At Long Last - Part 7

Chapter 7 - Sidetracked

The first rays of sunlight were just beginning to peak out over the horizon as Gumball awoke. He laid still, feeling the soft vibrations of Marshall Lee’s purring in his chest, the vampire’s smooth back rising and falling as he breathed. Gumball smiled. Marshall Lee, the vampire king, likes me, he thought. He briefly considered getting up and making preparations, but decided laying in bed a little while longer couldn’t hurt. He pulled the drapes on the poster bed closed so the rising sun wouldn’t hurt Marshall, who looked incredibly peaceful as he slept.

Gumball pulled Marshall’s arm over his shoulder, and placed his head against Marshall’s chest, smiling at the small patch of hair between his pectorals. Not hearing a heartbeat, Gumball looked up at Marshall’s face. How could a being survive without a beating heart? he wondered. The Draugur must have extremely strong magic, some of which was likely transferred to Marshall Lee when he was bitten. Poor guy, Gumball thought, cursed to age at an incredibly slow rate, to burn in the sunlight, to never see his own reflection. And now, his connection to the Draugur was giving him nightmares.

Gumball gently stroked Marshall’s hair. “Mmm… ‘morning,” murmured Marshall, only half awake. “Five more minutes.” He scooted lower into the bed, now face to face with Gumball.

“G’morning, sleepyhead,” Gumball said softly. Marshall Lee opened his eyes. Gumball was inches from his face, his brilliant blue eyes sparkling in the dim morning light. “You wanna know a secret?”

“Mmm-hmm?” 

Gumball leaned even closer, their noses and foreheads touching. “I really like you.”

“Awww, Gummy. I really like you too. In fact…” Marshall looked around, as if to spot any eavesdroppers. “I kinda have a crush on Prince Gumball. But don’t tell him, it’s a secret.”

“It’s safe with me,” Gumball grinned. A knock on the door interrupted their flirting, and begrudgingly Gumball rolled out of bed to answer it. Marshall Lee watched as Gumball pulled on a pair of pants, paused to straighten his posture, then answered the door. Marshall’s eyes lingered on the prince’s hips, his neck, his knuckles, his ears. He wasn’t what Marshall would normally consider ‘sexy’, but he was definitely cute, and extremely beautiful. Marshall was beginning to realize he was in love.

Gumball shut the door, and returned to the bed, a thick yellow envelope in hand. “What’s that?” Marshall asked.

“A missive from the Door Masters.”

“You mean like the Door Mistress? There’s more of them?” Marshall Lee looked thoughtful. A while ago the Door Mistress had stolen stuff from both of them, as well as from Fionna, Cake, and a few other of their friends, and they had gone on an adventure, their first adventure as a group, to recover their lost goods. The Door Mistress appeared to have the power to create doors to other places in Ooo at will, a frustrating power that made her very difficult to track.

“Yes, there are a small number of them. I’ve agreed to leave them alone if they don’t bother any of my citizens or friends. Looks like they’ve heard about the doom door as well, then,” said Gumball, placing the envelope on his side table. It was oddly heavy, he noticed, probably containing something more than just a letter.

“What the lump is doom door?”

“It’s how I plan to defeat - or at least trap - the Draugur. Come, I’ll explain at breakfast.” Gumball grabbed Marshall’s hand, trying to pull him out of bed.

“Noooo… five more minutes,” Marshall whined, resisting.

“Common, up. We have stuff to do.”

“I’ll bet I can change your mind. Five more minutes. Wanna bet?” Marshall held out his hand, the rest of him still under the blankets.

Gumball pouted, and shook Marshall’s hand. “Fine, but I don’t see how…”

Marshall pulled Gumball onto the bed by his hand, and instantly wrapped his legs around Gumball’s midriff. “Like this,” he said, then, leaning forward slowly, kissed Gumball on the lips. At first their noses bumped awkwardly, then Gumball tilted his head and suddenly they fit perfectly.

