It seemed like her life had turned into a routine. She would get up, get dressed, eat, perform her Queenly duties during the day and night, and then went to bed. It was a constant cycle that didn't seem to have an end. She truly thought she was going to go insane. Day in and day out her life was always the same. Was she doomed to live like this for the rest of her life? To always be the shadow behind her husband?
Her relationship with Pepper had slowly mended over the years she spent at the Candy Kingdom, though she had a feeling that was because Pepper was her personal maid. They were going to see each other constantly anyway, so why not repair their relationship? Still, no matter how much they smiled and laughed, Isis couldn't forget how Pepper had just walked away when she had needed her most.
Since Pepper was no longer the escape that she needed, Isis found herself back in the stables, finding solace in the one person she knew she could trust: Gumball.
"Do you really think you should be down here all the time?" Gumball asked Isis a bit hesitantly one day. He was brushing Skye's flank with a fierce concentration that told her Gumball was trying his best not to look at her. Isis peered over at him from the other side of Skye with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you not want me here?" She countered with a coy smile when Gumball glanced up at her. He looked away quickly, his cheeks burning. Isis choked down a giggle as she waited for the answer she knew he was going to give.
"You know that's not what I mean!" He fell silent and Isis cocked her eyebrow again.
"Well?" She prompted and Gumball grumbled something unintelligible, rubbing the back of his head. Isis grinned at the sight. He didn't like being put on the spot, but it was the few things that made her feel better these days. Gumball then straightened and walked around Skye to face her. Sensing a change in the mood, Isis turned slowly to face him and soon they were only inches apart.
"Isis, you know I love having you here, but you can't come to the stables so often. You already have to convince the kingdom that we're only childhood friends, but that'll be hard to prove if you spend more time with me than your husband." Now it was Isis's turn to look away. Sometimes she regretted telling Gumball what had happened at her wedding. At first he had been in utter shock that J.R. was practically his twin when he was clean shaven, but the shock was only temporary. He was aghast that Isis had actually said his name. Gumball had been wondering why he was suddenly the center of attention among the servants. However, he had also been afraid. What if J.R. decided to dispose of him? When Gumball had shared his concerns with her, Isis had sworn that she would never let that happen, and came down to the stables often to make sure he was still there. If she was able to see the love of her life more often…well, that was just a bonus.
"I know, but I have to make sure nothing happens to you!" Gumball just stared and Isis knew then that he knew the real reason why she had been visiting him so often. "Well it's true." She mumbled stubbornly and Gumball shook his head with a smile. He let one of her hands fall to grasp the other one with both of his hands.
"How about we send each other letters? That way, you'll know that I'm okay." Isis saw so many holes in that plan, but Gumball was worried for her, and she couldn't argue the fact that she needed to find another way to spend her time. The two shared a smile before returning to groom the impatient Skye. It wasn't long before Isis was heading back up to the Candy Castle. All the fabric she was wearing made the small trek seem like it went on for miles. By the time she reached the castle gates Isis felt like she was about to die.
"Down at the stables again?" Isis froze at the sound of J.R.'s voice. She turned to see her husband leaning against their bedroom wall. When she turned to face him, J.R. got off his perch and strode towards her. She backed away to keep her distance.
"And what if I was?"
"Well your favorite stable boy might disappear if you keep this up." Isis stiffened and J.R. laughed at her reaction.
"What? Did you think I was just going to let you keep seeing him? Stay away from that stable boy, or you'll regret it." The threat hung in the air, shaking Isis down to her core. Regret it? What could he mean by that? Various scenarios ran through her head, and none of them were good for Gumball. She didn't doubt that J.R. meant what he said, that his threat was real. He would stop at nothing to make sure…make sure of what? To keep her miserable? Isis could never figure out what his true goal in their marriage was. He was doing a spectacular job at keeping her miserable though. Isis looked away and clenched her fists, her white bangs hiding her facial expression. She heard J.R. smirk and she whirled back to face him.
