The Honeyed Hive

Marcy sighs and sinks back into her pool, smiling as soon after Lucina leaves as Mist comes in with Robin. Outside the path to the queen's chambers was fairly sparse, though in front of her doors are a pair of royal guards of a similar size to Celica. They look at Lucina and move to stop her, though they stop when the Queen's voice rings out "You may let her in, and no need to follow her inside either." The two look at each other and open the doors for Lucina, closing them once she was inside.

The interior of the room was while nice and definitely a step above the rest of the hive. Not excessive having all of the niceties to make a room comfortable along with a few family photos on the walls with different royal guard generations. "Hello Edel, you told me to come to you if I kept changing." She held her wrist up at the queen bee who was simply sitting on her bed. "Well here's more changes."

Edel shifted a little and nodded "I see, please take a seat, get comfortable, I can smell your sister on you, so I know you probably heard one of her theories...I however have one of my own." She coughs somewhat hard, holding a hand to her mouth before looking down and frowning. "While I do believe Marcy's theory is valid, I don't think any old person would cause changes like this...at least this fast."

"Yeah, you don't say." Lucina went over to the edge of the bed glaring at Edel the entire time. "Look I don't hate the hive, I think I might actually really like Celica for fucks sake..." She leaned in locking her now half gold half purple eyes with Edel. "But you've been doing something haven't you... something you've been avoiding bringing up... I've noticed it in your vocal patterns, along with sis admitting that you don't like lying but you might also avoid saying something in order to get what you want."

Edel nodded "You are partially right. The food you have been served has had royal jelly in it instead of normal honey, mostly testing a theory. In any normal person, they might have noticed a little of what you humans refer to as 'peach fuzz' along your neck, and in any who meet some or even most I have seen such a low amount used cause simple yet small changes...but in you, they are vast and rapid." She sighs and shows her hand, an almost red-orange liquid on it. "I am being a little...pushy about you...because I don't believe I have much longer left to live...and that means the hive does not have much longer left to find a new queen."

Lucina's face was contorted with rage as she only barely held herself from lunging at Edel. "YOU DRUGGED ME!?" She at this point was shaking, gripping her shoulder as tears started leaking down the sides of her face. "I KNOW you don't have the most time but THIS ISN'T OK! Why would I ever agree to help you even if you HADN'T been lying and doing this to me against my will NOW?!" She choked out a little sob letting her tears drip onto the bed. "I... I love Celica... I'm taking her and I'm leaving. I'm not coming back and YOU can't force me to do ANYTHING ANYMORE!"

Edel sighed "I really hoped you wouldn't have responded like this." She focuses on Lucina and an intense smell, almost addictive filled the room. "Calm down, come and kneel before me, young lady." The words coming from Edel...sounded so commanding, yet motherly. An urge to obey would swell within Lucina.

Lucina froze up for a minute before taking a deep breath, before holding it and scurrying over to the door. Trying to get as far away from the scent and the commanding voice of the woman before her. "Leave me alone!" She banged several times on the door. Regretting coming here without Celica at this point as her phobia was the only reason she had been able to resist these commands.

"Sweetie, you know you are being unreasonable, where would you and Celica even go where you both could be happy? Truly happy." She smiles "I know you like reporting the truth, but how often are your reports pushed to the side, not given a good timeslot on TV or relegated to a small informational in the back of the paper? How much are you really appreciated out there? Please come back here and relax."

Lucina at this point was only taking breaths when absolutely necessary. Each one making her body shake and feel just that little bit weaker. "As long as we have each other we'll still be ok!" She pulled her notebook out and started writing in it rapidly. 'Dear Celica don't come in here the Queen is forcing me... I don't know how long I can hold out but if you see this. Please run... I want to be with you away from here... I love you.-Lucy' She then shoved the page under the door before dropping down to her knees from lack of air and strength.

