Author's Note: Hey I'm back with another chapter. Sorry for the wait. Hope you guys like it.
The Secrets of Ice and Snow
Chapter 2
Ice Monarch
"Sorry? You just let the Ice King walk to what may have been his death!" Finn balked at the princess. Jake put a gentle hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Hey man look, the Ice King wanted this. And who knows he may have gotten though just fine. Doesn't necessarily mean he's dead right?" Jake asked Princess Bubblegum.
"There is the possibility yes. I haven't been able to test it out properly but I believe there…may be a chance he survived." The Princess stated, filling Finn with resolve as he got up.
"Then I'm going too. I have to make sure he's all right." he said to them.
"I understand Finn. Please be careful." She answered softly.
"I will." He said facing the archway.
"And wherever you go, I go. I mean heck, what am I going to do if you get killed as well?" Jake joked as he stood next to him.
"We're ready Princess." Said Finn, as Princess Bubblegum fired up the machine once more. A bright pink field of energy appeared within the arch as Finn and Jake stood on the precipice.
"You ready brother?" Finn asked.
"No… I guess." Jake replied looking back at him uncertain.
"Let's go." Finn said taking the first step through the portal. Jake was more hesitant to go while Finn braved the divide and soon found himself on the other side of the portal in one piece.
Finn's eyes widened seeing he was still alive and stuck his head back through the portal startling Jake and Princess Bubblegum but confirming he was alive.
"Jake you gotta see this." he said standing midway through the portal before disappearing. Jake reluctantly followed his buddy through placing a wary foot in the air and slowly stepped through.
Once through the pair found themselves in an unfamiliar land far beyond the reaches of Ooo looking at what appeared to be some kind of seaside village. As the vast expanse of ocean stretched out before them as far as the eye could see, with a dock that was quite and remains of a ruined ship tethered to the dock. There didn't seem to be much else aside from the mountains far inland and the shells of several houses that seem to have been blown apart.
"This is where Princess Bubblegum sent the Ice King?" Jake asked.
"Yeah it must be. So where do you think he is?" Finn asked as they surveyed the land. Jake wrapped his finger and thumb around his chin as he tried to think.
"What'd the Ice King say before he went through?" he asked Finn. His pal went into a similar pose as he tried to recall.
"He said something around returning his crown didn't he?" he replied.
"Yeah dude but…what else did he say?" asked Jake.
"He talked about how empty his life was." Finn answered.
"Yeah but what else? There was something important. Something I cant quite put my finger on." Jake stated trying to think. Finn gasped having an epiphany.
"The Ice King's crown! Remember the video? The crown made him crazy and turned him into the Ice King!" he said.
"Then this must be where he found it. Didn't the video say he got it off a dock worker or something?" Jake asked.
"Yeah he did." Finn said scanning the horizon once more.
"This must be it…Scandinavia." He stated.
"What else? What else did the Ice King said about those nightmares or whatever?" Jake asked. Finn thought for a moment but stared blankly back at Jake.
"I don't know." He said.
Up in the mountains, the Ice King scaled the highest and steepest one by hand while carrying his crown as he sought to return the cursed artifact to its source per his nightmare. The Ice King panted as he made the painful and perilous climb upward.
"This would be so much easier if I just used my powers." He muttered to no one.
"Wait a minute." He stopped and looked back at the jeweled ice crown.
"Why aren't I using it?" he wondered to himself.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt to use it one last time. No this crown has caused me enough trouble as it is. But my hands are getting sore and I don't have much dexterity or strength to start with." he contemplated and looked up and saw he still had a way's to go as he was only halfway up the very steep mountain.
He sighed and was floating up the mountain a few minutes later with his levitation powers. Landing on a ledge a short time later. On the coast below Finn and Jake continued to look for him calling the Ice King out by name. But the Ice King was too far off to hear their plaintive cries. The Ice King used his powers again as his fists flashed and launched him up the mountainside in a spiraling flurry of snow that Jake caught sight of.
"Dude I see him! He's up there!" Jake yelled pointing in his direction.
"Let's go!" Finn said taking off as Jake stretched his legs. A short time later they were at the mountain's base, as Jake stretched his legs up to the peak. The pair finally caught up to the Ice King opposite him as they neared the summit.
"Finn? Jake?" he said.
"Ice King!" Finn shouted.
"What are you doing here?" he questioned riding the torrent of snow.
"What do you think we're doing here man? We're here to rescue you." Finn told him.
