Musicalocelot: I think you've predicted well enough... Anyway, I wouldn't call this, finding out, but it's all up to you when you read. You'll understand what I'm talking about when you read the chapter.

Disclaimer: Lancelot and anyone related belongs to Sega. All the OCs belong to me.

Chapter 8

All the kids in the class sat up with straight backs, hands in lap, and respectful words. More than what they usually did any other day. Well, of course, you had to go above and beyond if the king took time off his busy schedule to observe the schools.

The azure hedgehog smiled and nodded warmly as the young six to seven-year olds raised their hand politely and answered questions. He sat in the very back so not to disturb. It was very unusual for any king to just walk around, anywhere but his castle, but he had a good reason. King Arthur knew, from the very beginning, it was going to be hard to accept his new rule with females and education but, he was going to follow his beliefs. And ever since he learned Elizabeth was one of the first females to enroll in an ex-forbidden subject he wanted to see how she took it.

So far, he hasn't seen one sign of the little hedgehog. It was selfish and biased to say; he was quite disappointed. Not to mention he wasn't too keen on school. As he grew up he always took a disliking on any sort of subject, unless you didn't count snack time, that is. King Arthur would've put his head in his face and groaned loudly as the two-tailed fox went on about the steps to successfully achieve subtraction. But, he was king, and as king of the land, he needed to be a role model. However boring it was.

It was finally meal time, (King Arthur did a little dance in his head), and the kids were with their various food items and sitting next to their friends. The blue king was standing next to the teacher, a good friend of his, and they discussed topics about the school.

"What is it that you do here, Miles, besides the basic material," he asked trying not to eye the meat the kitsune had in his hand.

Miles readjusted his spectacles and answered, "Of course they do learn material other than basic mathematics. Reading and writing is a big part of the curriculum."

All he needed to hear was reading. He already came to the conclusion that school had to be the vilest torture to any man. But, he had to wonder…

"Do you teach anything on craftsmanship or anything to do with swords?" He must've sounded as if he were crazy because the yellow fox gave him a look of absolute bewilderment. Only for a second though. He must've, again, realized who he was talking to.

"F-forgive, my king, but I do not believe we provide that as a subject. There are teachers for that particular…study but, no, not here," Miles stuttered. He took a bite of the meat.

King Arthur just nodded. He decided against asking any other questions and it was quiet between the two. Right about now, the king would give anything just to return to his castle. At least he could train their, despite how easy the trainers were. It would give him something to do.

Just about when King Arthur was ready to discuss with Vanilla, who he brought just because she insisted, the entrance doors opened. Everyone except the only three adults were too busy in their own conversations to look. Gripping her father's hand tightly Elizabeth stood slumped over staring at the ground in misery. It was obvious to anyone, who had eyes, that she'd done her fair share of crying. Lancelot murmured something and they started to walk towards the professor.

Miles met them half-way and began to talk with the knight. Lancelot, absent-mindedly, answered the questions he was given and stared into his daughter's eyes. Elizabeth silently pleaded something, something King Arthur couldn't make out but, in the end, she just looked down. For a second he just stared at the three until the golden kitsune returned to his desk.

He started to walk towards the two and then stopped when he saw tears stroll down the young one's cheeks. King Arthur didn't know why he continued to walk towards them, it wasn't in his place, for the moment. But, he really wanted to know why Elizabeth was in tears. For some reason, it didn't sit well with him.

"Good day Lancelot," he started off lightly.

Lancelot immediately bowed before the king. "Your majesty," he said. His ruby orbs shot towards the young girl and without protest she bowed also. She barely whispered, "H-hello," before putting her hands to her face. She hiccupped trying to keep in the oncoming sobs.

The crimson marked knight sighed before saying, "Please excuse my daughter, my king," he stood straight, "as you can see, she's not in the best shape."

"If I may ask, what is the matter Lancelot? Why is she upset?" he asked, with genuine worry.

"In all honesty, I do not know the cause of her cries. This morning, we were already almost here until she started to form tears. I didn't want her showing up like this, dampening the mood so I took her back. But she will not tell me what is burdening her." Lancelot rubbed her head as she clutched his leg, shaking with silent cries.

'Then why is she here?' was all that ran through the king's mind. He didn't know why he felt so defensive towards her and her well-being but, he did. He, of course wasn't going to say anything but it didn't mean he wasn't going to do something.

