022. Lady Tikal
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Tikal wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not.
Was the Master Emerald acting up again? Was this some sort of illusion playing mind games with her?
She remembered falling into a blissful sleep and then awoke with a start, finding herself not anywhere inside her and Shadow's room or in Station Square.
Her back rested against a large tree bark as she continued to look at her surroundings. She was in a forest. All the trees were blocking her view from everything else but the sky and the sun shining into it.
This wasn't Station Square at all. It didn't feel like she was home.
It felt like... she was in another place? Time...? The atmosphere certainly didn't feel the same.
Was she back in her tribal days? No, that couldn't be it. If she was, then she definitely wouldn't find herself in a forest as big as this. She would at least be near the Altar of the Master Emerald. And Chaos would be by her side with the chao and he wasn't.
If that was the case, then where was she? Most importantly, what timeline was she in? It didn't feel familiar.
Leaning off the tree, Tikal gingerly stood up and dusted off the grass from her skirt. She looked around again, turning her head to various directions but all she saw were endless trails of trees. A pathway was there but it looked like it lead to nothing.
When she was about to take her first step, she heard a twig snap. Tikal flinched and quickly looked down at her foot but no such thing was underneath it. When she heard another snap, she jumped and glanced back in panic, fearing for the worst.
"You've awoken."
A dark figure dropped down from one of the tree branches. She couldn't make out as to who it was but when they stepped away from the shadows, she felt herself relax a little.
"...Knuckles?"
She had no idea why he was wearing a brown rusted helmet over his head that was covering his eyes. He even held two daggers in his hands.
What was going on?
"My name is Sir Gawain," he stated and lifted his helmet out of his eyes, "I'm certainly not this 'Knuckles' person you speak of."
Tikal stilled. This wasn't Knuckles? But... he looked just like Knuckles. Looking up and down at him, he wore the same type of shoes and even had the same physique as her cousin. The eyes were the same, the dreads were as well. The voice. Everything.
When she didn't say anything, he continued, "I found you lying unconscious near a bridge and decided to take you here. I've been waiting for you to awake."
Her eyes widened. "Near a bridge...?"
Gawain nodded. "Yes. I was surprised actually," he looked at her carefully, "I thought I was the last of our kind to exist."
Tikal felt her throat dry up immediately. She wasn't going to get out of this one for sure. She didn't know what was going on and she didn't know what to do. Yelling for help wouldn't do a thing and lying her way out of everything would just cause more havoc. She wasn't one to lie to Knuckles, so she felt the same when it came to this Gawain person. He claimed he wasn't the red echidna she knew, but he did carry the type of aura she felt when it came to the Master Emerald guardian.
"I..." Tikal hesitantly took a step forward and said quietly, "I-I'm not from here..."
"Yes... I could tell," his gaze travelled down her clothing, "You are wearing something our ancestors used to wear long ago."
She remained silent.
"But you don't look like a threat," Gawain's face softened slightly and he motioned her to him, "Come, I will take you back to the castle."
"Castle?"
"I will need to inform the King."
Tikal slowly went by his side as they walked. "...The King?"
"Yes, King Arthur."
She suddenly felt nervous. "O-Oh..."
The other echidna shook his head reassuringly. "There is nothing to fear, Lady...?"
Giving him a hesitant smile, she said, "Tikal."
Gawain nodded and mirrored her smile back. "You won't have to fear anything, Tikal. Welcome to Camelot."
...
When they stopped in front of the gates, Tikal found herself staying put on her feet as her eyes widened at the scale of the castle. She'd never seen something so huge before. Sure the temples and shrines were big back in Angel Island but they were nothing compared to this.
"Tikal?"
Tikal snapped out of her daze as she paid her attention across to Gawain who waited for her. "Y-Yes, sorry!"
As they walked further to the entrance of the castle, her footsteps began slowing down when she noticed two familiar figures guarding the door.
Gawain nodded at the both of them. "Galahad. Percival."
Silver and Blaze...?
She tried to refrain herself from feeling more surprised than she originally had been, but when a small gasp past her lips, the two of them glanced her way in question.
"Is something the matter?" Gawain asked.
Tikal shot her eyes to the echidna and quickly shook her head. "N-No! Nothing's the matter," she gave them a nervous smile and nod, "It's nice to meet you both..."
Percival averted her attention back to Gawain. "I was wondering where you were. Lancelot came back a while ago."
Gawain scoffed. "He did? Where did he even go off to for the past couple of days?"
"Sparring, I'm guessing," she stared back at Tikal with a comforting smile, "Are you all right?"
