LoM Excerpt - Turq's Choice

“You kids had better go and get warm. No one can work in this rain.” Sonic said. “Except you, Coby,” he added to his son. “Nihara wants to see you at the indoor arena.”
“Right,” Coby nodded, and raced off.
The rest of the children started to head downstairs, but then someone stepped up beside Sonic and said, “Actually, Sire, may I speak to young Turquoise?”
Turq looked back in surprise, and recognized one of the elder councilmen, a squirrel name Elius.
“We must discuss something important,” he went on.
Turq glanced at her friends. “Go on, guys. I’ll catch up.” Then she hurried back toward her father and Elius. “What is it?”
“Princess,” said the councilman, “do you remember a few months ago, when we told you and your brother that the time to choose suitors was coming soon?”
“Yes,” Turq answered warily.
“Well, my dear, I think it’s time to seriously start considering who you wish to be betrothed to.”
“But you said I had until I was eighteen!” Turq blurted out.
“Yes, Princess,” said Elius calmly. “And normally you would. But given our circumstances right now, with the Balgroth and their dark plots, we must be prepared. Mobotropolis will need a strong, secure line to take the throne should anything terrible happen.”
Turq shivered angrily. Did Elius believe that her parents and her brother would be defeated in battle so easily? “But why?” she asked. “We have a strong line already.”
“You must understand that it is entirely possible for your parents to be…lost in war if it comes to that. You and your future spouse must be ready to take their place, to secure the leadership of our kingdom. This is why we want to hear your decision by sunset.”
“What!” Turq cried in disbelief. “But I can’t! It’s too sudden!”
She swung desperately toward Sonic. Up until now the king had been listening silently, but now he stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at Elius.
“She’s right. That’s putting a lot of pressure on her. And why did no one discuss this with me first?”
“I’m sorry, Sire,” Elius replied. “But it’s something that only just came to our minds.”
“Can this even be done?” Sonic asked angrily.
The old councilman nodded. “Oh, I’m afraid it can, my Liege, in times of hardship.”
“Can’t you give her more time at least?” said Sonic, glancing at his daughter.
“We need to know very soon, my King. For the sake of Mobotropolis.”
“But what if there’s no one I want to choose?” Turq demanded. “I don’t like any of those suitors!”
Elius lifted his head. “Well, Princess… If it comes to that, then the council will have to choose for you.”
Turq gaped at him, and Sonic’s ears drew back slightly. Choose for her!
“Now that I will not allow,” Sonic protested firmly. “I agree that the royal line should be secured. But if she has to choose anyone, she is going to choose for herself.”
“Very well, your Highness, very well,” Elius nodded quickly. “She certainly can do that, as long as it’s by sunset. If she hasn’t selected anyone by then, the council will step in. We have… a few good choices.”
Suddenly Turq fancied she saw something flash in Elius’s gray eyes.
“What about Coby?” asked Sonic. “Is he being forced to do the same thing?”
“He would be, Sire, but I’ve noticed lately that he’s been talking with Frost again. I think their relationship has been renewed.”
Sonic sighed and shook his head. Turq stared at him, hoping he would continue to object.
But when Sonic looked up again he said, “We’ll talk more about this—with the council in session. I want to hear everything.”
Elius bowed and said coolly, “Of course, your Majesty. Forgive me for bringing it up so suddenly. It is merely a precaution we want to take.”
The squirrel turned and went back to the council room. As soon as he was gone, Turq looked up at her father pleadingly.
“But Dad, I can’t…”
“I know, Turq,” Sonic said sympathetically. “But there’s not much I can do to overturn the law. I can appeal to the council, but it can only be changed with a vote. And I doubt that most of the councilman will be against it.”
Turq was shaking her head. “But I don’t want to marry any of these suitors… They don’t know me!”
Sonic turned to her, and emerald eyes met emerald eyes. “Listen, honey. I’ll do what I can. But choosing yourself is much better than having someone choose for you.” Every word seemed to catch in the king’s throat. He obviously hated this idea. “Just think carefully about it. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
He kissed her on the forehead and then walked off toward the Great Hall.
Turq began to pace. What was she going to do? There was not a suitor out there that she wanted to marry. Many of them were nice and polite, and seemed quite capable of ruling a kingdom. But they were only interested in wealth and politics. None of them cared about Turq for who she was. None of them were fun or adventurous. None of them had a sense of humor. She couldn’t laugh with them or share her deepest thoughts with them. Suddenly Turq realized that there was only one person she felt that close to…
The princess paused mid-step and looked up. Did she really care for Aethon that much? He had been there for her when no one else could. He always made her laugh, and they could just wile away the hours together, talking and enjoying each other’s company. She knew she could trust him with her life.
