Knight Errand, chapter three

   
Antoine returned to the cave where he had spent the night to retrieve his knapsack, which he had almost forgotten in fit of his anger at Stormblaze's deception. That done, he and Stormblaze were really ready to be off now. It was a fresh new start for them both, and Antoine was eager to get on Stormblaze's good side after his earlier faux pas.
   
"What is it that we are to be doing today, Stormblaze?" He asked as he and the unicorn strolled through the forest side by side.
   
"We will be going south, to a small hamlet called Rose Creek." Stormblaze replied. He had been pleased to discover that Antoine had a map on his person, as prior to meeting him he had to rely on directions from other Mobians he ran into. Good maps could be hard to come by in these times, as he had discovered. "I have learned that there is a former member of the Order of Ixis living there, and would like to question him regarding Poe and his plans."
   
"Like an interrogation, oui?" Antoine thoughtfully asked.
   
Stormblaze shrugged casually. "More or less."
   
"I have never been interrogating someone before. Is it being hard?"
   
"That depends. Have you ever cut off someone's ear in order to force him to talk before?"
   
When Antoine froze, staring at Stormblaze in horrified disbelief, the unicorn quickly raised his hands, an apologetic look on his face. "It was only a joke. I would never do anything like that."
   
Antoine relaxed. "Do not be scaring moi like that!" He scolded Stormblaze, who began laughing.
   
Managing to rein his amusement in, Stormblaze replied, "Alright, alright, I apologize. No harm was meant."
   
Antoine wasn't particularly mad at Stormblaze for his joke just then - now rather annoyed, sure. He himself had never been much for making jokes, after all. But he couldn't remain irritated for long. He was still eaten up with curiosity about his traveling companion. Unless he happened to be deliberately ignoring someone, long silences were not comfortable for Antoine. Therefore he was quick to speak to up once more. "I was telling you about ma famille earlier, but you have not been saying much about your own. I would like to be hearing more about them. Um, if you are not minding speaking of them, that is."
   
"Never shy away from asking questions. They are a good way of learning." Stormblaze sagely stated. "If I find your inquiry too forward or personal, then I simply shall not answer."
   
Emboldened by that, Antoine asked, "What are your father and mother being like? Are you having any siblings?"
   
"I am an only child, so I have never known what it is like to have a sibling. Both my parents still live. My father serves as a knight in the queen's war band, while my mother is a professional healer. My father believes that I am only trying to flee my problems on Avalonia by leaving there. I merely do not see any point in continuing to live in a place where a majority of the populace loathes me."
   
"Are you and your father not getting along then?"
   
Stormblaze gave him a sidelong glance. "I do not dislike my father or anything like that, if that is what you are inquiring. We simply do not see eye-to-eye on certain matters."
   
"It is being good that you and your father are not hating one another. I think it is sad when anyone does not like their own parents."
   
"Well, I have heard of and even known some Mobians who possess reasons for hating their parents that are actually quite valid, but I believe you are ultimately right."
   
As they continued to pleasantly chat with one another, Stormblaze found he liked talking with Antoine. When not being pretentious like before when talking about his imaginary exploits, Antoine was actually an interesting and surprisingly honest conversationalist, even if he tended to be overly serious and naive. Earlier, Stormblaze wondered if he had gone too far with his trick. True, Antoine was full of himself and had tried to deceive him, but ultimately he was harmless. Still, perhaps the ruse had served its purpose of teaching him that puffery was a fool's game.
   
Stormblaze decided it would be prudent to try and determine where Antoine's talents lay. If he was going to be teaching him, then he needed to know what specific areas Antoine needed help in and whether or not he had any skills under his belt already. "What of your strengths?"
   
Somewhat surprised by the query, Antoine craned his neck to look up at Stormblaze. "You mean how strong I am being? Not very."
   
Stormblaze shook his head. "Not that sort of strength. I mean what sorts of skills and talents do you possess?"
   
"Um…" Antoine thought for a minute. "Nothing. I am not super-fast like Sonic, I am not brave, I cannot fly, and I am not a good leader. I was trying to help one of mes amis in his workshop before, but I messed that up too." His ears drooped at the memory.
   
"Everyone has something that they're good at," Stormblaze said reassuringly. "Take me for example. I've been using a longbow since I was ten summers. Now I can shoot an apple off of someone's head from over fifty feet away." Smiling a little, he mimed firing a longbow.
   
Wide-eyed, Antoine regarded Stormblaze. That was extraordinary. "How can I be finding something I am good at?" He asked, intrigued by what Stormblaze was saying. If he could discover a useful skill that he and only he possessed, then it could really help him and the other Freedom Fighters!
   
"I'm afraid that is something you shall have to discover on your own," He replied, much to Antoine's disappointment. "But I do believe you are stronger then what you think yourself to be."
   
Antoine's cynical countenance spoke volumes about what he thought of that.
   
"Do you believe I jest? Consider this then. If you were a true coward, then you how could you bring yourself to go with your band every time they embarked on a mission? A true coward would have run and hid somewhere, but instead you continued getting into the thick of things."
   
