2 – Ant Queen Elderanta

Queen Elderanta was resting in her throne. She spent her time the same way she has done so in the past 6 seasons: wondering if her decisions were really in the best interest of Anthill… or were they just made due to her fears?

Her fears for, not only The Grand Menace, but also for the entire rest of the Castanean Kingdom…

The Castanean Kingdom consisted of multiple smaller kingdoms and tribes, such as the Kingdom of Hornest, or the Mantisian Tribe or the BeetleField…

All of these kingdoms and tribes were connected to each other only via the Great Knights and Dabir, the MasterKing. Dabir was quite a unique figure, as for he was not of any Royal Blood, unlike every other bug leader. He was nothing more than a connection to the Great Knights, as nobody really knew where the Knights were located at any time, except the MasterKing.

Many believed that he was a personal friend with all – or at least most of the Great Knights. Either way he was the only figure who had direct connections to the Knights, thus he was chosen to be at such a high place in the Castanean Society.

He would also, whenever the doomsday of the Grand Menace’s strike came close, personally visit each and every bug society that lived in the Castanean Tree. He would assure everyone that the Knights were ready and that the evil Ozara would once again fall to the Knights and their great power.

But Dabir started appearing less and less in public until he eventually stopped completely… This was around the time Elderanta had decided to start cutting ties with all the surrounding nations, for she, along with every other leader, had felt that something was terribly wrong…

The bug leaders felt that the Great Knights, the very same great warriors whom have protected them for dozens of seasons, had suddenly vanished, and not even the MasterKing knew what had happened to them…

The bug leaders have felt that the dark age has begun… And Queen Elderanta felt it the earliest of them all…

She was a very intelligent lady, yet she was quite insecure about herself, even when she knew she was doing something right.

The reason for her decision to close the gates of Anthill for all other races was due to the political disturbance the Knights’s disappearance was about to cause… Elderanta feared that her kingdom would be invaded by one of the neighbour nations, in an attempt to get their precious food supply, which was the biggest food supply in all of Castanea… or at least that’s what she hoped her reasoning was…

But deep inside her she was afraid that she had cut ties with everyone because she had feared for nothing more than her own safety. The mere thought that her cowardliness was the sole dictation of her actions was more than she could handle…

Every day she regretted her decisions, as she had seen the impact it had on her children… They were depressed. They lost hope. Yet they kept listening to their Queen. They never rebelled. And that’s exactly what hurt the Queen the most. She was hurt because her children were hurt by her actions, yet they never even thought about disobeying her…

She secretly desired for a rebellion against her…

But most of all… she desired for all this misery to end…

* * *

Queen Elderanta

The Queen was quite surprised when the doors that led to her Chamber were opened.

Is this it?

Is this the rebellion she desired?

Or is it a bug from another tribe coming to inform her that the Knights have returned? That the dark age has ended??

“Your Highantness[1].”, Nanthan, her loyal guard said. Next to him another smaller ant was standing. “Antonio, the worker ant, wants to see you…”

“… Come here, child…”, Elderanta said to Antonio in a warm, calming voice.

Antonio felt something he had never felt before. He felt a sort of a mix between fear, love and amusement from being in the Queen’s presence. He listened to the Queen’s order and came close to her, bowing his head. “Y-Your Highantness…”

“Tell me, child, why did you come to visit me? You are the first worker ant in quite a long time who has come here…”

“Your Highantness! I c-came here to ask you to open the gates for me!”

When she heard this, the Queen was quite shocked. She did not know what to expect, so she asked: “And why do you wish to leave the Anthill Kingdom, child? What do you seek to find out there?”

“I seek to find what everyone else has seemingly gave up on! I seek to find the Five Great Knights!!”

Elderanta’s eyes widened. Now that she thought of it, she never tried to sent her ants to scout and see what had happened to the Knights. A new hope suddenly sparked into life. The determination she saw in Antonio’s eyes and the purity she could sense in his heart were enough for her to regain fer faith in the future of Anthill… The future of Castanea… “Antonio, child… You are the first ant to come and ask me for such a favor… Before I answer you I have to warn you: The outside is… very different from what it was before… Castanea is not a safe place like it used to be prior to the Knights’s disappearance. Once you leave, you will not be able to return here, as I will re-close the gates again as soon as you leave. So tell me, child… Are you certain that you wish to go on such a journey?”, Elderanta asked, even tho she already knew that Antonio’s answer would be -

“Yes!”, he answered.

“Very well…”, Elderanta said, then she looked at Nanthan, who was standing next to Antonio. His eyes were wide open and filled with confusion. “Nanthan, my loyal guard… I have a very important task for you… I want you to follow Antonio on his journey, as he is only a worker ant, while you are an experienced soldier… if he comes across a dangerous situation, I am uncertain of how well he would handle it by himself… But with you by his side, the two of you should be able to handle any adversaries that may come your way… Please forgive this selfish Queen for her selfish request…”

When Nanthan heard this, he needed a few moments to process the sudden flow of informations he had received. When he finally did, he said in a worried tone: “B-But your Highantness- I-I can’t just leave you by yourself!! What if something were to happen to you?? What if someone were to try and assassinate you?? I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself-”

“This is not a request, this is an order. Besides, I will not be alone… Bobant will still be here to protect me.”

“W-With all due respect, your Highantness, I do not think that Bobant is a reliable soldier! I-I mean all he ever does is sleep at work!! I’m sorry, but I don’t feel like you’ll be safe if he’s the only one protecting you, your Hi-”

“I SAID THIS IS AN ORDER!!”, the Queen’s booming voice reverberated throughout the entire Palace… Every ant in the Chamber trembled, as they had never heard the Queen this upset… Even Bobant woke up from his peaceful slumber...

