I’d like to imagine a silentlily (silent salt x white lily) scenario (yan)
Imagine salt’s reaction to her being in a coffin again
Then her walking up
(I starve for silent lily)
Hehe
"White as Snow" - SilentLily Short Story
PAUSE: This is Yandere Silent Salt. He's a knight, he's in shining armor, but he's nobody's hero. He belongs in a cell. Or in a ditch. Or in Hell (which is both of those put together, arguably). Whatever serves White Lily better. She annoys the fuck out of me, but not even she deserves this shit
ALSO: Canon divergence here. The Beasts escape and reenter the world before White Lily wakes up, and before Pure Vanilla and the others go to Beast-Yeast
ALSO ALSO: I wanted to try to play along with a certain concept this time, which may have involved me ascribing a trait I myself possess in the real world to Silent Salt here haha. Wonder if you'll notice what it is
Silent Salt considered his sense of hearing to be more of a curse than a blessing, more often than not. Noise irritated him. Any noise. All noise. He hated it then and he hated it now. Pure, unceasing contempt.
The shrill crunch of broken glass beneath his armored boots. The blaring of those godforsaken alarms that hammered away at his helm, at his skull. The squealing of those brittle-boned creatures in white coats as they scurried about, trying to find help. Trying to stop him. The sound of flesh being stripped from bone and falling to the earth. The wet gurgle of cries for mercy dying on bloodied tongues and slipping through slit throats. The hard knock against cold metal coupled with the squelching of blood and viscera that came with each heavy footstep - away from his broken container, through the laboratory, through the main doorway. He hated it. He hated them all.
But he endured it, with whatever semblance of grace he could muster. He had always been a wanderer, in both senses of the word - allowing his mind to leave his body and find joy and solace elsewhere, while his body carried on in another direction. It was his only defense against the world and all of its cruelties. Here and now proved to be no exception.
The voices in his head saved him from the noises outside. The first - the only, most of the time - was hers. His White Lily's. Soft, sweet, melodic. Like the coo of a waking fledgling at the break of dawn. It didn't made his ears ache, quite the opposite. It... calmed him. Soothed his frayed nerves, like nothing ever did before and likely never shall again. He had long forgotten peace until he discovered her, through their new, ironclad bond through the Soul Jam. Her image. Her spirit. Her voice. Peace. Tranquility. Freedom.
The second - and this one was new - was... strange. An echo of a bygone era, risen from the depths of his memory unbidden. An... older person, he thinks. Older than he'd been at the time, at least. The voice was worn. Rough. But still warm and inviting, in its own way. Like a quilt that had seen better days, offering you a tattered embrace.
That voice told him a story. Over and over again, as many times as he asked (he thinks it might have been his favorite once). One about a beautiful princess, sealed away by an evil witch and cursed to sleep for eternity. A valiant knight, vowing to rescue her, marched across the world, slaying the monsters in his path and braving every danger without rest until he reached her. He broke the seal, he took his beloved into his arms. With true love's kiss, she woke, and so they lived happily ever after.
No longer was it only a story. The Soul Jam granted him sight beyond sight, even with half of it gone; it being in his lily's possession only enabled him to keep a watchful eye on her, even so far apart. The day she fell to the curse was the worst of both their lives: falling into a cauldron, transformed by black magic, consumed by the newfound horror of reality and hatred she felt for the world and all of its cruelties. Her very being split in two: her soul, once pure and now dark and twisted, unleashing itself upon the world, and her body - a husk - left behind. Abandoned. She wandered the world in two different directions. She existed in two places at once.
Just like he did.
No one was there when he fell. He found no light at the end of the tunnel, in that pitch-black labyrinth he lost himself in. It mattered nothing now; in time, he came to realize that the darkness suited him better, anyway. But he wouldn't allow the same to happen to her. He shall be there by her side, when no one else had been. He will save her.
She was his princess. He was her knight. What the second voice told him was no story - it was a prophecy. He understood it now. And it shall be fulfilled, with nothing and no one to stand in their way.
