Hey guys! It seems you guys enjoyed the previous chapter thoroughly(for obvious reasons). As usual, I would like to thank all those who reviewed my story, and I urge everybody and anybody to review my chapters. It really is a big boost of confidence for me.
For Chapter 3, my heartfelt thanks goes to FiercePoop, IMightWriteAFanfic, SamsungPony(thanks for the tip about bats), HumanicHedgeHog, MythologyBookworm, MarbleSky, haha77, Coolpepper, pyro159, AlphaDeath(I've been waiting for you), 1996 and arsoccer6. You all have been part of a driving force for me to write this story and I hope you continue to review my story.
I'm sorry about this, but if some of you are thirsting for action, you're going to have to wait for a while. These next few chapters will present important information which will set the tone for the conflicts that will happen in this story. So please bear with me! If you love to try and guess what the plot will end up being like, you can try fancying a guess in the reviews section. It will be extremely fascinating for me and other readers to see what you think will happen.
Anyway, enjoy Chapter 4! This chapter is in Gregor's perspective.
Chapter 4: Reunion
Gregor didn't bother looking at the crowds hollering his title as he stood in the middle of the arena. He had eyes for one person, and one person alone. Sure, he missed Ripred and was looking forward to having a conversation with the scarred rat, but there was one person more important than him at that very moment, and she was staring back at him in utter shock and disbelief.
Luxa's crown had literally slipped off her head and landed with a resounding clang on the floor. She didn't seem to notice, though. And neither did the thousands of people in the arena, or her grandfather, or her bonds, or the man standing right next to her who was gawking stupidly at Gregor. Yes, Gregor knew who he was. And the stupid expression on his face made Gregor want to sock him in the jaw even more.
Luxa wasn't the same pale and pretty girl Gregor remembered those nine years ago. This Luxa had grown up, and was not pretty anymore. She was absolutely beautiful. Her eyes were a dazzling shade of purple, and her features looked even more delicate now. Although one could argue that her cheeks looked sallow, she had enough flesh on her for Gregor to ignore those minute details. There was a faint scar running down her face, but that made her look even more beautiful. As expected, she wasn't taller than Gregor, but she had grown a fair bit herself. In her half-golden, half-red dress, she appeared stunning. Hell, to Gregor she looked like a goddess. And the jerk standing next to her had this goddess.
Finally, Vikus' voice silenced the crowd. "SILENCE!" he boomed. Naturally, as a well-respected and adored figure in Regalia, the crowd quietened down. Then he began to speak, "Gregor the Overlander was a hero. A legend in Regalia. He came down from the Overland and led us to victory in the war. He left, never to be seen again. For nine long years, he has been gone and we have thought him dead. He has passed into folklore, and is mentioned in the same breath as Sandwich. And that is why today is a day of celebration. All hail the Warrior, Gregor the Overlander!"
The crowd roared with approval as Gregor bowed at them in gratitude. He felt someone tugging his sleeves, and he turned to find Calvin staring at him in complete bafflement. "You… you are the Warrior?" Calvin asked, seemingly unable to comprehend what he had just said.
"WAS the Warrior," Gregor corrected him, before grinning sheepishly, "I told you that you would figure out a lot of things."
"You lied to me," Calvin blurted out, "You told me you weren't the Warrior. You told me you knew the Warrior."
"I never lied," Gregor insisted, "I just never told you the whole truth. And by the way, i did know the Warrior. I knew myself, in case you can't understand that."
Calvin was about to respond, but Hecate landed at his side. "Calvin, I am to take you to the High Hall for a meeting between our dignitaries and the Overlanders. Gregor will be taken there by a separate flier."
Calvin, shooting Gregor another look that resembled anger and confusion, quickly hopped onto Hecate, and she took off, leaving Gregor standing there alone. The audience had continued to scream his name as if he was a rock star, but he guessed that even he was elevated beyond that level. According to what Vikus had said, he had become a living legend.
Luxa seemed to have recovered, picking up her crown and readjusting it on her head, before continuing to stare at Gregor. The staring had begun to make him feel a little uncomfortable, but because it was Luxa, he didn't mind. He saw Aurora fly towards her, and even after she had climbed on top of Aurora and was flown off, he knew that she hadn't been able to tear her eyes off him.
Meanwhile, Conrad was gazing at him, and Gregor found himself trying to determine how Conrad was feeling. He searched for contempt or jealousy, but he found none of those traits in Conrad's eyes. Instead, he found curiosity brimming in Conrad's eyes, almost as if he had no idea who Gregor was, which must have been impossible, considering that he looked old enough to have lived during the War of Time.