For a moment Turq felt an unexpected happiness. Then a shadow of doubt descended. It would never work… Aethon was not a prince; the council would never accept him. And as much as she cared about him, they were only best friends. Instead she would have to settle for someone she hardly knew, someone who could never fill Aethon’s place in her heart.
Suddenly overwhelmed, Turq whipped around and raced out of the castle, back into the frigid winter air. She kept running, down the icy stairs and across the bustling courtyard, over fences and bridges and deep into the palace gardens. She did not stop until she found a secluded spot near an ivy-covered gazebo, where there was no sound except for the gurgling of a small, fast-flowing stream just beyond.
Sighing, she sat down on the wooden bench inside the gazebo and stared out toward the sky. Some of the clouds had cleared now, and the red disk of the sun was shining through as it began to sink, setting the snow aflame. Normally Turq would have found it strikingly beautiful, but now she only felt a sense of dread as she watched it slowly fall.
She was so lost in her dismal thoughts that she hardly noticed the sound of footsteps approaching. She glimpsed a flash of black somewhere behind her. Then an achingly familiar voice reached her ears.
“Hey, Turq! There you are!”
Suddenly Aethon leaped over the gazebo fence and landing neatly beside her, his ears pricked and his eyes bright and cheerful. “Hello!”
“Hey,” Turq murmured glumly.
“We were wondering what’d happened to you,” Aethon went on. “Now that we finally have some free time, we were just about to sit down with some hot chocolate and marshmallows. It’ll be nice after freezing our quills off earlier!”
“Heh, yeah…”
Aethon blinked at her. “Are you OK?”
Turq shook her head.
“What’s wrong?”
Slowly Turq turned toward him. How could she tell him? What would he think? Would the council’s law ultimately ruin their friendship?
“Aethon,” she began slowly. “Listen. The reason the council wanted to talk to me was because they wanted to be sure that I would be engaged in case I had to ascend to the throne… They-they want me to choose a suitor by sunset.”
Aethon froze and stared back at her, his eyes round with shock. “What?” He whispered. “Sunset?”
Turq looked away. “They said it would secure Mobotropolis’s monarchy—that it was a precaution just in case my parents or Coby were…killed in battle.”
“You have to choose one of the suitors?” Aethon echoed, staring at her.
“Yes… If I don’t, the council will choose one for me. This-this may be the last time we get to hang out together. Once I’m engaged, I doubt we’ll be able to see each other like we used to.”
Aethon looked wounded. “But… But I thought…”
Tears welled in Turq’s eyes when she heard the pain in his voice. “I’m sorry, Aethon… You’re my best friend in the world, and I don’t want us to grow apart. But what else can I do? Run away, and desert my family and my kingdom? It’s the law. I’m trapped…”
“Yeah, unless…” Aethon fell silent and looked down at his feet.
Turq glanced at him. “Unless?”
Aethon scuffled is foot in the snow and drew a short, deep breath. “Turq, I… I have to tell you…That…”  
Turq looked closely at him, her heart suddenly fluttering. For a moment the sadness in her eyes was replaced by a faint flicker of hope.
But then, after a pause that felt like an eternity, Aethon hung his head and sighed. “I hope that whoever you choose and wherever you go…that you’re happy.”
The hope faded away, and Turq’s heart sank. She felt bitterly disappointed and hurt. Was he really going to let her go that easily?
She gazed back at him sadly and murmured, “You too, Aeth…”
With that she looked toward the western horizon. The sun had touched the horizon, and the sky was quickly growing dark.
“It’s time…” she whispered shakily. “I have to go now, before someone is picked for me.”
Aethon didn’t respond. He just stared down at the ground, his ears low.
“Good-bye, Aethon,” Turq said quietly as she turned to leave.
Her old friend lifted his head, and there was such a look of pain and loss in his red eyes that she hardly recognized him.
“Good-bye, Turq… I’ll see you around.”

As Aethon watched Turq go, he felt as though his world were crashing down all around him. Was that all? Was their lifelong friendship gone in a flash, just like that? He longed to chase after Turq, to beg her to change her mind, but he knew it was no use. The council would force her to choose someone if she defied them, and he didn’t want that. Turq deserved to decide her own future.
But he could not fight the loss that ached in his heart. He realized with a shudder that the dearest thing in the world to him was walking away.
