Beedle hummed a tune as he walked down the road, eager to arrive at Tarrey Town to sell his goods. Usually, he'd have rested at the South Akkala stable on this loop, but for some reason the stable wasn't there anymore. Odd, that. This time of the year, they were always at that spot. They must have left very recently, too, the grass was still crushed from where their tents had been.
Oh well. Beedle was well used to spending his nights in the wilderness by himself. The sound of crickets was his favorite lullaby, and food tasted all the sweeter when it was cooked under the stars.
Beedle hoped he'd run into that small blonde Hylian again. That one always bought all of the arrows he had, and often gave him beetles as well. He was Beedle's favorite customer.
The road began to descend, and Beedle saw a mountain emerge in the distance...say, had that always been there? He didn't remember the shape of that peak, it was a different color than the normal red rock of Death mountain as well...
"Aiiii!"
A scream! Someone was in trouble! Beedle immediately let his enormous beetle shaped backpack hit the ground, and he grabbed a shortsword out of the pack. Now was no time to dwell on strange mountains, there was a maiden in trouble! Beedle rushed towards where he heard the sound from.
It didn't take him long to find the source. Three Red Bokoblins were trying to force their way into a fallen, rotten tree, where the poor maiden no doubt was hiding. Ah, but Beedle was here to save the day.
"Ooooo!" yelled Beedle, and he charged.
The Bokoblins stopped trying to drag the maiden out of the rotten tree and turned. On spotting him, they hoisted their clubs and waded into battle.
The first Bokoblin went down quickly, Beedle's sword cutting into its neck. However, the second took advantage of the opening and took a swing at Beedle with its club. Beedle jumped back, nearly losing his grip on the sword in his hand.
The third Bokoblin leapt at him, club high above its head, and Beedle raised the tip of his sword and let the Bokoblin impale itself on it. The monster gurgled and tried to swipe at Beedle with its club one last time, but Beedle dodged easily. There was no strength left in its movements.
Seeing that its companions were dead, the last remaining Bokoblin fled. Beedle contemplated going after it, but decided against that action. He wasn't a bloodthirsty sort, and besides, he had to ensure the safety of the maiden.
Beedle walked over to the fallen tree and rapped on the bark with his knuckles.
"Hello! The Bokoblins are gone now. Do you need any help getting out of there, miss?"
"Uuu...e'ta nama des hy'leen? Ah...nah minobis."
The log shuddered, and the maiden emerged from inside the hollow. Beedle's eyes widened, and the breath caught in his throat. He felt his heart skip a beat.
That pearlescent sheen. Those beautiful, black eyes. The elegant horns. This wasn't a maiden...no, no. This...this was a goddess. A vision of perfection, given form upon the earthly world.
"Awa...bensoria neku...hy'leen."
She was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman and more. Beedle fell to his knees and put a hand over his heart.
"It was my privilege to rescue you, my lady. Truly, your beauty is without equal, and your death would fill me with grief. Please, let me accompany you back to your home, to ensure that no more of those vile Bokoblins sully your day."
The heavenly maiden wrung her claws in nervousness, and Beedle moved to reassure her in a calm voice. She did not speak the same language, yes, but pure conviction and passion transcended all barriers.
"I promise you that I have no intention of ever harming you, my lady. To lay a hand on you would be to strike my own heart through with a hot iron."
The beetle of his dreams looked taken aback, but after a moment, she tentatively reached a stubby limb out. Beetle took it in hand and gave it a chaste kiss, and the fair maiden gasped in surprise.
The two of them walked off together, hand in claw, Beedle leading the beetle towards the place where he'd dropped his pack.
In the trees above them, two Yiga clan members turned to each other.
"...the fuck was that?" asked the first.
The second shook his head.
"Let's just...move on. I don't even want to think about where that relationship is going. Besides, we've got a job to do."
The second Yiga clan member teleported away, poofing into a small cloud of smoke. The first Yiga sighed and gave one last look at the departing Hylian and beetle.
"...how would they...how would they even...ugh."
There was a poof, and afterwards, the only sound in the forest was the chirping of birds.
. . .
