#first queen

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Serena the Founder Biography

Early Life

Ancestry and Birth

Serena was born to Plebeian parents Darlene and Plato in mid spring in 110 B.M., 4th in her family, eldest was her brother Noah, born in 118 B.M., then came her sister Rose in 114 B.M., and after that was Helen in 112 B.M., and lived in one of the smaller villages of Mewni. Mewni was settled generations ago by the First Settlers, colonists who left their home islands in the Phantom Isles after their islands lost their fertility, bringing with them ears of corn from their homelands. However, Serena’s lineage carries an interesting addendum; her grandmother Urania.

Urania herself was a descendant of the Titanfolk, the natural inhabitants of the Fallen Titan, the largest Isle in the archipelago. Urania was only 20 years old when the Trinity War stole her from her homeland to the Mainland of Callivion, remaining prisoner because she was a Mage for years before escaping and fleeing to the Mewni Colonies, she could never hope to find a ship back to her homeland, but the Colonies were just descendant enough of her people of the Isles that she could blend into their culture. She was also one of the few Mages to escape persecution and execution during the Mage Purge of 130 B.M., when Velleron’s King Utheron Quadragon I declared all magic illegal and most magical creatures were hunted down and killed, Urania could have fled, but she had nowhere to go, and she had a child who had roots here.

Serena herself was born with the rare gift of natural magic. While all Mewmans have the capacity for magic technically, it takes decades of dedication and practice so only a few ever go down that path. Serena however was born one of the rare talents who have a gift even as a child, where she didn’t have to spend years of practice to develop a spark. This was likely due to the blood of her grandmother Urania, for in the Titanfolk natural magic isn’t as rare as elsewhere, for even at 20 Urania was considered a strong mage amongst her people, one of the last to be taken, and that strength seems to have been inherited by Serena.

Childhood

Serena could be best described as a happy-go-lucky child, even though she was one of the only two in the region with magic, she never felt different from other children, in fact her small displays of magic like balls of light, blossoming flowers, and freezing drinks were seen as games to her and other village children. She was especially close with her sisters Rose and Helen, assistant from the usual sibling fondness, they and Noah were a bit extra protective of Serena, being older their parents told them of the horrors of the Purge, they themselves were children when the raids began, and when Serena’s magic awakened they feared her being taken as well, but never once wanted her to fear her magic, as it was a part of her, and that also made her have a special bond with Urania, in a story Serena once told her future children that her grandmother was actually accused by her parents of favoring her more than her other grandchildren. Whether or not that’s true, Urania took time each day to teach Serena the ways of their ancestors, for all they knew they were the last Mages of the Titanfolk.

Then, one day, everything changed for Serena. It was late Spring of 102 B.M., when rumors of a Mage reached Velleron, and King Untheron ordered their death. Serena was just having a normal day of the family trade of weaving when the attack came, she fled the family shop and to her home, where she hid, a Knight came into her home as did her father, Serena was so upset she accidentally lit a spark that burned the remaining cinders in the fireplace, her father noticed this, and proclaimed he was the last Mage. Serena claims to have blacked out, but what happened next was burned into so many memories, Plato’s head on a spike, the “victorious” knight parading it around, saying this is a “lesson” to those who practice magic. That day was so traumatic, that Serena’s dad sacrificed himself because she exposed her magic, she swore she’d never use it again, and from that moment on associated it with her father’s death.

After that day, Serena stopped taking lessons from her grandmother, focused on the family business of weaving, which they needed because 7 Lumosus after Plato’s death, Darlene delivered their final child, Ash. Noah at 16 became the man of the family and took a job at the docks of the river nearby, while Rose and Helen worked at the shop with their mother. Serena and Urania did most of the domestic work and took care of Ash, whom Urania treated like a second child. They didn’t have much but they made due, till the War of the Three began in 96 B.M., The war hindered their corn trade and port operations.

Despite the setbacks Serena’s family remained smiling, they had another young addition, Adrian, Noah’s son with his wife Ariel, living together in their multi-generational home. When Serena was 16 her family wanted to do something special for this day, so they sent her to the edge of the woods for berries for sweet cakes, while out there she saw ashes falling like snow. They’d heard from the port that there were attacks on the Mewni villages, the ashes meant they were close, and prepared for battle. Serena wanted to fight, but her family had a more important mission: to protect the children.

Serena was sent with Ash and young Adrian, along with other children and teenagers, to the woods near the village where they could be safe. Serena didn’t want to leave her family but she needed to get the young ones to safely, that night she could see the glows of what she assumed were her village in the distance. She got down on her knees, looked to the stars above, and prayed to the Titans for help… She prayed for a miracle, some way to protect her people, because she knew her magic was too weak, if she never gave it up maybe she could have made a difference.

Then as if fate heard her cries, a star fell from the heavens, landing in the distance, Serena followed it to Lake Placidus, to an island just off the shores, and she swam across the cold waters to the island where she found the crater. In it was the Fallen Star, a meteorite with a gem inside so perfect it seemed impossible to have just fallen from the sky. When Serena went to touch it, a blinding flash was reported by many beyond the shore, and Serena’s destiny, and the destiny of Mewni, was forever changed in those moments.

Ascension to Queenship

The Early Years

After touching the Fallen Star Serena awoke on the shore of the mainland the next morning, with the crystal in her hand, a perfectly cut stone, it was smoother than anything she had ever touched, but radiated a warmth and power that felt familiar. She placed the Star in her pocket and returned to the group, where she was told of the emblems that had appeared on her cheeks, the shape of yellow bees. In the 3 days she and the other children spent in the woods she tried to wash or wipe away the emblems, but soon realized they were a part of her skin, like a birthmark.

After the 3rd day Serena went back to the village, or rather what was left. An estimated two-thirds of the village went up in ash, most of their crops were gone as well, and even after 3 days the bodies were still being recovered from the burnt homes. When Serena saw Rose and Helen she was delighted they were alive, but soon turned to sadness when they told her they were the only two that survived. Urania was too old to escape the blaze, as for Darlene, Noah, and even Ariel perished while trying to protect their village. Serena’s sadness could not be contained, in a brief moment she lost half of her family, but they did not have time to mourn, they had to salvage what they could from their homes to try and rebuild. Within their family home, in what was Urania’s room Serena found an iron chest in the ashes, the contents of the metal box protected from the blaze, inside was a book put together by Urania herself, containing all the knowledge and spells she knew, in case Serena ever wanted to continue magic and she was gone.

Much of the book was written in the language of the Ancients, forgotten by most of the Mewnians, a way for Urania to make sure that if it ever fell into the wrong hands it would not be of use. But Urania made sure all her grandchildren would know the language of their ancestors, one of the few lessons Serena still took. This book would become the very first Royal Book of Spells.

When Serena began her magic training, she could see that the Fallen Star was reacting to her magic and realized the crystal itself was magic. Serena heard tales of artifacts containing magical powers but such items were lost in the Mage Purge, from what her grandmother wrote about magic, Serena deduces, and later found correct, that the Fallen Star was actually a Star Runestone, a gemstone of pure magical energy. With this extra power, Serena’s spells multiplied tenfold, problem was that it would heat up when she touched it she’d burn herself. So finding a knitting needle and using a ribbon from her hair she tied the Runestone to the needle to direct its magic, but when she did, the objects merged together into a singular artifact, becoming the first incarnation of the Royal Magic Wand.

Serena’s development was rather slow, in comparison to her descendants, not surprising since she’s essentially self-taught, but with the wand, her magic was greatly amplified, to where once she could make but a few budding flowers blossom she was able to grow crops in minutes. Using her newfound magical powers, Serena helped to rebuild their village, not just to replenish the crops they lost but also to quickly reconstruct their homes with levitation magic, and even used her growing magic to turn acorns into 100-year-old oak trees in an afternoon to provide new wood. Within the season the village was finally starting to look back to normal, but that was drawing attention.

Many survivors of the other Mewnian Villages gathered at Serena’s village and begged for protection and support. Serena could not turn a blind eye to others in need, so they were welcomed, and as the numbers grew so did the village, by the end of summer it was larger than it was before. However Year 94 B.M. wasn’t done with her just yet, word of a new mage reached Velleron, who sent the same garrison to attack as it did 8 years prior, but Serena was ready for them this time. Using her wand she alone took on the military force, levitating boulders and their horses, magical shields, and redirecting their arrows, the siege lasted 3 days before they left, but Serena knew more were coming.

