Underland Chronicles 1. Chapter 1

**Hello ladies and gentlemen. I am back with another Underland Chronicles fanfic for you guys. This one will be better than the last because I'm a much more experienced writer and a more mature person as well(on top of I plan to finish unlike the last one wink wink). I've been thinking about the plot for a bit and this chapter take the first steps towards the overall experience. This chapter I hope is good for you guys as it does some things different then most. You'll find out what that is as soon as you get to reading. I hope you enjoy :) :0.**

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**Chapter 1**

The mental anguish was unbearable. The concept of living anymore was gone. The entire existence of the world was inconsequential. Nothing could change the feelings flowing through the young man's shredded heart. Tears were in the corner of his eyes just waiting to run their way down his cheeks leaving a wet trail behind.

Gregor slowly opened his eyes and all he saw was blurred. It looked like a water painting as there was no detail to be made out. There was row upon row of black figures sitting, kneeling, standing all around him as he slowly started to walk down the aisle of the funeral home. Ahead of him was what he dreaded and hated. Three coffins sat in front of the rows of chairs that had been set up for the grievers. Many people would be coming by to pay their respects to the three unfortunate souls that would never see the light of day again.

Gregor reached the coffins and looked inside each, not really sure what to say. He was a strong man only recently turning 18 and yet he had to endure the pain he was feeling now. There was nothing he could think of to say that would explain everything he wanted to say to the lifeless corpses in the caskets before him. It didn't matter that the three were the closest people to him and the ones he cared about the most in the world: his mom, his sister Lizzie, and his father.

**10 Days Earlier**

It was an early morning in early July. The day was set to be a hot one which is why Gregor was up so early. No better time to catch a nice run then before the sun could be blazing down upon him. He threw on a brand new pair of running shorts and a old t-shirt along with his beaten up running shoes. As he tied his shoes his mind drifted to his sleeping family. Both his parents were happy and well for once. In the years since he had left the underland things had changed. His family had moved away from the city, but not nearly as far as his mom had threatened. Virginia was a no go from the start simply because his father had been offered a job in Connecticut. It was a simple move and one that worked for everyone. Gregor had left his friends behind as had Lizzie and to some extent Margaret as well. It was tough at first, but they all adapted.

Gregor had adapted very well actually. Once he started high school he became the school's track star winning second place at state level meets. He was never popular though sticking with only a small group of friends. He was never a partier nor was he a bookworm. He was an exercise freak though. Gregor ran daily and had a regiment of body weight workouts that kept in tip top shape. To be blunt he thought himself rather sexy. While he had adapted easily enough Lizzie had not.

Lizzie was smart as hell but very socially awkward. She could pass every class with an A+, but when it came to making friends she was terrible. She would become dizzy when in large crowds and she was shy as could be. It was quite difficult for Gregor to even attempt to assist his younger sister as she entered high school behind him. She would never allow him to help her find friends or anything. That was another trait of hers. She was massively stubborn and she could be a major brat sometimes. It made him chuckle to think about.

And of course little Margaret had even grown up to be a capable pain as well. She had drifted from her Boots nickname at the age of seven and ever since went by her given name. She was bratty and hard headed even at the age of 10 which Gregor figured was normal. What else do 10 year old do than argue and make fits. He wouldn't know personally due to his role around the house when he was that age. But that was a long time ago and now Gregor had to run and run badly.

He clambered off his bed and walked quietly out into the hall trying as hard as he could to avoid the squeaky floorboard right in the middle of the hall. And of course he stepped on it. The loud erie squeak filled the hall and Gregor held his breath. He hated waking his family up before a proper time, but sometimes it was inevitable. The door at the end of the hall opened and a bed head haired 10 year old poked her head out the door.

"Gregor, what's goin on?"

"Nothin' Margaret. I'm just headin' out for a run. Go back to bed, I'll be back soon," Gregor replied to his sister. She shook her head and closed her door to go back to the comfort of her bed. Gregor continued down the hall to the stairs. He crept down them careful to not make any more noises and wake up any more members of his family. He managed pretty well and made it to the front door without waking anyone else up. He looked around his house for a second before he opened the front door and stepped outside.

The street was empty as he headed to the street. His house was just one of many that made up the neighborhood they lived in. All the houses looked almost identical and he shook his head at it like he did every morning as he began his run. When they had first moved here it had been weird to him coming from New York City and the confines of the buildings. Here it was more open, but yet felt more closed in. everything looked pretty close to the same. Same house shapes, similar colors, similar yards. It all blurred together as he ran. If it wasn't for street signs he wasn't quite sure that he would ever be able to find his house.

It seemed so odd that he wanted to go back to the city. To see how everything had changed and how all his old friends were. He still talked to Angelina and Larry as often as he could. He would call them or text them every once in a while, but it was never the same as just walking down the street to see them. He missed going on the bus or the subway so he could just get away for a bit to think. That is what his running is for now.

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Sweat streamed down Gregor's face as he finished the last leg of his 8 miles. He was coming up the other end of the street his house was on. Nothing beats running in a loop, he thought to himself. His breathing was only slightly labored, but he was glad that he was almost home. He wanted to just grab a glass of Gatorade and a quick bite of food before a quick shower. That would just complete his perfect morning before he would go on and finish out his day with a bit of this and that.

He walked into the front door to a rambunctious wave of noise and energy. His house seemed alive with activity as his family was awake and on the move. His dad was in the kitchen cooking up a pan of eggs and bacon, his mom at the table with coffee talking with her daughter, and Lizzie was sitting there rocking in her chair trying to control her breathing. That was a surprise to Gregor as he couldn't see why she would be having a nervous breakdown at this time in the morning.

" What's up with Liz, mom?" Gregor asked his mom startling everyone in the Kitchen. They hadn't seen him walk in.

"She has her ACT today, Gregor. Don't you remember when you had to take it?" Gregor did remember when his mom did make him take it. and he hated her for that really. Gregor wasn't dumb, but he also wasn't the smartest guy when it came to school. He was a more practical person, knowing more about electronics and mechanics then proper English and math. Even then he had managed a decent 28 composite score.

Gregor sat down next to his sister and gave her a squeeze. "Hey Liz, don't worry so much. If your idiot older brother can do well on it then a genius like you can ace this test." Lizzie looked at her brothers sweaty face and pushed him away a smile cresting her face. She took a napkin and wiped her arm off of his sweat.

"Gregor you really need to take a shower. You're so gross!" Gregor was always good about making Lizzie forget about her problems. He smiled at her and chuckled a little. His dad tossed him his bottle of Gatorade and handed him a plate of eggs and toast. Gregor nodded to his dad and sat at his place at the table, thanking his parents for the food before digging in. His dad made great eggs, Gregor thought as he ate up the nice breakfast and listened to his parents talk.

"Why did no one wake me up?!" came a annoyed voice from the door to the kitchen. Margaret was standing there looking jealously at the rest of her family. She walked in and looked each member in the face stopping at Gregor's.

"Hey, dont blame me. I just got back from my run," Gregor chuckled at his youngest sister. He got up and put his now empty plate on the counter and then grabbed one from the cabinet to make a plate of breakfast for his sister. He put extra bacon on her plate to appease her some. " Here you go you little baby." He winked at her.

"Thanks, bro," Margaret honestly answered back before giving her brother a little shove. She then sat down with the rest of the family while Gregor ran upstairs to take a quick shower. The water ran over him and he let his mind wander. He looked at his body and placed his hand on each scar. The worst one being the one that covered the majority of the left side of his chest. The one that the Banes massive claws had gashed into him some 6 years earlier. He could still still the battle bit by bit. Moment by Moment.

The memories hurt to think about sometimes, but he had learned to block them out. He wanted to see all those that he had come to know and yet was unable to see, yet he knew that that was impossible. Not only because of them moving away but also because his parents had eased him out of it. He got his fighting bit at the gym and had tried to date throughout high school no matter how painful it was. The dating failed miserably as no girl could ever compare to his first and most likely only love. The beautiful Queen Luxa who was indeed a queen now having been crowned 2 years prior. At the time Gregor had begged his mom to let him go to the coronation, but his mom had held her ground. She wanted Gregor to forgive and forget that part of his young life even though she knew it to be impossible.

The time wore by as Gregor stood in the shower thinking. He finally just shut the water off and grabbed his towel off the hook on the wall. He dried off thinking about the absorbent towels of the Underland. Everything he did brought his thoughts back to the Underland no matter how hard he tried to block them out. It killed him, but he assumed it would eventually drift away into obscurity as he got older. Perhaps though it would not and his life would some what be controlled by his memories.

Gregor's parents left with Lizzie to take her to her ACT an hour or so later and left Gregor and Margaret behind. Gregor lounged around the house while she did whatever she needed to do. He turned on the TV and browsed through the channels. Nothing was on the limited list of channels that cable provided. No sports on yet and nothing good on any of the big networks. Life was boring in the summer. He finally decided on putting on the news just to see what was going on out in the world and around the tri-state area. There was unrest in the east and political shenanigans on the homefront. All so boring. Gregor slowly dozed off on the couch.

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"Gregor wake up. Wake up!" Gregor sprung up off the couch alert as ever. Margaret stood there looking at him with a look of shock on her face and a finger pointing to the TV. Gregor spun his head towards it and saw the most terrifying thing he could see: Live news coverage of a terrifying fatal car accident. A car accident involving a car that look very much like his parents. The reporter on the TV said that the driver of a red pickup had veered into the wrong lane and impacted the black Camry head on instantly killing the drivers of both cars. The passengers of the Camry had been taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Gregor could not believe what he was seeing. He quickly ran to the phone and flipped through his moms book of contacts, frantically looking for the number of the local hospital that they had said the injured had been taken to. He found the number and picked up the phone to call. He felt his sister grab his hand as he put the phone to his ear. It rang and rang and rang until finally a woman answered.

"Hello, how can I -"

"Is there a Grace and Lizzie Parker there? They should have been brought in from that car accident. Please I need to know." Gregor panted into the phone. He was prepared for the worst answer possible.

"Yes, they are in the trauma center now. There is no update on their condition. Are you family?"

"Yea, will they be okay?"

"I can't tell you that now. If you can I would recommend getting down to the hospital though."

"Thank you ma'am," Gregor replied before hanging up the phone. He grabbed himself and Margaret shoes and quickly got ready as they raced out of the house. He grabbed his keys and clambered into his black pickup. It was Gregor's 18th birthday present and he had only had it for a month. He raced down to the hospital as fast he possibly could without having to worry about cops.

As soon as they made it to the hospital Gregor parked and grabbed his sister. He literally carried her as fast he could into the building and to the desk. He frantically started asking questions and he was directed to the trauma center. Gregor ran as fast he could up three floors to reach it. A doctor was waiting for him there.

"Mr. Parker, Please have a seat. We have much to discuss." Gregor sat down and put Margaret in the chair next to him. The Doctor continued, "The news isn't good right now I'm sad to say. Both of your family members have sustained serious head trauma and other wounds. Your sister has suffered severe internal bleeding and your mother if she survives will be paralyzed. It is hard to say how badly though."

The news washed over Gregor. He was the man of the house now no matter what happened. If his mom couldn't walk she couldn't work and they would have no way to make any knew he would have to take over the house running business now and it would be hard, but as of right now he didn't care. He just wanted his family alive.

Hours ticked by off the clock without any news reaching the ears of the two siblings. Gregor stared at the wall clock watching the seconds hand slowly progress around the clock. Doctors walked to and from the trauma center, but none stopped to say a word to them. It was a challenge for them to just sit there and not be able to do anything to help their family. Gregor was tempted to ask a passing doc for any news, but he never got out of his chair. It was almost as if he was glued to his chair.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Gregor estimated it had been 7 hours since the two had arrived at the hospital when the doctor finally showed back up. It had been a long day at the hospital filled with nerves and terrible thoughts, prayers and hopes, hunger and angst. Neither Gregor or Margaret had moved for the whole time they had been sitting there. Neither stood up to stretch or to get something to drink or to pace. They just sat. Until the doc showed himself again.

"Mr. Parker," the dac said as he entered through the door of the trauma center. Gregor leaped to his feet immediately, ready for news no matter how good or bad. The doc could see it on his face as well as Maragaret's as she had also leaped out of her chair. He continued," We have them stabilized for now, but the critical point has not passed for either. It would be best if you both went home for now as waiting here will only stress you out more. I will have a nurse call your home if there is anything we need to tell you."

Gregor nodded his head in thought. He understood the doctor's reasoning and was glad to hear that his Mother and sister were at least still alive. He just wanted to see them.

"Doctor, is it possible for us to see them?" Gregor asked hesitantly.

"I'm sorry to say that at this moment it is impossible as we need them to rest and let their bodies do what the body can do considering the severity of the injuries,"The doctor replied before continuing,"Don't worry though. We are doing all that we can to make sure your family comes back to you."

Gregor understood completely. He shook the doctor's hand before he grabbed Margaret's and walked solemnly back to his drive dragged on and felt as if it took hours to drive back to their home. The house felt empty this late in the evening. The clock read 8:23 pm when Gregor glanced at it. Everyone was almost always home at this time. However, today it was just him and Margaret. They both slumped on the couch next to the phone and stared at the clock not talking to each other or watching TV or anything. They were too worn out for that.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Morning came and neither Gregor nor Margaret had slept a wink. They were both tense waiting for the phone to ring for an update on the condition of their injured relatives. The phone did not ring though and Gregor's stomach was aching for food. He hadn't eaten since breakfast the morning before. He got up and walked to the Kitchen to get something for his stomach. It didn't matter what that something was. If there was a tire in front of him he would have probably eaten it. He grabbed some peanut butter and jelly and made two sandwiches which he brought to the couch. He gave one to Margaret and ate one himself, but he never tasted it. It was an empty sandwich, one with no flavor and served to only beat his hunger. Then the phone rang.

Gregor bounded off the couch and snatched the phone up. He stood and listened, but did not believe what he heard. His face slowly drooped and finally he hung the phone up. Margaret looked at him longing for information.

"Well, Boots, were alone. Mom and Lizzie died."

**Present**

The gravestones stood next to each other in the graveyard. There was nothing for anyone to do anymore. Gregor and Margaret stood hand in hand and looked at the stones. That was all they had to really look at and remember their family. There was some pictures of the family but nothing that truly stood out as memories. However, the stones in front of them made memories flow through his heart and caused tears to come to his eyes. He turned from the stones and started to walk away down towards his truck. He had only one thought in his mind. He hopped into the truck and turned on the engine. Margaret jumped into the truck next to him and looked at him funny.

"Where are we headed, bro? What is there for us?"

"There is nothing for us here, but were not staying here," Gregor replied.

"Then where are we going?"

"Were goin' to New York."

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**Yep I'm back and I have a great story planned for you guys. Leave a review and follow/favorite the story if you can't wait to see what happens next. I'm so glad I'm back to writing again. It feels so good to be able to just key out some awesome stuff for you guys to read.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Welcome to chapter 2 of this here fanfic. I thank those who have already read and reviewed the first chapter. I've been feeling really good about writing again and it makes me feel pretty awesome. I haven't written in a while so it really feels good to be back. Also, I don't have a set release schedule, but I'll be posting hopefully on or two times a week if not more depending on where I am in the story and what I am doing at home, Any who read and enjoy.**

**-Samsungpony**

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**Chapter 2**

"Wait, what? New York City. Are you serious?" Margaret stammered from the passenger seat as Gregor slowly drove out of the Cemetery. Her voice was quavered as she spoke. She seemed quite shocked by Gregor's statement and just how blunt he was about it.

"I'm quite serious, Margaret. There's nothing left for us here in town. And I have no way to pay for anything here anyway," Gregor replied with little emotion, focused more on driving then on the conversation. As he pulled onto the interstate, Margaret stared at him in utter confusion.

"Gregor, the house isn't this way. If we're going out of town shouldn't we get our stuff at least?"

"Not at all. I got us a change of clothes so we aren't tromping around in these nice ones. We won't need more than one pair anyway. Not where we're going," Gregor figured that would at least give Margaret an idea onto what he was thinking, but she still just looked confused.

"If it's New York were heading to wouldn't we need more than one change of clothes? Unless there's something you aren't telling me?"

"Margaret," Gregor started shaking his head,"Isn't it obvious that we aren't staying in the city. We're going below the city. Back to our other home." Margaret near fainted at the news. She was utterly shocked and stunned at the fact that Gregor even considered it. It had been years since they had been back there and she could hardly remember anything beyond giant roaches and pale skinned, purple eyed people. Gregor still had his picture and his much better memories however.

"Are you sure they'll let us back?" Margaret finally asked after several silent minutes. She had curled up with her arms wrapped around her knees. She didn't even look at Gregor when she asked. Gregor looked at her with a reassuring smile and reached over to pat her on her knee..

"Oh, I'm positive they'll let us back. I mean if they miss us as much as we miss them then there would be no reason for them to not want us back. Who knows, they may even need us for whatever reason. They always seem to need our help in some way whenever we show up."

Gregor could only hope that what he said was true. He had been thinking on a whim that morning as he had packed clothes for him and Margaret and thought back to the only other place he thought they could go. The Underland would be the best place to turn to in a time of his need, considering that he was there for them so many times all those years ago. Saving them from a plague, saving their queen, saving an entire species, and ending a war and making relative peace seemed like plenty for them to just give Margaret and him a place to live. However, Gregor had no clue what was going on there. He hadn't known anything since they moved. At least when they were still in New York he got lucky and had some minimal contact with his companions below. But in Connecticut there was no chance of that.

The two siblings rode quietly for the rest of the ride. They were each entranced in their own thoughts about their future. It was not long ride at all, only a little over an hour and a half from the quiet Connecticut town they lived in to their old home in the city that never sleeps. Gregor pulled into a parking space in front of their old apartment building. That was the first place he thought of for easy access to the Underland. However, he still wasn't exactly sure how to get down.

"Bro, how do you intend for us to get down there?" Margaret asked voicing Gregor's thoughts. He just shook his head.

"I have no clue. We could head to central park and try there or see what's goin on in the laundry room here." Neither idea was a strong one considering the chances of having a way down was next to nothing. He thought about writing a note and dropping it down the grate to see if someone would find it, but he knew that could take days. He just needed time to think. "Hey, let's just get out of these clothes and into something more comfortable before we really think about this."

Margaret agreed fully wanting to get out of the hot black skirt she was in, so Gregor grabbed the duffle bag out of the backseat of the truck and gave it to her, sending her inside to change in the visitor restrooms in the lobby. She came back out a few minutes later with a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on carrying the bag. She tossed it to Gregor who caught it and rushed inside to change. He had packed himself a light t-shirt and a pair of jeans. 85 degrees and Gregor still wore jeans as he had since he could remember. Out of the bathroom he came and back to the car he went to the waiting Margaret. She was dancing on her feet anxiously waiting for Gregor's return.

"What are you so happy about?" Gregor chuckled at his younger sister.

"I know how to get down," she chanted to him, "I know how to get down! We just gotta wait for the currents. Just like the first time we tumbled down there. They'll carry us and we won't have to worry about going splat or waiting for a flier."

Oh boy, did Gregor feel like an idiot. For having been there so many times, he still forgot about the simplest thing like the currents. If they were there, then they would just drift down and be perfectly fine at the bottom. Or close to fine as long as they didn't come across anything to unpleasant. And could find their way through the maze of tunnels there. But it was their best bet. Their only chance really.

"What are we waiting for then. Let's go see if we can catch a ride down." The two siblings waltzed into the lobby and quickly darted to the stairs to the laundry to avoid any unwanted attention. Especially because they weren't supposed to go down there because they didn't live there anymore. The laundry room was the same as they had last seen it. Rows of washers and driers stood before them like sentinels stationed for combat. The room was gloomy and had poor lighting. Dust bunnies hid between and behind the machines. The grate was right where it needed to be behind the same drier. And it had a nice surprise waiting for them. There was the telltale sign of the currents: a slight vapor was pouring out of the grating.

Gregor grabbed the grate and wrenched it from the wall, pulling it clean away. The tunnel behind was dark and descended down so far that it was impossible to see the bottom. The air was crisp and dry almost stagnant. Gregor looked at Margaret and motioned towards the grate.

"Ladies first," Gregor chuckled as Margaret ducked her head into the hole in the wall and dropped down into the darkness. Gregor waited a few seconds before he took a deep breath and plunged himself in as well. He still didn't like falling especially after Ares death. Then he had been fine knowing that someone would always be there to catch him. Now he had nobody to catch him and his fear of falling had slowly eased its way back into his conscious life over the last few years.

Gregor had forgotten how erie the fall was. The vapor had floated up all around them almost like it was cushioning their fall. However, they were still falling at an exceptional speed. Gregor's clothes were ballooned as he fell and he couldn't see more than a few feet in every direction. When he tried to scream for Margaret to see where she was his words got stuck in his throat due to the speed of the fall. Wanting to catch up with his sister Gregor moved his body around so that he was facing straight down and tucked his arms against his sides. He picked up speed zooming down like an arrow. He saw himself pass a blur which he assumed was his sister, so Gregor pushed his arms out and flipped his body around so he was falling back first again. He could barely see Margaret falling almost directly above him.

The fall was taking a long time and Gregor had forgotten just how long it could take to drop down to the underland. He thought they should be getting near the bottom due to the vapor dissappaiting just like the very first time. His clothes started to resettle on his body and he could feel a slight updraft. Then he got scared.

The land was not right below his feet. They hadn't landed yet! Slowed down they had, but yet they were still falling. Gregor looked down and saw just feet below him was the ground. He braced himself for impact.

THUD!

Gregor slammed into the ground, hard, and the wind was knocked out of him. His lower back was gonna be so sore he thought. As he struggled to regain his breath he heard a slight squeal of distress and then…

Thud!

Margaret landed square on Gregor's chest. The wind was knocked out of him again. She looked at him for a second before climbing off him..

"Sorry about that,bro." Gregor just waved her off as he clambered to his feet and started to regain his breath. He took in his surroundings with his hand resting on the back of his head.. The tunnels branched off in every direction and he had no idea which direction they were supposed to go. He looked up and studied the vent they had plummeted down. There was no vapor left in the tube. Only one reason for that.

"Looks like we got lucky," Gregor stated, "The currents ended right before we landed. If we were any later we would have been two smashed overlanders here instead." He unconsciously rubbed his sore back. Margaret was staring at him waiting for his lead. But Gregor had no lead, no plan, and no idea on which of the tunnels would lead them to the humans. If he picked wrong they could go anywhere and to anyone. People that wouldn't like them.

A noise behind Gregor, caused him to spin around and reach to his side where his sword used to be. But as he knew there was no sword there. He pushed Margaret behind him in an effort to shield her from whatever may be coming. He was ready if he had to fight.

"Who is there? I do repeat, who is there?" came a voice from the tunnel right in front of Gregor. It wasn't the biggest tunnel nor the smallest and was not one that Gregor would have chosen to go down.

"I'm just an overlander and so is my sister. Who are you?" Gregor answered in his strongest voice. If it was a human he would be safe. But if it was a rat he could be in serious trouble. He knew it wasn't a spinner or a crawler as they talked in unique ways, but both rats and humans spoke in the same way. Gregor shifted his feet around on the ground looking for a rock or anything he could use as a wepon. Nothing presented itself at the moment.

A torch light slowly crept into the open area. The human holding the torch looked over Gregor and Margaret. His eyes wandered from his chest to Gregor's face. When he looked Gregor in the eyes he jumped back in shock causing him to almost drop the torch. Gregor reached out to calm the man, but he only backed away more.

"You are no normal overlander. No you are the warrior. We were told you were never going to return to us. That we would have to make do without the aid of you. But yet you have come back. This is unheard of."

Gregor was surprised by his words. When he had left for the last time he had uncertain that he would ever come back. Luxa had known this herself. And when he sent a letter to her telling her that they were moving she most likely got the worst idea. The idea that he was forever leaving and would never come back. She probably told this to the military to keep them in their best shape and condition so they would not rely on someone that would not be coming back.

Gregor spoke then. "I was not planning on returning. Not that I did not love it here, but I was in no situation to return. And yet here I am. I have returned and this time I am in need of help from the underland. I am in need of somewhere to go and belong. If you would good sir, could you lead me and my sister back to Regalia. I would love to see it again."

The words were tactful and full of quick thought. Words to calm the stunned man and influence him to help them out. It seemed to have worked as well, because the soldier was slowly straightening up. He gestured for them to follow them. He lead them down the tunnel and around twists and turns and down forks that split two or three times. They occasionally passed other soldiers who gave them curious stares and the rare gasp of astonishment at those who recognized him. It was a long walk and Gregor had to start carrying Margaret after a while. She was tired and couldn't keep pace with both of the older men. Even Gregor was starting to tire.

Finally Gregor could see a light at the end of tunnel. A literal light from hundreds of torches burning brightly in Regalia's multipurpose Arena. It was empty except for the few men assigned to guard the entrance from the tunnel. When they saw their comrade coming they parted and let him pass along with Gregor and Margaret. The arena was mostly the same as it had always been. Stone bleachers ran up the sides and a soft moss made up the field. The massive stone doors stood opposite them, closed to bar sight of the city. The Soldier who found them sent a guard to the palace to give notice that two overlanders would be coming. He did not specify that it was Gregor and his sister, however. The man saluted and whistled twice, before a flier landed and he took off. The head of the guard there whistled again. A purple colored flier they did not know landed in front of them a few moments later.

"Welcome Overlanders," the female bat said to them not recognizing who they were, "I shall be flying you to the palace." Gregor thought it weird to be climbing onto the back of a flier again after all these long years. The bat was not as big as Ares had been and wasn't even as large as Luxa's golden bat, Aurora. But yet it had no problem carrying Gregor and Margaret who knew exactly how to ride on her.

"What is your name?" Gregor asked the bat before she took off.

"I am called Artemese, overlander," the bat replied. Gregor nodded his head and looked around as the Artemese took off from the ground and flew from the arena. Gregor was taken aback from the beauty of the city. He had seen it so many times and yet he was still stunned by the beauty of it. The smooth stones, carved so intricately and built so beautifully. It was a stunning work of architecture. And nothing was more beautiful than the royal palace which stood the tallest and had the most beautiful carvings and the smoothest walls. Gregor could see the lift that took citizens from the ground to the high hall. Or at least those that did not have fliers to carry them up. The palace loomed closer and closer as they flew over the city. Artemese slowed as she neared the palace.

The purple bat cruised into the high hall, hovered for a minute before dropping to her feet. Gregor jumped from her back thanking her for the ride and grabbing Margaret off her back. He whispered something in the bats ear which made her laugh. Gregor laughed as well. Artemese took off and flew away while Gregor turned to watch her go. As she disappeared into the cityscape, Gregor turned to look at the assembled group before him. He recognized all of them.

Vikus, still proud, stood leaning on a cane. One side of his body hung loose and weak from the stroke he had suffered all those years ago. However, he looked stronger than he had then even though his age was greater. He still looked like the homely old man that had greeted him when he first came and lead him through so many prophecies and journeys.

Mareth stood strong and straight. He was his ever jovial self with a smile on his face and a laugh just waiting to be released from his throat. Even with only one good leg, he was still a major role in the running of the Regalian army, training the men and keeping everyone as good as they could be. And he was still strong as a bear to top it all off.

Howard, the head doctor of Regalia, stood there as well in his doctor attire. He looked tired and stressed, but when had he not. Even when Gregor left, Howard had been a mess. Tired and stressed from the amount of time he was needed in the hospital. And even while he looked tired he still seemed happy. He was a good guy and had a heart for helping people and keeping things the way they were.

And on top of those three Gregor saw the best person yet. Queen Luxa stood straight in her purple silk dress. She had a band of gold around her head representing her crown. Her hair had grown out and was braided down her back. Her eyes were the same as when he left. Stern and soft and such a shade of purple that he loved them. She was just as stunning as he had imagined her being.

When the 4 underlanders saw Gregor's face they all were taken aback for a moment. No one had expected this. Vikus stumbled and had to regain his balance, Mareth just smiled more, Howard raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Luxa… well her mouth fell open and she fell to her knees in utter shock. Definitely not what Gregor had been expecting.

"Hey, guys. I'm back", Gregor said with eyes only for Luxa.

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**Yep, I did it again. Get to something interesting and then just drop a mini cliffhanger. It's kinda my thing. So guys please leave a review to tell me what you think of the story and my writing and what not. Also tell me if I made any mistakes in grammar or spelling or even just story stuff. Anything will help me do better.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back ladies and gentlemen. I have something here for you today: the next chapter! I really like this chapter even though it took me a good while to write. I'd say about maybe 8 hours to write it and a good 3 hours of revision. That usually means a good chapter is coming. It is one of my favorites that I have written of all time. No action this time, but there is plenty of little surprises and hints for coming chapters. So I hope you guys enjoy when you read and maybe you'll see some coming plot elements. :)**

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**Chapter 3**

Everything was quiet. There was not a sound from anyone in the room, the ropes of the lift weren't groaning, and the sounds of the city below seemed to be miles away. The Underlanders had eyes for Gregor and Margaret, but Gregor only had his eyes trained on one person. The most beautiful, wonderful, and amazing girl he had ever met: The queen of the Underland, Luxa, who was currently in a state of shock. She was on the floor, eyes wide and mouth open as she stared at Gregor. Gregor himself was stunned by how gorgeous she looked that he couldn't speak.

"Well somebody has to say something, so I guess it'll be me," blurted Margaret from behind Gregor. As soon as she spoke action seemed to resume. The lift started to creak and groan again and the hustle and bustle of the city streets could be heard like the sound of a busy beehive. Gregor swept his gaze across his assembled friends just in time to see Mareth striding towards him. Mareth was quite competent with his prosthetic leg now and was able to cover the ground between himself and Gregor in two sure steps. Mareth grabbed the other man in a big hug which Gregor returned. It was just as strong as it used to be, yet it was not as crushing. Gregor was bigger and stronger now himself and the hug was between two friends. They broke apart and looked each other in the eyes, both smiling big dorky smiles.

"It is good to see you again, Gregor," Mareth said.

"Just as good to see you too. It has been far too long," Gregor replied patting Mareth on the back as he turned to look at the next man approaching. Vikus, moving slow and steady, using his cane was smiling large. He looked like his old self, full of joy and pride whenever he saw Gregor. Gregor took a few steps to take the strain off the older man, who only chuckled at it.

"Oh, Gregor. You treat me like an old man." Gregor smiled at this. "It is good to see you again. It has been many years and a long time since I have seen you or any overlander, for that matter."

"To long indeed. And in that time you have seem to have grown, so much stronger than when I left," Gregor smiled as he looked into the eyes of the diplomat before him. There were tears in Vikus' eyes. Vikus quickly brushed them away and smiled at Gregor. He gestured to Gregor's left and when Gregor turned Howard was standing there.

Howard had grown taller in the time since Gregor was there. Taller and stronger, Gregor realized as he had to look up a bit to see Howard's face. Gregor was a solid 5'9, but Howard stood above 6 foot. And at this close vicinity Gregor could see the tiredness in the older man's eyes. For being only 22, Howard looked older and wiser, like a man who had lived many years longer. He also looked extremely worn out and tired. Overworked perhaps. It shocked Gregor to be honest.

"Welcome back, Gregor. It is good to see you," came the stiff, but friendly reply. Gregor realized now that Howard was more professional and more mature. He was always friendly with Gregor, but the two were never close. Not like how Gregor was close with Vikus or Mareth.

"It is good to see you as well," Gregor sprang back with some jovialness and laughter. Gregor took Howard's extended hand and they shook hands. A smile crept across Howard's face as the two men reconnected. Finally, they let go and Gregor looked for one last person. Of the four people who were there to greet him only three had approached him. Mareth and Vikus were talking with Margaret as Gregor looked over to Luxa.

She was still sitting on the ground, tears running down her pale cheeks. Gregor walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her. He lifted her chin with his fingers, using as little pressure as he could. She willingly looked him in the eyes, her face tear streaked and a small smile on her mouth. He brushed the tears from her cheeks and a bigger smile crept across his face. Gregor stood and offered her his hand. Her soft, cold hand enfolded inside Gregor's as he pulled her up ever so softly. They stood there looking each other in the eyes, both just smiling and enjoying each other's company.

"I've missed you so much, Luxa," Gregor whispered to her as they stood there. Luxa smiled and stepped towards Gregor and punched him in the chest. Gregor was shocked by her sudden turn to violence and anger. However, Luxa was still smiling and tears still crept down her cheeks.

"You stupid boy," Luxa whispered back, "You couldn't even send a note to tell us you were coming back." She hit him again as he started to smile. When he started to laugh she hit him again, but he just kept laughing. Even she started to chuckle a little bit then.

"I didn't have a lot of time to send a note. I just had to hope you would want me to come back and I didn't kill myself getting down her." Luxa shot Gregor a curious look and Gregor shook his head. "It's a long story. Sad and long," Gregor said lowering his head,"It's not a story for now. I'll tell everyone later."

"Don't worry, Gregor," a quiet voice came from behind the two. "Your sister told us everything. We are very sorry for your loss. A very sad and terrible time for the two of you. You are always welcome here."

Vikus had walked up behind Gregor and Luxa, cheeks wet with tears. Gregor looked at Margaret and mouthed thank you to her. He had not wanted to talk much about his family's deaths even to those he loved. It was a major challenge for him to ever talk about the death of a loved one. He would tell Luxa though. She needed to know as well as anyone. Luxa walked with him to a small sitting area off to the side of the room where he sat her down. He looked her in the eyes. Her purple irises looked back into his showing concern and worry.

"This is hard, so i'll just start at eh beginning. Before me and Margaret came back down here, there was an accident and my mom, dad, and Lizzie died." Luxa's mouth dropped open before she grabbed Gregor into her arms. She held him for several moments, just to let him know she was there. When she let him go she saw that he had not cried. He was strong enough to not cry anymore. Gregor sat back and started to explain the entire incident to her. Luxa was quiet except when she needed to ask him a question about what a car was or how things worked.

"That is terrible, Gregor. I am so sorry for your loss. Not just your parents, but your wonderful sister as well. It is so tragic." Gregor just nodded his head a few times before looking around the hall. There was nobody left except for him and Luxa. Vikus, Mareth and Howard had all left to go about their days and Margaret must have gone to bathe.

"When did your sister start going by her given name, Gregor?" Luxa asked him suddenly. It was a surprise to Gregor who had been sitting quiet, contemplating.

"A few years ago. She felt that Boots made her seem to childish, but she also won't go by anything else. Margaret is the only thing she'll go by now." Luxa nodded in understanding, "I'm guessing I should go bathe and get out of these clothes. Anything special going on I need to know about?"

"No, Gregor. Once you bathe, we shall eat and then you shall be given a room same as Boots- I mean Margaret. It shall be quite befitting for you I think." Gregor nodded before the two embraced and parted ways. Gregor walked away not even a few feet before he turned around and watched Luxa walk away. He just had to say one more thing to her before she had gone to far.

"Lux," Gregor called across the empty hall. Luxa spun around and looked at him. "I love you so much," Gregor continued.

Luxa paused, contemplating her response. "I love you as well, Gregor. More than you know," Luxa replied before she spun on heel and walked gracefully around a corner. Gregor was happy, but also confused at Luxa's pause. Perhaps she was just surprised at what he had said. "Yea that's totally what it is," Gregor thought. He pumped his fist a few times before taking off towards the way to the bath..

Gregor worked his way through the palace and after being gone for so long he was slightly lost. He passed dozens of doors and hallways that lead deeper into the huge palace. To places he hadn't ever had time to really explore. As he turned a corner he heard the slight sound of running water ahead of him and he hurried towards the sound. That was the easiest way to find a bath. After a few more hallways and a flight of stairs, he saw the entrance to the bath and walked inside, going to the men's side on his right. The 'locker room' had not changed. The stone benches and empty cavities were the same as they had always been.

Slowly slipping out of his slightly sweaty clothes, Gregor began to relax. He picked up his clothes and laid them out on the bench. He kicked off his worn out sneakers and placed them next to his clothes. Even though, his clothes were going to be burned, Gregor still wanted to be neat. He walked into the bath and stepped down into the running water. He sat on the bench and let the steaming water rush past him. The heat was soothing on his body. He hadn't even realized how tense his body had been. The running water eased the knots out of his back and loosened his stiff neck. He ducked his head under the water and grabbed some of the underland shampoo from a bowl next to the bath. It smelled wonderful and he lathered it all over his body. He washed every inch of himself including in his ears and between his toes. Content with his wash, Gregor Leaned back, closed his eyes and nodded off.

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Water lapped into Gregor's nose and he shot awake. He coughed a few times as the warm water ran down the back of his throat bringing mucous with it. How long had he been asleep? Not knowing the answer, Gregor hopped up and out the water grabbing a towel from the hook on the wall. He quickly dried off his hair and body before waltzing into the changing room. Laying out for him were a nice smoky purple set of clothes. Gregor slid the soft clothes on and slid his feet into the straw sandals that were on the floor.

The hallway was empty when Gregor left the bath. He turned and headed back the way he came, going back up to the high hall where the dining room was. On his way he passed several servants who, after he passed, would start chatting very excitedly about him. However, he never caught much of what they said except for his name or Luxa's name. The way they were acting seemed just a little odd to Gregor, but what did he really know? He hadn't been here for years and he didn't even know what had happened since he left.

The dining room was sparsely populated and there was very little activity when Gregor walked in. Luxa was standing with Vikus and Margaret was talking with Hazard in silent tones.

"Hey guys. Sorry if I'm late. Kinda fell asleep in the bath," Gregor said breaking the silence. Hazard looked up with red puffy eyes and ran over to Gregor. The 13 year old grabbed the older and taller boy in a embrace. Gregor patted him on the back and returned the hug. Margaret must have told him about Lizzie's death which would really have hit the halflander hard. Lizzie and Hazard had grown rather close in the time that she had been in the Underland. Gregor let go of him and looked around the room. The other three people were looking at the two boys and the silence grew longer and longer. Gregor decided to break the silence yet again.

"I hope I'm not the only one that's starving."

"Of course not, Gregor," Vikus responded motioning towards the table,"Let us sit and enjoy ourselves." Luxa went and sat first as customary of her position. As soon as she was seated, everyone else took their seats. Gregor was seated to Luxa's right, next to Margaret. Vikus sat across the table from Gregor and Hazard across from Margaret. Servants carried food in. The meal consisted of baked fish, several types of mushrooms, other vegetables, and bread. Jugs of water were placed along the table. Gregor truly loved the food here and everytime he ate it he felt energized.

"Gregor, I am certain you have been wondering what has happened here since you left," Vikus said after the servants had left. Gregor could only nod as he had already stuffed his mouth with food. Neither he nor Margaret had eaten much that day, before the funeral or after. Luxa looked between the two with a crease on her brow, her food barely touched yet.

"Truly, the Underland has been quite peaceful after your efforts in the war of time," Vikus continued,"We have been in peace with the gnawers and all other species for many years with only slight border disputes on occasion. We supply the gnawers with supplies and they assist us with other tasks. It has been a wonderful alliance brokered between Luxa and Ripred and kept that way ever since. Ripred has been informed of your arrival by now, I am hoping. Maybe he will be here tomorrow even."

That news perked Gregor's attention. He had been wondering where that rat had been. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to see him though, but it was inevitable that it would happen sometime. Might as well get it over with sooner rather than later.

Vikus continued yet again,"Here in Regalia things have been quite well, also. We have grown our population and the city has expanded even. We have constructed a new portion of the city to the west and increased agricultural area and usage of lighting. All of this brought on in recent years by our Queen." Vikus shifted his gaze to his granddaughter who blushed from head to toe. Gregor looked at her with pride in his eyes. She had been doing a great job as queen he could see.

"And of course as Queen, Luxa needs to marry a suitable man to become King," Vikus said with some tentativeness," She has had several choices so far which she has all denied."

Luxa shot daggers towards her grandfather, as Gregor looked between the two in shock. He had figures she would have to marry someone. All royalty did. But to have been shown men like they were prized cattle was weird to Gregor.

"Her Uncle York is bringing a man from the Fount in the coming days for Luxa to meet as well."

Gregor choked on the fish he had just put in his mouth. He pounded against his chest a few times until he coughed it up. With that he excused himself from the table and walked calmly out into the hall where he sat down on a couch. His head fell into his hands as he mind started to race. She would have to marry a underlander it seemed. That makes the most sense. she doesn't even have to know them or love them. It is a political marriage perhaps or maybe just tradition. "Who Knows," Gregor thought," I guess loving her means nothing, when shes gonna have a courter here in just a few days."

"Gregor," called a soft voice from behind him. Luxa stood behind him, looking nervously at him. Gregor patted the couch next to him and she glided over to him and sat down putting her arms around him. They sat like that for minutes before Gregor abruptly stood up and started to pace.

"Why didn't you tell me, Luxa?" It was such a simple question

"It had not come up yet. And I did not want to worry you with it. It does not matter to me who they ask for me to marry. I will choose none of them as long as you are here," Luxa said. She locked eyes with Gregor, who stopped pacing and held her gaze. The two stood there in the empty hall just staring at each other like that for what seemed like an eternity.

The couch beckoned him over and Gregor sat down on it testing it out like sticking your foot in a pool to test the temperature. Luxa leaned over into him and laid her head on his shoulder. Gregor reached over and brushed her hair out of her face. Purple irises looked into Gregor's face and he smiled. Luxa had been telling the truth as he knew she had. This just proved it to him. She would never love another man, never marry another man, probably never touch another man. Her eyes told the story for Gregor to read.

Their fingers intertwined as they sat there. Gregor stroked her cheek with his free hand and Luxa snuggled against his shoulder more. It was a lovely sight to anyone who walked by, however neither Gregor not Luxa noticed any of them. An army could have stormed through the hall and neither of them would have lifted a finger to do anything.

"Can we stay like this forever?" Gregor asked Luxa.

"If only it were so, but I have regal obligations to attend to on the morrow," Luxa replied as she sat up. She tried to stand but Gregor grabbed her hand. She spun around to look at him, and instead was pulled into a kiss. The two stood there kissing for the longest time. They came up for air only to dive back in again.

They finally broke apart and Luxa looked at Gregor's face. She planted one more kiss on his cheek as she headed off for her royal apartments. Gregor stood and watched as she walked away from him. He would stand there all day if he could as long as it meant he would get to see her. It was the perfect reunion for Gregor. Back to the city he loved, to the people he loved, and the woman he loved. It was more amazing than Gregor could imagine.

In his thoughts, Gregor hadn't seen where he had walked and he was now utterly lost. He didn't even know where his room was. Wandering the halls would have lead to a strange night and Gregor figured he would need some rest. I mean if Ripred was gonna show up the next day that would mean training and more training and with the way that crazy rat worked people Gregor would need as much energy as he could muster. The halls were empty beyond the castles servants. Many moved from room to room cleaning or changing bedding. It was a late night thing to in the palace, so they could do other jobs during the day hours Gregor tried to ask one if they knew where his room was, but they nearly fainted because he talked to them.

Gregor finally found his way back to the high hall and looked to the balcony. Mareth was standing there alone, looking out over the city. Gregor walked over to him making as much noise as he could so as to not surprise his friend. Right before Gregor was next to him, Mareth turned and looked at Gregor. He beckoned him over to look with him.

"It is late Gregor and yet you are still waking. Why may I ask?"

"I couldn't find my room, mostly," Gregor replied before asking a question himself,"Why are you still awake, Mareth?" Mareth looked at him with friendly eyes. Tired eyes even.

"Isn't the city beautiful at night?," Mareth asked evading the question. Nodding, Gregor looked over the mosaic that the city became when looked at from such a height. The street paved in shimmering multi colored stones looked like a masterful piece of art. Art that had taken generations to fuss over and complete. The minimal torch light caused the picture to blur and shift as the light flickered. It was the most beautiful thing Gregor had ever seen.

"Let me show you to your room," Mareth said bringing Gregor back to reality,"It is the least a friend can do." Gregor didn't question it not the fact that Mareth had avoided his original question. If he wanted to answer he would, and Gregor would give him the time he needed. It was the least a friend could do.

It was a short walk to Gregor's room and Gregor realized he walked past this spot several times in his wandering. He drifted through the thick curtain that served as a door and took in his surroundings. The room was nice enough for what it was. A stone bed with layers of comfortable blankets was in the corner, several chairs and a low table for sitting, and a bureau sat against the wall. It had a basin with water and a shined piece of metal for a mirror. Seeing this, Gregor washed his face and looked in the mirror. He was gonna need to shave soon he saw, but had no razor. He figured he would ask Vikus about that in the morning. He splashed some more water on his face before taking off his shirt and pants and climbing into bed. It had been a long, long day and Gregor needed to sleep. Badly. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep.

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**So what did you guys think. There's a lot of fluff stuff here and lots of good lead ins to the next few chapters. Leave me your ideas and what you might wanna see me do with character relations and stuff because those aren't set in stone yet. Also tell me what you think of the story in general guys. Reviews are highly beloved because they help me make the story better and make myself a better writer for you guys the readers. So guys go and REVIEW! Haha. Anyway, I'll see you guys next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome back yet again guys. I'm loving the responses I'm getting on just the first 3 chapters already. With 291 views on the story in 6 days, I have a feeling this is gonna be quite popular. So Thanks Guys! Anyway, were back with chapter 4 and boy this one is a long one. Over 5,500 words, it's the longest things I've ever written. And this chapter has action in it. Good action at that. So read up guys.**

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**Chapter 4**

Gregor's eyes shot open at the noise in his room. He didn't know what time it was or if day had even started. The room was dark, but that didn't concern Gregor. With a quick click of his tongue he could see the entire room. The bureau was the same, but something was different about the chairs and table. They had been skittered around and something large sat opposite the table and was looking right at Gregor.

"Hello, Ripred. Nice of you to drop by," Gregor murmured sarcastically as he slowly sat up. "What time is it by the way?"

"It would be about 5 in the morning in the Overland," Ripred snapped back, "Late enough as it is anyway. We have a busy day today, you see." Gregor shook his head as he grabbed the clean clothes that sat next to his bed. These were black and comfy and perfect for a bit of exercising.

"What's on the schedule today, then?" Gregor asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"A bit of this and a bit of that," Ripred replied with a bit of smile and a chuckle. "You seem to be quite proficient at your echolocation and your sleeping too. I snuck in here without you even noticing. You only woke up when I knocked over that chair."

Gregor saw the chair laying on the floor and realized that it was what had woken him. God he felt dumb. If Ripred hadn't been clumsy he would never had known he was there. But what was there that he could do about it? He picked the stone chair back up and placed it back next to the table, before he walked out of the room. He heard Ripred slither out after him and speed up to catch him. Gregor didn't even look at the rat as he walked calmly back up to the high hall. He wasn't sure if anyone else would be there, but it was the first place he thought to go.

"What brought you back, boy?" Ripred asked suddenly, making Gregor jump. It wasn't witty or sarcastic, but an honest to goodness question from Ripred. A curious one at that.

"I'm surprised Vikus didn't-," Gregor started before Ripred cut him off.

"I haven't seen Vikus. I haven't seen anyone but you. You were the first stop," Ripred said as serious as could be. "I knew only something serious would bring you back, after you moved away. My little fellows up above kept some tabs on you, but they aren't everywhere. So, tell me why you came back." There was some desperation in his voice. Almost sadness.

"Well, me and Margaret had nowhere else to go. With the rest of my family dead-," Gregor was interrupted again by a quick bark of sadness from Ripred. Before he knew what was happening, Gregor was pinned to the wall by Ripred's tail. He was face to face with the snarling rat whose sharp teeth were bared at him.

"How did they die?" he snarled at Gregor. Gregor put his hands up in innocence. He realized that Ripred thought he was involved in some way, which was reasonable. Being a rager was tough and it was possible that he had lost himself one day and killed everybody. It was also tough as Lizzie and Ripred had been exceptionally close. Almost like a rat and his pup.

"They died in a car accident, Ripred. I had nothing to do with it."

Ripred let Gregor go and ran back down the hall, around a corner and was gone. Gregor knew he was hurt, but at that moment it was of little concern to him. He rubbed his sore chest and then remembered how sore his back was. "Haven't fought anything yet and yet I'm sore as if I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson," Gregor thought.

His feet carried him to the high hall and the dining room. The sound of conversation surprised Gregor. He looked in and saw Vikus, Hazard, and York talking. Another man sat by himself at the other end of the table. He was quiet and seemed to be very to himself, as he sat looking at the table.

York looked up as Gregor walked into the room. A smile graced the huge man's face and he clapped a few booming claps. "Welcome, Overlander. It is good to see you again, haha." York stuck out a hand the size of a small trashcan lid and took Gregor's in it. His hand vanished for a few seconds when the two shook hands. As soon as Gregor had his hand back, he shook it to get feeling back in it. "There's something else to add to the list of sore stuff," Gregor thought as he sat down next to Hazard.

"Morning, Gregor," Hazard said very happy. The young teenager was a ball of excitement.

"Hey, Hazard. What are you so happy about?" Gregor chuckled, slightly curious. He watched as Hazard glanced at the man at the end of the table and then back to Gregor.

"I am very happy that I do not have lessons today. I get to go to the arena and watch Eisen perform." Gregor had no clue who Eisen was, but he assumed it was the man at the end of the table. But what was he going to be performing. Was he like a singer or a dancer? Maybe he was some kind of celebrity.

"Gregor, I would like you to meet Eisen," Vikus said from across the table. That answered Gregor's question as he stood up to shake the other man's hand. He looked at him and realized that he was the pinnacle of good shape. Tall and strong armed, he had the presence of a warrior and of a good one at that. While not as big as York he was still much bigger than Gregor. And his voice was like music.

"Hello, Gregor the Overlander, the warrior of prophecy. It is honor to meet you and to shake your hand." Eisen spoke in a soft, strong voice. It was like the voice of Morgan Freeman: unforgettable.

"The pleasure is all mine," Gregor replied. The two men let the others hand go and they returned to their respective seats. Gregor looked around the room and the eyes that were watching him. Vikus and York looked at him, studying his face and actions. Hazard looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what.

York finally spoke up. "Eisen is one of our finest warriors. He is skilled in all forms of attack and defense with many weapons. And he is also one of the best performers here. He sings quite well." Gregor was impressed. A warrior and a singer seemed to be quite the combo especially for getting the ladies. Thats when Gregor remembered what Vikus had said the night before. York was bringing a new courter for Luxa.

Gregor looked between Eisen and Vikus. This could go very bad very fast. York was talking again, but Gregor wasn't listening. He was looking at Vikus now, his eyes boring holes into the old man. Vikus nodded at Gregor and excused himself from the room. Gregor quickly followed.

The hall outside was empty. Gregor doubted there were many people actually awake at this time. Nobody important anyway. Vikus slowly sat in a chair and gestured for Gregor to sit across from him.

"Gregor, I want you to know something," Vikus began,"Eisen is here for multiple reasons. One of them is his urge to court Luxa, but that isn't his main reason for being here. His main reason is his appointment as our new second in command of the army. Perdita currently is our head of the army. He decided that because of his new position he was worthy of courting our queen. And he has every right to. But that does not mean anything. Luxa has the choice on who she marries and who she does not. You have no need to worry yourself over this."

Gregor sat and looked into the elders eyes. He saw truth and wisdom, pain and sorrow, and trust. Gregor sat back in the chair and closed his eyes. He knew that Vikus approved of him and Luxa's relationship, but he wasn't sure about anyone else.

"So, Eisen is doing some kinda performance today? Hazard told me."

"Yes, indeed he is. He will be doing a weapons performance today at training as well as sparring with Regalia's top sword," Vikus confirmed.

"Can't forget Ripred is gonna want to get some action," Gregor said. Vikus looked at the younger man in surprise. "Ripred arrived this morning and visited me. He ran off after I told him why I came back."

Vikus sat quietly for some time. "Indeed. Ripred will want to spar with him. It would be best if Eisen was told beforehand. I will go and tell him of Ripred's arrival. You should come back and eat up. I'm sure Luxa will be coming for breakfast in a short time. The old man slowly and with much effort climbed out of the chair and walked back into the dining hall. Gregor sat and watched as the diplomat disappeared through the open doorway.

Not long after, Gregor heard footsteps to his left. He looked up and saw Luxa coming towards him. She was dressed in a purple silk pair of clothes very similar to the ones he wore. Gregor popped out of the chair and waited for her to come to him.

"Morning Luxa," Gregor said. He gave her his arm and she peeked him on the cheek before looping her arm through his. The two walked the short distance to the dining room arm in arm.

Food was lined along the table now and Gregor was pleased by the shocked look on Eisen's face. The look was replaced quickly by one of contempt. The two men locked eyes, both not gonna let the other stare longer. Luxa noticed and released Gregor's arm. Eisen quickly broke eye contact and walked over to Luxa.

"Your Grace," he said as he bowed very low to her," I am Eisen. I have been told of your beauty, but the words do not at all describe your true beauty." Eisen smiled at her as he pulled her chair out for her. Luxa sat and allowed him to push her chair in for her. As soon as he turned away she rolled her eyes so only Gregor could see. A smile broke out across his face.

Eisen resumed his previous seat as Gregor sat down next to Luxa. Everyone else filled in the table. Vikus sat on Lux'a other side across from Gregor, York sat next to Vikus, and Hazard sat next to Gregor. Margaret was still asleep and Ripred was who knows where.

"Uncle it is a pleasure to see you again," Luxa said to York after she had grabbed some food from the dishes in front of her. Gregor was well on his way through some toast and butter and what he assumed was some kind of potato. There was some kind of juice as well that he found to be quite delicious.

"It is nice to see you as well, Luxa," York said after a moment of chewing. Then it was silent beyond the sound of forks and knives and chewing. It seemed everyone was deep in their own thoughts. Gregor was a little excited actually. For not having held a sword in 6 years, he had to be just a bit rusty. He had continued his usual fighting at the gym, practicing his speed and agility as well as keeping his arms in great shape. He knew he would feel good going back to having a sword in his hand. Hell, maybe even two swords if he wanted to be fancy.

The feeling of someone watching him was very strong. He looked up from his food and glanced down the table. Eisen's eyes were boring into Gregor as if looking through him and to the wall. There was no food on his plate, so there was no reason for him to even need to divert his stare. Gregor just looked back at his food and didn't even acknowledge him.

Everyone was finished eating before Luxa stood up. The room followed suit and each person left to go about their own business. Gregor walked towards Luxa, but was beaten to her by Eisen. "Boy this guy is gonna get on my nerves," Gregor thought as he followed the two from the room. Luxa looked back and mouthed sorry to him. Gregor waved her off and let the two go. It would only be more trouble than it was worth to try to stop them.

The high hall was now full of fliers and riders. Most of them were guards and other attendees going about their business or returning to their homes after a night of working. Gregor looked for a flier to take him to the arena for training. He spotted a dull purple one among the other colors of blacks, grays, and yellows. He darted through the crowd until he was right next to him.

"Hello, Artemese. Would you mind giving me a lift to the arena?" Gregor asked the bat. Artemese turned and looked at Gregor. A sort of smile ran across his bat face.

"Of course, Warrior. It would be an honor. And it helps that I am going there myself. I have my own training to do." Gregor thanked him before climbing up onto his back. The two took off and followed the flow of bats leaving the high hall. Many of them streamed towards the arena. Gregor saw Luxa and Aurora just up ahead, followed closely by Eisen and his flier. "That guy is really relentless," Gregor thought shaking his head. He was sitting criss cross on the back of Artemese trusting the bat to not drop him.

The ride was short and as they entered the arena Artemese darted for the ground. A few feet from it Gregor hopped off and landed perfectly. Artemese zoomed back up and mixed in with the other fliers.

The field of the arena was set up with everything needed for a good training session. There were plenty of practice dummies, lots of space for spars and basic training, and of course the blood ball cannons. Gregor then realized one problem. He didn't have a sword. He looked around for a weapons rack or something, yet there wasn't one anywhere. People were giving Gregor weird looks as he was the only person without a weapon. What kinda warrior was he to not bring a sword? Eisen was eyeing him with a sneer of victory across his face. You can't train without a weapon.

Shuffling his feet. Gregor started to walk towards the stands. What else was he to do? He could beat the dummies to a pulp and break blood balls with his hands. That would be a show!

"Gregor," a familiar voice rang from behind him. Mareth was walking to him with a scabbard in his hands. A sigh of relief left him as he walked back towards his friend. "I saw you leave without a sword, so I went to the armory and found one that I think will meet your standards."

Gregor took the scabbard and strapped it to his belt. He withdrew the blade and

reveled in the sound of metal on leather. The sword was a regular sword. Long blade and simple binded handle with a regular crossbar. It was nothing fancy and yet it felt great in Gregor's hand. It wasn't to heavy and was remarkably balanced. When he swung it, it whistled and cleaved through the air. It was perfect.

"Thanks, Mareth. You're a life saver," Gregor said as he sprinted to join Luxa and her group. Mareth shook his head as he went to teach his group comprised of the younger underlanders.

Gregor made it just in time before anything to important began. It was time to stretch and loosen up before training truly began. He sat on the mossy ground and did his usual stretches. He was a naturally limber guy and was able to stretch very well. The group was stationed near a group of dummies. Each person took turns showing off their own fancy moves. Eisen was a blur of twists and spins and jumps, his sword a dancing blur as it sliced into the stuffed bag that was the dummy. When there was nothing left of it he set up for the next guy and waltzed back lookin all high and mighty. Gregor had to admit that the guy was a natural swordsman and was highly talented. And he was a showoff.

"Beat that," Eisen whispered in Gregor's ear.

Gregor was the last to go, right after Eisen went. He wasn't prone to fancy maneuvers and had no idea what he would do to even try to top Eisen.. He looked around the arena for some kind of inspiration. He felt the eyes of his group watching him .Even Luxa was waiting. Then he saw it. A young boy was flipping off his flier and attacking another dummy. That's when Gregor knew what he would do.

He drew his sword, flipped it once, caught it and ran at a sprint towards the dummy. He shoved the spear into the chest area and forced his legs up and over. The dummy pulled out of the stand still attached to Gregor's sword. Gregor flipped over the dummy, dragging it with him. As his feet hit the ground, the dummy flipped over with the rest of his body, and slammed into the ground. Gregor slid the blade out through the shoulder. It had taken all but a few seconds and yet he had eyes on him from all over the arena. He sheathed his sword and bowed once for the crowd. It was quiet until one man started to cheer, then everyone started to cheer and clap for him.

"Beat that," Gregor said to Eisen as he walked back. Eisen looked like he was gonna blow steam from his ears if that was possible. It made Gregor feel good to show him up like that. It felt good to see the jerk get what he deserved. Luxa was walking over to him, but she didn't seem happy. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side.

"What is between you and Eisen. He is a nice guy and yet you two seem to be acting like little children," Luxa snapped at him. Gregor was taken aback by Luxa's scolding. He had just been doing what felt right and hadn't even thought about how it looked.

"I'm sorry, Luxa. It was just a bit of friendly competition. I'll stop. I promise."

"Good," Luxa said before she walked off and left Gregor standing there dumbfounded. He hadn't even started it. Eisen was the one who was always eyeing him and challenging him. It wasn't fair, but what could he do. The group had already moved on to the blood ball cannons. The first guy who went hit only 5 and the next didn't do any better hitting only 4. Then Luxa stepped up. She was elegant with her slimmer sword and her hair braided down her back to keep it out of her face. The cannons started firing and seconds later 8 shells laid on the ground. Luxa was proud of herself as she walked back towards the group. She got congratulations from everyone. 8 was a very good number to hit.

"Good job, Luxa," Gregor said at the same time as Eisen said,"Good job, your grace." The two men locked eyes again and Luxa could only roll her eyes. Eisen unsheathed his sword and stepped up the arc of cannons. He signaled and the cannons started to fire. After seconds 11 shells laid on the ground. A very impressive score. Gregor was so impressed he clapped Eisen on the back as he walked by and gave him his congratulations. No wonder he was one of the best fighters in the Underland. However, Gregor was the best. Or at least top 2. He wasn't sure how he stacked up to Ripred.

The cannons were before him as he drew his sword. The plain blade reflected the light of the torches as Gregor took his position. He nodded and he saw the cannons start to shoot. His mind started to cloud as all he saw was the balls. One to his left, one in front, one to his right. He could hear the sound of the balls and see the men around him as they sat quiet and in anticipation. It was over so fast Gregor forgot just how fast it went. His rager side shut off right away and he was proud to see all 15 balls laying split on the ground. He flicked the sword to clean some of the red liquid off it before he slid it into the sheath.

The look on Eisen's face was near priceless, Gregor saw as he turned around. Eisen's jaw was hanging open and he watched as the overlander walked back into the group, getting clapped on the back from each person.

"How did you do that?" Eisen finally spoke up. Gregor looked at him a little surprised. He thought everyone knew.

"I'm a rager. Didn't you know that?" Gregor asked him, actually curious about him.

"No, I was young during the War of Time. Only 12 years old."

Gregor shook his head. "I was only 12 during the war as well." Then he walked away to join the rest of the group. He was done training for the day. Any rust he thought he was going to have was gone if it ever existed. Eisen stayed where he was contemplating what he had just heard. He was alone on the field after a while. The dummies and cannons had been cleared out and replaced with an assortment of other weapons and new armored dummies. The stands of the Arena were filled.

Gregor and most of the trainees sat against the wall. All except for Luxa who had gone up to the royal box, where she had changed and now sat with Vikus and Hazard. Eisen turned and looked at the people assembled before him. He was joined on the field by a man Gregor had never seen before. The two men stood there for a few moments discussing something, before Eisen addressed the audience.

"People of Regalia, I am honored to be here today to show off my most exemplary skills with the weapons I have assembled here. We have the war axe, Longsword, battle hammer, spear and shield, and lance." Eisen picked up each weapon and showed it to the crowd. He then continued by showing off his best moves on the armored dummies. He was strong as his swings and stabs went clean through armor. With each flashy move and crushed chest plate the crowd cheered. Everyone except Gregor. He could do the same thing with less flash but with more precision. Fighting was about lethality not how flashy you could be before the opponent was dead.

Gregor was surprised by Eisen's abilities with a spear though. He was able to use it like a pole to vault over the dummies and was very quick with it as both a stabbing and cutting weapon. He used it in ways he had never seen or thought of. It whirled around like a death saw, cutting into dummy after dummy. And Gregor doubted anything could touch him with the tower shield he had on his left arm. It was a very intense scene.

Eisen was dripping with sweat when he planted the spear into the ground. The shield slid off his arm and fell to the turf. Servants ran out with water and wet towels to cool him off and help him get some fluids back in his body. He still had two fights before the day was over, and he was gonna need as much energy as he could muster for them. The other man on the field took up his sword and inspected it for any problems before doing the same with Eisen's. Gregor figured that he would be the man Eisen was fighting in his first spar. What had Vikus called him? The top sword. He must be the best fighter in Regalia to have the title of top sword.

Eisen was plenty replenished when he walked over to the top sword. He shook his hand and said some words to him. He then took his sword.

"People of Regalia," Eisen started, the crowd silencing to let him speak," it is my honor to bring to you a spar between myself and your top sword, Roderick. It hope it is entertaining for you." The crowd erupted in cheers as the two men walked to the center of the field. They bowed to each other before getting into their ready positions.

Gregor was curious to see how Eisen actually fought against a true opponent. He was flashy against a dummy, but would he do the same against a real foe? He soon got his answer.

Eisen and Roderick circled each other looking for weak spots and feinting in to see if they could get the other to attack. Then, quick as lightning, Eisen jumped towards Roderick, his sword flashing down in blur. The clang of metal on metal filled the arena as the swords collided. Both men were gripping their swords two handed as they pushed back against the other. It was a clash that lasted for seconds as they fought for ground. Finally, Eisen spun out, but he did not go easy. He swung his sword behind him as he spun hoping to get an easy blow in. It was easily blocked by Roderick's blade, however.

Roderick followed on the offensive, swinging a side handed strike in which was blocked. the two men traded blow after blow, the swords clashing each time. Eisen was spinning this way and that swinging his sword in intricate arcs. It was a dance out there. The dance of death. The two men broke apart for a quick respite both breathing heavy. They were a good match for each other. Eisen then suddenly charged right at Roderick and knocked him off his feet. Roderick put his sword up and blocked a down slash from Eisen, before he rolled over and jumped to his feet. However, he was met with a sword at his throat.

The crowd again erupted in cheers for Eisen, and this time even Gregor cheered. It had been a well fought fight and well executed plan by Eisen. Gregor felt that the man was something else. He was skilled and quick. Quicker than he had ever seen a normal person move. He had only seen Ripred move as fast.

"Good fight, boys," came a snarl from the great stone doors. A gray shape moved towards the men on the field. Ripred had arrived. "Roderick, you put up a good fight, but it seems that Eisen is better. But I wonder how he can do against me?" The crowd went nuts at this. Spars were rare especially one between someone like Ripred and someone who could last longer than a second against him.

Eisen, drinking from a cup of water and grabbing another sword, looked at Ripred with challenging eyes. Ripred was bigger and faster than him, but yet he couldn't say no.

"Your challenge is accepted, Ripred. Shall we?" Eisen said gesturing towards the center of the field as if he wasn't even tired. He had amazing stamina.

Ripred bared his teeth as he waltzed into the very center of the arena. Everyone was quiet except for the snarls of Ripred. the two circled each other. Eisen darted towards Ripred and as he tried to dart back he meet Ripred's tail. It slammed into his back , knocking him onto his kneews. Gregor knew it was over from there.

Eisen stood only to be face to face with Ripred's bared teeth. He hopped back and rolled to his left to escape Ripred's tail. Or so he thought. As he popped to his feet, something slapped his hand and his sword flew away to land point down in the moss about 15 feet away. It was over just like that. Not even half a minute had passed and Eisen had already lost.

Ripred looked around the arena. It had stayed silent. Everyone was shocked at how quickly Eisen had lost. They thought someone as skilled as him would be able to do something against the rat. However, Gregor knew that it took a rager to beat Ripred. And a good one at that. Eisen never stood a chance.

"Would you lot like to see a real fight?" Ripred barked to the crowd. He was met with a cacophony of sound that he took for a yes. "Gregor, get your butt up here."

Gregor knew this was coming. It was inevitable that he would have to spar with Ripred. He just figured it would be in front of less people. If it was during training it would have been in front of a hundred maybe two hundred people and just as many fliers. Now there was near 1000 people and maybe 400 fliers in the arena. A lot of people for Gregor to fight in front of. But he couldn't turn down Ripred.

He jumped to his feet and sprinted to the center of the field. the crowd was a boiling pot of mutters and laughs. Bets were placed on this spar. This was the fight of the day. Hell it was the fight of the last 6 years. There wasn't a match better than one between two ragers.

Gregor got comfortable and let his sword hang loose. He would be ready when it was needed. He picked the point up maybe 6 inches off the ground as he and Ripred started to circle each other. Ripred made the first move this time. An aggressive move. He pounced towards Gregor teeth bared, ready to bite Gregor's head off. Gregor rolled between Ripred's legs and brought his sword up to meet the lightning fast kick from Ripred's back paw. It happened so fast nobody saw what happened. Gregor popped up to his feet to see Ripred's tail coming at him from his right. He ducked the blow with speed only a rager could have and Charged forward towards Ripred. His sword crashed against claw as he brought it down. He sensed Ripred's tail swing from his left. Before he knew it his free hand had shot up and grabbed the pink tail and held on.

Ripred was shocked and he let out a snarl. Gregor pulled his sword back and spun away letting Ripred's tail go. Before he even turned around he sensed the whip like tail cracking down from above him. He jumped forward until he heard the thud of it against the turf. He stepped back and put his foot right on Ripred's tail and blocked the claws that came flying towards his face. They clashed there, holding each other back and Ripred couldn't use his tail. Gregor swung his free foot up right as Ripred yanked his tail out from under Gregor's foot. Gregor's foot collided with the rats leg and as he fell back he flipped his body over so he landed on his feet.

Ripred was stunned by the move and darted toward Gregor again. Gregor side stepped and ducked under Ripred's tail again. He popped up and spun his sword around, stoppin it right as it made contact with the back of Ripred's head. Had he kept the swing going Ripred would have only half a head. Ripred lowered his paws and Gregor lowered his sword. As the crowd broke out into frenzied cheers. Nobody had ever bested the rat and it had been done. Gregor stood and absorbed the cheers.

"Good job, boy," Ripred said to him. "You're the first and last person to ever beat me in a spar. And just so you know, you only won cuz I'm old not young like you." Gregor shook his head in astonishment at how the rat's excuse. and looked at the crowd. His eyes drifted to the royal box where the loudest cheers came from. He saw Luxa and Vikus, along with Hazard and his sister cheering for him with all their might.

And then the cheering stopped.

"I challenge the Overlander!" cried Eisen from mere feet away.

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**I love this chapter so much. What did you guys think? Especially with a few new characters that are going to have a decent sized role in the plot. The story is going deeper already and I'm pumped for writing the next chapter. So drop them Reviews guys. Tell me anything and everything that comes to mind. Tell me what you thinks gonna happen next. Everything helps. Thanks and have a nice day.  
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	5. Chapter 5

**I am back again fellas. And I have brought with me chapter 5. I'm so happy with the reactions I have had from the reviews. Lots of views as well. I want to shout out to Tytonic, Coleman321, and Skiaholic for their great reviews that are actually quite helpful. Thanks to you fellas for the help and the reviews. Now back to the chapter at hand. Left you with a bit of cliffhanger at the end and this chapter takes it and continues it. I hope you guys enjoy it! **

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**Chapter 5**

Gregor was shocked into silence. He hadn't expected Eisen to want to fight anyone after he lost to Ripred. Let alone someone who beat the rat. And on top of that Gregor wasn't in the mood to fight him. They had only met this morning and already were forming a rivalry. A pointless rivalry at that.

"Well Overlander?" Eisen asked pointedly. He very much so wanted this fight. Gregor could tell from his voice and his face. Eisen's eyes shined as he glared at Gregor and his words had dripped with anticipation. The situation was growing more awkward by the second.

Gregor slowly walked towards Eisen. Maybe they could just discuss this beforehand? There was no need for a pointless fight that Gregor had no wish to fight. It would be jealousy filled and jealousy makes people do stupid things.

"Eisen, we don't need to fight. What is the point of it?" Gregor asked him. Eisen threw his head back and laughed. His laughter rang around the mostly silent arena and echoed at its peak.

"You are a coward, then? You do not wish to fight because you fear you will lose," Eisen said bluntly. He was really starting to get on Gregor's nerves now. Nobody called him a coward. That was Eisen's first mistake. His second was saying Gregor feared to lose. Gregor did not fear losing, but he feared hurting the man. Eisen was cocky and arrogant. He believed himself the best and better than Gregor, most likely because he was an overlander. Arrogance leads to mistakes and mistakes lead to injuries. Gregor did not want to hurt Eisen. But he was angry now.

"Fine. If you want to fight we'll fight. I don't see your sword though," Gregor said calmly as he looked at Eisen's side. There was no scabbard and no sword in his hand. It was as if he wanted to fight hand to hand.

"Oh, I'm not using a sword," Eisen said as he stepped aside,"I'll be using my best weapon against you. You are the warrior and the best fighter. There is no reason you couldn't fight against me with any weapon." Gregor's eyebrows had shot up at what stood behind the man. The spear was stuck point first in the ground and his heavy tower shield was laying next to it. This was not what Gregor had anticipated, but he couldn't turn back now. He had accepted and he had to honor his word.

Gregor's sword was still in his hand as Eisen grabbed up his long spear and placed his shield on his arm. This was a new fight for Gregor as he saw how big the spear was for the first time. It had a handle that was almost six and a half feet long and a blade over a foot. It was deadly looking weapon compared to the basic sword Gregor was holding. The shield was also a problem. A three and half foot tall metal shield that covered a majority of Eisen's body except for his lower legs and his head if he stood at full height. If he bent over and bent his knees he could keep all but the lower half of his shin and his feet safe from attack.

This was a new type of opponent to Gregor. He had fought massive rats and giant ants, but neither of them hid behind a shield. He could easily outmaneuver them and land a blow across their exposed body, but this shield prevented Gregor from attacking from the front. An with how quick Eisen could move, he doubted he could get behind him either.

The two men readied themselves and Gregor stared into Eisen's eyes. He could see eager anticipation there. Eisen had been planning this fight all day, Gregor could tell. If he had lost to Ripred, Eisen still would have challenged him. That much Gregor could see.

As they started to move, Gregor waited for his rager sense to kick in. They circled and he looked for an opening behind the shield. If he moved to his left he would run into the spear. If he tried to attack to the right there was the impenetrable shield. This was a tough choice if he was to move first.

Eisen took the choice away as he dashed forward, spear at the ready. Gregor jumped back barely dodging the blade of the spear. It was luck this time. His rager sense hadn't kicked in. Why had it not started? Gregor could usually control it once it started, but he didn't control when it started. It came on whenever Gregor was fighting or in danger. And yet it wasn't there. He thought about it to see if he could force to come on. Nothing happened. And Eisen was still pressing the fight.

He whipped the spear head towards Gregor's left side. Gregor flicked his sword over and caught the haft of the spear on the blade. The clang it made was a shock to Gregor. He thought the haft was made of wood, yet it made a sound like metal striking metal or even stone. He pulled the blade back to see he hadn't even dented the shaft of the blade. He would have to inquire about what it was made of at another time, because Eisen was striking again.

Gregor was on the defensive. He blocked blow after a blow without ever swinging his blade in an offensive manner. He could hear half the crowd cheering for Eisen and the other half for him. As he caught the spear haft on his sword for what seemed like the 50th time, Gregor went on the offensive. He muscled the spear back and swung his now free sword towards Eisen's arm. The sword contacted the shield jarring Gregor's arm. The vibration and force of the blow knocked Eisen back. Both men reeled from the blow. Had the shield not caught the blow Eisen would have been without an arm and maybe a leg if the force of the blow had carried it that far down. Gregor was quick to recover, as was Eisen.

The spear came in again, but this time Gregor couldn't get his sword there in time. He could feel the metal bite into the flesh of his left thigh. The pain stung but it wasn't even close to the worst he had felt. Warm blood ran down Gregor's leg and he could feel his pants clinging to his skin. It was deeper than a scratch, but it wasn't deep enough that Gregor feared dying. He looked at the spear head and saw the red on it. He heard the crowd's intake at breath at the blood. It was an unwritten rule that in a spar, you were not supposed to draw blood. The way to win was to put the other person in a spot they would die if in a real fight, not to be the first to draw blood.

He didn't even feel it though. He wasn't himself anymore.

Gregor saw red as his rager side kicked in. But it wasn't his normal rager sense. He was angry and he could feel the anger flowing into his sword arm. Gregor swung the blade and it crashed against the spear. He swung again and it was caught against the face of the shield. Gregor kept up his onslaught landing blow after blow, pushing Eisen back. Forehand, backhand, side cut, overhand, underhand, from the right, from the left. The blows rained down.

Gregor didn't notice, but Eisen was getting scared. His expression had changed from excitement from injuring the warrior to fear at what was coming. The crowd could see it. Gregor's face was angry and they could see it as he kept the crushing blows coming. The heavy shield even started to bow from the constant rain of blows.

As Gregor kept slamming the sword into whatever Eisen could intercept it with, he could feel the blade starting to loosen from the handle. It was rattling around as he could see it slowly inching its way out of the grip. He grabbed the sword two handed and slammed it down against the shield with as much force as he could muster, trying to end the fight by forcing Eisen on his back. As the sword contacted the shield, the blade finally slid free from the handle and spun off to the side.

Gregor looked down at the handle and tried to bring himself under control. If he kept up at this pace on of them would be dead and it would probably be him. He was weaponless, but yet he had to win. His rage slowly subsiding, he threw the handle away and ran towards Eisen. He saw the spear slash towards him and he hurdled over it. He was right on top of Eisen, then. Before he knew what he was doing he punched Eisen as hard as he could in the chest and grabbed his right hand and wrist. He squeezed and wrenched back. CRACK!

The spear fell to the earth as Eisen howled in pain. His wrist hung limp and several of his fingers pointed at awkward angles. Gregor stood above him victorious. The rage left Gregor then and he stood there dumbstruck. He barely remembered what had happened. His hand moved to the sharp pain in his leg, as he tried to step away. His hand came back red with blood. The pant leg was stuck to his body due to the amount of blood saturating it.

Eisen was squirming in pain as he held his broken wrist. Gregor looked down at what he had did and he felt absolutely terrible. What had come over him? Why did he lose himself in a supposed friendly fight? Gregor slumped to the ground and grabbed his leg. He tried to apply pressure to his bleeding thigh, but the position of the wound made it very hard to keep consistent pressure on it.

The next thing Gregor knew, there were people surrounding them. He saw his sister and Hazard running to him, Howard and a team of men were helping Eisen onto a bat, and Luxa stood at his side talking to him in a calming voice. Gregor was then scooped up by someone and placed onto another flier. He didn't look at who it was as he was flown off to the hospital. He kept his eyes trained on Luxa as she gave Eisen a quick hug before his flier took off. Then he blacked out.

Gregor's eyes flickered open. The light above him was bright and he covered his eyes. He sat up and suddenly felt very weak. He slumped back over on to his bed. There was a commotion by the door and several seconds later Howard walked in.

"It is good to see you awake, Gregor," Howard said before answering Gregor's unasked question," You blacked out due to blood loss. When you kept fighting you forced blood to keep flowing to the wound. It was only a minor wound, but yet it could have killed you do to your actions." Gregor looked at Howard, examining the doctor's face. His hand reached down to his leg. The bandages were wrapped tightly around his leg and he could feel the stitching used to close the wound. He was sure he wouldn't be doing any kind of physical activity for several days, so as to let the wound heal properly.

"How's Eisen doing?" Gregor asked Howard. Howard's eyebrows raised as he looked at Gregor. A smile creased his face.

"He is doing fine, considering you severally broke his wrist and hand. He had several bones that we had to place and set and we are not sure how his wrist will be once it heals. Other than that though he is the picture of perfect health. He did request for you to see him when you awoke. He is in his chambers, right now. However, I am not letting you leave yet. You need to regain your strength. Or at least some of it." Howard signaled and a nurse carried in a tray of food. "Eat. When the plate is clean I'll check to see if you are fit to leave." As Howard turned to leave he remembered one last thing. "Your sister is here to see you, as well."

