A Tale of Two Brothers

Hey Peeps, I don't own anything related to Sonic or his universe, that's SEGA and all other companies relevant to the creation of his various back-stories, and even though most of them have tanked it now that is besides the point… Honestly, I actually own very little in this fic (next to nothing to be exact) but this is my story and even though I am using characters from Archie, DiC and SEGA I will be fleshing many of them out because they were only 2-dimensional so in some ways they will appear very OC… hopefully you'll bear with me! Anyway, I've bored you to tears with this disclaimer so enjoy… and let me know what you think! X

Review Replies:

Slayer 666: Like I said, I'm not sure where I stand on Sonic's siblings but I like keeping my options open. And I agree with you on the Sonic front, he is quite close to being a clone of his father, but when you think about it that must've been a real comfort to Chuck when he lost his brother (in Archie). And although sometimes the overprotective dad persona is fun to write but it doesn't fully apply to King Ogilvie the Third. There are times, of course, when he is protective about his daughter (after all she's all he has left) but generally I think he's a decent kind of Mobian… I don't like referring to Sonic characters with the terms 'people' or 'person' as it is technically incorrect since they are terms referring to humans which Mobians clearly aren't, this is why you find the terms 'gentlemobian' or 'barmobian' in here.. As for how he reacts to finding out about Jules you'll just have to wait and see. The next chapter it'll start to show the beginning of the complicated issues that will cloud their relationship which may help you out or mislead you completely.. X

Chapter Seven:The Hedgehog Cadet In Training..

It had been three weeks since Jules Hedgehog had begun his new career as a palace guard and even though the work day was long and training hours were gruelling… well, gruelling to a hedgehog who was certainly not a morning Mobian… the cobalt-blue teenager found himself enjoying the challenges every day brought. His training had been sectioned off into three aspects of guard duties and the three new cadets had been split up so they would learn the job quickly. These three sections of training were Combat Training, Ground Patrol and Palace Patrol. Ground Patrol, which Jules had already completed with only a few minors, involved perimeter checks, sentry duties, formal drills, lockdown procedures and other outdoor security exercises vital to keeping the palace grounds safe from intruders. Once the cobalt hedgehog had completed his combat training, which would arm him with the knowledge of both armed and unarmed combat, he would move onto Palace Patrol. This last one was different from patrolling the grounds outside, it required more finesse as the guards would be interacting with both King Ogilvie the Third and Princess Aleena. They would need to mind their manners, speaking only when they were spoken to and not out of turn. They would be dealing with bodyguard exercises which included: rescue and evacuation procedures, dealing with emergency situations in a calm and collected manner, royal security procedures, deciphering facial and body language exercises and completion of a dangerous driving course. It would take the new cadets roughly a full two months to pass every checkpoint in their long list of requirements and out of all the sections of his training it was this last one Jules dreaded most. Not because he thought he couldn't do it but because he would be right under General D'Coolette's nose and the foreign coyote would no doubt scrutinize his every move. The cobalt teen knew that after his reckless behaviour during his physical trials the foreign coyote would make this last stretch of his training incredibly difficult…

'Tell me Hedgehog..' Amadeus Prower asked casually as he unsheathed his sword, it's slightly curved blade glinting as it caught the light steaming through the huge windows of the royal ballroom. '-which hand do you write with?' The golden-furred fox casually twirled the handle of his weapon causing the sharp metal blade to rotate around his white-gloved hand.

'I can write with both, sir.' Jules responded respectfully to his captain's question. The Captain of the Palace Guard turned his sky blue eyes towards the second sword sitting unsheathed in its bright red belt and scabbard. He then picked it up with his free hand before his eyes swivelled to the cobalt hedgehog opposite him, who stood dressed neatly in his cadet uniform. The Royal Guard uniform consisted of deep navy-blue trousers with a red stripe running down the leg and matching navy smart shirt-jacket decorated with red around the sleeves and golden buttons on the front. A matching red cravat was neatly tied around the neck of his shirt making the navy blue collar stand out. On Jules' feet were his standard-issue, size eleven, red combat boots and even though they were highly polished it was clear that the sole was wearing away already. Amadeus smiled slightly as despite the tiny flaw of a quiff of unruly cobalt-blue quills his cadet was neatly presented, the only thing missing was his standard-issue sword which the higher-ranking officer was holding in his hand at the moment.

'Your ambidextrous. That may give you a sharp advantage when engaging enemies.' The golden-furred fox sounded professionally before tossing the belt and sword towards Jules, forcing the cobalt hedgehog to quickly reach out and catch his unsheathed sword with both hands. 'Can you write with both hands at the same time?' Amadeus' brow kinked curiously towards the hedgehog as Jules clipped on his belt, his sword now sitting on his left-hand side matching his commanding officer.

'Dunno. Never tried.' Jules responded after a moment of musing this over, wondering vaguely why he'd never thought to try this out before.

'Pity. It would have been a good indicator as to how well you would do duelling with two swords.' A slight flash of disappointment appeared in the captain's sky blue eyes before it vanished as he resumed a professional air. 'But we're getting ahead of ourselves, today we are merely going to focus on the basics of sword duelling and see how you get on.' As the cobalt hedgehog made a quick mental note to practise writing cack-handed later the golden-furred fox then pointed his sword directly towards Jules and used it as a gesture towards his still-sheathed sword.

