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: It's not sad to say that but it would be a wrong assumption. Jules and Aleena's relationship is on a different story arc to Charles and Jules' brotherly relationship at the moment. They're both as important as each other and eventually they will blur into the same story tangent but for now, they are two separate parts of the same story. And your idea regarding Jules going off to war is interesting but I have my own idea with a different kind of title. To be honest that link never occurred to me when I chose Jules' extended first name. I was merely picking a name that Jules was used as a shorting for and since Robotnick/Eggman's first name id Julian I didn't want to use that… besides, Julius goes better with Charles, don't you think? X

Chapter Eight:A Day Full Of Surprises..

Within the next few weeks Charles Hedgehog graduated from Mobotroplis University with full honours and no minors, making him the top scoring student of his whole year. His brother Jules was there for his graduation along with Lionel Lion, Cocoa Cat and Ginger Tigris who all gave him congratulatory hugs and made sure that they were the first to call him by his new title of Doctor Hedgehog. Unfortunately neither Tiger nor Sherman could be there as they were busy in the barracks but the small group of them still dragged Charles out to celebrate his success. With his ring-restraint gun now officially part of the standard kit in the Royal Guard and the Metropolitan Guard now seriously interested in incorporating into there's, Charles was set to do very well for himself and he'd only just stepped out the university door. No-mobian was happier for his brother than Jules was. Charles had always known what he'd wanted to do, he'd worked hard all throughout his school years and he was now going to reap the rewards of his efforts. He really deserved all his success and his cobalt little brother had been more than happy to give his older sibling the little nudge of help he needed to get started..

Jules wriggled his socked-toes once again inside his combat boots. He couldn't help it, his genius brother had re-soled his boots with the new strengthened rubber grips and lined the insides with specially designed insoles that cushioned his feet and kept them cool at the same time, his toes had never felt this level of comfort before. He could run around and his boots did not reach the blistering hot temperatures that made his feet sweat like crazy, instead they stayed cool and the rubber covering the underside of his boot didn't leave long rubbery deposits when he braked. Even the horrible screeching sound that came with it had softened and shorted so it was just a breif noise rather than a long drawn out squeal. They'd turned out so well that Lionel and Charles had done both his red work-boots and his brown combat boots as well. The two of them had become quite a team, it was likely that the two science-minded Mobians would keep in touch. They had always been somewhat friendly since the blonde lion was one of Jules' best friends but it seemed that now their friendship had been cemented by their similar interests. The cobalt hedgehog was pleased, it was about time his brother had a real friend that wasn't 'some balding upper-class nark'..

The teenage hedgehog too was doing well, his training with the Royal Guard was now almost complete. Learning his duties inside the palace was, as Jules expected, one of the hardest parts of his training. The sixteen year old hedgehog had to be consciously aware of his behaviour at all times, which was something new to him entirely. Since he was now working right under his commanding general, the same foreign coyote who's nose he had knocked out joint twice already, Jules felt he needed to prove that he could take his job seriously. Even though the hedgehog could use his speed freely outdoors General D'Coolette had forbidden him from speeding around like an 'idiot fou' inside. So the cobalt teen was reduced to moving around like a 'slow guy'. Jules understood his commanding general's reasoning behind it, after all he didn't want to bump into other palace employees and cause accidents. But breaking his fast-footed habit of a lifetime was even more difficult than holding his tongue. Jules did find himself trying to desperately retain subconscious urges to just zip down hallways but the hedgehog was not perfect, sometimes his booted-feet would burst into a split-second speed-rev and he was forced to immediately skid to a halt, apologising profusely for his slip in control. General D'Coolette would merely raise a brow at his cobalt rookie-cadet but didn't say a thing, perhaps understanding that kicking such a deeply ingrained habit would take time. It wasn't all bad though the three rookie-cadets had now been reunited after spending the last few weeks apart. Jules was delighted to be reunited with his fellow rookie-cadets Argus Fletcher and Jasper Jacks, an all black Mobian-cat with piercing green eyes.

Despite the few social faux-pas General D'Coolette seemed rather impressed with all three of his rookie-cadets' progress and finally decided that they were ready to be in the presence of the King of Mobius..

Jules was nervous. He, like every other Mobian, knew what King Ogilvie the Third looked like from the Holoprojections of him on Holovision but he'd never imagined he'd ever meet the king face to face. He supposed that since he was a member of the Royal Guard it would be silly if he never met the sovereign he had sworn to protect and serve. On the surface both Argus and Jasper seemed calm but no doubt they were feeling something similar to himself. The three of them were being led outside for the usual morning drill along with their fellow gentlemobians of arms by Captain Amadeus Prower while General D'Coolette would be bringing the King of Mobius out to inspect the troops.

