"My princess, I can't say how sorry I am. If only I had learned of this sooner—"
The building pressure was leaving Sally with a miserable headache, and for once Nicole was not helping. "It's not your fault," Sally said. Still, her dear friend and adviser was correct. For a year Sonic and Manic had languished right under Sally's nose. She would trade her crown for the ability to go back in time and prevent things from spiraling so far out of hand. But the princes remained in chains, and Sally continued to carry the burdensome responsibility of making things right.
"Oh, this is nonsense!" Nicole exclaimed. "Where does the Regent find the nerve? Betraying our allies, disturbing the peace… Princess Sally, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that…"
Nicole fell silent rather than say anything too controversial while there were listening ears about. She'd long suspected that members of Sally's guard reported to Robotnik. But Sally understood her suspicions. She needed to think carefully about what it was Robotnik truly wanted. A 'strong foundation' indeed. Sally caught Nicole's eye and nodded, wordlessly promising to finish this conversation later. For now, she had reached the royal chambers, and she dreaded what she was to find on the other side of her bedroom door.
"Shall I accompany you?" Nicole said, sensing Sally's hesitation. Sally shook her head.
"No," she said. "It's best for me to face him alone." It was unusual for a princess to speak of a slave as if he were a lion whose den she was about to invade. But of course Prince Sonic was no slave. Even after a year of captivity, he had struggled as if his chains were a thorn digging into his skin, the pain fresh each day. In that brief moment she had seen him, Sonic had demonstrated that the fire she cherished so much had not been dampened. But that left Sally reluctant to walk through the door, knowing that he would not hesitate to look her in the eye and accuse her of allowing him and his brother to suffer. But Sally would not cower. She steeled her nerves—as a queen should—and opened the door.
The suite opened up into a sitting room where Sally attended to friends and dignitaries. A gently crackling fire chased away the night's chill. On a low sofa, staring into the shifting flames, was Sonic. Sally almost didn't recognize him. Imprisonment had left him skinnier than Sally remembered, his skin ashen and marked with bruises. His expression was dark, without the faintest glimmer of laughter. After a moment, Sally realized that he was sitting still. It broke her heart to remember the lively prince that had joked and fidgeted through royal gatherings, winking at Sally when his family scolded him, as if he was including her in his private game. The man before her wore Sonic's face, if that face was more serious than she had ever thought him capable of. When his eyes turned from the fire toward her, Sally realized why; she was no longer his co-conspirator, but the tyrant holding the other end of his leash.
Sally didn't know what to say, but nothing that crossed her mind was appropriate to say in front of an audience. She closed the door. Maybe they could set the record straight, alone and hidden from prying eyes and listening ears. But before Sally could begin to untangle the knotted strands of her thoughts, Sonic said exactly what was on his mind.
"I thought we were friends," he said, and Sally felt as if some thief had stolen the air from her lungs.
"We are," she said, and it sounded like a plea even to her.
"Then what…" Sonic lifted his wrists, still bound by heavy manacles. One of his ankles was cuffed as well, the chain looped around the sofa in case he was inclined to take his chances leaping out the window. "…the fuck."
Sally didn't often drink, but she desperately missed the carefree buzz she had enjoyed early that night. She was tempted to reach for a glass, but something told her that would only make her headache worse. "I'm still figuring that out myself," she said, taking a step toward Sonic. She tried not to feel as if she was advancing on a cornered beast, but the feral look in Sonic's eyes didn't help. Although Sally had never known him to be fearful or patient, she couldn't shake the feeling that something much worse than chains awaited Sonic if he lashed out—or perhaps he was simply lying in wait. Chasing those thoughts away, Sally sat down on the other end of the sofa.
"I thought you didn't keep slaves," Sonic said. His voice was laced with venom that Sally hadn't thought him capable of. In his words she heard a crushing accusation, a condemnation of her entire nation, disappointment that she appeared to be no better than the rest of them. Sonic had never sounded more like a prince.
