A/N: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about all my other fics. It's just that I'm halfway finished with this one :)
I finally completed my marketing class, so that leaves me with one class this semester. This means that I have a lot more time to write until spring semester when I have my other two classes to take. But I'll be taking it easy for the next few days after MAT104 is over to refuel and such. :)
Anyway, onto our story!
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. was nice enough to point out that I STILL don't own Touché Turtle and Dum-Dum. -_- I just own more OCs, as usual.
Notes & Terminology:
Toulouse-Toulouse is Touché's actual name (only made for this story mind you). The name Touché was given to him by his mentor, Harebrain, due to his prowess and skill with a foil.
Lièvre- Sebastian/Harebrain's family surname is the French word for "hare"; rather fitting, since he is a European hare ^^.
Nom de guerre-an assumed name, as one under which a person fights, paints, writes, etc.; pseudonym. Harebrain Hare is the pseudonym of Sebastian Liévre, and in this story, Touché calls him by both names-he calls him Harebrain when he's explaining his history to Dum-Dum, but in his flashbacks, he calls him by his actual name under his tutelage. I hope that makes sense ^^
Petit tortue-French for "little turtle" or "small turtle", this was Harebrain's first nickname for Touché. I used a French to English translator that WASN'T Google Translate for this.
For Love and Glory
Part 2: Noonday Sorrow
Touché Turtle's Castle
The oak door slammed against the wall, shaking the entire castle and sending one of Touché's shields to the ground. That was the least of Dum-Dum's concerns, however, as he rushed inside looking to and fro for his old friend.
"Touché!" he bellowed, his shout echoing through the hall.
No answer. That meant one of two things: either Touché was outside practicing, or he was asleep. Well, that last one was unlikely, since it was still afternoon…unless the turtle had tired himself out from working out too much like Julien had said. Worry gripping him, he closed the door and started to walk through the castle. "Hey, uh, Touche?"
"No need to shout, Dum-Dum."
Dum-Dum spun around to see Touché leaning against the wall to the right of the door, arms folded and one leg crossed behind the other. His épée was on the other side. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to."
Relief coursed through Dum-Dum. "Oh, there you are. I-I thought you were outside practicin' for the duel," he replied.
"You're the reason I'm not," Touché answered bluntly.
Dum-Dum's spirits sank. So he was still mad at him. "Oh…s-sorry, Touché…"
"I don't mean that in a bad way, Dum-Dum. It's just…" Touché averted his gaze, shame in his brown eyes. "Our fight did me in. I kept hitting the dummy's face and I kept seeing your face, Dum-Dum." After what seemed like an eternity, he finally looked up at him, his expression conveying his sorrow. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I have every reason to be angry at the Black Knight, but I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."
"I'm sorry, too," Dum-Dum replied. "I shouldn't have called those people you lost 'those two dead guys'. Nico and that other guy were pretty important to you, weren't they?"
Touché's eyes widened. "Someone told you about Nico?"
"Well…I ran into the other town, an' saw this other statue of you an' Nico. Then I met his father," Dum-Dum answered, scratching the back of his neck. "He told me everythin' about you an' Nico."
"Ah…"
"He also said somethin' about you losin' someone else to your line of work, but he didn't know nothin' else."
"That's because I didn't want to tell anything else," Touché answered.
"Just like ya didn't want to tell me?" Dum-Dum asked.
Touché went silent again, and Dum-Dum looked down at the turtle, his expression sad. "Y'know, Touche… I'm not mad at ya. I'm more worried than anythin'," he answered quietly. "Y-Ya scared me today when we saw the Black Knight. I think that there's somethin' goin' on that you're not tellin' me about. I don't know what it is, but I don't want ya workin' yourself to death over it."
"Where did you-" Touché paused, and then he sighed. "Never mind. I guess Julien told you that too."
"Thing is, I-I never knew that. When I heard that, I got so worried that I ran all the way back here," Dum-Dum replied. "I was hurt by what you said, but I had to stop ya. I couldn't just sit there and leave you alone."
Touché stared at him in shock. "Dum-Dum, I was fine. You really didn't have to-"
"You are not fine!" Dum-Dum shouted, startling Touché out of his sentence. A rare angry look was on his face. "Anyone can see you're workin' yourself up over this guy! I can't sit back an' let you do that! I want to help you a little!"
"By doing what, Dum-Dum?" Touché snapped. "This isn't your fight! What can you do to help me?"
"By bein' here if you need ta say somethin', that's what," Dum-Dum answered. "I-I know I'm not the one the Black Knight wants to fight. I know I can't stop you two from fightin' to the death. But I know I can stop my pal from losin' himself, an' darn it all, I'm goin' to."
Touché stared at Dum-Dum, utter aplomb on his face. In the ten years they'd known each other, and even during some of their worst arguments, Dum-Dum had never shouted at him like that. In fact, it was the first time he'd ever raised his voice at him. He could sense the worry behind the anger on the sheepdog's face, and that only made him feel worse.
Just as quickly as it had appeared, the anger left, replaced with worry. "S-Sorry, Touche…I-I was holdin' that in for a while, and-"
"No…no, there's no need to apologize, Dum-Dum," Touché replied. "I deserved that. If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry. I've been holding a lot of secrets from you."
"Touche-"
"If you knew what I was like before, what I've done before…you'd never want to be my friend again," he interrupted quietly. "But… if you came back after Julien told you about Nico and some of what I did…"
"Touché, you're my pal," Dum-Dum answered. "I'll sit an' listen an' try to understand what's goin' on."
Touché smiled—a real, honest smile that lit up his tired features. "Thanks, Dum-Dum. I do owe you that much," he said. He took off his hat, exposing some of his hair. "You see my hat and sword, right?"
"Uh, yeah."
"These were originally gifts from my mentor, an old hare called Harebrain," Touché replied. His smile became wistful. "I never go into battle without them; they're like my good luck charms."
"How'd ya get 'em?" Dum-Dum asked, sitting in a chair.
Touché pulled up a stool and sat in front of Dum-Dum. "Get comfortable, it's a long story," he said.
Dum-Dum pulled out a pillow and sat in front of him, anticipation on his face. "So, is this the part where ya explain how ya became a hero?"
"For the most part, yes. Although, I have to warn you…this story doesn't have a happy ending," Touché replied. "If I falter at some parts, just bear with me, okay?"
Dum-Dum nodded. "I-I'm listenin', Touché."
Touché leaned against the table. "Well, it all started when I first took a trip to Europe. My parents didn't want me going anywhere, but my uncle Cecil took pity on me, so he took me with him to Europe. I saw a lot of amazing things, but it was in France where everything really took off…"
Toulouse reclined against the rock, another half-eaten crepe in his hand, which he took a small bite of as he looked at the duel below. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw one of the duelists expertly flick away his opponent's weapon, followed by pointing his foil at his chest. The man's foil clattered uselessly behind him on the ground.
"Wow!" Toulouse gasped, even as the crowd cheered for the winner, who went over and shook his opponent's hand in a show of good sportsmanship. "Now that's pretty impressive."
"You really think so, Toulouse?" His uncle Cecil sat next to him, holding two banana crepes in his hand. He was somewhat taller than his nephew and was colored teal with a cerulean blue shell. "I didn't think you'd like this sort of thing."
Dum-Dum blinked in confusion. "Uh, who's Toulouse?"
"That's me, Dum-Dum," Touché said with a groan.
"B-But your name's Touché!" Dum-Dum replied. "Not Toulouse!"
Touché sighed. "Toulouse is actually my real name. It's French," he explained.
"It is?"
"Yeah. My family ancestry traces back here, Dum-Dum," Touché said. "And a lot of my family members have French names."
"Oh…well, it doesn't sound as cool as Touché," Dum-Dum pointed out.
"I'd be mad at that, but I didn't like it much either. But it was changed later."
"When did ya change it?"
"If you'd listen instead of interrupting, I'd tell you!"
"Oh, right…"
Toulouse gave his uncle a small smile. "Well…in all honesty, I didn't think I would either," Toulouse answered. "But it looks like something fun to do."
