Taking up the Mantle

by Rinpoo

Much has changed in the past decade since the defeat of Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn. Robotnik's absolute power and cruelty are left unchallenged as the war escalates to greater heights. Can the youth of Knothole change the fate handed to them, or will they fall victim to this vile, decadent world of brutal tyranny?

14. Lady Radcliff

Author's Note. Redid this bad chapter. Well, to be fair the content itself is great, but the gramma sucks like usual.

This was about the time my health started declining. I lost much of the vision in my right eye, and reading/editing actually became physically painful for me.

Legal Trash. Sonic and everybody else is copyright SEGA/Archie comics. Except for Max, Annie, and Sonia. I created them in my rattled brain; if you like my OC's use them and let me know. It'll be fun; we will have tea.

Chapter 14. Lady Radcliff.

"Tails! Are y'all alright?!" Bunnie's voice yelled while she ran towards his hut.

Tails hoisted himself up and leaned against the table, once again looking at the destroyed cube. He still felt like he was in a confused state and just raised his hand to show that he was fine.

"What'n' the heck happened?" He heard Bunnie say as she approached his completely destroyed door. Her eyes fixating on Nicole as a possible threat.

Nicole stared back without much concern for what Bunnie was thinking, and was about to start explaining in detail what had occurred when Cream pushed past her and Bunnie to see Tails.

"O-oh my… what happened!?" She looked on in disbelief the minute she saw her precious map and Tails' door destroyed.

"N-No!" Cream's crestfallen wail came out, and then there was a of desperate attempts to pick up the pieces of the device.

"My m... I-I… my home… my task!" She cried even harder as she scooped bits of worthless casing into her hand.

Nicole was about to speak the truth, but Tails started to talk before she could even get the chance.

"I… uh… the cube. It self-destructed when I tried to turn it on." He paused. "Nicole heard the device overloading and came into my hut. If she hadn't tossed it away from me in time that would've been me instead of the door."

Cream dropped the scraps onto the table and sprinted over to Tails. Her hands started to grab onto him, and it was clear she was checking him for injury.

"I-I am fine..." Tails said, rubbing his head.

Bunnie turned her attention to Nicole suspiciously, and Nicole peered around the room at everyone standing before her.

"It is as Tails says it is..." Nicole continued in the lie. "I was walking towards the forest to obtain more building materials when my delicate robot ears picked up on the sounds of overloading machinery."

Tails nodded silently and Cream sadly backed up from him after checking he was all right.

Bunnie let out a sigh, perhaps her suspicions of Nicole were unwarranted, though, it was hard to look past her exterior.

"M-my home, everything. I-I don't know what to do… I-I- ev-everyone died for nothing." Cream could feel the tears coming, and she turned her face away from everybody.

"I'm sorry Cream." Tails said sadly.

He knew the truth, but couldn't bring himself to accuse her a second time.

"Aw shucks, honey. We'll find a way ta' get ya' to where ya' need to be." Bunnie gave her words of encouragement.

Nicole stared in silence and thought for a while. She didn't understand why Tails lied, but she certainly wasn't going to contradict his story if he wanted it to be that way.

There was a long, sad quietness that permeated the room until Nicole decided on what action would best be appropriate for the situation Tails had created.

"There is a high probability that if you give me the location you were attacked, and also as much detail about your home as possible, I might be able to extrapolate the coordinates of your village."

The three animals looked at the robot, and Cream immediately rushed her way forward and grabbed onto the metal lynx's hand.

"C-can… Is that possible?" Cream stammered as she became filled with hope.

Nicole briefly looked at Tails who merely gave her a nod of approval, and she then turned her blue eyes towards the young rabbit.

"I am equipped with vast amounts of geographical data from before and after the coup. With Sonic's ability to cover vast distances so quickly. Sally was able to map out quite a bit of the area." She concluded.

Bunnie let her arms fall to her sides and then walked past the two of them. "Well, then I'll let y'all get to that. I am needin' to make sure everything's ready for yer trip once ya' have it figured out."

"Oh! T-this is great news!" Cream became loud and joyous, as she started to list off everything she possibly could about the village, its history, what it looked like around the forest, and just exactly where she remembered being attacked.

Tails remained aloof of the conversation and started to clean the pieces of the destroyed cube off the floor while Cream talked Nicole's ear off.

"So that is everything I can tell you." Cream finished.

Nicole pondered for a second, and then looked at her. "I will need a short while to do some calculations… Why don't you go check up on Max and Antoine to see how they are faring?"

Cream gave a polite bow to the robot and then let out a happy laugh. "Thank you so much, Miss Nicole. I hope that you can locate my home."

With that, she took her leave of the two of them to do as Nicole suggested.

Tails threw the bits of the cube on the table and Nicole started to place her hand on the doorway.

"I shall repair this for you. It should take approximately twenty minutes." She said abruptly.

Tails frustratedly plopped himself in his chair once again. "Shouldn't you be figuring out where Cream's home is?" His voice sounded irritable, and Nicole was quick to pick up on it.

"There is no need. I am 98 percent certain I know where it is located based off of the things, she has told me." Nicole started to walk away after saying that, leaving Tails to sit and ponder her behavior.

Once Nicole returned with the tools and the materials needed to fix the door. Tails spoke to her.

"Then why did you say you needed time?"

Nicole started to remove the old hinges and began installing the new ones with quick precision.

"Because I know you don't trust her, and I also can tell you want to get to the bottom of this." Her reply came.

Tails leaned back in his chair, and he felt a little guilty hearing it aloud, but that was indeed accurate. He was surprised Nicole could read body language so easy and extrapolate so much from him lying to Bunnie and Cream.

"That's true, but…" Tails tried to find the words, but he was cut off by Nicole.

"The reasoning is irrelevant. I could see what you wanted to do, and so I helped you accomplish that. That is my primary function, is it not?" Nicole stated coldly, as she started constructing the new door with metal strips and planks of wood.

"I suppose so…" He paused. "So where does she live… Do you think she is lying about her home?" He asked as if trying to keep his mistrust at bay.

Nicole finished the door and began aligning it with the newly installed hinges. "It is difficult to deduce, but given that she said bronze, steel, and copper are in great supply, and that her village was founded in an abandoned mine. It is likely that they are situated in the great Mobian steel mine."

"Great Mobian steel mine?" Tails said, leaning forward.

Nicole started attaching the door to the hinges. "It was a massive mine that was built into the side of one of the largest mountains on this side of Mobius. It was responsible for supplying almost all of the steel that went towards Mobotropolis' royal army. Eventually, it was deemed unsafe to mine due to the expansive deepness of it."

Tails thought as he leaned back in his chair. "Unsafe? Then how could it be used for a village."

Nicole stood up and started attaching the top hinge to the new door. "Unsafe for mining more than twenty years ago. If it were reinforced and infused with the new technologies of the past decades, then such a place could be easily inhabited."

Tails could see the sense she was making as he watched her finish fixing his door. "Then why hasn't Robotnik or Aunt Sally tried to use the resources of the mine?"

Nicole started shutting the door and swinging it open to make sure it was fixed correctly, and then stopped to give her reply.

"If animals found a home there, there is a high probability that they have altered and hidden the entrance of the mine. It wouldn't be worth it for Sally to try and figure out, nor could she mine it properly, and Robotnik has steel in endless supply."

The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds, and Tails eventually said the only thing he could to her.

"Thanks, Nicole..."

Nicole wasn't sure how to respond, but just bluntly spoke her mind as she so often did. "I would caution you against using your emotions to dictate your actions, especially if you have Max in your care."

Tails blinked and stared at Nicole. Her wisdom was sound, but the rest of it sounded as if it were some kind of implicit threat. "Max will be fine... Cream seems to think he will hold great sway there."

Nicole stared in his direction pondering for a bit and then gave a response that ignored Tails' assessment of safety.

"I will not hide this from Max." She stated, and with that, she turned away from him.

Tails watched as the robot walked away to return to her other duties and he had to wonder what exactly any of that meant.

He was not used to seeing Nicole get what could be interpreted as "emotional" about anything. Still, he recognized her loyalty to the royal family, even if the way in which it was presented seemed out of place.

He put his hands on the desk then fiddled with the pieces of the cube that Cream had placed there, and he wondered what it meant.

He had his ideas and his suspicions, but he was attempting to override them with his affection for Cream. She was special in some way, and he was extremely unwilling to hurt her with his accusations any longer.

Tails grabbed a small cloth sack from his desk and swept the tiny shards of the device into the palm of his glove. After that, he tossed them into the container and tied it tight with a string.

Whatever was going on at her village, if anything, was something he knew that Max, himself, and Annie needed to deal with head-on. They were Freedom Fighters after all, and that meant they had certain obligations beyond just fighting Robotnik.

…

…

…

Night came quickly to Knothole and Max lay atop his bed still fully dressed from the day. He could feel the exhaustion from having moved around a lot, but try as he might, sleep kept failing to find him.

