The Living Dead

Chapter 12

"It's understandable that Luxa does not believe you, Gregor. What you are saying, after all, is far-fetched."

He only stared blankly back at Perdita, who was staring down at the map, not even looking at him. After a thorough tongue lashing from Luxa about what a horrible person he was, for bringing up such a thing, and that he had better hope he really had a head injury, as that was the only way she'd forgive him for bringing up her long dead cousin, he had gone to the war room to speak with Perdita on the subject.

"Why is it far-fetched, Perdita? Aren't you guys that ones that always take Sandwich literally? Huh? You thought I was really going to die during the Prophecy of Time. You thought that we literally needed to travel to the jungle for the plague. The title of this one is Prophecy of the Living Dead. Why would that not-"

"Watch your tone, Overlander," Mareth warned from where he was standing, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were on Kent, however, who was busying writing a scroll for Perdita, standing far too close to her as he bent over the table, writing on the parchment. "Perdita is your-"

"I am the King in the coming days, Mareth. Watching my tone to the two of you is as dead as it is for Luxa."

Kent snickered. Perdita only sighed.

"My point is this, Overlander," she began again, slowly, shooting Mareth a glance. "You were hit over the head. Hard enough to knock you unconscious. There is no telling what you truly saw. It was dark, yes? Only firelight?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I am not saying it is impossible, but it is unlikely." She looked back at the map. "And I have already told you that I have scouts investigating the area. I do not know what more you want from me."

"I want someone to believe me."

"Believe that a boy that by many accounts fell to his death onto the sharp rocks below is alive?" Mareth shook his head. "It is-"

"The living dead. That would imply that he had to be dead before, right? That means that he was brought back to life, huh? That-"

"Calm down," Perdita sighed before shaking her head. "You are taking a defensive stance with us because Luxa was offensive with you. We are not trying to go against you. We might not be on your side either, but it shall do you no good to fight us either."

"Can I speak?" Kent looked to Perdita who shrugged slightly.

"No," Mareth answered for her, but he just ignored him.

"What do you want to do then, Gregor?" Kent asked him. "If Henry did come back? If the scouts can't find him, then what do you want Perdita to do?"

That made her glance down at the boy, as if shocked that he understood her predicament, before nodding and looking to Gregor.

"You are going to be the King," she added on. "As you have told us already. If you want to go somewhere, do not waste my time by asking my permission. If it is your desire to make it seem as if I agree with you, that you should be sent back out there, you are fighting a losing battle. I will not fight Luxa for you. She is to be your bride, not mine."

"She is also pregnant, Gregor," Mareth added on then. "It is not good to cause stress to-"

"Do not tell me what to do with my life, Mareth."

"I am not trying to," he said before glancing at Perdita. They shared a look. Luxa must have really gone off on him about the whole Henry thing. He was completely ticked at them and they hadn't really done anything to him.

"Gregor, we are to be your advisors," Perdita told him then slowly. "As we are with Luxa. And Mareth and I both thought that you would be…kinder than Luxa in that department."

"Less of a tyrant."

"Kent," Perdita hissed, but he only shrugged.

"That's what you called her the other day," he grumbled.

"Go back to only being seen."

Mareth only sighed. "If you want to go, Gregor, I am certain a flier will take you. Not Aurora or Nike, but someone will. But do not look to us to defend your position to Luxa. I think that right now, she is overly worked up over the child, wedding, and the possible Reclaimer. You telling her that her dead cousin is back from the dead probably wasn't the best of decisions at the moment."

Gregor only glared at him while Perdita rolled her eyes.

"Luxa is with child, fine, but that does not make her a different person. If the Overlander truly saw who he thinks that he did, then she should be the first to know. And she was. She is only lashing out at him because she always lashes out at him. She's never nice to him. Never. You are acting as if she is-"

"You cannot deny, Perdita, that Luxa is emotional as is. In her current state-"

"Women get pregnant all the time, Mareth. Honestly. You sound-"

"Do not start with me again. Arguing with me. You-"

"Excuse me, General, but you are addressing your-"

"Why is it you suddenly feel the need to bring that up constantly, Perdita? Since this…kid has shown up."

"I'm not a kid," Kent grumbled.

