Betrayal;

Days have passed since the arrival of the angelic knight, but no event had made an impact on Silver. The king had returned by this time, but not Blaze. Silver questioned her absence, and the king simply stated that she had a temporary duty in the kingdom of Litha, and there was nothing to fret about. Obeying his command, Silver settled comfortably with that in mind. However, he continues to worry over the knight's haunting reminder.


Silver paced throughout the corridors of the large castle, detesting the feeling of anxiety and stress. Ever since the encounter with the knight, he couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. "Good heavens, if he had something to say, he should've told me so I may free myself of worry." The ivory hedgehog snapped.

He glanced at the large doors that lead to the garden, and sighed. "A test of my faith…" he murmured as he pushed them open, taking an eyeful of the beautiful setting. He slowly made his way to the familiar sight of a pink rose bush, and plucked the most beautiful one.

"Blaze, I hope that whatever duty you're attending to, that you're always free of stress." He pleaded soulfully, inhaling the aroma of the rose. A flashback began peering into his brain.

Silver pushed open two, white doors open; which led to a shaded courtyard; the bushes and trees covered in lush, colorful flowers. Blaze smiled pleasingly, her eyes lifting to the extravagantly adorned pillars of stone that framed the entrance to the garden.

"Why did you bring me here?" Blaze asked, turning to Silver who examined the courtyard with an admiring eye.

"Well, Princess, before your royal guards had spotted me, the scent and beauty of this garden seized my senses and I was mesmerized for the longest time. All of my grief and worry vanished…"

"That's lovely."

"It is, Princess, but the point of bringing you here is to momentarily free yourself of all strain."

"I wish I could, but… my duties are severely important. I couldn't possibly…"

"It's not healthy, Princess, please… for at least a moment or two?"

The kit sighed, ceasing her insistence. Her golden eyes bent to the lovely bush of pink roses, approaching them briefly in a tranquil state. Blaze crouched on her knees and settled herself there, inhaling the roses' aroma.

"Beautifully pink, I must say." Silver bluffed kindheartedly, "May I?" Silver placed his fingers under one of the roses, awaiting the princesses' response.

"Go on."

Silver plucked a beautifully opened rose; he turned to the princess and placed it on her head, near her pony tail. Blaze smiled, feeling the rose perched on her head.

"Thank you…"

Silver felt his heart become heavy at the thought of the princess; he longed for her return and to hold his best friend and lover in his arms. Humorously, he placed the rose near his ear as Blaze did when they were blissful, eight year old children.

"Not much has changed," he noted to himself, "Not including the kisses and extensive hugs." He chuckled, now beginning to stroll towards the fountain of the iconic family. His eyes lifted to the late mother, and then to the small child in her arms. Silver snickered, remembering the small conversation with Blaze the first time they approached the fountain together.

"That's you, isn't it Blaze?" Silver asked the blushing cat, who nodded slowly.

"Yes… a long time ago; when my mother was healthy."

"I see…"

Blaze approached the fountain and sat at its ridge, near her mother, and smiled at the inanimate statue. Silver seated himself next to her, and chuckled; "You must've been a fluffy baby."

Blaze punched his arm playfully, "That's not funny."

"Yes it is."

"Why am I doing this?" Silver questioned himself, placing a hand into the fountain, "This is only bringing me more despair."

He began gliding his fingers across the flower infested water, and stared at his rippling reflection, soon thereafter recalling the speech of faith he and Blaze shared. It was something she admired in Silver, and he certainly didn't realize it before, but it sparked something inside of the princess.

"A test… of my faith." He echoed the knight's words, attempting to piece together a meaning in the phrase.

"If it's a test about faith…" he began eagerly, "It's a test of my love for Blaze!" he nearly shouted, hopping up from his seated position. The silvery hedgehog made haste to the corridors of the castle once more, and decided to check up on the library once more.

"My love for Blaze is strong," he panted, "What could possibly happen that would affect that fact?" he questioned, trying not to envelope into dark thoughts. As he ran, the pink rose that was previously perched on his head floated off and landed near the entrance of the castle, where Silver bashed through the doors.


In the kingdom of Litha, Blaze found herself sitting on a large bed specifically for her stay, twiddling her thumbs. "How am I to approach him…?" she asked herself desperately, "This isn't something I should take lightly."

The purple cat coursed through her hair with a single hand, staring at the floor with an exhausted expression. Her mind was completely filled with thoughts of despair and guilt, knowing that she was going against her true love. "I knew I had a choice…" she murmured, "But I cannot settle easily either way!" she almost belted.

"If I would've chosen Silver, then I could've done the worst for my kingdom and jeopardize our subjects," she sobbed, "and now that I chose Rune, I've done the best for my kingdom… but in the end, I've betrayed my best friend."

Blaze stared at the space next to her, where a bundle of pillows. One of them had a beautiful rose pattern across a pink, fluffy material. "My intentions are pure," she concluded after a train of thought, "I know what is best for my kingdom… and Silver will have to understand that."

With that statement, Blaze's heart began pounding against her chest brutally, causing her to shake. She angrily faced herself in a mirror nearby, looking at her exasperated reflection.

