Silver & Blaze: Our Story
Guardian
Knuckles: The Struggles of Yuna-Li
February
My birthday was two weeks ago. After a lot of nudging from Tiara, I finally caved in and agreed to let her buy me a present. Birthdays (or any sort of celebration that wasn't Echidna related) were never really a big deal at home. But since I'm in a relationship, I guess I can let go of some of the habits ingrained into me by mother and have a little fun. Don't really see a reason to stop going against her rules now since I'm more than sure that Tiara and I will be celebrating our one year anniversary this summer when the school year ends. Instead of going to the plaza for my present, Tiara wanted to head to a family-owned antique store just down the street from the shopping plaza.
"It's a little place I frequent when I have the extra cash on hand. They have some cool stuff there like handcrafted things from Knothole and promotional stuff from when King Max married Queen Alicia," Tiara said as we came up on the store.
This part of the burbs always had a small-town feel to it being the founding place of Emerald Town almost fifty years ago. I never came down this way too often but whenever I did the sights would trigger something within me. Something that just peaks my interest in the history that lies within this place; a natural curiosity that makes me the silent genius in History Class. As Tiara and I entered the old antique shop, we were greeted by the cashier; a female lizard in a purple fleece vest who looked to be a few years older than Tiara. Probably a college student.
"Hey Tiara," the lizard said. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"A lot's been going on for me," Tiara said as we approached the counter. "So is it in yet?"
"Yep! Just came in this morning." Just as the girl started to leave the counter, she stopped, looked at me, and gave a coy smile. "He's a lot cuter in person."
I felt my face flush up with embarrassment while the girls laughed it off. Then the lizard headed to the back of the store.
"You know, you blush too easily," Tiara said as she nudged me in the arm.
"Well, I'm not used to my life being an open book that strangers talk about," I replied.
"Sorry, sorry. It's just that I come here often looking for antique jewelry so I've gotten to know Vidya pretty well over the past year."
Ah, so that's where she got those really nice earrings she wore to the Winter Dance in December. Obviously, mother didn't let me go but Tiara and her friends took plenty of pictures. And it was for the high school students only but, from what I heard, kids in my grade managed to sneak in anyway. Tiara's cell phone chimed and, like an involuntary reflex, she whipped it out and got to texting away with one of her many friends or acquaintances. At this point in our relationship, she knew very well why I could never have convenient things like a cell phone or a MyLife page online. Still not sure how to break the Guardian news to her though. While Tiara texted, I took a little stroll through the shop. A lingering "antique" smell permeated the air and filling the dark, oak shelves towards the front of the store were mostly small knickknacks. Many of them old products or novelty junk that mother or my aunt and uncle would know about. But the back of the store was where some of the more interesting items were kept. Like a tall, grandfather clock ticking away in the corner, a small, handcrafted dining table set from Knothole (according to the sign sitting on it), and an old, large map of the Mobius continents mounted high up on the back wall. Didn't see a price tag on it so maybe it was the owner's prize possession? Vidya came out of the backroom with a small cardboard box in hand and caught me looking at the map.
"All the cool stuff is up front and you end up staring at an outdated map?" she said jokingly.
I laughed nervously and tried desperately to think of an equally light-hearted response. Needless to say, I stumbled over my words. Even dating Tiara still hasn't helped me get over being shy around girls.
"I'm just teasing you. Tiara was right about you being shy," Vidya said. "The map belongs to my granddad who owns this store, though it's mostly my parents and I who run it. According to granddad, the map is a remnant of the Great War handed down to him through his family for generations."
The Great War huh? Even though it was three hundred years ago, the material the map was printed on was probably made from durable, raw materials. Mobians are pretty well known for crafting quality items from our surroundings. On the map, I noticed that most of the locations were key forts set up along the eastern side of the Central Continent. Made sense considering the Great War was mostly a territorial dispute between Mobians and humans.
"He's probably right," I said as I continued to examine the map. "Aside from a few key cities, like Albion on the west coast and the old location of Mobotropolis at the center of the continent, a lot of the places marked down are forts that were set up in areas the humans were most likely to use to invade the Central Continent. And a few were scattered on the southeastern islands for good measure. Eventually they went to waste since those islands lacked the valuable natural resources the humans were after on the Central Continent."
It was a few seconds before I realized I had gone into "history nerd" mode and the result was a slightly surprised Vidya staring at me. She laughed a moment later easing up the tense atmosphere.
"Cute and a smarty pants. Didn't think Tiara went for the nerdy type," she said with a laugh. "I also didn't think that stereotype was true. You know, that all echidnas were history nerds."
"Um…it's my mother. She makes me study a lot to keep my grades up." While I still felt a little nervous standing next to Vidya, being complimented on my history knowledge did loosen me up a little.
"Well, at least you'll be able to make Tiara a very happy wife in the future," she said and headed back to the front of the store.
