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Chapter Text

“I like to move it, move it, I like to move it, move it – Ya like to?”

“Move it!”

Even after Clover and Sage left the Lemur Kingdom hours ago, the intensity of their wedding party was yet to drop, as the sounds of music and songs could be heard all over the jungle. And even after losing a member of their entourage, King Julien, Mort, and even Maurice partied hard. Even with Clover gone, life looks good in Madagascar, for Uncle and Karl are no longer threats, and even the foosa won’t be a problem anymore with Mary Ann in charge.

At least, that’s what Julien thought.

“The foosa! The foosa!”

“The foosa are attacking! Run for your lives!”

Julien froze on the spot, for a quartet of foosa appeared out of nowhere. “This way, Your Majesty!” Thankfully, Maurice quickly reacted and took him to a spot where most lemurs hid. From there, they could see the foosa circling one lemur unable to escape. Before Julien could ponder their identity, a voice well known to his ears cried:

“Save me, King Julien!”

“Oh no, they got Mort! What— what are we going to do, KJ?”

“I dunno, Mo-Mo! Isn’t this the part where Clover comes in and kicks their—”

And a horrible realization sets in.

Clover is gone. She left for the Mountain Lemur Kingdom hours ago. The training Julien gave his people when Clover announced her departure wouldn’t cut it, for the people behind him trembled in fear. And for the first time since Koto seized his kingdom, Julien felt completely helpless.

They are hosed. Even if Mort might survive by doing his thing, there is no need for the foosa to retreat. What are they going to do?

“King Julien? You have a plan, right? You always have one! Right?”

His silence and ragged breaths were the last thing Maurice wanted to see.

Oh dear Frank, what are they going to do?

Then, out of nowhere, behind the big leaves, a weird-looking cat thing comes into view.

“Hey, hi. We just got in from New York, and we’re looking for a supervisor. Because we’ve been sitting on that beach back there for hours, and nobody’s even bothered to show up.”

Could he be a miracle they so desperately need?

“I don’t know how things are, uh, normally run around here, but honestly, there’s been some sort of major screwup, which is cool.”

As he comes forward, some other weird-looking animals come into view.

“So if you just could point us towards the administrative offices, we’ll just…”

He turns his head slightly and unleashes a mighty roar, scattering the foosa away and allowing Mort to get to safety.

“Spider! Spider! Spider on my back!”

“Maurice, did you see that?”

“He scared the foosa away!”

Before anyone can breathe a huge sigh of relief, their attention turns to the scene developing in front of them. The animal that scared the foosa away keeps screaming for some reason but is then beaten down by a grey, pear-like shaped animal with a stick.

“Come on, Gloria. Get it!” “That’s it! Smack it!”

Two more animals come forward, encouraging "Gloria": a four-legged black one with white stripes (or white one with black stripes?) and a spotted coat patterned one with a long neck.

“Whip it! Whip it good! Where’d it go?”

After a while, Mort asks a question on everyone’s lips: “King Julien, what are they? What are they?”

“I cannot believe Maurice was right about something, and he rarely is—”

“Hmph!”

“But it appears aliens exist! They are aliens! Savage aliens from the savage future!”

“Oh man, they’ve come to kill us! And take our women! AND OUR PRECIOUS METALS!”

Mort cries, inadvertently getting close to his King’s feet. “Mort! Do not be near the king’s feet, especially at a time like this! And keep it quiet, Mo-Mo, or they’ll find us!”

The scene before them continues.

“There it is! Get it! Come on, Gloria!”

“Stop it!”

“I think she got it.”

“Enough! Enough with the stick.” Whatever ritual they were doing has reached its conclusion, for the cat-like animal takes the stick away from the one named “Gloria”:

“Is it still on me? I hate spiders.”

“It’s okay. It’s gone.”

“They are savages. Tonight, we die,” comments Mort as he inadvertently touches the feet this time.

“Mort, I told you not to TOUCH THE FEET!” As if on reflex, Julien kicks Mort out of their hiding place, an action not unnoticed by the “aliens”.

“Hi there!” the black-striped one approaches, but his cat-like friend stops him. He whispers something to his team, before approaching Mort, who is trembling with fear. “Hi there!”

Mort cries. “Oh, jeez. Oh! Oh, sorry. Shh. No, no, no.”

“Oh, Alex, what’d you do?” reprimands the long-necked friend. “Stop. Stop. Shh. It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m just a silly lion!”

The "reassuring" comments only make Mort cry even harder, maybe the most hysterical cry Julien and Maurice have heard from Mort in a long time. The white-striped one doesn’t waste time reprimanding his friend: “Oh, Alex!”

The one named Gloria quickly takes the initiative: “Oh, you poor little baby. Did that big mean lion scare you?”

“Mh-hmm.”

“He did? He’s big, bad old puddy tat, isn’t he? Come on. Mama’ll hold you.” And with that, she picks up Mort. “Aw, look at you.”

“They are so cute from a reasonable distance,” comments the long-necked one. “Aren’t you the sweetest little thing? I just want to dunk him in my coffee.”

Half the kingdom can only look at this scene with amusement, especially at the “poor little baby” comment. The other half, KJ included, can finally breathe a huge sigh of relief as the fear of new "visitors" quickly evaporates. “They’re just a bunch of pansies. They’re about as savage as Willie!”

“What the heck, man!”

“I don’t know. There’s still something about that one with the crazy hairdo that I find suspicious,” Maurice shares his concerns. Julien, being Julien, brushes it off: “Ah, nonsense, Maurice. Come on, everybody. Let’s go and meet the pansies!”

And with that, the lemurs come out of their hiding spots and surround their new heroes. For a brief moment, it seems like the festivities, albeit with unexpected guests, who stood there bewildered. The cheers of the lemurs are shortly interrupted by the sound of a horn, used by Maurice: “Lady and gentlemen, I present to you Your Royal Highness, our illustrious king of the lemurs, King Julien XIII!”

And as per usual, Julien makes an introduction the way he does almost everything in his life:

With style.

“He’s got style,” the black-striped one shares his approval. His friends, however, are not amused by the introduction or his appearance, particularly the cat-like one and the tall one: “What is he, like, king of the guinea pigs? “I think it’s a squirrel.”

“Welcome, giant pansies!” Julien paid no attention to their comments, “Please feel free to bask in my glow.”

“Definitely a squirrel.”

“Yep. Squirrel.”

“We thank you with enormous gratitude for chasing away the foosa.”

“The “whossa”?” questions the female one.

“The foosa. They don’t annoy us as much as they did in the past, but when they do, it comes in the form of trespassing, interrupting our parties, and trying to rip our limbs off. And I’ll be honest, we weren’t expecting them to attack us so soon after the…uh…”

Julien finds himself at a loss for words, for explaining the departure of the reason for the decreased number of foosa attacks on the spot would put him in a heap of trouble. Thankfully, the cat-creature saves him: “Sounds good. Look, we’re just trying to find out where the people are, so…”

“Oh, my! What big teeth you have. Man!” Maurice cuts in. Julien lightly slaps his advisor: “Shame on you, Maurice. Can you not see that you have insulted the freak? Ha-ha.” He then turns his attention to said freaks: “You must tell me, who the heck are you?”

“I’m Alex. The Alex. And this is Gloria, Marty, and Melman.”

“And just where are you giants from? Hmm?” questions Maurice.

“We’re from New York and…”

Juliens signals Alex with his hands to stop talking, before addressing the crowd: “All hail the New York giants!”

“New York giants!” The cheers for their saviors resume. Before he can join the celebrations, Julien overhears Alex: “What are they doing? Some sort of inbreeding program? Well, I say we just got to ask these bozos where the people are.”

“Excuse me. We "bozos" have the people, of course,” says Julien under the feet of Alex, startling him: “Whoa!”

“Hey, the bozos have the people,” the one named Melman breathes a sigh of relief. Alex calms down, sharing his optimism: “Oh, well, great. Good. Phew.”

“They’re up there.” Julien points at the skeleton, the horrified expressions of the giants not catching his attention, “Don’t you love the people. Not a very lively bunch, though.”

“Oh. Wow,” Alex manages to get the words out of his mouth. “So do you have any live people?”

“Uh… No. Uh, only dead ones. There were a few live ones before, but that was long ago. And besides, they were totally lame. I mean, they were interested more in Mort and his general freakiness than me and my perfect booty! Can you believe that, Mo-Mo?”

“You got that right, KJ,” responded Maurice matter-of-factly, before addressing the giants: “And well, I don’t understand why they would be here. I mean, if we had a lot of live people, it wouldn’t be called the wild, would it?

The giants looked utterly shocked. “The wild?!” said Marty. “Whoa. Whoa, hold up there a second, fuzzbucket. You mean, like, uh, like the "live in a mud hut, wipe yourself with a leaf" type wild?” questioned Alex.

“Who wipes? Hahahahaha!” reacts Julien with amusement. Gloria can only say: “Oy vey!”

Considering it a call of friendship, Julien and Maurice encourage the crowd: “Oy vey!” “Oy vey, everybody!”

“Oy vey!” And for the third time since the foosa attack, the crowd cheers. Alex then asks: “Could you excuse me for a moment?”

“Sure thing, freak.”

And with that, Alex bolts to where he and his crew came from with tremendous speed. His friends shortly go after him without saying a word, allowing the king to make his thoughts on the guests very clear.

“Man, those freaks are so… freaky! And weird! I mean, who actually wipes themselves with a leaf, especially after that whole etiquette book fiasco that you created, Maurice?”

“I did not.”

“I wipe myself with leaves after bathing in your toenail collection, my king,” butts in Mort with another horrifying comment.

“Mort, for the last time, no one wants to know about the creepy stuff you do at home! Just keep it to yourself, man!”

“Your Majesty,” Maurice steps in, concern in his voice, “I think we need to talk about our current situation.”

“The creepy toenail bath?”

“No.”

“Me being called a squirrel?”

“No.”

“The "bozo" comment?”

“No!”

“Then what, man!”

Maurice sighs, before sharing his thoughts: ”King Julien, the foosa attacked mere hours after Clover left! And unfortunately, your war training didn’t do anything today! If not for those giants, we would have been foosa lunch!”

The terrible realization that dawned on Julien during the attack comes back in full force. “Oh… dear Frank, you are totally right, Mo-Mo! But wait a minute. They shouldn’t have attacked in the first place! Mary Ann was supposed to keep them in check!”

“Indeed. I'm not too fond of this in the slightest. We need to figure out something, and fast.“

“You’re right.”

With that, Julien heads to the stone stage to make an announcement.

“My people! It is safe to say that the foosa attack that just occurred raises many questions. With that, I announce an emergency meeting at the throne room!” Before he could continue, he strongly yawned. “But first things first, I need to get some beauty sleep. And I think you peeps need it too.”

As if on cue, the entire kingdom yawned, tired from the constant partying.

“All right, my peeps! Get some rest, drink some Golden Julien, and then get to the throne room at nightfall.” With that, the kingdom square cleared up soon after.

“Anything you’d like me to do, Your Majesty?”

“For now, just get some shut-eye, Maurice. But when the meeting starts, do a head count. And make sure Timo is there as well. We might need his help.”

“You got it, KJ!” He ran off, leaving just two people at the square.

“And what can I do for you, my king?” asked Mort, cuddling Julien’s feet. “Get off my— Actually, go to Club Moist and tell Doctor S and Nurse Phantom to get to the plane. You are the only one who can match their freakiness. Probably beat theirs as well. All right?“ Julien tells Mort instructions, before promptly sending him into the air.

“I WON’T FAIL YOU, KING JULIEN!”

Chapter Text

The last time the throne room was packed full of lemurs, it had to do with the uncleanness of the Watering Hole. This time, the security of the kingdom will be the topic of discussion, with almost every member of the kingdom finding themselves on the plane. This made it hard for Maurice to organize the meeting, let alone do a headcount.

