The day of her wedding.
Something she'd pictured would be the most perfect day of her life was finally here and yet here she sat glum. In the reflection of her mirror, sat a bride in her wedding dress; which detailed a sweetheart neckline that linked the fabric to her arms to her bare shoulders. It took over her chair entirely.
Her makeup was full glam, as it should be on a day this spectacular. A full smokey eye with the crease filled with glitter, her lips on the other hand, a more natural shade. Her quills beautifully curled in a half up, half down manner.
She was adorned with diamond earrings, with the string-like metal at the end dangling to almost reach her shoulders. And the ring. A reminder of her to her promise, her commitment. A square cut gem that looked too glam for her finger. Though the whole point of it was to flaunt. It was a promise ring given the day of her engagement, which she wore on her finger.
A perfect bride except no smile. And this bride-to-be was Amy Rose.
"Honey... Oh-goodness— You're still not ready yet?" She heard her mother come in to her room. An older hedgehog, slightly taller than her, shorter quills with a few smile lines hugged her shoulders, as she observed Amy in the mirror.
"Darling you're missing your veil. Where is your attention today?" Her mother tucked as she dashed to her king-size bed to pick up the laced veil which was longer than the two of them combined. A slight pull from the older hedgehog was enough to drag it to the other side of the room. She gently arranged it into position on her daughter's head and gave a sad smile.
"You're all ready my darling. Gosh, I can't believe your all grown up, moving into the next stage of your life."
Amy looked behind and grabbed her mother's hand. "It feels so surreal. I almost keep thinking I'm in a dream and I'm about to wake up." She paused as she moved out of her seat and stood a few steps away from her dresser. "How do I look Rosaline?" She asked her mother for a second opinion other than the make-up artist who complimented her endlessly until Amy forced her hand and made her leave.
"Absolutely stunning. Like a princess." She expressed with teary eyes. "Now go, your father's waiting downstairs." She patted her back quickly and pushed her to the door. The younger hedgehog stopped abruptly as she pulled the handle, and took a moment to observe her mother. She was proud. Of her. And that meant a lot. She was the only one that believed in her.
"I love you mom, a lot. Forever and always." She gave a soft smile as her eyes water slightly.
"I know that honey. I do too — Now hurry! Your father is waiting." She reminded her again which left her to pick her dress up and sprint down the stairs.
.
"Yes, we won't be any longer... I know I've been saying that over the last 10 minutes but you need to relax! It's my daughter's big day, she deserves to take her time to get ready— I'll call you back, she's here." A male hedgehog spoke hastily over the phone.
A flash of pink was noticed in his peripheral vision which caused him to abruptly end his conversation over the phone. It was an important day. For him as a father. He would put everything aside today and solely focus on his responsibility towards his daughter.
"Honey— I-" He bit his tongue as he stared at his once so small beautiful girl. He approached her fast and stared down at her in awe.
"You look absolutely wonderful." He pointed out.
Today might possibly have marked the happiest Amy had seen her dad. He was never like this, and it felt nice. It was rewarding to hear that she was the cause of his happiness. She smiled softly at her father's words and brushed his hands off her shoulders, grabbing them instead.
She couldn't process what to say, how she felt; it all felt like a whirl in her brain. She couldn't piece together words to describe how she felt. So she did what she did best. She remained quiet and let her eyes portray her words for her. Staring into her father's crystal blue eyes was enough to give her response.
"You think you're ready to walk down the aisle?" He asked raising his eyebrow which led the her to scan herself up and down then look back up to match his gaze. "I guess I a-" She finally spoke however was cut off by her old man.
"Hold that thought for a second. I'll be right back." He cupped her cheek as he felt his phone ring from his right trouser pocket. She plastered a weak smile to show she understood the importance of the phone call and tread to the door leading to the garden.
Did she mention the wedding was literally taking place in the garden?
Any tilted her head back to glance at her father having a heated conversation with someone over the phone. To her, that was normal. She had never seen a day where he hadn't been so— focused.
She kept her lips firm in a straight line and walked back in the direction her father was in. Standing by the garden was an awkward spot, given that the wedding was taking place in the very location and she had no one by her side.
"We're literally coming now. You're holding us up the very moment we speak. I'll see you outside Gerald." She heard him fake laugh.
Her father turned around, instantly clicking the end-call button and slipped the device back into his pocket. He placed a grand smile on his face and held his arms out towards Amy. "So.. How do I look?" He questioned to her.
She observed him closely. More than any other time. She never really noticed how tall and lean her dad was. That's probably why her brother's were of the same build. He wore a three piece suit, a standard tuxedo with a bright red tie. And lastly a pricey Rolex worn slightly loose on his left wrist, he always had flashy bling on... That wasn't out of the ordinary for her to see.
She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. It took her a second to think about what to say back. "You — look great! Tie might need a bit of tightening though..." She light-heartedly called out.
Her father let out a quick snort as he placed the tips of his fingers against his bow-tie and twiddled with it to bring it tighter around his neck. He let out a quick breath of relief and focused his attention back on her.
