~ PANDORA

"Please, just let me walk you in," Damien offered once more.

Pandora was getting tired of shrugging him off. The entire ride home, Damien had been a perfect gentleman, and had tried his best to get Pandora to see he was sorry for how he had acted. She was over it. They had already given their final presentation, and now Pandora had no commitments. It wasn't long until her and Howard were on their way to help the Underlanders. She guessed having Damien walk her to the door of her apartment wouldn't be too bad. "Sure," she said half-heartedly. "I guess that would be fine."

He flashed her a dazzling smile and jumped out of the car to open the door for her. Rose's words after the dinner fiasco jumped out in Pandora's mind. Damien did seem to like her. He definitely treated her differently than other people he talked to.

They walked up the stairs to her apartment floor, and Pandora had just taken out her keys when Damien stepped extremely close. Although Pandora really wanted him out of her personal space, she pretended not to notice and continued finding her house key.

He put a hand on her cheek and lifted her face to look him in the eyes.

"Damien," she said with a warning tone. He had stepped even closer. She moved her hands to press him away, her keys jangling.

The door opened, and Howard peeked out. He had obviously heard them and wondered why Pandora hadn't walked in yet. "Pandora?" he asked timidly.

"Oh, you're still here," Damien spat.

"Yes, he's still here," Pandora said while taking a step away from him. "Where else would he be?"

"Back in Virginia, where he said he lived," he retorted. He took a step back from Howard and seemed to size him up. Pandora raised her head and glared at him.

"Why would I leave soon after I arrived?" Howard asked. He had stood up straighter but maintained a calm tone.

"See? And who talks like that? You aren't really from Virginia, are you?"

Pandora spoke up, louder than she had expected to. "What does it matter to you?"

"And I bet he's not related to Rose either!"

"How would you know?" Pandora didn't care how loud she was being. She matched Damien's rude tone, and his head snapped in her direction. His hands curled into fists at his sides and his cheeks were getting red. Howard sensed the tension and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind him and not daring to take his eyes off Damien.

"I can see it on his face! His freakish, albino face!"

Pandora had had it. "That's enough, Damien!" Pandora dropped her keys instantly and forcefully put a hand on his shoulder, trying to push him back towards the stairs. "Just go home!"

"I'll say when he's had enough," he replied darkly, trapping her wrist with a powerful hand. His gaze rested on Pandora and her anger was quickly replaced with fear. His eyes had a murderous rage to them that Pandora had never seen before. He looked like a different person.

"Get away from her!" Howard snapped. "She hasn't done anything wrong."

"She knows you. And that's wrong enough." Damien let go of her wrist and shoved her into the wall. Pandora cried out and sank to the floor, the back of her head throbbing.

Howard advanced onto Damien, raising Pandora's fear to a new level. Howard had always seemed nervous to enter a fight, but now he was doing so willingly.

He hadn't taken three steps before Damien pulled out a gun.

"Howard, freeze!" Pandora cried, her voice raising two octaves. Howard listened, staring intently at the pistol aimed at his head. Pandora didn't know how much Howard knew about firearms, perhaps nothing at all, but he had enough sense to know it was dangerous.

His death was just a finger twitch away.

"Damien," Pandora said slowly. "Don't do this. Why would you have this escalate? Just leave. You won't see Howard again." He probably wouldn't see her ever again, either.

"Don't worry, I won't." He cocked the gun.

"Don't shoot him, please," Pandora broke down. She moved to sit on her knees in a begging position. "Damien? Damien!" The man continued to stare fixedly at Howard, but Pandora could see a muscle in his neck twitching, almost hidden by the collar of his shirt. "Damien, don't!" Pandora continued to plead. "I'll do anything!"

Damien's head shot over to her. His eyes got wide. He looked hurt. "You love him that much?"

"Yes, yes I do," Pandora affirmed. Tears had welled in her eyes. "Please put the gun away."

