Chapter 18: Split Journeys

The day could not have been going by more slowly. This was somewhat the norm when it came to hours of endless work being piled in front of Flame Princess, but today was different. It felt as if the world had slowed down to a near halt, and each minute was like an eternity.

Left and right, no matter where she walked, there was always someone with another task for her. Complaints about the prices of being sold in the local market, the arrangement of several balls being held by multiple high-valued individuals on different dates-balls which she needed to attend in order to secure healthy relations-and also manage the reinforcement of the kingdom's perimeter walls that have grown weak over the years with the cold winds of each winter. And that was only the most basic inquiries; having to deal with the problems of each individual citizen as they walked into the palace was another matter entirely.

Still, despite everything that was thrown her way, Flame Princess always found it within herself to somehow get through it all. But that was not say she could handle it all on her own forever, of course. It was the main reason why she was set to marry Blayze when the time was right (which was another matter to handle in itself).

Not to make it sound like she was simply using Blayze to make her life easier. Far from it. She deeply cherished him, and found herself establishing a stable connection with him in the short few months that they have known each other.

She would often think back to her first days of ruling. Back then, she did not take it as seriously as she did now. And given the fact that she was still very young, not many items were entrusted to her; that honor belonged to her advisors. Now, however, having all of the knowledge necessary for ruling a kingdom as powerful as hers, she thought herself ready to face all of the decisions that would fall on her. And she was right, she did feel like her handle on these situations got better as time went on. But all of the hard work was not the main issue.

Flame Princess could scarcely remember the last time she was able to spend more than a few hours by herself (when she was not sleeping), doing whatever she wanted to with her free time. She remembered the times when she would walk along the streets of her kingdom, greeting and talking with her citizens because she wanted to, not because she needed to. There were even times when she regretted not going to visit Finn during those times. For what reason, even she was unaware.

Her one and only wish was for those days to come back, and it would not be possible if an entire kingdom was mostly entrusted to just her.

But despite all of this, now was not the time to dwell on it.

The rest of her family were all sitting on the meeting table before her, each with their own thoughts to give regarding the politics of the Fire Kingdom. Flint, most of all, would not stop talking, and always had something to say about one ordeal or another. But whatever their exact words were, they were nothing but mumbling in her ears.

Too busy bickering with one another to notice, Flame Princess' eyes were fixed on one of the nearby decorative windows. They were too high for anyone to look out through them from the ground, but they did give a pretty clear view of the orange sky outside.

She wished she was out there right now, flying among the gaseous clouds. But not just the ones of her kingdom, but also the ones hovering in the clear, blue skies of the Grasslands, or any other kingdom beyond it.

It was always a sight to behold when flying over those immense green fields. They were empty and mostly devoid of anything aside from a few trees here and there, but that's what she loved most about it: the emptiness. She knew perfectly well that people from outside the Fire Kingdom were afraid of fire, and rightfully so. But in the Grasslands, there was no one around to be afraid when she wanted to use her powers. Being able to try out so many different techniques with her flames without the worry of burning someone was always the freedom she craved while inside her lantern during her younger years.

And in the past, exploring the Grasslands also meant she was close to Finn.

Suddenly all thoughts in her mind were replaced with the human. She began to ask herself if he was doing alright. The two of them had not exactly parted on the kindest of terms the last time they interacted, which was something that troubled her every time the memory came flooding back. Sure, he was being immature around Blayze, but maybe sending him away from the kingdom instead of trying to work things out between the two was not the best idea.

In any case, the past was the past. All she could do was hope that he would visit her again soon.

Reality came back to her as Flint tapped his hand against the table repeatedly, clearing his throat for added effect. It was only when Flame Princess turned her head to face him that she noticed everyone else had their eyes on her. To her left were Aunt Agnes and Randy, while to her left was Flint with a few of his flame guards.

"Sister, are you listening?" Flint asked.