His uncle chuckled, and he turned to face him with a frown. "What, Uncle Cecil?"
"I know where this is going," Cecil replied. "You're gonna try and be a fencer and then quit when it gets boring for you."
"Now what makes you think I'd do that?"
"Because you've done it twenty times," Cecil snorted, taking a bite of his crepe. "We all remember the time you said you wanted to be a musician. I still can't get that 'piece' you composed out of my head."
Toulouse's face flushed red. "No need to rub that in, Uncle Cecil." He groaned. "Then again…that concert was a failure."
"See what I mean? And then there are the other hobbies you wanted to try, too," Cecil answered. "You nearly drove your dad insane with all that changing courses."
"It's not my fault that I lost interest in those things! I had dreams to do so many things, but…they all stayed as just that: dreams, Uncle Cecil. I'm not like my brothers and sister who all found something they loved and stuck with it," Toulouse grumbled. "What's a turtle like me supposed to do?"
"Well, for starters, you could get an actual job," Cecil pondered.
"Me, working nine to five at a run-down fast food restaurant? That's ridiculous," Toulouse scoffed.
Cecil sighed. "I should've listened to my brother. Seems being here in Europe is filling your head with all sorts of high-class ideas," he said.
"And if you'd listened to my dad, I'd be stuck at home and locked away in his study doing nothing but reading," Toulouse shot back.
"Nothing's wrong with liking finer things in life, Toulouse," Cecil said, "or traveling the world."
"Sure doesn't seem like you believe that," Toulouse said. "Everyone in my family has been somewhere around the world at least twice, and they've got all sorts of souvenirs! And my brother André has been here several times!" He took another bite of his crepe, although it didn't taste as good to him now. "I don't know what you guys are trying to protect me from."
Cecil sighed, and he looked over at Toulouse with sadness. "Tou-"
The blasts of several horns stopped him. Both turtles looked over to see two more duelists enter the ring. To the left was a tall clean-shaven blonde man of average build, dressed in white fencing gear, his helmet in his hand, waving to the crowd with a smug look on his face and winking at the ladies who were fawning over him.
And to the right was a short brown hare-no doubt he probably came up to the blonde man's waist-with patches of graying tan fur and yellow sclera. He didn't wear fencing gear but was dressed in what appeared to be musketeer garb, with a red tabard and a black and red cape. Completing the look was a white cavalier hat with a curling red feather, and carrying a longer version of the man's foil.
Toulouse couldn't help but laugh at this, which earned him a sharp glare from his uncle. He looked over at him. "What? The guy looks old enough to be my dad, and he looks like he walked right out of a history book," he said. "And he's going up against that young man?"
"Don't judge him by his looks alone, Toulouse," Cecil said.
"And now, for our final duel, we welcome our two competitors: Jean-Henri Bernard and our well-loved, well-known Harebrain Hare," the announcer said.
The crowd cheered loudly at this, to Toulouse's surprise, and the hare turned and waved to the crowd, a pleased smile on his face.
Toulouse scoffed and folded his arms. "Harebrain Hare, huh? Wonder why they call him that."
"Oh, be quiet!" Cecil admonished, his eyes locked on the fight below. Harebrain had taken off his cape and handed it to his second, a yellow furred cat, before walking to the center of the ring while adjusting his gloves.
Toulouse rolled his eyes and sat back with his arms folded. This'll be good. I get to see an old man way out of his league get beat by a younger person. I guess what they say is true: You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
The referee tapped the bell with his hammer, starting the match. Harebrain immediately went for the offensive, lightly pressing his épée forward, sending Jean-Henri moving back. He chased him to the other side of the ring, and thrust forward, the tip of his épée touching his chest. The referee raised the flag and the crowd roared with praise.
Toulouse's eyes widened slightly. "Holy moly…"
"Told ya not to judge him from the first appearance," Cecil smirked.
"Well…he probably got a lucky hit," Touché said. "He's a hare, they're always lucky."
"We'll see."
The next five minutes were a blur. With each bout, Toulouse found himself leaning forward with more and more interest. The old hare had racked up 8 points in under four minutes, while Jean-Henri was rapidly catching up. As the last minute started winding down, Toulouse wondered if Harebrain would actually make it in time.
"Worried?" Cecil asked teasingly.
"No, of course not! Worry's not in my vocabulary," Toulouse said, although his eyes were trained on the match.
Cecil just smirked.
Jean-Henri took the offensive in the final bout. He teased forward, driving Harebrain back to his corner and almost sending him into his cape-holding assistant. But he didn't look worried; he simply ducked and parried the younger man's thrusts, finishing off with an impressive jump when Jean-Henri went for his legs.
"Ten seconds…nine, eight, seven, six…"
Toulouse licked his lips nervously. Jean-Henri was pressing on his offensive, and it was only a matter of time before he'd land a hit and win the match. Come on…
And then, as Jean-Henri's épée clashed against the guard, the hare dropped to the ground in a perfect split and turned his épée towards Jean-Henri as the young man ran past, hitting him.
The bell sounded off, and the crowd went wild.
Toulouse stared at this, no longer fighting to contain his surprise. Harebrain was helped up by his assistant and a female hare who looked almost exactly like him, only her fur was reddish in color. Although he had a small wince on his face, the hare looked pleased as he turned to the ground and waved at the people, who were starting to throw flowers, carrots and rice all over the place. He then walked over to his opponent, his weapon at his side, and extended his hand towards him in sportsmanship. Jean-Henri, however, glared down at him and walked away angrily, ripping his helmet off as he did so.
Toulouse frowned. "How rude of him! He beat him fair and square," he grumbled. "What ever happened to good sportsmanship?"
"Apparently he wasn't taught that," Cecil said. Harebrain shrugged and went back over to his team, who were hugging him and clapping him on the back. He got up from the ground and stretched, groaning loudly. "Well, ready to go, Toulouse?"
"Uncle Cecil, is there any way I can learn more about this Harebrain person?"
Cecil paused. "Well, other than going to the library…"
Toulouse jumped up. "Great. Let's head there first. I want to learn everything I can about fencing and that Harebrained Hare!" he declared.
"His name's just Harebrain, Toulouse."
"Right…well, that's what I said! Come on, Uncle Cecil!"
Cecil sighed as Toulouse rushed off. "I swear, this kid's gonna run me into the ground…."
Several days later…
Very carefully, Toulouse peered around the corner of the building, careful to not be spotted by any guards. So far, so good; he'd not only snuck past security, but he'd also managed to lose his uncle, who'd told him that they were getting on their flight in less than an hour. His uncle was going to kill him for this, and so would his father, when he heard about it. But Toulouse didn't really care.
There he is! His uncle and father would be on him for this, but he figured it was worth it when he got a glimpse of Harebrain. The hare was dressed immaculately in a blue and white tabard, this one adorned with an ornate cross on the front, and wearing a black cavalier hat with a white feather, which looked to be damaged from battle. He was chatting cheerfully with several reporters, who were shoving mics in his face every which way.
Toulouse prepared to step out, but he paused. Most celebrities he encountered were not nearly as glamorous as they were on television; in fact, they were quite snobbish. Could this Harebrain be just as bad? Or, after all he learned about him, possibly even worse? He looked down at himself and groaned. He looked more like a busboy than someone who should meet with an amazing hero like him!
For the last five days, he'd spent the rest of his vacation at the library, trying to read up information on the world of fencing, but most of all, learning about Harebrain himself. He'd absorbed a lot of information over the last few days, and he'd driven his uncle crazy with how much he was talking about the hare.
Harebrain Hare was the nom de guerre of Sebastian Lièvre, a French-American who was proud of his national heritage—and preferred being called by his real name in public. Just going off of his pseudonym, one would be tempted to believe he was crazy. He wasn't-he just performed impulsive stunts to save people, hence the name. An honored and beloved national hero, he'd saved kings and queens, princes and princesses, lords and damsels in distress. There were even rumors that he'd slayed dragons.
