A few days later, they were ready to set sail again. Fionna and Marshall had been spending a lot of time together— mostly at night.

Marshall had been taking advantage of not really having to do anything to sleep during the day, thus avoiding the sun and venturing out onto Middleground with Fionna during the nighttime. True to the vendor's word, the Silver Sword had already got into port, along with the Royal Pride, so Marshall and Fionna avoided the Duine region of the island.

That didn't mean the Dulce region was off-limits though. "What's their main export, anyway?" Marshall asked.

"Um... sugar, I think?" Fionna replied.

"Yeah, it's sugar and other sweet stuff and some spices. How did they get so rich?" Marshall wondered.

"We love sugar in Duine. It's delicious." Fionna said.

"Duine basically controls everything in the region, doesn't it?" Marshall mused.

"Dulce is a lot richer than Duine, though." Fionna replied. While she was talking, Marshall quickly bought something.

"Hey, what's that?" Fionna asked.

Marshall smirked. "Close your eyes, and open your mouth."

She shot him a suspicious look, and his smirk widened. "C'mon, don't you trust me?"

She hesitated, then complied. He broke a bit off of the chocolate bar that he was holding, and popped it into her mouth. "Chew."

She opened her eyes, and he smiled at her. "Good?"

She nodded, and swallowed. "It's—"

"Fionna?" They heard someone ask.

Fionna turned to see Cake standing there, aghast. Her friend rushed forward and hugged her tightly. "Are you okay?! Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." Fionna smiled.

"I thought I was never going to see you again!"

"I..." Fionna trailed off, looking at Marshall, who shrugged. "I mean, we probably would have avoided the Silver Sword for a long time, so..."

Cake glared at him. "You."

"Me." Marshall agreed.

Fionna held Cake back. "Cake, he's not as bad as you think."

"Are you allowed to leave him at any time?" Cake asked.

"Well... technically, yes, but..."

"Are you ever truly alone? And bathroom breaks don't count."

Fionna flushed. "I don't think it's because he doesn't trust me..."

"What would happen if you ever tried to leave him? How would he react?" Cake pressed.

Fionna moved back. "He'd let me go, if I fulfilled the terms of our deal."

"Your deal? What has he made you agree to?" Cake asked worriedly.

"I just have to beat him in a sword fight." Fionna replied.

"So why won't you come with me now?" Cake asked. "A sword fight with you wouldn't take long."

Fionna looked at Marshall, then back at Cake. "I... not now. He hasn't hurt me, and I think he's... I really like him, Cake."

Cake glanced at Marshall, then back at Fionna. "I don't... are you saying that you're in love with the crazy pirate who kidnapped you?"

"I'm not crazy." Marshall pointed out.

"Yes. I am." Fionna admitted, ignoring him.

"And are you sure that this isn't just because you're scared about marrying Gumball?" Cake pressed.

"I'm sure, Cake. He's—"

"I don't want to hear what kind of craziness he's got over you. I want my best friend back. Please, Fionna! You've heard the stories! You know what he's done, what he's capable of!" Cake pleaded.

Marshall wrapped an arm around Fionna's waist and drew her back. "You know me, Fi." He countered.

"I don't want to lose you to him again." Cake said softly.

Marshall's hold on her tightened. "Come on, Fi. We need to go now."

Fionna moved away from him, and hugged Cake. "Please don't hate me, but I'm going with him. It's not about being scared of getting married, or scared for the Silver Sword. It's not a spell. And I don't know when I'll be back, but I'll try to see you again soon. Bye, Cake."

Cake looked close to tears. "I'm going to get you back, just you wait."

"Just try." Marshall snapped back. "We're setting sail later today, you'll never catch us."

"I don't want to leave you on a bad note." Fionna said. "So, instead of remembering me like this, can we pretend this never happened, and just remember the fun and all the adventures we've had?"

Cake shook her head, a small, barely perceivable movement, and walked away. Fionna's face fell, and Marshall wrapped his arms around her again. "Come on, Fi. Let's get back to the ship before they leave us behind."

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

"Your mail, sir." A servant said to Prince Gumball.

"Ah, thank you." He said. His eyes widened as he read it. "He's gone too far this time..."

'I assume you mean Marshall Lee.' Lord Monochromicorn tapped.

"He kidnapped the princess..." Gumball checked the date. "Several days ago. That's enough time for them to have reached Middleground, maybe even the shores of the Unknown Lands."

'So what are you going to do?' Lord Monochromicorn asked.

"Nothing." Prince Gumball replied.

'Nothing?'

"He clearly wants a reaction, and he'll already get one— from the Duine Navy. They have a lot more power than ours. But it's obvious he's just doing this to bother me."

'Wouldn't he feel threatened by the alliance?'

"I don't see why. He has no interest in politics." Gumball huffed. "He only delights in annoying people."

'Are you mad because your bride has been kidnapped, or are you mad because it was Marshall Lee who kidnapped her?'

"Both. Neither. I don't... I feel as if he is deliberately trying to provoke a war. It's more the stress of him attempting to start that kind of mess than anything else."

'Understood. Tea?'

"Oh, yes, please."

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The Shadow was beginning to sail out of port at sunset, fully operational once again. Fionna leaned against the side of the ship, watching the island shrink into the distance. Marshall soon joined her. "Are you okay?" He asked gently.

"I'm fine." She said softly. "It's just... I wish I could have it all. I wish I could have both you and Cake, both the Silver Sword and the Shadow. Is that selfish?"

"Not really. I understand what you mean. But you're going to have to make a choice soon, and no matter what, there will be repercussions. Real life is no fairytale."

"I know..." Fionna sighed. "I just don't know what to choose yet."

Marshall didn't reply, he simply slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer.

"Captain!" One of the crew yelled, panicked. "We need you!"