Chapter Text
He’s never going to forget that night.
Candlelight softening the shapes of the hall, unevenly lighting the faces of the gathered crowd. Nobles and foreigners, Mobians and Hylians, Sheikah and Zora, castle servants and maids and stablehands, advisors, royals, knights, ambassadors, all crowding around them. And in the centre of it all, on the podium in front of the throne, stood Princess Amy Rose of the kingdom of Hyrule with the holy sword in hand, and kneeling in front of her was the chosen knight.
It was the first time Shadow laid eyes on him.
He was dressed in a blue tunic a slightly lighter shade than his quills, and he looked very - Shadow thought, even though he’d laugh at it later - that he looked very inadequate . Small. Not like the one single knight appointed to protect the Princess, lead the Champions and wield the holy sword should look like.
Shadow, a Champion of Hyrule himself, didn’t think much of him.
“Sonic,” Princess Amy had said at last, touching the tip of the holy sword to his shoulder, “In the name of the three goddesses, rise as the knight chosen by the sword.”
The chosen knight had stood, and he’d said a vow, shorter than most vows Shadow had heard in his time at court, and then the Princess had given him the sword. He had grinned at the Princess then, and the Princess smiled back, but it wasn’t even half as vibrant or beautiful as Sonic’s smile had been.
The Princess said, “May the light illuminate your path.”
The crowd bowed their heads, Shadow just barely inclining his head, and he murmured along, may the light illuminate your path.
And he sure fucking is illuminated. Illuminating , putting smiles on the soldiers’ faces. Shadow and his fellow Champions are prepared to follow the chosen knight’s every order, of course, because the chosen knight’s every order better come straight from her highness the Princess herself, but - Sonic doesn’t give orders. He talks a lot, but it’s only blathering and joking and humming peasant songs.
He annoys Shadow.
Jet and Blaze, Champions of air and fire respectively, don’t seem to know what to make of him.
And the last Champion, Silver of the light, finds Sonic charming.
This is why all the stupid rumours of Sir Silver being Shadow’s child are wrong: their opinions never seem to align.
Then at last, the Princess sends them all out on their first quest: protect a group of archeologists as they excavate a promising patch of rock in the Gerudo desert. The Princess herself is very interested in the ancient Sheikah culture, and as soon as any new ruins are excavated she rides out herself to take a look. She is, like many of the Sheikah descendants, convinced that the solution to all their problems lies in the past.
Jet, Blaze and Silver go to saddle up their horses, for the journey to the desert is a long one.
Sonic doesn’t seem to have a horse.
Shadow doesn’t, of course, because he’s faster than a horse if he wishes to be.
They wait out in the courtyard together, Shadow in his usual armour, Sonic in only that tunic, boots and gloves. Shadow prays that Sonic won’t take any interest in Shadow, but then, they’ve never spoken a word to each other yet, and Sonic wastes no time in skipping up to him and saying, “Sir Shadow of the lake, am I right?”
“That is me,” Shadow replies, pushing up the visor on his helmet to give Sonic a dead stare.
“Why’s it the lake?” Sonic asks. “If I may ask?”
“My family name is du Lac.” Not like Shadow was raised by his father’s relatives from the Sheikah, nor by his mother’s relatives in Gerudo, but no matter. “I inherited the title from my father.”
“Ah,” Sonic says. “So you can’t manipulate water or anything? Like Sir Blaze commands the fire?”
“I’m afraid not.”
Shadow can’t help it, then. He should kill the conversation right here, but instead he says, “I’d be Sir Shadow of the lightning, in that case.”
Sonic visibly perks up. “Oh, is that so? What can ya do?”
Shadow is showing off but fine , it’s this one time, only, Shadow can be arrogant if he wants to. He pulls of his left gauntlet and draws his hand back, like he’s about to throw a spear, and then he lets the bolt of energy fly.
“Whoa!” Sonic sounds honestly delighted. “That’s so awesome. You should totally get your title changed, Sir Shadow of the… thunder!”
Goddammit, Shadow won’t be charmed by this knight who speaks like a commoner, he hasn’t even seen him in a fight, he might be an incompetent fool- (like the holy sword would ever choose an idiot to wield it, but nevertheless…)
Shadow clears his throat and says, “And you are Sir Sonic of the…?”
