//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Old Wounds // Story: Equestria’s Changeling Princesses and the Kinsbane // by vren55 //------------------------------// The Past... Trotting through the Everfree hive’s tunnels, Sarar absently brushed what she was certain was a stray leaf out of her mane. The trek through the Everfree forest had been hard as she wanted to make as good as time as possible. Of course, that meant hacking their way through the forest as quickly as they could. If she was being honest with herself, what most concerned Sarar wasn’t actually the assassin. She had no doubt they would defeat her or him, and the rogue queen that commanded their allegiance. However, Chamelia’s two queen granddaughters… their were far too many unanswered questions about them. She knocked on the door to Thera’s chambers and after a moment, it swung open to reveal two drones, one with a blue eyes and the other with purple eyes. “Mirage and Kyria?” Sarar asked, her eyes narrowed. “Speaking, Queen Sarar. Password?” asked the blue eyed one. “Your grandmother interrogated Mirage first when you arrived,” said Sarar. “That’s wrong, because she interrogated Kyria first,” replied the blue-eyed changeling She bowed, “I’m Mirage." The queen was fully aware that Mirage was in disguise, but something about her poise screamed “strange” and therefore “threat.” “Where’s Thera?” she demanded.  The other purple-eyed changeling, Kyria, gestured to Sarar to follow her and the pair led her through the hive, through two different patrols of changelings, who they had to give different passwords to. “At least you strengthened your security,” said Sarar coolly as they entered the chambers. Thera was sitting by the fire, sipping some water. The white queen made to get up, but Sarar dashed quickly to her side and ‘helped’ her sit back down. “Queen Thera, you really shouldn’t be exerting yourself.” “Oh shush, Sarar. I—” “You’re not well. You’ve never been well not since the Unspeakable Times and now...” A bit farther back, Kyria and Mirage both stared as Sarar seemed to show, and emit, genuine unhidden distress towards Thera, who only shook her head and passed Sarar a cup of water. “I have come to terms with what my mother did to me a long time ago, Sarar.” She glanced at Kyria and Mirage. “You know you two can drop the disguise.” “Uh… no thanks,” said Kyria, smiling far too wide. “If you wish.” Thera raised her communication crystal. “Chamelia, did you look into Facere’s inquiry?” From what Kyria and Mirage could tell of Chamelia’s tone through the crystal, frustrated to the point that she sounded like someone had dragged her through a bunch of plunderseed vines. “If you mean going through my long memory and trying to remember things I would rather forget? Then yes, I managed.” “We’re very sorry for making you recall this grandmother, but did you manage to remember anything?” Mirage asked. “A few queens bodies are unaccounted for, but I cannot see how they could have survived.” Chamelia heaved a deep breath. “First, my aunt, Atracina. One of the former Great Hive Mother and Thera’s mother, but I am sure she is dead.” Mirage frowned. “...I do not recall you ever finding her body—” “Mirage, Atracina is definitely dead. We poisoned her with her own poison, Torment of the Tortured, stabbed her through the neck, barrel, stomach, haunch and chest, then threw her into Ghastly Gorge. I remember, I stabbed her through the haunch.” That’s more brutal than I remembered. Thought Kyria and Mirage. “All the same, her body is unaccounted for… But let’s say it’s very unlikely she survived,” said Kyria. “Are there any other queens?” “Queen Elphaba, a granddaughter to Queen Borte I. She took issue to me having to kill her sister, Nerissa when she attempted to assassinate me and usurp my hive. So, Elphaba ambushed me near Neighgra Falls, but I managed to shove her into the Falls.” Sarar frowned. “So she could be alive—” “Before that I buried a dagger in her shoulder. I then tried to take her alive, but she tried to stab me with her dagger, and so I threw her away from me.” Mirage sighed.  “So possible, but unlikely given her wound.” Kyria frowned. Mom has survived worst, though, but let’s hear the other candidate first. “I assume the next one is Queen Ranfeng?” Thera asked. “Indeed. I believe she is the most likely culprit, precisely because we had issues dealing with her.” “What do you mean?” Kyria asked. Thera grimaced. “Ranfeng is our cousin and a daughter of Queen Aranae, and a long-time opponent of the Queens Council. We have fought her on and off for decades. When we formed the Council, Ranfeng was the most powerful of the queens that decided not to submit to its authority. She took her hive, and left. This would not be a problem by itself, but she has continued to defy the council’s rules regarding the conduct of changelings.” Chamelia’s voice slid into a despondent tone, and for a moment, her voice hitched in her throat. “We know this mainly due to one of the queen daughters we found… Nevillia. Ranfeng… she abandoned her. One of Tomoe’s patrols found her half dead, starved of love, mauled by… all manner of beasts. She’d survived somehow. We… we helped her live comfortably for all the time she had left, but she lasted only a year.” Mirage and Kyria winced at the wave of fury that rolled off of both the older queens.  It was intense. Strangely enough, Sarar seemed almost melancholy. Thera growled. “Needless to say, we searched for her hive. While Chamelia fought Sarar—” “Wait, sorry, what does Sarar have to do with this?” Mirage asked. Sarar averted her eyes. “Ranfeng is… my mother. She allowed me to live, on the condition that I assassinate Chamelia.” Well that explains why Sarar tried to kill grandmother thought Mirage and Kyria. “If I may continue, I managed to incapacitate Sarar and convince her to assist us in finding her mother. However, I was wounded while trying to spare Sarar, and so Thera and Tomoe had to pursue Ranfeng.” Chamelia bit back a growl but her tone grew hoarse. “Thera and Tomoe tracked her hive down but the battle was extremely bloody.” Thera grimaced. “The hive was very well fortified and storming it was hell. In the chaos, Tomoe managed to cut one of Ranfeng’s legs off and she fled with her hive. We never saw her again for a hundred years and she’s never resurfaced despite our best efforts. So we thought she died.” Chamelia coughed. “There’s one more clue that makes me believe that Ranfeng is the one responsible. She had a dark blue eyes and mane, with coal-colored carapace, the same as the queen who attacked us. So she could be Ranfeng’s queen-daughter.” “Can we really go by that assumption? Sarar has purple mane and eyes, and of your daughters, only Chrysalis has your hair and eye color,” Mirage said.  “Which is why I said “could.” That being said, there is a higher chance that a queen-daughter has the same hair and eye color as their mother, which is why I suspect Ranfeng is responsible for this,” said Chamelia. “But Grandmother, can this really be the case?” asked Kyria. “If Ranfeng is such a notoriously abusive mother, why would she work with her daughter?” In her camp, Chamelia frowned. Kyria had a good point, but they didn’t have any other leads if Ranfeng wasn’t responsible. “Abuse could be employed in different ways. She could be an unwilling participant in Ranfeng’s plans,” Thera said gently. “Admittedly, Ranfeng does not seem the type to… use this tactic.” Sarar coughed. “Why don’t we keep an open mind and continue to try to gather evidence? It is true my mother is the most likely candidate, but I am in agreement with Kyria that she is unlikely to work with her daughter.” “I think that would be wise,” said Thera. She turned to the crystal. “Chamelia, I know you want to apprehend this changeling, but it would be best if we act carefully and without making assumptions. We should also set up a joint link so we can share information in case of an emergency.” Chamelia sighed. “Thank you for the advice, Thera. I think that would be the best course of action.”