Chapter Text
“So the princess is going to be Queen, but she isn’t married?” the blue hedgehog questioned, scratching his neck. He had his feet up on the table in a very un-knightley manner. “Won’t the kingdom…you know…freak out?” He chuckled to himself before the others could answer and shook his head. “Not that I mind. Frankly, I think she’d be a better queen without some know-it-all pushing her behind him.”
“Be careful how comfortable you get taunting the future king, Sonic,” the dark hedgehog beside him said. He tried to brush the other’s feet out of the way, and sighed in response when they didn’t budge. “When she is married, saying things like that will be considered treason.”
“So she’ll definitely get married?” A third voice sounded from across the table. It belonged to a small white hedgehog, who currently had his eyes glued to the table. Though his fingers were curled tightly around his mug, he didn’t bother drinking anything.
In all honesty, Sonic had nearly forgotten he was there. He opened his mouth to answer, but his companion beat him to it.
“Most likely.” Shadow once again tried to shove blue feet off of the table, with no luck. “Even if she doesn’t want to, she will almost certainly give in to the social and political pressure.”
“Why do you ask?” Sonic asked, flashing him a teasing smirk. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
The hedgehog across from them blushed slightly, and quickly raised his mug to hide it. “Of course not,” he muttered into his drink.
“Right. Remind me again how you two know each other?” Sonic took a swig of his drink and glanced at Shadow.
“Silver and I are cousins,” Shadow said without looking at him.
“Step-cousins,” Silver clarified unnecessarily.
“Ah. So that’s how he managed to get into the training program.”
“Hey, I passed the tests just like you -”
“Yes,” Shadow interrupted, glancing at Silver as if warning him.
Sonic watched the exchange curiously, but had enough common sense to keep it to himself. A secret something passed between their eyes, and that was enough to tell Sonic to keep out of it. After all, he had a few secrets himself - some more dangerous than others. He looked at Shadow and rubbed his nose to hide the slight blush creeping to his cheeks, wondering what the dark hedgehog would do if he found out.
“Well.” Sonic took another gulp to distract himself before his thoughts got out of hand and then slammed his empty mug on the table, finally pulling his legs down. “Since you’re in our division, we’ll be getting pretty friendly in the future, so you’d better get used to me.”
“Not too friendly, I’d hope,” Shadow muttered, and Sonic nearly choked on his saliva.
He doesn’t know, does he? The blue hedgehog’s eyes darted to Silver, but the younger just chuckled at Shadow’s comment. Again, he felt the blush rise to his face. It was just a joke. Of course. Relax, Sonic. You’re getting jumpy again.
Of course, being in a division that consisted solely of men didn’t help his nerves.
“No thank you,” Silver said, redirecting Sonic’s thoughts back to the moment at hand. The white hedgehog flashed him a quick grin. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Sonic forced himself to smile back, though his heart was pounding like a war drum. “Besides,” he said, attempting to rebuild his confidence from earlier, “it seems your mind is already occupied with someone else.”
Silver groaned and rested his face in his hands. “It’s not that obvious, is it?”
Shadow just sighed. “You wear your heart on your sleeve, Silver. You always have.”
“Relax,” Sonic said. “None of us will ever get close enough to let her know, anyway.”
“But someone else might find out.” The youngest hedgehog ran his hand through his long white quills, staring glumly into his mug. “I’d expect that rumors travel fast in a place like this. Someone close to her is bound to hear about it.” His yellow eyes suddenly widened in panic and he looked up at Shadow. “It’s not treason to think she’s beautiful, right?” His cheeks were fire red now, and Sonic couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I wouldn’t think so,” Shadow said, and Silver breathed a sigh of relief.
“Still. Just…keep this between us.” He let out a nervous chuckle and finished off his drink. “It’s…rather unprofessional and embarrassing.”
“Is that why you joined the guard?” Sonic teased.
“No,” he said, too quickly to be considered completely sincere. “I want to help protect my country.”
“The coronation is on Sunday.” Shadow redirected the conversation away from Silver’s motivation, much to his cousin’s obvious relief. “We will be required to attend as the guard, of course. Hopefully you will have received your uniform by then, and hopefully Sonic’s will be stitched up in time.”
“Only a few weeks in and you’re already invited to the big ceremony.” Sonic whistled as if he really was impressed, though he knew none of them really had a choice in the matter.
Silver let out a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah, well…I just hope I’m up to standard by then.”
“The castle is the safest place in the kingdom,” Shadow assured. “Nothing will happen. All we will have to do is stand professionally. Afterward, there will be a banquet for everyone attending. We’ll only be on duty for a couple of hours.”