"That is not being the same thing. The princess, Sonic, Rotor, Dulcy and Bunnie are still all being braver then moi." Antoine moodily said, kicking at a small stone in his path.
   
"My mentor once told me that it is not how one feels that makes them brave, but their actions." Stormblaze calmly insisted. "You will come to see this in time."
   
Antoine still wasn't so sure about that. He supposed it was a miracle that he had somehow managed to continue going out on missions with the other Freedom Fighters, but he believed destroying SWATBots and leading raids into Robotropolis against Robotnik was an entirely different animal from just trailing after the real heroes. He couldn't understand why Stormblaze, who was still largely a stranger to him, was so willing to place his faith in him when no one else was.
     
After this conversation, they mostly continued on in silence. When a couple of hours had flown by, Stormblaze glanced over at Antoine. In spite of the fact that his normally neatly-coiffed hair was now tousled and it was plain to see that he was exhausted, to his credit Antoine hadn't complained a bit. If he was trying to impress Stormblaze, then it was working. Stormblaze himself felt as though he could last several more miles. Unicorns were not camels, but could travel on foot for an entire day if they had the appropriate amount of rest, food, and water along the way. But it would certainly be selfish of him to ignore Antoine's plight, especially when he was clearly making such an effort to get on his good side.
     
"Perhaps we should stop, little wolf? I would hate to have to drag you the rest of the way there." Stormblaze wryly offered. "Little wolf" was the rather curious nickname Stormblaze had bestowed upon Antoine, though the latter certainly liked it better then "Ant" or "Antsy", both of which Sonic used for him and were meant to be derogatory. When Antoine had asked Stormblaze how he had come up with the nickname, he pointed out that dogs and coyotes were related to wolves.
     
Panting, Antoine nodded his agreement. They wound up stopping alongside a babbling brook that cut through the forested landscape. There along the bank, the trees weren't quite as dense as elsewhere, allowing sunlight to reflect off the water's surface and lend it a brilliant white glimmer. Antoine used his knapsack as a headrest as he sprawled out on the grass and laid there while Stormblaze settled down near the bank.
   
Deciding that now would be an opportune time for a snack, Stormblaze plucked a handful of grass and chewed it, savoring the fresh, slightly sweet flavor. As he helped himself to some more, he caught Antoine staring at him like he had suddenly grown an extra head or something.
     
"Er, I am having some food if you are wanting some." Antoine offered, sitting up as he made to open his knapsack.
   
"Quite unnecessary. For the moment, anyways," Stormblaze smirked, waving him off. "Unicorns eat grass."
   
"Oh. Er, pardon moi, but it is just that I have never seen anyone eat grass before." Clearly Antoine was slightly embarrassed by his lack of knowledge on the subject, but Stormblaze didn't fault him for it. He really didn't expect him to know much about the eating habits of unicorns.
   
"You should try some. spring grass really is quite flavorful. And there are so many wonderful varieties." The unicorn said before helping himself to another mouthful.
   
Disgusted, Antoine wrinkled his nose before noticing Stormblaze's playful smile and smiling a bit himself. He really enjoyed talking with Stormblaze. It was wonderful to be able to speak with someone who didn't act as though he was stupid, were dismissive of him, or otherwise treated him cruelly. The only other Mobians whom he felt he like he could converse with on a similar level were Bunnie, Rosie, and Tails.
   
Once Stormblaze had had his fill, he pointed to the sabre hanging from Antoine's sword belt. "How well can you wield that?"
   
"Not very well." Antoine hesitantly admitted. "I was not finishing my training because I was having to leave La Valette for my safety."
   
"Then we will have to remedy that, won't we?"
   
"You mean you will be teaching
moi how to be a better swordsman then?" Antoine regarded him hopefully.
   
Stormblaze smirked again. "I will. May I?" He glanced at the sabre again.
   
Understanding what he was requesting, Antoine slid the sabre from out its sheath and handed it over to Stormblaze. In his massive hand, the sword almost looked like a long curved dagger due to being crafted for a much shorter wielder. He thoroughly studied the entirety of the blade, examining it and testing its heft. Then he stood and expertly spun the sabre around before performing a few experimental feints with it. The weapon whistled like the wind as Stormblaze pretended to slice and stab at invisible targets.
   
Turning back to Antoine, who had sat up in order to better see the display, Stormblaze returned the sabre, seriously commenting, "A fine weapon this is."
   
Antoine couldn't help but grin with pride at the compliment. When the refugees from Castle Acorn had arrived in Knothole, they found that the village had already been prepared for the arrival of inhabitants, having been used by the royal family as a secret retreat on prior occasions. Among other things, there was a cache of weapons hidden there. It was in this cache that Antoine had discovered something special: a handsome sabre stored inside a sword case. It appeared to be entirely brand new and unused, and with Antoine being the only (novice) swordsman in the group, he had immediately claimed it as his own. However, Rosie and Cat wouldn't let him actually handle the sabre until he was thirteen, fearing for his safety as well as that of the other youngsters. Before then though, he had often spent time cleaning and polishing the weapon, waiting for the day when he would finally be able to wield it like a true knight in defense of the kingdom.
   
