The Banished

Chapter 3

The halls were hardly lit as Gregor sped down then. He was at a brisk walk, not wanting to cause attention to himself by running. He had already rearmed himself with his sword, but was still just wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He hadn't had time to change.

Aurora had told him to head to the royal wing, that Luxa would be awaiting him there. The guards at the entrance he knew pretty well and even greeted him on his return. He thanked them quickly before heading down the hall.

The only room with any light coming from it was far down the hall. It took him a moment to place the room, but as soon as the sound of voices reached his ears, he knew who it belonged to.

"Now, now, calm-"

"They cometh, cousin. You must warn the Overlander. The end-"

"You had a spell, cousin. That is all. You are not-"

"Sick I am, I cannot deny that. But wrong I am not."

"Lux, I'm here. What's wrong?"

Everyone in the room looked up as Gregor pushed back the curtain and walked in. He grimaced slightly as he found it was not just Luxa and Nerissa, but also a doctor and Hazard. Clearing his throat, he stepped into the room, his hand falling onto the hilt of his sword naturally.

"You-"

"Overlander, you have come." Nerissa, who was lying on the bed in the far corner, struggled to sit up. "There is much I must-"

"Rest, cousin." Luxa pressed a hand to the older woman's arm before standing from the chair she had been in by her bedside.

"There is time for rest when my light has left me." Nerissa's eyes never left his. "Gregor, I do not have much time left. You must listen to me."

He glanced at Luxa, bust she was staring at the doctor before her. The man was older than all the others in the room and seemed to be focusing on filling up the syringe in his hand. Gregor had no doubt that Nerissa was about to be sedated.

"What is it that you wish to tell me?" Gregor asked.

"Do not get her worked up, Overlander," Luxa told him, frowning. Hazard just stood in the corner, not speaking. "What business do you have here?"

"Aurora told me to come straight here. I didn't know that it was Nerissa that was in need of me. I assumed that you were in need."

"Well, I am not," she told him flatly, apparently not even happy to see him. Luxa was all business at the moment; he was just another soldier and she was his leader. "You are of no use to me currently. Go wash away the scent of the Overland. And when you are armored and prepared, return to the throne room. Should I not be there, wait. I will arrive eventually and you will resume your post as head of the guards. Until then, I do not want you in my sight."

He stared hard into her eyes for a moment before giving a low bow. "As you wish."

"No, Overlander, you mustn't leave. We must discuss," Nerissa pleaded, reaching one hand out towards him. "Listen to me. They come. They will come through the darkness. They will come to reclaim what is theirs. They are the banished."

"Rest, cousin," Luxa told her without turning to glance at her, instead keeping her eyes locked with Gregor's. "Go, Overlander. I am not certain which part of my directions were not clear. Leave my sight."

"As your wish, your grace," Gregor whispered then, glancing at Nerissa again. She clearly wanted to tell him something, but he could not defy his queen. Or rather he couldn't defy her over something so trivial.

"It will only hurt for a moment," the doctor was saying as Gregor turned his back to them to leave. Then Nerissa's sharp intake of breath signaled him off the needle had gone in. "Breathe, child. Breathe slowly. It will soon leave you. Sleep now. Rest now. And on the marrow, perhaps we can try again, yes? Just a spell. Just a bad spell."

"Rest my cousin," he heard Luxa say as he passed back through the curtain. "I will be here when you arise. I will always be here. Always."

It was a slow walk for Gregor to the bathing facility. He didn't particularly feel like a scrub down and honestly saw no purpose for it as the gnawers knowing he was back did nothing for anyone, but knew better than to blatantly ignore Luxa's orders.

When he got to the bathing area, it was mostly empty. It was midday in the Underland; many were working already or attending to business. He was slow as he undressed, taking long looks around as he put his clothes in the little slot. Everyone knew better at this point than to burn his Overland clothing; he would need it on return trips.

The water was cold to him as he slipped into the large pool in the center of the room, the current swiftly passing over his body as it moved from one end of the large tub to the other. He liked it best, bathing when there were no other men around. Though he had stayed in the Underland for some time, his raising was still that of the Overland. The only time you really showered with others was the gym and that was only some gyms. This idea of a communal bath was still not an enjoyable one for him.

