...

Regalia

...

Luxa stood on the shore of the river, dressed in black. Almost every species in the Underland was represented in the crowd behind her. Her grandfather Vikus had touched many lives during his long life as a diplomat, and now they gathered to pay their respects after his death.

A single tear rolled down her cheek. Vikus had always been there for her, unlike anyone else but her first bond, Aurora. He was her chief advisor in times of need. She remembered what a mess she was after the War of Time and Gregor's departure. Luxa had hardly left her room for a year. It had been Vikus who had been able to pull her out of her misery and helped her become the queen she needed to be.

Luxa recalled the words Vikus had said to her then. "I am not asking you to move on. I do not want you to. Keep those you lost close to your heart, and keep strong for those who still remain. I know it is unfair to ask that of you, but it is your duty as Queen- to be strong when those who surround you are not."

She looked around. Many of those she cared about still remained. There was her second bond, Ripred, sitting off to the side, unusually quiet and somber. There was her cousin Hazard, who had fallen to the ground bawling his eyes out. There was Aurora, Howard, Temp, Mareth, and all the others. Vikus was just as right as he had been all those years ago when he led her out of the darkness. Everyone else could afford to be weak, but not her. She was Queen.

The crowd parted silently. Four Underlanders bore Vikus's casket on their shoulders. A small boat was pulled up on the shoreline just a few meters in front of Luxa, and the Underlanders gently laid Vikus's casket in the boat. One of the casketbearers, a woman, approached Luxa solemnly with a torch. "Do you want to-"

"Yes." Luxa said abruptly and took the torch from her hand. She walked slowly towards the boat and stared down at the casket. She fought the urge to break down, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "You were like a father to me," Luxa whispered. "You were my foremost advisor. I will do my best to honor your memory." She paused. "I will miss you." Unable to bear any more, she gently lowered the torch into the boat and lit the mast on fire.

Luxa slowly pushed the boat out onto the river, the flames already beginning to spread. She stepped back onto the beach and watched the boat drift into the distance, burning bright. She heard a commotion behind her and she saw Hazard running down the beach. "No, Grandfather, don't go!" Tears streamed from his eyes.

Luxa quickly caught up to her twelve year old cousin and wrapped him in her arms. "It will be okay." She said, as Hazard continue to bawl. "It will be okay," she said, mostly trying to convince herself now. "It will be okay." Together, they watched their grandfather slowly disappear into the distance.

...

New York City

...

Gregor skirted around Central Park. The entire area was on lockdown due to the discovery. News crews had their cameras pointed at the park 24/7. There seemed to be some sort of commotion in the park; people were running around frantically and tents were being searched. He wondered what had happened but he realized he didn't care. If they were in disarray, that meant that they would be delayed getting down to the Underland, which meant he had more time to warn Luxa.

New York City hadn't changed much since Gregor had last seen it. The streets were just as dirty as they always had been. Strangers rushed by, hurried, with their eyes down. Back in Virginia, everyone knew each other and would always call out to say hello to their neighbors. Gregor found he preferred New York in this regard; this way, he didn't have to interact with people as much, which meant he didn't have to be fake as often.

He began to recognize the streets as he drew closer to his old home. Gregor wondered if Mrs. Cormaci was still there. He shook his head; even if she was, he wasn't sure he should talk to her. She might try to prevent him from going back down to the Underland.

Gregor rounded the block and there was the old apartment building he used to live in. Taking a deep breath, he entered the building and rounded the corner to where the community laundry room was. And to his surprise, it was occupied. There Mrs. Cormaci stood, putting her clothes into the washer. He quickly stepped back around the corner and out of sight.

It took him about five seconds to come to a decision. Either he would have to wait two hours for Mrs. Cormaci to be done with her laundry and risk his parents catching up to him- if they were pursuing him- or talk to Mrs. Cormaci and somehow get by her. He chose the later option.

"Mrs. Cormaci?" Gregor said, re-entering the laundry room. "Is it you?"

Mrs. Cormaci squinted at him. "My, is it you, Gregor? It's been a long time. Come here." she said, and hugged him. Gregor hugged back for a few moments before they separated.

