"Traitor!"

"Treason!"

"Murderer!"

Isis woke up in a jumble of covers, wrapped up so tight that she could hardly breathe. It was that dream again. It plagued her every night to the point that she no longer looked forward to sleep. She dreaded the end of the day because it meant sleep would take her once again. Isis shuddered from the after-effects of the dream, forced to relive it again even though she was awake. It replayed in her mind as she pushed away the covers.

Isis had been in the throne room looking over a treaty that would forever bring peace between all of the Kingdoms. It was her greatest accomplishment as Queen, something that hadn't been done in centuries, when there was a loud pounding on her door. Without knowing why, Isis would suddenly feel frightened, and was rightfully so because the doors would burst open with all of her subjects rushing inside. They bore flaming torches and pitchforks as they rushed towards her, murderous hate in their eyes. They shouted horrible things and, despite her protests, roughly seized her and lead her deep into the castle.

They took her to different places every time.

Sometimes she was thrown into some sort of spiked pit or hung in the dungeons. One time she had been stabbed thirty two times, drowning in her own blood as life clung to her like a disease. Sometimes her deaths were quick, but too often they were slow and painful. Isis would wake up from her fitful sleeps in a panic, disoriented from her latest nightmare. Eventually, she got used to the nightmares, even expected them. Isis didn't know why she was having these dreams. Was she guilty? Maybe, but Isis had already made peace with her decision. Or she thought she had.

I did what I had to do to save my Kingdom! Isis thought fiercely to herself as she got out of bed to get dressed. It was in the middle of the night but she needed fresh air. She couldn't be cooped up in this room anymore tonight. Isis found herself wandering the halls until she ended up outside. The air was crisp and cool. Isis had to wrap the robe tighter across her small frame to battle the chill. As she walked, her breath rose in small clouds and the night was silent aside from the crunch of ice beneath her bare feet. Everyone was asleep. Or, almost everyone. Isis shook her head, surprised at herself. Why was she letting dreams get to her? Feeling silly, Isis turned to go back inside when she almost ran into a pale faced Gunther.

"Gunther!?" She placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart. Isis had no idea how on edge she was until just then. "You scared me!" Isis, feeling something was wrong, peered closer at her friend. "Gunther…? What's wrong?" A feeling of dread washed over her and she had a sudden flash of her dream.

"Did you do it?" He whispered softly, his hand trembling. She saw that he held a piece of paper, clutching it so tightly that his knuckles were bone white. Isis, knowing what he meant, stayed silent as she stared at her advisor. His trembling started to spread until the man was shaking all over. "Did. You. Do. It!?" He shouted, taking a menacing step towards her. Isis glared at him coolly.

"Regain your composure Gunther." She warned softly which only enraged him more. His shout rang throughout the castle and Isis was thankful that what he asked had been incredibly vague.

"Regain my—" Gunther, furious beyond belief, took a step back and ran a hand over his face. He took deep, shaky breaths before he spoke again. "Did you really kill them, Your Majesty?" He asked softly as tears leaked down his face. Her silence had been answer enough.

"It was the only way to save the Kingdom." She said simply and Gunther shook his head sadly.

"You were always so single-minded, Isis. There were plenty of other ways to save your home. You just took the one that would put you on the throne, just like you always wanted." He said sadly before he turned to walk away. Isis waved a hand and Gunther's feet froze into place, encased in blocks of ice. He looked back at her, shocked, and Isis laughed cruelly.

"Did you really think I was just going to let you walk away when you know what I did?" She asked slowly as if talking to an ignorant child. Gunther slowly shook his head at her and Isis suddenly felt like the ignorant one. What had she missed? Isis then suddenly paled and leaned against the castle wall for support, her legs suddenly too weak to hold up her weight.

"The letter carriers!" She breathed as realization dawned on her. Long ago, to keep up the act that 'assassins' were trying to kill the royal family, she had created a law that all letters sent through the kingdom had to be opened and read to look for any treasonous remarks or plans. Unless messages had been sent directly to her, all of the letters that go through the kingdom were read without exception. That meant the letter that Gunther clutched so desperately had already been read by a good number of servants.

And servants were such good gossips.