Marriage…right. Not sure how I'll explain that to my girlfriend as well. At the front of the store, Vidya was already behind the counter opening up the box she brought out with her. After shifting through the tissue paper cushioning whatever was inside, she pulled out a jagged piece of stone with a faded image painted on one side. Carefully, Vidya placed the ancient piece of granite rock on the glass counter and Tiara and I moved in with caution for a closer look. It was about two inches thick, a little bigger than my hand, with a spotty grey coloring that looked unfamiliar suggesting that the rock's natural origins were in a different region far from here. As for the faded, chipped image, it was a crudely drawn flame…with a core that had an almost humanoid appearance. The backdrop which the image sat on was a faded sky blue color. If this is my birthday present, I do have to hand it to Tiara for thinking outside of the box. Not even Aunt Liliana and Uncle Kal took it this far and I thought their presents were pretty unique.
"I didn't think it would look so dull," Tiara said.
"Well according to granddad's friend this is, supposedly, a piece of Echidna history and it's been travelling around the world for about a thousand years so…" Vidya said as she removed the cardboard packaging from the counter.
Echidna history? Is she saying that this portrait fragment might've come from the ancient Echidna civilization?
"Really? You'd think that something like this would be in an auction house going for millions…" Tiara rotated the rock so that the image was right-side-up from our point of view.
"Only stuff that actually depicts the Echidna civilization become priceless items," the lizard said. "This is just a random image. Probably from some private painting inside of someone's home."
Tiara stepped back when she noticed how much I was leaning in to get a better look at the fragment. I just couldn't believe it. There was no way this rock survived the destruction of my people's civilization, was handed off to hundreds over the centuries, and still end up in this condition 'til this very day. No, it had to have been protected by people who thought it was important enough to be preserved.
"So how did you come across this exactly?" I asked Vidya.
"My granddad's friend I mentioned before," she started. "He had it for much of his life and when he ended up on his death bed a few months back he started giving away all of his prized possessions. He said he got this from a friend who got it from someone else. It was just a chain of coincidence that we ended up with it."
And she was probably right about that. I suppose that vague story of passage will just have to do. Vidya disappeared below the counter momentarily and dug through the lower cabinets on the wall behind her. When she came back up, she had a festive box in hand decorated with modest colors of beige and gold with a piece of gold ribbon to match.
"I know there's no point in wrapping it up in a box when you've already seen it, but what the hell," Vidya said as she placed the stone fragment inside the box lined with white tissue paper.
"It's cool," said Tiara. "Sooo…whaddya think Knuckles?"
"I…I actually like it," I said finally coming to the realization of how cool the present was. "I'll have to hide it away from mother but…thank you Tiara!"
She giggled with a bounce and we embraced each other for a moment. After the fragment was packed away and the box tied with the ribbon, Vidya handed it to me and Tiara and I left. With my present secure under my right arm and Tiara latched onto my left, we headed off to the plaza for lunch. Almost immediately I started to feel the reason why Tiara wanted to get me a birthday present so badly. Even though it wasn't something cool like a sleek computer or an expensive phone, I still felt a great amount of happiness that made the blue sky seem more vibrant than usual. Maybe I've been a little too soft on the importance of one's own birthday. That it's more than just celebrating the day someone was born but also an opportunity to grow closer with your loved ones. I won't hold out on mother understanding that much so I suppose Tiara and I could probably plan something a little bigger next year.
At the plaza, it was just the two of us strolling around among the growing afternoon crowd. Didn't see a trace of Tiara's friends or any familiar faces from school. Odd. Since Tiara had to be home early to help make dinner, she wanted to stop by an accessory shop before I walked her home. I decided to wait outside for her. The girls in that particular shop tend to be a little too interested in guys. After sometime had passed, it seemed like Tiara was going to be in there for an eternity and I would have to give in and wait inside due to the constant wind that kept blowing too often. Just as I turned towards the glass doors, Tiara came out with a small bag in hand.
"Sorry I took so long," she said. "Let's go."
She latched onto to my left arm again and we had only taken a few steps when the very last voice I expected to hear cried out to me and nearly scared me out of my coat.
"KNUCKLES!"
I spun around at the sound of mother's voice and saw her with a frightened expression while a bag of clothes she was holding dropped to the ground next to her. The obvious reaction I wanted to have (Oh shit) didn't have the chance to be uttered by me as mother immediately marched right up to us and made a reach for Tiara.
"You harlot!"
"Leave her alone!" I said stepping in between them. "This isn't her fault!"
Fury built up in an instant on mother's face but she kept everything under control being in a public place and all. In anticipation of a long fight waiting for us at home, I gave my present to Tiara for safe keeping and I could only hope she picked up on that reason without any verbal communication.
