Woah, what's this? An update!? Well, I guess I'm only a month late...oops. Updates are going to be pretty irregular from here on out, but not as bad as this I promise. Thanks to anyone who stuck around while I died for a month. This chapter goes out to my wonderful readers/followers/favouriters/reviewers who take a few minutes to read this...whatever this is. Enjoy!

King and Queen Lucitor glared across the table with looks that could melt Septarians. River Butterfly and his wife returned the gesture, a thick cloud of hostility hanging between the two parties. No one spoke. King Ponyhead, who was seated at the head of the council table, was the first monarch who dared to break the fragile silence. He turned to the Lucitors.

"Do you care to explain why your son attacked a Mewnian guard, in direct violation of the Lucitor/Butterfly Contract?"

Queen Lucitor smacked her hand into the table, leaving a giant fist-shaped indention in the wood. The massive demon snarled.

"Care...to explain… why you let Star be...involved….with our son?" Moon choked back her surprise. She hadn't even told her husband about Tom and Star, much less her most uncooperative allies.

"Who is to say that Tom and Star were ever together? And, this is also completely irrelevant." Moon prayed that the Lucitors had misinterpreted what happened at the ball and had no actual proof. King Lucitor clenched his jaw, an angry fire glowing behind his eyes. He pulled a bundle of parchment out of his leather satchel and threw it onto the table. It landed with a

thump, the same sound that Moon's heart made as it leapt from her chest and splattered on the floor.

"We found these with Tom's personal belongings a while back. His actions at the ball last night only serve to prove what we suspected." Queen Butterfly internally died. They were love letters. Star…. She would have to have a word with her daughter later. King Lucitor cleared his throat. "How can we expect you to keep Mewnie safe when you can't even control your own offspring?"

River locked eyes with the other king.

"Are you questioning our ability to rule?" The king of demons nodded.

"Your daughter's actions are a reflection of her parents' ineptitude while raising her. We won't stand by a family of fools."

River growled and pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Your son was involved in this too! My daughter was only partially responsible!" King Lucitor shrugged.

"It doesn't matter who did what- You will find no help from the Lucitors." He turned around and walked away from the table, nonchalantly tossing a match onto the pile of letters. Moon watched as the brittle paper crumbled into ash and sighed. Almost half of her army had been killed at Butterfly Castle when Toffee attacked, and the Ponyheads had never had much of a military, being as they were alone in the clouds. The Lucitors had been her best hope, but now that they were out of the picture, she would have to find another way to get troops. The Queen felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around. River stood behind her, his face grim. In his hand rested a pin shaped like a pair of wings. Moon nodded. Desperate times called for desperate measures, she supposed.

"Stupid...Toffee….Stupid….Tom...Stupid…" Star closed her eyes as the straw training dummy in front of her exploded into pieces. Many of its fallen comrades had met a similar demise, and now a thick layer of dummy-dust covered the stone floors of the Cloud Arena. The wand in her hands glowed a sickly green, and the princess pointed it across the room at the sole remaining target.

"Nuclear Destruction Ray!" A beam of green energy arced through the air and hit the unfortunate mannequin square in the chest. A huge explosion threw Star against the wall, and when she got up again, the world spun and her ears rang. The spot where the dummy had once stood had been replaced with a smoking crater. Oops. Footsteps rang out behind her, but she didn't take her eyes away from the massive hole in the floor that she would definitely have to pay for.

"You really did a number on the floor." Star nodded in agreement, not bothering to look at whoever stood next to her. It could be Tom for all she cared.

"Umm...Are you ok? Yesterday got kinda crazy." Star nodded again.

"I'm fine, thanks." She took a seat on the rim of the crater, her feet dangling over the yawning abyss. Marco- she was sure it was him- sat down next to her, grunting in pain as he did. She tilted her head in his direction. "You don't sound so good."

"I'm alri-" The boy's sentence was abruptly cut off by a fit of coughing. Star looked at him, a hint of worry in her sky-blue eyes.

"No, you're not. You should have the infirmary check that out."

Marco managed to stop coughing long enough to squeak out a few words.

"I did. They said it wasn't serious."

"Oh. Okay."

He paused, and an awkward silence surrounded the two.

"I actually came here to tell you something." Star looked curious.

"Shoot."

Marco gulped, hating the fact that he had to break the bad news to Star. From the sheer amount of destruction that surrounded them, he could tell that she wasn't in the best state of mind, but this was his job, and he was honor-bound to complete it.

"Your parents, um, had a disagreement with the Lucitors and now they need to leave and go find some other allies. They said you have half an hour to pack your things and get to the carriage. That was fifteen minutes ago."

Star stared at him, her eyes dark with pain.

"It was me, wasn't it? The Lucitors got mad that I dated their son, and now Mom's down half an army."

Marco scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I guess. But I think that they're being stupid. You should be free to love who you want."

The princess shook her head, her gaze locked on the floor.

"You're right. I should. But royalty doesn't work that way. Everything- and everyone- are objects, including me. If Mom wanted to marry me off tomorrow, I would have to go quietly."

Marco looked around, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"You don't seem like the type to do anything 'quietly'." Star half-smiled, and punched him lightly on the arm.

"Okay, maybe I'd blow up a dimension or two, but Mom could just magic them back, so no biggie."

