Chapter 2: The Journey

Princess Bubblegum pulled the hood of her pink travelling cloak over her head and tied the string around her collar securely. She loved her travelling cloak which she received as a gift, but she never really wore it. She never had anything to wear it with. Most days, it was just something she gazed at hanging in the closet while trying to find something to wear. Bubblegum didn't really travel too far, and when she did she was usually dressed in something too elegant for a traveling cloak. However, today she dressed for comfort. She had on a mid-thigh length dark pink skirt over pink leggings with a purple belt. It was form-fighting but not too tight since was to be flying, but comfortable and curvy. She had a long pink V-neck sweater that just reached her hips. The low cut accentuated her breasts but didn't give too much away. Bubblegum was a princess, after all! Knee-high light pink boots would keep her legs warm on her trip and she loved the way they made her feel. Her boots often gave her more confidence as a woman, and they highlighted her long legs. She wore her long hair in a high ponytail to avoid the uncouth wind-swept look, and it stayed tucked neatly under the cloak's hood.

"Let's go, Swan!" The swan gave a happy honk and leapt into the air. The princess turned back to wave at her faithful servants. "Goodbye! I'll be back soon!" She saw Peppermint Butler wave his handkerchief and Starchy waving his hat in farewell. As she flew over the garden, she saw Cinnamon Bun running after her in vain waving his arms above his head. She called to him, "Goodbye, Cinnamon Bun!" She couldn't quite understand what he shouted to her, but she thought it sounded a bit gloomy. She shrugged and faced towards the Land of Ooo stretching before her.

It was freeing up in the clouds. When she looked up, she was barely able to see glimpses of the faraway Lumpy Space in all of its fluffiness. She wondered what Lumpy Space Princess was up to. According to the latest gossip, LSP was wandering somewhere in the woods, trying to establish her own independence and resisting her royal responsibilities to her kingdom. She also heard that she had written a book, published by Turtle Princess. She'd have to pick up a copy one day. Bubblegum sighed with sadness and pity for her friend, and a twinge of jealousy. She remembered her own rebellion against her duties to her own kingdom when she was younger. It was before all the royal meetings and ceremonies, before balancing treaties with neighboring kingdoms, and before having to be a true leader. The wonderful years of bliss marked with bitter fights over freedom versus duty. In fact, that was the first time she had ever flown. Although not on her swan, but with her…

Bubblegum shook her head. NO! She was NOT going to think about that. No, no, no! It made her heart-guts twist for a nanosecond, and then it was gone. The swan looked back at her and squawked with curiosity. "No, it's nothing. I'm fine," she replied reassuringly. How could she let her mind wander? Years as a ruler and scientist had made her mind strong, and she was more than able to keep her emotions in check. Of course, she had a sweet and kind nature with which to rule over her candy people, but she never let her emotions run her own life. Her life was for her people. In fact, that's why she made the Earl of Lemongrab, to ensure that her people would be taken care of if anything were to happen to her.

And that's another thing that went wrong… It happened that night, after the fight. She should never have locked herself away in the lab, trying to immerse herself in her work and forget about the pain. It was greater than she had ever experienced before, and she should have known she was in no condition to conduct experiments. Yet her work was the one thing she knew was certain in her life. Still, her heart-guts had just been ripped out and taken by another, and her mind wasn't fully able to concentrate. That's what lead to the critical error. But it was too late to fix it. Lemongrab was too far gone. It was her duty to make it right, and make sure it stays right.

Wait. Why was she thinking all these bunk thoughts? She felt her body lean too far to the right and she jerked her body straight. The swan looked back at the princess again with concern, but this time didn't say a thing. Bubblegum felt herself yawn deeply against her will, but she shook her head to try to clear her head. It wasn't too far to Lemongrab's, but she was still quite a ways away. She looked down on the land to try to regain her bearing. It was then that she saw a small patch of odd-looking plants on the edge of a forest. She leaned over a bit to take a closer look.

Seeing this, the swan gave a small hoot. "Yes, Swan. I think I should examine that foliage," the princess instructed. The swan made slow and graceful circles downwards until it landed next to the bushes. The princess descended from the swan and bent closer to take a look. A strong, sweet, and familiar smell wafted towards her. She looked deep into the bush and let out a cry of surprise. "Wild strawberries! In my Candy Kingdom?!" She couldn't believe her eyes. Besides the Royal Garden, the only other fruits that come in to the Candy Kingdom were imported from the Berry Kingdom. With delight, she turned and took the basket from the swan.

With a gentle pat, she excused the swan. It grunted in protest, but she smiled sweetly at the animal. "No, don't worry about me. There's a lake nearby. Just give me one hour, then you can pick me up to resume our journey." The swan whistled in compliance and lifted off.

Princess Bubblegum turned back to her task at hand. With giddy excitement, she took a napkin from the basket and started picking the bright red berries. She took a dainty sample and stole a taste. She closed her eyes and sighed. It was sweet and tart at the same time, and so juicy it made her mouth water. She tried to remember the last time she had fresh strawberries. Her eyes welled up in tears before she could stop herself. She hadn't had fresh strawberries since she kept a constant supply in her room. It was so long ago, and they weren't even for herself. Shaking her head again to shoo away distasteful thoughts, she began collecting the berries with a renewed vigor.

It didn't take long to collect the ripe strawberries from the small bushes. She stood back and examined her work. She was proud of her haul, enough to make strawberry desserts for a small party. She wished she hadn't told the swan she would take an hour. There was so much time before their rendezvous, so she looked around her surroundings. The forest was dense, but as she remembered from her view above it wasn't very big. The forest was calm and serene, with the occasional bird whistle or sound of a squirrel scurrying through the branches. She spotted a pile of dry leaves in the shadows of the trees. She took her basket and made her way to the leaves. Taking off her cloak and laying it on the leaves, she sat down and took out her book to review some of her notes. The weight of her puffy eyes and strain of staying up all night suddenly hit her. She couldn't fight it anymore. She barely felt herself fall back against the leaves as she fell asleep, with her book still in her hands.