Chapter Text
One would think, after being transported into the world of Camelot and resuming the story of King Arthur, Sonic would learn not to touch strange books. Especially strange books that randomly appear on his shelf, or on his kitchen table, or in his mailbox.
Sonic had spent days avoiding the new book like the plague. He ignored it, put it away in a forgotten drawer, even kicked it off a cliff once. But, no matter what Sonic did, the book kept coming back. It wanted him to read it, however that worked.
One day, when Eggman had been quiet and his friends were busy elsewhere Sonic decided fine, let's see what this adventure is all about.
He found the book on his bed, as if it was expecting him. Choosing to ignore the creepiness, Sonic picked up the book and sat down.
The cover was hard, the color of gold with rich blue accents decorating the spine. On the front cover was a vibrant blue beetle, pressed deeply into the stiff board. It was gorgeous, felt like silk under Sonic's hand. And, beneath the beetle was a single word, one Sonic didn't recognize.
Irtyu.
With a deep, nervous breath, Sonic opened the book and read the first sentence;
The pharaoh had never been the same since the passing of the queen.
Once his eyes hovered over the word queen, Sonic felt them droop to they were shut. He fell back into his mattress as the entire world went dark.
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Sonic woke up dazed. The speckling of light and darkness invaded his vision, causing the hedgehog to his with pain, covering his eyes with his hands. When Sonic finally opened them again, after a few moments to recover, he blinked slowly as he stared between the leaves too close to his face. A persea tree, Sonic mused, but he wasn't sure where the avacados were. It looked like there were no seeds at all.
Groaned, Sonic sat up despite the leaves. He gathered his surrounded and concluded a few things.
One, he was wrapped in bandages. His chest and wrists were bound in the pure white cloth, the ones on his feet coming undone, and the heavy scent of herbs wafted off. Basil and frankincense insulted his nose first, then came the anise, the cinnamon, and a handful of others. Two, Sonic was sitting on a peculiar stone, carved into a similar beetle shape as the book cover. It was also bright blue, matching the color of his quills, and the bettle was given emerald-colored eyes. And, finally, three; he was hot.
Like, burning hot.
It was safe to conclude he was in the desert -- if the miles and miles of sand didn't give it away -- and Sonic was worried he would get sick if he stayed out too much longer. At least the persea tree offered some shade, until Sonic could find a better option.
Which, thankfully, came sooner rather than later.
Off in the distance and down the hill was a kingdom. It was beautiful, really, accompanied by three pyramids in the far off background. The castle looked to be made of sandstone, as did the other houses, with the outskirts having crude shelters and carts. Sonic needed to get a better look.
The blue hedgehog crawled out from under the persea tree, hissing at the glaring sun. Still, he took a moment to stretch. His muscles ached terribly, bones creaking, as if he hadn't moved in a century. He didn't want to risk getting hurt.
However, as Sonic finished his last leg stretch, something caught his eye. On the outskirts, he could make out strange creatures gunning for the people, even as they ran away. They tore apart everything in their paths, taking everything they thought valuable, and punishing those with nothing to take.
Not on Sonic's watch.
He raced toward the attackers -- who he could now see were scorpions and scorpion Mobians, who laughed in their triumph -- and Sonic spin-dashed through a small hoard. He skidded to a halt, counting at least ten he knocked down, and smirked as he raised up his fists. Sonic could handle some low life thugs and their weird pets.
The thugs, however, seemed more shocked than scared or angry. One even shouted at the others -- speaking words Sonic couldn't understand -- before running away, stolen bags clutched in their arms. Sonic glared, dashing to the coward first. He grabbed the stolen bags and returned them before kicking the coward down.
The other scorpions started backing away, several dropping their undeserved loot. Still, Sonic walked towards them with his determined smile. It was only when Sonic leaned back to dash again that all the goods were dropped and the scorpions ran away.
Sonic sighed in relief, dusting his hands off before placing them on his hip proudly. He looked back, seeing nervous Mobians and humans gawking at him. Several stared at Sonic like he grew a dozen heads. Instead of being offended, Sonic gave a thumbs up.
The cheering was intense. A few Mobians and humans ran up to Sonic, bowing in front of him and kissing the sand before him. It was a little awkward for Sonic, who stepped back with a gracious smile, especially because he didn't know what they were saying.
He could probably decipher thank yous if he really tried but, evidently, the sun was hurting Sonic more than he liked to admit. Even as he fanned his face, nodding to the people, the heat was driving him mad.
Okay, Sonic, deep breath. There's definietly been worse adventures.
He started picking up the scattered goods with the few who were trying to clean up. It was an odd guessing game, trying to see what belonged to whom. Plus, it took a hour to even get everything. That, and it was another hour to start rebuilding things.
Those stupid scorpions and their stupid pet scorpions -- which Sonic is not lost on the irony -- really did a number on the carts and tents. Most everything survived, the thugs wanting to cause mischief more than do serious damage. However, some were already beaten, unable to be repaired or salvaged. The cloth was too ripped or the wood too splintered. No amount of sewing or trying to hammer new boards together would fix it.
If that wasn't the worst, guards showed up.
