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Disclaimer: The characters from Babar belong to Jean and Laurent De Brunhoff andNelvana. Any other characters are mine and may be used for other nonprofit fanfic (Just
note that they're mine if you use them.)
Content rating note: This fic is rated TV G for angst, a little bit of violence, and a smidgen
of dark humor. Basically, this is on the level with Disney's Gargoyles cartoon with the
tiniest dab of Nickelodeon's Invader Zim. If you can get through the darker Babar TV episodes, like
the one where Babar's mother dies, or the one where Flora gets bitten by the snake and almost dies,
you'll be OK.
Continuity note: This story takes place after "Invisible Girl."
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"Over here! Over here!" yelled one of the elephant bridge workers, as he pointed out the brawl that was taking place in the middle of the partially constructed Rhinoland/Celesteville bridge. It was a tangle of horns and trunks as more and more workers deserted their posts to get in on the action. The combatants were crashing into poles and knocking over supplies in their frenzy.
Suddenly, a large steel pipe that had been hanging on the end of a crane came loose! It fell, crashing into the bridge right behind the workers. The rhinos and elephants stopped immediately and scrambled to get off the bridge, which was now rapidly falling apart. Several almost went tumbling off into the raging river below.
Everyone had managed to get to safety before the bridge entirely collapsed. The rhinos ended up all on the Rhinoland side, and the elephants ended up all on the Celesteville side. They stared in disbelief at the chunks of bridge still clinging to the cliff side. They then raised their gaze and glowered at each other. "This is all your fault!" was a cry heard on both sides. They began yelling and cursing at each other, flinging insults and accusatory barbs. (If a huge drop and a river hadn't separated them, they would have surely fought again.)
And then the press showed up….
General Pomire came storming into Lord Rataxes' office. "Sir! We've got to act now! It's sabotage! Sabotage!"
Rataxes looked up from his paperwork with an annoyed expression on his face. Since Basil was attending a function for the "Fairy Queen" play he was involved in, Rataxes was left with all the paperwork and just wanted to get it done and over with. "Oh, what is it now!" he grumbled.
"What do you mean, 'what is it now?'! Haven't you heard! It's on the news! The new bridge between Rhinoland and Celesteville is destroyed! Destroyed by elephant saboteurs! We must declare war immediately!" Pomire yelled.
"What?!" Rataxes bellowed in disbelief.
Pomire continues to rant. "A plot! A vicious plot by that Babar! You can never trust an elephant! Never!!"
Rataxes rolls his eyes. "Oh that's ridiculous! I don't believe you!"
"Well then turn on your radio!" Pomire yells frustrated.
Rataxes turns his radio on and is immediately bombarded by news of the tragic event. He stares at it slack jawed. "I can't believe it…you were telling the truth…the bridge is destroyed," he utters in disbelief. Rataxes then regains his composure and adds, "But that doesn't mean Babar is responsible! He would never do something like that. Someone could have been killed!" Rataxes puts his hand to his forehead and sighs, "I'm sure there must be another explanation…"
"Don't be a fool! Even if Babar didn't plan it, one of his cronies did! This means war!! The people of Rhinoland will demand it!" yells General Pomire fervently. He then gets a smugly determined look on his face and continues, "You know I'm right sir. There will be no way out of it this time." Pomire narrows his eyes at Rataxes.
Rataxes turns pale and gets a sick look on his face.
Pomire begins to suggest that they start planning now, but is cut off as Rataxes places his hands on the desk and yells "Get out!!" at the top of his lungs.
"But sir…" Pomire pleads
"Get out!! Get out!! Get out!!!" Rataxes screams in freaked out frustration.
After Pomire beats a hasty retreat (for now) Rataxes put his head in his hands and begins to fret. What am I going to do?! I can't go through this again! I just can't! he thinks with panicked dismay. I just can't…
Meanwhile, at the Celesteville palace, Babar receives news of the bridges destruction. Pompadour has completely flipped out, and is rushing and fretting about the office in a panic. Even Cornelius is thrown and has joined Pompadour in his frenzied panic. Many cries of "What should we do sire!" are heard from both of them.
