Dancing at Dawn;
Four years after that night, Blaze and Silver continued to share their untouchable friendship, which led to a much more complicated matter. The time came where Blaze realized she needed to prepare herself to rule the kingdom and allow her father to retire, however a question remains lodged in brain- who will be the king?
Inside the throne room, Silver crouched beside a potted plant in order to conceal himself from the current situation; Blaze and her father discussing the matter of marriage. Such a subject made the hedgehog quiver in anxiety, since he knew he loved Blaze, and yet he was no where near the royalty of a prince. His ears perked up once the sound of Blaze's voice became audible.
"Father, what am I going to do? You're not going to let me marry unhappily, are you…?" Blaze droned quietly as she paced the floor.
"Of course not, dear, however we have to think of this clearly- in about a year people are going to expect the rise of a new king and queen, and you haven't even found a suitor."
"Well, there's Silver…"
The ivory hedgehog nearly tipped over at the mention of his name. A beads of sweat cascaded down his forehead as he began to breathe heavily; nervously awaiting the king's response.
"Blaze, dear, you know I would absolutely love for Silver to be your husband- he has the purest heart of any man I've ever seen. However, the fact remains that he is not a prince."
Blaze's eyes narrowed down to the floor. "Of course he isn't, he's my jester… he always has been. I'd prefer him over any precious artifact, father, over any other suitor."
The king sighed deeply and looked at his daughter thoughtfully. "I understand your feelings, dear…" he then chuckled, "You know, your mother wasn't a princess."
Blaze gasped and looked at her father disbelievingly. "That couldn't be true, father, she must've been a princess. Otherwise that throws the royal family policy…"
"She was the daughter of my servant," the king continued, "She came often to play with me whenever I had work to do. That woman did everything she could to make everything I do amusing. The reason I feel so much sympathy for Silver is because he reminds me of your mother, and how much she made me happy."
Silver's breaths became heavier as he anticipated the long moment of silence that followed after the king's statement. His golden eyes shrunk as he heard footsteps becoming louder towards his direction.
"Silver…" Blaze said sternly, "How long have you been eavesdropping?"
"Uh, well… the entire conversation… I suppose."
"This is private business!" Blaze snipped sharply, "I can't believe you would do this, Silver."
The ivory hedgehog frowned and looked to the princess sadly. "Blaze, I mean no harm… I just had an unbearable curiosity… including this entire marriage ordeal?"
Blaze's cheeks grew warm as she stared at the hedgehog down, and pondering on how to respond. A few moments later, she simply turned away and looked to her father. "What am I to do?"
"The year is still young, Blaze, all I ask is that you give this a decent amount of attention, okay? Just rest for now, don't stress about this too much." The king assured with concern.
Blaze gave a rather helpless sigh of relief, and nodded. "Okay, father." She stated simply before brushing by Silver purposely and walking away.
"Ahh, that was not the wisest decision you've made yet, Silver." The king chortled hoarsely, "Tell me, young man, since you've heard this entire conversation; how DO You feel about my daughter?"
Silver looked weakly the king, and sighed. "After my salvation, she is the best thing to have ever happened to me. I feel that without her, that there would be an empty void in my heart."
"Those words are full of passion, are they not?"
"Of course, sire."
"Then why haven't you told her this?"
Silver shifted uncomfortably in his stance. "Well, I never wanted to be forward, and I had these feelings developed four years ago, and was still so young."
"But look at yourself now, hedgehog, you've grown up to be a fine young man- a man of marrying age."
"I'm not a prince, your Majesty…"
"However you're nobility and justice surpasses that of a true prince."
Silver smiled at the king with an unmentionable happiness. "I'm grateful, your Majesty."
"Look Silver, I do not want to rush your or Blaze into this, so I will say the same thing I said to her- take it easy, and just take this into thought. If you earn her true love by the end of the year, I will see to it that the both of you are married."
"Alright… thank you, sire."