"I can't do that." Damien slowly turned his head back to Howard, the hurt look on his face vanishing behind a mask of rage and hate. The muscle stopped twitching. Damien looked steadier than before. "No I can't. Because he loves you, too."

Time seemed to slow down. Pandora knew that Howard was just about to take a step, giving Damien the perfect reason to pull the trigger. Pandora leapt forward and pushed Damien's arm up. A deafening bang! filled the silence. Pandora had managed to move the barrel far enough away that Howard didn't get hurt.

The bullet embedded itself in the cement ceiling, inches above Howard's head. Completely stunned, Howard's legs gave out from under him and he fell backwards, hands coming up to cover his ears. Then, a protective figure stood behind him.

"Sonny boy," Rose said with a serious look on her face. She held up a pistol with two hands, steady as could be. It was trained on Damien's chest. "I've seen plenty of violence in my lifetime. Don't think I won't shoot. You just set the gun down, turn around, and leave this place."

Damien stood there, unmoving, with an unreadable expression on his face. "I... I... Alright. Yes." He lowered his gun.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, ma'am." The dangerous look in his eyes vanished and he looked confused.

"That's more like it. Now you put that gun down right there on the floor, dearie. That's a good boy."

With one last, longing look at Pandora, Damien turned around and walked down the stairs.

Pandora rushed over to Howard, who still sat on the floor. He was panting, as if in shock. She helped him up. "Are you gonna call the cops, Rose?"

"Only if you want me to, dear."

"I don't know... I don't think so." The police would want a full report on the incident, Pandora thought. Including the Underlander who was almost shot by a weapon he had never seen before.

"Did Stanley give you that gun?"

"You bet he did."

Fifteen minutes later, Pandora was still pacing in front of the kitchen table. "You're sure you're alright?" Pandora asked for probably the dozenth time.

Howard took another sip from his glass of water. "Yes. I am fine."

"I knew I should have said something to my professor when she paired me up with Damien. It's all my fault."

"Pandora," Howard said soothingly, placing a hand over her forearm. "It is not your fault. It was Damien who chose to carry a weapon. It was Damien who chose to fight."

"I should have seen it coming. How could I have not seen it coming?" Pandora poured out faster and faster. "I mean, I see the smallest of things. Like when the spinners are going to decide to help."

"Pandora?"

"Or when the Waterway's at its highest point..."

"Pandora," Howard repeated.

"Or when that group of rebels will try to kill Luxa again," Pandora continued to spill. "But can I see when a lunatic from school will pull a gun from out of nowhere? No!"

"Hold on a moment," Howard said, standing up and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She stopped pacing. "Pandora... what did you say?"

"I said the nasty, rude little son of a..."

"No, no. Before that. You said something about the spinners."

"I... I said I..." Pandora took a hard look at Howard before finally cracking a small smile. "Oh, I shouldn't have told you that."

"It's alright. I won't say a word to another soul," Howard said as he sat back down.

"I keep having dreams," Pandora said as she sat in the chair across from him. "Lots of them recur more than once. But I haven't heard a single prophecy in months!"

"No seizures?"

"No seizures." Pandora affirmed, looking down at the table. "I had a couple when I first came back... and then they completely stopped." She slowly raised her head to look back into Howard's eyes. "Do you think they'll come back when I go down there?"

Howard just shrugged. "They might. There is only one way to be positive."

"And that's to go back," Pandora finished. Howard nodded.

Pandora thought of how many times she was put in danger. How many times was Howard on the brink of death? The Underlanders thought she was crazy. They didn't even like her; it was even hard to tell if Luxa, their queen, could even tolerate her. Her seizures might return. She always hated the feeling of not being in control of her body, and the fear of losing her short-term memory in the process. What if they came back with a vengeance and left her crippled?

"Howard, I'm scared."

"There might be some things that you will be afraid of. I cannot even guarantee we will be safe on our return to Regalia. But at least we will be together." Howard gave her a reassuring smile.

Pandora nodded and reached across the table to hold his hand. "Okay... I'm ready whenever you are."

