The sheer, bloodcurdling, spine-tingling terror that Miles felt as he heard the door of the small room creak open could never be understated...It was as if his whole body had been doused with freezing cold water...And even facing the stone tiles of the floor...he could feel Lord Amadeus's glaring, accusatory eyes staring down at him...However what emotion they carried was unknown to him and all he hoped for was that things would be alright.

"Can I help you? Boy?" Amadeus asked coldly, his face composed and nigh emotionless; a sharp contrast to the more animalistic and human Lord Prower he had seen mere moments ago...

"N-N-No m-my l-lord...I just...I just...tripped! That's all!" Miles squeaked out, terrified and biting his bottom lip so hard it drew blood...The metallic taste filling his mouth as he looked up at Lord Prower. There it was again...That temporary, momentary flicker within the Lord's eyes...A look that spoke of many deep and personal emotions...All of which seemed to pass by in a singular second no quicker than a breath.

"Tripped...I see...Well on your feet boy, I would have you accompany me to the dining hall." Amadeus's cold droning voice went on...Surprising Miles immensely, sparking the boy into rising to his feet and give a flummoxed look at the lord of Blackwater Keep...

"W-what?! M-me?"

"Yes, you boy! Are you deaf or plain stupid? And stop with that damnable stuttering, a man doesn't stutter like some gibbering loon." Amadeus sharply responded, his bushy brown tail swishing with irritation at his clearly terrified demeanour.

"Yes Sir..." Miles whispered, walking at a brisk pace beside Lord Prower...he wasn't too hurt by the insult; he remembered the words that Samuel and Holly had said about him and so he was fully aware not to take what he said to heart...However it still stung a small amount.

"I trust you have heard of me then boy?" Amadeus asked in a softer tone; softer in the way of switching the rocks of a jagged cliffside from granite to basalt.

Miles nodded, nervousness creeping all throughout his body as they walked, and as much as he tried to stop himself from stuttering again and angering Lord Prower, it still emerged in miniscule amounts and Miles cussed in his head ever time it happened,

"Of course, It's important for Squires to learn of the most important figures in the Kingdom of Acorn. Y-you're Lord Amadeus Prower of B-Blackwater Keep and the Warden of the Iron Coast." Miles said, hoping he was setting up a good first impression for Lord Amadeus as a way of redeeming himself for the rather pathetic way this first encounter had started.

"Yes, indeed I am. And tell me...Squire, do you know the Sigil of House Prower?"

"Yes, it's a snarling, black fox head with a yellow background."

"Good. It appears you are being educated well enough. I should expect as much from Sir Sonic as a teacher."

Miles's brow furrowed slightly and in the most timid and polite voice he could muster, he asked curiously,

"Oh, you know that I'm Sir Sonic's Squire? Did he tell you th-"

"No, it was King Nigel Acorn and for the love of chaos stand up straight and dust the grime off of that jerkin of yours! If you wish to become even close to the status of a knight then at the very least you can have clean clothes while doing so Miles."

The smaller fox looked up at the lord with shock plastered across his face,

"Y-You know my name my Lord?"

"Yes, I was informed of your identity by King Nigel Acorn, it is important to take note of any and all new squires that are brought to the castle, especially if they are as...Unique as you are considering your...Deformity."

The word stung...Stung like soap in the eyes or salt in a festering wound...And Miles's tails drooped with sadness...Deformity? Really? Even mutation was preferable to that because at least there were cases of mutations being beneficial...But deformity? It only made him feel even more like an outcasted freak...However, he wouldn't show any sign of insecurity or weakness at the jab...Instead he rolled with the punch and kept walking...

"Nonetheless young Miles, I trust that your training is going well in other matters other than the knowledge of house sigils boy...Tell me, what is your favoured instrument of death? They say that the weapon you choose may tell you much about the man who wields it." Lord Amadeus asked in his usual cold, droning tone...Likely looking for something to insult Miles for, be it reasonable or unreasonable.

"Oh ummm...I... I use a falchion and shield..."

"A falchion hmmm? How crude, violent and uncouth of a weapon...Although, I cannot deny the practicality of a weapon that balances the lightness and versatility of a sword with the raw cutting power of an axe...I respect your choice boy...Clever to make use of a shield too."

The fox was taken aback at the sudden...compliment that he had been given by the Lord of Blackwater keep and he felt himself stutter yet again as he spoke,

"Oh, t-thank you my lord. I wasn't aware that you would approve of my choice."

"I do not approve of it and neither do I disapprove of it boy. I am merely making factual statements, so do not presume that I am complimenting you for making the simplest of choices."

Miles's face fell yet again and any kind of gratefulness or surprise at what he had presumed to be a genuine compliment quickly evaporated...

"Thank you for the compliment milord..." He bitterly thought...However, he was snapped out of his internal monologue by the sharp, accusatory tone of Lord Amadeus who glared down at him, staring daggers into his heart,

"What did you just say your insolent child?!"

The blood in Miles's veins turned to ice in an instant...He hadn't just thought of the sarcastic remark...He had said it under his breath...Quickly, he began to stammer and shake as he blurted out a response,

"N-nothing my lord! It uhhh...It uhhh...Must have been the wind!"

