


Gregor and the Prophecy of Peace

by Lemon Drop Lie Detector



Category: Underland Chronicles
Genre: Adventure, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-14
Updated: 2009-09-14
Packaged: 2013-09-18 11:28:23
Rating: T
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,197
Publisher: www.fanfiction.net
Story URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5376503/1/
Author URL: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2081130/Lemon-Drop-Lie-Detector
Summary: Gregor is called back to the Underland "just for a little while", but when he gets there he finds that "a little while" could mean a whole new quest. In the meantime his relationship with Luxa grows more complicated than ever... Gluxa galore





	1. Scarred for Life

Hi! This is my first fanfiction but that's no reason to be nice to me. If you hate it I want to know, but try to give some criticism of the constructive kind.

-A

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, nothing at all.**

* * *

Chapter 1

_Falling, falling, "Ares?" He called out frantically. "AREEEEEEES!!!" _

He sat up, sweating, t-shirt sticking to his scarred chest. He was breathing like he'd just run a marathon and his heart beat as fast. He glanced at the bright, glowing, green numbers on his alarm clock. 2:36, they proclaimed. He supposed he ought to try to go back to sleep, but he knew he wouldn't be able to. Even now, a year and a half after the terrible War of Time when Gregor's bond had died, Gregor still had ongoing nightmares that involved falling from great distances.

He picked up the plastic figure of a bat that Boots had pressed on him. It was oddly comforting. Boots didn't really remember the Underland but she still talked to the "little" cockroaches that scurried across the kitchen floor. Gregor had more or less come to terms with his life but he still missed everyone terribly. More than once he had considered going back, but he knew his mother would be terrified if he didn't tell her and wouldn't let him if he did. Besides, what good would that do? They wouldn't let him stay… Would they?

* * * *

_Her eyes opened just slightly, but it was too bright. She closed them again. She'd had a dream, not a bad dream, not a good dream, but a dream. She needed to remember it…too hard…can't- her mind began to slip back into sleep._

* * * *

Gregor walked home, over heated in a long sleeved shirt and pants on a hot smoggy day. His too small backpack straps dug into his shoulders and the old shoes that had belonged to Mrs. Cormaci's son pinched his toes. Being poor seriously sucked, though at least the strange array of clothing had nothing to do with that. He walked a little bit of faster. His mom was still at work and his dad needed to leave for an interview for a job soon. Somebody would have to look after Boots. It had been so nice to have a castle full of people who would look after his sisters if he were late for babysitting. No- he couldn't think about that. He quickly banished the picture of a brightly smiling Dulcet, because with it came a picture of Cartesian's limp body floating down the river.

Finally he reached the apartment air-conditioning. The elevator was broken, as usual, so Gregor took the stairs. The door to his apartment was welcoming, but even here he wasn't completely happy. Maybe that wasn't possible now.

Lizzie and Boots sat on the kitchen floor. Lizzie sat cross-legged against a wall with a puzzle book. Boots was having a very in depth conversation of clicks with a cockroach.

"Hey Girls!"

"Gregor!" Boots ran up to him and hugged his legs. He smiled and bent down to pick her up.

"Hey Gregor," Liz seemed slightly distracted by her puzzles.

"How was school?" Gregor tickled Boots under the chin as he spoke and she laughed hysterically. It seemed like she was the only truly happy one left in the family.

"I dunno. It was fine, I guess."

"Good," Gregor new that it hadn't really been fine, Lizzie was in as much pain as him, but talking about how much they missed it did no good. "I have some laundry to do, I'll be right back."

"OK, Boots and I are fine." Gregor set down Boots and went to his room to get the hamper.

He tried to be as quick as possible, opening the door to the laundry room and hurrying inside. He hated being in here. His eyes were always drawn to the grate where Boots had once lost her ball. He tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes trained on his laundry but as he loaded the darks into the small washer he couldn't help but glance at the grate. To his surprise he saw something white lying next to it. He supposed that someone had dropped it there, but he bent to pick it up incase someone fell in when retrieving it. It was tightly furled scroll. Inside there was neatly written note.

Gregor-

We need you. Please come back, just for a little while. Meet me here at noon in two days time.

-Luxa

His heart leapt to his throat. Luxa. She needed him, she missed him, she _needed _him. Was she in trouble? That's what was implied. He had to get down there.

