The hours quickly passed as Flame Princess and her armies rested. Before they knew it, there was only one hour left to strike. She got up from her tent and began to make her way towards the command post. Inside were Finn, Simon, Betty, Bubblegum, and FP's generals.
"I'm glad that you could join us Flame Princess," Betty greeted.
"Thanks, it's good to see you too," FP gave her a hug. She continued to greet the others momentarily and then went straight to business, "Ok, let's go over the briefing."
"Ma'am, our scouts report that the enemy has set up bunker emplacements here, here, and here. It turns out that they have modified the kingdom's defenses along the outer wall and have set up additional catapult positions in front of the wall itself. If that's not enough, there are also hundreds of ground troops stationed around the defense perimeter. Subtlety is out of the question, so we're going to have to hit them hard and fast," one general replied.
FP and the others nodded, "Ok, with that being said, what's our best strategy?"
"Well, we have been given intel that this portion of the perimeter has a slight opening. If we can breach that area, we'll be able to take down the rest of their outer defenses in suit. The plan is we'll strike all areas of the kingdom and use smoke to cover our assault. As soon as we take out most of those ground emplacements, we'll be able provide fire support from our catapults."
She frowned slightly, "Are you sure there are no other options?"
Her general sincerely replied, "We have thoroughly searched for alternatives before we resorted to this. If you have any better suggestions, I'm all ears."
FP shook her head.
"For now, breaching that tactical opening is our best shot. We're going to need our best fighters to complete this objective and we only have one chance at this."
"I'll go," Finn said.
"Betty and I will go too," Simon said.
"I'm in," Bubblegum said. "You're going to need my expertise when we run into some tech problems along the way."
"I shall go as well," Flame Princess said.
The general replied, "My liege, are you sure you want to go? I'm not questioning your abilities as a fighter, but I am concerned for your safety. You are our leader after all."
"I understand and appreciate your concern. However, as ruler of the Fire Kingdom, I must lead our forces through example. I'm better off handling the situation in person than just sitting here giving orders."
The general bowed, "I understand, your majesty. In that case, you'll also have a task force to accompany you along the way."
"Thank you general. Everyone dismissed."
The group made preparations for the fight. Swords were polished, spears were sharpened, and crossbows were loaded. In the midst of the camp, two fire soldiers spoke with each other.
"So, if we're just liberating the Breakfast Kingdom here, then who's going after the Slime Kingdom?"
"I've been told Muscle Princess and her forces are leading the charge along with Wildberry Princess, Hot dog Princess, and Emerald Princess's."
"That sounds like we have more than enough to get the job done."
"I hope you are right, Benjamin. Numbers may help in battle, but I worry about their fighting experience. We are the only ones besides the Candy Kingdom who have adequate experiences with combat."
"Me too, Anthony. I have this queasy feeling in my stomach right now. All this waiting is making me anxious. I feel like I want to get this fight over with, but at the same time I want to go back home and look after Ma."
Anthony rubbed Benjamin's shoulder with one hand, "It's alright, brother. I feel the same way too being caught in between that line to fight. I'm sure most of these people we see around here don't want to do this but are here because we have no other choice. Flame King has rallied his forces, our own men against us, and they will continue to endanger our friends and families until this war ends."
"You're right, you're right, I'll keep it together.," Benjamin took a few breaths. "By the way, do you think Ma knows where we are from television?"
Anthony shook his head, "From what I heard, Princess Bubblegum has spoken with the Lumpy Space Kingdom and they have agreed to suspend all forms of news media during wartime to ensure the security of our military."
"That's reasonable, I suppose. I guess that means I'll just have to stick with writing then."
"Don't worry, I'll remind you from time to time so you won't forget. Just stay behind me when we go out there ok? I promised Ma I would look out for you."
"I will, Anthony. I will," Benji nodded repeatedly.
As they finished with their conversation, most of the infantry was beginning to mobilize. Then, an officer approached them, "Alright boys, grab your gear and move up. You guys will be assigned to Alpha Squad for this operation."
The brothers acknowledged their orders and proceeded to meet the rest of the team. They were surprised when they discovered Flame Princess and her friends made up most of the group. There were also 18 elite soldiers standing by their sides.
"Well, well, well, looks like it's our lucky day, Benji. We'll be fighting alongside her majesty's presence along with her cohorts," Anthony smirked.
"Sweet!" Benji showed a huge grin on his face underneath his helmet and shook hands with Flame Princess. "It is a great privilege to fight beside you, your highness."
FP smiled and suppressed a giggle, "Likewise, noble knight."
"Alright, Benji. Let's not take too much of our ruler's time. Come along. Sorry ma'am, he's just a big fan," Anthony rolled his eyes as he dragged him away.
Flame Princess rubbed her neck with one hand as she looked over to Finn who had his arms crossed, "Heh, I get that sometimes."
Finn smirked underneath his mask and teased, "Should I be concerned with him?"
She blushed, "No! Don't be ridiculous!"
Finn nodded in approval, "Good. Thought I had some competition there."
At this, FP cocked her right fist in the air with a mock scowl, "Oh yeah, how about I beat you and bite you instead?!"
Finn's cockiness immediately took a nosedive and raised his hands defensively, "Hey, hey easy I was just kidding!"
"That's what I thought, hmph!" FP turned her back on him playfully with her arms crossed.
Simon whacked Finn on the back of the head, "Great work, 'lover boy'."
"My scientific analysis on relationships suggests that one must think before they act," Bubblegum added.
"Yeah, Finn. That insecurity is a huge turnoff," Betty chimed.
Finn's face turned crimson in embarrassment, "What? I was just kidding. Come on, man!"
They all laughed except for Finn.