I do not own Adventure Time. Also, the chapter title came from a The Killers song of the same name.

~~o~~

Chapter 19 - Dustland Fairytale

Finn can barely hold the Imatari, the force of the rotations nearly thrown him off balance. His vision blurred as he desperately pinpoint Sawyer's whereabouts and strike him with a leaf blade. The one he dealt earlier only managed to halt the boy momentarily, but it did reduced him to a limp.

I can do this... I can keep this up.

Suddenly, Sawyer vanished in broad daylight. He blinked back his eyes and almost thought the swirling leaves were playing tricks on him. Finn panicked and lashed out winds and leaves everywhere, commanding the very environment through his weapon. Just then, he heard a scuffle coming from his left where a small hole in the vortex appeared for a whole second. Finn almost screamed when Sawyer popped into existence with both blades drawn.

"Now you die!"

The boy slashed him across his torso, ripping his clothes and flesh alike. He saw his own blood spurt into the air in an arc, the very sight shook him as he looked down on the huge X on his chest. Finn fell face-first, only managing to lean on his arms in time before he damaged his ripped chest further.

Then the pain hit him, then he let out a pained cry. The whole vortex collapsed inward, into violent turbulence of wind and leaves. "Why are you doing this? Why? Jake actually liked you!"

"I don't know any Jake, filth. Now shut up or I'll be forced to knock you out."

"What will you do to us, huh?"

"None of your concern, certainly not mine."

Sawyer dragged him across the grassy battlefield by the hem of his shirt, inducing more pain on his shaking body. The Imatari was too far to reach now, stuck on the ground in its original form. He knew it was useless, he can barely keep his eyes opened. The blood trail he left behind was evidence enough for his lack of strength.

"Hey, brother. You shouldn't be sleeping on the ground, that's unhealthy." Sawyer laughed at his own dry sense of humor.

Finn grunted in pain as he and the Prince were unceremoniously dragged through the grassy hillside. He tried looking up and saw a dark blue sort of vehicle. A lone guard crouched near the driver's side, the same dangerous weapon held on his hands.

"Get the Princess of Flames while I tie up these two."

"Affirmative, Sir! Should I request for an extraction?" The guard saluted Sawyer attentively, showing apparent respect and loyalty.

"Extraction...?"

"It's a separate unit that will take us away here and back to our base of operations, Sir."

"Alright then, I get it. You have my permission."

Finn watched as the guard touched something on the side of his headgear. "Mission is a success. Requesting for an extraction."

"Are we good?"

"Affirmative, Sir. Extraction is inbound within 10 minutes, shall I retrieve the Princess?"

Sawyer nodded simply. Finn spent the good part of the five minutes contemplating on what would happen to them. It would sure be nasty, basing on the attitude of the guy tying his arms together in a tight knot. More blood leaked from the X wound on his chest, making him dizzier and dizzier until he vomited again. When he smelled his own vomit, his stomach churned. Then he vomited some more, but only thick saliva and bile rose.

"That's positively disgusting, Finn. Look, I'm sorry, but you're not exactly making my job easier to do." Sawyer, finished tying his brother, sat on his back and made himself comfortable. The out cold Prince did not seemed to mind much.

"What's in it for you?"

"I... don't know. I...have a debt to pay. I'm paying it with my life."

"The Princess is evil! You shouldn't be taking orders from her!"

Sawyer broke into a short series of cough and Finn noticed the alarmed look that momentarily appeared on his face. "You may be right, but I don't give a damn. I've a Kingdom to serve."

"More like a dictator to be a slave of."

Sawyer was about to punch him when the remaining guard returned with Flame Princess in tow. The flaming girl slept on, unknowing to the hardships that happened around her. Finn almost failed to hold back the tears forming in his eyes at the sight of the person he vowed to protect no matter what.

"Please, dude! Don't do this... don't bring her back to Bubblegum. Do anything except that!"

"Why would I do that?"

