Be alone for a minute

Mabel had a gnawing pain in her head and just wanted to relax for just a second. She had made enemies, angered Amber, held accounted for what she did with the egg and now she just needed time for herself. She knew a good place to just relax and chill out. It was the cool outer wall of the hive. There people often went when all the stress and being too close to everyone got too much - while every bee liked a warm hug, too much warmth could also kill.

Mabel flew there hugging herself and entered the complex of platforms reaching the very top of the hive. It was the coolest part of the whole hive and often uncomfortable to be alone in, but with a friend or a drone it was very relaxing to most. Mabel had no one, she just needed the coolness on her skin. There were some workers leaning on railings and some sitting down eating lunch and such.

Mabel turned heads of course, a tall and beautiful daughter queen as she was, but she just chose an empty place and leaned on the railing and looked out of one of the windows where red and yellow leaves moved silently in the wind. Mabel felt her body getting cooler and cooler and people changed around her as she just leaned there making her body cool down - her legs shook and nipples hardened.

Suddenly someone moved next to her and Mabel turned to see a familiar face, it was one of Mabel's sisters, Rebecca. A silent and very serious daughter queen with long straight black hair and dark clothes. She was the one sister Mabel had not ever had a real conversation with before and that's why she simply couldn't take her eyes off of her. While Mabel was nearing her limit of just standing still in the cool air Rebecca had just arrived and was not yet shaking like she was, Mabel made a gamble and asked softly: "Rebecca? Dear sister. How g-great seeing you in such a calm place..." The outer wall was a very silent place, perfect for relaxing.

"Yes, I visit here quite often, as does dear sister Abigail. You I have not seen here thus far. A-are you feeling down by chance?" Rebecca's voice was soft, but she always made it come out of her chest all proper-like, which was also a contributor for the fact that she was indeed the best behaved daughter queen now that Mabel had gotten herself seeded by a drone and ruined her title. The rumors talked of Rebecca experiencing some life changing occurrence after her last drone was born. Mabel remembered her staying in the hospital: long enough for Rebecca to completely fade from her memory until very recently when she started appearing again on breakfast and dinner. Mabel hated rumors, but if something serious had happened she wanted to make at least that much sure.

"I was just leaving, but do you mind enlightening me of what happened? I am implying your long period being in the hospital. I am quite curious about your well-being." Mabel felt inferior compared to her oldest sisters and Rebecca being the third oldest had that same effect: despite her being shorter than Mabel. "Ah, well... It was just horrible, I would tell you if you weren't leaving. It's not a simple thing I could just tell you and be done with it. Hmm, would it help if I warmed you up, while I told you all about it?" Rebecca had that classic bee-beauty in her which was often seen as very desirable. She had a skinny and delicate body, but surprisingly neat, well-formed wings which Mabel really liked to awe at. While Rebecca was very kind and gentle, she seemed to be holding back on something which made Mabel quite hesitant. "U-uhh, I suppose..." Mabel sat on a bench and her sister got next to her and started slowly and kind of mechanically warming her up, which worked, but Mabel felt unnatural. "Then, as for my time in the hospital. The thing is. My body is not suited for a queen any longer."

Mabel just stared forward through the window while her sister rubbed her collar fur on hers. "What happened? That is terrible." Mabel felt truly unwell and wanted to both escape, and give the distant sister a proper hug. "It's simple really." Sighed Rebecca and lost her rhythm by a small portion: "Giving birth is such a dangerous thing. To be honest, I can't shake the feeling. Can you imagine what it would feel like? To rip open from the egg being just 90 degrees to its side." Mabel couldn't take the soulless conversation and turned to her sister and hugged her bursting into tears: "No! Please! Just tell it to me like a normal person? Do you realize how everyone sees you?" Mabel squeezed her sister hard and felt a true warmth fill her core: "That's right! They don't see you, because you never talk to us! You are so closed in that I even forgot about you."

Mabel let go just to find the calm face of Rebecca, her sister, a sister that gave up her responsibility. "I am fine with it. As you can see, I am comforting you and being calm. You are most l-likely overreacting." Rebecca's face didn't show any sign that Mabel could read as a lie, which made her very uncomfortable. "NO! You see, I have messed up today and yesterday. I have made enemies and complicated things with the other sisters. You are the only one I have not yet made angry, and you have the gall to tell me that I am overreacting? You are never going to have a baby, ever again, right?"

"That is right."

"And you can never even hope to be a queen, because of that fact?"

"That is how it is."

"A-and... and you are j-just fine with that?"

The other sister looked away and stayed silent for a second before raising her head and looking into Mabel's eyes with her deep black ones: "I was depressed for a while, I still am. But I won't cry because of something that I find weak about me. Dear little sister..." Rebecca got so close that Mabel was almost expecting a kiss but she just put her mouth on her ear and warmed the shaking bee-girl in a very embracive manner: "The best I can do now is to help my sisters and accept myself. My life as a daughter queen might be over, but I can still have fun, go on a fly, do shopping, whatever. Do you realize? It's ok." Rebecca whispered in the young daughter queen’s ear. Mabel couldn't help but cry again and wrapped her arms around her sister while she made her feel so warm and comfortable.

They sat like that for a minute and Rebecca made sure Mabel was alright and got up. She had a skin tight black dress with no cleavage showing. She also had long hexagonal fishnet gloves: gold in color. "We should go. It's dinner time in just half an hour. Mabel... you are too young to understand fully, but it's very important for you to make boys and gather a big influence here in our hive. I might be of help in that, but remember that this thing with mother's egg will mix the deck soon enough. I want to help you, while you might've lost your virginity, I still see you as what I am unfortunately not. I wanted to tell you that I just want to help you grow and eventually become a true queen. I know this is sudden, but I have thought this through and will help you achieve that goal."

Mabel couldn't answer and rather kept her mind focused on flying as fast as she could back home and in her room where she could get some fresh clothes on and get back to the comfort of routine. While the young daughter queen tried to clear her head of the things Rebecca said, she couldn't help but think of it a little bit. She as the queen? That would be impossible, even if the third sister helped her, it would still be... Mabel couldn't quite believe it yet, but once a chance like this opens to a person accepting it might be hard. Mabel flew all the way back in her room, in the royal house, found her new outfit, pulled on the unfitting green, spring colored dress which had a spiraling cut on her middle section and a weird thigh long boot for her mostly uncovered left leg and a normal boot for her other one. This time there was even some jewelry and she put some green, matching arm-bands and ear-rings on. It seemed like the dinner was going to be a bit special this time around - which Mabel decided to face with calmness and a clear mind, she was not going to make it easy for them to know who violated the egg. She was going to survive this day and make Rebecca proud, whatever that might mean.