"I think we're ready now... —Wait, where's your bouquet? Dammit—" He cursed as he noticed the white roses he'd bought yesterday were missing. "Terence. Terence!" He called out to one of his mansion workers in a faffle to try and solve this matter urgently.
"Dad I must've left it in my room. I'll go quickly get it-" Amy tried to explain but got cut off by her worked-up father.
He brought his hand out to hush her and moments later, as he became more impatient, he screamed his worker's name. "TERENCE! Get down here right now!"
It took a few groans from her father and a small number of foot-taps before she saw a male figure stumble through the door with his hands holding a large tray. He placed it quickly a side table near the spiral staircase she has just come down from. Flustered, he rushed across back to the man of power and wiped his forehead quickly.
"Mr Rose, what's the problem?" He asked politely before sharing a look of concern towards Amy.
Her dad gave a brief smile before patting his shoulder. "Terence the problem is it's my daughter's wedding today. We're already VERY late and she's standing there without her bouquet. I handed it to you yesterday for safe keeping. THAT was YOUR responsibility! GO GET IT. NOW!" He loudly worded which caused Terence to gulp slightly.
"—Of course Mister Reese. I'm so sor-" He tried to apologise but was cut off.
"Yes, okay— Now go!" He shooed him off and brought a hand to his forehead.
"I have hired ABSOLUTE idiots." He shook his head to diminish his looming anger.
Remember when she said that this was probably the happiest she'd seen her dad? That — didn't last long at all. He was all grumbly again like she was used to.
"I told you... I had left it in my room. I could've gone and got it! Why do you always make such a big deal out of everything?!" She demanded.
Her father raised an eyebrow at her as he stepped towards her. "Because I need to assert dominance! If I stop being stern on the workers then there will be no discipline left in this household! They'll start stealing from us... And Chaos knows what else they could do next. You need to maintain the fear so they don't try anything funny!" He worded his thoughts.
He gripped Amy's shoulders lightly and leaned down which intimidated her slightly. "Look Amy, you've always been a little different with your thinking. But we could have anyone on our case at anytime — that's the problem with being inherited into a fortune." He huffed before continuing.
"You're still growing up and adjusting even after all these years... I don't care if the bouquet was your fault or not. It's about keeping all of the variables under control... including the workers! That's how we maintain our position, that's how we avoid traitors. We have to be tight whether we like it or not." He insisted which led his daughter to push his hands away.
"You're being so extra for no reason. I mean seriously? Terence is a good guy and you're throwing him around for things that I CAN D-"
"Mr Rose, the bouquet you asked for." Terence interrupted as he placed the flowers on the table beside the tray and folded his arms back.
Terence was a good guy. From what Amy understood, he never meant any harm. He'd been working at the mansion for quite some time now... four years to be precise. She was used to seeing new faces around but he was the only one her father had remained here. Even that was only because he would work double the amount her father paid.
Terence was different, slightly shorter than Reese Rose, by two inches or so. He was of a slim build, a cyan coloured hedgehog with a tanned muzzle, who she would see in the same outfit everyday. A plain white button up top with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, showcasing a vein running down his left arm and black work trousers. His quills would be gelled back slightly, and a tie he'd occasionally like to wriggle around when no one was looking.
Reese snatched the bouquet from the table,
storming to go pick it up and folded his arms. "I can let this off today. But only today because I'm in a good mood. Any further discrepancies will have you fired immediately Terence. You're a good kid, I'd hate to see you leave." He patted his shoulder.
The cyan hedgehog nodded as he understood what the older hedgehog said and held onto his right wrist. He then turned to her and kept his lips together. A moment after scanning her properly, he spoke up. "I am truly sorry for the inconvenience Miss Rose. I do hope today goes well for you."
She gave a half smile at Terence knowing her father's eyes were on her as she played with her ring. "Not a problem. Thank you."
"I'll take your leave then." He finished as he ruffled his quills through his hands and rushed towards his tray he'd left previously and walked gracefully to the door leading outside, where his main priority was to tend the guests.
"Now why are you all glum? Come on! It's your big day!" She was shook by her father's sudden energy and flickered her eyes up and down to comprehend the change in mood.
Her dad rushed towards her and rubbed her back lightly as he handed her bouquet which she held onto firmly with both hands. She squeezed her shoulders together and shifted her face to the side to face him.
"I don't know if I'm ready..." She paused as she squinted her eyes. "How did you know — with mom?" She asked softly.
Reese sighed at her questioning before focusing his gaze down on Amy. "Look I know it sounds ridiculous but you just know... And you, my dear, are complicating everything with overthinking. Relax! You're getting cold feet and that's perfectly normal — just don't be scared. You've known him for years!" He reassured her.
She looked down for a few seconds, a thousand emotions engulfing her at once. Fear, was the most obvious one. But at the same time she was excited, weirdly optimistic about this. Yet at the same time, major doubt loomed over her. Maybe it was the cold feet getting the best of her? Her dad was confident so she should be too.
And so she looked up, processing his look of concern. A father always wanted what was best for their daughter, and this was the same scenario. She patted the corner of her eyes dry, not remembering when exactly they became so glossy and choked out a laugh.
