Rouge and the Rogue (Knuxouge)

Robotnik's Idea

King Cerulean sat on his throne as he usually did, but he slouched considerably. He marinated in his guilty conscience. His daughter, the only Princess, had run away. Last time he had seen her, she yelled at him and called him a coward. Sure, he had thrown a few dishes at her, but did that really warrant such harsh words... and running away?

His advisors sat on their own, less extravagant chairs beside him. Sir Ivo Robotnik listed off the schedule for the King's day.

"9 o' clock, we have a meeting with the royal guard to discuss their search. 10, we meet with Baron and Baroness Duemos. 11 is lunch, and at 12 we have a meeting with the seamstress to order your winter wardrobe."

King Cerulean perked up slightly. Perhaps the guards would bring good news about the Princess. "Well, what are we waiting for? Bring the royal guard to me immediately," He ordered. His right hand man bowed and left the room, presumably to fetch the men. The King turned to his other advisor, ever-stoic Shadow, who was sitting perfectly straight.

"Shadow, do you have any clue where Rouge might be?"

The hedgehog answered immediately, "I have no idea where she might be. Though she was a help to many citizens, one couldn't call them her friends."

"She never mentioned a place she liked particularly well?"

"... Well, she did seem to get on well with Duke White. But we have already sent men to search there. Neither the Duke nor his sister know where she is."

The King sighed deeply and turned his attention away from Shadow. Sir Robotnik opened the double doors into the throne room, allowing the new head of guard entrance. Since Sir Edgar has been fired and imprisoned, the band of soldiers had to be completely revamped and none of the soldiers who had gone on the expedition or who looked up to Sir Edgar could be selected for the head position. The new guy had literally been recruited a month earlier. He had only been at the top position for a week.

"Sir Mighty, let's cut to the chase. Have you found my daughter?" The King said.

"Not yet, your majesty," the armadillo replied respectfully, "and we haven't heard any rumors about her either. Wherever she is, it must be outside of a town, away from other people."

"Perhaps she ran away to a neighboring kingdom. I hear the Kingdom of Acorn is lovely this time of year," Shadow suggested. A twinkle came to Sir Mighty's eyes when he heard about the possibility for further travel, and he agreed with Shadow.

"Well," the King said, "We do have the funds for that trip. If you cannot find her after the next week, you may make preparations to search other kingdoms. Shadow, you write to Queen Acorn and let her know to expect them. A war is the last thing we need right now." Shadow nodded and took out parchment and a pen. Mighty was told to search Duke and Duchess White's land again, then dismissed.

"Well, that was a waste of time," the King proclaimed. He left his throne.

"Where are you going, your majesty?" Robotnik asked.

"To my room. Get me when the Baron and Baroness arrive." With that the ruler swept out of the room. Robotnik turned to Shadow.

"I'll bet we never find the Princess. Eventually that old bat will die, and then who will the kingdom go to?" Shadow didn't respond, simply inclining his head to indicate that he understood Robotnik's concerns. Eventually the first advisor left the room as well, leaving Shadow to pen the letter to Queen Acorn.

Once ten o'clock rolled around, everyone gathered in a comfortable living room and welcomed the visiting Baron and Baroness. The couple had a tendency to talk too much, which was always an annoyance, but this time they had a story to tell.