Author's Note: I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter, but I want to address some comments that were left in reviews for the last chapter.

Aliciathewolf45: Jet may have not wanted to allow it, but he did let Jeffrey manipulate him into hating the crown, and got him to agree to infiltrate the castle? He's still pretty guilty. :/

CrimsonDestroyer: You're absolutely right. If Finitevus hadn't been so adamant on punishing those that had been victimized by the Three Riders, who knows if the crown would still be in this position. Finitevus has just as much blood on his hands as those radicals that broke into the castle. I'm really glad that although the last chapter was pretty sad, it still brought out some passion in you. As always, thanks for reviewing.

Risingzero: Jeffry will definitely get what he deserves, I promise you that much. Will it happen by Shadow's hands? Well, you'll just have to find out. ;)

Scylla: Yes, Fiona was pretty much written out of the story. I didn't really have a use for her anymore, so I wrote her out of the story. Sorry if you're missing Fiona. I hope you'll continue to read.

Anyway, if you have any more questions, suggestions, or predictions, feel free to leave them into your review. I love seeing what you guys think will happen. :)

•~•

The next morning, Amy sat in bed with her back pressed against the headboard as she stared off into space recounting the events. Her neck was sore—still bruised with marks where Jeffrey had held her down by the throat. But the worst pain was lower, where she had been raped. As she sat in silence, her ears twitched to a commotion coming from the courtyard outside. Quietly, Amy made her way over to her balcony where she saw guards ushering in multiple prisoners in chains into court for questioning. Shadow had been up all night and had ordered that anyone that may have been tied to the attack, be brought in for questioning.

Down in the courtyard, Sonic led a group of men in cuffs before walking over to another guard. "Take as many to the dungeon as you can," he ordered.

"Yes, my lord," the guard nodded.

In the hallway towards to the dungeon, Shadow walked down the hall, observing the long queue of branded males leading into the dungeon. There easily could have been fifty prisoners making their way inside as he watched them head indoors. As he neared the tail end of the line, he spotted Sonic coming in his direction. "Did you find the one called Jeffrey?" he questioned quietly.

Sonic shook his head. "His home is deserted but I'm having it watched in case he makes a return," Sonic answered.

Shadow nodded. "Very good."

"Who saw or heard him called by his name, anyway?"

"Um, one of the guards," Shadow fibbed, continuing to protect Amy's secret.

"I'll question him, maybe he knows something else," Sonic suggested.

"Uh, no, I already did. Just question these prisoners to see who might know this Jeffrey. Use all means necessary—the rack, the wheel, I don't care."

Sonic placed a hand on his shoulder sensing hostility emanating from him his voice. "Shadow, you seem shaken, but they failed," he spoke. "You're all right and Amy is all right," he reminded, still not aware of what truly took place.

Shadow shooed his hand away in anger—he was wrong. If only he could confide in what really went on that night, but he couldn't break his promise. Amy had begged him to keep her attack a secret and by damn, he would keep it. "There is nothing small about an attack on the king, Sonic."

"Of course," Sonic agreed before changing topics. "Um, so did you get to Finitevus?"

Shadow shook his head. "No, he disappeared before I could get him." Suddenly, Prince Cordovan walked around the corner looking eager to speak with them. "Cordovan?"

The prince hurried over to the two brothers. "I was going home to visit my brother, but I turned back the moment I heard the news. Where's Amy?"

"She's fine," he lied. "She's getting some much-needed rest is all," he briefed.

"Thank goodness," he sighed in relief. "Shadow, you must know my loyalty lies with you. I never thought by bringing Wave into the castle, that it would lead to this," he defended.

"I know, Cordovan, but you know the leader of this group better than I do. If he is truly behind this attack, he will be found and hanged. But if he isn't responsible, then he needs to help us find the conspirators." In truth, Shadow already knew that Jet was one of the ones who had broken into the castle along with Amy's rapist, but because he was withholding her secret, he could not let them know that he was already aware of Jet's betrayal.

Cordovan nodded with determination. "I'll find him, Shadow. These radicals will not get away with this."

•~•

In the castle courtyard, Amy put on her best winter cloak and walked up and down the courtyard staring at the lines of male prisoners that Shadow had arrested. She made sure to keep her distance as she looked for familiar faces in the crowd. Meanwhile, by the castle entrance, Isabelle, also wearing her best fur coat, sadly watched as Amy surveyed the prisoners one by one. A few moments later, Shadow came out and joined Isabelle's side as he watched his wife in curiosity. "What's Amy doing out here?" he whispered.