Elderanta then added: “Did you forget who you serve, Nanthan? Do I have to remind you of your role? When did you become this disobedient??”, the Queen’s anger echoed in her Chamber.

Nanthan was shaking in fear. He never knew the Queen had this side. Beside, he was just worried for her safety, so he did not understand why Queen Elderanta was this mad at him…

He barely had enough strength to answer: “I-I am deeply sorry, y-your Highantness… I-I understand… I will follow Antonio on his journey…”, he said with tears forming in his eyes.

After a moment of silence Elderanta said: “Good… now one more thing… I have to give the two of you something before you leave Anthill…”, the Queen raised her top left leg and pointed towards a chestnut chest that was standing in the corner of her Chamber. “Antonio, child, open the chest.”

Antonio, who was still shivered by the Queen’s prior roar, needed a few seconds to start moving towards the chest. He carefully lift up the old chest’s door and found a couple of old feather blades. “T-These are feather blades?!”, Antonio yelled in surprise and looked towards Nanthan, whose teary eyes widened when he heard that.

“Yes, children… Those are Ozara’s feather blades. The only two in the entire Kingdom of Anthill… They are this Kingdom’s most precious treasure. One of them given to me as a gift from the Five Great Knights a long time ago… The other one was given to the previous Queen by none other than the MasterKing Dabir himself… I trust that you will carry these with care and respect towards those you seek to find… Towards the Great Knights…”

“Q-Queen- T-This is too much!! W-We cannot-”

“Your disobedience is getting on my nerves, Nanthan.”, Elderanta’s voice reverberated once again. “When I order something you listen. I am sending the two of you on a dangerous and important mission, and I need to do all I can to assure your safe return… These weapons have been sitting here for dozens of seasons, waiting for their time to shine, and what better time there is for that than now?”

When he heard this, Nanthan finally understood the meaning behind the Queen’s fury… It was her way of keeping her high image as the ruler of Anthill, but at the same time her way of making sure her children were safe… If Antonio were to travel alone, even Nanthan knew that he wouldn’t make it far, as Antonio was not only a young worker ant who lacked any combat experience, but also an ant who, the unlike Nanthan, never left the Anthill Kingdom… When he realized this he answered: “I understand… I apologize for my ignorance...”

“Good… Now go with Antonio to the Armour Storage Hall and get yourselves two chestnut helmets… I will make sure the gates are open for the two of you by the time you gear up… NOW GO!!”

On her command Nanthan left, and Antonio followed… As soon as the doors of her Chamber closed Elderanta whispered to herself: “Good luck, children… Good luck.”

* * *

On their way to the Armour Storage Hall Antonio stopped Nanthan and told him: “Hey man… I’m s-sure the Queen did what she did for our sake… I’m sure it was her way of assuring a safe trip for us… Don’t let it get to you, friend!”, he then smiled and added: “Listen… I want to go say goodbye to one person… Can I do that while you get the helmets? I-I’ll be fast, I promise! It-It’s just one friend I want to say my farewell to… P-Please…”

Nanthan could see the pure, naive and innocent heart that Antonio had, so he couldn’t refuse him: “Of course you can… We’ll meet up near the gates.”

“Thank you!”, Antonio happily replied as he ran outside the Palace to find his friend…

* * *

Tan, who had just finished his shift, was laying in the same spot as always… He was staring blankly at the sky, as he usually did so, when Antonio approached him. “TAN!! TAAAANNN!!!”, he cheered.

“What is it, Antonio?”, Tan sighed, “Ya asked Antina out?”

“N-No… I don’t think I ever had the courage to do so… I’m actually here to say farewell, friend…”

Tan looked at Antonio with a curious look in his eyes and wondered: “Are you going somewhere?”

“Actually I am! I’m going outside!! I’m going to search for the Great Knights!! And I am going to find them and show you all that you were wrong!! I promise!!”, Antonio enthusiastically exclaimed.

“W-Wait what-”, Tan got up.

Antonio interrupted him and said: “I need you to do me one last favour, friend… I need you to say hi to Antina from me… That’s all…”

Antonio then turned around and rushed towards the gates, as for he did not want Nanthan to have to wait for him.

“ANTONIO WAIT-”, Tan yelled, but Antonio was already out of his view…

Tan then felt something strange… it was a feeling he had never felt before…

It was a mix of sadness, sorrow and the feeling of losing something of value…

He felt like this would be the last time he would see his friend…

* * *

“You made it!”, Nanthan said when he saw Antonio. He was holding one chestnut helmet, while he was wearing the other, slightly bigger one. “This is for you, adventurer!”, Nanthan teased Antonio.

“Woooow!!”, Antonio said in amusement, “I never thought I would actually be wearing this one day!”

“Oh! And put this on…”, Nanthan gave Antonio a belt with a place to tie his feather blade on. “Thanks!”, he said as he put it on.

A few minutes later they were in front of the gates that led outside the Anthill Kingdom and into the rest of Castanea…

As soon as they approached them the gates opened. They looked at each other and Nanthan said: “It’s time…”

Antonio nodded and they made their first steps outside…

As soon as they stepped outside the gates closed.

Suddenly, a loud cheering of a thousand ants could be heard behind them. “GOOO!!! GOOO!!! FIND THEM!! ANTOOOONIOOO!! NANTHAAAANN!! ”

They turned around and saw the Queen herself along with hundreds of worker ants waving them on top of the gates’ tower.

“Go, my children! Good luck, and safely return when you find them!! Go, and bring back the hope Castanea has long forgot!!”

Nanthan and Antonio smiled. Antonio’s eyes shined as the two left…

And so, the adventure began…