Marceline's Dads

The Fire Kingdom smoldered. The snowfall continued as it had for the past day, keeping the citizens hiding in their homes. Magical weapons reigned endlessly upon the land as penguin projections marched in the streets. It was a strain to put such a powerful and resilient kingdom in the corner but he had done it. He had wet his fingers and put them to a burning candle with a smile on his face. For as much as it hurt to touch, the reward was beyond any treasure.

The Fire king was displeased with this attack on his homeland. He sat at his throne, a blazing pillar of strength and burning rage. As the Ice King strolled inside he remained calm, despite the heat. His eyes, darkened by the circles beneath them focused on the king's crest. This was his goal, the token he needed to complete his end of a particularly special royal promise. Fire King ignited briskly as Ice King halted at the foot of his throne and with sly eyes perused the place like a magazine rack,

"What is the meaning of all this nonsense?" the Fire King bellowed as he leaned forward in his throne,

"Nice place you've got here," the Ice King commented gruffly as he tugged at the collar of his tailored suit, "I might make this my summer home,"

The Flame King did not respond right away as he felt inclined to believe the comment to be a threat, "You've come to challenge me?" his voice was calm despite the anger bubbling inside of him,

"Not exactly," Ice King chuckled, "I've come to bargain,"

"Ah, yes. I've heard of your little escapade, taking over the kingdoms of Ooo," the Flame King touched his face, rubbed what was probably his chin as he thought aloud, "you imply that you wish to perhaps create an alliance with my kingdom? As if you could conquer a land of fire,"

"I'm not in the mood to play guessing games with ffffflickering flames," Ice King droned as he dared to approach the foot of the massive throne, "I am offering to spare your kingdom, which I have no desire to enter anyway, in exchange for… that,"

Flame King followed the clawed blue finger to the top of his head, where the symbol of his title rested, "You must be joking,"

"Give me the crown," Ice King growled with a crooked sneer, "or I shall bury your kingdom in a blizzard after my army breaks it down to nothing but rubble and ash."

Ice King waited impatiently, but he was rewarded handsomely. For the Fire King knew that the snow was already falling as it had fallen in every other kingdom before his. He was being offered a free pass and as much as he detested it, the offer was too good to let go. The golden crest fell at Ice King's feet, swirled on the brim and settled like a glorious prize. Ice King looked up and his lips spread into a crooked, twisted grin,

"Your cooperation is appreciated", he gathered the crown possessively and looked at his reflection in its shinning surface, "Expect an invitation to the wedding."

The Fire King did not know what the Ice King meant by that, but he nodded silently and watched with narrowed eyes as the crazed tyrant left.

xxx

Ice King flew through the tundra he had manifested in place of the grasslands, spying just the top of what used to be the princess's tower. It was frostbitten now and nearly buried. Chuckling to himself he picked up the pace of the blowing winds and headed for his new castle, which lie in the heart of the blizzard slowly consuming Ooo. But something deterred his venture home. The sky opened up and a figure fell from it, monstrous and feral. It struck the King out of the sky with a mighty blow, sending him careening into the ground. Bitter from the attack, Ice King was quick to pick himself up and dust the snow from his person. When he noticed his hands were empty he began fumbling about, searching for what he had dropped. His hand fell upon the Fire King's crown and he pulled it from the snow, his grip so tight that the color drained from his fingers,

"I have found you old boy," Ice King heard a voice say,

"Who has found me?" the king growled as he pushed his shoulders back and locked eyes with the Demon lord.

Two figures, each of great power stood an old fashioned standoff in the tundra. Hunson, the demon lord of the Nightosphere was composed, albeit irritated at the situation. Ice King, lax in posture was grinning. He raised his hand and wiped the slight lump on his cheek before mockingly offering the demon a friendly wave. Hunson narrowed his cat-like eyes,

"Where is Marceline?" his passive voice held a threatening undertone.

Ice King chuckled lightly, his shoulders bouncing. Bringing his arm behind his back he balled his fist. Hunson paid no mind to what the wizard was concocting, keeping his eyes locked with the empty whites of Petrikov's irises. The Demon lord walked forward without fear of being harmed in any way. He did not know a pain that could keep him from finding his daughter, his heir,

"I've already told you once before to keep away from my daughter," Hunson's voice grew bitter, "you are not her father, Petrikov," there was a pause, to let the words sink in and then he hardened his tone to enforce the message, "I am her father."