The lack of contempt and jealousy had two implications- either Conrad really had no idea about the prior relationship that Gregor and Luxa had, or that despite knowing about the relationship he wasn't bothered. Gregor definitely didn't prefer the latter. That meant that he was content with the relationship he had with Luxa as a husband and hence did not see Gregor as a threat, which in turn meant that Luxa was very dedicated to Conrad.
Wait, Gregor checked himself. Was he still going to pursue Luxa, even after nine long years? Did she still desire him in the first place? Had she moved on unlike him? Did she love Conrad? Did he have the right to ruin the relationship between Luxa and Conrad? They were married, after all.
Gregor found himself grappling with the choices we had. On one hand, his heart told him that he loved Luxa, and that he should never stop trying to pursue a life of happiness with her. On the other hand, his mind told him that his pursuit was over. Luxa was obviously happy enough with Conrad to marry him and he shouldn't disturb their relationship.
Gregor found himself in a dilemma. Follow his heart, or follow his head? He sighed in frustration. He was really stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He didn't have to stand in the middle of the arena looking confused for a long time, though. A flier was quickly dispatched by Vikus to bring him to the High Hall. A greyish-black bat landed, and shot him a friendly smile. "Greetings, Warrior," he purred in a low, guttural voice, "I am he called Apollo, your personal flier escort throughout your stay here in the Underland. I am honoured to serve one as great as you."
"Thank you, Apollo. Although I have a feeling that you will realise that I'm not as great as I've been made out to be," Gregor replied frankly.
Apollo shook his head firmly. "Do not be modest, Warrior. I have heard the great stories about you. The feats you have achieved are beyond our best soldiers and greatest men," he told Gregor.
Gregor shrugged, unaccustomed to the overwhelming praise he was getting. "Ok then. Let's go," he said simply, climbing on top of Apollo.
Apollo then took off at breakneck speed, heading straight for the High Hall. Gregor felt his stomach lurch, and he made the mistake of looking down, causing his heart to slam against his chest. He gulped nervously as he saw the tiny houses hundreds of feet below them. Till this very day, he still had a fear of heights. More specifically, he still had a fear of falling.
Gregor forced himself to face his fears and stared down into the beautiful city. People had begun to line the streets, calling out his name. He didn't get this kind of treatment in the Overland. back there, he was the ordinary guy or ordinary weirdo on the street. Down here, he was so much more.
For a moment, he thought about staying in the Underland permanently. It seemed to make so much more sense. It was pointless to stay in the Overland, where he was ostracised, had no opportunities, had no family, and worst of all, had no identity. He had lost any meaning or purpose in his life up there. Down here, he finally felt as if he belonged somewhere. He finally had a place in society.
But he reconsidered that paradigm. He still had a family in the Overland he hadn't said goodbye to, while Luxa was happily married here in the Underland. He wouldn't really get a great future in the Underland either. Luxa was the one love he just couldn't let go of, no matter how hard he tried. People often ridiculed young love, but they had no idea how serious it was in his case. He longed to hold Luxa in an embrace again, as he had the last time. He sighed nostalgically as his old memories began to resurface. For him, they brought along a lot of joy and hope, but also a lot of suffering.
His train of thought was interrupted as Apollo landed in the High Hall. "Thanks, Apollo," he said to the bat as he slid off his back.
Apollo nodded gratefully. "The pleasure is mine, Overlander," he replied, before flying off.
Gregor turned around and found himself facing Ripred. The old rat was slouched against a pillar, gnawing lazily on a small piece of wood. As Gregor expected, he looked older, but Gregor didn't expect him to look so aged. Ripred's shabby hide looked even worse than ever, with his fur standing out awkwardly at certain parts of his body. His skin seemed to sag, not because he was fat, but because he was just getting old. Not that Ripred was very lean and slim to begin with.
In addition, one of the criss-crossing scars on his face seemed fresh, almost as if someone had cut it again. The nails on his claws looked dirty and rotten, but that was to be expected when it came to a rat, especially a rat like Ripred. His breaths had become much deeper now, which was probably a sign that he was old now. But when he spoke, it sounded just like the same old Ripred that Gregor knew.
"Are you just going to stare at me, boy? Not even a hello? No? My, have you grown so impolite now that you're all grown up. What happened to that weasly, impudent little boy I knew?" Ripred asked, grinning from ear to ear.
Gregor couldn't prevent himself from smiling as well. "It's good to see you, Ripred. I've really missed you," he said truthfully to the old rat.
"I'm sure you have," Ripred snorted, "But I don't really care about you. How's Lizzie?"
"You don't care about me?" Gregor asked, pretending to sound offended.
