Chapter IX, Knighthood
"So, fur butt, tell me this..." Marceline asked jokingly. "What use is your approximate knowledge of everything if it's only, well... approximate..." She smirked viciously. "And apparently despite that, you still chase your tail when you think that no one is watching."
They ventured through the green hills, right towards the great, sour kingdom of Lemongrabs. After much debating and considerations containing numerous arguments, they decided to travel on the cat's back. The girls agreed between themselves that if he wants to tag along – he needs to be useful. And seeing as no matter what he said, they would not change their minds, he eventually agreed on those terms. That did not stopped him from grumbling from time to time however.
"Easy... I have an approximate answer to any problem I encounter... and given the odds, I pick what to do with that information. It usually goes my way. Usually." He smirked. "And you watch me in private? Should I blush?" He chuckled loudly. "So your turn now, red sucker..." The cat looked curiously at her. "You're a queen and a daughter of a demon, why don't claim what's rightfully yours? Such power!"
"Also easy." She adjusted her round hat a bit. "What's power without fun. I'm still young, well, mostly. Besides..." She discretely glanced at the princess. "I have other priorities. That are much more important you see. Back to you then!"
"Alright, it better be something good then..."
Bubblegum just listened to the two, while holding tight to her partner's back with her head supported on the pale girl's shoulder. She just smiled from time to time and felt somewhat relieved, being around her lover again. That's all she could ask for.
"So cat... tell me, why are you coming with us in the first place? I mean, for now you're our stead so you obviously serve some purpose!..." She chuckled. "But, overall, come on, you must have something in that mind of yours, huh, huh?"
"Well, my dearest little fiend, I..."
"Stop right where you are!"
Someone interrupted their chitchat. From the horizon, a knight approached. He apparently tried really hard to look somewhat intimidating, as the sun shined over his black, polished armor with crows flying from every possible directions. He slowly descended from the small hill, as his long, green hair moved in the wind. If they would know better, they would assume that this was somehow directed that way. It just looked all to perfect. And all too silly.
"You!" His horse neighed as he approached them. "You, crimson cheeks, must be princess Bubblegum! Oh how long I've waited for this very day!" He poetically reached his hand towards the blue sky. "Your little dork-hero embarrassed me. Therefore my shame is the burden on your shoulders as well! Tch-tch. I demand satisfaction!"
"What?" She rolled her eyes. "Listen, I hardly have time for..."
"Do not ignore me, raspberry-shake! Oh and don't tell me that you haven't heard of me!" He hit himself in the chest, and his armor rang almost like a sturdy gong. "Don't pretend that little arrogant dork did not sprout his words about my burden!"
The man took a long glimpse both at the girls and at the demonic cat. While the princess was quite confused, both Marceline and the fiend sharpened their smile, apparently quite ready for some action.
"I don't see a knight however, hah-aha!" He mockingly turn his sight away. "Therefore, the simple deduction is that a princess without a knight is a weakling and no one around will stood up for her. Tch-tch. You're without honor!"
"Pf-ff... like I care." Bubblegum just shrugged. "Patoots like you hardly concern me. But if you want it so hard, I can smack you around."
"That's not the way it works! Princess cannot fend for herself! You are a disgrace and you should be ashamed for such attempt!" He began to chuckle silently, as he swirled his mustache. "A princess without a knight in full body armor by her side! I never ever had my satisfaction handed to me like that. Are you even a princess, or are you simply a traveling wench, eh? Tch-tch, either way you are a disgrace and since no one will..."
"I will." The vampire grinned angrily. "I will fight you, tin man."
"What? You're not even a knight!" His eye twitched. "Where's your armor! Bah!" His horse neighed once again, almost as an accompaniment to his words. "You should at least be some kind of royalty! Which you're obviously not! What title do you held that you even propose such a thing, pallid-skinned witch?"
"Marceline, stop that's not necessary..." The princess tried to stop her, as she placed her hands over her shoulders. It was beyond that point however, as the fires were already lit in the vampire's black eyes. Besides, deep inside Bubblegum already knew how this will end.
