...

Regalia

...

The air turned icy and Kyle, forgotten and hidden behind his aviator glasses in one corner of the room, smirked slightly. Luxa stuttered, lost for words. "I... I-"

Gregor was internally furious. Those so-called ambassadors... they didn't trust Regalia as much as Regalia didn't trust them! Those ambassadors never came to make peace... they had set up a trap that Luxa had fallen right into. All eyes in the room turned to him as he stood, clearing his throat once. "If I may, may I propose a solution to the matter at hand?" he said through gritted teeth.

Clara turned to him, her eyes piercing. "Oh? And you are?"

"My name is Gregor. Like you, I come from the United States of America. However, I have spent much of my life down below in Regalia. As such, I understand both Regalia's concerns," he nodded to Luxa, "and the United States's concerns." Gregor clenched his fist behind his back. "My proposed solution is thus: Regalia is, as Luxa said, quite crowded. This city is several centuries old and the population has only grown since its founding." He took a deep breath. "I believe the city should be expanded, and the embassy should be included with in this new expanded section of Regalia. However, this will take time and resources, so I hope you understand you won't get your embassy immediately."

Luxa frowned at him, and Gregor saw her internal struggle. But she knew as well as he did that this was her only way out. At least with Gregor's suggestion, they gained time to come up with a plan in case the United States decided to become hostile. "I accept this plan."

Clara smiled broadly, but it didn't reach her eyes. The tables had been turned against her, and if she refused now she would look like the aggressor. "I also accept."

Gregor clapped his hands together. "Then it's settled. I'm glad we could find a compromise both parties could agree to." He sat back down in his seat once more. He looked down at his hands, only to find that they were trembling. That had been close.

Luxa regained control of the meeting. "Now, with that out of the way, I believe we should discuss some of the benefits this alliance will have for both sides..."

When the meeting came to a close two hours later, several terms had been agreed upon. The first was that no more than a hundred United States Overlanders could be present in the Underland at once. The second term was that no Underlander would be permitted to come within a kilometer of the entrance to the Overland. This entrance would serve as a temporary basecamp for the Overlanders until the embassy was built. Thirdly, a non-aggression pact was officially put into effect between the United States of America and Regalia.

Gregor was the most exhausted he'd been since the War of Time. He leaned against the stone wall outside the council room as the council members and United States ambassadors filed out. Luxa had graciously offered hospitality to both Clara and Kyle, but both had declined, electing to be led back to the entrance to the Overland again. Gregor had no idea how they would make it back up, as they had refused to ride the bats. But he decided not to question it.

As the last of the council members disappeared, he finally let his anger out. His rager side had been calling to him every time Clara had opened her mouth, but he refused to let it control him. Even now, he only let a short yell, slamming his hands against the wall and sinking to his knees. How would he be able to continue to play peacekeeper while one side wanted conflict? He had known what those body cameras meant even if Luxa and the other Underlanders didn't. The Underlanders... their politics differed greatly than that of the Overland. It was up to Gregor to stop them at their own game. But it was just him, him against the combined intelligence of the United States Government.

This feeling... it was familiar. Suddenly, he was five years in the past, donning all black armor to fight a giant white rat. The fate of the Underland had been on his shoulders then, and it was again now. Could he do it twice?"

A voice interrupted him from his thoughts. "Gregor?" Gregor looked up and saw Luxa, wearing an expression of genuine concern. "You don't seem well."

He laughed shakily. "I guess I'm not. The frustration of the day catching up to me, that's all."

Luxa put her hands on his shoulders. "You should feel proud. You did well today."

"Thank you. You did well as well." Their eyes met. He was still kneeling on the floor, braced against the wall. Luxa... she had come so far since the War of Time. So much of the pride she had once had was gone. But he knew that she was still just as reluctant to trust as she had been before. A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. If Luxa had been able to let go of her hubris, she could learn to trust as well. And this time, Gregor would be there to help her along the way. Maybe... the fate of the Underland didn't rest entirely on his shoulders after all.

He stood, wrapping Luxa in a hug. Gregor felt Luxa stiffen, then relax. She returned his hug. "I've really missed you."

"I missed you too, Gregor."

...

Outskirts of New York City

...

As the FBI agents wore frowns on their faces and discussed among themselves the result of the meeting, James found himself struggling to restrain a smile. His son had handled that situation incredibly well, being able to wrestle control of the conversation away from Carla and come up with a suitable compromise. Gregor had been so brave.

His son had never really fit in in Virginia. James wasn't blind; he could see that, even if Grace wouldn't. There would come days where he would hardly say a word, disappearing for hours on end. Grace had learned to ignore it, stubbornly believing that he was best off in Virginia. Who knows, maybe he was. Gregor was certainly safer in Virginia than he was down in Regalia.

