Chapter Text
Prince Arthur walks through the dark green forests of Camelot, though he had been told multiple times to not do so without a knight. However, Arthur was adventurous and believed he was strong enough to be without a knight, so he never really told anyone when he snuck out, not even his most trusted friends.
Throughout his adventure, Arthur soon stopped by a lake to get a drink in this hot, dry day. He looked at his reflection in the water, adjusting his white buttoned-up shirt and fixing his appearance. He then eventually laid down in the grass, watched the sky for a short while, and eventually fell into a slumber—which was not a smart idea at all!
A shadow looms over the Prince's form, armour creaking as the figure bent down and gave him a small smack on the head, startling him awake.
"Ah!" Arthur yelped, sitting straight up and rubbing his head. "Dear God. Who dare do such a thing?" the Prince asked, and when he looked up, he saw the one and only Sir Lancelot Du Lac.
...
Lancelot first came to Camelot when he was thirteen. Bent on revenge after the murder of his adoptive sister and grandfather, Mariana and Gerbald Robotnik, Lancelot hated humanity. He had a distaste for anyone in his way, and his ruby-like eyes burned with hatred for the world, burned like a red hell.
Sir Lancelot specifically disliked Prince Arthur. He found him very annoying, and he rivaled with the Prince for several years.
Soon enough, Lancelot was forced into knight training, where he was mentored by the King and forced into discipline. Despite his disrespect and consistent disobeying, Lancelot was a very good knight. He was coordinated, and he fought very well due to his focus. More so, he took his anger and got it out during his training and sparring, which often led to severe injuries on other knights or ruined equipment.
Sir Lancelot proved his worth as a knight for battle, but he also needed to prove he was chivalrous and obedient when needed. He was never beaten into submission, but Lancelot was slapped whenever he got into trouble, which taught him many lessons.
By the time he was roughly seventeen, he was a lot kinder. He was still very reserved, and still hated many people, but he was docile around the King due to his comfortability with him. It was proof that Lancelot's hatred and anger was really just due to his pain.
Now, Sir Lancelot is no older than twenty years old. In fact, he just turned in June. It was July now. He is much nicer now, quieter, and much more respectful, but there are times when he is very rude. However, over the past seven years, Sir Lancelot truly did grow in several ways. The only issue is that instead of learning to control his negative emotions, he instead represses them and masks them with stoicism or anger.
He also grew as a knight, as well. Lancelot is now Arthur's personal knight, and instead of being rivals like before, they're good friends now, boyfriends. Sir Lancelot trusts the Prince deeply, and speaks around him much more than he does with anyone else—besides the bat he met named Rouge. He and Prince Arthur are nearly inseparable. Their relationship is very sweet, despite Lancelot's attempts to dismiss such a thing.
...
The black and red hedgehog crossed his arms with a disapproving headshake, tail lashing behind him with annoyance. He decided to refrain from speaking, waiting for the Prince to say something first. Lancelot never said anything unless spoken to. That's just how he was now. He was taught to never speak out of turn.
The Prince chuckled sheepishly, scrambling to stand up before he put a hand on Lancelot's shoulder. "Ah, Lancelot, my knight, my friend!" he greeted with a forced laugh, hoping to dismiss Sir Lancelot's frustration. He cleared his throat. "What brings you here? How have you, uh, been?"
Sir Lancelot was stewing. Arthur could tell, even if Lancelot's armor covered most of his face. The only part that was left visible was his muzzle. Otherwise, Sir Lancelot was completely covered in armor.
"You know you're not supposed to be here by yourself, Prince Arthur, let alone asleep," Sir Lancelot pointed out, his frustration hidden beneath his soft spoken voice that was smooth with a slight edge to it. "You are unbelievably oblivious. Are you unaware of what can happen to you here? Must we have this discussion everyday?"
Arthur groaned dramatically, turning his head away. "Oh, Lance..! Come on, can you blame me for getting out of the house for just a short while?" he asked, looking back at Lancelot with a half-lidded look. "You know I like to be free, rather than being stuck in the castle 24/7. It gets very boring in there, you know... I'm sure you could at least agree!"
Lancelot only huffed. He thought for a moment, deciding his words before clearing his throat, words measured and clipped as he spoke, "Even so, you need to have some form of protection nearby. You were vulnerable, and asleep." The knight paused. "You could've gotten killed." The tan fur around his nose began to redden beneath his visor as he looked down at his feet with humiliation. His nose always became red whenever he got particularly upset, Arthur noticed. "I do not want to lose you," Lancelot admitted lowly. "I— Camelot cannot afford that."
"Lancie," Arthur began to console, "I know you worry about me, but seriously, I'm fine. I'm not hurt, am I? And I've been in these forests before. Nobody ever comes here except for when it is hunting season. I'll always be fine. Besides, you are talking to the fastest thing in the universe, you know," the blue hedgehog reminded, giving Lancelot's visor a flick.
"No," the knight disagreed. "No, you say that every time, you always say you'll be fine, and you might not turn out to be. Take risks, but what you are doing is much more than you should be. I will not be allowing you to quit on your life yet because you want to be so careless with it."
The Prince sighed and cradled Lancelot's face. "Look, fine. I'll be better. Okay? I'll be better. I'll take you with me next time. Does that settle it?"
"…Fine."
"Good," Arthur responded, giving the knight's forehead a kiss.
Lancelot suddenly pushed the blue hedgehog's hands away. "Get your hands off of me. We should go back to the palace, now."
"Now?" the Prince echoed with a groan, leaning forward and resting his head on Sir Lancelot's breastplates. "You don't want to stay longer, mm? I mean.. We are alone," Arthur jokingly flirted.
"You are sickening! Doth thou have no shame, no humility?!" Sir Lancelot accused as he slapped Arthur away and crossed his arms. "Unbelievable!" Prince Arthur only chuckled, completely amused of Lancelot's reaction as they both began to make their way back to the palace.
…
Once they made it back to the castle, Prince Arthur sure got a scolding from his father and mother, but he was thankful to not get any major punishment.
Arthur sat in his room with Sir Lancelot, reading a book aloud as they settled on Arthur's bed together. The knight had been listening attentively, but the day had been long and stressful, full of more training than usual, plus the added work of finding Prince Arthur, so Lancelot was nearly exhausted, and in the process of falling asleep right then and there. He did his best to keep awake, though. Arthur noticed the other hedgehog's struggles, but he didn't say anything. He found it amusing. Besides, what better way to fall asleep than hearing a bedtime story?
Once they finished the chapter, Sir Lancelot had already fallen asleep. Arthur chuckled quietly. He's so cute, the blue hedgehog thought as he closed the book and set it on the nightstand. He carefully slipped out of bed and dressed himself in pyjamas before he laid back down with the knight and pulled him closely. Prince Arthur gave Lancelot a kiss on the ear. "Goodnight, Lancie," he whispered to his sleeping boyfriend before shutting his eyes and sleeping himself.