Rouge and the Rogue (Knuxouge)

Surprise, Surprise

The bandits set out the next day in the early morning. They were relatively close to the castle, but they still had to spend hours walking together. Sonic kept grumbling about how much faster it would have been if he had carried them there individually, but the other bandits would never let him do that. They didn't want him to get worn out before the action began. Plus, some of the members weren't comfortable being that close to Sonic, or being held up by only two thin arms while the ground rushed below them at the speed of sound. Sonic would pretend to hold a grudge about this, but he could never stay passive-aggressive at his friends for long. As the group walked, they played word games. They created stories and poems and songs together. The time passed quickly. Once the castle came in sight, the bandits realized how long it had been since they started walking and suddenly felt hungry. They stopped on the side of the road, where there was slightly crunchy grass and a few buttercups, to eat their lunch. The lunches had been packed by the chaotix, and they consisted of squirrel sandwiches and wild strawberries. The sensible Espio had packed the meat, Vector had asked Lady Rose for the bread, and Charmy had convinced them to include the berries for a treat. Once the lunch was all gone, the group continued on the trail. Every step they took made the castle appear bigger than before. Rouge felt herself getting more nervous. She tugged her hat lower and considered using the bandana that Shadow had given her. She snuck a glance over at Knuckles and had to stifle a laugh.

He looked like a nervous wreck, wringing his hands and fidgeting with his disguise jacket. He caught Rouge looking and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Nervous, Knuckie?" She asked, her voice light with humor.

"How are you not?" He countered.

Rouge shrugged. "I've been all over the castle, it's not strange to me." When he didn't respond, she admitted "okay, I am nervous, I just hide it well. I don't want to run into my father."

Knuckles sighed, "I don't want you to run into the King either. He'd try to take you and execute the rest of us. Some way to meet the father, huh?"

Rouge moved closer and took his hand. "With any luck, we won't have to deal with that."

From next to the couple, Charmy mimed gagging with disgust.

Finally they were outside the castle gates, which were being guarded by two newbies. Not many civilians were going in to the exhibition; who would want to see the King's wealth rubbed in their faces, especially when most were too poor or ill to travel there in the first place? This made it difficult for the bandits. They would raise a lot of suspicion if they went in together or even acted like they knew each other once they got in. Sonic led them all to a patch of trees just out of the guards' view and dispatched them in small groups to infiltrate the grounds. The first group to go in was Rouge, Vector, and Cream, posing as a family.

"Here for the exhibition?" One of the guards called to them casually as they entered the gates.

"You bet! Wouldn't want our precious daughter to miss this once in-a-lifetime display!" Vector replied cheerfully. Rouge lowered her head and didn't speak. Cream waved to the guards with one hand, but the other clutched onto Rouge's dress. The young girl was participating in her first real mission with the gang, so she was tensed up. She had been grouped with Rouge because she knew her way around the grounds best and would be able to look after Cream, and Vector had insisted to go in the same group as Cream,

Rouge began to lead the group directly to the front doors, but Vector warned her against this.

"We can't look like we know our way around," he chided Rouge, "meandering like tourists would be more deceptive!" He was right, of course. Cream ooh-ed and ah-ed at the gardens and the grounds, followed closely by her temporary guardians. Rouge tried to play along, but seeing the castle grounds held many memories for her, and she eventually resorted to staring at her feet and allowing Cream to tug her around by the skirt.