Tribal

3

He was taller than she remembered; it was to be expected, he was an adult. But she wasn't expecting him to be almost as tall as the king himself, considering that he was smaller than her when they were young. However, he shot up in height. If it hadn't been for his signature cloak and title, she wouldn't have known who he was. As she stared, the knight could feel her eyes on him. She looked familiar, but where? He knew she was a mantis and likely to be related to the mantis lords of his younger days. Those three were likely to be very old or deceased by now, so who was this? He felt as her eyes almost burnt a hole into his face. She clearly knew him; how awkward it felt that he couldn't remember her. Or perhaps she felt threatened by him. It could be that she wished to challenge him to a fight. It was common for mantises to seek powerful opponents. If it was a fight she sought, he would gladly deliver, but not here. Now was the time to celebrate the birth of his niblings. How adorable they were! So small and fragile, but so expressive. They shared traits of both his sister and his friend Quirrell. He remembered how Quirrell had helped him to get inside Monomon's library; he could not penetrate Uumuu's gelatinous shield, but Quirrell was very skilled and a single touch from his blade destroyed the jellyfish's defenses and he was able to defeat the guardian and awoke the teacher. No one else was worthy to be his sister's husband, at least in his eyes.

The king stepped forward and in a voice that shook the room with its power, he quietly whispered, "Thank you for the lovely invitation, your highness. We, the kingdom of Hallownest, gift this as a token of appreciation to your support and congratulations to healthy and strong children. May they grow to be wise and just rulers." The queen sighed. "Hollow, we are siblings; there is no need for formal titles. Please refer to me by my name." She leaned slight to the left and looked at the knight. "The same goes for you, Ghost." The knight gave a silent nod; the king gave a slight smile. "You are too kind, your-" the queen shot him a glance "eh- ahem Hornet." He took out three finely crafted needles and placed them in front of the three small children, who were still sound asleep cuddling with the tiktik plushies.

The blades were of excellent quality; the finest of pale ore was used in their creation. The master craftsman, a great nailsmith, had come out of retirement to create these pieces of art. Ghost remembered the smith; he wished to be killed when he created Ghost's blade, the pure nail, as he believed that there was nothing left for him, as he had perfected his craft. The knight refused to grant this request, so the smith decided to wander. He ended up wandering into the home of the retired nail master, Sheo, who now spent his days in art, paintings, and sculptures. He taught the nailsmith about art and the two formed a close relationship; they spend their days at the edge of Greenpath and create wonderful works of art for all to admire. The king had convinced him to create these three needles for Hornet's newborns.

"Thank you, Hollow, these are greatly appreciated, brother." Hornet gave a nod to her brother, and he began to walk over to his mother. Ghost sat back at the entrance. Acacia couldn't help but keep her eyes trained on the knight, which he of course noticed. The stare made him slightly uncomfortable and somewhat agitated that this mantis hadn't learned proper manners. Granted, neither had he; after one too many people yelled at him for staring at them, he learned to avert his gaze from people. Acacia hadn't even noticed that she was staring; she was lost in thought, admiring the knight. He looked to be very powerful indeed, but something else drew her to him and she couldn't quite put her claw on it. She decided to chalk it up to anticipation for the fight she wished to have with him. Hornet caught everyone's attention when she spoke, "Thank you for gathering here. Now that we have had time for the leaders to show their appreciation and blessings, I say it's time we allow our citizens to have their turn. Wouldn't you agree, dear?" The queen looked to her husband. "Yes, I believe it is about that time. We wouldn't want our citizens to get antsy." Ah yes, a father for only a few days and the dad jokes were in full swing, as to be expected from him. Hopefully, we wouldn't have to suffer through them for long.

The group began to exit the queen's chambers and took the three small children to the throne room. While Quirrell stood next to the children, Hornet sat on her throne and allowed the citizens of Deepnest and the nearby kingdoms and tribes to present gifts and give congratulations and blessings, ranging from small homemade items to precious metals. Many had given prayers of good fortune and blessings onto the children, much to the pleasure of Hornet. It pleased her greatly to see all of Hallownest's citizens so supportive of her children; she knew that they would be loved when their time came to rule. She was very excited to see that her brother and the White Lady had approved of her children; she was the one who helped Hollow adjust to the new state of the kingdom and had encouraged him to be the king of Hallownest. While she was not directly related to the White Lady, the old queen had a hand in raising her, and with her own mother long gone and her old teacher Vespa passed away, the White Lady took a sort of surrogate mother role. She wished her children could have met Herrah, but having the White Lady would be just as good.

After all who had brought gifts had given them, Hornet made an announcement. "Thank you all for the amazing gifts; your support of my children is greatly appreciated. Now please, take this night to enjoy yourselves. Tonight is a celebration of new life! And as such, I wish all to enjoy their stay here in Deepnest." As Hornet concluded her speech, Hollow walked up to his mother. She turned her head away from him; he knew that she blamed herself for his situation, but he felt no hatred toward his mother and had no grudge. If anything, he blames himself more. Secretly, he feels as though he failed as a vessel and all of the kingdom's problems with the radiance were his fault. Hollow silently walked up to his mother and gave her a soft hug and whispered in his silent voice to her, "What happened to me and my siblings was not your doing; father was at fault. Please do not turn your head away from me; I only ever sought the approval of you and father. I know I disappointed him, but I still wish for you to take pride in your son." The White Lady had tears in her eyes; she loved her son more than anything; she loved all of her children, no matter how numerous they were. She could not be more proud of her son, but that did not stop her from feeling ashamed in herself. She should have told her husband about how his plan affected her, but he was so lost in his desire to keep his kingdom alive that he seemed like a madman. In truth, she loved him once, but when his desire to make his kingdom last eternal and kill that old god of light, she feared him more than loved him. After it was found that his plan failed and her son was not capable of holding the Radiance, she could no longer bear her grief, and like a coward, she fled. How could she abandon her people like that? She had a responsibility. But the loss of her children hurt her too much. She could not bear the weight of the kingdom, a crazed husband, and the depression of losing millions of children. She wanted to die; that is what she deserved. But she held on. She did not know why but she did. She was glad she did. But her shame followed her into her new life.

"Oh, my son!" She cried. "I have only pride towards you! You are a great man and a wonderful king! I know for a fact that if your father was alive today, he would be so proud of you, as I am." Hollow chuckled. "Not before he got a few slaps on the face, correct?" Her tears stopped for a moment as she gave a sorrowful laugh. "Yes, and the man would be lucky if that was the end of his punishment." The two laughed at the conversation before Hollow spoke again. "Even though he was horrible, I...I still miss him." The old queen looked at her son with empathy. "So do I, my son, so do I." Hollow embraced his mother once again; if he could cry, he would. "I love you, mother." At these words, the queen almost broke. She only ever wanted to hear those words. "I love you too, my son." Hollow ended the hug, and his mother gave him a soft kiss on his forehead. "Come now, this is a celebration, no time to be so sorrowful; let us enjoy the night." Hollow looked at his mother. "You are right, mother; let us go."