Chapter 2
Needless to say, that the counsel was none too pleased with his nightly adventure when they heard about it the next day, meaning that Leatherhead spent most of the day soothing metaphorical and in one case literal feathers, before he was practically escorted by an entourage of guard to a tower room like a princess out of folktales. He had been instructed to spend the night there and in his opinion it was a small price to pay for having the counsel settle down, but he was slightly surprised to find that he felt a sense of disappointment as he was genuinely curious about these turtles and whether they would have been able to reach his chambers undetected.
A knocking on the door put a stop to Leatherhead's train of thoughts.
``Enter'' he called as he turned to see Usagi come through the door, but before Leatherhead could ask what the rabbit wanted, he stepped aside and let a timid serving girl in. She was holding a tray piled high with his dinner and with shaking legs she stepped further into the room.
``I have drought you, your evening meal your royal highness'' she squeaked and placed the tray on the table, before stepping back and anxiously awaited further instructions.
``Thank you. You are dismissed'' Leatherhead said in a friendly tone and the girl curtsied deeply before hurrying out of the room.
``The food has been tasted and is safe to eat my lord'' Usagi informed. ``I was present for the tasting and has not let the tray out of my sight on the way here''
``The counsel is still upset with me?'' Leatherhead almost stated more than asked as he sat down and prepared to start his dinner.
``Indeed they are, however they are most pleased with your cooperation for tonight's sleeping arrangement'' Usagi reported calmly.
``And what of you? Are you upset with me?'' the crocodile asked in-between bites.
``How I feel about the matter is of little consequence'' the rabbit answered politely, but Leatherhead would practically see the wheels turning inside his head. ``But if I may speak freely?''
``Of cause'' the king granted his advisor and the rodent stepped closer to the table.
``I am with you and I will stand by your side through anything my king, but I cannot say that extending an open invitation to assassins sits well with me'' Usagi finished and looked pointedly at his king who nodded in understanding. Silence fell over the two for a while and Leatherhead seemed to have forgotten his meal.
``Do you think they would have been capable?'' Leatherhead asked after a while. Usagi opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped and started thinking over his answer.
``They seemed very capable. I have met many kinds of worrier on the battlefield and know ever to underestimate an opponent based on sight, however I have never seen turtles like them and in all honesty, I do not know what to think of them'' the rabbit finally answered.
``Then it would appear that we have the same problem'' Leatherhead agreed ``I have never seen evolved turtles before, though I have heard of them''
``However, these turtles do not seem to live up to those stories'' Usagi added.
``Indeed. It is truly a mystery'' Leatherhead said with a found smile. He did always have a fondness of figuring things out. Silence fell once more and stretched on as neither king nor advisor know what to say or do next. In the end, it was Usagi that broke the silence.
``Will you be requiring anything else tonight sire?''
``No Usagi, you are free to go'' Leatherhead dismissed him and with a bow that rabbit exited the room and left Leatherhead in the tower with only his thoughts.
The king walked over to a window and looked over his now dark town. This was all becoming very complicated, but he would see his people safe. However, he also had hope that the turtles would be able to get out of the castle once they realized that he had been moved from his chambers.
Late in the night Leatherhead stirred form his sleep, but he was unsure of why. He lay quietly and listened for any sign of unrest outside his door, but everything was as quiet as when he had gone to sleep. A gentle breeze glided through the room and caused Leatherhead to snap his eyes open, as the window has been closed at the time he had retired for the night.
In one swift movement, he ripped the cover aside and jumped out of bed while drawing his sword that had been placed next to his bed, just in case. His eyes darted around the room, but he didn't see anything and only froze when a slim blade came across his neck from behind. The hand holding it wasn't hostile as the blade wasn't touching his skin, but it commanded him to remain still.
``Drop it'' a voice came from behind him and Leatherhead recognized it. He dared to glance out of the corner of his eye and could make out the silhouette of the turtle. With a chuckle, Leatherhead relaxed his body and lowered the sword.
``I must say I am very impressed'' Leatherhead admitted when the two of them separated and the king would comfortably turn to look at the intruder.
``Really? Cause it wasn't all that difficult'' a new voice sounded, and Leatherhead spun towards the window to see one of the other turtles sitting in the open window with one foot hanging out. The turtle looked pleased with himself if the large grin was anything to go by.
``By the way ya might wanna tighten the guard around yer vault. It was embarrassingly easy ta drop by on the way here'' another voice commented and the king fond another turtle sitting by the table with his feet flung casually up. When the two got eye contact, the turtle threw something at him. Leatherhead easily caught It. It was small in his palm and when he opened his hand, he was surprised to see his family ring with his signature crest on it.
