Adventure Time: The Quest for Freedom

Chapter 15

Marshall Lee looked out of the window of the Abadeer castle at the red sky of the Nightosphere.

How did I end up back here? He thought watching his mother Hilda Abadeer torturing demons outside.

He saw a demon trying to run from her attacks, but was sapped into ash.

"No one leaves the Nightosphere!" She cried.

Marshall rolled his eyes, used to this.

"Did you see that Marshall?" Hilda asked her son. "Marshall Lee pay attention! You're going to be in charge of all this chaos soon enough!"

"Whatever mom. I'll be in my room," Marshall said floating away.

***
Two hours had passed and Marshall floated around his room looking for something to do.

A jam session? Nah. He'd been in a creative slump lately.

Maybe it was because of the depressive environment of the Nightosphere.

Things became predictable after a while since he returned. He would wake up, watch his mother torture demons, he would jam, etc.

At least in Aaa, things were always changing.

Aaa. The place he tried to avoid thinking of. Or more specifically about a certain blonde human.

He couldn't stay in Aaa for two reasons.

1. Fionna chose Marshall's ex over him.
2. Fionna had changed Aaa for him.

Marshall had been in Aaa much longer than her. But her sheltered outlook renewed Aaa as an exciting land with there always being something new to see.

Then he flashed back to all the places he showed her in Aaa. If he returned to them again, they would always hold some memory of him and her together.

He couldn't face past memories that denied him of someone he loved or cared about.

He had already gone through that with Simone and Gumball.

And look how that turned out.

One couldn't remember him and the other refused to remember him.

Trying to clear his mind, he turned on the TV. He stopped flipping channels when he saw LSP interviewing someone.

Let's see who his latest victim is, Marshall thought. But then he froze when he saw it was the last two people he wanted to think about.

Fionna looked so different now. Her blonde hair flowed to the sides of her perfect pink dress. But one thing that stood out was the princess crown. It just didn't look right on her for some reason. Marshall also noticed Fionna wasn't smiling.

"So Fionna, show us that ring girl," LSP said. A close up showed the ring Gumball gave her the night of the ball.

Marshall punched a wall as he looked at the ring that ruined his life. But it happened before that. Fionna already said that the loved Gumball that day in Cake's cottage. This was always meant to happen.

"So Fionna, have you and Gumball done tier 15 yet or are you waiting for the honeymoon?" LSP asked.

Marshall's eyes turned red when he heard this. If they did tier 15 already, then Fionna was obviously over him.

Stop watching it Marshall, he told himself. But for some reason he couldn't.

"Absolutelty not!" Gumball said angrily.

"What's tier 15?" Fionna said at the same time.

"Ooh, we got ourselves a virgin bride," LSP said raising his eyebrows.

Thank glob, Marshall thought. Gumbutt hadn't taken her virginity. At least not yet.

"As for a honeymoon, we won't be having one," Gumball said.

"We aren't?" Fionna asked surprised.

"There won't be any time for anything trivial like that," Gumball said coldly.

Damn Bubba, Marshall thought. Although that sort of made sense. He knew the Prince planned to keep Fionna under his thumb forever as soon as they both said I do at the alter and sealed their fate with a kiss.

"No honeymoon? So when are you two going to-" LSP said.

"Moving on," Gumball said. "I suppose you want to know about the wedding?"

"Sure," LSP said with an evil grin. "Let me just say that no one in Aaa saw your proposal coming. According to my sources, your first love was a vampire named Marshall Lee-"

Marshall's eyes went wide when he heard his name. How the hell does LSP find out about this stuff? 

"That was in the past," Gumball said quickly. "I love Fionna now and she loves me. Right love?"

Marshall felt sad and hurt at that remark. He was nothing but a past fling to the Prince? That stung even after all these years. Would he treat Fionna that way?

"Who's Marshall Lee?" Fionna asked.

This caught Marshall's attention.

Why would Fi not know who he was? Did she really forget him or was something else going on? 

Why should he even care? Marshall thought. Fionna wasn't his problem anymore. She already chose the life and love she wanted which didn't include him.

"That's it! This interview is over!" Gumball said with a face red with rage. "Banana guards! Escort this sorry excuse of a reporter out of my castle and out of my kingdom!"

Marshall couldn't help but chuckle at the Prince's reaction. As a royal, shouldn't he be used to the papparazi hounding him?

But considering Fionna didn't remember him and how Gumball ended the interview in a hurry, it became clear that there were secrets inside the Prince's perfect kingdom.

He needed answers. And he knew where to get them.