A note from the Author: Fellow reader, I have had the idea to make this story for some time now and now that I am finally doing it I just hope that the read is satisfactory for you all. I am not sure how long this story will be, but I know it isn't going to be a cheap half thought out story. There will be blood. There will be romance. There will be action. Enjoy.

Fearless

I.

~Crucible~

Short dings rang out as the blacksmith struck the soft block of metal with his hammer. The red-orange steel succumbed to the pressure of each blow, flattening it until it resembled the shape of a proper blade. Sparks flew in many directions like rogue stars cowering from the power of the blacksmith's tool. The metal's temperature dropped below the desireable temperature, so it had to be reheated in the forge. Once the metal returned to proper malleability, the blacksmith returned to flattening the metal. In time the work, was drawn to a desired length and width. The edges were hammered out thinning them, so they may be sharpened later. The blacksmith rose his piece into the air and eyed it closely. He inspected the size, weight, and overall look of the beaten metal. He was satisfied. With his gloved hands he picked the metal up and lowered it point down into a tall bucket of water.

He wiped the sweat from his eyebrows and sat himself in a chair near his open forge. It was still burning fiercely, but there was nothing else to be done for the moment. The air was hot near the forge and it stifled him, so he decided to take his leave and continue the piece later. No sooner than he was about to leave, a young boy approached him. The blacksmith's lavender eyes rested upon him and followed his approach.

"Knuckles," the young voice said, "I have great news!"

The boy before him was Tails. A young fox whom he had been taking care of for about seven years now

The echidna replied unenthusiastically, "What is it Tails?"

"The King has requested your audience. Look!" The parchment in which the note was inscribed was shoved into Knuckles' face. He eyed the characters suspiciously. He only recognized a few words.

"Tails…"

"Oh, right. Apologies."

Tails gathered himself, stood tall and spoke in his manliest voice:

Dear Knuckles,

You have been hand picked by the King himself to attend his council. In only three days time we expect you to be in the Capital of our land to be addressed by the King in all his royalty. This paper will be used to gain entry to the meeting. Guard it well. We will make accommodations for our guests for a single night then, you will be asked to leave. The meeting and accommodations will be held in the main hall of our Capital. Dress in your best attire as many of the King's associates will be there. If you wish to bring any company a maximum of one other person may be selected. We wish you a safe journey.

In the bottom corner of the parchment was the King's symbol stamped in ink: a rose with a barbed stem.

Instead of being elated as Tails had hoped, Knuckles was more suspicious. "How does the King even know who I am? Strange."
Tails looked at the perplexed Knuckles and shook his head.

"Knuckles, you should be proud of yourself. Very few people ever meet the King. This may be the oportunity you've been looking for."

"Pride and I have a very dark history. I'd rather not be prideful."

"That isn't the poi…" Tails was interrupted by his churning stomach. It spoke loudly and for quite the duration.

"Tails, have you eaten today?" Knuckles asked legitimately concerned, "Come, let's find something for you to eat, alright?"

The fox was taken by the shoulder and guided away from the forge. The market wasn't far from Knuckles' forge and their home was even closer: a tiny house meant for only one person which housed two. Knuckles sifted through his keys and found the one for his house. He entered quickly to grab a few rings and his meat pack to pay for their meal and supplies for the trek. They soon left for the market.

Continuing their previous conversation, Tails spoke up to the level of the people on the streets, "Are you going to accept his invitation?"

"It doesn't seem like they gave me much of a choice in the matter since we are 'expected' to be there within three days. We should probably depart tomorrow. The trip to the Capital city, Novella, is at least a two days journey. Plus we need to purchase two horses to make the journey."

"You're right, but can we even afford that?"

"Let me worry about that."

Tails gave a worried look to Knuckles they turned the next corner leading them to the market district of the city. Dozens of stalls were set up and each entrepreneur was shouting, advertising their products to the passersby. Only one person sat quietly and let the customers come to him, a hedgehog. No one really knew him, but the name Raze came on and eventually, he began to sell food in the markets. He owns a farm outside of the city and he hunts often to get the most high quality produce. He sold only meat, but was a vegetarian himself.

The dark green hedgehog sat on the ground cross-legged behind his stall with his back slightly hunched over. He watched Knuckles and Tails intently as they looked at his competitors' goods. He silently hoped they'd buy something. He could hear their faint speech in the distance even with all the clamoring happening in his area.

"Fifty rings for a single cob of corn?! They must be crazy to think they'd get any business with those prices."

