The Lake of Memories
For once, the kingdom was quiet. No Gunthers squawked, no princesses cried for help, and no warriors vowed to free them. Everyone was asleep. The Ice King lay in his bed, his twisted mind at peace at last. At peace, that is, until, a dream.
"Find me," cried a voice. "Find me, Simon."
"Betty?"
He looked down at his hands and gasped. They were no longer blue. And he was not in his robe, but, instead, the suit he had once worn. His beard was gone and his hair was short and black. The crown was nowhere in sight.
He searched for her, crying her name.
"Betty! Betty, where are you?"
But there was nothing but an endless ocean of black.
"Find me, Simon. Find the Lake of Memories..."
He awoke with a shriek. In shock, he felt his beard. He felt his robe. He felt the top of his head, making sure the crown was still there.
"Wow. Woooow. That was some CRRAAAAZZZYY dream. Hey Gunther," he said, shaking the bird at his feet awake. "You'll never guess what just happened in this dream I had."
"Wehhk," squawked it replied, annoyed.
"Well, there was this...uhm. Uhhhh. Hmmm. Oh wow. Haha, well don't I look silly. I've forgotten everything. Hey, Gunther, you ever..."
But Gunther was already asleep, nestled at the foot of the bed.
"Some people are just rude," he snorted incredulously. "Never try talking to a penguin at night."
He lay there for a moment, though, trying to piece together what he could. There was a voice. And...some kind of lake?
"What would I want with a lake?" he mumbled to himself, yawning now. "I could just make one. Freeze something, then...maybe let it melt...then we could go swimming...Me, and...Gunther... and Finn and Jake..."
He was asleep once again. Deep in slumber, he was dreaming of him and his buddies Finn and Jake, diving from a dock into some imaginary watering hole he'd made with his magic.
"You are so cool, Ice King," Finn fawned from the safety of the dock, afraid to even get wet.
"How can we be as rad as you?" Jake added, standing right beside his friend.
"Guys, guys, please. You've seen nothing yet." And at once he shot up, flying through the clouds.
"Ice King, Ice King!" they chanted.
He smiled as he climbed into the sky, waiting until the hole was but a mere speck. All at once, he stopped flapping his beard, letting gravity bring him down to the water. He broke through the clouds, gaining speed as they watched in awe from below.
"Simon, please find me."
"Huh? Who's..."
SPPLLLAAAASSSHH.
He flopped to his side, sinking down to the bottom. The world above the water's surface turned dark and he found himself floating through the cold depths of an ocean. He held his breath, puffing his cheeks to hold in the air. He surveyed the surroundings; it was nothing but rocks and canyons at the bottom. He turned, looking for a sign of life until, right in front of him, he found a fellow swimmer. A curious pink fish, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, stared silently at him. Its gaze lingered on him. 'Follow me,' it seemed to implore. Suddenly, the fish shot towards a cave, disappearing from view. He followed it frantically, breast-stroking his way towards the cave, keeping pace with the guide, until it disappeared in the darkness of the place. Strangely enough, he never thought of turning back. Somehow, the thought of drowning had slipped his mind, yet he knew that he had nothing to worry about. He knew that he would be safe. And so he swam further, even as the temperature dropped, even when he could see nothing, he swam until he saw, at the end of the tunnel, light.
He emerged from the water and found himself blinded by radiance. It was a room full of crystals, dazzling in his eyes. He strained to see anything in the sea of white light. Then, he found a little dot, growing larger as it approached. It was a person, bathed in the glow of the cave. A woman.
"Simon. I am here. Find me here. Find the Lake of Memories."
"Gaah," he screamed as he awoke again. His eyes darted around to see where he was. He was back in the kingdom, up in his bed with Gunther walking off to sleep on the couch, tired of being awoken.
"The Lake of Memories..."
In the morning, he set out for Finn and Jake's treehouse.
"If anyone knows something about some Lake of Memories," he told himself as he flew, "it's those two. I'm sure they've heard it on one of their wild adventures."
From a distance, he could hear music in the air. On the rooftop was Marceline and her bass, playing along with Jake and his viola as Finn and BMO danced along.
"Hey guys. Guys! Hey! What you up to?" he called, hoping to join in the revelry.
