Hello guys, and welcome back! So, I have something important to say. I know I said I will try to get chapters out every three days, but that clearly isn't working out. Multiple factors have come into play, and it's almost impossible for me to keep to that schedule. I will still try to meet it, but don't expect me to. So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give me any and all ideas! See you guys later!

See you guys later,

-Tytonic

Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, nor do I claim to. I hold any and all rights to the characters and plot I create.

Return of the Myriapods

Chapter 3: Revealed

Before Ty could finish his sentence, a loud sound disrupted them. This particular sound had not been heard for over fourteen years, and struck fear into the hearts of the most hardened soldiers. War horns.

Regalia was under attack.

-O-

Before Krystal could even comprehend what was happening, Ty grabbed her hand and began to lead her back into the house. She followed without a word, knowing full well that it was for the best.

As they stepped into the living room, Ty's parents quickly ushered them over into seats, most likely to discuss the best course of action. The chair that Krystal sat in was comfortable, but she could not bring herself to relax in such a situation.

"Ty, we have gone over what to do if such a situation arises, so you know what you must do." His mother quickly explained.

With a nod, Ty sat up and quickly walked to another room, most likely his bedroom. Every citizen was required to own a sword, due to the harsh underland conditions; Ty was likely getting his. Within moments, he came back out of his room with a standard steel sword strapped to his waist.

"Krystal, darling." His mother said. "What are you going to do? Your parents may be waiting for you, so you may go if you must."

Krystal shook her head. "My dad would not want me going anywhere right now. He will come to me."

"Ok, we understand. You can borrow a sword, if you would like." This time, it was his father speaking.

She shook her head once more. "I have mine on me. It is a concealable weapon, for protection, so it is hidden on my back." She tapped on the scabbard through her clothing, making a metallic clicking sound, to prove her point.

Ty's parents seemed mildly surprised, but let it go. "I understand. There is nothing we can do until we receive instructions, so just be prepared for anything."

With that said, Ty's parents both stood up and left the room. There was absolutely nothing they could do until they received instruction, so they could only wait and hope for the best. Ty quickly stood up and took Krystal's hand. He then proceeded to lead her back onto the balcony of his house.

"What do you think is happening, Krystal?" He asked.

"We are under attack, that much is clear. As of now, there is no way to tell which species might be attacking, but it does not matter. We are still recovering from the last war; we cannot withstand an attack of any kind. Unless the gnawers come to our aid, Regalia will undoubtedly be destroyed." She explained.

"Yes, you are right." He agreed. "It is bizarre; we might all be killed within the next hour, yet I feel so calm and level-headed."

"That is good." Krystal responded. "If you can stay like that in a fight, you will be up to twice as likely to survive than if you panic."

"Yeah." He sighed. "Krystal, I want to finish what I was saying earlier, in case something bad happens."

"Go on."

"We have been friends for a long time now, and I feel that we know everything about each other. . ." He paused for a few seconds. "Krystal, I. . . I like you. A lot." He paused again, and took a deep breath. "As. . . As more than a friend. . . Krystal, I-I. . . I think I love you."

When those words reached her, she felt immensely happy, but within moments that happiness dissipated, and was replaced by sadness.

She took a few steps back. "I-I. . . I'm sorry, Ty."

Ty's Point of View

Before she said this, Ty swore her saw a flicker of happiness in her expression, but it was replaced by sadness so quickly that he was unsure it had even been there in the first place. As her words reached him, he felt very disappointed, but was not at all surprised.

"I. . . I feel so stupid." He said, with a slight chuckle. "How could I have thought that a girl like you might like a guy like me?"

"N-no! That's n-not what I mean. . ." She stuttered.

Before Ty could ask what she meant, she continued. "I. . . I'm sorry. I've been lying to you this entire time. . ."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I-I'm not who you think I am. . ." She muttered.

"What are you talking about, Krystal? Are you okay?" He asked.

She shook her head. "Don't call me that. . .Tha-that isn't my name. . ."

"I do not have the slightest clue what you are talking about." He said. "I-if you are not who you seem to be, then. . . then who exactly are you?"

"I. . . My name. . ." She stammered, unable to complete her sentence.

For the first time, Ty noticed the tears that were running down her face, and her silent sobs. He couldn't stand to see her cry. . . it broke his heart in two. Reaching forward, he wiped the tears off of her cheek with his hand, and then held her cheek in his hand, forcing her to look at him, rather than at the ground.

"Then. . .Whoever you are, I'll just have to fall in love with her too." He declared.

When he said this, he was delighted to see that she had a light smile in place of her earlier frown. Despite this, he wanted to know who she really was. The fact that she had been hiding her true identity was unsettling to him.