Tikal managed to reciprocate the emotion back despite her nerves getting the best of her as she just nodded.
"The three of us found you together," Galahad explained with a kind expression of his own, "I apologise that Percival and I couldn't stay with you until you awoken. We were running late to attend to our duties for the King."
"And Gawain seemed to look that he refused to leave you alone, so we had him stay with you instead of escorting someone else," Percival stated as she sent a small grin to the red echidna.
Gawain crossed his arms and looked away, tapping his foot impatiently.
Tikal hid a smile as she glanced at the other echidna. He was definitely Knuckles. Maybe not quite the one back home but at least he held the same amount of care for her no matter the circumstances.
Galahad chuckled lightly before extending his hand towards her. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. What's your name?"
"Tikal," she answered and shook his hand kindly.
"Tikal, my name is Galahad and this is my partner Percival," he said and gestured her to the purple cat.
"Pleased to meet you, Tikal," Percival said as they also shook hands, "You must be cold. The weather hasn't been particularly good lately."
While there was certainly a difference in how the two of them used their tone of voice, Tikal could definitely feel the similarities in comfort both Silver and Blaze gave her. Judging by how close they were standing next to each other, she was overjoyed that they were together together in this alternate world as well.
"It's nothing I can't handle," Tikal decided to say with more of a confident pleasant smile before her eyes idled around the sky, "It looks like it's about to rain though..."
She found herself staying still again, unsurely staring off into the distance. If there was an alternate version of her two friends and relative... she wondered if-
"Let's get you inside," Gawain cut off her thoughts and nodded at his comrades as he lead her into the castle. Tikal gave a respectful bow at the two before she followed the red echidna inside.
...
"This place is... so big," she said, looking around in awe, "D-Does the King live here all by himself?
"Well, if you count us and the servants," Gawain almost snorted out, "He recently just got married to Nimue."
"Nimue?"
"Yes, the Lady of the Lake. He couldn't keep his eyes off her when they first met. It didn't really take long for them to settle things afterwards."
"Oh. W-Well... congratulations to them."
"You're very lucky. They are the most welcoming people I've ever met. Though, King Arthur can be a bit of an annoyance sometimes..."
Tikal already had an idea as to who this King Arthur might have been.
When they kept walking, her eyes caught twin yellow tails peeking from a opened room door. With her curiosity overtaking her, Tikal stopped and looked inside.
"Still working huh, Smithy?" Gawain went by her side when seeing she had stopped, "You never do take a break, do you?"
The fox laughed and lifted his head garment from his face. "You all will need them soon so I can't afford it!" When he noticed her, he only smiled and wiped off his hands, "Hello! Is this somebody new?"
"Yes," Gawain answered, "Tikal, this is Smithy. He is our blacksmith."
She smiled and extended her hand out to the young fox, "I-It's nice to meet you."
Smithy grinned back without hesitation and shook her hand with a greeting of his own. "It's nice to meet you too, Tikal!"
So this was Tails in their world. Aside from the apron and goggles, he looked exactly the same compared to the others. Seeing how he had his own work place and loved to craft things, Tikal almost had the urge to stay and watch him work. Whenever she had the time back home, she would try and stop by at Tails's workshop to see what he was inventing. She was still curious about a lot of modern day technology and it was nice to hear from the fox about how to use certain things.
She peered into the room a little more and looked at the various swords, bows and arrows.
"I try not to make them too threatening," Smithy said as he walked up beside her, "But they do the damage pretty well."
"They look... pretty to look at," she commented.
The fox scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Thank you! I try to make them look presentable at the very least."
"There you are, Gawain!"
Her attention diverted to a blue hedgehog and a pink hedgehog trailing after him. She tried holding back her smile and amusement but it proved to be a very difficult task. This was Sonic and Amy. Sonic was King Arthur and Amy was Nimue, his lover and queen. They were actually together in this world.
If she could, she would be squealing in excitement.
"Oh and I see you've brought a guest as well!" Arthur shot her a grin and nodded politely as a greeting before looking at Gawain, "Gather up everyone at the table. I need to have a discussion with you all about what we've discovered just recently."
Gawain bowed. "As you wish," he looked over to Tikal, "What shall I do about Tikal over here?"
"Oh, I'll set things up for her," Nimue went to her with a bright smile and gently took her hands, "It's an honour to meet you, Tikal. We'll have your problem sorted out very soon!"
"Try and drag Lancelot out of his room, will you Gawain?" Arthur requested with a sigh, "It's been a while since I've seen him in the round table."
As Gawain walked off, Arthur properly introduced himself to her before checking on Smithy. Nimue lead her across to the hallway and into an empty room.