Knocking herself back to reality, she sat up straight and cleared her throat. "Sorry, everyone. I'm not exactly feeling myself today. What were you saying?"

It was not exactly a lie. While not sick, she felt a bit more melancholy than usual.

Flint scoffed in annoyance. He held up a letter in his hand for the rest to see. "As I was saying, we cannot take the contents of this letter seriously. To ask that we remain here while our ruler goes on her own is ridiculous. We have no idea what to expect."

"Your concerns are noted, Flint," said Flame Princess, remembering their topic. "But you must also understand that I am being asked to attend a funeral, along with several other princesses. To bring armed guards to the ceremony would be disgraceful, not just to us, but to the kingdoms allied with our own. I've never been to the Diamond Kingdom myself, but I hear they're very peaceful, and I doubt they would do anything rash."

Flint tossed the letter in front of Flame Princess. "Still, I don't like it."

The ruler picked up the unsealed letter in question and studied its contents once more.

Esteemed rulers of the Land of Ooo,

The people of our great kingdom sit in worry as our honorable king, Beric, has fallen ill with a deadly sickness. While still living at the time of this letter's writing, we fear that his time is nearing its end. Following his passing and burying ceremony, the people will band together to crown our new king, Prince Valkrin. As validation, we ask that those who receive this letter make the necessary preparations and travel to our kingdom, if possible, to attend the funeral and witness the crowing of the prince.

Not only would you be honoring his royal highness' memory by attending, but it is also a rare opportunity for you to set foot upon our kingdom, as access to it is normally not allowed for outsiders. And, hopefully, we may also discuss the terms for which our kingdoms are allied together to make this a prospering world.

We eagerly await your visit.

Sincerely: Reigo, Steward of the Diamond Kingdom.

As she finished reading, Flame Princess placed the letter back on the table.

"I for one think we should honor this chance," said Aunt Agnes, sitting opposite from Flint. "I've heard the Diamond Kingdom is such a lovely place. And the Floating Gems themselves are a wonder to behold."

"Be that as it may, we are talking about sending our ruler, alone, to a place where our people have barely set foot," argued Flint. "There's no telling the kind of danger she could face. Assassins, thugs, annoying bureaucrats. We shouldn't-"

"I remind you that I can take care of myself just fine, brother," Flame Princess stated, raising her voice. "And besides, even if I won't be taking any of our men, I have no doubt the Diamond Kingdom has its own security. Being completely defenseless is not a scenario I'll find myself in, I'm sure."

"So we're just gonna drop all worries and trust in their word? This is not how we operate, sister. If we let some other kingdom decide these things for us, it makes ours look weak. Let me sail with you to the Floating Gems with a few more ships from our cavalry. You'll see how quickly they change their tone when they realize that the Fire Kingdom does not negotiate when it comes to matters of strength."

Flame Princess sighed and rubbed her forehead. It was beginning to ache. "You know I appreciate your council on most occasions, Flint. But sailing to the Floating Gems with an armada at our backs will only make things worse. The rumors that our kingdom cares for nothing but war and battle will spread even farther, and won't risk our peace with the other kingdoms in such a stupid manner. I'll go attend the ceremony alone, with the other princesses that will also attend, and that's final. Am I clear, or are you gonna make me go on another rant?"

It was obvious Flint did not agree, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I understand," he said.

Flame Princess relaxed on her chair. "Good." She turned her attention to Cinnamon Bun, who was standing guard near the wall to her right. "What about you, CB? Do you have your own say on the matter or do you agree with my choice?"

The pastry nodded. "I will trust your judgement, as always."

She turned to everyone else. "Aunt Agnes, Randy, any more words? …Alright. Now, if the condition of King Beric is as bad as the letter says, I imagine my stay in the Diamond Kingdom won't be very long. And I will leave the kingdom in the charge of Furnius in my absence."