``And I told you not to do that. It stalled us when we had to wait for you two to get back'' the leader responded with a hint of anger.
``Of come on, you can't expect me to pass up the opportunity to break past locks like that'' a final voice complained. Leatherhead didn't know why he continued to be surprised by these appearances, but he flinched back when the voice came from above him. The final turtle was perched at the top his four-poster bed and looked surprisingly comfortable up there as he used what looked like a long staff as a balance point.
``So now that you have proven your point, when can I expect to be stabbed from behind?'' Leatherhead asked and tried to make it sound like a joke, but there was a certain level of real concern behind the question.
``If we wanted to kill ya we would have done that ten minutes ago when we first got here'' the turtle by the table huffed unimpressed.
``Yeah you're a real heavy sleeper'' the one in the window chuckled.
``Please, no one sleeps heavier than you'' the turtle in the top of his bed shot back with humor, before jumping down and started leaning against the bedpost instead.
``Guilty as charged'' the window turtle admitted putting his hands up in defeat.
``Enough all of you'' the leader finally broke in, but he sounded more tired than angry or annoyed.
``Then might I know the names of my sneaky guests?'' Leatherhead asked as he walked to a spot in the room where he would see all four of them.
``Of cause, this is Raphael'' the leader introduced and gestured towards the turtle by the table, who just nodded on response. ``That is Michelangelo'' this time he gestures towards the one in the window.
``Call me Mikey'' Michelangelo responded with a wink and a small solute with his fingers.
``And that is Donatello'' the turtle gestured towards his comrade by the bed.
``A pleasure'' Donatello responded politely.
``And ya already met old fearless leader Leonardo the other night'' Raphael grumbled from his seat. And Leatherhead nodded to himself, having forgotten the name he had been offered.
``The pleasure is all mine. Now might I have a look at you?'' Leatherhead requested as he moved over to a drawer and took out a box of matches. He didn't wait for a response, but since he didn't get any objections he went ahead and started lighting the candles that were spread throughout the room.
The first thing that struck him now that the turtles were properly in the light was that they were identical apart from the color of the masks they wore over their eyes. Leonardo in blue, Michelangelo in orange, Raphael in red and Donatello in purple. They were not nearly as tall as him, but there was no denying that they were all very well trained.
``So now that we've all meet, what now?'' Raphael asked as he swung his feet off the table and got up, making the light glint in the Sai blades strapped to his sides.
``I believe we have yet to decide on a price'' Leatherhead said. While he was still hesitant about these turtles, he was not a man to run from an agreement.
``Very well, I sense that you have an idea in mind'' Leonardo said and politely let Leatherhead take the lead.
``Indeed. I have little reason to trust you, so I will make it interesting for you to do your job well and pay you whatever you want, if you can keep me alive until after the peace treaty is signed'' Leatherhead suggested.
``No way we should be demanding a bonus for your cheating'' Raphael snarled.
``Cheating?'' Leatherhead asked confused.
``The agreement was that we infiltrate the castle to your chambers, but you moved to another room meaning this now counts as your chambers and not your usual once'' Donatello clarified as he secured his bow staff to his back.
``Which is why me and Donny here decided to take a small detour while fearless over there figured out where you had run off to hide'' Raphael grumbled and made a head gesture towards the blue banned turtle.
``My apologies. I was not really given a choice about tonight's sleeping arrangements'' Leatherhead admitted. Raphael huffed, clearly not impressed with his explanation. It made Leatherhead slightly nervous and he couldn't help but shift form one foot to the other.
``So, do we have an agreement?'' he asked instead and straightened his back. To his surprise all the turtles around his room turned to look at their leader in blue. So, despite not following every order and clearly having strong personalities they still looked to Leonardo when it came to decisions.
``Yes. We have an agreement'' the turtle responded after a while and Leatherhead released a breath, he didn't realize he was holding.
``Very well'' the crocodile said as he crossed the room and banged on his door a couple of times. Instantly concerned voices and the clicks of several locks being opened was heard from the other side. When the door finally opened, Leatherhead recognized the first person through.
``Sire what's happening?'' the rabbit half-shouted as he barged into the room, his swords already drawn.
