Flanella

–Minor Arcana–

Act IV: Queen of Swords

"She extends her hand, perhaps to reach for another; but she also holds her sword firmly before her, perhaps as a warning, a self-protection or a test for another.She is familiar with sorrow. Her crown is made up of butterflies, showing the freedom of her thought and her active intellect."

–Tarot, Minor Arcana

A heavy hand shook her out of her scarcely cathartic sleep. It wasn't a rude awakening, but it sure wasn't expected, and a soft groan from the young king was a proof of it. Flame Princess rose from her bed, noticing her tangled blankets on the ground. Sitting up, she met her brother's anxious eyes. What could have happened while she was struggling between dreams and reality?

The strong-built elemental before her seemed to be in a hurry, yet upon glancing at his sister's pale face, he chose to spare a moment to sit by her side. Her golden eyes followed his glowing hand as it brushed away her red fiery locks and stopped to rest at her sweated forehead. Her sibling was worried she might be suffering from a fever, which even for a fire elemental meant a drastic change in temperature, ravings, and aching bones.

To his relief, Flame Princess' body heat was normal. She just had a hard night, evidenced by the trail of dry tears that ran down her cheeks. The young woman let her older sibling attend her discomfort, gently cleaning her face with his handkerchief to later help her get dressed in her royal attires.

She finished combing the wild flames of her hair, letting them fall free by her waistline. Staring at her reflection, now wearing the dark armor and the imposing expression of the King of Flames in her visage, only a small detail struck her as missing. The image of her brother appeared behind her in the mirror then, crowning her head with the blazing tiara.

The siblings smiled at their reflection. A King and a Prince were staring back at them, with the same prideful smirk and confident eyes, a physical trait that ran in the family apparently. The taller elemental laid his hand to rest on his sister's shoulder, symbol of his respect and loyalty towards her. Like in an antique family portrait never immortalized by the skilled strokes of an artist, it all fell back into place.

"I understand, it feels like your life is shattering into pieces with this new threat, attempting to seize your kingdom, the death of your right-hand-man, and the distance separating you from your daughter…" her brother said, "Chin up, sister. It'll all be fine, we might still have a chance to succeed."

Flame Princess waited in silence for him to continue.

"I am willing to let you cross words with Torcho one last time," he explained, "It appears your small talk had some effect on him after all, so I'll grant him this chance before we proceed to punch the information we need out of his mouth. What do you say, are you up to the task?"

The female king sighed, "Get me some tea first and we'll see."

Her brother laughed.

Outside of the crimson tent the west plains of the Fire Kingdom were just starting to be reignited by the blossoming sun rays, rising in the horizon. The grey smoke of multiple dead campfires guided her way as she advanced towards their prisoner's confinement. A cold breeze could still be felt in the air, even at the break of dawn. It wasn't strange for the fiery wasteland to drop its temperature at night. In fact, it was possible to find vestiges of frost in those places situated farther away from the heart of the kingdom.

Flame Princess took a mental note of her observation, yes there were melting puddles everywhere, it could help her figure out how Furnius managed to use ice against her men during the last battle. Although she hoped Torcho would help her with that instead.

She took a deep breath before stepping into the bunker where her soldiers held her younger cousin prisoner. The traitorous fire elemental was contained within his cell with the help of sturdy iron chains, which tied him onto the wall. The flames of the two silent elementals, which continued to frown at each other, were the only source of the scarce illumination in that enclosed area.

The young king spoke first.

"Torcho, I understand we don't exactly cherish our childhood memories together but… that doesn't mean we don't share the same blood that runs through our veins. I said it last night and I'll say it again; why must we fight our fathers' war?"

The dethroned prince lowered his glance. "That's easy for you to say. You weren't even born when our battle began!" he paused for a moment and then stared back at her, "Which makes me think… You don't really have anything to do with this…"

"Yet?" Flame Princess urged him to finish.

"Yet you still dare to wear our father's crown!"

"Yes, I admit it. I'm the real usurper here." Her confession brought a gasp to Torcho's lips. "I overthrew my father and took the throne by force, but as sons of the original Flame King, you and especially Furnius—being the first-born, are the true and rightful heirs to the crown."

She smiled, although her glance gave the impression of solemnness.

