Enid watched the office building for a while, trying to see the people that came in and out of it. There was only one person that she saw, and it seemed to be...a bee? With a briefcase? This definitely intrigued her! Was everyone in the building a bee?
"Well, I guess the only way for me to find out is to go in and see for myself! I'm sure they're friendly!" Enid said to herself, smiling as she walked closer and closer to the door. The dice, it seemed, tried to distract her with their negative aura, but the flowers on her hat seemed to block it out completely! Yes, Enid was a bit nervous to go inside, but how bad could it possibly be?
Opening the door to the office building, Enid was utterly suprised upon walking in. The place was completely filled with bees! There were so many! In fact, the entire building's interior was shaped like a beehive!
"Oh, how amazing!" Enid gasped, walking around excitedly. There was so much honey! Enid, who did love sweet things and loved to put toast on honey or hotcakes, couldn't help but put a bit of it on her finger, giving it a taste. It was some of the best she'd ever tasted! She wanted to eat all of it!
Enid then saw a worker bee walking by, and she couldn't help but go and greet him. "Oh, sir! Hi there!" She said, smiling. The bee, who looked quite grouchy, lightened up a bit, cracking a bit of a smile.
"Oh, thank heavens...someone different. Though...how'd the queen hire you?" He asked, putting his hands on his hips and raising a brow.
"...Hire me? Oh, sir, I don't work here! A-Am I trespassin'? The door was unlocked, so I just assumed that I was allowed inside…" Enid gushed, backing away softly. She didn't even think about it...she just barged in! And...a queen? Of course! They were bees! There had to be a queen bee!
"Usually bees are the only people allowed in here, but if the queen finds you interesting, she may invite you to meet her. At least, that's what she did when two cup boys wandered their way in here," the worker bee explained, Enid nodding. "The queen watches everyone work, so I'm sure she knows you're here. B-But there's nothing to be afraid of! Our dear queen is incredibly loving and gracious!" The worker bee started to stutter. He seemed as if he was being forced to talk about the queen in such a positive manner. This confused Enid, but she continued to nod.
"Now, I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to stall you until the queen makes up her mind on whether or not she wants you around. We have an officer here, and when she does make up her mind, she'll send him over to tell you whether or not you're allowed to see her. If you're not...p-please don't panic! The queen will most likely just let you go!" The worker bee said, holding onto Enid's shoulder in a gentle way.
Enid then proceeded to start telling this worker bee about herself and her struggles with the Devil, and had expected to hear some stuff about him, but whenever she asked him what his name was, his reply was that he was some kind of generic worker bee that was unimportant!
"Oh, come now! Even if you are a worker bee, I'm sure you're plenty important! Everyone has their place in the world, after all!" Enid replied, smiling.
"Eh, not really. You know bees, don'cha? It's all about the ladies here," the worker bee said. Enid was going to reply, but before she could say anything, she saw a large bee dressed in blue and sporting a moustache flying toward the two. He took Enid's arm in his, the worker bee nodding and returning to his cubicle. As intimidating as the officer was, he seemed to be gentle.
"Dear traveler, our queen wishes to see you. Her Majesty has become intrigued by your presence. I have been requested to bring you to her. Do not worry, young one. The queen will most likely not harm you," the officer said. Enid was unsettled, but was obedient as the officer dragged her off. But...the queen most likely wouldn't harm her? There was a potential that she would? It was unnerving. Very unnerving.
Eventually, the officer picked Enid up, starting to fly her somewhere. This really unnerved her, and he could tell. This reminded her of the terrible dream that she'd had when she'd stayed overnight at Hilda's house, as the path that the officer was taking looked endless. Enid couldn't help but closing her eyes as she shivered. The officer wanted to comfort her, but assumed that his attempts would be fruitless. As they got closer and closer to the queen's quarters, a voice was able to be heard from the room.
"Oh, oh! My dear pr-or, rather, my dear visitor is coming to see her queen! Come, come, my traveler! Come and meet Rumor Honeybottoms! Come meet your queen!" The voice shouted, scaring Enid even more.
At last, the officer put Enid down, shivering as he opened some kind of door and pushed Enid into the queen's quarters. The poor girl felt alone. She looked at the delicious honey that was flowing down the walls, as well as the many honeycomb-shaped cubicles, filled with workers that couldn't see her.
Suddenly, Enid saw herself dodging some kind of scepter! With the sudden dodge, one of her heels had nearly snapped. Turning around, Enid was met with a large, female bee, who was excitedly licking her lips.
"What a sweet little morsel you are, child," the woman, who Enid believed had called herself Rumor Honeybottoms, said, putting her finger under Enid's chin and lifting her head up, making eye contact with the young girl. "I'm sure you taste sweet as well."
