Caring Queen and Gracious King

Kind Princess and Humble Merchant  <--Remember those two?  These guys here are the present-day Edgar and Celes, and they're supposed to be in their mid-30's.  They get more bling-bling when they're older, pffff.  At least Edgar does.  As you can see, he's no longer a poor merchant now that he's married to Celes.

I drew these way back around the same time as their younger/teen designs.  I wanted to post this a long time ago to follow-up the other, but I'm just slow with ever getting around to writing down the story ideas.  They've been in my head for a LONG time.  I hope Edgar doesn't look silly here; he's one of those characters that I can't seem to win for loosing with design-wise. xD;  It was hard to make him look kingly without giving him too little of an outfit, while also going by Sonic Team's standards of males not wearing a lot and avoiding making things overly detailed.  EERRRGH.  ANYWAY...

BACKSTORY TIME! (This story actually continues from how they first met, so you may want to read the description in the link at the top first in order to understand everything.  Bravo if you get through it all. )

            After a long struggle against the authorities that were after them, Edgar and Celes overcame the odds pitted against them.  The lies about Celes' suitors, whom everyone had their trust in, were exposed, and Edgar proved himself worthy to the authorities and Celes' father of becoming her husband.  Many people were still at shock that a lowly merchant from outside the city was allowed to marry their princess and take to the throne as the next king, though slowly, some of them started to come around and see how respectfully he treated everyone.  They married and were soon crowned as the next rulers.  From there, things started to go well for a while.

            A couple of years later, a brutal attack was made on the city.  Edgar did everything he could to prevent having to declare war, but the attackers were relentless with their ambushes, causing circumstances to demand for it.  So far, Edgar had done well ruling over the city since taking to the throne, but unlike Celes, he was not raised in royal roots and still didn't have much experience.  Left and right, there were soldiers, knights, and innocent civilians being brutally wounded or killed, and there was nothing he could do about it, no matter how he handled the situation.  The stress was overwhelming for him, and when he was alone in silence, he would mourn for those whose blood was shed.  Celes did her best to give him comfort and support, though she soon discovered something was happening with herself.  A new life was stirring within her...but at this time of great trouble, how could she tell him?  She couldn't stand the thought of putting more burden on him to worry about.  She knew she couldn't hide it, though, so she brought herself to give him the news.  He was crestfallen, and together, they grieved by what would have otherwise been a joyous happening for them.

            With Celes now pregnant, Edgar knew that he had to do all possible to keep her safe.  If the city's attackers knew of her condition, then no doubt they would try to go after her and the unborn child.  He couldn't risk letting her be in danger.  Unfortunately, he couldn't always be with her himself, so he made sure she would have guards strictly protecting her at all times while she remained within castle walls.  Celes hated having to be restricted like she had in her days as princess, but she knew why it had to be done.  Thankfully, though there were several times of risk, she was never placed in too much danger. 

            One day, after yet another harsh battle, a scratched up and weary Edgar returned to his workroom, stressing over things that had happened, when a messenger ran in with news of the baby's birth drawing near.  He rushed to be by Celes' side, apologizing for being late.  Soon, a healthy female hedgehog was born, and they gave her a calm, tearful welcome.  She was pink, and had Edgar's brown eyes.  They agreed to name her Charon.  She was precious to them, their hearts warmed by her, but there was still a deeply concerning problem.  Now that the baby was born, it was likely that things could be even MORE dangerous and complicated with the war still going on.  The city's attackers would learn about the child soon, if they had not already.  While Celes was pregnant, only she had to be protected, so having to separately protect the child could be much more risky. 

            At this time, a couple of married hedgehogs named Gallivant and Amble, who had graciously helped in Edgar and Celes' past journey to marry and take to the throne, had been frequently visiting the castle to help out, as they had all become close friends.  They were unable to have children of their own, and even though they were happy with traveling together, they planned to eventually adopt and settle down.  They adored Charon, and were glad to do all they could to look after her in the following few weeks after her birth.  Edgar and Celes took notice of this and talked among themselves.  Ultimately, they came to a painful decision that led them to approach the two about taking Charon into their care for her own safety.  Gallivant and Amble were shocked by the offer, but the other couple trusted them, believing it was best for their daughter, and convinced them to accept.  It was an extremely emotional time, as Edgar and Celes had come to love Charon deeply; it wracked their hearts with pain to give her up.  Celes tried to gather her bearings while she took one long last look at her daughter, Edgar leading her over to lend the child into the couple's arms.  Gallivant and Amble promised to take excellent care of her and thanked them graciously for the honor.  Sorrowful goodbyes finished as they headed out to leave the city and take the child far away, to raise her as a normal child in a safe environment, no longer meant to carry a royal title.  As they departed, Celes fell to her knees and wept bitterly, Edgar straining to give her comfort.

            Years passed with Edgar and Celes never hearing from or about Gallivant and Amble or the child again, though they believed they were all fine.  The long and dreadfully fought war had since finished and the city was finally picking itself back up.  Things were much more peaceful at last.  Edgar had also come to be a well-respected king.  With everything at a calm state, a curiosity formed among the people as to whether or not he and Celes would have more children, and while the thought was brought up, they never bothered with having any.  They had mostly moved on, but a sadness still remained in their hearts, longing for their only child.  Though at long last, over ten years after the first child's birth, Celes gave birth to their second daughter.  Born on a misty dawn, the child gave comfort to them -- peace, and hope for the future.  Edgar wanted to name her Armistice to signify the peace and harmony that had followed the war, though Celes admired the mist of the rising sun, and wanted to name her Misty.  They quickly settled for naming her Armistice, and nicknaming her "Misty" for short.  They were overjoyed to have the chance to raise her in this time of tranquility, and she filled their emptied hearts.  Little did they know that she was a foreshadowing, a sign of hope to come in the not-so-distant future.  No, their story was still far from over.