Sonic The Hedgehog: Return to Soleanna
A/N: Alright readers, welcome back and we're ready to continue down this ride we've (I've) started hehe. Well, last night we highlighted on three of our characters and we're just going to keep getting deeper into the "emotional" aspect of our story. So this is a heads up as to what's about to come, just bear with me and don't get off the ride just yet…we must see it to the end! *ahem*…let's get into our next Act shall we. ^_^
ACT 16: Selfless To Weakness
Elise opened her eyes to reveal the area of the audience room. She had just finished up her morning virtual audience with Prince Fredrick Jameson of Floriah. The twenty-five year old man was exactly what she expected, which was kind of disappointed. He had dark brown hair that was medium in length, stopping just below his earlobes along with tanned skin; most likely due to the constant time he'd spend on his country's beach throughout the year. Dark green colored eyes that was nicely decorated by his long eyelashes…the man was indeed gorgeous but…self-absorbed right down to the definition of the very word. During their entire meeting, Fredrick mostly talked about himself, the beauty of his kingdom and how he would change up his appearance every month to keep the citizens guessing. That hour and a half with him seemed like forever and once it came to it's close, Elise was so thrilled to the point that she almost let it show and Fredrick would've noticed…if he wasn't trying to smooth out his eyebrows in his compact mirror that he constantly carried on him.
The Queen only sighed as she stepped down from her station…another audience was scheduled for later in the evening with the final prince; Prince Kaido Kobayashi of Animo. James had sent her a text message a couple of days ago, right before she and Chloe arrived at Sonic's place. Her old friend simply asked about her day and she sent him a short response because she was still so emotional from the ordeal of regaining her memories of four years ago. The man had replied to that message, but she didn't pay any mind to it…maybe she should take the time to see how his day was going.
As she headed for the room's exit, Elise pulled out her cell and scrolled through her message conversations to find the one with James. However, above his name was Sonic's…she couldn't help the smile that passed across her face. She selected their conversation of messages and skimmed through what was said and couldn't help but to chuckle to herself. The boy had been complaining on the length of time it took for him to respond through texting and she teased him a little about it. The conversation ended with a few emojis and a simple "goodnight"…the time of the last message was sent at one-o'clock earlier that morning. The Queen never knew where the time went when it came to him. Within her life there has always been a set schedule of sorts, to keep her on track, even though over the last couple of years she's been trying to change that. However, since he's been around...she's been all over the place…just like four years ago.
She smiled softly to herself while exiting the audience room and deciding to send the blue-haired man a message.
"Elise?"
Someone's call out to her, ceased the action and she looked up to see Chloe several feet down the hall.
"There you are." The woman walked over to her.
"Is something wrong Chloe?" The girl locked the electronic device in her hand and placed it in the pocket of her dress.
"Uh…not necessarily to others but…you might want to brace yourself."
Elise became a little confused, "Brace myself? For what?"
"Head over to the Royal Counsel's meeting room." Chloe gave her a nervous smile.
{}
~Royal Counsel~
The Queen stood in front of the five members of the Royal Counsel, which also included the head of them, Lady Marian. They were all seated in their chairs that sat behind a long dining table, decorated with an ivory and gold table-runner. Lady Marian sat in the middle and sitting on her left were Lady Anastasia and Lady Leanna. To her right were Sir Antoine and Sir Simon, who was the one that relayed the bandit's message to her and Chloe the night of the festival. Each of the members had an electronic tablet positioned upon the table in front of where they sat.
"Glad to have you join us Your Highness." Lady Marian gave her a smile, "How did the audience with Prince Fredrick go?"
Elise put on her best smile as she thought about the man, "It was…different, but I think it went well…for him at least."
That last part she mumbled underneath her breath.
"Oh, no need to sugarcoat it Your Majesty." Lady Leanna chuckled to herself, "We all know how that man can be."
Lady Marian sighed, "Please don't gossip about Floriah's heir Leanna."
"A-At least there's still hope with Prince Kaido…r-right?" Lady Anastasia's soft-spoken tone could barely be heard as she lowered her head a little, blushing.
"Not you too Anastasia ." Lady Marian rubbed her temples as Sir Antoine only rolled his eyes, though made sure that the older woman didn't notice.
Elise chuckled slightly, a bit amused, "Thank you for your concern and interest."
"But of course." Lady Marian nodded once in the Queen's direction before cupping her hands together on the surface of the table. "We're here to support you and keep your best interests close to our hearts. The reason why you're standing before us at this moment."
"Why am I currently here?"
The older woman took a few glances at the other members before focusing back on the young Queen to continue. "Well, since you'll be meeting with your potential third suitor shortly and have already taken the time to meet the other two…we thought it was time to make a move."
Elise raised an eyebrow, "Make a move?"
"Yes Dear. It's about time we let your citizens know your plans for the future regarding your courtship."
The girl started to remember their previous conversation at the festival and she didn't consider the woman would bringing the subject back up so soon. Did she really need to make this known to her people now? Everything was still in the beginning stages and…suddenly, Sonic's face flashed in her mind.
"L-Lady Marian I…"
"Forgive me for bringing up the matter at the festival and since then I have taken your feelings concerning it into account. However, at the moment, nothing much is planned or is going on in the country and since everything is in it's beginning stages…now would be the perfect time to make an announcement regarding things." The woman's smiled returned…she wasn't going to let Elise say no this time.
