A Is For Arranged Marriage

Sonic paced back and forth in his room, nervously chewing on his thumb as he thought back to what just happened. After he had learned that his mysterious and handsome dance partner had actually turned out to be his arranged fiancé, he promptly stood up from his seat without a word and ran out of the room, ignoring the shouts of his mother and siblings. He darted straight for his room, locking the door behind him so he could at least not have to worry about someone seeing him during his small mental breakdown.

Why did the Gods have to make things like this happen to him? Only he had such luck that when ranting to a random stranger about his fiancé supposedly being a jerk, said jerk would turn out to be the fiancé he was talking badly about. And the worst part of it all was that Shadow didn’t seem rude or mean during their entire interaction together. He listened to what Sonic had to say, he had a casual conversation with him as if Sonic wasn’t royalty, and he danced with him as if the rest of the world no longer existed. They almost kissed for crying out loud!

He just couldn’t believe that this was happening. He felt like he’d been lied too. Shadow had toyed with his heart, and it further set in stone that his first assumptions were correct, and that the handsome and charming hedgehog was a giant as-

“Sonic? Are you alright?” A few knocks and a voice interrupted his thoughts and he refrained from letting out a squeak that would alert them to his presence. He tried to breathe as quietly as possible and a couple more knocks echoed around the room. “It’s just Manic and I. Mother isn’t even with us, she’s still in the ballroom.”

“Come on, Sonic. Let us in. We want to help.” Manic added, and Sonic couldn’t help but feel bad that he was making his younger siblings worry. But he couldn’t face them, not now, not like this. He tiptoed his way over to his giant walk-in closet and quickly shed his suit to pull on something more comfortable; a white tunic, black trousers tucked into tall black boots, and a hooded black cloak that covered his entire body. He snuck back over to his bedroom and opened one of the many windows in his room, quietly sneaking out to the sound of his siblings calling out to him from behind his chamber door.

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Queen Aleena watched as the rest of the party guests were ushered out of the ballroom, and she quickly turned to a nearby maid, quickly ordering her to assemble some of the other maids to clean up the ballroom. She turned to the black and red hedgehog nearby before speaking.

“My deepest apologies, Shadow. My son has been told time and time again to stop this childish behavior of his and now he has disobeyed me once more.”

“It’s alright, Your Majesty. Afterall, your son did find out today that he’d be getting married before his next birthday. I expected this.”

“Enough with the formalities. I am to be your mother in law, so please just call me Aleena.” She let out a long sigh before standing from the throne and gesturing for a nearby maid to come over to her. “Please show Prince Shadow to his bed chamber. It’s the biggest of our guest rooms.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The maid gave a curt nod and curtsy before she allowed Shadow to follow her to his room that he’d be living in for the next year. Aleena exited the ballroom, two guards swiftly following behind her as she made her way to her eldest child’s bedroom to see if he was done with his temper tantrum. Her other two children, Sonia and Manic, were standing by the door, purple and green ears turned attentively to try and hear their brother. “Has he finished his temper tantrum?”

“Mother, he hasn’t said anything since we’ve arrived twenty minutes ago.”

“Move aside, I will deal with this childish nonsense.” Aleena pulled a key out of her long purple quills and brought it to the lock on the door, turning the key, and opening the door to find not a single trace of her eldest son’s striking blue quills, and upon further inspection she noticed the wide open window.

“He…he isn’t here?” Manic voiced his confusion. A short growl of frustration slipped out from the siblings’ mother as she stuffed the key back into her quills.

“I want my son to be found. Now.” She ordered to the two guards that had followed her.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Sonia and Manic gave each other a worried glance before their mother returned her gaze to the two younger hedgehogs.

“Off to bed, children. I am holding court tomorrow morning so a maid shall bring you both breakfast. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Mother.” They spoke in unison and watched as their mother hurriedly walked down the hall and around the corner to the throne room. “You don’t think he’s run away, right?”

“He would never leave us, sis. Sonic is most definitely hiding out somewhere in the castle.”

“I hope you are right, Manic.”  

