Negai

Negai sat next to her older brother, watching him as he carefully tended to one of their many beehives. Even though Nozomu was one of the guards for their lair and had much more important duties, he still took time to help take care of the bees. He had a gentle and sure touch and the bees knew him and trusted him like one of their own. Negai sighed. She wished the bees trusted her like they trusted him. They always took an aggressive stance whenever she tended to them, almost like they didn’t want her around. And she was supposed to be a beekeeper? How could she tend to bees when they didn’t even want her around?

Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Nozomu murmured, “The bees don’t love me any more than they love you, little sister. I may be good with them, but it comes with patience and practice, something that will come to you with time.”

“You keep saying that,” she muttered before she could think better of it. He didn’t bother to even look at her when he scolded her.

“And if you would ever quit sulking,” he replied, “you would see that it’s true.”

Negai hung her head and repressed another sigh. Maybe he was right.

“Why do you even tend the hives anyway?” she asked. “You’re one of the guards for the lair. You defend our home. That’s such so much more important!”

Now it was his turn to sigh.

“Negai,” he said gently, “we are Royal Jellies. Tending our precious hives is what we do. There is nothing more important to our lair, and to the war effort, than the honey our hives produce. Our honey is not only food, it’s also medicine. Without it, there would be nothing to defend. There would be no lair. Without the bees, we are nothing.”

She knew in her heart that he was right. But it still didn’t make it any easier.

“I know,” Negai said, watching the bees swarm about the hive. “I just wish I the bees liked me more.”

“Have you ever thought about trying to look at things from the point of view of the bees?” Nozomu asked. “That might help you get along better with them.”

“I hope you’re right,” she said as she put the flowers in water.
“I am,” Nozomu said. He reached out and patted her affectionately on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go get a snack. I know where there are some nice daffodils we can share.” He started off towards the gardens, smiling at her over his shoulder.

Negai followed after him, hoping that the day the bees would finally take to her wasn’t too far off.