The Throne of Flame: Chapter Five


"This has got to be the most serious attempt I've seen to assassinate Julien since we left Madagascar…" Maurice sighed, a paw raking over the fur on his forehead. He was clearly stressed, almost to the extent that it affected Skipper. "I thought we'd gotten away from that whole thing, but apparently not."

Skipper's frown tightened at the words of the king's advisor. Assassination was a significant operation, and he knew that from personal experience. "You can't be serious, Maurice. Come on, you're smart - for a mammal… No one has ever seriously attempted to assassinate Julien, right? He's a nobody."

Maurice glanced up at him, curiously, before his expression turned wary and vexed. "Skipper, he's a king. And believe me, some are hungrier for the throne than you could even imagine. It's a wonder he's kept it so long." He finished his sentiment grimly, seemingly not so satisfied with the negative tone of his own words. A visible shudder raked through his body, and it was evident that he wasn't pleased with the idea of imagining Julien's death.

"King of the lemurs," Skipper muttered with a tense sigh, rubbing the side of his head in his own form of irritation, trying to fight off the headache forming. "That's like trying to say that the red lemur from Hoboken - Clemson - should be taken seriously. Remember that guy? If that's the level of threat we're facing, I don't think we have to worry. Lemurs are a small group on an island barely anyone knows about. I don't see how it's a big deal."

"I know you don't." Maurice sighed in exasperation. "But you gotta trust me on this one, Skipper. It's big business, so big that even your covert penguin stuff might not be enough to handle it. And I say that knowin' that you guys don't take things lightly."

"What do you suggest, then? How exactly do you want us to get into contact with this 'old friend' of yours?" Skipper didn't try to hide the sting of insult from his tone. Very few had the nerve to belittle his operations, but Maurice was an honest man. He wouldn't say so unless he sincerely believed it was true, which was almost offensive in itself.

"That's just the problem. She's in Madagascar, and it's not like they have phones or nothin' back there." He muttered, sounding absolutely miserable. His idea clicked with Skipper right before he said it. "We'd have to meet with her in person."

"Negative." Skipper immediately denied. "That's over 7000 miles of sea, Maurice. You can't seriously think we'd make that sort of trek over this. Especially when the culprit is probably right here in New York."

"No, that's what I'm saying. We need to get out of here, because it's not safe. And I guarantee you, they didn't come from around here, so they won't be eager to leave so soon. The longer we stay, the more reinforcements they'll probably bring." Maurice explained, patience waning. "We have to go, and we have to go asap."

Skipper rose a brow, forcing down the urge to scoff. "Reinforcements? We're still talking about someone wanting to hurt Julien, right? No one's going to put that much effort in for ringtail. That aside, what makes you think they're not from New York?"

Eerily, Maurice turned away, his vision instead focused on Marlene's pool of water. His voice became quiet and dark. "This wouldn't be the first time."

Skipper went silent at that, his eyes narrowing. Normally, he was the one to be overblown and paranoid about his enemies. It was odd to have the tables turned, and he certainly didn't like the feeling. Nor did he like feeling as though those he protected were inconsolable. Reluctantly, he considered the idea. A trip to Madagascar would be a harsh, difficult maneuver, but it could be done. Still, he wasn't particularly keen on leaving the zoo on such short notice.

There was always the holograph Kowalski had perfected of them doing their smiling and waving routine, but there was no way to compensate for the lemurs… A cleverly fabricated zoo transfer file would do the trick, and they would probably leave Mort behind. Skipper didn't want the little lemur to tag along, being that it would be a dangerous trip, but he also wasn't particularly content with the idea of leaving him by himself. He could always bunk with Marlene, but Skipper had no idea how she would feel about that arrangement.

That, and leaving would require a lot of materials. A huge bulk of machinery to build a submarine, and a way out of the zoo in the first place. They would have to steal a car and find some way to lug a great deal of metal to the beach, and on top of that, they would only be able to build it once they arrived at the shore, all while remaining inconspicuous about the whole endeavor. It didn't sound like fun.

He groaned as he rubbed his head once more, feeling like perhaps this whole operation was just too much. He wasn't one to get overwhelmed by work, but all this over someone trying in what may have been a one-time attempt to kill King Julien? It seemed silly at best. Initially he'd taken the matter seriously when having seen the bruises around Julien's neck, but perhaps even those were superficial.

"Madagascar is the safest place he could be right now." Maurice stated, interrupting Skipper's elaborate thoughts. "There's… There's no safer place on this planet for him…"

He trailed off, and for a moment Skipper almost felt concerned for Maurice's well being instead of Julien's. He'd forgotten how much the royal advisor cared for his king. He must have been internally torn up about the whole situation. It was, truthfully, his job to be by the king's side at all times. Still, Skipper wondered why Maurice had done nothing while the king was strangled next to him, but the answer was apparent as he recalled how regretful Maurice was when he'd seen Julien. He must've wanted to do something, but had been frozen in fear. It was common amongst mammals, Skipper surmised, and he released a quiet huff. Maurice was trying to compensate for his guilt, more likely than not. That didn't sit well with the penguin.

