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The soft gentle breeze made the autumn leaves rustle. A tall man walked slowly towards his destination, carrying a brown basket and a cloth with him. He leisurely enjoyed the scenery, taking it all in. He was in an open field, surrounded by beautiful wildflowers. Besides the trees, everything around him was brimming with life.
“Surprise. It's been years. I wanted to surprise you with a picnic. I cooked it all myself. Aren't you proud of me?” On the man's hands were a few burns and wounds. He could have made it go away with a simple wave of magic, but it was as if he wanted to show you his efforts. “I finally learned how to cook after all these years – you should compliment me.” He laughed a little, and stared at you longingly.
He finally set down his basket on the side, and began to spread the cloth he has with him. It was no ordinary cloth; it was obviously expensive and made out of the finest silk. On the corner of it was the initial M.D embroidered elegantly. Once everything was settled, he sat down, and opened the basket to reveal its contents one by one.
“[name]. I missed you. It's been a while since we last had our picnic, yes? Look, I brought you your favorites.” He put down cutleries in front of you, and began to fill a plate with all kinds of food. The food on your plate was enough to feed two people. He set it down in front of you, and he stared at you for a while before taking his own plate to do the same – except his only had one sandwich. “Of course, your cooking is still my favorite. I really miss it.”
Silence passed. He took a bite of the sandwich he had made and finished chewing before speaking again.
“You must be curious about twisted wonderland. Everyone we know of are living well. There's no need to worry. Our kingdom is also doing well. Lilia has been teaching our little heir himself. He'll definitely grow up just like me.” He chuckled a little. “Lately he's been immersing himself about your world. A lot of how you do things here has been implemented in our kingdom, and I have no doubt he would be a great ruler in the future.”
He took a sip of the tea he had brought with him, and didn't bother to finish eating. He laid down beside you, and closed his eyes to reminisce.
“Remember the first time you found out I was royalty? I had wanted to tell you earlier about it, but I was scared that you wouldn't be able to accept it. That you wouldn't be able to accept me.” His voice trembled a little, emotions surging within him. “But in the end, you accepted me whole-heartedly. You loved me for who I am, and not for who I was. You were the only one who treated me like an equal, despite knowing the truth. Did you know how relieved I was back then? I was afraid you would start to treat me differently. When you didn't, I thought I might have a chance.”
He looked at you, and whispered; “A chance to be with you.”
A soft wind blew. He stared at you for a while, his face showing all kinds of complicated emotions. “I know I said this before, and you might already be fed up by me saying it again. I want to thank you. Thank you for loving me. You brought meaning to my existence. Entering Night Raven College has become one of the best decisions I have ever made. Meeting you was my life's purpose. I love you.” Tears finally flowed on his face, glistening under the orange sky. The sun was about to set. The cold wind kept on blowing, a little stronger this time.
He got up and faced you properly. He slowly put his face near where you are. Where only the two of you can hear, he whispered; “I, Malleus Draconia, has pledged to you that I will love you in my entire lifetime. Even if you tell me to forget about you and love someone else, I can't. It will always be you. No one can ever replace you.” Malleus finally held your cold tombstone and kissed it, tears still flowing from his eyes. He cried in front of your grave quietly, and time passed. The last leaf from a tree near you finally fell. The sun has long set, and nighttime came. It was a starless night.
Malleus finally got up from where he was sitting, wobbling a little for having sat for too long. He cleaned up everything he had brought, leaving only the food he had originally given you. “I’ll come visit again.” He said. “Even if it takes me my whole power to go back here into your world, I will always come back to you.” The man walked back slowly, as if he didn't want to ever leave this place. The path back home was longer and more desolate.