Fang woke up and glanced around the dark empty chamber that served as the sleeping quarters for the Hatchery workers. With a yawn he stood up, it was his shift, he could tell because it was the third time since he had gone to sleep that other workers had come off their shifts. It had been 6 weeks since Fang had started hatchery duty and now like every other day he stalked quietly out of the chamber and went to watch the eggs. He paced the hatchery staring dully at one egg after the next for about 6 hours.

Finally his shift ended and he trotted over to the little hidden tunnel “Hiss” he growled under his breath. The smell of lavender hit him just before a head popped out of tunnel

“Thanks your turn” she growled in reply before vanishing into the hive’s hatchery to start her shift. Grumbling Fang slipped into the tunnel and lay down by the queen egg. The goo sack around it was better kept than any other egg in the hatchery Hiss had done an amazing job protecting the little egg. Fang rolled on his back and watched it. The egg inside the green goo was about half as big as Fang himself and he wondered how big queen eggs got. Drone eggs only got to be a forth the size of a full grown Drone and so the queen egg was already twice the size Fang’s and Hiss’s had been when they had hatched.

He’d really only closed his eyes for a moment when a cracking sound woke him up. Fang glanced at the egg “Oh no!” he stood up panicked “Its breaking!” then almost as quickly as he had freaked out he calmed down “No its probably just hatching”. “Wait!” he started pacing “I don’t want to be in here when it hatches” Hiss is probably on her shift by now eventually she will relieve me of watching the egg to a bit of free time which I'll probably spend sleeping with the other workers before my shift. But she isn't here now which leaves me to take care of the hatchling on my own. Thought Fang dimly he waited for the princess to come out of the egg. To his surprise the inside of her egg clouded the goo inside the goo sack so he couldn't see her clearly. Normally the young hatchling could be seen inside the good sack where they would be expected for deformities before being freed. He stood up and bit into the good sack with his teeth before tearing it by shaking his head like a dog with a bone. The goo sack ripped open and the princess fell out with the goo.

She was only half his size but still for a baby changeling that was big. Her mane was short for a Queen only coming to her shoulders. It was smooth falling without a wave or curl and coming to a stop in a straight line it had a no-nonsense look to it. Her tail was similar it didn't even curl up first just fell directly down and ended without much drama. Her eyes oddly enough instead of being a Queens green where blue though unlike a drone they had pupils in them and the blue was an iris not a solid blue. Her main, tail, wings and back where silver and there was no mistaking them for grey they shimmered in the dull light of the cavern. Her fangs ended a little before her chin and her ears came to a point though one of them had a hole in it. Her horn only had one hole in it but that had to do with age and was the same reason her legs had none. As a changeling grew in age it gained more holes.

She stood up on shake legs and Fang backed away from her a bit and eyed the ground at his feet. I moment latter he heard the shuffle of hooves as she tried to walk for the first time and then a solid Thump as she hit the ground. Don’t laugh Don’t Laugh she’ll kill you Don’t laugh. Fang thought to himself while he bit back giggles, he’d never thought Queens stumbled around as much when they had just hatched as Drones did.

“My Queen would you like my help” he offered carefully expecting a baby like noise in reply what he got instead was a reminder that she was a Queen by breed even if she was only a princess at the moment

“When I need your help I will ask, and I am not your Queen while you wear another’s colors” she replied in a calm but confident voice. Fang kept his eyes on the ground and reminded himself that while she may stumble around like a new born Drone she wasn't dumb like they were Queens where born with all the knowledge of their ancestors.

Thump! she’d hit the ground again. This time he did laugh and only managed to stop himself after a moment. He bit his tongue and stared at the ground he could feel her eyes on him

“Sorry my Qu-Princess” Fang said carefully.

“Why am I still alive Drone?” she said shortly as if he hadn't laughed. Queen Night would have killed him for that mistake.

Now at least he knew what to say the question was a tradition and only had I few answers, “The Queen has lost the desire to work for the well being of the hive princess, she works only for herself” Fang risked a glance at her she was trying to stand again.

“How many changelings are in on this?” she asked and Fang stumbled for a moment for an answer he had expected to be questioned further about Night.

Thump

Fang watched the ground and spoke as if she hadn't fallen again “only me and a female named Hiss she’s the one who brought your egg down here princess.”

After a moment he heard her stand again, “and where is Hiss now?” She asked her voice perfectly calm.

“She should be near the end of her shift in the hatchery princess” Fang looked at her again she was walking out of the goo from the egg sack with her eyes on the ground. Once she had cleared it she looked at him and he looked down immediately.

“What’s your name Drone” she asked. Her voice was pleasant to listen to something you could trust he liked it, it was like the river that The Hive bordered calm and soothing except that the princess’s voice also had a hardness behind it.

“Fang princess I work in the hatchery just like Hiss though I was a scout before that” he replied fallowing the old saying ‘always tell the Queen more than she asks’.

“You where demoted?” she asked walking over to him on shaky hooves.

“Yes princess, I failed to accomplish a task given to me” Fang replied quietly.

“Which was?” she pressed him for more information.

“I was sent to retrieve a dragon’s egg and I came back empty hoofed princess” he eyed his hoofs he had hoped to avoid talking about that he was afraid she would be mad as well.

“Alone?” she asked sitting in front of him.

“Yes princess” he responded.

“Well.” she said “Fang look at me.” he obeyed “Your Queen certainly dose sound crazy” there was a twinkle in her eyes.

This was the kind of Queen Fang had dreamed of in the moments he had let himself do such things. The kind of Queen a hapless Drone could talk to without fear of execution for speaking there mind. The kind of Queen that didn't discard her Drones just because she was bored. Fang dare not believe her soft hearted though a Queen, any Queen would kill should they find it necessary and despite all her kindness the princess did have an authority about her. She would be the kind of Queen that was respected as well as feared. For the last hour Fang had talked to her while she paced back and forth to get used to her legs. The princess had even tried to fly once or twice though she hadn't gotten off the ground yet.

Fang suddenly caught Hiss’s sent “Princess, Hiss is here” he said just before Hiss stepped into the cavern. For a moment she stood and looked at the two of them Fang was sitting facing the opening to the cavern while the princess had stopped pacing in front of him to look at Hiss.

The female Drone recovered quickly though and looked at the ground, “My Queen I’m sorry I should not have just walked in” Hiss was frightened of the princess that much was clear in her voice.

The princess just smiled at her “How would you make yourself known without alerting anyone nearby to this cave and my existence in it? No it is for the best that you just walk in leastwise it be the death of all three of us” she walked over to Hiss “look at me Drone” Hiss looked at the princess though she kept her ears flat and her head down “Hiss isn't it?” the princess asked “Don’t worry I will tear your head off at every word I am not my mother and from the sound of it she is crazy anyway.”

Hiss smiled a bit, “Yes my-” Fang shook his head at her and mouthed Princess “Yes princess” Hiss corrected herself.

“Very good” The princess said with a warm smile and a look at Fang, “Now come and tell me about the layout of the hive” she walked back over to the center of the cave and Hiss followed.

Author's Note

I wrote this chapter in Microsoft first so I wouldn't have to go through and edit the story five times..... (I did that with the last one if you read it around when i first posted it you might want to re-read it I changed the story a little bit and added more detail)

But yay chapter 2 In chapter 3 the princess will get a name.

(I showed this to my english teacher and she corrected all my gramer :/ I fixed it so now it should be readable)