AN: The following chapter is inspired from Kryalla Orchid's "A Choice Made."
The next day, a large crowd of Ooo's citizens gathered at the Fire Kingdom palace. Many of them were talking in hushed voices as they waited for the big announcement. A small stage and podium had been set and a large security detail guarded the perimeter. When news of the war being over became official, Ooo's kingdoms waited anxiously to learn about the Fire Kingdom's next agenda.
Suddenly everyone hushed on cue as the guards up front on the stage made a path for the newcomers. The first one who appeared live on television was Princess Phoebe followed by Prince Furnius, Marceline Abadeer, Jake the dog, and Betty Grof. The main group had stepped onto the platform and assembled side by side together, while the princess stood at the center. Phoebe had a pained expression the whole time and her hands trembled as she looked down at the small note in her hands. The message it had was clear before her, but it proved to be a tremendous struggle to say the words that were to follow.
"I can't do this," she thought to herself. "The pain.. It just hurts so much!"
"It needs to be done," another part of her mind resolved grimly. "It has to."
The fiery monarch stared at the crowd before her and studied their faces. Every single one of them had their eyes on her to show their undivided attention. It wasn't hard to imagine how they would react, but she still felt reluctant to experience it after the fact.
"I have a prepared statement," Phoebe finally spoke with her voice rough after a few minutes of silence. "No questions please."
If the crowd wasn't already silent already, then they definitely were to point where it seemed they froze like statues.
"Two years ago," Phoebe began. "Princess Bubblegum claimed responsibility for the tragic incident that claimed the lives of ninety-four fire citizens. As a result of this act of aggression on Fire Kingdom soil, I came before the royals council at the Emerald Kingdom to announce my declaration of war. I have tried to be sensible and have made several attempts to make last-minute terms with Princess Bubblegum throughout the conflict, but all of them were unsuccessful." She bowed to compose herself before resuming with a hardened expression, "As the bloodshed continued on for months however, it eventually became clear to me that Bubblegum would stop at nothing until my race and my people were completely extinguished. Her ideology of ridding the world of a 'dangerous force' became so extreme that she was willing to sacrifice her troops, her domain, and ultimately her life."
"As the final stages of the war drew near, I later on learned that the famed hero of Ooo, Finn had been kidnapped by no one other than Bubblegum herself. A rescue mission was swiftly conducted with the support of those who stand beside me, and before long we made our way deep within the heart of the Candy Kingdom." Phoebe gripped the podium to stop her hands from shaking and had a few stray tears run loose.
Marceline stepped forward with a solemn expression and placed a hand on the elemental's shoulder for comfort, "Come on, I'll handle this."
"No," Phoebe mouthed as she tried to wave it off. "I-it's my duty." She looked back at the crowd who seemed anxious at her demeanor and spoke back into the mic, "Although we s-succeeded at apprehending Princess Bubblegum..." She stopped and placed the note flat on the podium.
The crowd tensed as she paused yet again.
"Finn.. perished during the attack," Phoebe choked out with pain lacing her heart. If there was anything that seemed unbearable to handle then, this was a new league of its own.
Gasps and shouts of disbelief followed, demanding to know how the circumstances came about.
"His family is asking for privacy in this moment of grief," the princess said as she no longer wiped her tears. "A-and the Fire Kingdom is proud to announce that.. Bubblegum has been sent to the Nightosphere to answer for her heinous crimes." She tightened her fists.
Dozens of cameras went off to capture her moment of anguish, but she continued onwards.
"Finn was.. really special to me," Phoebe admitted. "He gave me purpose after being isolated in the glass lantern for the first fourteen years, made me laugh, made me cry, made me smile." Her expression worsened, "He made me see that there was a life worth living beyond the confines of my kingdom. He stood as a symbol of hope and joy in a dark, cruel world and for that I will miss him dearly." Her vision became blurry with more tears and her mind was overwhelmed with sorrow.
"Let's go," Betty comforted with her own tears as she stepped forward to wrap an arm around the elemental's shoulder, "You shouldn't have done this."
The main cast disappeared within the palace as the guards escorted them. Only Prince Furnius stayed behind to tend to the news media and even then he had a hard time to remain composed.
Phoebe's emotions had reached new heights shortly after her recovery. She first learned the news of her father's passing and was struck with shock, disbelief, and anger. The doctors told her that her elemental matrix had been exerted beyond its limits that it was ultimately bound to destabilize. All conventional methods to preserve her well-being failed and the caretakers thought it was a hopeless outcome. However, Flame King approached them with the idea of utilizing transmutation, a forbidden medical practice among elementals. Needless to say, he was met with opposition, but they eventually consented as they valued Phoebe's life.
"There is no life for me," Flame King explained bitterly to them. "Whether I'm rotting behind the glass lantern or wandering the streets of my kingdom. I have lost the love and respect I once had among the people, and now one of them is including my own daughter. There is no greater pain to bear than all the guilt that has already surmounted from my past deeds."
"I once believed Phoebe to be nothing more than a force of nature," FK recalled. "That the power she wielded was destined to simply usurp my place at the throne. Instead of seeing the value of a child who needed love, guidance, and understanding, I turned to ignorance and casted her out without second thought. It sickens me to this day that I have been so.. remote and I know that what I am trying do now will not undo what has been done."
He frowned in determination, "She's already lost the first fourteen years of her precious life. And even though she's had some bit of freedom prior to her release, that moment was short-lived as our kingdom was called to arms. There is so much my daughter has to live for and experience. She needs to have a chance to grow into her own person, make her own goals, and succeed where I have not. These things may have already been reached to some extent, but she has the chance to excel even further. I don't know what it is and I can't explain why, but the future has something in store for her. And I will be willing to donate my life force to help her achieve it!"
The former monarch glanced at Phoebe lying on her bed and said, "She may still hate me even after the fact, but I can anticipate at the very least she'll eventually understand." He looked back at the doctors who nodded solemnly to his reasoning.
When Phoebe allowed the memory to pass, she thought over to how she reacted with Prince Torcho's death. Like Flame King, the princess was thrown in doubt and disbelief. She could vividly remember the last time she spoke with the eldest cousin and how he smiled and wished her good luck. They were once enemies as Torcho was fixated to reclaim the throne, but then they became adversaries in commerce. He was more than happy to support Phoebe's leadership and even more so to offer advice. To learn that he was gone now was going to be a difficult hardship to overcome.
As for Finn, Phoebe had nowhere to begin what to think. She shouldn't have been surprised to learn about his death, but her heart anguished regardless. She knew first hand by seeing the wounds she inflicted and how unlikely it seemed for him to recover. The only trace of hope reserved for the human was if the elemental troops somehow managed to rush in and provide immediate medical attention. But that wasn't case as the hero was seen buried alive under tons of metallic debris. If the explosions during the self-destruct sequence didn't catch him in the process, then surely he would have suffocated or bled to death. All these factors Phoebe tried to consider just made her feel worse and she was now forced to live a life without him.
The road ahead was bleak, long, and distant for the saddened elemental. Her one source of joy had been snatched away in a cruel twist of fate, leaving behind nothing but unresolve. There were so many things Phoebe wanted to say to the adventurer, so many things so she could hold him tight and never let go. She had plans to reconnect with him after a long hiatus in her line of work, but now all of it had been wasted in the blink of an eye. She was spiralling into a tunnel of despair and it was going to take an untold amount of strength and dedication from her newfound friends to get her out of it.
