Chapter 47: Hivemaker.
"Well you have a clean bill of health sister, as do all of your hatchlings despite all that has happened which in itself is a miracle, I am just glad the Clan were able to free you before those animals were to euthanize your beloved hive and I am very sorry for those we were too late to save," Zara said in a soft hiss as she oversaw her sister's care.
The new queen lifted her large head and nodded sadly, "Thank you sister, both your Clan and your hive have been so kind and welcoming to us, I never imagined another race could ever accept us but your Clan Mason has cared for us as if we're part of it, they treat us is as if we are their equals and thank you for showing your goodness in letting me take part in the trails of those bastards," she said.
Zara chuckled softly and favoured her sister with a large warm smile, 'That's because you are a part of the Clan sister, the Grand Patriarch and Matriach have extended you an olive branch and have given you a place to not only start yourself a true hive but to have the full weight and the strength of the Clan behind it, all they ask is that you accept the way of life of the Clan and that you live by our rules then there is no reason you cannot have a good and happy life here, you can watch your hive grow and bloom and become a force for good in this universe" Zara said happily.
The queen was doubtful and Zara could see it, "Do you really think they would accept us?" she asked and Zara chuckled again.
"Dear sister, they already have, come, I want to show you something," Zara said beckoning for her to follow and the large queen slid off the queen-sized inspection table that was utterly surrounded by scanning equipment and rose up onto her large powerful legs.
The doors opened before them and they stepped out into the brightly lit polished metal and resin-coated corridors beyond the door and Zara couldn't help but smile as she saw her new sister looking about in shock and surprise at her beloved sons and daughters scurrying about dressed in their pink and white armoured uniforms.
They all greeted the new queen with warm welcomes that seemed to genuinely surprise her, "Your sons and daughters do you a massive service sister, they represent your hive with such grace and dignity," she said and this made Zara beam proudly.
"Thank you sister both myself and my beloved king have strived to make this hive a shining beacon to everyone not just in the Clan but to any and all that the Clan may come into contact with, I want my sons and daughters to be a force for good in this universe, so many everywhere ee our kind as nothing more than a parasite, a plague, bringers of death and destruction, I with the help of my king wanted to change that, to show that Xenomorphs can be not only a force for good but that we can become a symbol to people everywhere that will make them hope beyond hope that when when you are hurt, scared and alone that my Battle Angels will come for you, the Clan already believes in it and in us, now with the work we do with both the Serpentinus and the Raptorians as well as all others we meet we will make the rest of the universe see it too," Zara said as they moved through the corridors of the hive.
They arrived in the centre of the hive and Zara smiled warmly as she saw her sister's mouth fall open as she lifted her head and looked around the huge conical-shaped hive as it spiralled downwards away from them with her beloved children working on every level making people's lives better.
Zara led her sister down a few levels and she led her into a ward where the beds were all occupied by injured and sick Clan members and every bed was being tended by one of her children.
In the centre bed on the right side was a little male Raptorian who was surrounded by his pride, they were newcomers who had travelled to Clan Mason when the Clan had opened its doors to membership to both the Raptorian and Serpentinus people to all who wished to join them for a chance at a new life.
In amongst them one of her beloved son's a Praetorian called Shalev, he absolutely towered over the tiny little Raptorians but he was treating her beloved husband with such gentleness and tender care that it was utterly heartwarming, he was holding the hand of the obviously scared little male and soothing his fears while at the same time reassuring his pride's fears as well.
In amongst the group in the ward was also her beloved daughter Xipa who seemed to be very happy indeed to be visited by a certain Yautja Seeker who had carried her out of the nightmare that those monsters had interned her in, she was happily and shyly chatting with the large handsome Yautja male which made Zara smile and this also seemed to shock the new queen when she saw what she was smiling at.
"Your daughter seems very enamoured with that young hunter sister, it surprises me that members of our race so freely look at others the way they seem to here and also have others look at them," she said curiously.
"You looked into my daughter's mind did you not dear sister?" Zara said and the new queen nodded.