"I'm sorry," was the only thing I knew I could say in mother's presence and, just like that, she took me by the arm dragged me away stopping briefly to pick up her shopping bag of clothes. Minutes later, we drove home in the most uncomfortable and frustrating silence I had the misfortune to endure. Ten minutes to build up every nagging sentence she could shout at me while pacing about in the living room with me sitting and "listening" to every last one of them. Yep, definitely not the first argument between us. The first in a while but there have been others before. The car pulled up to the house, mother slamming the rear car door after snatching her shopping bag from the back seat, and we moved inside fairly quickly.
"On the couch! NOW!" she said though I was already heading for it the second I stepped across the threshold and took off my coat.
With my coat laying next to me, I sat, reclined, with slight irritation, slight boredom, and slight worry over Tiara. Mother stormed upstairs muttering whatever pissed off complaints she usually kept to herself and away from my ears. Understandably, I was more relaxed than I should've been if only because this was something I knew could happen at any point whenever I was out with Tiara. I just didn't think it would happen so soon and I could only hope that she wasn't too embarrassed or terrified of mother. I'll just smooth things over with her at school on Monday…if mother decides to let me go that is. Minutes later I adjusted my posture and sat forward when mother descended from the stairs, undressed of her outer wear, and headed straight into the kitchen. A cabinet door slamming shut, the pop of opening a bottle, and the barely audible splash of liquid into glass followed each other in swift succession meaning that mother was partaking her ritual "calming" glass of wine before engaging in, what she would consider, a hostile situation. Though I sincerely felt that alcohol was the last thing she should consume since experience has taught me that the stuff only accentuated her worst traits.
She emerged from the kitchen, glass half-full of red wine in hand, and paced about on the opposite end of the living room taking frequent sips of her beverage. The stern, contemplating look on her face only grew more sour as the wine glass was depleted faster than she usually drank until the last bit of it went down in one, big, tilt back motion. Then she paced again, five quick steps in one direct and five in the other direction along her invisible straight path. Finally she stopped, facing the dining room on the right side of the house, her arms crossed and an index finger rapidly tapping against her bicep. Suddenly, in a swift motion that I did not expect, mother threw her glass in my direction but, thankfully, nailed the front door a foot away from me.
"YOU DECEIVING BASTARD!" she bellowed as she approached me. "I should've known you were pulling this shit behind my back! How long has this been going on?"
I was on guard from the thrown wine glass but lowered my guard slightly to answer mother.
"Since last summer," I said after pulling my eyes away from the glass shards scattered across the door mat.
She slapped me, palm open and as much force as she could put into it. I cringed and held down my boiling anger and shattering fear for this reaction was expected.
"You liar," she hissed. "You're just like those lying, power-hungry, murdering outsiders who want nothing but our demise! I wanted to do everything I could to move us back to Albion but one of your father's dying declarations was that you'd be raised here in this shithole in the middle of nowhere. All because of that traitorous brother of his…going off marrying that Desert whore…"
It was never a secret that mother absolutely hated living here. That's one of the few things she never hid from me. Probably her way of trying to pass on to me her unjustified hatred towards anyone who wasn't a tradition-bound echidna.
"I can't believe you had the audacity to bring shame to the Guardian line by having a fling with that Mobian slut," mother continued on. "God knows how many boys she's probably given herself to."
"Tiara is not that kind of girl!" I shot up to my feet and met her eye to eye.
"Tiara? Tiara? Ha! Her future was practically written for her with that name! You're just shamefully helping her fulfill her destiny as the town lover."
"SHUT UP! You have no right to talk about her that way!"
I shoved mother away and she pushed back harder knocking me onto the couch. I could tolerate her bad-mouthing everyone, including myself and our relatives, but the line was drawn at Tiara. No one, especially mother, had the right to say anything negative about her. She doesn't deserve it.
"Tch. Just a childish romance," mother said after straightening her blouse. "Since it's become alarmingly apparent that you're wasting time fooling around in this town, I'll just have you spend the remainder of your school years at the Sacred House. You're grandfather will have no problem covering the expenses for that once I've told him what you've been up to."
"I'm not going!" I said.
"You're going and I'm going to make sure your instructors pound our history and the Covenant into your head so you don't screw us all!"
"I'm not going because there's nothing wrong with what I'm doing! I'll break up with her when the time comes so stop being such a paranoid bitch about it!"
In that moment the wrath of hell possessed her. Eyes widened, cheeks flushed red with rage, and a throaty growl came forth that was common in echidnas. Mother lunged forth, wrapping her hands around my neck and pinned me against the sofa with her left knee being extra sure to put all of her weight into it.
"Me a paranoid bitch?" she growled. "Are you that carefree about your history that you brushed off what happened to our people?! How we were almost wiped out by the water demon of the Master Emerald?!"
"I'm well…aware of that!" I said while struggling to loosen her grip. "I just think…you're overreacting. Father would have no problem with it."
