This is the last story in a trilogy that began with "The Broken Queen", and continued with "The Hero King". To know what's going on here, you should read those first!
Marceline Abadeer stood on top of a pile of ashes and crumbled masonry that once made up her kingdom. The Vampire Queen had been sifting through the rubble for the past hour, looking for anything that survived the fire set by the Wizard soldiers, but she hadn't had any luck. A bright summer sun shown down on her, and its subtle burn, through her layers of protective clothing and her trusty wide-brimmed sunhat, invigorated the queen and made her feel hopeful.
Hope had been a foreign emotion to the queen in the week and a half since the birth of her son, Liam, and his kidnapping by his biological father, Ash. Marceline had spent the time in a small medical tent, recovering from the birth and her subsequent emergency hysterectomy, and wondering if she would ever see her child again. Now, surrounded by her friends on the ruins of what used to be her home, Marceline thought in terms of when she would see him, not if.
"Look, Marcy!" Simon yelled. "I think I found something!"
Marceline, despite Princess Bubblegum's multiple warnings to take it easy, jogged over to where Simon was excitedly digging through the rubble. Finn joined him, and together they unearthed Marceline's most prized possession, her axe bass. Simon held it up to the queen triumphantly, and smiled.
"You'll have to clean it up a bit, and restring it, but other than that it looks okay."
Marceline smiled and trailed her fingers down the neck of the guitar, its familiar weight comforting in her hands.
"We should probably head back to camp, Marcy," Finn said. "I don't think we're going to find anything else."
"Yeah, you're right," Marceline said, stroking her bass. "I thought this would be gone for sure."
Finn wrapped his mechanical arm around Marceline's waist and, along with Simon, they walked back to their modest camp in a clearing in the Vampire Kingdom's forest. Lady Rainicorn, who was helping Jake do his daily leg exercises, waved warmly.
"Princess Bubblegum! Marceline's back!" Lady called, using her new universal translator invented by the princess.
Princess Bubblegum emerged from her tent, a book in one hand and her large, round glasses perched on the top of her head. She was smiling brightly, and the trio who had just arrived back at camp knew that she must have good news.
"Oh, you found your instrument!" She exclaimed. "How wonderful!"
"What's going on, Bonnie?" Marceline asked. "You never look this happy."
"I think I know where Ash is. There have been multiple sightings of him and Liam in Shiney City. We can go whenever you're ready."
Marceline looked at Princess Bubblegum for a long time, trying to process what she had just said. Without warning, she ran to the princess and enveloped her in a tight hug. Princess Bubblegum was surprised at first, but she soon realized that Marceline was crying, and she wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her back.
"Thank you so much," Marceline whispered when she finally pulled away from the princess. "I'm going to get my Liam back, aren't I?"
"Of course you are, Marmalade," Princess Bubblegum whispered. "I'll make sure of it."
"How soon can we leave?" Finn asked, joining his wife.
"It'll take us about half an hour to pack up camp, and we can travel on the Morrow. We can be in Shiney City in, oh, about two hours."
"Radical!" Finn exclaimed. He turned to Marceline. "Do you need us to stop by your house on the way? For clothes and junk?"
"Nah," Marceline replied. "I don't think I want anything in that house. It'd be nice to start fresh, you know?"
Finn nodded. He kissed Marceline's forehead, and floated off to their tent to pack. Marceline watched him go, smiling brightly. Although Finn had quickly mastered his Vampire powers, he was still the same loving, eternally optimistic person he had always been. She stared until he disappeared into the tent, then went to help Princess Bubblegum pack up their makeshift base of operations.
As Princess Bubblegum had promised, the small group set out to Shiney City right on schedule. Jake, Lady, Simon, and the princess rode on the Morrow along with all the luggage. Finn flew next to his friends, with Marceline in his arms. She clung to him tightly, still too weak to fly on her own.
"This is amazing!" Finn yelled, somersaulting in the air.
"It won't be when I puke on you," Marceline replied.
