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White Lily Cookie needs a break.
She has been sitting at her desk, looming over scrolls, books and other papers for days on end, her body practically yearning for movement of any kind, or a bed. In light of that, a walk seemed the easiest and most bearable thing to do.
The Faerie Kingdom is calm and quiet, no particular rush or tension to be found among its people. This, at least, manages to somewhat put the Guardian at ease. She wanders through the winding roads of the kingdom, passing by the Silver Tree on the way. She pauses momentarily, laying a hand on the seal of vines covering the glistening bark that had been twice ripped open by the Beasts.
White Lily Cookie frowns, her hand sinking back down before moving back to the staff in her hands. Despite her seal, the Beasts now roam freely once more, even if their bodies were artificially made by… her.
Another motivation to White Lily’s efforts has always been Dark Enchantress Cookie. There was no way on Earthbread that she would repeat her past mistakes. Hells, she’s still working on rectifying the ones she had already made. Nevertheless, it was also to spite the Dark Enchantress in any way possible. Never would the two of them be the same cookie, not after White Lily had received a second chance.
“White Lily Cookie!” a familiar, young voice calls out to her, his quick flaps of wings quickly approaching, accompanied by another pair of fluttering wings.
“Silverbell Cookie,” White Lily smiles softly as she turns in full to look at him, “And… who’s this?”
The Cookie next to Silverbell looks like a young male Faerie Cookie, hair and wings shimmering in a muted purple. Overall, he seems… unfamiliar to White Lily Cookie.
“This is… uhm—”
“Amethyst Cookie,” Silverbell’s companion quickly interjects, dipping into a half-bow, “Your Majesty.” His wings are small, placed on his lower back. It’s not unusual for Faeries’ wings to be on different parts of their backs, sometimes even their necks or heads. However, the aura of this faerie cookie feels off, somehow.
“The pleasure is all mine, but,” White Lily’s eyes narrow slightly, “I don’t think I have seen you around the kingdom before…”
His words seem sincere, but with the current situation as well as past incidents, White Lily isn’t taking any chances.
“He’s not usually around the kingdom,” Silverbell explains, his tone somewhat uncertain, his eyes pleading.
Ah, it would seem that this was the friend Silverbell had mentioned about before.
White Lily Cookie simply sighs, understanding the situation, despite some lingering worries.
“Very well,” her eyes softened, “I won’t inquire any further. But, please, no rumours are to be spread around the kingdom during your stay.” She looks at Amethyst Cookie with a stern expression, “Do I make myself clear?”
“Please, rest assured,” Amethyst Cookie places a hand on his own chest in a show of sincerity, “I am merely here to reconnect with my home and some old friends.”
A lie, encased by a small truth. Truly a follower of the Beast of Deceit himself, isn’t he. White Lily didn’t mind too much, at least when it came to him. She trusts Silverbell’s intentions, after all. Besides, this was hardly the first time Black Sapphire had slipped into the kingdom in his disguise from what she could gather, this was only the first time Silverbell Cookie had let her know in advance.
Why, she isn’t sure, maybe he feared that his friend would simply be cast out and banished, and himself along with him, if he got caught in the act.
Nevertheless, Silverbell and Black— no, Amethyst Cookie both head off, wings fluttering happily next to each other.
In White Lily’s opinion, his name still being related to a gemstone should really be a giveaway, if you really think about it, but at the same time, it did its job all the same.
White Lily continues her walk around the area.
Not long after she went on, a little bit of commotion arose from the nearby border of the kingdom.
“Come on, you can’t be serious..!” another relatively young voice calls out, an unfamiliar one this time, “I promise she knows me, just let me in”
So much for the kingdom being calm and quiet...
White Lily Cookie heads over to check on the situation. It looks like a winged cookie with red-white hair and clothes is being held back by two Faerie guards, their halberds crossed.
“I’m sorry,” one of the guards spoke with firm clarity, “But outsiders are forbidden from entering, unless you were invited by one of our own.”
“I… may not have been invited, per se…” the winged cookie begins, “But I promise the one I’m looking for knows me. Quite well, actually!”
“And who is it that you are looking for?” White Lily’s soft voice caught the attention of the outsider as well as the guards.
“Ah, it’s Sugarfly Cookie, my Lady!” the young cookie answers, his tone sincere and somewhat hopeful, “Please, you have to believe me!”
“Don’t worry, I do,” White Lily responds calmly, “Though, would you mind telling me your name first? Perhaps it may ring a bell…”
“Oh, of course, it’s—”
“Pavlova Cookie!?” the unmistakable voice of Sugarfly Cookie sounds from behind White Lily. The yellow-toned cookie soon approaches with hurried steps, her broken wings fluttering behind her, despite being unable to lift her off the ground, not even for an inch. “You look… different. Wait, no, that’s unimportant! What are you doing here!?” She finally asks, panic written all over her face, “You’re supposed to be in the Garden..!”
“I know, I know,” Pavlova Cookie responds, “but I wanted to come and see you”
“If Eternal Sugar Cookie finds out—”
“She won’t,” Pavlova assures her, “I told her I’d be away for a few days on a short trip. I’ll be going back to the Garden after that.”