* * * *

"Gregor-" His mother's voice cracked, the note dropped into her lap. "You can't… I won't allow it." She managed to drain the helplessness from her last sentence.

"Mom…" Lizzie put her hand on her mom's shoulder. "Mom, they-"

"I know they 'need him', I know they 'miss him', but he is not going down there!"

"Mom-" This time it was Gregor who spoke.

"You are not! Gregor, I can't loose you again."

"I am, Mom, you can't stop me."

"Gregor, can't we just forget the Underland? No good-"

"That's what we've been trying to do for more than a year. It's not working. I still wake up in the middle of the night calling out Ares' name. Liz still cries when someone asks her to answer a complicated math problem. Dad still has relapses of his sickness, and you can't pretend he doesn't still have nightmares too. None of us have friends anymore and Boots, Mom. She's a five-year-old girl who _talks to cockroaches! _I know you hate the place and I know that you don't want to loose us, but it's too late, the ties have already been made."

She stared at him for a long moment, and then something died in her eyes. Her voice hard, she responded. "Fine. Go. I can't stop you. I can't even stop Liz if she wants to follow you. You're right, this family has been scarred for life."

* * * *

_She felt almost awake… Almost. But she still couldn't open her eyes. Too bright… Too dark… Too soft… She almost fell asleep again but then she remembered. A dream! Need to remember! What was it? So i__m__p__o__r… _

* * * *

He knocked on Mrs. Cormaci's door. He had to say goodbye and say thank you for everything she had done for him.

"Gregor! So nice to see you! Come in, come in!"

"Hi, Mrs. Cormaci. I just-"

"You're going back." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Gregor just nodded.

"Are Lizzie and Boots going too?"

"Just Liz, not Boots."

"Okay, would you like some tea?"

"Yes please." One of the many things Gregor loved about Mrs. Cormaci was her matter-of-fact-ness. She took a large box from the closet by her door and then walked to the kitchen. Gregor followed, wondering what the woman had in store today.

In the kitchen she had placed the box on the table and started a kettle on the stove. Now she opened the box. The first thing the she pulled out was a brand new dark green backpack. She handed it to him.

"This is for any birthdays I've missed. Go ahead and open it."

"Mrs. Cormaci-"

"Shush, dear. Open it up." Hesitantly Gregor opened the pack. Inside was a shoebox. He pulled it out and opened it. The sturdy work boots inside were still in the tissue paper. It was obvious that they had never been worn. "Try them on." Mrs. Cormaci prompted. Gregor gulped, these must have cost a ton. Mrs. Cormaci had more money then his family, but she wasn't rich. She shouldn't have spent this kind of money. "Don't you like them?"

"Of course. They're wonderful, its just… you shouldn't have bought them."

"Nonsense. I know what I'm doing." Gregor knew she wouldn't be convinced. He pulled the boots out of the box and replaced the old shoes with these. Of course they fit perfectly, of course they would be extremely useful, because if the weren't perfect Mrs. Cormaci would know and she would know that she had wasted her money, which she had, whether they fit or not.

"Thanks." There was a knot in Gregor's throat, he would miss her so much. The kettle's shrill scream gave Gregor the distraction he needed; he wiped his eyes while her back was turned.

After they both clutched steaming mugs of mint tea Mrs. Cormaci reached back into the box. This time she pulled out a sky blue backpack.

"This is for Lizzie, you can give it to her for me."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cormaci. You really didn't have to do any of this."

"Of course I did!" She reached into the box for a third time. A smaller pink backpack emerged. "This is for Boots, I meant for her to have it in the Underland, but I'm sure she'll still enjoy it."

"I- Thank you." Gregor didn't know what else to say. Mrs. Cormaci next pulled out a plastic bag that you would get at a convenience store or something similar.

"These are for all of you. I hope that they make you more comfortable wherever you end up."

Gregor stayed and talked to Mrs. Cormaci for a long time. As he left, all the bags in his hands, the knot returned.

"Thanks for everything Mrs. Cormaci. I don't know how I –we- could have survived all these years without you." For some reason this goodbye seemed a lot more final than all past ones and he wanted to be sure she knew how much he appreciated her.

"Your welcome, Gregor. Goodbye." She hugged him and then he left, wondering if he would ever see her again.