"Calm down, calm down. Nothing will get solved if we panic," Babar says reasonably.
"But how can we not panic! This is a disaster! An utter disaster!" cries Pompadour hysterically. He then breaks down crying and sobbing at Babar's feet.
"Pompadour, get a grip on yourself" Babar says forcefully but with sympathy. He then pulls Pompadour to his feat. Pompadour calms down, but continues to sniffle a bit. Babar begins to walk around the office as he thinks about the situation. Soon, his thinking is interrupted by a clamor outside. He looks out his office window to see frenzied reporters and angry, worried citizens.
"Oh, my tusks!" exclaims Cornelius, as he joins Babar at the window. Pompadour whimpers in the background.
The citizens of Celesteville are very angry indeed. They hold up anti-rhino signs and shake their trunks in the air. "It's time to put a stop to those rhinos once and for all!" yells an elephant in a construction workers uniform.
"And that villain Rataxes!" chimes in a well-dressed elephant lady. The crowed roars in agreement.
"We've put up with them for too long!" yells another elephant. The crowd roars again, this time joined by the reporters, who have lost their sense of professionalism. The crowd continues yelling…
"They lie and they cheat!"
"They're lazy and violent!"
"Down with Rataxes! Down with the rhinos!"
…and so forth and so on….
Babar goes outside to try and talk some since into his normally docile citizens, but the crowd continues to swell.
A crowd of citizens has formed outside the Rhinoland palace as well. They hold up anti-elephant signs and call for war. They chant "War! War!" over and over. Basil has shown up and is struggling to get through the crowd. Before he can reach the end he runs into General Pomire. "Oh, General Pomire!" he exclaims with surprise. The General pulls Basil aside to talk with him.
"You see how inflammatory the situation is. You must advise Rataxes to go to war! There is no avoiding it. The citizens are liable to revolt if he doesn't declare war on the elephants this time!" declares Pomire. "You know I'm right Mr. Basil. I know I can count on you to do the right thing. You have to get him to go to war this time," he adds with conviction.
"But we have a peace treaty - ""Tear it up! This time we go to war! And if you don't persuade Rataxes to follow through, he'll end up overthrown! …And remember, when rhino kings are overthrown, they aren't exiled, they're killed," adds Pomire as he narrows his gaze at Basil. Basil gets a dismayed look of resignation and head on in to the palace, not looking forward to his unhappy task.
Rataxes sits at his desk, waiting for it. He remembers how it was the last time, and knows that Basil won't have much choice but to advise him to go to war. It's what any good rhino adviser would do. Rataxes is the king of a militant kingdom. Rataxes has decided to just go through the motions and not think about it for now. After all, Babar is smart. He'll figure a way to stop a war from happening. He's got to thinks Rataxes, as he sits at his desk stone faced.
As predicted, Basil comes into the office and advises that Rataxes start planning for war. Rataxes makes a sour face and says "fine" in monotone. Basil begins calling in all the military bigwigs and suggests that Rataxes make a quick speech. Basil rights one up in a jiffy for him to deliver. Rataxes smiles involuntarily as he imagines himself saying "This aggression will not stand! This aggression will not stand, man!" like a middle aged hippie in his favorite Crowen Bros. movie. He sighs and tries to gear himself up into "king mode" so he can deliver the speech like a good coldhearted militant dictator should.
Over the next weeks, things go just as they did long ago during the "hostile period." History begins to repeat itself. Rataxes makes his speeches as if he really wants to go to war with Celesteville and the rest of the jungle believes that he does, and Rataxes continues to feel sicker and sicker as he finds himself in the same awful situation. He avoids thinking about it as often as he can, and the more he doesn't think about it, the worse he feels.