"O-kay, I'm feeling better now. So... should we do this?" She questioned Reese lightly as she arched her arm out for him to interlock.
The older hedgehog locked on to his daughter's arm quickly. "Gladly." He smiled as they proceeded to make their way towards the venue.
.
The Rose's weren't like other ordinary people. They were known for their wealth, inherited from generations ago down their bloodline. Amy and her two brothers were likely to inherit this fortune from Reese; as he had done so exactly from his mother. To which further, her father had been the creator of the legacy.
Being inherited into such a dynasty was almost overwhelming at times. Being in an environment as dynamic as theirs had its upsides. But with those upsides came down ones.
Granted, one upside was definitely the money they had. She'd never have to think twice about wanting something; it was always as easy as paying beforehand and thinking about whether she'd actually need the item purchased for later. Everyone envied her, and that gave her power. They wanted to be her, what better compliment could that be? Not to mention this mansion she called home.
But it was miserable at times. Her mother was always at business parties her father couldn't attend... And, well — her father would always be at work. It was as if he lacked the ability to focus on something else, even for a split-second. She'd spent the majority of her time in the mansion trying to do something to make time pass. Especially through trying to find some company. Except, having two older brothers didn't help.
Growing up, Kyle and Devon had been extremely frustrating to live with. She'd knock on their door hoping she'd be able to play with one of her brothers, but got shouted at for 'disturbing' them. She couldn't blame them though. Their compensatory mechanism to cope with the lack of attention was to play video-games all day. And the older she grew, the more she realised that the three of them had it bad. Not one of them got enough attention from their parents and that definitely had an impact on them.
She wasn't saying her parents weren't good people. They were kind, her mother especially. Her father, arguably, was slightly passionate at times but generally he was a good figure in society. Two wonderful people, excellent at their jobs, yet not-so-great with children. Who could've guessed?
Thinking back, as she was closed off from playing with her siblings, Amy caught up in the habit of spending thousands of rings on purchases she didn't need. It all stemmed back on the fact that she didn't have anything else to do... She also enjoyed exploring their garden, splashing around in the fountain when no one was watching and running at the birds she'd spot occasionally. Something about the scenery was so peaceful.
And that's where her wedding was taking place. In her back garden.
Upon holding her father's hand for support and the other to hold her wedding dress up, she placed her left foot on a tile, checking it was sturdy before looking ahead. She barely recognised her beloved garden. It had undergone a major transformation in the last few hours with dozens of workers using full effort to pull off something amazing.
She hadn't realised how much space the garden held. The trees she tried to climb years ago, was beautifully decorated with fairy lights, their trunks tied with a thick white ribbon in a bow format. They'd placed elegant lamps around the alter and were placed parallel to the chairs. They'd somehow managed to place four poles in each corner around the ceremony area that enabled creamy silk drapes to be placed across, making it seem more magical if it wasn't that already. She gulped as she notice the tiles in front of her, arranged in a straight line which led to the stage. And with 100 white chairs placed on either side of her, she gulped.
This, was beyond impressive. But she was scared. Everyone was sat in their chairs minding their own business. Some patted their makeup as though the wedding held today was theirs, whilst others asked for a tea from the workers stood in different proximities. And her eyes finally trailed to the one she was going to give herself to. Shadow.
His crimson red eyes glimmered as he scanned her head to toe. His quills looked nearer than usual, which was granted. He wore a plain white button up shirt which gripped him tightly, beneath which, Amy could see his ab lines. She blushed at this observation, not having noticing how shredded he was before. His shoulders looked buff in the black designer jacket he wore without closing the golden buttons. His trousers looked a little short, but it might have been a last minute issue with the tailor.
On realising Amy was checking him out, Shadow smirked and closed his jacket, widening his shoulders proudly to get another reaction out of her. She widened her eyes slightly and held onto her father's arm tighter. Reese, noticed this and patted her hand with his free one.
"Sis you look amazing!" She heard from a distance as she saw an older hedgehog approach her from her left.
"Ahh Devon, I haven't seen you all morning... Where have you been?! I told you, you needed to be here early to welcome the guests!" Her dad complained.
He scrunched his face slightly but then shook it off and placed a smile. "...And I've done exactly that. I was the first one here and got the decorations ready. I told you, you don't need to worry about me dad. If anything, you should be worrying about your daughter. She's always been unpredictable... Hold her hand so she won't run away eh?" He joked.
Devon was definitely something. He'd always have the tendency to make an awkward remark in situations it wasn't appropriate in. But what mattered was that his heart was always in the right place. He was 5 years older than her, single as can be. Probably because dad had given him a huge talk on how he should focus on his career rather than on relationships.
He was a tan hedgehog, taller than her father but of a medium build. Not to skinny yet not too big. He was an elongated version of her father quite literally, though his features were the ones that contributed to his good looks. He had bright blue eyes which you could see from a mile away. His quills were long but soft, it'd take him almost noting to fix them in place. A quick shake would be enough to get his quills ready. He had a nice dimple which appeared on the right side every time he smiled. And that was what the ladies would swoon over.
