Hello people and welcome back! Sorry, but this chapter may be late. It's Sunday night right now, and this is the first chance I have gotten all week to write. While that wouldn't normally be a problem, I don't have much time, and might not be able to finish this tonight. Again, I'm sorry.

Okay, so only one person guessed the question correctly. However, this person was a guest, so I don't know their name.

School tomorrow. I have to go back again. . . I am really not ready for it. Mainly waking up at 6.

So, I'll see you guys after the chapter!

See you soon,

-Tytonic

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

Gregor and the War of Severance

Chapter 5: Reunited

This was horrible, truly horrible.

Death, he though, May have become a gift.

No, not a gift. A blessing.

-O-

As Gregor stared out over the battlefield, he knew instantly why he had been called upon. This was not a battle that Regalia could win, and if by some slim chance it did, it would be left completely open to attack.

Atlas flew slightly closer to Luxa, so that they could speak. Once closer, Gregor couldn't help but notice how beautiful she had become over their years of separation.

She spoke first. "Gregor. . ." While she looked miserable, Gregor noticed that she still sounded strong, as if mostly unaffected by the battle waging around them. Aside from that, she sounded only a little choked up.

"Luxa. . . ." He responded, looking out over the battle. "I don't know what to say."

Motioning for him to follow, Luxa and Aurora began to fly away. Atlas followed. While it was only a short flight, it felt to Gregor as if it spanned hours. He felt horrible, sitting there and not helping in the fight. Every second he wasted, more people would die.

They settled down on a ridge overlooking the battle. Gregor immediately noticed that many of his old friends were there. As he jumped off of Atlas, he did not expect any warm greeting, nor did he get any.

"Gregor." A voice said behind him. "It is good to see you again. You are a sight for sore eyes."

Gregor instantly recognized the voice, and turned around. Mareth had a sad smile on his face.

"Hey Mareth. I would say it's good to see you, but nothing about this is good." Gregor responded.

Turning back to Luxa, Gregor waited for an explanation. She seemed reluctant, but began to explain. "This is. . . Difficult to explain. This entire battle is not the first, but rather the second. After you left, the people were unstable. While they accepted our alliance with the Gnawers at first, it began to unsettle them. Most people did not want to live knowing that the Gnawers, which they had fought their entire lives, were now being accepted as allies. They did not trust them, and yet, their queen did. To them, it was an act of heresy."

Gregor's chest tightened up as he realized exactly why this battle was being fought. Luxa continued. "Many thought that my decision to bond with the Gnawers would bring the downfall of Regalia. That I was a failure of a queen. The fact that you left did not help either. Blinded by anger, may thought that you were abandoning Regalia by allowing the alliance. When you left, they saw it as you running." Luxa paused for a few moments to organize her thoughts. "Tension continued to build, but nobody was bold enough to act on it. Until, of course, the council stepped in. They decided that it was time for my marriage, despite my young age. While in the end the decision is mine, the council holds great influence. It is their job to find suitable men for me to choose from."

Gregor's mind froze up. Was Luxa married now?

She continued hastily, as if she knew what he was thinking. "They found several suitable men. However, I declined every one of them. While it wouldn't normally cause problems, one of the men, Tyson, would not accept being rejected. He thought that I was destroying Regalia, and in order to save it, that I would have to either change my way of thinking, or step off of the throne. He thought that the best way to make me do that was to control me. While he normally wouldn't be a threat, he quickly became one. He took advantage of how unstable Regalia was, and threatened to cut the few strings holding us together, if I did not marry him. Knowing that I had little choice, I was going to accept him proposal for the good of Regalia. However, after some advice from Vikus I rethought me decision. If I accepted Tyson's proposal he would control Regalia. He would have full support from the people, due to his views on the alliance. I was not going to allow that to happened. He would have waged was against the Gnawers again, and we would not be able to survive another war. I couldn't allow it. And so, I declined."

Luxa paused, and took a few deep breaths. "As he said he would, he went to the people, and had them take up arms. Several weeks ago, the palace was attacked and overrun. With few supporters, we were unable to defend the palace. We were forced to retreat."

Gregor had a million questions, but held them back.

Luxa continued once more. "We went to the only place we could. The Fount. Having not received word of the rebellion, they were rather shocked to hear that I had lost the throne. They took me and my followers in. Having been exposed to the Gnawers on only a few occasions, they held much less hatred towards them. As a result, it was rather simple to gain their support. As I said before, this is the second battle. The first battle took place several days after the rebellion had begun. We fought over Regalia that day, in an attempt to reclaim it. It became painfully clear that we were outclassed in almost every way very quickly. In only once hour, 237 of our men were confirmed dead, and another 39 missing."