"We don't get many guests around here since we're really closed off," Nimue said as she went to a cupboard and pulled out some clothes.
"I-I apologise for being such a bother on a short notice," the echidna clasped her hands together as she sat down on the bed.
"Oh, don't worry. You definitely aren't at all!" the pink hedgehog put the set of clothes into her hands, "Please wear these clothes. I'll have the ones you are wearing cleaned up for you, okay?"
Tikal nodded. "Okay..." She looked around before asking sheepishly, "Would it be all right if I could take a bath?"
Nimue giggled. "Of course!" she gestured over to the door behind her, "Everything you need will be in there."
"Thank you."
A few minutes later, Tikal sat on the wooden bathtub staring into the bubbled water in daze.
Was there any reason as to why she was sent here?
Perhaps this was all a big dream and she was in the midst of waking up.
She blinked a couple of times and splashed her face with the water.
Nope, she was still here.
Sighing, Tikal relaxed herself to relieve the stress from her muscles. She grabbed the sponge from the side and scrubbed herself clean. She thought she'd be panicking, going insane and screaming. However, she was awfully calm about this whole ordeal. Maybe it was because everyone looked and acted like her friends... even though they weren't really them.
She leapt out of the tub and padded her way to the clothes Am-Nimue gave her. Toweled off, Tikal put on the undergarments and slipped into the clothing. They didn't seem different from the ones she wore, a skirt and a top. Just the colours were different, a turquoise blue mixed with a darker shade of blue. She slipped her feet into her sandals and went out of the bathroom to see Nimue waiting for her.
"Are you hungry?" Nimue asked, "You were probably out for a long time before Gawain took you in."
Tikal rubbed her arms nervously. "Y-Yes... quite."
"Let's take you to the kitchen then!" Nimue took her hand as she ushered her along the castle, "I hope you're okay with something simple for now until dinner."
They made it into the kitchen but it was empty so she couldn't help but ask, "Where is everyone?"
"Arthur gathered everyone to a meeting and he ordered the servants and maids to listen in on it as well," the pink hedgehog explained whilst preparing her some egg on toast, "Would it be all right if I leave you here to eat so I can be there?"
"It's fine," Tikal nodded with a smile as Nimue plated her food onto a silver tray, placing a cup of tea on the side as well, "Thank you so much..."
"You're welcome! I won't be too long, okay?"
Tikal was left alone to her thoughts again. She picked up the wooden knife and fork and began eating. When the taste reached her mouth, she was reminded of Amy's home cooking. Granted, it was just a bit of eggy on some toasted bread but the way her pink friend made it was always special. The added cinnamon flavour was her favourite part and Nimue's wasn't any different.
She sipped on her tea and shifted a little on her stool. She looked around the place. The walls were made of big grey old bricks and the fine dining was all wooden oak. Some parts were metal... some. It seemed all the metal material were mostly used for everyone's weapons and armour. Closing her eyes, Tikal suddenly felt really tired. Perhaps it was the warmth from the bath or finally having some food tucked inside her stomach that was making her feel so sleepy. Or, maybe it had to do with the fact she'd been away from the Master Emerald for so long. She hadn't been taking her daily visits to the gem lately because of Knuckles deeming it too dangerous to go near the altar, since Doctor Eggman recently had his eyes set for it for a while now.
She wondered if Knuckles managed to shoo him away for good...
Tikal snapped open her eyes when she heard people coming in. Galahad and Percival entered first, both of them smiling and giving her nod as they sat on one of the dining tables further into the room. She heard Gawain's voice coming from a distance, his tone sounding annoyed and grumpy. When the red echidna finally came in, her body became rigid when she saw the person sauntering behind him.
"You better start cooperating with us, Lancelot!" Gawain stated indignantly, "I'm sick and tired of having to clean up your mess when you decide not to show up for days!"
"Hmph."
Chaos, it was his voice. It was him.
"I don't need any sort of help when it comes to capturing those thieves," Lancelot stated with a diligent huff as he crossed his arms, "And stop making it seem I left without reason. I was trying to protect the castle by making sure no coming threats would fire at us from a distance."
Gawain rolled his eyes. "What a selfish bastard, you are! It was dangerous to do all of that alone! What if you got killed?"
Lancelot shot a vicious glare at him. "Don't assume something so ridiculous, Gawain."
"Oh I think I will, Lancelot."
"Well, I don't think you should."
Gawain clenched his teeth. "Stay out of my way in the next battle."
The hedgehog did the same. "My pleasure."
