#lunoid

Void the Hedgehog doesn't normally make a habit of wandering the gardens of their palace. In fact, he out of his family would be the least likely to be found admiring the flowers or enjoying the warmth of the sun - that enjoyment was much better suited to Polarity or Stellar.

Despite that, he finds himself wandering outside in the palace grounds around midnight, his mind too active and restless to truly relax. He suspects the rest of his family may be asleep after what had been a long day - the welcoming of the entourage from the Sol Empire had been no small event after all.

He himself was more than tired and done with making appearances - not from a lack of energy, but from a lack of patience to interact with any more idiots or blundering buffoons. Despite the Sol Empire being at almost equal power to the Doom Empire, it seemed they had no lack of sniveling sycophants and idiots. Although his father repeatedly commented that as an heir he should be getting used to dealing with stupidity, Void was still reluctant to truly give them any face. He almost had half a mind to just exile any idiot that was dumb enough to appear before him once he's king, if he wasn't sure the nagging from his parents would be endless.

Regardless, after over two days of banquets and meetings and useless small talk, Void was more than ready to sneak out the palace for a fight - something that wasn't unheard of from him. In fact, he would've likely already gone out and looked for some criminal dumb enough to be near his vicinity if not for the fact that he had an early morning tomorrow and couldn't afford to stay up too long.

As a result, he has resorted to walking the grounds in hopes of calming his restless body. His steps are light, almost silent, which was something he had ingrained in himself since he was a child - a challenge with a body as big as his.

The cool breeze continues to ruffle his fur, and he offhandedly notes that winter is approaching. He walks throughout the gardens, occasionally scaring the guards patrolling (which endlessly amuses him), when he notices a hidden path into the forest that backdrops the palace. Out of curiosity, Void approaches and walks through.

Unluckily, it is a new moon that night, which means there is no illumination as Void makes his way under the tree canopies. Luckily, however, Void has never needed light - his night vision given by his Black Doom DNA has more than sufficiently ensured his visibility was not hindered.

He continues making his way, enjoying the silence and isolation. The crickets continue to chirp in the distance, and Void spots more than one night creature prowling around. Just as he's considering giving chase to one of them to burn off excess energy, his ears flit up.

An instant later, his ears relax and he continues his stroll in a relaxed manner. He continues walking deeper into the forest for about a minute more, then pauses and quickly Chaos Controls a few feet away.

He smirks, because just as he suspected, a few inches away from him lied the person he had sensed watching him. It had taken him a bit of time to pinpoint his exact location, but he had succeeded without tipping him off.

"My, my . . . Do I sense a little spy on this fine night?" Void questions, making eye contact with the shocked hedgehog. Taking a deeper look at him, Void can't help but appreciate his body for a second - if they had met in any other circumstance, he might have suggested letting off some steam together.

His pale purple fur which darkened at the edges of his quills, his brown eyes, and his . . . physique were all quite enchanting. If only he wouldn't now have to likely kill him for sneaking around . . . truly a pity.

The hedgehog, who had quickly schooled his expression into a passive look, tilted his head slightly. "I apologize, I did not mean to spy on you . . . I just didn't expect anyone to be in this forest this late at night."

If it had been any of his siblings who spotted this hedgehog wandering around, they would have likely believed him at this point; unluckily for the little spy though, he had bumped into Void of all people.

"Is that so? And what might you be doing, wandering the forest near the royal palace so late at night? One could only assume you have nefarious intentions," Void answers, smirking, deciding to humor him. He highly doubts this hedgehog could overpower him, so he has no qualms about continuing to speak with him.

"My sister and I are currently traveling, trying to head south. We had thought the forest near the royal palace would be a safe place to camp for the night. I had noted the presence of someone here and wanted to make sure it was safe," the purple hedgehog answers, face passive as he has one of his hands hold onto his arm in apparent shyness.

Void hums. "Is that so?" He circles the hedgehog in question, watching as he minutely tenses up. "Your coloring . . . You're not from here, are you?" He holds out a claw to trace down a quill from his head. The purple hedgehog quickly takes a step back, outside of Void's range.

"I'm only here for my sister, your highness," the hedgehog replies in response. Void hums again.

"Ah, so you did know who I am," Void notes, increasingly intrigued.

"Well, your highness is wearing a formal, royal outfit with gold jewelry, and you had come from the direction of the palace."

"Exactly," Void smirks, crossing his arms. "It's good that you aren't trying to play dumb. Or are actually dumb."

The purple hedgehog pauses for a second, not seeming to know how to react to the comment, before seeming to decide to back away. He lowers his head, breaking eye contact, and says, "I do apologize for bothering your highness at this time of night. I'll leave you to your walk now."

The hedgehog goes to turn around, but pauses once again when Void quickly approaches and holds onto his arm. "Now then, I don't believe I excused you."

The hedgehog seems to finally show some emotion at that comment, his brow furrowing in annoyance. "Pardon me, your majesty, but I am not your subject so as to be ordered around." The hedgehog quickly pulls his arm out of Void's grasp.

"I do believe that unless you are a prince of another nation yourself, anything I say would need to be heeded regardless of whether you are my subject or not," Void explains, very amused. "And even if not, I have the grounds to label you a trespasser and have you imprisoned in the dungeon for your presence here."

