Chapter Three: The Unwanted Guest
The clock struck ten at night and Silver was still nowhere to be found. Blaze grew anxious for her friend, but at the same time she was profoundly irritated that he had yet to arrive. Had he possibly forgotten about the ball? Surely he couldn't have forgotten about something as important as this. Besides, he promised and that hedgehog never broke a promise. Maybe he was held up and was running late. Unbearably late. He didn't even bother to send a note telling her that he would be at a late arrival. Where could that hedgehog be?
Blaze paced back in forth along the ballroom, although she tried her hardest not to look so distraught in front of her people. When someone passed by, she lightly smiled at them and politely curtsied. Every character who passed by her held no resemblance towards the white hedgehog. Her stomach was growing sick and she was edging towards the upmost provoked nature that she almost couldn't control herself. If Silver didn't show up in a matter of minutes she was sure to explode.
One of her loyal butlers came into her path and Blaze immediately took the opportunity to ask if he had even seen a glimpse of Silver's precious face. The servant shook his head with a small frown. "I'm sorry, Miss Blaze. I haven't seen him all night, at least not yet," he reassured with a nod of his head. It didn't seem to lighten the princess one bit. "I'm positive he'll arrive shortly."
"If you see him, please inform me right away," Blaze commanded. She waved the butler off and returned to her troubled pace, Silver never leaving her thoughts. It never occurred to her that maybe he was off fulfilling his duties as the protector of the kingdom. After all, it was his job. Silver was always off fighting enemies and foes. Maybe he was somewhere doing that now and was too tangled to show up. At the least, that calmed Blaze down quite a bit, but now she was worried of his whereabouts and of his condition and if he would even bother to show up after a tiring battle. Oh, how she desired to know where that hedgehog was!
In the midst of her frustration, she flopped down into one of the seats located on the ballroom walls. She couldn't even bear to stand after consuming herself with stress. She needed to relax, to enjoy her party. It wasn't all about Silver, after all. It was only a party that she needed to engage herself in. It was to release her from stress. Instead, she was too busy worrying over her friend. Silver would be alright. He would show up later, of course. He promised. Silver, no matter what, always kept his promises.
"Not having fun at your own ball?" A sudden voice asked. Blaze's sorrowful eyes lifted up to look at the all-famous Prince Rallas. She had recognized him in various magazines and papers. He lived in a far off kingdom, so it was rare to see him at her party, although Blaze had invited him. The prince held the most sincere of a gaze, yet a comforting smile was locked onto his face. "Is there something troubling you, Princess Blaze? You don't look so well."
The princess was startled that the prince saw through her so easily. She had worked extremely hard the past two hours since her ball started to mask a face of joy, but it had apparently failed in Rallas' presence. She bashfully smiled and shook her head, trying to reassure him, or maybe she was trying to reassure herself. However, it was plainly obvious she was lying, so she decided to come out and admit her troubles. "Well you see, Prince Rallas … I have a close friend who promised to be here and he's yet to arrive. He never breaks his promises. What if he forgot? Or what if something terrible happened to him?!" She shouted, standing up in her seat and practically knocking the chair down. Now she was frantic and she needed to calm down before her attitude got worse.
Prince Rallas only stared at her with concern, wondering what he could possibly do to help her. "You need to get your mind off of him. I'm sure he'll turn about soon enough," Rallas confirmed in comfort. He suddenly flaunted his golden magazine smile and held out a hand to the princess. "How about a dance? That would be sure to distract you from your thoughts."
Blaze shook her head and stared at the ground, feeling that she should wait for the hedgehog. However, her gaze trailed to his offered hand and looked up at his eyes. How soft and alluring they were. She couldn't help but blush and take a hold of his hand. The prince led her out into the ballroom and firmly placed one hand on her waist. Blaze placed a dainty hand on his shoulder and stared up at the prince as they slowly moved one foot out, following by another foot, moving together in unison. They spun along the floor as people danced all around them, casually taking a glance at the prince and the princess. Eventually, Blaze and Rallas were given their floor space as they waltzed across the ballroom, looking ever so elegant in their royal nature.
Another few hours had passed since Rallas and Blaze met and they had practically danced the entire time. They spun themselves into the sidelines and let out fluttering giggles as they finally forced themselves to stop. Blaze fixed her hair while trying to regain her breath from all of the fun she just had. "I can't even remember the last time I've had so much fun. You're quite the dancer," she complimented, eyeing the prince up and down.
Rallas snickered and placed a hand over his chest as he fell into a slight bow. "Why, thank you, Princess Blaze. You're quite the dancer, yourself."
