Mimi

Richard was truly beside himself with grief. Sobbing, even as I picked him up, and started to carry him away. One of Oswald's brood had the gall to laugh, calling Richard an infant for how he felt. I carried Richard with my lower arms, covering him with my wings so that no one could see his form. He clung to my sweater, his tears soaking into it. He wasn't responding to anything, only crying for the pain he felt at Oswald's perceived death.

I had heard all I needed to hear from this event, there was no reason for me to linger. Richard needed to be taken somewhere safe, so he could grieve over the loss properly. I needed to tell him what happened when he was ready to listen to reason. Yet, I found myself walking towards the foolish man that dared to attack a member of my Hive while they were at their lowest. To weigh an insult against them, when they could no longer defend themself.

The idiot's laughter stopped, as I loomed over him. He stared up at me, turning pale as I smiled, letting my lips stretch unnaturally far. I flexed and coiled the muscles in my middle finger. The man started to laugh as I put my hand in front of his shoulder ready to flick him, "What? You want something? Better go back to your stable, before anyone else deals with you."

I let the flick hit the man square in the shoulder, as it launched him into the rest of his family. His arm hanging limply as he passed out from shock. His collar bone fractured, the bones for his shoulder turned to dust. The idiot passed out from the shock, as I turned away, my hand unable to move from the kick back. I turned to leave, to find Raul blocking my path. He whispered, "You shouldn't have done that."

Octavia screamed, "Micheal! Someone detain that monster!"

Raul spoke loudly, "I have her in my shadow, there is no need to worry!" He moved his shadow out, stretching it to others. I could sense others preparing to use magic if they needed to, but as things stood no one was making a move. I felt the Count's presence wash over me, and this time I knelt making certain to keep Richard safe. It would have been smarter to ignore Micheal, but I couldn't after what Richard felt. If I was to die here, then I would find another body to use. These nobles are a threat to my Hive, as they just sit idly by allowing this to happen.

I could sense Raul ready to drag me into his shadow, if I were put in further danger. It was comforting that he would go so far for me as well. I could hear the Count's foot steps as he approached closer with every breath. Octavia smiling, because she would try to use this incident to prove Richard could not control me. That she wanted to take me, and force me work under her. She hid it naturally behind her hand, with fake tears while fanning herself.

The Count stood before me, forcing me to look into his eyes. "Do you understand what you have done?"

I looked back at him, as he released a bit of pressure from me. "I understand fully, Richard is not at fault for this. The consequences of my actions are mine alone." I couldn't blame him, or pin it on his emotions. Richard needed time, and if I could work within the family that seeks to kill him. I could keep him safe, as well as my Hive.

Octavia fanned herself, her face red, "First my dear brother, and now Micheal is on the verge of death. Count, this is too much! The boy is in no state to control this monster. I demand ownership be given to me!"

The Count didn't even look at Octavia, focusing solely on me. "By the law, I could kill you here and now."

I didn't blink, "Yes, I attacked an unarmed noble during an event. I acted in response to words spoken, and chose to strike them. By that same law, because my tamer is incapacitated he cannot bear the responsibility of my actions. I may choose death, or be bound to the service of the offended party for up to five years. If such course is taken, I will be branded with a slave seal to be dismissed when the time has passed. As Micheal is not dead, and I can fix his wounds, I should be allowed to only need to serve one or two years."

The Count raised a brow, as other nobles started to whisper about my sudden intelligence. Octavia began to pale a little, and then we heard a dark laugh.

All eyes turned to the King as he clapped with every slow step, before he stood on the platform. He raised his fist in the air, striking a pose. "She has learned our laws, and is starting to use them against us. She came here, pretending to be dumb after working with the Guard. More importantly, when she left the Guard she did their job properly and saved the lives of three children. I have been watching her actions and movements since she entered our city."

There was absolute silence, as the king slowly brought his fast down and flourished his cape in an over the top manner. "In light of your intelligence, and actions. I grant Mimi, first of her nameless race, full rights to herself and her actions." He looked right at me as he continued to talk. "By my authority, as King of Eclipse, you are exonerated from any past crimes. Your rights are to be granted to you immediately, with the Guard filling out all necessary paper work. Because you are connected to the hives you have spread through my city, I will demand that you use them in service of Eclipse." He pulled his hand back before setting both on the railing.