She paused, and looked out towards the battle. "This is the second battle. Our spies learned that Tyson was planning an attack on the Fount. We ambushed their force soon after they left Regalia. Before they could reorganize to mount a counter attack, we were gone. Hit and run tactics. In our first attack, we only lost 3 soldiers, while they lost at least 35. We reorganized and attacked again. They were more prepared, but could not defend against us. We lost 9 more men, while they lost at least 27. on the third attack, they were using a different formation. When we attacked, we were caught without escape. That is what you see now. Our forces are beginning to fall, and we will not be able to last much longer."

Gregor cleared his throat, then began to respond. "What are we going to do, then? If we are trapped, we will not be able to reorganize for a successful retreat. They would just pick us off as we fled. And as it is, we have little hope of overpowering them."

Luxa turned towards him and smiled slightly. Very slightly. "This is were you come in. If you join the battle, it will greatly benefit us. Since you left the underland, your skill and become widely known. To the soldiers, it would be a nightmare to face you on the battlefield, and an honor to fight alongside of you. Your appearance will greatly boost our soldiers spirits, and will strike fear into the enemies hearts. Many may run, and those who do not will have little defense, due to the disorganization your appearance will cause among their ranks."

Gregor nodded and thought it over. For the most part, Luxa was correct. If he joined the battle, they would have a shot at victory. If he did not, it was likely what Luxa and her followers would loose this war right here.

He nodded again. "I'll do it, but my friends here, Lillie and Gage, must be safe before I go out."

Looking behind him, Luxa noticed his friends for the first time. Either Gregor was just imagining it, or her expression turned a little sour when she looked at Lillie.

Luxa turned back to him. "They will be safe here. The enemy wouldn't dare attack this position, due to it's defenses. While it's already difficult to fight in due to the constraining space, our men would die to protect it. They will not let harm come to me or their commander. Ripred is here, as well."

Gregor nodded in response. "Good. Okay, I need a sword if I am going to fight."

Luxa motioned towards Vikus, who was silently overlooking the battle. Reaching to his side, he unstrapped a long object, which was wrapped in cloth, and handed it to Gregor. Gregor took it in his hands, and began to unravel the cloth. What he found shocked him. It was his sword. The Warriors sword, which he had previously broken. However, it was fully intact.

He looked back at Luxa. "You had it fixed."

She nodded in response. "Yes. Shortly after you left, I had it repaired, in case you ever came back. Since then, it has been by Ares grave, which is located in his cave. When I got word that you were returning to New York, I retrieved it in case you returned."

"I. . . Thank you, Luxa. Thank you." He said. "So, I guess I'll see you after this battle, and we can catch up and stuff."

She smiled slightly. "Yes, we can catch up. I'd like that."

Gregor smiled back, and began to walk towards Atlas. However, he was stopped by Gage and Lillie several feet away from Atlas.

"Gregor. . . Your not going out to fight, are you?" Lillie asked.

Before Gregor could respond, Gage began to talk. "You can't dude! You'll get yourself seriously hurt, or even killed!"

They both continued to speak, but quieted down when they saw the look in Gregor's eyes. It was similar to when he fought Dylan.

"Yes, I am going to fight. Yes I might get hurt. But I will not get killed. I'm sorry, but this is something I have to do." He said.

With that, he pushed past his friends, and climbed atop Atlas. They wasted not time in taking off and flying towards the battle.

As they got closer, Gregor began to clearly see the battle. He could now see truly how many bodies there were on the ground, and how much of the cavern was painted red with blood. He could hear the men screaming in pain as they bled out, and he could smell the burning flesh, as fallen soldiers torches set fire to the bodies strewn across the ground. It was a truly horrific sight.

However, this only drove Gregor. Knowing that he had the power to prevent any more death and end this chaos fueled him, as he approached the battle.

All too soon, Gregor and Atlas reached the battle. Gregor could clearly see who was and wasn't his ally. Many soldiers wore Regalia's insignia, while others held one he had never seen, which must be the Fount's. The same insignia was painted onto Atlas. Gregor hadn't seen it before, but all of the fliers had their respective insignia painted onto them, while the soldiers had it on their armor. Gregor wore no armor, so he could only hope that his allies say the insignia painted on Atlas.

Atlas twisted and spun, avoiding other fliers. Soon enough, he came to a sudden stop, right in the center of the cavern.

Turning his head, he began to speak. "Gregor, raise your sword up, so that it may be seen by all. That sword is a mark of the warrior. They will know it is you."