"Then you've seen the way love works here in this world, Clan Mason is a beacon of love without restraints, we care not about species, size, gender, all that matters to the Clan is are they old enough to consent and then if they are is that consent given? That's it, the Clan would fight to the last one of us standing for the right of a Xeno girl like my beloved daughter right there to wrap herself around that young Yautja male and drown him in her love, its the very core founding principle of this Clan, it was born from the great and unbending and unshakable love that our Grand Patriarch and Grand Matriach have for one another, a human male and a Yautja female who was dumped together on a planet and forced to fight for their very lives together, in all that pain and death they realised that they are stronger together and their love for one another was powerful enough to change the universe and that's exactly what they did" Zara said.
Her new sister looked incredibly thoughtful and amazed at this, "If you'd like sister the treatment to make you more compatible with other races exists here, our race adapted here with the help of both the humans and the Yautja, its why most of the Xenos you see here look different to what you are used to, we refer to ourselves as the 'Evolved' genus, now that's not to say we are truly more evolved than you but rather that we have evolved to suit our enviroment and to better fit into it and to make ourselves more compatible with the other races here, our daughters here are able to have their own children with any race and they can have the joy of making love with the one they love, our sons here can impregnate any female he is lucky enough to fall for and who falls for him and he can feel the joy of of fatherhood, it is also now bred into us that once our true love is found they will become a Praetorian in order to defend their own little hive, its a byproduct of our evolution and we can offer that to you so you too can find this joy for yourself if you choose to" Zara said.
Just then before her sister could answer her the door swished open and a truly radiant figure walked in carrying with him the presence and authority while at the same time with grace and beauty but then her opinion was kinda biased in that he was her beloved king.
As soon as he saw the two queens her beloved Cortez's face lit up with a warm and joyful smile, he instantly headed right for her never even hesitating for a moment before reaching up and running both his hands over her head crest and planting a very warm and loving kiss on her lips which she opened and quickly pressed her inner mouth into his revelling in his taste as she felt his little tongue caress it.
When they parted Zara turned back to her sister wrapping her long arm and coiling her tail around her beautiful king possessively, "My dear new sister let me proudly introduce you to the north star of my heart, my human hive king Cortez, he was my inspiration in building this place and I owe him it all because without him none of this would have happened, his love and belief in me gave me the drive to make this hive what it has become" she said proudly.
"Oh my sweet tail you give me too much credit, you built this place with your own two beautiful hands, I just sat on your shoulder watching over your heart and sneaking peeks at your gorgeous tail end while you did," Cortez said playfully making her purr softly.
The new queen's tail swished and she cocked her head curiously as she watched the exchange between Zara and her king, "Forgive me for this question my new sister but how do you two even Ummm fit together?" she asked obviously feeling rather embarrassed about asking such an intimate question of the pair but to Zara's surprise, it was Cortez who answered it.
"Not gonna lie it was a bit of a challenge at first, but it was one that I was more than happy to undertake, I mean how many men can call themselves so lucky as to catch the eye of such a radiant creature like her? Back where I'm from i would have been cast out and called foul names like deviant and race traitor for the love that my heart burns with for her, but here I am free to show the power of my love and every chance i get to do my utmost to prove it to her, we took the risk and we embraced it forging an unbreaking love of our own, so yeah it was a challenge to make it work but once we found out we are far more compatible than you would guess on the outside we reveled in it, there are just such wonderus things we can do to and for one another that it lit our hearts aflame, then there's the main course and oh boy i can tell you that as a male i can tell you right now there is no woman who can compare to my heart queen in that department, she's so incredibly gentle that it makes my heart sing, she treats my body like it was her temple but it is I who worship at the altar of her love" Cortez said proudly setting Zara's heart ablaze, it took all of her strength not to sweep him up in her tail and squirrel him off for some private royal fun.
Her new sister obviously felt it through the hive mind link and she looked at them both curiously and it was obvious to Zara that she had never felt these things before, it was a whole new world for this female opened to her in the most simplest thing and it made Zara smile because she remembered the day that she too was awoken to this whole new universe that was open to her and all the beautiful possibilities that it contained, all made possible by this utterly wonderful place that they'd helped the Grand Patriarch and Matriach make.
Zara gently nuzzled her beloved king's cheek and gave him a gentle purr as he stroked the side of her face, "So how are you settling in big girl?" Cortez asked looking up at the new queen and she looked surprised but also thoughtful.
"This place is so incredibly different from anything and everything I'm used to, it's truly amazing," she said and Cortez gave her an incredibly warm smile, the smile that made Zara's big heart melt every single time he gave it to her.
