon's direction, but with a mere flick of his fingers, a blade of fire sliced for Marco's head.
Once he landed, he patted his fingers against his forehead, his eyes widening as he saw his own blood. He turned back to Tom with a glare, wiping away his blood. The demon smiled back at him, his eyes overtaken with bright, fiery lights.
His confidence waned.
"Marco, run," Star screamed. He turned to her with confusion, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ball of fire flying in his direction.
"PAY ATTENTION, HUMAN," the demon spat, his voice reverberating as he shot another flurry of fireballs in his direction, which he was only narrowly able to dodge.
Again, Marco turned to Star with hopeless eyes, wishing he had her help. She stared back at him, her face as helpless as his own. A second passed as their eyes remained locked on one another, and suddenly, Marco had an idea.
Tom shot another fireball in Marco's direction, enraged.
"I'LL KILL YOU," he screamed, forming a massive ball of fire above him and throwing it in Marco's direction.
His eyes widened as the ball of fire approached. He dove away as far and as fast as he could, but the ball of fire still caught him in the side, scorching the side of his hoodie and charring his skin.
He screamed in pain but didn't let himself be finished. Tom shot another volley of fire in his direction and he continued to dodge with all he had. He held his side with one hand and gripped the wand in his pocket with the other.
Tom continued to fire away at him, but with every passing second, his plan came closer to fruition. He dodged the balls of inferno as well as he could, but as he grew tired, he got hit more and more often.
He got caught in the leg as he tried to jump over one, running around Tom as quickly as he could.
A fireball found the tip of his shoulder as he tried to dodge to the side of another, getting closer and closer to getting past the demon until, with one final dodge, he made it. His back was singed as he ran to Star's cage. He winced in pain, pulling the wand from his pocket and throwing it as hard as he could.
He hit the ground hard, laying still as the wand flew threw the air.
Star's eyes widened as the wand grew closer until, finally, she caught it.
"NARWHAL BLAST," she screamed, her cage shattering into thousands of pieces as she sprung to freedom, landing between Marco and Tom.
Tom let out a demonic scream, his fiery aura expanding behind him.
"I WON'T LET YOU LEAVE," he cried.
All of the room's doors were instantly engulfed in flames as he created a massive ball of fire above him. Star turned to Marco and began to shake, her rage growing beyond her control. She held her wand tightly in her hand, aiming it in the demon's direction.
"Too bad you don't control me then," she said, closing her eyes as she focused her energy.
"LASER BEAM BLAST," she shouted, a massive beam of light shooting out of her beam, aimed at the growing ball of fire above the demon. Tom's eyes widened as the beam left her wand, the explosion sending him flying towards the wall behind him, which he crashed into harshly before slamming into the ground below him.
Star dove on top of Marco, covering him with her body as the ball of fire exploded, setting the entire room ablaze in an instant.
Star held onto Marco as tightly as she could, squeezing her eyes shut for several seconds as she awaited her fiery demise. Seconds passed. She heard the room begin to crumble around her, but she didn't feel a thing.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, turning around to see a pink shield of energy surrounding her. Her eyes shimmered with marvel as she stared at her accidental defense. The shield expanded as she got to her feet, still surrounding her and Marco completely.
Marco groaned as he tried and failed to push himself off of the ground. Star hurriedly came to his aid, helping him to his feet and immediately wrapping her arms around him.
He winced in pain but didn't dare to let go of her. His eyes lingered past her as he held her close. He stared at Tom's unconscious body for several seconds before peeling himself out of the hug.
He looked Star in the eyes, his hands on her shoulders as she stared back at him.
"I-" he stammered, wincing as his burns ached, "-I think we should try and stay within arm's reach from now on."
"Deal," Star answered with a smile. She pulled Marco into another hug but quickly pushed away with a gasp of realization. He stared back at her with confusion as she reached for her signature headband.
Without a word, she snapped it in half, throwing it over her shoulder with a smile.
"There," she remarked, "Now I don't belong to anyone."
"You never did," he said with a smile.
She smiled, blushing slightly. Again, she pulled him into a tight embrace, closing her eyes as she squeezed him.
He returned the embrace, and after a moment of peace, he pulled Star's dimensional scissors from his pocket, holding them up.
"You ready to go home," he asked. Again, she smiled, but despite what Marco expected, she shook her head. Without a word, she turned around, her pink shield dissipating. Tom's eyes blinked open, all facing Star. He reached out, but Star wouldn't even look at him. She lifted her wand and aimed it at the ceiling, shooting out a single beam and turning back to Marco.
"Now I'm ready," she gleamed, pulling the scissors from Marco's pocket and cutting open a portal. She walked through the portal as the ceiling above Tom crumbled, but Marco stood and watched as the debris fell, smashing onto the demon's back, covering him completely.
Marco shook his head, walking through the portal without a word.
Marco smiled as he walked into Star's room, seeing her laying face-down on her bed. She sat up slowly, her hair covering her face. He swiped it aside, but only a second later, it fell in front of her eyes again.
Marco chuckled to himself as she continued to struggle, taking a seat beside her as she pulled out her wand, pointing it at the top of her head. She tried and tried, but nothing came of her efforts.
