Chapter Text
The faint pitter-patter of her own steps against a desolate stone pathway was all Hornet heard for what seemed like days. Pharloom was a large and complicated kingdom —much more so than Hallownest—and it was beginning to wear her down. The unidentified area that she was traversing through was industrialized yet abandoned, leaving nothing but her and her growling stomach. Nothing edible could live here, and Hornet had been blindly wandering for much longer than she had ever gone without eating. Well, at least it felt like it.
Most of the lamps lining the streets had either been broken or were just not working, but the occasional flickering one was the only thing making Hornet certain that she was moving at all. The time she spent in Pharloom had hardly consisted of rest, and that combined with the lack of food was making her delirious. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that if she didn’t get out of this place soon, she wouldn’t survive much longer. She didn’t know if she had the energy to successfully hunt even if she did find food. Shaking the thought from her foggy mind, she trudged onward.
After a while, black spots began to appear in Hornet’s vision. She had been afraid of this ever since she entered this damned kingdom. Passing out now would certainly result in her doom. After everything she endured, she wouldn’t let herself die like this. Her breathing turned to panting as she frantically looked for a spot to tuck herself away in. With every step she took, her vision darkened even more, and her head began to pound. At some point—she wasn’t quite sure when—she ended up on her hands and knees on the cold stone path. She heaved, desperately trying to keep herself awake, but to no avail. It wasn’t long before she was unconscious.
Slowly, Hornet opened her eyes, and she was surprised to see that she was in an entirely different location. Soft grass was piled underneath her, creating a makeshift nest. Was this… someone’s den? She sat up and looked around, ignoring the headrush that followed. Who had managed to find her in those desolate ruins in the middle of nowhere? More importantly, why would they decide to bring her here?
There was no time to ponder on any of her questions. A familiar figure appeared in the entrance, causing Hornet to nearly jump.
“Lace?” she snarled, stiffening. Hornet couldn’t even find the energy to stand up. She felt around for her needle, locating it near her on the ground and raising it at her foe. If Lace wanted to take advantage of her scenario, Hornet at least wasn’t going down without a fight.
She watched carefully as Lace walked to the far wall of the den without a word, and placed down a fresh kill that Hornet hadn’t noticed she was holding. Her mouth watered at the sight, but she couldn’t let herself get distracted.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed again, annoyed that Lace was ignoring her. Hornet knew that she wasn’t particularly a threat at the moment, but it was odd of her rival to not even acknowledge her presence.
Finally, Lace let out a sigh, and turned towards her. “Hush, little spider. I found you passed out in the middle of nowhere. So I brought you here. Also…” she gestured towards her catch, “I figured you would need food. Nothing lives anywhere near where you were traversing.”
Hornet stared at her in disbelief. Her needle lowered slightly, but she was still apprehensive. What kind of sick game is she playing? Lace was her enemy; they had fought countless times; Lace’s goal was to kill her. There was no way she was helping her survive. What was her goal?
“I know what you’re thinking,” Lace hummed, “but this isn’t a trick of any sorts. I’d hate to see such a fearsome warrior such as yourself die of starvation. And why would I go through so much effort for an elaborate trap when I could’ve just killed you while you were out?”
Before Hornet could fully process what she was saying, she began to speak again, “I thought about it, you know. But it didn’t feel right. I mean, we’ve dueled so many times. How could I just kill you without a fair fight like that?”
The silence that followed laid over the atmosphere like a heavy blanket. Hornet genuinely didn’t know what to think. Lace, the bug that had given her the most trouble out of anything that resided in Pharloom, was saving her from certain death. It was unbelievable. She couldn’t fathom why Lace would be doing this.
Hornet was the one to break the silence, as Lace began to start a fire to cook what she had caught. “What are you gaining from this? Why in the world would you be helping me?”
“Well, little spider,” she mused, “like I said, I’d hate to see you fall to something so… unfitting . A princess protector deserves a much more noble death.”
A scowl grew on Hornet’s face. “Are you saving me now just so you can kill me in a fight yourself?”
Lace sighed. “I can see how it appears to be that way. Admittedly, I have grown quite fond of you, spider. You’re quite the opponent.” She let out a chuckle. “It’s just that… I’ve been watching you, obviously, and you’ve made it farther than I ever imagined. I would be remiss to let you die so easily. You deserve to go down in a fight, if you even go down at all!”
“Is that your version of a compliment?” Hornet quipped in response, “If so, I guess I shall accept it. Somehow, I believe that you wouldn’t let me die to any hand besides yours.”
“I’m so glad we’ve come to an understanding,” she chirped. Then, Lace took the roast off of the fire, put it on what looked like a handmade wooden dish, and handed it to Hornet.
Hornet gave her a questioning look. “You’re not going to eat any?”
“Oh, I couldn’t, I’ve already eaten tonight,” she replied, “Plus, you definitely need it more than I do.”
Lace stood up suddenly, dusting off her clothes. “Well, I believe I must be going. You’ll find that you’re in a much more favorable area whenever you’re well enough to leave. Until we meet again, little spider!”
Before Hornet had a chance to reply, she hopped out of the den, and she was gone.
As she ate, Hornet thought about what had just transpired. Lace had saved her. It was impossible to know her true intentions—that woman was an elusive mystery—but Hornet knew she would have certainly perished without her intervention. It also seemed that Lace… respected her efforts to escape? It was hard to tell for sure, but that’s certainly what she seemed to imply.
No matter. This changed nothing. Lace was still her enemy; she was still going to try to kill her at any chance she got. An enemy… but a confusing one, for sure. Hornet wasn’t sure how she felt about her.
For now, she just needed to focus on recovering. Whatever the future held for her, whether or not it had anything to do with Lace, she would have to take as it came.