"You should get a pack ready."

"I already have one."

Howard gave her a quizzical look, so she walked to the hall closet to show him. She turned around to reveal a bright children's backpack that bulged with supplies. "Is that...?" Howard started to ask.

Pandora nodded and smiled. "It's the lucky pack." Her smile wavered. "I should go tell Rose we're leaving."

"At least she will know exactly where you are this time. She can leave you letters whenever she wants to."

"She won't be alone. Stanley's here for her now." Pandora shouldered the backpack and walked down the short hall that led to Rose's bedroom. "And Damien won't come back." She decided not to add in 'now that I won't be here.'

"Take your time," Howard said gently. "I think the Underland can stand to wait a few more minutes." Pandora frowned as she knocked on Rose's bedroom door. The Underlanders could enjoy the next few minutes without their most hated Overlander, Pandora thought.

~ GREGOR

Gregor was confused and frustrated. The Underlanders really thought he came down there to help them with another war? Spying Gregor's increasingly sour mood, Ripred escorted him out of the luxury room. "Follow me," he said. Now they were walking down a palace corridor.

"So, who's this Pandora?"

"A Bartholomew of Sandwich wannabe. One of Nerissa's friends."

"But... she's an Overlander?"

"Yes. Lives in your apartment building. She claims she knew you before she left."

"I don't remember many neighbors besides Ms. Cormaci," Gregor confessed.

"It doesn't matter anyway."

"Is she a psychic, like Nerissa?"

"You could say that," Ripred said after a moment of hesitation. "However, if you ask Nerissa, she'll claim that Pandora is prophetic."

"Prophetic?"

"Telling the future. Writing poems about it. Just like Sandwich."

"You think she's the real deal?" Gregor asked, knowing Ripred's views on Sandwich. Ripred didn't believe in the prophecies, but the Regalians did. The rat realized he could manipulate the words of the prophecy to fit an outcome that he liked, such as adding a second scar over his eye to make himself "the peacemaker." Or having Lizzie be "the princess" to break the Code of Claw.

"Here's what I see," Ripred said, stopping in the middle of an empty hallway and facing Gregor. He started talking in hushed tones. "The Regalians don't like when people mess with their founder. They especially don't like it when people try to imitate his powers." He looked Gregor dead in the eyes. "I've heard this young woman say some disturbingly accurate things. Things no Overlander could have figured out so fast, or things that haven't even happened yet. She hasn't been wrong. However, the Regalians have not witnessed her powers firsthand, and they don't like her very much. So, don't bring up her name in front of anyone, alright?"

"Okay," Gregor nodded. Ripred turned and continued down the hallway. It seemed as though Ripred's and the Regalians' views had switched. Ripred didn't believe in Sandwich's prophecies, but he believed Pandora. The Regalians believed in Sandwich's prophecies, but not Pandora's. They walked down several flights of stairs until they were far below in the almost-deserted parts of the fortress.

"Now," Ripred said, stopping and turning to him again. "You mentioned you came because you needed help."

"Yeah," Gregor said, his eyebrows raised. "Would you help me?"

"Help with what?" Ripred said innocently.

"You know what. You know I can't control it." Gregor felt extremely vulnerable, standing with Ripred alone in the dim, stone room.

Ripred cut out his sarcasm and dropped his chin. "It takes practice. Lots of it. I assume you didn't get the chance to fight with many opponents in Virginia?"

"No. I mean, I tried not to. Fighting a lot in the Overland isn't a reputation anyone wants."

"I agree, but that hasn't helped your rager sense, has it?"

"I feel like it could happen at any time. The smallest things set it off."

"And being afraid of your power doesn't help either," Ripred said with a nod. "You have to embrace it Gregor. Living in constant fear that you might unintentionally hurt somebody actually makes it easier for the rager ability to kick in."

"Don't you think I know that?" Gregor said with an angry laugh. "High school hasn't been a cake walk. I just... don't fit in in the Overland anymore. I tried. The stress is just too much."