'Thanks guys but I don't need any saving. I'm doing what needs to be done." he said and shot past them.
"Faster Jake!" Finn yelled while Jake stretched out his torso to catch up with him.
The Ice King arrived at the cave close to the summit he had seen in his dreams and entered in. Finn and Jake overshot the Ice King's location and wound up on the peak.
"Where is he? He should have beaten us here." Finn said getting off as Jake returned to his normal self.
"I don't know man." Jake replied as they searched for him.
About 20 feet down the Ice King journeyed farther into the cave with his ice crown in hand. Wandering aimlessly in the dark he continued down the stony passage with no clue of what he was looking for. As it got dark the central ruby in the crown pointed a red beacon towards where it was supposed to go. The Ice King followed the beam leading him deeper into the stony abyss. While outside and still on the peak the boys searched frantically for the Ice King. Having concluded that he was nowhere to be seen, the boys journeyed down where they had last seen the Ice King and discovered the cave.
In the depths of the cave the Ice King finally made it to the owner's tomb as the beacon pointed directly at it. The Ice King raised his eyes in awe as a massive glacial skeleton loomed over him. The being was at least 30 feet tall and encased in ice holding its remains.
"My word." the Ice King muttered in awe. A pair of red eyes glowed within the skull as the undead being reacted.
"Ice King I see you have finally answered my summons." The creature answered in a low demonic voice.
"What…what are you?" the Ice King trembled stepping back.
"The true owner of the crown. I am the Ice Emperor, Imperious Rex. A great and terrible being that ruled the land centuries ago." The undead creature announced.
"Return to me my crown so that I am live again and be free of this prison." The Ice Emperor requested.
"I uh… I don't think I should." he replied meekly.
"Fool! You have already made the journey here. Why on Earth would you come here only to deny me what is rightfully mine?" Imperious enquired. By this time Finn and Jake had made it to the Ice Emperor's dungeon and skidded to a stop.
"Whoa…what the stuff is that?" Finn asked.
"I see you brought company as well. Ice King return to me my crown…now!" The Ice Emperor ordered and brought the Ice King under his psychic control.
The artic monarch's eyes went red as he fell under the Emperor's thrall.
"Ice King doesn't do it! You don't know what kind of evil you may unleash." Finn warned. The Ice King turned and looked back at them with eyes burning and a sinister growl surprising them.
"Ice King we don't want to fight you." he said getting into a battle stance.
"Dispose of them Ice King and bring me my crown." Imperious Rex ordered.
"Ice King no!" Finn yelled.
The Ice King roared and fired an artic blast from his hands at them while Finn and Jake leaped over the blizzard and pounced on the Ice King with Finn drawing his sword overhead. The King formed a sword and shield of ice blocking their attack as Finn's sword and his made contact. Jake expanded his fist and punched his shield knocking back towards the Emperor's remains. Finn called his name before Jake remembered and threw the Ice King the other way.
But the damage was done as the crown lay before the monster's tomb. The crown rattled and flew up onto the Emperor's finger, revealing it as a ring and awakened the Ice Emperor from his sleep. Imperious' eyes glowed red as the cavern started to shake. The Ice King's crown reanimated the Emperor's body filling his body with ice and frost as the Emperor came to life. The cave shook violently as Finn and Jake stared at the awakening Emperor and rose up casting his shadow over the heroes, as his spell on the Ice King was broken.
The Ice Emperor stood for the first time in centuries with his arms reaching the ceiling and broke through causing the cavern to cave in on the retreating heroes as Finn grabbed the Ice King by the scruff of his neck. Outside the top of the mountain burst as the Ice Emperor was freed from his imprisonment and towered the mountain's façade as Finn, Jake and the Ice King emerged from the cave.
"Finally! After all these centuries I'm free! And the Earth will again know the full wrath of the Ice Emperor!" The giant proclaimed.
The Ice Emperor in his fully realized state was a massive 30 foot tall being covered in ice and snow, with a long, glassy beard that jutted down at an angle and a long pointed nose, though not as long as the Ice King's wearing regal artic robes composed of ice and snow as himself, icy shoulder spikes and a Viking helmet with long wavy horns on each side.
Finn, Jake and the Ice King looked on in horror at the massive being not knowing what they have wrought upon the world.
"What have I done?" the Ice King wondered as the trio looked on.
Author's Note: I know this isnt as long or as deep as my previous chapter. But I hope you guys enjoyed this installment. Let me know what you think
Please review,
Green Gallant.