Lancelot stood in the throne room, watching King Arthur, or Sonic as he liked to be referred to as, sitting in the royal chair and constantly fidgeting in place. He just couldn't stay still and looked rather bored.
Suddenly the door to the throne room burst open, and a messenger came running in. The messenger stopped at the bottom of the steps that led up to the throne and quickly went down on one knee. "My Lord, I come baring news."
Sonic leaned forwards, intrigued by what the messenger had to say. "What is it?" He asked.
"A knight has challenged you to a duel. He wants to meet tomorrow morning in Faron Woods." The messenger declared.
"A fight, huh? Sounds like fun. I accept!"
Lancelot was surprised that he would accept the challenge without much thought. He had to intervene. He quickly walked over, his custom made armour clinking and rattling as he moved. "Sir, might I object. I don't think you should be the one to fight. However, I could replace you, if you so choose."
"Lance, relax, I got this. I can take care of myself, and I'm sure this guy ain't so tough. It'll be a piece of cake." Sonic replied confidently.
"But sir, you don't even know who this challenger is." Lancelot objected.
"I'm afraid his identity is unknown." The messenger spoke up.
"See, he can't be that tough, he's afraid of telling us his name." Sonic commented.
"Sir, you really should think this through. This challenger could be anyone, you don't know what their skill level is like. They might even be a threat."
"Lance, you don't need to worry about me, I can handle this, I defeated the Black Knight and and Merlina, didn't I?"
"You're right." Lancelot responded "Forgive me for questioning your abilities." He said, bowing to him.
"Hey, don't worry about it." He replied, before turning his attention back to the messenger "Go back and tell this knight that I accept his challenge." He instructed.
The messenger nodded, bowing to Sonic and then making a hasty retreat. Once he was gone, Sonic turned his attention back to Lancelot. "Thanks for looking out for me, Lance. You always have my back." He said with a grin.
Lancelot couldn't help but feel himself blushing. He was just glad that his helmet hid his bright red cheeks.
Lancelot watched in pure horror as the rival knight stabbed his sword through Sonic's chest. Sonic inhaled sharply, before he started to choke on his own blood. Immediately after, the blade was torn out of Sonic's chest. His legs buckled and he collapsed onto the ground.
"NO!" Lancelot screamed.
The sound of thunder crackled over head as Lancelot sat up in bed, breathing heavily, with pools of sweat dripping from his body. A flash of lightening lit up the area, allowing Lancelot to see for a brief moment that he was not in the woods, but in fact in the comfort of his own room.
"It was just a dream." He told himself quietly, touching his bed sheets just to assure himself that it was true.
He felt uneasy. Something wasn't quite right. He had to check on the King.
Lancelot threw back the covers and got out of bed. After that he had to put on his armour, after all, he couldn't let the King see him without it. That would be unprofessional. Once he was ready, he exited his room and hurried to the King's quarters. Once he arrived, he knocked on the door and waited in the corridor with the sound of heavy rain falling outside.
Mere moments later, the door opened slightly to reveal Sonic's face. Lancelot bowed to him "My Lord, forgive me for disturbing you at such a late hour." He apologised.
"No, it's okay. I'm glad to see you." Sonic replied. He then opened the door wider "Come in." He said, inviting him inside.
Lancelot hesitated before entering the room. It was quite a large room, with a King sized bed to go with it. Lancelot had never entered Sonic's living quarters until now, he'd never had any reason to. He certainly was living a life of royalty, which was to be expected.
"So, Lance, what did you come to see me for?" Sonic asked, grabbing his attention. "I mean, there must be a reason you came here in the middle of the night."
"Yes, there is a reason." Lancelot began. "I know that we agreed that you would be the one to fight tomorrow, Sir, but as your personal guard, I think it would be wise if you dropped out, for your own safety. And..." He trailed off for a second "I think I should take your place. I am the strongest member in the Knights of the Round Table. It would be an honour to fight in your name."
