Bedtime Story

My little princess lay in bed with pleading eyes. She had asked her father for a bedtime story, but unfortunately he had to finish cleaning up the garage. That new project of his had made such a mess. So, alone, I was in her room to tuck her in. Both of us usually did it together, and she seemed to prefer it that way. My husband, though, was the one who always told her a bedtime story. He simply had the skill to come up with a joyful story for our little girl in just a few seconds. As her pure azure eyes stared into mine, her arms almost extending, I sat down next to her. Although I didn't posses my husband's skill, I could think of one story. It was a personal favorite of mine, I must admit. So, with the most soothing voice I could manage at the moment, I began my story.

"Once upon a time, there lived a very intelligent, kind, and courageous fox. Although he was not a prince or a main hero he was still beloved by many. He helped all the heroes who asked him for aid, especially one. That one hero soon became his best friend. That hero, who was a hedgehog, was the fastest thing alive. No one could run like him! So, the hedgehog and the fox soon went on adventures together. Defeating evil beings was not only fun for the hero, but fulfilling. He enjoyed keeping everyone safe, and of course his best friend enjoyed that too.

The years went by and the two kept defeating bad guys, one after the other. They would trick them, tease them, easily defeat them, whatever the way all evil began to fall. The hedgehog and the fox became feared by evil doers, and soon more began to help the hedgehog in his quest…"

"Mommy, did the hero have a maiden waiting for him every time he went on an adventure?" the little girl asked with gleaming eyes.

"Why yes. The hero was loved by many, boys and girls. There was one girl, who wasn't a princess, who kept waiting for him to arrive safely. The two were good friends, but one day the girl began following the hedgehog. The hero did not like to be followed, but he silently endured it. The nice maiden helped both the hedgehog and the fox in their adventures sometimes too! The hero would always save her, which was why she began to like him…"

"What about the fox?"

"The fox was content with the friends he had at the time. But, as the years went by, the patient maiden began thinking about her feelings. She still liked the hero, but she understood that what she felt was more like a great admiration instead of love. By then the hero had other maidens waiting for him to return…"

"Did he love any of them? Did he find his princess?"

"Unfortunately honey, at the time he did not. But he liked being a single hero with only his friends. A few years had passed, and the fox and the nice maiden had gotten quite close. Adventures had stopped because evil had crawled away under a bed, afraid of the hedgehog hero. So, since both the fox and the maiden had so much time on their hands they began spending it together. This time it was the maiden who helped the fox with his projects. Both began working on a mechanical bird that could fly called an airplane. The fox, who was very intelligent, had already built other kinds of mechanical birds, but this one was special. Do you know what he called this airplane when it was finished?"

"No… tell me mommy!" The girl pleaded.
"Emerald Rose," a voice said at the door.

"Daddy! Come join us. Mommy is telling me a story about a fox, a hedgehog, and a maiden!" The girl yelled enthusiastically once she spotted her father smiling at the doorway.

"Did mommy tell you how beautiful this maiden was?" He asked.

"No, she just said that the maiden was nice…"

"Well, mommy is right. She was nice. Nice and beautiful. More beautiful than a setting sun with shades of pink. The fox had noticed this, but did not want to scare his friend so he did not tell her how beautiful she was until a few years later. It pained him to see his friend talk to other boys because, secretly, he was afraid she would stop visiting him because of some other boy. That never happened though. The lovely maiden always came back. So, one day, the fox decided he should tell her. He had to tell her how nice, gentle, forgiving, patient, caring, and beautiful she was.

So, during a picnic near his house, he did tell her this. He told her how sometimes she got angry, but that made her look adorable. How sometimes she exaggerated things, or how she was stubborn. But nothing like that mattered. All that mattered was that the fox liked her for who she was. The fox loved the nice, gentle, stubborn, forgiving, dramatic, patient, optimistic, clumsy caring, and beautiful maiden. And do you know what the maiden replied when she heard all of this?" He asked.

"Did she tell him she liked him too daddy?" She asked hopefully.

"No… the maiden only looked into the fox's blue eyes and then began crying. She cried for two days, and for two days the fox did not see the maiden. Afraid that he had hurt her feelings, on the third day the fox knocked on her door. When a red-eyed maiden opened it, the fox was afraid she would start crying again. Instead he was greeted with a smile-"

"The warmest of smiles," he interrupted.

"Yes… and do you know what the maiden said?"

"No mommy."

"She said: 'I'm sorry for not having realized this all these years. I'm sorry for having made you wait when I loved you all along'."

"Aww mommy! What did he say?"

"He said that if she'd marry him tomorrow, that he would forgive her," she said.

"And did she marry him?"

"No, not yet. With a bright smile she said 'I won't marry you tomorrow because we're still too young… but I promise that I'll marry you one day. So how about tomorrow we simply become boyfriend and girlfriend?' And so they did. The fox and the beautiful maiden became a very happy couple. And do you know where they are now?" He said.

"Where?"

"Sitting on their daughter's bed, telling her a bedtime story," the mother replied.

The little girl looked at her parents. Blue eyed fox… beautiful and kind maiden… Her mouth agape, the little girl stared into her parent's faces. By then a new person had entered the room.

"Did I have that expression on my face when you told me your story five years ago?" A yellow hedgehog asked.

"Exactly the same," the parents said in unison. The little girl hugged her parents tightly, and then with closed eyes, ready to fall asleep, said:

"I'm going to tell this story to all my friends…"

*

Tails and Amy left the bedroom, their son following behind. While their son went into his bedroom, the married couple went into the living room. Silly smiles plastered on their faces, their hearts still exploding with love.

"I really was scared when you opened the door and looked like you were about to cry again. I was afraid you were already seeing someone and couldn't tell me, or that you simply didn't love me…" Tails admitted.

"Silly fox…" Amy replied while holding on to Tails's arm.

"Heh, I guess I was. I love telling the kids this story, too bad we can only surprise them once!"

"Well, you'll have the chance of doing it a third time…" Amy whispered. Tails's ears perked up, and with questioning eyes looked at her. With a giggle, Amy placed his hand on her belly. His silly smile covered his entire face.