A/N: Hello everyone. We've decided to take a request after so long, and we've been asked to continue the "Hero and Maid" story by I'm Not Mad-I'm Alice.

Sword: I'm excited! It's been so long and I can't wait to do more!

Pen: And I was enjoying such a relaxing rest from ridiculous requests too.

Sword: Too bad! *upends his chair* We have to get busy! All the characters and related material belong to Sega. The Robin Hood parts and excerpts from the story belong to H.E. Marshall. Me and Pen belong to the author.

Please enjoy.

A Lover's Quarrel

Blaze was not a morning person. No one could blame her though. Most nights, she stayed up late with her advisors, debating over decisions for the kingdom as a whole. Not that she minded that, as she had always been more nocturnal. For her, it was peaceful in the dead of evening when the entire world was asleep. It even gave her the chance to stroll through the castle and city once her work was finished. Then, she was unhindered, as if she were the only person left in the country, taking in the fascinating atmosphere of a torpid landscape.

However, Blaze had foregone her little walk the past few nights, choosing to plow ahead with work long after her advisors retired for the evening. So when she woke up in the morning, bright and early, the one thing that lightened her bleary, grumpy mood was that her whole day was free. It was free for one particular reason- she had a deal to keep.

She stumbled out of bed and immediately headed for her bathroom. Figuring she still had a few hours, she decided to take it easy while getting ready for the day. Although her building excitement made it hard to slow down when she thought about what was in store for at noon. Blaze just hoped Silver was not miffed at her busy schedule as of late and not being able to talk to him. She had been run ragged with her normal duties on top of people wanting to plan festivities for her upcoming nameday and her least favorite subject- picking one of the various suitors to wed for transition to queen once her nameday arrived.

Not today, she thought as she stepped into the bath. Today is about Silver and me. No suitors, no laws, nothing. Just the thought of Silver being surprised made her smile. He will probably stand there with that cute gawking look, she thought. She stopped, realizing what she was thinking.

Ever since their encounter last time and Silver's confession, Blaze had been having more thoughts like that everyday. Of course he was cute, she reasoned. Most girls said so and she had always believed him to be, even though she constantly called him down playfully on his naïve nature. But even that was adorable most of-

Blaze paused. Feelings like that had been cropping up more in the past few weeks, mostly involving Silver and her. Not just as friends as she had usually thought, but closer. Blaze attributed it to his confession and figured it was just her fantasy side toying with the idea, except that it happened in her mind in a variety of scenarios outside his storybook world. It almost felt like they had always been there, waiting to be let loose by some event, as there were too many and they were too detailed to be spur of the moment.

A crush? Maybe that is all it was, Blaze decided. Just a fleeting crush for an attractive friend. Nothing more, nothing less. And she was satisfied with that answer as she continued her bath.

Silver woke up feeling a little easier than he had the past few weeks. Ever since Blaze had discovered his little secret in the gardens, he had been a bundle of rickety, jittery nerves at the thought of her joining him. Then again, he could not deny that his fantasies of her participation had only increased daily since she decided to.

Fortunately for his worry, he believed that Blaze had forgotten about their conversation. Each day, she had to attend to more duties and her plate must have been loaded down with enough troubles. Therefore, he did not bring it up and assumed things would return to normal.

He could not deny he was disappointed. Part of him had been looking forward to it from the start and he relished in what could happen. Daydreams of Blaze and he embraced together like Robin Hood and his Maid Marion or living together in love filled his thoughts. Yet he wrote them off as childish fantasies, as he was sure Blaze would- a crush for a close friend. He had believed her to hint at some mutual attraction, but since she still had not brought it up, he decided she did not feel the same. After all, she had numerous suitors lined up for her hand at her nameday in a few months- kings, princes, and knights bolder and braver than he. And he had decided that Blaze deserved only the best.

So Silver was prepared for a normal day with no surprises as he reported for duty that morning. In fact, the beginning of his shift was relatively quiet. No early mischief-makers in town and none of the guards were lolly-gagging in the halls or flirting with the staff. It was actually a little too quiet for Silver's tastes, but he took what silent solace he could.

Like clockwork, as soon as his noon break arrived, he scarfed down his lunch and rushed out to the gardens to read the book some more. He had already finished it and was re-reading it. He was eager to return to where he had left off, with Robin proposing to Marion.