"What the hell would you know about your father? He of all people wouldn't want you to fuck around with our fate!"
"I know more…than you do!" I was able to shove mother off of me. She stumbled and fell onto her back allowing me to stand over her. "I know that he dated plenty of girls before he married my birthmother! And everything turned out fine in the end!"
"That secular bitch would've only dragged him further away from the traditions that've kept us safe," she said as she stood. "And it seems that fate was well aware of this and had you kill her."
"I DID NOT KILL MY MOTHER!" I rushed and grabbed her by her blouse but she was anticipating this burst and put up enough resistance to keep stable.
"Don't act so stupid! She died giving birth to you as punishment for living a secular lifestyle and to prevent her from tainting your future as a Guardian. I knew this, your grandfather knew this, and, eventually, your father was able to admit it as well. The sooner you accept this, the better off you'll be!"
That was the last straw. I couldn't stand anymore of mother's spiteful words and punched her square in the face. The force was strong enough to knock her into the glass case housing the Master Emerald and other echidna artifacts that were probably less important. While the structure shook, mother was able to stabilize it and I went in for a few more hits. She blocked the first punch but the second and third were too fast and she ended up taking the full force of my uppercut that sent her a few inches off her feet and tumbling into a side table near the kitchen entrance. I was kind enough to leave it at that opting to watch her lay in pain next to the fallen side table and potted plant that went down with said table; dirt now scattered across the floor with some on mother's clothes.
"…Just like all those monsters…" I heard her say in a low tone. "Every last one of them. Out to get me. Out to fuck me over!" She managed to push herself up onto her forearms but seemed to be too hurt to stand up fully. "I sacrificed so much for your sake. Made promises to so many to raise you properly and continue the dignified line of Guardians!" She paused to wipe the trail of blood dripping from her mouth. "You owe me you ungrateful child! You owe it to me to at least act like you care about your responsibilities as a Guardian and do as you're told! You owe it to your grandfather who still cares enough to stay in touch with me occasionally despite his dislike of your father and mother! And you even owe it to your dead daddy who died young because he waited too long before coming to terms with his transgressions!"
"…What about your sins?" I said in a surprisingly calm voice. "When will you pay for them?"
Over the course of the last few moments, the bruise on mother's left eye had swollen considerably. I suppose it was the reason why I spoke to her so calmly. The underlying pity I took on her.
"My transgressions are none of your concern," she hissed. "What matters now is that I make sure that you don't drag me, your Guardianship, or your ancestors through the mud."
"Fine then…I'll help you."
I marched right upstairs and to my room and began to messily gather onto my bed my school supplies, my Sacred House study materials, and father's journals. After dragging my suitcase out from the bottom of the closet, I began to toss into it several of my school uniforms and the Sacred House uniforms as well and then tossed in the Sacred House materials. The rest of my school supplies were stuffed into my backpack and fathers journals and a few leftover supplies were all stuffed into a tan knapsack that had been lying underneath my bed for some time. Ten minutes later I left my room carrying everything with me but stopped at the top of the stairs when I heard the house phone ring. Three rings later, mother had finally answered the kitchen phone which was fairly easy for her to reach since it sat on the counter next to the entrance, a foot away from where I left her.
"Hello Sabre," I heard her voice say trying to sound as normal as she could. "…Yes, everything is fine. …I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. Nothing's happened over here. …O-of course. I'll be sure to keep you updated on Knuckles's progress at the end of this month. Excuse me."
I descended down after hearing the beep of mother hanging up the cordless phone. Upon reaching the ground floor, I found mother sitting in the kitchen doorway with the phone at her side and a defeated look on her face. Her eyes lifted up to me but said nothing and I continued on to the front door.
"You'll be back," I heard her say just as I grasped the doorknob. "You forgive too easily and cling close to what you believe in. It'll take some time but eventually you'll turn back around and come back to me because you're just like your father. You respect the hard work of others no matter how much you disagree with them on a personal level."
"…Goodbye mother," I said and left the house.
In the back of my head was a nagging voice telling me to go back and help mother up to her room. Her outburst over my relationship with Tiara was the fatigue talking. All of those words of bigotry was the stress of balancing work and my well being spilling out at once. That entire fight wasn't her fault…it just wasn't. …So whose fault was it then? I halted at the end of the driveway and seriously considered turning around and going back in. Apologizing profusely and carrying the full weight of responsibility for the ordeal. …But I took another step away from the house…and kept going towards Tikal's home. She's the one who was at fault. All of those years of instilling fear and causing me pain…it was only inevitable that I'd begin to rebel against her as I got older. But why did I go so easy on her? All of that anger towards her and I only managed a few punches that would bruise her temporarily. Echidnas from the Knuckles Clan are infamous for having raging strength and a monstrous wrath when provoked so why did I take pity on her and hold back? Maybe she's right. Maybe I did inherit the instinctive reaction of respecting the hard work of others no matter how much they anger me. Regardless, I still needed time away from her.
