The breeze was gentle that golden morning, carrying the delicate scent of red spider lilies through the garden. They always bloomed around you, as if the world itself recognized your presence — dark, yes, but beautiful. You walked alone among the petals, distant as always, your eyes fixed on the horizon.

Elder Faerie Cookie watched from afar. In silence, as he had done since the day he met you.

You were one of the Ancient Heroes. A symbol of strength, of mystery. And even though you rarely spoke much, he noticed the hidden kindness in the little things — in the way you stopped to pick up a fallen flower, in how you spoke to the smaller forest creatures with such patience.

But deep down… he believed your heart already belonged to someone else.

The way you smiled beside Pure Vanilla Cookie. How you listened to him with such attention, how your gaze softened slightly when he approached. It was a quiet thorn in Elder Faerie Cookie’s heart. After all, Pure Vanilla was everything he was not: warm, open, always full of sweet words.

He thought he’d never have a chance.

Until that afternoon.

You sat beneath the shade of a tree, and he — hesitant, as if carrying centuries on his shoulders — approached. He stopped at a respectful distance, unsure of what to say. You glanced at him, noticing the discomfort on his face.

— Elder Faerie… — your voice was low, but steady. — Is something wrong?

He hesitated. Then, he spoke as if letting go of a secret he had held for far too long.

— Not… wrong. I just… I wonder why you keep coming to me, when your heart seems to have already chosen another.

You furrowed your brows slightly, confused.

— Another?

— Pure Vanilla Cookie — he said, colder than he intended. — It’s obvious. You admire him. You smile at him in ways you never smile at anyone else.

A heavy silence fell between you. After a few seconds, you slowly stood and walked toward him.