"You probably don't have any idea what she had done to her, man! Please-"

A loud roar of engine and rotors vibrated through the expanse of the grassy lands. They all looked up at the approaching helicopter made of arguably, candy mass. The bizarre vehicle landed a few distance from them. In it were four more guards who immediately dropped down and assumed crouching stance around the helicopter with their weapons out.

"So, that's an extraction, huh?"

Finn passed out right then. The last thing he saw was a quick movement near the pilot, then no more.

~~o~~

Vera, upon seeing the defeat of the two warriors, decided to crept closer at the scene. Taking advantages of slopes and bushes to conceal her movements. Donning her hood and assuming a familiar Assassin low-stance and muffled footwork, she quickly cut down the distance between her and her targets. The compact candy helicopter made a circular array of folded grass because of its rotating blades, the elite forces crouched low around it.

This would be easy enough...

Vera reached inside her cloak and took hold of a smoke bomb. She knew it's drowsing effects won't affect her targets, due to their face-shields that probably blocked out any unwanted gas in the air. What she aimed for was a diversion to conceal her entrance. Vera gingerly clasped the rounded delicate ball of condensed gas and lobbed it at the helicopter, the wind nearly blowing it off course. The moment it made an impact, all Nightosphere broke lose. The rotating winds further helped to disorient the elite forces by enveloping them with the thick smoke. However, Vera knew that wouldn't last.

"Sir Mertens! Get in to the heli for your extraction, we've got compa-!" The one that acted as a captain was cut short by a throwing knife protruding from his neck, which she hurled expertly.

Vera drew her weapon from beneath her left sleeves, the age-old mechanism clicking softly in its place as a half-a-foot hidden blade protrude discreetly. She ran fast, jumped high in the air, and landed down on the nearest soldier, stabbing him through his face-shield. The surprised soldier didn't even managed to mutter a dying croak. With one fluid motion, she raised the gun from the corpse's hand and fired indiscriminately at the third soldier who was about to bash her in the head. The last target was completely bewildered by the steadily thinning smoke and never noticed Vera crept behind him, failing at the last minute as she ran him through with her scimitar.

"Lousy footsoldiers..."

Alas, the pilot was the only active personnel on the field. She was about to finish him off when Sawyer clambered inside with the Princess in tow, the driver of the van fast on his heels. She only managed to dodge the bullets aimed at her, deciding against retaliating because the helicopter was already rising steadily above the ground, blowing away the smoke.

"No need to reveal myself to Sawyer yet..."

She was right, Sawyer decided to take the Princess of Flames and leave the two warriors. The two lying face down on the grass, passed out or dead. Finn's breathing was uneven, while the other, the Prince, was certainly just out cold. She was about to stride closer to the two when her gaze accidentally fell on the dead soldiers around her. They were leaking yellowish-white blood, which struck her as odd.

"Banana people...? These are Banana Guards...?"

Hastily crouching and grasping the helmet of the second soldier she killed, fear and anxiety gripped her insides. Time stopped when she finally took off the protective gear.

Braco's dead and vacant eyes stared back at her, his mouth slightly open as more banana blood pooled around it. Vera was speechless as she felt herself die inside because of what she had done. Tears quickly formed around her own eyes as she cradled the lifeless body of his brother.

"Wait...this isn't right! My brother is back at the guild! There's no way the witch would have got a hold of him!" Wiping the tears, Vera stood and tore off the helmet of the other soldier. The same face of dead Braco stared back at her. The soldier was a complete mirror image of his brother, down to the signature brown 'hair' of Banana People.

"Clones...clones...!"

Her hate for the evil Princess magnified sevenfold at the realization that she was cloning her brother to create soldiers. Vera wanted to scream in frustration and pent up anger for the unfairness of it all. Why does evil people have so much power they never deserved?

She eyed the two unconscious warriors.

I have to stick to my plans.

~~o~~

Mertens... wake up! Hey, Finn! My Prince! C'mon, you've been sleeping for hours now...

