Why do I even want to help them? I mean, I hated them, didn't I? Shouldn't I just let them war amongst each other and escape from here instead? What's compelling me to tell her? Is it because of how I met Evelyn and her grandfather and they were genuinely kind to me, and also the princess who goes out of her way to ensure I'm fed, or is it because I'm an ant like them now and can finally see the world from their perspective? Or maybe I've just realized how much of a lunatic I was for taking out my problems on them.
Whatever the case, I have a strong desire to save this colony, Ari said to himself. The weight of his own thoughts pressed against his chest like something heavy he couldn't shake off. As the ants' work shift ended, the faint sounds of footsteps approached his cell. Princess Tanya returned, as she always did, carrying the promise she had made to him. In her small arms were two plump berries and several chunks of meat, more than she usually brought.
"Ari, I'm back again, and this time, I got two berries and more meat for you, so eat up, okay?" Her soft smile lit her face as she gently set the food in front of him.
"Thank you for this. I don't know why you're so kind to me," Ari said, his gaze lowering as he spoke.
"Aren't you hungry? If you have something on your mind, feel free to tell me," Tanya said, her head tilting with curiosity.
Ari hesitated. This was it. He could have stayed silent, let the inevitable collapse of this place unfold, but something deeper urged him to speak.
"Listen, Princess, you might not believe me, but Vladimir is not the ant you think he is."
"What do you mean by that?" Tanya's antennae stiffened, her face showing both surprise and suspicion.
"Last night, a couple of hours after you left, I heard and saw him plotting with ants from a neighboring colony. They plan to invade this one and steal all of our food and resources. He did it all for a high-ranking position and a steady food supply."
"I've known Vladimir for as long as I can remember, which makes it fourteen years. There's no way that he would plot against our queen. He has been serving her long before I was born. He is her most trusted friend and soldier. There's no way—you're lying. I thought you were different from all these other prisoners, but I guess I was wrong." Tanya's voice trembled, but her eyes hardened.
"I know it's hard to believe a prisoner you've only just met, who's telling you something terrible about someone you've known your entire life, but it's the truth. I saw it with my own two eyes through a crack in the wall."
"But Vladimir would never do such a thing. He's really kind to me and to everyone in the colony."
"Everyone except me, it seems," Ari thought bitterly, but he kept those words to himself.
"If I'm wrong about this, no harm will come of it. However, if I'm right, it will save us all. There is nothing to lose if I tell the queen. Please, just do it for the colony's sake."
"I'll be right back," Tanya said, her face unreadable as she left the prison cell in a hurry.
Ari's heart pounded against his ribcage. "I wonder where she's going… If she confronts Vladimir about what I just said, then I'm dead… and so is the colony," he whispered to himself, panic slowly creeping into his chest as he paced the cell, gnawing on his lower lip.
In what felt like an eternity compressed into five minutes, she returned with the keys and briskly unlocked his prison door.
"How did you get your hands on the keys so quickly?" Ari asked, shocked.
"It was easy. The warden was slacking off—he's sound asleep," Tanya said, brushing it off as if it were nothing.
"Thank you for believing me, Princess."
"Tanya's fists clenched at her sides. Her heart screamed at her to reject his words—to cast him away as just another liar trying to save himself. But another part of her, a smaller, trembling part, whispered: what if he's telling the truth?
"Vladimir is like family to me… he's never once let me down." Her antennae drooped as a tremor ran through her body. "But… if I ignore this, and you're right…" She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the weight of the colony pressing down on her shoulders. "If I do nothing and something happens, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself either."
"I hate this," she whispered bitterly, her voice cracking. "But… I'll listen to you.If you're lying… I'll never forgive you."
"I'll accept that. Now take me to the queen. I'll tell her everything."
Tanya quickly guided him through the dim tunnels of the prison, the earthy walls pressing close around them. Each turn they made forced them to hug the shadows tightly, their breathing quiet as they avoided the wardens patrolling the pathways. The distant clicking of their armored feet on the dirt was enough to make Ari's chest seize in anxiety.
As they slipped around a corner, the sound of approaching footsteps made Tanya stiffen. Without hesitation, she dragged Ari by the wrist and shoved him into a shallow crevice in the wall, barely wide enough for them to squeeze in.
"That was a close one," Tanya whispered, her breath brushing against his shoulder as they watched the warden pass, oblivious.
After slipping past several more guards, ducking behind stones and weaving between stone pillars, they finally arrived at the queen's chamber entrance. Tanya pointed toward the guarded path ahead.
"This is where the queen is. However, to even reach her, you'll have to get past her ant servants, who are very strong. How do you plan on getting past them?"
"Thank you for leading me here. I'll take it from here," Ari said, stepping out from their cover with a resolve that tightened his stomach into knots.
"Ari, no! What are you thinking? You'll only get punished!" Tanya's desperate voice pleaded with him, but he pressed forward.
The servants guarding the chamber spotted him immediately. Their eyes narrowed, their bodies tense with suspicion.
"You—you're a slave, aren't you? What the hell are you doing here, and how did you get out of your cell?" one of the servants barked, stepping forward with his stinger spear pointed directly at Ari's chest.
"You ask too many questions, and none of that really matters. I'm here to speak with the queen on an urgent matter that could determine the colony's survival."
"Tch. Quit talking nonsense!" the servant snarled, his stinger spear slicing through the air as he lunged with deadly intent.
Ari's instincts roared to life. His body jerked sideways just in time, the spear's jagged tip grazing his upper arm. The sharp burn bloomed instantly, a thin line of crimson welling on his brown exoskeleton.
Another guard sprang into action, charging low, his spear aimed to gut Ari from below.
Time slowed. Ari's breath caught in his throat as he forced his legs to respond, shoving off the ground and vaulting into the air. The spear missed him by a hair's breadth, the rush of wind brushing past his abdomen as he barely cleared the strike.
He landed hard, knees jolting, his heart hammering against his ribs like a war drum.
"He's fast!" one servant growled, tightening his grip, sweat glinting on his brow.
The servants moved in tandem now, stepping with practiced rhythm, their weapons poised to trap him in a deadly cross.
Ari's breath grew ragged. His muscles screamed in protest, still sluggish from days of imprisonment, but his mind blazed, sharp and desperate.
But before they could strike again, Tanya suddenly dashed forward, planting herself between Ari and the armed servants. "Stop! That's enough!"
The servants halted mid-swing, startled. Their eyes flicked between Tanya and Ari, disbelief clouding their faces.
"Princess Tanya, what is the meaning of this? Could it be that you were the one who set him free?" one of them demanded, struggling to keep his composure.
"I order you to stop attacking him and just give him a chance to talk to the queen. Everything will be clearer then."
"We can't just let this bastard walk right into her domain and do whatever the hell he wants," spat the first servant, his grip tightening on his spear.
"Let him through," came a voice, cool and commanding.
The servants flinched. "But, Your Highness, he's just a lowly slave. I can't just—"
"Did I stutter? Are you questioning my power?" The queen's voice cut through the air like a blade, silencing all protest.
The servants immediately straightened, their weapons lowered in obedience. Without hesitation, they stepped aside, clearing a path for Ari and Tanya.
"So we meet again, mysterious ant. I see that my daughter has taken a liking to you. She has never conversed with a prisoner, much less set one free so that he could speak to me directly—or so I thought. What makes an ant like yourself so special?" Queen Celeste's gaze bore into him, sharp and unreadable as she awaited his answer.