"Knight Errand"
A Sonic The Hedgehog fan-fiction
By One Lucky Unicorn
Author's Notes: Welcome to the new and improved version of 'Knight Errand'! Like before, allow me to state a couple of things. First of all, this story (still) focuses heavily on Antoine, so if you hate his character, turn back now. If you have issues with him but can still read with an open mind, then please, by all means continue.
Secondly, I'm not going to bother writing certain characters' accents phonetically (namely Antoine's), because in addition to generally finding such dialogue difficult to read, it's just something that I've never been crazy about.
This story doesn't follow any particular Sonic continuity. Rather, I just borrowed some of the concepts and characters from the Archie comic series, the games, and SatAM that I either like or find interesting and brewed it all together with my own ideas to create an alternate universe. As such, I've taken some artistic liberties with certain things from canon. For example, I will refer to Antoine as a coydog and not a coyote in here. I'm fully aware of the fact that he's a coyote in canon, but since having chanced across an interesting theory about his parentage on a SatAM fan site, I have decided that he will be a coydog in my story-verse instead.
As 'Knight Errand' is mostly an action/adventure story, pairings aren't really going to be focused on. I'm going to err on the side of caution and rate it a 'T' for battle-related violence and sparse usage of a few bad words. The original characters in here are my own creations. Enjou, the Mobian equivalent of Japan that is mentioned briefly, is Nikkicub's concept. On that note, I tip my hat to both her and Wingedhippocampus for several of the ideas that are presented in here. I also send love and hugs to my awesome beta Shauni, as well as the equally talented Usami for helping me to figure out where to go with KE (thank you for putting up with my TL; DR prattling, guys), and the wonderful readers who reviewed the trainwreck that was KE v.1.0.
Enjoy!
Chapter One
On one bright, sunny afternoon in Knothole Village, Antoine D'Coolette was making his way to the Power Ring grotto. Once he made it there, he found a comfortable spot beneath one of the large shade trees edging the clear pool and settled down at the base of its trunk. In spite of the day's mild weather, he still wore his standard attire, the distinctive blue, crimson, and gold uniform of the Acorn family's royal guard. The light brown and tawny-colored coydog's only company was a large book, its dark brown leather cover cracked in several places and well-worn from a combination of age and being read over and over again. The title, Knights Of Mobius, was displayed on the cover in bold old-fashioned gold print.
Finding the coydog somewhere by himself was hardly surprising, especially these days. For some time now, Antoine had started feeling like he really wasn't a part of the Knothole Freedom Fighters at all, but just some outsider Princess Sally had taken pity on and allowed to tag along with them. In fact, she and the rest of the team were presently out picking berries, which would be used for cooking (assuming Tails and Sonic didn't eat most of them first). Before they had left, Bunnie had asked him if he was interested in joining them, but he made up an excuse about remaining behind to guard Knothole while they were gone.
As the eldest of the active Freedom Fighters at the age of seventeen years, he should've been the most respected among them (well, the most respected after his beloved princess), Antoine sourly thought, but alas, that was not the case. There hardly seemed to be anyone here in Knothole for him to really talk to. He had had friends back when he had attended the La Valette Military Academy in Mercia, hadn't he? True, he hadn't been an incredibly popular student, but there had been other boys and girls at the training school for future knights whom he often spoke to and had fun with. Those days had provided him with some of the happiest memories of his life.
So where exactly and why had his life taken a turn for the worse? Antoine had laid awake bed for hours in last night trying to pinpoint the precise moment, and now he finally believed he knew when the trouble had all started. The root of his problems lay with that miserable usurper Dr. Ivo Robotnik.
What would his life have turned out to be like had he not been forced to leave La Valette because of the war? He definitely would have been better off than he was now, that was for certain. Perhaps he would have graduated and then served as a squire under a more experienced knight in King Maximilian Acorn's court before being made a full-fledged knight himself. Maybe he would have even won the hand of Princess Sally!
