Chapter 4: The Beginning of the End
As Amy thought back over the years, her grip on Shadows armor tightened.
"Sir Shadow…" Amy began to speak, not sure how to express what she was thinking.
"Your Highness," Shadow replied with a smile.
Amy pulled gently on his arm and he stopped walking, turning to meet her gaze.
"Rose?" He questioned her, as she looked away from him nervously, letting her hands fall off his arm.
She looked up at him and smiled, her heart beating loud in her chest and her face blushing.
"Sir Shadow… I wanted to talk to you about us," she said, feeling the blush burning on her cheeks.
"Us?" He said, grabbing hold of her hand which she squeezed tightly in hers.
"Yes, I—"
"-Your majesty!" Rang out Rouge's voice from above.
She landed quickly, abruptly, and yet somehow gracefully beside the two hedgehogs.
The bat panted and seemed extremely out of breath. She held her stomach and bowed foreword, taking a few deep breaths before standing back up straight. It wasn't until she made eye contact with her friends that she realized she'd interrupted something important.
Amy was flustered and red in the face and Shadow sported a similar blush but a different reaction as he seemed very annoyed with her.
Rouge chuckled nervously and, though embarrassed by her interrupting, continued on, saying, "Princess Amy, Parliament has called for your attendance immediately."
"She is the Princess!" Shadow growled, clearly upset, "They must request her presence, not summon it!"
"Shadow, please," Amy said, placing a reassuring hand on his armored shoulder, "It must be extremely important if they want to see me so urgently."
"Then I'll escort you myself," he replied, still a hint of frustration in his voice.
"You're supposed to meet with the wall guard today," the Princess countered his offer, smiling and heavily teasing at him.
The knight folded his arms in protest but as always, caved to her ruling. "Yes, your highness."
He turned on his heels to leave but Rouge stopped him with her voice, "Sire, please! Your presence is requested as well!"
He stopped in his tracks, and a shiver ran up his spine in a most uncomfortable way.
"Whatever could Parliament want with my presence?" He asked, turning to face the women.
"They expressed that it was of the utmost importance and requested the Princess and your presence immediately!" Rouge said, finally catching her breath.
"I'm to escort you to Parliament myself," she said, standing straight and nodding to the cobblestone pathway behind her.
"My lord," Amy said, blushing as she grabbed onto the forearm of Shadows' armored hand.
He began walking with her, Rouge leading the way to the Parliament meeting hall.
His mind raced over what the princess wanted to discuss.
He looked down at her clinging to his arm, her face a blushing flustered mess.
She felt like her heart was in her throat.
She was so close to admitting her feelings to him! After all these years, time and love had worn a path into her heart.
What was once an impossible thought to her had become something she could no longer ignore.
She looked up at the knight who blushed a dark crimson red and they both looked away quickly.
The moment had passed and it felt awkward with Rouge quietly leading them along.
"Rouge, what is this about," The Knight Captain called out to the bat in front of them.
She lurched forward at the sound of his deep voice from behind her and almost tripped. Her body language tensed up as did her voice.
"I'm afraid I do not know the answer…" the bat said, but her tone said something else.
She sounded far too nervous and uptight to be telling the truth.
Amy almost laughed to herself. Rouge was a professional spymaster who could keep a secret from anyone.
Anyone, that is, except Shadow and Amy. Her friends were her genuine Kryptonite and she was powerless to their will and determination.
As they passed down hallway after hallway, Shadow and Amy shared a worried glance as they looked from themselves to Rouge.
"Rouge… what's wrong?" Amy called out to her friend.
The closer they got to the Parliament halls the worse Amy's stomach felt.
She wanted to turn and run and was sure that Shadow would follow with her. But as they rounded the final corner and made it to their destination, Amy's fears grew ever real.
Before Rouge could answer, the King came bursting out the doors of the Parliament halls as he turned back to the room and shouted.
"Fools, all of you! Were I a worse man I'd have your heads for this! It is grace! My grace and my character that keep me from throwing you fools into the depths of the dungeons holding cells!" He shouted before slamming the doors behind him.
Amy's fathers face burned red and he looked a disheveled mess. His crown rocked to the side of his head and as he moved to straighten his crown he caught sight of Amy and the rest of them frozen in the hallway.