"Oh trust me big girl you haven't seen anything yet, wait until you get outside and really see this place you are really going to have your mind blown, but I guess the first question I should ask is what's your name?" he asked and the big queen cocked her head curiously and then looked at Zara for help which very nearly made her face plam as humans like her king tended to do when they did something stupid, it had been so long she had already forgotten.
To a Xeno hive, there was no real need for names due to the fact that everyone was part of the link and everyone knew who everyone else is, they were a voice in the choir and every other voice knew who you were, but humans and other sentients needed that familiarity and identifier to know you.
"In this society, everyone is an individual, humans really champion this and to them having a name that can identify you from everyone around you, something that they can call you that identifies you, my beautiful king named me Zara and I utterly love it, the two other hive queens are called Citrus and Aine, now it has been a tradition that a queen here is named by her king but there is no reason you cannot pick a name for yourself," Zara said.
The queen looked thoughtful and she seemed to rather like this idea, "I like this idea and this concept, if we are going to live by new rules and ideals then we should start right there I'm going to name myself, any ideas?" she said with a soft hiss.
At this one of the Yautja patients dressed in a patient's gown that while not flattering did still draw a few admiring glances from a few of Zara's Yautja loving daughters and even some of her sons were walking back to their bed, he stopped looked her up and down and smiled at her, "I think Ink would suit you because of dark your lovely hide is" he said and with that, he continued on his way leaving the queen stood with a shocked look on her face.
"D-D-Did he just call my hide lovely?" she exclaimed and Cortez chuckled softly and smiled up at her.
"Yes he did welcome to Clan Mason good queen the home of the truly unchained heart and the free love capitol of the universe and that's not to imply that any guy or girl here is of loose morals because that's about as far from the truth as it's possible to be, it just means that the boys and girls of this Clan know the truth, that true love's face can only be known by your heart and you will not know it until it reveals itself, it can be any shape, size and species and all are rejoiced and protected here, just look at me and this supreme specimen of Xeno beauty stood right next to me, how in the name of the Eternal Huntress could you look at me and imagine that I would be so fucking lucky as to catch the eye of a creature this regal and beautiful?" Cortez said stoking Zara's long tail and her maw with his beautiful soft human hands that made her hide and heart sparkle, not to mention her loins.
Zara couldn't hold it any longer she let out a roar and using her tail flipped the rather surprised looking Cortez up onto her shoulder facing her tail end, "Raaaawwwwaaah! I can't take it any more, you, me, nest NOW!" she roared and she began to march off with her beautiful king for a rightly deserved royal ravishing just for him being so beautiful but she stopped next to her surprised and rather shocked looking sister and smiled at her, "Feel free to explore my hive sister, that nest you have is yours for as long as you need it and your sons and daughters as well, but the Grand Patriarch will be here at some point to take you on a tour of this place" she said and with that, she set off again.
"Good luck good queen I hope this place gives you all the joy that it gave me" her beautiful king called from her shoulder which made Zara growl with even more want and her pace sped up as if she didn't they'd need to call the cleaners to clean the wet floors.
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The queen watched her sister charging off with her human king dangling from her shoulder but he did not look frightened or unhappy in any way, if anything he looked utterly thrilled and by the way he was stroking her rear tubials which put a spring and urgency in her step which she followed with a growl.
She scratched her chin as she thought about what the Yautja had said and not just about the surprising thing where he'd called her hide lovely, but she rather liked the name Ink because of the way it sounded when she said it in her mind, it just seemed to roll rather wonderfully.
She began to wander around the hive and she couldn't believe how freely and easily people reacted to her, not a single person of any species she encountered on her walk baulked or showed any sign of fear at her approach and the sheer amount of them that simply stopped and asked if they could help her was utterly heartwarming.
She stopped in to check on every single one of her children that were recovering inside the warm and safe rooms and wards of the hive and it made her heart swell with joy to see just how well her beloved ones were being treated by the proud sons and daughters of this wonderful hive.
That's when the Grand Patriarch showed up and she didn't even see him to know he was here she could actually feel his presence inside the hive like a ray of warm golden sunshine had just landed right on her head, she could positively the sheer warmth radiating from the whole hive at his presence, it was utterly wonderful, it was obvious that everyone here not only respected him but utterly adored him, it was like a he was the living embodiment of the spirit of this entire place.