Well, if Sonic was still in the picture in that hypothetical situation, then that was debatable. It would seem as though that foolish hedgehog had somehow stolen his princess's heart. It didn't take a genius like Rotor to see she obviously favored Sonic over himself. Sonic may not have been the son of a general like Antoine himself was, but his uncle Charles Hedgehog had been knighted by King Acorn, and that, along with his heroics in the Freedom Fighters' war against Robotnik, certainly lent Sonic some leverage as a potential beau for the princess.
It was bad enough that Sonic had stolen Sally from him, but to add insult to injury, Antoine was a constant target for his rival's jibes and taunts. At least he could actually give the hedgehog credit for helping him out of dangerous spots on more than one occasion before - that was certainly more respect then Sonic had ever shown Antoine. As a perfect example of the blatant contempt that Sonic held for him, a few nights ago Antoine had been returning from the village well, having just drawn some water for his supper, when he happened to pass by the open window of Sonic's hut and overheard Sonic rudely talking about him with several of Knothole's other residents and making fun of him – yet again. At first he had chalked up Sonic's antagonism to pure jealousy and an attempt to humiliate him in front of the princess, but now… well, now he wasn't quite so sure anymore.
The fact that he had been in the Kingdom of Acorn for ten years now and still had yet to master the stupid English language probably didn't help matters either. Both of his parents could speak it quite well. He found it frustrating that something that should have been easy to learn was so difficult for him to pick up. Rosie, the old beaver nanny who had watched over Antoine and the other palace children when they were younger, had tried to help him improve his English, but most of their lessons ended with him becoming too frustrated to continue.
Speaking of his parents, were it not for Robotnik, then his father and mother would have still been around and alive. The loss of his parents was one of the worst things Robotnik had personally done to him. Antoine's father, General Armand D'Coolette, who had been the head of King Maximilian's military forces before the coup, was a brave hero and a well-respected commander. Armand was said to have a real talent for war, able to create devastatingly brilliant battle stratagems and fearlessly lead his troops into combat, and had possessed the medals and decorations to prove it. In fact, it was Armand's old uniform from when he had been a young knight just starting out in the king's service that Antoine now wore in his memory. It was one of the few items belonging to Armand that had been salvaged, and Antoine greatly treasured it as a link to his father. Armand had intended for his son to become a knight in the service of the Acorns, but fate had intervened.
Lady Belle D'Coolette, Antoine's mother, had also been a well-regarded member of the royal court, known for her gentle nature and talent in both penning poetry and playing the harp. So skilled was the poodle that the king and queen would often ask her to perform at important court functions or just to soothe their nerves after a long day, and she would happily oblige her dear friends.
They had been the only family he had ever known, though Antoine did have some vague memories from when he had been a small pup of some aunts, uncles, and possibly even cousins and grandparents from both sides of the family. But he had no knowledge of their whereabouts.
Antoine didn't know what had happened to Armand or Belle after his mother had forced him to go with Rosie to Knothole Village in the Great Forest for his own safety as the castle was being swarmed by Robotnik's forces. Belle had remained behind to help the other inhabitants get to safety, while Armand was occupied elsewhere, trying to help fight off the robotic soldiers known as SWATBots that were swarming the castle. Belle had tightly embraced the nine-year old Antoine, smothering his face with kisses before tenderly wiping away both his and her own tears with her silk shawl. Then she told him to be a good boy and help Rosie keep an eye on the other youngsters. Belle watched as Rosie led the children to safety down an escape tunnel hidden deep within the bowels of the castle. The last image Antoine had of his mother was her waving at them all from the top of the stairwell.
Since that day, Antoine had seen neither his mother nor his father. A part of him deeply desired to know if they were out there somewhere alive and well, but another part of him was terrified to discover the truth. What if some terrible fate had befallen them?