'Alright, unsheathe you sword Hedgehog..' Amadeus sounded in an athoritive manner and Jules Hedgehog obeyed without question, pulling his gold-handled sword out and feel the weight of it in his hand. The cobalt hedgehog had not handled a sword since he was a hedgehoglet, back when he and his older brother used to play pirates using polibindum weapons. This sword was heavier by far than those plastic-like swords he had played with in his youth. It would require a bit more muscle and power to control and most likely cause much more damage.

'-this will be your greatest tool, I want you to guard it as you would your own life.' Amadeus was saying as Jules studied his sword carefully. 'Do not let it out of your sight! It must stay with you always.' This last statement made the hedgehog's warm hazel eyes swivel around to the Captain of the Palace Guard, a mix of confusion and curiosity shining in them.

'What? Even when I'm not on duty?' The words had left Jules' mouth before he'd even thought about it and at his words Amadeus Prower smirked.

'What you do when your off duty is no concern of mine Hedgehog, professionally I must answer 'yes' but personally, you can do as you wish..' The golden-furred fox replied lightly. He knew General D'Coolette had always insisted that his cadets carried their weapons with them twenty-four/seven as they could be called upon to the palace at any time, however Amadeus was not quite as paranoid as his commanding officer and he did not always carry his sword with him.

'Fair enough..' Jules responded, satisfied with this answer yet surprised he had gotten one in the first place. He imagined that a stricter officer would have scolded him for his forwardness yet Captain Prower seemed more than understanding of it, he even seemed to relish it.

'Alright, enough chat Hedgehog, let's see how you handle a blade..' Amadeus sounded firmly, his sky blue eyes narrowing as he raised his sword. 'On guard!' He cried out before flying forward towards the momentarily surprised hedgehog, Captain Prower's sword flying up towards his left shoulder and moving in a slicing action as Jules lifted his..

…Clang…

The sound of metal clashing metal echoed around the huge ballroom as Jules successfully blocked yet another slicing attack from Captain Amadeus Prower.

'Good!' The golden-furred fox called out, pleased with the progress that they had made since starting out nearly a week ago. 'But watch your footing..' He added before swiftly lowering his sword-angle and delivering a low sweeping lance which caught Jules by surprise and caused him to fall backwards with a sharp grunt. '-or that will happen.' The golden-furred fox grinned widely as he pushed a loose brown curl back into place. The Captain of the Palace Guard took a few deep breaths as training this hedgehog was just as big a workout as he'd predicted it would be. He'd always preferred to teach his swordsmobians on a one-on-one basis, finding it easier to gauge skill and offer advice accordingly. Amadeus had his sword pointed squarely to Jules' chest and the cobalt hedgehog's right hand felt the floor around him for his sword which had slipped out of his hand on impact with the ground.

'You have your sword Hedgehog, care to try again?' The golden-furred fox grinned slyly at his fallen cadet who had a grip on his weapon, his own sword not even flinching from it's position meaning Jules would be starting where he was laid.

'Like you even have to ask..' The cobalt hedgehog grinned as his hand swiftly sliced his sword forcing the twenty-four year old fox backwards and the hedgehog rolled onto his feet, Jules' sword flew out of his right hand and was caught by his left as his feet touched the ground. Amadeus raised his brown-furred brows impressed by this manoeuvre, it was not one he had taught the hedgehog, but Amadeus grinned back pleased his cadet could hold his own after only a week of training. He'd been happy to discover the hedgehog was a fast learner, quick to pick up on tips and techniques which may one day save his life. It made the whole training experience more enjoyable and if he could put this much into his final weeks perhaps it would make up for his impulsive actions that irritated General D'Coolette during his physical trial. As far as Captain Prower was concerned the two of them had merely got off on the wrong foot, they were more alike than they realised..

'Ahh..' The golden-furred fox gave a satisfied sound as he adjusted his sword to be able to counter this new blow angle. '-someone's been practising multi-handed duelling. Well, don't linger Hedgehog, show me what you've got..' Jules grinned widely, as he moved his sword into an attacking stance.

'On guard!' The cobalt-blue declared loudly, swiping his blade around ferociously barely giving his captain enough time to defend himself against this lightning-speed attack. Jules' own keen sight and swift hand-eye-coordination made him a natural swordsmobian. Being a right-handed Mobian meant that Amadeus Prower was at a sever disadvantage here. He was having to cover his body from a barrage of high-speed assaults from the teenage hedgehog and this meant that the Mobian-fox could only pull off basic defensive strategies, he did not get enough time to even consider an attack.

'Halt!' Captain Prower cried out once he found he could not take much more of the whirring blade movements, this hedgehog's speed would certainly make any enemy think twice before they dared take him on. In an instantaneous response to his commanding officer's order Jules stopped his sword mid-thrust causing the blade to sit poker-still just inches away from the twenty-four year old Mobian's rapidly moving stomach.

