Chapter Text
It had started as a normal party with her friends in the Chaos Dimension. Blaze had just wanted an escape from her troubles, but after being pulled aside by a message from Marine via the Jeweled Scepter, it seemed her problems were chasing her down faster than she could run away from them. This, unfortunately, left Blaze in a bit of a panic. She had walked back into the party on shaky feet, worry pumping through her in thick, unpredictable waves. Someone tried to wave her down to talk, Blaze thinks it may have been Amy, but she was unable to pay her any mind. All Blaze could focus on was finding some way, any way, to get out of what she was stuck in. Not that it was getting her very far. She had expended most of her resources already, there was nothing left she could pull to get the council off her back. Blaze begins pacing around the edge of the party, chewing on her claws once again, a habit she really needed to kick sooner rather than later. If she just had more time, she could maybe find some legal loophole or at least stall until the next crisis hit the Sol Dimension and she was too busy to arrange anything again, or… or…
“Uh, hello? Anybody home?” A voice cuts through her fugue. Blaze nearly jumps out of her own skin, whipping around to face, who else, but Sonic the Hedgehog. He’s wearing a smile, as usual, but it’s not the same one he usually wears. It took her a while to learn the difference in his expressions, but Sonic can tell she’s agitated. Sonic’s expression has a hint of hesitation and concern lacing his smile and eyes, and it’s a relief to know that his mocking tone is just him trying to cut through the tension. To that same end, Sonic lets out a shallow laugh. “You must have gotten a really bad call back there. It’s not like you to have your head in the clouds.”
Blaze swallows the lump in her throat. “You could say that.” She doesn’t explain further.
Sonic lets the silence hang for a moment, despite how uncomfortable it seems to be making him. “Do you… You know. Want to talk about it?”
The bluntness takes Blaze back a bit. She must look really bad for Sonic to be that direct about trying to talk feelings and the like. As compassionate as he is, Sonic always seemed to find these kinds of talks just a bit awkward. At least, as long as they didn’t involve him giving one of his famous “rousing speeches” (Blaze internally rolls her eyes at the thought). Blaze considers the offer for a moment. Would Sonic understand what she’s going through? These sorts of politics and responsibilities were foreign to him, but after a bit of initial resistance he seemed to understand her duties as a princess more as time went on. And he had shown himself to be more than reliable in the past, always willing to help while still respecting Blaze enough to make her own decisions. A trait that the council and that man didn’t share. But how could Sonic possibly help her in this situation? It’s not like-
Blaze blinks. That’s… a strange thought, but… It is better than the alternative. Much better, in fact, Blaze soon decides that it’s the best of all the options she has available to herself, at least in the next three days (what a hellish deadline).
“Blaze?” Sonic speaks up again. “You’re spacin’ out again.”
Rather than answer him, Blaze grabs Sonic’s hand and pulls him away from the party. Sonic calls out to her, clearly a bit confused, but Blaze ignores him. She pulls him deeper into the building, far away from anyone else so that there’s no possibility that anyone could hear them. It would be best if they had this conversation alone. Once she finds a nook far away from the party, she stops and turns back to Sonic.
“I need your help.” Blaze says simply. Or at least, she hoped it came off that way. It took tremendous effort on her part just to keep her voice steady given, well, everything.
“Clearly.” Sonic quips, eyes wide. “You’re acting really out of it, Blaze. You know you can ask us for help with anything, right? You always take on too much on your own.”
Blaze smiles to herself. Of course, even when he’s making jokes, Sonic is still looking out for his friends. Friends. The word sticks out in this moment to her. After all, if things go according to plan, calling Sonic and herself friends may not be accurate much longer.
Blaze takes a deep, deep breath. “Yes, I am aware. I have a favor to ask of you, Sonic.”
Sonic smiles. “Shoot. Whatever you need, Blaze, we’ve got you.”
She certainly hopes that’s true. “Now, this is going to take a bit of explanation. There are… a number of circumstances at play and, well. I know this is a lot to ask, especially so suddenly, and a part of me does think this a bit unfair to demand so I understand if-”
“Woah woah woah, calm down! It’s alright!” Sonic interrupts Blaze’s rapidly deteriorating speech. “I know you’re probably going through a lot, but it’s going to be fine. Just say what you need, and we’ll get it done. We’ve got a lot of good heads in here, you know.”
Sonic’s confidence is, as always, infectious. Blaze finds her breathing becoming more steady as she tries, as much as she can, to trust in what he’s saying. Still, he doesn’t truly understand what she has to ask of him. It’s so much more than-
And she’s spiraling again. Blaze forces herself to remain composed. She’s the Princess of the Sol Empire, she’s better than this. Blaze steels herself once more, closes her eyes, and says the words as quickly as she can, before her nerves can act up once again.
“Will you marry me?”
