Chapter 1: Her Royal Kindness
"There's been an attack!" "Someone tell the King!" "Call the guards!"
Screaming. A blazing fire lights up the night sky. Thunder rolls in the distance. The rusty smell of blood fills the air.
"Mom… mom, where are you… mom?!?"
"Rose… Rose, are you alright?"
A sharp breath is taken in, a whence in pain. More blood.
Soot covered hands grip white satin gloves. A cough brings blood to the corners Ruby red lips.
Her chest is pound, adrenaline race, tears well up like damns in her eyes.
"Rose… do not ever mistake your kindness for weakness. Show them… show them you are strong."
Screams in the distance, embers dance in the night sky, the clouds start their release.
She hears her mothers voice. She hears the heavy footsteps of the knights. Piercing red eyes. Everything fades to black.
Amy Rose wakes up in a cold sweat. She catches her breath and slowly releases her death grip on the bed sheets. Quiet footsteps move outside her bedroom door. It seems the chambermaids are busy at work, preparing the east wing of the castle for when Amy arose. She rolled over in her bed to face the window which was blocked by thick curtains that swallowed any ray of light the dawn was releasing.
Today, like every other day, was a very important day. It was important because the princess was always in high demand, always full of duties to fulfill, and always eager to use the most of her day.
Amy crawled out of the covers and walks across the room to the massive windows and curtains in front of her. She throws back the heavy curtains and soaks in the sight of the east wing courtyard. She watches as the night guards turn over their positions to the morning guards; dusk had signaled their shift change. She can see the gardeners as they tended to the east wing courtyard garden. Although the west wing contained a greenhouse and many different crops that bore nutritious foods, she preferred the exquisite view of the flower garden in the east garden that lay before her window. Tiny rose buds littered the bushes below her, their petals were ready to curl outward any day now. She watched for a few more minutes as morning sun rose over the horizon, pushing the dark blue of the sky toward a moresoft orange haze, chasing away any stars still hanging behind.
Amy sighs and she heads to her beauty room to shower and change. And much as she'd like to stay in and watch the sun continue to rise, the sun itself was now a taunting reminder that she was wasting precious time.
Amy brushed her teeth and quills before she began braiding her hair. She tied it back with golden threads and brushed her shorter curls up and away from her face. She rushed to her closet and picked out a gown appropriate for today's duties, a mahogany red gown with white lace sleeve, collar, and skirt details, and golden thread embroideries. She decided to sport matching flats, heels simply would not do today, and a mahogany red satin choker. She smiled into her full length mirror and lightly patted her cheeks firmly to draw a natural blush tint to her cheeks.
Just as Amy was heading for her door the handle turned and Cream, her Lady-In-Waiting, entered the room followed by Cheese, Rouge, and another chamber maid. The chamber maid was a bumblebee who was carrying a breakfast tray with coffee, rye bread, jam. She offered it to Amy but was quick cut off by Cream who began scolding Amy.
"Your highness, you know you should wait in bed for us to awake you! You'll get dark circles under your eyes if you don't get enough sleep."
"Who cares what I look like if I can't get my duties done. You know my workload is far too large for a 6 o'clock wake up call."
"Your people," Cream countered, "want a well rested Queen, not a restless Princess who doesn't even tighten her corset." Cream quickly made work at the buttons on the back of Amy's dress until her corset was exposed. It was loose, hastily tied and slightly crooked. Cream loosened the strings on it more before sharply snatching on the strings, tightening the corset and straightening Amy's posture in one swift movement. Amy gasped sharply before adjusting to the new form of breathing her corset forced on her and heaved a heavy sigh as she tried to make her way back to the door.
She was caught once again by Cream's detailed fingers which yanked her braid loosely and proceeded to quickly unravel her hair. Cream's diligent hands made easy work of Amy's messy curly hair and quills, as she rebraided it into a sophisticated, tight, single French braid. A few, tiny curls gently cradled Amy's face but Cream did not pin them back, to Amy's relief.