"Queen." She quickly responded and smirked, as she once again adjusted her hat. "And as a matter of fact... I'm as good as the boy to be her knight. If not better."
"Is that so? I cannot see a crown. Tch-tch." He hesitated. The horseshoes of his stead tapped loudly on the ground. "You look more like a damsel type to me."
"What, are you afraid that a girl can smack your butt?"
She jumped off the cat, so did the princess. The knight remained on his stead just to look at them from above. As he began slowly circling around them, finding that quite amusing apparently, he finally asked.
"Do you even know the rules, baby hands?" He sighted mockingly. "Answer me."
"No, but I'm sure you'll explain it all too well..." Marceline shook her head. "All the boring jerks operate that way."
"Two times. One mounted, second dismounted, if second even occurs. Body armor would be handy there. Tch-tch. Lance to lance, weapon of choice against weapon of choice." He pulled out his spear and aimed it right at her. "So, where's your weapon, wench?"
She looked around. Obviously she hardly had any kind of intentions to take that man seriously, so she figured that a nearby, sturdy branch will be just enough for this little performance.
"Here." She waved it around. "Good as any."
"And your stead?"
She jumped back on the back of the cat, patting him on the back. The creature constantly chuckled, as this situation was quite entertaining for him. And they began their duel. He charged without warning, aiming straight into her head. Marceline's demonic stead however proven to be capable enough to simply avoid the hit for both of them.
"What they call you anyways, can man?" She playfully asked as they turned around, facing each other once again. "You have a name, right?"
"Slicer!" His hair waved in the wind once again, as his horse stood up on his back legs. "Sir Slicer, tch-tch!"
And he rushed at her once again. The cat simply ran right under his lance, while Marceline decided it would be fun to gracefully jump above it. Almost like hurdles, only a bit more thrilling. And she would never say no to some thrills.
"Why?" She began to mock him again. "You perfectly cut vegetables, or what?"
"Well, the name is self explanatory, pallid cheeks."
"Too bad your manners aren't."
And he charged once again. She grabbed the cat by the mane and they both moved out of the way of the impact once again. The knight was quite displeased with their methods.
"Will you stop dodging and fight like a..." He paused, seeing what he's about to say. "...a honorable foe! You and that flea bag!"
"Think the metal came bit to tight..." The fiend chuckled.
"...up his butt, yep."
This time however, she directed her stead right at him. And as their weapons collided, her wooden log obviously shattered. Still, the very impact of the hit made him let go of his spear. She was a vampire after all and possessed enough strength just to do so. And thus, much to his dissatisfaction, they needed to settle this in a second draw like the code mandated. He dismantled his horse. It would appear that from the last time he learned a thing or two about the weight of his armor, as this time, he was able to hold his ground. Marceline jumped off as well, as she playfully smacked the cat on his behind.
"Aw, what for?"
"Count that as a reward, I don't smack just about everyone like that!"
"Aw, that means I'm special?"
Knight's horse ran off as well, and now it was just him and her. And as he came closer, waging every move, almost as if he tried avoiding tripping up, he eventually looked her in the eyes.
"Weapon of choice, wench?" He smirked as he pulled out his sword. "This time wooden log will do you no good. Tch-tch. And no full body armor will lead to your demise."
"Well." She grabbed the guitar from her back. "Let's see how good you can dance."
Almost as if she wanted to put some weight into her words, she pulled the strings on her instrument to create a beautiful chord opening the battle. He bowed down slightly and began the fight. The first slash was slow and as she blocked it off with her guitar, she was rather surprised. Or perhaps more so disappointed really.
"Bit slow." She sighted. "All that build up for that? Bah."
"You will be amazed you little..."
He made another attempt. However for the vampire his moves were clumsy, slow and hardly a challenge to avoid. She almost danced to his every cut, as the gusts of wind made by the sword were her melody.
"Really?" She dodged his slash, almost as if she played limbo. "I thought that someone that talked so..." She swirled left, as he hacked from above. "...much, you're more capable as a..." Marceline jumped right above the incision that was meant to cut her legs off. "...fighter perhaps?" He stabbed the air right next to her. "And here..." He began spinning with his sword furiously. "...you are, Slasher? More like..." He tried to punch her with his glove, as she playfully grabbed it and jumped on his other side. "...a blender."