“If you say so…”
Sugarfly Cookie looks worried still. Understandably so, given what she had told White Lily about the Garden of Delights, as well as its ruling beast.
“Hold on,” the second guard now raised their voice, “We still aren’t allowed to let you in, I’m afraid.”
“Wait, what? But—” Pavlova protests.
“Let him in,” White Lily Cookie commands, with a gentle but firm tone of voice, “I’ll allow it.”
“Your Majesty?” The guard looks at White Lily in confusion.
“He won’t be a threat to our kingdom,” She explains calmly, “Especially under Sugarfly’s careful watch.” She gives a wink to Sugarfly Cookie, who immediately understands.
“I will make sure that he doesn’t cause any trouble,” Sugarfly Cookie chuckles.
“Hey, I can very much behave on my own,” Pavlova retorts, “But, I will do as you need me to.”
That obedience, to comply without much hesitation… It’s not as obvious to the naked eye, but it was the sparks of that near-blind obedience that she saw within Sugarfly on the day she had returned to the Faerie Kingdom.
Marks left by the influence of the Beast of Sloth, no doubt.
Of course, in this case it was more playful than serious in nature, but the hints were still there regardless.
The guards finally put their halberds aside, letting Pavlova Cookie pass onto the kingdom’s grounds.
“Thank you.” She looks at Pavlova with a certain fondness, before turning to White Lily herself, “And thank you, as well, Your Majesty.”
“No need to thank me, he’s your friend, after all.” White Lily smiles softly once more, and the two cookies happily head off. One of them flying while the other walks beside him
Sure, it may be a risk to invite two cookies into her kingdom who each served one of the five Beasts, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Who was she to deny two of her closest companions contact with their friends? After all, at least those two seem to be acting on their own accord, and not under anyone’s orders.
--
Even if it ruins me.
A careless thought at the time, it now became dangerously true within these last few weeks. By White Lily’s own making, no less.
A couple of days had passed since Amethyst Cookie and Pavlova Cookie had come over to the Faerie Kingdom. Or, at least, they must have. It had all but blurred together by that point.
White Lily had barely slept either, occasionally dozing off throughout her days of sitting at her desk or her quick visits to the library. She already knew the way to the library by heart then, but if she were to start sleepwalking, she’d be completely unsurprised if she found herself waking up at one of the desks there, book or scroll laid out in front of her.
If that was what Pure Vanilla Cookie felt like a lot of the time in the past, she now had a better understanding of it. It was not a good state to be in, for sure, but right now it seemed necessary. For… multiple reasons.
It’s quite ironic too, really. A good while back, it was her who had urged Pure Vanilla Cookie to take a break and rest, when he was endlessly searching for the Beast-binding ritual. Of course, she didn’t stand in his way when he refused to, but in some way she wished that she did.
Now, it was her who was refusing to stop the search, no matter the cost. However, there was no caring companion in sight who could suggest a break or get her to stop for merely a minute to let her eyes and mind rest.
In one of her periods of relative wakefulness, White Lily’s eyes landed on the most recent letter she had received, the waffle cone patterned envelope and blue sigil instantly telling of who the letter’s sender had been.
She had already replied to it, of course. No urgent correspondence, merely two close friends checking up on each other. However, that response had been sent off to the Vanilla Kingdom over a week ago, maybe two. Regardless, she was yet to receive a reply back from him.
Maybe Pure Vanilla Cookie had just been too busy with his kingdom’s affairs, or maybe the letter was taking longer to be delivered.
White Lily hadn’t posed any urgent questions in her most recent letter, either. Mainly telling Pure Vanilla about her current progress on the Beast-binding ritual, avoiding the little questions about her personal well-being and writing down the usual well wishes, and hope-to-see-you-soons.
It was a usual letter like any other.
Then why did it hurt to be waiting for a reply for so long, when really it shouldn’t matter? There were more important things to focus on than what felt like being left on read, with no response in sight.
Suddenly, someone cleared their throat not too far behind her. White Lily stands up and turns around in an instant.
“Pure Vanilla Cookie—” she calls out instinctively, only for her wishful thinking to be instantly shattered when she sees the late king’s— her protector standing before her, “Oh, Mercurial Knight Cookie… Apologies… it seems I was hoping to see someone else…”
White Lily Cookie remains standing, a hand tugging at her mantle while the other holds onto her trusty staff.
“Sorry to disappoint you, Your Majesty,” Mercurial Knight says calmly, giving a salutary bow to White Lily, “I was requested to check up on you.”
“Requested?” White Lily blinks, her head tilting slightly in confusion, “By whom?”
“I have been asked not to say,” responds Mercurial Knight in his usual monotone voice.
Sugarfly or Silverbell were the ones who requested this of him, it must have been. Or perhaps it was both of them.
“Have you been researching all this time?” Mercurial Knight asks, his head looking towards the piles of scrolls and papers on White Lily’s desk.
