Chapter Text
The Garden of Sweet Delights was in full bloom, as it always was. Sugar angels tended to cookies, welcoming some in and preparing others for their journey back home. Though three cookies of regal stature paid the goings-on of the garden no mind as they made their trek to the heart of the land, a sanctum only a select few were allowed in. “They’re sending us on a bit of a wild cake hound chase for Witches know what,” The Herald of Change huffed out. He held a parasol above The Flour of Volition who glided along the path as if her feet weren’t moving below her. Opposite The Herald was The Salt of Solidarity who led his trusty steed along the trail with them.
The Herald felt as the full weight of Flour’s attention was placed on him, even though her eyes remained closed. “They want to do something special for us, we should honor their wish and enjoy this day.” The Virtue of Change had the decency to look sheepish, but the other continued, “No matter how contrived it may be.” The Herald snickered, and Nox let out a whinny.
“We’re almost there girl,” The Salt of Solidarity consoled his companion as they continued their trek.
“Why would you bring her this far into the garden, Salt?” The Herald questioned, which lead to a small but smitten sigh.
“The Fount specifically requested it. He and The Sugar of Happiness enjoy riding her around as I fret over them toppling over.” This time a bark of laughter left The Herald, while The Flour of Volition allowed a larger smile to grace her face.
“They are a handful,” she whispered out.
“But they are ours,” Salt continued. He then looked to The Herald. “Please, allow me to hold the parasol, you’ve been taking on the duty for the entirety of our walk.”
The Virtue of Change retracted his hand as if offended, taking away the small patch of shade from its intended target. “You believe I can’t hold a measly piece of wood for five minutes?”
“I only wish to ease your burden,” the other man reassured.
“Ahem. Neither of you have asked what I would like,” Flour interrupted. They looked to her with rapt attention. “I would like to ride on Nox.” The Salt of Solidarity let out a another large sigh, and then lifted The Virtue of Volition onto his horse by the hips. “We may continue our journey,” she said, taking the reins and leaving the two men behind.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” The Herald called out, raising the umbrella in the air.
“Provide Salt with a well deserved respite,” she chimed as the horse trotted on up ahead. The Herald sighed as he looked to the forest floor, and then intertwined one of his six arms with Salt’s, holding the parasol between them in another hand.
“Is that really necessary?” The Salt of Solidarity questioned, but The Herald could hear the smile in his voice.
“Hm, you’re right. You hold it.” A short laugh finally burst forth from the other’s lips, and The Virtue of Change couldn’t help but glow with pride. It took true determination to get a laugh out of the man. They rounded the bend and were relieved to find themselves at the heart of the garden. The Fount of Knowledge was down on one knee, waxing poetics to The Flour of Volition who looked like a blushing princess atop the steed. The Sugar of Happiness joined in by flying behind Flour and looping her arms around the other woman’s neck, and when the wish maker turned the angel stole a kiss.
The Fount rose with an indignant squawk. “Excuse me miss, but that was my kiss!”
“What is it you like to say, Bluebird? You snooze, you lose,” Sugar smiled upon him as she sat behind Flour on Nox, adjusting her arms to wrap around the woman’s waist and resting a head on her shoulder. “Besides, you have more guests to greet.”
The Fount turned, one eye sparkling like the sea and the other like the sun as he greeted the last of them to arrive. “My loves, you’ve made it!” he said as he lifted off the ground and flew to the other’s, wrapping his arms around their shoulders and bringing them even closer together. “Happy Anniversary!”
The men reciprocated the loving gesture and looked around, seeing decorations that matched each of their realms spread about the garden and the gazebo that stood close by. “This was quite the welcome, but I find it a bit unfair you have not whisked us onto Nox and began singing our praises and glory as you have done with Flour,” The Herald teased.
Before Salt could butt in and mention how that would be far too much weight for his proud stead, the Fount pulled away and admonished, “Oh hush you. I could go on about your raven black hair and rippling pectorals, but I’m afraid it’d make your head bigger than it already is.” Before The Herald could rebut, The Fount sealed his jest with a kiss on the desert cookie’s lips, and then turned to the other man. “Now I want you to be comfortable so if you wish to keep your helmet on you may, but it makes it that much harder to kiss you.”
The Salt of Solidarity nodded and lifted his helmet above his head. “Better?” The Fount gazed upon dark gray skin with splotches of white, silver hair dotted with salt crystals pulled back into a short, low braid, and gray green eyes that could put the forest to rest.
“Absolutely stunning, my knight.” Salt blushed, and the other went in for a kiss. The Fount savored the salty tang the other presented, while The Virtue of Solidarity indulged in gentle blueberries and cream.
“Well look who’s being a selfish little cookie now,” The Sugar of Happiness chided as Nox was brought around to the men.
The Fount zipped behind the two larger cookies, and magic-ed two swords to appear within his hands an inch above each of his lover's necks. “Fly off the horse, and these ruffians will remain unharmed.”
The Herald let out a mock gasp. “The betrayal.”