'Heh, my bad..' The hedgehog sounded apologetically as his cobalt-pointed ears dipped, a slightly sheepish grin causing his chip to appear at the side of his mouth. His sword instantly fell limp, the hilt swinging down to the highly-polished floor. The Captain of the Palace Guard gave an inward sigh of relief, despite his tiredness Amadeus was impressed by Jules' incredible control of a blade.

'Do not be discouraged, your swift-swordplay will be an invaluable asset when facing off with an enemy of the crown..' The captain replied with a sympathetic edge curving his smile before his expression turned serious. 'But having said that, while we are training let's employ a little discipline, shall we?' The Mobian-fox could not deny that the cobalt-blue hedgehog's skill had improved tremendously but he clearly needed to gain more self-control over his erratic movements and learn to be more accurate.

'You got it..' Jules sounded in an upbeat fashion, his mood lifting so fast it surprised his commanding officer.

'Alright, we'll go slower this time and I want your movements to be more precise..' Amadeus spoke clearly, repositioning his feet into a starting stance. 'Raise your sword.' He added his sword flicking momentarily to signal what he wanted. Jules immediately lifted his sword and moved his feet, his hazel eyes locked onto his commanding officer listening to him closely. 'And let's keep the hits blade to blade..' Amadeus Prower ran the sharp edge of his sword across the edge of Jules' sword causing a sharp screech of metal on metal to sound. '-it'll reduce the risk of accidents.' A smirk curved the golden-furred fox' mouth and the cobalt sixteen year old nodded solemnly.

'Right..' Jules sounded and his eyes now fixed on Amadeus' blade waiting for his commanding officer to commence training.

'On guard!' Captain Prower declared boldly and as he swung his sword down, the cobalt-blue hedgehog instantly meeting his blade with a swipe from his own and cocky grin..

…Jules' unarmed combat training was just as rigorous. As well as learning how to properly tackle assailants and wrestle potential weapons off of them, he was also trained in the basics of Mobijitsu which the Royal Guard had found useful for the both balancing the mind and . Once this critical training was complete Jules Hedgehog was subjected to an outdoor simulation of an intruder breaking into the grounds of the palace carrying a dangerous weapon. The cobalt hedgehog's objective was to follow the 'sightings' provided by fellow Royal Guard officers, disable and arrest this intruder. Just like his physical trial this test was being overseen by General D'Coolette which meant it was essential that he got it right. He wasn't too nervous about the mock-intruder assessment as his fast feet would serve him a great advantage but he could not afford to be as cocky and reckless as he was in his physical trial nearly five weeks previously. He doubted that General D'Coolette would be amused if he treated this test with anything but a serious attitude..

The outdoor simulation was scheduled for dusk when the palace would be obscured by darkness and shadows making the test more challenging. This would be the first time the hedgehog would be at the palace after twilight. His usual twelve hours of intensive on-the-job training meant that he would be arriving home just before the sun was beginning to set. Since Jules knew he couldn't afford to mess this up the cobalt hedgehog had been practising his tracking, ambushing and arresting techniques at home on a rather irate and unsuspecting Charles.

'Julius!' The mild-blue hedgehog groaned in a loud irritated voice as he found himself pinned to the hard pine-wood floor of the hallway. Jules had been observing him from the dark shadows of the unlit hallway upstairs and simply launched himself over the banister and landed on his unsuspecting older brother who had just been innocently heading towards the front door.

'Your under arrest for trying to assassinate the king!' Jules declared brightly as he seized his brother's left arm and roughly snapped the manacle on it, a wide cocky grin spreading over his tanned muzzle as he did so.

'What? Why would I want to kill the king?' Charles yelped out in disbeleif before wincing with a slight 'ow' as his little brother snapped on the other manacle which forced his arm to his other wrist.

'I dunno.. You're the mastermind here, not me..' Jules replied with a shrug, still sitting on his brother's back and impeding him from attempting to get up. He then began raiding the pockets of Charles' white lab-coat before pulling out an energy bar with a triumphant smirk. 'Ah-hah! Just as I suspected!' The cobalt-blue hedgehog declared as his hazel eyes narrowed at the tiny metal grips.

'So… I'm murdering the king with a candy now. Is that right Jules?' Charles drawled in a low voice of disdain, even his own brother's logic amazed him.

'Hey, you coulda poisoned it Charlie..' The sixteen year old hedgehog replied lightly. Jules knew there was no way in Mobius that Charles would ever do such a thing but this was just a make-up arrest, he wasn't being serious. Besides Knothole was actually quite far away from Mobotroplis, if his brother had really been planning to assassinate the king he'd have been long gone by now. Knothole was hidden deep within the Great Forest of the Green Hill mountain-range. It was considered a sanctuary from modern Mobian-life and the Hedgehog family had lived peacefully here for as long as they could trace their family back, which was only as far as their great-great-grandfather.

'Ok, fine, you got me Jules. Now will you let me go?' Charles asked with a slight half-roll of his pale-blue eyes, rocking his body and trying to throw his brother off of him but Jules was too robust and didn't budge. 'I was just going to make sure the outdoor light was off.' The mild-blue hedgehog added.