Howard walked out of the curtain covered door and Margaret walked in. She ran to her brother and gave him a big hug. Gregor hugged her back, as he scooted himself into a sitting position. Margaret placed the tray on Gregor's lap for him and sat in the chair next to his bed. Gregor looked at the food before him. It was average at best. Some fish and vegetables, along with some mushrooms and pudding. It seemed almost like hospital food in the overland. Gregor chuckled, which caused Margaret to jump.

"You seem kinda happy," she said to him as he looked at her. She looked very nervously at him. Her eyes were puffy and red as if she had been crying.

"Hey, Margaret, have you been crying?" Gregor asked between bites of food. She shot a look at him.

"Of course I have!" she yelled at him. "You passed out from blood loss. How was I supposed to know if you were okay? So of course I cried. I can't lose you. You're all I have left." Gregor opened his arms and Margaret ducked into her brothers embrace. Gregor realized he needed to be more careful and needed to make better choices. If not for himself then for Margaret.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. But at least I'm okay and there's nothing to keep me from getting better as fast as possible. Hell, I'm already feeling better." Margaret looked at her brothers face and saw his big, dorky smile. Gregor kept smiling as he let his sister go sit back down. He wolfed down the rest of the food Howard had left him. The hospital was such a lonely, desolate place and Gregor wanted out as soon as possible. Howard came back in a few minutes later to check on Gregor.

"You are already looking better. As you are, I would recommend drinking a lot of fluids and taking it easy. Things can wait, so do not rush." Gregor nodded and slid out of the bed. His left leg was stiff and he couldn't put much weight on it. He hobbled towards the door, before he turned back.

"Where is Eisen staying?" Gregor asked kinda silly. He had no idea what part of the palace Eisen was staying and he couldn't wander around for hours. Howard walked over to him and pulled the curtain open. He gestured out into the hall.

"I'll show you the way,"Howard said as he and Gregor fell into step. Gregor limped along, moving much slower than he would have liked, but he didn't want to pop the stitch or whatever would happen if he over exerted himself. He deliberately put his leg down trying to not bend it too much to prevent the muscle from flexing. Howard looked at him as he walked. Gregor caught the glance that Howard passed him.

"What?" Gregor asked, stopping.

"It is nothing. Let us hurry as I have much work to do," Howard said as he started walking again. Gregor, however, didn't so much as pick up his foot.

"I know you have something to tell me, so just say it. Get it off your chest."

Howard stopped and turned toward Gregor, who was leaning against the wall now. "Oh fine. I am concerned about you and Luxa. I know you both care about the other most deeply, and I see no problem in that. I have no say as to who Luxa cares for. But I can say I worry about how the two of you will fare. You are a warrior by nature and she needs to be a queen. She must work on diplomacy and not war, for the good of our people. Don't influence her wrong, I beg you."

Gregor nodded along with everything Howard said. He had matured a lot since Gregor had left. And he cared about both his cousin and his people. It was very clear that Howard was looking out for the best for everyone. And Gregor would try to oblige with him.

"Don't worry, Howard. I won't do anything to influence her in anyway. Plus I'm more a diplomat than a warrior. I didn't want to fight Eisen today, but he insisted that we did. I went along with it because I was angry."

"And that is what I mean. You can not let your emotions for or against someone or something let you change how Luxa judges. You see how your emotional decision harmed you and Eisen today. If it were a larger scale terrible things may happen. Just please keep it in mind."

Gregor would. He would try to keep his emotions from making his decisions for him. He would try to hold back his jealousy or his rage or his sadness. Whatever it took to keep the people of regalia safe. The two men started to walk again both deep in thought after their meaningful conversation. It wasn't long before Howard stopped in front of a room.

"This is Eisen's temporary apartment. Once he is appointed he will be given new living accommodations," Howard said before leaving Gregor as he hurried back to the hospital wing to check on his other patients. Gregor looked back at him before he stuck his head into the room.

"Hello? Eisen, are you here?"

"Indeed I am overlander. Please come in," Eisen beckoned. Gregor brought his whole body in and saw the reason Howard had called it an apartment. There were separate rooms for sleeping and sitting. Eisen was seated in a large chair at a table with a steaming cup of what Gregor assumed was tea. Gregor noticed the chair opposite Eisen's and went and sat. There was a cup for him as well. Eisen got up without saying a word and grabbed a hot kettle from a shelf. He poured the steaming liquid into Gregor's cup before resuming his seat.

Eisen's hand and wrist were wrapped and in a sling. Yet he was able to get around quite well with his left hand. Gregor looked at the liquid and took a sniff. It smelled quite good. He tasted some and it was one of the best things he had ever tasted. He picked the cup up and tenderly drank some. It was hot and it burned Gregor's tongue, yet he couldn't help but drink more. It tasted of cinnamon and nutmeg. Like a christmas cookie almost.

"I see you like my herbal tea. My own recipe. I made some incase you came by. It is very good at helping recuperate from an injury." Eisen explained with a laugh. Gregor looked at the man with a new respect. He could fight, sing, lead, and make amazing tea. The only thing he was short of was being a rager. If he was one then he'd be the best man in the underland.

"Howard told me you had wanted to see me. Why?" Gregor asked just a little suspicious of his motives. Eisen noticed and chuckled.

"I wanted to see how you were doing and apologize for cutting you. That was uncalled for on my end and I deeply apologize." Gregor was shocked. He had thought the man opposite him to be a stuck up, inconsiderate jerk, and yet he was apologizing.

"I'm sorry for, you know, snapping your wrist," Gregor replied sheepishly.

"What this? This is nothing really. We've both seen worse. I've heard of your injuries from all of your adventures. They are some stories people that are hard to believe, but yet are one hundred percent true. You are one remarkable person. I have something else to apologize for. I am-" Eisen tried to say before Gregor jumped across him.

"I'm sorry I acted like a jealous, pompous jerk in the arena today. I shouldn't have let my feelings get the better of me," Gregor blurted out quickly. Eisen was shocked at Gregor's response.

"I was going to say the same, maybe not in the same words, but the same meaning. I started it and I took it to far. You have been friends with our Queen since you were younger. I should have expected to see you two together. You two went through much at the same age that I was still learning the ins and outs of my spear."

"That's something I wanted to ask you about actually. What is the haft of that spear made of? I had just wanted to take the spear head off, but my sword didn't even bite into it." Gregor said inquisitively. Eisen leaned over the table and looked at Gregor.

"The haft of my spear is made of lightweight metal. I believe you call it copper in the overland. I had it dulled and roughened for easier gripping. It looks much like wood from a distance, but it is much more durable. Especially with wood being scarce here." Gregor nodded along with it. It had sounded like metal contacting metal as they fought. And it was ingenious as well. Copper was heavy, but not super heavy. Especially if it was hollow on the inside. It also made for a much sturdier weapon.

"You had me scared out there, when we were fighting. You were like a maniac," Eisen said a few moments later. It wasn't criticism but admiration. He was intrigued by Gregor's for of rage and anger. His onslaught of blows.

"I lost control of myself and couldn't get myself back under control. That is not something to admire, Eisen. It's worse that all I remember is swinging away. I don't remember anything else really at all." Eisen was surprised. He had thought Gregor was in control the whole time and was just using his rager ability to utterly destroy him. The two sat quiet, drinking from their cups. It was addicting stuff, Gregor had to admit. As he drained his cup, Gregor's mind drifted to Luxa. She hadn't come to him on the field, but to Eisen. Perhaps, she came to to see him in the hospital after it went down.

"Hey, Eisen, did luxa come to see you in the hospital?" Gregor inquired of the man. He looked up from his cup and into Gregor's eyes.

"Yes, she did. She went to your room before she came to me. Queen Luxa said you were still asleep, but that you were okay. Why do you ask?"

"I had been wondering if she had check on us is all," Gregor replied. He felt much better knowing Luxa had at least stopped to see if he was okay. "Thanks for the tea, man. I feel much better, from both the tea and the talk. It's good to know there are no hard feelings between us. Hopefully this is the start of long friendship. Maybe we'll fight together someday."

Gregor had climbed out of his seat and was moving to the door when Eisen stood up himself. He offered Gregor his left hand which Gregor took. They shook. "Maybe one day we shall fight side by side. It would be an honor for me." They let go and Gregor hobbled into the hall. He needed to find Luxa and just talk to her. Something seemed to be bugging her to him. She hadn't waited for him to wake up or anything, and she hadn't even gone to him on the field.

Gregor found his way to the high hall. That was the best place to look for her. Or at least start to look. She could be anywhere right now. He looked over at the balcony. Empty. The dining room. Empty. He couldn't go barging into the royal chambers or wherever they held meetings. He wasn't allowed in either of those areas, yet. He hoped to be included in them sometime.

All Gregor could do now was sit and hope Luxa walked through, sometime. He sat on a couch and waited. Waiting was not easy, but Gregor had to do it if he wanted a chance to speak to Luxa in private. Minutes passed into hours as he sat. There wasn't much happening and only a few people passed. York walked by and boomed a greeting to Gregor. Gregor greeted him back and kept waiting, not even thinking about asking about Luxa's location.

It had been a few hours when Gregor heard a distinct footstep. One he recognized. He looked up and saw Luxa walking towards him. She was in a dress and her hair was down her back. She had her gold circlet on her head and had all the look of royalty. Gregor stood up to greet her, but before he could say a word he saw the look on her face. She was angry.

"Gregor!" Luxa yelled at him."What is your problem? You are the dumbest person I have ever met!"

"Calm down, Lux-"

"Don't tell me to calm down! You are so dumb! You have to get jealous as soon as one man shows up! And especially a nice one! You broke his wrist you know!" Luxa was on a tiriad. Gregor didn't even have a chance to say anything. She was yelling at him so much that he instinctively back up, so she wouldn't inadvertently slap him.

"LUXA!" Gregor yelled. Luxa instantly closed her mouth mid sentence."Let me explain myself. I know I was dumb and I was stupid and ignorant. And yes I was jealous. Eisen is a nice guy. Probably the perfect guy. He's not arrogant, not mean, not cocky. He's nice and funny and has a good sense of humor. If i didn't get jealous of that wouldn't there have been a problem?"

Luxa looked at him as if contemplating if she should yell at him more. She was chewing her cheek thinking about what to say.

"You are still dumb Gregor. He is nice, but that does not mean I like him. He came to court me and thus is going to be around me. You are going to have to get used to it for now. And just be nice to him."

Gregor started to say that they had just talked when Luxa turned towards the balcony. She stared out over the city at something. Gregor followed her look realizing that there was a flier zooming towards the palace. It was flying so fast that there was no way it could stop before reaching the hall.

Gregor and Luxa jumped out of the way as the bat landed and skidded across the floor. The rider was beaten and bloody and barely able to stand. He slid off the bat and saluted Luxa.

"Queen Luxa, there has been a terrible attack." The man which Gregor realized was a guard said with some effort. But he was wearing different armor.

"Where?" Luxa demanded a strange look in her eyes.

"The fount. It's been destroyed," he said before he passed out.

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**So I cliffed it again. And I made the story ending up just this morning while I was laying in bed. I needed to think of the best way to introduce the main problem and bring back some characters and the best way was to take out the Fount. So leave a review for me and tell me what you think of this crazy little adventure I'm concocting. See ya guys next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey hey hey, guys! I am back again with yet another wonderful chapter. This chapter seemed difficult to me and then I got home from church sat down at the computer and pumped out the last 2000 words no problem. It was like God sent his spirit into my fingers and caused me to know what I wanted to say(not really, Religion has nothing to do with writing!). Anyway, I'm glad to see people are liking the story and I think this chapter will make you all like it even more. It has all the fun stuff that make the Underland Chronicles so good. Adventure and stuff like that is all present along with sme fun surprises. So get to reading and I'll get to writing the next chapter soon.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Did he just say the Fount has been destroyed?" Gregor asked stunned even by the concept. Luxa looked at him and simply nodded her head, their argument forgotten. She bent down over the guard and checked his pulse.

"He is still alive. We must get him to the hospital and fast. He will have more information about what has happened," Luxa said. As she signaled to Gregor to help her, the man coughed. Blood drooled out of his mouth.

"Queen… Luxa. You must… get to… the Fount. Look… for… survivors. Major… attack." His words were labored and he was barely conscious. As the last words left his mouth he slumped over again and closed his eyes. Gregor saw the man's chest stop moving as his light left his body. Luxa was checking for a pulse again as Gregor placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Luxa, he's gone. And we have more important things to do. He said there are survivors and we need to go find them. Fast. If the Fount is truly destroyed, then we don't know how many people are in serious trouble. We need to get a team together as fast as possible. Anyone you can think of run and get. I'll do the same," Gregor said taking complete control over the situation. Luxa was obviously scared for the people she ruled over. If it happened to the isolated Fount, where there are far less people and small reason to attack it, then it could be very likely that whatever attacked the Fount could easily come for Regalia. Luxa jumped into action as if Gregor's words recharged her.

"I'll go find Mareth and Perdita. They will be able to help if we have to fight and are strong enough to help the injured. Where will you go?" Luxa asked in a hurry. Gregor wasn't exactly sure. He had thought of Mareth first, but he couldn't get him if Luxa was. Then he remembered York and Eisen. They were both from the Fount, York being the governor.

"I'm gonna find York and Eisen. They have family there and are just as good in a fight."

Luxa hadn't even waited to hear his response before she had taken off to find her people. Gregor did even shake his head like he normally would. He instead took off towards the direction he had seen York go just an hour ago. There was little of importance for a man like York on this side of the palace. It was rooms for visitors and servants. It had the kitchens and the mess halls for the guards. The hospital was this way as well. But none of those places made any sense for York to be there. This was a problem. "I'll grab Eisen first and maybe he'll know where to find York," Gregor thought as he changed direction and dashed towards Eisen's apartment.

Gregor saw the familiar curtain to Eisen's chambers and dashed right inside without announcing his presence. Eisen was still seated at the table where Gregor had left him. His eyes were closed, but shot open when Gregor came to a stop, breathing slightly more heavily than normal.

"Overlander, what brings you back in such a hurry that you-" Gregor cut through Eisen's question.

"No time for questions man. The Fount has been attacked and we need to get here now. I came to get you and to find York wherever he is." Eisen had leaped to his feet at the news. He grabbed his sword and threw on his boots. He belted the sword on his right hip and nodded to Gregor.

"Check the mess hall, Overlander. York enjoys his drink sometimes. There is no better place to drink than with fellow soldiers like himself. Come, we must hurry," Eisen said as he darted from the room. Gregor chased after him, catching him, and surpassing him in seconds as he dashed up a flight of stairs and around a corner. He heard the faint sound of laughter coming from down the hall and Gregor picked up speed. The sound of feet falling behind him told him that Eisen was not far behind.

The mess hall was extremely warm as Gregor burst in. The torches were burning bright and there were well over one hundred men packed into the room. Their body heat raised the temperature to uncomfortable levels for Gregor. Eisen came in right behind Gregor, breathing heavy. It was a sprint the whole way and even Gregor was out of breath. The two men scanned the room looking for the largest man. Nobody was bigger than York in the Underland. Or at least Gregor didn't think that it was possible.

A bark of loud laughter rang from their left and two heads shot over towards the sound. Eisen pointed and Gregor's eyes followed. Seated among a group of soldiers, York stood out like a sore thumb. His head was higher than everyone else's and he was broader and just bigger in general. Eisen and Gregor walked as calmly as they could to not alert any of the soldiers that something was amiss. York looked up and a smile broached his slightly flushed face. Five empty tankards sat in front of him and he was holding a sixth.

"Boys, come sit and enjoy some ale, will ya!?" York boomed at them. His words weren't slurred even though he had to have consumed a lot of alcohol. He even looked as if he still had all his regular reflexive speed. Gregor grabbed York's arm and pulled him towards the door as he spoke. "York, we have no time to drink. There is something you are needed for. So come on let's get going." Gregor emphasized his words laying on that something very important was going on. York caught on right away. He followed Gregor and Eisen to the hall where he stopped.

"What is so important that I cannot enjoy my drink for the night?" York asked with some concern. Eisen and Gregor exchanged a look asking the other who would tell. Eisen nodded at Gregor and Gregor shrugged. Figured he would have to break the news.

"Me and Luxa found out mere minutes ago that the Fount has been attacked and destroyed." Before Gregor could continue York had already bolted for the high hall, his long strides carried him down the faster than Gregor or Eisen could imagine.

"What are we waiting for? We have to go look for survivors." York's words were hard and Gregor knew they covered his worry and fear for his family and his people. The same way that Luxa had covered her worry. There was no point in objecting, so Gregor and Eisen dashed after him. The high hall loomed before them only minutes later. There were four people standing there. Or three were standing. The other was bent over the unconscious bat and the dead man. Howard stood up at the sound of the heavy footfalls that belonged to his father. Howard took one step forward before his father grabbed him in a hug. The two men hugged for a few moments letting all their emotions out that way. They parted and Gregor and Eisen locked eyes with Howard. He shook his head at them.

"Neither of you two should be going anywhere. It will only make your wounds worse," Howard said before he paused for a moment and looked at Gregor's leg. "Well never mind that. Gregor, you have already broke your stitches." Gregor put his hand to his pant leg and felt the warmness of fresh blood. He had pushed himself to find everyone that he needed to and it had caused his wound to reopen.

"Howard, we are both going no matter what. You can just patch me up on the flight, if you are going." Howard bowed his head realizing that there was no point in arguing. Gregor walked over to the other assembled people without even looking at Howard. It was better that way. Mareth and Perdita stood with Luxa, talking in quiet conversation. As Gregor approached them, he saw Mareth was holding a sheath in his hand.

"Gregor, I have your sword for you. Luxa told us that we were to go armed and I saw your weapon in the armory. Here," Mareth said as he gave Gregor his sword. Gregor had to stop leaving his sword around. That was something he needed to carry around with him always. He belted the sword on and straightened it out.

"Thanks, Mareth. You're always a lifesaver," Gregor said before he turned to the other Underlander. "Hey Perdita. Bad time to see you for the first time since I got back."

"Indeed it is, Gregor. We better get going soon. Who knows what we will find there?" Gregor nodded as he felt the downdraft of six pairs of huge wings. Aurora, Artemese, Nike, Andromeda, and two fliers Gregor had never seen landed in the hall ready to go at a moments notice. Luxa had already climbed on Aurora's back and everybody else followed suit. Gregor hopped onto Artemese's back and was getting comfortable, when he felt someone else climb on.

Howard sat behind him with his medical bag already open, pulling out needle and silk and bandages. Gregor relaxed as he felt Artemese slowly take off at Perdita's command. Mareth and her were the only ones sharing a bat and Nike had no rider. Obviously she was here for Howard.

"Gregor, I need you leg." Howard told Gregor. Gregor stuck his leg out and laid on his side so Howard would have the best access to the wound. The sound of cloth ripping told him Howard had decided to tear a hole in his pants to access the wound. Blood still flowed freely from the wound, but not nearly as fast as it had when he was first cut. Then there was a sharp pain as Howard drove the needle into Gregor's flesh and pulled it tight. Each time the needle sank into his leg Gregor had a deep intake of breath and he clenched his teeth harder. This was more agony than actually getting stabbed. Gregor had his eyes closed, but each time he breathed in he could see an undefined picture around him. They were flying next to Aurora and Luxa, slightly ahead of the rest of the party. He could see Luxa bent over next to Aurora's ear.

"All finished," Howard said after what seemed like hours, but had actually only been a few minutes. It was good timing because they were just about out of light to see by. Gregor sat up and left his leg straight. Howard already had his bag packed and he signaled to Nike as he jumped off Artemese. The pair reappeared next to Gregor mere moments later.

The city was behind them and the six bats were flying North towards the river. The wild churning of the river could be heard even at the height they were flying at. Gregor could see the water white with foam and boulders flying by. It was a reminder to all his past adventures along this river. From his attempted escape on his first night in the Underland, to his venture on the river and the waterway to find the bane, and the rush to find out what happened to the nibblers. Gregor was very accustomed to the river.

Time flew by as they rushed to the Fount. Nobody spoke as each person was lost in thought. Gregor looked over at York and Eisen, each with worry and concern etched on their faces. Gregor himself was worried. What could have or would have attacked the Fount? The humans were at peace with the gnawers, the spinners, and the crawlers. There weren't many other species with the numbers or the incentive to attack humans. It was all a mystery.

There was a faint smell coming down the river toward them:smoke. The smell of burning debris and other more unpleasant things met the noses of the party. The fliers, without even knowing they had, sped up. Their wings beat faster and harder against the air and they streaked forward. Gregor's hand naturally moved towards the hilt of his sword. He loosened it from its scabbard and held it tight, just in case.

The smoke smell grew stronger and stronger and the cavern started to fill with the haziness of smoke. It was dark black smoke from a ferocious blaze. Gregor could see the light from the fire even from where they were. The river turned a corner and Gregor could finally see the Fount. Or what was left of it.

York, Howard, and Eisen each took a sharp inhale of breath at the destruction. Most of the buildings behind the high wall were not standing. The wall itself had a breach in it crushed almost all the way from ground to top. It was as if the US Army had shot heavy artillery into the wall. Rubble was everywhere and the fires crackled everywhere. Perdita signaled for the bats to land in what once would have been a market area. It was a wide area and the remnants of shops stood as burned husks or were sitting as piles of stone. Dead bodies laid interspersed in the rubble, some under it, some on top of it. It was gruesome. Blood stained the streets from mutilated corpses.

Gregor crouched down next to one of the dead. The man's body was crushed near flat in the middle as if he was placed in a giant vice. His organs had been smashed into viscous goo and they surrounded his body. Nearby another body had a gaping wound clean through the abdomen. Problem was what could cause such damage? He pondered all he knew of the Underland and nothing came to mind. When Gregor stood he was alone except for Luxa and Perdita.

"York has gone to the Governor's palace to search for his family," Luxa told Gregor in response to his look. "Howard, Eisen, and Mareth have gone to look for Survivors in the western part of the city. We shall look for them in the eastern part." Gregor nodded and left the dead bodies behind. It would take time to find all the survivors and even more time to find all of the dead. Everywhere Gregor looked there was a dead body. Many had died in a similar way to the men he had looked at before. Parts of their bodies had been crushed to the extreme. Flesh was turned to paste and bones were crushed into powder. And others had wounds like a tank shell had torn through their chests. The wounds were massive. It was worse than anything had ever seen. He had seen terrible things during all the wars he had participated in. He himself had caused destruction against snakes and cutters, cut them to pieces. And yet, the carnage he saw before him was worse than all of it. Innocent people had been meticulously killed. Limbs were gone and bodies were ripped apart. Some people had burned to death and their bodies were charred and smoked.

There was no certainty that anyone had survived the destructive force that had flooded into the city. Neither Gregor, Luxa, nor Perdita had heard a scream for help or a whimper of pain and they all were listening as hard as they could. Perdita carried a medical kit, being the only one of the three with any major healing ability. A faint shout could be heard from behind them. It sounded like Eisen or Mareth or maybe Howard. Perhaps they had found someone. Even if they found just one person it would help them know what happened here.

They reached a fork in the street and were stuck as to what to do. Each one looked hesitant on splitting up. Whatever had attacked may still be there, hiding somewhere amongst the destroyed houses.

"Okay, Ladies you go to the right. I'll take the left," Gregor said taking command of the situation. Before he got a response he drew his sword and started down the street. He looked back and saw Luxa and Perdita were gone down the other street. If he found someone in need of serious medical attention he would have to improvise or hope he could run fast enough to catch up to Perdita.

His mind started to wander as he looked around him. He walked past a roaring blaze alight from some kind of oil store. The heat was stifling and Gregor walked passed it as fast as he could. Then something clicked into his mind. Where were the bodies of whatever had attacked? The guards of the Fount were scattered among the dead bodies, so they had to have fought back. And if you fight back usually you kill at least one of the attackers. But there was nothing dead besides humans. He hadn't even seen any fliers. Either this enemy was highly skilled or they took their dead with them. It was a conundrum for Gregor.

Something snapped him out of his trance of thoughts. A whimper caused Gregor to quickly look to his right, scanning the rubble. He heard it again and he worked his way towards it. The whimper was quickly replaced with a scream. A babies scream. The crying was constant now. And Gregor could still not find where it was coming from. He searched high and low, pulling rocks away and digging through piles of debris. Still, there was no sign of the source of the sound.

Gregor closed his eyes and let the sorrowful, nerve wrenching sound flow towards him. What he couldn't see he could hear and his body naturally shifted towards it. He felt the heavy slab of what had been a building's roof in front of him and he stopped down to try to move it. As he strained to move it he felt his muscles tense and tighten and yet the massive stone didn't move an inch. Gregor's eyes opened and he looked at the rock. It was about a foot thick and well over 20 feet long. It was several feet wide at the thickest and only a foot or so at the thinnest. It was only part of the roof and it leaned down towards him at an angle. It was impossible for him to move it though. It had to weigh about 20 tons Gregor figured. The only way to move it would be to lever it up and move it to the side.

Anything long and solid could work as a lever. Gregor scoured the ground with his eyes looking for something. He was looking as fast as he could because the wails of the child were uncomfortably loud. There were chunks of rock everywhere, but nothing was lever worthy. Massive boulders and small chunks of rubble made up most of the content of the destroyed houses. Some were mudbrick and had been utterly crushed to dust or burned to the ground. And that's when Gregor saw it.

A metal pole sticking out of the ground. It must have been a flagpole as it was well over 25 feet long. Gregor dashed to it and grabbed the pole, and yanked at it with all his might. It didn't budge. He pushed his back against it and used a stone to prevent him from sliding and as a way to use himself as a wedge. If he couldn't pull the whole pole out then he would break it. As he pressed his back against the pole he felt something giving way. The rocks under his feet started to move and slide away. The pole was so strong that it was moving the rocks as Gregor pushed it. Suddenly, it fell. And it fell fast.

Clanging against the ground, the entire shaft of the pole was exposed. It was perfect for Gregor to use as a lever. He grabbed the massive metal rod up in his hands and carefully and slowly moved it towards the slab of rock. It was slow work as it weighed almost a ton itself and Gregor had to drag it behind him. He dug it into the dirt ground under the rock head, til the pole was sticking up at a decent angle. Maybe 30 degrees. And then he pushed with all his strength and might. The pole bent and bent in the middle, but it did not break. And then the rock started to shift up. It was slow, but as Gregor pushed down further and further, it got higher and higher. When he felt the pole scrape the ground, he dragged it around so he could use it to lever the slab out of the way. Facing the raised slab from the slide Gregor heaved on the pole, pulling it so that the rock started to shift and spin on its 'axis'.

Finally there was enough room for Gregor to get into the area behind it and he let go of the bar with an audible sigh. It sprang up with such speed and force that if Gregor had not moved his head it would have taken it off. Yet, Gregor hadn't even noticed his close call. He had already ventured into the remains of the destroyed house. On the floor lay a barely breathing woman and her little child, probably no more than 2 or 3. Gregor knelt down next to the woman and saw her wound. A sharp piece of… something... had impaled her through the stomach and she was slowly bleeding out. She was already laying in a pool of blood that surrounded her whole body. The child was kneeling in it next to his mother.

"Mama move. Mama move," the child said over and over to his mother. She couldn't make her body move from the waist down, but she picked up her hand and stroked his face. Then she looked at Gregor. She was paler than even the paleness of an Underlander, with absolutely no color in her face. Gregor dropped to his knees at her side saturating his pants in her blood. He grabbed her wrist and checked for a pulse. It was there, but it was so weak Gregor was surprised she was still able to keep consciousness. On top of that she spoke to him.

"Please… take care of… Thomas. He is… so young," she said as she let her eyes close. Gregor hadn't let go of her wrist and he felt the pulse get weaker and weaker. His eyes kept darting between the wound in her stomach and her face.

"Hey, stay with me! Stay with me! Don't die…" Gregor encouraged the woman, but it was too late. Her pulse stopped and her eyes flickered no more. There was no life left in them.

"God damnit!" Gregor yelled as he slammed his fist into the ground. He got up and put his hands behind his head and walked away from the body. If he had been a little faster they may have been able to help her. To find a way to stop the bleeding. Why had it taken him so long to find the source of that damn crying?

"Mama sleep? Mama wake up? Mama… Mama…" Gregor spun around as he remembered the little boy. He was shaking his mom and crying in her face hoping she would move and wake up. Like she was sleeping or playing a game with him. This was no game though. Gregor crouched down and looked at the boy.

"Hey, little guy. Come here for a minute," Gregor said in a soothing voice. The same voice he used to use when Margaret wouldn't sleep. The little boy heard him and walked with small teetering steps towards Gregor. As he walked he fell backwards onto his butt, but he got right back up and finished his teetering walk to Gregor. A smile forced its way onto his face as he watched. It was to cute not to.

The child stopped in Gregor's out stretched arms. He scooped him up and ducked out of the house, saying soothing words to the baby the whole time. The baby didn't look back at his mom, he was focused intently on Gregor and his voice. Gregor carried the boy back to the fork in the road forgetting about finding any other survivors. As he got there, Luxa and Perdita stumbled back in carrying a wounded man between them. Gregor put the kid on the ground and ran over to help. He took over for the burdened Perdita and carried the man the last few yards before they set him down. It was obvious Perdita had already bandaged and stitched his wounded legs, but he couldn't walk on them. By the time Gregor finished looking the man over, Luxa had found the boy.

"Gregor, where did you find this child?" Luxa asked as she picked the boy up, not trusting him with all the debris around.

"He was trapped in a collapsed house with his mother. She was died after I got there, but I took him." It was obvious that Gregor took not being able to save the woman very hard. Luxa could see it etched across his face.

"Does he have a name?" Luxa asked to distract Gregor from the rough memories.

"Yeah. I think his mom said his name was Thomas." At his name the boy shot his head up and put his arms up for Gregor to take him. He did so with joy and made cute faces to make the boy laugh. Gregor loved kids and was always good with them. Luxa had a smile on her face as she watched Gregor. "We should be getting back. See if Howard and the rest found any survivors." Gregor added after a moment.

Luxa took Thomas and Gregor carried the weak man by himself. He wasn't very heavy as he looked to be in his elder years. It took time none the less and by the time they were back to the landing area they found Howard, Mareth, and Eisen there with several others. Many were wounded severely, but others were relatively unscathed. Gregor placed the man with other wounded, before turning to look at Mareth and Eisen.

"Did you find all of these people?" Gregor asked curious," Because we only found two people."

"No, we found only one man. The rest were here when we got back and several more showed up while we waited. They brought what injured they had found with them. It is a miracle that even that many were unharmed. And there is much left of the city to search." Mareth said.

"On top of that we sent Nike back as soon as we returned so she could bring a much larger force to search. They will be here within the next few hours hopefully." Eisen added to what Mareth had said. Gregor absorbed the information, letting it wash over his brain. There were maybe 25 survivors including the badly wounded. And that could be a small number of those trapped similar to how Thomas was. This was a task that nobody was ready for. And then Gregor's stomach growled.

"We didn't bring any food did we?" Gregor asked sheepishly. "I could use some food I think. Been running on adrenaline mostly. And I'm feeling a bit hungry and weak." Howard was next to him in minute checking his body and his wound. It was remarkable how the stitches hadn't torn under all the strain Gregor had endured to just get Thomas free. Howard sat him down and sent all of the fliers to the river to get some fish. Mareth grabbed some burning debris and very carefully made a fire to be able to cook on. Food would be good for everyone, especially those that had injuries. Soon after Artemese came back and sent almost a dozen fish rainin down on top of Gregor's head.

The smell of cooking fish soon filled the clearing. Each bat had brought nearly a dozen fish back. Plenty for the people and for the bats to eat. Mareth had some help from the uninjured survivors skinning the fish and they had several fires cooking them up. The smell was delicious, but Gregor would have eaten anything. Thomas sat next to him watching the fish cook.

"Fish," He said pointing with a small finger at the fire.

"Yes, Thomas. Fish," Gregor replied congratulating him.

"Tom-as," the little boy said again pointing to himself. It was like having a little Margaret with him again. Back when she was Boots and did the same silly things.

"Yes. You are Thomas," Gregor laughed out. And then there was a man pointing and shouting. Gregor jumped to his feet and drew his sword. There were people coming towards them, some on fliers. Gregor caught the glint of light off of a helmet and saw the towering form that only could belong to York. He sheathed his sword and signaled for everyone else to follow suit. York approached and let out a small laugh. "Started eating without us, did you Gregor?"

Before Gregor could reply to the man, he was knocked backwards from the force of a person running straight into him and wrapping their arms around his chest.

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**Lots of interesting stuff happening here. And I ended on cliff hanger teehee. Best way to end a chapter I say. Always brings people back to read more. So I have two questions for ya guys to answer.**

**1) What attacked the Fount?**

**2) Who just bull rushed into Gregor?**

**Well, guys tell me your thoughts in a review and answer the questions. I'll see if you guys can guess what I have planned. Drop them Revies, favorites and follows and tell me what you think of this chapter. Bye bye for now chaps!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen. I am back with chapter 7. And boy was this chapter a pain. I spent much longer trying to write it then I normally do. I usually sit down and write and however long it takes me until I finish is how long it takes. I take a break every once in a while to eat or do something, but that's about it. Sometimes I even start writing on the day between each chapter. However, this chapter took me 3 days to write. I wrote a bit each day after I posted chapter 6 and I just couldn't get into a rhythm with it. I think the chapter came out pretty good though, even with the hard work and lots of revising. So get to reading.**

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**Chapter 7**

Gregor toppled over and landed in a heap on the ground. Whoever had just bolted into him, fell over his body with their arms still wrapped around him. He felt something soft brush against his face. When he attempted to see who it was their face was blocked by their hair and the fact that they were clutching close to his chest. Gregor tried to sit up, but his position was quite awkward.

"Stellovet, let him go," York boomed out with a hint of laughter. The sight of the two in a heap on the ground must have been quite comedic. And then Gregor realized what York had said. Stellovet? Giving him a hug? What had the world come to?

When they had first met almost 7 years ago, Gregor had thought of her as a snooty, annoying, power hungry girl. A pretty one perhaps, but still power hungry. There was instant distaste for her. She had been the reason he had discovered his rager side, even if at the time none of it made any sense. It was all an accident and she had been trying to embarrass him, which had only made him dislike her more.

And yet here she was with her arms wrapped around Gregor's chest lying on the ground. At her father's command she let go and climbed up, her silver hair long and curled. Gregor thought she was quite pretty, at the age of almost 20. Tall and lean, she was model material. There must be boys all around the Underland that would give anything to be with her.

"Hi, Gregor," she said as Gregor pushed himself off the ground. "It has been so long since I have seen you. And since then you have changed. It was amazing what you did for us and how you helped us all out and saved the underland. It is amazing that you have come back and are here to help us with our troubles. You have such great timing and…"

Stellovet continued to ramble on as Gregor got to his feet and steadied himself. He looked at the girl and realized that something was different about her. Her eyes didn't seem nefarious or evil, but had honest joy and admiration behind them. She didn't have the same annoying tone or snide attitude when she spoke. Instead her voice oozed happiness and confidence. It was as if she had gotten over her issues of not being royalty, of her lust for importance. Now she just seemed enthralled with Gregor.

"Stellovet," Gregor said, but she didn't hear him. She kept talking and talking to his amazement. He had never seen someone talk so much.

"Stellovet!" Gregor said, raising his voice trying not to yell. She stopped talking and looked into his eyes. Looking for a reaction to her spiel of compliments. Gregor just pulled away his eyes and turned to walk away. "It is good to see you again," Gregor added over his shoulder as he sat back down amongst the group. Mareth had resumed cooking, with the others. As Gregor sat down, a plate was placed into his hands and a toddler scooted over next to him.

"Fish!" Thomas said excitedly pointing at the plate. There were two fish on it, one for Gregor and most likely one for Thomas. Gregor nodded his head as he leaned against a block of rock that laid behind him. As he ate and feed Thomas at the same time, his eyes watched Luxa. Stellovet, York, Susannah, and the rest of Luxa's cousins had joined the group and found places to sit. Luxa had greeted each one with a hug. Even Stellovet. The two seemed to be on good terms as they sat down and talked while they ate. It was interesting to say the least.

Luxa caught Gregor's gaze and smiled at him. Gregor smiled back and looked around at the rag tag group. The survivors were helping the wounded, feeding those that needed the help or helping them to relieve themselves. It was like a care facility had rolled up to help out. Gregor counted the number they had. There was 50 on the ground now, including 7 fliers and 12 seriously wounded people. York had found his entire family and a small group of guards that had stayed to guard them. They were all uninjured.

When everyone was finished eating, York motioned for everyone to join them. Mareth, Gregor, Perdita, and Eisen moved to Join York and the rest of the family. Luxa and Howard were already there, having sat with their family. Gregor sat on Luxa's right and put Thomas on the ground between them. Luxa smiled and picked him up and sat him on her lap. Stellovet looked between Luxa and Gregor until her eyes focused on Thomas.

"Where did the child come from?" she asked suddenly. Her outburst silenced the group. York and some of the others were wondering the same thing. "I found him while searching for survivors, is all," Gregor said, but it was obvious that that was suitable for those assembled. They wanted details. "Alright," Gregor said reluctantly and a bit annoyed, as he started to tell the story.

"I took him from next to his dead mother. I obviously couldn't leave him there," Gregor said finishing his tale some time later. People could understand the frustration that had filled Gregor's words as he had told them of his struggle to find Thomas and his mother. Every time Gregor had said Thomas' name the little boy's head shot up and he looked around wondering why his name was said. It made everyone loosen up a bit and smile's broached most of their faces.

"You have a kind heart, Gregor," Mareth said smiling at Thomas." He seems to have adjusted somewhat. And he seems to have taken a liking to Queen Luxa, too." Gregor looked sideways at Luxa who was holding Thomas. She had a big smile on her face as she looked down at the boy. You could tell that she had taken a liking to the boy almost as much as him to her.

"Back to the matter at hand," Mareth said suddenly, pulling Gregor back to reality. "Has anyone heard any news on what attacked here?"

"That is actually why I asked you all to join us," York answered. "Stellovet and Susannah want to tell us what they heard and saw." Everyone's attention turned to mother and daughter who sat side by side. Stellovet wrapped her arm around her mother as susannah started talking.

"It had been a simple day when the attack happened. Not much happened and there hadn't been much to do. It was early evening when we heard the first crash into the wall. It took only a few blows before it broke and that is when the screams started. I had tried to find out what was happening, but no guards got back to the palace. The guards in the palace ushered us away and into my chambers. All of us huddled up trying to drown out the noises." She shuddered and fell silent. York wrapped his big arm around his wife and consoled her quietly while Stellovet started talking.

"Yes, we tried to block out the screams, but it was near impossible. We heard all of the buildings crumble and collapse and the screams as people died. It was dreadful." She paused as if the memory was too painful to think about. "Neither of us saw what attacked and I'm not sure any of the survivors did either. It would be near impossible to survive whatever it was that attacked. From the screams it seems that most of the population was slaughtered," Stellovet fell silent and let her brother wrap her in a hug. Her eyes locked with Gregor' and this time he didn't pull away. He let all his understanding for her pain show in his eyes. He felt truly sorry that she had to endure that. Gregor saw a small smile cross the older girls face and he smiled back.

"We have much to do when the search party arrives. We all should get some rest. It has been a long day," Perdita said standing. As she walked away from the group she stopped and gave Thomas a pat on the head and made a funny face at him. Everyone loved the little cute guy.

Gregor stood realizing just how tired he was. He grabbed Thomas from Luxa, who also stood. As Gregor walked away with Thomas he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Luxa standing behind him. She was smiling and her face told Gregor exactly what she was about to say.

"I am sorry I yelled at you before. You are still a big idiot, though. Did you really think I would let Eisen get between us?" Her words were soft and quiet and Gregor contemplated what she said. He thought of a good answer.

"No. No, I just got jealous. It doesn't matter much now. Me and Eisen have talked and we have a come to somewhat of an agreement. He might not really know about our relationship, but he understands us being around each other and acting really close. I think we will make great friends someday." Luxa looked into her loves eyes and saw everything she wanted to see. Gregor put his free arm around her waist as they leaned together. Their lips grew closer until they met. It was a kiss of forgiveness and of love. They broke apart and Gregor walked away to find somewhere to sleep. Luxa walked over to Aurora who was not far away and laid down with her.

Artemese was not far away. He was talking with Andromeda when Gregor showed up. Thomas ran to the bat and plopped down at his feet, looking up into the bats face. Gregor soon followed. Artemese broke off his conversation and Andromeda fluttered away to Mareth and Perdita. Gregor laid himself on the cold ground and pulled Thomas next to him. He squirmed around in Gregor's grasp and Gregor couldn't get him to sit still.

"Mama," Thomas cried as tears came to his eyes. "Mama! Where Mama?" The tears came fast and his voice grew louder and louder. I happened so suddenly that it took Gregor by surprise He picked the boy up and rocked him back and forth, saying soothing words into his little ear. Gregor could see the eyes of those that were looking at him as he tied to settle the boy down. And yet he wouldn't quiet. Instead his cried got louder. Gregor shushed him and said his mommy would be there soon even though it wasn't true. But it wasn't working. Gregor went through all his knowledge of toddlers from his experience with a young Margaret. Thomas kept crying.

"Let me see him," came a quiet voice from behind Gregor. Luxa had snuck up on him with Thomas' cries hiding her approach. Gregor handed the boy to Luxa who started to rock him like Gregor had. She said soft words to him.

"Hey little guy, It will be all better soon. Mama will be back soon. Come on little boy. Quiet down. It's time for bed." Thomas slowly quieted down, his words slowly becoming inaudible. Luxa sat on the ground with him and laid him down, his little snores slightly heard. Luxa stood back up and looked at Gregor. "Get some sleep." And then she was gone.

Gregor couldn't believe how easily she had gotten him to sleep. He laid back down next to him and closed his eyes. His head filled with images of Luxa and Thomas and unseen enemies as he slowly drifted into a fitful sleep.

The heavy beating of air snapped Gregor awake. He had been dreaming about something that quickly left his mind. All he could remember from it was that there was something attacking his friends and he was helpless to fight back. As his groggy eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he saw the source of the noise was a large group of fliers. The search party had arrived. They were loaded up with supplies, enough for all of those already there and anyone they found.

As soon as feet hit ground, everyone sprang into action. Medics checked the wounded, with Howard snapping orders to get them airlifted back to Regalia. A camp slowly took shape as tents were propped and supplies distributed around. It was like an ant colony as people zoomed around each with a task at hand. Gregor worked his way through the well-oiled machine looking for his friends, Thomas held in his arms still sound asleep. He saw Eisen issuing commands along with Perdita, both being Military leaders by nature if not by title. Mareth was with the men assembling and checking weapons and equipment. York was amongst the men anxious to be on the way to find survivors. He found Luxa and Stellovet helping tend to the wounded as they were loaded onto fliers to be taken back to Regalia.

"You two seem to be getting along quite well," Gregor told them as the last bat took off. The two women glanced at him both smiling. Gregor shook his head and quickly walked over to them. He put Thomas down next to them and turned to leave. He had only needed to find Luxa so he could leave the boy with her. There were other things on his mind that he had to do besides watching him.

"Where do you think you are going?" came Luxa's stern voice from behind him. Gregor turned back to the two girls.

"Umm, I'm going to go out with the search parties. It's why I'm here, right? To look for people?" Gregor thought he was stating the obvious as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder to further make his point. It was obvious, however, that both Luxa and Stellovet thought otherwise.

"Gregor, your leg wound is not the best for hours of searching. You passed out from blood loss only 2 days ago. You need to rest." Luxa said.

"Yea, you might get hurt. And who is going to watch Thomas while you are gone?" Stellovet added. Gregor shook his head at the double team. Two girls that didn't want him to hurt himself to bad. Yet if there was something that was trying to kill them it would be Gregor's job to kill it. Oh the hypocrisy.

"Well, one of you two can watch him. I'm going out there. I'm no use around here. My strengths are better used out there. I'll be fine, so don't you gals worry yourselves too much," Gregor said a bit snidely. He didn't care. Thomas wattled over to him and Gregor picked him and blew a raspberry on his stomach. Thomas giggled as Gregor put him back down down. He then wrapped Luxa in a hug before he quickly dashed away to find Eisen, whom he figured he would get a job from. If he had looked back, he would have seen Stellovet staring daggers into Luxa.

Eisen was in the middle of a group of men when Gregor stumbled upon him. He was still issuing commands, but when he saw Gregor he beckoned him over. He dropped his commander vibe for just the moment.

"Gregor, you will be joining me and my group as we investigate the rest of the Eastern portion of the city. We will be leaving in a short time so make sure you are ready." Gregor had time to nod before Eisen was shouting to men and issuing commands again. That was something else he was good at. Command suited him well, whereas action and following suited Gregor more. Gregor couldn't imagine himself issuing commands like Eisen was. It just wasn't in his nature to boss people around.

"What do you need, Overlander?" an Underland man asked as Gregor entered the equipment tent. There were rows of swords and tools and gear in general. Gregor was surprised by the sheer amount of stuff.

"Uh, I just came to get some stuff for the search. Not sure what though. Can I just look around?" Gregor asked. The man nodded and Gregor went to his business, looking through the stuff using common sense and his knowledge of science to pick what he thought the most useful. He grabbed a shovel and some rope right away, realizing that they would be key in digging and pulling rocks and debris. Down another row he grabbed what looked like a pry bar, which he had the best idea of use for, seeing as he had used the concept of one just the day before. The last thing he grabbed was a canteen. He would need to go and fill it with water before they left. If he didn't grab it and he passed out from dehydration, then Luxa would kill him.

The food source was not far from the equipment. Buckets of fresh water were laying there for people to fill canteens or cups from. Gregor unstopped his and filled it the brim with water. He pushed the stopper back in and attached the canteen to his belt. Now Gregor was ready and looked like freaking Indiana Jones. He had the rope around one shoulder and the shovel and pry bar along his back with special straps that he had found. He looked like some crazy explorer. All he needed was his helmet light from his very first adventure.

Eisen was just about to set out when Gregor showed up at his side. All of the men were decked out with gear just like Gregor. Eisen alone was the only one without it. His wrist would prevent him from doing much in the way of moving stuff. He was more or less a supervisor on this rescue mission. The group set off down the same main road Gregor had gone down. As they passed larger side streets groups of two diverted down them to look for anyone in those buildings. At the fork, Eisen split the group, but he kept Gregor with him which made Gregor happy. As long as he was with Eisen he didn't have to issue any orders.

Finally there was just two of them left: Eisen and Gregor. The two kept working their way along, checking down each side street and small alleys. They shifted debris that blocked what had once been house entrances. They being Gregor in this case. Eisen helped where he could, but Gregor did most of the pulling and lifting and levering due to his two good hands. Boy, did he regret snapping Eisen's wrist now. Even as they shifted away debris to look through the fiftieth house, Gregor could see dismay on his companion's face. They had seen no survivors. All they had seen was the dead bodies of people trapped under falling debris or outright slaughtered in the streets. And there was barely anything left undamaged.

The dwellings grew further and further apart the farther away they got from the middle of the city. The entire area was much smaller than Regalia, with no soaring towers or crazy architecture. Most of the buildings didn't even exceed two stories. It was a different place. A simpler place The roads were plain stone over dirt and not the intricate mosaic that was Regalia's streets. Each dwelling seemed to be more mundane. Perhaps it was just the part of city they were in.

It was after hours of continuous walking and checking rubble that Gregor saw the first whole house. Not a part of it was touched by any damage. It stood a single story high, with a slanting roof and simple four walls. There were small wings that came off the main structure. It was not very large from the outside. And yet it was welcoming for Gregor to see something beyond smashed houses and blood soaked paving stones. The inside was empty of any inhabitants. They probably laid somewhere out in the streets in a dried pool of their own blood. The thought made Gregor shake as a chill ran up his spine. He just wanted to get back to camp.

"Eisen, should we start heading back. People may start to worry if we stay out too long. And I have a feeling that we aren't going to find much of anything. We basically reached the end of the line here." Eisen just nodded his head dejected by their bad luck. Perhaps the others had found something or someone. Anything that could shed some light on their situation. None of the survivors had seen anything and many of the wounded were in no state to be hard questioned about what they saw. It was tough going, right now.

Even at a quick pace, it took over two hours for the two of them to return. The camp came into view and the bone tired men scurried like rats into it. Perdita and Mareth greeted them back, each with a plate of food. They found out quickly that they were the last ones back, which Gregor had feared was going to happen. The food was warm and it tasted better than anything he had ever eaten. That's what happens when all you eat all day is water. Neither man had grabbed food only a canteen each. They didn't think they would be looking for so long.

The last vestiges of food left Gregor's plate when his favorite toddler poked his head right into Gregor's face. Gregor jumped and then realizing who it was, laughed at himself for his jumpiness. He poked Thomas in the stomach and sent him into a fit of giggles. As he tiredly climbed to his feet he went to pick up Thomas when Mareth stepped over to him.

"May I take Thomas for a while?" he asked cautiously. Gregor smiled and clapped his friend on the back.

"He's all yours pal. Have fun." Gregor was gone in a flash as he headed around the camp looking for Luxa. He noticed the increased number of wounded that the hospital tent was holding. Many people were unconscious and badly wounded. They would soon be airlifted back to Regalia. There were even more uninjured survivors, many of whom had simply been trapped or lost wandering the ruins. There had to be another 50 people that hadn't been there when he left. 50 people that may have died had they not been able to help them.

"You are the dumbest person alive if you even believe you have a chance with him!" came a harsh shout to Gregor's left. He quickly turned and saw Luxa and Stellovet face to face in a shouting match.

"Oh, and what makes you think that you are the one with this chance, Queeny?!" shouted Stellovet into Luxa's face. Luxa reeled back.

"How dare you!" Luxa snapped back her hand raised to slap the crap out of Stellovet. Before her arm could even move down a hand firmly gripped her wrist. Gentle, but firm.

"Ladies, calm down, calm down. Luxa come with me," Gregor said as he pulled Luxa along with him. He could feel Stellovet boring holes in his back, and he didn't care. She could stare as long and hard as she wanted, but it would change nothing. He could care less what Stellovet thought of him. He only cared about what one girl thought of.

"Now Luxa," Gregor started when the two were a decent distance away from everyone and Stellovet, "You tell me not to get jealous and call me an idiot, yet you are over there screaming about nothing. You seemed just like me and Eisen. Jealous over what someone thought. You are the idiot," Gregor said the last line with a smile and a joking tone. Luxa looked in his eyes and saw the joke.

"I could have you executed for that, you know," Luxa said as she wrapped her arms around Gregor. Gregor hugged her back resting his chin in the top of her head. He held her close and tight letting her know that he would never leave her no matter what. As luxa started to pull away Gregor pulled her back. They locked eyes and their lips met again, just like the night before. They kissed with passion this time. The passion of love that they had stored in their systems for 6 years and had just been waiting to let out. They showed all their love for each other in just that one kiss. It wa a long time before the two broke apart. Smiles were plastered on both faces as Gregor took Luxa's hand and they walked back into camp.

Artemese and Aurora were sitting and talking with each other in the high pitched flier talk, when Gregor and Luxa showed up. Gregor sat down next to a wall and pulled Luxa down next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder as they started talking about each other's days. Gregor told her about how many houses Eisen and him looked through and all the dead bodies they had found. As he was talking about the only house he had seen still standing, Mareth came by and gave the two Thomas back.

"Thank you for letting me spend some time with Thomas, Gregor. I love children," Mareth said before he turned away and left to find himself something to do. Gregor got back to his story as he sat Thomas on his lap. The youngster was visibly wiped out from his day and he nodded off not to long after Mareth had left him. Gregor left him with Artemese and Aurora to Leave him and Luxa some privacy.

They talked for hours more about anything that came to mind. From Connecticut to how Luxa ruled Regalia. Whatever came to mind was open to conversation, with little questions from the other. It was just a peaceful time when they were surrounded by so much destruction.

The soft sound of Luxa's breathing hit Gregor's ears as he stopped talking about his favorite band. He hadn't even noticed Luxa drift off to sleep, her head resting in his lap. He stroked her hair and brushed it out of her face. She looked so comfortable and so peaceful that Gregor couldn't bring himself to wake her up or to move himself. His eyes drifted up and across the camp. There were pockets of people still awake and pockets of those asleep. The camp was in such dim light that echolocation was a more viable way to see more than a few feet away. in most cases. However, something did catch his eye.

Maybe 40 feet away sat Eisen and Stellovet, side by side, both looking right at him and Luxa. It was obvious that they were talking about something, but Gregor couldn't hear a single word of it. Stellovet must have said something funny because Eisen laughed a silent laugh. Weariness eased itself over Gregor so fast that he didn't even realize his eyelids were drooping down. His eyes closed and he nodded off to sleep wondering what the unlikely pair had been talking about.

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Days passed and they brought more of the same. Search parties came and went from the camp to search parts of the city that hadn't been checked or were looked over. The results were barely any better as fewer and fewer people were found alive and those that were usually had serious injuries. They usually didn't survive long. On the second day Ripred had arrived to see the destruction for himself. Even he was taken aback by the carnage. Gregor barely saw him as he spent his time with Perdita and Eisen discussing whatever leader's discuss. He didn't inquire about it. He had seen it all with his own eyes and didn't need any more of it.

On the fourth day Vikus made himself present. The old man came and did the same as Ripred. He went and sat with Eisen and Perdita for hours, discussing death and destruction. Gregor overheard a few snippets of the conversation as he went about his tasks for the day. He had relegated himself to helping Mareth with Equipment, helping prepare meals, or taking care of the wounded. He didn't go out and search anymore. He had seen enough death and his hopes of finding any more survivors were almost nonexistent.

Gregor was on his way to the equipment store with a bundle of newly delivered rope when Vikus called to him. "Gregor, can you come here please?" Gregor handled the rope to another helper and went to Vikus. He had just left the command ten himself and he looked weary and tired.

"What's up, Vikus?" Gregor asked.

"Find Luxa. It is about time that you two came back to Regalia. Eisen is coming back as well, along with Stellovet and Luxa's other cousins. We will depart soon." Vikus said, with as much good naturedness as he could muster from his worried and tired body. Gregor nodded and went to find Luxa. She had been spending time alone with Thomas often or she was checking on the state of the wounded as they were brought back to camp. As Gregor scanned the camp he saw a flash of gold not even 100 yards in front of him. Gregor ran to Aurora and found Luxa sitting with her, Thomas on her lap playing with a ball that one of the searchers had found for him. Gregor grabbed the ball in one hand and dropped himself down so he was face to face with the little boy.

"Hey, little guy. I have good news for you," Gregor said before looking into Luxa's eyes," And for you, too. Vikus told me were going back to Regalia because there isn't much else we can do here." Luxa hopped to her feet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave, but every night she wished for her bed back. She hated sleeping on the ground even if she used Gregor or Aurora as a pillow.

The small group went back to Vikus and the rest of the party that was leaving with them. Fliers were everywhere, as each person mounted up. Gregor hopped onto Artemese's back and whispered a greeting into the bats ear. Thomas also greeted the bat.

"Hi flier!" he said with much excitement.

"Hello, little Thomas. It is good to see, you," Artemese replied. And then they were airborne. They were going back to Regalia.

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**So that is that haha. Not the best chapter, but it is still pretty good and It is pretty long too. I answered some of my questions I asked last time and left the other ambiguous for now. Can't give to much stuff out for right now. Things will happen in due time. Next chapter might be similiar to this one and may take me longer to write. I won't know til I write it though. At the time of posting this, I have over 800 views on only 6 chapters, which is excellent. But I want more feedback. I got great reviews on chapter 6 and there are those of you that review every chapter and I thank you all very much for it. Yet, I want to hear from more people. So tell me what you think guys. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome back guys. This is so being posted late in the day. Or early the next day haha. It's 12:44 am and I started writing this chapter at 12:10 pm. Well that took quite a while even with a plan and everything. That's what I get for taking an hour of my day to go to Toys R Us. Big news is that the story broke 1000 views and I'm so happy about that. Means you guys are reading and coming back for the next chapter. If you know others that like UC fanfiction show them my story. It'll be really nice to see the view count go up a bunch each day. Anyway guys, we have a long ass chapter today, just over 6000 words. A lot of plot development and some character development. Also added some stuff that's gonna hang around for a bit. So read and Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 8**

It was dark. So dark the Gregor couldn't see anything, anywhere. The floor was there, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't see it. Not even when he tried echolocation. The walls were cylindrical and went up and up and up forever. There was no end, no way to get out.

"Gregor! Gregor!" shouted a familiar voice. A tunnel opened in the never ending wall and Gregor ran to it. Or he tried to. His feet were rooted to the ground, immovable. He yearned to go bursting helter skelter down the now open pathway to help those who needed him. Nut no matter how hard he pulled on his legs or thought for them to move, they were stuck.

"Gregor! Will you wake up already, Gregor!?" came the shout again. Gregor's eyes flickered open. Instinctively he moved his legs and sure enough they moved. He ran a hand down his face in relief and looked at the person standing next to his bed. Margaret stood, hands on her hips, looking down into her older brother's face. She glared at him, her eyes boring into Gregor's soul.

"Morning, Margaret.," Gregor said wearily as he climbed out of bed. It had been a long night and a short one at the same time. He didn't have time to think about it as he climbed out of bed and threw on some pants. He'd change completely after he took a bath. Boy he had to smell after almost 5 days without a true bath.

As Gregor was about to leave he realized that his sister never replied to him. She still stood next to his bed arm now crossed across her chest as she stared him down. Gregor could never win a staring contest with her, so he gave in right away.

"What?" Gregor asked with impatience on his voice.

"Why didn't you take me with you? And why didn't you come see me when you got back?" Gregor could see the frustration on his sisters face and hear it in her voice. They had always gone on adventures down here together and he hadn't even thought to bring her with him. Then again she was older and he usually just did it because she was so young. He could leave her in Regalia and she would be fine. Hazard and the guards would make sure she was okay. But she did have a point. He hadn't said anything to her when they returned the night before.

"Well, Margaret, we got back really late last night and you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up. I did stop by your room and you were out for the count. Sleeping like a baby." Gregor added the last line with a smug smile. He always threw baby sayings into conversation with Margaret, the baby of the family. She returned his smile for a bit before realizing he avoided the first part.

"Hey, wait a second. What about the first part? Hazard was mad too, you know. He really could have helped if you found something. He's really smart and stuff." Gregor couldn't help but shake his head and didn't have time to respond before more words tumbled out of the little girls mouth. "And he probably already brought this up to Luxa. He was so mad she didn't bring him and he said he was gonna yell at her for it." Gregor dropped to a knee and took Margaret's hand in both of his.

"Okay. Okay. Calm down for a second. I don't know why Luxa didn't bring Hazard. I'm not in her head. But, I didn't bring you because of two reasons. One, I wasn't sure what we were facing and I didn't want you in the middle of a serious fight. Two, we left so fast after we got the news that I had time and the mind set to find really important people. Fighters and the such. It's not that I wouldn't have brought you, but more like I didn't have time to. Now let's drop this and go take a nice bath." Gregor stood up and dragged his sister behind him out of his room. The bath wasn't far from his room and when they got there he pushed her into her side. They agreed to finish as quickly as possible, so they could go eat and stuff with everyone else.

The water was warm and Gregor let it run over him. He felt the stitches on his leg and wondered if Howard would take them out soon. The water loosed Gregor's stiff neck and back and his sore legs. After a few days of searching he had been sore as a dog and even just working in the camp was laborious. The bath eased all the strain out of his body and as he took the soup and washed all the nasty smells off his body, he felt rejuvenated.

It was one of his quicker baths, but as he dried and dressed he could hear his sister humming outside. Either he took longer than he thought or his sister was one fast bather. He came out in his silver clothes and black boots. He stopped wearing sandals now and instead choose to wear boots for better fighting and running. Margaret was waiting for him, sitting on the floor, humming some silly song from the radio. Then Gregor had a dumb idea. He bent down in front of his sister and said, "Hop on, Kiddo."

Margaret was stunned into silence. What they hell was Gregor doing? Gregor smiled at her and pointed at his back. Boots got the idea pretty fast and scrambled onto Gregor's back. He hoisted her up so that she could see over his head and he took off at a slow jog. Margaret weighed not even 100 pounds and Gregor could carry that around easily.

The high hall loomed before them and the dining room not far after. It had been a short ride, but Gregor got there faster that way. It kinda reminded him of carrying around Margaret in the her little backpack. It was more or less the same thing just without the backpack. Gregor zoomed into the dining room and let Margaret hop off his back. The people in the room all gave him odd looks, including Luxa.

"What? It's just a piggy back ride," Gregor said laughing as he looked at all the faces in the room. There were more people than normal. Usually it was Luxa and Gregor along with Hazard and Margaret and sometimes Vikus or Ripred. Today there were all of Luxa's cousins, minus Howard. He was still at the Fount checking on the wounded.

He was about to take his seat when he heard a giggle at the door. Thomas teetered in accompanied by an Underlander. Gregor looked at the face and memories came back to him. It, of course, was Dulcet. The same Underlander that cared for Margaret all those years ago. She looked older and yet she still had the same caring look on her face.

Thomas stood in the doorway and looked at the faces of everyone. A big smile broke out on his face when he saw Gregor and he raced to him as fast as his little legs could carry him. Gregor scooped him up and tossed him in the air catching him and tickling his stomach. Thomas laughed the entire time.

Margaret was giving Gregor a strange look when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Dulcet waiting patiently behind her. A smile creased both girls faces.

"Hi Dulcet," Margaret said shyly. Dulcet's smile grew even bigger.

"Hello, Boots. It seems you have grown quite a bit. You do not still go by boots do you?" Dulcet replied with a hint of humour. Margaret smiled even more and hugged her former nanny.

"I go by Margaret, now. But if you want you can still call me Boots," Margaret replied. Dulcet had been a big part of her younger years and she hadn't realized how much she had missed her. Dulcet let their embrace go and nodded to her before she backed out of the room. Margaret took her seat next to Gregor who was still sitting with Thomas.

"Where'd the kid come from, bro?" she asked him. Thomas looked at her and a smile breached his face. He giggled and pointed at her with one of his little hands.

"Hi, you," Thomas said and Margaret melted like a stick of butter. She smiled back and made funny faces at him. Thomas kept laughing the whole time. Everyone seemed to love him. Breakfast was flying by and Gregor hadn't touched any food. Most of Luxa's cousins had already left and the Dining room was empty except for Margaret, Gregor, Luxa, and Stellovet. Gregor was helping Thomas with his food when Luxa leaned over and grabbed Thomas.

"You need to eat yourself, Gregor. I'll make sure Thomas eats." She took him and sat back down, bouncing him on her knee as he ate. Gregor grabbed some toast and butter and went to eating, never taking his eyes off of Luxa and the little boy. Gregor still couldn't figure out why he liked Thomas so much and why he liked Gregor and Luxa. It seemed odd as Gregor had never really contemplated having kids ever. He wasn't sure he could handle raising them. And yet here he was with a child that wasn't even his and he already felt like he would never let Thomas go.

Gregor quickly scoffed down a couple pieces of toast and got up out of his chair. Luxa was getting up too and she took Thomas with her. Dulcet was waiting outside and Luxa deposited Thomas into her arms. She whispered in the nannies ear something and sent them on their way. Gregor looked at her and shook his head. Whatever she said couldn't have been to important.

"Thomas will spend his day with other children and I have meetings and the such to attend to today. You happen to have a free day today to do whatever it is you want to do. No limitations," Luxa told Gregor. Before she left she gave him a quick peek on the cheek and she was gone. She walked with such grace it was as if she floated above the ground. Gregor's eyes followed her until she was gone from sight, around a corner.

So what was he going to do today? The palace didn't have much in the way of fun stuff to do. He could go to the arena and do some sword work. Or he could go and take a ride on Artemese. Or he could just walk through the city. "Yea. A walk through the city would be nice," Gregor thought out loud as his feet started to carry him out of the high hall. He walked down a few flight of stairs and down several hallways before he found the entrance hall. It was the first room in the palace that he had ever set foot in. Two guards stood next to the lift down to the city. Gregor approached and they both straightened up at the sight of him.

"Hey guys. I'm going down to explore the city if that's okay with you. You have any suggestions on where I could go?" Gregor asked friendly enough as he looked between the two guards. They slowly lost the super straight back, taught as an arrow, stance they had taken and instead resumed their slumped over bored appearance.

"Yes. You could go to any of the smiths in the city or to any of the bakers. They sell very nice breads and treats," one of the guards said. Gregor thought it was a good idea so he walked past them onto the platform. He looked down and regretted it as the platform started to drop. 200 feet down was the street. A 200 foot sheer drop with nothing to grab a hold of. His hand instinctively grabbed one of the ropes and held on until he felt the ropes go taught. He stepped off the platform as it stood one foot above the ground. And then he was lost in the sounds and smells of the city.

People crowded the street in front of him and he could smell food cooking. The sounds of hammers in the distance told him that the smiths were working. Wagon wheels creaked as the were pulled past loaded with produce, animals, or other things. The city was alive and moving and it surprised him that he found it even more alive than New York City. As he started to walk by, he saw groups of underlanders in conversation, laughing and joking, as they went about their business. He saw groups of men playing dice and others with what looked like cards as they sat around tables or barrels.

There were sights that Gregor hadn't expected. He heard the sound of bells tolling what could have been a church. He saw that in many of the soaring towers people hung out of windows shouting down to friends below. Kids ran by him chasing hoops or balls. The smell of a baked good drew him further along the street. He could see the smoke coming from the top of a roof and he ducked inside. The bakery was warm and the baker was a homely woman. she was a bit round in the middle, but she was jovial and seemed to have several patrons. She gave bread and other pastries out over the counter to them as they paid her in some kind of coin. Her eyes caught Gregor's and she beckoned him closer.

"Hello, overlander, and welcome to my bakery and home," as she spoke she reached under the counter and pulled out a warm tart. "Please, take this as a sign of my respect." Gregor took the tart and thanked her before he took a bite. It was flaky and warm and the fruit or whatever was in it exploded with flavor in his mouth. He took another bite.

" Th's v'ry good," Gregor said with his mouth full, fully forgetting his manners. The woman only laughed as Gregor blushed and swallowed his large mouthful. He smiled and thanked the woman again. She showed him her other baked goods as he continued to eat the one she had given him. All of the food looked marvelous. As he was about to inquire about price, he realized that he had no money. He felt bad that he was providing her with no business as he had just taken up so much of her time.

"I'm sorry miss. I don't have any money at the moment, but I will definitely be back as soon as I get some," Gregor said promising the woman as he left the store. She smiled at him and wished him a good day with a bow. As he continued down the street, he noticed that people started to notice him. Many looked at him with admiration and some looked at him with wonder. Others however stayed away from him and looked angry or mad to see him walking their streets. It shocked him that the people he had saved would grow to dislike him. Perhaps they never liked him. It was all a mess to him.

The sound of a heavy hammer smashing metal brought Gregor back to his senses. A sign hung over the street with an anvil on it and it said _Ivan's Metal Work and Weapons. _Gregor was intrigued and he entered the store with anticipation. A massive anvil stood before him and an equally large man stood behind it with an equally large hammer in his massive hand. Gregor wasn't sure if the man was bigger than York, but it was pretty 's eyes shifted away from the furnace and the anvil to the other half of the store. Shelves contained knives and daggers, ornaments and trinkets, and other household items. The walls however were different. They were lined with weapons of all types from axes to hammers to swords to spears and shields. Not a single piece used any wood as far as Gregor could see. He was rooted to the floor as his gaze shifted over the shiny metallic surfaces of each and every piece.

"Greetings overlander, welcome to my shop," came a sharp nasally voice from behind him. Gregor spun around and saw a short, small man standing behind him. He was much shorter than Gregor, standing maybe slightly over five foot. His hair was a gray, almost white. It was a shock of white. "I am Ivan, owner and former worker of this fine establishment. I am a master smith and have trained many. Do you have need of my assistance?"

"No sir," Gregor replied, "I am in love with all of your pieces. I'm going to take a look around and I'll ask you any questions I have." Ivan nodded and went back to wherever he had appeared from. The swords then had all of Gregor's attention. Some were long, some short. Some were thick and others thin. Some were very heavy and others were light as on felt unique and marvelous, but not a single one felt good in Gregor's hand. That is until he picked up the last sword. It seemed to become part of his arm as he swung it. The blade sliced through the air with a whistle. It flowed as easily as if he was swinging his arm.

The blade itself had a blue tint to it. The hilt was dark blue with a yellow stone right below the blade. The hilt extended out like wings to the side. It was the most beautiful blade Gregor had ever seen. And he had to have it. The blade held against his shoulder, Gregor wove his way through the shelves of trinkets, the sound of the heavy hammer mashing down on the anvil. Suddenly, Ivan appeared before him.

"I see you have found a sword that suits your needs," he said as Gregor jumped from his sudden appearance. Quickly regaining his composure, Gregor lowered the sword so its tip rested against the ground.

"Yes. The problem is I don't currently have any money on me," Gregor explained, "But, I am going to find a way to earn some, fast. If it is possible, can you hold it for me. Keep it in the back perhaps for when I return."

"Oh yes. It would be my honor to keep this sword for you until you are ready for it. It has a story that I will tell you when the time comes." Ivan reached out and took the sword from Gregor. He slid the sword into the empty scabbard he was wearing on his hip as if the sword was made for the sheath. Gregor hadn't even noticed him wearing the scabbard. There was something odd about Ivan, but Gregor couldn't put his finger on it. It was probably all in his head.

With his mind deep in thought, his feet carried him out of the shop and back into the streets. His head filled with the noises of busy people. His senses were overwhelmed by the amount of stuff going on around him. The mixture of aromas that filled the air was a strange concoction of burning and baking and fresh animal dung. The cacophony of sounds had also escalated. Animals whines, people blabbed, and children screamed. Wagons clacked across the cobbled street and master craftsmen worked. A squad of guards walked by their weapons and armor clanking and crashing against each other.

Raucous laughter erupted from the building next to him. It was simple, two stories, some windows and a single door. Gregor was drawn to the door and he poked his head in. Off duty guards were sprawled in chairs around tables, some with drink in hand. Others were playing games similar to darts. It was like a police station you would see in corny cop movies.

The room silenced when they noticed Gregor's head sticking through the door. One of the guards, a tall, scrawny man let out a laugh and beckoned him in.

"Come on in Overlander. Make yourself at home," he said with a lot of joy. Many of the men repeated his enthusiasm with a raise of their drink or their fist and a small cheers. Others simply left the room, but it was only a few. The rest pulled him to the table and dropped a mug of ale before him. They pulled up chairs on all sides eager to hear something from him.

"Drink!" the same man told Gregor, who let himself loosen up at the man's tone. Gregor grabbed the mug and took a big gulp of ale. It was his first taste of alcohol and he had to say it wasn't bad. He took another sip, put the cup down, and sighed. It was good. "So what brings you here to our fine barracks?" another guard asked him while he gestured to the building around them.

"I was just taking a stroll through the city for the first time and I heard you guys having some fun. Figured I'd check it out," Gregor said with chuckles of laughter coming from all around him. More questions were asked and Gregor answered all of them. He downed one mug and then another as he enjoyed himself with the men.

"I remember you overlander. Pretty well in fact. I saw you fight in the firelands all those years ago and you saved my life without even knowing it. But I must know what has happened in the Fount?" Gregor was taken back. He didn't know that word had spread that anything had happened at the Fount. Then again, it would have been possible for people to find out due to bats flying in and out of the city with people on their back. The search party was composed of both soldiers and city guards. And how did they know he was there? It didn't matter he guessed.

"Well," Gregor started,"there isn't much left standing there. Whatever attacked took out almost all of the buildings. And when I left, we had found at most 100 survivors. How many of them survived now I couldn't tell you. What I can say is that you're lucky you didn't go and see what happened. It was not pretty. So much blood from the innocent people there." Gregor shut himself up as the men looked at each other and at him. It was obvious they felt his pain and returned it. They may have had friends or family in the Fount and that would make it more than tough for them.

"So, we do not know what attacked the Fount?" another man asked, the nerves on his voice more obvious than he wanted them to be. Gregor just shook his head. They had found nothing, nothing at all, to say what had decimated the Fount. None of the survivors were even very clear on it. There wasn't even any form of speculation from anybody on what it could be.

The happy go lucky atmosphere was gone. Everyone sat solemn, their faces looking into their mugs. Gregor sat himself looking into space, occasionally taking a sip from his mug. The guards on duty burst through the door with loud voices and laughter.

"Did you see that guys face as I-!" one of the men was saying before he cut off and saw his comrades huddled around Gregor, all down trodden looking. Their own jovial nature eroded away, as they switched places with the next shift of guards. Gregor climbed out of his chair and followed them out. He just wanted to get back to get back to the palace, his feelings for his day on the town gone.

A small group of young boys, maybe 10 years old, were playing a game of ball. They bounced it off their bodies avoiding using their hands and feet. The ball ricocheted out of the circle and towards Gregor. It flew towards him and he spun using his forearm like a bat, knocking the ball back into the circle. The nearest boy shouted a thanks to him and went back to their game. Gregor had a sad smile on his face. Those boys reminded him about what he never had a chance to have as a kid. He had very few friends, beyond Angelina and Larry, and he never hung out with them that much. After his father disappeared, most of the kids left him alone and he rarely did much.

And then he fell in the Underland, which forever changed him for the better. He may have lost his childhood to rats and war, but he learned who he truly was and he met the love of his life. He may not have played games of ball with kids his age, but he didn't regret it that much. Instead he learned how to fight and how to love and how to be a hero to those who needed a hero. If he had to rate his childhood he may have lost it early, but what he learned and gained outweighed it by a mile.

The palace wall reared up before him not much later. The wall was smooth to the touch as he ran his hand along it, all the way up till he was at the platform. He gave a tug on the rope and the platform started its climb to the hall above. The entrance was empty except for the two guards who watched the lift. Gregor wasn't sure on the time of day and where anyone was. The palace seemed empty as Gregor didn't pass a single guard or servant on his way to check Luxa's usual haunts. He checked with the guards at her chambers and they told him she hadn't been there. The dining room was void of everyone.

Those were the two places he usually could rely on Luxa being and yet she wasn't at either. She must still be in her in conferences and meetings. So Gregor turned away and figured he could ask her about ways to make money over dinner. He shuffled his shoes over the smooth rock of the floor, when the pater of running feet behind him caused him to stop. The sound of heavy breathing joined that of the running and not long after a man turned the corner and ran straight to Gregor.

He stopped, with his hands on his knees, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. His stomach was large and he didn't seem to be very good at running. He actually looked like a fat dog in the middle of summer. The man wiped sweat off his forward and rasped his message to Gregor.

"Your presence… is requested in… the tactics room… right away." The man needed to really catch his breath so Gregor held his questions for a moment. "Thank you ,Overlander," the man said with his breath mostly back.

"Why am I required in the Tactics room? And what and where is it?"

"I do not know why you have been requested. I was sent to find you 20 minutes ago and have been running after you for most of the time. I had spotted you in the streets, but I could not keep up due to the clogged streets. It took me time to find you even here. As for the Tactics room, it is where we plan for our wars and form new attack tactics. It is not far from the council chamber, just take a right and then a left." Gregor thanked the man before he himself set out at a run. He accelerated around the corner and took the stairs in front of him three at a time. Once he got to the top he took the corridor on his right. It would take him to the council chamber faster than cutting up through the high hall. At least he hoped it would as he charged down the long hallway, his body in a perfect running position. His legs were a blur and his arms swung forward and back keeping his momentum up. The council chamber was on the hallway to his right, so he skidded his boots along the ground and twisted his body; he barely lost any speed as his feet slammed down on the ground.

The large doors to the council chamber flew past as he took the first right he saw. A flight of stairs loomed in front of him, yet they were short maybe only a few feet down. Gregor sprang over them landing it perfectly and his feet kept him charging forward. The doors blurred past him on both sides until he saw a hall approaching him on his left. He turned down it and saw the bright light that could only be the Tactics Room. He put his last vestiges of power into it and he chugged through the door; Gregor skidded to a halt trying to stop and he fell flat on his ass.

His eyes stared straight up at the ceiling as he let the stars circle his head and his breath fully come back to him. Luxa and Stellovet's faces appeared in his field of vision looking down at him. He felt like a major idiot right then. It didn't show as he placed a big smile on his face and jumped back to his feet. His tail bone was sore and he could feel a welt forming on the back of his head. Nothing too bad for him though.

The room was large with a large stone table running down the length of it. It had a map of the underland painted on it. Or at least the known underland at the making of it. Maps of other parts were on the walls. They were handdrawn and very rough, but yet they still gave a decent perspective of what was there. Around the table sat four beings. Luxa and Stellovet were seated, obviously, near where Gregor had come in. Ripred and another man Gregor recognized sat a bit further down the table. They were deep in conversation with each other. Ripred looked up at Gregor and gave a quick sniff.

"You've been out in the city, boy. I can smell a tart on you, as well as smoke, and ale. What were you doing to keep us all waiting?" Ripred asked him with a smirk on his face. Luxa herself only seemed curious about the ale part.

"Ripred, leave him be. What he does is his business," the man said suddenly, standing from his chair and walking towards Gregor. It all clicked then. He was Roderick, Regalia's Top Sword. He must be quite important to be here with them for whatever it was they were here for. "Hello, Overlander," Roderick said, "We have not officially met, but I assume you know who I am and I know who you are."

"Indeed, Roderick. Top Sword of Regalia is quite a title. What exactly does it mean?" Gregor asked with pure curiousness. Roderick laughed at the question. A good natured hearty laugh.

"Basically, it means I'm the best fighter in Regalia. Of course that doesn't include you or Ripred. I have never lasted more than a minute with that old rat. It takes someone of your skill to best someone of his skill. And your skill levels are near identical. If we ever have a chance I would greatly appreciate a chance to spar with you." Gregor could feel himself blushing as his pride grew. He was being flattered and complemented by the best swordsman in Regalia. Gregor was just good because he was a rager. It wasn't a fair comparison.

"It would be an honor Roderick," Gregor said as he gave him a small bow of respect.

"Yawn! Where is the old man anyway? He asks us all here and yet doesn't even show up himself," Ripred said with a snarky snarl.

