Chapter 2
The next day, at the castle, the king and queen came to welcome Prince Dimitri and his guards and parade members. Five knights were also present, and so was their Grand Duke who was a raccoon with a black sideburn beard, and wearing a blue leotard, red pants and black boots.
The king was a salmon colored hedgehog with tan skin and a gray beard and mustache, brown eyes, and wore a leotard in navy blue with gold linings and red buttoned straps with a breast plate underneath and red and navy blue puffy shoulder sleeves, a belt, black pants and boots, and he wore a golden crown with green and blue gems, and white gloves. He was King Richard.
The queen was a pink hedgehog with brushed quills reaching from her shoulders, peach skin, green eyes, and wore a gold crown with teal gems, white gloves, gold bracelets, a bronze and gold necklace, translucent arm warmers, a light grayish blue, royal blue and white Elizabethan dress with a golden belt and buttons and a hemline bodice, transparent back garments with grayish blue edges and behind her round lace collar in the same color, and dark blue low heeled flats. She was Queen Ailinda.
The captain of the group was a black hedgehog with crimson red stripes on his quills and tan skin, red eyes, and he wore a dark gray and red metal forehead visor, dark gray and silver torso armor, silver and red gauntlets with golden wrist rings, dark gray lower leg armor, and dark gray, red and sliver metal shoes with golden ankle rings. He was known as Sir Shadow Lancelot.
The second was a red echidna with peach skin, violet eyes, and wore a redwood and silver metal helmet with a visor, redwood and silver torso armor, silver gauntlets shaped like mitts, redwood and golden forearm gauntlets, redwood and silver lower leg armor, and electric crimson, gray and green metal shoes. His name was Sir Knuckles Gawain.
The next was a female lavender cat with a violet tip on her tail, and white skin, gold eyes, and wore a golden hair tie, a gray and lavender metal forehead visor with a sky blue gem, a gray coat-like torso armor with a golden hemline, a violet shirt, gray gauntlets with sky blue gems on each wrist, white leggings, gray lower leg armor, and gray high-heeled metal shoes with rose toe caps. She was called Sir Blaze Percival.
The fourth was a silver-white hedgehog with two quills on the back of his head and five quills on the front of his head, tan skin, and wore silver armor with gold linings and cyan glowing pads on his gauntlets. He was identified as Sir Silver Galahad.
The fifth and final knight was a emerald green hawk with dark emerald green tips on his head and tail feathers, a golden yellow beak, sky blue eyes, and wore a metal helmet, metal torso armor, metal gauntlets, and red, black and silver metal boots. He was named Sir Jet Lamorak.
"Welcome, Prince Dimitri," King Richard said.
"We trust you had an enjoyable journey," Queen Ailinda said.
Prince Dimitri nodded, before the doors suddenly opened, and walking forward was a pink hedgehog with peach skin and green eyes, but she wore a deep pink hairband with golden metal circle ends, white gloves with transparent arm warmers, gold bracelets, a pink, deep pink, and white dress, a gold chain necklace with a heart shaped charm, and deep pink high heels. It was Princess Amelia Rose, or Amy for short.
Walking with her were two rabbits who were her nursemaids, Cream and her mother, Vanilla. And flying with them was a Chao named Cheese.
Vanilla had dark orange, cream, brown, and white fur, dark orange hair, pale pink skin, brown eyes, and wore a lavender and white maiden dress with a burgundy vest and a blue ascot, burgundy and yellow low-heeled shoes, white gloves with gold cufflinks, and pink lipstick.
Cream however had princeton orange, cream, and white fur, peach skin, cinnamon brown eyes, and she wore a vermilion regal type dress with a frilly white collar, a aqua green gem in the center and a light blue dual-flap tie, white gloves with golden cufflinks and frilly ends, vermilion and yellow shoes, and white frilly socks.
"Oh, wow," Prince Dimitri said, gazing at the princess, as the knights bowed their heads in respect.
"Prince Dimitri, our daughter... Princess Amelia," King Richard said.
"S-So... Why did no one tell me of your beauty?" Prince Dimitri asked.
"It's nothing major. Although, no one mentioned yours, either," Amy said.
"Oh, thank you. They say that in Sokovia," he then turned to his men. "Ya, right?" He and his men started laughing at his joke. "It's... It's very, very amusing."
"Is it?" Amy asked.
"Ya," Prince Dimitri said.
"Well, we have that same title, except yet some are never described the same way," Amy said.
The king and queen didn't like where it was going, as the knights knew what was happening, so the king had some persuation, "Prince Dimitri, we have been told you have mentioned that you have brought us a special gift from your homeland?"
"Can you guess what it is?!" Prince Dimitri asked, jumping like a giddy little child.
"What's he doing that for?" Jet asked.
"No idea," Knuckles replied,
"Is it a new horse for the stable?" Cream asked.
"No." Prince Dimitri replied.
"A gaggle of swans?" Cream asked.
"No! So close!" Prince Dimitri replied again.
"Well, it does look very big," Vanilla said, as Queen Ailinda nodded.
"Uhh, looks like he's got more than just one," Amy said.
"Oh, you rabbits not good at this game!" Prince Dimitri said, as he walked over, and then as he raised his eyebrows to Amy, his guards pulled the fabric on his gifts, revealing a few cannons and catapults in his country's design.
"SURPRISE!" he said triumphantly.
"Cannons and catapults?" Amy asked. "What for?"
"Installing everything we have in your basic design for this equipment, it's sleek and minimal." Prince Dimitri was cut off by Amy. "Oh, it's very impressive, but we are humble and peaceful people here in Avalar. Not impressed with the gift, Prince Dimitri, so much is the sentiment behind it."