King Arthur kneeled to teary girl and said softly, "Elizabeth?"

The girl called kept her hands to her eyes but put them down when Lancelot murmured, "The king is talking to you." She kept her eyes to the ground but as time went on she slowly placed her gaze on the kings green orbs.

"Y-yes?"

"If I remember correctly, you have a certain fascination in swords, correct?" A finger immediately rose to the knight almost pouncing on him. Lancelot backed away with wide alarmed eyes and clenched fists. A smirk played on the king's lips as he could basically feel the glares on him.

Elizabeth continued to look at him with her head slowly rising. She cocked her head to the side in mild interest. "Y-yes, I do, king," she placed her hands behind her back in sudden shyness, "Wh-why?"

"What do you say if, for the rest of the day, I be your teacher? We could just talk about swords." His smirk only grew as Lancelot's breath hitched.

Elizabeth's eyes glowed a light fuchsia. "Really!" she exclaimed wiping away some tears.

He chuckled, "Now, you know I never lie. So what is the answer?"

"Yes! Of course, silly!"

"Elizabeth!"

Right when her father shouted/growled she knew he meant it. She knew the meaning of the warning. Elizabeth looked at her father as he glared at her. Her eyes returned to a light purple and tears slowly filled her eyelids. Her head whipped to King Arthur's who kept his gaze on her. His expression turned from surprised to apologetic. Her eyes returned to the ebony hedgehog.

"Daddy," she whispered.

"Thank you for the offer,
my king," the knight said, straining to keep his tone at level, "but, we'll have to decline the offer."

"But daddy," she protested but shut her mouth as a chilling glare was sent her way.

"Anata wa sono yōna koto o shinaidarou, soreha, Erizabesu wa akirakadesu?" he whispered harshly. The girl was only able to pick up bits and pieces from her father's teaching of the unknown language but, she gathered enough to shut up. Her ears lowered in defeat and despite herself she latched on to his leg and put her head in the comforting fur.

The king on the other hand had no way of interpreting the language. He knew the only reason Lancelot had learned the language was because his wife came from an unknown land that spoke it, but he didn't need a reference to know he was giving a harsh sentence. The cerulean hedgehog rose and sighed. Deep disappointment placed itself in his chest but he couldn't tell if there was another thing.

Longing?

No, that wasn't possible. He could count the times he'd seen the girl on his fingers. He couldn't have possibly grown an attachment to her so soon. So why was he feeling as if his soul was being ripped from hers?

"Well, that's a true disappointment Lancelot." He brushed the young one's quills with his fingers. "I was really looking forward to this."

"I'm deeply sorry, your majesty, it's just that-" Lancelot quickly explained.

"Yes, I know. It's her safety first. Rest assure, Lancelot, I may not act like it, but I deeply worry for her safety too," he laughed, "and it might have been a bit reckless to mention such an idea."

"I am forever grateful you are such an understanding king."

He waved it off, "I am forever grateful she has such a protective father. You don't find too many of those around anymore." King Arthur sighed and Lancelot dipped his head. The young king turned to leave while saying, "Have a pleasant afternoon Lancelot and Elizabeth."

Lancelot just grunted in reply and turned towards the exit. "Elizabeth, let's go," he sternly said. They began to walk and as soon as they were ten feet outside the entrance the girl stopped in place. Lancelot hummed in surprise and gazed towards his daughter. "Elizabeth?" he questioned.

Said hedgehog let go of her father's hand and rubbed her arm, timidly. She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay, with the king. For once, she needed to say something. Maybe not too aggressive, but stern enough to let him know this would make her happy. Perhaps his lack of understanding was partly her fault, she was, after all, determined to keep her first secret with her uncle. But she was starting to regret it. But, wait. She just promised to keep the pastries a secret. Didn't that mean she could tell him the problem?

If you tell him this, he might go to extremes. You know your father Bessie. He's paranoid and whatnot. He will go above and beyond if you tell him any of this.

Maybe she could talk around the truth. Yeah! It was still telling the truth but, just in a way she found…..acceptable.

With a deep sigh Elizabeth said, "I w-wanna stay daddy."

