Early the next morning before the sun had even begun its ascent over the horizon a lone guard spotted trouble. A very large group of visitors was approaching, narrowing his eyes and analyzing their movements carefully he was able to determine that they were not an enemy army or at least not a well trained one. He quickly ran and warned his commander to their approach. His commander in turn notified the Captain of the Guard Nazo who was less than thrilled at being awoken at such an early hour of the morning.
Surveying the approaching group with a scornful eye he ordered double security including archers to be posted on the outer walls, he then formed up his own personal hand picked team of guards and took a boat across the moat. He knew very well that he couldn't take the security risk of extending a bridge over the moat. He carefully watched their approach, keeping out a wary eye for trouble. Such a large group had surely been spotted days ago by patrols and scouts, if they hadn't reported back it was due to the group not being deemed a serious threat. An assessment that Nazo wasn't sure his king would agree to, they were after all a large group of strangers walking up to his front door.
The strange procession marched right up to Nazo and his group of guards and then stopped. An elderly female hedgehog who had an air of authority about her approached Nazo. "Captain of the Guard we come unarmed and pose no security threat." Nazo could picture himself explaining that to the king (Lord I know you didn't expect to wake up and see the castle surrounded however they are unarmed and come in peace). Clearing the image mentally from his head he questioned the old lady hedgehog. "Why are you here?"
She looked at him as if it were obvious "We are here to protest the new king's treatment of special needs animals." Nazo looked at her as if she herself were special "And you don't think he's going to consider a large group of protestors on his front door step a threat?" She looked a Nazo and smiled "We are nonviolent protestors, we don't believe in any kind of violence." "Not even self defense?" Nazo inquired. She simply smiled "Not even self defense."
The Captain of the Guard couldn't fathom a group that would march up to the doorstep of someone known for being ruthless, protest his ways, and not bring weapons to protect themselves from the inevitable attack. "You can't stay here." Nazo informed her. As if on Que all of the protestors sat down at once. "We will peacefully stand our ground until we get a hearing with the King." She informed him. Nazo knew very well that he couldn't hurt them unless they attacked first as they weren't a recognizable foe. Nonviolent protestors…the king was just going to love this!
Exactly fifteen minutes later Nazo found himself in an emergency meeting with the royal family at 5:15 in the morning. None of them looked as if they were happy to be awoken. Half of them looked as if they had just returned from a battle and not rolled out of the bed. The other half looked as if they'd spent the last two hours preparing for a banquet. The king fell into the war zone half, his quills were poking in so many different directions that if it weren't for his distinctive fur color he would've been unrecognizable and he appeared to be wearing blood.
Nazo cleared his throat "At 4:45 I was awoken from my sleep by a member of the royal wall guard that was stationed at the outer north corner. As is required from my royal job description..Fleetway cut him off "Get on with it if it's really and emergency and it had better be waking me up this early in the morning!?" Nazo sighed and glanced at the king only to see that he had his head resting on the table watching Nazo through half closed eyes on the verge of falling back asleep. Sighing the Captain of the Guard summed up the situation in a single sentence "There are non-violent protestors outside and they won't leave."
The King woke up as if he'd been electrically shocked at the word "protestors." He glanced at Nazo. "You said they wouldn't leave..did you kill them?" He said the question like a statement as if he were certain that Nazo had killed them already. Nazo sighed and stated "They claimed to be nonviolent so I let them remain outside and came to talk to you. They are refusing to leave until they get a hearing." The king's eyes glowed "I'll give them a trial by missile!" Fleetway glanced at him "It would only take one plane and one strike." The red furred orange eyed hedgehog that had fussed at Rose for touching his dragon earlier spoke up "It would also be a waste of resources."
Another member of the royal family spoke up his usual flowered scarf attire had been exchanged for a flowered robe that he usually slept in. "How could you guys? They're peaceful!" Nazo sighed they were going to go at it again. Sure enough a moral argument was sparked. "You want to just let them march back and forth on the front door and yell!?" "They could've wrote a letter if they didn't want us to feel threatened!" "They just want to talk show a little compassion!" "We're showing compassion by offering to kill them humanely and outright that's more than they'd show us if they caught us!" "How could you say that?!"
The king sighed and calmly delivered an ultimatum glancing at the gentle purple hedgehog he began to speak "Out of respect for you and your opinion I will give you until sundown to convince the "peaceful protestors" to get off my palace grounds. You speak their language so perhaps they will listen to you. However, if they are still there when the sun goes down then I allow our brother here (with a glance to the red furred orange eyed hedgehog) to set each and every one of them on fire. Understood?"
Speechless the purple furred hedgehog nodded knowing that was going to be as good as it got more than likely but still arguing. "What if they are elderly, special needs, or brought their children with them? Are you going to burn them to just because they wanted to talk to you?" The king's response was to get up and leave indicating that his part in the discussion was over. Fleetway glanced at him "You know that's the nicest I've ever heard him agree to treat anyone. Take it as a victory. I'm surprised he didn't go get a sniper rifle and use them for live target practice. You know how he is." Nazo didn't reply but couldn't help but agree with Fleetway he had been certain that the King would order them captured, brought inside, and interrogated one by one.