Shock poured over everyone's face like a thick fog and the King seemed to almost shrink in embarrassment.
Suddenly he shakes his head, straightens his crown and marches up to Amy.
"My princess, my sweet Rose. You are no fool!" He says, grasping her free hand in his.
"What is going on, Father?" Amy's cried out in response to the madness unfolding before her.
"Parliament means to undermine and overstep my authority. You are a smart young woman. I have spent these last few years raising you to do what is right, to make the right choices for this kingdom. Do not let the Parliament corrupt your judgment. You will be Queen one day. They must listen to me and they will listen to you. Do not let them push you around!" He said before enveloping her in a tight embrace which she was too shocked by to return.
After letting her go he looked to Shadow and said, "After this foolishness, assemble my council and meet me in the war room,"
And with that the King stomped off down the hallway.
Shadow and Amy share a puzzled and uncomfortable look and Rouge sighed deeply before opening the door that leads into the Parliament hall.
Before them on a large panel booth sat the lead members of the kingdoms Parliament:
Mr. Morrison the purple badger, Mrs. Amélie the blue raccoon, Mr. Reyes the black squirrel, Mr. Kuiper the green fox, and Mrs. Angela the white squirrel.
Amy's skin crawled at the sight of Mr. Morrison as she remembered the intense encounter she had with him at the spring equinox festival over three years ago.
She let go of Shadows arm as the three of them made their way into the room.
Amy's stomach felt like it was doing somersaults and she grew incredibly queasy just being in front of them.
She looked at Rouge who wore a sad and frustrated look on her face.
Shadow felt like he was melting alive in his armored suit, the piercing eyes of the parliament members burned into his skin. He knew everyone in that room was displeased with him and Rouge as foreigners, but him more so because of his romantically charged closeness with the princess.
"Your majesty," Mr. Morrison began, "We are honored that you have agreed to meet us."
"What is the meaning of this?!" Shadow spoke before Amy could respond.
"You are in no position to summon the Princess. You would do well to extend a formal request not this insulting summons," he almost growled his words as he glared at each council member.
A few of them rolled their eyes at Shadow and one lady gasped in shock that he would say such things.
Despite the overwhelming hatred that each member held against Shadow, the Knight Captain refused to cower at their dirty looks.
"Who are you to speak to us in this manner?!" The blue raccoon countered.
"I am the Left Hand of the King and you will do well to remember that," Shadow growled, his temper boiling at this point.
Amy's cheeks flushed red with anxiety as she felt torn in a million pieces, between Shadow and Parliment and her Father, her head was spinning.
"Shadow please!" Rouge hissed under her breath at him, pleading with him to adjust his behavior for Amy's sake.
Shadow glared at her but before he could argue Amy spoke up.
"It is an honor to meet your request for my presence and the presence of our kingdom's highly esteemed Knight Captain, Sir Shadow, and well respected Monarch, Madam Rouge." Amy said, bowing respectful to the Parliament members but not deep enough to tilt her crown.
"Uhhm… yes well… Your majesty, this meeting is about the arrival of a foreign advisory and your needed protection and cooperation," Mr. Reyes replied uncomfortably as he looked from Shadow and Rouge back to the Princess.
"How can this be?" Amy questioned, looking from Parliament to Rouge.
"We have not contacted them yet?" Amy asked Rouge, referring to the Knuckles Klan which they had spoken about earlier that day.
"No, my lady. Messengers only just went out this morning…" Rouge whispered back to Amy, eyeing the council nervously. She knew what was coming but could make you no attempt to let Amy in on what was about to happen.
"I'm not sure what you're referring to, Princess. We are referring to an arrangement made on your behalf to become betrothed to the Prince of The United Federation." Mr. Kuiper replied.
Horror fell onto the face of Shadow as he looked from Parliament to Amy.
Her face sank in misery as she took a weak step back and grabbed with one hand at her side, the one that was injured all those years ago. In her other hand she grabbed her forehead and held her crown up to keep it from falling as she cowarded forward in shock.
Rouge grabbed onto her back and forearm to help support her as sadness enveloped the bats face.
She looked up at Shadow helplessly as rage and frustration wrecked his body.
