Two years of my life had been devoted to finding a cure for my mother's condition, and I had never had such a dismal lack of progress in any previous scientific undertaking. I'd tried every method I knew, and several ones I'd invented. I pumped a slide of her cells full of zanoids to see if they grew. I exposed another slide to a beneficial mutation of the formula I used to turn candy people into zombies. I made her a tiny head dress with growing properties and gave her a whopping love hug. I built a stretching machine. Nothing worked.

I had to keep trying even harder than I was before, though (if that was even possible). Now, not only was my mother running out of time, but so was I.

Unless I could find a cure within the next month, I would have to marry the Ice King.

I thought about when Gunter waddled into my castle the previous day. I had no idea how he got in, but I later found all my guards tied up. Apparently he was a black belt penguin.

"Quaaa!" he squawked, handing me an envelope.

Knowing it was from the Ice King, I rolled my eyes and tore open the envelope. In loopy calligraphy that shimmered like ice was a wedding invitation. To my own wedding!

I threw it aside and walked back towards my lab, "I don't have time for this! Tell your master that he's out of his flippin' psycho mind and to leave me alone!"

"Oh, I wouldn't reject me so quickly if I were you…" said the excited, croaking, mad voice of the Ice King behind me.

I whirled around to see him floating in my window and yelled, "Oh yeah? And why is that, you creeper?"

He nonchalantly examined his fingernails and said slyly, "Because, Princess, I have something that you desperately want- and the only way I'll give it to you is if you give it to me." His eyes lingered on the lower half of my body.

I shuddered and threw Gunter at him, who let out a soft squawk of surprise, "Nothing you could offer me would make me want to marry you, Ice King! What are you gonna do- keep me in a slightly bigger cage? Have your place smell less like penguins? Actually wear pants every once in a while? Yeah, no thanks."

"No!" he shouted defensively, "Although I suppose all those things could be arranged if you like that sort of stuff…"

"Whatevs, bye Ice King." I waved and started to walk up the stairs. His next words stopped me, though.

"I have a cure for your mother." he said slowly.

Without turning I said, "You're lying. How would you have it? I've been looking for it for 2 years."

"You've been looking in the wrong places, Princess."

"And what are the right places?" I asked, smiling at him sweetly when I turned around.

He gave a loud, maniacal laugh, "Like I'm going to tell you that! Look, just marry me and I'll give it to her."

"Forget it!" I shouted, slashing my hand through the air, "I'll find the cure myself!"

"I thought you cared for your mother. I heard she's running out of time."

I was speechless. He was right. Just this morning when I saw her she could barely sit up. What good was I doing in my research? Nothing. If I did marry the Ice King it might just make the difference if she lived or died.

He could see my resolve disintegrating, flew towards me, and brought my chin up with his cold, sharp fingers. I was forced to look into the mad, controlling smile that bore into me. I thought about the eyes I'd rather be looking into. How many times had I thought about Finn's smiling blue eyes someday looking at me again? He would be very hurt by the decision I was about to make, but I didn't even know if he was still alive. It had been 6 months since I received a letter from him.

I jerked my head out of the Ice King's grasp as tears pooled up in my eyes.

"I accept your proposal, Ice King." I said flatly.

"Wonderful!" he floated up clapping joyously, oblivious to my grief. "I'll prepare my kingdom and we will be wed in one month!"

"Ok, fine, just give my mom the cure!"

"Nuh-uh, Princess, not so fast!" he said, waggling his finger at me, "If I do it now you'll find some way to get away from me. Your mom can last another month."

I breathed rapidly as tears fell from my face. It took all of my restraint not to strangle him.

"Until our wedding night, Princess." he whispered, blowing a kiss towards me. Then he was gone.

I fell to my knees in the dark tower, paralyzed with dread. I didn't let myself to wallow in self-pity too long, though. I had to return to the lab and work twice as hard to find a cure. That was the only way out.

I would have given anything for a letter from Finn that day.