Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome back to Terror of the Underland. I really appreciate all of the support I'm getting from everyone. Lot's of views and visitors and I really love it all. But I gotta say that I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of reviews. There are those few that post them for almost every chapter and I really love to read them. The only problem is I don't get enough. And I know that sounds greedy, but if you think about it it really isn't. I spend hours of my time writing these chapters for you guys to read and I love writing them. It is a good way to waste some time and keep myself busy. Plus I love writing. But what incentive do I have to keep writing. I don't get paid for this, so I'm literally writing this for you guys to read. I feel that asking for what you guys feel is fair and asking for feedback is even more fair. It's a trade off. I write these chapters and you guys give me a few extra moments of your time to drop just a few words. A It's great or I loved this part really make my day. I love to see what you guys have to say and otherwise I don't really know what propels me forward to keep writing. I'll finish this story no matter what, but after that I don't know. Rant over.

Anyway here is chapter 26. We pick up just a bit after chapter 25. Enjoy!

Chapter 26

He could feel the tug on his skin like someone was trying to skin him alive by pulling his skin off. It was uncomfortable but entirely necessary. Susannah was removing the sutures that held his back injury together. She had deemed it healed and had gotten right to work. She cut each stitch with a small pair of scissors and then tugged them out with a large pair of tweezers. Not something he wanted to look at. Each stitch was almost part of him and his skin had healed around the stitches almost to the point where they couldn't come out.

Gregor moaned as a particularly stubborn stitch was yanked out. He could hear snickering from Susannah who seemed to really be enjoying herself as she went about her work. "At least she's quick about it," Gregor thought as he winced, feeling the strand slide through his skin. Sometime later and after more wincing and the not to occasional curse, Susannah was wiping the little blood from his back and placing new bandages over the new skin, both to protect it and to help the tiny stitch holes to heal faster.

"Okay, Gregor not too much bending now. The skin is still raw and new, so it is possible that it could break easily. Take it slow with your side as well. I believe my niece has sent for you to report to the royal chambers. She has need to see you. Then she turned and walked out the room, giving Gregor a bit of privacy. There was a change of clothes sitting on the table and he picked them up, stripping out of the ones he was wearing. Gingerly he slid on the underwear making sure not to move to fast. He heard the curtain rustle and a squawk of embarrassment. He quickly pulled the underwear over his bare butt.

"I have clothes on. Come in," Gregor said to whomever it was at the door. He waited a moment and nobody poked their head in or anything. He threw the rest of his clothes on and walked over to the curtain. He stuck his head out and saw to his surprise, Hazard sitting against the wall on the far side of the hall, his head between his knees, laughing hysterically.

"Oh, so it was you who poked their head in on me," Gregor said accusatory. Hazard looked up trying to keep himself under control, but the look on Gregor's face of mock anger sent the teen into further peals of laughter. Gregor's job accomplished, he proceeded to scoop the boy up onto his feet and wait for him to get himself under control. With the last laughs leaving Hazard, Gregor spoke.

"Was my bare ass really that funny?" he shot at his young friend.

"Yes, it very much so was. It was so white," Hazard started to chuckle again. Something cuffed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"My butt isn't funny. What did you want anyway?"

"Luxa wanted me to see what was taking so long. She needs to see you very urgently and she was getting impatient," Hazard replied.

"She couldn't come herself?" Gregor asked as the two started to walk out of the hospital wing. She would have just walked in on him not a care in the world about his white ass.

"Oh no. She is not in any condition to come down here. I am fairly certain she isn't even dressed," Hazard said matter-of-factly. That took Gregor by surprise. He looked at the young halflander, but his face was clear of any jokes.

"And why would she be naked?" Gregor asked.

"She is trying to find a proper dress to wear to your celebration tonight. I am certain she wants your assistance on picking one out." Gregor couldn't help but chuckle. Of course she needed his help to pick out a dress. But what help he would be he had no idea. The one thing he was no good at was fashion. He never had any kind of idea what to wear and what looked good with what.

It wasn't long before they were standing outside Luxa's chambers. Hazard gestured towards the door and ushered Gregor towards them. Then he scurried away back down the hall. Gregor shook his head in astonishment. "This is going to be interesting," he thought as he pushed one of the doors open.

