I'm back from Westport! And have been given an english writing paper. I'm doing it on Sir Percival (the real one) but I keep having to go back and write he and him because I keep thinking of Blaze as Percival. Heh

Thanks to everyone that reviewed here's my second longest chapter. I kinda sucked at the fight scene, sorry!

Okay maybe not dressed to kill. Shadow amended as he glanced up and down at the figure in front of him for a second time as Black Doom began to speak like he had before every other match. While he wasn't dressed as if he was going to kill someone, it certainly would be easier for him to sneak up on someone and do it than it would for him, the only metal the blue hedgehog was wearing was a metal gauntlet around his hand.

"This will be the last fight of the day." Black Doom's voice filtered in through his thoughts as his black ears caught the words at just the right time, "Whoever wins this fight will be awarded knighthood."

Shadow looked back over at his counterpart and was surprised for the second time that day. The blue one was bent forward slightly, leaning on his sword while keeping emerald green eyes focused on him only. Seeing him watching he winked, just as a horn was blown for the match began.

Almost immediately Sonic rushed up and aimed a hit with the flat of his sword only to be blocked by Shadow's own.

"Didn't expect to see you here." Shadow whispered as he applied the same amount of force back, making it appear to be a match of strength when they were simply standing there.

"I need your help and it was the only way we could figure out." Sonic whispered back with a faint grin, "I need to talk to ya after the fight. Speaking of which, we may want to start."

Shadow gave a small nod and both withdrew their swords to begin circling each other as they searched for a weak spot. Sonic feinted a strike to the ribs only to suddenly move his sword up to try to strike the chest.

Shadow blocked the move quickly and moved back with a smirk. Unlike Sonic he had relied on strength most of his life a figured that if he could get a good strong blow in, or a real shoving match he could win.

He moved over to Sonic and made to strike him in the middle of his back before he could turn, only to have his target suddenly spin towards the left making him cut through empty space. A silent agreement had formed between them to not use their speed for fear that Black Doom or someone would catch onto them.

A few minutes later they were caught in a real shoving match. The sound of metal scraping against metal sounded in their ears as Shadow slowly, but surely shoved Sonic's sword back along with the hedgehog until a grey heel suddenly met with a rock and he fell backwards.

Shadow smirked showing his fangs as he lowered his sword to a blue neck to tell Sonic to surrender. The shocked look on his face made him believe he had won for a few seconds before a sneaker hooked around his ankle and he found himself staring at a grey sword leading up to a smirking hedgehog.

"Surrender." Sonic said quietly as the smirk disappeared to be replaced by a serious expression, "Please, I'm not sure if I can last much longer. I need help."

Shadow stared for a few seconds before nodding, "I surrender." He said loudly so that everyone could hear him.

Right after Sonic stepped back and leaned slightly on his sword as he took a couple deep breaths while Shadow stood.

Black Doom glared for a second before it disappeared, invisible to the normal eye but not to the red ones watching him, and he waved for silence, "Please come up here knight." He said.

Sonic sheathed his sword and got his breathing back under control as he walked up to the platform. Now he wasn't twenty feet from death's door as he had told Knuckles. Now he was two feet from one of the few people that could probably send him there.

"What is your name and who is your master?" Black Doom asked as he took a sword from one of the guards.

A smirk found its way onto his face despite the throbbing that had appeared in his arm halfway through the fight, the same area where a green mark was covered by his sleeve. "My name is Sonic the Hedgehog, and my only master is the wind that blows free!"

His neutral expression was replaced by a sly smile as he glanced down at the hedgehog that was half a foot shorter than him, "Then I would like to make you one of my knights and the general of part of my army."

"Sorry, King, can't. I've gotta find a way to get back home and I just came here to try my luck."

"It is a very good offer…" Black Doom said quietly, "And you would be a great soldier. You aren't planning to fight with Queen Aleena are you?"

Before he could help it his quills bristled and one hand had moved to just beneath his shoulder, "No, I only fall for a trick once."

