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 beside 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:

Nyx27Seth: Oohhhh, that kiss was almost as hot as my sunburn (ouch!)… glad to see your still enjoying it! Btw you're supposed to vote on the poll but… eh, screw it! X

Slayer 666: Lol, how many kisses do you have where the guy gives you the cold shoulder after? XDDD And thank you, I wanted Bunnie's parents to come off as rednecks since that's how Beauregard Rabbot was in the comics, it kind of made sense to try and stay true to her miniscule background. Y'know what? Your just gonna have to wait and see with the kids… I'm not giving away my secrets! ;) X

Chapter Eleven: A Hedgehog's Mistake

Jules Hedgehog's hazel eyes gazed forlornly down into the glass of almost translucent orange liquid. Instead of drinking it he sighed heavily.

'Oh…' The cobalt-blue hedgehog suddenly groaned out loud as he lent on his brother's workbench with his elbows and placed his head in his hands. His white-gloved fingers twisted in his long head quills, tugging on them agitatedly. Charles glanced around from his Holographic Computer System to his moping little brother and frowned slightly irritated by it. It had been two days since his birthday and Jules had stopped in to see his older brother in his studio-lab in Mobotroplis just like he did every day he was starting late at the palace. This had been the first time that Charles had seen Jules since he had turned seventeen. The mild-blue twenty year old hedgehog had meant to visit his little brother on his birthday but had been side-tracked by a brainwave concerning one of his experiments and lost track of the day. He had then avoided going up to see his cobalt-furred brother the next day having a feeling he'd need the whole day to recover from the antics of the night before. As Jules gave another despairing moan, still twisting his long head-quills, Charles was starting to think one day wasn't long enough.

'Are you going to tell me what's bothering you or just sit there and despair into your OJ?' The mild-blue hedgehog finally sounded in a low monotonous voice. He'd finally had enough of Jules' moping.

'Argh! Charlie I've messed up!' The cobalt hedgehog suddenly exclaimed with a pained expression as his hazel eyes turned to his older brother, looking for some kind of guidance. These were the first words he'd actually said to his brother since entering his studio-lab.

Charles sighed heavily. Realising that there was no point in working on his mathematical equation for his theory on robotic transformation while his brother was whining, the mild-blue hedgehog turned away from his HSC computer-screen and gave his little brother his undivided attention.

'Alright..' Charles sounded calmly with an almost bored undertone, vaguely wondering how many times he and Jules had been here before. 'What did you do?' His white-gloved hands clasped together in his lap as his pale-blue eyes rested on his little brother's anguished face.

Jules finally let go of his long head-quills and took a shaky yet calming deep breath.

'You remember that 'Bernadette' girl the guys told you about?' The cobalt-blue seventeen year old hedgehog asked tentatively with a nervous look in his hazel eyes.

'Yeh. What about her?' Charles asked with a curious edge to his voice as his hairy blue brow kinked.

'Well, she appeared with a couple of my Royal Guard buddies at my birthday camp-out and I… I…' Jules' voice wavered anxiously as his hands twisted uneasily. 'Charlie, I kissed her!' He finished dramatically as his eyes looked imploringly at his older brother.

'So…?' Charles finally responded to this looking confused. This girl was hardly the first girl-mobian his little brother had ever kissed.

'So! I was drunk! I didn't really know what I was doing at the time.' Jules cried out with distress. He shook his head roughly in self-disapproval.

'I still fail to see what the big problem is? Just apologise and tell her that.' Charles still sounded perplexed as his pale-blue eyes scrutinised his little brother.

'Rrrr…' Jules groaned as he gnashed his teeth in irritation realising that he was going to have to tell his brother the truth. 'It's not that simple Charlie. She's not exactly who my friends think she is.'

'What are you talking about?' The mild-blue twenty year old hedgehog's brow knitted into a concerned frown.

'She made me promise not to say but you may as well know the truth..' Jules sighed heavily, his eyes dropping to his hands nervously. 'Bernadette is really the king's daughter.' He added softly, his cobalt-blue pointed ears dipped with shame. He kept his eyes low, not bearing to look his brother in the eyes.

'Wait? Are you saying that she-? That you…' Charles' pale blue eyes widened in shock at his little brother's confession. 'You kissed the Princess of Mobius?'

'Ah… technically she kissed me; I was just too drunk to object.' Jules finally looked his brother in the eyes and grinned sheepishly with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

'Julius!' Charles gasped out in horror, unable to wrap his mind around the truth as it was just so shocking. 'What about your job, that could fall under gross misconduct!' He suddenly threw his little brother a worried look, not wanting him to lose his job.

'I know, I know. I'm a total idiot. You don't need to tell me.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sounded with a hint of a pleading whine to his tone. He instantly shut his eyes and shook his head fiercely causing his fringe of quills to shake violently.