"I thought I told you to go away!" Luxa shouted from further in her chambers. "You couldn't do the job you were asked to do! Why do you return?!" Her head came around the corner from her bedroom, her eyes burning with anger. Gregor was standing stock still, his back pressed against the door, waiting. Luxa just stared at him blankly for a second and then her face softened. She stepped out fully from the door. To his surprise she was wearing what he presumed was a slip. Luxa ran to him on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips pressed to his and he was pinned fully to the door. She broke away from him, catching her breath.

"Gregor, I am so happy to see you. You look well today," she said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her room.

"Careful, Luxa. Gotta watch my back. It's still tender," Gregor said laughing the whole time. "Who did you think I was anyway?"

"Just some silly servant I had asked to help me pick out a dress. She was not very good at it. But you will be perfect. Come, we will start right away." Gregor was pulled into her room and all he saw was chaos. Dresses were everywhere and each one was a different color. Purples and yellows and greens and blues. His head started to spin as Luxa let go of his hand and waded into the dresses. "I can see why no one's been able to help her," Gregor muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Gregor?" Luxa called from behind a stack of dresses.

"Umm, just that there are so many beautiful dresses that I don't know which one to pick," Gregor replied, burying his head in his hands to keep all of the color out of his eyes. He could hear Luxa shuffling through the material and then her struggling with something.

"Gregor, can you assist me?" she again called. Gregor pushed himself up from where he had sat down. He brushed away dresses to find Luxa standing in one. Or trying to. She was having problems getting the dress on. Gregor had to fight off laughter as he looked at Luxa trying to pull the dress on.

"Here Lux. Let me help," Gregor said, biting his cheek to stop the laughs. He pulled the dress up her body and helped her put her arms through the long sleeves. The material flowed past her hands and draped down to the floor. He buttoned the two buttons on the back and fixed the skirt. He had done this only once before, but his mother had drilled into his head how to make sure the dress looked right. He never thought he would need to use it, but like normal he was proven wrong.

"Luxa walked, more like glided, to the long mirror that hung on the wall. The dress was a soft, light blue. It seemed to sparkle on her as if there were shiny things in the material. The skirt fell away from her legs, but it still was tight enough to show off her shape. But what Gregor loved most of all was that she was smiling.

"Do I look good?" Luxa said quietly, her eyes finding Gregor's in the mirror. He smiled his goofy smile and nodded his head.

"You look fantastic. The most beautiful thing I have ever seen." Something shiny caught his eye next to the mirror and he walked over. There was a Necklace sitting on the vanity there. He picked up the delicate chain in his hands and looked at it. The stone on the end was purple. The exact purple of Luxa's eyes. The strange thing was he had never seen her wear it.

He felt her looking at him and when he turned around he saw that her happy face had dipped away into a sad one. His hands placed the necklace carefully back down and he wrapped his arms around Luxa. He couldn't figure out what had caused her to suddenly become so sad, but he held her nonetheless to let her know he was there.

"It was my mother's," Luxa whispered against his chest. And then it all made sense. The necklace was her mother's. The memories that had to bring back every time she looked at it, thought about it, touched it. He had no idea what it was when he had picked it up.

"Why don't you wear it?" Gregor whispered back to her, holding her closer if that was even possible.

"I cannot. It is too hard. The memories of her wearing it still come to my mind when I pick it up. Maybe someday I will, but today I will not."

"Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't know." Luxa pushed away from him her smile back on her face. The seriousness of the last few moments had suddenly flowed out of the room and all that was left were two teenagers who deeply cared for each other. Luxa pranced around the piles of dresses trying to impress Gregor. Gregor faked astonishment to what Luxa was doing. They were having fun for the first time in a long time. And then Gregor picked up her crown. Luxa calmed down and stood in front of the mirror again. The gold circlet felt like it weighed a ton in his hands as he lowered it down on her head. She corrected it slightly so it sat better on her head. Her long metallic blonde hair flowed out behind it and Gregor saw that she looked every part the queen she was. The room was silent as they both looked at her in the mirror.

"Wow," Gregor said breaking the silence. Luxa shot him a look and he just smiled.

"Come. You must dress. Your clothes shall match my dress," Luxa said pushing Gregor to the far corner of the room where there was a pile of clothes. In her usual quickness, Luxa found the outfit that matched her dress and laid it out for him. Gregor picked up the tunic and Luxa turned away to give him some privacy.

"Luxa," Gregor said embarrassed. She stopped and looked at him. "Can you help me out with this. Howard told me not to stretch too much and getting this on by myself isn't easy." Luxa came to her loves aid and helped him gingerly get the Tunic on. Gregor felt like a little kid who couldn't dress himself, but he would rather feel that way then make his injury worse.

