cureakiha

"This is where you’ll be staying,” Blaze said with a neat flick of her tail.

The gesture was subtle but the flanking pair of stewards heeded it well, jumping forward to pull open the ornate double doors before the princess and her torpor plagued companion reached them.

Stepping through to the solar room, Silver faltered beside Blaze as he took in the tucked away space. His eyes grew wide and a yawn which had been teasing at his lips hitched into an awed gasp.

Lofted in the upper floor of Blaze's castle was a lavish set of private rooms. They were not the princess’s personal chambers, the thought of hibernating where Blaze laid her head to rest quickened Silver's heart beat in a way he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep around. These rooms though were inviting and a comfortable escape from the hustle of the castle grounds.

"Blaze…" Silver whispered reverently, "this is too much! I just need a bed, or even a blanket and a pillow would be more than enough."

Blaze's snowy-white muzzle scrunched, "I would never let you sleep like that, Silver.”

“That’s how Sonic hibernates,” he shrugged, “Told me after I caught him stuffing a blanket that I’m pretty sure was not his into an overnight bag before he went to burrow.”

“Sonic is a menace to planning ahead, don’t listen to a thing he says about hibernating.”

Silver chuckled at his friends fiery contempt as he wandered further into the room.

It really was too much for the likes of him, Silver thought, trailing a hand over the marbled mantle of a roaring fireplace. The hearth stood almost as tall as him and had no grate to section off the flames from licking at the stone floor before it. Silver wasn't surprised by this, What reason did Blaze have to guard against fire in her own living quarters?

The solar room itself was made awe-inspiring by the large stained glass windows canvassing the far wall. The setting winter sun cast orange and purple auroras over everything and the tall ceilings above were painted with intricate constellation designs to get lost in looking. On the left of the room was a tea table laden with sweet treats, two tall-backed chairs were sat in a half circle round the fireplace, and Solish tapestries hung heavy on the walls. To the right, warmed by the fire and the sunlight, was a four poster bed obscured in a velvet canopy.

Silver came to a stop at the bedside and brushed his gloved hands across the creamy duvet and plush feather pillows that had been set out for him. It all looked so inviting after the last two weeks of hibernation symptoms frying his nerves.

The once in a century blizzard that was ransacking islands like Northstar had pushed all Mobians prone to hibernating into that condition without hesitation. Sonic, although he was in denial, had seen the signs and gotten himself someplace supposedly safe. Amy, the least bothered by this cycle, had practically skipped to Vanilla’s house for a long term stay in her guest room. But Silver, like Shadow in some ways, had never hibernated before.

This sudden lethargy and bone-wracking chills were awful symptoms but it was the unescapable need to burrow that was keeping Silver awake and weakening his health.

He’d grown up in an apocalyptic future, one where the only winter was volcanic. Finding some cozy, safe spot where he wouldn’t be snapped awake by world-ending monsters or time-eating gods was nothing more than a hopeless daydream.

But like the rest of his hedgehog friends, Silver was susceptible to freezing weather and therefor needed to sleep through it. Thankfully Blaze had a few rooms in her palace that she could spare. And while the truly disastrous blizzard couldn’t follow them across dimensions, it was winter here in Sol too.

Silver could easily pick out the fern frost that swirled unique patterns on the stained glass windows, heralding the cold just outside.

"I can have tea brought in, and if the fire is too much I can of course adjust that," Blaze was saying as she followed him across the room.

There was, Silver could see, a nervous tell about the princess. It was in the way her ears perked forward ever so slightly and her whiskers twitched as she waited impatiently for Silver’s response.

Adorable, was the word that first came to mind for the hedgehog and unwittingly a hearty purr rumbled to life in his chest.

When Blaze turned the corner of the bed to stand with her back towards the windows and fold down the duvet for Silver, his second thought was, Radiant.

The light shining through stained glass was a gossamer cloak around Blaze’s shoulders. Her white-tufted ears were haloed in the borealis and her burnt edges softened to a lovely glow.

"This is perfect, Blaze," Silver smiled, albeit bashfully, unsure if the princess could spot his own tell. “Thank you.”

Her posture relaxed at once and Blaze returned her friend’s smile in kind, “Of course. Now, I’ve informed the guards and staff to not disturb you, but if you need anything please ask. I hope you’ll sleep well here, but don’t let me keep you up any longer.”

