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... Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you ...
Cacao sighed, a puff of steam appearing in front of his mouth. This day would be the end of him.
The King's deep grape eyes looked over the Cacao Kingdom. From his position atop the wall, he could see the Citadel as well as every single building and statue inside of the walls.
And the main piazza too ...
He blinked quickly, not enjoying the burn of tears behind his eyes.
The piazza was in quite an unusual state. Bustling with life, music, tasty food and bright colours.
Valentine's Day was slowly coming to an end, the darkness of the night had come long ago. But that didn't deter the Cacaoians from enjoying the late evening to the fullest.
Different cookies danced, they sang, kissed, and smiled together as they shared chocolate hearts and jellies. Roses, plushies and little gifts for lovers could be bought anywhere. Music was being played so loudly that the lonely King could hear it even from his position.
... Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you? ...
Cacao gritted his teeth. Love, love, love it's everywhere. He could barely stand seeing all the cookies show their affection so openly. He envied it. He-
He stopped when the sound of crumpling reached his ears.
As if touched by fire he flinched and opened his palm.
There lay a little origami lotus flower. It's paper delicate and pink in colour. It's edges a bit wonky.
Cacaco checked the flower over and sighed in relief when no damage was visible.
"Hmm ... you're still not perfect ... I bet that he would be able to refold you properly with no trouble ..."
'But ... he never would,' Cacao thought, deciding against speaking as a colder breeze passed around him '... No matter how ugly and imperfect my folding was he always loved it ...'
In an instant, the feeling of tears welling up behind his eyes returned. He closed them. Even when alone, crying made him feel weak.
There was a soft feeling of tender lips kissing his wet cheek. He sobbed but even through his stuffy nose he could smell the sweet scent of the cookie's lipstick. I was comforting and quickly lulled him back to sleep. This time the nightmare didn't return.
The King brought his cold hand up to his eyes and forehead. He felt an oncoming headache.
... Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be ...
"It ... It was never meant to-"
Cacao quickly turned around. He breathed deeply and steadily as he walked to the other side of the wall. The wind there was a little bit colder, and there were no bright colours and happy cookies that could assault his tired eyes. Only the darkness of a snow-covered forest and the distant horizon, decorated with high mountain peaks. He'd just go back to his quarters and rest, if not for the fact that he knew he would not be able to fall asleep.
He opened his eyes to look at the world outside of the Kingdom.
He listened in to the howling of the wind. He looked up at the sky, covered with clouds so thick that he couldn't see a single star through them. He let his rough fingers slide alongside the paper lotus' petals. He searched for anything that could distract him from his aching heart.
There-
He perked up when a distraction came to him itself.
There was a shadow moving in between the trees.
It couldn't be a trader since they weren't using the main road. It couldn't be a watcher, they were too unsure of their moves.
Perhaps an enemy? A spy?
Cacao felt pathetic but he had to admit that for once he actually wanted someone to attack. Just this once. Just so he could fight them and let all of his pain out.
The shadow emerged from in between the trees carefully.
It took one step. Then two. Then it began slowly walking forward, towards the wall.
'They're small, but an enemy is an enemy, and a fight is a fight' Cacao thought. He didn't complain, even if he wouldn't be able to use all of his might to fight.
He took a deep breath, steeling himself as the cookie kneeled down and placed something in the snow.
'Any second now, any s-' The breath caught in his throat.
Two pale coffee eyes stared up at him. Wide, but oh so, so tired and sad.
His own eyes widened in disbelief.
... Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you ...
It couldn't be.
But it was .
The two cookies gazed into each other's eyes, the distance between them not making the moment any less private.
Cacacos' chest tightened, his heart swelled with emotions and his guts squeezed as adrenaline and desperation started pumping through his veins.
The moment - a fleeting second in reality, an eternity for the King - was gone in a flash.
A shout of a Watcher echoed from the tower and before Cacao managed to even blink in an attempt to clear his blurry vision two Watchers jumped from the wall.
They landed below in the snow, the impact rising a cloud of it into the air effectively blocking Cacao's vision for a few seconds.
He tried to shout for his warriors to just stop , please- but his throat tightened with worry and no sound came out of his mouth.
He leaned dangerously over the edge of the wall and watched as three shadows disappeared into the forest.
His shocked state lasted only a few short seconds and before he realised it he was running.
Ice-cold wind pricked his skin as he ran towards the nearest exit of the walkway.
Down, down, down the stairs. He almost tripped, pushed a few Watchers into a wall, and broke two door locks on accident before there was finally snow underneath his boots.
Cacao panted, steam flying out of his mouth in the cold winter air. He looked around in a futile attempt to find the owner of the eyes again.
No, unfortunately, all of the cookies were long since gone.
He wanted to run into the forest after them, he wanted- No- He needed to see him .
But it was useless.
A pathetic sob left his mouth. He looked down in defeat.
And to his surprise, he saw a box there.
Right, he was so busy thinking about him that he completely forgot about the thing he left in the snow.
... Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be ...
He choked another sob down, not letting it escape his throat.
" A ... Affogato ... "
The name, so beautiful yet so painful opened a dam.
The King kneeled in the snow, thick, warm and salty tears running down his cheeks.
His hand hovered above the box tied with an old string for a second. For the first time in the last couple of months, he felt fear and worry so strongly. But he didn't let up. Not now, he couldn't.
