Welcome back guys. This is so being posted late in the day. Or early the next day haha. It's 12:44 am and I started writing this chapter at 12:10 pm. Well that took quite a while even with a plan and everything. That's what I get for taking an hour of my day to go to Toys R Us. Big news is that the story broke 1000 views and I'm so happy about that. Means you guys are reading and coming back for the next chapter. If you know others that like UC fanfiction show them my story. It'll be really nice to see the view count go up a bunch each day. Anyway guys, we have a long ass chapter today, just over 6000 words. A lot of plot development and some character development. Also added some stuff that's gonna hang around for a bit. So read and Enjoy!

Chapter 8

It was dark. So dark the Gregor couldn't see anything, anywhere. The floor was there, but no matter how hard he looked he couldn't see it. Not even when he tried echolocation. The walls were cylindrical and went up and up and up forever. There was no end, no way to get out.

"Gregor! Gregor!" shouted a familiar voice. A tunnel opened in the never ending wall and Gregor ran to it. Or he tried to. His feet were rooted to the ground, immovable. He yearned to go bursting helter skelter down the now open pathway to help those who needed him. Nut no matter how hard he pulled on his legs or thought for them to move, they were stuck.

"Gregor! Will you wake up already, Gregor!?" came the shout again. Gregor's eyes flickered open. Instinctively he moved his legs and sure enough they moved. He ran a hand down his face in relief and looked at the person standing next to his bed. Margaret stood, hands on her hips, looking down into her older brother's face. She glared at him, her eyes boring into Gregor's soul.

"Morning, Margaret.," Gregor said wearily as he climbed out of bed. It had been a long night and a short one at the same time. He didn't have time to think about it as he climbed out of bed and threw on some pants. He'd change completely after he took a bath. Boy he had to smell after almost 5 days without a true bath.

As Gregor was about to leave he realized that his sister never replied to him. She still stood next to his bed arm now crossed across her chest as she stared him down. Gregor could never win a staring contest with her, so he gave in right away.

"What?" Gregor asked with impatience on his voice.

"Why didn't you take me with you? And why didn't you come see me when you got back?" Gregor could see the frustration on his sisters face and hear it in her voice. They had always gone on adventures down here together and he hadn't even thought to bring her with him. Then again she was older and he usually just did it because she was so young. He could leave her in Regalia and she would be fine. Hazard and the guards would make sure she was okay. But she did have a point. He hadn't said anything to her when they returned the night before.

"Well, Margaret, we got back really late last night and you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up. I did stop by your room and you were out for the count. Sleeping like a baby." Gregor added the last line with a smug smile. He always threw baby sayings into conversation with Margaret, the baby of the family. She returned his smile for a bit before realizing he avoided the first part.

"Hey, wait a second. What about the first part? Hazard was mad too, you know. He really could have helped if you found something. He's really smart and stuff." Gregor couldn't help but shake his head and didn't have time to respond before more words tumbled out of the little girls mouth. "And he probably already brought this up to Luxa. He was so mad she didn't bring him and he said he was gonna yell at her for it." Gregor dropped to a knee and took Margaret's hand in both of his.

"Okay. Okay. Calm down for a second. I don't know why Luxa didn't bring Hazard. I'm not in her head. But, I didn't bring you because of two reasons. One, I wasn't sure what we were facing and I didn't want you in the middle of a serious fight. Two, we left so fast after we got the news that I had time and the mind set to find really important people. Fighters and the such. It's not that I wouldn't have brought you, but more like I didn't have time to. Now let's drop this and go take a nice bath." Gregor stood up and dragged his sister behind him out of his room. The bath wasn't far from his room and when they got there he pushed her into her side. They agreed to finish as quickly as possible, so they could go eat and stuff with everyone else.

The water was warm and Gregor let it run over him. He felt the stitches on his leg and wondered if Howard would take them out soon. The water loosed Gregor's stiff neck and back and his sore legs. After a few days of searching he had been sore as a dog and even just working in the camp was laborious. The bath eased all the strain out of his body and as he took the soup and washed all the nasty smells off his body, he felt rejuvenated.

It was one of his quicker baths, but as he dried and dressed he could hear his sister humming outside. Either he took longer than he thought or his sister was one fast bather. He came out in his silver clothes and black boots. He stopped wearing sandals now and instead choose to wear boots for better fighting and running. Margaret was waiting for him, sitting on the floor, humming some silly song from the radio. Then Gregor had a dumb idea. He bent down in front of his sister and said, "Hop on, Kiddo."

