**Disclaimer: Original characters and story for 'The Underland Chronicles' was created by Suzanne Collins**
Chapter 4
"Are you going to ruin everything boy?" Ripred said in disgust as he looked to see where Luxa had gone.
Gregor gave the rat an exasperated glare, "What exactly am I supposed to be doing?"
The rat gave a pointed look at Anna and then in the direction Luxa had gone, "What's your plan?"
Gregor knew those words had saved him in life or death situations before. Those wartime experiences in the Underland and even in the Overland, when he had confronted the challenges his Rager sensation brought on. It had been the memory of Ripred's voice and those words that had helped him to come to control those feelings; the ones that had helped him to kill.
"Sit down," Ripred said when Gregor didn't comment. "Vikus is getting ready to start."
After a simple wedding ceremony by Vikus, preceded over and solemnized by Luxa as their queen, Howard and Dulcet turned to face those gathered as husband and wife and they looked happier than Gregor could have ever imagined.
As they stepped into the crowed, the formal part of the night was over and the party began. Gregor had only been to one other party in the Underland, a birthday party. Other than that, he hadn't thought of them as capable of having much fun, but it was actually a pretty impressive event.
There were tables piled with food that filled the large rooms with a mouthwatering aroma. The middle of the floor was left open for dancing that began as soon as the orchestra was ready. It was, as Anna had said, the perfect sort of mid-evil fairy tale wedding and Gregor was glad to see that Howard and Dulcet were so happy together, the pair of them were some of his favorite Underlanders.
As he looked around for Knight and Luxa, a man approached him, but his eyes were on Anna and not Gregor, he seemed totally in shock as he looked at her.
"You're skin must require much sun, no?" he asked.
Although Gregor knew it was a compliment, Anna did not and she shrunk back a little, "Uh…well, my grandma was from Mexico, so I guess it comes from her."
The Underlander looked confused, but he smiled, "You are beautiful, would you honor me with a dance?" he held his hand out and asked, his voice so sincear that even Anna's defenses were thrown aside for a moment.
"Go on," Gregor told her. "They're all nice."
Anna took the man's hand and finally let go of her hold on Gregor's arm, he shook it out a bit as circulation came back into his fingers. Free of his Overland friends, he looked around and smiled when he saw Vikus. He was glad to see that the man had survived the stroke that hit him as the last battle took place, shortly after his wife, Solovet had been killed.
"Gregor," Vikus said warmly as he held his hands out in welcome. "I am glad to have you in our home once again."
As he spoke, Gregor saw that the left side of his face was still somewhat paralyzed, and devoid of emotion. He also walked with a cane now, but it was obvious that the gentle old man still held a commanding presence in the court of Regalia. Next to Vikus was a tall, dark haired young boy who stood out among the pale complexions almost as much as Gregor.
"Hello, Hazard," Gregor said, sticking his hand out to the boy who was now about the same age Gregor had been when he first arrived in the Underland.
"Temp says you forgot to bring Boots with you," the boy said, being followed by the large crawler. "How is she?"
Despite the difference in their ages, Boots and Hazard had formed a strong bond during their time in the Underland and Gregor wondered if his little sister remembered the boy with whom she'd had many adventures and learned to speak the tongue of the cockroaches.
"Boots is well," Gregor answered, somehow glad that she had not been forgotten.
"I am glad to hear it," Hazard replied, "will you let her know that she is greatly missed here?"
"Yes Hazard, I will."
He gave a formal nod of his head and said, "Thank you, and welcome back. If you will excuse me though, I am going to go check on some of the guests. The Spinners have gathered in a corner because of the noise and I need to see if I can convince them to come out and enjoy the evening with us."
As he left, Gregor watched him go; thinking that though still so young, Hazard, like all the children in the Underland had to grow up so fast.
"Sometimes," Vikus began as he too watched Hazard leave them. "I think that it was Hazard who was the true Peacemaker of the prophecy. His ability to speak with the other creatures who share our land has helped us to make huge strides in keeping peace."
"He must get that ability from you," Gregor said, giving the old man credit for the many years he had spent trying to form peace in the Underland. "I am glad to see you Vikus."
"And I, you, Gregor." He paused for a moment, a twinkle in his eye. "Although, I am sure my granddaughter is more excited than I."
Gregor felt his face grow hot, and he turned to look at Luxa. It was funny how in a room full of people, he knew exactly where to look for her and she was there. Vikus followed his gaze, both of them watching as Luxa showed Knight the steps to an Underland dance.
"She will fight you Gregor." Vikus said with great emotion. "She will fight having you here, and you will again have to win her heart. I will tell you truth though; you will not win it here on the dance floor. You will win it by fighting back."
"But I am going to school in Boson," Gregor said suddenly. "I plan on studying Political Science and History. I would like to be able to one day do what you have done here Vikus, to fight with peace and hope instead of swords and daggers."
Vikus looked at him, a warm look in his violet eyes, "Then your future is set? A Rager intent on being a peacemaker?"
"Ripred had the idea first," Gregor said with a grin.
Vikus was looking across the floor at Luxa once again, "if leaving here once more, will bring your world hope, I cannot deny them that. Hope is a powerful thing; it is the light in this dark land. You know that you have always given me hope, Gregor. But there is one more thing that is more powerful than hope."
"What is that?" Gregor asked him, leaning forward intently to hear his answer.
