Adventure Time: The Quest for Freedom

Chapter 8

"What do you mean she GOT AWAY!" Prince Gumball shouted from the (fireproof) holocrystal.

"She was with Marshall Lee the Vampire King Pinky," Phoebus said. "He's the scoundrel! If he hadn't interferred, I would be back at the palace with Fionna by now."

"Marshall Lee?" Gumball said surprised. He hadn't heard that name in years.

"Pinky? You there?" Phoebus said after the Prince fell silent.

"Don't call me Pinky!" Gumball shouted angrily. "How did you lose them you flaming fool?I gave you a tracking device."

"I lost them after it started raining and my flame would've gone out if I hadn't bailed," Phoebus explained. "As for the tracking device, it's not online anymore."

"Glob Damnit!" the Prince exclaimed. "They must have removed it from Fionna's ear! Look, the Gumball ball is coming up and I need Fionna back in her place. Find them! Burn down all of Aaa if you have to!"

"Even the Candy Kingdom?" Phoebus said sarcastically.

"Just find her by the ball or you won't be paid," Gumball demanded. "Don't disappoint me again Phoebus."

This guy is insane, Phoebus thought as he got back on the job.

***
"Do either of you want tea?"

"Yes please," Fionna said.

"I'm Cake the Cat by the way," she said pouring tea in Fionna's cup. "If you don't mind me asking, how did a human girl and a vampire end up together?"

"Well, five years ago Prince Gumball said he found me in pretty bad shape outside his kingdom, the Candy Kingdom. I've been living with him ever since, Fionna explained. "How did I meet the vampire you ask? Well his name is Marshall Lee and he saved me from this gang of vampires. He was showing me around Aaa since it was the first time I left the Candy Kingdom since Gumball found me."

"You haven't left the Candy Kingdom in five years?" Cake said raising his eyebrows. Marshall Lee seemed surprised by this too.

"Well, Gumball likes me to stay close," Fionna said blushing. "He's worried that if I ever left his kingdom, I would get hurt again. "

"We could teach you to fight," Marshall said.

***
So for the next few days, Cake and Marshall taught Fionna basic fighting techniques and she showed Cake the book that she got from Ice Queen.

"By how you described your past, this Prince Gumball was keeping you prisoner," Cake said as they practiced sparring.

"Prisoner?" Fionna said confused."Prisoners are locked away behind bars against their will or if they've done something bad. I'm not Gumball's prisoner. I mean he lets me go outside."

"Um yeah," Marshall said, "If by outside, you mean within the Candy Kingdom walls where Gumbutt can keep a close eye on you. But until now, has he ever let you wander outside his precious kingdom?"

"Well no," Fionna said sadly realizing what he said was true. "But he's just worried about my safety. Although I'm sure Gumball will let me leave the kingdom more once he learns I can protect myself."

"You're actually willing to go back?" Marshall said surprised.

"Yes Marshall," she said. "Gumball's done a lot for me and I owe him an explanation of where I went if I'm caught."

"You do realize if you go back he'll never let you leave right Fi?" Marshall   said.

"I'm not his prisoner!" Fionna shouted.

"He's treating you like one!" Marshall shouted back.

"I'll have you know I had my own room in his castle and the maids brought me breakfast in bed," Fionna said annoyed.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Marshall Lee pointed out. "You may not be in a physical prison with bars on the windows and doors, but it's a metaphorical prison. You've been trapped in it so long, you feel obligated to go back because you don't know anything else!"

"I do now because this have been the most radical week of my life!" Fionna shouted. "In fact, I've never felt so alive! I'm relieved to finally be free of all those sweet people who never get angry or yell at each other until their heads explode, living in their sweet little town, in Gumball's sweet little kingdom with all that pink. Oh Glob, all that pink!"

"If you hate it so much why are you going back?" Marshall asked angrily.

"Because I love Gumball," Fionna shouted. Then they both fell silent.

"You know what Fionna? Leave," Marshall finally said.

"What?" She said confused.

"Leave," Marshall said nonchalantly. "I'm done helping you."

"Why?" Fionna asked feeling her heart break.

"I just can't believe you want to go back," Marshall said incredulous. "You were miserable there and you couldn't even see it until a few days ago. That's why you ran away. And then you met us. You looked genuinely happy for once, and I really thought that-"

"Thought what?" She asked.

"Forget it," Marshall said. "You'll probably forget me, I mean us by the time you go back. You'll probably look into Gumbutt's dreamy eyes and never want to leave. So go."

"Marshall Lee-" Fionna said shocked.

"GET OUT FIONNA!" Marshall said with his eyes turning red. "I NEVER SHOULD'VE SAVED YOU. I PROBABLY SHOULD'VE LET THOSE VAMPIRES KILL YOU!"

Fionna was so shocked by what he just said that she ran away in tears.

"Drama bomb," Cake muttered.

"Shut up Cat," Marshall said turning away from her.