'Well I'm glad you said it.' The mild-blue hedgehog couldn't help but quip and this caused Jules to scowl at his older brother in annoyance. This was not the time for jokes.

'Charlie… you're not helping.' The cobalt-blue seventeen year old hedgehog's voice rose to a high, petulant whinge.

'Alright, alright, take it easy little brother.' Charles' white-gloved hands waved in a 'calm down' manner deciding it was best to push forward as nothing grated him more than Jules' childish griping. There was a slight pause as the older Hedgehog brother considered what to say before he eventually spoke again. 'Do you have feelings for her?' Charles' pale-blue eyes were scrutinising his brother again. Jules seemed to squirm uncomfortably at his brother's inquiry. It was a good question but unfortunately it was also one that he'd been wrestling with himself.

'I…' Jules eventually began but paused and took a cleansing breath before starting again. 'I may…' He broke off again and Charles' scrutinising look softened into sympathy. He knew how hard it was for his little brother to openly share his personal feelings. It was one of the things that he had inherited from their father. Maurice Hedgehog had never shared any of his inner feelings with his children. He'd never once told his two boys he loved them but Charles had never doubted that their father did. Jules' belief in it might have wavered now and again but the very fact that Maurice had raised them both single-handedly into the fine young mobians they were today was proof of his devotion to them.

'I may have… stirrings.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog finally sounded, feeling vulnerable now that he was laying himself bare to his brother's interrogation. For a long moment the older Hedgehog brother stared at his little sibling.

'Stirrings?' Charles repeated, blinking at his brother's word choice to which Jules' hazel eyes narrowed towards him. 'Alright, nevermind. Does anybody else know about the kiss?' The mild-blue hedgehog added wondering if they could fix the situation before it got worse.

'No.' The seventeen year old hedgehog gave a slight sigh of relief at this point. He was pretty sure that he'd not told a soul about it after it had happened. Instead he'd merely hid his shame by increasing his alcohol intake as a means of trying to forget about it.

'Good. What you're going to do is let the dust settle, ok? Do whatever it takes not to speak to Princess Aleena. Think you can do that Jules?' Charles spoke seriously, closing his eyes as he folded his arms across his chest firmly. Hopefully this would all blow over before his little brother got any more emotionally involved than he already was.

'Yeh…' Jules drawled with a short exhale, seeing his brother's reasoning. He nodded slowly as he realised there was only one sure way of avoiding Princess Aleena at work. 'I think I know a way to avoid her.'

'Wait, so now you want to be on sentry duty?' Captain Prower asked as one light-brown eyebrow kinked up confused to his blue-quilled cadet. 'The last time I put you on sentry duty you said it was the most boring job on Mobius and that if anyone could die of boredom I'd just be punching a new nail into your coffin every time I made you do it.'

'Yeh, yeh I know what I said sir, you don't have to repeat it.' Jules cut over him, batting his hands dismissively at his captain's words. 'But I don't think I gave the job a fair assessment so I'd like to give it another shot.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog smiled widely, displaying the chip in his tooth. Captain Prower sighed heavily in response to these words before shaking his head lightly with disbelief. Cadet Jules Hedgehog had loathed sentry duty. It required the guard on duty to be up in the battlements with a set of binoculars, scanning the expanse of palace grounds for any sort of abnormal activity and report it to grounds patrol so they could check it out. It wasn't a job for everyone and it certainly wasn't a job for a stubborn, fleet-footed hedgehog whose talents belonged down on the outside grounds. But if Jules was so insistent about doing it Amadeus knew there was no point in arguing with him.

'Alright, fine. I'll switch you to sentry duty but remember Jules, you wanted this.' The golden-furred fox-mobian rolled his sky-blue eyes lightly before heading over to the work-schedule and began to alter the week's duties.

'Gotcha..' The cobalt-blue hedgehog winked before leaving his captain's office, heading towards the palace's top battlements.

'The next time I have a bright idea..' Jules Hedgehog scowled to himself as he held his night-vision binoculars near his chest. '-remind me to gag myself until it passes.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog had only been on sentry duty for little over an hour and he now remembered why he hated this job. The sound of mild laughter came from behind him and this caused Jules to glance over his shoulder to his commanding officer. The red-feathered mobian-woodpecker named Percy Peckers couldn't help but grin in amusement at the hedgehog before him. He swivelled his winged-wrist towards him so he could look at his watch before his deep-violet eyes returned to the seventeen year old hedgehog in front of him.

'Sixty-six minutes and forty-three seconds.' Peckers commented cheerfully. Corporal Percy Peckers was a bird in his late twenties who was quite level-headed but it was his keen eyesight and quick aerial manoeuvres that made him the perfect mobian to oversee the sentry privates and cadets. Although Jules did not like sentry duty itself he did like his red-feathered commanding officer. Peckers was a down to Mobius guy who preferred to be known by his surname as he disliked his first name. As an officer he was strict when he needed to be but most of the time he tried to be understanding of the officers in his charge.