Gregor nodded in response, and began to raise his sword. The response was not immediate, but was there nonetheless. Several fliers which had been engaged in combat flew closer to Gregor, and their riders looked at him.

This happened several times, before Gregor heard a shout from somewhere amidst the chaos. "It is the warrior! The warrior has come, and he fights for her majesty!"

After Gregor heard this shout, he saw a shift in the battle. He saw that the Fount's soldiers began to fight with more ferocity, and that the enemy seemed to weaken.

However, that was not the only result. Several of Regalia's soldiers saw an opportunity. If they could strike the warrior down, it would crush the Fount's spirit, and ensure victory.

At that moment, Gregor realized that he was being targeted. Several hostile fliers dived at his, and attempted the strike him down. Gregor was thankful that Atlas was agile, despite his size. With little hesitation, Atlas shot forward towards an oncoming flier. Gregor's eye sight splintered, and he felt the world slow down. And suddenly, everything was back to normal. Looking down at his sword, he noticed that it was covered in blood. Looking back, he watched as a body fell from the flier who had attacked him. Soon after, the flier lost altitude and crashed into the ground, blood streaming out of a long gash across it's back.

Gregor felt like throwing up, but kept it down. He had never killed a human before, and it did not rest well with him. However, he would deal with that later.

This display discouraged any other attackers, and Gregor saw several flier retreat. However, it was nowhere near enough to win the battle. He needed to scare the enemy.

Leaning down, he spoke to Atlas. "Atlas, I have an idea. If we can scare the enemy, it will surely benefit us. It may cause many of them to retreat. It will make an example to others. If we do this correctly, we could end this battle in one more attack."

Atlas's ear twitched in response. "Yes, that is correct. If we can strike down a foe with ferocity, we can scare others. However, I do not recommend attacking any enemy."

"Why not?"

"If you look closely, you may see one man in particular. He is avoiding combat for the most part, and communicating with his allies." Atlas concluded.

Looking around, Gregor quickly spotted the man Atlas was referring to.

"The commander. . ." He muttered.

Without warning, Atlas shot towards the man. Gregor had expected this, and leaned in close to Atlas for additional speed. Atlas was not holding back, clearly going as fast as possible, in order to pierce through the hostile defenses.

Sure enough, Atlas slipped past several dozen other fliers, and came up right in the commanders face. Gregor could tell from the man's movements that he was highly skilled. With the small amount of experience fighting on a flier, Gregor would be unable to defeat the man, nor would the man be able to defeat him.

Instead, Gregor jumped off of Atlas, and onto the mans flier. He knew that he would be shaken off very fast, so he wasted no time. He quickly lashed out with his sword, extinguishing the mans light. Just as fast, he jumped off the back of the flier, and was caught by Atlas.

The effect was almost immediate. The enemy fell into disorganization, allowing the Fount's soldiers to drive them back, and force them to retreat.

As soon as Gregor saw this, he sighed in relief. Almost all of Regalia's forces were retreating, and those who were not, were quickly struck down.

And so, the battle was won.

Flying back over to the ledge, Atlas landed. Gregor jumped off of his back and walked over to Luxa. However, before he could get to her she ran a few steps to him and threw her arms around him. He was slightly surprised when her lips met him, but he was not unhappy. He kissed back with four years of pent up passion.

All too soon, Luxa pulled back, and rested her head on his shoulder. He could feel her tears on his shoulder, but did not mind. She had been thrown off of her throne, and watched half of her people get slaughtered in front of her very eyes. She had the right to cry. Sometimes, crying was good for you.

"Luxa. . . I'm back." He whispered into her ear.

Her arms tightened around him in response.

So, how was that? I ended it off sooner than I initially planned to, but this is a fitting ending to this chapter. Or, at least I think so. So, give me any an all thoughts on it! I want to hear your feedback, I want to know how much you guys like this story! I need to know what to improve on, so that I can make this better for all of you. So, I'll see you guys later!

Question: How will Lillie and Gage react to all of this?

Tytonic: So, how did you guys like it?

Gregor and Luxa: *Continue to hug*

Tytonic: So, you like it? Well you seem happy enough to me. Next?

Gage: Could you by any chance explain what is going on? I am so confused.

Lillie: Yeah, please, explain. What is all of this? Why does Gregor seem to know these people, and why are they calling him the warrior?

Tytonic: Oh, that stuff? Ehh, long story. You'll find out later. Just be patient. Gregor should be the one to tell you anyway.

Lillie: Hmph.

Tytonic: Right. So, I'll see you guys later!

Gage and Lillie: Bye.

See you guys next week!

-Tytonic