``Stand down Usagi'' Leatherhead tried to sooth the rabbit. ``Everything is alright, but if you could find a place for these four to sleep tonight, I would appreciate it'' Leatherhead requested and gestured towards the four intruders. Leatherhead thought they looked back just a little bit too pleased with themselves when a mix of anger, confusion and worry fought for space on Usagi's face.
``Hope ya don't mind, but we let ourselves in'' Raphael said in a slightly mocking tone.
``How did you even...'' Usagi trailed off.
``Through the window man'' the one in the window, Michelangelo if Leatherhead remembered correctly said exited.
``There will be time for questions tomorrow for now we could all do with some sleep'' Leatherhead interjected before it turned heated.
``Of cause your majesty'' Usagi agreed and finally sheathed his swords and stepped aside so that the door was free. ``This way'' he instructed, and Leonardo lead his team past the king, whom Leonardo offered a quick bow and followed the rabbit out the door. Usagi started closing the door once everyone was out, but then paused for a moment and looked Leatherhead directly in the eyes. ``Are you certain you are alright my king?'' he sincerely inquired.
``I am perfectly fine Usagi. Goodnight'' Leatherhead added as a final. Usagi nodded deeply before closing the door completely and Leatherhead could finally crawl back to bed, both exhausted and excited at the same time.
When morning rolled around Leatherhead woke up feeling disoriented. Something was off about his chambers and he had a strange sensation of excitement. It was only a moment or so later when he finally started to wake up that the events of the night before came rushing back. The king quickly got up, determined to see where the turtles were. He had so many questions he wanted to ask them.
To his surprise everything seemed normal as none of the people he met mentioned the bizarre turtles. Leatherhead was just about to stop a passing servant when a loud crash was heard from what Leatherhead knew was the direction of the kitchen. Deciding he might as well investigate he headed down the hall and it wasn't long before he could head loud voices.
``HAHA catch me if you can Raphie-boy'' a lively voice sounded followed by a loud mocking laughter.
``Get back here you knucklehead'' a gruffer voice replied. Leatherhead finally rounded the corner and came face to face with utter chaos. Two of the turtles were running wildly around the corridor and blocking a lot of the flow as servants tried to get around them without getting caught in the crossfire.
``Both of you need to calm down. This is not the place for this'' Leonardo called, but was clearly not going to risk stepping between them.
``Guys you should really just take this outside so that everyone can get back to work'' Donatello tried to reason, much to Leatherhead's relief, but none the less he left that he would have to put a stop to this before someone got seriously hurt.
``What is going on here?'' Leatherhead growled loudly to insure he was heard by everyone.
``Hey, look who finally woke up. Must be nice to be king and sleep in like that'' Michelangelo laughed as he jogged over to the giant lizard. The comment made Leatherhead glance out the nearest window and the light confirmed that it was still early in the morning.
``As if you have room to talk Mikey it took you forever to get up this morning'' Donatello shot back from his place behind Leonardo. Before Leatherhead could put a stop to the pointless banter and bring the conversation back to the matter at hand Jhanna came running around the corner. Presumably fetched by a frightened servant.
``What is going on here?'' she roared as she came to a stop and took in the situation. ``Who are you? State your platoon'' she demanded.
``Platoon?'' Raphael asked confused and looked over at his blue and purple brothers to see if they knew what she as talking about, but they just shrugged their shoulders.
``Who is your commanding officer?'' Jhanna continued.
``General Jhanna these are the turtles I meet with the other night'' Leatherhead informed her and the woman narrowed her eyes suspiciously at them.
``Very well, but I will not tolerate unrest among my soldiers and that includes anyone who might initiate a fight'' Jhanna growled.
``I assure you, we mean no harm or to start any fights. It was simply a tussle between brothers'' Leonardo assured the annoyed general. Leatherhead faintly head Raphael growl.
``For any future reference, any and all disagreements belong on the training field where combat may be executed and observed properly'' she firmly instructed.
``As you wish'' Leonardo confirmed and bowed to her.
``Do not worry General. I will see to it that they be shown around the castle properly'' Leatherhead assured her calmly, but still sent a pointed look towards the turtles so that there would be no arguing.
``As you wish my king'' Jhanna replied with a solute and a quick bow before marching down the hall to attend to her other duties. Leatherhead then turned to the turtles himself and crossed his arms over his chest tightly.
``Now will someone tell me what happened?'' Leatherhead demanded and he instantly noticed how Michelangelo looked away in embarrassment.
``I might have snatched and eaten most of Raph's breakfast'' the orange wearing turtle admitted sheepishly.
``Which reminds me...'' Raph trailed off and slapped Mikey upside the head, as he had taken the opportunity to sneak up on his brother while they were all distracted.