"Him?!" Flint yelled, standing from his chair. "Sister, I don't think it's a good idea to leave the kingdom in the hands of the one who tried to kill our father once. Yes, he and Torcho have shown no signs of hatred towards you over the past few years, but it's still unclear what their actual goals might be. Let me the one who rules in your stead."

"Your place in the military, Flint," Flame Princess countered. "Your role in the kingdom consists of keeping it safe and provide me with tactics should a time of war ever come. Last time I checked, there is no war, so leave your expertise for when we really need it."

"But it's not fair! Furnius is family, so I can kinda understand your choice, but it's also you who decided to leave your suitor in charge of the kingdom when you left for Princess Day. You place your trust in the hands of someone you barely know over your own blood?! All of the time you spent outside of our borders with that human has poisoned your mind. You always put others in front of your own family!"

"FLINT!" shouted Flame Princess as she slammed her fist against the table, standing up so her eyes were level with his. Everyone was taken back by her outburst, but her brother stood his ground. "Don't you dare think for one second that I don't care about this family. Our father didn't, and I won't have you comparing me to him. I have only ever chosen what's best for this kingdom depending on the situation. And I also won't have you throwing a tantrum over the stupidest of things. When the day comes that I can fully trust you with the decisions of the kingdom, I will let you sit on the throne, but for now, you stay as captain of the guard. Understand?"

Flame Princess knew her brother like the back of her hand, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that, while still displaying anger, also had a hint of regret.

He sat back down on his chair, not saying a word or making eye contact with anyone else on the table. She followed his lead and sat down as well.

"Okay then." She turned to her guardian. "CB, can you schedule a ship for me? I plan to depart tomorrow if possible." The pastry bowed his head and went off to fulfill her orders. "Now, if there are no more matters to attend to at the moment, the rest of you are dismissed."

Everyone else bowed their heads and took their leave, except for Flint, who stood up and left without so much as looking at her. By the time nearly everyone had left, there was one who stopped at the foot of the door and strayed from following suit. Her brother, Randy.

The young elemental looked back at his sister, a mixture of worry and confusion present in his eyes. Whatever was going through his mind, it was apparently enough to have him stay and walk back towards the table, sitting at the table closest to her.

"What is it, Randy?" she asked, sounding clearly tired. "You can go. The only real reason I let you in here in the first place is because you kept insisting."

Randy rubbed his hands together nervously. "I just wanted to see how you worked, Sis."

Flame Princess chuckled. "Well, now you know. I suppose it's not exactly happy times seeing your sister lose her temper like that, huh?"

"Uh, Flint kinda lost his temper too."

"He means well, Randy. He really does. It's just…he still has a few things to learn about how things work in the kingdom now. Heh, maybe I do too. But this is how it always goes. Don't worry. I know what you're thinking, and no, Flint and I don't hate each other. No brother and sister do even after a fight, that's how I see it."

Randy smiled. "And what about me?"

Flame Princess playfully rubbed his head. "Who could ever hate a little goofball like you, huh? Now, you should go with Aunt Agnes. Someone has to keep her from trying to walk into paintings thinking they're actually doorways."

Her younger brother nodded and hopped off his seat, jogging his way out of the room. As the echo of the doors closing faded, Flame princess was left alone in complete silence.

A deep sigh escaped her mouth as she rested her elbows on the table and held her head. All of the constant complaining from Flint brother was getting on her nerves, and the splitting headache she now had from screaming so much made the entire ordeal worse. She wanted anything but to have Randy see her like this.

She loved Flint, just as much as she loved the rest of her family, and there was no doubt in her mind that he loved her too. But every conversation with him was a fight, no matter the topic.

Once again, she closed her eyes and let her mind trail back to her earlier thoughts to try and cheer herself up. Back to the large green fields of the Grasslands, far away from the molten rock and ash of the Fire Kingdom. She also imagined being back on her old home near the cliff face overlooking the ocean, where she spent the most amount of time with…she began to quickly change the image. Thinking of him would only make her feel worse.

