She'd never see him as he saw her--an ordinary cookie, no matter how strong, compared little to an ancient hero destined to carry her legacy for eons.
That wouldn't stop Smoked Cheese Cookie from trying.
The last vagrants of his dreams carried humiliation. Shame, for losing, and hatred for the cookie before him, so proud and triumphant where he lied pathetic on the floor, having fought his hardest yet having it all equate to nothing. Even with Golden Cheese Cookie’s souljam, he only amounted to destroying all he knew before withering away.
Fear, of course, seized his heart. Dread—despair.
Regret.
Even if he refused to let his heart dwell on it. Not even the raging sands of the spice desert dared drag out the conflicting swirl of emotions hovering over his heart. It came as no surprise that Smoked Cheese Cookie had yet to process anything that happened over the past few hours— day , actually, even if it only felt that way from his perspective.
Even if, to Golden Cheese Cookie, that may as well have happened ages ago.
For ease of communication, Smoked Cheese Cookie pretended as well. Yet he never was one to hold back on his desires, etching through all those unsaid feelings—dumping them on strangers like Nutmeg Tiger Cookie before him and Golden Cheese Cookie returned to the kingdom for good.
The Kulfi’s provided excellent assistance in that regard. Not thinking about anything else, once Golden Cheese Cookie resolved herself to speak with all of the other heroes, Smoke Cheese Cookie started making plans of his own.
For all he knew, minutes lasted before Golden Cheese Cookie needed to put him back to sleep. But it’d be fine by him if he spent those precious minutes running his mouth to his heart’s content.
…It’d been a long time since he saw the kingdom so—decrepit. Empty. Once a beacon of life, now a void that hissed and swallowed whoever dared to lay eyes upon it, bringing them into a dream.
A dream of a better world.
When Smoked Cheese Cookie closed his eyes, he caught a glimpse of it still. Then a young cheesebird scurried past his feet, carrying a little parcel of cheese back from the mines, and he remembered what remained.
He brought himself back to reality. Back to the kingdom that still needed him.
With Golden Cheese Cookie off penning letters to the other heroes, warning allies to strengthen defenses and prepare themselves, the general of the Golden Cheese kingdom dedicated himself to living up to his name.
At the canyon, he held a vantage point of the kingdom’s exterior. Open, unguarded—it wouldn’t do.
Golden Cheese Cookie had yet to understand the depths of her new powers. Maybe she could use them to wake the cookies at last, but he didn’t want to depend on hypotheticals for his plans. For now, he’d sort the element of everyone’s revivals under the ‘in progress’ box and think about what he could change.
The mines connected to the kingdom—they’d long relied on the elements of the underground to protect them (discounting Burnt Cheese Cookie’s dogged—ha, he meant loyal service guarding the gates when he still could) but with the advent of these powerful cookies…
Could Smoked Cheese Cookie overlook the possibility of enemies drilling , digging through the sands to find them? Like fighting against gravity—though his queen knew how to fly, so even the assumption of impossibility seemed dangerous.
…A dome would do.
A sturdy dome built over the span of the kingdom. Yes, yes ! Now that the cheesebirds finished mining all the soulcheese, now they could excavate materials to construct a protective dome to seal away all entrances! Some birds could train to be guards, others, maybe designing traps—he noted that plan away.
The resource use would be immense, yes, and it’d eventually require the need of more hands. But surely, with Golden Cheese Cookie’s new—
…
Urgh.
He grimaced. There he went. Relying on her, when her priorities laid elsewhere. If she heard his thoughts, she’d be chastising him for letting his thoughts wander so far ahead—why focus on big projects and isolationist weapons when a new era faced them? Well, there was nothing isolationist about a little security, your Radiance , so let’s look at our threats practically and try to have a little, just a little more self awareness—
“You must be busy, taking in this wonderful sight!”
Smoked Cheese Cookie paused. Right. He hadn’t been truly discussing anything with Golden Cheese Cookie, but his thoughts had gone so far into planning he conjured up a version of her in his head to argue with.
And now the real thing, as if she sensed his agony, came over to deliver a smidgen more. What a delight.
He turned around and greeted her with his usual, put-on smile. “Come to return me to my slumber? At least give me a chance to take care of some errands, my queen.”
“What are you talking about?” Golden Cheese Cookie scoffed. “After surviving all that, you want to leave me behind already?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie sputtered and turned back around. “You know that’s not what I mean. Of course I’m thinking about Burning Spice—and whatever other threats are out there—and if possible, I’d like to get to work on some countermeasures.”
