Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen. I am back with chapter 7. And boy was this chapter a pain. I spent much longer trying to write it then I normally do. I usually sit down and write and however long it takes me until I finish is how long it takes. I take a break every once in a while to eat or do something, but that's about it. Sometimes I even start writing on the day between each chapter. However, this chapter took me 3 days to write. I wrote a bit each day after I posted chapter 6 and I just couldn't get into a rhythm with it. I think the chapter came out pretty good though, even with the hard work and lots of revising. So get to reading.

Chapter 7

Gregor toppled over and landed in a heap on the ground. Whoever had just bolted into him, fell over his body with their arms still wrapped around him. He felt something soft brush against his face. When he attempted to see who it was their face was blocked by their hair and the fact that they were clutching close to his chest. Gregor tried to sit up, but his position was quite awkward.

"Stellovet, let him go," York boomed out with a hint of laughter. The sight of the two in a heap on the ground must have been quite comedic. And then Gregor realized what York had said. Stellovet? Giving him a hug? What had the world come to?

When they had first met almost 7 years ago, Gregor had thought of her as a snooty, annoying, power hungry girl. A pretty one perhaps, but still power hungry. There was instant distaste for her. She had been the reason he had discovered his rager side, even if at the time none of it made any sense. It was all an accident and she had been trying to embarrass him, which had only made him dislike her more.

And yet here she was with her arms wrapped around Gregor's chest lying on the ground. At her father's command she let go and climbed up, her silver hair long and curled. Gregor thought she was quite pretty, at the age of almost 20. Tall and lean, she was model material. There must be boys all around the Underland that would give anything to be with her.

"Hi, Gregor," she said as Gregor pushed himself off the ground. "It has been so long since I have seen you. And since then you have changed. It was amazing what you did for us and how you helped us all out and saved the underland. It is amazing that you have come back and are here to help us with our troubles. You have such great timing and…"

Stellovet continued to ramble on as Gregor got to his feet and steadied himself. He looked at the girl and realized that something was different about her. Her eyes didn't seem nefarious or evil, but had honest joy and admiration behind them. She didn't have the same annoying tone or snide attitude when she spoke. Instead her voice oozed happiness and confidence. It was as if she had gotten over her issues of not being royalty, of her lust for importance. Now she just seemed enthralled with Gregor.

"Stellovet," Gregor said, but she didn't hear him. She kept talking and talking to his amazement. He had never seen someone talk so much.

"Stellovet!" Gregor said, raising his voice trying not to yell. She stopped talking and looked into his eyes. Looking for a reaction to her spiel of compliments. Gregor just pulled away his eyes and turned to walk away. "It is good to see you again," Gregor added over his shoulder as he sat back down amongst the group. Mareth had resumed cooking, with the others. As Gregor sat down, a plate was placed into his hands and a toddler scooted over next to him.

"Fish!" Thomas said excitedly pointing at the plate. There were two fish on it, one for Gregor and most likely one for Thomas. Gregor nodded his head as he leaned against a block of rock that laid behind him. As he ate and feed Thomas at the same time, his eyes watched Luxa. Stellovet, York, Susannah, and the rest of Luxa's cousins had joined the group and found places to sit. Luxa had greeted each one with a hug. Even Stellovet. The two seemed to be on good terms as they sat down and talked while they ate. It was interesting to say the least.

Luxa caught Gregor's gaze and smiled at him. Gregor smiled back and looked around at the rag tag group. The survivors were helping the wounded, feeding those that needed the help or helping them to relieve themselves. It was like a care facility had rolled up to help out. Gregor counted the number they had. There was 50 on the ground now, including 7 fliers and 12 seriously wounded people. York had found his entire family and a small group of guards that had stayed to guard them. They were all uninjured.

When everyone was finished eating, York motioned for everyone to join them. Mareth, Gregor, Perdita, and Eisen moved to Join York and the rest of the family. Luxa and Howard were already there, having sat with their family. Gregor sat on Luxa's right and put Thomas on the ground between them. Luxa smiled and picked him up and sat him on her lap. Stellovet looked between Luxa and Gregor until her eyes focused on Thomas.

