Author's Note: Thank you, Aliciathewolf45, MissMJS, aqua9597, and risingzero2001 for the reviews you left on my last chapter! I hope you all like the chapter, the story is about to get really crazy soon. ;)

•~•

The next morning, Shadow woke up to only to find the other side of the bed empty. He hadn't realized Amy had woken up before him but knew she still was unhappy with their current standing. Shadow let his head fall back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, still feeling crappy for his prior treatment towards her. The distance growing between them was starting to become unbearable, even heart wrenching, but until Shadow could solve his blackmailing issue with Finitevus, things would have to remain strained between them.

•~•

In the dining room, Amy, Rouge, and Cream were in the middle of finishing their breakfast just as Shadow walked in with a couple of his advisors trailing behind him. The three girls looked in his direction as he walked in and acknowledging their presence with a simple nod, before making his way to the other end of the long table. "Do you want us to move so you can sit next to Shadow?" Cream whispered.

Amy eyed Shadow, still pissed off with him. "That won't be necessary, it seems we're both getting enough work done without being by one another's side," she said rather passively.

Unwittingly, Shadow had heard her comment from the other end of the table but refused to reply back. Instead, he focused on a servant that came over with a plate of food and set it down in front of him. "Thank you."

Cream and Rouge gave discouraged looks towards Amy from her comment. "What's going on with you two?" Rouge questioned quietly.

Amy eyed Shadow across the table as he began to chow down on his food. "Shadow and I have not seen eye to eye on many decisions as of late, that's all," she answered after taking a sip of her tea.

Shadow sighed and placed a hand on his forehead, suddenly losing his appetite, but before anything more could be said, Lord Finitevus sauntered into the room with a book in hand. "Your majesty, a word?"

Amy looked to her ladies, sensing an important matter coming. "Ladies, you are dismissed." Rouge and Cream stood from their seats and left the room, while Lord Finitevus stood by Shadow at the other end and waited for the rest of the servants to leave.

"I know I'm rarely invited to these working breakfasts, but the nobles have asked me to present this to you," he said laying out a book in front of him.

Shadow glanced down at it. "It's an edict..."

"For your ratification," he clarified. "Just sign it and so we may be on our way."

Shadow shot him a disgruntled glance. "May I read what you'll want me to ratify?" he asked dryly, sensing Finitevus' apparent lack of patience.

"Um, of course." At the other end of the table, Amy watched curiously as Shadow scanned the document, gaining an understanding of what he'd be signing.

After a few moments, Shadow looked up, troubled by what he had read. "This would require every Mobian subject to come forward to publicly prove they have not been marked by the riders…"

"What?" Amy gawked at the other end. Shadow picked up the book and walked over to the other end and handed it over for her to read.

Finitevus followed Shadow over to the other side. "As you see, nobles from all different regions have signed this in support," Finitevus pointed.

Amy began to skim the papers, reading and grasping the documents contents. Shadow stood by her side, watching her intently. "This would force our people to declare their allegiance under penalty of death."

"As long as they come forward, they have nothing to fear," Finitevus replied with indifference.

"This is ludicrous and I will not allow it!" Amy said slamming the book shut.

"They shouldn't lie to their king," Finitevus mumbled.

"Why are you and the nobles pushing this now?" Shadow questioned.

"Because Mobius grows more vulnerable by the day to these crazed Mobians marked by the riders. We've seen an up rise of disturbed villagers since being branded."

"Only because they're scared," Shadow countered. "There's no proof that their soul was taken."

Amy rose from her seat, feeling heated. "This edict will spill Mobian blood. People will kill each other in the streets."

"True," Finitevus agreed insouciant. "And I assume by 'people' you mean peasants."

Amy scowled. "You disregard life."

Shadow placed a hand on her shoulder. "Amy, allow me?"

She looked towards her husband. "What?"

"Please, go, let me handle this," he pleaded calmly.

Amy softened and left the room as requested, leaving Shadow and Finitevus alone. Perhaps, Shadow was finally on the same page with her. Shadow reached for the book and picked it up. "I assume that this," he said holding out the edict, "Isn't a request?"

Finitevus chuckled darkly. "Oh, your majesty, it's not my choice to overtly threaten my monarch. But yes, if this edict is not ratified then the world will know that you killed King Phillip," he smiled smugly.

Shadow stared at Finitevus with malice. Finitevus loved having this power over him and absolutely relished in it.

•~•

Later that morning, Shadow and Sonic walked down one of the empty halls together as Sonic briefed him on one of his latest missions. "I watched Finitevus' estate for three nights and saw no sign of Lord Montgomery," Sonic updated quietly. "The only visitor I saw was Lady Rouge."