'Huh?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sounded dimly, not following why the mobian-woodpecker had said this.

'I was timing you to see how long it was going to take for the complaining to kick in.' The mobian-woodpecker sounded brightly causing Jules' hazel eyes to narrow. 'In all fairness I reckon you did pretty well, I was expecting you to start the moment you got up here.'

'Hmmm..' The cobalt-blue hedgehog sounded vaguely as he lifted his night-vision binoculars and scanned the northern-side grounds below. Everything seemed quiet. Jules lowered his binoculars again and sighed heavily. 'Yeh, well, I kinda asked to come up here so I brought this on myself.' He finally responded to his colleague's words and immediately Pecker's deep-violet eyes widened in shock.

'What? You hate this job! Why would you do that to yourself unless..' The red-feathered mobian-woodpecker tailed off as he realised part of the truth. 'Are you avoiding someone?' He suddenly asked with a smirk. Jules blinked before turning his eyes back to his partner, a guilty sort of grimace twisting his muzzle.

'Sort of.' The seventeen year old hedgehog admitted with a half-hearted shrug.

'Uh oh, you've gone and got yourself in a spot of bother have you?' Peckers sounded with a slight smirk and the kind of tone that made it seem like he was thinking Jules had upset another guard.

'Something like that..' Jules gave a deep rolling sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly as he leant his elbows on the wide stone masonry of the two-foot battlement wall. His hazel eyes gazed down glumly at the binoculars in his white-gloved hands, studying them as if they were more interesting than they actually were.

'Well, coming up here to hide won't solve anything. You can't run from your problems, you have to face them head on.' Peckers said wisely but his words were met with barely a response as Jules continued to gaze at the binoculars, turning them slowly.

'I'm not running.' He eventually gave a deep exhale then put the night-vision binoculars down and turned around so he was now leaning his lower-back against the short stone-wall, his back-quills resting comfortably on its surface. 'Just waiting for the dust to settle before I try to put things right.' His hazel eyes closed as his mouth set in a serious line, his arms folding across the breast of his Royal Guard uniform. His mind drifted to Princess Aleena. The kiss had been a mistake. He knew that now. No matter how right it had felt at the time, or how his heart still leapt in a weirdly warm way when he thought about it, it was still wrong. Their whole twisted friendship was wrong. He had to break it off before he hurt her feelings anymore. They didn't belong together, they never did. He was only meant to serve and protect her and if he let his feelings get in the way he wouldn't be able to do his job correctly. The problem now was… how did he tell Princess Aleena?

'Don't avoid it for long then Hedgehog. You don't want too extensive a wait or you'll miss your chance.' Peckers sounded gently.

'I won't sir, I just need a week or so tops.' The cobalt-blue hedgehog said honestly. He figured by that time he would know what to do.

'Good, you belong on grounds patrol. Your talents are wasted up here.' Peckers said plainly and Jules couldn't help but silently agree with his commanding officer. 'Now will you be alright while I fly over to the southern battlements and check in with the boys there?'

'Yeh, sure. No need to worry about me sir, I'll keep watch.' Jules lifted his night-vision binoculars again and turned back out to monitor his watch points.

'Alright, and don't forget to note perimeter-sweep checkpoints. They'll be due to set off soon.' Peckers added passing the hedgehog a checklist of points on his section of palace ground below. Jules rolled his eyes wearily but took the check-sheet. Watching the guys move slowly around the checkpoints was the dullest part of the whole shift. He knew it was just a safety precaution so they could be warned of any kind of threat but considering how he could perform an entire grounds sweep in a quarter of the time, watching others do it was frustrating.

'Aye, aye sir..' Jules droned as Peckers fluttered his wings and glided over the north-side battlements towards the south-side ones ten feet opposite them.

It was almost time for the new month to begin and the fifteen year old Princess of Mobius had been wandering the palace floors with a brooding look on her smooth lilac-furred face. Her emerald green eyes would remain unfocused and lost in her thoughts as she wandered without purpose through her massive home. The only time any focus returned to her face was when a figure in Royal Guard uniform appeared in her vicinity. Princess Aleena would only look long enough to realise it wasn't the cobalt hedgehog before her heart sank and her focus was lost. It had been five days since the fifteen tear old female hedgehog had seen him and that had been in Knothole where they'd kissed. She had not seen him since that night and the lilac-furred princess was beginning to suspect he was avoiding her somehow. But this raised as many questions as it answered. She'd tried talking to Argus and Jasper who had taken her to Knothole but they claimed not to have seen him either. Princess Aleena was unsure whether they were telling the truth or covering for Jules but either way she had to accept their answer. The royal hedgehog with blonde quills walked absent-mindedly along the main corridor and out into the courtyard, hoping the fresh air might clear her mind. Her tangled thoughts and worries concerning the cobalt-quilled hedgehog fell apart as her eyes spotted three very familiar echidnae approaching the entrance to her home. One of them was a face that she had been longing to see…

'Oh Lara-Le!' Princess Aleena squealed happily, pleased to be reunited with her best friend after being parted for the last two weeks as Ambassador Zayden had been needed in Albion to convene with the High Council. The moment the petit lilac-furred hedgehog had spotted her best friend all her fretting lost and she moved as swiftly as she could in her expensive white heels, rushing towards the red-furred echidna and enveloping her in a massive hug. 'I've missed you so much!' The princess sounded joyfully.

