I am SO SORRY for taking so long! So to keep things short, I do not own ANY of the characters and well, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! XD Enjoy!
Lancelot rushed towards the village doors with his knights behind him, all wearing their helmets, "Be ready for anything."
They nodded as a voice of the guards echoed,
"OPEN THE DOORS FOR OUR KNIGHTS HAVE ARRIVED!"
A chain could be heard clinking as the gate covering the large double doors rose first. Then, the double doors opened with a creak and revealed many villagers with their heads bowed. The knights entered in slight haste as Percival whispered, "Looks like there were no intrusions or disturbances."
"There's too many people here." Gawain whispered, "If you-"
Lancelot interrupted, "Run I might start a panic," He never looked back at Gawain, "I am fully aware."
The gate and doors closed with a thud as the knights marched to the castle. Once they neared the palace, a horn echoed through the wind, signaling an arrival.
'Not Now!' Lancelot was ready to rush towards the doors when he saw the king make his way out.
His royal robe dragged behind him, the hilt of his blade sparkled with the rare hit of sunshine from behind the robe. His fingers were coated with rings and his clothes had a sheen to them thanks to the finest silks used to craft them. His quill and arms were of the deepest blues and his fur a dark peach. His muzzle carried a smile when he saw his friend and once he arrived at the top step, he spoke,
"Welcome back my Knight's of the Round Table." Said knight's bowed in unision and heard their king continue, "Tonight we may sleep soundly knowing that our knights have returned safely and unharmed."
A crowd behind them had formed and a deafening cheer erupted. Few holding up the village's symbol high and proud.
"And may we also thank those brave knight's who volunteered to carry the weight of protecting the outer walls of our lands while our Knight's of the Round Table were doing battle against the wicked!"
Another cheer began, but Lancelot's head was elsewhere, 'Every second that passes is another second I could be using to find Sonic!'
The king looked at his knights, "Please rise and let us celebrate your return." He smiled, "I hope to hear about your mission."
The three rose and began walking behind the king as the crowd dispersed to their daily routine. As soon as they entered the castle and the doors closed, Lancelot spoke,
"Your majesty, I must go see-"
The king interrupted him with a slight smug grin, "Sonic... Correct?" Lancelot's breath hitched a bit before the king continued, "I will send one of our servants to find him and-"
Lancelot's head was bowed, "Forgive my interruption but," He closed his eyes for a second before looking up, "The person I need to see is Merline."
"Merline?" The king asked confused. He looked at Percival and Gawain who had averted their saddened gaze, "What has happened Sir Lancelot?"
Lancelot's fist clenched as he fought the knot in his throat, "The king of Shadow's took Sonic away from me..."
The king's olive eyes widened and understanding began to show in his features, "Go on. Percival, Gawain, and I will be waiting in my throne room. I wish to hear the details of the mission while all three of you are present."
"Thank you." Lancelot made a quick bow and rushed off towards Merline's quarters.
Lancelot headed deeper into the castle, careful not to bump any patrolling knights or maids. Once he arrived to a large room full of small pillars and a large one in the center of the room, he made a quick look around and pulled a torch that concealed a lever. Wind began to burst through the center pillar as a hidden passage revealed itself along with a narrow staircase. He made one more look around before entering and began his descent. The opening automatically shut itself and a small torch lit itself. Lancelot snatched it quickly and rushed down the spiral stairs, already feeling the chill of the damper environment. He saw mist beginning to gather around him as he walked over to the open door way.
Crystals, potions, mysterious ingredients, and books covered the shelves that clung to a dark purple wall. Mirrors covered the corners of the walls while a cauldron remained as a centerpiece. The only light there came from the candles that were hung on the walls making a dim glow. A small table was at the side and sitting on the chair was the spell caster herself.
"Merline." Lancelot greeted.
"Sir Lancelot..." Merline spoke as she looked at the crystal that remained perched on her scepter, "What brings you into the depths of this castle?"
"I require your assistance in locating my son."
Merline remained quiet before she spoke, "I see..." she stood and walked towards her books, "Do you recall the last location that you saw him?"
"The field outside our lands."
Her hand paused before she touched her book, "How is it that you lost your child there?"
Lancelot sighed, "I rather not get into that detail as of yet. What I do need is aid to locate him in a different time."
"Time?" Merline looked at Lancelot directly, no longer avoiding his gaze, "Sir Lancelot, my knowledge of time travel is not as extensive as I wish-"
Lancelot interrupted her, his tone serious, "I only need to know if you can manage to locate him."
Merline sighed, "I will do what I can." She turned to her mirrors, "Realize that time is infinite and this can possibly take many days."
