Candy Kingdom: A tale of a city
 

---------- Post added 04-21-2013 at 02:11 PM ----------

Today was a bit of a lazy night for Marshall Lee. Not much had really been going on all week and he just didn't feel like bothering to get dressed. He'd been house sitting for Fionna and Cake since the two had decided to go on a trip or something. The old tree house was just so cozy and the bed was much too warm for him to want to get up. It was BMO who really made him wake. The little console had been yelling at him to get up for about thirty minutes, and he couldn't really ignore the noise much longer. He slid out of the sheets and rubbed his eyes. "Whaaaaaaat do you want?" He snapped. It was night. Shouldn't BMO be sleeping? She was a day creature wasn't she? "I'm scared. Will you sit up with me?" He looked at the game for a few moments before nodding. "Ok." He agreed. "But then you have to go to sleep? Promise?" With that, he sat himself on the couch, floating just a bit above it. He wasn't keen on being on surfaces. He liked floating so much better. Once BMO was asleep; He made his escape, running off to shower and dress in fresh clothes. He liked the night better, and he wanted to do something now that he was finally up. He floated out of a window and headed towards his own home. He thought he'd check on it since he'd been gone all week. Seeing that it was untouched and safe, he floated around to a meadow. Because what was better than a nice night in the meadow? He stared at the moon and felt his eye lids drooping, slowly falling asleep.

When Marshall woke, he could smell a fragrant scent. Something that reminded him of his childhood, though he couldn't place it. He sniffed a little more, then got up, following it. He couldn't find the source after a while, having lost it around the candy kingdom. With a frown, he headed back to the meadow to think about what that scent might be. He just couldn't figure out what it was. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. It was the Ice Queen! That's what he'd been smelling! But why was that dork around the candy kingdom? He gasped and shot up, trying to head back to the candy palace. He was stopped by a force that sent him hurtling backwards, groaning in a bit of shock. He looked at what had hit him and gave a low hissing sound. It was Asha. His old girlfriend and quite a menace. "What do you want?" He groaned and she growled. "You don't have to be rude! All I want is to talk." He knew he didn't have much time, but he decided he'd go ahead and talk to his ex. After all, he was probably just paranoid anyway.

Prince Gumball was not having a lazy evening. Or anything even remotely close to a relaxing night. While he ought to be nestled snug in his bed (getting his much required eight hours of sleep), he was busy running thither and yon trying to calm the candy people. The Ice Queen had really done it this time! An army of snowmen had laid siege to the candy kingdom. They'd broken into his very palace, and it was only thanks to some very quick thinking that Gumball had managed to escape capture. Again.

Having sent yet another citizen to the temporary safety of the swears under the city, Gumball took refuge in the nearest house. His luck wouldn't hold out, Gumball knew. He needed help. Where was Fionna and Cake already?! Gumball had tried calling them when the snowmen first appeared, but got no answer.

"I really have no choice..." Gumball quickly found the phone (with no small relief; not all candy people had them), and dialed Marshall Lee's number.

Asha tried to talk to the vampire king, but he just groaned with boredom, done with listening to her constant begging. "Seriously? You know this will never work. I'm not interested in you at all anymore." He thought of the sweet, pink prince, his own cheeks flushing a light pink. "Besides...I kind of.." He cut off as his phone rang in his pocket. "Oh..I have to take this." He was glad for this excuse to stop talking to his ex-girlfriend. He looked at the caller ID and say it was the Prince. He flipped open the phone and answered, afraid he might already know why he might be getting this phone call. Fionna and Cake weren't here to help defend against the dreaded ice queen. He should have gone to check on the kingdom. "Hello..?" He hoped this was just a call to see if he wanted to hang out, though he doubted it highly.

"Oh thank Glob!" Gumball had meant to answer with a bit more princely dignity, but he was just so relieved that someone had finally answered their phone. "The Ice Queen is attacking my Kingdom! The castle is in ruins! There are raging snow monsters everywhere, and I can't get a hold of Fionna! You have to do something!"