'I've missed you too! I have so much to tell you!' Lara-Le sounded as the girls parted from their embrace.

'Me too! You won't believe it!' Princess Aleena sounded excitedly before a deep voice sounded from behind the girls.

'Is your father inside princess, I need to speak with him immediately.' The sound of Ambassador Zayden's voice made the blonde-quilled royal hedgehog blink startled by his brash tone.

'Dearest, please don't be so rude to her majesty.' Lady Mimi-Le said gently to her husband with wide eyes, her soft-red quills had been pleated and then pinned up in an elaborate bun. She was wearing a soft-blue dress that matched her eyes. Ambassador Zayden narrowed his minty-green eyes towards his wife and made a low grumbling noise, clearly not liking the fact that his wife had spoken back to him.

'Is the king inside?' The deep-red furred echidna turned is eyes back to the fifteen year old royal hedgehog, using the same blunt tone as before showing he was not taking his wife's advice.

'Oh, um.. Why yes. I believe father is in the throne room conversing with Warlord Kodos and the other council members. I'm sure he-' Princess Aleena began to stammer nervously as Lara-Le's father always looked so imposing.

'That'll do, thank you.' Ambassador Zayden interrupted the lilac-furred hedgehog before she could even finish her sentence, heading off towards the entrance to Hedgington Hall leaving his wife, daughter and Princess Aleena to watch him with slightly wide eyes as he approached the guards. When he drew level with them both guards saluted warmly but the deep-red echidna merely disregarded them.

'Don't mind him darlings.' Mimi-Le sounded sweetly to the teenage mobian-girls. 'Just you ladies enjoy the afternoon; we will see you in the sunroom for tea after we have discussed business.'

'Come along Mimi..' Ambassador Zayden's voice sounded sharply at this point causing the soft red-furred thirty-something echidna to immediately head over to her husband and link arms with him obediently.

'Lara, your father frightens me.' Princess Aleena sounded as the two girls began to head out of the courtyard via the open garden doorway built into the side-wall.

'He frightens me too; at least you don't have to live with him.' Lara-Le said matter-of-factly.

'Are all echidnae males as cool and aloof as he is?' The princess asked curiously, flicking a blonde-curled quill out of her face as the gentle breeze had blown it out of place.

'Most of them are. It's just our way. Providers are traditionally strong and dominant while Maters are supposed to be soft and submissive. It's supposed to help bring balance and centre to the next generation.' The red-furred echidna said gently.

'I don't want to offend when I say this Lara but that sounds like male-based reasoning to me. I have only one parent and I am perfectly centred thank you very much.' The lilac-furred hedgehog sounded observantly, if female echidnae opinions were so undervalued this theory made perfect sense.

'To be honest, I think your right princess but I don't have any choice in it, as a female I must submit. My father wouldn't have it any other way. He'd see it as a betrayal to our beliefs and our ancestors.' The red-furred echidna sighed lightly. She'd never truly liked the idea of marrying a complete stranger but she didn't have the gumption to stand up to her domineering father. Princess Aleena made a noise of sympathetic understanding as she'd known Lara-Le since the pair had been in diapers.

'So what's been happening while I've been away?' Lara-Le asked curiously. 'Any progress with Jules?' Her minty eyes bursting with curiosity as she'd only seen him that the day the two of them had discovered he was working as a royal guard.

'I really don't know. We were getting on great until about a week ago when I sneaked out of here and went to Knothole to see him on his birthday.' Princess Aleena said shyly, nervous about her friend's reaction even though she knew the echidna would never betray her confidence.

'You didn't!' Lara-Le gasped out in amazement before her minty eyes widened with further surprise, she'd always known Princess Aleena had a bit of a defiant streak about her but this was incredible. 'How did you even get there?' She asked confused.

'A couple of cadets took me up there. But don't worry, they were friends of Jules they won't say anything.' Princess Aleena added the last bit as Lara-Le flashed a look of concern.

'You're so brave princess. I don't think I'd have the nerve to sneak out and travel so far.' The red-furred echidna looked nervous just by the idea of it. 'So was he pleased to see you?'