In all honesty, Toulouse that the dragon part was fake, but a national hero with that many honors over a thirty year period was nothing to laugh at. And Sebastian was also a lot older than he'd thought he'd be-most people in their late 60's slowed down, but if anything, his energy level increased with age.
He had a lot of questions to ask, but what if Sebastian was nothing like he was in the books? Or even worse, what if he turned out to be a phony?
His thoughts were interrupted when someone snatched him by his arm. The next thing Toulouse knew, he'd been slammed into the wall. Crud. He hadn't been paying attention and the guard he'd been avoiding, a brown-furred dachshund, had caught up with him. "There you are!" he snapped. "I was wondering where you'd gotten off to, you thief on the half-shell!"
"I-I just wanted to ask him some questions," Toulouse shot back.
The dachshund squinted at him with one eye. "You a reporter?" he asked.
"W-Well, no, but-"
"Then no questions," the guard said, picking him up. "I swear, you fans and their crazy excuses..."
Toulouse was nearly to the gate when another voice entered the fray. "Is there any trouble, Henri?"
The dachshund turned around, taking Toulouse with him. Toulouse's eyes widened. Harebrain himself was standing there, puzzlement on his face as he looked at the guard and then at Toulouse.
Toulouse swallowed as he met the older hare's gaze. Oh, great…some way to make a first impression.
"U-Um…" he stammered.
"M-Mr. Sebastian!" the guard said. "Forgive me…this fan of yours was trying to disturb you…"
"I-I was not!" Toulouse cried out. "I was trying to ask him a few questions!"
"Oh? Are you a student at a university, perhaps?" Harebrain asked. "There are fans who go to university."
"Well, no…more like a tourist," Toulouse explained. "A-Anyway, I wasn't trying to interrupt to disturb you. S-Sorry I even-"
"Oh, there's no need to apologize, petit tortue," Harebrain answered swiftly. He smiled, and Toulouse felt the compassion coming from it. "You said you had a few questions, didn't you?"
Toulouse nodded. "U-Um, yeah…."
Harebrain looked up at the guard holding him. "You can set him down, Henri."
"You sure? The last time you asked me to let you see a fan-"
"He doesn't look like he'd try to kill me, Henri," Harebrain answered. "You can set him down and then return to your post."
The dachshund nodded and set Toulouse on the ground as asked. He turned to leave, but not before saying to Toulouse, "Don't try anythin', turtle." He then walked back to his post.
"Forgive him. He's a little overprotective of me," Harebrain answered, making Toulouse turn back around. The hare had a sheepish smile on his face. "I suppose it comes with the territory of being a hero. People have tried to kill me before."
Well, that was a fact they'd left out in the books. "R-Right…"
"What's your name, young man?" he asked. "I don't want to simply call you petit tortue during our conversation."
"Oh, uh...it's Toulouse. Toulouse Turtle."
"Toulouse?" Harebrain asked.
"Yeah," Toulouse answered, sighing. "My parents wanted to make sure I remember where I come from. I've never liked it. It sounds so girly…"
"…I don't think it's a bad name. In my honest opinion, I think it sounds wonderful," he said. "Take pride in your name, and where it comes from, Toulouse."
That was a surprise. Or rather, it was the nicest thing anybody other than his family had to say about his name. "Thanks…"
"Now, Toulouse," Harebrain started, "what questions did you have to ask?"
"I-I uh…" Toulouse wanted to slap himself. Snap out of the starstruck staring! Just ask him! "Is it true that there are still knights and heroes today?"
Harebrain stared at him in surprise, and then he chuckled. Toulouse groaned. Great, now he thinks I'm an idiot, he thought. "Oh, just-"
"Oh, oh, no…I was going to say 'Obviously there are, where have you been?' But you did say that you were a tourist," Harebrain answered. "You're from America as well, aren't you?"
"Y-Yeah…"
"Ah, that makes sense. There aren't a lot of American Knights and heroes," Harebrain remarked. "Three of my best friends, however, are American like me, only they leave the fighting to me, saying they want no part of this 'hero business'. And then there's no interest in the American heroes of old..."
"Um, Mr. Sebastian?"
"Yes?"
"I think you're getting off track…" Toulouse said.
"Hmm? Oh, right, you asked about today's knights and heroes. My apologies," Harebrain said, giving him a nervous smile. "Rambling is a very bad habit of mine. I need to stop that…" He cleared his throat. "But to answer your first question, yes, there are still knights and heroes today. Every country has them. For some reason, today's heroes aren't as heard of as the ones of old. Some countries don't speak of them. America, I believe, doesn't speak of them. I think most of the people think they're fairytales."
"Oh…that might explain why I've never heard of them," Toulouse answered.
"There's a society for them now, stationed here in France," Harebrain said. "It's one of the few that's still running."
"What's it called?"
"The World Society of Heroes. Not a very creative name, but it does what it's set out to do," Harebrain said.
"I didn't read about that in my books..."
Harebrain chuckled. "I wouldn't imagine you'd find the Society in those books," he said. "Most books don't mention them."
"So, is it like a Justice League kind of thing?"
"Almost. Although thank goodness they came around when they did," Harebrain said. "It's not like the old days where many worked solo. Nowadays, you can choose your partners or have them assigned to you."
"Wow…"
"Now, what was your second question?" Harebrain asked.
"Oh yeah, um…I was wondering about this. After I saw the tournament, I looked up a little bit about fencing, and I was confused about this one thing…"
"Which was?"
"Well, in fencing, you're supposed to hit around the upper parts of the body or your back," Toulouse said. "But what you did wasn't fencing. You kept hitting Jean-Henri's body."
"Oh, that's épée," Harebrain explained. "In that sport, the entire body is your target. It looks slightly easier, but it requires a lot of practice and creativity. You have to be light on your feet and try to hit your opponent's body before they hit you."
"That split you did was incredible," he said.
"That also took me out of competing for a few days," Harebrain said, chuckling when he saw Toulouse's eyes go wide. "I suppose that's what I get for doing new tricks when I'm this old. But it was still fun to get that win against a fine opponent."
Toulouse stared at him like he was nuts. "Fine opponent? He refused to shake your hand!"
"True, he did have poor sportsmanship. But I've dealt with it many times, so I've stopped worrying about it too much," Harebrain said. "As I like to say, 'Out of sight, out of mind'."
"Huh…" Toulouse muttered. "Well, I had one more question."
"And what's that?"
"Is there any way I can learn how to-"
"Toulouse!"
Crud! Toulouse turned around to see his uncle Cecil standing there behind the gate, glaring at him. He tried to send him a sheepish, innocent smile, but it quickly turned into a cringe upon seeing his uncle's expression narrow.
"Is that your family?" Harebrain asked.
"Yeah…my uncle Cecil. We're flying out today, but I wanted to come see you and ask, regardless," Toulouse answered. "I don't exactly have a long-distance phone plan."
"You don't have a computer, either?"
Toulouse groaned. "I had one, but my dad took it away."
"How unfortunate. I do believe I have a website for my fencing school, but it's rather shoddy," Harebrain said. He frowned. "I really should have Edith look into-"
"Toulouse, if you don't get over here right now, I'm going to come in there and drag you out!" Cecil threatened.
Although he had a lot more questions, Toulouse knew he'd better get out of there before his uncle publicly embarrassed him. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. My uncle is going to kill me for this," he said.
"Oh, wait! I never did get your other question," Harebrain started.
"Well…I was asking if there was anyway I could learn how to fence, but it sounds silly of me-"
"Young man, that does not sound silly in the slightest!" Harebrain admonished. For the first time since the conversation, his expression was stern, although Toulouse could sense no malice in his eyes. "If you want to do something, then do it! And if you're interested in it, then do it! You'll get nowhere merely wanting or questioning how it sounds!"
Toulouse didn't get to answer, for Harebrain reached inside his shirt for something. "Now where did I put it-oh! Here it is." He pulled out a folded set of papers of papers and handed it to him. "I want you to take this."