Today though, he wore a maroon suit with a black bow-tie. Devon looked down at her lovingly as he squeezed her shoulder. "I never quite realised when my little sis grew up. To think I'm meant to be the one getting married..." He rolled his eyes at her.
Amy laughed softly at Devon's response. She'd be lying if she said he wasn't her favourite brother. "So find yourself someone... You're THE most eligible bachelor — I mean... turn around." She laughed as her brother raised an eyebrow.
He was rather surprised to see multiple women turning around to sneak a glance at the dashing hedgehog. Some smiling beyond belief and others giggling to themselves as they talked about how well dressed he was today.
Realising that he'd caught onto them staring, the ladies hurried to focus their attention elsewhere, faffing with their drinks to wet their dry throats. Devon smirked to himself and shook his head before getting back to his sister.
"You seriously think one of THEM is a match for me?" He concerningly pointed out to which Amy brought her gloved hand to her brother's shoulder.
"No, silly. Of course not. But with the way that things are heading... I'm worried you'll end up with someone - well... Less of your standards." She pouted.
He breathed deeply at her words. When was the last time he had spent time with someone of the opposite gender, apart from his sister, mother, workers, and colleagues at the office...? Back in his school years he'd presumed. Despite his urge to justify his lack of need for a partner, Devon simply smiled. He'd occasionally have that thought barking at the back of his mind but pushed it to the end of his never-ending priority list. Of which the utmost priority today was making sure his sister's wedding was perfect.
He brought her hand down and cupped it. "You're ending up with someone of your standards though. That's more important to me." He smiled as both their eyes focused on Shadow for a brief second.
"Where is Kyle?!" The siblings jumped back to see their father scanning his eyes back and forth, grumbling to himself for not looking out for his greatest disappointment sooner. He bought both of his hands to his eyes as he rubbed his eyelids.
"I'm sure he'll be here soon enough..." Devon whispered knowing his father was about to lose his cool if even one more inconvenience were to happen.
"Enough." He raised his hand in the air and lifted his eyes towards Devon which caused the tan hedgehog to blow out slowly and fix his posture as he remained obedient. Reese breathed out, even deeper than his son had, before smiling brightly as he noticed he had caught the attention of some guests.
His eyes darted to the nearest worker, who knew they were to be assigned a nearly-impossible task. The shorter female worker approached her boss swiftly, as she folded her hands forward and greeted the family with a nervous smile. "Any problems Sir?" She asked formally.
Reese rolled his eyes for even assigning the worker this task but continued with his request nonetheless. "Yes, please tell Terence to locate Kyle Rose. I need him here in LESS THAN 10 minutes. You got it?" He spoke urgently.
Amy and Devon turned to each other with concern. Knowing their brother, he would get out of any situation okay. But this one was different. He was late to HER wedding, and her father would not take it lightly. She merely prayed he'd get here on time, for his sake more than hers.
As the lady shook her head several times in agreement, she scurried off to find her boss' most praised and needed worker. Reese was about to whisper how upset he was with Kyle once more but held off from the matter as he saw Shadow's parents approaching them from a metre away. He let go of Amy's hand and moved closer to them with a rather large smile across his face.
"Gerald and Anita, the couple of the hour!" He cheered, clueless to how his children cringed at his clearly fake tone. Anita was a curvy hedgehog, with lavious black fur. She was shorter than Amy, with curly black quills - some of which had streaks of red. She smiled softly at her son's soon-to-be father-in-law, which revealed a wrinkle on her forehead. "Always a pleasure to see you Reese."
"You literally took my words darling." Gerald laughed. A very proud figure, judging by his stance as he humbly laughed with his wife. Shadow's father - a wealthy gentleman who had dark grey eyes a moustache which were perpendicular to his smile lines and slick black quills. He brought his hand forward and shook Reese's firmly.
He edged forward to Reese, causing Amy's father to raise his eyebrows as he forced a smile. "Everyone's waiting. Shadow is here, your daughter is here. We are here. Then let's start the ceremony." He enlightened.
The older Rose, blinked twice as he tried to speak, with no words escaping in the first two seconds of his try. "I..." He smiled as he recalled his disaster of a son was off somewhere on this very important occassion.
"Is there an issue?" Gerald felt the need to ask, as he noticed Reese struggling. "Dear, is everything okay?" He turned to Anita, who merely shrugged her shoulders.
This wave of concern shared by the wealthy couple in front of him, enabled Reese to choke his words out. "NO!... -No... problems at all..." He laughed off. "We're waiting for — Kyle." He swallowed his pride.
Both Anita and Gerald's eyes popped as they shared a mutual look of concern before turning back to Reese. Amy did not know what was more painful to watch, their father in a very awkward state or the disappointment shown by her soon to be in-laws.
Gerald kept his lips firmly before speaking of the matter further. "Look Reese... People have been waiting for a while now. We need to make haste. I'm sure your son is responsible enough to get himself here soon enough." He indirectly threw a blow at him.
From the corner of his eye, Reese saw his wife trying to sign to him that it was time to get started. Even she knew there was no way of getting their son here unless a miracle happened.
"Very well. Have the guests settle. We will begin." He nodded.