Margaret was stunned into silence. What they hell was Gregor doing? Gregor smiled at her and pointed at his back. Boots got the idea pretty fast and scrambled onto Gregor's back. He hoisted her up so that she could see over his head and he took off at a slow jog. Margaret weighed not even 100 pounds and Gregor could carry that around easily.

The high hall loomed before them and the dining room not far after. It had been a short ride, but Gregor got there faster that way. It kinda reminded him of carrying around Margaret in the her little backpack. It was more or less the same thing just without the backpack. Gregor zoomed into the dining room and let Margaret hop off his back. The people in the room all gave him odd looks, including Luxa.

"What? It's just a piggy back ride," Gregor said laughing as he looked at all the faces in the room. There were more people than normal. Usually it was Luxa and Gregor along with Hazard and Margaret and sometimes Vikus or Ripred. Today there were all of Luxa's cousins, minus Howard. He was still at the Fount checking on the wounded.

He was about to take his seat when he heard a giggle at the door. Thomas teetered in accompanied by an Underlander. Gregor looked at the face and memories came back to him. It, of course, was Dulcet. The same Underlander that cared for Margaret all those years ago. She looked older and yet she still had the same caring look on her face.

Thomas stood in the doorway and looked at the faces of everyone. A big smile broke out on his face when he saw Gregor and he raced to him as fast as his little legs could carry him. Gregor scooped him up and tossed him in the air catching him and tickling his stomach. Thomas laughed the entire time.

Margaret was giving Gregor a strange look when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and saw Dulcet waiting patiently behind her. A smile creased both girls faces.

"Hi Dulcet," Margaret said shyly. Dulcet's smile grew even bigger.

"Hello, Boots. It seems you have grown quite a bit. You do not still go by boots do you?" Dulcet replied with a hint of humour. Margaret smiled even more and hugged her former nanny.

"I go by Margaret, now. But if you want you can still call me Boots," Margaret replied. Dulcet had been a big part of her younger years and she hadn't realized how much she had missed her. Dulcet let their embrace go and nodded to her before she backed out of the room. Margaret took her seat next to Gregor who was still sitting with Thomas.

"Where'd the kid come from, bro?" she asked him. Thomas looked at her and a smile breached his face. He giggled and pointed at her with one of his little hands.

"Hi, you," Thomas said and Margaret melted like a stick of butter. She smiled back and made funny faces at him. Thomas kept laughing the whole time. Everyone seemed to love him. Breakfast was flying by and Gregor hadn't touched any food. Most of Luxa's cousins had already left and the Dining room was empty except for Margaret, Gregor, Luxa, and Stellovet. Gregor was helping Thomas with his food when Luxa leaned over and grabbed Thomas.

"You need to eat yourself, Gregor. I'll make sure Thomas eats." She took him and sat back down, bouncing him on her knee as he ate. Gregor grabbed some toast and butter and went to eating, never taking his eyes off of Luxa and the little boy. Gregor still couldn't figure out why he liked Thomas so much and why he liked Gregor and Luxa. It seemed odd as Gregor had never really contemplated having kids ever. He wasn't sure he could handle raising them. And yet here he was with a child that wasn't even his and he already felt like he would never let Thomas go.

Gregor quickly scoffed down a couple pieces of toast and got up out of his chair. Luxa was getting up too and she took Thomas with her. Dulcet was waiting outside and Luxa deposited Thomas into her arms. She whispered in the nannies ear something and sent them on their way. Gregor looked at her and shook his head. Whatever she said couldn't have been to important.

"Thomas will spend his day with other children and I have meetings and the such to attend to today. You happen to have a free day today to do whatever it is you want to do. No limitations," Luxa told Gregor. Before she left she gave him a quick peek on the cheek and she was gone. She walked with such grace it was as if she floated above the ground. Gregor's eyes followed her until she was gone from sight, around a corner.

So what was he going to do today? The palace didn't have much in the way of fun stuff to do. He could go to the arena and do some sword work. Or he could go and take a ride on Artemese. Or he could just walk through the city. "Yea. A walk through the city would be nice," Gregor thought out loud as his feet started to carry him out of the high hall. He walked down a few flight of stairs and down several hallways before he found the entrance hall. It was the first room in the palace that he had ever set foot in. Two guards stood next to the lift down to the city. Gregor approached and they both straightened up at the sight of him.