The purple hedgehog tenses once again and turns towards Void, looking him straight in the eye. Feisty, isn't he?

"And what would it take for his highness to release me?" He asks, holding his arms close to his chest.

Void pretends to consider this for a moment. Then, Void smirks in a lazy manner, tilting his head and placing a hand on his hips. "Well, you should show me this supposed camp and sister you have. After all, I have seen no proof that your story holds true."

The purple hedgehog stares into Void's eyes for a few seconds, before turning away. "I . . . suppose that would be more than fair. Follow me, your highness."

Void's smirk widens as the hedgehog in front of him begins to walk in the direction they came from, internally gloating at his success. Although he does doubt at this point that the hedgehog holds any true danger to him considering he made no attempts on his life in the conversation they had, it never hurts to be too careful. And whether or not this hedgehog was a danger to him, it didn't stop the fact that the purple being was clearly trying to hide something away, and Void would be lying if he wasn't curious as to what it was.

They pass the next few minutes in silence, only the sounds of their footsteps echoing in the night forest. Void, during this time, is content to admire the back view of the hedgehog as they make their way to his camp. It's when the hedgehog in front of him turns to look over his shoulder and take a peek that Void decides to speak up.

"By the way, what's your name, sweetheart?" Void's arms cross behind the back of his head as he walks, his gait relaxed. His smirk only widens as the hedgehog in front of him tenses and almost stumbles as he walks. There's no immediate response, but Void can be patient when there's something he wants (although his family would vehemently deny this), so he waits.

His patience is rewarded when the hedgehog, without looking back, answers. "It's Lune. And please don't call me sweetheart . . . your highness."

Void laughs, a loud, cruel sound as he imagines how uncomfortable the hedgehog must feel. "And what if I don't want to?"

"Then I'd suggest learning some manners," the hedgehog - Lune calmly replies.

Void grins, watching as Lune's patience has seemingly run out with him. Void himself is briefly impressed at how long Lune kept up the subservience when he so clearly did not want to.

Before Void can give a snappy comeback, a clearing appears in between the trees. Lune ahead of him quickly speeds up, entering and calling out, "Sister? Are you there?"

Void follows behind him at a safe distance, noting the presence of a camp and a campfire, which does seem to corroborate the hedgehog's story. The sister, however, is suspiciously absent. Void raises an eyebrow at Lune. "And where is your sister?"

Lune's face has lost it's composure, seemingly worried at the thought of his sister. Void distantly can't help but wonder what other emotions he could get Lune to show on his face. He's sure he could anger him enough to lose his composure - a thought that is a little too pleasant.

"I - I'm not sure," Lune replies, looking around. He makes a full turn around, trying to spot her, before taking a deep breath. "This should be sufficient evidence for his highness. If you could excuse me, I must go to look for my sister-"

Void laughs. "And where would you look for her, in this darkness? What if someone had taken her away?"

Lune stiffens at that, before finally sending a glare in Void's direction. "And what would his highness suggest instead? I leave her alone, and hope she comes by tomorrow morning?" It seems that his worry for his sister had finally caused his cold facade to crumble.

Void flaps a hand in denial, grinning. "Well, of course not. I am merely suggesting that you may need some help to find this sister of yours."

Lune's eyes narrow, and his arms cross. "Are you offering?"

Void hums in thought, tilting his head as if to think about it for a moment. "Well, I myself am a very fast and efficient seeker. And I have the ability to call on a number of troops to look for your sister."

Lune's faze does not waver, nor does he relax. "And why would you do that?"

"Would you believe me if I said out of the kindness of my heart?" Lune scoffs from across the clearing. Void simply shrugs. "It was a good try. I'll help you out for a price - how about that?"

The purple hedgehog tenses further as Void takes a few steps towards him. "And what would that price be?"

Void smirks. "You agreeing to join the palace as my concubine."

Silence reigns for a moment. And then-

"Excuse me?"

Void crosses his arms, shrugging. "You heard me."

Lune's mouth hangs open as his hands drop to his sides, and he truly can't seem to fathom the ridiculous offer Void has presented.

"Why?"

Void shrugs. "Does there need to be a reason?"

Lune glares. "Yes."

"Hmm . . . let's say I'm bored. You seem entertaining enough."

Lune's hands curl up at the statement. "As enticing as that sounds, I was not created for his highness' enjoyment."

Void laughs, knowing already that the hedgehog would not be easily convinced. "Some would consider it an honor to join the heir of the empire's entourage."

Lune crosses his arms. "I'm sure."

"And would you really rather your sister not be found?" The question hangs in the air between them for a moment, before Lune takes a step back.

"Despite what his highness seems to think, my sister can take care of herself. And I am capable enough myself to find her on my own. I'll have to thank you for the offer, but I politely decline," Lune grounds out, before turning to walk out of the grounds.

Void watches his retreating back, simply laughing in response.

At the same moment, only a few miles away, in one of the many hallways of the palace, do Nymph and Polarity collide.

"Who're you?"

"Shhh - don't scream, please. I'm trying to kidnap the second prince. Have you seen him?"

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