Author's Note: Thank you, Aliciathewolf45, MissMJS, CrimsonDestroyer, risingzero2001, and Sad little Demon for leaving your reviews! And to respond to some of the comments left in the reviews:

Sad Little Demon: I'm sorry you're not liking Shadow at the moment. In his mind, he believes he's doing the right thing. He loves Amy that much, that he is going to great lengths to keep her safe.

MissMJS: Hmm, you're noticing something odd with the friendship between Amy and Cordovan? I won't spoil anything, but just keep reading. ;)

CrimsonDestroyer: Glad you like my unfinished story The 100, I have thought about continuing it at times, but people just really at the time didn't seem into it so I put it on hiatus. Also, I didn't realize guests couldn't vote on my polls. Why not make an account then! :)

RisingZero2001: Oh, trust me, Finitevus will definitely get his comeuppance eventually. Karma will come back to bite him in the butt.

Aliciathewolf45: Amy will for sure find out about what Shadow has been hiding. Eventually...

Onto the chapter!

•~•

Two weeks after the edict had been signed into effect, the death toll had risen across the land. Villagers were raided out of their homes and those found with the brand were killed for treason. Amy had continued to hold her anger towards Shadow and his decision, only causing the strain in their marriage to intensify. One morning, Amy, Shadow, and Sonic walked down one of the castle halls together after hearing reports of the edict's effect. "This is barbaric, Shadow, call this edict off," Amy whispered as they past castle guests.

Shadow kept his eyes fixated ahead. "If you are so insistent of criticizing my decisions, there is a boat waiting to take you back to Mercia, as I said before," he replied quietly. Sonic shook his head in disappointment, unhappy to listen to the couple bickering on either side of him.

"An offer that makes no more sense now than it did then," Amy countered. "How did we go from disagreeing, to you trying to send me away? Do you really want to live separately?"

"It might be best," he answered as he stopped by a corner.

She stopped as well, holding her stoic expression. "I'm not going anywhere, Shadow. I have a duty to our people and although I may have given up on trying to understand you, I refuse to give up on them," she proclaimed before storming off.

Sonic walked closer to his brother to continue their hushed discussion as they watched Amy wander off. "If your goal was to alienate your wife, I'd say you succeeded."

"Not enough to get her to leave," Shadow replied looking longingly out one of the castle windows.

"I know you want her in Mercia so she'll be safe from Finitevus' threats, but-"

"—But Finitevus has enough evidence for treason to put not just my head on a stake, but Amy's as well. Until we get rid of him, I will do everything it takes to keep her safe," he explained.

Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful, Shadow. If you push Amy too hard, you might not be able to reel her back…I know first hand."

Shadow swatted his pitied hand from his shoulder. "I'd rather she were alive and in Mercia than here and dead," he said pointedly.

•~•

Meanwhile, in the village, Cordovan made his way around a dark street corner heading to the market but stopped when two males, a black and white skunk and a staunch albatross, stepped in his path. Sensing hostility from them, Cordovan remained confident, refraining from showing any intimidation. "Can I help you?" he asked, eying them carefully. Two more males hopped down from windows behind him, completely surrounding him. Realizing this was an ambush, Cordovan reached for his sword but was unable to get to it in time as he was tackled and bagged. He struggled under their attack but was ultimately unable to get away.

Thirty minutes later, the bag that covered his head was removed and Cordovan was faced with a green hawk standing before him in the middle of the woods. Two of the males who had kidnapped him, cut the binds around his wrist, setting him free. "Who the hell are you?" Cordovan questioned, eying the bird.

"My name is Jet," the green bird introduced. "This is Jeffrey," he introduced pointing to the skunk. "And that's Storm," he finished pointing to the Albatross."

"Obviously you must know who I am then," Cordovan assumed.

"Of course, it's an honor to meet the Prince of Knothole," Jet bowed.

Cordovan kept his suspicion high. "Why the hell did you kidnap me?"

"We have a lot in common: we've both been marked," he said revealing his own brand on his left shoulder.

The prince crossed his arms over his chest. "Seems like it's not that uncommon nowadays. What exactly do you want?"

