Underland Chronicles: 2 - The Reaper's Gate (A Gregor the Overlander FanFic)

Chapter 9

~ PANDORA

"Excuse me, Overlander," came a voice from behind the couch.

Pandora sat up and turned to see a young servant, looking at her with large eyes. "Yes?"

"I am here to escort you to the private dinner our Queen is having," he said. Pandora had a feeling she had seen him before. Perhaps he was the same young boy who escorted her to dinner on her second day in the Underland. This boy seemed to be the very same; Pandora could tell by his eyes.

"Just a minute," Pandora replied, putting down her notebook and pen and standing up. She had barely written a paragraph in it, for her mind kept wandering and didn't want to focus. Had the time passed so quickly? She thought Howard was coming back to see her before dinner, but he never came. Maybe he got very busy with a patient, she thought.

Walking around the couch to the servant, Pandora accepted the arm he held out for her and they left the room. She remembered how surprised the boy was the first time he had met her, when she had a seizure right in front of his eyes. Luckily, it wasn't a huge one, but it was scary enough that Pandora did not come near him. At the time being, Pandora thought the servant would be leading her to the High Hall, but they went in the opposite direction.

"When you said private," Pandora asked, "who else did you mean?"

"Why, the royal family and their guests, of course," the boy answered.

"Why aren't we eating in the High Hall?" she inquired.

"Her Royal Highness requested solitude. So, we are serving in her private dining quarters."

Pandora remembered being inside Luxa's own section of the Palace. It was very secluded; a perfect spot to eat if you didn't want to be bothered.

It didn't take long for them to reach the outer doors of her chamber, where two guards stood. When they saw Pandora and the servant approaching, they let them pass. Pandora forgot how fancy all the furniture looked. There were even some made of wood, which Pandora knew was hard to come by. However, the dining room didn't look as large as it once had, when it was just Luxa sitting in it. Several people were already seated, including Luxa and her bonds at one end of the table, Vikus, his bond, and Gregor on the other, and Nike, Howard, and his mom and dad.

The young servant pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table from Howard and gestured for Pandora to take her seat. "Thank you... um, what's your name?"

"My name?" The boy asked, probably taken aback that he had been asked a question about himself. "It is Ciel."

"Thank you, Ciel," Pandora said with a smile, holding out a hand to shake his. "I thought I would say that it's nice to see you again. You've gotten a lot taller."

"I am at your service, miss," was his only reply. He bowed quickly and walked away, but Pandora noticed his mouth slowly curving into a smile as he passed. She let her hand drop as she took her seat.

Taking a moment to spread her napkin across her lap, she glanced over at Howard, but he was looking down at the table.

"Pandora," someone called from the front of the room. Pandora turned to see Nerissa enter with her own escort. "Did you manage to write all that you envisioned? I would be delighted to have a look." She sat down in the chair to Pandora's right.

"No," Pandora said dejectedly. "I could barely scrape together one page worth. I can't seem to keep my thoughts together."

"It is of no worry to me," Nerissa replied with a small smile. "It is only your first day back. I can only imagine how many things your mind is adjusting to."