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sonicstorybook · 11 months

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The King's Champion

A SatBK AU where Shadow is the one sent to Camelot and Sonic is the doppelgänger- the one and only King Arthur!

Part: 4/4

Summary: Arthur the Hedgehog pulled the legendary sword Caliburn from the stone, and he became King Arthur, the ruler of Camelot. Shadow the Hedgehog appears in a flash of magic in the middle of his banquet hall, and he becomes Arthur’s problem. As the sun rises over the kingdom, a pre-dawn conversation between both hedgehogs also helps them reach... well, not quite a mutual understanding, but progress is progress!

(Shadow doesn’t know where he is, what’s going on, or why he’s there- but it doesn’t matter. He’s Shadow the Hedgehog, the world’s ultimate life form, and he’s going to play this weird game by his rules.)

Contains: Pre-relationship/platonic Arthadow (Arthur the Hedgehog x Shadow the Hedgehog)! Lamorak (Jet the Hawk) and Percival (Blaze the Cat) are siblings! Gawain (Knuckles the Echidna) and Gareth (Mighty the Armadillo) are siblings! Gawain and Gareth are Yvain’s (Ray the Flying Squirrel) cousins! Kay (Scourge the Hedgehog) is Arthur’s adopted brother!

Rating: G

Word count: 2,252

Note: The close of the first chapter of Shadow’s stay in Camelot! C: Will there be more? Yes, because I have no self-control. C,:

Reminder of characters: Sir Kay is Scourge the Hedgehog! Sir Gareth is Mighty the Armadillo! Sir Yvain is Ray the (Flying?) Squirrel! Percy is Percival the Squire, aka Blaze the Cat!

All chatter ends and the courtyard is deathly quiet as everyone collectively holds their breath, certain they must have misheard Shadow just now… but the black hedgehog doubles down.

“You heard me,” Shadow repeats, turning to face Gawain with a challenging arch of his brow, “Lancelot can keep his Queen- I’ll take the King.”

“What!?“ Half a dozen voices cry out at once. Arthur barely manages to contain his own surprise, whipping his head to look at Shadow so quickly he almost flings the circlet off his head.

Shadow does not flinch under the heavy weight of the stares, cool and determined with a haughty hand on his hip.

“Shadow,” Arthur wishes he had a moment with Shadow alone to explain what the black hedgehog was getting himself into, tenting his hands in front of his face thoughtfully, “Once again, I am asking you to reconsider this request. That is no light commitment or task. Are you sure this is what you truly want?”

“I’m going to prove that I am superior to this Lancelot in every possible way,” Although Shadow says Lancelot’s name, the challenging glare he levels in Arthur’s direction indicates that Camelot’s king is included as well, “By the end of it, all of you will be comparing Lancelot to me.”

“You are completely mad if you think the king will accept such outlandish demands!” Gawain is so worked up he throws his hand out, hitting the unfortunate Sir Yvain in the chest with his barbed knuckles. The yellow squirrel is knocked off his feet and into Sir Gareth behind him, who barely manages to keep them both upright, “Who are you?! What are your designs on our king?! Are you a spy or assassin?!”

“I am Shadow the Hedgehog, the world’s ultimate life form,” Shadow is arrogantly self-assured as he literally turns his nose up at Gawain, “Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t care about you or this kingdom. And if I wanted your King dead, there’s nothing you could do to stop me!”

“You churl-!”

It’s very clear that Shadow and Gawain are about to start slinging hotheaded boasts, vicious insults, and blows again. But before Arthur can try to restore order, aid comes from an unexpected source.

“Hah! You are a saucy one!” Sir Lamorak’s squawk of laughter shatters the tension like ice, pushing past Gawain to stand directly in front of Shadow.

“Brother!” A small purple cat darts out from the crowd, grabbing onto the hawk’s hand and giving him a stern shake, “Do not be foolish!”

“I know what I’m doing, squire,” Lamorak hisses at her, low enough only those nearby can hear him, shaking himself free and pushing the child behind him, “Watch and learn, Percy!”

