Chapter Text
The moon was full and bright, a perfect path towards White Lily’s goal: The Witches Banquet. Her little jelly heart was a flutter with anticipation, after all, she would get to meet their gods. She could finally ask them questions about the nature of cookiekind and their purpose.
She had left not too long ago, right as the moon was beginning to rise and the dusk faded to night. She could hear the sounds of wildlife dying down as the moon rose and the night aged. The wind held a slight chill, enough to calm the warm day that still lingered on her dough.
The ancient had smiled at the yeast spores drifting across the path, their little ‘boing!’ noise fading as quickly as it started. Though she still wondered why they glowed, after all cookies didn’t glow in the dark, yet they did. Quite the enigma, and one the flower cookie would love to dissect.
She continued to wander down the path, moonstone in her pocket and map in hand. According to said map she would get there around midnight, right as they were to start. She smiled, she still couldn’t believe that she was going to have her questions answered. She could already imagine her friends' faces as they heard about her journey and the truth she managed to extract.
The moon steadily rose as she continued on her way, the stars growing brighter and the sky dimming to a near black. She was about half way there by now, the sounds of animals had long gone silent, even the yeast spores seemed to slumber. Though, her trip was taking a little longer than expected.
White Lily let out a little gasp as she found another flower variant, one she hadn’t seen in the scrolls in the faerie kingdom nor the books back home. She quickly jotted it down in her journal before placing the sample in between the pages. She may have gotten just a little sidetracked while heading to the banquet.
Though she was sure she wouldn’t be missing much, perhaps just a few pleasantries and catching up before the real thing began. She tucked her journal back into her bag, deciding that she should pick up the pace if she wanted to make it to the banquet in time. Well, that was until she saw a beautiful cluster of lilies of the valley.
She froze for a moment, brain processing how these were here, after all they didn’t usually grow in this part of the forest. She stepped closer, head tilted slightly to the side as she examined them. They were fresh, their scent still vibrant and petals still soft as she examined them.
She had never seen these here before, usually they only grew close to the faerie kingdom, where the magic was plentiful enough for them to thrive. These also didn’t have that silver sheen the others did, instead taking on a ghostly white that was similar to her icing color. Truly a beautiful specimen, something that seemed to be a once in a lifetime experience.
Just as she reached out, hands grasping one of the blooms-
The ground moved.
Not subtly, like a small shift or something that let her know a large animal was awake, but a full force movement as she was lifted into the air. She squeaked as she was lifted into the air, grabbing onto the stem with all her might. A soft noise sounded below her, though she could barely focus on that as she tried to regain her bearings.
The ancient shifted, trying to remain upright as her mind whirled with thousands of possibilities. Said possibilities were cut short as something grabbed her, large, yet gentle. She squeaked again, head spinning as she was brought down once again.
“Goodness, you’re a beautiful one, aren’t you?” A voice cooed, soft, sweet, like the most delightful honeysuckle ones ever tasted. The flower cookie opened her eyes, rich scarlet meeting a soft green that reminded her of fresh flower buds. The Witch smiled at her, eyes filled with wonder and an admiration the other had never truly seen before.
“Who might you be, little flower?” The Witch asked, finger brushing away a stray strand of hair. White Lily sat there for a moment, voice caught in her throat. “White Lily Cookie.” She replied, her voice a little more than an awe filled whisper. The Witch nodded and smiled, a little victorious look shining behind her eyes.
“I thought so,” she hummed, “after all I’d recognize a wonderful scent like that anywhere.” She giggled. White Lily couldn’t help the blush that spread over her cheeks, jelly heart fluttering even faster now.
“Miss? I… I was wondering if you may be going to the Banquet tonight?” The flower cookie asked, her voice stronger than it was previously.
The witch froze, soft, gentle green eyes narrowing with a sharpness that could almost be described as hostile. Her lips, which had been resting in a soft, passive smile, were now slightly downturned, a soft huff escaping them. “Whatever would you want to go there for?” She asked, the word ‘there’ being spat like a venom.
White Lily blinked, unsure of how to react to such a drastic change in personality. The Witch softened, eyes returning back to their previous soft state, a soft, if a bit apologetic, smile graced her lips once again. “I wished to ask the Witches questions, understand more about our world, about us.” The ancient admitted, her usual confidence coming back.
The Witch blinked, unsure of how to exactly answer that little statement, after all the Banquet was no place for little cookies like the little flower in her hand. She could only imagine the flowers' reaction to the horrors that transpired at that jam soaked table. She let out a small sigh, cupping the cookie carefully as she sat down.
