Stretching a little, Hildi says, "Welp, I have to find some parenting books on Elementals and buy some extra stuff, so you can go relax here and I’ll be back later.”

  “Wait, Hildi.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you think…it might be ok for me to join you during shopping?”

  “Sure, why not. Just don’t go showing your druid necklace around. Maybe we should even tie some cloth around it so no one can recognize it even if it does flop out.”

  “That’s a good idea actually.”

  She gives me a smug look, “Ye, I know it came from me after all. Ugri?”

  “Yes?”

  Holy shit where did he come from? He wasn’t in the room before, was he?

  “Can you get us a bit of cloth to wrap around Sammy’s necklace?”

  “Yes,” he then walks out of the room, comes back with a blue cloth and ties it around my necklace. He also seems to have a peculiar smell to him…the beach? Not quite… but close.

  “Alright Sammy, time to go.”

  “Eh, sure but shouldn’t I get some different clothes on?”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I mean I can’t go around in public wearing this, can I?”

  “Why not? It looks good on you!”

  Spinning around a little, I ask, “But isn’t this a little revealing? Also, who goes around wearing a crown?”

  “First of all, it’s a Tiara not a crown, get your facts straight and second, why not who cares? There’s gonna be a lot more people dressed way more revealing than you where we’re going”

  “Ok…so where are we going exactly?”

  “Oh, we’re going to the black market.”

  “Isn’t that illegal? Can’t we get in trouble for that?”

  She waves her hand dismissively, “It’s fiiiiine, we’re going through the Unseelie realms. No one’s enforcing Four Court laws there. It’s its own jurisdiction. There are no laws there.”

  “Wait, if there aren’t any laws, isn’t it going to be super dangerous?”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I’m armed after all.”

  “You are?”

  Opening her jacket, she shows me some bags and vials, then turns to the side and shows me a sword on her hip, “Yup, lookie here, iron sword, bag of salt and even some weed of anguish.”

  “What’s weed of anguish?”

  “It’s a flower that makes you grow weak when you get close to it. If you powder it and put it in a glass flask like this, you can carry it around and when there is danger just throw it on the ground behind you when you run away. Works every time.”

  “Wait so you had to do this before???”

  “Eh, a few times yeah. I have formal combat training though so I can take most ruffians.”

  “Huh, so can you teach me combat too?”

  “Of course, that’s part of the training. I’ve got to find a weapon that suits you as well as visit some Elemental friends for advice. We’ll probably be gone for about three days.”

  “Oh, ok. Do…do I need to take anything with me?”

  “Nah, we’ll buy most things we need. Also, Ugri already packed for you”

  “He did? When? I literally just asked if I could join you!”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty quick at that sorta thing. So, do you want to go by land or air?”

  “Ehhhhh…air?”

  “Good choice! We have way too much money from them anyways,”

  “From who?”

  “Oh, you’ll see. Ugri already called them.”

  “What? How?” I say looking for Ugri who seems to have disappeared while I was talking to Hildi...AGAIN.

  “Alright, stop dilly dallying Sammy, it's time to go, they'll be here any second.”

  Kind of confused I say, “What? Ok…” She then takes me by the hand and drags me outside to the front entrance where we came in from. “So…what should I be looking for, Hildi?”

  “You’ll see, just wait.”

  Looking around, I wait for something to happen, while swaying from side to side.

  I wonder what it’s gonna be…I’m really excited! Also, I have to say as much as I disliked the sun, it’s nice being able to just stand in its light here. I wonder what the difference is? In vampire movies it’s usually UV light that works as well as sunlight. So, it actually doesn’t have anything to do with the sun but rather the actual scientific rays. I wonder if it’s the same here. Or maybe it’s just some magic mumbo jumbo I don’t understand. I wonder if magic follows specific rules though. Is it just physics I don’t understand or is it its own beast? I would assume that it’s like the old saying of, “Magic is just science we don’t understand yet”. Like if you brought a machine gun to your great-great-great-great-great-…great-grandpa Gromsh, the caveman, and shot a mammoth with it, you’d most likely be seen as a god.

  “Look, they’re coming Sammy. Can you hear them?”

  That makes me think though. If Fey live that long, how come no one invented any sci-fi technology yet…or maybe they have and I just don’t know about it? MAYBE MAGIC IS THAT TECHNOLOGY!!! Maybe it’s not hair that my translation necklace is made out of but tiny strands of glass fiber that translate at super speed by changing my brainwaves to form words in my head!!! YOOOOO, that might be it!