Sir Simon raised his hand before speaking, "I agree with Lady Marian on this decision. The people do have the right to know what direction this kingdom is headed and who might be a potential co-ruler alongside you."
"Also…" Lady Leanna spoke next, "…revealing the three suitors would give the citizens time to research the Princes and come to know who each one of them are. Though, I'm pretty sure two of their reputations already precedes them, but it never hurts to have those who aren't in 'the know', to take the time to change that."
Elise knew that this would happen, but not so suddenly. She didn't want to complain and make herself seem like a whining child, only to prove what Lady Marian already thought her out to be...a "young" Queen that needed proper guidance because of her age. Elise glanced at the two members that hadn't spoken out yet, "Lady Anastasia and Sir Antoine…what do you have to say on the matter?"
The older and shy woman fidgeted with her fingers while keeping her gaze lowered; she spoke in a soft tone yet again, "I personally feel…t-that it's not appropriate yet, to m-make such an announcement. Though, Marian does make a f-few good points regarding it."
"Frankly, I think it's ridiculous ." Sir Antoine snickered, "It's the Queen's business as to when and how she tells her people that she's being courted. She could at least have that since she's going along with this charade in the first place."
"Antoine." Lady Marian gave him a stern look, "We've discussed this several times over, it's a tradition and we're going to leave it at that."
The middle-aged man yawned, "Whatever. To sum up how I feel...I voted against it Your Highness."
"But the vote is three to two." Lady Marian smirked his way.
Elise sighed, "I…I understand."
"Oh, please don't get discouraged about the matter." Lady Marian turned her attention back to her, "We're doing this for you, the good of the kingdom and it's citizens."
"When would you like me to…make the official announcement?" The girl could feel her body tense up because she knew something was about to happen…not knowing exactly what, but something in her life was going to change after this information was released to the world.
"We've taken care of everything and scheduled a camera crew that covers most of the country's news to come by the castle in a couple of hours."
"A couple of hours?!" She couldn't hold in her outburst.
Lady Marian blinked her eyes a few times in shock, "Your Highness, there's no need to raise your voice."
"She's just shocked, that's all." Sir Antoine sighed.
"Oh…well…that's understandable." Lady Marian cleared her throat. "I apologize for bringing this upon you so suddenly, but the sooner we announce it, the less you'd have to stress out over it."
If the woman only knew how much more stressed Elise was going to be after the announcement. Why couldn't she just say no? Why couldn't see just throw the words that Sir Antoine just stated right back at the Royal Counsel's head? Why couldn't she just…why couldn't she…be selfish…just for one moment…
Elise bowed her head, "I'll make sure to be in the throne room at the specified time."
Lady Marian smiled, "Thank you so much for understanding Your Highness. I knew you'd put the people first."
"Will that be all from me?"
The older woman gave her a nod to indicate that she could leave and she turned around to do just that. It only took her a few moments to exit the room and let the doors close behind her. Elise held one of her hands to her chest. The beating of her heart started to pick up and she closed her eyes so that she could take a few deep breaths to calm herself. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad and maybe he wouldn't see the broadcast anyway…he? Sonic's smiling face appeared in her thoughts and her heart started to ache.
"Smile…Elise…"
Just smile…that's all she had to do to make it through this. Smile and everything would be okay…she put the best smile she could on her face.
"Nice smile."
Everything would be…
"I'm Sonic…Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Elise!"
"If you have time to worry, just run."
"I'm not that hard to get rid of."
"I've always wanted to come back to see how you were doing."
"It's not a dream…"
The past memories and current ones of the blue-haired hero flooded her mind and she could feel herself becoming anxious. The smile she had put on slowly faded away as the thought of not having him around anymore ate away at her. Sonic had become apart of her life again and her feelings from four years ago…even when she didn't know who he exactly was…those feeling she couldn't fully acknowledge...her heart ached more as she couldn't stop the thoughts that were running through her mind. Soon, her breathing became rapid as she tried to take additional deep breaths.
*bing*
The notification sound on her phone, went off and startled her slightly. Elise sighed, figuring that the text might've been Chloe checking up on her. She retrieved the device and unlocked it, only to see that the message was from Sonic: "Hey. So, I'll meet you halfway on this whole 'texting' thing. I still stand by it not being my favorite form of communication, but anyway. How's your day going? :-) See my smiley face?"
The Queen couldn't help the saddened smile that passed across her face. Without even realizing it, the boy had gave her what she needed at the moment…a reason to genuinely smile instead of trying to force it. Everything would be alright…she hit the reply button on her phone's screen and started typing away…Elise didn't know how exactly, but if he could give her some of his strength…perhaps she could be happy with the decisions she had to make.
{}
~Explorer's Guild~
Knuckles, Rouge and Alex had gathered up the tools they'd been using to excavate the secret room. It was their last day to uncover anymore secrets or details concerning the place and there was nothing more that could be found; their work was done. With that in mind, it seemed like it would be the last day for the guild's two temporary workers. The three soon finished up and gathered the site's lights that were placed around the room before heading to the exit. They traveled up through the once hidden entrance, back into the cave and then outside towards the trail that was taken.