‘Percy’ gives a loud, annoyed groan as she stomps her foot irritably, sulkily crossing her arms and watching her brother with an incredibly unimpressed expression. Who was this girl, again? Lamorak had asked if he could bring his sister in as his squire, but that had been only a few days ago and she wouldn’t have been able to make the journey so quickly, could she? She also seemed a little too young to be a squire…

Lamorak flips his visor up with one hand as he looks down on Shadow with a condescending grin, “Do you have any idea what you are asking for? Do you really think an untried knave without any weapon or armor of his own has a chance?”

Shadow is coolly defiant, eyes boring into Lamorak ferociously, “I don’t need anything but my bare hands to beat you.“

Lamorak’s grin falls immediately, and his hand reaches to the scabbards where his twin swords are sheathed on his back-

“Enough!” Arthur steps in before Shadow manages to make more enemies, putting himself between his combative guest and his strongest knights, “Shadow is new to the realm and not familiar with its customs, and yet you treat him with great hostility! Where is your courtesy? Your patience? This is a most inhospitable way to treat my personal guest!”

Arthur hates having to use his authority like this, he really does, but Shadow is going to wind up as unpopular as Kay at this rate.

The stunned silence lasts only a moment.

“Your guest!” Gawain sputters indignantly, gesturing at Shadow like he doesn’t know what else to say, “Your guest!!”

“My lord,” Gareth puts his hand on Gawain’s shoulder, choosing his words carefully, “It is most unusual to have someone enter the kingdom with the visage of one of the round table’s most illustrious and well-regarded knights-”

Kay blows a dismissive raspberry, smiling when the armadillo gives him an annoyed side eye. Gawain leans over his brother’s shoulder to give the green hedgehog a full on glare.

“And it would be imprudent to rush into something like this without considering all potential factors and viewpoints,” Gareth finishes primly, bowing his head respectfully as he meets Shadow’s eyes, “While still giving Sir Shadow the same opportunities we would extend to every other child of Camelot.”

“You cannot be serious!” Gawain turns to his brother incredulously, “He disguised himself as Lancelot!”

“I have no need to disguise myself as anyone!” Shadow’s eyes narrow as he takes a step toward Gawain.

“Enough, enough!” Arthur massages his forehead as he glances up at the sky, knowing that this argument will cost him the rest of the morning. He will be struggling to meet all his daily obligations at this rate, and will likely be working late into the night... “I will hear your arguments in the great hall at the round table- after we break our fast.”

Before anyone can say anything else, Arthur turns to his guest, “Come, Shadow the Hedgehog, bringer of chaos! Before you end up creating blood feuds with the entire round table!”

Shadow doesn’t look the least bit chastised, incredulous and amused as he gives a flippant shrug, “Fine by me.”

“With these jests, it sounds like you’re better suited to the role of court jester!” Lamorak laughs boisterously, arms crossed over his chest as he grins mockingly. His squire stands behind him, less than enthused at her knight’s actions, but doesn’t say anything. She simply grips onto his tail feathers and digs her feet into the ground below, trying to physically keep him out of the range of Shadow’s fists.

“Have you any more?” Lamorak jeers, obviously trying to get back at Shadow for that earlier insult. (Even though the brash hawk brought it on himself. Again.)

The air around Shadow turns positively murderous, and he flexes the fingers of his right hand as he brings it up mid-chest, “How about a magic trick?

Sparks crackle around his fingertips as he looks at Lamorak over his shoulder, eyes narrowing like he’s honing in on a target.

“I can make you disappear-“ Shadow starts to say, bringing his hand down in a vicious arc-

That Arthur jumps in to stop with his hands. The strange energy spreads through Shadow’s fingers and into his own, leaving behind a tingling sensation that seems to seep into his skin and to his very bones. Arthur lets go quickly, but it travels up the length of his arm and into his shoulder before radiating through his entire body.

“My Lord!” Half a dozen voices cry out at the same time in dismay.

“It’s nothing!” Arthur doesn’t have any time to dwell on any of this, even as his body seems to buzz with the energy. He wants to shake his hand out, but he knows that will just worry his knights, “I said this will wait until after breakfast! Be still, all of you!”

He grabs Shadow’s hand tightly as he ushers his taciturn companion forward, as if afraid the black hedgehog is going to run off and punch someone else in the face. (Which seems very likely at this point.)