It had been centuries since Marshall Lee had experienced a proper, romantic kiss, and this was even better than he remembered. Gumball’s lips were astoundingly soft and warm, and had a slight taste of bubble gum. Marshall’s arms squeezed Gumball tightly around his waist, pulling him closer. Gumball made a soft, longing sound, and his tongue worked its way between Marshall’s lips. The vampire pulled back, though, breaking the kiss.

“Five more minutes?” he pleaded. Gumball smiled.

“Ten.” He leaned in for another kiss, flooded with passion and excitement. Their lips met, warm and wet, and the world disappeared around them. No longer were Marshall or Gumball conscious of the bed beneath them, or the room around them. All that existed were Gumball and Marshall, their fingers passionately stroking each other’s hair and cheeks. Nothing mattered except being as physically close together as possible….

Fifteen minutes later, Gumball laid on his back, feeling his eyelids grow heavy. “Marshall Lee Abadeer, you make me melt,” he said.

“Mmf,” agreed Marshall, his nose pressed against Gumball’s cheek. He could feel himself falling back to sleep.

Gumball breathed in deeply, then kissed Marshall on his nose once more. “Common, I’m hungry. We’ve got fried tomatoes, strawberry waffles, smoked salmon, bacon, whatever you like.” He flopped out of the bed, and left to take a shower.

Marshall Lee’s clothes had returned from the laundry, and he smiled as he dressed. He could hear Gumball humming to himself in the shower. The thought of Gumball covered in soap suds was incredibly sexy. He smiled to himself as he pictured the pink prince, dripping wet.

After they had both showered, and Gumball had finally convinced Marshall Lee to brush his teeth and fangs, they left for the same balcony where they had eaten dinner the evening before. Fortunately, the low angle of the sun meant that the balcony was protected by the shade of a nearby turret. Over breakfast, Gumball explained his plan to trap the Draugur. “I’ve had a ‘doom door’ specially constructed for the Draugur.” Marshall Lee raised his eyebrows in question. “It’s a large stone slab, rinsed in virgin water created by the water prince, and engraved with a special spell that should make it impossible to open, and impossible to escape from once sealed behind. It’s not finished, there’s one more step, but we can finish it ourselves once we get to the Draugur’s lair.”

“Slamacow, that’s great! Umm…” Marshall paused. “How am I gonna travel with you? I mean, I can’t stay in the sun for ten hours, I’ll burn.”

Gumball grinned mischievously. “I’m wearing a flannel shirt,” he said, gesturing at his chest. He was indeed wearing a pink and grey striped flannel shirt, with two pockets in front. “You can transform into your bat form and chill in my pocket! Look, there’s even a little flap here you can use as a hat!”

Marshall Lee frowned, but didn’t say anything. It was humiliating enough that he couldn’t spend time with his friends outdoors, but traveling in a pink striped flannel shirt… “Couldn’t I like… I dunno, hide in your backpack or something?”

“Well, yeah, but then I won’t be able to talk to you. I still have a bunch of questions that need answering. Plus, my body heat will keep you warm.”

“I suppose… So how are we going to do this whole ‘trapping’ thing?” he asked.

“I’m assuming the Draugur lives in some sort of cave, presumably in the mountains in the eastern part of the Unknown Lands. We’ll have a better idea once we get the map; my scholars should have finished it last night. With any luck we’ll arrive there before the Draugur leaves, then we just cover the entrance with the door and we’re set!”

“What if it’s already gone by the time we get there? What then?”

Gumball had already considered this situation, and had come up with a contingency plan, but it was… unpleasant. “We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get there,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. Marshall eyed him suspiciously, but didn’t say anything. “Once we’re finished eating, I have to make an announcement to my people, so they know Fionna’s in charge. Then we’ll pack up and head out. Is there anything you need from your house?”

“I dunno, I’m gonna need clothes, and Schwabelle will need some more food and water.”

“Do you wanna go get them yourself, or should I send a banana guard?”

“I can get them. Schwabelle doesn’t like strangers.” Marshall Lee finished his tomato juice and stood. “Meet you back here in an hour?”

“Deal,” Gumball agreed, and they went their separate ways.

A loud trumpet blast sounded over the city, indicating that Prince Gumball was about to make an announcement. Candy people gathered in the piazza in front of the castle, awaiting their ruler.