The queen sighs and weakly walks over, pulling the girl into a hug "Now why would you do that? My on-duty guards are just outside the door." She smiles "You two may come in." The doors open, though the scent doesn't get any weaker as the two come in, one carrying the letter. "Could one of you let Celica know that Lucina and I are getting to know each other a little better tonight, then let her know that there will be a joint breakfast in the morning? Then I would like you to join me in the private conversion chamber." One of the guards nods, picking Lucina up and following Edel, while the other walks back towards Celica's room.

"You know she'll never believe that lie! No one in their right MIND would believe any lie about me 'agreeing' to any of this!" Lucina wiggled around in the guard's arms. Feeling just how much stronger than her a royal guard actually was. Especially with how heavy her body felt at this point. Having held her breath for as long as she could manage she was now panting as the scent flooded her system. "Just stop it! It's so... so... heavy..."

Edel smiled as they entered a small chamber with a pool of royal jelly. The guard gently stripped Lucina before resting her into the pool, letting the thick liquid coat her whole body before standing back. "Now just relax let me teach you all about the job of the queen." Edel rested her hands on either side of Lucina's head, rubbing her temples as some level of almost instinctual knowledge began to enter her mind. "Just sleep and let me do my work."

Lucina was wiggling around the jelly as her eyes drooped a bit. "N- No... NO!" As she opened her mouth the jelly slid into her mouth causing her to instinctively consume it. Being pushed further into the chamber only her nose and above even exposed to the air at this point. Her mouth slack as more and more of the jelly slid into her, her eyes turning fully purple with golden borders.

Edel smiled "Good girl, now let's re-focus some of those thoughts. Gotta keep a fear in place of us...so how about being away from the hive." She focused more as somewhat alien thoughts began to invade Lucina's mind, the royal jelly filling her ears, blocking all normal sounds...while her mouth was filled, she did not feel like she was drowning...everything just was warm and all-encompassing.

Lucina's eyes were wiggling that core fear still there but shifting. The look of fear and hate in her eyes, becoming one of desperation and need. Unable to communicate but having her body start to limply push against the wall of the chamber she was in. Her hand barely getting out of the jelly to reach out for Edel, the fear of being alone overtaking her in the place of her fear of bees.

Edel lowered her face so that Lucina's hand touched her face "I'm here for you, just relax. I won't let you ever be alone, and I know that when this is done if you ask Celica real nicely, she will be oh so loyal and loving to you my dear Queen Lucy" She gave Lucina's fingers a little kiss as she watched the changes that were already suspiciously fast, accelerate. "Now once your sister is done changing, you will also need to let her know that everything is ok."

Lucy nodded along with this, as from her shoulder blades clear strips of hardened flesh started to grow into a regal set of bee wings. Starting to wiggle around in the jelly trying to learn movement, along with this her entire body seemed to be growing. The jelly was burning off incredibly quickly to balance out all the energy this change was requiring. Lucy was eating so much that her mouth was eventually above the surface of the royal jelly again. "P-please... it's... so hot." She whimpered reaching out as the fluff that was on her wrists and neck started to flow up her arms and down the rest of her body.

"I know sweetie, right now that is just the energy of change, though soon you will need to breed, and Celica would love to help with that." She smiles and leans down to kiss Lucina's forehead "Doesn't that sound nice? Having Celica love you forever and ever? Getting to take in her love, and fill her with your eggs?" She grins "You will be the youngest and most fertile queen we have had in years."

Finally, the stinger began to grow out of Lucy's tailbone. Sinking her deeper into the chamber as fluff started to grow up on her face. While simultaneously two antennae emerged starting to feel the womans 'new' mother. "Eggs?" She wiggled her head around as her breasts started swelling in size. Going from B's to DD. She was beginning to look much like Edel had looked in her younger years. The more major changes had been completed allowing for the more subtle but equally important ones to take over.

"Yes sweetie, part of the queen's job is to expand the numbers of the hive. Your eggs can be injected into others in order to absorb some genetics and grow into beautiful new children. Doesn't that sound nice? This even lets people like your sister have children, bypassing infertility issues." She pulls Lucina up and into her arms, running her fingers daintily through the new queen's fluff "Another job of the queen is to do the best for the hive as a whole, though I have started the process of looking to help others as well, you know how poor human living conditions are after all."