Lancelot also sighed, but tiredly, "You know I do not want you anywhere near a sword until you are ready. I am sorry, my dear, but no. Now, come along. We have-"

"Daddy, no! I want to stay" her voice interrupted and was a bit higher. This caused Lancelot to raise his eyebrows in surprise. "E-excuse me?" he sputtered. His face hardened.

But that wasn't going to dampen her courage.

"Please, you said you don't want me crying, right? So, if you let me stay, then I promise I'll do my best not to cry. It'll make me very happy and- I-I just really want to stay."

Lancelot crossed his arms and only glared. "How do you expect me to allow you to do something you want to do when you won't let me talk?" he said, though surprisingly, his tone was barely harsh. The crimson eyed hedgehog kneeled in front of his daughter and sighed. He grabbed ahold of her arms and gently rubbed her arms with his thumbs.

"My love,"

Elizabeth instantly sparked with enthusiasm. He only said that when he was surrendering!

"Fine. But," he added, "just…just promise me you won't do anything reckless. I don't want to see one single mark on your body. If I do, you will not touch a sword another day of your life. Do you hear me?" He wouldn't be even considering this if she hadn't been crying all morning, if she hadn't looked at him with those darn eyes.

She nodded furiously and placed her tiny arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly and Lancelot hadn't even had time to return the embrace before she ran off.

"Elizabeth!" he shouted, cursing at how desperate and worried he sounded. The girl groaned silently before, pleasantly smiling at her father, "Yes daddy?"

He didn't know why, but the knight looked around before saying, "Please be careful. I'll be waiting before the school day ends."

She giggled. He was too funny. "Good-bye daddy." She ran in shouting, "I love you," and went into the building before he could say anything.

A light blush tinted his cheeks. It was funny how such a small thing could deteriorate his cold heart. Moments like these were something he never took for granted. Lancelot smirked and whispered, "Watashi mo, anata o aishite."

Her eyes sparkled and shined with brilliant interest. The endless amount of knowledge this hedgehog had been unbelievable. It was so amazing how, one right after the other, he would display facts and points about a sword, big or small, endlessly. There was no way, by the end of this, she wouldn't know everything there is to know about a sword. Actually, she hoped there wouldn't be an end to this discussion. She actually didn't want the school day to end. But, unfortunately, when there's a beginning, there is always an end.

So, she just had to make the best of the time she had.

"How is a dagger worse than a regular sword? I thought they were the worst," Elizabeth said.

"Now, I never said that. I said, it all depends on how the user of the sword or dagger or any lethal weapon uses it. It all directs on the person's accuracy, strength and agility. But I can see why you would think that," King Arthur looked up in wonder, "Well, most daggers are lightweight so if I were to base an attack on accuracy….I guess, it would serve as a good weapon. It does have its disadvantages too. For example, unless someone were too strike in a lethal part of the body, you never know if you've successfully taken down your opponent."

Elizabeth nodded trying to soak the information given. She and the king were both inside, apart from the regular room. King Arthur sat in a chair where he was bent over, elbows on knees, looking over his great friend's daughter. Elizabeth sat on the ground, Indian style, with her hands in the circle her legs made. She looked right up interested in everything the azure hedgehog had to say. It was quiet in the separate room, but they were okay with that. It gave them a sense of peace and, somewhat, freedom to talk about things they wanted to talk about. They couldn't hear the others. It was just them.

King Arthur was very happy at the moment. As Elizabeth would ask him questions he would always give an answer. If he didn't know a bit of information she was always seemed to know what it was. He couldn't help but grin and feel good whenever her eyes sparkled if she gained new information. A smile would almost split her face in half and she would barely sit. And the way her tiny and innocent like voice would shout with excitement. It was….it was heart-warming, to put it lightly.

It was definitely surprising how she was related to the cold-stoned black knight. From what he observed so far, she barely acted like him. The physical characteristics were there, but there were only a few traits she inherited. Well, he couldn't really assume this too soon. It was only her sixth year breathing. There were many more to come. But there was one thing he was sure about. There was a trait so alike, he deemed it an exact copy.

Their eyes.