She had used that to her own advantage four years ago when she started the rumor of assassins. By noon tomorrow the whole Kingdom would know of what she did. She would be killed! Or…Isis moaned and slid down to the ground, her back against the wall.

She could be banished to the Ice Mountains. A punishment worse than death.

Now it was Gunther's turn to laugh and Isis could only glare at him. There was nothing she could do. Even if she killed all the letter carriers on duty this morning, there was no telling how many people had already been told her secret.

"Figures your own law would be your undoing." He sneered and Isis snarled soundlessly at him before getting to her feet.

"I am still your Queen, and you will be punished for your insolence, servant!" Isis spat and stormed over to him. With a rough hand she yanked his head back by his hair and violently scratched his exposed throat. Blood seeped from the wounds as she chanted a long spell. As she spoke, Gunther's form began to change. When she was finished, a polar bear stood in his place. Isis frowned.

"Huh. I meant a penguin. No matter." She waved a hand over his face and Gunther froze. "No matter what happens, you will forever be loyal to me. Where I go, you go, and you will live and feel whatever torments I suffer for my misdeeds." Isis waved her hand again and Gunther could finally move, the binding of the spell gone. She stared coldly down at the animal before her. "Your new name is Rehtung, so no one will know who you really are." Isis told him before walking back to her bed chambers. Rehtung obediently followed, though it was more of a compulsion than free will, and Isis went back to bed to put off the horrors she would have to face on the morrow.

The next morning Isis woke to a pounding on her door. Thinking that she was still dreaming, Isis didn't even move until the sound of her doors bursting open jolted her awake.

"Isis Amitarili, you are under arrest for treason!" A voice boomed and then everything went black.

xxXXxx

She woke up outside tied up. She was on her feet, slumped between two wooden poles. She was tied to them by her wrists so that her arms lifted above her head. Her shoulders ached so Isis knew that she had been there for quite some time. The sunlight made her squint as she stared at the crowd gathered before her. Everyone in the Ice Kingdom had come to see their Queen. They stared at her with hate in their eyes and Isis raised her chin in silent defiance and a last stab at dignity. She was still their Queen and refused to look weak in front of them. As she shuffled to her feet, the same booming voice from earlier started to call out her charges. She looked up to see the Captain of the Guard standing before her. For the life of her Isis could not remember his name.

"Isis Amitarili! You are being charged with treason for the murders of King J.R. and Jack and Luke Amitarili! For your crimes, you will receive forty lashings and will be banished to the Ice Mountains!" Isis closed her eyes in acceptance. She knew that they would banish her. Death would be too easy for her. "Do you have any last words before your punishment is carried out?" It was more of a courtesy than anything else. When Isis moved to say something she was back-handed by the executioner. She was not permitted to speak for she was known for her persuasive words. In a matter of moments Isis could have them releasing her free of charge. Isis spat blood to the ground.

The Captain was smart.

He nodded to the executioner and the masked man moved behind her, unhooking the whip from his belt. Two men then moved towards her and untied the flimsy white material that was a pathetic excuse of a dress. It fell to the ground, leaving her naked and vulnerable. Isis kept her head raised as one of the men, after an appraising look at her nude form, gave her a piece of rounded wood to bite on. Before it was placed in her mouth she could see the many indentations from the people before her who had received lashings for previous crimes. It was bloody and cracked. Isis briefly thought that if she didn't die from the lashings she would die from all the bacteria on that tiny piece of wood.

Biting down on the piece of wood, Isis couldn't help the tremble that passed through her body. Her body knew that she was going to experience a great deal of pain and she was afraid, but that was the only sign she showed as the whip descended upon her bare flesh. Pain exploded from her back. She could feel the flesh rip and tear from the lash of the whip and her knees buckled, but she didn't scream. She refused to.

"One!"

Isis moaned loudly. How was she supposed to endure thirty nine more?

After the first ten, Isis felt a slow sense of detachment begin to envelope her. The pain no longer affected her and she felt numb. Rehtung roared in the background, feeling each lash that landed on her back. Eventually, Isis lost count and her vision blurred and her hearing dulled. Nothing else registered but the dull beating against her back. Her arms were on fire for they held all her weight since her legs had buckled long ago.