Silence. A deafening silence that Blaze hasn’t experienced in quite some time. Slowly, Blaze opens her eyes to peer at Sonic’s reaction, and… well it’s about what she expected. Sonic is completely taken aback. It’s not rejection per se, just a complete and utter shock so deep that for once, Sonic doesn’t have anything to say.
Slowly, he recovers. His mouth opens and shuts a few times, trying out different words and phrases and none of them apparently being good enough. Eventually, he settles on a simple question. “You’re serious?” Blaze can only nod. Sonic takes another second to process the situation. He takes a step back and begins to speak. “Blaze, you know, I’m flattered you think of me that way and all, but this is-”
“It’s not like that!” Blaze interrupts him. “I just need someone to marry me, and you’re the only person I can think of who would meet all the necessary conditions.”
Sonic balks at the idea. “‘Necessary conditions’? Blaze, what are you talking about?”
Blaze nearly says something else that would undoubtedly make her sound like a maniac, but she stops herself before she gets too far. “I apologize if I offended you. I recognize that this may require a bit more explanation.” She waits, and after Sonic gives her a nod, Blaze begins to explain exactly what had been happening.
Two Months Ago
Blaze stomps through the halls of the Imperial Palace, obviously frustrated. Captain Whisker had returned, despite being buried at the bottom of the ocean, and was running a series of raids on random towns across the entire Empire with a vengeance. It was a crisis, and one that she had taken upon herself to solve. She had barely gotten started burning Whisker’s fleets to the ground when Marine received word that the Council called her back to the Palace. Despite initial resistance, Blaze eventually relented and returned for a meeting with them. As frustrating as the entire situation was, it wasn’t like she could ignore the Council’s wishes. The monarchy was not absolute in the Sol Empire, and there were other authorities who she had to work with to keep things in order. Blaze understood that, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.
When she arrives at the Council’s Chamber, she flings the door open immediately. Inside are twelve nearly ancient individuals, all murmuring and whispering in hushed tones just barely quiet enough to escape Blaze’s ear. With practiced, purposeful steps, Blaze steps into the antechamber. The room is circular, with the council on high seats overlooking a podium in the center. It was meant to show off their power, much like the height of her own throne did, though Blaze rarely found a reason for herself to stay in the Throne Room and even less often a reason to sit on her perch.
Blaze stands at the podium, back straight, and speaks with conviction. “Greetings, Council. I believe you summoned me?”
In front of her, Julius, an old koala and one of the most politically savvy amongst the council, takes charge and speaks. “Indeed. We must first take a moment to thank your Highness for gracing us with your presence.” His tone is somewhat bored, but that doesn’t stop him nor any of the others from giving her a quick bow, which she returns in kind. These pleasantries were somewhat tiring, but they kept to them anyway. The Sol Empire was nothing if not for its traditions.
“Likewise.” Blaze repeats her part in the script, but she quickly decides to take charge of the actual conversation. “Though, I must voice my displeasure for the timing of this summon. Time is of the essence at the moment.”
Julius simply smiles. “Your time is always valuable, your Highness. I see no reason that the current moment should be more dire.”
Blaze frowns. “I was in the process of protecting our Empire from outside threats. My absence gives those forces more time to mount an offensive.”
A woman to her side, a cat named Matilda, scoffs. “It is improper for your Highness to be fighting on the front lines. It risks too much.”
Blaze bites her tongue. This was a common political undercurrent in these discussions - the Council did not approve of her taking such an active role in the nation’s military. Despite the long tradition of their monarchs engaging in combat, recently the council had become terrified at the prospect of the Sol Emeralds being lost and the ensuing chaos that it would cause for the Empire. Blaze had easily shut these inquiries down with appeals to their past, but taking the bait at this moment would be unwise. “Regardless, our military had been organized around my presence. My absence will be quite the headache for our generals. With that in mind, I assume my presence here can only be necessitated by equally dire circumstances.”
Julius nods. “Indeed. Just earlier today, we received the most troubling news. Your cousin, Singe, has tragically passed.”
Blaze hangs her head. “My condolences to his family.” She means her every word, but truthfully, Blaze knew little of the boy. They weren’t truly cousins - they were distant relatives, barely related by blood at all, and had never once met. The only relevance he had had to her life was that Singe was, technically, next in line to the throne were she to meet a similar fate.
“That’s precisely where the problem lies - he had none.” Julius says quietly. That revelation gets Blaze’s attention. She knew that he, too, had lost his parents at a young age, but she had assumed that he had some other family who had taken him in. Custody likely defaulted to the state, and Blaze had assumed that if that were the case, he would have been taken to the palace. It was strange that Singe had been so distant if his circumstances were truly so dire.
“I see.” Blaze says simply. Truly, this is quite tragic news, but a part of Blaze wonders why this required summoning her here, to the capitol, on such short notice.