The younger fox bit his tongue, grit his teeth and tightly shut his eyes...Hoping that the rather measly excuse would be enough, even though deep down he knew it wouldn't...And he just stood their awaiting what was undoubtedly going to be an extremely harsh rebuttal.

"Hmmm...I suppose you are right..."

What?! He actually fell for it?! No... No that couldn't possibly be right...That lie was far too obvious for him to believe...However it seemed to matter little as Lord Amadeus continued his march down the corridor...As if their miniature conversation never even happened and so, like a polite young squire he followed the lord along...However there was something...not quite right about the area Lord Amadeus was leading him too...For it was a darker corridor that definitely didn't lead to the Banquet Hall of the castle...And as he approached, his vision became a blur as he was rather roughly grabbed and slammed against the cold, unflinching stone of the wall...

Miles's eyes were wide with terror as he looked up into the cold, uncaring yet utterly livid eyes of Lord Prower who glared daggers into him... his gaze seeming to pierce his very soul.

"How much did you hear?" The older fox growled impatiently, Miles writhing in his grip like a snake...

"W-w-what? What do you mean Lord Amad-"

"Don't play the fool with me Miles, I know you were listening in on me, Starline and Robotnik, now answer me! How much did you hear?!"

Miles's terror was in overdrive and it felt like his mind was going at a million miles an hour and so he blurted out,

"N-nothing! I didn't hear anything!"

"Liar! You will either tell me what you heard, or by Chaos, I will carve you like a roast boar and let your screams reverberate off of the walls...TALK NOW!"

Miles whimpered as he clawed desperately at the hand that was tightly clasped around his throat...Trying to at the very least loosen the lord's grip but it was sadly to no avail...And so... Out of desperation and fear for his own life as he began to feel himself suffocate...His test growing tighter and tighter as he gasped for breath...

"E-everyth-thing *gasp* I-I h-heard everything *gasp* p-please...I w-won't tell a soul *gasp* just...P-please...let me g-go!"

"I had a feeling you did, you nosey little brat!" Amadeus growled with nigh-incomprehensible fury...He couldn't believe that his...rather unwilling role in the plot to overthrow King Nigel had been heard by the very damned, unwanted son they had just been talking about!

His singular eye glared daggers into the face of the fox which was twisting...Writhing in agony...His mouth opening and closing rapidly as he gasped for breath...It seemed easy...Too easy...He could end this weak link here and now with just a simple flick of his wrist...One single, ever so quick motion and he'd have finished the job he had started eight years ago...

He gazed upon the writhing form of his son however; as much as he wanted to kill the stubborn little abomination right here, right now...There was something that was stopping him from doing it...Like the muscles in his arms and hands were preventing him from squeezing any harder than he already was...His eye once again looked upon the squirming and twisting face of Miles...There was a lot less energy in his struggles now as he began to lose consciousness...His lips turning blueish from lack of oxygen and his eyes beginning to roll into the back of his head and close as Amadeus stopped choking the wind out of him, rather beginning to choke the life out of him...

However, he saw something in the boy's eyes...There was a shade of...blue in them ...It was...The same shade of blue he always used to see in... Her eyes...The woman whose last child before departing from this cruel, unforgiving realm of the living was currently dying from HIS own actions...He looked down at the boy's now drooping and limp tails and was brought back to the memory of that horrible...horrible day...But every time he looked into the boy's face...He not only saw his dear Rosemary...But also...himself...

Miles's vision had very nearly faded to black as he felt the last, ebbing sparks of energy wilt away from his body...And with has last, fleeting moments of consciousness...He had quietly accepted that this was the end...That these were his very last moments of life; getting choked to death due to getting involved with something he had nothing to do with...Heh...He had always been told that curiosity always killed the cat...He didn't think the same would apply to foxes though...

However, seemingly in an instant...He felt the immense pressure and strain on his windpipe and neck loosen and disappear in a second, letting him drop to the floor with a dull thud...And Miles could feel his strength slowly flowing back into him as sweet, sweet, oxygen began to fill his lungs once more...Each breath came out in a horrible, ragged and uneven rasp of air and with one hand he clutched at where Lord Amadeus's fingers and claws had been digging into the flesh of his neck, warm blood dripping onto his fingers and with his blurry vision...He looked up and saw the looming figure of Lord Amadeus staring down upon him like a predator eyeing up its prey...

"I will let you go this once...Boy...But if I ever catch you peering in on me or my plans veer again, then no man in the Kingdom of Acorn will be able to save you..." The Lord said...Although, the words seemed much more...Restrained and tame, less feral and more composed...They also sounded like they were being said underwater...Miles felt delirious after the ordeal he had just been through and needed ample time to recover...And then, like a ghost...Lord Amadeus disappeared down the hallways and began to advance to the Banquet Hall...Leaving Miles all alone in the small corridor...

The fox, desperate to move...Tried to rise to his feet...Yet his body felt as if it were made of lead...Every time he tried to get up...His legs ended up wobbling and giving way...Like a home built of sticks...It was fruitless trying to get up...He couldn't get up...Worse still, there was a great sense of fatigue that hung over him...He felt like he needed...to...rest a moment...

Miles slumped back against the brick wall, one hand clutching his throat...The other, laying limply at his side...All the while his legs and tails were splayed out beneath him as he drifted into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness...Blissfully unaware of the slaughter that was about to take place...