"What game are you playing at J.R.?" She demanded angrily while J.R. continued to watch her with this amused look on his face that only added to her fury. He was always putting her down and making her life a living hell. Wasn't it enough that they had been forced to marry each other? J.R. sent the message loud and clear that he didn't like her, she got that, but why all this torment? What could he possibly gain from treating her like his property? "You treat me like I'm lower than the ground you walk on; why?" She continued, her voice raising with each syllable until she realized, a bit too late, that she was shouting at him. Isis, remembering the charade they had to play, quickly lowered her voice and listened. There were no footsteps outside their bedroom door, so they were alone. Isis couldn't determine if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Almost casually J.R. strode over to her until they were inches apart and Isis had to resist the temptation to back away from the man in front of her. He was unpredictable and that made Isis wary.
"It's simple really," he began, his tone mockingly slow as if he were talking to a small, ignorant child, "You. Are. Mine." With each word he jabbed a finger into her chest, making her take a step back each time he did so. "Which means I can treat you however I want. I can treat you well, I can treat you badly…it just depends how I feel. Of course, that's not the only reason though." Placing his hands behind his back, J.R. strolled across the room before turning to face her with a smile. She didn't like that smile. "You are rather unruly for someone I had been promised would be a docile and obedient wife. From the moment I met you I knew you were spoiled rotten by that pathetic man you call a father." Isis bristled at the insult and snarled, but J.R. paid her no mind. He never did. She was insignificant, barely something to be considered when it came to her husband.
"So," He continued as he strolled to the window and peered out to his Kingdom below. She could only imagine what he saw whenever he looked outside. Happy subjects? Or pawns to be controlled? She guessed it was the latter. "there's only way to deal with an unruly child: make them respect you." He looked over at her with that smile again and Isis wanted to squirm under his gaze. "And I've learned that the fastest way to gain respect is to instill a little fear." J.R. smiled even wider as he held out his hand out to her as if he knew exactly what was going to happen next.
And he did.
Isis instinctively moved to across the room to take his hand without thinking. She moved to preserve herself for a variety of reasons: to keep from being struck, to avoid his wrath that always ended with her suffering, to keep him from attacking the ones she cared about, but all her reasons centered around one concept: fear. In many ways she was his trained little lap dog and she couldn't do anything about it without dealing with the consequences that would come from her insubordination. As J.R. gazed down at her with a triumphant glee she merely stared at their interlocked hands.
She hated him. With every fiber of her soul. He had reduced her to a sniveling wife that came to his beck and call in a matter of months. He had taken practically everything she had held dear. But not only did she hate him, she hated herself. She had allowed this to happen. No matter what excuses she made for herself, it was the truth. She knew her strengths. She could have struck back with her fists, or even what little magic she controlled in this realm, but she hadn't. Why? Because she had been afraid. Her father had thrown everything he had into this marriage. He needed the Candy Kingdom's support to ward of the Fire Kingdom's attempts to take over their land, and J.R. was holding his end of the bargain. The Fire Kingdom's forces were held at bay for the four years that had passed after their holy marriage while Luke's reign had slowly deteriorated the Ice Kingdom internally.
The Ice Kingdom was a mess. The economy was collapsing with each passing day. Her home lived off the profit they made from harvesting seal and whale oil, pelts of the animals they killed, and the crystals they scavenged from the terrain. However, with the Candy Kingdom soldiers marching through their –well, Luke's—land armed with the hunting rights that her father had granted…the Candy Kingdom was literally hoarding all of the Ice Kingdom's wealth. The Ice Kingdom had no source of income and with the Candy Kingdom not deploying all of their soldiers, like they should, the Fire Kingdom was a constant threat to her brother's reign. The people had lost all hope in their new ruler, their once beloved Prince now the despised King. What little wealth the Ice Kingdom got, Luke hoarded it all for himself to support his lavish lifestyle. He had no concern for the people he ruled and brought the Ice subjects nothing but misery and famine.
