Oh boy guys. I am back after what I feel was an eternity. I have had so much stuff going on that I just haven't had much time to write. Basically I would try to write and get interrupted or I was just to busy to even open my computer and try to write. Finally got the time tonight and wrote the rest. This is such a big chapter that I just hope I got it right and you guys like it. One last thing: Please don't beg me to update faster and ask me why it is taking me so long. I am a person and I do have a life other than writing. School is starting in less than a week and I'm finishing up last minute Summer Assignments and doing shopping and stuff. I'm writing at a pace that actually benefits the story because I can actually put more effort into each chapter and make sure it flows right. So for my sake, just don't ask that stuff.

Rant over. Read and Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Gregor just wanted to sit in the dark, to not see anything for once. The sound of the wounded moans and screams of the dying were bad enough. Most people could just close their eyes to stop them from seeing it, but Gregor couldn't even have that. The wall was cold and the hall was filled with bustling nurses and helpers, carrying wounded to the doctors to try to save their lives.

Gregor had already been though a quick inspection to clean any wounds he had. Besides a minor scratch on his shoulder he was fine; he didn't even let the doctor patch it up. He just repeated a famous line from Monty Python, "It's just a flesh wound." The doctor shrugged him out of the room and received a much worse case. In the quick glimpse Gregor got, he saw a man with a missing arm, a massive stomach wound that had his guts spilling out of it, and his leg was flattened, the bone probably turned to dust.

Now he was waiting. That was all he was allowed to do. Eisen had sent him back to Regalia while he and Ripred took a small scouting party after the stingers. The move had infuriated him more than he already had been. He had yelled, argued, and put up a tantrum to rival the best of a two year old. It had only made Eisen's decision more concrete. Gregor was not in the emotional state for rational reasoning and planning. He was racked with worry and the mentality to slaughter every stinger he saw.

And that was his thoughts. It would be him to kill every single one of them when the time came. He would kill the massive creature and the human man who had been advising it. Advising? No, the human was the leader. The human was the one who ordered the stingers to attack them. And it was him that had caused Luxa to be where she was right then: in a hospital room surrounded by doctors trying to save her life.

She was already in the operating room when Gregor had returned. It had been hours since and there had been no news sent to him. And he had found that trying to ask was futile. Doctors were too busy to even notice Gregor and his words seemed to fly past their heads as they darted from patient to patient, finding the most wounded of the bunch. According to one doctor there were over fifty wounded men, many of which were not going to survive. That would just add to the death count. If they weren't wounded, they were dead. Not a single man or woman had left the battle without some kind of wound. If they had they had stayed with Eisen and Ripred, and those two had wounds of their own.

Pounding feet came screaming towards Gregor at breakneck speed. Gregor was on his feet in an instant and he saw Hazard dashing through the hubbub in the hall. He slid to a stop right in front of Gregor, his cheeks red, his breathing heavy, and his face covered in sweat. The boy had his hands on his knees and he slumped forward sucking in air.

"What is it Hazard?" Gregor asked getting down on Hazard's level. Hazard looked at him and blinked sweat out of his eyes. He sucked in one huge breath of air before standing back up to full height. And then a deluge erupted from his mouth.

"Where is Luxa? I need to see her. Is she alright? I have not seen her and have not been told anything. Do you know anything, Gregor? How is she doing?"

"Slow down, slow down." Gregor said throwing his hands up to the younger boy. Hazard slowed his questions down and eventually closed his mouth to let Gregor try to answer all that he had asked.

"Hazard, I know about as much as you do. Not a single, tiny bit of information has been told to me. I know she is in some kinda operating room somewhere, but other than that I have no clue what's happening."

"Oh. So is that why you were sitting?"

"You got it. Just waiting and thinking and hoping. I have a lot of stuff on my mind."

"I am sure. Can I sit with you? We can wait and hope together."

"Be my guest as long as you don't mind moaning, the occasional scream, and the smell of blood." Gregor sat back against the wall and Hazard sank down next to him. The company was nice, but it was hardly something that Gregor truly noticed. As soon as he had stopped talking, his brain had started to think again. Thinking about Luxa, thinking about how he would get the chance to kill as many of the stingers as he could and kill their vile leader. Another thought popped into his head.

