Gregor wandered through the dark hallways, strangely out of breath. He wasn't running, nor did he remember running.

The walls around him were lined with doors. Many different kinds of doors too. Some were stone, others wood. All different sizes and shapes.

"Which will you choose, Gregor?" A deep, strange, crystalline voice asked, its question echoing through his head. "You will have to answer at some point."

"Who are you?" He asked. His voice came out deep and flat. No echo. It simply was, then disappeared.

"You." The voice said simply.

Suddenly, the dark hallway became a ledge made of stone. It was thin, just wide enough for him to walk on, just thick enough to hold his weight. Thick, dark liquid flowed sluggishly in the opposite direction of where he was going. He turned, looking down into the deep, dark depths on either side of him.

There was a soft rushing sound, like a river. Moans broke out, and screams like those of someone a second from death echoed up from below. Gregor blinked emotionlessly, and walked on.

He was wearing odd armor; it was spikier than usual. And black and red. That wasn't usual either.

Suddenly, his instincts screamed at him to run. His stomach dropped.

"Run, Gregor." The deep, crystal voice called out. "Run, Bloodspawn."

Bloodspawn?

He ran.

Cries of agony and terror echoed loudly through the empty space. He stopped, clapping his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. Too loud; too loud.

"RUN!" The crystal voice snapped. Gregor shook his head desperately, then everything got colder. He opened his eyes.

He was sitting on the top of a ruin. Taking a closer look at it, it was a chunk of the roof of the Regalian palace. He turned, tears filling his eyes. Ruins of houses and building were scattered about aimlessly, surrounded by a sea of black.

A small sound came from behind him, and he saw ripples. He turned, searching. There was someone else there?

His eyes fell on the bodies. A black bat; a girl with thick dark curls…

A woman wearing a crown.

He screamed.

--

He woke up screaming.

No one was in the room. He was alone, and his scream echoed off the walls, reminding him all too much of the screams in his dream.

He gasped for air, clutching at his chest, sobbing weakly. A nightmare, he thought. Just a nightmare.

Then why did it seem to him like so much more?

He got up, his legs shaking. Poking his head out the door to check if anyone was coming, he rushed down the hall.

It must have been when everyone was asleep, for there were hardly any torches lit. Again, it reminded him of his nightmare, and he hurried down the halls quicker.

He wandered around with no clear destination. He, after some time, ended up in front of a door which he recognized as Luxa's. Hesitantly, he knocked on it.

After a minute or so, the door opened. Luxa stared in shock at him, her hair mussed, wearing a thin nightgown.

"Gregor!" She gasped. "You have awakened!"

"Yeah," he said. "I was rudely awakened." Luxa blinked.

"By what?" She asked, concerned. "You look so pale. Was it a nightmare?"

Gregor squirmed. "Yeah. Pretty bad." Luxa took hold of Gregor's hand and led him into the living room.

"Wait here," she said, plopping him down on the couch. He waited patiently as clinks and clanks echoed from the kitchen. Then Luxa returned, she held two cups of tea. "Tell me about it." She said seriously, handing him a cup.

"Uh… What's this made of?" Gregor asked, peering into the cup. "There's no plants down here." Luxa's eyes narrowed. Gregor sighed and relayed the story.

"That is horrible!" Luxa said softly. "And you believe this means something."

"Yes. Very much so." Gregor said, sipping his tea calmly. Or at least, he pretended to be calm.

"… Do you think… It was a vision of the future?" Luxa asked slowly. "Like Sandwich or Narissa?"

Gregor didn't say anything at first, though there was a sliver of ice in his heart at the thought. Then he placed the cup down and looked at Luxa full in the face. "It might have been. And… if that is the case, then I must leave. By myself." Luxa froze. Gregor watched her reaction carefully.

"No." The queen said simply.

"Beg your pardon?" The man asked incredulously. Luxa held her head high.

"No. As queen, I forbid you from leaving."

"You can't forbid me to do anything!" Gregor said angrily. "I will leave if I so wish!"

"You will not!" Luxa snapped. "You will stay."

"You over-estimate the amount of command you have, Your Highness," Gregor snapped. "You have no power over me." He had no idea why this was making him so mad, but it did.

Luxa stared at him for a second. Then she stood straight and tall. Or as tall as she could.

"Gregor," she hissed softly. "You will not leave, because you will stay and be my guard." Gregor blinked in shock.

"W-what?" He stammered.

"You have been out for awhile, Gregor," she said calmly. "I have been thinking about it. You must stay and protect me. If Kord could so easily send an assassin to destroy me, just think of what the other, more influential powers could send." Gregor thought about it, and the though made him cringe.

"You can take care of yourself." He said. "I have full confidence in you."

"Gregor, damn it, you will stay!" And with a furious look on her face, she leaned over and kissed him.

Gregor blinked in shock. That wasn't what he expected… Not at all.

Normally, it's not good to go to sleep angry. But in this case…

Gregor gave up. Curse human libido.

He returned the kiss with fervor, gently pushing her back onto the couch. She moaned as his mouth moved to her neck. Then he whispered roughly, "Remember this moment. If you die… this is why." Luxa laughed as his hand reached over to touch her face. She didn't see it, but a soft, gentle smile touched his lips as he cupped her cheek in his calloused hand.

If he was there to protect her, maybe she'd be safe.

Then the thought of her body floating in the sea of black came roaring back to him. Cold raced through his veins…

Then she kissed him again, and the thought disappeared. Everything disappeared. An irrational thought entered his mind as she half-dragged him to the bedroom.

"Forget it. I'll deal with it when I deal with it"

(hisssssssss) Bad! BAAAAD!

I will redo this if you want me to. Either way, I'll continue with the next thing. "Bloodspawn Chronicles", the origin of the dream. That's probably the best part.

It was good for awhile, but it lost it when he went to see Luxa, I think.

Oh my god, I honestly hate this. Really a lot!!

Of course, I have a low opinion of my work, so... If you like it... Good for you. If you don't, I'll redo it as soon as I can.

Luxa's OOC. I realize this.

Gregor was out for about a week.

(reads again) I'd redo it now, but I must sleep! I'll listen to how people like it, and work on stuff tomorrow. But right now, I can barely think, I'm so tired. Which probably explains this. (jerks thumb at above chapter)