See, if you took the time, Lancelot's eyes were doors to his emotions. His ruby orbs would swirl with so much emotion it was hard to take. His features would stay indifferent but his eyes would always betray his initial look. That is why he preferred his helmet on and closed. They secured his emotions. They blocked anyone from seeing the feeling he, so deeply, showed. Obviously, his eyes didn't change color with emotion like Elizabeth's. but, there wasn't much difference. If Elizabeth were to perfect the indifferent feature her eyes would still change color with emotion but unless you were someone close and knew the meaning of the colors, they had no way of knowing the true emotion she felt. You had to look deeply within.

It was the only way to figure them out.

Elizabeth could resolve her eye changing stature by keeping a helmet over her head, that is if she was really keen on it but that thought angered the cerulean king. The mere thought of her face covered, hiding away her eyes set blind white hot rage in his chest.

Her beautiful, innocent, eyes, covered.

King Arthur had to remind himself, this was never said. The thought was just something he…..thought. It wasn't something that was really going on. He had to calm down.

"King Arthur, are you alright? Am I asking too many questions? I-I can-" the girl started. Her hands were folded over her chest and her eyes turned a bright purple.

"Please," he interrupted, strained, and released the grip on his chair, he didn't even know he had, "call me Sonic. It's alright. And, no, you aren't asking too many questions. In fact, I would be very delighted if you would ask more."

"Ok, but I have to tell you something," she dipped her head and played with the ends of her dress.

A sudden urgency sprang through the blue king. He had no idea why his emotions were on edge when he was around this little girl but that question couldn't stop his emerald eyes from widening a bit. He leaned forward as if that would heighten his hearing. "What is it, Elizabeth?"

"M-my daddy said I shouldn't call you that because I won't be showing good manners and I want to be the best for the king. So, I don't know if I should still call you…Sonic. I don't want to get daddy angry but," she looked up at him, eyes looking as if they were liquefied, "I don't want to disobey you. What should I do?"

King Arthur silently gasped.

He couldn't help it. The fact that this girl cared so much about something so trivial as a name, it piqued his interest. He couldn't help but touch her cheek. His finger gently rubbed her cheek until his hand fully cupped it. The blue hedgehog softly smiled as Elizabeth gasped in surprise at the soft touch.

"Why don't we make an agreement." He retracted his hand sat straight. "Would you please stand?"

Elizabeth scurried up.

"I have an idea. To make your father happy, when you are around him and anyone else, you call me King Arthur. And then when we're alone you may call me-"

"Sonic!" Elizabeth finished happy that the plan was thought up. She could please everyone without hurting anyone. It was the ideal plan!

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she shouted and jumped on the blue hedgehog. King Arthur gasped, this time audibly, and his eyes widened when he was brought into a tight embrace. Warmth spread throughout his body and his hear pounded widely. What was wrong with him? Why-why did he feel so…so…

Elizabeth squeezed a bit harder and mumbled quietly, "Thank you…Sonic."

He didn't know what to think or how to feel. This girl, this small girl brought him warmth he hadn't felt in years. She made him feel relaxed yet so giddy. It was confusing and tiring but he still returned the embrace with as much strength.

"The pleasure is all mine, Elizabeth."

Lancelot waited, impatiently, for the class to be dismissed. He crossed his arms waiting for his daughter. He did this almost every day but, that didn't it got easier. He didn't like to admit this but he didn't enjoy the fact that he was separated from her for almost the entire day. Although he also didn't like pondering on the thought it was unavoidable; what if something happened? It was foolish, yes, but he always went through this.

What if something happened to Elizabeth and he was yet to be informed. Why wouldn't the school send over a messenger as soon as something happened? This was his daughter! He had the right to know what was going on. Lenora's death had made him paranoid. She was already gone, he couldn't bear the thought of…oh, Lord. It would be horrible. He was sure he would go into a state of depression. He was sure he would destroy anyone and anything he saw if the unthinkable were to happen. If he goes in there and find out something happened to his daughter he would-

"Hi daddy!"

Lancelot blinked before turning to see his Elizabeth jump into his arms. All previous thoughts escaped his mind as he quickly embraced her. "Hello Elizabeth. How was your-" he began but his ruby orbs widened in alarm as the ebony girl ran out of his arms and to somewhere else.

Somewhere else where he wasn't.

The knight could care less about anything right now. He drew attention as he yelled out her name and chased after her.