Gumball swallowed nervously as he peeked out from behind the door to the balcony. He disliked addressing large crowds at the best of times (although he knew he was quite good at public speaking), and this time he would be telling a bold-faced lie to his citizens. It was for their own good, he reasoned. Candy people could explode if they became overly frightened, and knowing that their prince was leaving them to protect Ooo from the most dangerous creature since The Lich, a trip he might not return from, was a bit frightening.

Forcing himself to smile and breath, Gumball opened the door wide and waved at the people gathered below. There weren’t as many as he had initially feared, and the butterflies in his stomach calmed somewhat. “People of the Candy Kingdom, I come before you today to bring you good news! A herald from the Sand Kingdom has brought news that the Sand King would like to enter into trade agreements with the Candy Kingdom.” A few people in the audience sighed and left; trade and commerce was not particularly exciting. “The king has requested that I appear before him as the chief negotiator, which means I will be taking a short leave of absence. In my place, I have appointed Fionna the Human, Hero of Ooo, as interim acting ruler of the Candy Kingdom, with Cake the Cat as her adviser and visier. As trade negotiations may prove to be challenging, I cannot state when I shall return. As always, I am proud to be your prince, and I plan on doing everything within my power to protect this kingdom from danger… uh, financial danger. Thank you.” He bowed and left, hoping that his impromptu speech would keep the candy people from freaking out. If he didn’t return though… he shuddered to think of what would become of the kingdom. Fionna was very wise and fair, but she was also very young and naive.

Peppermint Maid appeared, slightly out of  breath. “The scholars and cartographers have finished their map. They apologize for the crudity and imprecision with which it was drawn, and asked me to remind you that it would have been a much better map if they were given more time.

“It’s fine, tell them not to worry. This will do,” said Gumball, inspecting the map. It was indeed quite crude, with a large, squiggly blue circle drawn around the area where the Draugur’s Lair was likely hidden. Unfortunately, due to it’s harsh environment, very few people had explored the Unknown Lands, and very little was known about what existed there, or even where the northern coastline was. “Please fetch the camping gear, and meet me and Lord Monochromicorn by the stables.”

Peppermint Maid curtsied and turned to leave.

“Oh, and Peppermint Maid?” She stopped and turned to look at Gumball, her face painted with concern. “There is a chance that I may not return from this trip. If none of us make it back, I think it’s safe to assume that we failed, and that the city must be fortified against the Draugur. However, there is also a chance that Lord Monochromicorn and Marshall Lee will return without me. If this happens, it means that I will not be coming back. Do not allow Marshall Lee, or anyone for that matter, to try to find me. Do you remember what we discussed about my successor?” Peppermint Maid nodded solemnly. “Good. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Gumball walked down to the stables. Lord Monochromicorn was being fitted with a special harness that would help distribute the weight of the doom door, so he would be able to fly properly.

“How ya’ doing, MoCro?” Gumball asked, feeding his friend a carrot.

-FINE, GOOD CARROTS- replied Lord, stamping the words out in morse with his hoof.

“Have you seen the map yet? Do you know where we’re going?” Gumball asked.

-NOT YET-

“Here, take a look.” Gumball showed Lord Monochromicorn the map, tracing their route with his finger. “I think we can avoid most of the high winds if we stick to the western coast, then cut across here.” Monochromicorn nodded in agreement. “Good. We can camp out here, by this ice lake. If we make it all the way across the tundra tomorrow, we should make it to the base of the Draugur’s mountain by nightfall.”

“Sire, I have your camping gear!” Peppermint Maid appeared, pulling a luggage cart with three camping backpacks. “Are you going to need anything else?”

“No, that should be…” Suddenly, a wave of dread overcame Gumball. He stumbled, and felt as though something was tightening in his chest. Marshall Lee was in trouble. He didn’t know how or why, but something bad had happened to Marshall Lee. “Peppermint Maid, I need to go. Marshall Lee needs help. Lord?”

Lord Monochromicorn bowed his head, allowing Gumball to mount him, and away they flew, toward Marshall Lee’s cave.

