Chapter 5: Revelation

Jail.

It was a place that Silver actually was quite familiar with… the outside, at least. He'd spent many an hour just standing outside the metal bars, making sure the prisoners stayed put, bored to tears, daydreaming and thinking just to make the time go by. Sometimes he talked with the prisoners, but usually they were a quiet bunch…. And it was discouraged anyway. Usually he wasn't assigned to watch the prisons, but as more of a supervisor and planner for the lower ranking guards… but still, in his younger days, he'd spent many a night here.

He'd even been inside this very cell once before…

But in this case, familiarity didn't bring comfort… just chains around his wrists and ankles, chains that would be no problem to move if it weren't for the Sol Emerald draining him of his powers. Because he could easily use his powers to bend the bars on his cell and be free, Silver was essentially attached to one of the Sol Emeralds as it drained his power from him. The prison was made especially to keep those blessed with powers locked up, and only a Sol Emerald was strong enough to do the job.

He eyed the glowing red gem, his mind drifting off into the perfect escape plan. Blaze would soon be down to see him (if Gardon was being honest, and who knew… but assuming he was…) and since she could control those Emeralds, she would be able to free him, and then they could just run away, be free from everything, and just love each other… somehow, the cat would be brought to his way of thinking, and they'd be truly happy, finally.

Their relationship had never been an easy one… from the very first moment they'd met, Blaze had been whisked away from him. And it seemed like they faced trial after complication… disapproval, separation, battles, the law, and even now, Silver was in jail for loving Blaze. Again. They'd had to jump through hoops and lie and make up things, just to stay together. Just to love each other.

And yet, despite all of their hardships, Silver still believed they were meant to be. After all, it made sense… all of their trials were simply tests, given so that Silver and Blaze could prove that they really did love each other and belonged together. And each time they faced a hardship, the two of them just buckled down and faced it head on, only to come out with their bond still strong, and their hearts even closer.

What really kept Silver going was the way she loved him… they way they'd met… the way they understood each other like no one else could… they way that, despite of everything, they still managed to have an unbreakable bond. The way that it seemed that Sol had brought them together… and how he was keeping them together now. Silver believed that, as he always had. And it was for this reason he knew he couldn't give up on her or this relationship. If he lost Blaze… well, he might as well live the rest of his days rotting in this prison.

Which looked likely…

Silver sighed and stood up, stretching his aching legs. He still didn't understand why Gardon had deliberately betrayed him… it just didn't make sense. The koala had been his friend, his mentor, even a surrogate father figure. So why had he used him so cruelly? This had to be Mercury's work. Had to be. He clenched his jaw as he realized the King might have come to Gardon with an ultimatum…

Even so, Gardon should have stood up to him… he doesn't like this law, either, Silver thought. But he figured he'd have to follow Mercury's law no matter what he believed. I guess that's what makes him the Captain… he's loyal to a fault.

And so are you…

Yes, but… to ideals and beliefs… not to any King.

After stretching, Silver sad back down on the old wooden bench inside of his cell. He was getting bored down here… all of these thoughts crossing through his mind were old and tired, and had been here before. It seemed like he'd been down here a long time, just thinking and waiting for Blaze to come down for him… and rescue him, run away with him…

Tears pricked at his eyes, but he wiped at them, ashamed and angry for crying.

You can't give up, Silver… you can't be weak.

But it's so hard when I don't have Blaze…

Suddenly, the doors creaked open, blinding Silver with the light. He raised his arm to shield his eyes from the brightness drilling holes in his pupils. Blaze? She was here? And she was going to free him and hold him and kiss him and fly away with him and he'd hold her tight as they zoomed as far away from the kingdom as he could….

Once his vision adjusted, he was able to make out…

Gardon…

The hedgehog visibly slumped. Too emotionally weak to even yell at the traitor.

The captain silently approached the Sol Emerald and pushed a few buttons on the machine. He then moved to Silver's cell, removed a key from his pocket, and undid the bolt. The door swung free, and Gardon entered, key freely extended.

"Huh?" Silver wondered as the koala began unlocking his chains.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other. "What's going on? Am I free?" Silver asked, confused as the chains loosened his limbs.

Gardon set his lips firmly in a line. "Come with me, Silver… I have good news… and bad news…"

Silver eyed him suspiciously, but wasn't about to complain as the Sol Emerald grew dim. He felt the familiar presence of his powers, and tested them to levitate himself. The hedgehog wanted right then to just zoom out of the castle, grabbing Blaze on his way out, but the koala was still holding the Sol Emerald device, and so he was still at his mercy. Reluctantly, he followed Gardon up the stairs, and through the castle walls. It was night time, as all the torches were lit to combat the inky blackness glaring from the windows. He didn't know what day it was or how long had passed… it felt like at least 3 days down in the dungeons.