"I acknowledge you as an ambassador of your nameless race. Their actions will reflect you, and you will be tried for such, unless you can bring a representative to take responsibility. Due to the nature of your connections, and how you actually work. I will personally oversee all trials related to you, and your race. After all, mind magic is dangerous to my people if they attempt to connect with you. Should you choose to accept my terms and agree to act in the benefit of Eclipse, you may continue your declaration of a duel against the noble Manfred family."

He held up a finger before I answered, "Acceptance of this verbal contract will remove all previous and future contracts between us. You must accept to tell only the truth in my presence and answer all questions I ask during trials truthfully and without hiding anything important. Failure to comply will result in all protection this contract provides, to be rendered null and void. Now, Mimi, do you accept?"

I memorized every word of the contract, finding it exceedingly generous. I was being given the full protection any natural born citizen would have in this kingdom, while no longer needing to use Richard for anything important. I lowered my head, realizing that it meant I had to serve the king in some capacity, and that I was likely being more or less forced to stay within the Kingdom. Yet, it's borders extended far beyond the cave I left behind. Other nations couldn't move against me, and I was protected from the Golden Circle if they chose to stop my miracle cure. "Yes, I accept."

The king clapped his hands together, as the energy of his talent washed over us both. It binded him as much as it did me. A pure declaration of his trust and protection. The Count moved back, as I grinned at Octavia before standing up. "You have insulted me, and I will duel your entire family for everything you have. You will be left with a single estate, and just enough money to live comfortably for two seasons."

Octavia paled, before covering her face with the fan she had, "I'm afraid I must decline dear. This is highly unwarranted, and we merely got off on the wrong foot."

The King laughed again, "Honestly that's pretty generous, by itself. I'll allow the duel because I'm the only one allowed to laugh when someone important dies. You may have other nobles join in, but no magic or talents." He wagged his finger, while leaning over the railing.

Octavia blinked, before kneeling before the King. "Why are you doing this my lord? Please, this is too much!"

The king rested his chin on his palm, looking down at Octavia. "I believe I said all matters of estate are to be handled by me. Oswald owned everything originally, and you stole that from him. I allowed you to talk about how useless I was as a king, and how you tried to talk him into taking my crown from me. Who better to make an example out of really? If you want to try and stop me, then please do. I can always use more bodies for just about anything really."

Octavia slowly picked herself up, "I yield in this duel." The smarter ones in the Manfred family followed suit. By the end, there were only five left that were willing to risk it all in a fight against me. Raul took Richard from me, since he was still hysterical and didn't even know what was happening. I was ruthless to those that chose to fight. By the time we started my finger had already healed, and I no longer tried to even disguise how much of a monster I truly was.

The fight lasted ten seconds, as I lunged at the five tossing one into the air. I kicked the other hard enough to break both his legs. Grabbed the other three, slamming them into the ground, and flicking the one I threw into the air after catching him. All the paper work had to be handled tomorrow, but once that was over I wouldn't need to worry about coin for a long time.

I carried Richard away, helping him get dressed in his usual clothes, and wrapping myself up in the warming blanket. It was much colder outside when we finally made it out of the castle, not that Richard could tell in his current state. Even after making it home, he was merely crying with his voice hoarse. My hive cleaned us both, as we slept together for the first time since that rainy day.

The days steadily grew colder, but never below freezing. Wyatt would visit, bringing food and other goods we needed. I couldn't go outside even with the warming blankets, due to the cold. Richard sat there, before mixing ingredients to make Oswald's tonic. He hardly responded to anything I said, choosing to cope with the pain by entering the fog of pushing his focus to the limit. It felt that every week that passed, I would have to heal him at least once or twice to keep him from hurting himself. He wanted to become stronger, while not feeling useless anymore.

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I allowed him to do as much, since he wouldn't believe me if I told him Oswald was still alive. At this stage, finding out the truth would only hurt him more. There were also more things for me to tend to. I was thankful that the shadow plane was immune to the cold, always staying reasonably warm. It allowed me to use those days that it snowed to visit Cynthia and Robert both. Slowly week by week, I grew the gang to twenty capable members, as they took a warehouse with my bustling Underground Hive network. It was hidden in one of the dead zones, overrun by ravenous insects, and their hives. It was too easy to carve into the territory, since the bugs merely couldn't contend with my Giants and the magic they were able to use together.

The coin I gathered from selling off everything that wasn't useful from the Manfred family was extremely helpful in getting my gang up and running. As things stood, the Manfreds were financially broke as far as nobles went, just barely scraping by as lesser nobles. No one would touch or help them, given that the King called them out to be made an example of. In contrast, I was bombarded with requests, and offers for alliances, deals and just about anything I might ever want.