She laughed, joining his side…no, walking past him, closer to the edge of the cliff. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I think I’d like having someone around to bounce ideas off of—and maybe with my power going beyond what I thought possible, we may as well bring Mozzarella Cookie and Burnt Cheese Cookie back to join us!”
“Let’s not get too hasty,” he said, wincing at the thought of seeing those two again after their last encounter. Mozzarella cookie may just laugh everything off and join the pair in planning the kingdom’s future, but Smoked Cheese Cookie already sensed the burning, judgmental gaze of Burnt Cheese Cooke’s suspicion when holding his soul cheese—he wasn’t eager to bring that conflict to the forefront. “Before we start bringing back citizens willy-nilly, we’ll need to understand the capabilities of your new powers.”
A deep breath—he put a hand to his chest. “I admit, I’ve felt different since you’ve gained your new strength. Though my power still pales in comparison to before the Dark Flour War, with time and effort, you may be able to achieve feats beyond our wildest imaginations.”
“We do need larger coffers for all the gold, that’s true,” Golden Cheese Cookie said, Smoked Cheese Cookie unable to stop his groan from slipping out.
“Your Radiance,” he said, “how could you forget all the fortresses and imposing walls we need to construct first? Allies we may have, but even the closest allies can become the deadliest enemies.”
“Now now, there’s no need to hold them in such suspicion,” she said, laughter accompanying her words. “The Vanilla kingdom would surely implode before declaring war, and the Hollyberry and Dark Cacao kingdom are far down the list of our worries! We’re on good relations with many others.”
“…Whatever you say,” he replied, a slight hitch when he realized he’d dropped the formalities. “Hmph, well, if you plan on keeping me around, I’ll be keeping an eye on anything that threatens the kingdom during its rebuilding. Back on topic—”
Though Smoked Cheese Cookie seemed poised to return to the discussion of Golden Cheese Cookie’s new abilities, he paused. Though she replied with her usual sort of clueless cheer, a spark of something in her felt withheld. Missing from the recipe that made her who she was.
Surely, Mozzarella Cookie and Burnt Cheese Cookie would’ve noticed, too. But Smoked Cheese Cookie prided himself on being the one to actually bring up issues.
“Radiant Queen,” he said, formalities donned again…but. “No—Golden Cheese Cookie. Is everything sound?”
“Overcome with a spot of audacity yet again?” Golden Cheese Cookie said, though the way her wings drooped told him more than her words.
He dropped into a glare. “You resolved to speak to White Lily Cookie.”
Golden Cheese Cookie froze. Her moment of shock morphed into a pout, accompanied by crossing her arms and turning away from Smoked Cheese Cookie as if looking away from him would make the issue go away.
Of course, he refused to let it go so easily. “I won’t shower my queen in lectures about forgiveness . I share in your hesitance—trusting someone who endangered your treasures, and may be continuing to do so without our knowledge? I’d sooner see her crumble than let her step near the Golden Cheese Kingdom.”
Golden Cheese Cookie didn’t (refused to?) react. Smoked Cheese Cookie decided to continue anyways.
“If I were you, the queen of a once-glorious empire brought to its knees by a heinous cookie now crawling back for forgiveness, I’d show no mercy myself. I’d toss her aside—I’d make her understand what she took from me.
“But…
“I’m not you.”
He coughed, and looked away from her back. “I couldn’t be. No one else has the power and greed to hold onto what they treasure—none compare to you. Even if Your Radiance may be thoughtless and reckless, you never look away from your obsessions. For better or worse.”
Golden Cheese Cookie snorted. The first sound she’d made in a while, followed by: “I truly cannot tell if this is an ill-thought attempt to cheer me up or to denigrate me yet again. And I thought you’d improved after our little adventure.”
“Hey! You—” Smoked Cheese Cookie whipped around, but grabbed for his headwear to shield his face before she saw him.
Of course he felt the dreaded flush on his face. Of course he’d never let her see it.
Golden Cheese Cookie grinned, triumphant. “Hmph. Feeling sheepish, now? Ah, I’m quite glad to be my reckless , thoughtless self, because this self of mine managed to acquire the soul jam and build this wonderful kingdom.”
With a flourish of her spear, she pointed towards the sun. “And this self of mine won’t shy away from a conversation! Yes, I harbor resentment towards White Lily Cookie. Yes , seeing her…”
She looked to her hands. “…it reminds me of when all my beloved treasures turned into nothing more than grains of sand. Falling from my grip, no matter how hard I held on. But even so—if I continue to cower from changing myself, then I am no better than Burning Spice Cookie.”
