And here we are with another chapter guys. I'm gonna keep this brief so you guys can get to reading. I just want to say that I have been writing this story for one month and I am super happy with all the support I have been getting. The reviews are all great and excellent and I appreciate every single one. I have no more to say after that. Enjoy reading!

Chapter 14

The sound of rhythmic light breathing was calming to Gregor as he lay in bed. Luxa's head rested against his chest, her arm draped across his torso. Her body curled up against his, right inside Gregor's left arm, asleep. Gregor held her close to him as he lay there, deep in thought.

His mind was full of swirling worries, weighing the good and the bad at what had just happened and what could happen to him if it was found out. He loved what he and Luxa had just done. It proved that they loved each other as much as each had said. They had gotten down to their most personal and intimate levels, levels that he wasn't sure either of them was ready for. If people found out that he had slept with their queen then he was sure he would become reviled and disliked, perhaps even hated by many. And there was the chance that they could have a child. That was the scariest possibility to Gregor. There was so much that came with that and he wasn't ready for that. That was something he knew and didn't even have to think about.

Luxa stirred next to him, and Gregor pulled her closer to his body. She nuzzled her head against him as if try to get more comfortable. Then he saw her eyes slowly open, and she turned slightly to look at him. Her eyes, while sleepy, showed deep concern for Gregor. It was obvious to see. Luxa withdrew her arm from him and rolled onto her stomach so she could look Gregor in the face easier.

"What bothers you?" she asked him.

"It's nothing, Lux. Just my mind is clouded some. You should get back to sleep. I'll have plenty of time in the next few days to get ample rest."

"Are you certain? Is there something you want to talk about?" Her voice was heavy with tiredness, but it was obvious she wanted to make sure Gregor was okay.

"No. I gotta figure this out for myself. C'mon Luxa, just go back to sleep. Maybe in the morning it'll be different." Luxa gave him one last look before she cuddled back up against him, her head falling back against his chest. Gregor rubbed her back gently until he heard her quiet, steady breathing fill the room again. He rested back against the pillow and closed his eyes hoping that he could magically just fall asleep.

It didn't happen. Gregor's opened one eye and then the other letting out a long sigh. It appeared that as of the moment this was going to be a sleepless night. And if he wasn't going to sleep then he was going to do something productive. Gregor carefully slid out of the large bed making sure to not wake Luxa up. He brushed her hair out of her face, and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. His clothes were thrown on the floor off to the side and he slid back into them. As he headed for the door, he gave Luxa one last look. Her body was curled up and she looked more like a helpless little girl than a strong queen.

The royal wing seemed to be empty and the halls were dark from the lack of torches burning. Gregor knew it was late evening as he and Luxa had spent almost all day in her chambers. She had food brought to her, more than enough for both of them to share. Servants brought Luxa the work that had gone on over the few days that she had not left her rooms. It had grown late as they glanced over some of them together. Luxa had been asleep for an hour or so before she had woken up only minutes ago.

The two guards that guarded the royal wing said nothing as Gregor left. It was not their business what he was doing there. It was their job to stop people from entering not to stop them from exiting. Yet he felt two pairs of eyes follow him as he shuffled through the hall. His head was slightly better, but he still took his time, walking slowly to keep from getting dizzy. He kept his hands in his pockets and his head down staring at his feet. There was no specific place he wanted to go, nothing really for him to do at this time of night. What he really wanted was someone to talk to about what he was feeling. Someone who understood and could help him figure it all out.

Not much later, Gregor noticed a light shining into the hall from an open doorway and he brought his eyes up from his feet. Inside was a homely looking set of rooms with several large and comfortable looking chairs near a fire that illuminated the entire room. Sitting in one of the chairs was Vikus. Before Gregor moved or even spoke, Vikus looked towards the door and a smile broke out on his elderly face.

