Chapter Text
After lots and lots of violent battles, broken limbs and crumbles left behind, the battered cookies were finally in front of the dining room of the Vanilla Castle.
GingerBrave took a moment to catch his breath, his hand reached to the door that lead to the dining room. Everyone was beaten up, tired: GingerBrave had an open wound on his arm, Chili Pepper’s hand was covered in jam from a bite, Healer Cookie was heavily leaning on his staff…
Custard Cookie III was in a good shape, though. Thanks to his position, he was never in direct line of danger like his dear subjects were. That way he could concentrate on shielding, healing and fixing his friends like a good king should! He always did his job well, making sure everyone’s dough stays in one piece. But there are times even kings can not protect everyone… like this time. He didn’t know what had went wrong, it should’ve been easier to protect them with his newest aid Healer Cookie there to help him! Just- he wasn’t a good healer yet, though he could remember his father calling him the best of his age. Even though there was a long road for him, he certainly would be a legendary healer like his descendant, Pure Vanilla Cookie… and once he was like him, he’d make sure no cookie gets hurt!
Nevertheless, it felt bad to be in a good condition when his friends were barely on their feet. And neither of the healers had enough energy to heal everyone, which meant they would face whatever the dining room awaited for them in their current shape.
He snapped out of his thoughts when GingerBrave opened the creaky door.
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“So you are Pure Vanilla Cookie!?”
GingerBrave said in awe, forgetting all his pain for a moment.
Healer Cookie- no, ACTUALLY Pure Vanilla Cookie, smiled like sun was beaming on him. “It seems so, my friends. It has been a long time since the… fall of my kingdom.”
Custard Cookie III stood at the side as his friends chattered with the healer.
Pure Vanilla Cookie. He was his descendant. Custard was his heir.
He had found someone from his long lost family! Since he arrived at Vanilla Kingdom, he was searching for familiar faces celebrating his return to the kingdom he was the heir of, even though the place was abandoned. And now- it turns out that the other healer was the ruler of this ghost kingdom, and his family! He should be happy, right? Then why did he feel… uneasy inside?
His hands clenched at his candy staff, staring at Pure Vanilla’s long blonde hair that resembled his custard curls. Pure Vanilla Cookie in dough- The legendary healer. Mighty leader. The Hero, the Ancient…
He was the best healer on the EarthBread. And he was with them.
He heard Strawberry Cookie laugh. Custard suddenly felt like he was being watched- why was Pure Vanilla staring at him? He was blind, so it was a dumb thought.
As he dazed off thinking about his old family, he hadn’t noticed someone was approaching him. Wizard Cookie stood beside him. He had walked away from the conversation with Pure Vanilla Cookie- which was *weird*, because normally Wizard would give his staff to meet the Ancients. Whatever he was going to say, it wasn’t going to be good. Custard found himself ignoring him innocently- suddenly the ground was very very interesting!
“Custard.” Wizard’s know-it-all know-it-all tone was harsher. Witches.
“…Wizard? What’s wrong?”
Wizard Cookie sighed. He looked irritated, and he was scary when he was irritated. Custard Cookie III tensed at that.
“I just wanted to warn you. You- you’re too *naive*, like what was your attitude at the dining room? You nearly fell for *Dark Enchantress Cookie’s words!* Were you actually going to sit on that table?” He tsched(???how the hell do I say that). “You need to grow up a little. This isn’t a game anymore. We aren’t chasing the cake hound, Custard.”
Custard felt jam rush to his cheeks. Wizard was right, as always. Custard was walking right into the trap if his friends weren’t there… He had nearly trusted that villain! That was certainly not thing a king would do. A king would lead his dear servants.
A trusted king would be a good example.
As Wizard went back to talk with his role model, Custard was once again left alone with his thoughts.
He rested his back to the yellow checkered wall and slid down. The calming halls of the castle felt like they were crumbling on him. He puffed his cheeks, closed his eyes to shut the image out. He was a king! He was promised the throne, the crown! Then why was he still so, so naive? Why couldn’t he grow up? Why couldn’t he be like GingerBrave, who led them without fear for this whole time, or like Strawberry Cookie, who was shy but caring, or like Wizard Cookie, who had a knowledge of a library… and they were all just only a few years older than him.
He had to grow up. He couldn’t be a king like this. He didn’t *deserve* to lead. To think…
His subjects never acknowledged him as a king, did they? No, that couldn’t be- they were the only people he had, and-
He could only remember them laughing and ignoring. Calling him selfish and spoiled. *His* people.
What was a king without his people?
Nothing.
He was not a king.
The truth hit him like a wave of water. He had never *really* been a king- all he did was play-pretending he ruled over their Cookie Kingdom, pretending he didn’t hear when GingerBrave informed people that Cookie Kingdom lead itself. He just pretended he didn’t hear GingerBrave. It was a *kingdom* after all, and he was a king! It was all a lie. He had never been a king and never would. He wasn’t even a good healer- he couldn’t keep his friends safe and now Pure Vanilla Cookie was with them and they didn’t need him anymore-
They didn’t need him anymore.
The child took a deep breath. Everything would be fine, like his father used to say. Everyone loved him, even if they didn’t need the healer anymore. How was he not lovable when he would be the best king on the Earthbread? He stared at the hall around. Yellow and white checkered walls covering the palace and him from the great dangers lurking outside, as his father said. Dangers like liars, bullies, or monsters that could hide under his bed. His father had never mentioned cookies that wanted to destroy the Earthbread. Well, even if the king had warned him about that, the naughty boy would’ve never listen him. He knows he hasn’t even listened his words words about the liars. That’s why he’s…
He doesn’t want to remember.