When were the stingers going to attack Regalia in force? The yellow legs had hardly done much but send small expedition groups out. The one they had just faced was large, but not something to assault a walled city with. They would attack in the hundreds and swarm the walls. But that was who knows how long away and there was still time to plan and strategize. There was the ever vital part of having the stingers to assist them in any way when battle came. Besides Truxin and a few others, they were all waiting out in caves around Regalia for when the time came. Gnawers were stationed nearby on top of that. For now they were safe but how long would that last?

Twice they had fought skirmishes with the stingers and twice they had won. But the victories held very little joy or hope. The number of casualties was so large for the outcomes that it wasn't worth it. People were dying in chunks and the number of critical wounds was off the charts. If a soldier survived it was often without an arm or a leg at the least. People came back paralyzed, their spines crushed and broken. The scenes were worse than anything he had seen before. He just wanted to close himself from it, but he couldn't. He kept hearing screams and moans, kept smelling blood and bile, kept seeing the wounded carried passed even with his eyes closed as tight as he could manage. If it was this bad now, how bad would it be when a stinger army marched on Regalia? How many soldiers would die or be maimed forever? How many innocents would be slaughtered?

"Gregor, Hazard." A soft and tired voice broke the monotony of moans and doctors shouting. Gregor wrenched his eyes open and looked in the direction the voice came from. Hazard was already on his feet, ready for whatever was going to happen. The younger boy pulled on Gregor's arm and Gregor got off the floor reluctantly.

Susannah was standing just a few feet away from them, her arms a dull brown from the dried blood that covered them. It was obvious she had just come out of operating on someone. Her hair was tied back out of her face and Gregor could see the weariness in the lines on her face. She took a few steps closer to them and motioned for them to follow.

"It is too chaotic here. We shall go to somewhere more private to talk." a sinking feeling filled Gregor's stomach. Private talks could mean many things. It could mean that Susannah didn't want to be interrupted or it could be that there was a lot to discuss or it could be news that didn't need to get out to everyone. News like Luxa didn't make it. Gregor's mind focused on the last one. The worst one. It was what he had feared and now that he had let himself think it he couldn't get it out of his head.

Susannah led them to an empty room that had a table and chairs and a set of bunk beds. She motioned for Gregor and Hazard to sit at the table while she went to the back and cleansed her hands in a basin of water. She scrubbed for several minutes trying to get the worst of the dried blood off her hands. When she came to the table it was still obvious that it was there.

"I can tell you have been waiting for news on my niece." Gregor opened his mouth to reply, but she cast him a quick look and he promptly closed it. "I will tell you everything and then you may ask me questions. Is that clear?" Both Gregor and Hazard nodded.

"Good. I shall begin with her condition. Luxa is asleep at the moment and she shall live. Her body is very weak and will be for some time. She will need to rest and recover for the next few weeks. Her wound was quite severe as I am sure you know. The blade that pierced her caused severe bleeding and injured several major organs. It opened wounds in her intestine and other organs that we had to close.

"Because of the amount of blood she lost we had to give blood to her. We were lucky that my husband had stayed in the palace and not joined on the search because he was one of the few with compatible blood to Luxa's. The only other was Nerissa and she is much too weak to give any amount of blood.

"I will allow you both to visit her while she sleeps but only for a few minutes. It is best that she rest. When she wakens I will summon you both to come see her. Do you have anything to ask of me?"

Gregor sat quiet as he absorbed all the information. There wasn't much to really think about other than the fact that she would live. She was going to be alright and that made Gregor smile. "So, she'll be perfectly fine in a few weeks?"

"That is the hope. She should heal and be, as you say fine, in only a few weeks if not faster."

Gregor looked at hazard who had a small tear in the corner of his eye. It was harder on Hazard than on Gregor because Luxa had been the one to raise him and be his family for the last six years. If she hadn't been okay, his family would be almost completely gone and he would have no one.

"I have one request." The words sprang from Gregor's mouth without him really thinking.

"And what is that?" Susannah replied with an odd look in her eyes.

"I want to be there when Luxa wakes up. I want the first thing she sees to be me."

Susannah sat quietly, studying Gregor's face. Her eyes moved across his face and looked into his eyes looking for a reason. And then he saw her eyes grow wide with realization. She had seen all she needed.

"I will allow that then, Gregor. I am sure my niece will like that."

