I awoke as the cocoon broke apart naturally, without any effort on my part.
A what?
The screen vanished.
In front of me stood my royal caretaker, and for the first time I saw her with my own eyes. She was fluffier than I had imagined and even prettier.
Looking around, I realized I was no longer in my mother’s chamber. There was no one else here—just her and me.
I was also a little smaller than I had expected. In fact, she was still bigger than me, probably just fat.
What is this? Wasn’t I supposed to be a queen? What’s this princess nonsense? Maybe true greatness just takes more time, unlike other things.
I looked at my most caring royal caretaker.
I opened my information screen as I grumbled.
So I hadn’t become a queen yet. It seemed I would have to complete a quest first.
I felt disappointed. I had hoped the screen was lying, and I buzzed in irritation.
Stupid information screen, doing whatever it wants. I’ll become a queen super fast anyway.
As I reviewed my stats, my mood lifted. My numbers had jumped a lot. Even my Charisma penalty had dropped from –6 to –4, and I had three new skills.
I started making a happy buzzing and chiming sound. The chime came from my antennae somehow. I got so excited that I spent a while just doing it for fun.
“Done, little queen?”
I looked at my royal caretaker. She had spoken, and I understood her—not through words, but through scent and vibration.
I tried to answer in kind.
“Yes. Others where?”
The words felt strange and broken, like my thoughts couldn’t quite become speech.
I wanted to ask why the others weren’t here, but her scent carried safety and joy.
She rose, flapped her wings, and danced.
“By taking care cocoon, happiness growing. Soon stronger, greater service. Go Queen, meet them there.”
Her dance was beautiful. I liked it more than words, though it felt limited somehow, as I didn’t fully understand her.
Still, I got the gist of it. The others had evolved too and would meet us at the Queen’s chamber.
I danced. “Let’s go, sister.”
And we flew toward the Queen, toward Mother.
The flight was chaotic.
I’d like to say it went smoothly and naturally, but no.
Flying was instinctual; steering was not.
I crashed into workers, flew the wrong way, overshot corridors, and even slammed into a wall or two.
Changing speed turned out to be a skill, not an instinct.
My caretaker was patient, thankfully.
When we finally entered the great chamber before the Queen’s nest, the room that usually buzzed with constant motion grew still.
Every bee landed to the sides, releasing scents of comfort, belief, and happiness toward me, welcoming a newborn queen.
It was mortifying. All my sisters treated me like some precious little larva—a princess, yes, but still a baby.
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No.
We landed in front of the Queen, and I realized she was at least three times my size—majestic, radiant, beautiful.
Just looking at her filled me with warmth and peace.
She truly was what a bee should be, the embodiment of authority, strength, and motherhood.
I could almost feel her gentle laughter at my clumsy arrival, and my antennae chimed softly in response.
“Child. You return. Growth and strength seen within. The hive proud.”
Her voice resonated through scent and vibration, heavy with calm power.
“But be cautious. Before you leave, I will give what you need to begin your hive.”
My other caretakers landed beside me. Even though their scents had changed, they still felt the same, and seeing them gave me a small swirl of joy inside.
With them came one larger bee and three smaller ones.
They all bowed before me.
I felt sad and nervous, but also excited to see new things.
Instinctively, I knew what this meant—we were leaving and never coming back.
I had been here forever and was endlessly curious about the outside. The hive couldn’t be everything. Honey had to come from somewhere.
It still felt a little sad now that the time had come.
But my melancholy was dispelled as I grew more and more excited about the adventure and began to dance.
The Queen’s scent shifted with amusement before deepening into something more serious.
“Do not fear, my small one. Be wary always. The world beyond, danger. Outside waits wasp and great beast.”
At the word wasp, an instinctive terror screamed inside me, stopping my dance. I wanted to run, flee, hide.
The only thing stopping me was the knowledge that there were no wasps here.
Around me, every bee in the chamber bristled, ready to fight.
Then the Queen released a wave of calm through the air.
“Calm, my little ones. No threat near. Safety under hive and Queen.”
I relaxed, realizing everything was prepared for departure, but my first royal caretaker had not sworn to my service.
I checked the information screen.
No difference. I examined the details.
She wasn’t on the list anymore.
I felt sad and looked at her.
“Why not coming?”
The Queen answered before she could.
“Need great. More royal eggs I must lay. Dangerous times come; the hive must endure.”
Her scent briefly carried dread, then softened with warmth.
“Just in case.”
I realized we were ready to leave.
The workers carried small crystal-like lumps in wax bowls.
I inspected them.
Honey.
I had waited so long to taste it.
“Go now, young Princess. Carry hive’s light. Build, protect, and spread far and wide.”
Her scent carried pride, love, and quiet hope.
My only remaining royal caretaker touched her antennae to my head, and I felt her love and care.
I did the same, dancing a farewell that said I would miss her. She was the one who had been with me the longest.
My warrior and workers started flying out, and I followed.
It struck me that one worker and the warrior didn’t have “bee” at the end of their subrace.
The warrior’s level was especially high compared to her age.
I had a feeling that told me more than anything else how dangerous the world outside truly was.