"You can look a little relaxed today, but don't forget to pick a better dress tomorrow. This one does not look elegant enough to greet new guests," Cream said. "And you really should wait for us. We should be assisting with your bathing and dressing, you shouldn't need to lift a finger."
"I am the Princess of Mobania. I hardly think a babysitter is necessary," Amy said while she finally pulled her way out of Cream hands.
"I appreciate the help, Cream. I know I haven't been the most traditional princess to care after, but I cannot have anything slowing me down." Amy proclaimed as she bolted for the door, grabbing Rouge by the arm.
"Princess please—"
"I'm sorry Cream, I've got to go, there's work to be done." And with that Amy fled her room.
Most mornings in the castle went just like this.
Princess Amy woke up far too early, dressed and readied herself, only to be scolded by her Lady's-in-Waiting. Some mornings Amy snuck off early, but Cream and the other maids would find her and scold her for not following traditions. However, Amy was far too busy to wait for others and while she respected her mothers ruling, she could not confide herself to the same slow, traditional schedule. There was too much work to be done.
Waiting outside was a knight, a dark green hedgehog with a short tight haircut. He was the night shift guard who had watched her room over night. He followed behind Rouge and Amy quietly without saying a word.
"I wish to discuss the matter of Angel Island with you, but I would like to wait for my guard to arrive." Amy said, speaking of the knight who was following behind them.
"Of course," Rouge replied, "Perhaps we can start your errands in the kitchen until then."
"Sounds perfect," Amy replied as they round the corner and made their way down the long hallway to the kitchen.
"Good morning!" Amy beamed as she entered the kitchen.
Dishwashers, butchers, and the head chef himself all stopped almost simultaneously to greet Amy, "Good morning Princess!"
Everyone continued their work, hoping to either be praised or avoid scolding, since a princess could do anything she wanted in her castle.
Amy approached the dishwashers, smiling, she said, "Last month you said the field mice kept getting into the pantries. How is the issue now?"
"All our produce is safe thanks to you Princess! The cats you brought catch all the pests and the kitchen enjoys their presence. They finish off the scraps so keeping them fed on a budget is easy," the dishwasher proclaimed. "Thank you so much Princess Amy!"
"I'm glad we could fix this problem. Thank you for keeping the dishes everyone in the castle eats off of clean. If you have any major issues, send word and I will make a point to see the kitchen again. If not I'll see you next week."
Amy made her way to the butchers who were busy salting a roast for tomorrow's banquet.
"How are we doing today," Amy beamed as she greeted the butchers.
"Fantastic Princess! I'm positive this will be the best feast we've smoked a roast for yet!" The two crocodile men grinned back at the Princess.
"I'm pleased to hear that. Your roast are divine, so please let me know if you need anything to help keep your job here as happy as possible," Amy replied before making her way over to the Head Chef.
"Hello, Chef, how is the kitchen going?" Amy smiled.
"Magnific! I only wish I had more incredible ingredients to make more incredible meals with!" the Chef smiled back.
"The Autumn harvest for the Acorn Kingdom starts in two weeks. I will try to manage a trade with them for some new ingredients. Until then, please continue to update my staff weekly on what produce you need for the kitchen to continue producing such exquisite delicacies," Amy replied.
She bid good day to the chef and the rest of the kitchen staff and exited out the back doors, rather than the dining hall, so that she could enter the garden.
As she and Rouge strolled toward the garden, Princess Amy tripped on a loose piece of cobblestone. Amy felt weightless as she drew closer to the ground, out of the corner of her eye she saw Rouge's shocked face reaching out for her but they both knew she was too late.
