~ PANDORA

Nerissa led Pan and Pandora down to an old wooden door... the only one in the entire palace. Pandora knew what lay beyond it – the Prophecy Room. She remembered her very first time in it, the time when she pointed out The Last Prophecy to Nerissa. She had known exactly where it was carved, even though she had only entered the room moments before.

As they walked in now, she felt as if she was retracing her steps. Back to the wall where the prophecy in question lay.

Pan was in awe. "Oh my... I've studied Sandwich for years. And now I am in the very same room he had locked himself in. It's amazing."

"I often ponder the same thing every time I enter," Nerissa replied. She leaned up against the wall. "Would you like to read it aloud, Pan?"

"I would love to!" The bat cried, jumping slightly and shuffling his wings in excitement. He cleared his voice and began:

"Apple of Regalia,

Of wisdom and release,

My time runs short,

I present you in peace.

Apple of Change,

Of compassion and might,

My faith goes with you,

I give you my light.

Apple of Spirit,

Of those lost and others found,

My words of meaning,

I find them unwound.

Apple of Mystery,

Of amazement and notion,

My name lives with you,

I give you my devotion."

Pan shivered. "Wonderful. It even has a different feeling when you read it from its original place."

Pandora turned to look over her shoulder at a different area of the room. She could picture Sandwich in her mind, kneeling on the floor with a chisel. The dream she had on her last visit... she had actually gotten to talk to Regalia's founder. Pan was right when he said the poem had a different feeling. It was eerie and chilling, knowing that was his handwriting on the wall. It had been preserved for so long...

"Pandora, is everything alright?" Nerissa asked.

"Yes," Pandora said, turning back around and shaking her head to clear it. "Sorry. Just... lost in thought."

"Nerissa, I heard you were excellent at deciphering these," Pan said. "Let us hear what you have to say about it first."

"Very well." Nerissa reached up with one hand and felt the stone where the poem was carved. "As Pandora and I have discovered on her previous visit, it is a poem about her. Sandwich knows he only has so much time... and space... to write his findings. He had a vision of another Overlander, one with his gift, that would serve as a prominent future figurehead here in the Underland. That figurehead is Pandora."

"Unfortunately, he didn't tell us that the Regalians would spurn me," Pandora added bitterly.

"It'll take some time for them to build trust in you," Pan said sweetly.

"Especially after they accused me of leading the assassination plot against Luxa," Pandora added.

"We know that wasn't you," Pan said, trying to keep her spirits high. "And there was no actual proof. They can't all believe that can they?"

"I guess not. But the majority probably does."

"I feel we are digressing," Nerissa said, bringing them back to focus. "Pan is right, Pandora, it will take some time to get a foothold here. We are in times of war, everyone is overwhelmed with stress. Speaking of which, that is what the first stanza of the poem is about. You have been so helpful to Luxa, aiding her during the attempt at recruiting the stingers..."

"And just recently, in the war meeting," Pan added.

"You are sharing your wisdom," Nerissa said. "As for 'release,' I am not entirely sure what Sandwich's meaning is yet. Perhaps you help people to let go of certain things, which may be the meaning."

"Yeah, like the way you helped Gregor let go of his anger."

Pandora shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "I guess. He was so angry... I was afraid he was going to slap me too!"

"He slapped someone?" Nerissa said with sudden concern.

"Vikus. But he's fine," Pandora explained.

"I can see why Ripred is helping him," Nerissa said.

"Why is Ripred helping him?" Pandora asked. There's no way a rat as cynical and sarcastic as Ripred could possibly help with any type of anger or aggression Gregor had!

"Pandora, have you heard of a rager before?"

"Uh... yes. A little," Pandora said slowly, trying to remember if she had heard Ripred talk about it before. Didn't Pan mention it back on her previous visit? She remembered Ripred challenging her to believe he could best one hundred opponents at once... could that have been related?

"A rager is someone who has an innate ability to fight," Nerissa said. "Their senses hone in only on their enemies, making them a deadly warrior. Unfortunately, extreme stress or particular circumstances can make their rager sense come forward. And I've heard it is extremely hard to suppress."

Pan nodded and turned to Nerissa. "When Nike took Pandora and Hazard back to Regalia, Ripred was a whirlwind of claws... I couldn't believe my eyes. Without him, I'm sure I would have been dragged down a tunnel, just as Howard was."

Pandora gulped. She didn't want to talk about that day. Howard had almost been killed, and Pandora couldn't bear to hear the details of the fight. "How about the next stanza?" She asked, trying to get them back on track. Her voice sounded a bit hoarse as a result of her dry throat.

