The Banished

Chapter 11

He awoke to darkness. Complete and total darkness. He tried to click his tongue, but found he had been gagged with something. After a moment of panic, he realized that he was also blindfolded; clicking would have done no good.

"Easy now, Overlander."

It was a woman's voice that reached his ears, the tone calm and even. It was then he realized that he was lying back on a cold slab of something. Rock, probably. God, were the gnawers going to, like, operate on him or something? Still though, that voice did not sound like a gnawers. There were female gnawers, of course, but something in the pitch wasn't gravely enough to be a woman gnawer. He was almost certain that it was a human.

Over the years of being down in the Underland, he had almost grown accustom to their accents. Really, he had. Everyone there spoke a certain way and though he couldn't quite throw his New York ways, even he had slowly begun to sound similar.

This woman though, sounded nothing like the other Underlanders. She didn't sound like she was from above either. Although, Gregor couldn't say that for certain, if only because there were many accents above ground. But should it be a woman from above, that would bring a bigger question up. How had he gotten into the Overland?

"You have suffered many injuries. A nasty gash to the eye as well, when I found you. That idiot king of the gnawers, he does not seem to realize that to bargain with someone, the hostage must be alive. Seems obvious enough, no? I thought so. Should I have thought I would have to make every little detail clear, I would have had no dealings with them. Retrospect, I suppose. And now you live and the king lies in a pool of his own blood. By your hand I hear. Though I should not have expected less from you, warrior."

Suddenly, a hand was pressed to his forehead, the cold flesh making his shiver slightly. The woman only laughed, moving to trace the bandages over his eyes. Gregor lay still, a cold sweat breaking out over his brow. Who was this woman? She surely had some kind of dealings with the gnawers. She must have to do with those men that had tied them up in that cave.

But if he was here with her, where were his men? Better yet, where was he?

"You shall worship me, warrior, when you see what I have done for you. And your queen should gladly allow us entrance to Regalia after this. I brought you back from near death. We lost one of your men though. I do hope she accepts our sincere apologies. Had you only gone quietly, then- Ah, no, that is not right. Who would expect that of soldiers? Of the warrior?"

She was stroking his forehead then, pushing his sweaty hair away from his face. He tensed when he felt her lean down and place a kiss to his forehead.

"Sleep now, warrior. Rest. And when you arise, hopefully the queen will be here. To spring you from the brig. Do they still say that above? My father said it much. As if a joke. You would have liked him, I am sure. A good swordsmen. Perhaps a rival to you."

Gregor wiggled then, though he wasn't shocked to find himself bound still. The woman only placed a hand on his chest, laughing slightly under her breath.

"Ah-ah, Overlander. You must stay. Wait. Your rescue is imminent. Your survival is secure. There is no need to fight us now. Having gotten so far, I do not wish to have you escape. Let my planning go to waste. Let my chance slip by. I have worked hard, Overlander. I am sure that you can respect that. Should you wish to ruin something that I have worked so hard for?"

Gregor heard footsteps then, as did the woman no doubt as she ceased speaking then. Not a moment later, a deeper, more masculine voice rang out.

"Does the Overlander wake?"

"He has," the woman assured the man. "Any word for the queen?"

The man hesitated for a moment before saying, "She has said that five lives is of little concern to the kingdom of Regalia."

"What?" The woman removed her hands from him then and Gregor heard her turn on her heels. "Did you tell her that we have the Overlander?"

"She said that no life is of greater concern to her than that of her countrymen. If we wish war with them, we shall meet them on their gates. The men that we have captured understand their position and Regalia will grieve for them. However, no life is worth death."

"Death? What death? We granted them safe passage!"

"After capturing her men."

The woman let out a sharp yell then, more out of frustration than anything else.

"Then we shall send her lover back to Regalia," the woman said after a moment. "Piece by piece until she understand the severity of the situation."

The man took a moment to think before saying, "Where should we start, your grace?"

"Not us. Not I. I have worked so hard on preserving him that the thought of carving into his flesh saddens me. I shall have my husband do it. A fit challenge for our king, yes?"

"As you say, your grace."

Gregor stopped breathing, everything crashing down on him all at once. King? Your grace? Piece by piece?

He shut his eyes, though the blindfold proved that to be of little use. Luxa wasn't coming for him. She wasn't sending anyone for him either. She was just going to let him die. He knew that it was a strategic move, a smart move, but it still hurt. He would crawl naked through piles of broken glass for her and she couldn't even send men to rescue him? You know, after being the whole reason he got caught in the first place.