“Shads, that’s not why he’s nervous.” The blue hedgehog elbowed his friend and snickered, and Shadow raised an eyebrow.
“Ah. I had assumed we were finished talking about Silver’s…embarrassment.”
“You’re clueless, you know that?”
“And you are as subtle as a brick wall.”
Sonic’s smirk faltered slightly. Yes, most of the time, he was fairly blunt. He almost always spoke his mind. But there were some things he knew he could never say aloud, especially in his position as a royal guard.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shadow asked, a hint of accusation in his voice.
Sonic shook his head to break eye contact and lifted his mug again, only to remember that it was empty. “Oh, no reason. Just thinking.”
“Don’t hurt yourself.” Shadow kept his eyes locked on him, though he had returned to teasing him.
Sonic felt himself start to blush again. I can’t let this get out of hand, because if it does…well, at best, I’ll be removed from the guard, and at worst…
Instead of letting himself dwell on the thought, he raised his hand and called for another drink. Silver did the same, earning a disapproving look from his cousin.
“Don’t have too much to drink,” the older hedgehog warned. “You don’t want to be sick during training tomorrow morning. You’re a lightweight, remember?”
Silver shrugged, accepting his mug from a rather overeager wench, though he had to politely brush her away when she snaked her arm around his shoulder. “I’ll only have enough to ease my headache. I’ll be fine.”
“Fine, as long as I don’t have to drag you back to the barracks.”
The white hedgehog glared at him, and Sonic laughed. “What, is this a common occurrence?”
“It was one time ,” Silver muttered.
“And it nearly got you killed, remember?” Shadow sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just be responsible.”
Silver rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Father .”
The tavern was packed with people, and as the trio fell silent, Sonic let his attention wander around the room, listening to snippets of conversation here and there. Most of it was idle chat, though he picked out talk of the coronation here and there. From what he could tell, most people were indifferent to pleased about their soon-to-be queen, and while marriage sometimes entered the conversation, it didn’t seem to be the focus. Sonic nodded to himself. That meant the ceremony would most likely be free from accusations.
He finished off his third drink and stood, feeling slightly tipsy. “I’d better call it a night,” he said, stretching his arms. “You’re welcome to join me. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning.” He took a step toward the door, but a familiar voice stopped him.
“Ah, Sonic the Hedgehog. I didn’t expect to find you here.”
Reluctantly, he turned to face the hawk a few paces away. “Jet. What do you want?” The two hedgehogs behind him slowly stood as well, sensing the displeasure in Sonic’s voice.
Jet raised his hands in surrender, stumbling just slightly. “No need for hostility, friend. Are you heading to the execution?”
“Execution?”
“Yes, they finally caught one of the witches.” Jet grinned, and put his arm around one of the server girls. “There’s an impromptu execution in the square in a few minutes. I thought you’d like to know.”
“Which one?” Silver asked, his voice hinted with anxiety. Shadow shot him another warning glance, but the younger ignored him and stepped past Sonic to face the hawk.
“Eh, I can’t remember her name.” Jet waved his hand absently, his other arm still tight around the swooning girl’s waist. “Some echidna girl. Orange. Weird headband thing. Bandages.”
“Tikal?”
“Maybe. I can’t remember.”
“You should go home, Silver,” Shadow said suddenly.
“What?” Silver turned abruptly, nearly bumping into Sonic as he did. “Why?”
Shadow’s eyes were stone cold. “You know why.”
"What are you talking about?" Sonic looked at them curiously. Sure, many people didn't enjoy watching witch burning, but something about Shadow's order seemed off.
"Nothing," Silver said.
"Go home," Shadow repeated.
Silver scowled and grit his teeth. "Fine." He shoved past the two hedgehogs and stormed to the tavern door, his shoulders tight in anger.
Sonic watched him go, his brow furrowed in concern. Shadow often took authority, but he had never seen him look both furious and desperate at the same time. "What was that all about?"
"I'll let him tell you later." Shadow dug a few coins out of his money bag and passed them to the server girl Jet was holding on to. The hawk was busy flirting with two other wenches to notice. "Come on. We'd better see what the commotion is about."
Sonic followed his companion out of the tavern and into the cool night, a million questions burning in his mind. "I'd rather not watch the execution," he said.
Shadow's ear flicked in response. "I know. I just want to make sure everything stays under control."
"You've never shown interest in witch burning before," Sonic said as he stumbled to catch up without running. "Why now?"
"Just trust me."
"You know I'd follow you to the end of the world. I'm just curious, that's all."
This time, the dark hedgehog gave him a funny look. "I know."
