Chapter Text
Dark Choco Cookie feels his hands grow clammy under his gloves. As he walks toward the Dark Cacao Kingdom’s encampment, he fights to keep his legs from trembling. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he remembers the stark message delivered to him by one of his father’s generals. His Majesty wishes to convene with you in private.
For what it’s worth, he does not think that his father will run a sword through his heart. The man seemed almost regretful the last time they met, gazing upon him with more sorrow than anger. Most likely, his father will throw him back out into the woods and bar him from making any further contact with the kingdom. Fair enough, he thinks. I haven’t exactly endeared myself to these Cookies.
When he reaches his father’s tent, he freezes in place like a hunted deer. He knows the man doesn’t like to be kept waiting, but he cannot propel himself forward. Instead, he squeezes his eye shut and clears his throat. “Fa—Your Majesty?”
He hears a gasp from inside the tent, then the rustling of fabric as a figure moves around. “Come in.”
Dark Choco Cookie reaches out and unzips the front of the tent with a trembling hand. In fact, his whole body is trembling. He takes a breath to steel himself, then steps into his father’s tent.
Dark Cacao Cookie stands before him, dressed in the vestments he’d acquired from his triumph in Beast-Yeast. His regality makes Dark Choco Cookie keenly aware of his own ragged state. The king stares wordlessly at his son for a moment. The longer he gazes upon the prince, the more his eyes soften.
Dark Choco Cookie wonders if what he’s seeing is real. The target of his murderous rage, the executor of his banishment, the man who openly regretted sparing him the gallows…why would he look upon him with any semblance of affection? It must be self-delusion, a cruel trick of the mind. After a moment, he remembers himself and dips into a commoner’s bow. “Your Majesty. I come with no intentions but to deliver a message about Dark Enchantress Cookie’s plans. If you wish to cast me out afterwards, I understand—”
He’s interrupted by the sound of his father’s stern voice. “Do not lower yourself before me, my son. Raise yourself to your full height.”
Dark Choco Cookie does so, hoping his face doesn’t betray his surprise. His hearing has always been more reliable than his sight, but he still has trouble believing his ears. Did his father claim him once more?
Dark Cacao Cookie toys with the hem of his sleeve. “Deliver your message to me now. Afterwards, you are free to leave.” He amends his statement with a small voice. “Although I would love to speak with you.”
Dark Choco Cookie can’t stop his eye from widening. Is his father fighting the same apprehension as himself? Does he also feel weighed down by shame? He snaps himself out of his stupor and nods. “I wish to speak with you as well.”
The next few minutes consist of Dark Choco Cookie recounting everything he knows of Dark Enchantress Cookie’s plan. He describes the dangerous effects of the Power Gems, citing his own cursed sword as an example. He warns his father to look out for Pomegranate Cookie’s magic and Dark Enchantress Cookie’s ever-present illusions.
Dark Cacao Cookie nods along, thumbing his split ends the way Dark Choco Cookie used to during his lessons. The prince silently wonders how many random behaviors he inherited from the king.
After Dark Choco Cookie finishes explaining, the ruler clears his throat. “I cannot thank you enough for your assistance. Knowing the source of this chaos will help us incalculably.” He starts scanning his son’s face as if searching for something. He furrows his brow. “My child, are you feeling alright?”
Dark Choco Cookie once again becomes conscious of how awful he looks. His clothes are scarcely more than rags. They hang off of his gaunt, malnourished frame. He has sunken cheeks and heavy bags under his eyes. “I…yes. I bid you not to worry about me.”
Dark Cacao Cookie clicks his tongue in thought. “Is it true that you traveled all around Crispia delivering your message?” After receiving a nod from Dark Choco Cookie, he places a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “I am proud of you, son. You always did wish to be a hero.”
Dark Choco Cookie feels himself get choked up. He swallows, but his voice still comes out taut and wavering. “Thank you, Father.”
Dark Cacao Cookie stares at his son with misty eyes. He speaks as if thinking out loud. “I can’t believe…it hardly feels real.” He cups Dark Choco Cookie’s face with both hands. “You’re not another illusion, are you?”
Dark Choco Cookie’s stomach twists. He shakes his head, offering a small smile. “No, Father. I’m right here.”
Without another word, Dark Cacao Cookie wraps his son in a tight embrace.
Dark Choco Cookie freezes for a moment. This cannot be real. The universe would never afford him such kindness. He does not deserve this moment, but he cannot give it up. He throws his arms around his father, squeezing him as tightly as he can.
Dark Cacao Cookie speaks muffled words into his son’s cloak. “I never thought I’d see you again. I didn’t know if you would ever forgive me.”
Dark Choco Cookie feels his eyebrows rise. “Forgive you? For what?”
Dark Cacao Cookie shakes his head against the prince’s shoulder. “Everything. I…” His voice breaks. “I failed you.”
Dark Choco Cookie can almost hear his heart crack. “Oh, Father. You did the best you could.” He lowers his voice. “I can’t imagine doing everything you did without a father to show me the way.”
Dark Cacao Cookie sniffles and tightens his hold on his son. "Do not give me more credit than I deserve. I was not the father I should have been, but now, I see my faults ever so clearly. I want to be a better Cookie for you, my son."
Dark Choco Cookie suddenly feels like a child again, snug and safe in his father’s arms. All remaining strength ebbs out of him, leaving only exhaustion in its wake. His knees buckle. He slumps over his father’s shoulder.
Dark Cacao Cookie moves to support his son’s weight. He rubs the prince’s back, feeling the bones of his spine through his clothes. “You are not alright, fawn. You are emaciated. I don’t know how you made it all the way here.”
Dark Choco Cookie convulses at the long-forgotten term of endearment. His shoulders shake as he chokes out airless sobs.
Dark Cacao Cookie shushes his son, rubbing his back all the while. “I’m here. I’m here.”
Dark Choco Cookie forces out words. “I do not mean to be weak…I’m sorry…”
Dark Cacao Cookie sighs. “Oh, my son. Do not let my past words deter you from crying. I see now how wrong I was.” He lowers his voice to almost a whisper. “And do not think that I’ve never shed tears of my own.”
Dark Choco Cookie’s heart wrenches. He pictures the king alone in his study, fighting back tears after spending another day without his son. It had never occurred to him before that his father might have missed him. Now, he sees yet another edge to his blade. In both his presence and his absence, he made the other Cookie miserable. He buries his face in his father’s shoulder, burning with shame.
Dark Cacao Cookie gives his son a brief squeeze. “You are safe here with me, child.” He pulls away slightly, his arm still supporting Dark Choco Cookie’s limp body. He holds the prince’s head up and stares into his puffy, haggard eyes. “Take off your boots and your cloak and lie down. I want you to get some rest, and I want to watch over you in case anything happens.”
Dark Choco Cookie almost drops to his knees. His father’s mercy saps all the fear, all the fight from his body. He can rest. He is allowed to rest. He has a place to rest. He has exhausted all of his strength, and he does not have to pretend to be strong. He can collapse into a heap, secure in the knowledge that his father will be there to protect him.
After a few moments of fumbling with buckles, Dark Choco Cookie lets Dark Cacao Cookie help him remove his cloak and boots. Once he does so, his father ushers him to a half-made bedroll in the corner of the tent.
Immediately after he nestles himself in the heavy purple blankets, Dark Choco Cookie feels reality slip away. His limbs feel leaden, and even his one working eyelid refuses to open. It only takes him a few seconds to lose himself to sleep.