The next day, King Ratuatapi arrived at the Tower once more, accompanied by Second Queen Berbiya and Fourth Queen Pezuya as before. They had agreed both to the alliance and to Belissar’s proposal for honeydew delivery challenges, today was the day for the two leaders to finalize the deal. The agreement was less formal this time with no oath before the God of Bees, as neither side wanted to be divinely bound in this case. Instead, Belissar and the sigmaka king simply recited the agreement, shook hands, and exchanged some gifts as a symbol of the alliance. Belissar received a fine robe made of silk, while King Ratuatapi received a full tray of mana honeycomb from Belissar’s own stockpile.

    The formalities were quickly concluded and a feast prepared. Belissar and King Ratuatapi once again ate together. King Ratuatapi smiled at the meal before him and his people.

    “That’s a lot of rabbits, did you discover a den in the Underway?”

    Belissar shook his head.

    “I recently met another Tower Keeper who gave them to me. We’re breeding them now to hunt.”

    King Ratautapi’s eyes widened for a second before he forced his expression back to stoic.

    “I see. Would we be permitted to hunt them as well?”

    Belissar thought to himself for a moment. Chief Rohsuak had reinforced that he wasn’t supposed to agree to anything casually, so he was careful choosing his words.

    “We’ll have to discuss that. The room they’re currently in...isn’t safe, and we weren’t planning to spread them just yet.”

    King Ratuatapi showed no sign of disappointment at the refusal, fortunately.

    “I see. We would love to discuss that once you are ready. Then...you say you met another Sacred Den Master?”

    Belissar nodded.

    “One of the Fair Folk, even.”

    King Ratuatapi could not help his eyes widening once more.

    “Fair Folk? You can’t mean fairies, can you? I thought they were just a myth.”

    Belissar smiled knowingly at that.

    “So, did I. Apparently, they have their own realm or something that’s separated from the rest of the world. There’s a door in my Tower that connected to one of theirs.”

    King Ratuatapi blinked before looking slightly relieved.

    “So, they’ll just be in your Sacred Den...”

    Belissar nodded, then gave King Ratuatapi a serious look.

    ...nothing? If her First Daughter was now deciding where the honey should go and how to get it there...then there was nothing else for the First of the Fifth to do after informing her. So...there was nothing stopping her from now going back to making more honey.

    With only a slight twinge of concern that she might be missing something, the First of the Fifth went back to her task, deciding to trust that her First Daughter could handle things from there.

    The First of the Fifth’s First Daughter danced her receipt of the report from her queen mother’s communer.

    “Got it, queen mother say where honey going?”

    She paused, though, when the communer dance the negative.

    “Queen mother said First Daughter decides now.”

    The First Daughter stood completely still for a moment. That was right, wasn’t it? If her queen mother had entrusted the hive of hives to her, then she should be the one to allocate honey donations between the hives. It just...felt strange to be deciding what to do with her queen mother’s own honey.

    Strange feelings would not prevent her from completing her duty, however, so she began to consider.

    “First batch should go to queen mother’s Fifth Daughter, evolve Fifth Daughter since she helps queen mother make honey. Next batch...”

    For a brief moment, she considered sending a batch to her Third Daughter...but she held back. As worried as she was for her Third Daughter, the honey from her evolved queen mother was quite powerful, able to drive queen evolutions. She had to consider the hive of hives as a whole and send the honey where it would be most useful for all of them. She would have to take care of the hive of hives and then trust the hive of hives to take care of her Third Daughter; indeed, the hive of hives had already given plenty of bees and resources to do just that. She would eventually send her queen mother’s honey to her Third Daughter...but the very first allocation needed to be for the wider hive of hives.

    And so, she put aside concerns for her Third Daughter. She glanced over at the Fourth of the Seventh’s first communer by her side. The first communer brushed her antennae.

    “Queen mother with other queen’s Third Daughter now, helping set up hive.”

    The First Daughter thanked the first communer. The first communer, like the Fourth of the Seventh, always knew what she needed and was always able to help. So, reassured about her daughter’s safety, the First Daughter considered the hive of hives instead.

    “...send to bumblebee queens. Haven’t evolved, haven’t raised new queens, only have workers and soldiers. Would help hive of hives if did, might need better honey. After, send to Flower Meadow barracks and Firstborn.”

    Her queen mother’s Fifth Daughter evolving would expand her queen mother’s hive’s honey production, so the next priority for the hive of hives was to boost their defenses. Either the bumblebees or Flower Meadow queens evolving more of their soldiers would go a long way towards that...not to mention if either of them managed to evolve a queen. Indeed, nearly every queen in the hive of hives was watching the Firstborn these days, waiting, or even expecting, that she would evolve soon. The First Daughter would ensure that she had all the resources necessary to do so.

    After that, she turned to the first communer.

    “Can watch hive? Need to check on hive of hives.”

    The ever reliable first communer danced a salute, freeing the First Daughter to begin a full review of the hive of hives. For if she now needed to determine honey allocations, she needed a refresher on the state of each and every hive in the Tower...as well as the bees that did not live in hives to begin with. It was now her job to take care of every hive, not just her own.

    And for the sake of the King, the hive of hives, her queen mother, the Fourth of the Seventh, and their children together, she would not fail.