"Where did the child come from?" she asked suddenly. Her outburst silenced the group. York and some of the others were wondering the same thing. "I found him while searching for survivors, is all," Gregor said, but it was obvious that that was suitable for those assembled. They wanted details. "Alright," Gregor said reluctantly and a bit annoyed, as he started to tell the story.

"I took him from next to his dead mother. I obviously couldn't leave him there," Gregor said finishing his tale some time later. People could understand the frustration that had filled Gregor's words as he had told them of his struggle to find Thomas and his mother. Every time Gregor had said Thomas' name the little boy's head shot up and he looked around wondering why his name was said. It made everyone loosen up a bit and smile's broached most of their faces.

"You have a kind heart, Gregor," Mareth said smiling at Thomas." He seems to have adjusted somewhat. And he seems to have taken a liking to Queen Luxa, too." Gregor looked sideways at Luxa who was holding Thomas. She had a big smile on her face as she looked down at the boy. You could tell that she had taken a liking to the boy almost as much as him to her.

"Back to the matter at hand," Mareth said suddenly, pulling Gregor back to reality. "Has anyone heard any news on what attacked here?"

"That is actually why I asked you all to join us," York answered. "Stellovet and Susannah want to tell us what they heard and saw." Everyone's attention turned to mother and daughter who sat side by side. Stellovet wrapped her arm around her mother as susannah started talking.

"It had been a simple day when the attack happened. Not much happened and there hadn't been much to do. It was early evening when we heard the first crash into the wall. It took only a few blows before it broke and that is when the screams started. I had tried to find out what was happening, but no guards got back to the palace. The guards in the palace ushered us away and into my chambers. All of us huddled up trying to drown out the noises." She shuddered and fell silent. York wrapped his big arm around his wife and consoled her quietly while Stellovet started talking.

"Yes, we tried to block out the screams, but it was near impossible. We heard all of the buildings crumble and collapse and the screams as people died. It was dreadful." She paused as if the memory was too painful to think about. "Neither of us saw what attacked and I'm not sure any of the survivors did either. It would be near impossible to survive whatever it was that attacked. From the screams it seems that most of the population was slaughtered," Stellovet fell silent and let her brother wrap her in a hug. Her eyes locked with Gregor' and this time he didn't pull away. He let all his understanding for her pain show in his eyes. He felt truly sorry that she had to endure that. Gregor saw a small smile cross the older girls face and he smiled back.

"We have much to do when the search party arrives. We all should get some rest. It has been a long day," Perdita said standing. As she walked away from the group she stopped and gave Thomas a pat on the head and made a funny face at him. Everyone loved the little cute guy.

Gregor stood realizing just how tired he was. He grabbed Thomas from Luxa, who also stood. As Gregor walked away with Thomas he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Luxa standing behind him. She was smiling and her face told Gregor exactly what she was about to say.

"I am sorry I yelled at you before. You are still a big idiot, though. Did you really think I would let Eisen get between us?" Her words were soft and quiet and Gregor contemplated what she said. He thought of a good answer.

"No. No, I just got jealous. It doesn't matter much now. Me and Eisen have talked and we have a come to somewhat of an agreement. He might not really know about our relationship, but he understands us being around each other and acting really close. I think we will make great friends someday." Luxa looked into her loves eyes and saw everything she wanted to see. Gregor put his free arm around her waist as they leaned together. Their lips grew closer until they met. It was a kiss of forgiveness and of love. They broke apart and Gregor walked away to find somewhere to sleep. Luxa walked over to Aurora who was not far away and laid down with her.

Artemese was not far away. He was talking with Andromeda when Gregor showed up. Thomas ran to the bat and plopped down at his feet, looking up into the bats face. Gregor soon followed. Artemese broke off his conversation and Andromeda fluttered away to Mareth and Perdita. Gregor laid himself on the cold ground and pulled Thomas next to him. He squirmed around in Gregor's grasp and Gregor couldn't get him to sit still.