Suddenly the black hedgehog slumped down onto the bench and buried his head in his arms. He did not try to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. He couldn’t have, no matter how hard he tried.
He didn’t notice as a nearby hedgerow parted, and a tall, blue shape stepped out onto the stream’s bank.
“Aethon, what are you doing? You’re letting her go!”
Aethon looked up in surprise and found Coby standing outside the gazebo, staring at him incredulously.
“I heard the whole thing,” Coby said, stepping forward. “As I was heading back from training. And I can’t believe it! Why are you just sitting here?”
“There’s nothing I can do, Coby…” Aethon replied sullenly. “It’s over. The council has spoken, and Turq and I have to go our separate ways.”
“You idiot!” Coby exclaimed with unusual harshness. “You’re the only one that can do something! Go after her! Stop her before it’s too late!”
When Aethon didn’t react Coby stamped his foot angrily. “You’re making a mistake that both of you will regret for the rest of your lives! Stop dithering!”
“What am I supposed to do?” Aethon cried, swinging around furiously. “Run in and tell the council that she can’t be engaged, because she’d be leaving her best friend behind? I thought I was the right one for Turq, I did! But it won’t work!” He paused, his breath shaking. “She’s a princess… And I’m just a bumbling, joking idiot. She deserves better… Much better.”
Coby’s eyes bored into him. “Aethon, Turq thinks the world of you. You’re letting her down if you do this.”
Aethon cast Coby a bitter glance. “Why are you so concerned in the first place? I thought you didn’t approve of me and Turq being together…”
“I didn’t at first,” the prince answered lowly, dropping his ears. “I wanted to protect my sister, and I—I was jealous of how close you guys were. But then I noticed how happy Turq is around you, and how heartbroken she looked just now. She was in tears, Aethon…”
Aethon said nothing. He just hung his head and closed his eyes miserably.
Coby walked over and stood right in front of him. “Don’t you get it?” he asked. “If you let her go, you’re losing her forever. Forever, Aethon. She’ll be married off to some foreign prince, and you and Turq will never have anything.”
The black hedgehog stared at him, his eyes blank with pain.
“Like I told you before, I’m not blind Aethon,” Coby went on feverishly. “I know what she means to you… And what you mean to her. Tell her, Aethon! Let her know how you feel. Do I have to spell it out for you? You are the one she wants to choose. You.”
Aethon blinked and slowly cocked his ears forward. “Is that true?” he whispered.
“Yes,” Coby nodded. “I know my sister. She adores you, and you adore her. Your were meant to be together.”
Aethon’s heart began to flutter, and he fidgeted anxiously, glancing toward the courtyard. He could hear people gathering there. The news must have spread through the kingdom like wildfire.
“Go after her,” Coby urged more kindly. “You still have time. I don’t want my sister to live a life she doesn’t want. I want her to be happy…and I know now that you’re the only one that can do that for her.”
Trembling, Aethon turned back toward the city. For a moment he lingered there in the snow, undecided. Then, high above the palace, he saw a brilliant blue star shine through the twilight.
“You know what you have to do,” came the warm voice of the Star spirit.
The words echoed in Aethon’s head. Coby was right. He couldn’t let Turq go like this—he didn’t know what he’d do without her.
Suddenly he broke into a run, leaping over the stream and racing through the narrow gardens as fast as he could. The world began to blur around him as he sprinted, sprinted with all his speed toward the star’s light.

Turq gazed out across the courtyard blankly from the castle balcony. The citizens were gathering quickly below her, murmuring excitedly. Despite the work that had to be done repairing Mobotropolis, and preparing its troops for action, they had all stopped for a moment to hear Turq’s decision, for it would affect the entire kingdom.
Sighing heavily, the princess turned and looked at the group of suitors standing in the corner of the courtyard, near the stairway that ran up to the balcony. They were standing still and quiet, though now and then they would cast her fleeting glances. Turq had thought hard about which one of them she would choose. It had not been easy, but at last her thoughts had settled on Erik, the Prince of Mercia. They had nothing in common, but at least he was kind, level-headed and intelligent, well-suited for the role of king.
Suddenly a hush fell over the crowd as the council members emerged from the palace, followed closely by Sonic and Cyan. Turq turned to her parents hopefully when they came up beside her, but she could tell by their faces that nothing had changed. Both of them looked tense and unhappy.
“Are you ready?” Cyan asked her daughter.
Turq nodded. “I think I’ve made a good choice.”
“Are you sure?” said Sonic.