"Oh, hey Simon," Marceline replied, now putting down her bass. "Just some early jamming with these two. What're you doing here?"
"Oh, I'm here cause something happened last night, and I was wondering if these two could help me."
"Yeah, sure, Ice King, what's up?" Finn said, sitting down to listen.
"Lay down yo biz, Ice King," Jake added.
"Ok, ok. See, I had this dream last night, and you were there, and you were there, and sorry, not you Marcie. And we were at this lake, and I was doing this awesome cannonball, sploosshhh..."
"Ice King..."
"Oh, yes, yes. Anyway, I ended up in this cave full of crystals, and there was this girl who told me to find her. She seemed real serious, and... "
"Girl...?" Finn asked in shock. "Did she have brown hair and glasses?"
"Well, I couldn't see cause of the light, but maybe she had glasses. I think. Please Finn, don't interrupt."
But Finn's attention was gone. Instead, he and Jake looked at each other, remembering Magic Man and Mars. Betty had returned.
"Ice King, excuse us for a moment," Finn said, taking Jake and Marceline to the side.
"You really think it's Betty, Finn? Last time we saw her, she was crazy with magic powers."
"Wait, what happened to Betty?"
"She was working with Magic Man on a machine, but something went wrong and she went bananas. We haven't seen her since."
"You think it might be a trap, Finn? Who knows what's going on in that twisted mind of hers."
"I don't know Jake. Ice King, what exactly did she tell you?"
"Oh her, she said to go find her at some place called the Lake of Memories. I was..."
"The Lake of Memories?" Marceline cried.
"I...I know where that is..." she added hesitantly.
"You do?" cried the Ice King
"You do?!" cried Finn and Jake.
The three looked to her as she floated silently, staring into the distance.
"After Ash stole that memory from my mind, I couldn't stop worrying that he'd try it again, or that he'd done something else to my mind. I heard about this place in the Bad Lands called the Lake of Memories, where everyone's memories go once they've been forgotten. It's found in the middle of a swamp, and reaching it's impossible. They say once you get lost, you can never get out. There's a lot freaky stuff in that fog. I was lucky I got out..."
"Oh Marceline, please," the Ice King begged, kneeling at her feet. "You've got to help me find this girl. Some GIRL is actually looking for ME. That's never happened before. SHE COULD BE THE ONE. SHE COULD BE MY PRINCESS! Oh, please, Marceline. Please, Please, Please!"
"I don't know, Marceline. I don't like it," Jake declared. "It could be a trap. She could be trying to transform us into dolls or something. That girl's messed up."
She knew she shouldn't. She knew the dangers. And she had tried so hard to forget what she had seen in the fog, what it had made her remember; all those terrors come back to life. She had vowed to never return. Yet as Simon kneeled before her, she could not avoid thinking about the man who had wandered a wasteland with her, who had protected her as he lost himself. This was his chance, and her chance, to bring him back.
"Yea, Simon. I'll help you."
"You will? Oh, thank you, thank you! What would I do without you, Marceline?"
"We can't let you all go alone, Marcie," Finn voiced. "We're coming too."
"We are?" Jake whined.
"Yes, Jake, we are."
"Fine, but I still don't like it.
"Oh, thank you, thank you guys. I promise you're all invited to the wedding" he said, hugging them all tightly, even as Finn and Jake struggled to break free.
They stood at fog's edge, staring into the grey mist. Nothing could be seen. There was no way to know how far it would be to the center. They brought with them a strong rope, which they tied around their waists.
"Remember guys, stay close, and be careful. If we get lost, we may never find each other again," Marceline warned. She entered first, with Finn and Jake trailing, and the Ice King bringing up the rear. The whole morning, he noted, Marceline had been acting strange. Throughout their journey there, she had been silent and serious, answering questions in grunts and shrugs.
"Women, I'll never understand..."
It was cold in the mist, and the vapour formed dew on his skin. He closed his eyes, trying to stop the droplets from clouding around them, relying on his company to lead him through. Each step was a struggle as they trudged through the marsh mud, but he pushed forward, trusting that Marceline could lead the way. There were no roots and branches to worry about, just tall grass and thick muck; keep moving and you wouldn't sink.
He listened around for anything that could tell him what was out there, but heard nothing but the whooshing of the wind.
