Northern Echidna Kingdom

"This is the second time this week you took my daugher away from her kingdom!" Shouted King Sullivan, pacing back and forth infront of Juno.

"She had lessons that day and when her teachers came to get her she was gone, later on you both came back and I learned that you were in Mobotropolis! A king... or rather Republic that we haven't been getting along with recently!"

Juno continued to look at the elder echidna only half paying attention to his rant. It always went the same, Sullivan would tell him to stop taking Calypso out of the castle and to other lands and Juno would do it anyway a few days later.

"And you Juno! Your not even proper King material, you skip out of your teachings to go back to that bloody Oblivion every few days."

"I still work there, Aristotle and the others need me." Said Juno speaking for the first time.

Sullivan stopped pacing and looked Juno in the eye. "If you know whats good for you, you will stop this nonsense and take your new dutys more seriously. Quit that job and learn to become the king this country needs."

"I can't do that... Oblivion, Aristotle, Aeris, Spectre, maybe even the world needs someone like me. They need my help because i'm the headmaster of the dark arts so there is no way your going to convince me otherwise."

Juno stood firm, staring the older echidna down. Sullivan though confused why the world might need him and who Spectre was, had an ace up his sleeve. "Even if it meant your marrage to my daughter?"

Juno froze, unable to believe he just said that. "You wouldn't."

"Oh? This is just how far you've pushed me Juno, after i'm gone you need to rule this land the kingdom will look at you to lead. And from what i've seen you will run this kingdom into the ground!"

Juno had to think of something quick, anything to make Sullivan happy. His marrage at stake. "Well how about you just let Calypso rule and me lead?"

Sullivan raised a brow at this, wondering where Juno's train of thought is going.

"Listen, I can make a good king for this country while Calypso can make a good ruler. I've lead men into battle countless times, i've been beside Aristotle in times of war and mastered the art of strategy, I have a good sense of justice and will defend this nation from any threat. While I do that Calypso can work inward, she has been taught how to rule since the day she was born. Calypso can do with the nobles and the political interests of the country, i've seen her do it before and she is very good at it."

Juno paused to judge the reaction of Sullivan, who just looked at him with a neutral expression on his face.

"Sooo... How about that?"

King Sullivan walked towards the purple echidna until they where nose to nose, Juno is about in inch taller than him.

"You will not Bring shame to the title of King." He said.

"Wha?"

"I have been King of this country for many years and ruled at the head, so has my father and his. Being king means your desisions will always matter, the queen has two uses... to look good for others and spawn an heir."

Juno was stunned at this.

'How could anybody think like this? Does he think so lowly of his daugher?'

"And the last thing this kingdom needs is a warrior king."

That did it, Juno straightened to his full height and glared down at Sullivan.

"And I think a warrior king is what this kingdom desperately needs!"

Sullivan backed up a few steps and was about to respond but Juno wouldn't let him. "No! You listen to me now, there is war all around us if you haven't noticed!"

Juno just didn't care anymore, forgetting this man could end his marrage with a snap of his fingers. He was just tired of listening to him, before this only two people ever gave him orders and that was Aristotle and sometimes Aeris.

"And I know what your thinking 'But they'll never attack us as long as we keep the peace' Well let me tell you something, Albion where a bunch of isolationist and the Eggman Empire still attacked them!"

Sullivan tilted his head down a low growl escaping his mouth.

"Yes Albion, the former echidna homeland. What about the dark legion too? Our other small armies like the Sons? I think you need someone like me more than you know... I've already had to deal with all of them."

Sullivan head still down has a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well... what say you?"

Instead of answering he turned around and quickly walked down the hallway, muttering to himself. When he left Juno let out a sigh of relief.

"That went better than expected."

"...And here I was thinking you had no backbone whatsoever."

"Ah!" Juno quickly turns around to find another echidna staring at him. With a swarl of smoke at his feet the echidna before him has blue robes around his body and wears a metal helmet which hides the upper half of his face, but not the red eyes which bore into Juno.

"Spectre!"

"Maybe you should just use a bow from now on."

The blue hedgehog Trinity said as she stared at the red hedgehog beside her.

Crimson pulled another arrow onto his bow and after taking a few seconds to aim, launched it. His aim is true as it hit the painted zombie target a good fifty feet away.

"I don't know... wouldn't I look silly running around with a bow, like green arrow or that one chick from hunger games?"

"Less silly than you dressing up like an assassion and missing half your shoots with your guns... good old Skyrim style shooting there, shoot alot of bullets and hope to hit something."

Juno made his way down the hall after his little 'chat' with Spectre.

'Calming down two violent and unpredictable men all in one day, god do I need a drink.'

The sound of a piano than started to feel his ears.

'Or this!'

A small smile on his face, Juno made his way to the sorce of the music. He reached a room with a lovely carpet, a fireplace on the other side of the room and a piano in the center with a snow white echidna Calypso playing on it.

Sneaking up behind her he carfully wrapped his arms around her cutting her off in midplay.

"Oh Juno!"

Juno leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"It's getting late Calypso... yet your still up."

Reaching a hand up she started to stroke the side of his face. "Yeah, I just couldn't sleep."

"Well maybe I could help with that?"

Eyes narrowing she looked up at him. "And how would you do that?"

"Oh I would lay you down, pull off those little bunny slippers your wearing and maybe rub your feet? Or legs? Or perhaps work my way up?"

He leaned down to kiss her but was stopped when they heard a cough.

Queen Sandra stood not to far away from the two.

"Sorry, but could I perhaps see my daugher for a moument?"

"Oh! Of course." Juno let go of Calypso as she left to go with her mother, but not before shooting Juno a apologetic look which he just smalled and mouthed 'next time'.

'Damnit I'm going to be a virgin forever!'

With a sigh he turned to leave for his room when he tripped over something.

"What the?" Looking down he say a small yellow plastic bucket with two arms covering his lead and a clown like face and a O like mouth.

Ding Ding Ding

The bump must have started it as it went around in circles making bell sounds.

'Wait this thing looks familiar.' Picking it up and turning the switch off he pondered until a lightbub shined over his head.

'Mr. Bucket! How did that song go?'

Putting it down on the floor Juno continued to his room and his computer to look up the Mr. Bucket song.

As soon as he left, Mr. Bucket... turned in the direction Juno went.

To be Continued...