Chapter 11

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Amun punched the stone wall blocking their way in, "It moved!"

Amun, Phoebe, and Finn stood on the outskirts of the Fire Kingdom, at the entrance to a cave. But, it looked more like someone carved a cave opening into the side of a mountain. It was solid rock a foot or two through the opening. "What d'you mean it moved?" Finn asked.

It was hot out by human standards, and a lot of the greenery had thinned out. The sky was turning a deep shade of orange. Amun laid his head against the wall, then slid to his knees. "The keep of the Lantern moves every two weeks. It's an ancient spell put on it to keep it safe, hundreds of years ago by the first guardians. So. It. Moved."

Finn came up beside Amun, "It's gonna be alright, Amun. I promise. We'll keep looking and-"

"No."

"What?" Finn cocked an eyebrow.

Returning to his feet, Amun heaved a sigh. He turned to face both Finn and Phoebe, "I've kept you both from your lives and duties."

None of them spoke for a while. Finn's mind was racing. Was he ever going to see Amun again? What if he needed help again and couldn't get to them in time? Finn searched Amun's eyes for some way to work around this.

What if Amun died because he wasn't there? How could he insist on this? And his mind screeched to a halt with the gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked into Phoebe's eyes. There was this look, and it was firm and comforting at the same time.

She was right. They had lives that couldn't be put on hold for too much longer, and Amun could handle himself better than the common damsel. Finn nodded to her and tried his best to smile. He turned back to Amun, "Yeah. It's better this way."

As for Amun, his eyes softened and they smiled at Finn. "Finn, I promise you, I will contact the both of you when I find it. I'll be moving as fast as I can," he then chuckled, "Divine's mercy, this is gonna be tedious."

For someone who was mostly stoic, the break in Amun's character seemed to lift their spirits. "But, y'know," Amun said, "I can escort you guys back to the Fire Kingdom."

Finn scoffed playfully, "'Escort'? Man, how many times have we saved your sorry butt?"

They began walking. Phoebe tagged in, "I'm literally sentient fire-"

"-and you're afraid of the rain," Finn finished.

"Shut up!"

Their conversation wandered far from the treacherous trek they'd made up to then as they walked. Any green plants died off, replaced by charcoal black and orange fauna. The sky was fully orange and cloudless. By the time they reached the palace, the sun was dipping low in the sky, just above the horizon. It was a reddish-orange deeper than any flame.

"So, you'll get us when you find it, right?" Finn asked.

Amun replied, "I promise."

He was taken by surprise when Finn hugged him. "We haven't known each other for long," he began, "But, we're human. Aside from Jake, you're the closest thing to family I got."

Finn backed out of the hug, "So, don't you die trying to find that dungeon."

With a two finger salute, Amun began to disappear in a golden vapor, "Don't worry."

And, just like that, he was gone. "So, Finn," Phoebe began awkwardly, "I know we've kinda spent the last, like, three days together, but... do you wanna come in? Get something to drink or...?"

"Yeah!" Finn said, maybe a little too quickly, "Uh, but don't you guys drink, like, lava or whatever?"

Phoebe blushed, "Oh... I suppose we do. I, erm, sometimes forget that humans drink water."

There was a pause. Finn was unsure of where to go from here. If there was nothing to drink, then was there a reason for him to be there? If he had this little bracelet thing, could he drink lava? Suddenly, Phoebe snapped her fingers, "I drink tea occasionally. Come on, follow me."

Sighing in relief, Finn readily followed her into the palace. As they walked the long entrance hall, the young fire elemental spoke, "There's a root that grows near the mouths of volcanos that brings up the boiling points of water."

"Uh..." Finn raised an eyebrow, as science was never a strong suit of his.

"So, that means we can heat the water to a point where it's drinkable as tea. Except, to us, it's more like drinking something extremely cold," she finished.

Finn mouthed an understanding 'oh', but before he could respond, Cinnamon Bun's voice cut in, "Your Highness! You're back."

He arose from the throne and met them where they were. Phoebe hugged the candy man closely, "I hope the kingdom is in high spirits despite my absence."

"Thankfully, yes," CB replied.

But, a quick glance to Finn, and he was focused on the human, "Finn, I hope your journey found you both well."

There was a tinge of amusement in his voice that went well over Finn's head, but not Phoebe's. But, he still responded, "Well... we didn't find out much about anything."

Forgetting CB's offhand comment, Phoebe continued where Finn left off, "It seems like we know so little compared to what Amun knows about these relics. I can't help but feel like he's hiding things from us."

"Hiding? I see," the pastry man's eye's flickered between the two others, then he yawned, "Then, perhaps you and Finn should discuss this further. As for me, I'd like to turn in early."

"Go ahead, CB," Phoebe smiled.

As he walked through the doorway behind the throne, he said, "I don't know how you do all this ruling alone, Highness."

It was apparent that his little taunts were getting to her, if her burning cheeks were anything to go by. She silently motioned for Finn to follow her. There was a different door off to the right of the throne that they went through. Through it was what seemed like an ordinary, cozy kitchen. Finn looked around it and ended up leaning against the counter.

"Don't you have servants to make tea for you?" Finn commented as Phoebe looked around the cabinets.

"I do," she replied, "But, I just feel like being on my feet right now."

Finn noticed that she was on her tip-toes, trying to reach a higher cabinet shelf. He smiled to himself and pushed off the counter. "We've been on our feet this whole time, save for the treefort," reaching up past her, he asked, "Which one."