Sonic stared at him "So, what you're saying is, you'd rather put yourself in harms way to protect me?" He questioned.
"Of course. As a knight it is my duty to protect my King. If that means that I am to be hurt, then so be it." Lancelot answered.
Sonic sighed "Do they really tell you all this stuff at knight school or whatever?" He questioned. "Lance, your safety is just as important as mine."
"But you're more important, I am nothing compared to you."
"That's not true. You mean everything, Shadow, especially to me." Sonic told him, reaching out and touching his hand. He then came to a sudden realisation and pulled his hand away "Sorry, I slipped up again. It's easy to forget sometimes." He apologised. "Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."
"Not at all." Lancelot replied. "However, I don't understand, why won't you let me do this for you?" He asked, though he was treading very carefully with his questions.
"Because it's my fight, and I don't want you to fight my own battles for me. Plus, I don't want that guy thinking I'm a coward."
"You're right, Sir. You always are."
"Heh, don't flatter me, I'm not always right." Sonic responded with a small chuckle.
"A King normally is. He knows what he wants, and he knows what is best." Lancelot stated simply.
Sonic looked at him for a moment and then glanced out of the window at the pouring rain. "Tell me, Lance, has anyone ever asked you what you want?" He quizzed.
"What I want? What I want does not matter." He answered.
"It matters to me." Sonic told him. "Come on, tell me something you want to do or say, I won't get mad at you for it." He encouraged him. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?"
"I-" Lancelot began "What I want is to go with you tomorrow, to make sure that you are safe. If I cannot fight for you, then I shall remain by your side and ensure that nothing happens."
"Sure, you can tag along." Sonic said cheerfully.
"I may?" Lancelot asked, surprised by Sonic's response.
"Of course. I could really use the company."
"Thank you Sir, no one has ever listened or given me permission to do what I want before." Lancelot said gratefully.
"No problem. I'll always listen to what you have to say, so don't ever hold back. You don't have to worry about over stepping your bounds around me. I'm not like your old King, or like any other. I'm just me." Sonic replied.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Is there anything else you want to say while we're at it? Anything you've kept bottled up and just need to open up about?" Sonic asked.
"I-" Lancelot hesitated and bit down on his inside lip, so hard that he almost made it bleed. He knew Sonic wanted him to express himself, but there was something on his mind that he thought would be best if he held his tongue about. "No, that will be all, Sir." He stated simply. "I shall leave you in peace. My apologies for bothering you."
"You don't have to be sorry, you weren't bothering me at all. In fact, I was happy that I got to talk to you properly for once." Sonic responded, smiling at him warmly. "And you don't have to call me Sir or Lord all the time, you can just call me Sonic, or Arthur if you want."
Lancelot stared at him for a few seconds, studying his expression. From his body language and the way he spoke, Sonic truly did believe that they were one in the same. Lancelot couldn't help but admire that, despite the fact that it went against what a King was. Even still, he could not allow it to go any further than it had. He wasn't like Sonic, he had strict rules to follow. "Sir, as much as I appreciate the offer, it is not my place to call you by name without mentioning your title, it would not be very chivalry of me." He stated.
"I bid you goodnight. Farewell, King Arthur." He bowed, and with those final words he departed, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.
He paused in the corridor and leaned back against the wall, clutching his chest.
If only he knew.
In the early hours morning, there were dark grey clouds hanging overhead, with no sign of the sun. It was raining, just not as much as the night before, instead it was just a light drizzle. It was also slightly foggy, reducing the amount of visibility they had.
Sonic and Lancelot walked side by side through Faron Woods. Lancelot had his hand rested on the handle of his sword, and was remaining vigilant. He was fully aware of his surroundings, and was ready to unsheathe his sword at any given moment if anyone dared to ambush them.
"I don't see why I have to wear this armour." Sonic grumbled. "It slows me down."
