AN: I'm not sure if I should stick with first person or third person, maybe I'll do both, let me know what you think. This chapter will be in Luxa's perspective. I'm sorry, I've spent hours trying to come up with appropriate dialogue for the Underlanders, but I just can't get a solid grasp of the nuances of their speech patterns, so the best I feel I can do is keep slang and most contractions away from their mouths. I apologize if this is something you can't look past.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in relation to The Underland Chronicles.
Three years, it had been three very long years since last I saw the Overlander. Gregor, even thinking his name pained me, though it had dulled considerably over time, still it sometimes managed to steal my breath. Today would be harder than most, it was the Day of Remembrance, a day of mourning, but also celebration. We celebrated the end of The War of Time, the peace that had been established across the Underland, but most importantly we celebrated the Warrior and Ares, and all they sacrificed to bring us here. Vikus had suggested it shortly after the Overlander left, he also commissioned a great statue to be erected near the front gates of the castle. Through her grandfather's actions the Overlander and Ares were revered as the greatest heroes the Underland had ever seen, tales of their deeds were told to the young of all races, except cutters, however, little had been seen of the cutters for some time.
I walked through the royal wing towards Hazard's room, I wondered what he would be doing today. When I arrived I called his name and walked inside, he was sitting on the floor drawing a picture of a person. Instead of asking who it was, I stepped closer to him, when I was close enough to touch him I focused on the image on the parchment. My heart jumped in my chest, it was Gregor riding atop Ares, clad in his black armor wielding Sandwich's sword and Solovet's dagger. I could see the determined set of his face, the anxiousness in his posture, and the confidence in the set of Ares' features. The sight of Ares drew forth painful memories of long days with Henry and Aurora, training, playing, growing. I regained control of myself after a few moments and called his name.
"Oh! Luxa, I didn't hear you come in, I've been really focused on getting this just right. Vikus said that if I created something for the ceremony later today, he would place it in a case near Gregor's sword. I'm really happy that we have a day to remember him, he gave a lot to help everyone here." He paused for a few seconds, "Do you still miss him?" he asked in a somber voice.
"Yes I do, I will always miss him, I know you will as well. I am going to visit the monument now. Would you like to accompany me?"
"No, I'm going to try to finish this, I only have a few hours until the Remembrance ceremony begins. I'll see you there, have fun today, I think it's what he would want."
I smiled at him as I left, he was right, Gregor would like to see me happy. I saw Vikus entering his study carrying what appeared to be a letter. I decided to say hello before visiting the statue of Gregor. I knocked on his door and asked if I could enter, after a few seconds he called me inside. He was sitting at his desk, but there was nothing in front of him. I was sure he was carrying a letter when he entered his room and I wondered where it was.
"Luxa, how can I help you? Or have you come simply to speak with me?" His warm smile comforted me like few things could, and brought a smile to my face.
"Hello Vikus, I was on my way to the shrine, but I saw you come in here and wanted to say hello. I saw you carrying a letter, but it isn't on your desk, did you discard it?" I was curious as to why he would throw away a letter after only a few seconds of opening it, if he had indeed thrown it away. He looked surprised and then slightly nervous, I wondered why.
"Oh, I uh, um, oh dear... well, oh. Well Luxa, that was a letter from...The Fount, yes The Fount." He seemed slightly relieved.
"Has something happened Vikus, do I need to summon the council?" I was worried that there could be trouble, he seemed so worried about the letter. I certainly hoped there was not any trouble, especially on Gregor's day.
"No! No Luxa, it was nothing of the sort, it-it was, a letter from, um, a suitor. Yes it was a man from The Fount, seeking your hand. I discarded the letter as soon as I discovered that. You know that I do not want you to have to worry about suitors- if you decide to produce an heir- until after you turn eighteen." It seemed like he was hiding something from me, but the mention of a suitor distracted me.
"Thank you Vikus, I am not interested in them now, and I do not think I ever shall be. Perhaps Hazard will have children, and after my reign is over, they can take the throne. I am curious, however, as to why you want me to wait until I turn eighteen. It is common for one in my position to have suitors shortly after they would turn sixteen."