Back in Celesteville, Babar finds himself becoming more concerned as well. Pompadour and Cornelius regretfully advise him to prepare for the worst and set up self-defense measures. The children of both kingdoms are worried about what might happen if they go to war, but especially Babar's children and Rataxes' son. Victor is already no longer allowed to visit Celesteville. Many parents begin keeping their kids home from school as the situation escalates.
"You know this whole 'not having to go to school thing' would be a lot more fun if we didn't have to worry about going to war at the same time," Alexander says at the breakfast table one morning. "It kind of takes the fun right out of it." The other children sigh in response.
Babar comes through the kitchen door, looking rather tired. "Good morning children," he says as cheerfully as he can muster.
"Good morning father," they all reply.
"Any luck with Rataxes, Dad?" Pom asks.
Babar sighs, "No, I'm afraid not son."
"Are we gonna' have to go to war daddy?" Isabelle asks worriedly.
"I don't know, princess. I hope not," Babar says as he gives Isabelle a reassuring hug. Babar then heads off to his office again, after grabbing a quick bite, determined to figure out a way to stop the current situation.
Rataxes walks the halls of the Rhinoland palace at night, trying to think about nothing and unable to sleep. He hasn't slept for four days now. The wear of sleepless nights is beginning to show on his face. He walks past a mirror, and sees a reflection, not his own. He sees himself as the previous king of Rhinoland, his uncle Phoebus. A rhino known to the citizens of Rhinoland as a war hero, but to Rataxes he was a monster. He slams his hand into the mirror, open palmed. The mirror cracks and cuts his hand. Rataxes walks on, trying to think of nothing.
The next morning, Rataxes stares at his desk sullenly, holding his hurt hand, while General Pomire and some of his Admirals go over war plans. Rataxes isn't really paying attention. He lets the words roll over him as he continues not to think.
That night, Rataxes finally succumbs to sleep and falls asleep at his desk. Even in sleep, he finds no rest, as events of the far past plague him in his dreams….
….Rataxes is a little boy about Victor's age. Ten or eleven. He is walking through the jungle, his uncle halfway dragging him. The dried vines and leaves crunch under his feet as he is whisked along. Finally, his uncle stops and faces him with a menacing look. "How dare you not cheat! What kind of a rhino are you!? Cheating is a fine rhino tradition!"
"But I don't like cheating. And Dad says-"
SMACK
Phoebus slaps Rataxes across the face hard, bringing tears to the boy's eyes. "Never mind what your dad said! This is Rhinoland, and what I say goes! I'll have none of his namby-pamby hippie nonsense here!" He gives Rataxes a violent shake to emphasize his point as he speaks. "Do you understand me, boy?!" Rataxes begins to cry a bit, angering his uncle more. "What is this? Crying?! If you want to cry, I'll give you something to cry about!" He swiftly grabs Rataxes by the arm and swings him into a nearby tree. Rataxes hits the tree with a crack, as his arm breaks…
….In the waking world, a book falls to the floor and wakes Rataxes from his dream with tears streaming down his cheeks and a haunted look on his face. As he gasps for air, he begins to break down, and as quietly as he can, sobs bitterly.
The next morning, it's more war plans and speeches. Babar calls, but Rataxes refuses to speak with him.
And so it goes for the next month. Rataxes sleeps very little, and when he does he wishes he hadn't. He puts on a stoic front for everyone, including Basil, Victor, and especially Lady Rataxes. He knows that she would worry the most, and in a misguided effort to protect her, tells her nothing. Just like before.
Finally, one evening, General Pomire announces that there war plans are complete and that soon they will be able to attack. Rataxes' blood runs cold as all the thoughts he had been trying to keep out crashed in on him. Visions of the one war campaign of his uncle's that he was witness to swirled in his head. Visions of violence and bloodshed and the perversely giddy look on Phoebus' face as he hacked through enemy soldiers and civilians alike.