She looked like she was about to respond, but looked past him instead. Turning around, he followed her eyes and noticed that she was looking at large flier in the distance. He somehow knew that it was her father.

"I-I'm sorry Ty, I have to go." She said.

Before he had a chance to respond, she reached up and took hold of her hat. Taking it off, a mess of straight black hair fell down to her waist. She stepped forward a step and planted a small kiss on his cheek, before jumping off of the balcony, only to be caught by a black and gray flier.

As he watched her fly off into the distance, he slowly began to comprehend what had happened. He was still confused, but one thing as for sure: whatever had just happened was unexpected.

He reached up and placed his hand where she had kissed him. "Krystal is. . . Krystal is Princess Holly. . ." He muttered

As he watched her fly away, he began to understand more of the situation. In a way, it made some amount of sense. It explained why he had never seen the princess when she was around, and why she was so knowledgable in certain subjects, such as combat.

However, he couldn't fully understand why she would hide her identity. She was royalty; she had anything she could possibly want. . . right? So, why would she pretend to be a normal underlander, when if she had just revealed who she was everything would have worked out?

But. . . No, that's not true. If she had revealed who she was, she would have stood out and immediately been recognized as the princess. But, what was wrong with that? Why wouldn't she want to be recognized as princess?

Because she wasn't that type of girl. Even if she wasn't who he had thought she was, he had still gotten to know, and fallen in love with her, despite who she truly was. He knew that she was more of the quiet type. She hated being the center of attention, and if she had revealed herself, she would have gotten nothing but attention and praise.

However, that only looped back around to the first question. Why? She was royalty, she already had anything she could ever want. But. . . No, she didn't. He had always wondered why she insisted on doing everything herself, but now he understood. As princess, she was never allowed to do anything herself. She had also always hated praise in such a way that it was unreal, but now it made sense. As princess, she got nothing but praise.

So then, she did it because. . . because she didn't want to be princess? Holly, princess of Regalia, doesn't want to be princess. . . Now that was something you didn't see everyday.

Holly's Point of View

As she sat on Nya's back, she felt tears streaming down her face. He had just confessed his love to her. . . but she couldn't accept it. She wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes again, she was too ashamed of herself. They had been friends for years, and she had been lying to him the entire time.

But, that was done. Now that he knew who she was, they just couldn't be friends; It would be too awkward. If they were to be friends again, everything would change. The slightest mistake, and he would be on his knees begging for her forgiveness. They would be more like master and servant rather than friends.

And so, He hadn't confessed his love to her. He had confessed to Krystal; he didn't love Holly. Despite what he said, he couldn't. It would never work out.

This thought only brought more tears to her eyes. Even if they couldn't be more than friends, she still wanted to be friends, but even that privilege had been taken from her.

"You told him, didn't you?" A soft voice asked from just below her.

This only brought on a fresh wave of tears and sobs, which was enough to confirm Nya's question. "Don't worry, I'm sure he will understa-"

"No! He won't understand, he just won't. . . Even if he does, it's not like we can be friends anymore. . ." She choked out through ragged breaths.

"I know you well enough to know that this isn't like you, crying so much. It's something more. . . isn't it? Did he. . . confess to you?" She asked. The new wave of sobs confirmed her guess. "If he truly loves you, then he will understand and forgive."

Holly did not reply to this, and only continued to cry. She didn't need to reply; Nya knew her well enough to know what she would say.

It's useless. When she gets like this, she never listens to reason. No matter what I say, she'll believe that he will hate her, or something ridiculous like that. Nya thought. He loves her, not the princess. The fact that he didn't know she was princess only proves that he loves her for who she is, and not just for her status.

Holly's father seemed to be having similar thoughts as he listened to Holly cry. In such a situation, there was little he could do to comfort her. He would have to wait for her to settle down first before he say anything to her. In her state, she wouldn't see the reason or logic behind anything at all.

As Holly's crying began to quiet down, an eerie silence befell them, only ever shaken by the occasional sob from Holly.

Amidst this silence, three loud horns suddenly burst forth from the palace. Three horns, a signal that has never before been heard.

Regalia was being evacuated.

Yeah, sorry for the short chapter, but this was just a good place to leave it. I guess the whole focus here was the romance bit. . . Well, I liked it. I think that I did a good job with it, but it's not done yet! They still haven't made up or whatever crap I'll have them do. That'll be next chapter, so look out for it! So, as usual all feedback is encouraged and appreciated, so give me any and all ideas! See you guys later!

Question: What will happen to Holly and Ty's friendship?

Until next time,

-Tytonic