"That's it, dork!" He whistled loudly. "Obviously you're no knight! Therefore the rules don't apply to you, you little pale blackberry!"
After he said those words, eight knights emerged from the bushes. How long they sat there, it was beyond her comprehension. Their armors looked bit silly, mismatched at times and hardly as polished as the one that Slicer wore.
"Nine dudes and a girl." She chuckled out loud. "Not the scenario I would place myself into!"
They took out their weapons, whenever it was a sword, an ax or simply a crude mace and charged right at her to defend their leader it would seem. But they were all too slow for the agile being such as Marceline. She gamboled gracefully inbetween, she swirled around them, she avoided their every hit and most of the time, lead them to bump into each other. They were hardly a threat, more of a plaything. She couldn't neglect their efforts however, as every time one of them felt over, others quickly put him on his feet, as if they were afraid to stay on the ground. The vampire, being whom she is, quickly got bored of entertainment they provided and began to smack them back. Slicer looked quite terrified, as she disarmed and humiliated his best troops.
"Ha, bunch of cans!"
She screamed as one more hit the ground, unconscious. In the meantime, the princess and the cat simply stood there and looked at their moves. The demon was quite happy that he had something to occupy himself with, besides, it was a nice change from having someone riding on his back. Bubblegum on the other hand, looked closely not as much at the fight itself, but at her partner's agile movements.
"Think she'll need some help?"
"Naw." Bonnibel stared at her in awe. "She'll be fine."
"Quite the action, huh?..."
"Yeah..."
"She may be just as capable as you."
"Probably..." She was lost in her thoughts and wasn't really paying attention to whom she spoke to. "But capability is not all. Just look at her..."
The cat looked at Bubblegum and smirked. But just as he was meant to say something malicious yet again, he quickly turned his head around. It seemed that the vampire eventually dismantled all the knights that simply ran off somewhere and proceeded towards their leader.
"Vampire kick!"
She screeched and jumped, kicking him right in the chest. That was enough to for him to loose his balance, as he felt flat on the ground. And thus, the circle of his failure was complete. Obviously the pale girl felt the need to celebrate in her own way, as she simply climbed on top of him.
"And this day will be known as the day that I, Marceline, kicked your royal butt!"
It would seem that he wanted to say something, but as she began to tap her feet on his armor, he decided that it would be much wiser to simply remain silent. And so she finally left him where he lied and happily came to her companion. Bubblegum smiled vaguely.
"Marceline, what you did was stupid, unnecessary, brutal, distasteful, beyond need and..." She bit her lip. "...charming. Thank you."
The vampire chuckled a bit and grabbed her lover's hands. And as they hold onto each other, she quickly reminded herself about one certain fellow. She turned around and winked. The fiend swiftly understood what's going on.
"Oh, look at the time, look at the time..." The cat showed his teeth. "Time to grab some snacks." He smirked a bit. "Now I know you two will be very sad with my disappearance, but, no tears, no tears my dears!"
He quickly ran off and on his way, he even managed to snatch the knight along with him. The girls preferred not to think too much what will happen to him, so they turned to each other.
"You know you could just leave him and we would go off, like that?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Marceline giggled. "Besides, I won't let anyone speak that way to you."
And they stood like that, holding each others hands, as the cold gusts of wind smudged their little, slim frames. Just the notion that they were together made this moment special for both of them. Finally, the princess spoke her thoughts out loud.
"About that knight thing..." Bubblegum grinned. "You sounded pretty serious."
"It's because I were. And I still am mind you." She narrowed her eyebrows. "Why's that? Hopefully you won't lecture me how that's impossible and such?"
"Not in the slightest..." She smiled. "Kneel."
