Change Everlasting (Fiona + Marshall Lee, FancFic)

The Beginning

Fionna sighed heavily. Things were changing so fast these days she had trouble keeping up. Cake had recently gotten married, and was talking about moving out. Flame Prince had gone away, to where, Fionna wasn't entirely sure. BMO no longer came over, perhaps having had found a love interest of his own. Not even Lumpy Space Prince could visit, nowadays he was being prepped for ascending his parent's throne. Everyone was always so busy.

Also, now that she'd turned eighteen so much more was expected of her. There were still monsters and villains she was sent out to fight. But more and more often she was sent as a representative of the Candy Kingdom to settle disputes, peacefully. Often she did things without Cake, even the dangerous tasks.

Even worse were the biweekly balls held in different kingdoms, which she was forced to attend. By far the worst were the ones held at Cloud Castle – which Fionna noticed they visited most often.

Princess Skyfall, the second princess of Cloud Kingdom and a close friend of Gumball's, acted strangely around Fionna. When she talked to Cake about her worries, however, they were dismissed as a hyperactive imagination at play. But Fionna couldn't convince herself; every time Fionna was near Gumball Fionna could swear an invisible wind began to writhe around her, which Gumball failed to notice.

There was also the way Princess Skyfall spoke to her – when Gumball was around it was with a false cheer. Whenever Gumball periodically left the room, however, she could hear what must have been contempt in the princesses voice.

Fionna was pulled from her somber thoughts by the sound of footsteps. Fionna looked up to see Gumball entering the parlor, where they would sit together every Sunday for tea, as they had for as long as she could remember. She frowned slightly as she noticed the absence of any tea trays, and the worried air Gumball carried.

"Is something wrong, Gumball?" Standing Fionna started toward Gumball but he motioned for her to sit. Fionna ignored the action, which made the frown on the young prince's face deepen. He continued past her, sitting across from the seat she'd previously occupied.

"We need to talk, Fionna." Prince Gumball stated in a reserved manner. Slowly Fionna retreated to her chair, uneasy of the young man's formal, almost reprimanding tone.

"Gumball, is something wrong–" Prince Gumball raised a hand to silence her before she could continue. "Yes," He began, "I am sorry to say, Fionna, that due to our close relationship over the years I've allowed our relationship to become too intimate. I've allowed things to get out of hand, lenient where I should not have been."

Fionna's eyes widened, "I-intimate, Gumball, are you crazy? What are you–"

"Princess Skyfall has informed me of my mistake, as I was too blind to see it myself, and has made sure I understand the importance of fixing this error. It is better this way." His final comment was directed more towards himself than Fionna, though she did not see the obvious unhappiness this caused him.

"What does the Cloud Princess have to do with this? I don't–"

"Fionna!" Gumball silence the young woman as he rose angrily from his seat. "This is what I mean! This... disobedience! This disrespect! You fail to address the royal population in the proper manner, as a commoner should, Fionna!" He sighed, turning his head to the side in a haze of mixed frustration, though Fionna was too shocked to notice Gumball did not like this much more than she.

"This is partially – mostly – my fault, and I apologize for that, Fionna, but it must stop here." Gumball stood rigidly, kingly. "Fionna, Skyfall has suggested this, and I... am forced to agree." His voice strung tight, and he forced himself to continue, "You are eighteen, and as King of Candy Kingdom – and you an incorporated citizen with no immediate family to take part in this, I shall stand in their place." A deep breath was required before he could continue.