AN: This is the last planned time skip. I didn't really have much to write for the story before this, but I wanted you to see what Gregor was doing to prepare for the Underland, which is what the previous chapter was for. So now we are where I think the story really begins. I hope you all enjoy. P.S I don't know when Gregor's or Luxa's birthdays are, so I'm saying Luxa's is shortly before Gregor's and his is in the middle of June.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in relation to The Underland Chronicles.

Gregor was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. It was five thirty in the morning, but he wasn't tired, he was too nervous and excited. Today was his last day of school, the last day of his senior year. He wasn't going to school today, however, because it was also the day he was returning to the Underland. He grabbed the picture of Luxa on his end table and stared at it for a moment, then sat up and turned it over in his hands, after undoing the clasps and removing the picture he set the frame back on the table without putting it back together. Then he kissed the image of Luxa's face and stood up, he put the picture in his back right pocket. He hadn't packed anything, all he was planning on keeping from here was the picture in his pocket. Maybe he would also take a picture of his family.

Since it was early, Gregor quietly made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a protein bar. He ate it then drank a glass of water and went outside, after taking a moment to appreciate the cool morning air, he started stretching. He finished after a few minutes then started jogging up the road, away from his house. While he jogged he thought about what he would do first when he got to the Underland. He considered trying to conceal his identity, and letting himself be escorted to Luxa and surprising her that way, but he also wanted a slightly more dramatic entrance. He was too conflicted and ultimately decided to see how things played out, besides Vikus and Ripred knew he was returning today and might have something planned already.

Two hours later Gregor had just made his way through the front door of his house when Lizzie snatched him into a tighter hug than he thought she was capable of giving. She whispered in his ear that she thought he had already left, she had known for a while that he was leaving today. "Did you really think I would leave without saying goodbye?" He whispered back. "I wouldn't do that Liz."

She let him go and took a step back, crinkling her nose at him, "You're all sweaty, ew," she wiped her hands on the front of his shirt, then laughed and walked into the dining room. He followed her and saw his parents sitting at the table, his heart was racing but he knew he had to do this. "Mom, Dad, can I talk to you in private for a second?"

They stared at him for a moment before his dad spoke, "Sure, come on Grace." they walked past him, to their bedroom.

When Gregor made it into the room he closed the door behind him. "I didn't want Boots to hear this, because she wouldn't understand." He took a moment to calm his nerves before continuing. "I'm leaving, I'm going back to the Underland today." He watched both of his parents' reactions, in his father's eyes he first saw shock, then fear, and after a few moments sad acceptance.

His mother was slightly different, he still saw the shock and fear, but then he saw defiance and anger, she spoke first, keeping her voice low so the other two children wouldn't hear her. "No. No you aren't, you are staying here. I don't care that you're eighteen, your birthday was only a few days ago, I won't let you go back."

"Mom, I'm going. I've saved up enough money from my summer job that I don't need your help, but I would really like to at least have your blessing, if not your approval." He looked to his father, silently asking for help.

His dad looked at him for a second, then spoke to his mom. "Grace, I know it's scary to think of him going back. I'm terrified of losing him to something there, but I'm sure Gregor is a little scared too. I think he's been planning this for a long time, and has had a lot of time to consider the danger he might be in. We can't stop him from doing this, but we can be strong for him, besides Gregor's obviously been preparing himself for this for the last six years." He spoke to Gregor, "This is really why you've been pushing yourself so hard, isn't it?" Gregor nodded. "I thought so. See Grace, he's not going there unprepared, he will be in much less danger than he was when he was twelve. Please don't let him leave on this note with you, it will only cause you more pain."

She didn't look angry anymore, now she looked scared and heartbroken. "Please don't do this Gregor, you're my baby and I don't want to lose you. Please stay here."

"I can't, you don't know how hard these last six years have been, how much it's hurt me to stay away. I can't explain why, but I don't feel like I belong here, I've felt like an outsider ever since I said goodbye to the Underland. It's not just about Luxa either, it's about everyone there. I have to go back, I've spent years making myself ready for this."