They had a tense stare down before Gawain kissed his teeth and snapped back around as he walked towards where Percival and Galahad were.
Tikal wasn't budging from her seat. She just sat still, staring at the black hedgehog that stood a few metres away from her. For some reason, it was becoming difficult to breathe and for some reason... she was scared. She was scared because there was no sort of calm aura around this man like her lover held. No... this man's aura felt cold and ruthless. And she was afraid of it...
When he realised he was being watched, his eyes quickly drifted across to her own. It made her flinch out of fear that her cup slipped out of her hands, smashing into pieces underneath the table. The spillage burned one of her palms and the broken pieces from the cup cut through her skin.
What...?
"Tikal!"
Gawain rushed towards her and gently pulled her up from her seat. Tikal didn't look at him though. Her eyes were still set onto Lancelot and she couldn't stop shaking. She wasn't focusing on Percival quickly wrapping her hand around with a band aid, she wasn't realising how terrified she looked when her breaths became jittery.
At the most, she could see he became slightly somewhat alarmed by her reaction. It was probably her bleeding hand, but Tikal suddenly felt really woozy and tired. Everything was spinning and the calls of her name were fading. The last thing she saw was Lancelot reaching forward towards her as she was met with darkness.
...
Tikal fluttered her eyes open, a grimace releasing from her lips as she slowly sat up against the headboard of the bed. Blinking several times, she realised she wasn't home but... still in one of the guest rooms in the castle.
Nimue walked in just as she awoke. "Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" she ran up to her and immediately began examining her face and hands, "You gave us all a scare!"
"I-I'm sorry," she apologised lamely, an embarrassed blush making its way up to her cheeks.
"It all right, Tikal," Nimue said in a comforting voice, placing a hand against her back, "But are you okay? You seemed perfectly fine before I left. Did something happen to cause this?"
All she could think of was Lancelot's eyes staring back at her. "N-No," the echidna stammered and shook her head, "I guess I'm a little under the weather..."
"Hmm," Nimue rested a hand against her forehead, "Well, it does look like you've caught a small fever. Here," she handed her a glass of water, "Drink this. Your throat probably hurts."
Tikal managed to down the whole glass in one go. "Thank you."
"If I knew you were this clumsy, I would of given you a wooden cup instead," she laughed out and caressed her bandaged hand, "The cuts were thankfully mild and the burns weren't too bad."
"Mm," Tikal ran a finger down the bandages, "I didn't mean to cause all the trouble..."
"Like I said, it's perfectly fine! After you passed out, Lancelot offered to carry you here much to our surprise."
She shot up at the sound of his name. "Wh-What?"
"Lancelot," Nimue said, slightly confused by her reaction, "He carried you up here and stayed with you for a while. I'm not sure why he wanted to. Gawain and Percival seemed eager to look after you but Lancelot insisted."
Her heart began beating at a faster rate. "He did...?"
"He did!" she paused and frowned a little, "Are you sure you're okay, Tikal? ...Did he make you uncomfortable?"
Sort of. "N-No!" Tikal spluttered out in quick haste and diverted her gaze down onto the bed sheets, "I-I... he's just a little intimidating is all."
More than that.
She knew Nimue didn't full buy her lie and she couldn't blame her. She was terrible at lying and was easy to read. She didn't have a single gene in her body that forced her to lie in success.
Nimue stared at her for a little moment longer before smiling. "I see. Well, that's never any news. He may not show it, but he does show gratitude and care to everyone in the castle. Lancelot likes to keep a lot to himself. He's bit of a stubborn hedgehog if you ask me."
Just like Shadow...
No. He wasn't Shadow. He may look and act exactly like him, but he wasn't Shadow.
"R-Right..."
Nimue's smile widened before she stood up. "I have a few duties to attend to now. I'll have a guard outside your room to keep watch. Please just rest up for now and don't strain your hand too much, all right?"
Tikal nodded and watched her go. Removing the covers off her, she sat up and turned her head towards the window, smiling a little when seeing a bird chirping at her. She walked up to it and pushed the windows open, letting the small bird land against the palm of her hand.
It chirped and relaxed in her touch as she petted it with her finger. Tikal looked across outside, the stunning view of the trees and hills pleasing her gaze. She placed the baby bird back onto the ledge before it happily went off to its family that flew by.
It reminded her how she missed being in the Chao Garden. Her shoulders hunched together as she wondered if they were doing okay, if they were fed properly and had company visiting them while she was away. If she was actually away... that is. She had no idea how time travel worked in dreams.
A dream. Right, this was a dream.
At least, she had hoped it was.