Lucy nodded along with a soft dopey smile. A new cock had grown during the situation as she nestled into Edel's arms. Not minding the fact that she was still coated in royal jelly and couldn't do anything more than follow along with her mother's words. Finally, the last change hit her stinger being almost the same size as Edel's. She clearly had a bit of growing in height left to do but other than that the new young queen was completely changed. "Do... what's best for the hive..." She started to flex her new padded fingers. "Is this what's best? Everything... feels fuzzy. Where's home? Who's... Lucina..." She tried to focus on the memories that seemed to be held at arm's length away from her. Remembering small flashes of her humanoid form but not being able to place who it was and why they were in her head.

"Lucina is the past, Queen Lucy is the future. What's best is for a new queen to learn from me, and take over before I die." She moves her fingers through the fluff some more "Take your primary mate, show them your love, and help the hive make greater decisions. Lay your eggs whenever you feel comfortable to, and eventually make the world a better place for all. Does that sound nice Lucy?"

Lucy nodded before nestling into Edel's chest. "Yes mother..." She giggled a bit as the tingles of fear slipped away from her mind. The safety of being held along with the new lack of pheromones flooding her senses. As they returned to the queen's chambers Lucy was still scraping the honey off of herself and eating it absentmindedly. "Clean..." She mumbled a bit as Edel sat her down in a tub before turning the water on and starting to wash the remainder of the jelly. The whole time Lucy was just making movements with her mouth experimenting with her new body and speaking in a now far softer and kinder voice. "Thank you, mother..."

"You are welcome sweetie, I'm sorry if you were scared through that process at all, I've waited for oh so long to meet you properly." She nods as the remaining guard leaves the room, closing the door. "In the morning, how about we get you fitted for some new dresses? We can keep them in Celica's style which you seemed to like."

Lucy smiled and nodded. "I like Celica, she's nice to me..." She then leaned into Edel's side. Taking deep breaths as she tried to center herself. "I was very scared, but I know you do everything because you want what's best... but mother... Why was I qualified? What made me different other than being able to have kids?"

"Lots of little things, between being fertile, having the antibodies, and your general health status...The antibodies make hosts DNA about 1% bee, you were 3%. This manifests in a level of fear that must be overcome, but in exchange, your capacity to push onward is bolstered." She rubs Lucy's belly "Under that fear though, there was a curiosity, an inclination towards the hive, and that is what spawned the fear in the first place, the rest of the human mind unable to understand, and unable to fight those feelings, it goes with flight."

Lucy wiggled around under Eden's touch surprised at how sensitive her entire body felt at this point... combined with how heavy her stinger felt. "So you were just helping me overcome my irrational behavior... thank you, mother." She smiled as the bath started draining all the excess royal jelly washed away as she got out and started to try and dry herself out. Only 8ft tall in comparison to Edel's 9. "Am I going to grow more mother? Or do queens size differently?"

"You still have a bit to grow. I've shrunk since I got sick honestly, I expect you to be about 10 feet tall when you finish growing. A queen has to look regal after all." She starts helping Lucy dry off, gently patting her down with a towel "As for your behavior, it's understandable, I had to be a little forceful near the end, you were at an intense tipping point, and your fear could have multiplied so much more if you left."

Lucy nodded as she was fully dried off. Blushing a bit about being nude as she now had new parts to hide. "Of course mother..." She went into the main bedroom to get in bed and cover herself up with the blanket. Despite being a queen now she couldn't help but feel a pulling pressure to obey Edel. "Mother, how do you keep control over everything? I've noticed your scent is... very powerful when you desire it to be."

Edel smiled and sat next to Lucy, gently petting her "Well, we always release pheromones, letting others know our wishes. The queens carry an extra layer within their own that pushing a level of control down onto those that take it in. Bees are particularly susceptible to it, and those with any genetics at all have a great sensitivity to it. All you need to do is focus on controlling before you speak, and your body will naturally step up production."

Lucy nodded before taking a deep breath. Looking Edel in the eyes before buzzing lightly and trying to make herself look cute. As her own set of queenly pheromones came out. "Mommy how do we need to handle my sister and Celica? They both know that Lucina wouldn't have ever agreed to this especially without telling them?"