Rataxes can't even muster a 'fine' for Pomire. Not that the General minds. He knows full well what he is doing. He intends to bring both the elephants and down and break Rataxes in the process. To birds with one stone, thinks Pomire, wickedly. He leaves Rataxes, gloating mentally all the way.
"Sire, are you sure this is wise? Going to Rhinoland at a time like this? Pompadour asks his friend and king nervously.
"Pompadour, I have to try something. I know the rhinos are close to attacking. If I don't find Rataxes and talk some sense into him…"
Celeste helps Babar into his coat "We know, darling. Just be careful…please."
"I will Celeste," Babar says as he gives her a quick peck on the cheek goodbye.
Flora rushes down the palace steps, rushing to her father before he leaves. "Father, father! I know Rataxes doesn't want to go to war. No matter what he says!" Flora had been wrestling with the idea of telling Babar about the story Rataxes had told her about his past for weeks. But she had felt that she couldn't break her promise. Now she was thinking that maybe she should tell him after all, if only it would stop the war.
"I want to believe that too, Flora," Babar says, kneeling down to his daughter's level.
"But how can we?!" Pompadour interjects, "Those speeches he's been making!"
"Quite right," continues Cornelius, "Perhaps he's just been waiting for an excuse! Babar, I have to agree with Pompadour! I don't think you should be going down to Rhinoland."
Babar sighs, and begins arguing his case for going down to Rhinoland again.
"But, but-" Flora tries to get the grown-ups attention, but they are too wrapped up in their conversation.
After a long rainy ride, Babar finally arrives at the Rhinoland palace. He parks his car a ways down from the palace and makes his way to the back entrance so he can sneak in. After he has made his way to the back door, Flora peeks out from under the blanket in the back seat, unseen by her father. She sneaks out of the car and up to the palace and notices Rataxes heading towards his own car not far from where she is. She makes a quick decision to stowaway in Rataxes' car now. She climbs in the backseat and hides on the backseat floor. Rataxes starts up the car and drives away.
After a while, the car stops and Rataxes gets out. Flora crawls out of the car and sees the ruined remains of the new Rhinoland/Celesteville bridge before her. Rataxes is standing at the edge of it, staring into space. Finally he sits down with a thump and breaks down crying. Flora's heart goes out to him as she hears his miserable sobbing. "Rataxes," she calls out softly, "Are you OK? Rataxes?" She puts her hand on his shoulder, but he seems oblivious to her.
"It's not fair! It's not fair!" cries Rataxes between ragged sobs. "Why is this happening? Why?!" Flora sits down beside him, concerned. "I try to be a good king, but I always fail!! Arrrghh!" He screams in pained frustration as he hits a piece of bridge wreckage with his fist. He hits it over and over until his hand bleeds.
Flora is horrified and shocked. "Stop!! Stop!!" she screams as she grabs him and shakes him to get his attention. Rataxes reacts unexpectedly.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" he screams violently as he shoves her away. Flora lands in the mud, scraping her elbows.
Rataxes comes to his senses as he sees Flora in the mud, beginning to cry. "Flora," he sniffles, "what are you doing here?"
Flora sobs, confused. "I-I just came down to talk to you" she sniffles. "I know you don't want to go to war…" she begins crying a little again. "Why are you doing this?"
Rataxes sits facing her with his knees to his chest. He reaches out like he wants to comfort her, but can't bear to touch her. Rataxes' eyes well up with tears again as he says, "I don't know…I just don't know how to deal with a failure this big. The one thing I've tried to do is keep this country out of war. I've compromised so many morals, and I was OK with that, as long as I did this one good thing. But here we are again. About to go to war…and I just can't seem to stop it. I almost didn't stop it the last time this happened. If it hadn't been for Lady Rataxes, I wouldn't have. I wouldn't even be here now."
"Why? Were you going to leave?" Flora asked timidly.
"In a way…" Rataxes said with a pained look on his face and the crook of a smile forming as he tries to find the humor of the situation.
"In what way?"
