Hey guys, hope everyone's had a good week! The previous chapter was a bit more exposition-heavy, as it's been a while since I've written, and needed to narrow the focus of my story so an end is in sight. I think I still have another 15 chapters to go! Also, if you notice that some characters seem a little different, it's because I made a very deliberate creative choice, to make the Regalians (Luxa, Ripred etc.) sound like they still spoke archaic/old English, since that's the impression I got from the books. Thought it'd be a nice touch to show different speech patterns between them and Gregor/Calvin too.

Thank you so much to FrostKing104, Hyphenman (I see all your reviews for Regalian Bloodbath, thanks for all the encouragement man, it's inspiring me to keep writing), TDRevenant, and Gyltig (the one person I knew back in 2016/17 who still reviews my work, that also gives me inspiration and encouragement to keep writing). It's sad that the community has changed, but it gives me so much more strength to finish this story knowing some people still read it.

This chapter has a bit of character development and a bit of action! Hope you guys enjoy it. Write a review if you can! Really makes my day.

This chapter is written from Gregor's perspective.


Chapter 34: Indefatigable

Gregor placed the tip of his blade against the ground and twirled it idly. York's words were a refrain which continued to hang above his head over the last few hours. He knew York wasn't asking him to give up fighting - York had posed a far greater challenge, which was to know when to swing his blade and when to hold it steady. Anyone could choose either, but to be able to make the decision no one else could… that required wisdom far beyond Gregor's years. He could have fought aeons worth of battles and still this truth would elude him.

It was during moments like these when he really missed Vikus. Standing in the High Hall, looking at the sprawling mess of the city, Gregor wished that Vikus had been right next to him. He wouldn't even have had to say anything - Vikus' warm gaze, wry smile, and that twinkle in his eye would have laid Gregor's anxiety to rest. Even against the heaving, spluttering organism that Regalia was, Vikus would have helped him to breathe and be nothing more than just him. Not a son, or brother, or a boyfriend. Not a rager, saviour, or Warrior.

Just him. Just Gregor.

It had been far too long since he had last reconnected with himself. Being the Warrior had started out as a masquerade, but now there was no backstage for Gregor to hide. He had almost become the act itself. Even the people he loved most needed him to keep up a strong front. The moments he could be vulnerable with Luxa were few and far between amidst the chaos which had engulfed the Underland.

He glanced to his right, watching her stare at the flickering flames of the city motionlessly. Susannah had taken off with her entourage mere minutes ago, and Luxa was reeling from the prospect of saying possibly her final goodbye to her aunt. Gregor knew his place in all this. He knew Luxa would need some time to steady herself, and then she was back to joining him on stage.

Ripred had been a good mentor, but too much had happened for him to be a warm presence in Gregor's life. In any case, Ripred being nice was more foreign to Gregor than Virginia had been. Vikus had probably been the last person to make him feel like the Underland was home to a stranded Overlander boy, a boy looking to be accepted as he was, without terms or conditions. Thinking wasn't necessarily Gregor's strong suit, but he doubted every action he took, every decision he made. Vikus was one of the few people who could have brought his overthinking to a grinding halt with a toothy grin.

He heard the fluttering of wings behind him. "You feeling ok?" he asked.

He could barely hear Apollo's landing on his right. "As good as new, Warrior."

"I still don't know how you flew the three of us back here."

"It probably helped that I feared for our lives," Apollo replied. If bats could smile, he definitely would be then.

"I checked in on Calvin earlier," Gregor said stolidly. "He's having a really hard time."

"Trust the doctors, Warrior," Apollo replied, equally unemotional in measure. "Stranger miracles have happened."

Gregor twirled his blade with greater force, creating a swishing sound as it pirouetted faster and faster.

"What troubles you?" Apollo asked.

Gregor wrapped his fingers around the hilt, bringing the sword to a halt. He lifted the sword up and gazed at the instinct reflection stretched across his blade. "York wants me to stop all this fighting. I don't know how."

Apollo fidgeted slightly. "He wished for you to stop fighting now?"

"I don't know," Gregor replied. "I've just spent the last year changing my mind. I thought I needed to fight, then I didn't, then I did, then I didn't again, then I did again, and now I'm back to doubting myself."