Putting aside those dreary thoughts for now, Antoine opened Knights Of Mobius and began flipping through its age-yellowed pages. The book had originally belonged to Rosie, but she had given it to Antoine, knowing of his passion for the old legends about the heroics of the knights of the Kingdom of Acorn and other realms. He had already read the book thirty times, probably even more than that, but he absolutely loved the stories it contained. They provided an escape for him when he just wanted to get away from the numerous troubles that plagued him in the real world.
Long ago, the legendary knights banded together to form numerous military orders in the various kingdoms of two particular continents: the Great Continent and Meiriona. These military orders bore such illustrious names as 'The Knights of the Ruby Lance' and the 'Order of The Firebird'. They had been founded to maintain peace in their home kingdoms, and were honorable, virtuous, and fearless Mobians without peer. There had even been knights in distant lands like Enjou, though from what Antoine understood, they differed in certain aspects from the knights that he was used to. Of course, most modern-day knights either had been slain, roboticized, or gone deep into hiding thanks to Robotnik.
Antoine heaved a despondent sigh. If he had even a mere fraction of a knight's bravery and skill, then he certainly would get a lot more respect then he presently did. Presently, he found himself looking at the chapter that discussed knight-errants, knights who took up wandering in search of adventure and quests so that they could prove themselves. Next to the fame and glory that came with being a famous knight, the noble quests that they embarked on were the best parts of the stories in his opinion. From the time he had been small, Antoine had wanted to be a knight. It seemed far more exciting to actually be in an adventure of his own, rather than just reading or hearing about someone else's. But now that goal seemed like a distant dream, hanging as far out of his reach as did the stars in the sky. How could someone like him ever hope to achieve knighthood? He hadn't completed his training, much less done anything to prove himself worthy of the title. Asking Sally to knight him would be simply out of the question. He didn't know what to do with himself anymore. Since he was a pup, the importance of being a strong male of courage and honor had been pounded into his head repeatedly. Now all he could think about was how miserably he had failed in that regard. It seemed like he was doomed to be the Freedom Fighters' resident laughingstock for the rest of his life.
One particular sub-section taking up two pages caught his eye. It was a story about Sir Aleron of Anjou. The ermine was one of Antoine's favorite knights. Like Antoine, Sir Aleron had been born in Anjou, Mercia's capital city, and began his career as a knight-errant. In his day, Aleron was renowned as one of the most cunning and fiercest fighters throughout the continent of Meiriona.
Antoine began to read the passage. In it, Aleron had traveled to the court of King Russell, looking to prove himself so that he might be knighted. The king called upon his knights to rescue his sister, the Lady Lunette, from the clutches of the villainous Overlord, and bade Aleron to go with them. In the ensuing confrontation, the Overlord succeeded in either besting or slaying many of Aleron's fellows until only Aleron himself was left. A giant among Overlanders, the Overlord was a truly fearsome warrior who was known to have wielded a mighty greatsword named Wrath. He and Aleron fought, and Aleron seemed outmatched by the warlord. Just when it seemed as though Aleron had seen his last day on Mobius, he tricked the Overlord into accidentally embedding Wrath into a tree stump. Aleron had then quickly slew his enemy, and with that done, went to go find Lunette.
'"Entering the Overlord's tower, Aleron ascended up the steps to the room in which Lunette was locked in. Through the heavy door Lunette explained to him that she knew not what the Overlord had done with the key to the door. Aleron told her not to fret, and used his dagger to open the lock. As Aleron entered the room, Lunette came to gratefully embrace her rescuer.
"Truly I am in your debt, young sir! Who are you?"
"My name is Aleron," Aleron answered with a sweeping bow.
"I will tell my brother of your heroism here today, and he will give you whatever reward your heart desires."
"My lady, my only desire is to become a knight."Aleron earnestly replied. "I have traveled far from my home in search of adventure and a liege to whom I might pledge my services to."
Lunette found his reply pleasing. "Then it shall be done, Sir Aleron." She said. The white deer remembered that her dreams had told her of a talented new knight who would arise to defend Mercia. Could this be him?'