Hollow held the chain in their claw and began pulling it upwards. Sibling Hornet had been gone since the previous time the burning orb had been in the sky, and after Link had left, they had had nothing to do. They hadn't been given anything to do, but they wanted to do something.
They had been unsure of how they could help, as no one needed their blade at the moment, and they were wounded as well, but Hollow had soon spotted some bugs that needed them.
The food gatherers, led by the one called Quirrel, were busy at work in Hallownest, and the Dirtmouth team had hauled dozens of barrels full of moss and mushrooms up the Crossroads. However, there they ran into a problem; the mouth of the well was narrow (as Hollow could well attest to) and the walls were slick. Getting the barrels of food out was slow work, having to be carried one by one up the well by attaching them to the end of the chain and having a team of bugs pull it up.
Hollow had approached, and over the protestations of the bugs who were currently pulling, grasped the chain. Within seconds, the barrel was at the top of the well, and the bugs fell silent. A system was soon set up; bugs at the bottom would attach barrels to the chain, then Hollow would pull the food up with their great strength, and then other bugs would transport the food to an empty house to be counted. So far, the system had worked well, and they were almost finished.
"Ah, you there! Excellent job, yes, mmm. Very fine work." came the voice of a bug behind Hollow.
Hollow turned their head and saw a former noble of some kind, the finery that they attempted to drape themself in threadbare and dull.
"Yes, my good sir...you see, I am looking to acquire one of those foodstuff barrels for myself! I am the esteemed Count Beltorn, yes, perhaps you've heard of me? I was once the manager of the Upper Mines, and I do find myself in a bit of a rough spot, thanks to the Infection…"
Hollow resumed pulling up the barrel as the noble yattered on. Ah...he wanted to get a barrel all to himself. Others had asked the same. They would get the same answer.
Hollow finished hauling up the barrel and handed it off into the claws of the waiting work team, ignoring the noble.
"Excuse me! I do believe that was mine! Hey, you, that barrel belongs to me, I am buying it!"
One of the pillbugs who had picked up the barrel clicked their mandibles together and said "Elderbug said that everyone gets an equal share of food. For right now at least, you can't buy food, it's being given out based on need."
The noble seemed to swell up in indignation and responded "Ridiculous! The Elderbug has no right to tell I, Count Beltorn, what to do! That surface-dwelling peasant should be grateful that he was shown attention by the Princess at all, even if she is a half-breed. See, this is why the dilution of the royal blood should never have happened. The Pale King mated with a horrible beast and the spawn is not only weak, but also does not know who is worthy of her-"
The noble stopped suddenly as a horrid chill ran up their exoskeleton. The bugs in front of him began to back away slowly, and the scent of fear pheromones filled the air.
Count Beltorn turned around, very slowly, to see the enormous black bug that he'd been talking to looming over him. They didn't say a word, didn't exude a scent, and didn't move at all, but the Count could practically feel the malice rolling off of them.
[D̵͖͖̈e̸̦͈͊ś̶͎̿i̴̧̞̿ǧ̶̞n̴̰̖̚a̶͖̥̐̃t̵̛͚̖͌i̴̢̦̔͒ǫ̴̫̕n̶̫̍,̵̜̣͑͗ ̷͓̞̕Ȁ̶̯͛n̷̫̚ṉ̵͝ǫ̷̽ẙ̸̖i̷͔̙̽͘n̵̻̓́ǧ̷̢.̴̨̟͒ ̵̮̚͝R̷̺͛̃ĕ̵̡͒q̸̧̞̆̂ŭ̷̗̕ẹ̴̫͒s̷̟͍̋t̸̛͉̂:̵̲̬̾ ̴̱̯̈́̌C̷̱̆̏e̶̯͌à̶̦͉̈́s̵̢̘̍̀ȩ̸̤͌ ̴͎̰̈́t̴̃͜͠a̴̗͐͝l̴̻͒́͜k̴̰͕͑i̷͇̽̃ñ̴̫g̵̠̈́ ̶̨͒̂a̶̠̙̚b̸̝̦͋̾o̶̝͒̉u̷̺̤͒ť̵̪͔ ̸̻̄S̸̘͓̈́̕i̶͍͊̊b̸̬̙̓̕l̸̗̝̓̄ĭ̵͓̤͒n̸͔͇̈ģ̵͙̅͘ ̶͙̒͂H̶͓̪̀̏o̸̓͛͜r̴̜̾͘ń̷̮͜e̴̪͉̓ẗ̶͚͇́̚ ̶̼̔̃i̶̳̥̿m̷̢̳̔̍m̵̝̂ḙ̶́̏d̶̠̙͑̕i̵̳͑͠a̴̭͖̾t̵̲̱̉e̴̬͐l̶̨͚͌y̷͙̚.̴̧͎͑]
Count Beltorn fainted. The Hollow Knight looked at the unmoving body and nudged it out of the pathway with their leg, then they returned to their work.