Around them the storm slowed to a stop. Silence consumed the figures like the jealous, possessive nature of Ice King's soul. Clutching his cape, he dug his clawed hands into the fabric before tearing it from his ensemble. He lightened his grip till it fell between his fingers and blew away on the current. Gritting his teeth, he glared at Hunson, declaring his distaste for him without speaking.

"So it's going to be this again?" Hunson sighed as he shook his head into a resting position on the meat of his blue green palm, "If that's the only way to return you to your senses…then fine."

Hunson all but vanished as he dashed, at inhuman speeds towards Ice King while his head swelled. By the time he was within ten feet of his target, Hunson had grown three times the size of his casual form and had shape shifted his head into a monstrous, bulbous looking thing. Roaring, the demon lord lashed out long, black tentacles in all directions in an attempt to capture the ice wizard. To his surprise a trap had been plotted. Gigantic spikes burst from the tundra terrain in all directions at the blink of an eye. Hunson maneuvered himself out of harm's way, his feet dancing to keep from being impaled.

As the onslaught ceased, Hunson, having a moment to plan his next attack, ignored the tear on his left sleeve. Ice King spread a wicked glare at the sight of it and began to chuckle lowly. His voice carried on the wind and wove around the upturned icicles. They began to shake and it only took Hunson a second to realize he was in the middle of a mine field. Not to be taken out so easily, he took to the air in the form of a swirling hell cloud and avoided the damage. Flying toward Ice King, Hunson's cloud form began to rain energy bolts down at a relentless pace. Ice King wrapped his arms around himself and sunk beneath the surface of the icy ground for cover with a smug sense of accomplishment.

With his opponent out of sight, Hunson twisted his top half back into a solid form as he lowered himself toward the ground. His eyes focused on anything that moved, which was very little in such terrain. The ground began to shake. A loud cracking noise filled the air as ice jerked from the ground and formed a giant monstrous shape. Ice King was nestled at the heart of the beast, his eyes sharp as he raised his hand above his head. The arm of the beast rose in tandem.

"I'm flattered," Hunson smirked as he stretched his legs to the ground and matched the ice monster's size, "you are indeed a powerful wizard, Petrikov-" Hunson missed the anger that flared in Ice King's face at the mention of his human host's surname "-and this is a great deal of fun, but I'm afraid that if you don't give my daughter back to me, I will have to suck out your soul." He shrugged his shoulders and offered a polite, "Last chance to stand down."

"You're not at home here demon," Ice King growled with a snarl, "this land is mine," his voice vibrated from within the beast, echoing throughout the tundra, "you are not welcome here… this is your last warning Abadeer…" he slowly raised his hand and pointed, "Leave or I will kill you."

"You can't kill me," Hunson chuckled as if the notion was absurd,

"Marceline doesn't need you, nor does she want you," Ice King snapped as the wind picked back up "she wants me…she's always wanted me."

This hit a surprisingly tender spot in the demon. His daughter, who he loved, had always expressed a fondness for the human- when she was a child. Marceline was grown now, and she knew the differences between right and wrong. She knew that he hadn't left her on purpose. And it wasn't like the human hadn't taken good care of her; he'd owe him that for the rest of his life.

But now the two were back to square one it seemed.

Smiling a dark, twisted, and malicious grin, Ice King used his delusions to power his assault. Every blow was precise and the frigid ice bit into Hunson's scaled flesh, the wounds producing not blood, but a thick black substance. It was thick and stained his lovely white snow. As it sprayed onto his ice monster the black blood ate into the surface, the corrosive ooze melting craters into the beastly shell.

Ice King pulled himself back from Hunson, the gargantuan stumbling on now melting legs. Hunson looked through the ice to the king; his face was flustered and his breathing uneven. He had too much invested in the ice armor and Hunson planned on exploiting that weakness. He threw a punch, just enough to get Ice King moving. Ice King returned the blow with a sloppy overhead karate chop. Hunson caught it between his clawed hands and held it up with shaking arms.