“Everybody, calm down. Come on. Into your chairs. Yes. Everybody please, calm down. Let go of his tail. Separate those two, would you?” he orders Ted, now Captain of the Ringtail Guard. “You over here, and you over here. Everyone, shh,” for the first time since forever, Maurice uses the “FASTEN SEAT BELTS” sound to silence the room.

”Calm down, people, okay?” he sighs afterward. “Per King Julien’s request, we will start an emergency meeting which will discuss the matters of security of the kingdom and other stuff, et cetera, et cetera. Let’s go.”

The throne chair spins round, revealing the king. “Thank you, Maurice. You may start the head count. Now, my peeps. Before we discuss the main reason for this meeting, we ought to answer the great curiosity about our new guests, the New York giants.”

A hand is raised. “Yes, Willie?”

“I like them.”

Before any more hands can be raised, Mort voices his opinion: ”I like them, I like them. I liked them first. Before I even met them, I liked them. I liked them right away.”

Julien groans at Mort’s annoying intervention: “Mort?”

“Yes?”

“Shut up.” Mort giggles.

“Now, onto the main issue. As you know, up until today, we had two guarantees against the attack of foosa: Mary Ann, who promised to keep her kind away, and Clover, who would save us 24/7 with her awesome butt-kicking skills. As of today, it appears those guarantees are gone; we are now at the mercy of the foosa!”

Those were a poor choice of words, for they sent the public into a frenzy: “The foosa! The foosa are attacking!” “We’re all gonna die!” One of the lemurs even finds a law book, which he greatly misinterprets: “It’s a cookbook! It’s a cookbook!”

“Oh please. Maurice,” he asks his royal advisor to quell the chaos. He once again uses the alarm sound: ”Shh! Quiet! Come on, y’all. They’re not attacking us this very instant!” The crowd sighs.

“Now,” Julien resumes his speech, “We need to discuss these two now-forgotten guarantees. Horst, buddy! Come over here!” “Yes, Your Majesty.”

Horst made his way through the crowd with some difficulty, nearly spilling his beverage in the process. “Now as we all know, Horst is married to Mary Ann, as weird and freaky as it sounds. So Horst, do you have any idea why your wife let the foosa attack us not even a DAY after Clover left?! That was totally uncool!” Julien loses his cool, putting Horst on the spot.

“I have absolutely no clue, Your Majesty. In fact, I haven’t seen her since the foosa attacked us during your “war training”. It makes me really…” he sips his beverage, “… uneasy.”

“Wait. So you are saying that you haven’t seen your wife ever since a coup d’état attempt on her and you didn’t bother telling us when Clover – our only line of defense – was getting married and effectively LEAVING THE KINGDOM?!” Maurice shares Julien’s anger, tensions already rising.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I didn’t want to bring the whole mood down with my troubles. But I don’t see why I should take all the blame. I mean, wasn’t that “war training” supposed to make us independent from Clover? In fact, you did the training, Your Majesty! How come we were completely helpless?” Horst raises a counter-argument as the crowd starts whispering.

“I...I—” Julien is left speechless. However, Maurice responds: ”It is true that the training didn’t help us at all. However, we might have taken extra measures if we had known this information. Clover and Sage might have stayed here for the night and gone to the foosa kingdom for a check-up. As it stood, we didn’t have to worry about anything—”

“Oh come on, that is the lamest excuse I have ever heard!” Hector chimes in out of nowhere, “You’re seriously telling me that because of a wedding, you just forgot to come up with an alternative plan, or that your "training" was a complete joke? Or that Clover forgot as well? In fact, why didn’t she do that nonsense? She effectively left us to die here!”

“Hmm, now that I think about it,” Ted joins the conversation, “I am - or at least was – an assistant captain of the Ringtail guard, and my fighting skills aren’t anywhere near hers. She wasn’t really fond of teaching other people her skills. Gosh, when Hector puts it that way, it does sound like she just left us in terrible danger.”

By the time Ted finished speaking, the mood in the room changed considerably, to the shock of the royal entourage.

“How could she!?”

“Man, I knew something was off about her!”

“I mean, how appalling from her!”

“Oh, shut your mouth, old man!” It was Mort who broke the commotion. “You do nothing but complain all the time! And when King Julien gave us all that training, you just complained as usual! If it was Clover training you, you wouldn’t last two minutes, so shut it!"

The room became quiet, stunned by Mort’s abrupt defense. “Um, thank you, Mort,” Julien hesitantly showed his appreciation to Mort.

“No problem, my King,” responded Mort with his usual high voice, as if nothing happened. Regardless, Julien found his voice again: “All right, I’ll admit, I and Clover should have thought better of the situation. We were so busy with the whole wedding thing that everything else just… slipped out of our minds. But I refuse to admit that she left us to die. She would never do that.”

“Let’s focus on other matters, people. We need to figure out a solution to our current problem,” Maurice changed the subject. Unfortunately, Hector cut in once again.

“It is simple, even for you ding-dongs. We bring Clover back, make her teach us self-defense, then she can be with her idiot husband.”

“That is outrageous, Hector!” responds Julien. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t! She is a queen now! She doesn’t obey my orders anymore!”

“That doesn’t matter! If she truly cares for us as you claim, she would return to help us no matter what, queen or no queen!”

“But the Mountain Lemur Kingdom is on the other side of the island, buddy! It would take days for anyone to get there and deliver a message!”

The crowd goes silent for a very brief moment. A cough from Dorothy breaks the silence: “And what about Xixi? She is a bird, she can fly there with no problem.” Before anyone can voice their approval, Maurice cuts in, dread dripping from his voice: “I am afraid that’s not possible.”

“And why not?”

“Because she isn’t here!”

The crowd gasps, then looks around. And truly, there is no sign of the toucan. “What on earth? Why isn’t Xixi here, Mo-Mo?”

“I don’t know, but the worst part is she isn’t the only one missing!”

“What?! Wait, does that mean…?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. I am done with the head count, and as of now, six people are missing: Xixi, Dr. S, Nurse Phantom, Becca, Abner, and Andy!”

“Oh dear— Wait a minute. Mort, you raving imp!” He throws a mango at the mouse lemur, hitting him in the face, “You were supposed to bring Dr. S and Nurse Phantom here!”

“I am sorry, my king! I completely forgot to give you this letter I found at Club Moist!” He gives the letter to Maurice, who reads it out to the public:

“Dear King Julien, I and Nurse Phantom will be leaving the kingdom for a few days. We must perform surgery out of a CAAVE!!!!!” A lightning strikes outside Club Moist, “in the Crocodile Kingdom. We will return in a few days. Doctor S.”

“Well, at least we know they are alive. That is something. Anyway, does anyone know where the other four are?” Julien impatiently asks his people.

“Theodore Pantskin reporting for duty, sir! I remember metting Andy, Becca, and Abner at the wedding party. Said something about selling some wedding food to the foosa—”

“WHAT??!!” the entire kingdom screamed at the astounding information. “Are you serious?! If they did that, they might have been why the foosa attacked so early!” comments Maurice astounded.

“Ted, you could have mentioned this a bit earlier, don’t you think?!”

“Oh, flipperdoodles! I am sorry, KJ.”

Julien groans, his patience growing thin. “Great. Now if anyone knows something regarding the foosa attack or Xixi’s whereabouts, raise your hand now.” Only one hand is raised: Pancho’s.

“I heard her rave on about some crazy party at the aye-aye kingdom. Must be real groovy over there.”

“Oh thank Frank. At least she is safe and sound.” Maurice coughs at Julien’s missing information. “Just like Dr. S and Nurse Phantom, whatever. Anyway, it looks like we won’t be calling Clover for help anytime soon.”

“And what do you propose then, hmm?” asks Hector.

“My genius plan is this: We will make the New York giants our friends and keep them close. Then, with Mr. Alex protecting us, we will be safe and never have to worry about the dreaded foosa ever again.”

The crowd cheers at Julien’s plan, to his delight. “I thought of that. I thought of that. Yes. Me. I did.” Maurice, however, is still unsure about Alex: “Hold on, hold on, everybody. Hold on. I’m just thinking now. I mean, does anyone wonder why the foosa were so afraid of Mr. Alex?”

As the crowd ponders his question, Maurice continues his line of reasoning: “I mean, we should be scared too. What if Mr. Alex is even worse than the foosa? I am telling you all, that dude gives me the heebiedabajeebies.”

“Maurice, you did not raise your hand. Therefore, your heinous comment will be stricken off the record.”

“Your Majesty, multiple people didn’t raise their hand today.”

“Really? Hmm… All right, your words will stand. Does anyone else have the heebie-jeebies?” Julien once again asks the crowd. Once again, Pancho’s hand is raised. “I wouldn’t say they give me heebie-jeebies, but trusting some random folk to guard us just after we met them doesn’t comfort me. It is the best plan we have right now, but it might be a good idea to have Clover as a backup plan, which isn’t something I would say often.”

Julien thinks for a second, before turning his attention to Maurice. “What you think, Mo-Mo? Is it really a good idea to gamble with Clo-Clo’s life after everything she’s done?”

“I am not a fan of disrupting her honeymoon, Your Majesty. Believe me. But if your plan fails, I can’t think of a better alternative. And trust me, trusting that cat-thing might be a disaster.”

“Oh come on, Maurice, if it weren't for him, we all would have been foosa food by now.”

Maurice sighs. “Look, that guy is scaring me, alright? But I think I can stomach him for a week or two. But if he starts acting up, we need to figure out something else, alright?”

Julien scoffs, confidence shining from him. “Heh, no worries, Mo-Mo. I'll make sure that freak won't harm a toenail."

Maurice sighs again, but before he can share his concerns again, Julien gives his response to the people. “Very well. If, in the most unlikely, impossible scenario, my plan fails, I promise you ‘all that I will bring Clover back. However, we need Xixi to be here. Pancho, you and Ted will go to the Aye-Aye kingdom and drag Xixi here, no matter what!”

“Yes, KJ!” “You got it, Your Majesty!”

“Now, we need to find the New York giants, wait until they fall asleep, and bring them to the Watering Hole. And when they wake up, we will ensure they wake up in paradise. Timo, I want you to build some crazy contraption to help us carry them.”

“Sure thing, Your Majesty,” the tenrec hastily makes his way to the Cove of Wonders.

“Er, King Julien?” A single hand is raised.

“Hah, yes, Willie?” Julien doesn't hide his exasperation.

“I just want to ask, what about Becca, Abner, and Andy? Shouldn't we go look for them?”

“I'm afraid it is too risky, Willie,” Maurice responds instead, "We can't go out this late at night.”

“Besides, it won't be necessary,” Pancho chimed in as well, “I have known Andy for years, and that guy is a tough cookie. The foosa ain't got nothing on him. Or Becca and Abner.”

“See, no problem, my peeps. Now, before we do this thing, who wants a cookie?” Julien asks the crowd, who respond with massive cheers.

Chapter Text

After the meeting, the majority of lemurs went to the beach to spy on the New York giants, while Ted and Pancho went to the Aye-Aye kingdom to find Xixi. The giants seem to be settling in their new home already, having built a “bar” called Casa del Wild, already increasing the success of King Julien’s plan. The lemurs find their hiding spot in a nearby tree, and from there, they spy on the giants as they prepare to sleep.

“It is getting late. I guess I’m going to—” said Melman, before the wave of sleepiness immediately overwhelmed him. Gloria quickly joins him: “I think I’m going to hit the sack too. Sweet dreams, everyone.” Alex and Marty promptly follow as well.

“All right, everyone, we wait until they fall asleep, then signal Timo to get here. Got it?”

Before Julien could receive a response, his eyes registered a movement. Alex suddenly got up, grabbed Marty’s booty, and… licked him?

For a brief moment, Julien worried that Maurice’s doubts about Alex were right. And unsurprisingly, Marty immediately questioned Alex’s behavior, waking up Gloria and Melman: “Alex? Alex?”

Alex stops licking Marty, and an uncomfortable silence ensues, during which a leaf could be heard falling. Eventually, Marty asks again: “What are you doing?”