.
Scared was one way to put it.
Her heart was pumping out her chest to the point where she was convinced it would fall out. She clung onto her fathers arm tighter to hide her tremble as she walked down the aisle.
The guests eyed her eagerly, as though they were waiting for her to make one wrong move so she would slip and embarrass herself.
The train of her dress was so long that she had to get two of her father's workers to hold either side to keep it in place. She blinked to herself, knowing she was the star of today. The focus of everyone's attention.
But was this truly the life she'd imagined for herself? Sure, she saw herself settling down with a loving husband and having kids someday... But was that day today?
She breathed out through her nose deeply and nodded at her father as she realised she was now at the altar where her beloved gleamed as he saw her. Shadow placed an eager smile on his face, shifting weight from his left foot to his right. He seemed agitated, much like she was. So it seemed as though it was a common feeling felt on such a huge day.
"We are gathered here today to embrace the union of Sir Shadow The Hedgehog and Miss Amy Rose." The officiant introduced. "Thank you for bearing witness to this union today."
Soon after a boring few words by their officiant, everything seemed to become out-of-focus. For Amy, it'd seemed the man had completely mute himself. She slyly turned her attention to the crowd, in which half were on the verge of falling asleep, a smaller handful concerned with the food arrangements and the rest busy with their phones.
She looked up to lock eyes with Shadow to which he looked closed his eyes briefly, indicating to her that everything was fine. That it'd be worth it. She merely focused her gaze onto the officiant, who still had so much to say.
She's known Shadow for her whole life. Well... Almost.
Reese and Gerald had closed a deal many years ago, probably when they were both 8 years old. As an act of gratitude, her father would invite their family over... More so discuss their business. It was weird to her at first, to never have her parents at home to suddenly having a whole other family over. But with time, she got used to it.
It was safe to say Shadow was her first true friend. Probably her only friend minus all the people who'd follow and like her social media. He knew a lot about her, as did she, and so both families decided it was best to get her wed to someone she knew properly.
"Do you Shadow The Hedgehog, take Miss Amy Rose to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The officiant asked.
"I do." The black hedgehog confidently replied, hiding his smile awfully as he folded his arms back.
He seemed... so happy? If she was being completely honest with herself, she wasn't matching his energy today. The pink hedgehog altogether felt glum. Empty.
She'd pictured herself finding a charming prince somewhere. Don't get her wrong, she knew her life wasn't a fairy-tale, yet... She wished things played out differently. Not in a million years did she expect herself to be here today, seconds away from marrying her supposed best friend.
"Miss Rose?" The officiant inched his face forwards, giving a slightly worried expression.
She let a quick 'mhm?' to alert the officiant that she hasn't quite heard what he'd asked her. She cleared her throat and turned to see her father tap his left thumb repeatedly on the knuckle of his right one.
That was a sign.
He was nervous. He was doubtful of her.
Every time her father became impatient or realised things weren't going to work out his way, he did that. It was a habit, she and her siblings realised a long while back. Today, he was doubtful of her. She slowly observed as his eyes squinted slightly, giving away how tense he was by the entire situation.
"Do you, Amy Rose, take Shadow The Hedgehog to be your lawfully wedded husband?" The officiant asked in a monotone voice.
She felt pressured instantaneously. Two words and her life would be changed forever. She had to be honest to herself though. Was this the life that she wanted? More importantly, was this the person she wanted to marry? She's been having doubts since this morning which she initially thought were cold feet. But now, it was stronger than ever. She couldn't just shake it off now, could she?
"Miss Rose?" The officiant called out concerned as he furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
Her whole family wanted this. She looked to see Devon place his hand on their father's shoulder as his thumb tapping grew intense. Her mother's hands were folded too tightly, as she noticed her lips quiver with tension.
She was taking too long. She didn't have time.
The guests began exchanging looks of concern and starting whispering to themselves as she still remained silent. Shadow's parents turned around to see the many people shifting in their seats, excited for the possible drama to come, which put them both on high alert as they turned back to face Amy, the colour of their faces draining slowly.
Shadow folded his lips inwards and moved up and down as his fiancé remained quiet. He was disappointed. He was disappointed in her silence, the fact that she had to think about them.
But that disappointment was nothing compared to the consequence she'd have to face for life for lying to herself. She couldn't put on a sham for her parents, him or anyone else. She couldn't imagine herself like this.
"I..." She started off, as everyone became engulfed with what she was going to say.
"Amy..?" Shadow called to her concerned, but she chose not to respond to him.
She closed her eyes for a second. One second only... and even that had felt like it had lasted a lifetime with all eyes on her. "I can't do this — I'm... sorry." She closed her eyes sadly before letting a single tear drop roll down her cheek.
And with that, the silence was replaced with loud gossip. Her father shot up from his seat in a split-second, ready to do whatever he could to get his daughter to agree. Amy knew he'd try his best, but she really didn't want to hear it now. All her life, it was always about making her parents happy, always keeping them in mind so that she'd be respected by them. By them, she meant her father particularly.