Edel smiled "Why sweetie, you just need to tell them while focusing on making them believe you. Neither of them are full queens, so their capacity to resist your word is much lower. That and they both love you, while they may not like how it happened, as long as you are you, they will do anything to help you."

Lucy nodded before yawning and pressing into her mother's arms. "Mom... why can't I remember the outside of the hive anymore? Is there something bad out there? All I can get when I think about it is fear crippling... fear." She shuddered a bit closing her eyes to talk to her mom while still drifting off out of exhaustion.

Edel nodded "Things are not good outside, there is a small town nearby that is nice, but being outside the safety of the hive is dangerous for queens, especially if we do not have another one ready. There are bad humans who make the world worse for other humans...and every non-human as well. They want the air to be all yucky and almost everyone to be struggling to survive, just to pay the bad people for the right to live."

Lucy shuddered before nodding and snuggling deeper into Edel's arms. "Ok mother... I want things to be good and better but the outside does sound very dangerous..." She cracked one of her eyes back open to look up at Edel. "Does me being a success mean we can make everyone better? So our bees and volunteers don't need to hurt or be sick anymore?"

Edel nodded "Yes, your sister will need to take some blood samples, but you can fix many sicknesses." She hugs Lucy to her own neck fluff "Queen Lucy, you must tell the truth of the world for all to hear, and use everything at your disposal to cure the sickness that plagues not only us but society, to make the outside no longer scary."

Lucy smiled softly before nodding. "The truth is important... even if I didn't want to face it at first." She buzzed lightly before closing her eyes again and curling up on Edel's lap. Letting the exhaustion overwhelm her and lull her to sleep.

Celica could soon hear a light knocking on the door as she got out of the shower. The guard that Edel had sent standing outside patiently, even through the door she was able to smell the queen's pheromones that were coating the guard.

"Oh, hello, how are you doing tonight?" She looks the guard over "Does mother need something of me?" She glances around a little more "And is that a hint of...Lucina on you?" She looks worried, hoping her girlfriend didn't get into any trouble while she was busy.

"Lucina was requested to spend the night with the Queen." The more masculine guard smiled. Out of his pocket, Celica was able to see a piece of paper sticking out of the guard's back pocket. It was clearly from Lucina's journal that she had seen a few times. "You have been requested to join them in the morning for breakfast."

Celica nodded slowly "alright, excuse me for a moment, I should probably check on Amy." Celica carefully bumps past the guard, swiftly swiping the note and going across the hall. "Tell mother I'll be at her chambers bright and early, have a good night." She slips into the room and looks at the cat before reading the note, shaking a little while frowning. "Mother...what is going on."

The guard just walked away. Their focus was messed up by how much the pheromones had affected them. After almost an hour Celica hears knocking on the door. Mist was standing outside and rubbing her arm only here at Marcy's request given no one had seen Lucina since she visited Marcy.

Celica frowned and let Mist in "Hey...I got a strange note from Lucina...warning me about her interaction with Queen Edel...I've been invited to breakfast with them in the morning...but I am unsure on how to handle this." She sat on the bed, gently petting Amy while reading the note again and again.

Mist looked over the note shuddering at the thick smell of the queen's pheromones. "I... don't doubt that anything that is written here is true... but Celica what can we even do? The queen's pheromones would instantly take over if you went to confront her, and if this is to be believed... I think it might be too late for Lucina. The queen if she is doing this wouldn't prolong the process of creating a new queen."

Celica looks down "I know she is warning me to stay away...but my heart yearns to be with Lucy...I don't want to let her being turned against her will stand...but I just...Mist what do I do? All I want is to be with her...I'm positive that I actually love her."

"Well, then we go to see Marcy. If anyone can think of a peaceful way to handle things it will be her... I wouldn't ever ask you to run away and leave your mate." Mist squeezed Celica's hand smiling softly and trying to support her friend. "I trust that you are feeling something real here... so we will support you even if it's against Edel's desires."