Chapter 21:
Sir Topham Hatt drove recklessly through the quiet, dark and snow-filled streets of Knapford. He'd just rushed out of his office, the postman having brought him an urgent letter. He now drove madly to the tavern, praying he'd find even just one engine driver to pass the word to. Clutching the letter tightly, he leapt from his car and splashed through the slushy parking lot into the tavern.
It had been three years since Topham's presence had graced this particular pub. He looked around, somewhat disgusted. He saw a handful of his workers lying against the bar or on tables, depressed, some more inappropriately flirting with some unfavorable waitresses, and then, his target, the southeast table of three drivers. Scooting past a drunken signalman, Topham approached the trio and slammed the letter on the table. "Boys, we have a problem." He stated.
"Good to see you too Sir!" Neil O'Heart laughed, patting Hatt's back as Sidney Heaver and Geoffrey Black looked down at the letter.
"What?!" Geoffrey gasped, picking up the letter and re-reading it.
"The queen?" Sidney asked. "Coming here?! When did you get this letter, Topham? We'll need to prepare! We need-"
"Exactly, Sidney." Hatt replied. "We need to prepare the island. If the Queen herself is coming to Sodor, we want it to look good!"
"How many Potemkin Villages are we building tonight, sir?" Neil joked, and went for another large drink, only for Geoffrey to knock it from his hand and spill it Neil's pants. "OI!"
"Enough of that Neil." Hatt ordered. "I'm hiring as many painters, builders, and inspectors as I can so the railway is as clean as possible, but there's a different aspect I'm concerned about."
"The engine's feud." Sidney sighed. "An outburst in front of the Queen wouldn't do, now would it."
"Aye." Geoffrey sighed. "James has a freak out any time he sees Henry talking to another engine. I respect his concern for Henry but we can't be side-tracked…" Geoffrey groaned and Neil snickered. "-sidetracked, pun NOT intended, everytime Henry is just being normal."
"Edward's not too happy to talk to any of the big engines nowadays." Sidney added. "But he's not who I'm worried about. He's been taking the hits calmly."
"Where's the biggest feud?" Topham asked. "Which engines need the least of time together?"
"Percy can't be near Gordon or James without getting bullied." Neil replied.
"James should be nowhere near Toby." Geoffrey added. "Don't ask me what they're on about, but it's not a good deal."
"Henry and Edward don't talk." Sidney finished. "Whether they'd fight or make up if given the chance to talk, Ted nor I could tell you."
Topham sat down and looked over the letter again. "Then I'll give them that chance. If Edward and Henry can settle, maybe the feud will cool. I don't expect everybody to make up, but there are alliances and friendship still among this fight. We need those to flourish and the fight to end."
"Well said!" Neil commented. "Tomorrow ought to be hell!" Sidney took Neil's drink and dumped it on his head.
"...An extra worker might be nice, right sir?" Geoffrey thought aloud.
"What do you mean, Geoffrey?" Hatt replied
[]
Tidmouth was more liveable now. Fights were far fewer in the new week, and mostly the engines kept to their alliances, not reaching out to start an argument.
"I just wish they'd let mistakes go." Thomas commented to Gordon one morning, referring to their accidents in pitfalls.
"I think the reason we haven't been granted our jobs back is because this lot keeps reminding Hatt of those silly accidents." Gordon agreed.
A bell rang in the yard, and all the engines looked up. Toby trundled into the yard, smiling in the sunrise. "Hello friends…" he began, "...and James." Toby added just for spite.
"I feel called out." James announced.
"Good, now you know how we all feel." Percy and Edward remarked simultaneously.
"What are you doing here, Toby?" Thomas asked.
"Hatt had Ivo wake me early and come over." Toby replied. "Crovan said he has an announcement!"
"What sort of announcement?" Henry asked aloud.
"A big one!" Came a booming voice from behind the sheds. "One of royal proportions!" A familiar and unwelcome whistle blew, and a dark and steaming figure came around the left side track.
"AHHH!" James screamed.
"It's back!?" Edward gasped.
"ITS GONNA EAT HATTY!" Percy shrieked.
Puffing along the line came the infamous Marklin engine, with Sir Topham Hatt sitting dramatically atop it's boiler, clutching a letter in one hand and holding onto his top hat with the other. "...What did you say Percy?" He sternly demanded.