“...27, 28, 29, 30. Hmm. 30! 30 black and only 29 white. Looks like you’re black with white stripes after all. Dilemma solved. Good night,” Alex hastily explains the reason for licking his friend, before going to sleep again, imitating snoring. Fortunately for him, his friends bought it, with Marty looking amazed at the answer to a potentially life-long question. Julien breathes a sigh of relief, for it was a false alarm.

“You see, Maurice, Mr. Alex was grooming his friend. He is clearly a tender, loving… thing. How can you have the heebie-jeebies for Mr. Alex? Look at him. He’s so cute and plushy.”

“I don’t think he was grooming him, Julien. Looked more like he was tasting him to me,” Maurice could not shake the feeling of dread growing inside him. As per usual, however, Julien paid no mind to his friend’s worries: ”Suit yourself, no matter. I don’t care. Soon we will put my excellent plan to action. All we have to do is wait until they are deep in their sleep.”

…

…

…

“How long is this going to take?!”

The cry woke the giants from their sleep, nearly giving away their location. Thankfully, they hid deeper into the tree, and before long, the giants laid down to get some shut-eye once more.

“Oof, that was too close.  You Majesty, please keep it quiet.”

“I’m sorry, Mo-Mo, but watching other people falling asleep is sooo boring! It’s like hanging out with Willie!”

“What the heck, man!” Willie quietly voiced his displeasure.

Eventually, after a few minutes, the snores of the giants could be heard loud and clear. “All right everyone, time to signal our science wizard. Go, go!” The two lemurs went to the Cove of Wonders to inform Timo.

It took a while, but eventually, Timo and his Mom-Bot came into view, carrying a wooden stretcher. Julien and Maurice come out of their hiding spots to discuss the situation,

“Alright Timo, what are we gonna do with this.. thing?”

“It is quite simple, Your Majesty. We just put these giants on this stretcher and then we carry them to the Watering Hole. Any potential obstacles will be taken care of by Mom-Bot.”

“Oh, what fun we are going to have! It is so nice of you to actually socialize with other people, Timo!”

“Not now, Mom-Bot!” said Timo embarrassingly.

“Just one problem, Timo.” Maurice objected. “How are we gonna put those giants on that stretcher in the first place? They are quite heavy, not to mention we can’t wake them up. Actually, how are we going to carry that thing with all of them on it?”

“Oh dear, I didn’t think that far ahead. All right, let me think… I got it! We drag the stretcher under them. With the sand below us, we just need to push it slightly deep into the sand and then push it under the giants!”

“That’s genius, Timo!” said Julien.

“We still have the problem of carrying them to the Watering Hole,” Maurice reminded him and Timo.

“Hmm… What if Mom-Bot carries them to the Watering Hole and we just guide her there?”

“That could work. What do you think, Mo-Mo?”

“That doesn't sound too bad. Not only that, but she can fly over the trees, so there is no need to cut them.”

Julien returns to the hiding spot to address his people, albeit quietly: “My peoples. We will now help Timo with his plan. Get on the stretcher, push it deep into the sand, and push it below the giants.”

It takes some time for the plan to work, and Mort nearly wakes up the giants by clumsily launching into a tree, but Step 1 is eventually completed.  

“All right, your turn, Mom-Bot,” orders Julien.

Despite the weight of the giants, Mom-Bot lifts the stretcher with ease. “All right, Timo. Now go with your friends and guide me to the Watering Hole.”

“Yes, Mom-Bot.”

With that, lemurs, Mom-Bot, and the giants travel to the Watering Hole. Along the way, Maurice and Julien review the current situation:

“See, Mo-Mo. Everything is going to plan. The giants are going to wake up in paradise, and they will want to stay with us forever. Mr. Alex will protect us from the foosa, and we won’t need to interrupt Clover’s honeymoon.”

“I’m still worried about Mr. Alex and his behavior, Your Majesty, but I will be quite happy to be wrong this time.”

“Now, now. No need to feel embarrassed about your king’s mighty brain, Maurice. Especially since you are wrong all the time!”

“I’m not— Ah, never mind.”

They reach the Watering Hole with no issues (and minor collateral tree damage), the faint snores of the giants overshadowed by the calm, flowing water. 

“Thanks for your help, Mom-Bot. You helped us a lot.”

“No problem, King Julien. Anything to make sure Timo has a fun time with his friends.”

“Mom...”

“Speaking of, it's past your bedtime, young man. Time to go home.”

“But—”

“No buts, Timo,” and without waiting for a reply, Mom-Bot grabs Timo and leaves for the Cove of Wonders.

“And… now what?” Julien asks his advisor.

“I guess… we just rest up here with them until sunrise?”

“Eh, yeah, sure. All right everyone, now we wait until sunrise, then we show them the beauty of Madagascar. Until then, we take a nap. All right?”

The entire kingdom nods. Make-shift blankets and pillows are made, and with a snap of a finger, a sleepover party has been created. 

“May I sleep with you, King Julien?” asks Mort out of nowhere.

“Mort, I—” Julien stops himself. He ponders for a moment, then sighs. “All right, but only because I’m in a good mood. But don’t be surprised if I kick you in my sleep, alright?”

“Yaayy!” celebrates Mort silently, before launching himself at Julien’s feet.

“Gotta admit, I’m surprised that you let him do this, KJ.”

“As I said Mo-Mo, I’m in a good mood. Everything is going perfectly. Besides, I’m probably gonna launch him while sleeping anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

With that, Julien, Maurice, and the rest of the kingdom lie down. There was nothing but the beautiful sound of flowing water and gentle breeze...and Gloria's snores. Within minutes, lemurs dropped into the realms of sleep. Maurice was about to join them as well. However, Julien out of nowhere asked him a question:

“Man, what a day, huh? So much has changed since the wedding.”

“You can say that again. It feels like everything has turned upside down, and yet familiar at the same time.”

“Yeah. It feels weird doing this stuff without Clover, though, doesn‘t it?”

“Yeah. Especially since we are doing this to make sure she doesn't come back. At least immediately.”

“Heh. You know, it's funny. It feels like yesterday that you told me that things were gonna be strange without the whole crew together.”

“That’s because it was yesterday. But you were right too.”

“About what?”

“About something big being right around the corner. Literally.”

“Heh.”

For a few seconds, silence endured, before Julien spoke again:

“You think Clo-Clo is enjoying herself at the Mountain Lemur kingdom?”

“Probably. I hope everything goes well with her and Sage.”

“Me too, Mo-Mo. Me too,” replies Julien, with a small tint of sadness, surpising Maurice. The king continued: “That’s why I hope this plan will succeed. I don’t want to ruin it. After everything, she deserves some peace, as crazy as it sounds to her… craziness.”

“Yeah. Let’s hope everything goes right the next morning.”

“Ah, no worries, Mo-Mo. Have I ever been wrong?” Maurice gives him a knowing look. ”Alright, alright. Good night, Mo-Mo.”

“Good night, KJ.”

Chapter Text

Most of the population was awake when Maurice woke up from his slumber. The only people still asleep were the New York giants, Butterfish and Julien. And as expected, Mort was nowhere near Julien’s feet. With a sigh, Maurice tried to wake up his friend.

“Wake up, Your Majesty.” Nothing. “King Julien, it is time to wake up.” Still nothing. “King Julien!” Still nothing. With a sigh, Maurice goes with a desperate, but foolproof tactic: “Dance party at the baobab tree!”

“What’d you say?! Why wasn’t I invited?!” Julien screams out of nowhere, forcing Maurice to close his mouth not to wake up the giants.

“Maurice, I told you not to do that to me! You know how much I hate it when my dreams are interrupted by that beautiful, but totally fake suggestion!”

“I’m sorry, KJ, but we have a job to do. The giants are thankfully still asleep, but it won’t be long before they wake up.”

“Ah. I see. Alright, everyone! Get to your spots! We are about to introduce these giants to the beauty of Madagascar!”

Julien went on the stretcher where the giants slept. He went to Alex, who had a thumb in his mouth. He would question him about that later. Right now, he needs to wake them up.

“Wake up, Mr. Alex. Wake up, Mr. Alex.” Alex’s eyes are opening. “Rise and shining. Wakey-waking, Mr. Alex!” After a brief moment, Alex’s almost open eyes closed again. “Wake up! Alex!” Julien shakes Alex, which wakes him up at last.

“You suck your thumb?”

This causes Alex to scream, waking up his friends, and causing more screaming.

As the lemurs celebrate the waking of their hopefully new allies, the giants question where they are:

“Where are we? What the heck is going on? What is this?”

“Who built a forest?”

“What do you think? Take it easy,” Julien tries to calm down the giants, which gains their attention.

“Don’t be alarmed, giant freaks. While you were asleep, we simply took you to our little corner of heaven.

Welcome to Madagascar!”

“Mada-who-ha?” Marty questions the name, while his friends look to the side with clear amazement, especially Gloria: “What?”

“No, not who-ha. Ascar,” Julien corrects Marty, as Alex uses his hand to turn his friend’s head in the direction they are facing.

The giants walk in closer to take a better look at the scenery before them, with pure astonishment in their voices:

“Marty, it’s…”

“It’s just like my mural back at the zoo.”

“Oh, no, fella, that is the real deal right there.”

“Look at that, that’s not a bad view,” says Julien, for even if he saw it a million times, the beauty of the view never ceases to amaze him.

“I mean, that’s the thing that you were always looking at, but it’s actually there. That’s like the real version of—” says Alex before Marty interrupts him: “Hey, how about once around the park? Let’s get our blood pumping, get those lungs breathing in all this fresh air. Who’s with me?”

“Ah, naw. I really— I don’t think I could— You’re it!” Alex tags his friend, before running away.

“Hey! Want to play around? Ho! Hey!” he chases Alex, before tripping him. “ Got you there!”

“Come here!”

“You’re it. Hey, stop that! Hey, you’re crazy!”

The two friends continue their playful chase as Julien turns his attention to Gloria and Melman: “My dear friends, as a token of our gratitude for your rescue yesterday, we will offer you anything you desire.”

“Anything?” Gloria ponders for a moment. “It’s been a while since I relaxed in some good, clean water. Any chance I can take a dip in the water?”

“Sure thing! Our water slide is yet to be repaired, but it provides awesome fun nonetheless. And what about you, my long-necked freak?”

“Well, uhh… Is there any chance you can do massages? Especially on a neck? It is recommended by Dr. Munish so that I don’t get sick.”

“Hmm… I’ll see what Maurice can do.”

They return to the lemurs, eagerly anticipating the king’s next move.

“Alright, my peeps! Let’s get this party started!”

As was expected, the party went in full swing in no time, with the lemurs and Julien especially partying hard. Gloria was relaxing in the swimming pool with some lemurs fanning her while Melman got a brilliant massage. After a short while, Marty and Alex came back, with the latter looking fully energized: “Man! I feel different. Noogie, noogie, noogie, noogie, noogie, noogie!”

“Marty, Marty, Marty!” calls Gloria from the pool. Alex meanwhile jumps all around the pool: “Kind of charged up or something.”

“Like you said, baby, it’s—”

“Crackalacking!” Alex finishes Gloria’s sentence, taking Horst’s fan in the process. “Ain’t that right, Melman?”

He then jumps and dances on Melman’s neck, accidentally improving the massage in the process: “Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m in heaven.”

As Alex continues jumping around the place, Julien speaks to Maurice: “You see, Maurice, Alex is now our friend and the foosas are nowhere to be seen. It could be said that my plan is working in a very good working kind of way.”

“Hmm,” the advisor quietly sounds his concerns, for there is something different about Mr. Alex. Something bad.

“Alex. You got to try some of this,” Marty points to the fruits and vegetables, before shoving a pineapple in Alex’s mouth. However, Alex doesn’t share the sentiments, for he immediately spits out the food at Julien, who catches it.

“I feel good. Feel like a king again.”

“King?” Julien asks offensively, throwing the pineapple at Maurice in the process.

“Yeah. You should see his act. Come on, Alex, why don’t you show him some of your act?” Marty asks his friend.