"That's why we're going to start training right now."

"That's great," Gregor nodded. His shoulders slumped as he visibly relaxed. Getting Ripred to agree to train him wasn't as hard as Gregor thought it was going to be. Sure, Ripred could be condescending and a pain at times, but he knew when to start acting serious.

*****

Gregor ascended staircase after staircase until he was near the top of the palace again. Legs burning from the many steps, he took a deep breath before exiting the stairwell. What Ripred made him do wasn't something Gregor had been expecting. They sat down... and talked. He was surprised they didn't do anything that triggered his rager sense. All they did was share experiences, one after the other. If Gregor divulged an instance where he felt like he lost control, or almost lost control, Ripred would do the same. At first, Gregor was very uncomfortable with the exercise, but after learning more about Ripred's past, he felt more at ease. Walking down a hallway, he was so lost in thought that he almost didn't recognize the back of Luxa's head.

"Luxa, wait up!" He called and jogged over to her. She turned around and stopped to wait for him. "Could you fill me in on what happened after I left?"

"Of course," Luxa said with a nod. "I was just about to search for you." She turned and started walking down the hall, but at a slower pace. Gregor walked beside her. "We have planned to make a public announcement about your arrival."

"Does... that involve me?" Gregor got a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Were they going to make him stand in front of everybody? He was never a great speaker. He could already feel the jittery nerves as butterflies danced in his stomach.

"Yes, but do not worry. I'll be doing most of the talking," Luxa answered.

"Good. So, I just stand there?"

"Well, not exactly. I'm going to ask you to say a few words, but Nerissa is writing them down for you. All you'll need to do is read."

"Oh... well that makes me feel a ton better," Gregor said with a smile. The butterflies in his stomach calmed down. "When is this announcement?"

"In an hour."

"An hour?" Gregor said loudly.

Luxa nodded. "Let us go find some formal clothes for you to wear." Speeding up, she turned down another hallway and descended a flight of stairs, Gregor at her heels.

"What do you mean more formal clothes? You aren't going to make me wear that awful black armor again, are you?" Gregor absolutely despised the armor Solovet made him wear. He felt evil in it, like a demon willing to destroy everything. It also reminded him of the final time he was with his bond, Ares. His armor matched his perfect black coat. Gregor would rather wear neon pink armor with flashing lights on it before he would ever put on that black metal suit again.

"No, of course not," Luxa said. "I do ask, however, that you wear Sandwich's sword. We mended it, and Vikus saved it for you."

Gregor looked at the floor as they continued to walk. At the end of his last visit, he had broken the sword in two right over his knee. He had killed the warrior. But then the Underlanders brought him back to life. "How did you know I was coming back?"

"We didn't. Not until recently, at least," Luxa said, walking down another hallway.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing to you. Do not be concerned by it," Luxa said quickly, moving a curtain that blocked the entrance to a room. "Here we are."

Although Gregor hated it when the Underlanders didn't give him the full story, he made a mental note to ask later. He wanted to give Luxa a break. Gregor wasn't the only one stressed nowadays. After Luxa's break down, it was obvious that she needed time to relax, too. "What's this place?"

"Royal costuming," Luxa answered. "Adeline creates all of my clothes when I have formal business to conduct." She crossed the threshold and greeted a woman who looked no older than thirty. She must have been Adeline.

"Uh... hi," Gregor waved.

Adeline bowed her head at him. "Greetings, Overlander," she said. "It is my honor to work on your wardrobe."

"Thanks," Gregor responded. He had never experienced anyone creating custom clothes for him before. He hadn't even stepped foot in a tailor shop! "So... how should we get started?"

"Let me just take some measurements and I'll see what I have for you," Adeline said with a smile. "Follow me over here, please."