"What are you suggesting, Mareth?"

He looked off. "I only find it suspect that you suddenly feel the need to establish dominance when a young boy is involved."

Kent giggled at that word. Dominance. Gregor only frowned, looking back in forth between Mareth and Perdita. He had come in there to get someone on his side against Luxa and was leaving worrying about whether or not it was time for finally one of the two of his friends to finally resign from their position. It was becoming abundantly clear that Perdita and Mareth just couldn't work together. And considering Mareth also couldn't work with Barrett, maybe it really was time to send him off to the Fount.

It was a battle then, between the red tint that was spreading across Perdita's body over whether or not it was from anger or embarrassment. Anger won out.

"You are not my equal, Mareth," she finally got out, glaring so heavily at him that Gregor had to look away. "You are not even a competent soldier, much less general. Luxa favored you because you trained her and I…I cared about you so I allowed it, but you never should have been made a general. You could not even take two eleven year olds out in a boat without coming back minus one leg. You-"

Gregor didn't know what to do then, when Mareth slapped Perdita. He really didn't. It was actually a rather different situation. Many men in the Underland were still very old-fashioned in that way. It was commonplace for the most part. The only problem was that not only was Mareth not Perdita's…anything, really, but he also was under her charge. He was a man, fine, but her standing highly outweighed his. Highly.

There was one amusing factor out of the whole thing, which was Kent's reaction. Given how much he had boasted before about taking Mareth out of the equation and how he was only a complication, it was actually sort of funny to see him look downright fearful of Mareth, as if the thought of having to defend Perdita's honor, actually fighting the man then was terrifying. It did not shock Gregor that Kent was a mixture of York and his wife. While York spoke much, he was always able to deliver on threats. Susannah, however, could hardly fight to save her life. Unfortunately for Kent, he had gotten the loud mouth, but not the brave heart.

Gregor was glad that Perdita found her voice first, because his was lost. He knew that Perdita had been out of line, most certainly, speaking ill of Mareth's amputation (and not just because he was truly the one at fault for that one), but Mareth certainly out of line for striking her for many, many reason. Most of which came from Gregor's upbringing in the Overlander. That was not an acceptable thing anymore. At all.

"Go, Mareth," she finally said after reaching up and almost touching her no doubt stinging cheek. Instead, she was able to find composer at least somewhat and turn away from him. "Go-"

"I did not..." He was just staring at her then, as if shocked himself that he had done that. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, after all. "Perdita-"

"Do not interrupt me. You will be lucky if you even have a job in the morning. Leave. Now." She did not even look at him. "I have finished with you, Mareth."

He moved to touch her then before only shaking his head and turning away. "Fine. Even though you are the one that-"

"Go. I'm sure your whores miss you."

Gregor made a point of staring down at the map as Mareth passed him, even when he felt the older man's eyes on him. Was not his fight, was not his place.

Though she had sounded very clear and direct with Mareth only moments before, the second he was gone and she spoke, it did not come out as crisp.

"I must…I need to go," she finally got out as she stepped away from the table. Kent, out of his trance, started to follow her when she moved to walk away from the table, but she shut that down quickly. "Alone."

So then it was just Gregor and Kent in the war room, both equally useless in that department in that moment. Slowly though, Kent found that rage that had been doused by fright.

"He's lucky that he left," the teen remarked then. Gregor only frowned, glancing at him, his mind elsewhere at that moment. Then he registered what Kent was saying. "If he had not, I would have-"

"Kent, enough. I get it. You think you're tough. I've got bigger headaches right now, alright?" He only shook his head and turned to leave the room as well. "Go get drunk in the mess hall or something. The adults are tired of babysitting you."

For once, the teen didn't have any smart remark to make back. He only conceded and allowed himself to be left behind.

Gregor found Luxa in bed, though it was still a few hours too early for that, Zander there with her. The boy was clearly over the whole nap thing by that point and was busy playing with some of his toys on the bed while Luxa only laid there in the darkness, watching.

"Mareth struck Perdita," was the only thing Gregor could think to say, after all Luxa had said to him earlier in the day. "Just now. In the war room."

Luxa only laid there, her back to the door, not speaking for a few moments, Then, slowly, she said, "She does get quite mouthy."