"Thank you. Can we go see her now?" Susannah nodded and stood from her chair, leading Gregor and Hazard from the room. They moved down the hall passed more wounded soldiers and the doctors tending them. She turned down a small corridor and into the first door on the left. There was a stone door instead of a curtain for this room to give the occupant more privacy. On the bed inside lay Luxa, asleep in a white gown tucked under the sheets on the bed. Susannah checked the bandages and satisfied left the two boys telling them she would check on them soon.

There was only one chair in the room, so Gregor let Hazard take it while he sat on the floor next to Luxa's bed. He took her hand in his and held onto it, just feeling it in his hand was comforting to him. And now all he could do was wait for her to wake. Gregor sat on the floor Luxa's hand held tightly within his own

Gregor jerked awake for the tenth time. He had been sitting with Luxa for hours and hours. Susannah had come and checked on her over a dozen times and had suggested for him to go and get some sleep of his own, but he refused to leave. He was going to stay with Luxa until he saw her eyes open and her face smile. To find out how she felt from her own mouth. And he would wait as long as possible.

As he looked around the room he realized just how quiet and empty it was. Hazard had left hours ago to attend lessons or sleep or whatever it was he did. Now it was just him and Luxa and the only noise was the quietest of breathing. There was no sound coming in through the door. The commotion of the hospital was gone and the hall seemed to be silent.

He rubbed the weariness from his eyes and pulled himself off the ground and over to the empty chair. The stone was cool but comfortable. It was much better than sitting awkwardly on the floor for so long. Luxa's hand had fallen from his grasp while he had been dozing and Gregor picked it gently back up in his own. His thumb stroked the back of her hand and he watched as she slowly took in each breath at the same rate. She had showed no sign of pain or discomfort from her wound.

Suddenly, she jerked in her sleep and a small whimper left her lips. Gregor was on his feet in an instant and he didn't notice the chair go flying away behind him. He held Luxa's hand tightly within both of his own and sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her face. She was muttering words and her body was tossing and turning. Gregor leaned next to her ear.

"It's okay Luxa. You're alright. It's all okay," Gregor whispered quietly to her. The words seemed to affect her and she slowly stopped squirming. Her body lay still again but her mouth still formed words.

"Gregor… Where… How?" The words were nearly inaudible, but Gregor heard every one of them. He planted a kiss on her brow and brushed her hair out of her face. Involuntarily he squeezed her hand slightly.

"I'm right here Luxa. I'll always be right by your side."

Hours ticked by and Luxa still stayed asleep. Gregor had heard her muttering incoherent phrases from time to time, but it didn't concern him or Susannah. Apparently it was common for someone who was in a state such as her. Gregor mind drifted to the many times he was in the same situation as her. Had she sat like him, by his bedside waiting for him to wake up? Of course not! At least at the beginning. She may have after his fight with the bane. He remembered waking up and seeing her there with him. That was why he wanted to do the same for her.

Luxa tossed to the side again and then lay still for a moment. Gregor suddenly felt her pulse increase and he heard a quick intake of breath. Luxa shot straight up, her face showing confusion and worry.

"Gregor? Gregor! Where am I? What has happened? Why are you here?" The questions came heavy and fast and everytime Gregor opened his mouth to answer another question was already being asked. He could see where Hazard had gotten it from.

"Luxa. Calm down and breath," Gregor said and Luxa stopped her flow of questions and took a deep breath. She winced and dropped her head back onto the pillow.

"Ouch. What happened to me?"

"Do you not remember?"

"The last I remember was being knocked into the air. Everything since is black. Why does my lower stomach burn?" Luxa seemed quite distressed.

"Everything is alright Luxa. When you were hit by that stinger, Stellovet's blade broke and it impaled you. The doctor's fixed you up and you'll fully recover." Gregor explained in a soothing voice. Luxa felt her hand in his then and squeezed his hand like she never wanted to let go.

"I now know how it feels to be like you, Gregor. And you know how it feels to be me. How often have you been unconscious in a room much like this one?"

"I would say it is too many to count, Lux. Too many to count," Gregor replied with a small smile. She would have a terrible scar from the injury, but for her it was one of few. Gregor had too many to count. Just like the number of times he had been in the hospital.

"I am surprised that you are here. I would have believed you to be out attacking the stingers and searching for the stingers. Why are you not?"

"Eisen sent me back. Said I was too emotional and unsteady to be of much use. And he was pretty much right." Gregor answered with a slight frown. He should be out there, but he had let his personal feelings get the best of him.