But prolonged contact with the ice monster proved unwise. Ice spread from the surface of its shape and spread onto Hunson's arms. He pulled himself free, but the damage was apparent. Hunson's sleeves had torn when he shattered the ice around his wrists. This was a little upsetting- he really liked his suit.

"I won't let you take her," Ice King's voice was darkly desperate, "I need her! You can't have her! She's mine!"

"You're like a broken record," Hunson grumbled,

"SHUT UP!"

His beast rose over Hunson and the ice came down in a crushing wave. It washed Hunson into a spiral, spilling over the surface of the tundra only moments before freezing. While Ice King struggled to control his breathing, he wasted no time pulling his limbs from the ice. He numbly and blindly ventured forward. Hunson was back to his usual form, on his back, body trapped in the ice. His head was exposed but his eyes were closed. Ice King grinned as he forced himself over to the demon lord, clutching his hand into a fist. Blue ice magic flickered around his forearm and a large ice shard grew,

"Can't be killed… let's see what happens when I behead you," Ice King chuckled under his breath "but we won't tell Marcy… I… I won't tell Marcy…"

Hunson looked unconscious as Ice King brought his ice covered hand over his head. Inwardly he wanted to see fear in the demon's eyes, hear him beg for life before he slowly cleaved his throat in two. He wanted to cut him to pieces and leave his body scattered beneath the ice where no one would find him. And he filled with glee thinking about the kingdom he would inherit, how no one would be left to take what was his.

"I am the one who cannot be killed!" he taunted to the unconscious corpse, "I have made this human body live a thousand years and it will live a million more," he tilted his head to the side and sneered wickedly as he brought the tip of his weapon to Hunson's throat. "Your baby already promised me her hand once I bring her this crown," he taunted, "I'll be livin' it up, just Marcy and me and where will you be, Hunson? Just a buncha body parts in the snow!"

Ice King was numb to his own internal wounds. As he laughed all he could think about was lopping of the demon's head one gash at a time- hoping, praying it would take several before he died. Blood spilled over the corner of his mouth and stained his beard. When his maniacal laughter was interrupted by a thick cough, blood sprayed onto Hunson's face. Hunson opened his eyes and they were no longer indifferent. Anger filled the demon's eyes.

"I see," Hunson's tone was stern, "I finally see…"

A black beastly looking tentacle burst from Hunson's chest and at the end, a mouth lined with razor sharp teeth opened wide. It clamped down on the right half of Ice King's chest. Ice King howled in pain as he tried to shake himself free, but the protrusion quickly sprouted more heads that bit into his free arm and his leg. Left immobile the Ice King screamed curses till his throat was burning. Hunson was surprised to see that his blood, even after all this time was still red. It seeped through the teeth of his surrogate limbs and speckled the snow below.

"I pity you, Simon," Hunson commented sympathetically, "your happiness is determined by the happiness of another…that's how lost you are,"

"Shut up!" he spat, "Simon is not here! Simon is gone! I am the Ice King!"

"Well…" Hunson smirked as he roughly yanked his hand from the ice and stretched it up "you can't be a king without a crown can you?"

Hunson's hand bent back as the top of his middle finger pressed against the inside meat of his thumb. He lightly flicked the crown and it toppled off the dome of the Ice King, sinking heavily into the snow. Ice King went rigid and collapsed when Hunson removed his appendages- the teeth of the protrusion beasts leaving teeth marks all over his body. He lay there, motionless on the ground. Hunson extracted himself from the ice.

Some part of the demon, that thought he'd killed the man, felt a miniscule amount of sorrow. This pathetic creature had been the reason for his daughter's safe return. He had respect for him in the past, but not as much these days. These days, the man seemed a memory. Marceline would be upset, he knew, when he told her about the wizard- if he found her. With the snow and winds covering the seemingly endless land of ice, it could prove difficult to find anything lost, even for him. Simon would know exactly where she was. Hunson stood there for a moment, listening to the wind and wondering if the wizard was going to get back up.

A small part of him was relieved when he heard the sharp intake of breath. It was a rough gasp, as if it were the wizard's first. The bitter cold left his shoulders trembling as he tried to continue sucking in what was biting at his lungs, doing more damage than good without the use of his powers. The defeated man looked up at Hunson with disdain. His shaking hand reached out for the crown. Hunson stepped forward and pressed the heel of his shoe into the bony back of Ice King's protruding limb.