"Mama," Thomas cried as tears came to his eyes. "Mama! Where Mama?" The tears came fast and his voice grew louder and louder. I happened so suddenly that it took Gregor by surprise He picked the boy up and rocked him back and forth, saying soothing words into his little ear. Gregor could see the eyes of those that were looking at him as he tied to settle the boy down. And yet he wouldn't quiet. Instead his cried got louder. Gregor shushed him and said his mommy would be there soon even though it wasn't true. But it wasn't working. Gregor went through all his knowledge of toddlers from his experience with a young Margaret. Thomas kept crying.

"Let me see him," came a quiet voice from behind Gregor. Luxa had snuck up on him with Thomas' cries hiding her approach. Gregor handed the boy to Luxa who started to rock him like Gregor had. She said soft words to him.

"Hey little guy, It will be all better soon. Mama will be back soon. Come on little boy. Quiet down. It's time for bed." Thomas slowly quieted down, his words slowly becoming inaudible. Luxa sat on the ground with him and laid him down, his little snores slightly heard. Luxa stood back up and looked at Gregor. "Get some sleep." And then she was gone.

Gregor couldn't believe how easily she had gotten him to sleep. He laid back down next to him and closed his eyes. His head filled with images of Luxa and Thomas and unseen enemies as he slowly drifted into a fitful sleep.

The heavy beating of air snapped Gregor awake. He had been dreaming about something that quickly left his mind. All he could remember from it was that there was something attacking his friends and he was helpless to fight back. As his groggy eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he saw the source of the noise was a large group of fliers. The search party had arrived. They were loaded up with supplies, enough for all of those already there and anyone they found.

As soon as feet hit ground, everyone sprang into action. Medics checked the wounded, with Howard snapping orders to get them airlifted back to Regalia. A camp slowly took shape as tents were propped and supplies distributed around. It was like an ant colony as people zoomed around each with a task at hand. Gregor worked his way through the well-oiled machine looking for his friends, Thomas held in his arms still sound asleep. He saw Eisen issuing commands along with Perdita, both being Military leaders by nature if not by title. Mareth was with the men assembling and checking weapons and equipment. York was amongst the men anxious to be on the way to find survivors. He found Luxa and Stellovet helping tend to the wounded as they were loaded onto fliers to be taken back to Regalia.

"You two seem to be getting along quite well," Gregor told them as the last bat took off. The two women glanced at him both smiling. Gregor shook his head and quickly walked over to them. He put Thomas down next to them and turned to leave. He had only needed to find Luxa so he could leave the boy with her. There were other things on his mind that he had to do besides watching him.

"Where do you think you are going?" came Luxa's stern voice from behind him. Gregor turned back to the two girls.

"Umm, I'm going to go out with the search parties. It's why I'm here, right? To look for people?" Gregor thought he was stating the obvious as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder to further make his point. It was obvious, however, that both Luxa and Stellovet thought otherwise.

"Gregor, your leg wound is not the best for hours of searching. You passed out from blood loss only 2 days ago. You need to rest." Luxa said.

"Yea, you might get hurt. And who is going to watch Thomas while you are gone?" Stellovet added. Gregor shook his head at the double team. Two girls that didn't want him to hurt himself to bad. Yet if there was something that was trying to kill them it would be Gregor's job to kill it. Oh the hypocrisy.

"Well, one of you two can watch him. I'm going out there. I'm no use around here. My strengths are better used out there. I'll be fine, so don't you gals worry yourselves too much," Gregor said a bit snidely. He didn't care. Thomas wattled over to him and Gregor picked him and blew a raspberry on his stomach. Thomas giggled as Gregor put him back down down. He then wrapped Luxa in a hug before he quickly dashed away to find Eisen, whom he figured he would get a job from. If he had looked back, he would have seen Stellovet staring daggers into Luxa.