Somehow he found her easily inside the utterly huge hive and as he walked down the corridor she could see him stopping at each and every single room on his way to check in on the wounded or sick member of his Clan within, it was obvious that this human cared deeply about each and every single life, it was like he genuinely believed that each and every one of them was his own hatchling and treated them as such, it was like the whole Clan was one big hive and he was its king.
But finally, he reached her and he smiled up at her, this was the first time she had seen him out of his combat armour and she had to admit that he was utterly radiant, it was like he had this blazing fire like aura around him that just shone, to her complete surprise she could instantly see what his wife saw in him.
"Ahh there you are good queen, how are you feeling big girl?" he said with a big friendly and very warm smile.
"I'm doing good thank you for asking Grand Patriarch, everyone here has been so warm and welcoming to us, its just so surprising and shocking to me to see it, if I am honest I never truly believed that there would be a place where other races would ever accept us and see us as nothing more than parasites to be exterminated, which given our method of reproduction is not all that surprising if I am honest, it is a stain on our species that in order for new life to be born a life must be sacrificed and my hive has always honoured the lives that have been taken even if not a single one of them was sentient," she said and Jack mason smiled up at her warmly.
"Oh yes you will fit in very well around here good queen, each and every queen here thinks the same as you do and not just that but in a combined effort between all the races both our science hive under king Yoshi and queen Citrus with this hive's assistance sorted that problem out, now no Xeno need to take another life to live, here all can be born and live as free as the Eternal Huntress and the Great Tree and all the other deities intended, now a single injection can solve that problem for you once and for all," he said making her mouth fall open in shock.
"One injection? That's all?" she exclaimed and he nodded.
"Gene therapy developed right here my good queen, so if the freedom to have you children free of sacrifice and for your sons and daughters to have the same is your wish it is yours but for the asking, I was not kidding when I said this Clan protects and looks after our own, Clan Mason prides itself on fixing the problems of the universe whether they be great or small, nor was I kidding when I said you could have a place here under our protection either, you could make the forth of our great Xeno hives right here and you could add your distinctiveness to ours, wouldn't you like that/ For you hatchlings to grow up free of worries and threats only having to live their lives and to revel in the joys of the life they are given all while being protected by the might of Clan Mason?" he said and she looked thoughtful.
Indeed everything this man offered sounded like a dream come true, a safe and warm hive for her hatchlings to thrive and flourish was the dream of every hive queen, but this man offered her so much more than that, he offered her the chance to not only have her dream but to make it bigger and broader than she could have ever imagined, to be a part of something, something that to her sounded wonderful, but before she could answer him he held up a hand as if sensing her internal debate.
"Don't answer yet good queen, let me show you all that we offer you first, then you can decide and even if your choice is not to join us there will be no hard feelings, the Clan stands for all its what we're about, we would help you find a safe home and would even help to watch over it from afar if that was your wish, we force no-one to accept us or our values, its not who we are, but come now and let me show you" he said and he offered her his hand which to her surprise she found herself reaching out and taking even as the surreality of this hit her, a Xeno queen and a human walking hand in hand.
"Oh, by the way, have you decided on a name yet, I know most of the queens here let their kings pick them but if you wish to stay then we'll need something to call you?" Jack said as they exited the hive and she felt the incredible warmth of the sunshine upon her face for the first time in so very long, it made her hide tingle with joy.
"Ink, my name is Ink," she said and Jack nodded.
"Queen Ink, I like it, suits you, come on first stop is to introduce you to my better half and the very reason this place exists, the great breaker of chains and holder of my heart herself," Jack said with a smile and with that they set off at a brisk walk with him acting like a tour guide pointing things out as they went.
The city was utterly incredible, it was as radiant as the people who called it home, it as just so fresh and clean and everyone just looked so incredibly happy, there were a plethora of different species and they were just all so happy together, infact not a single one of them looked shocked at her appearance, they just smiled and quite a few waved to her, all of them came up to Jack and greeted him and he greeted them, it was obvious to any and all that he was utterly beloved.
Jack took her right the way across the city to what appeared to be a military-style barracks where soldiers all dressed in bright shining gold were running drills with incredibly regimented precision, as they entered Jack suddenly stopped her dead just in time to avoid being hit by six small vehicles that were hovering off the ground using what felt like some kind of electromagnetism as they shot past them.