With that last bit of permission, Silver let his sapping strength go and flopped unceremoniously forward, landing with a dull whuff on the luxurious bed.

He’d never slept anywhere so soft before.

Blaze mewed a short laugh, “Better than Sonic's choice of burrow?"

“Without a doubt," Silver nuzzled into the duvet, chasing a faint scent of sambac jasmine that graced the fabric and soothed his hibernation nerves.

"Sweet dreams, Silver," Blaze said softly and reached out to tuck a strand of long grey quills back into place.

The princess turned away, intent on retiring to her own rooms. There were pressing matters of state to get to and a few late night hours she would stay up to work through them.

Walking on silent steps through the solar, Blaze slowed to double check the trays of mini apple tarts and tea set by the fireplace. The single serve kettle was staying warm on its heated saucer and she doubted Silver would notice that she had secreted away one of the tarts to try before he’d arrived that afternoon.

She knew from her hurried calls to Sonic - and later Shadow when the blue hedgehog was nested away - that Silver would likely wake throughout his hibernation. But Blaze prepared for this by shooing away her curious maids and guards from making a racket in this wing of the castle. And of course he would have everything he needed for a quick snack and drink if he woke hungry over the next few weeks.

If the nest Blaze had tried to prepare for him wasn't working for him, she had heaps of blankets and pillows and even a few handmade teddys to offer him.

The vast collection for nesting material had all been gifted to Blaze by the people of Sol who’d heard about the dashing hedgehog from a distant land that had come to stay with their princess for the cold winter.

Blaze blushed as she recalled the recent memories. Being stopped kindly in the street and offered soft fabrics and sweet fragrant perfume pouches from well meaning aunties and giggling girls and boys hopeful for something of a royal wedding come the spring.

Blaze had been too flustered to dissuade their romantic notions and passed the gifts to Gardon before she accidentally set them on fire.

Now she had a closet off the solar room that was full of courting gifts and no idea what to do with them. Silver seemed to like just the plain duvet and feather down pillows Blaze had made the bed with.

It will be a hard winter all around, but at least I’ll know Silver is safe and warm, the princess told herself as she reached the solar room doors and grabbed for the heavy iron handle.

Her fingers had only graze the metal when a familiar and ticklish caress pulled on her winter fluffed tail.

A surprised gasp caught in the princess’s chest and she glanced over her shoulder at the bed and hibernating hedgehog within.

“Where are you going?” Silver mumbled, rolling over and psychically tugging at both the duvet and Blaze's tail again.

"Silver," Blaze tried to be stern, to brush off what must be those clingy hibernation symptoms Shadow had been complaining to her about.

But the grey-white hedgehog merely drummed his fingers sleepily on the comforter and a cyan glow circled Blaze's waist, urging her back into the room.

"This is not really a two person activity,” Blaze’s whiskers twitched, amusement for Silver’s groggy antics warming her voice like melted butter. The psychic touch on her ribs tickled and she knew Silver was doing that on purpose.

"Says who?"

"Hedgehogs. That's why you have all those quills."

Even as she demurred, Blaze climbed onto the bed. Her own instincts willed her to turn in at least two circles before she laid down but she didn't want to disturb Silver more than she already was. Instead Blaze rested on top of the duvet with her hands folded beneath her cheek in an imitation pillow.

Silver cracked open an eye and blearily focused on Blaze laying on her side as still as she could. She hadn’t so much as blinked.

"You're so far away."

"I am barely a tail length from you, Silver."

"Too far," he grumbled and buried his sulky frown in one of the downy pillows.

Fondness kindled warmly in Blaze's chest and she gave in without hesitation, sliding across the duvet to curl around Silver's side.

Her cheek now rested on the muscle of his bicep and her hands had nowhere else to go but fix themselves in Silver's burmal thick chest fur.

"I can't fall asleep, Silver.”

"If you say so,” he murmured, a sleepy smile lifting the corners of his mouth as his breathing steadied and his tail thwapped happily on the comforter.

“I’m serious,” the princess said, starting and stopping her hands from instinctually kneading Silver’s chest. “I have to get up soon.”

“Yeah, but not yet. We have some time to…”

Silver was asleep before he could finish his sentence, dropping off with a content sigh into deep hibernation.

Blaze never did get back to her own room that winter.