Ch 3 Mikey Makes New Friends.
Mikey rode his horse gently along a path toward a windmill on the outskirts of Paris. As he came upon the windmill he walked his horse under a scaffolding standing by the windmill and brought him to a stop. Seeing the city before him, he decided to take a moment to appreciate the view. As he sat back and contemplated a new life, behind him the sound of hoof beats could be heard coming closer. He turned to see two female riders being chased by what he believed to be two bandits.
With an impish grin, he maneuvered his horse to the side of the windmill and dismounted. Making sure his horse was secured to a wagon next to the windmill, he swiftly climbed a ladder leaning against the scaffolding next to the windmill and hid among large bags of sand. After the two females rode underneath where he sat, he watched and waited for the first bandit to go by then pushed one of the bags off the scaffold hitting the second bandit in the face and knocking him off his horse.
Mikey quickly made his way to the other side and smiled when he saw the first rider stop his horse and maneuver the animal back to where his fallen companion laid on the ground. The rider looked around curiously as he made his way toward his companion but before he could get to him, Mikey jumped off the scaffold and onto the rider knocking him off his horse. The two thrashed in the dirt for only a second before Mikey managed to knock the bandit out with a left hook to the face.
Feeling rather proud of himself, he smiled down in satisfaction at the two outlaws lying unconscious. As the sound of other horses approach, he stood up and saw the two female riders returning. Expecting a 'thank you', he begins to make his way toward them but is surprised when one of the women pulls out a small gun and points it directly at him cautioning him to come no closer.
"Do you realize what you've done?" She demands.
Mikey looked at the blond haired blue eye girl in shock, "I've saved you and your friend from these bandits." He tells her as he waves his hands between the two unconscious men.
The two women look at each other while Mikey stares in confusion as the other rider, a red-haired, green eyed girl in a yellow dress, laughs while shaking her head. She maneuvers her horse away from the scene while the first female lowers her gun and regards Mikey with a smile. "These bandits are the Queen's own bodyguards." She tells him.
Mikey's jaw slacked open in disbelief. "The Queen?" He stated in disbelief as he realized the first girl was the Queen herself. "I…I'm sorry, I…I had no idea." He stuttered in embarrassment.
The woman nodded. "What's your name?"
Relaxing, Mikey smiled at the young girl in the green dress. "Michelangelo," He said with a bow. "But you can call me Mikey."
"Michelangelo," She mused. "A Gascon?"
"I've come to Paris to join the musketeers." He tells her.
"Then I'm sure I'll be hearing your name again." She tells him with a smile.
Mikey saunters over to her. "Would that please you?" He asks with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Ladies-in-waiting are forbidden to socialize with musketeers." She tells him as she looks away shyly.
Mikey looked up at her with an unwavering smile, "Well, I'm not a musketeer yet." He reminded her.
"With that kind of courage, you will be one soon enough." She said as a light blush crossed her cheeks. "Good luck Michelangelo." She told him as she pulled on the reins. "And thank you for the entertainment. I enjoyed it immensely." She turned her horse and starts to follow the Queen back to the city.
"Wait!" Mikey called after her. "You didn't tell me your name!"
"Renet!" She yelled back as she galloped away.
Mikey breathed out a low sigh and smiled happily. "Renet." He mused as he watched her ride toward the city.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
While Mikey continued to make his way to the city, back at the musketeer's headquarters, a slightly larger terrapin with a blue bandana was rummaging through the remnants scattered throughout the building. He looked over to the fireplace and sighed sadly at the burned flag. A large furred covered paw reached out and rested tenderly on his shoulder.
"I've failed you Sensei." The turtle said quietly as he looked up at a large brown rat dressed in a red kimono with the King's crest on it.
"No Leonardo," The rat gently reassured him. "This battle with the Cardinal has only just begun and as long as you and the others stay strong and continue to stand together," Leonardo looked up at him as he began to move away, "Than we will win and the Cardinal's plans will be foiled."
"But Master Splinter," Leonardo walked over to him. "How do you know the Cardinal is planning to harm the king?" He demanded. "Are you sure you're not just giving into rumor?"
Splinter turn toward Leonardo with a stern glare. "No, my student, I am not!" He stated firmly. "When Cardinal Saki took Tiger Claw into his command I began to realize everything I heard before was true." The large rat looked around the room and shook his head sadly. "And now that the musketeers have been disbanded I am certain of it."
"But King Casey did order the disbandment Sensei." Leonardo pointed out.
Splinter nodded. "Yes," He agreed. "But only after the Cardinal convinced him to do so." The rat stroked his long beard in contemplation. "No Leonardo." He said with finality as footsteps could be heard coming into the room. "Cardinal Saki was involved with King Arnold's death and he is plotting something now as well."