"You're right, which is why I want you to follow me. There's something you need to see." Reluctantly, Cordovan followed the green hawk as he escorted him through the woods along with his men. "When we heard the Prince of Knothole was one of the ones who was marked, we knew we needed to have you meet the others like yourself."

"And you had to kidnap me to do so?" he cracked.

"Forgive us, we didn't want to draw attention to our rendezvous." They stopped in the woods where a dip occurred. In the valley, Cordovan looked on in awe at least two hundred people living their lives in a secret village hidden away from the town.

He blinked, baffled by the sight. "What is this?"

"This is where some of the branded have come to live. They fear for their lives, so we've created this safe haven for them."

Cordovan was surprised by the amount of them. "There's so many…"

"Yes, many of which are good people," Jet replied. "Will you help us protect them?"

He turned to look at him. "How exactly do you expect me to help?"

"Could you get us an audience with the king and queen? We want to show them that we're peaceful beings, and we mean no harm." A purple swallow came up from behind them and they all turned to look. "Oh, this is my wife, Wave. She will go on our behalf to explain to the king. She is a nurturer of the people."

"I'll see what I can do."

•~•

Later that morning, Cordovan returned to court and met with Amy and Shadow in the throne room. Wave stood in the background as Cordovan stood before the rulers. "This is the leader's wife who wants to speak with you on their behalf," Cordovan introduced. "She seeks the Crown's permission to hear her out," he finished.

"I give permission," Shadow replied.

Wave curtsied before the royals. "Your majesties," she began. "Thanks to your edict, we are hunted like wild animals due to your atrocious decisions as king."

Cordovan shot her a flummoxed look by her aggressive opening statement. "What are you doing?" he whispered harshly.

She ignored his looks. "You have two days to expel the edict from Mobius."

"Expel the edict?" Shadow repeated, angered by her demands.

"If you refuse, then at dawn, on the third day, your people will die," she threatened boldly. "We have stolen gunpowder, pounds of it, packed tightly and hidden away."

"A bomb," Amy mumbled, frightened by the notion.

Shadow rose from his seat, angered by her threats. "Arrest her!" he pointed. Two guards came over and seized her. Shadow gave Wave a powerful stare as he stepped down the steps of the throne. "You will not threaten the Crown," he spoke standing before her. "And if what you say is true, we'll find these explosives before they are detonated." Shadow looked to his guards. "Take her away."

The guards obliged and dragged Wave away without any resistance. Cordovan looked to Shadow apologetically. "I had no idea I had brought in a fanatic. Her husband seemed genuine in his desire for peace."

"This seemed like a setup," Shadow theorized. "There's no way he would have sent his wife if he had not known she'd deliver us this threat."

"This is not Cordovan's doing," Amy defended. "Something like this was always coming."

"—She's right," Sonic piped in, entering the room. "We can't let this leak out to the public or even more anarchy will occur."

"Very well, interrogate anyone you can and find her accomplices. Talk to her husband and get information," Shadow ordered.

"I'll go with him," Cordovan volunteered. With Shadow's approval, the two males left the throne room, leaving Amy and Shadow by themselves.

Amy turned to Shadow, still peeved by his recent shift in attitude. "I know you don't care for my opinion, but would you please let me help? I could go to them as queen and make a personal appeal."

"They threatened us," he countered. "If you think I would allow you to go anywhere near them-"

"—It might assuage their anger towards us," she argued.

"You mean their anger towards me," he corrected, "For my recent actions. And even if you found them, what would you say? That you opposed me at every turn?" He shook his head. "They don't need to hear that and neither do I." Amy watched as he stormed out of the throne room, leaving her in solitary. Amy walked back over to her throne and sat down before feeling her eyes water. Why had Shadow become so cruel towards her, and what had she done to deserve it? She sobbed quietly by herself.

•~•

Later, in Shadow's bedroom, Rouge entered, finding Shadow working at his desk. "Shadow, I need to speak with you," she said closing his bedroom door.

Shadow continued his writing at his desk, not bothering to look up. "Can it wait? I'm quite busy," he dismissed with disinterest.

"No, it can't," she said approaching him. "I was talking with Amy earlier and she's really upset."

Shadow placed his pen down, finally acknowledging her presence. "I'm already aware of that." He stood and began to organize paperwork on his desk.