"Sorry, Marcy," Finn apologized, hugging the Vampire closer to his chest.
Marceline rested her head on Finn's chest and closed her eyes. She felt safe in her husband's muscular, warm arms, and she allowed herself to imagine a reunion with her son. She felt that they were finally close to him, and she was sure that she would be seeing him again before nightfall. Sometime during her daydream, Marceline fell asleep.
When she awoke, the sun was setting and they were descending towards Shiney City's entrance gate. Princess Bubblegum lead the Morrow away from the main gate, and into the bordering forest. Finn followed, and they landed together in a small clearing hidden from the main road.
"Wake up, Marcy. We're here," Finn said.
"I'm awake. You can put me down now."
Finn gently placed Marceline on her feet and waited for their friends to climb off the Morrow.
"So, what's the plan, Peebles?" Finn asked.
"We're going to the Briar Inn. It's the last place Ash was spotted, and if we have any luck, he's still there," the princess replied.
"I know the place," Marceline said. "I played at the bar next door a couple times. It's pretty… sleazy."
"The whole town is sleazy, if I recall correctly," Simon said.
"Well, hopefully we won't be there long," Princess Bubblegum said. "Let's go."
The small group made their way back to the main road, and through the entrance gates. They were instantly assaulted by the acrid stench of smoke, and the princess stopped abruptly.
"Look," she ordered, pointing in the distance.
The group followed her gaze and they saw the ruins of what had once been Shiney City's marketplace. It was now reduced to smoldering rubble, at the center of which rested a large crater. They stared for a long while, before Simon spoke.
"C'mon," he said. "Where's the Briar Inn?"
Princess Bubblegum shook her head as if to clear it and pulled a map out of her backpack. She studied it for a moment, and handed it to Marceline.
"You know the area, right?"
"Yeah, I know it," Marceline replied, handing the map back. "The inn's not too far up this way."
The group, now led by Marceline, walked down the street, taking in the sights and sounds that Shiney City offered. Main Street was flanked on both sides by bars, liquor stores, and pawn shops. Finn found himself staring at a group of women standing outside of a small, ramshackle building.
"Hey little boy," one of them called. "Come on inside."
Finn turned around, stared straight ahead, and his face turned a shade of red Marceline would have thought impossible. She looked back towards the women and hissed, baring her fangs. Finn giggled and took her hand.
A few moments later, Marceline stopped in front of an old, two-story building with a faded sign out front, declaring it the Briar Inn.
"This is it," she said.
Finn squeezed Marceline's hand and looked expectantly towards Princess Bubblegum.
"What now?" He asked.
"We go in," the princess replied. "I'll talk to the desk clerk and see if he's still there. Then we'll go from there."
Princess Bubblegum stepped to the front of the group and straightened her spine. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the front office. Marceline, Finn, Simon, Lady, and Jake followed close behind, their group filling the entire room. The princess marched to the desk and slammed her hand on the counter, jolting the clerk from his doze.
"You lookin' for a room, sweet cheeks?" He asked.
"No," Princess Bubblegum replied. "We're looking for a Wizard by the name of Ash Aldrich."
The clerk snorted, then stared at the princess, realizing that she was serious.
"Have you been under a rock all day?" He asked, lighting a cigar. "Everybody's looking for that bastard."
"What do you mean? What happened?" Marceline asked, stepping up to the desk.
"You mean you really don't know? He blew up the marketplace. Took off with 'at kid of his this morning and next I heard, he was all over the news."
Marceline's face fell, and her whole body seemed to be drained of energy. She collapsed into a tattered armchair in the office's corner, and Finn knelt down beside her, holding both her hands in his.
"He's gone," she whispered. "I thought for sure I'd see my baby again…but he's gone."
"Oh, Marcy," Finn whispered. "At least we know Liam's safe."
"Liam?" Asked the clerk, as he leaned over the desk. "Is that what you call the kid he had with him?"
"That's my son's name," Marceline said. "Why? What was Ash calling him?"
