A Is For Arranged Marriage

Sonic, after plenty of rest that Shadow made sure he got, was able to complete preparations for the ball in a timely manner. After finishing the layout for the décor and how it would be placed throughout the ballroom, he was able to put aside his worries and live the easy life.

That was until he remembered his date with Shadow.

“Chaos! I’m so nervous. Sonia, I’m going to be sick.”

“Sonic, calm down.” She tried to soothe.

“Calm down? Calm down?!” Sonic yelled out frantically. “This is my first date, and to make matters even worse, this is my first date with mY FIANCE!”

“You’re going to be just fine, big bro.” Manic jumped in from his spot in the white arm chair in the corner of Sonic’s room. “It’s just a date. Don’t get your quills in a bunch.”

“It’s more than just a date though! I need to make sure it goes well. Our entire friendship, relationship, and future marriage is riding on the outcome of this date.”

“Brother, I think you’re looking too deeply into this.” Sonia said, walking over to where her slightly older brother was pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. “Listen, it’s nine o’clock now. That means you have two or three hours before your date with Shadow. Manic and I will help you get ready, so there is no need to fret.”

“Really? You guys are going to help?”

“Of course, we are.” Manic smiled. “That’s what siblings are for, right?” 

“Now, let us start.” Sonia decreed. Manic and Sonia grabbed each of Sonic’s arms and dragged him into his bathroom. After starting the bath and filling the tub with water, the siblings did their best to scrub their crowned brother from head to toe, Sonia working into his scalp and quills while Manic scrubbed between his claws and picked out every hidden speck of dirt that dared to show itself. Afterwards, they towel dried him, fluffing his fur before brushing out and parting his quills. Sonia had run to her room for a brief second, grabbing her bottle of leave in quill conditioner and running it through her brother’s cobalt quills and furs.

“Your quills are softer than a newborn hoglets, Sonic!” Manic pointed out, amazed at his sister’s handiwork. 

“Shadow would be a fool to not admire all of the effort. Now, step two. Your outfit, which I recruited special help for.”

“Special help?” Sonic asked. A knock at his bedroom door interrupted the trio, and Sonia quickly ran over to the door and opened it. The familiar sight of a feminine pink hedgehog made her way into the room.

“Prepare yourself for the makeover of a lifetime, Sonic.”  

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Shadow anxiously stood in the front entry corridor, twisting the golden ring around his wrist as he waited. He had dressed up nice yet casual for his date with Sonic, deciding to wear a navy blue button up shirt, a brown leather vest over it, black slacks, and brown heeled leather boots. He didn’t put on his crown, wanting to not be recognized as royalty for just one day.  

“Shadow, a word.” A regal voice said behind him. He turned around to find Sonic’s mother, Queen Aleena, standing there, hands crossed in front of her.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

“My son is extremely important to me. It is a cruel, dangerous world out there, and that was made ever clearer with the death of his Father. My children are all I have left to remember my husband by.” She let out a sigh, gathering her words. “I want you to promise something to me, Shadow.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to promise that you will protect my son with your life.”

“I promise. Not a single quill will be out of place when your son returns for the ball tonight.” Aleena seemed pleased at this response, nodding her head approvingly.  

“The ball will begin at sundown.” She proclaimed before turning away and walking down the hallway. Aleena continued her way down the hallway before stopping in front of the room of her eldest son, hearing the excited chatter on the other side of the door. She softly knocked before walking in, taking in the sight of her children who were finishing putting final touches on Sonic.

It seemed like Sonia, Manic, and the younger Rose had helped Sonic get ready. His cobalt quills were perfectly separated out, looking as soft as a feather. He was wearing a chalky violet colored shirt made out of silk, with a round collar, puffy bishop sleeves that snuggly fit around his wrists, and his siblings had managed to fit a white leather belt around his waist. Upon further inspection, she realized that her son’s shirt was entirely one piece, as the pants flowed down his legs and tucked into a pair of heeled white leather boots. She noticed that her son’s outfit had a few small designs strewn throughout the fabric, swirls, and small blooming flowers. A few silver rings were placed on his fingers, and a silver necklace lay across his neck.

“You look wonderful.” She complimented, gaining the attention of the younger kids in the room. They all turned to look at her, and she smiled seeing the way her son seemed to light up under the praise.

“Thank you, Mother.” He looked over at his siblings and designer hesitantly, before turning back to face Aleena. “Is it time?”

“Yes. He’s waiting for you at the entrance. I’ll walk with you.” He took one last look at himself in the mirror, letting in a deep breath, before leaving the room with his mother. As they walked, there was a comfortable silence around them, not needing to fill it with small talk. They were around the corner from the entrance, where Shadow was supposedly waiting for him, when his mother stopped, and turned around to look at him. 

