Chapter IV

Finn rubbed his cheek where the Flame Princess had just kissed him. Just like when we first met. He thought. Shaking himself out of his little trance he looked back to Princess Bubblegum.

"S-so. uh, Princess, where exactly does this Rigid guy live?" Finn asked through a flustered expression.

Princess Bubblegum glared at the sky for a moment before turning to Finn with a downhearted expression. "I don't know, Finn."She began. "He supposedly lives in a forest that exists underground, but I haven't the likeliest of ideas where it might be. Had I known, I'd have confronted him about his thieving long ago."

Though the Princess' tone was dower and sorrowful, Finn's expression was one of excitement and glee. "Say PB, do you think this place might be dangerous?" he asked.

Princess Bubblegum's eyes grew wide. "Finn, I know what you're thinking. I don't thi-"

"Too late Peebles! I'm gonna find this guy, brave his forest, and get the low-down on what he's doing with your junk!"

"Finn, that's really not necessa-", Princess Bubblegum tried to reason with Finn, but he had already made up his mind, and had darted down the stairs before she could get another word in.

Princess Bubblegum looked on as she saw Finn exit her fair city, and though she normally would've cracked a bashful smirk at her hero's exuberance, her face only grew dimmer. Is it true? She thought. Has Finn forgotten me so easily for that other princess? She was so terribly conflicted by this.

She had thought she was over Finn after she had turned eighteen again. She hoped he would eventually forget about her so she could rule her kingdom without her affections or his distracting her. But now that it's happened, she could only think of how much she missed being thirteen with Finn.

Being young and playful, and being with the boy of her dreams. She had assumed that turning eighteen again would diminish such childish feelings, but it only did little to repress them. She would forever scorn that accursed Earl of Lemongrab. Feeling confused and sorrowful, she could only retreat to her lab to collect her thoughts.

Saffron couldn't help but feel mildly giddy as she flew home from the candy Kingdom. If that Princess didn't get the message before, I'm sure she does now. She realized that she was perhaps being a bit protective of Finn, especially since weren't actually involved, but she honestly didn't enjoy the idea of other girls flirting with him while he was so very clearly infatuated with her. Her actions might have been a bit bold, but she got the point across.

As she flew, she began noticing the signs that she was returning home; the red sky, volcanic rock replacing grass and soil, and of course, the Fiery denizens going about their business as peacefully as one could in the hectic nation that was the Fire Kingdom.

This saddened the Flame Princess.

She knew that all of the Fire Kingdom's citizens were afraid of her, as they should be considering her destructive nature.

But, she didn't enjoy being feared. She didn't enjoy being scary and destructive, but she just couldn't control her anger.

Finn once told her something. 'You're not evil, you're just passionate.'

That comforted her more than anything anyone else had said to her. With that pleasant thought, her trip home became slightly more enjoyable. Unfortunately, what she found upon reentering the castle was not nearly as enjoyable.

"D-daddy!" Yes, the Fire King, the Flame princess' father and evil monarch of the fire kingdom, sat in his throne before his daughter.

"Hello, daughter." He was clearly very unhappy. "The council meeting ended early today. When I found you absent from the castle, I asked the squire where you had gone. Imagine my surprise when he told me that you'd been leaving the castle on a regular basis, and assumed you were doing so under my orders." The King's anger grew more with every word. "Tell me daughter, where have you been heading off to these past few weeks?"

Flame Princess was worried. She was intimidated. But for whatever reason, she wasn't scared. She knew it was a bad idea, she knew it would probably get her killed, and she knew that it would substantially change her life. She was going to stand up to her father.