Silent Salt's hearing somehow sharpened during his time in prison, it would seem. Even the smallest sounds burrowed beneath his skin and pulled at his nerves now. Leaves rustling in the wind. Grass flattening as he made his way through the forests and meadows. Water droplets splashing onto his armor as he waded across a river. The beauty of nature... no such thing. There never was. The only beauty to be found in this world was within his White Lily. The story foretold such. And it was it, and his lily's sight and sound, that blanketed his soul and guided him on his path through Beast-Yeast. To that land bathed in silver. To that tree he so despised. To her. To them. To their destiny.
More noise, when he reached Faeriewood. More alarms. More yelling. Blades and bows being drawn - a slightly more entertaining detour from the defenseless squirming of those lemmings in their hideous coats and gloves, if nothing else. He hated it.
The clash and clang of his sword against theirs. Beautiful, grand structures collapsing in the wake of his rampage. Swarms of silver locusts, buzzing towards him in righteous indignation. Screams of agony as he cut them all to pieces. As he laid waste to their homes, their businesses, everything they ever built and loved. As he rended flesh from bone and ground the bone to dust. As those delicate little butterfly wings of theirs tore to pitiful shreds.
He hated it. Hated all the noise.
It was what they deserved.
The voices grew louder as he drew nearer to where he needed to be.
His dear lily, soft and sweet, mending the ever-bleeding tear in his soul. Beautiful princess, calling to her valiant knight.
That shadow, that phantom with no body and no face, comforting him with promises about the future. Wizened oracle, reminding him of his purpose.
That terrible image of his lily falling. Changing. Suffering. No more of that. Not in his mind, not behind his eyelids. Not to her. He will save her.
The last faerie left standing was quieter than the rest. Tall, regal, sword brandished with steel-eyed determination. He hardly spoke a word to Silent Salt, before their battle and during. He made his thoughts and feelings known only through the sound of his great, ethereal wings flapping, and his blade parrying and counter-striking Silent Salt's own, and his long, lavender hair whipping around in the frenzy.
But silence is gold, not silver. And this faerie he knew to be king learned this truth the hard way.
Against his better judgment, Silent Salt let him go. Left him slumped against that accursed tree, gasping for air and clutching at his wounds. His body nailed to that dry bark would have been a more welcome end to their particular tale, but... his dear lily cared for him. Silent Salt knew this. His blood boiled whenever he saw them together in the past - if only the Soul Jam allowed him greater contact than just watching through a one-way mirror - but it was fine. He loved White Lily more than he hated her compatriots. Faeriewood being sliced into silver ribbons would be enough to take in already; the sight of her friend all but crucified would be unfair to have her endure. The faerie king was vanquished; that was all that mattered for the time being. When White Lily woke, he would allow her to decide what was to be done about him. A gift from her valiant, adoring knight.
It was quiet as death when he finally found the coffin, laying so perfectly against the humble willow looming over it. Crystal clear glass. Intricate carvings, coiling around the head and foot and snaking along the sides. In the tree's trunk was the engraved image of the Light of Freedom, and words in what he knew to be faerie language.
His White Lily, his princess, under a terrible curse. Sleeping soundly in her tomb. Lost and imprisoned, just as he once was.
He took enough care to not tear off the lid too forcefully. The sound it made as it hit the ground was grating enough already. And he wouldn't dare let any glass break, at risk of it falling on her.
His hands trembled as he reached for her, letting one rest on her shoulder - so much so that he could hear the rattle of his gauntlet.
He grabbed her face, caressed her cheeks, as gently as he possibly could. Perhaps some foolish part of him hoped the shock of metal against her skin would wake her - if only so he could see her open her beautiful eyes sooner. But alas.
He could hear her breathing. Slow, steady. Soft, sweet, melodic. That gentle rhythm flowing from her ever-so-slightly parted lips, that rise and fall of her chest that reassured him that she still lived.
He admired her, for just a moment longer - her lovely figure, her flawless skin, her hair, white as snow and framing her face so beautifully - before he brought one hand back to his helm. Slowly, hand still trembling, he pulled it off. It fell to the ground with a thud. The only other noise he would tolerate.
