A/N: FINALLY I WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER.
Sorry it took so long. I was working on a one-shot of this, and then I had massive AP work to catch up on.
"Let the banquet, begin!"
Queen and king, count and duke, duchess and ambassador, the feast was going well. The queen ate well, occasionally passing out her words of wisdom in conversation.
And that's when the guards opened the doors.
"What is the….oh my…" The queen started to say but unfortunately she was cut off by the large shape of Ratigan and a horde of rats dressed as beefeaters burst through triumphantly.
"We meet again, oh Britannia!" The professor exclaimed. He had a white carnation in the lapel of a fine suite, his cape different and clasped with a gold brooch and a white cravat about his neck in fancy, fine ruffles instead of his usual casual colors of red and blue. A top hat upon his greased hair that shone in the gaslight, his gloves fine white, a gold sash across his chest and spats over his shoes, he almost looked like a dashing handsome gentleman…save for the devilish smirk and sarcastic eyes. His tail twitched about, knowing well his triumph as at hand.
The entire banquet gasped. Ladies and gentlemen all started to stand out of their seats but the stolen spears armed with the hulking vicious rats jabbed at them, forcing the important guests to sit down. French and Spanish, Danish and German, of all descents started chattering and ranting as they boasted and yelled at their captors. Those that knew of who Ratigan was were the ones that kept quit, paling in their seats forgetting their appetite.
"Hush, hush now…" Ratigan whispered. Their voices were silenced at the vicious grin of Ratigan and the finger to his lips. They all quieted, the whole room silenced, the queen fuming and fidgeting in her seat.
Once he was satisfied that the commotion had stopped and all eyes upon him, he cleared his throat and stood by the queen in her head chair.
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Despite myself not being invited due to possibly being, well, thought of as 'deceased'…I am alive and well!" He looked down at the queen, his mouth in a grin. "I have also brought my fine guests…introducing my assistant Mr. Finn…" He extended his arm as Mickey Finn; dressed in a suit also, stepped forward and pushed a countess out of her chair to sit in. "My beautiful fiancé Miss Elizabeth…" His other arm ensnared about Elizabeth, dressed in a flowing and sparkly black gown. "…Doctor Dawson, Mr. Thomas, Miss Anette, Miss Lauren and your finest detective Mr. Basil of Baker Street!"
Thomas was dressed in a formal police uniform, Dawson and Basil in tuxedos, Anette and Lauren in similar glittery red and purple gowns. The rats behind them pushed the five rudely into seats, Basil sitting next to the queen and Mickey being at the other side. The disposed patrons that were in the seats were pushed to the other side of the room, watching as the famous detective, his assistant, a police officer, a tried gypsy mouse and a sad, whimpering blonde one.
"Now that we are introduced, my beloved queen, I would like to say why I am here. After all, you all perceived me dead! Hah!" Ratigan grabbed a glass of champagne, gulping it down swiftly. "I am alive in well and in need of you, my queen. In front of all you distinguished guests, I will have you recognize me as the king of England and all it's providences! And your countries and the English citizens WILL crown me, because if they don't, I kill all of you."
At this point Ben's father brought in a more bejeweled and large chair than the queen's, pushing her in the chair aside as he set is down. Ratigan sat, gloating as he sneered with malice in the old queen's face. The guests gasped.
"Yeah missy, so you'd better is nice to the professor." Mickey puffed a cigar in her face, snickering. "It's not like poor Basil's going to save you like the last time!"
"You vile, horrible, unquenchable fiends! The whole of England will triumph over you! You will be clapped in irons and be led to the gallows!" She squeaked and slapped Mickey's face with her pink fan. "You both shall pay for this!"
"My highness, I'm sure all of the world will agree to my demands. I have an army of burly strong rats at my disposal throughout the castle; I have 30 guests of varying honors and noble stature at stake, even princes and princesses! And you at the helm! What makes you think they won't give me what I want? However…" Ratigan trailed off. "You are right, that I won't be a king for long anyways. I mostly want to take the treasury, go off and live in splendor, and then attack the world again as an unstoppable force. You know why?"
"Why, Ratigan?" She hissed.
"This will be the great mouse detective's last meal!"
Ratigan roared with laughter, Mickey and the rats joining in. The laughter ensued as Ratigan gave a deep kiss to the unwilling Elizabeth captive on his knee, and resumed pouring a glass of fine wine for his former friend, Basil Sherringford sitting at the other side of him and the queen.
While Dawson was frightened hissing the words 'fiend' and 'cretin' under his breath with Lauren hugging his arm from the gaze of the villains, Basil was sitting…relaxed. He had an innocent smile on his face, a napkin on his lap, and looked like he was going to enjoy a delicious meal and conversation, as he looked about and accepted the drink from Ratigan.
