Gumball's P.O.V.
So, I wandered up to my room and over to my cupboard. Said cupboard was, in truth, an old vault. Four inch thick concrete door, three inch thick steel hinges and a huge combo lock on the front.
I dialled in the numbers and pulled open the hefty door, slowly heaving it away from the hollow within.
I picked up the sword and shield, piled together at the back of a shelf, covered in dust after so many years of simply sitting there.
I swung around the sword, feeling the familiar weight of it in my hand, sliding the shield onto my wrist. I smiled, arcing the wooden blade above my head, listening to the almost comforting'swoosh' of the grained surface against the air.
There was a knock on my door, and I walked over to open it.
Marcy stood there, and she looked quite surprised to see my weapons. "Okay... Battle Bubba. When did.. .this happen?" She gestured to the sword.
"When I was younger, I wanted to be a knight. I hung around with this knight order, and I was sort of an unofficial knight-in-training. I'm talking, when I was, like, four years old here, Marce. Manish Man was their blacksmith, and he made me these." I held up my sword and shield. "Bonnie was always into science. That was her hobby, knighthood was mine. When I was seven, though, my mother told me that knighthood was not a suitable activity for a prince to be involved in. It's always been a bit of a sore spot between me and Bonnie that she was allowed to continue her non-royal passion when I wasn't. My mom hates anything I do that could nudge me even slightly off course from being the perfect prince. So, I had to give up all the hard work I'd already put into my plans, give up my dream of being a knight."
"Gumball... you're crying..." Marceline stepped up to me, one hand half-raised as if to brush away the silent, bitter tears that were slipping down my cheeks.
I took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Hey, do you wanna see some pictures Bonnie and Manish Man took of me when I was training?"
"Oh! Uh, sure, why not?" She smiled, but I could still see the concern in her eyes.
I rummaged around in the back of the cupboard, looking for the right album, tossing stuff over my shoulder to land in a pile at Marcy's feet. "Let's see... baby sweater... one of Bonnie's old plastic beakers... shoe... teddy... aha, holobook!" I turned triumphantly, holding the album, to see Marcy crouched on the ground, on hand on the carpet to steady herself, and the other outstretched to the old teddy I'd tossed over my shoulder.
Her eyes traced over it, carefully taking in the shape of the tattered stitches holding on the button eyes, the faded worn-out colour, the tears where stuffing was escaping the seams. Her lips were parted in a soft O, and her eyes were filled with an awed, hopeful wonder. "Where did you get this?" She breathed.
"Well, a few years ago, I had a run-in with a witch. Basically, she challenged me to a trivia quiz. If I lost, I got eaten. If I won, however, I got a prize and I could go free." I smirked. "She chose something that she thought I'd know nothing about- combat. It would have worked, with any other prince... anyway, I won, and she gave me that teddy, shoved me out the door, and her house disappeared."
"Can I take it?" She looked up at me, eyes desperate.
"Uh, sure, but... why? It's just a ratty old teddy bear, after all." Her reaction to it threw me off guard.
She cautiously reached out and brushed her fingertips across it's head. "This ratty old teddy bear.. I once counted it my only friend." She picked it up, looking at its face. "Hambo, I want you to meet my friend, Prince Jerricho Bubba Lewis Gumball," She said seriously. She paused, as if listening to its answer. "No, no, be nice. He gets enough of that from Bonnie" She shook her head. She turned the teddy around so it was facing me. "Gumball, this is Hambo. I've had him almost longer than I can remember. He's my most prized possession, but Ash-" She cut off, looking murderous.
That's when things started to make sense. I guessed that this was the teddy her old boyfriend had sold. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hambo." I shook his hand and bowed deeply to him, making Marcy giggle.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: :) So, do you like the conversation I added at the end of the last chapter? Leave in your reviews a yay or nay on whether I should continue them! I'm thinking I'll do them either every chapter, or every three. ;D See ya!