Carefully, Flame Princess dug deep inside her mind for any fond memories. Luckily, there were a few.

There was the time she and Randy were sitting on the roof of the palace, and she would teach him how to properly shoot fire from his hands. There was also the days she would visit the library and lose herself on several books that caught her interest, even if for a little while before she was called again for duty.

And of course, she could not forget the day she met Blayze, seeing him just standing around and minding his own business within the line of other awaiting suitors. It was several months ago, but she could recall the events like it were yesterday. Like how his face showed no signs of neither excitement of nervousness. He, unlike the others, was the kind who accepted whatever was given to him, and for the briefest of moments, she could see a faint glimmer of surprise in his eyes when she ended up choosing him, as if he was not expecting it at all.

She smiled, just as widely as she had during that very moment.

The next few memories went by in a flash. It was as if she was going through multiple adventures at once, all within her mind. Only a few stayed behind long enough for her to properly enjoy. But there was one that stood out the most that she could not escape no matter what.

Deciding to no continue fighting it, she allowed the memory to continue. It was only a matter of time before one of them involved Finn. After all, most of her happiest memories were from the times the two of them were together.

It was nighttime, that much was sure. She was being led through a dark forest quickly, with the only way of knowing where to go was the glow emanating from her and the human leading her by the hand.

"Finn, slow down!" said her past self, prompting the human to look back and smile. He was only able to drag her along because of a glove he wore on his hand.

"We'll be late if we don't hurry," he said. "Don't worry, it'll be fun. Trust me."

Flame Princess smiled. She remembered this day, and knew exactly what was coming. This was during the time when they first started dating, evident by the fact that Finn looked slightly younger than he did nowadays. And who could forget that wide dorky smile?

Their trek continued for a few minutes, with the two of them constantly having to jump over logs or ducking underneath tree branches. Above their heads, the stars were shining brightly through the numerous leaves, and the moon would often allow Finn to see the path ahead of him more clearly than Flame Princess' flames.

Knowing Finn, he probably could have been going at a much faster pace, but was purposefully keeping a reasonable speed for her to keep up. Rather unnecessary, since she could just fly to their destination, and yet another part of her wanted to stay close to him at all times.

The forest finally came to an end, allowing the two to get a clear view of the night sky above them as they stepped into the grassy open fields. In the distance, the Candy Kingdom could be seen. At least, what the trees allowed, which was only the top of the royal palace being lit up by the lights coming from below. Finn simply continued to smile as he stared at it from a distance, and while Flame Princess enjoyed being in his company, she failed to see why exactly he had brought her to this place so late at night.

However, the present Flame Princess knew, and she just calmly waited as the memory played out before her.

"Why are we here?" she asked, confused as to what exactly she was supposed to be looking at.

Once again, Finn evaded the question. "You'll see in a few minutes. It's almost time."

Frustrated but curious, Flame Princess followed his lead as he sat on the ground next to her. She looked forward with him, gazing into the faint light from the distant kingdom.

As the minutes passed, she began to wonder if he was just messing with her. Her eyes would scan the area every so often to make sure Jake was not nearby, awaiting some kind of signal from the human to pull some sort of prank. Luckily, her worries were over when he tapped on her shoulder with his gloved hand, staring into the clock wrapped around his other.

He began to count down. "And in three…two…one…"

Immediately, his eyes darted towards the Candy Kingdom, and Flame Princess did the same. And there, over the palace, dozens of explosions of all sorts of different colors began to appear in the night sky. One after another, the constant booms echoed in the air.

She was shocked. "Oh my Glob, are they under attack?!"

Finn chuckled. "No, they're fireworks."

"Fire…works?" she pondered, unfamiliar with the concept.

"Yeah." He pointed towards the horizon. "Look."

