The Hollow Knight and the Protector

Hornet POV

Late. By now the little ghost should be here, ready to become the vessel. If it takes any longer the infection flowing out of the black egg is going to suffocate me. Wait, infection? I had just realized that the infection had stopped coming out and the leftover residue was beginning to settle on the ground. All of a sudden the noise of metal dragging on stone got my attention. I trembled slightly due to the sight in front of me, the Hollow Knight, heavily damaged, limping towards me. As he crossed the threshold out of the black egg, he reached his hand desperately out to me and then collapsed. I stood in fear for a minute before realizing what had just happened. He was not infected.

I carefully wielded my needle and poked him with it slightly to see if he was still alive. He grunted in response and said weakly,"help…". I knew that vessels like him healed themselves by focusing soul, as I had learned from previous fights with the little Ghost. I decided that I shouldn't delay in helping my older half-brother, so I went to gather the tiktiks from just outside the temple and gathered them in front of him. With a swing of his magnificent nail, he stole the soul and snuffed out their lives. He then closed his eyes and concentrated until a glow appeared around him, healing his wounds, and regrowing his arm. Much better.

"Thanks for the help. Are you a vessel too? If you haven't noticed, the infection seems to be gone." Smartass. I introduced myself and told him of our connection, being half-siblings, told him how I wasn't a vessel etc. Our first plan of action was to go up to Dirtmouth and maybe rendezvous with the youngest of us, the little Ghost. Little did they know he wasn't so little anymore.

Heading up to Dirtmouth, the Hollow Knight could hardly fit into any buildings with his massive size. He sat down and got along with the Elder Bug (is a cool dude) and bought maps and a quill. He spoke to Zote who ran away under Hollow Knight's cold gaze after a snarky remark. He was getting along with most of the townsfolk and almost forgot he was there to meet the littlest one. His mind wandered off thinking about cute things he could do with his little brother. Maybe we could play some catch and I could give him a piggyback ride around town too.

As his mind wandered off into the fantasies of older brotherhood, a distant clinking of chains and a light pitter patter only too familiar to the townsfolk was heard.

The Knight's POV

I wonder how Hornet is doing, I didn't see her in the black egg temple so she must have gone back to the distant village to see the weavers. Either way, I got to the well under the surface and started to climb up the chains. As I climbed up the well and hopped onto solid ground, I made my way towards Elder Bug to rest and receive some advice. As I neared the bench, a familiar, tall bug was resting in my usual spot. His head was slung back to where I could not see it, but when he looked at me I knew I was looking at The Hollow Knight. His face seemed to light up immediately and before I knew it I was several feet off the ground and being squeezed quite hard. A familial kind of love that I had never felt before, and it was very… nice. No time for that though.

"Want a piggyback ride? Oh you're such a cute little thing I knew you'd be small but I never thought you'd be this cute!" Apparently, the Hollow Knight already knew about him. Wonder who told him about him. Evidently, there was no need to fight as the infection was gone, replaced by a little brother obsession. I wiggled out of his arms with a bit of effort and asked,"How exactly do you know who I am?"

"Well of course, Hornet told me." Hmph. Hornet. So she didn't go back to the weavers then? Just as I was thinking about what she might have done a thread appeared and she pulled herself over to the bench at a blinding speed. "I see you two have already acquainted, which saves us some hassle. For now, let's find somewhere to stay. Even you vessels need sleep right?" Both Hollow Knight and I nod in agreement, even I personally enjoy sleeping on benches. We searched Dirtmouth for a good house that we 3 could live in, and found a spacious, tall house that was abandoned by the late descendants of the "Dashmaster" and the "Sprintmaster" who liked big roomy homes with enough room to run and jump in.

We had to get moved in first, which was no problem for me as I stored all of my items and charms within a box and my Mothwing Cloak. The Hollow Knight rode the stag station back into the White Palace and retrieved his shining set of royal armor. Hornet made her way back to the Distant Village and brought a picture of her late mother, some spools of silk and some other personal items. We did however, have an argument on the division of rooms. The house had a living room, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom. After an hour of making points and counterpoints, it was decided that Hornet would get her own room and that we "boys" could share a room. Hollow Knight seemed to be quite happy with that decision, so I settled with it.

We actually ended up with quite a luxurious bath as we asked some of the miners of Crystal peak who had recovered from the aftermath of the infection to pump the soulspring in the Crossroads up to our house, which really made me feel energized after a bath. For beds, Hornet was the most normal with a simple silk bed she made herself. Hollow Knight asked her to make a tight sleeping bag for him as he had gotten quite comfy being locked up in chains all those years. I just stole a bench from the City of Tears and slept on that with a blanket, which I considered quite a luxurious way to sleep, given what I did on my journey.

While we vessels can eat, we can keep going without it, and soul is more than enough. Hornet was a bit of a different story, not being void and all, she did have to get nourishment from food still. We are able to buy food from the Dirtmouth stalls with the massive amount of geo between us though. We got settled in and continued to live like this.

As days passed in a flash, bugs who had recovered from the infection flooded to the surface to find a way to survive and found Dirtmouth. Elder Bug was there to greet and speak to every single one of them. Soon, the town's population quadrupled and we found the dusty old surface town transform into a bustling and loud city. There were no leaders, and there was very little crime as everyone worked together as a team to build the town.

We had been living comfortably for almost a month now, with us 3 sparring every now and then to make sure that our skills do not dull. I have yet to tell them about my Shade Lord form, but I'm sure they'll come to know when the time is right. While eating one night, Hornet brought up this town's lack of leadership. As we spoke we discussed possible candidates for a king of the surface. Elder Bug and Sly came to mind, and the Hollow Knight was a good candidate as well, being from a noble background and being so strong. However, there would have to be some sort of majority vote to have a government on the surface.

Yo. I'm sorry it took like a month to get the new chapter out, and the first chapter had quite alot of traction (I think?). I'm gonna come clean and be honest: I was way too lazy to write this chapter. Well either way, please wait patiently for the next chapter, I'll try get it out under 15 days from now, but no promises.

-Ya Boi, Gold