Chapter 3

Knuckles and Tails jumped up from where they sat as they heard Sonic approach.

"What the hell, Sonic?" Knuckles huffed as Sonic came to a skidding stop in front of them. "Where have you been? I almost sent the kid after you."

"I know, I know - but you won't be so mad when you see this," Sonic beamed at Knuckles, tossing him the invitation. Knuckles rolled his eyes and fumbled to catch it with his large, spiked mitts as Sonic turned to start the trek back to camp, motioning for the other two men to follow him.

"A royal engagement event?" Knuckles muttered as he read. Sonic glanced behind him and saw Tails wrestling to snatch the paper from Knuckles' hands, looking over it quickly before handing it back to Sonic.

"This means…" Tails began, eyes wide.

"The biggest night of the year," Sonic nodded, pulling branches and foliage out of his path as he walked. "There won't be a rich person alive who won't show! Think of it: carriages outside unattended, drunk people stumbling home dressed in their nicest clothes… Every kingdom is going to send their best suitor - this is their last chance to get in on some sweet, sweet Princess action after all."

He spoke fast, excited by the prospect of coming back to the camp heroes. This news would surely pay off their debt for the week - maybe even the next two. Then he could finally relax a bit without Scourge breathing down his neck.

"Not bad," Knuckles grunted. "But what were you doing that whole time?"

"Uh, just chatting - but hey! That's not all -" Sonic said, skirting the question as naturally as he could. "There's something even better."

Knuckles gave Sonic a light - by Knuckles' standard - shove from behind, propelling him forward. "C'mon Sonic, 'fess up. What's got you acting all cryptic?" he demanded.

Sonic turned, right in front of the entrance to the camp, grinning at his friends.

"A girl!" he drawled simply.

And before the two other boys could jump on him with more questions, Sonic pushed through the thick wall of brush and entered the thief's encampment.

The camp rested in a large clearing, occupied by upwards of 70 boys and men of all species and ages. There were patchy tents pitched around the area and a smoking bonfire in the middle of the clearing. Thieves sat eating on the ground, counting gold pieces, sleeping around the fire, training with bows and arrows or swords and knives; they stood chatting or sulking around in small groups like cliques, whispering in hushed tones about their exploits on the roads.

There was a sense of camaraderie, even enthusiasm in the immediate atmosphere of the camp, but Sonic knew these men were all thieves fighting for survival. They would do what they must, and they betrayed their true natures in the way that some of the men would shiftily look at each other, spy, or slip food from the plates of younger recruits. It was a thief-eat-thief world in the camp, and Scourge loved it that way.

Sonic maneuvered through the camp, stopping only a few times to ruffle the fur of some of the younger boys who greeted him cheerfully. He prided himself on being well-liked and generally respected; the younger kids looked up to him, and he made sure that they were all trained well enough to keep each other safe. Scourge may have been in charge, but Sonic knew he would never bother to pretend like he cared about the residents of the camp - Scourge thought that closeness would undermine his power. Sonic, however, knew that wasn't true. But it didn't mean he was going to try being friends with the merciless boss of the camp. He knew better than that.

Sonic picked his way to the mess hall - or it would be, if there was any sort of enclosure to separate it from the other areas in the camp - and sat down at a rotting wooden table near other circles of men eating around Vector's large cooking pot.

"You're back already? You must've gotten something good on this run, then!" the large crocodile said gruffly but good-naturedly as he noticed Sonic.

Vector was the camp cook and one of the oldest men in the guild. He had been a thief when he was younger, before Scourge seized control of the whole operation, and was permitted to stay on the condition that he deal with the logistical hurdle that was feeding the many thieves. Some days, when the week's pickings were good, they got fresh produce from town. Other days they hardly got a stale slice of bread to tide them over. But every day, they laughed as Vector served their meal with a healthy helping of 'tales from the glory days,' which lifted the thieves' spirits no matter how measly the rations.

Sonic nodded, pulling a small brown drawstring pouch from his belt. "Yeah, we'll make it… this week at least…"

Knuckles and Tails soon joined Sonic, having arrived and collected the few valuables that they had snagged during the week from their shared tent. They placed their collective treasures in the pouch, which Sonic already knew wasn't quite full enough. He sighed and got up at the nodding encouragement of his companions, saluting them with two fingers as he turned to face the music.

His meeting with Scourge could be put off no longer.