Alex looked over at the two who she had been working with for the past couple of weeks and smiled, "You two have been a great help. Shiner knows it too…I'm sure he'd be easy to convince in letting you stay with us permanently."
"Thanks but uh…" Knuckles chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, "…we might not be sticking around too much longer."
"Oh…" His words stabbed at her heart a little, "…I could ask why but I'm sure the answer wouldn't be simply 'black and white'."
The man smiled slightly, "Yeah."
Rouge stood with her back turned to them and didn't say a word. It didn't matter if both of their statements seemed to include her…the conversation was clearly between the two of them like they've become close. She could feel her heart wanting to ache but she couldn't allow it…not again…she had to just…move. Without hesitating, the woman started to walk away from them which caught their attention, causing the two to turn in her direction.
"I guess we should head back to the guild."Alex stated and Knuckles nodded in agreement before they followed several feet behind Rouge. She watched the woman ahead of them and noticed that Rouge had kept to herself the entire week. She then shifted her eyes to the man who matched her pace and he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.
"So…did the two of you get in a fight or something?"
Knuckles raised an eyebrow, "What makes you ask that?"
"Well, to start, you haven't bickered at all this week. Also, Rouge there hasn't said but a few words to either of us, in which I mean, those few words had been directed to me only."
The man looked ahead of them to the woman who seemed to be getting further away from them, like she was picking up her pace little by little.
"To be honest…I'm not sure what's going on with her or what I've done really."
"Ah…" Alex chuckled slightly to herself, "…she's being a bit difficult and stubborn?"
"As she always is, but…" He thought about the last few times words between him and the woman were exchanged, "…something is different."
Alex heard the tone of his voice soften, "And that bothers you?"
Knuckles smirked, "What sarcastic remark would be waiting for me if I were to admit to that?"
She chuckled, "Believe me, I wouldn't give you any crap for it. However, it would just confirm what I already know."
"What you already know huh." He couldn't help but think about what they talked about the night of the festival.
"Yeah." Alex placed one of her hands on his shoulder that was next to her, "But it's not worth discussing until you've admitted it to yourself."
She then removed her hand and picked up her pace, leaving Knuckles a few steps behind with his thoughts again. He continued on by himself for awhile as he looked her over and then turned his attention to Rouge. There was so much that happened since they've come back to Soleanna and none of them had been around each other for so long before. A normal routine wasn't really in their nature and being here…has probably opened their eyes to several new things, not only around them but within themselves as well.
[40 Minutes Later]
The trio finally made it back to the guild and Shiner was the only one there looking over a few artifacts that were brought back from another excavation site. When they entered into the small building, the man turned his attention to them and stopped what he was doing. He walked over to them with a grin on his face,
"Welcome back you three."
He looked them over and noticed that they didn't seem to carry anything new.
"I'm guessing that's it then? No more that could be found?"
Alex shook her head, "Nope, that's it. I'm actually surprised we kept at it for this long. It usually only takes us about two days for an area that size."
"Yeah well…I had a hunch that we would find something of real value. Not saying that what we did gather isn't great, but still..." Shiner chuckled.
Rouge raised an eyebrow, "Nothing of real value? What about that chaos eme…?"
"Well would you look at the time!" Alex cut the woman's statement short and grinned in Shiner's direction, "These two only worked half the day but I'm sure we could give them a full day's pay since they'll be leaving us and all. Right Boss?"
Shiner gave the woman an odd look because he barely heard what Rouge said, "Yeah, I had already planned on it Alex."
"Right." Sweat dripped down the side of the woman's face as she smiled nervously. "Well uh…I just need to grab something from the back room." She walked a few steps pass the man in charge and stopped, "Red, do you mind giving me a hand?"
Knuckles became a little confused but he decided to follow her and soon the two of them entered through a door that was at the back of the building.
Rouge stood some feet away from Shiner and only crossed her arms beneath her chest. The man searched around his workstation for something, "So…am I to assume that you two don't want permanent positions?"
"I wouldn't mind it, but I already have a job that I couldn't leave."
"So why take this one? Furlough?"
Rouge smiled to herself, "Something like that."
"Well, that's understandable." Shiner then folded his arms across his chest, looking down at his station because he couldn't find what he was looking for. "What about Knuckles? Think he'd like to join the guild for good?"
She glanced over to the door in the back before lowering her gaze to the floor, "I'm not sure. He could probably think of a few reasons to stick around."
"Maybe I'll have a talk with him then." Something finally came to mind, "Oh! I left that key on the workbench outside." The man walked in her direction and told her to excuse him because he needed to grab something, but he'd be right back.
The woman didn't take any offense to it and let him walk out the building. She knew he was trying to find the key to the funds compartment box so that he could pay them; she'd wait for her money.
*boom*
A crashing sound came from the back room that Knuckles and Alex were in and Rouge couldn't help but wonder what was taking them so long. Did something just fall? What were they doing in ther…? Her heart suddenly sank. No. She shook the thought out of her head. There was no way that echidna would have the nerve to make out with Alex in the back room knowing that she and Shiner were out here. She looked back over at the door and her imagination started to get the best of her…she had to make her way over.
Rouge shifted her eyes to the left and to the right before she tip toed to the door. When it was a foot in reach, she leaned towards it a little, turning her head so that her ear was almost touching the wooden surface.