"She's looking for her rapist," Isabelle replied quietly back. "And if you don't catch him, that's what she'll be doing for the rest of her life—in every room and in every crowd."

Shadow frowned at the thought; he couldn't allow that, especially since Amy deserved better. She didn't deserve to live the rest of her life in fear. Slowly, Shadow moved away from Isabelle and approached his wife from behind. "…Amy?" She let out a startled gasp and turned, but eased when she realized it was just Shadow. "I'm sorry," he apologized realizing how jumpy she still was. "But, you shouldn't be out here. Please come inside," he pleaded softly.

Amy looked over her shoulder at another group of males, before turning back to look at Shadow. "You're right," she sighed. "Besides, he's not here, anyway."

"All of these men will be questioned and one of them will lead us to him," he promised. Shadow looked down and noticed Amy fiddling with her wedding ring on her finger. She was twitchy, anxious, and practically on edge as her determination to find her rapist ate away at her. "Amy, it would be foolish of me to ask you to try to not think about it, but I urge you to get some rest. He went to reach for her hand, but she jolted away from him, only making him feel worse.

Amy walked away, causing him to follow after her. "I-I can't close my eyes without seeing them, Shadow. Every minute that passes makes their capture less likely."

He walked by her side, keeping a respective distance. "They won't get away," he pledged. "I will find the ones responsible." They stopped and stood under a doorway.

The wind blew past them, causing her quills to flow to the side. "They could be miles away by now," she said dolefully.

He looked at her with determination. "It doesn't matter because I will find them for you. I don't care how long it takes, I will hunt them to the end of the world if I have to."

•~•

A few minutes later, Shadow escorted Amy back to her new bedroom. As he closed the door behind him, he watched as Amy made herself comfortable on the sofa by the bed. "What can I do for you?" he offered kindly. "Are you cold?" She didn't respond, looking at the floor in silence. He frowned by her lack of response. "I'll fetch you a blanket, anyway."

"…I should have known those weren't our guards," Amy finally piped in.

Shadow sighed, seeing she was still dwelling on the subject. "Amy, you were startled in the dead of night. There were three armed men against you. Please don't torment yourself," he pleaded. "I am so sorry that this happened to you—that my choices brought this violence into our home."

"Don't blame yourself for the actions of evil people. We've disagreed about tolerance, but you were just doing what you believed was right, what you thought was best for Mobius," she countered.

He shook his head, feeling guilty by her lack of awareness. She needed to know the truth once and for all. "No, you're wrong. I wasn't doing what I believed was right, or what I thought was best." He made his way over to the sofa sitting across from her. "I made choices…under pressure from another," he admitted.

She looked surprised by his proclaim. "What?"

He closed his eyes, exhaling a sigh. "I was being blackmailed."

Her stomach sank, instantly knowing what he was being blackmailed on. "…Shadow, who found out the truth?"

"Finitevus."

Right then, it suddenly all made sense to her. "All the hardline choices…favoring the nobles, all the violence that you allowed," she listed, finally understanding. She shot him an empathic look. "Why didn't you tell me what he was doing to you?"

"Because if it ever came to light, you needed to be able to deny any knowledge or involvement—I couldn't let you be implicated for what I did," he explained quietly. "I kept thinking I'd find a way out, but things got so bloody, so awful, and…the lies and mistakes kept piling up." Amy couldn't believe Shadow had been hiding this from her all this time. She recalled back to when he had first told her of his dark secret. The two had promised to always share their secrets in order to keep trust, but obviously, that promise had also flown out the window.

"Why are you finally telling me this now?"

"Because I finally found a way out, I found Montgomery. Finitevus had him hidden away at the ready to use him in trial against me."

"Where is he?" Shadow did not reply causing Amy to realize what he had done. "…You killed him, didn't you?"

"I-I had to. Amy, I have done terrible things to protect us, and I have lied to you, time and time again, just to keep you safe," he excused.

"Keep me safe?" she repeated almost insulted by the notion.

Shadow cringed in response, seeing her point of view. "I know the events from last night can never be undone, but the people that did this to you will pay with their lives. I will kill them… and once they're gone, we will come back from this," he assured. "I will never let anyone hurt you again."

A knock on the door drew their attention away and Shadow looked towards the door. "Enter," he beckoned.

Sonic popped his head inside with urgency. "Shadow, you're going to want to see this…"

•~•

Shadow and Sonic stood out in the courtyard watching the guards try to contain the outrage among the prisoners. The prisoners were shouting and struggling in their chains. "It's freezing out here!" one of the prisoners exclaimed. "Let us inside!"