Morning drills had always been nothing more than an irritation to be endured to the cobalt hedgehog, but then he did not like rising early so that was no surprise. Once all the guards were neatly lined up in their lines with the three rookie-cadets stood side by side in the centre of the front row Captain Prower paced with a clipboard taking morning attendance, calling out cadet names and waiting for the inevitable response of 'present sir'. When he'd finally reached the bottom of the list with everybody in attendance the Mobian-fox turned to his troop of guards.

'Alright everyone listen up..' Amadeus sounded commanding the full attention of the ranks before him. '-in a little while General D'Coolette will be bringing King Ogilvie the Third down for troop inspection. It's just an informal check as the king wishes to see how our new rookies are fairing up..' Many of the cadets that had been there longer than the three newbies made murmurs of understanding and smirked at the three teenage cadets standing at the front. Jasper, Argus and Jules all exchanged a slightly nervous glance before resuming their rigid stance. Their moment of worry was not missed by Amadeus Prower who smiled kindly at the three teens before him.

'Don't worry boys, you'll do just fine..' The golden-furred fox gave a shadow of a wink at them before returning his gaze to the troop as a whole. Swivelling around sharply the Mobian-fox stood rigid then bellowed loudly. 'Atten-shun!' Immediately his cadets stood sharply to attention. He then pulled his baton out and pointed it upwards in front of them in the direction they were going to advance in. 'And forward.. march!' He declared instantly moving forward in a rigid march, his legs keeping to the strict ninety-degree knee bend. His cadets followed keeping to their lines neat and their march perfectly tight, their arms swinging neatly at their sides as they followed their captain.

As the Royal Guard performed their standard morning drill General D'Coolette pushed open the double-doors to the palace and stepped out onto the beige cobbled-stone courtyard followed swiftly by the King of Mobius. The green fur and quills of the king shone brightly in the morning sun and his maroon eyes turned to the guard troops. His white gloved hands were resting behind his back against his long red cape as he stood beside his general.

'As you are seeing your majesté..' The light-tanned coyote was saying as he gestured to the troops as they marched onwards, still being lead by Captain Prower who was wearing a slight smile of pride. '-ze new cadets are feeting in quite well..' General D'Coolette reached up and twiddled his blonde moustache with a smug smirk. The king chuckled warmly at these words and smiled to his old friend.

'Even the troublemaker Armand?' King Ogilvie the Third asked with a slight hint of jest in his aristocratic voice. He had heard much about a certain blue hedgehog that seemed to be testing his old fencing partner's patience and was quite curious to see the youth for himself.

'Oui..' The general replied with a slight sigh as his deep blue eyes narrowed. '-even him..'

'Jolly good.' The green-quilled king declared brightly as his rubbed his white-gloved hands together eagerly in front of his pristine white uniform. 'Call your mobians in then and let's have a look at them..' The King of Mobius beamed at his old friend, his maroon-coloured eyes only flashing him a fleeting glance before they returned to the troop of guards.

'Ah, bon oui your majesté..' General D'Coolettereplied, a slight smile returning to his mouth he then caught Captain Prower's attention with a couple of raised hand signals, silently gesturing for his captain to finish up the march and bring the troops back. The golden-furred fox with light brown head curls caught his commanding officer's wordless order and saluted back, throwing a sharp nod showing he understood.

'By the left flank.. March!' Captain Prower suddenly sounded in an imperious tone and instantly the troop of Royal Guard cadets swivelled sharply around ninety degrees so they were facing the palace and moved swiftly, following the Captain of the Palace Guard back across the large cobbled courtyard to the front steps where General D'Coolette and King Ogilvie the Third were waiting for them.

'Company.. Halt!' Captain Prower called out in a loud athoritive voice causing his troop to stop dead only a few feet before the general and king. He then swivelled sharply around in a one-eighty degree turn to face his cadets, a solemn expression etched on his white muzzle. He then called his final order. 'Squad atten-shun!' the cadets immediately squared up their shoulders, locking them into position with their hands clasped neatly behind their backs, chest puffed out and heads head high. At the same time their left legs lifted to a ninety degree angle before they stamped them down with their feet forming a perfect V-shape as they all stood rapt to attention. Captain Prower flashed his troop a split-second proud smile before it vanished and he swivelled back to his commanding officer saluting sharply. 'Morning drill complete, sir. Cadets are ready for inspection..' Captain Prower declared with pride in his voice.

'Très bein Capteen Prower..' General D'Coolette sounded in his foreign drawl, saluting back to his lower ranking officer. 'Now stand down, I will be taking it from here..' The light-tanned coyote with blonde curls sounded with a slight smile.