Smoked Cheese Cookie showed his face once more, composure regained.
“The world changed, but he didn’t,” Golden Cheese Cookie said. “He refused to. I will not. I must not. And, for as long as you stay by my side…”
She held a hand out.
A hand towards Smoked Cheese Cookie.
Face steeled into cool neutrality, he took it.
“I would like it if you reminded me of that again—if I were to forget,” she said.
Smoked Cheese Cookie winced. Without the attempted coup went unsaid, but he picked up the weight of her words well enough to gather that meaning alongside it. “For this kingdom, My Radiance would do best for her subjects if she were to always seek inner change.”
“And this kingdom’s at its best when those I trust are there to bolster it,” she said. “Back to the matter of my new powers—”
She flexed her wings, spreading them out before she grabbed Smoked Cheese Cookie and took off into the skies. His eyes shot open, a shock he chalked up to all the rest making him forget the sensation of being carried into open air.
“How about we begin with some tests?” she continued. “You mentioned fortresses and walls—if you will, how about we go ahead and construct some in our most vulnerable areas? You choose the location, and I’ll craft as you see fit.”
“…I’m glad to hear you’re seeing reason, my queen,” he said, wincing from the hot breeze spat against his face. The sun provided no relief, either, but at least his position protected him from the brunt of it.
The queen looked her best taking the radiance of the sun as her own, anyways.
“Do remember who has the wings,” Golden Cheese said, and for a second he considered the possibility of her dropping him. He cleared his throat, shoving away whatever unwarranted remarks still hid there before he spoke again.
“Of course,” he said, “And what golden wings they are.”
“Urk—urgh…”
Smoked Cheese Cookie may have confessed his fear of big crowds to Golden Cheese Cookie, but he refused to let that humiliating aspect of his character be known to either Mozzarella Cookie or Burnt Cheese Cookie. Regardless, nausea clawed at his throat. He needed a break from this procession or he’d crumble from stress.
Ever since Golden Cheese Cookie managed to grow beyond her limits, she’s been testing keeping a larger group of cookies awake week after week. For a while, only the two of them and the cheesebirds occupied the kingdom, and though he’d never admit it, Smoked Cheese Cookie had been content with that arrangement. Happy, if anything. Happy working with her to design new kingdom security measures and to teach the cheesebirds to build traps and fight as much as capable, happy to converse with her day after day…
…Well, converse sometimes, argue other times.
When she decided to wake Mozzarella Cookie, he accepted it. As much as he wanted to resent her for tricking him, he knew she acted right given the circumstances. But he’d still be a little petty about it. In secret.
It came with no question Burnt Cheese Cookie needed to awaken too. As soon as she crafted a proper gate on the surface (a small one, to welcome those who knew the location yet not so big as to attract attention), he stationed himself there, training the cheesebirds on defensive tactics better than Smoked Cheese Cookie ever could.
From there, the size of their tiny menagerie ballooned. Only for a moment did the kingdom content itself with a small size—when Golden Cheese Cookie led the charge while Mozzarella Cookie and Smoked Cheese Cookie found their niches, their little crevice to hunker in on and work to build the foundations upon which a glorious kingdom would rise.
Rise, and be seen by all.
It’d grow again, Smoked Cheese Cookie knew. He only hoped the rise would be slower, but he bore a fool’s hope in that regard. Now with dozens of citizens revived and celebrating in the streets of their rebuilt homes, he took the first opportunity to break from the celebration and hide behind a nearby building.
One breath. Two, three—the ache in his chest eased, though he stayed in the shadows anyways. The golden glean of the buildings hurt his eyes on top of the stress.
“What business do you have here?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie jolted and turned around. Burnt Cheese Cookie stared at him in silence, until he coughed and deigned to answer.
“I’m fine,” he said, “Perfectly fine. What are you doing?”
“…” Silence. Smoked Cheese Cookie stared back, then tensed and backed away, just as Burnt Cheese Cookie reached out towards him.
“What do you think you’re—” Smoked Cheese Cookie snapped, but Burnt Cheese Cookie couldn’t be stopped so easily.
He stepped forward and grabbed Smoked Cheese Cookie’s hand once more, grasping his hand for a few moments before he let go. “Your dough’s temperature is normal,” he said, then nodded. “Good. Pandemics threaten the safety of our citizens. Next time, try to be forward regarding your health.”