* * * *

_She felt a warm cloth on her face, but she couldn't find the will power to open her eyes. Instead she reached out and felt the bedside table. A pen and paper sat there. She wrote the words that ran through her head. Ellipse, Maia. Her hand went limp and her mind was once more fogged by sleep. She thought she heard a voice, but she was too tired to recognize the words._

* * *

Did you like it? Did you hate it? I don't think I did the best job w/ Mrs. Cormaci, but its not too bad, is it?_  
_


	2. Three Bonded Pairs

And I'm back! Much longer chapter this time. Gregor goes to the Underland. A bit of Gluxa but it'll really start in the next chapter.

Enjoy,

A

**Disclaimer: The only charecter I own is Maia, ****so far. I don't own anything else**.

* * *

Chapter 2

The clock said 11:50, Gregor's mom and Boots had left for work and kindergarten, Gregor's dad was in the laundry room, checking if the cost was clear, Lizzie and Gregor had their packs on their backs. The packs were filled with the contents of the plastic bag (three flashlights, three packs of batteries, three water bottles, a roll of duck tape, a box of granola bars and a Ziploc bag of homemade cookies) along with jackets for both of them, Gregor's plastic bat and picture of Luxa and the puzzle book, box of pencils, box of markers and pencil sharpener that had been in Lizzie's pack. Lizzie had the new sneakers that had also been in her pack on and Gregor had his work boots on, they both wore t-shirts and jeans, which felt odd to Gregor. Excitement flooded through every inch of him, they were ready, it was almost time.

His dad's head poked through the door, "We're all set, come on down!" he said. They took the stairs two at a time, the laundry room door was a-jar. They burst in and opened the grate. To Gregor's surprise it was Nike's black and white striped head that popped through the grate, he had been expecting Aurora with Luxa on her back.

"Greetings, Overlanders. You have been missed."

"And we've missed all of you," Gregor replied. Hearing the voice of an over-sized bat was oddly comforting. He and Liz turned to hug their dad goodbye.

"See you soon," He whispered to them.

"See you soon," they replied in unison and they mounted the bat and rode away from the life they had struggled through for a long, long time.

Gregor practiced his echolation as they sped through many different sized tunnels, but the question haunting him refused to go away.

"Nike, where is Luxa?"

"Ah, I thought you would ask. She is in the hospital caring for Nerissa."

"What happened to Nerissa?"

"She is- unwell. I think it is unwise for me to tell you anything just yet. Vikus and Luxa will give you an update when we arrive." Gregor didn't know what to make of this, what had happened?

With his echolation he saw that they were approaching Regalia. It was so beautiful, spun of silvery threads in the darkness. The huge palace came closer and closer. Inside that building was Luxa, Vikus, Luxa, maybe Ripred or Howard, Luxa, Mareth, Luxa, Dulcet, Luxa and so many other people who were completely connected to him. He squeezed Lizzie's shoulders in front of him and whispered,

"Excited?"

"So excited I can hardly sit still," she whispered back.

Nike landed smoothly on the platform by the entrance to the palace. Gregor saw a flash of a cane and an army style shirt before he was engulfed in a huge hug.

"Welcome back," Mareth's rough voice spoke in Gregor's ear. When he was released he glanced over at Lizzie, she was being given her own hug, by a huge rat with two scars on his face.

"Hi, Ripred," Gregor said. Ripred let go of Lizzie and turned.

"Overlander." He offered his paw to shake. Gregor took it.

"No hug for me?" he smiled, trying to imagine Ripred hugging anyone but Liz.

"No," Ripred confirmed. "Now lets get you to Vikus, and I imagine Luxa will want to see you too." Gregor nodded and turned to Nike.

"Thanks for the ride, I guess I'll see you around."

"Yes. Your welcome, Overlander." She flew off the platform in the general direction of the arena.

"Nike and Howard never stop practicing." There was a note of regret in Mareth's voice and Gregor knew he wished that he and Andromeda could still spend all their time practicing.

"Did they bond?" Gregor asked, feeling completely out of the loop.

"Yes, about three months ago," Mareth answered.

Walking through the halls of the palace was as wonderful as seeing his old friends again. He felt happy and relaxed, as though he was returning home after a long trip. He recognized the route they were taking as the way to the hospital. He was suddenly struck with tons of questions. What had happened to Nerissa? Why was he needed? How long could he stay? His peace shattered, he picked up his pace.

