Oppression {A Bug's Life AU}

Chapter I: Small Issues

Dedicated to my love D12NEY-Atta

We are not stronger by our number, but rather by our bravery.

Light was only provided by the rising sun on the hot summer morning. Everyone had already begun their daily routines by then, and most of it was cleaning their houses, and of course, gathering food for the offering. Something they dreaded but wouldn't dare express apprehension about. This was something that most had been doing since they were young.

The island wasn't too large, but it was expandable enough to sustain life for the kingdom. Most of it just consisted of the village and the palace. The village was for the harvesters, the teachers, and sadly, the homeless. Most everyone lived in that part, and while doing their best to keep it clean, failed to keep it beautified. It wasn't the worst it could be, though. As without the Grasshoppers' protection, they would be in much worse, more horrid conditions.

The palace was huge, and though very old, was in excellent shape. The marble floors, the golden thrones for the royal family, the large bedrooms, and so on. There was plenty of room for almost everyone in the kingdom, but the only residents were the queen, the two princesses, the council, and servants.

The queen ruler of the island for as long as anyone could remember. She had more power ever since the disappearance of her husband, the king. She was old but very beautiful and surprisingly optimistic and laidback. Despite the conditions her kingdom was in, she didn't focus on the negative aspects of life. She laughed and made jokes, she had a smile that lit up a whole room.

Her daughters were much younger and just as beautiful. Princess Atta, the eldest, soon to be queen herself. She was barely older than a teenager and had the body and the beauty of a goddess. However, she wasn't as positive and calm as her mother. In fact, she was the opposite. She was always worrying about something, never seeing things the way her mother or sister did. Perhaps it was the stress of taking over soon, or the alliance with the clan of grasshopper hybrids. But she was always stressed.
As for the youngest, Princess Dot, not even nine-years-old yet. She was shorter than most kids her age, and despite being royalty, was always being picked on by classmates. She attended an elementary school in the village, despite her sister's attempts to try to educate her herself. She liked to be positive and carefree like her mother, but it didn't help that everyone was always telling her what she could and could not do.

The offering was a large collection of food, mostly by the harvesters, near the edge of the island. It was piled up and mostly contained fruits and crops, but had some meat and desserts made by the chefs as well. Every year on the summer solstice, the Grasshoppers would arrive at the island to eat the food that had been offered to them, not even interacting with the island's inhabitants, and leave not long after. It was apart of the deal that the clan's leader and the queen made years ago. The ant hybrids offered them food in exchange for protection from outsiders. The history of this exchange was dark, and no one dared to speak of it.

The royal family would often supervise the offering, especially on the day of the Grasshoppers' arrival. They had to make sure it was perfect, or lord only knew what would happen. This was really the only time Princess Atta ever left the palace. Otherwise, she was hidden away in her bedroom or throne room. Her mother and sister would often walk through the village together, and Dot would attend her classes every weekday. But Atta lived a different life. A life she chose to keep to herself.

The sun was rising rapidly it seemed, mainly due to the tension and anxiousness in the air. Everyone felt it, but no one would discuss it. Every harvester was in line, dropping their food onto the pile before going to collect more, in an exhausting cycle. Princess Atta and her mother were standing not too far in front of it, being shaded by their servants while the council was supervising everyone.