Chapter 65

The Princess

Sonic left the command pavilion and found himself with nowhere to go. The rebels were busy establishing their campsites and comforting one another after the losses in the battle. He did not feel welcome in their grief so he walked along a marble road that wound up the cliffs of the gorge.

The path brought him to a natural terrace overlooking the grotto. Sonic sat beneath the branches of a tree with a trunk so white and ancient it appeared to be made of stone. Though he was tired and bodysore, Sonic felt no inclination to rest. He had rarely felt so conflicted and unsure of himself and his surroundings. Even in the most hectic of times, Sonic had always been able to lay back and relax. Perturbation did not exist in his vocabulary. If his problems were not right out in front of him waiting to be confronted, he did not spare them a second thought.

Now, it was not so much worry that held him in thrall, but disorientation. He felt a nagging sense of being pulled closer to an edge that he could not escape. Even if Sonic could not articulate what exactly he feared being pulled into, he sensed that a moment of irrevocable choice lay before him.

Sonic closed his eyes and tried to calm his thoughts. Once he felt more centered in the moment, Sonic opened his eyes. He took in the beauty of the Sanctuary, appreciating how it made him feel in the moment. The long history echoed by the various ruins danced in his imagination and the simple beauty of untouched nature made him smile.

Whatever would come in the future, whatever choices Sonic would have to make, he would face those moments as he had faced everything in his life. He was not the type of hedgehog to try and think his problems into submission, he needed to be in touch with his own feelings, to be in sync with his heart. Even if that is what caused all this mess to begin with? The intrusive thought stole the moment of peace all too soon.

"Do you have hideaways like this on your planet?" Sonic turned around to find Blaze approaching him. She had retrieved her helmet, resuming her disguise as Arthur. Blaze stood by the tree and gazed out at the Sanctuary.

"We have a few places like this, but not as many as we used to."

"I imagine the emperor destroyed much of your natural world."

"Not just him. My planet is full of humans. Very little of our green world still exists."

Blaze sat cross legged beside Sonic. She plucked aimlessly at the grass and let the blades fall through her fingers. "Why haven't you stopped them?"

"I…I guess I didn't want to go to war. Tails…my friend back on earth. He always warned me that we had to be willing to confront the humans, to insist they stop destroying the planet. But I always thought it was enough to make a few stands here and there."

"Would you fight the humans, if it came to war? Would you be able to destroy them for control of your planet?" Blaze turned to stare at Sonic. He could not see her face because of the mask but he assumed her eyes were burning with that inner spark of fire.

"I don't know.," Sonic admitted. "Most of the humans are fine, it's not really their fault that their prosperity comes at the loss of other species. I guess I hoped that one day Tails would be able to make some miracle with the Chaos Emeralds and there would be a way for everyone to live at peace."

"The Chaos Emeralds?"

"They are like natural Sol Gems."

Blaze nodded and did not speak for a while. Together they watched as the sun slowly sank beneath the walls of the mountains. "This peace that you speak of. What if it came at the price of the few? Would it justify the peace and safety of the many?"

"I don't think like that," Sonic said. "No one is in a position to decide which lives matter and which ones don't."

"And yet those choices are made everyday." In the grotto, the Thirteens had lit several torches to serve as light. However, from the high terrace, Blaze and Sonic only had the light streaming down from the stars. Blaze removed her helmet and sat it beside her. "If Arvana had to die for the universe to live at peace, wouldn't it be the noble thing to allow its destruction?"

"What are you talking about?"

"If the emperor has his way, the planet will be plundered for its Sol Gems until it collapses. By that time, he could fuel his fleet and set out amongst the stars. With his genius and with the Sol Gems he could capture the entire universe. All war would be stamped out beneath his feet and all struggle over resources would be ended by the energy of the Sol Gems. The emperor has brought his peace to Arvana, and by its death he could bring it to every other planet."

Something swirled in Blaze's eyes like a ribbon of fire. Sonic shuddered. He had the strangest feeling that she was even more than she claimed to be. Power, a pure kind of power similar to that given off by the Master Emerald, radiated off of her. Then, as if she had veiled herself with a cloak, it was gone. "I don't know how to answer that," Sonic admitted. "I'm not sure it really matters. We can't possibly know all the outcomes, all we can hope to do is listen to our hearts in the moment."

"Our hearts?" Blaze turned and looked firmly at Sonic. "And what if the heart desires destruction? Do you believe the emperor only acts in prudence or in premeditated design?"