"Rouge?" Shadow repeated. "Why is she visiting Finitevus?"

The two stopped by a corner. "Why am I watching Finitevus?" Sonic countered. "What does he have to do with Montgomery?"

Shadow sighed in frustration. "I told you before, it's best if you don't ask questions."

"Enough Shadow! Why are you having me hunt someone down that father pardoned?" he asked quietly. "Remember, father said it was an accident." Shadow looked away, trying to keep up his poker expression, but his silence caused Sonic to draw more conclusions. He blinked a few times, staring at Shadow in dubiety. "Shadow…did you hire Montgomery to kill our father?"

"No," he said grabbing him by the shoulders. "I did it myself," he whispered. Sonic looked shell-shocked by his admission and Shadow closed his eyes, feeling ashamed. "I took Montgomery's place."

At first, Sonic wanted to be disgusted by his confession, but instead he empathized with him. Their father had gone off the deep end before his death and was causing more harm to those around him than needed. "Shadow…I understand. I know as well as anyone the harm he caused but have you been carrying this secret all alone?"

Shadow released his hold on him, looking anxious. "Not alone, but Finitevus knows about it and now he's blackmailing me."

"Damn it," Sonic cursed. "Should we kill him?"

"We can't! He has Montgomery hidden away somewhere, ready to accuse me of regicide if anything happens to him," he explained nervously. "Finitevus can force me to do anything, sign anything, which has caused me to lose control of my kingdom!"

Sonic ran a hand over his own quills seeing how stressed he was. Now it was all making sense why he had seen Shadow become so secretive over the past weeks. "Chaos, Shads…"

Shadow pressed his back against the wall. "I need a way out or I'll be forced to sign that edict into law and people will die."

"And what about Amy? Does she know what's going on?"

"She doesn't know and can't know. If anything were to happen, Amy must be able to deny this on oath. It's the only way I can keep her safe," Shadow explained.

Seeing how serious this was, Sonic felt determination begin to set in. "I'm going to find Montgomery for you, Shadow, then we'll figure out what to do with Finitevus. We won't let him get away with this," he pledged.

•~•

Later that afternoon, Amy found Shadow by the water's edge, with his eyes closed in meditation. She smiled as she approached his side. "I've been looking all over for you. I wanted to discuss the edict."

He opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Oh, I know it distresses you."

"Actually, in a way it pleases me." Shadow raised a brow by her response. "I know that we've been moving in opposite directions lately, but today when I saw your reaction to that edict, I knew we were on the same side," she explained. "Those nobles expect you to give in, but they don't know you like I do."

He was speechless and it absolutely crushed him. She was proud of him in that moment, but if she only knew the truth. Amy placed a hand on his arm, taking him out of his thoughts. "Take a stand, my love and I'll take it with you," she smiled.

"Amy, I appreciate your support, but…" He stopped, trailing off and diverting his eye contact.

Amy saw the conflict in his expression and quickly became disappointed, knowing exactly where this was headed. She removed her hand. "Wait, you're actually considering this?"

"I have to consider it," he responded. "All of my power comes from-"

"—The nobles, I know," she droned. "This edict is wrong, Shadow, and I know in your own heart, you know that, too."

"There are limits to what I can do, even as king." Amy looked disheartened with his response making Shadow groan in frustration. "When the nobles are united I am boxed in," he claimed sadly.

"Well, perhaps we can find a way to divide the nobles," she theorized. "Together we can-"

"—No!" he said abruptly. "I need to handle this on my own; my way. What I need from you is to be patient…" He reached out and cupped her hands in his. "I need you to believe in me," he pleaded sincerely.

She stared at him, analyzing his features for deception, but the idea still didn't sit well with her. "All right, then. I will do just that."

He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you, my love. Everything will come together in the end."

•~•

An hour later, in the village, a knock on the door, stirred Cordovan from his sleep. The brown hedgehog rose out of bed, shirtless and only in pajama pants. Groggily, he walked over to his bedroom door and opened it, startled to find Amy standing on the other end. "Queen Amy?" he said startled. "Um, to what do I owe this surprise?"

She glanced at his bare chest, not expecting him to be undressed, before directly giving him eye contact. "Unfortunately, my husband isn't giving me what I want."

"Oh..?"

"That's why I've come to ask you instead."