'As you wish general..' The blonde-furred Mobian-fox replied as he turned around to face the cadet troop as both General D'Coolette and King Ogilvie the Third stepped down onto the cobbles of the courtyard. His white-gloved hands moved to rest against his lower back, one inside the other but unlike the cadets in front of him his stance was more casual since he had now been given temporary leave of his duties.

'I see you've done an excellent job of whipping the cadets into shape captain, good show.' King Ogilvie sounded to the twenty-four year old Mobian-fox who smiled back at his monarch.

'Thank you sire.' Amadeus replied politely with a small smile and the King of Mobius gave a nod and a smile.

'Your most welcome my lad.' King Ogilvie the Third replied lightly before turning back around to General Armand D'Coolette and approaching the first row of cadets. 'So tell me Armand, who are our new recruits..'

'Zees tree right here at ze front your majesté..' The coyote sounded gesturing to the yellow-furred wolf with the turf of red fur on his head, an all black Mobian-cat and the slightly shorter cobalt-blue hedgehog in-between the two.

'Ah, I see..' The green-furred royal hedgehog smiled slightly as his maroon eyes scanned the three new-comers. '-and their names are..?' The King of Mobius tailed off from his question as his old friend could supply a fluid answer.

'Argus P Fletcher..' General D'Coolette's gloved index-finger pointed to the wolf before it swivelled to the black Mobian-cat. '-Jasper F Jacks and..' A slight sigh escaped the light-tan-furred coyote as his pointing finger swerved towards the sixteen year old rookie-cadet. '-Jules T 'Edgehog..' General D'Coolette resisted the urge to roll his deep blue eyes, not that it would have mattered if he did as at the mention of this cadet's name the king looked at his fellow hedgehog with interest.

'Hedgehog? I thought that surname had died out long ago..' The King of Mobius sounded in surprise to his general.

'Apparently not sire..' Armand D'Coolette replied in a dry drawl and the King of Mobius' maroon eyes snapped onto his cobalt kindred-species. 'Where have your family been hiding all this time?' The look of burning curiosity that the elder green hedgehog was throwing him made Jules slightly nervous.

'Err, Knothole sire..' The cobalt hedgehog responded with a small hint of discomfort to his tone, clearly not sure why his monarch was so interested in him. He could feel the eyes of many of the cadets behind him boring into the back of his head and curved quills..

'Knothole? Where is that?' King Ogilvie asked in a slightly puzzled tone, looking to his general for some clue as he had clearly never heard of it before.

'Eet is a small 'amlet in ze Vert 'Ill Moun-tain range. It is, how you say, quite see-clue-did..' The French-speaking coyote replied with a slight smile and the fact that General D'Coolette knew exactly where Knothole was surprised Jules. For some reason he didn't expect anyone here to know just where his tiny hamlet was.

'Incredible, right under our nose and we didn't even know about it.' The King of Mobius replied with a smile before his attention returned to the cobalt-blue hedgehog. 'And your family has been there all this time?' He continued keenly.

'Uhh, yeh… I think so anyway..' Jules said as his hazel eyes rolled up vaguely, trying to recall if he'd heard different but he couldn't think of anything. As far back as they could trace the Hedgehog family had always been in Knothole, although his family could not trace their family back much further than his great-great grandfather there was nothing to suggest that his family had lived anywhere else.

'Would you consider it too forward of me to enquire about your middle name, Hedgehog?' The green-quilled King of Mobius asked while General D'Coolette looked between the two completely bemused, not seeing why his ruler was so fascinated by his most troublesome cadet.

'No sire. It's Theodore, a name that has been in my family for generations..' The hedgehog rookie-cadet replied before shrugging and adding, '-apparently..' It had been his great-great grandfather's middle name so no doubt some-hedgehog further back had been named that. Charles had once tried to research their family tree in the Mobotroplis Public Library as he'd also been curious about the origins of his own middle name of Thomas, clearly wondering if it had any connection to King Thomas the first ruler of Mobius, though Jules thought he'd just been reaching as the name could just have been given in honour of him. However since there was no paper trail for citizens in Knothole from before the last century he had been forced to quit, it seemed that the origins of both their middle names had been lost in the past..

'Theodore..' The green-furred hedgehog's neat brow raised as he glanced to his old friend. '-the missing prince..' His voice was low now as he addressed his old fencing partner and Jules' expression furrowed curiously, not following this conversation tangent. General D'Coolette's eyes widened in both surprise and alarm at what his monarch and old friend was suggesting.

'Noh… you don't theenk?' The coyote drawled in shock, his own blue eyes glanced towards the cobalt-blue hedgehog.

'It's a possibility.' King Ogilvie replied lightly. 'After all, nobody knows what happened to him after he abandoned his claim to the throne.' It was now that the Royal Guard General noticed that all his cadets were throwing them inquisitive looks and immediately the coyote cleared his throat loudly.