"However, I was born a Princess too, and as a member of the fire royalty I also worry about the future of our kingdom and the well-being of its people. All these years I've done nothing but to devote my heart and soul to change the wrong impression that the other kingdoms have developed against us. I've given my all to cleanse the hate and the fear, to end with the evil reputation of our race. The Fire Kingdom has never been as prosperous as it is now. We are at peace; free from the lies that once concealed our true nature."

"Torcho, I will not allow this flourishing era to end. It is your brother's doing what has forced me to engage us in battle. His heart has been poisoned with too much hatred, greed, and thirst for revenge…" Flame Princess averted her eyes from the prince's, "In that sense, he's just like my father used to be…"

Her cousin exhaled heavily, tensing his flaming features. "And what do think of my heart, your Highness? Do you really believe it is so poisoned as well as to turn it against its own brother? Didn't I make it clear last night? I will not be your pawn in this game! I'm not anyone's pawn!"

"You're wrong." The young king declared, stepping forward. "You've been Furnius' pawn all of your life! Doesn't it bother you to live under his shadow, when there's more to you than this? For once in your life Torcho, you must dare to think as the noble prince that you truly are!"

"Noble prince?" he scoffed, amused by her ingeniousness, "Foolish girl! What makes you think I'm any different than my brother is?"

"Well, for starters…" she began, a melancholic look in her eyes. "I don't remember ever being mocked by you when I was trapped in the lantern…"

Torcho tried to rebuke that statement, but he found himself stumbling upon his own words.

"I was only four and it was raining outside. Everyone had to take refuge in the castle, and Furnius and you sneaked into the throne room while my father was busy attending the emergency. I stared at the two of you, playing fencing with toy swords. You were the first one to notice me above. I waved at you and you did the same, earning a strike from your brother's sword because I distracted you.

Then you pointed at me with the enthusiasm of an adventurer that had just discovered a hidden treasure. I remember I smiled, thinking I'd have friends for the first time in my life. But then Furnius dragged you upstairs, and brought you before me. He began to make fun of me and I couldn't understand why. He even pressed you to do the same, yet you refused.

I'll never forget the way in which you stared at me while Furnius continued to laugh, there was compassion and of course, pity in your eyes… But mostly compassion."

Torcho gritted his teeth, refusing to admit it at first. He began to knock his head against the wall, hoping to erase the memory but his actions were futile. Finally, he gave up.

"Furnius said I was pathetic. He always humiliates me…" the prince confessed.

"Is that how you wish to spend the rest of your life, Torcho?" Flame Princess asked, "Tell me, if I gave you the chance to start anew, would you take it?"

"Turning me against my brother… What do you expect to gain out of that?"

"I'm not turning you against your brother. I'm asking you to help me fix up the mess that our fathers provoked in the past, so that we can create a better future! Torcho, if only I could trust you… I know there's goodness inside you, just like in any other fire elemental. Only you can put an end to Furnius' fury!"

Flame Princess insisted, urging him to open his eyes to the truth.

"Furnius' heart has long ago been tarnished by evil, but yours is still pure. Redeem yourself, Torcho, and I will not only set you free from this prison, but I will also relinquish the crown to its rightful King… You!"

The prince stared back at her wide-eyed. How could she promise such thing? Why would a fire elemental ever wish to give up the throne, to give up the power over its entire race? How could she be so convinced that there was kindness hidden within him?

"W-what do you mean? Why this desperate move? Why would you ever—? Flame Princess you must be insane!"

The young ruler laughed, grinning warmly. "No, I'm not. I thought it over a million times last night while I couldn't conceive sleep… I'm just playing my last card, Torcho. I've done the unthinkable to protect my place in the throne in the past, but I never did it out of power lust. I did it for our people."

"You can't expect me to be a benevolent king, cousin…" Torcho sighed, "You can't prove I'm not evil…"

"You are right," she replied, moving closer to him. "I can't. You must prove yourself worthy, Torcho… and I'm willing to grant you the chance to do so."

The prince couldn't believe Flame Princess was actually unlocking the padlocks that held him prisoner. She meant each and every one of her words.

"Help me to defeat Furnius, Torcho, and by the end of this war the Fire Kingdom will have its true king back."

"But if I accept to take this test, what will you win out of it? It seems to me that you'll only lose everything you posses."