Toulouse looked down at the papers, his eyes widened when he saw the logo reading "The Harebrain Hare School for Heroes", decorated in blue and gold. He swallowed back a huge lump in his throat. "A-An admission form?! Sir, this is…"
"Toulouse…"
"Coming, Uncle Cecil!" Toulouse shouted. He turned back to Harebrain, who looked at him with a pleased smile. "T-Thank you, sir…I don't know what to do with this…"
"Trust me, if you know what you want, you'll know what to do," Harebrain advised. he gave him a small wink. "Now run along."
Toulouse thanked him and hurried over to his uncle, who looked about ready to strangle him as he passed through the gate. "H-Hey…"
His uncle smacked him over the head with his phone. "Don't you ever do that again! I nearly called the police!" Cecil yelled.
"Sorry, Uncle Cecil…" Toulouse muttered, rubbing his head.
"Geez, you're going to be the death of me, kid," he muttered.
Toulouse quickly filtered him out as he looked down at the admissions packet Harebrain had given him—an admission packet for his fencing school. Even as his uncle yelled at him on the way to the airport, Toulouse's mind was filled with images. Images of himself as a sword-wielding hero, saving women in distress and getting all the glory for it.
Oh, yeah. He'd be looking at this packet later.
"So that's how ya met Harebrain?"
"Mm-hmm. And that's when I decided to take up fencing," Touché explained. "I never really had a love for anything until I came to France. But when I saw those tournaments and met Harebrain, it ignited something in me. For the first time in my life, I found something I was passionate about."
"So what'd ya do?"
"I drove my parents crazy by asking them a million questions about fencing," Touché chuckled. "They told me not to, but I applied to be his pupil after I did my research on his hero school. My parents didn't agree with that. They even tried to disown me."
"W-What did you do?"
"Can't you tell, Dum-Dum? I left!"
Dum-Dum's eyes were wide. "Ya left your family?" he demanded.
"I'd finally found something I'd wanted to do," Touché said, "and I wasn't going to let them stop me like they'd done before." He sighed. "It wasn't the easiest decision to make, but I managed."
The tone of his voice told him that he wouldn't budge on the matter. "Geez…"
"My uncle Cecil helped me get back to France, and I turned in my application form. I worked hard to earn some money to pay the base price for a few months." He sighed. "It was rough, those first six months. I thought I hadn't got accepted and moved there for nothing…"
"T-Then what happened?"
"At the end of the last month, I got a visit from Harebrain himself. You know what he told me? He said I'd been accepted for over a month, but I hadn't known because I was busy with my job!"
"Wow…most people would've left you behind by then, Touche."
"That is true. Anyway, I offered to pay, but he refused, instead deciding to take me under his wing, free of charge."
"Free of charge? Wow…" Dum-Dum said.
"Yeah. So from day one, I was learning from the best of the best. I quickly discovered that I was good at fencing. I got so good at it that he stopped nicknaming me 'little turtle' and nicknamed me 'Touché'. I liked that nickname more than my real name," Touché said. "So I applied to have it changed."
"So that's how ya got your name changed…."
"Yeah. Harebrain wasn't that fond of that, though. But back to my studying. I quickly found out why they called Sebastian 'Harebrain' firsthand. He was reckless, but he never did anything illegal. And he never quit," Touché answered.
"Uh…I remember that Julien guy sayin' you guys got paid a lot of gold. What made ya so greedy?" Dum-Dum asked.
"I'll be honest, Dum-Dum. When I learned that Harebrain and other heroes were getting paid several bags in gold for their actions, that got my attention," he said. "I used to hoard my money like a dragon. I didn't care what I had to do to get it either, so long as I got it."
Dum-Dum's eyes were wide. "Wow…ya don't even look like the type who'd do that, Touché," he said.
"Oh, believe me, I did that, and worse. A couple of years into school, Harebrain started to send us on paid assignments. I lied on some of my reports so I could get the most money," Touché answered.
Dum-Dum stared at him aghast. "I can't believe that, Touché…"
"I told you I was pretty awful back then. And I got a few enemies for it, too. One of them was Harebrain's own apprentice, this cat named Jean-Claude. We both drove him crazy because we fought so much. After I humiliated him after one match, he brought up everything I ever did—right in front of Harebrain. He left in a huff, leaving me with Harebrain. And boy was he mad…"
"What did he do?"
"Well, I thought I was going to get kicked out after he'd found out everything. But what he did instead surprised me," he said.
Touché hurried after his teacher, who was walking briskly to the Hero Service office. He hadn't said much to him after Jean-Claude's outburst, but he'd given him the most chilling glare he'd ever received in his life. Nobody, not even his own father at his angriest, had ever glared at him like that, filled with so much disappointment and disgust.
Touché gulped nervously. He was surely getting kicked out, he knew it. No one in their right mind would keep him on after learning all that he'd done.
Harebrain flung open the door to the Hero Service office and the Taskmaster, an old mountain goat, was there, organizing the gold coins and munching on a glass cup. She barely gave Harebrain notice as he stormed up to the front.
"Is it true that Touché has been turning in false reports?" he demanded.
The goat answered without missing a beat. "Figured one day he'd caught for it," she said. "I knew somethin' was off about the numbers he was turnin' in."
"And you let this slip by?"
"Hey, my job's to give your students their tasks and their pay, not mother them," the Taskmaster said, before chewing her cup again.
Touché tried to back out of the room, but Harebrain's sharp glare stopped him cold. "Is that so?"
"I'm afraid so."
Shame and fear ate away at Touché's mind. Oh, dear. I've really messed up now, he thought. Thanks a lot, Jean-Claude! You had to open your mouth and put my feet in it!
"So, what're you going to do with him?" she asked.
"I have an idea in mind," Harebrain answered.
"A-Are you going to expel me, sir?" Touché asked nervously.
"After what you've done behind my back, I should," Harebrain answered. "But I'm not going to."
Touché stared at him with wide eyes. Even the Taskmaster looked vaguely interested, pausing in eating her glass cup.
"Y-You're not?" he asked.
"No," Harebrain said. "In fact, I will personally give you your punishment, Touché. For the next four weeks, you will be accompanying me on my missions. We'll be trekking all over the country and to other countries as well since my services are required far and wide."
That was his punishment? It was more like a dream come true; he'd always wanted to go on one of his mentor's missions, but he was told he 'wasn't ready' for it. He sighed in relief. "Oh, that's all? Well thank you, Se-"
"And during that time, Emma," Harebrain said, still facing Touché said, "I want you to withhold all rewards."
"W-Withhold rewards?" Touché said.
"In other words, you won't get paid for a month," Emma said.
"What?!" Touché stared at Harebrain as though he were crazy. "B-But the good deeds are-"
"I know how the system works, Touché. I'm a hero myself, you know. But at my school, I have the right to withhold rewards from heroes who cheat their way to wealth," Harebrain answered. "Another thing I could do, if I were very angry, would be to kick you out and make sure you have nothing but that hat on your head."
"Y-You'd even take my money?!"
"That money belongs to everyone, namely heroes who deserved it more than you did," Harebrain said harshly. He fixed Touché with an angry glare. "It's time you learn a hard lesson about hard work…and how the other half lives." His angry expression cooled, although there was still that disappointment in his eyes. "Are we clear on that, Touché?"
Too stunned to form a reply, Touché gave him a nod.
"Good. It wouldn't do you any good if I simply expelled you here and now," Harebrain said. "You have a lot to learn, starting first thing in the morning."
"Already?"
"The sooner, the better, as we say in America."
Dum-Dum stared at him with wide eyes. "Wow…that must've been tough," he replied.
"It was. At first, I thought that he was crazy. 'What's the point of doing a good deed if I'm not getting paid for it?' I thought. I even asked him. And he didn't tell me until my punishment was up. He said, and I quote, 'You're not wealthy until you're rich in character'."
"Uh…I don't get it," Dum-Dum replied.
"It means that having money is nothing if you're a jerk, Dum-Dum."
"Oh…yeah, that makes sense when ya put it that way," Dum-Dum replied.