Deep red painted Phoebe's cheeks, "It's an ornate jar. With a water drop painted on it."

The way he looked down at her was odd. It had been so long since they'd last seen each other that it seemed she had no idea who he was now. When she looked into Finn's eyes, she no longer saw a desperate, confused sixteen year old boy. There was a warm liveliness to his gaze now, and a certainty in himself that she couldn't deny was almost attractive. Finn brought the jar down and put a small bit more distance between them.

"So these are the special leaves?" he inquired.

"Roots," she corrected, "The roots of the plant are grinded up with a mortar and pestle a bit."

"Then you add leaves, right?"

Phoebe giggled a bit, "Yes, but a very specific type of leaf. It's Jasmine with sugar plum sprig."

Finn adopted a puzzled look, "Why do they have to be specific?"

Taking a good chunk of root from the jar, she replaced it on the counter behind her. Phoebe smiled, "For flavor, of course."

"I always thought that it was just any leaves..." Finn paused for a moment before leaning back onto the counter, "Guess that's why my tea was never any good."

Both of them laughed quietly. Phoebe had only just noticed that Finn was much taller than her now. Nearly a head taller. No wonder he could reach that shelf. Their eyes met again and she saw that warm coziness again as she was grinding the root into powder.

Not a word was said when she tore her gaze from his. The grinding was done. From another jar, Phoebe produced a few dried out, shriveled leaves. They found their place with the root in a small mesh cylinder at the center of a glass teapot. "Now this part I usually need mitts for," Phoebe opened a tiny square of a fridge, "But could you get the water out for me please?"

"Yeah, sure, FP."

She laughed, "I'm so stupid. Did I seriously never tell you my first name?"

Finn stopped short of the counter with the jug of liquid, a dazed look on his face. "Oh, my Glob, you didn't, did you?" he began pouring.

The princess laughed into her hand, "Shoot, I'm such a dingus. I was probably all caught up in you being like a knight, or something."

"Finn," she said, prompting him to look at her, "My first name is Phoebe."

A small, stunned look on his face, he muttered, "Uh... cool. Erm..."

The kettle was full, so Finn placed the jug into the fridge. Phoebe was worried he may revert back to grabbing her attention, but he chortled instead, "That's an awesome name. But, I guess I'm a bit biased to names that start with 'F'."

"Finn, Phoebe is spelled with a 'P-H'," she cocked a brow at him.

A light blush graced his face. Finn gestured absently with his hands. "O-Oh. Well, uh, it's still a really cool name," he pulled his hat off his head like it were a hood, "Geez, did it get hotter in here or what?"

Phoebe giggled at that. The tea was setting, and it was then she realized that she was still in the skirt and camise that she'd been wearing for the last three days. She was suddenly conscious that Finn might consider that yucky. Of course, that thought was immediately put to bed. Phoebe knew he couldn't care care less about that.

But, at the same time, it couldn't hurt to freshen up, right? Finn was a guest in her home and it would be rude of her to remain in this state. "Hey, Finn? I'm gonna go and change into something a bit more comfy, okay?"

Finn threw a half smile her way, "Yeah, sure. I'll wait right here for you."

As soon as she was out of the room, Finn jammed the palm of his hand into his forehead. "Phoebe starts with a 'P-H'?" he muttered, "I don't even know how to spell her first name? Stupid!"

A groan escaped him. This was going downhill. Old feelings were bubbling up that he didn't want in the forefront of his mind. It was always like this; every time he thought he might be over her, there she was. Perfect in his eyes and out of his grasp.

He breathed deep and smiled. Just enjoy the time you have with her, and don't force it. Whatever will be, will be.

Phoebe, who was in her room, was in the middle of changing clothes. She thought she may have looked ridiculous, standing half naked in front of her wardrobe. This was Finn! Why on Ooo was she trying to figure out which dress highlighted her eyes the best? It's not like she had a crush on him or anything.

Her eyes widened a bit at that thought. She quickly grabbed a typical dress and threw it on. I do not have a crush on Finn again. But, as soon as she walked past the mirror, she found herself nearly pressing her face against it, inspecting herself. Before she could even ponder if the bags under her eyes were from sleep or stress, her hand was on a makeup brush.

When Phoebe saw it in her hand, she set it down (albeit a bit roughly) and groaned loudly into her hands. "This isn't happening," she lamented.

"If it is, then maybe it's meant to be."

Phoebe squeaked and turned to see Cinnamon Bun in the doorway. "CB? But, you said you were going to bed," her eyes narrowed, "You lied?"

CB chuckled, "No. I did go to bed. But, then I heard you talking to yourself. The perks of having a room next to you."

"I'm sorry," Phoebe seemed to deflate, "You didn't hear all that did you?"

"I'm afraid so," the pastry came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Phoebe, you are my dearest friend. You can't keep running from your own feelings. It isn't healthy. My advice to you is that if you feel like Finn has changed for the better, perhaps you should give him one more chance."

She looked ready to say something, but didn't. Phoebe looked at the wall, the other, then turned her head to look at the ground. "Maybe," she said quietly, then hugged Cinnamon Bun, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, go. He's waiting."


One would think that laying under the stars on a clear desert night should be peaceful, no? Yeah, no. Not for Amun, it's not. Well, it had been, until he felt a presence lying next to him.


I'm so sorry, but I think that's a good cliffhanger to leave this off on. I'm a on a pretty decent writing streak, so yeah. Who do you think is lying next to Amun? I'll give you a hint, it's a character that's already known to you guys. So, until then; ja ne!