Antoine gave a vigorous shake of his head. For a millisecond there, the craziest idea had just crept unbidden into his mind, like a worm boring into an apple. Could it be that he looking right at the answer to his problems in this old book? But he couldn't do anything like that, could he? After all, he was no gallant knight, and had never really gone on an adventure by himself.
Still though… it looked like his situation was never going to improve if he just sat around Knothole moping. Perhaps the only way he could finally gain the opportunity to prove himself to everybody would be to follow in the footsteps of his heroes by becoming a knight-errant and embarking on an epic quest of his own.
The more he contemplated it, the better the idea was sounding. Once he was out on the road all by himself, there would be no annoying hedgehogs or anyone else around to take his well-deserved glory away. He would perform some heroic act and bring back proof of having done so, thereby impressing the princess and everyone else. Sally would have to knight him then, just like how Lunette had knighted Aleron!
Early the next morning, Antoine was parked on the floor of his always tidy hut, performing a mental check-off. He did have enough sense to gather only the essentials required for his journey: non-perishable foodstuffs, a first aid kit, a tent, a sleeping bag, a box of waterproof matches, a compass, a map of the Great Continent, and several pieces of cookware, all of which were neatly assembled before him. As for clothing, he had chosen to bring along a set of pajamas, a thick jacket, and brown leather gloves (just in case the weather turned chilly), and a raincoat. Fortunately, it was late spring, and the temperature was warming by this time. Of course, he was going nowhere without his beloved sabre.
He was also trying to weed out any unnecessary items. For instance, he had contemplated bringing Knights Of Mobius along, but considering he had many of the stories in it practically memorized by heart, finally decided against it. There was also the fact that Rosie would be displeased to learn that Antoine had potentially exposed a book to the elements, for she had taught him and the others that books were precious and should be cherished and properly cared for.
Finally satisfied with what he'd gathered, Antoine prepared to start packing everything away when, hearing a knock at his front door, his ears perked up and he stopped. For a moment he considered answering it, but then decided not to and returned his attention to the task at hand. Hopefully, whoever it was would leave. He didn't want to be discouraged from his quest by the other Knotholers, which is what he imagined would occur if they were to discover his intentions. He was content to leave a note behind on his bed explaining why he had left.
But whoever it was out there didn't leave. After several minutes of continuous knocking, there was a pause after the seventh knock. Antoine sighed in relief. It seemed that the person had finally gotten the message and given up. But then the knocking started again, becoming louder as it persisted. Finally, he relented and went to see who it was before they ended up punching a hole right through his door.
Bunnie Rabbot, Knothole's very own cyborg rabbit, stood outside, hands on her hips and a concerned expression on her face. "Antoine? Y'all alright, sugah? We ain't seen much of y'all around here lately." She asked in her heavy southern accent.
Antoine smiled, appreciating her concern. Bunnie was one of a small handful of Mobians around who Antoine felt genuinely liked him for who he was. "I am being fine, Bunnie." He answered, trying to make his response sound lackadaisical.
Craning her neck to peek curiously around her slightly taller teammate's shoulder, Bunnie spotted a knapsack on Antoine's armchair and the spread of camping gear on the floor. "You plannin' on takin' a trip or something?"
Antoine winced inwardly. 'Here I go…' He thought. "Well… I have decided to become a knight-errant and leave on a quest."
Bunnie's already large eyes grew even bigger with astonishment. "A quest? Like what knights go on?"
"Oui," Antoine nodded. "I am wishing to be completing mes training so that I can finally become a knight."
"Well, that sure is an admirable goal sugah, but what if y'all run into some of Robotnik's goons? You're gonna be out there all by your lonesome."
A cold feeling of dread gripped Antoine in its jaws, but he tried to shake it off as he quietly replied, "Bunnie, I need to be doing this for myself."