The moon shone brightly overhead and Sonic tossed the brown pouch between his hands with satisfaction, enjoying the jangle of gold bangles and coins as he walked through the camp alone. When he arrived at Scourge's tent, noticeably larger and tear-free than every other one in the camp, Sonic paused quickly to take a steadying breath, and then headed in.

Sonic cleared his throat as he entered the tent. He let the canvas flap fall shut behind him, cutting the single room off from the bright, safe light of the moon. Now, it was much darker and quieter. Scourge could get away with a lot while the tent flap was closed, and Sonic did his best not to think about it too much.

"Heeey there Boss!" Sonic said, with a calm smile and his usual easy charm. He wasn't afraid of Scourge, but he knew what the man was capable of. Sonic was brave, not stupid.

A green hedgehog man looked up from a spread of papers at a desk and smiled at him.

"Ah, Sonic!" Scourge stood, approaching him with hands outstretched. Scourge smiled, but his teeth were sharp and his eyes didn't crinkle. It was the smile of a cruel man, not a happy one, and it didn't fool Sonic for even a moment.

In the dark, the head thief made for a striking silhouette. One much like Sonic's. But as Scourge came into the light, the menace in his ice-blue eyes became more and more unmistakable.

"Scourge," Sonic nodded. The silence between them was strained. Sonic hated to be the one to break eye contact, but he hated Scourge's stiff smile even more, and wanted to get this meeting over with. Sonic placed the knapsack in Scourge's outstretched palm, and Scourge quickly and violently dumped the contents unceremoniously on his desk. Jewelry and gold baubles spilled everywhere, bouncing off the desktop and skidding onto the floor like they were pebbles and not hard-earned pieces of treasure.

Scourge, without looking up from the gleaming pile, said matter-of-factly, "You didn't make it."

"I know," Sonic replied, eyes on the trinkets. Scourge looked at him, frowning, anger flickering like a warning sign in the man's blue eyes. Scourge bared his teeth subtly, throwing pleasantries aside like a child that had grown bored with a toy.

"Sonic, we don't steal for fun, we steal to survive," the man growled, leaning back on the desk, holding onto his leather doublet by the lapels.

"I know -"

"Then how do you expect us to keep the camp going if some of us can't pull our own weight?" Scourge rasped, jabbing one of his fingers into the desk.

"I have -"

"I made this place so that we could all get what we deserve. I re-birthed this operation, single-handedly, so I could weed out slackers like you, who think they can get by on their own. Without me." Scourge pushed himself up from the desk and got in Sonic's face. Sonic didn't blink. Nothing Scourge could say would rile him up, and he liked how his unimpressed silence drove Scourge crazy. Sonic let the man rant - he knew he would have the last laugh.

"You wouldn't last a day out there without us. You owe this camp your life, and you owe me your earnings!" Scourge was growling out his usual lecture ferociously, always one bad look away from spinning out of control. His unpredictable, violent mood swings were what made him so terrifying to the other camp residents. "When I let you stay after I took over, it was on one condition, the condition that everyone else here has no trouble abiding by - what was it again?"

Sonic stifled a sigh and an eye roll, opting instead to stare straight into Scourge's eyes.

"Honor among thieves."

"Honor!" Scourge hissed, "And I see, once again, that you have none, Sonic. Out of my sight!" Scourge turned on his heel, the tail of his green quills slapping Sonic's cheek lightly. "If you come in empty-handed next week, you will have transgressed beyond reprimand, and will be punished." Scourge glowered at him from across the tent and then suddenly smiled, looking embarrassed and apologetic yelling.

"You know, I've dealt with nobility before," Scourge said grimly. "They're ruthless, they don't care about us little guys. When I tried to take what I was owed, I got this in return -" The man gestured to a large, raking scar across the tan fur of his chest, unhidden by his blouse which he most always kept unbuttoned.

Sonic was more than familiar with this speech. It was how Scourge inspired shame among the thieves; by making it seem like he was always being driven to these insane overreactions by other people disappointing him. As if any of the thieves needed reminding from Scourge that the unfeeling world was run by unfeeling people.

"They don't care for us, Sonic. They don't want us to live. If we don't take care of each other - and teach them a lesson every now and then - then no one will."

Sonic's brow twitched. He could see Scourge was relishing being able to hold something against him. Sonic's failure gave Scourge something to control. Leverage. But Sonic had an ace up his sleeve.