"It's an island in the middle of nowhere. You really want us to drop everything and just head out to another continent?" Skipper clarified, voice stony and almost accusing.

Maurice turned to him, as though shaken from a trance, and took an extra moment to respond. Yet, when he did, it was with such utmost certainty that it almost entirely convinced Skipper. "Yes."

Skipper frowned and his eyes were back on the night sky once more. He didn't understand why Maurice was so adamant about this. He knew that the lemur was frightened, but 7000 miles seemed a long way to go to contact someone who may or may not be able to help with a situation that may or may not be dangerous. Couldn't they just as easily solve the operation in New York?

Sensing his confused trepidation, Maurice pleaded. "Our homeland is Madagascar. We have the upper hand there. I doubt that whoever this is is from Madagascar; we'll know the terrain, we'll know where to hide Julien when they try again. Most importantly, we'll have the ringtail guard to keep him safe no matter what. These assassins aren't playing around, Skipper, so we can't, either."

Despite how much he felt unsure with the bulk of what Maurice was saying, Skipper felt a grin tug at his features. Toughness was the fastest way to his heart. "You wanna play hardball with the enemy, huh? I like it."

Hope filled Maurice's face. "So… You'll take us to Madagascar?"

"I didn't say that." Skipper deflected, but he still rubbed over his beak in thought. "...But what you say makes sense, mostly. I just don't know if it's worth the work we'll put in."

Maurice hopped forward, desperate at this point and willing to show it. "W-we can make it worth your time! What do you want?"

Skipper held up a flipper with a grimace that was almost disgusted. "Whoa, that's not what I meant. I don't need compensation. I'm just saying, do you really think that this is as serious as you're making it out to be? Be completely honest, Maurice."

Maurice didn't hesitate, his features lacking any sense of dishonesty. "Yes. Someone wants to kill him, and I can't let that happen."

He resisted mentioning that Maurice almost did let it happen, knowing he'd only further agitate the situation. Instead, Skipper mulled over this. He wasn't entirely convinced, and despite the convoluted nature of the operation itself, he knew that it would probably be in Julien's best interest. It was, afterall, better to be safe than sorry.

Maurice had proven himself ineffective in saving the king this time, so who was to say that he would have any use in the future? If the trip to Madagascar weren't made, it still meant that Skipper would have to remain in Julien's habitat (or worse, Julien in his) to keep a watchful eye over the lemur.

Skipper was instantly reminded of Julien's bizarre behavior regarding him back in Marlene's habitat. It was odd to say the least, the way that Julien had shown such strangely indiscreet yet concealed dishonesty. It was like he knew something that the rest of them didn't, and yet the same time, didn't know anything at all. Or at least, he wanted to give off the impression of one of those two, and Skipper honestly wasn't sure which was more believable. He settled with the latter; Julien was, effectively, an airhead.

Aside from being power hungry (to rule over a bunch of lemurs - something Skipper still found difficult to believe), whoever wanted Julien dead probably knew how idiotic the king was. Skipper persuaded away the smile twitching at his beak, knowing it would only look out of place when he was still evidently contemplating Maurice's request. Regardless, Julien was helpless on his own, that much was apparent from the way Julien begged him for protection. When he thought over it, it was almost a stroke to his confidence, the way that Julien took Skipper as the best fit for the job.

A frown replaced his amused expression. But he had accepted the role of Julien's bodyguard, and that meant that it was his duty to do what was in the king's best interest. A soft groan rumbled from his throat. Once again, he asked himself what he'd gotten into, but it was futile when Maurice stepped forward, apparently becoming impatient.

"So… A yes?" Maurice questioned hopefully.

Skipper looked to him, and felt almost guilty for having kept the fearful aye-aye waiting. He was probably more perturbed by Julien's near-death-experience than anyone else, even more so than Julien himself (judging by how the king was probably still sitting on Marlene's bed, sipping an empty cup). The penguin commando shrugged with a lengthy sigh.

"More like an I don't know." He admit. "I understand that you're scared, but… I'm just not so sure that we really need to go to Madagascar to make sure he's safe. Maybe we should wait it out, see if they're really serious about it. Who knows; we could've scared them off already."

Maurice looked far from convinced. "Skipper… I don't know that we'll have that sort of time. They could strike again, at any m-"

An ear-splitting scream interrupted Maurice's warning, proving it correct. The two of them jumped at the noise, turning towards the cave. Maurice was stiff as a board, wide eyed and horrified, but Skipper was instantly on the move. He turned to him with a stern glare.

"What are you standing there for? Come on!" He demanded, but was met with silence.

Maurice's only movement was a violent tremble that danced through his entire system, and Skipper realized that he must have been frozen in fear - again. A lot of good that did them. Not wanting to waste any more time, he turned and belly-slid into Marlene's cave, having no idea what to expect.