"If you succeed, then I'll be free to live my life the way I've always wanted it." the young woman explained as she detached the last shackle on Torcho's wrist. "I don't expect you to understand this, but when you live most of your life locked up, you develop simple dreams. It may seem dumb to you, but all I want is to go back to my daughter and spend the rest of my life away from the turmoil of the palace. Perhaps… I might even be free to settle down with the man I love…"

"It isn't dumb." Torcho uttered, however drily he seemed to mean what he said.

Flame Princess nodded in reply, blushing.

The two royals headed to the outside world afterwards. Once away from the darkness, the fire soldiers and their general —Flame Princess' brother— received both her and Torcho, ready to act if anything suspicious were to happen.

They had all been waiting anxiously for the aftermath of their king's chat with the war prisoner. Flame Princess' idea was far too risky, even naïve, and foolish in the eyes of her military forces. But her sibling was determined to trust in her, no matter how reckless her decisions could seem. She had proven to be wise in many other occasions, so questioning her authority was not an option.

However, should Torcho break his pact, he'd be the first one to make him suffer the consequences of it. One single sign of treason against his little sister, and his head would roll.

"Hold on a sec!" the female king exclaimed all of a sudden.

Before her cousin could make another step, the fiery girl walked in front of him and knelt at his feet. The entire army let out a gasp of astonishment, how come the King of the Fire Kingdom could dare to humiliate her pride to a traitor like that? It was something unprecedented.

Torcho himself was left speechless as Flame Princess carefully tied his shoelaces, crafting a tight knot that wouldn't come off, no matter how fast he'd run.

"There…" the young woman smiled, returning to her standing position. "Now you can walk among us and never fear a fall…"

"T-the truth is…" he stuttered, embarrassed. "I never learned to tie my shoes…"

"Then I'll teach you." She assured, giving a gentle pat to his shoulder. "We are family after all…"

x~x~x~x~x

Back at the Tree Fort, escaping from the early morning rays, the silhouette of the Vampire Queen could be spotted on the rooftop. Marceline opened an entrance with her claws, slashing off the tree's foliage and slipping in afterwards. With a paper bag in her hands and a neutral look in her face, the undead woman proceeded to search for her friends.

She floated by the bedroom, the living room, and the kitchen. Seeing that there was no sign of the adventurers, the vampire landed and shouted.

"Hello? Finn, Jake! It's me, Marceline!"

No one replied, causing her to grow impatient.

"Oh c'mon now, guys! I know I was a bit of a butt last night, but you don't have to hide away from me!" she lifted the paper bag over her head, swinging it around to call their attention. "I came to apologize! Here, I brought a special peace offer! See? I went through the trouble of cooking these myself, and I don't usually do that for anybody! You better appreciate it!"

Again, there was no response from the heroic duo.

"Don't ignore me! Finn, I made some for Flanella too! How about if we bury the hatchet and have breakfast together? If you don't answer in five seconds, I'm gonna eat it all! I'm serious, guys!"

She suddenly felt a pair of small hands, tugging her jeans. Surprised, Marceline looked down to find a smiling Beemo, staring at her. The vampire blinked, confused.

"Finn and Jake are in the bathroom!"

"At the same time?" she questioned, slightly alarmed.

"Yeah, and the baby is with them too! It's been hours since they got in there, I think they are trying to change her diapers!" the Mo put his finger beneath its mouth, "But now that I think about it… Is that supposed to take so long?"

The Vampire Queen rubbed a hand all over her face, frustrated.

"No, it isn't." she sighed as she handed Beemo the paper bag, "I better check what are those donks doing to that poor baby!"

As she approached the bathroom multiple muffled sounds of falling objects, water running, chuckles and impatient groans, could be heard coming from behind the wooden door. Marceline carefully twisted the knob, fearing that she'd soon be facing one of Finn and Jake's distinguished messes.

A big cloud of baby powder exploded in her face as soon as she walked in, tingeing her black tank top of white in no less than two seconds.

Waving the perfumed dust away from her, and coughing the rest out of her lungs, the vampire was finally allowed to peek at the prevailing disaster that ruled the adventurers' bath. The toilet paper was all over the flooded floor, caused by either the dog or the human leaving the sink open. The shower curtains were being charred away by a couple of tiny flames that climbed up them with no restriction whatsoever. Puffs of smoke stained the ceiling, and all of Jake's make up had been tossed into the toilet.

It was like staring at the Nightosphere contained in a bathroom.

"What the flameo happened here?" the undead queen exclaimed, overwhelmed by the unleashed chaos that surrounded her. Just how could changing a diaper end so badly?