Her father could only watch as his Kingdom slowly wasted away into nothing.
Isis had to be good, had to make this marriage work, if only for her father, but as she looked into J.R.'s eyes, Isis knew that she could live like this no longer. It was time to take matters into her own hands.
xxXXxx
That night Isis tracked down Pepper.
The little peppermint maid had been suspicious but obediently followed Isis into her private bedchambers. Honestly, as if she had a choice.
"Pepper, I need you to swear fealty to me." The maid, who had calmly been sipping tea, sputtered the hot liquid everywhere and looked up at Isis in shock.
"What?"
"I need you to swear fealty to me." Isis repeated with little patience as Pepper slowly set the tea cup down on the little table.
"I don't see why that's necessary, Your Majesty. I am already loyal to you and His Majesty J.R…." Isis sighed and pinched the skin between her eyes.
"That's the point. I want you to swear fealty to me, and only me." With every word that Isis uttered Pepper steadily grew more and more uncomfortable. Her eyes darted wildly and she shifted in her seat almost constantly.
"W-Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you ask a guard or something? That would be a better choice if you want to commit treason." Isis laughed harshly and leaned in close to the peppermint maid.
"Treason? I never said such a thing."
"But you want me to swear fealty to only you, so you must have a plan that you need me for." Isis leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. Pepper was obviously smarter than Isis gave her credit for, but any individual could have figured that out. It wasn't rocket science. She tried to figure out how to proceed. Obviously Pepper wasn't going to swear her fealty at this rate. She thought about just ordering the maid to make the oath, but she knew an order wasn't strong enough. Pepper would have no problem breaking it and reporting Isis to the King, and she had experienced the last of J.R.'s wrath.
Isis got up from her chair and walked over to her cabinet. Pepper watched her warily as Isis searched the cabinet of the jar she wanted. She spotted it way in the back. It was covered in dust, but when she blew it away the jar was green. Turning back around she wandered back to the table they were sitting at and sat down, pulling out a few herbs from the jar.
"What are those?" Pepper asked warily and Isis smiled sweetly at the worried maid.
"It's only mint my dear." She lied smoothly as she ground the herbs into a fine dust. She then mixed the powder into the two cups of tea and handed one to Pepper. The entire time the maid had been watching her with a disbelieving eye, probably thinking that Isis was going to kill her. However, Pepper obediently took the cup and held it in her hand, watching the Queen expectantly. Isis smiled. Smart girl, she thought to herself before Isis held her own cups to her lips, pretending to swallow.
"See? Nothing dangerous. Now go on, drink." Pepper glanced at her tea a bit doubtfully but did as she was told. The face she made told Isis that the brew tasted horrible, but the maid dutifully drank every last drop. Perfect. "Now," Isis began, setting her full cup onto the table, "you will swear fealty to me." Pepper sighed and wiped a hand against her forehead. Isis could already see the beads of sweat starting to form on the maid's brow.
"This again, Your Majesty? My loyalty is for both the King and the Queen. I will not swear fealty to just you." Pepper persisted before she began to fan herself. "Aren't you hot, Your Majesty?" She panted a bit distractedly, glancing at the tea she had drunk. Isis just calmly folded her hands in her lap.
"Oh, I think you will, considering you just drank a lethal dose of poison." Pepper froze and slowly turned to face her Queen, shock etched into her aged features.
"Poison…?" She repeated, her voice holding only disbelief.
"Yes, poison. And only I have the antidote. Now, if you wish to see tomorrow, you will swear your fealty to me now." Isis gave up her façade of friendliness and stared down the frightened maid, her voice as hard as flint. Pepper began to shake in her chair, although Isis wasn't sure if it was because she was frightened or convulsing. "Tick tock, m'dear. You don't have much time left." Isis warned as she watched the maid fight some internal struggle. Pepper was silent for the longest time before she lowered her head in defeat.
