Chapter 4: Through Candy Walls
"What the cabbage am I getting myself into?" Bubblegum murmured to herself as she crept through the dim halls of the slumbering castle. She carried a hefty purple pack on her back, wearing tight fitting violet pants and a dark magenta hoodie. Earlier that night after going to the royal archive, she had gone to her lab collecting only small devices and a few notes, then back to her chamber where she packed essential clothing items and toilettes. She had purposely left the royal crown sitting on a pillow atop her bed with a note hastily written to the candy citizens. The note told that something of great importance had come to her attention and needed to be addressed. It explained that she apologized for having to leave in this manner, but it was something she needed to do on her own before she could rule this kingdom. It was her responsibility to understand the past in order to properly rule the future, she believed. It stated she would be back and not to worry. Peppermint would probably lose his sugar cubes when he'd come with her morning tea and send the message immediately to the elders, who would in turn, fallowing procedure, would send an alert of her disappearance across the Land of Ooo. The pink teen knew this was not exactly the best or most intelligent approach to the situation, but also knew she might not ever find answers if she did not leave now.
The moon's gleam fell through each window Bubblegum passed creating small spaces of light on the palace floor. She moved quickly, but stealthily down a flight of stairs stopping at its end to ensure no one was coming. Nervously she wiped her brow pushing her gummy locks from her eyes, she had never left the Kingdom walls unattended. She held a small leather bound book to her chest as she silently panted. Her reason for her sudden departure was ridiculous and lacked logic, but she felt there had to be something to it if her faithful butler had revealed it to her.
The princesses stood expressionless for a long while after the peppermint man had departed. Slowly she collected her self and turned to walk down the high arched corridor. She was in some sort of strange calm and for once was having trouble forming logical thoughts. Reaching her door, she clasped the hard-candy nob and found herself unable to turn it. Snapping, the pink teen suddenly bolted down the hallway past the elevator to spiraling staircase. Holding tight to its candy cane rails she sprinted down, almost falling several times. She needed to know what was in that book. With her excitement building, the monarch continued hastily down two others just as she had the first, but as she exited the second to last staircase, she slammed hard against something. Catching herself on the sugar walls to avoid falling, her plum eyes met a pair of harsh ruby ones. An elder apart of the royal court stood stiff with a grim expression, her back bent and crooked from age. This court member had once been a vibrantly blue colored lollipop, but now was slightly grey and stern in manner.
Princess Bonnibel, watch your manner, you could've incapacitated me. What sort of princess foolishly runs about her kingdom? Humph, ungrateful child. All the royal guidance we give you is going to such waste..." The old woman sneered, leaning against her red striped cane and glaring sourly at the young ruler, "Where are you running off to at this hour? It's bad enough that incompetent butler of yours allows you to occupy that laboratory all day."
The sweating princess had to stifle the negative words that wanted to pour out of her mouth and forced a painful smile at the older candy.
"Oh, I apologize Duchess. I was in a hurry to get down to the royal library because…uh, I forgot my handkerchief." she sputtered, blushing and ringing her hands together. She was an absolutely terrible liar, but continued nonetheless, "You know you said a lady should never be caught without one."
"That is correct…" the ancient candy spoke eyeing the teen suspiciously, "Well…continue your pursuit in a more lady-like manner. Goodnight Bonnibel." She spat dropping the princess's title and turning back to her slow and agonizing march up the sugar stone stairs. The pink monarch was fuming, who did she think she was that old, stale patoot? She resumed her pace down the next flight of stairs not looking back at the elder whatsoever. That stale candy would have to respect her when she turned eighteen, but for now it was not worth the fight. Disregarding her
annoyance, she stepped off the final step and found herself in an unlit hall; she could feel her pulse rising again. They had turned the lights off on this floor because generally no one used it after six (besides herself when she snuck down). Stretching her hand to graze the walls edge she guided herself to the towering, medieval styled dark chocolate doors that stood just up the candy walkway. Urgently pressing against one of the doors, it creaked open with a low whine, and the girl peaked in.
The large room was filled with soft moonlight that traveled in waves over each of bookcases making shadowy caves in between them. High arching ceilings reflected light onto the swirling mint floor, chocolate tables and blown sugar vases. She always had loved this library. It was her a refuge of safety- well at least before she had the lab. When her royal tutors or even the court were cruel to her she'd escape here to hide, reading whatever she could distract herself with. She sighed noiselessly, having no time to reminisce and admire its beauty, the princess entered the grand room, closed the squeaking door behind her and immediately headed for the back shelves that faced the windows. She noted the largeness of the golden moon, attributing it to the lunar cycles she had studied recently. Rolling a ridiculously elevated library ladder to her desired shelf, she scaled up its sturdy steps. Once she had reached the top shelf, she noted it was covered with a thick layer of dust and weighted with dense, antique books. Her shadow created a long stripe of darkness below her leaking down the chocolate bookcases facing the lofty mullion windows. Precariously balancing on the edge of the second step from the top, her gaze moved steadily up the pile of volumes catching view of a small leather bound book placed at the top. Almost slipping from her fervor, she shivered as she seized the little book and practically slid back down the candy cane ladder. The Princess sat down eagerly on the windows edge and went to open the first page of the book. Pausing, she stared down at the sun bleached cover, her expression grew tense.
"A book of poems…" The pink monarch muttered her face faltering with a bewildered expression, "How much information could I truly gain from a book of poems…" Opening the album, she realized it was hand written and in an extremely fragile state, baring water stained pages and cracking glue binding. Turning from the first illegible page, which appeared to be a letter of some sort the rosy monarch found the first poems title.
"Mushroom Clouds…" She whispered shudders running up her spine as she continued to read.
Bubblegum had finally escaped the expansive palace undetected out of a floor leveled window and now waited in the shadows of a royal storehouse. Breathing heavily, she held the volume of poems to her chest. She was waiting for a chance to slip into the wagon of candy fruit that she knew was being shipped out of the kingdom; she'd checked the schedule that hung just on the bordering wall to be in-time. She had already slipped her pack into the filled carriage to assure the shift in weight would not be completely noticeable. The monarchs could hear her heart beat in her ears as a cherry gumdrop walked directly in front of her, unaware of her presence. She noted that whenever she arrived back from this expedition she would really need to invest in some kind of security cameras for the castles facilities, if it was this easy for an young girl such as herself to slip in and out. After shortly inspecting each of the wheels and taking a candy apple from the bunch, the carter hopped into the drivers seat behind the taffy horses. It was then that Princess Bubblegum took her chance, swiftly and silently jumping into the back of the wagons covered load. Somehow the gumdrop did not notice the larger then calculated sift in weight. Maybe this candy citizen was just especially oblivious. Apples stems prodded one of her eyes and sides as she adjusted herself into a laying position in the back of the now slowly moving cart. It was terribly uncomfortable, but she knew it was the only logical way out of the kingdom without being discovered. A tan tarp lay over her and the red fruit as she rested the ancient book on her chest, reaching for her hoodies pocket. Feeling the familiar roughness of the metal charm she breathed somewhat easier. As the fruit stirred against her body with the movement of the cart, she grew certain that she would find the answers she needed outside the kingdom's candy walls.