CHAPTER 4

In the grasslands surrounding lush forest three friends and two travelers recuperated and plotted. The sun was finally making its decent into the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant orange, violets and pinks. The moment would have been perfect if not for other more pressing matters on the group's thoughts.

Jake tenderly wrapped his human brother's lumped up head in a bandage before the boy replaced his bearskin hat over his messy blonde locks. Cake lay at Finn's side as she licked the cuts her arms had suffered during Marshall Lee's rampage. Said vampire and Vampire Queen were sore, but already healed due to their supernatural demon blood. Marceline sat eagerly on her knees as she discussed recent revelations with her male counterpart. She had him in rapt silence as he rubbed his hand through his ebony hair in attempt to make his brain process this discovery.

"So, wait…" the vampire boy bite his lip in concentration, "You know all about us because your Ice King… writes fan fiction about us?"

"Uh hun," Marceline grins enthusiastically.

"…"

Cake's triangle ears flick as she eavesdrops from her spot. The human and his dog watch in gripped anticipation for the vampire's reaction. On top of his being a powerful demon, his unpredictability made everyone a tad bit wary.

"Why?" Marshall Lee finally blurted out. Marceline shrugged in response, easily assuming, "He's bored I guess."

"Glad our old hag hasn't caught the writing bug," one of the cat's eyes opens.

"Do you think the Ice King's brain is on some cosmic wavelength that showed him the other side?" Jake wonders aloud.

"He may not even realize that what he's seeing is real," Finn pondered what else those wizard eyes were capable of seeing. If he perceived twisted demons and specters every waking moment, perhaps he could know all alternate realities possible. His canine companion was quietly sober at the memory of alternate worlds. He witnessed a world similar to their Ooo, but horribly twisted, one that Finn was fortunately made to forget like it had never transpired.

"Oh he thinks… no he must have known they are real," Marceline finishes.

"Who cares?!" Marshall Lee explodes, before storming off in frustration, "Fionna is stuck up there with that old pervert doing… Glob knows what," his claw furiously points to the north in approximation of the Ice Mountains.

"I doubt…" Marceline was immediately cut off.

"We're burning daylight sitting around on our buns!"

"Wasn't that the point honey? The cover of night? No sizzling vampires?" Cake rushed to Marshall Lee's side. He kept his forked tongue tight and dark eyes focused as he trudged onwards. Soon Marceline floated casually to his side, Finn and Jake noisily bringing up the rear. Cake sighed in mild frustration, raising herself up to meet the vampire eye to eye, "Listen Marshall, I know you're worried. I am too. But if their Ice King is anything like our Queen, it's best that we work together."

"King or Queen, they're both just chumps to me. And I'm not worried about Fi!"

"You are so," Marceline cackled, rolling around as she drifted forwards. The uncharacteristic blush dotted the vampires pale cheeks didn't go unnoticed by the party. So Marshall Lee resolved to snarl at the female vampire to silence her.

"Am not! I'm just itching to kick in this dumb wizards teeth in," he denied, but Marceline didn't buy it, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. That twinkle sparked in young Finn and Jake's eyes too, watching from the rear believing they saw the truth too.

Marshall Lee interpreted it as a challenge, so Cake quickly gripped his cheeks in her paws and turned his head away.

"Ngh! I will not have this started again. We're all gonna be friends here," Cake demanded in a strict mothering tone, "Marshall Lee apologize to Marceline."

"For what?"

"For picking a fight with her!"

"No!" indignantly Marshall Lee refused, sending Marceline into a new fit of giggles. Finn and Jake grinned in memory of the battle while Cake was aghast at the lot of them.

"It's cool," Marceline assured, "It was a good fight."

"Y'all are impossible," Cake slumped, thankful another conflict was averted.

The last sliver of light sank beyond the horizon by the time the adventurers reached the bass of the snow covered mountains. Hastily they raced up the slopes to the highest peak of the Ice King's home. They rushed in through the icy archway, senses heightened and weapons ready, immediately locating their goal.

The beloved missing heroine was easily located, sitting comfortably on Ice King's fur covered bed with penguin Gunter in her lap. Cake audibly sighed in relief seeing her baby sister unharmed. With fist clenched Marshall Lee prepared to deliver the butt kicking he'd promised, but pale fingers snagged his shirt collar. Marceline's normally playful eyes gazed upon him soulfully and she slightly shook her head, "chill, kay?" That look he couldn't understand, but still he lowered his stance for the vampire queen.