  “Sammy? Helloooo.”

  Or it could just be some weird mystic shit that no one understands… BECAUSE it is actually ancient technology that people only know how to recreate, but don’t understand and as such, through millennia, it has become rarer as people get further away from the source and there is like an ancient civilization of mega Fey to be uncovered that has the coolest shit ever!!!

  “Hildi to Sammy are you there?”

  YOOOO thinking about it, am I an alien now? Maybe that’s it! I got abducted at night by aliens, put into this alien body for some weird experiment and then dumped on this planet. Or maybe this is like a test and I’m in a simulation…

  Feeling my ear being pulled on, I say, “Ouch! Why did you do that, Hildi?”

  “You weren’t listening. Now look up, they’re here!”

  It’s then that I hear the sound of a helicopter as my hair starts floating due to all the wind being generated.

  “Holy shit was I right??? Is this a helicopter???” I yell looking up at the sky, seeing a huge black shadow in the sun slowly coming closer.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about Sammy sigh seems like we’ll get an annoying person to share our ride with though…”

  “Wait, what does that mean?”

  “You’ll see…”

  As the shadow comes closer, I’m starting to be able to make out more features. It seems to be a carriage being carried by multiple…bees? Not normal ones though HUGE bees the size of small horses. As they land, they whirl around a lot of grass and dust from the sheer amount of air pressure their wings generate. When they finally land and settle their wings down, they transform into men without shirts and yellow pants with vertical holes in them to show their black skin in stripes.

  They…they’re kinda hot. Chiseled abs… well-defined bodies…Their blonde long hair waving in the wind…their black skin glistening in the sun…Their smile, a pure white… Snap out of it Sam! Damn! I have got to get that horny under control asap.

  Then Hildi gives me a nudge and says, “Stop ogling the sexy guys Sammy and prepare for the worst. We’re in for a looong ride.”

  “Why is that?”

  She facepalms and says, “Just watch.”

  It is then that the door of the carriage opens, three bee men roll out a yellow and black carpet and three others start playing funky music that sounds like a mix of disco and classical music. It is then that a, what must be 8ft tall thin black woman with a yellow afro and two antennae peeking out between her giant crown and multiple yellow striped tufts of fur all over her body covering all her naughty bits, strides out.

  As she leaves, I can also see a huge fluffy bee abdomen hanging out from where her butt would be. She then says in a slightly shrill voice, “Ohohohoho, you stand in front of the great, generous, beautiful, wise, intelligent and most importantly, humble, queen El-BEE-zabeth the third, you may feel honored and blessed, my loves.”

  It is then that Hildi lets out a long sigh and says, slightly annoyed, “Hi, Elbeezabeth how are you doing?”

  “Ohohohoho I am doing most delicately my dear friend Hildegard, daughter of the great Aloko and Mathilda, with a lineage traceable back to…”

  “Yeah, yeah we get it Elbee.”

  Breaking character, she whispers, “Hey, don’t call me Elbee in front of others, it is El-BEE-zabeth with a focus on the BEE. You know that!”

  “Yeah, yeah I know…”

  “Uhum, either way, her royal highness El-BEE-zabeth heard from the wise caretaker Ugri that you have adopted a daughter, and so I have come to meet her as a gift. Who can say after all that they have personally met the great El-BEE-zabeth, the third, queen of the Beekin.

  Child you may bask in the beauty and regality of a monarch.”

  “Is she talking to me, Hildi?” I whisper to her.

  “Yeah…just play a long…she is a good person…as hard as that might be to believe.”

  Well I guess it is kinda cool to meet royalty. I always wanted to do that one day.

  I kneel and extravagantly answer, “Oh great El-BEE-zabeth, the third, queen of the Beekin. It is truly an honor to meet you, for I am but an ignorant child in this world of wonder, and in the care of the great Hildegard.”

  Looking for approval at my introduction I smile at Hildi only for her to face palm and whisper, “Damn it, Sammy you overdid it…may the night mother bless and protect us for what is to come.”

  The queen then gasps and picks me up, hugging me tightly, “What a lovely child you have there my love! For she truly understands when greatness stands before her! Say what is your name, dear?”

  “My name is Sam,” I say muffled, my face still pressed into her fluffy fur from her four-armed hug.

  “Nononono, that shan’t do. That name is way too short for a wit as tall as yours. I shall give you the title BEE-atrice the first, Duchess of hive one."