"Gregor, I did not expect to see you awake at this hour. Please, come in and have a seat." Gregor obliged, figuring Vikus was the best person to talk to about how he was feeling. The armchair was surprisingly comfortable and felt as if many people had sat it in before him. Gregor slumped back into the chair and looked at the elder man. Vikus studied Gregor for several minutes, sitting with his hands crossed in front of him.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Vikus asked Gregor suddenly.

"Umm, yea sure. Why not?" Vikus clapped his hands and a servant walked into the room.

"Bring us some tea, please," Vikus ordered before turning back to Gregor. "Something is on your mind, is it not?"

"How'd you guess?" Gregor responded with a small smile.

"It was obvious. You seem distracted. I can see it on your eyes."

"Yea, I don't really know what it is. I just feel really worried about… stuff. Really important stuff." Gregor tried to watch what he was saying so as to not give away how far Luxa and his relationship had progressed.

"Does it have anything to do with my granddaughter?" Vikus asked.

"Man, he can read me like a book," Gregor thought to himself before replying. "More or less. There is just so much stuff happening and I'm not sure what exactly to do about it. There is so much to me and Luxa that I'm just worried and confused."

"Relationships take time, Gregor. Solovet and myself took a very long time to realize how much we loved each other. And once that happens you start to do for your heart and not for your body. You do what feels right and know that it is right. I'm not going to pry into your personal relationship, but make sure you remember that. Your heart knows what is right no matter what your body says, what your brain says. Remember that." The sound of dishes on a tray caused them both to look towards the door. The servant carried the tray in and placed it on a table next to Vikus. "It seems our tea is here."

Gregor rose from his chair and grabbed the pot. The aroma pouring from the top made his mouth water. He opened the lid and steam rose out as he poured the liquid into the two cups, giving one to vikus and taking the other back to his chair. The cup was warm to the touch, but he took a sip anyway. The steaming liquid felt good as it warmed his mouth and his throat. Just having something to drink slowed Gregor's brain down and he felt the clouds starting to part in his head. Vikus was right. He had always done what his heart had said even it defied the logic of a situation. And that held true to his feelings for Luxa. What they did was for them and because they knew it was the right time and it was the right thing, no matter what rules or laws said, no matter what the logic in their heads might have been telling them.

Everything Gregor was worried about vanished in an instant. His head was clear of all the bad thoughts and everything seemed right to him. The thought of a child which only an hour ago had seemed terrible to him now felt like something he really wanted and was ready for. He kinda already had one in Thomas. It was the clearest his head had felt since he had been back in the Underland.

"Thanks, Vikus." Gregor said over the top of his cup before he took another sip.

"I am not sure what it is I have done, but if I have helped than you are welcome. You can always come and speak with me when you are troubled."

"I'll remember that. There is something troubling me, now."

"And what is that?"

Gregor chuckled and took a sip of his tead. "I need the recipe for this tea because it is marvelous and I gotta have it more often."

A smile broke out across Vikus' face and he let out a small chuckle. "You shall have it. Would you like a pot sent to your room?" Vikus asked with a bit of curiosity.

"I don't think so. I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to sleep right now." Gregor said. He wanted to do some research on the history of Regalia, some of the laws, and maybe even some military stuff. "Is there a library or something I can go to to do some research?"

"Of course. The archives are down several floors. I will have Ber show you the way and a pot of tea brought to you." Vikus snapped and the same servant walked in the door. "Ber, show Gregor to the archives please. Make sure he has plenty of light to read by." The servant bowed and gestured for Gregor to follow. They walked down several flights of stairs and around several bends and turns in the halls. A stone door stood before them and Ber pushed it open for Gregor.

Inside were shelves of scrolls, books, and papers and that was only the small part he could see from the hall light. Ber handed him a torch and Gregor placed it in the bracket next to the door. He took several steps in and was astonished at the amount of work in the room. There were more shelves than he thought possible to fit in the space. There were convenient tables lined up to one side of the room for people to work at.