Eisen was in the middle of a group of men when Gregor stumbled upon him. He was still issuing commands, but when he saw Gregor he beckoned him over. He dropped his commander vibe for just the moment.

"Gregor, you will be joining me and my group as we investigate the rest of the Eastern portion of the city. We will be leaving in a short time so make sure you are ready." Gregor had time to nod before Eisen was shouting to men and issuing commands again. That was something else he was good at. Command suited him well, whereas action and following suited Gregor more. Gregor couldn't imagine himself issuing commands like Eisen was. It just wasn't in his nature to boss people around.

"What do you need, Overlander?" an Underland man asked as Gregor entered the equipment tent. There were rows of swords and tools and gear in general. Gregor was surprised by the sheer amount of stuff.

"Uh, I just came to get some stuff for the search. Not sure what though. Can I just look around?" Gregor asked. The man nodded and Gregor went to his business, looking through the stuff using common sense and his knowledge of science to pick what he thought the most useful. He grabbed a shovel and some rope right away, realizing that they would be key in digging and pulling rocks and debris. Down another row he grabbed what looked like a pry bar, which he had the best idea of use for, seeing as he had used the concept of one just the day before. The last thing he grabbed was a canteen. He would need to go and fill it with water before they left. If he didn't grab it and he passed out from dehydration, then Luxa would kill him.

The food source was not far from the equipment. Buckets of fresh water were laying there for people to fill canteens or cups from. Gregor unstopped his and filled it the brim with water. He pushed the stopper back in and attached the canteen to his belt. Now Gregor was ready and looked like freaking Indiana Jones. He had the rope around one shoulder and the shovel and pry bar along his back with special straps that he had found. He looked like some crazy explorer. All he needed was his helmet light from his very first adventure.

Eisen was just about to set out when Gregor showed up at his side. All of the men were decked out with gear just like Gregor. Eisen alone was the only one without it. His wrist would prevent him from doing much in the way of moving stuff. He was more or less a supervisor on this rescue mission. The group set off down the same main road Gregor had gone down. As they passed larger side streets groups of two diverted down them to look for anyone in those buildings. At the fork, Eisen split the group, but he kept Gregor with him which made Gregor happy. As long as he was with Eisen he didn't have to issue any orders.

Finally there was just two of them left: Eisen and Gregor. The two kept working their way along, checking down each side street and small alleys. They shifted debris that blocked what had once been house entrances. They being Gregor in this case. Eisen helped where he could, but Gregor did most of the pulling and lifting and levering due to his two good hands. Boy, did he regret snapping Eisen's wrist now. Even as they shifted away debris to look through the fiftieth house, Gregor could see dismay on his companion's face. They had seen no survivors. All they had seen was the dead bodies of people trapped under falling debris or outright slaughtered in the streets. And there was barely anything left undamaged.

The dwellings grew further and further apart the farther away they got from the middle of the city. The entire area was much smaller than Regalia, with no soaring towers or crazy architecture. Most of the buildings didn't even exceed two stories. It was a different place. A simpler place The roads were plain stone over dirt and not the intricate mosaic that was Regalia's streets. Each dwelling seemed to be more mundane. Perhaps it was just the part of city they were in.

It was after hours of continuous walking and checking rubble that Gregor saw the first whole house. Not a part of it was touched by any damage. It stood a single story high, with a slanting roof and simple four walls. There were small wings that came off the main structure. It was not very large from the outside. And yet it was welcoming for Gregor to see something beyond smashed houses and blood soaked paving stones. The inside was empty of any inhabitants. They probably laid somewhere out in the streets in a dried pool of their own blood. The thought made Gregor shake as a chill ran up his spine. He just wanted to get back to camp.

"Eisen, should we start heading back. People may start to worry if we stay out too long. And I have a feeling that we aren't going to find much of anything. We basically reached the end of the line here." Eisen just nodded his head dejected by their bad luck. Perhaps the others had found something or someone. Anything that could shed some light on their situation. None of the survivors had seen anything and many of the wounded were in no state to be hard questioned about what they saw. It was tough going, right now.