They reached the hospital and Gregor swung the doors open. He spotted Luxa and half walked, half ran to her. Her back was turned but when he tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around, a smile lit her face so bright that it seemed the sun had finally found the place that had eluded it so long.

"Gregor!" She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his for less then a second. He had hardly noticed it before she stopped, but it had been heaven, pure happiness. As their arms went back to their sides Gregor glanced up at Vikus. He looked much better then he had when Gregor had left, but he had definitely seen better days. Gregor hugged him to. It felt so good to be back here.

"Welcome back Gregor! You have been missed by all."

"Not as much as I've missed all of you." Vikus smiled.

"Come, we have much to discuss." Gregor, Lizzie, Luxa and Ripred followed obediently. Vikus lead them to a room fairly near the hospital. It was furnished with elaborately carved stone chairs, with un-dyed spider silk cushions. There was also a wooden chair with red cloth on the cushions. Gregor stared at this chair, surprised that the Underlanders would use rare wood for a chair, but as Luxa sat in it became an obvious throne and his amazement ebbed away. The others sat in stone chairs and looked at Vikus expectantly.

"We are waiting for three more." Vikus informed them. Gregor wondered who these two could be. Perhaps Howard, but that was just one. A moment later two fliers entered the room, one that Gregor recognized, the golden Aurora, Luxa's bond. The other he didn't know, she had creamy white fur, speckled with gold and was slightly smaller than Aurora.

"Greetings," It was the smaller bat that spoke.

"Hello," Vikus replied. "Gregor, Lizzie, this is Maia, Aurora's cousin."

"Hi," Gregor said, uncertain why this bat was here, but trying not to show it.

"Hello, Overlander." Gregor didn't know what else to say so he didn't respond.

"Gregor, it is time that you are given an update." Vikus spoke the words that Gregor had been waiting for. "As you will have noticed, Nerissa is in the hospital. This is because she made her first prophecy about a week ago, and this drained her of most of her strength. She still has not opened her eyes. I suppose any more information would be pointless until you see the prophecy. Here it is." Vikus handed Gregor a piece of paper, he took it, recognizing Nerissa's handwriting, though it was shaky and messier than usual. His breath caught in his chest, because why would they have called him here if he weren't mentioned in the prophecy? Lizzie leaned over to read what was written as well.

**The Prophecy of Peace**

_Peace has come_

_Under the land_

_Seven unite_

_At last, at last_

_But if the warrior _

_So recently killed_

_Does not return_

_Then peace be stilled_

_For war still churns_

_For death still reaps_

_For one and one_

_Is two_

_For hearts that long stopped beating_

_Are never truly heeding_

_And those who killed a sun _

_Wish to see the sky_

_At last, at last_

_Two princesses_

_Hold strong, hold strong_

_Three bonded pairs _

_Hold four, hold four_

_Six quest-goers_

_Add more, add more_

_Princess's guards_

_Add one, add one_

_Fliers two_

_Makes eight, makes eight_

_Nibblers two_

_Makes ten, makes ten_

_Now you leave_

_One sword you heave_

_Warrior do not fight_

_Fliers do not carry_

_Peacemaker only parry_

_Queen hold your light_

_Sisters loose no sight_

_Only love can save the last_

_Of the three who die_

_One night_

_Of the three_

_One bond is broken_

_One bond is strengthened yet_

_One bond is held in high esteem_

_And one is made to form a team_

_Go you ten_

_Stop the cutters_

_Beware of those_

_Behind your back_

_Take pity on your foe_

_Those who do not go my find_

_That surprises come with the end of the bind_

_Never smother what is good_

_Never break a tie_

_Never fight what will always be_

_Remember what is important to thee_

_And peace might reign_

_At last, at last_

Parts of it were perfectly clear he, Lizzie and Boots were meant to go on a quest for peace, a quest where he couldn't even carry a sword. And, worst, three would die. Two of those three could be his little sisters; one could be Luxa, or…him.

"So, as soon as Temp arrives we will go over it, as a team." Gregor was glad he would have a moment to think before they started to dissect, but even as he thought it, Temp entered the room.

"Greetings, Overlander, Greetings." Temp clicked, as Gregor rose from his chair.

"Temp! How are you?" Gregor was quite fond of the bug after all they had been through together, and all he had done for Boots.

"well, I be, well. And you?"