Ice Prince forcibly opened his eyes and immediately regretted doing so as bright light barraged his vision. He tried to groggily get up and sit upright but only managed to raise his back before he was sent back on to the rather hard bed. There wasn't even any pillow.

"So, you're awake, Your Highness? Just in time for dinner too. I hope you don't mind this day-old egg pie."

He quickly scanned the place he was in, a small dingy room that would have belonged to an equally dingy inn. The peeling paint from the yellow walls seemed a tad bit more homely than the musty ceiling. The sole window was clad in tattered grey curtains. Ice Prince had a feeling they were once white.

"Just who the bleeblop are you?" Ice Prince mentally noted the stranger's appearance. She seemed humanoid for the most part, except for her slightly yellowish skin and crystal-like knobs on her head. The shocking violet hair seemed unnatural too. The look on her face was unfathomable, somewhat of a cross between bored and amused, and gave off an impression of her knowing something he doesn't.

"I'm Brooke, a mercenary. I saw you and your friend passed out in the grasslands. Glob knows what you two were up to."

She's lying, or not telling the whole truth.

"Flanna says you're lying."

"Flanna? Oh right, the voice in your pretty little head."

Ice Prince struggled to remember the last things that happened before he was out cold, finally recalling that Sawyer successfully penetrated Finn's defense. With that, he frantically searched the room for a sign of his Princess' whereabouts. There were none to be found.

"Where is Flame Princess? Who are you? Where am I?"

The lady strode closer to the bed, letting dim sunlight hit her slender figure and erase all concealments within the darker corner of the room. "One question at a time, hotshot. Oh wait, that's inapplicable. Coldshot."

Jeez... this woman is so annoying.

"Please, Miss... I really need answers." Her piercing gaze and alarmingly attractive body distracted Ice Prince momentarily, which were still evident even with the strange grey cloak she wore.

Get a grip, Finn! What the hay?

"Let me introduce myself again, then. I'm Brooke, an Assassin from a faraway guild. I'm here to...do my job with Princess Bubblegum."

"Job?"

"Let's just say her name is a priority in my hitlist."

"You're going to kill Bubblegum?!"

Now, I'm starting to like this woman. Let's hear out what her deal is, okay?

Brooke nodded in response. "What's the other question again? Oh yeah...your Princess of Flames. She's currently under Bubblegum's strict...captivity. A total lockdown, if you will."

"What do you mean, lockdown?"

He felt a pang of guilt in his failure to retrieve his Princess. If only Finn did not put up a fight against him, he might have had chances earlier. Now, whatever happened to her would be his fault.

Brooke motioned for him to stand up, which he complied forcefully. Hearing his muscles protest, Brooke helped him to his feet and guided him towards the living room. It was a simple affair of Pre-War contemporary design and eccentric Ooocian stylistics. The room would have been beautiful if it was well-cared for.

"It's all over the news. See for yourself."

On the old television set, an early evening news was delivered by a scrawny looking chicken who was reporting about the increased security around the Candy Castle. Footages of numerous elite forces not unlike the ones he battled earlier continually replayed in the background. Apparently, they were patrolling the grounds day and night from now on. Then, a video of Sawyer smiling halfheartedly appeared across the screen.

"...a true hero of our kingdom, Sawyer, managed to severely injure the notorious wanted criminals and even arrested one of them. All of this on his first day right after going through the Heroship Ceremony. These are some remarkable achievements, folks! Are we seeing the rise of the second Billy?"

"No one will ever replace Billy." Ice Prince nearly had a heart attack upon hearing the now-familiar voice of Finn, who was lying on his back on the sofa. His chest was heavily bandaged in a cross pattern, like someone drew an 'X' to mark the spot.

"You?!"

"Relax dude... I'm not in a condition to fight. The Cyclops' Tears doesn't really replace lost blood."

"...Who would stop me from finishing you off?"

"Even if you really had the intention of doing that, you'll never be able to do it. I'll just break your fleshy arm." Brooke said coolly to him, hands on her hips.

"I guess...that's about right. What exactly do you want from us? Why are you helping me? You don't appear to be just some samaritan."

