-Mind Games-
Flame Princess had chosen to wait till morning to announce the hunt for an imposter. The fiery girl was still exhausted from the previous encounter with the enigmatic Sixth Arc. Whatever he was, she wanted to know exactly how to hurt him, make him feel the same pain Finn did. What she couldn't quite understand was, why?
As she was walking down to the throne room, FP contemplated her feelings as best she could.
He was always protective, especially when I got hurt. Am I repaying him? Is that why I feel so angry that they hurt him?
The king shook her head, deciding to put it off until her declaration had been stated. She had assembled her finest warriors in the palace, eager to receive orders of the upmost importance. As Flame Princess reached the room and walked to her throne, she noticed the now overflowing amount of flora in the surroundings.
Cinnamon Bun was tending to his plants, happily laughing as he trimmed their leaves and repositioned them in their pots. FP smiled.
Such a happy guy. I'm glad he's found a hobby.
Once the young ruler sat in her seat, she cleared her throat, gathering the attention of the mighty legion before her.
"Warriors of the Fire Kingdom, a hidden deceit hangs over our land. There is reason to believe that a spy is present among us. They are an outright liar, keeping their identity secret and stealing information to wrongfully spread. We must find and punish this individual, no matter the cost."
She raised her arm.
"Go, extinguish this plague of lies."
The soldiers all bowed to their king, then proceeded orderly out of the palace, heading out into the kingdom in search of the deceiver. A tap was felt on FP's shoulder. Se turned to see CB grinning at her.
"Can I help?"
Flame Princess chuckled at the candy person's enthusiasm.
"Sure, Cinnamon Bun. You can um…Oh! You can keep putting up all these lovely plants."
In all honesty, she'd hated the vegetation at first, but now, they were catching on to her. CB clapped his hands.
"Yay! How will that help?"
FP furrowed her brow, thinking of something.
"Maybe the spy will become distracted by their beauty and stick out like a sore thumb."
Her companion giggled a bit.
"Haha, just like Finn when he looks at you."
Flame Princess couldn't keep her face from turning the same shade as her hair. The fire elemental looked away, hoping the jolly candy person would return to his tending. Mercifully, he did. FP breathed a sigh of relief, not wanting to deal with embarrassment this early in the day.
Suddenly, a palace servant ran up to her, holding up a telephone.
"Your highness, a call from the princess of the Candy Kingdom."
Normally, Flame Princess was still too reserved to speak with PB, but, she secretly hoped that this was something about the humans, which caused her to accept the call.
"Hello?"
"Flame Princess, I wanted to keep you posted on the situation, since your kingdom is involved as well. There's been some unusual activity at the Goblin Kingdom. I already sent Marceline to check it out, but was thinking you might want to join in."
FP was rather surprised. The candy woman was showing great camaraderie.
"S-sure. I'll come."
"Excellent. Let me know what you find out. Bye."
She hung up. Flame Princess was about to hand the phone back to the servant, but then changed her mind and sent him off. After sitting there for a moment, she punched in the number for the phone Finn always had in his backpack, which should be near his hospital bed.
Please be awake, she hoped as the device rang several times.
"Hello?"
"Finn, hi. How are you feeling?"
"Oh, hey, FP. I'm alright. Still a bit sore in the head, but other than that, I feel like I could take on ten giants."
The princess smiled.
"That's good to hear. Is Jake also better?"
"Eh, hard to tell. He's so lazy it always looks like he's bedridden."
The two teens laughed at both ends of the receiver.
"Haha, I'll bet."
Not that she'd admit it, but FP had only asked about Jake so as to not make it look like she was exclusively calling for Finn.
"So, anyway, Bubblegum told me a few minutes ago that there's some stuff going on in the Goblin Kingdom. I'm about to head over there."
She couldn't see it, but was betting the human was frowning.
"The Goblin Kingdom? Flame Princess…are you sure it's a good idea for you to go there?"
The fire elemental was expecting that, in fact, it was the real reason she'd called; to get some opinion and support.
"Well, what do you think? I mean, I really want to help with this whole mess, Finn. I want to find out who these people are and what they're planning."
"Me too. I'm glad to have someone like you on the investigation."
She smiled.
"Thanks. So, do you think I could go?"
There was a pause. The young hero was taking his time pondering the inquiry. FP was nervous about the verdict. It was more than a decision; to her, it was a statement of how much faith the human had in her.
"You know what? Go for it, FP."
The fire elemental nearly gasped from the reply.
"R-really? You mean it?"
A chuckle.
"Sure! You're the awesome ruler of the Fire Kingdom now, not a girl who burns down places for fun. Well, most of the time."