Apollo coughed, and it didn't take a genius to know he was stifling a laugh. He then composed himself. "I am not sure putting any more thought into this is the answer, Warrior."

Gregor allowed himself a chuckle. "Yea, I know how it sounds. Seems like it doesn't take a lot to change my mind."

This time, Apollo's familiar hur hur filled the silence. "I do believe you could afford a stronger resolve, Warrior."

"I'm not sure I really wanna be the Warrior anymore, yknow?" Gregor sighed. "Like, Warrior with a capital w. It's just way too much responsibility."

Apollo leaned forward thoughtfully. "The fliers have a saying which I have never uttered in the humans' tongue before, but I suppose it is this - no fliers' wings are too weak to carry them. I apologise for the inelegant translation, but I believe it means this - greatness is thrust unto those whose nature may bear it."

"We have a saying like that in the Overland, too. Probably a few too many variations of that saying."

A soft hur hur escaped Apollo. "You could easily have turned fighting into a vice, Warrior. These lands have seen their fair share of bloodthirsty soldiers and rulers. Yet here you stand, still trying to explore what is best for Regalia. That puts you in far greater stead than many who came before you."

"Am I part of the problem?"

"There is time yet before I reach my twilight years, Warrior, and I have already seen three major wars. Ares used to recount the stories he heard from Henry - of how Vikus' own grandsires fought wars not against gnawers, but against other human colonies. There were whole colonies of innocent men and women who lost their light, never to be heard from again. Regalia's histories are loathe to acknowledge their existence. Could you imagine that?"

Gregor grimaced. "Unfortunately, I can."

"I was never a good student, but I know my histories well. The reason why fliers and humans bond with each other today is because of Hades' War. King Hades was our leader, and he fought a war to limit Lord Aldrich's expansion."

"Lord Aldrich?"

"Sandwich's immediate successor. Nobody talks about the cost of that war. Hades' hall is the site of the most brutal massacre in flier history. Ten thousand fliers lost their light that day."

"Jesus," Gregor breathed.

"Many humans lost their light too. It was from such loss that a truce was made, sealed by King Hades and Lord Aldrich bonding to each other. One of the most horrific wars the Underland has ever seen also gave rise to its most beautiful relationships. These days, bonds can be considered closer than brethren. Perhaps one day these wars you fight will be worth something far greater than anything you witness right now."

Gregor shook his head. "It's different for me. I don't know how to stop fighting. It's like… I'm addicted to it or something."

"I do not believe that, Warrior. When I urged you to strike Lord Ripred down, you stayed your hand. Why is that?"

"Because… because he was my friend. Because no matter what happened… I guess I cared about him."

"You are no Sandwich or Solovet, Warrior. They would have swung that blade a hundred times if it meant Lord Ripred never threatened them again. You made a choice in that moment to honour a good friend. You could not be further from being the monster you think you are."

Gregor turned to look at Apollo, who in turn faced him. Apollo's beady eyes and blank stare betrayed no emotion, but his words carried the weight of centuries of wisdom.

"Who am I, Apollo?"

Apollo bared his teeth, his equivalent of a wry grin. "You are my friend, Gregor."

Gregor turned away and swallowed down his emotions, trying to fight the tears welling up in his eyes. He didn't realise how much he needed to hear that.

"Thanks, man," he said quietly.

Apollo cleared his throat. "You are her friend too," he said, cocking his head to gesture at the still-motionless Luxa. "She needs to know that she isn't just a queen or a partner too."

A half-smile crossed Gregor's face. "Yea, you're probably right."

He glanced back at Apollo. "Hey, is that the first time you've said my name?"

"I know not what you refer to, Warrior," Apollo answered quasi-coyly.

Allowing himself another weak chuckle, Gregor sheathed his blade, and began to walk towards Luxa.

"One more thing, Warrior."

Gregor turned around to face Apollo. "Yea?"

"I believe this time will be different. I have real hope that these last few centuries of wars will end with this one. I think you will be able to rest soon."

The image of the knight at Cloisters flashed before Gregor.

Peace at last.

"You think that?"

"I believe that," Apollo replied. "And perhaps more importantly, I have hope. It is no accident that you hold Sandwich's blade. It was once used to tear the Underland apart. In your hand, I believe you can use it to piece the Underland back together."

Gregor nodded. "But today, we fight."