"THEN WHY DO I STILL FEEL THIS WAY?" she demanded perilously, tears of pain streaming down her cheeks. A fire brewed at her fingertips, and the hair on her head prickled upward. She threw an angry punch at the mirror, causing it to shatter on the floor before her.

"Is this out of guilt?" she barked, "Is this out of love? Or perhaps it's out of pain? Why can't I face this issue, and why can't I deny my love for Silver?"

Blaze's golden yellow eyes narrowed towards the same, pink pillow. She felt her body release any form of tension, and her eyes softened.

"It is, Princess, but the point of bringing you here is to momentarily free yourself of all strain."

Blaze shakily approached the bed and grabbed the pillow, squeezing it hard against her body. "Silver… I can… no… I just, I just can't." she whispered helplessly, tossing the pillow to the side.

"I owe my kingdom the duty of a strong princess who can make the right decisions," she concluded, "I loved you Silver, but I can't fail my subjects, not after everything this kingdom has done to protect us. It would be the fall of my loyalty."

She looked at the pillow again, and sighed. "Silver… if it weren't for the acts of Prince Rune and his nobility… I would've returned to you. I promise you that, my faithful jester."

With that final statement said, Blaze knew what she had to say to Silver when they would encounter again two days from that point. However, her heart never ceased it's throbbing, which left Blaze at a loss for words.


Silver rushed through the entrance of the library and panted, "Is… is there any," he began winded, "Anything new?"

The lanky bird before him chuckled. "Ah it's you, Silver one. You haven't been yourself lately." He pointed out playfully.

"It's… a matter of urgency," he gasped, "So?"

The bird's eyes narrowed to the desk nervously. "I did receive an intriguing announcement from Litha."

Silver's eyes shrunk at the sound of the kingdom's name. "What, what is happening?" he asked feverishly.

"Well, to begin with, a dangerous prisoner has escaped their grasp and is making his way to the middle of both our kingdoms, and we should be on our best guard."

Silver sighed, shaking his head. "Oh, I see." He murmured, "I suppose that the guards have already begun their heist." He waved a hand to the bird, "Thank you."

"That is not all; Silver… there is another announcement." The bird called out fearfully.

Silver stood still, his ears narrowing in the bird's direction. "What… what is it?" he asked cautiously.

"There… there's a wedding, my boy." The bird responded after a period of silence, "It's to unite the kingdoms of Litha and Siradus…"

Silver turned slowly to the librarian, his eyes glaring directly into his. "To unite… our kingdoms." He repeated coldly.

The bird nodded his head slowly. "It's… the marriage of Prince Rune… and Princess… … Princess Blaze."

Silver couldn't believe the words pouring out of the bird's mouth. He's saying that my princess… my lover… is getting MARRIED?'

Silver's quills spiked towards the sealing, and the librarian noticed a blue aura emitting from his ivory fur. "My boy!" he called, "Please, calm yourself!"

Silver gritted his teeth fiercely. "CALM MYSELF?" he roared, "You want me to settle my anger after this event?"

Books and shelves began floating beside him, and the bells of his jester outfit tore off and began ringing loudly. "My princess!" he bellowed tearfully.

"For… ten years of my life…" he stammered, his powers now beginning to resist, "I've loved her… and… she suddenly changes?" he questioned, "This can't be!"

Silver's train of thought only became deeper. "Perhaps... she was forced… maybe this is it! I'm called to save her!" he shouted desperately, the objects that were floating previously now falling onto the ground.

"I'm going to Litha!" he declared, leaving the librarian to shudder in fear. Instead of storming out of the library, the bird saw him levitating away.

"Witchcraft!" the librarian shrieked; staring at the mounds of books piled on top of another.

Just then, a tall, dark, and built hedgehog entered the library with a puzzled expression, "Is everything alright?" he questioned concerned, beginning to pick up the books that fell on the ground.

"Absolutely not!" the librarian squawked, "That silver hedgehog is WITCHCRAFT!"

"I see he has misunderstood me," the hedgehog murmured under his breath, "Allow me to assist you?"

The librarian gave a hasty nod, and began cleaning the aftermath of Silver's rage.


Silver continued to levitate throughout the kingdom until he reached a wall of guards, he stared at him fearfully. "What is that matter with you?" one of them shouted, staring at the hovering hedgehog.

"It's none of your concern!" Silver barked, "I need to go to the kingdom of Litha, NOW."

"We cannot allow it! For the safety of our subjects, everyone must remain here until the prisoner is captured."

"Do not worry about me," Silver growled, "I need to leave now."

"We cannot, I apologize, but we have strict orders."

Silver stared at them coldly, "You leave me no choice." He lifted a hand to one of the guards and began pulling him away from the others, allowing space for him to escape. The guards all claimed witchcraft and began assisting the threatened guard.

Silver slipped into the now open space and never turned back. One of the guards attempted to make haste, but another said, "Alert the king… if he returns… then he will regret it."


A/N: Wow, talk about an intense chapter! Betrayal is a strong feeling, so I allowed a lot of drama in this chapter.

Blaze is having quite the turmoil, seeing as how she's thinking of the right decision, but she's denying her heart.

Silver is just as stubborn trying to save his princess, but is being blinded by such.

What is gonna happen you guys? Stay tuned, and you'll find out!