He knew that tomorrow would involve a lot of walking, but as days past, his somber and sad thoughts kept him thinking throughout the night.

He felt as though he was no longer himself, and every time he reminisced about the months that had preceded his incident. He felt like he was remembering it through the eyes of a stranger.

Happiness, confidence, nervousness of the future. It had all left him and been replaced with seething anger.

He was angry at himself, angry at the choices he made, and most of all he was angry at Robotnik. He tried not to let it weigh on his mind, but the images of utter destruction and annihilation of his people were always enough to bring him back to it.

Max let out a sigh and turned away from the small glass of water that held Sonia's crumpled flower.

This pain he was feeling was one he had never experienced before. It was one that he could never get away from, and he struggled to find any way to relieve it.

To be plagued with guilt and such volatile emotions all at once made him feel like it'd have been better if died in that miserable pit.

He put his furred hand over his eyes and could feel himself starting to cry as he remembered the expressionless machines that had been robbed of their existence.

His heart continued to sink and burn in the acidity of his stomach, and he truly wished he could have traded himself for them. He kept oscillating between anger and dejection, and it was as if he could not feel any other emotions besides those.

BANG!

Max could hear a slam on his door, and he quickly shot up on his bed in a moment of instinctual fear. He wiped his face and runny nose on his sleeve, then proceeded to dry his tear-stained hand on his pants.

"Come in." He called meekly, as the person on the other side opened the door after he gave his command.

Nicole walked forward and shut his door behind herself when she entered. Her blue eyes shining as she stared directly at Max sitting atop the bed.

She could immediately see the emotional stress in his expression and pondered for a minute if she should leave come, but when Max spoke, she decided to just stand there.

"Yes, Nicole?" Max's voice came out semi-strong as he tried to hide his internal distress.

Nicole stepped forward hesitantly but began to speak gently to him. "Max, I have come here because I would like to report some things to you."

Max shifted his body and pulled himself into a standing position

"Report?" He responded.

"Yes…"

Nicole stopped speaking and was beginning to feel unsure in the same way she did when Max was injured. Perhaps forgoing logic and protocol was better than enhancing his emotional distress? She didn't know but decided to move along with her report regardless.

"I wanted to report that I have finished the construction on the new hut. All that is left is to furnish it and put safety precautions in place to keep Snively from escaping." She said.

Max nodded feeling slightly relieved, at least that part was done. Once Nicole had reinforced the structure, they could then turn their full attention to saving his father and dealing with the canon.

"That's great Nicole. I, well thank you for doing what I requested." He sounded genuinely grateful and a bit sheepish in his tone.

Nicole paused for a moment and felt a sense of pride well up within her. She liked the feeling and praise, especially if it came from Max.

"I was just fulfilling my prime directive. I…"

Max irritably cut her off from usual 'I am built to serve' tangent. "Enough Nicole, there will be no more of that…. You are my friend and somebody I care about, not my tool."

Nicole stared, and still, she didn't quite understand his view of her, but she would not argue with him over it.

"Very well Max... I will take my leave of you, and begin reinforcing the hut." She stopped talking and was getting ready to turn away until Max spoke up once again.

"What else, Nicole?" he said.

Nicole felt confused at first, and she merely looked at Max waiting for him to continue.

"You said you had 'things' to report, so what else did you come here to say?"

He already knew she had intended to say more, but truthfully her presence there was giving him a significant bit of distraction from his misery.

"I…" Nicole still seemed hesitant, and Max could now read her like an open book.

Her robotic body could emote, and so, he was apt at reading the expressions that accompanied her growing emotional repertoire.

"You don't have to hide things from me Nicole... It is fine. Just tell me what you wanted to; I can handle it." His voice was soothing to her metal ears, and she felt more emboldened to speak her mind than when she had entered.

"I… Yes, there is something else I wanted to bring solely to your attention…" Nicole went about detailing what had occurred between her and Tails earlier that day. "So that is why I really came here. I wanted to inform you of potential hazards that might be involved with going to Radcliff."

Max plopped himself down on the edge of his bed as he let it all sink in. He knew that this was a grave matter, but he also knew that to outright assume the worst could spell disaster for them.

The number of supplies and resources that such a place potentially offered would be foolish to toss away on a possible misunderstanding.

There was a long silence, and finally, Max asked Nicole for her opinion. "Do you think Cream is… Well, nefarious."

Nicole was somewhat surprised he asked her that question, but truth be told, he was looking for her personal opinion, not facts, and she knew as much by this point.

"No, I do not think Cream has malicious intent, but I do want you to be careful." She stated how she felt.

Max gave her a small smile and stood up in front of her. "Thanks for caring about my wellbeing." He said.

Her blue robotic eyes stared into his organic green ones, and she changed her expression to that of a smile in return.

"I will go tomorrow and keep my eyes out. You continue watching over Knothole and finish the hut for when I return. If all goes well, I can sort out this entire mess, and we can all benefit from it." Max said.

He seemed somewhat optimistic about the situation, even if his mood had taken a nosedive recently.

Nicole nodded at his statement and proceeded to turn around to leave. She felt a sense of relief having told him, and she trusted in his decision making, so to her, this was as good an outcome as any.

Max let Nicole leave, and he lay himself onto the bed. His mind now wondering about the mysteries of Radcliff and what awaited him tomorrow.

He wanted to make things up to Cream for her having saved his life, and if that meant going into potential danger, so be it.

He stared up at the ceiling for hours, lost in his thoughts, until eventually his eyes shut on their own and he was carried away from the world of consciousness.

Whatever came, came, and Max felt as though he had a lot to make up to everybody for being such an incompetent, resource-sucking burden in recent months.

…

…

…

Morning came and the next day was bright and crisp, the trees began to shed their vibrantly hued leaves to the ground, and the forest took on a serene, ephemeral beauty that typically came with the season.

The four had left bright and early after eating and now walked along the river's edge on their way to their destination.

Tails was carrying one of his rifles and was following a detailed map drawn up by Nicole on a piece of scrap paper.

Cream had Diana's backpack on, and both her and Annie carried their usual supply bags, while Max was carrying nothing but his sword that rested at his side.

Max was sauntering along behind the three, and though he felt somewhat tired, his biggest problem was dealing with how he was still feeling.

The world to him felt heavy, and the casual thoughts that went through his mind were proving to be ever more morose.

He was sure that the degree to which he felt miserable was exasperated by Nicole informing him of the events that occurred yesterday.

It put a very damper tone on the journey to this village, but as before, Max had already been struggling with the blues, so to him it didn't make things too much worse in the grand scheme of things.

"Somthin' wrong?" Max heard Annie's voice.

He looked up from blankly staring at the ground and could see she had slowed her pace to speak to him. He kept his blank expression and only shook his head silently.

Annie looked down briefly and frowned. She knew that something was wrong with him and only wished to see that bright, confident smile return.

"Max, I am your confidante. If you cannot trust me, then what is the point of having one?"

Max eyed her and then turned his gaze upwards towards the dying trees. There was a lot wrong, it was true, but he found himself unable to put his new-found mood or the situation with Cream into words.

"I dunno, I guess I just need to get used to… well, everything." He lifted his gloved hand and rested it onto the hilt of his sword.

Annie watched him in his seemingly depressed stupor and then reached her hand into her bag. In a few seconds, she produced a jar filled with brown liquid.

"Here. I thought that you might need something to feel good about on the trip." She said as she reached her arm out to offer it to him.

Max took the medium sized jar and looked at Annie, who was now timidly hiding her face.

He opened the container and sniffed it while he walked. It was obviously tea, but it was laden with a unique wild berry scent that he was unfamiliar with.

He took a sip of it, and it was slightly tart, but he found the taste palatable in a unique way.

"Huh, this is new?" He said while taking another gulp. "Did you make this yourself?" He took a third sip and swished it around in his mouth to enjoy the flavor.

Annie put on a smile, and she nodded. "Yeah… I figured you were getting tired of the usual teas, so I tried to make something I thought you'd like."

He looked at her and gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks… I mean really."

Annie felt her face get heated and just turned her attention towards Tails and Cream. "We gotta' stop laggin' behind." She pulled Max's attention to the distance between them and the other two.

"Oh! Well, I guess you are right." Max started to pick up the pace, while every so often taking a sip of the delicious tea mixture.

Once the two had ended up closer behind Tails and Cream, Max could make out their conversation more clearly.

"So, I was wondering, where exactly do you get those cubes from?" Tails' voice came out quietly.

"O-oh, well, Sir. Redford used to be in charge of them. I-I don't know much about them, except that they are supposedly modified from old technology left over from before the coup. After Redford started losing much of his memory, the cubes became Sir. Seth's responsibility." Cream answered.

"I see..." Tails trailed off.

"S-sir. Seth is the son of Sir. Redford's friend, and is a member of one of our central houses." Cream spoke fondly of him.

