To my surprise, not many people were offended, or even slightly put off, by the three of us walking up the aisle together. I thought for sure that someone would cry blasphemy, but not a single negative word was spoken. All of the 500 guests just stood up and clapped and cheered for us, throwing flower petals and pieces of candy over us as we walked.
When we walked back into the palace, the whole place had been transformed into one of the fanciest balls I'd ever seen. There were streamers and glowing globes and flowers and silk laces all over the place, with the whole room lined with tables upon tables of food and drinks, and one table in the center with a massive cake on it. There was even a wall dedicated to wedding gifts. I secretly hoped to myself that half of those were new adventuring gear, or something cool like that.
As everyone filed in, people took the opportunity to greet us at the door and congratulate us on a beautiful wedding before waltzing their way to one of the small, round tables scattered about the room. There was a live band—of whom I found out that Marshall picked, but they didn't do a bad job of setting the mood, so Gumball didn't complain—and chefs at a few of the tables who made special order dishes. A gigantic dance floor was set up just around the stage, where some people darted straight to, just to get a good look at the demon band from the Nightosphere.
"Fionna, my love, I believe it's time we had our first dance," Gumball leaned down and whispered into my ear, still holding my hand. He nodded to Marshall, and Marshall nodded back, suddenly very interested in the array of red vegetables a few tables over.
Gumball nearly flew to the dance floor, my hand gripped in his. Everyone began to make a circle around us, and the band started playing a slow, melodical number that even I could dance to. Gumball turned to face me, sliding his hand across my lower back and pulling me towards him, holding our hands up in the air, like a traditional ballroom dance. His pink eyes smiled into mine, the bright excitement of the night glowing around him. I couldn't help but smile at him. This was my husband, and man, did I know how to pick them!
As the music continued, a low, beautiful voice set in, and I instantly knew what the nod was all about. Marshall was singing for us, the way he sang to me while I was frozen, but with so much joy and happiness his words could hardly contain it. I shot him a big huge grin before leaning my face into Gumball's chest, letting him sway me back and forth.
"How does it feel to be my queen?" Gumball asked into my hair as we danced.
"I think the real question is, how does it feel to be my king?" I retorted, not letting him get the upper hand so easily.
He chuckled a bit and replied, "Like the heavens themselves came to bless me today. I am one lucky man." He kissed my head lightly, and we continued to dance there together, under the soft tones of Marshall's voice, and amongst the love and pride of our guests, for a long time.
It was hard to get much of anything done the rest of the night. We kept getting pulled aside for dancing or congratulations, and some people even asked me about the whole ice ordeal. For the first couple of hours, I thought it was kind of nice to be the center of attention, but it got real boring, real quick.
Finally, Gumball and I cut the cake, a red velvet one with this delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting. We had to keep Marshall in mind, after all. Gumball fed me my piece, but I took the low road and stuffed his piece in his face. The roar of laughter from the crowd around us made it ten times better, and then, when Marshall took revenge and stuffed his piece down my cleavage, the crowd went wild. Literally. Cake had to wrap half of them up with her body to stop an all-out food fight.
As upset as Gumball was for Marshall pretty much ruining my dress, I was more than pleased with him. It gave me the perfect excuse to go upstairs and change into something more breathable. I whispered to them that I was going to quietly excuse myself from the party to change.
Suddenly, they both needed to change, too.
"Guys, really? There's 500 people here! We can't do that right now!" I whispered to them harshly, a little stunned at their… want.
"It's our wedding night, Fionna. We can do whatever we want," Gumball grinned, his handsome face really weakening my resolve.
"Yeah, Fi, give it a rest. These stuck-ups can party themselves out. Besides, I haven't given you guys my wedding gift yet," Marshall teased, leaning in close to me, making me hot and sending shivers through my body.
As if resisting them wasn't hard enough, I had to consider the fact that everyone had spent the last almost three months trying not to touch me, just so I wouldn't be in pain. Not to mention the year I spent in ice. I haven't been… touched… in over a year.
And they knew it.
"Fionna, let us have you," Marshall whispered, his face inching closer to mine, his devilishly handsome smile penetrating my defenses with the force of an army.
"Let us take care of your body, Fionna," Gumball whispered from behind me, his hands gently gliding up from my shoulders to my neck.
I shuddered from the touch, biting back a moan and forcing my mind to stop wandering back to all of the things they could do to me.
Marshall slipped his finger into my cleavage, pulling out a bit of cake, and slipping it into his mouth. Oh glob, I wanted them so badly.
Fionna! The guests! Don't abandon them on your first night as queen!
Shut up, inner voice! I don't need your junk right now. I mean, we can be quick, right? Quick enough to let the guests think I just needed to change… right?