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The castle library, while grand and extravagant, always had a comforting feeling to it that managed to put Sonic’s worries at ease. He’d picked up reading as a hobby when he was younger, finding joy in escaping to different worlds and admired the way that writers could create such a feeling by just putting words on a piece of paper. He found himself sitting in one of the large bay windows, settled on top of the soft plush cushions beneath him and wrapped up in his cloak as if it were a blanket. A copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales laid open in his lap, and he relied on the glow of the moon to be able to navigate the words that flowed on the pages.

He was so deeply immersed in the story he was reading that he didn’t notice the other presence that entered the library.

“They are all looking for you.” That raspy voice made him jump and jerk his head in the direction of the voice. Sonic barely makes out the form of Shadow in the room, his dark fur allowing him to easily blend in with the darkness. An angry frown appeared on Sonic’s face and he turned his head back down to his book, closing it to make his leave.

“I do not wish to speak to you. Not now or ever.” He stood up from the cushions and walked past Shadow. A gloved hand stopped him by gently grabbing his shoulder and turning him back around.

“And why is that?”

“Why?” Sonic let out a scoff in disbelief. “I cannot believe that you have the audacity to ask me why I don’t want to speak to you after you lied to my face!”

“I lied to you now, did I? Do tell how I did so.” He felt himself getting angrier when he saw the amused look in Shadow’s deep red eyes.

“You walked right up to me in the garden, you danced with me and made me feel a way that I’ve never felt before. Only for you to turn around and stab me in the back and trick me.”

“And how exactly did I trick you?”

“You never even told me your damn name! Or that you were my arranged fiancé!” Sonic tried to wriggle his way out of the hold that Shadow had on his shoulder, but the other hedgehog was just too strong.

“You never even asked for my name in the first place.” Sonic was speechless at this because looking back at it now, Shadow was right. He never asked for his name once. He was quiet for a moment before quietly speaking again, avoiding those pools of crimson.

“I suppose you might be right. But that doesn’t change what you did. I’m hurt.”

“I apologize for making you feel this way. It was never my intention to hurt you. I simply didn’t think it right to see someone so radiant looking so distraught, so I wanted to help cheer you up a little.”

Sonic knew that if Shadow could properly see his face, he would be able to see the atrocious blush that dusted his peach muzzle and the tips of his ears. The ebony hedgehog let out a deep sigh and removed his hand from Sonic’s shoulder.

“I accept your apology, but your sweet words do nothing to change my mind.” Sonic was finally able to shrug the other hedgehog’s hand off of his shoulder and left the room with a huff. Knuckles seemed to be making his nightly rounds and spotted Sonic leaving the library.

“Sonic, where have you been?!” he asked, trying to mask his worry with anger. “Your mother has every guard in the castle looking for you right now.”

“I’m aware, Knuckles.” The red echidna noticed that the prince wasn’t even making eye contact with him, and that was something Sonic was very big about. Making eye contact with a person shows you’re listening, that you care.

“Are you alright? You seem distant.”

“I’m fine, just tired. I will be returning to my chambers now.”

“Would you like an escort?” Sonic caught the sight of Knuckles sending a pointed glare in Shadow’s direction. Sonic tried his best to stifle a laugh.

“I can manage without one but thank you. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Sonic.” And with that, the teenage prince continued his short journey back to his room. After arriving, he took off his clothes and changed them for a set of silk pajamas, and promptly drifted off to sleep.  

The sun rising back into the sky and shining through his curtains awoke him, and he let out a yawn, snuggling back into his cozy bed sheets and thick ruby-red comforter. He wasn’t quite ready to face the day and closed his eyes once more to hopefully get more rest. The events from the previous night had truly exhausted him, and he knew that when he had to face the day, he would also have to face Shadow. Again.

A few rapid knocks sounded on the door and Sonic couldn’t find the energy to reply. The door opened and in walked one of the maids with a tray of food.

“Good morning, Prince Sonic.”

“Morning, Olive. I assume my mother is holding court today?”

“Yes. Today Miss Vanilla has prepared you a fresh omelet with aged cheddar, some bacon, a bowl of strawberries, and two pieces of toast with your favorite chocolate spread, along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.”

“Looks delicious. Thank you, Olive.” He held out his hands to accept the tray from the young olive-green sheep that stood at the side of his bed. He picked up the fork and used it to take a bite of the omelet, letting out a pleased hum. “My compliments to the chef. Miss Vanilla never fails.”  

