A Medieval Sonic Story: Chapter 3 - The Tournament

Acorn Castle was a massive and expansive building, hosting room and board for anyone the Acorns deemed welcome. At the moment it housed all of the tournament contestants with more than enough room left for the vendors and their assistants. The tournament would be held over three days, with feasting occurring each night.

The first event was the knife throw, and this event found Sonic as a competitor. King Maximilian Acorn approached the balcony over the courtyard and raised his hands, bringing the tournament guests and participants to silence. "Thank you all for coming. As you all know, this is a friendly and open tournament to all who wish to participate. There are no restrictions on age or ability or profession, and we are happy to once again be able to host you all. Our first event is the knife throw! Contestants, please take your places, and let the games begin!"

Sonic opted to go last so he knew what he was up against. There were some very good throws from five and ten paces, and a few knives even struck close to the center of the target. Sonic's turn finally came after about 20 minutes, and he took his place at a daring fifteen paces, feeling the balance of the knife he had been given.

Sonic took aim, threw the knife, and hit dead center on the target. A wave of shock went through the crowd, but then Sonic retrieved the knife, retook his position, and split the target with another dead-center throw. The crowd erupted in cheers as Sonic was awarded the winning laurel wreath for his accuracy. He bowed to the crowd, making sure the laurel stayed on his head, and joined Tails as the next event began.

This was archery, and here we find Jacob Hedgehog participating. The queen looked at her husband. "Who is that giant hedgehog?"

King Maximilian answers her while watching the contest. "His name is Jacob. He was previously a knight in the service of our neighbors in the Rose Kingdom. King Sebastian released him after ten years and let him choose his own wife. Rumor has it he was never beaten in any form of combat, so he was also allowed to choose his own land when released. Today, he is a hunter and furrier, bartering with his neighbors Sonic and Miles."

Alicia nodded with a chuckle. "Obviously he's got a wife. Just look at him. Speaking of which, did you see how Sally blushed when she saw Sonic?"

The crowd applauded as the third contestant loosed their arrows. Maximilian nodded. "I did see. She is of age to take a mate, but a craftsman of his standing will be attractive to many women."

Jacob Hedgehog won the archery event by a wide margin, and the final event of the day was fencing. Tails and Sonic left early to beat the crowd and closed down their stand for the day. As the sun set and the feasting began, Sonic was given more comfortable clothing to wear instead of his usual blacksmithing attire.

Tails came by, holding two pints of ale, and he gave one to the blue hedgehog. "Here you go, champ."

Sonic drank a good amount of the ale and smiled. "Thanks Tails. This is good ale."

Tails nodded. "Yes it is. Tomorrow they'll have the joust, spear throw, and stone toss."

Sonic chuckled. "It's been a good tournament so far, and those events should be interesting."

Further conversation was interrupted by the approach of a pink hedgehog and her seamstress, a light brown rabbit. Tails smiled. "Hello there. Who might you be?"

The female hedgehog answered. "I am Princess Amy Rose. This is Cream, my seamstress."

The fox and cobalt hedgehog bowed to them, and Sonic locked eyes with Amy. "Nice to meet you both. What is the purpose of this visit, Your Highness?"

Amy blushed a little, as she found Sonic quite attractive. "I wished to congratulate you on your victory, Sonic. Accuracy like that is almost never found in your profession."

Sonic chuckled. "True, but a blacksmith must be accurate. Otherwise, his work is worthless."

Amy looked him up and down a couple times. "I hope for you to be available when I'm of age to take a mate in a few years, but be warned: Your standing as a blacksmith and your victory here today will attract many who will want to marry you."

Sonic nodded. "I will bear that in mind, Milady."

Amy looked over at Cream, who was staring intently at Tails. He was matching her gaze, ignorant of everything else around them. Sonic snapped his fingers. "Mobius to Tails."

Tails shook his head. "Sorry."

Amy and Cream left to rejoin their camp, giving winks to the blue hedgehog and orange fox. Sonic nudged Tails and took another drink of ale. "Cream really seems to like you buddy."

Tails nodded. "Yeah, and Princess Amy seems to find you attractive too. Come on, let's eat. Drinking on an empty stomach is a bad idea."