With such a ho-hum day so far, it came as a shock to Silver to find Blaze sitting on the same bench, dressed in her usual outfit, her hair pulled back and up like always, and seemingly waiting for him. He skidded to a halt, his large boots clumsily bending and twisting so that he stumbled over and crashed into the hard stone. The book had flown from his hand, opening to his bookmarked page. He moaned loudly, but bit it back when he remembered that Blaze was watching him.

She was already at his side, helping him to his feet. "Are you alright?" she asked, her face a mixture of worry and withheld laughter at his clumsiness.

"I'm good," he said, standing as tall as he could. "Good. Just good."

"That is good," Blaze chuckled.

He joined her, running his hand through his quills. Once silence settled in, he looked at his shoes, at a loss of what to say next. He spied the book still on the ground and picked it up, dusting off the dirt it did not have on it to have something to occupy his hands and thoughts. "So," he began, letting the word hang and become strangled in the quiet between them. "What are you doing here?" He panicked, fearing that sounded too harsh. "Er, I mean what bring you here?"

"Well, I wanted to make good on our deal," she said.

Silver could feel his eyes widen to the point of bursting. His mouth hung open, agape and waiting for any insects to fly in. He closed it, covering up the action under the guise of clearing his throat. "Really?" he asked, doubting if she really meant it. After all, she had many other responsibilities and he did not want to keep her from them. Silver would have understood if she was just being polite, saying she would, but expecting him to turn her away so she could handle more important tasks.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "Why? Did you not want-"

"I want!" he said, too quickly and too loudly. "I-I mean, yes. I want to."

"Alright then," Blaze said, walking over to the bench and standing near it. "So how does this work? I haven't exactly seen how you start it."

How does it work? Silver was not sure if he could answer that, mostly because he was not sure himself. He would simply start reading and become so caught up in the fantasy of Robin Hood's world that his body would take over. Soon he would be running, sword-fighting with dead branches torn from the hedges, and re-enacting all the famous adventures.

But how could he explain that to Blaze? He pondered it for several moments before lamely shrugging his shoulder and saying, "Just do what comes natural." He earned a quizzical look from her, but she did not press the issue.

He sat down on the stone bench, cracking his book open. However, he was soon clamping down on the book tight enough to pinch the sides when Blaze sat next to him. She scooted close to Silver, leaning her head over to read with him. The tops of her hair-do tickled his chin and he believed she must have been doing it deliberately. Was she trying to drive him crazy?

He could barely concentrate as he read, but eventually, Blaze relented, choosing to rest her head on his shoulder. Soon enough, he was beginning to read Robin Hood's lines in the courageous, strong-willed voice he had developed over the time. "One day while Robin was hunting in the forest he met a most beautiful lady. She was dressed in green velvet, the color of the grass in spring. Robin thought she looked like a queen. He had never seen anyone so lovely." As he approached the following sentences, he started to slow down. He breathed in and out slowly, straightened his back, and told chanted his mantra of "Relax" in his mind, as if the next few lines' very utterance needed ritualistic preparation first.

"Robin watched this beautiful lady shooting, and thought he had never seen anything so fine in all his life." At that point, Blaze stood up and snatched up a loose vine and a few sticks.

"What are you doing?" Silver asked.

"Getting into the story and playing the part," she answered, stretching out the vine. "I was supposed to be Marion, right?" She fashioned herself a makeshift bow by tying the vine to one of the sticks and playfully used the others had crude arrows. Once she finished, she crouched down and slipped around quietly, pretending to hunt. It was a laughable sight to see her playing like that and it reminded Silver of their childhood games when they were young.

He was happy that she was enjoying the story and getting into the role. It was nice to see her carefree and with a smile on her face. Often, she would be in a dour mood from the politics and burdens of the kingdom. All he could do was try to ease the weight. Silver was often told by a couple of Blaze's friendlier advisors- who were the only advisors to encourage them spending time together- that he was the only one who actually helped the princess and could still make her truly smile at all.

Returning his thoughts to the game at hand and leaving the worldly cares behind him, Silver decided he would not be outdone. He hid behind the bench as if spying on Blaze and continued to read. "He loved her from the very first moment he saw her. 'Oh, how sweet it would be if this dear lady would be my bride,' he sighed to himself, though he did not even know her name." It was all Silver could do not to fall over in front of Blaze once he finished. But she did not look perturbed in any way. She was actually hanging on to his every word, silently urging him to continue.

They returned to their seats and he resumed reading aloud. Blaze joined in after a time, reading Marion's parts awkwardly and unsurely. Silver thought she might just write it off as ridiculous as first, but Blaze started to get into it. When she started to turn the pages because he was turning too slow, he knew she was enjoying it.