“You do realize what this means, do you not?’ Julius says slowly. “You are now the only heir to the throne of the Sol Empire. If you were to pass, there would be no one to take your place.” A distant part of Blaze recognized that was true, though it wasn’t something she was all too worried about. There were procedures in place for selecting a new ruler were such a thing to come to pass. At least, that was her thought. “This is clearly an unacceptable state of affairs.”
Blaze has to pinch herself to keep herself from rolling her eyes at the comment. “And what do you propose we do about this?”
“Why, isn’t it obvious?” Matilda speaks with uncharacteristic glee. “You must get married.”
She freezes. “I… I’m sorry?”
Julius nods. “It’s true - this is the only solution to our current predicament. It would be ideal to produce an heir to the throne as quickly as possible. Even failing that, having a king alongside your Highness would make the chain of command far more difficult to shake.”
Blaze is far more flustered than she would like to admit. She had never been the best about these kinds of things - she has always gotten embarrassed when the topic came up. Regardless, she needs to focus. “While I understand that the current situation isn’t ideal, I unfortunately have no intent to marry at the moment.”
Once the words leave her lips, Blaze can tell something is wrong. The Council doesn’t react at all, almost like they expected Blaze’s response. Julius shifts around in his chair, and then he smiles. It sends a shiver down Blaze’s spine. “We are aware, but your preferences are not the concern of this meeting. What matters now is what we must do.”
“What is your suggestion?” Blaze says as evenly as possible.
“Our decree is that the Empire needs a king, sooner rather than later.” Julius says with practiced cool. His confidence is worrying - the fact that he feels comfortable flexing his authority over hers is almost terrifying.
However, more than terrifying, it’s infuriating. “I understand your position, but I am the Princess of this Empire, and I will make a choice about when and to whom I will get betrothed. You don’t have the authority to force me to do anything.”
“On the contrary, your Highness, it is our responsibility to keep you in line when your passion outweighs your sense.” Julius’s tone nearly makes her snap on its own. Blaze is seconds away from raising her voice and shouting them all down. “We’ve found a suitable husband for you from a wealthy family, and your marriage can take place as soon as next month. We’ve taken the liberty of-”
Julius doesn’t get the opportunity to finish his sentence. Blaze slams her heel onto the ground, her flames erupting around her. The Council’s gasps fill the room, clearly taken aback by Blaze’s show of power. It was extremely uncouth for Blaze to use her powers in their chambers, where the other most powerful families in the Empire were given a direct line of influence to the crown, but it was necessary. They needed to be reminded who was in charge.
“You will do no such thing, Julius. It is clearly stated within the laws of the land that the royal family is the only entity who can make decisions about who will and will not be accepted into our lineage, not the Council. I am quite frankly appalled that you ever thought that this would be acceptable, not only professionally, but especially personally.” Blaze can’t help but let her voice raise. “This is preposterous, and I’m quite close to using my rights as the ruler of this country to strike you from your position for even considering stepping this far out of line!” Blaze is almost yelling as she finishes her soliloquy, and while the Council is initially taken off balance, Julius and the others recover quickly. No, they don’t recover. It’s quite clear that Julius is all but gloating.
He begins laughing, laughing at her! The rest of the Council joins in, and soon Blaze’s entire face is burning with a mix of shame and pure rage. “What could possibly be so funny?”
Julius leans forward, smug as can be, and sneers. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I seemed to have overestimated you. I should have known you were completely unaware of just how dire your position truly is.”
“What? Stop speaking nonsense, Julius!” Blaze snaps.
“Oh, but I’m not.” Julius pulls out a large tome, one that Blaze recognizes. A law book on the rights and responsibilities of the Royals and the Noble Families of the Empire, and flips open to a bookmarked page. “Are you familiar with chapter twelve, section fourteen, subsection eleven point five of the laws regarding the Council and the Royal family? I imagine not.” Blaze takes a second to verbally admit she has not read it. The laws are so large and cumbersome that even she, who had been studying law for years in her youth, didn’t know all the laws of the Sol Empire. No one did, it was impossible. Once she confirmed her ignorance, Julius continued. “Now, I will paraphrase as it is quite a long section, but one of the rights beholden to the Council is, in times where the Royal family has threatened the safety of the Empire by failing in their responsibility to provide an heir apparent to the throne, the Council is given various rights to protect their own interests by maintaining a line of succession. One of which is, well…”
Julius leans forward, a wicked grin on his face. “To deprive the Royal Family of its responsibilities in their entirety and replace them with a more fruitful lineage.”
