"It's so…pink." Isis wrinkled her nose unhappily as the carriage bumped along the road towards the Candy Castle. It towered over the smaller houses, reminding the sickeningly cute candy people that they were merely subjects in the grand scheme of things. The towers were so high that they seemed to skewer the sky. It would have been menacing if it wasn't pink. Instead the castle looked cute and welcoming, but Isis knew better. The Candy King and Prince were anything but cute and friendly. She wondered what the Queen would be like.
"Pink happens to be a fabulous color." The sound of trotting filled her ears and Isis turned to see Gumball oh her horse riding alongside the carriage. She smiled at the sight of him and reached a hand out to poke his pink skin.
"Well, only in certain instances." Gumball flushed before his smile vanished and his wall was put up. Isis sighed. He had been like this the whole trip, even though it was just them. He was determined to keep up the charade that their relationship was strictly business, as if they hadn't been pining after each other for years. Isis shook her head slightly with a soft sigh before turning her attention to the path ahead. The carriage was pulled by snow white reindeer. They didn't need a driver. The animals were intelligent creatures who knew the land. They could go anywhere and always knew the way back to the Ice Kingdom. They were beautiful creatures and Isis would be sad to see them go. They were the last bit of the Ice Kingdom that she would see in a long while.
The jingling bells filled the air and announced their arrival to anyone who was listening. Little candy faces poked their heads out of windows and doors. The braver souls ventured outside of their homes. As they traveled down the road to the castle, more people came outside and crowded the streets. There were whispers and stares and Isis shifted uncomfortably. Isis wished Gumball was next to her again, but he had fallen back behind the carriage where he was supposed to go to avoid any suspicion. Cautiously, Isis lifted her hand in a wave. Slowly, a cheer filled the air and then everyone was screaming and shouting. The candy subjects waved energetically back at her while others hugged and laughed. Some even started dancing. Isis could only stare. This wasn't what she had expected. Isis had thought the candy subjects would hate her, after all, she was a foreign Princess coming in to take over their Kingdom. She was going to be their new Queen in two weeks time, someone they knew nothing about. Didn't that scare them? Propping her chin in her hand, Isis watched the candy subjects frolic in the streets and smiled. Just watching them almost made her forget the living hell that her life was going to become. Almost.
Too soon the carriage rolled to a stop and Isis moved to leave it. Before she could reach the door it was pulled open for her by Gumball. He held the door open, offering a hand to help her out of the carriage. She smiled softly up at him but he didn't return it. Her smile fell but she kept walking, pushing away her hurt feelings. She had to stop expecting Gumball to act like he normally would. They had roles to play now. He was the obedient stable boy and she was the happy princess, eager for her wedding day and not dreaming about running far, far away.
Walking up the stairs leading up to the massive entrance, the pink wooden door slowly opened in front of her, pulled open by banana guards. She stared at them. They weren't candy…but bananas were sweet. Maybe that was all you needed to qualify as a subject at the candy kingdom. Pulling her gaze from the guards, Isis turned to see the Candy King and Prince standing in front of a large stair case. Made of candy. Honestly, they were taking this candy thing a bit too far.
"Welcome to our home, Isis. We hope that you'll enjoy your stay here." Isis didn't enjoy the way her skin prickled. She didn't feel safe here at all, and the way J.R. was leering at her made her clutch the bag she was carrying even closer to her chest. The Candy King noticed that she was carrying her bags and his eyes grew wide. His cheeks were flushed with anger as he demanded for a servant to carry her bags. His eyes then landed on Gumball and they bulged even more.
"What are you doing here!? Get down to the stables where you belong. The other stable boys will show you where your sleeping quarters are at." And with that Gumball was dismissed. Isis sent him an alarmed look but he just shuffled obediently along. She scowled before turning back to the Candy King.
"Do not treat him like that! He is my friend!" The two guffawed, obviously amused that she would be friends with a mere servant. J.R. then walked over to her, grasping her chin again. She jerked her head away and the man laughed.
"I'm not stupid. You think of him more than just a friend. Consider your days with him numbered. You will not associate with him at all. If I see you even looking at him you will suffer the consequences. Are we understood?" Isis was about to protest but he held a finger to her lips. She resisted the urge to tear it off. Instead, she just moved her head. "Not a word out of you. You can't make demands here. This is my home and I am in control. And once you become my Queen…" He drew her close and Isis was glad none of the servants had gotten her bag yet. It was a small barrier between the two of them. "You'll be mine." He then practically flung her away and turned to leave the room as Isis almost fell to the ground . The Candy King, not impressed with his son's display, coughed loudly. J.R. turned to glare at his father.