Inwardly, Hollow was quite happy. They had allowed themselves to feel annoyance just now, and they had acted on that feeling. Then they had allowed themselves to feel enjoyment at the Count cowering in fear, and happiness at that enjoyment.
They hoped Hornet would return soon. They had to tell her about all the new experiences they were having and the fun things they'd learned to do.
. . .
Hornet traveled most of the way to the Colosseum of Fools in a daze, trying to understand everything that Vespa had revealed to her.
The little Knight was alive. No, more than alive, they had ascended to godhood. It...made sense, she supposed, if she thought about it. They were the child of two gods to begin with, and then the power of the Void had been added on top of that. She could still remember the form that the little Knight had taken when fighting the Radiance. That had been inside of a dream, though, and she'd thought it'd killed them to channel that much power.
Not so. The little knight was a very much alive God of Void, they were possibly resting at the bottom of the Abyss, and they could see the future. Had they always had that ability?
No, Hornet thought. They must have unlocked the Pale King's foresight in their transformation, as they'd never showed signs of it before...though, they had always fought exceptionally well for a bug with no memories or training. Perhaps they'd had a limited sight that was just enough to help them in combat? Their Sibling had seemed to have an uncanny knack for knowing where her blade was going to strike next.
Hornet didn't know. Just one more thing to ask them when she visited the Abyss...although, should she visit the Abyss? They could see the future, after all, and they hadn't told her to come see them. Though...maybe they hadn't told her because they knew she'd be coming…
Hornet shook her head vigorously. No, now was not the time to dwell on this matter, the Colosseum was in view. She would think about the revelations further on the trip back to Dirtmouth; she'd already been gone too long, and she needed to ensure that all of the teams were doing their jobs.
With that settled in her mind, Hornet strode in through the mouth of the Colosseum, The Crusher by her side. The place was much quieter than normal; the end of the Infection must have halted the non-stop fights, at least for now.
"Ah, Crusher, long time no see. Thought you were dead." said a voice from the ceiling. Hornet looked up to behold a small armoured bug bound in chains. Ah, him. They'd met once before, when she'd last visited the Colosseum.
Hornet nodded to the Little Fool and said "You know who I am. I come seeking to meet with the Greater Fools."
The Little Fool gave Hornet a considering once-over before he grunted.
"They're down in the rest area. Can't guarantee they'll be happy to see you, some of them are mighty upset that the Infection is gone. It's bad for business, you see."
Hornet clamped down on the urge to skewer the Fool for saying something so heinous, and instead she simply nodded.
"I'll do that then."
The rest area of the Colosseum was large and full of gear. Needles, nails, scissors, cages, and all manner of other metal creations crowded the walls and floor. The Fools were glory-seeking warriors first and foremost, but Hornet couldn't deny that their metal-working skill was second to none. Among the gear rested the various Fools, watching Hornet and the Crusher silently behind their perforated helmets.
Hornet soon stood before a circle of four Fools in the center of the rest area. She recognized all of them. The Shielder, with his massive tower shield, sat on the floor, and had a steaming cup of broth in his claw. The Dragonfly was sharpening her twin serrated nails, and looked up to hiss at Hornet. The Volt Master was silently meditating, sparks of electricity flowing over his body. And finally, the God Tamer, the current greatest warrior of the Colosseum, seemed to be sulking.
Behind Hornet, the Crusher moved to stand behind God Tamer. The area was silent, thick with tension.