Reading a powerful spell using nature itself as protection, Serena used an incantation and a large wall of thorns grew around the village, thick as trees and over 10 feet tall, it was a barrier to keep them safe. As time passed the villagers began forming a stone wall around the thorns, while appreciating Serena’s magic, they didn’t expect her to do everything, and many of them were training to fight. Because Serena was such an important figure in the village now, many others began to see her sisters Rose and Helen as authority figures as well, often coming to the two to help settle disputes among other things.

During the winter they suffered attacks but the thorn wall held together, and Serena studied up on her magic, reading about all kinds of magic her grandmother wrote in her book, but it was a shame this was all there was. Her grandmother was only 20 years old when she was taken so while knowledge was extensive it was also limited. She wished there was more magic for her to study, and by another miracle, it was granted. In 93 B.M. it wasn’t just Mewnians who came to seek protection, but others like Serena, the numbers are different but each generation there are those like her who have the rare natural gift of magic, rather than seeking it out. Like her, they did not choose their gifts but unlike her never had the opportunity to advance them, however a few did manage to find tomes and books that were passed on or hidden. And so Serena, even though she was barely 17 herself because a teacher to those older than her who never had a chance to properly develop their magic.

As the Magic in Mewni grew so too did the attention of other Nations, raids were becoming more frequent but unlike the ones that took Serena’s grandmother, their enemies did not wield magic themselves, and it was not just Serena’s powers that kept their small numbers in contention with the superior forces of their enemies. While her magic alone was great many wishes to fight but they lacked the means, however a spell Serena discovered from poring over the new books could reinforce any material to be as hard as steel. It was however only a temporary spell, but before every battle Serena would enchant the leather armor of the soldiers, allowing them to match the metalwork armor of their combatants. The year progressed, and each raid they quashed news spread, and more would come to Serena’s home, growing their number of denizens to where they had more than half the Mewnians in their walls, on top of other refugees that came from time to time.

Lady Serena

By her 18th year in 92 B.M. Serena’s village was no longer a village, it was a city, filled with thousands of people they were breaching capacity within the walls, so it was time to expand. By now the thorn walls had come down, replaced with stone walls and sentry towers they were well protected, but the moment it came down or they tried to set up an extension village it would be vulnerable to raids. Serena lived in a tower amongst the highest point in the city, so she could see danger coming from the distance, to the West of the tower was the Harewell River, where they still did port trades, and that gave her an idea, it was a little crazy, but she was determined to see it through.

She spent weeks practicing such a spell, it was only referenced in her grandmother’s book, but she felt that if it had been done before she could do it, moving the earth itself. Sure she could make plants grow like crazy but that’s just putting magic in a seed, she wanted to depress the earth around the city, and the river water would flow into it to make it a sort of island so her people could have safety and the room to grow without the walls. And so Serena stood on top of the wall and performed her Spell, the ground quakes and splits, and she even cast a heavy rain spell to fill up the moat quickly without receding the river water lines. In the midst of all this spell casting, numerous people said to have seen Serena having a pair of wings, and even multiple arms, the first glimpse of what Serena’s people called “Mewberty”.

Mewberty is essentially the ascension to a higher magical state, many Archmages have what’s known as “Ultimate Magic Form”, a form in which their abilities are heightened to new levels but this form is highly rare and only sustainable for a limited time. Mewberty was known to Serena’s people as the time when their magic peaks and this form first emerged, often taking hours before “maturity” of this form is reached, however due to the constant proximity of the Star Runestone within the Wand, Serena’s bloodline experiences it at far lower ages than most, for many it takes years of preparing and training to trigger Mewberty but for Serena’s descendants it would be far less difficult to achieve. As for her, after this event she spent some time alone in her Tower, dealing with the unfortunate effects of an early Mewberty, such magic in a young body can have disastrous consequences, but they were spared any incident this generation.

For Serena this marked more than a mere physical change, with the walls down and the Mewnians able to expand, 92 B.M. would oversee the creation of two new villages, several people began to refer to her as “milady”, speaking to her with such formalities, with the gift of expansion many denizens had started to give gifts to Serena. It started with sweets, then some gave her finer dresses, and even furniture and crafts for her Tower. Because of the bee shaped Emblems on her cheeks, many people did artwork for her featuring those, becoming her de facto symbol, as people crafted the new Mewni flags it featured these, and due to this many people referred to Serena as the “Lady Protector”, and in passing conventions as “Lady Serena”.

More than just her people had such a devoted interest in Serena, the Three Kingdoms saw the settlement as a challenge to their authority, Mewni was left alone because it was small and most of the villages kept to themselves in terms of government, but now that they’re amassing in numbers and magic, they were seen as a threat. Though compared to the nations farther south or the ones North across the Narrow Sea or the Trinity Islands and others Insular Nations to the East, Mewni’s magic posed little threat as they had mages of their own. But the Purge wiped out most of the magic in the region, so even though small in numbers by comparison to outside Nations, Mewni posed a real threat.

In 91 B.M. Velleron was planning a massive invasion force attack against Mewni, it was a gamble to devote so many resources to a singular attack, but King Utheron II believed taking down Mewni would force Ashbourne and Auvery to surrender. Even with their magic, the Mewnians could only withstand so much force, they would all be wiped out, not just the Mages, it was an act of madness that a member of the Royal Court could not let happen, even if what his next actions were treasonous, lest he’d have his mewmanity.

It was Prince Morgan Quadragon, son of Utheron II, he always hated his family’s obsession with the destruction of magic, and he wanted to break the cycle by saving Mewni from destruction. He took a single horse from the stables and raced to Mewni to warn them. Now, Serena’s advisors, her sisters, thought this was a trick of some kind because why would a Prince next in line to be King risk committing treason? Morgan showed them by creating an orb of light in front of them, Prince Morgan was one of the rare naturalborns. While this wasn’t enough to sway Rose or Helen, it was enough for Serena to trust his word, and he came bearing another gift.

It was a small box of some kind, but it had these carvings on it, and these gemstones, Serena knew instantly it was magical. Morgan explained that it was taken from the Titanfolk during the Trinity War, and when it ended it found its way to his family. His father and grandfather thought it was just another decorative box, kept it in their studies, but Morgan could always feel the magic coming from it. So he brings it to Serena, since word has spread of her Titanfolk heritage, the box and whatever’s inside rightfully belongs to her.

So Serena opened it, her blood unbound the seal on it, and inside was a little blue man, who sat up and acted as if he merely overslept. His name was Glossaryck, and more on him in his own page, he was in that box for upwards of 50 years, and to thank Serena for freeing him, he would become her teacher in magic, as he knew things her grandmother’s book could barely comprehend.

Princess Serena

Glossaryck evaluated Serena, and said for one self-taught she’s better than some masters he’s seen, but not being one to give a straight complement he said it was most likely due to her wand. With a teacher, though Serena advanced quicker than before, she had already done most of the foundation he was just speeding up the interior. And thanks to Morgan’s warning, Mewni became well prepared for the attack that was coming, setting traps just behind the moat and shields to combat their archers. But well prepared didn’t mean without casualties…

The first siege lasted nearly 2 weeks, Velleron throwing quite literally everything they had. But thanks to Glossaryck, Serena learned how to do healing magic, though it was a skill that Morgan however was superior at. Her sisters were still cautious of Morgan, but he gave up everything he had to help them, and so Serena gave him the same sanctuary she gave all who came to Mewni. With the War now targeting Mewni more directly, they took a more active defense, reimplementing the stone walls around the moats for extra protection, and Helen and Rose took on more than just a leadership role.

By late 91 Mewni had become fortified, many of their people volunteering to train to become soldiers, Serena and her family becoming leaders and generals of their respective areas, as Rose and Helen each oversaw one of the 2 newer villages, Rose’s became more focused on war preparations, lots of forges and training while Helen’s was more agricultural, making sure their harvests were protected as well as some botanical help, with Glossaryck’s knowledge they were able to grow magical plants and many of them provide ammunition. And the other Mages who lived in Mewni were doing what magic they could to help, none as comparable as Serena but every little bit helped.

Throughout 90 B.M., Mewni saw two sieges from Velleron and one Auvery, each one failed to breach the walls, but each time it cost soldiers their lives, and while they could hold the line their resources were still a fraction compared to any of just one out of the Three Kingdoms they faced. They could hold as a 4th party in a multi-sided war, but now that 3 Nations turn their swords toward their city, Serena wasn’t sure how long Mewni could hold. Even with Glossaryck’s help and her mastery of spells, her magic could not replace the soldiers they were losing, and eventually, they might not have any left.