  She then kisses the back of my hand leaving a beehive shaped mark that slowly sinks into my skin and disappears.

  “Are you fucking crazy Elbee!? You can’t just afford random royal titles to strangers!? Especially not such high-ranking ones!!!”

  “It is not a stranger, my love, she is your adoptive daughter~ If she is a daughter of yours, she is a daughter of mine! Ohohohoho.”

  Putting her hands over her face, Hildi graons, “I can’t fucking belief you Elbee… she’s fourteen winters old, how the fuck is she supposed to take care of an entire hive???”

  “Fourteen winters!? Even better! We shall raise her together to be the finest lady she could BEE. Ohohohoho.”

  Putting on a calm and somber voice, Hildi says, “Look Elbee… you know I don’t feel for you the same way you do for me.”

  “For now! It shan’t be long before you’re dutifully by my side as my King! Ohohoho,” she says getting closer to Hildi and giving her a hug, as well as a kiss on the cheek, before Hildi pushes her away, seemingly in disgust, even though I could swear that she had turned a little red in the face.

  “Now I shall visit the wise caretaker for a refill on my enhanced royal jelly! I shall be back soon,” she then walks towards the house proudly, as if she owns the place, with some of her guards and retainers following suit.

  “Sooo, Hildi…do you and her have a history together?”

  “It’s complicated. Look, Sammy don’t think about this or the title she gave you too much, it's not important for you to think about right now.”

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  “I…ok. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah for now, things like this shouldn’t bother you. Elbee is just… a little…special. We met at pureblood school, so I’ve known her for a while…”

  “What’s pureblood school?”

  “Eh, it’s like this school where they teach you to become all prim and proper so you can be a respectable future clan leader. They teach you things like governance, etiquette, math, economics, sociology, psychology, arts, history, magics and combat. Essentially all you need to know if you work on keeping and accumulating old wealth rather than generating new one.”

  “Wait, you said magic right???”

  “Eh, yeah.”

  “Can you show me? Can you teach me? How does it work???”

  Scratching the back of her head, she answers, “Oooh…yeah, I don’t think I’m qualified for that.”

  “What, why not?”

  “Well, to be honest, I dropped out of pureblood school quite early and magic was one of my worst subjects… I was more into arts and combat. It’s not like I’ll need magic that much in my day-to-day life anyways.”

  “How. THE FUCK. CAN YOU NOT WANT TO LEARN MAGIC!?!?!”

  “Woah there Sammy, calm down. It’s just not that important.”

  “Not that…NOT THAT IMPORTANT??? MAGIC IS LIKE THE COOLEST THING EVER!!!”

  “Alright, missy. I get it but stop screaming like this or you’re going to go in time out.”

  “A time out? I’m basically an adult, you can’t give me time out.”

  Raising an eyebrow and locking her arms, she replies, “Oh really? Wanna try me then?”

  “No…”

  “Ok, better. Now, for behaving you get a beeball.”

  “What’s a beeball?”

  “It’s a praline. It’s a beekin delicacy.”

  She gets a small box out of her bag with a smiling cartoon bee logo on it. When she opens it up, there are four cartoonish looking bees walking around with a yellow body and what looks like black stripes of chocolate.

  “Alright, just open your mouth Sammy”

  “Ok…?”

  When I open my mouth, one of the bees starts flying into it. Biting down, it tastes like deep fried honey banana, covered in a thin layer of milk chocolate.

  “Mmmmhh thish ish sooooo good!”

  “Right? They make it from this berry they cultivated, add honey and then cover it with bean paste that they mix with milk and sugar. Tell ya what, if there are two things the Beekin know how to do it’s improving plants and making sweets.”

  Happily munching on it, I swoon, “Mmmh…well, whoever made these definitely knew what they were doing.”

  “Yup. Now come, let’s get into the carriage before queen bee comes back. That way, I can at least save you from sitting next to her,” she then walks inside of the carriage.

  Following her it seems almost as if she’s vanishing the second she goes through the door. “Eeehm…Hildi? Are you still there?” I ask before almost getting a heart attack as her head alone pops out of the door, “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?”

  “Hey, I told you not to scream!”

  “But…but your head? Where’s your body???”

  “Ooooh, yeah it’s just a portal door. See?” She then puts out her arm that suddenly manifests before me and jumps out the carriage and back in. Disappearing and reappearing each time. “See? Everything is fine, just trust me and walk in,” she then disappears back behind the invisible curtain.