What was up with people wanting to eat Enid? First Baroness Von Bon Bon, and now Rumor Honeybottoms? Was she really that delicious?
"O-Oh, Your Majesty, you're awfully mistaken! I'm sure I taste awfully bad! After all, I'm flesh and blood! I'm not made of anythin' sweet, like sugar," Enid said, nervously crossing her arms as the queen started to examine her. To keep Enid still, she wrapped one of her hands around the girl's waist. Because of the size difference, one hand fit around her little body perfectly.
"My dear child, you tasted the honey, did you not? You do know that our honey can make anything sweet," Rumor said, gently running a finger down Enid's chin and jawline. It appeared that the queen enjoyed teasing Enid. Though it most certainly wasn't her intention, it felt as if the queen was flirting with Enid, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.
"Please, Your Majesty, have some kindness in your heart! I am so young! I have just turned fifteen years old! Would you truly end the life of a fifteen-year-old?" Enid asked as the queen tightened her grip on her, now running her hand down the back of her head.
"You may be fifteen years old, you tender little morsel, but think of all of the trouble that you're in with the Devil! You know that the big, bad Devil will surely kill you…" Rumor said, stroking her cheek. She seemed to be sympathetic toward the young girl, even if her intentions were...strange. "With me, you will go out painlessly. Think of all of the struggles you've been through. They'll all be over if you just let me do this," Rumor cooed, still looking deep into Enid's eyes. Her eyes seemed almost hypnotizing, and for a while, Enid was actually considering it, the poor thing! She was now trembling in the queen's grasp, which had tightened around it even more. She was finding it hard to breathe now.
"Y-Your Majesty...I have made so many friends on my adventures in Inkwell Isle! How would they ever cope with losin' me? So many of my friends are rootin' for me. If I am to die, I'd rather die at the hands of the Devil. At least I would go out in honor. Please, Your Majesty, I am not a fighter, but if I would die by the hands of the Devil, I would die fighting. How would my friends react if they learned that I was eaten? Oh, how horrible! How inhumane!" Enid cried.
"My dear, my dear, I want you to think about this. My scepter...my scepter right here," Rumor said as she held up the scepter that she'd nearly conked Enid on the head with earlier. "My dear child, I have given you choices! If you would let me strike you, you won't even know that you're being killed. All you'll feel is a little pressure on the back of your head, and then you'll be asleep...yes, just asleep," she smiled, though Enid knew of the type of sleep that Rumor wanted to put her in.
"Continuing from my last remark...do you really want to go out fighting?" Rumor asked, continuing to run her hand down the back of Enid's head. "After all, the Devil shows no mercy to anyone, not even a youngin' such as you. He'll tear you apart, just like he tried to do to your dear friend years ago! That, or he'll drag you into the flames and watch as your little body is consumed, burned alive. That's what he'll do," she said, watching as Enid became uncomfrortable, trembling and squirming in her grasp.
Was getting eaten the true painless way for Enid to go out? The more she pondered, the more she considered! The queen's apparent sympathy for her made it even more confusing! Was she truly trying to help her, or was it one of her tricks? At this point, Enid was one hundred percent flustered.
"Is that truly what you want him to do, my young traveler? Who is going to tell all your friends? Do you truly want them to hear that you were engulfed by the fires of hell? You know that the Devil will show you no mercy, young one. If you die by the Devil, you suffer for eternity. If you just let me make a snack of you, perhaps you would have another chance in the afterlife," Rumor said, her voice still seeming to show pity.
Enid thought about it even more. How would her friends react? She could only imagine Hilda, Cagney, Beppi, Grim, and Grimella...and the boys! Oh, the dear boys! Biddy, too! How would the boys and Biddy react? The boys had worked as hard as they could to make her time in Inkwell Isle easier, and Biddy had begged and pleaded for King Dice to show her mercy. Would that all be for nothing?
"Oh, Your Majesty, you are truely shrouded in darkness! You're tryin' so hard to convince me that your way of murderin' me is better than the Devil's! You are a queen! You should strive to show your goodness to the people you rule! This building is one of melancholy souls!" Enid cried, looking down at the cubicles, watching as the worker bees, oh, so many of them, sat and did what they were most likely born to do. She felt terrible for each and every one of them. She found it even harder for her to breathe.
"I've already told you, Your Majesty, I would rather go out by the Devil. I will go out with dignity instead of givin' myself up to someone who has the ability to feel remorse! The Devil is the prince of darkness, but he knows not of what he's doin'. You may be a queen, but you choose to act like a tyrant! I've never wronged you in my life! I made the mistake of being lured into your deceptive trap, tasted your sweet honey, and now, as I stand here in your grasp, the hour of my death apparently loomin', I wholeheartedly tell you that I can't accept it! You have no right to eat me, no matter who you are! It is through deceptive lies that I am here right now! You have completely and utterly brainwashed your subjects into believin' that you are a gentle, lovin' queen! You are completely aware of what you're doin'! At this point, I would rather have the flames consume me than continue this conversation. Please, God have mercy on you, because I don't believe that I can!" Enid cried. Then, she couldn't take it anymore. She fainted.