"I didn't get it at first, either, but that phrase opened my eyes, Dum-Dum. He was happy to help people, even when we were barely getting paid," Touché said. "One incident always got to me. On the last week of my punishment, an older man had lost his house in a fire. He spent days trying to find him another place so he could be close to his family. He paid for the guy's house, too, on top of the stuff he usually did."
"Shouldn't he have gone broke?"
"From what his daughter told me, he nearly did when he was younger. His wife told him to stop doing that, but he never listened," Touché answered. "He wasn't like others who gave away their money to show off. He did it because he loved people. And seeing his compassion and love for people changed me, Dum-Dum."
Harebrain's voice reached Touché, who was sitting at his desk. "Touché, have you finished drafting the plans for your hero service?"
"I just finished, Sebastian," Touché answered, setting down his pen. He turned to face his teacher, who had his hand on his épée. "I had a little trouble working on the pricing, but I think I finally got it."
"Here, let me have a look," Harebrain said.
Touché handed him the stack of papers, and Harebrain pulled out his reading glasses from inside his shirt pocket. He'd started needing them more frequently, Touché noticed. "Hmm…so you're planning on taking this service globally instead of through a particular continent?"
"Well, I love being here, but I want to probably go to other cities as well," Touché explained.
"I see…" Harebrain muttered as he looked through the rest of the papers. He got to the second-to-last page and stopped, his eyes widening in surprise. "Why…Touché! You're going to charge this much for your services?!"
Touché chuckled. "Yeah…"
"But…this…this is the bare minimum! You know if you do this, you could be broke if you don't get work in months!"
"Well, I put a lot of thought into it," Touché answered, "and I considered raising it slightly, but I figured I wouldn't be fair to the people who are coming to me. A lot of these people are poor, Sebastian. I want them to know that I'll do an exceptional job—and they can put their money troubles out of mind because I won't overcharge them."
Harebrain stared at him, shocked. "But you…Touché, that's-"
"Sebastian, working with you last month made me realize something," Touché said. "Three years ago, I was a terrible person. If you asked me why I wanted to become a hero, I would've told you 'for money'. I also would've told you 'for glory'. But when I got in trouble and you made me see the people we were helping—and I mean, really see them—it made me see how selfish I was. And it made me think that I wasn't good enough to be a hero like you."
Harebrain remained silent, just watched him while he continued.
"I know this probably won't make up for three years of being a colossal jerk to everyone, but I got sick of seeing how I was acting. I cringe when I think of all I've done," he said. "And…well…I want to make it up somehow. One shouldn't do a good deed just to make themselves look good. One should do a good deed out of the goodness of their hearts. What you taught me, Sebastian, I'll never forget. And I wanted to incorporate that in my service, so…"
Harebrain stared at him for a long moment, and Touché shrank under his gaze. "Um, sir?"
After what seemed like an eternity, Harebrain smiled—and it was the greatest smile that he'd ever received from him, filled with warmth, joy and fatherly affection. He paused to wipe a tear from his eye. "Touché…that is very commendable of you," he answered finally. "I don't think I could be prouder."
Touché's face lit up with joy. "R-Really? Well, it was nothing really-"
"Don't say that. What you're doing is something special. It means a lot to people when you think of them first instead of yourself," Harebrain interrupted. "So don't say that it's nothing special. It means a lot to your future clients. Now, come over here."
Touché got down from his chair. "Yes?"
Harebrain reached over and took off his baseball cap. "W-What are you-"
He stopped when Harebrain took off his white cavalier hat and placed it on his head. It immediately fell over his eyes, and Harebrain laughed. "Well, I figured it wouldn't fit on your head right away," he said. "You are a little turtle, after all. You'll probably have to have it specially fitted."
"But this is your battle trophy," Touché said. "You never go anywhere without it."
"It's not the only battle trophy I have, you know," Harebrain explained. "I only give my trophies to pupils who have earned them. It is a sign that you have graduated from being a novice, to a man of character, nobility and heroic status." He smiled at Touché, who pulled up the brim of the hat to stare at him. "I've watched you grow these past few years, and I'm pleased to say that you've more than earned your place as my prized pupil."
Touché took off the hat and stared at it, his mind running through with what Harebrain had just said. He didn't think he was hero material yet…but hearing that his mentor did, and seeing how proud he was of him, made his heart soar with pure elation. He swallowed back a lump in his throat and looked up at Harebrain at last. "Thank you, Sebastian," he answered. "I'll treasure this forever."
"I'm glad you will. Besides," Harebrain replied, "I think white and red suits you more than me, no?"
They both laughed, and Harebrain steered him out into the hallway. "Now come on. Let's grab something to eat, huh?"
"Yeah!"
"Wow…that's amazing, Touché. I'm really glad ya changed," Dum-Dum said, an awestruck tone in his voice.
"Thanks, Dum-Dum," Touché answered. "To be honest, I was proud of myself, too. And unlike what I'd been doing before, I did it to improve myself instead of show off."
"Ya really looked up to Harebrain, huh?"
"Yeah. He was more than just my teacher. He was like a father to me; he treated almost every student like they were his own kids." Touché's gaze became depressed. "That made his death even worse."
Dum-Dum felt a lump form in his throat. He had a feeling that the next part wasn't going to be pleasant. "Aw, Touche…ya don't have ta tell me," he said.
"No…no, I think I should. It'll make you understand why I got so angry at the Black Knight, and what he said," Touché said. "I-It's kinda hard to tell you, so…"
Dum-Dum swallowed back a lump, and he nodded. "I-I'm listenin', Touche."
"Not long after naming me his star pupil, there were rumors of a knight in black armor going around robbing people, then burning their homes. Sebastian and I went to a local village investigate, but the Black Knight ambushed us. I barely had time to react before I got knocked out. When I came to, half of the town was ablaze."
"W-What'd ya do?"
Touché didn't say anything for a moment, but his face said it all. "T-Touche?" he asked, leaning forward in concern. "You okay?"
"I-I will be, old friend," he said, looking up at Dum-Dum. His eyes were clouding over with tears. "I've gotten this far in the story. I might as well finish it."
Touché raced out of the house, smoke in his lungs and his shell feeling like it was roasted. A soft cry filled his ears and he looked down at the small baby in a dark peach blanket, shrieking at the sight of him. He sighed. "I-It's alright. I'll return you to your mother soon," he muttered.
When he'd woken up from the ambush, he'd heard a woman screaming that her baby trapped in a house, and being nearby, leapt into action. In hindsight, running into a burning home with no protection was a hotheaded thing to do-more like a Harebrain thing to do-but at least another life wasn't lost. There was no telling how many the Black Knight had already killed.
Half-stumbling into the cool streets, he made his way over to the distraught mother, who was being held back by several villagers from running inside the house herself. It was a battle to not collapse into a coughing heap. Clearing his throat, he said, "S-She should be safe, ma'am…"
"Oh!" The woman scooped her crying baby into her arms. Tears of relief streamed down her face. "Thank you so much."
"N-No problem…" Touché began, only to erupt into a coughing fit.
"You alright, little guy?" someone asked.
Touché couldn't answer even if he wanted to, as he was still coughing the smoke out of his lungs.
As he was recovering, someone shouted, "That guy over there's fightin' the Black Knight!"
"What guy?"
"Yeah! Nobody around here can fight him!" another man said.
"Why…is that Harebrain?" the woman asked.
Touché perked up from that. …So he's alright after all. Thank goodness. I'll hurry over there and-
His relief quickly evaporated when the villagers screamed, and one of men shouted, "Oh, god, no!"
Touché turned around.
The Black Knight's looming figure and heavy armor blocked most of his view, but Touché caught a glimpse of Harebrain's face, and the sight drove ice into his veins. His mentor's yellow eyes were wider than saucers, pain and shock beyond words resonating in them. His eyes briefly glanced over to Touché, and fear fought through the pain.