"Houses?" Tails responded, not really sure about the importance of such things within her society.

"Oh, well, uhm. There are six houses… W-well f-five, I guess now since Sir. Redford of house Redford has passed. Radcliff, Brinwald, Lasil, Windser, and Gotra. They are the wealthiest and most esteemed families in the village and a-are sort of like a council. Th-they vote on things, and attempt to keep the population happy." Cream explained briefly.

"…."

Tails didn't reply and merely looked off to the side at the flowing river. It seemed that the village was well organized and attempted to govern judiciously. Though, in his mind, it cast doubt against Cream, given what had occurred.

There was a bit of silence after that and Max could feel the tension growing between the two of them. He understood why but kept his mouth shut so as not to make things worse.

"Hey, I wanna' know," Annie interjected during the silence. "I heard that your village is like a city of sorts. What kinda' stuff do you have to do there?"

Cream, upon hearing Annie's voice, turned her attention towards her. "Oh, well we have many things to do there that were available to those in the great city…" She began.

Max could hear Cream starting a conversation about the wonders that awaited them, but in truth, he could care less about that.

He slowed his pace once again and quietly sipped the jar of tea, trying to keep the negative thoughts from consuming him.

After several minutes to himself, Max took notice that somebody was shuffling next to him. When he looked over, he could see Tails had slunk back with him while the two girls chatted with one another.

"Aren't you supposed to be navigating?" Max asked as if trying to get Tails away from him in his low mood.

"It is a straight shot along the river for a while," Tails pointed towards the river bank that was just to the side of them.

The two remained quiet for a minute while they walked, and then Tails once again started to talk.

"I know Nicole told you…." Tails' voice was low enough so that only Max could hear it.

Max looked into his eyes, and the two seemed to have a mutual understanding of each other's feelings for a moment.

"I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt," Max whispered as he took another gulp of the tea.

Tails nodded. "Just keep an eye out, alright?"

The two stopped looking at each other, and they decided it would be better to compare their thoughts when they actually had dealt with this place personally.

After a half hour had gone by the four eventually found themselves in the portion of the forest that Tails and Cream had been attacked in.

The damage from laser combat was still readily apparent after so much time, and even though the beautiful fallen leaves littered the ground. Tails could still recall the exact areas that had been doused in blood on that fateful day.

Max had returned the empty jar to Annie as he took a quick survey of the area. It looked like any other part of the forest to him, save for the signs of combat.

The corpses of the fallen were but scattered bones after the more than two-month stint of being exposed to the air, predators, summer heat, and torrential rain.

Cream kept herself away from the clearing trying as hard as possible not to think about her friends and loved ones.

Tails was situated close by checking the map, but he was not unaware of her distress, as the things he saw had left him just as unsettled.

Annie walked and took a close look around the clearing. "Holy hell…" Was all she could remark when gawking at the blasted down trees and apparent signs of explosions.

Max wandered forward a teeny bit and could hear Tails speak loudly to him before he got too far.

"According to Nicole's instructions the mountain is about an hour or two away from here." He pointed in the direction Max was walking towards. "That way does seem to be the most direct route."

The four of them agreed to take the path that led through, and after a bit of staring from Max and Annie, they left the area.

Tails walked next to Cream once the clearing was behind them and started to speak to her gently. "I'm sorry… That we had to come back through here."

"I-it is fine. I have made my peace with it… besides, if I can make it back home, then I can at least say their death wasn't f-for nothing." Cream said as she fidgeted with her dirty dress gloves. They were still stained from that day.

The four continued on for over an hour, and each of them took in the sights of the autumn forest as they went.

Max quietly walked in back with Annie before him, and Tails and Cream were further forward and not speaking at all to one another.

"Hey look," Annie said, as she pointed towards a massive pile of rocks lying off into the distance.

The three animals squinted and could make the rocks out as well, and it was apparent it was the first signs of the mountain they were looking for.

They all started to move slightly quicker, stomping their feet on the crumpled leaves littered about the ground.

"If only this had a path," Max remarked while stepping over a small log.

"Yeah," Tails began. "but at least with the dying trees, we have a better vision of further distances.

Max trudged forward, and while they walked, he continued to look towards the rows of lifeless trees that had shed their leaves.

Crunch.

Snap.

Rustle.

Their feet created quite a bit of noise that echoed out into the quiet forest. Eventually, Max raised his furred hand up and spoke up with a whisper.

"Hey." His actions caused the rest of the animals to stop.

"?" They all looked at him as he stood there quietly.

Crunch.

Snap.

The sounds continued to echo even though they had ceased movement. It was now wholly evident to everybody that Max had detected an extra set of steps cracking through the brush on the ground.

Max just stared off into the brush of bushes at his side. "Is someone following us?" He whispered.

The three kept listening, and the rustling came even closer than before. After a minute of crunching, they could hear a desperate and weak voice call out from the dense thicket of bushes and tightly knit tree trunks.

"It's you, oh god. I can't believe my eyes... I…"

The weak stammering speech pierced the quiet, and then the loud crash of tumbling came. An emaciated, wounded, tired, and terrified raven toppled forward from the row of bushes that were close to Cream.

"O-oh my god!" Cream ran forward and knelt down to examine the bird.

"Severa!" She shouted as she threw her bag onto the ground.

Tails recognized her as the one that ran away that day. He couldn't believe she was still alive, not just because of the robots, but also the harsh conditions of the forest.

He knelt down and started helping Cream tend to her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Annie came over to look, while Max watched from a slight distance. He didn't know who she was, and he felt terrible for her, but he wasn't so confident that all attention should be focused on the bird. Especially if it meant neglecting their current unfamiliar surroundings.

Severa seemed dazed, and Cream wasted no time in breaking out her medical supplies to begin treating the traumatized bird. She apparently had untreated wounds from that day, and her hunger and exhaustion were apparent to everybody who laid eyes on her.

After about a minute of blankly staring at Cream, Severa eyed Tails and seemed surprised to see him.

"I-I don't know how you survived... I just… I just..." She struggled to speak.

"It's fine, take it easy." Tails reassured her, as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Cream quickly worked on patching Severa's minor wounds up and instructed Annie to grab some of the rations she had packed into her bag before they had left.

Annie did as she was told and pulled out a small box filled with various food items and some clean water.

She passed it off to Cream as quickly as she could so that they could bring the raven back to a state of normalcy.

"Here, you need to get something in your stomach." Cream stated after finishing the final bandage.

She reached over offering the food and fresh water for the bird to take.

Severa couldn't believe what she was being offered and snatched it quickly without even thinking about it. She began stuffing it down her gullet as fast as she possibly could and washed it down her throat with deep gulps of water.

After Severa had consumed the small meal, she sat there tiredly. She was now starting to come out of her daze like state, and she kept her stare fixated on Cream.

After a bit more time had passed the two of them embraced with a light sob.

"I-I can't believe y-you are alive!" Cream stuttered happily.

"I can't believe… Anything." Severa responded while rubbing her aching head.

"What happened out there?" Tails asked, feeling the infectious sense of joy between the two of them.

Severa looked at Tails and then Annie. She wasn't sure who either of them were, but at least she recognized Tails from that day.

"I… I just panicked, and then I ended up running. The robot mercilessly chased me through the forest. I couldn't get away at all and thought I was going to die… That is, until a huge explosion occurred in that clearing that I'd left behind. It immediately stopped pursuing me, and instead, went back there." She paused and took in some more water.

"After that, I hid in the forest for over a week, and then I decided that I would try and find Radcliff village since I thought everybody was dead. I backtracked my steps cautiously until I recognized where I was." She took another drink and wiped her beak.

"I made my way back to the entrance, but no matter what, they refused to allow me back in. They said they couldn't permit me to come back in alone since I might be lying or present some sort of threat." Severa paused and had a really bleak expression on her face.

"I doubt they will let you in without the influence Diana or Redford, as they had no problem leaving me out here to die."

Everyone kept looking at Severa, and while it sounded horrible to everyone from Knothole, Cream had anticipated Radcliff villages' hesitation.

Without their mission complete, and little proof on Severa's part that what had happened actually occurred, there was little chance of getting them to bend the rules for her sake.

"I-it's ok, I think that I can get us in… If you show us the way to the mountain side. I can prove I completed the task we set out for." Cream assured the bird.

"Y-you have? I…" She said completely flabbergasted. Not only had Cream survived but she managed to find another village to trade with.

Cream nodded and pointed past everyone to the side of the bushes.

There, Severa could see Max in his royal blue coat looking back at her. His resemblance, his attire... It couldn't be.

Severa fell forward into an immediate bow and began pleading for forgiveness. "Y-your Majesty! Please! I hadn't seen your presence there. I meant no disrespect!"

Max watched as the bird humbled herself on the ground. Injured and starving, yet her primary fear was disrespecting him at this moment.

Annie and Tails turned to Max, and neither could believe the reaction themselves. It was clear just by looking at him who he was, but such a response seemed severe, even for one of his stature.