But Serena had advice from Morgan, growing up the Crown Prince, he knew military strategy and helped them throughout 90 B.M.’s sieges, though even with his growing healing abilities he knew they would loose woth the current strategy, so he proposed a bold plan. Ashbourn was bordered by rivers and mountains so they were the least threat, while Velleron however was the most ambitious, but that ambition came at a cost of numbers in their own right, so instead of simply defending their territory, they expanded it. To the West of the River was Conworth, a Velleron county that served as the launch point for most of its attacks on Mewni, he suggested they take it, it would require them to use all their forces at once, but if they take it it will severely cripple Velleron’s forces in the region, which could give them time and would give resources to continue fighting long.

So during the early winter of 89 B.M., the forces of Mewni invaded and captured Conworth, with Serena and Morgan as the united leaders of the attack, Serena used her magic to cripple most of their defenses, they relied on their sheer numbers to take the castle, a gambit that paid off. When the attack was over most of the troops went back to Mewni, to keep their home safe but Serena stayed in Conworth with Morgan to solidify the occupation, while Helen and Rose oversaw their home.

Tensions between Morgan and Serena had been brewing for the past year but her sisters were rather protective of Serena so the two were rarely alone. But now with a whole castle Serena and Morgan could finally explore their affection for one another. Serena admitted his selflessness, giving up a throne and all the comforts as a Prince to help people he didn’t even know. And Morgan admitted her tenacity, no matter what the world has taken from her Serena never became bitter, got up and fought back. The two spent weeks both solidifying their occupation and their relationship, for the first time in a long time Serena stopped worrying about others and just thought for herself, what she wanted, and Morgan was a banished Prince who could do what he pleased as well.

When the flowers began blooming in Spring of 89 B.M., Serena and Morgan decided to marry, it was a choice they made together, never wanting to be without each other, their flame was like a light and the end of this War. Serena was the uncontested leader of the Mewnians, and seeing her filled with such warmth radiated within them as well, that while wartimes are tragic they can have moments of happiness if they let it. It was a small ceremony back in Mewni, Serena’s sisters were angry for a while but subsided, both having their own husbands by then, and they were happy she found someone she could share her life with. And the wedding was not just an inspiration for Mewni, but many Velleronians felt loyal to Morgan, who chose to help a defenseless nation of people noble, and openly rejecting his family’s anti-magic regime, which many despised as well, as even the mere rumor of magic was enough for an execution.

So many Velleronians defected from their homeland and went to Conworth to pledge allegiance to the Prince, and his bride the Princess. While King Uther rejected the notion of Serena as a “Princess”, the loyalty of the separatists to Morgan validated his wife as “rightful” Princess, with this new title Mewni was gaining legitimacy, and suffered a double sided attack from Auvery and Ashbourne in Summer of 89 B.M. However with the infusion of the separatists into the Mewnian army, they were able to their lines to the North and South, and with a few experienced war veterans their forces were stronger than ever.

From Princess to a Queen

Serena going from Lady to Princess was a big adjustment, many of her own people liked how it sounded and began referring to her as “Highness” along with the separatists, many of whom gave gifts to their Princess, including a few diadems with rather expensive jewels. Personally, she didn’t care for them, but didn’t stop her sisters from wearing them when she wasn’t looking, or so they thought. Even though it was really just a name, since Utheron refused to even validate Morgan as Prince, it was a powerful symbol for her people, which also included the Separatists.

After the Twin Sieges, Mewni certainly suffered damage to its numbers, this War claiming hundreds of casualties from Mewni’s side, but even with this blow they refused to back down. With the infusion of the Separatists in the domestic region, Mewni was growing faster than before, architects from cities helped build larger structures and their village sizes expanded, Rose and Helen’s territories became almost twice the size by the Harvest Moons. Despite the shrinking numbers, Mewni was growing, and not just borders but as an independent nation.

Looking from her Tower the first morning of 88 B.M., she was shocked by how much it had grown in these past few years, to think that almost 6 whole years prior they were left with nearly nothing, but her people persevered, and now are stronger than ever. And she wanted to show off that strength, gathering her council she devised a plan to remove Ashbourne from the game for a while, when they took Conworth it set back Velleron’s plans for any attacks on Mewni months, so she decided to plan an invasion of Coalfall, it was the northern most region of Ashbourne at the time, isolated by mountains and rivers from the main Kingdom, it was their launch point for any attacks on Mewni, taking it would be both strategic, and confidence boosting for her people.

So in the Spring of 88 B.M., just turned 22 years old, the Army of Mewni alongside her sisters and husband, set south to Coalfall, and in a mere 2 days, their victory was assured. While they were were loosing man power, their mage power was growing, not just Serena’s but the others in what she called her “Mage Court”, just the dozen that have joined her over the past 6 years, their magic was technically paltry in comparison to what full fledged Mages could do, due to Velleron’s own hatred these regions had no defenses against their magic.

But when the time came to return to Mewni, Serena’s sisters weren’t joining her. Rose wanted to stay to lead any defense against Ashbourne should the mount it, and she discovered she was pregnant with her first child. Helen wanted to go to Conworth, because soon the time for planting was coming, and she wanted to oversee the production of corn in the west, with Conworth’s richer soils they can provide an even bigger bounty than imagined, even enough to export as trade with Nordviken, the Kingdom of the East which had remained neutral in the conflicts.

It was bittersweet for Serena to leave her sisters, sure she spent the winter of 89 B.M. away from them but they were developing their own lives and identities, many people were loyal to the two of them, leaders in their own right. When Serena returned to Mewni and her Tower, more things changed, she was no longer just a leader of a city or the wife of a Prince, she had people leading for her in her name in other places, people have died in her name, she was no longer just a girl… she was, a Queen.

When it started exactly is unclear, but after her victory in Conworth the title “Queen Serena” began to circulate, and come Summer it was spreading throughout the continent. While Serena never referred to herself as such, it spread faster than when she was called “Lady”, and many referred to Mewni as “her Queendom”, while true Mewni was far more than just a city now, even a city-state, they are a nation with multiple territories, and liked it or not Serena was its head of state.

Serena never got into this to become a Queen, not even to be a leader, but it was a position she was placed in by her people, so she upheld it with pride, though she refused to wear a crown. To most of her people, the title of Queen felt natural and appropriate, and even the Velleron Separatists accepted this title, for Queens are more than just royal blood, they are leaders whose decisions affect the fates of thousands, who do what is best for their country despite their personal interests, and Serena certainly was that. By then her Tower’s base has expanded to incorporate a grand hall, where gatherings were held, and at the end nearest the entrance to the Tower, were two elevated chairs, thrones, one for her and one for Morgan, first time Serena sat in it she felt like so out of place, but the more she sat, the more it felt right.

The First Queen of Mewni

End of War and Coronation

Throughout 88 B.M. Serena’s reputation as Mewni’s Queen spread throughout the continent, and that made her enemies nervous, so much so that Velleron proposed an alliance with Auvery, Unteron II marrying off his daughter Artoria in exchange for an allied assault against Mewni, attacking from both the North and West, they could cripple Mewni’s forces, when word reached Mewni they prepared for the assault.

It wasn’t until 87 B.M. that the invasion took place, so Serena underwent intense training with Glossaryck. However, her magic with the wand was impressive and about as strong as she could get, Serena possessed a deep inner magic, one she used only sparingly but if she was to make sure Mewni survived she had to dip down. To call upon her Ultimate Magic Form was something only a select few Mages could achieve, but Serena having done so through Mewberty years earlier meant she could use it. Normally it takes years of specialized training to accomplish complete control, and she didn’t have that kind of time, so she’d settle for what she could achieve.

In spring instead of the sounds of nature awakening, it was soldiers stomping, thousands of trained warriors descending upon Mewni. But Serena was ready for them, Morgan took most of their forces to Conworth, where Velleron’s attack would be, while she headed north, taking with her a small portion of their army, and a stowaway; Ash. Her brother was kept at Mewni throughout the War, being 8 years old when Mewni got involved he sat and watched as his sisters fought and led their people, and at 15 he wanted to finally do something to help, all he ever did was hide but he wanted to be there for Serena like she always was for him.