"No one's heart is rotten," Sonic insisted. "Not at first. Not even Egggman's."

Blaze smiled wistfully. "I'm not sure I've ever met anyone quite like you. Even without a mask, very few are brave enough to live as free or as honest." She sighed and leaned back into a more comfortable sitting position.

"My heart has rarely given me guidance. I am the princess and it is my duty to obey the king, my father, and protect the people. Freedom has never meant more than the occasional vacation outside the palace. Does that make you think less of me?"

Sonic shook his head. Blaze giggled at that response for some reason. She was acting strangely and Sonic wondered if she was succumbing to exhaustion. "What is your heart telling you now, Sonic the Hedgehog? Your grievance with Zero is settled. Jasmine and her father are safe. There is nothing tying you to our cause."

"I…I'm not sure. I don't know if this is my fight, but I also don't think I can leave things the way they are."

"This is not an adventure," Blaze reminded him. "This is a war. If you had defeated Zero on your own, would you have been prepared to finish him?"

"I wouldn't have killed him."

"And when he returned to the battle with more Sol Gems, what then? Wouldn't the devastation he unleashed be on your account?"

"I'm not a killer."

"On that we agree. Which is why I'm not sure this is the place for you. We need soldiers, not heroes." Blaze sighed and lowered her head. "These next few days should be quiet. We need time to recover. Will you remain here while you decide what to do?"

Sonic nodded. Blaze stretched herself out and then rose to her feet while letting out a long yawn. "I'd best return. My guards will be wondering where I've been. Thank you for speaking with me. It was…refreshing"

Sonic spent the next three days among the Thirteens. He helped as best he could with setting up the camp and ensuring they had enough supplies. The Sanctuary was full of edible plants (not that this excited Sonic very much) so combined with what the Thirteens had brought with them, they had enough food for the present.

Blaze held daily meetings inside her pavilion. She spoke with pretty much everyone in the camp, checking in with the healers, those in charge of caring for the children, even the cooks. For military meetings, Blaze would have Sonic sit in. This clearly infuriated Silver, who would stare at him darkly throughout the proceedings. For his part, Sonic did not get very involved in the planning.

He listened closely however, and learned that the rebels expected Eggman to allow Mesto to run primary operations. Mesto would have access to Eggman's mechanical armies as well as a few stationed legions. However, it was Mesto's network of spies, the Hive, that most frightened the Thirteens. Any attempts at mobilizing a larger force would be almost impossible to conceal from the Hive.

Sonic felt more and more out of his element. He truly did not understand war. Securing supply lines and establishing fortifiable positions were simply words without meaning to him. He wasn't sure why Blaze insisted on including him. The more he learned, the more distant Sonic felt to the entire operation. He suspected that Blaze understood this. Her reaction to Sonic's abilities was completely different from what Sonic was used to, especially from a leader. She did not seem to fear him nor did she seek to use him for her own ends.

The more time he spent in the camp, the more impressed with Blaze Sonic became. Despite the sentiments she had expressed privately, she was a willing leader. She woke with the first watch and only returned to her tent during the last. If she felt imprisoned by her position, she wore no open sign of resentment. It was her unyielding and steady presence that returned hope to the camp.

On the third day, Priam held a service for all those that had fallen in the battle. Blaze (disguised as Arthur) gave a rousing speech. She actualized their collective grief while cementing the fallen as heroes of an immortal cause. Sonic could see the resolve of the Thirteens stiffen as they listened to their leader.

As an outsider, Sonic was preserved from the illusion. He felt he could almost see through the mask of Arthur, to the light yellow eyes beneath. Were they burning with intensity or were they soft and sad? As she stood above her countryman, resplendent in armor, willingly carrying their grief, she was the very picture of magnanimity. Yet what stirred Sonic's heart the most, was the person underneath. The princess whose hope was flagging, but who had the courage to keep it burning.

When the service ended there was a light feast. Sonic was given a seat of honor beside Priam and Jasmine. The priest's daughter had become quite infatuated with Sonic. She often trailed behind him as he paced aimlessly through the Sanctuary. Sonic indulged her to be polite.

"How do you run so fast?" She asked him halfway through the dinner.

"Don't know. I just move my legs?"

Jasmine giggled. "I've been training myself. In the mornings I run sprints. We're both hedgehogs so I figured I should be able to run like you."

"Are there many hedgehogs like you in your world?" Priam interjected.

"There are plenty."

"But none like you, I take it?" Priam added with a wink.