"There are lamps to your right. Take one and light it so you may see. I will place more light at a table for you." Gregor thanked the man and took one of the lamps. It had a simple wick on it and it was contained in some kind of glass. He took the torch and lit the wick, before placing it back in its bracket.

His eyes brushed over each item as he wandered through the maze of shelves. It was hard to tell what anything was, so he had to look at everything. The first thing he found was a large book that held the history of Regalia. It was the first book on the first shelf, obviously there for easy updates. Further down the same shelf there was another large book. A book of rules and laws of Regalia. Gregor took it under his arm and with the other book went to the table Ber had lit up for him.

Back into the labyrinth of papers Gregor went. He looked for an hour and pulled anything that seemed of interest. There were documents on technology in the underland; they were more or less blueprints. Gregor grabbed up a dozen or so after a quick glance at each one. There was a basket of scrolls that contained accounts of famous battles fought between species. The bottom of the basket was full of powder from the oldest of scrolls which had decayed from the long time they had sat in there. It was obvious that most of the scrolls in the basket were more new, so Gregor left them alone. There was plenty to look over as it was.

He went back to his table and found a pot of warm tea waiting for him. It surprised him at first until he remembered Vikus telling him he would send a pot to him. The timing could not have been more perfect either. Attached to it was a small note. Gregor pulled it from the pot handle and read it.

All you need is tea and a small touch of sweet fruit

from the jungle.

Gregor read it three times and realized just how simple it was. He poured himself a cup and took a long sip. When he took his seat, he noticed a pile of parchment sitting next to the pot, with a pen and ink sitting on top. The pen was odd to him at first as he looked at it. It wasn't like a quill or anything. There was a small metal tip and a stone handle that resembled that of an artist's paint brush. He took the pen, dipped it in the ink, and tested it on the parchment. He was pleasantly surprised at how neatly and cleanly the pen wrote and how fast the ink dried. He was gonna guess it was made from something from the jungle.

With the pen out of the way, Gregor turned his attention back to the documents and books he had grabbed. The largest book was the one on the history of Regalia. The spine was dyed a rich purple and the pages were crisp against his fingers. The book had to be almost four hundred years old. He opened it to the first page and started to read. Each page held an important event, from the founding of the city to the first war to the founding of the fount. The most recent entries were very few. It took him only turning back a few pages to see words about himself slaying the fact that he was in a history book made him feel strange just because he was reading about himself.

He was just too tempted to not read the short blurb that was written for him:

387 years after the fall

Gregor the Warrior of prophecy fought and slayed the tyrannical Bane, the leader of the gnawers who had waged war against the people of Regalia. The warrior was able to slay the beast at the terrible price of losing his bond, Ares the flier. Despite his victory the warrior was severely injured, but was able to survive due to the heroic rescue by the shiners Photo Glow-Glow and Zap. With great thanks to the warrior, the city of Regalia and all its people may live in peace and prosperity.

The entry was a shocker to Gregor. They mentioned all the things that he didn't want to remember. He slammed the book closed and slid across the table from him. He drained his cup of the last remaining ounces of tea and poured himself a new cup. His attention changed to the other book he had. This one was not as thick as the first, but it was still a weighty book. The inside was a mess of regulations and rules and laws, many that had been rewritten or discarded. Gregor took to the convenient table of contents and scanned through it looking for one section. There was an entire section dedicated to marriage laws and laws of 'love and lust' as the contents put it.

Gregor flipped to the desired section and skimmed each law. There were laws against wedding other species, laws against certain acts that he didn't want to think about doing, and there were even regulations on the number of wives and lovers a man could have. Gregor ran through the main section not once seeing the word overlander. He flipped a page and saw a small section dedicated to royalty. His eyes skimmed looking for any kind of law he may have broken. There was no law against pre-marital 'misconduct' for regular citizens and Gregor hoped that held true for royalty. His luck held out as he got to the last rule. There was no rule against it and there was no mention against overlanders wedding into royalty. There was no mention of overlanders in any of the rules.