But she couldn't force herself into this marriage for their happiness. And she knew Reese would go bare bones with her to force her into this arrangement once more — though she wouldn't take it this time. Her heart thumped angrily as he took one step forward.
This was it. He was going to force his hand to have his way. Like he always had. But she wouldn't allow it this time. She wouldn't compromise to this situation. She wasn't going to be unjust to herself. He was making his way over to confuse her, to tell her she was in the wrong like he always had.
But she felt changed. Free, from the invisible shackles of her family and her name associated with this family.
And so she did what felt best. She picked up her humongous dress and sprinted as far away from this place as her little legs could carry her. The rush of adrenaline she felt as she ran away from this toxic environment she'd normalised felt refreshing. Her heart pumping vigorously reminded her she was alive.
She laughed to herself as she turned back watching her father's face mould from disappointment to resentment. He hated her for this.
"GO AFTER HER. NOW!" He roared to no one in particular as he clenched his jaw so tightly to the point where it seemed like he was inches away from dislocating it. And with an order from someone as powerful as him, the workers, Devon, even the majority of the guests made haste to catch his rebel daughter.
She could run but she couldn't hide from the hundreds of people chasing her.
.
"... B-reathe Amy... —Breathe." The pink hedgehog panted to herself deeply. It turned out the idea sounded a lot better in her head and that she hadn't thought about the execution of it enough.
The train of her dress was weighing her down, her hands were too small to bunch all the fabric together. She'd done something marvellous but terrifying at the same time.
Her head-start allowed her to slow down a little and catch her breath but where was she to go next? Her place was a never-ending maze and by the time she'd get to the gates, her father would alert the guards and have them on standby.
That was if she were to go that way.
She continued to pant as a new idea came into her mind and turned around relieved that no one had caught up to her yet. It'd be risky but it was the only shot to escape before this arrangement was forced onto her. Granted, they'd still be guards, but she was aware that they weren't as high security as the ones guarding the inside of their mansion. She'd need to make it to the parking lot to have a shot at escaping and going through the main doors of the manor was clearly not an option. This idea... Seemed more safe and do-able.
Hastily pulling as much fabric as her dress allowed, she proceeded to run towards her new exit, leaning forwards to bare weight to make her flee more easy.
It seemed to be working for her — the whole 'leaning forwards' thing. She'd made quite some distance from where she had last stopped although her lungs were full and her clammy hands refused to hold onto her silky dress.
She paused once more knowing she was out of breath again. Gosh, she wasn't an athlete... And the last time she ever did exercise was never. Hence the struggle she was experiencing.
She refused to give up though. She's made it so far already. And so despite every ache she felt in her body begging her to rest for five minutes, she ran.
.
"-Finally." Any panted deeply as she placed her hands on her hips and smiled at her escape. What she observed was a wall hidden behind the trees, present around the border of the mansion and it's greenery.
She'd assumed it was built for security purposes even though they had multiple measures of it. But this was going to be the workout of today (as if the running hadn't been).
She huffed realising that the wall was indeed taller than she had imagined. Specifically, it was close to two and a half metres tall, something was impossible considering her height and clothing for the occasion.
"Mhmmm... Stop, we need to go. Someone will see us." Amy flipped cautiously as she heard a female voice giggle not too far from her.
"Whatever, you're no fun. See ya Kacey." She heard a male voice say, as she realised it was coming from one of the trees further down where she was stood.
"It's Macey you prick." Amy heard the female yell, followed by a large clap sound which she could only think of being a slap to the cheek.
As the pink hedgehog approached the noisy couple carefully, she noticed the girl come out and fix her hair before discreetly setting off as if nothing had happened. She then marched over to the male and shoved his shoulder with as much force as she could.
"Owwwwww... What the hell do you think you're doin— Amy?!" He replied annoyed at first but confused towards the end as the pink hedgehog stood there with her arms crossed unimpressed.
"Seriously Kyle? You're messing with some girl on your sister's wedding day? Not cool." She rolled her eyes at him.
He winced slightly at the immense push he'd received from his sister and rubbed it only to pull his hand away knowing it was swollen and most likely will bruise.
"I-uh... Was just coming?" He pathetically reasoned whilst lifting an eyebrow at her. "But the question is... What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with dad and Shadow or something?"
She eyed his confused face, and took a minute to process her brother's concern. Kyle was always a bit of mess, needless to say. He was a light pink hedgehog with streaks of peach on his quills. There was a day and night difference between him and Devon.
Devon was clean, and always did what was expected of him whereas Kyle did anything to infuriate their father for his amusement. He was a little shorter than Devon, but an inch taller than their father. His tie was crinkled to the point where anyone could tell he was doing something he shouldn't have been.
His coat was thrown over the branch of the tree him and his newest accomplishment had previously been... And even that was stained with mud. His previously perfectly ironed white shirt was crinkled to the point where he looked like an ordinary, not a Rose.
"I-I don't have time to explain." She shook her head as she realised she barely had time for her great escape. She gripped at his shoulders lightly to help him understand the weight of her situation.
"I need you to help me up the wall Kyle." She nodded at him.
Kyle looked at her for a moment with a blank expression before he let out a sarcastic laugh. "And why the hell would you want to do that?" He questioned further.