"I swear fealty to you Isis, Queen of the Candy Kingdom." Isis gleefully clapped her hands together.
"Perfect! Now if you just wait right there, I'll go fetch the antidote. I promise to be quick." She winked at Pepper before disappearing into her bathroom and out of sight. She closed the door behind her just to be sure before she knelt to the floor. Isis couldn't believe everything was going so well! Of course, this was just the preliminary stages of her plan. Pepper didn't know it yet, but she played a big role in the chaos that was about to unfold.
Isis quickly found the faux tile she was looking for and picked it up. Inside, nestled in a soft beige cloth, was the antidote to the poison she had given to Pepper. She picked up the liquid concoction before replacing the tile and heading back to the table where Pepper still sat, her head in her hands.
"Oh cheer up; at least you're not dying tonight." Isis told the woman with a hint of annoyance, practically flinging the antidote at Pepper. She fumbled the vial but caught it as Isis sat down, quickly downing its contents. In a matter of minutes Pepper was back to her normal pallor though she still shivered wildly.
"Tonight?" Pepper asked warily as she watched her Queen, an emotion flickering across the maid's face that Isis had never seen directed at her before: fear. Pepper was afraid of her, afraid of what she would do next. Isis smiled. The thrill the realization brought her sent a chill down her spine. If this was how it felt, Isis wasn't surprised that J.R. terrorized her all the time. The feeling was exhilarating. Oh how she had missed the feeling of being in control, of having power. She was the master here, not her husband.
"Well you didn't think this was the end of your ordeal, did you?" Isis retorted, her tone mocking. The look on Pepper's face told Isis that she had been thinking that. She only smiled again before continuing, leaning back against her chair and pressing her fingers together in a small teepee. "It's not my dear Pepper. You see, I have to make sure that you remain loyal to me no matter what, so…" Isis paused to make sure she had Pepper's full attention, "every day, I will make you consume this poison. It won't be as much as tonight, but eventually, after a couple of days, you will have to come for me for the antidote. Every three days to be exact. If you do not get the antidote from me you will die." Isis then leaned forward in her chair, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Your life is in my hands, Pepper, and the only way you will stay alive is if you remain loyal to me and do as I say. If I even think that you will betray me, you will be dead in the next hour. Do you understand me?" Pepper nodded quickly before Isis leaned back once more, dismissing the maid with a wave of her hand. "I will call you when I need you again."
The next couple nights went by smoothly. J.R. didn't suspect a thing, which was good. She had to lull him into a false sense of security, so she just had to act like she always did. Easy, right?
Wrong.
With her plan about to be set into action, Isis was fidgety. She couldn't seem to keep still no matter how hard she tried. Many times she had tried to convince herself just to not go through with it. The consequences she would face were horrendous if she ever got caught, but she couldn't think about that now. Isis refused to get cold feet. She was tired of living in fear. Her father would be ashamed if he could see his proud daughter now trembling at the feet of a man who did not deserve her. There was only one thing she could do, Isis told herself over and over again as the final night drew to an end, only one thing.
Isis was doing something that she had never done before: she planned a ball. Everyone in the Candy Kingdom was invited and ordered to dress in their best clothes for the event. They were celebrating the annual harvest to receive blessing from the Harvest Sprite. It was the first time it was made into a royal celebration though so the Kingdom was abuzz with excitement. It was all anyone could talk about as the day drew near. People were spinning their dresses and renting tuxedos, cooking food, decorating the ball room. It was going to be a grand event that everyone would talk about for years to come, and it was perfect for what she needed to do.
The night of the ball, the subjects of the Candy Kingdom were flooding into the doors to attend the party, honored to be invited. Music and the aroma of food were in the air as Isis observed what she had created. The large ballroom was filled with crystal chandeliers, making the room seem magical. The room was bathed in warm light that sparkled when reflected against the crystal decorations. People were dancing in pairs to soft music, chatting quietly to one another, but Isis new that wasn't going to last long. Someone was going to demand for a change of music and the elegant ball would turn into a raving party.