It took a little longer to reach Tikal's place than it usually did. Mostly because I took some time gathering my thoughts and coming up with a reasonable explanation for my sudden arrival. When I finally got there, there was another moment of hesitation in which I continued to entertain the idea of going back to mother. But I was already here…and the wind chill had picked up a little more since earlier this afternoon and I didn't want to spend anymore time outside. I ranged the doorbell and seconds later aunt Lily opened the door.
"Oh Knuckles!" she said not sure if she should look happy or concerned. "What brings you over here? …And you brought luggage with you?"
"Can I…can I stay here for a few days aunt Lily?" I felt as if I was reverting back to my ten-year-old self despite turning fourteen two weeks ago.
"Why of course you can Knuckles," she said leading me in. "You're family, you don't have to be overly formal about it."
"Thanks."
"You can use the guest room upstairs. Second door on your right."
I headed upstairs hauling my belongings with me knowing full well that aunt Liliana was watching with concern over why I showed up suddenly. I passed by Tikal's room, the door cracked open a bit, but didn't bother to let her know I was there. Unfortunately I think she heard aunt Lily greet me at the door and came out just as I passed.
"Knuckles? What are you doing here?" she said.
I stopped just in front of the guest room but was in no mood to divulge any information at the moment, even to her.
"I'll be staying here for a few days," I said and hurried into the room.
"Wait. What happened?"
"Tikal please!"
She had stopped me just as I was closing the door. Seeing whatever expression I had on my face was enough to convince her to step back and apologize allowing me to close the door. I sighed. Still conflicted if what I was doing was right even though I was more than sure that this was necessary to do. After that little respite, I began to unpack my belongings, first the suitcase which I sat on the bed that was covered with plenty of decorative pillows and a cozy white blanket. Everything had been thrown in haphazardly, enough to wrinkle most of my uniform clothing. Looks like I'll have to ask aunt Lily to help iron them out tonight or tomorrow, whenever she had the time. As soon as I emptied out the suitcase of the last few items a knock came at the door.
"Knuckles, it's your uncle. Can I come in?"
Uncle Kal… Should've seen his involvement coming. Now that the entire family knows I'm here, I'm sure they've figured out that something must've happened between mother and I what with no formal announcement of my arrival.
"Sure. Come in," I called towards the door.
Uncle Kal entered and closed the door behind him.
"Lily told me you're going to stay for a few days," he started. "Did something happen between you and Yuna-Li?"
…Of course. Straight to the point.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now," I said with my back towards him.
I proceeded to store my suitcase under the bed and separated my uniforms for ironing. Uncle Kal took a seat at the desk in the corner of the room by the window.
"Knuckles, we know how difficult she can be. You don't have to hide it from us. Whatever happened was probably just misunderstanding or just Yuna-Li being too wrapped up over your well-being."
"She caught me out with my girlfriend at the plaza," I said. "I don't think there's any misunderstanding about that."
"Oh. I see."
His tone indicated that he probably had a good grasp of what did happen at home and I noticed him adjust his posture in response.
"Well, when she calms down she should be in a good enough mood to talk things over with. As dedicated as she is to tradition, she wouldn't abandon you. Not after the life she lived before she married my brother."
"Uncle Kal," I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him seriously. "We've already talked. We fought but we also talked during the fight. I know how she wants to resolve this and she knows how I want to resolve this. Coming here was my way of doing things since I don't want to spend the next few years living at the Sacred House."
"So I take it you just up and left the house?"
"Yeah." I went back to separating my clothes and checking my Sacred House materials to see if I brought all the important items with me. "I couldn't take her blind hatred anymore. I just had to get away from it. That and her delusions that the world is out to get her and punish her like my father and mother."
"So she's told her thoughts on them, has she? I can assume you're clever enough to figure out that no one is born that way, right? That a person is conditioned into seeing the world that way."
"A person's environment and certain events they live through alter their personality and perception of the world. That's elementary stuff." After I was done sorting, I sat on the bed and thought about mother still sitting on the floor in the kitchen doorway. "I wasn't going to pry into why she ended up like that but she sure as hell seemed reluctant to recognize that she wasn't anymore perfect than my real parents. Just…went on about how much work she put into trying to raise me properly."
"Yuna-Li jumped through hoops of fire to get to where she is."
"Was it that bad for her before marrying my father?"
"I'm not familiar with the finer details of her life," Kalek said crossing one leg over the other. "She's done well to keep those to herself and Locke was pretty keen on respecting her privacy. From what he did tell me, however, it seemed like she had a rough upbringing but managed to survive it all and became and upstanding, traditional, Knuckles Clan echidna. You're reading your dad's journals right?" I glanced briefly at the knapsack still on the floor near me. "You might find out about their marriage and how it came to be. Really changed him around from the man he once was."