“Oh, no, I don’t think I could— Okay. And look, there is a rock over there! Not as good as the one at the zoo, but it will do.”

With that, Marty and Alex go to the stone, ready to entertain the crowd with Alex’s act.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Primates of all ages. The wild proudly presents the king. Alex the lion!”

The crowd cheers, much to Julien’s dismay.

“E flat, fellas,” Marty orders to the lemurs near the fallen tree. They start up the music, putting the act into motion. Alex steps forward, wildly dancing everywhere.

“Yeah! The king is in the house!” says Marty.

Julien and Maurice watch from the backseat, with the former clearly unhappy at Alex’s newly revealed status and rising fame: “See, if he is the king, then where is his crown? I’ve got a crown. Got a very nice one. And it’s here on my head. Look at it. Have I got it on?”

“Yes, KJ,” Maurice half-heartedly responds, still suspicious about Mr. Alex.

As the act continues, Marty encourages his friend to make his special move: “Do the roar, man. Do the roar.”

What comes out of Alex is a loud, powerful roar that silences everyone, and nearly scares Maurice to death. Extreme concern and worry follow, for he recognizes the roar as a roar of hunger.

“Wow. I’ve never heard that one before. Yeah! Go wild, man! Come on! Break out the wave!” Marty sees no problem, encouraging him to continue his act. The lemur's cheers resume. Maurice, however, is now sure his suspicion may be right: “Your Majesty, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Come now, Mo-Mo. That was all a part of his stupid act,” says Julien with a tint of venom.

Maurice sighs, before closely observing Alex. Whatever belief he had about Mr. Alex being harmless disappears as he notices even more worrying signs: the movement of Alex’s nose, as if he smelled his next food (them), the hungry look in his eyes, and the claws coming out of his hand.

“King Julien, please! He is about to eat us!”

“Maurice, for the love of Frank, calm down! What on earth could someone dim-witted like him do—”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”

Marty's scream and the sight of Alex biting his friend's booty causes everyone to gasp. A singular clapping from Mort broke the silence, but only for a few precious seconds. For once, Julien wishes that Ted and his fear-tinkling skills would come in to break off the tension.

Eventually, Marty recovers from the shock (and some pain, probably) to ask Alex the obvious question: “Excuse me! You’re biting my butt!”

It takes a while before Alex responds: “No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

Alex suddenly splutters, as if he realized he was about to eat his friend. And unsurprisingly, his friends berate him:

“Alex, what did you do?”

“You just bit me on my butt!”

“No, I didn’t. Did I?” Alex once again denies what everyone saw.

“You kind of did.”

“He just bit me on the butt! What the heck is wrong with you?” Marty continues to reprimand his friend.

“Oh… Uh…”

“Why’d you bite me?”

“Man, it’s because you are his dinner,” Maurice shares his thoughts, now fully believing that Mr. Alex is a menace.

“What? That’s dumb,” argues Melman, while Gloria cannot believe the words she just heard: “Excuse me?”

“Come, come, Maurice. What is a simple bite on the booty among friends,” says Julien in desperation, seeing his plan fall apart right before him, “Here, give me a nibble.” Julien puts his booty in front of his advisor, who then angrily shoves him off.

“The party is over, Julien. Your brilliant plan has failed,” Maurice angrily exclaims, with his patience fully worn out.

“What are you talking about?” asks Marty, puzzled by Maurice’s last statement.

“Your friend here is what we call a deluxe-model hunting and killing machine. And he eats stake, which is you,” states Maurice. Gloria, however, cannot believe the accusation: “Get out of here.”

“Okeydokey. Maurice, I admit it. The plan failed,” Julien regrettably admits defeat. “All is lost! We’re all doomed. The foosa will come back and gobble us with their mouths because… We are all steak.”

“I’m steak! Me, me, me, me! At least, I think I am. Is a starfish made of steak?” Mort ponders for a moment, oblivious to the situation.

“Your Majesty, we will figure something out. But right now, we have to deal with this problem. Mr. Alex cannot stay here. He belongs with his own kind on the foosa side of the island.”

“Ah, very well.” Julien concedes. “By the power vested in me, by the law of the jungle, blah, blah, blah, blah… Be gone!”

“What? Come on, do I look like a steak to you?” Marty asks Alex.

“Yeaaah!”

“See, I told you I don’t look like a— Wait, wait. Wha-wha-wha-what’d you say?”

“Ooohhhh, yeaaah.”

Alex goes on all fours and growls; this time, everyone knows his intentions, even Mort: “He’s going savage.”

And for Julien and everyone, there was only one solution.

“Run for your lives!”

And for the second time in two days, all hell breaks loose.

“Marty, run!”

“We’re all gonna die!”

“Someone has spilled my beverage!”

That was all Julien and Maurice heard as they ran for it. “For the love of Frank, don’t stop Mo-Mo!”

“Right behind you, KJ!”

As they ran, Maurice spotted a coconut tree, its large height making it a perfect hiding place, with something to protect themselves.

“King Julien, over here!”

Julien stops running, and together they hastily climb the tree. As they catch their breath, Maurice spots Marty being chased by Alex.

“Oh no you don’t!”

With newly-found determination in his eyes, he picks a nearby coconut and throws it at Alex before he can grab his friend-turned-food. As luck would have it, his shot is a perfect one, hitting him in the head and saving Marty’s life.

“A bull’s eye. Excellent shot, Maurice,” Julien compliments Maurice’s aim.

“Thank you.”

Before another word is spoken, they notice Alex move slightly. Expecting another attack, Maurice prepares another coconut while Julien holds his breath.

However, instead of continuing his pursuit, Alex laments his actions: “Marty? I’m so sorry, Marty.” A few seconds pass as Alex gets up. “What is wrong with me? Ow! Oh no. What have I done? It’s true. I’m a monster. I got to get out of here.”

With that, he runs away, allowing Julien to breathe a huge sigh of relief and Maurice to drop his coconut. However, the victory is short-lived, for Julien realizes what he just saw. A failure of his plan. And this time, it could prove to be a costly one. It nearly did if it had not been for Maurice’s intervention at the right place and time.

The kingdom is defenseless. The protector who was supposed to be their saviour nearly became the harbinger of doom. If Alex decided to hunt the lemurs instead…

The thought alone made Julien shiver.

Now all hope lies in Pancho and Ted finding Xixi, which means bringing Clover back, forcing her to train them all, ruining her honeymoon, and potentially straining her marriage and their friendship. And that was the best-case scenario. If Ted and Pancho take their sweet time, or if they don't find Xixi, and foosa decide to launch another attack, they will be slaughtered.

It's a mess. A one he feels partially responsible for.

And Julien felt terrible.

Neither spoke for some time, unwilling to talk about the events that transpired before them. However, with not much to do on a tree, still scared from what happened, and guilt already eating him up, Julien decided to break the ice:  “I’m sorry, Maurice. I’m so sorry. You were right. I shouldn’t have trusted Alex. Now we are gonna die. As Willie says so often.”

“King Julien…”

“What was I thinking?! I nearly let him eat us! He scared Mort for Frank’s sake! Mort! It was so obvious since the moment we laid eyes upon him! He even tried to eat his friend! And I thought he could protect us 24/7 without problems?! It’s, it’s… Aagh!”

Julien’s outburst turned into the briefest of silences, before speaking again, with as little energy as he could muster: “I screwed up – big time. Hector was right. Only Clover can keep us safe. Now she is going to suffer because of me. How could I have been so foolish? Why did I think my training worked when we were nearly a fossa’s lunch? Man, I’m like the worst king ever!”

“King Julien, I… In hindsight, that was a foolish decision from both of us.”

“Mo-Mo, that is none of your fault—”

“No, it is my fault as well! I am your advisor, I am supposed to bring up issues, even if they get ignored all the time. I should have informed you that the training didn’t work then and there, but then Clover came back, and then Sage proposed, and it just fell out of my mind. We all just forgot in sheer excitement of the wedding. I...I am sorry, KJ.”

Julien just sighs, looking into the forest, refusing to meet Maurice's gaze: “I appreciate your efforts to make me feel less guilty, Maurice, I really do. But I am a king. And in the end, I have to take responsibility for my failure to keep my peeps secure.”

As Maurice heard his friend resign, he couldn’t help but feel an utter dread go through his body, for things couldn’t have been more bleak. They are defenseless. Their only protection is miles away. Alex might lose it again and go after them. Julien didn’t even throw him under the bus as he usually does when his plans go wrong.

And yet...

This is a familiar scenario they found themselves in. And Maurice refuses to believe all hope is lost.

“King Julien, don’t give up hope. Things do look pretty bad, but we still have plan B. And if there are lemurs who I trust to do their job properly, apart from Clover obviously, it is Pancho and Ted. We can still make this right if they bring Xixi safe and sound.”

“Yeah. But then Clover will have to come back. After everything she has done for this kingdom, for me, for you—”

“Even if this ruins her honeymoon, even if she is the queen of the Mountain Lemur kingdom, she still loves this kingdom from the bottom of her heart. She fixed hundreds of your screw-ups constantly, yet she never grew to dislike you, because she knows you are a good person. A person she would gladly risk her life for. So to make it clear: even if you inadvertently ruin her honeymoon, she will forgive you. She will help you and this kingdom. And most of all, she will never hate you. No matter what.”

Hearing those words, Julien stood there motionless. Then, a single tear escapes his eyes, before hurriedly clearing up the evidence.

“Thank you, Maurice. That is just what I needed to hear. I am happy to have you as my advisor and as my best friend.”

“Likewise, KJ.” Maurice felt emotions overwhelming him, and a similar urge to shed a few tears. However, now is not the time. Slightly grabbing Julien's shoulder, he says: “Alright, time to head back to the Watering Hole and calm down the people. Especially Mort. I have a feeling he is going nuts about whether or not you are alright.”

A smile that he was looking for shows up on Julien's face, determined spirit returning to the king: “Heh, you are right! Enough moping around, let’s fix this mess!”

And together, they went back to the Watering Hole.

Chapter Text

When Julien and Maurice returned to the Watering Hole, it looked exactly as they expected: an absolute mess. Dirt was everywhere, food stepped on, and the remains of Horst’s beverage were everywhere.

“All right, everyone, you can come out now. Alex will not bother us anymore, Maurice made sure of that,” Julien said to his people who were hiding near the trashed party.

Not even a second passed before Mort came charging into his king’s feet, happiness glowing from the mouse lemur: “THANK GOODNESS YOU ARE ALRIGHT! I thought you got eaten by that nasty Alex!”

With the adrenaline from the chase fully gone, Julien didn’t even bother getting Mort off his feet. For a few moments, he let him cling to his feet, even when he started sobbing.

As his people started coming out of their places, a certain lemur whom Julien did not want to hear made his thoughts about the situation very clear: “Well, well, look who decided to show up! Here to see the result of another ding-dong plan of yours?”

“Good to see you too, Hector.”

“Well, "Your Majesty", are you happy that you invited someone twice as bad as the foosa? Someone that according to your "brilliant" brain was supposed to protect us turned out to be a vicious killer?”

“No, I’m not,” responds Julien with a sigh, before addressing his people: “My peeps, I owe you all a big apology. I messed up real bad, and I put y’all in terrible danger. Not only that, but because of me we have no line of defense at our disposal, and because of that we are at the mercy of the foosa. I’m so sorry.”

The apology caused a commotion, with many whispers and mutters. Few people, including Hector, responded with a disapproving "humph". However, one voice cut the chatter:

“Um, King Julien, does that mean what you said earlier is true? That the foosa are going to eat us? That we are all gonna die?”

Before anyone could share Willie’s worries, Maurice cut in: “Alright people, calm down a bit, okay? Don’t give up hope. We still have plan B. We need to wait for Ted and Pancho to bring Xixi back.”

“But King Julien, does that mean that…” asked Horst the question on everyone’s lips.

“Hah. Yes. A promise is a promise. And right now, we have no other alternatives. Once Xixi is back, we sent her to the Mountain Lemur kingdom with an urgent call for help. And once she comes back, Clover will fend off any foosa attack and help us learn some self-defense. Alright?”