"Gregor must be a rager, too!" Pan discovered. "He is the warrior after all. My, does that put a new perspective on the last war! The fight with the Bane. Only a rager could have pulled that off."

"We're getting off topic again," Pandora said flatly.

Nerissa cleared her throat and smiled politely. "Yes, let us get back to the task at hand. Pandora, why don't you tell us what you think of it?" She must've known that Pandora was starting to feel uncomfortable, just another reason why Pandora liked her so much.

"Well. Let's start with 'change.' I did change the general's war strategy today, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. And you are always compassionate," Pan said. "You care about how others are treated. Remember when you fought with Luxa on how she reacted when we lifted Ripred though the ceiling at the caved-in ending of Hades Hall?"

"Oh yeah," Pandora said. "You did very well, lifting Ripred by his tail."

"Even though Luxa told me to stay put!" He laughed.

"But I'm not very mighty," Pandora said.

"Not in the sense of physical strength," Nerissa said. "But what about your words? Or the way you present yourself?"

"Yes, you're not afraid to speak your mind in front of Luxa or Ripred," Pan said. "And I don't know which one is scarier!"

"He's giving me his light and presenting me to the Underlanders," Pandora said. "That's a pretty obvious part.

"You are Regalia's second beacon of hope. What Sandwich has done for us every Regalian appreciates. He has given us hope for the future. A reason to keep pressing on when things seem bleak enough to extinguish our light."

"Hope," Pandora repeated, suddenly remembering something. "I gave Luxa a poem... or a prophecy... or something... before I left to go back home."

"You did?" Pan said. "I knew you wrote them down, but you never let any of us see them. Why did you change your mind and let Luxa have one?"

"Because I wanted to give her something to look forward to. Something that was going to happen in the future."

"What was it?" Nerissa asked.

"Would you like to hear it?" Pandora asked, getting unanimous nods from her friends. "Alright. It went like this:

"Rage rage increases rate

Over has an Under's fate

Meet him at the reaper's gate

See you have no time to wait

New ideas that you spurn

Come to light if evil churns

Take note, you will discern

Truth: the warrior returns"

Pan looked dumbstruck. His mouth was open and no sound came out. Nerissa looked deep in thought. Suddenly, Pan's voice became so loud that it echoed off the back wall. "You predicted Gregor's return? Pandora, that's amazing!" It didn't feel as amazing to Pandora. She thought back to Sandwich, etching words onto the stone until he felt Pandora's presence. She thought of herself, being called by some unknown force to write until her hand got sore. Dropping everything she was doing to record what was called to her. Feeling as though her head might explode if she fought it.

She didn't like it. Why was she the one cursed with knowing the future? Everyone thought she was crazy, and she was starting to believe it herself.

"I had a feeling that Luxa was waiting for someone. A premonition, you could say, that she knew something no one else did," Nerissa said. Her hand on Pandora's shoulder made her snap out of her slump. "Pandora, are you feeling ill?"

"I-I'm fine. Just got lost in thought again. I think I'm going to get my journal and sit in a quiet room for now, if that's alright."

"Of course," Nerissa said with a nod.

"Yeah, I should really catch up to my brother," Pan agreed. "I'll see you later, Pandora."

"See you both soon," Pandora said as she left the Prophecy Room. As she headed back down to the luxury room, which she figured would be empty by now, she thought more about her future. Was she really going to stay in the Underland? Nerissa had called her a "prominent figurehead." It seemed rather ridiculous to Pandora.

Pandora laid down on a couch in the lavish living space and waited for Howard to return, thinking about how much she couldn't stand being herself.

~ GREGOR

Gregor had left York a while ago and was now walking down corridors that seemed familiar to him, trying to find Luxa. However, the hallways were very crowded, and everyone seemed to want to talk to him. He tried his best to politely excuse himself from each person, but it was getting to be ridiculous. It had been ten minutes and he hadn't covered the distance of ten yards yet!

Before anyone else could get a word in, he cut away from the main hall and turned several corners before finding smaller halls that were less crowded. He didn't know where he was, but at least he was away from all the people. He kept feeling as though they looked up to him. Of course they revered him, he thought, he saved their hides! He had fought and defeated the Bane, dismantling the gnawer's army and bringing in an era of peace to Regalia. But at what cost? His bond's life... his family's move... and his childhood.

Hearing a familiar voice, he came closer to a curtain held over an archway along one wall.

"Is Vikus in there?" He asked a servant walking by.