Max moved forward and started to speak gently. "Hey… it is quite alright; I am not upset. You do not have to do that for me."

Severa looked up and stared at his face. It was unmistakable to her that Cream had found the most coveted of things in these woods, and it was hardly to be believed.

"Do you feel well enough to show us where Radcliff is located?' Max asked calmly to her.

Severa, regardless of whether she felt good or not. Rose to her feet immediately and began to give a polite bow while standing. "Y-yes your Highness. I know the way, just let me lead you, and we will be there in no time."

Max nodded quietly, still not used to being treated in such a way, though it brought many questions as to how they were so familiar with him and his lineage.

They didn't even know if he was a Prince or King, let alone whether he was actually of that bloodline or not.

The group had little chance to contemplate and ask further questions as Severa eagerly began ushering them along.

She seemed desperate to gain access to her home once again, but she also seemed eager to bring Max there just as much.

Cream grabbed her things off the ground, while Annie immediately began to follow Severa. Tails and Max stared at each other briefly, and they both knew that one another felt uneasy about going there.

Severa's reaction was the same as Cream's, and for better or worse it was an almost obsessiveness over Max's perceived lineage.

"C'mon you guys!" Annie called to the two standing there next to each other, and it brought Max and Tails' attention back to the rest of the group.

The two moved forward to follow Severa just as Cream and Annie were.

Against their own judgment, they relented and decided to go along with the original plan, at least, for the time being.

They walked briskly, and in no time at all they reached a wide opening in the forest that led to the bottom of a giant mountain.

There was a rather large waterfall that splashed down into a massive reservoir at the basin. It seemed to be a continuous flowing source of water that branched out into the forest in a series of streams.

The mountain itself was a sight to behold and was quite massive in size. It was surrounded on all sides by the vast forest and exuded a peaceful and untouched feeling to those that were seeing it for the first time.

Cream's eyes searched around, and the familiarity of the area brought comfort to her. She wasn't sure how to get here before, but once she was directly in the vicinity, she knew exactly where she was.

"I-I… we're here." She moved forward next to Severa, and the two looked as if they finally had found some sense of relief.

"I don't really see anything," Annie said aloud as she looked about.

The mountain looked solid and intact, and truth be told, she was not looking forward to traversing around the thing to find this village of Cream's.

Max kept to the very back, and Tails in front of him. The two looked around and didn't see even a hint of a village.

They were aware that the "city" was located in the mountain somewhere, but the outside seamlessly blended in with the surrounding forest.

"This way!" Severa called to the rest of the group.

Cream knew the way from this exact location, and she quickly followed the bird to the edge of the massive waterfall.

Immediately it made sense to the three from Knothole, and they followed over to the side of the source of falling water.

Once there, they could see a tight crevasse that one could squeeze through to enter into the mountain.

Hidden by water, and small enough to look inconspicuous, it was no wonder that nobody ever happened upon this place by accident.

Cream removed the bag from her back so that she could carry it and started to squeeze herself into the hole. Once she had been swallowed up by the darkness, they could hear her delicate voice speak from the other side.

"Come on. It is safe."

Severa went next, then Annie, and Tails, but Max stood frozen outside in front of the dark entrance.

He stared at it and felt terror seize his heart as flashes of memories from waking up from his fall returned to him. The foreboding darkness of the tight space reminded him of the eternal shadows of the abyss.

"Max?"

He could hear some of their voices on the other side calling for him to come through, but he found himself unable to move. His heart throbbed, and his right palm was sweaty.

"I-is this the only. Is this the only way in?" He stammered slightly and then corrected himself to try and sound strong.

"Y-yes. If you want to come to Radcliff, you need to come through here." Cream answered him.

"Come on Max." Tails said from the other side, feeling a bit frustrated.

He thought that Max had lost his desire to go to the city, but they were so close that he really didn't want to turn back now.

Max felt so ashamed about his fear that he was trying to think about any possible lie he could tell so that he could avoid admitting it.

When that failed, he made an attempt to force himself to go. "I, well… here I come..." He said taking hesitant steps towards the crevasse.

Annie could hear Max's tone, and she was well aware from what had happened that night some time ago why he didn't want to enter.

"Hey, Max has just got over being seriously injured, maybe he needs some extra help through." She reminded the group.

Cream cried out in the darkness feeling ashamed. "Oh my gosh! Y-your right. I-I completely forgot! I was so preoccupied with getting home that I completely neglected that."

"Don't worry." Tails said. "I'll get him."

He pulled out his small flashlight from his side pouch and turned it on. He used it to illuminate the space, and he pulled himself halfway through it to appear before Max on the other end.

Tails hung out of the crevasse and reached out his free hand towards him. "Come on big guy. I am sorry, I didn't stop to think you might be in pain or too tired to get through."

Max felt relief seeing Tails and the small light in his grasp. He moved forward and grabbed onto his hand, then with a quick yank, Max was pulled in through the tight space.

Once on the other side, Cream began to speak to him. "A-are you ok, M-Max, er, your Highness? Uhm..." She stammered.

"I'm fine… Don't worry about it." Max lied, keeping his gaze focused on Tails because he was the only source of light at the moment.

Tails held up the flashlight and pointed it towards the direction in front of them. They could see the narrow corridor had no other path but forward.

Max took in some deep breaths quietly, but he kept his fear hidden inside of himself as best as he could. He just kept his eyes fixated on the illuminated area so that he didn't "lose it."

"Oh! that is so useful!" Severa commented. "When I found this place, I had to shuffle my way through in complete darkness, and then when they denied me entry, I had to find my way out."

Max felt his heart racing and looked at Severa in the dim light the flashlight provided.

"So, you don't have any lights in here?"

Cream and Severa shook their head in unison, and then Cream responded out loud. "N-no, we try to make it look as natural as possible on the outside so that we remain completely hidden."

Max understood their secrecy and just kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't draw undue attention to himself.

The group began to walk to their destination while he kept up the rear with only Annie slowing down to keep him company.

She moved her arm over and interlocked it with his right arm.

"I'll help you through, you seem really exhausted." She whispered.

Annie knew what everyone else didn't, so she figured it would be best to help him get through, rather than embarrass him.

Max looked over and could barely see the silhouette of her face with what little brightness they had.

He didn't respond to what she said, but he felt a sudden rush of comfort as she dragged him along with her through the narrow tunnel.

The five walked closely to one another and Tails was looking around the cramped tunnel.

To him, it was reminiscent of the Wolf Pack caves, but far less complex than that. He was surprised by the length of it. It seemed to go on forever, and he wasn't exactly sure how Severa managed this with no light.

Their steps echoed as they slowly traveled for over a half hour, and it wasn't until Tails reached a dead end that he recognized a giant steel plate fixated into the wall.

At first, it seemed inconspicuous, but as he shined the flashlight onto it, he realized it was a door.

It lacked any sort of mechanism for opening from their end, and there was a small, sideways rectangle that sat just above the center.

"Well, this has to be it." Tails stated the obvious.

"I-I will t-try to get them to open up." Cream spoke as she stepped in front of the door. "P-please turn out the light, or else it might startle th-them."

Max heard the request and felt himself entering a panic. The light suddenly switched off, and the thick blackness overcame his senses.

Annie tightened her hold of his arm to try and give him courage, and while it worked slightly, he was getting ever closer to breaking down and succumbing to his terror.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The sound of metal echoed through the cave, and everyone there remained utterly silent.

A minute passed, and still nothing.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Cream rapped again in an attempt to evoke a response.

After another moment passed. The sound of sliding metal came with a slam. The rectangle in the door had opened, spilling forth the precious orange glow of fire from the other end.

"Severa, look, you have been told that you are not allowed access, and that is final. If you continue to come back…" The voice stopped talking mid-sentence the minute he saw who was on the other side.

"Lady Cream?" The voice seemed relatively shocked. "I had heard you'd been slain."

"N-no I have come to request that Severa and I be allowed back in." Cream sounded nervous, but she tried to be as bold and loud as possible.

The man on the other side suddenly walked away from the door causing Cream to panic. "H-e-y w-wait!" She stammered.

After a minute or two of the group standing there in the silent orange glow, the person returned and spoke out to Cream.

"I-I am sorry Lady Cream, though you may be the adopted daughter of Sir. Redford, I must decline your request for reentry."

"W-w… But I have succeeded in my mission! I have brought…" She became desperate, but her pleas were cut off by the sound of a second angry voice yelling out.

"You brought what!? The first man disappeared from the hole, and another set of fierce eyes peered through.

After some staring, the eyes started to turn into an angered scowl. "How dare you bring outsiders here!? You know that the cube is to be given to new trade routes, and we haven't received any sort of coordinate signal!" He barked as his eyes darted about from the rectangular opening.

He could see Cream and Severa in the front, but the rest of the group were obscured by shadow.