They both let out another chuckle against the loud music and surrounding laughter and talk about them. Maybe it was time to make their leave until the ballroom cleared up a little. "Come on!" Blaze exclaimed as she grabbed the prince's hand and led him out of the room, dragging him out onto the balcony. They would be granted their privacy outside under the glistening of the stars. Blaze placed both hands on the rail of the balcony and looked out at the lights of the kingdom, taking in all of its glory. "I just love coming out here at night and taking a gander at the city," she whispered. She looked up at Rallas to see that he was taking a good look of the view as well.
Rallas nodded and placed his hands in his pockets. "A beautiful kingdom, you have. Maybe one day I'll throw a ball and you can take a look at my kingdom." He looked at her and smiled his clever little smile through his teeth. It was becoming so common that Blaze was beginning to believe that he never frowned. Rallas now leaned with his back against the rail and looked back inside at the merry crowd dancing and laughing. His eyes seemed to follow one couple in particular, although they held no importance to him. As he watched them, something began to dawn on him. "Has your friend arrived at all?"
The question reverted Blaze back to her worry. She gripped the rail and shook her head and whispered a "no" that the prince barely seemed to hear.
"So what makes him so special?" The prince abruptly inquired. "Do you love him?"
Blaze pouted and tilted her head away from him. "You know, all of these questions you're asking are rather rude," she huffed. However, these questions began to dawn on her, and she herself wondered if she held feelings for the hedgehog. She always thought of him as a close friend or something rather, but nothing as far as a lover. Blaze never thought about things like that. Her mind was always focused on the kingdom and what should be done within it. She didn't have time to think about such folly things. But now that she was in the moment… "To be honest, I don't know how I feel about him."
They sat in a moment of silence together. The music flowing from the ballroom was barely audible. Rallas broke out in yet another question, uncomforted by the silence; "How do you feel about me?"
Again the princess was hit with an awkward question. She had only just met the prince that night. How was she supposed to answer a question so suddenly? She looked back at Rallas and studied him. He was bold and slim and just toned enough that he had an attractive body. The thing she loved most were his eyes that glimmered so handsomely against any radiant light. He was just absolutely beautiful, but she was nowhere near in love with him. But maybe she was falling. "How do you feel about me?" She questioned, changing the rules of the game.
A dash of rose smacked Rallas' cheeks as the question pierced his ears. "I've never seen a more beautiful girl before," he answered honestly. His eyes now darted from the dancing couple to look at Blaze. "Not to mention how much I love your personality. I've always heard about how serious you are, but you're far from that. You're fun and you're loving and you know how to have a great time. I didn't know what it meant to fall in love at first sight, but then I met you and I guess… everything fell into place."
Blaze snickered. Somewhat romantic, or so he tried, but it was cheesy. All of the girls would have gone gaga over statements like that. But she wasn't like them. However, her heart fluttered at the compliments and she couldn't help be feel drawn to him. Apparently she was like the other girls. The two looked at each other and smiled, but suddenly all seriousness took place. Rallas leaned in close to her, coming in for a kiss. Blaze's heart pounded, wondering whether she should move away before they touched or just let it happen. She made her decision and closed her eyes. In a way, Blaze must have been desperate for romance; she had blindly fallen in love with the prince.
All of a sudden, a large crash erupted from the bottom of the castle, interrupting their kiss. Blaze jumped in panic and looked over the balcony. "Someone's attacking the castle!" She cried, rushing back into the ballroom. Rallas loyally followed behind.
Screams echoed throughout the fortress as flocks of people stampeded to flee the castle. Blaze and Rallas ran against them, having to push and shove at the crowds coming their way. Soldiers rushed past them and raced for the crash to investigate. In a matter of time, Blaze and her obedient warriors arrived at the scene.
The lower left front corner of the castle was completely blown away and there stood a vicious and scornful robot, towering over the destruction it had caused. Soldiers kneeled down and aimed their large guns at the enemy, firing whatever they had, but it clearly wasn't enough. No matter what struck the machine, it either brushed the dirt away or dodged too quickly. Not even cannonballs could stop this ferocious beast that zipped through the air and commit more chaos along the castle. This creature seemed almost indestructible, but there must be some possible way it could be stopped.
Blaze stared up at the robot, which now stopped in the midst of its destruction to look at the small feline. The princess threw her arm back and growled at the foe. "What do you think you're doing?!" She cried to the violent monster. The soldiers stopped firing but kept their weapons aimed at the creature in case of another attack, although their efforts would be useless.
"I've come for the Sol Emeralds," the robot informed, his voice monotone and threatening. He brought his hand up into a fist. "Bring them to me and I'll cease from destroying your castle."
