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Having to rule Camelot when it is under the siege isn’t something Sonic the Hedgehog ever thought would happen to him. But then there are a lot of things on that list. Defending a castle which is completely unprepared for a long blockade in terms of resources isn’t even the first. It is the most people relying on him at once in one place probably though. Sure, there was a whole planet a few times... But... something is different here. No Chaos Emeralds, an army bigger than anything Eggman has ever thrown at him, faces of the townsfolk looking up at him with undisguised hope whenever he’s out and about. And... he wouldn’t say “no friends” because it isn’t true, but the Knights of the Round Table, Smithy and everyone else... they still aren’t used to the kind of warfare he is. Magic is a lot of help, but even Merlina got out of commission pretty quickly and is sleeping it off in her chambers right now.
“If only we had some kind of aerial support...” he mumbles from under his hands covering his face.
“Aerial... support, my Lord?” Sir Percival moves her ears uncertainly, and everyone else looks at their king questioningly, too.
“Ah, yeah. So, back at home – the place where I’m from I mean – we have those... planes,” Sonic lowers his hands and taps one finger on his chin. “They are like huge metal birds, except not alive. They can be used for scouting, moving people... many things actually. What I was thinking about is using them for releasing projectiles above the enemy. Like arrows! But more... contained fire, I guess.”
The hedgehog rests both of his palms on the table as he hums.
“I have a plane myself. The Tornado. I wish she were here,” for a moment it looks like Sonic is far away, drawn to his other world, as his eyes gain that fond but slightly melancholic expression. “Well, it doesn’t matter—”
“A big flying creature that spews fire sounds like a dragon!” the young voice of a bee page interrupts. It isn’t the first time the little one snuck into the grown-ups’ company, so the king only chuckles:
“I suppose so. They are pretty heavily armoured, too. However, I don’t think dragons are particularly interested in helping Camelot... or anyone.”
“Most dragons.”
The knights turn to Sir Lancelot who has been standing slightly in the back, silent until now. At present though he is wearing a thoughtful expression on his face. He raises his eyes to his king, and his gaze is very serious, even more than usual.
“My Lord,” and this time the blue hedgehog’s face falls slightly, the reaction Percival’s address didn’t get, “if I were to say there’s a dragon, would they be sufficient for that aerial support?”
“If they’re close at all in appearance and size to the dragon from the Misty Lake... and can breathe fire...” Sonic returns to tapping his fingers in thought. “Yep.”
“You aren’t insinuating you know...” Sir Percival frowns. “Ah. Lady of the Lake.”
The black hedgehog tilts his head but doesn’t reply. He just looks at his sovereign again.
“You will have a dragon. If you would follow me?”
“Always, Lance,” Sonic grins like it isn’t supposed to be the other way. “Percy, Gawain?”
They descend the stairs, leaving the rest of the knights to discuss other potential strategies, and walk a few minutes to a courtyard that they suppose is big enough for a dragon but still far from the more populated parts of the castle.
“Will this be safe for them?” Sonic might have defeated dragons before, but if they’re to be an ally, he doesn’t want them hurt. Actually, now when he thinks about it, he feels like he needs to make it up? apologise? – to the Misty Lake dragon. The hedgehog’s sure by now she was simply defending her territory.
“For now,” the Ultimate Knight nods and unexpectedly begins taking off his armour. He starts with his spaulders for the ease of movement, then unstraps the plates covering his spines and carefully pulls off his helmet. When Lancelot grunts as he reaches behind for the clasps on his back spines, Sonic finally comes out of his stupor and jumps to help, and it’s a testament to how weird this whole situation is that the knight doesn’t protest his king attending to him like a squire. The other two watch on, still bewildered.
“Is it,” Sir Gawain clears his throat. “Is it to show peaceful intent?” He turns to the lavender cat by him, who looks back. “Do we need to?..”
“No, just don’t come too close,” the dark hedgehog says, then quietly thanks the blue one and continues to his forearm guards and gauntlets himself, leaving only the gold bracelets on. This is the most naked Sonic has seen him and more than that... At this point it is the most naked he’s seen a Shadow. He can already feel his ears burn. Lancelot doesn’t stop there though. He bends down to unbuckle and take off his greaves and his sabaton shoes and then straightens, now completely bare. Sonic chokes a little and to avoid staring quickly looks up just in time to catch something that makes his blush give way to paleness.