She seemed to be expecting something in return.

"I'm helping you both to get back your Princess, and you two will help me in taking down Princess Bubblegum. Simple and clean."

"Why would I need help from you two in getting back Flame Princess? Those are just some Banana Guards in fancier garb." Ice Prince pointed at the screen of the television. "I can retrieve her just fine."

Brooke shook her head in disagreement. "You two can accomplish more if you work together. Haven't you noticed yet? Sawyer wiped the floor with you both everytime you fought."

"Hey, that ain't tr- ow, that hurt!" Finn fell off the couch in his haste to interject in the conversation.

"BUT, I saw you cooperate earlier in protecting the Princess and I can say that was passable enough."

Ice Prince remembered the point where he blocked Sawyer's bullets aimed at Finn and Flame Princess. "That was just accidental. I'm not going to work with him."

"Me neither."

His gaze fell on the television again. The reporter continued explaining the heightened security within the castle. He could probably fight them all at once if they were just ordinary Banana Guards, but these are soldiers with actual lethal weapons and training.

It seems like we don't have a choice, Mertens. We have to get Flame Princess by any means necessary.

"Just once. One time, and that changes nothing between us Finn! I asked for your understanding numerous times earlier and you rejected every plea..."

The hurt boy just looked at him with solemn eyes. "Are you for real, man?"

He nodded, which earned a smile from Brooke. "I'll help you break in, but once inside, you're on your own."

"So, we're what? Distractions? And...why should we trust you anyway?"

"You don't need to."

Ice Prince was taken aback. "That's swell, I guess. When do we leave?"

"Let Finn recover for a day, and we'll be on our way on the day after tomorrow." Brooke walked closer to the window and parted the curtains slightly, offering an unobstructed view of the Candy Castle. "After all, we're not that far away."

A sharp knock on the door interrupted them as a elderly lady came in with a tray of food. The said lady herself was a chocolate chip cookie. It never mattered how many times Ice Prince saw candy people, they still bothered him slightly.

"Here's the supper you requested, young lady! Enjoy your meal." The elder shot a toothy grin at Brooke then excused herself.

"Now, let's go down to business, shall we?"

They both nodded.

"Brooke? Are you sure you didn't saw a dog and a vampire lady around the area?"

The woman stared at him for a second then shook her head. "Nope."

"I wish they're alright."

~~o~~

Marceline received a punch straight in the face, shaking her head in the process. She retaliated by swinging her Axe Bass violently among the throng of advancing monsters. The ground around her was wet with various mix of goo, blood, bones, flesh, and radiated corpses.

"Marcy! You need my help!"

"Don't you dare come out of that pocket, Jake! Just stay put!"

A long green limb wrapped around her neck from behind, strangling her. Marceline tugged and pulled but she only managed to outbalance herself in the process, falling backwards into the muddy soil. The wet grounds proved difficult to get up from, if not for the help from her remaining skeleton spawn. The green limb became loose and Marceline repeatedly whacked it's owner with her Axe.

"Are you alright, Marcy?" Jake shouted from her breast pocket, frantically squirming in nervousness.

"I'm fine, man! Just-"

A sound of bone shattering shot through the air as her last minion was pummeled repeatedly by a heavily-built goo monster.

"Wow, look at the size of that thing!"

Marceline mentally shrugged. "That's nothing compared to the thing above us."

The bull dragon continued flying in a circular pattern above them, further blocking out whatever light remained for the day. As the day steadily grew dark, she noticed the dim glow coming from the blackened ice covering of the Pit.

"I hope it won't touchdown anytime soon."

"Jake! What did I tell about speaking too soon?"

"Sorry! Not gonna jynx yo junk! Fo' shizzle!"

Marceline flew and drove her weapon directly into the head of the humongous monster, roughly dividing it into two jagged pieces. Radioactive slime burst forth, giving it an image of bursting fruit. The smell was incredible, somewhat of a cross between molding cheese and unkempt trashbin.