Amy squeezed her eyes tight and braced for the impact of the stone road underneath her, when two hands grabbed her shoulder and wrist, pulling her back up and out of harm's way. She was spun around and settled on her feet, her hands resting in the palms of none other than Sir Shadow, the Knight Captain. He was her personal body guard and leader of The Circle of the Shadows, an expertly trained military force. The knights of The Circle were trained by Shadow himself to deliver highly specialized, intensely challenging warfare capabilities that are beyond the means of a standard military force. They go through the most rigorous training in the entire Kingdom and throughout most of the Chaos region, and are known for their skill and bravery throughout the lands.
Shadow was ordered to stay by Amy's side at all times unless he was resting or running a task that required his presence elsewhere, but was always expected to leave a knight of his command in her company and more knights to watch and follow from a distance.
Shadow was usually waiting outside Amy's door every morning, but his second knight in command was waiting instead.
"Sir Shadow," Amy started, as her face flushed red, "I was worried when I didn't see you this morning.. When did you replace my other guard?"
"A little after you arrived in the kitchen," he stated, cheeky, through a smirk.
"How embarrassing, I apologize for not noticing your presence sooner," Amy said as she pulled her hands from his and bowed her head to him.
"No need your highness, it is simply my job to be your shadow. Nothing will harm you in my guard." He smiled as he pulled an arm to his chest, the other resting on his lower back and he bowed.
At this moment Rouge coughed awkwardly, causing Amy and Shadow to break from their conversation and refocus.
"Rouge. Please report what your spies have learned from Angel Island."
Rouge is the Spymaster of a top secret intelligence agency that her and Amy formed when Rouge first came to live in the castle as Amy's Lady-In-Waiting. They quickly became best friends after she was hired and Amy wanted to promote Rouge to a position worthy of her skills. If there's anything that Rouge is, besides a sass master, it's gathering secrets and picking up information. She works hard with her undercover troop to investigate rumors and collect much needed knowledge for her kingdom, through her well run and tight lipped intelligence agency. Rouge commands the trust of thousands of undercover spies, ranging from noblemen to commoners, and from all kingdoms throughout the Chaos continent, even some in the Eggman Empire.
She has spies risking their lives every day to move up the ranks or social ladder of their Kingdom to gain the best secrets and bring the information back to Rouge.
"My spies tell me that Chief Pachacamac grows more fearful of Eggman's threat every day. He wants to mobilize the Knuckles Clan men to attack Eggman before he can attack first. He feels attacking sooner will work in their favor and worries Eggman will try to steal the Master Emerald. The chief's daughter, chieftess Tikal, wishes to not start a senseless assault. She worries that attacking Eggman unprovoked could actually put the Master Emerald in more danger of being stolen instead of less." Rouge said at a voice a little higher than a whisper.
Amy pondered the information in her mind for a few minutes. When she decided what she wanted to do about this information she said, "Sir Shadow. In your military expertise, what do you think of this information?"
Shadow replied, "Chief Pachacamac is known to be a hot headed, stubborn man. In the past he wished to weaponize the Master Emerald and plunged his people into a dark time of loss and destruction. Word has it they still haven't fully recovered, however, his people remain loyal. On the other hand, chieftess Tikal is not as well respected as her father because of her pacifistic ways. While her father is too responsive and abrasive, Tikal is seen as too passive and the people worry she won't take charge and engage in war, even in defense, when needed. If they could work together it would bring their tribe a nice balance, but the Chief is too headstrong to listen to Tikal and think things through. In simplest terms, Tikal won't fight any battles and the Chief wants to fight every battle," Shadow finished. His extensive military knowledge and Rogues' reliable information ensured that Amy was always well informed and as knowledgeable as possible.
"I will draft a formal invitation to meet with Tikal. I think extending a hand in helping her people would be the best. If the Chief wants to fight he can send troops to aid in the border defense since we all neighbor the former Ark Kingdom. But we should try to convince Tikal that we will do our part to keep Eggman forces away from Angel Island. If he gets the Master Emerald we're all in trouble." Amy finished her statement and looked at Rouge and Shadow to see their reactions.