The Dragonfly was the first to break the quiet.
"If you're here for a fight, come back later. Otherwise, leave. You've already taken enough from us."
Hornet tilted her head.
"I was not the one responsible for the end of the Infection, though I played my part in its death. And no. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to make an offer to the Fools."
The Dragonfly clacked her mandibles shut, and Hornet heard the God Tamer laugh.
"We want no part in this new kingdom of yours, any more than we did in the previous one. The bugs of Hallownest are always welcome, of course, so long as they bring either Geo to see the fights or a nail to participate, but whatever happens beyond these walls are none of our concern."
Hornet leaned against an empty cage and crossed her forelegs.
"Really? A shame, I'd thought you would be interested in eternal glory."
The Greater Fools suddenly turned their attention fully onto Hornet; even the Volt Master had opened his eyes. The God Tamer sat up straight, and motioned with her claw.
"...go on, say your piece. I'm listening, princess."
Hornet pushed up off the cage and walked to the center of the circle.
"It's really quite simple. The Colosseum has always thrived off of being able to field new and exciting challenges. Traps, beasts, foreign warriors. You say that you don't care about anything beyond the Colosseum, but that's a lie, is it not? Without a continuous influx of the new, there would be no spectacle. No crowds, no Geo, no glory."
Hornet idly inspected her claws for dirt and said "I'm not sure if you've heard, but the surface world isn't the barren wasteland it once was. The entirety of Hallownest was transported, and everything up there is new. Strange new beings, new monsters, new potential spectators. Before, the Colosseum was limited to only the bugs of Hallownest. Now though...well, imagine the stands packed with ten times as many onlookers, from far off lands and kingdoms. Imagine how the names of the victors would be carried across the world on their lips and spread in whispers throughout a thousand cities."
Hornet could tell that she had them hooked, and she continued "I'm not asking you to become my loyal subjects, or that you should stop what you're doing. On the contrary, I think the Colosseum could be of great benefit to Hallownest. There is a place in the structure of governance for spectacle and games. All I ask, is that you consider sending someone to Dirtmouth to hammer out a more...official alliance. Think about it. Talk it over. And if you do decide to take part in the new Hallownest, well...news that the Queen attends your games would be a major boost to business, hmm?"
With that said, Hornet nodded to the Greater Fools and left. The gathered Fools parted before her like receding waters.
It wasn't until she left the room that she heard the shouting begin. This was followed swiftly by the sounds of battle, slaughter, and general mayhem.
She hoped they didn't kill too many of each other, she wanted to make use of their skills.
Author's Note:
Hey, that was a fun interim chapter, now let's talk about how Hornet molded herself to each group's desires.
I'm sure you noticed, but Hornet approached each group with subtly different offers. Yes, the core offer of alliance was the same, but each was presented differently. The Mantis are prideful and value martial strength, so Hornet proved herself through ritual combat and emphasized that they are stronger together. The Spiders also value strength, but there is great importance placed on perception, deception, and what the truth is. It's all intricate mind-games to them, and Hornet gave them carte-blanche to continue those mind-games amongst themselves as long as they don't fuck up the rest of the kingdom, while also laying down a line in the sand.
The Fools don't care about being stronger together, or politics, or really anything beyond Geo and Glory. Hornet appealed to their greed. She is a smart little spider isn't she
Anywho. As to the Future of this fic, I've been getting some questions that are like 'Hey, this is interesting but where's the action and the villains?' So let me be clear. We are currently in part 1 of this fic. I am planning for Part 1 to encompass the entire first year of Hallownest/Hyrule interactions. There will be small timeskips, but in general, I want to try to capture as many 'first' moments as possible. First time Zelda meets Hornet, first time Hollow kills a Lynel, first time Hallownest and Hyrule sign a treaty, first time a bug speaks Hylian and vice versa, etc etc. There will be antagonists (like the Yiga) but Part 1 is not going to be a high octane adventure. Ganon isn't gonna return, no big villain is gonna show up and start wrecking shit in Part 1. We are in peaceful rebuilding zone.
In Part 2 on the other hand, which is going to start 5-10 years after part 1...well, now that is a different matter entirely.