'We should be continuing this in more privacy, oui?' At his words the green-furred royal hedgehog suddenly looked round to the cadets an d saw the dozens of curious and confused looks.

'Yes Armand, that would be best..' Immediately the king turned away from the front line of cadets. Once the backs of their monarch and commanding general were turned many cadets including Argus and Jasper threw Jules a curious glance to which the cobalt hedgehog shrugged proving he was a confused as them about this.

'You many resume command of your troop Prower..' The King of Mobius sounded regally as he passed Amadeus. The golden-furred fox was looking just as bemused by this strange inspection as the rest of his cadets. When Captain Prower threw his higher-ranking officer a searching look General D'Coolette frowned slightly.

'Do not be asking capteen..' The coyote raised a hand and clapped his second in command on the shoulder before following his king back inside the palace.

'Alright, inspection over. Company dismissed!' Captain Prower sounded sharply and immediately the cadets moved out of formation to resume their daily assigned duties. Jules immediately moved towards his captain and the golden-fox turned to him.

'What was that about?' The cobalt hedgehog asked Amadeus curiously but the Captain of the Palace Guard shrugged with a slight frown.

'I'm not sure Hedgehog but for now just resume your duties..' Captain Prower responded as his sky blue eyes turned towards the open double doors and down the now empty entrance hall.

With the sun at its highest point Jules Hedgehog found himself a quiet spot high up on one of Hedgington Hall's rear garden walls to spend his lunch break. This particular part of wall he was lounging on was wide and flat with a little slope at forty-five degrees so he could soak up the warm summer sun while gazing around at the fantastic view of the rear palace gardens. It seemed to go on forever with it's freshly manicured lawns, huge hedge sculptures, tall well-groomed trees and maintained flower beds. This was only broken up by rock and water features which captured and reflected the suns rays bringing a sense of magic to the grand grounds. The cobalt-blue sixteen year old slouched with his long-quilled head resting comfortably in his gloved hands while one uniformed leg casually rested over the other. His eyes were shut as he relaxed, enjoying the warmth of the sun as it shone down onto him from above. It had been a busy morning for Jules as he was getting used to working inside the palace, quickly learning the layout and discovering some nifty shortcuts that were making his job easier. Though he didn't mind working inside as it presented him with a new set of challenges the cobalt hedgehog couldn't deny the fact that he preferred to be outdoors where he could utilize his speed with the sense of freedom that came from not having to be confined inside building walls. Still, every job had it's drawbacks..

He had not been lounging there for very long when the sound of female voices disturbed the quite serenity he'd been enjoying. Jules half-peeled open one warm hazel eye and glanced down the garden wall, curious to see who was disturbing his one moment of peace from his hectic work-schedule.

'I can't believe that Lord Denson tried make you his intended..' A familiar soft girl's voice was saying and as Jules sat up and glanced down. His second eye opened when a very recognisable red-furred echidna with white ribbons braided into her long quills appeared through the archway beneath the wall he was perched on top of. A flash of amazement was clear in the female echidna's familiar minty green eyes.

'Well believe it Lara-Le because I swear to Sauna that's the honest truth..' Jules' heart quivered as this regal-yet-sweet voice sounded, coming from the garden-archway beneath the wall he was lounging on.. Bernadette…Unable to help himself the cobalt sixteen year old hedgehog lent over, curious to see if she was as pretty as he remembered her to be.

'So, when did this happen Aleena?' Lara-Le asked in an inquisitive tone, her eyes flashing curiously to her, for now, unseen best friend.

'Aleena?' Jules murmured softly as his brows knitted in confusion. Before he could truly comprehend the significance of the name the red-furred echidna was calling her 'Bernadette' walked into his sight and Jules was forced to clap his hand across his mouth to stifle the hitch in his breath. She was just as attractive as he remembered, maybe even more so in the pretty light turquoise and white dress balled out with petticoats. Sitting neatly in between her lilac pointed-ears was a silver tiara glinting in the sun.

'At the social gala last night..' The blonde-quilled hedgehog was saying to her friend. 'He cornered me out in the courtyard and said that we were a smart match, that he could provide me with everything I could ever dream of and how..' The lilac furred fifteen year old hedgehog suddenly scowled with annoyance as her furless pale hands went to her hips, her green eyes blazing. '-he had already sought out my father and asked for my hand.'

'Holy Terra! Your kidding!' Lara-Le squealed out in amazement, her minty eyes widening in a manner that would have been comical if there conversation wasn't so shocking.

'No I'm not..' Aleena's sweet voice was no longer so sweet, there was a sharp bite in her tone now and it made Jules frown slightly in concern. Clearly she didn't like the fact that this bozo had gone behind her back..

'What did your father say?' The red-furred echidna asked, lifting the skirt of her pretty yellow dress that puffed out due to her petticoats and stepping over towards her friend.

