The Princess and the Pirate

Chapter 10

1 year later

"Ouch!" Star exclaimed as the wind was knocked out of her. "Not... so tight."

"Apologies, your highness." the maid replied, giving the girl more room to breathe as she laced her corset.

"That's alright, Alice," she sighed. "And please, call me Star."

"Of course, Star." the girl finished up the rest of the dressing preparations. "It's done."

The princess walked over to the nearby dressing room mirror to see her outfit. It was a long white gown that went down to her ankles, with golden fleur de lis embroidered from the front center of the bodice down to the hem. Topping it off was a laced veil that hung down over her face.

"What do you think?" Alice asked, coming to stand next to her.

"It's fine," Star said apathetically. It would serve as her wedding dress.

•·················•·················•

"Have you heard the news?" a girl with short blonde hair asked, joining the pirate captain as he looked out at the endless expanse of water, his arms resting on the railing.

"What news?" Marco responded in a monotone voice, his eyes not leaving the waves.

"Star Butterfly is getting married." she replied, anticipating an intense reaction.

"That's nice." he said dryly.

Jackie furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. "Seriously? 'That's nice?'" she leaned against the railing and sighed as he remained silent. "You really loved her."

Marco turned his head slightly to the side, but the rose tint in his cheeks didn't escape her gaze.

"Why'd we take her back to Mewni anyways?" she wondered aloud, prodding at his resolve.

"She wasn't happy," he muttered, resting his head on his hand.

"Well, I don't know if returning home was the best option." Jackie twirled a lock of hair in her hand.

"What do you mean?"

"From what I've heard, it was an arranged marriage set up by her parents. She's to wed Jeremy Birnbaum, the son of a noble family."

"THAT LITTLE SNOT-NOSED BRAT?!" Marco couldn't help but shout when he heard the boy's name, recalling their history.

"Aye," Jackie responded, holding back a snicker at his outcry. "It's nice, right?"

He glared at her and stomped toward the wheel. "There's no way she would be content with a life like that."

"Oh?" she followed him across the ship. "What are you thinking, captain?"

"I'm thinking we've got a wedding to crash."

•·················•·················•

As Star exited the room and walked down the lavishly decorated hall towards the main chapel, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. When she had returned to Mewni out of nowhere a year ago, everyone treated it as a miracle and revered her for escaping the clutches of the villainous gang of pirates.

Her parents were overjoyed to have her back, but when they learned of what had happened with Tom, they quickly cut off relations with the Underworld. This led to a sort of cold war between the two nations, and several of Mewni's strongest alliances stopped trade as sympathizers of the Lucitor family.

In order to keep the kingdom running smoothly, the king and queen decided it would be best to have the princess married, and she was unwillingly betrothed to the wealthy Birnbaum nobles' son.

A betrothal that would end today, as she would become the wife of the young master Jeremy. She shuddered at the thought, but she truly had no choice.

Nearly at the cathedral, she stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed something bizarre. Lying on the rug in front of her, mere inches from her feet, was a feather. It was long, brown, and had a tip as red as blood.

She gulped, remembering what her father had told her when she came back to Mewni—about the one clue he had to go off during his search for her. It couldn't be.

She shook her head and continued forward, not wanting to get her hopes up. Whatever fantasies she had in mind were nonsense. She was in her kingdom, about to be married. She had responsibilities as a princess, and soon, as a wife.

She approached the door to the chapel, her father greeted her with tears in his eyes. "You look beautiful, my dear," he sniffed, attempting to hold himself together.

"Thanks." She said flatly, taking his arm and entering. A trumpet fanfare announced her arrival, and the room went silent as everyone turned to look at the bride.

Steeling herself, Star gracefully walked down the velvet-lined aisle as strangers stared her down. She looked ahead to see her husband-to-be, Jeremy, wiping his nose as he stared off into the distance and resisted the urge to puke.

She reached the end of the long carpet and took her place next to him. He finally looked over to her, glancing her up and down boorishly. The minister began reading the vows, and she numbly went along with the process.

"If anyone can give a reason this couple should not be joined together in holy matrimony, let them speak now or forever hold their peace." The short old man said, raising his arms for emphasis.

"I object!" a male voice rang out in the cathedral, causing several shocked gasps among the audience.

Suddenly, a masked figure swooped down in the air on a rope, grabbing the princess and coming to rest on a stained glass window landing, high up out of reach. With a kick of his boot, the glass was shattered and they were out of the building.

With a struggling Star still in his grasp, the mysterious man climbed up to the roof, where he slid down the shingles and over the edge, eliciting a scream from the captive girl.

Much to her surprise, the two of them landed on a great black stallion. He placed her in front of him and grabbed the reins, prompting the horse to take off at full speed, galloping out through the palace's back gates. "Who are you?" she yelled over the noise of the cantering hooves.

"Just your average knight in shining armor, milady." he replied with a mischievous grin. Star furrowed her brows. His voice sounded strangely familiar.

They arrived at an unknown port hidden by a copse of trees, where a docked galleon loomed overhead. As the horse slowed to a trot, she could make out the figures of several others aboard the ship, walking to and fro. She watched as an enormous sail was unfurled atop the mast, displaying a white skull and crossbones atop a black setting. It was then that she realized just who it was.

Getting off of the horse, the man extended a hand to her, using the other to remove his skull-like mask. "Care to join us on an adventure, princess?"

Taking his hand and sliding off the horse onto the wooden dock, she smiled. "I'd love to, captain."