The words are like a knife through her heart. Blaze doesn’t believe it - she won’t believe it! This is ridiculous! There’s no way that law could apply here, there has to be some kind of mistake. Blaze leaves the podium, something that is not accepted in these procedures, and snatches the book out of Julius’s hands. She reads through the section quickly, trying to find the mistake and…
There’s nothing. It’s as Julius described. She reads it again. And again. A fourth time, slower and more methodically. No matter how many times she looks at it, it’s as Julius says. She is the last heir apparent to the throne, she has no relatives close enough to the bloodline to take over in the case of her passing. Given this precarious situation, the provision does as Julius had claimed. They have the right to wretch her position as Princess away from her and give it to a new family, one unrelated to any of the Council members. It’s all there, in black and white.
Blaze drops the book to the ground, muscles going slack. “This… can’t be…”
Someone laughs above her. “I see you’ve accepted the reality of the situation.” Julius sneers at her. Blaze can’t believe this. She was raised from birth to lead this kingdom. It was her responsibility to protect the people of the Empire! She was the guardian of the Sol Emeralds. If they took her position away from her, she wouldn’t be able to protect anyone anymore. What would happen to her connection to the Sol Emeralds? Would they take the Emeralds away from her, and give them to… to whom?
Blaze shakes her head. She can’t spiral right now, she has to focus on the here and now. “You wouldn’t.” Blaze says, voice low.
Julius leans back in his seat. “We will do whatever it takes to protect the Empire.”
“Removing me from my position won’t protect the Empire, it will endanger it.” Blaze snaps. “And more importantly, it will bring ire upon all of you. My family’s rule is popular, and I am seen as a hero among the people. They will never forgive you if you unseat me. You don’t get anything from unseating me, either. I will still have a hand in choosing the next Royal Family, and I assure you, I will make sure they are not someone who is agreeable to any of you if you insist on this course of action.”
For a second, no one responds. Eventually, Julius speaks.
“Be that as it may, which of us has more to lose in this situation?”
The words hang in the air for a long moment, and right then, Blaze realizes that she’s lost. Her threats are meaningless - she has to hold onto her position as Princess, no matter the cost.
Her stubbornness stops Blaze from speaking for quite some time, but eventually, she relents. “Who is it you’ve chosen to be king?”
Mercifully, it seems Julius is finished gloating. “A young koala by the name of Zeno. My grandson, in fact.” Blaze shoots the man a glare that would kill most members of the Empire, but Julius is completely unfazed. Of course. This was all a power grab, wasn’t it? She should have seen it coming, but at this point, there was little she could do.
“Fine.” Blaze spits the word out. “Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”
“Yes.” Matilda, of all people, decides to speak up. “I would recommend that you don’t return to the fight against Captain Whisker. Risking losing our sole monarch at this time would be quite irresponsible, don’t you agree?”
It takes all of Blaze’s self control to stop herself from snapping at the old woman, but she realizes she’s lost this exchange. She forces herself to nod and give some small words of agreement. There’s some more talk afterward - discussion of when she will meet Zeno and some preliminary planning for their wedding. She’s able to convince them to not go public with the marriage announcement quite yet, one of the only things she’s able to wrangle from them, but the entire ordeal is beyond demoralizing. As soon as the meeting is over, Blaze stomps her way to her personal quarters, ignoring incoming questions from Gardon and Marine, and slams the door shut behind herself. Blaze collapses into her bed and, now that she’s finally away from any prying eyes who could see her weakness, breaks into tears.
Somehow, the situation would only get worse.
Blaze had insisted that she meet Zeno before the day of their wedding. It was still a few weeks out, but Blaze had insisted that meeting her future husband before the day of her wedding was, in fact, important, much to the Council’s chagrin. They were being incredibly unreasonable, and it was because they knew they had the upper hand. After spending two days sulking in her room, eating ice cream and reading novels, she had ventured out of her quarters to talk to Gardon and Marine. Gardon had learned of her predicament independently, though Marine had to be told. Marine had immediately given Blaze a hug and cried into her shoulder when she learned what had happened, and while it was overwhelming, it did actually help quite a bit. Gardon had insisted they’d find a way out of this, and the pair spent quite a bit of time reading over the tomes of law for some loophole. While they had come up empty, the search at least gave Blaze some hope. She also had to correspond with the military, and while their battle had, predictably, gone much worse without her assistance, things had been notably less catastrophic than Blaze had predicted. Blaze decided to take that as a good sign of things to come. All these fleeting distractions couldn’t stop time from passing, however, and after a couple of weeks, her first meeting with Zeno had arrived.
It was during a meeting about their upcoming wedding, concerning scheduling. They both had to be there, of course, but they didn’t have much time to converse. They were there for business, but Blaze had to admit that she had a difficult time focusing on the minute details. Her eyes constantly drifted to Zeno, trying to get a grip on who this person was. It was strange, the man was so… normal. He was stout and portly, well dressed as was to be expected of someone of his social stature. The most concerning note she made of him was that he seemed to be quite a bit older than her, though she couldn’t place his exact age. But overall, he was simply a man, no more notable than any of the others in the room, and that was somehow both comforting and disconcerting. Maybe that was the best way this could turn out. Blaze had to get married, had to… produce an heir (that part of the deal still made her a bit uncomfortable, truthfully), but it would be fine. Blaze was still the princess of the Empire, born to serve them and give them the best life possible. Maybe this was just an extension of that responsibility, and one that she would grow to be fine with as she did all the other responsibilities that so long ago had felt overwhelming. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.