"But don't you think you should've said somethin' about this to the rest of us? We'd have been worried out of our minds about you!"
Antoine found himself laughing. The bitterness in it surprised him, and he was sure it surprised Bunnie as well. "Aside from you, the princess, Tails, and Rosie, no one else would be noticing," He muttered, lowering his gaze to the floor. "Or caring."
"Now Twan, that just ain't true!" Bunnie said, moving closer to the coydog and placing her left hand, which was still flesh and blood, on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "We all would've been left wonderin' what had happened to you."
Antoine wondered if Bunnie actually believed her own words, or had merely said all that just to make him feel better. "You are probably being right," He grudgingly conceded. "But would most of them even try to look for moi once they are learning I am gone? You are hearing all the things Sonic and the others say about me. They are not really being my friends." He took her hand in his. "I am thinking this quest would be good for me. It could raise my value in the other Freedom Fighters' eyes. Please be saying that you will be giving moi your support, mon ami."
Bunnie's eyes, which still held uncertainty in their light green depths, met his pleading azure blue eyes. Finally, she sighed in defeat, but flashed him a good-natured smile. "Well, I still ain't too sure 'bout all this quest stuff, but I can't say no to a friend. Y'all got my support."
Antoine had been walking through the Great Forest for about an hour now, having left Knothole Village after telling Bunnie goodbye. She had offered to tell the others about his quest for him, which he agreed to. After all, he wasn't sure when or if his note would be discovered. While he realized that she had only been trying to warn him out of concern for his wellbeing earlier in their conversation, being reminded of Robotnik hadn't exactly helped him muster up the courage needed for the journey ahead of him, and he wasn't in the mood for listening to the other Knotholers fill his head with more fears – or laughing at his idea.
When he could just barely make out the outline of Knothole nestled amidst the foliage, he had stopped for a moment to look back at the village that he had called home for what seemed like forever. Had it really been so long since he and the rest of Castle Acorn's motley crew of refugees had sought safety there? If he couldn't successfully complete his quest, could he really bring himself to return there and continue putting up with the looks of disapproval and scorn?
As he continued on, he was careful to avoid the roadways. All Mobians knew that they were commonly traversed by Robotnik's SWATBot patrols, and he would be an easy target for capture by the robots. Instead, he walked through the thick woodland. He had never been in this part of the Great Forest by himself before. He had to admit that it was a radiant morning, and its beauty did help to take his mind off scarier thoughts. Shafts of golden sunlight pierced the spring-green canopy of trees, dappling the forest floor with bright light, and gaps in the treetops overhead revealed a vivid blue sky patched with fleecy white clouds. Flowers of all different sorts were beginning to bloom, spreading a vibrant quilt of color across the forest and meadows.
Eventually, morning transitioned into afternoon. To Antoine, it felt like he had been walking for days now. It hadn't been named the Great Forest for compliment's sake - it was a vast stretch of territory, spreading out for miles in every direction. Heaving an exhausted sigh, he plopped down at the foot of a beech tree, taking his knapsack off and setting it aside before he did. With that done, he shut his eyes and rested. The navy-blue boots Antoine wore were actually soldier's boots, made for enduring long marches, so they were perfectly suited for his excursion. All the same though, the coydog hadn't done anything this truly strenuous in a long while, and his body was definitely feeling the effects. The knapsack had started feeling unbelievably heavy on his back and hampered his pace. At this rate, if he ever did find a quest to undertake, he'd be too tired to actually do so. He suddenly found himself wishing that he possessed Sonic's immense speed or Tails' flying abilities. He wagered that he would be able to cross the Great Forest a lot faster than!
That train of thought screeched to a halt as Antoine chided himself. This was his quest. He needed to rely on himself to accomplish this and no one else. He didn't want to depend on other Mobians to bail him out of trouble for the rest of his life. His parents and his teachers would be disappointed to learn that he had allowed something like a little forest to discourage him. What was that old saying? "Minding your matters?" "Head over matter?" Something like that. Whatever it was, he needed to keep it in mind whenever an obstacle was placed in his path.
