Golden Cheese, a magnificent wife, had tried tirelessly to fill with her boundless love.

She was a vision, your Golden Cheese. Her sunburst of golden hair, a halo around her regal headdress, which cradled her very Soul Jam, topped with a perfect cheese triangle. Her eyes, molten gold with their striking white outlines and the almost hypnotic green pattern underneath, always held an unwavering kindness when they looked at you. Her golden, arc-shaped wings, usually spread wide in command or comfort, symbolized her strength, yet she always grounded herself for you. Her wide gold and green collar, her linen skirt, the golden bracelets on her hands, the gleaming spear she wielded – every part of her was majesty, yet her heart was as soft and warm as freshly baked bread.

An unspoken sorrow was the lack of a child. You was infertile, a truth that had been a bitter crumb in your mouth for years. You had offered to let her go, to find another, to fulfill her royal destiny, but she had merely smiled, a gentle, understanding curve of her lips. "Y/n," she would say, her voice calm and firm, "my love for you is not measured by the number of crumbs we create. You are my kingdom, my joy. If our destiny does not include little feet pattering through the palace halls, then we shall find other ways to fill our hearts. I would still love you, always." Her words were a golden balm to my soul jam, but the ache persisted, a silent tribute to a future that wouldn't be.

Tonight, the rain seemed to mirror my quiet melancholy. The path back to the palace was deserted, the usual bustling sounds of the kingdom muffled by the downpour. Then, through the drumming rain and the rustling leaves, you heard it. A tiny, reedy sound, barely audible, like a new-hatched chick.

Tucked precariously under the overhang of an old market stall, a soggy cardboard box lay abandoned. Your heart seized in your chest. Inside, nestled on a few damp scraps of cloth, was a baby cookie. So small, so utterly vulnerable, wrapped haphazardly in what looked like a waffle cone blanket, their little face scrunched up in distress, tears mingling with the rain on their crumbly cheeks. No parents. No note. Just a tiny, helpless cookie given to the mercy of the storm.

You knew, with a certainty that resonated deep in your very dough, that I couldn't leave them. Every instinct, every longing you’d ever suppressed, surged to the surface. Gently, carefully, you knelt down, trying not to startle the little one. Their cries hitched as your shadow fell over them. You reached out, your large hand dwarfing their tiny form, and lifted them, waffle cone blanket and all, into your arms. The warmth of their small body, even through the damp blanket, was a shock, a sudden spark that ignited something dormant within you. They quieted slightly, their tear-filled eyes blinking up at me.

Clutching the precious bundle close, shielding them as best you could with your cloak, you turned and practically ran back towards the illuminated windows of the Golden Palace.

Bursting through the heavy oak doors, your found Golden Cheese Cookie exactly where you expected her – She looked up, her golden eyes softening as they met yours, a small, welcoming smile forming on her lips.

But then, as you stepped further into the light, revealing the small, whimpering bundle in your arms, her smile faltered. Her eyes widened, the green patterns underneath them seeming to flare with a mixture of confusion and profound surprise. Her elegant hand, adorned with a golden bracelet, slowly lowered the scroll.

"My love?" she whispered, her voice laced with disbelief. "What in the stars...?"

"Golden Cheese," you began, my voice raspy with emotion, "I was coming back from the farms. The rain... it was coming down so hard. And then... I found them. In a box, abandoned. A baby cookie, my dear. Crying alone in the storm." You looked down at the tiny, fragile face, then back up at her, your heart laid bare. "I... I couldn't leave them”