Elder Faerie Cookie, your older brother, stood before the Silver Tree, his voice resonating with a weariness you never heard. “Ever since the fight with Shadow Milk Cookie I decided to step down and now the responsibility, it falls to White Lily Cookie now. She will guide the Faeries, she will guard the Silver Tree.” My heart sank, then flared with indignation. He had promised you! You were next!

“But… but you told me!” You stammered, your voice cracking.

He looked at you, a soft, sad gaze. “You are not ready for such a responsibility, little one. Not yet.”

That was it. "Not ready?!" The words stung like a thousand nettles. "You promised!" Blinded by rage, you launched yourself into the air, a streak of furious light. Behind you, you heard the worried calls of Elder Faerie Cookie, White Lily Cookie, Silverbell Cookie, Mercurial Knight Cookie, and the other Faeries. “Wait! Come back!” But you was deaf to their pleas, soaring higher and higher until the kingdom was a distant shimmer.

You flew until your wings ached and my anger finally gave way to a desolate emptiness. Collapsing onto a mossy patch beside a whispering brook, your let the tears come, hot and bitter. Betrayed. You felt utterly, completely betrayed.

"Hello."

A soft voice, right beside me. You looked up through tear-blurred eyes. Apple Faerie Cookie. She gazed at me with an unnerving, knowing smile. Before you could even ask her what she wanted, she extended a hand. A puff of shimmering, cerulean dust blew directly into your face. The world twisted, then went black.

A soft bed. You stirred, your head throbbing. Where were you? A strange room, rich fabrics, not the familiar greens of the Faeire Kingdom. Then, laughter. Low, melodic, like splintered glass. Your hand instinctively flew to your side, drawing your sword. You spun around.

He stood there, a figure clad in a harlequin-like outfit. His mouth was sapphire blue, curling into a sly, toothy grin that shifted from straight to sharp. A pale blue, claw-shaped marking framed his right eye. White locks of hair fell near his face and swept back, contrasting with azure curled sidelocks and long, glossy hair in a dual-toned shadow and lapis style, resembling a jester’s hat. Hidden in the shadows of his hair, ghostly eyes ogled me, mirroring his amusement.

Shadow Milk Cookie.

“What… what am I doing here?!” You demanded, your sword quivering slightly.

He chuckled, a sound that grated on your nerves. “Ah, you finally wake, little Fae. You’re quite the dramatic one, aren’t you? I saw it all, you know. Your brother’s little ‘talk,’ your magnificent tantrum, your rather unfortunate encounter with my associate, Apple Faerie—or should I say, Candy Apple Cookie?” He leered, stepping closer. “She’s quite good at finding those who feel… undervalued.”

He gestured around the opulent room. “As for why you’re here? A proposition, my dear little sibling of the Elder. You can wallow in your misery, return to that ‘unready’ life your brother has planned for you, or…” His sapphire mouth pulled into a wide, challenging smile. “You can join me. Become one of my cherished minions, like Candy Apple and Black Sapphire. What do you say? A new destiny, or the same old, miserable one?..” he was the beast cookie of deceit could he be telling the truth for once or lying…how could you trust him after what he did…but the choice was your’s…go back to the faerie kingdom or stay here with him…