'Alright, fine..' Jules sounded before pulling out the key to the hand-manacles out of the pocket and releasing the restraints from his brother's wrists. He then got off Charles' back, causing his mild-blue back-quills to ping back into their original position. Jules then went to the front door to check out the light but when he opened the door the light was already off and apart from a few dots of firefly-light the sleepy woodland hamlet around them was completely dark. 'Light's out Charlie.' The sixteen yer old cobalt-blue hedgehog shut the door again before turning around to find his older brother on his feet and straightening his ruffled lab-coat.

'Well that's alright then..' The older hedgehog then turned his pale-blue eyes to his brother. 'When is your outdoor test again?' He asked as innocently as he could, he couldn't remember and was hoping it was soon as he was getting sick and tired of being randomly jumped without warning. The mild-blue hedgehog supposed he really couldn't complain as he'd been subjecting his little brother to scientific experiments for years so this was obviously some form of pay-back.

'The simulation is tomorrow night Charlie so I won't be home until pretty late.' Jules replied amiably as he pocketed his standard-issue manacles once more into his red vest.

'Jules, your barely home as it is anymore.' Charles chuckled lightly, shaking his head in slight amusement. Ever since joining the Royal Guard the cobalt hedgehog got up in the morning for work and didn't come home until early evening.

'I know..' Jules drawled with a slight sigh. He did miss being able to just lounge in the late summer sun with his guitar and strum a lazy tune or go off and meet his buddies down Macey's for a drink and a catch up on life. Ever since starting his new job he'd not had much time for anything as his job training filled most of his time. When he did have a free moment he was lucky if he managed to catch up with any of his friends as they were all so busy too. 'But once my training is complete my hours will go down to the normal eight hour day, it's just really intense right now cause I need to learn a lot in a short space of time..'

'I understand that Jules, really I do. Protecting the royal family is a huge responsibility..' Charles said before he sighed heavily. 'I just miss seeing you on a regular basis..' The mild-blue hedgehog added with a slightly emotional smile. Whenever Jules was at home these days it was usually days that Charles was at Mobotroplis University finishing off the last pieces of the work-module that would complete his graduation. He had been staying late these days with Lionel Lion as they had almost finished creating the rubber compound that would soon become the new soles of Jules' boots. Right now the two of them had been using the data they had collected from Jules' speed tests to create the right boot-grips that would benefit his speed and deceleration requirements.

The younger Hedgehog brother smiled at his older sibling, his warm hazel eyes returning the sentiment. Although they shared a log cabin in the serenity of their childhood home of Knothole the two brothers were lucky if they got to see each other for more than an hour or so. It was almost like they were slowly becoming strangers in each others lives and after a lifetime of always being in one another's pockets this was a massive change to swallow.

'Right back at you bro..' Jules sounded before opening his arms and giving his brother a hug. Immediately Charles returned the embrace eagerly and the two siblings merely held each other close relishing the moment of closeness. Jules was taller than his brother by only half an inch but it was only now, when the two Hedgehog brothers were right up close to each other like this that the slight height difference between the two was noticeable. This was the first real hug that the two siblings had shared since their father's death only a few months earlier. The Hedgehog brothers had long since evolved passed the stage of saying 'I love you', not because they were too macho but simply because neither brother saw any point in voicing something that they could see clearly in each others eyes. When they did feel the need to express their deeper feelings these wordless hugs could say it better than anything they could articulate with words, and since now they were the last two Hedgehogs left these brotherly hugs meant even more.

'I should probably go to bed..' Jules voice suddenly spoke, ruining the sentimental bubble created by their embrace of sibling love. The cobalt-blue teenager pulled away from his older brother still smiling. He suddenly seemed more tired than he'd been only a few moments before but this was probably the result of such a busy day.

'Yeh, you've got a big day tomorrow but before you go there's something I want you to see..' Charles replied keenly, slipping an arm around his little brother's shoulders and guiding him back down the hall towards the former dining room. Jules yawned but didn't resist as his brother steered him into his make-shift laboratory.

'Alright but make it quick..' The cobalt teen replied as he took a seat at the table-slash-workbench and folding his arms, waiting to see what his brother wanted to show him now.

'Don't worry, this won't take long..' Charles replied amiably, smiling at his brother as his moustache twitched. He then headed over to the cabinet at the side and picked up a rather bizarre shaped polibindum cast and put the tough plastic-like-object down in front of his brother. Jules picked up the tough but lightweight plastic-like-object and studied it both curious yet confused at the same time, clearly he couldn't work out why he was looking at this.

'Err, not to sound like a complete dunce or nothin' but why am I looking at this?' The cobalt hedgehog's warm hazel eyes turned to his brother for answers and the older hedgehog laughed in slight amusement.

'It's one on the moulds that will form the new soles for your boots, that one is for your right foot.' Charles said and the moment his voice washed over Jules he could suddenly see the boot-print for what it was. 'The left foot is still setting in the university lab but once it's hardened Lionel and I can start mixing up the molten rubber compound that will form the soles..' The mild-blue hedgehog was saying as his little brother looked over the boot-print with new understanding.