During Enid's moments of unconsciousness, most was pure darkness, but near the end, she had an incredibly bitter dream that she couldn't explain. Perhaps it was her mind believing that she was near her death and trying to save her? Was the Devil trying to torment her in her time of suffering? She'd never know.
Enid's dream begun with her in the same dark hall, just as she was in her first dream. She realized where she was and immediately started to panic, cramming herself against the back wall. She heard some kind of echoed argument. There was a male voice and a female voice, and the argument seemed to be incredibly intense...then she heard a slapping noise, followed by a shriek. She recongized the voices, but just couldn't lay a finger on who they belonged to. As much as her body and mind screamed at her not to investigate, she couldn't help herself.
As she walked, the hall seemed to be endless, or at least much longer than the hall in her first dream. As she walked more and more, once again, the floor seemed to be growing increasingly warm. The voices got louder, and Enid now knew who they belonged to. The female voice was most certainly Biddy's, but as for the male voice...she still couldn't remember! The voices were still rather muffled and distorted, so she couldn't hear anything that was going on very well. At this point, she was trembling, but she still decided to move forward.
Honestly, Enid just assumed that she was dying, and that this dream was her body hallucinating during her final moments. Honestly, she didn't even know if this was a dream. Was she dead? Was she in hell? Everything was just pure confusion. She felt as if her brain was melting.
"Do you have no consideration for the people around you, you wretch? After everything that they've done for you, you're just letting them down? You expect everything to be handed to you!" The male voice shouted. By the way he'd shouted, Enid immediately realized that the voice belonged to none other than King Dice. Fitting. Fitting for him to insult her in the heat of their argument. Though...what exactly were they arguing about?
"Don't talk to me like that, you bloody nob? You've got every reason to be happy! You do get everything handed to you! What good am I doing the people? I'm poor as poor can be. I have no worth. I'd like to join my mother. Learn why she left. What was wrong with her. After all, you've told me that I should join her several times! You want me gone, and I'm doing it! I'll show you!" Biddy screamed in retaliation.
Upon hearing this, Enid gasped, running as fast as she could, trying to find the two. She had no idea what Biddy was planning on doing, but considering that they seemed to be in hell, something told her that the Devil had to be involved.
"You two...neither of you move an inch! Consider what you're doing!" Enid shouted, not knowing if the two could hear her. She started to run as fast as she could. She couldn't feel her legs. She had to be in a dream. If she were to run like this normally, her feet would be killing her, especially in her heeled shoes.
After an eternity of running, she reached the area where the two were standing. King Dice held onto Biddy's wrist. Biddy looked horrible. Her eyes were dull, sunken, and she had an almost demonic look on her face. There was also a large mark on her face...he'd slapped her. That's what the noise was.
"M-My dear King Dice...why have you hit her? She needs ya, don'cha see? She doesn't need slapped around! She needs your help!" Enid cried.
"Oh, Enid, it doesn't matter anymore. I am giving myself away, just as my mother did. I guess it just runs in the family," Biddy replied somewhat calmly...but the terror had forced Enid's mind to wake her up.
Enid was honestly surprised to see that she was still alive. She wasn't in any sort of harm! Rumor had let go of her, and she lay on the floor. She wasn't incorporated into any sort of recipe. She was fine! Rumor sat on the other side of the room.
While Enid was all right, her head was aching. She immediately looked at the queen, who now had a look of genuine pity on her face.
"Y-Your Majesty…? How long was I asleep?" Enid asked as she rubbed her aching head. At this point, she decided not to question her fate. She was surprised whenever Rumor informed her that she'd been sleeping for about twenty-four hours.
"Dear Enid...yes, I think I shall call you by your name now. Well, I tried to take you out, but only rendered you unconscious. Upon looking you over...honey, you're a lost cause. You're all skin and bones. Besides, something kept echoing in my head. I kept hearing your voice as you begged me for mercy. I started to hear the childish innocence in it...and I just couldn't hurt you. In my kindness and grace, I've decided to spare you," Rumor explained. At that moment, Enid seemed to regain her strength, though her headache was still pounding. She couldn't help but embrace the queen, just as she'd embraced King Dice.
"Oh, Your Majesty, thank you! I am a filthy sinner, questioning you and even comparing you to the Devil...oh!" Enid cried, Rumor not being able to hold her chuckles back.