Since he brought it up, I was only halfway through dad's second journal. I haven't been reading it lately since I've had a lot to do between my regular school studies, Guardian studies, and chores at home. On top of occasional outings with Tiara. Not really sure if they're legitimate dates though… At that moment, a light knock came on the door and Tikal called out from the other side.
"It's alright," I said and she came in…with my present in her hands?
"Sorry if I was interrupting your two," she said timidly.
"Oh no sweetheart. You're fine," said Uncle Kal.
"Um, Tiara stopped by a little earlier and dropped this off. She said it was your birthday present. I was going to give it to you when you came upstairs but…"
"It's fine," I said crossing the room to take it from her. "Thanks."
She smiled and began to back out of my room.
"Mom's gonna start making dinner soon," she said.
"Alright. Thank you Tikal," said Kal.
She left and closed the door quietly. Just then I heard Uncle Kal chuckle and saw him giving me sly smile.
"Is that the reason you were out with your girlfriend today?" he said.
"Y-yeah," Just thinking back to being in the antique shop with her was enough to raise my spirits. "I already know what it is though. I'll show it to you and aunt Lily later. Maybe you two can help me figure out what it is." I slid the present under the bed next to my suitcase and went back to sitting on the bed. "You know, mother mentioned promises she made to others that she'd raise me properly. And then right after the argument, grandfather Sabre called but she lied to him about what happened…"
Uncle Kal sighed and rolled his eyes. I guess what dad wrote in his journal about grandfather Sabre wasn't an exaggeration. That he didn't approve of his sons' actions and had a strained relationship with them.
"The mark of a true Guardian," Kalek began laughing pathetically and shaking his head. "Somehow, they always know when they're needed. To be honest, I don't know what Yuna-Li's exact promises were and who she made these promises to but I'm sure Sabre was one of those folk and frequent updates on your well-being was part of the deal."
I started to get the feeling that anymore questions to uncle Kal would get me nowhere on understanding mother. And he reached the same train of thought as well judging by the next thing he said to me.
"Knuckles, you're definitely exhibiting your father's traits," he said. "Curiosity in those close to you and the drive to do what you feel is right. If you're truly interested in understanding Yuna-Li better then I think you'd do well to speak with her the next time you see her. If she's in the mood for opening up of course."
He waited for a response from me but my gaze just went back to the knapsack with father's journals in them. Suddenly, uncle Kal stood to leave and just as he reached the bedroom door the door bell rang. Our eyes met and I was sure that we were thinking the same thing: mother had stopped by. Whether it was to take me home or to formally announce her abandonment of me was up in the air. When we reached the top of the stairs, Tikal had peeked her head out her bedroom just as we passed by, and aunt Lily had answered the door. She greeted mother who walked in dressed in an overcoat and wearing black sunglasses to hide the eye bruise I gave her. To my slight surprise, she wasn't taking me back or giving up on me. Mother had a blue duffle bag with her and handed it to Lily.
"Here's a few things Knuckles might need since I assume he'll be staying with you for a while," she said in an eerily subdued tone.
"Thank you Yuna-Li." Lily took the bag after closing the front door.
"We'll be sure he keeps to whatever schedule you have him on," uncle Kal said as he descended the steps.
I wasn't sure if mother was looking at me when she gazed up so I was sure not to show any signs of anger towards her.
"Thank you Kalek," mother said. "I hope this wasn't an inconvenience for you."
"Nonsense! You're family! Knuckles is more than welcome to stay with us whenever he likes," said uncle Kal.
"Of course. May I speak with him alone?"
All three adults looked up at me. I sighed and took the first step down the stairs deciding to follow uncle Kal's advice and use this chance to at least understand mother just a little. Conveniently, a beeping timer went off in the kitchen and aunt Lily left my bag in the foyer and rushed to tend to whatever food was on the stove while Kal went back to the den probably to watch TV or study or whatever. After mumbled greetings to each other, Mother and I headed into the living room. She sat on the white couch while I took the armchair adjacent to it and for a few moments nothing was said between us. I figured I could get things going with the most obvious question.
"Why did you bring that stuff here?" I said.
"Since there's a high possibility you'll be here for an extended time, I thought you'd might need some of your personal hygiene items and such," she said.
"Forgive me for saying this but I don't believe you."
"Hmph. Fine then. After you left, I had some time to mull over my thoughts while cleaning up the mess we made and it dawned on me that I had given myself the solution to our problem with the last words I spoke to you."
"That I respect a hard worker even if I disagree with them personally?"
"Precisely. Given that I've been somewhat hushed about my personal life, I realized that in order for our relationship to improve I would have to let down my guard and allow you into my heart."