“Most of the time, yes,” White Lily didn’t have much of a reason to lie about it, at least not that particular fact.
“Hm,” Mercurial Knight’s brows furrow in concern, or at least as much concern as he was still able to show, “You’ve not been eating or resting much, either,” His eyes wander back to White Lily, “Have you?”
How much of this was from him, and how much of it was the questions Sugarfly and Silverbell asked him to go through? One could hardly tell, but the concern for White Lily is more than obvious. Granted, she does look a bit worse than compared to a couple of days ago. Even at that point, she was already far from fine or well rested.
“I suppose,” White Lily starts, still tugging at her mantle, “I have been letting myself go a little bit. I will try and get some rest soon, I promise.” A promise she may not fulfill in the end, but a promise nonetheless.
“I see…” Mercurial Knight wasn't too happy with that response, it seems, but he continued regardless, “In that case, would you like me to bring up some food from the markets for you?”
“You’re too kind, Mercurial Knight…”
“Merely doing my part, Your Majesty”
White Lily, reluctantly, agreed to have Mercurial Knight Cookie bring up some food to her chambers. She did eat it, deciding to finally allow herself a night of rest afterwards.
When she had inquired about Silverbell Cookie’s and Sugarbell Cookie’s companions, Mercurial Knight Cookie told her that they had already left.
Hm, companions? Friends? Partners? Well, neither of the pairings had put a name to it yet, which doesn’t matter, of course.
Their return to their rightful places made sense to her, nevertheless. After all, a prolonged absence would likely draw suspicions from their respective masters. While Shadow Milk seemed to be more lenient with his lackeys as long as they didn’t directly disobey him, Eternal Sugar Cookie may not be quite so generous when it came to Pavlova’s absence.
Of course, White Lily only knew this from what she had been told, so she could only speculate.
Regardless, White Lily Cookie eventually finds herself wrapped up in her blanket, laying in her bed as the fatigue of the last few days finally catches up to her. She allows her eyes to slip shut, gently falling into a restful slumber.
At least, that’s how it started.
After a period of peaceful warmth, a scene suddenly starts to form around White Lily Cookie. Her surroundings were all too familiar to her. She found herself in the middle of her kingdom, decorated and changed by none other than Shadow Milk Cookie.
No… Please, not this again.
The scene plays out with utmost familiarity. Pure Vanilla suffering from Shadow Milk’s tricks and lies, Shadow Milk himself dragging Pure Vanilla, Gingerbrave, Strawberry and Wizard Cookie onto the stage as his own puppets, her last conversation with Elder Faerie.
However, the story changes when it comes to the point of White Lily using the powers that Elder Faerie had entrusted to her, right when she was about to turn into her Moonflower form to seal Shadow Milk Cookie away once more.
It always does… always at that same point.
Instead of the power of the Guardian, White Lily feels something else surging within her. Something dark.
It was cruel of her own mind to make her live through these dreams in her own perspective, as if she was right there, every single time.
White Lily feels herself double over in pain, clutching onto herself as she hears the distant gasps of shock from her friends, as well as the cackling of Shadow Milk himself. Her appearance changes dramatically, at least from what she could see of herself. The once green dress now vertically split in two by black and crimson colours, her bandages replaced by differently coloured gloves that appeared in similar shades as her new dress. A matching pair of horns grow from the top of her head, winding upwards with a sharp point on each side.
The cookie that her appearance was supposed to resemble was obvious, painfully so.
White Lily tries her hardest to resist it, to resist hurting them like this again, but the nauseating pain in her stomach is making it impossible to act. It felt like she was trapped in her own body, with someone else at its helm.
When she raises her staff, which was now made up of cake bones and a cake skull at the top, crimson light sparks into life. She then slowly points it… at Pure Vanilla and the young trio.
She desperately tries to force her eyes shut, silently begging herself to stop. She had seen the ending before, multiple times. She did not need to see it again.
The attempt was futile, as always, and soon a streak of crimson lightning crackles dangerously, soon travelling forward at an immense speed, until it hit—
White Lily Cookie sits up straight in her bed with a silent scream catching in her throat. As she sat there, panicked, White Lily could feel something warm running down her cheeks, too. Her breaths are coming in quick and hard, much more so than she would want them to be.
It took her a couple of minutes to finally slow her breathing down to a more reasonable tempo.
It had partially been thanks to that recurring nightmare of hers that she had been avoiding sleep almost completely recently. The pain of that scene, which she was unable to change no matter what, was too much to bear over and over again.
Another minute or two passed before White Lily gathered the strength to get out of bed, slowly making her way over to her desk, slumping in the chair in front of it.
She hadn’t needed to in probably quite a long time, but she relied on her staff for some extra leverage as she walked over that time.
She really had become a lot more similar to her closest friend than she realised, hadn’t she? Well, at least her eyesight is still as good as ever. Aside from it going in and out of focus at certain times...
But that can hardly be called blindness, either.
However, once sat at her desk, White Lily’s mind just can’t seem to focus. Likely a byproduct of the lack of sleep, which one night of horrible rest wouldn’t exactly get rid of.