"He meant nothing by it Sir." Edward cut in. "But, why is that back on our island? And what announcement have you got for us?"
"I suggest you adjust to having the Marklin on the line again." Topham began. "As for the announcement: I'll keep it short, there's a lot to do." He cleared his throat and dramatically flourished the letter, and read it aloud. "From the house of her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II would like to announce her coming on the date of February 15th, 1963.
A chorus of whistles and shouts came from the seven sentient engines of the NWR, the Marklin engine silent as ever, at the revelation, and Hatt raised his hands for silence, waiting till they quieted.
"That's only five days from now!" Henry shouted.
"Now you understand why I brought this fellow along?" Topham patted the Marklin engines dome. "But there's more, the queen will not be arriving via the royal train!" A gasp rippled through the engines. "So one of you shall bring the queen to Knapford!"
Hatt slid off the Marklin engine and moved to it's cab to talk to the driver and fireman, and his engines looked around, realizing the gravity of the situation. "I suppose it won't be me pulling the queen." Edward stated, breaking the ice. "I'm old and not as strong as Gordon or Henry."
"Well it won't be me either!" Gordon exclaimed. "I'm in disgrace…"
"It'll be me of course!" James declared snootily. "I'm a splendid red engine, worthy of bringing her majesty across this island!"
"Actually it should be Henry." Percy snipped.
"Indeed!" Toby agreed. "A big, honest and still honorable engine like him should be the bearer of the royal train!"
"Don't forget he also pulls the express!" Edward added. "The perfect engine to take the queen!"
The engines all agreed, save some slight grumble from James before yielding it to Henry, and then they all set out to do their jobs.
[]
Later that day, it began to rain. It wasn't quite pouring, but it was certainly a heavy rain, and the likes of Ted and Geoffrey had to put up a tarp between their engines cab and tender to keep dry. All around the island, and especially in Knapford, workers were busy cleaning and re-cleaning every station and preparing for the Queen's visit, but the rain slowed the work dreadfully.
"It's hard to paint if the rain washes the color away!" Alfred the worker grumbled to Edward at Crovans Gate.
"Best to work on the roof instead then?" Edward suggested.
The Marklin Engine puffed by, taking a load of building materials to Gardensville. Never heard of it? No one had. It was a Potemkin Village Lady Hatt had ordered be built.
"Ooh!" Edward groaned. "These sudden weather changes are muddling my gears and making my axles ache!"
[]
The week passed swiftly and, shockingly, without incident or argument. The engines moved quickly, calmly, and almost silently. There was much excitement in the towns, but the rail was just work.
"I'm absolutely shocked dear." Topham announced to his wife on the 14th, the day prior to her majestys coming. "If I'd known all it took to shut up these engines was the Queen coming, I'd have invited her!"
"I just spoke to Sidney, he and Edward are keeping those new Brendam Bay engines out of the way." Jane stated. "I dare say we could expect some new business down there if the queen says anything good about the NWR."
"Thank you, but I'm afraid my mind's still reeling." Topham replied. "Not a fight all week! And after nearly a month of anger before this, I'm shocked!"
"So you've mentioned, but I need you to get over that for now." Jane approached Topham and kissed his shiny head. "Henry's due for the practice run from London and back, and Ted did request you ride with them."
"Right… right, I should be off then!"
[]
But down at the station, there was finally some action. The rain had stayed the week long, and painters were still scrambling to complete their jobs before the day was through. At Knapford, a painter was finishing the white trim as Henry was pulling into the station, the royal train ready for the run. He stopped below the painter and let off steam… which was a mistake.
The painter, blinded by the steam, tripped on his ladder and tumbled, head over heels onto the tarp over Henry's cab. He wasn't hurt, but as the ladder swayed, his paint bucket tumbled, landing smack on Henry's dome. Reports vary on the amount of spilled paint, ranging from an icing of white on the big engine's dome and boiler, to a wave of white splashing from his cab to his face; either way he was a sight unfit for the royal train.
"Mercy me!" Cried Ted. "Quick! Can we clean it off?"
Despite the best efforts of several workers, the paint smeared and dripped, and there was nothing to be done about it by the time the Fat Controller arrived.