"You're no slave." Sally meant it with her whole being. She had no desire for a slave; she had even less desire to break Sonic like one, and in fact she didn't believe for a moment that anyone could. "I may as well leash a wolf and call him a lapdog. You're terrible at acting like one, and in fact I'm shocked you're trying at all." He didn't appear to have been tortured, although it was possible to do so without leaving marks. Sally's stomach turned when she imagined what kind of horrors Sonic had been subjected to. What hellish treatment would it take to intimidate the famed Prince of the Underground, a free spirit even a crown couldn't tame?
"Wasn't my idea, Your Highness," Sonic said. He wasn't drumming his fingers, or tapping his foot, but the fire in his eyes was so intense Sally could hardly bring herself to look directly at him. How much self-control was it taking to keep himself still? What kind of punishment did he fear if he failed?
"Sonic, what happened to you?" Sally wanted to shake him until the hurt and broken pieces fell off. She wanted to put him back together the way she remembered.
"It's not me I'm worried about." Sonic's voice was sharp and sad, like a rusted knife. It took a moment for Sally to understand what he was saying. She thought back to something Nicole had discovered in the moments between the party's catastrophic conclusion and her return to the royal chambers.
"Manic's not here," Sally said.
"What?" Sonic reacted as if he had been burned. Doubt whispered at the back of Sally's mind that this mind be a mistake, but she continued. Sonic deserved to know the truth.
"He's been shipped off to the Badlands; Robotnik intends to secure an alliance with King Scourge. He'll be halfway along the coast by now."
With each word, horror and fury dawned on Sonic's face. He leaped to his feet, forgetting his restraints until he reached the end of his chain. "You're sending my brother to Scourge?" he spat the king's name as if it tasted foul, and Sally couldn't blame him. Still, she stood up, holding out her hands in an attempt to pacify him.
"Sonic, don't do anything rash." The mess they were in was tangled enough. Sally wanted to fix this, but she couldn't do that if Sonic complicated things further, no matter how righteous his anger.
"Let me go," he demanded. The stalwart courage in his eyes was familiar; the grim ferocity was not. For the first time, Sally realized that she was in danger. Where were her guards?
"Sonic, would you just listen—" was all she could say before Sonic lunged.
Sally's body was frozen. Sonic moved too quickly for her to react, and yet her mind raced, untangling several threads in slow motion. She realized what Robotnik wanted, and how both she and Sonic fit—or didn't fit—into his plan. She realized why no guards had accompanied her, despite knowing that Sonic was as dangerous in chains as most men were in full armor. She realized that even if Sonic chose to show her mercy, this was only the beginning of the dangers they were doomed to face together.
Sonic leaped toward her in the blink of an eye. The chain binding his wrists was just long enough to wrap around Sally's throat. She didn't try to scream; there would be no point. Sonic could snap her neck as easily as breaking glass, or he could choke her. He was not cruel; surely he would choose the former, quicker option and flee before her body grew stiff and cold. But Sonic did not pull with enough force to break, nor did he tighten the chain so that Sally couldn't breathe. His eyes were bright with fury and desperation, but behind it all was the kind of love that moved mountains. He would fight and kill to save his brother, but with Sally's life in his hands he hesitated.
"I'm not your enemy, Sonic," Sally said. The calm that settled over her could not have been natural. Sonic would decide her fate, and there was not a single facet of her soul that feared his judgment.
His expression softened, and his hands shook, but the pressure of the chain against Sally's throat remained.
"I never wanted any of this," she said. "I'm so, so sorry."
Understanding dawned on Sonic's face, and his expression twisted like he was in pain. His grip slackened, and Sally drew in a shuddering breath.
"Please let me make things right," she begged.
Sonic tugged on his cuffs, making Sally's heart seize up before she realized that he was just drawing her close enough to unwrap the chain from around her neck. Relief came with a rush of belated panic which left Sally's legs shaking. She sank down onto the couch, her hands clasped and her chest heaving. She was distantly aware of Sonic sitting down beside her. He reached out, hesitated, then set a gentle hand on her shoulder. The fact that Sonic, of all people, could not resist trying to comfort her made Sally huff with laughter.
