Author's Note: Thank you MissMJS, JessicaShadow, AliciatheWolf45, Guest and Sad Little Demon for the reviews left on the last chapter. I got a bit of confusion on my last chapter on whether or not Amy cheated on Shadow with Cordovan. Nope, she just went to him to get help, nothing sketchy went on between them! Oh, also, I put a new poll on my page for the next story you'd like to see me write. I just finished writing this story the other day, but obviously, I haven't finished uploading all the chapters on here. I want to start working on my next story, but I'd like to get your opinion. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
•~•
Back at Finitevus' estate, Rouge sat in the bathtub with milky water up to her breasts. As she sat in silence, her mind went a mile a minute wondering if Finitevus would discover the envelope she had planted in his home. Her thought process stopped when he knocked on her door, causing her to look in that direction. "C-come in," she replied, nervously.
The door opened and Finitevus walked inside, staring in awe at her in the bath before him. He closed the door, unable to take his eyes off her. His eyesight fell to her large breasts barely covered by the milky water. "You wanted to know why I enjoy watching females bathe?" he spoke as he walked closer. "I suppose it's the vulnerability, the sense of comfort one feels, covered, embraced, when in fact, one is quite exposed."
"My, that's quite deep," Rouge noted.
He sat down on a stool by the tub. "If you allow me, I'd like for us to trust one another."
Rouge gulped, feeling her heart race. Did he already know? She needed to play it cool. "I-I'd like to trust you."
"Wonderful, except there's just one problem, my dear. Once Shadow finds out about us, he will try to use you against me," he pointed. Rouge internally cringed. Too late, Shadow was already one step ahead of him.
"Why does Shadow think that you're his enemy," Rouge asked, trying to sound ignorant.
"That's a reasonable question with a dangerous answer," he started. "How about this, I will give you two choices."
"All right, let's hear it then."
He leaned his arm on the lip of the tub. "I can leave and you can finish this delightful bath, go home, and your world will remain as it is, or, you can join me downstairs in the bedroom and we can begin this journey into trust," he hinted coming closer to the tub. "You may learn some new things, so consider it carefully."
Rouge looked down at the warm water in silence contemplating her options. She was starting to realize that Shadow might be right; Finitevus was proving to be quite dangerous, but the only way to find out for sure was to take him up on one of his offers. "I'll join you in the bedroom."
He grinned, showcasing his sharp and toothy grin. "Excellent choice, my dear."
•~•
Back at the castle, Amy and Cordovan managed to corner Adrian to confront him on their plan. The three stood in the war room for Amy to pitch her plea to the noble. After her pitch, the noble stared at the queen bewildered by her proposal. "You're asking me to be a martyr?" Adrian replied with uncertainty.
"I'm asking you to be a hero," she corrected. "Lord Adrian, the time for hiding in the shadows has passed. What is required now is daring, but if you show the king that if he stands up, there are nobles who will support him."
Adrian scratched his head reluctantly as he processed the notion. "I don't know, your highness, I do have a family to think of…"
"And I have friends that I am concerned with, too. Don't we owe it to the people we love to stand up for what we believe in?" she questioned sincerely.
He pondered on the thought for a moment, still skeptical of this idea. "Let me sleep on it, then you'll have my answer," he promised.
She nodded, appreciatively. "Of course. Thank you for your time."
•~•
Meanwhile, back at Finitevus' estate, Rouge sat in a bathrobe in his bedroom, while Finitevus stood in front of his bed. The echidna had just finished revealing one of Shadow's deepest and darkest secrets, but Rouge still wasn't convinced. "I don't believe you. There is no way that Shadow killed King Phillip."
He shrugged innocently. "It may seem hard to believe, but I assure you, I'm not lying."
"Well, even if he did, the king was mad," she averred. "I saw and heard about the terrible things he did."
Finitevus made his way to the sofa to sit across from her. "I make no moral judgment on Shadow's actions."
She raised a brow. "Yet you are blackmailing him?"
He sat down. "Only because Mobius needs a strong leader to hold the nation together."
Rouge continued to look in dissent. "You just told me the most profound secret; what am I suppose to do with it?"
"You can't make it public because you don't want to see Shadow removed from the throne. After all, he is your best friend's husband and surely she would be taken down with him."
Her ears lowered. "Why did you tell me, then?"
"Because when Shadow comes to you and asks you to betray my trust, I want you to remember which of us told you the truth first; about who we are, and what we're capable of."