She sighed, crossing her arms.
Marco's smile remained as he reached for his bag and pulled out a plain red bandana that he had planned to use as a small towel. He held it out and handed it to her. She stared at it for a moment, confused. Seeing that she didn't know how to use it, Marco stood up and walked in front of her, pulling her hair back and tying it back with the bandana.
Of course, several strands of her hair still poofed out of the front, as they did with her horns, but as Marco took a couple of steps back and took her new look in, he couldn't help but smile. She was beautiful, it was undeniable.
"How do I look," she asked with a smile.
"Oskar's gonna love it," he remarked, his smile fading quickly.
Star stood up and walked to her mirror, smiling brightly as she adjusted the bandana.
"Yeah," Star responded unenthusiastically, "I'm sure he would."
Slowly, her smile returned. She reached down and looked through her drawers.
"Alright, Marco," she started, her enthusiasm returning, "Take your shirt off!"
Marco's cheeks flashed a bright red. Star turned around, a jar of ointment in one hand and a towel in the other.
Realizing what she said, her cheeks lit up as well.
"I- I meant-" she gestured to the ointment and towel, unable to meet his eyes.
Marco chuckled, also unable to look her way.
Seconds of silence passed, only filled by the teens' embarrassed giggles until, finally, Star repeated herself.
"Okay, seriously Marco, off with the shirt."
He nodded, his smile vanishing as he pulled his hoodie and shirt over his shoulders, tossing them both on the ground.
Star dabbed the towel in the ointment and tapped it lightly against his back. He winced, his back tensing.
"I'm sorry," she rushed out, "I- I'll try to go slower."
She dabbed it on his back again, this time more carefully.
"That's better," Marco remarked, closing his eyes as the ointment soaked into his wounds.
"Star Butterfly," Moon shouted as she stormed through the bedroom doors, a look of fury in her eyes.
Moon froze in place, perplexed by what she was seeing.
"Oh-"
"I thought…"
Marco and Star stared at her with confusion. A few seconds passed.
"Wait," she started again, "What happened to Marco?"
Star turned to him, unable to form a response.
"Oh," Marco rushed out, "Star was… trying out a spell, and- uh-"
Moon sighed. "I should have guessed," she remarked.
Star frowned, crossing her arms. "What's that supposed to mean," she questioned, visibly offended.
"Oh, nothing," Moon replied, grinning.
"Where did your horns go, my dear," she questioned.
"I-" Star struggled.
"She broke them," Marco explained, Moon nodding.
The mother's smile grew. "Well," she began, "I think you look better this way. Very pretty."
Star smiled, brushing her hair aside as she blushed.
"Anyway," Moon said, "I'm glad you two stayed put. I didn't lock you in here to be cruel. I just want you to be safe."
Star turned to Marco, smiling nervously.
"Yeah…" Star replied, "Me too…"
Moon smiled once more. "Goodnight," she said to them both, "I'll be back in the morning."
"Goodnight," the teens repeated, waving with cheery smiles as the Queen closed the door.
"How," Star questioned, gleaming, "How are you so good at lying?"
Marco chuckled. "A magician never reveals his secrets," he said, smiling smugly.
Unamused, Star pressed the ointment-covered towel into his back.
"OUCH," he shouted, wincing as Star smiled.
"That's what you get…"
…
Debris rained from the roof of the Lucitor Castle to its floor. Countless small fires burned on, even without anything to burn.
From the end of the throne room, footsteps echoed through the halls.
With a look of disgust on his face, David Lucitor entered the room.
"You failed again," he taunted.
Tom's fist crashed through the debris that covered him. He got to his feet slowly, facing his father's disappointment.
"You will not fail again," he commanded, "The Lucitor Clan will once again rise to power, and it will be your work."
Tom nodded, unable to meet his father's eyes.
"I didn't hear you," the man remarked in a cold tone.
Tom cringed. "Yes, father," he corrected.
Seconds passed as the King allowed his son to soak in the fear he felt.
"Good," he finally concluded, staring his son down before turning around and exiting the room.
…
Author's Note:
Man, that was a lot. I am genuinely amazed that so much can happen in only about 5,500 words. I don't think I need to explain how happy I am with this chapter, and honestly, I'm not sure I could.
This idea came to me while I was still finishing chapter three and it only took me two days to write this entire chapter. That is unprecedented. These chapters are hard to write. I usually lack motivation. I usually get stuck making these events connect. I usually take at least a week to write a chapter of this length, but somehow, this just happened.
Honestly, I think this chapter may be the best thing that I've ever written, and I can only hope to keep this up throughout the rest of the story.
So, as usual, please feel free to leave a favorite, follow, bookmark, or any other site-specific action on the story and I would greatly appreciate if you left a comment as well. I really like hearing what you guys liked, disliked, and all of that. I respond to every comment, so, please, feel free to leave one.
Anyway, I'll see you guys again soon. I imagine it'll be a lot longer than a day, but I'll always keep you guys updated on my Insta page, which I'll put at the bottom of the page as always.
I hope you enjoyed!
~ lucash21
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