"Ari… please. Please don't let them take me… save me… Ari..."
"No! Princess Tanya! No—I'll save you! I swear I'll save you!" Ari shouted as he stretched his hand into the air, jolting awake from a nightmare. His chest heaved as cold sweat clung to his body. Disoriented, he blinked into the dim sunlight filtering through the ceiling of leaves and sticks.
"Where… where am I?" he muttered to himself, voice weak and strained.
"Oh, I see you're finally awake," said a familiar voice.
Ari turned his head and saw Lily approaching. Her tone was calm, but there was a certain relief hidden in her words.
"Corporal Lily…" Ari said, trying to sit up. His body screamed in protest as pain surged through every joint, muscle, and bone. He let out a groan and slumped back down onto the crude bed made of dried leaves and woven sticks.
"Relax," Lily said, kneeling beside him. "You took quite the beating from Hopper. You're severely injured. Honestly, I don't even know how you survived, let alone managed to stand after that."
"I don't have time to rest," Ari growled through clenched teeth. "I need to go save the princess. I need to get her away from those bastards."
Lily looked at him with an unreadable expression and then, to his surprise, climbed onto the bed beside him—then onto him—pressing him down gently with her body. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"Looks like I'll have to calm all that anger you've built up," she said with a teasing smile. "Go ahead. Take it out on me."
Ari's eyes widened in shock. A flush of red swept across his cheeks, and he gulped hard. "W-Wait a second, we can't do this!" he stammered, fumbling to push her off without hurting himself further.
"Just relax," she whispered into his ear, her breath sending shivers down his spine. "Close your eyes. I'll take the lead."
To think I'm about to… with the very insect I once hated... Ari thought, stunned, his hand unconsciously inching toward her waist. No… I must resist temptation. This isn't right.
"Just kidding," Lily whispered again, then hopped off him and stood up.
"What?!" Ari gasped, still red-faced, struggling to regain his composure.
"Oh, you were really looking forward to it, weren't you?" Lily teased with a mischievous grin.
"Shut up," Ari mumbled, covering his face with a large leaf, trying to hide the heat rising in his cheeks.
"At least now I've got you calm enough to listen," she said, her teasing smile softening into something more serious. "First off, Brooks was the one who carried you here after the fight. You owe him. And I was the one who treated your wounds."
"I see… Thanks," Ari said quietly, his voice sincere now.
"But let me be blunt," she continued. "You can't save the princess on your own. You're strong, yes, but the threat is far too great. Hopper isn't alone. His four great warriors are with him, along with hundreds of powerful grasshoppers. Their fortress is likely guarded by at least four hundred of them. And the average grasshopper is more than a match for even a high-ranking corporal like me and Beatrice."
"I don't care about the odds," Ari replied, his tone steely with resolve. "I made a promise to Princess Tanya. I swore I'd protect her. I won't abandon her now."
Lily stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "We're planning another expedition soon. It's supposed to be for gathering food before our fourteen days time limit is up. We've been thinking of using it as a chance to get her back. So just be patient, we can all avoid engaging in war."
"That's not enough," Ari snapped. "Even if we get her back, they'll come again next winter. And the one after that. It'll never stop unless we do something permanent. We have to put an end to this. For good."
"You talk like ending it is even possible," Lily said bitterly. "Do you even understand what that would take? Killing Hopper? That's suicide. No one here can defeat him. We can't escape the system he's forced on us. We're just not strong enough."
"That's bullshit!" Ari shouted, pushing himself upright despite the pain. "I've fought beside all of you. I know how strong you are. So why? Why do you all just stand by and let him keep doing this—to Tanya, to the colony?"
"Shut up!" Lily shouted, her voice suddenly raw with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her hands trembled as she clenched them into fists. "Do you think we want to live like this? In fear? As slaves to monsters like him?"
Ari fell silent, taken aback by the pain in her voice.
"We did fight," she continued, her voice cracking. "We had a choice once—and we chose to resist. But we lost. They were too strong. We weren't prepared for their cruelty… their power. We all lost someone that day. I watched my mother and father die in front of me. I couldn't save them. I was helpless. I couldn't even scream. I just… broke."
She wiped at her tears."And the worst part is, every winter, they come back. And we stand there, powerless, while they take our food—while they remind us of our failure. Hopper's laughter still haunts my dreams. And every year, I have to relive the moment he and those monsters took everything from me."
Ari swallowed hard. "Lily… I didn't know."
"Anastasia lost her father too," Lily said quietly, her gaze distant. "She was just a child when Hopper killed him. She still carries the scars. And the queen… the queen had to watch her only daughter dragged away while she stood there, helpless."
She stood up and took a few steps away. "So don't judge us. Don't question why we didn't act. We did. And we paid the price."
Ari lowered his eyes, guilt washing over him.
"We're going on that expedition soon," Lily said over her shoulder. "If you care even a little about Tanya, or the colony, you'll stay put. If you go charging in like this, you'll only get yourself killed."
With that, she walked out, leaving Ari in silence. The flickering sunlight cast shadows across the room, dancing like ghosts around him. He lay back on the bed, his head swimming with conflicting thoughts.
I had no idea they'd gone through so much… he thought. I blamed them—criticized them—for doing nothing. But the truth is, they fought. They just didn't win. Especially the queen… to have your daughter taken and be powerless to stop it…
He reached beside his bed and pulled out the pair of broken mandibles the ones Anastasia given to him. She had given them to him. "These were her father's mandibles" he said as he turned them over slowly in his hands, their jagged edges catching the light.
"She was right, I was reckless, I didnt think it through".
"And now she's gone. Because of me. Because I couldn't protect her. Because I wasn't strong enough. I attacked Hopper without a plan".
Ari closed his hand around the mandibles and clenched his jaw.
Hopper is strong. That much is clear. I barely survived our last encounter. With my current strength, I don't stand a chance. But that doesn't mean I'll give up.
His fingers tightened into a fist.
I'll train. I'll prepare. I'll become stronger—strong enough to challenge even Hopper. I won't let Tanya suffer any longer. I won't let this colony live in fear another winter.
The light flickered before him, casting a determined light in his eyes.
I'll change everything. No matter what it takes.