As the sun rose majestically over the horizon, waking songbirds began to warble their melodies as thenight creatures retreated peacefully to their homes thankful to have survived the night. As the sun's rays illuminated the landscape the flowers seemed to glow as their dew laden petals caught the sunlight which gave the illusion of cloaking them in little droplets of liquid gold.
The black and yellow striped bees , and their companions the vivid colored butterflies that seemed to radiate every color of the rainbow quickly set to work pollinating the flowers in the growing sunlight. The sight was one of rare natural beauty, a beauty that was all but lost on the desperate messenger. He had been running all night, knowing all too well the consequences of arriving late.
Especially if he were to arrive late with such important news. To him the busy bees were stinging nuisances, the rising sun a testament of his losing battle against time itself, the butterflies mocked him with beauty that he could not stop to enjoy, and the morning dew soaked his uniform slowing him down exponentially. Hoping against hope that he would arrive on time the messenger raced forward knowing that if he were to fail now this new day could very well be his last.
Meanwhile not so far away in the palace Shadow woke up, combed his fur and put on his uniform inwardly (and outwardly) cringing and hoping that Silver didn't blow the entire team's cover. "I wonder how the royal family slept last night…oh well I'll find out soon enough." Shadow murmured this aloud as he stared into the mirror adjusting the golden embroidered collar that signified his rank only to be interrupted by a slight tapping sound at his door.
Glancing at his clock as he went to investigate the sound he noted that he had as always awoke and prepared an hour early. When he swung the door open Mephiles slunk in and closed it before he even really registered what had happened. "Shadow the guards have been told to be on the lookout for a messenger to arrive before noontime. Allegedly he is to speak to none but the king and his brothers when he arrives." Mephiles watched Shadow carefully his calculating gaze impossible to read. Shadow closed his eyes and carefully thought out his reply.
"Do your job stay away from this it likely won't end well and if you see Silver look after him." Mephiles looked at Shadow again with an unreadable expression in his snakelike gaze. "Shadow Silver is going to get us publicly executed…he shouldn't be here." Shadow responded without hesitation "Getting executed publicly is a risk we all took on willingly when we came here. Silver is going to do his best and that's all I'll ask of him. We are part of a team and we don't let anyone get killed. Understood?"
Mephiles looked at Shadow and conveying absolutely no emotion in his tone stated "Understood." "Well then I'd better go, it might look somewhat suspicious for me to be talking to you at this hour. Oh and Shadow Rose isn't one of our team so let her die." With that Mephiles dashed out before Shadow could respond. Sighing inwardly Shadow waited fifteen minutes after Mephiles' departure before leaving himself so they wouldn't bump into each other in the hall way.
Shadow steeled himself mentally as he headed towards the chief chef's private sector of the kitchen knowing very well that the wrong reaction to anything he was about to see would blow his entire team's cover. His mental preparedness paid off as smelled fresh blood in the room ahead and could hear someone's tortured breathing. Mentally willing himself to be prepared and steeling himself for the worst he pushed the door open. No sane mind could have been prepared for the scene that awaited him.
A patrol of honor guards stood facing forward, faces so still they could've been carved out of stone completely ignoring the scene of suffering taking place directly in front of them. Less than two feet away from them laid a palace guard bleeding his life away, begging for mercy and crying out in pain. Shadow noticed at first glance that he was missing his left arm. The black and red hedgehog knew this was a situation to be played out very carefully. As the honor guards were only seen when a member of the Royal family was with them.
Shadow had a hunch that one of the king's brothers had done this and it proved correct. No sooner had the though passed his mind when he noticed the yellow hedgehog leaning nonchalantly on a bloody battle axe watching his victim suffer. Shadow studied his potential opponent carefully not missing a single miniscule detail. This hedgehog was the size of a small echidna, and probably had the strength of one to left a battle Axe..or was that a Warhammer? Of such size. He had yellow fur that was longer than average, jutted out in different directions as if it had never seen a comb, short curved claws, and red swirling eyes that gave Shadow the feeling that their owner was quite possibly insane.