Still, the water eventually began to feel good to him, the clean scent of the Underland air slowly becoming familiar once more. He spent some time in there, soaking. He really didn't want to go meet Luxa in the throne room. She seemed to be in a bitter mood and he didn't really want to put up with it.

Yet, he knew he had to and eventually climbed out. Underland clothing was awaiting him once he had, which he quickly changed into. His armor was still in the room he occupied, where he was headed next anyways, to put his Overland clothing away.

It was only once he was equipped with his armor that he headed out to find out what was in the throne room. He knew for a fact that it was far too early for trials to be had. Unless of course it was a special circumstance, but surely Luxa would have explained that to him before hand.

When he arrived there, he found no one else at that end of the palace. And when he went into the auditorium like room, he found all the seats empty. There were torches lit in there though of course, as there always were. Even so, the room still felt eerie and dark. It wasn't rare for him not to see it full of people; as a guard, he was typically in there with a few other men before the people arrived for trials. Some would stand by the entrances and exits, but as head guard, he was always up on the platform with Luxa, by her side with usually only two other men.

All he could hear were the sounds of his feet on the ground as he walked slowly down the steps leading to the center of the room, where the throne sat. He could still remember that day, so many years ago, when he and his bond had been put on trial, only spared by another queen, in another time. Those days were long gone, but never forgotten. Not by him at least. Never by him.

When he made it to the raised platform at the bottom of the steps, Gregor stepped onto it, staring at the chair. For a moment he just stood there, watching it, remember all the days passed that he would stand guard over his queen, listening to trials the same as her, occasionally having a warring opinion on her decisions, but always ready to defend her rulings, if not her had need be. He was focused in on it so much that he did not realize anyone was in the room with him until a voice spoke from behind him.

"Come now, Overland. How can I convince others of your skill if you cannot even hear the one you're sworn to protect enter from behind you? Or have I made a mistake with my choice as head of my guard?"

He smiled slightly, not turning around to face her. "What makes you think I didn't hear you all along? That I just didn't rise to the bait."

"Because I know you."

"Because you know me."

He turned as she made her approach, staying up there on the platform as he watched her. "My queen, I am sorry that I got on your nerves before."

"Got on my nerves?"

"Annoyed you," he corrected, bowing slightly when she was close enough. "I should not have not interrupted you. It was family matter. I had no business-"

"Silence now, Overlander," she said as she got onto the stage area with him, slowly walking over to the throne. It was only once she was seated that she spoke again. "Approach."

Slowly, he did so, watching her eyes the whole time. When she nodded, he turned around and faced the empty audience seats, as if they were in court.

"When you were a child, Overlander, did you ever dream of being a king?"

He glanced at her out of the side of his eyes before looking back at the emptiness before them. "No, your majesty. Where I lived in the Overland, we did not have-"

"Your majesty," she mocked in a soft tone before shaking her head, her silvery blonde hair falling well passed her shoulders as she shook it around. This was the most obvious sign of peace, that her hair had been able to grow to such a dangerous length in battle. "I know much of your world, Overlander. You have told me much. I know though that monarchs are not something of a shock to you. You knew what they were."

"I did."

"And you never thought of what it would be like?"

He thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulder slightly. "I suppose so, at some point. Perhaps when I was quite young. Probably."

"It was a dream of mine forever," she told him. "To be king."

"To be queen," he corrected.

"No," she sighed with another shake of her head. "My mother was queen, my father king. His power greatly outweighed hers."

That caused his brow to furrow. "You told me once that women have as much power as men."

"I told you they have as much of a claim to the throne as men," she told him. "And they do. Had I had a sibling, I would have out ranked them regardless of sex."

"Your grandmother, she was the head of the army."

"Aye. She held that rank."

"Then…I don't get it."

She let out a soft sound. "Tell me, which sounds more powerful to you? A king or a queen?"

"I-"

"Answer truthfully, my knight."

He let his head fall slightly. "A king."

"A queen can have all the power in the world. And she does. Until she has a king. Then, naturally, other males look to him for answers."