Although Silver had to admit that he nearly choked and fumbled over his words several times when Robin Hood proposed to Marion. "'Would thou wed me, sweet Marion?'" he read, his voice reduced to a mere squeak at the end.

"'Yes. A thousand times yes, dear Robin!'" Blaze said without missing a beat. "'Nothing would thrill me more than to be forever by your side.'"

Silver stared at Blaze, shocked at her willingness to easily plough through the part. That's because she sees this as a story. Nothing more, he thought. Yet that did not explain her rosy cheeks or how she smiled at him, but averted her eyes until he continued to read.

"But just then a terrible misfortune happened to Robin," Silver read. "He lost his home, and everything that he had. When Robin lost all his money and lands, and had no house but only the Green Wood to live in, he said: "I cannot ask a gentle lady to come and live this rough life with me. I must say good-bye to my dear Marian forever."

Silver acted out the part easily, having run through it before. Yet never had he done it with Blaze standing right there. In his heart, it felt more painful than using his imagination. But he thought she looked saddened by it as well. He wrote it off as her just acting out the role. However, throughout it all, he could not shake the fact that she appeared troubled by Silver's "leaving".

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by one of the servants: a badger in royal red garments, panting and plodding along on his short legs. "Princess!" he cried, stopping inches from the pair. "I was sent to find you. An issue has come up that requires your attention," he gasped, bending over and holding his knees. "Your presence is requested in the throne room."

Blaze turned to Silver and frowned. "Can we continue this another day?"

"S-Sure," he said. "Go ahead." He watched her leave and plopped back onto the bench. The book lay there, forgotten by Silver as he returned to Blaze's various expressions during their reading.

It had always been hard to pinpoint exactly what Blaze was feeling or thinking. Most people, like Gardon, told Silver he was the best at it. But even the silver hedgehog's intuition was not always enough. In the current case, he doubted it, as his mind just kept returning to the same conclusion. She felt something. Embarrassment, unwillingness, or the same fluttering sensation he felt.

Yet doubt crossed out any similar emotions to his while intuition eliminated the rest, leaving him back at square one to arrive at the same ending again and again. The only thing he could definitely agree on with himself was that something was going on. He was determined to discover what it was.

Unfortunately, his investigation into the matter would have to wait. He realized that he should have been back on guard duty an hour ago. Slow day or not, it was his responsibility and duty. He shot into the air, using his telekinetic power to fuel a flight to the nearest part of the castle. And he never looked back at the book still resting on the bench.

It was hard not to hate the servant that had called on her. It took every ounce of Blaze keeping her cool and reminding herself that he was just doing his job. He's only a boy. He's just following orders, she repeated to herself over and over. Instead, she directed her frustration at whoever was waiting for her in the throne room. No doubt it was some simple matter that could have been put off. Yet the curmudgeon cabinet she was forced to surround herself had probably thought otherwise.

She was disappointed that Silver's and her time had been cut short. She had actually been caught up in the story and having fun, something which she could say did not happen much anymore.

However, she was a little worried. The feelings she had easily filed away as a mere crush that morning had built up tenfold during their little game. When Silver had pretended to leave, flashes of such an actual event had played out in her mind's eye. That had frightened her. Silver being forced to leave for some reason or another? The very thought sent chills through her bones. She could not bear to live without him by her side. She was-

Blaze shook her head, realizing what the thoughts were leading to. Was she so infatuated with Silver? Even in love with him? Love? Silver? The two words together sounded so strange and yet so right to her at the same time. As she rounded a corner with the servant, she dwelled on the notion more. And the more she dwelled, the more she saw it to be true. She was in love with her best friend. Or perhaps her only friend.

Blaze's head was spinning as they neared the throne room. How had this happened? When had it happened? This was not the kind of thing to pop out of thin air. There should have been some warning signs. Then she remembered the constant thoughts of Silver for the past few weeks and their time together. Blaze did not remember when it began, but she could see clues now. Choosing to spend time with Silver, thinking of him, missing him when he was not around, long talks between the two as she confided in him, and playing together. All the years of their lives had been building up to this one realization.

Stay calm, Blaze ordered herself as she entered the throne room. That was easier said than done. Such an epiphany required thorough examination immediately. But all she could do was grin and bare it as she saw one of her advisors waiting for her. Of course it would be Thomas, she thought.