"The old man is right here," came an equally snarky reply from Vikus, who was standing in the doorway with a weary looking man. "Gregor, Roderick, if you two would please take a seat, we have much to discuss."

Gregor sat next to Luxa, much to Stellovet's apparent dismay, while Roderick resumed his seat near Ripred. Vikus himself walked to the table, but did not sit. He stood at the head and looked at the five assembled beings. He looked more tired than normal. The usual light in his eyes was faded and he seemed very distressed.

"Marik, if you would care to explain," Vikus said before he himself took a seat, finally, next to Gregor.

"Yes. Thank you, Vikus. Greetings to you all. I have dire news to report to you most important people. At the Fount we have discovered what committed the terrible act." Marik snapped his fingers and two men carried in a five or so foot length of something. Then Gregor noticed the long barb on the end and dread filled his heart. "This is a severed Stinger tail, that we found buried under the rubble of a shop in the second square. It seems to belong to an average sized stinger from the proportions."

Marik finished talking and stepped back from the table. His men carried the tail forward and placed it before them, so they could see it. They bowed and retreated from the room.

"Thank you, Marik," Vikus said," You and your men shall go and bathe and get some food. You have done us a great service." Marik bowed to them and followed his men from the room. Vikus then turned to the assembled. "They discovered this tail, not even a full day after I brought Luxa, Gregor, and Stellovet back. Marik and his men took their strongest fliers and flew back as fast as possible. We now know the who, but we still do not know the why. Does anyone have any ideas?"

The room was silent in response to Vikus' question. Gregor did not know the relations to the stingers after being away for so long. Luxa and Ripred would have the best knowledge of the situation. Both sat just as silent as Gregor.

"Is it possible something attacked them and drove them to attack the Fount?" Roderick asked finally speaking up. Vikus, Luxa, and Ripred all shook their heads. It was not the most logical idea. Unless humans attacked them then they would have had no reason to slaughter the Fount. It was a dilemma. A fe ideas were thrown around, yet none could answer why they would just attack the Fount with such ferocity and with no warning.

The sound of a scuffle in the hall pulled everyone out of the discussion. Gregor reached to his waist and again found no weapon. He had left it in his room that morning. It was a habit he would need to break. The scuffle escalated with muffled curses being heard and the occasional shout. A shock of black hair burst through the doorway with a guard hanging onto him, trying to pull him back.

"I am sorry, Your Grace. He would not take no for an answer and rushed past me. I did not wish to hurt him. The guard scooped up Hazard and turned around with boy beating on his arms. As the guard tried to walk out he ran smack into Margaret who had followed them in.

"Put my cousin down now!" Luxa shouted at the guard. He complied instantly with his Queen and quickly left. Luxa was fuming at the mess up that had just happened. "Hazard, why are you here? You better have a good reason!" Luxa was on the verge of blowing off Hazard's head.

"I do, Luxa. There is a group of Stingers at the west wall." Hazard quickly blurted out. The room dropped to a solemn silence and Gregor and Luxa exchanged a quick worried look.

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**So what did you guys think? I think it's a very good chapter and I didn't really edit it much. Fixed as many grammar issues that weren't just part of my writing style, but I didn't change many lines of text. And I wonder if you guys caught one of my random nerd references. If you did tell me. Leave a review guys and keep reading. I'll see you guys next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome back again my joyous readers. I really appreciate how much you guys seem to be enjoying the story so far. It's kinds piecemeal in my head as to all that's going to happen and major events change slightly as I write the in between chapters. Yet, there is a definitive end point. So this chapter is being posted later than I wanted because of the immense number of delays and interruptions I had from my parents. They just wouldn't leave me alone to write. They had to make sure I had done some piece of my summer homework or took out the trash. I didn't get into a good writing spot until 9 pm and then it took me about 4 hours to finish and fix all I had messed up. Also, listening to Rise Against is the best music for writing. That is all. Read and Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 9**

Time seemed to have slowed down, as worried looks bounced between the group. The only sound was Hazard's heavy breaths. Ripred almost immediately got up and started to pace back and forth, his tail moving almost independently of his body. Gregor could see droplets of nervous sweat beading up on Roderick's forehead as he realized the situation they may be under. And then time sped back up as Vikus slowly got out of his chair and went to his grandson.

"Hazard, do you know why they have come?" he asked imperatively and grasping Hazard by the arm.

"No, Vikus. I was showing Margaret the view from the wall between my lessons. I heard a noise and we watched to see what it was. A group of twenty stingers approached the wall and stopped when they saw us. Margaret and I called for a bat and came back to the palace. I was not sure where to find Luxa to tell her, until I found you all here." Hazard's breath slowly came back to him as he explained the situation. If they hadn't attacked yet, then perhaps they were here for negotiations.

"Why are you all looking like that?" Margaret asked from the doorway. Neither Hazard nor Margaret had walked far into the room, so there was no way for them to see what lay on the table in front of the group. Gregor could tell Margaret was a little scared, not from seeing massive scorpions, but from the look on her brothers face.

Hazard tried to work his way towards the table and he ran right into Ripred's tail. It curled around his waist quicker than he could react. He fought against it, pushing and pulling on the mass of muscle that blocked his way. Ripred didn't let him go and kept his tail wrapped around him to prevent him from seeing what was there. Gregor couldn't tell why. Both kids would find out anyway.

"Just let him go, Ripred. Both of them will find out eventually anyway," Gregor said. Ripred's tail loosened some, but still didn't let him go.

"We are going to find out what?" Hazard asked as he still tried to extricate himself from the gripping pink snake that held him in place. Margaret had walked closer to the group, regaining her usual spunkiness and natural curiosity. She walked past Ripred, who didn't try to stop her as she walked to her brother's side.

"Let him go, Ripred," Luxa said realizing that Gregor was right and that Ripred was waiting for her word. His tail snapped off of Hazard's waist and Hazard nearly tripped on his head long rush to cover the last few feet to the table. His eyes grew wide when he saw the severed tail on the laying out before him and his mouth dropped open as realization dawned on him. He could now see why everyone was so worried by his news.

"Are we going to be attacked?" Margaret asked confidently, all traces of her nerves gone. Gregor shrugged, as did Roderick. Luxa looked the younger girl in the eyes and shook her head.

"No. No, we will not be attacked. I will go talk with them and find out why they have come here. It is my city and I will not see it fall before my eyes." Luxa sounded every bit the Queen she was. She stood, followed quickly by the rest of those seated. "We shall all go. All of us will have a role to play in this. Vikus, summon our fliers." And with that she walked right out the door, Hazard hot on her heels. Everyone else followed suit until it was just Gregor and Margaret left. As they headed towards the door a sudden thought hit Gregor. His hand fell to his belt and he found no sword.

"Margaret, follow the rest of them. I have to go get something," Gregor said. As soon as the last word left his lips he was running again. He heard Margaret's voice behind him, but the words were distorted by the halls, the wind as it whistled by his ears, and the sound of his boots slamming into the hard rock. He was not sure where he was exactly in the Palace, but he knew where his room was and the he was heading in the right direction towards it.

He flew up flights of stairs and down hallways like a speeding bullet. At full sprint Gregor wasn't sure how long he could run like this. A few minutes at the most. Hopefully he would find his room ast and get up to the High Hall without keeping them waiting long. Servants gave him strange looks as he blew past them like a speeding bullet, not that they knew what a bullet was. The surroundings started to look familiar and Gregor, took a quick left turn. His feet slammed out a rhythmic beat as he pushed further on. Doorways came and went, their curtains billowing after he passed. Six...seven...eight… nine… ten… eleven… TWELVE! Gregor counted as he found his room.

He burst through the curtain and slammed to a stop, hopping over one of the stone chairs at his table so as to not wreck his leg on it. He scrambled to his bedside and grabbed his sword belt from where he had left it the night before, when he nodded off. It should have been logical to always wear his damn sword on him all the time, but Gregor always forgot. He slapped himself on the head, jumped back to his feet and was gone like a bolt again.

Out into the hall he went, accelerating back to his best speed. It wasn't as fast as he could run; he only ran that fast for the 100 yard dash. However, this was far faster than many other people could run, especially for as long as he had been running. The path to the high hall was ingrained in his head and Gregor didn't even have to look to know where he was. Flights of stairs were lost below his long legs as he climbed up them three or four stairs at a time. Long halls were covered in as few steps as he could take. Gregor could bet his track coach would be proud of him for his running in just the last few minutes let alone the last few hours.

The entrance to the High Hall was just in front of Gregor. He put his last burst of speed on and dashed through. He got a quick glimpse of the group waiting and then… he ran right into a wall of fur and muscle. His back slammed into the floor and slid a few feet back along the ground. The breath was knocked out of his lungs and his head had hit the ground again, putting a bump on top of the bump he already had there. Ripred loomed over him, teeth bared, saliva dripping from them.

"Boy, where were you? We don't have time for your shenanigans! Those stingers could decide to stop waiting and decide to start attacking any minute and you had to go get something! What are you thinking?" The words came out as a growl and Gregor flinched back at Ripred's putrid breath. The rat pushed him down as he tried to get up.

"Move, Ripred! I had to go get my sword! Will you get off of me?" Gregor snarled back at the rat. Ripred didn't move an inch, which was more counterproductive to the reason he was holding Gregor there.

"Didn't have your sword? What kind of warrior are you to not carry your weapon around with you all the time?" The sarcasm oozed from Ripred's words as he let Gregor push himself to his feet. Gregor walked past Ripred without a word, having learned that replying was the worst thing he could do. A humph came from behind him as Ripred followed him over to the fliers. That was a victory for Gregor, not that either really cared.

Margaret stood with Artemese and everyone else was already mounted. A small group of guards sat mounted as well off to the side. Gregor recognized a few as men he had drunk with in the barracks, and he nodded to them. They gave quick nods back and then sat unmoving again.

"You ready for this, Margaret?" Gregor asked his sister as he picked her up and placed her on Artemese's back. She nodded to him and he hopped on behind her. Ripred gave a flick of his tail, off the back of massive flier, and all the bats lifted off. Massive wings beat the air and the group of twelve shot off towards the wall. The first wall passed beneath them not long after, and the massive fields of Regalia spanned miles beneath them. Farmers toiled at their work below, their eyes looking up as the squad of bats flew above them. The smaller second wall protected the fields from attack and gave extra protection to the city proper.

Artemese fluttered down to the walls top and Gregor dismounted. Margaret slid off his back and joined Gregor. Ripred was already in deep discussion with Roderick; Stellovet and Luxa stood with Vikus, all three of them staring over the edge of the wall. Margaret ran over to Hazard who stood off by himself. And now alone, Gregor took a glance over the edge of the wall. There was room beneath it, maybe 30 yards of pure empty space, before he saw the first stingers. Like Hazard had said there were perhaps 20 stingers, if not a few more, all varying in size. The numbers of legs made the size of the small group seem much larger. The pincers and arching massive tails were deadly looking and they gleamed in the minimal torch light.

Gregor felt safe on top of the wall. That was until he remembered the wall in the Fount. It had been crushed through as if a missile had exploded against it. If the stingers could do it there they could do it here. With that mindset, Gregor took a step back. A hand firmly grasped his arm and pulled him to the side.

"Hey, Lu-," Gregor began before he saw who it was, "Stellovet. What's up?"

"Do you see those monsters down there? Why do you think they are here? Luxa thinks they want to talk to us. I think they want to kill us and we should attack them first." Her eyes showed no remorse in her words. What she thought was her only thought and it wasn't changing.

"Well, umm, you see, uhhh, I think they're here to talk as well. They haven't attacked us yet, so I'm siding with Luxa on this one." Gregor stammered his answer out with Stellovet's eyes watching him closely. Her face dropped and Gregor thought it lost some color. She seemed to have hoped Gregor would agree with her. "Well, that's dumb of her to think," Gregor thought, "Of course I'm not just gonna blindly attack them when they haven't said why they were here."

Stellovet turned on her heel and stalked off away from everyone. "Girls," Gregor muttered under his breath, as he walked over to Luxa and Vikus. The old man turned his obvious downtrodden face to Gregor. He didn't seem confident about what was going to happen. His attention turned to Luxa, whose eyes had not left the group of scorpions. Gregor stood next to her and rested his hand on top of hers. Luxa's gaze quickly shifted away from the stingers and to Gregor.

"Why do you think they are here?" Luxa asked Gregor, her voice calm.

"They want to talk with us about something. Not sure what though." Gregor gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I agree," Luxa replied a few moments later, "What did Stellovet ask you?" Her tone had changed. This was a totally different conversation now. Luxa looked Gregor dead in the eyes, the stingers forgotten. They weren't going anywhere and they were letting them make the first move.

"She asked me the same thing you did, actually. She wants us to go and slaughter them in revenge. I told her no more or less and she left huffing and puffing." Luxa gave him a look at the last few words. "I guess they don't huff and puff down here," Gregor thought with a chuckle.

"She told me the same. She thought you would think the same as her. I do not know why," Luxa paused for a moment, before continuing,"She fancies you very much." Gregor was surprised she brought it up at a time like this. He knew that Stellovet had a thing for him, but this just wasn't the time to talk about it.

"Let's talk about this another time. So are we waiting for the stingers or what?" Gregor asked to just change the subject."

"No we are not, overlander," Roderick said behind them. Gregor jumped at the sudden voice and his hand shot away from Luxa's. He still wasn't used to people seeing them showing any kind of romance. He was fine when they were just talking like friends next to each other or being close when no one was around. But as soon as someone showed up, he becomes jumpy.

"It's time we went and said hello to our visitors. Hazard, you are coming to to translate. Vikus, Margaret, and Stellovet stay up here with the guards. They will be able to return to the palace with messages," Ripred said as he motioned for the fliers to ready themselves. Artemese fluttered over to Gregor and Gregor climbed onto the purple bats strong back. They lifted off and floated fifteen yards from the wall where his feet landed. It had taken all of six seconds to do. Two stinger approached them and Gregor got a good look at them for the second time in his life.

Stingers were massive. The two in front of him had to be about ten to twelve feet long and they weren't even the largest of the group. There were at some in the back that looked to be nearly sixteen feet long. And there tails were nearly as long as their bodies. The sharp barb ended tail arced up and slightly over their backs. And then there was their shiny exoskeleton that had to be thick as tank armor and just as strong. Each one was basically heavy artillery.

Ripred sauntered forward with Luxa at her side. Hazard stood on the other side of Ripred. Roderick and Gregor stood behind them as back up and with one true job: Get Luxa out if anything went wrong. Ripred positioned Gregor right behind her and Roderick behind Hazard. He needed no back up.

"Tell them who we are," Luxa commanded her younger cousin. Hazard started clicking in crawler and got no response. The last time Gregor had seen them talk with stingers, Hazard had used crawler. Here it didn't work. Hazard quickly switched to spinner and got the same response: nothing. He went through hisser and gnawer and nibbler. There was no reply to any of it.

"No luck Luxa," Hazard told them, frustration apparent in his voice. The stingers hadn't reacted to any of the languages they had tried. At least in Hades Hall the stingers had reacted some to the different ways they were spoken to. Gregor could feel frustration welling in him as well and he wasn't even trying to communicate with them.

Luxa had whispered something in Ripred's ear and the rat seemed to like it. He turned around and headed back toward the fliers, Luxa right on his heels. Hazard quickly ran to join them. After they all had passed Gregor he was about to turn when something he hadn't expected to happen happened.

"Greetings, Queen Luxa." something said. Gregor looked towards the mass of stingers to see if there was another creature among them that spoke English. He saw none. His attention turned to the stingers that had come to talk with them. He looked towards their mouths to see if they had possibly been the ones to talk. He couldn't tell.

Luxa, Ripred and Hazard had also all turned back at the sound. A devilish smile had crossed Luxa's face. "She is good," Gregor though, realizing that Luxa had forced their hand. If the humans didn't know their language and they wanted to communicate they would use English. It was a trick she had hoped would work, and her guess had been correct. Luxa and Ripred walked back to them, both of their faces showing extreme annoyance.

"I apologize for our behavior. We were testing your resolve and will to listen to us. It seems as if it is quite large. Your translator used many languages of which I knew several of. But now that we are at an agreement on language, you probably are wondering why we are here," the stinger seemed to have to work quite a bit to produce English. It took a creature of extreme intellect to teach it's vocal cords and body to make certain sounds.

"Indeed we wish to know your reasons for coming to my city," Luxa started her voice showing little of the anger or annoyance that she was feeling. "I also would like to know why stingers attacked the Fount only six days ago."

The stinger quickly translated Luxa's words to his companion. It seemed it was a rare gift for a stinger to speak human words. The two conversed between each other in a mixture of clicks and hisses. Hazard focused intently on how they talked and Gregor could bet he would be hearing the boy clicking and hissing trying to figure out their language for the next few days or even weeks. Finally the hissing and clicking stopped and the English speaking stinger turned back towards them.

"We are here for your assistance, Queen Luxa. Our species has become divided amongst ourselves and we are the minority of the division. The others attacked your city known as the Fount. There is no alliances between our species and after the atrocity of what the rest of our brethren have done, I would understand if you did not give us sanctum in your city." Gregor believed what he said right away. There was no reason to not. Then again there was no reason to believe them either. And Luxa didn't believe them.

"That is a nice story, but you must tell me more to make me believe you. You will not enter my city unless you can prove to me that you did not attack the Fount," Luxa replied harshly. She was all business and did not trust any of the stingers. There was no chance that she would let them harm her people again.

"You knew that stingers had attacked the Fount. How?" the stinger asked her in the same level voice. There was no fluctuation in its voice. It was always the same calm sounding almost scratchy voice every time. And Gregor never saw the mouth move.

"Our search parties found a severed tail in a destroyed home," Luxa replied. She glanced at Ripred and then Gregor asking if they knew what the stingers train of thought was. Gregor and Ripred both shrugged. It was a mystery to them as much as it was to her.

"Did the tail look much like ours?" the stinger replied as it quickly scuttled so it's tail was better in the light. It was much larger. The segments were squarer shaped then the one they had in the tactics room. It also had fewer segments, but each one was larger. It was as if they were different species. Luxa was still studying the tail with such scrutiny that Gregor was certain she was looking for any reason to answer with a yes.

"No, your tail looks completely different," Gregor blurted out. Ripred and Luxa both shot him looks, but he put his hands up as if saying let me handle this. They both laid back and payed attention to him. "Yet, what does that have to do with anything. Not all rats look the same or all humans. Why does it matter among your species?"

Ascreeching soundcame from the stinger in short burst and Gregor realized it was laughing. It was one of the most terrifying sounds he had ever heard and it reminded him of something similar to a teacher running their fingernails down a chalk board. Its beady eyes focused on Gregor now, who had walked up next to Luxa and actually slightly in front of her.

"It is honor to meet you, Overlander. We have heard of your abilities and you fighting prowess. But yet it seems your intellect is not as far advanced. You saw we have different tails than the one you have discovered. It so happens that this matters deeply. There are two types of stingers. The fat tails and the yellow legs. The yellow legs are far more common and have the potential to grow larger than us. These distinctions lead to a split in our species many, many years ago. They lead themselves and us the same. We are a separate body from them and thus were not involved in the attack on your people. We wish to help you to the best of our abilities."

Gregor took in the entire story and bounced it around in his head. The first thing he realized was that he had been insulted by a giant bug and second he saw that they wanted to help. It was obvious in the tone that he saw they were telling the truth and all the facts needed were on the table back in the palace. All they would have to do is compare the tails and everything the stinger had said would be proven true. Luxa was set in stone. Her face hadn't changed one bit.

"Can you give us a moment, please?" Gregor asked the stingers. They back up a few paces in response and Gregor grabbed Luxa and Ripred by the arms, dragging them away. "Ripred, you have to see that what it says is logical. The tail doesn't look anything like that ones," Gregor pointed emphatically at the stinger.

"Yes, that does seem true. But the biggest question is can we trust them?" Ripred was calculated in his response. It was the one thing Gregor had passed over. It may have all seemed true. There probably was more than one variety of stinger and they may as well have different features and numbers. But does that make them trustworthy? There was no way to test them on it either. He looked at Luxa and she was agreeing with Ripred on this one. And he couldn't blame her for it. Ripred was right in every way.

"Okay. Okay," Gregor said,"We don't know if they are trustworthy now, but is there any way we could find out if they truly are?"

"Perhaps, we should ask them," came a quiet voice from behind them. Vikus slowly walked towards them, leaning more heavily on his cane due to the uneven ground. If a mind was needed here it was his. But Gregor was the only one who thought so.

"Vikus, what are you doing down here?" Luxa asked more harshly than she meant. Or Gregor hoped she wasn't trying to be so harsh to her own grandfather. Vikus hardly noticed however as he joined the three of them.

"If we must see them as trustworthy, then we must show them our trust. If we reject them perhaps they will join with the true enemy and we will be lost forever. It is better to trust now, then to hate later." The fight in Luxa's head was obvious. Her eye's darted between Vikus, himself, and the group of stingers as if weighing each ones point. Her eyes rested on Gregor and he gave her a slow nod. It was her choice and her's only. He could only advise her to the best of his abilities.

"I am not sure, Vikus," she said as she turned to the old man. "Gregor, come with me, please." Gregor could hear the pain in her voice. The decision was one that could make or break her. He took her out stretched hand and let her pull him off to the side. They were still within everyone's view, but he didn't care. They were at least out of earshot, so what they said would at least be private.

"What's up, Lux?" Gregor asked her as she fell into his arms. He pulled her close to him and he could feel that the decision even in the short time had made her physically change. Her skin was cold and she was shivering, and yet her head was warm. The choice was weighing on her very much and yet it had only been mere minutes. He held her tighter, the warmth from his body being reassuring for her. His head looked to the rest of his companion's. Only one looked on at them. Ripred's eyes never waived from the pair. He caught Gregor's eye and nodded to them. Ripred could truly care less.

Luxa's shivering slowly subsided, and he could feel her coming back to herself. "This was just like one of Liz's panic attacks," Gregor thought and then his own spirits dropped. His little sister, dead, from a car crash and the first thing he thinks about her for was her panic attacks. He pushed the thought from his mind and turned back to the matter at hand. He released his grip on Luxa and bent down so he was looking up into her eyes.

"You can do this, Luxa. You are the strongest person I know. Do what is right in your heart."

"But, Gregor, what is right? If they are telling the truth, then I can't leave them. They would be an ally against a much deadlier enemy. And if they are the enemy then I would be letting them straight to my people. What do I do?" Luxa was almost pleading with him to help her. She was strong and yet she cared so much about her city and her people that she needed someone close to her to help her. Someone who wasn't her grandfather or her bond. Someone even closer. And a thought hit him.

"If they wanted to attack us, why would they have waited? Yes we could let them in the city and they could wreak havoc on the people, but the most important beings for the humans are standing right here, on this ground, mere yards from them. If they wanted to hurt the people of Regalia they would have killed us twenty minutes ago."

Luxa's eyes grew big at the realization. She was the Queen and most important person in Regalia. Ripred lead the rats. Vikus and Roderick were top diplomats and military strategists. And Gregor was their best fighter. If they wanted them dead they would be dead and Regalia would fall right behind them. There would be no leadership and the Stingers would have what they wanted. And yet they hadn't done it. There was the trust she needed.

"Thank you, Warrior," she said as she bent down and kissed his forehead. Gregor smiled and stood. He offered her his arm and the two walked back to Ripred and Vikus, both with smiles across their faces. Vikus saw this and looked to Gregor for confirmation on what he was thinking. Gregor nodded and winked at the old man who also started to smile. Ripred also seemed to be happier than before. Luxa let go of Gregor's arm and approached the stingers. One came out and Gregor assumed it was the one who spoke English.

"Have you made a decision, Queen Luxa?" came the same level voice again.

"Yes, I have. Welcome to Regalia," she said as she flourished her arms towards the city. The news seemed to awaken the stinger who scurried back to his companions. The strange hissing clicks filled the cave and then it was silent. The stingers slowly walked toward Gregor and Luxa, single file. The English speaker stopped next to them as the rest filed toward the wall. As they passed Luxa, they flourished the pincers in a gesture. Luxa looked at the stinger next to them asking what it meant.

"It is a gesture of thanks, your grace," it said again. Luxa turned her attention to the wall. The stingers were building a ladder of their bodies to bridge the height of the wall. The two largest, easily reached the top of the wall, with plenty of body to spare. The rest of them scurried along their backs and over the wall. The must have dropped off the other side as the came up and over as the top of the wall was empty except for Stellovet, Margaret, and the guards.

The English speaker left Luxa and Gregor and was the last over the wall. The top stinger clambered over and the last one was hoisted up by his tail, with other stingers grabbing it with their pincers. It seemed oddly planned to Gregor, but if it worked it worked.

"Roderick and Vikus, take Margaret, Stellovet, and the guards back to the palace. Ripred, Gregor, and I will walk our new friends into the city ourselves." Luxa commanded. They both bowed before mounting their fliers and taking off for the wall. Artemese looked over at Gregor as if expecting him to need a ride.

"Can you fly Margaret back for me, Artemese. I'll be walking anyway," Artemese took off like a purple blur landing on the wall to join the other bats. Roderick placed her on Artemese and off they went.

"How do you plan to get over the wall, now?" Ripred asked him. He was mounted on his bat and Luxa on Aurora. Gregor hadn't thought that through very much had he. He looked over at Luxa and Aurora, and they both laughed. Gregr rushed over and jumped onto Aurora's back. They would only fly for a few seconds before they landed on the other side of the wall.

Gregor's boots hit dirt just 10 seconds later as Aurora landed next to the stingers. Luxa and Ripred joined him as the bats took back off into the air above, where they followed the humans and rat. The English speaker stood at the front of his 'people' and Gregor could pick him out somehow. He realized now that the tail had a brown stripe running down it along with the yellow green body color they had. He stuck out much more because of it.

"May I ask your name?" Gregor asked him as they started the walk through the field. Luxa and Gregor walked next to each other, with her arm looped through his. Ripred stood on the other side of the scorpion.

"I am called Truxin," he responded. The name seemed strangely hispanic to Gregor not that there was any chance it was related. It was still a pretty cool name though.

"It is an honor, Truxin," Luxa replied,"You have a rare gift amongst your kind it seems."

"That is very true. Not many stingers ever learn the way humans speak. It is hard and we rarely have much contact. I have been lucky to meet several humans and not all have been pleasant," Truxin replied. It was really hard to get any emotion out of his words. A noise behind Gregor caused his head to turn. There were four fliers flying straight towards them at high speed. Gregor recognized one as Andromeda.

He raised his hand to wave, and then saw the glint of light off of metal. Swords poked out of each figures hand.

"Attack!" yelled Eisen as loud as he could as his flier dove towards the stingers.

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**I thought this chapter was gonna be short, but I was wrong. Still came out at a pretty good length and I actually like how it progressed. And the ending is gonna lead to some sweet action next chapter. Tell me what you guys thought. Peace out!**

**P.S. If you want to know what I'm basing each stinger species on check out this site: articles/296820_the-five-deadliest-scorpions-in-the-world**

**The fat tails are the first scorpion and the yellow legs are the last one.**

**Thanks again guys!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Howdy guys. I am back again with another gripping chapter for you guys. This one was though to write because I was super busy over the last few days. I just didn't have the time to write for more than maybe an hour at a time. Nothing was ever much longer than that until I got a good spell and just wrote while I watched the MLB All Star Game. After the game ended I finished up the chapter with the last 1000 words and got on my way to posting this. So here we are for you guys to read.**

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**Chapter 10**

"Noooo!" Gregor yelled as he saw the squad of bats dive with Eisen at point. The swords glinted in the light from the fields. There was very little time for anyone to do anything. Eisen and his flier were diving quicker than any of the others and Gregor wasn't sure there was a way for him to stop. He wasn't even sure if Eisen had seen Luxa, Ripred, and himself. A gold blur zoomed overhead towards them, but Aurora was too late to prevent Eisen from coming straight down towards Truxin and his friends. Gregor glimpsed Ripred moving, but even with his speed he wouldn't reach Eisen. Only one person could.

Gregor released Luxa's arm and his right hand instinctively drew his sword as he spun. Without losing any momentum, he was off at a run, his feet again drumming against the ground, just this time it was the dirt of the Underland. Eisen was diving for the largest stinger who was in the middle of the pack. It was obviously the most dangerous looking. Gregor's feet were a blur as he pushed himself as fast as he could, the adrenaline pumping through his veins. It was a race to the finish and if Gregor lost he was sure he wouldn't like his prize.

He was feet away as Eisen started to draw his sword back. There was no chance he would make it in time to stop Eisen from plunging his sword into the stingers back. He had one chance to intercept him, but he had to get up and even with Eisen's sword. A new sensation quickly filled Gregor. The rager side of him started to buzz and an opportunity showed itself. Right next to Eisen's target was a smaller stinger. One Gregor could use to get some height.

Gregor leaped onto its back near its head, and continued up it to the tail. Right as he got to the back he pushed off timing himself as perfect as he could. Eisen's arm was at its peak as he started to swing his blade down towards the weak spot between segments of the tail. Gregor sailed in front of him and swung his sword as hard as he could to his right. He felt the solid contact as metal met metal, and the sound of Eisen's surprise and shock at the unexpected impact. Gregor was off balance from the swing and he hit the ground hard, landing on his side. No even a second later another thud sounded not far from Gregor.

Gregor pulled himself to his feet and saw Eisen lying on his back looking straight at the ceiling. Gregor's block had hit so hard and was such a surprise that Eisen had toppled from his flier and fallen the five or so feet to the ground. Eisen recomposed himself and jumped to his feet, sword in hand. By this time the stingers were well enough aware of what was transpiring, and Luxa, Ripred, and Truxin had joined Gregor.

"What did you just do!?" spat Eisen at Gregor, seeing him the only one with blade in hand, barely registering the others around them.

"I saved your life and all of Regalia's for that matter," replied Gregor rather matter of factly.

"You saved Regalia! How do you propose you did that when there are stingers all around us?"

"They are friends, Eisen, Th-" Gregor got cut off by Eisen's sudden outburst.

"Friends?! Do you know what they did to the Fount? How many people they killed? And yet you call them Friend!" Eisen raised his sword and paced himself toward Gregor, anger and hate in his eyes. Behind him, Gregor saw Mareth, Howard, and Perdita land and quickly clamber off their bats. It was too late for them to stop Eisen though.

Eisen was right on top of Gregor when he swung his sword down left handed. There was calculation or thought behind the swing, and Gregor blocked it with ease. He could almost feel the anger flowing out of his friend as the sword flashed down again. Again, Gregor easily blocked it, but this time, with the speed of only a rager, he quickly flipped the blade to the flat side and slapped it against Eisen's knuckles. The blow sent Eisen reeling in pain and his sword ended up on the ground. Without thinking, Gregor picked it up and slid it into his belt.

"Why do you support these creatures, Overlander? They slaughtered an entire population and yet you stand behind them?" Eisen's eyes would have had fire in them if it was possible. He regained himself and ran towards Gregor his good hand ready to land a blow.

"Enough!" came the shout from the loveliest voice in the Underland. Luxa's shout stopped Eisen in his track and brought him to attention. Eisen swung in his place and took in the others standing there almost as if for the first time. His eyes hit Luxa's and he held her stare for but a moment before he averted his gaze. Luxa was furious at how he was acting.

"Eisen, what is plaguing you? You attack blindly and for no reason without thinking. Endanger yourself along with Gregor and our new friends without even asking about it first. Perhaps Perdita and I should rethink naming you second in command if you think with your blade before your head."

Eisen's head dropped, his eyes staring at his feet. Gregor saw him take a deep breath before he turned towards Luxa. His face was different; the anger behind his eyes was gone and the fury that had etched his face was replaced by shame.

"Your Grace, I deeply apologize for my actions. There are no excuses for my actions and I will not make any," Eisen said before turning to Gregor. "Overlander, I also apologize to you. I did not listen or think and if not for your actions I may have doomed us all."

Gregor could tell it was a heartfelt apology. He held no grudge against the man who stood before him like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. This cookie jar however was filled with giant, poisonous scorpions. It seemed like a strange analogy to Gregor as he walked slowly to his friend.

"It's cool man," Gregor said as he clapped him on the back. "You four head back to the palace and Ripred, Luxa, and I will join you later. It looks like you guys could use a bit of a bath and maybe a small nap." It was settled then. Mareth, Perdita, Howard, and Eisen climbed back onto their fliers' back and were off to the palace before anyone could blink. Luxa was watching Gregor as he rejoined them. She had a smile on her face, which was a stark contrast to Ripred's face of boredom and that of Truxin's which couldn't even really be considered a face.

"You did well," she told Gregor as they started to walk back towards Regalia's city wall. "I am still amazed at how you were able to stop Eisen. I am not sure it could be replicated."

"I could have stopped him in my sleep," Ripred snapped at them from a few meters away. They had wandered into their own little world as they had talked that they didn't notice how far they had drifted from the group.

"Yea, you could have,Ripred. Your snoring would have sent him flying the other direction in a minute," Gregor replied with his own snarky sass. A smile barely showed across the rat's scared face. A rare smile at that.

"You did well beyond some fancy jump. You controlled the situation with Eisen. Almost like a king." and with that Ripred was gone, back to Truxin and the other Stingers. Gregor felt his cheeks grow hot as he blushed. Him a king? Ha. That was the most hilarious thing that Ripred had ever said. "No way I'm ever giving orders or handling stuff like that. Nope not me," thought Gregor.

"He is right, Gregor," Luxa said breaking Gregor from his stupor. He looked over and saw that she was looking right at him. "You did act like a king. Do not get any ideas, though," Luxa added with a small smile and a wink. Gregor laughed out loud and gave her a small shove. They looked like the little kids they never got to be, laughing and pushing at each other the entire way back to the wall.

It appeared before them in what felt like an instant. One minute the wall looked like a small line, miles away and then the next minute it rose up before them. Aurora swooped down from on high and landed next to the two of them. They climbed on and Aurora dropped them off on the top of the wall mere seconds later. Ripred joined them as well.

"Where are the stingers to stay, Luxa?" Ripred asked her as they looked down from on top of the wall.

"I think they can stay in the field for now. Truxin will come to the palace with us, so we can discuss strategy and plan with him," Luxa replied to the rat almost immediately. Gregor thought it made sense. The stingers were too big for them to be comfortable in the city and the empty fields allowed them much more room to live and maneuver.

A team of 3 fliers landed next to them on the wall. In their claws they carried what appeared to be leather straps. Gregor watched the stingers as they boosted Truxin up onto the wall. Not even a second after his legs had made contact with the stone of the wall, the bat team looped their straps over his body. He hung suspended from them as the bats pumped their wings and gained the momentum needed to carry the weight of Truxin, who had to weigh several tons. Aurora and Ripred's flier landed next to them again and they climbed on. All except Gregor.

"You guys fly ahead. I have some stuff on my mind that I just wanna think about." Ripred snarled and took off leaving Aurora and Luxa behind. Luxa gave Gregor a quick concerned glance before she told Aurora to go. The gold bat's wings spread and with one momentous flap was flying away back to the palace. Gregor stuck his hands in his pockets and skipped down the steps.

He and Luxa had been as happy as possible. Or at least that's how it had looked. Gregor had played along to seem happy and content. Yet, in his head there were things that were seriously bugging him. There were so many things pulsing through his head that he didn't even know where to start. His feet carried him between buildings and back onto a main street, nearly a mile from the palace. Gregor hadn't walked this far when he was in the city that morning.

He looked up at the palace and his thoughts drifted to his biggest stress and concern: being a king. The entire premise was eating into him. It had always been there as a worry, but now it came forward from deep inside his tumultuous brain. He was not built to be a king. His mindset, hell his own flesh and blood, were not for being a king. He couldn't provide the leadership that people would need in times of crisis and he was no diplomat. He was made to kill things.

And the whole reason for this worry was his love for Luxa. If he loved her, the ultimate act of love would be to marry her, which would make him a king with all a kings responsibilities. There was no rule to say he couldn't be the king; Luxa would say yes if he asked her. He was almost certain of that. Only almost certain though.

Ripred and Luxa had been joking about him acting kingly. That he was certain of. And yet, Luxa had told him to not get any ideas. As if she didn't want him to marry her. As if she didn't want to marry him. But she loved him. He could see that in her eyes all the time, every time they were alone, every time they were near each other. It was a troubling thought to Gregor, who would do anything for Luxa. But there was the chance she wouldn't want to marry him. All of this rushed through Gregor's head in a matter of seconds. "What am I thinking?" Gregor thought out loud. "Of course she'll marry me. She loves me."

People brushed past him in a hurry to get to their destinations. Some were carrying baskets of food, others had jugs of water, and yet others had bundles of fiber and clothes. The people barely noticed him as they hustled around in all directions. Some went into homes others pushed further through the crowd and down side streets to whatever lay behind. A familiar sign creaked to Gregor's left as he walked past. Ivan's shop was still busy, the pounding of hammer on metal rang out into the street and made sweet music to Gregor's ears. He pictured the sword in his head, with its tinted blue blade and the blue winged crossbar, the yellow gem sitting just below the blade, the weight and balance beyond perfect. But he was broke and the price tag was beyond perfect.

Gregor didn't know what they used as money down here. He had never seen a piece of it up close and had never seen anybody use it beyond this morning. It seemed to be a coin of some type, but that's about all he knew. "When I get a chance, I'll ask Luxa or Vikus about it and see if there is a way that I can make some money to buy myself that sword," Gregor thought as he got closer and closer to the palace. A purple streak blazed by overhead and circled above Gregor.

Artemese circled down to the street and sent people dodging out of the way of his wings. In just the short time Gregor had been back, Artemese seemed to have already grown; his wingspan had grown at least a foot if not more. He was starting to look stronger and bigger, perhaps almost reaching Ares's size sometime.

"Gregor, the Queen has sent me to bring you back to the palace. She needs your assistance with a situation." Gregor didn't question. He jumped up onto Artemese and settled in on his shoulders as the bat launched into the air. With a few quick flaps he was off towards the high hall. Before Gregor knew it he was jumping off Artemese's back as he zoomed into the high. His shoes slammed into the ground and headed right towards the obvious situation.

Luxa, Truxin, and Vikus stood before Mareth, Perdita, Howard, and Eisen. It seemed like a standoff in the old west. Nobody was talking and it was clear that it had been this way for a while. "I thought I solved this problem an hour ago," Gregor thought as he walked over to them.

"Okay what's going on here guys," Gregor said as he stood behind Vikus. All eyes turned to him and he could see the anger across many of them. Luxa's body language said it all. Her arms crossed across her chest and her body was tense. Her body was red and her eyes shown with anger. Across from her Eisen and Howard both were rigid and their eyes reflected Luxa's own.

"Well, It seems we have come to a disagreement, Gregor," Vikus said. He was the calmest person there. Mareth was his usual stony self when it came to disputes.

"What's the disagreement?"

"Whether or not the humans should trust us," Truxin spoke up. His calm, flat, scratchy voice caused Eisen to jump. It might have been the first time he heard the stingers voice. Gregor had to fight to hold back his laughter.

"We explained your logic to them, but they did not seem to understand," Luxa added, the anger evident in her voice.

"What is there to not understand? They didn't attack the most important humans in Regalia when they had us outnumbered and had the advantage of a surprise. If they wanted us dead we would be dead already." Gregor asked as his eyes drifted to Eisens.

"They could have waited so we could not send news back to the city. Our fliers can fly faster than they can run, so they would have the aspect of surprise if they were in the city." Eisen snapped back with work around logic. Gregor was about to reply when he heard something coming from behind him. His head spun and he saw a tiny figure come trotting towards him. Thomas ran right past him and to the giant scorpion. Dulcet came up and tried to squeeze past Gregor to grab the toddler, but he stopped her.

"Let's see what he does," Gregor whispered in the nannies ear. She nodded and stepped back just a bit. Thomas was looking right into Truxin's multiple beady black eyes. He fell onto his bottom never taking his eyes off of the scorpions. The two sat there, the room silent as everyone watched the little boy.

"You big," Thomas said. The room stayed quiet but a moment before Gregor started to laugh, quickly followed by Luxa. A small smile crossed Eisen's face and Mareth's stony face melted away into his smiling, happy self. Gregor walked over and picked the toddler up who also started to giggle.

"If Thomas can trust them, then I think we all can," Gregor said. His eyes bored into Eisen who tried to stare back at him, but gave in. He knew there was no point arguing it anymore.

"You are right. If a little boy can be so trustworthy of them then so can I," Eisen replied before turning away and walking from the group. Luxa was at Gregor's side before he knew it. She kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

"It's my job," Gregor replied as Thomas squirmed around in his arms. Luxa reached up and took the boy from his arms. She bounced him in her arms as she carried him away, Dulcet following several feet behind. There was only one person left in the room now: Vikus.

"You did well, Gregor. Luxa relies on you greatly," the old man said to Gregor.

"You aren't the first one to tell me that today," Gregor stated wryly. Vikus could only laugh at the answer.

"You would make a great leader. A wise leader. A good king." And with that Vikus slowly walked away. He seemed to be leaning more heavily on his cane and his right leg seemed to drag more than usual. This entire chain of events really appeared to be taking a toll on him. But now Gregor was alone and he felt the pangs of hunger in his stomach. He hadn't eaten since the morning and he had done more running than he had in months. It had to be at least late afternoon if not early evening by now. Was there a meal to go to? Gregor didn't know. But he needed to eat.

He left the high hall and went down the many flights of stairs, around the many twists and turns of the palace's corridors until he found a room he had seen maybe once or twice. The kitchen was far from empty. There were people preparing food and servants cleaning and scouring pots and pans. As soon as Gregor placed a foot in a wiry man popped up next to him. He looked almost like one of the waiters at a French restaurant that you would see in a movie.

"How may I assist you, Overlander?" he asked. Gregor had been waiting for a heavy French accent and was snapped out of his fantasy by the regular underland dialect the man spoke with.

"Uh, yea. Do you have any food I can eat? Just something simple." Gregor asked the man.

"Yes. Simple can be done." Before Gregor knew it the man was shouting orders and a meal started to feel the small table. A loaf of bread, some meat, a bit of cheese, and some veggies. It was far from the simple Gregor had wanted. He would have been content with a cold meal, but his meal was hot and ready when he sat down. The meat was fresh out of the fire and the veggies were steamed perfect. The bread was soft and warm on the inside with a hard crust on the outside. Almost like French bread. "Stop thinking the underland is France," Gregor thought as he ate what was before him. The veggies were delicious and the meat was tender. It was an almost perfect meal. Not long after he started the loaf of bread was down to just a small piece on the end. The cheese they had given him was gone and the meat soon followed. Gregor swallowed down the last bite of veggies and scooted his chair back.

"I am stuffed. Thanks for the food guys," Gregor said out loud for the whole kitchen to hear. He stood up from his chair and walked right out. Behind him were calls of thanks and the frantic whispers of the servants he had also thanked. Walking through the halls, a strange smell started to fill the air. Gregor sniffed and the slight odor seemed to be everywhere. He checked his breath. Fine. Smelt his shirt. Fine. Smelt himself. Not fine. He smelled of pure BO.

"I guess I'll just go take a bath," Gregor said as he changed direction. He wasn't sure where he was in the palace. But he listened for the sound of running water. The sound of water trickled past and he quickly found a bath not long after. He strode to found it completely empty. His clothes dropped to the floor, and Gregor danced to the water's edge. He sipped himself in and grabbed the soup. He covered his whole body in the stuff and he felt the smell leave him. While he had come to clean up, the water was calming and he let himself lay back. His head rested against the rounded edge of the tub and his eyes dropped shut. His breathing evened out as he fell into a deep sleep.

A city street stretched out before Gregor; empty and desolate. No cars drove by and there were no people at all. Buildings stretched down both sides, in front and behind him, never ending with not a break in the side. His feet started to move, but he didn't want them to. He didn't want to move at all. But he kept going, moving down the street, passed buildings that all looked the same. An endless wall of windows that looked in on nothing. What was the point of this? His body seemed to know as he strode further and further into the empty.

His feet carried him to the right, and through the front door of one of the buildings. The inside was unfurnished. In fact the only thing there was a giant pool. A pool so deep the bottom couldn't be seen. His feet carried him to the edge, teetering there off on and half off. And then he dropped forward. He impacted the water and it flooded into his nose. His mouth opened to scream, but no noise came out. Water instead flooded down his throat filling his lungs. He tried to force himself to swim to the surface, but his body wouldn't listen. His lungs were out of air and he could feel his body going limp. It started to become dark and he could feel himself slipping away.

And then his eyes shot open. His whole head was underwater and it was filling his nose. He brought his head back up, breaking the surface violently. He started coughing. Water shot out of his nose like a fountain and he could feel it in his throat. He coughed and coughed until he felt the water force itself out. Finally, he got himself back together and climbed out of the bath grabbing a towel. The dream was still clear in his mind. If he hadn't dreamed that he wasn't sure he would have woken up. He shuddered and then wrapped himself in the towel. The towel dried him without him even needing to move it. He shrugged into the new clothes they left him and darted out into the hall, just to get away from the water

His skin was pruney and he felt waterlogged. How long had he been in that bath? Torches still burned in their brackets and people still moved through the halls, so it couldn't have been terribly late. He still needed to talk to Luxa about making some money and he needed to do it today. The best place to start to look for her was the high hall. Everyone always seemed to be there in some capacity and there was a way to get from there to almost anywhere in the palace.

However, this time it was empty when Gregor walked in. The sitting area was empty, the dining room dark and empty, the balcony was empty. Or was it. He could hear soft murmurs coming from the shadows where the torches didn't reach. Gregor inched his way forwards, listening intently to what he was hearing. Was it clicking? Why would anyone be clicking in the palace? And then it hit him.

Gregor changed his stride and strode out onto the balcony. He walked right towards the source of the sound. Sitting on the stone floor were Hazard and Margaret, who both jumped when they saw Gregor. Hazard jumped to his feet and looked at the older boy with a strange look.

"Where have you been, Gregor? Luxa's worried because you were not at dinner." Hazard told him. Gregor looked at Margaret and saw worry on her face also.

"Oops. I ate early and went to take a bath because I smelled terrible. Problem was I fell asleep for who knows how long." Gregor replied. Hazard couldn't help but hold back a snicker at him falling asleep.

"Luxa said she hadn't seen you for over an hour at dinner. It's been another three or so since then," Margaret added from the ground. He could see relief in her eyes to realize that her brother had just fallen asleep in the tub.

"Yea. Sorry about that guys. Where's your cousin at now?" asked Gregor of Hazard.

"She should be in her apartment. Probably wondering where you ar-" Hazard didn't even finish before Gregor was zooming away across the high hall. He hit a flight of stairs and jumped down them. The royal apartments weren't far from the high hall and Gregor soon saw the two guards who guarded the entrance to the royal wing. He slowed to a walk and approached the two men.

"Hey guys. Is it okay if I go in?" Gregor asked. There was no response so he walked to enter the hallway when a pair of swords crossed in front of him.

"You may not enter unless you have an appointment with Queen Luxa or are with a member of her family." one of the guards said. Gregor humphed and stepped back, his brain already in overdrive to think of a way in.

"Gregor, where have you been?" came Luxa's gentle tone from in front of him. He brought his eyes up and saw her standing there in a tight fitting night gown and holding Thomas' hand. He couldn't help but letting a huge dorky smile cross his face when he saw her. And it got bigger when he saw Thomas. He hadn't expected him to be with Luxa at this time. Usually he slept with other orphans in the palace.

"Can we talk about this away from gruff and gruffer?" Gregor asked pointing in turn from one guard to the other. Luxa smiled and beckoned him in. The guards did nothing to stop him from entering now. As soon as they turned a corner and were away from the sight of anyone walking past the royal wing, Gregor grabbed Luxa's arm and spun her around. He kissed her and wrapped her in his arms. He felt her arms wrap around his neck. A pair of little arms wrapped around his leg as Thomas joined the love. They broke apart both a little flushed from their sudden outburst of love.

"I heard you were worried about me," said Gregor as an explanation for his spontaneous action.

"You smell clean," Luxa said rather nonchalantly. Gregor smiled, picked Thomas up and placed him on his shoulder, and grabbed Luxa's hand. He started to walk and she followed behind him, even though Gregor had no idea where her rooms were.

"I smell clean because I took a bath," Gregor started as he explained where and what he had been doing since they had last seen each other, even though it was only a few hours ago. His story carried on all the way until they reached the door to Luxa's rooms. Gregor pushed on the stone and it opened very easily. The room inside was a sitting area with plenty of chairs and couches. Gregor dragged Luxa to the couch before he finished his tale. "And that's how I ended up here."

He had skipped the dream and his near drowning. At the moment it seemed unimportant. Luxa rested her head on Gregor's shoulder as Thomas ran around playing with some toy. It was peaceful, perhaps something that could eventually happen. Gregor had no gripes to having kids, but that was uncharted territory in his relationship with Luxa. Something that shouldn't be touched upon for quite a while.

"Lux, can I ask you something?" Gregor said finally remembering what he had been so urgent on finding her for. Luxa looked at him as if he had something really important to say. "I was just wondering if there was a way for me to make any money. There is a really nice sword I want to buy, but obviously I can't."

"How much is it? I can give you the money to purchase it. Is it from Ivan's? He makes great weapons." Luxa said adding the last part in just a fit of wonder, before she rested her head on Gregor's shoulder again. But Gregor, didn't like her answer.

"No, Luxa. I don't just want you to give me the money. I was raised to work for what you get. So is there any place I can work to make some money. And yea the sword is from Ivan's." Gregor replied.

"I do not see why I cannot purchase it for you. As a gift perhaps. There is no problem in letting someone help you, Gregor." Gregor climbed off the couch and started to pace. He only did this when he was getting annoyed or angry. Right now it was a bit of both.

"Is it that hard to see Luxa. I never was given anything as a kid. My family had to work to get stuff we wanted. We had to work to get what we needed. If I want this blade I'm going to work for it. Now, can you please tell me some way to make money to buy it?" Gregor replied trying to keep his voice under control. He could feel the anger in his chest and his words seemed a little harsher than he wanted.

"Fine. I'll put you on a soldiers pay. But you will have to do everything a soldier does. You will train when they train and follow orders when they do. All orders. Now you will be sleeping here tonight."

Gregor kinda liked this already as he sat back down next to Luxa.

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**Lots of awesome deep thoughts in this chapter. Moved the plot along and everything seems to be falling right into place like I want it to. I'll see you guys next time.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey hey hey. Welcome back to this here story. I was able this time to get this chapter out on my usual schedule. I do have to say that I may change it soon because it is a bit strenuous trying to get chapters out every couple days. I like to post as often so you guys are left hanging around waiting and wondering forever. If you guys want me to I can also push back how often I post and maybe just do two chapters a week or something. Any who, we are rockin' on ahead with chapter 11. This one was a fun write and a long one. It is a marvelous chapter which adds more setup into the main plot. So much exposition guys. I love it. Anyway read and enjoy.**

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**Chapter 11**

Gregor's eyes fluttered open, but he quickly shut them. The light in the room was incredibly bright and it hurt to look at. He forced his eyes open and felt the soft silvery blonde hair against his chin. A small body was curled up against his chest as he tried to move. They were so comfortable he just couldn't move them. Gregor rested his head back against the arm of the couch, closed his eyes, and let himself think.

The night before had been one for the ages. Gregor and Luxa had stayed up for hours cracking jokes and watching Thomas play on the floor in front of them. They both had drank plenty of wine, maybe a cask or two. It was hard for him to remember how much. Luxa had asked him to tell her more about where he had moved to and how he had lived. She was impressed by how well he was able to keep his rager abilities under control, never letting them get the better of him when he got angry. She was also intrigued by his dating of other girls, but how he was never able to be comfortable with them. Not like how he was comfortable with her.

The small head moved on Gregor's chest and snapped him out of thoughts. When he opened his opened his eyes, a pair of purple irises looked into his own. Thomas stood up on the edge of the cushion and looked down into Gregor's eyes, from above. A big smile replaced the one that Gregor was already wearing. Thomas smiled big to and giggled to Gregor. The common way a toddler does. Thomas rarely talked, and when he did it was in very short sentences and with simple words. Gregor was sure Dulcet was working with him on it during the days when he wasn't with Luxa or him.

Sitting up Gregor, scooped the boy into his arms and climbed off the couch. His back ached a bit from sleeping there, but with a few quick stretches it felt much better. His eyes scanned the room and saw that it was clean and neat, the two glasses gone from the table and Thomas's toys placed away. Somebody had cleaned when he was asleep, and had done a good job not to wake him or Thomas. The curtain to Luxa's bedroom was closed like normal, so Gregor approached it with caution. He didn't want to wake a sleeping Queen. Nothing good would come out of that.

"Luxa," Gregor called softly through the curtain. There was no response. He put his ear to the space between curtain and wall and he listened. There was no sound of motion nor breathing. He pushed barrier aside, just enough to peer into Luxa's inner sanctum. There was nobody inside, the bed was made, and the room was straightened up. It seemed Luxa had been awake for quite some time if the servants had already done that. And yet she didn't wake him.

Smiling, Gregor shook his head and left the Luxa's rooms. He walked through the royal wing passing nobody. He remembered the guards at the entrance and wondered what reaction he would get from them when he walked out. Technically he wasn't supposed to be there at all unless he was with a member of the Royal family or had a meeting with one of them. When he walked out, however, there were no guards at all. Not a single one stood on either side of the entrance. That seemed odd to him, but he didn't say anything. If it was anything, it was good luck for him. He avoided trouble and explanations. And yet even as he walked along to the high hall, he passed two large, quiet guards walking towards him. They passed right past him without saying a word or even looking at him. Those two were all business. He guessed they were going to their post outside the royal wing. That is the epitome of luck!

The high hall was empty and silent, but there was torchlight coming from the dining room. His stomach rumbled and he took a turn to the door. He expected the room to be empty, yet there were three people waiting for him around the table. Eisen and Mareth sat on one side discussing in low whispers and Dulcet sat on the other side, silent and straight. When the sound of his footfalls reached their ears they all turned towards him.

"It is about time, Gregor. We have been waiting for you to arrive," Mareth said. Before he could blink, Dulcet had taken Thomas from his arms and left the room and Mareth had pulled him down to a seat next to him. A servant quickly brought food in for him. Gregor started to eat under the watchful gaze of Mareth and Eisen. It was creepy to him to be watched as he was eating.

"Okay, guys. What's going on?" Gregor asked putting down his utensils. Eisen climbed out of his chair and walked to the other side of the table, so he could look at Gregor without having to turn his head. Mareth followed him.

"Queen Luxa has informed us that you are now a soldier in every way," Eisen began. "This means that you are to follow all orders that your superiors give you. Is that clear?"

"Yea," Gregor said. He had been tested on this when he was twelve and he had failed. Mareth had been there and seen it. Gregor wasn't planning on failing again.

"Good. Then eat while we talk," Mareth said to Gregor, a smile on his face. Gregor didn't react except to pick up his spoon again and continue to eat what they had left him.

"As you know, Overlander, both Mareth and I are high ranking in the Regalian Army. This means we are your commanders, but we do not want you to think of us as just that. We both are your friends before your commanders. Due to this we are letting you have special privileges. One, you can train on your own schedule when you see fit. You are already a proficient fighter on the ground, but I suggest training with your new flier. You need to become accustomed to each other." Eisen cut off and looked to Mareth.

"Two, you are not required to eat or sleep with the other soldiers. You are special and while you may not command you are often in meetings of tactics or involved in planning. You also are often needed for special missions which makes it easier if you are separate of the other soldiers. And three, you are not a soldier. While you will be asked to participate in regular battlefield formations, you will also be alone often or asked to assist in commanding. This makes you different than the rest of the soldiers. But above all that, remember that we are your friends and will help you in whatever ways we can." Mareth finished, before a thought seemed to pop into his head and a smile crossed his previous serious face. "Also, do not worry about us locking you into the dungeons."

A chuckle left Gregor's mouth as he pushed his empty dish away. Mareth had a sense of humor unlike many of the other underlanders. Eisen just stared between the two of them, not understanding the reference to Solovet's actions all those years ago. Gregor climbed out of his chair and stretched his legs. He felt like it would be a good time to go get some training in for the day. Eisen had been right, of course. Artemese was new to him and he needed to learn the bats style and approach.

"There is one other thing we must tell you, Gregor," Mareth said right before Gregor walked away. "This evening is the official ceremony for Eisen's promotion to Second in Command of the army. You are requested to attend by Queen Luxa and Eisen."

"I'll be there of course," Gregor said before he walked out of the room. His feet carried him to the balcony of the high hall, his hand reaching to the hilt of his sword on his hip. It was comforting to hold onto while he looked over the city from hundreds of feet up. Right as he was about to whistle for Artemese, who would be somewhere near the palace, there was a call behind him. His head whipped around and he started to draw his sword, when he saw it was Mareth coming towards him as fast as his prosthetic would allow.

"I have something else for you, Gregor. I seem to be forgetting much this morning," Mareth said when he came within easy talking range. Gregor noticed something held in his right hand. Mareth walked right up to him and, Gregor could see a small scabbard wrapped within Mareth's hand. "I have noticed that you do not have a dagger. In all of our worry and rush of your return and the events of the past few days, it seems that none of us realized you were missing it. Remember to protect your left," Mareth added the last part before he turned and walked back into the high hall, disappearing around the edge of the wall.

The dagger was just as simple as the sword he wore on his left. The short blade was sharper than he thought possible and it sat in a simple bound hilt. There was a small almost non-existent crossbar. He snapped the scabbard onto his right hip and positioned it for the best and smoothest draw. It felt almost like a piece of him that he hadn't realized he was missing had suddenly returned to him. With the dagger in his left hand he could protect himself from attacks on that side that otherwise would get through. Like the one Eisen had inflicted on his leg when they had sparred. Gregor placed his hand on his leg and felt where the scar would be from that. It was just one more to add to the rest that covered his body.

"Well off to training I suppose," Gregor thought as he whistled as loud as he could. Seconds ticked by as Gregor stood and waited for his bat companion.

_Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick…_

After about a minute, Gregor whistled again. The sound of wings beating the air came from his left. His eyes turned and he saw purple fur of Artemese as he coasted down onto the balcony.

"Greetings, Gregor," he said as Gregor stood to his side. "Where are we heading to?"

"We're going off to train for a bit," Gregor said as he climbed onto the now familiar bats back. "Me and you need to learn how the other fights while we are airborne. It will be imperative in upcoming battles that we fight like a team."

"Indeed, it shall. It would be an honor to be your partner in training and battle," Artemese replied as he readied himself to take off. His wings were poised to flap down, when he stopped himself. The bats head turned and looked behind him and Gregor followed suit. He looked behind him and spotted a figure in the hall behind them. The hair whiter than most underlanders and the cane gave it away. Gregor slid off of Artemese's back and went to Vikus.

"There you are, Gregor. I have been looking for you for some time now. Did you not sleep in your room last night because I could not find you there?" Vikus asked.

"No. I slept elsewhere. Is there something wrong, Vikus?"

"Oh no. Everything is indeed fine. Your attendance is asked of in the Tactics room at the moment. Come. We shall walk together," Vikus replied as he motioned for him and Gregor to be on their way.

"Rain check on the training, Artemese?" Gregor asked to his bat before he left.

"What is a rain check?" the bat asked him, confusion showing obviously on his face.

"It means we will do it another time," Gregor answered. The bat nodded his consent and took off, leaving Gregor and Vikus alone. "Shall we," Gregor said with a wave of his hand in the direction they needed to go.

Vikus and Gregor walked side by side, Gregor matching the pace Vikus set so the older man wouldn't rush himself. They were quiet for some time as Vikus navigated the flights of stairs. Constantly Gregor could feel Vikus looking at him as if trying to decide whether to ask him something or not.

"Is there something bothering you, Vikus?" Gregor asked him in a quiet voice.

A sigh escaped Vikus' lips and he glanced towards the floor. "I have just been wondering about you and Luxa's relationship." Gregor was surprised with the question. His mind had been filled with thoughts of the same subject the previous day. It seemed to be popping up in regular conversation even if it was on accident. But Vikus was just blunt about it.

"What is there to wonder about?"

"There is much to wonder, Gregor. How serious have you two been?" Vikus asked, digging deeper into the relationship and almost breaching the uncomfortable.

"I think it's obvious that we are both serious about each other. That we both do truly love each other and that's all that matters. We spent the evening last night talking and laughing. It was the happiest I had seen Luxa since I had returned," Gregor replied answering to the best of his ability. It was kinda a work around to the answer. Stating the obvious and all.

"That is good to hear. Would you be prepared to ever be a king, Gregor? You would make a good king. A great king, perhaps one of the best we have ever seen because you bring hope to everyone."

"Can we not talk about that, please? I'm not sure I'm ready to even think about it," Gregor said harsher than he meant to. It was just that he had thought about so much and it was such a touchy subject for him. He didn't believe in monarchies and yet he could become part of one. It seemed so odd to him. But his luck was still with him that day because the tactics room was not far in front of them and the conversation had ended.

The table in the tactics room was crowded with members of several species from all over the underlander. A cockroach sat on one side of the table, talking to Nike. Ripred sat not far down the table talking with Perdita. Truxin took up much of the free space near the front of the room. There were more humans and a few rats further down the table. And Luxa sat in the very first seat. Gregor's eyes flashed when he saw her. She was wearing a simple blue dress, yet she looked more beautiful than ever. Gregor walked over and sat down next to her in the open chair. Vikus sat across from them.

"Greetings, Gregor, Greetings," the cockroach said to him. Realization hit him as he noticed the bent antenna on his head. A smile broke across his face when he saw his old companion again.

"Hello, Temp. It has been a long time." That was even noticeable on his shell. It had taken a slightly grayish tint to it. Temp was getting up in age even for a cockroach, who could supposedly live a really long time.

"Long time, it has been, Long time," Temp agreed with him. Vikus stood up from his chair at that moment and stood at the head of the table. All the heads at the table turned and looked towards him, every voice quieting. Everyone respected Vikus for his wisdom and the respect was deserved. It may not be noted at every time, yet when the time came around everyone came back to looking at him with the utmost respect.

"Welcome all to this room and to this meeting. This is a time of dire need for many of our species including us humans most of all. As is known to all here, the city of the Fount has been devastated in a terrible attack that destroyed most of the city. This attack was perpetrated by an army of stingers. These stingers seem to be aggressive to humans and their allies, which includes everyone in this room. That is why this meeting has been arranged on such short notice and why we have brought as many minds together, so we may determine a viable strategy to stop an attack like this from happening to Regalia and all the lands that you consider home," Vikus finished and everyone gave him a respected clap. He gave a slight bow before he took his seat again. Truxin faced the table now and began to speak.

"You all have been informed on my own species involvement in the attack on the Fount. It was non-existent. I am here to aid you all in the fight against the stingers known as the yellow legs in our language. If there are any questions please ask them now." The room sat quiet for several moments, each individual thinking of what they may ask.

"Just how many stingers do the enemy number?" asked a small, bald man about ten seats down the table. His voice quavered as he spoke and he was obviously anxious for an answer.

"The yellow legs number somewhere in the ten thousands. That is a larger army than any species besides cutters can amass. And we are not as easily killed as cutters. My species numbers around one thousand, five hundred." Gregor was shocked at the numbers. He had seen just twenty or so stingers and they had filled a cavern. And Truxin had said then that many of the stingers on both sides could grow very large. Things were starting to seem out of hand.

"Who leads them? Perhaps we can negotiate with them instead of going to war with them," a woman down the table even farther than the first man asked. She was more confident her in question. Her voice stayed strong and sharp as she spoke. Truxin's answer only shot her hopes down.

"That I do not know. I was never able to see who lead over them. However, the leader of the Fat tails is myself and my father, Teralax. He is old; however, this allows him to have had time to grow. He is larger than even the largest that have come with me to your city. He sent me due to my ability to speak in human language." A gasp had gone up when he mentioned his father. Everyone had assumed he was the sole leader of his stingers, but with news that his father was also in charge and was quite large added to people's awe.

"What are their abilities as fighters?" came a concise, calm voice form just feet away from Gregor. Ripred was focused right on the stinger and his eyes never wavered. This question could determine everything.

"Yellow legs fight as individuals. There is a command structure based on size on ability. Each stinger varies on how it fights and how it survives. However, this does not change that each one has two very dangerous weapons. Their tails and their pincers," Truxin paused and showed off the weapons, including how large the stinger was. "Compared to me, yellow legs vary in that they have a shorter stinger, but much larger and stronger pincers. They use their pincers more, but when outnumbered the tail is used to clear away enemies. Also, the sting has a potent venom along with it. The good news is that the sting of a Fat tail is far more deadly. Our venom can kill a yellow leg easy. It takes several stings from them to kill us."

The room was dead silent. Three very deadly weapons at each stingers disposal made it seem as if it would be impossible to ever attack, let alone injure them. It seemed like the best way to kill them would be to have the fat tails attack them. But they were outnumbered by almost six to one. It would be impossible for them to do much to an army that large even with the assistance of all the species here. They needed to know the best ways to kill them.

"Truxin, what is their weakness?" Gregor asked shattering the silence in one swift question. The black beady eyes looked at Gregor from behind the imposing pincers. There was no emotion in them or at least none could be read from them.

"The weakest point of the body is the face, Overlander. That is very difficult to attack without being killed. The only other weak points are joints on each leg and the tail. The underside is also weaker, with thinner shells. You would have to be able to flip them over to access this. The rest of the body is covered in thick shells. If they are larger than fifteen feet long then your weapons may not be able to penetrate through the shells unless they are swung incredibly hard and fast and are incredibly sharp. If it is poorly made then the blade will break and you will die."

Each time Truxin spoke it seemed the situation was growing worse and worse. They were outnumbered by thousands, they had to go up against deadly weapons that were larger than normal, and they were really hard to kill without incredible accuracy or strength. That left only two people in this room that may be able to kill them easy and a third was somewhere in the palace. This would not be easy. Not easy at all.

Gregor's attention drifted to Luxa who sat next to him. She hadn't said a word and she seemed to have hardly moved since he had walked in. The news was not easy on her at all. His hand moved to hers which sat on the table. He placed his over hers and gave it a small squeeze. The pressure seemed to snap her out of her state and she reacted. She was out of her chair and standing next to Truxin in an instant.

"We must have a strategy for when they attack. Weapons and tactics that will allow for our smaller numbers to handle them."

Ideas started to fly around and only a few were logical and plausible. People suggested finding new technology in the overland or building larger and thicker walls. Others suggested moving and building a new city or trying to develop special weapons designed for killing stingers. The first logical idea was to leave a large group of rats near Regalia to assist with any attack, simply because the stingers had only attacked humans yet. Luxa suggested right after that they make sure every soldier had the best weapon that they could make. Her eyes drifted to Gregor's and he knew exactly why. His perfect sword that he had to buy with his own money. Then Gregor had an idea of his own.

"Okay. I know we already thought of trying new weapons, but we thought way outside the box. We tried to design radically new untested and unwieldy weapons, but I have an idea. There are weapons from ancient times that I've never seen here that could really work well. There would be improvisation because of a lack of wood, but it would be possible. I'm suggesting we build several ballistae. Basically, it's a giant crossbow that shoots several foot long bolts or arrows. They shoot with enough force to puncture through the shell of the the stingers and with enough men could probably fire 4 or 5 times a minutes. The concept is very easy to build and replicate as well."

Some people were nodding, but others looked skeptical. Vikus was one of the people who seemed to understand Gregor's thoughts. He climbed from his chair and walked towards the door. The room silenced again. "I will go look through the library and see if there are any documents on these, ballistae. Please, continue without me."

Minutes ticked by with more and more ideas passed around. They became more simplistic almost to the point that they weren't changing anything other than how to swing a sword or how a flier should fly. Small arguments were breaking out along the table between rats and humans and Nike was glaring down another person somewhere down the table. A few food carts arrived just in time to prevent someone getting their head bashed in or a throat slit.

Gregor had eaten only a couple hours earlier and his stomach was full more or less. He didn't even leave his seat to look at what was there. A vat clanged down on the table next to him and he could hear Ripred scoffing away at the shrimp inside it. Within a minute, the entire pot was empty and Ripred's tongue licked out every last ounce of cream sauce that he could. In a time like this when they should be thinking still, people had to stop to eat and take their time doing it. A hand rested on Gregor's shoulder. He didn't even need to look to see who it was.

"What's up, Luxa?"

"The meeting is over about the actual fighting. After the meal, we have to discuss alliances and changes in land and territory because all of their species are helping us. They will want to benefit from it. If you want to leave you are free to go," Luxa told him. He stood up from his chair and looked at her face. He could see worry and annoyance in her cheeks and mouth. Her smile seemed more forced than natural and he could see weariness in her eyes.

"I'll stay if you want me to," he told her. He could see that she could use a strong shoulder to lean on and someone to rely on if the negotiations became difficult. He would be there if she needed him.

"No, it is fine Gregor. Go and do something productive instead of the pointless arguing that will fill this room in just a few moments." Gregor could only nod and he gave her a hug before he walked to the door. Inside he felt slightly free from the confines of discussion of their small chances to be able to win. He needed to train, to get his blood flowing and to clear his head of all the junk he had just heard. He wanted to get his body to his most perfect ability to fight and to dodge and to survive. To be able to kill as many stingers as he could. No matter how much training it took he would be at his best when the time came, so he could protect all those he loved.

There was a lone figure in the hall in front of him. They were wrapped in layers of clothes and cloaks. Only one person in the Underland dressed in that manner. Gregor picked up his pace so he could talk to her. He was within ten feet of her when she spoke.

"Greetings, Gregor. It has been a long time," Nerissa said. Gregor could only shake his head in disbelief. Of course she would know it was him coming. She had probably seen it in a vision. It didn't matter though as he quickly caught up to her side.

"Hey, Nerissa. How have you been lately?"

"Oh, I have been well, much better than normal, in fact. In the past months I have felt stronger than I ever have and I have also had fewer visions. It seems to be doing well for me," Nerissa replied. Gregor noticed that she wasn't using the wall for support nor was she shivering under all her layers. He even noticed that her arms weren't nearly as thin as they had been. She seemed to be healthier and stronger just like she said.

"That's great to hear Nerissa. You look great, by the way."

"That is nice of you to say, Gregor, but it may be only a cycle. In a few weeks I could be bedridden and sick. I have seen myself alone in bed, in deep pain. It is impossible to know when this could happen." Gregor knew Nerissa to be solemn and a realist, but that was just weird. She seemed to be content with the fact that she had seen herself possibly dying and she didn't even blink at it. If he knew it was going to happen he would try to stop it from happening. That just seemed like the normal thing to do.

"There is one thing I must tell you before I leave you, Gregor. Please be wary about your feelings for my cousin. There are things that may happen if you become too close to her and her to you. The upcoming conflict will not be easy either. Be careful and make sure you watch your back." With those words Nerissa took a turn and went a different way than Gregor. But Gregor hardly noticed. Her words were cryptic and they spun around in his head. "What does she even mean by half of that stuff?" Gregor thought as he walked towards the high hall. All of his ideas of training were gone. He just needed somewhere quiet to go and think. And he knew just where to go.

He reached the high hall and let out an earsplitting whistle. Artemese appeared right before him and Gregor jumped right up onto his back without saying a word. His mind was already in a race."Can you take me to Ares Hideout?" Gregor asked without even thinking about what he was saying.

"Gregor, I am sorry, but I do not know where that is," Artemese replied, just a bit confused and also worried. Gregor looked at the bat and realized he didn't know how to get there either and had asked something so silly of him. He was about to dismount and go back to his room or something when he saw a spot of gold in his peripheral vision.

"Follow me, Artemese. I will show you the way. It may come in handy sometime," Aurora told the bat as she started off. Artemese followed quickly behind her. He did not talk as he committed the route to his head. Gregor looked around at the cavern walls with his echolocation and saw the amount of different paths that branched off in every direction. There was a reason this place was a secret. Unless you had an incredible sense of direction you would get lost in seconds. He was lost and he had tried to remember every turn they had taken.

The familiar lake loomed before them and Aurora ducked into the narrow opening, disappearing from view. Artemese followed her in and the cave blossomed open inside. There were still dusty blankets and torches against the wall. Gregor grabbed one of the torches and something to light it with. He would rather think in the light than in the dark. The torch flared to life and he stuck it in a crack in the wall, about a foot from the ground. He slid to the ground and leaned back against the wall, alone as he watched Artemese dart out of the cave.

Gregor's thoughts rushed through his head. "Nerissa had been so hidden in what she said. If she had seen something usually she would tell it to someone in the entirety, especially if it was bad. Yet all she told me was to be careful and to be wary. They are simple words of caution that anybody could tell me. Perhaps she knows that Luxa and I are growing closer together and that it might affect how she runs the Kingdom. Or she fears that someone might attack me if they found out. Someone else who wants to love her."

His thoughts circled around and around, hitting all the way on conspiracy theory mumbo jumbo all the way down to simple warnings for him to be careful. He remembered his conversation with Howard after he had left the hospital wing. Howard had told him to not let his relationship with Luxa get in the way with how she ran her kingdom. That seemed oddly familiar to what Nerissa had told him even if it was in different words. The part he couldn't figure out was that she wanted him to watch his back during the battles to come.

Had she seen him getting hurt from behind? Perhaps someone he knew was going to die right behind him in battle and he wouldn't notice. The warning had to mean something more than a reminder to be careful in battle. Gregor was careful when he was fighting foot soldiers. His only serious injuries came when fighting the bane, a monster that moved faster than something its size should have been able to. He had not been quick enough to avoid the terrible blow to his back from its tail. However, there was no way that would happen again. His back was more protected and he was a much better fighter, ready to assume the worst would come.

Time kept passing by him like a clock with broken gears. The hands must have been spinning because what felt like mere minutes turned out to be several hours. Gregor had sat leaning against the wall, unmoving even when his torch burned out. He just sat in the dark and thought not even noticing that the light had gone out. A noise outside the tunnel to the cave alerted him that someone was coming. The orange glow of a torch appeared coming down the passage towards him. Only one person knew where this cave was, so Gregor didn't even move to grab his sword.

Luxa jumped off Aurora's back and came to Gregor. She had worry etched across her beautiful face as she leaned down in front of him. His previously blank face flashed a weak smile to her and his eyes regained some light.

"Have you been here since you left the palace?" Luxa asked Gregor. He nodded to her not wanting to talk. She really looked worry now. "What are you doing here?"

"I just needed somewhere quiet to think and clear my head is all. The better question is what are you doing here?" Gregor retorted, using his most sarcastic voice for the last sentence. Luxa rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet.

"Eisen's ceremony is in ten minutes. I want you there and when I couldn't find you in the palace or the arena or the city, I knew you could only be one other place. Aurora confirmed my suspicion and her I am. Now we must get back to the palace and to the ceremony." Luxa nearly dragged Gregor over to Aurora and basically pushed him onto her back. As they flew out, Aurora flipped over and Gregor fell off and on to Artemese's back with a solid thud. It had not been expected at all.

The two bats zoomed through the tunnels and back out over Regalia in a matter of minutes. They were to the palace in even fewer. The high hall was empty except for them as Luxa grabbed Gregor's hand and pulled him behind her. Their feet pattered across the stone floor as they turned corners and scurried down flights of stairs. Gregor knew where they were going. In a second they stopped right outside the council room's doors. They were open and Gregor could see that the place was full of the most important people. Luxa quickly fixed her hair and Gregor finally noticed that she was wearing a gorgeous purple gown. It flowed down her body and made her look stunning. His eyes sparkled.

"Okay, I am going to the front. You sit next to Mareth." Luxa said as she gave Gregor a small shove. He walked in as quiet as possible and made it to his seat on the aisle with only a few people noticing. Mareth gave a quick glance and a smile before turning his attention back to the front of the room. Gregor focused and he saw Eisen sitting two rows in front of him at the very front. He was wearing a large red cloak over what appeared to be intricate body armor. Perdita sat on the opposite side of the aisle in her usual attire. His thoughts snapped as Luxa flowed past him, walking like a spirit, barely seeming to touch the ground. She reached the raised spot on the floor in the front and turned towards those assembled.

She spoke with a loud clear voice. "Today we are here to promote a comrade to a higher rank, the second highest rank in our army. Eisen, a weapons master and excellent strategist, is here to be rewarded for his actions and abilities with the rank of second in command. Eisen, please stand." Eisen rose from his chair and approached the raised area. He stepped up next to her.

"Perdita, if you will," Luxa said gesturing for Perdita to join them. In her hands she carried a long pillow. She stopped on Luxa's other side as Luxa began to speak again. "With these items, I grant you the power to lead with great strength and a clear conscious." Luxa grabbed off the pillow a badge of gold. Eisen kneeled down and Luxa pinned it on his cloak right over his heart. She reached for the pillow again and pulled a beautiful sword off of it. The hilt was encrusted with jewels and the blade was tinted blue. It was the second most beautiful sword Gregor had ever seen. The other was waiting for him to buy.

Luxa handed the sword to Eisen hilt first. Eisen's fingers wrapped around the handle and he slowly pulled it away from his Queen. He hoisted it into the air and the assembled clapped and cheered for their new commander. Gregor just noticed one thing as his hands clapped. He always focused on eyes because they never lied about what a person was thinking or feeling.

Eisen's were filled with power.

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**So what did you guys think of that? Pretty good, right? I just wanna say thanks to everyone who has read this far already and to those who give me the motivation to keep going.**

**Thanks to a suggestion from Tytonic, a loyal reviewer and a great author in his own right, I'm going to start posting questions at the end of each chapter. Spice it up and make you guys think. I actually have two for this week.**

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**Question 1: What do you think Eisen is thinking when Luxa gives him his official position?**

**Question 2: What do you think of the chapter lengths? Too long or perfect?**

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**Leave your answers for me guys and tell me what you think of the story as a whole. Thanks for the support guys. It means a lot.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen. I have returned with another exciting and well written chapter. I decided to split the writing of this chapter over two days and I have to say that it helped. I didn't feel rushed to try to produce something over one 10 hour period but instead over two 10 hour periods. I feel that it worked a lot better and the chapter flows really well. So I hope you guys enjoy.**

**P.S. This chapters band was Blink-182**

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**Chapter 12**

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**_4 day_****_s later_**

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Sweat ran down Gregor's brow and into his eyes. It was warm and it stung, but he didn't stop. His sword cleaved through the still air as he dashed from target to target, landing quick blows on whatever lay within his reach. His dagger flashed in close quarters encounters, planting itself into a joint or around a piece of armor. His right hand slashed deep wounds into the enemies' chests, arms, and stomachs. Several stood before him and he rolled between their legs, coming up behind and opening wounds along their weakly armored backs.