"Can you give me one good reason to let you live?" When Shadow heard that he realized that this strange yellow hedgehog was holding a conversation with the dying guard. Mentally blocking the deranged charade he studied the guard himself. He was a medium sized echidna with brown fur and oddly colored yellow eyes. He was in very good shape and didn't appear to be a pushover so his opponent had either ambushed him, been very fast, or maybe even both. Shadow glanced at the guard's tormentor again who was paying nothing around him any attention accept for his bleeding victim. The yellow hedgehog wasn't exactly lean himself and conveyed an image of less than blazing speed but then again this analysis was coming from someone who had Sonic as a friend. Just then the door behind him that he had just entered through swung open.
Silver and Amy entered the room and looked at the scene before them with barely disguised horror. Silver was staring at the royal guards wondering how they could be so cold hearted while Amy stared at the gigantic bloodied double edged weapon which was dripping blood directly onto the plush tan carpet. Shadow shot his teammate a look that could have stopped a train and that look was what brought Silver's mind back enough for him to hide the expression of horror on his face just as the guard's tormentor raised his head and locked eyes with him. Shadow knew very well that Silver didn't know the rules of engagement with the Royal Family as making eye contact was very near the top of the list.
"Hello, my albino friend. Why don't you get the cleanup crew so that they can clean the blood out of the carpet before it stains? As you must know my oldest brother can't abide stains on his real fur carpets. How careless of me." Shadow glanced at Silver hoping the Rookie made the right call and making a mental note to find out more about this strange yellow hedgehog. Silver replied with a slight tremor in his voice: "Of course should I tell them to de scent the room as well?" The yellow hedgehog tilted his head sideways without breaking eye contact with Silver. "No need, it smells sweet in here doesn't it? I haven't seen you before you must be new. What's your name?" Silver gulped nervously. "I'm Silver The Hedgehog and you are?" The yellow hedgehog smiled revealing a mouth full of jagged fangs: "I'm Fleetway and this is my weapon Death's Kiss, Vengeance of the Harvest." Fleetway then lifted the weapon and brought it within an inch of Silver's face and still smiling said: "Say hello to my little friend Silver." Silver flinched convinced that he had blown his cover somehow but managed to croak out a hello to the cold steel weapon being held inches from his face.
"See Silver's a friend. He's going to clean up your mess so you don't get in trouble." Fleetway was talking to his weapon as he stroked it lovingly then he looked up at Shadow and winked. "I'd better be going." With that he left the room with the full honor guard procession marching behind and closed the door. It took a moment for Shadow to realize that this hedgehog he'd never seen before winked at him like he'd known him his entire life. Taking a deep breath to compose himself he turned to Silver. "You did well." Then he glanced at Rose who had been oddly quiet throughout the entire episode. "Are you okay Rose?" She was staring with as stricken expression at the now dead guard. "I'm fine Shadow, but what would possess someone to do something like that?"
Shadow simply shook his head wishing he had a good answer. All three of them were convinced that the hedgehog calling himself Fleetway was crazy. Silver looked to Shadow "I'd better go get that clean up crew." Shadow nodded to him stepped out and called Mephiles "Be watching for a big yellow hedgehog called Fleetway." With that Shadow returned to the room and glanced at Rose. She looked at Shadow and sighed. "It's not even 7:30 yet..I'm supposed to serving the royal family breakfast..how am I supposed to serve that monster?"
Shadow's heart went out to the poor servant. "I don't know but by Chaos I hope you find a way. You see what he does to those who displease him." Rose fell silent looking towards the floor and turned to walk into the kitchens. "I wish you luck..you must have become quite desensitized looking at this every day." Shadow decided not to tell her that was his first time meeting Fleetway in his entire life. Standing alone in the room he secretly hoped that by dedicating his life to fighting monsters that he wasn't becoming one himself. With that last thought he left the room as the cleaning crew entered looking at him almost questioningly and finding no answers in the black and red hedgehog's face.