“…That’s what made you so persistent?” Smoked Cheese Cookie sighed, then laughed. “And here I thought you suspected me of another ‘incident’.”
“You accompanied our queen in her darkest moment,” Burnt Cheese Cookie said, hint of envy evident that he failed to conceal. “I have no reason to suspect you of anything—unless you want to offer one now.”
“I’m sure that’d be convenient to our guard,” he said, “but today’s a day for celebration, not for doubt…”
Smoked Cheese Cookie smiled. “Little pup.”
It took a bit for the nickname to register, but when it did, Burnt Cheese Cookie gaped at him, then stepped back as though hit. A tiny flush snuck onto his face. “I thought you moved on from that nickname,” Burnt Cheese Cookie said. Smoked Cheese Cookie laughed.
“Now, I have,” he said.
Ah, the memories. Though he and Mozzarella Cookie baked around similar times, left to traverse the desert in their young years until they encountered the legendary hero, Golden Cheese Cookie found Burnt Cheese Cookie when his stature reached just above the tiniest globs of infant dough. A silent, curious child, he often clung to Golden Cheese Cookie’s side, playing guard for her in silent loyalty.
Even as a young child, he knew. He owed everything to her.
They all did.
The night air, dry and arid as it felt, weighed with the taste of loneliness whenever Smoked Cheese Cookie took a breath. Only in the Golden Cheese Kingdom did he manage to escape it. Maybe for now, maybe forever.
Until he found the answer, he’d keep reminding Burnt Cheese Cookie of those little vulnerable moments, to remind him who had seniority around here—
“Hey, what’re you two up to? Starting the after party without me? No fair!”
Hm. Of course.
Burnt Cheese Cookie nodded towards Mozzarella Cookie in acknowledgment. “No after party here,” Smoked Cheese Cookie said, face of neutrality donned as his weapon of war, “I felt ill from the heat, so I went to take a rest break here—Burnt Cheese Cookie stopped to check on me. Nothing more.”
Mozzarella Cookie hummed, processing the answer before her smile dropped. “Oooooh, okay! I just wanted to come get you guys—a terrible villain came along and hurt Golden Cheese Cookie. We need back-up, immediately.”
“What!?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie and Burnt Cheese Cookie cried out, similar looks of shock on their face. Mozzarella’s cat-like grin returned at one in particular.
She pointed at Smoked Cheese Cookie’s face. “Yep, there it is. Sorry for the lie—but a lie for a lie’s okay if no one’s harmed, right?”
“What—what do you mean?” Smoked Cheese Cookie gaped, rage boiling in his voice.
“The way you looked when you thought someone harmed our queen is the same one you had when you ran away,” Mozzarella Cookie said. “I knew you weren’t sick back then, either. Not a fan of big parties after all?”
“I—you—that’s none of your business,” he snapped. “Lying to us about the safety of the queen, and now making up stories about what makes me uncomfortable? What kind of a general is afraid of a gathering?”
Mozzarella Cookie squeezed her eyes shut. “Aw, sorry,” she said, “but I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s fine to get overwhelmed, and there’s no shame in running off sometimes.”
She winked. “I mean, I used to spend all my time either playing games or hiding in a tower. Can I really judge?”
“Hmph.” Smoked Cheese Cookie refused to meet her eyes. Refused to admit even the tiniest bit of weakness, even if he knew Mozzarella Cookie spoke with no judgment. She had no reason to—but still. Still!
He needed to make it even. His pride allowed nothing less.
How about… “And how did your game go with Cheddar Cheese Cookie?”
Mozzarella Cookie blinked. “Oh, fine! She did amazing—but anyways, Burnt Cheese Cookie, I really wanted to ask you—”
“That strategy she used in the final few rounds proved quite exceptional—even after all those games, you didn’t even put a dent of a threat in her win streak,” Smoked Cheese Cookie continued.
“That’s not…” Mozzarella Cookie began, then paused.
“A shame, really,” he added at the end—and to that, she laughed.
“Aw, you’re giving it your best shot,” she said, idly ringing her bell as she spoke. “I mean, I didn’t want to tell anyone this, but I let Cheddar Cheese Cookie win. She has amazing potential! Who am I to squash that over a petty entitlement to victory?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie grimaced. Despite his best efforts, Mozzarella Cookie maintained her poker face, bringing the final score to Mozzarella Cookie: Too many to count, and Smoked Cheese Cookie: zero.
Until—
“I’m glad,” Burnt Cheese Cookie said, plain-faced as always, “Though I thought I overhead you telling Golden Cheese Cookie about how she ‘probably smuggled extra pieces from her pockets’, it’s good to know you sorted everything out. If someone cheated, I’d need to intervene.”