“Mother? Is everything alright?” He asked. She bent down slightly, placing her hands on his shoulders, her green eyes staring into her son’s identical ones.

“Sonic, I want you to enjoy yourself today. I’ve noticed how hard you’ve been working lately, and you earned a day without the worry of responsibility.”  

“Thank you, Mother.”

“You are eighteen now. I trust that I have raised you well enough to make good decisions instead of bad ones. But just remember, you are a prince. You can’t do the things that normal people get to do. You must uphold the reputation of this family. Do you understand, Sonic?”

“Yes, Mother.” She removed her hands from his shoulders, gently nudging him to go around the corner. Before he disappeared completely, she softly called out.

“I love you. Very much.”

“I love you too, Mother.” He replied, smiling before turning the corner to join Shadow.

“Woah.” Shadow breathed out upon seeing Sonic. He took the cobalt hedgehog’s hand and kissed the back of it. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks. You look very handsome.” He blushed, trying to keep his smile contained. “So, what do you have planned for us?” 

“It’s a surprise.” He winked. Shadow offered out his hand to hold, and Sonic took it without hesitation. The guards opened the castle doors, and Sonic was looking into the outside world. Shadow began to walk, but Sonic kept his feet planted to the floor.

“Wait, what’s going on?”

“Do you trust me?” Sonic nodded and let Shadow lead him outside. The feel of cobblestone underneath his boots was familiar, as he walked on the cobblestone paths in the garden all the time. But as he looked ahead, seeing the outlines of buildings in his kingdom, he let out a soft gasp. He turned around, finding the entrance doors locked and closed, and the kingdom was just ahead of him beyond the long bridge. 

“Sh-Shads,” He breathed out, grasping the hand still locked with his. “Are…Are you taking me into the kingdom…for the festival?” He murmured out. He turned and saw Shadow was giving him a knowing smile. He couldn’t contain his excitement anymore, feeling his tail wagging rapidly behind him. Sonic started jumping up and down letting out joyous shouts of glee.

“I can’t believe it! I’m outside the castle! This is the best day of my entire life!” He ran around in circles excitedly, continuing to jump up and down. 

“Contain yourself, Sonic.” Shadow chuckled. His voice was lost in all of Sonic’s joy-filled yelling though.

“I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing! Or, Or, I could go leaping, and bounding! Chaos! My heart is pounding right now, Shads!” He rambled on and on in his excited state. 

“Sonic, calm down. There’s a whole kingdom and festival awaiting us.” Shadow gently grabbed Sonic’s gloved paw and the two walked down the bridge and into the kingdom. It was busy and bustling with people, which of course it was since today was the day of the Summer Faire. Flags and banners were hung everywhere, conveying summer colors of yellow, orange, green, and blues. Sonic stared in awe at the sight.

“This is all so amazing!” He walked forward with a giant smile, before immediately almost bumping into a horse drawn cart with fruit in the back of it. He stumbled backward bumping backwards into a small flock of pigeons. He almost fell forward on his face, but Shadow caught his arm and helped him up.  

“You have to be more aware of your surroundings, Sonic. You could get hurt in a busy place like this.”

“I can’t help it, Shads. I’m just so happy to be here!” Shadow shook his head at the other hedgehog’s behavior, grabbing his hand and leading him toward the center of the city where the festival was taking place. People were dressed in their best attire of summer dresses and shirts. Sonic observed everything with a giant smile as he took in the scene.

Shadow couldn’t help but notice the quiet whispers and murmurs that were directed towards them. Sonic was too distracted to notice them, but Shadow wasn’t, and his advanced hearing picked up on every word that people said.

“Is that the Prince?” A dog whispered to a bear standing beside him.

“What is he doing outside of the castle?” Questioned an elderly turtle that adjusted their glasses to make sure they weren’t just seeing things.

“Who is that other hedgehog with him?” A young raccoon asked, tugging on the skirt of their mother.

“Sonic, we’ve gained an audience.” He stopped in his admired gazing and looked around, taking note of all the looks and stares he was getting. Blushing a bit under the attention he turned to Shadow.

“Do I look bad? Is there something on my face or in my teeth?”

“No, you look stunning.” He assured.

“Then why does everyone keep staring at me? Are they speaking badly of me?”

“This is the first time you have ever stepped foot out of the castle, Sonic. People are going to stare considering you’re royalty.” Shadow explained quietly. Sonic made a small “oh” sound in realization.  

