I never thought I would feel this for a creature like her, or for anyone really. After the Pale King saved my life that fateful day, I had decided to dedicate all my devotion to him, make him the reason for my existence, being his knight was my only wish... Until another wish got in the way. Clover, that clumsy mantis, so sweet and so fierce, so dedicated to battle and so hungry for love. The mantis society seems to be very cold and she too warm, she is always by my side crying out for my attention and that only makes her more adorable. Oh my dear Clover! This can be dangerous.
Ogrim maintains that his majesty will not approve of our relationship, it is very dangerous to be romantically involved with the enemy, and the only thing that maintains an apparent peace between our kingdoms is a treatment as delicate as a flower, a false step and blood will stain the earth. Will our romance turn into a tragedy? Given the circumstances, perhaps the best thing for us would be to flee together, to my homeland. I would love to show her the beautiful field of flowers that surrounds my town, I have brought some seeds that I have started to cultivate, but it will never be the same as seeing that idyllic landscape.
However, before leaving, Clover has expressed her desire to say goodbye to her people, it is a fair thing, leaving the country and the family is not something simple. In a few days, when everything is ready, we will go to my homeland.
My beloved king, please forgive me, forgive my selfishness and my lies, I will not stay by your side until the end as I said. I go with my beloved to a far and safe place, where the influence of the goddess does not reach us . I wish with all my heart that her kingdom prosper, even if I am no longer in it.
.................................................. .
Hollow sighed as he read the last entry in Ze'mer's diary. The knight undoubtedly wrote much better than she spoke, she had related in a beautiful way how step by step the relationship between her and Clover had emerged, it was a very beautiful story, full with feelings. But the story ended at this point, when they both decided to go together to another kingdom, it seemed the perfect ending to a love story, unfortunately he knew the epilogue.
When they went to bid farewell to the mantis, the tribe would not accept their relationship due to the knight's foreign nature and would murder Clover. Ze'mer thanks to her talent and strength would manage to escape, but she would not return to her position as defender of the king, she would seclude herself in the farthest corner of the kingdom behind Restlands, where she would spend her last years crying for her love.
He closed the diary and left it in its place, at that moment he only wanted to distract his mind thinking about anything happy, but having taken the diary of the knight was not a good idea, now he felt hid mood more gloomy than before. The reminder of Clover's sad fate was the harbinger of the bleak future that awaited Orchid if she became romantically involved with him, but of course Hollow didn't want her to die. He couldn't allow it! He couldn't fail again!
He was unable to save Myla, and although he was able to free Scarlet and her father from their bondage to the nightmare heart, the price to pay was their memories. As a knight he was useless at crucial moments. What good was a knight who could not help a damsel in distress? The worst part is that Scarlet seemed to have some kind of problem that required the dream nail, and he couldn't help her, the winged furball had vanished along with his only chance of hearing from them.
Now to make matters worse, the only thing he could do when he woke up and realized his situation was to start crying in the most pathetic way, he even ignored Orchid when she called him and as a coward he went to hide in Ze'mer's refuge, where the mantis could not find him.
He already had a calmer head, after much thought he concluded that there was nothing he could do about the little bat, just wait in case fate would make their paths cross again. Meanwhile, all he could deal with was the mantis problem. He had been so happy when she said that she loved him that he had not taken into account the possible consequences of this, he knew the story of Ze'mer and her lover, Ogrim had told him about it, but now when he found the journal and read it, reality hit him with all its weight. Orchid was in danger of death.
Of course, this danger was only real if she returned to her territory in Fungal Wastes, while she was away from that place she would be safe, nobody could touch her. But... He perceived that she wanted to go home at some point, he had already learned that Orchid had not really been abandoned by her family, she had left her land to become strong and hunt a powerful prey, with which she would demonstrate to everyone that she was worthy to remain in her post as Lord. If she became Lord again, she could not be with him, but if she stayed with him, she could never return home or see her family.
All these thoughts made his head jumbled. What was better? Was there any solution so that everyone could stay together as a united family? Why did mantises have to be so stubborn?At last he shook his head and stood up. As much as it hurt, it was not in his hands to do anything, in fact this was a decision that Orchid had to make, he could only resign himself and support her in whatever he could, he would not have the heart to separate her from her people and force her to stay with him
He left the house of the Gray Mourner, taking the journal with him, perhaps Ogrim would be interested in having a memory of his friend, even if it was a somewhat sad memory. He went through the underpass without complications, over the years he had enlarged the tunnel a little and after the departure of the goddess, the dangerous vermin had almost disappeared.