Pleased with his newly-gained determination, Antoine couldn't help but smile to himself. While out questing, perhaps he could also find a way to rid himself of his accursed yellow streak. It was something that he didn't like to acknowledge, but supposed he needed to. He didn't know of any ways to become braver, but the thought of seeing everyone's faces when he finally returned to Knothole and they realized that he really was a courageous hero after all caused his smile to become a gleeful grin.
Suddenly, he thoughtfully frowned as he came to realize something. 'Exactly what am I going to be questing for?' Surely there had to be a lady in need of rescuing or some evil monstrosity to be slain waiting out there somewhere. He supposed that he just needed to search around to uncover a task to perform.
Eventually, the evening found Antoine at a bridge spanning a rocky creek. On the other side he could see the tree line of another forest, which was disappearing into shadow as the sun was setting. His map indicated that he only had several more miles to go before he was outside the Kingdom of Acorn's borders. His princess had updated the map to show which areas were controlled by Robotnik or were otherwise potential danger zones. It had proven reliable before when the Freedom Fighters had gone out on missions (though during those moments he was usually too anxious to even glance at a map, much less read one).
It may have been pleasant going during the day, but at night, in the darkness all by his lonesome… well, Antoine knew full-well he would no longer be in the mood to admire the scenery. As he started across the bridge, Antoine decided that he would try to find a place to set up camp for the night. His aching and weary paws were grateful at the idea of being able to get some real rest.
Suddenly, Antoine stopped, cocking his head slightly as he listened. He thought he had just heard something strange from somewhere close by. There were the assorted chirps, rasping, and steady buzzing of insects hiding in the trees, and the gentle cooing of aervwingers as they came to roost for the night in the trees, all of which were normal for this time of day. The leaves on the trees and bushes gently stirred every now and then as a cool breeze blew through the air, and beneath the bridge, the water flowed over the stones, also normal.
Wait, there it was again. It was a faint sound, almost like the scratching of claws across wood. Wait… claws on wood?
He turned around just in time to see to a lizard swinging his lanky frame over the railing of the bridge. Now he was standing on the bridge with Antoine. On the opposite side of where the first lizard had appeared, another lizard was pulling himself up onto the bridge. Nervously, Antoine watched as the second lizard made it and joined his companion, who was blocking Antoine's path, his scaly arms folded across his chest as he stared the blond down. Where had they come from?
The lizards (he couldn't tell what particular species they were) looked very similar in terms of height, build, and features. Each had scales that were the color of dead leaves. However, the first one wore a red kerchief tied around his throat and a brown cap atop his head, while his compatriot had an eye patch over his right eye and was decked out in a tattered brown vest and a safari hat. Neither looked very friendly to the coydog. In fact, they both honestly looked like criminals to him. The important thing to do, he told himself, was not to allow his growing apprehension to show, as that would only make things worse. These sorts of Mobians seemed to thrive on the fear they could inspire in other Mobians, after all. So, taking a deep breath, Antoine put on what he believed was his best brave front and moved forward.
"Er, bonjour, gentlemen." Antoine politely nodded to each reptile as he attempted to step past them, but two clawed hands descended on his shoulders, preventing him from moving any further. Although he stood slightly taller than the duo did, their grips proved to be surprisingly strong.
"Don't you know there's a toll for crossing our bridge?" The lizard wearing red growled at him in a harsh voice that sounded as if he had smoked one too many cigarettes.
"Uh, your bridge?" Antoine asked uneasily, turning to look at the lizards.
The reptile smiled unpleasantly. "That's right."
"Get a load of this fancy get-up," The one-eyed lizard said to his friend, jabbing a pale claw at Antoine's uniform. "I bet you got some nice trinkets on you somewhere, huh furball?"