“Come along!” Arthur’s hand buzzes where it touches Shadow, even through the fabric of his glove. He half expects the dark hedgehog to push him away, and is surprised when Shadow’s hand squeezes him. But painfully so, like this is a challenge he can win while making sure Arthur doesn’t let go. The king glances back as Shadow, curious to see why the prickly hedgehog would touch him without a clear purpose- when it becomes clear this is a calculated power play.

Shadow is staring Gawain down, using this simple gesture to establish himself in the king’s entourage, annoy the echidna and the other knights who regard him with suspicion, and show his clear disregard for hierarchy of the court. For some reason, Arthur is disappointed… but he pushes that feeling aside immediately. Shadow would be a fool if he did not use the king’s political and social position to his advantage.

Arthur pulls Shadow towards the now doorless archway, whispering as he discreetly elbows the black hedgehog, “What are you doing? I don’t know how it works in your world, but you’ll accomplish more with friends in Camelot’s walls rather than enemies!”

“I don’t need friends,” Shadow gives Arthur a flat look, answering loudly as he glowers back at Lamorak, “And if you want to keep yours in one piece, they shouldn’t start what they can’t finish. I don’t like leaving loose ends.”

Arthur rolls his eyes in exasperation as he hurries through the corridor, ear swiveling backwards to pick up on the disgruntled chatter that is naturally amplified by the stone hallways. Shadow’s combative attitude and abrasive demeanor are certainly not doing much to endear him to anyone.

“You don’t seem to like casual conversation or friendly advice either,” Arthur quips back, shaking his head, “And certainly not comfortable beds. What of mead and bread? Do you like that?”

“You're starting to irritate me, hedgehog-” Shadow answers back automatically, annoyed, before blinking rapidly. He gives Arthur that look again, like he’s seeing him in a completely different light, “You are going to drink mead for breakfast?”

Arthur finds Shadow’s baffled confusion amusing, quietly chuckling to himself, “Would my new champion prefer wine instead?”

“Sure, why not,” Shadow lets Arthur open the door to the chamber himself, purposefully ignoring Gawain’s outrage and rubbing it in by refusing to let go of the king’s hand the entire time, making Arthur do it one handed. Arthur can’t remember the last time he’s opened a door for himself, let alone another person. It’s strangely thrilling, “Where does the echidna sit?”

“I sit in the red velvet siege,” Arthur nods at the plush seat with the crown carved into the wood above it, “And ‘Wain sits to my left-”

“Good,” Shadow doesn’t wait for Arthur to finish explaining or sit down, plopping himself in the seat to Arthur’s right like it belongs to him. It belongs to Sir Kay, who seems less than amused- but, in a rare move of self preservation, also doesn’t seem very keen to attract Shadow’s ire on himself directly. Arthur shrugs to his brother apologetically, making motions to an attendant by the door to bring another chair.

In fact, Shadow goes out of his way to make himself look as comfortable as possible, throwing his crossed legs over one arm rest and propping his elbow on the other, resting his chin on his fist. Incredibly bold… Arthur sits down quickly himself, hiding a smile behind a sip of his cup.

“MY KING!” Gawain yanks his chair out from the table so violently the wood cracks under his grip, splinters falling to the floor as he sits in it heavily and unhappily, “THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!!”

Shadow stares at Gawain with a bored expression as he filches a piece of cheese from Arthur’s plate, popping it into his mouth as the echidna slams his hands back down on the table.

Well, this is certainly turning out to be a very different and complicated day! When Arthur first rose this morning, he didn’t think he’d end up having breakfast with Shadow the Hedgehog sitting on his right hand side after causing a feud with almost half the round table. Or to have Gawain, one of his most powerful and influential knights, squabbling with the black hedgehog like a petulant child.

One of the many large and small problems he needs to solve... Arthur nibbles on a roll absentmindedly as he listens to Gareth’s argument from the other side of the table, pretending he doesn’t notice Shadow flick a piece of apple at the side of Gawain’s head.