"I'm sure you are… and I know why you push her away, I know why you say cruel things to her that you normally never would." Shadow froze his actions by her last comment. Did Rouge really know his secret too? He looked up from his organization to hear her out. Seeing she caught his attention, she took a deep breath and exhaled. "I know it was you who killed Phillip."

His heart raced in panic. "H-How do you..?"

"—Finitevus told me and admitted that he's been blackmailing you," she answered.

Shadow walked around his desk towards her and kept close to keep his voice low. "This is very dangerous knowledge, Rouge. Why would he tell you this?"

"Because he suspected you might use me against him, and wanted me to side with him, I suppose," she surmised.

He gripped her by the arms, causing her to flinch. "Has he told anyone else? Do you know?" he interrogated, shaking her slightly.

She shook her head staring into his panicked eyes. "I-I don't know, but the person you should tell about all of this is Amy."

He released his hold on her and backed away. "No," he replied walking back around his desk. "Finitevus' treachery goes beyond what he might have mentioned in your covert conversations."

She stood in front of his desk, standing across from him. "He told me the truth while you led me to believe that you wanted him dead for political reasons, when in fact, it was to protect your behind," she pointed accusingly.

He looked at her defensively. "There are many others that I protect besides myself, like Amy, Isabelle, my brother, and my kingdom," he listed explicitly. "Why couldn't you have just left that envelope there when I asked you?"

"I lied, I planted it behind a painting in his living room when I was there," she admitted.

His eyes widened. "Why did you lie to me then?"

"Because I didn't want his death on my hands," she answered.

"Surely, you see what he's capable of…the only way to save Amy's life and my marriage is to get rid of Finitevus."

She placed her hands on her hips. "What is really in that envelope, Shadow?"

"A cipher, which is all I need to frame and accuse him of treason," he replied.

•~•

Later that afternoon, Amy and Shadow made their daily patrol up and down the halls, greeting their noble guests arriving at court. "I don't know what's more ridiculous, pretending that we're still a happy couple, or pretending there's not a device that could kill hundreds of innocent people," she said flatly.

Shadow began to open his mouth to answer, but Cordovan popped over, bowing before them. "Ah, Cordovan, did you find the leader?"

"Yes, he claims he knows nothing of his wife's threats. He was shocked when I told him."

"And you believe him?"

He nodded. "He believes this is the work of a few fringe radicals that want to galvanize marked ones into rising against the Crown. He believes they must have radicalized his wife without his knowing."

"Does he know who they are or where we can find them?" Amy asked.

"He swore he'd give them up if he could."

Shadow sighed in frustration. "We're running out of time. I'll go see if there is any progress with the wife," Shadow stated before making his exit.

Meanwhile, Amy and Cordovan walked out to the courtyard together. "I can't help but feel we're missing something," Amy pondered.

"What is it you fear?"

"If the marked radicals want to incite mayhem by killing off unmarked subjects, why not just set off the explosions? Why send one of their own, whom they know will surely be tortured and killed?" she speculated.

Cordovan halted, piecing something together. "…One that is beloved by their flock, people that know nothing of the dire threat she has made. If Wave is killed, the radials can use her death as justification for almost any bad act. They would create-"

"—A martyr..."

"Her death would inflame hatred in even the most peaceful ones," he finished.

Amy grabbed him by the arm. "We must do everything we can to make sure she stays alive."

Cordovan nodded and began to turn. "I'll go visit her in the cells."

Amy grabbed hold of his arm again, stopping him. "Cordovan, before you go, please do everything you can to help, Shadow. He's completely shut me out, but he might listen to you," she pleaded.

Cordovan softened seeing the desperation in her eyes and his heart ached for her. He placed an assured hand over hers resting on his arm. "I'll do everything in my power, but Amy, he's a fool to shut you out, king or not."

•~•

In the castle cells, Shadow paced slowly before his prisoner. Wave sat on the floor, looking solid and unfazed by her grim conditions. "I'm told you refuse to divulge the location of the planned attack or the name of your conspirators," Shadow began.

"I do not fear those who kill, for the soul is eternal," she responded.