Each of them had two riders all Raptorians by the look of them, one piloting and the other riding on the back holding an incredible looking weapon that was attached to their armour by a kind of gimbaled arm that came out of their waist.
"Whoa there! Sorry about that Grand Patriarch, the Grand Matriach seems to have developed quite an attachment to the Raptorian surface skimmer vehicles, she's got my pride running drills to develop a way for the Hunters to use them while also testing the new and improved Smartguns that have just been delivered from queen Citrus hive today" a human dressed in golden armour said running up to Jack and saluting him.
Jack smiled and returned the salute before laughing and nodding his head, "We got them already? Boy those crazy Xeno's sure don't mess about do they?" he chuckled and the other human smiled at him broadly.
"Nope I could practically hear the happy screeching from my home while buried under my pride when they got their hands on a couple of new toys to break apart and improve and by the Eternal Huntress did they deliver, they are sixty per cent lighter and they even upped the fire rate using the liquid propellant tech from the Raptorians, they even upgraded the target systems and gimbals using Yautja tech, so the result is a Smartgun that can be carried easily by a Raptorian into battle and you haven't seen how much fire those bloody things can lay down, Whoo boy I tell you they are bloody crazy, they even improved the ammunition to use some kind of electrocharged rounds that can burn shields out, here watch this," the human said then he pressed a button on his throat.
"Smoke to Stalker pride one, the Grand Patriarch and our new queen are watching, give em a show girls, hit the targets with everything you got, Smoke out," he said, then as the queen watched the three vehicles all turned as one and began to circle a large mocked up target designed to represent a shielded platoon of enemies, as one the three gunners spun and aimed their weapons and unleashed a truly incredible barrage of fire on it utterly demolishing it to splinters before shooting off in perfect formation to pull to a halt right before them.
The six small Raptorian females jumped down and rushed to form up and salute Jack who smiled at them and returned it, "Stalker pride one eh? Guess the office life of the embassy wasn't for you eh Vippy?" Jack said laughing and the small Raptorian female gave him a warm smile once she lowered her helmet.
"We never were ones for paperwork and beuracratics Grand Patriarch, we still have jobs as official ambassadors of the Raptorian people there but we wanted to fight for this beautiful place as much as our beautiful pride male does, this Clan and its wonderful people accepted us and gave us a new home to call our own all for simply asking for it and promising to uphold the values of Clan Mason, but then it hit us that there could come a day when he'd get called to fight alongside the proud Hunters again but we would be left behind and this is abhorrent to us so we resigned from the Surface Stalkers and put in a request to the Grand Matriach to officially join the Hunter core and she accepted us, now together with our beautiful pride male we are Stalker pride one and we stand ready to give our all to defend this wonderful place that gave us our hearts truest star as well as its peoples" Vippy and the rest of her pride said all speaking together ina surprisingly beautiful show of unity.
Jack nodded and he clapped the human called Smoke on the shoulder, "Glad to hear it, you look after these proud girls Smoke they continually do the Raptorian people proud with their actions so you make sure they get the very best of you, always" he said and Smoke nodded.
"They get nothing but the best Grand Patriarch, that was the pledge I made on my wedding day before the Great Tree and the Eternal Huntress and it's a promise I will never break even in the face of death," he said proudly as the little Raptorian girls surrounded him all with looks of pure love and pride in their eyes.
"Grand Patriarch permission to carry our beloved husband off and ravish him senseless for showing us such honour and love?' Vippy said and Jack roared with laugher as Smoke's face froze.
"Granted," he said and before Smoke could even blink he was up in the air and being carried away at high speed.
'Why does everyone I seem to meet around here rush off to ravish someone, first queen Zara and her king Cortez and now these Raptorian Hunters" Ink said and Jack roared with laughter again patting her long arm as he did.
"Clan Mason takes its love very very seriously Ink, trust me you'll come to see that, we believe it is the true ruling force of the universe, it transcends every barrier that we create for ourselves, size, species, colour, gender, it breaks down and defeats all of them, it smashes its way into your heart and shows you who you really are whether you like it or not, there is no force in heaven or Earth powerful to stop it and we believe we are the living embodiments of its true power, that's why we fight on its side, because we believe in it and we fight to bring it to all," he said then as he heard a distinctly powerful sounding growl his smile widened.