A small wall loomed before him and he half climbed, half jumped over it, landing on another enemies back, stabbing his dagger through the soft tissue and into the neck. He leaped off and took a few steps forward before leaping as high as he could into the air. His bottom landed squarely on the large back of a purple bat as the dove back into the action. Artemese dove and spun towards targets, dodging between enemies as Gregor sowed mortal wounds as if he were planting seeds in a field. His sword moved like a scythe, clipping limbs from bodies and heads from torsos. What he missed was cleaned up with his dagger. There were two targets left on the field one on each side.

Artemese zoomed past and Gregor's sword slammed into the armored chest of the foe. The blade stuck tight and prevented him from pulling it out to hit the next target. In the time it took him to get his dagger to his right hand they had passed the target. Gregor was determined to hit it. He spun his body around, grabbed the tip of the dagger, aimed and threw in a fluid motion. The blade soared through the air, spinning blade over handle. A thud told Gregor that the throw had hit the target square, blade first. The bat landed on the ground and Gregor hopped off. His weapons needed to be retrieved so he raced over to the dummies.

His dagger was buried into the back of the straw dummy, right between the shoulder blades; the blade buried almost three-quarters of the way in. He wrenched it out and ran the ten yards to grab his sword. The steel blade had pierced the steel armor due to the force of the blow and the speed at which the pair had been flying. It took even more force to remove the blade. The steel of the chest plate gripped the sword like a vice as Gregor pulled it out. The sound it made was excruciating for his ears to hear. He placed it back on his hip once it was back in his possession.

"That was excellent, Gregor," a voice said from behind him. He spun around and saw Mareth walking towards him. Gregor threw up a quick salute to his superior before he advanced towards his friend. "That was the best I have ever seen any pair run the course since Eisen did it a few years ago. I have your official time as well. I took you just under two minutes. Your best I assume."

"Yea," Gregor huffed out. His body ached and was sore after his time in the Arena. He had run the course several times that day alone. Each morning he had it set up for him, so he could work on his agility and his speed, his accuracy with both weapons when enemies were on multiple sides, and his ever growing skill with Artemese under him. "I didn't expect to see you here today, Mareth. Thought it was your day off."

"It is, but I have something for you," Mareth replied reaching into his pocket and pulling out a draw string pouch. The clinking of metal on metal told Gregor what was in the bag before Mareth even handed it to him. "This is your first weeks soldiers pay." he said as he placed the bag into Gregor's hand.

"Thanks," Gregor mumbled as he pulled the string and opened the pouch. He could see three different types of coins in the bag, each varying in size. He pulled one of each out and examined them. They each were made from a different metal, but he couldn't determine the kinds. The faces of each had a picture of something. The smallest had a face, the second had a sword, and the largest had a picture of the palace.

"This is the money we use. There are three types of coins: the pound is the largest and worth the most, then there is the shilling, and finally the pence. Ten pence make one shilling and ten shillings make one pound." Mareth explained holding each coin up in turn. "Your pay is five pounds, seven shillings, and nine pence."

Gregor nodded as he counted the coins to see if it totaled up right. The names of the coins also seemed familiar. It reminded him of the British monetary system of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Just each coin seemed to be worth different. Instead of twelve pence to a shilling it was ten and instead of twenty shillings to a pound it was also only ten. They seemed to have simplified a system they had used before they moved down here.

"Thanks for bringing this to me. I guess I'll go run it back to my room, take a quick bath, and then grab some food. I'm famished." Gregor said quickly as he walked past Mareth over to Artemese. It was true though. He had been in the arena for several hours that morning and had done extensive work. His stomach was empty and he needed something to fill him back up.

"I will see you then, Gregor," Mareth said as Gregor hopped onto Artemese's back and soared out of the arena. Sweat still ran down his face and his eyes still stung from the saltiness. He took his sweat soaked shirt and unstuck it from his body to wipe the sweat out of his eyes. It helped some, but he could still feel it burning around the edge. Just something he would have to deal with until he cleaned himself up. The city below seemed no more urgent or worried than normal, even with the impending war coming. The news had reached the citizens two days before, but other than worried mutterings the streets looked the same.

Artemese dropped into the high hall, wishing Gregor a good day before he flew away back over the city. Gregor watched just a second longer before he turned on his heel and walked down through the palace. While the city itself had seemed at ease, the palace was in a rush. Servants hurried passed carrying bundles or rushing to help in a storeroom. The palace was storing up supplies in case of a siege or something along those lines. The best weapons were being made and stored in the armory and the other store rooms.

Outside Gregor's room was a bundle of swords. He carried them into his room and laid them on the floor. He had asked for extra swords because of how much he was dulling his in the arena. If he had only one extra blade he would be content. But he would determine that later. Gregor opened the drawer on his bureau and dropped the money pouch into it. There was almost nothing in the drawers besides a pair of sandals and one change of clothes. Gregor didn't have many items that he cared about besides his blades which he always wore on him now.

He quickly left his room and went to the nearby bath. His sweaty clothes peeled off his body and he left them in a heap on the floor. The water ran over his body and he dunked his head down into it, rubbing the sweat from his eyes. His hair had pieces of the dummies stuffing in it and they flowed down river with the water. He rubbed his body down in soup and scoured the sweat and stink off his body. After just a few minutes, Gregor smelled like a spring flower and was as soft as a baby's bottom.

Gregor walked alone through the halls. He seemed to be spending a lot of time by himself, away from the company of people. He was in the arena with Artemese or walking the halls alone or eating with no company. Everyone was busy deciding on tactics and checking on progress. They were training soldiers or working in busy rooms full of maps and little chess pieces deciding where to fight. It left Gregor plenty of time to think about everything he was learning and being told.

Nerissa's words from four days before still echoed in his head: "_Please be wary about your feelings for my cousin. There are things that may happen if you become too close to her and her to you. The upcoming conflict will not be easy either. Be careful and make sure you watch your back._" He still hadn't determined what she had meant. If she had been talking in riddle or literally. The words could be hiding a meaning besides to simply watch behind him. It ate away at him, yet he still hasn't told anybody about it.

Deep in his thoughts he hadn't realized that he was right outside the dining room. the smell of food tantalized his nose and his mouth started to water. He stepped inside and saw that he was slightly late for lunch. Everyone was already eating as there wasn't time to wait around. He glanced at Luxa as he went to his seat and he got a return glance. She stared at him her anger apparent in her eyes. And Gregor knew why.

It was after Eisen's ceremony and Gregor had been sitting with Luxa in her chambers when he had brought up what he saw in Eisen's eyes. She dismissed it because he was gaining a fair amount of power. He was becoming the second in command of the entire army. That meant he only had two people to answer to. That gave him a lot of power. Or that was her argument.

Gregor had said it was different. He seemed to be lusting for more. It was just that kind of look. A look he had seen only one other time. Gregor said it before he could stop himself. On accident he compared Eisen to Henry. Luxa balked at his statement and then slapped him. Both had done something uncalled for. He shouldn't have brought up Henry at all, and she shouldn't have slapped him. She immediately kicked him from her chambers and had remained mad at him.

And on top of that, her only free time was in the mornings when Gregor was spending time in the arena. He had sworn that he had seen her watching from the stands, yet she still remained angry at him. That was obvious in her eyes every time she looked at him. And those angry eyes were staring right at him at the current moment in time.

His meal was placed in front of him mere moments later, and Luxa averted her eyes back to her own plate. It happened so fast that Gregor was certain no one noticed it. Tension between the two of them at this time could be the worst thing. It would distract Luxa from her job and it could push Gregor away. Yet he knew it wouldn't. It would only draw him in closer.

When Gregor looked up, he saw three pairs of eyes looking at him. Eisen, Mareth, and Vikus all had worried look on their faces, but when they saw Gregor look up their eyes all dashed back down to their plates. Except for Vikus. He instead looked at everybody.

"I have good news today. York and Susannah will be returning to Regalia this evening." The news brought everyone to attention. They were the last two important people in the ruins of the Fount. They had stayed behind to finish scouting every inch of their city before coming back. It seems as if they had finished. The bats flying in with survivors had ended just two days before. The hospital was still filled to the brim with them and it kept the staff busy. Many had already been released. Some were guards and they joined the city guards in the barracks. Others were living in the palace. Gregor rarely saw them though. They were in other parts of the palace and they didn't use the same baths or areas as the rest of the palace.

The news brought both good and bad thoughts. It was good to have a great tactician and fighter in York, coming to aid in the battles. And Susannah was a great doctor, so she would join her son in the hospital helping with the wounded. The bad thing though was that there was nothing left to search in the Fount. There were no more survivors left. There was no reason to stay in the ruins of a city.

The news did little to spark conversation among the diners. Everyone was consumed by their own thoughts, their bodies just naturally spooning food into their mouths. Nobody made eye contact or even attempted to speak to each other. The mood, which should have gotten happier with the news, grew more solemn. Gregor himself felt an added weight on him just because he knew that there was nobody else coming back alive. For days they would see bodies floating down the river, and they all knew it.

Gregor's appetite was long gone by now, and he just swirled his spoon around in his food. He dropped it and pushed his dish away, done with his meal. Before he could stand and excuse himself a man walked through the door. He was wearing a simple uniform and carried a satchel on his shoulder. It reminded Gregor of a mailman.

"I apologize for the interruption, Your Grace. A scout has reported a sighting of stingers entering our lands and moving in the direction of Regalia. He reports their numbers at about twenty." He spoke and stood at attention waiting for the queen's response. Luxa looked to Eisen and Mareth for a decision.

"I suggest we take a small group of troops and investigate. If they want to talk, we talk. If they want to fight, we fight," Eisen spoke. Luxa looked to Mareth next. "I second that, Your Grace."

"It is settled then. Eisen go and prepare your men. I must prepare as well. You are dismissed Roger," Luxa spoke. The messenger bowed low before he walked calmly from the room. Eisen was out of his chair as soon as the man had left. Luxa was out of hers just as quick. Gregor started to rise and Eisen shot a quick glance at him.

"Not you, Overlander. This is a simple mission. Your talents will not be needed." With that he dashed from the room, his voice audible as he ran from the hall casting orders. Gregor slumped into his chair, his face showing disappointment. He pulled his bowl back to him and started to eat the luke warm stew again. He was trying to hide his internal fury at being left behind. Luxa needed him there for council and protection. Especially against something as dangerous as a stinger. He was the one who had spent the past days training tirelessly just for a moment like this. And yet he gets left behind.

The gears in his brain started to grind against each other as it started to piece things together. Eisen was second in command and that meant he was the field general. Perdita would be there as well, but it was his job to command the troops. He didn't want Gregor there to even attempt to usurp his power or his respect, even if it meant leaving his best fighter behind. It also was his way of showing Gregor he was in charge, and that Gregor shouldn't assume he was going on every mission and to every fight.

Vikus and Mareth had left over half an hour earlier and Gregor still sat at the table, his bowl empty. He didn't want to get up and see off the party. The entire thing left a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. A party of stingers enter human lands for no reason and without invitation while the species are obviously on bad terms with each other. And that was an understatement. It didn't make sense to send such a small force to try to talk with them. Especially if they didn't speak English. Yet he figured he should see off those that were to face the foe, while he stayed back and fought stuffed dolls.

Gregor stood from his chair, his butt asleep and aching. He trudged out of the room and into the high hall. While he had expected to see a large group of soldiers waiting to take flight, he only found four people on fliers. Luxa and Eisen were mounted side by side and behind them were two others. They appeared to be higher rank members of the army and not just the basic infantryman. There weren't many others to see them off. Gregor stood with Mareth and Vikus off to the side. It was just about time for them to leave.

Luxa looked over at Gregor, her face losing its hard edged anger. She cast him a smile before Aurora flashed her wings and was into the air. The other three bats followed suit and flew out over the city. Suddenly a cloud of fliers appeared behind them as the remainder of the men flew out behind them. They cloud vanished around a bend in the cavern and disappeared from view.

"Do not worry so terribly, Gregor," Mareth spoke as Gregor walked over to the balcony.

"I am not worried."

"You do a bad job at hiding it. There are many capable men and women with them, Gregor. Plenty to keep Luxa safe. Your skills are not always needed for every mission. Even Ripred does not go on every mission. There is time for you to make your mark and to prove yourself. Your training will make you invaluable when the time comes." Mareth kept talking, but Gregor stopped hearing when he was reminded Ripred was not going either. It just made his bad feeling in the pit of his stomach ache even more. Something as going to go wrong fast and he would be needed. He could just feel it.

Mareth left Gregor when he realized the younger man was not listening. Gregor had hoped for it. He needed to be alone to be able to sneak out of the palace. The high hall was empty and there was no one in any of the adjoining hallways. Gregor walked calmly through the halls to not draw attention to himself, as he walked to the armory. There was no way he was going to attack massive stingers without some kind of armor. He passed a few servants and a bed headed Hazard, who didn't stop long to talk. Apparently he had just woken up because the castle was so busy nobody bothered to wake him.

Gregor made it to the empty armory without any more stops and he slipped inside. The walls were adorned with armor and weapons of all sizes and colors. Suits of heavy plate stood low to the ground and lightweight leather hung closer to the ceiling. His attention was drawn to the armor in the middle. It consisted of a mixture of leather and metal and fit his mobility along with how much he was in the action. His eyes glanced along each piece looking for something that looked like it would fit. A shin guard looked about right, so he took it off its hooks and held to his shin.

"Can I help you?" came a voice from Gregor's right. Gregor jumped and dropped the guard onto his foot, metal side down. He hopped back, grabbing his foot and rubbing his toes. His head spun and looked at the woman standing in the doorway.

"Hi there, Miravet," he said casually.

"What are you doing in the armory? I was not told you were being armed or armored."

"Yea, I'm not. I came to look for what I could possibly wear when I do go into battle. It would be better to be prepared, then to waste possible precious minutes looking for proper armor." Gregor's answer sounded as dumb as dumb answers came. It had just blurted out of his mouth and he was mentally kicking himself. There wasn't a shot in the world Miravet would buy that.

"Yea, that seems logical. Come, I will help you," Miravet answered to Gregor's surprise. As she walked past him he caught the sly smirk that she had on her face. And then he felt that much better. The weight that he hadn't noticed fall over him was lifted. There was someone here that wanted him to go and wanted to help him. "What color would you like? Black like you used to wear or perhaps a red or white."

"Umm, red sounds good," Gregor stammered out, the question taking him by surprise. He took a few steps and was met with a measuring tape wrapping itself around his head. Miravet lifted his arms, measured his legs, checked his waist size, and measured his shoulders all without saying a word. She came back moment later with a set of armor, the metal black, but the leather a deep red. Almost blood red. Gregor loved it.

"Here you are. Tell me later if you like the armor," Miravet said as she placed the armor in his hands. She walked towards the exit and paused for just a moment. "If anyone asks I didn't help you." She left but not before giving Gregor a quick wink.

The armor fell out of his arms and clattered to the floor, missing his feet by inches. He picked up a shin guard and unstrapped it before placing it on. He pulled the straps tight around his boots and placed the other one on his other leg. It was a bit more difficult to get the chest armor on though. It strapped on both sides and was in two pieces. He worked the straps on one side so that it opened kind of like a book. He placed his body where he thought it was supposed to go and tried to pull the straps shut. By either luck or magic the straps pulled tight, and he buckled them in place. A pair of leather gloves had metal on the back to protect his knuckles and his forearms, so he pulled them on and tested his grip. It felt like his sword was trying to slide right out his hands. The gloves came off and his dagger came out. With a few quick strokes the gloves were fingerless just below the knuckles. He slid them back on and tried his grip again. It was perfect.

* * *

"Artemese!" Gregor shouted out over the city as loud as he could. His helmet was tucked under his arm as he tried to stay out of view of any passerby's. It would only seem a little odd to see a man in full armor standing and waiting for a flier. "Artemese, are you there?"

The loud flapping of wings told Gregor that the bat was nearby. He looked up and saw the purple bat fluttering down towards him, controlling his wings so as to not smack his friend in the face with them when he touched down.

"Overlander, how can I be of service?"

"You ready for a fight?" Gregor asked eager to get going, the anticipation dripping from his voice. Artemese noticed Gregor's armor then and he let out a bat laugh. "Huh huh huh. It seems we are heading off after the queen then. I was wondering how long it would take you."

Gregor climbed on and the pair took off, right as the soft sound of sandals on stone met his ears. Artemese shot off faster than he had ever seen the bat fly. They had cleared the city wall in less than half a minute and were zooming through caverns. "The stingers entered near crawler lands. It will take but an hour to reach our destination."

* * *

It was less than hour when the sounds of battle could be heard, filling the cavern. Gregor sat bolt upright coming to attention. He had been laying on his back looking up at the ceiling of the cavern, noticing cracks and crevices, hidden cave entrances, and massive stone columns that hung down dozens of feet. Now though he had his helmet on his head and both weapons in his hands.

It was not even a minute more when light started to illuminate the cavern. It was dim, but it allowed Gregor to see the battlefield below him without needing to echolocate. The fighting looked bad from above. There were twenty stingers like the scout reported, but only two of them lay dead. the rest were in the process of laying waste to the soldiers Eisen had brought. Gregor could see that the two dead stingers were near Eisen and his ever flashing sword. After a quick count of the dead he realized that there was less than half of the men still alive.

"Artemese, we gotta get down there and help. Fly wherever you feel comfortable. I'll just follow your lead." Artemese didn't respond in words, but with actions. He swooped down towards the nearest stinger which was about to crush a soldier. The bat flew low over the stinger and Gregor swiped his sword down towards the stingers pincer joint. The sword pierced the weak shell easy and sliced through the soft tissue beneath. The pincer fell from the body, but Gregor was already on the next target. All he saw were the joints of the stingers in his vision. His sword flashed and cut through three leg joints, dropping the next stinger to its side. A yellow-green blood gushed from the stumps and coated Gregor's sword.

Artemese kept darting from stinger to stinger, Gregor inflicting non mortal wounds to each insect. But it was becoming harder for Artemese to fly between the massive insects. The two had the element of surprise at first and that was gone now. Tails and their deadly stingers swung for them and Gregor had to go on the defensive to stop the deadly barbs from piercing him or his flier companion.

"Regroup, Artemese! Go up!" Gregor shouted as his rager sensation left his body. It was becoming too hectic to weave between the massive creatures. As Artemese flew to a safe height, Gregor inspected the damage he had done. Three more stingers lay dead and others were in the process as they were either without their weapons or were more or less immobilized due to several missing legs. "We can't fight like that anymore. One of us is going to get killed. Put me down and help however you can."

Artemese consented and flew down to just a few feet above the ground. Gregor leaped off and landed on the ground on all fours. Before he knew it a stinger was attacking him. The large tail came whipping over the stingers body, its sharp stinger flashing down. With the speed of a rager, Gregor side stepped and flashed his sword out. It clipped just below the stinger, cutting through the shell and into the poison gland. The stinger let out a hiss of pain and charged at Gregor, pincers open, ready to crush right through him. Gregor leaped up and landed on the pincer, scampering over and onto the stingers back. He sense the tail coming down and he threw his sword up to black it. His sword caught the foot long stinger right before it landed on his back. With his window open, he took his dagger and rammed it down into the shell, right above the eyes. The foot long blade went clean through down to the hilt. The stinger stopped struggling and collapsed dead. Gregor leaped off, drawing the blade out of stinger as he went and noticed that several of the eyes were bulging out of the head from the force of the blow.

The stingers numbers were dwindling, but so were the humans. He watched as a stinger went clean through a man's head, and his body lifted up and tossed over twenty feet away. A woman screamed in agony as her body was crushed clean in half when a stingers pincers got ahold of her. There were perhaps 10 humans left against the remaining 10 stingers. He whipped his head around and saw Eisen stick his sword right through a stingers face while inside the range of the tail. The tail fell away a mere foot from striking Eisen in the head. Make that 9 stingers.

Another stinger fell under an attack from four soldiers, one landing the final blow through the top of the shell as the others distracted the tail and pincers. Gregor brought himself back to the reality of the situation when he heard a hiss behind him. The largest stinger was moving towards him, and Eisen was running towards him as well. But Eisen was shouting something. Gregor pushed the other noise aside and listened.

"The queen is under attack!" Gregor heard and he turned to look at where Eisen was running. Luxa was facing a stinger almost as large as the one moving towards Gregor. And she was alone with her thin blade drawn. Gregor's feet started to pull him towards her the other stinger forgotten. His feet pounded along the blood soaked ground, his boots sticking and covered in the dust and grim. The hiss of the stinger was right behind him and he had one choice. He stopped spun and drew his left hand back. The dagger flew from his hand and spun towards the target. The blade passed between the pincers and sunk into the stingers face, right through one of the eyes. It dropped to the ground dead on the spot.

But Gregor hadn't waited to see what happened. As soon as the blade left his hand his feet were carrying him closer to his love. The sound of the battle was gone as his rager side took full control of his body, pushing him as hard as possible. Adrenaline started to flow even more than before as he felt his body accelerate even more. Then it happened.

The stinger's pincer knocked Luxa's sword from her hand. She was weaponless and had nothing to block the stinger's stinger as it whipped it down. Gregor was only a few feet away as the tail started its deadly path towards its target. Without thinking, he jumped and put his shoulder into the tail. It knocked it aside and it missed Luxa by inches. Gregor recovered and cut the tail clean in half, the stinger falling to the cavern floor. Quickly he jumped on the shelled creature and ran to the head. His sword sunk deep into the shell and flesh, going so deep it didn't budge when he tried to pull it free. He felt the stinger shudder as the blade pierced it. "that was close," Gregor thought as he looked at Luxa. He could see she was shaking from surviving death by mere inches.

"Hey, Luxa, you're alright now" Gregor said trying to calm her down. He looked and saw the last few stingers either dying or fleeing back out of the tunnel. Eisen plunged his sword into the last living stinger and realized that the encounter was over. And the humans had won. He returned his attention to Luxa and he saw her pointing behind him.

"Gregor, look out!" she shouted, her voice coming back to her. He had just enough time to turn his head before the half of the stingers tail still connected to the body slammed into his left side right on the ribs. He flew to the right and slammed into the cavern wall. His head ached and he could feel blood running down over his ear. He lifted his left arm to check his head and a sharp pain sent shocks through his body. He could tell his ribs weren't right. when he breathed he could feel them moving more than normal. They pushed out more than normal. But at least they weren't knocked out of place. His vision started to blur from the pain in his head. It kept escalating and was reaching a point where it would be unbearable.

A hand rested against his cheek and turned his head. Gregor could barely make out anything, but he did see Eisen stabbing the stingers corpse several times in fury. A pair of purple irises locked onto his and a mouth moved, but he never heard the words as he lost consciousness.

* * *

**Well that was fun, right? Nice bit of action at both the beginning and the end of the chapter. So what do you guys think of it? Leave a review.**

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**Question: What will be the first thing Gregor sees when he wakes up?**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm back again guys. Really happy to see that I'm almost to 2000 views on this here story. No long authors note today. Just want you guys to jump in and read this awesome chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 13**

A throbbing pain filled Gregor's head and his eyes shot open. The room was dark, very dark. There was no light anywhere. He breathed and saw that he was not in a room, but a cavern. And he was moving. He could feel the wings of the bat he was on flapping up and down and the wind was whistling past his ears. There was an immense pain right behind his right ear and it was building. He went to move his hand to the pain, but a flash of pain shot through his side. His entire ribcage felt like it was on fire. The pain built quickly to a crescendo as he attempted to move his arm up. He dropped it down and the pain spiked beyond belief. He screamed in agony as he wrapped his left arm across his body. A blinding pain filled his head and spots appeared in his eyes. His head dropped back to the fur of the bat, unconscious again.

* * *

His eyes flashed open again. When there was an intense throbbing pain last time, there was not but a dull throb now. The pain was almost entirely gone, but he still felt disoriented. His eyes seemed cross and blurry as he looked at the wall from a sitting position. The longer he sat, however, the clearer the image became. The image of the room was near perfect and Gregor turned his head to look at the rest of the room. Bad idea.

A small, sharp pain cut through his head and he stopped trying to look. He felt his heart start beating faster and his breathing increase as he slowly turned his head back to looking at the wall. His hand moved to his head, ignoring the dull pain that came from his injured side. He placed his hand gently against the side of his head and he felt the rough material wrapped around it. The same material could be felt under his shirt, wrapped around his chest and tightly against his bruised and battered side. Boy, he must have looked a mess.

A noise to his left caused him to turn his head again. He cursed himself as he gritted his teeth against the pain. A small wave of nausea hit him, but he swallowed it down. His teeth were near breaking when he stopped turning. Standing but a few feet from his bed was Stellovet.

"What are you doing in here?" Gregor said through his teeth. The pain was starting to build again and he needed to relieve it. He spun his head back and looked at the plain wall again. Soft footfalls approached the side of his bed; he heard a chair pull up as well.

"Gregor, how are you feeling?" Stellovet asked in a soothing voice. She placed a hand on Gregor's leg and leaned over him to look at his face.

"How am I feeling? How am I feeling?! I wake up in here and can't even turn my head without feeling like I'm gonna puke. Oh, I'm feeling just wonderful."

"That can be expected. Your head wound was very severe and your ribs are fractured in five places. My mother has had you kept unconscious to let the healing process begin."

"Your mother? I thought Howard was head doctor." This was confusing Gregor beyond belief.

"Oh yes, he is. But when mother arrived, she wanted to take care of you."

"That's nice, but you still haven't answered my first question. Why are you in my room?"

"To look after you. My mother asked me to stay and make sure you were okay when you woke up. She is looking after the wounded with Howard." Gregor remembered the violent battle he had been part of. He saw the dead, dying all over again, the blood pouring out of dismembered and crushed bodies and spraying from puncture wounds.

"How many made it back?" Gregor asked in a quiet voice. It was flat with no emotion. He just wanted to know he had made some difference in going and sneaking out of the palace. That he had saved some people with his risky actions.

"Eisen, Luxa, and five of the soldiers were uninjured beyond scratches and bruises. You and ten others made it back with severe injuries. Yours are some of the lesser wounds." The news made Gregor feel slightly better. He had saved some people and probably allowed the injured to make it back to have a chance to live longer. To have a chance to move on with their lives.

Gregor's thoughts were interrupted by a commotion in the hall. Muted shouts could be heard through the heavy curtain that closed his room off from the hall. The shouting went on for minutes, with new voices joining in. Whoever was doing the shouting seemed to be very angry at something or someone. A loud crash silenced the shouting, and the sound of clanking armor was heard a minute later. The hall was silent.

"What was that?" Gregor asked after several quiet moments.

"I do not know. Let me go and find out," Stellovet replied as she left his bedside. Gregor was just glad she took her hand off his leg. She walked towards the entrance and poked her head out into the hallway. Her body was pushed back into the room and four people entered: Susannah, Eisen, and two guards.

"It is good to see you are awake, Gregor," Susannah said as she approached his bed. she placed her hand on his head and checked his bandages. "Are you in much pain?"

"Not really. There is just a small dull throbbing in my head and a small amount of pain in my ribs if I move my arm. If I turn my head though, the pain spikes terribly bad."

"Oh yes. That is something that will probably happen quite a bit for a while. Your skull was fractured and there was swelling. I had to relieve the swelling. You shall be fine in a few days time. If you need medication, please send my daughter to get me."

Susannah stepped back from his bedside and was replaced with Eisen. His face was serious; he was all business. A hand rested none too gently on Gregor's shoulder and he felt pressure as Eisen squeezed it.

"Overlander, I am glad to see you awake. I have been waiting so I can talk with you. You disobeyed my direct order to not come along. That is unacceptable. You blatantly left without telling a single person where you were going. That is also unacceptable. You are a soldier and are required to follow the commands of your superiors. You are confined to quarters for the time being. While you are in the hospital, you will have only certain visitors. Your doctors and military personnel only. There will always be somebody in your room with you and guards at the door. Take this as a reminder of our friendship, but also as a warning to not disobey a superior's command. Good day." Eisen turned on his heel, his hands wrapped around behind him. He signaled for the guards to follow and they left the room. Susannah gave Gregor a quick smile and also left the room.

The room was empty except for Gregor and Stellovet, again. The slender girl took a seat next to Gregor again, her face surprisingly happy. She had a smile on her face and her face seemed to be glowing. Her hand went back to Gregor's thigh and he was stuck in an uncomfortable position. He could move his body, but not his head unless he wanted to pass out again. He shifted his left leg and moved it so it hung off the bed, in an attempt to just sit more comfortably.

Neither Stellovet nor Gregor spoke and they sat in quiet for what felt like hours, but was only a few minutes. Stellovet kept shifting in her chair and moving her hand from one spot to another on his leg. The atmosphere grew more and more awkward. Gregor was about to speak up when the curtain parted and a tray with food was brought in.

The woman carrying it laid it down on Gregor's lap and flashed a smile between him and Stellovet. Almost like she thought they were a couple or something. The smell of the food made Gregor's stomach gurgle. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was. The last time he had eaten was lunch and he had no clue how many hours it had been since then. He reached down to grab the spoon for his soup, but someone else's hand beat him to the punch.

"Let me help you, Gregor. You should not overexert yourself." Stellovet said as she filled the spoon and raised it to his lips. Gregor reached out and gently grabbed her wrist and directed it back to the bowl. Stellovet looked at him, the hurt apparent in her eyes.

"I can feed myself, Stellovet. I'm not hurt that bad," Gregor said as he picked up the spoon and brought it to his mouth. The pain in his ribs wasn't that bad, but it did hurt if he moved to fast. He slowed himself down and ate slowly, moving as gently as he could to prevent himself from making his side hurt.

Gregor glanced at the girl next to him as he scooped the last ounce of stew out of the bowl. She wasn't looking at him and she seemed downcast and sad. Rejected maybe. He felt bad for shooting down her attempt to help him. There was one thing she could do for him though.

"Stellovet, can you go get some medication for me? My head is killing me," Gregor asked her. She seemed to come alive at his words and she literally jumped out of her chair.

"Oh yes. I will go get my mother and she can give you your medication." Before she left she gave Gregor a quick peck on the cheek. Gregor was alone and he could feel the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. It felt weird to have another girl other than Luxa kiss him. He wiped his cheek with his sleeve and sat there staring at the blank wall, in the flickering light from the torches. His shadow danced on the wall next to him like a crazy apparition of himself. He glanced at it and saw it wave and flow along the wall like an eerie half human snake. It was the first time he had really noticed the weird way light played with shadows.

He heard his guards move outside and Susannah came into the room followed by her daughter. She was carrying several small vials of colored liquid. Each one had a small label on it and was stopped with a stopper. She selected one and brought it over to Gregor. "Take one small sip of this. It will help with your head."

Gregor unstopped the bottle and took a sip, only letting a very small amount into his mouth. It ran down his throat with a taste so bitter that he nearly choked on it. It felt gritty in his mouth as well. But the medicine did seem to work very fast. The pain in his head already felt better and the small throbs seemed to wash away. There was very little noticeable pain now either. He tried to turn his head and the pain shot back, but not anything like before. It was sharp yet not blinding. Not the best feeling but if he had to he could manage with it.

"Thanks, Susannah. That helps a lot." She smiled at him and took the bottle back. As she walked from the room she whispered something in her daughter's ear that made Stellovet smile. Gregor wasn't sure that he was going to like what she had told her.

"Do you feel better, Gregor?" Stellovet asked as she resumed her seat next to him. She didn't place her hand on his leg this time. Instead she rested her head against him. This was really starting to feel awkward for him. Stellovet may like him, but she was starting to go to far. Gregor didn't want to be rude to her or shoot her down, but if she did anything more he was afraid he might have to. Stellovet was staring at him, waiting intently for an answer.

"Umm, yea. Yea, I feel much better. My head hardly hurts at all, and my ribs feel even better." She smiled and picked her head up. She moved closer to Gregor and ran a finger down his chest. "Stellovet, what ar-"

"Shhhh." A finger pressed against his lips as she moved closer to him. This is what he had been afraid of. She really wanted him and didn't like her one bit. This was just making the chances less and less likely that he ever would. His free hand came up and pressed against her stomach, but she just grabbed his wrist and kept coming closer. She removed her finger from his lips as her head was only inches from his own.

"Stellovet, no. I do-" Gregor started, but her mouth covered his and his words were cut off. She was kissing him, but he wasn't kissing her back. He took both his arms and pressed them against her pushing her off. She looked at him hurt and confused. "Stellovet, stop it. I don't like you and I never will. I love someone else." The words flowed out his mouth with more anger behind them then he meant. He hadn't yelled, but the words carried all the harsh rudeness that had built up in him rather quickly.

A tear ran down Stellovet's cheek and then another and another. Soon she was at full waterworks, tears coming thick and fast. She turned her back on him and ran from the room with her hands covering her eyes. Gregor suddenly felt bad for what he did. Stellovet was just trying to show her feelings and he shot her down in the hardest most terrible way he could. He could have let her down soft, but he threw her down a flight of stairs head first with her hands tied behind her back.

And there was no way for him to go and apologize. He couldn't get out of bed because of his head, even if it felt better, and he wasn't even allowed to leave the room. Stellovet was a wreck and it was his fault. "Boy, am I a douche," Gregor thought as he sat alone in the seemingly empty room. There was nothing to do and no one to help him out.

* * *

Days passed and he had few visitors. Mareth came to visit once and Perdita came a different time. Both scolded him for his risky decision and for disobeying orders. And they both thanked him for saving Luxa's life, which both she and Eisen said would not have been possible if he hadn't been there. When Gregor inquired about Luxa, neither Mareth nor Perdita answered him on his questions. He wondered why she had not come to visit him yet. When he was injured she often came to check on him at least once. And when she was injured he checked on her even more than that. But she hadn't showed up in any capacity.

Stellovet hadn't come back either, which Gregor was fine with. Another woman was left in his room with him to watch him and to help him in any way he needed. She never spoke to him and she sat on the other side of the room. It was different to be sure. Gregor spent most of his day sleeping and eating unless his guards let someone in. Most of the people were doctors. Susannah, Howard, and a doctor named Ellis came to check on him every few hours. Howard was the one who gave him some information.

"Howard, why hasn't Luxa come to see me yet?" Gregor asked as Howard checked his ribs and his head. The wounds were healing very well, and he was told earlier in the morning that he would possibly be released the next day. Howard looked at Gregor when he was asked. A battle could be seen playing in his head on whether he should tell his friend or follow orders. The friend side won out.

"Luxa tried to visit you the first day you were in the hospital. Eisen would not allow it because you were under military punishment, which meant he had control over who could visit you and who could not. She argued like only she could, but Eisen won out in the end. For now she cannot see you nor do I think she wants to."

"Why wouldn't she want to?" Gregor asked confused at why Howard would even say that.

"Stellovet has told a story about how you and kissed her, and then told her that you loved someone else.. I do not believe her because I know my own sister. Luxa, however, seems to believe the story. She has not been seen far from the royal wing and Hazard has told me she has been crying much. He also does not believe Stellovet. But there are others that do not see like me. Important others."

"Why is your sister so evil? She's the one that kissed me. I did tell her I loved someone else and she left sobbing. Of course she told Luxa though. She has seen us together so often that she must have known somewhat that we had something between us." Gregor didn't realize that he was rambling until he noticed Howard's look. He closed his mouth and stopped talking.

"My sister did not tell Luxa. The first person she told was my mother and a servant heard. She was the one that told Luxa. The story has spread from Stellovet and others." Howard told Gregor. "It seems your injuries have healed very well. Your head looks to be almost back to normal and your ribs are healing at a very nice pace. Tell me, do you feel any pain in your head."

"Nope. It feels just about normal."

"Good. I will tell Eisen that you are to be released tomorrow morning. He will probably come to see you in the morning. Keep resting." Howard said collecting his small amount of equipment and medicines. He waved a quick goodbye and left the room. A slight cough reminded Gregor that there was someone else in the room. He looked over at the woman sitting rigid in her chair looking at Gregor. He and Howard had just talked about Luxa like that right in front of this woman that neither of them knew. He wasn't sure how much she had heard, but it wouldn't be good if she heard it all. His relationship with Luxa was not well known to people that weren't close to them. People like Vikus, Howard, Ripred, and Mareth knew because they were around the two all the time and had known it since they were young. The servants and newcomers like Eisen were not supposed to know. They didn't want everybody to know. That's why they never kissed in front of tons of people. People could assume the relationship all they want, but it wasn't true until they came out to the public with it.

And yet he had just discussed the entire thing with Howard, basically saying that they were in a relationship without using those exact words.

"How much did you hear?" Gregor asked the woman. He got no answer. She just up and left the room leaving him alone the question hanging in the air.

* * *

The next morning came and just like Howard had said, Eisen showed up. He had no guards with him this time and came into the room with a casual saunter. Gregor was sitting on his bed with his legs hanging off the side. He was eager to get out of the cramped room and get back to walking through the halls. Most of all he wanted to get out and see Luxa to explain the entire situation with him and Stellovet.

After a week in the hospital, he felt weak and cramped. His muscles had gone mostly unused except for the simple tasks of eating and going to the bathroom. The doctors had told him that he shouldn't be doing any kind of strenuous physical activity for at least another week.

"Greetings, Overlander. I have heard good news on your condition. You are feeling well?" Eisen asked as he took a seat in the empty chair in the room.

"Yea, I'm feeling pretty good."

"Good. Very good. I believe you have been confined long enough, but I am still restricting your movements. You are allowed in the palace and in the arena. If you leave the palace for the arena somebody must accompany you. If you disobey me again, I will not be as lenient."

"Okay," Gregor said as he hopped off the bed. He didn't have much to say to Eisen and his mind was focused on concocting the best way to talk to Luxa. The curtain brushed against him as he went out into the hallway. Suddenly he felt everything spin for a moment and he reached out for the closest wall to steady himself. He got his breath and started again, taking it slow and using the wall as support. The going was much slower than he had hoped; it took him over an hour for a ten minute walk to the high hall. His side ached and his head felt a little tipsy from the exertion.

Without even thinking, his body walked over to the empty couches and sunk down onto the soft cushions. He just sat there, unmoving, staring straight ahead deep in thought. It would take only minutes to get to the royal wing and he needed to know what he would say to Luxa. He couldn't be nervous or scared. He just had to tell it like it happened and make sure she knew he was telling the truth.

"Gregor!" someone shouted and he fell right out of thoughts. A black haired teenager ran towards him, his face ripe with excitement. "I heard you were being released from the hospital this morning. I was going to look for you after my lessons, but I have found you before."

Gregor smiled and rose from the couch. Before he knew it Hazard grabbed him in a big hug. His ribs protested right away. "Ouch. That hurt man," Gregor spoke through clenched teeth as he grimaced.

"I am so sorry, Gregor. I forgot about your ribs."

"It's fine. I need your help with something though," Gregor said hoping Hazard would be up to helping him. His guess was right as the younger boys face lit up.

"I can help. What is it you need done?"

"I just need you to get me into the royal wing. I need to see your cousin."

"This is about Stellovet is it not? I do not believe anything that has been said by her or anyone else. I know how much you love Luxa. I will help you get to see her. Come, follow me." Gregor quickly fell into step with the younger boy. After only a few steps though, his head started to spin again and he reached out with his free hand. When he felt himself steady he realized he had grabbed Hazard's head. The boy was staring at with a look that just screamed, "Seriously!?"

"Sorry about that. Let's go a bit slower maybe. My head doesn't hurt, but boy can it make me dizzy." Hazard nodded and set his pace to Gregor's. The two walked through the halls in relative silence. The few words that were spoken were Gregor's muttered curses at how slow they were going or how dumb he felt.

The royal wing came into view some minutes later, and Gregor was glad. The effort to just move around the palace was more than he had ever thought. The numerous flights of stairs and long hallways were taxing on someone with a head injury who hadn't used his muscles much recently.

Guards flanked the doors as they approached. Hazard strode towards the entrance beckoning Gregor to follow. Hazard walked right in, but as Gregor got closer a pair of swords crossed in front of him. His eyes looked up at the two burly guards and then to his friend.

"Let him pass," Hazard told the guards.

"The queen requests no visitors."

"Okay, but he is not visiting the queen. He is with me," Hazard explained.

"The queen requests no visitors," the guard repeated, his sword unmoving from its position in front of Gregor.

"I do not care what the queen said. Gregor is to enter with me."

"The queen requests no visitors, especially the overlander," the other guard said.

Gregor had had enough of the games. The guards weren't going to let him pass because of Luxa's command, but he wasn't going to give up. "What do I have to do to go see the queen? I'm not going to hurt her or anything. I'm not even visiting with her. Hazard and I have something we need to work on." The thought had just stumbled into his head. As the words tumbled from his mouth he saw Hazard's worried look. They were going to be winging it from here.

"It matters not. The queen-" the guard started before Gregor cut him off, the anger growing in his voice.

"I know! The queen requests no visitors! Big shocker." Gregor spat at the guards as he took a few steps away and slowly started to pace. There had to be some way to get him in there. He would sit and wait outside here for Luxa to come out if he had to. No matter how long it takes. A noise down the hall brought Gregor back to attention.

It sounded like the soft patter of feet on the floor, and then there was a giggle from around the corner. A little silvery blonde haired head shot around the corner like a bullet and ran right into Gregor's leg. Thomas wrapped his little arms around his calf and held tight. Dulcet came around the corner not even a second later and her face broke out into a smile.

"Greetings, Gregor. It is good to see you are well," she said as she spotted Gregor. "Thomas seems happy, as well."

"Yea. Were you taking him somewhere?" Gregor asked his interest in their sudden appearance obvious.

"I was taking Thomas to Queen Luxa. She enjoys his company. However, there seems to be a problem. He does not want to let go of your leg."

"I can take him to her. It should be no big deal. I'm sure you have other things to be doing." Dulcet smiled and thanked Gregor before she left back around the corner. A sneaky smile danced along Gregor's face as he turned back to the guards.

"I know the queen requests no visitors, but I'm sure she still wants to see Thomas. And if he's not budging off my leg then I have to go with him. Are you gonna let me pass or is the queen gonna be mad that she didn't see her favorite little boy?" Gregor approached the entrance, hobbling with the weight of Thomas on his leg. As he walked past the guards no swords intercepted him. His lucky break had worked wonders.

"Hazard can you take him for me? I'm gonna go talk to you cousin." Gregor stood still and Hazard took Thomas off his leg. The toddler consented and let Hazard carry him away with promises of toys and snacks. Gregor shook his head and continued through the corridors towards Luxa's chamber. He neared the stone door and heard sound from behind it. Quietly, he inched closer to the door and pushed it gently open. As the door swung open a book flew through the entrance.

"Go away!" came the shout from inside.

"Lux, it's just me," Gregor said calmly as he inched slowly into the room. Another book came flying at him and only just missed hitting him.

"How did you get in here? I told my guards to not let anybody in." Gregor could see Luxa sitting on the couch, her hair a mess and her face red. He just wanted to run to her and wrap her in his arms, but a glass flew towards his head and he had to duck.

"The guards let me pass because Thomas wouldn't let go of my leg. I just want to talk to you, Luxa."

"What is there to talk of? You betrayed me for my stupid cousin."

"No, that is not true. Not true at all."

"Then what did happen!? Tell me Gregor! Tell me!"

"Stellovet was coming onto me since I had woken. She was the one that kissed me. I pushed her away right away and told her that I didn't love her at all." Gregor had worked his way closer to Luxa. He was only feet away. "I told her I loved someone else. And Luxa that someone is you." Gregor reached down and grabbed Luxa's hand. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go. He pulled her gently to her feet.

"Let go of me!" she yelled at him as she pounded on his chest with her free hand. He just grabbed her other hand and pulled her close to him. She struggled against his grip, fighting him with every ounce of her stubborness. He only wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her ear.

"Luxa, I have never loved anybody other than you. You are the only person who shall ever have my heart. I love you more than anything the world could ever hold. Don't push me away because of some dumb story you heard. You gotta trust me." As he spoke he could feel Luxa melt in his arms, her struggling stopping and her body loosen up. A soft sob broke from her as she pressed her face against Gregor's chest. He could feel her crying into his chest; he rested his chin on her head and rubbed her back just to let her know that he was there. She cried for minutes, her head not moving from the comfort of Gregor's warm, friendly chest. Finally she stopped.

Luxa pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. She wrapped her arms around Gregor's neck. "I love you too, Gregor. I am sorry that I acted the way I did. It was childish of me." she said so quietly it was almost inaudible. "Let me show you how much I love you, my warrior."

Luxa unraveled herself from him and took Gregor's hand, leading him towards her bed chamber. Gregor was pretty sure what she had in mind and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. But there was only one way to find out. The curtain pushed aside and the two vanished into their own world.

* * *

**Oh yea. Making it a little steamy up in here. Anyway, drop me a review guys. I want to see as many as I can this chapter. I truly want to know what each and every viewer thinks of each and every chapter. I have the regulars and I applaud them for their constant feedback whether it be a simple 'I love this story' or a large block of text trying to figure out what I'm doing and giving me ideas and helping me a better author. Any and all reviews are appreciated whether from a guest or a user. Just reminding you all there is a section for reviews just below this. ;)**

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**Question: How far do you think Gregor and Luxa's relationship will go? Give me all your wildest dreams for it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**And here we are with another chapter guys. I'm gonna keep this brief so you guys can get to reading. I just want to say that I have been writing this story for one month and I am super happy with all the support I have been getting. The reviews are all great and excellent and I appreciate every single one. I have no more to say after that. Enjoy reading!**

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**Chapter 14**

The sound of rhythmic light breathing was calming to Gregor as he lay in bed. Luxa's head rested against his chest, her arm draped across his torso. Her body curled up against his, right inside Gregor's left arm, asleep. Gregor held her close to him as he lay there, deep in thought.

His mind was full of swirling worries, weighing the good and the bad at what had just happened and what could happen to him if it was found out. He loved what he and Luxa had just done. It proved that they loved each other as much as each had said. They had gotten down to their most personal and intimate levels, levels that he wasn't sure either of them was ready for. If people found out that he had slept with their queen then he was sure he would become reviled and disliked, perhaps even hated by many. And there was the chance that they could have a child. That was the scariest possibility to Gregor. There was so much that came with that and he wasn't ready for that. That was something he knew and didn't even have to think about.

Luxa stirred next to him, and Gregor pulled her closer to his body. She nuzzled her head against him as if try to get more comfortable. Then he saw her eyes slowly open, and she turned slightly to look at him. Her eyes, while sleepy, showed deep concern for Gregor. It was obvious to see. Luxa withdrew her arm from him and rolled onto her stomach so she could look Gregor in the face easier.

"What bothers you?" she asked him.

"It's nothing, Lux. Just my mind is clouded some. You should get back to sleep. I'll have plenty of time in the next few days to get ample rest."

"Are you certain? Is there something you want to talk about?" Her voice was heavy with tiredness, but it was obvious she wanted to make sure Gregor was okay.

"No. I gotta figure this out for myself. C'mon Luxa, just go back to sleep. Maybe in the morning it'll be different." Luxa gave him one last look before she cuddled back up against him, her head falling back against his chest. Gregor rubbed her back gently until he heard her quiet, steady breathing fill the room again. He rested back against the pillow and closed his eyes hoping that he could magically just fall asleep.

It didn't happen. Gregor's opened one eye and then the other letting out a long sigh. It appeared that as of the moment this was going to be a sleepless night. And if he wasn't going to sleep then he was going to do something productive. Gregor carefully slid out of the large bed making sure to not wake Luxa up. He brushed her hair out of her face, and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. His clothes were thrown on the floor off to the side and he slid back into them. As he headed for the door, he gave Luxa one last look. Her body was curled up and she looked more like a helpless little girl than a strong queen.

The royal wing seemed to be empty and the halls were dark from the lack of torches burning. Gregor knew it was late evening as he and Luxa had spent almost all day in her chambers. She had food brought to her, more than enough for both of them to share. Servants brought Luxa the work that had gone on over the few days that she had not left her rooms. It had grown late as they glanced over some of them together. Luxa had been asleep for an hour or so before she had woken up only minutes ago.

The two guards that guarded the royal wing said nothing as Gregor left. It was not their business what he was doing there. It was their job to stop people from entering not to stop them from exiting. Yet he felt two pairs of eyes follow him as he shuffled through the hall. His head was slightly better, but he still took his time, walking slowly to keep from getting dizzy. He kept his hands in his pockets and his head down staring at his feet. There was no specific place he wanted to go, nothing really for him to do at this time of night. What he really wanted was someone to talk to about what he was feeling. Someone who understood and could help him figure it all out.

Not much later, Gregor noticed a light shining into the hall from an open doorway and he brought his eyes up from his feet. Inside was a homely looking set of rooms with several large and comfortable looking chairs near a fire that illuminated the entire room. Sitting in one of the chairs was Vikus. Before Gregor moved or even spoke, Vikus looked towards the door and a smile broke out on his elderly face.

"Gregor, I did not expect to see you awake at this hour. Please, come in and have a seat." Gregor obliged, figuring Vikus was the best person to talk to about how he was feeling. The armchair was surprisingly comfortable and felt as if many people had sat it in before him. Gregor slumped back into the chair and looked at the elder man. Vikus studied Gregor for several minutes, sitting with his hands crossed in front of him.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Vikus asked Gregor suddenly.

"Umm, yea sure. Why not?" Vikus clapped his hands and a servant walked into the room.

"Bring us some tea, please," Vikus ordered before turning back to Gregor. "Something is on your mind, is it not?"

"How'd you guess?" Gregor responded with a small smile.

"It was obvious. You seem distracted. I can see it on your eyes."

"Yea, I don't really know what it is. I just feel really worried about… stuff. Really important stuff." Gregor tried to watch what he was saying so as to not give away how far Luxa and his relationship had progressed.

"Does it have anything to do with my granddaughter?" Vikus asked.

"Man, he can read me like a book," Gregor thought to himself before replying. "More or less. There is just so much stuff happening and I'm not sure what exactly to do about it. There is so much to me and Luxa that I'm just worried and confused."

"Relationships take time, Gregor. Solovet and myself took a very long time to realize how much we loved each other. And once that happens you start to do for your heart and not for your body. You do what feels right and know that it is right. I'm not going to pry into your personal relationship, but make sure you remember that. Your heart knows what is right no matter what your body says, what your brain says. Remember that." The sound of dishes on a tray caused them both to look towards the door. The servant carried the tray in and placed it on a table next to Vikus. "It seems our tea is here."

Gregor rose from his chair and grabbed the pot. The aroma pouring from the top made his mouth water. He opened the lid and steam rose out as he poured the liquid into the two cups, giving one to vikus and taking the other back to his chair. The cup was warm to the touch, but he took a sip anyway. The steaming liquid felt good as it warmed his mouth and his throat. Just having something to drink slowed Gregor's brain down and he felt the clouds starting to part in his head. Vikus was right. He had always done what his heart had said even it defied the logic of a situation. And that held true to his feelings for Luxa. What they did was for them and because they knew it was the right time and it was the right thing, no matter what rules or laws said, no matter what the logic in their heads might have been telling them.

Everything Gregor was worried about vanished in an instant. His head was clear of all the bad thoughts and everything seemed right to him. The thought of a child which only an hour ago had seemed terrible to him now felt like something he really wanted and was ready for. He kinda already had one in Thomas. It was the clearest his head had felt since he had been back in the Underland.

"Thanks, Vikus." Gregor said over the top of his cup before he took another sip.

"I am not sure what it is I have done, but if I have helped than you are welcome. You can always come and speak with me when you are troubled."

"I'll remember that. There is something troubling me, now."

"And what is that?"

Gregor chuckled and took a sip of his tead. "I need the recipe for this tea because it is marvelous and I gotta have it more often."

A smile broke out across Vikus' face and he let out a small chuckle. "You shall have it. Would you like a pot sent to your room?" Vikus asked with a bit of curiosity.

"I don't think so. I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to sleep right now." Gregor said. He wanted to do some research on the history of Regalia, some of the laws, and maybe even some military stuff. "Is there a library or something I can go to to do some research?"

"Of course. The archives are down several floors. I will have Ber show you the way and a pot of tea brought to you." Vikus snapped and the same servant walked in the door. "Ber, show Gregor to the archives please. Make sure he has plenty of light to read by." The servant bowed and gestured for Gregor to follow. They walked down several flights of stairs and around several bends and turns in the halls. A stone door stood before them and Ber pushed it open for Gregor.

Inside were shelves of scrolls, books, and papers and that was only the small part he could see from the hall light. Ber handed him a torch and Gregor placed it in the bracket next to the door. He took several steps in and was astonished at the amount of work in the room. There were more shelves than he thought possible to fit in the space. There were convenient tables lined up to one side of the room for people to work at.

"There are lamps to your right. Take one and light it so you may see. I will place more light at a table for you." Gregor thanked the man and took one of the lamps. It had a simple wick on it and it was contained in some kind of glass. He took the torch and lit the wick, before placing it back in its bracket.

His eyes brushed over each item as he wandered through the maze of shelves. It was hard to tell what anything was, so he had to look at everything. The first thing he found was a large book that held the history of Regalia. It was the first book on the first shelf, obviously there for easy updates. Further down the same shelf there was another large book. A book of rules and laws of Regalia. Gregor took it under his arm and with the other book went to the table Ber had lit up for him.

Back into the labyrinth of papers Gregor went. He looked for an hour and pulled anything that seemed of interest. There were documents on technology in the underland; they were more or less blueprints. Gregor grabbed up a dozen or so after a quick glance at each one. There was a basket of scrolls that contained accounts of famous battles fought between species. The bottom of the basket was full of powder from the oldest of scrolls which had decayed from the long time they had sat in there. It was obvious that most of the scrolls in the basket were more new, so Gregor left them alone. There was plenty to look over as it was.

He went back to his table and found a pot of warm tea waiting for him. It surprised him at first until he remembered Vikus telling him he would send a pot to him. The timing could not have been more perfect either. Attached to it was a small note. Gregor pulled it from the pot handle and read it.

_All you need is tea and a small touch of sweet fruit _

_ from the jungle. _

Gregor read it three times and realized just how simple it was. He poured himself a cup and took a long sip. When he took his seat, he noticed a pile of parchment sitting next to the pot, with a pen and ink sitting on top. The pen was odd to him at first as he looked at it. It wasn't like a quill or anything. There was a small metal tip and a stone handle that resembled that of an artist's paint brush. He took the pen, dipped it in the ink, and tested it on the parchment. He was pleasantly surprised at how neatly and cleanly the pen wrote and how fast the ink dried. He was gonna guess it was made from something from the jungle.

With the pen out of the way, Gregor turned his attention back to the documents and books he had grabbed. The largest book was the one on the history of Regalia. The spine was dyed a rich purple and the pages were crisp against his fingers. The book had to be almost four hundred years old. He opened it to the first page and started to read. Each page held an important event, from the founding of the city to the first war to the founding of the fount. The most recent entries were very few. It took him only turning back a few pages to see words about himself slaying the fact that he was in a history book made him feel strange just because he was reading about himself.

He was just too tempted to not read the short blurb that was written for him:

_387 years after the fall_

_Gregor the Warrior of prophecy fought and slayed the tyrannical Bane, the leader of the gnawers who had waged war against the people of Regalia. The warrior was able to slay the beast at the terrible price of losing his bond, Ares the flier. Despite his victory the warrior was severely injured, but was able to survive due to the heroic rescue by the shiners Photo Glow-Glow and Zap. With great thanks to the warrior, the city of Regalia and all its people may live in peace and prosperity._

The entry was a shocker to Gregor. They mentioned all the things that he didn't want to remember. He slammed the book closed and slid across the table from him. He drained his cup of the last remaining ounces of tea and poured himself a new cup. His attention changed to the other book he had. This one was not as thick as the first, but it was still a weighty book. The inside was a mess of regulations and rules and laws, many that had been rewritten or discarded. Gregor took to the convenient table of contents and scanned through it looking for one section. There was an entire section dedicated to marriage laws and laws of 'love and lust' as the contents put it.

Gregor flipped to the desired section and skimmed each law. There were laws against wedding other species, laws against certain acts that he didn't want to think about doing, and there were even regulations on the number of wives and lovers a man could have. Gregor ran through the main section not once seeing the word overlander. He flipped a page and saw a small section dedicated to royalty. His eyes skimmed looking for any kind of law he may have broken. There was no law against pre-marital 'misconduct' for regular citizens and Gregor hoped that held true for royalty. His luck held out as he got to the last rule. There was no rule against it and there was no mention against overlanders wedding into royalty. There was no mention of overlanders in any of the rules.

That news made Gregor feel even better. His mind was fully free of every worry that he could ever imagine clouding him. He was free to act on his love without any law holding him back. And that just made him smile. The tea cup emptied again and Gregor filled it back up. The law book joined the history book on the other side of the table as Gregor grabbed up the designs he had found. Each one had a different piece of technology that the underlanders used.

On top was the design for the baths in the palace. It was intriguing as to how they were able to divert the water flow, but still keep it flowing at the same pace through each bath. The entire concept seemed simple, yet the designs showed just how complex of a system it was, involving everything to be going down in some way. There enough networks and ducts through the palace walls that Gregor couldn't really believe the number.

He spent the next few hours looking through each piece of technology, trying to understand each one no matter how simple or complex it was. There was things as simple as the way to make a sword to as complex as a rather powerful microscope. There were things he had never expected to see in the underland that were there and made well. Things that seemed more advance than the relative simplistic way of living the underlanders had.

The last document he had was for the lighting in the fields. He remembered back to the first time he had ever seen them. Vikus had told him they ran on gas from the earth and that they had developed them. He could see just how intricate it was. They had made the lamps that hung above the fields and attached them to long poles. The poles were driven into the ground and into a pocket of what he was assuming was natural gas that was under pressure and thus sill in a gaseous form. Each pole had a valve on it for stopping the flow of gas if necessary. The gas was lit once it came out the end and the flame was encased in an airless glass bulb.

"That's amazing," Gregor said quietly as he studied the document showing the design of the poles and the gas pocket. The pocket seemed to run for miles away from Regalia and none of it was truly under the city. How they had managed to map the size of it was beyond him. And he wasn't sure just how long it could really last. It was possible there was gas fro hundred or years or for only ten more. It was hard to tell.

"If they use it in the fields, why don't they bring it into the palace for lighting?" Gregor thought to himself, unconsciously grabbing a piece of parchment and the pen. His hand started moving drawing out a feasible way to bring the gas into the palace for heating, lighting, and cooking. He crumpled up the first and threw it over his shoulder before starting again. The tea cup drained again and he refilled it. More time passed as he kept trying to design a simple way to pull the gas over to the palace. But it was no use. Without expert digging equipment and precise knowledge of the gas pocket, there was no way to do it without possibly causing a massive explosion.

There were still several sheets of parchment left and Gregor took the pen in his hand again, but this time he started to draw out the design of a ballista. Vikus had never gotten back to him on they had the plans for one or not. Gregor took it upon himself to draw up the relatively simple design. He had built one for his science class when he was 16 - albeit much smaller than the size these would be - and he knew the concept like the back of his hand. The arms were attached to twisted coils of rope or sinew. A bow string was strung between both arms, and it was attached to a device that could be cranked back with a wheel. The bolt was almost as long as the entire device and was tipped with a sharpened barbed arrow for easy penetration.

Gregor sat back and placed the pen down. The design was perfect. He had drawn the full balista and each individual piece, labeling each with what it was and what it did. This should allow the humans easy ability to build a few of them for the protection of Regalia's walls. Gregor drank down his tea, finishing his fifth or sixth cup by then. There was enough left in the pot for one more cup. Gregor poured it and drank the cup down without thinking.

The door to the archives opened suddenly and Gregor hopped out his chair. Mareth walked through the door and into the room, noticing the scattered documents on the table and the wads of paper on the floor. "Gregor, you have been here all night?"

"Yea. I couldn't sleep so I came and just did a bit of learning. There was so much that I didn't know, and still even more that I don't. I might be here more often than not while I heal up."

"How are you feeling, then? Do you still feel injured?"

"Surprisingly no. My head feels very good and my side barely hurts at all. Maybe it was the tea I drank all night," Gregor said and then started to laugh. Mareth joined him with a hearty chuckle.

"That is good to hear. Come, I was sent to bring you to breakfast."

The dining room was more full than Gregor had seen in quite a while. With him and Mareth taking their seats almost every chair was filled. Luxa, Vikus, Eisen, York, Susannah, howard, Perdita, Hazard, and Margaret were already seated around the table. Gregor smile at Luxa before turning his gaze to his sister. He had been more worried about Luxa and had completely forgotten about her when he was in the hospital. It had been ages since they had seen each other. With all his training he had been up before her and then being in the hospital had just made it longer.

"It is good to see you, Gregor. It has been a long time," York said from down the table. "How fares your head?"

"I feel back to normal actually. Yesterday I could barely walk with it, but today I feel like I could train for hours. Really feeling good," Gregor replied catching the odd looks from Howard and Susannah. "Is that not supposed to have happened?"

"It seems odd, yes," Howard replied before climbing from his chair and walking around the table to Gregor's side. "Does it hurt if I touch it?" he asked as he laid his palm on Gregors head wound.

"Nope. All I feel is your hand."

"Very strange. We will have to look into this later. You should not have been this well this soon." Howard said as he resumed his seat next to his father. That's when Gregor realized something was odd about the table. There was someone missing in the empty chair next to Susannah. Before he could ask about it the food was brought in for them. Gregor didn't look at it much, but just ate it.

"Where is Stellovet?" Gregor asked as he swallowed his food. The question seemed to come out of nowhere and stopped all of the conversations going on around the table. Everyone turned to look at Gregor.

"My daughter has been taking meals in her room recently," Susannah said, "She has been unwell the last few days."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Gregor said. It was his fault and everyone knew it including him. "I'm gonna go see her and apologize after I'm finished," Gregor promised himself. It was the only right thing to do. The room seemed to lose all its previous enjoyment and everyone sat more or less quiet as they ate. Gregor scoffed through the rest of his food, barely tasting it just so he could leave the uncomfortableness of the situation. He finished, wiped his mouth on a napkin, and left the room. He caught the worried look from Luxa, and he smiled back to let her know everything was alright.

"Gregor, wait up!" a voice yelled behind him. Margaret came running towards him and threw her arms around her brother. "You're okay?"

"Yea. Yea, Margaret I'm okay."

"I was really worried. They wouldn't let me come visit you once you had woken up. I barely was allowed to see you when they brought you back. Were you hurt that bad that no one could see you?"

"Not at all Margaret," Gregor said as he kneeled down in front of her to get more to her eye level. "I didn't follow the rules and I was punished. More or less I was in a week long timeout."

"What did you do wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

"I didn't obey a direct order and I listened to what my heart told me. It was a good thing too because if I hadn't gone and defied my orders everyone that left the palace wouldn't have returned."

"So you broke the rules for the right reason?"

"You got it. Sometimes rules need to be broken no matter the consequence. You may get in trouble, but if it was done for the right reason than the punishment is worth it." Gregor climbed to his feet and ruffled Margaret's hair. "So what have you been doing while I've been trapped in the hospital?"

"I've having a lot of fun. Hazard takes me to his lessons and I'm learning new languages and history and stuff. Its loads of fun. And then after lessons sometimes we go into the city and walk around the shops and he tells me what all the really big buildings are for. Like the three hundred foot tall ones."

"Sounds like you've been having a lot more fun than me. My routine had been train, eat, train, eat, sleep and repeat. But I have a lot of free time now. Maybe we can go walk through the city together sometime."

"Can we go now? Please, please, please." Margaret begged her brother, pulling on his arm.

"No, not now Margaret. I have something important I have to do. But I'll look into it tomorrow or the day after. Go find Hazard and do whatever it is you two have planned."

A frown creased Margaret's face, but she knew better than to argue. She ran back to the dining room and nearly ran into Luxa and Hazard as they left the room. Gregor could see her talking eagerly with both of them as he slipped away from the high hall and down towards the guest rooms.

"Stellovet. It's me, Gregor. Can I come in? I just wanna talk to you." Gregor asked through the curtain as he stood outside. It hadn't him taken him long to find her room as it was the one with a tray of food sitting half eaten in the hall. He waited for a minute, but there was no answer. There wasn't even the sound of someone inside.

"Stellovet, are you okay? Stellovet?" Gregor insisted, but there was still no answer. He took a deep breath, ready for whatever was in the room, and pushed the curtain aside. There was no trace of Stellovet in the room. He noticed the bed was disturbed and there was a shirt on the floor, but otherwise it was as if she was never there. The one thing that really stood out though was the fact that her weapons were gone.

That's when Gregor really started to worry. Where could she have gone that she would need her weapons? Susanna had said that she was not feeling well, so why would she leave? "I gotta go find her mom and see if she knows anything," Gregor thought as he darted from the room wasting no time. Breakfast had to be over which meant Susannah would be back in the hospital, hopefully. He had to be quick just in case Stellovet had done something drastic.

The quiet halls of the hospital were soon in front of him and Gregor dashed past doctors as he looked for only one he needed. Howard stepped out of a doorway and Gregor hopped around him to startled cries of alarm and concern. But he didn't stop. Susannah had to be somewhere ahead of him and he needed to talk to her. Badly. Susannah was in front of him so suddenly, Gregor had to skid his feet along the ground to stop himself without running into her.

"Gregor, what is wrong? Why were you running?" Susannah asked placing a hand on Gregor's shoulder as he panted for breath. He regained himself very quickly.

"I went by Stellovet's room because I felt I needed to talk to her. The problem was she wasn't in her room and neither were her weapons."

"What are you trying to tell me, Gregor?" she asked, the worry clear in her voice.

"I'm not sure. Can you think of any place she would go that she would need her weapons?"

"No. She would be at training, but there is no training today." The worst of Gregor's fears was instantly realized. He straightened his back and made his mind up at once.

"Luxa and Eisen need to know about this. Is there someone that can carry the message?"

"Of course. I will send a messenger. What shall I have him say?"

"He must inform Luxa and Eisen that Stellovet has gone missing and probably has left the city." Susannah bit back tears as she turned and left. Gregor turned away as well and came face to face with a stunned Howard. Howard's mouth hung slightly open and his hands hung at his side.

"Howard?"

"This is not good, Gregor. We must find her as soon as possible."

"That is imperative," Gregor said. "She is in grave danger, running away by herself. You should go and get to the tactics room. I will follow soon." Howard consented, leaving Gregor alone in the now empty hall. Gregor made his mind up that he was going to join the search no matter what, even though Eisen had restricted him to the palace. First thing to do was get his weapons.

The tactics room was full to the brim with people. Eisen was in the front issuing order when Gregor walked in. He was the last one there of course because he had taken a detour by his room to check for his blades. But there was no luck as his sword belt was no where to be found. It was as if his weapons, his lifeline had vanished.

The room was quieting down and Gregor took a seat next to Mareth and Perdita. Eisen stood in front of the room in charge of the entire search plan. He was getting last minute details told to him by a messenger who then scurried out of the room most likely with orders to give to the regular soldiers.

"We all know the reason that we are here at the moment. The discovery that Stellovet, daughter of York, has been lost. We have check all probable areas she would have been and they all are found to have not seen her. This leaves only one possible place she could have gone: anywhere. She has left the city limits and is out somewhere beyond the walls. On top of that her bond is with her. This makes the search that much more difficult and our haste that much more imperative.

"I have decided on three search parties in the air and one on the ground. Ripred you shall have the ground with whatever force you wish. If you want a squad of soldiers they are yours. If you would prefer gnawers find them."

Ripred spoke up from near the back of the room. "Why do I always get the ground? Thats always so much work."

"You run the fastest. And you will have all the food you can want when you return," Eisen replied, getting his way by enticing the rat. Ripred sat back down and was quiet except for the smacking of his lips. "Our aerial search groups will be headed in pairs. York and I will lead a group to the East, Mareth and Perdita will lead to the West, and Roderick and Queen Luxa will lead to the North. Howard, you will remain in the city ready for any direction of movement if your sister is injured. Let us get moving."

Gregor wasn't stunned that he was left out. He had expected it anyway, but it was still hurt that he was left out. Eisen had seen him enter the room and saw him sitting at the table. It was clear to Gregor that Eisen was just doing it to spite him and to show him who was boss. And Gregor didn't like it.

"Eisen!" he yelled to his commander, the anger obvious in his voice. "Why am I not included in this plan?"

"Overlander, it is obvious. You are restricted to the palace and arena. This search will take us out of the city which means you cannot come, while you are confined." The answer wasn't suitable to Gregor. This wasn't a game they were playing. His anger started to get the better of him as he pushed past a few people to get into the other man's face. Gregor grabbed Eisen by the shirt and pulled his face close.

"You think this is a game or something!" Gregor said harshly into Eisen's face, spittle flying out of his mouth. "Stellovet is out there, alone but for her bond, and there is an incredible chance she could be attacked or taken prisoner or who knows what! And yet you are gonna leave behind your best fighter, a person you once said that you would come to during times of strife for assistance and help! If you want my word of advice, give me my weapons and let me get my ass out there and find Stellovet before something else does!" Gregor released Eisen and spun away the rare flash of rage in his eyes. He shook his head and muttered a few silent curses at himself. He had just taken the wrong approach to the situation. This is how he would end up with his ass sitting in a damp dungeon cell with little food.

"You are right overlander." Eisen said, wiping the spit off his face before turning to a soldier as he left. "Bring the overlander his weapons and call his flier. He will need them." The soldier consented and Eisen turned back to Gregor. "You will be with Luxa. Tell Roderick to join with Ripred. And one other thing. Never touch me again or I may take your hand and keep it as a souvenir." With that Eisen was gone out the door, his own anger obvious in his vicious stride.

Gregor followed and headed straight to the high hall. Waiting for him was the soldier Eisen had sent out and he was holding Gregor's sword belt and weapons in his hands. Gregor took them in stride and strapped the belt on without missing a step. He strode straight over to Luxa and Roderick who were talking in quiet conversation.

"Roderick, Eisen has asked me to inform you that you are now joining Ripred on the ground search." Roderick stared at him for a second reading Gregor's look, which was far from his friendly demeanor. Gregor was wearing a scowl and his eyes seemed to be radiating anger for some reason.

"Who is going with the queen then?"

"I am." Roderick nodded in consent and left Gregor and Luxa. Gregor turned to Luxa and felt a soft breeze as Artemese landed next to him. Luxa was looking into Gregor's eyes, her face showing deep concern. Gregor lowered his angry demeanor and let his face grow back to its normal self.

Hidden from view, Luxa wrapped her arms around Gregor's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "How did you manage to convince eisen to let you come. I could not sway his stubborn head."

"I just used a little charm. I grabbed him by the shirt and told him that if I didn't come it would be a dumb move on his part. Also, helped I was more or less yelling and looked like I would tear his throat out."

"He will not forget that."

"I know." Gregor gave Luxa a quick kiss and they broke apart. Aurora and Artemese both moved out of the way and broke off their fake conversation that they were using to screen Luxa and Gregor. A signal told them to mount up and thirteen people mounted their bats. A second signal sent them out over the city. Seconds later fifty armed soldiers rose up behind them and they were off on their search.

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**This chapter was kinda all over the place, but I'm trying to flesh out Gregor's life and thoughts. The action and story should be picking up next time and there should be a more streamlined less jumping all over the place plot line. Drop me some reviews guys and tell me what you think.**

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**Question: What do you think is going to happen next? (such a generic question lol)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys. I'm back for chapter 15. This chapter is one I've been planning since the very first chapter. I was so ready to write it, but I had to have the right way for it happen. And I think it came out perfect. I want you guys to read it so I'm done talking. Read and enjoy.**

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**Chapter 15**

"Where exactly do we plan on searching?" Gregor said to Luxa, as they flew side by side, the air filled with the beating of wings. The ground flew by underneath them, barely able to be seen with the naked eye as the light from Regalia faded away.

"I am not sure. Roderick thought to search the river, but I did not think that Stellovet would. It is too obvious of a choice."

"I agree. If she went this way, she would have continued this way. It is the simplest way to go and her flier could stop if they needed to rest."

"Exactly," Luxa replied. Both of them fell silent, their eyes searching for any sign of Stellovet. Each soldier carried a torch and held them aloft checking the surroundings of the cavern. They flew at various heights to check every cave, ledge, and nook on the walls of the cavern.

Gregor was the lone man without a torch. He flew on Artemese, his tongue clicking away to take in every surrounding in perfect clarity. The sound of the beating wings was too much for him and it was making it more difficult to detect anything as the sound was reverberating around and bouncing off the walls.

"Artemese, can you fly ahead for a bit? It'll make it easier to search for me. There's just too much noise here."

"Of course, Gregor," Artemese replied as he speed up and flew ahead of the main group of soldiers. When they were about a hundred yards ahead of the group Gregor slowed Artemese down and resumed his search. It was much easier for him to detect the smallest crack on the wall, the boulders on the ground ranging from the size of a house to the size of a potato. It was very effective searching.

Several minutes later, Gregor noticed something odd on the cavern floor. The rock had been torn up and pounded into bits as if thousands of strong legs had ground into it, tearing it apart. Artemese also noticed it and the two dove down to the ground.

The damage, while not deep, was extensive. About an inch of the ground had been crumbled into bits of rock and powder. In the overland Gregor had rarely seen anything like this and when he did it was isolated to small spots. And the thing that did it was a jackhammer. Chiseled and motor powered to thrust into the ground over and over with force enough to shatter concrete and rock into little pieces in a small area. The thing here though was that the damage stretched across the cavern from wall to wall and extended down the tunnel for quite a while.

The stingers he had seen hadn't done anything like this, but he had never seen them move with much haste. If they were running or chasing after something perhaps their legs could turn into something like a jackhammer and churn rock into dust. It was the only plausible idea for what could have done this. There was no other species he had ever seen that could possibly have done this to the ground.

A small rush of air told him that a bat was landing just behind him. He stayed where he was, crouched on the edge of the chewed up ground, when Luxa appeared next to him. "What has happened here, Gregor?" she asked him.

"It looks like a large number of something, stingers is my guess, were coming this way at a rather high speed. But they stopped and turned around otherwise this mess wouldn't have ended until it reached something to stop it."

"What could have stopped them?" Luxa asked, probing Gregor brain. Gregor sat quiet for several moments his brain working to think of any reason for them to have detoured from their intended purpose. A reason for them to have turned around.

"I can't be certain of what it is. The stingers down here have a different social nature than their smaller counterparts on the surface. Up above they are much more likely to live alone or in a pair than in large number. There is no central queen hive mind that controls them all. With that in mind I doubt an order could have reached them fast enough to turn them around. There is obviously no obstruction to have stopped them either. That leaves me only one idea. They found someone or something of interest that they took back to their leader. My thought is that it is Stellovet."

Luxa was quiet as she stood next to Gregor. Gregor could see that she was processing every little detail he had said and was trying to figure out the situation with her own mind. The struggle on her face told Gregor that there was only a few options left in her head and that she could not figure out which made the most sense.

"I agree, but we cannot be certain," Luxa said her face showing that she had determined her choice. "We shall continue at haste and look for any detail that could point to my cousin having come in this direction." with a simple signal Aurora swooped down and picked Luxa up on her back. Gregor remounted Artemese and flew after them. The rest of the troops had also landed and were soon following after Gregor. Gregor signaled one of the men forward to him.

"Prepare the messengers. Should we find anything, I want them sent out at top speed to find and report to each search group. Things could go bad fast." The soldier nodded and dropped to the back of the group to relay the message. Gregor grew silent then, focusing intently on every small detail of the ground, looking for anything that stood out as showing that Stellovet had traveled this way.

Time ticked by and Gregor was losing hope in his hypothesis. They were out to search for Stellovet and he may have subconsciously used that as a reason to go after the stingers. He wasn't quite sure if that was indeed possible for him to do because the logic in his head had seemed solid at the time, but as they flew farther and farther it seemed to be just a bunch of bogus ideas he had thrown together in a hope to find Stellovet. For all he knew one of the other groups had already found her and she was back in Regalia resting.

"Damn this entire thing," Gregor mumbled under his breath. Artemese lifted his head when he heard the words, but he did not speak. Gregor was glad because he didn't want to involuntarily bite off his friends head. And during that moment's thought, he noticed something odd laying near the cavern wall. The rebounded sound sounded different against his ear. "Artemese, I think I see something on the cavern floor."

Artemese immediately circled down to the floor of the cavern with Aurora right behind him. Before the bats feet had even touched the uneven, chewed up ground, Gregor was leaping off. His feet slid in the chunks of rock as he ran to the wall. What he saw caused him to stop in his tracks and with bad footing he fell backwards onto his butt. He didn't even notice the odd pieces of rock protruding into him as he stared at what lay before him.

A pair of hands grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. Luxa walked ahead of him and reached down to pick up the sword that lay in the scattered rocky debris. It was slender, but not nearly as slender as Luxa's own blade. The hilt was carefully designed and it looked very much like something that was custom made.

"This is my cousin's blade. Send word out to the others and tell them to follow us with all haste." Luxa slid the blade into her own sword belt before turning back to Gregor. "Should we wait here or follow further?"

"We follow," Gregor replied, determination dripping from his words. "We have no clue just how far ahead the stingers are and how much danger Stellovet is in. It is best if we find out and if it is possible try to rescue her." Luxa didn't argue, but agreed immediately. The two jumped back onto their fliers and were off at top speed. Behind them, the soldiers struggled to keep up and three others flew in the opposite direction to relay the groups findings.

The ground streaked by below them as the wind whistled past Gregor's ears, kicking his hair up. Luxa's hair billowed out behind her head like a flag. His eyes watered from the sting of the wind against his face and eyes. It was like flying on the outside of an airplane or being outside in a hurricane. It hurt but Gregor didn't care; he just leaned further down over Artemese's neck and bit his lip to distract himself. His heart was throbbing away inside his body and he could feel his pulse racing in his neck. He was anxious for what was coming and his body was getting ready to do what it did best. His body was preparing itself to kill. The adrenaline would soon start to fill his bloodstream and his rage side would soon join in.

The sound of movement started to fill the air and the hair on Gregor's neck rose to the occasion. He could hear the banging of the stingers shells against each other, which sounded dully like someone clacking together two coconut shells, but about a thousand times louder. Gregor signaled for them to slow and land as soon as he heard the sound. It was better if they had a game plan instead of charging in on them.