"Henry I'm afraid this won't so!" He sadly stated. "You'll be repainted tonight, but it won't be dry in time to fetch the queen!"
Henry groaned in defeat, and he and Ted chuffed sadly back to Tidmouth. Topham looked around the platform, thinking hard. He now had to find a different engine to bring the royal train, but who…?
[]
"Git ou' o our yards ye' bloody insect!" SCRuffey screamed. "Ye' think yer fit fer the rails?"
Percy was speechless and exhausted. He'd been beyond overworked in the week, and the angry and wet trucks were taking out the long week on him. He was on the verge of tears as he passed by the worst of the trucks.
"Your nothing but a caterpillar!" Fred Pelhay screeched in agreement.
"Nay, you're below that of a caterpillar," added the spiteful GWR brake van "-you're a great abomination from the depths of-"
"SHUT IT!" roared a great voice from behind. Percy looked up, eyes wet from the rain and tears, to see an angry and powerful Gordon, buffer to buffer with a salt van. "YOU MAKE ONE MORE DEGRADING COMMENT AND YOU WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF A PACIFIC!"
The trucks shook and fell silent, and Gordon backed out of the yard, indicating for Percy to follow.
Blinking away his wet eyes, Percy looked up to the big engine. "Why did you do that?" He asked quietly. "I'm grateful, but it's not the first time the trucks have acted that way."
"Little Percy," Gordon began, using the word little like speaking to a scared child, rather than degradingly, "we engines may have our differences, but trucks are an altogether different fight. To work with the trucks, or to allow them to bully would be… dis- dis-" Gordon couldn't grasp a word, "... It wouldn't be right."
Percy looked at Gordon and realized, despite the past month of anger, there was no reason to hate the great engine.
The two puffed into Tidmouth where, of all engines, sat a broken-down Edward and a mis-painted Henry, talking calmly and happily, with Topham standing between them, watching with approval beneath an umbrella.
Percy puffed away on the side track, and Thomas pulled up from Tidmouth Station. "Have you spoken to him yet?" He asked Gordon.
"I had to save Percy first." Gordon replied. "Trouble with the trucks- couldn't ignore the situation."
"Looks like you aren't the only engines making up." Thomas said, nodding toward Edward and Henry.
Henry laughed at something and Hatt turned around. Seeing the two engines he pointed the blue engines to the side track and moved away from Edward and Henry. Gordon and Thomas rolled back to the junction and moved to the side of the shed on the loop line.
"Yes boys?" Hatt finally asked as both engines stopped in front of him.
"Please sir." Thomas and Gordon started simultaneously, then Thomas nodded to Gordon to let him continue. "May Thomas and I have our jobs back?"
"Gordon takes the express back and I gat my Branchline?" Thomas explained.
Topham looked both engines on their large, round, grey faces and thought carefully over the past months events. Then, he sighed and chuckled slightly as the rain began to let up. "Thomas, Gordon, I feel you've been punished long enough. This feud you engines have, I want to see it end, and I want things to go back to how it was before all these arguments." He looked up, and both engines were beaming proudly. "Thomas, you will have your Branchline, and Gordon will not only take back the Wild Nor' Wester, but you will also pull the royal train tomorrow!"
Gordon gasped and Thomas whistled and cheered, and Topham smiled proudly.
[]
Gordon was patiently waiting at the station. 8:30AM on June 15th, all decorated in Union Jack and royal decor, he sat, ready and strong, to take the Queen to Sodor.
A familiar whistle blew, the whistle of a famous Pacific, a brother of his pulled into the station beside him. "You look overdressed for a Sudrian." The Flying Scotsman declared, stopping beside his brother.
"Hello Scotsman." Gordon grumbled, moving upward in the engine equivalent of puffing out his chest.
"And what is my big brother doing here, in the heart of London?"
"Any second now you'll see." Gordon replied, looking away. There were cheers outside of the station and a crowd on the platform, so Gordon knew his special passenger was near.
A minute of silence followed, till Scotsman leaned over. "You aren't still mad by chance?" He asked quickly.
Gordon sighed, hoping the queen would move faster. "Look Scot, I've done quite a bit of making up recently, and I'm happy to fix another broken relationship-" Gordon paused as the crowd got louder and the queen approached. "-with any other engine in the world, except you or your friends from that day."