Raul stalked the shadows, listening out for who went after his family. We agreed to act together after Spring came, when he had all the information he wanted. His daughter, Sarah, was doing extremely well, with Cynthia watching after her and Drake both. The Church itself was doing very well, considering the recent influx of followers. Almost every long term disease, incurable illness, or loss of limb was healed when the 'daughter of Bo'chi' arrived.

Families were becoming more aware of the religion that was growing steadily. They were impressed by the results, and it gave them hope. Those that saw me, understood I wanted to remain anonymous. The Father was slowly growing his influence, and a second church was set to be built closer to the slums. A spot near Oswald's old estate, that was burned down. Without the foul smells constant coming from such a place, it was slowly regaining people looking for cheap housing.

The donation from Richard, helped the Orphanage grow, as the Harpers in the area began to build more nests in her area. The local Harpers were starting to spin caps that went from their bumps, down their backs. This was done to look more like Mother Oak. It made me curious about the behavior, but I ignored it since my hives were doing well.

Berry's Hive was forced to enter a state of low activity, but thankfully the Harpers they had protected; sought to return the favor and protect them. The bone comb was an excellent insulator, and remarkably sturdy when paired with a webbing of silk. They had more than enough to keep them warm, and the only issue they would face is if someone broke through their walls. Which Brick was rather proud of.

My Hive was forced to enter a state of semi-low activity thanks to the heating crystals I had placed inside the walls. Because it was so cold, I decided to stay my hand at hunting the pedo rings for the moment. My body would freeze if I wasn't careful, and my intelligence would start to drop if I grew too cold. Not only that, but a sluggish body was the last thing I needed with people that might actively try to kill me with magic I did not know about yet. At least the bodies were enough to keep them through the winter, especially with Wyatt buying groceries for us. He would bring flowers from time to time, which made Rose happy at the very least.

Beru's Hive continued to remain active inside the Church as Cynthia suggested introducing my kin to other people. I denied the notion to keep my ties with the church loose. Though I accepted a compromise for those that were already saved and knew about me. Beru would speak to the people through Cynthia. This was mostly used to ask for information on certain matters, as well as exploring the possibility of more hives enter the homes of these people. Due to it being an exclusive club that people really had to want to be in, it became something of a small cult.

Sadly, I didn't notice any increase in power, or overall ability because of this cult. Though it really did help to keep Beru's hive fed and healthy. Not to mention the prospect of having other people able to keep tabs on Drake and Sarah if anything were to happen to them. It was an added safety net, which Raul approved of happily. It did mean that I had to spend a whole night at the church once a month to show I appreciated what they were doing.

Gray's Hive fluctuated between states of active and completely dormant. The sewers grew colder than the above ground, so they awoke on warmer days. They had more than enough food to keep themselves happy, but it bothered Gray that he couldn't just continue to help during the Winter. I complimented his resolve, and willingness, but tempered his ambitions by mentioning that even I couldn't do much due to the cold. This had the desired affects, and he focused solely on keeping his hive alive and growing it when he could.

The new bloodline of vampire we made, was unfortunately weak to the cold like the rest of us. Thankfully it was able to drink blood, and eat new creatures to gain their traits. The problem was that it took two entire weeks for it to even start moving, then another two to help Gray's soul grow into it while he was sleeping. Finally, it did not show the same traits my own body had. While the three we did make, held blue skin, sharp chitin claws, and grew two sets of three dreads; one for draining blood, the other for pouring their own blood into what they stung. They did not have armor, my strength, or the ability to make silk. They did not have wings, and were essentially just blue skinned vampires with extra sharp fingers and dread stingers.

I calmed myself, with the fact that both Gray and myself could control them as we desired. even if they were unable to withstand the cold like a normal vampire could. Still, these bodies were admittedly faster than myself and could all use blood magic. It was a bitter experience to realize I couldn't gain other types of magic by having my Hive eat the magic user in question. With the sole exception that I could gain new magic if it was similar to what I already had, like with hypnosis. Otherwise I needed to eat the body myself. As tested with the original vampire Gray was using.

Finally Argus and Scix worked tirelessly in the Underground which remained warm, despite the winter above. What started out as a small cluster not even worth calling a Hive, was now guarding an entire warehouse with all the valuable things I kept from the Manfreds. Each of the twenty in the Ghost gang, had their own small hive protecting their homes and families. Scix was in charge of assassinating those that broke in, or otherwise tried to harm my members. He was efficient, and many didn't see him coming.