A huge sigh of relief could be heard from everyone present. Well, almost everyone.

“Heh, what makes you think this plan won’t be another catastrophic failure? Everything has gone so great since Clover left with Sage. What makes you believe she will actually come back?” Hector shared his usual (lack of) enthusiasm, much to Maurice's dismay. “Hector—”

“Oh, shove off, old man!”

Everyone turned their attention to Mort, who's crying stopped, his red eyes shooting daggers at Hector, the mouse lemur not even clinging to Julien's feet anymore. “You complain about everything my king does, and now that he does what you wanted him to do, you still moan?! How about you train us then?!”

“No way I'm training you ding-dongs. Besides, she should have done it months ago, but instead she had her head over heels for that bafoon!”

“Hector—”

“The first chance she gets, she leaves us all behind, no training, no preparation, nothing!”

As Hector continued his tirade, Maurice took a quick look at Julien...and felt his heart stop.

If looks could kill, Julien would have blood on his hands. His usually happy eyes narrowed to a couple of dots, his fists shook, his breathing got more and more erratic. But it was the scowl that creeped out the advisor the most. For a split, split second, he saw Uncle KJ in his "prime", not his king.

“Hector—” Maurice tried to stop him again, but to no avail. “Heck, with our ding-dong luck, she might just kick Xixi out of the kingdom the first chance she gets, and then leave us all to die! Which wouldn’t surprise me. Only a cow would marry that idiot—”

Julien suddenly lunged towards Hector, swiftly grabbing his neck in a blink of an eye. “What did you say?!”

The entire kingdom gasped, including Maurice and Mort. Absolutely no one could say a single word, not even the entourages, for neither saw their king this furious.

“I… I…”

“How dare you say that! After everything she has done for this kingdom, you dare call her like that!!”

Julien applies some pressure on Hector’s neck, his anger-fueled strength leaving Hector at his mercy.

“You… are… chocking… me…”

“Now you listen to my words very carefully Hector, and listen to them good and proper because I won’t repeat them,” Julien's voice turned deep and cold, “As long as I am in charge here, you will not insult Clover like that again. If you dare say that word in my presence again, or if you insult Maurice or even Mort, I will make sure you will regret it. Is that clear?”

Hector nodded vigorously, which prompted Julien to let him go. Hector gasped for air while Julien slowly regained his senses. Silence followed as no one dared to even make a sound. Then, a familiar voice cut through it:

“Oh, flipperdoodles, did we interrupt something important?”

The lemurs turned around and saw Ted and Pancho, their furs a bit messy, with the latter carrying a bag.

“Ted! Pancho!” said Maurice, the hope they have been waiting for arriving at long last. He, Mort, and Julien approached the duo.

“Um, did we miss something? Why does this place look like an average prison wrestling match?” Pancho asks.

“Long story short, we hosted a party to welcome the giants, our worries about Mr. Alex came true, he tried to eat us, I stopped him and Julien banished him to the foosa side of the island. Now, where is Xixi? Why isn’t she with you? Don’t tell me…”

“No worries, Maurice, we got her. Unfortunately…” Pancho opened the contents of the bag. Xixi dropped out of it, muttering something and looking wasted. “The drinks that are served in the Aye-aye kingdom are quite something.

Maurice, Mort, and especially Julien looked in horror as they saw their backup plan go up in flames. “No, no, no! We need her in top shape like right now! Mo-Mo, what are we gonna do now?”

“I… I… I don’t know.”

Julien was at a loss for words. Is this it? Is this the end for them? If the foosa attack before Xixi recovers, which will take a day or two by the looks of things, they are screwed!

“Well, golly, we are in trouble! Oh dear, I think I might…”

“Don’t even think about it, Ted! No fear-tinkling, especially at a time like this!”

“Well, sorry, Maurice! But I didn’t get a chance to let off some stream since that meeting on the plane! We didn't make a single stop on our journey!”

A plane… Wait, that’s it!

“Wait, I got it! Thanks, Ted!” Julien says with utter delight, before addressing his people. “My peeps! With the situation at hand, I hereby order an immediate stake-out on the plane! We will stay there until Xixi recovers, so go home, grab some mangos and essentials with you, and then meet up on the plane in 5 minutes tops! Is that clear?”

Remembering what happened before their very eyes not a moment ago, the crowd nodded with no rebuttals, then dispersed.

Julien then turned his attention to Pancho and Ted: “You two, before you go, take Xixi to the plane at once!”

“Yes, KJ!”

That just left the royal entourage at the scene of the ruined party. Maurice didn't waste any time addressing the elephant in the room: “Alright, I have to ask: What was that all about?”

“What was what?”

“Hmm, I dunno, maybe the fact that you went full berserk on Hector?”

“Oh come on, man, it wasn’t that bad, right?”

“King Julien, you threatened him! You legit choked him!”

“Yeah! I wasn’t expecting that from you, my king!” Mort entered the conversation. “Not that I wouldn’t mind getting choked by you, King Julien…”

Maurice and Julien gave Mort a dead-pan stare, before resuming their conversation.

“Alright, looking back, I admit that I should have handled the situation a bit better and that you should have stepped in to stop me, but I mean, how could he say that about her! Especially calling her that heinous word as well, I mean argh!” Julien said with rage, throwing his hands up and turning his back to Maurice.

“Look, I fully agree that what he said was completely uncalled for and a new low, even for him. But threatening him in front of everyone won’t do you or Clover any good, especially with the people being on edge as they are.”

“And what else was I supposed to say? "You know, you are absolutely correct buddy! Of course she would leave us all behind. It's not like she saved our lives and especially mine like a bazillion times already. Nah, she is a first-class traitor! While we are at it, let’s burn down her hut for her treachery! And remind me to award you with a medal for such a heroic act of making Clover a bad guy!" Like are you nuts, Maurice?”

“Me nuts? Julien, not even your Uncle did that! And that guy did some messed up stuff!”

“Oh right! So I am now worse than my Uncle because I defended a friend, is that what you are saying?!”

“What?! No—”

“Oh, sure you did, Mr. Smarty-pants. Why don't you ask for his advice while you are at it—”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Mort’s cry interrupted the intensifying argument between the two.

“I hate it when mommy and daddy fight! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

Julien and Maurice exchanged a glance at each other as Mort wept uncontrollably before both took a deep breath and let go of their anger. With a sigh, Julien decided to de-escalate the situation at hand by revealing his boiled-up feelings:

“Look, I just… I feel so sick hearing people talk about Clover like she doesn’t care about us. I mean, she protected this kingdom, protected us above all else countless times. Heck, she was willing to sacrifice her life if necessary when we confronted Koto for me. Like, that is loyalty. So to hear people call her all those horrid words even when we announced her departure hurts me so much. Even if you… I told them she was abandoning us, they shouldn’t have reacted like she just tried to assassinate me. And when I heard Hector say that word… I just snapped. I couldn’t help it.”

As he heard his friend explain his reasoning, Maurice couldn’t help but feel oddly happy about how Julien valued Clover. Even if under stress and fatigue from the events of the last two days, there was something… wholesome about Julien sticking up to his friend in that particular manner. Even if it probably will land them in hot water.

“Look, we are all stressed because of this situation. I don’t blame you whatsoever for defending Clover, especially with all this craziness going on. But maybe doing it privately, face to face, and with a clearer head might be a better option next time. But whatever, what happened, happened. Let’s focus on surviving this, then when Clover comes back, we will have a nice chat. Peace?”

“Peace,” said Julien after a short while. With that, Mort’s cries died out.

“Alright, now let’s get to the plane,” Julien recommends.

“Yeah. But let's go to our huts first to grab some food if we are to stay there for a few days, since I have a feeling Xixi will be out for quite a while.”

A loud yet distant noise could be heard as if on cue.

“Well, Mo-Mo, it looks like you need some food ASAP!”

“Um, that was not me.”

“Oh. Well, uh, Mort?”

“Not me, King Julien. I had a bunch of scorpions that I found lying around for breakfast.”

“Then what was that sound then?” asked Julien, before the noise was heard again, slightly louder this time.

“That sounded like a boat. Wait, a boat?!”

The trio was bewildered. A boat? Coming to Madagascar?

“Who do you think is coming here, Maurice? More of those New York giants?”

“I hope not. We had enough trouble with four of them. Well, more like one of them, but still, we got enough trouble as it is. More unexpected visitors is not what we need right now.”

Julien pondered for a moment as the sounds became louder and louder.

“We have to check it out.”

“What? But—”

“Cork that but, Maurice. We need to see who is coming here.”

“But in that case, we must get to the beach. And by the time we get there and back, everyone will be on the plane and wondering where the heck we are!”

Julien pondered once more before he laid his eyes on Mort.

“And if we send Mort to the plane? He will tell the rest where we are.”

“Hmm… Why do you want to see the passengers of that ship anyway?”

“Because… Because… I dunno! But right now, we have nothing to do but wait while Xixi recovers. Might as well see if those guys are good or bad.”

“But what about the foosas? If they attack us…” Maurice voiced his worry before Julien firmly interrupted him.

“They won’t. At least not right now and not that far away from their kingdom. If I recall correctly, Mr. Alex did that loud roar as part of his act. The one that got you worried so much. If the foosa heard that roar even slightly, they ran away. And if they didn’t, that means they are yet to attack us again. That should give us some time to check things over.”

“Huh,” was all that Maurice could muster at his friend’s unusually logical reasoning. “I’ll admit, that sounds reasonable. Still not sure about this, but alright, Mort will go to the plane to inform the others, but I am coming with you.”

“There wasn’t any doubt in my mind, buddy. Mort, go to the plane and inform the peeps that we will investigate that noise. There is no way on earth they didn’t hear it. Got it?”

“Yes, my king!” said Mort, before buggering off at the speed of sound.

“Alright Mo-Mo, let’s go!”

The duo approached the beach as the ship’s horn became even louder. Then came a loud and powerful honk that even blew the trees in the opposite direction.

“Whoa! That was something! My crown nearly fell off!”

“The ship must be on the beach! We have to hurry, Your Majesty!” recommended Maurice, and so the duo quickened their pace.

However, then they saw something unexpected. Or rather someone, as out of the bushes came Marty, with clear determination in his eyes.

“Oh man, am I glad to see you guys! Do you have any idea where Alex went?”

“Um, he headed to the foosa kingdom. Maurice actually saved your—” was all that Julien could say before Marty interrupted him.

“Dagnabbit! Where is the kingdom?”

“That way—” Maurice pointed in the direction before he too was interrupted. “Alright, thanks, guys!”

“What the— Wait! You can’t just waltz in there! Hey!” was all Maurice could muster before Marty ran away as fast as he could.

“What the heck is he thinking, Mo-Mo? He is gonna get himself killed!”

“I dunno, but I’m sure something major happened at the beach for him to act like that. Come on!”

This time, they ran to the beach as if the foosa were on their tail, and in a few moments, they witnessed an unprecedented sight. For in front of them, a large front of the ship was parked on the edge of the beach, and in front of the ship were not only Gloria and Melman, but also the new visitors: quadruple of white-black looking creatures, with flipper-like wings, long, hooked beaks, webbed feet, and around the same height as an average lemur. And they noticed their presence.

“You, primate. You the leader of this place?” asked one of them, presumably the leader.

“Umm, yes. My name is King Julien XIII, and this is my royal advisor, Maurice. And you are?”

“My name is Skipper. I’m the leader of this unit. This is Kowalski, the brains of our operation. Over here is Rico, our demolitions expert. And finally, Private, whose main weapon is being cute and cuddly.” His fellow penguins saluted as he listed their names.

Before more info could be shared, Gloria cut into the conversation: “What are you guys doing here?”

“We heard the sound of this ship, so we went to check it out. We saw your friend along the way—”

“What?! Where did Marty go?”

“He went to the foosa kingdom to—”

“WHAT?! Why would he do that?!” asked a shocked Gloria.

“I think he wanted to find Mr. Alex. But I don’t get why, he is a lost cause.”