Back to her cheek his hand went. Holding her face so tenderly, he leaned down and let his eyes flutter shut.
Destiny had finally arrived. The knight has come to save the princess. The monsters that kept them apart were now slain, left scattered across the blood-soaked earth. He would take her into his arms. He would give her true love's kiss. With it - with the strength of their bond, and with the beating of his heart - she would finally wake. Her curse would be broken.
Summary: The Sage of Truth and Shield Salt work together to make their respective love interests jealous. Or, four immortals fail to be mature about anything.
Another day, another moment of his feelings being ignored.
The Sage of Truth huffed, glaring at Truthless Recluse's back as the hermit walked away, heading back to the Peak of Truth and his lonely, lonely manor. Once again, he had received no response to his proposal, simply just a sad little smile and a dismissive goodbye.
If this was anyone else, the Sage would have taken it as a simple rejection and moved on with his life.
However, he knew Truthless Recluse. He was the other half of his soul, the wielder of Knowledge's Obscuration to his Clarity, his deceit to his truth. He was a man who cared very much about others. If he truly wasn't interested in him in a romantic and sexual context, he would have made that clear.
He hadn't. Instead, he rambled on about his poor life choices, about how the Sage "deserved better", and on and on and on, excuses about healing after excuses about healing. For a man who was convinced that the Sage was a murderer for the first half of them knowing each other, his dear Recluse was certainly focused on his own flaws.
It was ridiculous. The Sage knew he had flaws. Truthless Recluse knew the Sage had flaws. Why not combine their flaws and their perks and see what happened?
The Sage dared to land on the ground, stewing as he walked back to the Spire. He had spent so much time preparing the Spire for another person to live there. It felt wrong to walk in and feel its emptiness.
Ugh. If there was just a way to get his dear Recluse to get over himself…
The Sage glanced at his letter box. Whenever mail arrived, the Spire would summon it to the box. There were a few letters. He pulled them out, flicking through them.
An invite to a gala, an invite to a conference about moon phases and how they affected elemental magic…oh! Shield Salt had sent a letter, wanting a meeting next week to discuss the next steps of the war effort. Of course, in the Cookie Kingdom. With all the Beasts relatively calm and not wanting to create havoc and the Ultimate Cookie not a threat, Dark Faerie was on the run. The war was nearly over.
Huh. Shield Salt…
An idea formed in his brain. If he was a little more rational, he would've dismissed it as a petty teenage thing. He was in his mid-hundreds(?) by now, he was better than such a petty idea.
But, on the other hand, the idea of Truthless Recluse, alone on the Peak and not here in the Spire, not being smothered with Sage's love…
He summoned pen and paper, jotting down a quick request.
-_-
"Why would I want to make my queen jealous?"
"Because I know she also refuses to take a hint, despite your many attempts to confess your love."
Shield Salt was the best person for this, in Sage's opinion. Not only was he his best friend and willing enabler of his more outlandish schemes, he too suffered from an ignorant love interest. Much like her best friend did to the Sage, Dark Lily refused his advances out of feeling like she did not deserve him.
Ridiculous. Shield Salt also felt like he didn't deserve her, blaming himself for the actions of Dark Faerie, and yet he had been open to pursuing a relationship with her.
"She's not refusing to take a hint. She sees the hints, she just feels like now isn't the best time."
"Which proves my point!" The Sage huffed. "Your queen and my recluse both need a kick to the rear. They need to be reminded that they aren't our only options." Now, for the winning touch. He slid closer. "Imagine Dark Lily all jealous and possessive…how she might mark her territory."
Oh, he could imagine Truthless Recluse marking his territory now, glaring at him with that adorable angry expression, stepping on him, tearing off his clothes and ordering him like he was nothing like a dog… The Sage felt a giggle escape him. He could already feel the bruises and bite marks!
Shield Salt's face turned bright red. Without a word, he grabbed his helmet and stuffed it on his head, making sure to slid the visor over.