She has to. Has to continue her search for any crumbs— preferably not literally, of that Beast-binding ritual, or any sort of similar spell the Witches had left behind.
Her eyes trail to the letter once more…
Why has he not replied yet?
She shakes her head, willing away the doubts as she looked back at the last paper she had worked through:
Soul Binding - How Two Beings Can Feel The Same as The Other.
A thesis and proposal of a soul-binding spell, that ties the souls of two beings together. Should one of them feel pain, the other shall feel it in kind. Should one of them fall into despair, the other shall feel their sorrow just as harshly.
The thesis was well-written, the progress of such a spell well thought out and described, as well as the separation of the bond. This is the closest White Lily had gotten to the answer, yet this spell would hardly deliver the results she had been looking for. But, just maybe, some of the aspects of that spell could be important for the binding of the Beasts.
She puts the paper back on the desk after giving it another quick once-over, leaning back in her chair. Her mind wanders off as she shuts her eyes for just a moment.
Behind her eyelids, she sees different scenes of her past play out. Scenes in which she willingly made the choices that led to the destruction of so many places, the loss of so many lives… And, to top it off, the what-if scenario of what could have happened on that fateful day here in the Faerie Kingdom. The recurring nightmare of the last weeks.
White Lily’s eyes snapped open as she inhaled sharply, exhaling just as quickly, before finding her bearings once more. She sighs, long and heavy, her eyes lidding in exhaustion.
Logically, none of those fears made any sense. Her strength is her own, especially with the power of the Guardian coursing through her dough. And her friends would not forsake her again so quickly, either.
So, rationally, there was no need for her to be worried about those things. Either they are in the past, or way too unrealistic to happen in the first place.
However, White Lily is neither thinking logically, nor being rational at the moment.
White Lily Cookie needs a break. A real one… Yet she doesn’t allow herself that luxury. She couldn't, not yet.
--
A couple of hours had passed when a knock on the door frame to her room snapped her out of her haze of thoughts.
“White Lily Cookie?”
The voice was all too familiar in its gentleness, a sweet scent starting to waft through the air.
It couldn’t be. Maybe she was just imagining it. He would be the one cookie she’d love to talk to more than anything right now.
However, the silence from her only prompts another call from the other.
“White Lily Cookie,” the cookie spoke softly, with a hint of concern, a step and a single tap of their staff follows, “Are you alright?”
No, it has to be real, has to be him. Her mind might have been playing tricks on her here and there, but if this were an illusion of her own mind’s making, it’d border on full actual delirium.
White Lily turns her head towards the door, only to find Pure Vanilla Cookie himself actually standing there. Pure Vanilla Cookie, in the dough, no illusions, no tricks.
“Pure Vanilla Cookie..!” She quickly stands up, walking over to her friend, halting one or two feet in front of him, her excitement and disbelief clearly audible in her voice, as well as some of her fatigue, “Wh-what are you doing here?”
“I thought I would come and visit,” he smiles gently, his expression fond, but concerned.
White Lily Cookie must still be looking quite the mess, as the concern on his face only worsens. In her defense, her hair has always been somewhat scruffy, at least the top part. However, her long, usually tightly bound-together braid had become loose, some rogue strands falling out of it in some places.
“You look tired…”
“I am tired,” White Lily smiles weakly, of course there was no way he would not see right through her. “Exhausted, even…” Her shoulders slumped as she lets out a heavy sigh, “Things have been… hard, to say the least”
“I can imagine…” Pure Vanilla gently places a hand on her shoulder, “Why don’t we sit for a moment? Maybe I can help you freshen up a little while we chat?”
White Lily nods, allowing Pure Vanilla to lead her over to her dresser where she lets herself fall into the chair, putting her staff to the side.
“Have the beasts been giving you trouble?” Pure Vanilla asks, picking up the brush from the dresser as he gently undoes White Lily’s braid, “Or the Faeries?”
“Neither, actually,” White Lily responds, “Well, the beasts maybe, but only indirectly.”
“Ah, so it’s the search for the ritual in itself, then?”
Gentle brush strokes run through White Lily’s long, white hair, each stroke soothing her busy mind little by little.
“Lily?” Pure Vanilla inquires, not having gotten an answer.
“Oh, sorry,” White Lily focuses back on the conversation, “Yes, it’s the search that’s been more than just troubling recently…” She shifts in her chair, “I’ve been looking for weeks upon weeks, yet I’ve found next to nothing.”
“And?”
“And..?” White Lily repeats questioningly.
“Is that all there is to it?” His tone is gentle but firm.
Additionally, the soothing brush strokes stopped momentarily as he asked.
How did he always know what questions to ask? Granted, the two of them were always like two peas in a pod, but even so, this feels unfair to White Lily.
Not genuinely, but the sentiment was there.
On top of that, the strokes of the brush running through her hair really did soothe her thoughts, the absence of it leaving her a little tense once again.
“No… not quite…” White Lily responds slowly, “Why do you ask?”
The strokes of the hair brush resume.
