Shush, Little Ones (Canon Omake)

The Queen and Her Hive

---

I have a huge belief in the importance of bees, not just for their honey, which is a healing and delicious food, but the necessity of bee colonies that are vital to the health of the planet. ~ Holly Dabberghast.

———​

Little one, listen to what I have to tell you. Our hive is young, mere hours old, yet already we have a legend to tell you, my children. Our hive began shortly before I was gifted with life. The two warriors that guard the entrance to the hold and guarding you were created first by her, the True Queen. She is much taller than you or I, and her mana is a deep orange. It's a color similar to the honey that we feed you.

Either way, it was shortly later that I and my sister were given the blessing of existence at the behest of the True Queen. I was, at first, a humble worker without guidance and hope. Then, mere moments after my creation, she gave us a boon. She knew that the hive would not thrive without a Queen to guide us, so she took me and changed me.

I felt my mind widen as I willingly accepted the role she had bestowed on me. It was a role that was usually reserved for those who had proven their worth by slaying those who would contest them in a bloody duel. I felt my body become bigger and widen. My wings expand to greater lengths to ensure that I can fly in times of danger.

Humbly, I let the True Queen know how thankful I was for the role she had gifted to me, to our hive. Then, she gave us our first order: "Go forth and find a place to make your own," we felt reside inside our consciousnesses.

So, with all the great majesty of a ruler of the hive, I set out with new knowledge bestowed upon us to find a home. I flew to the falling river and found no place for the hive, so I flew elsewhere. I flew past the blooming mana tree and found no place for the hive, so I continued searching. Finally, I returned to the True Queen and told her that there was no place for the hive to thrive.

And so, she turned away from us and set to work. We watched as a mighty stone pillar rose from the ground and set itself in the middle of the plains that surrounded us. From there, she started making tunnels for our workers to make housing for our young in the future, as well as food storage if the need ever came for it. The True Queen then turned to us and let us know that Royal Hive was prepared for examination.

So we set forth and explored what would become our wonderful home and found it to be good. The stone would protect us better than the usual materials we would have used to make the hive from scratch. The holes would provide ventilation so that we could breathe fresh air instead of becoming stale like some hives. So we returned to the True Queen's side and coolly thanked her for the home before flying off with my underlings and settling down.

Now, shush, child. Go back to sleep. There is much work to be done and many more young to be birthed for the days to come.

Sleep, my child, for I shall love you like the True Queen loves all of her children.