  Ok Sam, portals are fine right? They just form a tunnel through space. Unlike teleportation that shit just kills you and then builds an identical copy of you elsewhere. Though the question is, if a soul exists in this world…does that make teleportation possible? Does consciousness lie in the soul as well? What happens when you damage the brain? Does that damage your soul as well or are lobotomized people just unable to have full control over their soul? Maybe I have already been recreated and am just a copy of my original self that died long ago… My consciousness has obviously been transferred to this body and my brain chemistry and perhaps brain biology has already been altered. Does that mean I’m still me? Am I someone else? Have I ever been me? Are my thoughts simply artificially implanted? Am I just a brain in a jar being fed sweet, sweet lies to keep me working?

  OK STOP. Sam, cogito ergo sum, I think, therefore I am. Damn it brain, we don’t need to go into hard solipsism again. We had this discussion when I was 5. It doesn’t matter whether I exist or have been someone else or the universe was just created seven minutes ago. I think, therefore I am. I THINK THEREFORE I AM! Now fuck all that thinking and walk in you idiot

  “TO ADVENTURE, HUZAAAAH!” I yell running through the door and bumping into Hildi who has been standing right behind it.

  “Sammy…what did I tell you about screaming?”

  “I didn’t mean to. I just had this internal struggle about existence that I needed to resolve!”

  “What?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Going down one one knee, she says, “I do worry about it though. Tell me about it.”

  “Nah, really, it’s fine. It’s just stupid.”

  “No please, indulge me.”

  “Sigh Ok so I got scared thinking about this portal door. I thought for a second it might teleport me and thus destroy my body and rebuild it with an identical copy with me dying in the process. Then I thought about whether or not I am real and how my soul is connected to my brain.”

  “I see…and how did you resolve that issue?”

  “Ehm, well there is this phrase, cogito ergo sum, I think therefore I am. So, even though I don’t know whether anything is real, I still at least know I am me and that I should live in the world with the assumption that it doesn’t matter whether others are too.”

  “Hmm, it’s a good start. Just know that if you’re feeling unsure you can talk to me, ok?”

  “Thanks, but it really wasn’t a big deal. I’m ok” “

  Giving me a compassionate look, she puts her hand on my shoulder, "You see, something that I notice from people growing up around humans is that they gain some of their bad traits. We fey can’t lie but humans can. In fact, they lie so much that sometimes they start to lie to themselves and believe things that aren’t true. Incidentally, while we Fey may be unable to lie to others, we can lie to ourselves. It’s a learned trait from hearing humans lie for so long. It goes against our very being, so we fabricate a reality in our minds out of these lies and become irrational, that’s why humans are scum, and we should not interact with them. Those thoughts you had right now were deeply unsettling to you, weren’t they?”

  “Ehm…yeah I guess they were.”

  “Did they make you scared and unsure of yourselves?”

  “Yeah…I guess they did.”

  “Then it wasn’t fine, and that experience you went through wasn’t stupid. It was real for you. It hurt you, made you feel vulnerable so why didn’t you tell me?”

  Suddenly feeling unsure of myself, I answer, “I…I just thought it wasn’t important…I figured it out by myself. I always do.”

  “Sammy, look at me. From now on whenever something is bothering you, I want you to share it with me. You don’t have to suffer alone, I’ll be there for you to listen, give you comfort and help you wherever I can, but I can only do that if you tell me about it.”

  “I…I sniff what are you doing to me? I sniff was fine! How…why am I so sad now? I don’t even understand why I’m crying.”

  “It’s your feelings, you locked them up inside and are letting them out. The pain you’re feeling now is not something I did to you, it’s something you did to yourself. You’ve been living with this by yourself, all alone, all locked up inside.”

  “I sniff don’t know what to say. What is even going on?” I say while holding back tears

  “Just let it out,” she says while hugging me tight.

  I’m not even sure why I’m crying right now but it feels like slowly a boulder is being lifted off my chest.

  “There is an old lullaby Ugri used to sing to me when I was sad and unsure of myself, I’d like to sing it to you now as well.”

  With an almost angelic, soothing voice Hildi starts to sing her lullaby, while I have a complete breakdown, “I’m here for you my child, I’m there for you all times, even when the light of the sun goes down, I’ll be there for you, even when the dunes crumble, I'll be there. Even when the last drop of water is gone, I'll be there. Even after the last drop of blood has left, I'll be there. I'll be there for you. Always...”