"Hey guys. I'm going down to explore the city if that's okay with you. You have any suggestions on where I could go?" Gregor asked friendly enough as he looked between the two guards. They slowly lost the super straight back, taught as an arrow, stance they had taken and instead resumed their slumped over bored appearance.

"Yes. You could go to any of the smiths in the city or to any of the bakers. They sell very nice breads and treats," one of the guards said. Gregor thought it was a good idea so he walked past them onto the platform. He looked down and regretted it as the platform started to drop. 200 feet down was the street. A 200 foot sheer drop with nothing to grab a hold of. His hand instinctively grabbed one of the ropes and held on until he felt the ropes go taught. He stepped off the platform as it stood one foot above the ground. And then he was lost in the sounds and smells of the city.

People crowded the street in front of him and he could smell food cooking. The sounds of hammers in the distance told him that the smiths were working. Wagon wheels creaked as the were pulled past loaded with produce, animals, or other things. The city was alive and moving and it surprised him that he found it even more alive than New York City. As he started to walk by, he saw groups of underlanders in conversation, laughing and joking, as they went about their business. He saw groups of men playing dice and others with what looked like cards as they sat around tables or barrels.

There were sights that Gregor hadn't expected. He heard the sound of bells tolling what could have been a church. He saw that in many of the soaring towers people hung out of windows shouting down to friends below. Kids ran by him chasing hoops or balls. The smell of a baked good drew him further along the street. He could see the smoke coming from the top of a roof and he ducked inside. The bakery was warm and the baker was a homely woman. she was a bit round in the middle, but she was jovial and seemed to have several patrons. She gave bread and other pastries out over the counter to them as they paid her in some kind of coin. Her eyes caught Gregor's and she beckoned him closer.

"Hello, overlander, and welcome to my bakery and home," as she spoke she reached under the counter and pulled out a warm tart. "Please, take this as a sign of my respect." Gregor took the tart and thanked her before he took a bite. It was flaky and warm and the fruit or whatever was in it exploded with flavor in his mouth. He took another bite.

" Th's v'ry good," Gregor said with his mouth full, fully forgetting his manners. The woman only laughed as Gregor blushed and swallowed his large mouthful. He smiled and thanked the woman again. She showed him her other baked goods as he continued to eat the one she had given him. All of the food looked marvelous. As he was about to inquire about price, he realized that he had no money. He felt bad that he was providing her with no business as he had just taken up so much of her time.

"I'm sorry miss. I don't have any money at the moment, but I will definitely be back as soon as I get some," Gregor said promising the woman as he left the store. She smiled at him and wished him a good day with a bow. As he continued down the street, he noticed that people started to notice him. Many looked at him with admiration and some looked at him with wonder. Others however stayed away from him and looked angry or mad to see him walking their streets. It shocked him that the people he had saved would grow to dislike him. Perhaps they never liked him. It was all a mess to him.

The sound of a heavy hammer smashing metal brought Gregor back to his senses. A sign hung over the street with an anvil on it and it said Ivan's Metal Work and Weapons. Gregor was intrigued and he entered the store with anticipation. A massive anvil stood before him and an equally large man stood behind it with an equally large hammer in his massive hand. Gregor wasn't sure if the man was bigger than York, but it was pretty 's eyes shifted away from the furnace and the anvil to the other half of the store. Shelves contained knives and daggers, ornaments and trinkets, and other household items. The walls however were different. They were lined with weapons of all types from axes to hammers to swords to spears and shields. Not a single piece used any wood as far as Gregor could see. He was rooted to the floor as his gaze shifted over the shiny metallic surfaces of each and every piece.

"Greetings overlander, welcome to my shop," came a sharp nasally voice from behind him. Gregor spun around and saw a short, small man standing behind him. He was much shorter than Gregor, standing maybe slightly over five foot. His hair was a gray, almost white. It was a shock of white. "I am Ivan, owner and former worker of this fine establishment. I am a master smith and have trained many. Do you have need of my assistance?"

"No sir," Gregor replied, "I am in love with all of your pieces. I'm going to take a look around and I'll ask you any questions I have." Ivan nodded and went back to wherever he had appeared from. The swords then had all of Gregor's attention. Some were long, some short. Some were thick and others thin. Some were very heavy and others were light as on felt unique and marvelous, but not a single one felt good in Gregor's hand. That is until he picked up the last sword. It seemed to become part of his arm as he swung it. The blade sliced through the air with a whistle. It flowed as easily as if he was swinging his arm.