Each soldier dismounted and stood in front of Gregor. Luxa joined the men and left Gregor in sole possession of the leadership role. Gregor could feel his nerves starting to rise. He hated public speaking and leading. He was the follower; the person who took order not gave them. But here he was in front of the eager and terrified soldiers, each one armed and armored, but also had never faced the deadly opponents that stingers were.

"Men," Gregor started just loud enough for each one to hear him. "We may be standing at death's door. There is an enemy just ahead of us and we do not know what we are facing. But that does not stop us from doing what we do best. We are soldiers, each and every one of us. None of us are royalty, none of us hold any kind of important role in anything. We are not in charge of what happens after this battle. But yet we go and fight. We do it for those we love or because it's our job or because we want to kill shit. Hell, it could be a combination of those three for all I care. Let's just go out there and do what we came to do. Let's get back Stellovet and get our asses back to Regalia. All of us. I'm not leaving that battlefield before any of you do whether you are dead or alive. I will stay till the last man. I promise that."

The men let out a silent cheer for Gregor's words of encouragement. It was the right thing to say. Each man was proud to know that they had the best fighter in the underland at their back and that he was there to help them if they got into trouble. But they also knew he spoke the truth. They all would not be making home to see their friends and families again. Gregor waited for the quiet cheer to die down and silence to reign again.

"The plan is simple. We do not go in swords first. We will go and see what they are doing. But to be safe, I want fifteen men to place torches around the cavern, so we all can see. If it comes to battle we need our eyes. You may pick the men to do it, the ones with best fliers perhaps or the ones with the best hands. Every torch counts because the more light the better."

Fifteen men were picked and they collected the torches in their hands. Each man carried three of them and would have the quick job of jamming them into the walls many cracks and crevices. These men were the only ones on fliers. Gregor had seen how difficult it was for him to fight on a flier's back against a stinger. These men would be eaten alive before they knew what hit them. The fliers would help where they could, whether saving the wounded or attempting to kill stingers however they could.

Gregor took the lead and set a comfortable pace to cover the last few hundred yards to the stingers. The torch men on the fliers flew above them, shining the way ahead. When they saw the first sign of stingers they darted off towards the walls of the cavern and light started to flood the area. Gregor got a good look at the number of stingers in front of them and it was staggering. They had fifty or so men, excluding himself and Luxa. The stingers numbered easily over one hundred and probably closer to a hundred and fifty. And the big ones were big. Really big.

Most of them were on a size Gregor had seen and fought before but some of them were monsters that seemed to tower over their smaller brethren. They had to be over twenty feet long and their stingers were impressive things extending over two feet out from their tails. But none of these seemed to even be close to the largest one in the cavern.

The creature seemed to fill the space. It had to be over thirty feet long with pincers the size of small cars. Gregor guessed it was the leader from just how far away from the front line it was and how many of the largest stingers surrounded it. The oddest part was what Gregor saw on its back. There were people seated on its back. On closer inspection, Gregor could see exactly two people.

"Luxa, I can see Stellovet."

"I can as well. She is with somebody, though."

"Yea, I can't tell who it is. But whoever it is I can tell that there is something different about them, but I can't put my finger on just what it is. I'm too far away."

"Then we should get closer," Luxa said and Gregor nodded in consent. The group followed as their two leaders forged forward. The stingers took notice of them when they were only fifty feet away. The closest ones moved forward, but an odd screeching sound stopped them in their tracts. Gregor's blades were in his hands within a second and the sound of drawing weapons was music to his ears. A hand pressed against his arm and Gregor looked over at Luxa.

"Lower your weapons for now. Let us see what will happen. They have not attacked us yet and we shall not attack them first." Gregor did what she said and lowered both his blades to his sides, but his eyes never left the wall of stingers. His eyes followed as the massive stinger started to move towards the front, the smaller stingers moving to the side like water to the brow of a ship. It stopped just behind the front line of stinger and Gregor got a good look at the other person on its back.

It was a man dressed in tattered clothing and had a large silvery white beard on his face. A large scar ran across his face from his left ear, across his nose and to the far right of his face. The top of his head was bald and his eyes were a deep purple. Gregor almost mistook them for black. The man jumped off the stingers back and Gregor could see the strength in the man even though he was relatively small and thin. Each muscle seemed to be pulled to a tautness that was uncommon among people. The man approached them.

"I am assuming you have come for the girl," he spoke, his voice rough and harsh.

"Yea. We came for Stellovet. Give her to us and there will be no fighting," Gregor replied keeping his anger under control. There was something about the man that just didn't seem right.

"No fighting indeed," the man replied, laughing the entire time. "I care not if you fight. You are outnumbered and outsized. It matter not that you are here, warrior. You can not stop them all."

"You know who I am, but I do not know who you are. I think it's time for introductions." Gregor was having an even harder time controlling his urge to rip the man's throat out with his bare hands. The snide tone he was using was getting to Gregor's head and it was obvious for everyone to see.

"You need not know who I am. I know you and you queen. Your men are irrelevant. But I think the talking is over. You know I am here and that does not fare well with my plan. I will keep the girl and you shall all perish." The man turned and strode away, not even listening to Gregor's shouts of his cowardice and the numerous curses that were thrown at him.

A pair of arms wrapped around Gregor and pulled him close. "Be careful, please," Luxa said to him before she let go.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You're the one that needs to be careful. If you need me just shout my name." Luxa nodded before focusing on the ensuing battle. The man had just climbed back onto the giant stingers back and whispered something into its ear. A piercing shriek filled the cavern. The battle had begun.

Thirty stingers flowed out of their ranks and Gregor charged towards the nearest ones. His men scrambled into groups to try to tackle the vicious enemies that would be able to decimate them. There was no true plan to the battle. There was no strategy besides fighting to survive.

A stinger stood to Gregor's right and one to his left. The adrenaline was rushing through his body and his rager sense kicked in. Weak points flashed through his head and his sword sung and struck the first point: a pincer joint. The pincer fell to the ground and Gregor skipped out of the way of a tail as it slammed into the ground where he had been standing just a split second earlier. He danced to the side again and again dodging the striking stingers.

An idea popped into his head. He gained himself and leaped onto the back of the nearest of the two stingers. He danced around on top of its shell as it tried to swat him off. The other stinger took a shot of its own and Gregor's plan fell into fruition. He rolled away from the tail and the foot longer stinger sunk into the stingers head. Within the time it took someone to blink, Gregor had jumped onto the other stinger and plunged his sword down into it's head with enough force to pierce solid steel. Both stingers lay dead and yet the battle had only been going for a minute or so.

Gregor quickly caught his breath, but in that short time he saw men dying. Swords snapped against shells or barely even penetrated them, and the stingers took their opportunities. Tails thrust foot long stingers through chests and pincers crushed whatever they could grab. Screams of agony filled the air and the coppery smell of blood assaulted Gregor's nostrils.

And then he was back into the action. A man was screaming for Gregor's help as he tried to dodge a stingers tail. Gregor ran by and without thinking slashed the tail clean off, leaving not even a foot of it left. The man's sword sank deep into distracted stinger's face.

Two stingers had several men pinned against the wall. Pincers were snapping and the men were barely able to hold them off. Gregor sprinted towards them, but he was not alone. He jumped onto the back of one and Luxa onto the other. Almost simultaneously they sunk their blades deep into the shells of them. The men thanked them, but Gregor hadn't heard a word of it. He was gone at breakneck speed off to fight another stinger. There was one that he hadn't even seen attack anyone. It was large, almost twenty feet long and Gregor wanted a challenge.

He sprinted towards it using his momentum to fuel the overhand slash that he brought down on to it. The blade slashed through the thick shell and sliced off the pincer. That got the stingers attention. It spun towards Gregor bringing its other pincer around to try to grab him. But Gregor was not there. He had run to the side and he started to take off the stinger's legs with precise slashes to the joints. The legs fell off and blood spurted out covering Gregor in the sticky, nasty smelling stuff. Off balance the stinger was useless and Gregor knew it. He took his dagger and quickly thrust it into the stinger's face just above the eyes. It dropped dead to the ground.

In the time it took him to take care of that one stinger the number of his men dwindled even further. On a quick count he saw only fifteen of them left including himself and Luxa who seemed relatively unharmed. Gregor was the only one with no wounds. His training was really paying off more than he had hoped. Even after being wounded and hospitalized for a week he still had the endurance and stamina to cut through the stingers without getting tired. It also helped that he wasn't wearing armor that weighed him down and made him tire easier.

He fought his way towards the remaining survivors, cutting down three more stingers on his way. They had died easily after he had sliced off a tail or pincer making them near weaponless. His sword was piercing shells left and right and yet the number of his men kept falling. There was only eight of them left when he got to them. There was no way they were going to make it out and there was no chance for a tactical retreat. The fliers had no chance to try to pick them up. He had seen them taking the wounded away, but he wasn't sure how many that was or how many of them had survived.

They were backed up against a wall, four stingers ready to strike them dead. Gregor stood before them all Luxa at his side. His blood drenched hand dropped his dagger to the ground and grabbed Luxa's free hand in his. She squeezed his and looked at him. A cut was open above her eye and blood ran down her face.

"Luxa, before I do what I'm about to do I want you to know-"

"I know Gregor. I love you too." Gregor nodded and let her hand go. He picked his dagger back up and prepared to take on all four stingers by himself to try to save the other seven.

Gregor took a step and opened his mouth to let out a yell of fear, pain, and anger, but the sound never left his mouth. The moment his foot had hit earth a sword had sliced clean through a stingers tail and a rats tail sliced through anothers. Reinforcements had arrived. Ripred sank his claws into a stingers face and Eisen's spear flashed down through the shell of a stingers back. And then Gregor was back in the action. His sword cut through another stinger's shell and then his dagger finished the job.

Luxa and another soldier had finished off the fourth one alone and the rest of the soldiers were fleeing to a safer position. More stingers came out from the stingers line and these were larger than the last ones. Gregor looked to Eisen and Ripred and nodded to them suggesting they charge. They were the last three fighters. Or so Gregor thought.

As the stingers came out of the line they were met by something even Gregor had not seen. Fighter's on fliers dove down upon the scorpions their swords flashing and cutting into the scorpions. Tails flew off and some dropped dead. He didn't even notice how, but some of the stingers had caught on fire and were literally cooking to death inside their shells.

With new vigor Gregor rushed forward, Eisen and Ripred right behind him. They were like a three man wrecking crew. Stingers fell before them, each one helping the other. It was soon obvious that with the three of them the stingers would start to retreat. It was already obvious when the front line drew back leaving the last fifteen of them in combat with the humans. Gregor and Ripred dispatched one while Gregor at the same time assisted Eisen with his. And that's when he heard it.

"Gregor!" Luxa screamed from somewhere behind him. Hw spun around and started to run, leaving Ripred and Eisen in his wake. Dust flew up behind his boots as Gregor rushed forward, but he could see that there was no time for him to save her. Luxa was face to face against a stinger that was larger than any Gregor had fought. It was easily over twenty feet and it had Luxa right its sights. Time seemed to slow down as he watched in horror as the massive tail arched over the stingers body and right towards Luxa. As it came down he watched her roll to the side pulling her body away at the last minute and popping to her feet. "If she keeps dodging the tail, I can make it and kill that son of a bitch," Gregor thought as he put all his energy into running.

But then something he had never seen happen, happened. The stinger whipped its tail to the side from in front of its body, the stinger poised to strike sideways instead of down. His mouth dropped open as he saw there was no chance Luxa could get out of the way. He drew left arm back and threw his dagger. It sailed forward, but it wouldn't reach the stinger in time to stop it.

As the tail came towards Luxa, Gregor screamed inaudible words. He felt hot tears hit his cheeks. Luxa was mere feet from death as the massive stinger would rip through her body like it was butter. But something completely different happened.

The stinger was coming towards her, but it never reached her. Instead it pierced another person's body. A soldier had dove in front of the stinger and it went into his chest. His body was carried with the tail and it slammed into Luxa. She was thrown back and her head slammed into the ground.

Gregor changed direction as soon as he saw his dagger fly into the face of the stinger. It had been the best throw he had ever had. It sailed clean through the air and sunk the entire blade into the soft tissue of the stinger. But Gregor didn't care about that. He was racing towards Luxa, who was laying unmoving on the ground. Something wasn't right with her. Something was protruding out of her stomach.

Gregor slid to a stop next to her and saw a blade sticking through her abdomen. It immediately registered as Stellovet's blade that Luxa had been carrying on her. When she hit the ground the blade had broken and the broken piece had punctured her through the back, impaling her. Gregor fell to his knees beside her.

"Luxa, you'll be okay. Lux, stay with me okay. You hear me Luxa. Don't leave me. Stay with me. Stay with me." Gregor kept repeating as he held her hand in both of his own. Tears were blurring his eyes as he felt someone grab onto his shoulder. Gregor shrugged the hand away. A strange dampness covered the knee of his pants and he knew instantly that it was Luxa's blood as it started to pool up beneath her.

"Gregor, let go of her hand," he heard someone say. "Howard is here to help her, but you have to let her go." Gregor didn't release her hand, and he felt something wrap around his chest; he was yanked away and his hands lost contact with hers.

"Let me go Ripred!" Gregor screamed at the rat that now held him in place. His fists beat against the rat's tail, but it was no use. Ripred would not let go of him. Gregor cleared his eyes and watched as Howard and several other medics carried Luxa's body over to Aurora and quickly took off back to Regalia. Ripred finally released Gregor then.

Gregor ran to Howard and grabbed his friends arm. "Will she be okay? Will she be okay?!"

"I believe so. It is hard to tell right now though. My mother will do her best. Luxa is her niece." Gregor was deflated. His anger and grief wiped away and replaced with worry.

"I know. I know." And then his anger flared back. "But this whole thing is dumb. We fight and fight to save you dumb sister and then the stingers just runaway like cowards. And they took her with them. All these lives were lost for nothing! For fucking nothing!"

He stormed off towards where the stingers fled. He kicked at the corpses of the dead stingers as he passed them, his hatred for them flowing out with each violent strike. His blood was boiling and his fists were bunched so tightly he could feel his fingernails digging into his palms. At the edge of the battlefield he stopped and stood still. A scream of rage left his body.

"I will kill every single one of those goddamn bastards if it takes me ten years! They will all die for what they did! All of them!"

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**Oh yea. I did what I just did. You guys can be mad if you want for whatever reason. I did what most people don't do. And its only gonna get better from here on out. So tell me what you think guys and girls.**

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**Question: What is the extent of Luxa's injuries?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Oh boy guys. I am back after what I feel was an eternity. I have had so much stuff going on that I just haven't had much time to write. Basically I would try to write and get interrupted or I was just to busy to even open my computer and try to write. Finally got the time tonight and wrote the rest. This is such a big chapter that I just hope I got it right and you guys like it. One last thing: Please don't beg me to update faster and ask me why it is taking me so long. I am a person and I do have a life other than writing. School is starting in less than a week and I'm finishing up last minute Summer Assignments and doing shopping and stuff. I'm writing at a pace that actually benefits the story because I can actually put more effort into each chapter and make sure it flows right. So for my sake, just don't ask that stuff.**

**Rant over. Read and Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 16**

Gregor just wanted to sit in the dark, to not see anything for once. The sound of the wounded moans and screams of the dying were bad enough. Most people could just close their eyes to stop them from seeing it, but Gregor couldn't even have that. The wall was cold and the hall was filled with bustling nurses and helpers, carrying wounded to the doctors to try to save their lives.

Gregor had already been though a quick inspection to clean any wounds he had. Besides a minor scratch on his shoulder he was fine; he didn't even let the doctor patch it up. He just repeated a famous line from Monty Python, "It's just a flesh wound." The doctor shrugged him out of the room and received a much worse case. In the quick glimpse Gregor got, he saw a man with a missing arm, a massive stomach wound that had his guts spilling out of it, and his leg was flattened, the bone probably turned to dust.

Now he was waiting. That was all he was allowed to do. Eisen had sent him back to Regalia while he and Ripred took a small scouting party after the stingers. The move had infuriated him more than he already had been. He had yelled, argued, and put up a tantrum to rival the best of a two year old. It had only made Eisen's decision more concrete. Gregor was not in the emotional state for rational reasoning and planning. He was racked with worry and the mentality to slaughter every stinger he saw.

And that was his thoughts. It would be him to kill every single one of them when the time came. He would kill the massive creature and the human man who had been advising it. Advising? No, the human was the leader. The human was the one who ordered the stingers to attack them. And it was him that had caused Luxa to be where she was right then: in a hospital room surrounded by doctors trying to save her life.

She was already in the operating room when Gregor had returned. It had been hours since and there had been no news sent to him. And he had found that trying to ask was futile. Doctors were too busy to even notice Gregor and his words seemed to fly past their heads as they darted from patient to patient, finding the most wounded of the bunch. According to one doctor there were over fifty wounded men, many of which were not going to survive. That would just add to the death count. If they weren't wounded, they were dead. Not a single man or woman had left the battle without some kind of wound. If they had they had stayed with Eisen and Ripred, and those two had wounds of their own.

Pounding feet came screaming towards Gregor at breakneck speed. Gregor was on his feet in an instant and he saw Hazard dashing through the hubbub in the hall. He slid to a stop right in front of Gregor, his cheeks red, his breathing heavy, and his face covered in sweat. The boy had his hands on his knees and he slumped forward sucking in air.

"What is it Hazard?" Gregor asked getting down on Hazard's level. Hazard looked at him and blinked sweat out of his eyes. He sucked in one huge breath of air before standing back up to full height. And then a deluge erupted from his mouth.

"Where is Luxa? I need to see her. Is she alright? I have not seen her and have not been told anything. Do you know anything, Gregor? How is she doing?"

"Slow down, slow down." Gregor said throwing his hands up to the younger boy. Hazard slowed his questions down and eventually closed his mouth to let Gregor try to answer all that he had asked.

"Hazard, I know about as much as you do. Not a single, tiny bit of information has been told to me. I know she is in some kinda operating room somewhere, but other than that I have no clue what's happening."

"Oh. So is that why you were sitting?"

"You got it. Just waiting and thinking and hoping. I have a lot of stuff on my mind."

"I am sure. Can I sit with you? We can wait and hope together."

"Be my guest as long as you don't mind moaning, the occasional scream, and the smell of blood." Gregor sat back against the wall and Hazard sank down next to him. The company was nice, but it was hardly something that Gregor truly noticed. As soon as he had stopped talking, his brain had started to think again. Thinking about Luxa, thinking about how he would get the chance to kill as many of the stingers as he could and kill their vile leader. Another thought popped into his head.

When were the stingers going to attack Regalia in force? The yellow legs had hardly done much but send small expedition groups out. The one they had just faced was large, but not something to assault a walled city with. They would attack in the hundreds and swarm the walls. But that was who knows how long away and there was still time to plan and strategize. There was the ever vital part of having the stingers to assist them in any way when battle came. Besides Truxin and a few others, they were all waiting out in caves around Regalia for when the time came. Gnawers were stationed nearby on top of that. For now they were safe but how long would that last?

Twice they had fought skirmishes with the stingers and twice they had won. But the victories held very little joy or hope. The number of casualties was so large for the outcomes that it wasn't worth it. People were dying in chunks and the number of critical wounds was off the charts. If a soldier survived it was often without an arm or a leg at the least. People came back paralyzed, their spines crushed and broken. The scenes were worse than anything he had seen before. He just wanted to close himself from it, but he couldn't. He kept hearing screams and moans, kept smelling blood and bile, kept seeing the wounded carried passed even with his eyes closed as tight as he could manage. If it was this bad now, how bad would it be when a stinger army marched on Regalia? How many soldiers would die or be maimed forever? How many innocents would be slaughtered?

"Gregor, Hazard." A soft and tired voice broke the monotony of moans and doctors shouting. Gregor wrenched his eyes open and looked in the direction the voice came from. Hazard was already on his feet, ready for whatever was going to happen. The younger boy pulled on Gregor's arm and Gregor got off the floor reluctantly.

Susannah was standing just a few feet away from them, her arms a dull brown from the dried blood that covered them. It was obvious she had just come out of operating on someone. Her hair was tied back out of her face and Gregor could see the weariness in the lines on her face. She took a few steps closer to them and motioned for them to follow.

"It is too chaotic here. We shall go to somewhere more private to talk." a sinking feeling filled Gregor's stomach. Private talks could mean many things. It could mean that Susannah didn't want to be interrupted or it could be that there was a lot to discuss or it could be news that didn't need to get out to everyone. News like Luxa didn't make it. Gregor's mind focused on the last one. The worst one. It was what he had feared and now that he had let himself think it he couldn't get it out of his head.

Susannah led them to an empty room that had a table and chairs and a set of bunk beds. She motioned for Gregor and Hazard to sit at the table while she went to the back and cleansed her hands in a basin of water. She scrubbed for several minutes trying to get the worst of the dried blood off her hands. When she came to the table it was still obvious that it was there.

"I can tell you have been waiting for news on my niece." Gregor opened his mouth to reply, but she cast him a quick look and he promptly closed it. "I will tell you everything and then you may ask me questions. Is that clear?" Both Gregor and Hazard nodded.

"Good. I shall begin with her condition. Luxa is asleep at the moment and she shall live. Her body is very weak and will be for some time. She will need to rest and recover for the next few weeks. Her wound was quite severe as I am sure you know. The blade that pierced her caused severe bleeding and injured several major organs. It opened wounds in her intestine and other organs that we had to close.

"Because of the amount of blood she lost we had to give blood to her. We were lucky that my husband had stayed in the palace and not joined on the search because he was one of the few with compatible blood to Luxa's. The only other was Nerissa and she is much too weak to give any amount of blood.

"I will allow you both to visit her while she sleeps but only for a few minutes. It is best that she rest. When she wakens I will summon you both to come see her. Do you have anything to ask of me?"

Gregor sat quiet as he absorbed all the information. There wasn't much to really think about other than the fact that she would live. She was going to be alright and that made Gregor smile. "So, she'll be perfectly fine in a few weeks?"

"That is the hope. She should heal and be, as you say fine, in only a few weeks if not faster."

Gregor looked at hazard who had a small tear in the corner of his eye. It was harder on Hazard than on Gregor because Luxa had been the one to raise him and be his family for the last six years. If she hadn't been okay, his family would be almost completely gone and he would have no one.

"I have one request." The words sprang from Gregor's mouth without him really thinking.

"And what is that?" Susannah replied with an odd look in her eyes.

"I want to be there when Luxa wakes up. I want the first thing she sees to be me."

Susannah sat quietly, studying Gregor's face. Her eyes moved across his face and looked into his eyes looking for a reason. And then he saw her eyes grow wide with realization. She had seen all she needed.

"I will allow that then, Gregor. I am sure my niece will like that."

"Thank you. Can we go see her now?" Susannah nodded and stood from her chair, leading Gregor and Hazard from the room. They moved down the hall passed more wounded soldiers and the doctors tending them. She turned down a small corridor and into the first door on the left. There was a stone door instead of a curtain for this room to give the occupant more privacy. On the bed inside lay Luxa, asleep in a white gown tucked under the sheets on the bed. Susannah checked the bandages and satisfied left the two boys telling them she would check on them soon.

There was only one chair in the room, so Gregor let Hazard take it while he sat on the floor next to Luxa's bed. He took her hand in his and held onto it, just feeling it in his hand was comforting to him. And now all he could do was wait for her to wake. Gregor sat on the floor Luxa's hand held tightly within his own

Gregor jerked awake for the tenth time. He had been sitting with Luxa for hours and hours. Susannah had come and checked on her over a dozen times and had suggested for him to go and get some sleep of his own, but he refused to leave. He was going to stay with Luxa until he saw her eyes open and her face smile. To find out how she felt from her own mouth. And he would wait as long as possible.

As he looked around the room he realized just how quiet and empty it was. Hazard had left hours ago to attend lessons or sleep or whatever it was he did. Now it was just him and Luxa and the only noise was the quietest of breathing. There was no sound coming in through the door. The commotion of the hospital was gone and the hall seemed to be silent.

He rubbed the weariness from his eyes and pulled himself off the ground and over to the empty chair. The stone was cool but comfortable. It was much better than sitting awkwardly on the floor for so long. Luxa's hand had fallen from his grasp while he had been dozing and Gregor picked it gently back up in his own. His thumb stroked the back of her hand and he watched as she slowly took in each breath at the same rate. She had showed no sign of pain or discomfort from her wound.

Suddenly, she jerked in her sleep and a small whimper left her lips. Gregor was on his feet in an instant and he didn't notice the chair go flying away behind him. He held Luxa's hand tightly within both of his own and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her face. She was muttering words and her body was tossing and turning. Gregor leaned next to her ear.

"It's okay Luxa. You're alright. It's all okay," Gregor whispered quietly to her. The words seemed to affect her and she slowly stopped squirming. Her body lay still again but her mouth still formed words.

"Gregor… Where… How?" The words were nearly inaudible, but Gregor heard every one of them. He planted a kiss on her brow and brushed her hair out of her face. Involuntarily he squeezed her hand slightly.

"I'm right here Luxa. I'll always be right by your side."

Hours ticked by and Luxa still stayed asleep. Gregor had heard her muttering incoherent phrases from time to time, but it didn't concern him or Susannah. Apparently it was common for someone who was in a state such as her. Gregor mind drifted to the many times he was in the same situation as her. Had she sat like him, by his bedside waiting for him to wake up? Of course not! At least at the beginning. She may have after his fight with the bane. He remembered waking up and seeing her there with him. That was why he wanted to do the same for her.

Luxa tossed to the side again and then lay still for a moment. Gregor suddenly felt her pulse increase and he heard a quick intake of breath. Luxa shot straight up, her face showing confusion and worry.

"Gregor? Gregor! Where am I? What has happened? Why are you here?" The questions came heavy and fast and everytime Gregor opened his mouth to answer another question was already being asked. He could see where Hazard had gotten it from.

"Luxa. Calm down and breath," Gregor said and Luxa stopped her flow of questions and took a deep breath. She winced and dropped her head back onto the pillow.

"Ouch. What happened to me?"

"Do you not remember?"

"The last I remember was being knocked into the air. Everything since is black. Why does my lower stomach burn?" Luxa seemed quite distressed.

"Everything is alright Luxa. When you were hit by that stinger, Stellovet's blade broke and it impaled you. The doctor's fixed you up and you'll fully recover." Gregor explained in a soothing voice. Luxa felt her hand in his then and squeezed his hand like she never wanted to let go.

"I now know how it feels to be like you, Gregor. And you know how it feels to be me. How often have you been unconscious in a room much like this one?"

"I would say it is too many to count, Lux. Too many to count," Gregor replied with a small smile. She would have a terrible scar from the injury, but for her it was one of few. Gregor had too many to count. Just like the number of times he had been in the hospital.

"I am surprised that you are here. I would have believed you to be out attacking the stingers and searching for the stingers. Why are you not?"

"Eisen sent me back. Said I was too emotional and unsteady to be of much use. And he was pretty much right." Gregor answered with a slight frown. He should be out there, but he had let his personal feelings get the best of him.

"What did you do?"

"I- well I umm- kinda screamed I was going to kill all the stingers and when he told me I was coming back I basically chewed his head off and argued with him."

"What do you mean by 'chewed his head off'?"

"I basically yelled at him for about four whole minutes without thinking about what I was saying."

"I assume you are glad you are here so we could talk like this," Luxa replied with a small smirk. She knew Gregor and while he seemed happy and content, he was actually planning something.

"Yea. But I am leaving. I promised myself I would kill all of those damn bugs so no one else has to worry like I did."

"Gregor, that is dumb. You have no reason for vengeance at the current moment. I have not died and I am here. I do believe you killed the stinger that injured me?"

"Yea, I did…" Gregor answered with a bit of confusion on what Luxa was trying to get at.

"Then there is nothing left to get revenge on. You have already done it. When you were injured I never endangered myself to try to kill anything that had injured you."

"But you couldn't anyway. I had already killed everything that seriously injured me before I was brought back."

"But even if I could I would not. There would be no reason to risk my life on a futile mission." Luxa took both of Gregor's hands in her own. "Gregor, you have done enough. I am well enough now and there will be plenty of time to battle the stingers later. I am sure Ripred and Eisen are searching for my cousin at the very moment and will be quite successful with or without you. Just stay in the palace and be here for me should I need you."

Gregor squeezed both her hands and let go. He muttered some words about getting Susannah to come and look in on her now that she was awake. In reality he just wanted to get out and think about what she said. She didn't want him to run out and get revenge, but to stay with her. To be with her while she recovered. If she wanted him to do it he would. The stingers will always be there to fight, but Luxa was only in need of Gregor in such a way only a few times. And he would be there for her.

While in his thoughts he bumped into Susannah. Literally. He collided with the doctor and nearly sent her sprawling to the floor. He stammered out quick apologies, but Susannah waved them away.

"I assume my niece has awoken and you and her have talked about something that is occupying your mind?" Gregor nodded an answer and Susannah walked passed him with a sigh. A rumbling filled the hall and Gregor realized just how hungry he was. Not eating anything for probably a day or so could do that to you. He left the hospital, figuring that Susannah would give Luxa some medication and advise her to rest. She would be sleeping for a while which left Gregor time to find something to eat, figure out what was happening with Eisen and Ripred, and perhaps take a bath. He had just noticed how badly his clothes smelt and how bad he smelt. He had changed out of his bloody clothes when he had returned to the palace, but had skipped out on the bath. The clothes he was wearing were carrying an odd odor from who knows where.

Gregor was having a knack of getting lost in his thoughts and running into people. As he thought of what his clothes smelled like, he strolled right into Mareth's back. For the second time in less than ten minutes Gregor was stammering out apologies again.

Mareth was laughing. "It is okay, Gregor. I was actually about to go and look for you. Perdita wishes to see you in the Tactics room and like normal she sends me to find you. You have done me a favor by finding me."

Gregor joined his friend and the two laughed together as they started off down the hall. And then he asked, "Would it be possible to have some food sent as well?"

When Gregor walked into the tactics room there were two carts of warm food sitting against the wall. Gregor took it upon himself to investigate the carts. Fish and vegetables, beef and what he thought were potatoes, shrimp cooked so many ways Gregor could barely tell how many. He was so occupied by the food that he hadn't even noticed the sole occupant of the room.

"Excuse me Gregor," Perdita spoke up from behind the long table. Gregor spun around, a roll in his mouth. Perdita shook her head before continuing. "Thank you.

"I have asked you here Gregor because I am in need of your help. With Eisen and Ripred still away from the city, I am left with just Mareth to assist me. Though you may not be of a rank that usually gets these privileges, I am asking you to be here to assist me with planning the defense of Regalia. You have the intellect to be able to do well as long as you apply yourself. Do not let me down.

"Also, I am afraid you will either be walking through Regalia or taking a different flier. This-"

"Wait what?" Gregor said, cutting off Perdita's sentence. "Has something happened to Artemese?"

"Nothing has happened to him, Gregor. I need you here and cannot risk you running off. Queen Athena has ordered him back for the time just so I can have a more reliable flier to make sure you do not run from the city."

Gregor felt bad for Artemese. It was his fault entirely that the bat had to leave the city. He was a well-liked flier and it was a shame to see him have to leave. And of course it was because of his track record for running off without a warning of any kind. At least Perdita was nice enough to not throw him in the dungeon to keep him from fleeing.

"I understand. I do not plan on leaving though. The stingers will get their due when the time comes. I have other obligations here. I will assist you in everyway I can, Perdita."

"That is good news. Your first task will be to explain to me this ballista." She was holding up his blueprint for how to make and assemble a powerful ballista. The ones he had drawn in the library. Gregor approached the table with a plate full of food and stood next to Perdita pointing out each piece and how it worked exactly.

"So this hooks onto the string and when it is drawn back it can be released with this lever?" Perdita asked as Gregor motioned his hand over the wheel that drew back the firing apparatus and the lever that released it.

"That is correct."

"Where does the power come from?"

"These coils right here," Gregor said pointing with another roll in his hand. "When the crank draws back the string, it flexes the arm which in turn tightens the coils here. When it is released there is even more power than just a simple bow arm. There is added spring to it. It's called torsion."

"Does this make it a very strong weapon?" Perdita asked. This was the first time Gregor had ever seen her ask so many questions.

"Yes. The bolt it fires can pierce through several inches of rock and even pierce through a couple inches of steel. These should be able to easily kill a stinger or a gnawer or whatever else there is to kill whenever a time might come."

"Good. I will have our smiths start working on making the parts to your specifications." A servant was sent out with copied directions on how to make each part and the size of each one. It already made Gregor feel like he was helping. Ballistae were simple but deadly weapons when in the right hands. If they mounted them on the wall they would be able to kill dozens of stingers. Even with just three or four.

"I forgot to ask you, how is Luxa?" Mareth spoke up from the other side of the room. Gregor raised his head and looked over at his friend. He felt Perdita looking at him as well. They were both obviously worried and concerned about her.

"She is doing fine. Before I left, she had just woken up and we talked for a bit. I'm not sure what she is doing now, but I can guess that she was given some meds and is fast asleep again."

"That is wonderful news. We were all worried about her when we found out what happened. How are you Gregor?" Perdita asked the question almost as if it was an afterthought.

"I'm fine. Then again I'm not the one that had a piece of sword impale me."

"I meant in more of an emotional way. I had a report tell me that you were very eager to chase after the stingers. I can understand why. We all know how you feel for Luxa. You are managing?"

Yea. Yea, I'm managing. I know she is okay, and I'm staying here to be able to be near her while she recovers. I was only concerned at first because I didn't know how bad it was."

"That is understandable Gregor," Mareth said. "I was concerned myself when I heard the news. I have known our queen for many years."

"Yea." The conversation was getting a bit more personal than Gregor wanted. "If I am not needed anymore, I think I'm gonna go take a bath and then get some proper sleep."

"You are free to go, Gregor. I will send for you the next time I am in need of your assistance." Gregor left the room, but as he was walking away he overheard Mareth. "He is a good boy, is he not?"

"No Mareth, he is a man," Perdita replied. Gregor heard no more as he left the hall and turned back towards his room and the bath he used. Perdita's words while simple seemed to resonate with him. He wasn't the little boy he was six years ago. He was a man, an adult by both overland and underland law. He had done things many men would have dreamed of and things most men would fear forever. He was a man and not just a boy anymore.

The bath had rejuvenated Gregor's overused and exhausted muscles. He hadn't realized just how taxed he was until he had sunk his nude body into the warm flowing water. Dirt and grime that he hadn't noticed washed away in the current and he felt himself regaining his usual composure and appearance. After a battle and the wait for information he had grown unkempt. His hair was in need of a cut for one thing, which also would help it from sticking together and knotting when it was full of blood. That had taken him the longest to clean.

His room seemed odd to him. It had been over a week maybe even two weeks since he had slept in there. The bed was neatly made and the room was clean of dust. He opened the drawer to make sure everything was there and was shocked to see not just one bag of money but six. Gregor shook his head closed the drawer and took off his sword belt. He leaned his sword up against his bed and dropped onto the hardly used padding. His head hit the pillow, his eyes close, and he was out for the count. Soft snores were all that could be heard from Gregor's room.

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**Well that went surprisingly well. Now I just gotta figure out what to do for the next chapter. Anyway guys leave a review for me and tell me what you think.**

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**Question: How will Gregor use his new opportunity as Perdita's go to guy?**


	17. Chapter 17

**Howdy guys. Long time no see. I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter out to you guys. I got hit by a bunch of late minute summer homework which took up all my time and then school started and I had absolutely no time or energy to write. I did have the time today to write on what was my second day of school, so things may or may not come faster. You guys are just gonna hang with me. It's my senior year and I have a lot of challenging classes that are really demanding of me, so I'm not sure how much free time I'll truly have to write for fun. Hell I already have an essay assigned. But enough about me. I did something different for this chapter mainly because I was short on story for the chapter. I did a bit of a flashback thing and I might do it more often. We'll see. Anyway read and Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 17**

"Gregor," said a quiet voice, right next to his ear. Gregor perked his head up at his name and looked Luxa right in the eyes. They were alone in her hospital room. Well, kind of. Thomas slept on Luxa's bed, curled up next to her side and near Gregor's arm. Gregor's head was resting on the bed.

His day had been filled with more things than he could have imagined. In the days since Perdita had asked for his help, she had him working harder than he ever had before. She had him running messages, training soldiers, checking on the walls reinforcement and defense, making sure weapons were being made. Her Generals were too busy training their soldiers to assist her with errands, and that only left her Gregor. He was faster than Mareth and had a knack for getting information. That morning she had sent him off to check on almost everything possible.

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"She wants me to check the wall, the smith's, and the construction all at the same time," Gregor muttered to himself as he trudged through the empty halls. His fists were clenched at his side because of how much stuff he had to do. And Perdita wanted it all done immediately just so she could have him do more stuff. It kept him so busy that he rarely saw anyone beyond her and Mareth. He was really regretting agreeing to help her with all the work simply because he was getting _all _the work.

The flier he had been assigned was sitting waiting for him in the high hall. He was big and gray. Almost as big as Ares. They only spoke to each other when Gregor needed to tell him where to go. The bat was gruff and not at all jovial. The only words he spoke to Gregor were when he had told him his name. "I am called Ptolomus," the bat had said and that was all.

"Take me down to smiths," Gregor grunted. The bat let Gregor climb on and then shot off the stone floor and with ease drifted down over the city. He flirted around the taller buildings and soared towards the sound of banging hammers without even flapping his wings. The smith's had set up a massive forge to be able to produce all the metal they would need for the ballistae they were building. It was open on all sides and allowed for many men to work on it at once. It gave off a powerful glow and the ringing of hammers could be heard for many hours straight.

"Wait here. I have more to do after this," spoke Gregor to the bat with no hint of emotion. The bat flew a few feet off the ground and Gregor leaped off his back. He was glad to be out of Ptolomus' silent and somewhat gloomy company. There were several smiths and their apprentices working, beating metal, cooling it in water, pumping the bellows. The person Perdita had put in charge of the operation was Ivan. He was the best smith in all of Regalia and had figured out how to make each part of the ballista. The small man stood off to the side watching each hammer strike the metal, shaping it into the pieces of the ballista. There were several pieces in a cart to his left.

Gregor made his presence known so as to not startle Ivan who was very intently watching. He spun around at Gregor's footsteps and a smile crossed his face.

"It is good to see a different face. Yours breaks up the monotony of what I have to see down here. What brings you to our operation this day?"

"Perdita wanted me to check your progress and how everything is going. Same as my last five or six trips," Gregor replied quickly. Ivan had seen him several times over the last few days and Gregor never had new stuff to ask. Perdita always just wanted Gregor to check progress.

"Ah yes. Everything is going well. We have made enough parts to build many of these machines. We are running low on fuel for the forge, however. Perdita will have to send us more if she wants us to continue." Gregor nodded several times and looked back at the forge. A large piece of glowing red metal emerged from the hot coals and instantly a hammer was pounding it into shape. It bent and molded to the form as it cooled. A burst of steam arose from the water trough next to the anvil and then the metal was back into the forge. The man hefting the metal was covered in sweat and dust and soot. His arms bulged with muscle and he wore a leather apron. It was a sight that could be seen all around the massive work space.

"Keep up the work, Ivan. I'll have Perdita send some fuel to you and the workers." Gregor turned to walk back to Ptolomus when Ivan called to him.

"The sword, Overlander."

"Huh?" Gregor responded to the odd outburst. What sword was Ivan speaking of?

"The sword I am currently holding for you in my shop. I have a man that wishes to purchase it. I did not mean for him to see it, but I was cleaning it when he walked into the shop. I am afraid I can only hold for a week more, otherwise I will sell it to the gentleman."

"O-okay," Gregor stammered out. In all the hustle and bustle that was going on he had forgotten about the sword. "How much is it again?"

"It shall cost you 50 pounds even. I am not one for complicated payment," Ivan said with a chuckle. "Do you have the amount?"

"I have not counted my money in some time. I might be close, only one or two more payments."

"We shall see. Come to me at the end of the week and we shall talk. Now go and finish your errands. I know you are a busy man and have much to do." Ivan turned his attention back to the forge as if he had forgotten Gregor was standing mere feet away. Gregor was, however, stunned. He hadn't mentioned anything about more things he had to do. How could he have known that?

Shaking his head Gregor turned and walked a few paces away, before whistling and leaping into the air. Ptolomus darted underneath him and Gregor landed square on the bats back. For never having met the bat until a few days before, he was able to work rather well with him even though he despised his unnatural silence and gloominess.

"Take me to the construction site, Ptolomus." The bat swooped away towards the wall. In the matter of a few seconds, the gray bat drifted down on the seen below. An army of workers were assembling the ballistae in an open area not even a hundred feet from the wall. Pieces were being slid and locked into place with bolts and intricate design plans. Supervisors watched over each group as the machine was being assembled. Gregor hopped off the bat and strolled over to one of the supervisors.

"I need a report on the progress," Gregor said startling the man. Or umm woman. She turned around, her short hair barely moving. She looked at him and a nasty look crossed her face. A few quick steps brought her right up to Gregor. She was several inches shorter than him, but Gregor felt like he was looking up at her. Her face seemed to show power and control that even he didn't have. Involuntarily he took a step back.

"Why should I have to report to you, Overlander?" She spat at him.

"Because Perdita sent me to check on the progress of the work here. I am just following orders."

"I will not answer to an Overlander, no matter how important you may be. I have work to do to make sure that these… weapons… are finished on time." The woman turned and started to walk away, but stopped at the indignant grunt Gregor let out.

"Those weapons are called Ballista. I designed them and thus I have the right to know how the progress is going. Now get back here and tell me how things are going before I get you sent to clean up after the animals or something." Gregor hadn't allowed his voice to show his anger. He had stayed completely calm and that made his threat that much more powerful.

The woman's eyes flashed at Gregor's outburst. She looked at her group of workers and her eyes grew even wider.

"THAT PIECE DOES NOT GO THERE! YOU FOOL, IT GOES HIGHER! FIX IT, NOW!" she screamed at the top of her lungs startling half the workers and causing several of them to lose a grip on what they were holding.

"Actually, he was putting it in the right place. You do not know what you are doing," Gregor said to the woman who only looked at him dumbstruck, before turning to the man who had just been yelled at. "Come here for a moment, sir." The man placed the metal arm he was holding on the ground and jogged over to Gregor.

"Do you know how to assemble this?"

"Yes, I do, Overlander."

"Good. You shall oversee this group now." He turned his attention back to the woman. "Go take his place."

"You do not tell me what to do. I was placed in charge of this group and I will stay there. I am being paid for this work."

"As am I" the man Gregor had called over said. "You were just being paid slightly more. Now I shall and you shall not. Go get to work. NOW!" The shout sent the woman scurrying away. The man's voice had boomed out and had caused even Gregor to jump. A small laugh left Gregor's mouth. "That felt good," the man said.

"What is your name?" Gregor asked through his laughing.

"I am called Geoff."

"Geoff, can you tell me the progress we have had here?"

"We have built eight ballistae and are currently building four more. There are parts for two more already here and we have been told that more are coming, Overlander"

"Thank you, Geoff. And please call me Gregor."

"Gregor. I shall remember that. Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"Not today, Geoff. I just have one more thing I must do for the day. Get back to supervising your group. I want these things built right." Geoff nodded to Gregor and returned to his group, issuing quick orders and correcting small placement issues. As Gregor returned to Ptolomus, a loud shout filled the cavern again and a smile broached his face. It felt good to lower the power hungry.

The bat scooped Gregor up and drifted with him over to the top of the wall. Gregor dismounted for the third time. The wall was being defensed and the work was well along. Large blocks of rock littered the outside of the wall and large metal spikes lined the base of the wall. That was just a few of the obstacles they were preparing for the stingers. There was even more stuff that Gregor didn't know about.

On top of the wall sat all the ballista that had already been built. They were spread far enough apart that there would be no trouble for the teams to work them, and there was ample space for the rest of them. Bins of three foot long bolts sat next to the best weapons Regalia had at their disposal. He ran his hand along the metal and tested the mechanisms. The cranks drew back the string well enough, but it took him more time than he would have liked. Two men would be able to do it much faster. He took one of the bolts from the bin and notched it in place. A spot on the wall stood out and he slowly and carefully aimed for it. His hand hit the lever and with a snap and a crack the bolt shot off. A second later sparks illuminated the wall, a terrible screech was followed by a metallic clang and he knew the bolt had hit the ground. A nearby scout flew off on his flier to retrieve the bolt for Gregor.

All in all the ballista worked like magic. It was fluid and had plenty of power. The bolt had shot off with plenty of force and would easily be able to pierce almost anything in the Underland. A pat on the back was all he gave himself as he returned to his flier again. "Time to get back to the palace," Gregor muttered to himself and climbed onto Ptolomus to return and report to Perdita.

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He had reported to Perdita and had hoped she was done with him for the day. That was the wrong hope. She had sent him off to check on training with Mareth and he had wasted countless hours working with soldiers to show them the best way to kill stingers and informing them on how to weaken them and how to not get killed. The same thing they had been told numerous times and had practiced. Yet, they weren't always the best at remembering. They were just in awe that they had Gregor teaching them. It had worn him out more than he had thought.

And now he found himself with Luxa with no energy to really do anything. All he wanted to do each day was sit with her all day, but that was impossible for him. He rarely had the time to come visit her at all except at night when they were both tired. And today was one of those days.

"Gregor," Luxa repeated, placing her hand gently on the back of his head. She ran her hand through his hair and lifted his head to look at her. "Are you alright?"

"Wha… yea. Yea, I'm alright Luxa. Just been busier than I think I ever have been before. I'd rather go on a quest than work my tail off for Perdita."

"You are helping more than you know Gregor. And we all appreciate it. You have taken a large role in this and for that I thank you." Luxa leaned over and kissed the top of Gregor's head, before resuming running her hand through his hair and stroking the top of his head with her thumb.

"I know. I just would rather spend my time with you. Make sure that you are alright." A small laugh escaped from Luxa's mouth and then she erupted into loud laughter.

"What?" Gregor said, his eyebrows pinched down staring at Luxa. He wasn't trying to be funny.

"It is that you wish to make sure I am alright when twenty doctors do that already. I do not want you to make sure I am alright, Gregor."

Gregor's head shot away from her hand and off the bed. "Sorry that I just want to make sure that you're taken care of. I won't do that anymore if that makes you happy, Luxa. I don't know why I should come here then."

"Oh, calm down Gregor. I want you here to be with me and keep me company and not to make sure that I am alright. There are many others who do that and fawn over me. I do not need one more. Lay your head back down."

Gregor slowly laid his head back down next to Luxa, his eyes never leaving her face. As soon as his head made contact with the mattress, Luxa slapped the side of his head.

"What was that for?" he said his voice raising.

"That is for thinking I do not want you here. I would have no one else here with me and you know that."

"Whatever," Gregor said and raised his head again. He climbed out of the chair and sat on the edge of the bed next to Luxa. She scooted over a bit to let him have some extra room. He rested his head against her pillow and kissed her on the cheek. His hands moved Thomas into his lap and the three of them lay there in silence for a bit.

Gregor felt his eyes drooping shut when Luxa's hand snaked into his own. He entwined his fingers in hers and they lay there. His weariness seemed to slowly ease away the longer he held onto her hand. Luxa squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Did you ever… umm date other girls in the overland?" Gregor had felt her trying to remember the word he had used all those years ago. The question seemed odd to hear coming from her mouth. She never really felt worried about her personal life and only worried about her kingdom. However, Gregor had heard the worry in her voice.

"I did. But I never felt anything. I was lonely and thought that their company would help me. It never did. I always thought about you instead and wondered what you were doing, how you looked, if you were in danger, or if you were even still alive. I never got comfortable with any of them. Why do ask anyway?"

"I was just curious. You never…did anything with them?"

"No. Never. Not at all," Gregor blurted out before calming down. "I could never do anything like that. I kissed one of them and they wanted to, but I left her alone at her front door. I couldn't do it and never would have."

"You did not want to have children?" Luxa asked, her questions slowly getting more and more personal. Gregor was more and more surprised by what she was asking. She never pried into his life without reason, but what was her reason?

"I want children, but I wasn't ready nor did I want to have them with her. We were both too young and it would have gone terribly. But that's beyond the point. Lux, why are you asking me these things?"

"I will tell you in a moment. I have but one more question for you. Would you want to have a child with me?"

"Of course, Luxa," Gregor sputtered out. "If there was any woman in the world that I would want to be the mother of my child it would be you. You are the best woman I have ever met. You are sweet and kind and also tough and deliberate when the time calls for it. I have seen you with Thomas who is already pretty close to a child of our own. When does he not leave your room? You would be a great mother and I would only be able to love you more if you were the mother of my child."

Luxa's face was stained with tears. Her face was red and her throat was tight. Gregor looked at her with a questioning look. What had he said that made her cry like that? She was taking in deep, shuddering breaths, sobbing harder than he had ever seen anyone cry before. He wrapped her in his arm and held her close to his shoulder. He couldn't do much more because of her injury.

"Lux, what's wrong?" Gregor whispered into her ear.

"I… am… sorry," Luxa said between breaths. Her tears were making Gregor's shirt soaked, but he didn't care. He pulled her closer and just held her. "The doctor's… told me… that… I… couldn't…" Luxa didn't finish. A wave of sobs overtook her and she pressed her head back into his shoulder. Gregor rubbed her upper back and whispered words into her ear to try to calm her down. Her sobs started to slow a bit and she hiccupped. Her breathing was still very unsteady.

"The doctor's told me… that I couldn't bear children, Gregor. I will never be a mother." And then her eyes filled with more tears and she sobbed harder than before.

Gregor's stomach had dropped at the words. He hadn't expected that at all. He regained himself and wrapped both his arms around Luxa, resting her head under his chin. He rocked her there the two of them sitting there full of dread. He couldn't imagine how hard this was on her.

Gregor didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The way he was holding her and how he was acting told Luxa that he understood and that he cared. That he was there for her. Her sobs slowly died away, leaving her puffy eyed and with the hiccups.

"You still love me, Gregor?" she asked.

"Of course, I do, Lux. There is nothing that could make me not love you. You are my everything. You are what I live for."

"I had to make sure. I thought you may not want to be with me because of it. It is common for a man to leave his wife because she does not bring him a child."

"Everything will be okay, Luxa. I'm not leaving you any time soon." The two sat in silence for a long time. Luxa never took her head off of Gregor's shoulder. They were more comfortable than they had ever been with each other. There is always that one thing that brings a couple closer together and they had found it. This was a hard time for Luxa and Gregor would be there for her no matter what happened. That was his job now. He would be there for her and protect her to his last ounce of strength if it was the last thing he did.

The time passed and neither of them spoke. Thomas hadn't woken up, but he had rolled over several time and tossed in his sleep, but he was the only one that moved. It was peaceful. Kind of.

Luxa suddenly perked up and nudged Gregor's side. He looked at her and only got pushed harder. Reluctantly he picked up Thomas and laid him on the bed next to Luxa and slid off. Standing there he felt kinda weird for some reason.

"You need to go Gregor. You are not supposed to be here this late. If the doctors see you they will not be happy and may not let you come see me anymore."

"Okay, Lux." Gregor leaned over and kissed her on her forehead. She smiled at him and pointed to the sleeping toddler. Gregor scooped him up in his arms and kissed Luxa once more before leaving through the door. The halls were basically empty except for him and the little boy. Gregor had nowhere to take him, so he figured he would just sleep with him like he used to do with Boots.

He pushed through the curtain to his room and laid the toddler on his bed. He pulled his shirt off and splashed some water on his face. It had been one hell of a long day and it was time for him to get some sleep. Well-deserved sleep.

"Hi." The little voice had enough power to fill Gregor with a bit of dread. He turned towards Thomas who was sitting up on the bed. "Hi."

Gregor knew he was in for a long night.

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**I think I did a good job at stunning the hell out of people with this one. No one even came close to this little plot twist. I feel really evil right now. Muahahahahahahaha. Drop me a review and tell me what you think.**

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**Question: What do you think of Luxa and Gregor's relationship now? What do you think of it for the future?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hola mis amigos. I am back again with chapter 18. It feels good to be back on some kind of schedule for writing, but I'm still not positive if I'm gonna have one or be able to keep to it. It will all come down to just how much school work I end up having each day. I can ****guarantee that if I don't post a chapter during the week then it will be up on the weekend. You just gotta love the way school plays with schedules. So get to reading guys.**

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**Chapter 18**

It was early morning. Much earlier than Gregor would have liked when he opened his eyes. His entire body felt tired and heavy as he tried to snake his way out of his bed. It wasn't easy when there was a three year old curled up in the bed as well. With a bit of effort Gregor managed to slither his way off the bed without waking up Thomas.

It had been a long night of hyperactive toddler fun. Thomas had been more awake than he should have been. He wanted to play and laugh and talk about nothing with his limited vocabulary. It was interesting for Gregor even though he was utterly tired. It was almost like having another Boots with him. Thomas would point at stuff and show he knew the word, and Gregor taught him new words even. It was after several hours of this that Thomas actually started to grow tired again. His little voice slowly lost some of its energy and he quickly fell asleep.

Gregor had been relieved. He would at least be able to get some sleep. Or so he had thought. When he climbed into bed, his head hit the pillow and he was dead asleep in moments. But it wasn't a peaceful sleep. He dreamed some of the worst dreams he had ever dreamed and they were still very vivid as he walked around his room. It had all started with excitement and joy as he was holding a newborn baby, a halflander. The mother was obscured by darkness. As he cradled the baby in his arms, a bloodcurdling scream had filled the room and bright lights had illuminated the area. Luxa was screaming and crying, holding a dead baby in her arms. It was covered in the bright crimson that could only be blood and the towel it was in was dyed red from it.

Suddenly the baby in his arms gave a terrible shudder and a quick wail as a wound opened on its chest and warm blood ran out quick and fast. With a terrible fear, Gregor had pressed his hand down on the wound, but the blood came out too quick. The child was dead in moments, covered from neck to toes in the warm redness. Gregor screamed and dropped the limp corpse to the ground. And then the scene changed and he was in a chamber full of dead children and skeletons. Tiny skulls were interspersed around the room and little bones were everywhere. That was when he had woken up, drenched in a cold sweat, and shivering. It had taken him some time to fall back to sleep.

The rest of the time he had slept, he was restless and he was barely able to stay asleep for long. He guessed that he had managed at most three hours of sleep, maybe four. In reality it had been around three and half hours, but Gregor had no way of knowing.

He grabbed a torch from the hall and carried it into the room, relighting the torch that was on the wall. He looked in the mirror and saw the bags under his eyes and the mess that was his hair. He didn't look as bad as he was feeling. His body was so sluggish from lack of sleep. He figured if he had just not slept at all he would have been more awake. Water splashed against his face and he hoped that it would wake himself up. It barely helped. But he had work to do. Perdita would probably need him to run errands for her, and he had to visit Luxa before that to give her Thomas for the day. He threw on a clean set of clothes and slid on his boots.

"Hey, buddy. You gotta get up," Gregor whispered to Thomas as he scooped the little boy up in his arms. Thomas' eyes flickered open for a second, but they closed right away as his head sank down onto Gregor's shoulder. He carried the sleepy boy out of his room and to the bath for a quick clean up. It just felt right for him to do it himself instead of having a nanny do it. It felt like he was taking more care of Thomas now. Both him and Luxa. Thomas barely was in the nursery anymore.

With sleeves rolled up, Gregor held Thomas into the water and let it clean away whatever was on him. He gently cleaned him with some soap and washed his little head of hair by pouring water on it with a small ladle. The bath woke Thomas up and he started to squirm against Gregor's grip.

"Me down. Me down!" Thomas said louder and louder until he was nearly yelling. But he was smiling at the same time. He loved to order people around, especially his pseudo dad.

"Give me a sec, buddy. I gotta get you in a diaper first." Gregor reached around and grabbed a diaper from the pile that stayed in the bath now. Quickly he got Thomas into it and threw a shirt on him. It was about time too because he was starting to get behind schedule and he didn't want to make Perdita angry at him; that would just mean more work.

"Let's go get, Luxa, okay?"

"O-kay!" Thomas squealed as he ran ahead of Gregor out of the bath, his chubby little legs carrying him forward. Gregor kept right behind him in case he fell and to help him down the numerous flights of stairs. That was the only thing Thomas couldn't do. Going up stairs he was fine, but he hadn't managed to go down a flight without issue.

The hospital wing came into view not too much time later. Thomas churned his little legs and 'raced' Gregor to Luxa's room. Gregor walked a pace behind the little boy, listening to the giggles that erupted from his mouth every time he looked back and saw himself still ahead. Gregor just loved to watch him having fun and laughing. It was just like having a little sibling, except this was more. He enjoyed it like he saw father's enjoying playing with their kids.

Thomas tried to push open the door to Luxa's room, but the door wouldn't budge. He looked up to Gregor, "Open." Gregor smiled and picked Thomas up into his arms and gently pushed on the door. He didn't want it to crash open and wake up Luxa if she was still asleep. As the door opened he saw his worries were pointless. Vikus was sitting next to Luxa and the two were talking.

"... they will not take you off the throne, Luxa. I will not allow it. There is no pre-" Vikus was saying before he noticed Gregor standing stunned in the door. When Gregor had seen Vikus there he had frozen not sure what to do. He was almost positive their conversation was not meant for his ears or anyone else's.

"Sorry for interrupting. Just was dropping this little squirt off. I gotta get going," Gregor said as he put Thomas on the floor and gave him a small push. Thomas took off towards Luxa's bed and Luxa smiled at him as she pulled him up onto her bed. She looked at Gregor and he just smiled at her. "I'll come back later, Luxa. This," Gregor said gesturing towards her and Vikus, "is much more important than me having a few minutes with you."

Luxa looked like she wanted to say something, but she stopped when both Gregor and Vikus gave her a look that said "don't question it". Gregor waved to the two of them as he pulled the door closed behind him. As he walked down the hall, he let out a deep sigh. He knew exactly what they had been talking about. Luxa feared that if she couldn't have a kid then she wouldn't be allowed to be the queen. She hadn't told him, but from the small snippet he had heard he knew it was what she was thinking. The entire concept seemed ridiculous to him. She had brokered peace with almost every species in the underland besides the stingers and the cutters. She had made the city larger and more prosperous than any time in the past fifty years, and it had taken her only a few years to do it. If anyone deserved to be the ruler- the queen- it was her.

He knew the people that would think of taking her out of power would be the council that still existed to help Luxa, even though she was the coronated queen. The helped by executing Luxa's orders and acting as judge and jury for trials. Luxa was allowed to attend, but she had no vote. She had no say in the trial. No ruler had for a century. It was one of those rules that seemed to be more democratic than the rest of the system they ran under.

He wasn't sure how they had the power to remove her from power and appoint a new ruler, but if it happened, he would be right at Luxa's side as would Vikus and Mareth and Perdita. They were loyal to Luxa. They were more than that even. They were her friends and her family. No matter what happened, Gregor would find a way to keep her in power no matter what he had to do.

It was getting later, and Gregor didn't have the time to go and sit down for breakfast with the others. Not that there were many to eat with. Margaret, Howard, Hazard, and maybe York and Susannah. They hadn't been out much since Stellovet was taken. York, if seen, was often drinking and Susannah spent most of her time in the hospital. Gregor almost never saw either of them.

He changed his path and detoured past the kitchen just to grab something to put in his stomach and something to wake him up. The kitchen wasn't super busy, but there were people putting together some food and drink. Gregor went to them and looked at the food. He grabbed some bread and a glass of juice. He chugged down the juice and refilled the glass again from the jug. As soon as it hit his stomach he felt more energized and the weariness left him. He scoffed down the slices of bread and was gone. He carried the juice with him as he speed walked through the halls, taking sips as he went. The last drops left the cup and went down his throat right as a servant went past him.

"Can you take this back to the kitchen?" Gregor asked him. The man took the cup and bowed to him before heading back the way Gregor came. Now that he was watered and fed, Gregor felt much better. He picked up the pace and he jogged through the halls towards the tactics room. He passed numerous servants and guards and the occasional important person. He looked like he was the only one that had anything urgent to do. He was also the only one who would probably be yelled at for being late. Servants were hardly yelled at ever and were treated nicely unless they totally messed up, which was more than he could say for himself.

The tactics room came into view and Gregor slowed to a walk. Light streamed into the hallway and he could hear muted voices inside. Mareth and Perdita were seated at the long table when he walked in the door.

"Good Morning," Gregor said as he stood next to the table.

"Greetings, Gregor," Mareth replied first as he stood from his chair. "Did you not visit Luxa this morning?"

"I dropped by, but she was busy. I didn't want to be late either."

"Yes, being late is not very enjoyable. I will leave you to Perdita." Mareth saluted to his commander and left the room.

"I still do not understand why he salutes. We are friends and I think of him as an equal," Perdita said with a shake of her head. "Sit, Gregor. How is Luxa this morning?"

"I didn't really ask, but she looked the same as when I visited her last night. Didn't really have time to talk with her. Vikus and her were busy when I arrived."

"Of course. But it is good you are here and earlier than normal I might add." Perdita reached into the seat next to her and picked up a pouch which she placed in front of Gregor. "Here is your payment for the week."

Gregor picked up the bag and realized it felt heavier than normal. He undid the drawstring and looked inside. He counted and realized that he had almost double the pay. There were 10 pounds and some change inside. Perdita had a big smile on her face when Gregor looked up at her.

"You have done much and more these past few weeks. I have given you extra pay for the work. It is only fair."

"Thanks, Perdita," Gregor muttered out as he got up from his chair, his mind focused on if he would have enough to buy his sword. He would have to go and check to see just how much he had and hope it totaled minimum fifty pounds.

"Ehem." Gregor spun around, remembering what he was there for. He let all his joy erase itself from his face as he faced Perdita and waited for his daily tasks. She looked at him, her face serious, and then she smiled. "You are free for the day Gregor. You have done plenty these last few days and I believe you deserve a day to yourself."

"Are you sure?" Gregor asked, not wanting to let himself get overjoyed again. "Are you positive you can get by without me?"

"Oh yes. If I need something sent I can have another do it. Ivan has the day off as well." She added the last bit with a wink. Gregor was excited at the news. It was the other thing he was worried about. If Ivan was working on producing parts for the ballistae he couldn't possibly sell Gregor the sword.

"Well, if that's all, I think I'll get going. Got some important stuff to do." And then Gregor was running through the halls back the way he came. He blew past curtains sending them billowing in his wake. Servants pulled out of his way and Gregor spun around people who didn't seem to want to move. He either leaped down the stairs or took them three at a time. The bag of money was clenched tightly in his hand.

He couldn't have been happier when he reached his room. The drawer with his money in it was open faster than he thought possible, but it didn't matter. He pulled the bags out and dumped their contents on to his bed. He quickly sorted out the three coin types and counted away.

"Damnit," Gregor muttered under his breath when he was finished counting. The pay hadn't been perfectly even every week, sometimes it was more than normal. But the big problem was he was just a little over one pound short of the sword. He had forty-eight pounds, six shillings, and eight pence. And he would have to wait another week before he could go buy the sword. One week to long.

"I'm just gonna go talk to Ivan about it and see if we could just work something out," Gregor thought to himself as he put his money back into the bags and into the drawer. It was his best shot to obtain the one thing he wanted. If Ivan didn't agree with him, then the sword was lost forever to whomever came in and wanted it. "Might as well just get it over with," he said to himself as he strode from his room.

The streets were crowded when Gregor stepped off the lift. The number of differing smells filled his nostrils and he felt free again. Baking food, burning torches, dung, and so many other unique scents assaulted his nose. It was glorious and reminded him of New York with its varying scents. He felt at home.

The crowd parted before him and let him through as he worked his way down the main street past stalls and wagons and so much more. A man was entertaining a small group of people with music he was playing from a pipe shaped instrument that Gregor didn't recognize. It was closest to a flute in shape, but it was played like a clarinet. In his haste he didn't stop to listen but for a second and what he heard sounded phenomenal.

A person leaned out of building's window a few stories up and shouted down crude words to the people below. They retracted and slammed the shutter closed. Now it really was feeling like New York. The familiar scent of a forge loomed not far ahead of him as he squeezed between two women who didn't want to step back from their conversation and didn't even seem bothered with him as he pushed between their rather larger bodies.

Ivan's store seemed to be empty when Gregor walked in through the front door. There was nobody working the forge, but it was lit and burning. His eyes scanned the counter and the first few rows of shelves for any sign of life inside the building. A bell caught his eye sitting on the counter and he walked forward and rang it. The sound was sharp and sweet, a perfect note that did nothing to annoy the ear.

Ivan appeared to Gregor's right not even a few seconds later. It was remarkable how he could move and not be heard or seen. A large smile was on his small face and his arms were spread wide.

"Greetings, Gregor. How can I be of assistance? Is there something our fair Perdita needs done this day?"

"Not at all Ivan. Like you I happen to have a day off. And I got paid this morning."

"That is wonderful news. With you being here I assume you have enough to purchase the blade I am keeping for you." Ivan walked behind the counter and pulled a bundle out from underneath it. He flipped the cloth to the side and revealed the grand sword to Gregor's eyes.

"Well that's kinda why I'm here." Gregor's eyes were locked onto the sword as he soaked in every inch of it again. "I'm just a pound off the price tag, and was wondering if there was a way we could talk about this." Ivan's face lost its friendliness and went to pure seriousness.

"My work is sold at a certain price and that is the price it will sell at. I will not lower the price no matter who it is that comes in my store. Even the warrior," Ivan had kept his voice level the entire time, but it was obvious he was unhappy. Gregor pulled his eyes off the sword and looked Ivan in the face.

"I don't want you to lower the price. If you just let me buy the sword with what I have now, I'll pay the rest and extra when I get paid next. You'll get the full price, just a tiny amount a week later."

"No," was all Ivan had to say.

"C'mon. I really want the blade more than anything. I'd do anything for the blade! Anything man! I'd kill for the blade if I had to!"

"You will not get any advantage over another buyer because you think you are special. In my store you are equal with every other man. If you do not have the money for the blade and you do not plan on purchasing anything else, I would ask you to leave and to not come back until you do." Gregor locked his eyes with Ivan's and scowled at him. He was determined to not be the first one to look away. He failed. Ivan had an unbearable stare and he almost never blinked.

"I'll get the sword one way or another, Ivan!" Gregor yelled to the man as he left the store. "I will be back!" His emotions were boiling in his chest and he didn't look at where he was going until he slammed into something. Make that someone. Gregor flicked his furious eyes up and sae Roderick's face.

"Sorry," Gregor muttered as he quickly walked away, trying to get as far away from the store as he could. Roderick watched him go before he turned and walked into the store. Unbeknownst to both of them someone else had entered the store, under the cover of dark cloak.

Gregor shoved his hands into his pockets and he forced his way through the people of the streets without even caring. People shouted at him and complained of his brusqueness, but he didn't care. He was furious at himself and at Ivan because he had let himself get too emotional and because he wasn't currently carrying the most beautiful sword he had ever seen. He looked up from his feet and something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. A group of fliers were heading towards the palace. And a rat was riding on the largest.

Gregor knew who it was in an instant. His anger quickly left his bloodstream and was replaced with anticipation and hope. Hope that Stellovet had been found and was currently in that group of fliers. His hands left his pockets and he picked up his pace as he shoved through the crowd that was in front of him. If he had been rude before, then he was being the most disrespectful being on the planet now. He knocked people over, sent things flying, and startle animals as he made a mad dash through the street. He ran right past the man with the cool instrument and startled him so much that he nearly swallowed it.

His feet pounded the cobble as he burst out of the crowd and raced towards the palace wall and the lift that would carry him back up into it. His breath was becoming slightly labored as he pushed himself the last couple hundred yards. This was as fast as he was running and was not a pace he could manage for very long; he ran distance not sprints. Luckily for him he didn't need to as he leapt onto the lift and yanked on the rope. The lift shot up as he placed his hands on his knees to steady his breathing. A few quick deep breaths and his lungs stopped begging for air and his heart rate started to return to normal. He stood and looked down as the ground grew farther and farther away.

The lift reached the end and Gregor took one last look at the city. From the height he was at the people looked like ants and the buildings like toy blocks. But that wasn't important. He stepped off the lift and jumped right into a jog with a pace that would get him through the hallways of the palace in just minutes.

All he heard was the pounding of his feet on the floor and his own steady breathing. He didn't hear the other set of footfalls that were heading towards him around the bend in the hall right in front of him. As he turned the corner he slammed right into a man bigger than him and he found himself sprawled on the floor.

"Overlander, I have been looking for you," the man said as Gregor climbed back to his feet. "You are requested in the -."

"I know, I know," Gregor said cutting him off before he pushed passed him and was off down the hall again. As he turned down the now familiar hallway and the tactics room came into view, he didn't slow down as he had in the morning. He put one foot down in front of the other faster than he needed to and raced the last couple dozen yards to the door. His boots squeaked against the floor as he skidded to a halt right at the door and he wind milled his arms to keep his balance.

"Gregor, you are here quicker than I expected," Perdita said as he walked into the room. Compared to his meeting this morning the room was packed. Eisen and Ripred sat at the table with food and drink in front of them, and several of their men sat further down in the same fashion. All of them looked bone tired as if they hadn't slept in days.

"Yea. I saw them fly over the city as they headed towards the palace, so I came back just in case."

Eisen stood from his chair and wiped his mouth on a napkin. His face was dirty and a rough amount of stubble could be seen on his jaw. His entire appearance was disheveled and rough. His clothes were torn and he carried a heavy odor.

"I do believe you are not needed at the time, overlander. Please leave," Eisen said to Gregor. Or should it be commanded. Gregor stood there defiant, knowing that he had been summoned by Perdita to be there.

"Eisen, sit back down. I have asked Gregor to join us as he has been doing much work with the city while you have been gone. Gregor, please take a seat as well." He nodded to her and took his seat next to Ripred. "Good now, let us begin."

"We left the battlefield in pursuit of the stinger forces, but as soon as we had ventured into the tunnels we knew that there was a small chance that we would find them. The tunnels branched off in numerous different directions and it was difficult to track them.

"We endured and searched on, but we found no trace of the main force or of Stellovet. All we encountered were small scouting parties that we did not engage but avoided. The longer we searched the less chance we had at finding her, so we turned back."

"Is that all, Eisen?" Perdita asked him sensing that there was more to the story.

"Of course there is more, Perdita," Ripred spoke up. "We were coming back here to do exactly what we are doing now when one of our scouts flew up to us and reported that the stingers had attacked a gnawer settlement. With all haste we changed our direction and went to assist them.

"We found the settlement, but there were no stingers still there. The entire population was killed, all hundred or so of them."

"Why was I not informed of this attack?" Perdita asked with a bit of anger in her tone.

"I did not believe that it was important after we had found the settlement destroyed," Eisen explained. It was a poor excuse, but it was the only excuse he had.

"Is that all you have to report, Eisen?"

"Yes."

"You are dismissed then," Perdita said before she strutted from the room.

Gregor sat calmly in his seat as he thought of the outcome of the venture. They hadn't located or even found a possible place where Stellovet could have been taken. They hadn't really done much of anything. He had done more in the city than the entire group had done while out searching.

"Overlander," Eisen said pulling Gregor out of his thoughts, "where can I find our queen? I wish to see her to make sure she is okay." A scowl crossed Gregor's face at the words.

"She's doing fine and she's probably asleep anyway," Gregor said getting very defensive.

"That is fine. I still wish to see her. Where is she?"

"Down in the hospital, of course. I'm not sure they'll let you visit her now anyway."

"And why is that?"

"You're filthy and they don't like that in the hospital," Gregor said as a sly smile replaced his scowl.

"I will bathe then. Is there something you are not informing me of, Overlander? Is there something I need to know?" Eisen's eyes focused on Gregor and he lowered his eyebrows.

"Not hiding anything from you at all. Luxa is in the hospital and she is doing just fine, which is all you asked for and is what I told you."

"Do not take attitude with me, Overlander. I still have control over you. It would be smart of you to remember that." And with those words Eisen prowled out of the room.

Gregor felt happy that he had spited Eisen, even though there was no reason for it. Eisen still may want to be with Luxa, but Gregor knew it was impossible. Luxa and him were in a relationship that had no breaking point. There was nothing that could split them apart.

"Boy," Ripred snarled at Gregor from the door. He hadn't even seen the rat get up from the table. "Get over here." With a sigh Gregor climbed from the table and walked towards the door. Of course, Ripred still called him boy, but his mind drifted to the words he had overheard Perdita saying the other day. He was a man and he was not even close to a little boy anymore. That had disappeared long ago.

"I'm not a boy, Ripred. I'm a man."

"Oh, shut it," Ripred yelped at him with ferocity, that Gregor shut his mouth in an instant. "At least you can still take orders. Now what was that back there?"

"What was what?" Gregor asked trying to avoid the question.

"You know what I'm talking about. Spit it out!"

"Fine. I just like to toy with Eisen because he thinks he still has a chance with Luxa and is totally oblivious to how me and Luxa really feel about each other."

"That is the most obvious thing. It radiated off of you the entire time you were talking. And who is to say that it is written in stone that you and our queeny will stay together?"

"I would assume that I would have the say in that," Gregor replied with a bit of a laugh.

"That's not a laughing matter. You have no say in anything down here. I'm just gonna warn you to watch your back and try to hide your relationship better. It can be quite obnoxious at times." Ripred finished and sauntered off in a different direction than Gregor. His last few words seemed to be etched in his head. He hid his relationship as best as he could simply because he didn't want to be forced into an outsider and hated. But was he really not hiding it that well.

Most of his friends knew of his and Luxa's relationship, but how many others did? It wasn't something he truly thought about. Most of the doctors could probably tell and maybe the servants, but the guards and the soldiers and the regular citizens couldn't know. Neither of them broadcasted it to anyone, but sometimes things happen and people can figure it out like Susannah did. But of course Ripred wouldn't warn him about it if it was nothing.

There would be people that would want him dead if they found out about him and Luxa. He could easily be assaulted in the streets or have an assassin sent after him. Anything was possible. And if it was possible than it would have to be taken as probable. That there was a chance that a random pure hearted citizen would not want an overlander ruling over the city even if there was no rule against it. Even some of the powerful people in Regalia would not agree with it. He could think of one very easily.

"But why should I care. I'm going to listen to my heart and not my head," Gregor said to himself as he strolled through the halls. "I have nothing and no one to fear. And no reason to either. I'm just going to let my life play out in front of me and hope for the best. I will make it the best if I have to. Nothing could make me feel bad about myself and how I am living my life. Nothing will stop me from being who I am."

Gregor felt good about himself. The best he had felt in quite a while. It seemed that it took someone telling him to do something or to be careful or something like that for him to figure out what he needed to, even if he hadn't been down in the dumps.

He took in his surroundings and saw that by habit, he had wandered into the high hall. A flier was departing with a rider on its back. Gregor watched them fly off and wished he could have Artemese back so he could just go fly off and think for a little bit or have someone he could talk to. Instead he was stuck with silent, gloomy Ptolomus that only helped him if he was assigned to do it. It was no fun for either of them.

An urge drew him towards the balcony, and he looked out over the city. From the height he was at, everything looked small. The glow from the fields was barely visible and the wall was just a line on the so called horizon. The immense number of torches flickered and the light seemed to move in ways that it didn't when you were on the ground. He leaned over and looked down to the clear area directly below the palace. His focus cut out and his fear of heights overtook him.

He took a step back and slumped to the floor, resting against the wall of the rail. It was peaceful and calm there. No one bothered him and there was nothing really happening in the high hall either. It was the time of the day where everybody tried to relax for a little. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

The sound of laughter drew him from his daydream. He opened one eye and saw Mareth and Perdita walking towards the Balcony, laughing about something. Gregor pushed himself up from the floor to the surprise of the pair.

"Gregor, I did not see you there," Mareth said.

"It's fine man. It's probably better anyway that I got up. Never know if there's gonna be something to do."

"That is very true," Perdita agreed with him. "I am sorry we interrupted your…" She left the sentence hanging not sure what Gregor had been doing.

"I was just daydreaming about stuff," Gregor filled in for her. "Nothing really important. I guess I'll leave you two alone for now."

"You do not have to do that, Gregor," Mareth said, obviously just trying to be nice.

"Its fine, man. Really. You two have a bit of fun. I have some stuff I need to do anyway."

As Gregor started to walk away, the heavy sound of many hurried footfalls, reached his ears. Both Mareth and Perdita heard it as well, as they both stopped and listened closer. From the far end of the high hall, Roderick and a group of ten soldiers rushed towards them. Roderick's face had fury etched in every line. It burned in his pupil's like twin flames.

"YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Roderick screamed as him and the soldier's spread out around him.

"I didn't do anything," Gregor replied, curious of what Roderick was doing.

"Liar! Guards arrest him!" he ordered and the men closed in on Gregor, their hands gripping their weapons. Both Mareth and Perdita sprang towards Gregor, but were cut off by the soldier's as they surrounded him.

"What did I do that you need to arrest me!?" Gregor yelled at Roderick who stood outside the circle of soldiers.

"Murder," was the one word that left Roderick's mouth. Both Mareth and Perdita were screaming that it wasn't possible and that Roderick was out of line, but Gregor didn't really hear much of it. He was more concerned with why Roderick was accusing him of murder and who it was that Roderick thought he murdered. The guards inched closer and Gregor's hand reached for his sword. As his hand grabbed the hilt, something struck his hand and he pulled his hand back. He felt his belt fall from his waist and his sword with it.

He was weaponless against ten men that each were holding a sword or a club. The ods were highly against him, but he wasn't going to let them arrest him for nothing. He wasn't going to go without a fight when he had done no wrong. He kicked away the split belt , so he wouldn't trip over it, and then he lunged for the closest man. He grabbed his sword arm and twisted it, knocking the sword out of his hand. With a quick flick of his wrist, Gregor set the man off balance and followed it up with a palm strike to the brow. The man slumped over unconscious.

"Apprehend him, NOW!" Gregor heard Roderick yell and the soldier's pressed him harder. A sword cut into his arm and that was it. He had been holding back his rager ability so he wouldn't kill any of the solider's, but now he was hard pressed to keep it down. A club swung down on his left, and he quickly back stepped out of the way. Quicker than a snake can strike, Gregor had grabbed the man's arm and flipped him over into one of the other soliders. The two men sprawled on the ground in a heap.

