With the sky dying into evening, and the crew covered in mud, the three of them decided to bathe in a nearby stream and call it a day. Once they were dry, they started a fire and ate the sandwiches that the Ice King had made. Jake was suspicious of them at first, but after he sniffed them, he deemed the food fit for consumption. The boys tore into them, gulping down the halves in a matter of seconds. The Ice King only ate a couple of bites before giving up on eating all together. He put his food back into its paper bag, and stared at the fire, his face furrowing in concern.

"What's up, Ice King?" Jake asked, his mouth full.

"Yeah, you not hungry?"

Ice King looked up, "I guess I filled up on mud. Hehe... Hm."

"Don't stress, we'll get your crown back," Finn assured him.

"I know, I know," he said, patting his hand in the air, "I'm just getting this weird feeling."

"What kind of feeling?" asked Jake.

Ice King just ran his hands down his cheeks, stretching them out, and let out a frustrated "Hrrm," and said, "Don't worry about it. Once we get my crown, it'll be all sweet."

Finn put his sandwiches away for tomorrow, while Jake continued.

"How long have you gone not wearing your crown?" asked Finn out of curiosity.

"This is the longest in quite a while," he answered, drawing circles in the dirt.

"Does it... make you feel any different?" the boy asked.

"What? Well, I guess my head feels lighter not lugging all that gold around," the Ice King murmured, rubbing his hand over his head, "but I miss the weight."

Jake gave Finn a curious expression, not sure where he was going with this, but he ignored it.

"Nothing else?"

Ice King looked at Finn directly, frowning, "Whaddya want me to say?"

Finn put his hands out and shook them, "Nothing, nothing."

Ice King abruptly stood up, and walked over to Finn, and snatched his hat off. Finn gave little resistance, and brought his hands up to his head in protest. His hair was down to his shoulders now. Jake took this assault seriously.

"Dude!" he said protectively.

"Calm your farm," Ice King told him, "Finn and I are doing an empathy exercise."

Jake collected himself, while Finn just looked up at the Ice King, his long goblin nose pointing directly at him.

"Well?" Ice King said.

Finn frowned, "Well what?"

"What's it like not having your hat?"

Finn pursed his lips as he thought. "I dunno. Weird. I've always worn my hat."

Ice King tossed it lightly back at Finn, who raced to catch it. He hobbled back over to his spot, thought about sitting down, then looked over to the pile of sticks.

"I'm going to get extra kindling," he said pleasantly, "I'll be right back."

When he disappeared off in the distance, Finn pulled his hat back on. Jake's gaze fell on Finn, and settled there. When Finn noticed his bro's eyes on him, he looked over to him, waiting for him to say something.

"You shouldn't bother with stuff like that, buddy," said Jake.

"He probably used to be not-so-nuts, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. But, you're still a kid. That heavy stuff will just mess you up. Best let sleeping ogres lie."

His voice solemn, Finn said, "Alright."

More silence in a silent forest.

Jake began patting his head, "All this talk about hats makes me want one."

Finn chuckled, "You've got heaps. You just never wear them again."

"Oh, oh yeah."

Finn looked back to the fire, where his expression fell. He felt defeated. There are just some things in the world that heroes can't fix by shouting battle cries and sweeping swords at.