She looked like she had given up, "What will we tell your sisters? They will want to know where you've gone."

"Lizzie already knows, she's known for almost as long as I have," Gregor said.

His parents looked stunned, "WHAT?!" his mother shouted. "Why did she know before us?"

"Well, she figured it out in her own, besides if I had told you that I was going back, you probably wouldn't have let me train like I have been, and you probably would gotten suspicious and read all of the letters I got from Mrs. Cormaci," He calmly replied.

"Wait, is Mrs. Cormaci in on this too? Has she been keeping you updated on the happenings of the Underland?" His dad asked.

"Yeah, every time I write to her I send two letters, one for her and one for Vikus. He responds, and Mrs. Cormaci also writes me a letter and mails both to me. Ripred's also been keeping tabs on me, and writing letters to Liz."

His dad spoke again, "So you know the approximate state of the Underland? You have an idea of what you should expect when you get there?"

"Yeah, according to Vikus, after we left, the Underland entered a state of peace between most of the species. There are even gnawers living in Regalia." Gregor was happy that Ares' sacrifice had at least brought peace to the Underland. He subconsciously brought his left hand up to touch the scars The Bane had given him in their final confrontation.

"So there shouldn't be any fighting when you get there?" His mom sounded relieved when she spoke.

"Not any real fighting, but they do hold tournaments a few times a year, but the next one isn't for a few weeks." He responded.

His mom sighed, "I guess we'll tell Margaret that you moved to New York to go to college. I need you to promise me that you'll be safe Gregor."

"I promise mom." He hugged her and said, "I love you" he then hugged his dad and told him the same thing.

"How are you going to get to New York?" His dad asked.

"Well Enterprise is only a few miles away, so I was gonna run there and rent a car since you two work today, and it's out of your way." He answered.

"We can drive you Gregor, it's not that far, but we'll have to leave soon so tell your sisters goodbye," his mom voice cracked while she spoke.

Gregor walked out of the room and went to the dining room, when he got there he wrapped his youngest sister up in a big hug, which made her burst into a fit of giggles. "Gregor, let me go." She tried to sound stern but failed miserably since she couldn't stop laughing. He finally released her after a few minutes.

"Boots, I'm going away for a while. I'm moving back to New York to go to school, I have to leave today so I can get everything set up in time for the next school year. I love you and I'm gonna miss you, but I promise I'll try to visit. You'd better behave while I'm gone missy." He smiled at her and mussed her hair. She looked sad for a second but then she smiled brightly at him.

"I'll miss you, but I'll be waiting for you to come back." She hugged him tightly once more. She let him go and ran to her room.

Lizzie came to him and hugged him, "I'm going to miss you so much Gregor, be careful down there. I know they're at peace now, but we all know peace never lasts. Tell Luxa and Hazard I said hi, and give Ripred a hug for me. I love you." She gave him a final squeeze then let him go.

Boots came running back into the room and handed Gregor a picture, it was of the five of them earlier this summer, it was taken the day Gregor had first managed to complete the rain exercise without one drop getting past him. He was so proud of himself he had asked everyone to stand together in the living room and take a family picture to commemorate the event.

He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then folded the picture and put it in his back left pocket. His parents walked past him and told him they would start the car, Gregor hugged both of his sisters one last time then turned and walked outside.

He looked at the dilapidated building in front of him and smiled, he was here. He walked to Mrs. Cormaci's place and knocked. She opened the door after a few seconds, when she saw him she looked flabbergasted. She soon recovered, however, and pulled him into a hug. He told her he wasn't going to stay long, but she understood.

"I just wanted to thank you for passing the letters along for the last six years." he told her.

"I was more than happy to do it. I'm happy for you Gregor, now go, you need to get down there." she urged him away with a smile on her face.

