Chapter Text
Silver wandered through the dim forest. The only light was the steady glow emitted from his lantern. The night chill washed over him, and he shivered involuntarily.
A soft hum echoed through the trees, melodic and elegant. Silver could almost make out where the sound was coming from. If he concentrated, he could probably follow it and find its source.
And so he did.
He hiked through the dense forest for the better part of an hour until the tune was clearer, more pronounced. Silver picked up speed and jogged the final stretch until another dim light could be seen from around the corner.
Silver began to step carefully so as not to alarm whoever could be hiding deep inside of the forest at an hour like this. The only reason Silver was out here in the first place was because… you know what? What was he out here for again? Whatever, he was in too deep to turn back now.
As Silver approached, he observed that the figure blanketed in shadows was sitting cross-legged on the ground, scrawling something on a piece of parchment.
Leaves crackled under Silver’s boots, but the figure didn’t seem notice. They either were too engrossed in their work to notice or couldn’t hear it over their humming. Possibly a mix of both.
Silver took one final step towards the figure. Not too close to make whoever it was uncomfortable in the event that they were aware of his presence, but not far away enough that he couldn’t vaguely make out shiny scales in the darkness. A chameleon maybe? It was hard to tell. Their face wasn’t in sight, the figure’s back to Silver.
Silver took a deep breath. “Hello?”
No answer.
He cautiously took a small step closer to peer over his shoulder at what the chameleon was writing. The only words he could catch were the last two words of whatever they were writing.
“With love…”
And then Silver woke up.
He sat up and rubbed his head, groaning.
“Ugh, what was that all about?” he muttered.
The hedgehog looked around the knights’ quarters to see that his coworkers were up and moving already. He rolled out of bed, slipped on his gloves and boots, and secured the gold cuffs around his wrists and ankles. He then looked up to see his sword resting on top of the cupboard that he stowed his armor and clothes in. He must’ve carelessly flicked the sword on top of the cupboard the night before using his psychokinesis. The problem was he couldn’t use his psychokinesis to get it back down again. No one could ever see him use his power. If they did, he would surely be shunned from society. Or worse. So he had to settle for standing on his bed to reach the sword, no matter how demeaning it was. He stepped down and put the sword on his bed while he took his armor out of the cupboard and secured it tightly onto his body. He put his sword in its sheath and checked to make sure his quills weren’t too messy in the tiny mirror beside his bed.
After he was certain he looked presentable enough, Silver hurried out of the room and through the halls of the castle. His sturdy boots tapped softly on the shiny floors of the castle as he walked. The castle truly was a sight to behold. Large windows at least ten times the height of Silver decorated with intricate gold patterns adorned the skyscraping walls. Light coming from the morning sun flowed through them like a majestic waterfall in a fairytale. The walls curved at the top into a round roof made of polished birch wood, adding a slightly rustic touch to the elegant hallway. From beams of wood on the ceiling crystal chandeliers hung, glinting in the light.
If Silver wasn’t so accustomed to it all, he might’ve slowed his pace to admire the halls. Although they were nothing special compared to those of some other castles and palaces, they did hold a certain charm that appealed him so. As Silver approached the end of the final hallway, he was met with two large and pristine birch doors matching the beams on the ceiling. Gold accents decorated the handles and edges of each door. If the (slightly excessive) detail wasn’t enough to imply that something, or someone, important was inside, one could tell the importance of the room from a quick glance at the pair of guards guarding the tall doors vigilantly. With their spears crossed in front of the entrance, anyone who was not supposed to be entering, would not be entering.
Normally, security would not be so tight. That’s not to say there would be no security, but it certainly would not be spears-crossed tight. The princess did not have many enemies, after all. At least, not until recently.
The heightened security was mostly due to a recent attack. It put everyone in the kingdom on edge. No one was left unplagued by the burden of what had happened. It was clear that people had let their guard down too much. But more on that later.
Silver rushed to the doors leading to the throne room and hurriedly flicked down his visor. Silver nodded in greeting to the guards standing post outside the doors. The pair shared a glance, both silently confirming that they recognized the familiar maple leaf shaped quills, and that he had the clearance to enter. They uncrossed their spears and Silver stood tall as they pushed open the double doors, allowing Silver entry. He strode into the throne room towards the Princess. Princess Blaze.