"Hey guys? Can you see anything up there? Or hear anything. I can't see right now, so I need you to be my eyes and ears."
But there was no response. Suddenly, he realized, h could not hear their footprints. They were dead silent.
"Guys...? Guys, where are you?"
"Yaaahhhh!"
"Finn? Is that you?"
Nothing.
"Where are you guys?"
Silence.
Frantically, he pulled on the rope, pulling himself forward to them upfront. It had been a long stretch of rope between them, giving them enough freedom to move separately. "That's why it's taking so long to get to them," he thought. But just as he thought he had reached them, he felt the rope grow limp. Horrified, he pulled them to where he was and opened his eyes. The rope had been cut. He was all alone.
"Finn! Jake! Marceline! Where are you guys!"
He began to run as fast as he could now, all the while yelling their names. They couldn't be too far ahead, he thought. His eyes darted, trying to find anything in this mist. But the fog was too thick; not even a shadow would show itself. With each unanswered cry, his heart began to sink. But he soldiered on, hoping to at least find them in the center.
"Keep moving forward, Ice King. Keep moving forward," he repeated to himself. The ground beneath began to change now into the gravel of a rocky delta. There
"I have to be near, aren't I?" But the mist refused to yield, and he was left wondering how far it would be to the lake. He stopped and searched, scanning the place for a sign of life.
"Weeehnnnkk!"
"Gunther?"
"Weeehnnnkk!"
""Gunther, what are you doing here?" he cried, following the sound. It led him to a fallen log, where the bird sat peacefully, swinging its feet back and forth.
"Gunther! I am so glad to see you! How did you get here, you little penguin, you," he said, picking up the bird in his arms.
But the bird just stared at him, its glassy eyes reflecting the frown on his dumbstruck face.
"Gunther?"
Slowly, the bird opened its beak and let out a terrifying screech. The Ice King dropped the bird to the ground, backing away from the beast.
"Gunther! What's happened to you? Bad penguin, go away!"
But the bird got up and approached him, its gaze locked on the crown on his head.
"Waaaaaaaaannnnnnnkhhhhhhhh!" it cried. Suddenly, it began to spew a stream of fire from its mouth like a dragon. This was all the Ice King saw. He flew past the bird, screaming the names of his companions. Behind him, he could see the flames left by the evil penguin. It had not given chase, and soon, the glow of its fire was replaced, once again, by the vapour of the fog.
He came to a rest after what had seemed like hours of flight. He landed on an empty patch of grass, and lay on his back, breathing heavily.
"What's wrong with that penguin? If I ever see him again, I'm gonna give him such a timeout," he said between pants. He stayed down, hidden in the grass, afraid to reveal himself to whatever may lurk. But as the minutes past, he knew he could not stay there. He began to stand when he heard, in the distance, the unmistakable sound of battle cries, just as he had heard before the rope had been cut.
"Finn? Jake?"
He trudged through the water, heading for the unmistakable sound of clinking sword and stretching dog.
"Guys, guys, I'm over here. It's me the Ice King."
He began to see their forms, jumping and stretching around an old fallen tree.
"Guys, thank goodness. Weew, for a moment there I thought I'd lost...you guys."
He paused and looked into their pupils. They were glowing red. They were covered in sweat and dirt, and it seemed that they had been attacking the tree for hours now.
"Ice King," Finn said valiantly. "Have you come to protect beast? For it is too late, we have slain it. Surrender now, or perish at the tip of my blade."
"Yeah, what he said," Jake added.
"What, guys, no. What are you doing? That's a tree, and it's me, the Ice King. I'm not even kidnapping a princess, so we don't have to fight."
But they did not listen. Once again, he was backing up as they menacingly walked towards him. This time, however, he would not run. He would not be lost again. He would have to hold his ground and fight them.
He turned around in time to see Finn lunge at him with his sword ready to stab him through the front. He dived to the side, avoiding the blade, now stuck in the mud. He rose and readied to freeze Finn, but from behind, he saw a figure hover over. Jake had grown, towering over him and without warning, slammed him into the mud. The Ice King attempted to escape, but slowly, he felt himself wrapped around by the dog.