“…” Mozzarella Cookie’s smile dropped. A smug grin returned to Smoked Cheese Cookie, who let out a deep, gleeful laugh.
“False accusations of cheating all because you lost?” he said. “How unbecoming of our security adviser, isn’t it? Such a serious offense must be learned from, don’t you agree?”
“…Hey, Smoked Cheese Cookie…?”
“Yes?” His grin stayed strong—up until he registered the complete lack of emotion on Mozzarella Cookie’s, and dread pooled in his stomach. She stepped close—closer, still, until Burnt Cheese Cookie jumped between then.
“I brought it up first,” he said, “so direct your frustration at me.”
“There’s no need for that, you—!” Smoked Cheese Cookie snapped. He caught Burnt Cheese Cookie’s attention just for long enough that Mozzarella Cookie managed to get around the guard and get to Smoked Cheese Cookie. She raised her bell, and with one fell swoop…
Bonked him on the head. His headpiece tilted ajar, and he fixed it back into place as she laughed.
“You might want to watch your words a little better,” she said, carefree smile back. “You never know, right? If we weren’t celebrating, I might’ve not been in such a great mood.”
“Yh—yes, of course,” Smoked Cheese Cookie said, stuttering despite his best efforts to keep composure. “My apologies.”
He righted himself, placed upon his nervous form the image he always tried to project. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t hide the truth: Mozzarella Cookie won this round. He should’ve known—best not to mess with her.
The squabble came to an end with the sound of capricious laughter, the kind that only belonged to a certain golden goddess. “My, my, am I missing out on all the fun? What’re you three doing, hiding out here?”
“My queen—why are you here?” Smoked Cheese Cookie spoke up first, his somewhat-faux-veneration on full display. Burnt Cheese Cookie slammed the tip of his staff to the ground as he bowed his head, all the while Mozzarella Cookie waved.
“You didn’t miss much,” she said. “We’re just talking. Wanna join us?”
“Preferably with a change in topic,” Burnt Cheese Cookie added, drumming his cookie hand against his staff. Mozzarella Cookie giggled.
“Oh? Hmhm, keep your secrets, if that’s your heart’s desire.” Golden Cheese Cookie stretched her wings as she made her way to the side of her most loyal three. “Isn’t it exciting? Day by day, the city grows! Though I may not be able to provide all the wonderful miracles of the Golden City crafted in digital space, seeing everyone excited to grow and change with the world around them…”
Golden Cheese Cookie smiled. “Those feelings are far more important than all the gifts I showered them in. Ah, not to say that the gifts were meaningless! I do plan on restoring our kingdom to all the glory it used to have and more.”
“Before we worry about the city planning that requires,” Smoked Cheese Cookie said, nightmares of backed-up traffic already haunting him at the mention of the digital city, “we still have a lot of work to do if we’re to make a city that can live in prosperity against any threat.”
“Right~!” Mozzarella cookie raised a hand. “I’ll get that draft for the expanded city district done by tomorrow night. “We’ve done an okay job so far, but we’ve prioritized fitting in as many cookies as possible. We need to think about building places everyone can enjoy outside of the house.”
Smoked Cheese Cookie coughed. “We had no lack of those before,” he said. “But I’d imagine you’d call it boring if we merely rebuilt what we used to have.”
“Mmmmmh, I wouldn’t say that,” she said, “but I think it’d be more interesting to add a few extra ingredients over using the same recipe over and over again, don’t you think?”
“So you wouldn’t say that,” he said, “but you think it boring regardless?”
“Hey! Your Majesty, don’t you agree?”
“I’m not against it, but—hm?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie began to muster a response, but it died before it barely began. Mozzarella Cookie waited for Golden Cheese Cookie to respond, but when it never came, Smoked Cheese Cookie looked over.
In the silence, the three cookies watched as their beloved queen teared up. With a wail, a cry loud enough that surely the cookies who partied only a building’s width away heard, she lunged forward and pulled them into her arms, her wings folding around them as a shield against anyone who’d try to take her treasures away again.
“You…you three…”
“To see you all glittering—shining as brightly as before—it makes my heart sing! It allows my spirit to soar! Thank you…thank you all for still being here. All of you, and every cookie in this kingdom!”
“Yh, Your Radiance!” Smoked Cheese Cookie called out, fell silent, and turned away. That annoying warmth returned, a special kind felt with no one else and nowhere else other than Golden Cheese Cookie’s side.