"You are not King yet, son. Until then, I call the shots. You will escort Isis around the castle until she is familiar with her new home. Show her the gardens or something." With that said, the Candy King left the two to their own devices. J.R. rolled his eyes and sauntered back over to her. Maids scurried over and retrieved her bags before disappearing as fast as they could. The Prince then offered her his left arm. Isis looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't flatter yourself. If I actually liked you I would offer my right arm." At her blank look J.R. rolled his eyes. "Nevermind, you obviously don't know your history." Isis glared. She hadn't even been here for ten minutes and she had already been manhandled and threatened. She shook her head and placed her hand on his arm only to push it down. He looked confused for just a moment before it turned into annoyance. "What?" He demanded impatiently, clearly wanting to get going. Isis rolled her eyes and thumped him in the middle of his head.
"We have to look like we love each other, remember? So give me your right arm." Rubbing his head the Prince glared at her.
"No, it's my arm." Exasperated, Isis walked around him and grabbed his right arm before she started walking. With a groan J.R. followed. She shook her head. Clearly she would have to teach him a thing or two about acting. After all, she did get through her whole life without people knowing that she hated her brother. Against her will she remembered her farewell with her brother the night before. Isis had been acting like she hadn't been glad to leave her Luke, but he had been unbearably tearful. He had wrapped her in an embrace and didn't let go for a long time. Luke had truly been sad that she was going to leave. It had been awkward and only made her more than eager to depart. Now she would live through a thousand of those hugs than be here at the Candy Kingdom.
"Besides," she said while they walked to get rid of the memory "people don't even think about something silly like that." There was a silence and Isis glanced over at him. J.R. was staring at her and Isis frowned. Did she have something on her face? She put a hand to her cheek and he chuckled.
"Sorry. I think that was the first time you didn't insult me." Isis lowered her hand with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh please. It wasn't exactly a nice thing to say. Now where are we going?" She had no idea where she was heading and J.R. showed no inclination of leading the way. He seemed to remember that he was supposed to be showing her around and began to guide her through the labyrinth of halls. Isis tried to keep track of all the twists and turns they made, but soon she was hopelessly lost. She stopped trying to pay attention and just started to enjoy the scenery. Every now and then they passed a window that allowed her to glimpse the kingdom outside the castle walls. The cute candy buildings were filled with people and the town seemed to be in full swing. Isis started to wonder what all the preparations were for when she remembered that her 'grand wedding' was in two weeks time. The thought dampened her mood and she turned away from the windows. The pair had been walking in silence for a long time, J.R. stealing glances at her every now and again.
"I've never seen you so quiet. Well, heard, I guess." Isis raised an eyebrow at him. He frowned. "What? I can't make an observation?" The princess snorted and lifted her head high. She couldn't believe it! He was actually trying to be nice! Or was she reading too much into it? Either way, she wouldn't fall for it.
"Well I preferred it when you were quiet." Isis retorted. She was about to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and froze. Tucking her hair behind her ear? Really? She only lapsed into that habit when she was nervous or when she was comfortable. Obviously she wasn't nervous…Isis lowered her hand and refused to look at J.R. Comfortable around this brute? As if! She heard him scoff and they fell back into silence again. In a few minutes they were outside in the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. There were splashes of color everywhere and Isis just stood at the garden entrance, riveted. J.R. laughed at her expression.
"You act like you've never seen a garden before!" When Isis continued to stare, realization dawned in his face. She was glad she didn't have to explain something obvious to the Candy Prince. She was from a Kingdom made entirely of ice. Virtually no plants could thrive in the climate she lived in, and the ones that did were nowhere near as a vibrant green as the plants surrounding her. She took a tentative step outside but then leaped back. She had stepped on the green stuff on the ground! Did she kill it? J.R. chuckled and held a hand out to her. She glared at his extended hand and he slowly took it back. Being laughed at for her ignorance was not something she particularly enjoyed. "Calm down. You can't kill grass by stepping on it." At her confused look J.R. gestured at the ground. So that was grass? Peering at the strange phenomenon, Isis shrugged before taking off her shoes and stepping on the grass. It was soft and plush beneath her feet and Isis smiled. Her arms were held out warily, prepared to jump away if the blades of grass cut into her feet. She looked up at J.R., who was watching her with an amused expression, and grinned.