"I have information," he smirked, despite the tension in the tent. "Unless… you don't want to know?"

Scourge straightened, a challenge in his eyes.

"It better be worth what you owe me, or you're finished," Scourge growled softly and slowly.

"It is. I met a messenger… boy on the path to town. He told me that the Rose Kingdom is throwing a party for the Princess in two months." Sonic folded his arms, daring Scourge to challenge the value of this news. "And not just any ole' party - it's a worldwide search for the next King."

"You know what that means," Sonic added when Scourge said nothing, "a night when the roads'll be full - more than full, even."

Sonic pulled his hand from his pocket, sliding the priceless paper onto the desk for Scourge to confirm that his news was real. He couldn't hide his self-satisfied smirk.

Scourge sat behind his desk again, pressing his hands together. Sonic could see the muscles in Scourge's arms working as if he was trying to crush something between his palms.

"A final attempt by a desperate King to get that brat to choose a husband after all these years… and we have an invitation…" Scourge mused. His blue eyes filled with manic intensity. "Could be fun… to pull something over on them, something big," he muttered, considering the rumpled invitation in front of him.

"Sure, sure... We'll steal the Princess or something, Scourge," Sonic joked unseriously, hoping to appease Scourge and be done with it all. To his dismay, Scourge looked up at him, his eyes glazed over.

"I wonder…" Scourge said absent-mindedly. So low that Sonic almost didn't catch it.

Sonic took a subtle step back, hoping Scourge would get the message. The man seemed lost in thought, and Sonic didn't want to be around when Scourge started scheming.

"Get out," Scourge ordered after a beat. "There's no extra for you this week, and I'm expecting you to make up some slack by the end of the month."

Sonic turned to go almost before Scourge had finished talking when he was stopped by a sharp rasp.

"And Sonic?"

"Hmm?" he hummed noncommittally without turning around, one hand already pulling back the flap of the tent.

Sonic could feel Scourge's beady blue eyes staring at his back, as if they saw straight through his shirt and knew he was sweating.

"If you're right, this'll be huge for the camp. You better not be lying to me… You know I hate liars."

Sonic cast a glance over his shoulder and resisted a shudder.

"'Course not," he said casually, "I could never lie to that face!" Then he scurried out of the tent before Scourge could snap at him.

Sonic took a deep breath as he emerged back out into the night, then jogged over to join his team by the fire. Tails and Knuckles were bickering good-naturedly on a fallen log, and looked up as he approached, their faces illuminated in the night by the fire's warm glow.

"We don't owe him anything more, but we don't have any extra spending… Aaand he wants more next week," Sonic reported dutifully.

"'Course he does…" Knuckles grumbled, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"But," Sonic promised, "I have a solution." He lowered his voice and gestured his friends back to their shared tent.

The night was getting long as the three men stepped into their tent and began to bed down. They were all exhausted in different ways. Sonic was wrestling with more than he usually did - this woman from the grove threw a wrench into the systems of his life, and he was crunching through it in odd and uncomfortable ways as he considered how much to tell his friends and wondered who she really was.

"Alright, spill it before I force it out of you," Knuckles said as they entered the privacy of their tent. He began to strip down to his shorts for the night, throwing his shirt into a corner haphazardly, but placing his belt and knife carefully by his thin pillow.

It wasn't that Sonic didn't trust his friends, on the contrary - they were the only people he did trust. Some boys were completely loyal to Scourge within the camp and had been employed by him to keep campers who were feeling curious or rebellious in line. If anyone besides the three of them found out about what Sonic suspected, they would tell Scourge immediately, and Sonic couldn't risk that for many, many reasons. He felt like it was his job to keep Amy a secret, at least until the timing was right.

"That pageboy we saw? Not a boy. A girl. Well, a woman." The men looked at Sonic silently, waiting for more of the story. Tails was already tucked under his ratty blanket, knife by his pillow.

"I followed her to that clearing under the cliff of Mount Safety, the one we usually rest at, and - get this - she pulled a hammer on me!"

"Like… a little tool?" Tails asked, dubious.

Sonic held his hands wide to show the size of the instrument he had faced down earlier that night. "And she could make it appear out of thin air," Sonic explained. Tails' eyes went wide with interest.

"Did she beat you with it? Is that why you got nothing?" Knuckles smirked.

