The Princess and the Pirate

Chapter 5

The clash between the two opposing pirate groups slowly came to an end, the monsters inevitably defeated as they retreated towards their ship and hightailed it out of there. The pirates cheered triumphantly at their easy victory, with not a single injury on their half of the battle.

They nonchalantly resumed their work, taking care to clean the ship of all remnants of its previously hosted spat. Marco saw to it that Star was escorted back to her cabin, and he returned to his own. He pulled out the princess's wand and debated on where to hide it, ultimately deciding that locking it back in the same chest might throw her for a loop if she attempted finding it again.

As he settled down comfortably in the chair at his desk, a knock came from the door.

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Out sailing on the same bright blue sea was none other than the kingdom of Mewni's royal navy. Standing proudly at the head of the ship as if he were the captain was the king himself, River. His wife, Queen Moon, had sent him to lead the expedition—the search for their daughter—after being tipped off by Star's suitor. Tom had done a bit of his own investigating, as he had told them, and had found evidence at the scene of the kidnapping that the infamous monster captain Ludo had been the one to take their daughter.

Upon hearing this, a royal fleet was sent in pursuit of said monster in hopes of capturing the criminal and saving the Princess. Tom was sadly unable to join in this expedition, for he was called back to his kingdom on important duty shortly after advising the Mewnan royalty.

Nevertheless, the king was determined to save his daughter, and to bring her back home. It was a miracle they had a lead to go off of, and it filled each Mewnan's heart with incredible hope.

It was really all thanks to one person, Star's own courtier—Tom. Yes, the kingdom would long be in his debt if his assistance led to the rescue of their beloved princess. If only.

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Entering Marco's cabin after announcing her presence was Star. She quietly closed the door and took a few steps toward the desk where he sat. She stood there awkwardly, eyes fixated onto the ground, occasionally opening her mouth as if to speak then stopping herself.

"Hello, Princess," Marco offered, testing the waters nervously. "Is something wrong?"

Star cleared her throat then raised her eyes to stare at his levelly. The sudden movement caught Marco by surprise. He couldn't break his gaze away from her eyes—two deep pools of vibrant blue, so captivating he feared he might get swept away under its tides.

"I..." Star started, still focused on Marco. "I wanted to thank you for earlier today—for.. saving me," Her struggle in saying this was apparent. "Though I still didn't get my wand back.." she added under her breath, low enough to avoid notice.

Marco was flabbergasted. She was thanking him? Never in a million years did he think that this stubborn princess would ever humble herself in front of him and express her gratitude. He blinked, gathering his senses and looking at the girl standing in front of him. She had broken their gaze, but instead of timidly gazing at the floor, she now flusteredly looked at anything and everything around the room—anything but him.

He found himself smirking slightly at this. "Of course," he replied warmly. "Looking out for your safety is part of my job."

"Heh.. right," she itched her head uncomfortably. Should she not have shown up to thank him?

"D-Don't get me wrong, though!" he added, noticing her anxiousness. "I really do appreciate you coming here to thank me..." She perked up a bit at this.