The blade itself had a blue tint to it. The hilt was dark blue with a yellow stone right below the blade. The hilt extended out like wings to the side. It was the most beautiful blade Gregor had ever seen. And he had to have it. The blade held against his shoulder, Gregor wove his way through the shelves of trinkets, the sound of the heavy hammer mashing down on the anvil. Suddenly, Ivan appeared before him.

"I see you have found a sword that suits your needs," he said as Gregor jumped from his sudden appearance. Quickly regaining his composure, Gregor lowered the sword so its tip rested against the ground.

"Yes. The problem is I don't currently have any money on me," Gregor explained, "But, I am going to find a way to earn some, fast. If it is possible, can you hold it for me. Keep it in the back perhaps for when I return."

"Oh yes. It would be my honor to keep this sword for you until you are ready for it. It has a story that I will tell you when the time comes." Ivan reached out and took the sword from Gregor. He slid the sword into the empty scabbard he was wearing on his hip as if the sword was made for the sheath. Gregor hadn't even noticed him wearing the scabbard. There was something odd about Ivan, but Gregor couldn't put his finger on it. It was probably all in his head.

With his mind deep in thought, his feet carried him out of the shop and back into the streets. His head filled with the noises of busy people. His senses were overwhelmed by the amount of stuff going on around him. The mixture of aromas that filled the air was a strange concoction of burning and baking and fresh animal dung. The cacophony of sounds had also escalated. Animals whines, people blabbed, and children screamed. Wagons clacked across the cobbled street and master craftsmen worked. A squad of guards walked by their weapons and armor clanking and crashing against each other.

Raucous laughter erupted from the building next to him. It was simple, two stories, some windows and a single door. Gregor was drawn to the door and he poked his head in. Off duty guards were sprawled in chairs around tables, some with drink in hand. Others were playing games similar to darts. It was like a police station you would see in corny cop movies.

The room silenced when they noticed Gregor's head sticking through the door. One of the guards, a tall, scrawny man let out a laugh and beckoned him in.

"Come on in Overlander. Make yourself at home," he said with a lot of joy. Many of the men repeated his enthusiasm with a raise of their drink or their fist and a small cheers. Others simply left the room, but it was only a few. The rest pulled him to the table and dropped a mug of ale before him. They pulled up chairs on all sides eager to hear something from him.

"Drink!" the same man told Gregor, who let himself loosen up at the man's tone. Gregor grabbed the mug and took a big gulp of ale. It was his first taste of alcohol and he had to say it wasn't bad. He took another sip, put the cup down, and sighed. It was good. "So what brings you here to our fine barracks?" another guard asked him while he gestured to the building around them.

"I was just taking a stroll through the city for the first time and I heard you guys having some fun. Figured I'd check it out," Gregor said with chuckles of laughter coming from all around him. More questions were asked and Gregor answered all of them. He downed one mug and then another as he enjoyed himself with the men.

"I remember you overlander. Pretty well in fact. I saw you fight in the firelands all those years ago and you saved my life without even knowing it. But I must know what has happened in the Fount?" Gregor was taken back. He didn't know that word had spread that anything had happened at the Fount. Then again, it would have been possible for people to find out due to bats flying in and out of the city with people on their back. The search party was composed of both soldiers and city guards. And how did they know he was there? It didn't matter he guessed.

"Well," Gregor started,"there isn't much left standing there. Whatever attacked took out almost all of the buildings. And when I left, we had found at most 100 survivors. How many of them survived now I couldn't tell you. What I can say is that you're lucky you didn't go and see what happened. It was not pretty. So much blood from the innocent people there." Gregor shut himself up as the men looked at each other and at him. It was obvious they felt his pain and returned it. They may have had friends or family in the Fount and that would make it more than tough for them.

"So, we do not know what attacked the Fount?" another man asked, the nerves on his voice more obvious than he wanted them to be. Gregor just shook his head. They had found nothing, nothing at all, to say what had decimated the Fount. None of the survivors were even very clear on it. There wasn't even any form of speculation from anybody on what it could be.

The happy go lucky atmosphere was gone. Everyone sat solemn, their faces looking into their mugs. Gregor sat himself looking into space, occasionally taking a sip from his mug. The guards on duty burst through the door with loud voices and laughter.

"Did you see that guys face as I-!" one of the men was saying before he cut off and saw his comrades huddled around Gregor, all down trodden looking. Their own jovial nature eroded away, as they switched places with the next shift of guards. Gregor climbed out of his chair and followed them out. He just wanted to get back to get back to the palace, his feelings for his day on the town gone.