'Not really no.' Princess Aleena sighed. 'He told me off for sneaking out and going so far and… well…' She tailed off suddenly looking coy about the next part of her story.

'Well what?' Prompted the red-furred echidna, curious to know why her friend was looking so uncomfortable.

'I, sort of, kissed him.' The lilac-furred hedgehog flushed a light shade of pink and turned her blonde-quilled head shyly away. She was slightly embarrassed by her own forwardness now; perhaps it was this that had made Jules want to avoid her.

'You kissed him?' Lara-Le squealed out in shock only to be shushed by Princess Aleena, the lilac hedgehog's emerald eyes flashed for patrolling Royal Guards, not wanting their conversation to be overheard and reported. Thankfully there was none around and she sighed.

'Not so loud.' The royal hedgehog uttered. Guards could still be around even if they didn't see them. The two mobian-girls continued walking across the fresh green lawn as the afternoon sun shone warm and bright allowing the flowers around them to fill the air with their sweet perfume. They were heading towards a white garden swing which was nestled away in a quiet nook of shrubbery and flowers, hidden from immediate view. It was a place the two girls liked to go to speak privately about things.

'I did kiss him, and it was..' The royal hedgehog paused trying to think of the right word to describe it. '-just indescribable. He did seem to like it too. But now I'm regretting it because that was nearly seven days ago and I haven't seen him since.' Princess Aleena sounded with a gentle look of sadness as she sat down on the white-painted long wooden swing. 'Do you think he's avoiding me?' Lara-Le sighed the sat down beside her and caused the swing to rock them gently to and fro.

'I don't know. Maybe he's just been put on a different sort of guard duty. I mean they do get switched around all the time. He could just be working somewhere else in the palace and you've just not seen him.' The red-furred echidna said lightly, wanting to cheer up her friend.

'Huh. You could be right Lara-Le, I never thought about that.' The lilac-furred hedgehog smiled sweetly at her best friend. 'I mean he is a cadet and they don't have a set position. They don't get that until they're promoted to privates.'

'Exactly.' The red-furred echidna nodded with a smile. 'And if he's working nights he'd only be starting when you were turning in for the night.'

'Oh you are right.' Princess Aleena couldn't help but smile widely now. 'I should stay up and try to talk to him.' Suddenly her face fell as a thought came to her mind. 'But what if he really is avoiding me?'

'Then at least you'll be able to confront him about it.' Lara-Le flashed her friend a supportive smile as she stopped the garden swing and took hold of the royal hedgehog's hand and immediately Princess Aleena smiled back gratefully.

Once dusk had fallen the royal princess opened the secret passageway in her dressing room fireplace and slipped out into the dimly lit hallway. Immediately she began heading towards a stairwell that lead down to the ground floor of the palace. As she padded gently down the closed-off stone staircase Princess Aleena arrived in a large secret chamber with three escape tunnels, several spyholes in make using the eyes of royal portraits on the walls outside and a secret doorway leading to a concealed entrance to the main hallway.

She headed straight for the doorway and opened it slipping out so she was now hidden behind the deep-red velvet curtains that draped along the main hallway. She pulled the curtain back just enough to peak her emerald green eyes through and check for patrolling guards. Thankfully there was no sign of anybody so the young princess slipped out and headed for the Royal Guard's office wing where she knew they kept their work schedules for the week along with the Holographic Video Cameras that monitored various parts of the palace and changing area where they changed in and out of their uniforms. As long General D'Coolette, who was overseeing night-watch tonight, wasn't in the main office she would be able to take a peek at the schedule sheet and see when Jules was working next and ambush him. The blonde-quilled hedgehog slipped off her heels so she could sneak towards the door to the guards' main office which was on the other side of the locker room. Passing through the large square room with lockers on both walls and a long bench in the middle the princess cautiously pushed the door gently, trying desperately to think of an excuse in case the general was inside.

The lilac-furred royal hedgehog was spared from lying as there was nobody inside. Glancing quickly around the room the princes finally spotted the work schedule pinned to a noticeboard. The royal princess' eyes scanned the lines of names until she found the cobalt-blue hedgehog's name and she instantly smiled seeing he was on sentry duty right now, she didn't even have to wait another moment. Without another pause she ran out of the office and back to the secret passageway to head towards the battlements…

…On the northern battlements Jules Hedgehog was whistling an upbeat tune to himself as his binocular-covered eyes roamed the grounds below. However once he pulled the night-vision binoculars away from his face he sighed heavily as his hazel eyes narrowed.

'Nada..' He uttered with a drawl of tedium before groaning heavily. This job was boring him senseless. His mind began to think of a way to spice up his night and Jules scratched his muzzle thoughtfully as he mused on what he could do. Suddenly his eyes widened as he snapped his fingers, an idea hitting him. Instantly he pulled his radio out of his utility belt and put it to his mouth.