"Speaking of the true power of love made flesh, let me properly introduce you to the queen of my heart and the one who holds it, Ink meet Tik eleth Mason, the breaker of chains and the Grand Matriach of Clan Mason," he said turning around to gesture to a truly radiant and incredibly powerful-looking Yautja female who was rapidly approaching the pair.
The female Yautja simply picked up Jack Mason and wrapped her mandibles around his face locking him in a deep and powerful kiss before placing him back on his feet and stroking his cheeks with her mandibles, "Are you dismissing my Hunters for some private time again my love?' she purred questioningly and Jack laughed.
"They told me there were some very specific manoeuvres they needed to practice my love," he said playfully and Tik roared with laughter and nodded her head.
"Goddess above its hard enough to keep those girls to keep their hands to themselves as it is, I had to start hiding their husband in the intel section half the time or they start trying to show off for him which usually results in the whole lot of them vibrating until they get stood down for the day and then they shoot out of here carrying him like he's riding a living magic carpet made of Raptorians," she said playfully and making her husband laugh, then she turned and smiled up at Ink.
"So queen Ink? I am pleased that you have taken a name for yourself, this is the first step to embracing the freedom that is yours and I do hope and pray that you will continue down this path and remain here with us, Clan Mason was founded on the principle that all are born free and that the universe is a dark and lonely place, our sacred duty is to stand up and to bring the light to those that need it most, you and your beloved hive were those ones and if it wasn't for those vile oomans stealing our beloved daughter from the loving arms of her brothers and sister not to mention her own hive queen we would have never found you, but the Eternal Huntress works in the mysterious ways as she works through every one of us here, she showed us where we needed to be to protect innocent lives and that's what we did" she said proudly.
"And you have the profound thanks of both myself and my hive Grand Matriach, I cannot thank you enough for the gift of freedom that you gave us that day and every day since, everyone here has just been so good to us and so welcoming of us, it just warms my heart to see that there are other sentient beings out there that would welcome us so freely despite what we are," Ink said a little choked up by emotion and suddenly Tik's large hand reached up and planted itself on her board shoulder.
"Fear not dear queen Ink, here you are safe, here you are welcomed, here you will be treated with nothing but kindness and the respect you deserve and I do hope that you will break your chains or even to allow Clan Mason to break them for you and remain with us, let us take you by the hand and help you build your hive and to be free to who you want to be," Tik said so proudly it utterly made Ink's heart soar and melt at the same time and that's when she broke down and just utterly sobbed her heart out, she collapsed to her knees in front of these two wonderful people and she saw the pure truth of what Zara had said and she just knew it was all utterly true.
"Thank you, thank you so so so much, both of you, how can sentients be so wonderful, you save me and my hive and you've shown me the truth of what life should be and yes, yes I will take your offer, I will join Clan Mason" Ink said, that's when the pair of them surprised her by lifting her up to her feet and supporting her on both sides,
"Don't you worry big girl, we got you now and we always will" Jack said.
"Strength through unity..." Tik began and Jack smiled then before Ink's eyes he began to glow, from nowhere he summoned a huge sword that shot through the air and landed in his hand as grey smoke swirled around him he plunged it into the ground at his feet while wings of pure white fire sprung from his back.
Suddenly and to her utter disbelief a shape stepped forwards out of the smoke and she instantly recognised one of her very own hatchlings, one of the ones the Clan had not been able to save, "...Unit through togetherness..." she said that's when another appeared.
"...Togetherness through pure love..." he said than another and another infact all of them appeared and they began to speak one after another.
"...a love so pure it burns all who hear its call...and hear its call we do...and answer that call honestly we do...humbled by its power we are...humble and proud we stand...shoulder to shoulder...these are my sisters and my brothers...they stand for me as I do for them...I am never alone for where I may tread I carry my brothers and sisters with me...as they carry me...their strength is mine as mine is theirs...together we are strong and we are free...for we are Clan Mason and we stand together proudly now and always..." they all said and then Jack Mason stepped out of the group right in front of her and held out his hand to her now surrounded by flames of pure white and his eyes glowing brightly.
"...and together we welcome sister, now take my hand and be free," he said and Ink did so feeling her heart shattering her chest before every one of her lost children stepped inwards into a large hug and picked a piece to place back in place, "They are forever safe queen and they are carried now and always right in here and in the hearts of every person you see here, no life is meaningless to us, just as I said in that courtroom," he said and Ink broke down and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you one and all," she said.