"A knight must always be keeping his blade in good condition, no?" He proudly said before adding, "Er… well, a future knight."
   
"Indeed." Antoine's quick amendment made Stormblaze lightly smile in amusement.
   
Antoine suddenly remembered something Stormblaze had mentioned earlier which had piqued his curiosity. "You said you were having a mentor before. Who is he?" He asked.
   
When Stormblaze did not immediately answer, Antoine wondered if he had heard him. He noticed Stormblaze seemed to be staring at something in the sky, but when he followed his line of sight, didn't see anything of note.
   
He started to repeat his query again when Stormblaze finally answered, "Sir Connery."
   
"The Sir Connery?"
   
Seeing Antoine's awed expression, Stormblaze couldn't contain another wisecrack. For him, it was just too fun to tease the poor boy. "You know, if you keep doing that, something's going to end up flying right into your mouth."

   
Not catching the joke, Antoine quickly shut his mouth, revolted by the thought of an insect or something winding up in his mouth. But he was unable contain his zeal for long and just had to start talking again. "He is only being one of the greatest knights ever to serve King Acorn! Everyone was thinking he had been killed or roboticized like all the others! How did you meet him?" In his excitement, he had begun hustling back and forth and gesticulating wildly.
   
A Fresian horse, Sir Connery had served under Antoine's father, and the two had been close friends. When Robotnik had struck, Sir Connery was away visiting an ill cousin in another kingdom, and had not been seen since. There were dark whispers that he’d either turned coward or was too ashamed by the fact that he had not been present to protect his liege to return to the Acorn Kingdom, but Antoine refused to believe any of that. A true hero like Sir Connery would never give up or run away when innocents were in danger, he believed. Antoine had always hoped and prayed that Connery would return someday to assist the Freedom Fighters in their struggle.
   
Stormblaze placidly waited for Antoine to calm down somewhat before beginning his tale. "Well, this occurred well before I was sent to recover the Deep Power Stones, when I had just arrived on the mainland from Avalonia. I was walking alone when I heard the sounds of combat nearby and decided to investigate. As it turns out, it was Sir Connery in the midst of battle with several SWATBots. I was caught up in the fighting when one of the robots noticed me, but together he and I made short work of them. Afterwards, he explained to me about Robotnik, and how he had returned to his kingdom only to find it overrun by smoke-spewing factories and hostile robots, and his friends nowhere to be found."
   
"Now, you should probably know that in those days I was… er, not as… composed as I am now." Obviously the unicorn found this revelation to be an embarrassing one. Clearing his throat after his minor pause, he continued. "Anyways, Connery told me that he was trying to raise a resistance against Robotnik. I plainly told him that I was not interested in his fight and continued on my way. Neither Robotnik nor his sympathizers were pleased that we had destroyed so many of his precious SWATBots, so a larger contingent of soldiers was sent after me. Being careless and arrogant, I foolishly allowed myself to be caught in an ambush. Let me tell you, I would not be here speaking to you today were it not for Connery. He happened to be in the area at the time and saved my life. The experience thoroughly humbled me, and I decided to travel with him from then on. He taught me much." He stopped again.
   
"What happened?" Antoine cautiously asked. Stormblaze's sudden silence struck him as rather ominous.
   
"Well, we did manage to raise a resistance group. As you can imagine, soon there were patrols out searching everywhere for us. At the time, we were hiding in Dacia with an old nobleman friend of Connery's. As you may already be aware of, Dacia is a mountainous region, and this fellow's home was built up in the mountains. That treacherous bastard had been working for Robotnik the entire time." Although Stormblaze's face had become expressionless, almost rigid, the quiet rage in his voice actually frightened Antoine a little. "My telempathy warned me there was something not quite right about him, though I could not ascertain what exactly, but Connery reassured me he could be trusted. Still though, I decided I would not rest until I could prove my suspicions were correct."
   
"While we rested, the noble told Robotnik we were at his home, and he sent his troops to apprehend us. I had decided that Connery could be trusted with my secret and finally told him exactly how I knew the nobleman was not trustworthy. I recall him being surprised, yet not greatly so – he told me that he’d found my ignorance of the outside world rather peculiar. Anyways, we managed to escape the manor and head down a trail that was beside a steep cliff, but the enemy was numerous, so Connery told me to go ahead while he covered our escape. The ground in the area must have been unstable. It collapsed beneath their combined weight. Connery ended up falling into the chasm below, but succeeded in taking a number of the fiends with him."
   
Antoine was speechless. No wonder Stormblaze had been so hesitant to discuss Sir Connery. Antoine couldn't believe that he was actually dead. For a moment his heart had thrilled at the idea of the distinguished knight being out there somewhere fighting Robotnik. His heart went out to Stormblaze. He had obviously grown close to Sir Connery in the time he had known him. Saying "I'm sorry for your loss" just didn't seem like enough.
   
Finally, Antoine swallowed hard, hoping that what he was going to say would not only be appropriate but comforting as well. "My father… he was always saying that Sir Connery was a great knight and a great Mobian. He was being a hero to the end."
   