Or, well, Sonic assumed they were guards. They both had some kind of uniform, dressed the same down to the gauntlets. However, instead of the kind dignity, the respect for the people Sonic knew of the Knights of the Round Table, the two Sphinx cat Mobians held sharpened spears and even sharper scowls. They looked among the people in disgust, as if it was their fault for the chaos. The Sphinx on the left started hissing orders, while the one on the right lowered its spear.
Sonic wasn't going to stand for that. He marched his way through the crowd, ready to fight if he had to. And when he walked up front, he started shouting at the guards. Nothing specific, nor did he expect them to understand, but Sonic wanted to get across what a terrible, no good, very bad day these people just experienced. Those guards had no right making it worse.
He knew he was getting animated when the guards stepped back, fear causing their pupils to turn into slits. Satisfied, Sonic realed back with a firm hmpt! He crossed his arms, hoping to get an apology on behalf of the people.
instead, the Sphinxs said nothing at first. The two took a knee, bowing their heads in shame. They banged their chests with their free fists, a greeting of sorts. Only then, when the one on the left spoke, that Sonic hoped they were apologizing. He didn't understand why the kneeling and the weird greeting, but Sonic didn't care as long as they were ashamed.
If this was the story the book wanted him to experience, Sonic has to say it's been incredibly easy. Save the outskirt villagers from a band of mean scorpions, shamed the guards for not helping, bada bing bada boom.
...now why wasn't he being sent home.
Sonic glanced over his shoulder, tensing up as he saw the outskirtians kneeling as well. A few even bowed, their foreheads in the sand. Okay, now he was officially nervous.
Oh Gaia, is he a lost king here too or something?!
The Sphinxs rose, both pointing their spears to the palace. The left one spoke, the right one nodding. It was, after the left one's speech, that the right one moved behind Sonic. Instead of being threatening, the right Sphinx held the honor of a protective warrior. The left remained in front, standing equal.
What a change from a minute ago when they were being rude. Well, fine, Sonic could humor them. He was curious where this was heading anyways.
But, still, Sonic looked back at the people and waved. He wanted to make sure they'd get the resources to rebuild, or at least make life easier. No one deserved to be without a home, a meal, and safety.
As the Sphinxes guided Sonic through the kingdom, a knot formed in Sonic's stomach. He felt uneasy, seeing how empty the streets were. And, when there were people out and about, they quickly hid from the guards. It was the opposite of the bustling Camelot, who's streets were always busy, even in the dead of night.
Did... disaster strike here too? Had those thugs done more damage before Sonic arrived? Or was it the guards? Were they all rude like the Sphinx twins? Or, worse, did they abuse their authority as guards?
Sonic shivered at the thought. He could be walking into a trap for all he knew, none the wiser. Sonic stared at the Sphinx in front, gripping their spear like it would save them. Then, he looked back at the twin, who.stared with such apathy, Sonic wondered if the Sphinx felt anything at all.
Gaia, he really needed some water. And some shade.
Eventually, respite relieved Sonic from the sun, the palace doors opened wide for their arrival. All the guards -- an excessive amount, really -- blinked when they spotted Sonic. There were open mouths, ears lifting up in high alert, and, worst, the whispering. Sonic was by no means a gossip hog, but he'd still like to know what was being said at him.
At least the palace was beautiful. Every inch was decorated by some skillfully painted vase, or a perfectly woven tapestry, or honored by flowers, and carvings into the stones of various pictures, telling a story Sonic wanted to learn. Red and gold seemed to be the color scheme, accented by black and white, and the yellow of the sandstone. It felt familiar. Good, even. Sonic wasn't sure why.
Then, came the throne room.
It was the largest room of the palace. It stretched beyond the average rooms, with high ceiling that held an opening for the sun, which poured down onto the occupied throne.
Red, black, white, and gold. All so familiar.
Carved into the shape of a jackal's head, accented with gold around the eyes and nose, rest a mask upon the king's face. A sculpted body was decorated with gold and red, rings binding his wrists and ankles, as well as the lingering of old scars kissed everywhere Sonic could see. Gosh, that cloth around the king's waist, hanging loosely over his thighs, Sonic couldn't help but gape.
The king kept his eyes shut, so silent and still, Sonic wondered if he was a statue. Then, the front Sphinx spoke quickly, as if trying to finish their point before being cut off. But, it was unnecessary, for the king hadn't acknowledged a single word.
But, something hooked the king. The ruling party exhaled sharply, deeply offended by whatever the Sphinx said. It was a warning. A very impatient warning.
But the Sphinx continued, seeming to strike a nerve; the king opened his eyes. Red. Violently crimson. He glared behind the jackal mask, standing with enough force to knock the Sphinx to their knees.
Sonic blinked, surprised, then looked up at the king with an angry expression. Sure, the guards were jerks, but the king didn't have to give them attitude too! King's are suppose to be just and fair, not--...
The king approached Sonic cautiously, reaching his hand out. Sonic, confused, tilted his head. He waited with bated breath as the king cupped his cheek, whispering strange words that, somehow, made Sonic weak in the knees.
It was the voice. It had to be the voice. It reminded him so much of--... everything about the king did, in fact.
Then, the king leaned forward and stole a kiss.