Having been unceremoniously dumped halfway between the castle gates and the throne room, Silver found himself feeling quite indignant at the random abandonment that he had been subjected to. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Shadow to leave him alone to fend for himself, but somehow the young prodigy had expected to be involved in whatever complicated matter that was discovered. He was far from wanting to be left in the dark after all.
"Thanks Shadow." He grumbled, giving an eye roll and crossly stomping his way into the castle.
He couldn't just stand there in the middle of the courtyard. His own sheer boredom prevented him from standing still that long in the first place. The hedgehog knew the limits of his patience quite well - and his mentor's random disappearing acts did not fall within the boundaries. He really wished Shadow stopped being so weird about stuff all the time.
At least the sun was shining. The whitewashed walls and wide windows provided quite lovely light within the castle walls in spite of the sour mood Silver was thrust into. How the builders had figured out how to light the space was lost on him, but it was pleasant to the eye. From the outside, the castle looked too large and too extravagant to be anything normal anyhow. Terraces and walkways told of corridors and rooms to endlessly explore from the inside out. Perhaps a bit of poking around could find the kitchen.
Silver's stomach grumbled at the thought. Having a bite to eat would be nice after running and fighting since sunrise. The chefs had already proven themselves to be worthy cooks through both the previous night's dinner and that morning's soft porridge. The kinds of fruits and vegetables that would be stocked in such a place danced around in the hedgehog's head. Meats and cheeses, herbs, vegetables, fruits… it was hard to stop his mouth from watering at the idea of finding something as rare as an apple.
Picking his feet up, he began to wander down the endless hallways. Silver's nose twitched and trembled as he attempted to sniff his way to the kitchen. When the air in his senses turned up nothing but the tainted smell associated with the gun stick things and lye, a huff exited his lungs in a disgruntled puff. Picking his pace up again, he ran his short claws through his quills - having caught a glance of his disheveled reflection in a nearby guard's armor. Where in the world was the kitchen?
Stairs led to corridors. Doors led to workshops. Barracks, armories, boudoires, and water refineries… the more and more Silver wandered through the castle, the more and more his stomach rumbled with the hunger he was oh so familiar with. He couldn't just hunt down something to eat, most frustratedly. The castle grounds were annoyingly vacant of mice or vermin to snack on. Scurrying paws and burrowing holes were absent from his senses - no matter the places he looked. A place like this should be crawling with pests seeking the crumbs of the abundant food that flowed in and out of the palace doors.
Growling through another gurgle, he set his ears back. How on earth was he going to eat?A growing boy needed food, and even Shadow would have bothered to feed him by now. He needed to find the kitchen. His stomach depended on it!
A distant smacking sound stopped him in his tracks. His ears flicked at the noise, swiveling around to find the source. Voices floated into his awareness along with a strange sound the likes of which he had never heard before. Silver could have sworn it sounded similar to the sound of Brew's guitar. The plinking and twanging of strings was ever present in the ringing sound it provided. However, the range was much larger than any instrument he had ever heard.
Turning at the echo of another smack, Silver followed his ears. The source of the sound had to be nearby. A commanding voice demanded words that floated through the halls - almost calling him closer in the orders it called. The melodic sound grew louder with each step. His ears honed as the tappings of moving feet thumped against a creaking floor.
"And up. Side to side." A voice directed, reminding Silver of Shadow's directions with striking familiarity.
"Fouetté. Higher- higher…"
Smack.
The ringing instrument filled his ears as he passed by an open doorway. He almost forgot to stop - needing to back up to stick his head through the entry in order to see what was going on. Curiosity filling him, he dared to enter.
The room was well lit - large windows near the ceiling sent waves of light cascading down into the dome-like area. Pillars of painted wood supported the lowered part of the ceiling, giving an arena-like feel despite the small space that was within. A musician sat in a divot in the wall. A sheet of glass separated her from the rest of the room with an opening behind her letting sound fill the room with the melody. Devotedly, her assistant stood beside her - turning the page of whatever writing sat on the bench she worked at.
"Step and up. Step and up. Show me those kicks."
Turning his head away from the musician, Silver turned his attention to who was making all the noise. In the center of the room was a depression. Wooden boards separated this floor from the rest - shining with wax and stained a lovely chocolate brown. The boards creaked under the movements of those on it - keeping in time with the song and almost adding to the charm of the music. Arms crossed and hands gripped around a thin rod, an elderly falcon observed as she directed her class in time with the music.
