ACT X: Edward, the Drafted Part 1: The Artistic King

Years Ago...

King Simon was in the middle of a meeting with the Magical High Commission discussing Mewni's relations with the Earth-dimension. It had taken a lot of persuasion, but Simon finally convinced them to set up an embassy in California so that he and Evangeline could continue to visit Carlos and his family. After it was settled, the group spent the next two hours designing the embassy and negotiating with President Roosevelt to get the project on its feet.

Simon let out a tired sigh and slumped back into his seat. "Finally… is that everything?"

"Not so fast, King Simon." Omnitraxus interrupted. "We still have to discuss the edibility of those 'crying pearls' your son and wife found if we're to expand Mewni's food supply."

Simon groaned in annoyance. "Why do I get the feeling you guys are gonna be the death of me?"

"Aw, don't say that, your majesty." Hekapoe gave the king a pat on the back. "We wouldn't dream of hurting you."

Simon rolled his eyes and looked over the papers regarding the strange new vegetable his son had discovered a few days ago while the royal family were on a picnic. It was the first new edible vegetable discovered in Mewni's soil since King Soupino the Strange created a broth from the famous red solanaceae. The vegetable was dubbed "crying pearls" and submitted to the Magical High Commission for testing. Simon had always considered public speaking to be the worst part of being king, but listening to the Commission drone on about mundane matters was giving it a run for the money. He was just on the verge of falling asleep when he felt someone tugging at his coat.

"Edward?" Simon blinked the tiredness out of his eyes. "Edward, what are you doing here? Daddy's busy."

In response, the child prince beamed as he held up a drawing of him and his parents walking through the castle.

"Oh, my gosh!" Simon gasped, standing up to pick up his son and get a better look at the drawing. "Did you draw that?! It's so good!"

Just then, Evangeline came running into the room. "Sorry, Simon. I tried to stop him, but he just really wanted to show it to you."

But Evangeline soon found that she didn't need to apologize, as her husband was aggressively showing the paper off in front of the Commission. "Look at my son's art!" He ordered. "Look at it! Tell him it looks amazing!"

Present Day.

The Symphonic Movement - Mewni's most popular band - were touring in Dragontown while a certain fourteen-year-old prince was visiting his aunt. Krystal held her nephew on top of her shoulders to give him a better view while the band performed. However, the crown-prince's focus was on the brunette lutenist. A slight blush spread over his face as he sketched her face in the Great Book of Magic. She was the most beautiful girl his own age he had ever seen. Her skin was like smooth cream with the perfect amount of freckles, her hair was like flowing locks of mahogany, and her eyes were like pools of chocolate. In the eyes of the young prince, she was like a painting come to life.

Once the concert had ended, Krystal left Edward beside a large oak tree while she went to the bathroom before they would head home. While he was alone, Edward channeled the magic in the scepter to complete his drawing of the lutenist, magically changing the colors of the inks he used for his drawing.

Just then, someone stood above him, blocking the sun. He looked up, ready to tell them off, when his face paled in shock. It was the girl.

"Hi! I don't think I've seen you before!" The lutenist smiled.

Edward stared at the girl in silence. Unfortunately, he was so enamored with her beauty that he failed to notice he was staring at her.

"Um… are you new around here?" She asked.

"EDWARD DRAGONFLY!" He blurted out, nervously. "WHAT'S YOURS?!"

The musician flinched in shock, but quickly composed herself. "Um, m-my name is Azure Saint. I, uh, just wanted to know if you enjoyed the show."

"Y-yeah…" Edward nodded, timidly. He stood up from his seat to look her in the eyes. "I really like your music. D-do you sell records?"

Azure smiled and brushed her hair back. "Not yet, I'm afraid. But we did just schedule a meeting with a potential producer, so… who knows? If we do get a record made, I'd be happy to sign it for you."

"Oh, that'd - that'd be very nice of you." Edward nodded. "V-very nice. My dad plays the lute, you know. He thinks that music helps his pumpkins grow, but I did always think it was such pretty music."

"Ha!" She laughed. "That's how I got interested in music! My parents were gardeners who thought the same thing! They taught me how to play the lute when I was four, and I started coming up with my own compositions when I was eight. Since then, I wanted to spread my music across Mewni."

Just then, someone ran in between the two, knocking them both down. The Great Book fell to the ground and opened up to Edward's chapter. The musician picked up her hat and grabbed the Great Book, intending to give it back to the prince when she noticed the drawing of herself.

"Oh, my gosh!" Azure gasped in surprise. "Is that me?!"

"No!" Edward bolted up with his face completely red. "I-I mean, yes! I mean, no! I mean… do you like it?"

A long silence filled the air. At last, Azure pulled out a pen from her pocket and scribbled something on the page. She closed the Book, handed it back to the prince, and placed a feather-light kiss on his cheek. "I love it." She smiled and walked away to help the rest of her band pack up.

Edward brushed a hand over the sunflower-mark on his cheek where she had kissed him. He then flipped the Great Book back open to his chapter. He couldn't believe his eyes. Azure had written under Edward's drawing of her; it was her mirror number and a request to go out on a date sometime. The prince smiled and closed the Book.

"Look at you!" Krystal smirked; she had seen everything. The Solarian warrior proudly ruffled her nephew's hair. "Scoring dates with a music star! What's your first move, big guy? Poems? Chocolates? Flowers?"

"Don't worry, Auntie, I've got it all figured out." Edward declared, confidently. "When I take her out, I'm just gonna keep the entire conversation about her without giving away too much about myself. That way, she'll not only be impressed with my royal status, but she'll also regard me with an allure of mystery."

Krystal chuckled at her nephew's naive confidence. "Oh, yeah? You think that'll work?"

"Heck yeah!" Edward boasted. "It always works! Women love the strong, silent type! They see guys like that as an emotional rock they feel safe around, without the guy seeming weak and overly emotional. That way, if the relationship falls through, the old girl can't bad mouth him to any potential new girls."

Krystal was shocked. "Oh, my gosh! Where did you get all this?"

Edward shrugged. "I read about it in that book you keep on your nightstand; Dating Games by Lebrus Slazar."

"LEBRUS SLAZAR-?! Aaaaw, Eddie! Don't read that book! It's gonna mess up your brain!" Krystal stopped to kneel in front of the boy and educate him. "I keep that book around for laughs! It's full of really bad advice that never works! I guarantee if you try anything you read in that book, no girl is ever going to want to date you!"

"Oh… okay." Edward nodded. "Thanks, Auntie! I'll just forget everything I read about that book."

"Well… well, no." Krystal struggled to find the right words. "I mean… you can still make the conversation about her, and be the strong, silent type. That - that's fine."

"What?" Edward scratched his head in confusion. "I don't understand."

Krystal shook her head, tiredly. The Solarian warrior decided to take the boy home and let his parents explain. Luckily, the king and queen managed to explain it in a way that the prince's date went off without a hitch.

He cannot write, he cannot sing,

But he can draw, his only thing.

Sketching late until the night…

But will he ever draw it right?

Author's notes: Sorry for another short chapter, but again, I didn't have a whole lot to go off on for Edward's character from Estrella's chapter. But on the bright side, now we can move on to the king we've all been waiting for! Get ready for Comet… the chef! As always, please read and review!