"Then it's a good thing I'm the first one to try this trick." A girl's voice said as a sword suddenly appeared underneath his neck, "Now your majesty I'd suggest you let the boy come with us or he will be useless to everyone in a few seconds." He held still as the words were said, a strange cold heat came from the sword.

"No one try to stop us or both of them will suffer the consequences." Another said.

Black Doom glared but made no attempt to stop the kidnappers as he was led away. A blindfold was tied around his head and he was placed on a horse as soon as they had gotten away from the crowd with someone climbing on fluidly behind him.

"Sonic?!"

Hearing Shadow he turned his head to the left where the noise had come from, "I'm here Shadow. You okay?"

"Fine, you?"

"As good as I can be."

XXxxXX

What seemed like hours later to both kidnapped hedgehogs the horses stopped and the person behind him dismounted, helping him down as well. A thud and some giggles told him that no one had helped Shadow.

"Amelia!" The person behind him snapped angrily, "Don't be cruel. You're here to help."

"I don't like him though." The girl whined.

Sonic tensed as he finally recognized the voice, it was one of the first he'd heard after he'd woken up, "Amanda!?"

"Yep, it's me."

"I'm back in Queen Aleena's kingdom!?" Sonic shouted as he spun away from the two kidnappers.

"Calm down hun, calm down." His arms were seized and the blindfold was pulled away for him to see that he was in what looked like a war camp, "We're at the echidna's camp. I'm sorry for kidnapping you, but we couldn't let Black Doom know what was going on."

The female who had taken him was a dark orange echidna wearing black and silver with black bands around her quills, not completely enclosing them like his did though, "I'm Shade, Knuckles' sister."

"Could you let Shadow see and have her get the sword away from him?" Sonic asked glancing at his black and red friend.

"Of course. Amelia Hedgehog! If you don't step away from him this instant I will let the Athier deal with you!"

Immediately the pink hedgehog moved away as if burned and settled for glaring at him from a distance.

Shade walked over and pulled the blindfold off, only for Shadow to immediately disappear and reappear standing in front of Sonic.

Shade chuckled and shook her head, "Follow me you two. You both need some food and Sonic can explain his predicament over dinner."

They followed behind, Shadow glaring at everyone and keeping close to and just in front of the blue hedgehog, both swords had been abandoned at the court.

Sonic meanwhile watched everything with wide open eyes as they passed by a blacksmith's cart and an outside school where children of all types, mostly echidnas, watched as an older black cat drew symbols on the board behind her.

They got to the campfire and took a seat as food was passed around, Sonic selecting mostly fruits before adding what looked like chicken at the last second. When Shadow took nothing he rolled his eyes and dumped the same food onto his plate.

"You said Sonic had a predicament. What kind?" Shadow asked once the four of them had their plates full.

"Remember the last time you say me?" A nod urged him to continue, "Queen Aleena and Princess Sonia had tricked me. I believed that I was the queen's son and did what I was told." He took a deep breath a pulled up one sleeve. A green rectangle with what appeared to be green cracks spreading away from it rested below his right shoulder. "It inhibits most of my powers and it's been making me sick. That's what I was talking about at the fight. I was feeling horrible."

Shadow froze and stared for a few seconds, his first friend had gotten sick and died, was Sonic going to also, and why did he think he could help?

"What can I do about it?"

"Knuckles said a chaos user could get it out and I mentioned you."

Shadow took a breath through his nose and pushed it out through his mouth before nodding and turning towards Shade, "I need a tent and a bed. I can get it out but he needs to be lying down."

Shade nodded, "I'll see what I can do."

Hannah: Sorry, it's my habit to thank people and you're being really nice so... I'd feel rude if I didn't thank people for reviewing. Just cause your sister doesn't like your story doesn't mean it was bad. You should have seen mine when I first started. They were terrible! I started in script form with bad grammar in the wordgirl section (this was quite a few years ago! I was like eight or nine I don't watch it anymore!) and I'm pretty sure that I broke the word correct on our family computer a could of times ^^ I didn't stop and now I'm here. Keep going, like I said if you want I can lend a hand