Fionna meanwhile, intently watched the bearded old man that those new to Ooo could only assume to be Ice King. His fingers tickled the worn keys of his electric piano and sang slightly off key,

Oh, Oh Fionna

You have touched my heart

Oh, Oh Fionna

Nothing will ever keep us apart

The feline flinched at the lyrics, surprised at how curiously familiar they sounded. Finn flinched at the poor vocalization and instead drew his demon blade, announcing their arrival, "Ice King!"

A mismatched chord echoed in the ice cavern as the king started at the arrival of his uninvited guest, "Seriously guys?"

"Fionna!" Cake rejoiced, but the human looked on placidly, unhearing.

"Oh hey," Ice King gasped at the arrival of the crème colored cat and the masculine vampire, "Cake… and Marshall Lee! I don't remember summoning you guys here... but whatever."

"You are in so much doo doo Ice King!" Jake declared while the Ice King obliviously scurried towards the stolen girl. He possessively pulled her against his shoulder, her sight never straying from him. There was no spark in her once brilliant adventurous eyes, only complacency and docile obedience.

"You lied to us… again!" Finn accused.

"I did no such thing! Fionna is meant to be here with me, isn't that right honey bunny?" the old codger found his arm empty, his Snow Princess spirited away. Urgently he circled around for his missing prize, murmuring incoherently in his panic. Finally his white wizard eyes drifted upwards to see snarling fangs and his beloved in the arms of Marshall Lee. Ice King's frown deepened as Marshall Lee guided them down and out of reach of his cold clutches, "Waitaminute. I told you no FioLee shipping this house Mr?"

Gunter squawked, throwing his flippers up in aggravation before waddling out of the way. The Vampire King barely concealed a slight blush under a horrified rising of one eyebrow. Ice King returned his attention to the party crashers, the feline sibling already fretting and smothering on her sister. Her eyes watered as she took in the state of her sister. Even though her friends and family were right in front of her, Fionna continued standing like a lifeless lump. It was almost as if she was looking at strangers.

"Oh sugar, we're here. We're taking you home," Cake stroked her long hair.

"No!" blue claws sparked with icy power.

"You can't keep her here!" Finn blocked the potential attack with his person.

"No she's mine," childishly protests the king, "we're in love and she doesn't wanna go anywhere with you stinky party poopers! Tell them, Fionna."

"I don't want to leave. I love being here with Ice King. I love…" her voice trails quietly until Marshall Lee firmly takes her shoulders and shakes her.

"Fi, what the heck? Snap out of it ya dork!"

She never cries out the more violently he jostles her or angers when he howls in her face, just like a lifeless ragdoll. Only empty eyes stare look on, seeking out her master. Everything was completely messed up, this thing… this perfect little doll… this shell was not their Fionna. Undead hands slide down her cold arms, causing the callous demon to wince at how lifeless she really was.

"What did you do?" he demanded soft and hoarse without glancing up.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" the old man paced around exasperated before his cold white eyes locked on the maiden's again, "Nothing! Nada! Zippo! Fionna stays here with me end of discussion. Fionna, come here!"

Obediently she obeyed his command, feet drawing moving readily towards the cold man. Cake's paws reach out to stop her sister's hypnotic march, but she's already stopped after just two steps. She won't budge any further with her hand tightly locked in Marshall Lee's. Still compelled forwards, but with no progress to be made, chained to an unmoving wall like the Vampire King.

"None of that!" Ice King orders, hurrying to forcibly break up the hand holding couple. Instead, Marshall Lee raises up both their hands for all to see, a smarmy smirk on his lips, "It's not me."

Marshall Lee's hand was slacken, not a participant in any hand holding. It was all Fionna, tightly gripping the underside of his wrist instead, refusing to let go. This was the human girl, the heroine of Aaa they'd come to rescue. Whatever spell that was cast on her, she was in her own way fighting it. Skillfully Marshall Lee twirled Fionna back to his side, her dress rippling gracefully, long snowflake frosted hair tangling over her shoulders.

The short dance set the Ice King into a tizzy, growling and preparing to turn the vampire into an icicle. It was a blood red blade at his nose that reminded him that there were other adversaries to contend with. With a comical cry and flying kick from Jake, the crown of power was knocked off the balding head. The royal headpiece rolled across the floor under Marceline, who scooped it up and twirled it around one finger. The Ice King murmured under his breath, but slouched down in defeat regardless.

"Ice King," Fionna whimpered, twisting her shoulders feebly to squirm out of Marshall Lee's grip. His chest growls softly in an attempt to quiet her struggles, only to have her retaliate with a sharp heel to his shin. Readjusting his hold, he levitated them up just a few inches so she'd lose some leverage.