"I- but th-this is different." Cream tried to explain, but as quickly as she began her speech, the rectangle closed loudly with a clap, bringing about complete blackness once again.

There was a defeated hush amongst the group, but it was short-lived. The door made a loud bang and quickly swung open, filling the cave partially with light.

Standing in the doorway were various animals dressed in what appeared to be steel armor decorated with patches of royal blue.

They seemed to be Acorn knights from a time long since passed. The front three had their swords drawn, and two from the rear had what appeared to be crossbows.

"You've brought this on yourself! We cannot let unfamiliar animals leave with this location. Surrender to us, and perhaps you will be shown mercy." Said the lone knight in the front.

The group of knights had their gaze set on Tails, who was blocking Annie and Max from view.

Annie stepped forward into the light as she positioned herself in front of Max as well.

Cream looked horrified. "P-please don- this isn't necessary…" She begged and then was grabbed by the knight closest to her.

After she was subdued, another knight came over and grabbed Severa roughly. The room started to fill with more knights that spilled through the door, and a torch was brought in illuminating the place for even further scrutiny.

Tails and Annie didn't move because they were well aware of how being perceived as a threat would end. "We've come here…" Tail's began but was immediately silenced by the armadillo knight in front who was differentiated by his great red cape and cowl.

"Silence yourself fox. I'll do the talking here." He stepped forward and could see Annie blocking another person from view.

His hand reached out, and he grabbed ahold of Tails' rifle that had been slung over his shoulder the entire time.

Once the knight removed the weapon, he issued another order while pointing the steel of his blade at them.

"Throw down your bags and supplies, and then drop to the ground with your hands placed flat where I can see em."

Cream and Severa had their mouths covered by the knight's gloves and struggled slightly, while Tails and Annie threw their bag and utility belt to the dirt with a thud. They raised their hands to begin following the issued orders.

The knight commander let out a laugh, staring at the barely visible person behind Tails and Annie and repositioned his sword to point in Max's direction.

"Tell the coward behind ya' to step forward and stop hiding back there with their tail tucked between their legs."

Max became angry but was unwilling to move, he just stood in position with his hands at his sides.

Annie and Tails began to lower themselves quietly before more trouble was invited upon them.

The knights seemed momentarily gleeful about the transpiring events as if this was the most entertaining thing they'd seen in their lives.

When the two fully hit the dirt with a thud, and their hands were placed flat on the ground. The lead knight kept his gaze fixated on them.

He had a mischievous grin on his face, and his boot abruptly kicked up some dirt from the cave floor onto Annie and Tails.

"Hah-Hah..." He mused, expecting to hear his companions become jovial in response to his antics.

When nothing but dead silence came, he turned his head back towards the knights at his sides and behind him.

They all had a look of sheer horror on their face, and the two holding the crossbows had dropped down on bended knee with their heads lowered.

"What's gotten int..." The armadillo began but stopped the second he looked forward.

There, standing in full view, was royalty. Illuminated by the bright, flickering glow of the torch, whose presence was so unmistakable that it sent chills throughout his entire body.

"I…?" He struggled to choke out words.

Max stood there quietly staring at the knights with his shimmering royal coat and unmistakable looks.

He felt fear from all of the darkness surrounding him and things that were occurring, but his taking up the rear had shielded him from most of the knight's scrutiny and antagonism.

Some of the other knights immediately began dropping to their knees and bowing their heads without so much as a word being spoken.

The lead knight still spooked by the looks of the young animal finally gained the courage to pose a question.

"Wh- who are you?"

Max took a small step forward and rested the wrist of his gloved hand on the hilt of his sword. After taking a short breath, he answered as confidently as he possibly could.

"I am Prince Maximillian Charles Acorn the first. Firstborn son of Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, and heir to the throne of Mobotropolis."

The knight commander immediately dropped to his knees and bowed his head in complete awe.

"I-please forgive y-your R-royal Highness. I..." The once fierce and hostile knight stammered in an almost pathetic fashion.

Max turned to the knights that held Cream and Severa and pointed directly at them with his furred hand.

"Release my friends." He forcefully ordered.

He was well aware of the sway he held at this point and felt it was imperative to get Cream free so that she could communicate with her people.

Almost immediately after stating his wishes, Cream and Severa were let go.

Tails and Annie had looked up briefly, and after a moment of lying in the dirt, they had risen to their feet and began to collect their stripped belongings.

Not a single knight would dare lift their head, and they all just allowed their prisoners to rearm themselves.

The whole thing seemed surreal, but Max's presence alone had caused the knights to change their behavior entirely.

Annie scowled at the armadillo commander bowing to show his respect for Max, and angrily moved her boot to kick dirt into his face.

"Piece of shit..." She muttered under her breath.

The commander coughed and wheezed but would not say or do anything in response to it.

He had already recognized his previous words and behavior could detach his head from his neck, and he was practically praying to the royals themselves to spare him for his foolishness.

Max let his hands fall to his sides and once again spoke to the knights. "May we all please have entry now?"

The lead knight began to lift his head and stand so that he could cater to the royal request. "Yes... O-of course, your Royal Highness. I will take you directly to Lady Sarah immediately."

Cream looked somewhat scared and dazed at the moment. She had not expected them to become so forceful, but given the seriousness of the rules, perhaps she should have considered it.

At the very least her knowledge of her own home had given her the foresight to the degree of Max's influence.

Severa stared blankly and was as visibly shaken as Cream. Annie turned and shot Max an impressed smile, while Tails slung his gun back over his shoulder.

Tails couldn't help but gawk at the immediate change in demeanor of the soldiers. It seemed almost incomprehensible and unwise of them to defer to Max, but still, they did so without hesitation.

The armadillo sheathed his sword and turned to his subordinates.

"Attention! All knights rise and clear a path for his Royal Highness, Prince Maximillian Acorn."

He stopped and pointed his gloved hand towards the knight bearing the torch.

"Sir. Kavain, please proceed ahead and tell Lady Sarah to be ready to meet with an esteemed guest from the outside."

The young squire gave a salute "Yes sir, Sir. Jonathan!" He said loudly and hastily made his way through the open door, while the rest of the knights lined up on either side to allow Max and his party to enter.

Jonathan turned and waved his hand to tell them to follow. "Right this way Your Highness, I will lead you directly to meet with Lady Sarah."

Max nodded slowly as he quietly started to follow. Rather than hanging in the back as he did so before, he was now front and center for all to see.

Cream and Severa were directly behind him, with Tails and Annie in the very back.

Nobody from Knothole could believe the sheer deference that Max was being given, and Max himself felt embarrassed by the respect he was being shown.

The group passed through the doorway and found themselves in a tightly erected tunnel of wood and torches that smelled heavily of dust.

It was clear just from appearances that it was built to segregate the entrance from the city that lie within.

The ground was nothing but dirt, rocks, and sand, and all through the narrow, dusty hallway were knights.

Jonathan paused and issued a loud command that echoed throughout the cramped space.

"Make way! All protocol has been disbanded! Visitors of great import from beyond the forest are coming through!"

Most of the knights stopped what they were doing and turned to look up at the scene. It was unheard of that a group from outside Radcliff would be treated with such honor, and while most knights recognized Cream and Severa immediately, it wasn't until their eyes found Max that their expressions went from surprise to fear.

Jonathan led them through the swarm of lesser knights, and as Max passed them, they immediately stopped whatever they were doing to bow in respect. They seemed hesitant to speak or draw ire from Max in any way.

The group marched through the long, crowded hallway in silence, until Tails moved his head forward and began to whisper into Cream's big floppy ear.

"Just what the hell is going on with all this?"

"I-Max is- well, uhm… I don't know why they became s-so forceful, but Max l-looks just like members of the royal family. The royal family is v-very cherished here in Radcliff, so I-I guess you could say that the royal family itself is culturally significant." She whispered back to him.

Tails just moved back a bit and thought about what exactly this meant.

He had always been so close to members of the royal family that he had never really considered giving them the respect that they probably deserved.

With all eyes on Max's group, their walk felt as though it lasted forever. Once at the end of the wooden tunnel, they could see a set of dusty wooden steps that led upwards to what appeared to be a wooden door fixated into the stone wall of the cavern.

Jonathan stopped and then turned around to begin to speak. "One moment Your Royal Highness. I shall enter and make sure that lady Sarah is ready for you to enter."

"P-please let Severa and myself enter with you. We h-have things we need to discuss immediately with Sarah." Cream said.

Severa stepped forward with a nod and took her place next to Cream in the front.

Max, Annie, and Tails could tell that the two girls had taken issue with the events that transpired since they had left and returned.

Despite Cream's shy demeanor and naivete, she had a strong sense of what was appropriate and just.

Jonathan looked at the Radcliff residents and then turned his sight on Max as if asking for some kind of permission to do so.

Max looked back and merely nodded slowly to show that he approved, even if he genuinely didn't care if they went or not.

"Very well, Lady Cream, Miss Severa. Please follow me." Jonathan spoke confidently and showed respect, even if his previous actions displayed the opposite.