Blaze rose in panic. There was absolutely no possible way she could ever give out the emeralds to this wicked creature. Besides, they weren't even in her possession. They often stayed with Silver or somewhere in his house in case someone tried to steal them. She wondered if Silver knew about this attack and that's why he didn't bother to show up. But he would have informed her of something as dreadful as something like this and most certainly would have come to defend the castle. Did something happen to him? Blaze's heart began to pound as she wondered of his location.
"I don't know where they are!" Blaze lied, taking a step towards the beast. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
The robot was silent. Its balled fist was still lifted in the air, but it suddenly turned to face the castle and its hand opened. A beam of light instantly shot at the fortress again, only causing more destruction on the fortress. Windows burst into shards and pillars fell into pieces and a hideous black smoke lifted into the air. The section went up in flames and the crowd aroused in panic as that piece of the building crumbled to the ground. More and more bystanders fled from the scene in order to save themselves, practically tripping over each other and shoving everyone out of their way.
"You have three days to bring me the Sol Emeralds or else I'll wreak havoc on your kingdom," the machine bellowed, its voice like thunder. It started to elevate further into the sky, making its departure.
"What are you doing?!" Blaze yelled at the soldiers. "Fire at that thing, already!"
All at once they started blasting and shooting at the beast, barely managing to scrape the metal. The enemy was far too strong for them to handle. It was too late for them to do anything, anyhow. The foe had already escaped, suddenly disappearing into thin air.
Blaze's wandering eyes drifted towards her ruined castle. Nearly an entire corner of her castle was blasted into pieces and it would only be a matter of time before the upper levels of the castle crumbled to the earth as well. She clenched her fists and grunted, realizing what a heavy loss she had suffered. Thankfully, it seemed as if no one was severely injured by the incident, only a few minor wounds here and there. She'd have to get the medics there as soon as possible to tend to her people's injuries.
There was no use in standing out there any longer. In all of her frustration, Blaze marched away from the scene, not wanting to look at the demolition any longer. Rallas loyally followed her closely behind, watching her every move. "What a pain," Blaze groaned through her teeth. Rallas stayed quiet because he wasn't sure of what to say to her, especially at a time like this. The princess suddenly stopped at the entrance to her castle and turned to look back at Rallas. "I'm sorry about all of the trouble that happened tonight. There's no need for you to stay here. You can go home. The servants will take care of everything."
Rallas was speechless, unable to understand her terrible loss. He only nodded and turned away, retreating to his carriage.
There was nothing else she desired to do. Blaze only wished to fall asleep. Everything that had happened was too much to process and it somewhat set her into a daze. She trudged up the stairs, her feet dragging on every step. Every now and then a maid or a butler would stop her to ask if she was alright, but she only nodded and replied with little information, not really taking their concern into consideration. She only focused on her desire to sleep, which she arrived into her bedroom in a matter of no time. Blaze flopped facedown into her bed, her arms and legs sprawled all over her mattress. Oddly enough, for someone who had always been so strong in her lifetime, she began to cry.
Silver's head was throbbing with such an intense pain that he thought it would explode. The hedgehog sat up and grabbed his head as if that would do him any good. His entire body ached with a strange pain that he wasn't sure of how he obtained. His clothes were also drenched in blood and they were torn along the chest. How awful that such a nice pair had to be destroyed. However, his clothes were the least of his concerns at that moment. He was most worried about how he had come into such a terrible condition and why he was even in the forest.
Silver forced himself up with difficulty, his body aching far more now that he was standing. He looked around the area, taking in his surroundings. He had no idea where he was or how he had even got there. All he knew was that he was lost and bloody, a terrible combination. It was a good thing he could fly or else he'd be stuck in there for days. As much as it pained him, the hedgehog levitated above the treetops, gazing at everything around him. The sun was just peaking over the region, painting the kingdom in gold.
He was quite a bit a ways in the forest compared to the location of the kingdom. He could clearly see the large town just waking up, small groups of people making their way around the place. But what caught his eye was a piece of the castle; it was in ruins. Much of the castle was completely destroyed beyond his comprehension, and he absolutely had to know why. Maybe discovering why an enormous chucnk of the castle was demolished would answer his questions as to why he woke up in the forest. He quickly made his way for the castle, soaring as quickly as he could.
And he suddenly came to the devastating realization that he had missed Blaze's ball.
In the original story, the robot never showed up to the party and didn't blow everything up. Everyone danced and the party was over. That's it. I only added the robot in this scene for a better story. Hoohah! I also decided not to describe the prince's attributes so that all of you could use your imagination. In my imagination, he's a squirrel. Haha, I don't know why a squirrel. I don't even like squirrels. But that's my brain.