"Undo whatever spell you've cast wizard," he demanded. Expectably he refused and denied knowing of any spell. It was becoming exceedingly irritating to play his game, but Marceline expertly kept her cool. No one here knew or remembered, but she'd been dealing with the Ice King's nonsense longer than anyone in Ooo.

Marceline scrutinized to girl with rapt interest, receiving a complacent stare in return. Her claws slither gently under the girls chin, turning her head left than right. She exhales a curious sigh, furrowing her brow as she stumbles upon a discovery. There's doubt in her mind, that there's anyway the feeble old man could achieve anything of this magnitude. Regardless Marceline draws in a deep breath around her, drawing in the essence that is the girl, much like her devil father devours souls.

No aura of her human soul appears.

"Simon, what did you do?" she straightens, even though she has the answer. Her male counterpart has the answer too, tightly squeezing his fingers into the girl's flesh, "You removed her soul?"

"No I didn't," Ice King persistently denies.

"No, it's sealed," the vampire queen corrects, "She'd be a pile of blubbering goo otherwise."

"Seems pretty gooey to me," Jake frowned. Marceline's own frown deepens as she turns to the cornered king.

"How did you learn to seal her soul? How did you even bring her here? This is way beyond you," to emphasize her point she waves the crown about, "Tell us!"

"Don't wanna," Ice King shifts and wiggles behind the duo guarding him.

"Ice King!" Finn's blade taps the tip of his blue nose. His shaggy white brow knits tighter, resolved not to reveal any secrets. "How did you do it?"

"I don't remember," his final refusal brings Marshall Lee to action. Carefully passing Fionna to Cake, he fluidly shifts his form, morphing into a large winged monster. Before Marceline can thwart him, the vampire king has the old man pinned to the cavern. Shards of ice break loose, tinkling and shattering against the ground. The vampire kings friendly advice in not so much, "Than start thinking."

"Cripes," Marceline curses, dividing her focus between Ice King, Marshall Lee and the now struggling Fionna. Her whining protests are quite irritating, if not a bit sad as she loyally attempts to reach her imperiled king. Orange and white arms stretch and loop tighter around her, and attempt to soothe her with calming words.

"Fionna, help," Ice King pleads, angering the vampire enough to add more pressure to his already constricted windpipe. It wouldn't take much to extinguish the old wizard's life Marshall Lee knows. There is no mercy for those that cross the vampire king, especially not this tiresome old fool, probably not even his world's Ice Queen. Still something holds him back, and it's not the fact Marceline is trying to pry his arm away from the Ice King's throat.

"You're not going to get anything that way," Marceline insists, instead being easily flung into an adjacent wall. Quick to right herself, she flips her dark locks out of her way, cursing the arrogance of this doppelganger. Her form steadily morphs into an equally gruesome form to match and hopefully exceed her alternate self's strength.

"Why can't you leave us alone?" Ice King wailed, "I… she's happy, we're happy!"

"Of course she's is, because you told her to be!" Marshall Lee snarls, suddenly releasing his captive. The sudden release causes Marceline pause, hoping that a repeat of the days earlier rampage is not necessary.

The old king slumps down onto the floor, coughing but quick to scramble away from the angered creature. Still he tries to get the last word in, "Fionna and I love…"

"That thing is not Fionna!" Marshall Lee gestured back wildly. His head drops down, messy black locks covering his demon eyes. The cavern becomes eerily silent. Fionna's whimpering protest have ceased, her eyes finding her reflection on the icy floor.

"That thing is just an empty shell. A living doll without a soul that just does and says whatever you want. You took away everything that makes Fionna… Fionna. So, no… you don't get to talk about love and Fionna, you dirty old freak."

This time there are no protests from the kidnapper of princesses, and maybe, just maybe the slightest hint of guilt. He regresses against the wall, pulling his knees to his chest like a child being punished in the corner. Marceline gently places a hand on Marshall Lee's shoulder, showing a fanged but kind smile. She than turns to the Ice King, calmly imploring, "You don't want that right, Simon? You want the real Fionna, not a fake? So tell us what you did?"

Begrudgingly, the king finally loosens his tongue, "It was a wish granter. He lives in a hidden temple on an island that's not on any map somewhere to the north. He granted my wish for Fionna."

"And that's all? You just wished for Fionna?"

"Yeah, that's all."

"What were your exact words?" Marceline pressed, bodily putting herself between the king's of Ice and Vampires. He murmurs thoughtfully to himself, gathering his thoughts to recall, "I um… I wished for Fionna to be here, to be mine and mine alone. Body and soul."