“Would you like me to start preparing your bath while you enjoy breakfast?”

“Yes, please. Thank you, Olive.”

“It’s my pleasure, Prince Sonic.” She gave a small bow before walking into his master bathroom and Sonic soon heard the sound of running water. As he ate his breakfast, his mind wandered to the thought of his arranged fiancé. The ebony-furred hedgehog struck him as a jerk when he first heard about him, and upon meeting him and sharing such a wonderful dance together, he thought that maybe he had been wrong. But then Shadow made a fool out of him, and then made a fool out of him again by pointing out that Sonic had never even asked for his name. But he knew exactly who Sonic was, but everybody in this entire kingdom knows who Sonic is. He’s the future King of Mobotropolis, so it is expected for people to know who he is without ever having met him.

And Shadow treated Sonic like he was a normal person, like he wasn’t royalty, a prince, a future king. It felt so nice to be treated like that by another person who lived outside of the castle walls. Sure, Sonia and Manic treated him like a normal person but that didn’t necessarily count when they were his siblings.  

The morning passed by the same as it usually did; he got his bath from Olive who kindly deep conditioned his quills, making them extra smooth and shiny. She even used his favorite peach shampoo and conditioner that smelled just like real ones. He then was dressed in a simple pale yellow tunic, white trousers that puffed out at the ankles, a simple pair of lace up boots that were the same shade of pale yellow as his shirt, and Olive put several pieces of silver jewelry on him like a necklaces, rings, and bracelets. He picked out a pair of simple white gloves to cover up his bare paws, laying the rings over the fabric, before finally leaving his bedroom at ten in the morning. While getting dressed, Olive had read his schedule and he luckily didn’t have much to do today other than go over a few documents for his mother.

He'd been sitting in his office for the past few hours and lazily reading the scrawl along the papers and making plans when Sonia and Manic entered the room, nervous smiles on both of their faces. Sonia hadn’t hesitated to rush over to his chair and embrace him, Sonic confusedly hugged her back.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I was so worried about you.”

“Of course, I’m okay, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Don’t lie to me, Sonic! You ran off at the party last night, nobody could find you, and you just look sort of…pale. Like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

“She has a point.” Manic interjected. “You look like something major happened to you. Spill.”

“I’ll tell you both at tea, I swear on my life.”

“It is tea.” Manic said with a huff. Sonic glanced at the large clock on the wall and saw the time read three o’ clock.

“Gods, the time has flown by today. I didn’t even think it was lunch time yet.”

Sonia and Manic managed to drag Sonic away from his office and to the castle gardens into the gazebo, where a small table had been set up. Several tea cups and pots of tea were set out, and there was a three-tiered stand that had an assortment of small sandwiches and pastries on it. Sonic had to admit that the food did look rather appetizing, and he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. Just as he began nibbling on a lemon sugar cookie, Manic cut in.

“Alright, we’re at tea. Now tell us what happened last night.”

Sonic told them everything from the beginning and didn’t withhold any details. Sonia and Manic listened and Sonic couldn’t help but find himself amused at the shocked faces of his siblings.

 “-And then soon after that, he walked up to the thrones, kissed my hand on bended knee, and I was so shocked at my newfound discovery that I ran away.”

“That’s deep.”

“Where did you run off to last night?” Sonia asked, trying not to sound too confrontational.

“The library. I wanted to read to take my mind off of things.” Sonic debated internally whether or not he would tell them about what happened in the library, but decided against it. Shadow’s sweet words seemed better off staying in his head. They were…special.

“How are you fairing with all of this?”

“I have no idea, to be honest. Everything has happened so fast.”

“Maybe you should take some time to yourself before dinner?”

“No, I shouldn’t. I need to finish the paperwork in my office that mother wanted me to get done.”

“Damnit, Sonic! Stop worrying about what mother wants and think about what you want!” Manic stood up and slammed his hands on the table. “All I ever see you do is work your ass off and get nothing in return. Mother hid your own engagement from you for crying out loud and your fiancé moved in on the same day!” He sat back down in his seat with a huff, running a gloved hand through his bangs. “I’d say you earned a bit of a break.”