"They can try, but the fastest thing alive is a title I won't give up easily." That got a laugh out of Priam and Sonic used the free moment to look down the table. Blaze sat at the central table flanked at either side by Silver and Gawain. Her plate was untouched, but Sonic couldn't tell if it was the mask that was keeping her from eating or something else.

After the feast, the Thirteens mingled together and Sonic used the commotion to escape. He walked alone back up towards the fossil-like tree. To his surprise, Blaze was already there. He came up beside her and the two of them listened as the rebels congregated. "It is nice to hear pleasant talk again," Blaze observed. "I grew tired of grief and the preparation for more bloodshed."

"Your people are resilient"

"We've had to be. Ours is not a happy history."

"That's not what I meant. Despite everything, they have hope. They have hope because of you."

Sonic could not gauge her reaction as she was still wearing her mask. Blaze looked down and away from him. "You honor me…but I cannot claim full credit. It is not 'Arthur' that they whisper excitedly in their tents. It is the name of the hero come from another world. The hero blue as sapphire and faster than the wind…" Blaze turned back to him. "Jasmine's prophetic dream has spread. How many actually believe it, I cannot say."

"I've never been one for prophecies."

"No, but my people place much stock in them. Once you have known subjugation and slavery you put your hope in what you can."

Sonic shuffled his feet. "I've seen how you do that, how you give your people hope. Is…is there any left for you?"

Blaze paused. "There are words written over the arch leading into the Revered Reverence. Only those with the blood of the Eternal Flame can enter. They say; ``I give hope to Soleanna, I keep none for myself." Prophecy and destiny are my life. I do not hope to escape them, only to have the courage to endure."

"Give me your hand."

"What?"

"Just trust me."

Blaze placed her hand tepidly into Sonic's. He smiled broadly and held her tight. Like the firing of a gun, he boosted away. He flipped Blaze into his arms and sped straight up the sheer face of the grotto. Blaze's arms flung around him and she squeezed him tight. "What are you doing!" She squealed, half in fear, half in delight.

Wind whipped against Sonic's fast as he ascended. All concern and anxiety drained out of him as he lost himself to the overwhelming thrill of speed. Pop. Pop. Pop. He eclipsed the sound barrier just as he reached the end of the cliff. Momentum took them hundreds of feet into the air. Blaze gasped and let out another shriek as they soared freely in the open sky. Sonic's heart was racing, but not from fear. He directed his fall towards a slope, allowing him to keep his speed as he resumed contact with the ground.

They sped down a mountain side and then darted between the peaks. Blaze was holding him less tightly now and she started looking around. Sonic ran up, down and all around, using the sides of the mountains like they were the set pieces of a skate park and he was the board. The simple joy of running at max speed was intoxicating. It felt like it had been years since Sonic had been allowed to simply run free.

Sonic kept a course, but was in no hurry to reach his destination. Nearly half an hour had passed before he finally came to a stop. He placed Blaze gently back at the ground and then sat down at the edge of the cliff. He had brought her to the Overlook. Thud. Blaze threw down her helmet and sat beside him. Her hair was standing on end, she looked far more disheveled and less regal, than Sonic had ever seen her.

"I could have my knights tear you apart for that," She grumbled, as she licked her hand and folded down her hair.

"It will take them too long to get here," Sonic deflected as he laid down on his back.

"I suppose there was some lesson hidden in all that?"

"Yep, but I won't tell you what it was." Sonic propped his hands beneath his head and gazed up at the stars. He had not noticed that the stars here were often different colors.

Blaze remained sitting. Sonic could tell by her posture that she was looking over at the city. They did not talk for a while. Eventually, Sonic lost interest in the stars and closed his eyes. A kind of peace that had eluded him since the battle at Red Mountain stole over him. Perhaps an hour or so passed, Sonic wasn't sure. Eventually, Blaze started speaking.

"My father brought me up here after I was officially recognized as his heir. He pointed at the city and asked if I loved it. I answered that I did. He told me that a day would come when I found out what that meant. And on that day Arvana herself would weep."

Sonic picked himself up. To his surprise, there were faint tears falling down Blaze's cheek. He did the only thing he could think of. Sonic stretched out his hand and Blaze took it in hers. "Thank you," She whispered. "I think I understand now, what you mean by freedom. But I would not take it." Blaze gestured towards the city. "I love my people, and that means I will never be free. That is what my father was trying to tell me. When you love something or someone…you are never free again."

Before he could answer, Sonic felt something wet fall on his head. Sonic looked up and saw that it was raining.