Breathe. That's what he needed to do. Breathe. Okay, so Luxa wasn't coming from him. Was that really so shocking? She had been pretty pissed when he left. He thought that they had made up, but maybe not. There was a good chance that she still considered them fighting. So no, she wouldn't save him. But to sacrifice these other men seemed rather harsh. And for Perdita and Mareth to just leave them all out to dry seemed uncharacteristic.

He couldn't focus on others though. Only himself. He was still in charge of this operation. It was his men that were going to suffer should he not find a way out of his bonds, out of this whole stupid situation. He had warned them against blaming Luxa before, but her name rang true as his favorite curse at the moment.

The woman and man left the room or cave or whatever he was in for a while and he was alone. He tried to wriggle free of his bonds, but it proved a useless endeavor. It was getting harder to breath as well with the gag in his mouth. He laid still for some time after that, resting. He had to think. This wrestling around was doing nothing but tiring him out. And that wouldn't do. He needed to be strong, should someone come. Should someone untie him. He had to be ready.

He was alone for what seemed like hours. He stayed alert though, refusing his body the sleep that it desperately wished to succumb to. It was hard to fight the darkness away when it was all that he could see. But no matter. He must stay awake, stay on his toes in a sense. He couldn't let his guard down. Not even for a second.

Eventually, he heard footsteps. They were soft and he assumed them of a woman. He was fearful of it being that same woman, though he was also slightly afraid of it actually being a man. Should it be a man, he assumed it that king she spoke off. King of what, he did not know, but he did not wish to find out. Would it not be a tragedy should he be killed before he found out what the whole thing was all about?

When he felt hands on him, he immediately recognized them as a man, if only due to their size and calluses. So it was not that someone walked lightly, but rather they were attempting to. To be silent. He hoped it to be one of his men.

"I will take your gag out, Overlander, but you mustn't scream," a voice whispered harshly in his ear. "It is I, not a traitor."

I? Who was I? Gregor was sure he was to place the voice, but he could not.

"Have they blinded you then?" the voice whispered. "The wraps around your eyes. Did they do so from injury?"

Gregor only took in huge gulps of air as the gag was taken from his mouth. He couldn't speak for a good minute or so, more glad to have that suffocating feeling gone than to worry about his sight. During that time, the man began to unbind him, taking care not to chaff him more than he already was.

"You fought valiantly to escape. I can see the ropes wore down. It would have been a shame, had I arrived here to find you had freed yourself. " Gregor felt the cool of metal against his skin, though the man just used the blade to slice the binds. "Would make for one hell of a tale though. Give you more courage than you possess, it would."

Gregor laid still before trying his voice. It wouldn't come out, as his throat and mouth were dry and tasted metallically, of blood.

"Calm yourself, Overlander. There is plenty water for you when we escape. Do not speak till then if you cannot. You need not, regardless." The man finished with the ropes that bound the other. "Sit up then, if you can. You seem to have a nasty chest wound. Sit up, though, and allow me to remove the gauze from your eyes. I fear the queen should have my head, shall I bring you back blind, but is better if I bring you back not at all."

The queen. Luxa.

"Barrett, she shall complain. Barrett, the greatest general of all time, yes? Not in her mind. She cares only for you."

Barrett. Barrett had come to rescue him? Hell, Gregor would be lucky should he not be drowned in the waterway before they got back to Regalia.

If they got back to Regalia.

Barrett was careful then, as he slowly began to unravel the bandages. Gregor held still, fearful as well as to why they had done so. Should it have been to prevent him from seeing, they merely would have blindfolded him. Bandages though insinuated a wound.

"Can you see me okay?"

Gregor shut his eyes once they were freed, as the torch light burned them. He nodded though causing Barrett to pat him on the shoulder.

"You appear to have a cut to your eye. It does not bleed any longer." Barrett shook his head. "Find your feet than, Overlander. We must make hast."

He cleared his throat before croaking out, "M-my men…?"

"There are others here, rescuing them. I was only charged with getting the Overlander and getting you out. I am unsure of our queen's motives. Does she see me fit for the job? Or is it something else? No matter. I have not completed my task yet. Come, Overlander. You are no doubt weak. Take it slow."

Gregor took a good look around first. He seemed to be in an alcove of some kind. His chest had been wrapped with care, as well as one of his arms, surely after washing out his wounds and cleaning them. The smooth rock he had been lying on was raised slightly, no doubt where the gnawers healed their own wounded.

"I have brought you a sword," Barrett said then. "Your scabbard seems empty. I made a good decision. I do not know that you can fight, but if any man can, I am told you it is you."