He needs to nip the budding tension between Lamorak and Shadow before it leads to bloodshed… Lamorak is very pointedly glaring daggers at the hedgehog until his sister kicks him in the shin when he doesn’t pass her the jam quickly enough, and that quickly devolves to the hawk arguing with a literal child.

Arthur needs to make Shadow’s self-appointed position as his champion palatable to the majority of his knights and advisors, many of whom are regarding Shadow with guarded suspicion over the rim of their mugs.

He needs to find and check on Lancelot, whose absence in the siege at Gawain’s right is painfully obvious. And Arthur needs to soothe Kay’s wounded pride before his brother does something reckless and foolish that causes them all unnecessary grief. (Especially Kay himself.)

It was exactly as Sir Ector had warned- the secret wish of excitement in his heart had been answered in the most unexpected way. But Arthur has no regrets.

Despite it all, he is eager to see how this new adventure unfolds.

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corneredcopia · 2 years

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Sonic 2 Headers! (2/2)

• please like if you save :))

#sonic the movie 2 #sonic headers #sonic 2 #sonic the hedghog movie #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #knuckles the echidna #movie headers #headers #dr robotnik #shadow the hedgehog #agent stone #sonic 2 spoilers

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aspunchii · 4 years

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woosh!! someone asked i made more headers on my sonic and tails layouts so bam! amy, shadow and knuckles!!

should i make more layouts for other characters :O?

like/reblog if you save!

#amy rose #knuckles the echidna #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog #messy header #headers #aesthetic headers

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theclubpenguinband · 5 years

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It’s pride month so here’s a trans Sonic character header & 9 free to use trans Sonic character icons :p

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black-arms-hivemind · 3 years

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[Header ID: An image of Shadow the Hedgehog from the Archie comics of them standing on metal ruble and holding a black flag with the Black Arms logo on it. The image is edited to give Shadow eyelashes a short dress, and a long, loose tie. The dress has two sets of sleeves - black spaghetti strap sleeves and black over the shoulder sleeves, the dress itself is red with orange stripes on the bottom, one button on the chest and two orange vertical stripes on the chest, and the tie is orange on the top half and red on the bottom half, with a red diagonal line on the orange half near the border of the two colors. /END ID]

[Profile Picture ID: An headshot image edited to have eyelashes. The same outfit from the header image is also somewhat visible. /END ID]

Hey! Welcome to the Hive!

This is where our reblogs and random thoughts go!

This is an account run by *technically* multiple people - cause system! There's no clear answer as to the exact condition that caused that rn, but yep.

Here's all of the folks here!

🌹🎂 Aikshlin "Ash" Rose/Red Velvet (Cookie) (#hive rose red) - He/they/it - 07/06

🍰 Chiffon (#hive chiffon) - He/him - 05/13

♦️💫 Black Shadow/Shadow the Hedgehog (#hive shad) [: Typing quirk - She/it/they - 06/19

💋🎹 Sonia the Hedgehog (#hive sonia) /: Typing quirk - She/they - 6/23

🌀🎸 Sonic the Hedgehog (#hive sonic) //: Typing quirk - Xe/they/she/he - 06/23

🥁 Manic the Hedgehog (#hive manic) ///: typing quirk - Any/all - 6/23

⏳️Aleena the Hedgehog (#hive aleena) - She/her - [N/A]

🌑 Lunar Eclipse/Eclipse the Darkling (#hive eclipse) - They/them + clip/clips/clipself - 12/19

🎶 Rhygenta/Rhy (#hive rhy) 》》: Typing quirk - She/it - 08/27

🔳 Blurk (#hive blurk) ... typing quirk... - He/it - 08/27

🔵 Cyzer/Cy (#hive cyzer) - They/it - 08/27

🔴 Cregal (#hive cregal) - She/they/it - 08/27

♠️💫 Black Doom/Lord Doom/Doom (#hive doom) ☆ Typing quirk~ ☆ - Any/all pronouns - 11/15