Sighing inwardly the peaceful purple hedgehog stood up. "I have to go prepare. If they are here to protest in a cause that they truly believe in they won't be convinced to leave easily." With that he left. All of the other members of the royal family followed him out without another word. Nazo wondered what his role was going to be in the coming drama.
The peace loving member of the royal family spent the next two hours in preparation. He cleaned his fur, got dressed, tidied his room, meditated, and ate breakfast. He hoped for understanding from the protestors outside and at the same time marveled at their bravery. He had just finished his morning routine when he heard a knock at the door, already knowing who it was he told the visitor to come in. It was as he had known his oldest brother the king who entered while flatly refusing to meet his eyes. "I know that no matter what happens out there you aren't going to protect yourself or carry a weapon. Against my better judgement I'll let you go out there alone as you always protest to your guards however you will be watched at all times, if one of the protestors attempts to harm you I'm giving them either a public execution or their own personal torture session depending on what exactly they try. Whether I get them on the spot or later."
Quietly the purple hedgehog looked at him "Sometimes I wonder what they did to you, to cause you change the way that you have." His oldest brother flinched but still wouldn't look at him. "You're still changing aren't you? Your fur is darker.." he cut himself off and turned to leave "Thanks for giving me a chance to at least talk to them." With that he left closing his bedroom door behind him with his oldest brother still in the room. He walked to the main gate where he found Fleetway waiting for him.
The oversized yellow hedgehog glanced at him with something approaching sympathy in his eyes. "I was told to escort you to the moat and then leave." He then paused "Please be careful. I don't think he'd be able to cope with you getting hurt." The purple hedgehog glanced at his brother and calmly informed him that he had no intentions of getting himself hurt and that he would be careful. Fleetway did escort him to the agreed point then stopped and watched him go on.
The king of Mobius was on a hairpin trigger watching his youngest brother approach a group of strangers…alone. It was killing him he wanted to run out there and tear them all apart with his own two hands, watch their life blood ebb out onto the smooth lush green grass, and know for certain that none of them would ever lay a hostile hand on his brother. Trembling with barely contained rage he carefully eyed the canisters at his side mentally ensuring himself that they were prepped and ready for immediate use.
Outside of the palace gates the peaceful protestors watched as a member of the royal family approached. Their leader approached the lone hedgehog. As he approached them the young purple hedgehog felt his heart stop when he saw the little ones with them, he then noticed their leader's approach and extreme age and bowed politely. "Ma'am it's an honor to meet you." Stunned at his manners she smiled at him "You can rise young one. You have manners what is your rank?" Rising and keeping a respectful distance he answered "I'm a member of the royal family." The old hedgehog was now genuinely shocked "You're royalty yet you are respectful and come to us with no guard or weapons?" The young royal hedgehog replied "I believe in the goodness of all creatures and therefore adhere to the philosophy of non-violent action. I am here to talk to you peacefully. Will you grant my request?"
Touched by his sincerity she granted his request and walked forward to introduce him to the rest of the protestors. Nearly all of them ran forward to meet him excitedly however one hung back. Too late he realized that the one holding back was clutching large pointed stone that she promptly hurled at him. It caught him on the base of his left ear and gashed it open, causing blood to begin spilling down the side of his face. Every protestor there turned to the little hedgehog and began to scold her as their leader turned to him and apologized "I'm sorry for the little one's actions, she saw her parents get killed by one of your brothers and has yet to learn about the importance of non-violence." Clutching his injured ear he gracefully accepted the old female hedgehog's apology inwardly remembering his brother's warning from earlier about punishing those that harmed him. Wincing he crouched down to the little hedgehog's eye level. She was only 7 years old "That's for hurting my mommy and daddy!" she yelled at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry that your parents were hurt, I didn't hurt them." He told her. Then watching the tears fall he mentally berated himself for letting his guard down and allowing himself to be struck by the rock. His ear was still bleeding, what was his oldest brother going to do to the poor little hedgehog?
Inside the palace Mobius' ruler had seen the entire incident and consequently locked himself in his bedroom so that he could rage in complete privacy. He just couldn't win, if he went out there and killed the so-called "non-violent" group his youngest brother would never forgive him. However something inside of him called for their blood and wanted to see all of them on their knees at his mercy. The pain came again sharp and agonizing. He realized with a jolt that he was only experiencing the extreme discomfort when he fought his desires to kill. Curling up on the floor in the corner of his room he started trembling, and sweating as the urges grew still stronger. He could literally taste and smell the blood because his blood lust had become so strong. Cringing outwardly with tears slipping from underneath his tightly clenched eyelids he didn't even realize that his aura was growing stronger.
Across the palace Shadow was called in for duty one hour early. His commander an older echidna eyed him approvingly. "Already up and ready for duty? That's what I'm talking about!" He instructed Shadow to stand on the outermost wall. "Evidently you're a good shot with chaos energy spears, we have protestors outside and the archers wanted backup. It could get messy. Get luck." Shadow saluted the older guard and took his post noting that every guard he passed was armed with both a long and short range weapon. Glancing out over the wall and noticing the tenseness in the air around him he audibly sighed with the realization that he was going to be in for an extremely trying day.