A Fiolee Fairytale

Chapter 12: The Lich

*Author's Note*

Thank you, thank you all! Especially you new people! Wow... where did you all come from? Not that I'm complaining... just... thank you, each and every one of you. Now... I noticed that the first five comments' authors already had dedications, but none of the new people did. So, I'm really sorry guys, but I like to give everyone a chance. You know the drill. :) Okay, as a side note- I did warn you about this chapter.

*Fionna's POV*

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Maybe I was going crazy, but I kept seeing Brendan everywhere- glaring at us from behind a tree, two red eyes popping up over the windowsill, even when I woke up in the middle of a rainy night, I saw two red eyes peering at me through the darkness (but that just turned out to be Marshall checking up on me. Apparently the nightmare I was having was so bad, he heard it all the way in his cave- nothing creepy). I guess I was just being paranoid about Brendan, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong.

One day, Marshall was in the Nightosphere, and Cake was visiting her kittens again, so I was on my own when a candy person came running up to me saying the Lich was in the Candy Kingdom. I got there as fast as I could, to see the Lich standing in the middle of the seemingly deserted Candy Kingdom, green fire encircling her hands.

"Lich Queen, what are you doing?" I snapped, drawing a sword.

She turned to me, glaring. "I've decided that I need to talk to you. You see, I need to kill you."

I blinked. "That was very blunt."

She nodded. "Yup. Not only are you the last human, but I can't get rid of everything else if you're here."

"Why do you want to destroy everything?" I asked desperately.

"Because I'm evil." The Lich said patronizingly.

I ground my teeth. "You know what I mean. 'Being evil' isn't a good enough reason."

"I'm bored, and I have had issues with each and every single generation. I leave them alone once the old one is dead, but then they antagonize me. And I decided a long time ago that all the humans were the worst, and needed to be wiped out entirely. Like pestilence."

I glared at her. "That's not true."

"Isn't it? Overpopulation, world hunger, genocide, nuclear war, pollution, and an overly sexualized media all happened during the time period when humans ruled the world! They never got better, they only got worse! I was doing the world a favor when I got rid of them!" She snapped.

"You're a cold-blooded murderer!"

 "As if you're any different! You attempt to justify yourself by saying they're 'evil', but what is evil? I can justify myself by saying the human race was evil!" The Lich growled.

I was speechless, and she frowned. "Even you see my point. I may not be a good person in the eyes of most, but trust me when I say I think this is entirely justified. I was once human like you, yes, but then the world changed. And I changed with it. So, go do everyone a favor and slit your wrists or something."

I finally found my voice. "No."

"No? I guess I'll have to do it then." The Lich frowned. "Now I have to stop what I'm doing and murder you, which is inconvenient."

I raised my sword. "No. You say humans were once bad, and maybe they were, but I'm not like that. And you can't just hurt innocent people who never did anything wrong. You're not their judge, and you are not their executioner. And I'm not going to leave and let you continue on your path of destruction!"

The Lich was silent for a minute, before she smiled evilly. "You have spunk, kid. I'll give you that. But I'm not sure if you know this, but I always win at this game. I went easy on you before, but never again."

"Bring it on." I responded.

She smirked, raising her hand, and nodded.

*-=-=-=-*

An hour or so later, I pulled myself up using the nearby wall she had thrown me against, breathing heavily.

"Oh, poor little human. Just let me kill you, it'll be so much easier." The Lich offered.

I shook my head slowly. "No."

"It's your funeral." The Lich sighed, raising her hand again.

I deflected the fireball with my sword, groaning softly. Then I swung blindly, trying to keep her back, and I heard a sharp thwack as my sword hit flesh.

I opened my eyes wide to find my sword, right in the middle of the Lich, who was making a strangled, gurgling sound.

"Y-you... I'm... dying...?" She gasped.

"It was you or me." I said, almost apologetically. She had lied before- I don't normally take lives- and I don't see the consequences if I do.

"And you chose life...?" She choked out. "What do you have to live for, but the undead one?"

"Marshall...? Where does he factor into this?" I asked.

She coughed wetly into her hand. "The living and the undead don't generally mix, young heroine. Just... don't sell... your soul.... for a deal... you can't..." She gave a strangled croak, before falling back limply, her eyes glassy.

The street was soon overflowing with Candy People, talking in hushed whispers and looking at the Lich and me. I pulled out my sword and walked away, pausing on the edge of the Grasslands to clean it. Why did I feel so hollow inside...?

*-=-=-=-*

Marshall stopped by later that evening. "You killed her?" He asked from the window.

I nodded, my knees pulled to my chest. "It was her, or me, but it was an accident. I wasn't trying to kill her... and even if I was, she was evil. But I still feel so awful, and hollow inside."

He came in, and sat down next to me. "You have to understand- what you did was best for everyone. And she would have killed you if you hadn't killed her, and you know it perfectly well."

I nodded again. "But Marshall- I took a life. A sentient life, which I had to right no take. D-does it ever get better...?"

He was silent for a few minutes, then said, "No, you just eventually learn to deal with it. Especially when you realize that it was probably a good thing in the end."

"But I just killed her."

"Fi... it was an accident, right? At least you have that excuse. Not all murders are good, in fact, most are horrible, awful things, but this one was a good thing. The Lich Queen, like Tobias the Bloody, was not a good person, and needed to be disposed of. Unfortunately, their disposals were in the harshest, most drastic ways possible, however necessary they may have been."

I leaned against him. "Thanks, Marshall."

"No problem, Fi. You're so innocent... I don't want you to lose that, like I did. Believe me when I wish I had your validation when it comes to Tobias, but I also have less of a moral compass and conscience. This didn't hit me as hard as it hit you. And Fi... she could have killed you if she really wanted to. She wanted to die."

"Really?"

He nodded. "She was hated by everyone, and she was probably starting to hate herself by this point. Trust me when I say she wanted to die."

He seemed to be telling the truth, but there was an odd haunted look I'd only ever seen in his eyes once before- when he heard Brendan knock at the door, and then only for a split second.