"What are you doing here, FP?" Fionna finally asked him.
They'd found a rock to sit on and spent some time just chatting.
Soon they were just watching the fire lion cubs swat at embers, while the bigger ones just laid around.
"I am an envoy for the Fire Kingdom, now, and was forming my message to indicate so," he said, smiling, and then gestured to his pride, "And I've officiated my companions as my escorts. I'm not the Flame Prince anymore, Fionna."
He seemed a bit brighter in his flames as he sort of smiled, sort of smirked, "Now I'm the Flame King."
. . .
"Send me a list of the damages," Gumball said tiredly, "And I'll arrange to reimburse the citizens accordingly. You have other news?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the Peppermint Maid said, while she ticked off the list, "It was not an act of nature, nor one of war, at least not that our symbologist could decipher. We found some flying citizens to draw the pattern of the damage, and, well, these were the best versions..."
Gumball stared at the two crinkled papers he was presented with. One was clearly the insignia of the Fire Kingdom, an assumed heralding.
The other? The other was a heart. A big heart surrounding something that looked like a rabbit. His stare was quiet and blank.
". . . Don't let that second pattern remain, not even the ashes. You may go." he told her calmly, and she curtsied.
"Yes, Your Highness. I'll go inform the farmers."
Gumball nodded, and after she left, he looked out the window, and scowled.
He found a file in his desk, and quickly flipped to the part labeled 'Obstacles'.
". . . Undisciplined flame-brain. . . Where is Marshall Lee when I need him?"
. . .
"—and then they made me their chief." Marshall finished up.
Cake clapped politely. Monochromicorn wasn't looking too pleased though.
"Nice story, fang-face," Cake said, "But really, this is 'Me and my Mo time', what're ya doin' here?"
"Fionna had a message and junk." Marshall said, waving it around, carefully avoiding the subject of how he got it.
"Uh-huh." Cake grumbled, stretching out a paw to snag it.
She read it over, and while she did, Monochromicorn glared pointedly at the vampire.
"Peace, freaks!" he grinned, taking the hint, and flying away.
He went drifting with the wind for a while, but then smelled something burnt, and saw smoke in the distance, and blinked.
Maybe someone was having a barbecue or a riot. He should check it out.
. . .
"Okay, first off, who burns stuff for a message, dude?
Two, ohmywhatthestuffingbarbecueIdon'tevenknow—KING?!" she finished off with a squeal.
He nodded, grinning, "First, princess, it's traditional, at least among my people, to make a peaceful show of power when greeting, to be both polite and leave out any misunderstandings as to our status. Two, is a bit of a long story."
The Flame Prince, the Flame King stretched back out on the rock, yellow skin glowing, and Fionna flushed slightly.
He wasn't wearing his normal outfit, or that loincloth (glob, that'd been something), but a cross between the two.
Sort of like those pictures GB had shown her of the stuff Egypt Kingdom people had worn.
"I decided to return from my exile, and claim my place." he told her, smirking up at the sky, "It had been a good rebellion. Enough of my people had tired of my mother's laughably paranoid, cowardly rule, and were ready for the dying flames of the monarchy to be rekindled."
One of the flame kits pounced on him, and he tussled with it, laughing and growling.
"Rahawr! Oh, we rebelled, didn't we?! Yes, we did! Yes, we did!"
Fionna laughed at the playing, even as she backed off a little to avoid getting singed.
It tumbled off him when he 'lost' and he rolled over onto his stomach, chuckling, "Ohh, anyway, I executed those who hadn't surrendered, and I have my mother locked up in a lantern now. I have whoever guards it tell her she's a coward while she sleeps. Hack if I know why, but it seemed a fitting fate."
Fionna's laughter was a bit more nervous and strained at that, but she decided not to comment on it.
"You've been busy." she settled to say, tucking her legs into her chest.
He nodded, his flame-hair crackling, "Mmhm. And now I'm here to inform the other Kingdoms of the Fire Kingdom's change. I hope to increase connections between our fellow Kingdoms, and make my own Kingdom more aware of this pretty world of yours.
I hate seeing the place stagnate."
He sat up, his thumb rubbing across his forehead jewel, and the skin around his face turned more of an orange.
"And I...wanted to see you, princess..."
Ah, there it was.
She flushed, and the Flame King stammered, "J-j-just wanted to, you know, catch up, say hello, and..."
He faced her and leaned in a bit, "And maybe...reminisce...?"
She backed up, both from the discomfort and from the heat, "Uh-h, I, aw, no, FK..." she began sadly.
"No, our-our elements won't conflict anymore, we can—!" he told her quickly, smiling again a bit frantically, still moving forward.
"I learned how to—I can stabilize my matrix now, Fionna!"
She could feel her skin baking both with her flush and his heat as he crawled towards her, "Let me show you..."
She stammered without words, panic of all types causing her to back pedal quickly, and then a shadow fell over them.
"Aw-w, isn't this just swee-eet?" they heard a voice chuckle, yet it didn't sound happy, or even very amused.
They both looked up at Marshall in his sun hat as he leered down at them, demon eyes glowing under the shadow of the brim.
Fionna at this moment fell off the rock with a squawk, and both men called out in surprise.
"Just squash me now..." she mumbled into the earth. So much for thinking time.
. . .
"Long time no see, matchstick." the vampire growled, and the fire elemental's jaw gritted, before he quickly adopted a blank smile, "Hello, shadow-scum. Why are you out of your closet? Ran out of children to terrify?"
"Naw," Marshall chuckled, "I just found one!"
The Flame King suddenly flared, "You dare—?!"
Trumpet music interrupted them as a Candy Kingdom messenger tumbled through the wheat field.
"The-the—whew—Prince of the Candy Kingdom acknowledges your—hah—your entry, and invites you to-to speak at his palace..."
Then he glanced around as Fionna got up, spitting out a few wheat stalks.
"And he hopes your arrival was peaceful." he finished up quickly.
Marshall's grin was a rictus, baring fangs, "Yeah-hah, we're all cool, aren't we, buddy?"
"Oh, yes, I am filled with the positive warmth of welcome..." the young King ground out, crackling at the edges.
"Oh, I bet you are..." Marshall hissed at him under his breath, unable to be heard by the heroine.
"I'm gonna go take a bath." Fionna spoke up bluntly, brushing herself off, "I'll join you all later. Tell GB I say hi, Marshall!"
"Will do, babe." Marshall said, smiling, while the Flame King slightly flinched at the word 'bath'.
Fionna smiled at him, a bit strained, "See you later, uh, Flame King."
He nodded, with a very slight smile, "Princess."
She grinned nervously, and then ran.
The two Kings exchanged glares before following the messenger, while they in turn were followed by the flame pride, who were followed by helpful citizens with handy fire extinguishers and spicy snacks for the incendiary felines.
. . .
Fionna sat on the floor in the bathroom, hair free of the hat and tangled in snarls which began to fall apart on their own.
Her face was flushed and red, her knees were curled to her chest, and her heart was heavily thumping inside.
Inside her mind was fuzzy, sharp, and everything inbetween.
She thought about this carefully. Or tried to, and gave up.
This was so not good.