As if on cue, there was a change of music and suddenly everyone was dancing wildly and furniture became the new dance floor. Isis shook her head and gathered the fabric of her black dress. It had a sweet heart neckline and draped all the way to the floor with a slight train. White swirls weaved its way down the dress, ending at a hem of pearls that was getting a bit heavy to drag around. As she turned to leave Isis felt a hand on a wrist. Even through the fabric of her lace gloves her skin wanted to crawl away from the contact.
"What do you want, husband?" She asked irritably and looked over her shoulder to see J.R. with a tight lipped expression.
"Where are you going?"
"Does it matter?"
"You're the hostess of this ball. It's only fitting that you stay." Isis pursed her lips as well and reluctantly consented to stick around. She so badly wanted this charade to be over, but she had to keep up appearances. She stayed for a little longer then told her husband that she felt ill. J.R., of course, didn't care. He was too busy flirting with some of the younger girls wearing tiny pieces of cloth that could hardly be called underwear let alone a dress. She rolled her eyes, sickened. He would never change.
She was reading in her room when J.R. sauntered in. Isis sighed and slowly rose to her feet while he grinned over at her. It had gotten to the point that she never even resisted anymore when he wanted her. J.R., of course, hadn't been fond of that originally. He was sick enough to enjoy the fact that she fought back, it only turned him on more. So, to retaliate in the only way she could, Isis stopped fighting. She would just lay beneath him while he had his way with her. It was pathetic, but J.R. didn't complain. Why would he? He got a free lay every night.
Without a word J.R. strode over to her with an expectant gleam in his eye and moved to pull her into his arms. That was as far as he got. Isis raised her hands and placed them on his chest, her grip firm on the fabric of his clothing. Stunned, J.R. stood there for a moment before he grinned.
"Oh? Are you suddenly feisty again? You know I love a good fight."
Isis ignored him and concentrated fiercely on the spell she had memorized. She pushed all her worries aside, including the one that she would probably not have the power to complete this spell without her tiara. She began to quickly mutter a spell, clutching J.R.'s undershirt even tighter to keep him from moving. By now J.R. had picked up that something was wrong and was trying to break her grip on him.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?" He demanded angrily, practically clawing at her hands, but Isis held on. She wanted this so badly that nothing was going to stop her now. J.R.'s attempts to escape got more fierce with more time that passed, especially when he realized that she was nearing the end of her spell. However, with each word that passed through her lips, the King's movements became slower and slower due to the amount of ice that was accumulating inside him. Slowly and methodically the spell was freezing him from the inside out. By the time her spell was done J.R. stood menacingly before her, frozen. His expression was filled with hate as Isis pried her hands from his now iron grip. She accidentally broke a finger off and it bounced on the floor to hit her foot. Isis squealed and backed into the wall, her breaths coming out in wild pants as she stared at the man before her.
He didn't move.
At all.
It had worked…
It had worked!
Isis then began to laugh. It was slow at first, but it quickly built in its momentum until she needed the wall for support. She was free! Finally free of this man, and the most wonderful thing of all was that he was utterly powerless. No matter what she did, he could do nothing about it. Isis started laughing again. The tables had turned! Now she was the one that held the power, not him! She was the one who was in control! Isis's gaze leveled on J.R. and she smiled wickedly at him.
And boy did she have plans for him.
J.R. at least had the decency to appear frightened as she moved to the window. She opened the latch and flung it open before heading back to the frozen King. "I bet you're dying to know what I'm going to do." She told J.R. as she started to push him towards the window. "But you're smart; I know you can figure it out." She sneered before she pushed him over the edge, throwing the finger that had broken off after him.
Isis peered out the window to watch the ice statue fall. It landed on the ground with a loud shatter. Or she assumed. Isis couldn't hear a thing over the music.