Stormblaze didn't respond verbally, but acknowledged Antoine with a nod of his head. After a moment he asked, "Your father knew Connery personally then?"
   
"They were serving together under the king and were also being good amis."
   
"Hmm. You know, it is rather funny that your father and my mentor worked together." Stormblaze thoughtfully remarked.<,br>
   
Antoine scratched his head, his expression quizzical. "Er… funny ha-ha?" He couldn't see how this was a laughing matter.
   
"No, funny as in ironic. In this case, irony refers to a quirk of fate. See, Connery was one of your father's men, and then he became my mentor. Now I am training you."
   
Now understanding him, Antoine nodded. "Now that you are mentioning it, I suppose it is."
   
"Well, shall we depart?" Stormblaze asked. "I believe we have dawdled here long enough."
   
Antoine agreed. Before leaving, he decided to refill his canteen, which was running low. Unclasping the item from where it was hooked onto his knapsack, he approached the stream.
   
"Wait." He stopped as Stormblaze came to stand at the water's edge.
   
"I was not going to be drinking it now…" Antoine began to explain. He knew all about the dangers of not boiling water from streams and the like before drinking it: this had been drilled into the Freedom Fighters' heads from the time they were small. He trailed off when he saw Stormblaze get down on his hands and knees and lower his head towards the flowing water. The tip of his horn broke the surface, causing it to gently ripple at the sudden intrusion. As Antoine watched in wonder and fascination, waves of bright white light began to emanate from his horn, joining the already-present ripples in spreading across the body of water.
   
Antoine realized what was happening. He remembered being a pup when Rosie told him and the other children about one of the most famous powers of unicorns, the ability to cleanse liquids of impurities. "Ah! You are pureeing the water!" He exclaimed.
   
Standing, Stormblaze looked over at Antoine as he dusted his hands off. The white light in the water was now slowly fading away. "Purifying the water," He corrected. "We unicorns call it water-conning. But you are correct. I decided to save you the trouble and determine if this burn was clean or not. My horn detected some impurities, but they are gone now. Try it now."
   
Antoine studied the stream to see if it looked any different from before. It didn't. Where the current wasn't churning white as it rushed downstream, the stony bottom could be clearly seen. He scooped some water into his cupped hands and tried it. His face brightened. "This is the best water I have ever had!"
   
Watching the coydog fill his canteen, a smile dawned on Stormblaze's muzzle. "I would hope so, or else my powers are getting rusty." He waited until Antoine was finished before the both of them started off.
   
As the pair walked together, Stormblaze reflected on what he had learned so far as well as the situation at hand. The last thing he wanted to do was drag a poorly trained mortal who had his whole life ahead of him into a dangerous situation, so teaching Antoine the art of combat was a must. He knew it was going to be tricky, juggling the hunt for the Deep Power Stones and trying to train Antoine at the same time. But still, he believed training Antoine was something his mentor would have wanted him to do. He imagined Sir Connery would be pleased to learn that Stormblaze had imparted the knowledge he had learned from him onto another Mobian who needed it. Antoine was certainly someone in need of guidance: whenever Stormblaze looked at him, he was reminded of a young aervwinger that hadn't learned how to fly yet and was grounded in the middle of a storm with no place to go. Rather like himself before departing Avalonia. He saw that Antoine had the makings of a great warrior within him, but would very likely have a long road to travel before he could claim such a title.
   
'No one should ever have to weather life's trials alone.' he thought.
________________________________________
   
It was only the third day of their journey when Stormblaze, sensing moistness in the wind, told Antoine that he suspected a rainstorm would be heading their way soon, but he knew of a place where they could stay the night.
   
Antoine followed Stormblaze as he led him through heavily overgrown forest a trail that, at times, was difficult for even someone of his small stature to maneuver through. When he thought he couldn't go any further, Antoine saw they were nearing a fallen tree trunk in a clearing. What made this log different from any of the other ones in the area was that it was a spiritwood, a tree related to the great sequoias and redwoods of the western coast, as its massive size indicated. Another thing which set the spiritwood log apart was that it had been converted into a bar/inn. A double row of shuttered windows lined its sides, and a simple wooden door had been cut into the stump, with a canopy constructed over it to protect customers from the elements. A sign hanging over the door announced in bold red letters 'The Watering Hole'.
   
Antoine and Stormblaze stood under the canopy as Stormblaze rapped on the door three times. A section of wood that had been covering a narrow slot made into the door was suddenly pulled aside, and two reddened eyes glared suspiciously out at them.
   
"Password?" A deep, slightly muffled voice grunted from behind the door.
   
"Acorn ale." Stormblaze replied without hesitation.
   
The sound of numerous locks and latches being undone could be heard, then the door opened to reveal a large stocky pig standing there. 'He looks intimidating.' Antoine nervously thought, but he took comfort in the fact that Stormblaze was noticeably taller, plus appeared to be completely unconcerned by the pig's presence. The pig stepped aside to let them through.
   
"Here we are." Stormblaze announced, spreading his arms wide as he gestured around the Watering Hole's interior. "Now, this is what I call atmosphere!"
   