“Oh, I suppose that makes sense.” He faced the small group of people that had gathered near him, giving them a small and hesitant wave. All of the adults bowed in respect, but the small raccoon child had waved back before being scolded by their mother. Sonic gave a small wave to the child and watched their face light up.

“We should keep moving. There is much to see.” The dark-furred hedgehog placed his hand on Sonic’s lower back and gently nudged him forward.

“Show me all of it!” He joyfully demanded, grasping Shadow’s hand, and pulling him along. There were small signs and posters hung up throughout the kingdom advertising different events and activities. Sonic stopped to read every single one, recounting the details to Shadow with excitement.

“Shads, there are shops!”

“Yes, I can see that. Would you like to go to them?” He nodded excitedly and let himself be dragged by him. It was amusing to watch the cobalt prince muse over such trivial items. By late afternoon, Sonic had accumulated dozens upon dozens of items including things like jewelry, handcrafted leather bags, specially made shirts made out of varying fabrics with and patterns. Shadow wouldn’t allow him to pay a single ring for any of it, much to the prince’s dismay.

“I have rings too! Come on, let me buy you something.” 

“No.” Shadow quickly denied. “Today is about treating you, Sonic.”

“Well, I want to treat you too.” Sonic shyly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a slight pink tint on his cheeks. “It’s not just my date, it’s yours too.”

Shadow sighed, shaking his head fondly. “If I see something I like, then I’ll let you know. Okay?”

“Okay.” Sonic smiled, seeming satisfied by the answer. An angry growl erupted from Sonic’s stomach, and he let out a nervous laugh at the sound. “I don’t suppose you might want to grab something to eat?”

“Let’s find you some food. Preferably something that would make your mother faint at the thought of.” He watched as Sonic chuckled at the thought and the two ventured away from the shops to try and find the food stands. The younger prince’s eyes are drawn to one stand in particular.

“Popped corn?” He questions.

“No, it’s popcorn. They use the kernels from corn, heat them up in a pan of oil and sugar, and when it gets hot enough, they pop into these small pieces of puffed up corn.”

“It sounds worth a try.” He shrugs, walking up to the stand only for the workers to bow at seeing him. 

“Your Highness.” They all greet, still bowed. Sonic stares in shock and waves them off.

“Please, you don’t have to treat me so formally.” He states. “Could I get a bag of this, uh, popcorn?”

“Right away, Your Highness.” Shadow steps forward, bag of rings in hand until one of the workers, a middle-aged wolf, held up a hand to stop him. “This one is on the house, Your Highness.”

“No, I insist.” Shadow pulls out a good handful of rings, offering them to who he assumed to be the owner.  

“Please, it’s my pleasure to serve not just one, but two princes!” They muse happily. The wolf turns around to start preparing the treat, and Shadow slyly places a generous handful of rings onto the counter anyways. Sonic catches him do it and gives him a small smirk.

“You softie.” He whispers, still smirking at the ultimate lifeform.

“Not a word.” Shadow growls quietly.  

Soon enough, the popcorn is finished and bagged up for the two princes to enjoy. Shadow finds a nice and secluded spot for them to eat between the walls of two buildings next to each other. Sonic discovers he absolutely loves popcorn, the sweet and salty taste that hits his tongue is like nothing else he’s ever tasted before in the castle. Shadow steals a couple of pieces occasionally. 

The sky is beginning to turn a nice shade of pink, the sun still high in the sky but slowly starting to set. They find themselves standing in the town square where a majority of the festival goers have gathered. At the fountain in the center is a group of three little girls, foxes, who are all happily chatting and braiding flower crowns. Sonic seems curious at the activity and makes his way toward them, the rest of the crowd watching in awe.

“Those crowns are lovely. Do you mind making one for me?” He asks innocently enough as he sits next to the oldest one of the bunch on the fountain. The three girls get huge smiles on their faces, squealing and clapping their paws before getting to work. Instead of weaving a flower crown like the prince had requested, they delicately placed flowers throughout his quills. Shadow watched in pure amusement as each flower was placed and the girls began asking questions.

“What’s your favorite color?” The youngest asks.

“Red. Preferably a shade of ruby.” Sonic answers.

“Do you like to have fun?” The middle sister questions.

“I love having fun. My siblings and I would cause all kinds of trouble when we were younger.”

“Why are your quills blue and the Queens are purple?” Inquires the oldest sister.

“I inherited my quills from my father. His quills were a bit darker than mine though.”  

“Who’s that guy?” The youngest points at Shadow. The other hedgehog had been calmly keeping to himself, sitting farther down the fountain to give Sonic and the fox girls some space.