Gregor followed Adeline and stood at the spot she pointed to. Surrounding the alcove on three sides were long curtains, presumably concealing small rooms. He looked back quizzically at Luxa, but she only smiled and gestured for him to turn back around. Adeline started to outstretch her arm and lay it next to different parts of Gregor's body, whispering to herself.

"Shoulders to the upper arm. Neck... a palm and a half. Waist one and one quarters forearm..."

After a minute or two, Adeline straightened and lowered her arms. "I shall be right back." She walked into one of the rooms surrounding the alcove. Gregor looked towards Luxa again, but she only shrugged her shoulders. "This might do," Adeline said as she reappeared with clothing in her arms.

Adeline helped Gregor position the clothing over what he already had on. It didn't really matter that Gregor was already wearing clothes, for the Underland material was large and draped over his body in excess. Soon, Gregor was clothed in red and purple robes. Adeline walked back to inspect his ensemble from top to bottom.

"What say you, my Queen?" Adeline gestured for Gregor to spin around.

Gregor narrowed his eyes as he saw Luxa was trying hard not to laugh. He turned to look at Adeline. "I look like Vikus," he said flatly. He hoped he wasn't offending Adeline, but there was no way he was going out in public wearing the purple and red monstrosity! "Do you have anything else that doesn't look like I'm from ancient Rome?"

"Well, I could try a more fitting style from the..." Adeline started.

"Actually," Gregor interrupted. An idea just popped into his head. "Do you have paper and something to write with?"

This took Adeline by surprise, her eyes shifting over to Luxa. Luxa must have nodded, for she went to another area of the room and retrieved parchment, a pen, and a bottle of ink. Gregor stripped himself of the horrible robes in the meantime. "Here, Overlander," she said, holding them out to him. She seemed utterly confused as to why Gregor would want to write something.

After a moment of thought, Gregor tried his best to draw a suit on the parchment. "Do you have something that looks like this?"

Luxa walked over to take a look at the drawing. "Explain, Gregor," she said.

"Well. You've got some pants underneath. And a shirt. And this on top is a coat. It's got long sleeves and a collar. It buttons in the front, so it fits your waist. It doesn't look like curtains."

"Is this what they wear in the Overland?" Adeline asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. For special events when you want to look nice," Gregor said. He had never owned a suit, but his dad had one.

"Trouser. Tunic... hmmm," Adeline said with a look of concentration on her face. "I might have to create a new piece that will be suitable to use as an Overland... coat, did you say?" Gregor nodded. She walked back to a different curtain in the alcove and was gone for several minutes.

"Is that how you want to appear in front of the Underlanders?" Luxa asked him.

"I'm an Overlander, aren't I? Shouldn't I dress like one?"

"I suppose so."

"I'll still wear the sword with it," Gregor promised.

Luxa looked like she approved. "We could make this work."

Adeline arrived back in the alcove and gave Gregor some pieces to try on. "Go in here," she said, moving the third curtain to reveal an empty room. "See which ones fit you best."

Gregor was pleasantly surprised that Adeline found pants and shirts that looked similar enough to Overland clothes. Although the tunic he picked was quite plain and without a collar, it would look quite nice once it had a formal coat overtop of it. He returned to the alcove with the clothes he chose on. Luxa nodded approvingly and Adeline looked pleased. "Very... Overland," she said, trying her best to compliment the outfit.

"I found this material," she held out a piece of cloth to Gregor. "May I?" Gregor nodded, inviting her to take the fabric and drape it over his shoulders. It was stiffer than the robe material and was dyed a dark blue. He was glad it wasn't black. Expertly cutting and pinning, Adeline created a design that was quite close to the picture that Gregor had drawn.

"Wow," Gregor said. "This is looking great."

"I'll just need some time to sew it to make the lines crisper, and it shall be ready for the announcement," Adeline said, more to Luxa than to Gregor.

"Thank you, Adeline," Luxa said with a small smile. "I appreciate you accommodating what Gregor wanted."

"It is my honor, your Highness," Adeline said with a small bow. After removing the material cut to look like a coat, Gregor went back in the dressing room to put on his original clothes.