'This is Blue Blur to grounds patrol, does anyone copy?' He asked with a twisted smirk on his mouth.

'This is Midnight Shadow reading you loud and clear, over.' A voice replied over the radio and Jules grinned wider. It was Jasper… perfect!

'Midnight Shadow unusual movement spotted in the lower gardens, think you can go check it out?' The cobalt-blue hedgehog let go of the button and sniggered immaturely at his crank-request. Sending grounds patrol on wild a wild goose chase was always fun, as long as Corporal Peckers didn't catch him doing it.

'Can do, over.' Was the response over the radio and Jules pocketed his radio then leant his head in his hands as his elbows rested on the battlement walls, watching as the all-black mobian-cat wandered down the steps.

'Heh-heh.. Sucker.' Jules chuckled in amusement as his eyes narrowed.

'Does Corporal Peckers know you radio hoaxes to those on ground patrol?' A familiar sweet voice with a hint of disapproval sounded causing the cobalt-blue hedgehog to swivel around in shock. His warm-hazel eyes widened in further horror as he saw the Princess of Mobius standing on the battlements opposite him.

'Aleena!' Jules cried out in surprise with a slightly nervous grin. 'You're not supposed to up here.' He then added in confusion, not understanding how she had found him.

'And you're supposed to be taking your job seriously.' The lilac-furred hedgehog stated plainly as she folded her arms across her bosom.

'Alright, I'll give you that one princess. So what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep?' Jules asked the royal hedgehog as he leant back against the two-foot battlement wall.

'I came here to talk to you. I haven't seen you since… well, you know, we kissed.' She added gently, her emerald-green eyes softening as she gazed at the cobalt male before her. Jules immediately sighed heavily at her words; he should've realised that he wouldn't be able to avoid her for long. She was much more resourceful than he realised as she'd managed to track him here.

'I've been working nights since then but we do need to talk.' The seventeen year old hedgehog responded uneasily. 'Look, there's no easy way to tell you this but… that kiss was a mistake Aleena.'

'What?' The blonde-quilled female hedgehog blinked in confusion.

'I'm sorry princess but I was drunk; I wasn't in the right frame of mind and I lost my restraint. It won't happen again.' Jules spoke coolly, raising his hands in an apologetic manner. 'I think it would be easier if we carried on like it never happened.' He added serious though his hazel eyes gave her a hint of remorse for his words.

'What are you saying?' Princess Aleena sounded in a soft timid voice, feeling her heart suddenly tighten in her chest like it was being squeezed painfully. Her emerald eyes widened slightly as they stared with an open expression of anxiety and confusion, not understanding why he was saying these words to her.

'Aleena, I'm sorry..' The cobalt hedgehog spoke gently now, stepping forward and taking her hand in his, his eyes filled with sorrow and a glimmer of seriousness. His mind was made up about this. 'But I think we should keep things strictly professional between us. You're a nice girl but we're just too different. You're a princess; you belong with the type of guy that can give you everything you could ever want. At the end of the day, I'm just a guard; I'm merely here to keep you and your father safe that's all. I can't offer you anything else.' He immediately let go of her hand and turned away from her before adding gently. 'I think you should be calling it a night now princess.'

'But I..' The blonde-quilled hedgehog started before feeling hot tears run down her face, causing her black eyeliner and mascara to streak. Inside her heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces and the bits were stabbing at her insides. She began to shake, barely holding back the sobs. At this point she scowled, feeling a stab of anger suddenly flash over her and Princess Aleena wiped away her tears and scowled. 'Is that how you really feel?' She asked Jules seriously, her voice stronger than she was right now.

'It is.' Jules said unemotionally. His back was to the princess and he was leaning over the battlements. He was holding the night-vision binoculars trying to control the slight tremor of his hands. His expression was slightly glum, but luckily she couldn't see him. He knew this was the right thing to do. He didn't belong with her, he had to let her go… but that knowledge certainly didn't make it easier to handle.

'Fine.' The princess' voice had a slightly steely edge to it and it made him wince slightly, not that she noticed as the sound of her heels clicking on the stone slab-flooring indicated to him that the petit lilac-furred hedgehog had turned and left. Jules then allowed his shoulders to sag as he gave a heavy sigh. His blue-quilled head bowing slightly forward, his long blue-quilled quiff shielding his eyes as his mouth set in a solemn line.

'Blue Blur, this is Midnight Shadow, there's nothing here; you copy that?' Jules' radio suddenly sounded at this point. The cobalt-blue hedgehog didn't even crack a smile as Jasper had finally got back to him about his crank call.

'Whatever.' The seventeen year old hedgehog sounded, not even bothering to pull his radio out of his utility belt to respond to it.