The goddess, or the sword, are common titles for the chosen knight, though some of Sonic’s distant predecessors in the legends have been known as simply the Chosen Knight, or the knight of time, or of the shadow. Haha. The shadow, indeed.
“Sonic of the wind,” Sonic says, grinning. “And that’s because I’m free and fast as the wind.”
Silver arrives, then, the other two Champions right behind him, but the damage has already been done. Shadow has been swayed to Sonic’s side.
They head off on their quest. Sonic does indeed run in front, on foot, easily faster than the horses and with seemingly no effort. Shadow runs right behind him, his enchanted footwear allowing him to skate along the road as if on ice. Behind them the other three Champions ride on their horses, though in a pinch the three of them shall be able to run too.
They leave Castle Town and head southwest.
They take breaks, for the horses’ sake, but Sonic never rests. Instead he climbs a tree and throws down apples to the Champions, forages around in the grass to find a bug, and moves around a bunch of boulders on the grass so they form a circle.
“Why?” Shadow asks him, staring up the apple tree after him.
“Sitting down is a waste of time,” Sonic claims. “If I’m not on the move then I get bored.”
When they make camp for the night however, at the border of Hyrule Field, Sonic unrolls his bedroll, lies down and is out like a light. Silver and Jet gets the horses settled, while Blaze makes a fire, and then they all spread out their own bedrolls and take off their armour.
“Do you think the researchers in Gerudo have found something promising?” Silver asks to no one, pulling up his blanket to his chin. His fur always makes him shine in the moonlight, pale silver - horrible for stealth. He looks terribly innocent without his helmet on.
“It might simply be yet another old shrine,” Blaze reminds him, not unkindly. Her eyes glow with the same hue as the flames she just lit.
“They did find that ancient machine by Death Mountain,” Jet says grudgingly. “Called it a Divine Beast, like the legends, hah! It’s not impossible they’ve found another one, but I highly doubt it...”
“We’ll know when we reach them,” Shadow says.
They go to sleep.
Sonic wakes them at dawn and then they’re off again, spending most of the day traveling through the long and winding Gerudo Canyon Pass, the only way to get through the mountains surrounding the desert. The farther they travel the hotter it gets, but it doesn’t bother Shadow; he’s got Gerudo blood in him even though he was raised by Hylians.
Jet, on the other hand, complains loudly and at length, since the poor bastard was raised next to a snowfield.
“May the goddess take my soul as I wither away,” he groans, slumping over his horse. “And may I be reborn as an ice monster!”
“Man,” Sonic says. “If you think it’s so hot, then why don’t you take that helmet off?”
“Sir?” Jet snaps.
“It looks so uncomfortable, c’mon.” The horses have stopped now, and Sonic stands and grins up at Jet. “The Gerudo who live here don’t even wear helmets, so just take it off.”
“Is that an order?”
Jet sounds harassed, but Shadow is intrigued. What will Sonic do next?
“No, it’s a suggestion.” Sonic squints at Jet. “Seriously, how do you stand to wear that thing?”
Jet takes off his helmet.
They reach the Gerudo desert by the evening, having left the horses at the stable at the mouth of the desert, which is just when the desert starts to turn cold. Jet puts his helmet back on, now the happiest one in their lot, while Shadow digs in his pack until he’s got his cloak in hand, wrapping himself up tightly.
Traveling in sand is slower than on grass, and they quickly make camp in some old ruins. The desert is more dangerous than Hyrule Field by far, so Shadow offers to sit watch.
“Alright,” Sonic allows. “But wake me so I can take second watch.”
The others quickly pack up and roll out their bedrolls, Sonic a bit slower. Shadow takes off his helmet but leaves the rest of the armour on, sitting down on a stone block jutting out of the sand. Sonic spreads his bedroll right next to Shadow, and when Shadow stares he winks at him. “G’night,” he says cheerfully, and turns over in his bedroll.
“Sleep well,” Shadow answers after a moment, almost hoping Sonic doesn’t hear it.
Sonic... is odd and simple and kind, he’s no noble, absolutely not, but he’s not stupid, he’s puzzling to the point of annoyance, he’s so charming. He’s the chosen knight and Shadow wonders how , how did that happen?
Shadow looks at Sonic, one last glance, and then he stares out into the desert.