``AW'' Mikey exclaimed and rubbed the sore spot with an annoyed look.
``While I understand the harmlessness of this scuffle, I must implore you to follow general Jhanna's orders. She oversees most of my army troops and these are tense times. I have been warned that the soldiers grow weary and are looking for an excuse to fight so any spark could potentially start a wildfire'' Leatherhead berated.
``We understand and it will not happen again'' Leonardo emphasized and looked pointedly at his two fighting brothers which Leatherhead found to be quite strange that he didn't include his last brother in purple.
``Now that that is settled, I would like to take you all on a tour around the castle, so that you don't get lost'' Leatherhead said calmly.
``Did you forget that we snuck in last night?'' Mikey said with a laugh. ``We pretty much know the entire castle already'' he bragged only to get another slap upside the head form his red banned brother who just shook his head at him.
``While I'm sure someone like your brothers like Leonardo and Donatello, perhaps even Raphael has memorized most of the castle, you don't strike me as someone who would bother with such things'' Leatherhead said with a smirk.
``Busted'' Donatello announced and while Mikey pouted his brothers shared a laugh at his expense.
``Alright, this way then'' Leatherhead said after sharing in the laughter.
The king spent the next few hours showing the turtles around most of the inside of the castle. Everything from the wine cellar to some of the furthest corridors. When they were on their way back towards the more inhabited part of the castle Leatherhead decided to learn more about his unusual guests.
``I've been meaning to ask you something'' Leatherhead started nervously, not sure if the question would be considered rude. Turned to look at the turtle walking next to him, Leatherhead was expecting to see Leonardo, but was surprised to see the purple one. ``Donatello, right?''
``That would be me'' he answered with a smile before falling silent clearly waiting for the question.
``I mean no offence, but you and your brothers look almost identical if not for your headbands and weapons''
``Well that is kinda the point, as it makes it difficult for our enemies to know how many of us there are and don't count on the weapons too much as we have all been trained in multiple weapons'' Donatello explained casually.
``And why train in such a way? Forgive me, but from what I have heard turtles are normally very quiet and shy beings'' Leatherhead regretted the question as soon as it was out his mouth, as it couldn't be anything but offending, but Donatello just thought it over for a moment before answering.
``I guess we were just raised this way. You see we were found as little more than hatchlings by our farther and sensei. According to him our village was attacked, and we were lost in the chaos. So, he raised us in the way of bushido and martial arts as a means of defending ourselves. As we grew older, we wanted to know more about where we came from and so we sought out another village of turtles. They were unsure of us since we were so different from them, but they greeted us as kin anyway. We stayed with them for a few days, but quickly realized that we would forever be strangers to our own kind. Then one night masked bandits tried to raid the village and we fought them off. After that the villagers weren't just unsure about us, they were downright scared of us. We quickly decided to return to our farther'' Donatello narrated and Leatherhead was so engrossed in the story that he hadn't noticed were they were headed and now that he looked around he realized that they were in a part of the castle he has meant to save for later. When he looked back at Donatello, the turtle looked rather saddened and Leatherhead couldn't imagine what it must be like to be feared by his own kind. He wanted to say something of comfort, but wouldn't really think of anything useful, however Donatello suddenly shook his head as if to clear his mind and continued his story. ``Anyway, when we told our sensei what happened, he told us that the masked people were members of the foot clan and that this defeat would undoubtedly be taken as a declaration of war and since then we have kinda gone out of our way to put a stop to whatever plans we've come across'' Donatello finished with a smile. A smile that also made it tuck at the corners of Leatherheads mouth.
``And where does the human fit in?'' Leatherhead wanted to know.
``April? We came across her quite by accident when she was about to be attacked and has been a close friend of the family ever since, or rather a part of the family as none of us are blood related'' Donatello shrugged.
``Truly?'' Leatherhead asked astonished.
``I mean it's not like it really matters. I mean we were raised together and all, but while we do share the same species of turtle, we are not blood related''
``Does that bother you?'' Leatherhead asked concerned. He wanted to help, but at the same time he didn't want to overstep his boundaries. The turtle opened his mouth clearly ready to say no and deny it, but then he stopped, closed his mouth and thought it over for a moment.
