Chapter Text
That morning Festivia was not excited.
From what she'd been told by others a Butterfly Princess’s fourteenthbirthday had long been a time of excitement and could be considered the beginning of a new era in Mewni. For generations beforehand a Butterfly Queen’s fourteenth birthday marked the day she'd receive the royal magic wand and start her lessons in magic so they could use it to protect and defend and lead Mewni to their best ability.
That was… in the past. Now--stars willing this would ever be the only instance--things were different.
Festivia had gotten her wand, not as a fourteenth birthday inheritance lovingly passed on from Queen Eclipsa, but as a child while Eclipsa had forsaken the throne to run away.
Festivia would not be fresh off to her studies while her mother began her own defense of Mewni without the wand's magic, but would be entering another year of such studies and struggling to pick it up quickly so she could be of defense herself.
Festivia would not have the loving support and blessing of the past queen as she accepted her duties and responsibilities, but would be formally crowned today in a coronation to announce her more official ascension to the throne.
Eclipsa had fled in the arms of her monster lover, an enemy of Mewni, and now as the heir to her throne Festivia would be expected to pick up on the job her mother had forsaken and left the kingdom on the brink of war.
She was hardly happy about this, but expected her father was even less so. Left as a regent ruler in Eclipsa's absence he should finally be passing the reins to her today. If the Princess didn't know any better she would have thought he was somewhat bitter about the affair. His reign going to a fearful child, even his own child. She had gone out of her way to avoid him as to not get an earful of his upset.
But the time had finally come and Festivia couldn't escape her fate, or the handmaidens assigned to prepare her any longer. She was pried out of her hiding place and set before a mirror to be properly made up.
Her dress was in a more comfortable fashion than the constricting ones Shastacan insisted of her, and a thin cape adorned her shoulders. A golden belt encircled her waist, accenting pale purple fabric. Her skirts covered all but the tips of her her boots, short enough that she wouldn't have to worry about her heels catching on it. A spade locket was hidden under her top at her insistance; a piece of her mother so she could feel like there was something of her presence that day.
As her face and hair were made up, she forced her silence at the debate of her horns and how to disguise them. Her hairband wouldn't do for this ceremony, but the cursed things couldn't look like they were growing from her head now could they? It was decided an updo would be done to disguise them, and with that they got to work. Her whimpers as they used said horns as a place to fasten pins went unnoticed, and few hands grew gentle until they brushed against the cracks at the base of them.
When all was finished her wand was presented to her, and she took it gratefully, muscles relaxing at the familiar metal grip of the goblet. Her cheeks and the matching curved diamond on the cup’s face glowed briefly as she was whisked down to the procession.
She took a few deep breaths as she was left alone by the closed doors to the throne room. This was fine, this was her birthright, she could do this, she could certainly do this…
She clasped her hands together on the stem of her wand and stood perfectly straight as the door opened.
Desperately trying to assume a regal heir as she began walking, panicked eyes danced over the room for a source of comfort. From the eyes of the high commission, lingering on Hekapoo's red ones, to Mina's wide green ones for the space of a second, to unfamiliar knights and finally to the black, unfeeling ones of Shastacan before finally focusing straight ahead.
Reaching the steps of the throne, she bowed long enough for the crown to be placed on her head and the sovereign's orb before turning to face the gathered people's representing her kingdom.
Words were said, but her heart had been pounding so loudly in her ears at first that she couldn't make them out. She closed her eyes and prayed desperately for whatever luck the stars could give her as the speech wrapped up in it's penultimate words;
“Hail to Festivia Butterfly, Queen of Mewni! Long may she reign.”