When he returned to the cemetery, he looked for Orchid everywhere and found her sitting against a tombstone with her knees drawn up and a sad look, his heart broke when he saw her like this. He sighed with regret, there was not much he could really do for her, but at least he would try to cheer her up, although that was not going to be so easy, as soon as the mantis noticed his presence she immediately stood up and looked at him in a bad mood. As always she couldn't be honest with her feelings, but despite her feigned anger, Hollow was able to notice a hint of sadness in her gaze.
"Oh! You finally appear. Can I know where you were? The guardian of the place has already returned and you were not to receive them, you don't know how uncomfortable it was to be with them, you should have more consideration. How could you get away and leave the place unprotected? Did you expect me to stay doing your work? Irresponsible...."
Hollow looked at her with exhaustion, this was already beginning to look like one of Hornet's sermons. In response he took his board and wrote on it.
"Sorry, I had to go do some urgent things, it won't happen again"
Orchid did not want to say anything, she knew what he had been doing, he went to cry for that female that he loved so much. How disappointing, she thought he was a strong warrior who did not allow himself to be carried away by those silly sentimentalities, that is why love was something bad, it distracted people from their goals, made them weak and caused them the horrendous pain that she was suffering now. She knew that she and Hollow would never be anything, their relationship was forbidden and he was free to mate with whoever he wanted, but her logic was not able to convince her heart.
Alarmed, Hollow saw the mantis' face turn somber, he was about to write something on his board to try to cheer her up when a cold touch on his back made him jump from fright. His reaction was so sudden that even Orchid stared at him, but what had happened was that Alone had put one of their tentacles on him and now they was staring blankly at him.
"(Don't scare me like that)" He looked at Alone's mask and noticed that it was no longer broken, there were only a few cracks left as a mark of what had happened. "(I see that your mask is fine, although... Have you not considered the idea of changing it? It is already very cracked)".
The vessel shook their head, then looked at Hollow and Orchid noticing the sad atmosphere between them, this made them feel confused. What happened? Was it the fault of the white thief?
"(you saw the white thief)".
"(Eh?... About the white thief. Did you mean a small white moth?)" A nod was the answer.
Hollow felt concerned, the nature of the insect had not been very clear to him, in itself his unpleasant resemblance to The Radiance bothered him a lot, but he had decided not to get carried away by it and give him the benefit of the doubt. However, if he remembered correctly, this creature was the one that had hurt his sibling. Why had he attacked them? Alone was peaceful. Maybe this insect was someone dangerous? If so, that only increased his worries, perhaps Scarlet would be in danger by his side.
"(Did the white thief attack you?)" Alone nodded. "(How he did?)"
The shadeling thought for a moment before answering.
"(I was walking through the cemetery and saw the white being eating flowers. He reminded me of The Radiance and I went to hit him. He bit me)"
"(He bit you... And what else did he do to you?)"
"(He spoke to me... A lot... About the legacy of the moths and his mission...)"
"(But that couldn't have hurt your mask)"
"(An aspid attacked him, I hurt myself by saving him from being eaten)"
Hollow looked at them with an incredulous expression, he had worried about nothing, at least in the real world that furball was weak and helpless, if an aspid could eat him, he was not a big deal, despite how powerful he looked in the dreamrealm. Snack was still a mystery, but he could be sure that Scarlet would be safe, she was a bat after all, that little creature would be no match for her.
"(Be more careful next time Alone)"
The vesel just nodded. He stared at Orchid and Hollow for a moment, unable to avoid feeling somewhat worried and stressed. It seemed one of those problems that went beyond their understanding and involved feelings. Despite all the books they had read, even the romantic ones, the feelings were strange to them. But still being useless on the subject, somehow they wanted to support their brother, so they approached him and took him by the hands, giving him a deep and somewhat hostile look at Orchid.
As always, Alone's lack of expressiveness made understanding them challenging. The guardian in their simplicity, wanted to tell him to stay away from the mantis to make him feel better, but by not saying a word and expressing himself so unclear, Hollow ended up confused. He tried to connect their gestures in some coherent way, although it was complicated. They took him by the hands and looked at Orchid... Or maybe they didn't look at Orchid? Maybe they looked at something that was in her direction, because otherwise he couldn't see the point of anything.
He looked towards the mantis and beyond, then he noticed the door that led to the East exit of the cemetery, then an idea came to his mind and he believed he understood the message of the guardian. They had suggested that he take Orchid to the Blue Lake, which was a great idea, that place was said to have the power to calm the spirit and clear the mind.