The meeting ended with much fanfare. Blaze dismissed all of her subordinates, and Zeno lingered just long enough to introduce himself. They shook hands and spoke little, only taking the time to decide to meet again the following day, and the two parted ways. It almost felt too formal, to be truthful, but maybe that was a blessing. Perhaps he too was not one for these political arrangements and saw the entire affair as a burden, as she did. Perhaps they could find common ground and possibly work through this awful situation together. Hope, however small, started to bloom in her chest, though she took the time to keep her expectations tempered. She shouldn’t get too excited, things could still go very wrong. Still, Blaze kept that thought in her mind as she went about the rest of her responsibilities for the day.
These memories played on repeat in Blaze’s mind as she prepared tea for their second meeting. It was a nice, neutral activity, something Blaze did with many people, so hopefully Zeno didn’t get the wrong idea from it. What exactly the ‘wrong idea’ was, Blaze wasn’t too sure, but she wanted to hold onto the hope that Zeno would at the very least be understanding of her situation. Either way, the process of making tea herself was very calming. Of course, she could have the help do it for her, but Blaze took a certain amount of pride in doing things herself when she was able to. It also helped Blaze keep her mind on something other than the upcoming meeting, which only made her increasingly anxious as it approached. Blaze catches her hands shaking occasionally, a horrid sign of her nerves. Perhaps she should reschedule…
“Your Highness, your guest has arrived.” Gardon announces. Well, there goes that idea.
Blaze turns to her guard and gives him a curt nod. She needn’t say anything else - they had already discussed this much beforehand. While Gardon’s insistence on being there for her was flattering, Blaze felt much more comfortable talking to her future husba-, her future partner on her own. Once Gardon exits the room, she takes a long breath to steady herself and carries the teapot over to the table. They were situated in a small guest room overlooking the Palace’s gardens, a room that Blaze remembers spending a lot of time playing in as a small child. Her parents would, on very rare occasions, play hide and seek with her in the palace when they weren’t too busy, though that happened far less often than Blaze would have liked.
It is still enough to put a small, almost sad smile on her face to recall her now passed Mother and Father. How long had it been since she had last visited their grave? Blaze had the sense it had been far too long.
“Blaze the Cat?”
Blaze reacts more to the voice than she would have wanted. Her jumps cause her elbow to bump into the teapot, and she has to quickly spin to catch it so that her previous hard work would not be wasted. “Oh, hello, Z-zeno. I didn’t see you there. I must have simply spaced out.”
Blaze had been spacing out far too often, truthfully. That didn’t seem to bother Zeno, as the man just gives her a soft smile and takes a seat across from her. “It’s fine. Don’t be too harsh on yourself.”
Blaze rolls her eyes and begins pouring tea for the two of them. “I’m the princess. I shouldn’t be losing myself in my own thoughts this often. It’s irresponsible.” Her explanation only draws a larger laugh out of Zeno.
“Trust me, you won’t have to worry about that kind of thing for too much longer.” Zeno says quietly, almost quietly enough that Blaze misses it.
“I’m sorry?” Blaze says. Zeno simply sips his tea, seemingly ignoring Blaze’s question entirely, much to her annoyance. Maybe she was getting too accustomed to the royal treatment, but Marine didn’t care that much about her status and Blaze never felt slighted in their conversations. Once it was painstakingly clear that Zeno was not going to say anything, Blaze relented and decided to change the topic of conversation. “I must say, all of this must be rather sudden. I imagine it’s a bit of an adjustment for you. You’ll be forced to move rather far after our arrangement, after all.”
Zeno simply shrugs. “That’s not too large of a concern. I may not see my immediate family as often, but they can take care of our affairs themselves. Besides,” Zeno leans forward, a soft smile forming across his lips, “How can I complain when my bride-to-be is someone as stunning as you?”
The princess does her best to hide her grimace. “I see.” A bit of hope in Blaze’s chest began to die out. She had hoped that the both of them saw this only as an obligation, but it appeared that wasn’t the case. That’s fine. This wasn’t all that bad, or at least, that’s what she told herself. Surprisingly, this earns yet another laugh from Zeno, something the man did often it seemed.
“You do look quite adorable when you’re blushing like that.” Zeno speaks with a soft tone, something far too intimate for a man she hardly even knew. The temptation to simply leave was almost irresistible at this point, but her duty was more important than her comfort (it seemed she rarely got the opportunity to prioritize her comfort lately).
