Ah, damn you Adventure Time, for making me start so many stories I may/may not finish! Its ridiculous, I know, but I update when I update; and for the record, I doubt Bride and Cold Dead and In Love are going to have chapters anytime soon. I think I'm finished with those two.

Anyway, just watched pre-valentine's day episode, and I must say, it was nothing short of a masterpiece. It's like Finn has a thing for girls like these—the obsessive, compulsive, and kinda crazy women. But no hate for him; its that kind of drama that keeps the series fresh.

And kudos to Natasha and the rest of the Adventure Time team for thinking up my new favorite princess—the fire (flame) princess! Though I do like her first version more, I think it's fit moreso for a queen then a young princess, and I'm sticking with the second design. Also lovin how Finn is starting to get over bubblegum and finally go for some girls his age. Of course he picks the craziest of the bunch, but hey, she's hot. (get it?)

In this, Finn and Flame don't know each other. There was no Bubblegum heartbreak, and Flame princess was simply kidnapped by Ice King.

"Bro, you sure that's what the note said?"

Once again, the young human nodded his head vigorously, grumbling quietly to himself as his patience had begun to wear thin at the question; he had said yes the first time, and the second time, and the third time. Why would the umpteenth time be any different?

"Finn, Jake, come to my castle immediately," systematically, the boy read the letter, so accustomed to the words he could almost recite the entire note without looking at it, "there are a few princess problems I need some help with. Waddya think he means by 'princess problems?'"

Finn raised a blonde brow as the dog chuckled to himself, shaking his head so his ears flopped in the wind, "If it's what I think he's talking about, well…I'll tell you about it when you're older."

"But Jake," he whined, and huddled closer to his brother's fur as the wind began to pick up, and the Ice King's castle came into view, "What if it's something that will help save the pri-"

"It isn't bro. Trust me; it just makes 'em all moody and weird."

Leaning over, the human sent a sly grin Jake's way, craning his head to hear the response.

"What makes them all moody and weird?"

The dog's mouth opened, and Finn felt triumph flutter in his stomach like a bunch of triumphant butterflies, but Jake was a little wiser then that; immediately, his jaws snapped closed, and he turned his neck to stick a tongue out at Finn.

"Nice try, man."

"Drat," he said, looking down and watching the snow golems and various chilly creatures lumber below them, no mind paid to the thirty foot legs and gigantic dog torso that passed them by, "so then what else would the Ice King mean by that?"

The dog shrugged, and before an answer could arise, a shriek came from the Ice King's castle. More accurately, two shrieks; Finn listened closely, nudging Jake to go a little closer to the frozen domain, where the screams, one an unmistakable shriek of pure rage and another, lower pitched scream of terror. Finn couldn't recognize the higher yell, but the other was definitely familiar.

"Was that—"

"Most def," Finn nodded, wincing at the scream following the silence, "Ice King and…his 'princess problem?"

"No wonder he called. That sounds like one heck of a problem."

And with one wordless nod, Finn clutched Jake's fur with a tight grip and kept his head down from the below zero winds as the dog upped the speed; but for just a split second, he looked up at the castle looming ahead, and he would've bet money he saw a flash of red and orange.

Ice King, a frazzled, aged mess with robes recently shredded and a crown knocked sideways from an earlier confrontation, met them outside the doorway; inside, the shrieking of a princess shook the icicles.

"F-Finn, Jake! Such a pleasure to see you two!" laughing like a loon, Ice King breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the two saviors of Ooo, "usually I wouldn't call you on such a short basis, but you see, I've run into somewhat of a problem with my new wife…"

The boy scoffed, "You mean the princess you kidnapped?"

Another scream; something important-sounding shattered from inside, and the old man winced painfully at the noise, "Yes, yes, whatever you'd like to call it, but it turns out, and I don't say this often…" momentarily he paused, choosing his words wisely before continuing, "I actually don't want this lady friend. So, if you wouldn't mind…taking her back?"

The blonde raised a brow, and the dog raised his nose. Something didn't sit right with this story.

"Ice King, since when do you not want a princess?" Jake said, "I mean, you've kidnapped and tried to wife every royal woman in Ooo."

"Yeah, what's up with this one?" Finn asked, still unsure of the Ice King's tale, "What, did you kidnap a prince by mistake?"

A crash and a louder shriek of wrath, much different than the regular princess screams of terror while in the Ice King's castle. Stepping to the side, the old man led the way into the interior, sure to let Jake and Finn venture in first.

"Let's just say this princess is just…too hot to handle."

As they walked in (or floated in, on Ice King's behalf), the first thing Finn realized was how suddenly his feet became cold; looking down, he almost jumped high enough to touch the highest icicle on the ceiling as the floor below them had become nothing more than cold water, and the large holes all around them led Finn to the conclusion that the bottom wasn't going to last much longer. Looking over at Jake, he saw the dog had simply left his lower body at the entrance, and was stretching himself across the floor to maneuver his way through.

"You alright, buddy?" The dog made a pit stop at his friend's feet, allowing Finn to hang onto his back and avoid falling through the floor to his death.