Oh, he only did that if he got really flustered.
"So? What do you think?"
"…fine. What's your plan?"
-_-
The meeting went rather well.
The kingdom's, including the beasts' realms, had been given a number of protection spells. (If the Sage of Truth had added more to his own, that was between him and the witches.)
The Ultimate Cookie had been monitored by Sweet Flour for several weeks and had been decided as not willing to harm. She had been taken in by the Wind Archer, who had settled close to the Cookie Kingdom for the time being. According to sources, she and Gingerbrave's souljam bond was doing well.
The Cookie Kingdom was flourishing. Custard III was proving to be a rather excellent king, supported by the Brave Trio.
The Creme Republic was staying quiet.
There had been agreements made between the Virtues and the Beasts. While the Beasts would never be the Ancients again, they had begun to discard their anger and hatred. Some of them had even started making connections with others, such as Molten Cheese and Elderberry. Cayenne Spice had spent a good half-hour rambling about the advances in technology that his other half had made.
Things felt good. The Sage knew it was counting eggs before they hatched, but he was determined. The second Dark Flour War would end happily this time.
Afterward, Shield Salt invited them all to dinner. "It has been years since we had a proper meal together," he had said softly, emotion faintly leaking out. "I have missed you all so much."
The others had agreed. Even with his anger and his wrath causing chaos, Shield Salt had been their friend first. So, he took them to a nice restaurant in the kingdom. There was a nice table waiting in the back, where people could see them. There, the guise of rulers had been set aside. At least for tonight, they were just the five friends.
"Your plan is seriously just to make them jealous? What are you, teenagers?"
The Sage hummed as he sipped his juice. "And how is your relationship with your other half going, Cayenne Spice?"
"Rather well, thank you," Cayenne Spice said with a smug smile. "We have an arrangement to meet every two weeks for a spar." His grin got bigger. Chances were, there was more than just sparring involved, especially with the new gold necklace he had been fiddling with all day. "She's so beautiful when she's threatening my life."
"My other half is also doing well," Sweet Flour said. Her smile was less smug, but she was also fiddling with a new piece of jewelry. This one was a dark bracelet. "He and I are discussing possibly combining our kingdoms."
"Oh, how romantic!" Bright Sugar squealed, clapping her hands together.
A faint blush formed across the monk's face. "It...it's not like that," she claimed. "He just got concerned when he heard about the number of people who have tried to break in." Yes, it had been a trouble quite a number of times, and it got worse with the fact that most of the residents of the Ivory Pagoda were pacifists. "Although, that is better than your and Shield Salt's deranged plan."
"It's not deranged," the Sage sniffed.
"It is, just a bit," Shield Salt admitted.
"You both are planning a fake engagement in order to make your other halves, who have feelings about their past actions and how that's shaped them as a person, jealous," Bright Sugar picked up a fork and pointed it at the Sage. "It's deranged."
"Ugh, just let them do it and make fools of themselves," Cayenne Spice sighed, grabbing his juice. "Just warn us when you start this ridiculous plan. I want to dodge any fireworks."
Shield Salt stood up and promptly got on one knee.
"Oh witches you're actually going to do it here-" Sweet Flour grabbed a menu to hide her face.
Cayenne Spice did a spittake. Juice leaked from his teeth as he barked out "Are you seriously going to embarrass us-?", unknowingly drawing even more attention.
Bright Sugar pulled out a camera. "What?" she said when the other two stared at her. "This will be great blackmail material."
"You are my oldest friend," Shield Salt said. The Sage had left it up to him to decide on what to say, so this felt like a good start. He pulled out a small velvet box. "You have helped me through so many rough times, from the destruction of my village to through the war. I do not deserve you, yet I have you. I feel like now is the best time to ask…"
The Sage gasped, feeling heat shoot up his face. He was not attracted to his friend at all, but even the most cold-hearted would swoon at this. Shield Salt stared at him with the most loving expression.