"Your father was even more displeased…" Mrs. Amélie replied nonchalantly. "Are you not prepared to serve your country as you are meant to in all ways?"
"She is no pawn to be played with!" Shadow shouted at them causing them to scoff and jeer at him.
"With all due respect, Knight Captain, the affairs of the future Queen's betrothal are outside of your scope of authority!" Mr. Morrison replied.
"You are here only to learn of the detailed protection you will provide our foreign advisory while he is visiting us and courting the Princess." Mr. Reyes added.
Red, hot anger boiling in Shadows veins and he clenched his fist tightly to keep them from shaking. His body buzzed with rage as he tried and failed to hold his composure at this news.
"The prince will arrive in three days with his trusted Nobel accompanying him—" Mr. Morrison began but was cut off.
"Three days?!? How long have you been planning this? Why was I or the King not informed?!?" Princess Amy interrupted, shockingly.
"The King was informed many times of your duties and the lack of fulfillment you have provided in that area," Mr. Morrison scolded Amy while shading the King.
"You are expected to make the Royal dynasty stronger through marriage and as such you were raised expecting to be married off to a Prince or King of another Royal family that wielded power and influence." Mr. Kuiper replied.
"Due to your father and mothers inability to heir a son, we require a slightly different role from you. You were expected to marry one who would migrate to our kingdom instead of you residing in their kingdom. Perhaps a younger brother prince who would not inherit a kingdom or a brother of a King…" Mrs. Angela said.
"But since you have not taken your duties seriously and wasted your desirable years, the council has been forced to arrange this marriage for you." Mrs. Amélie replied.
"You can thank your father for this, since he has ignored and neglected his duty in finding a suitable man for you," Mr. Morrison finished, glaring at Amy lazily.
"You are still convinced you hold more power than you are allotted! The King does not need to arrange an engagement for the Princess because he has already decided the decision of who shall hold her hand is hers and hers alone!" Shadow replied angrily.
"Then it is in the Princesses best decision that she meet our foreign advisory and consider him a prime suitor and eligible contender for her engagement!" Mr. Reyes replied.
"It is in your best judgment that you remember your place and stay out of the business of the King and Princess matters, since they are above you!" Shadow replied.
"It is in the Princesses best judgment to serve her kingdom and her people first and foremost and quit wasting all our time before she single handedly runs this kingdom into an early gravs!" Mr. Morrison shouted.
"Perhaps you shall like to misspeak of our Princess again so that I may lay my sword on your head!" Shadow shouted back, and began to unsheathe his sword.
The council members gasped in shock at what the Knight threatened but before he could draw his sword all the way the princess rested her hand against his.
She made no move to look him in the eyes as he searched her face for answers. She pushed on his hand lightly and he dropped his half drawn sword, allowing it to slide fully back into its scabbard.
"I look forward to meeting your foreign suitor and will report back to you with my impressions. Thank you for your time." Amy said, curtseying lightly and turning quickly on her heels.
"Shadow, Rouge, please bid the Parliament farewell as we have much work to prepare for." Amy said with her backs turned to them.
Shadow and Rouge bowed, barely, to the Parliament members and quickly followed Amy back out the door.
Hushed whispers and arguing could be heard from the Parliament members as they made their exit.
"How dare they chastise Rose in such a manner! The King should have their heads for this! Those climps will regret provoking the wrath of a king, the wrath of—"
"—You will do well to respect the members of Parliament!" Amy cut Shadow off as they made their way down the halls.
Shadow was so taken aback he stopped momentarily in his tracks but quickly regained himself and caught back up to Amy.
"You cannot seriously be considering those treasonous bastards and their ridiculous proposal?" Shadow questioned.
"You find yourself questioning your Princess?" Amy said as she stopped to look Shadow in the eyes, tears welling up in her face.
"I find myself questioning my best friend, the woman I—" Shadow stopped himself dead in his tracks. His emotions had run wild with the intensity of the day's events and he was on the verge of confessing his love for her.
"Your behavior in there was most unbecoming of the Left hand of the King. And my fathers behavior was most unbecoming of a King. Parliament is a well respected body of the courts and they work hard to keep this castle prosperous when the nobles are caught up in their shortsighted emotions." Amy replied quickly, a single tear shedding from her eye but she remained composed none the less.