Thomas, in short, was usually the bearer of bad news that always dampened her day. He was reluctant to be saddled with that task most of the time, as he was one of the few advisors on her council who understood the demands of ruling a kingdom. However, like Blaze and everyone else, Thomas was loyal to the law first and foremost. That he and the other advisors always had the good of the kingdom as their primary interest was a relief to Blaze.

Standing beside the mole advisor was Gardon. A dour expression consumed his face, which did not raise Blaze's hopes for anything good in the least. He smiled a little as she approached, but she could tell it was an act.

"Hello Gardon," she said, greeting the koala first. He feigned a wider smile, gave up, and looked at Thomas. Blaze turned to the short mole and nodded at him. "Thomas."

"Princess," he replied just as curtly, his eyes betraying his unwillingness to be there. "Nice of you to join us."

"Let us skip the pleasantries this time. What happened now?" she asked. Blaze wanted to be in and out as soon as possible.

"Nothing. Yet," he said cryptically. Blaze turned to Gardon, but he just looked away. "The others and I held a vote today about your upcoming marriage. I was chosen to bring you the news of our decision."

Marriage? What else could they possibly do to force her into wedlock? The date had already been set and her advisors had taken it upon themselves to bring in every available suitor from one end of the land to the other.

"By majority vote, on your nameday, we will hold a tournament, including an archery contest, jousting, melee combat," Thomas said. "The winner shall have any prize they desire and be the one you wed."

"What?!" Blaze cried.

"It was the general consensus that you were taking too long choosing," Thomas said. "The law dictates that to you have to be wed by your nameday for when you ascend the throne and take the title of queen."

Blaze knew the law. She knew that particular piece by heart. It had plagued her day and night ever since the kings, princes, nobles, or liaisons acting for one of the former three began paying visits to her castle. Some would say it was flattering that so many people found her desirable, but Blaze found it tedious. She knew they were only interested in merging kingdoms or in being king. And while she had expected that and had no qualms with a merger, she had hoped to find someone she could at least love who would love her back. Someone who might, dare she say, put that love as his first and foremost want, or at least somewhere other than the back of his mind or nowhere at all.

But after months of no luck and constant delays, she should have seen this coming. Thomas frowned a little, looking only a fraction of how bad she felt. Yet the law was the law and once the council of advisors decided on an issue by majority vote- a rare thing given their many differing views- there was little she could do.

"Very well," she said, erasing all trace of emotion from her face.

"If you choose someone beforehand, then the tournament will be called off," Thomas said. Blaze guessed that he had meant to cheer her up with that, but it did not. None of the suitors that had come had interested her. She did not like half of them and could only say she enjoyed a handful as acquaintances.

Thomas took his leave as Blaze took hers, accompanied by Gardon. There was only one person that popped into her mind when she thought about love, who cared about her more than the title of king or merging kingdoms. One who had her kingdom's well-being in mind constantly. One whom she would actually want to spend her life married to.

Silver. The realization before her meeting with Thomas was conjuring up strange thoughts indeed that she had only playfully considered. However, now it was what she truly desired. Marrying Silver would satisfy the law and make her happy.

The one obstacle was the law once again. A princess could only marry a noble or above. It was all about some ridiculous notion about keeping the line full of "noble blood", no matter what line or house the people were from. To Blaze, it was a foolish law. Noble birth did not determine one's qualifications for the throne.

Gardon accompanied her back to the garden, watching her with a sad face. "Princess?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I'm fine," Blaze said, curtly answering his unspoken question.

When they reached the area Blaze had been at with Silver, she spied the book still lying there. Silver must have forgotten it, she thought. Blaze picked it up and flipped through it, reading over the next few parts. What really caught her eye was the tournament scene, where Robin Hood snuck in an archery contest to compete for Maid Marion's hand against all the other suitors. She briefly imagined Silver doing the same and wished he would.

She could not ask him to do that. Blaze knew Silver cared about her, but did not believe it extended so far as to compete for marriage. She would not allow him to put himself in danger of fighting others because of her. This was her problem and Blaze could only rely on herself. Gardon watched her curiously the entire time.

However, before Blaze closed the book, she flipped a few pages back to find a part that piqued her interest and gave her an idea about her upcoming nameday event. She shut the book and turned to Gardon. "Do you have any spare suits of armor and some swords?"

"Yes," he said slowly. "But why?"

"I need to brush up on my sword-fighting technique."