“How about this, I, shall answer your questions, and there will be no need to go to the Banquet.” The Witch offered. “Every last question you ask, I shall answer, and, if you’ll allow me, I would like to ask you some questions in return.” She finished. Her smile was clever, a soft cunning sparkling in her eyes as the moonlight illuminated her face.
White Lily nodded vigorously, accepting near instantly as she pulled out her little journal, pencil ready to jot down any and all information. The night passed in a blur of questions, filled to the brim with curiosity and discoveries that would make the cookie world gasp. Though, after a while, the questions seemed to drift away from the nature of cookies and their existence, drifting towards more personal questions.
The Witch, and White Lily often obliged with said questions, learning more about each other with every passing moment. Soon, the moon fell and the sun rose, painting the sky in dusty early morning pinks and gold. Each dew drop reflecting their own interpretation of it, and capturing a soft moment between the cookie and Witch.
White Lily had fallen asleep a few hours ago, her soft, sleeping form happily curled within the Witches grasp. Said Witch was still sitting on the ground, fighting off the temptation of sleep herself as she watched the cookie in her hands steadily breathe. A stray beam of sunlight coated the two in warmth, welcoming the both of them to the day.
By the time White Lily woke up, the Witch was gone, all that remained was that singular stalk of lilies of the valley, their soft bell like blooms greeting her as she awoke. The day was spent trekking back to the Faerie Kingdom, and going over her late night scrawls. She had always hated how someone could tell how tired she was from the quality of her handwriting.
Once at the kingdom she had been calling home for the past year or so, she promptly went to bed and fell asleep near instantly. While she was excited to share her findings, she also desperately needed a good rest. After sleeping she finally went to talk to Elder Faerie, sharing her discoveries with him. He seemed just as shocked as her when she mentioned the Witch, her strong, beautiful floral scent, gentle hands and soft voice.
As the days passed, and she answered as many questions as she could, (to the point where she almost felt like the Fount of Knowledge that Elder Faerie had been telling her about) her mind remained on the Witch. Her soft smile and gentle laugh, how she treated each and every question with the utmost importance. Everything about her stuck to her mind like honey.
Eventually, she left again, heading out in the dead of night to try and find her again, one of the blooms from the flower the Witch had gifted her, adorning her hair. The night was just as quiet, the moon a smiling crescent above her as she walked. Her eyes scanned for anything that would hint to the Witches presence, nose working overtime to find her floral scent.
White Lily sighed, wondering if she was missing something, a crucial part of that night that wasn’t in play anymore. Other than the Banquet, after all the Witch seemed disgusted at just the mention of it. Perhaps the moon wasn’t full enough? Or it was too early or late in the night? There seemed to be a thousand reasons why the Witch wasn’t here, yet there was no definitive answer to any one.
A soft hum carried through the forest, a gentle thing, a melody she heard before. She walked towards it, steps soft and quiet as she was hit with that smell again. Soft, yet mildly overwhelming and perfectly, entirely floral. As she drew farther from the path, she saw it: more lilies of the valley, and past that, hundreds of other flowers, if not more.
Each one sported soft or vibrant colors, their scents cascading into something beautiful and perfect. She quickly realized that this was the Witches hat, which, admittedly, should have been obvious that night if not for her tunnel vision. The brim of the Witches hat was covered in moss, soft and dark green, again, another obvious thing she should have noticed before.
“Hello?” She called, trying to be as loud as she could. For a moment, nothing happened, the hat didn’t move, not a sound was made. Until the Witch shifted, hat turning and those same, soft green eyes greeted her. They softened near instantly at the sight of the floral cookie, a fondness sparkling in them.
“Hello my dear, do you have more questions?” She asked, her hand coming to rest on the ledge, a silent invitation. The flower cookie shook her head, though she did accept the invitation, happily resting upon the hand. “Not quite,” the ancient responded, “but, if you don’t mind, I would like to talk to you some more.” She smiled. The Witch blinked, a hint of surprise greeting her before she nodded, lifting the cookie to a more comfortable level.
The two talked till sunrise again, random tidbits of information flowering between the two like a field of vibrant blooms. This quickly became routine, week after week, questions turned into stories and stories to something deeper. Weeks soon turned to months, with their lengthy conversations piling up like the leaves in fall.
“My Lily, you’ve finally arrived!” The Witch chided, her laugh filling the night air. White Lily smiled, a small blue building on her face as she stepped into her Witch's hand. It had been a year since they met, since they began talking regularly. It had been two months since White Lily confessed her feelings, how she adored the Witch, her smell, her laugh, everything that seemed to surround her.