'Far out Charlie, it looks good. So when can I expect the finished product?' Jules' hazel eyes returned to his brother as the cobalt teen passed him back the mould back over. Charles took the mould with a smiled and put it back on the cabinet where he'd picked it up from.

'It should be ready for you by next week.' Charles said lightly.

'Oh, not a moment too soon then.' Jules grinned widely, displaying his chipped tooth. 'My standard-issue combat boots are gonna need a new set of soles by then.' The cobalt hedgehog thought about his red boots sitting at the front door which he had been wearing almost day in and day out for the last five weeks, they were pretty worn down and wouldn't last much longer.

'I noticed.' Charles said casually and this made Jules roll his hazel eyes, why was he not surprised. His older brother was incredibly sharp, he often spotted things even before Jules had noticed them himself, it must come with his vast intelligence and while it was an impressive gift it could become quite irritating at times.

'Well if that's all you got to show me I'll be heading of to bed now..' The cobalt hedgehog stretched out languidly, stifling a yawn as he did this. When his eyes refocused from momentarily shutting he suddenly spotted Charles' ring-restraint gun sitting on the side. The Mobian Council had given him permission to put these guys into production but Charles had not even tried to find a law-enforcement outfit who would be interested in his brilliant device. This was because he had been too busy creating Jules' new soles. The cobalt teen felt bad for this, feeling like it was partly his fault that his brother had been held up from capitalizing on his invention… he wished there was something he could do to help.

Then just like that a brainwave hit him… He was part of a law-enforcement outfit! Perhaps if he showed his commanding officers just how Charles' new device could benefit them then the Royal Guard could sponsor the mass production of it as well as get the first prototypes. It was brilliant! He could just sneak the ring-restraint gun into his outdoor simulation tomorrow night..

'Oh, sure.. Goodnight Jules..' Charles, who had resumed packing away a few bits he'd need with him at the university the next day, spoke vaguely barely distracted from his task.

'G'night Charlie..' Jules drawled as he pulled himself out of his seat and wandered off sluggishly to bed. Tomorrow was definitely going to be an interesting night..

'Blue Blur. Blue Blur… this is Golden Foxtrot do you read me?' The walkie-talkie hissed as Captain Prower's voice came through the speaker and immediately the cobalt-blue cadet-in-training whipped out the minuscule oval-shaped device out of his bright red utility-belt. He pushed the device to his tanned mussel, just under his long black nose.

'Golden Foxtrot this is Blue Blur readin' you loud and clear..' Jules drawled confidently, his hazel eyes narrowed deviously as he scanned the dark palace grounds, a wide smirk twisting across his lips. '-what'cha got for me, sir?'

'Your target has been spotted in section-nine and is considered armed and dangerous, proceed with caution..' Captain Prower's voice spoke in an athoritive tone.

'Can do mon capitan..' Jules responded good-humouredly before pocketing his miniscule walkie-talkie back into his red utility-belt and instantly leapt out of the tall tree he'd been stood in to survey the grounds.

'And don't do anything stupid!' Prower's voice called out from his utility-belt.

'Yeh, yeh…' Jules drawled dismissively, rolling his hazel eyes. '-you sound like my brother.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog then shot off in the direction of section-nine which was around the rear of the palace. His fast feet beat across the grassy lawn of the well-manicured ground, barely making a sound as he kept to the bushes and shrubs. The rustling of leaves was the only real sound that was made as the hedgehog passed through a hedge which acted as a partition between two sections of ground. As he pulled small branches of plant out of his quills movement caught his attention and he instantly spotted a figure in black skulking around the rear of the palace. Immediately the sixteen year old hedgehog whipped out his tiny walkie-talkie and pushed the 'talk' button as he put the device to his mouth.

'This is Blue Blur, target is in sight and approaching the rear palace entrance. Seems to be on his own…' Jules swivelled his blue-quilled head double-checking this fact and finding no accomplices in sight anywhere. His mouth returned to the palm-sized walkie-talkie in his hand and spoke again. 'I'm goin' in..'

'What?' Prower's voice came back sounding shocked by these words. 'Hedgehog your supposed to follow procedure, examine the threat level before you go in!' The Mobian-fox' voice sounded irritably but his words only made Jules sigh heavily.

'Trust me..' He spoke back into his walkie-talkie, pulling his brother's ring-restraint gun out of the back of his utility-belt. He'd swiped the neglected invention off of the side-cabinet where his older brother had left it. He moved the sliding button on top from 'recall' to 'release' arming the gun for use. '-I know what I'm doing..' He then pocketed the device back into his bright red utility-belt and slipped over the lawn between bushes and peaked out at his target who was still scoping out the rear of the palace, slipping further around the side towards the entrance. The next second Jules burst out of the hedge, startling his target who immediately began running very quickly away. Although he couldn't run as fast as Jules the cobalt-blue hedgehog decided to shoot down the green in a large circle, appearing a ten yards in front of his target cutting off his path. As the figure in black gasped in shock he skidded to a halt then turned around and began running at top speed in the opposite direction, Jules immediately extended the ring-restraint gun and squeezed the trigger. With a soft swooshing sound the neon-blue ball of energy shot after the target and snaked itself around his ankles causing the balaclava-masked Mobian to fall flat as his ankles locked together. The target skidded across the ground at the speed he'd originally been running at as a blur of blue overtook him and appeared in front of him. Jules just stood waiting for the 'prisoner' to skid over to him before raising a red-booted foot and pushing it down onto the back of the Mobian, forcing him to stop early.