"I'm great!" Gregor took his seat as Temp sat and Vikus spoke again.

"Gregor, could you read us the first stanza?"

"Umm…" Gregor cleared his throat. "_Peace has come, Under the land, Seven unite, At last, at last." _

"I think we'll all agree that that's pretty clear. Seven unite would mean the humans, the fliers, the crawlers, the spinners, the nibblers, the gnawers and the diggers." Vikus counted the species off on his fingers as he spoke. "The next stanza, Gregor?"

"_But if the warrior, So recently killed, Does not return, Then peace be stilled"_

"Right. So we'll assume that 'the warrior' is Gregor, as it tends to be so. He was 'killed' a little over a year ago and he left, now he is back, we hope that means that peace won't be stilled. Everyone agrees?" There were murmurs of assent around the room. "Good, please continue Gregor."

"_For war still churns, For death still reaps, For one and one, Is two" _Gregor paused.

"Why don't you read the next one too, as I recall they fit together."

Obediently, Gregor continued, "_For hearts that long stopped beating, Are never truly heeding, And those who killed a sun, Wish to see the sky, At last, at last"_

"War still churns, death still reaps. Not pleasant, but always true here. One and one is two, this line still confuses me, does anyone have ideas?"

"It could mean that we have two enemies who have joined forces." It was Ripred who had spoken, Gregor turned as he continued, "The hearts that long stopped beating could be one enemy, the ones who killed a sun, would then be another."

"That is quite possible. Then, all that remains is to figure out who those are. I would think that an army of the dead would not be raised against us. That is pure fantasy!" All of a sudden Gregor had a mad desire to laugh. It was odd to watch a man with white hair, translucent skin and purple eyes tell a giant rat and two giant bats about pure fantasy. "Does anyone have any more reasonable ideas?" No one spoke up. "I suppose we'll just have to wait then. As for killing a sun… I am not sure what to make of that. Cutters are mentioned later and they killed my _son _but that's different. The fact that they wish to see the sky is very unsettling though, any Underland creature in the Overland would be bad news."

"It's called the Prophecy of Peace." Gregor looked down, surprised that Lizzie was speaking. "As I've been told, after Hamnet's…mistake," she glanced at Ripred, "he loved peace. A sun is a bright light in the darkness. Hamnet would have been like a bright light in the darkness of hate and war. He was also the son of someone important which would make him being a son significant."

"Those are all very good points, thank you Lizzie." Vikus didn't seem nearly as surprised as Gregor was. Who had even told her about Hamnet? Oh wait, never mind, that much was obvious. Ripred. "Okay, so on to the next stanza? Lets take this one two lines at a time."

"Okay, _Two princesses, Hold strong, hold strong." _Gregor hated the words. He couldn't stand the thought that his sisters had to go on a quest. Boots had been on quests before, of course, but she was now of an age that she would remember things like that. As for Lizzie… he shuddered, not wanting to imagine what a quest would do to her.

"In the past, Boots has been our princess, but in the Prophecy of Time Lizzie was. This implies that they are the princesses. Of course they are under no obligation, it will be their choice." Gregor sighed a breath of relief, Liz would know enough to say no, and Boots would be easily influenced. But even as he thought it, Lizzie spoke.

"Of course I will go."

"No, Lizzie!" Gregor leapt to his feet. "There is no way I'll let you go!"

"You aren't in charge of me!"

"I am down here!"

"I know you're going! It mentions a queen and there's no way you'll leave Luxa!" Gregor would have been embarrassed if he hadn't been so angry. "We have to stick together, and you said it yourself, the ties have already been made!"

"I- Lizzie, please."

"You are such a hypocrite, Gregor! I'm going and you can't stop me!" Gregor stared coldly at her and took his seat again. He would stop Boots. That much he was certain of.

"Okay, I believe that is settled then." Vikus spoke slowly, as though waiting to be interrupted. "Lizzie shall go. Gregor? Go on."

"_Three bonded pairs, Hold four, hold four" _Gregor read the lines, his voice shaking.

"This line is confusing. Luxa has two bonds, which is more than anyone else we know of. But that is not three… Perhaps it could mean the mate of one of them, but Fliptail is dead," Vikus glanced apologetically at Ripred, "If Aurora has come anywhere near a spouse he is now dead, and that leaves Luxa…" Vikus said no more but most of the room glanced quickly at Gregor. "I suppose we should move on. Gregor?"