After he called for them to follow, the three quickly walked up the rickety and creaky set of wooden steps.

They then disappeared into the less than pristine looking door, leaving the travelers from Knothole surrounded by a plethora of staring knights.

Annie moved over to Max and gave him a playful punch on his right arm.

"Look at you, all famous around here!" She teased.

Max looked away feeling somewhat ashamed and rubbed his brown boot against the sand.

"I dunno' what is going on really, but I can't say I am comfortable with it."

"Psh. This is what you were born for, it is what you deserve." Annie said in an attempt to bolster his confidence.

Tails listened to the two banter in a hushed manner and merely observed all the knights standing about with their eyes glued to them.

They looked as if they were going to have some sort of heart attack when Annie had punched Max in the arm, but they kept their distance and their mouths shut.

The minutes started to stack up, and as time passed Tails became lost in looking about at the details of this cramped place.

"What do you suppose is going on in there?"

Tails eventually heard Max address him quietly and he was taken away from his observations.

"I can't rightly say, but I would wager Cream and Severa aren't too happy about how they have been treated by their own home. They are probably as upset with this 'Sarah' as we should be, given what we know." He responded to Max.

"So, what do we know?" Annie asked curiously overhearing what had been said.

There was a brief pause, and then Tails decided there was no point in keeping Annie out of the loop now that the three of them were separated from Cream.

"Max and I recently found out that the device Cream was carrying attracts robots. We don't know exactly what this means or what to do about it, but we need to stick together and watch each other around here, just in case."

Annie nodded a bit and gazed over at Max who also told her it was true. She didn't know precisely when they had discovered this, but it made their strange, reclusive behavior make more sense.

"I dunno' what this means, but thanks for letting me know."

Annie sighed after speaking and rubbed some of the dust off her rabbit nose.

It smelled heavily of soil and old wood in here, to the point she thought she was going to sneeze.

Everything about this trip was annoying to her, and now hearing that there might be something nefarious happening, she found herself becoming internally bitter.

Max turned his attention away from Annie and decided to focus it on the door that would lead them to the answers they sought.

He wanted things to work out for the best for his people and Cream, but recognized things may end badly no matter what course of action he chose.

Several more minutes passed and Tails' mistrust was starting to nag at him again. What if Cream and Severa were in there selling them out?

What if this was all a trick to lure them in and then kill them? He shook his head, feeling bad for his own thoughts, but he found it difficult to be anything but skeptical here.

Max was still tense and quietly lost in his own thoughts, while Annie seemed bored with the wait.

She'd rather be doing anything else even if it were arguing with the leader of this "city" she had been told so much about.

"Pardon me, Your Royal Highness. Lady Sarah is eagerly awaiting you in her office and asks that you come with all haste." Jonathan's voice called to them, and when they turned their attention upwards, they could see him standing to the side of the open door.

The three from Knothole wasted no time in ascending the steps so that they could meet who they thought to be the leader of Radcliff.

Their heavy booted footsteps kicked up dust as they went. Once through the doorway and inside, the atmosphere was entirely different from what they had been anticipating.

The room was powered by electricity, which lit the various lamps and computers that were available to the room.

The walls were not stone but a built-up wooden frame that was lushly decorated with various pictures.

Many of which were paintings that consisted of members of the royal family, most likely replicas, but still bearing a strong resemblance to Max.

The floor was carpeted in a red, dusty material, and the two desks that the old, yet functioning computers sat on were cluttered with various papers and writing utensils.

To Annie, Max, and Tails it was a strange sight, as none of them had been exposed to such a thing in its current functioning form.

"Oh, wow! I can't believe my eyes!" A female raccoon with glasses stood up from behind the monitor. "You. There is no mistaking it!" She said with such enthusiasm and excitement that it seemed as if she might leap for joy.

"What is this place?" Max asked. Recognizing that she was referring to him, as if the plethora of Acorn pictures wasn't enough of a hint.

"O-oh Yo-Your Majesty. Forgive my impudent tongue. I should not have spoken so abruptly to one such as you." She adjusted her glasses and then started to speak once again. "My name is Grace, and I am one of the secretaries of Lady Sarah's office."

Max didn't fully comprehend the bureaucratic nature of this place, but he could understand based on how it looked that much went on here throughout the day.

"Please, Lady Sarah is eagerly awaiting you in the next room." Grace ushered them along and pointed to another door located against the back of the room from their position.

Tails, Annie, and Max merely gave one another a glance and proceeded to move forward past Jonathan who was not invited to take part in their get together with Sarah.

As the three walked the short distance, Tails was reminded of the old stories Sally used to tell him about the world before its fall.

Being born on the day of the coup left him at a bitter disadvantage of just missing the splendor before it turned to complete trash.

He did feel bad for Max and Annie, who could only be taught so much without the aid of the princess.

Though even something as simple as this place was never how he imagined it to be, funny how real life is always stranger than the fantasy one makes up in their head.

The door to Sarah's office opened and closed with a loud clack behind them. The room itself looked incredible to their foreign eyes, and it made the three of them stammer back to get a good look at it.

Everything was well decorated, with a giant pristine looking desk set in the center, behind that, affixed to the wall, was one giant damaged painting of the most recent members of the royal family. King Maximillian Acorn, Queen Alicia Acorn, and a very young Princess Sally Acorn.

On either side of the central painting sat two large, ornate cabinets filled with decorative trinkets from old Mobotropolis. Atop the surface of a primary storage drawer in between. sat bottles of Mobian vintage wine, no doubt priceless due to their scarcity.

The top of the center desk was neat and organized, and behind it was a large padded chair that matched the decor of the carpet.

This tiny office area was stuffed so full of treasures that it nearly evoked intense jealousy in Max. He had never been afforded the luxuries of seeing his mother as a child and felt bitter that such a thing would be hoarded away in here.

The chair turned to the side with a squeak, and it revealed a bat sitting behind the large and resplendent desk. Her face previously hidden by the monitor of the computer that sat in front of her.

Once her eyes searched the group and settled on Max, she jumped to her feet immediately.

"I don't believe it; you speak the truth!"

Her voice was powerful, yet had a kind softness to it, and she was dressed almost as gaudily as the room was decorated.

Jewelry permeated the length of her ears, arms, and hands, and an elegant robe draped all the way down, covering her feet in their entirety.

Despite looking as if she were in her early forties, she had beauty and elegance befitting one of her stature.

After she spoke, the shock started to wear off, and now Tails, Annie, and Max noticed Cream standing shyly next to the oversized desk. She seemed exhausted, but in better spirits than she had been previously.

"What's going on? Where is Severa?" Max and Tails asked almost simultaneously upon noticing she was absent.

Cream kept her mouth shut and placed her hands together. She looked dirty and disgusting in comparison to the room, but she was apparently trying to act prim and proper in the presences of Lady Sarah.

The bat walked out from behind her desk and started to answer for Cream. "Oh, do not worry yourself over Severa, your grace. She has explained everything that she needed to and has been allowed to return to her home as she requested."

She stopped talking the moment she was but inches from Max, her eyes looking him over intimately.

"I really cannot believe it, Lady Redford. I was skeptical of your claims, but his looks are beyond uncanny." Sarah said as she neglected everyone else in the room but him for the time being.

"Y-yes, I was surprised m-myself." Cream stuttered nervously in response to the comment.

"Uhh…" Max backed away slightly, finding her stare and closeness to him uncomfortable.

"Oh, my goodness, where are my manners? You must forgive my ignorance in greeting you, Your Royal Highness." The bat stepped back and used her hand to move her long bangs out of her vision.

"I am known to many here as Lady Sarah, or Sarah, but since this is a formal meeting with a member of the royal family, you may address me with my surname intact. I am Sarah Joice Radcliff, eldest daughter of Sir. Conwell Radcliff, and might I say it is beyond an honor to meet you, my lord." She said as she gave a bow of respect.

The three from Knothole were really apprehensive, but nobody thought they should speak unless it was Max doing the talking.

The silence lasted for a moment and became slightly awkward until Max eventually did say what Annie and Tails wanted to ask themselves.

"Why two separate names?" He said.

A Softball question from Max, yes, but one that seemed necessary for him to find his footing in speaking to this woman.

"It is rather simple Your Highness. I do not like to elevate myself above other animals. I'd much rather be called something generic to blend in with the rest of my people, but sometimes I need to showcase my heritage when appropriate." She stated.

Annie crossed her arms and leaned against the wall between two paintings, while Tails and Max just looked at each other for a moment. There were so many questions to ask, but both of them still felt uncertain about everything.

Max eventually took in a silent breath and decided that acting cowardly was not a way for an Acorn to act. His mother nor his father would lack the brevity to say what needed to be said, so nor would he.

"I-well. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Prince Maximillian Charles Acorn the first. Crown prince of Mobotropolis and firstborn son of the late Princess Sally Alicia Acorn." He stated with strength.