Being stuck here wasn't on her list. Sure, everyone was lovely and acted the same. But... she wanted to go home. Back to Knuckles and the Master Emerald. Back to the Chao Garden. Back to Amy's home made cooking.
Back to Shadow...
"You should be resting."
Tikal gasped, breath hitching as she whirled around to the owner of the voice. It suddenly became difficult to breathe as she saw Lancelot leaning against the wall near the door frame with one foot pressing against it. His arms were crossed over his chest, a thin lipped frown covering his face. He glowered at her, presumably waiting for a response.
She stayed quiet and placed a hand against her chest, gripping onto her dress anxiously. He kept his hard look on her, unmoved and without a single twitch. Throat feeling dry and her stomach doing flips, almost churning, Tikal took tentative steps back to the bed. He watched her when she did so and she sat down. She had no desire to sleep though... it would have been difficult anyway seeing how he would be there. So the echidna intertwined her hands and twiddled her thumbs, her eyes down casting to the weaved pattern on the lace of her dress.
There was a small throb coming from her hand and Tikal couldn't contain her wince. Using her left hand, she softly clutched onto it to reduce the pain.
"Don't do that. You will only strain it more," his deep voice boomed across the room and before she knew it, he sauntered over and knelt down in front of her. Without warning, he carefully took her hand and examined it, "Just leave it be for now and it will go in due time."
Tikal blinked, bewildered by his sudden soft spoken demeanour. When he looked at her again, she didn't gain the panic she had before. No... his look felt familiar, one that she was already accustomed to back home.
She quivered at the thought of it.
He must've noticed her discomfort because he pulled away just then. Though, he didn't stand up. He just continued searing his gaze into her.
The echidna bit the corner of her lip, feeling on edge. "I-I'm... I'm sorry."
Lancelot said nothing.
It pressured her to continue. "I'm sorry for reacting like that. I-" Tikal paused and breathed in, "I'm sorry."
She didn't exactly know what to say. You look exactly like my partner but much more distanced and scary that's why I was so surprised. Saying something like that was out of the question. It would've caused confusion and an explanation that she didn't feel like saying.
Lancelot remained passive, unmoving, as if he were trying to figure something out. He then pulled out his hand as he stood, offering for her to take it. Tikal stared at it and then at him. His face was indifferent. Hesitantly, she took it as he gently pulled her to stand. The hedgehog let go and began walking out. She took this as a sign to follow him which she did so cautiously.
...
She sat and watched Lancelot train. He took her to one of the smaller training areas in the castle and she assumed that it was his own area for him only. The male was using his blade to cut out the training dummies that were pulled and stretched into position.
He was really focused on what he was doing. She couldn't see his eyes as for his helmet was over them, but she could see his concentrated and calm frown not wavering the slightest as he moved. He was quick and steady, not even hinting that he was in the least bit tired. His accuracy was amazing and she could definitely see why he was probably in competition with the other knights.
The echidna didn't know the exact reason as to why he decided to bring her here. She didn't know his true intentions but she didn't question the subject. Staying in the bedroom would've proved to be boring and she'd have the strong urge to sneak out and explore.
Seeing how merciless Lancelot was being in his training, Tikal shuddered inwardly. The idea of having to train to fight still disturbed her. She still didn't know what they were battling against and she'd rather not know. The enemy must've been a very dangerous threat for all of them to practice this vigorously.
Her attention with her thoughts immediately faded when she saw the black hedgehog being surrounded with red aura around his body. His teeth were in grit, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he blew a strong powerful attack at the dummies. Tikal shielded her eyes, the wind of the heavy attack blowing her dreads. When it came to a stop, she pulled her hands away and noticed the dust starting to dissolve, showing Lancelot's figure staring at his work.
Maybe he was just standing tall to impress, but Tikal realised that his inhibitor rings were on the floor. She was up on her feet in minutes and rushed over to him when he stumbled down onto his knees.
"A-Are you all right?!" Tikal asked him, knowing how exhausted he must've been without his bands on. Shadow would only take them off if he really had to and the downfall of it would cause his energy to drain quickly.
"Yes..." he breathed and attempted to reach for his rings.
However, Tikal stopped him. He looked up at her and she was brave enough to send him a small smile as she picked them up. "Let me..."
She could feel him watching her intently whilst she slid his inhibitor rings back on. A low groan of satisfaction escape his lips when they clicked against his wrists.
"...Thank you," he said.
"Y-You're welcome."