"Yes, Overlander," he responded. "Would you like me to announce you?"

Gregor figured it was a more polite and proper way to enter a room than just walking inside. It wasn't like he could knock, so he said yes.

"Come in, Gregor," came Vikus' warm voice when the servant announced "the warrior would like to enter."

Gregor came in to find Vikus sitting beside Luxa on a couch in a space not unlike York's.

"Did you need to speak with me, Gregor?" Vikus asked.

"Well I was looking for Luxa. Then I got lost. And I heard your voice, so I came in here. But I'd like to speak to you both, if that's okay with you."

"Certainly."

"I wanted to know what I've missed since I left," Gregor revealed. "Like, could you give me a quick overview? I know it's been... six years."

"We can try our best," Vikus said with a laugh. "Where shall we begin?"

"Let's start with the end of the last war," Luxa said. "When I bonded with Ripred. It started a sensation everywhere. Regalians and members of the Fount alike started bonding with gnawers, mostly the ones that wanted the Bane gone. Peace came easily, although it wasn't without some uproars. Some gnawers declined our invitation into the city. I believe some are still wanting to build up King Gorger's regime again."

"But that wasn't, and will not be, an issue," Vikus interrupted.

"The more pressing issue was the group of Regalians who were outraged that we would forgive the gnawers so easily."

"That same group tried to assassinate Luxa just a few months ago," Vikus said. Gregor raised an eyebrow but couldn't get a word in. Luxa continued to bring Gregor up to date on the state of the Underland.

"The peace stayed quite constant. That is, until we heard what the cutters were up to. They sent out a public message, that they were going to destroy the warmbloods, no matter the cost, and make the Underland a place for only cold-blooded creatures."

"It sent chills down everyone's spines. Humans, fliers, and gnawers banded together more than ever," Vikus said. "Even the nibblers were getting special attention from the gnawers, despite the prejudice the larger species usually takes upon them."

"They started in the gnawer's lands," Luxa said. "They drove their lines through the Dead Lands, extending their borders to twice its size before stopping. It was a message."

"If you let us have the land, we will let you be," said Vikus.

"And I was willing to supply them with some," Luxa nodded, approving of Vikus' interpretation of the message. "Until Pandora appeared in the arena."

"What happened then?"

"Well... she had some trouble adjusting. But she sat in with us one day when Ripred and I were privately discussing the matter of the cutters among friends. She said something that made the cogs in my head turn in a different way."

"It turns out she has a real knack for Overland history," Vikus said. "And I'm not the only one who has witnessed her wisdom. She can take any situation and apply it to an event she already knows the outcome to. Such as our plight with the cutters. She warned us not to give the cutters land, arguing they would just crave for more and break their promise of stopping their rampage."

"Instead, she proposed a building up of our base of allies. I immediately thought of the stingers. Remember when we ran into them, Gregor?"

"How could I forget? They almost killed us until Hazard stepped in," Gregor said.

"Our quest couldn't have had better timing. The cutters had just stepped into Hades Hall, driving more creatures out of their lands. The stingers fled to Regalia, and all but two shiners made it out alive, as far as we know."

"Let me guess, the two shiners were Fo-Fo and Zap."

"Photos Glow-Glow and Zap," Vikus corrected with a shake of his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "He is determined to be called by no other name."

"So, they aren't just targeting warmbloods?"

"It's seems as if they're targeting all Underland creatures," Vikus said darkly. "It's some sort of fear of traitorous acts. They'd rather have no allies than ones who might turn on them, and so they are showing their brute force to scare them. They just recently went after the spinners, and their queen has sent a trusted member of the web to talk to us about forming an alliance."

"Well that's big news," Gregor said. He remembered his trip to the spinner's lands. The queen was not too friendly; she tried to bite Luxa! They wouldn't willingly pick a side, for they always wanted to remain neutral, in order to be in the winner's good books. They must've wanted the cutters stopped at all costs.

"And Pandora went with you to get to the stingers?"

"She did," Luxa affirmed. "I still needed her. I could tell there was something about her that was different. She had the type of knowledge that no Underlander possesses."

"The team you put together was truly a remarkable one," Vikus commented. "Although, I would have preferred if you remained here. But when have I successfully prohibited you from going on a quest?"

Luxa smiled mischievously, possibly thinking back on the same memory Gregor was. His second quest: when they traveled the Waterway in search of the Bane. Luxa was not supposed to go, but she and Aurora flew in at the last minute, making it impossible for the questers to send her home. She wore that very same smile as she landed in one of the boats, when she knew there was nothing anyone could do to send her home.

