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You were a villager living in the Vanilla Kingdom, you were just an ordinary cookie, or so you thought. Pure Vanilla himself had taken interest in you, always giving you praise for all the hard work you did for everyone. From tending to the community garden, to tutoring the young cookies, keeping the streets clean. He gave everyone praise, of course, but when he did it to you, you would feel your cheeks flush and your heart sore. Something about the way he spoke, his sweet honeyed words made you week in the knees. His soft smile, his tender hugs, his warm and caring personality, everything about him made you fall hard.
In the garden, you were watering the crops, feeling proud at their growth. Everyone in the kingdom was fed thanks to these plants, and you were one of the cookies who helped them grow. Your thoughts were interupted by someone calling your name, a familiar voice with that soft tone. Turning, you gazed at Pure Vanilla, who smiled warmly at you as he walked over. His blonde hair gently blowing in the breeze, shining in the sun light like a beautiful topaz gem. You couldn't stop staring at him, you couldn't help it, he was just so pretty.
"Pure Vanilla...", you eventually spoke, trying to focus on a conversation and not just him. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? I was just doing my chores...", you gestured to the field of crops.
And he smiled at you, sending a wave of warmth through your body, you smiled back. "You do amazing work. It's thanks to your efforts that the Vanilla Kingdom has food on their plates everyday.", the praise going right to your heart as you blushed.
Hoping to hide your blush, you turned away. "I... I'm not the only one who takes care of the garden. But, thank you...",
A soft chuckle was his response, "Of course. But you're still doing work. You're still helping these plants grow. You're still helped our kingdom.", his words almost made you fall. They were so sweet, so soft. "You've done so much work already. You deserve a break. Would you care to join me for some tea?".
With wide eyes, you turned back to him, back to that loving and sweet smile that he always had on. "I... I would love to join you. That would be so nice, thank you.". Tea with Pure Vanilla would be a dream come true, you thought, you wouldn't pass up that opportunity.
And now, here you are, in his private green house with him. The two of you sat together at a table, enjoying each others' company as you savored the tea. You gazed around the green house with awe, the white lilies that filled the room were so beautiful. You felt peace, being in here with them and him. It was heavenly. You wanted to talk to him, but at the same time you didn't want to break the peace between you two, so you sat in silence.
That was, until he spoke up, "This is perfect, don't you agree? It's so calming to be in here.", he let out a content sigh as he sipped his tea.
You nodded to him, "It really is... The white lilies really add to the peacefulness.", you smiled at him.
There a pause, and for a second you swear you saw him frown. That was something you rarely ever saw, you were ready to ask him if he was okay, but he spoke up once more. "I grew them in memory of a dear friend. White Lily, she and I were so close.", he gazed around at the beautiful flowers that surrounded you both, "They... They help keep the good memories of her alive."
You knew the story, of how the once great White Lily fell to darkness, how she changed and turned to a diabolical enchantress. The crimes she's done, and her plans. You saw the horror she caused first hand. You didn't dare speak of it to him right now, you could see how hurt he was in the moment as he remembered the pleasant times, back when she was still White Lily. Taking a risk, you leaned over to take his hand as you spoke in a soft voice, "It's good to keep those memories of her alive... As long as someone remembers, she's never truly gone."
Pure Vanilla gazed up at you, a sad smile on his face as he nodded, "Yes, you're right... I just... ", a soft sigh, "I miss her.". You could understand why, you felt his pain. Someone he considered a friend had fallen so far, had her heart overcome by darkness. You could tell from the look in his eyes that he blamed himself for it. "If... If only I could have realized where she was headed, perhaps I could have saved her. Maybe I could have-".
"There was nothing you could have done, Pure Vanilla.", you cut him off in an attempt to keep him calm, "You did everything you could, you were there for her when she needed you. Something... Something else must have happened, something that we don't know. Please, don't blame yourself for what happened to her.", his sad eyes watched as you spoke to him in a comforting voice, seemingly starting to become at ease with your words. "I do know one thing... I know that she has to still be in there, she still has her goodness in her heart... We just need to find a way to free her."
At this, a small smile grew on his face, "I... I hope so. There must be some way to save her.", Pure Vanilla was starting to calm down now, his voice was still shaky but he started to speak with confidance again. "Once again, you're correct. She's still White Lily, somewhere deep inside. Thank you, for your words. They helped soothe me."
"I'm just happy I could help you. You're always so happy and full of life... ", blush rose to your cheeks again, "You... You look better when you're smiling."
He laughed gently at that, "I could say the same to you. You're beautiful when you're smiling.", that caught you off guard and made you even redder in the face.
You both sat in silence once again, both unsure of what to say now. The gentle sound of birds chirping outside was all you could hear, as your thoughts raced to find something to say back to him. "Pure Vanilla... No matter what happens.", you looked back at him, "I... I'll always be here for you."
You were met with his signature warm smile, any sign of his regrets and sadness were long gone as his loving eyes gazed into yours, "I know. Thank you.", suddenly he leaned in to you, placing a kiss on your cheek.
"And I'll always be here for you."