"Gordon please, I-" Scotsman started, but the crowd roared, and the rest of his statement was drowned by the cheers of Londoners, and her majesty boarded the coach of the royal train.
"EXPRESS COMING THROUGH!" Gordon shouted. And with one last look back at his brother, he puffed out of the station, bound for Knapford, Sodor.
[]
At Knapford Station, four of the other engines, the Marklin Engine, and several other sentient vehicles were gathered, along with their drivers and other human friends, all waiting excitedly.
"Her Majesty herself! The day has arrived!" Annie and Clarabel chanted excitedly.
"I've been trying to learn how to whistle: 'God Save the King', but it's not working out." Percy peeped. The Marklin Engine didn't care.
"Where is Edward?" Terrence asked, looking around the station.
"He's still in the shed, with Toby." Henry replied. "The weather changes too fast, his axles ache when that happens."
It was true though. The rain, like the feud, had disappeared overnight, and the island looked wonderful. Lady Hatt's Potemkin Village had fallen in all the rain, so it was all genuine beauty all around the island.
"It's nearly noon! Where is Gordon!?" Thomas shouted.
"Just because he's big and fast doesn't mean he'll be here right on time." James replied. Gordon's whistle blew faintly on the distance. "Or maybe he will be."
A bell rang, Toby's bell, as he and Edward quickly moved into the station. "Sorry we're late gents." Toby huffed.
"Ooh-err." Edward groaned. "I'd rather not move for the next hour if that's alright with everyone?"
Sidney Heaver and Crovan Aldrich jumped out of their engines and joined the other drivers, who were in line and looking Sharp for the Queen's visit.
Gordon's whistle blew again, much closer and louder now. "Are we ready Sodor?!" James called out like a game show host.
Platform 2 was cleared for Gordon, who carefully and gracefully stopped. There was a fanfare and respectful silence as Queen Elizabeth stepped out of her coach. She was greeted first by Sir Topham Hatt and Lady Hatt, the Wellsworth Vicar, head inspector Jeremiah Jobling, and the Scottish landowner Lord Callan.
"She's beautiful!" Percy whispered to Henrietta.
"Shh!" Thomas wheeshed. "I think she's going to speak!"
Now, the queen did speak. She spoke long enough that I can't fit it in our story, but I can tell you that the Queen was proud of the island and it's railway. She told the engines that they were the gold standard of the British Railways, and that each engine, coach and tractor was really useful in their own way. And when she was done there was a rousing response of cheers, whistles, and a chorus of 'Auld Lang Syne' led by Lord Callan for unexplained reasons.
And so on February 15th, all the sentient creatures (and even the Marklin Engine) of Sodor were honored by the presence of the queen.
And on February 16th no one cared and things and went back to normal.
[]
So! Season 1 of Thomas and Friends an a large chunk of the Reverend Awdry books are now out of the way, and the stage is set for greater stories. I'd like to make a couple note here.
-I am American. I have no idea how the queen would have acted and been treated upon reaching Sodor, so I did my best based on what happens in the story and how I other shows and stories portray royalty being greeted. Hope I did it justice.
-So far in the story, it's been pretty straightforward and not far from how it was written in both the books and Tv Show, but things are going to get different now. I'm planning on rearranging a ton of the story from this point forward. There will still be the obvious direction, episodes from Season 2 and 3 will come next, and will stay relatively in order, but I'll be bringing in characters sooner and later than their canon appearances, and since I'm combining the Railway Series and TTTE Canons, there's going to be a lot of changes. Just thought I'd let everybody know.
-And finally before I move on, you readers are welcome to review the story. Any comments or complaints or questions- i'm happy to listen to you, I love feedback. I'm not fishing for reviews, just wanting an idea of how people like the way i've written this.
One last thing of note- Nearly every interaction, argument and new detail I've put in this chapter will be important as I go along. The Scotsman-Gordon interaction is the base for a long story arc, all the way to the Great Race. The Feud alliances and separations will have repercussions for the rest of the story, and there are a lot more human characters that will have important roles coming up, some now introduced and some only mentioned.
Hoo-ee, this had been a long one, hasn't it?