Touché's entire body froze with horror, his face going as white as a sheet. No...no, no, no-
Harebrain drew in a breath to speak, but the Black Knight pushed his sword in further, and the only thing that spilled out of his mouth was a wad of blood, which coated the Black Knight's sword arm.
Sensing the crowd's gaze, the Black Knight turned around to face them, turning Harebrain around with him. The older hare hung on the Black Knight's sword like meat on a skewer, twitching with pain. Deep gashes lined his legs, his right ear was gone, his right arm was mangled and limp and his left foot was crushed. Scarlet dripped on the stone road.
The villagers screamed, but Touché remained silent, horror having robbed his voice. NO!
The Black Knight looked up at the twitching Harebrain, and his armor quaked with laughter. "Time's up, old man," he hissed, and swiftly flung Harebrain off his ord. Blood trailed along the stone ground as he crashed into the base of the fountain. He struggled to sit up, breathing raggedly. The Black Knight kicked him down. He slumped over with a rattled breath, and then lay still.
At last, Touché found his voice. "Sebastian!" he screamed.
The villagers ran for their lives, and the Black Knight laughed, kicking Harebrain in the stomach again. "What are you waiting for, Touché?" he asked mockingly, kicking him a third time. "You're not going to stand there and watch me kick him around, are you? You're his prized pupil, for crying out loud!"
Touché stood in the middle of the empty, burning street, his eyes locked on the Black Knight, who continued to laugh as he beat on the fallen hare.
No…no, he wasn't a knight. Knights had honor. Knights had chivalry and class. Knights valued a person's life. This animal was no knight. He had no honor, no chivalry, no class—and he was slowly, cruelly slaughtering his mentor, his second father, in front of his very eyes, and laughing about it.
Anger finally exploded past the shock, and he charged the Black Knight like a bull, red filling his vision.
"YOU MONSTER!" he roared, his voice echoing through the streets.
The Black Knight turned around, bloodstained blade poised to stab him, but Touché slid under his legs and expertly picked up Harebrain's épée, which was right next to the fallen hare. The sight of his mentor's mutilated body only increased his rage.
"Someone's mad," the Black Knight remarked casually. Moonlight shone on the blade, making it glow silver on one end and red on the other. "Then again, I shouldn't expect less from that phony's prized pupil." He spat the last two words as though they were poison.
"You…you shouldn't have done that…" Touché snarled. He fought to focus through the tears of rage and sorrow that were clouding his vision. "You've just gone and made me mad!"
"Oh? And what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to make you pay!" Touché shouted, before charging at him. "I'll never forgive you for this!"
Metal rang out through the empty street as Touché and the Black Knight battled, the Black Knight parrying and deflecting Touché's wild and frenzied strikes. Touché flipped the sword up, and thrust forward, smacking against the armor. He thrust again, and again, and again, hitting as hard as he could. Even as he did so, it didn't dent, and he angrily cursed the infernal material. Why won't it break?!
CLANG!
The Black Knight stumbled back, a tiny hole punctured in his side armor. Touché, exhausted from using an adrenaline-fueled attack, looked down at his mentor's épée. The tip was bent out of shape due to his frenzied thrusting. If he didn't think of a plan, he'd break his weapon-
The Black Knight was upon him before he could blink. Touché quickly raised his sword to defend himself, only for it to be flipped out of his hands and land next to Harebrain's lifeless body again. Crud!
The Black Knight's sword swept under his feet, and Touché found himself on his back. He struggled to turn over on his right side, but the Black Knight's foot slammed on his arm, and the heat racing through his armor caused him to cry out in pain. The Black Knight loomed into view, sword poised at his underbelly. Not even retreating into his shell would help him now.
"You will rue the day you crossed me, Touché!" he snarled.
Touché saw his life flash before his eyes as the Black Knight raised his sword. I-Is this it? Is this how I'm going to die? I never even got to talk to my parents for the last time! Swallowing audibly, he screwed his eyes shut bracing for the final blow.
"NO!"
Wait...isn't that-
The sound of steel crashing through metal interrupted his thoughts. The soft, sloshing sound of steel meeting flesh came next and the Black Knight screamed in pain. Touché opened his eyes, only to quickly retreat into his shell as the Black Knight's sword fell and clattered on top of his underbelly. It'd fallen on its side, thank goodness, but he wasn't taking any chances.
It was then that he was aware of something wet dripping into his shell. He smelled iron and grimaced. Blood? Where had-
A raspy voice filled his ears. "Don't…touch…him."
Peering out of his shell, Touché found himself struck dumb with shock as he stared at an impossible sight.
Harebrain was hovering above him, on his bad knee, blood dripping onto his underbelly and his face. His épée was currently in the Black Knight's side, having pierced straight through the armor. Blood trickled down the Black Knight's leg. Although the hare was breathing heavily due to his injuries, he was steady. Even more so, he was angry, the fury in his yellow eyes striking awe in Touché. He'd never seen a look like that on the hare's face.
Sebastian's alive...but how?
The Black Knight buckled to his knees, shaking from pain. "You…!"
"…Don't touch him." Harebrain's eyes locked with the Black Knight's helmet. There was no mistaking the fury in his voice now. "Or you will regret it…"
The Black Knight started to respond, but the air came alive with the voices of an angry crowd. He swore softly. "I should've escaped when I had the chance..."
"I'll give you your chance." Harebrain yanked his sword out hard, and the Black Knight let out a grunt of pain, stumbling back. "Leave here...and don't even think of coming here again."
It gave Touché a sense of grim satisfaction when he saw the Black Knight stumble to his feet and snatch his sword from his stomach. That quickly disappeared when he pointed it at his face, the tip of the blade inches away from his snout. He could feel the hate coming from him, striking fear into his soul.
"I've already done what I...came here to do..." Upon hearing the villagers' voices coming closer, he snarled, "This isn't over, turtle. Next time we meet, I'll kill you. You hear? I will kill you!"
"There's the Black Knight! After him!" a villager shouted.
The Black Knight stumbled away hurriedly, disappearing into the forest behind the burning homes faster than Touché thought possible. A few seconds later, the villagers came running over, torches and pitchforks in their hands.
"He went over there! You two, run after him!" a short, stocky man ordered, pointing at two tall, bony men.
"Right!" they shouted, and ran into the forest after the Black Knight.
Horrified gasps filled Touché's ears as the rest of the village surrounded them. The man who'd noticed the fight earlier stopped in front of him, a torch in his hand. The fire cast an orange glow over his ashen face as he stared at Harebrain. "Oh God..."
Touché fought to sit up, but that was when a choked gasp escaped his mentor's lips. He looked up in horror as Harebrain collapsed, rolling onto his side, his sword clattering to the ground. Immediately, most of the villagers ran to his side.
"Here, Touché. Let me help you," the man said.
Touché gave him the smallest of thanks. He ran over to his mentor, who was being held by one of the female villagers. Harebrain's head lolled over to the side, his breathing small and shallow. Blood seeped into the ground and the woman's clothes.
"Sebastian!" he choked out, kneeling before his mentor. "Please, answer me!"
Harebrain let out a small groan as he looked up at him. His eyes were filled with relief, but there was sadness there too. "T-Thank goodness…y-you're not hurt," he said. He coughed, and a little bit of blood dribbled down the side of his face. "Seems…this is the end of the road for me, Touché…"
"N-No, it's not…you can't give up," Touché said, his voice cracking on the last part. He gripped his mentor's hand. "I-I'll save you. If I can get the doctor, he can…he can…!"
"He can what, Touché?" Harebrain asked softly, his eyes closing. "He'd put me out of my misery…"
"You can't be serious..." one of the men said.
"He's not wrong on that." The man who ordered a party after the Black Knight stepped forward. His face was forlorn, filled with sorrow as he looked down at him. "Look at him. Even for an animal folk, he's..."
Touché swallowed heavily. He knew just what the man was implying. He swallowed back a lump, his eyes burning. "D-Don't say that, S-Sebastian…"
"Are you crying…for an old hare like me?" Harebrain asked. There was a wistful tone in his voice, even in in his smile.