"Won't she be skeptical? How do you know Tikal can trust a foreign nation?" Rouge rebutted.
"I will have several different alliance treaties drafted before her arrival. All will agree that our forces will not come into Angel Island unless specifically requested by Tikal or the Chief. Some treaties will involve the disbandment once the war with the Eggman empire ends. Other treaties will be dissolvable at any time by the Angel Island rulers. The treaties will also state that we won't be permitted to see the Master Emerald."
"That hardly seems fair," Rogue shot back, "We send them military aid at the drop of a hat but can't see or use their ultimate weapon? Why don't we send researchers to look into the Master Emerald and see what all it's capable of."
"Out of the question. The Knuckles Clan are a proud people. You should know, Sir Knuckles was raised there, and you know him," Amy replied. "Their people have been entrusted by the Gods of Mobius to protect the master emerald for all this time. I will not anger the Gods or their chosen people by disrespecting them and their trust. We will fight Eggman with the powers we have. The Gods have entrusted me and you with Emeralds," Amy said, clutching her purple emerald close to her. "Although they are not in their original homes, I believe the emeralds have made their way to who they need to be with in order to ensure the balance and protection of the land of the Chaos Region. Besides, only the Knuckles Clan members and their bloodline can harness the full potential of the Master Emerald and communicate with it."
"Well spoken your highness. I will arrange for a long distance mail carrier of the court to meet with you and deliver your message to Tikal," Rouge replied.
Amy, Shadow, and Rouge continued their stroll as the Princess was greeted by staff in the garden.
Gardeners, knights, and noble men all acknowledged the Princess or wished her a good day and knights on guard saluted as Shadow walked by. He asked a few of the knights to give a daily report and was pleased to hear that nothing was out of the ordinary.
Rouge was approached by a hooded purple fox who began whispering to her side.
The sun still wasn't fully off the horizon, Amy turned to Shadow and smiled saying, "It is my understanding that you need to meet with the wall guards today, is that true, Sir Shadow?"
"Yes, Princess Rose. You have a busy schedule today, I apologize for taking up some of your time."
Rouge interrupted quickly, "My apologizes, Amy, but I must leave at once. One of my spies is wounded from their travels to the Ark Kingdom and requests to speak only with me." And with that she spread her wings and flew off followed by the purple fox.
"Shall we head to the walls?" Amy smiled at Shadow.
"Yes please, allow me to escort you," Shadow replied, blushing, as held his arm out for Amy.
She blushed, and grabbed the inside of his elbow and he rested his hand on his chest as they walked past the garden, through the courtyard, to the nearest tower.
Amy couldn't believe it had already been 5 years since she first met Shadow.
"Sir Shadow.."
"Your highness," Shadow responded immediately.
"Do you remember when we first met?" It had been over 5 years and yet they had not talked about that day in almost that long. Not since after the incident.
"Princess.. I'm sure you have not gone a single day without remembering that day. I bet the King doesn't either.. But in all my dark times, I could not forget meeting such a light as yours."
This will not be 100% accurate to the entire Sonic world lore. That stuff is much more in-depth than I realized and my comic book knowledge of it is non existent but I played all the video games, so here's my attempt.
It will be slightly familiar with a few twists to help the storyline.
Age of all characters at the moment:
Shadow: 24 years old
Amy and Cream: 22
Rouge, Knuckles, and Sonic: 23
Tails, Sally, Tikal: 21
Silver and Blaze: 27
Marine: 20
I would like to give credit for the cover art as it doesn't not belong to me but it is what inspired this story. Even though the picture is more gothic than princess x prince au, it still inspired me to write that kind of love story.
I've seen this photo on the internet since I was a kid in middle school and fell in love with it.
It's from Tigerfog on and here is the link,
Please send them and their artwork some love!
https/tigerfog/art/AmyXShadow-Shall-we-dance-25558698