•~•

Once Cordovan got dressed, the two left his estate and walked the streets of the village, wearing their cloak hoods up, to keep people from recognizing them. Commoners went about their day walking past the royals without any realization that royalty was among them. While the two walked together, Amy caught Cordovan up on the edict dilemma. "You think Shadow will sign this edict into law?" Cordovan questioned as they walked down some steps.

"I believe he doesn't want to, but when the nobles are united, they're too strong to oppose."

"Why aren't you having this conversation with your husband?" he countered with intrigue.

Amy stopped at the bottom of the steps. "I've tried, but he says he wants to handle this alone."

"Hm, these things he's doing, they're wrong, politically dangerous even. Why isn't he listening to you? I mean, any guy would-," he stopped himself, quickly re-wording his sentence. "Uh, what I mean, is, Amy…you're right with your concerns. What can I do on my part to assist you?"

"We need to divide and conquer the nobles. I need a branded nobleman to oppose the edict openly," she explained.

Cordovan looked dubious of her request. "Amy, I don't know about this…"

"You can't be the only one that was marked by the riders," she spoke quietly. "Surely, another noble has been too and is just hiding it like you did. We just need one to step forward publicly and more might follow," she justified.

"You're asking me to name people?" He sighed. "Amy, people hide for a good reason. Whoever comes forward would be risking everything," he disputed.

"Just get me in a room with one so I can make my case directly," she pleaded.

"No one wants to be the first. You can't ask people to do things they're not ready to do," he averred softly.

"Consider the risk if they don't come forward. The king will sign the edict, and innocent people, people we both know and care about, will be questioned, tortured, and ousted. The inquisition will reach those nobles too and they will be faced with treason. You could be one of those people…"

She had made a few good points. "I see your point. Fair enough, I'll help you."

•~•

Back at the castle, Isabelle sat at a desk in her chambers looking at some paperwork. The door to her room opened and Shadow walked in. "You called for me?" he said closing the door behind him.

She looked up from her work. "Yes, after that male imposter was killed, the guards found this in his belongings," she explained handing him a thin piece of metal with holes poked out strategically in it. "Look at this letter using it," she explained.

Shadow took it from her and held the metal over a handwritten letter that Dexter had written. As he held the piece of metal over the note, he realized the punctured holes were used for coding. "It's a cipher…"

"Yes, they use it to decode messages," Isabelle pointed. "Dexter was feeding Conquering Storm information."

Shadow stared at it before an idea came to mind. "If this is how the spies communicate, it stands to reason there are others in Mobius."

She nodded. "It's a traitor's tool."

Shadow's mind began to work as a strategic idea came to mind, one that could easily solve a problem for him at court. "And anyone who was found with one-No matter their standing, we'd know they were a spy. Anything they said would be discredited."

She nodded. "They'd be executed."

Shadow smiled to himself. "I need to borrow this. Have you made copies?"

"Of course, Shadow. You think I'm a fool?"

He made his way over to her door. "I just need to show it to some of my advisors. Thank you, Isabelle." With that, he left.

•~•

Later that evening, Shadow met with Rouge in private to discuss a plan he had in mind. Rouge sat in a chair across from him in his bedroom after he interviewed her on some pressing questions about her relationship with Finitevus. "It's true I've been spending time with Finitevus, but I'm not sure it's any of your concern…"

"Rouge, I don't judge you, but Finitevus is dangerous," he stressed.

She crossed her arms over her chest looking peeved by his prying questions. "And yet, you seem willing to embrace him politically," she countered. "At least, that's what I've heard from Amy."

He rubbed his left temple. "That is beside the point, I just want to know if you've grown close to him? What's between you?" he interrogated kindly.

She rubbed her arm hesitantly. "I'm not sure, I— He's let me know he's interested, is all."

Shadow stroked his chin. "Would he be surprised if you were to show up unannounced at his estate?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, baffled by his questions. "A moment ago you said he was dangerous!"

"He is. More than you know— which is why I must ask you, for me, to go there tonight. Tell him that you were on your way back to the castle and your horses needed tending, and when you're admitted," he pulled out a sealed envelope from the inside of his vest, "Hide this envelope," he said handing it over to her. "Hide it somewhere he won't find it."

She took it, eying it curiously. "What is inside of it?"

He entwined his fingers together. "I can only say that it's insurance, should he make himself an enemy to the Crown."

"Well, where am I supposed to hide it? It's not as if he leaves me alone for hours on end," she argued.

"I'm sure you'll find an opportunity," he spoke confidently.

Rouge placed the envelope in her lap. "Shadow, you're asking me to deceive and betray a very powerful person and I would hardly consider us friends…"

"You're right, we haven't spent much time together and although I could order you to do this, I'm instead going to ask you to trust me as your king."

