There was an ocean before him, vast and blood red and burning like liquid fire. The cliff he stood on was torture on Finn's bare feet but he couldn't bring himself to move. The sun itself seemed intent on burning out Finn's eyes and he moved to shield them. His arms jerked but ignored his command. Panic settled over him and Finn spasmed as he tried to get his arms, his legs, anything to comply with his will. Finally he looked down and horror flashed across his face.

He was dressed in a thin, flimsy silver cloth that covered only the most important parts of his anatomy. What skin he could see was covered in glowing white runes. They seemed to be a part of his skin and he could feel their magic running through him. It was pure and sensual and absolutely perfect in every way. An essential part of his very being that he never knew existed until now. However, there was one rune on his stomach that glowed a dark blue. It felt odd, pulling at his core and touching something sacred in him.

He couldn't quite place it but was intimate in a way he had only just begun to feel with Gumball. The blue rune made him weak and Finn whimpered as he tried to lift his arms to touch it to no avail.

His body was useless as he stood on the cliff; unmoving, unblinking, but still feeling. A soft hiss reached his ears and Finn let his eyes roam wildly. There was no one near him but he could hear footsteps coming closer and closer. A flash of movement to his left and suddenly there was a woman beside him. Her skin was a soft gold and her hair red as rubies. She had no eyes, only gaping black holes where her eyes should have been. Still she somehow managed to look at him and through him. She opened her mouth to speak, revealing disturbingly sharp teeth.

"I am Ade." Finn shivered as she spoke. Her words were sharp, almost painful, and the feeling of cold wind intensified when her mouth was open.

"I'm Fionna." Darkness settled over her face and Finn flinched, cursing his inability to move. She stepped forward, placing a freezing hand on Finn's cheek that instantly cooled his burning skin. Her gentle touch belied the danger he could see in her. Her touch felt the same as Ice King's had and he knew firsthand just how painful that touch could be. A shock of cold drew him from his thoughts and he found the woman was now touching both sides of his face.

"No you are not! Tell me who you are!" Finn whimpered at the cold and sighed.

"My name is Finn." The woman nodded, though she didn't let go of Finn's face. Finn hastily looked down, willing his legs to move away from this dangerous woman, when he saw that she was not standing on the cliff. She was floating just before the cliff over empty space. What was she? She seemed to hear his question as she smirked and let go of Finn's face.

"I am the crown of Evergreen, jeweled eye of Magwood." Shock settled over Finn's face. The crown? She was beautiful and now he could see. There was no doubting that she was his crown.

"How are you here?" She smiled again and Finn closed his eyes at her sharp teeth. A sudden image of those teeth sinking into his throat crossed his mind, ripping at pale blue flesh and freezing him on his throne.

"That does not matter. I am here to help you Finn." Finn slowly opened his eyes at the sound of her voice. The image of her attacking him was still there, though he couldn't recall that actually ever happening.

"Help me?" Confusion laced his voice and again her smile made him flinch. Memories of her flashed through his mind, none of them his own but each physically painful.

"I can stop this burning if you only wear me." Finn was tempted to agree, if only to stop this pain. These memories, they weren't his. Where had they come from? Something about that blue skin and white hair nagged at him but he couldn't think past the sudden burning pain in him. A memory, his own thankfully, of the crown from an earlier time crossed his mind.

"But you wouldn't let me." The crown had stopped him when he first tried to wear her. Why could he do it now?

"That was before. You had not yet reached your full potential." She poked at the runes along his arms. They blackened for a moment before returning to their regular white. The crown seemed surprised and withdrew her touch. The burning lessened, enough for Finn to think. "But now you can use your magic and I want to help you."

"Help me what." She took a step forward, finally coming onto the cliff with Finn.

"Help you live. You are dying. What did you think that was?" She pointed to the lone blue rune on his stomach and Finn frowned. The rune was odd yes but it didn't feel bad.

"I'm dying?" She nodded and Finn felt doubt creep over him. Could he truly trust her? The crown had done nothing but help him before but this seemed odd. And then there were the runes, both the white and blue. He could feel the power of the white runes running through him. His own magic, coming from deep within him. The blue rune was different. It was so soft and small, like a dying flame that he had to protect. How could it ever hurt him?

The crown sensed his hesitation and before he could blink she was barely a breath away from him, fire in her empty gaze.

"You dare doubt me?!" Her hands gripped his arms tightly, nails digging into the soft flesh and turning his arms a frostbitten black. That seemed to be what he needed as his body finally responded to him. He shoved the woman away over the cliff. She gasped in surprise, momentarily falling as shock kept her from floating. She lifted herself in the air once again looking at Finn. Finn himself was panting and protectively wrapping his arm around the rune on his stomach. He glared down at the crown and she frowned for a moment before disappearing. Finn blinked in surprise before he was plunged into darkness.

The feeling of a hammer slamming itself into his skull is what greeted Finn when he woke. The blonde groaned and tried to sit up but that only seemed to bring attention to the throbbing in his arm. A body was beside him immediately and a cup pressed to his lips.

"Shhh... drink this." Finn obeyed, the cool liquid sliding blessedly down his throat. He blinked, mind instantly clearing of pain, and took a moment to look around. The first thing he noticed was the man sitting in a chair beside him. His skin was a light green color and his yellow clothes stood out starkly against it. Finn frowned in confusion. The last thing he remembered was wandering around the forest away from the Ice King's castle. There were fleeting remnants of his dream but the more he tried to focus on it the more they slipped away. He shook his head and decided to focus on the problem at hand. How had he gotten here?

"Where am I?" The man smiled softly before standing, revealing mismatched red and purple boots, and placed the now empty cup on a nearby table.

"You're in my house. You need to rest." Finn tried to sit up and the man was back by his side in seconds. He pushed at Finn's chest, causing pain to bloom across his shoulder once more. Finn let himself lie back on the bed, if only to stop the spread of pain. A feeling of unease spread over the blonde and his eyes warily watched the green man move about the cluttered house.

"What happened to me?" The house was packed with bottles of strange glowing liquids covering every surface. The bitter smell of potions assaulted him and Finn nearly gagged.

"You passed out from your wound. It was extensive but luckily I was able to heal it." The statement brought attention to the bandages wrapped around his left arm. They traveled up the entire length of his arm and Finn could feel some bandages around his upper chest as well. Horror suddenly slammed into him. This man had seen his chest. He knew Finn wasn't a girl.

"Thank you." He whispered the words, thankful that the man had at least helped him. Maybe he didn't care. He'd never asked but the people of the Ice King's palace seemed fine with the two women who were together. Maybe magical people didn't care about his curse.

"It was no problem. It was the least I could do for one as beautiful as you." Finn blushed as the man smiled at him. It was flattering but slightly uncomfortable. The only person who had ever pursued him had been Prince Gumball. No one in town had deemed him worthy of their affections, though it made hiding his secret so much easier.

Though the man was charming, Finn's earlier sense of unease returned and he found himself watching the man moved about the crowded hut once more. Something was missing. He couldn't quite remember what but he knew it was important. Something suddenly clicked and Finn was surging forward, disregarding his pain.

"The crown!" The man shoved Finn back down onto the bed, struggling to keep the boy from getting up without hurting his arm further. Finn bucked and thrashed in the man's hold, trying to get to his crown. The man began to whisper in a language Finn couldn't understand and the boy renewed his efforts. He felt himself grow drowsy and Finn screamed.

"No! Please! No..." Finn trailed off as his eyes get heavy. The man stood, leaving Finn on the bed as the boy put up a token attempt to try and fight against the effects of the man's magic. The man smiled weakly at Finn and the boy sighed.

"Sleep."