"We need proof Master Splinter." Leonardo tells him. "We just can't go accusing the Cardinal of treason."
"I will not make the same mistake as last time." Splinter stated while nodding his head thoughtfully. "We shall find it," He pounded his left fist into his right palm in determination. "One way or another, we will find it."
"Master Splinter!" The turtle and rat turn to see a royal messenger walking in. "The king wishes to speak with you." Splinter bowed his head and, after a brief glance toward the turtle, left with the guard.
Mikey weaved his way through the city streets being careful of the busy people working the day away. He rode toward the courtyard of the Musketeers and made his way to a hitching rail. After securing his horse, he walked inside and noticed a young turtle in a tan cloak kneeling by the fireplace.
"Is this Musketeer headquarters?" Mikey called out as he made his way into the room.
Startled, Leonardo whirled around drawing his katana. Upon seeing the turtle removing his sword, Mikey was about to remove his nun-chucks but stopped when the other turtle, realizing he was not a threat, placed his sword back into their sheaths.
"No," Leonardo responded sadly. "This was Musketeer headquarters." He turned back to the fireplace with a heavy sigh.
Mikey regarded him for a short moment. "Oh," He says, misunderstanding the other turtle. "You mean it's been moved?"
With a huff, Leonardo walked away from the fireplace. "No, I mean the musketeers have been disbanded." He stated in growing irritation. "They no longer exist." He took one last look around the room. "Feel free to poke around for souvenirs if you wish."
He attempted to walk past Mikey but the young freckle-faced turtle refused to be dismissed. He grabbed his arm getting an angered glare from the older turtle. "But I just got here," Mikey said as he released the older turtle's arm. "How am I supposed to become a Musketeer if they've been disbanded?"
The older turtle glared intensely at the younger one. "I'd say you got quite a problem." He tells him as he attempts to leave once more.
But once again Mikey grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You're not being very helpful." He tells him sternly.
Surprised, Leonardo narrowed his eyes at him. "You need a lesson in manners, boy." He told him sternly as he looked down at the turtle's hand gripping his arm.
"Anytime," Mikey responded as the older turtle's eyes locked onto his.
Leonardo chuckled as he roughly pulled his arm away from him. "Why don't you meet me outside the city, by the ruins," He told him. "Say about noon." This time, he was able to turn away from the younger turtle and angrily left the building.
"I'll be there!" Mikey yelled after him with an air of arrogance.
As Mikey rode out of the courtyard, he glanced around the streets and noticed Fong and his gang riding towards him.
"There he is!" Fong yelled out as he saw Mikey walking out of musketeer headquarters. "Come on!" They begin to trot after him but there are too many people and mutants milling around in the street. "Out of my way, man!" He yells at a person crossing the road. "Out of my way!" The human pushes him back in annoyance. "How dare you touch a purple dragon," He growled angrily. "Michelangelo!" He called out as the person pulled him off his horse. "Get your hands off me!" He screamed. "Michelangelo!" He continued to call out to the turtle as the rest of his gang dismounted and grabbed at the man harassing Fong. "Michelangelo!"
Mikey quickly dismounted from his horse and ran over to a young fox boy standing nearby. "Here." He told him handing over the reins. "Hold this horse for me, all right?" The boy nodded as Mikey began to walk away. "I'll be right back." Looking back and seeing a fight between the purple dragons and the villagers have now begun, he quickly takes off. "Thank you!" He called back to the young fox child as he leaped over a stone wall and onto a hay wagon.
He rolled off and ran past several workers that quickly moved out of his path. People watch in curiosity as he ran down the street and jumped over another wagon then ducked into an outside tavern where a group of people and mutants were laughing, eating and drinking ale. As he rounded the corner, he banged into a man walking toward a seat, inadvertently causing the man to fall. The man accidentally banged into a seated wolf, who in turn hit his bowl of food which ended up flying across the table and smacked into a pint of ale, knocking it over.
"Sorry," Mikey said hastily as he attempted to run past. "Sorry."
"Excuse me!" Mikey turned to see another turtle with a red bandana standing up and wiping the liquid off a red sash. "This sash was a gift to me from the Queen of America." He told him adamantly.
Mikey looked at him in bemusement, "There's no Queen of America," He stated matter-of-factly.
"I beg to differ infant." The other turtle sneered at him. "We're on quite intimate terms," He said with a smug grin. "Unless you can prove otherwise."
Angered at being called a liar, Mikey quickly removed his nun-chucks. "Here's my proof." He said, twirling them above his head.
His sudden action caused the onlookers at the table to gasp and back away slightly but the other turtle merely laughed at him. "Oh I see." He said with a glare at Mikey. "It's twit of the month." He looked around as everyone laughed. "Come to challenge the might Raphael. Thinks he's lighting with a weapon or two?"