Antoine looked around. A dimly lit room that looked as if it could do with a good thorough cleaning, occupied by some rather disreputable-looking Mobians who were either sitting at the bar or at tables hunched sullenly over their tankards - he failed to see the appeal.
   
Realizing that Antoine was less than impressed, Stormblaze simply said, "It grows on you, trust me." He instructed Antoine to go wait at an empty table in the back of the room while he went to pay the barkeep, a tough-looking toad, for a room for the night.
   
With that done, Stormblaze came to join Antoine, settling down in a chair to his left. "In honor of our new partnership, let us have drinks tonight."
   
"Drinks? That is sounding good." Antoine replied, pleased. It would be a nice change of pace from water.
   
A barmaid, a full-figured but fairly curvaceous guinea pig, approached their table. "Alright boys, what'll it be tonight?" She amiably asked.
   
Since Antoine had never been to the Watering Hole before, Stormblaze figured he would order for them both. But before he could speak, Antoine suddenly piped up. "Are you having coquilles saint-jacques here, mademoiselle?"
   
Bemused, the guinea pig raised an eyebrow. "… No, I don't think we have whatever it was you just said."
   
Stormblaze touched his companion, who was looking slightly miffed by the waitress' reply, on the shoulder. "If I may? I am more familiar with the cuisine here, after all." He turned to the waitress. "A couple of acorn ales, fried potatoes, vegetable stew, and soda bread please."
   
Antoine, having expected something along the lines of soda or juice of some sort, was surprised to learn the drinks were actually going to be alcoholic. Princess Sally frowned on the idea of any of the Knothole Freedom Fighters drinking, partly because she wanted everyone to keep on their toes and thought that alcohol would have the opposite effect on them.
   
The guinea pig nodded as she quickly jotted the order down in the little notepad she carried on her, then headed behind the bar and back into the kitchen. In a little while she returned, carrying a tray that had two frosty glass mugs filled with a rich amber-colored frothy liquid, a platter of chopped fried potatoes, four loaves of warm soda bread, and a set of vegetable soup-filled bowls on it. She set the tray down on the table between them before leaving to attend to other customers.
   
Taking one mug for himself, Stormblaze pushed the other in Antoine's direction with a grin. "Wait until you try this. It's actually named in honor of your King Acorn, you know."
   
"I am not knowing about this… Just how clean are these cups being?" Antoine asked, picking up his mug and peering closely at it.
   
Stormblaze had already started eating, but stopped to glance over at Antoine. "Clean enough. Listen little wolf, if you spend all your time fretting about the little things, then you're never going to enjoy life. So I recommend that you just sit back, relax, and enjoy your meal."
   
Still unsure, Antoine set the drink aside for the moment and decided to try some of the food. However, he found most of it far too greasy for his palette, like he did Sonic's repulsive chili dogs. Tentatively, he picked up his mug again and took a careful whiff of the ale. The tart scent was interesting, to say the least. The few occasions he’d ever smelled anything like it before was when he had snuck into La Valette's wine cellar with a few friends to sneak a taste of the alcohol kept there, but the boys had been discovered and chased out by one of the cooks before they could do anything.
   
Antoine took an experimental taste. Then had several more. It wasn't all that bad, really. He had to admit, being able to drink like this did make him feel more like an adult rather than some silly teenager. As he drank, he could feel an odd but pleasant sensation of warmth and relaxation slowly wash over him.
   
Noticing his companion's progress, Stormblaze gave him a broad smile of approval. "See? What did I tell you? Care for another?" At Antoine's hasty nod and goofy grin, Stormblaze summoned the barmaid over and ordered a second mug for Antoine, which he eagerly grabbed when she came back with the order.
   
Stormblaze returned to his meal. Due to his healing abilities, which like all unicorns affected his personal health, alcohol did not have the same effect on him as it did other creatures (alcohol was non-existent in unicorn society for the same reason). Therefore, he didn't drink for the intoxicating effects like others did, since he had never really felt anything of the sort before, but for the taste of the brew itself, which he found unique. However, he suddenly found his peaceful meal being interrupted by Antoine's loud talking.
   
"So you were a sailor with the Ducaine navy once? Ha, that is nothing! My ami here is being a real live knight. In fact, we are on a quest to find the Deer Power Stones!"
   
Startled, Stormblaze looked up to find Antoine standing in his chair and engaged in conversation with the occupants of a nearby table, a tall cougar and a scruffy magpie. Reaching over and grabbing Antoine by his shoulder, Stormblaze forced him to turn around and sit down.
   
"Pay him no heed," Stormblaze told the cougar and the magpie, who shrugged and went back to their drinks. Leaning in towards Antoine, Stormblaze sharply whispered, "Cease this behavior!"
   
"But I was just having the… how you say?… chummy conservation with these gentlemen…" Antoine replied, his speech slurred and attitude slightly peevish.
   
Seeing that the contents of Antoine's second mug were just about gone, Stormblaze quickly deduced what the problem was. Somehow, a part of him knew that he probably shouldn't have been too surprised by Antoine's reaction to the Acorn Ale.
   
"You do not know who they are. What if they are aligned with you-know-you?" Stormblaze retorted, still maintaining a lowered voice.
   