Apollo's laugh was bittersweet. "But today," he agreed, "we fight."

Concluding the conversation with another nod, Gregor walked over to Luxa. She continued to stare ahead, her shoulders stiff as she was bracing for battle. Her left hand had found its way to the hilt of her blade while her right arm lay limp. It seemed the conflicts of her heart were etched across her body too.

"Hey," Gregor began, placing his hand on her back.

Luxa flinched and shifted half a foot away from Gregor. She spun around to face him, clearly shocked by the sudden physical contact. Those violet irises of hers seemed a darker shade of purple than normal, as if the stars of the night had cause to grieve and had thus forgotten their royal purpose. How could she be the mother to a kingdom when she barely had a chance to be a daughter herself?

"Oh," she said quietly, realising it was Gregor who had touched her. "I am sorry, Gregor, I did not know it was you."

"It's ok," he replied, taking a couple of short, deliberate steps to close the distance between them. "I know this is hard."

Luxa's unblinking stare finally wavered, as her starry eyes hit the ground now. "Susannah is all I have left to remind me of my mother. Vikus, Solovet, Hamnet… There are days I fear that I will forget my mother, that her memory will fade away like she has."

Gregor reached out to hold her hand. "Susannah will be ok," he said softly. "15 more minutes… then we'll be there for her. We won't let her get hurt."

Luxa looked up at Gregor, her eyes brimming with tears. "She went to see my parents before leaving. I know not what she said to them. It felt like a final farewell."

Gregor knew that Susannah was the only other person who visited Luxa's parents' graves frequently. He had accompanied Luxa a couple of times, but it also felt far too personal, and even for someone who had suffered so much, it was far beyond his understanding. He shuddered to think how much of his soul would have been lost if he had to bury his parents when he was just a boy, let alone lead an entire kingdom while also losing both grandparents and an uncle to war. It was moments like this when Gregor realised how different he and Luxa were. Gregor had seen the worst of war and had never been able to sleep because of that. But Luxa had lived her entire life as one long war, watching everyone around her die while being betrayed constantly.

He thought back to the promise he had made to his mom before he had left them for the second time.

"I swear I'll come back."

Surely she knew deep down that he could not truly promise that in his heart of hearts. And yet she still had to play her part in the charade and trust him. He had never considered how difficult it was to let a son go to war. Standing here, watching Luxa mourn the potential loss of her last mother figure, Gregor knew he was not acquainted with loss the way these two women were.

Gregor gently pulled Luxa into a hug. "She needs you to hope now, babe," he whispered to her. "You don't have to pretend it doesn't hurt, but she needs your hope now."

Luxa looked up at him, the tears now streaming down her pale cheeks. Gregor dipped his head slightly so that their foreheads were touching. "I'm with you, always," Gregor breathed. "I've got your back."

Luxa's shoulders finally loosened, and her left hand released its iron grip on her sword. She reached up with both hands and cupped his face. "And I, yours," she whispered back.

They stayed in each other's arms, Gregor treasuring every last second which slipped through the hourglass. There was nothing more precious in the world than the time they had right then, and even if he could not stop it from slipping away, he was damn sure he was going to cling to it desperately.

They heard someone clearing their throat behind them, so they finally released each other from their embrace. Gregor turned to see Ripred leaning against a column. "Five more minutes," the old rat said simply. "That's your armour?"

Gregor was decked out in standard Regalian armour. Miravet had given it an extra polish, but it remained unadorned except for a Regalian sigil on his breastplate. She had another set of black armour ready while she repaired his damaged armour, but Gregor had turned down the offer politely. He still hadn't fully figured out how he felt about being the Warrior, and until he had fully sorted his feelings out, he wasn't about to be a symbol of violence and fear, not even to his enemies.

"Wasn't really feeling it," he replied brusquely to Ripred.

Ripred grinned. "Oh, would you look at that! The Overlander's finally growing up."

Gregor rolled his eyes. "Can't say the same for you."

Chuckling to himself, Ripred ambled over to Luxa. "Gorger won't take any more of your family from you," he said, his tone becoming jarringly earnest. "But if you get your chance to exact vengeance, I must ask you to stay your sword."

"Why should I?" Luxa replied coldly.

"We need him to guide us to the schemers' base. The Overlanders will probably be there too. Our survival in the long run depends on him."