"What's so funny?" Sonic said. He sounded almost offended, which made Sally rest her face in her hands as she continued to laugh.
"You," she finally said. "You were supposed to kill me."
"I still could," Sonic said defensively. "Maybe I will if you don't start talking."
Although this threat was as empty as the space between Robotnik's lungs, Sally knew she owed Sonic an explanation. "You won't kill me, even though I deserve it. I had no idea you were imprisoned in our own dungeons. If I did, I swear I would have put a stop to this."
"Robotnik went behind your back? What did he think was going to happen? He'd start a war just in time for you to take the throne."
"If you had killed me, Robotnik would be crowned king, and then he would have an excuse to wage war on the Underground—a war he might win if King Scourge comes to his aid." Although international peace, the crown, and Sally's life were at stake, thinking out loud helped soothe her nerves. If she could explain the problem, she could wrap her mind around it, and if she could wrap her mind around it then she could come up with a solution.
Storm clouds rolled across Sonic's expression, but the fear that had previously lurked beneath the surface was starkly absent. He held out his chained hands to Sally. "Let me go," he said, gentler this time, but Sally was not foolish enough to think that he might take no for an answer.
"Where will you go?" Sally said, forgetting for the moment that there were still hundreds of soldiers standing between Sonic and the open country. He didn't doubt for a moment that if he could only be free of his chains, he could escape, and his confidence was contagious.
"To the Badlands." He said it as if it was obvious. "I'll rescue Manic and bring him home. Without us, Robotnik won't have any leverage, and Scourge won't lift a finger to help him." Sometimes Sally forgot how clever he was. He was speaking like a tactician in order to convince her, but she could see it in Sonic's eyes; all he cared about was bringing his brother home safe.
This wouldn't be Robotnik's only attempt to kill her. Sally wished that she could have Sonic by her side as she fought for her birthright. She wished that if peace was ever restored, they could be friends once more. Sally squashed the urge to keep Sonic here with her, even if she could convince herself that it was for his own good. She had no right to keep him in chains.
The keys had been left by the door out of Sonic's reach. Sally fetched them and dropped to one knee, unlocking the cuff around Sonic's ankle. His other foot tapped once or twice, reluctant to wait even a few moments now that freedom was in sight. "Are you going to be okay?"
"I'll handle Robotnik," Sally promised. "Your sister and her entourage left a few hours ago. They're taking the south road. You should be able to catch up with them if you hurry."
"I'm always in a hurry," Sonic said. When Sally looked up, he was smiling for her, pained but hopeful. His smile was infectious, and Sally felt as if she was watching the first glimmer of sunrise after a long night.
She took Sonic's hand in order to unlock his manacles. His knuckles were chapped, his fingernails bitten to stubs, but his palms were rough with calluses far older than his captivity. The Prince of the Underground had played at being a warrior since he could walk, was training as a soldier since he could lift a sword, was fighting in the defense of the innocent since he could look a bully in the eye without flinching in fear. Sonic believed that he would triumph, and Sally longed to believe it as well. He would rescue his brother and restore peace between the mountains and the sea. And when he was done, Sally dared to hope that he would come back and fight for her as well.
Unwilling to let go, Sally lifted his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to the back of his knuckles. "Good luck," she said. Sonic's hand slipped out of her grasp, only to thread through her hair as he kissed her forehead.
"Thanks," Sonic said. "Take care, Princess."
The grin that stretched across Sally's face was entirely involuntary, nor did she try especially hard to stop it. Sonic pulled away, hopped in place, stretched out one leg and reached for his toes. "Give me a second," he said. "It's been a while."
"Just make sure you're gone when the guards find me," Sally said. Then she held her hand to her forehead and swooned onto the couch. When she opened her eyes, the window was open, and both Sonic and the heirloom sword hanging on the wall were gone. With any luck, when Sally next saw him, they would both be wearing crowns.