Blaze sat elegantly on her throne. The cat smiled softly at Silver as he approached her and knelt, bowing his head in acknowledgement to her position of power.
“Sir Silver. Good morning.”
Silver allowed himself a slight smile at the sound of his title. The day prior, Silver had officially been knighted. Although it was a massive accomplishment for Silver, not to mention a major confidence boost, there had been some controversy to that topic. And although this is the second time I’ve put off the details of an important element of this story, the exact reason for the discord among this topic is not of major importance at the moment, so we’ll come back to it when it is.
Silver closed his eyes.
“Good morning, my lady.”
She nodded in response to his greeting. “Rise.” Silver did as he was told. “I have invited a poet here to the palace. Word has been spreading throughout the kingdom about his skill, and I believe it might ease the people’s minds a little bit about…recent events…if I interacted with their beloved artists. Plus, I’ve always been a fan of poetry. It might be a nice reprieve from all of this messy business”
Silver nodded. He understood exactly what she meant. It’d been a rough couple of weeks for everyone. Violence had begun to sprout in random places around the kingdom, defaming Princess Blaze. Accusing her of being a monster. But everyone knew she wasn’t. There was no reason to believe the princess was anything other than what she claimed to be. Or at least that’s how Silver saw it. If he was in her position, that would be how Silver hoped people viewed him, especially since he had to keep his psychokinesis a secret
Blaze continued. “I’d like for you to escort him around the palace during his stay. Ensure he feels comfortable.” Silver’s face dropped a bit. He had been hoping for more important assignments now that he was a knight. Keeping some poet company didn’t sound too important to Silver.
Almost as if she could read his mind, Blaze continued. “I know you might think this sounds a little below you, Silver but believe it or not I have heard about the discourse regarding you and your knighthood. I’m taking this seriously. Giving you small assignments to start will prove to me and the people that you deserve this honor.”
Silver stifled his sigh. “I understand. Thank you, My lady.”
Blaze nodded. “You are dismissed. But, one more thing- “
Silver stopped in his tracks and turned to meet Blaze’s intense gaze. “Yes, my lady?”
“I believe in you.”
***
Three days before.
Espio walked through the markets. He wore a magenta jerkin over a simple white tunic. His basket held groceries his adoptive father, Vector, tasked him with buying. He checked eggs off of his list. One more thing.
He walked over to a stand labeled “BIG & FROGGY’S STATIONARY” and greeted the large purple cat standing behind it. “Good afternoon, Big.”
Big waved hello. “And Froggy?” Espio’s face drooped in confusion only for a moment before recalling the interaction he’d had with Big the last time he was here. He turned to the frog on his shoulder and nodded in greeting. “Hello, Froggy.”
Froggy croaked in response. “Right.” Espio said. “Could I get two quills, some ink, and a parchment book?”
“Sure Espio! That’ll be eleven coins.” Big said, already retrieving what Espio had ordered. Espio cocked his head.
“Your prices went up.” He said, while rifling through the leather pouch crossed over his shoulder. He had twelve coins, and that’s all he’d be getting for his allowance this month. His adoptive father Vector was generous, but he did not have the resources to just give Espio, or his adoptive younger brother Charmy, for that matter, the world on a whim. Espio liked to write and perform poetry. For that he’d need supplies. And so he’d just have to sacrifice his spare money for now. He’d earn more at some point.
“Yeah. They did. After the attacks people have been hoarding supplies. They’re scared. Which means they’ve been stocking up on anything and everything they can find.” He put the stationary down and Espio reluctantly handed over the eleven coins. Espio put the items in his basket. “Thank you Big.” Big gave him a look. “And Froggy.” Big seemed satisfied with the addition.
“Bye Espio!”
Espio walked away from the stand sighing. His home was only a few blocks away, but there was a lot on his mind. He was glad he had gotten some new stationary; his favorite creative outlet was poetry by far. He remembered how horrible he had been at it when he started. Everyone had only been humoring him when they complimented his poetry back then. How far he had come showed that it truly just took practice. He smiled to himself upon recalling the nature haikus he’d written when he’d just started trying out poetry. Now, people enjoyed his sonnets and villanelles, even a limerick every once and a while for a good laugh. And of course, he’d return to haikus for a bit of nostalgia.