He sensed one of them coming up behind him and he spun around, leaping into the air. His foot swung around and connected with the side of the mans head. He fell to the floor like a sack of flour. The other six guards all pressed him at the same time, and he felt a club slam into his back and then another into the back of his head. He stumbled and fell to the floor. The pressure of a knee against his upper back kept him from getting back up. His arms were pulled together and he felt restraints slipped onto his wrists. He pulled against them and tried to snap them, but the leather held tight. He felt another pair slide on to his ankles, and he knew his fight was over.

A foot kicked him in the stomach and he curled up as all the air was forced out of his lungs. Another blow sank into the lower portion of his back, and another rained down onto his legs. The guards rained blows down on his arms and legs and kicked him over and over. He could hear Perdita yelling at them to stop. The sound of metal on leather and the glint of light off of a blade told him someone had drawn their sword and was holding it over him.

The beating stopped, and he was forced to his feet. A guard in front of him spat on Gregor's face and laughed at him, as he was marched away to the dungeons. He could only hope that Perdita and Mareth could help him get out. Or Luxa could do something about it. That was his only hope now. Fighting could only go so far. Now he had to hope for some help from his friends. He couldn't win this alone. But he felt more alone than ever as he was forced into the cell. The bond on his ankles was removed, and they rebound his hands in front of him.

The stone door slammed shut and left Gregor alone with nothing but his hopes.

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**This was a fun chapter to write and I really enjoyed trying to make it get you guys wondering. Please, please, please tell me what you think of it. I want to hear every single person's opinion on this chapter.**

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**Question: Who did Gregor supposedly murder?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Holy crap guys. I' m back again with chapter 19 this time. This chapter for some reason took me four days to write. I kept trying to write it, but then I would just hit a block and would be unable to keep going. You might even be able to see it in the chapter if the sentence structure shifts slightly. Personally this is my least favorite chapter so far just because of how hard it was for me to write. Basically it's a plot chapter with no action and a lot of stuff. **

**So this chapter I wrote listening to the band White Penumbra. I really encourage you guys to check them out on soundcloud. They only have a few songs, but I've been listening to them endlessly.**

**So read and enjoy this chapter guys.**

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**Chapter 19**

The air settled around him. The silence was brooding. They had left him alone and he had no idea why. There was nothing he had done. No proof he had committed any crime or anything like that. All there was were the words of one man and one man only. And as far as he could tell that could be overturned quite easily. His friends would have the ability to get him out of here. There was no one with more say than Perdita or Mareth or Eisen. And of course Luxa. As soon as she found out, someone was going to get hurt. A small crept across his face. He was in good hands.

His arm throbbed from the gash in it and his body ached from the beating the guards had laid on him. Blood ran a slow course down his arm from the wound, but he could nothing about it. His arms ached and his back and stomach were filled with pangs of hurt if he moved to suddenly.

The cell they had put him in was small. Smaller than any other he had ever been in or seen. And there was nothing in it. The floor was cold stone. The walls all made of stone. The ceiling stone. They held the cold, unmoving air inside and the cell felt as if it was cooling down each and every second. He could feel goose bumps rising up and down his arms and his body started a slow shiver. It was impossible for him to try to warm himself up because his hands were bound in front of him with leather bonds that bit into his wrists.

He tugged against them, but it only caused them to dig in deeper. He brought them to his mouth and tried to bite through them, but the leather was much too thick. His blades were gone, so that ruled out cutting them apart. The door fit so tightly into the wall that not even a smidgen of light came into the cell, no new air, no sound could penetrate the thickness of it. He yelled for a blanket or for someone to lose his bonds, but if they heard him they didn't come.

Gregor swore. And he swore again. And again and again. He brought his head down between his knees and bit his lip to stop from screaming. He was going to lose his mind and he hadn't even been in the cell for more than a few minutes. Imprisonment wasn't so bad if you could use your hands, but that was almost impossible for him to do. All he could do was probably eat and use the bathroom.

The corner was an easy place for him to curl up into a ball. His back fit nicely, and he pulled his knees up to his chest and between his arms. Anything he could do to keep some body heat. A small rumble left his stomach and he realized that he hadn't eaten in quite a while. And now here he was unsure when he would be fed, if that would ever happen. Things just seemed to keep getting worse.

He shook and twisted at the bonds and cried out in pain when the cut into his skin. A small trickle of blood ran down his thumbs and dripped onto the floor, joining the small pool that was already there. He watched the small drops fall from his fingertip and hit the floor with a small splash. His eyes clenched shut and he tried to force himself to not hear. He didn't want to see his predicament. He wanted to forget that he was stuck in a six by six box like an animal. It was worse than being an animal. They at least had food and light and something to lay on. There was nothing for him at all. Not even somewhere to relieve himself.

As soon as the thought popped into his head, he felt the familiar sensation that he had to use the bathroom. That was something else he hadn't done in a while. The urge was so strong he couldn't hold it for long. It was impossible. The farthest corner from him was his best place to go. On hands and knees he crawled over and dropped his pants. The puddle expanded in front of him and he tried to keep it contained to just the one corner.

He was extremely careful as he backed away to not tip over into his new 'bathroom'. That was the one thing he didn't want. It was easy due to his echolocation to get himself back to his corner where he hunkered back down. His body shook, but it wasn't because of the temperature. A wave of sadness overtook his body. A wave of anger and hatred and confusion. Warm tears beaded up in the corner of his eyes and traced paths down his cheeks. It was sudden and unexpected. Gregor never cried; never let anything get to him. But this was different. This was unjust. Unfair. Uncalled for. And just plain wrong. He was being treated worse than an animal, but he was human. A human who did nothing wrong.

His hatred started to build. It started with Roderick. He was the one who had had him arrested. The one who had brought all of this upon him. And then it spread to the soldiers who had actually arrested him. They were just doing their jobs, but he still hated them for it. They had beaten him even though it was in retaliation for how he had resisted and fought them. His anger spread further to Mareth and Perdita, who had done nothing except stand around and yell about how he was innocent. Neither of them had tried to stop them, had tried to fight them with him. It was just as much their fault that he was there.

His anger spread so far as to include all of Regalia. Every single person that lived there, including Luxa. They had done nothing, but it was their city that he was helping and assisting. It was _her _city and _her_ cell that he was stuck in. And she didn't do anything to help him. Gregor was being unfair, obviously, because Luxa was still stuck in the hospital. What Gregor didn't know was that she had ordered him released, but her order had not been followed.

Gregor's anger bowled over and he let out a brutal scream, "WHY ME!? WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME! I WORK MY TAIL OFF ALWAYS TO GET TREATED LIKE A PILE OF SHIT! I ALMOST DIE AND I GET THROWN AWAY! I'M DONE! I CAN' TAKE ANYMORE OF THIS!"

He slumped over worn completely out. The endeavor had sapped all of the energy from his body and he was left tired, cold, and in emotional distress all alone in the dark. His head rested against the stone floor and his eyelids slid shut over his eyes. Fitfully he let himself fall into a turbulent sleep.

Gregor's eyes flickered open, and he immediately closed them again due to the light now streaming into his small cell. It was so intense he could still see it through his eyelids and it stung. He rolled his body over and faced the wall to try to alleviate the discomfort.

"Overlander, stand." The voice was gruff and rude. The words were a command and he had no choice but to stand unless he wanted to be beaten or screamed at. Gregor pushed himself to his feet, but did not look towards the light.

"Turn around." Gregor didn't turn. "I said TURN AROUND!" the voice screamed at him. Again Gregor didn't turn. He heard the sound of something being pulled from a belt and he 'saw' that it was a club of some kind. He braced himself for the blow, but it never came. He clicked and saw another person in the small cell. A woman.

"Gregor, why do you not turn?" Susannah asked.

"The light hurts my eyes is all," Gregor answered, relieved to hear a friendly voice.

"Your eyes shall adjust to it. You have not been in the dark for long enough for your eyes to have issue."

"How long has it been?"

"Pardon?" Susannah asked, understanding evading her.

"How long have I been locked in this tiny room?" Gregor asked with more aggression than he meant. Susannah hardly seemed to notice and if she did she didn't say anything about it.

"It has been almost a day. I have come to tend to your wounds." The older woman walked towards him and laid a hand on his arm. He tensed up because the contact felt foreign to him. He was wary of everyone now and he wasn't sure who he could trust. "Calm now, Gregor. I shall not hurt you." She turned to the guard. "Take this bond off of him. He has very little circulation in his hands." The guard approached, drew his dagger, and slit the bond. The leather snapped back and Gregor nearly screamed in agony as blood flowed back into his hands. His wrists were chaffed severely when Susannah removed the leather from them.

"Where do you hurt the worst?" she asked as she looked over his body.

"My arm here and a spot on my lower back," Gregor replied reluctantly, realizing that Susannah was truly here to help him. The doctor looked at his arm and called for a bag of medication. Gregor saw a quick glance of Howard as he carried the bag into his mother. Howard gave Gregor one look, but it was blank and empty. There was no emotion on it, almost as if Howard was trying to hide what he was thinking or feeling.

"This will sting a bit, dear," Susannah said as she rubbed a cream onto the wound. It stung like many bees stinging the same spot over and over. And then his arm was going numb. He caught a quick glance of Susannah as she threaded a needle with a fine thread and proceeded to stick it into his skin. He felt nothing as she sewed up the several inch long cut. She cleaned his wrist wounds next before turning her attention to his back.

"Show me where it hurts, please." Gregor pointed to his right side, just a little above his kidney. "Is it okay if I remove your shirt?" Gregor nodded. As he raised his stiff arms up and over his head, he felt his back tighten and he let out a groan of pain. Susannah quickly pulled his shirt off and had him lower his arms. As soon as they hit his sides, the pain in his back went away. He felt Susannah's hand probing around the area and felt her pushing and teasing his back.

"It appears that you have a severe contusion. It should be better in a few days." She took a step back and Gregor sunk back onto the floor pulling his shirt back on. There wasn't much else he could do. They still hadn't given him food or water and his throat was dryer than the Sahara desert. It was at that moment that his stomach gurgled and he pressed his hand against it to stifle the hunger pains.

"Have they not given you food?" Gregor shook his head. Susannah's head spun toward the guard, her anger obvious. "You have not given him food or drink. Why?"

"I was ordered to not allow him food or drink."

"By whom?" Susannah asked with a fury.

"Roderick."

"He has no power to deny a prisoner of basic subsistence. Also, where is he to relieve himself?" Susannah had noticed the smell of urine radiating from the corner. Gregor looked over at the vile smelling area. He had grown accustomed to the smell very quickly and hardly noticed it anymore.

"Roderick, commanded us to not give anything to him because of his crimes."

"Crimes that he has not been found guilty of. I want this cell cleaned and him to be given proper care as any prisoner would. Move him to a new cell if you must. This is not sanitary and I will not have him becoming ill."

"I do not see it mattering. His fate is sealed," the guard retorted. A crack filled the small cell as Susannah slapped the guard clean across the face. He reeled back dumbstruck at the sudden burst of violence. Gregor himself was stunned. He had never seen Susannah hit anyone.

"You do not decide his fate. That is up to the council and our queen. Unless you fill either spot you do not speak of it. Now move him to a new cell and make sure he is properly cared for." With that she stalked out of the room, giving Gregor a reassuring smile right before she disappeared around the corner.

Everything then seemed to happen very fast. The guard came out of his stunned manner and with two large steps was right next to Gregor. He grabbed the smaller man by the arm and heaved him out of the small cell. Gregor was so off balance he slammed into the hallway wall and slumped to the ground. The guard was on him again and he wrapped his beefy hand around Gregor's upper arm, half marching and half dragging him down the hall. With his free hand he grabbed a bundle of keys and picked the one he needed. The lock clicked, the door swung in, and Gregor followed, this time able to keep his feet. A bucket came flying in behind him and the door slammed shut. The key grinded in the lock and Gregor was alone again.

"So much for that," Gregor thought as he put the bucket in one corner and slumped back against the wall. He looked at his new cell and noticed that it was slightly larger in comparison to his last cell. Maybe seven foot by six foot this time. The biggest difference was the large iron rings hanging from the wall. They reminded Gregor of the dungeons of the medieval ages where you would be hung from your hands and beaten. Susannah's help may have just gotten him into a worse mess.

The sound of the key grinding in the lock was back and the door swung open again. A small woman quickly slid a tray in and the door slammed shut. On his hands and knees, he scurried over to the food. A loaf of bread and a jug of water was all there was, but for Gregor it was marvelous. After not eating for a day or more, he shoved chunks of bread into his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing. He chugged half of the jug of water before he stopped to catch his breath.

He crawled back to his corner and placed the jug next to him for later. It was best to save what he had just in case they didn't want to give him anything else. It seemed to him that he would be alone for a while. Alone with nothing to do in a dark cell with barely any space to do anything.

* * *

The days passed by slower than Gregor thought possible. He was judging the days on the regular delivery of food. He had guessed they were giving him food every twelve hours or so. Nine trays had already come and gone, so he was guessing it had been four and a half days that he had been in the cell. But the good thing was that he was being treated well enough. Enough food and someone took away his waste if the smell became too intolerable,

The ache in his back had slowly started to ease away and the cut on his arm barely hurt at all. His body, however, was so stiff because of how long he would sit curled up against the wall. Every so often he would try to do something to keep himself active and get his blood pumping. If he ever felt himself getting cold -which happened a lot less in this cell- he would run in place or do jumping jacks to warm up his extremities. When his back felt good, he would do sit-ups and curl-ups. Basic exercises that would just keep him feeling like he was doing something with his endless supply of time.

At the current moment in time, Gregor was doing one of these activities when he heard the lock clicking open. He sprang to his feet, his brow furrowed in confusion. It was several hours until he expected the servant to bring him his food. The door swung open and he had to shield his eyes from the glow of the torch that was right in the doorway. Through his half closed and covered eyes, he could see the silhouettes of a few people. They were rimmed black and only a few details could be seen. One was a glint of light on a gold circlet worn on someone's head.

Gregor dropped his hands and forced his eyes open. Luxa was standing there, flanked by two burly guards. He looked into her face to try to see what she was thinking. What she was feeling. But her face was obscured by the lack of light, and Gregor couldn't see anything.

"Luxa. Thank the lord you're here. Please tell me you are getting me out of this mess." Gregor's relief showed in his voice. It was the first person of importance to come see him since Susannah and he still had no idea what he was being accused of. Who he had supposedly killed. Luxa took a few steps into the room and Gregor finally got a good look at her face. Her eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot, bags were under her eyes, and she was shaky on her feet. He reached out a hand to help her keep her balance, but the motion of the guards starting to draw their swords caused him to pull his hand back.

"I cannot say that, Gregor. I am here to make sure you are being treated well and to inform you that your trial will be within the next two days." Luxa sounded tired, as if she hadn't slept in days. In fact she hadn't slept much at all since Gregor had been imprisoned.

"Are you serious, Luxa?" Gregor replied worried beyond belief. "I didn't do anything to have to go on trial for. I haven't even been told what I did."

Luxa seemed to be on the verge of tears and it took her a moment to regain herself before she could talk. She straightened her back and washed all the emotion off her face. "You shall be on trial for the murder of the master smith Ivan and the theft of his property by force."

"Wait a sec. I didn't kill Ivan. No way would I do that!" Gregor's voice was rising. "He was my friend and we had a disagreement that morning but I didn't kill him! I would never do that! Never ever!" Gregor was yelling. All of the anger that he didn't know was pent up in his chest was released at one time. "Do you not trust me, Luxa?! Huh! HUH!? You know me and would I ever do something like THAT!? Is there even evidence against me? I doubt it!"

Luxa was shocked at Gregor's unholy outburst of anger and rage. His words had stung against her almost as if he had physically slapped her after each one. She stood stock still as her eyes followed Gregor pace back and forth along the back wall of his small cell. He was wringing his hands together, the anger still clear on his face.

"Gregor," Luxa said softly, stopping Gregor in his tracks. "I do not know what to trust. It is your word versus the evidence and the evidence is very strong. I am not sure how to feel about this situation and it matters not what I know about you. Even the best can lose themselves. At this moment in time, I can say that whatever we had may be gone. I cannot say that I will find myself in the company of an accused murderer. Remember, your trial is in two days' time. Be prepared to defend yourself." With those words she was gone. The door slammed shut in the wall and the key grinded in the lock. It was silent as Gregor stood staring at the door. Luxa's words played over and over in his head. She had basically said in a queenly way that she could not love him anymore. What a mess he was in. Accused of a murder he didn't commit and had no knowledge of. Stuck in a cell with no way to know what was going on outside. And the love of his life, his girl, the reason he still wanted to live, said that she couldn't love him.

And that made Gregor angrier than he had just been. He felt a hot tear of anger bead up in his eyes, but he didn't brush it away. His head slammed against the wall, and his fists followed, pounding against the wall with the side of his hands. He stalked away around the room and kicked over his pail. The waste oozed out in a warm, steaming puddle. But Gregor had already thrown himself on the floor, in his corner as far away from the puddle of sludge as he could get. His pulled his knees up to his chest and let his tears flow. He let himself ball like a baby.

"Why me?" Gregor croaked through his tears and his tight throat. "Why is it always me? I can never just live a happy life. Everything bad seems to happen to me and I hate it." And he let his last ounce of anger out. "I hate them all! I truly hate every single one of them! Never will I say I love them again!"

* * *

Another day had passed and Gregor had hardly moved from where he was. He laid, curled up, on the floor in the corner and had only left to get the food they had brought him. And even then he had barely touched the bread. His appetite was long gone and all he wanted was water to wet his parched throat. His mind was focused on the upcoming events and not his current state. He had in those 6 short days already lost several pounds and was lacking the energy to do much. Had he been able to smell himself, he would have probably gagged. And his clothing had taken a beating as well.

The door pushed open and Gregor reluctantly sat up to look at who was there. Instead of the small servant lady, there were two guards, one male and one female. A clean set of clothes was tossed to him and he stripped out his dirty and stained ones. The new clothes felt smooth against his skin as he pulled them on. He removed his torn and soiled pants and slid into a new pair that were longer than the normal ones he wore. He slid his boots back on and stood before the guards. The female one took out a small bottle and sprayed its contents onto Gregor. It smelled sweet and was obviously there to cover his stench.

The male guard pulled out a leather bond and forced Gregor to place his hands behind his back. The bonds tightened and Gregor was force marched out of the cell. The brightness of the torches in the hall was worse than he had thought. The small amount that would enter his cell when the door was opened usually stung his eyes. The innumerable amount of torches that lined the halls of the palace forced him to keep his eyes shut because it felt like his retina would catch on fire if he didn't.

Gregor after about a minute slowly opened his eyes and let the light in. It hurt, but not as much as he had thought. He gritted his teeth and let his eyes adjust to the light again. He was marched up a flight of stairs and they passed many people. They all gave him looks of resentment and disgust. Several of them spat at his feet, but one lady had the balls to spit in his face. The guards laughed as Gregor tried to wipe the warm saliva off of his check. He was feeling like dirt and was treated like it as well.

A swell of noise reached Gregor's ears as they turned a corner a few minutes later. A pair of large stone doors stood closed, but the noise was obviously coming from behind it. The male guard shoved Gregor forward towards the doors, and the female guard stuck her leg out in front of him. Gregor tumbled forward and with his hands tied behind his back had no way to brace himself. He slammed into the cold stone landing on his cheek. A large hand hoisted him up by the back of his shirt and he was placed back on his feet.

"Stay on your feet!" the male guard yelled at him as the female one laughed. The sound of footsteps down the hall caused all three of them to turn their heads. Two people were walking towards them and Gregor was relieved to see that he knew them. Mareth and Perdita were side by side as they moved closer to Gregor and the trial. The guards saluted their superiors before Perdita dismissed them with a wave of her hand. They stalked away obviously mad that they hadn't had more time to beat up on Gregor before he was needed in the room.

"Are you alright, Gregor?" Perdita asked as she took his face in her hands.

"Yea, I'm alright for being locked up for six days and treated like a pile of shit."

"Watch your language, Gregor," Mareth scolded him. "We are here to help you. We are not your enemies, remember that."

"Yea, whatever," Gregor replied not trusting his older friend at all. "Is it time for this trial to begin?"

"Indeed," Mareth said, as he pushed open the two doors and a wave of sound and heat assaulted Gregor. It was time for his fate to be decided and he wasn't sure what to expect. He wasn't sure if he would be walking away from this with his life. If he had to he would try to pull the oldest medieval trick he could. He would try to ask for a trial by combat if that was even allowed.

He took a tentative step into the room, his life hanging on a balance with only a fifty percent chance he would walk out a free man.

* * *

**Lots of fun stuff to happen next chapter guys. I'm really wanting to start writing it right after I post this, but I have to go do some history homework and stuff like that. School always comes first. I'm going to try to have chapter 20 up in less than a week this time, but it all depends on the amount of school work I'm given.**

* * *

**Question: What evidence is there against Gregor?**


	20. Chapter 20

**Oh my gosh guys! I can't believe I'm back to writing. As soon as I posted that update for you guys I went right to reading through the first 19 chapters and boy had I written a dozy of a story so far. Of course, I had forgotten what I had intended for the all the plot points, but I did remember some of them. Some of the stuff I came up with is actually in this chapter already. The ultimate end is staying the same and so I don't forget I wrote it all down. This story is going to be finished. Anyway here is chapter 20 and it picks up right away from where chapter 19 left off 10 months ago. Here you go guys. Enjoy!**

**P.S. I wrote this listening to Hollywood Undead, particularly their new album Day of the Dead. **

* * *

**Chapter 20**

The room was crowded. Not just crowded, but packed to a breaking point. People jostled around and over each other for a seat and several shoving matches broke out all over the seating. The noise was mostly concealed to the 'stands'. The council, which was acting as judge and jury, were relatively quiet with only the occasional man or woman leaning over to whisper to their neighbor.

Gregor's eyes scanned the room and he caught site of the one group of people he wanted to see. Margaret, Hazard, Vikus, and Nerissa were sitting off to the side and were the only viewers that weren't talking. They looked calm, but Gregor could tell that they were nervous for him. His sister was obviously very tense and he could see it even from where he was standing.

His eyes then caught another group of silent people. Luxa, Howard, Susannah, and York sat right next to the council members. A few seats down from them was Eisen, who had the most nervous look of everyone in the room. It was odd to say the least, for someone who wasn't close to him to be nervous for him. On the other hand, Luxa sat straight and her face was a blank slate. After what she had told him, he didn't seem to care that much. He was angry at her for not supporting him.

The room finally seemed to notice him standing in the doorway, and the noise dropped to the faintest of whispers as the last stragglers hissed at others as they tried to find seats. The council members straightened in their seats and their faces all took on the same stern looks. Only one person wasn't sitting.

"Gregor!" came the shout from his right. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, Margaret," Gregor replied back as he proceeded into the room. "I'm fine and everything is going to be okay. You got that?" Gregor had to be strong for his sister. She was still young and he was all that she had left. He had to put on a face of confidence even when he had no idea what was going to happen.

"Y-y-yea." The reply came, choked on tears. He watched as his sister sat down and Vikus wrap his good arm around her shoulder. She was in his good hands for now, which left Gregor feeling a bit better. He had forgotten all about his sister in the hecticness of the days before his imprisonment and while he was stuck in his cell just worried about not losing his mind.

Mareth and Perdita guided him to the raised dais in the center of the room. He walked up the small flight of stairs and stood at the railing that surrounded the white stone of the platform. His friends took position on his sides and he felt something he hadn't thought he would feel: confidence. He still wasn't too fond of his friends, but if they were willing to defend him and stand with him then it meant the world to him. He could feel confidence when there were people that he had known and trusted many times before standing with him, ready to fight with him for his innocence.

He felt pressure on his bonds and then the leather snapped apart and his wrists were free. They were sore from how tight they had kept them bound and he could feel the sharp tingle as blood flowed back into his hands. Involuntarily he rubbed his wrists and he looked at the scabbed over cuts that were still there from his first night in them. He was basically in perfect health minus the few cuts he had which were almost healed as well. It made him feel strong and sturdy instead of weak and disheveled like the court probably would have wanted him.

"Are you feeling okay, Gregor?" Mareth whispered to him without diverting his eyes from the council members in front of them. They were seated and waiting for the head of the council to start the trial. The member in question was in silent conversation with someone Gregor easily recognized: Roderick.

"Yea. I'm feeling alright, Mareth. I'm innocent so I'm not worried one bit about this," Gregor replied hiding his slight anxiety like a professional. He wasn't so sure if he should worry or not. If he should be scared of what will happen to him. He didn't have the support of his best friend and she was the one person who could possibly help him. She may have no say in the trial, but there was always the chance for a pardon. Luxa was the one and only person who could give a criminal a pardon as Gregor was well aware of. His thoughts drifted back to Nerissa pardoning him and Ares all those years back. Gregor shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts. They mattered not in his current predicament. There was a chance Luxa could provide him a pardon. That of course relied on how she felt with the court decision and as of the last time they had talked he wasn't sure how Luxa felt. Her actions told him that she was leaning towards him being guilty, but they also had been hiding something. Something he couldn't put his finger on and something he hadn't even thought of until now. Obviously, she knew more about the accusations against him and there was much that could have transpired while he was locked away.

His eyes shifted over to where Luxa was seated and he looked at her. She seemed paler than normal and her face had the same look as when he had seen her the days previous. Her eyes had heavy bags under them when you looked closely and you could see the redness around her eyes and nose. He figured she had been crying quite often and he had a pretty good idea why. She had made a blanket statement saying she basically couldn't keep loving him at the moment. But he knew her better than that. She spoke before she thought like she did so many times before and while he had said he hated her and everyone else even he had spoken to soon. He realized that he needed them and he couldn't live without them. Any of his friends. He needed them all no matter what because they made him who he was. Without them he was just another person who was only special for being a rager and an overlander, but with his friends he was Gregor, a smart, funny, and interesting guy who they didn't just like for being able to kick ass when they asked, even though that helped a lot.

Luxa caught his eye and he flashed her a small smile. It took her a second, but to his surprise she returned it for all of a quick second and then she was back to her stoic state, yet that one small action meant loads to Gregor. It just added to his confidence; added to the rebuilding of his inner strength and his mental state. He was back and he wasn't going to let a scrawny old man dictate his life. He would fight till his last breath to prove he was innocent. There would be an opportunity at some point and he would take it and use it.

The head of the council broke off his conversation with Roderick and climbed into the council section of the room. His spot was closest to Gregor and was directly in front of the raised dais that he stood on. Gregor watched as the man slowly fell into his seat and looked down at the pieces of parchment that were laid before him. The gentleman had a stern but somewhat kind face. His didn't look all that old as his features were far from showing the usual signs of age. He was without a beard or for that matter any hair at all. There were no wrinkles in his translucent skin he seemed to be in good shape and not at all frail.

The man's eyes, however, were deep purple almost black and when they looked upon Gregor, Gregor felt very secure. It was a strange feeling to have when his judge looked at him, but it was something that he couldn't help. His eyes carried that sort of sense that everything would be okay and work itself out. A slight warmth passed through Gregor as he held eye contact with the council member. And Gregor's confidence grew even more. He felt there was a fair trial coming his way. They broke eye contact when the council member looked back at his papers and shuffled through them checking each one quickly for the information they held.

The room was silent as every attendee sat and waited for the proceedings to begin. The air was heavy and hot from the number of bodies in the room and the large doors to the room closed. It seemed as if every person in the room was holding in a collective breath waiting for the first words of the trial to be uttered. It felt like an eternity that the room sat like that and then it all started.

The head councilman stood from his seat and let the papers ease their way from his fingers to rest back on the desk. He straightened himself to his full height and locked his eyes with Gregor's again. Gregor was surprised at the man's size as he was not as small as many underlanders were and probably was larger than Gregor even was. The council member cleared his throat before he began to speak. "This trial is being held in the name of justice under our Queen, Luxa, and will be presided over by me, Heracles, the speaker of the council. The accused is to be judged for the murder of Ivan the master smith and the theft by force of a valuable piece of his property. Are you aware of these accusations?"

"Yes, sir, I am," Gregor replied. There was no point arguing that he didn't really know everything.

"Good. Very Good. The trial shall proceed then. The first witness, please." Heracles sat back into his seat and looked at the doors to the council chambers. The doors opened and a woman nervously walked in, flanked by two guards. They directed her towards a podium not even fifteen feet from Gregor's dias. Gregor could see her shaking and she was constantly shifting her feet. The nerves and anxiety were killing her. This was probably the first time she had ever been in the council's presence and it had to be worse because of the trial.

"What did you see on the day of the murder?" one of the council members, a woman, asked her in a clear and calming voice. The voice seemed to ease the nerves of the woman on the stand.

"I did not see much of anything." The woman answered her voice a little shaky. She swallowed several times and cleared her throat before continuing. "I remember being about my morning chores, collecting food and such, and I walked past the smithy. I heard yelling from inside, but that was normal. Someone was always yelling at somebody in there. I thought nothing of it."

"Is that all you remember?" another council member asked, with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"No. I came back past a little later on my way to the bakery and I did see someone come rushing out of the store, but I did not get a good look at them. I do remember them carrying something and I assumed it was something they had bought. I did not question it. I needed to get done with my trip and get back home to watch the children."

"Thank you ma'am. You are dismissed. Next witness, please."

The witnesses that the council called in had varying stories that they told. Many of them were close to the events of the day, how Gregor had seen them. The man with the instrument that Gregor had passed by on his way to the Ivan's said he saw Gregor twice and once he looked happy and was walking normally and the second he looked angry and was running. Another person had heard Gregor yelling, but not the words he yelled. He never saw anyone leave the store however after the yelling, so he couldn't be able to say if it was Gregor or not who was angry. Gregor was happy with the testimony so far as none of it seemed to be able to put blame on him. None of it had the ability to prove he had killed anyone. However, that was about to change.

The council called in what seemed like the fiftieth witness to give their testimony. The man was large and Gregor had a vague feeling he had seen him in the street somewhere before. The man stood on the dais and looked between Gregor and the council. His face was blank of emotion and he seemed bored to be there. That face made Gregor get a little nervous. Usually the witnesses had seemed a little nervous themselves and had anxious tendencies to them. Not this man though. He stood straight and still besides his gaze switching between the two parties.

"What do recall happening the morning of the event?" A council woman a few rows deep in the stands asked.

"Well, I was walking past the smith like I do most mornings. Nothing seemed all that strange about what was happening and then I heard a commotion from inside and I stopped to listen. I heard a conversation that was escalating quickly. The party that was raising their voice was very angry that he couldn't buy a sword from Ivan and said they would kill for it. They threatened to get it no matter what and they would be back. I saw the warrior here come rushing out of the store and run into someone before he stalked away. I walked away after that."

The man finished and he returned his face back to a blank slate and his body posture returned to a very straight and rigid. The council was looking amongst each other and small conversations were breaking out. This account was the clearest one they had heard. Gregor hung his head realizing he had set himself up for this. All of those words were exactly what he said. He felt terrible because he had let his anger get to him yet again and he had said terrible things that he may never be able to take back. His gaze drifted to Luxa; he could see the fight on her face as she fought between what she had heard and what she felt. It was a battle for her and Gregor had caused the entire thing.

Eventually, Heracles raised his hand in the air and the council quieted down. "That is an interesting account of events there, sir. Is that all you have for us?" The man looked at the council and then back at Gregor. Gregor caught a glimpse of the man's eyes and could actually see a battle in his purple eyes. The man then spoke.

"There is one more thing. I was walking back past on the other side of the street this time on my way to the bakery. I again heard something from the smith and I stopped to see what was going on. I took a step towards the entrance and a man ran out. He was dressed in all black and was carrying a sword in his hand. I remember it being a beautiful sword. I was concerned though because I had seen some blood on the man's hand. I walked into the store and saw Ivan spread on the floor with terrible wounds. He was already dead when I got there. I sent for the guards and Roderick and them arrived shortly after."

The council again looked between each other before Heracles asked another question.

"Are you certain it was the overlander who ran out of the smith?"

"That I can not be certain of. The person was of similar size and height to the overlander. But there are many that match that. I can not say if it was he or not. The one thing I did notice was the hair did not look the same. It was lighter in color than the overlanders. Or that is what I saw."

"Thank you, sir. Your testimony is very appreciated." The man bowed before he walked from the council room. He gave Gregor one last look before he ducked his head and wa escorted out by the guards. Gregor calmly looked around. There was no chance he could have been the one to commit the act because he never went back. He went to the tactics room and then the high hall and never went back to the city.

Gregor was hoping this was the last of the testimony that he would be hearing. His stomach was aching and his legs were starting to tire from standing. Mareth and Perdita still stood behind him and he glanced back at them for a second. He got two reassuring smiles from them and then he turned his attention back to the assembled council before him. Heracles was looking at the sheet of paper in front of him and was reading something written on it. "Next witness," he said without looking up from his papers.

The doors opened and in walked in a guard. But this wasn't just a regular guard. This guard was bandaged and had his arm in a sling. Gregor looked at the man and vaguely recognized his features. The bandage around his head was wrapped tight and the sling held the man's splinted wrist in place. It took the guard some time to get to the dais he was supposed to stand on.

"How did you get these injuries?" Heracles asked with intrigue in his voice. Many of the people in the room leaned in to the man. This was the most exciting thing to happen on the day for them. A man with injuries was going to talk about events that probably had some action with them.

"I was wounded on the day we apprehended the overlander, your honor," he replied smugly.

"Who caused them?"

"The overlander, sir."

"Why did he do this?"

"We arrived to arrest him and he feigned no knowledge of the crime. Roderick told him what he did and the overlander resisted. He attacked us before we could draw our weapons, sir. We were lucky he never drew his sword or we would probably all have been dead. One of us luckily cut his sword belt away. Even then he was hard to get restrained."

"Is all of this true? This seems unlike something that would happen." Heralces' eyes shifted from the guard to Gregor. Gregor's mouth had slowly dropped open at the blatant lies the man had told. He didn't attack them when they had no weapons drawn. He was the one who was cut and beaten by them. He looked behind him and saw both Mareth and Perdita were staring the guard down hard. They knew he was lying. One of them had to draw a sword on them to keep them from beating Gregor to death.

Heracles noticed all of their stunned looked before turning his attention back to the guard.

"Indeed it is. The Overlander attacked me and snapped my wrist before knocking me down to the ground."

"Do you have any further knowledge of the crime?"

"No, sir."

"Thank you. You are dismissed." The guard turned on the spot and quickly walked from the dais. The man's eyes were set straight and he did not allow himself to look anywhere else; Gregor could see the effort it took for the man to not look at him when he passed. Gregor's eyes followed him along his entire course to the door without breaking contact. The man's pace increased right before he reached the door and then he stopped for the briefest of moments. He looked back and locked eyes with Gregor and his face showed exactly what Gregor had expected. The man had a quiet smirk on his face. The man knew he was lying and getting away with it.

"We shall take a small reprieve before we bring in our next witness," Heracles said before he stood and left his seat. The assembly immediately broke out into raucous conversation about what they all seen and heard over the past hours. Gregor could see money already exchanging hands between small groups of citizens in the crowd. Heads were bowed close as people exchanged whispered thoughts that they preferred their neighbors to not overhear. One group in particular was constantly gesturing in Gregor's direction and he wasn't sure if he should be happy or afraid of it.

His sister sat with her head curled up in Vikuses lap and he watched her as she obviously was crying. He felt anger well up inside him because of the bad luck of his sister. She had been put through so much and every time it was his fault. He felt like he was going to burst and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at Perdita and Mareth as they looked into his eyes.

"Calm down, Gregor. There is much time left to this trial and I believe that Heracles is not buying some of the testimony he is hearing." Mareth was a calming factor and Gregor could feel his blood drop from a boil to a simmer as he slowly let his anger ease away.

"That guard lied out of his pants," Gregor said under his breath to his two friends checking over his shoulder that no one heard him.

"Yes he did," Perdita replied the anger obvious in her voice. That was new to Gregor as he had never heard Perdita sound this angry and yet so calm before. He had seen her yell at people and be mad, but this was different. Perdita was good at hiding her feelings and this was one of those times that she choose to show them.

"We can't change it though, so we'll just have to see what happens when trial resumes," Gregor replied before turning his back on his friends to let himself have some time to think. He scanned the crowd again and saw more and more people looking and pointing at him. He pushed those people from his mind and looked for those people that he cared about. He looked over at York and Susannah and they both gave him a quick smile. Luxa wouldn't even look in his direction, but he kept his eyes on her. He was determined to get out of this mess and to make things right with her.

The crowd grew silent as Heracles came back to his seat. They knew this was when everything was going to get. The "star witness" was about to come forth and spill the beans on everything. Heracles' stack of paper had dwindled to one sheet left and looked over it. His eyes came up and he looked to the doors.

"Next witness."

The doors opened and in strode the man that would be Gregor's downfall. Roderick walked in deliberately and took his spot on his dais. Roderick stood with a face of confidence and a happy smile as if he had been waiting for this moment. A moment to put himself on the top of the world. Gregor scowled as he looked at the man. Roderick flashed a look in Gregor's direction and a devilish look flashed across his eyes.

Inside Gregor was dieing. He couldn't put up with this. There was something going on underneath this trial. There was something that was being hidden and he didn't like it. And it all had to do with Roderick. Gregor had kept quiet through each and every persons testimony but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to do so this time.

"Roderick, please tell us what you saw and what you discovered about the crime," Heracles said to him from his seat. This was the most high profile person they had on the stand and he was the most anticipated witness as well.

"Thank you, Heracles. What I saw at the beginning was not much different than what most others saw. I was going to Ivan's to acquire about something I had ordered and to make some inquires about something else Ivan had. It was nothing much different than what I had done many mornings. I had walked up to his store and heard an argument and then the overlander ran out and bumped into me. I thought not much of it as the overlander often had seemed angry to me and he did apologize for running into me. When I went in Ivan didn't seem any worse for wear after the argument. I picked up what I had come for and inquired about a sword that I had asked about a few days previous.

"He had told me then that he was holding it for someone and I asked him on the morning in question if it was for the overlander. He told me I was correct and I realized that the overlander must have been angry about the sword because he couldn't afford it yet. That was what made the most sense. He told me that if the overlander did not get the money soon then I would be able to purchase the sword. I was happy about the news of course, but I excused myself from him at that time.

"I did not return until I got word from the guards that Ivan had been murdered and I raced back to his store. His body was torn apart by a brutal attack. I had seen this kind of senseless violence only a few times. It was every time from the sword of the overlander. I checked for the sword, but it was missing. I had a guard check the overlanders room and he discovered the sword and some bloodied clothes. I immediately gathered some guards and we went to arrest the overlander. He resisted, but we were able to restrain him and get him under arrest. The biggest part was the sword and clothes we found in his room. Those were all we needed as evidence."

Roderick stopped talking and looked at the crowd. Every member was muttering to their neighbor. Gregor however stood with his jaw locked tight as he scanned the crowd. There was not a single person that believed that Gregor was innocent. Even Luxa was saying something to Howard and looking at Gregor. He could feel himself losing himself and his head started to spin. And then he burst.

"I've had ENOUGH of this!" Gregor yelled silencing everyone in the room. "I didn't do any of that! Ivan was my fri-"

"That is enough from you," Heracles said cutting Gregor off. His voice was calm and contained but it was obvious that the outburst was wrong. "You will not speak unless I ask you a question."

Gregor surrendered. He hung his head and he felt a warm tear beading in his eye. He blinked it away and stared right into Heracles' eyes. It was time for something to happen. All that could be said was said against him. There was evidence he did it even though he knew he didn't. Someone set him up and set him up good. There was not much he could do and though he didn't want to he would have to take what they gave him for punishment.

"We will take a break to decide on what we believe happened and what punishment shall be handed down should we find the overlander guilty," Heracles said as he stood up. And then the stone doors slammed open and a man dressed in a black cloak and a black hood stood in them. He took a few steps into the room and dropped his hood back. He glared into the crowd and then at Roderick.

"Everyone shall sit. This trial is not over," the man said and his words were followed by everyone. Gregor's savior had arrived

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**Just because I left doesn't mean I don't know how to write... right? Haha. This was a fun chapter kinda. I was actually lucky that I had about 4 pages already written and all I had to do was write about 4 and half more and edit and change the first 4. Feeling really good to be back as I said before. Writing really does make me feel good. Remember reviews are always loved. Can't wait to read them.**

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**Question: Who is this mysterious man and what does he know about what is going on?**


	21. Chapter 21

**And I'm back again with chapter 21 guys. This is one of my better written chapters I believe. Lots of plot and lots of other stuff. Keeps everything rolling. Really hope you guys enjoy. **

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**Chapter 21**

It was silent. A slight draft drifted in through the doors that had just been shoved open. Gregor shivered, but he couldn't tell if it was from the sudden draft or the person that had caused it. The man wasn't large, but he wasn't small. He was as pale as any other underlander, but he had some color on his face that seemed to not belong. The strangest thing to Gregor was the way he seemed to almost be engulfed in the black cloak. The cloak covered the man from head to toe except for the face. The hood that he had kept his face hidden in had been dropped back and now he stood facing everyone. Gregor shivered again and this time he knew it was because of the stranger.

The stranger's eyes had turned to Gregor and for once he was certain of the color. The man's eyes were black through and through. Well, one of them was. The other was a milky white. Blind. The more Gregor looked the more he saw the man had seen many long years and many a battle. There were scars that ran along his face ranging in size. The smallest just crossed over his blind eye, but the largest ran from his right ear, across his mouth and down and across his neck. The scar stood out white from the pale skin.

While, Gregor studied the man the rest of the room was holding a collective breath. The council knew who the man was, as did Luxa and Perdita. Or at least what he was. Perdita was the only one who seemed happy to see him and she had reason. She was the lone person who actually knew the man. To everyone's surprise she took a step back from Gregor's dais and walked slowly over to the newcomer. His head slowly turned to put her clearly in his good eye. And his scarred mouth smiled.

Perdita stopped in front of the man. They were of nearly equal height, but the man still seemed to be somehow bigger than her. It was the cloak and how it seemed to shroud him and hide his body. Perdita looked the man in his eyes and she herself smiled. The man posted a salute and Perdita saluted him back. The onlookers now knew something about the man. He was military at the least and he knew Perdita.

Speaking of Perdita, she had turned and started to walk back towards the center of the room. The stranger walked a pace behind her in perfect unison with her strides. His steps made no noise on the stone floor and his tread seemed to make him float over the ground like a shadow. Perdita stopped at the dais where the witnesses had given their testimony. She paused for a second and the stranger stepped up next to her.

Gregor saw Perdita whisper something to her companion. He listened and watched as hard as he could for the strangers answer, but he never saw the man's mouth move even though Perdita was nodding her head as if in agreement with something. The man that had come in proclaiming the not so speedy end to this trial seemed stranger and stranger to Gregor by the second.

Perdita stopped nodding and stepped up on the podium. Gregor joined all the eyes that were looking at her, but he felt one that wasn't. The stranger was staring at him; his one good black eye looking right into both of Gregor's. For a third time Gregor shivered. That man had something very eerie about him. The sound of Perdita's voice brought Gregor back to reality and he focused his attention on his friend.

"You all are very likely wondering who are friend behind me is. Or if he is even a friend. He is in fact a friend and his name is Glaze. At least that is what he has gone by for the last decade thanks to his eye. Glaze, for those that do not know, is a very important piece of our military. A very secret piece. I have to ask all those that are not part of the military or a politician to please leave at once." The groan of disapproval from the majority of people there was loud and long, but one flash from Glaze's eye told everyone there that it was a very serious matter. Every mouth that was making noise shut and a not so orderly stream of people left the council room. Gregor watched his sister and Hazard escorted out by several guards. His sister cast him a weak smile and Gregor returned it before she disappeared. The room was now empty except for those of importance; the stone doors shut and the room was quiet again.

"Many of you here know who Glaze is," Perdita continued. "You know what his cloak means. For the few here who do not know, Glaze is a Regalian spy. A master of stealth and hiding he is able to blend in in almost any territory of the underland. I myself thought Glaze had lost his light a long time ago. Three years to be specific. But here he is and he tells me that he has grave knowledge to tell us all." Perdita dismounted the dais and returned to behind Gregor. Her hand found Gregor's arm and he felt a reassuring squeeze. He could feel his heart start to race in anticipation of what he was going to hear. His breathing grew shallower and he could feel himself start to lose himself to nerves and anxiety. Quietly he cursed himself and mentally reigned in his body. In a few moments his breathing returned to normal, but his heart kept beating at an exaggerated rate. Glaze had stepped up onto the dais and was looking Heracles in the eyes. Suddenly Glaze's gaze shifted to his left and he stared at the one man Gregor had seemed to forget. Roderick was standing not far from Glaze, forgotten due to Glaze's entrance. Glaze returned the focus of his eye to the council and he started to speak.

Gregor was surprised by the man's voice. It was quiet and he would normally consider it a weak voice. It was both mousy and raspy at the same time, but it had such an air of confidence and command to it that it didn't matter. The voice was not booming, but it was certainly clear who was in charge when he spoke. The words he spoke definitely backed it up.

"As our fare Perdita said, I am Glaze. I have been a spy for Regalia for as long as I can remember. I have seen things that no one here has seen. Well, except for our overland friend. I have been top side and I have been to parts of the underland unmapped yet. Those are stories for another day though. Today I have grave news for your ears to hear. News that many will disapprove of. Many will believe me to be a perjurer. Many will not believe what I say. But it is proper. The truth.

"Perdita, told you all true. I have been gone for three long years. Except I was not gone. I was away following something that I believed to be possible. Something I sadly found to be true. I left when I felt there was a traitor in the ranks. Someone important that was trying to harm our people. Our way of life. They are in this room at the moment." Those words sent every person looking around. Anyone could be who he was talking about. Many a pair fell on Gregor.

"No, I was not following the Overlander," Glaze spoke. "He was long gone off to another part of the overland by the time I first had any feelings of this. No, I was following someone much more important. I first noticed it when they were routinely leaving the city, but each time to the same place and every time on a different flier. It seemed strange to take a different flier out of the city when they had one they were bonded to. I asked several of the fliers where they took him, and they all said they took him to a cavern where he met his bond before he had them leave. It was strange but possibly nothing uncommon.

"I was more concerned when he returned. He was often covered in ash which could only come from the firelands. Why would our friend be traveling to such a far off place so routinely? It was a question I needed answered and I took to find it out. I hid away and it took years to learn all the information I will tell you all. I discovered the person in question was meeting with someone that I had never seen before, but the man held power over our traitorous friend. I was able to eavesdrop on several of their conferences and learned quite a bit about their plans. Plans for dominance and a new underland."

Gregor's mind was racing now at a speed that surpassed his heart. This was the plot from some crazy movie at home he was certain. There was no way any of this was real. He reflexively pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. His nails drew blood and he knew it was no dream. All he was hearing was real. There was a traitor in the room and he was hard pressed to find out who. His eyes scanned the seats and he saw only one person who seemed to be doing unwell. Eisen was seated with his head in his hands and his knees shaking. That seemed odd for someone as important as Eisen. This should have been the things he needed to be paying attention too. The things he needs to know as Perdita's number two. Gregor shrugged and then remembered the man that wasn't seated. Roderick was standing straight as an arrow but he was a jittery arrow. His hands kept moving and he could see his feet bouncing occasionally. Very odd. Gregor brought his attention back to Glaze.

"The plan was moving quite well and soon there was another party introduced into this. A stinger started to be in attendance at these meetings and our traitors friend was able to communicate with the beast. I was amazed at the ability at first, but it quickly wore off as I saw what it was leading to. The stingers had become the army these two conspiring minds needed. They were the foot soldiers that would do the fighting. I knew then it was time for me to return to Regalia and report on this, but it took me much longer than I believed it would to return. I often had issues evading the increasing number of stingers in the area, as I had never had the opportunity to learn their movement patterns or match their smell. It was most difficult to do. I eventually arrived back at the city not a few weeks ago. I laid low in case there was something running amuck." Several strange looks graced his new term. "I learned that in the overland. It means if things were going bad.

"I learned that the overlander had returned recently and was relevant around the capitol again." Glaze's gaze quickly drifted to Gregor and then darted to Luxa before many would even notice. "He was making his presence known in training and I learned of his and our friend Eisen's unfortunate spar. It was on the day that I returned that our stinger friends arrived offering aid. I did not know about the attack on the Fount until then and then I knew my information was wrong. The fount was never meant to be attacked. The conspirators plan was for our queen to die in a training accident the day Eisen arrived. That had been planned for months and it was our traitor who helped to bring him here."

At that several people shifted in their seats. Many people were fundamental in getting Eisen to the capitol and his new military role. And many of those people were in the room. Gregor now had a new set of people that looked fidgety. Eisen had become attentive now that he was involved in the conversation. Even Luxa had broken from her trance and was looking stunned at the man that had just told everyone she was set to die..

"I knew then that the information I had was old and things had changed. The only reason I could think they would change so quickly and so drastically was one. The overlander. He is a variable nobody would imagine showing up in the equation. He could change things very drastically. I started to follow the overlander and I was there for many of the things he did. I watched him leave the capitol to go after our queen. I watched him come back injured. I saw him tell our dear Stellovet that he did not love her. I followed him to the city every time he went. I followed him into stores. But on the day in question I stayed back. I wanted to see what was going to happen when he went into Ivan's. It was something different because I knew Ivan. And I knew how stubborn he was. When i heard yelling I knew the overlander lost to Ivan's stubbornness. Instead of following the overlander I slipped into the store and stayed to talk to Ivan.

"Someone else though came into the store not but a few seconds after me. That man is our traitor. I hid in the shadows when he entered and heard him ask for a sword he had inquired about early in the week. And he left without it. I never revealed my presence to Ivan but I stayed in the shadows of his store. I knew though that Ivan knew i was there. I stayed shrouded in the shadows for some time before a man ran into the store dressed in all black and butchered my friend like an animal. He spoke to Ivan beforehand and told him this: ' I need that sword' and the proceeded to attack him ruthlessly. The results weren't pretty.

"I returned to the palace to report to Perdita, but I never had a chance. I watched from the shadows as the overlander was arrested and the man that had killed my friend was part of it. I waited for the trial and I came here today to tell my story and prove the overlander free of guilt." Glaze paused and looked down from the crowd. Gregor could tell his voice was tired and that the story was hard for him to tell. The quick respite was gone and everything Gregor had seen was gone. Glaze was a hardened man and he was going to stay that way. Gregor knew what that felt like. For the longest time when he returned topside he kept his emotions to himself. It was safer that way. Now though he tried to let them out because he could. Glaze didn't have that option.

"Many of you may ask why I haven't named our traitor. You may think you are sitting next to him or he may be the man you had a drink with before coming here. Or it could be the person you had a some free time with last night. Of course, I have my reasons for not revealing the name. One I like to see you all cringe and squirm and two I like to make you think. Does anyone know who our traitor is?" Glaze stopped and looked at all the faces. Gregor had an idea. A very good idea on who it was, but it wasn't him Glaze was talking to. Glaze was addressing the council. None of them even spoke.

"It is a shame. I made it pretty clear based off the testimony you all heard on who it was. And no it was not the overlander," Glaze added the second half when several eyes looked over at Gregor. "The man who is a traitor to us all is none other than Roderick, your top sword." A collective gasp left everyone's lips. Everyone except Gregor's, Rocerick's and Glaze's. Gregor had known from the time Glaze had started talking about following him and that Roderick had to be the one. He had seen the man too many times around him for it to not be him. The council was dumbstruck, Luxa was sitting with her mouth agape, Eisen was inching closer to the edge of the raised stands they were sitting on his hand on his word hilt. Gregor heard the whisper of steel on leather as Mareth and Perdita drew their swords.

Roderick however was smiling. He was calm and his features had seemed to change. His smile wasn't a friendly one, instead replaced with one that was sardonic and evil. The smile would fit satan perfectly Gregor thought as he glared at the man that had set him up and tried to have him killed. It was not something Gregor would forget ever. Not until he got his chance at revenge. Then it hit Gregor that Roderick would be smiling at all. He was about to be arrested and most likely executed for being a traitor. Something wasn't right.

"Roderick!" a stern, powerful voice said from the assembled people. Luxa was standing and looking right at the man. "You are beyond terrible. You are not worth the breath I am using to say these words." Luxa turned her attention to the guards. " Guards arrest him and send him to the smallest cell we have."

The guards didn't move. They stood where they were and their weapons were still on their belts. A cackle erupted from Roderick's mouth. It rose into a spurt of maniacal laughter and Gregor was uncertain if Roderick had lost his mind.

"Why do you laugh?" Luxa questioned.

"Oh, I have my reasons," Roderick replied snarkily.

"What are those?" Perdita cut in as she slowly walked around the dais, Mareth at her side.

"Those guards you called for don't take your commands. They are my men and have been since they joined the palace guard. It was I who saved them from the lives they were living as simple folk in the city. Now they do what I say. They are loyal to me." Roderick had a grin that stretched ear to ear. Gregor was scared. It was very possible this could turn into a bloodbath. It was time for Gregor to jump into the fray.

"Why?" Gregor shouted to Roderick.

"Why, what?" Roderick sneered back.

"Why cause all of this? What do you get out of this? What does killing Luxa get you? What does killing me get you?" Gregor fired back.

"There is much to gain Overlander. Without a queen this city is nothing. That council can not run this city. They could not even run this trial. The city would be weak without our favorite queen. And a weak city is one for the taking. One to be shaped into what I want. What we want! And you just got in the way. Collateral damage you could say." Roderick was ranting. His grand plan starting to come out in the open. As he talked Perdita had inched even closer to Roderick, Mareth not far behind. His prosthetic leg was holding him back from rushing right at Roderick, Gregor could see it in his friend's actions. Eisen had joined them on the floor of the council chambers and was also slowly advancing towards Roderick.

Roderick saw them and shook his head. " I don't want to hurt any of you. I consider you all my friends. The only ones that must die are the overlander and the queen."

"You are crazy, Roderick," Mareth growled as he took quicker steps towards the traitor.

"I am sorry then," Roderick said drawing his sword. Gregor was amazed at the beauty of the blade. The metal had a hint of blue in it and the hilt was a shimmering green. Several jewels encrusted the crossguard that protected Roderick's hand. The impressive part was the length of the blade, It was longer than most one handed swords Gregor had seen in the underland, but it was also thinner than most as well. Not as thin as Luxa's, but not nearly as thick as the ones he normally used. The sword was special and he knew it.

Quick as lightning, Roderik sweeped out. Mareth fell before anyone saw what happened. Gregor imagined the worse, but was relieved to see that Roderick had only cut Mareth's prosthetic in half. Perita raised her sword, but Roderick flashed his down and drover perdita back and to the ground. Perdita's sword went spinning away from her. Roderick lashed out with his boot and caught Perdita square in the head. She slumped to the ground unconscious. There was nobody between roderick and Gregor.

"Overlander, it is your time to die," Roderick said, as he rushed towards Gregor his sword at the ready. Ready to take Gregor's head and remove it from his body. The time to fight was gone for Gregor and he accepted the fate that was coming for him. He was weak and defenseless. He looked at Luxa and saw fear in her eyes, a silent no leaving her lips. It was time to accept his fate and he looked Roderick in the eye as he came closer. The sword streaked down and Gregor closed his eyes ready to feel the cold steel pierce his flesh.

It never came.

Instead a resounding clash of steel on steel filled Gregor's ears. He opened his eyes in time to see what happened. Eisen had reached out his sword and caught Roderick's on his blade. It was just in time to save Gregor's head. There was fury etched in Roderick's eyes. He pulled his sword back and swung it at Eisen. Gregor watched as the sword's collided and Roderick's sheared through the crossguard of Eisen's sword. A flash of red and a howl of pain filled the air. Gregor saw part of Eisen's hand laying on the floor and he moved. He vaulted the railing of the dais and he ran. Adrenaline pushed him away from what happened. He looked back and saw Roderick running the other way and he signaled for his guards to run. They ran out of the council chambers and away down the hall.

Gregor turned and ran back to Eisen. He was on his knees clutching his bleeding hand. The sword had gone between his ring and middle finger and cleaved through his hand taking all but two fingers with it. Most of the hand was gone and was laying on the floor in a pool of blood. Howard shouldered Gregor aside as he looked at Eisen. He screamed some words that Gregor hardly noticed. His mind was set on one thing and one thing only. Revenge. Revenge against Roderick for the pain he had put so many people through. The damage he had caused could be irreparable.

That when it started to sink in. He was free from this… this chaos. There was no more worrying, no more sitting in a cell basing time on meals. But most of all he was able to move. Freedom to go out and do things again. Train and be ready for when Roderick would inevitably be back. Freedom to fix the broken things. Talk to Luxa and fix their relationship if it even needed to be fixed. He was obviously not guilty and that was what was pushing Luxa away. At least that's what he hoped.

His head felt a little woozy and he slowly sat down on the floor. There was tim to think about that later. No reason to get all nervous about that now, he thought. He watched Eisen be escorted from the chamber as a servant cleaned the blood soaked floor. Another person was tending to Perdita with a wet towel as she laid sprawled out on the floor. Mareth sat a look of melancholy on his face. Gregor knew his friend felt useless. He was dispatched without even raising his sword. It wasn't fair for him, Gregor knew, but Mareth was strong and he would get through it.

Gregor caught a glimpse of movement and he turned to see Heracles standing.

"The council find the Overlander not-guilty of the charges presented. All parties are dismissed." Heracles proclaimed for austerity. Everyone already knew it. Gregor watched Luxa climb down and with Vikus the two left the chamber. Vikus gave Gregor a big smile as they passed, but Luxa didn't even look at him. Gregor would talk to her and sort it all out. York left next, the big man stopping to slap Gregor on the back as he passed. Council member after council member filed out leaving Gregor alone on the floor. Eventually Gregor looked around and he was alone except for a lone servant who was cleaning the seats.

He pushed himself to his feet figuring it was time to go. There was plenty he needed to do and none of it was getting done sitting there. Margaret needed to know he was okay and he needed to go see how Eisen was faring and thank him for saving his life. He needed to see Luxa and he had to talk with Perdita about whatever it was she would need him for. In his thoughts Gregor didn't notice the man that materialized out of the shadows. That is until he ran into him.

"Glaze I didn't see you there," Gregor said in apology. He looked closely at the man and realized just how small he was. The cloak made him look much bigger, but he was really small beneath it. Slight frame and little to no fat.

"It is okay Gregor," Glaze replied.

"I really need to say thank you for you know saving my life," Gregor told the man sheepishly avoiding his eyes. He just wasn't in the mood.

"Do not thank me. It was for the betterment of all what I did. It certainly helped that I like you, kid. Very much a warrior and very much a diplomat. You have a good future. I also wanted to tell you to look harder. You will never believe the number of times you could have seen me," Glaze was smiling when he finished talking. A very scary smile.

"I thought it was your job to stay hidden," Gregor retorted a smile creeping across his face.

"It is, but isn't yours to find the hidden things and kill them," Glaze said. Before Gregor could reply the strange man had disappeared and was gone. With a shake of his head Gregor forced his hands into his pocket and he wandered out of the room. There was so much to do and there was nobody around to help him. Nobody that seemed to be in any hurry to fix what needed to be fixed and solve his problems. Problems they had caused. His friends were all somewhere else due to too many numerous circumstances for Gregor to count.

Gregor was free, but at that moment, he felt more alone than he had in a long time.

* * *

**This came out exactly as I wanted it to. Perfect ending. Perfect plot points. Oh I love it. I hope you guys did too. Leave a review telling me if you did.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Seriously long chapter is seriously long. This one took a long time to write, but i really like what i did with it. I took a little something I've seen some authors do before and I hope you guys like it. It's just chapter layout so it's nothing major. I recently saw this when I was reading Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erickson. Lots of plot in this one and almost no action, but I think everyone will enjoy it.**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Gregor was nervous. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead and his hands were clammy. The sound of rushing water assaulted his ears and in the meager light he could see white caps on the river's surface. The little dock was wet with spray and the small boat that was moored to it continuously assaulted the side of it as the water pushed it around. This is nuts, Gregor thought as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He took a further step out onto the dock and extended the torch out further. He could see even more of the river and the speed it moved at. Involuntarily he swallowed hard as he thought of what he was about to do.

He placed the torch into a holder on the dock and walked to the edge of the dock. The spray from the river cooled his skin and he could feel his hair start to stick to him. His clothes clinged to his frame and he stretched his arms out. A coolness took over his body and he relaxed. His senses calmed, his mind stopped moving at a hundred miles an hour. With a deep breath of the cool air, Gregor turned and looked at his companion that stood with him.

"Are you sure this will work?" Gregor asked.

"Am I sure?" his companion barked back. "Of, course I'm not sure. I'm not sure about any of this. This is all a hunch, kid." Ripred was always the sinic. It was his idea in the first place and yet he wasn't sure if it was going to help. Only that rat could lead Gregor to do something this stupid. But he was the only one who had even given him an idea on how to fix his problem. It was worth a shot.

"Let's get this over with," Gregor said as he turned back to the water. His toes hung off the edge of the dock to the point that a stray gust of wind could knock him in. Something strong wrapped around his waist and pinned his arms to his side.

"Hold your breath," Ripred said right before he lifted Gregor full bodily and plunged him into the water.

Gregor was in shock. He wasn't prepared for the chill of the water. The coldness enveloped him and he tried to break free from the restraining tail. His breath was only going to last for so long and he knew it. When drowning the brain often goes into a hyper state reeling off thoughts and memories faster than normal. Gregor's brain was doing just that. Why am I doing this?, he thought. Why am I letting him drown me? There was a method to the madness, but it was forgotten to Gregor. He could feel his anger building as his lungs begged for air. His blood was heating up and his arms were trying as hard as possible to break free from the tail that held him under the water.

And then he remembered why he was doing this. Must remain calm. Ripred isn't going to let me die. That is the entire point, Gregor thought. He let his body go limp. He stopped fighting. Ripred will pull me out, right? His lungs protested and Gregor couldn't help but open his mouth to try to breath. Water rushed into his mouth and he could feel it in his lungs. He closed his mouth, but he was out of air. The darkness started to slip over him. The darkness he had known so many times. He started to slip away and he closed his eyes. This was peaceful…

"Wake up, boy!" something snarled at Gregor. A slap across his face brought his body up. Water spewed from his mouth and his lungs as he forced air back into his body. He coughed up more and more water. I swallowed the whole God-damn river, he thought as he pounded his chest and more water came up. That seemed to be the last of it and Gregor sat breathing in clean air. His clothes were stuck to his body, and he could feel the damp and cold, but it all felt good. He felt better, more like himself. Better than he had in ages.

"Get up, boy. You're alright," Ripred said as he yanked Gregor up with his tail. A retort came to Gregor's head, but he didn't say it. He didn't even feel what had become the normal animosity that would rise in his chest when he wa challenged. He felt back to his normal self. And it felt good.

"This was the stupidest and the smartest thing I think I have ever done," Gregor told his friend as the walked back into the palace. It was certainly a risk, but the risk seemed to be paying off.

"You feel no anger?" Ripred asked.

"Yea, nothing."

"How about now?" Ripred shot back as he pounced towards Gregor. Gregor was taken off guard and just barely managed to brace himself from the attack. He fell onto his side and dodged the follow up of claws and tail from Ripred. Gregor was seeing red like he normally did when he raged. Ripred attacked one final time and Gregor dodged aside and landed a hard punch to Ripred's chest. Ripred flipped his tail and started to walk away. Gregor felt the test was over. And then the tail shot back and slammed into his chest. He went flying and landed sprawled on the floor facing the ceiling. Back and chest aching he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"What was that for?" Gregor snarled, trying to sound angry. His face gave it all away. He wasn't angry. At least not like he had been. This was just a normal reaction to being thrown a couple feet through the air.

"Two things," Ripred replied. "One was beating me in the arena and the other was hitting me. That was uncalled for." Ripred added the last part in a mocking, baby tone. He pouted his lip and tried to act like a little human child. all he did was show his massive teeth in a snarl. Gregor smiled and climbed gingerly to his feet. He shook his head and pushed the bulk of the rat. Ripred shoved him back and Gregor again landed on his butt.

"Stop playing, Gregor. We have a queen to see."

* * *

Gregor laid there staring at the ceiling of his room. His sister was curled up next to him on his bed sound asleep, her light breathing the only slight noise in the space. It was the most peaceful Gregor had felt in the longest time. For the first time in quite a while Gregor had a soft bed underneath him and the comfort of knowing he was okay. and yet he lay awake. Every little thing was worming its way into his head and nagging him. He hadn't been out of the court for even a few hours yet he felt overwhelmed with the amount of things he had to do. His list was long and he had only managed to check one off. His sister had been one of his top priorities and she had made it easy for him.

Although he had had to bathe and change into some new clothes along with get something of actual sustenance to eat, Margaret had been waiting in his room. As soon as he walked through the curtain to his room, she jumped on him and refused to let go. It had been the first time he had the chance to talk with her in what felt like ages. They had sat and talked for sometime before she had started to get tired and he himself felt the urge to sleep. Margaret refused to leave him, so there they were sleeping in the same bed like they had when they were younger. Or at least one of them was sleeping.

There was so much on Gregor's mind that he thought he would never be able to sleep. His mind wandered from one thing to the next, never stopping too long on one thing, never focusing on anything in particular. His trial was still fresh in his mind, all of those events circulating with his problems and his feelings. Anxious feelings about his friends. He wondered if Eisen was okay and what the people close to him were doing. Margaret moved next to him and muttered something under her breath, which snapped Gregor out of his mind. A deep breath cleared his head and he closed his eyes. The throes of sleep took hold of Gregor and his snores joined those of his sister.

* * *

Screaming. Lots of Screaming. That's all Gregor could remember of his dream. Who was screaming and what they were screaming about was lost to him, but he could remember the scream. It was loud, high pitched, and worst of all, it was scared. It wasn't a scream of pain. No, someone was scared about something or of someone. He had a strange feeling it was a someone and that someone was him. He sat up and untangled his sister from his arm. Gingerly, he climbed out of his bed to prevent waking up his sister. With one foot out the door, there was a sound behind him.

"Where are you going, Gregor?" Margaret asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"I'm just going for a walk. I gotta clear my head," Gregor replied. He looked at his sister in the dim light of the room and smiled before stepping out into the hall. The hall was empty like normal for this time of night. Perfect for thinking. Step after step and hall after hall, Gregor wandered with no destination. His mind was set with just one thought: who was screaming and why? His eyes closed and he strained his mind to remember what had happened.

Anger. That was what Gregor felt. Terror. That's what he started to remember. His dream was about anger and terror. And then it all started to come back to him. The red that had shrouded everything. The anger he had felt as he did what he did. The terror he saw in the people's eyes. He knew that wasn't him and it was a dream. But dreams reflect a person's thoughts and actions and Gregor knew that. And he was disgusted with himself. It was just a dream but it felt real. It felt like something he could end up doing. And that scared him.

For once he felt he needed to actively seek help. Like everyone Gregor knew he wasn't perfect. There was always something he needed help with. But he rarely ever went to someone with the intent of asking for help. This though was a time for that. As soon as he could Gregor would find someone he could trust and talk to them about his thoughts. But now Gregor felt weary. It was a long walk back to his room and Gregor didn't feel like embarking on the walk back. His luck was with him though as within a few moments he had entered the high hall like so many times before, found the couch that he had sat on on numerous occasions, and closed his eyes. He was out within seconds.

A gentle shake woke Gregor. His eyes slowly opened and felt the burn of the bright light. Groggily he sat up and stretched his arms out. His body felt heavy from sleep, but his mind felt clear. He stood and cracked his back. It was then that he noticed the person that had woken him up. Perdita sat in the chair next to the couch.

"It is good to see you awake, Gregor," she said as Gregor looked sheepishly around. It was slightly embarrassing for him and he had even forgotten that he had fallen asleep in the high hall.

"Good morning, Perdita," Gregor replied to his friend trying to hide his reddening cheeks.

"It is only just barely still morning. You have been sleeping here for quite awhile. Luxa ordered you to not be awoken. I was most surprised to see you not asleep in your own room. Your sister was even worried this morning. I am sure there is a reason you were sleeping here?"

"Umm, yea I think so," Gregor replied uncertain in himself. "I was unable to sleep last night, so I went out for a walk to clear my head and I ended up here apparently."

"What was clouding your head so much?" Perdita asked, the worry starting to creep into her eyes. This was Gregor's chance to ask for help and tell someone about his dream. But Perdita did not seem like the person to talk to about it. He knew her well enough to know she would tell him it was just a dream and to not worry about it, but he knew that there was something going on. So he told her the next best thing. Which also happened to have been on his mind for the last few days.

"I haven't seen Luxa since after the trial and I need to talk to her about something really important," Gregor replied to Perdita's question, hoping it would suffice and stop any more questions.

"Oh Gregor, is it not something you can talk to another friend about?"

"Sorry, Perdita. I'm not sure I want to talk to anyone else about this. You would be the first person I would come to if I could," the answer was truthful. Perdita was someone Gregor would turn to if things were tough and he had something he really needed to talk about. But this was something that only he and Luxa could fix.

"I believe you Gregor. You and Luxa have a special relationship and somethings are not meant for everyone to hear. I am sure that whatever the problem is you two will be able to solve it." Gregor had never mentioned a problem, but Perdita had read him like a book. He could see it in her eyes and on her face that she knew there was something going on between him and Luxa and it could only be fixed by the two of them. Perdita stood and patted Gregor on the shoulder before she turned and left him. That was her way of showing that she cared and it meant a lot.

A gurgle sounded and Gregor placed his hand on his stomach. The pangs of hunger filled his stomach and he realized just how hungry he was. It seemed to happen to him often that he would end up going long periods of time without sufficient food. And this was one of them. He peeked his head into the dining hall and to his luck there was still food in there. He ate his fill of bread and succulent fruit that reminded him of some of the things he missed from above. The sweetness of an apple came to mind and then the warm, cinnamon taste of apple pie. Gregor was missing some of home and he felt home sick for just a moment. With a shake of the head he grounded himself back in reality, knowing that when it was all over he could go back for a visit, get some sun and a bottle of root beer and a pizza. Nothing said he couldn't. Nonchalantly Gregor grabbed a small, purple fruit and took a big bite from it. Juice exploded in his mouth.

"Hello Gregor. It is good to see you are eating well," a voice said from behind him. Gregor spun around and looked Howard in the eyes. His mouth was stuffed with fruit and he could see the ends of Howard's mouth start to rise in a smile.

"Erro Howar'," Gregor managed through his stuffed cheeks. Howard couldn't help himself and he started to laugh uncontrollably. Gregor swallowed down the fruit in one gulp. "What?" he protested.

"You are a...haha... funny eater, Gregor. You have juice...haha... all down your chin and your face was...hehehe… how you would you say, priceless. Hahahaha." Howard had issues speaking around his laughter. Gregor shook his head and waved off his friend. He couldn't help but smile himself as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the purple juice from his chin.

"You're one heck of a guy," Gregor said to Howard, sarcasm dripping from his words. Howard got the message and eased his laughter down to a slight chuckle. Howard stood to his full height and straightened his face. He cleared his throat.

"I am sorry, Gregor. I have not laughed like that in a long time. I thank you for that. But I did not expect to see you here."

"Where would I have been? I only woke up like ten minutes ago."

"Of course. I only figured you would be off with Perdita and Mareth talking about that traitor, Roderick. I would believe you to be the first person out there looking for him." Gregor was slightly shocked by his friends bluntness. He hadn't even thought about Roderick and cared more about getting his head and body and relations back to normal first. And Howard had the gall to think he wanted revenge first. He could feel his blood start to boil and his smile dropped away. He could see Howard lose his jovial nature very fast. "Did I say something wrong?"

Gregor opened his mouth to speak, but he caught himself. He could feel that he was going to say something he would regret and it was because he was angry. But it was the same feeling he had in his dream and so many times before, he realized. He fought back the urge to lash out and he took deep breath after deep breath. Howard was staring at him strangely, but he did not speak. Gregor could feel his body come back to normal and with one final deep breath he spoke.

"Sorry Howard. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm losing my mind."

"Are you alright, Gregor?" Howard asked taking a few steps towards his friend, concern etched on his face.

"I'm not sure, Howard. I had this dream last night and it made me feel terrible and when I thought about it I realized that I was so angry in then I felt so angry right now and I had been feeling like that for almost the entire time I've been here. And I don't know why." Gregor threw it all at Howard. Howard was one person that Gregor could trust might have a solution. Someone who could work out what was wrong with him and give him a possible solution. But his hopes were not with him this time.

"Gregor, you have been under lots of stress recently. There has been a lot of things happening and you have been injured several times. Do not look to much into this. I really believe it is just stress. Perhaps you should talk with Vikus or Mareth about it. They both have more experience in life than both of us combined and they may be able to help you better. I am sorry if I said something that you did not like. Forgive me, but I must be on my way." Howard wished Gregor luck and turned and left the room. Gregor was crushed. His hope of an answer squandered under the presumption of stress. and he knew that it wasn't that. He wasn't stressed was he? No, I'm not stressed, Gregor thought. He had been through more stress in his previous times here and he had never lost himself. This was different and he knew it. It was affecting his psyche and it was getting in the way of his relations with people he cared about. Howard was a good doctor and a smart man, but he was wrong on this one. Gregor knew it.

But Howard had been right. Gregor had plenty of friends who could help him. Vikus might know about this just because he had lived so long. Mareth may even know something from his military background. What was clear was he was going to find an answer no matter what. the room was empty except for him and the silence was odd to him. He was used to being here with noise, but for once it was quiet. He looked at the walls and wondered at the craftsmanship. They were simple flat walls, but hand carved from the stone they were made out of and perfectly smooth. Gregor had always respected the craftsmanship of the underlanders, but he never looked at it for what it was. Gregor stood and grabbed one more fruit for the road as he left. He walked out and bumped right into someone.

"Sor-" Gregor started before realizing who he had bumped into. "Luxa! What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to walk around my own palace, Gregor?" She scoffed at him. Gregor was surprised by her response. That wasn't what he meant when he asked.

"Of course you can walk around," Gregor stammered out confused. "Can we talk?"

"What are we doing right now?" Luxa said derisively.

"Well talking. I meant can we talk about us."

"What is there to to talk about?" Luxa asked confused. Gregor shook his head and started to pace. Was she playing with him? Or had she forgiven him already? Knowing Luxa it was probably neither.

"You told me only a few days ago that we were basically done. Is that still the same? Have you forgiven me?" Gregor could hear himself pleading with her and he watched as her face softened a little.

"Gregor," she said softly. "This is not something for me to say easy. I am very confused right now. I am scared for you and of you. You-"

Gregor cut over her. "You're scared of me?" There was sadness in his voice now. His knees were growing weak and his fears were coming to fruition. His dream was seeming to be realer by the minute.

"I do not know, Gregor. You seem changed. You are not the same person I love. You are angry all the time. You can not control yourself. I did not think much of it for a long time because you did not act that way around me. I saw it first when you acted like a child with Eisen. And it got much worse. You yelled at people and you almost seemed to not be happy. I heard how you acted on the battlefield and around certain people and I started to get scared for you. And that is when you were arrested. I heard terrible stories of you attacking innocent guards and I feared you were lost. I came to visit you and to see with my own eyes if you had changed." She paused and looked Gregor in the eyes. He watched her face and for a second he thought he saw her eyes glow, but then her face dropped a little more than it already was.

"When I went to your cell you were a mess. I looked in your eyes like I had many times and I did not see Gregor. There was someone else in your eyes. I saw anger and rage. And then you yelled at me and I knew you weren't the same. You hadn't yelled at me since the first time you visited. It was not the Gregor I knew. I fought within myself to prove it was your circumstance, but now even after your trial I can see the anger in you. Not as bad as it was, but it is still there. It is not the soft hearted man I knew there. You are not the same."

"Luxa, I am the same. I'm still me. I still love you and I would never hurt you. You saw that all those times I was with you. I never did anything to you."

"You are right, Gregor. You never hurt me, but you hurt many others. You have come close to hurting yourself and killing yourself. You have become a terror to yourself and maybe to the underland." Luxa was on the verge of tears. Gregor took a step towards her, to console her, but she put up a hand. "No, Gregor. Not now. I still love you, but the real you. And right now you are not you." She turned and walked away.

Gregor stopped and stood stone still. His heart was beating as he watched her take each step in slow motion. She was right, he wasn't the same person. He had been changed for a while and it wasn't right. He had never been one to lose their temper easy and to get angry at a little thing. He would fix this.

"Luxa!" he called after her. She stopped for a second and turned her head slightly. "I promise I will fix this. Whatever it is I will make it all better. No matter what." She didn't reply, but she looked at him for a few seconds longer before she walked off again. Gregor put his hands behind his head and kept pacing. He could feel the anger inside him. He didn't even have to focus for the feeling to stick out. It was like a living thing inside him moving around in his chest and his head. It made him want to scream. And he was suddenly scared of himself. He didn't want to think about what was happening inside him. What was causing this. He just wanted it to all end. His first stop would be Vikus.

It took time for him to find Vikus. He walked through the halls and checked anywhere he thought he could find him. He poked his head into the tactics room and there was no sign of him. He checked Vikus' quarters and again there was no sign of him. He asked servants if they had seen him and he got various answers. Some told him they hadn't seen him and then he got told he was in his quarters or he was in the high hall or the dining room. One even told him that he was at the stadium for training. As far as Gregor knew there was no training that day.

His search wasted, Gregor solemnly trudged back to his room. To his surprise he found his weapons sitting on his bed with a new belt. His sadness turned to happiness as he looked at his sword and dagger. The blades were still plain, but the sight of them sent a shiver up his spine. He grabbed up the belt and fastened it around his waist. The feeling of the weight on his hip was more than welcome and he drew both blades from their scabbards. The sound was pure bliss to him. The blades shimmered in the torch light from the hall and Gregor looked in the blades at himself. His face was distorted, but the blades were polished to such a point that he could make out every detail of his face. And he was slightly surprised. He sheathed his blades and turned to the mirror in his room.