"I hope that the things Cream has told you have helped you understand why we were brought here in person."

Sarah smiled and clapped her hands together. "It warms my heart that Lady Redford lives, and I am quite happy that she did, as you are the first member of the royal family to ever grace us with their presence. You have no idea what you being here will mean to all of us in Radcliff."

Sarah was well spoken, polite, intelligent, and overall confident in her demeanor. How could somebody so pleasant and assured be responsible for the terrible thing Max and Tails speculated she was?

The more they thought about it, the more uncomfortable and sadder they looked.

Unfortunately, their expressions quickly betrayed them as Sarah took notice of it and began to cross her arms as if displeased. She had noticed their hesitation slightly before, but now it was utterly transparent.

"What ever is the matter? Your manner of speech exudes confidence, but your frown and distressed looks show a lack of trust." Sarah hit the nail on the head, and it made Max feel vulnerable under her watchful gaze.

Sarah turned to Tails who looked equally as unsure and pointed her finger at him. "And you? I see the same mistrust in your eyes, is it because of the brashness of our dear knights? I can assure you that they will be reprimanded harshly for their behavior…"

"N-no." Max stammered out, interrupting her. "That's not it… I just… I uhm..."

He really didn't want to cause any trouble, yet knew that the real thing he desired to bring up could spell disaster.

Tails slid his hand downward and started to pull out a tiny brown bag tied up with a string. It caught Sarah and Cream's attention, and he just held it out for the middle-aged bat to take.

"What is this?" Sarah asked as she took it from the silent fox.

Max knew that Tails giving her the bag signified that the truth needed to be discussed up front if there was going to be any possibility of some sort of relationship between here and Knothole.

Sarah opened the bag and turned it upside-down over her neat desk. The minute she did that, out came the rattling shards of what was left of Cream's map cube.

Cream became wide-eyed recognizing it immediately and was completely unsure of why Tails had lugged the destroyed trash all the way here to display to Lady Radcliff.

Sarah examined the pieces but didn't understand the significance of why it was brought to her attention. "I do not follow why this would be cause for your uneasiness. It is a robot signal emitter; it was used in the old Great City to attract robots in for maintenance."

"Oh man..." Annie murmured from the back, feeling as things were about to get heated.

"Wh-what!?" Cream became extremely loud as she went into complete denial.

"T-h-th-th- that..." Her stutter became worse than anybody had ever heard it as she struggled to wrap her mind around what was just said.

"B-I – it." She tried once again.

"Cream! Calm down! It is okay. I know you didn't know." Tails' voice was loud as he tried to display his trust in her.

Cream fell wholly silent and Sarah now finally grasped the reasons for uneasiness. She reached into her desk drawer while the room of tense animals watched, and then pulled out a cube that looked almost nothing like the hunk of junk Cream had been carrying.

It was heavily modified with new parts and actually had a screen attached to it for coordinate displays.

She placed it on her desk for everyone to see, and then turned to Cream with a solemn look on her face. "I told you Sir. Redford was in no condition to organize and make the journey with you. He likely made a mistake in grabbing the wrong equipment when setting out."

There was a wave of comfort that washed over Tails, Max, and Annie to know that it was likely a misunderstanding, but Cream seemed vehemently upset and refused to allow Redford to be blamed for whatever had happened.

"N-No! R-Re-Redford ha-had nothing to do with gathering the c-cube. I asked Sir. Seth to g-gather the supplies for us, since Redford was mentally unwell!" She shouted while rubbing her face with her stained gloves.

There was another silence in the room, and Sarah turned to Max with a serious look on her face.

"Is this true? Are you uncomfortable here because you think that our city was trying to draw the war machines to your home?"

Max nodded without saying a word, and Tails finally spoke up to Sarah after not having said much to her this entire time.

"I trust Cream, but I found out about it being a signal emitter just before coming here. I think it was likely the cause of the attack against your group, since Cream mentioned they tried to use it in the woods."

Annie didn't speak, but she was thoroughly engrossed in the conversation going on. Part of her was attempting to remember every word so that she could reiterate it to Max later on if he needed it.

Sarah put her hands behind her back and started to pace irritably, then she yelled as loudly as she could.

"Jonathan!"

The door abruptly opened and in came knight commander Jonathan.

"Yes, lady Sarah?" He stood still and proper, waiting for her to address why he was called.

"Jonathan. I want you to gather your men and bring Sir. Seth of house Brinwald to my office immediately. I don't care what he is doing or what he says, bring him here NOW!" Sarah yelled.

"Right away Lady Sarah!" Jonathan saluted and hastily made his way out of the door to fulfill his orders.

Sarah walked over to Cream and grabbed hold of her hand in both of hers. "You have my sincerest apologies Lady Redford. For all the terrible things that have happened to you and our people out there. I want to let you know this will not go unanswered."

Cream remained speechless and just pulled her hand away as if disgusted by what she was learning. Had her beloved adopted father died due to the incompetence of one of the animals he trusted most.

Sarah turned away from Cream sensing her anger and knelt down on her knees before Max.

"Your Royal Highness. Please forgive any insult or danger that might have come from the incompetence on the part of our city. I will have this matter straightened out immediately, I assure you."

Max was surprised by someone so esteemed throwing herself before him, and he tried to respond as calm and gentle as he could to her.

"I- it is okay. I just, everything was so sudden… My village didn't know what to make of it."

Sarah stood up after Max had said she was forgiven and returned to her chair on the other side of her desk. It would only be minutes before Seth would arrive and everything could be straightened out.

Cream had distanced herself from Sarah and gravitated closer to those from Knothole. She felt deeply hurt that such an error could be made that would cost so many wonderful animals their lives.

"We're sorry we didn't tell you." Tails and Max said to Cream in her moment of utter sadness.

Cream didn't bother looking at either of them and merely gave a meek sound as a response.

"Mm-Hm…"

Sarah watched Max apologize to Cream and found it strange that he was lowering himself to ask forgiveness from her.

Perhaps he was simply a good soul, or perhaps he wasn't who he might be claiming he was, whether he looked the part or not.

BANG!

The door slammed open nearly hitting Annie, who jumped in surprise.

"Ahh! What the fu-?" She cut herself off, realizing that such language would be poor to use in here.

"Just what is the meaning of this Sarah!" An angry ram walked in followed by Jonathan and two knights.

He was dressed rather elegantly from head to toe, and it was apparent he was a man of influence just by looking at him.

Sarah stood up and slammed her hands against her desk with a bang. "Hold your tongue, Seth! I'll be the one speaking here!"

Seth had a smirk on his face when she yelled as if this whole affair was beneath him, but as he took notice of the group of animals in the room, his expression turned slightly fearful.

One look at Max made him realize just how serious this was, and when he took notice of Cream, he couldn't bring himself to look anywhere else but the floor.

Sarah's voice came boldly as she cut straight to the point. "I have been told that you were responsible for supplying Lady Redford with the wrong navigational device on her journey to find a village for trading. What say you to this accusation?"

"It isn't true," Seth said in a low voice. "Sir. Redford demanded he be in control, and given his power, there was naught I could do against his wishes."

Sarah stood firm and continued on. "Is that so? Well, Lady Redford says differently, and her testimony is only strengthened by the fact that you failed to warn her AND my beloved younger sister of this fact."

Everyone in the room could see the rage and sadness on Sarah's face as she leaned forward. "It is like I am grieving a second time for Diana, only this time, it has the stink of foul intent on it."

"It is nothing like that!" Seth whined as he held out his hands. "I did what I was told to do by Sir. Redford! He shouldn't even have gone on the journey, given his mental illness, but Cream insisted!"

Cream stammered and angrily started to defend herself. "I-w- he was going to be p-put down! I couldn't allow that to happen!"

Seth let out a nervous laugh and then continued to defend himself. "He should have been put down! It was his time! You are the simpering twit who wanted to drag him through the forest! You're the reason they're all dead! Not me!"

Cream shrank away feeling emotional pain pierce her heart. She looked down in a defeated manner and felt as if he was correct in his assessment.

"That's bullshit!" Tails interjected angrily. "It was your responsibility to warn everybody, and you failed!"

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be?!" The ram yelled as emotions were becoming volatile in the room.

"What makes you so special!?" Max's voice became loud with anger over Tails and Cream being insulted. "They both have done so much for me!"

Seth backed away when Max yelled at him and even though no introductions had been made. He knew just the caliber of animal he was dealing with when it came to him.

"ENOUGH!" Sarah yelled at Seth, and the room once again quieted down.

Seth held his ground and shut his eyes as he took in a deep calming breath.

"Look… I understand the passing of Sir. Redford and your dear sister Diana have put everyone on edge, but surely scapegoating me will yield nothing. I admit that I had responsibilities, but Cream should admit it was a foolish idea to usher Redford on this journey."