"Somethin' with an 'h'. Hudson or somethin' like that."
"Hunson?"
"Yeah, that was it!"
Marceline turned to Princess Bubblegum.
"Why would Ash have named the baby after my father?" She asked.
"I don't know, Marceline," the princess replied. "But Ash isn't here, and it's late. Would you like to stay in the city overnight?"
"I guess that's the only choice we have," Marceline said, standing up from the chair. She turned to the clerk. "No offense, buddy, but is there another hotel in the city?"
"What, the Briar ain't good enough for you, princess?"
"Queen, actually," Marceline said. "Sweet cheeks over there's the princess."
The clerk's eyes grew wide
"I know you…you're Marceline Abadeer. And she's Betty Bubblegum! I apologize, your majesties, please allow me to-"
"Are there any other hotels in the area?" Princess Bubblegum interrupted, not bothering to correct his mistake.
"No, your highness. I can call you a cab; have them take you somewhere-"
"That won't necessary," the princess said. "Just rent us, oh, four rooms, and we will be out of your way."
Princess Bubblegum slid her credit card across the counter, and the clerk hurried to run it and give them their keys. He pointed them to their rooms, only a few doors down from the office, and told them that if they needed anything, he would be happy to get it for them.
"We need to discuss our next move," Princess Bubblegum said. "Why don't we all meet in Finn and Marceline's room?"
The group agreed and they all filed into one of the rooms. It was sparsely furnished, with only a small bed, a mirror, an old television, and a card table with mismatched chairs. Yet it was cleaner than they had expected, and that was all that mattered to Marceline. She flopped down and the bed, and was soon joined by Finn and Simon. Jake and Lady sat down in the folding chairs, and Princess Bubblegum, as always when she was formulating a plan, stood. She paced back and forth for a moment, then stopped and looked at her friends.
"This changes everything," she said. "Ash is a wanted man now, not just by us, but I'd say that half of Ooo is looking for him right now. Someone's going to find him, and Liam, soon."
"So, what do we do for tonight?" Lady asked.
"I was thinking that we need to go out and arm ourselves. Going in like we did today, without any plan or way to defend ourselves, was pretty stupid. I think we need to go find someone who deals in weapons and buy everything we might need. Does that sound okay?"
"I thought you didn't like using violence, Bonnibel," Marceline said.
"I don't," Princess Bubblegum relied. "Unless I'm using it to protect people that I love. You feel up to coming with us?"
"Nah, I think I'll hang out here," Marceline said, lying back on the bed. "There's too many faces I might recognize out there for me to be comfortable."
"Suit yourself. Finn, can you please go fetch our bags from the Morrow?"
"Sure, Peebles," Finn said.
The young hero kissed Marceline gently on her nose, and flew off in the direction of the city gates.
"I'm going to step around back for some air," Marceline said, grabbing her small messenger bag.
"I'll go with you," Simon said, reluctant to let Marceline go anywhere alone.
Marceline nodded and left Jake, Lady, and Princess Bubblegum to discuss the specifics of what they needed from the city. They had only been gone a few minutes when Finn came back to the room, his arms loaded with bags.
"Where do you want these?" He asked.
"Oh, just put them down there, please. We can take them to our rooms when we get back," Princess Bubblegum replied. "Will someone go tell Simon that we're ready to leave?"
"I'll go," Jake volunteered.
When Jake walked around the corner, he saw that Marceline and Simon had gone down to the dirty, green river running behind the motel. Instinct made him stop and wait, and he sensed that Marceline was asking Simon to do something for her. He strained to hear their voices, but they were speaking in low tones, and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction for Jake to be able to hear. He settled instead for watching them from the shadows, hoping that they didn't see him.
Marceline, a lit cigarette in one hand, her wallet in the other, was looking up at Simon, her head tilted and her lips pooched out in what was almost a childish pout. Simon was shaking his head, and Jake was almost sure that he could make out the words "absolutely not". Marceline clasped her hands together, and she was talking, although her lips were moving too rapidly for Jake to read them. Simon threw his hands in the air in exasperation and shook his head.
