The Crossing of Blades (FIOLEE)

Chapter Twelve

Later that evening, after the ball, Fionna was in her room in her pajamas, with the window open.

It was a full moon, so it was easy for her to see what she was doing without lamplight.

However, a shadow soon obscured her moonlight.

"I need to talk to you." Marshall said, lounging on her windowsill. Instead of the maroon suit, he was now wearing a red overcoat embroidered with gold, that hung open, a white shirt, canvas pants that were tucked into his boots, a large tri-corner hat under which he was peering at her anxiously, and fine leather boots. In short, just what he had been wearing on the Shadow.

"About what?" Fionna asked warily. "Specifically? And no games."

"About what Gumwad said about me."

"You said some of it was true."

"And I'm going to tell you the whole story, so no interruptions this time." He peered at her to see if she got the message, and she frowned. "It's not a matter of you being interrupted, it's whether or not I'm going to listen to you at all."

"Alright fine. So, technically, Gumwad was right. I didn't have any rules to follow. But his court puts a lot of pressure on people to look and act the same way he does. If you don't, you're left all alone, and I hate being alone, even more than I hate him. And he was always busy, so I had no one."

"No one but the nobleman's daughter?" Fionna prompted.

"Fi, I didn't get her pregnant. She meant nothing to me. She still means nothing to me. I honestly didn't think Gumball would react the way he did, but he must have read more into it than I did. We both dissolved the treaty— I did by running away instead of facing my problems, and he did by banishing me from Dulce soil."

Fionna watched him warily. "But you could be lying."

"I could be." He agreed. "I haven't exactly been honest while we were together on the Shadow. Do you want me to be a liar?"

"It doesn't matter what I want, it matters what it is. Every word you say could be another lie, trying to trap me into giving up the alliance."

"If you really thought that was all that I came for, you would have pushed me out of the window by now." Marshall countered. "You believe me, don't you?"

"I want to believe you, because I love you, but I'm finding it hard to do so because I'm scared that Prince Gumball might be right, and you're just using me to dissolve the alliance." Fionna admitted. "And I need to separate what I want to be true from the truth."

Marshall put his feet down on the floor of her room, and strode over to her. "Look— I originally kidnapped you to keep you out of Gumball's hands. I didn't really care at the time about getting you to fall in love with me, but it would have been something to rub in Gumball's face if we... you know. I promise you I'm not stringing you along. You're this brave, kind, noble girl, and you're amazing, and you trusted me even when you had no reason to, which is more than anyone else has done for me, and I want to keep you with me forever because you make me a better person when I'm with you, and I feel like I belong, and I love you so much it hurts."

"I..." Fionna hugged him, before pulling him into a long kiss. "I feel the same way. And I don't want to lose you again, and I don't want to repeat myself, but..."

"Duine always comes first." Marshall finished flatly. "But never mind that right now. If it came down to you— who would you pick? Me, or Gumwad?"

"You, of course."

"Then let's pretend for as long as we can, because I don't want to give you up until the day you have to marry him." Marshall pleaded. "It might make it even more painful when we have to separate, but at least we had more time."

Fionna nodded, leaning against him. "I'm not afraid of the pain. I thought I lost you forever once, I can do it again."

Before Marshall could reply, there was a knock on the door. "Princess? Are you alone?"

"Um, yes!" Fionna called back, before shoving Marshall under her bed which she then sat on.

"Are you decent?" The voice continued.

"Well..." Marshall began. Fionna shushed him, and called back, "Yes, come in!"

A servant came in, practically in tears. "Milady... your father is dead. We just got a message from his royal advisors. You are now the queen. You're supposed to set sail for Duine tomorrow."

"But the Silver Sword isn't ready yet..." Fionna said, in a state of shock. "And... the alliance...?"

"The advisors are currently voting on whether or not to continue the alliance. I'll leave you to your thoughts, milady."

Fionna seemed to snap out of it. "May-may I see the message? Maybe you misunderstood?"

The servant handed her a piece of paper which they withdrew from their robes, before lighting a nearby lantern and closing the window. "If you need anything, milady, just send for me." The servant said, before making a hasty exit.

Marshall came out from his hiding place, and sat next to Fionna, hugging her tightly. "Hey... you okay?"

She slumped against him, tears beginning to form. "My father fell ill almost as soon as I left, and he died, and I wasn't there, and I was never supposed to go through this again after what happened to Mom, and..." She suddenly hugged him, holding on as if he was her lifeline.

He rubbed circles into her back gently as she sobbed into his shoulder. "Hey... you're going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. It's okay to cry— it doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're not going to let it fester, for one thing." He said softly.

"Maybe if I was there..." Fionna sobbed.

"Shh. You couldn't have done anything. These things happen. It's all going to be okay. It's all going to be okay..."