Shadow slowly knelt in front of her. "It's admirable, your willingness to sacrifice your life for your cause," he noted. "But if you tell me the location of the attack, I swear that no harm will come to your people," Shadow swore.

Wave studied his features for deception but was unable to detect it. She sighed in defeat. "We hid the explosives in an old church twenty miles south from here," she finally answered.

He sighed in relief. "Thank you for your cooperation."

•~•

Hours later, Cordovan and some of Shadow's soldiers stormed the abandoned church where the explosives were supposedly held. Cordovan and his men dispersed into groups, searching high and low for anything that looked like it held gunpowder. Eventually, Cordovan stumbled across some barrels hidden in one of the darkened halls. He held his torch up, shining a light on dozens of barrels. "I found them!" he shouted.

Cautiously, Cordovan gave his torch over to one of the soldiers and broke into the barrel. When he opened it, he was perplexed when he found the barrels to be filled with sawdust instead of gunpowder. "Is this some sort of joke?" one of the guards asked.

Cordovan let the sawdust fall out of his hand. "No, it's decoy…we've wasted a day searching and we still don't know where the real explosives are."

"Look," another guard pointed looking at the wall behind him. Cordovan turned and looked at the wall that had a message written out in blood. "Blood will flow…"

•~•

Meanwhile, back at the castle, one of the guards walked over to Sonic and stopped him as he roamed the halls. "My lord, an urgent message," the guard spoke handing him an envelope.

Sonic tore it open and began to read it. As his eyes skimmed the message, he became alerted to the news. "Apparently, Lord Finitevus has returned from his travels. Notify the head of the king's guard. I need men ready. Now," he said urgently.

"Right away, my lord."

•~•

Thirty minutes later, Sonic and the king's guard arrived at Finitevus' estate. Sonic pounded his fist on the door and waited. Moments later, the door opened and Finitevus looked confused by Sonic's arrival. "Prince Sonic? I didn't expect your company today."

"Lord Finitevus, you are suspected of treason, and by authority of the king, you are to submit to the search of your home."

Guards stormed into his home past the frazzled echidna. "This is ludicrous, I've committed no such thing!"

"I guess we'll find out," Sonic noted before stepping past him.

•~•

After Sonic's return to court, Shadow met with Rouge in private to discuss his findings. "Sonic and the guards searched Finitevus' home thoroughly, but the cipher was no longer where you planted it. He must've found it and surely knows that you put it there."

"I'm sorry, Shadow," Rouge apologized.

"This was my only hold on him and it failed…and now I may have put you in danger by involving you," he said regretfully. "I'll assign a guard for your safety in the event that he tries to retaliate."

"I can't have a guard following me around. How would I explain it to Amy?" Rouge argued.

"Make up a reason," he countered.

"No! If Finitevus is intent on harming me, he'll find a way, but I doubt he'd be that reckless."

•~•

In another part of the castle, Cordovan caught Amy up to date on his discovery during the search for the explosives. "We searched everywhere but found nothing, except for a warning, 'Blood will flow'," he explained.

"So Wave lied about the location of the device?" Amy questioned, also baffled by his claim.

"More likely her cohorts lied so she couldn't divulge the 'true' location, even under torture," he speculated.

"She's still our only hope. Even if she doesn't know where it is, she could give us the name of her conspirators. We can't let any harm come to her."

•~•

In the dungeons, Wave sat alone in her dark cell. She turned her head when she heard a grunt from outside her door. A thud followed and before she could process what was happening, a black and white skunk wearing a guard uniform walked in.

"Jeffery?" She stood from the floor, still bound by the wrist in her chains. "How did you get inside?"

"Caught one of the guards coming home to the village. I snagged him off the streets and killed him to infiltrate the castle. It was fairly easy."

She watched as he undid the chains to her wrists with a set of keys he stole. "I told them the bomb was in the old church and they found nothing, but I fear I've betrayed our cause," she explained.

"I assure you Wave, you have not." Suddenly, he slashed at her neck with a dagger, cutting her throat. Her eyes widened and she clutched her bleeding neck and fell to the floor, bleeding out. He watched as she withered on the floor by his feet, taking her last breath. "The thing is…there was never a bomb in the first place," he smirked. "You did your part, though, which is good enough."