"What brought you back to New York?" Mrs. Cormaci asked. She hadn't changed one bit; she still knew how to get right to the heart of a conversation, Gregor thought. Gregor opened his mouth to speak but Mrs. Cormaci interrupted him. "Don't bother to lie to me. I know you're going back to the Underland." Gregor closed his mouth. She continued.

"I won't stop you from going down there again, Gregor, but I do think you're making a mistake. Sometimes, you have to learn to let go. Mr. Cormaci never learned to let go and he died plagued by nightmares. I see you haven't learned either, because now you stand before me, alone, underaged, and obviously in a rush and desperate. Your parents don't know do they?"

Gregor shook his head. "No, they don't. But are you really saying I should let go of all I care about down there?" he said, beginning to get angry.

Mrs. Cormaci shook her head. "I'm not. I'm saying you should learn to not let it shape who you are, Gregor. There's a lot of people who care about you, in the Overland, who care about you as well. Don't let all your energy go to one place; you have to be strong for everyone in your life. By doing so you're abandoning your family, who need you just as much as the Underland does."

She took a deep breath. "Mr. Cormaci was never able to be strong for me or our children again after the war. It never crossed his mind that maybe he wasn't the only one suffering. So please, stay with me until your family comes for you. I'm sure they're quite worried."

Gregor was beginning to get furious. After the War of Time, he had found that emotions impacted him less than others. But now Mrs. Cormaci, his old neighbor and someone who knew about the Underland, was accusing him of being selfish? His words all came out in a rush.

"Look. Don't you dare call me selfish. I put my life on the line to save Regalia. I spent five years looking after a family that took me away from the one place I truly felt at home at because they needed me. But now, the Underland needs me more. They will be encountering Overlanders by the hundreds soon. Who knows what could happen? There will need to be a mediator in this situation. No other person is more fit to be the peacekeeper between the two sides- I've lived in both worlds. Please don't call me selfish; I really am trying to do what is best for everyone."

Mrs. Cormaci looked at him intently. Gregor had absolutely no idea what she was thinking, her face expressionless. "I see arguing with you is futile. Even if I stand here for an hour trying to convince you stay, you wouldn't, would you?"

Gregor simply nodded in confirmation.

Mrs. Cormaci sighed. "As I said, I won't stop you. Do as you please. You've heard my opinion." She stepped out of the way, revealing the laundry grate. Gregor stepped towards it and pulled back the grate, revealing the dark pit which lead to the Underland. A cool breeze blew up from the pit. Gregor knew it was safe to fall now. He put his feet through the grate and right as he was about to drop, Mrs. Cormaci spoke once more. "Gregor."

"Yes?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Any message you'd like me to give to your family if they happen to drop by?" She asked simply. Gregor paused.

"Tell them... tell them I'm sorry. And that I love them. And... tell them not to come after me." Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the pit and looked down into the darkness. Luxa. Ripred. Mareth. Vikus. He could almost hear them calling out to him. He was almost home. Gregor let go of the grate and plunged into the darkness.

...

Author's Note

Hey everyone, just some things to say after this chapter!

- This is the only chapter that visits two locations instead of three. This is intentional- tell me why you think this is in your reviews! (It is also intentional why each chapter is split into three parts, but the reason for that will not become clear until later).

- In response to Clytuis (Guest)'s review: Yes, you are absolutely right that the Central Park entrance should have opened up above the Waterway! I hope you all can forgive me for such a blatant mistake.

- Everyone, I have good news and bad news! The good news is, I am currently working on a cover for this fanfic and it should be up shortly. The bad news is, on the 25th, I'm leaving on a month-long backpacking trip! As fun as it will be, it means I can't update :/ so I'll have to take a month-long hiatus. I really am sorry to do this to you guys. I'll make sure to have Chapter 5 up before I leave though, and we'll see if I can squeeze in Chapter 6 :)

-Please tell me if this chapter is up to par with my previous ones. What did you like, what did you not like? I can take criticism :)

And, as always, many thanks to those who reviewed: Vengeous, Hugh (Guest) and Clytuis (Guest)!