His face was thinner than it had been in recent times. It had been years since he hadn't had decent meals every day and being locked up for over week without them had made Gregor look more like his twelve year old self than he thought possible. The stubble on his face was the only thing that detracted from the look. He stared at his face for what seemed like hours as he focused on each aspect. He realized he was lucky that he didn't have any terrible scars on his face. The rest of his body was scarred from every little thing he did in the underland, but his face had been spared. For how long, Gregor couldn't tell, but he knew it eventually would come. Something clattered to the floor out in the hall and Gregor heard someone gasp. His hand reached for his sword and he inched to the door. He peeked out into the hall and moved into action.

His hand left his sword and he speedily came to the aid of his friend. Vikus was leaned up against the wall, his cane lying on the floor out of his reach. Gregor grabbed his arm and helped the man to regain his balance. He helped him into his room and sat him down in a chair before returning to get his cane. Gregor looked his friend in the eyes and looked for any sign of an issue. The idea he had suffered another stroke was the prominent thought in his head. Vikus responded when Gregor reached out and touched his arm. He smiled at Gregor and his eye returned to normal.

"Thank you Gregor, I am alright. I heard you were looking for me and I came to see what you needed. But I seemed to run out of juice, as overlanders say, right before I got to you room. Thank you for the help."

"Are you sure you are okay?" Gregor asked, making sure the old man wasn't fibbing to avoid looking weak.

"If I needed further assistance help I would ask Gregor. I appreciate your worry though. Now what were you looking for me about?" Vikus asked the question to draw attention from himself. Gregor pocketed that and put it in his mind to talk to Howard about his grandfather.

"I needed to talk to you about something is all," Gregor replied.

"It is about my Granddaughter, is it not?" Vikus asked back obviously knowing the answer before he even asked.

"When is it not about Luxa?" Gregor replied with a chuckle. Vikus let out a small laugh which seemed good for him. The stress everyone had been under had seemed to wear every down and Vikus most of all. A good laugh might be just what he needed.

"What has she done now?" Vikus answered back, curiosity overtaking the humor of the moment.

"I isn't something she did. It's me this time and I just need some help. Luxa and I are having a little trouble and it is all because of me."

"It cannot be all because of you. In a relationship there are two sides, Gregor. Whenever there is something going on it is both people's problem and both people's fault," Vikus replied his wisdom flowing out. But he didn't know what was going on.

"No, Vikus. This time it is all my fault. Luxa may be overreacting slightly, but she is right. I have something wrong and it is only getting worse. She made it clear that we can't work this one out, only I can work it out. I have to fix my problem or else there is no more me and her."

"That seems to be very much like my Granddaughter. She issues the ultimatum and waits for it to be solved without helping. I thought i had gotten her out of that stage." Vikus sat in wonderment at what he thought was something he had fixed. And yet he was wrong again.

"But she didn't," Gregor quickly shot back. "She told me to talk to you about my problem. She trusts you and believes in you that you can help me. She may have given me an ultimatum, but she gave me some help in working out my issues and realizing what was wrong before she sent me off with some names. Of course, your's was first on the list."

"What is your problem, Gregor?" Vikus asked stroking his chin with his hand and locking eyes with Gregor.

Gregor took a deep breath before starting. "Anger. I'm always angry and I didn't realize it for a long time. There was time I would feel angry, but it was often justified. I just never realized how angry I was getting especially when there wasn't a reason to be that angry. I screamed and yelled at people I would never have before. I argued with authority and placed myself in terrible spots because of it. I was hurting myself and others because of it and I never knew I was. I didn't notice until I had a dream and I felt angry after. I felt the fear I was causing and I was scared of myself. I don't know what's causing it."

"You have not talked to anyone else about this?"

"I talked to Howard briefly this morning about my feelings on it. He told me I was stressed and overthinking it. Luxa though doesn't think that. She knows me better than any other underlander and she can read my emotions so easily sometimes. She sees it in my eyes and she was starting to get scared of me. That's why I'm looking for answers. I mean I chewed her head off when I was imprisoned." Gregor stopped talking when he saw the strange look from Vikus. "What?"

What does chewed her head off mean?" Vikus asked with a smile.

"Umm, it means I yelled at her for no reason and really badly. But anyway, what do you think of this." Vikus sat quietly for some time. Gregor felt the other man's eyes study his face and his eyes. It was oddly silent and Gregor sat waiting for a response.

"I do not know what to think of this. You are obviously a unique person and have unique problems. I have not heard of this happening to anyone before. But I can see a tension in you, almost like you are going to break. Something is inside you and it is causing this. What it is I do not know. Perhaps it is part of you as a warrior, as a rager perhaps. Anger and rage do go hand in hand. They are as related as is fueled by rage and rage feeds anger. Perhaps you should talk with Ripred. He may have an idea of what is causing this in you."

"Ripred! Why didn't I think of that?" Gregor asked rhetorically.

"Perhaps because you spent so much time looking for me. I was for your information at the stadium."

"Why the stadium? There isn't any training today, is there?"

"Oh there is. We have had much news on the stingers movements since you were imprisoned. We are training soldiers every day, making sure they know exactly what they need to do. Ripred was there before I left to come find you. There is a chance he is still there." Vikus added the last part and kicked Gregor into action. As Gregor raced to the door Vikus spoke up again. "Would you be so kind as to send a servant to come and help me back to my chambers please."

"Of course, Vikus. I can help you instead, if you want."

"No, Gregor. You have a rat to catch. I'm sure there is someone around who can help me." Gregor shook his head and stepped out into the hall. To his surprise there was a servant right outside, just a few steps down the hall.

"Would you mind helping Vikus back to his chambers?" Gregor asked the servant. The man bowed to him and calmly walked into Gregor's room. Gregor didn't stay to watch as he was on the move. His heart was racing not because he was running, but because he was getting closer to solving this problem. There was a chance for an answer. Ripred knew everything about being a rager and if it had to do with that then Ripred would be the only person who could help him. Gregor's skidded to a halt on the balcony of the high hall.

"Hey, Ptolomus, I need your help," Gregor shouted out hoping the grouchy bat would come to help him. To his surprise a purple bat flew into his eye sight and landed right in front of him. "Artemese, I didn't know you were back."

"Yes, Overlander. I am back as you say. And I am honored to be able to help you again. Where are we in such a dire need of traveling to?"

"The stadium. I need to find Ripred," Gregor answered as he hopped onto the back of his flier companion. Artemese flapped his wings and they were off soaring above the city. The bat floated into the stadium and flew a loop around as Gregor scanned the ground for Ripred. But the rat was nowhere to be seen. "Artemese, can you land?"

"Of course," the bat replied as he circled his way down to the field. Gregor leaped off and looked around. A group of soldiers jogged past him and he reached out and grabbed one of them.

"Have you seen Ripred?" Gregor asked quickly, regretfully sounding like he snapped at the soldier.

"I saw him, but I do not know where he went." Gregor let the man go and went on looking. He asked several more soldiers if they knew where he was, but none of them knew. Gregor could feel his frustration turning into anger. The one thing he was trying to avoid happening was about to start happening if he didn't get himself under control and get an answer. He stopped moving around and deepened his breathing, which seemed to be the one thing that could control his building anger. His eyes slid closed and he held himself there taking breath after breath. He could see something coming up behind him with his echolocation. Something big. Gregor opened his eyes and turned around.

"There you are Ripred. I've been looking for you," Gregor said to the rat.

"I've noticed. I had half a platoon of me come and tell me," Ripred snarled back. "What is it you want?"

"Your help," Gregor replied. Ripred feigned surprise at the answer.

"You want my help. I'm shocked. What is it such a great warrior needs help with?"

"It's about my raging," Ripred let out a bark as if he was about to yell at Gregor, but Gregor looked him into silence. "I need to know if you can help me with something that may or may not be related to being a rager. I've been having issues controlling my anger as If I'm always angry. Do you know anything about this happening before." The rat studied Gregor for a second. He turned away and flicked his tail at Gregor.

"Follow me. We need to go somewhere more private." Gregor followed behind the rat. They went through a gate in the stadium wall and into a winding tunnel. The same tunnel Gregor had entered the stadium through seven years before. They took several turns both to the left and right and Gregor felt that he was totally lost. Finally, the tunnel came to an end with a cave that Gregor noticed was stocked with food items and some blankets.

"Where are we, Ripred?" Gregor asked a vague idea already in his head.

"This is my home. Very comely is it not?" Ripred replied with a sad bite behind his normally strong bark.

"That's… cool. I didn't realize you lived near the city. I figured you'd live with other gnawers," Gregor replied testing the waters a little.

"I live here sometimes, and I live out there sometimes. It depends on how I feel. Now enough of me. You are the problem right now. You said something about uncontrollable anger."

"Yea. It's always there and then it'll come and I'll say things I don't mean and do things I don't mean too. I think I'm lucky I haven't killed anyone yet," Gregor realized the last part was true. He was lucky that he hadn't murdered anyone yet.

"Why do you want this fixed anyway? Maybe you need to be angrier. Makes you harder to kill if you're angry at what's trying to kill you."

"Luxa is why I need this fixed. She doesn't want anything to with me and that is killing me. She says I'm not the same person anymore and I'm starting to agree with her. Do you have an idea of what's wrong with me or not?" Gregor snapped the last sentence out as he could feel his anger rising and he was getting annoyed with all the questions he was being asked. Vikus had done it and now Ripred was too.

"I might have an idea of what it is. I have smelled anger on you for weeks. Much more than normal for a human. It comes off of you even now and it isn't good. I looked into it, but no one could tell me why you would be so angry. So there was only one possible answer. Being a rager is the only possible answer. If I may say I believe your rager side has taken over all of your emotions and now you feel angry more often than not even when you would feel sad or happy. You act very stern and tactile like you would when you would be raging, but you do it all the time let alone when you are fighting. The chemicals in your body must be unbalanced and your rager side has taken over. Now tell me if I'm right: you started feeling this either during or after your fight with Eisen?" Gregor had to think. He had felt angry during the fight, but he was raging. And after he had felt really angry about the attack on the fount. But that was justified. Or was his extreme anger really that justified?

"I think you're right. During the fight with eisen I didn't start raging at the beginning. It was like it was stuck. And then he cut me and I lost it. We all know what happened after that.:

"You felt like you were going to die and your body reacted. Hmm, I may have an idea. I'll tell you on the way. Follow me."

* * *

A path of water followed Gregor as he walked through the halls of the palace. Everything was sticking to him and he got strange looks from every single person they passed. But Gregor hardly noticed. His mind was set. There was only thing he wanted to do. And only person he wanted to see. It had been less than a day since he had seen Luxa in the morning. And it was going to take quite a lot of convincing, he knew, to prove he had somehow change. That's why Ripred was coming. Two brains are always better than one. Even if Ripred was probably going to be as snarky about it as possible.

Nerves were not something Gregor usually felt, but at this moment he felt his stomach and knots and a whole swarm of butterflies fluttering around in that knot. This was a moment of all moments for him and he had to make sure he didn't make a mistake. If he said one thing that wasn't right, Luxa could be gone to him. He had to prove to her that he meant every word that he said and that he had indeed changed. The hardest part would be her seeing the change because it happened so quickly. He was so deep in his mind he didn't notice his way was blocked. By two gleaming, razor sharp swords.

"What is your business with the queen?" one of the guards asked snapping Gregor from his dreams. He sputtered for an answer, not sure even how to word it. Ripred rolled his eyes and took over.

"Move. We have something important to report to the queen. I think she'd rather be disturbed then to find out she wasn't informed. And we all know how our queen gets when she is angry." The guards shared a look and then stepped aside. Gregor noticed a relieved look in the guards eyes as they passed. The usually hardened men that guarded the queen's chambers seemed to only be scared of the person they protected. Or at least when she got angry. Even he got a bit scared when Luxa was angry.

The doors to Luxa's chamber was right in front of them and Gregor stopped to collect himself. His mind raced trying to piece together what he was going to say. The sound of Ripred's tail constantly slapping the ground pierced into his head and he reached his hand up to knock on the door. He heard a noise behind the door and he stopped himself from knocking.

"Get on with it, boy," Ripred snarled through clenched teeth. Gregor raised his hand to knock again and the door flew open in front of him. Luxa stood there in a nightgown, her hair flowing down her back. Thomas sat on the floor next to her.

"Why are you here in my chambers?" she asked sternly, her eyes boring into them. Gregor could tell she wasn't angry at them. Her voice had a calmness to it that Gregor hadn't noticed before. And all he did was smile dumbly.

"Is something wrong with, Gregor?" Luxa asked Ripred who sat on the floor next to him.

"As far as I know, he's fine." Ripred said rolling his eyes again. Gregor glanced at him before looking back at Luxa.

"Can we go in your room and talk?" Gregor asked, disliking standing in the hall where any passing servant could see them.

"Not until you tell me why you are here, Gregor. I believed we had talked much earlier and we did not have much else to say to each other." Luxa replied and this time Gregor could feel something in her words. She sounded like she didn't really want to see him.

"Well, that's why I'm here. I fixed my problem. I'm better. No more anger. No more aggression. Just Gregor." He looked her in her eyes hoping to see something. Anything that told him she believed him. They stood like that for several seconds both of them looking into the others eyes. And then Luxa laughed.

"Gregor, I know you love me and want everything to be better, but things do not get fixed that quickly. It takes time. You cannot be fixed already." Gregor was devastated. He tried his best. He told her he was fixed, but that wasn't enough.

"You should trust him, Luxa. Think about it, if he was still having anger issues would he have not just yelled at you uncontrollably? Would you not see anger in his eyes?" Ripred yawned before continuing. "Look at him Luxa. I fixed his problem and he is better. I saw it. Now you must see it. I'll leave you two to figure it out for yourselves." The rat sprang to his feet and scampered off back out of the royal chambers. Gregor stood transfixed, his eyes cast down to the floor.

"Gregor, look at me," Luxa commanded. Gregor brought his gaze up and looked Luxa in the eyes. He stared at her purple irises and reveled in how beautiful they were. He always loved her eyes. Luxa's face was set like stone, her mouth down and her features featureless. She stared Gregor in the eyes. And then she slowly started to melt. Her mouth moved up a little. Her cheeks gained a bit of color and her eyes started to sparkle a little.

"Come here Gregor. You are back," Luxa said and she spread her arms out for a hug. Gregor stepped into the embrace and placed his chin on Luxa's head. He pulled her in tight, not wanting to let her go. He hadn't had contact with her in so long, the hug felt like a part of him that had been missing. He felt a warm tear bead up in the corner of his eye. He blinked it away and focused on the girl in his arms.

Luxa pulled back then. "Why are you so wet?" she asked as she stared at Gregor's wet clothes.

"It's a long story," Gregor said back.

"We have plenty of time for you to tell it," Luxa replied as she grabbed Gregor's hand and pulled him into her chambers. The sitting room was warm from a blazing fire in the hearth and it was welcoming to Gregor. He felt the heat drying his still soaked clothes as he sat down on the floor in front of it. Thomas came waddling over to him.

"Hi," the little boy said and put his arms out. Gregor pulled him in and gave him a big hug. He didn't realize how much he had missed this little guy since he had been gone. Thomas squirmed away from him and looked defiantly into Gregor's eyes. "Wet," he said.

"Yes, Thomas. Gregor is wet," Luxa said to Thomas as she sat on one of the couches. The little boy ran to Luxa and climbed onto the couch next to her. He snuggled up and was asleep within minutes. "He sleeps like this most nights," Luxa said breaking the silence. "Now tell me, why are you leaving a pool of water on my floor?"

"Ripred nearly drowned me," Gregor replied with a devilish smile.

"He did what?" Luxa said loudly. Gregor could see she was starting to get angry and he got up and moved closer to her. He put a finger on her lips and pointed to Thomas.

"You'll wake him up." Luxa nodded that she understood, but he could still see her fuming behind her eyes. "Now Ripred nearly drowned me because we had an idea that I was having anger issues because my rager side was constantly turned on, but I wasn't raging. Does that make sense?" Luxa nodded again and Gregor continued. "It started after my fight with Eisen and we thought it started because I almost died during the fight and I lost a lot of blood while raging. So we thought I had an unbalanced chemical shift in my body. And thus we tried to kill me while I wasn't raging to see if it fixed the chemical balance. It worked and I'm sitting here now without an ounce of extra anger in me."

"So you had to almost die to fix yourself?" Luxa asked and Gregor nodded in agreement. And then she hit him in the arm. "You almost died and you didn't tell me you were going to do that."

"You didn't seem to want to talk to me," Gregor replied back calmly. He leaned forward and kissed Luxa. She kissed him back. They sat like that for a while, quiet except for the occasional sound of the fire or of Thomas breathing. Gregor remembered Luxa's injury then. She was obviously okay as she was up and moving, but he had to make sure.

"Luxa, how do you feel?" He asked her. She looked at him her eyes asking him what he meant. "I didn't see you for days and when they put me away, you were still in the hospital."

"Oh, Gregor," she said and leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "My aunt tells me I am okay, but I must not push myself to much. Nothing too physically exerting she said. I must rest and let my body heal itself."

"That's good. At least you are okay and on the last bit of recovery. Worst part is when you're on your feet, but still can't do anything." Gregor said knowing just what she must be feeling.

"Of course you know about that. But you never followed the rules anyway. You thought you were cooler than that." Gregor smiled when he heard Luxa say cooler. It reminded him of the first time he ever met her and he used the word. Everything came flooding back to him.

"You learned that from me," Gregor said with a laugh.

"Learned what?" Luxa replied back her brow furrowed.

"Cooler. Remember the first time we ever met and I said cooler because I was trying to be cool… that's so long ago."

"Yes it is. So many years and so many adventures." The two sat and talked for hours about all of their adventures. The told each other how they felt when they were out in the wild, surviving. Gregor reminisced about all of his scars and all the dumb things he had done to get them all. Most of all they talked about the pain it had all caused. Both of them had lost so much to it all.

"Sometimes I still dream about it. I feel the things I did then and I see myself as a twelve year old girl doing all of those things. I hate those dreams."

"I have em too, sometimes," Gregor confirmed with her. "My fight with the bane sometimes replays through my head. I haven't had that one in a long time, though. Recently, I've been having much better dreams. Much prettier dreams."

"And what are those dreams of?"

"You," Gregor said with a smile. Luxa blushed and she really blushed. Se cupped Gregor's face and kissed him.

"I love you, Gregor the overlander."

"I love you, too," Gregor replied. He meant it more than he had ever before. His words held more meaning then he ever though they had. He felt lost without Luxa and he was going to keep her with him as long as possible. Luxa stood and took both of Gregor's hands.

"It is time to sleep, my warrior." And they retired for a night that both of them would remember for a long time.

* * *

**This is the longest thing I have ever written guys. Really need the reviews on this one because I have no clue if I kept it good throughout the entire piece or not. I wrote it at so many different times that it maybe good at one part and then really bad at another. So please leave me some feedback.**

**Question: Would you like the story to have some darker elements or not? I have some ideas, but I don't know how you guys will react because they are kinda dark.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Here we are again guys. I'm really happy to see even more people reading my story. This chapter was an interesting write and I hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

It was strangely quiet as he lay there, staring into the darkness. His head was full of thoughts as it so often had been in the last few days. Things were on the upswing, getting better for him. Fewer odd looks from people. Fewer people who avoided him. But there were still those that dreaded him and doubted his innocence. Those that would tie him up and give him a toss over the edge of cliff if they had their way. "They are few and far between," Gregor thought as he breathed out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in.

Luxa rolled over next to him and he wondered what she was dreaming of. She had been under more and more stress over the last few days, Gregor knew. More and more reports were flooding in on the stingers and the news was not always good. He didn't know the specifics, but Luxa had confided in him for assistance. He knew the stingers were going to the spinners and the crawlers trying to rally them to their cause. You know insects stay with insects and all that.

There was words that some gnawers wanted to side with them and that the spinners might as well. The crawlers had sided with the humans though. That much Gregor knew was certain. He hadn't seen a single crawler since his return, but he was certain that would change soon. A group of delegates from the crawlers was on their way to assist the humans anyway they could and to his joy Temp was coming with them. That was a friendly face for his sister to see as well.

But all this was wearing down Luxa. Late nights reviewing the information in her head and with him. Long periods in conversation with her generals and her advisors. She was beat. He could see it in her eyes and in her voice when she talked to him. His eyes fell on her as she turned over in bed again. Her eyes were shut, but her arm crossed over his chest and her head snuggled against his shoulder.

It had been almost a week since his trial and Luxa had fully forgiven and forgotten the trial by now. She needed him more than either of them realized. He was her number one confidant. When she had no one else to turn to she would turn to him and he was always there. He was there to give her all the help she needed, a different opinion, a different perspective. And he was happy to do it. But he to keep it on the down low.

Every night since he and Luxa had made up with each other, he had spent in her chambers with her. He was fine with it and she was fine with it. Heck even Hazard didn't mind when he would come in. But they were only a few and there were many that would want to hurt him if they found out he was sleeping in the same bed as their queen. Perhaps even some of his friends.

He had brought it up to Luxa a few nights past. "Luxa, are you sure I'm supposed to be here?" he asked as he held her in bed. She had pushed off his chest and looked him in the eyes.

"Why would you not? Do you not want to be here?"

"Of course I want to be here. I love you, but I also know there are those that don't want me here." Gregor replied as his hand rubbed her back.

"It does not matter what others want. You are here and that is how it is. If they have issue they can speak to me." Gregor had known she meant it, but he wasn't sure they would go speak to her. He more expected a good telling off or even worse a fanatical trying to kill him. He didn't fear for his life, but the life of the person who would try to kill him. And the chance of the council making some ridiculous ruling against him. That is what he feared the most. The council was weak, he knew now. And it had been for six years. But that weakness also lead to unbelievable acts they could pull. He had almost been one of them.

Luxa stirred again next to him. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and he held her there next to him, hoping the contact would help her. Her eyes flickered open and Gregor let out a slow sigh. He had hoped she would sleep through the whole night. She needed it more than anyone. Her head moved slowly as she took in her situation in the limited light. "Gregor," she mumbled as she fought the sleepiness. "Why do wake?"

"I'm just thinking," said Gregor so quietly it barely qualified as a whisper. "Go back to sleep. You need it." His hand rubbed her shoulder and she put her head on his chest and was quickly back asleep, her light breathing the only sound Gregor heard. It was soothing to his nerve and he felt his heavy eyes start to droop and finally he fell into sleep.

When his eyes fluttered open, he was disoriented for a second, forgetting where he was. His head spun for a second and then he remembered. His hand fell onto the bed where he figured Luxa was supposed to be sleeping. But she was gone. His body bolted upright and he looked around. Her sleeping gown was laid out on the bed and her daily clothes were gone. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes from where he left them the night before. He yanked his pants on and quickly pulled his shirt over his head. Boots slid on his feet and as quickly as he could he tied them up. Lastly, he strapped his sword belt on and he poked his head out into the sitting room. It was empty.

Gregor tip toed in making sure to make as little noise as possible. Hazard was up from his room, so Gregor bolted for the door. It opened slowly and he looked through the crack. The hallway was empty. He walked down the hall, an excuse for why he was there already formulating in his head. That came in handy quickly. A servant turned the corner and bumped right in to Gregor dropping the bedding she was carrying. With mumbled apologies he picked up the bedding for her.

"Do you happen to know where the queen is?" Gregor asked, fully knowing where she was. "I can't quite seem to find her." The servant stared blankly at him and blinked a few times. She pointed down the hallway behind her and scurried off. Gregor shook his head and continued on hoping he wouldn't encounter anyone else. And his hopes held true as he didn't pass any more people as he walked through the halls. The guards hardly seemed to notice him as he went out. That wasn't their business what he was doing there.

Gregor returned to his room for a change of clothes. His friends would be quite suspicious if he was wearing the same thing two days in a row. He threw the clothes on and walked back to the High Hall to see if he could catch a bite to eat. Gregor's mind was clouded with thought that he didn't notice the other people in the room. He grabbed some oatmeal and sat down to eat.

Nobody tried to talk to him as he ate and he didn't seem to mind. He could feel it was earlier than normal for him and it was nagging him why Luxa had left without at least waking him first to tell him why she was leaving. His spoon was scraping the bottom of the bowl, but he was moving like a robot, the actions mechanical. Finally, he realized there wasn't anything left to eat and looked up. The room was empty except for the other dishes on the table. Gregor shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He pushed himself up, off to where he was certain he would find Luxa.

Instinct took him to the tactics room, where he was greeted by chaos. Organized chaos, but chaos none the less. There were people coming in and out with news of the stingers, the gnawers, the nibblers, the crawlers, the cutters, the diggers, and the spinners. Every species was being watched and reported on for the allegiances and their aggressions. The one thing Gregor could see was Ripred was not in the room. And that was a surprise because the rat had basically been living in the room for the last few days. When news of some of the gnawers wanting to dissent came in Ripred had instantly started to send information out hoping to keep the other rats at bay. He had made it his job to stay in the tactics room helping to keep everything at peace.

And that was without the news of increased stinger activity. That had put everyone on edge. Gregor had gone back to training with a vengeance, putting in more hours than he thought he could. Today though he felt as if he could be needed somewhere more important. He took a few steps into the room just in time to get out of the way of a soldier speeding into the room. The man stopped in the center of the room where most of the fuss was going on. He gave his report caught his breath and was gone just as fast as he came in.

The tactics room had been busy, but he had never seen it this busy. There were more people and fliers, and to his surprise there were now nibblers amongst the mayhem. He hadn't heard that there were any nibblers coming into Regalia. Perhaps, Luxa had just forgot. He casually walked over to the central hub of all the motion. Three people stood looking at a small map of the underland. They were in quiet discussion.

Perdita glanced over her shoulder after he had been standing there for a few moments. She opened her mouth as if to issue an order, but then closed it and softened her face for just a second. "It is good to see you, Gregor. What brings you here?"

"I was looking for Luxa, but it looks like you guys could use some help so here I am," Gregor replied hoping that he hadn't just gotten himself into a busy day. Perdita's eyes had glowed at the mention of help.

"We can always use the help. Perhaps you can take and relay messages. It would save us much time," Perdita replied. She pointed Gregor over to the left side of the room. That was where a lot of the information was coming into from fliers that came in through an opening high up in the room. As Gregor turned and went Perdita stopped him. "Did you mention you were looking for Luxa?"

"Yea. She's okay, right?" asked Gregor wondering what Perdita had to say.

"She is well. But she is not here. She left to meet the envoy from the crawlers. I am sure she told you that Temp was coming and I am sure he will want to see you and your sister. I will send for you when they return." Perdita turned back to her work with Eisen and Mareth. Mareth looked up and gave him a strong smile before bringing all of his attention to the map. Eisen hadn't even lifted eyes the entire time Gregor was there.

"Thanks," Gregor said to no one in particular as he wiggled his way over to his work spot. Perdita had said something about taking and relaying messages, but Gregor wasn't ready for what came. An old bat, probably the oldest one Gregor had ever seen, was in charge over the operation and she introduced herself as Helen. That was the nicest thing she said to Gregor before ordering him to read and relay messages that were coming in. It didn't seem to hard at first, but Gregor soon found out just how bad it was.

Fliers and humans came in constantly with news, both verbal or written, and it was his job to determine what was and what wasn't important. And on top of that he was set to run the message to whoever it was important to. Information on alliances went to one group and news on supplies went to some completely other group that often wasn't even in the room. Troop movements were important to everyone. Gregor did more running and talking than he thought he had ever done. Most of the information was useless to him. There was word that more gnawers were moving to Regalia. The stingers were on the move again, but to where was the question. News of a skirmish was the biggest thing to him. It came from a flier, way out in gnawer territory. A group of stingers had been seen and the gnawers attacked. Casualties were not known, but both Perdita and Eisen instantly sent a squad of soldiers and medics to check. That part had made him smile.

Only years ago, the news of possibly dead gnawers would have made every human happy. Less of them to attack them. But now the alliance kept them together and the news made most of them worried and sad. The gnawers were vicious fighters, but even they were falling to the stingers when they were in numbers. This boded much worse for the humans should the stingers decide it was time for a full scale attack on the city.

Time ticked by and messages came and went. Gregor ran back and forth relaying a message to one group, reporting back a message to send back, only to be reading something new and running off again. It went on for what felt like hours and he was worried there was no news of the skirmish again and even worse no news of Luxa and the envoy of crawlers. He had no clue where they were meeting or when, but he was certain they had been gone for hours.

That's when Perdita yelled for him.

"Gregor! To me!" Perdita yelled over the din of the room. He had been about to deliver a message on the productivity of the fields and how much they could continue to grow, but he dropped the scroll to the floor and pushed and shoved his way to the commanding officer.

"What's up?" Gregor asked anxiously.

"We have word that Luxa and the Crawlers are back in our territory. Go and meet them in the High Hall. I will send someone to have your sister brought as well." Gregor could only nod. It would be good to see the cockroaches again, especially Temp, and seeing Luxa wasn't to bad either. He excused himself and half walked, half ran to the High Hall. He stopped and waited on the balcony. His eyes scanned the horizon where he thought they would be coming back. They strained to see anything over the towers and spires of the city. And then he saw a small cloud of speeks in the distance. They were moving fast towards the palace and with each passing second the speeks grew bigger. A large group split off and just two bats came flying towards the palace. One was gold, Aurora, and the other was gray. It was Vikus' bond Euripides. Gregor could make out the two humans riding on their backs and the two crawlers that flew with them. "Two crawlers hardly make up an envoy," thought Gregor as the two bats slowed and coasted into the high hall.

Something wasn't right Gregor could tell before the bats even touched down. He could see Luxa's face was hard and cold, but that she also had red, bloodshot eyes. That wasn't uncommon of someone who hadn't been sleeping well, but they were somehow worse than that. He could tell she saw him and before Aurora had even landed, Luxa had leaped off and rushed to Gregor. She threw her arms around him and he could feel the pain inside her. The rage and the anger. And the sadness. He felt her body convulse and then heard the first sob. He squeezed her to him and held her there. His gaze fell on Vikus as a servant helped him dismount Euripides. Vikus looked at him and the sadness in the old man's eyes was strong. Something bad had happened. Something really bad.

"Lux," Gregor said to get her attention. Her wet eyes looked into his. "What happened?" Luxa let out a hiccup and wiped her eyes with one hand, never letting go of Gregor.

"It was terrible," she started before a spurt of hiccuping took her over. She continued on though, "We went to meet the envoy and bring them into Regalia. It was only on the border of our territory and was not far away. But when we arrived nothing was as it was supposed to be. Everything was... was…" She couldn't get the last word out, but Gregor thought he knew what she was trying to say. Luxa, who at twelve had witnessed all the same terrible things he had never once had cried. This must have been something truly terrible.

"They were dead, weren't they?" Gregor asked even though he knew the answer. Or he thought he did.

"Not dead, they were, not dead," came the reply from Gregor's left. A roach had scuttled up next to them. One antenna was bent and Gregor smiled. Temp was still here like always. His shell was starting to show his age with hints of gray amongst his black shell. His body seemed slightly more stiff than normal, but he had still moved quietly enough.

"Not dead?" Gregor asked to no one in particular. Then what wa so bad?

"The crawlers are dead now, Gregor," Vikus said as he too walked over to them. "We arrived to a scene of pure cruelty. Something in all my years I had never seen and wish I never see again." Vikus even sounded older from his experience if that was even possible.

"What was there?" Luxa took a deep breath and let go of Gregor for a second. Her voice and her tears had gone back to normal and she spoke with a great deal of sincerity and hatred.

"The crawlers had been attacked. All of them we saw were wounded fatally, but none had died yet. They were left to bleed out. Many of them lay on their back and their legs… oh their legs." Gregor could see Luxa was repeating the scene in her head. He was imagining it in his head. He had seen many a cockroach cornered by his mother and flipped over. The legs flailed around wildly and it was scary to watch then when it was one only an inch or two long. But these were massive bugs and they were friendly intelligent creatures. Gregor felt a little sick. He opened his arms and Luxa fled back into them.

"Did the stingers do it?" Gregor asked to either Temp or Vikus.

"No," Vikus answered quietly.

"Swords, cut by, swords," Temp said in the weird roach talk. The words hit Gregor hard. This crime, this atrocity was caused at the hands of a human. And Gregor could only think of one person.

"Roderick," Gregor said through clenched teeth. His hatred for the man was only growing with each passing day. There would be a time when Gregor would get a chance and he would put Roderick in the ground. He promised himself that it would come. And he would enjoy it when it came. It couldn't please him more to destroy someone as evil as Roderick.

Gregor squeezed Luxa in his arms. She needed it, he knew. She was strong, but he knew if she held it all in she would explode. Him just being there was always good for her. Nobody moved. Nobody talked. It was quiet and still.

"Let's go in and get you all something to eat," Gregor said and he guided Luxa inside. Temp followed behind and Vikus cast him a sad smile, before turning inside with them. And it was at this time that Margaret showed up.

"Here, the Princess be, here," Temp said and he scuttled over towards Gregor's sister. He watched as the two roaches looked at his sister and Gregor could tell she was having feelings flood back into her. It had been so long since she had been down here, that her memories were so muddled. He knew she remembered them and Temp most of all, but she had told him once that she didn't remember all that much at all. If that was true she didn't show tried to get her to sit on his back, but she assured him she would probably crush him if she did and that she was fine walking with him. The odd trio came over to them and Gregor wrapped his arms around his sister. She returned the hug briefly, but then pushed away. It was obvious she wanted time to herself with Temp. He had been her best friend for a solid year of her life and now she was getting the chance to see him again. A series of clicks could be heard as they walked away from them all.

"How does she do it?" Gregor asked shaking his head.

"She has been attending lessons with Hazard," Vikus said. "Mathematics, history, and of course our special languages. Crawler she picked up on quite fast. Hazard has told me she is rather good at nibbler as well, but just can't seem to master gnawer." Gregor was smiling now. His sister was already starting to get smarter than him and still seemed to be better at making friends than him. But it was good for her to be able to do all of those things, that she was learning skills that could prove invaluable in the underland.

Gregor walked with Luxa and Vikus back to tactics room. The day sped by after that. Temp and the other crawler, whose name was Sil, were amongst the discussions on troops and if they should come to the aid of the humans should an attack come. It was decided that while the crawlers were brave, they were not much of a match for a fully grown stinger. However, with some wisdom from Temp, the crawlers were determined to be useful for getting injured out of battle and able to be scouts due to their low profile. It was towards the end of the day for Gregor and his friends when the news came.

A nibbler Gregor had seen around during the day came over with a message in its paws. Luxa took the message and thanked the nibbler. She read it and looked up at everyone with surprise in her eyes. "What is this Skirmish it speaks of?" Gregor quietly cursed himself. He and everyone else had forgotten to inform her of the fighting the rats had that morning.

"There was a small battle between the gnawers and the stingers this morning, Your Highness," said Eisen before anyone else could speak up. "In our discussions it seems we all had forgotten about it."

"Only a small battle?" Luxa questioned and Gregor could see something in here eyes.

"Yes, Your Highness," Eisen replied back.

"Read this," she said thrusting the message into his hands. "Aloud."

Eisen took a deep breath and looked down at the message. "Casualties from Skirmish counted. Ninety gnawers dead, twenty seriously injured. Forty-seven stingers dead, injured unknown." He looked up at everyone. Luxa was burning holes into everyone.

"This is not a small skirmish. This is a small battle. Does anyone know who was leading the rats in this?" Luxa was clearly angry. Gregor thought about reaching out to calm her, but realized it was not the time or place for it. "Do we have anymore information on this battle?"

"Your Highness, it was not a battle but only a skirmish between some gnawers and stingers. Nothing to worry about," Eisen said, confidence in his voice. Luxa turned on him then.

"Nothing to worry about, you say. The gnawers are our allies. Their deaths are as important as the deaths of our own citizens. Do not contradict me again. Choose your next words wisely, commander," Luxa had a cold look in her eyes. A look Gregor had never seen. Luxa had used to be hard and cold, but never like this. This was something different.

"I apologize, Your Highness," Eisen said and stepped away from the group, thoroughly scolded. Luxa turned back to the rest of the group, a little smile on her face. She winked at Gregor. He knew she enjoyed that. It wasn't often she got to yell at important people and she took her chances and used them. Mareth had a similar look as Luxa. He had been on the end of his friends anger before. Everyone of them had.

"It looks like our queen is a little snappy today," came a raspy snarl from the doorway. Gregor whipped around to see Ripred standing in the door. How long he had been standing there, none of them knew. When Gregor looked at him, he could see ugly wounds on the rat. Part of his left ear was missing and his front leg was clearly broken as it hung at an odd angle.

"Ripred, are you okay?" Gregor asked. Ripred fell over laughing.

"Oh so nice of you to care. I'm fine. Except for this broken leg. Can't really do much with it."

"How did you get like this," inquired Luxa with her eyebrows raised and her arms crossed across her chest.

"Leading this little skirmish you guys have been talking about. Who else could get a group of gnawers to kill all of those pesky stingers?" Ripred replied with a yawn and a smirk as he lounged on the floor.

"Why were you even there, Ripred? Did you not have pressing matters here?" Perdita asked jumping into the inquiry.

"Oh yes. So much to do here as I wait for news of brethren deciding to jump ship. I left early this morning when a message came in telling of stingers coming into gnawer territory. Lapblood sent it in and I left as soon as possible. There was at least a hundred when I lead the attack on them. i believe they were trying to get the gnawers to help them in their fight against Regalia. But alas most of those stigers are no more and the gnawers are still here for you, You Majesty." Ripred gave a mock bow to her. "Now I'm going to go get this leg fixed and get something to eat."

"I will have all the food you need sent to the hospital," Luxa said right before Ripred rounded the corner. He stopped for all of the slightest second before continuing, but Gregor could feel the rat was more than happy about what Luxa had said. Of course, he wouldn't show it though.

Time sped by as the group went and ate a small meal of stew and bread in the dining hall. There was little conversation amongst them as they sat in their own thoughts. Luxa kept shooting him looks down the table and each time he saw different emotions. She was happy and sad one moment and the next she seemed indecisive and nervous. He would definitely sit her down and find out what was on her mind.

The time came when they went back to her chambers. Luxa was playing with Thomas on the floor her back leaning against one of the couches. Gregor sat watching her, listening to her happy voice as she laughed at what the little kid did. But Gregor could hear something in her voice. She was trying to cover something up in her happiness, but right as Gregor was about to ask Hazard came strolling in and sat down next to them. He had several scrolls in his hands and he opened one and started to read.

"What's that?" Gregor asked the boy. He jumped at Gregor's words.

"Oh, hello Gregor. I did not see you there. These scrolls are my, as Margaret called them homework. I am to practice each scroll in a different language and be able to read them tomorrow." Hazard returned his eyes to the paper and Gregor could hear him muttering sounds as he went along. Gregor's chance to ask Luxa what was on her mind was gone for the moment, but there would be chances later to ask her about it.

It was later and Dulcet had come and taken Thomas away to put him to bed. Hazard had left and gone off to his own room, his entire body looking exhausted. It was only him and Luxa left and they sat quietly. Gregor watched her stare into the fire in the hearth. He could really see that something was bugging her.

"C'mon Lux. Let's go to bed." He reached his hand out to her and she took it, getting up from the ground. Gregor could feel that she had something to tell him the whole time he lay there watching her ready for bed like she did every night. She still seemed tense. As she laid down next to him he pulled her into him and they lay there cuddling.

"Is something on your mind?" Gregor finally said. Luxa looked at him and he could see she was struggling to decide whether to tell him. She sighed.

"Yes, Gregor. I have been trying to tell you this for the last few days, but I have not been able to. It is important to know. You do not know what tomorrow is?" Gregor shook his head. Tomorrow was something special apparently. "Tomorrow is a day that has meaning to all of us, but most of all to you. Tomorrow is the anniversary of when you drained the Bane of it's light." Gregor's eyes grew wide. His heart skipped a beat and his hand instinctively moved up to the scar on his chest. Memories came flooding back to his brain. He could still see the scene clearly.

"_I've got to get in closer if I'm going to take him out!" said Gregor._

…_._

"_Get out! Gregor cried. "Get out, Ares!" _

…_._

Those words kept playing in his mind as he saw the Bane rip into Ares throat. his sword piercing the Bane's chest. The cry of pain and the shuddering jarring of the Bane's claws swiping and ripping his chest open. The feeling of blood leaving his body. The image of Ares with no throat and the bloodstained coat of the bane. It was all so clear.

Something touched his arm and he snapped back to reality. He shuddered and Luxa wrapped him in her arms. He sat there motionless, the feeling of warmth and safety from Luxa's arms soaking into his body. He breathed deep and opened his closed eyes.

"I had no idea it was tomorrow," Gregor said so quiet it was hardly able to be considered a whisper.

"I know, Gregor. I did not want to tell you and make you remember, but somehow you would find out tomorrow. There will be parties and people will be rejoicing. It has been that way the past five years and I can not see a reason it will not be the same this year."

"Then we shall celebrate, too," Gregor said hoarsely. "It is a day to be happy and we will be too. You and I will have our own day. A picnic, just the two of us. In Ares cave." It was too much to think about now. He could feel his throat tightening like it did every time he thought about his former bond. It always made him question what they had done. How they had fought the bane. Ares had not come out of the fight, but he would always be remembered. It was to hard to forget.

Gregor rolled over onto his side. He wanted to be alone for a little while. He could feel Luxa looking at him, but he ignored it. He could feel his eyelids growing heavy and his body slipped off into sleep.

When he woke up, his body felt heavy and lethargic. His legs were stiff and his neck was sore. His eyes scanned the room and he saw he was waking up alone for the second day in a row. He stepped out of bed and stretched out his arms, his legs, and his neck. He looked for where he left his clothes the night before, but they were gone. He panicked for a second before he saw some clothes folded off to the side. Someone had put them there and there was no way they hadn't seen Gregor there. He shook his head and threw the clothes on, grabbing his sword belt and strapping it on. He clambered out of the room and down the hall. He passed a few guards and some servants, but he didn't feel like saying anything to any of them. None of them said anything to him either, but he felt them all watch him as made his way out.

He stepped into the High Hall and was taken aback by what he saw. All of his friends were there. His sister was there. Luxa was there. Even Ripred was there. They all had the same look on their face. Gregor smiled, happy to see all his friends, and that they were there for him. His sister ran to him and hugged him tightly. He patted her on the back.

"How are you, Gregor?" Vikus asked.

"I'm fine. It's just any other day to me. What happened is the past and I have to live with it every day," Gregor said his hand resting against his chest. "I see the scars every day. I have Ares in my heart every day. Every second of everday. Today is just like yesterday. I have all of you and you all have me and that's what matters. Six years ago something terrible happened, but something greater happened too. I just try to forget."

Everyone was nodding with him. His sister let him go and looked him in the eyes. Her eyes shined with tears. Perdita signaled everyone to go about their business and Vikus came over to Margaret. With a gentle hand he guided her off over to Hazard and the two went off to their lessons. All that was left washim and Luxa. And the two bats he hadn't seen before. Aurora sat with Artemese, a picnic basket strapped to her back.

"Shall we," Luxa said gesturing to the bats. Gregor quietly mounted Artemese and they rode out of the city and into the caves. Over to Ares cave. It was dark, but Luxa set up torches on the walls. The light filled the cave and Gregor could still see all the things that reminded him of his lost friend. Luxa had laid out the food already, but Gregor barely felt like eating. The words he had said earlier were true, but he was left hopeless to his brain. He kept seeing what he didn't want to see. With a gurgle his stomach brought him around and he grabbed some food. In time Luxa had him laughing and soon he was almost back to normal. He was talking and cracking jokes. It was fun, the most most fun he had had in a long time. The most fun either of them had had in a long time. The pending war with the stingers was lost on them for the moment. They were just two teenagers who loved each other. They were doing what they loved to do and that was being with each other. Aurora and Artemese had come in for some food, but they left quickly not wanting to interfere on their friend's fun.

It was late in the day when they decided it was time to head back to the palace. There was the urge to stay there as long as they could, but reality was going to come back to them at sometime. The two fliers came when they were called and Luxa and Gregor mounted up to head back to Regalia. They flew out of the cave and back into the winding tunnels. When they burst out over the city, Gregor was still in a good mood. His face was smiling and he let the wind blow through his hair. But something caught his eye. To their left was a lone flier. And on its back was a slumped figure.

"Artemese, go over to the wall!" Gregor shouted. The lone flier kept flying, but Gregor saw Luxa and Aurora flying towards it. Artemese sped up and they soared over to the wall. There wasn't anything there, but a faint rumble could be heard in the distance. The flier soared out past the wall and several hundred yards into the tunnel. The rumble was getting louder.

"What is there?" Artemese asked him. Gregor's smile was gone. His good humor was gone. It was what he and Luxa had been escaping from that whole day. The first line of stingers came into view of his echolocation and Artemese drew a deep breath in.

"You want to know what is there. That is a war at out walls." The stingers came in wave after wave marching tails erect in the air. There was no space between them. They were in perfect unison. And it was scary.

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**I hope you guys liked that. Mixed in a lot of things that are going to show up later. But it was still all over the place and it made this chapter really hard to write. I'm very thankful for all the reviews I'm getting and I really hope you all continue to post them. The more the merrier. Also, I'm not sure how many of you know, but I started a new story to go along with this one. It is called Return from the Darkness. I posted the first chapter a few days ago and I would really like everyone who reads this story to read it. It would mean a lot if you guys read both of them. Thanks in advance guys.**

**Question: Who will win the battle and how will they do it?**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys. Sorry for the wait, but this chapter was surprisingly hard to write. Couple that with me also writing Return from the Darkness and I have a full schedule. This is a pure action chapter. Lots of quick descriptions. It may not be my best writing, but I like what I did with this. Hope you all enjoy.**

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**Chapter 24**

Fear. That is the one word that filled his head. He watched as rank and rank of stingers marched underneath him towards the outer wall of the city. The first defense, but probably their best defense. The rumble of the stinger's march was deafening and it filled Gregor's brain. And then it stopped. The stingers stood still their bodies in perfect position, each one the same size as the one next to it. It looked like a well-oiled machine had just landed at Regalia's doorstep.

"We should get back to Regalia now," Gregor said to Artemese and the purple bat replied, by turning and racing back the way they had come. Over the fields they flew, the images of farmers a blur. And then the horn blew. The alarm blared over the city. The farmers instantly jumped into action and started to harvest everything they could. It was the same way it had been when the gnawers attacked six years before. Take as much as they could and leave nothing for the enemy. Gregor, however, feared that the stingers could care less about grains. They ate other things. Things with a bit of meat on the bones.

Over the city the streaked and Gregor could see families streaming out of their homes and places of work. They carried everything they could as they worked their way towards the palace and the protection it provided. Others could go to the arena, the heavy doors protecting against attack from the city. Artemese coasted into the High Hall and it was already a bustling mess. Soldiers ran past, orders were being shouted, and he was set upon instantly.

"What did you see?" came the call from his left. He spun around and did not see anyone important to answer to, but someone had shouted the question to him. "Gregor, come to me now." He turned again and saw a quick glance of Perdita's head and he worked towards it. He jostled through the soldiers and bats that were landing in the hall to get to her. She wasn't alone either. Ripred, Eisen, and Luxa all stood with her, Eisen still issuing commands to his subordinates.

"What did you see, boy?" Ripred snapped. It was a command, not unkind by any measure.

"Way more stingers than I've ever seen. Wall to wall, walking in unison by size. Well orchestrated."

"Did you count a number of them?" Perdita asked, concern on her face.

"I didn't get a chance. At least twenty if not thirty ranks passed beneath me and they went on further into the darkness," Gregor was certainly showing the worry in his voice. They hadn't seen the amount or the size of the stingers. They couldn't match with size and they certainly couldn't match numbers. They would need reinforcements from somewhere.

"Thank you for the information, Gregor. Go and get yourself some armor and then report back to me," Perdita said and returned to issuing orders. Luxa looked at Gregor, her eyes telling him everything. She wanted to talk. And talk badly. He followed her out of the bedlam that currently filled the High Hall. They stopped in an empty corridor and Luxa walked into Gregor's embrace.

"Please be careful," Luxa said her voice strong, but Gregor could hear the fear in it. Luxa was rarely fearful of anything and the fact that he could sense the fear in her was surprising.

"Lux, I'll be as careful as I can be. But I may have to put myself in the way of danger to keep others safe," he replied speaking the truth. He was one of only a handful who could take on the stingers head on and win. The army would have a strategy, but he knew it would eventually fall to a melee of bodies and he would have to help out as many as he could.

"I know, Gregor. You will be the hero you are, but please try to keep yourself safe. I will not be allowed near the battle, but I will be watching. Promise me you will come back to me," Luxa urged him.

"I promise, no matter what, that I will come back to you," Gregor said with conviction. There was no way he wasn't going to make it back to her. Luxa hugged him harder and stood on her tip toes to plant a peek on his cheek.

"Go and get yourself ready." Gregor let go of Luxa and went off towards the armory. Most of the bustle was moving towards and away from one spot and Gregor jumped into it. He followed the soldiers in front of him and within no time he was at the armory.

His eyes scanned over the crowd looking for one person. Amongst the hustle and bustle he couldn't find her though. Soldiers were shouldering past him, grabbing weapons and helmets and pieces of armor. A spear swung dangerously close to his head as a young soldier jogged past. In the quick glimpse Gregor got of his face he saw fear mingled with determination. This was a battle not many were ready for and even less that would probably come out of.

"Overlander!" a female voice shouted. Gregor spun around and saw the little woman he was looking for. Miravet was signaling to him through the soldiers. He pushed a few of them aside as he made his way over to the armorer. She already had his armor set out for him when he got to her. The blood red leather was clean and the black metal shone in the torchlight. It was the perfect armor. Every inch felt right, looked right. The final touch to the deadly machine Gregor was. The armor would become the personification of death in a short time.

Miravet helped Gregor suit up. She strapped his shin guards, helped him get on the greaves that protected his upper legs. As she strapped him into the chest guard, Gregor slid his hands into the gloves. The armor on his forearm felt heavy at first, but it soon felt normal, natural like it was a part of him. His fingers wiggled free from the tips of the gloves and he whipped his sword out. Everything felt good as he placed the blade back into its scabbard. A helmet was thrust into his hands. Chain mail hung down the neck and the helm fit snugly on his head.

"How do I look?" Gregor asked Miravet. The old woman stepped back and took him in. Her hand rested on her chin and she stroked her fingers back and forth.

"Deadly," was her conclusion. "Go and do what you do best." She stepped to another soldier and helped him, pulling his chest piece so tight he was pulled into perfect posture. Gregor snickered at the sight as he weaved his way out of the armory, the one single different person amongst the ranks of soldiers. His armor stood out from the ordinary, his stature, his height. And to be honest he didn't like it. A lot of the rank and file soldiers were average height, average size. They weren't the well trained killing machine of Gregor. They were trained in group tactics more and on individual fighting less. Fliers would be integral to this battle, Gregor knew and he already had pangs in his stomach telling him it might not be a good thing.

He found himself back in the High Hall and there was still just as much going on. But all of the commanders were gone. Ripred was gone. Perdita and Eisen gone. All that was left was Mareth.

"Mareth!" Gregor yelled above the noise. The general turned and saw Gregor, a slight smile coming across his stern face. He waved his hand to Gregor, signaling him to come.

"You are to report to the wall. Ripred, Perdita, and Eisen are there at the moment and are waiting your arrival. Artemese is waiting for you on the balcony." Gregor was already turning from his friend. "Fly you high, Gregor."

"Fly you high," Gregor said back as he raced to the balcony. There were many bats, most deep browns and grays. But there was only one purple bat. Gregor squeezed between bat bodies and delicate wings as bats came in and out. There was still much going on. Artemese sat quietly on the far corner of the balcony. When Gregor reached him, the two greeted each other quietly. There was little time for chit chat. Gregor jumped on and Artemese shot off the balcony. His wings extended and they were flying over the city. Gregor could see soldiers helping people towards the palace, others moving people towards the arena, and even more moving towards the walls. As they flew over the fields they could see even more people than they had seen before harvesting what they could. It was a frenzy as the Regalians did what they had to do.

As the outer wall came into picture, Gregor could see the wall was packed with bodies of fliers and humans. There was an area open right in the middle of the wall and Artemese coasted down into it. Gregor hopped off to see the leaders already discussing their tactics. They were so involved that they didn't notice Gregor standing mere feet behind them. Ripred turned to him first.

"Oh look he shows up. And in such shiny armor, too." Gregor shrugged off the comment, preferring to look at the two commanding officers. Perdita was still looking over the battlefield, but Eisen had turned to him, a steely look in his eyes.

"Gregor, come and look. Tell me what you see." Gregor walked to the edge of the wall looking down at the rows of stingers. the closest to the wall were a good thirty feet away. Plenty of room on the ground for fighting. And the cavern was well lit with plenty of space for aerial maneuvers. Really anything they wanted to do they could. His gaze shifted down the wall to the ballista that were mounted and the baskets of bolts that sat alongside them. They would get their ultimate test today. "I hope they don't hit anyone when their shooting. Especially me," Gregor thought of the teams that would be operating the weapons.

"Well, Eisen, I see many options," Gregor started. "They left plenty of room on the ground for combat and there is room above for aerial combat as well. And the ballista will make for some interesting changes." Eisen was nodding with all of his observations. Perdita had turned as well to listen in.

"What say you of the ground fighting? Easier or harder than on a flier?"

"It's hard to say. Personally on the ground is easier. But it leaves you at a size and speed disadvantage. And there are a lot of stingers. If someone gets stuck between a few of them they aren't coming back. Experienced fighters would manage on the ground, but less experienced would fare better on the back of a flier." Perdita was nodding in agreement and even Ripred seemed impressed. "So how am I fighting on the ground?" Gregor asked. Eisen stared at him blankly.

"You are not fighting on the ground. You will be on the wall in charge of the ballista," responded Eisen his voice steely. Gregor could feel his heart drop and start beating fast at the same time. He wasn't fighting on the ground. How was that possible? No one else had fought as many stingers and killed as many. There was no way he wasn't going down there. And he was about to argue it.

"Gregor, do not be angered," Perdita said calmly, placing a hand on Gregor's shoulder. He spun and jumped at the contact. "It was not Eisen who made the decision but I. You have the most knowledge of the weapons because you designed them. It is most important that you assist on the wall to make sure we get the results desired. And you have proven that you know the strategy. Should any of the three of us die on the ground, I would insist you take over. There is no one better. Finally, we will need an accomplished fighter on the wall should any stingers manage to conquer it. You are that fighter. I want you on the wall and no below it." Gregor felt his energy start to leave his body. He was relegated to backup and leadership. He did not like to lead. He wanted to fight and feel his adrenaline flow. That was what he was there for. But it was no use arguing. Perdita wanted him there and he would do his job. It was flattering though that she would want him to have a command role. He had always been just a soldier. He followed order and never thought to give them. But perhaps he had it in him.

"I'll be here if you three need me," Gregor said. Perdita smiled at him and Eisen clapped him on the back. Ripred just stared off at the stingers, but Gregor could see the hint of a smile on the rats scarred snout. He had learned to control himself and realized he wasn't always the one needed for fighting. There were other roles he could fill. At that moment a large flier landed behind them and York hopped off. The massive man was armed and armoured to the teeth and he was ready for a fight.

"Is there any sight of my daughter?" York asked the hope in his voice very evident.

"There is no sight of Stellovet," Ripred replied. "But that massive stinger is sitting in the middle of them, just waiting." Gregor could see York's jaw lock and his hand reach for the hilt of his sword. His eyes were set out into the cavern searching for the one thing he wanted to fight.

"Is the man there?' Gregor asked for York. They all knew what man Gregor was talking about. The one that seemed to be in charge. The one that had kidnapped Stellovet.

"As far as I can see, there is no sign of him," Ripred replied. There was more movement around them as more and more of the soldiers arrived on the wall. Eisen was moving to direct the chosen fighters to the ground and replacing them in line with fliers and their riders. It was almost time for it all to start. Artemese was in conversation with Perdita. There were groups around the twelve ballista, already cranking back the first bolt waiting for the order to fire. The order to start dealing death. Even he felt the wait. The time that was slowing in front of him. Ripred was sliding down the wall, Eisen and Perdita were hopping onto their bats to follow him and even more men and women were following them.

"Overlander," came the purr from behind him. He turned to Artemese who was standing directly behind him. "I have been ordered to patrol the air and help the injured. If you need me I will be there."

"Artemese, be careful. If I need you I will call. Fly you high," Gregor said.

"Fly you high," Artemese said and lifted into the air and drifting over the wall. Gregor felt alone for a second. There was no one but the mounted fliers left on the wall with him. He could see the lack of fear on every single face. This was their job and while they may die they were willing to do it if it meant their families could survive. If their city could stay standing. And then the single came. The ranks of fliers took off one after the other and the dived in towards the stingers. Gregor caught a glimpse of the ground troops rushing in towards the stingers. It seemed to be deathly quiet. He watched as a flier went in for a stingers tail and then it was gone, a stinger sticking out of its chest. Its rider fell into the stingers. Finally, the screams hit him. Tons of screams. Screams of agony, screams of rage, screams of frustration. But he didn't hear one sound.

The ballista weren't firing. The twang of their powerful strings weren't assaulting his ears. He looked and saw the men on all the ballista staring at him. It dawned on him that it was his job to command them. They wouldn't fire until he told them to. "Fire at will!" Gregor shouted and the men turned and fired. The bolts flew out and he watched as several of them pierced stingers, killing or immobilizing them. It took a second for the next volley to ready, but without hesitation the bolts flew again. He watched as eleven bolts dropped onto targets. Only one missed and it missed bad, nearly hitting soldiers fighting on the ground. That wasn't good at all.

Gregor looked to the position he knew the miss came from. and he saw the problem right away. The firing man was the smallest on the team, hardly able to aim the ballista. He didn't have the strength to get it to fire where he wanted. Gregor bolted over before they could fire the next shot. He grabbed hold of the arm of the small man running the ballista and he recognized him as the young man he had seen earlier.

"Let me aim. I can see you are struggling. Help them load it up. We'll be the best team there is," Gregor said taking control of the beast. The next bolt was loaded and he swung the ballista to aim. His senses sharpened and he felt his rager side start to take over. Even from his distance he could see weak spots. A soldier was fighting valiantly, but he was losing ground. Gregor swung the Ballista and aimed. The bolt sung as it fired and zipped through the air. He saw it come closer and closer to his target. his adrenaline pumped as he saw the tip zip right into the eyes of the stinger, piercing all the way into it, killing it on the spot.

He fired bolt after bolt, every single one hitting its target. But it wasn't helping. There were too many stingers and they were pushing forward towards his position, obviously knowing he was the one dealing the most death. A large stinger swatted away the last vestiges of the ground force in front of his section of the wall. It came to close for Gregor to aim the ballista. It was up to the mounted soldiers to kill it. But none came. He saw that all of them were occupied with much worse things. Perhaps he should call Artemese and take it out himself, but he saw a purple streak zooming from the battlefield a wounded soldier on his back. Too late. He would have to take on whatever came his way by himself.

"Keep firing!" Gregor shouted as he drew his sword. The stinger was at the wall and there was more behind it. The largest braced itself and made a bridge for the smaller ones. They came racing up the wall only to meet Gregor. His sword slashed down loping off pincers and killing with deadly accuracy. There was another blade along with his, but he couldn't see who it was. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ripred rushing to his aide, but he was cut off by other stingers. The melee from the ground was now on top of the wall.

A stinger just missed impaling him and he took his chance to cut it from the body. He could feel that he was alone again as he had to yield ground to the stingers. They were pressing him hard and he had to move back. His sword arched down, his dagger coming up behind it hoping to hit a weak spot. But the opposite happened. He missed the joint and the sword ricocheted off the super hard metal didn't stand a chance and it snapped clean in two. He was left with just his dagger to fend off an onslaught of stingers. He felt his chances were low. The stinger pushed forward again and he went down. There he was, the mighty warrior, looking death in his face. He was dead no matter how he did it. And all that came to his head was the promise he had made Luxa. He had promised he would come back, no matter what, but he couldn't. He could feel the pincers grabbing at his arms, pinning him to the ground. He saw the stinger poised ready to strike. "I'm sorry, Luxa," Gregor cried aloud. He braced himself for the pain that was about to come. It never did.

At the last second something buzzed inches above his head. He felt the warm splatter of sticky blood splash on his body and the pincers went limp. His head rolled back to see the young soldier he had taken over for commandeering the ballista, the tip still aimed right at the stinger's face. Gregor forced himself to his feet. His body bussing back into rager mode. There was no way he was going to let himself break his promise. He had almost given up and that wasn't his game. Gregor never gave up. But he was weaponless and there wasn't anything for him to use. Or was there. He reached out and grabbed the bolt that was embedded almost entirely into the stinger's head. He pulled as hard as he could and he felt the bolt start to slide out. He was lucky that the stinger's couldn't really get to him through their fallen comrade. Finally the bolt came free, covered in stinger blood and guts. He shook it off and looked around him. there were a few stingers in the fields, but fliers were already tracking them down and killing them.

But there were still ones on the wall. They were killing the ballista soldiers and Gregor couldn't allow that. He got his energy up, his adrenaline pumping and he went to work. He leaped over the fallen stingers and back into the fray. None of them were paying attention to him and he used that to his advantage. He jumped onto the back of the closest stinger and ran right to it's head. The shell was soft there and the bolt plunged straight down into the brain. The stinger went limp and he whipped the bolt out again. More stingers were in front of him and he had to take care of them. He dodged the pincers and the stinger as he made his way closer to the face for the kill. The pincers bounced off of the bolt as he knocked them away like he was using a quarterstaff. in the confined space he didn't have much chance to move closer.

But he didn't have to. A sword sliced through the tail and the stinger flinched enough for Gregor to slide the bolt into the stingers eyes. A sword sat next to his foot, in a pool of blood, the dead soldier's hand mere inches away. He quickly stooped down and grabbed the blade. "Thank you," Gregor said to the soldier. It may have been too late for him, but the blade would hopefully be Gregor's salvation. The stingers on the wall seemed to have been cleared out, so Gregor turned his attention to the battle on the ground. He could see Ripred was the only one really still going full force. He was a blur as he slashed joints and ripped away at the stingers. Corpses were everywhere on the ground: human, flier, and stinger. And he could be needed.

As he ran to jump off, a small cheer erupted on the field. Gregor's eye scanned the battle again and saw something new. Stingers were attacking stingers. But these were different stingers. They were their allies, the Fat Tails. The lethal toxic of their stingers were already reeking havoc amongst the yellow legs. It was starting to look like a rout as Gregor saw Truxin lead the stingers out and in perfect battle poise to attack. The surprise was what did it. Nobody saw it coming.

"They're retreating!" came a shout from below. Gregor watched as the stingers turned and started to leave. Ripred pushed them harder, driving them away. Perdita, Eisen, and York joined him and flashing swords joined the raging claws. As the stingers rushed away the carnage behind them became more and more obvious. Hundred of humans lay dead in the most grotesque ways. Stingers lay cut to pieces amongst the dead, and fliers lay on their backs their wings still twitching as the last of their light left their bodies.

There was a rope by one of the ballista and it was his best way to get down to the battlefield to try to assist the wounded. He tied one end as tight as he could to the ballista and readied himself to throw it over the side. But something caught his eyes. The retreat was a feint, as a small group of stingers were coming up behind the remaining humans. Eisen, Perdita, and York would die if he didn't do something. And then it hit him.

He grabbed a bolt and tied the rope tight to the end of it. He stuck it onto the ballista, ready for it to fire. He aimed and hoped he adjusted for the slight extra weight enough. He pulled the trigger. Away the bolt flew and he watched it travel in slow motion right towards the stinger that was closest to his friends. He watched as Perdita turned and opened her mouth to scream a warning. And then the bolt slammed into the stinger. It didn't kill it, but it was incapacitated enough that Perdita was able to easily drive her sword into it. But it was far from over. There were still five more stinger advancing on them, closing them between two walls of pincers.

Gregor already had his chest plate off, his plan coming to fruition. He ripped his shirt off and held tight to it with both hands, his sword safely in it's scabbard. He placed it over the rope and to his luck the rope was close to taught. A deep breath was all he needed as he pushed off from the wall, his shirt sliding on the rope as he zoomed towards his friends. The cool air assaulted his bare chest, beating him hard. But he hardly noticed. The soles of his boots slammed into the back of the pierced stinger and he jumped into action.

His sword slid from the sheath and he pounced onto the nearest stinger, plunging his blade down. "One down, four to go," he thought as he judged his next move. The stingers had registered him and were all switching to attack him. He was in the middle of the four of them, with only one sword. He couldn't even spin if he wanted to.

"Gregor, my sword," Perdita yelled and looked to her. He saw the blade sailing towards him and he caught it with his free hand. He located a spot on the wall and started to turn his feet, his concentration the only thing he thought about. The swords were locating points somehow and limbs were falling away. A leg here, a piece of a pincer, another leg. He caught a glimpse of York as his massive blade cut clean through a stingers tail. The distraction caused him to miss his spot and he wobbled. A pincer pierced his spin and he felt it cut into his flesh, the point was that sharp. The warm blood welled up and ran down his side. And it hurt.

He was slowing and the stingers were still alive. His side injury had caused him to falter and it was too late to stop. He stopped his spin and slammed his feet into the ground as his head spun. He felt something pull his leg out from under him and his ankle gave out. The pain was immense. He looked up and swung Perdita's sword, the tip slicing into the eyes of the nearest pincer raked it's point down his back as it tried to grab him. He fought it off and then felt it go limp behind him. Ripred was standing on it's back and then the rat pounced across the circle, lashing out with his claws. The last stinger fell to the onslaught. Gregor tried to stand, but felt weak. He felt the wounds on his body pumping blood. Collapsed on the ground he felt helpless.

"Stay calm, Gregor," Perdita said to him. "We will get you back to Regalia. You have done enough." He nodded his head the best he could, but he wouldn't let his body succumb to the embrace of the darkness. It was there like a long time friend standing by his side, but he pushed it away. He wouldn't let himself go this time. The pain was dulling, his body forgetting that there even was pain as more adrenaline pumped into his system. He felt pressure on his side and back and several other places on his body. Wind gusted down on him. and then in a matter of seconds he was looking at purple fur and was flying. His eyes were blurry, but he saw the carnage from above. He forced himself to look at it not willing to close his eyes. Not yet anyway. He had to see someone first.

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**Gregor needs to stop falling unconscious haha. Always a good way to end a chapter right. Drop me a review of what you thought of this and Greogr's heroicness. Is it to much for him or is it just right without him becoming to perfect. Please let me know what you think.**

**Edit: Obviously Gregor didn't fall unconcious. Changed it because I had done that a couple time already and I didn't like it.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello ladies and gentlemen. I'm back with chapter 25 and this is probably one of my favorite chapters even though it is the shortest of the story. I wanted to break up some of the events, but this means you can expect chapter 26 sooner than normal. Also, I changed the ending of chapter 24 so go back and read that before reading this. It's only a minor change, but you'll be confused if you don't read it. Without further ado, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 25**

Over the city Artemese flew towards the palace. Other fliers were flying back towards the wall to gather the other wounded. Gregor felt Artemese slowing and then stop as he touched down in the High Hall. There was movement all around him, voices shouting things that he didn't comprehend. He felt himself lifted off of his bat companion and onto a stretcher. His eyes though were looking for her. And then she was there at his side. Her hand reached for his and his for hers. Their fingers brushed for just a moment and then his arm fell away, the strength to keep it up leaving him.

She was brushed aside and the doctors carried him through the palace halls. He could see civilians looking at him as he sped by, hearing the occasional gasp from them as they saw him and his injuries. The halls thinned of people until there wasn't anyone there anymore. The sounds of the wounded flooded his ears. The moans and the screams was horrendous and he tried to shut them out. Into a room they went and they laid him down on a table. Quickly a doctor came to him holding a small jar to his mouth.

"No. I don' wan it," Gregor slurred out, his body losing its strength to something as simple as talk. The doctor didn't listen and they forced him to swallow the liquid. Within a minute he was out cold and the doctors were already going to work.

His eyes opened, blurred in the bright light. A face swam across his vision and he blinked several times to clear his eyes. He sat up, looked around, and smiled. His mom was sitting in a chair across from his bed smiling at him. Lizzie was sitting on the edge of his bed, his dad pacing nearby. And boots was crawling all over him. Everything felt happy and everyone looked happy to see him.

"Hi Gre-go," Boots said standing on his stomach. Her little hand waved at him and he couldn't help but laugh. Boots was always so loveable.

"Hi, Boots," Gregor replied, lifting his little sister off his stomach before she could start jumping on him. He didn't need to be throwing up in front of everyone. He took that chance to look around the room. A modern hospital room, with TV and everything. The strange thing though was there was no doctors or anything rushing in when he woke up. There wasn't any medication around him. There really was nothing. And everything was white.

"Where am I?" Gregor asked aloud. No reply came. His mother stayed sitting staring at him. Lizzie hardly moved at all. His father kept pacing. And even Boots was sitting still now. "Hello? Anyone home?" Nothing.

He swung his legs out of bed and stood up. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he had on the same underland pants he always wore in the hospital. White pants. "What is going on?" Gregor thought. And then he remembered the battle. His hand flew to his side where he knew a stinger had gotten him with it's pincer. Nothing. He felt down his back where he had been scraped. Nothing again. Nothing made sense.

"What is happening to me!?" yelled Gregor to nothing in particular. He looked at everyone in the room and it was all different. His mother was standing, his father standing beside her. Lizzie was standing, but she was taller and older. He looked for boots, but she was gone. Again he looked to his parents and he saw that they were older now too. And they were dressed the same as they were the day they died.

"Mom, where I am I?" Gregor asked his mother.

"Honey, you aren't anywhere but inside yourself," she answered him.

"What does that mean?"

"It means it's time to wake up." Gregor was confused. He was awake. He had just opened his eyes. And he's inside himself. What in the world did that mean?

"Mom, I am awake," protested Gregor. His mother just shook her head at him and smiled.

"No, Gregor. You must wake up. We are just part of you to keep you company. It's time to wake up." And then the room faded to black. He looked around at the nothingness that surrounded him. And he felt heavy. His eyelids started to close. And then he was gone.

Light filled his eyes, bright and yellow, flickering all around him. He was laying on his stomach in one of the hospital room. Remembering his strange dream he looked over to the side of the room and was relieved to not see anyone. He let out an audible sigh. And then a head popped up right in front of him.

"Holy sh-," Gregor started jumping back. The wound on his back barked and he winced, but his heart was racing. Two laughs suddenly filled the room from the entrance and a small head was looking right at him. "You guys know I can't see you right," Gregor said making sure to lay the annoyance in his voice. Two bodies joined the little one in front of him. He looked up at Luxa and his sister.

"We didn't know you were awake yet, bro," Margaret said still trying to hold back her laughs.

"Yes. We did not Know you had woken yet, but Thomas wanted to know where you were so I had to bring him," Luxa added, she too still laughing.

"Well I'm happy to see him at least," retorted Gregor sarcastically as he reached out and put his hand on the little boys head. "How long have I been out?"

"It has been three days," Luxa said pulling a seat up next to his bed. "They kept you this way so your back would be able to heal. They did not want you up and using it because of the size of the injury and the many stitches. You are going to be in here a few more days at the least." Gregor took her hand and held it. A few days in a small room by himself. That would be wonderful.

"Can I at least sit up?" Gregor asked her. Luxa seemed to not have an answer and neither did his sister. But the person who had just entered the room did.

"Gregor, it is good to see you have awoken," Susannah said from behind him. Luxa dropped his hand as soon as she heard the voice. He turned his head as far as he could to try to see her, but all he could get was half of her. She moved closer into his range of vision to reveal Howard right behind her.

"To answer your question Gregor, I am sorry to say that sitting may pop your stitches. But you should be comfortable enough laying down," Howard said a somewhat guilty look on his face. Gregor had a strange feeling he knew why.

"It was your idea to keep me under, wasn't it Howard?" he asked the older doctor. He glanced between the other three in the room.

"Actually, it was all of ours," he answered. Gregor was shocked and shot a look at Luxa who was looking off somewhere else. They would talk about that once Susannah and Howard left. But he knew it was for the best.

"Thanks guys. You all know me so well." And then everyone was laughing. Even laying there Gregor could make his friends laugh. He knew them as well as he knew himself.

"You are not in pain, Gregor?" Susannah asked fighting off the last vestiges of laughter. He shook his head. Nothing hurt unless he moved to sharply. Otherwise he just felt sore. Susannah pulled a small bottle from her pocket and left it on the table near his bed. "Just in case you feel you need it. Luxa will know how much you need. And I will make sure your sister does as well. We will leave you now." She turned and walked out followed by her son. Howard gave Gregor and Luxa one last look and then departed from the room.

"So you decided I needed to stay under?" Gregor asked taking Luxa's hand in his again. She sat still for a second looking him in the eyes before nodding.

"I knew you would try to leave as soon as you could. But you didn't see the wound on your back. It was hard for them to close properly. So I decided with them that it was best for you." Gregor looked at her and smiled. He wondered how bad this scar would be. It would be one of the first on his back. He was filling in empty space. Luxa seemed to be able to read his mind.

"I am sure the scar will make you look just as manly as all the other ones." Then she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. A small hand reached up onto his bed and then a head followed.

"Me, too," Thomas said giggling. Both Luxa and Gregor planted kisses on his cheeks, Thomas laughing the entire time. He giggle and toddled off towards Margaret. She scooped him up and kissed him on the top of the head. It was almost like she was him so many years ago when she was just a baby and he was the one taking care of her. He saw Luxa staring at him and saw her face lose some color from the limited color it had.

"Excuse me, Gregor," she said as she stood and left the room. His eyes looked to Margaret, but she only shrugged. Apparently she had no idea what was going on either. Luxa was gone for only a few minutes and when she returned the color her face had lost seemed to have returned. She sat down and smiled.

"I had to talk to Howard about your medication," she said acknowledging Gregor's look of concern. She pulled the chair closer to his bedside and rested her head next to his, their noses only a few inches apart. He heard Margaret make retching sounds behind them, but he didn't care really. She was all of ten and would probably be doing the same thing when she was his age. Then he could do the same thing to her.

"Oh, Gregor. I have forgotten to tell you something," Luxa said her head coming off his bed. "Perdita wants to honor you for your valor in the battle and for saving hers and Eisen's lives. She asked me to tell you as soon as you awoke."

"Honor? I don't deserve any honor. I was just doing what I was there to do," Gregor said trying to act humble. Inside he was actually really excited. In school getting some kind of honor usually got you a trophy or medal or something. He was certain he wouldn't be getting a trophy, but medals were always nice. Being honored for something you did was something to be proud of.

"Gregor, you did much more than any other soldier could have hoped. I have heard of what you did and that took much bravery and skill. It is very deserving of being honored."

"Maybe it is," muttered Gregor. He noticed Luxa roll her eyes at him. She was acting shady with leaving the room and he was going to return it with a little act of his own. He was going to have to get to the bottom of her thing sooner rather than later.

It was a few days before Gregor got his chance to start his "investigation". Howard and Susannah had been swarmed with the other injured that needed much more help. Complications arose all around the hospital due to the severity of some of the injuries. Gregor got stuck with the nurses and other doctors mostly. The ones who weren't as skilled in the ways of healing limb loss. Each day Luxa would come by and wish him a good day and maybe sit a while with him. But usually she was busy. There was an influx in need for her in both the tactics room and the council chamber. Meetings between species were happening more and more and she was needed to sit in on trials even more than before. There was a mistrust in the council since his trial and some of the council members were petitioning for the Queen to have more say in trials. He understood that she was plenty busy enough that he was lucky he got a few minutes of her time.

Margaret, however, was with him a lot. Her and Thomas. The two seemed to have bonded more and more and Thomas looked at her like an older sister. Or at least that was as much as Gregor had gotten out of the three year olds ramblings. When his sister had to leave to go to lessons, he watched Thomas to the best of his ability. He got lucky on occasion and Mareth would come to visit and stay to help him with the toddler until Margaret would return. Each different person he saw he asked about Luxa to see if they had noticed any strange behavior. None of them had. He had been thinking that maybe she really had needed to talk to Howard about his medicine. But he got his chance to be sure.

It was the fourth day he had been in the hospital since he had woken. Luxa had come and gone and Margaret was in a lesson with Hazard, so he was alone with Thomas. The little boy was all over the place, playing with his toys and being a kid. Gregor couldn't control him much from his position lying down on the bed. He had tried to play catch with Thomas using a ball Luxa had brought, but Thomas couldn't grasp that he supposed to catch the ball and throw it back. So he lay there watching and hoping Thomas didn't hurt himself. The doctors had allowed him to stand only a few times and always with one of them in the room to make sure he didn't bend awkwardly and break the stitches. But without any of them there he was stuck hopelessly with a stiff back and legs.

He heard footsteps outside his door and then someone walked in. Thomas stopped playing and stared at the newcomer. Gregor heard a familiar chuckle and then saw Howard as he went to the boy the ball in his hand. He handed it to Thomas who sat on the ground and started to play with it.

"How do you feel, Gregor?" Howard asked turning his attention to the reason he had come. Before Gregor could answer, Howard was looking over his back checking the stitches and the healing.

"I feel pretty good. No pain. Just everything is stiff," Gregor replied as he felt Howard's hand on his back, pressing along the stitches.

"Well then let us stand you up. I believe I can take the stitches out tomorrow as you are mostly healed. Just a precaution really." Howard reached under Gregor's arm and helped lift him up. He sat on the side of the bed first and swung his legs to get some blood pumping into them. Howard slid him off the side and help keep him steady as Gregor stretched out his stiff joints in his arms and legs. Joints cracked as he moved and he was tempted to crack his back, but stopped remembering how close he was to getting out of here.

"Let me check your side, Gregor," Howard said turning Gregor's side to face him. He watched as Howard removed the pad that covered the wound. This one was still red and looked pretty rough around the stitches. He had found out that he was cut pretty deep on that one. Deeper than the back wound. "It is healing, that is the good news. The stitches will have to stay for a few more days. It is far from fully healed." Howard recovered the stitches with binding and helped Gregor lay back down on the bed.

"Howard, can I ask you something?" Gregor asked as Howard started for the exit. The doctor turned to him and nodded for him to continue. "The day I first woke up, Luxa left the room rather abruptly. She had lost some color in her face, but otherwise looked fine. I was worried that she might have been sick or something." Howard came and sat down then. His face was as confused as Gregor's had been when it all happened.