They exchanged goodbyes and Gregor was on his way to the laundry room, if the currents weren't running a flier would be waiting for him at the grate, otherwise, the flier would wait at the bottom of the descent. When he pulled open the grate he saw the white wisps that meant the current was running. He was happy for that, he wanted to ride them again. He managed to squeeze his large frame through the opening and let himself fall into oblivion, a huge smile plastered on his face. While he fell, he rolled, twisted, flipped, spun, and twirled. It was exhilarating, he was back, after six years he was finally back.

He saw the ground approaching and twisted his body so that he would land feet first. A second after his shoes touched the ground, the sound echoed back to him and he "saw" a large bat standing on the ground about twelve feet to his right. He looked in it's direction and spoke, "Hello flier, are you here to take me to Regalia?"

The large bat cocked it's head at him, then spoke in a soft voice, "Yes. You can see me, Overlander?"

"I learned echolocation many years ago. Do you not recognize me?" Gregor wasn't arrogant, but he thought most creatures in the Underland knew him, although he had changed since the last time he was here.

"No, I do not. Should you be familiar to me?" The flier honestly sounded curious.

Gregor shook his head and smiled, "No, I guess not. Well, shall we go?"

The flier nodded and Gregor walked towards it, he was about halfway there when the flier spoke again, "Forgive me Overlander, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Persephone."

Gregor was on her back by now, and was trying to decide if he should tell her his name, in the end he decided there wasn't any harm in it. "Hello Persephone, I'm Gregor."

They had taken flight just before he spoke, and when she heard his name, Persephone froze and they angled back towards the ground. Gregor urgently called her name and patted her back, even though they weren't going to hit the ground hard, he didn't want her to get hurt. She recovered quickly and managed to stabilize them and pick up speed. After a minute she spoke again, this time with a slightly reverential tone, "Are you the Gregor, the Warrior? The Overlander that was bonded to Ares the Mighty?"

Ares the Mighty? Gregor thought, Luxa or Vikus had probably had that added to his name to further honor his life and sacrifice. It sent a bittersweet ache through his heart, and he touched the scars on his chest. He believed if any flier deserved to be called mighty, it was Ares, he had performed deeds that seemed impossible. He closed his eyes for a second in remembrance, then opened them and answered Persephone, "Yes, I was the Warrior, and Ares was my bond."

"May I ask why you have returned, Warrior?"

"I came back because this is where I belong."

Luxa looked towards her grandfather, "Why must we do this today? I do not see why the tournament could not be held in two weeks, as was scheduled." she crossed her arms and stared expectantly at him.

"As I said Luxa, today shall be the perfect day for it. Please believe me, dear one." He smiled gently at her, and it eased much of her anger.

"Fine Vikus, but you know I do not care for these tournaments. They only serve as a way for the council to get me to dine with the relatives they wish me to marry." she huffed and leaned back in her chair. The tournaments had started as a way to keep tensions between the different species low, they served to release built up tensions. After her sixteenth birthday the council had, without her knowledge, declared that the winner of the tournament was allowed to share a meal with the queen. It was their way of trying to get her to marry their skilled relatives, and therefore get close to the crown. They couldn't force her to marry but they could certainly annoy her, the law stated that a council was to be maintained as long as there was only one ruler in Regalia, and since she still didn't plan on marrying, they would be around for a while. Fortunately, Ripred fought in most of the tournaments, and no one in the Underland was his equal. She wondered how long that would remain true, while he was still far above anyone else he had fought against, he was getting old, and she hadn't once, in all the time she knew, him seen him train. He was here today, so she didn't worry about facing another awkward dinner.

She watched the tournament progress with an almost palpable amount of disinterest, Ripred had made his way to the final match along with a moderately skilled soldier, she knew it would be over in seconds. She saw Vikus looking above the arena, he appeared to be anxiously waiting for something. She was about to ask him about it when she heard wings flapping, the sound drew nearer and she scanned the air for it. There, to her left, past Vikus was a large brown flier, and on it's back was a rider wearing strange clothes. Overland clothes, she realized after a moment. What is an Overlander doing on a flier she thought, Did Vikus know this was going to happen? Is this what he was waiting for?

