Hey, y'all. I'm in a better-ish mood now, and definitely not having any side effects from medication… (*Nervously looks around*) Do the people of FanFiction prefer I go right into the plot or should I continue this beginning-commentary-thing I've been doing, and leave the talking towards the end? Now back to where we were! Wait, never mind. Opinions on the cover picture? I lazily put it together myself, and wasn't patient with that much shading and detail, but I'm a huge fan of their hair blowing around. (Gotta love that smudge tool.) All right, I now free you, dear reader.
"Ripred? Why would he… I mean..? What?" Gregor, utterly dumbfounded by this explanation stumbled forward to see if he heard Vikus correctly.
"Why does this confuse you, Overlander?" Vikus seemed fazed by Gregor's reaction.
"Didn't seem like the old rat had any emotions." He grumbled out, his voice faltering and lowering at least a partial octave. His brown gaze sunk to the stone floor, and Gregor's shoulders hunched a bit.
"I don't think he had much of a choice, in all honesty." Vikus rested a single hand on Gregor's right shoulder.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He choked out; this whole situation was overwhelming to somebody who's gotten used to the only drama in his life was avoiding the excessively popular people at school, or managing his time wisely enough so that he could finish all of his homework.
"There is something we must discuss." And with the flick of his wrist, Vikus turned and led Gregor further down the hallway.
"We must not have you on fliers too often for the time being, the citizens would get suspicious." Vikus added as he turned the corner. Torches were becoming more frequent, so the halls were beginning to light up more. This made Gregor release a sigh of relief.
"More people than we wanted know of your arrival. Since Euripedes found you, at least all of the fliers know of your being here due to their hearing, but don't fret, they have all been sworn not to tell anybody. Not even their bonds." Gregor, in a shocked manner, widened his eyes. I always thought that broke laws, he thought as he continued to listen to Vikus.
"You will remain in the dark hall for two days. Meals will be brought at respectable times, and if you wish, small foods and drinks can be brought in between on account of Boots." Vikus clasped his hands together behind his back, gave a nod as if to review what he said, and continued to walk. "By the way, how fare you and your sisters, Gregor?" He said, loosing his formality, and gaining what Gregor always thought of as a fatherly characteristic.
Despite the confusing mood Gregor was in, he smiled ever so slightly, and summarized the last few years. Starting with the day Boots had first called him 'Gregor' and concluding with the night they all descended back into the Underland. Though Gregor was sure to add emphasis on how the years of attempting to forget the Underland was extremely difficult if not impossible. He didn't say her name directly, but Gregor assumed that Vikus knew what he meant; one side of his mouth curling into a slightly amused grin, yet his thin lips did not part to reveal his teeth.
"There is little to be said about the changes around here," Vikus started as he rounded yet another corner, "Since the council was replaced by the representatives, Queen Luxa has taken up more roles, but is still not yet the full leader of Regalia. The queen will take on those roles directly after her coronation. Which should be in just a few days time. We're considering letting you and your siblings attend, but for now we have more urgent issues."
Gregor stood quietly as he let all of it sink in.
"Urgent issues?" He managed to say, tongue suddenly feeling too big for his mouth.
"We're calling it 'The Prophecy of the Return.' 'We' being Ripred, Nerissa, and myself." Vikus turned towards the doorway of a room on his right, raised his hand, and tapped gently on the frame with the outer part of his hand. Moments later the door, Gregor realized that there was not an outer knob or handle to gain access to the inside without having somebody there in the first place.
When the door was ajar about five inches, a ghastly white hand poked out, and beckoned them inside. Vikus carefully sidestepped in, and had to suck in his enlarged gut, to fit. Gregor slipped in with ease, just barely missing the wood by hairs.
"Nerissa, I bring you the Overlander." Vikus announced as soon as Gregor's right foot was inside the room with the rest of his body. The room was dark save for a torch that was no more than embers lightly burning now. Even with the dim light, Nerissa's pale skin and severely light blonde hair seemed to glow. If the torch were burning at it's full stature, Gregor would be able to see all of the veins along her arms, the thin blue and red lines almost etched unrealistically in her skin. But for now, in the dim light, Nerissa looked like a ghost. Her body was still thin, and her boney shoulders pointed up and out. Raising her thin, frail, arms, she gave Gregor a friendly hug to which he awkwardly embraced back.
"Greetings, Gregor." Her long hair veiled her face as she nodded politely. "It seems Regalia is in your need once more."
"About that," Gregor started, "I thought Sandwich had no more prophecies of the warrior." His brow quivered nervously.
"This is my prophecy." Nerissa looked up, and in the faint light, Gregor could see she was bearing a wide, crazy no doubt, grin. He knew she had moments years ago where her visions would help them in quests, but a whole new prophecy? The chances were slim in Gregor's mind that this was no more than a nightmare she had.
He was about to object when she put the words in his mouth for him.