“Don’t you dare call him a lost cause!” Gloria responded to Maurice’s comment. Just then, Melman cut into the conversation: “Umm, guys, I don’t want to interrupt, but we need to focus on saving Marty and Alex.”

“Our friend is right. We have no time to waste and more importantly, no man gets left behind. Ringtail, do you know where this foosa kingdom is?” asked Skipper, quickly taking control of the situation.

“Yes.”

“Then you will lead us there. As quickly as possible.”

“But it is too dangerous!”

“Not to worry, you will just lead us there. You can watch from the sidelines while we rescue our monochromatic friend and that psychotic lion. Capiche?”

“Umm, yes, I capiche. What is "capiche" Mo-Mo?”

“I think it means "understand".”

“Okay. This might be a total disaster, but oh well, let’s go.”

With a smirk on his face, Skipper turned to his unit: “Alright men, let’s do this!”

Chapter Text

One of the first things a lemur must know is the location of the foosa kingdom and all the routes leading to it so that no matter what happens, they will not go there under any circumstances. With circumstances at hand, however, now it is time to use such roads, for half of the New York giants find themselves there, unquestionably in great peril. Through the forbidden roads, Julien, Maurice, Gloria, Melman, and the penguins rush through to save Alex and Marty in time.

And it doesn’t take long before they spot familiar footsteps on the ground.

“I know that shape anywhere! Those belong to Marty!” exclaimed Melman.

“And look at these! Alex went through here as well!” Gloria remarked.

“Then we must hurry! The foosa could attack them at any minute!” responded Julien.

They pressed on as the warning signs kept on appearing and the trees kept disappearing. And to make things even more ominous, dark clouds surrounded the jungle.

“I must say Ringtail,” Skipper spoke suddenly to Julien, “I am surprised to see these warning signs this deep into the territory.”

“Well, when your kind is pretty much a daily meal for someone else, you eventually do everything to make sure you or others avoid them at all costs, even going into the foosa kingdom to put signs deterring others from going forward. Still doesn’t stop them from attacking us, though,” he manages to blurt out, already panting compared to the penguin.

“I see. And what about—”

“Can you guys have this conversation after we rescue them?” Gloria interrupted, with her nerves on an all-time high.

“Alright doll, no need to get sassy.”

As the party got closer and closer to the foosa kingdom, a scream that Gloria recognized immediately was heard:

“AAH!!! HELP ME!!! ALEX!! HEEEELLLPPP!!!!!!!”

“That’s Marty!”

“And I can see him in the distance!” said Melman, taking advantage of his great eyesight, “Looks like he is running away from someone!”

“The foosa!” screamed both Julien and Maurice.

“Time for action!” said Skipper, ready to give orders. “You primates, hide somewhere, preferably in the trees! You two, go forward and escort our monochromatic friend here while we prepare our trap!”

“You got it,  Skippy!” Gloria responded, she and Melman already on their way, as Marty's cry for help was heard again: “Help me!! Anybody, help me!! Somebody!! Ah! HEEEELLLPPP!!!!!!!”

Meanwhile, Julien and Maurice did as Skipper asked, climbing a nearby tree to see the action unfold. From there, they could see Skipper and his men devise a trap: “Kowalski, options!”

“Sir, I believe our best course of action would be to create a distraction, then move between them and use a gadget to be above their level so that they will not overwhelm us.”

“Alright. Private! You’ll be bait! Rico! You know what to do!”

Rico proceeded to vomit out a gun of sorts, a pole stick, a weird-looking wheel, and a bag, much to the disgust of the lemur duo.

“Ew. Thank Frank I just danced at the party, otherwise I would be very sick.”

“Well, at least we know why he is a demolitions expert.”

Their chit-chat was interrupted by a distant yodel-like yell, followed by a distant female voice yelling: “Run!”

“They are coming. Everyone, hide, hide!”

From the tree, the duo could see the New York giants run away from…hundreds…and hundreds of foosas.

“Oh my Frank, look at how many of them there are!”

“Oh no, I knew this was a bad idea!”

“Mo-Mo, this is bad, really bad!”

As the trio and what seemed like an entire army of foosas moved closer to the penguin’s trap, Marty and Gloria could be heard bickering:

“What’s the plan?”

“This is the plan.”

“This is the plan?”

Then, out of his hiding spot, came Skipper, holding the gun at the foosa horde. “Foosa halt!”

The foosa stopped, bewildered, before Skipper pointed the gun at the sky. And it wasn’t a standard gun, for instead of a bullet, a flare was fired, distracting the foosa…and Julien.

“Foosa aah!”

While his friend was distracted, Maurice focused on the scene unfolding before him: three penguins crawled under the foosas, while the fourth one used the pole to land in the middle of the foosa horde. Then, in the blink of an eye, the penguins created the gadget, using Private as bait in the process by putting whipped cream and a cherry (the latter being vomited by Rico) on his head. Private then proceeds to get the attention of the foosa with a whistle and a few encouraging words: “Come and get it!”

It worked like an absolute treat, for the foosa immediately attacked the penguin. The other three, however, have started up the gadget by that point, making it go up and KO-ing many foosa along the way. It is far from over, for more and more foosa come into play from all sides, surrounding the penguins and the NY giants. A few of them are taken out by Gloria using Melman’s neck while screaming "Take that!", and the penguins put up a valiant defense, but even Julien, who was no longer distracted by the flare, sees this struggle as completely hopeless.

“Oh man, oh man, there are just so many! It seems we hit a bee’s nest!”

Maurice didn’t even bother to correct his king, for the current (hopeless) situation made him uncontrollably shake.

“There's too many of them, Skipper,” said Private, jumping constantly to avoid the foosa’s swipes.

“It’s been a real pleasure serving with you boys,” Skipper announces his farewells to his squad, before slapping another foosa. Before the lemur duo could see a casualty, a very, very, very loud roar made everyone stop in their tracks.

For on top of a rock was none other than Mr. Alex, looking even more disheveled than last time. “Alex?” Marty, however, showed no signs of worry, his voice full of hope and joy. Perhaps, despite everything that happened and despite all the odds, he may be the one to save the day?

“That’s my kill. Mine.”

Or maybe not.

Alex dropped from the rock and approached Marty like a predator, while the foosa backed away. Pretty much everyone was paralyzed with fear, even the lemurs who were in a better spot than the others.

“Alex hungry. Alex eat.”

He approaches his friend with clear hunger in his eyes, unleashing his claws in the process.

“Oh dear Frank, he’s actually gonna do it. I-I can’t watch.”

“Me-me-me neither, K-K-KJ,”

The two hug each other, and close their eyes, not ready to see a gruesome scene in front of them.

The growling stops, and their ears prepare for a sound they will never, ever forget for the rest of their lives.

And…nothing?

Only the sound of whispers could be heard, not what either of them expected when it came to mauling someone and eating them alive.

Then, through the silence rang a voice in a tone they did not expect: Marty’s.

“Man, you almost gave me a heart attack. You can’t just come sneak up on me. Just ‘cause you’re a lion…”

His response was cut short and was followed up with more whispers. That was enough for the lemur duo to open their eyes and find out just what the heck is going on.

And at that moment, Alex attacked not just Marty, but also Gloria and Melman, prompting Julien and Maurice to close their eyes once again.

“Mine! My kill! Rrahh! They're all mine!”

“Aah! It's the king of the beasts! Oh, no! Aah!”

“Don't eat me, Mr. Lion!”

“He's scary!”

They all screamed in terror…and in an odd tone, which prompted Maurice to reopen his eyes, because those screams of terror sound…odd.

“Fear me! Savagery beyond comprehension!” roared Alex, approaching the scared foosas.

“I am far too young to die!”

“You're a monster! A monster, I say!”

Both Marty and Melman screamed with once again an odd, almost fake-like tone…Wait a minute!

Next thing, Alex drops his "prey" before addressing the very, very scared fossa horde: “And you!”

“Me?” is all that one of the foosas can say before Alex uses his hand to slap a bunch of them, followed by another slap and a kick.

At this point, even Julien opens his eyes, not understanding what is happening. ”Um, Mo-Mo, what is happening?”

“Oh, you want some of this? You better run for your lives!”

“Somebody call a cop!”

“He's psychotic!”

The trio says as they fight some scared foosa in their vicinity, with the apparent fear of Alex now gone.

“Of course,” says Maurice as realization finally dawns on him, “they are just pretending to be scared! It’s all a part of an act!”

“R-Really?” is all that Julien can say, still bewildered by the scene before him.

Before he can further process Maurice’s words, Alex grabs another foosa, does tricks that only Clover could be capable of, and then uses them as a baseball bat to KO even more foosas.

“This is my territory!! Understand?!”

The foosas can only nod in sheer fear.

“I never, ever want to see you on my turf again!!” threatens Alex, before roaring right in front of the foosas, who flee from the scene, apart from one that trips up, before Alex scares him as well with a light-hearted “Boo”.

“Yeah! You the cat!”

“Got my boy back!”

The foursome celebrate their victory with a group hug, as a realization dawns on Julien and Maurice.

“Your Majesty, did Mr. Alex say what I think he said?”

“Yes, Mo-Mo, yes he did.”

"I never, ever want to see you on my turf again."

If "my turf" includes the lemur kingdom, which it undoubtedly does…

then that means…

Julien’s plan…

is a success!!!

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I did it! Give me some love! The plan worked! The plan worked! I’m very clever! I’m the one, baby!” Julien celebrates the success of his plan with overjoyous happiness, hugging an equally happy Maurice in the process. “Come on. Time to robot! I am very clever king. I am super genius. I am robot king of the monkey things. Compute, compute.”

The victory celebrations are cut short, albeit accidentally by Alex’s question: “So, what’s for lunch?”

His friends give him shocked expressions, as another problem arises: What is Alex going to eat, that isn’t one of them or anyone from the kingdom?

“Well, I must say,” says Skipper out of nowhere, startling the group in the process, “you did well, Pretty Boy. Without you, we would be joining Manfredi and Johnson. So well done.”

“Thanks— Wait a minute. What are you doing here?” asks Alex. “Oh, they are the ones who brought the ship,” responds Gloria.

“What? But what happened to the people?” says Marty, dumbfounded at this new revelation.

“No worries, my monochromatic friend. They are on a slow lifeboat to China. And you don’t have to worry about your hunger problems anymore, Pretty Boy, ‘cause that boat has food even better than steak!”

“Now that I doubt,” says Alex.

“Well, we better hurry before you turn savage again. I don’t wanna another bite on my butt!”

“No need to rush,” said Kowalski out of nowhere, “according to my calculations, apart from a few out-of-control moments which will last a mere few seconds, you will not turn fully savage in the next 3 hours and 51 minutes.”

“Umm. Okay,” Alex was dumbfounded and a bit scared at Kowalski’s calculations.

3 hours and 51 minutes?

That’s a lot of time. Enough time to get to the plane, inform the peeps of his victory, and…

Another brilliant plan formed inside Julien’s head. A plan of celebrations.

“New York giants!” Julien dropped from their hiding spot and addressed the soon-to-be celebrated heroes of Madagascar, “I hereby propose a celebration party to celebrate this successful rescue and a decisive victory against the foosa! The drinks are on Maurice.”

“What the— Argh.”

“Um. Thanks for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I don’t think your people will be kind to me after what I did at the party. Especially since you banished me, if I remember correctly.”

“Oh. Oh, that silliness! Nah, don’t you worry. Ahem. By the power vested in me, by the law of the jungle, blah, blah, blah, blah… Be…ungone!”

“Um, by the way… I’m sorry about calling you a deluxe-model hunting and killing machine, umm… Please forgive me!” Maurice begged for forgiveness, dropping to his knees.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry! No need to apologize! I mean, you were right in the end. I did try to eat Marty in the end. But I guess, apology accepted?”

“Hah, thank you, thank you.”

“Oh, and by the way, no need to worry about my peeps! Once they learn about what you did here today, they will accept you back with open arms! Even if you are really, really big.”

