Chapter Text
My kingdom reigns eternal, towers of digital gold hidden within my soul. I'm no stranger to losing. It's all been torn from me, but my greed overpowers loss. My treasures. All precious. All mine.
A peculiar treasure caught my eye, years ago. She had dark eyes and a somber look. Her hair was sharp, framing her face in a dangerous light. I expected her to grovel, to admire my beauty, my radiance. A lowly cookie like her stood face to face with an eternal god. And she bore her teeth, shielding herself from my everlasting light. A treasure who didn’t want to be polished, one who took pride in the damage she had.
Each of the outsiders from that day had that grit. The hardness of the toughest diamond, yet the luster of the dullest stone. Treasures, not wanting to be polished. Not wanting to be preserved. Not wanting to last forever.
When they left my kingdom, I figured I’d never run into them again. I figured that when I were to follow their path, the rampant assault of the wind would wipe away their footsteps, and I would be forced to forge my own way.
And that is what I did.
I made my way to the Creme Republic, just as the travelers did. I met them. They guided me through reverent golden halls, loud silence echoing across the chambers. The beauty of my surroundings almost made me forget why I was summoned, the treasures that one day, I could keep.
Doors opened, where a round table greeted me. There I saw them, my old friends. Three faces, weathered with time, stress, and hope. Their eyes widened, looking me up and down. I had been hiding. I took my seat, where I was bombarded with all sorts of questions. Where was I? What did I do? What took me so long? I answered. Our conversations lasted well after the meeting.
We found ourselves at an old inn, sat at a dimly lit booth, juice in our hands. My old friend, Pure Vanilla Cookie, had sworn up and down that this place was a hidden gem within the creme republic. He told me that he had met the people who opened the tavern long before it was open. They were a quaint village, underneath the remains of his floating kingdom of waffle cones and vanilla bean. They protected themselves from whatever came their way, and Pure Vanilla provided "essential support to their small, small world.” I smiled.
“It’s fascinating,” Dark Cacao started, “How far anyone will go to protect their home. My soldiers would lay down their lives for our great kingdom. Pure Vanilla healed people who didn’t have any hope.”
“I wouldn’t say anybody,” Hollyberry nervously chuckled, pulling at her dress, “I know I didn’t do my best. But, it is what we should all aspire to do.” She looked at me, a spark in her eyes. “Golden Cheese, you’ve stated that you protected your kingdom, but you never told us how.”
“Oh. I have not, have I?” I sipped my drink, chuckling, “Well, I protected and preserved my treasures. Every crumb on each one of their little heads was accounted for. That is all.”
Dark Cacao chimed in, “Wasn’t your entire kingdom taken out?”
“Everyone can rebuild.”
Pure Vanilla nodded, “I agree. Look around this tavern. Each and every one of these cookies were fighting for jellies, water, and their lives, not very long ago. They are all thriving now. Everyone can rebuild, and everyone can change and adapt. That’s beautiful, is it not?”
I nodded. As did Dark Cacao. Hollyberry slammed her cup down with a grin.
“Why are we being so formal? So sappy? It’s been years since we have all been in the same place, we’ve got to let loose at least a little!” Hollyberry spotted a record player. “And I know exactly how.” Soft, jazzy tunes flowed through the inn as Hollyberry lowered the tone arm. “Cheers. To us being together, once again.”
“Look who’s being sappy now,” I raised my glass, “Cheers.”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers.”
Our glasses hit each other with a resounding clink.
The night was filled with laughter and juice. We spoke about everything from our first meetings, the war, families built and taken down. Hollyberry downed double the amount of juice of Pure Vanilla, Dark Cacao, and I combined. This isn’t saying much, due to the fact that Pure Vanilla and Dark Cacao tapped out after one and three cups respectively.
I watched the moon shine in through the window, the cold light faint, yet prominent. It danced with the warm lights within the inn.
Pure Vanilla yawned, using Dark Cacao’s shoulder as a headrest, fully leaned into him. Dark Cacao didn’t dare move. It was almost as if Pure Vanilla was a shy cat, and Dark Cacao didn’t want to make him jolt away. But in reality, Dark Cacao was the shy one.
“Something on your mind?” Pure Vanilla sleepily asked, noticing my silence.
“No, no. Nothing of consequence.”
“Nothing of consequence?”
I chuckled, “Yes. I was just… hoping to run into some, well, specific cookies here.”
“Oh?”
“It’s - well - nothing.” I chuckled, shifting my gaze to my friends. “It’s getting quite late.”
Hollyberry got up, stretching, “Just tell them to put everything on my tab.”
“That was the plan,” I hummed, “No way I’m paying for your… extravagant habits.”
Dark Cacao chimed in, “No way you’re paying for anything.”
“What?! I’m plenty - I pay!”
His voice lowered. “You are the greediest cookie I know.”
“Why, thank you.”
Dark Cacao rolled his eyes at me as Pure Vanilla sat up, yawning. One by one, my friends left. Hollyberry first, followed by Pure Vanilla, and followed shortly after by a concerned Dark Cacao. I sat at the booth, alone. The moon had risen further.
While my kingdom was beautiful, the night sky cannot be replicated by binary code. A bustling, loud city, while exciting, muffles out the natural world. And, as sheepishly as I admit it, I do miss the silent nights that only the discomfort of the natural world could ever offer. The stars, infinite and vast treasures, waiting to be claimed and protected.