"It is a pleasure to be and once again be in the company of fine gentlemen and my beloved queen." Basil nodded his head and took a sip of the wine. "Mmm…yes, 1823…a very good year…"
"Is he mad?" Thomas whimpered, leaning towards Anette for support. However a she sat closer to her he noticed why she wasn't responding. She was stone silent, sulking, and moved to lean against Thomas.
"You're hurt aren't you?" Thomas whispered, looking over her face and neck. There were bruises and obvious bite marks on her skin. Her cheeks were red from crying. She looked utterly abused.
My poor darling…
"Intriguing Basil. How do you now feel that that will be one of your last sips of precious wine?" Ratigan continued and let the light make his teeth sparkle.
"Very good! Such a fine feast! I'm certain you too are enjoying the wine? It is most delectable." Basil smiled warmly as he looked about with a fond look in his eyes.
The queen looked positively stunned. Basil, captive, and going to be dead, was acting as if nothing was wrong!
Ratigan hid his disappointment.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I propose a toast!" The rat lifted his glass up, standing with Basil as the rest of the guests tentatively raised their own glasses. "To the former Queen of England!"
The glasses tinkled, as they sipped, the queen fuming in her seat.
"Sorry Vincent, I don't toast to that." Basil still stood with his glass in his hand, a hand in his pocket and smiling.
"Well then, dear friend…" Ratigan pulled out a broken magnifying glass, setting it on his empty plate and raising his glass. "To the good times, let us celebrate our last meeting."
Basil and Ratigan promptly clunked the glasses together, smiling as they sipped the contents down and sat.
"To the good times as students, to our chemistry experiments…" Basil was lamenting.
"…reading notes, working together, sharing drinks…" Ratigan continued, playing with the magnifying glass, the broken glass part a sharp shard.
"…studying late at night, graduating…you sabotaging my job employments…"
"…stealing from my first bank, pulling off my first ransom notice, murdering with a pistol with my father…"
"…stalking you, employing myself as a private detective…trying to thwart your moves and violent schemes for many years…"
"…at last enacting my plan to take over England…"
"…befriending an Afghan army surgeon and the Flavershams…watching you fall off the clock tower…"
"…clambering out the river, situating myself in a saloon…plotting…drinking…"
"…revealing yourself at last after a year mourning your death…falling into your trap…"
"…finding the perfect wife and mistresses…"
"…being taken to dinner to once again take over England…"
"…finally murdering you at last…"
At this point, the voice of Ratigan turned darker and…in a flash, Basil who was actively watching Ratigan's fingers upon the magnifying glass had ducked. Ratigan threw the glass like a dagger, impaling itself into the wall instead of Basil's throat!
"No!" Lauren yelled out. Basil was now under the table, shooting out and running past the rats to the door!
So it seemed.
Ratigan had pushed himself out of the chair and launched himself to his old friend. However Basil had clambering up on the back of a guard rat, leaping from his shoulders to the chandelier!
Hanging form the light above the feast, all oohed and ahhed as the guards panicked, the guests gasped and Lauren smiling with hope. Ratigan fumed in his suit, looking at Basil as he laughed and clung to the crystal light easily, while the queen sat with a giddy smile and wonderment what he was going to do next.
"Lauren, hand me that glass of wine!" He said. Lauren, quickly crawling up on the table to hand him the glass.
"NO! STOP HER!" Ratigan roared and lunged for her. Lauren had just handed Basil the glass when Ratigan grabbed her, throwing her into the arms of the rats with a violent blow.
Ignoring the horrible actions of Ratigan he took out the fork he had bent and struck the glass in a swift, particular motion.
No sound was heard except the howling of Toby.
"Damn you…" Ratigan snarled. He stood on the table amongst the platters of food. Basil smirked at Ratigan, throwing the glass at him. It broke and left a stain on the front of his jacket, and Basil leapt off the chandelier and ran on the table to the other side of the room.
"Interesting choice with the old magnifying glass you broke in our senior year, Vincent!" Basil laughed as he punched a rat in the gut, grabbing his heavy and crude piece of wooden plank weapon. "Well my dears, run for your lives!" As Ratigan was growling and stomping towards Basil on the table, Basil brought down the wood unto the handle of the large doors, bursting it open!
Just like Basil had said, all the people were running and screaming out and away, conveniently slowing down the rats trying to get to the running detective. Ratigan was first and foremost in the line.
"AFTER THEM!" He bellowed. The people were dispersing through the doors of the hallways and other rooms, Basil zigzagging about to the central exit.
"BASIL!" Lauren screamed and ran, following Basil through the door with Anette, Elizabeth, the bumbling Thomas and Dawson dispersed and making their way through the crowd.
"Catch me if you can Ratigan!" Basil laughed as he darted down the hallway with the gang close behind. "At least before the proper authorities do!"
And then, that was when Lauren was snatched back, crushed into Ratigan's arms, and the world turned black for her as a blow sounded on her head.
A/N: Welp, the climax is beginning! You'll see another chapter soon!
Shoys.