``I guess it does, perhaps more than it should. However, once my mind sees something it can't be unseen'' he admitted sadly. Leatherhead turned his eyes from Donatello to the other three turtles walking slightly behind them. Leonardo seemed busy with memorizing everything they passed and were instructing his two other brothers, where one was barely listening at all and the other seemed busy with arguing against the leader. Leatherhead wouldn't help but narrow his eyes, as he tried to see what Donatello did and when Mikey casually swung an arm around both Leonardo and Raphael's shoulders to stop the bickering form escalating that he suddenly saw it. while yes, they were practically identical apart from their headband and weapons, Leonardo was a very light forest green color with steal grey eyes, that contrasted against Mikey's more moss green skin tone and sky blue eyes and then there was Raphael's deep green skin color, making him the darkest out of all of them, and pricing golden eyes. The king turned back towards Donatello and took note of his olive-green color and deep brown eyes.
``I see what you mean'' Leatherhead confirmed. ``Do they know?''
``Of cause. I would never keep something like that form them'' Donatello exclaimed shocked.
``Also, more because we would be able to see it on you instantly'' a light voice broke into the conversation. ``So, Donny are you done telling our life story yet?'' Mikey teased and a light pink color as a blush slowly spread over his cheeks. Something that Leatherhead found surprisingly endearing.
``King Leatherhead what is this section of the castle use for?'' Leonardo broke in.
``Ah yes this is where my court sorcerer and his apprentice spend most of their time'' the crocodile explained and headed for a heavy door and started pushing it open when a loud crash was heard followed by a bright light.
``Oh no'' a female voice was heard, and Leatherhead quickly opened the door the rest of the way to reveal a large room with rows and rows of bookcases filled with heavy tomes and scrolls. Leatherhead started walking down the middle of the room towards a large crystal ball that sat on a high pedestal. A fireplace was burning brightly at the end of the room with a cauldron hanging over the fire with a purple mist slowly bubbling over and licking the sides of the cauldron.
``Renet are you in here?'' Leatherhead called carefully as the group moved down the room, passing one strange artifact after another as they went. A quick glance behind him made him realize that the turtles had all drawn their weapons and were looking around the room as if they were expecting something to jump out and attack them. The king was just about to tell them that there was nothing to be concerned about, when a silhouette appeared at the end of the room and the turtles instantly took up position around the king and pointed their weapons at her but didn't initiate an attack.
``Your majesty, I didn't know you would come'' she said shocked. Leatherhead's new bodyguards relaxed and sheathed their weapons. ``Please don't tell me that you were to come by and I forgot, cause Lord Simultaneous will be like so mad at me if I forgot to tell him you were coming'' the young girl rambled on, as she approached them.
``Calm yourself Renet. You haven't forgotten anything'' Leatherhead chuckled as he walked past the last row of bookcases where the room opened up. A door on either side of the fireplace lead to what Leatherhead knew to be the private chambers. On the walls shelves and shelves were packed to the bursting point with different herbs, spices and other ingredients. Two writing desks were pushed up against the backside of the last of bookcases and lastly the glowing crystal ball in the middle of the room. The only thing amiss was the broken glass on the floor under one of the ingredients shelves.
``Good cause I'm already gonna be in like so much trouble for ruining this'' the woman said somewhat relived and gestured towards the broken glass on the floor.
``What the shell was that anyway?'' Raphael asked and placed a bottle with thick blue liquid back on the shelf and Leatherhead felt the tug of a smile in the corner of his mouth at the expression.
``It is... I mean it was a super rear full moon lightning, because they just don't come around that often and even then, they are, like, impossible to capture. I mean just think about the time when...'' she suddenly trailed off. ``Oh, wait that hasn't happened yet, ups sorry I do that sometimes'' Renet laughed nervously.
``What?'' Raph uttered dumbfounded by what the woman had just said.
``Let me introduce you'' Leatherhead intervened. ``This is Renet. She is the apprentice of my court sorcerer Lord Simultaneous, who unfortunately doesn't seem to be percent at the moment. Renet this is Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. They have offered their services of protection until the peace treaty is signed'' he informed and gestured towards each turtle as he introduced them.
``Hi, it's like, so good to see you here'' Renet said excited and gave them all a tight hug.
``Hang on Renet, you said something about something that hasn't happened yet. Do you mean to say that you can see the future?'' Leonardo cut in as she pulled away from Mikey.
``No not really. At least not yet. You see I'm still just an apprentice. I'm not a fully-fledged Timestress yet. I just know that it's good that you're here'' Renet explained.
``Then what about this Lord Simultaneous would he be able to see the future?'' Leonardo continued.