Lancelot glanced at him, studying the golden armour that he was adoring. "It's to keep you safe. One slash from the enemy's sword and it could all be over, but your armour should be able to protect you from harm." He told him.
"The enemy wouldn't be able to touch me if I wasn't wearing this armour, I'd be able to go a lot faster."
"And what if the tip of his sword caught you? You can never know what might happen, so you have to take precautions."
"Where is this guy, anyway? He said he'd be here." Sonic wondered.
"It's hard to see anything with this weather. However, we have not arrived at our destination yet, so just be patient." Lancelot informed him.
The two continued to walk in silence. Lancelot glanced up at the trees, watching as water droplets dripped off of the leaves. There was also a strong scent of wet grass.
"So why did you want to fight for me?" Sonic asked.
Lancelot turned his head towards him. "It is my duty as a knight to ensure that the throne is not threatened. I must protect you and my kingdom. Long live the King, as they say."
"That's your only reason, nothing else?" Sonic quizzed. He seemed suspicious, could be tell that Lancelot was hiding something?
"Is my word not enough?" Lancelot fired a question back at him.
"Yeah, of course it is, but-" Lancelot interrupted him, putting his hand in front of Sonic to stop him where he was. On the path in front of them was a shadowy figure that they could only just make out through the fog.
"Who goes there?" Lancelot called out.
The figure did not respond, instead he or she began to approach, whilst withdrawing a sword.
Lancelot withdrew his own "Speak thy name or I shall strike thee!" He shouted.
The stranger went down on one knee and bowed.
"Relax, Lance, it's just the challenger." Sonic spoke up, moving Lancelot aside and unsheathing his sword. The rival knight stood up, preparing for the fight.
"Hm, not much of a talker is he." Sonic commented. "Stand aside, Lance, I have a battle to win."
Lancelot moved aside, standing beside a tree, as Sonic charged at the rival knight, and their swords clashed, the blade's making a metal clang as they swung at one another over and over again. He had to admit, the rival knight was able to easily match Sonic.
Every time there swords clashed, Lancelot's heart skipped a beat and he jolted slightly. Why was he so nervous? Did he not have faith in Sonic? He just couldn't stop thinking about his dream.
His grip on his sword tightened as he watched the two duel. All of a sudden, the rival knight managed to catch Sonic off guard, and knocked his sword out of his hand. But instead of ending the fight, he carried on, slashing his sword at Sonic. His blade cut Sonic's arm, with some of his blood splattering on the trees.
He swung at him again, cutting Sonic a second time. The blue hedgehog stumbled backwards and collapsed, clutching his injuries.
"You have disarmed him! The battle is over, you have won!" Lancelot intervened.
The rival knight turned to look at him, and Lancelot managed to catch sight of his eyes. They were glowing bright red, and he could feel them piercing his very soul. This knight, he was not natural. Could he be one of Merlina's creatures in disguise?
He did not care who this knight was. The one thing he did care about was that Sonic was defenceless, and the knight didn't intend on backing down. He was going to kill him.
The knight turned his attention away from Lancelot and charged towards Sonic, his sword at the ready, planning on striking him while he was down. The memory of Lancelot's dream flashed before his eyes. He could not allow this to happen. Not like this. He had to stop him.
"NO!"
A flock of crows flew out of the branches of the trees and took to the skies. Once their loud squawking ceased, the area fell deathly quiet.
Sonic heard the sound of a sword cutting through flesh. At first, he thought it was himself that had been striked, only to realise not long after just how wrong he truly was. He lifted his head, and what he saw left him utterly speechless.
Lancelot was standing directly in front of him, the rival knight's sword stabbed through his stomach. Lancelot's breath hitched and blood spilled out of his mouth. He dropped his sword, the blade clattering as it hit the floor.
The rival knight tore the sword out of Lancelot's stomach. The black and red hedgehog turned his head to look at Sonic, his expression masked with fear, as his legs buckled and he collapsed onto the ground.