I sighed, watching the moon rise further. The record that Hollyberry had so proudly turned on had run its course, and the inn was silent. The occasional sink, or clinking dish, were all that kept me company. It was strange. Even in silence, there still is life. Just as my kingdom, beyond the digital world.
It was then, I heard a familiar voice.
“This was the last place that I expected to see you.” I looked up to see her face. She had dark eyes and a somber look. Her hair was sharp, framing her face in a dangerous light: Black Raisin Cookie.
I chuckled, “I wasn’t here alone, I’ll have you know. All of my friends were here.”
She looked at the comically tall stack of glasses on my table, “I could tell.”
“What brings you to me?”
“What brings me to you? Really?” Black Raisin chuckled, sliding into the seat across from me. “The question is, what brings you here? The radiant god, with all her riches… hanging around people like us.”
“As I said, I wasn’t here alone. Pure Vanilla swore that this inn was the best hidden treasure in the entire creme republic. So we came together.”
“Then, why did you stay?”
“I was just waiting, can’t I relax in peace?”
“For two hours? ”
“...Pardon?”
“It’s been two hours since Dark Cacao left. Two and a half since Hollyberry. So. Why are you still here?”
I didn’t realize how much time had passed, pondering the moon and the stars. Time, somehow, feels faster outside of the golden city. My kingdom was bustling and loud, something at every corner, something happening at every second. Every second was full. But here? Here, there’s silence.
“Well, I lost track of time. That is all.”
“Happens to all of us. Counting your riches in your head, or something?” She asked, in an almost mocking tone.
I rolled my eyes before telling her the truth, “No.”
“No?”
“No. I wasn’t. I was looking at the sky. My kingdom was so bright and loud. I loved every adrenaline filled, exhilarating second. But… I did miss seeing the stars.”
Black Raisin chuckled, caught off guard by my response.
“My village,” she started, “was small. In fact, the people you see here… that’s what we had. But every night, after the wafflebots and the illnesses… there was peace. The moon would rise, night after night. Some days, a pretty sunset is what kept me going.”
I smiled, “There was a lot I took for granted in my kingdom. I forgot how lucky I was to have such… splendor.”
“That’s something I just cannot comprehend - how does one forget how lucky they are? I had to fight, day and night, for the smallest raisin.”
“Well… I don’t understand how I forgot either. But, being out here has helped me relearn the true nature of my treasures.”
Raisin hummed in amusement, “You said you were hoping to run into someone here. May I ask who?”
“I - were you stalking us?!”
“Pure Vanilla Cookie is my best friend, and I do not do well in groups. Does not mean I do not enjoy being a part of them, though,” she chuckled, “so, sort of.”
I scoffed, before laughing, “And it took you two hours after they all left to approach me?”
“I figured that’d be acceptable. Now, who were you hoping to run into?”
I chuckled, putting my hands on the table. “In all honesty, the cookie I was hoping to run into… was you.”
“Me?” Black Raisin chuckled, “I find that hard to believe. Really? For what?”
“I’m… lost. I need your advice.”
Black Raisin laughed, “Hit me, your Majesty.”
“If you had to make every treasure you held happy, what would you do? If you had a promise, so grand that you don’t know if you could keep it, what would you do? You have to keep your word. Every one of your treasures count on it. You’re a leader. What would you do?”
She smiled, “I’d do what I can.”
“But what if it’s not enough?!”
“Walk with me.” Black Raisin started to walk off, where I scurried to my feet, following her.
“Where are we headed?”
Black Raisin hummed, walking into the empty town square. The moon, now right above us, illuminates her figure. She looked back at me, and then up. I approached her, looking up as well, watching all the stars sparkle in the sky.
She spoke, in a flat tone, “One of these stars is going to explode. And we will all crumble. Do something about it. Now.”
“What?! What are you on about? Can stars even do that?”
“Doesn’t matter. The star is going to explode. The world is going to end, oh great witches. Do something.”
“I’m - well - if that were happening, I’d go home. To my kingdom. Try my hardest to protect my subjects. At any cost!”
“You can’t protect them from an exploding star.” Black Raisin chuckles, “Pure Vanilla told this to me, when I was having similar issues.”
“Of course he did. No wonder it doesn’t make any sense!”
Black Raisin laughed, “What he was getting at, is some things, you just can’t achieve. I couldn’t singlehandedly stop all the suffering in my village. You can’t make everyone happy. But… if the stars were to explode, and you couldn’t protect your village, what would you do?”
I paused. The very thought of losing everything again formed a pit in my stomach. I swallowed the lump in my throat before looking away from the stars.
“I’d… show my treasures that I care.”
Black Raisin nodded, “That’s all you have to do. Care. A little bit of care goes a long way.”
“You’re wise. For a village leader.”
“You’re who came asking. You’re quite slow for a god-queen.”
I laughed, “Insults won’t get to me, Raisin. I’ve been called everything in the book by one of my own… subjects.”
“Not an insult, just the truth.” Black Raisin chuckled as she started to walk into the shadows.
“Wait -”
She turned back.
“Will I run into you again?”
Black Raisin shrugged, “Maybe.”
I nodded, looking back up at the stars. The infinite, silent treasures, just out of my reach.