Marco snorted, sending dust in the air swirling around the room. He coughed again, a hollow rattling sound echoing in his chest. Star stood, and when he was finished coughing, she helped him to his feet. They had almost exited the room when Star suddenly turned, pulling her wand out of its holster. Marco, his survival instincts kicking in again after all those years, ducked behind a solid-looking stone pillar.

"Mystic Room Suck Transform!" A beam of pink light shot out from the wand, and a swirling black portal ate up the dust and rubble. In two seconds, the room was entirely clean. Star winked at the cowering knight.

"Come on, Marco! We've got allies to find!"

Star crouched low over the Warnicorn's back, racing through a tangle of trees and vines. She ducked a branch, then vaulted over a stray root, loving the feel of the cool mountain breeze in her hair. Moon watched her daughter's recklessness with a nostalgic eye, longing for the days when nothing troubled her, the heavy yoke of queenship still resting on the shoulders of someone else. She was glad to see Star in a good mood though. Moon knew that she was far from accepting the Lucitor situation, but for the moment at least, the princess was happy. Still, Moon was troubled. This was merely the calm before the storm. Soon, the Butterfly army would be forced to try to take their castle back, with or without help. These last allies were the only thing keeping her from marching on Castle Butterfly right now. And with an undertrained princess, an infected knight, and less than half of an army, their chances weren't good. Said infected knight pulled his mount up alongside Moon, watching Star with concern. He looked like he wanted to say something, but kept silent.

"You may speak, Sir Diaz." Marco appeared stunned, like Moon's words had slapped him.

"Your Majesty-" The queen cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"There is no need for titles. Your father is a friend of the family, so please just call me Moon."

"Moon, your daughter is going to break that warnicorn's legs. May I go up ahead and keep an eye on her?" The queen smiled, small lines tracing across her face.

"If it makes you feel better. Although, I believe Star is quite competent on a warnicorn. Try not to get hurt keeping up with her." Marco nodded stiffly, then kicked his mount into a gallop, dodging obstacles in the road as he went. The queen's smile reached her eyes for the first time since the castle fell. The boy was noble and strong, and the more she watched him, the more she believed that he could resist Toffee long enough for them to kill the lizard. And after that, he would be trained as a real knight, and he would stay at Star's side for however long need be. Now she knew that giving him the Kingsblade was the right choice.

"HALT, STRANGERS. STATE YOUR REASON FOR ENTERING THE ROYAL GROUNDS OF CASTLE AVARIUS." The monster guard on the ramparts bellowed, his voice amplified by his cupped hands. The Butterfly company had stopped in front of the wooden gate that was the only entrance to the Avarius keep. River stood up on the back of his warnicorn and mimicked the guard.

"THE BUTTERFLY FAMILY IS SEEKING AN AUDIENCE WITH KING AVARIUS. WE COME IN PEACE."

The guard ducked behind the stone wall for a few minutes, most likely consulting with his fellow guards, then popped up, announcing that they were allowed inside. A loud clanking sound followed, then the gate swung open, revealing the inner courtyard. Moon called the soldiers to attention, and they marched into Castle Avarius. The soldiers were instantly mobbed by servants and stable hands, who took the weary warnicorns to the stable, and unbuckled the infantry's grimy armor, which was taken to the blacksmith for cleaning and repairs. Star, Moon, River, and Marco, however, were marched by an armed guard into the castle proper. Unlike Castle Butterfly, Castle Avarius had the main hall directly inside the front door, so they didn't have to go far to find the throne. King Brudo Avarius stared down his beak at the small group, disdain radiating from him like an inky shadow.

"So the Butterfly family has come to negotiate again. What do you want this time? More farmland? More money? Well?" Moon did some breathing exercises that her battle trainer had taught her, trying to keep her cool. King Avarius had never been an easy person to get along with, but it was absolutely necessary that she didn't anger him.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Castle Butterfly has recently been...occupied by a hostile force. We would appreciate your help in reclaiming it." The bird king grunted and stroked his voluminous beard with a gnarled hand.

"You're more to the point than I remember, Queen Butterfly. That's good. As for the help…. Kingdom Avarius can't throw soldiers and money to you with no compensation. I want half of your cornfields in return for our aid."

Moon swallowed hard. Half of Mewnie's corn fields would leave her with barely enough to feed her kingdom, even with the recent…decrease in population. No, she wouldn't let this stand. Her mother hadn't trained her to be a hardball negotiator for nothing.

"I'll give you a fourth of my corn fields as well as representation in my council and lowered tribute taxes. Is that enough?"

King Avarius eyed her thoughtfully.

"Hrrmmm….How about no tribute tax, an eighth of your cornfields, and representation in your council."

Moon could practically smell a good deal. An eighth of her corn fields was a pittance compared to half, and most of the time Kindom Avarius could barely afford tribute. The meager sum that they paid was a drop in the bucket.

"It's a deal, King Avarius. We march at dawn."

He's dying, you know." Glossaryck gave Toffee a pointed look from across the marble chess board. His future vision really came in handy when playing chess, because he was able to see all of Toffee's moves ages before the lizard actually moved the pieces. The lizard snarled back at him, clearly irked by Glossaryck's obvious comment.

"I know."

Glossaryck moved his knight to square A4. A bad move, to be sure, but it served his purposes for now.

"So then why don't you just take over? You're much too powerful to stay in his weak mind forever, so why not get some use out of him now?"

Toffee picked up the bishop that moved on white squares.

"I'm waiting.

"For?"

Toffee slid his bishop onto A4, tapping the knight.

"The right moment." The knight fell over onto its side, captured.