'Blue Blur, you there?' His radio said after a moment of waiting. There was a pause and then another transmission. 'Aw, Chaos Jules… this is another prank isn't it?' This was followed by a muffled static-distorted curse which sounded suspiciously like 'you blue idiot'. This made a tiny smirk curve Jules' tanned-skin muzzle…

King Ogilvie the Third walked purposely through the hallway of Hedgington Hall's private quarters, heading down towards his daughter's chambers. Concern was swimming in his deep maroon eyes as his red cape swished with the speed of his steps. He had not seen his child in a few days and apparently she was refusing to allow the chamber maids or her carer Marie D'Coolette into her rooms. Instead the princess seemed to have shut herself off from the entire castle as the only thing she did allow was the servants to bring meals to her chambers. King Ogilvie's brow knitted slightly as he considered his daughter's odd behaviour. She'd never been this aloof in her life. She had her mother's gentle and sweet nature, while retaining some of that fiery spirit that their royal family was infamous for. Something was clearly bothering her and as her only parent left the King of Mobius was determined to find out what that was about and fix it if possible. When he reached his daughter's main chamber door he knocked sharply on its high-polished wooden surface.

'Aleena, I will not allow you to contain yourself like this for any longer.' The green-quilled King of Mobius sounded sternly through the door, announcing his presence with the kind of authority only a royal dad could muster. 'You're worrying Madam D'Coolette and troubling the rest of the staff. If you will not come out and explain yourself then I will come in.' If he was expecting his lilac-furred daughter to come rushing to the door then he was sadly mistaken. Only silence was the response to his words. The green-quilled royal hedgehog scowled, his patience teetering as he did not like being ignored. 'Young lady… I'm giving you to the count of three.' He sounded in a firmer voice as his arms crossed irately across his chest, one finger tapping impatiently on his bicep. His daughter usually did as she was asked and he had not had to exercise any kind of discipline since she was a little hedgehoglet. There was still no reply to this so and the King of Mobius grumbled in the back of his throat at her continuing defiance.

'One… Two… Three!' King Ogilvie opened the door instantly and entered Princess Aleena's chambers; privacy was forfeit when his daughter chose to ignore his summons. As the royal green hedgehog stepped over the threshold the first thing he noticed was how dim her room was. He looked around the room for his daughter noticing that the light gauze curtains leading out to her balcony were drawn which explained why her room was so dull. One side held a chez-lounge and a neat little coffee-table near the marble stone fireplace which had a picture of his departed wife above it. In a corner nearby there was a stone archway leading off to her private en-suite bathroom. King Ogilvie suddenly became aware of the sound of gentle sobbing and turned his maroon eyes around to his daughter's large four-poster bed with soft-white drapes. Nestled on top of the soft-pink covers was the Princess of Mobius. She was laid on her side; her blonde-quills were matted and unbrushed, her face was makeup-free but her large green eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears. King Ogilvie's expression softened as his previous annoyance melted away into pity and concern as he saw his daughter quietly crying, hugging one of her bed cushions.

'Aleena?' He sounded softly, approaching his daughter's bed cautiously. 'Dearest, what's the matter?' The King of Mobius asked gently as he perched on the edge where her legs were curled in. As the green-quilled thirty-five year old hedgehog leant one arm over her legs, resting his white-gloved hand on the bed-covers beside her. The princess wiped the tears from her eyes with the corner of the cushion before her tear-stained face turned to her kindly smiling father.

'Oh daddy..' The lilac-furred hedgehog sniffed demurely. 'I think I'm in love.' She sighed glumly, her bloodshot emerald eyes lowered back to her now-wet cushion.

'You are?' King Ogilvie the Third widened his maroon eyes in surprise at his daughter's words as they did not match her sad expression. 'But isn't that a good thing my child?' He asked her perplexed.

'No, because he doesn't want to be with me.' Princess Aleena replied with a sigh.

'What? Why in Mobius not?' King Ogilvie scowled in outrage at her words, what kind of mobian wouldn't want to date his beautiful daughter? 'You're a princess! Anyone should be honoured to hold your affections.' The lilac-furred fifteen year old hedgehog rolled her eyes slightly at her father's words. If only life was that easy. She then hauled herself up into a sitting position so she was now level with her father. His maroon eyes following her movements and immediately his hand lifted from its resting place to take her hand comfortingly in his.

'That's the problem daddy. He doesn't want to be with me because I'm a princess..' The blonde-quilled hedgehog could feel the tears beginning to flow down her lilac-fur to her pale-skinned muzzle. 'He doesn't think he's worthy of me. I never thought being a princess would hinder me when it came to love..' She said glumly, still clutching her cushion close to her with the hand her father wasn't stroking gently.

'Oh I'm sorry this young mobian feels that way.' King Ogilvie the Third said soothingly before he kinked a brow with a slight smile. 'You want me to have a word with him?'

'No!' Princess Aleena squealed out horrified by the very idea and this caused King Ogilvie to chuckle warmly at her reaction.