When he looked at himself in the mirror minutes later he thought he looked pretty good. The blue tunic indeed matched Luxa's dress and when it was paired with gray pants it looked nice. He had found his sword belt there as well and was pleased to see that it really made the outfit look nice. The last thing he had to do was lace up his boots and he was all set to go.

Luxa sat waiting for him on one of the couches. He helped her up and offered her his arm. She looped hers through his and the walked out of her chambers. She lead him through the halls and after some time they started to see more people, many dressed nice like them. Gregor could feel the butterflies start to flutter in his stomach. He hated things like this.

Luxa turned into a large room Gregor had never seen before. There were rows of seats and many of them were full already. He looked around at all the faces. Many of them were scarred and weary. They were the faces of soldiers. Soldiers of the present and the past sat in the rows ready to watch their comrade be honored. He felt the butterflies start to flutter more.

"Gregor, your seat is up front. I will join you in a moment," Luxa said quietly to him as she released his arm and walked off into the crowd of people. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath as he walked to the front. He noticed heads turn to him as he walked past and felt the eyes on his back. And he heard the talking. "The warrior… He is the best… There is nobody better… He looks much different than I expected."

The words permeated the air, but he pushed them away. For every good thing he heard, there was a bad thing that followed. Even though he heard them, the words didn't seem to have an effect on him. His thoughts were on the more important things like keeping his stomach from erupting. He could compete in front of crowds, but he never had been able to stomach going on stage in front of people for anything. He could see in his mind the scene from his sophomore year of high school, nearly fainting at an awards ceremony. Just too many people.

At the very front he stopped and looked around but there wasn't a single sign on where exactly he was supposed to sit. He spun around hoping to see someone he knew who could help him. All around him were people, but not a single one of them he knew. Yeah, he recognized some of them from training or from other places, but that meant little for his current dilemma.

"Gregor," someone said from behind him. He spun around to find Mareth standing just a few feet behind him. "You are lost?"

"Not really lost. More like confused. Where am I sitting exactly?" Mareth looked at him for a second, his eyes wide, and then he started to chuckle. He took the few steps to Gregor and wrapped him in a big bear hug. "Mareth... Can you not... squeeze so hard? My…side," Gregor stammered out as he felt his shift under his friend's strong arms. Mareth placed him down and looked at his friend with concern.

"I forgot about your injuries. I did not hurt you?" Gregor shook his head, lucky that his stitches were still in his side. "Good!" Mareth boomed before pointing Gregor to his seat. It was the second one from the end, the seat on the end for Luxa. Mareth left him though as he was supposed to be part of the ceremony. Gregor sat alone listening to the noise around him. York came by and shook his hand, nearly crushing it. Howard and Susannah came by as well, going to their seats on the other side of the aisle. They were taking time off from the hospital specially for him. Finally Luxa came and sat down next to him. Her eyes did not seem to have the same life in them that he had seen before. She looked worn out.

"You okay?" Gregor whispered to her. There was a smile on her face, but he knew she didn't really mean it. He could see it in her eyes.

"Of course, Gregor. I am very excited for you," said Luxa smiling. Gregor knew that this smile was a real smile. His hand rested on top of hers for a moment. And then something came to his mind.

"Aren't you supposed to have some kinda grand entrance?" She was the queen after all. Shouldn't she be walking in with horns blaring her royalty to the world- make that underworld- to hear.

"Not today. This is all military and to the military am I just another soldier. A soldier that they cannot let die." Luxa smirked and winked at him. "Today I get to watch my love get what he rightfully deserves." Trumpets blared from the back of the room marking the beginning of the ceremony. Gregor expected a standard to come marching down the aisle, followed with him standing to say the Pledge of Allegiance. But of course they weren't in the overland. There were no standards. No banners. No pledge. The horns blared and all that came were people. Three people to be exact.

Mareth came first, limping with his prosthetic, but still making it down the aisle with poise. As he walked past Gregor he shot him as smile and a small nod, before he took his place on the stage. Eisen followed next, dressed in full heavy armor, he looked every part a knight. He had a red cape draped from one shoulder and his red tunic stood apart from the shiny steel of his armor. He didn't even acknowledge Gregor as he walked past, but he nodded to Luxa as he took the stage. Gregor's eyes bore holes into him as he saw Eisen never taking his eyes from Luxa.