Flame Princess didn't mind the joke, she was too busy listening to the positive stuff, along with her blush.
"Just walk in, say 'Finn the Human said I'm awesome' and you'll be shaking hands left and right- er, well, they'll like you."
FP giggled, noticing the boy's increasing confusion to his own words.
"Thanks so much, Finn. I was really nervous about going back."
The human grinned on the other end of the line.
"No probs. You can always ask for my help, anytime, anywhere."
There was a dramatic pause as FP's flames grew slightly.
"But, can you promise me one thing, Flame Princess?"
"What's that?"
"If…if you run into another one of those super humans, please, don't fight them alone. Ok?"
The princess thought about this request, recalling how much she wanted to avenge the hero.
"I…ok. I promise."
"Thanks. I don't want you to get hurt. You're important to a lot of people, including me."
FP recalled the paper she'd read from Finn's pocket.
"I know."
"What?"
"Uh, never mind. Get some rest, bye."
"Ok, by-"
She hung up, trying to hold back another blush.
"That was close," she muttered to herself.
The king got up from her throne and looked over to her sugary companion.
"Hey, Cinnamon Bun, I'm heading out to the Goblin Kingdom. Watch the place, would you?"
The bashful candy person saluted.
"You got it."
FP nodded and proceeded to flame form herself all the way back to her room, intent on replacing the armor she was wearing. On this particular visit, it was highly important not to look intimidating. Once she had a simple dress on, Flame Princess shot out of her room and into the ash clouds of her realm.
Breaking through the dark obstructions, the fiery girl entered a downward charge, using her current altitude and the prevailing winds to glide her swiftly towards the distant Goblin Kingdom.
FP had a hunch that she was getting faster, seeing as it only took a few minutes for her to reach the magnificent city that had been reconstructed after her rampage. She was still feeling nervous, but pushed on by imagining Finn's encouraging words.
You're the awesome ruler of the Fire Kingdom now…
Nearing the walls of the kingdom, Flame Princess decided it would be much more passive to land outside and ask for permission to enter the city. She politely stopped at the gate, where a pair of guards eyed her, instantly growing fear on their faces.
"Ah! The fire lady! She's back!"
The pair cowered on the ground, holding their shields up in pitiful defense. FP sighed, realizing this may be more difficult than she thought. Keeping her cool, the girl walked up to one of the goblins and knelt down next to him.
"Hey, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."
The guard cautiously lowered his shield to gaze upon the fire elemental.
"Why not? You had no trouble hurting a lot of us all that time ago."
Flame Princess frowned, now having been directly reminded of her past mistakes.
"Look, I'm really sorry about that. I was confused, angry, and didn't know a lot about the outside world. I shouldn't have started setting your butts and houses on fire. Please, I'm trying to atone."
Both guards momentarily stopped shaking, looking at each other from opposite sides of the gate. They gulped, then stood up slowly, not daring to lower their wooden protection.
"Um…ok. But, how can we be sure?"
He stuttered heavily, apparently afraid that the question had sounded more like a threat, which would mean the end of him and his buddy. Instead however, Flame Princess took more of her friend's advice.
"Finn the Human says I'm awesome."
As if by magic, the two goblin's expressions perked up.
"You know Finn? For real? And he says you're cool?"
The pair went over to the gate controls and began cranking the mechanism. Soon enough, the iron gate opened, revealing the entrance to the kingdom. The two guards walked back over, now smiling.
"Welcome to our humble city, miss. I hope your visit is a pleasant one."
Flame Princess was dumbfounded by the sudden acceptance, but decided to let sleeping dogs lie and strolled into the Goblin's home.
"Oh, hang on a second."
One of the guards whistled, calling over another goblin, who asked what he could do. The guard whispered in his comrade's ear, occasionally gesturing to FP. She just stood there, curious. After the conversation ended, both nodded and the recent arrival pulled out a picket sign, quickly writing a message on it with a marker. After finishing, he walked over to Flame Princess and held the message above her head:
Finn the Human says she's awesome
Bewildered, but deciding to go with it, the girl shrugged and walked into the open streets of the kingdom, with the sign holder following vigilantly the whole way. Goblins that they came across first gasped in fright, before noticing the message and letting out a relieved breath, followed by a wave.
FP waved back, still amazed that this was happening, as she made her way towards the most obvious source of information; the palace. It was a short trip, since all the citizens gladly parted a path for the young lady to pass. She smiled thankfully at them, thinking that her reputation was truly beginning to mend itself.
At the entrance to the palace, there was a pair of actually threatening looking guards. They glanced down at Flame Princess, not really paying mind to her sign attendant.
"State your business," one of then grumbled.
FP cleared her throat and gave a small bow.