"Marcy! Look at that!"

If her heart could still beat, it would have stopped right here and then at the sight of hundreds of monsters rampaging down the mountain they came from, or what was left of it.

"This is bad... I'm sorry Jake. I'm so sorry for bringing you in this situation."

"Be sorry later! Let me fight!" The magical dog hopped off her pocket and landed hard on the slippery muck. "Oh, man! This is disgusto!"

"Watch out, Jake!" A large blob of radioactive goo directly hit the dog, drenching him completely with the dangerous substance. Marceline could see the flame shield momentarily thin out right after the impact.

"Aaaaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhh! You'll all pay for that!" Jake hastily wiped most of the thick goo and formed a battle-mace with his right hand, and a shield on the other.

"Are you alright, buddy?" Marceline was really worried for him. The dangerous substance may not have immediate impact on inorganic things like clothing, but...

"I'm alright...but I do feel kinda itchy?"

She motioned for him to back away and stay close to her. "Jake, we need to stay close to the Pit, I have a plan. Can you handle the cold?"

"I'll try."

Within seconds, they ran and evaded further blasts of goop, positioning themselves in the center of the crater as they prepare to directly meet the rampaging army of nightmarish mutated people. Marceline still cannot hardly believe that these were the previous civilization, degraded into soulless monstrosities hellbent on killing anyone not of their own nature.

There're still some sadness to it. "Get ready!"

Before Jake could emit a forced battle-cry, a deafening roar followed by a huge tremor followed as the bull dragon landed hard on the advancing army, and proceeded to devour everything that was a shade of green. The hulking greasy mountain dragon exposed its razor sharp rows of teeth, each easily the size of a tree. The very ground became flooded with more juices from the devoured monsters, further making Marceline nervous.

"What the actual-"

"Lo-lo-lo-look, Marcy!"

The dragon roared, inducing another tremor as the nerves and blood vessels from its wings glow sickly green. Even its blank eyes shone a bright green too. Then it reared back its head for a full second and let loose a huge stream of green flames that incinerated the remaining goo monsters and them, if not for Marceline's quick thinking.

"That was close, woah!" They were hovering a few meters above the Pit.

"Look down, Jake!"

The green flames melted most of the perpetual ice covering, offering a mostly clear view of what lay beneath. "It's not exactly what I had in mind, bu whatever."

She did a hurried nose dive and plummeted straight into the Pit, a screaming Jake in tow. The hole wasn't really deep enough, just about five storeys. She glanced at the perfectly smooth surface of the walls lining the hole, as if it was specifically punched through by some machine.

"There's nothing in here. I thought this was the place where the Ice Prince encased the Lich-me?"

"Yeah, you're right. My hunch was right."

A young Marceline sat near the campfire Simon made. She had just finished eating some kind of sweet and soft bread wrapped in foil. Something Simon frantically called Twinkles or Twingies, or whatever. The sugary taste satisfied her for the night. Not full, but satisfied.

"How do you find 'em Twinkies?"

"Not bad, Simon. I'm just not really fond of overly sweet food."

"Hehe you're really something Marcy. Kids your age would have gasped in shock if they hear ya speaking like that."

"If."

Simon was taken aback. Immediately turning away his gaze. "Hey, hey, what about a story? I really have a nice story for ya! Wait... I don't think it's appropriate for children though..."

"Oh, c'mon! I love stories! Don't leave me hanging like that!"

"Alright then...although I'm not promising you a good sleep after this, okay?"

"Oooooh. Is that a horror story? Hit it!"

After all, there's nothing more horrifying than the present.

"Once, there were a group of wise folks tasked to create something that would end the war between two factions of allied kingdoms." Simon paused for a while, taking a light sip from his water bottle. "The war have been going for too long! says one of the kings. 'I need something to change the tides of battle!"

"Wow, that King's sure bossy."

"With that, the wise folks tried to create various tools of war, but none succeeded, until that day came. Until they discovered an ancient and out-of-this-world evil residing beneath the seas. Just a glimpse of this evil being was said to make you crazy and obey its will. These wise folks thought it 'wise' to harness the being's insurmountable power to create the weapon they needed to bring an end to the war..."