"The Overlander believes me to be crazy. Believes that this is just a vicious dream I've had. Tell me, Gregor, do dreams repeat themselves for years on end? Do they, huh? Do they?" She was now on her side laughing like crazy. Gregor, wide eyed, took an abrupt step back. Vikus reached forward to help her, but Gregor could have sworn he heard the young woman hiss at her grandfather.
"The shattered warrior has been stolen." She cooed, "The remains the weapon Sandwich himself once wielded have vanished." Nerissa sat up, and crossed her legs. "Gone!" She exclaimed in a whisper, moving her hands in one swift arc above her head for effect.
This is weird, Gregor thought as he back up towards the wall, no this is more than weird; this is insane.
"The Overlander will return." She said, now less like a maniac, and more as if she was in a daze. "Citizens of Regalia will beg him to solve their own petty cases, but the Overlander Hero only wishes he could tend to his own needs. Your once weapon has been stolen, and the Overlander must get it back. The sword is not only a weapon of destruction, but a sign of strength, peace, and more importantly: hope." Nerissa paused to let out what seemed to be a sneeze before continuing on with her rant.
"Vile insides will spill from those without blood. Yes, yes, the ones who have taken many, and those deaths must be avenged. The Overlander must travel farther than any mapped part of the known Underland, and venture out to a place long forgotten. Despite the turmoil, the Overlander saves one from his own destruction, one that reminds him of himself." Nerissa continued to ramble, though most of her words were slurred anyways.
Gregor expected more, but the thin girl suddenly decided to break into a chorus of 'Bat, bat, come under my hat,' and Vikus took that as their signal to remove themselves from the room.
"She's been getting worse for about two years now." Vikus said as he shook his head. They didn't bother attempting to get out of earshot of the lunatic, for she probably could not hear them anyways, and she was still singing about bacon and bats; sound muffled only slightly with the door shut.
"I could barely tell what she was babbling about." Gregor could hear his heartbeat in his ears from the words stirring him up.
"Part of what she said had some truth to it, which is why I believe she actually is correct." Vikus began walking down the hallway in which they came from, and Gregor felt his heart throb slightly at the thought of going back into the dark chambers where he would be sleeping with his family.
"The sword was stolen?" Gregor asked, despite Vikus' fast pace, he kept up.
"It was being kept in a royal outpost for good luck. Last anybody heard was that not a body was left there, and the shattered pieces left with them."
"Any idea who the culprits were? Nobody can disappear without a trace."
"Some think that rogue gnawers are behind it, but I myself believe it to be cutters." Vikus shuffled his hands uncomfortably until they remained still against his back. Gregor shoved his own hands into the front pocket of his jacket to which Vikus said:
"Such interesting styles you Overlanders bear. On one good note, nobody will have to burn your clothes in this trip, no gnawers other than Ripred have been present in Regalia for about a week or so, and nobody is searching for you at the moment." Vikus mused, his clipped tone having a subtle softness to it. Gregor smiled at that, this was the Vikus he knew.
"The pocket in the front is to warm your hands if you want. Or if you want easy access to something you could stick it in there. Like a writing utensil or something." Gregor explained, pulling out a pencil and house key that was stowed away in the depths of his pocket.
"Peculiar." Vikus mused, as if all Overlander things were strange.
Gregor found himself smiling a bit; for the first time in a while no doubt.
"What about Hazard though? I would think Luxa would notice if her cousin, erm 'brother,' goes missing for days." He slightly faltered around the difficult topic.
"Hazard found you?" Vikus turned, wide eyed, and after Gregor nodded he raised his hand to caress his temples with a forefinger and thumb.
"I could make an excuse for him to be absent for at the least one night, but I fear that suspicions will expand if he is gone for too long." Vikus ground his teeth together while he thought, still rubbing his temples.
"Hazard can't be a no-show, so how long until the coronation? Surely a quest date will be arranged by then." Gregor suggested, bringing the topic back onto the coronation.
"I do not know what a 'no-show' is, but I assume from the name it means something of absence. Hazard has been asked to dance with Luxa as tradition seeing that Henry was going to do it, but you know how that went. It's actually quite coincidental that you received Ripred's message when you did, as far as I know he's sent many in the past few months ever since the theft, for many Underlanders have requested you attend. Funny that I say that, some of them have only heard stories of the 'great warrior' who saved all of Underland." Vikus' purple eyes flashed amusement, and for a moment, Gregor thought they even twinkled.
This is probably my favorite chapter so far. Well maybe. Sorry for all you diehard Nerissa fans, but the one thing that stuck to me the most was how she totally flipped out at Gregor and Ares' trial, so I thought it would be cool to bring some of that back. On a larger scale… There's a big chance I won't be able to update before next week. I'm going to a concert in California for Imagine Dragons. Extremely excited. Hope you all enjoyed it!