That news made Gregor feel even better. His mind was fully free of every worry that he could ever imagine clouding him. He was free to act on his love without any law holding him back. And that just made him smile. The tea cup emptied again and Gregor filled it back up. The law book joined the history book on the other side of the table as Gregor grabbed up the designs he had found. Each one had a different piece of technology that the underlanders used.

On top was the design for the baths in the palace. It was intriguing as to how they were able to divert the water flow, but still keep it flowing at the same pace through each bath. The entire concept seemed simple, yet the designs showed just how complex of a system it was, involving everything to be going down in some way. There enough networks and ducts through the palace walls that Gregor couldn't really believe the number.

He spent the next few hours looking through each piece of technology, trying to understand each one no matter how simple or complex it was. There was things as simple as the way to make a sword to as complex as a rather powerful microscope. There were things he had never expected to see in the underland that were there and made well. Things that seemed more advance than the relative simplistic way of living the underlanders had.

The last document he had was for the lighting in the fields. He remembered back to the first time he had ever seen them. Vikus had told him they ran on gas from the earth and that they had developed them. He could see just how intricate it was. They had made the lamps that hung above the fields and attached them to long poles. The poles were driven into the ground and into a pocket of what he was assuming was natural gas that was under pressure and thus sill in a gaseous form. Each pole had a valve on it for stopping the flow of gas if necessary. The gas was lit once it came out the end and the flame was encased in an airless glass bulb.

"That's amazing," Gregor said quietly as he studied the document showing the design of the poles and the gas pocket. The pocket seemed to run for miles away from Regalia and none of it was truly under the city. How they had managed to map the size of it was beyond him. And he wasn't sure just how long it could really last. It was possible there was gas fro hundred or years or for only ten more. It was hard to tell.

"If they use it in the fields, why don't they bring it into the palace for lighting?" Gregor thought to himself, unconsciously grabbing a piece of parchment and the pen. His hand started moving drawing out a feasible way to bring the gas into the palace for heating, lighting, and cooking. He crumpled up the first and threw it over his shoulder before starting again. The tea cup drained again and he refilled it. More time passed as he kept trying to design a simple way to pull the gas over to the palace. But it was no use. Without expert digging equipment and precise knowledge of the gas pocket, there was no way to do it without possibly causing a massive explosion.

There were still several sheets of parchment left and Gregor took the pen in his hand again, but this time he started to draw out the design of a ballista. Vikus had never gotten back to him on they had the plans for one or not. Gregor took it upon himself to draw up the relatively simple design. He had built one for his science class when he was 16 - albeit much smaller than the size these would be - and he knew the concept like the back of his hand. The arms were attached to twisted coils of rope or sinew. A bow string was strung between both arms, and it was attached to a device that could be cranked back with a wheel. The bolt was almost as long as the entire device and was tipped with a sharpened barbed arrow for easy penetration.

Gregor sat back and placed the pen down. The design was perfect. He had drawn the full balista and each individual piece, labeling each with what it was and what it did. This should allow the humans easy ability to build a few of them for the protection of Regalia's walls. Gregor drank down his tea, finishing his fifth or sixth cup by then. There was enough left in the pot for one more cup. Gregor poured it and drank the cup down without thinking.

The door to the archives opened suddenly and Gregor hopped out his chair. Mareth walked through the door and into the room, noticing the scattered documents on the table and the wads of paper on the floor. "Gregor, you have been here all night?"

"Yea. I couldn't sleep so I came and just did a bit of learning. There was so much that I didn't know, and still even more that I don't. I might be here more often than not while I heal up."

"How are you feeling, then? Do you still feel injured?"

"Surprisingly no. My head feels very good and my side barely hurts at all. Maybe it was the tea I drank all night," Gregor said and then started to laugh. Mareth joined him with a hearty chuckle.