“You dimwit! That’s the prince from the Doom Kingdom. He’s the one who I told you was going to marry Prince Sonic, remember?” The oldest says.

“Ohhh.” The youngest drawls. 

“Now, now, there’s no need to get upset at each other girls.” Sonic lightly scolds, trying to deescalate the oncoming argument. He had far too much experience having to stop fights between Sonia and Manic while growing up.

“Why are you marrying Prince Shadow?” The crimson-striped prince perked up at this question in particular, curious to hear what Sonic would say.

“Tell me girls, what is your favorite story that your mother reads to you?” The girls take some time to think over it before deciding on a solid answer.

“Rapunzel.” They say in synchronization.

“Well, think of it like so. I am Rapunzel, locked away in my tower and overlooking my kingdom. And Prince Shadow here, is my Prince Charming who has come to save me.” Shimmering green eyes gazed into Shadow’s crimson ones from where he was sitting, smiling as he watched Shadow shake his head with a smirk. “He’ll whisk me away and the two of us will ride off into the sunset.” He remarks teasingly.

“Then you’ll have true love’s kiss.” The three girls started giggling and making kissy noises. Sonic blushed in embarrassment, hiding his face in his hands as the girls sang a children’s song about him and Shadow kissing.

“Alright, girls,” Shadow intervened, approaching the group, and placing a hand on Sonic’s shoulder as he continued to hide his face. “I believe he’s had enough. I don’t want his quills to become red from how much he is blushing.”

“Ok, Prince Shadow!” The girls obeyed, returning to their previous task of braiding flowers into Sonic’s soft spikes. Removing his head from his hands, Sonic gave Shadow an appreciative smile.

“Thank you, Shads.” Sonic thanks, quickly composing himself. Eventually, the girls finish embellishing his quills, pulling away and marveling at their handiwork.

“How do I look?” Sonic asks Shadow, the older hedgehog affectionately placing a stray quill back into place.

“Like a meadow in spring.” He compliments, gently tugging him up by the hand. “Thank you, girls. You did a lovely job. But we must be on our way.”

“Awww!” The three girls cry in unison, upset that their time with the two princes was coming to an end.

“Don’t worry, girls. We will cross paths again. I’m sure of it.” The familiar noise of instruments playing had both of the hedgehogs twitching their ears in alert. People began crowding toward the town circle, listening to the players as they played a delightful, energetic tune. Everyone just stood and watched, and Sonic decided he was having none of that boring nonsense.

Spotting the young raccoon child from earlier, he glided over, grabbing his hands and pulling him along into a bouncy type of dance. The boy laughed, overjoyed that the crowned prince was roping him into such an ungraceful dance. Leaving him with a twirl, Sonic grabs another unknowing participant into his impromptu dance floor, then another, and another, and another, until everybody present was dancing together. Linking arms, clapping hands to the beat, twirling around, and switching partners. Sonic laughed gleefully, enjoying the work he had done in bringing his subjects together into a dance. Emerald eyes spotted Shadow’s deep red ones, waving a hand and gesturing for the other hog to join him. Shadow shook his head with a smirk, a look that said, ‘don’t even think about it.’ But of course, Sonic wasn’t going to let him get away with being a recluse against the wall.

Making his way through the crowd of dancing bodies, he grabs Shadow’s gloved paw and pulls him in. The look of shock and uncertainty on Shadow’s face makes him chuckle. But before they can even get so much as a twirl together in, Sonic is pulled away, his elbow hooking with that of a big, burly bear. He smiles at Shadow apologetically, but Shadow doesn’t have time to process what has just happened because he’s being pulled away for a dance too. Being the prince he is, he’d never refuse a dance with anyone unless he really really disliked them. But this is entirely new territory for Shadow, dancing where the movement is made up on the spot, reflecting more of an inner feeling than steps and footwork.

The music continues playing, and the Mobians are all dancing, switching partners approximately ever ten seconds, according to Shadow’s timing. He can see Sonic across the inner circle, a wide smile present on his peach muzzle as he danced with a young brown mouse. As they kept switching partners, Sonic and Shadow ended up reaching closer to each other towards the center. Sonic was right in reach next to him, and Shadow held a hand out to him, hoping to dance with the radiant cobalt dancer. But, as fate would have it, both of them were pulled away at the last second to dance with different partners. Shadow watched as Sonic got whisked away by a white and grey lemur, holding back a frown.

