"Hurry now, Overlander," said the woman in black. "Climb higher."
Gregor grumbled a string of curses that he would gladly be yelling if the person who deserved it wasn't a woman or a killer. They'd arrived at a strange place called Queenshead, which deserved its name for the rock that looked like a queen's crown. However, nearby there were several more reachable rocks that the woman in black directed them towards. Gregor followed as the woman climbed up to the top of a smaller rock that looked roughly like a trapezoid with the walls like slopes.
Why was he being so obedient about all this? Well, she could kill him, obviously. She could yell at him, even worse; Gregor, for a reason unbeknownst to him, cringed whenever this woman got too angry. It wasn't like he wanted to make her happy, but she had the tone that said she knew what she was doing. And besides, she was the one who knew where they were going, and she must intend to keep Gregor alive for the moment. She had so far.
"Rest, majesty," the woman said when they had reached the top of the rock. "It appears you can, before we head for the jungle." She turned around to look in all directions, standing as tall as she could while searching for pursuers. Gregor still had her beat in height, though she came close to him. Nodding in satisfaction, she sat down at the edge of a rock.
"A jungle?" Gregor asked skeptically as he sat in front of her. "Don't you want them to find my body soon?"
"I want to be as far from anyone else as possible. The gnawers must surely have noticed a white gnawer and a flier wandering around their lands, so they must realize we were there, and we must avoid them. Regalia—" she pointed loftily in one direction "—must surely be aware of your kidnapping thanks to your fiancée, so they will be looking for us, and we must avoid them."
"I know who you are," Gregor said.
"Are you always so ignorant of what is being said to you?"
"I just now got it. The planning, the power, the way you beat everyone…you're the Dread Pirate Roberts I've heard about, aren't you?"
"At least you do not rule me out because I am female." The woman in black smirked. "What may I do for you?"
"You can go in the jungle and get eaten. You can be eaten slowly and painfully, and I want to watch."
"Harsh words for an Overlander who knows nothing of pain."
"Pain? It's not like the Overland is one big utopia where everyone lives in apartments and never fights or kills. I've known more pain than you could imagine, and it's all your fault."
"Oh?"
"You killed the girl I love."
"Perhaps. I kill many people. Why would a petty girl stand out to me?"
"She's got this look in her eyes that never goes away. It's like she's determined all the time, like she's suffered so much and she still wants to do something about other people's misery. And I should know she had tough times, because she has a scar on one side of her face. I can't believe I called her 'Scar Girl'. I could have been so much better, somebody she deserved to be with." Gregor put his head in one hand and sighed. "I can't believe she put up with me."
"It is rather hard to imagine," the woman said, "but I believe I know this girl. She came in from the Overland?"
Gregor nodded.
"Yes, she had a flier escorting her to his homeland when I came across her. I am certain you did not know this, but my band of criminals consists mainly of fliers that raid boats on the Waterway and the loads that other fliers carry. It was uncommon for us to see a lone flier over the Waterway—no less a flier with no guards, carrying one young human that we felt sure we recognized. So we attacked, believing that this human must be important."
"You have no idea."
"I do not believe you do either," the woman said, "but it is of no matter, because the human—a girl—was dressed in odd Overland clothes, with no weapon and nothing of value. But even when we believed she might have something of value and were threatening to kill her, she did not struggle. She only looked me in the eyes as I held the sword to her neck, and she said 'please'."
"…She did that? She only asked?"
"I was rather impressed. She did not bargain, nor scream for help, nor tell her flier to attack or defend or run away. She only asked that she please live. I asked why."
"And?"
"She said she was in love, and I can only assume she meant it was with you. This boy, she said, was an Overlander that she turned to in a time of great distress, and you were kind enough to take her in and take care of her. You treated her well, she thought, and she described your brown hair and eyes, your face and its free range of emotion, and the way you never left her for longer than you had to. You seem to have shown her a new world, but she only saw you. I can see now that she was deluded in her opinions of you, but I am glad to have let her die still believing that you were the best man she could have met."
Gregor shook his head. "I can't believe she put up with me," he whispered. "I've been so blind."
"And you are still blind, if you believe a fiancée like Princess Stellovet is going to replace this girl."
"What do you know about Luxa?" Gregor snapped. "How could you know how amazing she is, how she lived for such a long time with me and did everything I told her to do? She told me she loved me every day! You only knew her for a few minutes, and you killed her. You're the blind one, if you can't spare her!"
Gregor glanced behind the woman, and got on his knees. "And if you can't spare her, I don't see why I should spare you." With that, he pushed her off of the top of the rock that they'd been sitting on.
The woman's eyes widened as she disappeared over the edge. There was a bit of rolling, a bit of tumbling, a bit of tossing and turning on top of different rocks. But the only thing Gregor heard beneath the rock was three words.
"As…you…wish…"
Gregor's breath caught in his throat. "Luxa…Luxa, I'm such an idiot…" He tried to climb down the rock after her, but ended up slipping and tumbling to her side.
He groaned and opened his eyes, only to find Luxa's violet ones staring back. His heart nearly stopped. He never thought he'd see those eyes again.
"Are you well, Gregor?" she asked. Her face mask had fallen off, and her silver hair toppled onto the ground, finding Gregor's hand and making it melt.
"Well?" Gregor said, and then laughed shakily. "Well? Luxa, you're alive. If you want, I can fly!"
"There is no need for that," Luxa said, and her eyes softened. "Gregor, why did you do it? Why did you choose Stellovet?"
"She chose me, Luxa, and you know, I can't believe I went along. I was so messed up after I heard you were dead, I would have done anything to even get close to you again." He scooted closer to her, ignoring the stitch in his side from the fall. "Luxa, why didn't you tell me you were alive?"
"I wanted to, I truly did," Luxa whispered. "But I wanted to bring you to a better Underland. I have a plan, Gregor, but I could not act unless you were far from my mind. You are not good for me, Gregor."
"I think me getting engaged just to come to the Underland ought to show how you aren't good for me either," Gregor said. "But if you'll forgive me, I'll forgive you."
"Why do you need to say it out loud? I have forgiven you already."
The Writer's head banged against her keyboard.
"What?" the Reader asked, slightly annoyed.
"I couldn't write anything after that. I swear, romance escapes me like I'd escape from a burning building."
"So? Keep going."
"Pass," the Writer groaned. "Besides, I'm tired. It's kind of hard to write two battles and the scene where Twirltongue rambles, if you've never tried it before. And besides, I thought you said you didn't like Gregor being the girl?"
"…Yeah…but I can handle it."
"Tough. I vote we get to the jungle. You seem to be intent on getting backgrounds of all the characters, anyways, and I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining how Luxa got to be the Dread Pirate Roberts. Yeah, the next chapter's really going to be something…"
