Sharptongue: Howdy, as you lovely little American children say. I'm Sharptongue, Gorim's OC, and personal secretary. She's sick of answering comments without any help, and no one else is gonna do it; they're too enthralled by her family's new blue ray. So, here I am.

On Edge: Yes, Gregor is slightly stupid. Rereading Gregor the Overlander pretty much sums it up. Gregor can't speak. He hasn't BEEN able to speak. Please see Will We Fight? and Reunited But Still Apart for proof. Why do you think he was signing stuff all the time? For fun? And yea, Ripclaw DID ruin it. Gorim says that that character pretty much writes itself. She hopes she can write more about him in the future. It's the hated characters that are the funnest to write. And on the Howard note,well, imagine you have a friend. Friend disappears. You don't see friend for 4 years. Then, out of the blue, he reappears with a guy who almost killed said friend, your cousin, your cousins bond, the old guy next door...

idestoryuall: "Gregy"? Oh, I shall so be calling that boy "Gregy". And he'll have you to thank for it.

LikeYouShouldKnow: Should we all just stop answering? Or should we continued to humor this guy? READERS! DECIDE!

AresRocks: Ripclaw comes back later. As does Ripred. I think you'll like Ripclaw's death very, very much! (manical laughter)

Alliance; Reunited

Boots sat on Pollux, thinking about what had just happened.

After flying for a few minutes, Lyra had signaled for the bats to land. And where they landed was most surprising.

A rat colony.

They all were very nice. The rats greeted her warmly; some even knew her name, though she didn't know any of them. A few she knew from stories. A black rat called Sharptongue, a wise-cracking gnawer whose loyalties, according to some of the colonists, ran about a deep as his pockets to all but family. And he's Twirltongue's brother.

And Bloodrun, an old gnawer general, a genius at tactic and strategy, who, on occasion, had bested even Solovet herself.

These two, and others just as infamous, greeted them kindly. Well, Sharptongue may have made an enemy of Boots by patting her on the head, wrapping his tail around her shoulders, and saying, "Hey there, love." But all in all, no one fit the stereotype that the Regalians had painted in Boots' head.

Then she appeared.

Sliverclaw.

She in particular made Boots revise all she'd ever thought about Gnawers. The rat was slender, with a beautiful sliver coat. The female rat wasn't without scars, however. One ran vertical from a bit above her eye, down to the corner of her mouth. This eye was closed, and would probably stay closed forever.

Lyra had taken Sliverclaw's paw in her hand, and they went off and talked next to the fire, which was very much like the one at the colony. Sharptongue continued to tick off Boots by continuing to call her "Love". But when Lyra and Sliverclaw walked up, he, and all the rest of the rats and humans and fliers, went silent.

"A few days ago," started Sliverclaw. "Solovet attacked one of our off-shoot camps. Vikus maintains that this was an accident, and I believe him. However, I also think that, whatever the consequences, we should prepare ourselves for future 'accidents'." There were a few snickers, particularly from the gnawers.

"So," Lyra picked up. "I have promised aide to the Silverclaw faction, in any way. Be it military, medical, or agricultural. I have spoken with the council at the colony, and they have agreed to this. So, what I suppose I'm saying is…" She stopped and looked at the crowd. "That the Colony and the Sliverclaw faction have an alliance. From now till the end."

The cheering could have blown your eardrums to pieces. Boots looked around that the cheering crowd. In addition to herself, Pollux, Lyra, Ceres, Kain and Echo, a few other colonists had come with them. Their muscular physiques made Boots wonder. This was a negotiation, a plea for the Regalians to release Apollo, Gregor and Henry. So why, exactly, did they need soldiers?

"What are you thinking?!" hissed Kain about an hour later, as they flew. He and Echo had not seemed pleased about the alliance. Kain pointed angrily behind him.

"What are you thinking?!"

Both on bats, talking grimly to one another, was Sharptongue and Sliverclaw.

The bats carrying them seemed to be having a tough time, the one carrying Sharptongue a bit more than the other. Their previous riders had had to double up with another person and her bat, and they both glared frequently back at the gnawers, specifically Sharptongue.

The rat noticed their glares, and sighed tragically. "Why must you keep doing that?" He asked. "It's making me feel unloved." Neither the bats nor the previous riders said anything.