"Oh noes...what did they do?"

"They encased the sleeping evil inside a metal capsule, placed it inside the last airship of the kingdom with remaining resources, and dropped it right at the center of their enemies. The resulting explosion was so fierce that it indeed ended the decade-long war between the kingdoms - by eradicating them all, by causing the end of the world itself. Death and decay hang in the air as the being awoke from its slumber, further causing more anguish to those who survived. For years it remained immovable, unconquerable force of darkness and corruption until a group of three warriors united, dissing out their differences, and obliterated the evil entity, the Lich."

"Wow! So did they restored peace on Earth?"

"What Earth? I don't remember talking about Earth. Anyway, nobody knew what happened to the three warriors of light but one thing was sure, the evil Lich was never fully destroyed, leaving behind its essence as a one last attempt for destruction. Legend says it will return someday, one way or another as a wisp of pure enmity. An Echo, the Echo of the Lich, and it will sow seeds of false promises in the hearts of men."

"That's...sad."

"What did I tell ya?" Simon chuckled to himself. "Anyway, its just a story. Nothing to be scared of."

"...where did you heard that awesome legend?"

"Actually, I read about it."

"Where?" Marceline eagerly stood up, hoping against hope that Simon carried some interesting reads from his pack.

"The Enchiri..."

"En-what?"

"The Enchiridion. He read it from the Enchiridion. But how could that book contain something from the future?" What exactly was that book? Was it referring to other similar incidents in other dimensions? Or is that a prophecy?

Is this the reason why you sent me here, huh? Prismo?

"Ah Marcy... I don't think it's the right time to reminiscence about Simon!" Jake pointed upwards which Marceline followed.

Right above them was the dragon, desperately fitting it's head in the crater. She immediately hefted her Axe Bass and hurled it right at the left eye, shattering it upon impact and showered them with mixture of pale blood and goo. The monstrosity roared even louder, the sound rocking her ribs. Just then, the dragon did something strange, it inhaled inside the crater deeply as if absorbing them.

"Is it...memorizing our scent?"

She shrugged and picked up Jake, flew upwards, dodged the snout, plucked her instrument, and flew outside of the crater.

"Faster, Marcy! The thing's ready to take off!"

A gust of strong winds nearly blown her off course as she saw the horrific dragon's wings slowly gain momentum. "Hang tight, Jake. We can't die yet! Not until at least we tell Finn what we found!"

"What?"

Hang tight Finn, please don't let the Prince be united with his Princess...

"Incoming!"

~~o~~

Sawyer kept smiling at the gathered crowd in front of the castle grounds. His wounded hand lay limp on his side, and hidden from view on the live stream on the huge screens that lined the castle entrance. He kept smiling even as the nurses pulled her inside the infirmary of the castle for his first-aid. He felt numb all over.

He weaved out of unconsciousness by then. He did his job. He did it well. At the expense of some ELFs.

When he came to, the last words he meant to say were also the first word he muttered. "All for my, Mistress."

"Who?" The nurse shot him an inquisitive look. Her humanoid form slightly piqued his interest. He remembered the times where his Mistress would dress up in various costumes to get him in the mood. Guiltily, he favored the nurse costume. "Your Mistress?"

"Mistress..." In his delirious state, Sawyer reach behind the nurse and slapped her butt hard. "Am I doing it right, Mistress?"

The nurse slapped him instead in the face, waking him slightly from his trance. "Sorry, Mr. Mertens! I was just... I'm so sorry. No...Princess Bubblegum would be mad at me."

To his surprise, the blushing nurse reached for his good hand and hiked it up her skirt. Sawyer realized what was happening, immediately tried to snap out of his stupor, and pulled away his hand. "I'm sorry, Miss! I'm just not feeling too good... I always do stupid things when I'm delirious."