Rumor then told Enid how she'd sent some of her workers out to interrogate many of Enid's friends that she'd met on her journey when trying to figure out what to do with her. Of course, many of her friends stood up to defend her, and all of them spoke very positively about her.
"Your friends really love you, y'know. And..I think I'm starting to love you, too," Rumor smiled, true sympathy in her voice now. She still couldn't fathom how insanely forgiving Enid was. Perhaps this was the true beauty that Enid Edwards possessed; the beauty that melted the hearts of even the hardest folks in Inkwell Isle. She was a beautiful girl, most certainly, but the beauty that was inside of her radiated even more. It was this inner beauty that allowed her to leave the building that day.
Though, as happy as Enid was to leave the building, her heart immediately dropped as soon as she exited. Her dream...was it a dream? Was it actually some kind of strange reality that she was living out? She hoped not!
Enid's heart started to beat faster as she heard the same voices from her dream, and the two still seemed to be arguing in some way! Though, this wasn't the violent, heated argument from before; it seemed to simply be a general disagreement, or perhaps even banter. She peered around the corner and saw the two walking. King Dice was the usual, in his purple suit and neutral expression, but Biddy seemed to be wearing the nicest dress she owned, a long, green one. She wasn't wearing gloves, surprisingly, but Enid could see a beautiful silver ring, decorated with three precious stones. Surely it was expensive. Were they...engaged?! No, they couldn't be!
"Oh, please, Bridget. I'm just the sleazy, lousy casino manager. No matter how nice I may be to the girl, I'm a sinner, not a saint. You know this, yet you go on about contentment and happiness. You fantasize too much," King Dice said, stroking his moustache.
"You may be the sleazy, lousy casino manager, but in my opinion, you are still entitled to happiness! Everyone is entitled to happiness!" Biddy replied, gently holding onto King Dice's arm in a way that showed off her ring. Biddy, other than having to deal with King Dice's strange ideals, seemed to be content.
"Bridget, you're saying that the murderer deserves happiness, too? Well, most people say that I'm no better off than the murderer. You hurt me, Bridget. You hurt me when you insist on arguing with me every time I try to have a decent and civilized conversation with you," King Dice teased. "Though, luckily, you'll have a chance at redemption tonight. I must say farewell for now," King Dice said before he promptly left. Biddy still looked...fine. Good, good.
Enid's feelings quickly enveloped her as she ran over, leaping into Biddy's arms and burying her face in her breast, much to the woman's surprise.. Just seeing that Biddy was fine made her so happy!
"Biddy, Biddy, please don't be sad! You know that you'd hurt me if ya hurt yourself!" Enid cried, Biddy raising a brow.
"Enid...what on earth are you rambling about? I'm not sad at all! I have no reason to hurt myself, either. Are you all right? Are you ill? Have you slept well?" Biddy asked, putting a hand on Enid's forhead to check for a fever. She was even more surprised as Enid started doing her signature "panic mode" feature of sputtering out about a million words a minute.
"Enid...Enid, calm down! King Dice has not hurt me! I am not giving myself up to the Devil! I am content. My dear King Dice is starting to pay attention to me once more. I do believe that my efforts are finally working," Biddy smiled.
"Workin'?! He bought you that ring, didn't he? You two are engaged, aren't ya?" Enid cried. Biddy just laughed. Hard.
"Enid, he did no such thing, you silly goose! This ring is my mother's old wedding ring! Father decided to give it to me to remember her by. I figured that my first time wearing it should be a good one, so I pulled out the nicest dress that Grandmother passed down to me…" Biddy said, though she soon trailed off. By the time Enid snapped back to reality, Biddy was rambling on about how she'd worn the dress for her friend Pansy's wedding.
"See, Enid? By the way I just ever-so-rudely went on an unnecessary tangent about dresses, I'm perfectly fine. I do believe you're just worrying too much. I understand that Rumor Honeybottoms can be a hard woman to work with. She's awfully stubborn," Biddy smiled, not knowing that this awfully stubborn woman had just considered ending Enid's entire existence.
"O-Oh, of course! That was all just a nasty dream, then. I'm sorry for startlin' you like that, Biddy. I was just worried about ya, is all. But you need to promise me that if King Dice ever hurts you, you'll tell me. I'll talk some sense into him!" Enid cried, Biddy chuckling at her childish bravery.
"I will, Enid. I must be going now, but I've heard that Captain Brineybeard has finally settled down. He's quite the jolly lad, so I do recommend that you go and pay him a visit. Perhaps he can help ease some of the stress you're feeling," Biddy smiled before she started to walk toward the crippled, burned house that she was forced to call home.
Upon looking towards the beach, Enid saw that there was a rather large ship anchored there. Could this be the Captain Brineybeard that Biddy had just told her about?