"BECAUSE I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE! And you would've known if you were at the altar." She yelled at him, which startled him slightly.
"Wait-" Kyle brought his hand out as he closed his eyes for a second. "You're running away? Y-you ran away from the altar?" He questioned but instantly knew this was exactly the intention his sister had.
"Are you INSANE?" He placed his hand around his mouth and breathed out deeply. "Dad won't allow it and you know that."
"That's exactly the point, moron." Amy rolled her eyes at her brother. "If dad was so open-minded, I wouldn't be running away, would I? We'd have a civile conversation together..."
She stepped on her tip toes to check behind the taller hedgehog in case of anyone activity finding her but was relieved to see that she was still in the clear. Immediately after her confirmation of safety, she tugged Kyle's hand.
"I don't have time Kyle... You HAVE to help me up the wall. It's my only chance of getting out of this situation." She winced which caused her brother to frown.
"Please..." She furrowed her eyebrows further.
Her brother bought his hand to his forehead contemplating what he were to do. On the one hand, if his father became aware of his involvement of him helping flee Amy, he'd have to hear taunts for the rest of his life along with all cuts of his remaining freedom. But on the other hand, if he didn't help her today, he'd bear witness to seeing her chained away forever.
Their father was strict, he knew that all too well. She'd already messed up by running away, taking away the Roses' dignity and all other prospects society had given them. And after today, it was clear his father wouldn't trust Amy and keep her away from society as much as possible to minimise recall of today's incident. At least until everything returned to normal.
Which would most likely be never.
And with that, a growing tension built in Kyle's mind. Both sides of the coin were bad, but Amy having to face their father's wrath was far worse than him helping her dodge the bullet for now. In his mind, he was sure his sister would return once their father had a cool head and explain why she couldn't go on with the matrimony.
"Okay- I'll help you climb the wall. But- I have to know... You'll be back soon, right?" He asked.
Amy smiled brightly as soon as the words left his mouth. She knew her brother wouldn't be selfish and leave her to struggle on her own. "Like a max of say- a week? And then I'll come back. By that time, dad will only be concerned about my safety and ignore everything that I did today." She confidently expressed despite this plan only forming in her mind minutes ago.
"And where are you going to stay? All our penthouses will be checked- You can't go there... Any of your friends houses will be checked too." Her brother questioned appropriately.
Amy shook her head at how smart Kyle had gotten. The notorious playboy of a brother she had was somewhat wise... She'd give him that. "Look." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'll figure it out. I'm a Rose." She looked into his eyes as he held a straight face.
"Now help me up that wall." She giggled as her brother rolled his eyes and started rolling his shirt sleeves up.
.
"If you need anything, call me from another number. I'll make sure to pick up. If dad finds out I'm involved in any way... Including you calling me from your own number, he'll have me killed." Kyle pointed up at Amy sternly, who was casually sat on the top of the wall with her dress fabric dangling down in its lifeless form. It was his way of making sure she knew she could count on him.
"Of course." She replied as she carefully switched position to face the other side of the wall. "Ummm the jump down looks painful." She giggled as she tilted her head back to see Kyle shake his head while smiling.
"See you on the flip-side soldier." She saluted him, as he did the same back.
"Stay safe sis." He murmured to himself.
.
"Owwwwww" The pink hedgehog winced as she brought her elbow up only to see her skin scratched but thankfully there was no sign of blood.
She lifted herself carefully, failing as she tripped over the fabric of her dress, slumping back down on the concrete floor. She huffed at her clumsiness and again lifted herself, this time using the support of the wall she should've utilised the first time round.
"Okay, now where to next." She softly spoke to herself as she noticed where she stood.
She noticed the large black gates open by the two security guards, each opening one either side, allowing one of the family vehicles to leave the premises. Her family car-park was luxurious to say the least.
A nice curved pathway was carved out for the vehicles to leave the car park and circle around the huge fountain they had in the centre in front of the main entrance of their mansion before leaving via the main black gates which always had security.
Further to this, the outer edges of these personalised roads were covered in white tiles and stones bordering the wall that she used to get here. And one thing she forgot about completely was the little security office situated in the far right hand corner.
Leaving here without being spotted was next to impossible.
Amy huffed to herself knowing what she was going to do would be absolutely ridiculous. She knew it was completely stupid, although it seemed less disastrous than running from the altar. And so she grabbed multiple fist-sized stones (which were definitely more like rocks), and held them in her dress as she made a haste to get to the black gates, and along with them, the security guards.
"Freeze. This is NOT a work event!" She expressed loudly with her eyes widened as the guards turned back to see their boss's daughter holding her dress with one hand and a rock in the other, ready to throw at either one of them.
As one of them tried to grab his walkie to inform Reese of his daughter's presence, Amy didn't hesitate and directly threw the rock towards him, causing him to throw his walkie away as he dodged the weapon she'd utilised.
"Ohmygosh- I'm soooo sooo sorry." She quickly gasped. The pink hedgehog herself jumped as she threw it at him out of impulse.