Rouge stared down at the envelope in her lap, contemplating her options. "All right, Shadow, I'll do it."

He smiled in relief. "Thank you, Rouge. I mean it."

•~•

Later that night, Rouge showed up to Finitevus' estate like requested. The two sat in his living room in front of the fireplace, while Rouge took in her surroundings. His home was very lavish with paintings, statues, carpets and lots of space. Finitevus smiled as she looked around his home, enjoying staring at his artwork. "I wasn't expecting you, not that I'm displeased with that," he spoke as he sat across from her.

"Yes, well, uh, I was on my way back to court from the village and I realized my horses needed tending to," she explained. "Thank you for that, by the way."

"Of course," he smiled.

"Uh, but I shouldn't stay for too long, though," she smiled back.

"Not even long enough for a bath?" he suggested, eying her up and down.

"A bath?" she repeated, a little confused by his proposal. "Are you serious," she laughed uneasily.

Finitevus, on the other hand, did not laugh and instead remained pensive. "Yes."

"Why would you want me to have a bath?"

He placed his fingertips together, suddenly looking devious. "I'll tell you about it while I watch you bathe," he smirked.

It was then that she realized this was her moment, the alone time she would probably only receive in order to hide that envelope. She watched him carefully and put on a bold façade. She sat up straight, and batted her eyelashes at him, flirtatiously. "Draw it for me, then."

He chuckled. "Look at you, making demands already." He smiled coyly as he stood. "You're learning fast." Finitevus walked off into the other room, leaving Rouge unaccompanied.

Once he was out of sight, Rouge stood from her seat and began to look around the room for the perfect hiding spot. She spotted a portrait along one of the walls and lifted it up seeing the perfect spot for hiding the envelope. But just as she pulled out the letter from between her cleavage, she heard Finitevus making his way back. Quickly, she hid the envelope behind the portrait just as she heard Finitevus' footsteps around the corner. Rouge relaxed and walked away from the picture with her hands clasped together and smiled innocently.

Finitevus walked towards her with two glasses of champagne in hand, completely oblivious to what she had just pulled off. "Here," he said handing her a glass. "A little something to help you relax while you wait, especially since you seem to be nervous," he noted.

Rouge smiled sheepishly with a blush and took a sip of her champagne, relieved that she had finished with her mission.

•~•

Meanwhile, with Amy and Cordovan, the two returned to the castle for dinner where they spotted a brown coyote at the other end of the table talking to other nobles. "There's our guy," Cordovan whispered.

Amy stared at the noble watching him intently. He clanked his glass of wine with the nobles around him and cheered. "How do you know he's been branded?" she questioned lowly.

"He was…with me when I was first attacked. I, uh, kind of left that small detail out to protect him," he explained.

"I see…"

"Let me go over first and join him to see if I can get any indication that he might join us. First, I have to do some persuasion. I'll talk to him for a bit then I'll give you a signal to come join me for your pitch, okay?"

Amy nodded. "Very well." Cordovan walked over and took a seat by the noble and was immediately offered some wine. Amy watched, as he easily was included in the group's conversation.

"—Oh, Cordovan's very charismatic with the nobles, isn't he?" a voice said from behind. Amy turned only to spot Isabelle behind her. "Gentle warning not to be too trusting of him," she whispered. "Cordovan is a Prince of the blood, after all."

Amy shot her a puzzling look. "You hold his royal blood against him?"

"His family was once rivals for the throne, as you know," she explained.

Amy blinked in surprise. "Was he now?"

Isabelle tilted her head slightly; shocked Amy was unaware of the muddy history between the two families. "You didn't know that?"

Amy looked back at Cordovan. "No…" Just at that second, Cordovan looked in her direction giving her a friendly smile. Amy smiled back before he reverted to conversing with the group of males.

"Sonic was very sickly as an infant," Isabelle continued. "And there was talk that if he ever died, and I failed to produce more sons, Cordovan or his older brother would take the throne. Obviously, this was long before Shadow was legitimized."

Promptly after Isabelle's story, Cordovan, and the other nobles stood from their seats and Cordovan nodded his head, giving Amy the signal. "Those were different times, Isabelle. Cordovan is a loyal friend to me and to Shadow," Amy replied before walking away. Isabelle watched Amy exit curiously before walking off herself.

Amy met with the prince halfway as he joined her side. "Lord Adrian is leaving. We need to catch him now, I think we might have him," he spoke optimistically.

"Wonderful, let's go."

•~•

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