She didn't noticed how close she was to him until seeing his lips directly in front of her own. Yelping, Tikal leaned away with a fiery blush on her cheeks. He observed when she did, his red orbs scrutinising. They looked contemplating and held that suspicion again. She broke her stare off him and averted her eyes down onto the ground as silence set into the room.
Until her stomach growled and broke that silence.
Tikal's face heated up in embarrassment, blinking down at her stomach and placing her hand on it when it kept on rumbling at a quieter tone.
"Let me take you to the diner," Lancelot stated and she watched him stand up and dust himself off, "You will have a hot meal prepared."
He lent out his hand again and she took it as he pulled her up and lead her out the room.
...
Tikal sat at the dining room table as one of the servants prepared her a hot meal. She thanked them with a smile and looked down at the food. After being passed out for a while, she was quite hungry. The gourmet of the steak fillet, rice and salad were definitely appetising for her stomach.
Using the knife and fork provided, she carefully dug into the food in favour of her right hand still being in a delicate state. As she chewed, she averted her gaze over to the black hedgehog sitting opposite her also eating his dinner. They were sitting on one of the smaller tables in the room so their proximity was quite close. He could've easily left her alone to eat but he decided to stay with her. Nimue mentioned she'd have a guard for the time being, did she mean Lancelot?
She noticed that she caught some of the maids' attention when she looked up. They were all staring at her, some with curiosity but most with hatred and jealousy as they shot glares her way. It made her start, shrinking against her chair. Lancelot noticed and followed her eyes, throwing a blunt glance at the group of maids. They realised he was looking and blushed out of embarrassment. He must've shown signs of annoyance and disapproval at them because they began squirming away just then.
He huffed and rolled his eyes, returning back to his meal.
Tikal wanted to thank him but instead found the courage to ask, "A-Are they always like that?"
"Yes," he answered in quick haste and a scoff, presumably still annoyed by them, "All they do is gossip nonsense, look at men as if they're some kind of feast they think they can tame. If they minded their own stupid business for once, then maybe they would be in the least bit tolerable."
"Oh," the echidna didn't really know how to respond, "Th-They seem to be interested in you, specifically."
"I am aware."
She pressed her lips together and nodded. That probably wasn't the kindest way to put it, but it was the way Shadow would explain it so it was no different hearing it from him.
The echidna continued eating and stayed silent throughout the course of the meal. She would occasionally sneak in a few glances at the male but sometimes he would look back, making her quickly look away with a flustered blush on her face.
It took some time for her to finish since the strain in her hand was still throbbing. Lancelot obviously finished before her and leaned back in his chair, eyes closed and arms crossed.
Once she felt like she had enough, Tikal drank most of the water from her cup. When their plates were taken away, Lancelot still had his eyes closed. She let him be for a moment and stared at him. This was the most calm she had ever seen him in the short period of time knowing him. The dark circles underneath his eyelids were faint but they were still very noticeable. She wondered if he ever got any proper sleep. Shadow had a habit of never taking some time off from work and he'd come home tired as ever, but refused to lay in bed sometimes. She'd have to at least force him to do so and he'd comply, despite being arrogant and not wanting to.
She guessed that Lancelot was a very skilled solider and so he was probably doing most of the missions. But Gawain did say that he liked to go off on his own despite being told not to.
In conclusion, he was a stubborn hedgehog, wasn't he?
Tikal smiled a little before looking out in the window. It was turning well into the evening already. The clouds made way for the moon to show and the stars twinkled beautifully next to it.
"Would you like to go?"
She paid her attention back to Lancelot. "What?"
"Outside," he said and sat up, "I usually take my walks around this time."
Her hand went over her dreads as she sent him a bashful expression. "I-I don't want to be in the way..."
"You won't be," Lancelot replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "I am to look after you as your highness requested so you might as well come along."
Tikal's chest tightened as she fidgeted in her seat, nodding with reluctance. "Okay..."
Of course, that didn't go past his eyes either. His posture became the slightest bit irritated. "Would it be better if Gawain escorted you instead?"
"N-No!" She paled, his condescending tone making her panic. Was that jealousy? Was he thinking she and Gawain had that sort of connection? "I... I don't mind if you do."
What seemed like forever after the hedgehog pinning her on the spot, Lancelot finally nodded. "All right. Let us go."
...
"Stay close," he ordered when they were venturing off into the forest.
Tikal stayed close but made sure there was some sort of space between them. Lancelot had his helmet on and his sword was resting inside of his sheath, though his left hand was clutched onto it.