“Yes, Dad.”
Sonic lifted his head to the sky. The last rays of the sun were fading in the distance, and the stars were beginning to glitter. “Then it’s time.”
Suddenly the councilman Elius came forward and called out to the crowd. “Welcome, citizens of Mobotropolis! We have gathered here this evening to hear which suitor our beloved Princess Turquoise has chosen to affiance, and to rule beside her should she ever ascend as Queen. With the rise of the Balgroth, and the evil that has been plaguing Mobius, we must keep our kingdom strong. This decision will ensure that the monarchy of Mobotropolis will continue, even through times of darkness!”
The people cheered. Elius waited for the sound to die down, and then turned toward Turq. She looked back at him wordlessly. For a moment she thought she saw something cunning there in his pale eyes. But then it slowly changed to confusion and something very close to fear. The councilman hesitated, and glanced quickly around the courtyard. Then he said falteringly, “Has…Has her Majesty chosen a suitor?”
Turq swallowed hard. “I have…”
“Then step forward, Princess, and announce your choice to the kingdom.”
Her blood roaring in her ears, Turq slowly approached the banister. She looked out across the audience, which was now frozen with an intense silence, and gathered herself. She was about to speak when, all of a sudden, a voice cried out from the very back of the crowd.
“Wait!”
The citizens swung around, their eyes wide with surprise. Turq looked up, and strained to see who was calling. Before her the crowd began to part as someone came tearing through the yard madly.
“Wait, Turq!” they cried at the top of their lungs. “Wait!”
Then she saw him as he skidded to a stop just below her and looked up, his red eyes wide and frantic.
“Aethon?” She cried in amazement.
“Turq,” Aethon panted breathlessly, “you can’t choose one of those suitors!”
“What?” Elius demanded, staring down at him. “Why not? What are you—”
But Aethon went on without hearing him. “I couldn’t just let you go, Turq! I don’t want us to be split apart, and forced to marry people we don’t love! I want us to be together!” Aethon paused to catch his breath. Then he lifted his head. “I love you, Turq.”
Turq’s mouth fell open, and she quickly clasped her hands over it. His eyes shining, Aethon gazed up at her and smiled. All around him the crowd began to cheer and whistle.
For a moment their eyes locked. Then, with a surge of joy, Turq suddenly raced down the stairway and plunged into the throng. Aethon ran to meet her. Cheers turned to a thunderous roar as Turq leaped forward and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him off his feet.
“I thought you were going to let me go, Aeth,” She sobbed.
“Never, Turq,” he whispered, hugging her fiercely.
She looked at him, and his eyes were glistening with tears. She knew at that moment that she loved him too. More than anything.
Familiar voices called out suddenly, and Turq turned to see her brother and their friends standing nearby. Coby smiled back at her happily and nodded. Beside him Frost and Denalhma were whistling and clapping. Shea was there too, and she suddenly hugged Keesho tightly. The startled tiger went red and smiled at her shyly. Charon shook his head in mock annoyance, and even Raena grinned.
It was a long time before the noise finally died down. Slowly the courtyard went silent. Khare was the first one to speak.
“Well,” she said, looking down at Aethon and Turq from the balcony and smiling. “I do believe our princess has chosen. I must say though that I’m not at all surprised that it’s my son.”
Aethon grinned up at his mother sheepishly.
“But can it work?” someone from the crowd asked. “He’s not a prince!”
“Would you dare split them up after that?” other voices cried.
“They belong together!”
“Leave them be!”
Then someone called out calmly. “What do our King and Queen say?”
Cyan looked at Sonic, her eyes glowing. Turq noticed Aethon glance at the king uncertainly, but Sonic just perked an eyebrow at him and smiled as he wrapped an arm around Cyan.
“We approve,” he announced proudly.
Then for the first time in ages Turq saw her parents nuzzle each other lovingly. Happily the princess pressed her muzzle against Aethon’s and kissed his cheek.
With that the people began to cheer once more, throwing flower petals down from the balconies and terraces and congratulating Turq and Aethon.
“Well done, my daughter,” a warm voice whispered suddenly in Turq’s thoughts.
She looked up, and found the Blue Star shining just above the palace like a blue sun.
“Your destiny lies with him,” said the Star. “You have chosen well.”
The spirit’s words filled her heart with happiness, and she turned back to the celebration. She did not notice, however, the shadow that crouched atop a rooftop on the far end of the courtyard; how its eyes glittered with fury beneath its black hood, and how it suddenly vanished into the night.