“Zeno.” Blaze says his name with as much conviction as she can muster. “I feel like you may be under the wrong impression regarding our upcoming marriage. While I have agreed to marry you, it is unfortunately purely for political reasons. I assumed you would understand the situation in the same way as I did, but I regret to inform you that this level of familiarity is… unwarranted.”
There were many reactions she expected after her little spiel. Perhaps hurt, perhaps confusion or shock. Never in a million years would she have expected the koala to simply roll his eyes, a level of dismissal Blaze almost never experienced in the Sol Dimension. “Please. I know you’re not the most politically savvy ruler we’ve ever had, but surely even you understand that you’re not in much of a position to negotiate.”
Negotiate? What is he talking about? Blaze’s confusion must have been evident through her expression, because Zeno continues. “You see, princess, you need me far more than I need you.” With that, Zeno stands and walks towards Blaze’s side of the table. She begins to get to her feet as well, but before she can make any headway, Zeno places a hand on her shoulder and pushes her down.
“What are you-mmph!” Blaze’s question is interrupted by Zeno lips, forcing a kiss onto her. Blaze is too shocked to move at first, but once Zeno’s hands start to wander across her body, she’s disgusted enough to act. She shoves Zeno off her and onto the ground, a level of rage pumping through her body that she rarely felt. It took more self control than she would like to admit to keep her fire under control, as much as she wanted to burn this creep to a charred crisp. A distant voice in the back of her head thinks it was a good decision to send Gardon away, as otherwise, she likely wouldn’t be able to hold her guard’s more violent impulses back.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Blaze all but yells, her fire flaring up around her involuntarily. Zeno cowers for a moment, which although satisfying, doesn’t seem to change his attitude in the long run. His previous unwarranted confidence returns soon enough.
The man, if she could call him that, in front of her gets to his feet. “I’m simply taking what’s mine, that’s all.”
It’s such a brazen comment that, once again, Blaze is thrown off. Somehow, this man finds a way to dig lower and lower with every action he takes. “I have half a mind to have you thrown out of my palace!”
“Oh, do you?” Zeno’s smirk is quite possibly the most infuriating thing Blaze had ever seen. “I suppose I’ll just cancel our marriage, then. Sometimes these things just don’t work out.”
The words hang heavy in the air. Realization crawls up Blaze’s back like a serpent stalking its prey. This was a threat. Zeno could, as the head of his house of nobles, simply reject the proposal. If he invoked his right to do so, Blaze would be left without a suitor and once again at the whims of the Council. Just as his grandfather had before him, Zeno was holding her position hostage to get what he wanted.
“You wouldn’t.” Blaze says more to herself than Zeno. She begins stammering. “H-how long do you think this will last? Your leverage only lasts until we get married. After that, you have nothing over me.”
Zeno is unbothered. “Once I’m king, I’ll have all the same authority you currently enjoy. And I’ll have the Council backing me. I’m not sure how much you think you’ll be able to get done in those circumstances. And believe me…” Zeno leans towards Blaze, grabbing a hold of the bottom of her chin with his fingers. “There are a lot of foolish decisions you’ve made I intend to rectify.”
Maybe it was morbid curiosity, but despite her tongue feeling like lead in her mouth and her breathing being unnaturally shallow, Blaze felt she had to know what Zeno’s vision for the Empire looked like. She pushes just a few words through her terror and speaks. “Such as?” She asks, voice shaky.
It seemed the man loved to gloat. A chuckle echoes deep within his belly as he begins his explanation. “Just about every change you’ve made has been a detriment to our Empire’s glory. You’ve raised taxes on the most worthy of your subjects to fund a slew of vanity projects that are very unpopular amongst the nobles.”
Vanity projects. Blaze had heard the term used by those who disapproved of her actions before. She hardly sees how making sure her entire Empire is fed, educated, and healthy counts as a vanity project, but distributing these blessings to everyone did require quite a bit of money. Money they had to spare, but that took away from the coffers of the Royal and Noble families. Their personal influence being diminished at all was far too much for the more short-sighted among the nobles despite the Empire being, by all accounts, stronger than it had ever been. It was a terrible way of thinking that Blaze, and her parents before her, had done all they could to weed out of the nobility, but change took time. Eventually, she believed they would all come to see things as she did.
Of course, she said none of this. Distantly, she worried about what her subjects may do if these support networks were cut out from under them, but she needed to focus on the here and now. Primarily, she needed to find absolutely any way to get out of this marriage, as quickly as she could.
“I assume you understand the situation properly now.” Zeno says. Blaze stills her hand, refusing to react to his prodding. Zeno turns back to their, by now, cold tea, and swats the entire set up off of the table. The fine china shatters on the ground, sending tea spilling everywhere. “I’ll take my leave. I don’t imagine this meeting will be very productive from here on out.” He announces, walking away from the mess he made.