"What did you do?"

"I- well I umm- kinda screamed I was going to kill all the stingers and when he told me I was coming back I basically chewed his head off and argued with him."

"What do you mean by 'chewed his head off'?"

"I basically yelled at him for about four whole minutes without thinking about what I was saying."

"I assume you are glad you are here so we could talk like this," Luxa replied with a small smirk. She knew Gregor and while he seemed happy and content, he was actually planning something.

"Yea. But I am leaving. I promised myself I would kill all of those damn bugs so no one else has to worry like I did."

"Gregor, that is dumb. You have no reason for vengeance at the current moment. I have not died and I am here. I do believe you killed the stinger that injured me?"

"Yea, I did…" Gregor answered with a bit of confusion on what Luxa was trying to get at.

"Then there is nothing left to get revenge on. You have already done it. When you were injured I never endangered myself to try to kill anything that had injured you."

"But you couldn't anyway. I had already killed everything that seriously injured me before I was brought back."

"But even if I could I would not. There would be no reason to risk my life on a futile mission." Luxa took both of Gregor's hands in her own. "Gregor, you have done enough. I am well enough now and there will be plenty of time to battle the stingers later. I am sure Ripred and Eisen are searching for my cousin at the very moment and will be quite successful with or without you. Just stay in the palace and be here for me should I need you."

Gregor squeezed both her hands and let go. He muttered some words about getting Susannah to come and look in on her now that she was awake. In reality he just wanted to get out and think about what she said. She didn't want him to run out and get revenge, but to stay with her. To be with her while she recovered. If she wanted him to do it he would. The stingers will always be there to fight, but Luxa was only in need of Gregor in such a way only a few times. And he would be there for her.

While in his thoughts he bumped into Susannah. Literally. He collided with the doctor and nearly sent her sprawling to the floor. He stammered out quick apologies, but Susannah waved them away.

"I assume my niece has awoken and you and her have talked about something that is occupying your mind?" Gregor nodded an answer and Susannah walked passed him with a sigh. A rumbling filled the hall and Gregor realized just how hungry he was. Not eating anything for probably a day or so could do that to you. He left the hospital, figuring that Susannah would give Luxa some medication and advise her to rest. She would be sleeping for a while which left Gregor time to find something to eat, figure out what was happening with Eisen and Ripred, and perhaps take a bath. He had just noticed how badly his clothes smelt and how bad he smelt. He had changed out of his bloody clothes when he had returned to the palace, but had skipped out on the bath. The clothes he was wearing were carrying an odd odor from who knows where.

Gregor was having a knack of getting lost in his thoughts and running into people. As he thought of what his clothes smelled like, he strolled right into Mareth's back. For the second time in less than ten minutes Gregor was stammering out apologies again.

Mareth was laughing. "It is okay, Gregor. I was actually about to go and look for you. Perdita wishes to see you in the Tactics room and like normal she sends me to find you. You have done me a favor by finding me."

Gregor joined his friend and the two laughed together as they started off down the hall. And then he asked, "Would it be possible to have some food sent as well?"

When Gregor walked into the tactics room there were two carts of warm food sitting against the wall. Gregor took it upon himself to investigate the carts. Fish and vegetables, beef and what he thought were potatoes, shrimp cooked so many ways Gregor could barely tell how many. He was so occupied by the food that he hadn't even noticed the sole occupant of the room.

"Excuse me Gregor," Perdita spoke up from behind the long table. Gregor spun around, a roll in his mouth. Perdita shook her head before continuing. "Thank you.

"I have asked you here Gregor because I am in need of your help. With Eisen and Ripred still away from the city, I am left with just Mareth to assist me. Though you may not be of a rank that usually gets these privileges, I am asking you to be here to assist me with planning the defense of Regalia. You have the intellect to be able to do well as long as you apply yourself. Do not let me down.

"Also, I am afraid you will either be walking through Regalia or taking a different flier. This-"

"Wait what?" Gregor said, cutting off Perdita's sentence. "Has something happened to Artemese?"

"Nothing has happened to him, Gregor. I need you here and cannot risk you running off. Queen Athena has ordered him back for the time just so I can have a more reliable flier to make sure you do not run from the city."