``Oh, probably. I mean he is a master with the time scepter, but he's also, like, super secretive about anything that has to do with the future'' she answered after a moment of thought. Leo fell quiet after that, but he was clearly not happy with the result of his questioning.
``WOW this might be your happy place Donny'' Michelangelo said with a laugh as he emerged from behind one of the bookcases, turning a book this way and that while flipping through the pages, clearly not understanding the strange scribbles with which Leatherhead sympathized, but the idea that Donatello could understand all this was not that farfetched for him.
``Hardly. You know that magic isn't my thing'' Donatello huffed slightly offended.
``So, was there anything I can do for you your majesty?'' Renet asked turning to Leatherhead.
``No, I was just showing them around and we should probably get going so that you can get back to work and hang in there Renet'' Leatherhead encouraged the young woman with a smile and a hand on her shoulder.
``Of cause your majesty'' Renet smiled and took the book Mikey handed her before following Leatherhead and his brothers out the door. Once out in the halls once more Leatherhead lead them outside and towards the training grounds.
As they walked around outside Leatherhead noticed that more and more people were noticing the turtles and soon people were whispering to each other. Once they reached the training field whispers had been replaced with suspicious looks as civilian people were replaced with soldiers, guards and knights. Leatherhead looked around and quickly spotted the person he was looking for and headed over to Traximus.
``General I want you to officially meet Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo'' Leatherhead introduced and the large general just gave an annoyed growl in response.
``Hey, don't be a sore loser big guy. We warned you we would get inside'' Raph said with a cocky smile and held his arms out in a show of peace. Traximus snarled and a muscle on his snout started twitching, giving a glimpse of the sharp teeth, but instead of biting the head off Raphael, Traximus turned to Leatherhead with a serious expression.
``Sire if I may have a moment now that you are here?''
``Certainly general'' Leatherhead nodded before turning to the turtles. ``Excuse me a moment. Feel free to explore and talk to anyone'' he said kindly before following Traximus, leaving the turtles to wander the training grounds.
``HEY GREEN FROG DUDES'' a voice suddenly called after them and the four brothers turned to see a young human male running across the grass field to catch up to them.
``We're turtles bonehead'' Raph snapped at the human once he was close enough. He was bend over and supporting himself on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
``Yeah, yeah'' he said dismissively with a wave of his hand before straightening with a huge smile on his face. His face was very angular with a nose that had clearly been broken more than once and dark hair that feel over broad muscular shoulder. ``You was the once that broke into the castle, weren't you?'' he asked excited and looked them over.
``And who's asking?'' Raph inquired with a raised brow, his hands finding rest on the handles of his sais.
``Aw come on. Tell me how you did it. I bet you came through the east wing, cause I was stationed at the battlements and I didn't see you'' the human continued as he started circulating them while jabbing his fists towards them, making every muscle in Raph's body tense and his grip tighten on his weapons.
``Uh, oh. He's about to snap'' Mikey warned Leo and Donny quietly with a slight sing-song voice. The two turtles nodded and looked at the human slightly worried.
``How many of us did you have to knock out to get through? I bet you barely made it'' he bragged still circulating the turtles, but was now also jumping from one foot to another.
``I'm warning ya, back off or yer gonna get it'' Raph warned with a snarl, but before either of them could start the fight a voice boomed over the field and made the human freeze.
``JONES'' Traximus bellowed as he and Leatherhead came marching across the field.
``Traximus sir'' the human now named Jones chuckled and gave a quick salute as the beast came to a stop in front of them.
``I had better not just caught you leaving your post'' the general growled.
``Guys?'' Mikey called carefully, but no one took notice of him.
``Of cause, not sir. I got off duty a while back'' Jones responded. Traximus huffed before giving a small cast of his head as a dismissing gesture.
``Guys'' Mikey called again.
Once dismissed the human wasted no time in turning on his heel after a quick bow to Leatherhead and started running away.
``Hey, come find me once you get the chance'' he called over his shoulder. ``The name's Casey Jones. I'll show you were all the action is''
``You sure make friends everywhere you go'' Leatherhead chuckled.
``Guys'' Mikey insisted.
``Not now Mikey'' Leo instructed barely looking at his brother. ``Where are we headed now'' Leo asked with a business-like voice.
``There are a few other places I want to take you to before lunch is served and then I would like to take you through town'' Leatherhead informed.
``GUYS'' Mikey yelled demanding attention.
``WHAT?'' three turtles responded, annoyed with their brother's need for attention.