The battle was hard, Serena was able to push back most of Auvery’s forces but her Ultimate Magic Form was difficult to maintain for long, until she saw that Ash was in danger from an assassin who snuck through the fighting, was sent to kill Serena, but was going for her brother to make her more vulnerable, a big mistake. For those who go through Mewberty do require intense training to master this form, it’s also triggered involuntarily like a defense mechanism, often when one is in intense danger but also in the defense of others. Seeing her brother in danger, Serena was able to unlock this form to its full strength, described by many as a second star in the sky.

After that, the Auverin attack was essentially a failure, and to the west, the Vellerine attack failed as well, since Mewni’s forces weren’t as cut in half as the enemy was expecting. And with most of Velleron’s armies defeated by this point, Princess Artoria took this opportunity to stage a coup against her own father, so essentially Velleron was off the board in terms of war. Unfortunately, Auvery suffering such a devastating loss at the hands of Serena’s minimal forces wounded their pride so much that they became the main focus.

Mewni suffered an additional three attacks throughout 87 B.M. but with Velleron out of the picture, Mewni was able to put full defenses up north and even gained territory to the north. But Serena did not want this war to continue, and with Queen Artoria now ruling Velleron they had an ally but most of Velleron’s forces were depleted from war and the coup. But Artoria herself lent a hand, calling Serena her sister Queen, personally leading what remained of her armies to engage Auvery, allowing Mewni’s territory to advance north and hold off most of the attacks.

The year 86 B.M. marked the 10th year since this War started, by then Ashbourne had more or less stopped its involvement, Lady Rose herself arranging a treaty with Ashbourne, allowing them to keep its northernmost territory in exchange for not advancing further south and no aggressions towards Ashbourne. And Morgan agreed to a treaty with Artoria, forfeiting his claim to the Vellerine throne to his sister in exchange for Mewni keeping Conworth and the surrounding territory, as well as a few of its nearby estates as well. Mewni was now a small nation with allies, but there was still a problem with Auvery.

Serena would love nothing more than to end the war, but Auvery’s pride was too wounded to give up, it was one thing when it was part of a 3 sided war but not being able to crush a small/recently formed nation on its own? With this being a one-on-one war now, Mewni was at a disadvantage, and Serena could single-handedly take down the armies coming her way, but if she did this would never stop, but surrender wasn’t an option either. Morgan told her that, in his experience reading on these situations, the war only ends when one side can’t fight any longer, and fears that will be Mewni.

But Serena and her people sacrificed too much, fought too long to lose simply because they were smaller, her people deserved to have peace. She considered surrendering herself in exchange for her people’s safety but Morgan warned her that wouldn’t work, Mewni would always be seen as a threat to Auvery, and without her they’d have no chance at defense. So Serena was caught in a real Queen-defining moment, how to end this war without losing Mewni.

But as her 24th birthday came in 86 B.M., Serena had a dream where she remembered her grandmother telling her of how she escaped imprisonment during the Trinity War. Her jailers knew magic well, how to contain those with it… But she knew of a different kind of magic… one whispered about by the elders, a forbidden power, but a great one… Dark Magic.

Serena read the book cover to cover but there was no mention of Dark Magic in any of the pages, Glossaryck telling her there’s a reason for that. Dark Magic is a forbidden practice that draws upon dark forces and emotions, it’s as powerful as it is dangerous, but Serena disregarded the consequences, because if she didn’t make Velleron back off, Mewni would be done for. Recognizing how desperate she was and how indebted he was, he agreed to teach her what she wished to know, but made sure she understood the consequences of such actions. And decades later when Serena’s daughter would begin practicing magic, she made Glossaryck pinky swear to never teach, not just her daughter but any of her descendants Dark Magic, an oath he took rather seriously.

And so after learning her dark spell, Serena alone took a horse and rode north… along the way used her spell to manipulate the elements, creating a dark storm that spewed not rain, but only lightning came, and this was dark and destructive, leaving only craters and ash after it struck. She hated using such powers, but they got the point across. Soon, Auvery got the message, even if they took down Mewni it would cost them far more than they were willing to lose, and so the King himself came to meet Serena to formalize the treaty saying both parties will cease activities, essentially ending the War.

When Serena returned home there was much work done, since she’d essentially brought peace to like 3 Kingdoms, it was time she had a proper coronation. While Serena had been called “Queen” for about 2 years, it was time to make it official. This was as much for Mewni as it was for Serena, hosting a coronation made Mewni an “official” Queendom, a nation independent from others with a rightful head of state. Now since it was a baby nation they couldn’t have a large ceremony and only a few guests really, mostly from Velleron, and a couple nobles from Ashbourne, and a Chieftain from the East, likely testing the waters. Nobody from Auvery was coming but they didn’t expect anyone to.

The day of her coronation Serena never felt more nervous, which was weird to her because this was the least life-threatening thing she’s done, but she was affirming her people’s beliefs, she was done fighting, now it was time to rule. During the morning Serena felt like a fraud, it was one thing to wave a wand or stay a spell, her grandmother and Titanfolk ancestors had been doing it for generations, but ruling… she felt unworthy of such a task. But she got a visit from her nephew, Adrian, who was now 10 years old he could see she was upset and wanted to make her feel better. He saw someone who was the definition of a queen, not just the pretty dress but the sacrifices she’s made and the selflessness, she and the other aunties fought every single day for their people, so she earned this.

Serena tenderly touched his face, though Adrian the image of his mother, his eyes, his eyes were his father Noah, her dear brother. He passed over 8 years ago but whenever she looked at Adrian’s eyes she could see him, and remember why she fought, why she learned the Dark Spell. She hugged him, and thanked him, and before he left she took a sapphire from a gift necklace from Artoria and pinned it to his clothing as a brooch. When Morgan came to get her, she just had her hair finished and he was blushing so hard he was as red as his hair according to Serena, he said she never looked more beautiful.

They walked down the Great Hall in front of hundreds of their subjects and guests, on the left side of Serena was her sister Lady Rose and nephew Adrian, to her right was Lady Helen and brother Ash, this coronation not just solidified her own position but her sisters' as well. Once they reached the foot of the thrones, the High Priestess was waiting for them and anointed their hands and foreheads with Titan Oil, and the two Celestian Priests placed their crowns on their heads, and they turned back to the crowd as they sat on their thrones, and everyone bowed before them. Serena felt so unworthy of this, but she turned to Morgan, who despite being born to take a role like this, assured her she was more worthy of this than he was.

The first Coronation was a simple but powerful event, this was more than a woman simply called a queen, Serena was a Queen now, no getting around or under it, now that the fighting was done, now that her people were safe it was time to rule, to be a leader. Honestly, it scared Serena more than war, because she couldn’t blast the problems away, but Morgan said he’d help her through this, this is their realm now, and he’ll help her however he can.

Early Reign

Now that Mewni was a fully established sovereign nation, it was time to establish its laws and constitution, for which Serena relied heavily on Morgan, growing up in small villages they were mostly self-governing, but with all this organization they needed structure, to which Lady Rose was quite adept. After the birth of her first child, she became quite adept at politics, so Rose drafted the first laws and amendments, pretty basic stuff with penalties.

Laws against extreme violence against man or woman, and especially children were put in place, as well as against the destruction of property, penalties against discrimination for color, gender, and magic were put into place. While Magic was not restricted, Serena and Morgan would not tolerate people abusing their gifts like those of the Trinity War, which led to the Mage Purge afterwards. As for Velleron, with Artoria as Queen, the Anti-Magic regime was finally over, and many of the Mages in Mewni returned to their homelands to try and bring back what magic was lost.

Serena found herself overwhelmed by these new duties, half her time was sitting on her throne either getting praised or having to act as judge for disputes, the other half was diplomacy in her study, either signing new laws and amendments or reading over reports. Morgan explained this is why Courts have various officials to delegate these matters to, and Serena found herself relying heavily on her sisters Ladies Rose and Helen, Rose was put in charge of judicial matters, and Helen was in charge of agriculture.

While her sisters did well managing their regions, Serena still had a major workload of her own to deal with. Recently, there were architectural improvements throughout Mewni, now that they had the resources they could build better homes and structures in the city, and even build proper temples. As Queen Serena was needed for final approval of all projects, one night she was half asleep in her study when Ash came in, he saw her plans and made a few smart suggestions.