Luxa gritted her teeth. "No promises," she whispered harshly, bordering on snarling.

Ripred sighed. "Aye, I suppose that was as good as I could hope for. But remember this - I too held back when I had a chance to avenge my family."

"My uncle -" Luxa began.

"- was a good man," Ripred interrupted her. "But surely you understand why I blamed Hamnet. Yet for the sake of the quest, I chose to put my feelings aside. I need you to do the same this time."

Luxa didn't respond.

Ripred turned to look at Gregor, snorted, and trudged off towards Nemesis, who was waiting patiently beside Apollo and Aurora.

Gregor followed suit, and mounted Apollo. "We will fly like the wind," he promised Gregor.

Gregor glanced over at Luxa, who was now striding purposefully towards Aurora, her eyes resolute and her face set with untamed ferocity. "Somehow, I don't doubt that."

Luxa clambered onto Aurora, who instantly took off wordlessly. Nike and Apollo rocketed off the ground, and Gregor found himself clinging to Apollo's fur as the wind rushed past his face and screamed in his ears. He leaned forward to balance himself against the speed of the flight. He closed his visor to prevent the wind from blowing his helmet off. On the bright side, the force of Apollo's takeoff had got his heart pumping, and he felt a surge of adrenaline. He turned to his right, watching Ripred grumble in Nemesis' ear as he too hung on for dear life. "She's almost a full twenty seconds ahead of us!" he called out to Ripred.

Above the whistling wind, he could just about make out Ripred's response. "Can you blame her?" the Peacemaker yelled back.

Gregor kept his head close to Apollo's back and closed his eyes, ducking out of the sheer force of the wind generated by the speed at which the bats were flying.


It must have been at least half an hour, but it felt like only a matter of seconds before the wind carried Luxa's words to him. "On the right!"

Gregor looked up and saw Susannah's entourage sound by two dozen rats. They had pinned them against a rock face, with two or three rats sprinting over to continue to hem them in. Susannah had a sword in her hands, but it didn't take a discerning eye to know that this was her first time in a battle. There were six soldiers around her, but most of them looked exhausted and on the verge of collapsing.

Aurora tucked her wings and dove towards the scene, as Luxa brandished her sword.

"GO!" Gregor urged Apollo, and he followed suit, plunging towards the fighting.

Luxa leapt off Aurora's back and almost seemed to glide through the air herself, before hitting the ground with a graceful roll and springing to her feet in front of her aunt. Aurora grabbed one rat by its tail as she swooped down, lifting it off the ground and then throwing it aside with her claws. The rat hit the ground but similarly bounded back onto its feet, snarling at Aurora as she circled back round.

That was all the distraction Gregor needed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them, he could see three exposed arteries and two vulnerable gaps as his vision began to splinter. With another deep breath, he leapt off Apollo and drew his blade mid-air. He landed to the rat's left and wasted no time, driving his blade into its side.

The rat let out a squeal of anguish that strained Gregor's eardrum. Wincing, he pulled his blade out of its flesh and with grim determination, brought his blade down on its neck and severed its head. He turned away immediately to avoid seeing the work of his hands. Fighting was necessary, but taking a life did not bring him any satisfaction.

By now, all the rats had been alerted to his presence. He looked above at the cave entrances, as more and more rebel gnawers spilled out in response to his arrival. Amongst the horde gushing out stood a scuffed grey rat, who despite his hunched statute, seemed to stand taller than every other rat.

Gorger smiled down at Gregor.

Gregor shook his head. Now was not the time to lose focus. He was vaguely aware of Ripred landing some twenty feet behind him. He turned and joined him, sprinting over to the mob which had surrounded Luxa, Susannah, and the six soldiers protecting them. Gregor's blood was now fully surging through him as he pulled out his dagger too.

The two ragers hurled themselves into the middle of the mass of rats, with Gregor efficiently incapacitating two of them with precise strikes to their hind legs. Ripred bowled over one rat and sank his teeth into another's shoulder. He dug his claws into its side and heaved, dragging it away from the crowd. Gregor saw one rat spinning around to face him, so he quickly took it down with a vigorous swing of Sandwich's sword. The blade struck the side of its head, with the rat staggering to the side from the sheer force of the blow.

