Work Text:
There was nothing beautiful about war. Sherbet Cookie knew that full well. When he was a young cookie, still sickly and bedridden, she would be the one to tell him stories of outside their humble village.
She once told him about the Dark Flour War, a war that brought fall to the once thriving Vanilla Kingdom and four of the Five Ancient Heroes were never heard of again.
Though he was not there in the battlefield of the Dark Flour War, it was his first exposure to this horrible event. He never thought he'd experience it firsthand, let alone be called into battle for it. But as one of the Heralds of Nature, it was his duty to keep the balance of the natural cycle, and Dark Enchantress Cookie had been disturbing that balance. And since her awakening after decades of silence, she waged another war and this time, the other Elementals had to be involved.
Sherbet was laying on snow, having been exhausted from all the fighting. Cake monster remains scattered everywhere in the battlefield. He never felt too good about killing anyone, only using his powers to help and for self-defense. The snow felt like hard rocks, but he was too tired to care about that and didn't move an inch.
Footsteps could be heard as he closed his eyes, and it only became louder the closer this figure got.
It was a few moments until something nudged him. When Sherbet slowly opened his eyes, he could see a familiar looking cookie holding a shepherd's crook on one hand and a lantern on the other. This lantern emitted a warm light that the frost herald felt a sense of comfort and nostalgia whenever he saw it. The figure was accompanied by three sheeps and as soon as they saw him awake, they went behind the unknown cookie.
"Cotton Cookie?"
This figure, 'Cotton Cookie', was the same age when Sherbet became a Frost Elemental. Sherbet Cookie almost couldn't believe his eyes that he sat up straight just to get a good look at her.
I must be hallucinating. Cotton Cookie died in her sleep some time ago… This couldn't be her…
The cookie only laughed softly. "What are you doing in the snow, Sherbet Cookie?" She still sounded the same as she was decades ago, this only ached Sherbet's heart.
The war and fighting made him forget how much he missed her. He felt something warm trickling down his face.
'Cotton Cookie' frowned and knelt down in front of him, putting her lantern and shepherd's crook aside, using her free hands to cup his face and wipe his tears away. A familiar feeling which was enough to give Sherbet a fuzzy feeling in his chest…and a sense of longing. "What's wrong Sherbet Cookie?" she asked. "Why are you so upset?"
The cake monsters he had slain were nowhere to be found, as if they disappeared into thin air. The dark sky of the war was replaced with a calming night sky and falling snowflakes took the ashes’ place.
Maybe this was a dream, maybe Sherbet Cookie was asleep on the battlefield right now.
Even if this was a dream, Sherbet wished to enjoy this serene moment with her, without having to do any of that war stuff. Even if 'Cotton Cookie' was just a figment of his imagination.
"I just…really miss you. So much…" he responded, placing his hands on top of hers. "It's been so long since we last saw each other and a lot has happened since then."
'Cotton Cookie' smiled understandingly. "I know, Sherbet Cookie, and you're doing great."
"You think so?"
She nodded. "To keep the world safe? It's really admirable if I say so myself."
Sherbet Cookie laughed weakly. “Thanks, but I feel quite tired from everything.” He buried his face on her shoulder. “I want to keep the world safe, a world where you exist. But…can we just stay like this for a while?”
‘Cotton Cookie’ wrapped her arms around his torso and a hand was gently rubbing his back. “Of course, we can! However, you do remember that you have a war to fight. It's still not over yet."
She was right. He was still asleep on the battlefield. Sherbet Cookie nodded, knowing sadly that his time with 'Cotton' was nearly up, that he'd have to leave this utopia of a dream and continue facing the adversaries of the war. He eventually returned the embrace and just shuddered, not from the chill, but to just cling onto this familiar feeling of solace from when he was just a frail cookie. This ‘Cotton Cookie’, whether illusion or not, would always give him the same feeling of contentment.
The two of them stopped embracing, Sherbet raised his head to look at 'Cotton Cookie' once more. Those eyes of hers gave him the hope and reassurance he needed to continue on.
"Hey, Cotton Cookie," he began. "I'm so sorry."
"Whatever for?"
"For not being able to go on adventures with you as promised," he confessed. "Before I became a frost elemental, I've always dreamed of exploring the world with you, but you eventually died and another war began."
When Cotton Cookie died, this was Sherbet Cookie’s biggest regret: to not be able to travel the world with her. So many ‘What If’ scenarios began playing in his head and all he had left was the piece of cotton he used to wear on his shawl, serving as a memento for his late dear one. He felt like it was not enough to make up for those lost times.
'Cotton Cookie' grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Those things don't matter," she said softly. "I've already had my adventure with you. Even if it was short-lived, I've enjoyed every moment I've spent with you."
She used her free hand and placed it on the back of his head, pulling him towards her so that they could press their foreheads against each other.
They stayed in that position for a few minutes, just nothing but the calming silence of their surroundings and they would only hear each other’s breathing. Soon after, her sheeps began nudging her. 'Cotton Cookie' became crestfallen, and Sherbet immediately knew that it was time for both of them to separate once more. She picked up her shepherd's crook and her lantern after standing up, and turned to Sherbet one last time. He could tell that she was just as emotional as he was.
"Well, this is where we part ways," She sounded like she was struggling to speak. "I'm glad we get to talk again. I wish you the best in days to come."
She leaned down and gently pressed her lips on his forehead. It lasted a few seconds before she stood back up again. "I'll see you at home, Sherbet Cookie. Whenever you feel lost, I hope you remember that my lantern will always be here to guide you."
"But Cotton Cookie, you're my home." Sherbet Cookie said. 'Cotton Cookie' was taken aback by the remark and she laughed, Sherbet saw something sparkling running down her face and his chest tightened.
"You always have a way with words. I'm glad," she turned around. "Farewell, Sherbet Cookie. I hope we can meet again."
The frost child watched as 'Cotton Cookie' walked away with her sheeps and a blizzard was forming, only getting stronger the further she was away from him. The feeling of her kiss was still lingering on Sherbet Cookie, despite the kiss happening minutes ago.
Sherbet Cookie couldn't do anything. As much as he wanted to stay, to call her to come back, to hold her until the end of time. He knew it was not the time for that and all he could do was just watch her walk away until he could no longer see her through the blizzard.
Even if Sherbet Cookie was in the middle of war, even if Cotton Cookie had passed away for a while now, he still found himself meeting her.
He finally wakes up, greeted by the familiar sight of the battlefield.