Isis didn't know when she passed out, but when she woke up she was tossed outside of the Ice Kingdom at the edge of the forest that separated her home from the Candy Kingdom. She had been unconscious long enough for her wounds to scab over and it was painful to move. Rehtung nudged her face with a cold, wet nose and whined worriedly. Isis groaned and pushed his face away. He snorted and Isis glared at him.

"Don't act all offended. You just don't want me to die because you'll die too!" She snapped before struggling to get to her feet. Her limbs felt like lead and every move felt like her back was on fire. Eventually she managed to stand on her own, with the help of Rehtung, and looked back at her home. She could see her castle sparkling in the distance. Isis wondered who would rule now. There was no heir to take the throne now that she was the only remaining royal of the Amitarili family. Rehtung whined again and she absently patted his head. Deep down Isis knew that she would have been discovered eventually. At least the Ice Kingdom had been restored to its former glory, the only thing she had wanted to accomplish when she ruled. Four years was a short reign, but she had achieved what she wanted to do.

A rustle in the bushes caught her attention and a guard from the Ice Kingdom scrambled out holding a bundle. Isis immediately went on the defensive but quickly realized she had no weapons. She barely had any clothes. All she had was that pathetic excuse of a dress from her lashings. It left her entire back bare and she didn't want to think about how breezy it felt back there. The guard straightened when he saw here before bowing deeply. Isis watched him warily. What game was he playing?

"Your Majesty, no…Isis, I will forever be thankful for what you did for our Kingdom. Because of you, I was able to get a job and feed my family." He finally lifted his head and held out the bundle to her. It was hastily wrapped with what looked like the remains of a burlap sack and tied with rope. Isis didn't move and Rehtung growled a warning, but the man continued to hold out the bundle. "I mean no harm!" He told her with a pleading tone, begging her to believe him. Isis and the polar bear shared a look before she hesitantly reached out a hand to grab the bundle. Inside there was her royal blue gown that she wore to her coronation, matching shoes, and her crown.

Wait.

Her crown!?

She held it up in awe and gazed at the three rubies that glinted harmlessly in the early noon light. "Why…? How…?" Isis couldn't understand. Why was he giving her the crown? With it she had all of her magic back. She looked back towards the castle. She could take her Kingdom back.

"It doesn't work there anymore." The guard said as if he had read her mind. Isis tore her eyes away from the sparkling castle and faced him, confused.

"What?"

"The crown. It doesn't work within the Ice Kingdom anymore. It was stripped of its magical properties and now it's just a normal crown." A sly grin appeared on his face and Isis took a closer look at the headpiece in her hand. Thinking of a minor spell, she watched in awe as small snowflakes started to dance around her hand that held the crown. It still worked! She looked over at the grinning guard and took a step back, fear gripping her throat. Who was this man? He just told her that the crown had been stripped of its magical properties…but then why could it work at all? "Now, the contract wasn't particularly binding, they just told me to make it so that you can't use your powers against the Ice Kingdom, so…Like I said, you can't use it in the Ice Kingdom. You're powerless there, but you can use it outside of the Ice Kingdom." Isis took another step back. Pain might've made her a bit slow on the uptake, but she knew she wasn't dealing with a simple castle guard.

"Who are you?" Isis whispered and the man just grinned as he faded into the trees.

"No one of importance. Just consider my debt to you repaid." Isis clutched the crown to her chest and looked around in vain for the man, but he had disappeared. Who was that guy? Why was he so grateful? Obviously what he had said before had been a lie…but then why go through the charade? Maybe to gain my trust first. If he had shown me the crown initially I would have ran. Isis nodded along with this thought process as she donned her clothing carefully. Although the gown was bulky, it was nice to be in proper clothing again.

With one last look at the trees, Isis mounted Rehtung and started to guide him back to the Candy Kingdom. She couldn't help but feel that she had somehow gained a powerful ally.

When she reached the Candy Kingdom, Isis dismounted the giant polar bear slowly. She winced when her back complained, but refused to let others know of her ordeal. She kept her back straight as she walked, climbing the steps to the doors only to be met by guards. The banana guards crossed their pikes and barred her from entering.

"W-What is this!? I am your Queen! You have to let me through!" She stammered, indignant at such treatment. She couldn't help but remember how she was treated hours earlier in her own Kingdom. The similarities were staggering and she felt the same ball of dread forming in the pit of her stomach. Her past was catching up at her at an alarming rate, too fast for it to be a coincidence.