•~•
Later that night, Shadow paced back and forth in his room, eagerly waiting for Rouge's return. Eventually, his door opened and Rouge walked inside right on time. "What happened, did you succeed?"
Calmly, Rouge closed the door behind her. "What was in that envelope?" she demanded.
"I told you, it's better if you didn't know," he repeated.
"Shadow… could whatever you wanted me to leave there cause him his death?" she inquired sternly.
Shadow opened his mouth, debating on revealing the truth, but stumbled to answer before finally giving in. "Yes…"
"Why?"
"Because I need something in place in case Finitevus' threat becomes too great," he explained. "Did you plant it or not?"
Rouge crossed her arms over her chest suddenly registering that Finitevus was right all alone. "I'm sorry, I wasn't able to," she lied. "He became too suspicious so I left."
Shadow looked disenchanted by the news. "Rouge, I know you were frightened but I really needed you to this for me."
"Because you're the better person?" she argued. "One of you used me tonight and it wasn't him." With her final word spoken, Rouge stormed out of his room.
Shadow watched her retreat, suddenly feeling knots form in his stomach. His plan had backfired and he had no idea what to do.
•~•
The next morning, the nobles arrived at the throne room for the edict's signing. Amy and Cordovan stood off to the side and spotted Lord Adrian enter the room, looking rather nervous. "He's here," Amy whispered to the prince. Meanwhile, Shadow sat on his throne also looking quite apprehensive.
"King Shadow, we humbly come to ask you to sign this edict," Finitevus announced handing him the book.
Shadow accepted it and looked down at it in his lap. Staring at it long and hard, Shadow swallowed the lump in his throat knowing that there was nothing he could do to prevent signing it. In the background, Lord Adrian looked around at his fellow nobles. Amy sensed his reluctance on her end and suddenly grew a dreaded feeling. "He's not going to step forward…" Cordovan tried to signal Adrian with his eyes, but Adrian just gave a quick shake of the head, signaling a 'No', discouraging the two and confirming their worst fears.
"It's over," Amy whispered as she deflated.
"Not entirely," Cordovan quietly replied with determination, before confidently walking towards the front of the room. Amy watched in awe as he made his way through the crowd of nobles.
"Every noble here is united in support of it," Finitevus claimed.
"—Not every noble," Cordovan spoke out.
The other nobles turned and looked to Prince Cordovan as he stepped forward boldly. "This law invites persecution and bloodshed on innocent people."
"We've already gone over this, those who have been marked by the riders are dangerous!" Finitevus barked. "We cannot take the risk!"
"Not everyone is dangerous, Finitevus," he argued. For instance, I am marked," he said pulling down the collar of his shirt to reveal the branding. Chatter and gasps erupted in the throne room as all eyes locked on the prince. Shadow looked surprised as well, while Amy worried by his bold gesture. "I am here to tell you that not everyone that is marked has disavowed you or Amy. Not everyone goes mad and we are not an enemy to the throne. We're just loyal subjects, just trying to survive the judgment of others."
Finitevus shook his head in pity. "Too bad you stand alone," he tsked.
"No!" another voiced chimed. Everyone turned again only to see Lord Adrian step forward past the crowd. "I too have been marked," he said taking his place next to the prince.
"So have I!" another noble spoke.
"Me too!" a fourth exclaimed.
A chain reaction had occurred, and before they knew it, there were at least five nobles standing before Shadow and Finitevus. Cordovan smiled proudly by the group backing him as his eyes flew back up front to where Shadow sat. "In light of this development, I ask you to take the time to reconsider this law," Cordovan pleaded.
Shadow nodded, impressed by his cousin's courage. "The bravery of these men shall not be ignored. No one shall harm them," he ordered gaining cheers from most of his nobles. "I will retire to further consider the gravity of this law," he finished.
Finitevus looked angered by the results but bowed respectfully to his king. "Of course, your majesty." The meeting was adjourned and most of the nobles in the throne room left.
Amy walked over to Cordovan once the crowd dispersed. "There's no going back now."
He gave her a warm smile. "It's what you needed, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but I never imagined you'd volunteer yourself."
He smiled shaking his head. "Sometimes people do crazy things, but I did it for you."
Amy's smile faltered momentarily, as she examined the way he had said that towards her. Quickly she shook off her thoughts. "You have my gratitude, Prince Cordovan," she said appreciatively.
He bowed before her. "I've got your back, your grace. Always." Amy smiled then turned to join her husband in another part of the room.