"SHADOW!" Sonic screamed. In that moment, shouted the wrong name without even noticing. He ran over to Lancelot and rolled him onto his back. Once in that position, Sonic couldn't help but stare at the large hole in his body, with crimson red liquid pooling around him and staining the grass.
Sonic looked up at the rival knight, only to discover that he had fled. "Murderer!" He yelled, his words echoing through the forest. "You'll pay for what you've done!"
"He's not... Worth it..." Lancelot said, his voice hushed and strained.
Sonic looked down at him, and put his arm behind Lancelot's head to support him. The knight winced in pain. "Forgive me, Sir... I had to." Lancelot apologised.
"Why Lance? Why did you do it? You didn't have to, I thought you knew that. I thought you understood."
"Arthur." Lancelot addressed him "I did not do it because you are my King. I did it... Because I wanted to."
Sonic was astonished. He didn't know what to say. "Don't- don't worry, Lance, we'll get you help. We can still fix you." He told him. "You're going to be okay."
"Don't lie... You and I both know that this is the end for me here." Lancelot responded.
Sonic almost choked up as tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should've listened to you, I should have refused his challenge." He sobbed.
"It's not your fault. Don't ever think that. It was my choice. I was the one that was prepared to die for you. I was the one that did not tell you why you should not fight. If anyone one is to blame, then it would be me."
Sonic shook his head "It should've been me." He whimpered.
"Don't say that... Your life is precious."
"And so is yours!" Sonic cried.
"I know... But all things must come to an end, you know that." He replied. The black and red hedgehog lifted his hand and placed it on Sonic's cheek, and wiped away his tears with his thumb.
"Sonic." Lancelot addressed him by his actual name. "You have shown me a kindness that I never thought I would be given. I once thought that I was nothing, but you... You made me feel like I was everything. You have treated me not as a knight, but as a friend. I am eternally grateful for that." He paused for a moment, letting out a long winded sigh, his breathing raspy. "And also..." He began. "Ever since we met, I had these feelings that I never felt before. I tried to ignore them for the longest time but now I've come to realise that those feelings... Those feelings were love."
"And I love you. At first I thought it was because you looked like Shadow, when really, I just love you for who you are, Lance." Sonic expressed his feelings. "You're loyal, kind and brave. You've always been there for me, you've always put me first. You even gave yourself up for me. I appreciate everything that you've done. You're truly incredible."
"I wish we could be together... But we can't. You are not mine to have. Your heart belongs to Shadow." Lancelot paused "And that is why I want you to go back to him, back to your world, where you belong." He stated.
"No, I'm not leaving you. I won't." Sonic replied.
"Why? Do you not love him?" He questioned.
"Of course I do, but I love you just as much as I love him. I can't leave you, not after everything we've been through."
"I'll be gone, anyway. And it's what I want. Please, if not for yourself, then do it for me. It would make me happy to know that you and him were reunited after all this time. And whoever that was, he wants you dead. He will come back, and I won't be able to protect you. But I know Shadow can. I want you to be safe."
"Alright, I'll-" Sonic couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't want to leave him, not like this. "I'll go back. I promise."
"Thank you, Sonic. He's lucky to have you - as was I."
"I was lucky to have you too. I wouldn't have known what to do without you, Lance."
Lancelot exhaled deeply, his eyelids fluttered. He was short of time. "Sonic, I have one last request of you."
"Name it."
"Remove my helmet for me, please." He asked him.
Sonic nodded in response and moved his hands and gently removed Lancelot's helmet, freeing his head of the metal armour. Sonic gazed at his face, he'd never seen it fully before. He looked just like Shadow, but that didn't matter to him anymore. Lancelot looked like Lancelot. That was the truth.
The two stared at each other, with Lancelot's breathing becoming shorter by the second. They didn't have very long. They had to make it count.
"You were everything I wanted." Lancelot whispered softly.