“But- “

“Manic is right, Sonic. No objections, you’re taking a break whether you like it or not.” The cobalt prince looked between the two faces of his siblings, and knew that there would be no way he’d win if he tried to argue his way out of this. So instead, he hurriedly gets out of his seat and starts running. They shout after him and Manic is hot on his heels so he can hopefully stop Sonic from getting back to his office before they can stop him. Manic chases him down the halls of the castle, and the guards and maids are accustomed to this behavior and move out of the way without batting an eye.

Manic was able to surge himself forward just a bit more to keep up with his brother’s insane speed, and took that as his opportunity to pounce. He jumped off the ground and found himself landing on top of Sonic and pinning his body to the ground with his body weight.

“Did you really have to jump on top of me?”

“Did you really have to run away from me?” Manic gave a short growl to his brother below him. “Sonia and I care about you, and you need to stop being such a little shit and accept that you need to take a break.” He got off of Sonic to allow his brother to breath without his added body weight restricting his lungs, and quickly picked the future king up and slung him over his shoulder.

“Mother Is going to kill me if I don’t finish that paperwork for her. I bet she’s already furious with me from my behavior last night.” Sonic tried to wiggle out of Manic’s hold as he noticed his younger brother was carrying him to his own bedroom.

“Sonia and I will take care of that paperwork. All you need to worry about is getting some rest. Don’t think we haven’t noticed those eyebags that you have.” When they did make it to Sonic’s chambers, Manic dropped his body on his bed and the other hedgehog squeaked upon bouncing on the plush mattress below him. The green hedgehog turned away toward the door and promptly left the room, closing the door behind him. Sonic couldn’t help but feel pulled in to the comfortable sheets, and he was quite tired.

Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep on top of his bed.

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Manic stayed at Sonic’s door before he heard the soft snores of his brother and deemed that he wouldn’t have to tackle the hedgehog again. As much as it hurt Sonic, it also hurt Manic and he looked down to find that a few quills were pierced into his chest and stomach.

“Do you normally have to chase him down like that?” The bright green hedgehog whipped his head around until he caught sight of the other voice nearby. Dark ebony fur and striped crimson marks stuck out among the lilac banners and white carpets that lined the stone floors.

“Jeez, you really just pop out of nowhere, don’t you?” He lets out a huff of laughter.

“I’ve been told I can be quite stealthy.” He smirks at Manic and crosses his arms over his chest. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“You’ll come to learn soon enough that my brother doesn’t like to admit when he needs a damn break. Only way for him to listen to my sister and I is to force him too.”

“It seems like that doesn’t work in your favor though.” Shadow pointed out the quills in his chest.

“I see no issue with him sticking a few quills in me so long as he takes a break for once.” Manic sighs and looks down at the bright blue quills. He looks back up at Shadow. “Would you like to join my sister and I for the rest of tea?” Shadow nods and the two begin their silent walk to the garden. Sonia is sat in her spot still, fiddling with the fabric of her white dress. Manic sits down beside her and Shadow takes the seat that Sonic had been sitting in.

“Oh, Shadow!” Sonia sounds surprised that he is here. “I, uhm, was not expecting you.” She quickly clears her throat to get rid of any confusion in her voice. “Would you like some tea? We have peach, earl grey, and chamomile.”

“Earl grey sounds lovely, Miss Sonia.” She smiles at him and nods, grabbing a spare cup and pouring him a cup. She hands it over to him along with a small plate for him to eat any of the food laid out. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Shadow. I hope you don’t mind if we call you that?”

“I don’t mind.” He takes a sip and lets out a delighted hum at the hot beverage. Shadow could tell that there were eyes on him, and he spoke without looking away from his cup. “I suspect that Sonic has already told you both of what happened last night.”

“What gave it away?” Manic asked with a wince as Sonia pulled out one of the quills from Manic’s fur.

“You all seem to be very close. I wish I could say the same for my brothers and I.” He let out a small chuckle and took a small cucumber sandwich off of the platter.

“You have brothers? I didn’t know King Doom had any other children, just you.” Sonia admitted.

“My brothers aren’t worth mentioning half the time. Thorns in my side ever since the day they were born.”  Shadow was quiet for a moment, thinking, before letting himself voice his thoughts out loud. “Eclipse and Mephiles must be having the time of their lives without me at home.”