"Sentiments? It's for…"
"Your desire for war?" Blaze asked.
"No, no! Of course not! They're just big guns and wooden spoons!" Prince Dimitri replied.
"Father, this is a bad idea," Amy said to her father.
"Our princess means is that we're not sure if we can accept these weapons by any means necessary," Silver said.
"But also fails to understand that no one from any kingdom desires war but a ruler must know what he's up against and prepare for it nonetheless… in any way," Shadow said.
"Ya, whatever that means," Prince Dimitri said.
"I'm also wondering if in preparing for this war, you would also choose the very conflict my father humbly seeks to avoid for many generations," Amy said to Shadow.
"Unless if she's got a point, or otherwise it would be dangerous, or leading to some kind of matter that could be very catastrophic," Knuckles said, with Silver, Jet and Blaze nodded.
"Enough. The princess is delighted to receive your gift, Prince Dimitri," King Richard said.
"As are we," Queen Ailinda said. "Could you show us?"
"YES! YES!" Prince Dimitri replied. "We… we will target the catapult at that target over there, and then we will do the same with the cannon."
"So how does this thing work?" Knuckles asked.
"Oh, first you load up catapult with any type of projectile. Using big boulder there for example," Prince Dimitri said, as they saw that the catapult was loaded up with a big boulder. "Then, make sure to lock it in place… and once target's in sight, pull the lever on right side… and let it go!" The catapult was then triggered, sending the boulder flying from the catapult, before hearing a huge boom and a big splash from their castle.
"It sounded like it came from the woods," Knuckles said.
"Whoa…" Silver said.
"Hmm? Impressed with catapult?" Prince Dimitri asked. "Yes? No? Okay, now we move onto cannon. Now we will target that boat over there! Now let me just lose the crosshairs… Drumroll please!"
The prince's drummers did the drumroll, as everyone else stepped back with Cream hiding behing Blaze's legs, as the knight comforted her by petting her head with one free hand.
"Now, prepare yourselves! It's very loud!" Everyone then stepped backwards, covering their ears, until the prince pulled the rope, and the cannon fired a shot, leaving a huge puff of smoke. "A HIT!" he then laughed and giddily clapped his hands. "Not a bad design, eh?"
"Which boat were you aiming at?" Amy asked. "The one with the target… or is the one that's not sinking but all wet… your boat?"
Prince Dimitri then screamed in horror, as Amy made an unamused look with one eyebrow raised.
As moments passed, Amy went to the Chao Garden after Prince Dimitri left, along with Cream and Vanilla.
"Amelia?! Amelia?! Amelia!"
"Chao! Chao!"
A Chao appeared in front of King Richard's face, "Oh, heavens! Confound it, Cheese! You startled me!"
"Sorry, your highness! Oh, Queen Ailinda? I have something for you," Cream said, as she then placed a flower crown on Ailinda's head.
"Thank you, dear," Ailinda said, before she got greeted by more Chao.
"So is this why Prince Dimitri stormed out?" King Richard asked.
"Well, not exactly, father. They were just playing with him, except he might've gotten a little overwhelmed after what happened earlier today. But I'm sure you meant no harm to both of them, right?" Amy asked Cheese, who flew over to her for a cuddling hug after nodding in reply, before she turned at her glaring father. "Ahem."
King Richard then started, "Dearest, you've got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call. The law says you…"
"…must be married to a prince." he and Amy said together, as they walked over to a dove cage.
"By your next birthday," Richard finished.
"The law is wrong," Amy said.
"You've only got six more weeks!"
"Father, I hate being forced into this," Amy said, as she took a dove out of the cage and pets it. "If I do marry, I want it to be for love."
"Amelia, it's not only this law," Richard said, as Ailinda handed him the dove, and he put it back in the cage. "Your mother and I are not going to be around forever, and we just want to make sure you're taken care of, provided for."
"Try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own." She sits by the fountain, swirling her finger in the water of the pond, petting the fish. "I've never had any real friends." Cream and the Chao look at her, "Except you and the Chao, Cream."
Cream giggled, allowing Amy to continue, "I've never even been outside the palace walls. I just want to see what's more out there."
"But Amelia, you're a princess," Richard said.
"Then maybe I don't want to be a princess anymore," Amy said, splashing the water.
"Amelia, your father and I just want what's best for you, and we just don't want you to feel isolated all the time. Whatever you want to say, we'll listen," Ailinda said, kissing her daughter on the forehead, and then she and Richard walked off.
"I understand, mother," Amy said, before she goes to the dove cage and calmly opens it, before seeing a cute little baby dove.
"Good morning!"
The bird squeaked its approval to her.
"Will today be the day? Are you ready to fly?"
The bird squeaked its disapproval.
"You sure?" Amy asked, before holding the bird on her finger. "Good day to try. Why, if I picked a day to fly, oh, this would be it!" She then saw the baby bird still feeling nervous. "The wide open spaces everywhere! It will be fun-the trees, the grass, and all that fresh clean air..."
The bird, who had been resting in Amy's hand, has begun to flap its wings. Amy slowly removed her hands until the bird is hovering in place. She chuckles and showed her hands to the bird, who finally realized that it is flying. It squeaked an approval, then a question, as Amy opened the entire cage full of doves, and sees the bird's brother and sister in the cage, before allowing all the birds to fly off.
"Go on! Nobody wants to be cooped up here forever!"
The bird flies off to join the flock, and its siblings. As soon as it's gone with its siblings, the birds continue to fly off into freedom. She watches them go with a smile on her face and her hands on her chest.