A small group of young boys, maybe 10 years old, were playing a game of ball. They bounced it off their bodies avoiding using their hands and feet. The ball ricocheted out of the circle and towards Gregor. It flew towards him and he spun using his forearm like a bat, knocking the ball back into the circle. The nearest boy shouted a thanks to him and went back to their game. Gregor had a sad smile on his face. Those boys reminded him about what he never had a chance to have as a kid. He had very few friends, beyond Angelina and Larry, and he never hung out with them that much. After his father disappeared, most of the kids left him alone and he rarely did much.

And then he fell in the Underland, which forever changed him for the better. He may have lost his childhood to rats and war, but he learned who he truly was and he met the love of his life. He may not have played games of ball with kids his age, but he didn't regret it that much. Instead he learned how to fight and how to love and how to be a hero to those who needed a hero. If he had to rate his childhood he may have lost it early, but what he learned and gained outweighed it by a mile.

The palace wall reared up before him not much later. The wall was smooth to the touch as he ran his hand along it, all the way up till he was at the platform. He gave a tug on the rope and the platform started its climb to the hall above. The entrance was empty except for the two guards who watched the lift. Gregor wasn't sure on the time of day and where anyone was. The palace seemed empty as Gregor didn't pass a single guard or servant on his way to check Luxa's usual haunts. He checked with the guards at her chambers and they told him she hadn't been there. The dining room was void of everyone.

Those were the two places he usually could rely on Luxa being and yet she wasn't at either. She must still be in her in conferences and meetings. So Gregor turned away and figured he could ask her about ways to make money over dinner. He shuffled his shoes over the smooth rock of the floor, when the pater of running feet behind him caused him to stop. The sound of heavy breathing joined that of the running and not long after a man turned the corner and ran straight to Gregor.

He stopped, with his hands on his knees, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. His stomach was large and he didn't seem to be very good at running. He actually looked like a fat dog in the middle of summer. The man wiped sweat off his forward and rasped his message to Gregor.

"Your presence… is requested in… the tactics room… right away." The man needed to really catch his breath so Gregor held his questions for a moment. "Thank you ,Overlander," the man said with his breath mostly back.

"Why am I required in the Tactics room? And what and where is it?"

"I do not know why you have been requested. I was sent to find you 20 minutes ago and have been running after you for most of the time. I had spotted you in the streets, but I could not keep up due to the clogged streets. It took me time to find you even here. As for the Tactics room, it is where we plan for our wars and form new attack tactics. It is not far from the council chamber, just take a right and then a left." Gregor thanked the man before he himself set out at a run. He accelerated around the corner and took the stairs in front of him three at a time. Once he got to the top he took the corridor on his right. It would take him to the council chamber faster than cutting up through the high hall. At least he hoped it would as he charged down the long hallway, his body in a perfect running position. His legs were a blur and his arms swung forward and back keeping his momentum up. The council chamber was on the hallway to his right, so he skidded his boots along the ground and twisted his body; he barely lost any speed as his feet slammed down on the ground.

The large doors to the council chamber flew past as he took the first right he saw. A flight of stairs loomed in front of him, yet they were short maybe only a few feet down. Gregor sprang over them landing it perfectly and his feet kept him charging forward. The doors blurred past him on both sides until he saw a hall approaching him on his left. He turned down it and saw the bright light that could only be the Tactics Room. He put his last vestiges of power into it and he chugged through the door; Gregor skidded to a halt trying to stop and he fell flat on his ass.

His eyes stared straight up at the ceiling as he let the stars circle his head and his breath fully come back to him. Luxa and Stellovet's faces appeared in his field of vision looking down at him. He felt like a major idiot right then. It didn't show as he placed a big smile on his face and jumped back to his feet. His tail bone was sore and he could feel a welt forming on the back of his head. Nothing too bad for him though.

The room was large with a large stone table running down the length of it. It had a map of the underland painted on it. Or at least the known underland at the making of it. Maps of other parts were on the walls. They were handdrawn and very rough, but yet they still gave a decent perspective of what was there. Around the table sat four beings. Luxa and Stellovet were seated, obviously, near where Gregor had come in. Ripred and another man Gregor recognized sat a bit further down the table. They were deep in conversation with each other. Ripred looked up at Gregor and gave a quick sniff.

"You've been out in the city, boy. I can smell a tart on you, as well as smoke, and ale. What were you doing to keep us all waiting?" Ripred asked him with a smirk on his face. Luxa herself only seemed curious about the ale part.