"Yeah, buddy," Finn breathed, glaring at the gaping holes below, "I nearly—"

"Let me go!"

Suddenly, a hot breath on the side of his face sent the boy recoiling, and Jake barely managed to crane Finn's body back in position before he fell into oblivion; from the corner of his eye he caught a burst of red and orange, alien in this white and grey world of ice, as the warmth his him in the face.

"What in Bubblegum's beard—"

"Now!" The pair turned to the princess' cell, noting the bars of the prison had come close to nearly melting off, and it took Finn a minute to realize that the girl behind the cage was a royal he had never seen before.

"Finn, you ever seen this chick before?"

He could hear his companion's question, of course, but couldn't (didn't want to) take his gaze and focus off of this alien girl, screaming bloody murder and sending bursts of fire out of her palms at random intervals; she was terrifying when she yelled, animalistic when she went at the bars head on, heck, even her gaze stung like a match to the eye, but…but…

"She's mathematical, Jake."

"What, buddy?" the dog craned his head to look at his human friend, but Finn didn't look back, "What you say?"

"Flame Princess, oh Flame Princess," Ice King crept up behind the two, coming close to scaring the crud out of Finn as he decided to keep silent until he was right next to them; at the mention of her name, the girl burst into another fit, flinging herself around the cage, "these are my friends, Finn and Jake. They've come to bring you back home, my dear," when the word home came up, the girl finally stopped struggling, opting silence and stillness, "I hate to admit it, my princess, but…but it simply isn't working out. We're just too different, you see. I'm the ruler of an Ice Kingdom, and well…you're just kinda crazy. I like my women stable and weak."

The girl frowned softly, and Finn could see the crease marks on her forehead at the action. The fiery girl was gone, packed away for another day, and he realized she must've been just as old as him, and probably scared and alone in this cold, foreign wasteland.

"I…I can go home?" Still unconvinced, the princess stepped closer to the bars, and in her touch the miniature pillars began to melt from the heat. Her searing glance traveled from being to being, Jake, the disappointed Ice King, until it settled on the most unexpected person of them all.

Him. And when it did, Finn almost let out a laugh as her red-orange hair, poised upwards and bearing resemblance to a candle flame, drooped instantly, losing its glowing color and gravity; now, it was simply red strands handing over her shoulders.

"Of course you can, my dear. I'm just letting Finn and Jake open your cell, because I'd like to live for another day."

She didn't respond; through the bars, Finn could see how her irises complimented her tinted skin, and he could no longer hold back the smile from his lips. He had never known a fire-dweller's cheeks could turn red, but when she caught his smile and smiled right back, he learned something new.

Suddenly, the boy was propelled forward, nearly smashing his face into the bars.

"Go ahead, bro. Open the cell." Jake murmured softly. It was exactly what he did; with a flimsy grip, Finn swung open the cell doors, allowing an escape for the new royal.

"You are free, m'lady," bowing on the dog's back, Finn stuck out a hand, and the girl recoiled as if his touch was poison, "the Ice King wants to see you away from here. And if you have any more trouble with him, don't be afraid to find us, okay? My name is Finn."

Her eyes narrowed, and she twisted her lip between her teeth, but curiosity won her over. Reaching out, Finn was somewhat surprised when her grip was nowhere near hot, and he noticed her hair suddenly became gravity resilient at the touch.

"Flame princess. I come from the Fire Kingdom." She stated simply, but Finn caught the hint of just a slight smile on the corners of her lips. She was a chubby girl, but nowhere near fat, the type of shape that make the word adorable pop up in his head, and a stare that would melt even the coldest of hearts. The ruby engrained in her forehead sparkled with the beauty of a sunrise, and her voice could challenge the tones of angels.

Sweet Bubblegum's beard, since when did he become so poetic?

"Alright-y, miss. You're free to go," ushering her out, the blonde leaned in close, out of earshot of the Ice King, "just between you and me, the old man couldn't handle you."

"Unsurprising," rolling her eyes, Flame Princess stared at the outside world, "not many can."

She stared at him; he stared right back. And suddenly, in a suddenly whirlwind of emotion, Finn laughed, and said something he would never expect to come out of his mouth.

"I think I could."

He braced for a slap in the face, a fireball to the stomach, even a shot to the crotch, but none of it came. Peering open one eye, Finn nearly fell off a silent Jake once again as the beautiful girl just shook her head, a tiny grin on her face. Suddenly, her body exploded into a plethora of fire, nearly searing his eyebrows and completely obliterating Ice King's floor, and he could no longer make out the shape of her anymore; only her head.

"We'll see, Finn the human. We'll see."

And with that, she took off, twisting and turning her being across the snowy lands of Ooo, leaving a trail of brown Earth as she made her way homewards. Jake, silent and watching the entire scene unfold, finally faced the boy, raising an eyebrow.

"What was that bud?"

Finn took his time for the question as Jake stretched his way out of the floorless castle, ignorant of the King's screams of irritation as they made their way towards the exit, cold air stinging Finn's cheeks like a thousand bees. And, after a clear of his throat and a second to mull it over, he couldn't contain the smile on his lips.

"I think I'm crushin', Jake."