They didn't know it, but a pair of blue eyes was watching the whole thing happen from a distance. The second day arrived, and Sonic was the first one awake in the vendors' area. Stretching out and rubbing his eyes, Sonic took a quick bath and began setting up the stand for a new day of sales.

Tails joined him about 15 minutes later. "Morning Sonic. Hope you're not hungover."

The cobalt blacksmith chuckled. "Thankfully no. You?"

The fox shook his head. "Not really. Ready for the next events?"

Sonic nods. "I am, even though I'm not planning on participating. I may see what else is going on though."

The other vendors opened their stands as the crowd arrived for the second day of the tournament. Sonic did manage to find an arm wrestling table and proceeded to utterly dominate all challengers. The only one who even came close to beating him was Tails, and Sonic managed to pocket quite a few gold coins from his wagers. Tails also managed to obtain some new orders for their wares, like more bows, arrows, knives, daggers, locks, and even new furs for Jacob Hedgehog to procure.

At the feast that evening, the bowyer and blacksmith were once again seen flirting with Amy and Cream, but not even ten minutes after they left, they were approached by another female. The two males bowed to the female, and she smiled. "Hello you two. I'm Sally Acorn, princess of Acorn Castle."

Sonic smiled. "Thank you for allowing us to be here. I have never seen a castle with such a large seaside port before."

Sally nodded. "We import and export many goods to other realms, including Rose Kingdom. Speaking of which, I've noticed you talking with Princess Amy, Sonic."

The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Talking is all we've done. She's not of age to take a husband yet, or even take a mate for that matter."

Sally locked eyes with Sonic. "She isn't, but I am. I know mixed-species breeding isn't allowed in Rose Kingdom, but it is here."

Tails frowned. "Milady, is now the best time?"

Sally glanced at him. "Perhaps not, but he has my interest. That laurel plus his earnings in arm wrestling make him very appealing."

Sonic chuckled. "Thank you Princess, but I'd like the ability to choose my own wife when I'm ready."

Sally bowed a little. "A wise decision. You have plenty of time to decide."

She left, finding the gaze of Princess Amy Rose as she did. Needless to say, there was tension between their eyes, and Tails nudged Sonic. "Better choose wisely. Those two want you badly."

Sonic looked at him. "It's ultimately my choice. Anyway, what are the events for tomorrow?"

Tails looked over the parchment. "Let's see… Looks like melee, more fencing, and the final event has King Maximilian Acorn facing King Sebastian Rose in a duel."

Sonic looked over his shoulder. "Winner receives bragging rights and their choice of resources from the loser for the next year."

Tails nodded. "An interesting prize for sure. Guess we'll see how it goes."

They eat and close down their stand, ready for the third day of events. As the sun rose on day three of the tournament, Sonic ate a hearty breakfast and watched the melee event almost by himself. The fencing came about two hours later, and Sonic was surprised by the contestants. In front of a full arena, Sally Acorn and Amy Rose approached the grounds.

The official explains the rules, and then he announces that a special wager had been made between them. "Please, Lady Acorn, explain this wager."

Sally turned to the crowd. "We have agreed, through mutual interest, that the winner…"

Here she turns to Amy. "... gets the hand of the blacksmith Sonic the Hedgehog in marriage."

Shock roared through the crowd, and Sonic shot up from his seat. "My WHAT?!"

Amy nodded. "That's him, everyone. Ultimately the decision will be his, but the winner gets the first chance at him once he's ready."

Sonic sits back down as the depth of the implications hits him. "Impossible…"

Tails patted him on the back. "They're literally about to duel for their families' existence."

Sonic nods. "I know… Guess I need to watch."

The duel began, and Sally quickly got the early upper hand. Amy would recover and tie the match with only a few seconds left. The official checked the scores and looked at the princesses. "Alright, the next point wins the duel."

Sally and Amy took their positions, panting heavily from over an hour of hard fencing. Amy deflected a straight thrust, parrying to her left. Using a half pirouette, Amy slashed at Sally's back, missing by just a hair. Sally spun and slashed toward Amy's right arm, narrowly missing scoring the winning point as Amy ducked. Amy took up a riposte position and confused Sally with a feint, making her lunge with a parry to her right. Sally's momentum carried her past the pink hedgehog and Amy slapped Sally's back with her sword as the chipmunk went by.