Elizabeth ran. She ran as fast as her tiny legs could go. She needed to see him, to apologize to him. After another talk with King Arthur (she told him about Tyrone and made him promise to keep it a secret) she decided to go with his answer. Apologize. So here she was running and she could hear the heavy footsteps of her father. She knew he had incredible speed. Speed that she'd seen only a few times in her life, so it was a wonder why he didn't use it. But that didn't matter now. Right now, she needed to find Tyrone and reform any piece of oncoming friendship they had.

As she slowed down to observe her surroundings. She caught sight of the little green hedgehog, out of the corner of her eye. He held onto a woman's hand and was about to walk away.

"T-Tyrone!" she yelled.

The green hedgehog's shiny blue orbs blinked towards the origin of the sound. Tyrone blinked again as the ebony female stood in front of him in a blink of an eye.

"Hi," she panted. Running took a lot out of you.

He gasped a bit startled. Then his eyes dimmed. He looked to the ground, sadness and woe surrounding him. His mother questioned him about the girl before Lancelot finally turned up. The crimson striped hedgehog said, "Excuse me for my daughter's behavior." He glared at her and right there and then Elizabeth knew she was in for it. But she needed to apologize.

"I'm sorry once again," Lancelot apologized grabbing his daughter's hand, "We'll be on our-"

"Tyrone, I'm sorry," Elizabeth interrupted causing Lancelot to fume. But she didn't care right now. This was important. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. You were trying to be my friend and I was mean to you. I hope you can forgive me because," she paused to soak in how his eyes shined with happiness, "because I don't want to lose the only friend I have."

He was taken aback. "You-you want me to be your friend?" he questioned smiling brightly. Elizabeth nodded, though winded. Her face was flushed, she was panting and she was pretty sure she was a mess. This was no way to request friendship but she had to try.

"Please?"

The little hedgehog looked up to his mother to see her gush and smile with warmth. He looked to Elizabeth's father who stared surprised at both of them.

There was no way he was going to decline that offer.

Tyrone shook his head furiously and before he had time to realize it Elizabeth had jumped on him, squeezing him in a death-grip. She released him after her father whispered a harsh one and timidly said, "I'm sorry. I just….." she exhaled, "Thank you". And with that she said her goodbyes and she was gone. She was gone, away. But he wouldn't be moping around the room anymore. He wouldn't worry about messing up every minute.

No, because he's just gained a new friend.

Translations:

Anata wa sono yōna koto o shinaidarou, soreha, Erizabesu wa akirakadesu?-You will do no such thing, is that clear, Elizabeth?
Watashi mo, anata o aishite-I love you, too.

Well, what did ya' think? Yeah, some mushy, gooey stuff but you know what, that's why I put this story in the family category! Anyway, on with the story, I don't know if you've caught this but there isn't a title for this chapter. I know crazy, but it's because I couldn't think of one. Not because I was lazy. So, I might come back and type one up but for now, make something up. Umm...what else..oh! Yeah, Tails is the teacher. In the beginning I was going to make Arthur and Miles friends, like, best friends but, I realized the king views Lancelot as his closest friend already, so...no. But he's called Miles because I think it's more professional.

And now, the scene with Elizabeth and King Arthur. Yes, they got something going on. It looks like King Arthur's starting to form attachment and a bit of something else with Elizabeth. I don't know what the word's called but I'll think of it! I will be honest, the reason I didn't type the discussion about Tyrone was because I was lazy and I didn't think it would serve any purpose. But, pay close attention to this section. It has a lot to do with later chapters.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Tyrone and Elizabeth. And didn't you think it was funny how Lancelot was going off, in his head. he's too protective. But she is daddy's little girl. And also, sided note, if you read carefully you can see a trait Elizabeth has formed. something similar to her father's. She will accomplish any goal she deems worthy of. have you noticed that Shadow/Lancelot will not let anything get in their way if they need to finish a goal? Well, I've made Elizabeth like that.

To think, I thought i couldnt get in stories over the week, huh? I know I'm rambling but, just one more thing. Later I will put a chart on what Elizabeth's different eye colors mean. I've read over the chapters and I realized it can get a bit confusing so I came up with this. I actually got the idea from a book I'm,currently, reading.

(Haha, look. the first letters of each paragraph spell "Wait". I'm too good...no)

Thank you for reading. R&R

~God Bless You~