Vikus' voice broke her out of her thoughts, "Finally."

So he did know, the flier was almost to the arena, and she looked at it once more. She thought her heart had stopped beating, she knew the rider, she loved him. She didn't know how but she realized she was standing in the arena, watching the flier land. She couldn't believe he was here, she called his name and it felt perfect on her lips, "GREGOR!"

"GREGOR!"

His heart skipped a beat, he would recognize her voice anywhere. He had been lost in his thoughts on the flight here, but now only one thing could hold his attention, he whipped his head to his right, and he saw her, she looked beautiful. She was standing a few dozen feet away, wearing a white dress that hugged her shapely upper body then loosened at her hips and stopped just above the ground. Her long silvery blonde hair braided over her left shoulder and ended almost at her waist. He could see the beautiful deep purple of her eyes even from here, and it took his breath away. He jumped off of the flier and walked in a daze to Luxa. She started walking towards him, when they had nearly halved the distance, they both started running. When they reached each other, he pulled her into his embrace and picked her up off the ground, then spun around several times. When he stopped and set her down, he pulled back to look into her eyes and saw that she was wearing a smile to match his own. He noticed that she was about half a foot shorter than he was.

"I've missed you, Luxa." he said emphatically.

"I have missed you as well, Gregor." Her smile faded slightly, then she slowly leaned her face up toward his. Gregor leaned the rest of the way in, and they shared their first kiss in six years, it made his lips tingle and his heart flutter.

They were broken out of their moment by Ripred loudly clearing his throat. "Well, as precious as this is, we're in the middle of something boy. Now move aside and wait you turn, I'll be with you shortly."

Gregor and Luxa broke apart, Gregor then looked around the arena and saw all of the people there. "Let me guess, you moved the tournament to today so that you could get me to fight you?"

"Yes I did, so you'd better hope your training has been enough. Now, take a set and let me finish my match. I"m talking to you too your highness." then Ripred turned away from them and faced the other man standing in the arena.

Luxa looked shocked by what Ripred said, "Ripred, you knew the Overlander was returning today, and you did not tell me? How could you keep this from me?"

"If you're going to get upset, then you should know that Vikus has known for six years." Ripred smiled in the older man's direction, then turned to face his opponent.

Luxa looked at Vikus and saw a nervous expression on his face. She grabbed Gregor's hand and made her way to Vikus. "Why did you not tell me, Vikus? You knew, more than all others, how much I have missed Gregor. How could you do this to me?" she looked sad and betrayed.

Gregor spoke for Vikus, "I asked him not to tell you, I'm sorry, I wanted to surprise you. I didn't think you would be upset about it, but it's not his fault, so please don't be mad at him."

Luxa turned to Gregor and released his hand, "Why would you not tell me, you do not know how much I have hurt since you left."

Gregor spoke softly, "Actually, Vikus and I wrote letters, and he told me how affected you were and he begged me to let him tell you, but I was selfish and told him to keep it secret. I am very sorry Luxa."

Luxa knew that he was being sincere, and she wasn't mad, but she was still hurt that he kept this a secret, so she decided to play with him a little. "I will forgive you... if you can best Ripred."

Gregor felt a ball of unease build in the pit of his stomach, he thought of Ripred as the epitome of a warrior, but he needed Luxa to forgive him, so he took a deep, calming breath and nodded. He watched Ripred tear through his opponents solid defense in an instant, then send the man to the ground with a casual tail swipe. Well at least he would be able to see just how far he had come. He looked at Luxa one more time, turned and smiled at Vikus, then walked down to the arena.

Before he stepped onto the field, he grabbed two swords, the one in his right hand was a standard long sword, the one in his left was much smaller, it looked like a really long dagger. He didn't have any armor so he hoped Ripred wouldn't go too far. He took several deep breaths then walked out and stood ten feet from the giant rat.