"That is good to hear. Come, I was sent to bring you to breakfast."

The dining room was more full than Gregor had seen in quite a while. With him and Mareth taking their seats almost every chair was filled. Luxa, Vikus, Eisen, York, Susannah, howard, Perdita, Hazard, and Margaret were already seated around the table. Gregor smile at Luxa before turning his gaze to his sister. He had been more worried about Luxa and had completely forgotten about her when he was in the hospital. It had been ages since they had seen each other. With all his training he had been up before her and then being in the hospital had just made it longer.

"It is good to see you, Gregor. It has been a long time," York said from down the table. "How fares your head?"

"I feel back to normal actually. Yesterday I could barely walk with it, but today I feel like I could train for hours. Really feeling good," Gregor replied catching the odd looks from Howard and Susannah. "Is that not supposed to have happened?"

"It seems odd, yes," Howard replied before climbing from his chair and walking around the table to Gregor's side. "Does it hurt if I touch it?" he asked as he laid his palm on Gregors head wound.

"Nope. All I feel is your hand."

"Very strange. We will have to look into this later. You should not have been this well this soon." Howard said as he resumed his seat next to his father. That's when Gregor realized something was odd about the table. There was someone missing in the empty chair next to Susannah. Before he could ask about it the food was brought in for them. Gregor didn't look at it much, but just ate it.

"Where is Stellovet?" Gregor asked as he swallowed his food. The question seemed to come out of nowhere and stopped all of the conversations going on around the table. Everyone turned to look at Gregor.

"My daughter has been taking meals in her room recently," Susannah said, "She has been unwell the last few days."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Gregor said. It was his fault and everyone knew it including him. "I'm gonna go see her and apologize after I'm finished," Gregor promised himself. It was the only right thing to do. The room seemed to lose all its previous enjoyment and everyone sat more or less quiet as they ate. Gregor scoffed through the rest of his food, barely tasting it just so he could leave the uncomfortableness of the situation. He finished, wiped his mouth on a napkin, and left the room. He caught the worried look from Luxa, and he smiled back to let her know everything was alright.

"Gregor, wait up!" a voice yelled behind him. Margaret came running towards him and threw her arms around her brother. "You're okay?"

"Yea. Yea, Margaret I'm okay."

"I was really worried. They wouldn't let me come visit you once you had woken up. I barely was allowed to see you when they brought you back. Were you hurt that bad that no one could see you?"

"Not at all Margaret," Gregor said as he kneeled down in front of her to get more to her eye level. "I didn't follow the rules and I was punished. More or less I was in a week long timeout."

"What did you do wrong?" she asked in a whisper.

"I didn't obey a direct order and I listened to what my heart told me. It was a good thing too because if I hadn't gone and defied my orders everyone that left the palace wouldn't have returned."

"So you broke the rules for the right reason?"

"You got it. Sometimes rules need to be broken no matter the consequence. You may get in trouble, but if it was done for the right reason than the punishment is worth it." Gregor climbed to his feet and ruffled Margaret's hair. "So what have you been doing while I've been trapped in the hospital?"

"I've having a lot of fun. Hazard takes me to his lessons and I'm learning new languages and history and stuff. Its loads of fun. And then after lessons sometimes we go into the city and walk around the shops and he tells me what all the really big buildings are for. Like the three hundred foot tall ones."

"Sounds like you've been having a lot more fun than me. My routine had been train, eat, train, eat, sleep and repeat. But I have a lot of free time now. Maybe we can go walk through the city together sometime."

"Can we go now? Please, please, please." Margaret begged her brother, pulling on his arm.

"No, not now Margaret. I have something important I have to do. But I'll look into it tomorrow or the day after. Go find Hazard and do whatever it is you two have planned."

A frown creased Margaret's face, but she knew better than to argue. She ran back to the dining room and nearly ran into Luxa and Hazard as they left the room. Gregor could see her talking eagerly with both of them as he slipped away from the high hall and down towards the guest rooms.