``Now I might just be paranoid, but is that a very angry looking Master Splinter heading straight for us or am I seeing things?'' Mikey asked his voice practically shaking with fear. Three heads snapped in the direction Mikey was pointing, all of them looking fearful. Leatherhead turned his head as well and as he searched for an elderly turtle his eyes found the familiar figure of the turtle's human friend April. Slightly in front of her an elderly rat with a walking stick was walking briskly towards them, making the human almost run to keep up. A gray and brown robe was wrapped around his body and tied together with a scarf of some kind and his long hairless was whipping from side to side. His eyes were locked onto the turtles with a sharp intensity and his gray ears were turned backwards in annoyance.
Leatherhead couldn't help but fell his eyes widen in surprise that the turtles had a rat for a farther figure, but then again Donatello had never said that their farther had been a turtle as well. Once the rat was close enough to talk to Leonardo stepped forward, quickly but nervously.
``Master Splinter we were...'' the young turtle started, but was struggling to find the right words, but fell silent in embarrassment when the rat raised an eyebrow at him.
``I'm sorry guys I tried. I really did'' April apologized quietly. All four of the turtles quietly accepted the apology with a small nod or a gesture that indicated that she should stay back and out of the lecture that was sure to come.
``I told you to stay at home'' the rat said in a slightly raspy and weathered voice. The disappointment was so clear that Leatherhead had to stop himself form squirming under the glare.
``Master don't take it all out on Leo. We all wanted to come here'' Raphael defended his brother.
``I am well aware Raphael, however as leader Leonardo stands responsible for this decision'' the rat said firmly, and Raphael lowered his head but remained close to Leonardo's side. The rat then turned his attention to all of them. ``Have I not thought you anything? How many times have I told you that the shadows are your greatest weapons?''
``In this month?'' Donatello asked quietly and glanced at the rat, who just narrowed his eyes. Donatello lowered his head again realizing that it was a rhetorical question and that the rat was not actually looking for an answer.
``My sons, I fear you do not grasp the severity of the situation'' Master Splinter continued, this time in a more pleading tone. ``You have exposed yourself. The world now sees you. They now see strengths as well as weaknesses and may guard themselves against you'' the rat lectured.
``But master Splinter, we couldn't just do nothing. Michelangelo tried carefully. ``If we don't do something Leatherhead would get killed'' the energetic turtle tried to reason and Traximus growled angrily at the implication.
``I would rather see the king dead than see you in unnecessary danger Michelangelo'' master Splinter countered, and Leatherhead tried to not take it personally as the turtles were first and foremost the rat's sons.
``Have care how you speak rat. You are in the presence of his royal majesty king Leatherhead'' Traximus stated clearly not feeling the same way as Leatherhead. The rat turned to the crocodile and looked him up and down quickly before bowing his head in respect.
``Please I took no offence'' Leatherhead quickly dismissed.
``Please master Splinter. We only mean to stand guard. The Foot clan can't complete this mission. The chaos that would follow would grant them far too much power and The Shredder is already out to get us. This might even give them reason to pause or hesitate. This way we might just be able to end this fight'' Leonardo argued, finding some of his confidence again. The rat seemed to consider the point carefully with a sad expression on his face. The turtles looked at their master with hopeful eyes and even Leatherhead found himself hoping that the rat would let his sons stay. Finally, the rat exhaled heavily, then his ears turned down in defeat, before he looked at his sons with a crooked grin.
``Very well, you may stay'' he confirmed, and the turtles erupted into cheers and slapped their palms together. ``But as will I. Your training will continue as normal'' Splinter quickly interrupted and the happy cheers were replaced with disappointed groans, but no one argued against it.
``Greeting your majesty'' April said with a smile now that there seemed to be a moment.
``And greetings to you as well miss April'' Leatherhead greeted politely in return.
``My lord if there is nothing else you require from me, please excuse me'' Traximus broke in.
``Certainly general, we need to move on anyway'' Leatherhead answered and Traximus saluted before turning on his heal and walked away. Master Splinter and April joined the party as they headed back towards the castle.
``So, big guy, how come you have two generals overseeing your troops?'' Raph inquired as they reentered the castle. This time one the other side of the training yard. ``I mean don't they ever fight over control?''
``I guess some confrontation is inevitable, but while Jhanna oversees most army related matters and disciplinary actions, Traximus handles the security of the castle and the city'' Leatherhead explained as they moved through the new part of the castle and soon they came to a stop outside a pair of double doors. ``I don't mean for us to disturb Professor Honeycutt who occupies this tower, but I thought you ought to know that he dwells here'' Leatherhead explained, before turning and started walking away again.