"_Six quest-goers, Add more, add more"_

"Continue, please, that line is of little consequence," Vikus said in response.

"_Princess's guards, Add one, add one" Gregor_ hoped he might fit in here, of course he had to guard his sisters.

"Ripred, Temp, and Gregor would all fill that position. I believe Ripred is already mentioned, and Gregor may have been as well. Therefore this position should be offered to Temp. Agreed?" Everyone nodded. "Temp?"

"I come if the princess does." Gregor knew he meant Boots, and was fairly sure that Temp would not be going on the trip.

"Alright, next lines then, Gregor."

"_Fliers two, Makes eight, makes eight" _

"We assume Aurora was already mentioned, so that leaves space for one more. The other day, while Luxa sat with Nerissa in the hospital, Nerissa wrote two names on a piece of parchment. One was Maia, which happened to be the name of Aurora's cousin. Maia, we now formally offer you a place on this quest."

"I except," the bat purred immediately.

"Wonderful, we shall move on."

"_Nibblers two, Makes ten, makes ten" _

"As I said before, Nerissa wrote two names in her sleep. One was Maia, the other was Ellipse. We will go to the Nibbler's lands tomorrow to see if any bear the name Ellipse. As to the other nibbler, we will probably just take a volunteer. So, the two next stanzas, I think."

Gregor read on, "_Now you leave, One sword you heave, Warrior do not fight, Fliers do not carry, Peacemaker only parry, Queen hold your light, Sisters loose no sight, Only love can save the last, Of the three who die, One night" _The words 'four who die' had been hard to speak. He wouldn't let Luxa or his sisters die, they just couldn't.

"Only one sword shall go on this quest. It will not be held by Gregor, so then it will be Luxa's sword that is brought. The Fliers are not to carry anyone, which is odd but feasible. The Peacemaker," Vikus bowed his head to Ripred, "is to only parry, and therefore not to attack. The Queen is to hold her light, I don't know if this means light or life, but either way, it seems important. The sisters shouldn't loose their sight. I don't know what that means in relation to the prophecy, but that is the advice Nerissa has given you." He finished his sentence by bowing his head to Lizzie. "I apologize that I am not being too inclusive of others, but we really don't have much time." Gregor was sure that Vikus was anxious to get back to Nerissa, and he was probably exhausted too. "Gregor?"

"Yeah? Oh right, _Of the three, One bond is broken, One bond is strengthened yet, One bond is held in high esteem, And one is made to form a team._"

"Do any of you have ideas?" It seemed like Vikus was making a huge effort to slow down.

"Well, it sounds like it's talking about the bonds mentioned before, so one of the three is broken, which probably means someone dies." Gregor paused here, he thought about the people who had been placed in these positions: Aurora, Ripred, Luxa and him. All he could think was, not Luxa, not Luxa, not Luxa.

"One of the bonds is strengthened." Ripred continued for Gregor. "One is very useful, and one more is formed."

"Thank you, this is the conclusion we have all drawn, but the question remains, who?" Vikus was silent for a moment before continuing. "Alright, Gregor, next stanza?"

"_Go you ten, Stop the cutters, Beware of those, Behind your back, Take pity on your foe, Those who do not go my find, That surprises come with the end of the bind"_ Gregor read the words slowly, carefully, his mind still echoing, not Luxa, not Luxa, not Luxa.

"Ten people embark to stop the cutters. At least this gives us some direction, the rest is rather murky. It gives us advice and warning but does not tell us much. We must beware of those behind our backs, and be ready for a surprise. But that leaves so much un-answered. I wish we could ask Nerissa when she wakes, but I don't know when that will be…" Vikus trailed of, his face full of worry.

"The last stanza says, _Never smother what is good, Never break a tie, Never fight what will always be, Remember what is important to thee, And peace might reign, At last, at last_" Gregor had continued, hoping that the optimistic words would have some effect on Vikus. Indeed, he did look up and speak again, though his voice sounded strained and burdened.

"Well, it sounds as though Nerissa is just giving us some good advice, but it must have some meaning."

"Not necessarily, it could just be telling you exactly what you need to do in order to find peace." This time it was Maia's soft, purring voice that broke the tension.

"Yes, I suppose we'll have to leave it at that for now."

* * *

:)


End file.