Her student, much to Silver's surprise, turned out to be the Princess of all people. He had expected her to be studying in the library or sitting with her mother in the throne room learning of all her royal duties as a monarch. Instead, she was in this training room. Fascinated, Silver leaned against one of the wooden pillars. Strangely, the wood was full of streaking dents. Some deeper than others, yet still managing to strip some of the paint away from the force of whatever hit them.
"Step - up. Step - up." The teacher ordered,
In tandem with the commands, Blaze bounced across the floor on the tips of her toes. A step preceded a hop - foot gracefully kicking and reaching her extended arm with flexibility that almost made Silver cringe. Bounce, kick. Bounce, kick. With one hand on her hip and the other sweeping up and down, she moved with the music until the tune changed. Ending a kick with a twirl, she rapidly leveled to the ground. Her leg swept behind her as she stabilized with one foot - other foot racing as far back against the floor as she could reach with hands held gracefully by her head.
Smack.
Silver flinched as the teacher's rod came cracking down against her right arm.
"Brace." She sternly corrected. "Nothing should be able to move you."
The music continued as she rose from the floor - foot dragging in a graceful arc before her as she spun up to her full height. Following the music, she began to twirl across the floor. Sternly, the teacher followed behind as she twisted along. Her ribboned shoes touched her knee at each revolution. Up and down and up and down. Silver's head began to spin with her as he watched the whirling princess. Her flowing silk skirt resembled the splayed petals of a flower, illusioned by the silk shoes of the same color that swept up and down with the song.
"Raise it." The instructor demanded. "Raise!"
Reacting to the words, the princess picked her feet up higher and higher with each turn. Spinning, swirling, twisting, whirling. Silver felt that if he attempted such movement he would vomit.
Whack.
Blazed flinched as the rod came swinging up on her ankle. Wood against bone echoed in the room as even the prodigy felt himself sore in the ankles just hearing that noise. Daintily, her footstep faltered. In an attempt to remain graceful, she arched her arms with the motion in a move reminiscent of a bird's wings.
"Back straight."
The rod slapped against her shoulder blades at the words. Yelping slightly, the princess reset her posture.
"Knees stable, and jeté."
Throwing her foot to the air, Blaze gave a dainty hop and continued her set. Uncomfortable, Silver let out a shiver. He had never been corrected in that way before. Every time he started at the teacher's tapping rod, he could only see flashes of the mistress' cane sweeping at him. Old bruises became sore at the memories, causing him to absentmindedly rub at his cheek.
"Such a hole has never slipped the defenses before."
Silver's ears perked at the sound of the Queen's anxious voice. She was some way down the hall, but every word grew louder and louder as the click clacking of her heels grew closer and closer.
"Which is why it is even more imperative that everything is as secure as possible - in here."
A sparkling yellow gown fluttered into the prodigy's periphery as Ember expertly strode into the training room. Gold cast flecks of light across the desaturated space, almost immediately cheering the room up with the vibrant color. As if an afterthought, Shadow quickly appeared behind - coming to a stop beside the queen with crossed arms and hood down.
"What exactly seems to be the issue?"
"We were hoping you could take a look at it."
Up, hop-hop. Up, hop-hop. The princess's face grew almost panicked as she registered who had just entered the room. Turning from the princess, Silver twisted to make eye contact with his mentor. So now he decides to show up.
Whock
"Back straight."
Lifting her head higher, she continued her jumps and twirls. Sweat began to bead on her muzzle as anxiety clearly showed on her face and in her eyes. Feeling pity, Silver opened his mouth to say something but shut it quickly in case he embarrassed himself. With a shudder, he gripped his arms and hunched his shoulders. Gosh he wished he could make her feel better.
"I am not familiar with dance as combat." Shadow sighed, sucking in his words as he unclasped his cloak from his shoulders. "I can't directly observe the problem."
Stepping off the raised floor, the elder hedgehog descended into the training area. Sensing a smidge of confusion from the adult, Silver straightened himself. Waving to the musician in the wall, he signaled to halt the music.
"You are the hero, I take it." The instructor haughtily spoke, looking Shadow up and down with a judgemental eye. "You're a bit young to match the legends."