"Is that what you wanted to ask me? As far as I know my cousin is not sick," Howard said locking eyes with Gregor.

"No Howard. That's not at all what I wanted to ask. When she returned she told me she had gone to ask you about my medication. Did she?"

"No. She never came to me or my mother. We were together almost the entire rest of that day," replied Howard his facing showing even greater concern. Gregor's brow was furrowed. Why would Luxa lie to him? If there was something bothering him she could easily talk to him about it.

"You have any idea on what might be up with her?" Gregor asked his friend. Howard raised his eyebrow at Gregor's wording, but seemed to get the gist of the question.

"I do not know for certain. There is probably something that my cousin is hiding and she does not wish for anyone to know. I will talk to my mother and see if she has any ideas. Perhaps we are looking to much into this. It is Luxa we are talking about." Howard was right of course. Luxa was always hiding something or doing something behind everyone's backs.

"Thanks Howard. Really took that weight off my shoulders," Gregor said and watched as Howard left his sight and the room. It was just him and Thomas again until Margaret returned. Thomas eyes him, his big purple eyes staring into Gregor's brown ones, almost as if saying he agreed with him on something.

"I feel ya little man. Let's try catch again."

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**As I said earlier, short chapter for me, but not by much. Next chapter should be about normal, but I want to make it a bit more special and thus give it its own chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this one and if you did drop me a review. Really appreciate the number of reviews I've been getting, but I would really love to see more. Thanks again for reading guys and for all the kind words. Have a great day!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome back to Terror of the Underland. I really appreciate all of the support I'm getting from everyone. Lot's of views and visitors and I really love it all. But I gotta say that I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of reviews. There are those few that post them for almost every chapter and I really love to read them. The only problem is I don't get enough. And I know that sounds greedy, but if you think about it it really isn't. I spend hours of my time writing these chapters for you guys to read and I love writing them. It is a good way to waste some time and keep myself busy. Plus I love writing. But what incentive do I have to keep writing. I don't get paid for this, so I'm literally writing this for you guys to read. I feel that asking for what you guys feel is fair and asking for feedback is even more fair. It's a trade off. I write these chapters and you guys give me a few extra moments of your time to drop just a few words. A _It's great _or_ I loved this part _really make my day. I love to see what you guys have to say and otherwise I don't really know what propels me forward to keep writing. I'll finish this story no matter what, but after that I don't know. Rant over.**

**Anyway here is chapter 26. We pick up just a bit after chapter 25. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 26**

He could feel the tug on his skin like someone was trying to skin him alive by pulling his skin off. It was uncomfortable but entirely necessary. Susannah was removing the sutures that held his back injury together. She had deemed it healed and had gotten right to work. She cut each stitch with a small pair of scissors and then tugged them out with a large pair of tweezers. Not something he wanted to look at. Each stitch was almost part of him and his skin had healed around the stitches almost to the point where they couldn't come out.

Gregor moaned as a particularly stubborn stitch was yanked out. He could hear snickering from Susannah who seemed to really be enjoying herself as she went about her work. "At least she's quick about it," Gregor thought as he winced, feeling the strand slide through his skin. Sometime later and after more wincing and the not to occasional curse, Susannah was wiping the little blood from his back and placing new bandages over the new skin, both to protect it and to help the tiny stitch holes to heal faster.

"Okay, Gregor not too much bending now. The skin is still raw and new, so it is possible that it could break easily. Take it slow with your side as well. I believe my niece has sent for you to report to the royal chambers. She has need to see you. Then she turned and walked out the room, giving Gregor a bit of privacy. There was a change of clothes sitting on the table and he picked them up, stripping out of the ones he was wearing. Gingerly he slid on the underwear making sure not to move to fast. He heard the curtain rustle and a squawk of embarrassment. He quickly pulled the underwear over his bare butt.

"I have clothes on. Come in," Gregor said to whomever it was at the door. He waited a moment and nobody poked their head in or anything. He threw the rest of his clothes on and walked over to the curtain. He stuck his head out and saw to his surprise, Hazard sitting against the wall on the far side of the hall, his head between his knees, laughing hysterically.

"Oh, so it was you who poked their head in on me," Gregor said accusatory. Hazard looked up trying to keep himself under control, but the look on Gregor's face of mock anger sent the teen into further peals of laughter. Gregor's job accomplished, he proceeded to scoop the boy up onto his feet and wait for him to get himself under control. With the last laughs leaving Hazard, Gregor spoke.

"Was my bare ass really that funny?" he shot at his young friend.

"Yes, it very much so was. It was so white," Hazard started to chuckle again. Something cuffed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"My butt isn't funny. What did you want anyway?"

"Luxa wanted me to see what was taking so long. She needs to see you very urgently and she was getting impatient," Hazard replied.

"She couldn't come herself?" Gregor asked as the two started to walk out of the hospital wing. She would have just walked in on him not a care in the world about his white ass.

"Oh no. She is not in any condition to come down here. I am fairly certain she isn't even dressed," Hazard said matter-of-factly. That took Gregor by surprise. He looked at the young halflander, but his face was clear of any jokes.

"And why would she be naked?" Gregor asked.

"She is trying to find a proper dress to wear to your celebration tonight. I am certain she wants your assistance on picking one out." Gregor couldn't help but chuckle. Of course she needed his help to pick out a dress. But what help he would be he had no idea. The one thing he was no good at was fashion. He never had any kind of idea what to wear and what looked good with what.

It wasn't long before they were standing outside Luxa's chambers. Hazard gestured towards the door and ushered Gregor towards them. Then he scurried away back down the hall. Gregor shook his head in astonishment. "This is going to be interesting," he thought as he pushed one of the doors open.

"I thought I told you to go away!" Luxa shouted from further in her chambers. "You couldn't do the job you were asked to do! Why do you return?!" Her head came around the corner from her bedroom, her eyes burning with anger. Gregor was standing stock still, his back pressed against the door, waiting. Luxa just stared at him blankly for a second and then her face softened. She stepped out fully from the door. To his surprise she was wearing what he presumed was a slip. Luxa ran to him on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips pressed to his and he was pinned fully to the door. She broke away from him, catching her breath.

"Gregor, I am so happy to see you. You look well today," she said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her room.

"Careful, Luxa. Gotta watch my back. It's still tender," Gregor said laughing the whole time. "Who did you think I was anyway?"

"Just some silly servant I had asked to help me pick out a dress. She was not very good at it. But you will be perfect. Come, we will start right away." Gregor was pulled into her room and all he saw was chaos. Dresses were everywhere and each one was a different color. Purples and yellows and greens and blues. His head started to spin as Luxa let go of his hand and waded into the dresses. "I can see why no one's been able to help her," Gregor muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Gregor?" Luxa called from behind a stack of dresses.

"Umm, just that there are so many beautiful dresses that I don't know which one to pick," Gregor replied, burying his head in his hands to keep all of the color out of his eyes. He could hear Luxa shuffling through the material and then her struggling with something.

"Gregor, can you assist me?" she again called. Gregor pushed himself up from where he had sat down. He brushed away dresses to find Luxa standing in one. Or trying to. She was having problems getting the dress on. Gregor had to fight off laughter as he looked at Luxa trying to pull the dress on.

"Here Lux. Let me help," Gregor said, biting his cheek to stop the laughs. He pulled the dress up her body and helped her put her arms through the long sleeves. The material flowed past her hands and draped down to the floor. He buttoned the two buttons on the back and fixed the skirt. He had done this only once before, but his mother had drilled into his head how to make sure the dress looked right. He never thought he would need to use it, but like normal he was proven wrong.

"Luxa walked, more like glided, to the long mirror that hung on the wall. The dress was a soft, light blue. It seemed to sparkle on her as if there were shiny things in the material. The skirt fell away from her legs, but it still was tight enough to show off her shape. But what Gregor loved most of all was that she was smiling.

"Do I look good?" Luxa said quietly, her eyes finding Gregor's in the mirror. He smiled his goofy smile and nodded his head.

"You look fantastic. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen." Something shiny caught his eye next to the mirror and he walked over. There was a Necklace sitting on the vanity there. He picked up the delicate chain in his hands and looked at it. The stone on the end was purple. The exact purple of Luxa's eyes. The strange thing was he had never seen her wear it.

He felt her looking at him and when he turned around he saw that her happy face had dipped away into a sad one. His hands placed the necklace carefully back down and he wrapped his arms around Luxa. He couldn't figure out what had caused her to suddenly become so sad, but he held her nonetheless to let her know he was there.

"It was my mother's," Luxa whispered against his chest. And then it all made sense. The necklace was her mother's. The memories that had to bring back every time she looked at it, thought about it, touched it. He had no idea what it was when he had picked it up.

"Why don't you wear it?" Gregor whispered back to her, holding her closer if that was even possible.

"I cannot. It is too hard. The memories of her wearing it still come to my mind when I pick it up. Maybe someday I will, but today I will not."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know." Luxa pushed away from him her smile back on her face. The seriousness of the last few moments had suddenly flowed out of the room and all that was left were two teenagers who deeply cared for each other. Luxa pranced around the piles of dresses trying to impress Gregor. Gregor faked astonishment to what Luxa was doing. They were having fun for the first time in a long time. And then Gregor picked up her crown. Luxa calmed down and stood in front of the mirror again. The gold circlet felt like it weighed a ton in his hands as he lowered it down on her head. She corrected it slightly so it sat better on her head. Her long metallic blonde hair flowed out behind it and Gregor saw that she looked every part the queen she was. The room was silent as they both looked at her in the mirror.

"Wow," Gregor said breaking the silence. Luxa shot him a look and he just smiled.

"Come. You must dress. Your clothes shall match my dress," Luxa said pushing Gregor to the far corner of the room where there was a pile of clothes. In her usual quickness, Luxa found the outfit that matched her dress and laid it out for him. Gregor picked up the tunic and Luxa turned away to give him some privacy.

"Luxa," Gregor said embarrassed. She stopped and looked at him. "Can you help me out with this. Howard told me not to stretch too much and getting this on by myself isn't easy." Luxa came to her loves aid and helped him gingerly get the Tunic on. Gregor felt like a little kid who couldn't dress himself, but he would rather feel that way then make his injury worse.

When he looked at himself in the mirror minutes later he thought he looked pretty good. The blue tunic indeed matched Luxa's dress and when it was paired with gray pants it looked nice. He had found his sword belt there as well and was pleased to see that it really made the outfit look nice. The last thing he had to do was lace up his boots and he was all set to go.

Luxa sat waiting for him on one of the couches. He helped her up and offered her his arm. She looped hers through his and the walked out of her chambers. She lead him through the halls and after some time they started to see more people, many dressed nice like them. Gregor could feel the butterflies start to flutter in his stomach. He hated things like this.

Luxa turned into a large room Gregor had never seen before. There were rows of seats and many of them were full already. He looked around at all the faces. Many of them were scarred and weary. They were the faces of soldiers. Soldiers of the present and the past sat in the rows ready to watch their comrade be honored. He felt the butterflies start to flutter more.

"Gregor, your seat is up front. I will join you in a moment," Luxa said quietly to him as she released his arm and walked off into the crowd of people. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath as he walked to the front. He noticed heads turn to him as he walked past and felt the eyes on his back. And he heard the talking. "The warrior… He is the best… There is nobody better… He looks much different than I expected."

The words permeated the air, but he pushed them away. For every good thing he heard, there was a bad thing that followed. Even though he heard them, the words didn't seem to have an effect on him. His thoughts were on the more important things like keeping his stomach from erupting. He could compete in front of crowds, but he never had been able to stomach going on stage in front of people for anything. He could see in his mind the scene from his sophomore year of high school, nearly fainting at an awards ceremony. Just too many people.

At the very front he stopped and looked around but there wasn't a single sign on where exactly he was supposed to sit. He spun around hoping to see someone he knew who could help him. All around him were people, but not a single one of them he knew. Yeah, he recognized some of them from training or from other places, but that meant little for his current dilemma.

"Gregor," someone said from behind him. He spun around to find Mareth standing just a few feet behind him. "You are lost?"

"Not really lost. More like confused. Where am I sitting exactly?" Mareth looked at him for a second, his eyes wide, and then he started to chuckle. He took the few steps to Gregor and wrapped him in a big bear hug. "Mareth... Can you not... squeeze so hard? My…side," Gregor stammered out as he felt his shift under his friend's strong arms. Mareth placed him down and looked at his friend with concern.

"I forgot about your injuries. I did not hurt you?" Gregor shook his head, lucky that his stitches were still in his side. "Good!" Mareth boomed before pointing Gregor to his seat. It was the second one from the end, the seat on the end for Luxa. Mareth left him though as he was supposed to be part of the ceremony. Gregor sat alone listening to the noise around him. York came by and shook his hand, nearly crushing it. Howard and Susannah came by as well, going to their seats on the other side of the aisle. They were taking time off from the hospital specially for him. Finally Luxa came and sat down next to him. Her eyes did not seem to have the same life in them that he had seen before. She looked worn out.

"You okay?" Gregor whispered to her. There was a smile on her face, but he knew she didn't really mean it. He could see it in her eyes.

"Of course, Gregor. I am very excited for you," said Luxa smiling. Gregor knew that this smile was a real smile. His hand rested on top of hers for a moment. And then something came to his mind.

"Aren't you supposed to have some kinda grand entrance?" She was the queen after all. Shouldn't she be walking in with horns blaring her royalty to the world- make that underworld- to hear.

"Not today. This is all military and to the military am I just another soldier. A soldier that they cannot let die." Luxa smirked and winked at him. "Today I get to watch my love get what he rightfully deserves." Trumpets blared from the back of the room marking the beginning of the ceremony. Gregor expected a standard to come marching down the aisle, followed with him standing to say the Pledge of Allegiance. But of course they weren't in the overland. There were no standards. No banners. No pledge. The horns blared and all that came were people. Three people to be exact.

Mareth came first, limping with his prosthetic, but still making it down the aisle with poise. As he walked past Gregor he shot him as smile and a small nod, before he took his place on the stage. Eisen followed next, dressed in full heavy armor, he looked every part a knight. He had a red cape draped from one shoulder and his red tunic stood apart from the shiny steel of his armor. He didn't even acknowledge Gregor as he walked past, but he nodded to Luxa as he took the stage. Gregor's eyes bore holes into him as he saw Eisen never taking his eyes from Luxa.

Perdita came last. Her attire was no different than her normal wear. But she walked down the aisle with determination and a strange sexiness to it. He shook his head realizing that he thought of one of his closest companions and friends as sexy. Especially with the girl he loved sitting right next to him.

With everyone in place the trumpeters stopped tooting their horns and the room fell silent. Perdita stood in front of the assembled, her eyes scanning the crowd. She stopped for a moment on Gregor and Luxa before moving on. Everyone was waiting for her to speak.

"We all know why we are here," Perdita began. "There is one person who we would like to acknowledge and honor for acts of bravery and courage that I have not seen myself in my career as a soldier. Gregor, as many of us know, is friend to everyone. Due to that I expected him to do no less than what he did. For those that do not know, Gregor save not just my life, but also the lives of my second in command, Eisen and several of our soldiers. But he did this in an extraordinary way. From on top of the wall he was able to reach us from a distance without the aid of a flier. He made the decision to go into battle without armor to save us. And for that we are all grateful." Perdita finished her speech to a small round of quiet applause. "Tough crowd," Gregor thought.

"Gregor, please come onto the stage so we may have the honor to honor you," said Perdita. With a deep breath he stood from his seat. He felt all the eyes on him as he took the few steps onto the stage and stopped next to Perdita. She smiled at him and signaled to Eisen and Mareth. They came over to them, Mareth carrying something in his arms.

"For your courage and intellect on the battlefield I have decided to issue you a promotion. You have been invaluable to me and the army in the past. And for this I have decided to promote you to second general of the army." The assembly instantly went from a silent mass to a raucous mob. Everyone was talking about what they had just heard. Even Gregor was stunned. A general? Of an army? This put him up there as one of the more powerful people in Regalia. His eyes looked out to Luxa who was sitting with a shocked look of approval. Even she didn't know this was coming. When she saw Gregor's gaze fall on her she smiled at him and he realized just how much he loved her. Her perfect features. Her unerring support of him. Her love for him.

"Silence!" Perdita cried out, yanking Gregor from his thoughts and back to the event at hand. "Mareth if you would." Mareth stepped forward and unveiled what he was carrying in his hands. A knew sword belt, black and studded with metal. A dagger that he felt he would die over if he lost it. The hilt was that beautiful. But his heart dropped when he saw the blade. The one he had wanted to buy. The one he had been almost executed over. Perdita drew the blade and laid it on the floor in front of him.

"Take up this sword as the newest general in the Regalian army." Gregor's kneeled down and wrapped his hand around the hilt. He felt the power in the blade. The same feeling he had when he first touched the blade. He stood and hoisted the blade in the air before him. He heard the loud applause and he felt his old belt being taken off and replaced with the new one. He slid his new sword into its sheath and took a step back. He heard Perdita silence the crowd again.

"For his bravery on the battlefield, I grant him these weapons should he use them wisely and for the good of Regalia." Again, the applause came and some people stood and cheered for him. He felt like one of them. But he saw the many that didn't stand. The ones that weren't clapping. The ones that didn't want a overlander to be in charge of them. The ones that couldn't stand to see an overlander being honored. They would be the ones he would need to watch out for. But his mind was drained of those thoughts as Mareth ushered him from the stage. As his feet hit the floor he felt two pairs of arms throw themselves around him. He saw his two favorite girls giving him hugs.

"Okay ladies, let me breath," Gregor said hoping that Luxa and his sister would give him some room. Luxa obliged, but his sister stayed glued to him. "Margaret, let go."

"C'mon, Gregor. I haven't been able to give you a hug in so long, so I'm making up for it now." And she was right. With him in the hospital hugs didn't really work out well. So he let it go and tolerated his sisters clinginess.

"So what now?" Gregor asked Luxa as he tried to walk towards the exit, his sister not letting him even have a chance.

"Oh we shall go get a little something to eat and drink," Luxa replied a devilish smile on her face. At the mention of food Margaret released Gregor and raced out of the room with Hazard whom Gregor hadn't even seen was there. "Come Gregor. We cannot let those two eat all of the food before you get there."

It would have been impossible for the two teens to eat all of the food that was laid out in the dining room. Platters of food stood on the table. Everything from beef to fish to cheese to shrimp was there and not one plate had the same thing on it. When the two of them arrived Ripred had already sauntered off to the corner with a whole chicken and a vat of what could only be his favorite food. Gregor looked at the food and realized he wasn't hungry.

"Eat Gregor. This is all for you," Luxa said as she pushed food at him. She even went as far as trying to feed him. After that he ate. And he enjoyed every bite. With each dish he tried a different drink. From water to juice to alcohol that he couldn't even try to name he had a good time. The musicians that were playing had people dancing. York and Mareth were playing a game over drinks. Perdita even let herself have some fun for once, but abstained from the alcohol. They needed at least one sharp mind in case of an attack.

Soon Gregor found himself sitting on the floor with Hazard, his Tunic gone leaving him only the undershirt he was wearing. He was clicking away trying to learn crawler, his mind clouded from the drinks he had consumed. He wasn't wasted, but he definitely wasn't in the best state of mind. He felt a hand under his arm lift him from the floor and he wished a happy birthday to Hazard. Maybe he was slightly drunk.

"I should not have let you drink so much," he heard a voice say as he was guided through the hall. He felt himself fall onto a couch and he felt his eyelids growing heavy. Something fell over his body and he let himself fall into slumber.

His eyes opened and he sat bolt upright. There was a pounding in his head and he felt the light from the torches hurting his eyes. A rustle of parchment made him turn his head. Luxa was sitting across from him in her nightgown looking over some papers. She looked up at him and her face instantly went from serious to jovial. Her hair was braided up and she had that stunning beauty to her.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Other than this headache I feel fine. What happened?"

"You drank a few too many drinks."

"Great. My first hangover," Gregor said under his breath. Luxa cocked her head at the word hangover.

"What is this 'hangover'?"

"It's how you feel after your drunk," Gregor answered. A sigh of understanding left Luxa's mouth.

"And how does it feel?"

"Shitty," Gregor replied with a laugh. Luxa laughed a bit too and climbed up from her seat. She went to him and sat on his lap. Gregor fell back onto the couch and Luxa followed resting her head on his chest. They lay like that for some time.

"I love you," Gregor said breaking the silence they were swimming in.

"I love you, too," Luxa replied kissing Gregor's chin. He sat up and picked Luxa up in his arms, standing from the couch. He carried her protesting body into her room. Moment later his pants went flying through the curtain that separated her personal bed chambers from the main room. Luxa's gown flew after them. And then the giggles started.

His feet slapped against the stone floor as he ran through the halls. His hands clasped a message that he had to deliver to the queen as fast as he possibly could. The halls were empty except for him at this time of night. At the speed he was running his shoes squeaked as his turned the sharp corners of the palace. He neared the Royal wing and the guards that were posted. As he raced towards them, they raised their sword to block his way.

"The queen requests no visitors," the one on the left said.

"I have an important message for the queen."

"The queen requests no visitors," the right guard said this time.

"If the queen does not get this message I am certain she will take all of our heads, but especially yours for you stopped me from delivering it to her. Now step aside!" And the guards did. He was racing along again down the halls. Around the corner he sped and right up to her door. His fist pounded against it, hoping she would come to the door and not kill him on the spot.

**Bang Bang**. Gregor's eyes shot open at the sound. Luxa's head rested against his chest, but he could sense she was awake as well. There wasn't much that could sleep through that noise. She raised her head as the banging continued.

"I thought I told them to not let anyone in," she muttered under her breath. She climbed from the bed, her naked body visible to the one other person in the room.

"Come back to bed," Gregor said his head still slightly clouded from his party. Luxa didn't listen and she went out into the main room of her chamber looking for her nightgown. Gregor cursed under his breath and slid out of bed. The air was cold against his nakedness and he scampered after Luxa to find his clothes. He found his underwear next to his foot and he pulled them on before ducking out into the main room. He found his pants and yanked them on. Luxa was already at the door talking to the person there.

"What is it you want?" she said angrily at the man that stood before her.

"Your highness, I have a message for you from the head of the army." Luxa snatched the paper from the man's out stretched hand. Her eyes scanned the page and she suddenly woke up all the way.

"I am sorry I snapped at you. Thank you for delivering this."

"Shall I go and get General Gregor?"

"No I will find him myself. You have done enough. Go and get some rest." Luxa closed the door and sauntered over to the couch. She sat cross legged and gestured for Gregor to come and join her.

"What does it say?" Gregor asked.

"It is a message from Roderick. He threatens to kill my cousin."

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**Bam! Ended on a cliffhanger. Perfect little thing. Strange chapter but a fun one. After my rant I hope to see some reviews on this chapter. Have a nice day!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello ladies and Gentlemen. I apologize for the long wait on this chapter guys. Life called me away for a bit especially with me having to focus a bit more on my upcoming entrance into college. But I am back with this one. I have come to a decision on my writing and that is that I will write one more chapter of Return from the Darkness and then I will finish this story. Basically I'm gonna stop splitting my time and finish the story that I have more viewers and more reviews on. Which brings me to the next point. Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It really meant a lot to see all the things that people had to say. So without further ado, read and enjoy!**

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**Chapter 27**

"He threatens to kill, Stellovet?" Gregor sputtered out his body in shock from the news. If there was any ounce of sleep still in his system it was gone as soon as he heard Luxa's words. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"This message is not the original, just a message from Perdita. She calls for me to come to the tactics room. I am to get you to come as well. Hurry and dress so we may go." They both grabbed clothes that they had laying around and tidied themselves up. Gregor rubbed his eyes to make sure he was fully awake and ran his fingers through his hair. Luxa popped up beside him and looped her arm through his.

"Come. We shall make haste to the tactics room," Luxa said and the two set off from her chambers. They walked together through the halls passed few people. Guards on their routine routes stopped as the two passed and either saluted or bowed before continuing on their patrol. He had never seen guards do that before, but he also hadn't walked with Luxa through the halls often, especially late at night when there were more guards on patrol. His new title may also have something to do with it.

Gregor expected the tactics room to be full with people, but when they entered there were only five individuals: Perdita, Eisen, Mareth, Vikus, and Ripred. They sat in a group at the end of the table, a piece of parchment sitting before them. Ripred and Mareth were discussing something quietly, but Gregor's eyes seemed attracted to Eisen. He sat straight staring off into the space in front of him, barely moving or showing any emotion at all. That was odd for Eisen who always seemed to have something going on with his face. Smiling, sneering, smirking. But he was blank.

At their entrance five heads turned to them and Vikus rose from his seat to greet them. The elderly man walked to them and hugged each of them in turn before ushering them to two seats at the table. As they sat, Gregor's eyes fell to the parchment. Vikus seemed to notice his eyes and he pushed it towards him. Gregor scooped it into his hands and held it for both him and Luxa to read.

_Leaders of Regalia, I write to you to issue you a deal._

_There is one amongst you that deals death and trouble_

_for me and my companions. I have done much to try to_

_prevent involvement from many in our business and one_

_of you seems to want to keep meddling. That person is of_

_course the Overlander. His bravery in the battle has caused_

_us much pain. And for that I offer you our deal. The Overlander_

_for sweet Stellovet. If we do not receive the Overlander I will_

_personally execute her and send her body back to regalia in_

_pieces. Consider this very carefully before coming to a decision._

_Your friend,_

_Roderick_

Gregor looked around the table and felt six pairs of eyes on him. He placed the parchment down on the table and bridged his fingers before him. This had to be a joke. Roderick was a smart man and this just seemed silly. His life for the life of Stellovet which was just one thing that was keeping them away from attacking the stingers directly. If they attacked she would certainly die. Of course, they also had no idea where the stingers were. But now Roderick was playing with the one piece that was keeping them in check. And he was trying to take away the best piece that Regalia had left leaving them open for a check mate.

There was just something that didn't sit right in Gregor's head. The entire move seemed illogical. Gregor a great warrior for the daughter of the governor of the Fount which didn't even stand anymore. Stellovet was important no doubt, but the idea of Gregor for her just seemed out of the realm of his imagination. And threatening to kill her only left him open to attack. There was no chance he was serious.

"Gregor, you seem to be deep in thought. Do you have a thought on our current situation?" Vikus asked him. Everyone's eyes seemed to burn holes in him as he sat quietly, trying to think of how to say what he had to say. He had thoughts, but he had a feeling they weren't going to be popular ones.

"I have a thought, yes. I have a feeling that Roderick is far from serious. He's not going to touch a hair on Stellovet's head no matter what we do." His words enticed gasps from those around him. Suddenly a chair went flying back from the table and he felt a hand at his throat. From across the table Eisen had reached and wrapped his good left hand around his throat. In his right hand, still bandaged from the wound Roderick had inflicted on him, he held a dagger.

"Those are words of a coward and a traitor," Eisen hissed. Gregor heard other voices, but his attention was focused entirely on Eisen as he strained against the iron grip. "You are what they ask for so you come up with excuses. Maybe we should do as he asks."

Something thwacked down on Eisens wrist and his grip on Gregor's throat loosened enough for him to break free. He then grabbed Eisen's arm and slammed it down on the table pinning him there, his arm twisted awkwardly keeping him off balance. He pressed his weight down on the arm and he could feel the bone creaking under the force.

"ENOUGH!" he heard someone yell at the top of their lungs. He relinquished his grip and fell back into his seat only then noticing the fuming Luxa standing right next to him. Ripred also was standing his tail poised to strike again should anyone move. "We have much to discuss and do not have time for childish games. Eisen control yourself," Perdita said her voice slightly hoarse from having to raise her voice to such a level. Luxa sat herself down and her hand fell on Gregor's. She left it there on the table for everyone to see.

"What makes you say that nothing will happen to my granddaughter?" Vikus asked bringing everyone back to what Gregor had said. Gregor swallowed hard and sat back in his chair.

"Stellovet is Roderick's and the stingers only bargaining chip. If they kill her there is nothing truly keeping us from attacking them as soon as we find out where they are headquartered. But if they have Stellovet then they have some security from a full scale attack because they would kill her before we got her back, so that keeps us at bay. Thusly if I go or not they won't hurt her."

"How can you be certain of this?" Eisen spat at him, the anger clear in his voice. "How do you have such knowledge of this?"

"It is common sense and a common hostage negotiation strategy in the overland," Gregor replied easily. Eisen seemed to only get angrier.

"Does it look like we are in the overland? Do you think that what happens in that world above will happen here? You might as well go back to the overland if you think that is so."

"Hey, you asked and I answered. That is my thought and Idea. You got a better one?" Gregor shot back, tired of Eisen's accusing and condescending tone.

"I am still your superior. Mayhaps I should have you thrown in the dungeons again," Eisen snarled back at him. The tension in the room was thick enough to be cut with a butter knife and Gregor was tempted to leap across the table and beat Eisen senseless, He was acting that way anyway.

"Eisen, I hope you remember that I am your superior," Perdita said quietly. "Do not make me dismiss you from this meeting. Your position may suddenly become available if I have to." Eisen lost all the energy, all the fight he had at the words. The strong man suddenly looked like a small child. His bottom lip was quivering and his face was solemn. When his head turned to look at everyone there were tears in the corner of his eyes.

"I am sorry, Gregor. I am sorry for my behavior everyone. I grew up a warrior training in the Fount and have known Stellovet for many years. I never realized how much I cared for her and now that she is held captive and possibly about to die I feel it inside me. All the feelings that I suppressed have risen. I am sorry." He ducked his head back down and the room fell quiet. Gregor felt a pang of sympathy for Eisen knowing exactly how he must feel. His neck hurt and he could feel the bruises forming from where Eisen had grabbed him, but they were almost forgotten to him. Someone Eisen cared about was in danger and he knew better than anyone else how many stupid things someone in that situation will do. The sound of a throat being cleared brought everyone back to reality. Mareth was standing with Ripred obviously about to say something.

"I have to say that I agree with Gregor in this regard. Having known Roderick for several years I can assure you he will not hurt Stellovet. He never told me in person about his attraction to her, but it was clear to me from every time she came to Regalia. He was always quiet around her, trying to talk to her. There was a deep infatuation he had with her and I can say that it still runs through him." The room fell silent again. That information seemed to sea Gregor's theory. If he loved her he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She was safe for the moment.

Luxa spoke, her voice even, hiding any anger or unhappiness she might have been feeling. "How shall we proceed then? If we are not going to agree to his terms shall we negotiate with him?" The answers came out quick and loud split between the affirmative and the negative. Vikus was all for negotiations as were Gregor and Ripred. Mareth, Perdita, and Eisen all seemed shocked at the idea.

"I did not think we negotiated with traitors to our people," Perdita replied heavily. "He is our enemy and not one we should take lightly. We still do not know the man whom he is conspiring with."

"That is so Perdita, but what choice do we have?" Vikus replied his voice sounding weary and defeated.

"We could infiltrate their headquarters and remove Stellovet," Mareth said hoping the alternative would hold up. "I will go myself if needed."

"No offense to you, Mareth, but you are not suited to go on such a mission," Ripred said calmly back. "If such a mission were to go down there would be only two of us to go and it would be Gregor and I. And I can say that neither of us is willing to go to such risk. Plus, we have no idea where they are headquartered. They could be in the uncharted lands or the firelands or deep in the jungle. So what are we to infiltrate."

"You are sadly correct, Ripred," Mareth replied realizing that his idea was utterly hopeless. "Mayhaps, negotiating is the best choice we have. What say you, Gregor?" Gregor felt the spotlight fall on him. His new position was being put to the test and he knew he had to say something that didn't sound silly.

"We should try to negotiate with Roderick. See what he wants beyond me. And if it falls through he dies," Gregor said his voice sharp as the sword that he suddenly realized he wasn't wearing on his hip. It was still in Luxa's chambers. Everyone stared at him blankly after he finished. Maybe saying he died wasn't the smartest idea.

"Well said, Gregor," Ripred said, a chorus of agreements following behind. "It seems settled then. Vikus, if you can write up a return message we will have the scout place it back where he found this one."

"What then?" Gregor asked.

"We wait," several voices said back to him. Eisen stood from the table as parchment and ink were slid to Vikus. He started his slow process of writing out a sophisticated message back, but Gregor hardly noticed. His eyes followed Eisen as he headed for the hall outside. Gregor decided that he needed to talk to his superior. His friend.

"Eisen, wait up," Gregor called as he raced out into the hall. Eisen turned to look at him, a dejected look on his face. "Where are you going?"

"I wish to be alone for a while," he replied before turning and heading off again. Gregor hurried up and caught the man in front of him, cutting him off. He stood in front of Eisen, but everything he wanted to say just couldn't come out. They stood like that, both silent looking at each other.

"I'm sorry," Gregor said, finally.

"What for? You have done nothing wrong," Eisen retorted back.

"But I have, since day one. I met you and I instantly made you a rival. I thought I had let it go, but every time something happened I had to make it important that I went and did what I felt I needed to do without thinking of how others felt. Especially you. You were my superior and I disobeyed your orders numerous times and that put us on uneven terms. That put at us each others throats and made everything worse. And now that I know that there is someone you miss dearly, I want to promise to you that I will help you get her home." Gregor finished and looked at Eisen's face for a response. The man's face was blank, cold, emotionless. And then a small smile cracked through.

"I too am sorry. At the time of my arrival here I was very much here for the reason of courting our queen, but over time I have come to realize that she has already found a suitable companion. I will admit that I was jealous of you and I used my power against you. It was unwise and unfair of me. Please accept my apology." He stopped and held out his hand. Gregor took it and for a second the men were one. "Thank you, Gregor."

"No, thank you," Gregor replied. "Let's go back inside and wait with everyone else."

That was probably the worst idea he had. It was hours that they sat there waiting. Food had come and gone several hours earlier and everyone seemed to be in a daze. The day had started again, but Perdita let no one enter the tactics room except for those that knew what was happening. He personally had only left the room once to return to Luxa's room and collect her a change of clothes and to grab his sword. She had thanked him with a peck on the cheek and gone off to change. But since then he had sat in the same chair, his butt asleep and his head wishing he was as well.

Ripred paced past him for the one hundred and fifty seventh time. Gregor was sure to keep track of the rat's movements as it was one of the few things keeping him awake. Vikus had taken to sleep, his head resting on the table. Mareth, Eisen, and Perdita studied maps and information trying to pinpoint the location of the stingers. He thought about joining them, but his logic skills were far from the top of the pyramid and his knowledge of the underland farther from even his logic. So he relegated himself to counting paces. One hundred fifty eight.

Vikus had written the message asking for negotiations to happen at Queenshead because of its relative ease of access for any party no matter where they were coming from. The message was confirmed received by a scout, only two hours after the message was left. Who took it they didn't see, but he thought it was a stinger scout, however that was possible he wasn't sure, but Roderick wasn't sitting there himself waiting for their answer. One hundred fifty nine.

Reflexively his hand reached out and stroked through Luxa's hair while her head was down on the table. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping or not. Neither of them had much sleep the night before, but he felt to amped to fall asleep. At his touch she didn't move, so he figured that she had indeed taken a chance to get some sleep. He continued to run his fingers through her hair and occasionally rub her back. It was just something else to keep him busy. One hundred sixty.

The sound of sandals berating the stone floor came vaguely to his ears and he climbed from his chair, his focus on the door. Ripred stood beside him, his eyes trained on the entrance. It took the other three still awake in the room a moment to realize what their companions already had. They left the maps and came back to the table. Gregor shook Luxa's shoulder and her head rose from the table. He quickly moved and woke Vikus just as the messenger rushed through the door. In his hand he held a piece of parchment. The wait was over.

He was closest and he reached out and took the message from the messenger, thanking him. Perdita dismissed the soldier and Gregor brought the rolled up scroll to the table. He placed it down unwilling to be the first to read it. Vikus, the sleep still present in his eyes, picked the scroll up immediately and unrolled it. His eyes buzzed across the words written on the page. He was done in seconds.

"What does it say, Vikus?" Luxa asked from the end of the table.

"They have agreed to negotiations," there was a silent cheer at his words. "But they will not meet us at Queenshead. They have asked us to meet them in the firelands. In the blackness." The silent cheers were replaced with gasps and curses.

"What's the blackness?" Gregor asked sheepishly, knowing he was the only one who did not know about it.

"It is a cavern that is filled with a shiny black rock. The walls and ceiling are entirely of this stone and there are spires and formations of it. We only discovered it a short time ago, not long after you left."

"Oh, it's an obsidian cavern. And the walls must have been shined by the dust of the area. That's really cool actually."

"It is far from this cool you speak of Gregor. It is a very dangerous area near active volcanoes and the area is unstable," Perdita informed him. And now he knew why everyone was uneasy about this news.

"Is it wise for us to meet with them there?" Mareth asked for everyone.

"I do not believe we have much of a choice," Vikus answered. "This is our chance to resolve this without any more deaths. Do we have an agreement?" Gregor looked around and most of them seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Perdita and Eisen seemed worried about having to meet the stingers in such a hostile place. But if they had anything to say neither of them spoke. "Good. We should leave as soon as possible. Perdita, how many soldiers do you think we should have accompany us?"

"Perhaps a hundred. We will all be there as well and if things go bad we can retreat."

"Very well. We shall leave in an hours' time. Fly you all high." Vikus said and stood from the table. He slowly walked from the room, Ripred at his side. Perdita and Mareth followed them, deep in conversation. Eisen left next, glancing back at Gregor. All it left was him and Luxa.

"We should be on our way. There is much preparation for us," Luxa said her voice quiet. "You need to be armored as do I. Go, Gregor. I will see you again when we depart." She left quickly from the room. Gregor was alone, everyone clearly deep in their own thoughts, unwilling to share how they felt about what was going to happen in the coming hours. His feet moved mechanically and he left the tactics room heading for the armory. His mind, though, was moving in a totally different manner. Every ounce of mental strength was preparing him for any of the inevitable possibilities for what would happen at this negotiation. Perhaps it would go smooth and everything would be settled or everything would go to hell and they would be ambushed and possibly all slaughtered. That was where he would come in. He would fight to save everyone, kill to give others a chance, die to keep those he loved alive

He turned into the armory and slammed into something, falling backwards and onto the floor. He let himself lay sprawled out on the floor as he cleared his mind. Above him stood Mareth, worry in his eyes, his hand extended out. Gregor took his friend's hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. He took in the others in the room, Perdita stood next to Miravet, York was filling up much of the space with his bulk, and Howard stood solemnly off to the side. Mareth's eyes told him not to talk about anything that had happened.

"Gregor, what brings you here?" York asked, his eyes bouncing from Perdita to him. Obviously he had been here before everyone else and was certainly wondering why everyone kept coming in.

"I just wanted to grab my armor and take it back to my room, so I wouldn't have to come here if I needed it quickly," came his weak answer. York stared him down for a second and then he started to laugh. His booming deep laughs filled the air and Gregor joined him with a much weaker chuckle.

"That is very smart, boy, very smart. No need to have to come here when we go to battle just to get your armor. I will leave you to it then," York answered and then hurriedly strode from the room. Howard started to follow, but Mareth grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back.

"I figured there was something going on," he said. Mareth and Perdita quickly filled him in on everything and informed him that he was coming with them in case of any serious injuries. He would be needed more than the few army medics that would come anyway. Howard quickly understood the situation and rushed out of the armory to collect his medical bag and ready himself. That left Mareth, Perdita, and Miravet in the room with Gregor.

"Gregor, you may be the most important person coming. You must be very prepared. Miravet, would you please help Gregor get his armor on," Perdita said while she reached for a set of light leather armor that was already laid out for her. Mareth reached over for some of Gregor's armor when Miravet brought it over. The two set about placing pieces on Gregor and tightening them into place.

"Do you know the history of the sword you wear on your hip?" Mareth asked from behind him as he helped him place the chest piece on. Gregor shook his head. "Ivan was always a mysterious man and he was able to do the impossible with metals. With his skill he made two swords, brothers if you will. Each one was precise and deadly, weighed to the lowest weight a sword could go, but sharp and durable as anything ever seen. He refused to sell them though for the longest time. Luxa's father tried to purchase one offering as much as Ivan could ever need and the smith turned him down. Flat out turned down the king saying that he was not meant to wield the blade.

"He sold the first one to Roderick three years past. The longer and thinner of the two, but also what many considered the more beautiful of the two. Roderick inquired about purchasing the second blade at the same time and was turned away. Until you came, there wasn't a single person Ivan deemed worthy to wield it. And yet he wanted you to have it. Almost as if he saw you wielding it in battle."

"Did he have visions?" Gregor asked as the last piece of armor strapped onto his legs and he pulled the gloves over his hands.

"It is very possible he did," Miravet answered before Mareth could. "I knew him when he was a young apprentice and even then he believed he would do great things. Knew he would be great. There was even a rumor that Sandwich's blood flowed through him. But it was not possible to prove. Here is your helmet." Gregor grabbed the helmet and tucked it under his arm, his head ablaze with thoughts on what he had just heard. Perdita was ready and waiting and Mareth was strapping on a sword and grabbing a helmet and gauntlets from a stack. He pulled the limited armor on and the trio set off from the armory.

"I am hoping there will be no fighting," Mareth spoke as they went. "But in the case there is I am ready to cover from above." He answered Gregor's unasked question of why he wasn't wearing any more armor than the gauntlets he had.

"So do you believe Ivan was related to Sandwich?" Gregor asked both of them. A look passed between the underlanders. Mareth simply shrugged and Perdita didn't even answer. It must not be something that was up for discussion. Gregor's heavy boots beat a rhythm on the stone floor as he sped up to reach the high hall. He left Perdita and Mareth behind, his anxiousness getting to him. He felt the nervous feeling he got when they were about to leave Regalia. A feeling that nothing was going to go at all the way they hoped.

He strode into the high hall to find many of the other's already there. Luxa had on light armor with limited metal protection, but it allowed her the best mobility while fighting on the ground and on Aurora. Eisen was ready with full battle armor and his trusty spear in his good hand. His sword hung from his belt and his eyes shone with determination. Vikus was the only unarmored and unarmed person in the group. His old body stood next to his bond, Euripides, and the two were discussing in quiet whispers.

Suddenly, Howard came bursting up from the other end of the high hall. Gregor could see the light armor and sword belt underneath Howard's doctor robe and the medical bag that swung heavy from his shoulder. He stopped next to Nike and caught his breath before falling into conversation with bat. Gregor noticed that every person was next to a flier and saw the purple of Artemese next to Euripides. He walked over and greeted the bat.

"It is a pleasure to see you again," Artemese purred in return. "I hope there will be little fighting for us to see."

"I do as well," Gregor replied. He didn't really want to fight, but deep inside he felt the burning desire to enact revenge on Roderick for everything he did and tried to do to him and Luxa. There was a sight hope deep inside him that something would go wrong so he could handle Roderick and return the favor on the death he had tried to deal to Gregor. Except Gregor wouldn't miss. If the time came, Gregor would get his vengeance.

"It is time," Vikus said just loud enough for everyone to hear. There was something that had to be done no matter what. It was do or die for all of them and he had the gut feeling that at least one of them wouldn't be returning. He climbed on to the back of the purple flier. Eight pairs of wings flapped down and eight pairs rose into the air, off to settle the fate of Regalia.

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**I couldn't figure out a good way to end the chapter, so I just kinda stopped writing it there. I think it ends all right, but I don't know. I really hoped you guys liked and don't forget to leave a review.**


	28. Chapter 28

**It has been a long, long, long time since I updated guys. Two weeks is far to long for me to take between chapters. I'm really sorry about that. However I am back and I can tell you that it won't take as long between this chapter and the next. I had the perfect string of events lead to me taking so long. College prep has taken time, nearly broke my left hand which made it nearly impossible to write with any speed, and this chapter being so hard to write just compounded on those other problems. The nearly broken hand thing happened about a week ago and really sucked hard, but it felt better over the past few days, so I was able to write this stuff.**

**So I was really pleased with the reviews I go, but I really want some more. Really helps me write faster knowing that there is a big fanbase out there waiting for the next chapter. Please, please, please leave a review. I can be happy with what I get, but I really feel that I don't have nearly enough feedback. Remember guys feedback is good. Say anything you want. Tell me I suck or I wrote shit. Or tell me I'm great or this chapter was fantastic. All of it is good because it makes me a better writer for you guys. **

**And here is chapter 28. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 28**

Wind whistled past his every pore, his hair blew wildly around his head as they sped away from the palace. Eight fliers each with a human rider zoomed over the city. Their destination the firelands, a ten hour flight far from Regalia. Behind them rose a force of a hundred soldiers, all fully armed, their armor reflecting the light from the torches that were interspersed within the group. The sound of beating wings was near deafening as the party soared out of the city and over the wall into the darkness of the underland.

Their pace decreased after they were past the city. The goal was to get out as fast as possible to reduce the number of people who would see them leave. Gregor sat up to his full height, wiping the tears from his eyes and brushing the hair from his face. His face was steely, set with determination. His mood was not one for talking. The only talking he wanted to do was with Roderick to try to defuse the violence that was flooding his new home and was only inches from taking his friends from him numerous times.

Any of Gregor's regular features were gone. There would be no goofy smiles. There would be no jokes, no laughter. There would be no time for any of it. There was a long journey ahead, but his mind was set already. He was ready to do what he needed to do when he was needed to do it. Hopefully he wouldn't be needed for that, but he would do whatever he had to to keep his friends safe. His cold eyes panned to his right and fell on the most important person in the world to him.

* * *

He long hair blew behind her head even though it was tied up in a tight braid. The cold steel of her sword could be felt through her tight fitting tights. There was much brewing in her head behind the gold circle she wore on her head. This would be a make or break for her, pushing her to the limits of her negotiating skills and her patience. And if that all failed it would be a battle and more death. She had watched as her people died around her. She had fought to try to save them only to have to be saved herself. She had seen her friends nearly die. She heard of their feats. Even she had nearly died herself in this despicable conflict.

Her purple eyes blinked a few times as she straightened herself out on the back of Aurora. The golden flier would not speak to her unless spoken to first in this situation. She kept her features cool and calm, not showing the fear and uncertainty that was flooding her mind. There was a strange confidence mixed in that told her that this was the end. No matter what happened there would be nothing else after this. The war would end with words or with blood And the words would be hers aided by Vikus. The blood however would not be hers. Every soldier would throw themselves in front of a sword for her. Mareth would. Perdita would. Howard would. Eisen would. And he would. She looked to her left and her eyes locked right on the one person she trusted above everyone else.

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His eyes locked on hers, her purple irises staring right back at his brown ones in the limited light. All around them were people that meant something to them. People they cared for. But their eyes told each other that the only person they were thinking about was the other. Gregor cracked a small smile which Luxa returned to him. It was all they could do. Gregor's demeanor went right back to straight and rigid, determined. There wasn't anything else for him to do.

As the trip carried on his intense focus started to slip. The outside stayed the same, but inside his thoughts started to drift. His mind conjured up visions of things he wanted to see happen. One moment, there was peace and the stingers were gone, back to their lands, both species in agreement and the war over. There were feasts and parties, loved ones hugging and kissing, amongst them Gregor and Luxa. And then the next moment there was fire all around them, blood covering every inch of the ground. His sword cleaving through the flesh of one person. And then pain followed by the flash of red from a burst artery as he slashed his sword through someone else.

He shook his head to clear his mind and he registered the slight increase in temperature. They were inching closer to the firelands and the event that could change the underland. His mind clear of his fantasies, he refocused on the task at hand. This was the biggest thing to happen since he defeated the Bane. And he was just as significant to this as he was when he was tasked with killing the giant white rat. Of course, he was also way more prepared for it this time. There was no more little twelve year old Gregor. No, instead there was a practiced killer who was ready to do whatever he had to do.

His mind worked to keep him pumped up and ready for what was to come. Over the next few hours he floated his thoughts to everything positive, focusing any other emotions into his determination and readiness. The surroundings had already changed to the familiar looking's of the firelands. The area was also just as familiar. Off in the distance he saw the volcano that had been given the name to Queen. The memory of watching the genocide of the nibblers at the foot of the mountain came freely to his mind. Their struggle to breath. Their bodies covered by the lava flow. The massive explosion that had rocked the area and had caused them all much pain. It all came back so easily to him.

They sped past the Queen and headed off further into the firelands. Nothing looked familiar then, but he quickly started to see black rocks that he knew were chunks of obsidian. Huge chunks were exposed in the walls and rested on the ground. The farther they flew the more prominent it became. Mareth suddenly broke out ahead of the rest of the group and all the bats started to file into pairs. Gregor was confused for all of a second before he saw the small entrance to a tunnel, just wide enough for two large fliers to fly abreast. Artemese shifted into position right next to Aurora and Luxa was within arm's reach. Gregor reached his hand out and he felt Luxa take hold of it for a second before letting go. The short contact was all Gregor needed. It reinforced to him that this was a do or die situation. And he would die for her if it came to it.

The tunnel was pitch black when they ducked in; not because it was dark, but because the entire tunnel was within the obsidian that was there. A natural feature that was formed in the rock as it cooled. The light from the torches reflected off the contours of the rocks smooth surfaces, splashing blurred reflections to Gregor's eyes as they moved through the tunnel. It dipped down and turned left and right numerous times. The dizzying descent grew steeper and the bats had to start to coast down instead of fly. Finally it leveled out and the floor of a cavern was just discernible ahead.

Artemese burst out into the cavern and Gregor's mouth dropped open in amazement. The huge cavern was entirely obsidian except for the ground which was the regular red tinted stone of the firelands. There were pillars of obsidian from ceiling to floor set at almost perfect intervals from each other. The entire room seemed to resemble a black cathedral, but instead of pews there were massive chunks of obsidian that had fallen from the roof and from the walls. It was a remarkably beautiful sight and something he would have loved to explore if it weren't for the ranks of stingers that lined the floor.

Artemese glided towards the ground and Gregor leaped off his back a few feet from the ground. Mareth was already off Andromeda, Eisen and Perdita were off of their fliers and helping Vikus off of Euripides. He felt rather than heard Luxa land next to him.

"It seems they have come in force," she said to him.

"They outnumber us easily five to one if not more," Gregor replied without turning to her. At least five hundred stingers were waiting for them and the number was probably higher than that. "Ripred maxes out at four hundred to one," he thought. "And he's not even here. I can probably take maybe five on by myself at a time and they'll send more than that at me easily."

"Then we must not let this come to battle," Luxa replied stepping up next to him, her eyes scanning the first row of the stingers. "I do not see Roderick or any of his men."

"I do," Gregor said through clenched teeth. Roderick was standing on the back of a stinger, along with a few other people. It was obviously him, by his height and the way he carried himself. The stinger they were on was moving towards them through the sea of massive tails and pincers. It didn't take long for Luxa to spot him as well.

"Come, we must be ready with the others. Mareth will have a plan should this become a battle." The two of them went over to the collective of their friends. Mareth and Eisen were deep in quiet conversation, their hands occasionally darting out and gesturing towards the enemy. Perdita stood silently by herself, her hands on her hips, staring off into the mass of scorpions. Vikus was the only one who seemed truly calm. He stood with Euripides, his arms crossed across his chest, his breathing normal and his body looking much younger than Gregor had seen since his return. It was almost as if Vikus was made for this moment, his body ready to take on the task at hand.

When they walked up all conversation ceased and all eyes turned to the two. Wisdom and strength were what was needed in this situation and Luxa and Gregor had both. They may not have been the wisest or the strongest, but they had the will and it was that attribute that brought all eyes to them. The hope that they would end this without a fight. Of course they weren't alone in this endeavor. Vikus was there for his extensive knowledge of negotiating. Mareth, Eisen and Perdita provided all the strength and knowledge to take on the enemy should it come to that. But Gregor and Luxa seemed to be the number ones here.

"What is the plan, Mareth?" Luxa asked her tone serious, hiding any other emotions she was feeling.

"If the negotiating dissolves to fighting our first plan is to retreat. If that does not work for any reason, then we shall attack mostly from the air. There is plenty of space above for an aerial attack. There will be only a few ground fighters. We are just hoping that it does not come to that. Does that all sound well?" he asked the question to Gregor, who was slightly surprised. He nearly forgot he was a general and that he had a say in the strategy that they would use.

"All of that sounds pretty solid. Keep only a small force on the ground to attack strategically along with a heavy air support tactic. Best fighters on the ground to occupy the stingers from the airborne troops. It would be our best option if it came to a fight. We could use Ripred if it came to that." The fact that the rat wasn't there with them had been weighing on him, but he hadn't had much reason to ask. Now though it seemed like reason enough to do so. "Where is he anyway?"

"I can answer that," Vikus spoke up. "We, together, decided that he should go and collect a group of gnawers and they should head here directly. It was a quick decision and could play very key here."

"Why did you not tell us?" Luxa shot at her grandfather.

"It was a quick decision. If we stopped to talk with everyone about it the chances they would make it here in time for any of this were very low. We decided and he left. I figured it could be a very good surprise if none of us knew it was coming. And it would make Ripred look like a hero again. He hasn't had that feeling in quite some time. Please do not tell him I told you. It will crush him and none of us want to see that." Vikus was smiling as he finished. Gregor couldn't help but join him. The rat just wanted to feel the hero again and if it meant that he had to act surprised when he showed up, so be it.

Gregor's eyes flashed over to the stingers and he saw that Roderick and his group of humans were nearly to the stingers front line. It was nearing go time. Time for them to get everything straightened out and lay everything on the table. He could feel the anxiety of the situation mixing with the burning hatred he had for Roderick and the mixture was not one he wanted to see. His stomach was churning and he had to resort to deep breathing to bring it back under control. He looked back at the group, but Vikus caught his eye first. His eyes were staring straight at one person. The old strange man that Gregor had seen just one time before.

"I should have seen this coming," Vikus said shaking his head. "I should have known as soon as Roderick was involved in this entire mess."

"What is it you should have seen?" Howard said. Those were the first words he had spoken since they had arrived in the Blackness. Gregor had almost forgotten that the doctor had accompanied them.

"It is no coincidence that Roderick is involved in this. He is not smart enough to have conjured up this plan by himself. That man by his side is someone I knew years ago. Someone I believed long dead." Vikus stopped talking, his eyes closed to the world. "He is Roderick's brother." There was a collective gasp from everyone. Not a single person had expected that at all.

"I did not know that Roderick had a brother," Mareth spoke to the air.

"Many did not. You would have been just born, Mareth, and all of the rest of you had not been given light yet. I was still a soldier and me and Solovet were still short a child. I remember the trial. Roderick was just a babe and his mother held him the entire time. The outcome of the trial was banishment and very few believed he had much of a chance to survive. He was not much older than Gregor had been when he first fell into the underland."

"Why was he banished?" Gregor asked quickly. There seemed to be something fishy about the guy. What could he have done that warranted banishment at such a young age.

"The story is long, Gregor. There will be time for it to be told later in all of its detail. But at this time I do believe we have some more important things to talk about." Vikus' gaze was back on the stingers and for good reason. The humans and their stinger ride had broken through the front line and was only a few dozen yards away. The humans had already started dismounting and Gregor quickly recognized many of them. Roderick and his brother were there obviously. Some of the guards were familiar for beating him and treating him as poorly as possible. His hand had unconsciously shifted to the handle of his sword and he gripped it so tight he feared he would snap the metal of the blade.

There was one other person with them: Stellovet. She was the last to climb down off the stinger and she moved to stand beside Roderick. She didn't seem harmed. She wasn't even bound. She walked freely amongst the humans and stingers without anyone batting an eye at her. Eisen had taken notice of her and moved a bit ahead of the rest of them. Mareth had to grab his shoulder to rein him in and bring him back to them.

The two sides faced each other, neither party making the first move. Gregor inched minutely forward and ended up in line with Mareth. Luxa had moved forward as well and stood on Eisen's right hand side. But none of them advanced further than that. A small sigh came from behind them and Vikus proceeded to walk past them slowly. At his advance, Roderick and his brother stepped forward and started a slow walk towards Vikus.

"It is good to see you again, Vikus. You have aged greatly, but I still see the same look in your eyes that I did so many years ago," Roderick's brother called, his beard and hair long and white making him seem to be the elder of the two.

"Indeed it had been long Bilius. You have come back from banishment to wage war against Regalia. Perhaps banishment was to light a sentence," Vikus retorted back. Roderick seemed to take offense and reached for his sword, but his brother reached out and grabbed his arm, calming him.

"Perhaps so, Vikus," Bilius replied. He stopped. Roderick stopped beside him. There was a mere dozen feet separating Vikus and the brothers. "Why do you come out alone?"

"I shall start these talks before my granddaughter and our warrior comes and finish them," Vikus answered.

"Ah yes. The queen and her boyfriend. I have heard much about them from my brother. I do believe that these talks will be well worth my time after all."

"Stellovet!" someone called breaking the calm tones of conversation. Eisen was standing tiptoed looking at her. "Are you alright?"

"She is fine you idiot," Roderick called back. "Do not worry so about her. I am sure she will want to see you again sometime."

"What have you done to her?" Eisen shouted back, the entire point of them being there put on hold for the moment.

"I have done nothing. She has willingly stayed and we have formulated a relationship. I am sure you are happy to hear that with how much you seem to care for her. She is very angry with all of you as well. It was her idea to trade Gregor for her. That was of course so we could kill him together."

"You have warped her mind!" Eisen cried back anger flooding his voice. His spear was poised for an attack, but a pair of strong arms held him back. Mareth wrestled him down and calmed him quickly. Eisen then stood defeated, his lip quivering with anger.

"Now that that little outburst is over, shall we begin?" Bilius asked Vikus.

"Not so fast brother," Roderick spat. He sprinted forward and grabbed Vikus, wrapping his strong arm around the old man's throat. Vikus didn't stand a chance to get away. Roderick was much larger and much stronger.

"You idiot!" Bilius snapped. "Let him go. This was not part of our plan at all. Vikus was not to be harmed at all. You wanted your revenge and i wanted Regalia and here we were to get it. But that is all ruined now." Bilius stopped and glared at his brother. "Let him go!"

Gregor stared in shock at the scene in front of him. Seconds before things seemed to be working as expected. But now he knew that things were never going to be normal. There was going to have been fighting no matter what had happened. And now Vikus was being held in a chokehold with no escape. Things didn't look good.

His eyes fell on Luxa. He could see the worry on her face, but he could see the anger in her eyes even more. She was ready to pounce and let her hot blooded nature take over. But she had to retain control over herself if there was any chance of Vikus being okay.

"You want me to let him go brother?" Roderick said a few moments later. "Fine. I will let him go." Roderick's arm loosened from around Vikus' neck and the old man stumbled forward a few paces. His eyes looked right at Gregor and he smiled. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he took a few steps towards them. And then his eyes grew wide, the twinkle leaving them. His mouth opened and closed as if drawing breath or searching for words. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his lips. His hands grasped the blade that had plunged through his chest.

Someone screamed, but Gregor was numb. He saw the blade protruding from Vikus' chest and he saw the pain and fear in the old man's eyes. There was very little light left in those eyes, but they never broke from Gregor's. Vikus mouthed one final word before closing his eye: hope. Vikus slumped to the ground, his light gone from his body. Roderick pulled his word from Vikus and held it loosely in his hand. Bilius was screaming at his brother, but Gregor didn't hear the words. His sword was out of its sheath and in his hand.

"Noooooooooooo!" he screamed as he propelled himself forward. His eyes caught one glimpse of Luxa being dragged screaming away by Perdita, before bringing his attention to Roderick. His vision blurred red and his mind lost all normal thoughts. If it was a battle Roderick wanted, it was a battle he would get.

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**And that is a wrap for this one. Remember to review and tell me what you thought of this.**

**What do you think about me killing Vikus? How will this affect Luxa, Gregor, and the rest of the cast? Who will take the biggest hit?**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey, I'm back with a quick turn around on this chapter. This is the one chapter I've been waiting to write for a long time and I'm glad I finally got to write it. After this the story will start to wind down. Really only a few chapters left. I wanna thank everyone that has hung with me through this whole thing, including those that came back even after I took almost a year off. Let's finish this thing strong. I'd like it if I could get every single person who reads this chapter to leave a review. With just those last few chapter left I really wanna know what everyone thinks. So get to reading everyone!**

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**Chapter 29**

Spittle flew from his mouth as Gregor charged forward, screaming incoherent phrases at his worst enemy. His vision, blurred from his rager side, saw Roderick moving away from the corpse of Vikus, readying himself for the battle at hand. Gregor watched as Roderick raised his still bloody sword to a ready position and started a slow advance towards him. Infuriated, Gregor roared, his body feeling like a mother grizzly protecting her young, and charged forward faster. There were just feet between him and Roderick and he brought his sword back over his head. He took his speed and pushed himself into the air in a mighty leap. His sword flashed down with all the force of his arms and the weight of his body behind it.

Metal crashed on metal as Gregor's sword met Roderick's. Gregor landed and pushed as hard as he could on his blade, trying to force Roderick back and off balance. He could feel his arms start to quiver as Roderick pushed back against him. With a grunt, Gregor pulled his sword away and spun out of the way of Roderick's follow up blow. He spun back, his sword a blur as he swung for Roderick's body. His arm jarred as again he met resistance. His sword pulled back and he started a combo of blows that he rained down on Roderick.

To anyone viewing the sword play, it would have looked as if Gregor was dominating, driving Roderick back with each blow. But in reality it was the opposite. Yes, Gregor was driving Roderick back, but he was tiring and there wasn't a single wound on Roderick. Inside Gregor's fury was still as strong, but his arm felt like jelly. His rager side had gotten so far out of hand that he had expanded past using its guidance. He was ignoring all of the things it was telling him to do instead using brute force to try to beat Roderick down.

Gregor pulled away and retreated to catch his breath. His eyes stung from the sweat that ran down his brow. He sucked in a deep breath of the not so sweet air and let himself calm. But his reprieve did not last. He sensed the incoming blow before he saw it. He rolled to the side and popped to his feet, Roderick already swinging at him again. Gregor ducked away, the sword clipping past his arm so close that he felt it. He saw in the corner of his eyes the sword slam into the ground and heard Roderick's grunt as he fell off balance. "This is my chance," Gregor thought as he crouched low and sprang forward. His shoulder slammed into Roderick's torso, knocking both of them to the ground.

Roderick's sword spun away on the ground. Gregor's fell out of his hand from the jarring impact. He was lying on top of Roderick, his first thought to reach back for his sword. His right hand groped behind him trying to grab the handle of his blade. That's when something collided with his stomach. The pain was negligible due to the armor he was wearing, but the wind left him none the less. He rolled over trying to pull in deep breathes of air, but it was an effort as his diaphragm worked hard to get working again. He watched as Roderick grabbed his sword and walked over to him.

"This is how it ends warrior," Roderick said from above him. Gregor heaved in a deep breath still unable to talk. Roderick's sword was poised point down over his chest and he felt that the end was nigh. His revenge was gone. But then he got an idea. Roderick pulled the blade up ready to drive it home and at the same time Gregor raised his leg. Roderick went to strike, but Gregor struck faster. His foot slammed forward. Right into Roderick's knee cap. The former first sword reeled back, his knee bent the wrong way. Gregor took his opportunity and grabbed his sword which was only inches from his hand. He pulled it into his hand and leaped to his feet.

Roderick was howling in agony his knee clearly broken and worthless. Gregor felt a slight tinge of regret for what he was about to do, but forgot it when he remembered what Roderick had done. He held his sword loosely in his hand and he said some silent words to himself.

"No, Roderick. This is how it ends," Gregor said as he pulled the sword up. Roderick stopped his howling and relaxed. His eyes closed and his breathing slowed. Gregor closed his eyes and let his arm move where he knew it was supposed to. He felt the sword bite into the flesh and severe muscle, ligaments, and nerves. It met no resistance a split second later. He opened his eyes to see Roderick's head lying next to his lifeless body, a pool of blood forming next to the stump of his neck. "Good riddance," Gregor spat.

His body calmed and his vision cleared. The sound of battle came to his ears and he spun around to see that the stingers and the humans were in full swing. Fliers were moving everywhere diving in and out of the dangerous pit of stingers and claws. He watched Mareth on Andromeda as they swooped down upside down, Mareth cleaving through a stingers defense with one strong swing. On the ground Eisen and a small group of soldiers were in an arc moving along taking on one stinger at a time with mixed results. A muffled scream came from the battlefield and he watched as a stinger's stinger pierced the belly of a flier, the human tumbling off. A purple streak plummeted after him disappearing behind the mass of stinger bodies.

Artemese rose from the mess, the human in his claws. With strong wing beats he flew the wounded man back towards Gregor. Over his head Artemese flew and Gregor turned and followed the bat. The flier deposited the human near the medics which were already busy with several other wounded. Howard turned his attention to the new arrival and issued a string of commands. Other doctors came to the man's aid and he was instantly gone from view behind them.

A hearty cry came from the battle and Gregor spun around again to face the battlefield. Eyes scanning the battlefield he saw the reason for the cry. A mass of gray and black was flooding from a tunnel. Ripred had arrived and with him were several hundred gnawers. Gregor could make out Ripred as he started to spin, a dust tornado forming around the rat. Stinger blood joined the funnel as the first stinger attempted to attack him. Around him the other rats swarmed onto the field, clambering over stingers, swiping and biting at them with their razor sharp claws and teeth.

Gregor could feel his rager side starting to take back over his body and he readied his sword before he raced towards the battlefield. He was at full sprint ready to sink his sword into the closest stinger when he felt a strong gust of wind above him. Boots dug into the ground and he looked above him. Mareth was leaning off of Andromeda shouting something at him.

"Huh?" Gregor roared back over the din of battle.

"Luxa!" was the only word Mareth screamed back, his finger pointed behind Gregor. Gregor spun around and saw exactly what Mareth was warning him about and he started to run. Run faster than he ever had. His body was moving like that because he was angry. He was afraid. And most of all he was scared. Luxa and Perdita were backed up against the wall of the cavern, Bilius advancing towards them sword drawn. Aurora was flying interference to give them a chance to get out, but Bilius wasn't alone. One of the stingers had broken from the ranks and accompanied Bilius. Around the stinger laid several dead Regalian soldiers and their fliers.

He watched as with each of his steps Bilius drew closer to the two women. Both had their blades drawn, but Gregor had a feeling that they wouldn't stand much of a chance. Both were excellent fighter, but there was a vibe around Bilius that just made him seem as if he was the much superior fighter. As Bilius came closer he saw Aurora dive down at him. The sword moved faster than any Gregor had ever seen. Red blood shot from the wound that had opened on Aurora's wing. She fell hard to the ground, but got back up in the air, barely able to fly. He could hear Luxa calling something to her and Aurora flew away from them before collapsing to the ground. He was within a hundred feet of them, but Bilius was only a few yards away.

A Regalian soldier dove in at Bilius and the stinger. With one quick move, a pincer plucked him off the back of his flier and crushed him. Gregor heard the scream, saw the blood and the organs as the stinger let the man drop to the ground. His flier tried to help get Luxa and Perdita out of there, but his effort was lost as Bilius plunged his sword into the passing flier with even greater speed than he had before. Gregor was now only twenty five feet behind the stinger, but Bilius was standing just a few feet in front of Perdita and Luxa. Perdita was shielding Luxa from any attack, her blades poised to strike and defend. With mere feet before he reached them, Gregor drew his dagger.

He could hear Bilius laughing about something and his anger and rage spiked. He snorted and flared his nostril as he launched himself onto the back of the stinger. With one fell swoop he plunged his sword into the shell above the brain. The sword went clean through the shell and all the way up to the hilt. With a thud, the stinger collapsed to the ground and Gregor wrenched his blade out. Bilius had turned at the commotion and a wicked smile graced his face.

"I was just about to handle these two silly little girls, but I believe that you will be a much better choice," Bilius said his voice icy cold. Gregor hopped off the stinger corpse and looked Bilius right in his eyes.

"I'm ready whenever you are," Gregor said his voice steely and flat. But his eyes showed all the emotion he needed. Bilius seemed to contemplate his statement and then threw his head back in laughter, his beard bouncing with each one.

"You would not say that if you knew what I am," Bilius replied. "I am sure Vikus did not tell you why I was banished, so let me tell you. I discovered I had a special ability that made me different than every other kid my age. When we played ball or trained, I was always faster, stronger, and more precise. As I aged I grew deadly, accidently killing a friend of mine as we played ball. I was eight at the time, but I ended up killing more people by accident over the next years of my life." Gregor already had a feeling he knew where this was going. He knew the feeling that Bilius was talking about because he was feeling it right then.

"I eventually got caught in the act and put on trial, but it was revealed by doctors that I was actually a rager. They had me try to control it, but it was of little use. I was too accustomed to it to even try to control it. I had let it control me for so long that I did not possess the ability to contain it, so they banished me. They gave me food and water for a week and a sword and left me in the uncharted land. I never struggled there, always being able to fight and win for food against the beasts that live there. I grew more and more ferocious, but also much more intellectual." Bilius proceeded to squeak several times in a range of pitches. The same sounds Gregor had heard rats use on different occasions to communicate. "See, I can speak gnawer fluently. Y eso no es todo. That is spanish. Aber es gibt mehr und. There is German. I am much smarter than they had anticipated and have survived to take my revenge on them."

Gregor was stunned into silence. Not only was he a rager that had lost control, but he also was able to speak gnawer and languages that Gregor didn't even understand that were from the overland. Bilius was a much greater adversary than he had expected. Now it was time to stall.

"How did you learn that stuff?" Gregor asked hiding his new fear behind the words.

"The overland languages were quite difficult. Sneaking to the surface was very hard, but I had assistance from some creatures I met in the uncharted lands. The gnawer was easy. There were many of them with me in the uncharted land. They feared me more than I them."

"I thought you couldn't control your raging," Gregor said, not sure why anyone would associate with someone who couldn't control their ability to kill you.

"Ah yes, I was very much unstable when I was banished. But I am very much in control now. More so than even our pal Ripred. I took practice and patience, but it was worth all of it. You shall see just how great I am." Bilius silenced himself and readied his sword. Gregor prepared himself letting his rager side slide over him. He started to back away from the wall they were near to hopefully allow Luxa and Perdita to escape. Bilius started to follow, but not far.

"That is plenty far enough I think," he said right as Gregor bumped into one of the many large boulders of obsidian that littered the floor. In his peripheral vision, Gregor saw Artemese fly over his head and scoop up Luxa and Perdita, carrying them away. Now it was just him and Bilius. A battle of ragers.

Bilius wasted no time gauging Gregor. He stepped up and with an impossible quickness launched a series of attacks. Gregor was already on the defensive, blocking each blurred blow with whatever he could. His dagger caught one followed by his sword and then back to the dagger. He even blocked one with the metal on his gauntlet, the plate denting and biting hard into his arm. His teeth ground as he gritted against the pain, but there was no reprieve as another stroke was already coming for him. He skipped back the blade missing him by a hair's width.

Gregor sucked in air and swung his sword taking to the offensive. His sword flashed in arcs as he tried desperately to land any blow he could. But every single one of them met the sword of his opponent. Fruitlessly he kicked out at Bilius only to meet nothing but air as the rager had disappeared. His sword moved on it's own swinging to his right to catch the slash that would have shortened him by a head. His arm jarred all the way to the shoulder and it took all the effort and energy he had to pull it back and ready himself. But it was futile as something collided with his side and he went flying.

Gregor slammed into the ground and slid several feet in the dust, skidding to a halt. Ribs aching, he tried to stand, but could only get up onto a knee. The point of his sword was on the ground, his dagger hanging loosely from his left hand. Bilius wore the most wicked smile he had ever seen and he knew he was finished. Bilius was just too much for him. He had killed the most dangerous rat in the underland, survived everything back then, and yet he was going to die here unable to do what he was born to do. He couldn't kill the one person that he needed to. Gregor bowed his head in shame and waited for the blow that he knew would come.

He sat there on his knee waiting. Time seemed to slow and the sound of death eased from his head. There was silence except for the sound of his breathing. In his head he could hear a voice yelling for him to stand, to push himself back to his feet and continue to fight. He gritted his teeth and tried, but his body wouldn't let him. His arm screamed in pain. His side moaned with a dull throb. His hands trembled with weakness. There wasn't a chance he had to do anything. He sat and waited for death to come knowing it had to be mere feet away. "This is taking to long," a voice whispered to him from deep inside him.

He looked up and saw to his surprise that there was third party in the fight. A giant rat stood between Gregor and Bilius, grey fur covered in dust and the blood of stingers. One of his claws dripped with red blood. Ripred was there. Gregor couldn't take his eyes off of the rat as Ripred slowly moved around Bilius. A fresh cut poured blood from the other man's arm and Gregor could see the unrestricted anger in his eyes. And then Ripred pounced.

A blur of fur, claws, and teeth, Ripred threw everything he had at Bilius. One second he was on the right and then he was on the left. Ripred's ferocious attack drove Bilius back, but not a single swipe or bite landed. Bilius was a master at blocking attacks and with a single sword none the less. Ripred paused his onslaught for a second, his chest heaving from the exertion on his aged body. Foam ran from the corners of his mouth and he looked defeated. But when Gregor caught his eyes, he knew that Ripred was far from finished.

The rat came back into the action, his right paw swiping in from below and as Bilius moved, Gregor saw that it was a feint. Ripred's tail was swinging down from above at the same time. Bilius seemed to see it too and he had the choice to make: disembowelment from claws to his gut or a snapped neck from a tail whip. He choose the claws.

Bilius' sword changed direction so fast; Gregor wouldn't have believed it possible for a superhuman to do it. The sword met the pink tail halfway down its length. A howl of shock and pain erupted from Ripred's mouth and a fountain of blood sprayed from the stump of his tail. It rained down onto Ripred's back and Bilius' face. Gregor watched as the piece that had been cut off twitched on the ground and then sat still dumping its small supply of blood out into the dust.

Ripred roared in fury and lunged forward into a deadly series of moves. Front paws came from above as back paws flew up from below. Gregor had never seen anything like that. He watched as a streak of red flew from Bilius and then more blood sprayed from Ripred as Bilius somehow caught him with his sword. Blood was soon flying everywhere and Gregor had no way to know who it belonged to.

The two parted, both breathing heavily. The number of wounds was spread unevenly between the two. Bilius was only covered in minor scratches and a few treatable wound. Ripred was, however, covered from head to toe in deep cuts and one of his paws hung limp at his side at an awkward angle, clearly broken. All that coupled with his tail wound it was a miracle that Ripred was still standing.

Gregor watched in horror as the one thing he never thought he would see. Ripred teetered on his hind paws and collapsed backwards, his belly facing the ceiling. Bilius took his chance and walked forward towards his downed foe, eager to land the killing blow. He brought the sword back over his head and swung down. Gregor watched unable to close his eyes as the shiny blade cleaved through the air. The blade met flesh and Gregor watched a fountain of red erupt from the wound. But Ripred was still alive, the blade never touching him.

The blood had come from a new fighter. In a heap on the ground laid a great gray bat. Euripides had sacrificed himself to save Ripred. Blood poured from a deep gash in his neck from the powerful sword stroke. The wound was so deep that he could see the vertebrae separated, the spine torn in two. It was a quick death. And one that Gregor wouldn't let go to waste.

He shoved himself to his feet and ripped his gauntlets off relieving the pain on his arm. He gripped his sword and dagger and sprinted towards Bilius. Bilius had already reset himself to deliver the killing blow. His sword sung down in the same arc as it did the time before. Gregor lunged forward and caught the blade on his own mere inches from Ripred's chest. With strength he didn't know he possessed he shoved Bilius' sword back and sent the man stumbling.

Gregor advanced on him, stepping over Ripred's barely alive body. Gregor swung his sword with more speed and strength then he knew he could. He felt the blade collide repeatedly with Bilius', his dagger swinging in aiming for his stomach. Bilius had just enough speed to move out of the way. With a quick feint, Gregor swung a side hand, but changed it instantly to overhand and threw Bilius off. His sword went to catch Gregor's strike and he hopped out of the way of the dagger. Except Gregor hadn't swung the dagger.

He brought the dagger down from below and scored a hit on Bilus' shoulder. He felt the blade cut into flesh and saw the blood running fresh and hot from the open wound. Bilius flared his nostril like a bull and dug his feet into the ground. Any advantage Gregor had was lost. He started giving ground as blow after blow came at him. Even with his rager side he could barely keep up. Side hand, backhand, overhead the blows struck at him and he had to keep retreating away unable to block all of the dozens of sword strokes. And then he couldn't retreat any further.

His back collided with the obsidian boulder he had encountered earlier, but the blows never stopped coming. He blocked each one with his sword and with a roar of rage, Bilius swung his sword down on Gregor from above. Over and over he swung and like a hammer striking a nail Gregor started to move lower and lower. He was stuck on his knees, his arm dead again, the muscles screaming for him to stop. But if he stopped he died. Bilius reared back both hands on the handle of his sword. He sung it down and GRegor acted instinctively. He braced his sword with his dagger, forming an X. The edge of Bilius' sword struck the flat side of Gregor's and with the last remaining strength in his arm Gregor shoved back as hard as he could. Bilius stumbled backwards and Gregor rose back to his feet. He had to end this now or else it was over for him and all of Regalia.

He took a few steps back and then rushed forward towards the boulder. He planted his foot and shoved off towards Bilius. Gregor soared through the air and struck with his dagger. His shoulder collided with the ground and he rolled, popping back to his feet. The dagger had hit home. He felt the blade penetrate and it was good. Gregor had struck true and the blade was buried halfway into Bilius' head. The man was still on his feet, but he collapsed to the ground a second later. Blood ran from his mouth and his eyes, his pale skin growing paler. Gregor stood and stared for a few moments. He had won.

Weariness set in and his entire body felt as if it had been hit by a semi truck. He fell to the ground and laid there in his back. All of the battle sounds flooded back to his head, but they seemed to be diminishing. His vision started to blur but not with red this time. Everything just got hazy and unfocused. Purple filled his vision and he felt soft hands on his arm.

"It is okay, Gregor," a quiet voice whispered in his ear. "You are okay. Close your eyes and rest," the voice said to him. Gregor obliged and closed his eyes, letting the darkness take him.

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**Okay, we be through the climax. Time to wind this whole thing up and there is just a few more things I gotta do. I'll see if I can get chapter 30 up by the end of the weak, maybe even by Friday. Hope everyone enjoyed and remember to review.**


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