Sonic silently cursed at his carelessness. His comment had sounded more intimate than he'd intended, and Shadow, as clueless as he may be, had picked up on it. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean for it to sound like - you know - I must have had one too many drinks." He tried to laugh, but his voice stuck in his throat.
"Don't apologize. It's alright," Shadow said, giving him what was supposed to be a smile. Sonic knew him well enough to know that the twitch of his lip was intended to be gentle.
Before he could respond, and embarrass himself again, no doubt, the roar of a crowd filled the air. It sounded as though the crowd was on the move, coming toward them, and Sonic instinctively picked up his pace. They didn't sound too happy.
“This can’t be good,” he muttered. Shadow just snorted slightly, speeding up as well.
The crowd was massive, filling up the main square and spilling into alleyways and side streets. Some people climbed up the sides of buildings or stood on top of carts, everyone hoping to have a clear view of the witch’s death. It made him sick to watch, but he knew if he said anything, the suspicions would turn toward him. Perhaps it was selfish, but he doubted he’d have the power to save them even if he spoke up.
Witches were strange people. They possessed strange powers that defied the laws of nature. They kept to themselves, but according to the stories, they became hostile when others approached them. Sonic had never met one, but he wasn’t quite sure the stories were true. After all, he had an ability that others considered unnatural, but it wasn’t caused by magic or whatever strange force they believed in. It was just part of him. Maybe these so-called witches were similar.
“Can you see her?” Shadow murmured, craning his neck to see above the crowd.
“Not yet.”
A massive pile of wood and straw sat atop the stone platform in the center of the square, with a tall beam standing upright in the center. Even though it was already excessively large, people continued to throw straw and sticks onto it, shouting and jeering.
Then he heard it - a desperate cry.
“Please, you don’t understand! The princess is in danger! They’re coming for her! I came to warn you, not to hurt her!”
The crowd across the square parted slightly, enough to let a group of guards drag a terrified young woman through. She looked to be about Sonic’s age, and he cringed as he watched.
“That must be Tikal,” he said. He stepped up on a jutting brick from the building behind him, trying to get a better look. Subconsciously, he knew he was searching for a way to help her, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do without getting them both killed. “Poor girl,” he mumbled, and Shadow glanced at him.
“Please, just listen to me!” she begged, tears streaming down her face. “Your princess is in grave danger!”
“Burn the witch!” the crowd chanted. “Burn the witch! Burn the witch!”
The guards hauled her up to the pyre and tied her wrists to the stake. It took everything Sonic had to keep from running to her.
“Don’t,” Shadow said softly.
Tikal’s eyes desperately searched the crowd for someone to believe her, and for just a moment, they landed on Sonic. He wasn’t sure if he believed her or not, but she didn’t deserve to die, especially not like this. She hardly put up a fight as they tied her ankles, and only started kicking when the pyre was lit.
Orange flames ate up the straw at the base, crawling higher toward the echidna’s feet. The color matched her fur as it grew, and it almost looked like she belonged there, bathed in fire, her blue eyes burning. Smoke filled the air and the crowd chanted louder, but not loud enough to drown out Tikal’s scream as the flames reached her feet. Sonic’s ears flattened against his head and he squeezed his eyes shut.
But then her screaming cut off, and the mob shouted in fear and confusion. Sonic’s eyes shot open as Shadow swore, and the blue hedgehog gasped at the new sight.
A teal light filled the square, wrapping around Tikal’s trembling body and somehow shielding her from the flames. She looked just as confused as everyone else, although she was no doubt incredibly relieved. Whatever this magic was, it wasn’t coming from her.
“What is that?” Sonic whispered in awe and fear.
“A deathwish,” Shadow growled, drawing his sword as the mob erupted into chaos. “Everyone take shelter!” he shouted to the crowd, his voice breaking from the strain. “The witch is dangerous! The guard will protect you!” He turned to Sonic as the blue light pushed the crowd away from the pyre and lifted Tikal off the ground. “Make sure everyone gets away safely. I’ll go after the witch.”
“Let me come with you.” Sonic drew his sword as the people pushed past them. “If the witch is this powerful, you’ll need help.”
“No.”
Sonic opened his mouth to protest, but Shadow shook his head and cut him off.
“Trust me.”
At last, Sonic found the strength to nod, even though his heart screamed at him to argue. “Alright. Be careful.”
“I will.” And in a blink, Shadow was gone, swallowed up by the panicking crowd.
Sonic only watched for a second before taking charge, ignoring the flash of teal energy that whisked Tikal away. “Alright! You heard the man! Everyone this way!”