“Oh noooo, don’t hurt them,” the angel pleaded as she glided off of the steed and directly into The Fount’s personal space. They were practically nose to nose, and the blue cookie gave a wide smile as Sugar gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Can you ready our meal, love?”
The swords disappeared into thin air as the other gasped and brought a hand to his chest, “You were just using me!”
“Well yes, and you are just using my garden for our anniversary brunch.”
“You absolutely insisted.” The Fount shape shifted into an extremely blue version of The Sugar of Happiness and went on, “‘Oh Bluebird, we can’t have brunch at your tower because we had our first unofficial official date in my garden. And your tower smells of parchment and candle wax,’” he used the mimicked wings to glide onto Nox’s back, and then transformed back into his usual self.
“I do not sound like that,” she pouts.
“You do, and my books smell wonderful, thank you very much! Hello my dear,” he says as he finally gives The Virtue of Volition a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s not as if I’ve been waiting for your petty squabble to end so I could receive my proper greeting,” she says as she takes Nox’s reins and they make their way to the gazebo. The Fount’s denial of the accusation fades into the background as The Sugar of Happiness greets her last two guests.
“My loves, I am so happy to see you both.” She first gives The Salt of Solidarity a kiss, followed by one for The Herald of Change. “It’s been an eternity without you.”
“We were together only a few short weeks ago,” The Herald reminds her. “It is difficult to traverse such a large continent, especially with all of our duties.” Salt nods, while The Virtue of Happiness only pouts.
“I can still be mopey about it,” she says as she turns and flies to the gazebo where The Fount is zipping about to make final touches. Salt feels a pang in his heart as he sees Nox in her own rest area, leaning down to eat the meal that was no doubt prepared by The Fount. By the time the men arrive, The Fount is tucking in the chair for The Sugar of Happiness next to The Flour of Volition.
When he sees his other lovers arrive, he teleports to The Salt of Solidarity’s chair and waits for the other to sit. Salt looks to the name cards Bluebird has lovingly transcribed with their titles. He sees, “Fount of Knowledge,” and untucks the other’s chair. “I insist, you have already done so much of the preparation.”
“Buuuttt I have already untucked your chair, you should sit first,” The Fount counters. The women watch only slightly unamused as their overly competitive partners began what could be a long battle.
“It would be dishonorable for me to allow you to sit last-“
“For the love of the creators.” The Herald of Change, who had yet to sit, walks over to The Fount, lifts him using two arms, and places him into the proper chair before tucking it in. Before the blushing, blundering knight can run to his chair, The Herald picks him up using all six arms, places him down in the proper chair, and tucks that in as well. The women across the table giggle and give mock applause while The Herald bows. “There, peace has been restored,” he concludes and sits, only for a blue magic to envelop his chair and tuck him in properly. He gives an unimpressed look to The Virtue of Knowledge, who quickly sticks his tongue out.
“Now, laid in front of you is a menu I have curated. Our favorite dishes from across all of our lands. Though before we dive into our meal…”
The Fount of Knowledge stood and raised his glass. “I would like to make a toast. While we have- hey wait.“ Starting with The Salt of Solidarity, the others at the table all began to stand with their glasses raised. “Why are you all standing? Usually it’s just the toastee.”
“Because we will never let one another stand alone,” Salt said unwaveringly, a gentleness in his eyes only visible when his helmet was removed and he was stealing a glance at one of his lovers.
Tears began to glisten in The Fount’s eyes. “Oh my. Well way to steal my thunder there, Salty.” The tears did not fall yet, but with each passing second he felt them begin to emerge. “While we have known each other for three centuries, we have only been together romantically for one year. And even after such a short period of time, I know I could not have chosen a better group of companions to spend the rest of my days with. Our shared purpose, to help Cookiekind, is what brought us together.”
He looked to his right and moved his glass to acknowledge the cookie there. “The Herald of Change, who inspires passion and the drive for all of us to grow into the best version of ourselves.” The Herald nods, and the heat in his eyes makes The Fount’s heart flutter. He continues to the next within the circle. “The Sugar of Happiness, our angel,” she blows a kiss to The Fount who can’t help but mime catching it. “Who helps all creatures find their happiness, no matter how big or small.”
“The Flour of Volition, who possesses an unwavering spirit of kindness and generosity, as she guides cookies towards enlightenment.” Usually stoic, she opens her eyes and he can see a gleam brighter than when she grants any wish. And finally, to the cookie on his left. “The Salt of Solidarity, a force strong enough to unite all of Cookiekind under one banner. A banner of Freedom.” Somehow, The Virtue stands even taller, even more beautiful in his splendor. His perfect partners, truly one of the best parts of his life.
“And what of you, Bluebird? What is your role?” The Bringer of Happiness can’t help but ask.
The other doesn’t even bother to look sheepish as he flips his hair and glances around the table. “Well obviously I’m the brains, the handsome leader, the-“
“The Fount of Knowledge, a guiding light for Cookiekind, and the heart that brought us all here,” The Salt of Solidarity says softly, and that is when the tears finally fall. The Fount is smiling the whole time as the tears dribble down his face, fall off of his chin, and plop into his champagne flute. A Milkcrown flower emerges from the drink, siphoning all the liquid to grow into one of the most beautiful blooms any of them had ever seen.
