Tales Untold

Macaroni & Cheese

Cinder walked out of the meeting room and through the halls with the regality and grace of a Queen. Of course, she had spent her time being a Queen, and was done with it, but she still maintained the composure while in the presence of high authorities.

The meeting had been a buzz of news. Kai and Cinder had finally told the world leaders of their engagement, and were preparing to tell the press. It had been two weeks since Scarlet and Wolf's wedding in France, leaving them just enough time to tell their friends of their engagement a couple days later, and allowing Cinder to make a quick stop on Luna before going home. To Earth. To the Eastern Commonwealth. To Kai.

The two had hardly spent a moment apart since their engagement, and Thorne claimed they were even more unbearable to be around than the newlywed Scarlet and Wolf. They had been living in complete bliss with the prospect of their unity on the horizon, and Cinder was enjoying every moment of it.

Kai was just as happy as Cinder, and had been dying to share the news of their engagement with everyone around them. He had nearly burst at having to wait two weeks to share she news with his entire country, but Cinder had insisted they take it slow. They did not need anymore riots than they already had.

Smiling to herself, Cinder remembered when he had confessed that he had planned on proposing a couple days after the wedding, with all the crazy going on, but couldn't wait. He had told her that he had been carrying the ring since he got home after the revolution, waiting for the right moment to propose, and had almost bought one on Luna, before giving her back her foot.

Cinder shook her head at the memory, laughing. She couldn't explain to herself why she found Kai so adorable, but everything he did just made her feel happy. He was the only person who always managed to make her feel better about herself. He was her sunshine and her smile, and she loved him more than Luna.

Turning down the long hallway, Cinder walked towards her quarters. They were in the royal family's wing, seeing how she would soon be a part of the royal family, and they were just down the hall from Kai's. He had told her he had a surprise for her at lunch, and had asked her to wait for him in her room until he had it ready.

Just thinking about Kai made Cinder begin to giggle, a thing she rarely did. He was a goofball, but she was curious to see what his surprise would be.

Patience was not one of Cinder's strong suits, and so when the knock came at her door, Cinder answered it immediately, a smile coming onto her face.

Kai stood behind the door, his hand still raised from knocking, and a grin of his own stretched across his features. "Someone's a little excited now, aren't they?" Kai smirked, quirking an eyebrow up as Cinder rolled her eyes, and gave Kai a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm just anxious to see what you have in store for me, you nerd." The couple laughed and linked arms, as Kai led them down the hallway.

The duo talked and laughed the entire way to the Emperor's private dining room, where two large bowls sat across from each other. Cinder stopped in her tracks eyeing Kai suspiciously. "Now what might we have here?" Cinder giggled, failing at keeping a straight face.

Kai walked over to a chair, and pulled it out for Cinder, bowing like a gracious host. Cinder curtsied, and sat down into her seat, gazing into the contents of the bowl in front of her.

It was a type of pasta, covered in what seemed like cheese. It smelled like cardboard, and Cinder began to question Kai's taste in food.

"What you have there," Kai boomed in a dramatic voice as he sat down across from Cinder, "Is the greatest food of all time. Macaroni and Cheese." Kai smiled like he was delighted with himself. "And I made it special for you!"

Cinder chuckled at Kai. He was so excited with himself, that she couldn't bear to tell him that she and Thorne had eaten Macaroni on the Rampion, and called it yellow devil. It tasted like it smelled, and Cinder wondered why the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth loved it so much, what with all the fine food they ate at the Palace.

"Sometimes I swear you are five years old!" Cinder laughed, as she and Kai began to eat the yellow rubber. The look on Kai's face as he devoured the stuff was enough to make Cinder happy forever. She was so in love with him it hurt, and all his goofiness made him even more lovable.

"I swear Cinder, if I wasn't so in love with you, I would marry this Mac and Cheese. It's that good!" Kai teased. Cinder plastered a fake frown on her face and looked down at her bowl of yellow mush.

"Are you having commitment issues, Kai?" Cinder looked at him, serious, before she burst out laughing, Kai choking from inhaling a stray noodle, causing Cinder to laugh even harder.

The pair enjoyed the rest of their yellow mush, teasing each other, and laughing as they both made sassy remarks. Life was going good, and the couple were looking ahead to a great future together, filled with lots of love, laughter, and Macaroni and Cheese.