The flute player in the small band begins a small solo, trilling back and forth between two notes as the string and lute players shifted between the same four notes. After they finished the small section of music, Shadow noticed the music speeding up, people switching partners every few seconds rather than every ten seconds. If Shadow weren’t created to be powerful, he’d almost be struggling to keep up. Glancing around, his eyes searching for Sonic amongst the crowd and seeing him gleefully jumping from partner to partner, carefree and happy. He does a small leap into the air, lithe body twisting and his flowy pants almost billowing out in midair, before gracefully landing on both feet. Shadow stares in awe, and then smiles at seeing Sonic filled with so much joy, seeing Sonic truly be himself for the first time since he met him a few months ago. No mother to berate him for not acting princely, no servants and assistants reminding him of appointments, documents, meetings, and other obligations. Prince Sonic was allowed to just be Sonic.

Everyone was twirling in circles now, laughing and dancing to the sound of the fast paced song and the pound of the horn cutting in. Sonic was twirling, eyes closed as he fell into the moment. As he gave one last twirl, the song ended, and he opened his eyes to find Shadow spinning right into him. He quickly held out his hands, grabbing onto Shadow’s hands and lacing their fingers together, pressing chest to chest. Sonic beams up at him, panting lightly as he caught his breath, and Shadow can’t help but smile back down at him. The people around them cheer, applauding the performance. The sun is almost fully set now, light just barely peeking over the horizon.

“That was so much fun!” Sonic exclaims. “I haven’t been able to dance like that in years.”

“I’m happy you enjoyed yourself. But it’s time we head back. Your mother told me the ball starts at sundown, so we’ll be late.”

“Fashionably late.” Sonic adds. “We can make a grand entrance.”

The arranged hedgehogs start the walk back to the castle, Sonic’s hand resting in the crook of Shadow’s elbow as they talk. Well, more like Sonic talking and rambling about how much he enjoyed the festival, the shops, the activities, the dancing, all of it. Shadow let him talk, knowing how important this day was to Sonic. He’s just glad that everything is going smoothly and according to his plan.  

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Sonic never really enjoyed going to the balls. He always found them to be too uptight and stuffy. Balls were meant for dancing, but only those tight waltzes and partner dances he had to practice with his siblings over and over again when he learned them as a child. But this was one he would distinctly remember for the rest of his life. The night he knew he would be recounting to his children one day.

His ruffled white turtleneck fits just right around his neck, and the golden tailcoat he’s wearing keeps hitting the back of his knees that are covered by his white slacks that are tucked into a brand new pair of golden boots that Amy tells him she’s been working on for quite some time now. Looking into his vanity mirror, he stares at the gold crown placed atop his head. He didn’t like wearing it, didn’t enjoy the way people treated him differently because of it. Hell, even without it today at the festival, people stared or bowed. It was asinine!

After the walk to the grand ballroom double doors, he waits for Shadow so they can enter together. The loud noise of people chattering, laughing, and having the most delightful conversations. If only Sonic was able to have the same luxury instead of having to sit in a chair and practically be silent.

“How was it?” A gruff voice asked, scaring Sonic, and causing his quills to bristle in fear. Looking around, he saw Knuckles behind him, guard attire on and a sword in its scabbard placed on his hip.  

“Knuckles! You have got to stop sneaking up on people like that. You’re almost as bad as Shadow.”

“Sorry.” Knuckles apologizes. “Anyways, your date?”

“It was amazing! I got to leave the castle! I saw the entire kingdom and it was all so wonderful!”

“You what?!” He shouted in disbelief. “The Queen actually let you leave?”

“I have a funny feeling that Shadow may have convinced her. He took me to the festival, and I don’t believe I’ve ever had so much fun in one day.”

“I’m glad you had a good time because who knows the next time the Queen lets you outside of castle walls.” Sonic holds back his frown, because he knows there is a possibility of Knuckles being correct, and that he won’t leave the castle walls until he goes to Shadow’s kingdom. He prays that his Mother doesn’t revert back to her old ways.

“She let me out today. Surely, she’ll let me go out again.”

“I don’t think you understand, Sonic.” Knuckles sighs out. “We’re on the brink of war.”

“What?” The prince whispers out in shock.

“There’s talk of smaller villages being invaded and taken over by a group of rebels. We believe their goal is destroying everything and everyone in their path, and eventually taking over each kingdom for complete and total control of Mobius.”

“Oh Chaos! Why would she not tell me?” Sonic asked himself, trying to figure out why his Mother was keeping something as big as a war from him. Of course, she’d always been a secretive woman, but he’s the future king! She can’t just hide an entire war from him!

“You need to figure out the next move in this game of chess, Sonic. Are you going to allow yourself to be another pawn, or are you going to rise up and fight for your kingdom?” Knuckles throws at him, leaving his jaw open in shock.