Antoine attempted to back away from the odious lizard, but found himself bumping into the other one, who had quickly sidled in behind him. Red grabbed a hold of Antoine's arms, his sharp claws digging past the thick blue cloth of his sleeve and his fur and into flesh.
"T-t-this is the uniform of King Acorn's royal guard!" Antoine nervously stammered. "So I suggest that you be letting moi go!"
"Or else what, Frenchie?" One-Eye demanded with a sneer, pointing a previously unrevealed knife at Antoine's nose pad.
Or else what indeed! Even if Antoine could draw his sabre without getting stabbed in the process, would he be able to work up the courage to actually use it? His cowardice was one of the things he wanted to work on excising, but here he was, too frozen with fear to do anything other than just stand there babbling like a fool.
Suddenly, the sounds of heavy hooves pounding the ground reached everyone's ears, and a large green and gray form exploded from out of the nearby woods, making straight for the trio.
What was happening now? As a loud cry of fear (that surprisingly didn't come from Antoine) pierced the air, a cringing Antoine shut his eyes and immediately dropped to the ground. What little bit of tail he had was held low, and he covered his head with his hands in an attempt to protect himself from… well, whatever it was that was attacking them.
When Antoine hadn't experienced anything painful yet, he cautiously opened an eye, frightened of what he might see. The sight he beheld caused both eyes to fly open in astonishment.
The mysterious newcomer was in fact a draft horse clad in a hooded forest-green tunic. The exposed areas of his fur were a dark grayish-blue, nearly the same shade as a storm cloud. His unruly mane and tail were black, and a jagged white blaze streaked down the length of his muzzle. Armored shin guards, metallic silver in color, covered most of the area above his hooves. Like many of the larger species of Mobian, the horse easily towered over the lizards as well as Antoine at an impressive six foot four.
Speaking of the lizards, Red lay flat on the ground, the large iron-gray hoof on his back firmly pinning him there, while One-Eye dangled helplessly in the air as the equine gripped him tightly around the neck in one four-fingered hand.
The horse glared severely from one thug to the other. "Gentlemen," he began measuredly. Although his rough English-accented voice was soft, there was a deadly undercurrent to it, like flashes of lightning in the clouds before a thunderstorm. "I believe I have warned you before about harassing travelers…"
Red squirmed fearfully on the ground. "We were just - urk!" He grunted in pain, "… Horsing around with him!"
One-Eye tried to nod in agreement, but the large hoof-like hand around his throat made performing such an action difficult, so he settled for gasping out, "He's right!"
The horse rolled his eyes. "'Horsing around'? Is that supposed to be irony?" Sighing, he shook his head, long black forelock moving with the gesture. "Never mind, you two probably don't even know how to spell the word." He paused contemplatively before addressing the robbers again. "Tell me this, scale bellies. I have heard that if your tails are removed, then they will gradually grow back. Is this so?"
The lizards nodded, their heads rapidly bobbing up and down as both obediently answered, "Yes sir."
"I would very much like to see this for myself. Shall I?…" Gripping One-Eye's tail with his free hand and grinning wickedly all the while, the horse made as if he was going to yank the appendage right off.
That was enough for the robbers. One-Eye was dropped unceremoniously to the ground (as the horse had intentionally loosened his grasp), while Red successfully managed to free his tail and scrambled away from the horse as fast as possible. Their claws scrabbling wildly on the wooden beams of the bridge, the pair ran back the way Antoine had initially come in sheer terror.
"And if I catch either of you around here again, I will not be so merciful!" The horse roared after them.
By now, Antoine had gotten back to his feet. As he watched the criminals retreat, delighted at seeing them be humiliated, he became aware of a soft rumbling sound. He realized that it was his rescuer, chuckling to himself as he too stared off in the direction the lizards had gone. Antoine could see that the stranger was a young adult, probably a few years older than himself, and carried a longbow on his person. A canteen as well as a deep brown-colored leather scabbard embellished with a brass pattern of spiraling leafy vines hung from the brown belt at his waist, and the black hilt of a sword was visible. The fletched ends of several arrows jutted out from a quiver that was slung over his back.