"So, Blueberry Yogurt, my dearest Sage of Truth," Shield Salt opened the box, revealing a truly hideous engagement ring. The Sage's smile nearly dropped at that. Would he really have to wear something that would look better as a paperweight? "Would you do me the honors of becoming my husband?"
Truthless Recluse's soft smile flickered through his mind.
The things he did for love...
"Yes!" Sage squealed like a teenager being asked for prom, jumping off the chair and into Shield Salt's arms. The knight did a dramatic twirl around, allowing him to kick his legs like an excited teenage girl before he took the ring and slid it on. "Oh, you've made me the happiest cookie around!"
Cheers and applause rolled through the restaurant. Bright Sugar snapped a few pictures. Sweet Flour and Cayenne Spice both slid down in their seats, the latter following the former's example and grabbing a menu to hide behind.
As the Sage was set down, he grinned.
Step one: complete.
-_-
The next day, all everyone was whispering about was his engagement.
Several students and teachers had come up, wanting to see the ring. Despite its heavy weight and overall ugliness, the Sage blushed as if it were the finest jewelry on Earthbread. Of course, questions popped up about Truthless Recluse. It was to be expected- the Sage of Truth had never been shy about his open affections towards the mysterious beast who guarded the Peak of Truth.
He dismissed them all gently with smiles and words about how it would be such a lovely marriage. Of course, it would be- it was a match between the leader of the Virtues, the very guardian of truth, and the knight who guarded community like the finest maiden. But it also left suspicions that this was more a political match than one of love.
He didn't want to wreck Shield Salt's reputation any more than it already was. Hopefully, when it came time for the "engagement" to be broken, nobody would raise too many issues.
And then it came.
His last class of the afternoon walked out, and then walked in tall, dark, and handsome.
"Sage."
"Ah, my dear Recluse!" Sage finished wiping off the board. Truthless wouldn't attack him while his back was turned. He had honor or something like that. "How are you today?"
"I am fine, I-" Truthless stopped mid-word.
"Well, I am fine too. My classes didn't have any ridiculous elementary questions-"
"Sage."
"Hm? Yes, my Recluse?" The Sage turned.
"What is that ab-" Truthless Recluse stopped mid-word again, his usual blank expression tensing up. Oh? Was that rage he saw on the unflappable, usually sorrowful Truthless Recluse's face? It was gone before he could properly take it in, an unusually sunny smile overtaking the recluse's face. "What are you wearing there, on your finger?"
The Sage wished he had a notebook. This was all such good data on his other half! However, he needed to focus.
"Oh, this?" He giggled sweetly, holding up the hand in question. The ring sparkled in the light. "It's my engagement ring! Isn't it lovely?"
Truthless stared.
"Oh, Shield Salt proposed just last night! He thought now, with the war mostly over, that now would be a perfect time for a wedding." The Sage didn't even have to force a dreamy sigh, not with the image of Truthless wearing a wedding dress rotating in his brain. He would look dazzling in white. "What do you think, my dear Recluse?"
Truthless Recluse's eye twitched.
"That sounds…lovely."
His eye twitched again. He grabbed a coffee mug from where it sat innocently, turned, and threw it against the wall. It exploded on impact, leaving a sizeable dent in the wall. Thankfully, there hadn't been any liquid, otherwise there would have been quite a mess.
"Excuse me. Something just came up."
Without another word, he turned and marched out of the room. The Sage of Truth was left standing there, staring at the remains of what had been one of his favorite mugs. He blinked.
He collapsed into his chair with a mad giggle, unable to feel his lower half as all the jam rushed to his face.
That was a good sign.
-_-
The Faerie Kingdom never changed.
Despite the corruption of its queen, it was still a well-hidden paradise of silver and darkness. The faeries had adjusted surprisingly well to Dark Lily taking power- they had been fond of Faerie Enchantress, but she had also been half of Dark Lily. He wondered if that had anything to do with it.
Truthless Recluse did not care, honestly. If they hurt his dearest friend, then he would care. Right now, his mind was a boiling cauldron of rage.
How dare Shield Salt.
How dare Sage.