Sonic looked to Shadow for answers. "More prisoners are coming in but the dungeons are filling up. It is getting very cold and many won't survive the night."

"Guards and servants were killed, and they got in because they thought we were vulnerable," Shadow countered sternly. He looked over to one of the castle walls where a guard shoved a prisoner back, trying to keep them in order. "I wanted to be one kind of king, but I was forced to be another. I can't go back now."

Sonic tilted his head in worry. "Shadow, what are you insinuating?"

"—What is needed now is a king to be feared, and not just for the prisoners, but for all of Mobius and you know what? I'll give them one so this never happens again." His eyes hardened on his shivering prisoners. "Keep them outside overnight. Let them freeze," he ordered.

•~•

Later on that day, Rouge and Cream visited Amy in her bedroom. "They told us you were in your old chambers," Cream spoke as they entered. "What's going on?"

Rouge looked around the room, noticing Amy's belongings. There were trunks containing Amy's clothes, jewelry, and shoes all over the room. "Yeah, why are all your belongings here?"

"I'm going to be staying here for awhile," she answered. The two girls suddenly grew quiet, as questions raced their minds.

"Why exactly?" Cream inquired.

"It's because of the attack," she began. "I, um, can't stay in my old room anymore."

Cream blinked in surprise. "Well, you told us you were fine. They hadn't even laid a hand on you. What changed?"

She cupped her hands together. "Uh, that was a lie I told…and one that you will have to tell, too. The truth is, the assassins broke into my chambers and I was raped."

Rouge placed a hand to her mouth, stunned by the news. "Oh, Amy…" Cream was at a loss of words. What on earth had Amy endured that night? How was she remaining so strong in this moment? How close had Rouge come to having the same fate occur to her if it wasn't for Finitevus?

"I'm still in some pain and I'd prefer not to be touched," she advised backing away slightly. "I was beaten before he held me down and…"

"—These males, were the captured?" Cream asked softly.

"No they got away, he got away," she specified. "So I will be staying here, under guard, for awhile." She closed her eyes, feeling her ears lower slightly. "I cannot hear any talk of an heir, at all, not from you, not from anyone until I'm sure that no pregnancy occurs," she made explicit.

Rouge nodded. "Of course, we understand."

Amy opened her eyes and kept her head held high, trying to remain composed and professional. "I'm not ashamed of what happened to me. I was wronged by evil radicals, but this was an act of war and hatred against the monarchy, which is why no one can ever know."

"Amy…we understand, but we don't care about the monarchy. We care about you, we're your friends!" Rouge exclaimed, tears rolling down her face.

Cream's eyes also welled up with tears. "I'm so sorry, Amy, but what can we do to help?"

"Be there for me," she advised. "And don't you girls worry, Shadow will make this right. He will find those people who did this to me and he will slay them."

•~•

After meeting with Amy in her bedroom, Rouge entered the throne room to talk with Shadow. She found him in the middle of overlooking some paperwork with one of his servants and cleared her throat as she sauntered up to him. "Ahem, may I have a word with you please?"

He handed the scroll over to his servant, looking her way. "Of course." He excused his guards and servant, allowing for some privacy between them.

"So…I know what happened to Amy," she started. Shadow looked surprised but kept quiet. "Shadow, I'm so sorry."

He pulled his eyes away, looking down at the floor. "So am I…"

"I can't help but think if I'd helped you weaken Finitevus sooner, things might have gone differently," she speculated.

"Rouge, don't…you are not responsible for this," he assured. "I am."

"We can't undo the choices we made, but we can use all our energy—all our power, to avenge Amy."

"Yes, which is why I won't rest until I do."

Rouge reached into her dress pocket. "Shadow, I heard Finitevus fled, but I might have an idea where to find him."

Shadow's interest peaked. "Really?"

"He gave this to me last night after he rescued me. He told me to visit if I were to…give myself to him," she explained as she handed him a letter.

Shadow accepted it and looked it over, noticing a drawn map to the location of the location he was staying at. He looked at her, beaming by the new information. "Thank you, Rouge. This is greatly appreciated."

She smiled weakly. "You're welcome, Shadow."

•~•

Meanwhile, in another corridor of the castle, Prince Cordovan talked with the messenger he had asked to deliver a letter on the night of the attack. "The letter I asked for you to give Queen Amy, was it delivered?" he questioned quietly.

"I don't think so, my lord," the messenger replied. "The servant I charged to deliver it to Amy was killed just outside her chambers. I don't believe he ever reached her."