💗 Black Widow/Lady Widow/Widow (#hive widow) Typing qurik... - She/it - 07/06

🗡 Rojo Sendrir/Sen (#hive sen) - She/they - 12/30

⚡Spark the Tenrec (#hive spark) - They/he/it - 11/17

💧 Kitsunami/Kit the Fennec (#hive kit) - It/she/they - 11/17

💀 🤖E-123 Omega/Omega (#hive omega) - It/he - 12/30

🦇💎 Rouge the Bat (#hive rouge) - She/they - 06/18

🖤☀️ Memphis Tennessee/Mephiles the Dark (#hive memphis) - He/they - 04/19

🛸🦊 Black Garrick/Garrick the Fox (#hive garrick) ×× Typing quirk!! - He/him - 11/10

🍞 Black Raisin (Cookie) (#hive raisin) { Typing quirk } - She/her - 04/08

⚔️🔻 Raspberry (Cookie) (#hive raspberry) {◇ Typing quirk ◇} - She/they/it - 09/02

🌹💝 Amy Rose (#hive amy) - Typing quirk - - She/her - 09/23

🌊 Tsunami Suma-Rose (#hive tsunami) *typing quirk... - She/her - 10/7

🐭🦴 Relic the Pika (#hive relic) ( Typing qurik ) - She/her - 04/16

💎🍇 Knuckles the Echidna (#hive knuckles) - He/him - 10/08

And the system as a whole uses They/it if you don't know who's fronting

Our art blog - @home-sweet-hive

Our solo AU blog (almost always managed by Ash) - @the-era-of-shadow

Our collab blogs (almost always just Ash + the other user) - @when-rouge-went-rouge & @ask-team-dystopia

- bio written by Red & Shad

#pinned post #introduction post #hello

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sylvaniaschoolofmagic · 7 years

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Well, first year is about halfway done (material-wise) so here’s a bit of a recap for what’s happened so far!

Sonic and the Room of Requirement (first year)

Sonic received his letter, Professor Vanilla Rabbit journeyed to Green Hill Zone to retrieve him, Sonic ventured through Diagon Alley with Professor Vanilla and her young daughter Cream, and he got lost once in a moment of sheer terror.

Sonic traveled to the school on the Sylvania Express, with a shockingly wet surprise, and he was sorted into his house. To round out the evening, he met two of the ghosts that inhabit the castle, an angsty third year, and noticed a troubling connection between said third year and a professor by the name of Maria Robotnik.

Toward the end of September, Sonic met Knuckles, creating a tenuous friendship through sheer happenstance.

Sonic developed a healthy dose of suspicion about Shadow (well, it’s healthy in his opinion; Knuckles disagrees and sorta thinks that his new friend is crazy), and he vowed to figure out what the third year is up to.

In the middle of October, Sonic stumbled on the Master Emerald (after pointedly following Knuckles, so he tripped over something he was looking for), and helped Knuckles find a permanent hiding place for it in the Room of Requirement. After that, Knuckles taught Sonic about Chaos and how it affected everything--including him.

It was around this point that Sonic had a creeping realization that his magic wasn’t working like his classmates’. Professor Robotnik mentioned something about Chaos, but Sonic was far too preoccupied just trying to get wingardium leviosa to work.

Halloween dawned as a welcome distraction, both with the mystery of the Secret Room and by allowing Sonic and Knuckles to get to know the ghosts Mighty and Ray better.

In November, the first Quidditch match was Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin! Sonic was totally excited, but also distracted by Espio’s suspicious behavior right before the match. Later, they discovered why and helped Espio and Vector with a very large problem.

December brought Little Planet to Never Lake, which the school was situated on, and along with it the End of the Year Ball. Sonic was too young to attend so he spent the evening staring up at the planet, contemplating his place in the world.

After the winter break ended and the next term began in January, Sonic stumbled (actually stumbled this time) on the Mirror of Erised one night. It revealed a few shadowy figures standing around him, not that he knew who they were. It was only after dragging Knuckles there and the echidna revealing that he saw his long-dead parents in it that Sonic began to feel uneasy about the whole thing. Finally, Professor Pickle appeared on the third night to set Sonic straight and the mirror disappeared after that.

March began the famed Echidna Lesson in History of Magic for second year Knuckles. He struggled to stay numb to the whole thing, even as his own history was told to him like a mythology, but an innocent question from a fellow student set him off. Later, Sonic found him sobbing in the Room of Requirement and he tried his best to help him through his grief.