The scholar’s crying stops to stare down at the flower. “Fascinating, I’ve never seen- no wait, speech first.” They all laugh, and he narrows his eyes slightly as he clears his throat. “Ahem. Even though we are so different, our hearts beat as one. I don’t think I am alone in saying I truly feel blessed by The Witches for being brought into this world, where I have found four cookies I will love from now until the end of eternity.” He raises his glass once more. “Hear, hear!”
“Hear, hear!” They all say in unison. Funnily enough, The Fount of Knowledge is the only one who goes to drink from his glass, only to be knocked in the face with the largest Milkcrown flower he has ever grown from his tears.
“Oh, how embarrassing,” he says as he wipes his eyes along the sleeve of his robe.
He looks up to see the four most important cookies in his life crowding around him. “There is no need to be embarrassed, it is only us,” The Flour of Volition says as she gently takes the glass out of his hand, places it on the table, and laces their fingers together.
The laugh he emits is like small chimes, and all of his lovers can’t help but get lost in the sound. “You’re correct, this is still not nearly as embarrassing as when I accidentally revealed I had a school girl crush on all of you at the exact same time, shattering the previous record for my most embarrassing moment.”
The Flour of Volition scoffed, and let out, “Your confession beat the time you almost set the pagoda on fire because you sneezed on some incense?”
The Fount pulls his hands back to his chest at that and sputters out, “Wha-wha- that wasn’t even on the list! It was an accident!”
A large, muscular arm then wrapped around his shoulder. “Then it must have been when you accidentally insinuated my priestess would make an excellent side dish.” The Fount looks at the other’s blazing eyes and devilish grin, until he blushes so fiercely he needs to cover his face with his hands.
“That’s definitely in the top five…” While The Fount is being accosted by two of The Virtues, The Salt of Solidarity envelopes The Sugar of Happiness in his arms.
“I hope we stay like this forever,” she whispers out. Whether it was a wish to him, or their creators, or even the world at large he did not know. All Salt can do is nod in agreement, and put his best foot forward to maintain their sacred bond.
~Millenia Later~
Elder Faerie sat by the budding Guardian Tree trying to find the beauty imbued into the silver bark, and failing. His friend, The Salt of Solidarity, was at his wits end. The tree meant to act as a failsafe if The Virtues had truly forsaken their purpose was planted far too late. He can’t help but wonder, if his friend had not become entangled with the other Virtues - now Beasts - would the signs have been there sooner? Could they have began their mission well in advance and avoided Cookiekind’s fall at the hands of Destruction, Deceit, Sloth, and Apathy?
His thoughts were cut short when he heard the metal footfalls of The Salt of Solidarity. He turned, a gentle yet bitter-sweet smile on his face attempting to soothe the other’s fracturing heart, but the sight before him caused his expression to fall immediately. Armor that once gleamed as brightly as the future of Cookiekind, turned dark with jam and crumbs. A Soul Jam, devoid of almost all color and purpose. “What has happened?”
The knight slowly turned his head upward to meet the other’s gaze, and then looked towards the tree they had planted together. Silent as the death, the other approached the tree and placed a hand on it’s gleaming bark. “I have failed.” Elder Faerie held his tongue, and waited for the other to continue. “I failed to act before all of this could occur. My affections for those Beasts blinded me to the chaos they would create.” Pulling his hand away, a dark red splotch was left on the wood’s surface.
“I have failed my knights, who gave their lives to protect those ungrateful wretches. But I must admit, I have even failed the wretches by slaughtering them in boundless numbers.” The once Virtue of Solidarity turned to Elder Faerie, hands trembling with rage and voice thundering with vitriolic anger. “I have failed Cookiekind by not standing as its uniting force. I have failed-“
Elder Faerie gently placed a hand on the other’s arm. “You are not at fault.” He could tell the other wanted to rebut, to find one person to shoulder this burden, but he would not allow him to. “You did what you could, and they made their own decisions. Both The Beasts, and Cookiekind.” The Salt of Solidarity finally met his eyes, the light illuminating the sights of his helmet dimmed slightly. Just enough to see unshed tears glistening in his eyes. “The question is now, how can we make this right?”
The Salt of Solidarity placed a hand over Elder Faerie’s. “They are my burden, my cross to bear.”
Shocked, the other tried to cut in, “I will not let you do this alone-“
“You must. It is my fault the tree was not planted in time, and I must stop them before all of Cookiekind crumbles.” He moves his hands to the other’s shoulders. “I have a plan to restore order to all cookies, but it starts with me putting a stop to their madness. If I am unable to end this, then I am relying on you to be the last line of defense. Even if this plan does not work and I am reduced to crumbs by the ones I hold dear, it will beget enough time for The Silver Tree to reach its full potential.”
“Can I rely on you?”
The King of the Faerie’s withheld his objections, just as he withheld the tears he wanted to shed. “Always.”