"W-Who wouldn't...?" he choked out.
"You're too kind, Touché. But don't grieve. I did what I was put on this earth to do…and I will be rewarded for it." His grip on Touché's hand tightened. "Touché…don't ever give up. K-Keep doing what I taught you…a-and never forget it…"
Horror gripped Touché's heart. "S-S-Sebastian, no!" he cried.
"…Fight…the good fight, Touché…"
With a slow exhale, he fell limp, his hand slipping through Touché's. Touché stared at the body of his mentor, guilt, sadness, and horror weighing down on him all at once.
Sebastian Liévre, his mentor, his hero, his second father, was dead.
The villagers around him began to mourn, and a few of the men around him took off their hats in respect for the fallen hare. "Hail and farewell, Harebrain," the leader replied.
Touché remained silent for a while, staring at Harebrain's dead body. He felt the urge to do many things then: scream, run, punch or stab something. He wanted to go after the Black Knight and put an end to his sorry life for giving him this horrible emptiness.
But the grief overcame the anger. He gathered Harebrain's head into his arms, laid his forehead against his, and sobbed.
"…D-Dum-Dum?" Touché choked out, fear in his voice as he looked at his friend. The sheepdog was ghastly pale and shaking, his muzzle stained with tear tracks. He stood up cautiously. "Dum-Dum, are you-"
Dum-Dum clapped a hand over his mouth. "I-I think I'm gonna be sick…"
"Dum-Dum?!"
The sheepdog abruptly jumped up from his chair, stumbled over to the window, curled over the sill and heaved. Touché grimaced, his own stomach churning as he heard the dog empty the contents of his stomach. Maybe I overdid it a little...I only hope there aren't any villagers below.
That part had been beyond difficult for him, especially with describing the grisly details of his mentor's death, but he'd somehow managed through it without a complete breakdown, as well as feeling that sugarcoating the Black Knight's actions would lessen the impact it had on him.
It was then that he became aware of the wetness on his face, and he wiped his face. When he looked up again, Dum-Dum was still curled over the windowsill, shuddering. Touché walked over to him in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I-I'm fine," Dum-Dum breathed out, raising himself from the windowsill and wiping his muzzle. "R-Really, I-"
"You are not fine," Touché interrupted, using Dum-Dum's exact words. He pulled Dum-Dum away from the window. "Come on, sit down. I'll get you a glass of water."
Dum-Dum remained silent, concentrating on swallowing back bile as he sat in the stool. "T-T-That's…T-That's a-awful, Touché. H-How did you deal with that...?" he muttered.
"I didn't deal with it very well. Sebastian told me to never forget what he taught me…but I did after his death. I went right back to doing good deeds for money again. Working with Nico helped me snap out of it, but then I did it again when I lost him, too," he said. He walked back inside and handed Dum-Dum his glass. "After that…after that, I never wanted to work with anybody again, afraid that I'd lose them."
"I-I can't blame ya…I-I can't blame ya a bit, Touché," Dum-Dum answered before drinking his water. The coolness helped wash down the bile, but slightly. "If I-I had all that goin' on, I-I don't think I'd be the same…"
"I haven't been the same ever since the Black Knight entered my life." Touché balled his hand into a fist. "Now you see why I have to do this, Dum-Dum? He's robbed people of their lives and left so many people grieving. I owe it to them to get justice for all the people he's endangered or killed."
"Especially for Harebrain and Nico?"
"Especially for them. They're the reasons I fight, Dum-Dum," Touché answered. "I have a lot of family, but Harebrain and Nico were my family away from family. Harebrain was like a second father, and Nico was like a younger brother. Showing him the ropes, how to fence, how to act…some would say that I was the teacher, but since we weren't that far apart in age, I always saw him as the little brother."
"You were never a big brother?"
"No. I'm the youngest in my family, so that's why everyone was so protective of me," Touché answered.
"So…what did you originally fight for when ya became a hero?"
"Originally? I guess you could say I fought for love and glory. I wanted everyone to love me and I wanted praise for my deeds," Touché said. He shook his head disapprovingly. "But now…now I fight to keep my mentor's spirit alive, to continue his legacy. I still like doing hero work for payment…but the reason I do it at cheap prices is to remind myself why I do them." He looked down at his hat, remorse in his eyes. "He taught me what being a hero is all about. It's not about admiration or the glory. It's about helping people. And I don't want to ever forget that again. I don't want to his legacy, what he spent years building, dying out."
Dum-Dum didn't answer for a moment, allowing Touché's answer to sink in. It both shocked and amazed him that Touché could recall such a horrific event in such detail, and remain sane. And somehow, despite all the tragedies he'd faced, and the mistakes he'd made, he'd still continued to fight as a hero, fighting to keep his continue his mentor's legacy amidst his own suffering. Dum-Dum knew that if he were in Touché's shoes, he would've retired, unable to bear such a burden. In fact, it would've killed him if he'd lost someone he'd called a second father.
Although he didn't want to keep prodding into the turtle's past, he had to ask him. "Hey, uh, Touché?"
"Yes, Dum-Dum?"
"…if ya never wanted to deal with people again, how come ya let me be your sidekick?" he asked.
"…I made an exception for you, Dum-Dum," Touché answered slowly. "You remember how we first met, right?"
"How can I forget?" Dum-Dum answered. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Ya saved me from gettin' pounded into mincemeat."
"Yeah. And afterward, you followed me everywhere, saying I was your hero and how cool I was."
"An' I remember ya got mad at me 'cause I kept followin' ya. O-One time, I had ta travel all the way to that other town you lived in 'cause you left me behind."
"You broke into my house that time," Touché recalled, chuckling. "I remember the mayor got involved because of the ruckus we made." He sighed. "To be honest…I wasn't too fond of all the attention. I remember thinking to myself 'If you only knew who I really am, you wouldn't call me that."
Dum-Dum looked down at him, a pang of hurt racing through his body. He hadn't known that Touché had thought of him as just a nuisance. "But if ya didn't really want me around, how come ya never said anything?" he asked, not quite keeping the hurt out of his voice.
"I didn't have the heart to abandon you or tell you to go away," Touché admitted. "You were too nice..."
Dum-Dum's ears sank. "Everyone else has the heart to, though…"
"I'm not like everyone else," Touché said firmly, stopping Dum-Dum's remark of self-pity. "Anyway, when I realized that I couldn't tell you to leave, I decided I'd hire you as my assistant hero. I figured, 'Well, a couple of weeks with Dum-Dum around wouldn't hurt'." Despite himself, he chuckled. "Little did I know that a couple of weeks would turn into over ten years. We ended up getting along great. And after we became friends…" His smile slipped. "After we became friends, I decided to never tell you the truth. I was, for lack of a better word, scared to."
Dum-Dum stared at him, eyes wide. "B-But you never get scared, Touché! Ya even said 'scared' isn't in your vocabulary!"
"It was back then. Back then, when I traveled solo, I had few allies. There was Harebrain's daughter, Edith, and his wife, Marguerite. They helped me amidst their own grief…and then there was Julien."
"You don't have ta go into too much detail, Touche."
"Family members aside, I had no real friends. People knew all about my deeds, but didn't know me. I built up this image of being untouchable and fearless to keep people away, but I ended up feeling alone in the hero business."
"Wow…"
"And then I met you, a person who genuinely liked me despite not knowing a thing about me or my past. Most would've left as soon as they learned of my past. But you stayed," Touché replied. "You'd follow me to the ends of the earth, no matter what I do."
Dum-Dun remained silent as Touché continued, "After what happened to Nico, I didn't want to open my heart to anybody, afraid of losing them to my past. And when we became friends, I was scared that would happen again. That's why I never told you the truth, because I didn't want to lose you—not to battle, but to my own pride and stupid mistakes."
"I-Is…is that why you decided to tell me everythin'?" Dum-Dum asked.