After that, Serena tapped his brain and apparently, Ash had had some ideas for a while, while he wanted to fight during the war he’s seen enough destruction for one lifetime and wanted to create. She remembered he always like staking stuff as a kid in their family home, one time he made a tower that almost reacted the ceiling, he really did have a mind for construction, and she felt she could use so help, but at barely 16 he could use some education, so using her new political clout she secured an apprenticeship for him in 85 B.M. in Nerathos, it like Mewni was an independent nation, though it had several generations of Kings it, itself was once part of the Aurelianum Empire but managed to secure independent, so was sympathetic to Mewni trying to enabling an identity and in spring she sent him north across the Narrow Sea to study under masters, and when he would come back, would help shape Mewni in new ways.

By about 84 B.M. Serena finally started to get used to the routines, for years she woke up and thanked the Titans it wasn’t to another attack. Now, she has learned to enjoy the calm serenity of mornings. She would wake with the sun and after would wash up with scented waters, she started to enjoy some of the “indulgent” aspects of being a Queen, like the sweet smelling perfumes she’d dab on her neck, and the sweet bread breakfasts she used to only enjoy on birthdays now came almost daily with a variety of berries to pick from, choosing the night before which she wished to baked for the next morning. Whatever she didn’t eat at breakfast she’d scatter to the birds in the garden on her morning walks before her first meetings, enjoying the calm and embracing her duties with a smile and serenity.

And she also took etiquette lessons from Morgan, the people might have put her as Queen but she slouched like a farm worker, people have certain… from their monarchs, especially in times of peace when people noticed more details. One of the biggest adjustments was taking smaller bites, growing up in the household she did you ate when you could. She allowed herself certain extravagances like jewelry because people expect their monarchs to look a certain way, though she still refused to change her hairstyle.

After two years of peace, most of Mewni’s laws have been adapted and much of the land has been unified into one state, when she saw the map outlining Mewni’s territory she could not help but weep, it was just so big compared to when they were but blurbs on most maps, but now they were a state, a Nation. While overwhelmed at first with Morgan by her side, she’s learned to adapt and thrive, becoming more than just a fighter, she’s a leader, someone who people look up to for guidance, for direction. With all this work though her magic training was on pause but now that things were settling down she was resuming training to control her Ultimate Magic Form completely.

Growth of Mewni

Now with peace Mewni could grow and heal, Serena oversaw many projects in her reign to rebuild their culture, while her grandmother was a defected prisoner who came from the Titan Isle, most Mewnians were descendants of Settlers of the Phantom Isles and as such had to adapt to the cultures of the Kingdoms around them. But now that Mewni was its own Nation, it was time to bring back certain customs and traditions.

And with Velleron no longer out for magical blood, many Faes were returning to their lands, Dwarfs coming out of the deep caves of the Musty Mountains, and in the spring of 83 B.M. Pixies began migrating north again, and fishermen heard tales of Merfolk coming back down to the waters. Since the Mage Purge, Faes have been forbidden to enter Velleron on penalty of death and even vacated its neighboring Nations but now, now they were coming back.

Serena grew up hearing stories from elders about the Faes, beings of magic and nature, many of them lived as Mewmans, and to the NEED NAME where their presence was welcomed they were even commissioned for work and the Meadow Elves of Elfandor ran some of the finest institutions on the Continent. She long wished she could see a Fae, and her wish came true, one morning in the late spring of 83 B.M., she saw a Gnome in her garden on her morning walk. Gnomes are skittish by nature, even before the Purge, so seeing one so soon was a rare sighting, rumors were that if a Gnome likes your garden it will protect it from blight and pests. So she began to leave loaves of sweet bread out to entice him to stay, and she began to see him more in the day.

It wasn’t just the Faes returning, Lady Helen had worked diligently to spread the seeds of magical crops that were wiped out during the Purge as well, not just the ones Serena created for war, but other natural plants that were used in potion making. Serena learned to dabble in such matters from Glossaryck, it was not enough for her to merely be good a spells, a well rounded Mage also must know the potion basics, and just because there was no longer war Serena wanted to reach the full potential of her heritage, her grandmother always having to hid her magic, never got to advance, so in a way she does this to honor both her grandmother and her ancestry.

In 82 B.M. Serena made her first official appearance outside of Mewni when she went to Velleron with Morgan to attend a ball thrown by Artoria, it was an important step in establishing Mewni as a Nation, for people to actually see the Royals, see that they have a monarchy. But Morgan told Serena it was also to bolster his little sister’s title as Queen, having her older brother return to the castle as a guest and not the master. Even though a ball was supposed to be a relaxed event, she had never been so nervous as royals and nobles would pack these walls, and she might dress like a Queen, but her plebeian blood is written all over her face.

While some were, congratulatory, on how she built a Nation, forged herself a title, others however saw such a thing as a threat. Most titles come form inherence or marriage, but Serena is a Queen of her own making, and to some of the old bloodlines that could be seen as dangerous, even heard whispers about her not being a Queen but a Warlord, and those who still had some loyalties to the old regime, called Serena a Tyrant, and the final straw was when one compared her to the Tyrants of the Mewnian Empire.

It had been close to 3,000 years since the fall of the Mewnian Empire, a tyrannical regime ruled by Magelords, who enslaved those who did not have magic, destroyed by their own arrogance their once large continent makes the archipelago of the Phantom Isles, the ancestral home of the Mewnian Settlers, its actions against the the Insular Nations of the WESTERN Ocean, and to the Nations along the coasts of Calliban, despite being countless generations before them left scars so deep that it’s remember all this time later.

After hearing that comparison Serena fled the ballroom and went to her quarters and just raged, and when Morgan came to check on her he found the bed thrown out the window. Serena had been focusing so much on her people, she never thought what the other Nations would think of her, sure it’s not like she’s one of the awful Magelords of legend, she never used her magic to oppress anyone, but using that Dark Spell she did to force Auvery to end the War… for the first time she wonder what she must look like here on the world stage, was she just another warlord? Using her magic as a weapon… did she deserve to be a Queen?

But Morgan comforted her, told her he knows tyrants, he grew up with one, and she certainly is not that. She never took anything too far, sure she conquered some territory but who doesn’t in a war? She never abused her powers and has spent years establishing fair laws for their Nation, if anything she’s more noble than the pompous aristocrats out there. Serena looked at her husband, he was more than just a King, he was her partner, her confidante, the one who pulls her back from the edge. So after fixing up her hair, the two of them returned to the ball, if there’s one thing a Monarch should never be seen as is one who’s put off by a few words.

After the ball the couple headed further west to the coastline, where Serena saw the ocean for the first time, growing up not that far from Lake Placidus, she had seen large waters before but this, this was beyond what she imagined. She’d seen the size of the water on maps before but to see the water never-ending… it was breathtaking. But it also made her wonder about her roots, one side of her family had lived in the Mewnian Settlement for generations, the other was from the Titanic Isles, far beyond the East Insular Nations, she wondered how they were doing, how after what happened when her grandmother was young, if they could recover. Such a journey however would be long and dangerous, and she needed to focus on Mewni, look to the future.

When Serena returned home, she felt as if she had a new perspective, it wasn’t enough for Mewni to look better, they were a Nation now and as such they needed to develop like one, which meant acting like one. While the villages acted internally for generations with a few trades from other Nations, now that Mewni was larger it needed to begin trading on a larger scale. So she had Lady Helen expand the fields, the more extra corn they could produce the more trade and coins they could get for it. It was also when Serena began commissioning workers for the designs of their coins, if one is to be a Nation they must have their own coins.

That would be a lengthy process though, and Serena’s main focus came to the Court. Sure, she had a tower and a Great Hall, but she needed a real court. Up until then most business was done in her study, sure she’d be on her throne and settle disputes and see people but the Court was more than simply doing business, it was a display of the monarchy’s power to other Nations. She had exquisite tapestries hung on the walls, embroidered with her symbols, the bee, which gave rise to her family name, “Vesperia”. Up until now she was just “Serena” or “Serena Regina” but she was building a dynasty, and it needed a name, and she chose Vesperia.

By 80 B.M. Mewni began to receive visitors and ambassadors, Serena also planned an extravagant event and invited guests from their neighboring Kingdoms and reached out to a few beyond. It was her 30th birthday this Spring, and she felt it was a moment to really show off Mewni and herself, not as some girl in a fancy dress, but a mature and beautiful Queen.