Julien then grabs Maurice’s hand and heads to the Lemur kingdom with him. “Now if you will excuse us, we have a celebration party to prepare. See you all at the beach!”

Chapter Text

The sounds of dancing and jumping were all Maurice heard as he and the overjoyed Julien took a return trip to the throne room. The advisor himself was humming, the fact that the foosa will leave them alone for a long time a sound to his ears.

“Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh happy days, Mo-Mo! Man, for a second there, I thought we were hosed! Thank Frank Mr. Alex regained his senses when he arrived, or this booty would foosa’s lunch – or maybe even his!”

“You can say that again. Man, am I glad we went to check the ship when we did, otherwise they would have never saved Marty and Mr. Alex in time without our help.”

“Yeah! Those penguins though, they were clear professionals, weren’t they?”

“Yep, especially that Skipper guy. He immediately took control of the situation and even bossed you around! Only Clover did that, and even then it was only in dire situations that you caused.”

“Well, with how things were going, I thought I might as well let this guy have a go. And, well, he had that Clover-esque confidence, so I felt a bit…umm…what’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Nostalgic?”

“Yeah, that one.”

There was a brief silence before Julien asked about one particular trait of Skipper’s: “One thing I don’t get is why he called me "Ringtail"? I did say my name and title to him, right?”

“Ehh, I think it is just his style. It seems he calls everyone outside his unit by nicknames. Gloria is Doll, Marty is Monochrimwhatityacallit, and Mr. Alex is Pretty Boy.”

“Hm. I see. Well, all is well, right?”

“Eh, sort of.”

The king laughs. “Sort of? Buddy, the foosa are no longer a thorn in our booties! This is a great day! What else is there to say?”

Maurice hesitates for a bit. “Well, a couple of things, but nothing too troubling.”

“Pfft. Such as?”

“Well, we still don't know how to defend ourselves, and Becca, Abner, and Andy are still missing. But as I said, with the foosa gone, it isn't too bad, and frankly, I am more than ready to have a rest after today.”

“Ha! See? Told ya it isn't...much...of a...”

The king's pace crawled down to a halt, surprising the advisor.

“Um, KJ?”

It took the king a while to respond. “Maurice, I think we should talk about it, like right now.”

“Huh? Why the sudden seriousness?”

Julien sighed. “Look, don’t get me wrong, I love partying all the time, but isn't this how we ended up in this mess last time? We all plan to party, we party all the time, then the next thing, the foosa attack us?”

Maurice ponders for a bit. “I mean, you have a point there, but we both saw it happen in front of our eyes. The foosa are gonna be running for quite a while.”

“I dunno man, there is just something nagging me, telling me that I should think this through.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“Us being defenseless. We need to at least create a greenprint for this…defense…training…program…thingy.”

“I think you mean "blueprint" there, Your Majesty, but I get you. But again, why so suddenly? Wasn’t the whole point of your plan to make Mr. Alex a protector so that Clover doesn’t have to come back?”

“It was, Maurice. And it still is. But at the end of the day, it is as you said: we still can't defend ourselves. Sure, Mr. Alex scared them all, and he will defend us if they somehow attack again, but what if he and his buddies leave one day? And what if the foosa find out? We were soooo lucky the last time.”

“Huh,” said Maurice, once again astonished by his friend’s great logic, “you do have a point. But in that case, who will be our trainer?”

Julien mulls over for a few seconds. “That’s where those penguins come in. They are very talented, not as much as Clo-Clo, but they will do fine, much better than me anyway. Hopefully, they will help us kick some booty.”

Maurice thinks through the proposal. “That doesn't sound too bad. But how on earth will we convince the people? Surely they won't be happy with some random strangers telling them what to do?"

“No worries, buddy. The peeps love me. I just have to play it nice, maybe throw you under the bus, and they will agree to my plan in no time!”

The advisor rolls his eyes, but a faint smile appears on his face. “It's too early to discuss the details anyway. But it is a good idea. We will ask those penguins for help after the party and we will go from there.”

“Alright. And…there is also another thing.” For the second time, Julien looked nothing like his partying self, but a concerned king.

“Hmm? You mean Becca, Abner, and Andy?”

Julien nods, before taking a big breath. “Well, don't you think it's odd that Becca, Abner, and Andy weren't there? I mean, they went to the foosa kingdom according to Ted, how come they weren't there?”

Maurice took notice of how nervous Julien was all of a sudden, his eyes darting from one place to another. “They probably escaped, Your Majesty. I just worry that they might launch another takeover of the kingdom, that's all.”

“Y-Yeah, maybe. Or...” Julien fidgeted all over the place, “What if they didn't? What if the foosa...”

“King Julien,” Maurice interrupted, determined to stop the king's thought process from going there, “You are not giving those three enough credit. Bear in mind, two of them are part of a rebellion, and tried to kill you and take over the kingdom multiple times! They evicted the entire kingdom that one time, manipulating you in the process! If anything, those two are definitely capable of defending themselves, or talking their way out of a mess! Same for Andy! He is a salesman, he knows how to make a deal with anyone! Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave away the "Clover gone" information as a bargaining chip!”

“But Mo-Mo, surely they would never…actually, now that you mention it, it definitely sounds like their OM.”

“MO, Your Majesty.”

“Pretty sure it is OM, whatever the heck it means. But still, they are my people, even if they are criminals. I...I just hope they are alright.”

To see his king in such distress… It reminded Maurice that at the end of the day, even if it might not have been his fault, Julien will take responsibility should things go really sour to the point he doesn’t throw the blame on him. It is something he appreciates about his king, his best friend. But after everything they went through the last two days, after seeing his plan eventually work, he would not let him drown in concern, not when they should be celebrating. He should not be worrying about whether those three were safe and sound, when they are the ones with a tough skin, and especially not when one person is a con artist at best, and the other two are rebels who wanted to take the throne for themselves multiple times.

“King Julien, I…I understand your worries. But as I said, they are tough ones to take down. Andy included as well since being a con artist pretty much requires you to be tough. They will no doubt arrive at the kingdom a few days later, heck, maybe tomorrow to unleash another kingdom takeover. But if it worries you so much, we can ask the penguins to go to the foosa kingdom and check up on where they went. But now, let’s just celebrate, alright?”

Maurice’s remarks made some worry disappear from Julien’s mind. Not all, but just enough for his goofy smile to come back, for his eyes to shine again, and for his voice tone to be the one Maurice loves to hear: “Okay, Maurice, I hope— No, believe you are right. I will ask those penguins for some help, but right now, let’s tell the peeps the good news, and prepare a great party for the giants!”

The duo eventually reached the baobab tree, and as they climbed up and approached the throne room, the duo heard the sound of a fight and crazy laughter. “What on earth is going on there?”

“I dunno, but I think it might be a good idea to enter through the windows instead of the door, KJ.”

So they did. And what they saw was something else: an all-out war between the lemurs, with cutlery, books, and dirt everywhere, and with a tint of blood as well.

And on the throne, laughing like a madman, was none other than Mort.

“MORT, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?”

“Oh, hi King Julien,” answered Mort in an innocent tone, seemingly oblivious to the carnage at hand, “we were getting bored waiting for you, so we started a pillow fight!”

“This is a pillow fight?! Mort, you demented imp, this is gonna take weeks for Maurice to clean up!”

“Oh come on, man, you can’t do this to me!”

“I’m sorry, my king, but no one was willing to listen to my love for your…feet!”

Mort dived to touch the feet, only to be met by a well-timed kick from Julien, sending him out of the plane, screaming in the process.

“Man, that was so satisfying! Now, let’s calm down this madness.” Julien went to his rightful place – the throne. “My peeps! Please cease this nonsense at once!”

However, the enraged populace paid no mind to the king.

“Argh! Maurice! Use that thing to make everyone quiet like yesterday!”

“Alright. Alright everyone, calm the heck down!” Maurice stated, angrily stamping on the alarm to calm down the situation. It didn’t have the desired effect, for only a few lemurs stopped fighting. One of them being Ted.

“Hey, look everyone, the king is back!”

Ted’s words were the catalyst to the halting of the all-out battle between the occupants. Gasps and ragged breaths were all that could be heard for a short while before Julien, with an eye twitch, demanded an explanation: “Alright, first of all, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH Y’ALL!? Why did you turn this place into a warzone?!”

Ted immediately explained: “Uh, well, how to explain this…we wanted to kill time by talking about the events that unfolded, and a…tiny argument broke out.”

“Ted, if this is a "tiny" argument then I don’t wanna know what you consider a "large" one! Anyway, what did you guys talk about that caused this mess?”

“Oh, nothing too important,” Ted tried to scrub the topic at hand under the rug, to no avail: “Oh no, if you peeps tried to murder each other, then I want to know why you wanted to do so!”

“Uh…uh…it was…ehm…” the signs of fear were clear on not just Ted, but also almost everyone, “It…was…about…uhm…you…and…”

“…And?”

“…Clover.”

“…Wait, why…” was all Julien could say before a thought crossed his mind. A thought that hardened his face and his tone: “Hold on. Did anyone call Clover the C-word?”

“No no no no no no no no!” Ted reassured KJ, hoping to avoid a scary encounter with his king, “It was nothing like that at all! It was…something else.”

“Well?” asked Julien impatiently.

“It was…uhm…uhm…”

“Um, King Julien?” Maurice interrupted out of nowhere.

“What?”

“I don't think there is any need to find out what caused this. Honestly, after everything that has happened today, this seems minor in comparison.”

“Wha— Oh come on, man! Are you seriously telling me you don't want to know what caused this?”

“Not really. The less I know, the better. Besides, we want to tell them the good news, right?”

“Hmm...” Julien thought for a moment, before shrugging, “Alright man. But don't think for a second I won't forget this!”

“Anyway, Your Majesty, what is it you want to tell us? Mort did at least tell us you went to check that sound we all heard. What did you find?” asked Ted.

“Well…”

And so Julien told his people about meeting the penguins, launching a rescue operation, saving the New York giants…and of course, the accidental success of his plan.

“Wait, so…the foosa won’t bother us again? We won’t have to worry about them again? We’re all gonna live?!” Willie summed up everyone’s thoughts.

“Yes!” was Julien’s happy response, followed by massive cheers from everyone on the plane. Apart from Hector, obviously.

“And as a big thank you, we’re gonna give the freaks a congratulations party, with food prepared by the penguins! We just need to organize it. Ted, you have a party planner degree, right?” Julien inquired.

“I do not, sir. But every three months, Dorothy’s family comes over to visit, so I know what to do.”

“Great! So everyone, follow Ted’s orders, and prepare the greatest celebration party this island has ever seen! Any questions?”

Pancho raised his hand: “Um, one thing, KJ. You are sure that Mr. Alex won’t eat us? Because I don’t want to be on his menu, that’s for sure.”

“Aha, no worry, one of those penguins said we have 3 hours and 51 minutes before he goes crazy again, so now we have around, like 3 hours left? Plenty of time, right Ted?”

“Yes, KJ, that should be enough.”

“Anyone else wants to ask something?” Silence. At the last moment, a black-furred hand is raised, but Julien dismisses his people: “Alright, everyone! You know what to do!”

Everyone leaves the plane to attend to Ted’s needs, leaving only Julien, Maurice, and still unconscious Xixi.

“And Mo-Mo?”

“Yes, KJ?”

“Get on with the clean-up. This place looks worse than Willie’s house!”

Maurice looked around the place, and could only sigh in desperation and disbelief. “I hate my life.”

It takes Ted and the crew less than an hour to prepare the celebration party with tables, chairs, and food all surrounding Casa del Wild, with a sign ‘THANK YOU FREAKS’ hung and every lemur present, including Mort. The sun was shining all over the beach, the dark, ominous clouds disappearing at a drop of a hat. The heroes have all gathered up in full spirits, especially Mr. Alex, who no longer looked like a disheveled mess. And the penguins weren’t lying; the food was excellent, something called "sooshee". However, there was one person still yet to taste it.