Had she not had tears in her eyes or one rolling down her cheek you would never even guess she was crying at all. No sounds or sniffs came from her and she held her posture strong and still despite the storm inside her.
"Parliament is an outdated, over paid, and over glorified position of the courts meant to keep luckily rat bastards in denial that they are more important than they really are. And you should not speak so illy of your father!" Shadow interjected.
"Those rat bastards are the men and women who raised me! Bite your tongue that you refrain from disrespecting them in my presence again. It is clear that you have forgotten your place. You serve me and my father and you will do wisely to refrain from interrupting my business meetings in the future. Your presence was requested so that you may receive your next assignment, not so that you could disrespect me and Parliament." The Princess replied, another tear quietly rolling down her face.
Anger burned in the Knight captain's soul as his heart became a conflicted mess. He wanted to hold her and wipe away all her tears. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her head. But most importantly he wanted the shame and pain he felt over disappointing her to disappear.
Amy struggled to maintain her composure. The embarrassment she faced in front of Parliament's cruel words cut her to the core. The shame she felt from neglecting her Princess duties was overshadowed only by the pain she felt for denying and pushing away the feelings she held for Sir Shadow. Her days of finding love and support in him were long over. She had to stop playing pretend with a man who was not permitted by the Parliament to court her and set her focus on marrying a man who Parliament approved of taking over the kingdom. The pain and heartbreak of this realization was more than Amy could bear and she felt her compositing beginning to slip from her grasps.
"I disrespected you?!? My Princess you wound me!" Shadow replied, pain more present than ever in his voice.
"They disrespect you! Your judgment is clouded by the poison they have fed you since childhood. Please do not mistake their words for the truth, as they seek only to comfort themselves, not the comfort of this kingdom or its people." Shadow said, grasping Amy's hands in his.
His eyes burned and he feared tears would form in his eyes any second now. He was losing his grip on his emotions quickly and knew he would have to retreat soon.
"We find ourselves at an impasse. Perhaps it is in your best interest to retire for the day and we will find ourselves in a better manner tomorrow." Amy said quietly, avoiding his eyes as she slowly pulled her hands away from his.
"My presence has already been requested by the King. I bid you a good day, your Majesty," Shadow choked on his words, his voice almost cracking. He bowed and then made his way down the hall away from Rouge and the Princess.
Dame Jian the Tiger approached the Knight Captain who had left the princess unguarded in his hasty retreat.
"Shall I guard the Princess?" She asked.
"Please," Shadow replied as he waved her off and continued down the hall.
With no one else to witness his heart's defeat in battle, a single tear escaped as it rolled down his face.
He quickly brushed it off on the back of his armored hand as he made his way to the King.
Amy stood silently in the hallway as more tears slowly weld up and poured down her face.
"Rouge, please accompany me back to my chambers for the evening," Amy said quietly, to which Rogue nodded in agreement as she took the Princesses arm in hers and led her down the hall towards Amy's wing of the castle.
They walked in silence and the awkwardness of the intense events of the day weighed heavily on Rogue's shoulders.
Rouge had heard rumors from her spies in Parliament and from the The United Federation but she never thought they'd come to fruit until this morning when Parliament summoned her to fetch the Princess and Knight Captain.
But no amount of forewarning could have prevented the course of today's events.
As they made their way to Amy's room, the Princess turned to Dame Jian the Tiger and said, "Please prevent all chambermaids and guests from approaching my corridors… and Jain?"
"Yes, your majesty?"
"You may be in service of your Knight Captain, but I am your Princess and outrank him in all manners. I say this to say: Do not repeat to him or anyone else what you hear from my room while you guard my door." Amy said coldly.
"I er… yes, your majesty…" the Tiger said confused but she made no intentions to ask what she'd need that command for.
Amy knew she'd know why soon enough.
As Amy entered her room accompanied by Rouge, she made her way silently to her bed before throwing herself into it and sobbing hysterically.
Hot tears poured from her face and her chest ached as she wailed in pain. Overcome with grief and sorrow, Amy almost didn't feel Rouge sit beside her on her bed or begin rubbing her back in comfort.