With blast of chill arctic wind the whole front side of the small gingerbread house caved in. The Ice Queen hovered inside with a high, mad cackle. Gumball held the still connected phone in front of himself like a shield.

"There you are! What do you think of my latest project, my pet? Snow Berserkers! Raging with force of a thousand polar storms, able to tear whole towns apart in minutes! And so cute too!" several berserkers rushed by as if on que, their mouths dark gaping maws filled with razor sharp icicle teeth, stained with rainbow colours of the candy people's syrupy blood. "Mommy loves you~" she waved at them as they trudged off to find more victims.

"They're horrible; they're destroying my kingdom! Call them off Ice Queen, right now! Or so help me..."

"What darling? So help you what?" the Ice Queen hovered closer, completely unconcerned. Between the two of them Gumball may have been the smarter, and more sane, but she was a witch of unmatched power. Without a warrior to defend him Gumball was at her mercy.

"Anyway!" she interrupted, before Gumball could reply. "I can't call them off even if I wanted to. They're berserkers. They won't stop until every last thing has been destroyed."

"Why would you do this?"

"Oh never mind this silly old Candy Kingdom. You'll have loads of fun ruling the Ice Kingdom by my side! My Sweet Icicle Prince~"

It's almost routine when the Ice Queen freezes him in great block of ice and carry's him off. It would almost be boring, except that through several inches of unforgiving ice Gumball can still see his kingdom crumbling under the mighty fists of the berserkers.

"Gumball!" His eyes went wide as he heard his friend's fearful voice. "GUMBALL?!" He flew off towards the candy kingdom as fast as he could, seeing nothing but ruin and crazy berserkers. He went down to the villages, looking for the handsome young prince. "Gumball?" He looked in the palace as well, but didn't see him. He figured the queen had taken Gumball. He flew as fast as he could to the ice kingdom, busting into a window. "ICE QUEEN!" He screamed, boiling over with anger. He didn't see the queen and couldn't imagine what horrible things she might be doing to the prince. He searched low and high before finding Gunter. He grabbed the bird.

"Where are they?!" He demanded. He had to find his friend. "I asked you a question." Gunter looked at him oddly, not understanding what he was saying. He screamed and threw the flightless freak and ran around some more, then sat on the floor, crying in frustration. This was awful and he wasn't sure how to handle what was going on. He had to save Gumball, but he couldn't find him. He heard someone enter the ice castle and perked up, running down the stairs and running into the ice queen.

"Let him go!" Marshall demanded, pushing the ice queen roughly. "And call off your stupid snowmen. You've destroyed enough of the Candy kingdom you butt." He crossed his arms. "I'm ashamed of you. Look at you. Kidnapping the sweet prince and killing his people."

"Oh pish." the Ice Queen waved Marshall Lee a side with a dismissive flick of her wrist. "It's not like my precious Geebels can't bake himself more citizens. They're totes expendable, baby."

Gumball's protest is nothing more than a muffled but outraged shriek from beneath the ice. Just because he does, in fact, make most of his subject himself doesn't mean they aren't people.

Sighing happily the Ice Queen carried Gumball over to a raised dais in the middle of the room. Inside his frozen prison the prince is still in the same defensive position he'd taken when the queen had appeared: phone brandished in front of him, hair uncharacteristically uncoiffed, wearing only his favorite night clothes (the t-shirt Marshall Lee had given him, and a pair of shorts). If he wasn't so outraged about his kingdom, he'd be rather embarrassed to be seen so under-dressed.

Marshall made a face. "Be nice. Just because he makes his citizens doesn't make them any less important than anyone else." He placed a hand on his hip and pursed his lips. He walked over to the frozen prince and knocked on the ice. "You ok?" He asked, not really expecting an answer. "Let him out. I don't have time to deal with you today." He gave the best glare he possibly could muster. "Don't you want to make me proud? Because I am most certainly NOT proud of this behavior!" He stamped his foot down and broke the ice, pulling it away from gumball's body. "You cold?" He asked causally. "Your royal highness?" He snickered, halfway teasing the prince who looked incredibly disheveled. He'd never seen the bubblegum boy so messy. Marshall noticed the t-shirt and flushed. His attitude left him quickly and he suddenly felt shy. "Well...um. See you late ice queen...you butt." He extended a hand to Gumball. "Come on. I'll take you home."