[You can find all of this on the index for easier reading!]

Other highlights:

We introduced all of the characters! You can find their profiles on the character page!

Our mobile header!

We have a world map!

Here’s what the Master Emerald shrine looks like within the Room of Requirement!

We also gave Sonic glasses (and everyone loved it)!

Espio and Knuckles are bad students!

We got our first submission/fanart!

The school calendar of events was published!

It’s been one hell of a ride so far. We have a lot more planned for first year and beyond! Updates will continue to be sporadic and out of order (though they do build on one another), so feel free to check the index if you get confused.

The FAQ is slowly getting updated! (Please stop sending shipping or “will [X character] be in this AU” asks!) Also, please give us feedback. We’re dying for reviews/comments of any kind, so if you’re enjoying, please don’t hesitate to tell us! We’d love to know what your favorite thing is so far!

(If you could, please reblog this post so the blog can get more exposure. Heck, comment here if you would like!)

Thanks for reading! Here’s to much more to come!

~Ashe, Katie, and Kiera

#sonic the hedgehog #hp au #knuckles the echidna #sonic #shadow the hedgehog #phew this took me a long time to put together #ashe #katie #katie's art is so good omfg i keep staring at it #art #mid-season round-up #chatter #please give us attention we're suffocating over here!!#expect a round-up like this at the end of the year as well

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corneredcopia · 2 years

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Sonic 2 Headers! (1/2)

• please like if you save :)

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic the hedghog movie #sonic 2 #sonic the movie 2 #sonic headers #headers #movie headers #knuckles the echidna #miles tails prower #dr robotnik #master emerald #shadow the hedgehog #eggman #sonic 2 spoilers

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sonicstorybook · 1 year

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The King’s Champion

A SatBK AU where Shadow is the one sent to Camelot and Sonic is the doppelgänger- the one and only King Arthur!

Part: 3/4

Contains: Pre-relationship/platonic Arthadow (Arthur the Hedgehog x Shadow the Hedgehog)!

Rating: G

Word count: 1,820

Note: I figured out the issue! The new post editor. C,: Back at legacy and no word limit- but I’m going to split the last part into another post so I can make another lil chapter header image ahaha.

Also, other characters introduced this part:

Sir Gawain is Knuckles the Echidna! Sir Lamorak is Jet the Hawk! Sir Kay is Scourge the Hedgehog! Sir Gareth is Mighty the Armadillo!

“Sire!” Well, more like broken open, as Gawain’s armored fist tears through the solid wood easily. (Arthur makes a mental note to get the tower and the door repaired.) The knight of the sun runs up to him, a worried frown darkening his face, “Are you well, my lord?!”

“I'm great!” Arthur tries to keep his composure, but he’s still energized from the unexpected adventure. Lamorak, his newest knight, is the first to follow after Gawain, followed by more of his knights. Kay is the very last one through the door, looking bored and unconcerned as he picks at his sharp teeth. Typical. His brother didn’t care about things outside of his area of responsibility, and he knew Arthur could take care of himself.

Arthur gives his knights a reassuring smile, gesturing at them to lower their weapons, which most do with varying levels of reluctance. Lamorak, notably, does not, but the hawk is too hungry to make a name for himself to ever take a passive role. Most of his other knights seem content to let Gawain take the lead, “Shadow just showed me the most marvelous trick with the wind, ‘Wain! It was like a dream-”

“Is that so?” Gawain glances at Arthur, scanning him quickly for visible injuries, before turning his attention to Shadow. He puts himself between the hedgehogs, standing in front of his king as he eyes Shadow warily, “Where is your cape? Did this churl take it?”

Arthur sighs deeply as Gawain doesn't see him. His knight noticed his symbol of authority was missing, but Gawain didn’t notice the brightness in Arthur’s eyes or the genuine smile on his face. A true warrior and protector, so focused on the potential threat to the crown that he doesn’t realize the crown is fine. Actually, the crown is better than he has been in a long time.

“I’m a hedgehog,” Shadow answers Gawain defiantly with a chilly glower of his own.