"You know who? Who?" Antoine echoed before blinking owlishly in comprehension. "Oh, Ic-Icky Naugus…" He hiccupped, then chortled. "Well, I am not being scared of him!" Without warning he clambered up onto the table and drew his sabre, clumsily thrusting and hacking at the air with it. "I will cut him to riddles!"
   
Now they were drawing stares and earning snickers from the other patrons. The situation would have been humorous were it not for the possibility that a spy working for the Order of Ixis might have been in their midst that very moment watching them. Stormblaze attempted to get him down, but was forced to back off lest he be accidentally cut by Antoine's blade. While of course he could heal himself if he were injured, there were too many witnesses around for his liking. He would have a lot of explaining to do if he were to be wounded and they noticed that he had suddenly stopped bleeding.
   
Finally, Antoine made the mistake of swinging out too far and lost his balance. He would have fallen off the table were it not for Stormblaze, who caught him just in time. The unicorn leveled a severe stare at the inebriated coydog cradled in his arms.
   
"I think it is time for you to be heading off to bed, would you not agree?" He asked, his voice belying his expression.
   
"Bed?" Antoine whined as he tried to focus his vision; he would have sworn he was seeing three Stormblazes just then. "But I am not being sheepy, papa."
   
Stormblaze couldn't get himself and Antoine to the staircase and up to the second floor fast enough, as a roar of laughter erupted from behind them in the den. As he searched for their room, which was located towards the end of the hall, and went in after unlocking the door, he had to put up with a lot of silly and quite frankly embarrassing chatter from Antoine the entire time.
   
Inside the room, Stormblaze dropped Antoine onto one of the beds, earning a grunt of surprise from him. He then had a seat on the edge of the second bed and studied their simple accommodations. In addition to the two (rather small) beds, there was also a stool and a little desk, on top of which sat a lit oil lamp. He was grateful the room included two beds -- he would have hated to sleep on the floor.
   
Stormblaze's keen ears picked up the light drumming of raindrops striking the windowpane. His earlier guess that they would be getting rain had proved correct. He was considering returning downstairs to retrieve the rest of his dinner when Antoine started rambling again. Like before, Stormblaze largely tuned him out, only half-heartedly offering a reply every now and then.
   
Noticing Antoine attempting to sit up, Stormblaze told him, "Go to sleep. No doubt you will feel better in the morning."
   
Clumsily rolling over onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow, Antoine blearily gazed at him. "'Blaze, are you knowing that you are being my bestest  ami in the whole world?"
   
"No I did not. Thank you, Antoine." Stormblaze dryly replied. 'At least he isn't a disagreeable drunk.' he thought.
   
"Sometimes I am not even sure if Bunnie is wanting to be my friend," he continued in a wavering voice, waving a hand through the air. "Since I am being the reason for why she is the way she is."
   
Stormblaze frowned. He remembered Antoine mentioning this Bunnie person to him earlier in their conversations, but he hadn't said anything about there being something wrong with her. Normally, he wasn't the sort to stick his nose in other Mobians' business, believing that if someone had something to tell him then they would do so on their own time, but now he reluctantly found himself wanting to know more about Antoine's connection to Bunnie. "What do you mean that you're the reason for her being the way she is?"
   
With a sigh, Antoine flopped onto his back, resting his head on the pillow as he stared up at the ceiling. "When I was fifteen years old, I was wanting to practice mon bladework, so I went into the Great Forest by myself. When I was hearing what sounded like many Mobians coming towards moi, I thought it was just being Sonic trying to play a joke on moi. So I hid in the bushes, planning to jump out and give him the scare instead. But it was turning out to be a group of ten SWATBots dragging a lapine with them. Even though she could not get away, I could tell she was not being scared. Not one bit. In fact, she was quite angry at them." He couldn't help smiling a little at the memory. That was one of Bunnie's trademarks: her fearlessness in the face of peril. "I was wanting to save her, so I followed them all the way to Robotropolis. I lost sight of her when they took her inside Robotnik's base, since I could not easily be doing the sneaking in after them, and had to wait before making mon move. I was finally able to be finding the room she was in because... because I could hear her screaming! T-they were roboticizing her!" Shutting his eyes tightly, he covered his ears as though he could still hear Bunnie's pained screams even now.
   
"I was wanting to stop them, truly I was, but it was like I could not move. I was being so scared when I saw and heard what was happening I just… was freezing. Somehow I finally came to mes senses. I saw the control panel that controlled the roboticizer nearby and starting tearing out the wires in it. That stopped it. When Snively went to see what was the problem was being, I quickly pulled Bunnie out of that awful machine. She was not being awake, and I took her back to Knothole."
   
By that point, Stormblaze was sitting up stiffly and still as a post as he listened intently to Antoine's story. Sir Connery had explained about roboticization to Stormblaze before, leaving him horror-struck. The very idea of a machine that could transform living flesh into cold metal appalled him. He believed Robotnik to truly be a servant of Mephiles. "Was the girl roboticized?" He tentatively asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
   
"Only her right arm and her legs." Moaning, Antoine covered his eyes with his hands, wailing, "Oh, if only I was not being such a foolish coward, then she still would be normal!"
   