"Thanks for everything Knuckles." Alex's voice could be heard very faintly.
"Don't mention it." He chuckled.
"So…tomorrow evening then?"
"Yeah.. It's a date."
"It's a date."
Rouge's chest tightened and her heart started to race. A d-date? Tomorrow night they were…they were actually…the woman took a few steps back from the door and suddenly the building's front door opened. Shiner entered back in, though Rouge was quickly making her way across the room pass him.
"Hey, just give me a minute and I'll give you your pay."
"Send it with Knucklehead. I have to go." The woman exited the building and just as she did, Knuckles and Alex came out of the back room.
"Hey Shiner, where'd Rouge go?" The red-dreaded man asked as all three of them met at the workstation.
"She actually just rushed out of here. Told me to send her pay with you." Shiner sighed as he moved to the other side of the room to a cabinet that had a lock on it.
Knuckles sighed, "Damnit, she can't keep going off on her own." Though he figured it might not be too bad at the moment since the bandits are currently in the desert, but regardless...he really didn't want another lecture from Shadow.
"Maybe you should talk to her when you make it back." Alex suggested.
The man could only give the advice some thought because he already tried to talk to the woman. She just rushed off? Without her money? Knuckles had no idea what was going through her head; what could have possibly happen to make her just up and leave like that?
[10 Minutes Earlier]
~Guild's Back Room~
The door had just closed behind Knuckles and he looked at Alex a little confused as to why they were back there.
"Sorry to drag you in here, but I just needed to let you know that I didn't mention anything about the chaos emerald to Shiner or the rest of the team. Reason why I stopped Rouge from mentioning it to him."
Knuckles crossed his arms across his chest, "No kidding? Thanks, but I hope it doesn't get you in trouble."
"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm only glad that I was able to finally see and hold one." She smiled softly to herself, "Besides…I figured that it somehow belonged to you."
"Those gems don't belong to anyone, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't need it right now."
"And I won't try to pry it out of you as to what you'd need it for because…I trust that it must be for something important."
He smiled softly to himself, "You can say that."
"Red?" Alex cupped her hands behind her back and leaned herself softly against a stack of brown boxes, "I think we should celebrate for the finding of the chaos emerald and for it being your last day with the guild. So…why don't you let me take you out tomorrow evening?"
"You want to take me out?" Knuckles became a little flustered, "Like a date?"
The woman's face turned red and she chuckled nervously, not really watching how much weight she was putting on the boxes, "N-No, not really. I just think that we could grab something to eat and a few drinks…you've been quite the guy."
He watched her avoid eye contact with him and remembered the day they all met. She didn't turn out to be the full-blown workaholic who thought about only how to get ahead in her research…well, not too much anyway. The woman had opened up to him with ease and expressed herself that he admired…he smiled softly to himself.
"Sure. We can go on a date."
"W-What?" Alex stumbled a little and the top box of the stack she rested her back on, fell over and crashed to the floor. The noise startled the both of them and they quickly picked it up and set it on the side of the stack.
"You alright?" Knuckles looked her over.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to slow down the racing of her heart; she opened her eyes to look at him. "It's not a date. I…I couldn't ask that of myself or you…especially with knowing how you feel about…"
"Hey." He cut her sentence off, "Don't overthink it so much, trust me, it would be a headache." He gave her a soft smile, "We're friends right, so if we want to hang out, there shouldn't a a problem. Whether it's labeled as a 'date' or not."
Alex couldn't help but smile, "Yeah, you're right." The man continued to smile as he gave her a nod, "Thanks, for everything Knuckles."
"Don't mention it."
"So…tomorrow evening then?"
"Yeah…it's a date."
"Hehe, it's a date."
{}
~The House~
5:00PM
Amy rushed through the front door and Silver was only a few feet behind her since they made the trip home together after work; he closed the door behind them. In the living room sat Knuckles, Shadow and Big while Sonic was grabbing himself a bottle of water from the kitchen.
"Quick, put it on channel eight."
The pink-haired teen quickly sat down on the couch right next to Knuckles who was a bit confused by her request.
"What's gotten into you?"
"Elise is supposed to be making some big announcement. My coworkers were talking about it after everyone had come back from lunch."
Silver only sighed because there was talk at the bakery as well concerning the same announcement, though he didn't know what the big deal was. The boy sat himself down on Amy's other side upon the couch.
Sonic entered into the living room while swallowing a huge gulp of water, "Hey you two. How was work?"
"Shhh!" Amy shushed him as she finally got to the designated channel and turned the volume up.
The blue-haired man looked at her a little concerned, but then sat down on the love-seat and leaned over to Shadow to whisper, "What's going on?"
"Apparently the Queen is making an announcement today." Shadow only crossed his arms over his chest.
Sonic gave him a nod, though he hadn't heard anything about Elise making an announcement. Why hadn't she mentioned it to him? They had texted each other for several hours earlier, but not once did she bring it up. Did it just slip her mind or something?
"Good evening citizens of Soleanna." The announcement broadcast had began and Elise could be seen on the television screen dressed in her royal attire, sitting upon her throne. There was a smile upon her face. "Thank you so much for tuning in this evening. It means a lot to me that all of you are interested in keeping up to date with our country's affairs. I do apologize for not holding a face to face public announcement, but we all shall celebrate together in the near future soon. Today, however, I would like to let all of you…all of my citizens that I care deeply about…you should know that there will be a change coming to Soleanna."