"I'll get it, but you have to be careful!" Simon said.
Marceline threw her arms around the older man, taking a drag from her cigarette and blowing the smoke away from his face. She saw Jake in the distance, and her eyes momentarily narrowed, but she forced herself to smile and wave at the dog. She slipped some money out of wallet, discreetly handed it to Simon, and jogged towards Jake.
"You guys ready to head out?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jake said, pretending that he hadn't seen their conversation. "Peebles wanted me to come get you guys."
Together, the three walked to the front of the motel, where Princess Bubblegum, Finn, and Lady were waiting.
"Okay," Princess Bubblegum said, "we're going out for weapons. Guns, knives, anything that can help us take Ash down. And get Liam back," she added quickly. "Finn, I would appreciate it if you stayed with Marceline."
"Okay," Finn agreed, wrapping his arm around Marceline's waist. "Be careful out there, guys."
"Of course," Princess Bubblegum said.
Marceline and Finn watched as their friends set off towards the back alleys and heavily guarded basement shops that catered to the needs of assassins, murderers, and thieves from all over Ooo. Once the group turned the corner, the couple went back into the motel room, and Marceline flopped onto the bed. Finn went into the small bathroom and when he came back out, Marceline was wearing nothing but a small black thong.
"Oh, sorry, Marcy," he said. "I didn't mean to walk in on you."
Marceline smiled and grabbed Finn's hand.
"You're my husband, silly. Come on, lay down with me."
"O-okay," Finn stuttered, his face bright red.
Marceline pulled the hero onto the bed, and he took his shoes off and settled in next to her. The queen rolled over so that she was facing away from Finn, and guided his hand so that it was resting above her belly button. She snuggled up to him, and as she tried to get as close as possible, her body rubbed against his. A light moan escaped Finn's lips, and Marceline felt his hand tremble against her stomach. She realized what she was doing to him, and she gently pulled away and wrapped a blanket around her.
"I'm sorry, Finn," she said. "I'm just…I'm not ready for that. Please don't be mad at me, I just can't…I'm sorry."
"No, Marcy, don't be sorry. You didn't do anything. I'm going to go shower, if that's okay with you. Why don't you take a quick nap and then we'll order takeout or something."
"Okay, Finn," Marceline said. "I really didn't mean to do…that. I'm sorry that I don't want to…you know."
"Hey," Finn said, cupping Marceline's face in his hands, "you didn't do anything wrong. You don't owe me anything, especially sex, okay? And, well, it makes me feel like a bad guy when you apologize to me like that."
Marceline nodded. She hovered just above the bed on her knees, and hugged her husband. She felt the bulge in his jeans rub against her bare stomach, and she pulled back.
"Sorry," she said again. "I mean…Go shower. I'll be here."
Finn nodded, kissed Marceline's forehead, and went to the small bathroom. Marceline unzipped her bag and pulled out a pair of new shorts and one of Finn's old t-shirts. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about what had happened. She loved Finn, and she shared his desire for a physical relationship, but she just wasn't ready. Although her body healed rapidly now that she was at a proper weight, she was still sore from both the birth and the surgery. More so than that, however, Marceline simply didn't feel emotionally ready to have sex with Finn. The fear she had felt with Ash has somewhat lessened, but it hadn't gone away completely, and the queen still found herself cringing away from Finn, a dim part of her mind sure that he would hurt her just like most of the other men in her life had.
Marceline cocooned herself in the blanket and closed her eyes. She was just drifting off to sleep when she heard the shower shut off and the bathroom door open. Finn stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist, and found a pair of shorts in his bag. He slipped them on, threw the towel back into the bathroom, and climbed onto the bed next to Marceline. The queen scooted over to him and rested her head on his damp chest. Her hand found its way to Finn's shoulder-length hair, and toyed with it absentmindedly.