Blaze stares at the tea slowly spreading across the ground, frozen in place. A few fleeting thoughts stir in her mind, trying to piece together some plan of action to at least minimize the damage. Her thoughts are interrupted by Zeno calling to her.
“Oh, and Blaze? Make sure to have that cleaned up. I wouldn’t want the floors of my palace to be stained.” Zeno shuts the door behind him, leaving Blaze alone with her worry.
The following month had been hell for Blaze. She had done everything she could to stall their marriage for as long as she could. When Captain Whisker’s pirates attacked an important city, she declared a state of emergency and spent a week fighting them off personally. She was able to convince the Council that marrying so soon after such a tragedy would make the Empire look upon the crown disfavorably, allowing her to stall for even longer. However, for the next couple of weeks after that, Blaze wasn’t anywhere near as lucky. Without any convenient excuses to push the marriage date further away, Blaze had to grasp at straws to give herself and Gardon more time to try and find some way out. Petty excuses were flung everywhere. Discussions about the details of the wedding, who would be in attendance, how public it should be were rehashed and flip flopped on, purposefully, as to push things back ever so slightly further. All the while, Blaze was stressed beyond belief. On top of her normal duties, she spent every waking moment that wasn’t spent postponing the marriage trying to find some legal loophole. Even worse, she had to find reasons to avoid Zeno who had taken every opportunity available to harass her. It was starting to take a toll on her. Blaze stayed up far too late into most nights reading book after book on the Sol Empire’s laws and regulations, often staying up all night researching. Gardon scolded her for it, but truthfully, even trying to sleep felt like a fool’s errand most nights. Her worry was so deep that she laid restlessly on her bed, tossing and turning from sundown to sunrise one night as her mind was stuck on her current predicament. After that, she figured she might as well spend her nights getting work done as opposed to wasting time failing to rest. Her rapidly deteriorating status didn’t go unnoticed by those around her. Marine did everything in her power to cheer her up, and Gardon must have spent more time nagging her than actually working. It didn’t change much, in the end, but Blaze tried to take it as a comfort nonetheless.
Around the end of the month, she had reached the end of her rope. Blaze could hardly focus on anything, to the point where even her normal work was too overbearing for her. She was running thin on excuses, and there was nothing convenient she could use as a way out of the next looming engagement date. With all this going on, it had been a godsend to feel the Sol Emeralds pulling her towards the Chaos Dimension. She quickly ran to the Council and announced that she was needed in their connected universe, a call that no matter how much they despised it, they were powerless to object. Blaze teleported to the Chaos Dimension the second the meeting was over, landing outside of Cream’s house and collapsing into an exhausted heap. The next several days were dedicated to getting a bit of rest and then stopping Eggman’s latest highly dangerous scheme. All seemed to be going well, until Blaze had received an ultimatum at the celebration party. Blaze was to be married at the end of the month, a mere three days away, or she would be stripped of her title immediately. No amount of objections were able to sway the Council, leaving Blaze in her current predicament.
“Wow. That’s… a lot.” Sonic says simply. Blaze had taken a seat on the cold floor halfway through her story. She had needed to pause frequently to collect herself, a mix of fury and sadness threatening to spill out at different points in the story. Still, she managed to get through the entire thing while remaining mostly composed. Her eyes remain trained on the floor as she sorts through those stressful memories and brings herself back to the present. As she’s about to speak, Blaze feels a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. It’s Sonic, of course. “I know that this has all got to be really hard for you. I can hardly imagine how I’d feel in your shoes. But we’ll get through this, I promise. We’ll figure out something, I’m sure of it.”
Blaze deflates. “I’m going to assume that your answer is ‘no’, then.” Blaze says. Sonic grimaces, sucking in a breath through his teeth.
“There’d be a lot of issues. I’d have to stay in your dimension all the time, for one. If Eggman attacks that could be a problem, and I’m not exactly king material or anything. Besides, ugh, marriage? Not really my thing, you know?” Sonic gives the most hollow chuckle Blaze has ever heard. It almost sounded like he was in pain. After he fails to get a laugh, Sonic asks another question. “I mean, do you really need to get married?”
Blaze nods slowly. “I’ve spent a long time searching for another way out. I need to get married to someone of at least somewhat high stature within the Sol Empire.”
“Well, I’m sure it can’t be that hard to find someone who can get you out of this. Right?” Sonic offers.
“It’s not that simple. I can’t just marry anyone. They need to be someone well respected within the Sol Empire, as well as someone who can’t be swayed by the politics of the nobles. Your assistance in helping me defeat Captain Whisker and Eggman Nega in the past has earned you enough of a reputation that they wouldn’t object to our engagement, and you’re not one to be easily swayed by promises of favors or fortune.” Blaze explains. She had been putting a lot of thought into this over the past month, and had ruled out marrying essentially everyone in the Sol Empire itself.