"I, the ruler of the Fire Kingdom, would like to speak with the king."
The two grunts eyed each other, then nodded and stepped aside.
"You may enter, your highness."
Flame Princess thanked the two and proceeded inside, still tailed by the messenger. Inside, she quickly came upon the goblin throne, which was currently occupied by the 'benevolent' Whisper Dan. Gummy was standing loyally by his side, appearing to be listening to some crucial instruction. However, upon noticing the princess, the chief of staff swiftly turned and gave the visitor a bow.
"Welcome, miss. The king bides you a pleasant stay at our humble city."
FP thanked the goblin, who redirected it to his king, and stepped forward. For a moment, she was unsure.
"Um, do I speak to the king?" she asked.
Do you have any idea how stupid you just sounded?
Luckily, Gummy paid it no mind and nodded.
"Indeed, your majesty. However, I will be the one to put voice to his words."
The goblin beckoned to his liege.
"Oh, of course."
He turned back to FP.
"We've had another recent visitor. You may know her. Marceline the Vampire Queen."
Flame Princess nodded. Although, she'd never actually met the girl. Finn had always insisted she was great, which made her a bit jealous; when they were still going out that is. The doors to the throne room burst open, followed by the entrance of a floating black-haired girl with a bizarre looking weapon strapped to her back.
When the girl spotted FP, she grinned.
"Well, if it isn't the weenie's little firefly."
Flame Princess controlled the coloring of her cheeks and frowned at the lady.
"That wasn't exactly the best way for us to greet each other for the first time."
Marcy laughed.
"Did Finn forget to mention I mess with people? You'd think that would be the number one warning."
FP watched as the floating girl pulled out her weapon and began strumming it absentmindedly, revealing that it was also an instrument.
This is the 'awesome' Marceline?
The vampire suddenly noticed the sign holder, grinning with amusement.
"Wow. Nice message. He sure sprang a lot for the extra support. Are you two going out again?"
Flame Princess's flames grew out significantly.
"No! Cut it out!"
Marcy put her bass back and held up her hands.
"Chill out, girl. I'm just having some fun with you."
The vampire sighed.
"Well, let's get down to business."
She floated higher in the air, crossing her legs and putting her arms behind her back.
"Bonnibel wanted us to check out some crazy junk out here."
FP hovered up to match the bassist's height.
"Which is…?"
Marcy casually pointed out of the high window.
"That."
Flame Princess turned to look, instantly growing wide eyed. A massive mountain of scrap metal was being culminated in the center of the city, towering almost as high as the kingdom's tallest tower.
"What the heck? Why would the goblins do such a thing?"
Marceline shrugged.
"Beats me. But, how about this. I'll go scan the place like little miss bubblegum wanted, and you go ask them."
Before FP could argue, the vampire had already flown out the window. The fire elemental was on her last nerve with that girl. At least now she wouldn't be tempted to burn her alive. Setting back down on the ground, Flame Princess walked over to Whisper Dan.
"So, um, why are you having your people pile all your useful metals in a big heap?"
Gummy told the king he would answer for him.
"The king is happy to offer an explanation, but first, he would like for you to speak to a good ally of ours."
Confused, FP could only guess as the doors to the throne room opened, letting in a surprising amount of light. Once the illumination returned the fiery girl's sight, she was astonished by the person who entered.
"Finn!? What are you doing here?"
The human walked in nonchalantly, smiling widely as he came up to FP.
"I'm helping out. The doc said I was good to go so I headed over to check out the kingdom. How are you doing?"
The princess was still shocked. There was no way this guy was standing so easily. He'd been conked quite brutally in the noggin. His concentration and balance would be way off.
"I-I'm fine. But, you, you should be in bed, just a little while ago you were saying your head still hurt."
The human smirked.
"Na. I feel great now."
FP nervously let out a smile.
"Like you could take down ten giants?"
The boy looked at her with a hollow grin.
"Yeah, sure."
Flame Princess was unsettled.
"I see. Well, the king said he'd tell me what the metal mountain is for if I talk to you."
Finn looked curiously over to the seated Whisper Dan.
"Really? Ok. Let's talk."
He promptly took hold of FP's hand and walked her over to the side of the room. She blushed a bit at the act.
"So, what should we talk about?"
Flame Princess looked around nervously at the floor, unsure of the human's altered behavior.
Maybe that hit to his head messed him up.
Finally getting the guts to look the hero in the eyes, FP smiled back and replied.
"How about…what you think of the humans?"
Finn shrugged, looking a bit bored.
"Na. That doesn't sound like a nice subject right now."
Flame Princess admittedly had to agree with that one. Suddenly, Finn leaned on the wall they were near and came just a bit closer to the fire elemental.
