Work Text:
Cheering and laughter filled the halls of the castle. Soldiers, new and seasoned, gathered in the great hall to celebrate the new year. Dried meats and fruits were paired with sweet wine from the Hollyberry Kingdom for just such occasion.
Some came together in small groups to joke and share a bottle of wine, while others ventured to the tables in the back of the room to play card games. Some betting coins and other valuables.
Caramel Arrow even allowed herself to sit and play a game or two of mahjong. Crunchy Chip ran between bodies to stop one of his cream wolves from snatching food away from party goers.
A trail of steam buns followed Cloud Haetae to a door leading back up to the balcony. Watching all of their subjects was Dark Cacao. Beside him stood Mystic Flour, her head leaning against his shoulder. One of the king's warm hands smoothed over the dip in her hip.
Cloud Haetae trotted up to Mystic Flour. A steam bun held in their mouth as they offered Mystic Flour one of the buns from the pile in their arms.
She glanced down at Cloud Haetae with a small smile before taking the bun. “Thank you, my child.”
Their tail wagged behind them. “Mhm!” They did their best to smile with the bun still in their mouth. Without another word, Cloud Haetae padded back behind them to the couch they had been sitting on before. The hearth had kept their spot nice and toasty.
Mystic Flour split the bun in two. The inside was coated in red bean paste. She took a bite of one half before offering the other to Dark Cacao. The king took his half and ate it in two bites.
“It’s good.” Dark Cacao said around his bite. He watched as Mystic Flour took her time to study the buns contents. “Do you not like it?”
“It’s…” Her lips twisted, trying to find the right words. “It’s not something I was expecting.” She took another small bite. “Slightly sweet. I would’ve thought all beans were meant to be more hearty.”
“I can understand that.” A cork popped off a bottle of wine below them. “We can get you something else if it is not to your tastes.”
“I didn’t say that.” Mystic Flour took another bite into the bun. Her teeth left a crescent shaped hole in the side of it.
A content smile formed on Dark Cacao’s lips. His hand moved to rub Mystic Flour on the shoulder.
The two stood in silence for many moments after Mystic Flour had finished her steam bun. Both content to be in the easy quiet. Far away voices floated up to their balcony as background noise. Jokes, laughter, cheering filled the air with something Mystic Flour had almost forgotten about.
Community.
She was a stranger in a strange land but… somehow, she felt as if she belonged. There, in the Dark Cacao kingdom, with the ruler keeping the chill away from her bones. The ruler making her realise what she had missed about life.
The hand on Mystic Flour’s shoulder tensed ever so slightly. As if on instinct, her hand met his to thread their fingers together. She pulled his hand closer to kiss his knuckles. Soft lips meeting rough, calloused hands.
Without releasing her hand, Dark Cacao moved to the other side of her. “Would you care for a stroll?”
“A stroll?” She glanced at the party goers on the other side of the banisters. “Where?”
“The garden. I-” His eyes snapped to Cloud Haetae shoving their mouth full of steam buns. “I wish to have a moment alone with you.”
“Mm.” Mystic Flour grew a small smile on her face. She turned to the hearth Cloud Haetae was plopped in front of. “Cloud Haetae.” Their head popped up from the back of the sofa. “We will be back in a bit.” They gave a nod and turned back to their buns.
~*~
Lit lanterns led the two of them down the quiet path to the garden. It wasn’t so much a garden, but an accumulation of snow in shapes where hedges and bushes should be. Mystic Flour wasn’t so sure there were actual shrubs under all the snow.
On either side of them were snow covered statues of great Cacaoian warriors. Some held swords, some held shields. Dark Cacao had a story for each one they passed. Tales of great battles, of heroic deeds, of great feats of strength. The king could recall them all as if they had happened that morning.
The snow crunched under their feet until they both stood in the center of the garden. A dais surrounded by benches, paths branching out from its center. The low glow of the lanterns illuminated the area enough for Mystic Flour to see the tight expression on Dark Cacao’s face.
“You wished to speak with me alone?” Her gaze traveled up and down his body, searching for his thoughts.
Dark Cacao’s eyes snapped to hers. “Can I not spend quality time with the person I love?”
Mystic Flour’s lips quirked up ever so slightly. “I suppose not.” She turned to marvel at the statue of a young man with a sword held high into the night sky. “How you spoke made me think you needed to talk with me.”
The air was tense around the king. Mystic Flour’s chest could feel her chest tighten when the silence lingered. Anxious thoughts swirled around her mind.
Snow crunched under Dark Cacao’s foot. “There… is something I would like to ask you.”
“What would-” Mystic Flour’s eyes grew wide at the sight of Dark Cacao on one knee. A nervous smile on his face. Heat rushed to her cheeks.
With the gentleness of a saint, Dark Cacao reached forward to hold her hand. He trembled slightly. “Mystic Flour…” He began. Her heart was thudding against her chest. “I have never met someone like you. How we first met was… less than ideal, but I… I wouldn’t trade the world for that day in your pagoda. From that day, we both have become better people.
I cannot begin to tell you how ecstatic I am at how much you’ve grown since coming to my kingdom. Your smile, your laugh, I can’t imagine a world without them now. You have truly grown into someone I…” His grip on her tightened slightly. “Someone that I wish to spend the rest of my days with.”
Releasing her hand, Dark Cacao reached into his cloak to procure a small, black box.
“There is no one else that I would wish to be my queen.”
He opened the box, revealing a simple, silver band.
“Mystic Flour, will you- Mm-!”
Mystic Flour reached out to snatch his face before clashing their lips together. She could feel Dark Cacao smile into their kiss as it deepened. His hand rested on her thigh when the kiss broke.
“Yes.” The brightest smile that Dark Cacao had seen on her face rivaled the moon hanging in the sky. “Yes I’ll marry you!”
A relieved sigh left his chest as he put his hand on his sternum. That same hand extended forward. “May I?”
Mystic Flour rested her hand into the hand of her king. Her king. The band was cold, but it shimmered in the lantern light. Tears began to well up in her eyes as Dark Cacao stood.
Silently, the king held her face in his hands. Thumbs swiping away with tears that fell from her eyes. Mystic Flour placed her own hands on top of his. Dark Cacao could feel her cool ring against his hand as he pulled her in for another kiss.