“And what do I want with a rag?” Shadow crosses his arms over his chest, a sign of dismissive self-assurance that has Gawain bristling. Only someone very brave or very foolish would dare face Gawain when the sun is so high in the sky, and Arthur isn’t sure which one Shadow is as he keeps antagonizing the knight of the sun, “Your king is simply careless.”

“How dare you!” Gawain takes an aggressive step forward, slicing the air with his hand in his outrage. Some of his other knights react poorly to the comment, too, making sounds of disagreement as their hands rest on their weapons threateningly. (It’s a pity Guin isn’t there. She’s mastered the art of laughing in her eyes while keeping her expression prim and proper, and she would have undoubtedly agreed with Shadow’s assessment. At least Lamorak, still so new to knighthood and not yet versed in the ways of the court, guffaws as his beak widens in an amused smile that makes Arthur feel like he’s more than just a king.)

“Do not speak to him so familiarly, imposter!” Gawain demands angrily, circling Shadow warily. In his haste, the knight of the sun did not bring Galatine with him, but his armored fists and legendary strength are formidable enough on their own.

“Imposter?!” Shadow echoes back, offended, baring his teeth in a snarl. He matches Gawain step for step, quills bristling up angrily, “Me?!”

“You may look like Lancelot, but you cannot fool me!” Gawain cracks his knuckles, and stretches his shoulder, telltale signs he’s getting ready to fight, “I will not allow you to try and steal Lancelot’s place! Just like you took the king’s cape, no doubt! You are undoubtedly seeking to replace him as the Queen’s champion!”

“Gawain…” Arthur calls out wearily, knowing that now that he’s worked up, the echidna won’t listen to anyone- not even the king, “He didn’t take my cape, the wind did.”

Gawain, predictably, ignores him since his attention is glued on Shadow.

“You have Lancelot’s face, but nothing else!” Gawain reaches back and lunges forward, fist first. Shadow jumps out of the way, but the force of the wind nearly knocks Kay off of his feet, “You don’t have his skill!”

“Kay-” Arthur starts to call out to his foster brother, but the green hedgehog waves him off irritably as he dusts off the front of his robe.

“His grace!” Gawain roars, throwing another punch Shadow skillfully avoids, although the stone floor isn’t so lucky. Debris flies into the air as several cobblestones burst with the force of the impact.

Shadow doesn’t dodge the next punch so much as he disappears from where it was aimed. “And none of his honor- Huh?!”

Gawain only has a few moments to look confused before Shadow appears behind him in a flash of energy. The hedgehog’s eyebrows are drawn together tightly in a ferocious scowl, and in the blink of an eye, Shadow kicks the knight in the back of the head.

Gawain’s helmet takes the brunt of the impact, metal meeting metal with a hollow clunk, but the force of it still sends the echidna flying face-first into the ground. It’s deathly silent as everyone seems to hold their breath, surprised and not sure how to react.

Shadow kicked Gawain in the back of the head.

Gawain shakes his head, looking at Shadow over his shoulder with a bewildered expression. The serious hedgehog glowers back at him, half-crouched down like he’s ready to continue the fight. Time has come to a standstill in this long, quiet moment.

It’s not funny that Shadow kicked Sir Gawain of Orkney, knight of the sun and a proud son of Camelot, in the head.

Gawain’s temper and hostility make sense- he’s worried about Lancelot. He sees a stranger with his best friend’s face and immediately assumes it’s Shadow’s doing. Quite a reasonable assumption, given Lancelot’s mixed experiences with magic. Even worse, Shadow is with Camelot’s king now, and is too dangerous an unknown to leave unchallenged. Gawain was simply getting carried away while trying to protect those he loved.

Shadow, for all his stoic indifference, is disoriented and frustrated. He doesn’t understand his new social environment, or realize how his words and actions are seen as provocative and insulting. Well, initially anyway. When Gawain unfavorably compared him to Lancelot, the echidna pushed on the still tender wound of his self doubt. Naturally, Shadow lashed out to protect himself and assert himself as powerful and capable by his own merits.

It’s not funny at all, in fact, it’s serious- Arthur only has moments to think of a suitable solution that keeps Gawain from being embarrassed, mollifies his knights, and somehow protects and restrains Shadow all at the same time. And yet laughter bubbles in his chest because Shadow kicked Gawain in the back of the head for calling him something other than ‘hedgehog.’ Just like he promised he would.