"Bullies really are all the same," The horse stated. "They prey upon the defenseless, but when someone more powerful then themselves comes along, they flee as if the shades of Mephiles were at their heels." His gray eyes finally turned to Antoine. "I trust you are unhurt?"
Embarrassed that he needed to be rescued from a perilous position once again, Antoine carefully looked himself over. Aside from his pride, he was unharmed. Thankfully, that ruffian's claws hadn't rented his uniform. "Oui." He replied. Seeing the horse cock his large head slightly to one side in confusion, Antoine clarified, "I mean yes." Clearly he was not familiar with the French language.
"That is good," the horse said, looking pleased. "Now, the wisest course of action for you would be to stop gallivanting about dark lonely places at night and find somewhere safe to stay. Perhaps you should go speak to Digbert the mole. He lives right over there," He pointed out a beech stump on the other side of the bridge. "He's a fine fellow, does not mind having guests at all. I must take my leave now, so I bid you a good night."
With a polite dip of his head in Antoine's direction, the horse started back towards the forest. Disappointment welled up in Antoine. He didn't want to see the horse leave so soon. He was the first friendly face he encountered since leaving Knothole. There weren't been too many Mobians who had stood up for Antoine before, so perhaps this stranger could make a good ally. There was something about him that Antoine hadn't sensed in too many others before, an air that spoke of a great inner nobility and wisdom.
"Wait!" Antoine called out after the retreating figure, waving his hand in the air.
Stopping, the horse turned to gaze back at Antoine, his rather long ears angled forward in what could have either been interest or impatience, though when he spoke, his tone of voice was neutral. "For what?"
Antoine took a few steps forward. "Who are you? I am thinking it would be polite if we are at least knowing each other's names, no?"
A thoughtful look on his face, the equine nodded in agreement. "Very well, I will give you that."
Glad that the horse was willing to listen to him, Antoine bowed his head to the other Mobian before introducing himself. "I will start. I am Antoine D'Coolette."
"Well, it is an honor to meet you, Antoine," The horse said, inclining his own head in return. "I am known as Sir Edward Equinus. But just call me Edward please, or even Eddie if you like."
Hearing the title "sir", Antoine's ears perked up. "You are being a knight?"
"Yes. From Avalonia," Edward replied before quickly adding, "It is a kingdom in a distant land, so you would not have heard of it."
He was correct about that. Antoine had not heard of a place called Avalonia before, but that really wasn't what was on the coydog's mind just then. Instead, he was delighted to know that he was actually conversing with a real knight. Meeting one in these troubled times was a rarity.
"Well," Antoine slowly began, but not without a little pride as he pretended to casually study the ivory-colored claws on his left hand, trying to conceal his excitement, "I am just happening to be a knight-errant." Okay, so perhaps he was putting on a bit. After all, one needed to actually have the title of knight in the first place in order to be considered a knight-errant, did they not? Still, if and when Edward ever did get around to discovering the truth, hopefully he would forgive Antoine's minor exaggeration.
Edward sized him up, not bothering to hide his surprise at Antoine's declaration. "Truly?"
"Oui," Antoine nodded. He couldn't help sticking his chest out a little as he proudly announced, "I am looking for a noble deed to perform, so that I may be finally knighted by Princess Sally Acorn!"
With a slight grin, Edward said, "Then this is a fortuitous day for the both of us, knight-errant, for I require the aid of a fellow knight."
Could this day have gotten any better? Just when Antoine was wondering how he would find a quest to perform, one was now presenting itself to him! "Then I am your man!" He grandly declared.
"I am glad to hear it," Edward said, starting back across the bridge again. "Follow me, if you please."
French translations:
Bonjour: Hello.
Moi: Me.
Mon ami: My friend.
Oui: Yes.