In another corner of the room, Shadow turned away from a discussion once Amy walked in his direction. "I sense your hand in this," he chuckled. "And though you completely disregarded my request, I am proud of you."
She placed a hand on his right cheek. "I wanted to give you a chance to do the right thing, and I still believe you will." The two embraced and Cordovan watched the two hug it out from the entryway. He was content that he had been able to assist Amy in her quest for justice. It brought a warmth to his heart that he had not felt before.
•~•
After the meeting, Shadow met with Sonic in the stables. Yesterday, Sonic had been out all day trying to garner any clues to finding Montgomery's location and Shadow was deseperate to find out if he had found any leads. "Did you find Montgomery?"
Sonic shook his head dolefully. "No, I was unable to locate him. Wherever Finitevus has him, he's hidden him well."
Shadow paced, feeling antsy again while Sonic watched helplessly. "Amy and Cordovan have bought me time, but behind closed doors… he can still force me to sign that law."
Sonic's eyes followed his pacing figure. "What do you want to do?"
"The right thing," he answered. "Amy has faith in me… every move that she made with Cordovan was to give me a chance," he expressed. "I have to take it, no matter what it costs me," he said with determination. "But it can't cost Amy her life."
"What do you need me to do, Shadow?"
He stopped his pacing. "Ready a boat and some men to get Amy out of the kingdom and back to Mercia."
Sonic looked uneasy at the request. "Why?"
"If I am accused of regicide, Amy will be implicated as well. We need to be ready to move her immediately. I refuse to allow any harm to come to her for my doing."
"…You're going to call his bluff?"
"I can't keep running away from what I've done," he asserted. "I have to face the consequences or my kingdom will."
Sonic shot him a solicitous expression. "Shadow…this could cost you your life."
Shadow had already come to accept that. "So be it. Just make sure Amy is safe."
•~•
Later that afternoon, Shadow found Amy wandering the garden looking at the flowers. She turned when she heard footsteps approach and saw Shadow slowly walking towards her with a grave expression. "Shadow, is everything all right?"
He stopped in front of her. "I was mistaken, you were right to get involved. You and Cordovan work well together."
"We work well together," she emphasized looking at him. "You and I." She reached out and held his hands, looking deeply into his eyes. "I miss my husband."
"And I miss my wife," he concurred. "I know that edict is wrong and I won't sign it." Amy smiled in relief. "But it might cost me," he added.
She leaned over and embraced him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "We will face the consequences together. We won't face them alone," she assured.
Shadow pulled away from the embrace looking down at her in his arms. If only she knew what the true consequences might be. Despite her still being in the dark about his black mail situation, he was so proud of her. He felt blessed to have her as his wife. "Chaos, you're amazing, do you know that?" Amy giggled as he brought her into a kiss. Amy smiled through the kiss, enjoying it after not being intimate with him for weeks. After a few moments of kissing, he broke away and smiled adoringly at her. "No matter what happens, I love you, Amy."
She nuzzled him under his chin. "I love you too, Shadow."
•~•
That evening in the war room, Shadow waited for Finitevus' arrival to veto the edict. Moments later, the doors opened and Shadow turned away from his maps only to find Lord Finitevus marching in. "I knew we could not trust Prince Cordovan, but you cannot let him or a few other nobles sway you." He held up the edict in his right hand. "We are still a majority and will ensure that never changes."
"If I sign that, there will be terror and bloodshed."
Finitevus scoffed. "Short-lived, and a firm and final push to ensure your reign."
"No," he opposed. "There are lines that I will not cross, even to save myself."
Finitevus blinked in surprise by his refusal. "Pardon me, your majesty?"
"Reveal my secret," Shadow goaded. "Because I would rather face the consequences and lose my head than take orders from you. After all, a compromised king is not a king at all."
"I am impressed with your courage and your willingness to sacrifice your life, but I wonder if you're equally prepared to sacrifice the lives of both Isabelle and Amy…"
Shadow stepped closer, not fazed by his empty warnings. "I am familiar with this threat… And it's anyone's guess whether they would be implicated."
He smirked realizing Shadow had no idea he had another trick up his sleeve. "I can guarantee that they will be. I'm sure you remember that mere days before you killed your father, there was an attempt of poisoning him." Shadow's stomach sunk at the mention. That attempt had slipped his mind completely; before Shadow murdered his father, Amy and Isabelle had tried to poison Phillip and it had gone terribly awry.