Even at a quick pace, it took over two hours for the two of them to return. The camp came into view and the bone tired men scurried like rats into it. Perdita and Mareth greeted them back, each with a plate of food. They found out quickly that they were the last ones back, which Gregor had feared was going to happen. The food was warm and it tasted better than anything he had ever eaten. That's what happens when all you eat all day is water. Neither man had grabbed food only a canteen each. They didn't think they would be looking for so long.

The last vestiges of food left Gregor's plate when his favorite toddler poked his head right into Gregor's face. Gregor jumped and then realizing who it was, laughed at himself for his jumpiness. He poked Thomas in the stomach and sent him into a fit of giggles. As he tiredly climbed to his feet he went to pick up Thomas when Mareth stepped over to him.

"May I take Thomas for a while?" he asked cautiously. Gregor smiled and clapped his friend on the back.

"He's all yours pal. Have fun." Gregor was gone in a flash as he headed around the camp looking for Luxa. He noticed the increased number of wounded that the hospital tent was holding. Many people were unconscious and badly wounded. They would soon be airlifted back to Regalia. There were even more uninjured survivors, many of whom had simply been trapped or lost wandering the ruins. There had to be another 50 people that hadn't been there when he left. 50 people that may have died had they not been able to help them.

"You are the dumbest person alive if you even believe you have a chance with him!" came a harsh shout to Gregor's left. He quickly turned and saw Luxa and Stellovet face to face in a shouting match.

"Oh, and what makes you think that you are the one with this chance, Queeny?!" shouted Stellovet into Luxa's face. Luxa reeled back.

"How dare you!" Luxa snapped back her hand raised to slap the crap out of Stellovet. Before her arm could even move down a hand firmly gripped her wrist. Gentle, but firm.

"Ladies, calm down, calm down. Luxa come with me," Gregor said as he pulled Luxa along with him. He could feel Stellovet boring holes in his back, and he didn't care. She could stare as long and hard as she wanted, but it would change nothing. He could care less what Stellovet thought of him. He only cared about what one girl thought of.

"Now Luxa," Gregor started when the two were a decent distance away from everyone and Stellovet, "You tell me not to get jealous and call me an idiot, yet you are over there screaming about nothing. You seemed just like me and Eisen. Jealous over what someone thought. You are the idiot," Gregor said the last line with a smile and a joking tone. Luxa looked in his eyes and saw the joke.

"I could have you executed for that, you know," Luxa said as she wrapped her arms around Gregor. Gregor hugged her back resting his chin in the top of her head. He held her close and tight letting her know that he would never leave her no matter what. As luxa started to pull away Gregor pulled her back. They locked eyes and their lips met again, just like the night before. They kissed with passion this time. The passion of love that they had stored in their systems for 6 years and had just been waiting to let out. They showed all their love for each other in just that one kiss. It wa a long time before the two broke apart. Smiles were plastered on both faces as Gregor took Luxa's hand and they walked back into camp.

Artemese and Aurora were sitting and talking with each other in the high pitched flier talk, when Gregor and Luxa showed up. Gregor sat down next to a wall and pulled Luxa down next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder as they started talking about each other's days. Gregor told her about how many houses Eisen and him looked through and all the dead bodies they had found. As he was talking about the only house he had seen still standing, Mareth came by and gave the two Thomas back.

"Thank you for letting me spend some time with Thomas, Gregor. I love children," Mareth said before he turned away and left to find himself something to do. Gregor got back to his story as he sat Thomas on his lap. The youngster was visibly wiped out from his day and he nodded off not to long after Mareth had left him. Gregor left him with Artemese and Aurora to Leave him and Luxa some privacy.

They talked for hours more about anything that came to mind. From Connecticut to how Luxa ruled Regalia. Whatever came to mind was open to conversation, with little questions from the other. It was just a peaceful time when they were surrounded by so much destruction.