Especially how she never shied away from her curiosity or scent, especially when most said that it was too much. The Witch had been shocked at first, soft green going wide as the cookie confessed. Yet, she accepted, she accepted the flower cookie for everything she was and wasn’t. Perhaps that’s why White Lily loved her so much.
The weeks continued to pass, their conversations as long or as short as they wished for them to be. Sometimes they would ramble about the seemingly endless types of plants, and others they just basked in each other's presence. Time continued to pile up, months adding together into years, years where the two couldn’t be happier.
And today would be no different, the moon was full, already riding high above the mountains as dusk began to fade away, just like that fateful night. White Lily wore her usual attire, food prepared and already in her little picnic basket. She quickly adjusted the tiger lily in her hair before heading out, the cool early spring breeze gracing her dough.
She adjusted her sweater, a little gift from her Witch, that had become awfully useful as of late. Winter finally faded to spring, with the buds on trees finally starting to show. A few leaves even decorated the branches, adding a small, yet very appreciated, pop of color.
The forest was much of the same, animals quieting down for the night, silence slowly spreading through the land. The ancient moved to her usual spot, sitting down and pulling out a sandwich while she waited. By now dusk had fully faded, the near inky black of night greeted her as the moon shone brightly.
White Lily waited.
She waited for hours, watching the moon steadily march through the sky with no sign of her beloved. This wasn’t too unusual, every now and then the Witch didn’t show for a week or two, due to a minor illness or personal problem that needed to be dealt with. So, she left as the moon started to dip past the horizon and the sun started to rise. Perhaps she would be back next week.
The next week came, and she still didn’t show. Which, admittedly, the flower cookie was a little disappointed, but it was expected, perhaps she would be back the next week. Yet again, nothing, nothing but the silence she left and a growing pit in the ancient’s stomach. Maybe… just one more week, she had reasoned.
Yet her beloved never came.
The weeks passed more slowly without her Witch, the days growing dull and somewhat monotonous. Years passed without any sign of her Witch, even though she went back near monthly, hoping to see even a glimpse of her. The little cliff where they met bloomed with little wildflowers, each one a different vibrant color that reminded the cookie of her lost love.
She always made sure to take care of them, watering, weeding, making sure each and every one was in perfect condition. She settled down in the little patch, her picnic basket filled with sandwiches and fruits. The moon shone brightly overhead, its silver glow illuminating the small valley below.
The ancient took a small bite out of a sandwich, savoring the flavor of it. She gazed down into the valley, scanning over the familiar jade colored grass. Yet, something different laid amongst the greenery, though she couldn’t see it that well, White Lily swore it looked like a little hut, with some coming out of the chimney. She quickly finished her half of the sandwich, grabbing the basket as she stood and moved closer to the edge.
At second glance, it truly did look like a little hut, the roof semi visible from this distance. She took a step back, shouting a spell as she leaped off the cliff, she cackled as she fell, the wind whipping against her dough. Her vines caught her soon after, cradling her gently before placing her on the solid ground. She stumbled for a moment before making her way to the little hut in the distance.
As she drew closer she noticed the flowers, few and far between at first, the usual varieties one would see around the forest. Yet the closer she got the denser the flowers were clustered together, with more exotic varieties joining them. The beautiful blooms seems to swell at the little hut, with most practically climbing the rustic brick wall.
The smoke coming out of the roof smelled vaguely like herbs and flowers. “Hello?” A soft voice called, one that sounded almost exactly like the ancients' lost lover. White Lily jumped, a little squeak echoing as she twirled around, staff pointed towards the other. She relaxed as she saw that it was just another cookie, a soft smile greeting her.
“Ah, I’m sorry for my reaction, you startled me.” White Lily sheepishly apologized. The other cookie chuckled, seemingly unshaken by the whole ordeal as she invited the flower cookie in for tea. The ancient sat down at the table, crowded with dried flowers and different components for potions. Most, she quickly realized, were medicinal in some way, she even recognized some of the rarer ones.
“Apologies for the messy table! I wasn’t expecting a guest!” The cookie beamed, already pouring the two of them a steaming cup of tea, chamomile. It’s smell happily drifted through the hut, filling it with a warmth that truly felt like a home. The two talked for a while, their conversations carrying much like White Lilys and her Witch’s used to. “I probably should have asked this earlier, but may I ask your name?” White Lily asked, finishing off her fourth cup of tea.
“Oh! Of course! Silly me, I must have forgotten!” The cookie laughed. “My name is First Flower Cookie.”