"I've never seen you guys argue so cruelly before… What came over you Amy?" Rouge asked.
"I love him!" Amy wailed again as she sobbed into her bedsheets.
"I love him and I cannot be with him!" Amy screamed as sadness racked her body.
Amy knew deep down this day would come. She'd always dreamed that Parliament would change their mind about Shadow but as the years passed by she felt that would never come to fruition.
And here they were five years later, Amy battling the hardest battle she'd ever known. What she knew versus what she felt.
Her pride and duty as a princess hung in the balance and she knew that the love she felt for Shadow directly conflicted with the role Parliament had for her.
She could not face herself in the mirror if she threw away her kingdom and her people for Shadow. But she also could not live without the Knight Captain and his love for her by her side.
Parliament had made it clear on several occasions that they felt the kingdom could not be properly run with Shadow as King and that the people would reject her if she let a foreigner from the Ark Kingdom rule.
Amy had never heard these claims but trusted the judgment and word of Parliament completely—a battle the King and Shadow had always lost.
None could convince Amy that Parliament was not as innocent as they presented themselves to be. None could convince her that the people who raised her in her parents' stead were not free of moral corruption or that they were using her like a pawn.
Amy was convinced that Parliament knew what was best. When they told her her fathers soft spot for her was a threat to the kingdom's safety she believed them wholeheartedly.
And who could blame her when they were the ones who raised Amy in their parents absence. Although the king had spent the last five years trying to make up for lost time, Amy could not forget who taught, fed, and trained her while her mother and father spent all their time, effort, and energy in maintaining a Kingdom that was on the verge of suffering greatly.
Amy continued to cry as Rouge rubbed her back, not knowing what to say or do to console her best friend.
Amy cried for hours, as Rouge stayed loyally by her side and listened to her mourn the love that never got a chance to bear fruit between Amy and Shadow.
Elsewhere, across the castle, Shadow meets with King Alexander, and General Silver in the war room.
"Parliament has undermined me for the last time," the King said.
"I couldn't agree more," Shadow responded quietly.
"They originated as a group of teachers and tutors whose job was to help raise the princes and princesses of this kingdom in the right ways. But now they seek to push their rule onto the kingdom by influencing the minds of the kingdom's heirs." Silver replied.
"I knew something was fishy with them when they were raising me and thankfully my father had the good sense to reprimand them when they grew out of line. They were given the chance to redeem themselves and they have used that opportunity to seize power by manipulating my daughter nstead," the King said, looking worriedly from Shadow to Silver.
"It's clear they seek to divide the castle in two, by using Amy against you. I have a hunch that they intend to use this foreign advisory against you and to rule through him as a hidden puppet master." Silver said.
"We must tell Amy then. She cannot be married to a man who is conspiring with Parliament in order to take over the kingdom," Shadow replied.
"This will not do. If we try to expose them with no evidence, they will sink their teeth harder into her and continue to use it." The king replied.
"I do not understand. Amy is a smart young woman. How can she fall victim to their corruption?" Silver asked.
"It is my fault. I let them raise her unencumbered and they have spent over sixteen years manipulating her with old outdated traditions and false rules. I didn't not see it until Amy was too deep in. I cannot convince her and as a result she must come to this conclusion on her own now." The king sighed as he thought back on all his mistakes.
"At this rate she'll marry that prince before she knows what's going on," Silver replied.
Shadow cringed at the idea of Amy marrying someone else and his heart grew heavier with hatred for Parliament and its members.
"I will not let this happen," the King said, looking from Silver to Shadow who both nodded in agreement with him.
"When the Prince gets here, we will work to expose Parliament for treason and disband them for good." Silver said.
"Shadow. It is time you and Rouge prove yourselves and defend this kingdom. Uncover Parliament's true attempts and do not let this foreigner marry my daughter to overthrow her kingdom." The King said, gripping Shadows' shoulder and squeezing the armor tightly.
"Yes, your majesty." Shadow replied, a small light of hope growing in his heart.
Sorry for the late update! I couldn't decide where to go with this in order to progress the storyline... but I finally made up my mind and here it is!
Curses to writers block,
Please write and review, it is much appreciated!