He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "I see…"

"Do you want it back, my lord?" he inquired. "Perhaps I could find it somewhere in the messenger's pockets."

He contemplated the thought for a moment. "No, that's alright, let the dead rest. But let me ask you this, though, did the assassins really make it that close to the royal chambers?"

"—Prince Cordovan?" a familiar voice asked from behind. The Prince looked over his shoulder, spotting Queen Amy standing at the other end.

"Pardon me," Cordovan politely excused before following after Amy.

The two walked into Amy's study together. "I just found out how close the attackers came—right to your door. Are you sure you're all right?" he probed, concern laced in his tone.

She gave him a fake smile, trying to act normal around him. "Yes, I'm fine," she lied.

"That's good. You were lucky."

"Yes…I was," she lied. "Um, so what were you talking about to that messenger?" she asked, quickly changing topics.

"Oh, that?" he smiled nervously. "I was just asking if he saw King Shadow. I've been looking all over for him.

"He's out at the moment, hunting down another lead," Amy explained. "What did you need to see him about?"

"Shadow asked me to bring back some information about the leader of the attack."

Amy looked curious of the news. "What did you find?"

"I haven't been able to locate Jet, the leader of the peaceful branded people—He's disappeared as it seems."

"Is that all?" she questioned, slightly deflated by the dead end.

He shook his head. "No, I ran into one of the wives of the males that helped attacked the castle."

"A wife?" Amy repeated with peaked intrigue. "Do you think I could possibly come with you to question her?"

"About?"

"The attackers, perhaps she knows their whereabouts."

"Don't you think Shadow might be mad if I take you with me? He acted like I should do this on my own accord."

"I need to go for myself, please, Cordovan," she begged. "Besides, he's out of the castle at the moment."

"Very well. Let's move, then."

•~•

Meanwhile in a farm, far away, Finitevus slept soundly on a pile of hay, oblivious that his secret hideout had been found. As he soundly snored away, he shifted slightly when he felt a rough tap on the bottom of his boot. When he opened his eyes, he was startled to see a sword pointed at his face. Frightened, Finitevus shot up and backed away as he came face to face with King Shadow, the owner of the sword. With a hardened expression, Shadow aimed his sword towards his chest. "Don't bother running, there's nowhere to escape," Shadow warned. "My men are outside and you're surrounded, and there's no blackmail to save you this time," he venomously spat.

"But…"

"Get up," he commanded stridently.

Finitevus slowly stood to his feet with his arms raised. "I won't fight you, but know that I deeply regret the pressure I put you under. I see now that there is nothing more dangerous than men who have nothing left to lose," he elaborated reeling with guilt.

Shadow kept his sword pointed in his direction, not buying his remorse. "Shut up."

"They hate you," he spoke exasperated, referring to the branded. "And I know you hate me too."

Shadow dropped his sword and swung a punch, landing it against his cheek. Finitevus flew back and into a hay pile from the strike. Enraged by everything, Shadow tackled Finitevus to the floor and landed more punches, taking his anger out on the lord. As he swung more hits, he imagined Finitevus to be one of the males that had raped Amy.

"Please stop," he begged, face snapping back and forth along with blood splatter. "I shall be loyal to you, I swear it!" he cried in agony.

Shadow stopped his pummeling and gripped him by the collar lifting his bloody face to meet his. "You will find there is a fate worse than death, Finitevus."

•~•

That night in the village, Prince Cordovan led a female skunk into an abandoned alleyway. "Please, you have to let me go, I know nothing," she begged.

"I know that's a lie, you must know where your husband is."

"I can't tell you, if I do, he'll kill me," she replied.

"—No they won't," another voice corrected.

The female skunk looked to her left, where she saw Amy approach hidden under her cloak. "Your majesty," she spoke in awe.

"If you help us find these males, they will never hurt you or anyone else again," she assured.

"I'm scared, your highness. My husband has not treated me well when I go against him."

Amy could easily relate. Jeffrey had really hit her good when he had attacked her that night. She could only imagine what his wife must have gone through on a daily basis with his sadistic nature. "I can assure you I will ensure your safety on my oath. Now, where did your husband Jeffrey go?" she asked sternly.

"He came back to our house for money to help get him out of the kingdom. He threatened to kill me if I told a soul where he went," she explained.

"And where exactly is he planning to flee?" she continued.

"He wants to head to the Dragon kingdom, but the boat leaving to it, doesn't leave till tomorrow morning. Right now he's staying at a safe house five miles north of here."

"Thank you so much for your information," Amy said appreciatively. She turned to look at Cordovan. "Let's keep moving."

•~•

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