Luxa had him follow her out back into the hall. "Now let us go and see what Nerissa has written for you."

***

Gregor stood behind Luxa at the edge of the curtain. They were in the arena, in a box above the stands that was in full view of the mossy ground underneath it. It was as good a place as any to give an announcement, for the arena could fit many people and carried sound quite a ways. A councilman was announcing Luxa, and as she strode out in her long, dark purple gown, Gregor looked out at the crowd. Humans, fliers, gnawers, crawlers, and stingers alike were standing together, all looking up at the Regalian's queen.

She started to speak, but Gregor was so nervous he forgot what she was saying as soon as the words left her mouth. He looked down at his cards again. Although Nerissa had neat handwriting, he could barely make out the words in his shaking hands. He put the cards down and looked up, a hand resting on the jeweled pommel of a blade he had all but forgotten. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves. If he could hold his own in a fight, he could hold his own in a speech, too.

He glanced back at Luxa just in time to see her gesture back towards the curtain, calling out "The warrior!" That was his cue.

He walked out into the part of the box that jutted out of the sides of the stands, trying his best to appear confident. A roar of applause came from below and he waited a full minute for it to dissipate so he could be heard. He brought the cue cards up to his face and began to read.

"Gregor," Luxa hissed. "Gregor. Speak up."

Faltering for a moment, he started over. "Underlanders, it... it brings me great joy to see you again in this fine... fine city. Although I have spent some time away, I am confident... I am confident...." Gregor paused for a moment as he lowered the cards. He looked out on the faces of the crowd. The Regalians were seeming to hold on to his every word, desperate for encouragement. Fliers held their breath, probably hoping that having the Warrior come back meant winning the war was a sure-fire thing. Even the stingers seemed to be on edge, even if they weren't warm-blooded creatures. Gregor realized the speech Nerissa had crafted was rubbish. It didn't reflect Gregor's feelings at all. In fact, it might have been interpreted as a promise of winning the war. A promise that Gregor would assume his position on the front lines.

It was a promise Gregor did not want to keep, so he put the cards down.

"I have seen the cutters on a warpath before," he said, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. "I've fought them before, back when I had to get the Starshade. I've seen what they're capable of."

He glanced at Luxa, who was frowning. "What are you..." she tried to whisper to him, but he cut her off.

"They're capable of murder. And destruction. They're capable of tearing families apart. Ending the lives of loved ones. Ending the lives of each and every warmblood here in the Underland." A silence fell over the crowd. No one dared to move.

"And now, they've kicked their game up a notch. They want to bring the fight to our doors. But I think their forgetting one important thing..." Gregor held up a finger and walked closer to the edge of the balcony.

He pointed his finger towards the crowd and swept it across the whole arena. "Look around you. They might be bringing the fight to the Regalian's doors, but they will end up finding many guests here ready and willing to help. The cutters have underestimated us... I think. The cutters stand alone. They've run out any possible ally..." Gregor smiled. He didn't feel nervous anymore. He realized speaking in front of crowds was easy once you knew what to say.

"Their perfect lines of soldiers... they will be sorely surprised when they see who is on the other side of that battlefield. Warriors of all shapes and sizes... warm-blooded or not, winged or not. So, let the cutters come! All of them! Because once they see us... the rest of the Underland creatures... fighting together, even their queen won't know what to do!"

The silence continued, and Gregor turned and started walking back towards the curtain. Luxa was glaring at him, her cheeks flushed with rage. He shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't help that Nerissa's cards weren't what the situation called for.

As he walked through the curtain, the crowd below erupted into unanimous applause and cries of agreement. Gregor smiled smugly.

Luxa shoved past him, the long tresses of her sleeves billowing behind her. As she walked hastily, putting much distance between herself and him, she called over her shoulder, "I am unsure whether to strangle you or congratulate you!"

"Congratulations would be better!" Gregor called with a laugh. Luxa replied with an exasperated groan.