Chapter 2: A Stranger In Need

It had been a few days since Pure Vanilla, Gingerbrave, Strawberry and Wizard managed to get his memories back. Now he was adjusting to the Timeless Kingdom, they received him warmly, and everything was going fine.

But something was still missing.

Today, however, he was just resting in the woods and sipping his tea. After a long day of meetings and reuniting with his friends, the blind healer was exhausted. At least now he could get some time to himself.

It’s not like he didn’t like spending time with everyone. He enjoyed that. But sometimes, he needed his own space, so that he could gather his thoughts and figure out what to do next.

Not to mention, a part of him still missed his best friend. His love. His light.

White Lily Cookie.

He still couldn’t believe that she was the one who turned into his worst enemy. He refused to. She was kind, curious, and always dreaming of a better future for all of Cookiekind. And yet… she became it’s greatest nightmare.

His heart ached every time she was mentioned, or the situation was. Even though she had hurt him, over and over, inadvertently or on purpose, he still longed for her.

Whom she used to be.

Who she was now.

But deep down, he knew it would never happen.

A slight vibration shook him from his thoughts. He opened his eyes, before looking at his Orchid staff. “What is it?” he asked, confused. The staff opened its eye as he closed his, shoving him in a backward direction.

He pushed forward, curious, until he gasped.

A hooded figure was grabbing onto a nearby tree, her breaths heavy and her posture drooping. He could tell based on his staff that she was injured, and exhausted.

The figure looked up at him,letting out a gasp, before collapsing. He rushed over and caught her.

“Help…me…please…” she pleaded, her voice low and soft.

“Hold on! I’ll help!” Pure Vanilla reassured her, before laying her down on the grass. Her breaths were heavy. He touched her again and flinched. A thick, warm, liquid brushed against his hands.

She’s bleeding.

“Please,” she begged him again, desperation lacing her voice, before she grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight.

“I’m here. Hold still.” he told her, softly but firmly. Concentrating on the wound, he pressed it and poured his magic in to heal her. Gradually, her breaths slowed, and her face relaxed, as he intertwined his hands with hers. She stared at him, before leaning into him again.

Pure Vanilla breathed out a sigh of relief. The figure was alive. He inched closer to her, but froze at her dull, pinkish-red eyes.

They looked familiar. Very, very familiar. In fact, he had longed to look at them again for a long time.

The figure seemed to notice his shock, her expression turning worried. Slowly, she attempted to get up, but she tripped over, only for him to catch her again. She stared at him, shocked but also tired.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered.

“No, it’s alright. I don’t mind helping someone out.” he told her with a reassuring smile. She stared at him again, before looking down.

Then her eyes widened. “My staff! Where’s my staff?” She looked around frantically, even trying to get up, only to be caught by him.

“It’s alright. We’ll find it. I’ll help you.” he told her again. She looked at him, a bit guilty, before nodding.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

They managed to find it in a nearby clearing, and Pure Vanilla couldn’t help but flinch slightly at seeing how familiar the figure’s staff looked. It was almost as if she was…

No, she isn’t. It’s just a coincidence.

“Thank you, sir.” she told him, politely, after he handed it to her while she was slung around him.

“You don’t need to call me that. We look around the same age.” he told her with a gentle shake of his head.

She nodded in response, before looking down. “Um…are you sure I can..”

“I managed to stop the bleeding and all, but your body still needs more time to rest. Right now, the wound is at risk of reopening if you’re not careful.” He straightened himself, before returning to the figure, who was now sitting down. “Do you have anywhere to go?”

The figure winced, before shaking her head. “My home was destroyed a long time ago, and I was one of the only survivors. Since then, I’ve been mostly travelling around.” She fidgeted with her hands. “I’m sorry for inconveniencing you. But I don’t know where I should go.”

“Oh. I see. Wait, I know! You can stay with me for a while. Then once you’ve thought about where you want to go, we can take you there, me and my friends.”

She smiled at him, though her expression retained guilt. “Where do you live?”

“The Vanilla Kingdom. Oh, I’m Pure Vanilla Cookie, by the way.” He held out his hand for the figure to shake.

She studied it for a few seconds, before placing her hand in his, taking a breath. “I’m… Amaryllis. Amaryllis Cookie.” Her hand trembled at the poor choice of name. “It is unusual…but…I was considered….similar. To the Fallen Hero. I was mostly alone because of it.” Her hands curled up, before she moved back.

“Amaryllis, huh? It…suits you. Not unusual.” he added, grinning at her to reassure her.

The figure — Amaryllis nodded. “I shouldn’t be thinking about it a lot. It’s just a name, after all.” she told him, her voice quivering.

Pure Vanilla noticed her tone. It was small, shy, and nervous. As if she wanted to hide something from everyone just so that she would be accepted. He remembered White Lily acting that way in their Academy days, before she met him, at least. Though some of that was still there, even when they were heroes together.

A sweet, somewhat familiar scent distracted him from his thoughts. He breathed it in, letting the soothing feeling wash over him, the way he used to do when she was still there.

Amaryllis seemed to notice, as she moved a few inches away, clutching his hand for support, before tripping over her own foot and falling on the grass. Unfortunately, even Pure Vanilla tumbled with her.

“I-I’m so sorry! Are you okay?!” she asked, inching forward. The blind healer rubbed his head, as if to lessen the headache. “I’m fine. You don’t have to-” he paused, realizing how close their faces were. The smell coming from her was even stronger and clearer. Her breath was warm against his face, and her hands were soft, shaking slightly from the contact.

The two stared at each other for a few moments, before Pure Vanilla stood up. He held out a hand to pull Amaryllis up, and steadied her until finally she wrapped her free arm around his shoulder, using her staff for support in another.

“I-” she started.

“It was only an accident. You still can’t walk properly. I don’t blame you.” he reassured her, only for his face to turn red at remembering the part where they were a bit too close. “I’m the one who shouldn’t have…you know-” He blushed, before turning around.

“You didn’t mean to. I just…wanted to check if you were okay.” Amaryllis replied in a low voice, looking down at the flowers below. Pure Vanilla straightened himself up, before turning to her with a grin.

“Come on. We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s get to my kingdom!”

“Yeah.” she replied, her tone more relaxed.

They walked away, though Amaryllis’ gaze moved backward at the trees and grass, before looking forward.