"I couldn't handle the pressure. I tried to…y'know…off myself," Rataxes finished.
Flora gets a concerned look on her face "What do you mean?"
Rataxes sighs and decides to fall back on using humor too ease the unpleasantness, even if it only benefits himself "I mean, suicide with a capital S." He puts the back of his hand to his forehead. "But alas, Lady Rataxes came in and stopped me before I could do it." He sighs and speaks normally again, without the humor. "She made me promise not to try something like that again. But I'd still do it right now…if it weren't for Victor. With my luck he'd be the one to find me. Besides, it probably wouldn't do any good anyway…" Flora stares at him, eyes widened. Rataxes continued, "After all, my wife was right…it didn't solve anything when my aunt did it. Just left more of a mess." He flickers back to humor (albeit, dark humor). "But it sure is tempting…boy I sure would like me some death," Rataxes chuckles to himself and then notices Flora's expression and stops. He then turns to look out across the bridge.
Flora sits there awhile, not knowing what to say and trying to deal with the information she had just received. Finally, she finds her voice, "Is that your aunt you were telling me about before all this happened? The one who died?"
"Yes…"
"Did you find her…?"
"Yes." He turns around, "It's what started this whole mess for me. If she hadn't done that, then I wouldn't have had to take her place! Uncle Phoebus would have left me alone and she would be Queen and I wouldn't have to deal with any of this!" Rataxes finishes with a bitter look on his face. Then he closes his eyes. "But it's so hard to be angry with her. It's hard to be angry with someone you loved."
"Yes," Flora agrees and then asks softly, "But,…why did she kill herself?"
Rataxes begins pacing around and waving his arms as he rants "She killed herself because of a kind of situation like the one I'm in! But she was even more pathetic. She was so desperate to please my uncle that she finally went on a war campaign with him and gave it all she got. But she just couldn't live with herself afterwards. You see, my uncle was a take no prisoners kind of king so she undoubtedly killed a lot of people. He was so proud of her when they came back. But she looked so…haunted. I can't blame her and I can't hate her. But it's still not fair…it's just not fair…" Rataxes trails off as he stops pacing, sits down, and begins crying. As rain continues to poor down on them he says "I'm sorry Flora. I'm sorry. You're just a little girl. You don't deserve to have all this dumped on you. I'm sorry…for everything."
"It's ok. Don't cry," Flora reaches over to put her hand on his shoulder again, but he scoots away. Flora continues, "You know, this isn't the first sad story I've heard. Sad things happen. They happened to my dad. Things even as bad as this."
"What do you mean," Rataxes asked sniffing.
"Well…His mother was killed by the hunter, and he told us, me and my brothers, about it and we aren't scarred for life," explains Flora. "In fact, it was positive experience, because he was…teaching us life lessons. He's always telling us stories to try and help us with our problems or help us understand something, and they aren't always happy."
Moments pass as Rataxes mulls that over. He had forgotten about Babar's mother. All of the sudden, Rataxes head jerks up. "Hey, how did you get here anyway?!"
"I stowed away in your car," Flora replied matter of factly.
"But how did you get to Rhinoland to stow away in my car in the first place?" queried Rataxes as he knitted his eyebrows.
"I stowed away in my father's car. He came down here to talk to you. He snuck in the backdoor to your palace before I saw you."
Rataxes snaps to attention. "What!? Is he nuts!?"
"That's what Pompadour and Cornelius said," Flora replied with a quizzical expression.
"Well, we'd better get down to the palace and find him before anyone else does!" Rataxes says as he stands up.
"Why?" asked Flora.
"Because he'll be in big trouble if anyone finds him! Especially if that someone is General Pomire!"
"Is he really in that much danger? What could General Pomire do?"
"Yes, he is and he could do a lot!" Rataxes replied emphatically. "Come on!" Rataxes grabs Flora's hand and heads for his car. Thunder crashes above their heads as they peel away from the bridge and towards the palace.
--- End of Chapter Three
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