"Antoine, you did not doom her. Do you not see that you saved her?"
   
"Saved her? I was not acting quickly enough to keep her from being taken there in the first place! I am a failure!"
   
Going over to the other bed, Stormblaze grabbed Antoine by his shoulders. "Listen to me," he firmly insisted. "Beating yourself up over this helps neither you nor her. The both of you were outnumbered by the SWATBots. To fight them all would have been absolutely foolhardy, not courageous. You were not the one to roboticize her. That was Snively and Robotnik's doing."
   
Antoine merely sniffled, tears that had been restrained for far too long welling up in his eyes. Stormblaze released him. Taking out a handkerchief from one of his tunic pockets, he handed it to Antoine, who took it and loudly blew his nose. He tried to hand the article of white cloth back to its owner, who quickly put his hands out in front of him, mild disgust making him screw his muzzle up.  
   
"No, you keep that... Or something. Anyways, have you ever spoken to the girl about this matter?"
   
Antoine shook his head. "I-i-it is something we are never really s-speeching of."
   
"Well, perhaps you should try discussing it with her sometime. I think it would help you - and maybe her as well – immensely. It does you no good to keep something so tragic bottled up inside."
   
Antoine nodded as he lay back down. "I will be trying…"
   
"Good," Stormblaze nodded in satisfaction before returning to his own bed. "I will hold you to that. Now, I intend to get some rest for the night, so if you would kindly find another activity aside from talking or feeling sorry for yourself to occupy your time, preferably sleeping, I would appreciate it."
   
Hearing no response, Stormblaze glanced over at Antoine. He had fallen asleep, his chest gently rising and falling as he breathed in and out. The sound of light snoring was audible. Stormblaze impassively considered his dozing form for a moment before finally shaking his head and chuckling quietly to himself. As juvenile and grating as Antoine could be at times, Stormblaze still found himself liking the little mutt, who by extension didn't seem to mind his own quirks too much. Most of the other Avalonian unicorns tended to find Stormblaze's sense of humor tiresome, and his ways of thinking, especially his desire to leave their comfortable island home to explore the rest of Mobius, were alien to them. Stormblaze wanted to help Antoine stay on the right path, especially after what he’d just revealed tonight. After Sir Connery's demise, Stormblaze remembered blaming himself for what had happened and thinking that it should've been him who died that day. Eventually though, he had come to see that he was not at fault for the horse's death, and hoped Antoine would take his advice and understand that the same thing was true of him and Bunnie.
   
"Good night, little wolf."
________________________________________
   
Antoine opened his eyes, then immediately regretted the action. It felt like the light was actually burning its way through them. Wincing, he quickly closed his eyes and rolled over on his stomach, away from the agonizing light. His head was pounding, he felt about as weak as a newborn pup, his stomach was turning flips, and his mouth tasted like he had been chewing on a dirty sock. 'Mon dieu…' He miserably thought.
   
He recognized the scent of fresh air and… two sniffs determined horse... No, on second thought, it wasn't exactly a horse. It was Stormblaze. Cautiously, Antoine partially slid one eyelid open and slowly shifted himself to look around. From his position, he saw a small, modestly furnished room and guessed he was in a bedroom someplace, but where exactly he wasn't sure. His surroundings didn't look familiar at all. He was careful not to look across the room, where the dreadfully bright rays of sunshine were pouring in between the white curtains that framed the open window.
   
"Good morning." A familiar voice dryly greeted from nearby. Antoine was too dizzy to identify the direction that Stormblaze's voice was coming from, and buried his head beneath his pillow instead.
   
"Mon poor head…"
   
"Yes. I believe you have what's known as a hangover. I've never experienced one before, thank the Source, so I can only imagine what it must feel like."
   
To Antoine, it almost sounded like he was actually deriving some sort of amusement from his predicament. He wished Stormblaze could experience what he was going through - that'd shut him up. Annoyed, Antoine adjusted his pillow so that he could be better heard and grumbled, "You were being the one telling moi to have a drink."
   
Stormblaze coughed. "Yes, well, it would seem I overestimated your tolerance for alcohol." Now he sounded embarrassed. "I suppose at least you can tell the rest of your little group that you have had a man's drink, eh?"
   
Antoine decided that he would keep this particular story to himself for a change. He hated to imagine the princess's reaction if she discovered what he had done. "Where are we?" He asked with a groan, deciding to change the subject.
   
"Still at the Watering Hole. I had to bring you upstairs last night after your little display. You are in no condition to travel anywhere."
   
'That much is obvious', Antoine thought, closing his eyes again. He had no intention of going anywhere in the state he was in, trying to remain perfectly still instead. Breathing was one of the few things he could do without feeling pain or nausea. He tried to think of something, anything to take his mind off of how awful he felt. But because he was so disoriented, concentration was difficult.
   
"Remain as you are," Stormblaze instructed him. "I shall heal you."
   