He could smell the deceit clinging to the Sage's excitement the moment he told him about the "engagement." Truthless Recluse, as the beast of obscuration, was well-versed in deceit. He could clock it a mile away.
It also helped that Sage was a very bad liar.
The scheme was clear. They wanted to make him jealous. So, they created a very dramatically public engagement. Much to Truthless's annoyance, it was working. He growled to himself, speeding up just a little bit.
How dare they toy with his and Dark Lily's hearts?
"Where is the queen?" he said to the servant waiting at the door.
"Ah, she's in the garden, I can-"
"No need." He knew where the garden was. He had been the one to help Dark Lily plant the damned thing.
Truthless Recluse headed down the path, old instinct guiding him. Soon, the halls and walls of the palace were overtaken by flowers and greenery. The smell of vanilla orchids grew stronger as he stepped deeper in. When his friend had reclaimed her kingdom, she had torn out all of the lilies, replacing them with vanilla orchids.
It was at the heart of the vanilla scent that he found her.
Dark Lily had to know he was there. However, she did not look back at him. She seemed to be in the middle of casting a spell. Under the moonlight, she glowed, the silver of her dress nearly overpowering the red and shadows that lined the fabric petals and her wings. Her antlers were bare of decoration, but seemed to be made of silver. Truthless Recluse moved to where a tea set sat and sat down in one of the chairs.
After a while, she lowered her arms, the dark moths of her magic fading as she turned to face him. "Pure Vanilla," Despite everything, her voice was still soft and sweet towards him, and she still referred to him as that.
"White Lily," he said, feeling some of the anger ease. She was always his lily. Ever since he awoke in the oven and felt her presence, she had been a rock in his life. Even if his devotion to her sometimes caused issues, he was loyal to her.
That's why he had to tell her.
"Are you aware that your knight has proposed marriage to another?"
Dark Lily froze, her face still arranged in a gentle smile. After a moment, she spoke, still smiling. "Pardon?"
"The Sage of Truth was bragging about having the Knight of Solidarity propose marriage to him, just last night." Truthless Recluse poured some tea into their cups. "Something about how the war nearly being over meaning it was a good time to get married."
Dark Lily stared. Her wings began to flutter quickly. Slowly, her lovely smile began to twist into a snarl.
"Of course, it's an awful lie," He was just digging their graves deeper now, but hey. The Sage was asking for it. "I suspect to make you and I jealous, since my Sage has been turning up his flirtations for a while now."
Dark Lily took in a deep breath and settled down. "My knight has been more open in his affections towards me, but I never thought of him being childish enough for a ridiculous scheme like that." She took the cup he offered her and took a deep sip.
"So? What do you plan to do?"
Dark Lily set down her cup, revealing her gentle smile. She waved her hand, and her crown, a jagged thing of dark horns and wilted lilies, framed with red fabric, appeared. She set it elegantly on her head.
"I am going to make sure he never leaves me."
-_-
Despite his "engagement", Shield Salt had not stopped his patrols as an honorary Silver Tree Knight or the guardian of the Silver Tree. He had a route by now that Dark Lily had memorized, often using it to meet with him.
It was late in the night when Truthless Recluse met Dark Lily again in a sheltered clearing. She held a bouquet of familiar pink flowers, faint pink pollen drifting off one. His eye twitched at the memory of that pollen in his eyes. A harmless little prank by a faerie back when he was still the Beacon of Knowledge, one that was good for collecting data.
One that was still embarrassing to think about.
"You're going to give all of that to him?"
"No," Dark Lily said, pulling out a bottle. Liquid sloshed inside. "I need them all to make a stronger version. It will last longer and grant me enough control for what I want."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Keep an eye out. When you see him, lull him to sleep."
She set to work, pulling out a mortar and pestle. Truthless did as commanded, peeking out of the bushes. It was a nice night, he had to admit, with stars twinkling in the sky and midsummer making the night the perfect temperature. After a few moments, the grinding of the pestle stopped.
At the same time, he heard footsteps.
"He's coming," he warned.