“Because, despite both of us being similar in a lot of regards,” he continued to speak in that same tone, slipping in a short chuckle as he did, “Insomnia was not usually one of those similarities. Meaning, any sleepless nights you’d have were usually not caused by insomnia alone.” Another stroke of the brush, “You’ve been having nightmares again, haven’t you?”
His tone softened more as he continued to speak, which felt comforting, yet distressing at the same time. She always was an open book to him, even if the same could be said vice versa.
He’s right, of course, there is no denying the truth from the Cookie of Truth. Perhaps, it was even a good thing that he could figure it out so effortlessly. It saves White Lily from having to explain everything in detail to him.
“I have…” White Lily admits with yet another sigh, her shoulders loosening under the soothing feeling of her hair being brushed and, in a way, played with, “It’s been getting quite bad these last few weeks…”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Pure Vanilla puts down the brush, soon parting White Lily’s hair into thirds, getting ready to braid it, “What kind of nightmares are they?” He passes one bit of hair over the other, “Or is it always the same one?”
“It’s not always the same one,” she responds, settling back into her chair after a brush of her own hair against her neck had sent a shiver through her dough, “But, most of the time, it’s the same scene playing out in my head when I attempt to sleep”
A hint of tension returned to her shoulders. Pure Vanilla Cookie must have picked up on it, because he swiftly changed the topic:
“Well, let’s not worry about that right this instant,” he continues to gently braid the soft, white hair in front of him, “Let’s get you fixed up first, maybe get you some food, then we can go from there.” He holds the half-done braid in one hand as he places his other on White Lily’s shoulder, leaning over her side to look at the other’s face more easily. “Is that alright with you?”
White Lily nods. Of course it was alright. While, in her mind, she would want to continue her research as soon as she was able to, in reality, she desperately needed to slow down and take care of herself for once.
White Lily Cookie needs a break.
--
During their first day together, Pure Vanilla Cookie and White Lily Cookie enjoyed some nice food — making sure that both of them were eating their fill, even if Pure Vanilla had been doing much better in that regard recently, according to him. They sat outside while chatting about the recent events concerning themselves, as well as their friends. Hollyberry’s son and daughter-in-law had finally found the missing princess. Golden Cheese Cookie and her advisor finally reconciled after all that had happened. Even Dark Cacao Cookie had reunited with his runaway prince son. And, of course, Pure Vanilla had rediscovered the Light of Truth within him.
It felt nice to have been away from her desk for longer than just an hour or two. Any doubts or ringing bells telling her to return to the papers straight away, White Lily had swiftly ignored. For now, all she needed to do was spend time with her closest friend while she recovered from her prolonged exhaustion.
Even so, throughout Pure Vanilla’s stay, the two of them would do some of the research together from time to time. Be it in the library, or White Lily Cookie’s room. Of course, they took ample breaks and didn’t keep reading until it was late at night, before finally putting down the papers to sleep and rest.
During one of the times when they were reading through some papers in White Lily’s room, Pure Vanilla was the one to notice the letter of his own writing laying on the other’s desk. White Lily noticed, her eyes falling onto that same spot.
“You know,” White Lily begins, “I had been wondering why I hadn’t received a response to my letter yet”
“I wasn’t sure whether I should bring it up,” Pure Vanilla says, “But perhaps it'd be better if I explained myself, wouldn’t it?”
“I’m just curious, is all,” responds White Lily, keeping a relatively calm tone to her voice, “It’s not usually like you to be unable to keep up with correspondences…”
Pure Vanilla puts down the scroll he’d been reading through, chuckling somewhat nervously.
“It’s strange, really,” he begins again, “You’re right, of course. Usually, I would respond to any correspondence as soon as I am able to,” a sigh, “However, these last couple of weeks have been stressful for me as well. Meetings upon meetings, mainly. A lot of dignitaries had urgently requested I sit in on most of them, the remainder being meetings between me and my own denizens. Worried soldiers, business people, and the lot.”
“Which left you with little time for the writing of letters?”
“Pretty much,” he chuckles again, “It’s been quite hectic for me. At least as of recently.”
That, in itself, made sense. Didn’t lessen the previous worries, but at least now she knew for sure, why there had been no response.
“I really do apologise for the lack of response on my part,” Pure Vanilla started again, ”If it’s of any consolation, I’ve been neglecting most of my correspondences recently, due to what I’ve mentioned…”
“That’s understandable,” White Lily smiles gently, before making a face of confusion, “But, wouldn’t a late response have sufficed? If things are quite hectic, why come all the way here to see me?”
“Well, for one, things had finally calmed down again,” he explains calmly, “Secondly, I thought you might have needed it. From what you’ve been writing in your letters, things being stressful didn’t even come close to describing your predicament…”
“But I never—”
“I may not have the best eyesight, Lily, but I can still read between the lines,” he puts a comforting hand on White Lily’s, “And don’t think I didn’t notice how you left half of my questions unanswered, or only gave non-answers to them in your replies… The implications were definitely there”
White Lily Cookie sighs in defeat. Once again, he was right. She did quite enjoy his presence and assistance more than anything right now, so there was no real use in denying it, let alone complaining about it, either. She had definitely needed it.