Luxa spoke from the stands, "Inhabitants of Regalia, standing before you are the only two known ragers in the Underland, Ripred the gawer and Gregor the Overlander," the crowd exploded at his name, he figured it was because he played a vital part in bringing peace to their world. "This will be the final match of this tournament. Begin!"

Gregor's POV

I tensed my body, expecting Ripred to lunge at me, instead he stood where he was and beckoned me forward by curling his front left paw, my vision splintered. I smiled the obliged, I sprinted at him then lunged the last few feet, thrusting my right sword out as fast as I could. I saw the surprise in his eyes at the quickness of my thrust, but he managed to twist his chest to avoid getting impaled. I was glad he had underestimated me, but also a little nervous that he might do it again and get hurt because of it, at least the swords weren't edged. I saw his tail coming towards my left side and easily managed to slap it aside with my short sword. His paws and tail started coming in from all sides, but he wasn't striking very fast so I was able to answer every one of his strikes with one of my own.

Why is he going so easy on me? Is he testing me? Maybe he's trying to make me look good in front of everyone so that they like me more, but that doesn't really seem like something he would do.

Block left, thrust right, duck, spin right, slice left, jump, duck, leg sweep, double thrust, slice right, block right, parry left, kick, spin left, it went on, back and forth, neither of us touching anything but the other's weapons/claws

We had been exchanging blows for over ten minutes when I noticed Ripred was getting upset, I wondered if he was tired of playing around. "If you don't want to play around anymore, we can get serious." I spoke quietly, I didn't want the crowd to know that we were going easy on each other. I was taken completely by surprise when Ripred snarled and dropped into a very familiar stance.

"You want to play. boy, well have fun." with that Ripred started his rager spin. I was taken aback for a moment by the anger in his voice but I quickly regained my composure and decided to take his suggestion to heart. I began striking Ripred in pressure points before he could retaliate, but it was his fault for slowing down his best attack. After a few moments I lunged right into his reach and began my own slowed down rager spin. Ripred looked completely stunned that I had managed to get inside his ultimate move and counter with my own, but it didn't last long as I had knocked his paw out from under him, hit him in dozens of pressure points and kicked him away before he could complete one revolution.

He slowly pushed his way too his feet and looked at me with a mixture of pride and loathing, "You win, Gregor, you beat me."

Third Person

Gregor was confused, why had Ripred given up, Gregor had only struck his pressure points hard enough to let him know they'd been hit, not nearly hard enough to affect his fighting abilities. He decided he would ask him about it later, for now he focused on Luxa. She looked speechless, she was also probably shocked that Ripred gave up. She stood and addressed the crowd, "Gregor the Overlander has bested Ripred the gnawer." The crowd erupted. Luxa smiled widely at Gregor, but he could also see a look of awe in her eyes.

He made his way to her and Vikus, on the way there many people congratulated him on beating Ripred, but he didn't pay much attention to them. When he finally reached Luxa she spoke first, "How dd you do that Gregor? I've never seen any creature move as swiftly as you did, Ripred had no hope of victory."

Gregor was confused again, "Ripred was holding back and so was I, Luxa. Both of us could have moved much faster if were being serious, in fact I don't know why Ripred surrendered."

Vikus spoke next, "Gregor, I have known Ripred longer than most. I know how well Ripred can fight, and how fast he can move, and while he was faster in his youth than he is now, he is still a great deal faster than any other I have seen. He was moving faster today than I have seen in nearly fifteen years, and he was fighting in top form, Gregor. He knew you were restraining yourself, and he spoke true, you beat him."

Gregor was having trouble absorbing that, he saw Luxa looking at him with eyes full of pride, but he didn't believe it. He wasn't better than Ripred, was he?

AN: I'm sure some of you will think that Gregor is OP, but I think that's what a rager should be, they are natural born slaughter machines. As for Gregor being stronger than Ripred, I think it makes sense, he is 18, still moving into his prime and has spent six years training his body to fight, while Ripred has always seemed to arrogant to be bothered with training and he is also getting pretty old. Anyway, I'm sure I've upset some people, I apologize, but this is how I feel.