He gently untied the string and slowly opened up the box.
Warm tears dripped down onto his hands as he looked down at a red origami lotus flower resting in the box. It was clearly made out of paper that was simply stained red. Possibly with some wild berries. But the folds, the origami itself ...
'Just as pretty and perfect as I remember ...'
His fingers feebly fiddled with the flower. He could almost feel smaller hands on his own, guiding his oversized fingers in the right direction.
The cookie chuckled "My, my, to think that a King who is so skilled in calligraphy cannot fold a piece of paper in half~"
"Darling, y-you know it's not that easy for me ... /////" The King stuttered. The unusual sound of his voice cracking in embarrassment was reserved only for the closest to him.
Affogato only smiled gently in response.
"Here, let me show you~"
Cacao's cheeks warmed up more when the coffee cookie placed his hands on his own and guided them in the right direction.
"Just like that~ See~? It's not that hard if you just take your time and don't rush it~"
Take too much time and it all runs out ...
Cacao looked back into the box. So far it looked exactly like the ones that he had received in the previous years. And all of that had started simply because one time Affogato accidentally left a paper lotus on Cacao's throne during Valentine's Day.
The King still remembers his right-hand man's expression of surprise when he gave his own, poorly made, paper lotus flower back to him.
The cookie smiled at the memory. And the smile only widened when he saw a little card in the box.
He gently lifted it.
There has never been a card in the box before.
"What smells so sweet ... ?" The King asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Wh- Don't you dare look! Shoo!" Affogato squeaked startled. He threw a wooden spoon at the King as he whipped around to face him.
Cacao, wanting to avoid the wrath of interrupting Affogatos sweets making process, decided to do the smart thing and leave.
Later that night he opened his Valentine's box and found it filled almost to the brim with handmade chocolates.
'Right ... He probably has no way to even cook a proper meal now ... Let alone sweets ...' Cacao's smile turned back into a little frown. 'But ... Even if he were able to make sweets ... He wouldn't-'
His mind conjured up the rage that would fill the Kingdom were anyone to find out that the exiled cookie is 'poisoning' the King again.
'I ...' Cacao looked down ashamed when he realised that the Cacaoians wouldn't be the only ones thinking that any food coming from Affogto is poison. He'd think so too.
'Pathetic...'
The tears burned. He wanted to trust Affogato, just like he did before, he wanted that so much. But could he? This uncertainty, this fear, it hurt.
"My King, what is wrong ... ~?" Affogato sat next to him.
"It's the anniversary ..." Cacao said quietly, his head hanging low.
Affogato looked up. There in front of them, on the wall, was draped a large piece of black fabric. Affogato knew who's portrait was behind it.
"It hurts sugar ... It hurts so much ..."
"If it hurts it means that you're alive Cacao" Affogato said softly, his eyes now fully focused on his King.
"Do you ever miss someone, someone who was close to you but hurt you ... ?"
Affogato looked up, his expression unusually blank.
"Yes ..."
He shook his head, wanting to get rid of the thoughts that kept breaking his already crushed heart. He looked at the card again.
It was simple. Off-white paper, with messy edges, and black ink shaping a little heart on the front of the card.
Cacao opened it and sniffled, his smile returning, when he saw the purple lipstick kiss left in the middle of it. No words, only the lips. He sighed and brought the card to his face, kissing the mark and doing his best not to smudge it with his tears.
Finally, he looked into the box for the last time.
Just as expected, inside rested a feather.
" A red feather?"
"Yes sugar, a feather ..."
The two cookies looked over the mountains to the horizon as the sky began tinting pink.
"It is pretty ... ~" Affogato remarked as he twirled the feather in between his fingers.
The cookies below them waited in anticipation for the sun.
"It's for luck ... It comes from the Cranberry Birds that travel above our lands during spring ... They're returning back home to the Hollyberry Kingdom ... They're very healthy and strong so they rarely drop their feathers ... That's why they're considered a token of good luck ..." Cacao wrapped his cape around Affogatos shoulders as a cold breeze passed by.
"Oh ... We didn't have a tradition like that back, well, in the Coffee Village ..." The mage spoke quietly as his eyes traced over the slim feather.
"Hmm ... Do you like it ... ?"
The cookie chuckled "Of course I do~ Though," The cookie smiled mischievously "I like you more~"
The King hid the delicate feather in his palm and brought it close to his chest.
The wind flew past him, but its cold was no match for the warmth that was now arising inside Cacao's chest.
Hope sparked in him once again, even as tears kept pouring down his face.
"Affogato ..."
His lips wobbled as a small smile settled o them.
... Take my hand
Take my whole life, too
For I can't help falling in love with you ...
Cacao took his own origami lotus, the pink flower fighting against the strong wind. He gently put it into the box and closed it.
His hand reached back and with a swift tug he undid his ponytail, letting his long hair fall around his shoulders and back. He used the long ribbon to tie the box back up.
The mighty King stood up, his legs feeling like both cotton and lead at the same time. He walked slowly towards the edge of the forest and placed the box there.
He stared at it, his heart skipping a few beats and he held the received gifts close to his chest.
As the wind howled and the distant echo of the festival bounced around the wall and watch towers the King turned around.
He took one step. Then two. Then he began slowly walking back towards the wall.
... For I can't help falling in love with you ...