Lyra smiled. "Sliverclaw needed to be in Regalia. Romulus volunteered to carry her. Sharptongue is her 'bodyguard'." The black rat overheard this, grinned, and stretched luxuriously, making the poor bat carrying him squeak pathetically, and drop a few feet.

Lyra gave him a hard look. "Stop that," she said sternly. "Or Zeus will have permission to drop you, and I doubt you will be able to land on your feet from this height." Sharptongue sighed.

"Alright. Sorry, Zeus." He said, like a four year-old apologizing for not sharing a toy with the class.

"Sure," muttered the bat, still straining under the rats weight. "I just pray we get to Regalia soon, for all our sakes."

--

The door opened, and light flooded into the dark room. Gregor and Henry both looked up, then stood up.

Henry raised his arms dramatically and said, "Take me away!"

The room they were all taken to was the same room Gregor, Ares, Howard and Andromeda had had their trial in. The same tribunal council sat behind the stone table. But instead of Nerissa, weak, exhausted and messy, on the throne sat Luxa, every bit a Queen. She'd dressed up for this occasion; she wore a real crown, the kind you imagine a crown to look like, thick gold and covered with jewels. She also wore an elaborate purple gown, which Gregor vaguely remembered as being the color of royalty in ancient times.

Henry, Apollo and Gregor stood in the precise same spot Gregor, Howard, Andromeda and Ares stood five years ago.

Henry was called to the stand first. Luxa stiffened.

"Henry," said the decrepit bat slowly. "Before we ask the questions, there is a formality that must be observed." Henry nodded. "You, Gregor the Overlander, and this unknown flier Apollo have all been charged with treason. How do you plea to this?"

"I plead guilty, Your Honor." Henry said promptly. The crowd began whispering to one another. The council nodded, then proceeded to ask Henry questions.

"What happened after you fell?" "Where were you?" "How did you come across the Overlander?" All these questions were asked and answered. Finally, Gregor was called up.

"Overlander," began a nibbler. "We have been told that you cannot speak, and that you communicate with a sign language. We have also been told that this flier can translate, so expect no difference in our questioning of you." Gregor nodded. "Well then. How do you plead to these charges laid down by Queen Luxa?"

-Not guilty.- Gregor signed. Apollo translated. There was a gasp among the crowd. The council all nodded again.

"Alright. Now then. Where were you this whole time, Overlander?"

-The Colony of Lost.- Gregor answered. There was a general snicker from the crowd, but the council simply nodded neutrally.

"Where is this colony of Lost? Describe it."

And so it went. Gregor was asked tons of questions about the colony, and what he'd been doing.

But there was one question he could not, for the life of him, answer.

"Why did you stay?" They asked. "Why did you not return?"

-I don't know.- Gregor replied helplessly. -I don't know.-

Apollo was called to the stand and, after pleading not guilty to the charge of treason, proceeded to also answer a great deal of questions about the colony, only with him, it was also questions about Gregor and Henry.

After the questioning was finished, Gregor's wrists were retied (they'd been released for the questioning for obvious reasons), and the council converged. Gregor looked at Luxa. She basically ignored him.

Finally, the bat stood and said in a loud voice, "The council has reached a verdict, your Highness."

"Speak." Said Luxa quietly.

"For Gregor the Overlander, on trail for the crime of treason, we find him… innocent." There was a gasp of outrage, and Gregor's muscles all relaxed at once, then tightened again as the bat continued.

"For Apollo the Flier, on trail for the crime of treason, we find him… innocent." Again, a collective gasp of outrage.

"For Henry the Underlander, on trail for the crime of treason, we find him… guilty."

Silence.

"Your Highness," said the old man, turning to Luxa, who looked pale. "Have you any objections on the verdicts?"

If she did or not, no one would ever know, for at that moment, the doors to the trail room burst open.

Standing in the doorway was Boots, Lyra, Kain, Echo, several other colonists and fliers Gregor and Henry knew by sight only, a couple of Gnawers that, by the crowds reaction to them, only Gregor didn't know…

And a large black flier that stared at Gregor, looking ecstatic.

"Ares." Gregor whispered.

Gorim: WHOOT! Gregy can speak again!

Gregor: Damn you, idestoryuall!

All: ... don't curse at the readers, Gregy.

Gorim: Anyway, yeah. Poor Zeus and the awesome Sharptongue shall return.

Also, I'm thinking of doing the "100 themes" thing after or during this, and I just got a story idea. (this story, if I write it, will have nothing to do with this one). What do you guys think?