With obviously no success in trying to find a good deal, Knuckles and Tails walked up to Raze's stall. Several hunks of meat looked pleasing to Knuckles, but price was the issue at hand.

"A hunk of meat this size should last us the trip, eh Tails? What's your price, Raze?" Knuckles knew the names of every vendor in town.

"Ten," he replied simply.

"Hmm, that's great! It's a deal." Knuckles said reaching into the pack on his back he counted out ten rings and placed them in Raze's outstretched hand. The meat was placed in his bag "Now all we have to do is cook it, dry it, and salt it to preserve it.

Tails nodded in approval. "I guess you want me to carry that home while you deal with the transportation."

"If you would, I'd appreciate it. Feel free to start cooking without me."

Tails acknowledged the comment and walked away. Now Knuckles had to get some horses, but they were far out of Knuckles' price range at the moment. So, instead he had to go to one of the greatest swindlers in town: Fang the Sniper.

Tails headed back the way they came. He planned on cutting the food into rations for everyday they traveled smaller pieces for himself of course. As he walked, struggling slightly with the weighted meal, he saw two cats arguing over a fish. Tails paid no mind as he was used to seeing people argue around town, but what happened next was something he wasn't expecting.

Tails was inspecting the late noon sky as the darker of the two cats pulled a knife from his boot and sank the weapon into his enemy's shoulder. The force sent him crashing to the ground as a loud scream came from the victim. He tried to stem the flow of blood from his wound which served only to dye red his white fur. Several people came to the victim's defense. One, a black and red hedgehog sporting the King's symbol on his cape that covered his right arm and his black armor, tackled the cat to the ground and gave him one blow to the face knocking him out.

The armored hedgehog's voice rang out instantly taking charge of the situation. "Someone get this injured man a healer. And someone else, drag this poor fool to the brig."

A fat cat and an albatross came up, also wearing the King's symbol, and carried out the dark hedgehog's orders. Tails was impressed by the hedgehog's heroism and leadership. There was nothing more for him to see. He continued walking home.

Quite a ways away from the action, Knuckles had finally arrived at Fang's den. In the darker slums of the city, Knuckles arrived at a rundown old house. An armadillo opened the door, but only slightly enough to poke his head out.

"Is Fang in there? I need to talk to him" Knuckles asked bluntly.

"Who's askin'?"

"You know who I am, Mighty. Let's not play games. This is urgent."

"Alright, alright." Mighty said swinging the door fully open and closed it once Knuckles entered.

Fang had his feet up rocking back and forth in his chair. He tipped his lowered hat upwards and spied Knuckles.

"Well, well, well. Lookie' here. We've got ourselves an echidna. Whaddya need mate?"

"A horse, two of them. The King has requested my council and I need to make it up to Novella in three days."

Fang scoffed, "Now what would ol' King Sullivan want with you, eh?"

Knuckles frowned, "Well, I'm not entirely sure myself."

Laughter erupted from Fang, "I'd be careful, mate. Someone could very well be tryin' to scam ya'."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they wanna lure you out of town so they can mug ya' for your belongings."

"Me? The poor blacksmith with no valuable possessions whatsoever? Why would they rob me?"

"Who knows?" he said tilting his head and shrugging his shoulders, "Crooks are strange people."

"Thanks for the warning, I'll pack a weapon or two. Anyway, we need to barter a price for two horses. They don't have to be large, but the have to bear some weight."

"Alright. What's in it for me if I steal these two horses for you?"

"One hundred rings…each."

"Eh, a bit light on the change are we?"

"Two hundred."

"You're gettin' warmer…"

Knuckles finally broke, "Fine, three hundred rings."

"Now you're speakin' my language mate. Three hundred each? It's a deal!" Fang said excitedly, "When do ya' need'em by?"

"Does tomorrow morning work? Near the edge of town, before sunrise?"

"Absolutely," They shook hands, "Anythin' else for ya?"

"No. Thanks again, Fang." Knuckles left the old house and peered up at the darkened sky. It was time to return home as his day wasn't over quite yet.

Overall, Knuckles was satisfied with the amount he got done for such an unexpected trip that he had to plan He even got some cheap supplies that will last them the trip. However, he still kept Fang's words in the forefront of his mind.

I'd be careful, mate. Someone could very well be tryin' to scam ya'.

To be continued…

xXxXx

First chapter complete! Sorry about this, but the first two chapters may be a bit boring, but after that I think it will pick up really quickly. Reviews are appreciated give me your honest opinion about the idea of the story.