'You are under arrest!' Jules declared as he pointed the restraint gun down to the Mobian pinned to the grassy floor and manacled his hands with a second set of neon-blue energy rings. 'Now to find those concealed weapons..' Jules then began riling the prisoner's pockets before locating two large knives strapped to his body hidden underneath his black long-sleave top and a third strapped to one of his legs. Once he was positive that the prisoner was fully disarmed the teenage hedgehog reached forward and yanked off the balaclava that had been hiding the identity of his mock-intruder.

'Argus?' Jules sounded as the golden body-fur and red fur-like-hair of the dark-green-eyed Mobian wolf was revealed. 'You were my invader?'

'Yeh…' The wolf responded with a wince as he had slight grass-burns from skidding across the ground. '-I took my test yesterday and passed with honours so they asked me step in tonight.'

'Far out Arg, congratulations on passin' buddy.' The cobalt teenage hedgehog winked at his fellow newbie before catching sight of their commanding officers approach. While General D'Coolette's face was unreadable Captain Prower looked slightly put out. 'I guess I'm about to find out how I did..' Jules said as he folded his arms and placed one leg over the other.

'Good luck.' Argus sounded from his spot on the ground, the glowing blue cuffs still restraining his feet and hands.

'Hedgehog!' Amadeus scowled as he got closer to the cobalt-blue teen. 'You deliberately disobeyed my order to check the threat level! If Fletcher had been an Overlander with a gun you'd have been dead..' The golden-furred fox hissed angrily.

'If Argus had been holding a gun I would have used a different manoeuvre..' Jules merely pointed out matter-of-factly.

'Zat is not zee point 'Edgehog, you deeliberately deesobeyed a direct order from your capteen..' General D'Coolette spoke before the coyote's deep blue eyes turned to the ring-restraint gun. 'And what's worse is you used somesing zat is not included in zee kit you received at zee start of your training..' The foreign Mobian-coyote then folded his arms. 'I will haf to mark you down for zees 'Edgehog.' He then whipped out a clipboard he had been taking notes on about the hedgehog's performance.

'Oh come on… I caught him in record time, didn't I?' Jules sounded with a small touch of petulance hitting his tone. It seemed both his commanding officers were against him on this one. 'And I did it without even having to confront him face-to-face, without my brother's invention it would have taken me twice as long to subdue Argus here.' He gestured wildly to the Mobian on the ground beside him.

'He does have a point there sir.' Argus' voice suddenly spoke up from his position still on the lawn. 'It took me nearly three times as long to 'arrest' Peckers last night, that device that Jules has certainly would make our jobs a whole lot easier and avoid some nasty situations in the process.' At his words Amadeus Prower seemed to sigh, as if relenting to the small portion of truth behind his cadets words.

'We cannot just eegnore zee fact zat he did not follow orders..' General D'Coolette scowled. 'I cannot 'ave fuels in my guard! I need my cadets to follow zere orders down to zee coffee!'

'T sir..' Captain Amadeus interjected at this point. 'Down to a T is what you meant.'

'Oh, whatever..' The foreign pale-tan coyote with blonde curls rolled his deep blue eyes dismissively at his lower officer.

'May we see that device Hedgehog..' Captain Prower suddenly stated firmly and held out a gloved hand towards the cobalt hedgehog.

'Well, sure, I guess..' The sixteen year old hedgehog shrugged before passing the ring-restraint gun over to his commanding officer. The Captain of the Palace Guard studied the design of the gun shaped device, quickly deducing its controls before sliding the button on top to 'recall' and pointing the gun at Argus, who was still on the floor with his hands and feet restrained. Immediately the two glowing neon-blue balls off energy were sucked back into the rectangular barrel. Argus Fletcher immediately sighed with relief at regaining the ability to move and pulled himself up off of the grass, brushing off some loose grass leaves that was stuck to his black clothing.

'Well, it's easy enough to operate and the cadets do make a valid point. A restraint device like this would make criminal arrests much safer..' Amadeus Prower stated to the Royal Guard General causing both Jules and Argus to blink at each other and flash a slight grin. 'However..'

'Uh-oh..' Jules drawled in a low voice to his fellow cadet. '-knew it was too good to be true.'

'-I do believe that Hedgehog should redo his outdoor simulation using the pre-approved kit he was issued with at the start of his training. Only if he completes this test with merit will I stand behind the proposal of this device.' The golden-furred fox lanced his firm gaze to his cobalt cadet.

'Très Bien Capteen Prower.. I am agreeing with you completely.' General D'Coolette sounded impressed before turning to the two cadets still stood in front of him. 'Monsieur Fletcher, go and be making yourself less visible. And 'Edgehog, go back to ze point you were starting from.. We will be going encore un fois..'

'Yes, sir..' Both cadets responded with a sigh before they both turned in opposite directions and headed off to position themselves to begin the simulation again..