"Luxa-"

"Go away, Overlander. And take your petty problems with you. What do you wish for me to do about the two of them fighting? Huh? Force one of them out of position? Then I would be an evil woman. If the two of them wish to work off their…frustrations with one another in violence, fine. I am not a part of their personal relationship. I only hope Perdita hits him just as hard back."

He still just stood there to the doorway of her bedchamber, watching her. Slowly, he came to walk forwards.

"Am I allowed in here now?"

"I did not kick you out, Overlander. You ran with your tail between your legs because I would not fall for your-"

"Luxa, I'm not lying. That guy I saw was-"

"I feel ill, Gregor."

"Lux-"

"I do."

He finally went over to his side of the bed then, slowly moving to lay down. Zander greeted him with a loud noise before going back to his playing. He was rolling some of his toy cars around on the bed, an action figure or two up there as well. Luxa had become rather lax about him having Overland things.

"Tell me what's wrong. Is it your stomach?" Gregor only stared at her. "Or is it what I said?"

"I do not-"

"Luxa-"

"You were rather crude, I feel."

"I cannot help it if-"

"Do not speak." She looked off then. "It only serves to annoy me further."

Rolling his eyes, Gregor looked at Zander, who only continued with his play. "He sees well in the dark."

"He grew up in it," Luxa pointed out softly, shifting slightly on the bed so that one hand was strewn over her stomach. Then, slowly, she said, "We are going to have to let Mareth go."

"You said-"

"You know as well as I that Perdita would allow him to kill her, if she thought it would bring along more affections." Luxa was sounded pretty damn emotionless about the situation as she added, "You cannot work with your friends. It does not always show immediately, but eventually, it shall."

"Luxa, he almost got himself and Andromeda killed that first day I came to the Overland. For me. And then he went on the trip with me. With us. To fight the Bane. And lost his leg. We-"

"We cannot do things out of guilt, Overlander," she told him softly. "Not when they affect the entire realm. You are going to be a king. The King. You must-"

"But they're friends," he argued. "And, okay, so they fought. So what? They-"

"They are not a team any longer, Perdita and Mareth. They have almost become bitter towards one another in the passed year. The banished changed us all. She was hurt that he wished to leave and he had spent all these months trying to make it up to her. He cannot. If they cannot see in their own life what they are doing to one another, then lucky them they have to the two of us."

"We're not-"

"I have known them both since I was young," she told him then, softly. "When my parents were…killed, so was Solovet's favorite general. I think at times that was more of a shock to her than anything else. It was Perdita, just a lowly soldier that managed to kill some of the gnawers in the royal wing. That's where they went after they killed my parents." She was staring at him then, emotion lacking from her face to her voice. "They were looking for me. That's the first place Solovet went, as she thought we had run and hid there, Henry, Nerissa and I, when the trumpets sounded, announcing the siege."

"But someone had hidden you away," he said slowly. "And York found you."

She only nodded slightly. "She saw Perdita there, fighting. Apparently, she was impressed. She always favors women soldiers though, I think."

"Makes sense."

Sighing then, she said, "Solovet moved her up then, straight to the position of general. That night. After we were found. I do not remember, but I have heard the story enough. It caused great jealousy among others that were passed over." Luxa looked back up at the ceiling, just shaking her head, as if bored in that moment, even though it was her talking.

"She talks about her enough. Reveres her," Gregor said slowly.

"Perdita idolizes her, I suppose." Luxa only shook her head again. "I do not… Of all the people I have lost, Solovet is not one that I would think of as missing much."

"She loved you, Luxa."

"She loved what I could bring her," she corrected. "And I do not blame her for that. Solovet was driven. She got power and found that she liked it. She was a skilled warrior in her time and was a very praised political mind. She knew what she wanted and got it. That does not mean that I liked her much."

"In all honesty, I hated her."

"She did lock you up. And technically give your mother the plague."

"In a roundabout way."

"Then again, she gave nearly everyone the plague."

"And she killed Ripred's children."

"Again, roundabout."

"And she ruined Hamnet."

"Not so roundabout."

"She locked you up that once too."

"No," Luxa said slowly. "You did that. She would not have. You did."

"To keep you safe."