But there was something in his heart that led him to believe that Gregor would never be happy up above. When he had seen his son speak in front of the American diplomats and the Regalian council, he didn't just see his boy. He saw a man, a man who was determined to defend what he loved. He saw Gregor's stress, the anxiety, the pressure that came with the situation he had been in, but he also saw the passion that brewed right underneath the surface of his words. James couldn't remember any other topic Gregor had spoken about that he had been as passionate about.

James's heart felt heavy. The Underland was Gregor's home now. James often struggled to recall anything about the place other than the year of torture he had spent in the darkness with Gorger, but he knew that Gregor's experiences greatly differed from his. Perhaps if he had made it back to the Overland sooner, perhaps if he had never fallen down the laundry vent at all, he could have avoided this moment. Perhaps Gregor would have never even made it to the Underland. But regardless, it was all in the past now.

It was his job as a father to act in the best interests of his son. As much as he wanted to take Gregor away from that place, he would work to keep him there. There, he could not only be happy, he could also help rescue Grace, Lizzie, and Margaret. He knew if Gregor lost it was unlikely James would ever see the rest of his family again. The more James thought it over, he grew more and more convinced that the FBI would never let ordinary civilians go back into the world knowing what they did.

There was still so much information he hadn't told the FBI agents. He had to play his cards carefully. Feeding the agents false information could end in disaster for him. But it was the only thing he could do. James couldn't stand by and watch the one thing his son truly loved get torn apart.

...

Uncharted Lands

...

Helena was finally retrieved from the cave. A cutter had thrown her over its back and now scurried along through the darkness. She began to laugh feebly. How ridiculous this situation was. How ridiculous! Giants ants! Giant moles! It had to be all a figment of her imagination! Relief entered her heart. That had to be it. Soon she would wake up from this nightmare and go back to the university. She frowned. No, she would wake up back at the research site, ready to discover where the tunnels really led to. She hit her hand against her head a few times. "Wake up!" she told herself. "Wake up! WAKE UP!" Why wouldn't she wake up?

The tunnel began to grow lighter. Helena's pupils shrank, the light almost blinding her. Was that the sunrise? The tunnel opened up, revealing the same giant cavern she had been in with the diggers. Her imagination sure was powerful. Cutters covered every available surface, even the walls and ceiling. However, the crowd parted like the Red Sea to make way for her. In the center of the massive cavern, where the cluster of cutters was the thickest, was the largest ant Helena had seen yet. It was at least ten times as big as the cutters that surrounded it, if not more. Its beady eyes seemed to peer directly into her soul. Helena began to laugh. The cutters around her froze, unsure of how to react. The large ant tilted her head and regarded Helena curiously. Then, it rattled off something Helena could not understand to a nearby ant, and the cutters made a wider berth around Helena. Now the cutter spoke in plain English. "Greetings, Overlander. I am Queen Azel. I apologize for how long you had to wait in that cave. I was dealing with other matters."

Helena knew enough that she couldn't act hostile in this situation. Every figment of her being wanted to lash out in every direction but that make this nightmare turn worse. It was her own impulsiveness that had gotten her into this situation in the first place. She simply nodded once, and found her voice hoarse as she tried to speak. "I... Helena."

"Helena then. I have a proposition for you."

She nodded slowly. "What.. is it?"

"I know you want to go home. And... if you do one small thing for me, I am inclined to do so."

Suddenly, Helena was no longer focused on the Queen anymore. In her mind, she was already back above, away from this mess. "What small thing?" she asked impatiently.

"When I deliver you to the Overlanders, I want you to give this document to them." One of the cutters handed her a neatly wrapped scroll. Helena moved to unwrap it but the Queen cut her off. "However, if you open the document and read it for yourself, or if you tell the Overlanders anything about my colony or your time here, well..." Azel rose up to her full height. "You will prove to me that I cannot trust you. You'll prove to me that I always need to keep my eye on you. You'll be put back in your cave."

Helena trembled so much she dropped the document. All rationality was gone from her brain. She knew she would comply to the Queen's demands. She steadied herself and slowly picked up the document again. "I... agree to your terms."

The Queen nodded once. "Good. Now, you will accompany two of my cutters to the Overlander camp. Tell your people the story that my cutters tell you." Helena nodded in return. The cutter crowd parted once more, and Helena followed two cutters out and away from her prison.

...

Author's Notes

This is one of my longest chapters ever. I hope you all enjoyed it. Now, to address a concern some had last chapter: Yes, I know Luxa is different from how she was in the books. But this is on purpose; she was greatly broken and changed by the rebellion, and much of the backstory will be revealed later on. And as always, many thanks to those who reviewed last chapter- Vengeous and koipbuiop!

-Gyltig