The first thing Gregor did when he finally got to his feet was nearly fall back off them. He just leaned over to the side, sinking to his knees as he vomited up a vile mixture of blood and whatever medicines that woman had shoved down his throat. Barrett stood by patiently, handing him the sword when he finally stood.

"You shall live, yes?"

Gregor nodded slightly, wiping his mouth before putting the sword in his sheath. "I shall."

"Then come, yes? We must hurry. My bond awaits us. Should we run into trouble, I shall-"

"We shall get out of it," Gregor told him, throat burning. Barrett smiled at that.

"That we shall, Overlander."

Their leaving was slow, as Gregor was mighty weak. Barrett offered him a shoulder to lean on, even to carry him, but Gregor was prideful and they both knew that would never do. Not to mention, Barrett got a little lost at one point, though Gregor couldn't hold it against him. The man was doing the best he could, after all.

Gregor was fearful of running into anyone. They seemed to be alone though. Barrett mumbled to him that many of the gnawers and the supposed exile humans were fighting their own battle, as they argued with one another over something. Apparently, their alliance was turning out to be short lived.

It was only once they got to Barrett's awaiting bond that he relaxed. His body was in pure agony the whole way there and nothing suited him more than once he was on the flier.

"I am glad to see you live, Overlander," the ruby colored flier greeted.

"He is weak," Barrett said simply, grabbing a wineskin off the flier's back before getting on as well. Handing it to Gregor, he said, "Rest. We shall be in Regalia soon."

Gregor only shook his head. "My men. I must-"

"Rest. They shall be-"

"No!" Gregor shoved the other man off. It was a weak shove, but Barrett easily gave in. "I must go. I must help them."

The flier had not taken off yet and Gregor pushed himself off her.

"Overlander-"

"I must-"

Barrett dismounted too, quickly making his way to Gregor. Once he was within reach, Barrett merely grasped the other man's arm, yanking him hard. When Gregor turned to face him, the general simply raised his fist, landing a blow to Gregor's face. It was a powerful one, but had Gregor not been so disoriented to begin with, it probably wouldn't have knocked him out as easily as it had. As it was though, it did the trick.

Once again, he was welcomed with only darkness.

When he felt a woman stroking his chest again, he immediately thought that he was back with those humans and gnawers. That somehow they had captured him. Perhaps Barrett was only tricking him? It was slow for him, the recognition of the hand as well the soft voice, murmuring a prayer over him.

"N-Nerissa?"

She smiled, continuing to stroke his chest as she sat at his bedside, continuing to mumbled that prayer or chant or whatever she was doing. Gregor only laid on the cot, one eye peeked open, watching her.

"A prayer of healing is all I have to give to you, I am afraid," she told him softly, still smiling. She seemed better than when he had left her. "You promised to be at my side when I awoke and look! Here I am at yours."

"You are," Gregor agreed softly.

She continued stroking his bare chest. "You were wounded. They say you fought bravely."

"My men?"

"They are well. Better than you. Of course, they weren't manually sedated." She laughed slightly. "Is that not one way of saying it, Overlander? Manually sedated."

"Does the queen-"

"She knows of your health. Who do you think sent Barrett to rescue you?"

"How long?"

"Were you a captive? A week or so more. Passed out here? Only half a day."

"My men are well, you say."

"Thanks to Ripred."

He closed his eyes at the name. He really wanted Nerissa to stop touching him. "Ripred?"

"When they captured you, word got around to Ripred. Luxa sent a message back to those vile people that she would not come to save you. Then, when Barrett returned from the nibblers land, she sent him and some soldiers to Ripred in the Dead Lands. He instructed them well as to the lands and their layout. You once again have much to thank him for."

"Am I-"

"You are in Regalia."

Gregor let out a soft sound. "How wounded?"

"You seem to have been well taken care of. Some of the men say that after you passed out, a woman came to get you. The leader off those humans, she appears to be. She must be a skilled medic or so Howard told me. She stitched you up well. A breakthrough, yes?"

He only grunted. "And you?"

"You worry little of me, warrior. Death has stalked me many times in my past, but my light shines the same every day." She patted his chest gently then. "Luxa has left me here to watch over you. Our roles are reversed, yes?"

He shut his eyes again. "Your health is a worry off my mind."

"Oh sleep, Overlander. These people will cause us many troubles." Nerissa took to stroking his forehead then. "You must rest up. Heal up. And when you are better, you will take your place at the queen's side. Leading the army perhaps as well. We are all relying on you once again. You shall save us all."

"You are too trusting."

