Burnout

“I'm sorry, what happened?” Persiri asked in disbelief.

“Mantises happened.” Hornet answered, standing at the entrance of the short hallway that lead to Minnie's bedroom and blocking the moth from going back while Ghost tended to their daughter. “Ghost and I were summoned to deal with the tribe in the Queen's Gardens because they kept harassing the workers trying to clear the area. Minnie insisted on coming with us, said she was getting bored in the city and thought it would be 'fun'. She did manage to take out much of the horde in one go when we got overwhelmed, but...”

“Then she just collapsed?” There was an audible cry from Minnie from the back, just loud enough to give them both pause before continuing.

“You see... according to her father, their kind can suffer 'burnouts' should they overexert their powers. Even higher beings have a limit, it seems.”

Persiri folded his arms beneath his wings, leaning to the side a bit to peer around her shoulder before looking back up at the young queen and asking, “Has this... happened before?”

“Yes, when she was younger.”

“So she'll recover from this as well?” Persiri visibly perked up, a hopeful look in his eyes. Hornet took notice of this, and may have smiled if she had a visible mouth to do so.

“Absolutely.” Hornet's tone was a bit quieter, more gentle. “It will take time, but she'll recover. She's resilient.”

Before anything more could be said, Hornet quickly turned her head to look behind her as if she heard someone call her, and swiftly stepped aside for Hallownest's current “monarch” to exit the hall. Minnie's apartment had a tall ceiling, but Ghost still had to hunch over a bit, lest they stab holes in the ceiling with their horns. Persiri straightened his stance and bowed his head respectfully.

“May I see her now?” he asked. Ghost nodded silently, stepping aside to allow entry to the hall. With a quiet and quick “thank you,” Persiri brushed past them and into the bedroom.

There, curled up in her bed, bundled up in several blankets, was Minnie, her eyes squeezed shut. The spire moth rushed to her side, sitting at the edge of the bed and reaching out to gently cup her cheek, stroking it lightly with his thumb. Feeling the bed shifting and the hand on her cheek, Minnie opened her eyes, just enough for Persiri to see they weren't their usual scarlet, but a smokey grey.

“S-Sisi...?” she rasped. Her voice sounded much harsher than normal, dry and rough. For a brief moment, it brought to mind her father's own gravelly voice from when Persiri met the man himself.

“Yes, Min, I'm here.” The moth kept his voice to a soft whisper. “You're at home, now, you're safe.”

“I'm... c-cold, Si--” She suddenly turned away and coughed hard into her blanket. Persiri's heart sank at the sight of the black stain it left, like wet soot.

“Shhh, don't try to speak...” He moved his hand from her cheek to the top of her head, gently petting her crest. “Just rest.”

Giving him one more tired look, Minnie finally closed her eyes. It was only when she went quiet again that Persiri finally noticed that Ghost and Hornet had followed him back, and were both standing in the doorway.

“We'll be out here.” Hornet said quietly, and the two royals disappeared down the hall.

With a sigh, Persiri looked back down at his sickly lover, moving over to the empty spot on the large bed and crawling in beside her. There was no blanket for him to crawl under, but he didn't mind; his own wings were plenty. Settling in and pulling her close, he took one more look at her face; even while sleeping, she looked miserable, when she was normally so lively and would flaunt incredible power like it was nothing. Seeing her in such a state was almost surreal.

He gave her a light kiss on her temple before resting his head on the pillow, closing his eyes and holding the princess in his arms until sleep claimed him too.