###
And one day Bonnie, a knight will come. Not necessary in shiniest of armors. Not necessary wielding a mighty sword. Not necessary with a shield made from dragon scales. But with a heart of gold, that's for sure. And when you'll look deep in those vigorous eyes, you will know that's the one, that's the prettiest one. You will know that you never, ever looked at someone like that. And you will know that's the one, as your heart will beat faster. And this knight will arrive just for you, only for you. In the moment you will need it the most. In your greatest struggle. And when that moment will come, nothing else will matter, just you. That will be your moment Bonnie...
"Like this?" She knelt before her, just like she said. "Never did that you know."
"Yes, like this." The princess smiled, as she placed her hand over Marceline's matted hair. "Exactly like this."
"So, um..." The vampire chuckled a little. "What should I do now?"
...And even though you two may not always agree. Even if you part at times, know this. That knight will be always there for you. Always waiting. Always ready to shield you from harm. Always there to wipe away your tears, should you ever feel the need to shred them. Will love you, for what you are. And you, little Bonnie. You will love back. You will be happy. In time, all else will cease to matter aside from your knight and that's good little one. Your worries will finally go away. You worked hard on your little haven...
"I don't really know what to say..." She gulped. "I never did..."
"That doesn't matter. The vow is unique each time." Bubblegum smiled. "At least from what I've heard. So make up one. Just say what you feel."
"Alright. I will try..." She put her hand on the princess dress. "So, um... Bonnie, I swear to protect your royal butt in times of need..." She grinned a bit. "That I won't joke about you... too often, that I won't peek on you... at least all the time!... That I won't smack you... too hard! That I..." Her grip on the pink clothes tightened. "That I will always be around, that when I'm around, you will never be afraid. That I won't let you run once again. And that I won't run again either. That I will love you. That my love will never end. That I won't let anything and anyone to take me from you. Never-ever. And if someone even tries to do that..."
...When you will doubt, when you will feel down, when you'll need someone near you, your knight shall always be by your side. Always there to make you smile. Because you must know little one, that not always the things that we see through our eyes are the greatest of threats. Not always the huge dragon on your way will be the thing that you'll fear the most. But your knight will always be there. And then you will feel that certain thing. You will feel that every moment is like a serenade made just for you Bonnie. Like you lived for that one certain feeling, for that one certain person. And just then, you realize how empty your life was so far. How nonsensical and painful your life was, without your dearest knight...
"How did I do?" Marceline looked up. "Good I hope?"
"Exceptionally." There was a smile on her pink face. "No one could do it better."
"And that's all?"
"Well, technically there should be more. A ceremony and whatnot. But hey, I'm the princess, I can make the rules." Bubblegum grinned. "Besides, we can still have a ceremony you know."
"Oh? How's that?"
"Let me show you..." She crouched next to her and grabbed by the shoulders. "...my knight." She kissed her on her pale, wondrous lips. And then, she whispered. "My love..." She drove her fingers into her black hair. "I want you by my side all the time..." She delicately stroked her cheek. "I want you by my side at day..." The princess leaned even closer, right towards the vampire's ear. "I want you by my side at night..." She murmured silently. "I want you to whisper me each and every evening how much you love me. So I can respond, how much I love you..." Her tongue ventured around Marceline's neck. "I want you to sing me songs everyday with your beautiful voice." Bubblegum delicately nabbed her around her bite mark. "I want to feel your lips on mine everyday." Her hands once again grabbed the vampire by the shoulders... "I want to feel you everyday." ...as she finally pulled her on the grass and quickly fallowed after, climbing on top. "I want to love you everyday." The princess leaned closer towards her. "My knight." She smooched her on the forehead. "My friend." She placed a kiss on her cheek. "My mistress." Their lips almost met. "My love."
...And when you'll finally find your knight my little Bonnie, when you'll be happy, try to keep it that way, alright? I know it's hard at times. You are always thinking about everyone else. Everything surrounding you, but not yourself. And it will be your greatest treasure, your most shining gem. So hold on to it, will you? It will be the best you can hope for. And maybe one day, my little Bonnie, you will introduce me to your dearest knight. And I will finally see how happy you are. How you found your place in this world. I will see your smile, the prettiest of them all. I wouldn't dream of anything sweeter than that. Just remember about your Peppermint at times, alright? Now, it's getting late, time for you to go to sleep.