"Any last words, Ice King," Finn grumbled walking slowly towards his target. Jake laughed as he constricted around his body, leaving his head sticking out. He wriggled to free himself, but with each move, Jake tightened his hold on the old man.
"Please, Finn, remember." He begged "We're bros. We hang out, we play ball together. I helped you get over Flame Princess. In a way."
But the words did not stop him, and Finn began to raise his sword over his head.
"Finn, don't!"
'Ugghh!"
The Ice King opened his eyes. He was still alive. Finn was on the ground, the sword right beside him. Above him, Marceline hovered.
"Simon, freeze them!"
Upon seeing his friend down, Jake had rushed over to pick him up. Now free, the Ice King blasted them both. In an instant they were statues, two figures charging their shocked attackers.
"Marceline, thank goodness you came. I don't know what got into those two. They went bananas and started attacking me. Luckily, I held them off long enough. What happened to them?"
"Simon," she began, her voice quivering. "This place is...Is where all lost memories go. And I didn't come here because of Ash. I came here...I came here to forget you."
She looked at him, and saw that he did not understand.
"The pool can restore memories. The fog can take them. And I came here to try and forget those years after the war. But this place. You can't control it. It does what it wants. I know you can't remember. I know you won't understand. But please, please know that I still care about you. And I'd give up anything to have you back Simon. And I'm sorry for everything"
Her eyes began to water as she faced the old man, still confused as ever. She put her arms around him, hugging her dearest guardian. She felt like she had been all those years ago, clinging to him for comfort. As the tears rolled down, she remembered all those years, the good years, when they had each other to rely on. All she wished was that he could remember too.
"Marceline," he said softly. She feared he would spout more nonsense, some come-on, a reminder of what he had become. But instead, he kept quiet and hugged her back tightly. It was silent in the mist, and the two were again, alone together in the world.
There was no telling time in a place like this, so they simply guessed that it was near sundown. Both were reluctant to leave their companions frozen, but there was no telling how they'd react once they thawed.
"We should probably get some rest, Simon. It's been a long day. One of us had better stay awake though."
Simon took the first watch, re-freezing whenever he saw the ice beginning to melt. As Marceline slept, he stared into the emptiness. What had he forgotten? What was he once? Who was this woman who had led him there? He looked over his friend, now deep in sleep, and he thought...he thought he had seen it before. She was curled up in a blanket they had brought that barely gave any relief in the cold. But she didn't seem to mind. She seemed peaceful
He sighed and stared at Finn and Jake, their faces frozen in anger.
"Why don't you guys like me? I never do anything to you. If you knew me. If you really knew me, you'd see how cool I am. Marceline gets it."
Time passed and he soon dozed of himself. Once again, his mind wandered. He was dreaming.
"Simon," the woman cried. "Simon, I am near."
He was standing in a black void, no horizon to tell, no beginning and end.
"Enough!" he cried "You've brought me here, and look what's happened. Why can't you just talk like a normal person? What's this about anyway? What do you want with me? I just want to get my friends home. In fact, I'm going to go right now."
He slapped his face to wake up, but before he could, another voice cackled.
"Friends? What friends? You have no friends. You have just me."
He awoke, stunned before the voice could finish. But before he could wake Marceline up, the ground began to rumble.
"Huh, Simon? What's happening." Marceline asked, half-asleep. The ground began to shake, and the grass rustled as a figure passed through them
"I know what you really are." Th voice continued. "You are a fool. A lonely fool. A weak, lonely fool. Can't get a 't find a friend. You were meant to be here forever. With me."
He turned and saw, towering above him, a shining figure with long, golden limbs and with three jewels adorned its face. It was the crown.
"We are one, you and me, and we will rule this place together. We will take these fools out"
What do you mean take them out?
It responded by raising a foot over, Marceline. Simon jumped, grabbing her before the crown crushed her.
"Marceline, run!"
"No, Finn and Jake."
They turned, just as the crown turned its attention to the frozen duo. In an instant, Marceline charged at it, grabbing its arm and pulling it to the ground. Simon ran to them, chipping away at the ice as Marceline fought.
"Weak little girl," the crown bellowed. "You will never have him back. You will perish with all!"
