Chains That Bind

Chapter 9

Surely he heard wrong. There was absolutely no way that Star said what he thought she said. Maybe he still had a bit of water stuck in his ear after his last date with Jackie at the beach. That must be it.

"Marco, I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I'm leaving Earth, forever, and I'm getting married to Tom. But I can understand your reaction, even I'm having a hard time processing this. But the best I could do to my planet is to help them. I can't just abandon them!"

"I know that." Marco said, "but isn't there another way?"

Star shook her head. "The agreement has been made. Marco, all I could do now is exercise my magic higher."

Marco shook his head. Princesses were supposed to be cherished. They were supposed to be treated with high regard. Not to be used as a bargaining chip! This just wasn't fair. Star deserved far better than this! Sure, she and Tom finally made amends, but not to the point of marriage! He's not even sure if they want the marriage.

Well, maybe the demon does.

Star grabbed his hands and smiled weakly. It was evident how hard she had tried. Both in her room and in her physical appearance. As mentioned before, it looked as if there was a candy storm and Star had dark circles under her eyes and she looked really thin. Was she even eating?

"Marco, don't worry. I'll be fine. I can handle it."

Famous last words.

Marco knew that Star could handle it. She was powerful no doubt. But still, she was his friend and he was concerned about her safety. What if the monsters had a way to block her magic? What if Star was attacked defenseless? What if-.

What if she dies?

Reality hit Marco like thousand bricks. All the monster fighting they had in the past were just tiny hints of how many were dying to get their hands on the magical wand. It was terrifying how just one thing could attract everything dangerous.

Marco looked hard at the broken wand on Star's hand. It had been passed down from mother to daughter. From Queen to Princess. The royal family heirloom was obviously sacred, and for a good reason. All the girls in school were always envious of Star for having something that could solve all her problems in one wave. But it came with a price. They had no idea how lucky they were not to be Star.

Her life was always in danger. And Marco doubted it only started when she received her wand. A royal baby is worth billions. So just how many times was she almost kidnapped. Star has told him stories of how she snuck out as a child and to return home to worried parents. She said they were overreacting, but Marco could now see the reason why.

"It's the cost of the crown."

Marco looked up. "What?"

Star's weak smile turned sad. "Everything has a price Marco. And being queen is no exception."

The Earth boy nodded, "yeah. You're right."

So. This was the true life of being a royal. As a child, he wondered what it was like to be a prince like in the Disney movies. And how magical and wonderful it would be like. Funny how growing up can change your view of the world.

"So. Like your mom, your going to follow her footsteps now? That was your nightmare if I recall."

Star stiffly nodded and Marco regretted his words as soon as it left his mouth. Sensitive subject is off limits by a landslide. Star seemed to have noticed his being uncomfortable and took lead of the conversation.

"Not quite. Yes, I will be training to protect Mewni. But I will lead it my way. Majority of monsters only rebel because they are outcasted and treated worst than dirt! I know that some of them are dangerous, but not all of them are. Sure, some of their parents did somethings wrong, but it would be foolish and and unscrupulous of me to treat them according to their parents mistakes."

Star stood tall and the tone her voice commanded no one think otherwise. Certainly Star was more of a royal princess than she originally thought. And a better queen.

Marco smiled slightly, "how can I help?"