Jules Hedgehog's second attempt at the simulation went off without a hitch, though it did take him a little longer to track down Argus Fletcher and 'arrest' him using the correct procedures. He still managed to break the record for completing the test in the shortest time which made Captain Prower smile with a sense of renewed pride in his finest cadet. Jules may be reckless and inconsiderate of the Royal Guard's proper procedures but the Mobian-fox couldn't deny that his hedgehog cadet did produce results. True to his own word Captain Amadeus Prower stood by his cobalt-blue cadet and backed Jules' suggestion that the ring-restraint gun be used by the Royal Guard in the place of their standard restraint-manacles.

This put General D'Coolette in a rather difficult position. It was easy to dismiss an idea when it was merely his rookie-cadet that was suggesting it but now that Jules had Captain Prower backing him up he was forced to seriously consider the ring-restraint gun. After seriously weighing up the pros and cons of having such a device on his guard General D'Coolette was forced to admit that the pros outweighed the cons and he relented, reluctantly agreeing to speak to King Ogilvie the Third. Since the Royal Guard were paid for entirely by the King of Mobius from the royal fortune anything new they wished to introduce to their job had to meet with his approval first. As the highest ranking officer of the Royal Guard it was General D'Coolette's duty to pitch this new idea to the king. It was fortunate for Armand D'Coolette that he was on friendly terms with the king, the deceased Queen of Mobius had been good friends with his own wife. As the foreign tan-furred coyote went to talk to the King Ogilvie the Third Jules Hedgehog waited in the foyer with Amadeus Prower for the news.

'Hedgehog..' Amadeus' voice sounded causing cobalt hedgehog's hazel eyes swivelled around from the royal paintings along the wall, his attention back around to his commanding officer. '-I know that I'm the reason you had to rerun your simulation tonight but-'

'You were just doing your job, I know sir.' Jules replied, cutting over his captain before he could explain himself any further, a small smile was playing about the hedgehog's mouth.

'So no hard feelings then?' Captain Prower kinked a slim light-brown eyebrow curiously.

'From me?' The cobalt teenager blinked in response. 'Nahhh… not my style..' Jules' grin suddenly widened, he then gave a slightly careless shrug. 'Besides, I was kinda expecting it.' The sixteen year old hedgehog had never held any kind of grudge in his life, he was too laid-back and open-minded to let anything irritate him for long.

'You were?' Amadeus said before frowning slightly now. 'If you knew you would be forced to redo your mock-arrest then why did you still proceed with your impromptu demonstration?' The cobalt hedgehog thought about this for a moment, realising just how reckless his move had been and considering how different things could've turned out..

'I did it for my brother..' Jules responded and the golden-furred Mobian-fox cocked his head intrigued. He was spared from asking why as the cobalt teenage hedgehog continued. 'He was given approval from the Mobian Council to let the ring-restraint gun be introduced to society. But he hasn't had a chance to find sponsorship because he's been too busy creating a rubber compound that will make a more resilient sole for my boots. These regular ones wear out far too fast.' He lifted the right foot of his red combats to show his captain the worn beige rubber-sole.

'That is so recklessly honourable of you Hedgehog..' Amadeus responded touched by the cobalt teenager's brotherly gesture.

'Eh, I just wanted to help him out..' Jules raised a white-gloved hand and ran his fingers through his blue quiff of soft-quills, a look of awkward modesty was written all over his face. Suddenly the double doors to the throne room banged open and General D'Coolette came out into the foyer making both the golden-furred fox and cobalt hedgehog swivel their eyes towards him, curious to hear what the verdict was.

'Ze king is willing to allow zees device to entrer ze Royal Guard..' The general sounded before adding under his breath in a voice of slight disapproval. '-despite ze fact zat zee inventor is relative unknown..'

'That's wonderful news, sir..' Captain Prower sounded brightly as he shared a wide grin with his cobalt cadet. 'And he is willing to sponsor the production, too?' Both the Captain of the Palace Guard and the cobalt-blue hedgehog threw the light-tan-furred coyote a questioning look. For a breif moment General D'Coolette's upper lip curled as if he were in two minds about answering before he sighed.

'Oui..' The foreign coyote finally responded. 'Ze king has alreadee made ze call to ze Minister of Science who confirmed 'Edgehog's storee, zees device was indeed zee invention of Charles' 'Edgehog, a protégée of Professor Nate Morgan..'

'Nate Morgan!' Amadeus Prower gasped in amazement. 'The Nate Morgan who single-handedly brought Mobius out of the dark ages..' He then turned to the sixteen year old rookie-cadet hedgehog beside him who was merely smiling lightly.

'Zee very same.' General D'Coolette replied with a twitch of his thin blonde moustache. 'Eet was zees fact zat was swaying zee king's decision.'

'You never said your brother was the student of Nate Morgan before..' The golden-furred Mobian-fox said to his trainee officer..

'Why would I?' Jules replied airily with a nonchalant shrug as he closed his eyes. 'Went I met him the guy asked me if I wanted a psychological evaluation..'

'Zee man is a genius..' General D'Coolette drawled dryly to himself as his deep blue eyes narrowed.