"So what'll it be, my queen? Will you let your kings pleasure you tonight?" Gumball asked in his seductive voice. Oh glob, he's spent too much time with Marshall. Way too much time.
My knees went weak, and the space between my thighs was suddenly hot and tingly. When I tried to close my legs around it, it just made it worse. I dropped my gaze and nodded at them, too worked up to say any words. They did it. They got right through me.
"Very well, m'lady," Marshall purred, bowing to me, like a knight to his queen. "Why don't you head up first, and we'll follow in a little bit. Don't need to cause any suspicion, do we?"
I waved my head back and forth in a "no". Gumball laid his hands on my shoulders and turned me around, setting my direction so I wouldn't fumble over where I was going. "Meet us in the Royal Couple's room. I think it's time we revisited it, as husband and wife," he whispered, his voice losing its seductive edge and filling with sincerity and joy. He let go of me, then turned to Marshall and hooked his arm in Marshall's arm. "Lady Lolly! How nice of you to attend the wedding! I hope you're enjoying yourself," he called out as they walked away.
That was my cue to get the heck out of there. Gumball's hushed tone helped me to calm down a little, so I could at least focus on where I was going. I never forgot where that room was, even though I've only been in it once. I never forgot that first night, when everything started; the taste of Gumballs lips for the first time, the excitement I felt about being with him, and the disappointment I felt in his motives. Then Marshall, in my home, waiting to be angry with me, but showing his true feelings for me instead. What a night that was. For a short moment, I wondered how things would have turned out if I just didn't go to that ball. Or if I said no to both of them, or if I had just chosen one.
No. That was impossible. I couldn't live my life without one or the other. I needed to have them both. Maybe I was selfish. Maybe I was heartless. I didn't care. I loved Marshall and Gumball. I loved them with every ounce of my being. And I knew they loved me, too.
I felt like I had only been walking a few minutes, but when I finally broke from my nostalgic daze, I found myself right in front of those double doors to the room that was so big, it sized up the tree house.
"Well, yes, it's big because it's meant for two people."
So. This would be my room, now. I opened the double doors, letting the scent and the colors and the sheer size overwhelm my senses with memories. The room itself looked virtually untouched, the same as it had 3 years ago, except for all of the pink and white flower pedals covering the floor and bed and furniture. There were candles lit everywhere, illuminating the gigantic room in a soft glow. Those little suckers! They planned this!
I sauntered in, taking in the look and feel of everything. The gigantic bed had a beautiful white, see-through canopy over it, giving the illusion of privacy. There had to be at least 4 sofas in the room, along with 7 sitting chairs, 3 love seats, and book cases and desks littering the walls. The place looked like a haven for Gumball. I could see why this room would be dedicated to a royal couple.
There was a note on the bed that read,
"Fionna,
You have been so strong for so long. Let us take care of you tonight.
-PG & Marshall"
I smiled down at the note, running my fingers back and forth on the soft, silky sheets, letting the flower petals ruffle between my fingers. I set the note down and walked to the full-body mirror to get a good look at the damage. My face and hair looked untouched, perfect, and my dress was still as dazzling as it was when I put it on. Except for the big red and pink stain on my chest. I let out a sigh and shook my head, reaching behind me to pull on the laces of the corset. With one, hard tug on the laces, the corset loosened a notch. Then, with the strength and might of a bear, I pulled the corset apart, releasing my body from its breath-stealing prison. As soon as it was loose enough to slip off, the whole dress fell to the floor around my feet. I was free!
I reached over to a dresser that held some very high-quality tissues on it and began to wipe the cake from my breasts, giggling to myself at the look on Gumballs face when I smashed his piece into his cheek. I took off my bra to clean under my breasts, and let that fall to the floor, too. I was left with nothing but panties around my hips. White, like my dress. I can't believe Gumball had me wear matching undergarments.
I threw the tissue into a trash bin by a nearby desk before reaching for my hair. As beautiful as it looked in the mirror, it was still uncomfortable. One by one I pulled the diamonds out and set them on the dresser, secretly thanking Sam in my head for doing such a beautiful job. Then slowly I began to unwind the ball of hair on the back of my head, letting the curling blonde strands fall piece by piece to the small of my back and around my shoulders, my bangs falling to their rightful place in front of my face.
I looked at myself in the mirror for a minute, observing my body, my face, my hair. I had a glow about me, like it came from my creamy, smooth skin. Even through the make-up, you could see my features smiling without me even trying. The wild curls and twists of my hair that hung like waterfalls cascading down my shoulders, past my breasts, and down to my tummy, were beautiful, even to me.
Then, I realized. Whether adventuress or queen, I was still Fionna the Human. I could do whatever the hell I wanted to do, and no title, no threat, no responsibility, would ever frighten me enough to keep me from who I wanted to be.