Sally hit the ground as the official stepped in. "The match is over. Princess Amy Rose is the winner!"

Sonic was escorted to her, and he bowed. "Milady."

Amy smiled as he kissed her hand, and she looked into his eyes. "Your hand is mine according to the wager, unless you decide otherwise."

Sonic nodded, looking at the two females. "You're not of age yet Princess, but as was wagered, so it will stand."

Sonic helped Sally up and took his seat again as the kings came out for the final event. Maximilian had his armor and weapons from his own smith, and Sebastian was using weapons and armor that Sonic had made. As the rules were announced, the combatants took their positions, with the red hedgehog vowing to make a quick end of the chipmunk.

Maximilian laughed. "You've said that for five years, Sebastian. Why will today be any different?"

Sebastian smirked. "I finally have arms and armor equal to your own, Maximilian. Today you lose."

They began in earnest, swords swinging in dangerously beautiful patterns and arcs. Sparks flew as the kings' weapons met again and again. Maximilian had the upper hand quickly, but he was also getting tired just as rapidly. That was exactly Sebastian's strategy, and despite his shield taking more than its fair share of abuse, it showed no signs of damage other than some scratches.

Sebastian landed a huge kick to Maximilian's gut despite the armor, and he staggered backwards with a grunt. Sebastian leapt forward with his sword ready for a lethal stab, but was met by Maximilian's shield belting him in the face. The red hedgehog landed hard on his back with a thud, shaking his head and trying to get his vision to clear. The chipmunk tried the same stunt as his opponent, and history repeated itself.

King Acorn was sent flying as King Rose's shield found his rib cage. At least one crack was felt by the chipmunk as he landed on his left side, and the two combatants took a minute to regain their breath. As they staggered back into position, Sebastian looked over his weaponry and armor. Thanks to Sonic's work, there were only a few scratches on his sword. The armor was almost untouched.

As for Maximilian Acorn, Sebastian had dented his armor in two spots, his shield straps were almost broken, and his sword was chipped. The official called for them to return to their duel, and Sebastian struck first. His armored fist found Maximilian's jaw and split his lips wide open, sending him staggering backwards. A gasp went through the crowd as the red hedgehog landed punch after punch and kick after kick on the chipmunk, until he staggered on some wet grass.

Maximilian repaid him for each punch and kick that was landed, leaving the red hedgehog with a broken nose, loose teeth, one black eye, and at least two broken ribs. Reaching for his fallen sword, King Acorn battered his opponent's shield for all he was worth, but just six strikes in, he ran out of energy.

King Acorn gasped out his surprise. "What kind of craftsmanship is this that your weaponry and armor are barely damaged?!"

King Rose reared back, summoning the last of his strength. "See for yourself!"

A loud ringing thud was heard and the crowd gasped. Maximilian Acorn went rolling along the ground and saw stars as he was hit by Sebastian Rose's shield. The chipmunk was unable to get up on his own, and the official stepped in. "Enough! The winner is King Sebastian Rose!"

The crowd cheered as Maximilian was helped up by Sebastian. The chipmunk spit out a mouthful of blood and looked at his opponent. "I'm not upset by this at all, but I must know who made your shield."

Sebastian motioned toward Sonic. "The same blacksmith our daughters just had a duel over."

Maximilian nodded. "Is he your subject?"

The fire-red hedgehog shook his head. "He's no one's subject. He lives in the Neutral Lands."

Sebastian turned to the crowd. "As the winner of this duel, my choice is this: King Acorn may keep his wealth, but I am allowed to take the resources I need from your land for Sonic the Hedgehog's forge."

Maximilian nodded once. "Granted, but you will not win next year."

The kings shook hands, and crowd is dismissed to return to their houses. The following morning the vendors left Acorn Kingdom and made their respective journeys back to their realms. Having returned to the Neutral Lands, it was business as usual for Sonic and Tails… at least for a while.