"A big change?" Knuckles raised an eyebrow.
"Are they going to be letting down that barrier since she knows now that the whole Iblis thing isn't going to happen?" Silver looked over at Sonic, but the man was just as clueless about what was going to be said as the rest of them. Amy shushed them again.
"For generations the Lyonhart Royal Family has followed a tradition…one that I'm announcing is currently in it's beginning stages. Prince Kaido Kobayashi of Animo…Prince Fredrick Jameson of Floriah…and Prince James Montegeaux of Embria…have all come forward to be potential suitors in behalf of the Queen."
"Suitors?!" Amy sprung up from her seat surprised, "L-Like…will three princes be coming to Soleanna then?!" Her eyes morphed into hearts.
"Amy, why are you yelling?" Blaze came from downstairs and entered into the living room.
Knuckles rolled his eyes, "Will you tone it down so we can hear the rest of it." He shifted his eyes over at Sonic who sat in silence before he focused his attention back on the screen. Blaze stood on the side of the couch.
"After several virtual audiences with each of them…one will be chosen to court your Queen. If all goes well, Soleanna will…" Elise had briefly stopped her statement and her smile faded away.
Sonic looked at the screen and thought he noticed something but…for some reason…he lost focus on what was being said after the word…"suitors"?
"Soleanna will…*ahem*…" The Queen seemed to compose herself and put a smile back on, "…be having a new King to rule beside it's Queen. Now, don't get too excited or too cross with the matter. This process is still in it's beginning stages and I will always do what's best for this kingdom and it's people. In the meantime, the Royal Counsel has recommended that you, as the citizens, get to know a little bit more about the Princes by doing your own research. We're all in this together and I'm happy to have you all take this journey with me."
With that final statement, the broadcast was ended and a news reporter spoke briefly on what was just said. A photo of each Prince was displayed on the screen and Amy looked around for Rouge so that they could swoon over the good-looking men. The teen quickly got up and headed for the stairs because she knew the woman was up in their room. Silver only shook his head as he made a comment of going to go clean himself up in the bathroom. Blaze was staring at Prince James' picture until Big called out to her asking if she had eaten already. They all usually had dinner around seven-o'clock but it didn't seem like Amy would be starting on food anytime soon and Rouge was still acting strange. The man only gave her a smile and stood up before asking her to follow him. She only raised an eyebrow, a bit confused as to why, but followed him anyway. The ones left in the living room were Knuckles, Shadow and Sonic…the TV had been left on and they sat in silence.
Sonic's chest felt a little tighter than it normally was…like he was almost having difficulty breathing. He needed to focus…he tried to after Amy's outburst because he wanted to hear the rest of the announcement but…each following statement clouded his mind even more. Suitors? Princes? Courtship? Each of those words seemed like an attack on his inner being but he shouldn't feel like that…right? It was great news for Soleanna and Elise…Elise…
"Sonic."
Knuckles' voice snapped him out of his thoughts and the blue-haired man looked in his friend's direction.
"You alright over there?"
He gave the dreaded man a smile, "Yeah, I'm good. Why do you ask?"
"Well…" Knuckles rested his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward and lowered his gaze to the floor, "…Elise's announcement and all."
"Hey." Sonic gave out a chuckle, "What're you going on about? It's great news for the entire country."
"But not for you."
Shadow's words stung at his heart and he could feel it sink into his chest.
"Things like this are common in royal families such as Elise's. If you would've heeded my advice, then you could've spared yourself. How you currently feel is inevitable."
"Shadow…" It took Sonic all he had to maintain his smile, but he didn't feel like being lectured right now.
"…don't mistake my concern for a friend's well-being for that of affection."
"Sonic?" Knuckles felt like he had to say something, but what could he say? Looking at his friend seemed like a reflection of himself.
"A friend's well-being." Shadow sighed.
Sonic stood himself up, "Yeah. Let her take all the time she needs to get to know those other guys…that way she'd make the choice that's best for her."
"Other guys? The choice that's best for her?" Shadow couldn't help but let out a slight snicker, "Watch it Sonic, you're sounding like you've been in the running all this time."
"Shadow." Knuckles looked over at the dark-haired man slightly irritated.
"It's fine Knuckles." Sonic chuckled slightly to himself, "We all know the things Shadow does or says is never to offend us. Though…" He looked over at the man, "…it can get aggravating every once in awhile." After a moment, the blue-haired man started to walk through the living room, "Like I told you before…there's nothing to worry yourself over when it comes to Elise and I."
Shadow only sighed, "If you have to tell yourself that to get through this, then so be it. But Sonic…" His statement got the man to stop when he just made it to the front door.
"…whether the outcome of the matter was set in stone from day one or not. Admitting to yourself on how you actually feel…will make the healing process a whole lot easier."
Knuckles had been watching his friend the entire time, but Shadow's words cut deep into him. He lowered his gaze again and let the words seep in. Admitting to it…giving in…Alex said similar words to him earlier.