"How about…us?" he suggested.
The fiery ruler did a double-take.
"Huh?"
Finn just kept smiling.
"You know, it's been nice hanging out with you lately."
FP was cautious.
"What do you mean? The last time we hung out all you did was talk about dungeons."
The human slapped his forehead.
"Did I? Wow, I'm a huge butt for that."
He laughed, but something was wrong with it.
"Are you sure you're ok, Finn?"
The hero smirked.
"Of course, I feel awesome, just like you are."
Well, that was a bit more like Finn. Perhaps she was overreacting. Unexpectedly, the human suddenly dropped his expression to a frown.
"FP, I…I miss you. A lot."
The young ruler recoiled.
"Finn, what are you doing?"
"I just…being without you, it hurts, it hurts my heart."
He looked legitimately sad at this point, but FP was still stunned.
"Please, can't we try again? I would do anything for that chance."
Flame Princess took a step back.
"Finn, why are you doing this? What's gotten into you?"
The human shed a tear, further shocking the fire elemental. He brought his hands together, as if praying to her.
"Please, I beg of you. I want to hug you, hold you, be close to you…love you."
Flame Princess backed right into the other wall, so frozen by shock she didn't know where she was heading.
"Finn, stop it! No! You're…scaring me!"
The human stood there, not saying anything for a moment before reaching back and pulling out his sword.
"Wh-what are you doing?" a now frightened FP asked.
To her horror, the boy brought the blade of the weapon to his neck, closing his eyes.
"I…I can't live…without your heart."
Before the princess could stop him, Finn slid the sword over his vulnerable skin, causing the fire elemental to scream at the top of her lungs as the hero fell to the floor instantly. Her eyes were immediately flooded with tears as she fell to her knees, her mind shattered by what she just witnessed.
FP couldn't turn away, she was in too much disbelief.
"That's…impossible…Finn…"
Splotches of lava covered the floor in front of her knees. She bawled her eyes out, devastated by the sight.
"No!...No, no, no…this isn't right!..."
She sobbed for what seemed like hours before an edgy laugh filled the room. Flame Princess broke out of her despair, darting her eyes around the room. She noticed that Gummy had left. Only herself and Whisper Dan remained in the room. As a matter of fact, the laughter was coming from the king himself.
Standing up slowly, Flame Princess gazed at the golem with utter confusion.
"What are…"
She stopped herself as the king's figure began to fizzle. His body appeared to be static, until it finally reshaped itself, forming a being that wasn't that much smaller than the golem, but still obviously a different person. FP's soaked eyes widened significantly, recognizing the body type.
"You…you're…human."
The man sat up from his slouch, grinning maliciously. He wore a furred coat, along with slick black pants and shoes. Around his neck hung an hourglass necklace. Below that, there was a circle embedded in his gray shirt, which held the symbol 'IV'. He was almost bald, having only enough hair to cover the top of his head. His fairly prominent teeth gleamed as he continued his snickering.
"I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it. You totally fell for it!"
Swinging back to look upon 'Finn', FP found that the boy's body had vanished. She looked back to the man, who stood up from the throne and cracked his neck.
"Man, that thing is not comfortable at all. I got so stiff I might have to crack every section of my spine."
He seemed to be talking to himself. Due to his apparent narcissistic personality, he didn't notice Flame Princess's combustion levels increasing.
"I'm going to fry off your flesh, then crush your scorched skeleton with my bare hands."
The human whistled.
"Whoa, good one."
He took a set forward.
"I'm not much of a fan for the shadows. I might get busted for this, but as long as you don't talk, I'll be safe."
He took an eccentric bow.
"May I present, Fourth Arc, master of deceit and illusions."
Out of nowhere, an entire crowd materialized, clapping intently for the man as he offered his thanks.
"Thank you. Thank you. You're too kind."
The mass dissipated, being replaced by an entire army of 'Finns'. Flame Princess gazed in astonishment as the human held his hands behind his back and let out a sadistic grin.
"Now, my dear, this is the part where I drive you to the brink of insanity. We'll see if your friends will understand anything you babble after this performance, hahaha!"
FP turned and looked at the door. She could make a break for it; go get help, maybe Marceline. She looked back at Fourth Arc, flashing his disgusting smile. Her fists tightened.
After what he did? No. I won't let him walk away from that.
She shed one single last tear, before igniting herself fully and charging at the human dead on.
I'm sorry Finn, but that hurt too much…
A/N: In hear its considerate and encouraging to respond to a review. I think I'll do that from now on. Ugh! Stupid file won't save the person's name though. What a pain.
: Thank you so much for the kind words and support. It is a real aid to my will to keep writing.