He took a moment to think. "I do not mean to be rude, my queen-"

"It is just you and I, love."

He turned his head to stare at her then. "Why are you telling me this?"

Another sigh escaped her lips. "I suppose it is Nerissa that troubles me so."

"Yes, she did seem quite sick."

"Not only that," Luxa told him with another shake of her head, her crown falling slightly causing her to have to reach up and straighten it. "She is young for the Overland, no?"

"Yes."

"Not old for the Underland, but not young either," she told him with a solemn tone. "I fear her light will soon blow out permanently."

"I grieve for you."

"As I do for myself," she said softly. "However, it is not being without her that worries me."

"No?"

"No. It is the thought of her being alone."

"Nerissa is far from alone. She has you, Vikus, Hazard-"

"Vikus is in ailing health himself," she told him.

"I am aware."

"Though he has been for years," she mused. "Perhaps he would have been better suited as a warrior. He appears to be immortal."

"We all appear immortal," he told her gently. "Until we pass on."

"You sound far more intelligent these days."

"Or you have learned to listen better."

"Perhaps," she said slowly before letting out a slow breath. "What worries me about my cousin is not her age nor her ailments."

"Then tell me, my grace, what it is that troubles you so."

"She is well loved, by me. She always has been. And Vikus has a kind soul. He wishes to protect her though she is not of blood to him."

"Not of blood, no, but he loves her, yes."

Luxa nodded slightly. "Other than that, she has always been alone. Her parents were gone when we were all quite young and Henry, he…"

"Yes, I understand."

Taking a deep breath, she went on. "My cousin will die alone, ultimately."

"You just said-"

"When I die, it will be with you. And with you, I. Do you understand?"

He turned fully to face her then. "Nerissa does not have a…spouse is your point?"

"She has never even been courted. She is very weak in mind and body."

He nodded slightly. "And this bothers you?"

"For her, I lament her loss."

"You cannot lose what you have never gained."

Luxa nodded slightly. "I only wish she had been given more of a chance."

"As do I."

"It makes me think of my future."

This peaked his interest. "In what way?"

"To many, I will die the same way. In their mind at least."

"Will you?"

"Will I not?"

He smiled at her slightly. "I wish only for your happiness."

Shaking her head slightly, she said, "My happiness is of little concern."

"Oh?"

"My pride is much more valuable to me. My power."

"Meaning?"

"Many will attempt to court me as time passes."

"Many have, as I recall."

She looked passed him then, nodding slightly. "They have."

"You've never taken to them."

"And I never will."

"I do not understand what pride and power-"

"If I were to marry, Overlander, I would still be queen."

"Of course."

"But there would be a coronation. For a king. A leader."

"I understand this."

"My power would dwindle immensely. That was what I was driving at before," she explained. "I will never marry. I am far too in love with my position as it stands. A man would become king, in the eyes of many becoming the head of Regalia. I will never allow this. Never."

"Like the virgin queen."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I do not understand."

"It was a queen of England. In the Overland. Long, long ago. The virgin queen. She would never marry so she would never have a king to rule her." He grinned at her, if only slightly. "It was only a name. Many suspected it was hardly an accurate title."

That made her lock eyes with him once more. "Only rumors, I am sure."

"I am sure."

She shook her head slightly then, turning away. "My only meaning in all this, my knight, is what others will think of me."

"That has always been of little concern to you."

"Not my subjects," she told him with a shake of her head. "Others."

"Others?"

Hesitating, she finally said, "Hazard, mainly. When I expressed m qualms about Nerissa to him, he told me of how many would view my life the same. A cold, meaningless one inwardly. That no matter the great I do for my kingdom, I will always be remembered for this."

"Hazard does not have the best social skills, I fear," he told her. "Growing up with only his father, mother, and the animals that surrounded the jungle."

"Hazard has seen much tragedy and little reward in life."

"And you have not?"

She gazed at him for a long moment after that comment before nodding her head slightly. "I suppose I have."

"And I might I ask then, your grace, what it is that makes you believe you can feel in ways he cannot?"