Sonic let the man's words sink in knowing that there was some truth behind them but…was there really something that he needed to admit to himself? Something that he knew not to get his hopes up for, even four years ago? He only sighed as he shook the thoughts out of his head and opened the door towards himself. Though, as he was about to step outside, someone was standing in his way and looked like they were just about to knock.
"H-Hey."
He stood a bit shocked, "Elise? Hey."
The girl lowered her hand and gave him a soft smile, "Mind if we…talk?"
Sonic looked behind him to see if the guys had made a move; they hadn't. He turned back to her and nodded before stepping out with her, closing the door behind him.
{}
~Dining Room~
Blaze was seated in one of the chairs at the dining table waiting on Big who told her that he would cook her up something. She wasn't sure why she decided to entertain him because the only time she saw him cook something was usually a fresh fish over a campfire outside. Was that what he was doing? Suddenly a familiar, yet new, aroma came from the kitchen that caught her nose's attention. She knew the smell, but it had a slightly different scent to it. The man finally approached and walked out of the kitchen towards the dining room in her direction; a plate in one of his hands. The moment he came into view, the girl's eyes immediately went straight to the plate and watched it until he placed it down in front of her. She looked down at what was being served to her and could almost cry. Her mouth started to water and she kept telling herself to keep it together, there was no way she'd let her love for the dish come out no matter what…even though it was…catfish.
"Nnnnnmmm…!" Just the thought of the word alone released an uncontrolled squeal-like moan to come out of her mouth. Blaze immediately covered her mouth and blushed from embarrassment.
Big only gave her a smile and sat in the chair next to her, "It's alright, there's no need to hold it in."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She avoided eye contact with him.
"You love catfish right?" He noticed that the girl started to fidgeted around in her seat; too cute, "I saved a few of the golden ones that I had caught and cooked one earlier for myself. The other I saved for you so I could cook it up when you got back."
That's why the smell was a bit different than what she was used to. At the festival there were several dishes that were served using the fish, but she vowed to avoid them so she wouldn't make a fool of herself. However now…the aroma danced around her nose again and she could feel the urge within herself of wanting to devour it without hesitation. She suddenly got a feeling that Big was watching her so she shifted her eyes to him…he had a satisfying grin on his face.
"W-What?"
"I've never seen you look so…delighted before. It's adorable."
"S-Shut up…" The girl could feel warmth passing to her cheeks again as she shifted her gaze away from him, "…h-how did you…know?"
He tiled his head a bit curious, "About what? Your love for catfish?" Blaze only nodded and he couldn't help but smile again, "Well, it wasn't that hard to figure out really. When I mentioned working with Mr. Andrew and the season, you kind of showed a little excitement over it. Even though, you tried to cover it up."
Fair enough. The girl looked down at the dish and remembered the first time she had the fish. She was a little girl, five years old, and their chef had prepared it originally for himself before he started on the royal's family dinner. She had passed through the kitchen trying to find her mother and smelled it's aroma that was mixed with simple spices. As a little girl, she immediately asked him what it was and he let her know. Next, she asked if she could have a taste and all the man could do was laugh at her innocent curiosity, but he gave in. She had never tasted anything like it before and it was cooked so simple…baked in the oven with only a few herbs and spices that accompanied it.
"How did you…prepare it?"
"Not in any fancy way if that's what you think." Big chuckled, "I just used an all-purpose spice with a few herbs and popped in the oven."
Blaze's heart nearly stopped and she couldn't resist anymore. She quickly grabbed the fork that he brought along with the plate and used it to cut into the fish. Before she shoved it in her mouth, she shifted her eyes to look at Big again who seemed to be enjoying her actions.
"Don't look at me please…"
"Oh, sorry." The man then turned himself in the other direction.
The girl started to become more nervous, but she let the dish sit long enough, as it were, and any longer it wouldn't taste as good. She took a deep breath and sighed before placing it in her mouth. The dish's juices that were filled with the fish's natural taste and oils just melted in her mouth along with it's meat…she teared up.
"Mmmmmm…."
She soon finished her first bite and then took another and finished and then another and finished. The only thing that could be heard was the clanking of her fork on the glass plate and every now and then a moan of delight from her. This went on for about five minutes until she finally swallowed her last piece and placed the eating utensil back on the table. Blaze lifted up her head and sighed in satisfaction, but then shifted her eyes to the left of her…Big had a look of shock on his face. Her entire face turned red.
"Wow. You really did a number on that fish. Ate the bones and all." He chuckled.
"There were bones in there?!"
Big burst into laughter, "No, I'm just kidding. I de-boned the fish shortly after I caught them."
She narrowed her eyes at him with the blush still on her face, "O-Oh…"
"You know…I haven't cooked for anyone aside from myself before." He gave her a soft smile as he spotted a small piece of herb on the left side of her mouth. "I'm glad you liked it."
"Just…don't let it get to your head, or…tell the others what you've seen." Blaze looked down at the empty plate, "To me, catfish is like catnip…" She couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth and immediately regretted it while quickly turning to Big,
"No! I didn't mean to say that! W-What I meant was…!"
The man on the side of her was holding in his laughter, but then released a small portion of it to the side of them so it wouldn't be coming out directly in her face; sweat dripped down the side of Blaze's face. Several moments later, Big's laughter died down and he turned to look back at her, a soft smile ending up on his face.
"Man, you're so adorable."
