Just a Bit Sweeter

The Meeting of the Royals

Marshall opened his eyes to see the ceiling of his former bedroom. Oh that’s right, he thought, I spent the night here... The king sat up and looked around, the door was open and he could see his mom walking through the halls. She stopped and looked into the room and at him, “Oh, you’re awake.” Hannah said, she was dressed in a suit and looked quite busy. “Sorry, honey, I can’t stay for long. Help yourself to some food...” She walked in and kissed his forehead, then leaned back and ruffled his hair. “Marshall, you need a haircut.” Her son rolled his eyes and fell back onto his pillow, “Bye mom...” He said, shutting his eyes again. Marshall would have to go home some time, he so wanted to shove his bravery in Gumball’s face. Maybe it’ll rub off on him, he thought, hiding in a cocoon of sheets.

The stale taste of morning sat in his mouth, forcing Marshall out of bed and into the washroom to brush his teeth. The king looked up into the mirror to see the bags under his eyes had vanished for the first time in a while. He touched above his cold cheeks, then splashed his face with freezing water. Marshall wanted to stay here forever, a mere walk to find his mother, but he was a man with his own needs. And he also had a man who can’t handle his needs. He shook his head, then swiftly walked back into his own room to gather his belongings. There wasn’t much to grab, a few articles of clothing. He stopped when he saw a picture frame, containing an almost startling image. There, in black and white, stood him and his mother. Marshall was three, it looked, and Hannah was full of energy. She was even smiling. He smiled, and added the photo to his bag.

With a sigh, Gumball got up. Forced himself up. His bed was the only thing that seemed to keep him sane, but he had to leave it’s comfort. Fionna could’ve been waiting outside his door, in his washroom, ready to question every detail of the single day Marshall came to learn. His hair was a mess, but then again, so was he. He groaned with hatred of every homophobic royal there was, but the list didn’t seem to end. Run away, he thought, just a prince and his king running forever... But where, Gumball pondered, where is safe from the heartache of reality. He stood up, and brushed off his legs, sticky and in need of a wash. The prince heard the clops of hooves which he recognized as “Are you decent?”. “Just a moment...” He responded, changing into more clean clothes. Gumball walked over and opened the door for Lord. “Good morning, prince.” His friend tapped, walking in. Lord always seemed so strong and straightforward, there was no room for small talk. “Cake has informed me of your situation.”

It was surprising to hear, but not unexpected. Gumball was, while angry, glad that Cake had hopefully only told his friend. One he trusted. “Monochromicorn, I don’t really...” He paused, rubbing the back of his neck where a hickey sat, still fading. “Can’t we just allow it... there’s nothing wrong...” Gumball sighed, sitting on his chair. His desk was covered with papers containing thoughts and ideas, of how to make life work for him, but it all seemed to end in disaster. “I’m not here to fix our world’s ignorant mistakes, my prince, I am simply here to comfort you.”

Lord’s words hardly meant anything to Gumball. They were simply sounds strung together to form a sentence.  Who else was Cake going to tell. Glob forbid, Fionna... Gumball felt the panic rise up in him as he thought of her knowing. “Dinner is served, sir...” Pepper said, looking into the room. She was concerned, the prince hadn’t come out all day. “I’ve had the chefs prepare spaghetti, you’re favourite sir...”  Gumball turned and nodded, quickly. His face looked tired and pained.  “I’ll be down in a moment, Pepper.” He spat out. His life had turned as confusing as the Death Waltz. One wrong move after another, he continued to make. Or the world continued to make. I could be the one making the right moves, Gumball thought, and the kingdom could simply be making the wrong ones...

“Peppermint Maid.” The prince spoke, turning his body to face hers.

“Yes, my prince?” She responded, stepping into the room. She looked up at her tall master, a feather duster in hand. “I’d like for you to prepare a meeting of the royals."

A short one, yes. But I've actually been suffering writer's block for a month. School is a pain! Exams are here! Tests, quizzes, etcetera! I'm going to try my hardest to write more, and you've been super good about not bugging me (too much) about updating! Anyways, thanks for continuing to read! And to any new readers, welcome!