THE KING IS DEAD

04

IV. The Coast
° • ♚♛♜♝♞ • °

❝FIGHT ME.❞
*ృ༅*. 𝕭𝖚𝖙 Shadow simply stared. Blinked. Tilted his head to the side. It was adorable.

"My Prince—you are in absolutely no condition to spar."

"Who said we were using our hands?" Sonic put his behind him. "I've seen you fight with one hand before. No doubt you can fight without either of 'em."

"She had a disability. I was being fair," Shadow replied. Sighing, he added, "You, on the other hand, will get me in trouble. I will help hone your sword mastery when you're well."

"I am well. Fit as a fiddle."

"Your hands are sad."

"To be fair, they were never happy, like, ever, in the first place."

Sonic grinned as he watched Shadow deeply breathe in and sharply breathe out; a huff of contained frustration. The first symptom of a person's thinning patience. 

". . . I suppose I can compromise," he relented.

"Yeah?"

"I'll train you when the splints come off—and don't you dare take them off, either!"

"Grumpy, grumpy, grumpy."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Sonic blew a raspberry, then trotted off. He noticed Shadow's tiny smile in the corner of his eye; he could not resist catching it.

It set his heart on fire.

♚♛♜♝♞

❝MY ANSWER IS STILL NO.❞
*ృ༅*. 𝕴𝖙 went on like this for many days, this of Sonic showing up on the training grounds and asking Shadow to train him. Asking quickly turned into demanding, which Shadow stood his ground for exceptionally well.

"But the splints are off!"

"But you still pestered me."

" 'Pester'? Pffft. I'm the Prince—I can."

But Sonic did stop—a little. He showed up every day, but he was quiet. He watched others train instead; watched Shadow spar by himself with mannequins and imaginary enemies. Sonic found himself at the training grounds even when Shadow was not there; it quickly became a habit.

His plans for a distraction worked almost too well. Sonic didn't think about The Plot for weeks. He had honestly forgotten about it.

. . . Until the pretty knight brought it back up from the depths upon expressing his concerns one day, whilst they were resting under a tree after a sparring match.

". . . I hear rumors, my Prince." Timid, careful; Shadow knew his place but was uncertain of boundaries. This was to test the waters.

But Sonic was very much disinterested. "Who doesn't?"

"That you hurt yourself daily."