She wanted to ask where they were going but decided to remain quiet. The silent walk was nice. She was able to concentrate on her thoughts and the fresh air. Back at the castle, they managed to leave without being stopped. Tikal assumed that Gawain and the rest were out already doing a task for Arthur and Nimue. There were still people inside though, giving questioning stares and glances but they did not once speak up on it. It probably had to do with the fact she was with Lancelot and he must've held some sort of authority because most bowed and straightened up when they greeted him.
He was a powerful figure and respected. Not that it surprised her though.
As time passed, they went further and further, Tikal began noticing that the amount of trees began to dwindle. The light of the moon wasn't blocked by them anymore as she stared ahead to see a large pond. She was in awe immediately, the water shimmering like the pond in the Chao Garden back home. Something propelled her forward, an eagerness to move quicker. She rushed past Lancelot and fell to her knees, beaming whilst taking in the picture.
It was a lake. A beautiful lake. It was so colourful and contrasted everything that seemed to be elsewhere in Camelot. There were trees but not many. There were big rocks but they didn't hinder the beauty of the lake. The grass was nicely cut and didn't overbear in height.
Tranquil, it was. It felt so peaceful.
She could cry. It reminded her of Angel Island.
"Put your hand in the water."
Tikal looked back at Lancelot who came and stood beside her. The front part of his helmet was lifted from his face. He didn't specify as to why she should and just waited for her to do it. She stared back at the water and dipped in her bandaged hand. At first, she didn't feel anything but her fingers and palm being soaked. However after a few more seconds, there were small bubbles forming and her bandages loosened into the water. Apprehensive, she quickly pulled away causing the bubbles to eventually disappear. She then looked at her hand to see that the burn marks and cuts were gone.
"The water is sacred here," Lancelot said, sitting beside her.
"R-Really?"
He nodded. "Yes. Not many people know about it."
She blinked at him. "Why not?"
"Because then the enemy would use it to their advantage," he explained and crossed his arms, "It's best to keep it under the shadow."
Tikal visibly flinched at the word shadow. Lancelot looked at her just then and kept looking, not showing any signs of glancing away. It was like he was waiting for her to break and she was currently trying to fight off the fact that she was really about to. His stare was breaking through her own, causing the echidna to shudder weakly.
He was no different from Shadow when it came to those stares. When Shadow would look at her like that, it made her feel good. And... he was unintentionally making her feel the same.
"It would seem to appear..." Lancelot's voice lowered, each word and syllable making her become weak, "That you hold some sort of familiarity with me."
Right to the point.
Tikal's first instinct was to scoot away and she did just that. "N-No!" her cheeks began warming up to a horrendous red, "We don't know each other..."
"Strange, I didn't say I knew you," the hedgehog's eyes held heavy suspicion now, "I was merely asking as to why you keep looking at me as if you really know me."
"What..." Tikal gulped, "W-What makes you think that? I don't know you!"
Lancelot squinted at her. "Don't lie to me."
She wilted at his tone. "But I don't..."
"Then why do you sound and look guilty?" he asked her instead, his voice not wavering, "You didn't seem upset around everyone else. Gawain, the King... but then the split second you saw me, everything fell on your face. You looked horrified."
Her stomach became knotted because she knew he was right. She just didn't want to admit to him that he was. What was she supposed to say?
"It's odd..." Lancelot said and leaned in closer, his stare pinning her down onto the grass, "I feel like I should know you. There's just... something so familiar about you. Like a dream I have forgotten... or rather a dream I have been anticipating," his red accusing eyes looked deeper in her quizzically, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you, Lady Tikal?"
Lady Tikal. It ran down his tongue so lightly yet so perfectly.
A pleasant shiver rushed down Tikal's spine. "N-No..."
He glared at her. "Liar."
She bit her lip, blushing at their now close proximity. "I'm not lying..."
"You're a bad liar."
"I'm not!"
Oh, but she was.
Lancelot's frown grew more intense. "Then who is Shadow?"
Tikal's eyes widened, her body freezing. "H-How-"
"It was the last thing you said before you passed out. Ironically, you said it directly towards me," he almost sneered, "Then you kept mumbling it when I was carrying you to your room."
She was red at this point, the blood rushing past her neck. His face was closer and closer and she could feel his breathing against her. His scent was intoxicating because it was the same. His minty breath was making her feel dizzy because it was the same. His ruby red eyes piercing at her were giving her a thrill and spark because they were the same.
Lancelot's hand gently ran down her dreads and Tikal couldn't resist it. "Shadow..." he repeated, "What an interesting name..."
If she could wrap her arms around his neck and find the comfort she desperately needed right now- tell him that he was Shadow but was not at the same time...
"I'm sorry," Tikal exhaled shakily and pressed a hand against his chest, "I'm flattered but I-I can't..."