The two finally came to Gardon's office, and sat down. Silver stared down the koala, expectantly.

"Well?"

Gardon looked down, ashamed. "Silver, first of all…. I need to apologize. I know that you may hate me right now, but I want to ease my conscience and let you know what happened. I need to tell you what I've been through… and why I was faced with an impossible decision."

"I'm listening," Silver said, clearly irritated.

"I told you my son was seeing a cat."

"The Queen."

Gardon leaned forward. "No, Silver. He's been seeing your other sister in law."

He raised an eyebrow. "Crystal?"

"Yes. Crystal. Thing is, since she is now an orphan, Mercury is her guardian, as I'm sure you know. And he's taken this duty to his sister in law a bit seriously. Well, a day or so ago, he caught both Tellus and Crystal kissing. He was… very, very upset, to say the least. He came to me, saying… 'How can I trust you to watch over the whole castle, if you can't watch over your own family?'…. he went on an awful tirade… and threatened to lock up my son. I begged him not to do it. I know the condition of those dungeons and I don't want my boy near there. He's 16, Silver…I didn't want him to go through it at that age."

He narrowed his eyes. "I did…"

"I know… and I'm sorry for that, too…I did everything I could back then to prevent it… and I've done that today as well. But back to my story.

"I begged Mercury to not lock up Tellus. I reasoned with him, said I would forbid any more contact between him and Crystal, said I had no knowledge of their relationship, said he was only 16… I did everything. And Mercury finally agreed to let me and him go, graciously….but said I'd have to make my guards more vigilant so that we could catch more of these… happenings… I certainly agreed to that.

"This was about.. oh, a week and half ago. What I didn't agree to, was him calling me to his throne room every day, asking if I'd made an example out of someone. He seemed convinced that unless I arrested a guard for negligence and not doing their duty… they would continue to look the other way. I told him that I would do what I could and I'd make sure that my men and women were doing their jobs."

Gardon looked right at Silver.

"And then he mentioned you specifically. He said he knew that you didn't like this law and that I should keep an extremely close eye on you…. It's why I told you to be very careful when I saw you with Blaze that one night. It's why I told you that it was in your best interest to not be in the castle. It's why I put you on night duty… because I knew that if push came to shove… I'd have to do what the King asked… or lose both my job and my son. It seemed like every time I saw him, he asked if I'd arrested one of the guards, asked how you were doing…. It was obvious he wanted your head on a platter."

The Captain swallowed painfully. " It seemed like the only way to keep my own son out of prison was to send you there."

"It was an impossible dilemma… I couldn't do this to you… and yet, how could I send my son to prison, just because he likes Crystal? I didn't believe in this law either, Silver… you know that. But I had to follow orders, that's what I've always promised to do. And I couldn't live with myself knowing that I'd sent my own son to prison. It wasn't that I would have locked you up otherwise… but I was left with little choice. What could I do?"

Silver looked down… thinking everything through. He couldn't imagine being under such an impossible choice. He wasn't a father… but he tried to imagine being forced to choose between, say, locking up Blaze, and locking up Gardon…. It would be a hard thing to do, but the choice would be clear for him.

"I'm sorry, Silver… I hope you can find it in that heart of gold to forgive me." Gardon reached across the table to put a hand on top of Silver's.

The hedgehog studied the eyes of his mentor, seeing genuine remorse. He wanted to forgive him for this, and he obviously felt sorry. He still didn't like being betrayed… but for now, he could understand.

"It's okay, Gardon… I wasn't in there that long… and I realize you have no choice."

"Thank you, Silver… these are tough times, for everyone…"

"So, how did you get me out?"

"Well…. That's the other thing."

Gardon stood up and walked over to the nearby bureau, and picked up something. Silver watched him curiously. Gardon returned, a dark blue uniform in hand, and extended it to the hedgehog.

"What's this?" Silver asked, knowing it wasn't the uniform of a promotion… the captian's own uniform was a lighter blue color.

"Silver," he sighed. "The only way I could get you out of jail….. was to put you in the army."

The blood drained from his face. "WHAT?"

"As a general."

Silver gaped at the man. "Me? A general in the army? You MUST be joking. I can't do that… "

"No, Silver. I was told, by Mercury, to select some members in the guard, especially ones with powers, to enlist in the army to build it up. Eggman Nega has allied with one of our close nations…and this means war. We need more troops. And you are most qualified to be a general."

Silver took a moment to digest everything. He was now a general? It didn't seem possible… he was going to go to war!

"Wait a minute, Gardon. This means I'll have to leave Blaze here." He slammed down the uniform. " I'm not doing it."