"Lies. You just know that Aurora and I would have done far better than you in defeating the Bane."

"Probably," Gregor said slowly then before looking off. "You were more skilled than Ares and I anyways. You-"

"I did not mean-"

"If I could have anyone back…" He closed his eyes again. That wasn't true. Was it? What about his father? His grandmother? Vikus?

"When I…when I got back to the palace, after finishing the Prophecy of Gray, I prayed, Gregor. I pleaded. I begged for it not to be true." She rolled onto her other side then, giving him her back. He only stared though. "I cried for hours. Alone. In my room. Without Aurora even. All I wanted was for…for him to come back. For it not to be true. I even reasoned that perhaps, if you had only given him a chance, that he would have explained it to me. If there had been more time. That he could not have… How could that have been his plan the entire time?"

His own grief was diminished then as he only sighed. "Luxa-"

"I wanted him more than I wanted my mother. More than my father. I decided that I would trade everyone, my grandparents, York, Susannah, even Nerissa, if I could only…If I could have him. That's all I wanted. I did not even want him to be…be the real him. I only wanted him to explain it to me. For him to just tell me why he…how he could…"

"Lux, you don't have to explain it to me. I-"

She let out a breath then and Gregor could hear it. She was going to start crying. Truly the last thing he wanted in that moment.

"He cannot be alive, Gregor," she finally choked out. "Because if he is…if he is… Henry died, Gregor. And light is not restored to those who are dead. I do not care about what the prophecy says. I do not care what you think. I do not care what you saw. Dead is dead. If anyone should know that, it is I."

Even Zander could tell then from her tone that she was upset. This was not her normal kind of angry, yelling upset either. Concerned, he dropped his toys before crawling closer to her and patting her back gently with his hand.

"Lucka." He rubbed his face against her shirt. "Lucka?"

"Zander, no." Gregor reached out to pull him away, but Zander started whining. "You don't-"

"He's fine." Luxa slowly rolled back over, much to the enjoyment of Zander. He clung to her and, though she didn't hold him back, she did not push him away either. "He is the only one."

Zander settled in against Luxa then, curled up and clearly about to go to sleep. Though Gregor couldn't blame him. He and Luxa had sort of ruined his naptime before, in the sitting room, when they got into a fight over Henry.

Reaching down, Gregor knocked all of Zander's toys away, to the end of the bed, before moving closer to Luxa. She only stared at him then.

"You know that I love you and I would do everything to protect you from things that even I'm afraid of." Gregor rested a hand on her cheek. "But I know what I saw. I-"

"You know what you think you saw." She reached out then, though it was to stroke the bandages around his head. "You are not well, Gregor. You are weak now. Your mind, your body. You push yourself for silly reasons. Did I not ask you to not go off investigating? That if you didn't see Ripred, just come back?"

"You did, but-"

"And Nike told me that she tried to reason with you. That she feared something happening, but you would not listen to her. Why would you-"

"Luxa, I had to know. Ripred is-"

"You always have to know, Gregor." She finally glared at him, her tone taking malice again. She was getting ready to start accusing him of things. He could just feel it. "We are not twelve any longer. You are supposed to grow out of things like that. You-"

"Oh, like, you don't-"

"I don't, Gregor," she told him with a frown. "I do not go off gallivanting around the Underland, hoping to find something to do any longer. I have not even truly left the capital since I got back from the Uncharted Lands. Not for anything fun. You, though, are still an irresponsible, little boy-"

"Irresponsible? In what way-"

"If you died on me, Gregor, it would not matter. I would move on. I would get over it. I have lost and will continue to." She stared him in the eyes then as she said, "But it is not just me that you should worry about leaving behind anymore, Gregor. We are having a baby. We have a baby now, truly. And you still-"

"I'm trying to make it safe for you, Luxa. Don't you get that? If something really is out there in the Dead Lands, shouldn't I-"

"No, Gregor. You should not," she said. "You should want to be with us. What good is it, Gregor, if you go and get killed doing something foolish-"

"I'm sorry, Luxa, that you suddenly want me here. That you suddenly want me in every aspect of your life. That you suddenly don't get off on sending me out to get killed. Sorry that-"

"Yes, I do suddenly want you here, idiot. We are suddenly going to get married. We are suddenly going to have a child, our own child. Or do you not realize that?"