How troublesome.
“Things’ve changed between you two?”
After their little moment, the cookies returned to the festivities (with the exception of Burnt Cheese Cookie, who departed early to continue his guard duty). As the energy died down, Smoked Cheese Cookie and Mozzarella Cookie set about cleaning up the streets into the morning, a duty neither minded taking on.
Until Mozzarella Cookie spoke up, and Smoked Cheese Cookie paused in his scrubbing of a particularly odd stain to scoff.
“Not significantly,” he said. “Events that risk life and limb have a habit of causing some change, though to say things have been exceedingly different between us would be an exaggeration.”
“Not like that, hehe.” Mozzarella Cookie laughed, cleaning off some unknown substance from the doorstep of someone’s house. “Like…”
Mozzarella Cookie paused. “Am I going to say this…?”
“Say what?” Smoked Cheese Cookie said—and at that, she turned around and threw her sponge in his direction. He spun out of the way in time, aghast. “And what was that for!?”
“Obviously,” Mozzarella Cookie said, “I’m jealous! I don’t know if I can stand looking at you.”
Smoked Cheese Cookie almost let loose a snide response. The glint of unbridled envy in Mozzarella Cookie’s eyes gave him pause, though. He’d seen her angry. He’d seen her petty, too. He’d seen a lot of her that she never, ever let stranger see. But he’d never seen this side of her. That alone gave him reason to pause, pause and hear her words.
She turned away.
“You got to be there for her when she needed it most,” she said. “You saw her spread her wings and soar beyond what any of us thought possible. That’s an amazing experience—it’d change any of us.
“But you’re the one that earned that experience.”
Mozzarella Cookie laughed, though it lacked her usual playful joy. Drained of life, brimmed with the bitterness of rotten cheese. “I followed Her Majesty because I thought it’d be fun. But I didn’t think…well. You know how she is. There’s no one more fun than Golden Cheese Cookie—even when she refuses to face the world, refuses to change, she can’t help but draw interesting happenings to her.”
“As long as I stay by her side, I’m never bored! I want to stay there for as long as I can—I want to be one of her most glittering jewels.”
“…You feel as if I’ve robbed you of that?” Smoked Cheese Cookie said. “I never knew you held such feelings towards Her Radiance. Though I don’t know why you’re so envious of me. There’s no difference between us.”
“Soooo, you admit you care about her like I do?” Mozzarella Cheese Cookie said. Smoked Cheese Cookie’s mouth fell open—his heart froze. He would’ve turned stale from shock if possible.
Mozzarella Cookie laughed, though the deep flush on her face betrayed embarrassment. “You don’t have to hide it. If I can admit it, so can you! Our queen’s a special sort, isn’t she? We’re lucky to be around her.
“And…you’re lucky to be in a special position with her. Don’t waste it, or I may snatch that spot from you before long, hehe.”
“—I. I see.”
He uttered out only a tepid response before he turned to his work, same as Mozzarella Cookie. Despite her attempt to keep up her usual demeanor, she kept her thoughts to herself for the rest of the morning, a tremble to her efforts from then on.
Envy burned so. It ate at your yeast and clawed into every bit of sugar baked into you. Ever since Mozzarella Cookie learned how Smoked Cheese Cookie stayed by Golden Cheese Cookie’s side at her worst moment, she’d been unable to look at him without that voice in the back of her head.
That reminder, that she lost her chance.
Assuming that chance existed at all—for either of them. Maybe now that he’s realized, he’ll take that chance and find out, for both their sakes.
Even then, if he were to become Golden Cheese Cookie’s most precious jewel instead of her, Mozzarella Cookie knew she’d have to enact some kind of payback. After everything, he deserved a little bit of humbling. Just a smidgen.
A special position.
A special present.
A special place—a special jewel.
Did Smoked Cheese Cookie hold such a place in Golden Cheese Cookie’s heart? She called them all her precious treasures, and of them all, three cookies held a position above the rest. He knew well how deeply she cared for all of them.
And he remembered the reason he arrived by her side.
The story of Smoked Cheese Cookie started with the kind of common devastation you’d see anywhere, any place. As a child, he grew up in a small settlement alongside a dying oasis—about the only place a home like his could blossom. Rather than preserve the resources left so younger generations had a chance to live somewhat normal lives, older folk let their greed consume their love as they fought over food, water, every speck of green until it all withered under the weight of desire.