"No, you will not," she screamed, now in her bat form. With all her might, she pushed it down, sending it into the bottom of the bog. She pummelled its jewels, cracking them all while the crown failed to grab her with its fingerless limbs. She would not give him up easily. She unleashed her anger, bringing clenched fist down over and over until the crown cased to move. At this, she relaxed. She reverted back to her humanoid form and head for Simon, still trying desperately to wake Finn and Jake.
"Come on, come, you've got to... Marcie! Is it over, did it win? What happened?"
"Oh, you know, the usual, just kicked a..."
She did not finish. Suddenly, she was frozen. The crown was not defeated, and ros again, heding for Simon.
"Do you not see how your beard does not leave? How your hair remains white? How you continue to live? It is because of me. It is because of me you live! And you and I will be united, no matter what ths fools do."
"No! I won't believe it."
He stood, arms outstretched, a last-ditch effort to protect his friends. But he knew his body was weak. He had no powers without the crown. It would be easy for the thing to cast him aside and crush them all. Then he would be truly alone in this world.
The crown lurched forward and in one move, threw the Ice King aside. It raised its foot, ready to crush the three.
"Get away from them!"
A figure streaked across the crown and at once, it began to quake. It cried out and began to fall before dissipating back into the fog. Simon struggled to get up, reaching as far as the crown, now returned to its normal. He then fell to the ground unconscious.
"Simon. Wake up, Simon. It's alright"
"Oh, it's you. Didn't you hear me, I want to leave. Get out of my dreams. Get out of my head!"
"Simon, you're not dreaming. I'm here."
He opened his eyes. Around him, the room shone, a thousand white crystals bouncing the light around.
"Relax Simon. Don't move."
She carried Simon into the water and let him sink.
"Betty?"
At once, his beard receded and his eyes regained color. His skin gave was no longer blue, but returned to its regular peach. The crown sank to the bottom. He no longer had his powers. He resurfaced quickly, taking in the surroundings and those around him. There before him, under the lights of the thousand crystals, thawing the three companions in the water of the clear Lake of Memories was his beloved Betty.
He was unsure of what to say. She did not face him, but looked on at his comrades, freed quickly as the ice melted in the water.
"They'll be fine, but they need rest, "she said, quivering. She was crying. He approached slowly. She was kneeling over the lake's shore, holding on to a frozen Finn, having thawed the other two. The water was warm, and pretty soon, he was free, though in a deep sleep.
He put her arm on her shoulder, and she did not hold back her tears. She turned to hold him and rested her head on his shoulder. He began to cry too. It had been so long. She had gone mad after her experiments with Magic Man, and the insanity had brought her to the fog. Fate, maybe? She wasn't sure. She just knew she had found herself here, her memory restored.
"I couldn't leave," she finally began, still holding him tightly. "Every time I tried, the madness would begin to return, and I would've lost you. But I could call you in your dreams. Still, I didn't think..."
"Hush now dear," he finally said, finding the words between his own sobbing. "We're here now. We're safe. I love you Betty. I always have and I always will, magic or no magic."
When they had finally calmed, they began to kiss, just as they had when they had been sane and happy together. Thy cherished these moments, so precious and long-awaited, for they knew they only had this time. As the other three slept exhausted, the two lovers sat by the shores of the lake. Just as had been dreamed, it was in a cavern of crystals, which hung from the ceilings and stuck from the walls. The only entrance was through the tunnel that led into it from the bog. The entrance was opposite the small island on which they sat. It was bare save for a few trees and foliage which bore berries, which she had eaten as she waited for him to come.
She knew it had to be soon; she could not stay there forever. There was no more food left. And so, she sought, at the least, to have one moment with Simon before the insanity had to return for all of them. She found a way, when was in the water, to call him through his dreams. And she waited, anxiously and patiently, for him to come. For she knew, in her heart, that despite what the crown had done, deep down, Simon was still there. And he would remember her.
It would only be for now, they both knew, and they made the most of it. They stared into the clear water, watching the memories swirl in white wisps before dissipating into the water. They did not talk much, for there was nothing to be said that wasn't known, deep down. They would all leave, together, when the others awoke. In their hearts, they wished they would sleep, if only they could stay together a little longer. He asked her to dance, and they danced in silence along the water's edge, kissing and crying throughout. Enjoying one more time. They had this moment. That was all that mattered.