•~•

After meeting with Shadow, Rouge returned to her bedroom only to find Finitevus leaning against the post to her bed. She gasped from his surprise appearance, while he remained composed. "I was surprised to find you had attempted to frame me for treason, Lady Rouge."

Rouge remained several feet back, cautious of his presence. "When did you know?"

"I found it soon after you visited," he answered. "But when the king's guard didn't arrive immediately, I thought you had a change of heart."

"I did, but…"

"—But what?" he said, stepping closer. "You chose Shadow—a weak, patricidal king, over the future, we might have shared." He reached out to caress her face, but she flinched from his reach, causing him to retract his hand.

"You told me you were a patriot, resorting to blackmail for the good of Mobius. Was it also patriotic to threaten my friend, my queen, and my king?" she said accusingly.

"I merely warned Shadow of the consequences should his line be deposed. I thought it might motive him to be a better ruler."

"I'm to believe this was a tactic?" she questioned with disbelief.

He looked stumped on his response and looked away briefly. "I'm your friend, Rouge."

"You are no friend," she denied. "You're just a dangerous person."

He grew insulted by her words. "Perhaps, it's escaped your notice, but the world is a dangerous place!" he countered. "And one day, you'll wish you had someone like me to protect you from it," he said before turning on his heels and leaving.

•~•

After hearing about the wild goose chase Wave had sent his men on, Shadow visited the dungeon to have a word with her. But as the black monarch walked towards her cell, he was shocked when he and one of his guards stumbled across the murdered body of the guard standing post outside Wave's cell. "Open the cell door!" Shadow ordered.

Quickly, they opened the door only to find it empty. The only thing that was left was a puddle of blood. "I want a sweep of the castle. Find her," Shadow demanded.

•~•

The next morning in the village, villagers gathered in the city center after finding a grizzly discovery. Wave was hanging out in a crucified pose as her body was nailed to a wall, hung out for all to see. News spread to the castle that her body had been found in the village, and Cordovan, Sonic, Shadow, and Amy visited the city center to see it for themselves. But for their own protection, Amy and Shadow kept their cloaks and hood up to hide their identity. "Who do you think did this?" Sonic questioned.

"If it was one of her conspirators, why would they kill one of their own? It makes no sense," Amy pondered. They stopped and stood behind a pillar and watched the crowd gather around Wave's body hanging from the wall of a home.

"Hanged like a heretic! This is the Crown's doing!" an angry villager screamed.

"You're the heretic," another villager pointed accusing. "You bear that wretched mark!"

"They won't stop until they kill us all," a female villager proclaimed. The crowd began to grow tense, and within moments a fight broke out among them. Villagers tackled one another to the ground, punching, kicking and screaming. Guards patrolling the city intervened trying to pry angry villagers off one another.

The royals watched in utter horror as their people fought one another. "Wait a second… this is their bomb," Amy realized. "Blood will flow," she repeated, piecing everything together. "They wanted the unmarked subjects and branded ones to fight against each other to cause chaos!"

The fight started to grow too intense, and both Sonic and Cordovan ushered the couple away from harm. "We need to get you guys out of here. It's too dangerous."

"This is your doing, Shadow," Amy spoke, disappointed in the outcome. "I've lost faith in your decision and rule as a king…" Shadow took one last look out on his subjects, feeling pained by the sight. She was right. This was his fault.

Meanwhile, Jet stood from one of the rooftops watching in utter horror. His wife was dead, and he too believed this was the Crown's doing. As he stood hidden by his own cloak, a tear trailed down his cheek. He wiped it away just as a hand touched his shoulder reassuringly from behind. He looked back noticing Jeffrey standing there. "How could they do this, Jeffrey? My wife was a pacifist."

"I know she was," Jeffrey lied. Little did Jet know, Jeffrey was the one behind radicalizing his own wife. It had taken a few weeks, but he had become successful. "They claimed she was some sort of radical, but I assure you. We'll get our revenge, I swear it," he spoke with determination with a sinister smirk.

•~•

AN: Thanks for reading and make sure to leave a review. Oh, and also, don't forget to vote on my new poll for the next story you'd like to see me write! If you're a guest and can't vote, why not make an account?