"Ripred, leave him be. What he does is his business," the man said suddenly, standing from his chair and walking towards Gregor. It all clicked then. He was Roderick, Regalia's Top Sword. He must be quite important to be here with them for whatever it was they were here for. "Hello, Overlander," Roderick said, "We have not officially met, but I assume you know who I am and I know who you are."

"Indeed, Roderick. Top Sword of Regalia is quite a title. What exactly does it mean?" Gregor asked with pure curiousness. Roderick laughed at the question. A good natured hearty laugh.

"Basically, it means I'm the best fighter in Regalia. Of course that doesn't include you or Ripred. I have never lasted more than a minute with that old rat. It takes someone of your skill to best someone of his skill. And your skill levels are near identical. If we ever have a chance I would greatly appreciate a chance to spar with you." Gregor could feel himself blushing as his pride grew. He was being flattered and complemented by the best swordsman in Regalia. Gregor was just good because he was a rager. It wasn't a fair comparison.

"It would be an honor Roderick," Gregor said as he gave him a small bow of respect.

"Yawn! Where is the old man anyway? He asks us all here and yet doesn't even show up himself," Ripred said with a snarky snarl.

"The old man is right here," came an equally snarky reply from Vikus, who was standing in the doorway with a weary looking man. "Gregor, Roderick, if you two would please take a seat, we have much to discuss."

Gregor sat next to Luxa, much to Stellovet's apparent dismay, while Roderick resumed his seat near Ripred. Vikus himself walked to the table, but did not sit. He stood at the head and looked at the five assembled beings. He looked more tired than normal. The usual light in his eyes was faded and he seemed very distressed.

"Marik, if you would care to explain," Vikus said before he himself took a seat, finally, next to Gregor.

"Yes. Thank you, Vikus. Greetings to you all. I have dire news to report to you most important people. At the Fount we have discovered what committed the terrible act." Marik snapped his fingers and two men carried in a five or so foot length of something. Then Gregor noticed the long barb on the end and dread filled his heart. "This is a severed Stinger tail, that we found buried under the rubble of a shop in the second square. It seems to belong to an average sized stinger from the proportions."

Marik finished talking and stepped back from the table. His men carried the tail forward and placed it before them, so they could see it. They bowed and retreated from the room.

"Thank you, Marik," Vikus said," You and your men shall go and bathe and get some food. You have done us a great service." Marik bowed to them and followed his men from the room. Vikus then turned to the assembled. "They discovered this tail, not even a full day after I brought Luxa, Gregor, and Stellovet back. Marik and his men took their strongest fliers and flew back as fast as possible. We now know the who, but we still do not know the why. Does anyone have any ideas?"

The room was silent in response to Vikus' question. Gregor did not know the relations to the stingers after being away for so long. Luxa and Ripred would have the best knowledge of the situation. Both sat just as silent as Gregor.

"Is it possible something attacked them and drove them to attack the Fount?" Roderick asked finally speaking up. Vikus, Luxa, and Ripred all shook their heads. It was not the most logical idea. Unless humans attacked them then they would have had no reason to slaughter the Fount. It was a dilemma. A fe ideas were thrown around, yet none could answer why they would just attack the Fount with such ferocity and with no warning.

The sound of a scuffle in the hall pulled everyone out of the discussion. Gregor reached to his waist and again found no weapon. He had left it in his room that morning. It was a habit he would need to break. The scuffle escalated with muffled curses being heard and the occasional shout. A shock of black hair burst through the doorway with a guard hanging onto him, trying to pull him back.

"I am sorry, Your Grace. He would not take no for an answer and rushed past me. I did not wish to hurt him. The guard scooped up Hazard and turned around with boy beating on his arms. As the guard tried to walk out he ran smack into Margaret who had followed them in.

"Put my cousin down now!" Luxa shouted at the guard. He complied instantly with his Queen and quickly left. Luxa was fuming at the mess up that had just happened. "Hazard, why are you here? You better have a good reason!" Luxa was on the verge of blowing off Hazard's head.

"I do, Luxa. There is a group of Stingers at the west wall." Hazard quickly blurted out. The room dropped to a solemn silence and Gregor and Luxa exchanged a quick worried look.

So what did you guys think? I think it's a very good chapter and I didn't really edit it much. Fixed as many grammar issues that weren't just part of my writing style, but I didn't change many lines of text. And I wonder if you guys caught one of my random nerd references. If you did tell me. Leave a review guys and keep reading. I'll see you guys next chapter.