'Heh-heh, well in that case how about you join me for a light brunch in the drawing room?' The green-quilled hedgehog sounded warmly. 'It'll do you good to get out of this room for a bit and let the chamber maids in.'

'That sounds lovely daddy.' The lilac-furred hedgehog smiled sweetly, tossing her cushion down on her bed. She then allowed her father to pull her to her feet and guide her through the arch to her dressing room. King Ogilvie picked up his daughter's pearl-inlaid brush and began to gently brush her hair, pandering to her just like he used to when she got upset as a hedgehoglet. Princess Aleena allowed him to do so; a small smile curved her mouth as she felt him gently tame her matted blonde-quills.

Once the princess was newly fresh-faced the two royals left her quarters and headed down the main stairway, heading in the direction of the drawing room. They didn't have to walk for long when they met two officers of the Royal Guard. One was General D'Coolette whose deep-blue eyes lit up with pleasure at this sight of Princess Aleena out and about again. The other was a very familiar cobalt-blue hedgehog who blinked in shock before trying to keep his expression impassive as King Ogilvie the Third smiled at his commanding officer warmly.

'Ah, bonsoir ma princesse. Eet is very nice to see tu out an' about..' General D'Coolette said warmly to Princess Aleena. 'Mon cheri will be pleased to be hearing this.'

'Thank you Mousier D'Coolette.' Princess Aleena replied with a polite smile. 'Father is taking me for brunch in the drawing room but could you please apologise to Madam D'Coolette for me, I did not mean to worry her so I just…' She half-glanced at Jules but the cobalt-blue hedgehog's narrowed eyes were looking pointedly away as his hands rested on his lower back. '-needed time alone.'

'Ah, but of course. And don't be worrying about Marie; she will just be 'appy with knowing you are back in ze company of ze palace.' General D'Coolette waved off the princess' words as if she'd already been forgiven before turning to her father. 'You want me to be informing ze chef of zees brunch, oui?'

'Thank you Armand but I do need to have a quick word with you first.' King Ogilvie the Third sounded with a smile to his general and confidant.

'Tu may your majestie..' General D'Coolette drawled warmly to his old friend before turning his eyes to the cadet beside him. ''Edgehog, please be escorting ze princess down to ze drawing room, tu de suite.' His words made Jules Hedgehog's hazel eyes widen with horror at the very idea of walking the princess anywhere.

'But sir..' The cobalt-blue seventeen year old hedgehog began unsurely, trying desperately to think of a way out of this.

'Just do eet 'Edgehog.' The foreign light-tan-furred coyote-mobian scowled towards his charge and Jules sighed with defeat.

'As you wish sir.' He responded reluctantly before turning to Princess Aleena and looking plainly at her with only an expressionless line to his mouth. 'Come with me princess.'

'This will only take a moment dear.' King Ogilvie the Third said as his daughter flashed him a nervous glance. She too was not keen about walking anywhere alone with Jules after what had happened between them. Realising that she had no choice but to walk with the cobalt-blue cadet guard she moved to his side and without a word to each other the pair set off, leaving the two older mobians to talk.

The walk to the drawing room was one of the most uncomfortable moments of Princess Aleena's life. Jules merely walked in silence beside her forcing his hazel eyes to stayed focused on the direction they were heading in as his stance remained ridged. His hands stayed by his sides as he walked at a comfortable pace remaining by her side. The lilac-furred hedgehog was grateful when the two of them finally arrived at the high-polished door of the drawing room. As she turned to him the cobalt-blue hedgehog finally turned his eyes to her though they remain almost as impassive as him.

'The drawing room your majesty.' His voice stated coolly as he bowed slightly then opened the door for her.

'Thank you my good sir.' Princess Aleena replied feeling slightly awkward about being so formal with him now. She vaguely wondered if it made him awkward too before forcing this thought from her mind and stepping over the threshold. Without another word Jules shut the door and immediately her bright green eyes looked sadly back at the shut door, threatening to form tears once more.

'Bye Jules..' She murmured quietly with a slight sigh of emptiness…

…Outside the door the cobalt-blue hedgehog was still holding the handle of the drawing room. The walk had felt so thick with unresolved tension between them that for a long moment he couldn't bear to pull his hand away from the doorknob. When Jules eventually turned away from the door he could only walk a few paces away before turning his quills and head around towards the door and gazed back with a sad smile.

'See you later Ali…' He uttered softly before turning away and sighing.

Little Notes:

Hey peeps… Uh-oh! The plot's twisting again… I feel so bad. I drew them together only to rip them apart. I know I'm mean but it's really important… you'll see why in the next chapter I promise! And yes we will be having a bit of a time jump too!

Ok, nothing really important that needs mentioning in this chap so stay tuned for more soon! Hope everybody is still enjoying this…

~Ditzy x