Perdita came last. Her attire was no different than her normal wear. But she walked down the aisle with determination and a strange sexiness to it. He shook his head realizing that he thought of one of his closest companions and friends as sexy. Especially with the girl he loved sitting right next to him.

With everyone in place the trumpeters stopped tooting their horns and the room fell silent. Perdita stood in front of the assembled, her eyes scanning the crowd. She stopped for a moment on Gregor and Luxa before moving on. Everyone was waiting for her to speak.

"We all know why we are here," Perdita began. "There is one person who we would like to acknowledge and honor for acts of bravery and courage that I have not seen myself in my career as a soldier. Gregor, as many of us know, is friend to everyone. Due to that I expected him to do no less than what he did. For those that do not know, Gregor save not just my life, but also the lives of my second in command, Eisen and several of our soldiers. But he did this in an extraordinary way. From on top of the wall he was able to reach us from a distance without the aid of a flier. He made the decision to go into battle without armor to save us. And for that we are all grateful." Perdita finished her speech to a small round of quiet applause. "Tough crowd," Gregor thought.

"Gregor, please come onto the stage so we may have the honor to honor you," said Perdita. With a deep breath he stood from his seat. He felt all the eyes on him as he took the few steps onto the stage and stopped next to Perdita. She smiled at him and signaled to Eisen and Mareth. They came over to them, Mareth carrying something in his arms.

"For your courage and intellect on the battlefield I have decided to issue you a promotion. You have been invaluable to me and the army in the past. And for this I have decided to promote you to second general of the army." The assembly instantly went from a silent mass to a raucous mob. Everyone was talking about what they had just heard. Even Gregor was stunned. A general? Of an army? This put him up there as one of the more powerful people in Regalia. His eyes looked out to Luxa who was sitting with a shocked look of approval. Even she didn't know this was coming. When she saw Gregor's gaze fall on her she smiled at him and he realized just how much he loved her. Her perfect features. Her unerring support of him. Her love for him.

"Silence!" Perdita cried out, yanking Gregor from his thoughts and back to the event at hand. "Mareth if you would." Mareth stepped forward and unveiled what he was carrying in his hands. A knew sword belt, black and studded with metal. A dagger that he felt he would die over if he lost it. The hilt was that beautiful. But his heart dropped when he saw the blade. The one he had wanted to buy. The one he had been almost executed over. Perdita drew the blade and laid it on the floor in front of him.

"Take up this sword as the newest general in the Regalian army." Gregor's kneeled down and wrapped his hand around the hilt. He felt the power in the blade. The same feeling he had when he first touched the blade. He stood and hoisted the blade in the air before him. He heard the loud applause and he felt his old belt being taken off and replaced with the new one. He slid his new sword into its sheath and took a step back. He heard Perdita silence the crowd again.

"For his bravery on the battlefield, I grant him these weapons should he use them wisely and for the good of Regalia." Again, the applause came and some people stood and cheered for him. He felt like one of them. But he saw the many that didn't stand. The ones that weren't clapping. The ones that didn't want a overlander to be in charge of them. The ones that couldn't stand to see an overlander being honored. They would be the ones he would need to watch out for. But his mind was drained of those thoughts as Mareth ushered him from the stage. As his feet hit the floor he felt two pairs of arms throw themselves around him. He saw his two favorite girls giving him hugs.

"Okay ladies, let me breath," Gregor said hoping that Luxa and his sister would give him some room. Luxa obliged, but his sister stayed glued to him. "Margaret, let go."

"C'mon, Gregor. I haven't been able to give you a hug in so long, so I'm making up for it now." And she was right. With him in the hospital hugs didn't really work out well. So he let it go and tolerated his sisters clinginess.

"So what now?" Gregor asked Luxa as he tried to walk towards the exit, his sister not letting him even have a chance.

"Oh we shall go get a little something to eat and drink," Luxa replied a devilish smile on her face. At the mention of food Margaret released Gregor and raced out of the room with Hazard whom Gregor hadn't even seen was there. "Come Gregor. We cannot let those two eat all of the food before you get there."

It would have been impossible for the two teens to eat all of the food that was laid out in the dining room. Platters of food stood on the table. Everything from beef to fish to cheese to shrimp was there and not one plate had the same thing on it. When the two of them arrived Ripred had already sauntered off to the corner with a whole chicken and a vat of what could only be his favorite food. Gregor looked at the food and realized he wasn't hungry.

