Tribal

4

The party was in full swing. Many were talking to friends and relatives; others were conversing with potential partners. Many were dancing to the music, and others preferred to stand by the food and indulge themselves. Acacia was enjoying herself; she was admiring how many people came from all over Hallownest to celebrate the queen's children. Perhaps Clover would have a large celebration such as this for her children. Acacia sighed; it was unlikely. Clover held tightly to tradition; it was likely that once her children were born, she would immediately begin preparations to train them into great warriors. She could dream though. No, but what she was truly looking for was the knight; she wished to invite him to the tribe so that he could test his skills against the new generation of mantises. Unfortunately, she could not find the knight anywhere.

He was massive; how could she lose him so easily? It confused and aggravated her to no end. Perhaps his brother, the king, would know of his whereabouts. He was easy to find; he stood over by the other rulers. He was an imposing figure, and she hesitated to approach him. She overcame her fear of the king and walked up to him. He shared the same empty eyes as the knight; however, he wore the royal white that was associated with his caliber of royalty. He towered over her, easily double her height; how on earth did he move around being so tall? His horns were almost scraping against the ceiling; he had to slouch in order to move comfortably. He and the knight both shared similar horn shapes, as one would expect considering that they are brothers; his horns almost looked like that of a mantis crown. It made her more comfortable approaching him, as the horns made her feel as though she was speaking to another mantis.

"Excuse me, your majesty, I have a small question." Acacia was incredibly nervous; she could not tell what emotion was on the king's face as his soulless eyes fell on her.

"Ah, the Mantis Lord, how may I assist you?" His voice was quiet, almost a whisper, but it had so much force behind it; she feared angering the king of Hallownest.

"I-I was looking for the silent knight, my king, I-I was hoping to speak with him." Her voice trembled with his eyes on her; she felt like she was being judged, as if she was found guilty she would die.

"Please, call me Hollow; we are both heads of our respective territories, and to answer your question, Ghost is probably out on the balcony, he hates such loud gatherings." The king's voice was soft and gentle, and his insistence that she use his name made her relax.

"Thank you, and please refer to me by Acacia, the title of mantis lord should be reserved for my fellow lords, they deserve the respect more than I." Acacia truly believed that she did not deserve the title. She did not have Clover's power or Ash's strategic and calm mind; she did not deserve the title of lord; she had done nothing to earn it besides being born; she began to walk off towards the balcony and overheard the others speaking.

"How polite, she would be perfect for him," the White Lady commented.

"Oh mother, do not embarrass the boy. But I do agree," followed Hollow's voice.

As she walked off, she had a small dust of red on her face; did they mean the knight? Surely not, he was a powerful knight, captain of the guard and one of the closest advisors to the king himself, brother to the queen of Deepnest and son of the White Lady, and she was a lowly mantis. She was powerful yes, but nowhere near his level. Besides, what would her tribe say? Most despised crossbred insects, Clover especially. She feared the wrath of her fellow lord; would Ash approve? She knew he wanted to break traditions, but would he agree with something this serious? She didn't know. She mentally hit herself; why was she even thinking of considering it? She is a lord for goodness sake, act like one! Composing herself she continued until she reached the door to the balcony.

Opening the door she looked out and saw the knight leaning against the railing looking out into the darkness; the reflective spider silk on the roof of the cave combined with the lights from the village gave the empty cavern the illusion of a night sky. It was calm and quiet out here; the knight was so still at first she thought that he had been asleep; she approached the edge and leaned against the railing next to the knight, looking out into the darkness together. It was peaceful, but a part of her was unnerved by the eerie silence and pitch-black nothingness. She so desperately wanted to speak but a part of her did not want to interrupt the silent chorus of the darkness. It most likely would have stayed that way if the knight himself hadn't spoken up in her place.