“As much fun as it is playing twenty questions, we need to cut to the chase.” Manic leans closer to Shadow until their noses are practically touching. Shadow can tell that the green hedgehog is trying to seem intimidating. “How do you feel about our brother, especially with that stunt you pulled last night.”

“Manic! You can’t just be so upfront about things like that. Shadow is technically a guest right now and we must treat him as such.”

“This arrangement isn’t ideal for either of us. I didn’t imagine that my father and your mother would set me up in an arranged marriage with your brother and I can understand how Sonic must be feeling about all of this. My father shared the same news with me when I turned eighteen. I was livid when he told me.”

“You don’t seem livid.”

“I have had the time to process this, Sonic has not. Three years have gone by since he’s told me and that’s been plenty of time for me to accept it. Your brother found out yesterday. He already didn’t like me and after our dance together, he believes I have played him for a fool.”

“Sonic told us that you let him talk badly about you, but you were right there and you did nothing to stop it. Why?” Manic questioned.

Shadow was silent for a very long time, staring holes into his cup of tea. Sonia looked at Manic with a confused yet concerned look.

“I didn’t have anyone to talk too when I was told about our engagement.” He swallowed down a lump in his throat. “I guess I just wanted to give your brother something that I didn’t have. Luckily, he has siblings like you two to talk to about such things.”  The purple and green hedgehogs couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. “I want to give Sonic the time to process this just like I did. It’s the least I can do to make up for everything.”

“And after that, what are your intentions?”

“To court him and enter a loving marriage.”

“Well, good luck, Shadow. Our brother can be quite the stubborn ass so it looks like you’ll have your hands full.” Manic stood up from the table and walked away with a smirk. Sonia gave Shadow a kind smile and stood up as well.

“Sonic just needs some space and time, like you said. Even though he’s not willing to admit it yet, I can tell when my brother likes someone.” She winked and Shadow could tell there was a slight green blush staining his cheeks. He watched her walk away towards the same direction Manic went in. The ebony hedgehog stared into the cup of earl grey and let out an amused chuckle to himself.

“A handful, huh? Good thing I have two hands.”

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Dinner was awkward for Sonic. Well, he’d be willing to wager that it was awkward for everybody but he would argue that it was the most awkward for him.  

His mother sat at the head of the table, obviously, and Sonic could just feel the disappointment and anger wafting out of her and towards him. He sat next to Sonia and tried to ignore his arranged fiancé that was sitting directly across from him, choosing to pick at the food on his plate. He always loved the food that Miss Vanilla made, but tonight he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach, and he just wanted the meal to be over. The act of eating just sounded far too nauseating to him right now. Soon enough, everyone finished their meals and was excused to enjoy the rest of their evenings. Sonic moved to get up and his mother placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down into his seat. Once the room was empty, save for a few guards and maids scattered about the room, she spoke.

“Sonic, I must say that I am rather disappointed with you right now. Last night, you embarrassed me and your siblings in front of all of our guests, and in front of Shadow. I did not raise you to behave like such a child!”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“Then when I went to your room, you weren’t there. Why would you worry me like that?” Sonic looked away, feeling the tears pricking his eyes. Aleena grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her gaze again. “You need to get over this emotional nonsense and do what is right for your kingdom.”

“Yes, Mother.” She takes her hands away from his chin and nods at him.

“I suggest you try and get to know Shadow, seeing as he’ll be living with us for the next six months. Then you will live with him in the Doom Kingdom for the remaining six months before returning here for the wedding. Is that clear?” Sonic gave a small nod, and his mother waved him off with a hand. After he closed the doors to the dining room, he felt his resolve finally break and he tried to choke back the sob in his throat. Tears flooded his cheeks and he placed his head in his hands, leaning against the wall before sliding down to the floor. He doesn’t know how long he spent crying on the floor, or why he was really crying in the first place.

A blue ear twitched at the sound of approaching footsteps, muffled by the carpet underneath him. Sonic removes his head from his hands and looks up. Shadow is standing there, a blank yet slightly concerned expression on his face as he holds out a hand for Sonic.

“Are you okay?”