Chapter Text
Deepnest was a powerful kingdom. For centuries, it had been the most developed region of the lands of Hallownest, but it was also divided. And its unification was the success of a single woman, not even born from the nobility.
Herrah the Beast created an army of warriors entirely devoted to her cause, and, one by one, had vassalized the lords and nobles of this vast land. She had reformed the realm, creating a strong, unified government centered in her new capital, the distant village. Said village was a marvel of engineering, only made possible by the weavers she had invited to her kingdom.
Under her influence, Deepnest had never been so strong and so prosperous. If things had went differently, she would no doubt be remembered as the greatest ruler Hallownest had ever seen.
But then the Pale King arrived.
He, too, unified a kingdom, and it was so vast it covered almost all Hallownest. In fact, he took the name for his own territory, and no one could contest. He, too, developed his land. He built splendid cities were before there was only rock, and mechanical marvels the world had never seen. His achievements literally outshined Herrah’s in every way.
And then, he tried to subjugate Deepnest, and failed. He could only fail, really, he knew it. The devout were too strong, the terrain too hostile. But the Pale King was a clever bug, and he found another role for Deepnest in his eternal society: the boogeyman.
Deepnest was the enemy. Deepnest was the reason the military budget was so high. Deepnest was the reason the mantises still had independence: not because Hallownest’s army got their asses kicked, but because they protected us from Deepnest. If a crisis occurred, the populace ought to obey, or Deepnest would take advantage of the situation.
The Pale King was acutely aware of all of that. He was responsible for it. He was also aware Herrah knew as well. And now, he was going to ask her to sacrifice decades of her life for a Kingdom that hated her, and that she hated. He knew the negotiations could succeed, thanks to his foresight, but he didn’t know how.
As he was escorted, with only Isma at his side, by a group of devout, he looked at the capital of the spider kingdom, and saw only wonders. Clusters of silk cocoons hanging from the ceiling like grapes, rope bridges wide enough to fit markets on their sides, and his trained eye did not miss the impressive weaver spellwork surrounding him.
While the Village was much smaller than the Silver City, it was clearly the capital of a strong ruler. It was a very expensive architecture, and with no real economic activity beyond being the seat of government. Its very existence was proof of Herrah’s absolute power on her kingdom, and it would collapse with it.
As he walked through the “streets”, the Pale King felt almost attacked. Everything was too bright, too colorful, too noisy. Silk fabric of every color know to bug was hanging from cables, that kept the city stable. They slowly gave way to dark blue flags, emblazoned with Herrah’s crest, as he was approaching the Beast’s Den.
The central piece of the Village, made of six small cocoons around a very large one, was a veritable fortress, despite its exposed location. As he entered, the Pale King was greeted by Deepnest’s court, with clearly forced smiles and unenthusiastic acclamations. Studying it, he could see the difference with his own.
Herrah’s court was full of commoners, be it devout, weavers, or others. Signs of hierarchy were almost absent. Everyone was treated not as an esteemed guest of a palace, but as a fellow inhabitant of a great common house. In a way, the Pale King envied her, but he knew the reason he could not fill his court with his favorite scholars and administrators.
He needed the nobles to rule, to extend his authority to the deepest corners of Hallownest, because he could not do it himself, no matter how powerful he was. People needed a closer, more “real” figure of authority to remember, for example, to pay their taxes. After all, in this era of near universal collapse, only the blade could ensure obedience.
Herrah knew it, too. That’s why she made a show of her strength. That’s why, instead of waiting for him lazily seated on a throne, she was walking towards him, surrounded by her elite guards, and “politely” invited him to a more private part of the castle. The only reason he accepted was because he never foresaw his assassination in these circ*mstances. It still worried him when Isma was invited to talk with a few military officers instead of following him.
They walked through banquet halls, weapon smithing workshops and kitchens before reaching a luxurious bedroom. It took him only a glance at the size of the bed to understand it was Herrah’s own.
“Here. We won’t be disturbed. Now, tell me, what do you want from me?”
“Are you familiar with my plan to fight the infection?”
“You want to contain it in a ‘pure vessel’, whatever that means. I also heard it faced a major issue recently.”
“That is true. But that only forced me to perfection it further. I assure you the solution will be applicable in a reasonable…”
“Keep your glorious speeches for your bootlickers, wyrm, and get to the point!”
“To guaranty the integrity of the seal, I will need to plunge three bugs in permanent sleep. The more famous and powerful they are, the better. They will wake up if I find a more permanent solution to the problem. Though… I’m not certain I will find one.”
“And you want me to be one of them.”
“Indeed. I know becoming a dreamer is a huge demand, but you may ask for almost any compensation.”
“Any?”
“Almost.”
“Well, let’s say… Exclusivity on the silk market for Deepnest, treaty of shared technologies, of course perpetual treaty of non-aggression, with an attaché to make sure no hostile preparations are being made.”
“Would that be enough?”
“To make up for your previous actions against Deepnest? Yes. But to convince me to give up my life, you’ll need a little more.”
“That is to say?”
“First, reparations, maybe… 30% of our budget for every year I stay asleep.”
“And if you never wake up?”
“Well, too bad for you. Second, give me an heir.”
“What do you mean? I can’t exactly hand out children… Wait. That’s not what you meant.”
“Correct, wyrm.”
“And considering the room we are in, you want to ‘complete this part of the bargain’ right now.”
“Correct again.”
“But… I did not even ask my wife!”
“She doesn’t need to know.”
“You think I will abandon my child?”
“Well, you never stroke me as a family bug. Would you really accept them as a prince of Hallownest?”
“No. But as my child, of course.”
“That’s … surprisingly generous of you.”
“It won’t take a genius to figure out their father anyway, since they’ll probably glow in the dark.”
“May I take this as a positive answer?”
“You may, Beast.”
“Using pet names already? It is true we’ll soon be quite close…”
“Don’t push your luck, Herrah.”