He gave a smile and a gesture of thanks to his sibling and went towards Orchid, took her by the claw and took her running towards the exit.
Alone stared at him and cocked their head in confusion. Would he have understood their message? Surely, Hollow was very smart, although it seemed strange that he should take her to the Blue Lake. Did he plan to drown her to get rid of her? That was not their intention! A certain discomfort in their chest attacked them and they looked with anguish at their assistants who only returned an empty look. Now they was feeling a little upset and didn't know why.
Meanwhile, Hollow was dragging Orchid through tunnels, taking her somewhere that only he knew. The mantis started to get scared by how fast they went, that prevented her from drawing a mental map of the place to be able to return, now she was at the mercy of the knight's will, if she get lost she would be in trouble, but she could not help but feel a certain air of fun and adventure regarding the situation.
Finally, after walking for a while, the knight began to stop his passage, Orchid was a little nervous and wanted to ask where they had gone when she realized the huge lake in front of her.
She was speechless when noticing the beauty of the place, she had never seen such a lake, she did not know that it was possible to house such a quantity of water together underground, it was frankly impressive, transparent and as calm as a cup of milk. There were numerous rock formations in its surroundings from which hung strips of moss that seemed to glow with the light emitted by the water, because in the bottom bioluminescent plants grew that gave the place a mysterious blue glow. Slowly she approached the shore and observed the water, it was so clear and transparent that the stones at the bottom shone like jewels, with that characteristic shine that gave the place its name.
For several minutes she was in a trance observing the waters, leaving her mind blank to be swept away by the soft waves of the liquid. She finally decided to take a seat and observe her surroundings, for some reason she felt calm. Suddenly her problems no longer seemed so important, being strong and loving someone who was not due did not seem so serious, now she just wanted to watch the waters and rest.
She remained absorbed in the water for several minutes until Hollow's presence at her side brought her back to reality, the vessel had sat next to her and was also looking at the lake.
"Life is complicated, don't you think?" The mantis suddenly said.
Hollow looked at her and just nodded.
"But I suppose we can sometimes enjoy quiet moments like this... Too bad they don't last forever... But maybe that's what makes us appreciate them more."
Hollow nodded again somewhat ruefully.
"I don't know what will happen tomorrow... I don't know how much pain there is but... I don't want it to make this moment less happy. I'm glad I got to know you better, knowing that you're more than just a ruthless warrior, really... Thank you".
Hollow looked down, it seemed almost a farewell, apparently in the calm of the clear waters Orchid had found her answer, she was decided to return to the tribe and he... He had also found his answer, he would not accept it so easily. She had said she loved him, it was reason enough for him to stay together. He would try to convince her somehow, if she stayed with him she could have everything she needed, nobody would kill her, nobody would force her to be a machine without feelings, she would receive all the hugs she wanted, she would sleep in silk sheets, she could fight against castle knights and train rookies. He had confidence in convincing her, he had a lot to offer.
But all of his plans to hold the mantis with him were cut short when she laid her head on him and closed her eyes. There was no longer a distance between them, they were both sitting together enjoying the view of the lake, sharing one moment of peace and the other's warmth. Finally Orchid had given up and she no longer cared about keeping her distance from him. What did the heat matter? What did difference of species matter? What did it matter that she was a Lord? He loved someone else, it didn't matter. So while she could, she would take him for herself. Now that they were alone, she would doze on him and no one would stop her.
Only the mantis's breath was heard and the soft sound of the water hitting the rocks, nothing could disturb the mantis' rest, she wanted to feel her knight next to her, his presence, his body, the pressure of his being on her side, and that could have continued for much longer if another strange weight on her other side hadn't surprised her.
Startled, Orchid opened her eyes and looked to the right where she found a vessel dressed in green leaning against her, looking at her with a mischievous expression.
What followed was a violent scene where Orchid stood up and kicked the shadeling who was expelled into the lake where he sank when he fell, although the splash on the water soon indicated that he was fine, but that was not what the mantis wanted. For as soon as she saw him emerge, she ran to her spear that had been stuck there and unearthed it ready to go and kill the creature.
Hollow panicked at the fury of the mantis and leapt at her, knocking her to the ground.
"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!"
Hollow ignored her and held her tighter, holding her against the floor. Orchid at first was struggling with all her might trying to break free, but at some point that started to feel more like a pleasant game, for some reason she wanted to be tied up.