"This is so cool!" J.R. shook his head and extended his hand again. Isis was about to refuse it again once more when she saw a couple gardeners tending to some of the plants. One of them glanced in their direction and Isis wrinkled her nose before reluctantly taking J.R.'s hand. They had to keep up appearances right? Though she wondered what the Prince's game was. When she had arrived at the castle she had been welcomed with threats and groping hands, but now…It seemed like he was playing nice. Isis wasn't naïve enough to think he was turning over a new leaf. Regardless, it was a nice change. She still didn't like him though.
"C'mon," He said, "I have something to show you." She followed him through the garden. All the while she was pointing out flowers. They had every kind imaginable in the Candy Kingdom garden. All the while J.R. kept throwing her weird looks and after awhile she couldn't take it anymore.
"What?" She demanded angrily and he continued to stare. "What?" She asked again and stopped walking. He shook his head and tugged her along again.
"It's just weird that you had no idea what grass was yet you can practically name every flower in this garden." Isis scowled and looked away.
"Since Luke was always being trained to become the new King of the Ice Kingdom, I had a lot of free time okay? So I spent almost every day in the library."
"Awwww. You did you hate not being the center of attention?" The tone he used was clearly mocking and Isis glared at him. She had let her guard down, letting him see a glimpse of her life and this was the thanks she got? Isis stiffened and threw her wall back up. J.R. only laughed again and she gritted her teeth. Well at least he was back to normal. She wasn't sure how to act around the nice version of the Candy Prince.
"Weren't you going to show me something?" She reminded him and J.R. waved her away dismissively. Isis sucked her teeth and glared at him. Before she knew it they came to a stop and Isis looked around, not sure what she was supposed to see. "Okay…what are you showing me here?" They were in front of a white rose bush, and behind it, there was a beautifully crafted white gazebo. Looking over at J.R., he gestured to the ground and she looked down. There was a plaque on the ground that she had missed and she kneeled down to see it.
Here rests Lolli: a loving mother and an adored Queen.
Isis gently brushed her fingers across the golden surface of the plaque. His mother had passed? When? Why didn't she know this? Was that really the most important thing on her mind? She looked up at J.R. who was gazing at the rose bush. His face held only sorrow and Isis felt her heart twinge. Maybe they had more in common than she thought. She got to her feet and reached out to grasp his hand before stopping herself. Was this a part of his game too? He had been mocking her only moments before. But…She looked back at the plaque. It glinted in the dying sunlight. What could he possibly gain from showing her his mother's grave? Sympathy? Pity? Those were the only things she felt as she looked up at the Prince.
"I'm sorry about your mom…" It was such a cliché response, but it was all she had. Words could not fill the void a loss of a loved one left. It was only actions that remained, and even if she wanted to, Isis couldn't love him the way he needed. J.R. gazed at her for a moment. Even with his shaggy hair and rugged beard, Isis couldn't shake the feeling that he looked so familiar, but from where? He then shook his head and the resemblance ended. Only J.R. stood in front of her.
"That's what everyone else says…I thought you might say something different." Isis looked away, still at a loss of what to say. She touched his arm but he only stiffened. "C'mon. I'll show you to your room." He then strode away and Isis hurried after him. She stayed a couple paces behind him as they walked in silence. She felt bad for not being able to soothe him, but comforting others wasn't something she did on a regular basis. And…he thought that she could connect with him since both of their mothers had died, but that wasn't the case. J.R.'s mother, Lolli, must have died recently, leaving a wound behind in their Kingdom, a wound deep enough that they had wanted to find a Queen as soon as possible. Isis, even though she had lost her mother, couldn't understand their grief. She hadn't even known her mother. The only things she knew about the Ice Queen was from her father's memories and the paintings that decorated her castle. In a way, Isis had never lost her mother in the first place. If she had never known her, then how could she ever lose her?
They reached Isis's new room and J.R. threw open her door. It slammed against the wall, scaring the peppermint maid that was cleaning the floors.
"O-Oh! I'm sorry your Highness! I thought I had more time to—"
"What are you still doing here? You were supposed to be done cleaning this room by the time Princess Isis came to retire to her room!" Isis, if it had been a servant of her own, would have been annoyed, but not furious. Obviously the small candy woman had been misinformed and, after all, they had returned from walking around the castle much earlier than planned. Isis wrinkled her nose at what she was going to do, but it had to be done. Honestly, she was touching him too much today.