None of the two brothers relented a second of their arguing to reply to the vampire's exclamation.

"I thought you were good at this stuff, Jake!" Finn yelled, shaking the dog's shoulders in exasperation. "You are Jake the Dad!"

"Well excuse me! It ain't my fault rainicorn puppies become self-sufficient before they even get the need to change their diapers!"

The human released his brother to clasp his face in exhaustion. How come he had believed that Jake would know how to control that kind of situation? Marceline smacked her forehead. Thank goodness she arrived just in time to stop the situation from getting any worse.

The Vampire Queen approached the two fatigued wannabe fathers, and pushed them apart to work with the baby herself. Flanella, completely oblivious of her caretakers' frustration, dedicated her time to clutch her toes with her little fingers as she rolled on her back from one side to the other. The fact that her bottom half was totally exposed to the elements didn't seem to bother her at all, that was the most amusing activity she had ever done in her short life.

"Where's the new diaper?" Marceline demanded.

Finn extended his hand at her; the sticky tabs of the nappy were stuck on his fingers. With a hearty guffaw the vampire snatched it from the embarrassed hero and while holding Flanella's legs, she lifted her up and shoved the diaper beneath her. Jake stretched his paw to reach the powder bottle from the floor and passed it to Marceline, who shook its content on the baby's rear and then proceeded to secure the diaper around her body.

In a moment the impossible task was done. Meanwhile, Finn and Jake were busy, picking up their jaws from the ground.

"There, there, it wasn't that hard, huh?" the undead queen laughed, holding Flanella in her arms.

"W-where did you learn to do that, Marcy?" the magical dog asked.

"Oh… Well, a long time ago I used to help Bonnie with the kids at the Candy Orphanage. No big deal…" she shrugged.

The young man gave a relieved sigh; glad the diaper ordeal was finally over. Of course, all they needed was a pinch of girl power and presto! Marceline noticed him smiling and with a grin of herself, she handed over the little rascal to him.

"You know Finn, she's actually not that bad. I mean, she's kinda cute!" the queen admitted, "I especially love her eyes, they're blue and shiny just like…. yours…?!"

At this the trio turned their attention to the baby girl on Finn's arms. None of them could believe what they were seeing, last night Flanella's eyes were golden like Flame Princess' and now they were gleaming blue as Finn's? Perplexed, the two males turned to the thousand year-old woman in search of an answer.

"Don't stare at me like that!" she complained, "I've got no idea, alright! Perhaps it's just a normal thing… I've heard of babies that change their hair and eye color some weeks after they're born."

"Okay. That's a reasonable explanation!" the hero nervously gulped. "Her eyes turned blue like mine, so what? It's normal, right? Just a simple casualty!"

Jake elbowed him, concerned. "Um… Dude…"

Running his fingers through Flanella's fiery hair, the young man discovered some golden strands that were starting to fuse with the red of her short locks. They formed blond dashes mixed in the rouge of her flaring hair, which reminded them of Finn's own wild locks; a strange, yet marvelous combination that any fire elemental would certainly envy.

"Finn, what the heck did you do to that baby?" the golden bulldog gasped, frowning at his brother in suspicion.

"N-nothing! I swear!"

"Hey!" Marceline called, holding her stomach tightly. "What if we get outta here and discuss this over breakfast? My stomach is makin' the rumblies… C'mon, I brought strawberry pancakes!"

"Yeah… Maybe we've started to see weird things out of hunger…" Jake agreed, following the vampire into the kitchen.

Certain that hunger had nothing to do with the change in Flame Princess' daughter, Finn stayed behind, taking a better look of the baby. What kind of magic had acted upon her? Could this be another one of Magic Man's pranks? No, the young man would have detected that patoot before he even dared to lay a finger on Flanella.

The little girl tugged his shirt, blowing out at spittle in content. The young man didn't mind the small stain on his shirt and gently moved Flanella's hands away so that he could clean it. Still, Finn couldn't help but to wonder what had happened. What secrets was Flame Princess hiding from him?

"FP… What's the meaning of this?"

Author's Notes:

Thank you all very much for sharing your opinions about the story with me! I really appreciate it! We have now entered the second arc of this fic. Because it's supposed to be a short story, each arc is composed of three chapters and I have planned to write three arcs in total. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you soon with more!