"You cannot?"
She nodded. "I-I'm not from here..." Her eyes started to glisten, "I... someone needs me and I want to go back to them."
He searched her eyes and opened his mouth to say something but a rustle sounded behind them. Lancelot was quick to his feet, swiftly pulling her behind him as he whipped out his sword. Tikal watched as he scanned the area quickly, looking for the threat. A second later, a bunny rabbit hopped out of a bush and left.
The silence was as intense as she ever felt it before.
Lancelot lowered his guard but kept his back facing her. "You clearly have something for me but," his voice sounded blunt yet disappointed, "It's not me. It's him, isn't it?"
Tikal's heart sank, blinking out the tears she strongly try to withhold.
"I figured that maybe…" the hedgehog began but paused, "Because there is something so familiar about you," he turned back to face her, "You are important somehow, magic surrounds your aura and I can feel," he looked down and placed his hand over Tikal's, "Something in you that I can't reach."
Her stare became solemn, knowing exactly how he must've felt. He wanted to be where Shadow had been. How ironic that what both wanted what the other had. But the connection they shared was one of melancholic empathy.
"Someone else was to look after you, as her highness requested. But I had this feeling in my chest that it was my duty to instead," he chuckled lightly, "She and the King looked at me strangely, of course. They probably thought I had gone mental," the hedgehog sighed and shook his head, his fingers touching her dreads again, "I have this strong urge to protect you and have you all to myself, as selfish as it sounds... But I know that it is his duty and not mine."
He knew, at least. He knew what she had been thinking and trying to say this whole time about him. They weren't direct words but the both of them understood.
She couldn't feel that cold aura around him anymore and it pained her even more. "Lancelot..."
A smirk plastered at his lips. "He has good taste, I will give him that. You're very beautiful, Lady Tikal."
Lancelot leaned in again and Tikal didn't stop him this time. Their lips touched in a foreign yet familiar manner. They moved together, grips and holds tightening against each other's. She felt heated already, hands carefully running past through his helmet to bury her fingers into his long quills. Low groans and grunts sounded from him but that didn't seize her to pull him in even closer.
He pulled away, leaving her breathless. He grazed her temples with his teeth, nipping up at her ear and then down her neck. The affection was soft and intimate, not too dominant and overwhelming for her. He placed soft smooches on her wrists and knuckles, salvaging the smoothness of her skin. Tikal's eyes went half-lidded, biting the corner of her lip at his warmth against the cold midnight air.
He stopped and pulled away once again, commanding in a soft whisper, "Close your eyes."
Tikal sent him a questioning look but the sternness in he held told her not to speak. She closed them and felt his grip tightening against her hands causing her to tremble in anticipation. A shrilling sound filled her ears and she couldn't help but to open her eyes a little to see a blinding light shining between them.
A sudden innocent kiss was placed on her forehead just as she was about to grow unconscious.
"Have a safe journey back, Lady Tikal."
...
Tikal shot up from her bed, gasping for air as she broke into cold sweat. She frantically looked around and took in the surroundings of her and Shadow's bedroom. She snapped her gaze down at her clothes and saw she was wearing her usual blue night gown. A sudden throb from her head made her wince quietly as she lifted the covers off of her, suddenly feeling really hot in them.
A dream...
The door quickly swung open and she saw Shadow worriedly looking at her. "I heard you screaming," he said, a little out of breath, "Are you okay?"
She just stared at him for a moment before she beamed happily and ran over to him, wrapping her arms around the hedgehog so tightly as if he were to disappear from that spot.
He was rightfully confused. "Tikal...? What's the matter?"
"Nothing..." Tikal was still smiling as she looked up at him. She then noticed a few scratches on his face and few on his arms, "W-What happened?"
"The Doctor was up to his little empire antics again," Shadow explained with a small scoff, "Decided it was best to load out a hoard of his death egg robots. They're nothing major though, they'll go."
"Oh..."
"Did you have a nightmare?"
"...N-No."
He raised an eye at her, holding her shoulders. "Then are you sure you're all right? You're acting-"
"Yes!" Tikal abruptly cut him off but flinched at the shakiness of her voice, "I-I'm fine! I'm... I'm just feeling... under the weather."
Shadow pressed his hand on her forehead. "I suppose you are. Do you want me to make you anything?"
She pecked at his lips. "Hot chocolate please. With lots of marshmallows."
He rolled his eyes. Tikal knew that this was Shadow in front of her but a small smirk ventured up against his lips. It was like Shadow was remembering a previous joke.
"As you wish, Lady Tikal."