Meanwhile, the green-hooded vessel who was named Green, came out of the water a little annoyed and headed toward the two struggling bugs, crossed his arms and looked at them sternly. Orchid noticed his presence and was immediately embarrassed to realize the situation and all the crazy ideas that crossed her mind.
"This is not what you think!" Green cocked his head wondering what she meant. He looked at Hollow for an answer, but he seemed just as confused. He ended up shaking his head and finally beginning to speak in his own particular language of the shadelings.
"(At last I find you! You don't know everything I have gone looking for you! First Big sent me to Crystal Peak, and when I arrive, they tell me that you went to Resting Grounds. I rushed to look for you and they tell me that you are in the Blue Lake. Stay in one place! And when I catch you I just want to rest a little next to you. And what won? A kick)"
"(Sorry" Hollow apologized somewhat sorry "(I think Orchid was a little scared... Ah!)
As Hollow gestured to communicate, she released Orchid and she pushed him slightly so that she could stand up and acquire a more dignified posture, although she was still blushing.
"Ahem... I would appreciate it if you didn't mention what you saw please."
Green looked at her with some annoyance.
"(And what is wrong with her?)" He asked his brother.
"(No idea, but let her be. Now, you were telling me you were looking for us, what happened?)"
"(Ah yes, Big needs you urgently in the castle)"
..................................
Hollow and Orchid rushed through the castle corridors, dodging the safety saws as they made their way to meet the king.
The mantis, not understanding the language of the shadelings, had not managed to find out what was happening, she could only follow Hollow when she saw him run back to the palace, and now she kept doing it while they went to meet Big. She hoped to find out what happened when they were in front of the king, at least he spoke an understandable language.
Finally they arrived in front of the monarch's office and Hollow without even bothering to knock opened the door and entered.
Big was sitting reviewing budgets for some big projects, and he didn't like Hollow coming in so suddenly, but he was in too good a mood to be mad.
".....!"
"Yes Hollow, they are already born."
"...............!"
Hollow was about to run out of the office when Big grabbed him by the cloak and stopped him.
"Wait a moment, you don't go anywhere".
".........!" Hollow waved his arms altered.
"What's happening here? Who was born?" Orchid spoke between gasps after the race chasing the knight.
"The Hornet's children, our nephews broke the egg the day before yesterday."
Orchid's eyes widened in surprise, she couldn't believe it. Had the spider queen had babies? Were she expecting children? No one had mentioned that, although it was normal, sometimes rulers kept their offspring a secret to keep them safe until the time was right.
It was then that she began to draw some accounts, considering the incubation time of the spiders and squaring dates, Hornet must have laid her eggs more or less when they had their meeting in the mantis Lord room, which meant that she was in no condition fighting at that time and that's why she had such a pathetic performance.
Therefore, Hornet was much stronger than she thought and Sharpy was right, now she really wanted to fight the Spider Queen again.
"................!"
"Yes Hollow, I know you want to go see her now, but this is not the time, you will meet your nephews later."
"...........?" He crossed his arms and looked at his brother in annoyance.
"At the party we will dedicate to them."
Hollow's eyes flashed with illusion.
"Yes, as King of Hallownest Heart I will organize a party to receive my nephews and also Hornet will take the opportunity to officially introduce the heir to Deepnest."
Hollow was jumping in his place very excited by this, his joy was so much that even Orchid felt infected.
"Well, then you will have a party in honor of the little ones. Where will you make the fire?"
"Fire?" Big looked confused.
"Yes, the bonfire of the party. You know, everyone will dance around the bonfire to the rhythm of the drum, and each bug will paint their body with colored inks, and then there will be a ritual combat."
Orchid was thinking of a traditional tribe festival, but the castle's refined and elegant celebrations were very different. Hollow and Big looked at each other somewhat concerned, Orchid was going to need quite a bit of preparation before attending an official castle party.
"Well Orchid, I think you will need to take some practical lessons..."
"Lessons? Of what?"
"Dress code, manners, dance and we will have to give you dress for the party. Sorry my dear but we are not used to painting our skin at celebrations".
"Manners? Dance? But..." The mantis was too surprised and somewhat confused.
"And I think we better start from now if we want you to be ready for the party, Hollow. Could you take her with Daisy?"
"Hey but..."
Orchid had no time to complain, the knight grabbed her and dragged her out of the office despite her protests and complaints. The king only saw her walk away with a mischievous smile.
"I think this will be fun," he said to himself.