"Stellovet. It's me, Gregor. Can I come in? I just wanna talk to you." Gregor asked through the curtain as he stood outside. It hadn't him taken him long to find her room as it was the one with a tray of food sitting half eaten in the hall. He waited for a minute, but there was no answer. There wasn't even the sound of someone inside.

"Stellovet, are you okay? Stellovet?" Gregor insisted, but there was still no answer. He took a deep breath, ready for whatever was in the room, and pushed the curtain aside. There was no trace of Stellovet in the room. He noticed the bed was disturbed and there was a shirt on the floor, but otherwise it was as if she was never there. The one thing that really stood out though was the fact that her weapons were gone.

That's when Gregor really started to worry. Where could she have gone that she would need her weapons? Susanna had said that she was not feeling well, so why would she leave? "I gotta go find her mom and see if she knows anything," Gregor thought as he darted from the room wasting no time. Breakfast had to be over which meant Susannah would be back in the hospital, hopefully. He had to be quick just in case Stellovet had done something drastic.

The quiet halls of the hospital were soon in front of him and Gregor dashed past doctors as he looked for only one he needed. Howard stepped out of a doorway and Gregor hopped around him to startled cries of alarm and concern. But he didn't stop. Susannah had to be somewhere ahead of him and he needed to talk to her. Badly. Susannah was in front of him so suddenly, Gregor had to skid his feet along the ground to stop himself without running into her.

"Gregor, what is wrong? Why were you running?" Susannah asked placing a hand on Gregor's shoulder as he panted for breath. He regained himself very quickly.

"I went by Stellovet's room because I felt I needed to talk to her. The problem was she wasn't in her room and neither were her weapons."

"What are you trying to tell me, Gregor?" she asked, the worry clear in her voice.

"I'm not sure. Can you think of any place she would go that she would need her weapons?"

"No. She would be at training, but there is no training today." The worst of Gregor's fears was instantly realized. He straightened his back and made his mind up at once.

"Luxa and Eisen need to know about this. Is there someone that can carry the message?"

"Of course. I will send a messenger. What shall I have him say?"

"He must inform Luxa and Eisen that Stellovet has gone missing and probably has left the city." Susannah bit back tears as she turned and left. Gregor turned away as well and came face to face with a stunned Howard. Howard's mouth hung slightly open and his hands hung at his side.

"Howard?"

"This is not good, Gregor. We must find her as soon as possible."

"That is imperative," Gregor said. "She is in grave danger, running away by herself. You should go and get to the tactics room. I will follow soon." Howard consented, leaving Gregor alone in the now empty hall. Gregor made his mind up that he was going to join the search no matter what, even though Eisen had restricted him to the palace. First thing to do was get his weapons.

The tactics room was full to the brim with people. Eisen was in the front issuing order when Gregor walked in. He was the last one there of course because he had taken a detour by his room to check for his blades. But there was no luck as his sword belt was no where to be found. It was as if his weapons, his lifeline had vanished.

The room was quieting down and Gregor took a seat next to Mareth and Perdita. Eisen stood in front of the room in charge of the entire search plan. He was getting last minute details told to him by a messenger who then scurried out of the room most likely with orders to give to the regular soldiers.

"We all know the reason that we are here at the moment. The discovery that Stellovet, daughter of York, has been lost. We have check all probable areas she would have been and they all are found to have not seen her. This leaves only one possible place she could have gone: anywhere. She has left the city limits and is out somewhere beyond the walls. On top of that her bond is with her. This makes the search that much more difficult and our haste that much more imperative.

"I have decided on three search parties in the air and one on the ground. Ripred you shall have the ground with whatever force you wish. If you want a squad of soldiers they are yours. If you would prefer gnawers find them."

Ripred spoke up from near the back of the room. "Why do I always get the ground? Thats always so much work."