"Love," he said gently. "And if you find yourself in possession of love, I would not give it up so easily. I would tell you to rage and to fight for love."
When Gregor woke, he dressed in typical Underland clothing and hesitated as he saw the jeweled dagger still lying next to his bed. When he had left the Underland last time, he had 'killed' the warrior by breaking Sandwiches sword, truly intent on his feelings that war was not always-if ever-the answer. But in truth, the thought of being in the Underland without a weapon scared him. He had needed to defend himself too many times before to truly trust a peace he had glimpsed the night before. He fastened the dagger to his belt and went out into the corridor.
He was up early for the late night they'd had and so he didn't bother looking for Knight and Anna. There were few people about in the palace, guards stood sleepily at their posts, but not many others were yet stirring. As he came into the high hall with its open ceiling, he couldn't help but miss Ares. If he were here, he would be waiting for Gregor, knowing he needed a flight to clear his head, knowing what to say and when to say it. His heart ached painfully as he realized for the first time the ache of loosing his bond.
Ares had died in the last battle with the Bane, he had given his life for Gregor and for Regalia. Gregor had never really experienced the Underland without his bond and so it was at that moment in the empty high hall that Gregor sank to his knees, his right hand clenched to his chest that was threatening to rip apart; to rip along the five scars the Bane had left him with as the pain of Ares death washed over him.
He had opened his hand and let go of his bond on that day long ago, but he realized that it had never felt so real as it did at that very moment. Gregor gasped air in as the floor blurred in his vision and the pain tried to destroy him.
"Overlander?" the purring voice that was so similar to Ares surprised him enough to look up and he saw the large, black bat fluttering towards him.
"Elpis?" Gregor asked as sorrow washed over him once again. She was big, but not as big as Ares, and though her body was black as night, just as Ares had been, her face was lighter gray color. She was not the bat he wanted and needed so badly.
"I know I am not who you desire to fly with," Elpis said, as though reading his mind. "But I will provide you with an escape if you wish."
There was a small thought that flickered through his mind, wondering if it was dishonoring to Ares, but he had already jumped onto her back at that point and they were rising up and out of the high hall before the doubt had fully formed.
Elpis had powerful wings that had them covering great distances, but Gregor flattened himself low over her back and she pushed even harder as they soared. Gregor didn't know where there were going, and it was a true mark of Elpis nature that she did not try to speak to him, she just flew, and that is all he wanted.
Sometime later, when Gregor's sorrow was not gone, but had ran its raging course and was tucked calmly in his heart next to his memory of Ares, he looked at his surroundings. They were flying through a large cavern that almost had the appearance of a valley. Cavern walls rose up gently on most sides, with what looked like caves in the walls and a softly glowing river ran though the valley. As he looked at the area, he was surprised to see movement on the ground.
"Elpis," he asked. "What is that? Who's down there?"
"The Gnawers and the Crawlers are down there now," she answered back. "They are rebuilding it."
"Rebuilding what?" But even as Gregor asked the question, he knew. "The Garden of the Hesperides?"
"Yes," Elpis purred. "Luxa, with Ripred's advice I'm sure, made this their first priory after the war. Even as the humans began work on rebuilding Regalia, many of their best architects were sent here to see what would need to be done to rebuild the damn and to create the garden once more."
Without Gregor having to ask, Elpis dipped down lower so that he could see what was going on. It was impressive what they had done to the plain. Ripred had told them that the whole area had been reclaimed by the river with the dike broke so many years ago. He thought back to the rat's words about the land, the one place in all the Underland that could grow the golden apples.
"There are no trees," Gregor said softly, almost to himself.
"No," Elpis agreed, a note of melancholy in her voice. "The trees were destroyed and cannot be brought back. We have no seeds with which to grow them."
For some reason, that thought struck Gregor with a pang of sadness. With all that had been done to recreate the Garden, it would never be complete without the seeds to grow the trees. It seemed to be an illustration of the damage that had been done by years of hatred. It was damage that could never be completely erased.
"Was it worth it?" Gregor asked the bat as she turned to head back to Regalia.
"Overlander, do you not use your eyes?" Elpis asked him, a note of teasing and also exasperation beneath her seriousness.
"What do you mean?"
"There are no apple trees in this valley, but what is there?"
He looked down again, "Rats and Crawlers. Working." He paused and realized what she was saying, "Working together?"
"Overlander, we are not perfect, but we are working together. For the first time since humans arrived in this land, we are all striving to work together. There is much that needs improvement still. Daily Queen Luxa must deal with petty arguments between races, but we are fighting more to make things better, than to make things worse."
On the flight back, Gregor could see that what Elpis had said was right. There was, even now after six years, evidences of the war. But there was also evidence of peace, and that made Gregor smile. All Gregor had sacrificed had not been in vain. His time, his family, his childhood had been lost in a cause bigger than he was at twelve years old, but it was a relief to know that it had not been forgotten. Ares life had not been sacrificed in vain.
Elpis interrupted his musings when she flew over the outer walls of Regalia, "would you have me take you to the Palace or to the arena?"
"What is at the arena?" Gregor asked her, not ready to face the palace yet.
"Queen Luxa is there. Right now it is her free time from the responsibilities she holds."
"Then let's go to the arena," Gregor said, not fighting the thrill he felt at his opportunity to see Luxa again.
At least, until he thought of Ripred's words from the night before, What's your plan, boy?
And Gregor wished he knew.
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