Sonic was truly touched by those words. He placed his hands on Lancelot's face and leaned in, kissing him on the lips. As Sonic pulled away, Lancelot closed his eyes, a small smile appearing on his face as he exhaled his last breath.
"Lance?" Sonic addressed him.
He didn't answer.
"No..." Sonic whimpered. He pulled Lancelot's limp body close to him and began to cradle him in his arms. He buried his face in his fur as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Wherever you were was where I belonged."
The rain had stopped and the grey clouds had parted, allowing the bright rays of sunlight to touch the earth.
The King and Lancelot were missing.
The rest of the Knights of the Round Table, Gawain and Percival, went searching for them, in fear that something might have happened. Lancelot's body was found in the shade of a tree, his sword stabbed into the ground beside him, almost as if it was some sort of memorial.
The King's armour was found close by, but he still remained missing.
Despite his brutal injury, Lancelot looked so peaceful, almost as if he was in an eternal slumber. Even in death, his expression showed that he was frozen in a moment of pure happiness.
A/N - Told you I'd post it either late this week or early next week :D
Do you think I should do Sonic and Lancelot again some time? Obviously where he's not dead. What do you guys think? I mean, we already have two types of Sonadow established, by Modern/Main Canon Sonadow and Sonic Boom Sonadow. What about Soncelot? Is that a thing? I just made it up like right now, this very second. Lemme know what you think, if you want to see more Soncelot, just let me know.
So next chapter is pretty light hearted. It's got something I haven't done before. Writing wise and real life wise. I'm not going spoil it though, but it's not sex. My mind immediately went into the gutter when reading my own sentence. Good job, me.
Also, I thought I might ask you a little question in every chapter from now on to, y'know, interact with you a bit more, despite the fact that I PM most of my reviewers, but still. And you could leave an answer along with your review of the chapter. I mean, it's an idea, and I suppose we'll see how it goes.
Question of the day/chapter - what is your favourite(s) chapter so far and why? You can have more than one.
I then might leave my own personal favourite(s) in the next chapter.
So, aside from that question, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I made sure that Lancelot's language was a lot different to Shadow's. Let me know what you thought of this one and what you think of my first (well, not really first, I wrote another before but deleted it, if you remember/have been reading for that long. If you have, then thanks for sticking around! I really appericate it) Sonic and Lancelot chapter.
I'll see you soon. Probably next week. I look forward to reading what you thought of the chapter and your answers! See you later!
EDIT: So, some people are confused by Sonic's feelings for Lancelot, so here's what I told Tirainy which shows my initial plan:
'Okay, so my reasoning for Sonic to stick around in Camelot is that he feels like he owes everyone there something, like he still has to change some things and make an impact. He wants to go back to Shadow, but he doesn't want to let this experience go to waste without at least helping some people. One of the people he wants to help most is Lancelot, as he can see that he still has the same ideas that he had when the Black Knight or King Arthur was still around.
As for his feelings, I wrote this chapter very disjointed, like it was written out of order almost entirely so I think some of it might be trying to tell one story and another part is trying to tell another story. So that is my fault, and I apologise for not making it as clear as I should. You have a right to be confused.
BUT, I can tell you what my main idea was going into this was about their relationship. Basically, yes, Sonic does see Lancelot as a substitute to Shadow. He likes the idea of himself loving Lancelot for who he is, when deep down he can't deny that he wouldn't have fallen for Lancelot is hadn't looked like Shadow. Which is a very dark way for me to put it, as Sonic let Lancelot think that he loved him for who he was, which he did, in way. It's almost like he was using him, even if Sonic didn't mean to. His intentions weren't malicious, that's for certain.
The original idea that was scrapped was that Sonic and Shadow were going through a rough patch in their relationship, leading to Sonic making the Camelot and Lancelot thing to become a sort of escape for him.'
Hope that clears everything up. Sorry about the confusion everyone.