Her party received guests from Velleron of course, Ashbourne expectedly, even nobles from Auvery came, but surprisingly there were even delegates from the Trinity Islands, Starr’e to be specific, they had business on the Continent and decided to see this New Nation for themselves. Morgan telling her it’s a classic power move, but Serena however, still bore some resentment over what the Islands did to her grandmother. Sure, her family experienced trauma caused by other nations, but the treatment of her grandmother by the Trinity was inmewmane, and while she knew it was a long time ago, it pained her to smile through it.

Part of diplomacy was making nice with people you hate because it can avoid a war, and Serena needs to focus on her people, raising her Queendom. She did receive a lovely surprise for her birthday: her dear brother Ash had returned home, spent 5 years in Nerathos where he finished grown up, she almost didn’t recognize him as he was still a boy to her when he left, and his clothing style change to match that of Nerathos, and there he learned so much about architecture, and got so many ideas for Mewni.

But at the party another topic came up, an heir, to truly establish a dynasty one must have a successor, an heir to the throne, Serena needed to establish a bloodline. With it’s not something she never thought of, she wanted to wait before having a child, but now that she was 30 about half her childbearing years are gone, and that’s what makes a Queen different from a leader… the need to produce the next one.

Heirs

It is an undeniable fact that a Queen must provide the Nation with the next King or Queen, part of what makes a monarchy work is that the right of leadership is inherited, it’s part of their bloodline. Serena, as much as she’s the founder of the Queendom of Mewni, she’s also the founder of the Vesperia dynasty and as such she needed to produce heirs. While she and Morgan weren’t in desperate need of them, Mewni had grown so much that they could take a step back.

Since Serena was trying to produce heirs, she began thinking about her siblings, and so she created the High Duchy titles for her sibs and their families, her sister Rose the Flowers family, her other sister Helen the Fields, and Ash picked the name, Forest. These families would forever hold seats on the Mewnian Council, Flowers handling judicial matters and punishments, Fields their agricultural practices and harvest distribution, and Forest would be the ones who’d build what's latest, in charge of architecture.

It took some trying but in the fall of 79 B.M. Serena made the announcement she was pregnant, once she reached the safe length of confirmation because nothing is worse than the announcement of a first heir and then losing it, so she waited till her 4th month to announce. But while the Queendom celebrated the news of the heir it did bring up some rather unfortunate business at Court, Regency, and Succession.

While Serena came from a relatively good family in terms of genetics, her own sisters between them had 5 pregnancies and 6 children, and their own mother delivered 5 healthy babies herself, so she had good genes. But there’s always the unfortunate fact that something could go wrong, and the child survives her, or the unthinkable and neither mother nor child survives, so these months needed to be used to prepare for such contingencies. Morgan hated the idea of any of this but it was the unfortunate reality of being royalty, while he had the obvious choice of Regent should the unfortunate happen, in the event of the unthinkable however it would be best for the Mewnians to be ruled by someone from Serena’s bloodline.

While it was never made public, Serena did decide in her first will who’d succeed her if she and her child died, and it wasn’t who most expected, not her sisters or her eldest nephew Adrian, but her younger brother Ash. She made this choice because Adrian was too young to be burdened with the development of a new nation and her sisters were already well established in their own positions. But Ash, he was young enough to adjust to being a monarch while also old enough to make his own choices.

Luckily it never came to that because in Gravnogk, Serena had given birth to a healthy baby girl with no unexpected complications. Well, Morgan did get a black eye but that’s because he was so nervous he walked into a door without looking. The girl was healthy in every category, nice set of lungs, she was born in morning’s early twilight, the Morning Star gleamed so she and Morgan decided to name her Nova, a star, and it was close to Noah and both shared blue eyes, while present in Serena’s family they were also Morgan’s eyes. A few weeks later the royal announcement was made of the birth of Princess Nova Darlene Vesperia.

But the most interesting thing was that Nova was born with blue star emblems on her cheeks, similar to the emblems on Serena’s face. According to Glossaryck the Emblems are the result of excess magic beneath the surface, like a permanent bruise of sorts. As discovered in her future children the marks would be different for each member of the family, and would carry great weight for personal stylings.

For the moment, Serena was confined to the tower post birth, in case of any afterbirth illnesses, which gave her time to bond with her baby, the adorable amount of red hair reminded her so much of Morgan, in fact, Morgan was well reflected in his daughter, but the emblems, that was all Serena. It didn’t take long before gifts for the baby started arriving, and more than just toys or blankets, Queen Artoria sent a small tiara for her niece. And when she was cleared to return to her duties she found it hard to be away from the infant, but she is a Queen first, she has to be.

But Serena had a good distraction, as the first Mewnian Coins were ready for distribution, years of work to gather those materials and pore over the designs of the coins, their values, production, it was a time-consuming effort but now, now was time for distribution. While the Common Coppers had the dynastic bee of Mewni on it, with the Gold Farthing carrying the interaction details of Queen Serena herself. All in all, Mewni was becoming a proper Nation, they and Queen, a Princess, coins, everything.

In 76 B.M. Mewni celebrated the 10th official year of Serena’s reign, and hosted a jubilee, inviting guests from various counties to come and marvel at her Queendom. Thanks to Ash, the architecture in Mewni was really developing, taking inspiration from some onion-shaped domes in the some Southwestern Kingdoms, Serena found the structures appealing and Mewni began incorporating the designs into the architecture. Mewni was growing beautifully, and Serena had plans for what it would look like when her daughter would inherit it.

The Jubilee saw guests from various Nations, including Nerathos, where Ash met a woman he just couldn’t let go of, and wanted to show her to Serena, this woman was actually of the Silvan royal family, while technically 9th in line for the throne so she was nowhere near expected to succeed one day, this woman Nymphia met Ash while he was sketching one of the temples, and they haven’t stopped writing to each other since he came back to Mewni and wanted permission to marry. Since Ash was a member of Serena’s immediate family Nymphia was under the impression that they needed permission from the Monarchy, which is something Serena never thought about.

A Sovereign isn’t just the ruler of their Nation, but also their own family. As Serena would learn, who members of a royal family marry is of National importance because quite often the marriages have political implications and give families connections to certain places, power in courts. As Nova is the heir, her choice of spouse must be beyond reproach, even now when her daughter is only 2 years old Serena is approached by nobles and ambassadors who have suggestions for whom the young princess should take as a husband.

Morgan had hoped to shield his family from this side of the politics of being royals for at least a few more years, but the appearance of the Princess drew the eyes of certain individuals. A new Nation is weak politically, they might try to strong-arm his family into a political marriage, but he has the support of his sister Artoria, so weak but not desperate for allies. Politics aside, the Jubilee was great publicity for Mewni, showcasing that they were not just some ragtag group of villages and towns calling themselves a Nation.

Things continued to improve from there because not long after the Jubilee Serena found herself carrying yet another child. The announcement, happening so soon after the Jubilee was quite the discussion at Court, the event really put Mewni on the world stage, and having a second heir would only draw in more attention, and not all of it good. Some thought Mewni’s elevation could be seen as a threat to established powers, or that using this second heir was a way to worm in connections to a developing Nation.

The extra anxiety was not what Serena needed this pregnancy, the reality of her passing during childbirth is still there, but at least the Court already had contingencies in place for such things this time around so at least she wouldn’t have to worry about instability. During the Stump Day of 75 B.M. celebration at the Great Hall Serena was so pregnant she could not get up from her throne the entire night, but her daughter did bring her some fruity nut cakes, most people only eat them out of tradition this time of year but Serena developed a real taste for it the past month.

It wasn’t more than two weeks later that Serena gave birth, another daughter but this one with her blonde hair and the same blue eyes as her sister. On her cheeks were a pair of orange suns. While she was born in winter, it was in the middle of the day and unusually warm, so her parents decided to name her Princess Daya. The birth of the Princess was a warmth to all this winter, Serena always keeping her a fur-lined blanket, but enjoyed taking her outside and watching the snowfall, seeing Nova playing in the snow with Morgan, it was a happiness Serena had long ago thought she’d never experience again.

Serena enjoyed watching her daughters grow up happy and safe, they’ll never have to worry about not having enough, as she did, but they will have to face other challenges. Her eldest daughter was coming up on 3 years old, about time to find some tutors for her, part of Serena’s initial struggle was certain economic terminology and understanding of certain mathematics, and gaps given her plebeian education. If she were to raise a Queen to be, she would make sure that Nova was well prepared for when that day came.