Antoine felt something lightly tap him on his right shoulder, then on the other shoulder. Then the pillow was moved aside, and what he correctly guessed to be the palm of a hand was pressed against his forehead. A peculiar tingling sensation suddenly began spreading throughout his body, starting with his head and moving all the way down to his toes. The strange feeling went away after a few minutes, taking the pain and nausea with it. Opening his eyes, Antoine carefully sat up, not quite believing what had just happened to him.
   
"I am feeling... better?"
   
It was true. His vision had cleared, and his other symptoms were gone as well. In fact, he felt better than he had even before becoming drunk. Glancing to his right, Antoine saw that Stormblaze had pulled a chair up by the head of his bed. He didn't seem to be aware of Antoine, and his unfocused gray eyes were glazed over and staring straight ahead. Then without warning, he slumped forward in his seat. Antoine hurriedly grabbed him by the hood of his tunic to keep him from pitching forward, but the unicorn's bulk threatened to pull him down to the floor as well, and he was forced to stand in order to gain better traction and brace himself.
   
"Stormblaze!" Antoine shouted, hoping to rouse him.
   
With a grunt, Stormblaze shook his head and sat back up, holding an open hand to his forehead. Seeing that he appeared to be alright now, Antoine released his grip.
   
"My apologies for alarming you." Stormblaze said, sounding tired. Antoine was concerned to see that his eyes were half-closed and his ears drooped. "Whenever I use my healing powers, they draw upon my body's energy, so usually I require rest after using them, whether I heal another or myself. Normally, curing a mere hangover should not have affected me so badly, but this was a surprisingly complicated healing."
   
"Complicated?"
   
The unicorn seemed hesitant to speak. "I… sensed something there – within you. A great wound of the spirit, something my horn cannot heal."
   
Antoine frowned slightly. A spiritual wound? He supposed it could have been any number of things - the loss of the only true family he’d ever known, the sense that he had disappointed not only his princess but his parents with his weakness, just to name a few. There was also something that he privately referred to as "The Incident". It had been a terrible moment in not only his life but Bunnie's as well, and he didn't think he was ready to discuss it just yet.
   
"You need not share it if you do not wish to." Stormblaze softly said, having noticed Antoine's sudden quietness.
   
"Merci." Grateful, Antoine nodded at him. "Maybe I will be talking about it when I am feeling down for it."
   
"I believe you mean 'up for it'. Now, are you up for breakfast?" Standing (albeit rather slowly), Stormblaze started making his way towards the door before stopping and turning to Antoine. Apparently he was beginning to feel better.
   
"Now I am." Antoine hopped out of bed, his own movements sure and sprightly by comparison. He couldn't believe how easily he was able to get around when only moments ago he had felt like crawling under the bed and dying there. As he prepared to follow Stormblaze downstairs to the den, he stopped, slightly frowning. "Stormblaze, exactly what was I doing last night? I am not remembering anything."
   
"Well… You began conversing with two strangers about the Deep Power Stones, then jumped up on our table and started swinging your sword around like a madman. Oh, and you called me papa."
   
Antoine pulled a face. It was worse than he thought. He was never going to drink again, he decided. "Er, on second thought, I am thinking I will be saying here instead." He wasn't sure if he wanted to show his face to the same Mobians who had witnessed his drunken escapades the night before.
   
Stormblaze went back over to him. Being a free spirit who didn't care a whit as to what others may have thought of him, he disliked seeing Antoine worry so much about what the other patrons might be saying about him that he was willing to forgo breakfast. That wouldn't be good for another reason. They had a long trip ahead of them, and Antoine needed food in order to maintain the strength and energy required to keep up.
   
"Well if you truly wish to, I suppose you could remain here while I go downstairs and enjoy a nice hot breakfast. Or…" Stormblaze drawled, carefully pausing for effect, "You could accompany me, we can both eat, and I could teach you a few different methods for dealing with ruffians who are giving you a difficult time."
   
His little ploy did the trick. Antoine's reluctance gave way to eager inquisitiveness. "You would be doing that for moi? I could really use something like that!"
   
"Oh trust me little wolf, I would. I believe you'll find it most illuminating…" Smiling disarmingly, Stormblaze eased Antoine towards the door.
   
"Wait -" Antoine halted again, looking up at Stormblaze with concern. "The breakfast, is it being greasy like the dinner as well?"
   
Giving a huff of annoyance, Stormblaze nudged Antoine on out the door. "Oh, do stop fretting and let’s go already!"



Author's notes: I can't take credit for the idea of Antoine rescuing Bunnie from the roboticizer, as it was actually inspired by Nikkicub's story Rabbot Tale (go read it, it's good!). Yeah, I know it was actually Sonic and Rotor who saved her in the comic, but I think Antoine being the one to do it instead gives him and Bunnie more of a connection. Plus, the issue in which Bunnie's roboticization is shown happened back in the days when the comic had a more obviously slapsticky tone to it, so…
   
I've been using online French to English translators for the French words and terms in here, so if anything is incorrect, then don't hesitate to let me know.


French translations:

Coquilles saint-jacques: This is a French dish made with scallops and mushrooms.

Faux pas: Stumble; refers to a slip or blunder in one’s manners or conduct.

Lapine: Rabbit.