"Maybe it fell into one of the hedges," Silver said to himself. The suggestion seemed ludicrous and he knew he was grasping at straws. But after he had realized he had forgotten the book, he had searched every inch of the gardens.

He flew there quickly when lunch rolled around, sure that it had to be there. Books did not just get up and walk off. When he arrived, he did indeed find the book and it was being held by Blaze. Save for her head, she was fully covered in sleek, pepper-colored armor and resting on a longsword. On the bench was a similar set of armor and sword, more of Silver's size.

"Blaze?" Silver gawked at her. "What's going on?"

"The next part of the story," she told him. "About how Marion fights Robin while both armored and neither know who the other is." She nodded at the spare pieces. "Suit up."

He did so and she read aloud the next parts. "At last she became so miserable that she could bear it no longer. "I must go into the Green Wood and look for Robin," she said. " 'Perhaps if I see him again the pain will go out of my heart and the weariness from my feet.' It was a long way to Sherwood Forest. Marian knew that it was not safe for a beautiful lady to travel so far by herself. She feared the robbers and the wild, wicked men she might meet. So she dressed herself like a knight all in shining armor."

"Robin was very fond of disguising himself. He was very clever at it too. Often his dearest friends could not recognize him when they met him dressed like someone else. One day he dressed himself as a Norman knight, pulled his visor over his face, and went out into the forest in search of an adventure," Silver said, repeating it from memory.

"You have read this a lot," Blaze said, smirking. Silver grinned sheepishly and fitted the metal greaves to his arms.

"He had not gone far before he met another knight in shining armor and a white crest. He put on a deep and terrible voice and called out in Norman French, 'Stop, Sir knight No one passes through the forest without leave from me. I give leave only to those whose errand is good and whose name is fair. What is your name and where are you going?'" Blaze continued reading. "Marian (for of course it was she) was very frightened. Robin's voice sounded so gruff and terrible that she did not know it, and she could not see his face. She thought he was some wicked Norman knight. Without saying a word she drew her sword and prepared to fight."

Just as soon as Silver had his sword ready and armor on, Blaze attacked, striking the side of his weapon. Silver held it in front of himself again and swung for her shoulder. Blaze leapt aside and kicked him in the ribs.

Silver came back immediately and put her on defense, switching between low and high blows. He managed to fake her into guarding her torso, and then smacked her leg with the flat of his sword. She stumbled and hissed in pain. Silver stopped momentarily, afraid he might have seriously hurt her.

Blaze retaliated with no loss of ability by ramming into his chest and tripping him. Silver fell onto the bench and sat there, blocking Blaze's attacks. Eventually he saw an opening and pushed her away, deftly swinging his sword to drive her back.

The fight went on for the better part of a half hour, both losing interest in the story and caught up in their sparring. A few times, Silver feared that he had injured Blaze with a swing or other blow, but she bounced back, as spry as ever. Silver himself held up pretty well.

Yet by the end, they became too tired to continue. They collapsed on the bench, the book sitting between them, and Silver laid his sword at his side. He picked up the book and found the part they were at. "'Oh, hold thy hand, hold thy hand,' said Robin Hood, 'and thou shalt be one of my string, to range in the wood with bold Robin Hood and hear the sweet nightingale sing.'" He paused, reading the next few lines with ever dilating eyes.

"Well?" Blaze asked. "What's next?" When he did not answer, she snatched the book from him and read it herself. "Oh," she quietly said.

They removed their helmets and Silver did not have the nerve to look at Blaze- at least, not until he felt a warm pair of lips brush against his cheek. He whipped his head around and saw her watching him with an amused look and half-lidded eyes. "I enjoyed that."

Was she referring to this kiss? Silver dared to dream for a moment, but realized she was most likely talking about the fight. "So did I. You're good with a sword." Then it happened again- a flash of doubt that his original belief was correct when Blaze frowned ever so slightly.

"So are you," she said, the soothing look gone and replaced by her typical calm face. "How about we make this a regular thing? I could use the practice."

"For what?" Silver asked.

"Just in case something happens," she said. It sounded cryptic to Silver, but he accepted anyway. He was not about to turn down spending more time with Blaze after all.

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes," Blaze said.

A/N: This came out to be a little longer than we thought, but we're planning for there to only be two more chapters at most.

Sword: *brings out a longbow* Come join me, Merry Men! And Women! Let's shoot stuff!

Pen: I am leaving before I am used as a target.

Uh, please let us know what you thought of it and leave any comments, critiques, or anything else you have to say.