"My age is unimportant." Shadow answered, though unimpressed. "Princess, may I see your favorite blocking stance?"
Nodding, Blaze gave a twirl before settling with one foot curved in front and one curved behind. Pausing a second, the ebony hedgehog matched the movement. Though, to Silver's eye, the replication seemed pretty good; the instructor gave a disapproving frown as she noticed the imperfections in his stance.
"Let me see what you can do." Shadow nodded, dropping from his pose.
Reacting to a wave of the hand, the music started up again - this time different to the one before. Where fast paced tunes and many different chords had graced the ears of everyone inside, this time a mellower tune floated through the air. Almost somber but sturdy at the same time.
"And up-up and up-up." The instructor commanded. "And up-spin."
Nervous at Shadow's presence, Blaze followed through with the words. Leaving the elder hedgehog where he stood, she began to gracefully step through the room in time with the music. Step bounce-bounce. Step bounce-bounce. Eyes locked, Shadow observantly walked behind her; boots creaking on the floor with each step and arms firmly crossed.
"She keeps messing up in combat practice." The Queen sighed, head turning to follow the two. "She is doing fantastic with the solo presentations but her fighting is not matching her skill level."
Gulping, Silver took a step towards the arena. He wished he could help, but from everything he could see… She looked fine.
"My shoes are not meant for this." Shadow grumbled, stopping next to the Princess and extending his arms to mimic hers. "I think I have a hypothesis."
A step and pose. Step and pose. Silver found him analyzing the motions as his mentor somewhat followed along behind. A graceful spin. A bow and raise. Despite the motions, the young prodigy found himself trying to figure out for himself what could possibly be wrong.
"I have been attempting to follow along on my own and give advice, but I am very much out of practice." The queen spoke, crossing her arms to nervously hold herself. "I'm very worried about failure."
"Failure will happen regardless of how much you prepare for it." Shadow grumbled, quickly tapping through a set of motions with fluid arms and bending knees. "Placing that fear of failure onto your child is even worse."
Jumping with an arched back and spinning through the air, the two swirled around on twisting feet until coming to a pause with one leg raised and the other on point. For a second the two remained as the note rung out. Curious, red eyes swept down to the ribboned shoes.
"Fouetté." The instructor commanded.
Sweeping her leg around, Blaze began the series of twirls again. Slower than before, she huffed as she swirled across the floor. Her foot tapped, her skirt splayed, and Silver felt sick all over again with empathetic dizziness. Shadow followed suit - practice clearly unguided and steps uneven in comparison to the young princess.
"Foot higher - hold your line."
Silver frowned. What line? How on earth could she have something to say when she made identical movements? Especially in comparison to the ebony hedgehog.
"Arm steady. Steady… Steady."
The rod came sweeping down upon the princess's wrists - a loud crack sounding in Silver's ears as he blinked at the noise. However, when he opened his eyes, Shadow's hand had swiftly moved in the path of the wooden stick.
"Do not interrupt her form." Shadow growled, removing his palm from the princess and crossing his arms. "I need to see."
"Arnica, please." Ember nodded, gesturing for her to stand aside.
With a huff, the instructor stepped to the raised section of the room. A wave of the hand gestured the music to stop once more.
"I've figured it out." Shadow stated. "You're on point."
"What?" The instructor exclaimed, throwing her hands to her hips and dropping her jaw in disbelief.
"Please explain." Ember calmly asked. "I never had a problem, so how is Blaze any different?"
"I'm fairly sure you did have a problem, Ember." Shadow answered. "However, I was never asked to inspect your form."
Stepping in front of the princess, he gestured her to raise herself.
"When she stands like this, all of her weight is put into two small points." He continued. "On a technical level, this is very impressive."
With a wave of his fingers, Shadow beckoned his prodigy to his side. Silver felt his heart jump into his mouth. Adrenaline surged and fur bristled as he hopped from his place next to the pillar and half-walked half-jogged across the wooden boards next to the elder hedgehog. With a deep exhale, he attempted to calm himself. He couldn't show weakness in front of the princess again. Not this time.
"In traditional fighting stances, most of your weight is stabilized by your whole foot." Shadow explained, waving for Silver to demonstrate.