Silence answered his question. Dum-Dum stared at him, feeling the urge to cry once more. "Touché…"
Touché sighed. "I know, it was selfish to hold all of that back. And if you're angry, I get it. You-"
Touché was cut off when Dum-Dum reached over and hugged him. He thought he felt his shell crack. "D-Dum-Dum! How many times have I-"
"I-I told ya, Touché…I'm not really angry at ya," Dum-Dum interrupted. His voice was choked with a sob. "I'm not too happy that ya kept all that a secret…but after hearin' everythin' else, I get it."
"You do?"
"W-Well, most of it, anyway."
That wasn't too surprising. "Well, what did you get from it, Dum-Dum?" Touché asked.
"I got that my buddy Touché has way too much to deal with…but he also worries about silly things."
"Silly?" Touché removed himself from Dum-Dum, glaring up at the sheepdog. "I just told you my entire story and you say that's silly?!"
"N-No, not that part! That's serious, Touché," Dum-Dum replied. "The silly part's where you're worried about losin' me or me not bein' your pal anymore."
The anger on Touché's face left instantly. When he got his mouth working, his voice was full of disbelief. "…You still want to be my friend after learning about who I was?"
"Yup."
"After learning about what I did and failed to do?"
"Yup."
"A-After learning that I didn't even want you around at first?"
"Well, I was a lil' upset, but after hearin' what ya said, it made sense," Dum-Dum said. "Uh, I meant what I said earlier. I'm here if ya wanna say somethin'. And I don't want ya to lose yourself." He returned Touché's dumbstruck expression with a bright smile. "You'll always be my hero, but more than that, you're my pal. An' pals look out for each other. So I'll still follow ya, Touché, no matter what."
"…You big doofus…" Touché chuckled quietly.
Dum-Dum blinked. "Er, what?"
"Nothing, I was talking to myself." He sighed and then he smiled. "Thanks, Dum-Dum."
Dum-Dum scratched his muzzle, his face going slightly red. "D'awww, shucks, i-it was nothin' really," he said bashfully.
"No, it is something. What you said means a lot to me," Touché replied. He put his hat back on, making sure to tip the brim around his eyes to hide his tears. "More than you can possibly know…"
Thankfully, Dum-Dum was too caught up in his elation to care. "Aw, it's no problem, Touché." He jumped up as an idea came to him. "Hey, I just remembered that we didn't eat at all today! I'll make us some dinner! How does hot dogs an' s'mores sound?"
Touché balked. "You want me to eat all that before a duel?"
"Well, eh…maybe a salad for you then, but at least eat some s'mores or somethin'," Dum-Dum replied.
"You know I don't really like sweets, Dum-Dum," Touché pointed out.
"But I bought the ingredients an' everythin'!" Dum-Dum said. "Even went to the trouble of gettin' those specialty marshmallows ya like from the other town over."
Touché paused. "Did you say the specialty marshmallows?"
Dum-Dum nodded.
"…Make sure you leave three for me."
"Roger that, Touché!"
The next morning…
Touché looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his hat—Harebrain's hat, he reminded himself—as well as picking up his épée. He examined it, with its dull gray blade and the bent tip. He brandished it a few times before pointing it at the mirror. "You haven't failed me before, Harebrain. Don't let me down now," he muttered.
It was odd, he thought, talking to his old mentor like he was still there, like he could hear him. But he figured that if he was going to bring his mentor's killer to justice, he might as well ask for his help—he could use it right then.
He turned when he heard a loud yawn. Dum-Dum was standing in the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You rest well enough, Dum-Dum?"
"Eh…not really," he said. "Can I get a cappuccino on the way to the trainin' field, Touche?"
"We don't have time for that," Touché remarked. "Besides, I know what sugar does to your body, Dum-Dum."
"Heh, yeah…" Dum-Dum's expression turned into a concerned scowl. "You gonna be alright, Touché?"
It'd be easy to tell the sheepdog that yes, he'd be alright. He'd come home victorious and when he finally defeated the Black Knight, they could celebrate with all the hot dogs and s'mores they could eat. It'd be easy to tell him that of course, he's alright, that the Black Knight isn't going to make short work of him so easily. Dum-Dum would believe it, hook, line, and sinker.
But he didn't know if he could believe it himself. He didn't know what all the Black Knight had up his sleeve, so he didn't know what to expect; training could only get him so far.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. But knowing that you're here is enough to keep me going," he replied.
Dum-Dum nodded, a small smile on his face. "Sure. Hey, uh, we'd better start trainin'. The duel's the day after tomorrow."
"Yeah, and I have ground I need to cover before then," Touché said. "To the training field, my rusty assistant."
"It's trusty, Touche."
"Oh, be quiet!"
End of Part 2
It was very, VERY tempting to make this chapter longer. But then it would beat Protector-Part 4 as the longest chapter of a story I've ever written. And besides, I have side stories that'll expand on it :)
I told you I wasn't kidding when I said this story was dark. I edited Harebrain's death scene several times to make it sound right-not super gory, but just enough so that the reader could understand why Touché was distraught over his mentor's death. I didn't feel the need to mention Nico again except near the end when Touché was wrapping up his story; he more or less confirmed that what Dum-Dum learned from Julien was true during their first conversation.
But yeah, this was changed from the original version which just had Touché talking to Dum-Dum about his past; here, we get to see bits and snippets of it. I didn't want to reveal every single thing about Touché here, since I felt it'll take away the mystery of his character. Even as I'm editing the third part, I'm trying to develop a character for Touché that'll serve as a model for when I work with him in future stories-kinda similar to Ricochet and Punkin' Puss. Oops, I'm doing more of those comparisons again ^^
Either way, it was fun to write Touché. Seeing his different sides aside from the suave, swashbuckling turtle he is in the cartoons was fun. Here, I felt he really took center stage as the main character, whereas in the original it was more squarely focused on Dum-Dum, which kind of defeated the original fight between Touché and the Black Knight. Speaking of Dum-Dum, he was great too, but I'll get to him in a moment.
The name Toulouse came about when I was trying to come up with a male French name other than Pierre XD And yeah, that is the name of one of the characters from "The Aristocats", so hey, at least it wasn't TOO far fetched. And it's the name of a real city in France, so that was another bonus. Still, I hope I didn't confuse people with that, or with Touché calling Harebrain by his real name, Sebastian (in the story, he likes being called by his real name).
Sebastian Lièvre (aka. Harebrain) was also cool to write, although in the original, he was kinda Marty Stuish. The rewritten version does have more of his character, and since we see his character from Touché's point of view, of course, the guy's going to see the best of him. Harebrain does have his faults, which I'm planning on expanding upon in other stories, namely in the prequels to FLaG.
I came up with the setting from watching all of the cartoons, and honestly, I like the idea of a modern-day medieval world, with the return of Old World heroes and mythical creatures such as dragons. For me, I think it's the best way to blend the mishmash of settings in the cartoon: feudal one moment and modern the next. I'm doing some research on knights and such to make it accurate, but this is Hanna-Barbera, after all. Some creative liberties can be taken in the name of fun :D
Writing the friendship between Touché and Dum-Dum, however, was one of my favorite themes, which kept popping up multiple times while I was writing the chapter. Dum-Dum's the kind of friend that most people almost never have, and the part where he reaffirms his friendship with Touché is one of my favorite scenes. I also had a headcanon for how they actually met (although like the other half of the story, it'll have to be expanded later), and how Touché decided to accept Dum-Dum's friendship. And while Dum-Dum's kind moments towards Touché were cool to write, seeing Touché's side was really heartwarming. He genuinely cares for his best friend, and part of that "big doofus" line was aimed at himself rather than Dum-Dum; he really shouldn't have worried about Dum-Dum breaking off their friendship. And he also kinda called Dum-Dum that because he felt he was getting a bit sappy. But yeah, friendship moments so sweet, it could give you cavities. XD
Next chapter will be the long-awaited fight between Touché and the Black Knight!
Again, I want to know your thoughts, and I want to know what could've been done better! Reviews like "this is great write more" aren't bad, but constructive criticism helps me grow as a writer, and I'd really value it so please please please review!
~God bless, iheartgod175