"I have had much sorrow, yes, but the many blessings in my life must outweigh it."

"I find fault in that," he told her.

"Oh?"

Nodding, he said, "For Hazard has the greatest blessing of all."

"And what would that be, Overlander?"

"Why, the blessing of the queen's unconditional love."

That brought a smile to her face, faint as it was. "Many possess that trait, though it might not always be abundantly clear. They should never forget that, no matter the plights I encounter with them."

"And I pray they never do, for their sake and yours."

Standing then, she headed passed him once more, back off the platform. "Come, my knight. Won't you escort me back to my chambers? I have a meeting I must attend in the coming hours and would like some time of peace before."

"As you wish, my queen."

They exited the room silently, Gregor falling in step behind her, as he knew was the custom. He was rare to walk even pace with her. They were not friends like they were in his boyhood; she was his queen now. Forever and always.

"Ease my mind, Overlander, that you did not take my words to heart before."

He stared straight ahead, though the part of the palace they were in still seemed vacant. "When, your grace?"

"When you arrived in the royal wing before. I spoke quite harshly to you."

"I was wrong. I apologize. I should not-"

"My bond should not have told you of my troubles. Or at the very least, not sent you to deal with them."

"All the troubles you possess, my queen, it would only be natural your bond would wish for another to deal with some of them."

"Would you like to, then?"

"Come again?"

"I must have someone sit in with my cousin," Luxa told him. "Hazard is not…"

"I understand your adherence to Hazard, yes, but surely-"

"I can find another if you are not up to the task. It is only Nerissa's request of you that I make mine. And you have never been unkind to her."

"Nor will I ever," he assured her. "However, my duty is to you. I have only just got back."

"And I survived without you, yes?"

"Miraculously."

He got a look over her shoulder. "Overlander."

"Forgive me, I have misspoken."

"No one ever misspeaks. They say what they believe only to retract it when they find themselves alone in that belief."

"In any regard, I wish to be at your side at all times."

"And you are, in most situations. But as you said, your duty is to me."

"It is."

"And if I made a request of you, you would be forced to oblige."

"I would."

"Not to mention, most would do whatever the queen asks of them, regardless of duty and honor."

"As I try to do every day, my queen."

"Then you will?"

"If it is what you wish, how could I refuse?"

"I am pleased," she assured him. "She enjoys your stories of that world of yours above. Perhaps you can tell her of your misadventures this most recent time."

"The most boring stories are all I could tell, your grace."

"Her life is not much, Overlander. She would enjoy them all."

"As you say, my queen."

"Your willingness to entertain my orders is duly noted, Overlander."

"Must thanks."

Nodding slightly, she glanced back at him again. "You will accompany me to my chambers and then to my meeting. From there, you will report to my cousin."

"As you wish."

The sound of their footsteps and then the sound of others voices was all that entertained Gregor from that point forth. The queen had fallen silent and he knew better than to speak directly to her without being spoken to first in the open where anyone might hear. It was hard for him, that first year, learning to balance his place as her guard and as her…whatever he was to her. Slowly though, he had learned to adapt quickly, never too set in stone on either position. If anything, it was harder for him to relax around her again than anything.

It wasn't until they made it to her bedroom that Luxa even spoke to him again. And even then, it was when she noticed him standing outside the curtain that she called out to him.

"You may enter, Overlander. There is no one around. No one I fear at least."

"Name me one that you fear, my queen, and I shall kill that single man for you, as we know there cannot be more than that on such a list."

"Tell me, Gregor, does your family question your speech now? Even to I it sounds odd coming from your mouth at times."

He stepped through the curtain, the surrounds of her room of no surprise to him anymore. "I am more lose around them I suppose, your grace."

"Luxa."

"There are many prying ears…Luxa."

"And let them hear my love call my name," she said as she took a step closer to him, the only torch in the room giving off low light. Luxa liked it dark, he had found, and it rarely effected him what with his echolocation. And she only liked the darkness when she could be sure what was in it, which was rare. "Or are not my love?"

"Only you can answer that," he told her as she wrapped her arms around his neck, their once even height now nowhere near one another. "I can say honestly that you are mine."