Following the direction he was pointing, she saw that the Candy Kingdom was not the only source if these "fireworks". They were coming from practically every direction, each a different color and size, and each more beautiful than anything Flame Princess had seen ever since her release from the dreaded lamp.

She became lost in the view, amazed at how much more the sky was lit up from the added colors and shapes.

It was stunning beyond compare.

"It's the new year," said Finn, prompting her to turn her attention to him. He was still staring at the horizon. "It's sort of a tradition we have. Whenever a year ends, we welcome the next by shooting fireworks into the sky and spending some time with our loved ones." He turned to her. "I figured you deserved a front row seat for your first time seeing it."

The elemental smiled, both in the present and in the memory. "It's beautiful."

Finn smiled back at her. "It is." A light shade of red washed over his cheeks, prompting him to avert his eyes away. "Just like…"

He failed to finish his thought, instead trying to brush it off by clearing his throat. It was far too late, however, for Flame Princess noticed.

"Just like what?" she asked.

The human rubbed the back of his neck, still refusing to make direct eye contact. "Just like…you."

Though she could not see it, nor could she hide it no matter how hard she tried, Flame Princess found herself blushing as well. It was not the first time he had called her beautiful, but she was attempting to burn him when he did so for the first instance. This time, she could really appreciate the sincerity of the comment.

"Oh, um…thank you," she replied while shyly rubbing her arm.

They both marveled at the display of fireworks for a while longer. While there was still plenty to go around, there were not as much as when they began.

"Finn?" spoke Flame Princess, breaking the silence between her and him.

"Yeah?" he asked in response.

"I was just wondering…When the two of us shared our first kiss a while ago and…nearly ended up destroying the world, I've had some doubts."

Finn turned his body a bit, giving her his full attention. "What kind of doubts?"

"I mean, if we can't share that affection properly, or even touch each other without one of us getting hurt, is there…really any chance for this relationship to work between us?"

The human pondered her words for a moment, trying to come up with a response. "Well…I'd be lying if I said I haven't had those thoughts myself. But, deep down, I really do believe we can make this work somehow. After all, you said it yourself; I would defy nature for you."

"But…how? I don't wanna have to see you either wrapped in aluminum or have your skin turn blue with a flame shield every time we try and have some sort of physical contact."

Even more silence followed as the human struggled to find a good answer. "I'll say it right now, I'm probably the worst possible guy to talk to when it comes to dating. That being said though, I really believe our relationship can at least build a foundation that doesn't involve that."

Flame Princess frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Being with someone that you really like isn't about having to always be hugging or kissing or whatever. I think it's mostly about…just being with them, in their presence, and bonding through emotions. It's like when I go adventuring with Jake. When we have certain paths laid out before us, we don't choose the easiest route. We choose the one that will give us the most challenge. Because in the end, we know that the payoff will be all the more satisfying and rewarding. Going against the norm."

He took a moment to gather most of his thoughts and continued.

"So really, what you need to ask yourself is this: do you want to take the easy route and end our relationship, which I would totally understand, or would you rather keep going and try to find a way for us to happily manage? It's really up to the adventurer to decide the journey they take, and ever since escaping from your lamp, you're an adventurer as well, FP."

Flame Princess, both from the memory and from the present, were shocked at the human's words. Even at the young age that he is, he could still find it in himself to somehow give such encouraging words.

"Or maybe it's not like that at all and I'm just being stupid, like always," he said.

"No, no!" the elemental exclaimed, moving closer to him. "I actually get it."

Finn seemed just as surprised. "You do? Well…what's your choice, then? Do you wanna try and make this work for a while longer? Or…should we just be friends?"

It felt like forever had passed as Flame Princess took everything into consideration. And in the end, when she thought of her answer, she smiled.

"I'd like for us to keep dating, Finn," she said. "It may be the difficult path, but it's one that I'm willing to take with you if it means the payoff will be worthwhile."

The human seemed relieved beyond words. There was a look in his eyes that said he wanted to lean in and kiss her right then and there, but the look immediately disappeared as he remembered why that was impossible.