Lancelot puts his left hand on his right wrist, and a distinctive click can be heard. Quick like the wind that gave name to his knight title, the blue hedgehog grabs the other’s hand between his, firmly holding onto the bracelet before it can come off.
“No!” his horror-filled voice echoes off the castle walls. “No. What?”
Percival and Gawain look shocked, too, and Sonic figures they don’t know the significance of the golden rings, but even they must have never seen their fellow knight without them. Or maybe there’s no significance to them in this world? Still, he would not take such a risk. The striped hedgehog, however, isn’t surprised as he slips his left hand out from under his and lays it on top of them.
“My King,” said king’s hands don’t budge.
“Sonic,” Lancelot tries again and curls his unprotected fingers over the other’s metal-covered ones, gently prying them off. “I ask you to trust me. Please.”
Now he is the one holding the blue hedgehog’s hands between his as Sonic stares at their joined hands with a hard gaze. It flicks to the bracelets and back. His knight sighs a little, frees one hand and leans down to click off the ankle bands first. The moment they are added to the pile of armour, he puts his hand where it was and brings his king’s to his lips. This isn’t how a sovereign’s subject kisses their hand, this isn’t how it’s done... This is a lover’s kiss. He purposely doesn’t look at his friends in the background who have to witness this scene.
“Please,” he repeats.
“Okay,” the blue hedgehog says in the smallest voice and steps back. His ears and cheeks gain their pink colour back.
Lancelot once again unlocks the golden ring on his right wrist and takes it off but – instead of putting it with the others – offers it to Sonic who accepts the bracelet wordlessly. And then the left one, too. If he thought Lance was naked before... Meanwhile, a reddish glow starts to shimmer around the guy, rises off the dark fur, and it is something he has seen before with Shadow, and the energy is similar but... not?
“Percival, while Lady Nimue knows some dragons, you’re mistaken about her involvement.”
With these words the Ultimate Knight turns around and walks to the middle of the courtyard. Something is happening with each step of his. The three are unsure if they believe their eyes at first, but the black and red spines seem to elongate and curve further, the tail changes its shape to also become much, much longer, and now it moves on its own – an arrow-shaped tip curled up. By the time Lancelot reaches the centre, his back spines shoot out to reform into impressive wings, and the red glow becomes blinding, before it explodes in a ball of fire.
Sonic covers his face from the heat, securely holding Lance’s bracelets to his chest. He’s far enough from the epicentre not to get burned, but the hot air still brings tears to his eyes. He tries to blink them open as quickly as possible, and – Chaos! – there is still a mountain of fire where his knight was... It looks like something is burning? A loud sound assaults his ears. The fire... no, it’s a beast’s roar. A red horns-crowned head on a thick neck rises above the fire and a sharp-toothed maw opens to let out that deafening noise again. Clouds of smoke leave the dragon’s mouth and nostrils. The fire on their hide slowly dies out, and the shiny black of it becomes visible. There is a splatter of silver scales on their chest and stripes of red ones going along the length of all four of their legs and the boney parts of their massive black wings. Another red stripe runs from their forehead, down their back where it spikes up and to the end of the tail. Their head horns curve almost the same as Lancelot’s spines did, except the lower ones which point forward more.
That bastard.
The Knight of the Wind wouldn’t be called that if he wasn’t in front of the huge clawed paws in milliseconds. The dragon – Lancelot, damn him, that’s Lancelot – elegantly tucks his legs under his belly and then bows to his king, ending up with his snout flush on the ground, ruby eyes half-closed and watching him with a hint of smugness.
“AND YOU DIDN’T TELL US?!” a screech comes from Gawain. The knight looks like he’s about to spontaneously combust himself. Percy standing a step back is all bristled and puffed up, her tail in the air, and she nods slowly, stunned.
Sonic falls forward to rest his body on the warm scales, pressing his forehead and palms to them, the dragon’s nose as tall as him, and speaks loud enough for Lancelot to hear:
“I agree with him... You couldn’t just tell us first?”
His knight turned dragon huffs, politely pushes him to get back and rises to his full height, unfurling his wings. And if Sonic was impressed by other dragons before, Lance is his favourite yet. The most magnificent creature he has ever seen. As the dragon takes to the air, he can’t stop staring, his eyes sparkling. They’re so taking the next flight together.