'I'm sure he was just humouring you Hedgehog.' Amadeus smiled in a friendly fashion at the cobalt-blue hedgehog before pushing out his hand to him. 'And congratulations on securing your brother a contract, I look forward to working with the new device.'

'Thank you, sir..' Jules Hedgehog replied as he shook hands with his commanding officer warmly.

'Oui, congratulations. I will be contacting your brother soon to be sorting out ze finer details..' General D'Coolette said causing the hedgehog to smile at his senior officer.

'I'll be sure to let him know..' The cobalt hedgehog gave him lifted his fingers giving him an 'A-OK' sign.

'And 'Edgehog..' D'Coolette added sternly causing the rookie-cadet's grin to falter. 'Next time you are wanting to be suggesting changes, take ze proper channels.'

'Understood, sir..' Jules replied solemnly, accepting this slight rebuke before finding himself dismissed from duty until the next day..

It was incredibly late when Jules appeared back to the Hedgehog family home in the pitch black hamlet of Knothole. When he pushed the front door shut he was unsurprised to find the dining-room light still on meaning Charles was still up and probably working on something. The cobalt-blue hedgehog stifled an exhausted yawn before kicking off his red combat-boots, planning to sneak up the stairs and into bed before his brother could ask how his simulation had gone.

'Jules?' The sound of his older brother's voice sounded as the cobalt hedgehog reached the fourth step.

'Yeh, it's just me Charlie..' He sighed slightly in his response, there was no point trying to hide the fact that he was home. The next second the mild-blue hedgehog appeared in the doorway, his pale-blue eyes locking onto his little brother who was now leaning on the banister gazing back with one leg casually over the other.

'How did it go?' Charles asked curiously, pulling a small scrap of cloth out of his pocket and polished a lens on his reading spectacles, pocketing both once he was done.

'Fine. I broke a new record for fastest arrest but then, that's no surprise, huh?' Jules responded lightly despite his tiredness, it had been a long day for him.

'You did? That's great..' The mild-blue hedgehog sounded enthusiastically with a smile. 'By the way, you haven't seen my ring-restraint gun have you? I was sure I put it on the cabinet here but it's not there now..' The mild-blue hedgehog then scratched his forehead just above his left bushy eyebrow and just over from his pointed ear. 'It's the darndest thing..' He murmured thoughtfully, trying to think where his missing invention could be.

'Well, actually, yeh. I do know where it is..' Jules threw a slightly sheepish grin. '-it's… uh, at the palace.' For a moment all Charles could do was stare at his brother in amazement before a slightly suspicious scowl appeared on his face.

'Oh. And what's it doing there?' He asked in a slightly stern older brother tone, his gloved hands immediately going to his waist as his foot tapped the ground in a slightly irritable fashion.

'I kinda took it to work without asking..' Jules' grin widened guiltily before he immediately forestalled his older brother from saying anything as his scowl deepened. '-but before you go nuts at me Charlie I think you should know that my bosses were really impressed with it. So impressed that they actually want to do a deal with you and bring them into practise..' The younger cobalt Hedgehog brother threw his older sibling his best 'please don't yell at me' puppy-dog expression, praying he wasn't about to get yet another lecture on 'borrowing' his brother's stuff without asking. For a long moment Charles stared at his little brother in a stunned silence.

'Your kidding..' The mild-blue hedgehog finally said, still looking shocked. Jules merely shook his head in response to this. Suddenly Charles looked a little emotional, he couldn't believe that his little brother had actually gone and done this for him. He was graduating in only a couple of weeks and once he'd finished off the boot-soles for Jules he was going to see about sorting out sponsorship for his invention… but his little brother had now done it for him.

'I can't believe you did that for me Jules..' Charles sounded in a soft voice.

'Ah, come on Charlie. After what your doin' for me with my boots it's the least I could do.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog responded lightly with a sentimental smile. 'And F.Y.I the general will be in touch to sort out the finer details.. I gotta warn you now though, he's got a fruity French accent so you gotta really listen to what he's sayin' to you.'

'Thanks little brother..' The recently-turned twenty year old hedgehog returned the smile to his younger sibling before it turned into a serious look once more. '-but next time, ask before you take my stuff, ok Jules.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog merely pulled himself away from the banister and rolled his warm hazel eyes.

'G'night Charlie..' He uttered with a dismissive wave of his hand and continued up the stairs to bed..

Little Notes:

Hey peeps, ok… I admit this chapter is a little boring but totally necessary as I had to finally establish Charles as an inventor and explain a bit about Jules' training. I did do a little research on what being a guard was all about but I have added a few things of my own into the mix. I did try to punch in a little humour into this chapter especially with General D'Coolette, who I think is like a more serious version of Antoine (although I think his humour will be a bit drier than his son's).

Again I'm trying to put in more sibling fluff between Jules and Charles here along with the sense that they are still painfully aware of the fact that they are the last two members of their family left. It's difficult thing to write so I hope I'm managing to pull it off.

Ok, the next chapter will be getting back to Princess Aleena and Jules, how will he react when he realises just who 'Bernadette' really is…

Until next time…

~Ditzy x