"Still here?" Hunson commented as his eyes skewed, "I suppose I really will have to kill you now,"

"You… c-ca…" Ice King wheezed "I'm… invin… ci… ble… I'm the… king… of… ice…"

"You are the king of frozen water," Hunson mocked as he eased more pressure on the Ice King's hand- he felt a twisted kind of pleasure when the man screamed in pain, "and you have clearly lost this fight. Tell me where my daughter is,"

"My…" he reached pathetically for the crown, his other hand limp in the air as he breathed, "… my crown… my…"

Hunson realized that without the crown the Ice King could die.

"Very well," Hunson stretched his arm out and picked the enchanted artifact from the snow, "I will make you a deal, Ice King," Hunson made sure he had his attention before continuing, "tell me where my daughter is and I will return your crown,"

"M…Marceline?" Ice King's voice trembled,

"I'm going to take her with me, for a second time…for the last time," Hunson informed him coldly, "this time you will not find her," his hand lowered the crown so that it was just out of his grasp.

… after a long pause Ice King wheezed, "Crown" and Hunson let him touch it.

Ice King's power instantly returned to him. He shot slushy snow at Hunson, sending him flying back. The demon bounced off jagged pillars of ice, shattering them. Holding the artifact in his arms Ice King kissed and nuzzled it tenderly before he lowered it back where it belonged. A shiver ran through him as his powers instantly filled him. He spit blood from his mouth and walked forward with a slight limp. The bites all over his body were deep wounds and if the cold hadn't blocked them, he would have feared bleeding out. Hunson was back on his feet, and incredibly upset. He hadn't realized such minimal contact would give the human such access to the crown's abilities.

It was a feeble attack, but Ice King swung at Hunson. Quite able bodied at hand to hand combat, this new approach was laughable to the ruler of the Nightosphere- he dodged the wizard's attacks with little effort and landed a solid strike to his gut. Ice King lurched over, blood and bile spewing from his mouth. Hunson reached down with a clawed hand and wrapped it around the human's thin neck. He lifted him, with great ease, till the tips of his toes scraped against the icy ground. Flailing wildly, Ice King screamed hoarse Russian curses at Hunson, not the first subconscious action of the king. His foot kicked the demon in the ribs, but such an attack was useless at this point.

In desperation, he charged his hands with a frostbite spell and pressed them against Hunson's face. Freezer burn forced the demon lord to release the wizard. As Hunson morphed into his demonic form, his short lived wail of pain turned into a livid roar. It echoed through the tundra. Meanwhile, Ice King clawed at the frozen earth in a blind attempt at regaining his footing. When he stood, his body was limp and swayed in the wind.

"You can't have her…" Ice King mumbled as his eyes glazed over, "she's mine… mine… mine… my Marcy… this land… this land is mine… I am the-"

"I truly am sorry, Simon," Hunson whispered with half lidded eyes.

The best thing for this man was death.

A bone crunching, wet, sound filled the air. Simon's trembling body shook as he looked down at himself in disbelief- the protrusion had gone right through him. Blood bled from the fresh wound, staining his tattered clothes and dyeing the snow red. He motioned to move forwards and lurched, blood spewing from his mouth as he was forced to grab onto the penetrating object for support. Hunson jerked the black creature from the wizard's stomach and returned it to his own body.

Ice King fell.

His crown toppled into the snow.

The snow stopped falling.

Hunson felt the warmth of the sun breaking through the black clouds. He let out a hardened breath as he walked to the wizard's side. Letting his legs go limp, the ruler of the Nightosphere plopped down beside his body. Resting his arms on his knees Hunson looked down at Simon and waited quietly,

"Not bad," he breathed out with a sly smirk, "guess I need to work out some more." He allowed himself a pause to catch his breath before he mused quietly, "The Ice King has been defeated… what of you… Simon?"

((Authors Notes))

Second to last chapter... sorry, but all good things must come to and end. Be sure to R&R if you enjoyed this action packed chapter! One chapter to go and then I'm strictly focusing on Ice Man

Also a shout out to my Beta scuro-valzer!