Shield Salt came into view. He stood proud and strong, the perfect image of a knight. His helmet turned back and forth, scanning the clearing for any danger. Truthless waved his staff softly, whispering a spell.
He heard the soft sound of a flute. Shield Salt came to a stop, looking around. Truthless Recluse pushed the spell harder, and the sound of the flute grew, musical notes creating a lullaby. Go to sleep, he mentally ordered. Go to sleep, it's late, you're wearing heavy armor…
Go to sleep.
Shield Salt took a step and stumbled. He attempted another step and stumbled again, finally sitting down. Behind the helmet, Truthless could hear him yawn. He shook himself, but another yawn escaped him. He pushed the spell, focusing on the lullaby, wanting him to just go to sleep.
The knight fell back.
A moment passed. Two. Three.
Four…
Five…
When the number hit thirty without another attempt to get up, Truthless rose up. "He's asleep."
"Good," Dark Lily stood, shaking the potion. She pushed past him and headed to her knight. She set the potion down and reached for the helmet.
The helmet was easy to slip off, revealing Shield Salt's face. Despite the amount of scars across his face, he still had delicate-looking features. Soft and poofy lavender curls spread across his shoulders. His face was calm in slumber, with a little peaceful smile spread across his face.
Dark Lily wasted no time. She uncorked the bottle. Most would hesitate, considering all the options, but she did not falter. She poured a generous amount of the pink liquid over his eyes. The faint smell of primrose and rose scented the air.
"It's done," she said as she corked the bottle. The sparkling pink mixture was slowly fading. Soon, it had disappeared entirely, with no residue to show. "If you wish, there's enough left to dose your little Sage with."
"Tempting, but not right now." Still, he would take it. Just as insurance.
Dark Lily passed him the bottle. When Truthless Recluse had stepped back far enough for her, she stepped forward. She smiled softly as she gently arranged Shield Salt's head in her lap.
"Shield Salt, my knight…" she cooed softly, moving those lavender curls out of his eyes. "Wake up."
There was a soft sigh, and the virtue of solidarity opened his eyes. They were steel grey, matching the salt of his home kingdom, but when he laid eyes on Dark Lily, the potion began to work. Soon, soft lilac had overtaken the grey.
"My queen…" he sighed, reaching up and cupping her face. A dreamy, love-struck smile overtook his usual serious expression. "Am I dreaming?"
"Do you regularly dream of me, my knight?"
The love potion compelled honesty. Truthless had the feeling, however, that Shield Salt would be honest either way. "Yes," he admitted. "I dream of you in your moonlight and your shadows. You are beautiful and clever, cruel in your kindness and kind in your cruelty."
Dark Lily's wings fluttered as a blush swept across her face. "You are too kind, my knight," she sighed, holding his hand. "And you wonder why I feel as though I am undeserving of your affections."
"If you feel as though your actions take away your chance to be loved, then shouldn't mine do the same?"
Dark Lily's smile faltered. "I…that's…"
Was it really that different?
Huh. He suddenly had something to consider.
-_-
The Sage of Truth didn't expect things to happen the very next day.
His dear Recluse liked to sulk and plan. The number of traps arranged around the Peak of Truth to dissuade any truth-seekers was a testament to that. He didn't know Dark Lily as well, but he knew her cunning and ability to plot. Surely, the two would work together to make a plan. However, that would take time.
That was fine. He and Shield Salt just got "engaged." There was time before questions about wedding planning cropped up.
He wasn't expecting Shield Salt to march up, Dark Lily trailing behind. The crowd that had come for his daily lecture parted for them, whispering and staring. Shield Salt, the Knight of Solidarity, wasn't an unusual sight. Faerie Queen Dark Lily, with her shining but dark beauty, was.
She was staring at him. She grinned at the Sage as though she had accomplished a victory over him.
The Sage of Truth was used to a minor feeling of terror. Complete dread, however? That was new.
"Lecture over, folks!" he said, dismissing his students. The crowd pulled away, whispering, as the Sage got off his stage to meet his guests. Some lingered, watching.
The Sage wished they wouldn't, but...well.