With that last statement, Silver slowly began departing from the throne room. A pang of guilt suddenly struck his senses, realizing that he just displeased the princess by eavesdropping. This brought Silver to conjuring another plan to gain her likeness.
The morning sun greeted the eyes of the lavender cat warmly, who yawned lightly as her senses awakened. Ever since the discussion with her father, the princess felt heavy and exhausted due to her excessive pondering. Even if the jester did wrong her for the moment, she wished dearly that he was here to accompany her.
As if her prayers were answered, the cat stared at a slit piece of paper that lay on her bedside table, and smiled. She picked it up and read the message on it:
Come to courtyard as soon as you wake up, Blazes.
-Silver
Blaze smiled and stepped into a pair of flats as she hopped off her bed. After pulling over her nightgown into a robe, she exited her room and began making her way to the courtyard outside.
Even before she reached the palace doors, the windows reflected the bright rays of the sun into the room where she stood in awe. The princess giddily opened the door and stared out into the open, where dawn was still at its breathtaking state. The warm colors of the sky settled over the trees and flowers where the sun arched over. Birds were singing and flying through the air as they welcomed a new day.
The cat felt her heart tightening as her eyes finally rested on Silver, who stood gazing at her from afar. He smirked and waved a hand, beckoning for her to approach him. Blaze pranced in his direction as if she were eight again, and threw her arms around him.
"Good morning princess!" Silver greeted jocularly as he lifted Blaze from the hug and twirled her around.
After an array of giggles, Blaze landed on her feet and chuckled. "Silver, you know you can call me Blaze."
Silver shook his head in response. "I know that, however you are a princess and you should be treated as such. I feel that I've lacked in chivalry lately, so what better a gift than the beauty of dawn?"
Silver faced the directional dawn and breathed in, gesturing for Blaze to stand next to him. The princess smiled and stood beside him happily, staring at the glorious sight.
"I'm glad you brought me here, Silver." Blaze peeped as she looked to the ivory hedgehog willingly.
Silver gulped and nodded, trying to avoid her gaze. "Of course, Blaze, a-anything for you..."
The princess stared at him puzzled, and snickered. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"N-No, of course not- I'm… I'm just thinking."
"About what…?"
"Well, I'm just wondering, since you and I have been friends for the longest time, that if you actually liked the idea of our marriage."
Blaze smiled, turning to the hedgehog brightly. "I can't believe you would even ask, but of course I wouldn't mind- you're a lovely person, Silver."
"You too, Blaze."
The two shared each other's gaze for the longest time, not saying a word, simply inching closer.
"What should we do, Blaze?" Silver asked suddenly, however he remained dazed in her gaze.
"I suggest we at least begin a relationship…" she started slowly, "we don't have to rush this."
Silver felt his heart thump faster as he began swaying unconsciously. Blaze giggled and began swaying herself, not quite noticing that the two began waltzing across the grass. Blaze's loose hair began swaying frivolously in the wind as the continued to waltz, and her pink flats slipped off her feet.
They began dancing to soundless music, and enjoyed every second of it. After a while, the two simply stared at each other, not saying a word. Their equally golden eyes mesmerized their thoughts and emotions, which soon led them to lean closer.
Then, everything fell silent as their lips made contact; such a simple gesture, yet the most effective way of confirming emotions.
The princess was the first to withdraw from the warm kiss, and laid a single hand on his chest. The ivory hedgehog smiled began caressing her winded hair.
"Blaze,"
"Yes, Silver?"
"I think I like you…"
Blaze rolled her eyes and pushed away from his embrace. "Well, I don't feel that way." She snorted coldly. Silver nearly wailed, but he quickly paused as the princess wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I don't feel that way, because I know I love you."
Silver welcomed another kiss as Blaze quickly pulled him in and out of it, and soon enough they were dancing again.
"What better gift than the beauty of dawn?"
A/N: Woo, we still have a little while to go until the end of the story~! You think their relationship will flourish from here? ;3
