"Hey! That's no way to treat a..." Sonic started, but was interrupted when one of the males who had been pestering the female punched him in the face. He groaned in pain, but returned to his original posture and continued to block the female from any attempts the males might make at touching her.
"...lady. Honestly you looked too drunk to do that. Now, I say we let the lady go home and I'll consider forgetting about this." Sonic stated. The three males who had been pestering the female suddenly had a facial expression of fear and concern, their eyes wide in shock.
"We're sorry sir, we don't want any trouble." One of them stated, raising his hands.
"Good, cause that's what you're going to get. Trouble, all three of you..." Sonic started, but stopped when he saw everyone in the tent fall to their knees, apparently bowing before something.
"There's something behind me isn't there?" Sonic sighed, then turned around to be met with a sword being pointed at him. He looked up to see a red Echidna sitting on a horse, he wore the armour of the king's guardians. Sonic gulped slightly, but didn't break eye contact with the male Echidna.
"What's your name?" The Echidna asked.
"Sonic." Sonic stated quietly.
"Something wrong with your knees, Sonic?" The Echidna asked. Sonic then turned to see the female was on a horse, holding onto another one of the King's guardians. Her hood was down to reveal the face of the princess. Sonic immediately dropped to his knees and bowed before her. The Echidna drew back his sword and gently pulled at the reins on his horse, causing it to back up and then turn around. The other Guardians followed suit and soon had rode off. Sonic slowly rose to his feet and walked out of the tent, watching as the princess and the king's guardians rode off. He smiled to himself, then turned around to collect his horse and cart. However, he was only met with the sight of his horse, the cart was gone. Sonic quickly walked over to his horse and looked around.
"Where's my cart? Has anyone seen my cart?" Sonic asked to no one in particular.
Meanwhile, in the castle of Cloister, the high lord constable walked down the long corridors of the castle. His pace was one of evenly timing and his posture suggested he was in a good mode.
"Robotnik! Robotnik! The king wants to see you!" A voice called, the voice of Robotnik's somewhat annoying, but, friendly second in command, Snively.
"Why?" Robotnik asked, slightly annoyed at the fact he'd been summoned once again.
"Princess has wondered off again. Are you gonna let her do that sort of thing once you two is married?" Snively asked as he walked alongside Robotnik.
"When we're married, as far as I'm concerned she can wonder off a cliff. I have bigger plans." Robotnik smirked and opened a door that led to a staircase. When he opened it, he saw one of the monks was quickly walking down the stairs. The purple chameleon bowed his head slightly at the sight of the high lord and walked away slowly after receiving a suspicious look. After Robotnik and Snively had gone through the door and up the stairs, the monk continued his quickened pace.
"Robotnik, why do you think monks have their hair off? Is it so god can see into their brains?" Snively asked as he and Robotnik made their way up the stairs.
"That's what I like about you Snively, stuffed to the gills with insatiable curiosity." Robotnik chuckled. When he went to unlock the door to his office, he found that it was already open. When he went inside, he discovered the whole place was wrecked. Books were all over the floor, plants had been overturned. Robotnik quickly rushed into the room and searched for one particular book. When he found it he opened it and stared into the hole he'd cut through the pages in which he'd placed something, however, the thing he'd placed in the almost holder like hole was no longer there.
"Well that's a pity." Robotnik sighed. He then turned to see a plant had been over turned and removed from it's pot. He rushed over and began furiously removing the soil. He stopped when his hands felt something cold and metal, a sigh of relief escaped his lips.
"Thank god, it's still here. Close the gates to the city, take some men and find that monk." Robotnik ordered to Snively, who nodded and quickly rushed out of the room.
Meanwhile, the purple Chameleon in question had covered his head with a hood and was now approaching the locked gates that led out of the city, which were guarded by soldiers.
"By the authority of the lord high constable, this gate will remain closed until I find what I am looking for! I am looking for a thief! If you've stolen nothing, then you've got nothing to worry about! Hey, you! Let me see your face!" The voice of Snively ordered to a random civilian.
"Horse for sale! He's a good horse for a cart, if you have one!" A voice called. The chameleon turned around to see a blue hedgehog walking with a white horse in tow.
"I'll give you ten coppers." The chameleon stated.
"Ten? Really?" The hedgehog asked and approached the chameleon.
"I'm on an important mission, life or death." The chameleon stated.
"Alright then, sold." The hedgehog smiled.
"Now I don't have the money with me, but, there's money at the abbey." The chameleon stated.
"Look, I'm sure you're an honest man and I'd rather sell my horse to a man of the cloth than a butcher, but, I can't afford to go home empty handed." The hedgehog sighed.
"Of course, of course." The chameleon replied and turned to check on the situation at the gate. He then returned his attention back to the blue hedgehog, who he'd heard someone call Sonic before.
"Which is why I'm offering you collateral." The chameleon stated and handed a small pouch to Sonic, who took it and emptied the contents into the palm of his hands. He frowned when he saw seven beans were resting on his skin, seven ordinary beans.
"Beans?" Sonic asked, almost in disbelief.
"Not just beans, they are holy relics from a special time long ago." The chameleon stated.
"They look like beans to me." Sonic shrugged.
"They are priceless to the monks of Cloister, certainly worth more than ten coppers. No matter what happens, you must take them to the abbey. Give them to Prior Puffin an tell them brother Espio sent you. You'll get your money, I promise." The chameleon explained.
"But, brother Espio, these are just beans." Sonic protested.
"Son, those beans have the power to change the world as we know it. Don't lose them and whatever you do, don't get them wet." Brother Espio ordered. Sonic looked down at the seven beans in his hands, could they really be the ones from the childhood story he'd been told? When he looked up, Brother Espio was no longer there. Sonic turned around to see him riding away on his horse.
"STOP THAT MONK!" The voice of Snively yelled.
Brother Espio quickly guided the horse he had taken from Sonic through the narrow roads of the market, knocking a few people and objects aside as he did so. Not deliberately of course. He noticed an increasingly large amount of the king's soldiers catching up with him. In an attempt to escape, he turned a corner and headed for an open doorway, only to see more of the king's soldiers pour through it. He was surrounded, the sight of weapons must have frightened the horse as it reared up and caused him to be thrown off. He landed on the ground, groaning in pain as his arm made contact with the col hard stone floor. The horse quickly ran off, neighing as if it was frightened.
"Don't move!" Several of the soldiers ordered.
"Stay down!" More added, pointing their swords and spears at him.
"Hello monk." A voice chuckled. Brother Espio looked up to see Snively sitting on a black horse, one that matched his hard and cold soul. Espio let out a shaky breath, knowing of his fate.
Meanwhile, Princess Sally was walking down her father's chamber. She removed her cloak and handed it to the maid who had been following very closely behind her.
"I'm sorry, Knuckles." Sally sighed.
"Sorry for what, Princess?" Knuckles asked.
"Well, I don't mean to make your job so hard all the time, it's just sometimes I have to get out of here." Sally explained as she got closer to her father who was standing rather still, but, that was expected seeing as he was having his portrait done. He was standing and had a large red robe wrapped around him that had been held up by a metal frame so it didn't move, nor add weight to his shoulders. Soon, Sally had walked down the chamber and was now only a few feet away from her father, she took a deep breath in as she prepared for one of his long talks.