A home with no love for its citizens. Smoked Cheese Cookie detested it so. He never saw his home die out—he abandoned it as soon as he found the courage to leave. He grasped his talents young enough to give himself a position of importance among the other cookies, controlling and turning around monsters and bandits who dared to threaten the weak.
Sometimes, he thought to return. Though he knew now he’d be lucky if he found crumbs to tell the end of their tale.
Did he regret it? Though many terrible folk lived there, squeezing the life out of their dying home, surely Smoked Cheese Cookie’s departure meant that many innocent, defenseless folk were left to fend for themselves against the threats of the desert.
Still—how could anyone stay?
If I led a nation, he always wondered, I’d make it so the strength of the country and its citizens alike reigned supreme.
A country mattered more than its most powerful. He decided on that steadfast ideal and refused to let go, letting his greed grow with his lofty dreams.
Still, striking out on his own proved difficult. All the strength in the world did little to defend one from the harsh elements of the desert. When he met Golden Cheese Cookie, accompanied by a little cookie with a face shrouded by headwear, he chose to travel with her due to her ideals and vision—not for the cookie herself.
“And what makes you so different from another common bandit?” Smoked Cheese Cookie snapped, staff brandished as he glared at the nonchalant future queen. “Why should I trust you?”
“Oho, what’s with the stern look?” Golden Cheese Cookie laughed, a much more ornate weapon grasped and brandished at her side; while Smoked Cheese Cookie stayed alert, she appeared relaxed, as though she knew the other cookie stood no chance against her.
Of course she knew what he was capable of, before he even did.
“I’ve met plenty of untrustworthy folk in this region,” he said. “Many who covet treasures and gold beyond anyone’s wild dream. Many who’d take from the mouths of the dying and distraught to increase their share.”
He took a breath. “I’m going to ask you again: what makes you so different?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie’s gaze traveled to the gem embedded in her forehead, to the wings hung around her shoulders. Golden Cheese Cookie earned her name through sheer presence. Compared to her, Smoked Cheese Cookie seemed more the vagrant than she’d ever be, as radiant as she would be forevermore.
“Perhaps there’s only one way to find out,” she said, weapon raised as she faced him with a confident grin. “What say you?”
“I say—” Smoked Cheese Cookie began, pointing his staff, as on cue scorpions and snakes crawled out from the parmesan sands, hissing and brandishing their natural fangs and pointers at his command. “Good luck to you, golden bandit.”
Naturally, he and the monsters who traveled with him suffered a sound beating, second only to the one he endured at the hands of GingerBrave and company. His monsters slain and covered in cracks, he fell to his knees.
He expected to die there.
Then she raised her weapon, and as a wave of relief washed over him, his cracks mended, he realized that maybe some people offered generosity in these—
“Well, now that I’ve shown I’m not someone to call a bandit, I believe you owe me for the mercy I’ve given you,” she said, haughty smile displayed over him as her trophy. “You’re coming with me. Your combat prowess is a cut above the rest,” she paused to gesture to the tiny cracks he managed to inflict on her, “and you’ll flourish well as one of my treasures.”
“One of—what? Your what?” Smoked Cheese Cookie sputtered as Golden Cheese Cookie snatched his hand and yanked him back to his feet.
“One of my treasures!” she said, as though it explained everything. “This part of Earthbread brims with gold and potential. If I want to build a foundation for my riches, though, I’ll need citizens to rule over and help establish our civilization. So unless you have a home to turn back to, I suggest coming with me! A palace sounds much better than whatever dredges you’ll find looking for patches of greenery, doesn’t it?”
Smoked Cheese Cookie glanced at the tiny cookie who accompanied this self-proclaimed golden goddess. Underneath the brim of his headwear, Smoked Cheese Cookie caught a dull gaze—almost like a glare pointed at himself.
“And that is…?” Smoked Cheese Cookie said, to which Golden Cheese Cookie laughed.
“Don’t look at me so! I happened to find him,” she patted the young cookie’s head, who clung to her garbs as though she’d turn around and leave if he let go, “abandoned near a collapsed cheese mine. I don’t know what monsters would abandon a child in need, but if no one else returned to claim him, naturally it fell to me.”
Did she have a habit of nabbing strangers?, Smoked Cheese Cookie wondered. “I see. Fine, then. I won’t make any promises, but it’ll be easier to make it to hospitable land in a group. I’ll stay with you—for now.”
Forever.
Since that day, he and Burnt Cheese Cookie changed. When Mozzarella Cookie joined them, she changed too. All three of them changed and morphed, for better for worse for everything in-between.