Instinctually Silver raised his hands over his head in a sweeping arc. Sliding his front foot forwards he distributed himself evenly - hands circling until settling in his favorite opening stance. Carefully, he exhaled. Mentally he went over every muscle and every bone. He had to make sure not a hair was out of place in front of the two royals. Not a hair.
"It's pretty tough to break." Shadow nodded, kicking the side of Silver's boot. "It's both strong and reliable."
With a sweep of his foot, the hedgehog knocked his foot against the princess's square-like shoes. The same pressure was applied, but the second his boot reached her toes she wobbled. Another kick and she was down; landing on her tail with an unceremonious thump and a graceful yelp.
"I do not suggest completely changing the methods you learn, but if you were to fight it would not be easy to continue as you are."
Stepping away from the two, Shadow gestured for Silver to begin his set - clearly intending for the two to fight each other. Panic set in as he realized he had been called in to spar. Spar the princess. Wasn't that unchivalrous? Blaze stood from the floor, immediately leaping on point to spin towards the young prodigy.
"Leave your powers out." Shadow commented. "I want to see skill."
Ducking under a thrusting foot, Silver smacked away the wood-like shoe and swung his kick at her ankle. His shoes collided with hers and she toppled forwards. Sensing her weight coming down on him, he slipped out of the way in time for her to hit the wood with another frustrated thump.
"I still suggest making some changes." Shadow sighed, reaching down to offer his hand to the princess. "You could swap the shoes with heels to mimic the same stance but with more stability."
Pulling her from the floor, the elder dusted her shoulders off.
"For now, try doing the same but without standing on your toes."
Gesturing for them to begin again, the hedgehog stepped away. Sensing it was his turn to throw the first strike, Silver planted his foot and gave it a whirl. Step… Step…
Whack.
With one hand up and the other guarded gracefully across her chest, Blaze raised her ribboned shin and met the kick full force. Pulling his foot back, Silver exhaled. Time to focus now.
Throwing his palm, he attempted to hit her square in the abdomen only for her to twirl away in a graceful spin. Her foot spun and thrusted. Caught in adrenaline, Silver parried and twisted past the shoe and threw another palm towards her. Bouncing onto her kicked foot, she swung her arm and guided his hand away. Her leg hooked and kicked. Silver ducked and twisted. Hands arcing and fingers splayed he made another move and struck at her knee yet only to miss as her other leg knocked him away. Her hand thrusted towards his eyes, but he blocked it with his palm - grabbing her hand and pulling her forwards. She spun with the motion. Arms close and toes pointed she rapidly twirled past him. Dropping to her heel she kicked again. Forced to retreat, Silver hopped back with one foot up and hands held parallel at his chest.
"Is that better, Princess?" Shadow asked, stepping between the fighters to prevent them from going at each other much further.
"Much better." She exhaled, a smile crossing her face as relief flooded her system.
"Good." Shadow nodded. "You're done for the day. Get some rest."
"Was that it?" Ember sighed, rubbing her glove against her brow. "Was it really that simple?"
"Sometimes the problem is so obvious you can't see it." Shadow spoke, leaning down and gathering his discarded cloak in his hands. "That is why you ask others for help."
"I merely assumed your wisdom would come in more… complicated ways."
"Do you feel more confident in her survival now?"
"Much more."
Turning his head from the adults, Silver walked to the edge of the floor and sat on the raised section. He had not expected to fight the princess, much less be an example for her. Exhaling, he combed his displaced spines. They had grown longer in the previous months. What started as one random long spike turned to a collection of lengthy spines pushing past his usual outline. If there was one way he had to describe it, it was… patchy. His fur even more so.
"Then it is secured?"
"Not entirely."
"Well, that comes with time, as age makes one most vulnerable."
"That can be remedied."
The voices of the adults faded down the hallway as they continued on with their clearly adult conversation. Frowning, Silver could only feel left out once more. A sigh echoed around the room as he let out a discouraged puff. How was Shadow going to expect him to do anything when he was left behind the whole time? Giving a smile to the untangling princess, he crankily stood to make for his room.
I've decided to ask you guys if there was something you wanted in celebration of 100 chapters
I literally spent the last month just trying to think of something special but I just couldn't figure it out
so instead, i thought i'd ask you guys what you would want to see from me
It cant be *anything* but if there was some art you wanted me to make, maybe an animatic, a short story on a majority vote topic, or anything similar to that i will 100 percent go for it
let me know what you guys want!