By now, the remaining rats had turned on him, which put Gregor in a tough position since he was well-aware of the onrushing throng of rats behind him. He took a few steps back to give himself a running start, and then burst into a full sprint at the rats he was facing. He somersaulted over them as they dove towards him, hitting the ground behind them far less gracefully than Luxa did.

He wasted no time, scrambling to his feet as they pirouetted around to face him. Luxa now stood at his right, adopting her favourite fighting stance. With both their backs against the wall, Gregor felt far safer.

Half a dozen rats hurled themselves in his direction, but a combination of his sword, dagger, and Luxa's blade fended them off. One rat lunged ambitiously for his legs, but he calmly took a step to the left and let it hit the ground, before sinking his dagger into its eye. The rat screamed in pain but still it thrashed about, yanking itself free of his dagger. Luxa reared back and brought her sword down against its skull. The rat slumped down, but again it swung wildly at them with its claws. Finally, Gregor drove his blade in between its eyes to put it out of its misery.

These guys just would not quit.

He looked up at the other rats, all of them foaming at the mouth as they faced him. He'd fought against overwhelming odds before - he'd fought in the War of Time as a child, and had been hopelessly outnumbered against skilled foxes.

But this made his blood run cold.

It was as if he was not just fighting against their bodies, but their spirit too. They were driven by loyalty to the Bane, commitment to their cause, and most of all, pain. Gregor didn't need a second look at any of them to know they each had a personal story to tell about what they'd lost during the War of Time.

He glanced up at Gorger. Still more rats poured out of those caves… there must have been a hundred of them at least. Gorger looked on, his eyes widening with growing anticipation. Ripred was right - the rat was so self-obsessed that he was consumed by his desire for an epic effort at revenge against those who had wronged him.

"The plan's working," Gregor said quietly to Luxa.

"The plan only succeeds if Lapblood and Perdita arrive in due time," Luxa responded through gritted teeth.

Another wave of rats threw themselves at the contingent, but the soldiers on Gregor's left side held firm, repelling them expertly. As Gregor's vision splintered more and more, he caught glimpses of the damage he was inflicting on them. One swipe of his blade blinded a rat, while a quick uppercut of his dagger removed half of another's snout. A desperate thrust of his sword at yet another rat claimed its life, with the sword buried firmly between its eyes. He hacked down another but it struggled back to its feet, blood gushing out of its wounds. With a guttural growl, Gregor slammed his blade down on its head, splitting its skull.

He glanced over at Luxa, whose armour was covered in scratch marks. They hadn't gotten close enough to seriously hurt her, but it was clear that she wouldn't hold off for long. Apollo, Nemesis, and Aurora circled the battlefield, unable and unwilling to join the chaos. He didn't blame them - these rats were jumping eight feet into the air, snapping wildly at the fliers if they flew too close to the ground. A quick glimpse of Ripred through the mob showed he wasn't faring too well either. He too had found a rock face to cover his rear, while fending off wave after wave of attacks. As Ripred had so wisely said, even the strongest ragers could not beat the numbers game.

As if Gorger sensed how he was feeling, the old king descended from his position at the mouth of the caves, leading the final wave of rats down. He was personally coming to witness the triumph of his will, a grandiose purpose fulfilled after years of suffering. He was coming to exact the extinction of Luxa's family.

Good, Gregor thought. About damn time.

Gregor shifted forward suddenly, catching two rebel rats off guard. Two accurate strokes of his blade were enough to slice through their jugular veins, causing them to choke on their blood. He parried the attack of another rat on his left, and once again closed the distance with another rat, surprising it with an upward thrust through its mouth and into the back of its head. It was dead before it hit the ground.

Two rats rushed his right side, but he manoeuvred out of the way at the last possible second, severing one of their limbs with a clean swing of his sword. He parried away another attack from behind, and unleashed a powerful swing at one of the subdued rats. The blade struck its teeth, shattering it and leaving a bloody ruin. Wailing in pain, it stumbled off, but Gregor was not about to chase it down to end its life. He was here to protect Susannah and Luxa, not to add more lives to an overflowing ledger of the dead which bore his name.