Lancelot held in a yell, "Will having something of his help with the search?"
"Yes." Merline spoke as a few books levitated from the shelves and opened on the desk.
Lancelot made a slight hesitation before reaching into his quills and pulling out a small piece of paper. He slowly opened it and revealed Sonic's first baby quill. He let out a small sigh trying to ignore the memory that came with such a small object, 'This has brought me much luck in battle. Now let us see if that luck was a fluke.'
"Here, use this."
Merline walked over and gently took the quill, "I shall notify you as soon as I find or know something about him."
Lancelot nodded before heading up the spiral stairs again and placing the small torch back on its pedestal. The entrance opened once more and he walked out ready to speak with his fellow knights.
'Wherever you are Sonic, please, be safe.' He rushed off towards the throne room, 'I just hope that we may find you before Mephelis can lay another finger on you.'
He stopped in front of the throne room entrance, took a deep breath, and entered.
"Lancelot." Blaze spoke.
"What of the fate of your kit? Is he safe? Has Merline been able to locate him?" Gawain bombarded with questions.
Lancelot looked and shook his head, "It will not be as simple as I hoped."
"But-" Blaze stopped when Lancelot raised his hand, "We are in the presence of our king and speaking about this situation is-"
The king interrupted Lancelot, "Not a waste of my time." Lancelot looked up as the king continued, "Should there be any kind of assistance you need aside from Merline's, do not hesitate to ask."
Lancelot bowed his head.
"Now then," The king sat up a bit on his throne, "What be the status of the mission?"
"Accomplished." The knights spoke.
"We managed to destroy the barriers and walls of the castle hidden in the shadows." Gawain spoke proudly.
"How were you able to locate the castle?" The king asked curiously.
"We stumbled close to a few of his soldiers and followed them silently until they revealed their location." Blaze spoke.
"I see... What of his armies?"
"We nearly took out all his guards, soldiers, and messengers." Lancelot answered, "Our only issue is he will probably create more once he has dealt with rebuilding his defenses."
"What of the nearby village?"
"We had to relocate them to a village further west." Blaze took out a small map, placing it on the floor and pointing out the areas, "The village is currently abandoned."
"How about those captured by Mephelis?"
The knights shook their heads.
The king nodded before asking his next question, "How exactly did the King of Shadow's find you?"
The knights remained quiet for a second, then Lancelot spoke, "We are not yet sure your majesty... but due to this unexpected attack..." He didn't continue.
"I understand. This threat is clearly something we must keep an eye on." He stood up, "I shall let Merline know to keep an eye in the sky." He spoke gently, "I am sure you are all exhausted and so you may leave to rest and a feast will be made in the early sun."
The knights bowed and exited the room.
"What if Merline can not-" Lancelot interrupted Gawain,
"Should the worst come, I shall head to the source of this and force him to bring me my son back."
"But as of now, Merline is working on it." Blaze spoke and made a light glare at Gawain as they reached four separate hallways, "I bid you a good night and may Merline bring good news to you in the morrow."
Lancelot nodded, walked off, and entered his room. Blaze and Gawain looks at each other then did the same thing.
The striped knight let out a sigh as he sat down on the bed, his head in his hands.
'I hate this feeling... A knight helpless to save his own son!?' His hands clenched a few quills, 'It's both shameful and unthinkable...' He took a deep breath and leaned back, 'There must be something else I can do.' He turned his head to the right and cringed when he saw Sonic's teddy bear on his pillow. He leaned over and picked it up carefully, as if afraid of bringing harm to it.
'Make haste Merline for Mephelis' greedy claws only grow nearer.'
Meanwhile in the Kingdom of Shadows...
A senile laughter echoed throughout the cold ambiance of the castle. On the throne sat King Mephelis, his legs over the arm rest while and elbow supported his head on his hand.
"My plan has turned out far better than what I expected!" His grin only widened as he looked at the image the shadows he manipulated created, "This, Shadow the Hedgehog, is the exact image of Lancelot and better yet, he has turned out to be a very cold individual." He brought down his legs and chuckled as he stretched, "One father who wants his little brat back and would do nearly anything to get him. While the other, who could care less about the child, will do anything to be rid of him. This indeed has proven to be very entertaining."
The last image that appeared before Mephelis dispersed his shadows was Shadow carrying Sonic through the base.
That's all I wrote for now! Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review if you have a question or just want to critic. It is HIGHLY appreciated! Also, Thank you all for favoriting and following, it makes me VERY happy! How happy? The world may never know O.O I hope to see you all soon, hopefully the next one won't take too long! Until then! :)