This was all starting to smell a little too fishy. Something must've happened after I left. Mother wouldn't easily cave in and start being humble all of the sudden. Not when she's a strong believer in the righteousness of traditional echidnas. When I voiced my thoughts she just laughed it off as something harmless.
"Do you really doubt that I have your best interests in mind?" she said.
"I don't even have to point out that you and I both have different ideas of what's best for me," I said.
"Fair enough. You are, after all, young and ignorant of many dangerous things in this world."
I'll let that slide. From there mother, or better yet Yuna-Li since my fear of her authority has begun to wane, figured she'd start with her childhood divulging that her family (consisting of her parents and someone called an…au pair) loved her very much and provided for her everything she needed. She also mentioned that she was close with the au pair.
"Tessa was a true sweetheart. From the Island Clan. Very intuitive and understanding of my feelings," said mother.
An Island echidna huh? From what I've head from the other students at the Sacred House, women from that clan are extremely beautiful. Yuna-Li continued her story speaking of how close her mother was to her family and high-class friends and acquaintances. Though interacting with them was much like walking on eggshells. Her father, while a traditional as well, came from a simple middle class family…and the upper-crusts made no discrepancies between the middle and the poor. So despite following her heart and marrying a man she genuinely loved, Yuna-Li's mother still wanted to maintain a presence among her family and peers and that required that she continued to live a lavish lifestyle.
"Part of me realized, at an early age, how foolish my mother was trying to remain among those people while relying solely on my father," she said. "It's not that he lacked the income. He actually busted his butt through college to get a well paying job that satisfied her but…I honestly have little respect for old-fashioned women. Relying on a bread-winning husband to provide for them…"
If there's one thing I honestly must thank her for it's for imprinting her "independent woman" persona in my head. While I have felt sorry for her for all the times she's come home tired and forces herself to make dinner for us, it did inspire me to seek out a girl who's similar to her. Though a little less bitchy and uptight. Her story continued into her adolescent years where the delicate social balance her mother struggled with began to crumble. Her father took a job as an assistant to some political figure's assistant. Grunt work mostly. While it still brought in decent money, his long absences from home (and the usual social events) stirred up rumors among the bored wealthy. Rumors that trickled down from mother to daughter.
"Pardon my language," funny she's conscious of that now. "but it was a pain in the ass to deal with. Brushing off their gossip at school and at my mother's social events that I had to attend."
Needless to say, there was an apparent strain on her parents' relationship because of this. But Yuna-Li kept her temper with the help of Tessa who became a crucial part of her life at this point. Things only took a turn for the worst towards the end of her senior year in high school. A shady letter was mailed to their home containing a "damning" photo of Tessa and Yuna-Li's dad out at a café in downtown Albion. Given that the father was coming home less and less at this point, allegedly because of campaign work and whatnot, and Tessa was taking more days off from her duties at home, Yuna-Li's mother jumped to the shadiest conclusion…with the help of a nasty note that accompanied the photo.
"All hell broke loose when dad finally came home on a break from his job," said Yuna-Li. "They argued loudly, dishes were broken and things were thrown, and finally dad packed up whatever belongings he could before my mother's rampage became unbearable." She paused staring off into the foyer where the stairs were. "Tessa was fired, obviously."
The way she spoke those last few words suggested that incident was probably the breaking point for her. I waited while she fought back the meager tears in her eyes before continuing.
"She was too stubborn," her voice was cracked. "If only she realized that she couldn't have everything she wanted in the world and still lived the life she was accustomed to."
Really, there was nothing that I could honestly say that would be remotely contributive at this point but it was fine as she kept going into her college years. With Yuna-Li and her mother suffering from a considerable emotional distance, going off to college was laughably easy for her to do…at least until she got there and realized some of her upper-class acquaintances were there as well. The nasty treatment she got for having divorced parents was much worse than the filthy gossip she endured years before. Pranks ranging from property defacement to minor physical harassment that could be waved off as "rough housing" ensued. Yet the most disturbing "prank" of all (a gross understatement of the act) came during her sophomore year. She was out downtown one night on her way to a party she received an invite for. It was from the wealthy acquaintances and while Yuna-Li was a bit shady at first, she was sure that she still had at least one kind ally among the bunch and decided to go thinking that the invite was all due to this trusted ally. But upon arrival she discovered that the invite was a "mistake" and was promptly turned away at the door.
"The one girl who was kind to me, and I mean kind as in not as vicious as the others, was only pressured into sending me the invite. I guess she could only play two sides of the field for so long before being forced to choose." She twirled a piece of her hair between her fingers while she mused over her statement.
On the walk back to the student dorms, she was mugged by a grimy outsider. Outsider being the general term elite echidnas use to describe anyone that isn't an echidna. She was forced into a nearby empty building…and shot twice by a gun he concealed and robbed of the little valuables on her. She wasn't sure how long she lied in that building (the shot to her leg and abdomen made it all foggy), but eventually she mustered up the strength to stagger out onto the street for help. Yuna-Li remembers seeing her vicious acquaintances across the street looking in her direction…and then just walking back to the apartment where the party was held as if her life wasn't in the balance.