``So, what does he do for you?'' April asked.
``Oh, he is my court scientist and...'' Leatherhead was cut off by a series of exasperated groans that followed his answer. The king turned to his guests and saw that the entire turtle family looked exhausted and had a hand to their head in one way or another. Leo was hiding his entire face in his palms, April's fingertips were pressed against her forehead, Splinter was rubbing the side of his head as if having a headache, Raph had literally slapped his forehead and Mikey had a hand over his eyes, his head thrown back and was bending slightly in his knees as if they were about to give out from under him, but there was one missing and after scanning the group one more time to be sure, Leatherhead confirmed that Donatello was indeed missing from the group. A quick glance up revealed that one of the doors to the tower was now slightly ajar.
``Great, just great. The old turtle luck working true da form'' Raph growled as he rubbed his hand over his assumedly sore forehead.
``I take it Donatello is interested in the field of science'' Leatherhead stated more than asked.
``Now there's an understatement'' Mikey chuckled slightly, as they all walked onto the tower to retrieve the wayward turtle.
The room they entered was radically different from the chambers of Leatherhead's court sorcerer. Instead of bookcases filling the room in a symmetrical order, worktables and shelves filled with all kinds of glass tubes and goblets were scattered around the circular room. Some were empty, others were filled with strangely colored liquid. Some liquids were still others bubbled with steam pouring out of them. A strange smell filled the room and along the wall a spiral staircase lead to the upper levels of the tower. In the middle of all this was Donatello, looking at every bottle and every piece of scrap paper he could reach.
``This is so beautiful guys'' Donatello exclaimed as he moved from one worktable to another.
``Oh my, who's there?'' a careful voice called form above them and they all had to lead their heads back to see an elderly human leaning over the railing to look down on them.
``Professor Honeycutt, I hope we didn't interrupt you?'' Leatherhead politely asked the elderly.
``Why not at all you your majesty'' he said with a bumbling voice and disappeared back over the railing. ``I was just looking for a book. I do hope you haven't been waiting long'' the elderly continued and before long he appeared on the staircase as he headed down towards them, a large book was tucked under his arm, small eyes sat deep in his head. His wild eyebrows, along with the bald top of his head and longer hair around the side of his head made him look very much like an owl.
``Not at all professor. Curiosity simply killed the cat; I believe the saying goes'' Leatherhead said with a chuckle and gestured towards Donatello who was ignoring them in favor of a flacon with blue liquid that bubbled over a burner of some kind.
``Indeed, your majesty'' the professor said with a gentle laugh.
``This is Donatello and his brothers Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael along with his master and farther Splinter and this is April O'Neil'' Leatherhead introduced.
``Oh, a pleasure'' the professor greeted before turning his attention to the curious turtle.
``Fascinating is it not?''
``It's beautiful'' Donatello praised as he picked up a scrap of paper that lay next to the container.
``Yes, I'm trying to determine the correct temperature for it to boil completely, but the glass containers break long before that'' Honeycutt informed.
``So, you would need a means to reinforce the durability of the glass without risking it affecting the boiling point of the mixture'' Donatello continued that line of thought.
``Precisely''
``Oh no, I know the face Donny's about to make... yup there it is'' Mikey sighed as Donatello started starring intensely in the formulas on the scrap of paper he was holding.
``You are welcome to my library and study upstairs, as well as the observatory at the top of the tower'' the professor offered and the olive-green turtle light up like the sun and dashed across the room and was on his way up the stairs when a hard clearing of a throat stopped him dead in his tracks.
``Donatello, you can't be distracted, you are on a mission after all are you not?'' Splinter asked the last bit in a way that made it clear that he was still not pleased with them going through with this. Donny gave a nervous laugh at the question before heading back down the stairs to the rest of his family.
``I'm sorry, but I think I will have to get back to you on that'' the purple-banned turtle said politely and handed the noted back to the professor.
``You are welcome anytime Donatello'' Honeycutt assured the eager turtle.
``Thank you, I look forward to it'' Donny replied with a polite bow.
``Come on Brainiac. Before you find something else to geek about'' Raph grumbled as he grabbed Donny by the arm and started dragging the science enthusiast out the door, followed by the rest of the family.
After eating a quick lunch, the party continued their tour. This way Leatherhead took them through town so that they could become familiar with the layout of the place. When they finally headed back towards the castle the king was near exhausted, but surprisingly the turtles only seemed to get more and more energetic as the sun went down.