  “Rejoice loves, for I have retu…what happened here while I was gone? Did somebody hurt the duchess? Off with their heads I say!”

  “Nothing happened to her Elbee, she just had to let her pent-up feelings out.”

  “Pent-up feelings?! Why would you ever do such a thing as not spout everything coming from your mind instantly so that the others can bask in the glory of your words? Oh, what a pleasure it must be for others to be enlightened by my brilliance You know from time to time, I envy them... Not many get close to comprehending my beauty, intelligence, and brilliance; of course, let us not forget my most important properties: my modesty and humbleness.”

  “Can you just sit down Elbee, you’re annoying me.”

  “Gasp ME? Annoying someone??? You truly are fit to be a ruler by my side. For you are able to speak so candidly to someone such as great as me El-BEE-zabeth, the thir–”

  “Yeah, yeah, we get it. Just go to your throne and pout until you feel better.”

  “Hmpf, I guess I shall!”

  “So, are you feeling better now Sammy?”

  “I… yeah kind of. I…am mostly confused though.”

  “Why are you confused?”

  “Well, you see I don’t do the whole sharing feelings thing usually and I also don’t quite understand yet why I cried, but I do feel a little better now. Exhausted, but still better.”

  “Well, it’s a good start. Just remember, talking about things is better than keeping them in!”

  “Yes ma’am,” It’s then that I feel her flick her finger on my forehead.

  “Ouch! What was that for?”

  Seemingly annoyed, she answers, “Don’t call me ma’am. You can call me Hildi, sis or mom but not ma’am.”

  “Ok, ok I won’t.”

  “Good, now look around as much as you like. We’re ready to lift off.”

  Oh yeah, I guess I haven’t looked around at all yet because I instantly bumped into Hildi, so let's see what this whole portal litter is all abou–HOLY SHIT! It’s like a fucking baseball skybox in here!!!

  “WOW! It’s way bigger on the inside than on the outside.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s spatial magic for you.”

  “Wow!”

  The room is about the size of half a school gym. The walls seem to be made of wax but there is also a 360° panorama window all around the room from which you can see the outside, it looks like we’re still in front of Hildi’s home.

  There are also a bunch of female bee-kin servants buzzing around, haha. They better honey up if they want to bee the employbee of the month hahaha. Man, I should become a comedian.

  There’s a bunch of couches and beds, a buffet full of sweets and fruits and even a honey fountain! There is also a bar as well as a musicians and theater stage and a small honeycomb shaped pool. El-BEE-zabeth is sitting on a throne placed on a pedestal in the middle of the room, with her legs and arms crossed, putting on a pouting face similar to that of a three-year-old, while Hildi is getting some dessert from the buffet.

  Sooooo… where should I start? Probably the buffet…let’s see what I can and cannot eat. Walking over to Hildi I see that her plate is stacked with different kinds of pastries, to a point where I have to wonder how she’s keeping up the structural integrity of it.

  “You sure do like your sweets don’t you, Hildi?” I ask somewhat teasingly.

  “Well, yeah. I told you, if there is two things Beekin know how to do, it’s sweets and plant cultivation”

  “Say, before I try any of these. Do you know what I can and can not eat?”

  “Nope, no idea. Ice elementals have no dietary restrictions, they just don’t like warm food so whatever causes your need for blood is from the other half that we couldn’t find out about or a side effect of your flesh prison, so just keep testing things.”

  “Hmm, ok. I guess I'll start with the berries then.”

  Picking up a raspberry I put it in my mouth and carefully start chewing. It tastes great! Then, I carefully swallow it to see if I get any bad reaction but no it’s completely fine. I repeat this test with several different berries like strawberries, blueberries and cranberries but they’re all fine too. Next, I move on to fruits, trying apple slices, watermelon cubes and oranges. All taste great, and none make me throw up. Trying to up the ante a little I try a sip of juice and even milk. No problem there either. And even the pastries seem to go down well.

  “This is great Hildi! I can eat all of this so I won’t need to drink blood anymore!”

  Giving me a constipated look she answers, “Ooooh…yeah…let's hope it works out like that,” before going to a table near the window, sitting down and eating.

  What was that about? Anyways, time to dig in! Starting off heavy with a huge piece of banana mole cake, I devour it in a minute before pillaging some of the fruits, soaking things in honey and eating more and more pastries but after my fifth plate I realize something. I don’t feel full… Not just that, it’s… It’s like I’ve eaten nothing. I can taste the food and feel it go into my stomach but then it’s just… Like it disappears. I don’t feel any less or more hungry than before, it's more like I’ve eaten nothing…

  “Hildi…”

  “Yeah?”