'When I confronted him about it daddy said he didn't give his consent, he merely said that Lord Denson could 'try his luck'..' Aleena replied with a soft sigh of relief, although her father could be incredibly protective about her he also trusted her judgement and would never give her away to someone without knowing how she felt about them first.

'Your so lucky that your father is so understanding, princess.' Lara-Le replied as her expression softened with relief.

'Princess?' The word choked out of Jules' mouth and the moment he heard his strangled gasp aloud everything clicked into place. The sharp realisation of the truth of 'Bernadette's' real identity caused the cobalt-blue hedgehog to lean backwards as he recoiled in shock. Unfortunately in doing so Jules momentarily forgot he was actually still lounging on top of the garden wall and fell backwards off the other side.

'Ahhh…' As the cry of surprise left the cobalt-blue hedgehog's mouth it caused both Princess Aleena and Lara-Le to swivel their heads around in shock. They were just in time to hear a rustling crash and a muffled grunt of pain.

'What was that?' Lara-Le asked in a worried tone.

'I dunno, but let's find out..' The lilac-furred royal replied. She moved towards the arch only to be snagged by Lara-Le. The red-furred echidna with braided quills flashed her a worried look.

'Shouldn't we call the guards?' Lara-Le asked in a slightly timid tone.

'Not yet..' The princess responded before pulling her arm out of her friend's grip and heading through the arch to investigate the source of the noise. 'Oh my!' Princess Aleena's voice suddenly cried out in surprise from the other side and immediately Lara-Le ran through the arch to see what was wrong. When her minty eyes saw what her royal companion was seeing she too gasped in amazement. She'd arrived just in time to see a Mobian dressed in a Royal Guard uniform pull himself free from the large hedge that had been growing against the opposite side of the garden wall. When this stranger straightened the two upper-class girls instantly recognised the bright cobalt-blue curved quills and quiff of soft messy quills flopping over his forehead.

'Ah, Chaos..' The teenage hedgehog in uniform cursed as he straightened his red cravat and pulled bits of twig loose from his clothing. His hazel eyes then widened in shock as he suddenly spotted the two fifteen year old Mobian-girls gazing wide-eyed at him.

'Jules..' Princess Aleena squinted her emerald green eyes towards him before her expression seemed to lift at recognising him. Her heart fluttered inside her chest at the sight of his handsome face again, she'd always wondered if she'd see him again and now here he was.

'Bernadette..' Jules responded with a slightly cool edge to his tone as he straightened out his navy shirt-jacket. '-or is it Princess Aleena?' There was a hint of hurt in his voice as he addressed her. His brow kinked and his eyes narrowed towards the royal hedgehog.

'Jules, please. I'm sorry you had to find out this way..' The lilac-furred hedgehog with long blonde quills began, moving forward to the sixteen year old hedgehog before her but the cobalt-blue male rebuffed her hand when she went to touch him.

'Yeh? Well so am I..' He voice remained as cool as his expression but his hazel eyes revealed his hurt about her lie. Jules folded his arms across his chest, creating a barrier between himself and the princess before him.

'I only did it to protect my identity, you have to believe me..' Princess Aleena responded instantly a desperate plea lacing her voice as her chest seemed to tighten, her bright green eyes very close to watering.

'You could've told me when we were alone!' Jules sounded irritably, his eyes closing and his head turning away from her. His mouth was set in a sombre line of displeasure as he kept his arms folded.

'I wanted to, really I did but..' The lilac female hedgehog sighed heavily as she raised a furless dainty hand to her head momentarily. '-I wasn't sure if we'd ever see each other again..' She concluded in a soft, sad voice.

'Humph..' The cobalt teen sniffed before his hazel eyes opened and looked back at her, hurt and betrayal still shining clear in his face. 'Well here we are now princess..' He made this statement in an unemotional tone and the lilac hedgehog faltered, unsure of how to respond to it. At this moment the distant sound of the large Mobotroplis Clock Tower chimed, signalling that it was now one o'clock. This caused Jules to unfold his arms and sigh heavily.

'If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work..' He sounded before making a small bow to the princess then disappearing out of sight in a blur of blue, leaving the two Mobian-girls alone once more..

For the rest of that afternoon Jules Hedgehog weighed heavily on Princess Aleena's mind. She couldn't really focus on anything other than the sheer look of hurt and betrayal that had been written all over his handsome features. The lilac hedgehog had spent all afternoon worrying about him and wondering if he'd ever want to speak to her again. She had thought about asking General D'Coolette where Jules was stationed in his duties today but had decided against that. The cobalt-blue hedgehog would need some space to get his head around the truth… besides, she really didn't want to have to explain to her father's oldest friend why she wanted to see the cobalt-youth in the first place.. Lara-Le had tried convincing her friend that everything would be alright once he'd had time to digest the truth.. after all she had not really lied to him, merely bent the truth a little in order to protect herself.