"I know there are some who would like for you to start seeing suitors immediately after turning sixteen, those on the council would like to have a relative to become king; since they can not force you to marry, they would like to attempt to sway your decision by using your youth. They believe that since you are young, your decision regarding a betrothal will be impulsive and heavily influenced by your newly maturing body. I know otherwise, I also know that you will almost certainly not marry, not with your heart so far away. I do not want the council to needlessly pressure you about your feelings on the matter while you are still so young, so I say eighteen to give you a few more years without it." He smiled softly at me.
I knew Vikus supported my decision to not get married, I would sacrifice much for Regalia, but I would not condemn myself to a life of being miserable unless I had no other choice. No matter how angry they were, the council, as Vikus said, could not force me to marry, but they would find many ways of making their displeasure known. Knowing that he was giving me two extra years away from it, made me extremely grateful, so I gave him a very big hug. After we parted I thanked him and told him I was going to continue on my way to the shrine that had been put in place to remember all who were lost to The War of Time.
The shrine was located around the base of the statue of Gregor, depicted wearing his black armor, wielding Sandwich's sword overhead in one hand, mouth open wide soundlessly shouting his defiance to all who would harm Regalia. It was a wonderful thing to behold, standing almost forty feet tall, it served as a magnificent reminder to all, that Gregor had fought mightily for their safety. I felt my throat constrict while I stared at it, and remembered the boy I love, I could almost hear his war cry. Tearing my gaze from the face of the statue, I looked at the pedestal directly in front of its feet. Resting there, under constant guard, was Sandwich's sword, still broken. After Gregor left, the two pieces were gathered. There were some on the council who wished to see the blade reforged, however, most agreed with me, that it was the Warrior's blade and with him gone none would wield it, therefore there was no reason to make it whole once more. That was only one reason that I wanted it to remain broken, the other was that Gregor had wanted it broken, and I would do all I could to respect his wishes, it was the least I could do for the boy I love.
I left the shrine after a few more minutes, and made my way to the museum. It was empty like I knew it would be, I made my way over to the blanket that lay in one corner. I sat on the blanket and reached out for a small pile of pictures that I left nearby. I stared at them and remembered dancing with Gregor, standing close to him, sitting with him, then sitting with him, kissing him, and how right and easy it felt when I told him I loved him. I would never forget him, and I would always love him. While I was remembering him I almost failed to notice a figure watching me from the entrance of the museum. I put the pictures down and looked to see who it was, I immediately recognized him and felt a smile spread across my face. "Hello Ripred. What do you need?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to see you pining over the boy. Oh, wait no I didn't." He rolled his eyes. "My scouts gave me their monthly report, it's mostly the same but I thought you might want to hear it."
I quickly nodded and thanked him for finding me to tell me.
"When he's not in school, he is either sleeping, or drawing pictures of you. He has many of them in his room, he keeps the picture of the two of you by his bed and stares at it before he goes to sleep. His mother doesn't seem too happy about it, but she hasn't voiced her opinion as far as I know. He's grown, I hear he is a little taller than you now, and his shoulders are filling out. I also have a surprise for you, consider it an early birthday gift, I requested this specifically for you."
My heart was racing as I wondered what it could be, it was most likely something of Gregor's, but it could also be Lizzie's or Boots'. Ripred extended his left claw and held out a small white square, I was confused as I reached for it; as my hand closed around it, he told me to turn it over. I did and my heart nearly stopped. There he was, smiling at me with the same boyish grin and warm brown eyes. I felt tears fill my eyes and then spill over. I laughed at the sweet joy blossoming in my chest, and my laughs turned to sobs, I was caught between unbelievable happiness and crushing sorrow.
Staring though the tears, I focused on the image of Gegor smiling at me, he had definitely grown. His face was more angled than it was three years ago, he still had the small dimples at the edges of his smile, and his eyes looked almost the same. Almost. I could see the shadow of pain in them, and wondered if it was the same pain I felt everyday. I could never thank Ripred enough for this gift, it meant everything to me, I would treasure it for the rest of my life. I couldn't speak, so I threw my arms around Ripred and held him as tightly as I could, and he responded in kind. We both missed Gregor terribly, more than anyone else in the Underland, I believed. After a few minutes I regained my composure, and we parted. "Thank you Ripred, I love it. Come on, I think it is almost time for the ceremony to begin." As we were walking out of the museum, I took one more look at the picture of Gegor. "I love you, Gregor the Overlander"
Okay, well let me know what you thought of the chapter. Also, I might not do another Luxa POV, at least not for a whole chapter, it was very difficult for me and I'm not sure why.