"What was the team like?" Gregor asked, slowly recounting the members on some of his quests. There had been quite a few, and more than one had lost their lives. He remembered being the only person who had wept for Tick, the crawler who defended the others. She gave up the rest of her time so the questers could have more. There were some who he had grown accustomed to, like Luxa, Aurora, and Ripred. And he couldn't forget Ares, who was always there for him.

"Well, Aurora, Ripred, and I went naturally. We have the most experience. Howard and Nike went, acting as the backbone and providing support. Hazard was essential, for he was the interpreter between I and the stingers. Pandora also went, for reasons I've already explained."

"Don't forget the new flyer you recruited," Vikus added.

"Oh yes," Luxa said, almost with a groan. She rolled her eyes as she said his name. "Pan."

"What wrong with him?" Gregor asked Luxa. She seemed to not like the young bat, but he was nothing but nice to Gregor so far.

"Nothing. Of course, unless you'd like to go on a quest with a bat who has stunted growth. He's half the size he should be at his age. He hardly seems to notice, though. Thinks he can do anything."

"Don't judge him too harshly, Luxa," Vikus warned. "He's not the only one who thinks he can do anything."

Luxa gave her grandfather a look that seemed to say "not now."

"What happened between Howard and Pandora?" Gregor asked. "I kind of... overheard Howard and his dad talking."

"It's quite obvious that Howard is head over heels for this girl," Vikus said with a smile.

"She thinks fondly of him as well," Luxa added.

"How did that all start? On the quest?"

Vikus shrugged, with a playful smile that screamed "beats me."

"Not sure," Luxa said, "but I can bet it had to do with her name."

"Does it have to?" Gregor said. "Would he have still liked her if her name was something else?"

"For sure," came a silky voice from behind the curtain. Ripred's maw popped out from the corner, nose wriggling as he sniffed the room before entering. "I know for a fact he would still have a fondness for Pandora even if her name was Sue... or Elizabeth... or even Gertrude."

"Oh yeah?" Gregor said, intrigued to hear any kind of news that he could take back to York. He'd said he could prove that Howard's love went deeper than a name, and that was what Gregor planned on doing.

"It became quite obvious what Howard's true feelings were back when we met the stingers," he revealed.

"Because?" Gregor supplied, trying to get the rat to beat around the bush.

"Oh, Gregor you're no fun. I was making a dramatic pause."

"Just continue, please," Luxa said with an exasperated tone, as if she'd heard this excuse a million times.

"I could smell it," he said flatly. "He was kneeling on the floor, helping Pandora." Ripred sauntered over and threw himself up onto the empty space of the couch. Lounging with his paws stretched out in front of him, his tail arched back into Luxa's face until she slapped it away. "You see, she had a knife in her hand. Which would have been fine if she hadn't had a seizure just moments before. Fits like those affects your ability to move, speak, and hear. She didn't have the coordination as of yet to be holding a knife safely. So Howard was gently persuading her to give it to him. And that's when I smelled it." He leaned over to look at Luxa. "Rather strongly, too." He looked back at Gregor once again. "Nothing like yours, Gregor, that was hidden so deep."

Gregor shifted his weight to the other leg, trying to appear as if the last part didn't make him feel uncomfortable. He would have been fine, except Luxa's grandfather was in the room. Gregor knew the old man realized at some point how Gregor felt about his granddaughter, but bringing it up wasn't something Gregor wanted to do often. He tried to concentrate on his peripheral vision to see how Luxa reacted, but couldn't see any change in the way she was seated. Ripred gave him a sly smile.

"Do you know if Pandora feels the same way?" Gregor asked.

"Without a doubt." He pointed his tail at the other members of the sofa. "Did either of you hear the calamity that went down in the hospital upon Howard's return?" He didn't wait for a reply. "It was dreadful. Simply heartbreaking. I heard Pandora threw a tantrum so violent that she slammed her head on the ground until blood poured from her nose."

"Back up a bit," Gregor said, lifting his arms up. "What happened in the hospital?"

Ripred turned to Luxa in disgust. "You told him about the quest to ally with the stingers and you skip one of the most pivotal parts of the story?"

"About just how long were you standing out there listening to the conversation?" Luxa retorted.

"I think you should leave the storytelling to me," he replied. "I do a far better job. And I don't skimp out on the details."

"It's true," Vikus said, nodding his head in appreciation. "He does spin a good tale."

"Comes in handy in those times when everyone gets to bed, and the palace is silent."

Vikus nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it does."