"You're not Queen here anymore." A solemn voice reached her and her heart caught. She would know that voice from anywhere. She turned to face Gumball and her eyes filled with tears despite her best efforts.

"What do you mean? Of course I am…" Gumball was already shaking his head and Isis took a step back and almost tumbled back down the stairs.

"I know what you did, Isis. At first, I just couldn't believe that you would do such a thing…" Isis wasn't sure what he said next. She had started hyperventilating, the blood pounding so hard in her ears that it drowned out everything else. All she could focus on was her mounting fear. How could he have known? Who had told? There was no way he could have known about her family!

"I only killed them because—"

"Them? Who's 'them?' I was talking about…Oh no, Isis no! Please tell me you didn't!" Isis couldn't look at him. She could hear the shock and disgust in his voice. Maybe he would have forgiven her about J.R., but not for Luke and her father. He had loved them like family for they had taken him in when no one else would.

Isis sank to her knees and put her head in her hands. She wept openly in the silence that unfolded between them. For the first time she felt shame for what she had done. Gunther's words rang in her mind: 'You were always so single-minded. There were plenty of other ways to save your home.' Nothing would ever be the same. Gumball…he would never love her again for what she had done. She could hear the finality in his voice, see the determination in his stance. He would refuse to love her even if he hurt himself in the process. He was always so noble, so just. Something she had always admired in him.

"I don't even know who you are anymore." The sentence hung in the silence as Isis lay in a heap on the ground, her sobs pathetic and diminished. He had stood patiently, waiting for her to finish, to strike that final blow. It felt like a knife had been thrust straight into her heart and cruelly twisted. She finally lifted her head from the ground and looked up at the man she still loved. "The Isis I knew was kind, sweet, and loved her family!" Isis then, despite everything, smiled. She slowly got to her feet and held her head high, reclaiming whatever dignity she had left.

"Then you didn't know me at all." Gumball took a step back, his face looking hurt before it regained its hardness. He chose to ignore her revelation and pointed to the exit of the Candy Kingdom.

"Isis, for your crimes, you are banished from this land! You are no longer welcome here! Leave at once!" His hand trembled, though in rage or regret she wasn't sure. Isis felt the anger boil up inside her. She stood unmoving before him and crossed her arms in front of her, laughing.

"Are you kidding me? Have you forgotten your place? You aren't the real King! J.R. is dead and you're just a fraud!" She sneered at him and Gumball faltered only for a second.

"Everyone knows Isis, but they still chose me to rule over you! No one wants a traitorous Queen capable of murder on the throne. Leave now, Isis. Don't make me use force!" Isis could only stare. She had been overthrown here as well? She was being banished by someone who didn't have an ounce of royal blood in his veins? Anger soon became indignant rage as she started to tremble violently, her fury begging to be unleashed.

"How dare you! I made you! You belong to me!" Isis shrieked, balling her hands into fists to keep herself from using magic against Gumball. Even now she couldn't bring herself to hurt him, to defend the Kingdom that was rightfully hers. Her heart still beat only for him, something that would never change. Gumball's careful composure finally slipped and he looked away, but not fast enough, for she saw the pain and regret in his eyes.

"Leave, Isis. Please." Stifling a sob, Isis mounted Rehtung and turned to leave the Candy Kingdom forever. She heard a gasp from Gumball and Isis looked back over her shoulder. Gumball had his eyes fastened on her back. No doubt her wounds had opened and had bloodied the back of her dress, revealing that she had been whipped for her crimes. Gumball kept silent though as he watched her leave the Candy Kingdom and begin the trek that would take her to the Ice Mountains.

"The Ice Mountains were horrible!" Isis lamented to no one in particular as she continued her story, "There was no life and I had to make my home within one of the mountains to avoid freezing to death. Everything's made of ice! But my torment didn't stop there. Gumball plagued my dreams every night—"

"Yo! Ice Queen! Does this story have a point?" Fionna cut in, daring to look bored as she told her life story.

Isis brought herself to her full height and looked down at the petulant teenager before her. She pointed a finger at a sad looking Gumball and declared her intention to all of her audience.

"I've come to claim what is mine!"