"Eat Gregor. This is all for you," Luxa said as she pushed food at him. She even went as far as trying to feed him. After that he ate. And he enjoyed every bite. With each dish he tried a different drink. From water to juice to alcohol that he couldn't even try to name he had a good time. The musicians that were playing had people dancing. York and Mareth were playing a game over drinks. Perdita even let herself have some fun for once, but abstained from the alcohol. They needed at least one sharp mind in case of an attack.

Soon Gregor found himself sitting on the floor with Hazard, his Tunic gone leaving him only the undershirt he was wearing. He was clicking away trying to learn crawler, his mind clouded from the drinks he had consumed. He wasn't wasted, but he definitely wasn't in the best state of mind. He felt a hand under his arm lift him from the floor and he wished a happy birthday to Hazard. Maybe he was slightly drunk.

"I should not have let you drink so much," he heard a voice say as he was guided through the hall. He felt himself fall onto a couch and he felt his eyelids growing heavy. Something fell over his body and he let himself fall into slumber.

His eyes opened and he sat bolt upright. There was a pounding in his head and he felt the light from the torches hurting his eyes. A rustle of parchment made him turn his head. Luxa was sitting across from him in her nightgown looking over some papers. She looked up at him and her face instantly went from serious to jovial. Her hair was braided up and she had that stunning beauty to her.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"Other than this headache I feel fine. What happened?"

"You drank a few too many drinks."

"Great. My first hangover," Gregor said under his breath. Luxa cocked her head at the word hangover.

"What is this 'hangover'?"

"It's how you feel after your drunk," Gregor answered. A sigh of understanding left Luxa's mouth.

"And how does it feel?"

"Shitty," Gregor replied with a laugh. Luxa laughed a bit too and climbed up from her seat. She went to him and sat on his lap. Gregor fell back onto the couch and Luxa followed resting her head on his chest. They lay like that for some time.

"I love you," Gregor said breaking the silence they were swimming in.

"I love you, too," Luxa replied kissing Gregor's chin. He sat up and picked Luxa up in his arms, standing from the couch. He carried her protesting body into her room. Moment later his pants went flying through the curtain that separated her personal bed chambers from the main room. Luxa's gown flew after them. And then the giggles started.

His feet slapped against the stone floor as he ran through the halls. His hands clasped a message that he had to deliver to the queen as fast as he possibly could. The halls were empty except for him at this time of night. At the speed he was running his shoes squeaked as his turned the sharp corners of the palace. He neared the Royal wing and the guards that were posted. As he raced towards them, they raised their sword to block his way.

"The queen requests no visitors," the one on the left said.

"I have an important message for the queen."

"The queen requests no visitors," the right guard said this time.

"If the queen does not get this message I am certain she will take all of our heads, but especially yours for you stopped me from delivering it to her. Now step aside!" And the guards did. He was racing along again down the halls. Around the corner he sped and right up to her door. His fist pounded against it, hoping she would come to the door and not kill him on the spot.

Bang Bang. Gregor's eyes shot open at the sound. Luxa's head rested against his chest, but he could sense she was awake as well. There wasn't much that could sleep through that noise. She raised her head as the banging continued.

"I thought I told them to not let anyone in," she muttered under her breath. She climbed from the bed, her naked body visible to the one other person in the room.

"Come back to bed," Gregor said his head still slightly clouded from his party. Luxa didn't listen and she went out into the main room of her chamber looking for her nightgown. Gregor cursed under his breath and slid out of bed. The air was cold against his nakedness and he scampered after Luxa to find his clothes. He found his underwear next to his foot and he pulled them on before ducking out into the main room. He found his pants and yanked them on. Luxa was already at the door talking to the person there.

"What is it you want?" she said angrily at the man that stood before her.

"Your highness, I have a message for you from the head of the army." Luxa snatched the paper from the man's out stretched hand. Her eyes scanned the page and she suddenly woke up all the way.

"I am sorry I snapped at you. Thank you for delivering this."

"Shall I go and get General Gregor?"

"No I will find him myself. You have done enough. Go and get some rest." Luxa closed the door and sauntered over to the couch. She sat cross legged and gestured for Gregor to come and join her.

"What does it say?" Gregor asked.

"It is a message from Roderick. He threatens to kill my cousin."

Bam! Ended on a cliffhanger. Perfect little thing. Strange chapter but a fun one. After my rant I hope to see some reviews on this chapter. Have a nice day!