"Please don't make fun…"
"Don't worry." He cut her off, "This is between us." Big then leaned towards her and took his hand to brush it across her left cheek. The girl blushed as her body tensed up, not knowing what the man was doing. He got the piece of herb that had been resting on the side of her mouth and showed it to her, "Such a messy eater too."
"I…!"
Before she could somehow try to defend herself, the man had taken his other hand and cupped her chin within it while leaning up out of his seat to plant a kiss upon her forehead. It lasted a few seconds before he pulled back and gave her a smile,
"You're still one pretty kitty."
Big fully stood up out of his chair while grabbing the empty plate and fork. He walked with the dish out of the dining room and towards the kitchen, leaving Blaze too stunned to make a more or say anything. Why? When did she lose the upper hand to the men around her? And why...why didn't it...bother her as much as it normally would? The girl then let out a groan as she threw her head back to rest on her chair...she left food just resting there on her mouth?!
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~Front Yard~
Sonic and Elise had walked several feet across the yard and away from the house. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a green t-shirt that was underneath an ivory-colored jacket. Sonic didn't expect to see her, not anytime soon rather…he shoved his hands in his jeans' pockets…how long were they going to walk without saying anything?
"So uh…what brings you by? I could've sworn I just saw you on TV."
A weak smile passed across the Queen's face, "The announcement was actually pre-recorded a couple of hours before it was aired. The Royal Counsel thought it was best since I…" She had an audience with Prince Kaido shortly after, "…had a prior engagement."
Elise could feel herself growing nervous, but she came here for a reason…she had to make sure of something. "You all saw the broadcast then?"
"Yeah, thanks to Amy. Leave it to her when it comes to keeping up with the latest news hehe." He chuckled slightly, but couldn't help but lower his gaze, "I'm sure Soleanna must be thrilled."
"You'd be surprised how many of my citizens are actually against it." Elise let out a small chuckle.
Sonic raised an eyebrow as he lifted his gaze to look over at her, "Oh yeah? Why would that be?"
The young woman hunched her shoulders, "There could be a number of reasons. Either they think I do a fine job by myself or they simply can't stand the Princes."
"Ah…" He nodded while turning away from her, "…but they'd come around in due time. Realizing that anything they say or do, wouldn't change the situation." His chest started tightening again, but he continued, "Now, they might seem stubborn, but once they see the good in it…how happy it makes you…"
Elise stopped walking, though he didn't notice.
"…they'll know that all the fussing and carrying on they're doing is childish. Realizing that all that they ever wanted, was to see you happy." The man finally stopped several feet ahead of her and smiled to himself, "Though, they might not know it…doing what's best for them, is what makes you happy."
"Sonic…I…"
He finally realized that she wasn't beside him and he looked back to see her stopped some feet behind where he stood. Her head was lowered while one of her hands was brought to her chest.
"…Sonic…"
Elise could feel herself wanting to just run to him and cry in his arms…she felt that if she did, he wouldn't mind…he'd accept her moment of weakness like at the festival…he wouldn't judge or think differently of her. He'd offer up some of his strength.
"It's your duty, right?"
His words caused her to lift her gaze up to him,
"The one you were reminded of the night of the festival…that bothered you."
Could he read her mind or did he just put two and two together? Perhaps he was opening the door for her to just vent about the matter again?
"I-It's tradition…one that's always been for the good of the kingdom."
Sonic looked her over, "Rulers like you, I'm sure...are hard to find."
"Rulers like me…" She lowered her head and held herself, "…Sonic…if you only knew how weak I am…"
"Being selfless is not a form of weakness. The majority of the people in this world can learn a lot from you. Just like I have." He looked up at the almost completely sun-setting sky above them, "You give yourself to your country to better it...keeping it afloat and thriving no matter what. I give myself to the world to protect it and keep it balanced. There's never really any time to think of ourselves…to put ourselves above the things that matter most to us."
Elise could feel the aching in her heart…that couldn't be true. How could one live if they didn't do something selfish for themselves every once in awhile? Though, in the same sense...how could they live with themselves if that selfish act destroyed everything they tried so hard to protect? If there were some loophole…some means of bypassing this ordeal with only a few consequences…she could say that she'd consider it but...would she?
"You're right…being selfless might not be one being weak…but admitting one's weakness…about how they truly feel about something…Sonic…"
The blue-haired man's heart almost stopped.
"…can be considered a strength and not a weakness as well."
The Queen wanted to know what he honestly thought about the situation. He always had a positive outlook on things and of course, she knew he'd try to make her see the brighter side of things. But…what was actually going through his head? At the moment it was taking all she had not to give into her emotions…to fully acknowledge what she actually wanted.
"I don't care what happens to the world!"
She couldn't say that this time…she was no longer that seventeen-year old girl that needed to be saved by him. She had grown and learned to take care of herself, so why…why did she want…
"Sonic…save me…"
"Our journey here in Soleanna will be ending soon." He had to let her know…it didn't matter if he were to acknowledge the way he felt about her courtship, things were unavoidable…just like Shadow said.
"We'll go back to Station Square, deal with Eggman and I'll be back to traveling the world again."
"Not knowing when you'll come back here." Her light of hope was starting to fade.
How could he? What reason would he have to come back?