Marshall Lee’s cave was beneath a dingy old bridge, right on the southern edge of the Grasslands. Nothing seemed awry when Lord Monochromicorn and Gumball approached, although Gumball instructed his friend to fly cautiously, in case there was danger. The mouth of the cave was quiet and clear, echoing with the sound of water dripping from stalactites.

“Marshall!?! Marshall Lee!?!” Gumball called. Something was indeed wrong. Marshall Lee’s quaint house faced away from the mouth of the cave, toward a large underground lake. From the mouth of the cave, however, Gumball could see that none of the lights were on in the house. Marshall had never made it inside. Gumball shivered in the cold and damp cave air, urging Monochromicorn forward. Rounding the side of the house, Gumball saw Marshall Lee, and gasped. He was laying on the wooden deck in front of his house, and not moving. One of his arms stuck out at a funny angle, and a small trickle of blood was dripping down his neck.

Monochromicorn landed, and Gumball ran to his friend. He’s still breathing, he’s alive, thought Gumball, and he sighed. “Oh, Marshall Lee. What am I going to do with you?” He looked up, and saw a small circle of cracked shingles on the roof. It appeared as if Marshall Lee had fallen on his roof, slid off, and landed here on the deck. Gumball frowned. He’d never known Marshall to have difficulty flying. A nervous mewing and scratching sounds came from the other side of the front door; apparently Schwabelle knew something was wrong as well. “Let’s get you inside,” he said, searching Marshall for a key to the house. He found it, and let himself into the house.

“Seriously?” he cried, seeing that the path to the upstairs was a ladder rather than stairs. Returning outside, he gingerly lifted Marshall, careful of his arm. “MoCro, I’m going to open the upstairs window, can you bring Marshall up there? I can’t get him upstairs from the inside.” Lord Monochromicorn nodded, and Gumball draped Marshall over the black horse’s back.

Gumball ran back inside and quickly scaled the ladder to Marshall’s bedroom. The upstairs window was open, Marshall must have left that way two days ago, thought Gumball. He pulled Marshall through the window off of Monochromicorn’s back, and carefully laid him in his bed. He took care to make sure Marshall’s arm was in a good position; it looked like it might be broken. Supplies, he thought to himself, I need supplies. He slid down the ladder, and landed with a thud.

Gumball paused and looked around. He’d been inside of Marshall Lee’s house before, but only in the living room. Now he dashed into the kitchen, and filled a plastic bag with ice cubes. He tossed that into a cardboard box he found, along with some paper towels. He searched through the cupboard for an antiseptic. “Really, Marshall?” he said, pulling out a plastic bottle of vodka. Returning to the living room, he grabbed the throw blanket from the couch, and tossed it in the box as well.

He heaved the cardboard box up the ladder, and walked over to Marshall. The vampire’s pale skin seemed even paler than normal, and he was shivering. It was cold and damp in the cave, and Marshall could have been laying on the ground for over an hour, Gumball realized. He pulled Marshall’s flannel shirt off of him, and heaped additional blankets over him. “Now for your arm,” Gumball said to his unconscious friend. He examined it, and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t anywhere near as bad as he had feared. Rather than break his arm, Marshall had simply dislocated his shoulder. Gumball grimaced as he remembered his first aid training. He’d need to re-set it. 

A patter of feet behind him made him pause. Schwabelle was pacing back and forth on the far side of the window, eyeing Gumball nervously. She seemed to know that he was helping, but still looked very on-edge. “This may sound bad, but I promise I’m helping,” Gumball said. He swallowed, then pulled on Marshall’s arm. The sickening sound of bone rubbing against bone cracked through the air, followed by a loud pop as the bone and socket were rejoined. Schwabelle hissed angrily, but continued to pace back and forth.

Gumball next moved to Marshall’s neck, where he had seen a trickle of blood earlier. He smiled when he realized that it was just Marshall’s bite marks; the fall must have broken the scabs over them causing them to bleed. He gently dabbed some vodka over the two small holes, then examined Marshall’s head. There was a small bump on the back of it, but nothing to indicate a concussion. His patient now treated, Gumball sat on Marshall’s desk chair, and began to make a small sling out of the throw blanket.