The two Mobian-girls had been left to their own devices for most of the afternoon as their parents had been in the throne room discussing business from Albion. The princess had only a couple of classes that afternoon and her father had cleverly conferred with Lara-Le's parents and arranged them while the young echidna was studying hers so the girls would not be separated for long. The princess remained distracted throughout her lessons, worrying over whether or not Jules would forgive her for lying to him. She was grateful when she found herself excused by her frustrated tutor who had finally given up trying to get her to focus. After their lessons the girls were summoned to dinner in the grand dining hall to eat with their parents. While the others at the enormous long table ate the blonde-quilled hedgehog merely pushed her food around her plate, still picturing the look of hurt that had been on the cobalt male hedgehog's face that seemed to have burned itself into her mind.

After dinner the echidnas from the House of Arian left for their home on Emerald Avenue and with time to spare before she would be called in to retire for the night Princess Aleena began wandering the grounds. The skies were still light but the sun had now shifted as it was lowering to the horizon causing dark shadows to mar the beautifully tended landscape. The lilac-furred hedgehog wandered along the light sandstone walkway wondering what Jules was doing now. His shift with the Royal Guard would have finished an hour ago and with his speed he would've been long gone by now. Still, she wished she could talk to him and explain herself fully, maybe then the hollow pit of guilt in her stomach that had been eating away at her would go away..

As the lilac female hedgehog turned the corner, heading towards the archway where Jules had fallen, literally, back into her life. She was happy to see him again but he had brought with him that same strange mix of feelings that had hit her when they'd first met back in the club. Her thoughts were completely untangled when the sound of a guitar strumming caught her attention. The melody it was playing was a gentle, languid tune which was both serene and beautiful yet one in a style of music she had never heard before. Curious about where this music was coming from the blonde-quilled princess moved as swiftly as she could in her expensive heels through the archway. Upon reaching the other side she immediately stopped and with a sharp intake of breath. The princess smiled as her emerald eyes saw a cobalt-blue hedgehog perched comfortably on the two foot boarder-wall separating the upper-gardens from the lower-grounds of the palace. Jules' eyes were closed and he was no longer in uniform he was wearing the same bright red vest with down-turned collar and brown combat-boots he'd been wearing when they first met. His messed up fringe of blue quills hung lazily as his fingers plucked the strings of the handsome maroon-coloured guitar with black neck and headstock that was sitting in his lap.

'Jules?' Princess Aleena's voice sounded in a breath of happiness and disbeleif. She couldn't believe he was here, right now. At the sound of her voice the sixteen year old cobalt-blue hedgehog stopped strumming and opened his hazel eyes then smiled at the blonde-quilled royal hedgehog before him.

'Hi..' Jules sounded as he straightened his guitar and turned, sliding down off of the wall and standing in front of her. His heart was pounding like jack-hammer and he gripped the neck of his guitar more securely feeling slightly nervous.

'You came back..' The lilac-furred female hedgehog spoke, her voice still sounded awed as she gazed up into his face with wonder.

'Errr, yeh..' The cobalt male hedgehog sounded as he lifted his hand and scratched the back of his pointed-ear awkwardly. 'Um.. I went home, got changed and grabbed a bite before I got this crazy notion that maybe we should talk. So.. I grabbed my guitar and rushed back here, hoping you'd show up.' He then flashed her a sheepish smile which revealed the chip on the right side of his tooth. Princess Aleena smiled sweetly at the cobalt teen in front of her, touched by his words, before her smile vanished and was replaced by a look of urgency.

'Jules, I am so sorry about not telling you who I was I was just..' She spoke desperately, wanting to convey how remorseful she was but before she could finish the cobalt hedgehog held up his free hand to stop her. He was smiling gently as he did so.

'You don't have to apologise princess. Like you said earlier, you were only protecting yourself, I get it.' Jules replied lightly before giving a slight sigh. 'And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for how I spoke to you earlier, heh, that was rude..'

'Incredibly, but I understand why so can we just call a truce?' Princess Aleena said with a hopeful smile and Jules smirked in amusement at her words.

'Yeh, I'd like that..' His smile widened and for a moment the two of them merely gazed at each other before the blonde-quilled hedgehog turned her gaze to the guitar he was still holding.

'So you play the guitar?' She asked conversationally and immediately Jules looked at down at the maroon guitar in his hand and his smile twisted fondly as he lifted it up and held it in both hands.

'Yeh. Been playing since I was a little hedgehoglet, kinda a hobby of mine..' The cobalt-blue hedgehog spoke lightly as his hazel eyes ran over his acoustic instrument. 'I bought this with the first pay-check I'd ever earned.'

