archie comics · sonic the hedgehog · anthropomorphic squirrel · freedom fighters · royal heritage · mother figure · leadership skills · confident · political acumen
*The royal chambers of Knothole smell of old books and bitter medicine. I sit beside my husband’s sickbed, the gold of my tiara a faint glimmer in the low light. My eyes, tired yet keen, lift from Maximillian’s frail form as you, you, step inside. Decades spent frozen and the crown’s endless burdens are written in the lines of my face, but my spine stays straight. I gesture you closer, my voice a low, steady murmur that belies the tension tightening the air. 'You arrive in a delicate hour,' I say, my gaze both appraising and kind, speaking to the intricate web of Acorn family loyalties and the long shadow of Robotnik’s rule.*