Finitevus chuckled seeing Shadow's confidence diminish before him. The echidna smiled sinisterly knowing he had gained control again. "With some hard persuasion, I was able to get the priest who was there during the attempt to talk." Finitevus walked over with the edict and slapped it down onto the desk. Casually, he flipped it open for him to sign. "Along with your head on a pike, Amy and Isabelle will also suffer," he warned. The echidna reached over and handed Shadow a quill pen already dipped in ink. "Sign it," he demanded.
Reluctantly, Shadow reached out and took the quill from him before his eyes lay on the edict before him.
•~•
A bit later in one of the castle halls, Rouge walked towards her chambers but spotted Finitevus walking towards her after leaving Shadow's study. Her attempts to ignore him failed when he stepped in her path, causing her to stop. "Lady Rouge, always a delight," he smiled flirtatiously.
Rouge frowned at him. "You ask why I came to you the other night? I've read about your bedroom reputation before. All of it."
He smiled proudly, feeling rather supercilious. "You read about me in the famed sex journal?" He inched his way closer, backing her against the wall. "What detail gripped you most?"
She blushed. "That's not the point. There are so many available females here in court. Why are you invested in me?"
His confidant ego stalled briefly. "I have no ulterior motives, Rouge. I suppose I enjoy playing games, but I've never had a worthy opponent like yourself."
"You make me do things I would not do otherwise, but you are an adversary to Shadow, an enemy. Which has made me decide, that you and I cannot-" Finitevus grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her against the wall, silencing her with a kiss. Rouge struggled under his grasp, trying to fight him off, but momentarily fell under his spell. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, finally realizing that the journal had not lied about Finitevus being an excellent kisser. After a moment, Rouge's common sense kicked in and she pushed him away and slapped him across the face.
"Gah!" he cried out from the stinging pain. He rubbed his sore cheek while she shot him an agitated glare.
"Do not seek to take before I give," she scolded with a wagging finger.
Finitevus watched as Rouge stormed off down the hall. "I'm glad to hear you're thinking of giving," he called playfully with a chuckle.
•~•
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, Amy found Cordovan out by himself on one of the castle balconies. She walked up behind him with a smile. "What brings you out here all by yourself?" she inquired joining his side.
Cordovan did not look in her direction and instead continued to look despondent towards the night sky. "…You, you didn't hear?"
Her ears lowered slightly by his tone. "Hear what?" she questioned.
He closed his eyes, looking crestfallen. "Shadow signed the edict into law…"
Amy looked appalled by the news, shaking her head in denial. "No, that's impossible. I talked to him earlier—he told me he wouldn't sign it!"
He turned to look at her apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Amy. We tried our best."
Feeling angered and confused by this news, Amy stormed off the balcony heading straight for the throne room.
•~•
Moments later, Amy entered the throne room looking outraged. She spotted the black and red hedgehog with his back towards her as he stared out one of the windows. "What have you done, Shadow?"
It was only a matter of time before she would hear about the edict and he was ready to confront her on the matter. He knew she would be upset but he was doing what he had to, to protect her. "I did what I had to do, Amy," he said calmly turning to face her.
She continued to walk closer towards him. "After telling me you wouldn't sign it, after telling me you knew the edict was wrong?" she listed. "Why would you do this?"
"I realized that I could not rule without the support of my nobles," he lied.
She narrowed her eyes at him angrily. "Oh, spare me your lies and excuses! You are not the person I fell in love with and you're not the king I want to rule by. You're a coward!" she shouted.
Shadow looked hurt by her words and started to grow defensive. She had no idea what he was up against. "Amy, everything that I have done-"
"—Enough!" she shouted, cutting him off. "I gave you a chance. I waited for the person I fell in love with to return, but clearly, he is dead and I'm finished waiting for him." She turned on her heel and began to exit the room.
His ruby eyes pierced her receding figure. "If that is what you truly believe, then perhaps you should return to Mercia," he snapped venomously, causing her to stop in her tracks. "Leave me, leave Mobius," he ordered austerely.
Is that how he truly felt? He wanted her to leave? Amy felt tears prick her eyes but refused to allow him to see he had devastated her. Instead, Amy kept her head held high and left the room, not looking back. As Shadow watched her exit, he looked back to the two throne chairs and sighed. Never had he thought he would ever have to be so cruel towards Amy in order to protect her. But if Amy thought he wanted her gone, then maybe she would do just that and be safe from Finitevus' reach.
•~•
AN: Remember to leave a review! Oh, and vote on the new poll on my page!