"Yes, boy, you heard me. I don't give two hoots about you. Now, how about answering my question?" Ripred pressed.
"Not until you say that you've missed me," Gregor said, wagging his finger at Ripred.
"Come on, Overlander, I don't have all day to sit here and debate or bicker with you. I want to know how Lizzie is doing. Could you please answer my question" Ripred shot back.
"Come on, you old bastard. How about a hug?" Gregor taunted, extending his arms.
"Please, boy, you know I was just pulling your leg. I'm merely jesting. Why are you just like your fellow Overlander? You guys can't seem to take a joke," Ripred grumbled.
When Gregor didn't respond, he went on, "Satisfied now? How's Lizzie?"
"She's fine," Gregor said, finally, answering Ripred's question.
"That's really specific," Ripred drawled sarcastically, "Give me some details please."
"I don't know about the past two years," Gregor answered sheepishly, "I've been away from my family."
"Why?" Ripred urged on, causing Gregor to look down in shame.
"Ripred… can we not go there? It's kinda personal. All you need to know is that they're safe," he replied quietly.
The old rat must have noticed his pained expression and the hurt in his voice, as he didn't pursue the issue. "Whatever. I'm curious to know what brings you down here, along with the newest addition to our army, the Gunner. I think it's safe to say that your appearance was very abrupt and unexpected," Ripred commented.
"That would be the understatement of the century," came a weary but familiar voice behind Gregor. Gregor turned around to find Vikus standing behind him, leaning heavily on a cane. Vikus looked sickly and his grizzled hair looked greyer than ever, with his frail figure looking so fragile it looked like he was going to crumble any second. But Gregor looked into his eyes and saw the same twinkle he had seen all those years ago. Without thinking twice, Gregor embraced Vikus. He made sure not to squeeze the old man too tight, but he hoped that Vikus would see how much he meant to Gregor through this hug.
Gregor finally let go of Vikus, and the old man laughed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, Gregor," he joked, and then his tone became more serious, "We thought you had lost your light. Well, not Ripred, but there was a rumour circulating around of your demise. Most of us thought you were gone."
"Of course I didn't think you were dead," Ripred piped up, "You're too stupid to die."
Vikus rolled his eyes and continued, "Discounting Ripred's insightful comment, I must say that we had lost all hope in your return. We shouldn't have lost hope, though. I am a great believer in the idea that hope will always be with us, as long as their are others willing to believe in it as well. You would know that, wouldn't you Gregor?"
Gregor thought about the times he had despaired or had thought that all was lost. It was hope that had salvaged him from all those situations. Vikus was right. It was through belief and hope that one could pull oneself out of the depths of despair. But then Gregor saw a large black bat fly across the hall, and remembered Ares.
Ares. Gregor felt a pang of pain in his heart. His bond. His friend. He looked up at Vikus and said bitterly, "I did know how hope felt like. But it wasn't always a good thing."
Vikus seemed to have noticed the black bat as well, as he looked at Gregor with sympathy. "I know how you feel," he said softly, "I have lost loved ones as well. My daughter, my son-in-law, my wife… Luxa is all I have left. But that doesn't mean I have given up hope."
Gregor nodded stiffly. Vikus just gave Gregor a warm smile before saying, "My conversation with you is done. Someone else would like to speak to you. Ripred, come along with me. We should leave these two in peace."
Gregor turned around to see who he was referring to, and his heart nearly leapt out of his throat when he found Luxa right behind him. Ripred smirked slightly, before trying to cover his smirk up by coughing uncomfortably and murmuring, "I'll be off." He scampered to Vikus' side and walked over to Calvin, who was speaking to Lapblood.
Gregor cleared his throat, but found that no words could come out of his mouth. He was stuck. Luxa didn't speak either. Both of them just looked at each other without saying a word. Gregor found himself staring into her eyes, trying to determine how she was feeling. For a moment, he ignored her amazing beauty to see if he could find out her feelings towards him. He was shocked by what he saw in her eyes.
He saw pain, hurt, relief, disbelief and sadness in her eyes. He tried to search for any signs of love, but he couldn't find it. Or maybe he was looking at her wrongly. Or something. Or maybe she just didn't love him. No, he told himself, I can't give up on her. I never have and I never will. He had a feeling she was trying to look into his eyes to see how he was feeling as well. That made for a very awkward and disturbing minute or two, as both of them just didn't know how to react.
Finally, Luxa said, "You look good."
Gregor was now well and truly stuck. How did you respond to such a comment? He couldn't say something like Well, yea, I've been working out. That was way too crude. He needed to sound classy, polite, friendly and not too aggressive or imposing or overly assertive. God, this girl was really making him rack his brains. They were friends once, but they couldn't speak to each other in the same way. Not after nine years. Not after she was married to another guy. Eventually, he ended up saying, "You look even better."