Yet Golden Cheese Cookie stayed as she was. Yearning for more. Searching for everything her heart desired.
He should have known the outcome before he asked. Yet to live is to hope—and to love is to try.
As the other heroes struggled preparing for Dark Enchantress Cookie and the appearance of the other Beast Cookies, the Golden Cheese Kingdom grew, pumped full of new lives with each passing day. Within the palace built all for her, Golden Cheese Cookie continued to harness her power, pushing her limits each day to wake more of her subjects, to restore the strength of those already awoken.
Smoked Cheese Cookie found her in a large, empty room, eyes squeezed shut. He cleared his throat.
“Your Radiance,” he said, “I need to have a word with you.”
Her eyes shot open, and she turned around. “What is it this time?”
He paused—her words carried an impatient air about them, likely irritation from having been interrupted while she focused on her power. Too bad, he thought, we have more to concern ourselves with.
“We’ve suffered frequent monster attacks on the southern border—I’ve done my best to repel them, of course, but the consistency of these incidents can no longer go unnoticed. We need to head over immediately and have you build a sturdier wall so that I can focus my efforts on more pressing matters.”
“Oh.” She tilted her head to the side. “Is that all? Easy. We’ll go clear it up right now.”
Smoked Cheese Cookie nodded. As she flitted towards the door, though, she passed him by, and he didn’t follow.
She turned to ask: “Is something the matter?” Only then she noticed he’d turned away from her.
“Do you…” He paused, sighed, and continued. “No, that’s not right—what I meant to say, my queen, is…”
Another grumble. Another sigh. Golden Cheese Cookie crossed her arms. “Spit it out, already! This matter seems urgent enough without your grumbling to hold us back.”
“I’m getting to it, you—!” Smoked Cheese Cookie turned around and snapped, glare crossing his face before he squeezed his eyes shut. “…Golden Cheese Cookie.”
“Yes?” she said, unable to hide her impatience.
“…You always call us—everyone in this kingdom—your precious treasures. Don’t you, Your Radiance?”
‘Now what is with this silly question?’, she thought. Nevertheless, she’d entertain him. “Indeed I do. Is there some big important reason that you question this?”
“I don’t question your intent,” he said, adjusting his headwear. “No—what I mean to say—is…”
“How—precious. How important…is each cookie to you? Take, for example, only a hypothetical…someone like me.”
Golden Cheese Cookie paused. Though she dwelled on the meaning for his hesitance, unable to decipher why this subject had him fidget so when she’d stated it time and time again, her answer came with ease: “You, Mozzarella Cookie, and Burnt Cheese Cookie were the first ones to believe I’d become the Golden Goddess I am today.”
She went back to his side, and in a swoop, wrapped her wing around him. “You three are my most precious treasures, above the rest—though don’t let that get to your head. You’re all important to me, my glittering jewels in our wonderful oasis!”
“I..
“Of course. I see.”
Golden Cheese Cookie frowned. Smoked Cheese Cookie spoke to her in exasperation, anger, or in pride. Only rarely did he show any true affection or encouragement. Even rarer still—disappointment.
He may think her empty-headed, but she noticed these things. Why wouldn’t she? Yet before she thought to question it, he laughed.
“Yes, it makes perfect sense,” he said. “We should go now. For all we know, there could be monsters rampaging on civilian streets once more.”
“I suppose,” she said, yet she refused to move. “But I don’t mind staying like this for a bit longer.”
“You…don’t?”
“Of course not. Trying new things may be the key I need to unlock the potential of the Soul Jam.” She curled her wings in closer. “Unless you must rush off and assume your duties as soon as possible. Besides, I will need a moment to build the perfect defenses for that area in my mind.”
“Right—fine, if you must. We really should hurry…” He trailed off. “But think it through. I won’t accept a rushed defense because you had irrelevant matters on your mind.”
“You’re developing quite the tendency to drop those formalities, Smoked Cheese Cookie. Do watch your words. You may be precious to me, but in the end, I’m still your queen.”
“…Of course, Your Radiance. Honestly, I’m surprised you even noticed. I thought you’d gotten used to my defiance by now.”
“And I thought you said you’d learned your lesson, but perhaps it hasn’t quite sunk in yet!”
When cookies of the Golden Cheese Kingdom saw Golden Cheese Cookie’s wings from afar, many came to the assumption that they burned with the blaze of the gold that made up her dough. Impossible to touch, to be imposing but not reachable. But Smoked Cheese Cookie received the gift of knowing otherwise.
He’d accept that consolation, if nothing else.