Argus coordinated her fellow giants and watched from her nest in the warehouse. During these two months, she and Scix prepared for Richard and myself to arrive. There was nothing more that could be done up here. I could not acquire monsters to eat, nor could I buy fresh creatures to devour, no matter how much coin I offered. It was likely the King was behind this, even if many claimed they were preparing for the war with the Kingdom of Fire.

Yet, the Underground was bustling and more than willing to offer anything I might want for the right coin. Vivian gave me the notes she promised, and then more information she had on the Underground. We used Brian to communicate to each other, since he knew how to keep a secret and understood her issues. I actually ended up bonding with Brian a little, as he gave sound advice on what to do about Richard's current state. I had him explain to Vivian that with me in the Underground, not connected to the Guard, we would be able to attack problems before they started.

This was of course enough to convince her, and with her support I was able to secure a teleporter that was going to drop me off in one of the dead zones close to my own. The history behind it being that the Underneath reared it's head, and claimed the territory before the teleporter could be deactivated. Thankfully the beasts didn't know how to use it, so while the trip would be risky, the rewards I stood to gain were worth such.

Now, all I needed was Richard to collect himself. I wasn't going to leave him alone, since I stopped two assassination attempts on his life already. The last thing I needed to worry about was being locked down in a fight, while someone attacked him. So I waited, while everything around us moved. As I said, one month turned into two. I could only afford to give him two more weeks, since I needed to get this moving. If he didn't snap out of it, then I only had to leave him with Cynthia.

I finished writing the last bit of Oswald's journal, every scribble, every scratched out word where it should be. I walked to Richard who no longer cried anymore. He just sat there making Oswald's tonic and pushing himself to the limits. Thankfully he slowed down on it to some extent, not needing me to sting him and bring him back. I got on my knees pressing the book to his chest gently. "If nothing else, Oswald wanted you to have his heart Richard. Everything he was, he wrote down in here to give to you."

Then Richard blinked, and coughed as I stung him because he was going too far again. He grabbed my hand, before looking down at his chest. "What? You said something about Oswald?" He looked at me with sad eyes, but just seemed tired.

"He wanted you to have his most prized possession Richard, he gave you the notes that defined his life. All the things he kept hidden from you, and more. Are you finally done grieving over him?" I kept my voice gentle, getting more out of him in these few minutes than the months I was waiting.

Richard lowered his head, "I'm sorry to put you through that, really I am. Why did you stay by me? How long has it been?"

I pressed my forehead to his, "Two months, and I stayed by you because you're a part of my Hive. You defended me when no one else would, even if you didn't know if you could. You called me your family, and we're supposed to help each other through thick and thin as you said it."

Richard held the book close to his chest, "Yeah, that's how it should be right?"

I smiled, "You aren't wrong." I pulled back to look down at him, to find him still tearing up. "If you keep grieving I'll have to face what's ahead by myself. I will leave you somewhere safe, but I don't know when I'll be back."

He looked up at me, a little scared. "What do you mean?"

"I need to go into the Underground, for my Hive. I have a warehouse if you'd like to go there, but I need to make it safely there first. If I die, then I won't see you again. At least not in this body anymore. I won't risk you getting hurt if I can help it. So please, tell me what you want to do."

Richard's eyes turned gray, and glowed softly. I could see he was in complete control of his left arm, and had more focus to spare now. "I'm done crying, I won't let you go by yourself. Please, take me with you. Let me protect you, like you did for me. You are all I have left now Mimi, and I'll be damned before I let you go anywhere you aren't sure you can walk out of easily. Not alone, not anymore."

I smiled back at him, offering him a hand up before standing with him. "Then we'll spend the week preparing everything we can for you to come with me. I read everything in the book, and figured out most of the secrets and codes he wrote. I'm pretty sure he made mistakes on a few of them, but no one is perfect."

Richard laughed, "No secrets between family then? Fine, I can control two arms now, but any more and I start to lose myself again. I'll start cooking, and you worry about the supplies. Whatever you think I'll need, I won't say no. It's the least I can do with making you put up with me for two months like this."

I smiled, "Agreed, no matter what I ate your food always was the best Richard."

I went into the shadows, telling Robert what I wanted to have by tomorrow night. I knew perfectly well what Richard should be capable of now that I pieced together Oswald's book and his secrets. Now was the time to test out some things he overlooked, or was too afraid to test himself. Richard would have his own journal to keep his notes in going forward. If everything went well, I would have the ritual performed to properly bind us. If he died while fighting, I would eat him. After all, Drake was growing bigger by the month himself.