The wound on his leg still bled profusely, soaking through his ripped pants. "I'm sorry too, Mr. Mertens... I was just..."

"Call me Sawyer, Nurse...?"

"Cream Milk. Please call me Nurse Cream instead." She glanced around the other nurses around them. "We're all Milk, by the way."

Sawyer blushed at their given names, proving how corrupted and dirty his mind was even before venturing into the wastelands. "Alright...Nurse Cream, please mend this wound on my leg first. I don't want to bleed to death."

"Hi Say. Glad to see you're already acquainted with my personal medical staff."

Typical for your twisted mind, my love.

"Hello, Princess Bubblegum. Shall I give my oral report now?" He mentally cringed when he said the word 'oral'. Knowing it would never have the same meaning between them. And maybe for these 'personal' medical staff.

"No. The ELFs already briefed me on the situation. The sudden appearance of that hooded killer was unprecedented, and from what data I gathered, that person was a high-ranking Assassin. I think I'll have a word with their Grand Master." Princess Bubblegum sat on the hospital bed next to his and smiled at him sweetly. "And congratulations on bringing back the Princess of Flames. I'll make sure that deed won't go unrewarded."

I think I know what's the reward. Shall I tell her that I already know she's my Mistress? Can I actually expose her to these staff? What would happen then? I need more proof...but what for? What would I really gain in telling her? What would change? I'll still owe my life to her...even my second life.

He suppressed a forming cough and faced his Mistress. "Thanks Princess. Reward's not really necessary, but if you insist..."

She winked at him. "Oh, I insist!"

"Okay then." He stole a glance at his leg. Nurse Cream was pouring some kind of viscous liquid that felt cool when it touched his skin. He marveled as the wounds almost instantly closed and smoothen. "What the?"

"That's purified Cyclops' Tears. That dosage would repair broken tissues and muscles twice the speed of fresh tears."

He nodded in awe. "Um...Princess?"

"Hm?"

"I failed to retrieve the Prince and Finn, did I? Would that be a trouble for us?"

"Let me handle that. We have what they obviously seek. They'll come to us if they want to retrieve her. I'll be prepared by then." Bonnibel stood up and sat on his own bed instead, slightly pushing away one of the nurse who was scrubbing his face with wet towel. "Besides, I have a different job for you."

Here we go again. There goes the training sessions...

"Come to the Castle Gardens after they're finished with you. Don't make me wait for to long!"

"Alright, Your Highness."

Sawyer watched as she left the infirmary, thinking what could be waiting for him. "Are we through?"

"Almost, but we need to clean you up too." Nurse Cream nervously told him.

"Clean?"

"Bath you, of course."

"Excuse me?! I can do that myself!" He hastily stood up and almost fell back right away in shock. He was rather tired and hungry alright. "Okay, just show me where's the bathplace in here."

"That door, Mr. Mertens. Do you need to-"

"No!"

He took a quick shower inside, hastily scrubbing off the remaining dirt and grime. Sawyer got out of the shower in record time and went back to the infirmary only to find the place deserted except for Nurse Cream.

"Your dinner and Princess Bubblegum are waiting for you in the Gardens. Please let me accompany you."

He nodded and the Nurse immediately clung to his arm to help him walk. The destination wasn't really that far, and in matter of minutes, they reached the well-lit garden filled with various flowering shrubs and plants. Sawyer noticed that red roses dominated most of the flora. In the middle of the clearing was his Mistress, sitting on a wooden chair on one side of a small table for two. A vacant seat across the Princess was placed for him to sit on. A dinner, by the moonlight (there weren't even moon that night), and by the candlelight - a typical sappy idea of his Mistress.

"You may leave now, Nurse Cream, thank you."

The peculiar medical staff excused herself as Sawyer coolly crossed the distance between him and the dining table. He admired the food that were lovingly plated in front of him. He thanked God there were only minimal candies and other sweets that time.

"Aren't these...spaghetti?"

"My favorite, Say!"

He mentally cringed, not quite remembering if his Mistress indeed favored spaghetti or any other pasta dishes. There were simply not enough pasta during those times to validate that fact.