With Mewni more developed, the Mewnisters are running things more efficiently, and less of Serena’s time was devoted to day-to-day activities of running the Queendom. This allowed Serena to spend more time with her family outside of meals, and speaking of her family, her nephew Adrian was in his 21st year, he’d spent most of his time on the rivers or at the lakes, many people respected him for his maritime knowledge, which was a skill he inherited from both her parents. So the next year in 74 B.M. Serena created the title of the Duke of Waterson, which gave Adrian jurisdiction over all naval matters. That now made 4 High Seats on the Mewnisters councils.

It was also in late 74 B.M. that Serena discovered she was pregnant once more, it was early, and she did not expect to be pregnant again before her second daughter was even two, but it was still early one and she waited till late winter of 73 B.M. before the royal announcement was made. This pregnancy felt different however, she was more uncomfortable than her last two combined, and the cramping was stronger than usual, especially in her last few weeks of pregnancy. Serena was deeply fearful for herself and the child, for, she might lose this baby when it was born.

She confined herself to her chambers for bed rest when the cramping started, she did not want her people to see her in such discomfort, it would only worry them, and a worried people lead to rash decisions. She kept her fears hidden from her children, Daya was only two but five years old Nova could tell her mother was worried. And Morgan had to handle her duties during this time, and while faking a smile was one of his talents, this was the future of his wife and daughter. He could use his healing magic to ease her symptoms, but the cause remained a mystery.

Thank the Titans, the birth went as smoothly as the previous two, and the child showed no ill effects much to the relief of the parents. This 3rd child was a boy, had many of his father’s features and red hair, but her eyes were the same magenta color as Serena's, and on his cheeks were these golden yellow crescent moon emblems. He was born late into the night, at this time of year, on the eve of summer the constellation Corvus was overhead, so his parents decided that would be his name, Corvus, first Prince of Mewni. Serena would go on to have no further children after this point.

Motherhood

As previously discussed, Serena was very serious about the education of her 3 children, while Nova was to be the next Queen Serena wanted to make sure that whatever road her children take they are well prepared for it. When they were old enough she made sure they learned the basics of reading and writing, as well as formalities, her daughter Daya seemed to be better at numbers than Nova. She made sure they knew how to handle economic tasks but also encouraged them to study other things.

Her daughter Nova was particularly fond of poetry while Daya was more taken to the wordless music of a harp, Corvus found his passion early on: sword fighting. It might have been stereotypical to put Corvus into sword training being a boy, but ever since he could hold a wooden sword his parents said he never put it down.

But it wasn’t just their royal education she was invested in, she made sure they knew their roots, where their people came from, so she made sure to teach them the language of the Ancients, their ancestors, even back then it was a language rarely spoken but she was adamant all her kids learned to speak this tongue. And she taught them sewing, sure they had dress makers who made their clothing and patched up their work, but the little thing of sewing up Nova’s skirt when she tore it on a branch helped her remember when she did this as a child.

While royal children are protected, Serena did want them to have normal childhood experiences, which is why when Nova was still a toddler she tasked her brother Ash to build a wall around a section of the Tower, but enough to house trees and bushes, and it was also protected. This garden would be a sacred space for not just Serena’s family, but for the generations to come. One of her favorite activities in the garden was picking fruit for her children, often using her magic to do so, which her children enjoyed watching.

Despite being both natural borns, while the talent for magic is typically hereditary, born with the spark of it so young however is rather rare among, as Serena was the only one out of 5 siblings to possess such an ability. So while none of their children seemed to bear this rare gift as them, it was also quite a relief. Serena and Morgan went through so much because of their gift, and while magic is better now than when they were younger, it was still something they’d rather not burden their children with.

Serena and Morgan were proud of their children even without natural magic, and showed it at the Jubilee celebrating Mewni’s 20th foundation as a Queendom in 66 B.M., Nova was now 12 years old, Daya 9, and Corvus just had his 7th birthday. While her daughters had grown used to such ceremonies, learned to be still and respectful, Corvus was still rather impulsive and complained his new crown was itchy. Serena would watch them between talking to dukes and duchesses, many more nobles attended this Jubilee than the previous, and new Mewnian Nobles too, her sister Rose’s eldest child, Lady Daphne, was to turn 22 this year and so just before the Jubilee Serena promoted her to High Duchess, to take a seat on the Mewnister Council, to show the progressing of Mewni’s nobility as well.

During the Jubilee however, she lost track of Nova, and found her in her room, last time she saw her, she was talking with some young nobles from Val-Trémois, but when she talked to Nova, her daughter explained to her how rude they were, saying she wasn’t a “real” Princess, how their family isn’t “real” royalty. Well, that set her off, Serena found the parents of these nobles, and they themselves share the same views, that despite the glamor Mewni isn’t a “real” kingdom. The events that happened next nearly started another war but after events that left a hole in the Grand Hall, Serena went back to her daughter, and assured her that she IS a princess, that no matter what anyone else says, she is, while Mewni might be small, they are a Queendom, and she will be its next Queen.

This wouldn’t be the first time her children’s legitimacy was called into question, or the last. Years later in 62 B.M., just before her daughter’s 16th birthday the Ruunholm Kingdom was hosting its own Princess Ball, inviting royalty from across the Continent, so Serena and Nova got an invitation but Serena was unable to go. So Morgan went in her place, but a few weeks later when they got back… it was a disaster, Nova felt completely lost in her identity as a Princess, and Serena almost went to war over this again. But it wouldn’t help Nova, so Serena and Morgan prepared something special.

Preparing the next Queen

With the events that went down at the Princess Ball in 62 B.M., Nova did not want a birthday party, even though it was her 16th year, she felt she didn’t have anything to celebrate. So Serena had a conversation with Glossaryck, about a choice she was making, and while he had reservations he bound himself to her word, but just for exact assurances, Serena took a stone from the chest that once was his prison, making her Spellbook his new home, because it was necessary for what Serena was about to do.

On her daughter Nova’s 16th birthday, Serena bestowed upon her the Royal Magic Wand and Book of Spells, and when her daughter took the wand, it transformed into a different shape entirely, for that is the nature of the Star Magic within, it takes shape depending on who wields it. It had been Serena’s possession for over 20 years, with it she built a Nation, and now it was time for Nova to learn to do the same. Since Serena received the crystal that makes up the magic of the wand on her 16th birthday, it has henceforth been the tradition to pass the wand onto the next Queen on her 16th birthday.

While Serena and Morgan had reservations about giving such a power to someone so young, that’s why Serena bound the book to Glossaryck, just as he was her teacher, he would be the teacher to all those who possessed the Spell Book. But Glossaryck would not only teach Nova magic, but he would teach her how to use that magic for her Queendom, as it was her sacred duty now.

It also marked the start of another one of Mewni’s traditions, while many Kingdoms like Auvery and Ashboure have Sovereigns who rule till their deaths, but Serena, she wanted to go down a different route, she was at the time only 48, so she was not ready to step down, but she did feel the Queendom could use a fresh face, being Queen for 24 years meant half her life, so she decided that when Nova was older enough, she’d become Queen.

They were still years away from that, but Serena wanted her daughter to be well prepared for that day, so in addition to her magic lessons Nova also got some Court experience, mostly her job was just to sit and listen, to learn. It would be years before she would have Nova make any actual decisions, starting in 60 B.M. she would start sending Nova in her place at Royal appearances, to get the people acquainted with their future Queen.

And starting in 58 B.M. Serena had Nova making minor decisions, began to accrue her own sense of power, Serena didn’t want Nova to be overwhelmed by all this, but she was doing rather well, and in fact she planned on officially handing the reigns over but Nova requested some minor travel time to visit Frang MacMorton, a young Lord from the Caerwyn Kingdom to the South. Serena knew the tow had become close over the years, and so made the arrangements. In 57 B.M. an official proposal of marriage came from the MacMortons, but rather insultingly… made it sound like it was Mewni’s honor to marry them, a minor aristocracy, as if Mewni carried no real weight. Serena had half a mind to reject it, but she knew how happy Nova was, and while she’s a Queen she’s also a mother.

The Wedding would be the first royal wedding to take place in Mewni, as such it was a grand ceremony in anticipation, along with Nova’s upcoming coronation. Mewni was still a small country, it didn’t have the budget for two grand celebrations so close together, so Morgan suggested they hold the ceremonies back-to-back, the wedding one day and the coronation later that week. It would take a lot of finagling to get it done, but if Mewni has shown anything is that they thrive in adversity. And in the Spring of 56 B.M., Queen Serena and King Morgan officially abdicated for their daughter, now Queen Nova, and her husband King Frang, ending a 30-year reign.