  “It doesn’t fill my stomach…I keep eating and eating but I don’t feel full.”

  “Yeah…that was kind of what I expected…for starters elementals have a perfect digestion, so they don’t need to shit or piss. So when you told me that you vomited up a piece of bloody fish when you ate it I knew that your body handles blood differently… I’m guessing you can eat most foods but you still need the nutrition from blood due to your other half.”

  “Sigh That’s a little disheartening…I thought for sure that this would work…”

  “Yeah, that must be tough for you, right?”

  “It really is. Because every time I drink blood I go into this frenzy and then there is also the fact that I don’t really like hurting people or animals. It makes me feel horrible. But when I go into that state it’s like all that switches around and I go from a logical normal person to this blood thirsty beast and I was hoping I could avoid that in the future…I even tried to hurt you…”

  Putting her food aside, she walks over to me and gives me a somber smile, “Sammy, what you’re going through is natural. Normally you would have two loving parents that understand your body better and help you through it. It makes me sad that I can’t give that to you but I want you to know that you’re not a savage just because you drink blood. Living is based on the death of others. A plant grows out of the soil of its dead brethren and animals. Herbivores then kill those plants for food, only to be killed by carnivores who themselves die by the hand of other animals or lack of food or old age. Living means killing. You can not live without having killed or hurt something. In that sense, us parasitic types are already lucky that often we only make the choice of hurting others rather than outright killing them. We still need them to kill for us however, because if they don’t kill, we don’t eat.”

  “I…guess that’s true.”

  “I know it’s hard for you now Sammy, especially since you grew up around those hypocrite ape men, but you’ll get used to it. And hey, think of the bright side. You’ll never have to live through indigestion or diarrhea!”

  “That’s gross Hildi…”

  “It’s only gross because you never experienced it. For us non elementals that shit is a menace we have to deal with on the regular! Be glad that you don’t ever have to live through that!”

  “I guess you are right, haha.”

  It’s then that El-BEE-zabeth stands up, points to the sky and says, “We shall now be on our way! The queen has calmed down again!”

  It’s then that, like you would see in a documentary about firefighters or EMS workers, every single male Beekin runs to their post and ties a rope around them and the carriage before transforming back into giant bees and slowly lifting us off the ground. My eyes glued to the window, I watch us ascend higher and higher. It seems that Hildi’s home is in a forest of sorts. She seems pretty cut off from general society. When we reach maximum altitude, I’m able to see just how big this forest is. It’s like it goes on forever, but it’s not like any forest I have seen before. There are trees in multiple colors, giant mushrooms and some plants so high they almost reach us way in the sky. As we travel further away from Hildi’s place, the woods start to thin and more hills and clearings come in sight. From time to time, I’m even able to see huge gray and blue people, taller than the trees, walking around, clearing a path wherever they go. Hildi tells me they’re Giants and Jotuns, a mythical type of Ogrin. After a while, I also start seeing the air becoming more and more busy with different bird people, flying insect people, almost ghostly looking people made out of air and other flying carriages in the sky. We even saw a blue Chinese style dragon!

  Staring at the window, I point outside, “Look at all the people, Hildi!”

  “Yeah, I’d rather not...LEt me enjoy these few moments left without strangers...”

  “This is amazing!”

  As we fly further, we come to a point where thousands of different flying people, carriages, and other things wait in front of what looks like a customs checkpoint.

  “What’s going on here Hildi?”

  “Oh, it’s just a traffic jam. They’re all trying to commute to the portal connecting us to where we want to go.”

  “Can’t they just make their own portals?”

  “Nah…long distance travel like this takes a lot of knowledge and training as well as an aptitude in spatial magic.”

  “Woah…so are we going to have to wait long?”

  It’s then that El-BEE-zabeth chimes up, “Ohohohoho of course not my dear BEEatrice, we are going the royal fast track!” She then claps her hands and one of the servants brings her a seashell. She puts it up to her mouth, clears her throat and then screams into it, “MAKE WAY FOR THE ROYAL CARRIAGE OF QUEEN EL-BEE-ZABETH THE THIRD OF THE GRAND HIVE!!! There we go, that should do it.” It seems like that message of hers was somehow broadcast outside the carriage, as suddenly a bunch of angry, surprised and cheering people make way for us to go towards the portal.