"Enough about your storytelling contests!" Luxa said. "I don't care how you two amuse yourselves when the busy folk get some rest. If you do not start this particular story, I'll do it for you!"

"Heavens, no, Luxa," Vikus said. "Let Ripred tell it." He seemed as eager as a schoolchild to hear what Ripred had to say, using the arm of the couch to lean forward.

"What Luxa..." Ripred cut off shortly and raised his eyebrows at Gregor. "Take a seat, boy. Standing is no way to hear a good story." Gregor looked around and spotted an armchair not too far away. He moved it closer and took a seat. It was only then that Ripred began again. "What Luxa neglected to mention in her recount was what happened after the cutters invaded Hades Hall. We were stuck tramping through the jungle, after finding an alternate route out of the tunnels. It was our best way home. We managed to find Luxa's favorite colony of nibblers, in which some survivors went back to reestablish after the last war. They gave us a place to rest our heads, plenty to eat and drink, and then pointed us in the right direction to head home safely.

"We were on the right track until a moment before we were going to rest the following day. I was scouting ahead in a tunnel leading off the cavern we were taking refuge in when I saw them. Hundreds of ants, heading in our direction. Of course, they didn't know I was there, but I could hear they were following me the entire time.

"I broke out into the cavern, informing everyone we were about to be discovered to find Pandora had already rallied the group. Everyone was off in different directions, hefting supplies here and there, but Howard knew we had no time. He begged his own bond, Nike, to take Pandora back to Regalia in his place. Hazard went, too, for his weight wouldn't have affected Nike's speed.

"As they went away, the cavern exploded with red bodies out of every entrance. It was as if blood was dripping down the walls. I called for Luxa to start encircling one small area of the cavern, one with a ledge that could be used in our favor. Howard, riding on Pan, followed suit and we held our own for quite some time. As it started to get out of hand, a remarkable thing happened. Pan let out this ear-shattering screech. It was unearthly. It even made me want to shrink up into a ball, to get away from the noise. The affect it had on the cutters was unreal. They parted like the sea. For another little while, our situation could have been held until reinforcements arrived.

"So, we kept fighting, our circular pattern held on the ledge. That is, until Pan's voice started failing. The scream was no doubt destroying his vocal cords. The shriek was becoming less effective, and when the Cutters found an opening, they targeted Pan. They had him pinned underneath the ledge. Howard was torn from his back, dragged down an opening.

"We moved our defense from the ledge to the opening where Howard was taken, to defend it from more cutters who would have followed him. That's when reinforcements came, led by Perdita. I heard they looked for hours after they escorted us back to Regalia, but could find no trace of him. Everyone thought he was dead.

"A couple days later, Pan was strong enough to go for a frivolous flight. Pandora went with him, past Regalia's gates and into the fields. I've heard she directed Pan to one cave in particular, and when they went to investigate, they saw Howard... or what remained of him.

"He was malnourished, bleeding from several wounds, but none as severe as the one on his upper leg. He had torn up his own shirt to use as bandages, and applied a tourniquet on himself to keep from bleeding out. He should have been dead. I don't know how they managed it, but Pandora and Pan were able to carry Howard out of the cave. He went straight to the hospital."

"Now we finally get to the actual part of the story we wanted to hear," Luxa said.

"You can't rush a good story, now shush," Ripred replied hurriedly. "The staff immediately started work on Howard. He was in such terrible condition. They wouldn't let anyone past the guards to see him, not even Nike. Pandora began to panic. She kept repeating to the staff and guards that she had promised Howard she would be with him. Once a guard physically restrained her, she started having a meltdown. Nurses had to help pin her down in order to sedate her. It was quite a scene. I'm sorry I missed it."

"Seems like Pandora feels the same way about Howard," Gregor said.

"Without a doubt," Ripred said. "I'm surprised his mother hasn't heard of this story yet. And if she has, well then I suppose she's just not that impressed."

"Does his mother also refuse to let Howard be with her?"

"She disapproves of her, I can tell you that much," Luxa said.

"Well... I'm gonna change that," Gregor said, standing up.

"Are you out to prove something, Overlander?" Ripred said with a laugh.

"Yeah. I'm gonna do Howard a solid and make his parents see what he sees in Pandora."

"Oh, so can I change your name from the warrior to the love doctor?" Ripred asked.

"See you all later," Gregor said as he turned and left the room. He actually wouldn't have minded if Ripred made a name change. At least then, people wouldn't be expecting him to play a part in this new war. His part was over. He wasn't in any more of Sandwich's prophecies...