The soft sound of Luxa's breathing hit Gregor's ears as he stopped talking about his favorite band. He hadn't even noticed Luxa drift off to sleep, her head resting in his lap. He stroked her hair and brushed it out of her face. She looked so comfortable and so peaceful that Gregor couldn't bring himself to wake her up or to move himself. His eyes drifted up and across the camp. There were pockets of people still awake and pockets of those asleep. The camp was in such dim light that echolocation was a more viable way to see more than a few feet away. in most cases. However, something did catch his eye.

Maybe 40 feet away sat Eisen and Stellovet, side by side, both looking right at him and Luxa. It was obvious that they were talking about something, but Gregor couldn't hear a single word of it. Stellovet must have said something funny because Eisen laughed a silent laugh. Weariness eased itself over Gregor so fast that he didn't even realize his eyelids were drooping down. His eyes closed and he nodded off to sleep wondering what the unlikely pair had been talking about.

Days passed and they brought more of the same. Search parties came and went from the camp to search parts of the city that hadn't been checked or were looked over. The results were barely any better as fewer and fewer people were found alive and those that were usually had serious injuries. They usually didn't survive long. On the second day Ripred had arrived to see the destruction for himself. Even he was taken aback by the carnage. Gregor barely saw him as he spent his time with Perdita and Eisen discussing whatever leader's discuss. He didn't inquire about it. He had seen it all with his own eyes and didn't need any more of it.

On the fourth day Vikus made himself present. The old man came and did the same as Ripred. He went and sat with Eisen and Perdita for hours, discussing death and destruction. Gregor overheard a few snippets of the conversation as he went about his tasks for the day. He had relegated himself to helping Mareth with Equipment, helping prepare meals, or taking care of the wounded. He didn't go out and search anymore. He had seen enough death and his hopes of finding any more survivors were almost nonexistent.

Gregor was on his way to the equipment store with a bundle of newly delivered rope when Vikus called to him. "Gregor, can you come here please?" Gregor handled the rope to another helper and went to Vikus. He had just left the command ten himself and he looked weary and tired.

"What's up, Vikus?" Gregor asked.

"Find Luxa. It is about time that you two came back to Regalia. Eisen is coming back as well, along with Stellovet and Luxa's other cousins. We will depart soon." Vikus said, with as much good naturedness as he could muster from his worried and tired body. Gregor nodded and went to find Luxa. She had been spending time alone with Thomas often or she was checking on the state of the wounded as they were brought back to camp. As Gregor scanned the camp he saw a flash of gold not even 100 yards in front of him. Gregor ran to Aurora and found Luxa sitting with her, Thomas on her lap playing with a ball that one of the searchers had found for him. Gregor grabbed the ball in one hand and dropped himself down so he was face to face with the little boy.

"Hey, little guy. I have good news for you," Gregor said before looking into Luxa's eyes," And for you, too. Vikus told me were going back to Regalia because there isn't much else we can do here." Luxa hopped to her feet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave, but every night she wished for her bed back. She hated sleeping on the ground even if she used Gregor or Aurora as a pillow.

The small group went back to Vikus and the rest of the party that was leaving with them. Fliers were everywhere, as each person mounted up. Gregor hopped onto Artemese's back and whispered a greeting into the bats ear. Thomas also greeted the bat.

"Hi flier!" he said with much excitement.

"Hello, little Thomas. It is good to see, you," Artemese replied. And then they were airborne. They were going back to Regalia.

So that is that haha. Not the best chapter, but it is still pretty good and It is pretty long too. I answered some of my questions I asked last time and left the other ambiguous for now. Can't give to much stuff out for right now. Things will happen in due time. Next chapter might be similiar to this one and may take me longer to write. I won't know til I write it though. At the time of posting this, I have over 800 views on only 6 chapters, which is excellent. But I want more feedback. I got great reviews on chapter 6 and there are those of you that review every chapter and I thank you all very much for it. Yet, I want to hear from more people. So tell me what you think guys.