Mikey leaned in and looked at him curiously. "The mighty who?"
Raphael looked back at him in surprise. "Don't tell me you've never heard of me." He questioned.
"The world's biggest windbag," Mikey sneered at him and grinned upon seeing the muscular turtle growl back at him.
Raph took a calming breath, "Little egg, meet me behind the Luxembourg at one o'clock." He demanded while clenching his fist. "And bring a long wooden box."
Mikey met his glare and sheathed his nun-chucks. "Bring your own." He quickly shot back at him.
Raphael laughed and was joined by the others at the table as he sat back down to continue eating while Mikey walked away.
In an upstairs bedroom, not too far from where Mikey made his second duel, a taller turtle with a purple bandana sat with a young blond maiden reading the bible to her. "God took them and put them in the garden to till it and care for it…" He quoted. "But on the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden God hath said 'Ye shall not eat of it. Neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.'" As the turtle continued to read, the young maiden began to bring herself closer to him till she was up against him. He glanced at her but continued to read. "Then the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye….'" He was quickly interrupted as the young girl gave him a passionate kiss on the lips.
The tall turtle gently pushed her away and looked at her feeling rather confused. "Madam," He said with a soothing voice, "I'm flattered but I am here to tutor you in theology."
The woman looked away blushing. "Forgive me, Monsieur Donatello." She said quietly. "But when you started talking about original sin, I lost control and became impassioned." She looked shyly at him, feeling ashamed of her actions. "It won't happen again." She promised and looked back to the book. "Please go on."
Donatello looked at the young blond maiden eagerly. "Well," He started as he put the bible away. "There's nothing unholy about expressing one's emotions." He tells her as he kneels on the floor in front of her. "On the contrary, religion should be experienced in an all-embracing way," He explained as the woman began to breath heavy and leaned eagerly toward him. "We should feel free to express our spirituality."
"Yes darling." She implored as their lips connected. But a sudden jiggling of the door and a man's voice yelling to be let in caused both of them to startle apart. "My husband!" The maiden screamed in fear.
Donatello looked back at her in shock. "You're married?!"
She looked back at him with desperation in her eyes. "Yes I'm married." She says fearfully.
"Ohh," Donatello looked back at the door anxiously then at her. "We must pray for our sins." He says while outside the man continued to scream and bang angrily on the door.
As the two of them started to pray, the door opened violently. They looked up to see the woman's husband, dressed as a guard to the Cardinal, walking into the room with his gun aimed at the young turtle. They quickly jump to the side as the man fires his gun at the tall turtles. The woman ran toward him as Donatello ducked the bullet. "On second thought," He muttered to himself as he jumped up and ran toward a side door leading to the outside. "God is often busy these days." Grabbing his bo staff, he flung open the door while the woman attempted to block her husband from going after him.
"Get out of my way woman!" He screamed as she pleaded with him.
"No!" She begged. "Stop!"
Donatello ran out of the room and onto a balcony. He looked back just as the man ran out of the room and again fired his gun. Again, Donatello ducked his head, then climbed onto the railing and jumped off landing on a hay wagon riding past. He rolled off the wagon and landed directly onto Mikey who was on his way to get his horse.
"Ahh," Donatello breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." He said as he looked down at the younger turtle. "You broke my fall perfectly." He said as he began to stand up. "But I do apologize for the inconvenience."
Outraged, Mikey angrily pushed him off. "Get off of me!" He yelled as they both scrambled to their feet.
Miffed by the young turtle's attitude, Donatello glared hotly at him. "If there's one thing I can't abide," He said as he brushed the dirt off his tunic. "It's rudeness."
Mikey looked at Donatello in astonishment, "You fell on me!" He yelled.
"Yes," Donatello agreed. "And I apologized."
But Mikey only shook his head at him in disbelief. "Well, your apology's not accepted." He told him, clearly irritated.
Donatello leaned in and looked down at the turtle sternly. "I hope your weapon is as quick as your mouth." He stated.
Mikey glares up at him with an even stare, "It's quicker." He said confidently.
"Ahh." Donatello looked at him and nodded his head in agreement to the unspoken challenge. "A duel then."
"A duel," Mikey agreed nodding his head.
"Meet me behind the Carmes-Deschaux Monastery at two o'clock." Donatello said.
"I'll be there." Mike sneered as he began to walk away
"As will I." Donatello responded as he too begins to walk away.
For a brief moment, Mikey glanced back at the turtle's retreating shell. "Three duels in one day." He mused. "This day just keeps getting better and better." He muttered as he continued on his way to get his horse.