"No, dead warrior, I am not." She removed her hands for a moment before he felt something pressed against his lips. A cup. "Drink. It would be a waste now, for you to die of dehydration after all we have done for you."

He did as suggested, allowing her to serve him for the moment. When he had had his fill and she removed the cup, he asked, "The queen?"

"The queen shall come when she comes. She is busy, I assure you, with much. These people I warned her about for some time. Now they are here and she is ill prepared." Nerissa sighed. "My cousin has much love for I though. I cannot judge her."

Gregor let out a soft groan. "I must tell her…"

"You shall have all the time for telling people things later, Overlander. You are weak. That is alright. For someone who is so strong frequently, it is good to have moments of calm. For someone as I, who is always weak, it is good to have moments such as these."

"You do not give yourself enough credit," he whispered. "You have saved many as well. Was it not you, the only one in the Underland, that did not want my head when I returned without Luxa or the Bane's dead body?"

"I feel safer with you than you do me."

"That is a lie."

"You feel safe with me, Overlander? What could I do should someone come in this door right now?"

"What could you do?"

"Crumble under pressure, I suppose."

"Perhaps you are a hidden warrior. One we do not yet recognize."

"And what is this then?" a voice rang out causing them both to look up. It was only Luxa though, striding into the room with that arrogant smile on her face. "I finally get myself away from meetings to see you, Overlander, and find you with my cousin?"

He ignored her words though as he struggled to sit up, his body protesting harshly at that thought. Groping around the side of the bed for his sword, all he could think about was how she must need protection, should she come for him. "L-Luxa, I-"

"Still him, Nerissa," she said simply, coming over to the bed. Her cousin simply laid a hand back on his chest, pushing him down once more. "Calm yourself, Gregor. You are fine. Lie back. I have merely come to see on the wellbeing of my injured soldiers. And should I check on my knight first of all, who is to fault me?"

He relaxed some, though he kept his eyes on her as she came to stand next to him. "I have failed. I didn't-"

"Shhh." Reaching out, she held his face in her hands, stroking his cheek. "Barrett told me he had to hit you. I did not think he could cause so much bruising. I cannot fault him though, as he at least brought you home to me."

Gregor stared into her eyes. "They were going to kill me. When you said you would not come for me."

"Surely you did not believe that, love," she said simply. "I do not cave to the demands of others, however. And my bond was most helpful in your rescue. I am only glad they got there in time. Had Ripred not have proven helpful, I and Aurora would have gone ourselves."

When she removed her hand from his face, he only laid back once more, closing his eyes. Nerissa smiled at her cousin, but Luxa only stared at him with a slight frown.

"The say you killed the gnawer king."

"I have."

"Ripred believes you did it for him, so he might have a chance to step up and lead." Luxa shook her head. "He has come for another visit."

"What?"

"He thinks he is needed," Luxa said with a sigh. "Rest your mind for now, Overlander. He is stuffing himself on shrimp day and night in his worry over you."

Gregor let out a soft breath before looking at her again. "The child?"

"Child?" She frowned before shaking her head. "He is well taken care of as well, I assure you."

Nerissa laughed at that. "Zander is most taken care of, Overlander."

"Zander?"

"You said for me to name him," Luxa said with a slight shrug. "His name is Alexander. That was a great warrior above, yes?"

"A Roman," Gregor mumbled.

"A Greek," Nerissa corrected softly. "One that eventually fell outside of battle. Many victories before."

"My cousin has taken to calling him Zander and he does not seem to mind it much." Luxa laid a hand on Gregor's chest then, shaking her head. "I must leave now, my knight. You shall recuperate here. And when you are better, I shall see to it that you are well taken care of. Yes? When you are ready to resume your position at my side, you shall. Not a moment sooner."

"I am fit now."

"Oh, Overlander. Am I that alluring that you wish to be with me constantly?"

"I am only relieved," he mumbled. "That you are not angry. I-"

"The only one who failed was I," she told him softly. "The deaths of our men weigh heavy on my heart, but not yours. You only did your duty. And should anyone say otherwise, send them to me. I shall set them straight, yes?"

"Wait," he called softly as she turned to leave the room. "Don't-"

"I must, my knight. It is only midday. I have much to attend to. You shall be fine, I assure you. And we shall see each other soon."

He felt like a child then, left behind by his mother or something. Nerissa just went back to talking softly to him, as if to reassure him that he was okay. He only thought of Luxa however and all the things they needed to discuss. It was beyond him how the kingdom functioned without her at his side. But then, everyone always seems to think the world won't turn without them. Until it does.