Gregor felt bad for Artemese. It was his fault entirely that the bat had to leave the city. He was a well-liked flier and it was a shame to see him have to leave. And of course it was because of his track record for running off without a warning of any kind. At least Perdita was nice enough to not throw him in the dungeon to keep him from fleeing.

"I understand. I do not plan on leaving though. The stingers will get their due when the time comes. I have other obligations here. I will assist you in everyway I can, Perdita."

"That is good news. Your first task will be to explain to me this ballista." She was holding up his blueprint for how to make and assemble a powerful ballista. The ones he had drawn in the library. Gregor approached the table with a plate full of food and stood next to Perdita pointing out each piece and how it worked exactly.

"So this hooks onto the string and when it is drawn back it can be released with this lever?" Perdita asked as Gregor motioned his hand over the wheel that drew back the firing apparatus and the lever that released it.

"That is correct."

"Where does the power come from?"

"These coils right here," Gregor said pointing with another roll in his hand. "When the crank draws back the string, it flexes the arm which in turn tightens the coils here. When it is released there is even more power than just a simple bow arm. There is added spring to it. It's called torsion."

"Does this make it a very strong weapon?" Perdita asked. This was the first time Gregor had ever seen her ask so many questions.

"Yes. The bolt it fires can pierce through several inches of rock and even pierce through a couple inches of steel. These should be able to easily kill a stinger or a gnawer or whatever else there is to kill whenever a time might come."

"Good. I will have our smiths start working on making the parts to your specifications." A servant was sent out with copied directions on how to make each part and the size of each one. It already made Gregor feel like he was helping. Ballistae were simple but deadly weapons when in the right hands. If they mounted them on the wall they would be able to kill dozens of stingers. Even with just three or four.

"I forgot to ask you, how is Luxa?" Mareth spoke up from the other side of the room. Gregor raised his head and looked over at his friend. He felt Perdita looking at him as well. They were both obviously worried and concerned about her.

"She is doing fine. Before I left, she had just woken up and we talked for a bit. I'm not sure what she is doing now, but I can guess that she was given some meds and is fast asleep again."

"That is wonderful news. We were all worried about her when we found out what happened. How are you Gregor?" Perdita asked the question almost as if it was an afterthought.

"I'm fine. Then again I'm not the one that had a piece of sword impale me."

"I meant in more of an emotional way. I had a report tell me that you were very eager to chase after the stingers. I can understand why. We all know how you feel for Luxa. You are managing?"

Yea. Yea, I'm managing. I know she is okay, and I'm staying here to be able to be near her while she recovers. I was only concerned at first because I didn't know how bad it was."

"That is understandable Gregor," Mareth said. "I was concerned myself when I heard the news. I have known our queen for many years."

"Yea." The conversation was getting a bit more personal than Gregor wanted. "If I am not needed anymore, I think I'm gonna go take a bath and then get some proper sleep."

"You are free to go, Gregor. I will send for you the next time I am in need of your assistance." Gregor left the room, but as he was walking away he overheard Mareth. "He is a good boy, is he not?"

"No Mareth, he is a man," Perdita replied. Gregor heard no more as he left the hall and turned back towards his room and the bath he used. Perdita's words while simple seemed to resonate with him. He wasn't the little boy he was six years ago. He was a man, an adult by both overland and underland law. He had done things many men would have dreamed of and things most men would fear forever. He was a man and not just a boy anymore.

The bath had rejuvenated Gregor's overused and exhausted muscles. He hadn't realized just how taxed he was until he had sunk his nude body into the warm flowing water. Dirt and grime that he hadn't noticed washed away in the current and he felt himself regaining his usual composure and appearance. After a battle and the wait for information he had grown unkempt. His hair was in need of a cut for one thing, which also would help it from sticking together and knotting when it was full of blood. That had taken him the longest to clean.

His room seemed odd to him. It had been over a week maybe even two weeks since he had slept in there. The bed was neatly made and the room was clean of dust. He opened the drawer to make sure everything was there and was shocked to see not just one bag of money but six. Gregor shook his head closed the drawer and took off his sword belt. He leaned his sword up against his bed and dropped onto the hardly used padding. His head hit the pillow, his eyes close, and he was out for the count. Soft snores were all that could be heard from Gregor's room.

Well that went surprisingly well. Now I just gotta figure out what to do for the next chapter. Anyway guys leave a review for me and tell me what you think.

Question: How will Gregor use his new opportunity as Perdita's go to guy?