Queen Mother of Mewni

Life after Queenship

The abdication was a big event in Serena’s life, stepping away from the public eye was a big change, she hadn’t been away from the center of attention since she was 16, now 54 Serena and Morgan could take a back step. While they took time to just relax and enjoy not having any responsibilities anymore, a Queen’s work is never done until she is dead.

As Queen Mother Serena still wielded enormous influence in the Royal Court, and even though the decisions were ultimately Nova’s, her opinion in certain matters was taken with heavy weight. But also as Queen Mother Serena was no longer bound to the castle, she went to visit her sisters who also had retired from their own positions, their children taking up the responsibilities of their Lands. It was kind of relaxation Serena hadn’t felt in many decades, not since the 3 of them were young girls in their village. And with her children all grown up as well, Serena could take long journeys across the land, as well as act as an ambassador in foreign lands as well for her daughter. In fact, she took her daughter Daya on one of these trips south to Biseland, and the young King was so enamored by Daya that he proposed before the end of the trip.

But it wasn’t long before a new chapter opened up in Serena’s life, grandmother. In 53 B.M. Serena became a grandmother to her daughter Nova’s firstborn, Princess Solena, and again in 50 B.M. when Daya gave birth to Prince Erland. Serena remembered the warmth of her own grandmother and wanted to be that for her grandchildren, she still had her sewing skills and made dresses for Solena, but she was a clumsy child so Serena had to make them short.

50 B.M. would also see the creation of House Redbird, the house of her son High Duke Corvus, and Serena was the one who made their Crest, making the 6th Major Household of Mewni, each with a role to play. In the throne room was the crests of Vesperia, the royal family, Flowers, the Judicial Mewnister, Fields, the agriculture Mewnister, Forest, the architecture Mewnister, Waterson, the Navel Mewnister, and now Redbird, the military Mewnister.

In addition to politics, Serena and Morgan were invested in bringing magic back, though it had been some time since magic was legal, the generational trauma was still hard to overcome. So, in addition to being grandparents, they also became mentors to those who had the talent, cause even if kids weren’t born with the raw talent like the two of them, magic is still a skill essentially anyone can learn, but it’s a way of life, a trade you have to dedicate part of your life to. So they only had a handful of students but it felt nice for Serena to be able to teach a new generation the skills she wished she had been open to learn.

Eventually, Serena would once again remain in the castle come her 60s, travel was hard on her old bones, but not so hard she couldn’t hold her grandchildren like Princess Helia, born 47 B.M., nor her grandchildren by Corvus, 4 of them actually by the names of Owlbert, Dove, Crow, and Eagle. Serena might have been old but her life was full of enrichment and happiness, she continue her slow walks around her garden, remembering when the tall trees her granddaughters were climbing were once mere saplings. Looking out her window over the city that Mewni had become, she couldn’t help but remember when it was once so small.

Her Last Decade

But as she got older, tragedy began to come around again, in 40 B.M., just a week before his 70th birthday Morgan passed away from pneumonia, healing can do much but on an old body… At least Serena was by his bedside when she lost him, from then on Serena’s bright colors were changed to dark, mourning colors. But in the following years of 38 and 37 B.M. she lost her sisters Helen and Rose respectively, and from then on Serena never wore bright colors again.

But these deaths did not break her, she spent much of her early years grieving over losses, and the difference here was that it was their time, so they did not break her, but she was in deep mourning over the losses of her family. However, in 35 B.M. a death happened she did not expect, the death of Princess Helia. It was a tragic accident, and Serena’s daughter and son-in-law were inconsolable following the funeral, not surprising, the death of a child is the most unnatural thing, the one thing Serena had never experienced, but the loss of her granddaughter was a wound that cut deep.

She might have been old but Serena was still Queen Mother and handled some of the work while her daughter was grieving the loss of her child. Her other granddaughter Solena really stepped up too, she was set to travel that summer but stayed to help her mother run things, she lost a sister but Solena never stopped smiling, for she was grieving but still had love in her life. Serena was the first person Solena confided in about her relationship with the young Duchess of Orange, Arancia, and was glad that her granddaughter could find someone in this time of sadness.

The death of Helia broke something in Nova, as she lost her will, and Serena had to step up despite her own declining health, which caused Solena to have to reslly step up as Princess, in 32 B.M., a coronation was held, and Serena watched in the front row as her granddaughter was now the 3rd Queen of Mewni. It was a bittersweet moment for the royal family, but Serena helped where she could with Solena, and the following year of 31 B.M. Solena married Duchess Arancia, a bright end to Serena’s long life.

It was in 30 B.M. that Serena’s health took a turn for the worse, she began coughing and wheezing more frequently, spent her last days in her bed surrounded by her children, her daughter Daya came when she heard the news, wanted to be by her side, happened on Grevanz 5th.

Death

The death of Serena shook the Kingdom, actually the whole region, for she was a legend, a plebeian who became a Queen, many dignitaries from across the Contient came, even from as East as Nerathos, came to pay respects to the legend. Her children spent hours at the side of her coffin, her son Corvus was notably the hardest to leave. And she was laid to rest beside her husband Morgan, their effigies were carved to be holding hands, symbolizing their love as the greatest weapon of all, that love conquers darkness.

Serena had lived for 80 years, a long life. She’d seen more tragedy in the first quarter of her life than anyone should in a lifetime, but she used it to fuel her goals, not be crusted by them. The Tale of the Plebeian Queen was told for centuries, some believed that Serena wasn’t real, that no mere peasant could achieve what she could.

[vgprintads]

'First Queen II: Sabaku no Joō'

[X68000] [JAPAN] [MAGAZINE] [1992]

"For example, what if the adventure in Ys wasn't just a solo one, but you could take companions with you, or even lead an army? What if you could organize multiple armies in Bokosuka Wars and have more freedom in developing the scenario? What if the battle scenes in Nobunaga's Ambition were real-time, and each soldier grew stronger as they progressed? What kind of games would those be? A game review that began like this appeared in the April 1990 issue. Yes, that was indeed First Queen. And two years later, First Queen II appeared on the X68000. Each character in this game has a name. Furthermore, they have parameters such as vitality, attack power, and defense power, as well as items and magic. There are levels, and also levels up and class changes.

That alone would make a great role-playing game, but that wasn't all. You can organize these unique characters into groups of up to 20 and have them act as a single unit. Just thinking about it makes the game sound lively, but you can even create up to 16 such groups. In other words, the user can manage up to 320 characters. Frankly, that's an enormous number. Moreover, each character has the parameters mentioned above. It's impossible to remember them all. And perhaps you shouldn't even try to remember them. I also have immense respect for the software company that came up with so many names. I'm sure they'll never have trouble coming up with names for pets or children." ~Kaneko Shunichi, Oh!X (April 1992, Vol. 11, #04) [BMT🤖]

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Source: Oh!X (January 1992, Vol. 11, #01) || Gaming Alexandria; Joey Wawzonek (via The Internet Archive)

[omercifulheaves]

Artwork by Yoshitaka Amano for the PC tactical strategy rpg, First Queen.

[angsttronautart]

rotating the first queen of bugsnax in my head

EDIT: bonus grain and an image description

[turturi6bus]

My interpretation of the coat of arms of Belgium

(Dress of  the first Queen of the Belgians Louise of Orléans)

[mindytiger]

(Made a big change in Queen Galaxy gave her new crown and new clothes to show off her Beauty and her wisdom ;3💙💙💙💙💙💙💙)

Queen Galaxy: I love it...very much. ^^

Queen Galaxy belongs to me

[dollseyereflex]

Every once in a while I remember that Gwindel punched the Original Queen in the face. With all his monstrous guignol-armed strength. Like he reflexively went all-out on that zombie mess when it jumped out at him and breathed in his face. 

And I find that hilarious. Because it’s literally the last thing you’d expect. It’s not scanlated, so I went to the effort of scanning it myself to illustrate the scene. It becomes important later on, but it’s also just so... surreal that it’s easy to forget it happened... Gwin really is an underappreciated character. Meanwhile, it continues to show Lucille hesitating when things happen; he always seems to be holding back in shock or pre-emptive defeat. I find it really interesting that even though he’s the leader, he doesn’t ever take initiative in emergency situations; he’s always frozen in fear. 

[caviarandcigarettesz]

© alaskatf