"No, Silver, that's not it at all…That's the OTHER thing. I haven't talked with Blaze yet about enlisting, but once we explain our plan to her, I'm sure she won't object."

"I doubt that… she refuses to leave the castle." He rolled his eyes, feeling more and more helpless.

"You don't understand, Silver. This is a chance for the two of you to be together…. Outside the castle, away from the guards, away from Mercury, most importantly. You'll be free from the law, and able to be together. I know it's not exactly ideal, since you will be at war… but both of you are born fighters."

He leaned in even closer. "It's the only thing I could do to help you…. To make everything work out. I've done everything I could, Silver." Gardon stood up and placed a hand on Silver's shoulder. "I wish you and Blaze all the best."

Silver looked up. "…. Thank you, Gardon."

The hedgehog stood up, clutched his new uniform to his chest, and headed towards his and Blaze's old room, ready to deliver the semi-good news.

~~()~~

"What do you mean, no?"

Blaze looked away from her husband, her golden eyes coming to rest on the corner of their bed. She knew it wasn't safe for him to be here, that the walls had eyes and ears and they could get caught… but since it was so early in the morning , and it was inevitable that they have this talk, she wasn't too worried about him getting caught anymore. She was more worried about what was going to come next. Blaze watched him look at her pleadingly, passionately begging her to come with him…

"If I have to go into the army anyway…. Why don't you come with me and fight by my side? Isn't that better than us hiding out all the time? It's the perfect opportunity. We'll get a chance to be together and be away from the castle, away from Mercury, away from everything… isn't that what you want, Blaze? Don't you love me? Don't you want to be with me?"

"I love you, Silver…" she said with a sad smile, feeling a bit guilty she hadn't explained this to him earlier.

"Then why do you want to stay here?"

"I have to stay here, Silver…. You don't know – "

"Just bring the dang Emeralds with you!" He yelled at her.

Blaze was being oddly calm. "It's not just the Emeralds-"

"Then why? Why do you insist on staying in the castle, always? Why can't we just run away together? What is so important to you here that you can't go with your own husband?"

He was getting emotional. "I don't understand this, Blaze!"

Blaze said nothing, and merely took his hand. He stopped and looked at her, pain and confusion in his eyes.

"Why, Blaze? Why don't we just run away together…?"

She took his hand and laid it on top of her abdomen. Silver's eyes got huge as he felt a small bump.

What?

She's… she's….

He traced a hand over her warm, round stomach again, as if making sure that this was real, and he wasn't hallucinating. Blaze was… he almost couldn't complete the thought. It was unreal.

His jaw was slack as he continued to stare at her abdomen, everything sinking in.

How had he not noticed it the other night…?

"I meant to tell you earlier…" her voice was quiet, humble. "But then father died… and then Mercury decreed our separation… there was never a good time. I only found out a couple weeks ago…. I'm sorry for not telling you…"

"Blaze…." He whispered, studying her eyes. "This changes everything…."

There was no way he was leaving her behind now. No way. He didn't care about what they would do to him. This was his wife, and this was their child. "I can't leave you now…"

His eyes grew moist, and Blaze offered him a smile. "It'll be alright. Cats have short pregnancies."

"But then he'll be here… or she…"

"I don't know yet."

Silver looked down, almost wishing she hadn't told him this at all. It was now a thousand times harder to have to leave his wife behind… now that she was pregnant. But he knew that she couldn't come fight with them now… it was too risky for the baby.

"I've sworn my doctor to secrecy, if that's what you're worried about."

"Hardly…" he breathed, shaking his head, his whole head feeling like it was about to explode. "How far along are you?"

"She told me that I have about a month or two until I'll be in labor. And then… we'll be parents."

To a hybrid, a second class citizen, he thought, then hated himself for a moment. So he said, "That's it?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you can keep hiding it?"

"I'll do what I have to do."

Of course she would. Silver looked down, filled with mixed emotions. He was kinda thrilled to be a parent, but upset that it had to come under these circumstances… that he couldn't be here for his wife while she really needed him to protect her. Blaze was no doubt a tough woman, but pregnancy was no easy thing to go through, especially alone. And she wouldn't be able to really do much fighting while she was here… just lay low and not draw attention.

"Silver, when you leave tomorrow I want you to take something with you. " Silver looked up, and Blaze was holding the purple Sol Emerald. "Take this, so that if anything happens, I'll be able to find you, no matter where you are."

He stood up and took the Emerald from her, sticking it in his chest pocket, close to his heart. The couple took hands and tried to smile. Blaze leaned forward and kissed his lips, putting her arms around his weak, slumping frame for a moment, trying to comfort him. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "I'll write you letters every day."

He nodded, slowly. "So will I…"

"I'll be okay, Silver… we'll make it." She squeezed his hands.

He squeezed back. "Yes… yes, we will."