Luxa smiled, which caused Gregor's spirits to raise slightly. "Thank you," she replied.
Now what could he say? You literally couldn't carry on a conversation when someone just thanked you. It sounded jumbled and awkward. Damn, he was in a tough position. Time to YOLO, he thought to himself. There was honestly no other choice.
"How's Conrad?" he asked her bluntly.
She seemed slightly taken aback by the question, but recovered her composure quickly to answer, "He is a good and honourable man. He is a faithful husband and cares a lot for the city."
"Are you happy with him?" Gregor went on, sounding even more forthright than before.
"I could be happier," came Luxa's soft but candid response.
Surprised, Gregor thought about continuing the topic to find out more, but decided to drop it when Luxa looked uncomfortable. He decided to continue being sincere, though. "I've really really missed you, Luxa," he told her frankly.
And to his surprise, she replied softly, "In these nine years, you are the person I have missed most."
Wait, wait, wait. Was she implying… Could it mean that… Was that a glimpse of… No. He wouldn't hope too much, or the pain might feel even worse later. He just nodded sadly at her reply and said, "It has been a really long time indeed. According to Calvin, there have been a lot of changes down here. And most of them seem to be significant changes." He paused for a while, before taking in a deep breath and saying, "I heard about Temp."
Luxa's head dipped, and Gregor could see her trying to hide a tear. "It was… a moment of anguish for me. We had been through so much together, for him to go by sacrificing his life… that was really painful for me to accept."
Gregor stayed quiet for a while, before speaking up, "It was difficult for me to accept that as well. He's the reason why my sister is still alive today. I owe him my life."
"Speaking of your sisters, how are they?" Luxa questioned.
"Fine," Gregor answered quickly, making it clear he didn't want to talk about his family.
Luxa seemed to get the message. She went on, "Life down here has been harder than ever. But at least we've been able to keep wars generally out of our lives. And that always gives us hope."
Gregor smiled. "It does indeed. I rarely see Regalia experiencing so much peace. And there are rats living in the city as well," he observed, as he watched a small pack of rats conversing with a family of humans from his vantage point up in the High Hall.
"Yes," Luxa agreed, "despite the scars from the War of Time, I am amazed by the strengths of both sides to put aside their differences and work together. In fact, we have thought about establishing another Underland colony in the north, where the gnawer homes used to be. We have the numbers and resources to take up such a task. It would be a dream come true for me if this project succeeds."
"It sounds great," Gregor said sincerely, "I love the idea of that."
She turned to face him excitedly. "You do?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied, "I'm really proud of you. Although that seems to be so… unlike you. The last time I saw you, you were at the throats of the rats even in peacetime."
"I was not!" Luxa exclaimed.
"You were," Gregor insisted light-heartedly.
"I was not!" she protested, "You are still as childish as you were all those years ago."
Instead of acting offended, Gregor just laughed and said, "Yea, ok. It's good to see you again, Luxa."
For a moment, their eyes locked and Gregor could see that she was itching to tell him something, but in the end, she just said, "It is very good to see you too, Gregor." With that, she walked off to speak to Calvin as well. Gregor couldn't help but notice that Conrad was standing in one corner, watching him intently. Gregor promised to himself that he would work out the time to speak to that bastard.
He felt himself bumped gently from behind, and he turned around to find Ripred standing behind him again. This time, the rat didn't look like his usual lazy and casual self. The last time Gregor had seen Ripred like that was when Ripred had plotted with him to kill the Bane. He didn't like Ripred's facial expression. It showed that the rat was deeply troubled by something, but worst of all, Gregor could see the fear in his eyes. He had never ever seen fear in Ripred's eyes.
When Ripred spoke, it was in a low, hushed tone. "Overlander," he said quietly, "Let's head over to a corner. There's something I need to tell you."
Gregor just nodded and moved quickly over to an empty corner, with Ripred following closely behind. The old rat's eyes darted back and forth to ensure that no one was spying on them, before turning back to Gregor and saying, "Listen to me, boy. Regalia is on the edge of total annihilation. And you are the only one who can stop it."
Gregor felt as if he was struck by lightning. "What… How?" he stammered.
Ripred stared gravely into Gregor's eyes. "Gregor," he said, "we are bordering on the edge of a civil war."
Hope you enjoyed the reactions from different people in this chapter! Please remember to review this chapter! I will be reintroducing the question segment, so all those who want to answer a question are free to do so.
Question: Who are the rival factions in the civil war Ripred is talking about? Who is on whose side?
Fly you High!
