Candlelight flickered inside the hall outside the palace audience room. Shafts of morning sunlight streaked through high window slits in the ceiling and fell on the still form of Sally, turning her auburn hair to spun fire.
She stood next to the double doors leading into the audience room, her blue eyes glazed over in thought, dim and distant. Like they had been ever since she first took her place there an hour ago.
Her entourage stood at attention behind her. Though they kept their faces blank, concern shown in their eyes, and every few minutes they glanced at her back.
Sally clenched her fists against the skirt of her gown, her knuckles locked.
The door at the end of the hall began to open.
Sally's eyes flickered and her ears cocked forward.
Sonic strode in, the chains on his ankles dragging across the marble floor. He bent his head, kicking the loose end of his chain over the threshold. His escort, Scratch, clanked in behind him.
The hedgehog took one glance at Sally across the room, a sharp hunted look lingering in his eyes. He forced a smirk, a shudder running through his body.
They began to walk down the hall and Sally straightened, gathering her breath. When Sonic had walked halfway down the hall, she nodded her head to him in a bow.
"Hey, Sal, you gonna see Robotnik too?" Sonic blurted.
Sally jerked her head up from the bow, frowning at him in surprise.
"'Cause you look sick," Sonic commented. A smirk hid in one corner of his mouth.
Sally's jaw dropped. She snapped it shut, her blue eyes flashing.
It was too late though. His words blasted through the fear that had gnawed at her all night and her shoulders slumped. She was just glad he was there.
Bunnie had told her everything. It took nerve to joke at a time like this.
But she still scowled at him. "Greetings, Ringweilder, and, no, you know very well that I am here to oversee the tribute exchange, as always. The queen mother will be here shortly."
That random lock of hair fell out of her circlet into her face again. She brushed it back in annoyance.
"Aw, sure—or maybe you were just lonely." Sonic paused and pushed his weight onto one leg, his eyes bright with mischief.
Sally raised one eyebrow with a silent hmph.
"Move," Scratch nudged Sonic's shoulder, but Sonic shook him off.
"Yeesh, can I have a minute, man? I'm talking to Sal," he snapped.
Sally pinched her lips for a second, still glaring. She whipped her head to face the robot. "You still have five minutes to spare and you cannot proceed before the queen arrives." she informed, "Let him talk."
Scratch locked his arms at his side in obedience.
Sally arched her eyebrows and smiled. At least robots respected her.
"See, Scratch, she can't help talking to me," Sonic smirked.
"Flatter yourself." Sally retorted dryly, her eyes snapping. She took a deep breath, wrinkling her nose and clasping her hands before her. She closed her eyes. "How are you?" She asked in her most princess-like, formality-only tone. As if she didn't really care at all.
Someday he would get the picture that even though, off stage, they may be secretly criminals fighting for the planet together, she was still a princess, and not his playmate.
"As well as can be expected," Sonic shrugged. For the first time, a glimmer of tension emerged in his eyes. "Looking forward to getting my hands back." He snorted and flexed his hands from where they were cuffed behind him.
Sally narrowed her eyes and parted her lips.
She caught her breath and nodded to him. "I…I hear you may need to go out of town to find some food for Grampa Chuck's business…this economic crisis must be addressed at once and my mother is doing what she can, but…if you need short term reserves, I am sure I could help somehow…" she dropped her gaze. "Do you… need assistance, Sonic?"
Sonic frowned, and glanced away. He rolled his shoulders. "Aw, well…I'm not sure yet…especially about the travelling, I mean packing is a big deal—and I don't know if Gramps is up to something like that." His voice caught. "But, ya know Sal, I talked to Amy Rose on the way and she's having a real hard time at school, and she may need to leave, so if you've got some extra food lying around here, she could use it."
Sally's eyes flickered, but otherwise her face was expressionless. "I will see to it. Thank you."
"Yeah, and…" Sonic pushed forward a little. "She also told me something about the Mobia People's Council handing me over to Major Metal head in there…" He laughed, dread wavering in his eyes. "Some crazy rumor? Anything going on there?"