"Thanks... Bonnie." He sat himself and quickly snatched what seemed to be garlic bread and took a large bite. He savored the sweet and salty goodness of the bread, feeling some kind of satisfaction only good food after hard work can bring. "This is amazing."

"I know, right?"

They proceeded to eat in relative silence. Sawyer had enough time to examine his surroundings. The garden could easily become a maze because of the tall hedges of greeneries that seemed to roughly form branching paths. Walls of red roses, per se. Fireflies randomly dart in and out of view in some dark corners. There seemed to be some kind of magic in the place, an enchantment that seemed to pull him closer to discover its darker secrets - a seductive but sinister feeling. Just like my Mistress.

After their slow dinner, Bonnie led him to a secluded clearing where potted roses sat on white pedestals around an ivory fountain. The gold trimmings on it gleamed in the half-light provided by the rather distant lights.

"It's even more beautiful in this place..." He basked in the calming sound of gushing water from the fountain and found himself relaxed instantly. "But why did you brought me here?"

She beamed at him, slightly parting her lips to show some of her pearly white teeth. It certainly bothered him how clean her canines look after a hearty spaghetti meal. His probably have numerous tidbits of food stuck in various spots.

"Come closer, Say. I wanna show you this particular rose plant." Sawyer scooted closer and saw an ordinary looking rose. It's thin main stem looked brittle, and some parts looked rather unhealthy. "Not exactly what you would call pretty, right? There are diseased stems and wilted leaves that hampered it's maturity into a perfect rose plant."

"What's wrong with that? You have other rose plants over there. No need to fuss over this one." Bonnie ignored his insinuation and continued explaining.

"The society is like this rose. Yes, the very society, not just our Kingdom. In order to achieve maturity and perfection," the Princess took out a scissor-like tool out of her pocket, "sometimes you have to prune out the imperfections, these wilted leaves, these blemishes of society."

"What do you mean, Bonnie?" Sawyer watched as she carefully sheared away the said 'imperfections' and place the potted rose next to ones he pointed at earlier. All of which were already 'pruned'.

"Then, that will only be the time progress can be made." He finally noticed that the other plants seemed way healthier looking. "Did you understood everything?"

"Who are these 'blemishes of society', huh?"

"There was once this place governed by a candy person named Earl of Lemongrab. This Lemongrab continually fought with my kingdom, but ultimately lost his domain in the process." The Princess slid back inside her pocket the tool she used. "Everything would have went fine if not for a current news that this person, my enemy, was striking a partnership with the Wizard King of Wizard City."

"What do you want me to do with this Lemongrab? Kidnap, grave threat, -"

"Kill him, and all his kin."

It took a moment for her words to sink in. She was directly ordering him to commit murder. Is this Lemongrab person really that dangerous to warrant that judgment?

"I... don't think I can-"

"Remember your sworn oath. Loyalty to me and Candy Kingdom."

His resolve to disagree dissolved into blind servitude at those words and Sawyer met her piercing gaze with his own. "...I am your sacrifice."

~~o~~

This tale is drawing to a close, probably around 6 to 7 more chapters left. I'm sorry for the very late update! Got busy for the past weeks, but now that I've graduated college I could devote most of my time with this story and finding a nice work. Gotta put these acquired knowledge to some actual biz.

Anon: What ending lines, dude?

SCIK1012: Wow, thanks for fitting my story in your tight schedule, Miss! I'm so flattered! Here it is, more insane events for yah! Haha, my thesis went better than expected, thanks! Already hardbound and all.

Nephilim: Awesome eye for details as always, I appreciate it. I'm sorry if you expected something amazing inside the Pit though.

Ooobserver: Wassup dude! Kept it in 6k words this time! I think I may have rushed things again. I probably scrapped three or four subplots from my outline due to the events of this chapter. Hey, few more nights before Season 6 yo!

Thanks for the reads and reviews! Hope you all stick to the end!

Have a nice day!