Both Marceline and Finn were floating on the edge of sleep when someone pounded at their door. Finn jumped up, retrieving his sword from where he had left it on the bedside table.
"Yo man, it's us!" Jake called through the close door. "Let us in! You have to check this stuff out."
Finn put down his sword and opened the door.
"What did you find?" He asked, stepping aside to let Jake and Simon, who were carrying wooden crates, into the room.
"See for yourself," Princess Bubblegum replied, kneeling down in front of one of the crates.
Finn used his mechanical arm to pry the lid off the crate, and Princess Bubblegum reached inside and brought out six small bundles, wrapped in newspaper. She unwrapped one, and triumphantly held up a small, black pistol.
"It's amazing what you can get in this city when you flash your crown around!" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed. "There's ammunition in the bottom, and there are Demon bone daggers in the other one."
"Demon bone?" Marceline asked, sitting up in bed. "What Demons are you planning on slaying, Bonnibel?"
"Ash, possibly," Princess Bubblegum replied. "I mean, none of us really know what he is now, do we?"
"I guess not," Marceline said uncertainly. She paused for a long while, biting her bottom lip, before speaking again. "Just, as long as Liam doesn't get hurt."
"He won't," Princess Bubblegum promised, patting Marceline's hand. "Liam is our top priority."
Marceline nodded and lay back on the bed.
"I don't mean to be rude, but can you guys clear out? I'm kinda tired."
"Of course," the princess said. "There were some sightings of Ash and Liam three towns over, in the Rock Village, but they think he's moved on by now. I thought we could go ask around, see if anyone knows anything about it. Is that okay with everyone?"
The group agreed, and they planned to wake a bit after sunrise so that they could start out on their latest journey. Simon made sure he was the last to leave, and he slipped a brown paper bag into Marceline's messenger bag when Finn wasn't looking. Marceline leaned up from her pillow and hugged the older man, wrapping both arms around his neck like she did as a child.
"Be careful with that, okay?" He whispered.
"I will. I just need something to take the edges off the world, you know?"
"You better make it last," Simon warned. "I'm not getting you anymore."
Marceline nodded. When Finn walked out of the bathroom, Simon told the couple to have a good night, and went to his room. Finn cuddled up to Marceline, and was fast asleep within minutes. The queen, however, was restless, and after a long time of staring at the cobwebbed ceiling, she untangled herself from Finn's arms, took her messenger bag, and went into the bathroom.
Marceline closed the door, turned on the overhead fan, and sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She opened her messenger bag and pulled out the bag that Simon had given her earlier. She opened it and smiled. Inside were several syringes, a spoon, a lighter, and, at the bottom, a small bag of powdered heroin, light brown in color. The queen put a small bit of the powder on the spoon, and held the lighter underneath it. Before long, the powder had melting into liquid, and Marceline filled the syringe with it.
The Vampire expertly found a good vein in the bend of her elbow, and injected the liquid. A near-immediate rush surged through her body, and she closed her eyes. An indescribable sense of euphoria filled her body. Her skin began to feel somewhat tingly and warm, and her mouth was dry. As always with this drug, Marceline began to crave warm blood, straight from the source, and her fangs extended to their fullest, but the urge faded as soon as the initial rush passed. When she felt that she was able, Marceline packed her small kit, put it in the bottom of her bag, and stumbled back to bed.
She climbed in next to Finn, and his arms automatically wrapped around her slender waist and pulled her close. She didn't tense as she normally did when Finn touched her unexpectedly; she was too relaxed for that. Marceline leaned back against Finn's chest, and he mumbled something unintelligible in her ear. She smiled.
"Love you too, Finn," she said, already nodding off to sleep.
Marceline rolled over so that she was facing Finn, and buried her face in his chest, her hands toying with his hair. She slept peacefully throughout the night for the first time in weeks.
A/N: Thanks for reading! As I am in the process of moving, my updates may be a bit slower than usual, but they'll come! Please review to tell me what you think!