Zander was whining then, more from them disturbing his attempt at a nap than that he actually cared about their rising voice level. He had gotten used to that long ago by that point.

Groaning, Gregor fell back onto his back then, staring up at the ceiling. Luxa shifted as well, though it was more to disentangle Zander from her. He just snuggled up to her stomach, eventually finding sleep.

"He is not sleeping in here tonight," Gregor grumbled softly. "When we really go to bed, he goes to his bed. He's not going to sleep in here forever, Luxa. He's a big boy. You use him more for your comfort, than he does you."

"You will not be sleeping in here tonight if you do not stop bothering me."

He only let out a sigh before slowly saying, "Are we going to bed then? Now?"

"I am sure I should go speak with Mareth or Perdita or check in on Barrett. Something."

"And I should be…I should be… What should I be doing?"

"Whatever I tell you to."

Right. Rolling his eyes, Gregor said, "Well, what do you want me to do right now, Luxa?"

"I want you to tell me that…that you were wrong. That you did not see…Henry."

"I can't," he told her softly. "I'm sorry. I can't. If I'm proven wrong, fine. I'll say that I was wrong. But until then, I know what I saw. I know who I saw. Seeing Nerissa, it reminded me. I-"

"Not to mention that."

"Mention what?"

"You got her all worked up," she scolded him then. "You know that you did. And over something so-"

"Oh, whatever. She was thrilled. You know that she was," Gregor said with a shake of his head. "The little psycho. She-"

"Gregor!"

"I didn't…you know what I mean. You know that I care about your cousin too. I just meant-"

"Be quiet, Gregor. And sleep. You need it."

He snorted. "Sleep. Rest. You treat me like the kid now, not like we're having one."

"Just be glad that someone cares about you, Gregor," she sighed. "Always."

"Gregor, you need to take your pain medication. It will-"

"I don't need it, Howard. I do not have any pain."

Luxa rolled her eyes. "If we need to cause him pain, please, allow me."

"What happened to my other doctor anyways?" he grumbled as Howard slowly unwrapped the gauze around his hands. "Huh?"

It was the next day and the first place Luxa made Gregor go was to his checkup in the hospital. Ugh. She hadn't even let him drop Zander off at the nursery first. She made Hazard do that. Gregor was pretty sure that Luxa only wanted him to go to the doctor because she wished to prove that he was crazy, that he had been abusing his medicine or something. He hadn't though.

"Welcome to my world," Luxa mumbled softly.

"I am the doctor that is here," Howard defended. "It is early."

"I am certain a simple student could do a follow up, Howard," Luxa responded with a shake of her head. "However, if you are going to let me hit him, perhaps I will make you his permanent doctor."

"Don't I get some say in things now?" Gregor grumbled. "Or something? About to be the King and all?"

"No," Luxa told him flatly. "You are a foreign king. This is my kingdom. Everything you do will first be deferred through me."

Gregor only rolled his eyes. "So anyways, Howard, can I take these stupid bandages off my head yet or what?"

"Most certainly not."

"But-"

"He only wishes for them to be off so that he can go to the Dead Lands," Luxa said then with a shake of her head. "He thinks that if they are gone, I will believe that he is healed."

"Isn't going to the doctor, like, a personal thing?" Gregor made a face at her. "Can't you go somewhere else? Or do something else? Doctor patient confidentiality and all?"

She gave him a blank stare. "Do not make me pinch you."

Howard only sighed. "Luxa? Can you make him take his medicine then?"

"I don't need it," Gregor said then, frowning. "And I'm not taking something I don't need."

Howard looked to Luxa, who only continued to stare down at Gregor as he sat on the edge of the cot. Then, staring him in the eyes, she said, "Can you take it, Overlander? For the baby?"

"Luxa-"

"It will make me feel better," she told him then. "If you took the medicine."

"I do not want-"

"Please? I do not feel well as it is and-"

"Fine," he grumbled, looking off then. "I'll take the dame pain medicine. If it's that freaking important."

"It is."

He only frowned. "Isn't there, like, something you should be doing to Luxa too, Howard? Some sort of prenatal thing or something?"