Eventually, after some more chatting, the two return to their search. It did not quite yield any results yet, and who knows whether they’ll find anything in the next few days. The important thing was that they kept looking.
After another two to three hours, the two stopped the search to have dinner, before parting for the night to get a good night’s sleep.
The last few nights had passed relatively quickly, remaining uneventful in nature, which allowed White Lily to properly recharge her energy for once.
However, perhaps that was only the calm before another storm…
As White Lily rests in a comfortable warmth, a scene suddenly starts to form around her. Those surroundings were all too familiar to her, too. She once again found herself in the middle of her kingdom, decorated and changed by none other than Shadow Milk Cookie.
Oh no… I thought I was rid of this..!
Once again, everything played out like it did before. Pure Vanilla’s struggles, him and the Brave Trio being dragged onto the center stage by the Beast of Deceit as their lives were hanging on by a thread— more literally than she’d have liked.
“White Lily… Cookie…!” Pure Vanilla’s strained voice rings out, “Fight… Shadow Milk… Cookie..!”
His sentence was followed by what could be considered a choking sound. Shadow Milk’s way of telling White Lily to hurry up and make her choice.
She found herself talking to Elder Faerie Cookie once more, as she had before, even in this soon-to-be twisted version of the story. Despite knowing what is really to come, the fateful conversation ends as it always has before.
“A heart that beats for one's friends… is a heart... that beats for all Cookiekind…”
She stood ready, mentally bracing herself for when the story would change for the worst.
It always does… always at that same point.
…
However, the now familiar pain does not come.
Instead, she appeared in a glowing white light. Her long hair flowing behind her as her Guardian form had taken shape on her body.
With not a word left to say, she uses the powers passed down to her and seals Shadow Milk Cookie away, rescuing her friends from the thin, deadly strings they were hanging in.
Her friends, now safe, cheered, proud of how White Lily finally made use of the Guardian’s power, saving not only them, but the entire Faerie Kingdom.
This is how the story really ended. Her true memories with no lies, no illusions and no what-ifs. The scene soon faded to a warm, glowing white.
As the scene dissolved, she swore she could feel a hand gently being placed on her shoulder. It’s faint, but comforting all the same. She let her eyes slip shut, a content smile forming on her lips.
Was it the spirit of Elder Faerie still watching over her, even now? Whatever the case might be, White Lily felt at peace at that very moment.
When White Lily Cookie finally opened her eyes again, she could hear a gentle voice calling her name, the feeling of a hand on her shoulder now more prominent than in the dream, accompanied by a gentle shake to it.
“White Lily Cookie..?” the voice said, still gentle and somewhat quiet, as well as incredibly familiar, “Are you awake?”
White Lily’s eyes finally focus, seeing Pure Vanilla standing by her bedside. It seems like it was his hand that she felt on her shoulder. Has he been trying to shake her awake the whole time?
“Mmmh,” White Lily murmurs half-sleepily, “I am now…”
“I am sorry to be waking you up like this,” he smiles a little sheepishly, “You did look like you were having a lovely dream…”
Considerate as always, but she always liked that about him.
“However,” he then continues, “I thought you might regret it if you let yourself sleep in too long…”
“Sleep in too long..?” White Lily blinks, partially repeating Pure Vanilla’s words, “Just how long did I sleep?”
Pure Vanilla chuckles in response, “Well, it is almost midday, so… Take that as you wish”
“O-oh!” White Lily blinked in surprise, “It really didn’t feel that long when I was asleep…”
“It rarely ever does, does it?” Pure Vanilla smiled softly, “Well, whatever the case, since today has already proceeded further than expected, why don’t we just take it slow for the remainder of it? A rest day, if you will.”
“A rest day does sound nice…” White Lily ponders, before nodding her head, “Sure, let’s do that.”
“Which means no research for the day,” Pure Vanilla had turned, throwing White Lily a playful glance over his shoulder.
White Lily sighs, “You’re tying my hands, but fine. I think can go one day without reading any papers”
The two laughed, soon getting ready to conquer— no, enjoy the remainder of this ‘rest day’ of theirs.
--
The days that followed after the pair’s day of rest passed similarly to one another. Fuel up on energy at breakfast, do some research, take a break for lunch, after which the two Heroes would take a walk around the kingdom, before returning to the search once more. Once it was late enough, dinner was had and the two would turn in for the night.
It was a good schedule to get used to and a relatively healthy one at that. With White Lily’s sleep having become a lot better, her state had immensely improved. No other nightmares had occurred during the whole time Pure Vanilla had stayed in the Faerie Kingdom, especially after the night where the story reclaimed its true narrative once more. No more turning into her when she was about to seal Shadow Milk away again.
Overall, things were smooth sailing for the time being.
At the current time, they had once again returned to White Lily’s room. However, this time it was merely to chat, putting a hold on the search for the ritual for the time being. After another peaceful walk around the kingdom, they both sat down on her bed, chatting away once more.
