A/N: Okay so please don't yell at me I was rereading some Gregor the Overlander bits that I like and I thought of this AU so here you go I wrote this after seven days with only my family at the most humid and hot place ever, Cancun. I had a lot of time to get inspired for things but that time was occupied by touching dolphins and seeing whale sharks up close in nature. Anyway I plan on making a prequel for this but other than that I won't be continuing this. It's just a two-shot, and short at that. I'll get on with the story now.

oO-Oo

He'd never looked more peaceful. His face was angelic, his expression one of complete disregard for anything and everything potentially harmful or worrying. His lovely eyelashes sat heavy against the dark bruises under his eyes and his brows were not pulled taut as they were when he was awake. The curve of his lips and nose were imperfectly perfect and his hair curled around the edges of ears and forehead.

In death, Gregor Campbell was beautiful.

His pale skin had an unearthly quality to it. It is amplified by the scars marring it, the raised skin glinting in the torchlight flickering around his body. The marks wee uncoordinated and spontaneous, ranging from small and thin to jagged and wide. The worst were on his chest, five gashes digging into him so horribly that one could almost picture the claws ripping through him.

The Underland was preparing for his funeral. It would be anything but grand. His family, immediate and chosen, agreed instantly that it would not be a large anything. He was too young to be celebrated but those close to him knew he would not want his loved ones to hurt for too long. So it would be a small gathering in which those who could speak would give a few words, maybe a small story, depicting Gregor as he was in life. A brother, a son, a warrior, a confidant, a bond.

Traditional funerals for fallen warriors sent off the body in a boat, which would be lit with a flaming arrow from an archer. They also knew better than to have only black, white, and grey's, and instead opted to decorate his vessel with his favorite colors: a soft, peach orange and a gentle powder blue. His sisters plucked flowers with those colors and stuck them in between the rare wooden planks. There was not much left, but Gregor deserved this. He deserved everything they could give him in the afterlife because he never had such things in life.

Luxa did not wear a gown but did place her ring of gold upon her hair. Nerissa wore many layers of coats and sweaters, because she did not want to miss it. Mareth and Howard did not wear anything intricate, casual clothing for any other day. Vikus was unable to attend, still recovering from his stroke. Ripred, Ares, Aurora, and Nike groomed their fur until it shined. Hazard was dressed by Luxa and chose not to wear shoes, because the ones they had at the palace did not suit him. His family, of course, had an easy time picking what to wear. Money was still something they struggled with, but lately it seemed like a lighter burden. After all, there was one less child to provide with warmth, food, and clothes.

The gap in the apartment and their daily lives left by Gregor was huge, dark, and deep. It would never be filled and could only be accepted, but no one was there yet. It was difficult to even think of any of them, Overlander or Underlander alike, ever being used to his absence.

As the boat lurched away from the shore, flowers and petals cascaded onto the water and onto Gregor. He was dressed in loose pants and a shirt, but was barefoot. His hand slay on the swell of his ribs, right in the middle where his sternum tapered off into other bones. His skin was whiter than before, almost the same color as his clothing. It made the flowers stand out brightly, even in the darkness.

In the end, not a single word was muttered. Many were thought, but not spoken. A thick silence blanketed them, not quite awkward but a bit colder than companionable. It remained this way as rats, humans, bats, and cockroaches watched Gregor make his final journey. They all watched him float down the river and the entire audience held their breath as the archer pulled back the bow ever…

…so…

…slowly…

As the arrow hit the boat, Gregor's father's face crumpled alongside his mother's and Lizzie's. Luxa choked on her air and held a trembling Hazard, herself wrapped in a hug from Howard. Ripred sat back on his haunches and stared at the flaming boat with narrows eyes. Boots looked confused, tears in her eyes and she asked where her Grego was. Aurora and Nike hopped closer to Ares as he hunched in on himself and made soft noises that sounded like sobs.

The Warrior is gone.