"Be quiet, Overlander." Luxa frowned at him before looking off. "Besides, officially, I am not yet pregnant."

"And? You still are."

"Luxa will be getting a midwife eventually." Howard was staring at the cuts on Gregor's hand, shaking his head slightly while he was at it. "I pray for the woman that must take the position."

"You be quiet as well. Both of you." She crossed her arms. "I do not even know why I speak to either of you."

The war room was the next place they went. Gregor noted that Luxa was avoiding breakfast, but he let it go, figuring he'd just make her eat lunch. It'd all even out eventually. And she had said her stomach was upset before. He didn't want her to feel sick or anything.

…And he was totally a pushover for Luxa and her decisions.

Barrett was in the war room, but no one else was around. Part of Gregor was disappointed and part of him was also glad. He didn't know what he was going to do about the Perdita and Mareth situation, or even if it was him who should deal with it. Technically speaking, it would be Luxa's job, but she seemed rather indifferent to it. Knowing he would be the King soon though, Gregor wanted it dealt with as quickly as possible.

"Oy. Thought the two of you would be planning your wedding," Barrett remarked as they came into the room. "And Mareth and Perdita their divorce."

"You heard then?" Luxa snorted. "If he had struck me, I would have killed him, right then and there."

"Don't we have people to do that?" Gregor asked Luxa then. "Or are we supposed to be planning the wedding?"

"Oh, Gregor," she sighed. "You will soon learn that we have people to do everything for us."

"Speaking of which, some scrolls came for Perdita," Barrett said, gesturing to where they sat at the table. "Her little boy brought them in."

"Do not call him that," Gregor said with a frown. "His name is Kent. He's not a little kid either."

"Where is she, anyhow?" Luxa asked with a frown. "I know that yesterday was stressful, but she is not one to miss work."

"I asked the boy and he said that she is spending the day speaking with few soldiers."

"No doubt finding a new general," she remarked, but Barrett shook his head.

"He said that she got a scroll during the night from the area of the Dead Lands that the Reclaimer was first noticed. She thinks that she is going back there."

"She is not," Luxa told him with a frown. "She just broke her arm. I am not going to send her into the Dead Lands with a broken limb."

"Then I get to go?" Barrett asked then, staring at her. "Yes? The Overlander cannot, he is injured. And Mareth is on his way out. That leaves me."

"Hmmm." Luxa only stared at him for a moment. "I am not certain I see a reason to send someone there, but if you are so insistent, go. Being here is doing no good. You might miss the wedding, however."

Barrett's jaw set then as he looked off. "I think it is for the best. I am not one for those sorts of festivities."

Gregor only rolled his eyes then before heading over to the table. "So, who's going to do it then?"

"Do what?" Luxa asked.

"Fire Mareth."

That made her pause, just long enough for Barrett to speak up.

"Me. Gladly. Naturally."

"No." Luxa shook her head. "It is Perdita's job. She must be the one to do it. It is her that has the problem."

Gregor sighed. "Yeah, well-"

"Queen Luxa."

They all turned to look at the door as a messenger rushed into the room. He immediately moved to bow, but she only rolled her eyes.

"Yes? What is it?" she asked, making a face. "Something urgent?"

"It is your…son," he said, almost as if uncertain. "One of the nursery works alerted me to come to you."

"What's wrong?" Gregor asked, frowning. Even Barrett seemed concerned. "Is he sick?"

"No," the man said shaking his head. "He is in the hospital, however. I am not sure what-"

"What is wrong with him?" Gregor asked as Luxa quickly moved to exit the room. "If he's not sick, what?"

"I am not certain. I was only told to alert the Queen."

Groaning, Gregor headed off to follow Luxa, who was making a hast down the hall. It could not have been too serious, Gregor figured. Still, he just wanted to get to the toddler, to be abundantly sure.

Zander was crying when they found him, sitting on a cot in one of the hospital rooms, one of the male nurses trying to calm him down. There was some sort of rag in his mouth, no doubt being used to clot some sort of wound.

"What happened?"

Luxa made it to the room first, quickly rushing to Zander's side. There was another man in the room, caring for his own child who had a broken leg, though the child was probably around ten. Both the boy and his father sat to attention at the sight of their queen. Luxa didn't even notice them, honing in only on her own child.