"No," Sonic snapped, pulling his shirt off over his quills. "She didn't have to - you know that's not how we operate. The reason I got nothing is because she didn't have anything. Well, except for apples and that invite." It was true. She didn't have the accoutrement of a noble when he met her. Not even a single piece of jewelry, and nothing else of interest in her bag.

"The point is," Sonic said sharply, rubbing his scrunched nose, "that this girl was definitely not a messenger. Or a servant, or anything like that."

"How could you tell?" Knuckles asked incredulously.

"For one, she was riding a palace horse while off-duty. She said she was just on a break, but they wouldn't let her take a thoroughbred from the castle to just… go on a joy ride! And she didn't know things. She didn't know that village girls weren't trained in combat, she lied when she told me her name. And she knew all about the party the Rose Kingdom is having…" Sonic turned away from his friends as he stripped his boots off, concealing the guilty look on his face. Now came the moment where he had to decide just how much he wanted to tell them.

"Guys, I'm thinking she must be some kind of lady-in-waiting, or even a duchess… or something. And if that's true, then..."

There was a pause as Tails and Knuckles blinked, realizing what this might mean for them and their thieving days. Perhaps if they got close enough, they could pull off a job that would set them up for life.

"This could be something…" Knuckles mused, stretching his arms behind his head as he laid down. "An easy supply of gold - and if she's cute, maybe I could get myself a title." Knuckles waggled his brow at Sonic and Tails. Tails snickered from his mat on the ground and Sonic tried to keep from showing the surprise he felt at the odd nausea stirring in his stomach.

"Well, hang on -" Sonic turned to protest, but stopped himself as his friends looked at him expectantly. "Because… I was actually thinking that we could use her help to bust Silver out," he recovered.

Knuckles, who had been drifting off to dream about noblewomen and a lifetime supply of gold, suddenly opened his eyes and pushed himself up onto his elbows. He looked pointedly at Sonic, who was now sitting in a triangle with them.

"You know Scourge said to let that go. That when one of us gets captured he's as good as gone," Knuckles said, glowering.

"That's shit and you know it," Sonic spat back at him. Tails withered between the two men as they got heated.

"You want to be the one to risk your neck? Be my guest," Knuckles pushed back. "Palace lady or not, if you try and bust him out you're practically walking into a cell in the dungeon and shouting: 'look, here I am! Fresh criminal, lock me up!'. It's just not worth it. Face it Sonic - he's gone."

"But he's not! Just because you're afraid doesn't change the fact that Silver is one of us," Sonic said with conviction, "I would do the same for you, for Tails. And deep down, I know you would do what you could for me, too. C'mon Knucks, with this girl's help it would be easy! And we could come up with some story for Scourge no problem. She'll do all the work, we'll just be there to see Silver safely back here."

"Just when I think you've made a good move, you go proving you're still an idiot and always will be," Knuckles snapped. "You're taking a good thing too far - it was hanging around the palace that got Silver nabbed in the first place, remember?"

"Well, I'm going to see her tomorrow and we're making a plan -" Sonic said hotly.

"What? You're seeing her again?" Knuckles' violet eyes flared as his voice raised.

"It's just… training," Sonic said quietly, regretting his slip-of-the-tongue. "I told her about Silver and she promised she'd help if I trained her in combat."

"'Combat', yeah right," Knuckles scoffed, rolling his eyes. The large echidna shook his head.

"She's going to help me get him in exchange for just a few weeks of combat training. She promised," Sonic lied, running a hand through his quills, the cold beginning to seep into the tent from the ground. "You can't give up on someone so early Knuckles, you're not giving Silver, or us, a fair chance!"

Knuckles grumbled and laid on his back, avoiding eye contact with Sonic to try and shut him down. "You get yourself into shit, you get yourself out. That's what I think."

"Listen," Sonic said with a sigh, leaning back on an elbow, "you can either help me or not, but I know that the chances are better with you, Knuckles."

"… I'll help you, Sonic," came Tails' sleepy voice. Sonic smiled - he could always count on Tails.

"Oh come on!" Knuckles huffed angrily, turning away from them. "Ganging up on me like that… I'm the one being sensible here…" he fell silent, and Sonic smiled as he settled down for the night.

"Just give me a few weeks, Knucks. I promise, we'll come up with a plan that's absolutely foolproof."

A/N: Next update coming a bit sooner, and we'll be back to flirting, promise!