His response was as calm as he could make it and Cream was struggling to even retaliate. It was clear she was not as strong as everyone else here and the constant trauma she was suffering was wearing her thin.

With the room's eyes on her, she attempted to respond. "I-well... uh..." she muttered, and then Seth interrupted her.

"You see? There is nothing she can say that would lay the blame solely on me, and I find it laughable that a lowborn's word should be taken above mine. She is a child taken in by Redford, not one who should have had the pull to defy all rules and gain reentry." He said.

His words were pointed and dismissive, and he apparently was attempting to beat Cream while she was down.

Tails angrily stepped forward, and his brown leather gloves tightened as he curled his fingers into fists.

"Shut your mouth, her birth has nothing to do with this, you were the one who got everybody killed, and I watched it happen. They'd all be alive if you'd done your job correctly!"

The ram turned aggressively towards Tails and scowled at him. "Again, just who the fuck are you supposed to be? Talking about matters that don't concern you. You're the common riff-raff rabble that we try to keep out of Radcliff, and now because of Cream you've somehow weaseled your way in!"

Tails moved even closer. "Funny, for all that talk about being highborn and superior, you sure fucked up like an idiot and got several people killed!"

The room had devolved into an all-out shouting match between Tails and Seth.

Max, Annie, and Cream had never seen him become so vicious in his vocabulary, but there was a deep thankfulness inside of Cream that he was defending her at a time where she found she couldn't defend herself.

Jonathan and the two knights intervened and grabbed ahold of both Seth and Tails before it could become a physical altercation.

"If you two cannot keep it civil in front of Lady Sarah we will be forced to remove the fox," Jonathan warned.

Seth quickly silenced himself and Tails begrudgingly pulled himself out of the knight's grasp.

"I'll show myself out." Was all he said with a huff.

With that, he pulled open the door and slammed it behind himself.

Sarah stared angrily at Seth and walked over to stand before him. "I expected more of you Sir. Brinwald. You have thoroughly embarrassed yourself in front of our honored guests, and not only that, you have placed mistrust into the heart of our dear price Maximillian."

Seth looked at Max again, who seemed thoroughly disgusted with him. He recognized the looks and clothes and was smart enough to know he had gravely messed up in letting his emotions get the better of him.

"I-Well I do- I must apologize to his Royal Highness. I-things turned out badly, but I still refuse to take the blame for Cream's half of the disaster." Seth's voice was a lot less controlled and strong when addressing Max, but he still held true to his claim that he had done nothing terribly wrong on his own.

Max didn't respond to him and instead just glared at him. The royal eyes were making the ram sweat as he wiped his head fur with his hand.

He knew that he had displeased somebody infinitely more powerful than himself and he recognized his heated shouting match with the fox was likely with one of his Highness' appointees.

Sarah placed her hands together in front of herself and spoke in a more composed manner. "I have seen enough to pass judgment, and am sure that the other houses will agree…" She began.

"NO! This isn't fair!" Seth burst out angrily. "I am being fleeced and scapegoated to no fault of my own! Cream is a lowborn fool that doesn't comprehend the base reasons for our rules!" He started to ramble defensively sensing punishment was imminent.

Cream just stood there while being insulted, but Sarah cut Seth off before he could continue running his mouth.

"That is Lady Redford to you now, Seth. With Sir. Redford gone, she, by our own rules is entitled to his fortune and estate. She is nobility by her own right, and you would do well not making enemies of one of the six houses."

Max and Annie were surprised that Cream was so important, but the look on Cream's face showed that she was also surprised.

She hadn't known that if she ever returned without her adoptive father, she would inherit her foster father's status, fortune, and estate.

She had assumed she was being called Lady Redford in respect of her late father, but not actually because it meant something.

It was quiet in the room again, and Seth seemed extremely nervous, as an awkward smile started to appear on his face.

"You know, come to think of it…" Sarah began. "I do recall after word came of Sir. Redford and Cream's demise. That somebody immediately made a bid for the fortune and estate of house Redford, since it lacked an inheritor."

Seth hung his head slightly and didn't respond.

"I do wonder whose name is signed on the paperwork? Perhaps Grace can assist us…." Sarah's voice was almost taunting, but her interrogation was cut short.

"Sir. Redford was my father's close friend." Seth lamented. "I felt that I was entitled to both if he and Cream were no longer among the living."

Cream angrily stepped forward and pointed her finger at him.

"H-how c-c-could you! Y-you kn-knew that it was the wrong device. Y-you MURDERED m-my father!" She had tears of rage forming in her eyes, and she looked as if she might actually attempt to strike him.

"I-I didn't Crea… Lady Redford! I swear!" Seth pleaded, recognizing how terrible this looked for him.

Cream turned away without a word and stormed out of the door just as Tails had earlier. No matter what was said from this point on, Seth was guilty in her eyes and he had taken the last thing that had mattered to her.

"So, you confess?" Sarah asked calmly, as she leaned against her desk. The knights in the room watched to make sure Seth didn't attempt to do anything rash.

"I-no… I just. I didn't." He looked defeated and scared at the moment.

"I legitimately didn't intend for this to happen."

Sarah nodded. "Then, do you confess…. Or not?" She said in a low, threatening voice.

"I…" He was about to answer, but stopped. Despite her pressure, he seemed to be unwilling to confess.

Max and Annie felt sick watching him, but weren't surprised he would continue to play innocent.

"Are you sure you want to be silent? Now is your chance your leniency." Sarah asked in a seething tone.

Seth just looked at the floor, and refused to acknowledge anybody at the moment.

It took only seconds for the knights to grab hold of him and as they held his arms, the strong loudmouth began to shed silent tears.

Sarah pointed to him and said the last thing she would speak to him. "You have disgraced us all, and you continue to embarrass your proud family by being obstinate. May the royals show pity on you, you wretched being... Take him away!"

There was no response from him, and he was merely dragged from sight.

Sarah tiredly let out an exasperated breath. A day so full of joy tarnished by the revalation of grim deeds.

Max and Annie looked at one another, and Annie turned to leave the room. This was all a bit much for her and she suspected Tails and Cream were probably in the other room going ballistic at the scene of Seth being hauled off.

"Imma go meet up with Tails…" She said in a way that was almost begging Max to follow.

Max didn't follow Annie and instead choose to sate his curiosity in this matter.

"What's going to happen to him?"

Sarah frowned and answered him bluntly. "He is potentially responsible for my sister's death, as well as Sir. Redford's. Even if Redford were to be killed here, as originally intended, it would have been painless and suitable for a gentleman of his stature. The houses will discuss it, and he will likely face an execution charge for his transgressions."

Max felt sorry for the ram even though it seemed clear he had been doing terrible things.

In his world, animals were tight-knit and close, but here, grave penalties and sinister intent were real possibilities.

"I, well, I suppose I will return to my companions, and we can discuss opening trade with you since that was the original goal Cream's group had," Max said.

After everything that had just happened, he kind of already wanted to leave.

"Wait! Your Royal Highness. I would ask something of you." Sarah said.

"Hm?" Max looked at her as she came closer to him.

"Please, let us put that ugliness behind us for now. Stay with us for a few days... I know one such as you is quite busy, but I want to show you the splendor that Radcliff has to offer. I want to make up for all the trouble you have been through up to this point." Sarah pleaded.

Max thought for a moment and knew that he needed to talk to Tails' and Annie about the request.

Even if he was some highborn prince here, he still valued what they wanted above what he wanted.

"I don't know. I think I need to talk to my uhm… My royal appointees."

Sarah nodded with a solemn look on her face, sensing he had little desire to interact with Radcliff beyond business matters.

"Well, if you are not willing to stay for a while, I simply must insist you meet the citizens of Radcliff. The royal family is significant to them, and seeing you would be like shining a beacon of hope in their lives."

The way she put it made him feel guilty, and though he was not his usual self, he was always willing to do what he could to bring happiness to others.

After a brief pause, he merely nodded in approval to her request.

His willingness to do at least that, elicited an excited and happy reaction from her. "Ohhhh this is excellent news! Where trouble and sadness rear its ugly head, the royal family shall come to vanquish it."

She started to walk past him and open the door. "Come! I shall get to work immediately on gathering the people, and then you will finally how much Radcliff truly appreciates his Royal Highness."

With that, she raced out the door leaving Max alone in her empty office. He walked towards the open door and could see Annie and Tails looking at him from the center of the secretarial office, while Cream was bent over on the floor crying.

He moved forward towards his friends but stopped before he had entirely left the room.

Max gazed back at the old damaged painting of his immediate family once more and focused in on his dear mother.

He felt as if her cheerful smile and happy personality captured in the portrait were the things he was attempting to regain, not just for his people, but now for himself.

He turned away from it once he could no longer bare looking at her. He felt sorry that his mother's life had ended so miserably and so soon, but he had hope that perhaps by making the people that had once belonged to her happy. He would also bring her spirit that same sense of peace she once had in that painting.

Wrap Up. I find this chapter really engaging.