"Then you missed me, yes? While you were gone?"

"Far more than I missed the sun, I assure you," he said as she kissed his neck gently. "Just not as much as I would miss the light if it were taken from me."

That got his neck another kiss. "Tell me of your family."

"There's not much to tell."

"You spend days parted from me and there is not much to tell? Or is there not much you wish to share."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her, hugging his slight frame to him. "Nothing that would not bore you, I am afraid. You deal with much here. My life above is of little concern, I am sure."

"Nonsense. I worry much of your sisters." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "And your mother."

"They are all in good health."

"For that I am glad." She let him go then before taking a step back. "What is it that you wish to do before I must leave, Overlander?"

He just stared. "Honestly?"

"I do not ask for you to blatantly lie to me."

"It has been well over a week."

"Since?"

"What I wish to do, my queen, should not be…partaken in at such an hour. When the palace is alight with activity."

She tilted her head to the side slightly, staring at him. "You are very bold, Overland, to make such requests to begin with."

"I was under the impression my boldness was considered one of my best qualities to you."

"I could have you sent to the dungeons for making such an innuendo to begin with," Luxa went on, shaking her head slightly. "If not killed."

"I have faith."

"In?"

"In my love."

Smiling at that, she took a seat upon her bed. "You can only compliment me so long, Overlander, before I tire of it."

"What would I tell you of then?"

"On most days of your returns, you wish to hear of what I have to tell you," she reminded him. "Of what has taken place in your absence."

"I am all ears."

"I do not-"

"I'm listening, Lux," he explained, openly grinning then. "So tell me everything."

"Overlander-"

"Shhh. You are weak. Do not trouble yourself."

"And yet I am most trouble, Overlander. Come closer."

"It is alright," he assured the older woman as he came over to her bedside before taking his place in the chair there. "I-"

"You must listen to me, Overlander. Even my own cousin has fallen into the belief that my visions are not of this life. Yet I see you, entranced in a battle with a force I am not so sure we can defeat."

Gregor had never particularly liked Nerissa, but rather found some kind of sympathy in his heart for her. Her health seemed to be on a constant downward spiral and her mind seemed too far gone. However, he had never had an unkind word to say about her, as she had never had about him. What always bugged him the most was the way the people of the Underland could so easily follow the prophecies of Sandwich, but never stopped to think that perhaps there was some truth to Nerissa's visions. Was there some clause when it came to such things that said only old men who killed countless diggers could see the future? If so, in what contract is it written?

"Luxa wishes for you to rest your mind," he told her gently. "She-"

"If you are here only for the fact Luxa has sent you, then perhaps you are here for the wrong reasons." Nerissa turned her head from him then, staring up at the ceiling. "I do not need a keeper, Overlander."

Sighing, he said, "If something were to happen to you, Luxa would like for there to be someone here."

"If I die you mean? And what, pray tell would you do in such a situation?"

He just stared at her. "Perhaps what I meant came out wrong. If you wish to tell me of what you have seen, then I shall listen."

Shifting on her bed full of blankets, she took a moment before speaking again. "I do not fear for myself much, you must understand. My life means little now, though I doubt it ever has held much value."

"You shouldn't-"

"It is Luxa I fear for the most."

His attention was gotten. "Luxa?"

"Yes," she said slowly, her eyes drifting close for a moment before she opened them again. "It is her pride that will be her downfall. She will not accept help. Not for fear of betrayal, but rather for fear of being proven to have little worth."

"What won't she get help with?" Gregor asked, figuring he should at least hear the woman out. If whatever she was going on about turned out to be nothing, then what difference did it make anyways? And if it was useful to him, then better that he heard it now, before all the stress and problems presented themselves.

"I tell her that they come, but she will not listen."

"The banished," he clarified. "You spoke of them before. Who are the banished?"

Nerissa just stared into his eyes for a long moment, her purple hued irises seeming dead. "You must understand, Overlander, that we have lived down here a good number of years."

"Yeah," he said, making a face. "I've gathered that."

Nodding slightly, Nerissa said, "There are kings such as Luxa's father, who believe in the price of death. Then there are those that spare the guilty."