Gumball didn't shiver (he couldn't in fact), but the ice had left him frozen and brittle. Carefully he clasped his hand in Marshall Lee's, his movement strained for fear of shattering. It's always one step forward, two steps back with Simone. Just when he starts to think that Fionna and Marshall Lee are getting through to her she goes and destroys the Candy Kingdom.

Now he has to decide whether to resurrect his murdered subjects, or just bake more.


The Ice Queen pouts through the half-hearted scolding, but her expressing quickly changes as she watches the two young men interact. A rare moment of clarity catches her, before fading away again, and she's distracted by on of her penguins.


"I can't tell if she's getting better or worse..." Gumball murmured to the vampire king, as he shuffled closer eager to go home and start assessing the damage.

The vampire was careful with his friend, not wanting to shatter him to bits. It would be difficult and awful if he were to have to try and put Gumball back together. He could tell the prince was upset, so he kept his snarky attitude away. This didn't seem like a time for jokes or cockiness.

"Yeah...I think...maybe she just needs more attention. I might try coming by more often and checking in on her. That might help with her loneliness." He flushed as the other got closer. "Wow..you're freezing. I'll have to get you warmed up so you don't catch a cold." He held Gumball to his chest and then proceeded to pick him up, flying towards Fionna and Cake's place.

"Sorry...your place was a little too smashed up to go back right now." He sat his guest on the couch and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders. "You want me to start a fire in the fireplace? Or maybe make you some hot tea? You need to warm up." He wasn't really used to taking care of other people like this, but something about the bubble-gummy prince made him act kind of odd.

---------- Post added 04-25-2013 at 09:53 PM ----------

((Hey, I'll be gone this weekend, but will reply Sunday night or Monday evening)

"Both please, if you would." sat on Fionna's sofa, Gumball tried not to move too much. First he would need to regain full mobility; thaw out that is. Then he would need to find someway to contact Peppermint Maid. They could strategize the rebuilding of the Candy Kingdom. Unfortunately the prince was all too familiar with tasks ahead. He'd become rather efficient. They didn't make it any less frustrating though.

Gumball watched the Vampire King; thankfully still too cold to blush properly. He was used to being rescued, Fionna often came to his aid, but it felt different when Marshall Lee saved him. It wasn't more heroic, rather anti-climactic really, but nice? Flying to the tree house he'd felt safe in a different way than he usually did when Fionna would save him.

"My hero..."

Marshall went as fast as he possibly could. He set a fire in the fireplace, then went to the kitchen. He turned on the stove and set a kettle on it full of water and tea bags. He was quick to finish the cooking and poured a mug of the tea. "Feeling any warmer Gumball?" He sat on the couch beside his friend and laid an arm over the back of the couch. He got as close as he could without being too suspicious. He could feel his face heating a little. He'd never been quite this close to the prince.

The vampire king thought for a few minutes before slowly wrapping his arms around Prince Gumball. "You've gotta get warm." That was his excuse for his sudden closeness. He wasn't normally a very clingy person, but this was an exception. He gave his friend a smirk, trying to act like his normal self.

(*Pterodactyl screeches* I'm online again!)


Gumball was pretty sure that vampires didn't actually give off body heat, but he didn't say anything as Marshall pulled him closer. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, the prince could see the sky lightening through the window. The tea is warm in his hands and he sipped it and leaned against Marshall. He can feel as his eyelids start to droop, but he doesn't want to sleep. He shouldn't, really, not until he's warm (and maybe has a plan for the kingdom).


"How long do you think the snow berserkers will go on?" with any luck they'd move on from the Candy Kingdom quickly, and move on to a more aggressive people. That would at least solve how to stop them. Then there was the issue of what to do about the Ice Queen. This was one of the worst things she'd ever done. It couldn't just be swept under the carpet like her usual antics. Gumball glanced up at Marshall, pondering the complex relationship the Vampire King had with the Ice Queen. Would it be a help or a hindrance in the end?