Unfortunately, by that time, the happy topics had inevitably been exhausted throughout their previous walks and talks, leaving only the more… complicated matters to be discussed eventually. White Lily didn’t kid herself, she knew why her friends have had those big accomplishments recently. After all, they had each awoken to their true powers, only after having had a rather painful confrontation with their respective beasts.
“So, you know about Hollyberry Cookie’s awakening, too?” Pure Vanilla had asked.
“Yes,” White Lily replies, “Sugarfly Cookie told me all about it”
“I see,” Pure Vanilla’s eyes lid in thought, “Hollyberry did mention that Sugarfly had originally hailed from the Faerie Kingdom.”
“Mhm, she’s been settling back in very well here. Everyone welcomed her back with open arms, too”
“Those are great news”
White Lily gave Pure Vanilla a somewhat questioning look, an appraising once-over. His hands were once again both on his staff, he’s been doing that every so often throughout his visit here. Always when the topic of discussion went even remotely close to his and their friends’ awakenings. Especially his… While his hands weren’t holding onto the staff incredibly tightly, there was a slight hint of unease.
Didn’t take much for White Lily to figure out why. During all their talks about accomplishments and awakenings, he was likely hoping to avoid talking about the Spire itself, and what had happened after White Lily left him and the Brave Trio to tackle the Spire by themselves, while she returned to her kingdom back then.
While she hoped to get some answers out of her friend and maybe show him some comfort, no matter what he might have gone through, she granted him that wish and did not dig any further. There was another, more pressing matter on her mind anyway.
White Lily’s expression turns from appraising to worried, drawing Pure Vanilla’s attention almost instantly.
“Something else weighing on your mind?” He asks softly, the grip on his staff loosening somewhat.
“The Beasts…” White Lily begins, “Four of them have made their move to try and take the Soul Jams away from all of you. Well, with one of the situations being more... nuanced than that,” she thinks back on how Eternal Sugar Cookie had apparently acted around Hollyberry.
But the facts remain the same…
Four Beasts had been seen and confronted.
Four Ancients had awoken.
Four down, one more to go.
“Which,” White Lily continues after a few beats of silence, “leaves only one Beast unaccounted for…”
“Silent Salt Cookie,” Pure Vanilla finished the sentence, “I suppose it’s no surprise that he’s also been on your mind…”
“I’ve just been worried,” White Lily begins to explain, “More so than usual, about the inevitable confrontation between me and him. As well as the fact it may be a two-in-one kind of confrontation.”
“Because of her.” Pure Vanilla deduces swiftly.
“Precisely,” White Lily nods. She spoke with surprising clarity and calmness, given the topic, “I fear that I might not know what to do, if I were to come face to face with Dark Enchantress Cookie.”
“I’m sure you’ll know when— if the time comes,” He places a hand on her back in comfort, “Whether it’s Dark Enchantress Cookie, or the Beast of Silence. Just, trust in yourself, and who you have become.” His eyes look into hers with the utmost sincerity and fondness. “You may stumble, or even fall along the way. But you will get back up and keep fighting. And, in due time, awaken to your true powers as well, just like the rest of us.”
“And what if I can’t get back up?” White Lily questions, her tone now carrying more worry than calm, “What if I falter, and turn on you all… again..!”
“Do you want to?”
“Of course not!” She half snapped.
What kind of question is that? It’s the one thing she was trying to avoid all that time.
“Then you won’t,” he smiles, “She can’t make you bend to her will. And neither can Silent Salt. I have faith in you, White Lily Cookie.”
This should have eased her mind, but it didn’t. At least, not completely. However, those calming words from Pure Vanilla are enough to at least stop her thoughts from racing uncontrollably.
“Thank you,” she finally says, her head inclining as her eyes slip shut for a moment, “Pure Vanilla Cookie.” Her tone shifts to a slightly more playful one, “Honestly, what would I do without you?”
“I don’t know,” He returns the playfulness in kind, “What would you do without me?”
The two laughed for a couple of moments, eyes finding the other’s in a wave of something akin to nostalgia.
It had been a while since the two had spent time like this, not a single worry on their minds, even if only for the moment. It really did feel nice to have Pure Vanilla Cookie around her kingdom. Evidently, her sleep had become much better, she didn’t burn herself out over the Beast-binding Ritual and had finally caught up once more with her most treasured friend.
All things considered, she pretty much felt like her normal self again.
Which will make it all the more difficult for her to let him go.
Regardless of that sinking feeling, White Lily brings up the matter first, “Do you really have to go back already?”
“I’m afraid so,” Pure Vanilla sighs, pushing himself off the bed and onto his feet, fetching his staff from the nearby nightstand, “I can’t leave my kingdom unattended for too long. Even as the abdicated monarch of the lands.”
“I understand,” White Lily sighs as well, pushing herself off her bed, fetching her staff from where it had laid against the nightstand, “I won’t keep you much longer then."
The two of them head down to the courtyard together, coming up to the borders of the Faerie Kingdom.