Espio smiled politely at someone who waved at him. Only a few people on the street today seemed to be in a good mood. Most were tense, speedwalking to their destination with their head down. Children were either pulled close to their parents or not present at all. As mentioned before, lately there has been an influx of attacks around the kingdom, claiming the beloved princess Blaze was a monster. Nobody was taking it seriously as of yet. Obviously. Who would even begin to believe an accusation as outrageous as that? Not many, but people still took the threat of this mysterious terrorist group seriously. And that meant people were closed off and cautious. So very little niceties were given.
Espio climbed the three stairs leading to the front door of the cottage that he and his adoptive father and brother lived in. He dug out the key to the door from the bottom of his basket and inserted it into the keyhole of the door. The lock clicked and he opened the door to allow himself in. At the sound of the door, his aforementioned adopted brother Charmy flew over to greet Espio. The bee practically crashed into the basket Espio was holding whilst trying to get a peek of its contents.
“Ooh! Got anything for me, Espio?”
Espio rolled his eyes. “I went to the market to get groceries and only groceries. It’s a risk going out there at all at this point. Most of the stands were abandoned anyway.” Charmy continued to rifle through the basket anyway.
“Oh yeah? Then what’s this?” He held up the stationary Espio had just bought from Big.
Espio facepalmed using his free hand. “Charmy, that’s different.”
Charmy flew back a bit so he could look his brother in the eyes. “Really? How?” He crossed his arms in an attempt to look intimidating but just looked pathetic in Espio’s eyes.
Espio sighed. “Vector lets me buy stationary so I can work on my poetry.” Charmy looked away, disappointed.
“Hmph! Well, get me something next time, will ya!” He flew away to the sitting area and plopped down in front of the fireplace. Espio just shook his head and placed the basket on the kitchen counter. He had just begun to store the goods in the cupboards above his head when his guardian Vector emerged from his room.
“Hey Espio! Find everything on the list?” Espio paused his task to turn and look at his adoptive father.
“Yes, I did. Even though it was quite a challenge. There were only about half the amount of vendors there as usual.” Vector nodded thoughtfully.
“That makes sense. Did you get anything else while you were there?”
“Nothing special. Just some stationary.”
“Alright.” Vector walked over to where Espio was standing and started to help him stow away the groceries. Espio resumed working, this time alongside Vector the Crocodile.
With their combined effort, it only took a few minutes for everything to be put away. When they were finished, Espio leaned against the counter and thanked Vector for his help, who went to go sit with Charmy by the fire. Espio sighed and closed his eyes. What a day. The chameleon was perfectly content to sit here in peace for the rest of the night until he was forced to repeat his daily routine again. Just as he did today. And the day before that. And the day before that. And the day before-
A knock at the door made Espio come to his senses. Vector looked up from the game he was playing with Charmy. “Espio, could you get that?” Espio nodded and approached the door, ignoring Charmy’s, “Yeah Espio! Answer the door!” He unlatched the door lock and opened it to see…
A palace guard, she wore a pristine uniform and held a rolled-up scroll. She opened it and cleared her throat. “Are you Espio the Chameleon?”
A pang of nervousness stabbed at Espio’s heart. Anxiety clouded his brain, but somehow, he managed to keep enough composure to reply. “Yes. That’s me”
She nodded and began to read the scrolls contents. “Espio the Chameleon. Princess Blaze the Cat formally invites you to her castle to specially write and perform your poetry for her enjoyment. If you choose to accept, you shall be escorted to the palace by the guest division of the royal guard.” She looked up from her scroll to let Espio answer.
Espio though, was silent for a moment. He was relieved he wasn’t being arrested for some crime he might’ve unknowingly committed. But also, what the hell just happened? He knew that people around the village had begun to talk about the poetry Espio had shared, but he wasn’t aware it had spread all the way to the Princess herself. And if Espio wanted to think about the negatives of turning down Princess Blaze’s offer, he would have to be apart from Vector and Charmy for an unknown period of time. Even though Charmy was quite a pest at times, he still cared for the little bee. Of course though, this was an amazing opportunity for Espio. So he glanced back at his father and brother in the sitting room. Charmy and Vector had paused their game after overhearing the interaction between Espio and the guard. Charmy’s jaw was completely dropped in shock. Vector had a proud dad look on his face. Was that a tear in his eye? No matter, he nodded, encouraging Espio to accept the invitation.
So Espio turned to the guard and said,
“I accept.”