"Right," he said. "Like judges in the Overland."

"As you say," she said. "Then king before Luxa's father was my grandfather. He was one such king. As was the one before him."

"Oh."

"Now you must know," she went on, "that there is much crime in the Underland. And not just by our enemies. You have sat in court."

"I have," he said, nodding his head. "Theft, murder. The Underland is not so different from my home."

"As is human nature," Nerissa agreed. "When a crime that would usually be handled as a death case is dealt by a king that refuses to execute, there are two options."

"Like when you wouldn't kill Ares and I."

"Not exactly, no. You and Ares were guilty of no crime," she told him. "There for there was no need for punishment."

He frowned. "Then if we were guilty?"

"You would have been killed, so had I commanded. As is the way of treason."

"That makes sense," he said slowly, nodding his head. "If the king refuses death though, you keep them in dungeons?"

"In some cases. It depends on the severity fo the crime."

"And if the crime is extremely severe, I suppose you banish them. Hence the banished."

Nodding, Nerissa said, "Is the way of the some rulers, yes."

"And you're…afraid of someone then?" He frowned at her. "Someone who was banished?"

"When you are banished, you are sent into the Uncharted Lands. Their name means exactly what you would assume. There had never been a need for anyone to go that way, so no one ever does."

Gregor nodded. He assumed that if the Underland probably extended for many hundreds if not thousands of miles. There might even be other ground kingdoms that they never knew about because no one ever took the time to find out. It seemed plausible enough. You know, considering the fact that there was already one civilization down there that he knew about. Once you knew that, most anything was possible.

"They congregate in groups, we assume," Nerissa told him. "If there was any hope of survival at least. Otherwise, you would have to assume they have all perished."

"It's not much better then," he said, shaking his head. "Sparing them only so they can starve to death later. Seems almost more torturous."

"Very few qualify for this punishment, you must understand," Nerissa told him. "Death is a heavy sentence, yes, but not one used often."

"They sentenced that scientist to death. You almost sentenced me to death. It seems quite common, no?"

"And how often is it used in the Overland then?"

He blushed at that. "It is different there."

Nerissa shook her head then, sighing. "Are we here to discuss morals? A guard and a invalid?"

"You sell yourself short, Nerissa," he told her softly, as he felt he must. What a horrible life she must lead to honestly believe that.

"No matter," she told him as her eyes drifted shut once more. "I must tell you of what I see."

"What do you see?"

"I see…I see…I saw…"

"What is it? Are you well enough to tell me?" He reached out, taking her hand in his own. He had sat in with Nerissa many times in the past. Her hand felt as cold and boney as it always did. "Tell me what ails you."

"Many things, Overlander," she told him with a soft sigh. "Many things that your sword cannot conquer."

"If it hurts you to speak, you will not say anymore," he told her. "Hush. Rest."

"Do you fear me dying on your watch? The wrath of my cousin?"

"No," he told her honestly. "I fear losing you."

"I am hardly an ally to you."

"You've been more of an ally to me than my own family at times," he told her. "Now rest. Should I get you something? Water? Wine?"

"My mind is muddle enough, friend," she told him softly. "I must tell you what I need to. Before…"

"Before nothing," he told her fiercely. "You are alright. Just breathe."

"If life were that simple, Overlander, that you could prolong it by just breathing, I know many of your enemies that would hold the deepest of breaths in your presence."

"You flatter me."

"I must tell you of what I see."

'In due time, yes?" He cupped her frozen hand in both of his own, stroking the back of it gently. "For now you will rest. And when you awake, you will be stronger. Able to tell me everything that your heart desires. For now though, you must rest."

"You will be here…?"

"When you awake? Of course. I will not leave your side. Not even on the queen's command."

"You're too kind, Overlander."

"And you're too weak." He kept staring at her face, having seen that one on many people in his short life time. Death crept around the young woman like a tapeworm. "Rest now. Please."

"Rest now," she repeated back as her hand fell limp in his hand. Slowly, he moved to tuck it under the blankets with her. "And when I awake-"

"We will speak," he promised. And they would. When she awoke.