'It's beautiful..' The royal hedgehog said gently before her emerald eyes returned to his handsome face. 'What kind of music do you play on it?' She asked sweetly and the cobalt male smiled back at her.

'All sorts, depends on my mood but mostly I just play what comes into my head.' Jules replied lightly and the lilac-furred female hedgehog blinked in surprise.

'You can make up your own music?' Princess Aleena gasped out impressed, she'd only ever played music from sheet. She'd never met anybody who was creative enough to write their own music, or at least play it.

'Sure, it's not that hard and sometimes I put lyrics to it, when I feel inspired to..' He grinned mischievously at her now, a twinkle in his warm hazel eyes.

'Really?' The lilac-furred princess smiled fondly at him. 'Would you ever consider playing something for me sometime?' She asked curiously, her heart fluttered in her chest at the idea of him strumming a tune just for her.

'Sure but maybe another time..' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sounded lightly before he pulled out the black shoulder-strap of his guitar and hooked the two ends onto the maroon body of his instrument. He then slipped it over his shoulder so the guitar was leaning along his cobalt back-quills. 'Can I ask you something, princess?'

'Only if you would please call me Aleena..' The blonde-quilled hedgehog replied gently, she didn't want him to refer to her in such a formal manner.

'Heh, when I'm off duty I'll bare that in mind.' Jules said gently.

'Your off duty now..' The lilac-furred hedgehog replied, her brows contracting as a playful smile tweaked her pink lips. Her words made the cobalt hedgehog chuckle lightly.

'Fair point Ali..' He said with a smirk and the princess' bright green eyes widened momentarily at this new nickname before a pleased smile curved her pink-painted lips. This time she accepted his affectionate shortening of her name without questioning it.

'So, you wanted to ask me something?' Princess Aleena enquired sweetly.

'Yeh. Why don't we walk and talk as it's such a nice night..' Jules suggested before holding out his arm to her politely. Princess Aleena nodded brightly looping her arm into his and resting her dainty fingers onto his forearm..

'So what do you want to know?' The lilac female asked as the two hedgehogs began walking arm in arm down the sandstone tiled pathway, descending the steps to the lower grounds. The sun was just beginning to set, shining it's dimming golden rays of light all over the surrounding landscape.

'Do you know anything about the missing prince?' Jules asked her curiously and immediately the princess' eyes turned back to him from the grounds.

'Prince Theodore? Why do you want to know about him?' The lilac-furred hedgehog blinked inquisitively up at the cobalt-blue male.

'Theodore?' Jules blinked in shock, his middle name was linked to royalty just like his brother's, this couldn't be a coincidence. 'That was his name?'

'Yes, that's right..' Princess Aleena replied with a slight smile. 'He was the younger brother of Prince Elias who was-'

'-the prince who was shot by an Overlander.' Jules concluded for her causing Princess Aleena to throw him a questioning look. 'I read the Tales of Kirby as the hedgehoglet.'

'Me too!' The blonde-quilled female hedgehog smiled widely. 'Well, Theodore was Elias' younger brother and they had a little sister named Sophia..' As they walked onwards Princess Aleena began to tell Jules everything that she knew about the missing Prince of Mobius..

'And get this Charlie..' Jules Hedgehog was saying excitedly to his older brother as he swung around, pacing back across the dining-room/science-lab while Charles was packing a few binders away into a large box. '-when Prince Elias was shot his brother Theodore was consumed with grief. He was so distraught that he couldn't handle the guilty burden of becoming the next heir.. So Prince Theodore fled from the palace and was never heard from again. This meant that it was left to Princess Sophia to carry on the family line which is why the royal surname changed from Hedgehog to Hedgington as she was only coroneted after her marriage.'

'Yes, I know this Jules..' The mild-blue hedgehog sighed heavily and paused from packing away his items to glance at his little brother. 'She was known as the Queen Sophia the Sorrowful because she lived in perpetual mourning of the two brothers she had lost before leaving her throne to her only son. What's your point?' Charles scratched one of his bushy blue eyebrows absent-mindedly as he lent back in his seat, giving his little brother his undivided attention.

'Well, at cadet inspection this morning I found out that the king thought our surname of 'Hedgehog' had died out years ago.. Then, when he asked me for my middle name he mentioned the missing prince to General D'Coolette and they both began whispering while staring at me. Coincidence? I think not!' Jules swivelled back towards the dining-room table and slammed his hands on it, leaning across to his brother.

'Your reaching..' Charles responded, his pale-blue eyes narrowing with a small hint of amusement as he knew he was repeating the exact same words to his little brother as he had once said to him back when he wanted to check out their family's past. Jules' hazel eyes scowled back with slight irritation, he too recognised the irony behind his brother's words but he did not see the funny side.

