Diaz plan for grandbabies SVTFOE AU (COMPLETE)

Chapter 23

In the courtyard, the castle guard of Mewni assembled beneath a rapidly darkening sky, forming up by company, in groups of twenty, with their sergeant standing at attention in front of each platoon. The Queen was a nimbus of blue light, fluttering in the sky high above the castle, casting protective spells as quickly as she could. The King was decked out in brutal, barbaric, thick steel armor, holding a club nearly the size of himself, mounted on a war unicorn similarly covered in dark steel.

Captain TickTock marched back and forth in front of his men, briefly talking with each sergeant, giving orders for the coming battle. One particular sergeant, a burly brute with scars across his face and a small beard, seized him by the arm as he stopped to make his rounds. "Cap'n," he growled, "Put us on the front lines. I watched Star grow up. I taught her how to break necks, how to fight, and this bastard warlock kills her. LET ME CRUSH HIS SPINE!"

Captain TickTock gingerly removed the man's hand from his arm. "I understand your pain," he said quietly, "But you and your company will be bringing up the rear."

"The rear?! Cap'n, my platoon's the most loyal one you've got left. Why the rear?!"

Captain TickTock stepped back. "Because, sergeant, I am sure you know that there is a certain amount of unrest in the land. There is only so much you men can do against the warlock. I want my most loyal platoon protecting the Queen from any surprise attacks from the rear."

"But Cap'n, wouldn't it be better if we were right by the Queen, to protect her-"

"Soldier," said Captain TickTock coldly, "You have your orders. I don't need your opinion, I need your obedience. Now carry them out."

The sergeant watched as the robot marched away, then whistled. A tall, thin, sneaky-looking soldier broke ranks and appeared at his side. "What do you think of that, Corporal?"

"Somehow I am unsurprised, Sarge."

Both soldiers had been with the castle guard for a long time, since well before Star had been born. Captain TickTock had been their commander the entire time, and they had always thought he had done his best in the position. Hell, he had developed a reputation for really caring for the men under his command, for protecting them from the apathy and sometimes brutal commands of the Queen. But ever since the warlock arrived, they couldn't help but notice that all the men most loyal to the Queen were the ones sent on pointless, doomed attacks against the warlock. They couldn't help but notice that the remaining men, when they were not openly hostile and resentful towards the monarchs, were much more loyal to Captain TickTock than anyone else.

And there was much else that made little sense. When Star had first gone to live with the Diaz's, the sergeant, being her former babysitter, had done as much of a background check on them as he could. And, true, while that had failed to unearth Mr. Diaz's past as a warlock, nothing about him - or his son - seemed to be bloodthirsty or murderous. In fact, the sergeant had once overheard the Princess on a call to her father, the King, talking about Marco. The way she had described him, he thought that she might be getting a bit of a crush on the boy, so the sergeant had taken it upon himself to do some extra-careful observation of Marco. Everything about the boy had seemed genuine.

And if Mr. Diaz was a warlock bent on the destruction of Mewni, why had he waited until his family was arrested to pursue this goal? Surely he had to know the power of the wand Star held. He must have had a thousand opportunities, while she was living there, to kill her and take the wand, if he really wanted to. Then he could have gone on a rampage across the dimensions that the universe would remember for eons. But he hadn't done anything of the sort. So why would he kill Star NOW?

"You know," said the Corporal, interrupting the sergeant's thoughts, "After that mess in the throne room, I saw Captain TickTock sneaking off with the boy. Went into a little secret passage, he did. I know where it leads, though. Down into the dungeons."