"Right. But…" Sonic finally decided to make his way over to her, "…I'd make it a point to drop in every once in awhile." He stopped a foot away from her and smiled softly, "So long as the new King doesn't mind a blue hedgehog as a guest."
Don't say that…Elise's eyes started to well-up with tears…
"He won't...not if I have anything to say about it…"
"Good." The man started to move his hand to caress her cheek, but remembering Shadow's words from the festival stopped him.
"There are ways to comfort someone without the use of intimacy."
Before he could pull his hand back to himself, the girl grabbed a hold of it with both her hands…she brought it in to place her cheek within his palm. She closed her eyes and let out a slight sigh…his heart could only ache.
"I don't care what happens to the world!"
He remembered her plea from four years ago, but he couldn't tell her to follow her heart because it wouldn't be fair to the rest.
"Elise…smile."
Could he tell her that now? Would it the same effect it did back then? Would it provide her with the strength she needed to carry on in her duty to her country?
"Elise…" he brushed his thumb across her cheek, causing her to open her blue eyes that reflected the moon, which finally appeared, light. Sonic stared back at her and could see the seventeen-year old girl who had to blow out Solaris' flame…his smile weakened.
"I couldn't bring myself to stop you four years ago…and I can't bring myself to do it now…"
"…smile."
{}
~The House~
8:00PM
Tails gathered everyone together in the living room to make an announcement. The boy stood with a smile on his face and his hair a little unkempt, more than usual because of his nonstop working.
"Alright everyone, just to give you an update on the progress I've made in the pass twenty-four hours since being given the red chaos emerald from Knuckles."
"An update for us already?" Silver raised an eyebrow.
Sonic chuckled, "That's our Tails for you."
The twelve-year old nodded as he continued, "Yeah well, I'm trying to do all I can to aid us so there's no time to slack-off. Now…" he sighed, "…I was able to modify the device I created to produce an artificial 'Chaos Control', that way I could harness the power of more than one chaos emerald."
"Did it work?" Shadow asked.
"Well, I haven't tested it just yet, but at my calculations, there's a seventy-five percent chance that it will create a portal big enough for all of us to travel back to Station Square."
"Those are good odds right?" Rouge looked over at Shadow.
The dark-haired man sighed, "How much longer would you need to tamper with it to get a better percentage?"
Tails had already anticipated the man's question ahead of time, "I only need two more days to turn that seventy-five to a hundred."
"What about turning us back to normal?" Silver asked.
"That's still in the works. I tried to grab a few more documents from Eggman's ship to locate the secret component, but I practically already have a miniature prototype ready." Tails gave him a thumbs up. "In the same two days, I can probably come up with something before we depart."
"Alright." Shadow stood from his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, "Two days. You guys get your things in order and prepare. Most of you had temporary jobs and completed them." He turned to Amy and Silver, "The two of you are the only ones left that need to set things straight on your ends regarding your employment."
Silver motioned his head over to Sonic, "Him too, right?"
"Sonic hasn't been to the bakery in awhile…I'm sure the owner knows he's not coming back." Shadow stated.
"What about Elise?" Knuckles asked.
Sonic could feel a hole form in the pit of his stomach.
Shadow closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sure she'll be too busy to meet with all of us again before we leave. Perhaps one of us can inform her of our departure and thank her once again for all her help." He turned to their blue-haired friend, "Sonic…you should decide on who does it."
Knuckles felt a little bad for his friend as he knew what Shadow was trying to do…but still, "Why not just let Son…?"
"Amy." Sonic's statement cut Knuckles' one short. The blue-haired man looked at the girl with a smile, "Do you mind?"
"M-Me?" The girl became surprised at being chosen, "A-Aren't you worried that I'll burst out into tears or something?" She chuckled nervously while blushing.
"That might be a good thing." He chuckled, "Better to share in a tearful goodbye with the same emotional feel…you two are somewhat similar so it wouldn't be too painful as it would be hopeful to the next time."
"Sonic…" Knuckles could never figure the guy out when it came to several things outside of his world-saving, but since they've been here…he started to see some similarities that he could understand.
"Then it's settled." Shadow dismissed them.
Silver and Knuckles remained seated in the living room just to turn the television on. The girls headed up to the second floor while Tails exited the back door to head back to the shed/lab. Big headed up as well to wash and Shadow made his way to the kitchen to grab himself a glass of Rouge's red wine. Sonic stepped out the front door, walking a few feet into the front yard only to look back up to the sky.
"Elise…smile."
The girl had left a little over an hour ago and that was the last thing he told her. She had given him a weak saddened smile…almost like she was trying to call out to him, but she didn't. Within the next several minutes she had walked over to the car she had driven there and he watched her the entire time. Though, before she got into the vehicle, she had turned to him and said something…words that he never thought he'd had to reflect on…
"Sonic…you must smile too."
Instead of his heart aching, like it usually did, it felt like it was splitting in two. Why did those words…the ones he tend to tell her all the time…now directed at him…leave such an impact? After, Elise got in the car, started it up and drove off…did she hesitate?
Two days…
Sonic slowly balled his hands into fists.
…it'll be all over…back to their normal lives…in two days.
His heart ached and he couldn't help the slight gritting of his teeth,
"Damnit…"
{}
A/N: [to come at the end of Act 17]…