"Shield Salt! Queen Dark Lily," He pulled off his hat to give the latter a polite bow. "I am honored that you decided to visit my establishment."
"Yes," Dark Lily said. "You should be."
Welp. That was certainly...a response. The Sage bit back the urge to be snarky and focused on what was going on. "May I ask why I've been given this honor? Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Shield Salt said. His speech sounded slightly off, and if the Sage squinted, he could see the grey eyes inside the helmet had turned lilac. "However, I am here to cut off our engagement."
Ah. So it was happening already. The Sage mentally scrambled. He couldn't seem too happy; otherwise, it would reveal the game. He settled on letting heartbreak briefly flash on his face before scrambling to place back a mask of evenness. "I...see." He said, clenching his hands together. "May I ask why?"
"I do not and will never love you romantically." Okay. Fair enough. "Also, you're a massive asshole with an ego problem and who tries so very hard to be approachable in public." Correction, he was approachable in public. The Sage opened his mouth to point that out. "And you have committed more war crimes than I ever have and yet you feel no shame about it. The fact that you're called a hero astounds me sometimes."
Okay. Ow.
"...I see," Tears were pricking at his eyes. He had expected some of this. Love potions compelled honesty, after all, and despite their friendship, there was still things that sat between them like a bomb. Plus, he had a feeling that Dark Lily had requested Shield Salt be cruel in this. "I...I suppose you want your ring-" His next breath was shuddery. Was he actually getting emotional over this?! "I suppose you want your ring back."
"No, keep it. I literally bought the ugliest one I could find."
He knew it.
"...alright."
"Good day. I hope I don't have to see you again for a while." Now that was pure pettiness. Without another word, Shield Salt turned and walked away. Dark Lily lingered, giving a polite curtsy, before following after him.
The Sage was left there, staring.
He gave a start when a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh, Truthless Recluse." He had a feeling he would show up next. "How are you?"
"How am I?" His recluse said, raising a golden brow. "You just got dumped in public."
The Sage straightened up and wiped at his eyes, just a bit. "That...it's fine," he said. "We have issues that have sat between us for too long. Eventually, they were bound to bubble up, regardless of how good a marriage between us would have looked."
His Recluse stared at him as though he were a very complex puzzle. "So…you're alright with your engagement having ended."
"I mean, I am hurt. But I'm not heartbroken. Shield Salt adores his queen. If his kink is getting love potioned by her, then good for him." The Sage turned and began to pack up his stuff. "He adores her. Anyway, would you like to come over for tea?"
"…you know what? Yes."
The Sage blinked. Had he heard that right? "What?"
"Yes, I'll join you for tea," Truthless said, with a soft smile. "I've heard you've been insistently redoing your Spire, and I want to see the changes, as well as make sure you're actually alright."
The changes. The changes made for him. Those changes.
"Of course!" the Sage chirped. His heart was no longer in pain from the targeted remarks. Now it was like a hummingbird in his chest. "If you want, I can even host dinner. I just got this invitation for this conference and I would love your thoughts on the topic from the perspective of a healer."
Truthless's smile grew, just a bit. "That sounds lovely. One thing, though."
"Yes?"
His hands reached up. One gripped his chin while the other gently pushed his hair out of his face.
Truthless Recluse leaned in close, close enough that the Sage could feel his breath brush his ear. Despite himself and them being in public, he felt his jam rush to his face. He was so close, close enough that the Sage could faintly smell the faint vanilla scent that clung to his dough.
Was he…?
"Try another stupid scheme like that again and I'll douse you with love potion in front of your entire academy."
The Sage froze.
Truthless pulled away. "Is that clear?"
The Sage blinked. His normal response would be a "Yeah, sure, sounds good" or something a bit more eloquent. However, his voice wasn't working. His mind had dissolved into static, all surrounding the dark tone that his Recluse's voice had taken.
"Sage?"
His knees gave out.
"Sage?!"
To anyone staring at the scene, they would have seen the Sage of Truth collapsing into a pile of flustered giggling, the Truthless Recluse fretting over him.