"You run the fastest. And you will have all the food you can want when you return," Eisen replied, getting his way by enticing the rat. Ripred sat back down and was quiet except for the smacking of his lips. "Our aerial search groups will be headed in pairs. York and I will lead a group to the East, Mareth and Perdita will lead to the West, and Roderick and Queen Luxa will lead to the North. Howard, you will remain in the city ready for any direction of movement if your sister is injured. Let us get moving."

Gregor wasn't stunned that he was left out. He had expected it anyway, but it was still hurt that he was left out. Eisen had seen him enter the room and saw him sitting at the table. It was clear to Gregor that Eisen was just doing it to spite him and to show him who was boss. And Gregor didn't like it.

"Eisen!" he yelled to his commander, the anger obvious in his voice. "Why am I not included in this plan?"

"Overlander, it is obvious. You are restricted to the palace and arena. This search will take us out of the city which means you cannot come, while you are confined." The answer wasn't suitable to Gregor. This wasn't a game they were playing. His anger started to get the better of him as he pushed past a few people to get into the other man's face. Gregor grabbed Eisen by the shirt and pulled his face close.

"You think this is a game or something!" Gregor said harshly into Eisen's face, spittle flying out of his mouth. "Stellovet is out there, alone but for her bond, and there is an incredible chance she could be attacked or taken prisoner or who knows what! And yet you are gonna leave behind your best fighter, a person you once said that you would come to during times of strife for assistance and help! If you want my word of advice, give me my weapons and let me get my ass out there and find Stellovet before something else does!" Gregor released Eisen and spun away the rare flash of rage in his eyes. He shook his head and muttered a few silent curses at himself. He had just taken the wrong approach to the situation. This is how he would end up with his ass sitting in a damp dungeon cell with little food.

"You are right overlander." Eisen said, wiping the spit off his face before turning to a soldier as he left. "Bring the overlander his weapons and call his flier. He will need them." The soldier consented and Eisen turned back to Gregor. "You will be with Luxa. Tell Roderick to join with Ripred. And one other thing. Never touch me again or I may take your hand and keep it as a souvenir." With that Eisen was gone out the door, his own anger obvious in his vicious stride.

Gregor followed and headed straight to the high hall. Waiting for him was the soldier Eisen had sent out and he was holding Gregor's sword belt and weapons in his hands. Gregor took them in stride and strapped the belt on without missing a step. He strode straight over to Luxa and Roderick who were talking in quiet conversation.

"Roderick, Eisen has asked me to inform you that you are now joining Ripred on the ground search." Roderick stared at him for a second reading Gregor's look, which was far from his friendly demeanor. Gregor was wearing a scowl and his eyes seemed to be radiating anger for some reason.

"Who is going with the queen then?"

"I am." Roderick nodded in consent and left Gregor and Luxa. Gregor turned to Luxa and felt a soft breeze as Artemese landed next to him. Luxa was looking into Gregor's eyes, her face showing deep concern. Gregor lowered his angry demeanor and let his face grow back to its normal self.

Hidden from view, Luxa wrapped her arms around Gregor's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "How did you manage to convince eisen to let you come. I could not sway his stubborn head."

"I just used a little charm. I grabbed him by the shirt and told him that if I didn't come it would be a dumb move on his part. Also, helped I was more or less yelling and looked like I would tear his throat out."

"He will not forget that."

"I know." Gregor gave Luxa a quick kiss and they broke apart. Aurora and Artemese both moved out of the way and broke off their fake conversation that they were using to screen Luxa and Gregor. A signal told them to mount up and thirteen people mounted their bats. A second signal sent them out over the city. Seconds later fifty armed soldiers rose up behind them and they were off on their search.

This chapter was kinda all over the place, but I'm trying to flesh out Gregor's life and thoughts. The action and story should be picking up next time and there should be a more streamlined less jumping all over the place plot line. Drop me some reviews guys and tell me what you think.

Question: What do you think is going to happen next? (such a generic question lol)