"Then where's her soul at than Ice King?" Finn questioned. It was like pulling teeth getting anything usable out of the old geezer.

"I don't know!" he vehemently insisted, "This is how she was the minute she got here. I thought… I thought…"

The wizard trailed off absently, unable or unwilling to continue that thought. With a heavy sigh Marceline gathered the group to the center of the room, "I guess that's it."

"But how do we fix this?" Cake implored only to receive a shrug.

"Will take her to Princess Bubblegum," Finn spoke confidently, "PB will know what to do. PB can fix anything."

***BREAK***

"I can't fix this," Bubblegum, monarch of the vast Candy Kingdom admitted unhappily. It had been hours since they'd left the Ice Kingdom and its king to wallow in his own self loathing and pity. They were thankful that Fionna seemed a bit more willing to go along especially after Marceline promised that once she was better they could go see the Ice King again. It was nothing short of bizarre, watching the teenage girl regress to something so childlike, innocent and trusting. There must have been more to the wish than Ice King would or could let on. Maybe her soul was literally attached to him or maybe it was somewhere else completely to keep her at this level of semi-functionality. What was important now though, was learning how to make it whole again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't even begin to understand the complexities of separating a soul from a body. Much less that of a human being. Really souls should be more of your thing Marceline."

The princess glanced over at the human girl, sitting patiently on the hospital bed. Though her hair was still tied up in pigtails, her princess dress had been changed to a simple hospital gown. Her older feline sister held her hand while she absently stroked the cat's soft fur, much like she'd been doing for the penguins. Finn and Jake looked on with worried anticipation, while Marshall Lee found himself a dark corner to brood in.

"I would love to agree with you Peebs, but I can't even draw her soul out to put it back. I'm not even sure my dad could," Marceline admits, seeing the eager looks amended, "I am not calling him here either to try."

Thoughtful silence filled the room.

"What if we take her to the wish granter?" Finn humbly suggested. It seemed like the clearest path to a solution. If this wish granter was the cause of this whole episode, than certainly they could unwish it. Never mind that they didn't know who or what the wish granter was, where he was, if he was even still there and what dangers had to be overcome to get there. Not that danger was any concern for these seasoned adventurers.

"Un-uh," Cake sat up in protest, "Not with my baby sister like this."

"She certainly seems unstable," Bubblegum agreed. The point was proven when Fionna asked with anxious concern, "Are we going to see the Ice King soon?"

"No, not yet sweetie," her sister rubbed her paws across her hand. That frozen jerk did quite a number on her, altering her personality so severely and basically making himself a lifeline to her.

"Then we bring the wish granter to her," Jake suggested next. That seemed the most logical next step, but both vampires's frowned deeply.

"Just trek off blindly for an island to the north, that's not on any map and may not even be there?" Marshall Lee rained on their proverbial parade.

"Well there's that," Marceline recognized the obstacles, but really, what kind of vampire didn't love a challenge? Weren't the lot of them adventurers here? "But you haven't contributed any other ideas yet, have you Mr. Broody McBrooder?"

"Don't call me that," he warned.

"Stop brooding."

"Whatever."

"It's settled," Finn decided for the entire group, "We'll go find this wish granter together and wish Fionna back to the way she was."

"Or beat the tar out of him until he does," Jake punched his fist together.

Certainly if the Ice King could find the wish granter, than it would be a piece of cake for them. But than again, nothing is ever as easy as it seems.

*** TO BE CONTINUED ***

Author's Notes: Holy cows! Look at all the favs and reviews I just got. Especially by peoples who I've read their fan fictions too. It's true; reviews really do motivate the writer. I could use motivation too… since I rewrote this chapter a few times. I'm still not 100% satisfied, and kept cutting stuff out just to stay on track.

I feel the upcoming journey to the mysterious island to the north that isn't on any map, will also be challenging. I'm not ready to tie a nice neat bow on this story quite yet… the wish granter/genie will be a challenge to deal with in his own way. While sipping java. Also PB and Marcy need to have their mini adventure in babysitting Fionna.

Also, even though I didn't tag this story as FioLee... it's pretty obvious, it's FioLee. Also FinnFlame, and probably Bubbline (still deciding)... I'm not sure if I can find a way to sneak FP into the story at all though.

Meanwhile, I'm also plugging the adventure time illustrations I've done. Especially the Marceline/Simon and Marshall Lee/Simone work. It's a little twist on the expected.

minako25 . tumblr tagged / Minako25