"It was obvious that they knew what was going to happen because they set me up…probably paid that outsider to do such an unspeakable thing to me," she said nibbling on a nail. "I was sure I was going to bleed to death on that sidewalk…but thankfully someone came by and noticed the blood on my clothes just before I passed out."
She was rushed to the hospital and operated on. Stayed there for almost a month with her own mother only visiting once to ask when she would be discharged. Even though it was a traumatic experience, she was able to give a vivid description of the criminal which led to a swift arrest. As for any attempts to pin the catalysts for the event…
"There was no point in trying to blame those people," said Yuna-Li. "They used a homeless wandering man as their proxy and could've easily used the convenient store around the corner as an alibi for when they briefly left their party. Not to mention they had some pretty damn good lawyers serving their families."
So karma never came to them, I assumed. At least for the short time after that incident. It was at this point where she began her ascent into who she is today. Yuna-Li stuck with her physical rehabilitation for the months after her release (recovering at a speed that even her therapist remarked as "unheard of") while keeping her nose to the books and shutting out the world. Over time she climbed the academic ranks in her classes. It obviously paid off as she was among the top graduates in her class, earned an internship with an event planning company after graduation, which turned into her first paid job. From there, she did nothing but rub elbows with the very people she grew up despising, planning their events and crafting their much needed public image. Becoming their puppeteer of sorts. Her way of serving her own brand of justice. All of her hard work paid off as she eventually found her way into the social circle of my family of Guardians and relatives.
"That's how I first met Sabre. It was at a fundraising event he was a guest at and we only talked briefly but I imagine that I left quite an impression on him as he contacted me months later to help put together and event for him. After several meals together and plenty of discussions over business and personal thoughts…he asked me how I felt about becoming the wife of his son, the next Guardian of the Master Emerald." A smiled appeared on her face. One of childish glee. "I was flabbergasted…but eventually accepted his offer. But then I found it strange when I discovered that your father was already in a committed relationship with Lara-Le. Were it any other person offering this arranged marriage, I'd be suspicious but I soon discovered that Guardians are often drawn to foreseeing events."
I was just about to question what the hell she meant but Yuna-Li just continued on without missing a beat. A few years later, she eventually got her chance to marry my dad after my birth mother died and that's pretty much it for her grim story. I guess uncle Kal wasn't exaggerating when he said she jumped through hoops to get to this point in her life. And I kinda understand her hostility towards anyone who is different from her or at least has different opinions from her. But it still doesn't explain her overprotective nature of me.
"Oh that?" she said returning to her usual snobbish self. "Knuckles, I married into the Guardian family. In our culture, Guardians are revered just as much as the Mobian Monarchy so obviously I have an obligation to your lineage to raise you properly. Even more so being your mother's replacement."
…Again, just let that one slide. With our impromptu bonding session over, she stood up to return home not bothering to inform my aunt or uncle.
"I apologize for any physical pain I may have given you but I stand by my beliefs," Yuna-Li said as she opened the door and looked back at me. "You come from a lineage that's given you so much talent so to see it go to waste on those beneath you…would be disheartening."
"You forgot to mention that you have a promise to my grandfather as well as my lineage. That's why he called earlier after our fight, right?"
"Of course, him." She laughed as if she found it silly to have almost forgotten about his contribution. "I'm in debt to him more than anyone else. Especially for giving me this opportunity to outshine those who looked down on me in the past. Don't let us down Knuckles. That's all I ask."
Just then, aunt Lily came from the kitchen surprised to see Yuna-Li leaving so soon. Personally, I felt that hearing her story took an eternity. Naturally, she politely turned down the offer to stay for dinner and was gone. I headed back upstairs to the guest room (aunt Lily informing me that dinner would be ready soon), closed the door, and threw myself on the bed. I considered reading more of dad's journals to see if he wrote anything about marriage…but felt better catching up on my Sacred House studies. I can't bring myself to agreeing on one emotion about her. Should I pity her and her emotionally conflicting upbringing? Should I praise her for her strength of overcoming it all? Or should I just remain bitter towards the upturned nose attitude she developed as a result? Not being able to decide on how I want to feel about mother is only going to make returning home all the more difficult. Logic and practicality be damned. I've truly become stuck between a rock and a hard place.
After writing for years, I've learned a few things through my works: Loving or hating a character should have no bearing on how well a writer can handle them in a story. Once an understanding of their core personality has been accomplished, the writer is then free to stretch them as they wish or stick to the established formula of that character.
I think this is what makes fanfiction so fun. Just doing whatever the hell one wants so long as it's played out in an entertaining and coherent manner.