Isis reached out and gently laid a hand on his arm. Startled at the contact, J.R. stopped his tirade to glance at her. "It's alright J.R., she didn't know, and we came back really early." He narrowed his eyes at her and grabbed her roughly by the arm, dragging her outside the room and shutting the door behind them.
"I am going to tell you this one time: when I am speaking to my servants, never interrupt me. You might be the new Queen, but I am still the King." He snarled and Isis glared up at him, feeling an odd sense of relief. This was the man she knew how to act around. The other J.R., the strange man that actually paid attention and tried to connect with her was foreign and unpredictable. She couldn't control the situation there, but here, this was what she knew.
"No, you listen! You aren't King yet, and even when I am your Queen, the last person I'm going to be listening to is you!" She snarled back and, in response, he shoved her against the wall. Isis collided with a loud thud that knocked the wind out of her. When she was finally oriented again Isis saw that J.R. had firmly planted his hands on either side of her head, leaning down so that he towered over her, his face was only inches from her own. Instead of backing off like she wanted to, Isis stood her ground as she remembered her vow she had made the night before she came to this wretched place. She remembered how powerless she had felt and found strength in that.
"You don't seem to understand the concept that you are mine. You will do what I say, no questions asked. Don't make me repeat myself, dearie. That will only make me angrier." His expression turned into a sneer as Isis remained tight lipped. Despite the anger that flared up in her chest, Isis knew she couldn't do anything about it. In the Ice Kingdom she could at least perform simple spells, but at the Candy Kingdom she couldn't even do that. She was starting to think that she couldn't keep up with her vow, not without the crown. Wait. The crown! If she could somehow obtain the crown, maybe she could get out of this arranged marriage!
J.R., not liking that he was so easily forgotten, slammed one of his hands against the wall, jarring her. Isis glared at the Prince and shoved him away. "Back off you sleaze-ball!" Things probably would've escalated, the fury in J.R.'s eyes was foreshadowing enough, if the peppermint maid hadn't poked her head out of the room. Seeing the scene, the maid squeaked loudly enough from them to hear and J.R. jumped away from her like she had some sort of disease.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—" The peppermint maid's squeaky voice stammered wildly as she tried to look anywhere else but at the two royals. Isis realized that how they were positioned made it look like J.R. had taken out his anger with her in…other ways. Making a quick decision, Isis allowed tears to well up in her eyes. She was disappointed at how easily they came. At the sight of her tears, the peppermint maid seemed to find some resolve deep within herself and stomped over to Isis, taking her hand.
"Prince J.R.! That is no way to treat a lady! If you wish to find Princess Isis, come back tomorrow. She's tired from her long journey and needs to rest." Her voice carried a finality that only mother's could carry and Isis smiled gratefully at the small candy woman. J.R. trembled with ill concealed anger. Obviously he did not take the interruption lightly, especially from a servant. Isis decided it was time for some improvisation. She rushed forward into the Prince's arms and brought her lips to his ear.
"You're not acting as well as you did earlier. You almost had me fooled." She whispered, referring to his charade in the garden, before burying her face into the crook of his neck with a few sobs. "Please! Don't be mad! I just didn't want the maid to get in trouble for a decision I made! I wanted to go to sleep early since I was so tired, it's not fair to blame her when she thought she had more time to clean!" When Isis looked up at him, her eyes were misty as her lower lip trembled for the full effect. Isis thought she was coming on a little strong, but the maid had no idea how she really acted around others. J.R., after an initial scowl, followed along smoothly. He wrapped his arms around her before holding her at arm's length, his face filled with chagrin and a touch of regret. She would have to commend him on his acting skills later.
"I'm sorry dear. I forgot myself. I just wanted everything to be perfect when you arrived." He lightly caressed her face with the back of his hand and Isis had to force the image of him back-handing her out of her head. His eyes then darted over to the maid and he let Isis go. He bowed deeply in front of the maid and it had the desired effect. The peppermint maid gasped, her hand over her mouth, as she tried to process what was happening before her eyes. "I am sorry peppermint maid. Please forgive my rudeness and help my fiancé get to bed. Have her ready for breakfast tomorrow at ten a.m. sharp." The maid straightened and curtsied.
"Of course Your Highness! She will be ready!" The small woman looked determined, as if J.R. had given her a new mission in life. She then scuttled back inside, ushering Isis back in with her. The princess tossed one last glance over her shoulder. J.R.'s expression was hidden by shadow as he stood, watching them. Isis had a sinking feeling that he wouldn't leave anytime soon. Seems like she had left one prison for another.