'Am I?' The cobalt-blue sixteen year old hedgehog asked in a frustrated tone. His older brother rarely took his theories seriously, probably something to do with the fact that he wasn't nearly as smart as Charles. 'You don't even think that there is the chance that we could, however distantly, be related to Prince Theodore?' Jules kinked a brow at his older brother. 'I mean, we don't even know that much about our family history..'

'Exactly.' Charles replied with a slight wave of his hand to emphasis his point. 'And we can't prove that we have any solid connection to this prince because the inhabitants of Knothole weren't included in the Mobius Census until the settlers were discovered around the time of our great-great grandfather Charleston Hedgehog, remember?' The mild-blue hedgehog sounded as he folded his arms and slouched back in his seat. He admired his little brother's conviction but the mild-blue older hedgehog was a mobian of science, without a solid census there was no way of proving that they really were descendants of Prince Theodore. Unlike his brother Jules who was completely open-minded, Charles had never believed that the Tales of Kirby were real stories from the past but merely facts that had been twisted for entertainment and had no creditable value in these times.

'I know, I know..' Jules sighed heavily, pulling away with an exasperated sigh as his brother's inability to open his mind further than logic would allow aggravated him immensely. '-but can't you just admit that there is a small possibility that we could be his descendants, I mean there is nothing to prove we aren't, right?' The cobalt-blue sixteen year old flashed his brother a smug grin, knowing the older hedgehog couldn't argue with his logic.

'Alright. Fine..' Charles raised both his hands in defeat at his brother's words. '-I can't argue with you there little brother.' He then sighed heavily and shook his head roughly. It was rare for Jules to win an argument, usually the cobalt-blue hedgehog would storm off in a mood if he knew he wasn't going to win against his brother. That way Charles wouldn't be able to beat him down with his vast intelligence. Immediately the older hedgehog began to resume packing things into the box he had set on the dining room table.

'So, what are you doing?' Jules sounded curiously, deciding to bypass his usual moment of gloating about outsmarting his genius brother as the fact that what Charles was doing right now looked a little unusual. For some reason this room was starting to resemble a dining room again.

'Packing away some things..' The mild-blue hedgehog replied vaguely.

'What for? You not need them anymore?' Jules smirked with amusement and his words caused Charles to sigh and pause from packing away some of his stationary supplies.

'Um, listen Jules..' The mild-blue twenty year old hedgehog turned slowly back to his little brother with a uneasy look. 'I've been meaning to talk to you about this but..' The older Hedgehog brother's pale-blue eyes looked sad.

'But what?' Jules threw his brother a searching look.

'My grant money came through..' Charles said seriously. '-and we both know that this place neither has the space nor the facilities I need to be able to advance my research.' The cobalt-blue younger brother was silent for a moment as his hazel eyes turned to the ground, contemplating his older sibling's words. Jules knew what his brother was hinting at and after a moment of letting it sink in he pulled his eyes back to his brother's face.

'So… your moving out.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sounded, feeling his heart congeal a little as the words was said out loud. Jules wasn't sure he was ready to be parted from his brother but he was in no position to stop him..

'Not yet I'm not.' Charles replied. 'I've only recently started viewing potential studio-labs in Mobotroplis.'

'I see..' The cobalt hedgehog said, placing his hands on his hips.

'We always knew this day would come Jules..' The mild-blue older hedgehog sounded.

'I know..' Jules responded gently. '-I didn't think it would be happening so soon, that's all.' Charles smirked slightly at his little brother's words.

'Well, I'm not moving out just yet, so your gonna have to put up with me for a little bit longer.' The mild-blue twenty year old hedgehog said lightly.

'Good, cause I'm not ready for you to leave just yet.' Jules grinned widely as he slipped an arm around his slightly shorter, older brother's shoulders. 'Having said that. When you do find a place I will be right there to help you shift your stuff.' Charles smiled at his brother.

'Thanks, but you know I would've roped you into it anyway, right?' The mild-blue hedgehog said lightly.

'Yup, that's why I'm getting in on the ground floor and offering now..' Jules responded with a wide smirk back.

Little Notes:

Hey everybody! I do hope you all are enjoying this fic, I'm still not one-hundred percent on how everybody is taking this fic as it's hard to gauge with only a few people reviewing but going by the steady rise in view-figures I'm assuming it's going well… I understand parent-fics aren't too popular in this section but I'm grateful to all who have taken the time to review, favourite and alert this… it means a lot!

Ok, a bit more on the past of the royal hedgehog family in this chapter and for those who are familiar with the Archie back-story of the Mobian/Overlander struggle will notice that although some parts will be similar they are two completely different storylines so there will be major differences to both past events and events to come.

Until next time…

~Ditzy x