“I know I said I have faith in you, and I do,” says Pure Vanilla, turning around to face his closest friend, his tone a little playful but laced with concern, “But, are you going to be alright? I don’t want you to slip away again, in case the nightmares resurface after all…”
I fear that I might slip on my own…
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” White Lily answers, “I haven’t had any nightmares for almost a week now, likely thanks to our talks.”
“That’s a relief,” Pure Vanilla’s eyes lid in contentment, before looking fully at White Lily once more, “I suppose I shall be off then.”
Can't you stay for a while longer? You could keep helping me with the research! I can’t face Silent Salt alone, I need you there with me—
“Of course, just be careful on your way back, okay?” White Lily smiles happily, albeit a slightly forced smile.
She can’t say all those things, not out loud. Their paths are destined to diverge from one another, after all. Should they meet, it would never be for too long. Him, ever the sun and her, ever the moon who only shone in the other’s light.
“I will, I promise,” Pure Vanilla simply smiles in return, “I made it all the way here, after all. I’m sure the return trip will be just as smooth.”
Pure Vanilla turns to leave, hesitation hanging in the air between them as he takes a step, then another, before coming to a stop once more.
White Lily, who picked up on the tension, feeling her own hesitation sink into her dough, inquires: “Is everything alright? You seem… hesitant”
“It's funny,” he answers, not yet turning around, “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
Pure Vanilla then turns around in full, looking at White Lily somewhat expectantly.
I don't want you to leave.
“Oh, me? I’m fine, really! Just,” she replies, tugging at her mantle, “Please, get back home safely. No crashed airships this time, alright?” She chuckles weakly, once again covering up her true thoughts.
There is no point in voicing them, anyway. They both knew he had to leave one way or another.
“Of course,” Pure Vanilla chuckles in response, “I'd rather not upset dear Clotted Cream Cookie again”
Another moment of hesitant silence passes.
Whether it was through his own desires, or he somehow realised the true reason behind her hesitation after all, remains unknown to White Lily. But she is no less surprised when Pure Vanilla simply opens his arms for her.
No words, only a gesture, an offering for her to take or leave.
She really was an open book to him.
A flash of a memory played in White Lily's mind.
She sees herself, Pure Vanilla and the Brave Trio standing outside the Spire, right as the two Ancients bid each other farewell. At the time, she did not dare to turn around again. She knew Pure Vanilla had to face his other half, while she had her kingdom and the Silver Tree to protect.
Not wanting to let the opportunity slip by again this time, White Lily swiftly closes the distance with a couple of quick steps, wrapping her arms around Pure Vanilla Cookie in a tight hug.
Pure Vanilla only returns the movement in kind, wrapping his arms around White Lily as the two simply hold each other for a short time.
“I don't want you to leave,” she finally admits aloud, face half buried into the other's robes, “I wish you could stay and keep helping me”
“I know,” he responds with the same fondness as before, a hand coming up to stroke the back of White Lily's hair, “If I didn’t have my duties back home, I would love nothing more,” another stroke through her hair as he speaks, “But we both know I can't do that. With the current threats looming over all of Earthbread, there’s only so long I can push back the meetings or my responsibilities”
“I know,” she lets go of Pure Vanilla to look at him, “I just… wanted you to know how I felt” she chuckles weakly, “Even if it's pointless”
“It's not pointless,” says Pure Vanilla, looking at White Lily as he holds onto her shoulders, “It could have very well eaten away at you, had you left it unsaid.”
“It would not have,” White Lily chuckles, playfully offended.
It more than likely would have.
“But, nevertheless,” Her shoulders slumped as she inclines her head, her white bangs cascading softly over her eyes, “I understand why you must return to the Vanilla Kingdom. I need to properly shift my focus back on the search for the ritual, too…” Her gaze drifts off to the side as she thinks back on the looming threat of the Beast Cookies, as well as her other half. Well, her other other half.
“Precisely,” he inclines his head as well, both their foreheads gently touching from the motion, yet neither of the two seem to mind. He sighed somewhat longingly, “Looks like we’ll both soon be a lot more busy once again.” He chuckles softly, his eyes lidding with contentment, his arms laying gently atop White Lily’s shoulders, hands hanging down behind her.
In the same, albeit subconscious movement, White Lily’s arms had wrapped around Pure Vanilla’s sides once more.
It took a full second for the pair to realise the position they had found themselves in, causing both of them to pull away in an instant, a flush to both cookies’ cheeks.
A hug was one thing, but perhaps the two of them were getting just a little bit too... intimate.
“Yes,” White Lily nervously tugs at her mantle once more, still blushing slightly, “Busy indeed.”
Pure Vanilla chuckles somewhat sheepishly, “Of course, well,” he straightens himself up with a tap of his staff, “I promise I will see you again soon, White Lily Cookie.” He offered a simple smile.
“Then I shall hold you to it.” White Lily returns his smile in kind, her mantle and braid gently flowing in the wind behind her, as she watches Pure Vanilla turn and walk off towards the airship, no more hesitation lingering in the air.
Now, farewell. We must part ways…
Until we meet again, my friend.