The Bee Dungeon

The Fourth of the Seventh rotated about in place, glancing all around her. A wall of wax now covered the one exposed entrance of their little alcove, protecting the interior from the elements. Cracks and gaps on the existing rock walls had been patched with wax and propolis for a tight seal all around, while workers continued to line the walls with more. Some honeycomb had been built and workers were currently beating their wings to dry the nectar even as the foragers brought more.

It was a humble hive, especially when compared to the palaces of the King, but it was a functioning hive. The scouts would now have a warm and dry place to rest and plentiful honey to drink, which meant they would not have to return all the way to their hive in the Orchard each day. They would be able to fly further than ever before and search the area for new flowers and more. So, the Fourth of the Seventh’s first task was now complete and she was ready to move on.

The Fourth of the Seventh decided on her next move. Part of her wanted to rush out into the beyond now that the mini-hive was established, but that was not what she did. Because before she did that, she found that the greater part of her…wished to return now. The Beyond was filled with all sorts of things she had never seen and proved every bit as exciting as she had dreamed. And yet…she missed the workers she had left behind, especially her communer. She missed the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter, who was always happy and cheerful whenever the Fourth of the Seventh saw her. Sure, she could keep tabs on them as the communer gave her daily reports, but the Fourth of the Seventh wanted to see them herself, to dance with them and brush their antennae.

Her own instincts were pulling on her as well, for it had been a while since she last laid an egg. She may have wanted to see the world as a worker would, but that did not mean she disliked her own job, and it had been far too long since she had done it. But…she did not want to lay her eggs here. As much as she wanted to see the Beyond, she preferred that her children grow in the warm embrace of the King’s realm.

And so, she danced to the communer in the mini-hive.

“Ok, going to go back now, check on hive. Can tell others?”

The communer danced a salute dance and relayed her orders. The Fourth of the Seventh almost immediately felt mana flow towards her, sent by the communer back home.

“Really?! Queen coming home already?!”

She danced happily as she replied.

The communer didn’t respond but she could perceive a sense of happiness coming in through the mana. She decided she would head back even faster. So, she gathered up her escort of soldiers and workers, and they set off to return to the King’s realm.

She could not help but shiver and shake about as she passed through the huge entrance and felt the full embrace of the King’s mana once again. As much as she would see the world beyond, this was the place she belonged.

She flew up through the special entrance to the Bee Barracks, barely dancing a greeting to the Flower Meadow bees in the area before zipping into the Orchard. She was about to turn and head for the grove when something caught her eye.

There, on the ground, was a single bee. Their antennae was drooping, their wings were moving slowly and not providing any lift. They were slowly crawling onto a flower that had fallen from one of the nearby trees, sticking their proboscis to try and drink whatever scraps of nectar might be left within.

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The Fourth of the Seventh immediately dove down towards the bee and flew around.

“Worker ok?! Hurt?! Need help?!”

The bee stumbled a bit as they tried to respond.

“Q-Queen…”

One of her workers buzzed their wings and flew in front of her.

“Queen, is not worker. Is drone.”

The Fourth of the Seventh stopped her dance, her antennae twitching.

“Drone? But new queens already mated. How alive?”

The drone was still stumbling but managed to pull off a dance.

“W-When got outside…all queens left. C-Couldn’t find any…”

The Fourth of the Seventh paused. Ah, that was right, when she was laying queens and drone with the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter she had realized at one point that she had miscounted, and so laid an extra drone egg just in case. The extra drone must have hatched too late for the wave of queens.

“Ok, then come back to hive with us! Can wait for next time!”

The workers and soldiers all turned to face their queen. One of the workers slowly danced in the air.

“Queen…is drone. Can’t work, can’t fight, can’t help. Will be useless for long time…”

But the Fourth of the Seventh held her ground.

“Is ok! No good for normal hive, but we hive of hives! All bees help all bees! Even drone!”

The drone himself stumbled at that.

“Q-Queen…is true. C-Can’t help, couldn’t mate. Don’t need to…”

But the Fourth of the Seventh landed by the drone and brushed his antennae with hers.

“Is ok! Let me help now, you help later! Find new way to help!”

The Fourth of the Seventh was not ignorant. She knew, like all bees, that drones were destined to die, and had no issue sending them out for that purpose. At the same time, though, she had watched the King save wounded soldiers who couldn’t fight anymore. She had received access to flowers from the First of the Fifth when her hive was small and humble. And even now, the First of the Fifth’s First Daughter was watching over her hive on her behalf. So, if she saw a bee before her who needed help, she would not refuse it. Even if they were a drone doomed to die.

The drone shrunk down, lying on the ground.

“…can’t fly. Should leave here.”

The Fourth of the Seventh responded by crouching down in front of the drone, exchanging pheromones instead of dancing.

“Is ok! Climb on, will carry!”

The workers and soldiers began buzzing their wings while the drone shrank down even further. But the Fourth of the Seventh didn’t move so, eventually, the drone slowly climbed on, nearly slipping and falling as he struggled to hold his grip. But, eventually, he was settled on her back, and the Fourth of the Seventh took off once again.

“Ok, let’s go home everyone!”

The workers and soldiers glanced at the drone and then to their queen, but they said nothing more and followed as the Fourth of the Seventh took off. To be fair, this was not the craziest idea their queen had had before.

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter and the Fourth of the Seventh’s communer were waiting for her by the entrance and the three proceeded to crawl all over one another in happy dances. Only after all three had calmed down did the communer look at the bee on the Fourth of the Seventh’s back.

“Queen? Why carrying drone?”

“Saw on way here! Drone was born too late for mating, was starving. So brought back to help! Will help all bees, like King!”

The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter’s antennae twitched again.

“Is drone but…is also Fourth of the Seventh’s drone so…will take care! Will make sure is ok!”

The communer, for her part, stood completely still for a moment. The other workers all turned to her, uncertain how to respond. Eventually, the communer began to dance.

“I…see. Well, queen is queen. Come, will have brood tender take a look and feed. Then will find…something for drone to do.”

“Ok!”

The communer climbed onto the Fourth of the Seventh’s back to observe the drone and check for injuries while the Fourth of the Seventh carried them inside, and all the other workers went back to their jobs. The drone, who could hardly move at this point, could only emit some weak pheromones.

“Sorry…”

But the communer just brushed his antennae.

“Queen has decided. And has had stranger ideas before that worked. So, get better and then find way for drone to help, ok?”

“…ok…”

The drone shrank down at the gazes of all the workers around them, but since both queens and the communer were there the workers figured it was handled and moved on. The drone was brought to the brood tenders, who managed to determine he was simply malnourished and running low on mana. He was led to a cell of mana honey and made to drink, slowly pulling him back from the brink.

And so, for the first time within the Tower, a drone survived past his first flight and returned to the hive of his birth…

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