“Arthur?” Kay asks from his side in a moment, although he doesn’t look particularly concerned. His brother has a habit of sniffing out trouble and getting in the midst of it, no matter the collateral damage. Kay’s sharp teeth are pulled into a smile, blue eyes glinting with mean delight, which means he found this just as amusing as Arthur did, “Are you laughing?”

Of course his brother would use this opportunity to try and drag him into this, and make Arthur the object of ridicule instead! Kay’s sense of humor is as sharp and deadly as his green quills, and always pops up at the most inconvenient time.

“Of course not!” Arthur regains his composure quickly, laying a hand against Kay’s shoulder with a strained smile and a subtle glare to convey his annoyance, “I was choking in surprise!”

Kay, as expected, doesn’t look the least bit regretful, shrugging his brother’s hand off with a flippant wave. With a low sigh, Arthur makes his way to where Shadow is standing and Gawain is getting to his feet. He slips back into his royal persona like a glove, “Splendid! I asked you to impress me, Shadow the Hedgehog, and you have not disappointed!”

Arthur claps his hand on Gawain’s back, giving his knight a friendly shake, “Rare are those who can catch Sir Gawain by surprise, and rarer still those who can land a single blow! Particularly when the sun is casting her full blessing on him! You have proven yourself, and I will grant your boon!”

“A test.” Gawain brushes some dust from his pauldron, moving his arm in such a way that his rippling muscles are in full display. The echidna eyes Shadow with distaste, forgetting himself and demanding an answer from Arthur rather than asking, “Boon? What boon?”

Arthur lets it slide with great relief, elated that Gawain readily accepts the explanation without further questioning, “The boon of being given the opportunity to prove his worth in skill of arms, noble deeds, and succor to those in need.”

It’s not an uncommon request, in fact, many of Arthur’s current knights have asked for this same boon. Gareth the Armadillo seems to be particularly moved by this request, likely remembering his own path to knighthood. He exchanges a glance with Gawain, pointedly relaxing his posture as if proving to his older brother that there was no need for hostility. Several other knights follow Gareth’s lead, willing to give Shadow an opportunity to prove himself after his impressive demonstration against Gawain.

Arthur feels his shoulders begin to relax-

“Strange,” Kay comments airily from the side, buffing his claws against his vest. His eyes are calculating and cold, scrutinizing Shadow in a way that leaves Arthur increasingly nervous. His brother’s voice is cloyingly sweet as he asks, “My King usually extends this boon to every hopeful, young squire who stumbles through the doorway… Not getting stingy, are you, Wart?”

“Sir Kay,” Gareth gives the green hedgehog a disapproving frown, voice cool but calm, “You would do well to remember your place and to hold that sharp tongue of yours.”

His ears twitch as the armadillo smiles in Shadow’s direction, “This fellow does not strike me as patient and forgiving as our king.”

“Hear, hear!” Someone calls from the left, setting off a volley of snickering that has Kay’s quills bristling in annoyance. Arthur does wish his brother would speak a little less loudly and boldly so the target on his back wouldn’t be quite so big.

“Tch,” Kay sucks air between his teeth dismissively, biting his thumb in Gareth’s direction with a scoff, “Perhaps this Shadow’s request was just as pathetic as yours, Beaumains-”

“Kay!” Gawain comes in defense of his brother, looking over his shoulder at Kay in obvious warning. Much to the armadillo’s chagrin, who felt his ‘big brother’ weighing in on his disputes discredited Gareth’s own deeds and reputation. Gawain would answer back hotly, and this is would devolve into unnecessary family spat-

“The King’s Champion.”

#satbk #sonic and the black knight #satbk king arthur #satbk sir gawain #shadow the hedgehog #satbk au #kings champion au #satbk sir kay #satbk sir lamorak #satbkified #writing #sonic the hedgehog #Jet the Hawk #Knuckles the Echidna #mighty the armadillo #Scourge The Hedgehog #whoo!#yaaaaay i love this part i hope y'all do too ahaha!

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