"Another one of the children hit him, apparently," the nurse said as Luxa lifted the little boy up. "They were fighting over a toy, I think."

"A child split his lip?" Gregor asked, frowning as he stepped forwards to look. Zander had wrapped his hands around Luxa's neck, still whining.

"And older one."

"Who?" Luxa shifted Zander to one arm before looking at the man. He immediately began to stammer.

"I-I do not-"

"Luxa, calm down," Gregor sighed. "Is it just a busted lip?"

"No," the man sighed. "Two of his teeth were knocked out. Look. They were baby teeth, but-"

"Zander, look at me." Luxa moved then, grabbing the child's face before forcing him to open his mouth. His left front tooth and the one next to that were gone. "Zander..."

Gregor could tell that they had lost Luxa for the day, if not the next few days. It would be her new mission to seek out and destroy the family of the other child. He could just tell.

"His other teeth will grow back in," the nurse told her then. "The gums were cleaned. He should continue to suck on the cloth. It will soothe him. We just can't get him to stop crying is the main problem."

Zander was staring at Gregor then, over Luxa's shoulder, but he didn't reach out for him. Usually when he was hurt, he wanted Luxa. It didn't shock Gregor, but it did kind of hurt some. Again, it probably went back to Luxa's resistance to him for the most part. She didn't like him when he was crying, but if he was hurt and in tears, that meant that she wanted nothing more to do than coddle him and snuggle with him. And with an injury like the one he had at the moment, Gregor feared he'd have that attention for at least the next two days, if not more.

When they were done in the hospital, Luxa refused to take Zander back to the nursery. She claimed that he had suffered enough trauma for the day and should spend the rest of it with her. Gregor didn't feel like fighting her on that one and only agreed, even when she sent him back to the nursery to get his little stuffed tiger. It had somehow not made it to the hospital wing with him.

"Oh, Overlander. I am so sorry."

He frowned as one of the nursery works came up to him the second he made it into the room. He knew her name, he was certain of it, but it was escaping him. God, he sure was horrible at remembering things like that. Dulcet was there as well and started to come over as well, but Gregor only shook his head at both of them.

"It's fine," he told the woman as he looked around, hoping to find the tiger so he could just get out of the nursery. "Children fight. That is-"

"We do not usually allow the toddlers with the older children, but we were understaffed. I do not-"

"It's fine," he repeated, slightly louder that time before reaching out to pat the woman on the shoulders. He knew Luxa wouldn't feel that way and actually kind of felt bad for the woman. "I just came for his toy. The tiger."

"Tiger?"

"The…stuffed animal. Like a cat? With stripes? It's-"

"Here." Dulcet came over then, one of the younger babies in one arm, while holding out Zander's prized toy out to Gregor. "This is it, yes? It is from the Overland."

"Yeah." He took it from her before nodding. "It's his favorite."

"It's what they were fighting over," she agreed. "I should have noticed, as he does not interact with the other children, that someone was bothering him, but I did not."

"They're just baby teeth," Gregor reasoned. "They had to come out eventually."

The younger nursery worker, the one that had spoken to him originally, frowned slightly, giving him a long stare. "You do not sound to concerned."

"I am," he assured her as he looked down at the tiger before smiling at her. "About Zander. But not about you guys. Things happen. They're just kids."

The nameless nanny practically bowed to him then, which made him frown. Then she said, "You are a very gracious king already. Th-thank you, your grace."

She was blushing then while Gregor only widened his eyes. Since Luxa had announced the wedding, he had gotten some strong glances, some glares, and a few congratulations. No one in the capital, though, had truly called him their king. It was a first and it was very shocking.

"Bessie," Dulcet hissed. "You are embarrassing him."

Gregor only grinned slightly, awkwardly, before nodding at the woman. "Thank you. Both of you. And do not feel bad. Zander is fine."

"You are very kind," Bessie told him softly while Dulcet only nodded her head.

Turning to head out of the room then, Gregor shockingly enough found himself smiling for real that time. King. He was going to be the King. And not everyone hated him for it.

Maybe everything wasn't as bad as it seemed.