Sally's eyes widened. She froze.
They stared at each other.
I'm sorry, her eyes pleaded.
Sonic did not move. He swallowed.
Sally opened her mouth, but closed it again. She glanced away, trying to gather her words—
A door to the upper balcony over the audience hall opened.
Sally suppressed a sigh, pinching her lips together.
Too late.
Queen Alicia stepped through the door, draping a sapphire-embedded shawl around her bare arms. "Sally, you are here already—"
Sonic dropped at once to one knee and bowed his head, bound and all. "Your majesty."
Queen Alicia stopped, surprised at Sonic's presence. She folded her hands and nodded to Sonic. "Sonic, Ringweilder. I trust you are well." She began to walk down a small flight of stairs, her own entourage beginning to file out behind her.
Sonic raised his head, jaw tight and eyes bright. "Your majesty, Tails an' I would be a lot better off if we weren't the Doctor's slaves—the whole planet would be better off if he couldn't so much as stick his big metal toe in here—Majesty, if you please, the people of Mobia can't keep living like this. Can you talk to the People's Council, ask them to think about all this, get them to—"
Scratch's metal wing shot out, smashing Sonic across the side of the head. Sonic hissed in pain, and he cocked his head against his shoulder.
Queen Alicia caught her breath, freezing at the bottom of the stair. "Please, none of that here."
"All Hail The Doctor Ivo Nikolos," Scratch said.
Sonic forced a smirk, head still cocked. "If you could do that, your Majesty."
Sally stared at Sonic, her jaw set.
Pity graced Queen Alicia's face. "Sonic….you are a very persistent hedgehog. I commend you for this. You never fail, when you come here, to share your concerns with me. However, you should know that the last time the People's Council met, they unanimously declared their decision to support The Doctor's presence here."
Sonic's eyes seemed to flare. "Did they, huh?"
"They did."
Sonic shot Sally a look. They both knew how Robotnik pressured the People's Council.
The princess kept her head bowed.
"They also agreed that you should maintain your current relationship with the Doctor. It has secured some peace for Mobia, and for that we thank you." Queen Alicia said.
Sonic locked his gaze hard on the queen, leaning forward. "I don't care, just so long as he doesn't have to be here, telling you what to do, and—and telling Mobia what to do, he's making slaves of all of us—with all respect, Your highness we're going down one way or another and if we're not going to go down fighting—"
Scratch's wing swung down again into the side of Sonic's face. Sonic cut his words short, gritting his teeth. He ground out as fast as he could, still facing the queen with burning eyes. "Please, I don't know how much time I've got left here, but if you won't listen to me—listen for your people and Sal and those kids chained up in the Robotropolis factories-for those people goin' to that Roboticizer today because we haven't stopped him yet-"
Scratch looked ready to strike again, but Queen Alicia raised her hand. "It is time for the tribute to be presented."
Scratch gripped Sonic's arms and yanked him up to his feet.
Sonic's gaze searched the Queen's face, desperate.
Sally stared at him, her eyes shining in pain.
Scratch gave Sonic a shove in the back with his foot-claw, thrusting him towards Robotnik's audience room.
Queen Alicia began to walk towards the doors. She did not look at the hedgehog.
Sonic took his place, kicked at the chain around his ankles and bowed his head.
Sally lurched forward from where she stood. She stepped behind Sonic and latched her hand onto his shoulder, squeezing as hard as she could. Her blue eyes burned.
He was the bravest idiot that ever lived and she was going to do all she could to make sure he lived to fight for them all.
Sonic raised his head at her touch, his jaw still set. But the tension began to fade in his eyes.
Sally glared at his back, as if trying to will the rest of her message to him with her mind alone. We will not let them take you, Sonic. You've fought for us, now we're going to fight for you-
The Queen took her place behind Sonic and Scratch, next to Sally. Sally dropped her hand, gathering her breath and arranging her skirts. The combined entourage fanned out behind them, taking their places.
Sonic lifted his gaze to the door before him, and took a long, deep breath.
The doors opened.