She efficiently grabbed one more from her bundle stacked in her dress and proceeded to aim it again. "Look... I'm not here to hurt anyone. I respect you guys. Just please- Let me leave. I really don't care what you do afterwards." She tried to reason.
One of the guards kept his arms in the air as he tried to inch towards her, but Amy pretended to throw the rock which caused him to step back. "We get paid to ensure your security Miss Rose. It doesn't work like that." He have her a reality check.
She huffed as she threw a rock in the middle of the two of them causing it to bash against the black gate and echo painfully in her ears. "As your owner I demand you open these gates." She expressed confidently.
"As much as we respect your orders, Mr Reese has already made it very clear to us that you cannot leave the premises." The other guard spoke up.
The pink hedgehog tapped her foot impatiently as she realised she wasn't going to be let out. She didn't have time, she had to get out from this gate to escape the mess she'd made. And so she took a third rock and directly aimed to smack it at the left guards knee.
"I'm so sorry about this in advance but you guys left me no choice." She apologised genuinely as she flung the rock with all her force, which hit the guard's right knee causing him to grunt and fall. The other one rushed by his side as his partner rolled around in pain.
Amy took the opportunity to run at the gate, open it and slip out before running erratically whilst dumping the remaining rocks that she held in her dress.
The guard held his colleague's knee as it bled freely whilst quickly reaching for his walkie. "Sir, Miss Rose just fled through the main gates. We have one man injured."
.
As she continuously ran, she felt the wind tingle her skin, getting goosebumps from it alongside the adrenaline she was feeling. It was rude and not okay to hit the guards who were there for her family's safety, though she had no other way around them.
She'd managed to make it out of her area which was slightly more secluded and after a couple of minutes of running, she'd managed to make it to a more local place where people eyed her viciously. The combination of diamond earrings, a diamond ring and a muddle designer dress, all while she was running didn't make a great combination.
She stopped for a second to catch her breath. Gosh, she was exhausted but she couldn't keep running on her feet. It'd only take a couple of minutes for someone to at home to drive around and spot her. She couldn't exactly hide in public with her heavy makeup with her bridal attire.
She'd need a faster mode of transport. A bike, a car... Hell, even a bus would be good. She continued to pant as she felt her limbs refill with oxygen.
"AMYYYYYYYYYY!" She heard her name from behind her and immediately turned only to have her heart drop out from her chest in fright.
What she was seeing was beyond unbelievable. Her mind froze, pupils dilated, white noise fuzzed through her ears which was replaced with the noise of her erratic heart rate.
What did she see? A hoard of people running at her, lead by none other than her father. As soon as she was sighted taking a break, the crowd took the opportunity to divide so that there was half of them running from one side and the other half stayed on the same. She saw all sorts of faces - wedding guests, guards, workers anyone and everyone.
As the realisation hit her that she was in greater trouble than she had initially expected, her brain signalled her to choke a breath out as she picked her dress up and began sprinting.
"Get back here!" Reese screamed as he signalled his folk to speed up to stop his hay-wire daughter from doing anything more stupid.
"OhChaosOhChaos." Amy mumbled to herself as she felt her soul leave her body as she noticed the hoard speed their tracks, fully knowing she couldn't run any faster than she was already going. She couldn't hide, she couldn't run. It was all over. She would go back, get married and was never to be trusted again for her whack behaviour today.
She felt a tear escape with the wind as she realised she was the one that put herself in this situation in the first place. If only she had been obedient, if only she had just done what was asked of her. Even though she knew it didn't feel right for her, she should've just gone ahead with it.
As she looked back once more, she noticed the five metre gap between her and her lunatic hunters now narrowed to two metres. They were gaining on her. It was only a matter of time before they caught onto her.
And that's when she saw it. Her escape.
Her eyes widened ahead as she saw a grey car situated on her side of the road, rear lights still on. That meant someone was still inside. The universe was giving her one final chance to escape from this disaster of a wedding. Her heart pounded louder and harder as she felt the blood pump into her legs, giving her one final push to sprint up to this car.
She instantaneously tugged the door open with all her might and scooted inside in a second before slamming the door shut, more than half her dress still outside. Through reflex, she turned around and noticed Reese and his crowd were metre away as she turned to quickly grip the man's arm and place it on the steering wheel.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" He scrunched his face at the obviously uninvited stranger who'd just happily let herself into his car.
"We need to go, NOW! GOOOO!" She patted on his shoulder as she closed her eyes, painfully knowing it would be a split-second whether or not she'd get out of here or not.
She breathed out and smiled with her eyes still closed as she felt the car pick up speed and the noise fade her ears. She peered one eye open and then the other before turning her back to see those lunatics awestruck, frozen in place as the distance between them grew more and more. She could tell her father was beyond enraged from his bitter expression.
She melted into her seat, facing forward before leaning towards the blue hedgehog that brought her to safety, who was focused on driving out of this area as quickly as possible. Even though he had no idea who she was, she was grateful he took off and trusted her words.
Fate was definitely on her side.
A/N: Hello, thank you for reading. The plot has been set and it's only a roller coaster from here onwards! Please do fav, follow and review if you've enjoyed. Until the next one!