Another wave of rats sprang forward, and this time Gregor had pushed out too far to fend them off. They crashed hard into him, knocking the air out of his lungs. The five of them lay sprawled across the floor for a good three seconds, trying to catch their breath. Gregor gasped as he scrambled to his feet, but the air wouldn't rush back into his lungs at the same speed they escaped it. One disoriented rat swung at him labouredly, but he batted the swipe aside and retaliated with a laboured kick of his own, sending the rat stumbling to one side.

Before he had time to register his surroundings, he felt someone dart past him. He righted his helmet so his visor was aligned with his line of sight.

Luxa had taken three rats down with quick slashes to their throats, but backtracked quickly as the rats bounded forward to defend their fallen comrades. She realigned herself with Gregor as the other soldiers rushed forward to hold the line with her. "Why did you rush them?" she asked, breathing heavily herself.

Gregor shook his head. "These guys… they're tougher… tougher than I thought."

The rats now held back slightly, pacing back and forth as they reorganised themselves to surround the Regalians. Gregor glanced behind him. Susannah was still standing in her original position with her feet locked in a peculiar stance. But the look in her eyes said it all - she had more than a little fight left in her. As torrents of sweat dripped off her brow, she gave Gregor a firm nod.

Gregor turned back to face the rats. Strings of saliva dangled out of their mouth, stretching hungrily towards the ground. They panted heavily, but the rabid resolve in their eyes was unmistakable. They would not stop until the royal bloodline was extinguished and the man who murdered their Bane was buried in the ground with them.

Gregor had no idea if Ripred was even alive at this point. He could still see Aurora flying ahead with nemesis, but Apollo could not be seen.

A figure now appeared where Gorger had been earlier. "Conrad," he said, and he felt Luxa tense up.

The former king of Regalia looked on with calm indifference, and though Gregor knew Conrad could see him, he refused to call out to him. He would save his breath for that later.

The crowd of rats suddenly shifted, parting like the Red Sea as Gorger paced forward purposefully. "This is some reunion," the rat said with a grin.

Gregor could have screamed in relief. Gorger's hubris was buying them precious seconds. Every delay counted at this point, and Gregor was going to have to milk it.

"How about a deal!" he yelled at Gorger. He knew that would incite Luxa to stare daggers at him, but he couldn't care less. He needed Gorger to talk.

Gorger surveyed the force in front of him. "Seven soldiers, one queen, and one governess," he sneered. "I think I'll take my chances, Overlander. It won't be long before Ripred and your precious fliers will be dead too."

Gregor could just about make out the silhouette of Conrad atop Dionysus, flying out to engage a faltering Ripred. Now he could just about discern the figure of Apollo too, dive-bombing the rats and attempting to disrupt their assault on Ripred. With Conrad and Dionysus approaching, they wouldn't last long.

"We'll give you the Plains of Tartarus," Gregor said weakly. "And half of the farms outside Regalia too."

"You're in no position to offer terms, Overlander. Only your queen may, and she knows as well as anyone does that I have no intention of accepting any offer."

"We don't need to fight," Gregor said. "We don't need to die. It's just you or me, Gorger. The winner takes Regalia."

The king smiled. "You'd win, Overlander. Only a fool or a rager would engage a rager in single combat. I am neither."

You're a fool for talking, Gregor thought to himself.

"We will all die here then," Gregor said bluntly.

"I watched you let a wounded gnawer run to safety, Warrior," Gorger retorted sardonically, his voice dripping with venom. "I don't think you have the stomach to protect the governess or your queen. I may lose forty, maybe fifty brothers, trying to take your life. But I will kill you and your precious queen - you can trust me to have the stomach for that."

Gregor's grip around his sword and dagger tightened, readying himself for Gorger's onslaught.

But it never came.

The ground trembled ever so slightly, as if it were afraid to awaken a long-slumbering monstrosity. Screams and shrill squeaks echoed through the plains, gaining volume with each passing second. The distant flapping of wings soon morphed into the howl of a hurricane, as all the rats bristled and screeched an alarm to each other.

The ground now shook violently, bearing the weight of thunder and the fear of fire. A defiant roar now rippled and resounded across the battlefield, bellowing a singular message.

Regalia had come.


Thanks for reading everyone! Remember to leave a review if you have the time to. I love talking to my readers about the Underland Chronicles.

Question: What is your favourite tidbit about the Underland Chronicles series that fanfiction authors never seem to bring up?