“There’s really no one else who fits the bill?” Sonic asks, almost incredulous.
Blaze just shakes her head. “No, well, I suppose Tails technically fits those criteria as well, as he assisted us on that adventure, however…”
Sonic has quite the strong reaction to that. “Yeah, that’s not happening.” The two share a soft smile, deflating the tension in the air ever so slightly. Silence stretches out afterward, neither willing to be the one to broach the topic they’re both dreading once again. However, their apprehension couldn’t hold back the inevitable forever.
Blaze is the one to make the first move. “Sonic, I know I’m asking too much, but trust me when I tell you I wouldn’t be asking this of you if I had another option. Please.”
Sonic breaks eye contact, looking around the area frantically. Blaze got the feeling he didn’t really care what he was looking at. “Look, Blaze, I… don’t think this is going to work out.” Before Blaze can object, Sonic keeps talking. “I get it, I really do. What’s happening to you is unfair, and I know it feels like this is the only way out right now but-”
Blaze can’t keep herself contained anymore. She interrupts Sonic, raising her voice far more than she likely should have. “It is the only way out! I’ve been looking into this for far longer than you have, Sonic. Don’t you trust me?”
He deflates, if only slightly. “Of course I trust you, Blaze.”
“Then trust me when I say I’ve considered every other option.” Blaze pleads. “This isn’t just about me, Sonic. This is about the entire Empire. If they get their way, so many people will get hurt. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I understand, Blaze. I’m fully aware of how high the stakes are, ok? You don’t have to talk down to me!” Irritation leaks into Sonic’s voice, frustration boiling over both parties. If things keep going like this, nothing will get solved. Sonic realizes this, too, it seems. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be angry at you. It’s just that… nevermind.”
Sonic’s normal attitude is gone. Most of Blaze’s last embers of hope seemed to have disappeared as well. At this rate, she’s almost certain he’s going to say no, and then… Then Blaze will be forced to marry him, and the people of her Empire, the people she swore to protect, will all be in danger. She failed. She failed everyone. As that realization sinks in, Blaze begins to feel herself tear up. She cups her face in her hands, trying to compose herself, though it’s a futile effort. Blaze only deteriorates more and more with time, barely keeping herself from weeping. Her companion notices her state of affairs rather quickly, and soon, Sonic is lowering her to the ground, patting her back and all but whispering to her.
“Hey hey hey, it’s not as bad as it feels, I promise. I’ll talk to Rouge about it, maybe she can do something. Even if it’s not exactly above board, I’m sure we’ll manage something.” Sonic’s reassurances fall on deaf ears. Blaze shakes her head, making her best effort to pull herself together and failing spectacularly. It’s far past the point of rational consideration. All that’s left are the ugly, raw emotions she had stuffed deep inside her for the past few months, and she has to let them out.
“It’s pointless. Everything’s ruined, and I… I’m going to have to marry him now, and I… I…” Her shoulders start to heave as her emotions overtake her. She babbles on and on, every last anxiety spilling out of her. Blaze isn’t even sure how much of it is coherent. She imagines that very little of it is, but Sonic listens to all she has to say with nothing but care on his face. A part of Blaze wants to be angry with him, but even now, she can sense that he’s doing everything he can to help. She just wishes it was enough.
Eventually, he speaks. “Blaze?”
She looks up at him, wiping a few errant tears from her eyes. “I’m not in the mood for empty platitudes right now, Sonic.”
“I know. That’s why I won’t give you any.” He says, voice low. Sonic gets to his feet, his posture less solid than Blaze remembers. She almost dismisses him entirely, but then he says something she never thought she’d hear.
“I’ll do it.”
Silence.
“What?” Blaze looks up at Sonic, trying to keep her hopes from getting raised only for them to be dashed once again.
Sonic exhales, shaky and nervous. “You’ve sacrificed so much already, and I just can’t bear to see you go through this, not when I can do something about it. So… yeah. I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.”
Blaze doesn’t react immediately, still feeling like this can’t quite be real. But once it occurs to her that yes, this is real and yes, everything really is going to be fine, she can’t help but tear up again. Blaze practically throws herself at Sonic, wrapping him up in the tightest hug she’s ever given someone and practically sobbing against him. “Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you! ”
Sonic laughs. “Hey, settle down there! You’re smothering me over here!” He feigns protest, though eventually his arms wrap around her back as well. He leans in slightly, speaking more softly now. “It’s gonna be ok. You’ll get through this, ok?”
Blaze pulls back, finally in control of herself again. “No, we’ll get through this. Together.” Sonic laughs.
“I thought I was the one who did the corny lines?” Sonic says, pulling back from their hug. He takes a deep breath, letting everything settle between them for a moment. “Ok, we should probably, you know, get to work. We’ve got a lot of things to get in order, I imagine.”
Blaze nods. “That we do.”