Instead, he caressed her cheek with his protected hand and did the next best thing.

"I love you, Flame Princess."

The princess' eyes widened at his words, and she moved her hand on top of his own. "I love you too, Finn. And please…call me Phoebe."

After a moment of shock and awe, the human found himself smiling widely. "Okay…Phoebe."

As the two young lovers finished sharing glances, their eyes trailed to the starry skies above as the last remaining fireworks began to fade. And the memory went to black.

Flame Princess spent the next few minutes going over everything she had seen. Not only was it the memory of the first time she and Finn had said "I love you" to one another, it was also the time that she told him her real name. And all while experiencing one of the most beautiful sights she had seen after being free from her lamp.

'Oh, Finn. We had such good times during those days. We were so full of hope that it would end happily for us both. But now I'm just glad we can be good friends.' She sighed. 'I think I should stop for now.'

But it would not be so. Right then, just as she was about to end her moment of browsing through old memories, another began to form. However, no matter how hard she tried to figure out what events she was recalling this time, there was no way of clearly telling. All she could see was a very faint light hanging from the ceiling above her. And…something else.

Curious, she decided to see what was in store.

Everything was still rather blurry, but she could more or less make out the outline of another elemental looking down at her. It was difficult to see her face in full detail, but Flame Princess could just barely make out the outline of a smile across her face. And there was no mistaking the red color of her eyes. Then, as her vision began to clear, Flame Princess gasped at what she was seeing.

'Is that…Mom?'

There was no doubt about it. Everything from her bright orange hair to her facial features in general was more than enough to recognize the resemblance. But there was something different about her. There were several bags located underneath her eyes, and she was not wearing the typical royal dress one would expect from a royal. Instead, it was a red robe.

Based on the position that Flame Princess was seeing her from, it was safe to assume she was remembering something from her infant days, when her mother would hold her gently in her arms. However, this particular event was not just any.

'How am I seeing this?' she wondered. 'I doubt anyone can remember the day of their birth.'

As her mother's smile grew even wider, her hand moved to caress whatever little amount of hair was present on her infant form.

"Hello, Phoebe. I'm your mommy."

Before the memory could continue any further, a loud knock on the meeting room's door alerted the elemental, abruptly pulling her out of it.

A few seconds passed as she regained her senses before grunting in frustration.

"Come in," she exclaimed, prompting the entrance of one of the palace servants. "What is it?"

She walked up to the ruler's side and bowed her head. "Sorry to disturb you, my lady, but…Oh, what's the matter?"

Flame Princess was confused about what she meant until she felt a tear slowly making its way down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and regained her composure.

"It's nothing," she said. "Just feeling a little sick, I guess. Anyway, what were you gonna say?"

The servant cleared her throat. "Your suitor, Blayze, has arrived at the kingdom's gate with Finn the Human and Jake the Dog at his side. They wish to meet with you."

A wave of surprise suddenly swept over Flame Princess. She was more than glad to hear Finn was visiting, but at the company of Blayze? If this meant the two of them had learned to become friends, she wanted to see it for herself.

Standing from her seat, she straightened her royal dress. "Um, thank you very much. I…I'll be over to greet them soon."

The servant nodded and bowed once more before taking her leave.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Flame Princess tried to reorient and prepare herself.

'Okay, Phoebe, keep it cool. You still have a very long day ahead of you.'

Ready, determined, and anxious, she made her way through the halls of the palace to greet her visitors.

But all the while, the image of her mother remained burned into the back of her mind.

Note: I told myself this chapter would be around three thousand words long. I have no idea where the extra two thousand came from. It always happens.

-TheSenjuMan: I hope so as well.

-JustET: I actually haven't had the chance to see it. In any case, I'm glad you're still enjoying the story.

-An Amber Pen: Curiouser and curiouser indeed.

Next Chapter: Carving the Path