“Close those eyes,” Skipper ordered Mr. Alex, who was hesitant. “Why do I have to close my eyes?”

“Do it.”

“Yeah. They're closed.”

“Tighter.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alex then cheekily opens his right eye a bit, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Skipper: “No peeking!”

“Alright. They’re closed.”

“Rico,” Skipper orders his demolitions expert to prepare the meal, cutting the fish into small pieces with knife skill that would leave even Clover impressed, before sending one piece to Skipper. “Hai!”

“Open that hatch!”

“Aah…”

Skipper puts the "sooshee" in Mr. Alex’s mouth before closing said mouth and giving a few encouraging words, the last two giving Julien minor flashbacks: “Fire in the hole. Now chew. Chew like you mean it. Savor it.”

“And…?” “Well…?” “Pretty good, right?” Alex’s friends ask about his taste. Out of nowhere, Julien pops in front of Mr. Alex, holding a giggling Mort as a substitute: “There's always Plan B.”

“Mmm. Mmm! This is better than steak! I love it. I love it!”

“The kitty loves the fishy,” Skipper announces, causing cheers all over the table. The celebrations are cut short by Marty: “Well, I propose a toast. Now, he may be a pain in the butt at times... And trust me, I know,” Marty shows his booty, a small part of it which has been taped, as proof,  “but this cat proved to me without a doubt that his heart is bigger than his stomach. To Alex.”

“To Alex!”

Everyone drinks their toast; a seawater, causing everyone to spit it out in the process, with some, Julien and Maurice included, spitting it right in someone’s face.

“Enough! Stop it!” says Julien, before spitting in Maurice’s face one last time.

As the celebratory spits quiet down, Julien’s ears catch a very important conversation between Marty and Mr. Alex:

“Well, what do you guys think? Should we head back to New York?”

“I don't know, Marty. I mean, this is your dream. You sure you want to leave?”

“I don't care where we are. As long as we're together, it doesn't matter to me.”

“Well, in that case... Yo. Rico. I'll take 300 orders to go.”

Julien’s heart sinks a little as the possibility of what might happen does turn out to be right: the New York giants are leaving, and they are leaving now. For a brief moment, pure panic takes over him, ready to desperately plead the giants to stay with them. As quickly as it came, however, so it disappeared, for he remembered the talk he had with Maurice. He takes a peek at his advisor, who also eavesdropped on the conversation. He whispers to the king: “Looks like you were right.”

And it wasn't in a panicked way, nor in a disappointed fashion. Instead, it was in an emotion that was now shared between the two: solemn understanding. New York is to these freaks what Madagascar is to them. And unless it were a flat-out necessity, like Koto’s invasion, they would never leave their kingdom behind. And so, the king addressed the heroes and their actions in the most sincere way he could.

“Yes, yes. But before you leave, I have an announcement to make. So shut up, everyone, please. Thank you.

After much deep and profound brain things inside my head, I have decided to thank you all for bringing peace to our home. We are in your debt. I would give my crown as a lovely parting gift, and trust me, that is something I wouldn’t do lightly, like at all, but we banned giving up the crown because Maurice kept giving it away, so sorry about that.”

Maurice half-heartedly rolled his eyes at that last comment.

“So all I will say is, may the Sky Gods guide you on your journey to New York and I wish you on behalf of the kingdom a very pleasant trip.”

“T-Thank you for your words, King Julien, and for being such great hosts despite, well, you know,” Alex gives his heartfelt thanks.

“Well, see y’all later!”

And so, the New York giants went on the ship, saying goodbye to the lemurs: “Bye, little fuzzbuckets!” “Thanks for everything!” “Bye!” “So long!” “Arrivederci!”

The entire kingdom was present to wave goodbye to the heroes, including Julien, Maurice, and Mort: “Bye-bye!” “Toodle-oo!” “Bye! Goodbye!”

Eventually, as the New York giants mumbled something to themselves, Julien’s waving duties were given to Maurice: “Maurice, my arm is tired. Wave it for me. Faster, you naughty little monkey!”

After some time, the heroes disappeared, presumably to command the ship. With that, the trio left the farewells early to check on the penguins, who were sunbathing. Along the way, Maurice shared his thoughts:

“Well, looks like we are gonna need help from those penguins after all, and much sooner than expected.”

“Yep. Thankfully, they are staying with us by the looks of things, so there is no need to rush. It might be a good idea to ask them how long they will stay with us, though.”

“Ah, Ringtail,” Skipper greeted Julien, “I must say you primates can certainly nail a party.”

“And in such a little time for preparation,” Kowalski added.

“Thank you, penguins.”

“Now then, is there a reason for this interruption of our sunbathing time?” Skipper asked casually.

“Well, yes. First things first, how long do you guys plan to stay here?”

“It depends on what is there to do here, but I figure we will stay here for say…” Skipper looks at Kowalski, who brings his abacus, “…4 to 9 months.”

“Forty-nine months?” The trio yells out in surprise.

“No, four to nine months. Why do you ask?”

“Well, it's because as of recently we have a slight…um… help me, Maurice.”

“Uh, security problem.”

“Yeah, that.”

“You mean there is a whacked-out conspiracy against your kingdom? A coup d’etat? And that we should detain and question every lemur on the scene?” asked Skipper, his eyes shining.

“What? No no no, nothing like that!” Julien hastily corrected a misunderstanding. “It’s just, we as a whole don’t really know a thing about self-defense, like at all. And well, while the foosa are gone, they might come back one day. Not to mention other dangers that we might face. We are lemurs after all.”

“So, you want us to give the entire kingdom lessons on self-defense in case the foosa attack again?” Kowalski concluded.

“Yes.”

Skipper considered for a moment. “Hmm, something seems a bit fishy about this, but we’ll give it a thought.”

“Thank you. If you want to, we can meet up in the throne room to discuss this further,” Julien tried to win over the penguins.

“And we can also give you any information you need. I understand you have a lot of questions on this matter,” Maurice added.

“Hmm. Alright. First thing tomorrow. Just where is this throne room?”

“On the baobab tree. It is the largest tree in the kingdom, you can’t miss it,” Maurice informed.

“Very well. Now, if you will excuse us, we want to enjoy some sunbathing.”

“Oh, sure thing.”

Mort gained everyone's attention before they could excuse themselves: “Um, King Julien, something is going on back there.”

The group looked in the direction where Mort was pointing. The lemurs were no longer clapping and celebrating, and for some reason, the NY giants were no longer on the ship, for they were walking towards the entourage and the penguins. And they did not look happy.

“Well, looks like the jig is up,” said Skipper, to the confusion of the trio. Before they could ask, Alex angrily asked the penguins: “Hey, happy sunbathers! You wanna tell us something?”

“Why, I haven’t the faintest idea of what you are talking about, my psychotic friend!” responded Skipper in a too-casual tone.

“Something about the ship missing something crucial?”

“Oh, you mean the gas?” asked Private, before being slapped by Skipper, causing him to wince in pain due to the sunburn.

“Yeah. That.”

“Oh, right! That happened to slip out of our minds. Sorry about that.”

Skipper’s casual response made the NY giants growl in anger.

“Wait, wait, hold on for a sec. Does that mean you are staying with us?” asked Julien, with a tint of guilty happiness.

“Hah. Yes. And I’m sorry King Julien for making this amazing party go to waste. Now we’re gonna be a burden to you.”

“Oh no no no, no need to apologize! You peeps are always welcome here!”

“Besides,” added Maurice, “that party was a "thank you" party rather than a "goodbye" party, so no hard feelings.”

The NY giants left without saying a word, clearly unhappy at their return journey being postponed for the time being. The crowd dispersed as a result, leaving only the trio, the penguins, a couple of other lemurs and the leftovers of the party at the beach. The entourage stood there, looking at the ship, and looking back at the events that transpired today, and yesterday.

“So, those giants are staying with us then. So…what now?” Julien eventually asked his advisor.

“Hmm, I think we should stick with your plan: we will talk with those penguins tomorrow, and see how things play out from there, what’s their stance, and whatnot. Even if they are staying for the time being, the giants have their sights set on New York, so asking them to defend us during their stay is not a good idea, they will focus their efforts on getting out of here. If things go well with the penguins, we can ask them to help us search for Becca, Abner, and Andy. Anything else?”

Julien thought for a moment.

…

…

…

“Aaaaargh…”

The unexpected yawn caught out Julien and co by surprise, and before he knew it, he was suddenly hit by a wave of drowsiness.

“Wow. Wasn’t expecting you to be feeling tired already, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah, looks like all this running back and forth has made my kingly brain feel dozy.”

“Well, that makes sense. Why don’t you get some sleep?”

The idea of hitting the sack after a long day like this felt great, although the sun had yet to go down. The thought of partying further crossed his mind, to continue celebrating the success of his plan. However, following that was an even bigger yawn, so Julien decided to heed his friend’s recommendation, his eyes already begging for rest: “Alright, Mo-Mo, I’ll do just that. Oh, before I go, could you find these guys a place to sleep?”

“Sure thing, KJ. Come on, Mort, let’s satisfy the king’s request, shall we?”

“Hooray!”

And so that left just Julien and the penguins, the latter still minding their own business. Seeing no point in bothering them, Julien decides to leave for his hut to retire. Along the way, he meets some of his people, who keep whispering something when he is near them. However, his sleepiness reaches such a point that he can't even decipher one word.

Then suddenly, he is grabbed by someone. Mustering all the strength he has, he notices it is Horst mumbling something. Even being this close, he can't understand a single word.

“Hhuarst, bauaddy, I doan't undestaand yoou. Plaaane, tomorrouw.”

It takes a while for Horst to let him go.

By the will of Frank the Sky God himself, he drags himself to his hut and to his bed, immediately dropping onto the heavenly mattress. Using his last strength he puts his crown beside him, and with that, his mind drifts away into sleep. He hazily recollects the events of the past few weeks; Clover announcing her imminent departure, Julien’s failed attempt at self-defense that lulled people into a false sense of security and nearly doomed everyone, Sage’s proposal and his bachelor party, the wedding, foosa’s attack, NY giants’ introduction, the subsequent party where everything went wrong, the rescue attempt, his worries about Becca, Abner, and Andy…

And lastly, his goodbyes to Clover…

Chapter Text

Having gone to sleep very early the day before, Julien for once woke up on time and so the royal entourage was on the plane earlier than usual, giving them time to discuss things before the Penguins arrived. First things first: the fourth occupant, Xixi, has finally woken up from her drunken slumber, although with a massive headache.

“Oh maaaan, what on earth happened last night?”

“More like the second to last night, Xixi. According to Pancho, you went to the Aye-Aye kingdom to some bar, and apparently, either the drinks were too strong for you, or you drank like no tomorrow until you passed out. Or both,” Maurice explained the situation to the toucan, who only grumbled in response.

“Heesh, Xixi, almost an entire day KO-ed, that is just unbelievable, like, really unbelievable. You are like the exact opposite of lightweight! Even though you are a bird, which is like a definition of lightweight, but you get what I mean. What made you drink so much and so far away from us, anyway? I mean, I know it isn’t your fault, but your presence would have been really good for us.”

“I’m…I’m sorry King Julien. I guess I felt a bit sad that Clover is…gone…like not "dead" gone, but "in another place and occasional visits at best" gone, and I guess I just let myself loose. I do remember the drinks being really good, like so much better than what it served here, which isn’t something I ever expected to say.”

“Must have been Bricardo’s. Brosalind once gave me a taste of what she serves there, and I was barely able to keep my feet on the ground for the rest of the day,” Maurice figured.

“Anyway,” Xixi continued, “did something happen while I was gone? And in fact, how did I end up here? Shouldn’t I be at Aye-Aye kingdom?”

And so the trio explained the last two days' events to Xixi.

“Wow. So now those New York giants are gonna be with us? And the penguins too?”

“Yep. However, the giants are here involuntarily since their ship ran out of gas. The penguins will be here for some time and voluntarily, though. In fact, they will be arriving here shortly, so I need you to leave. But first, can you fly, or are you too hungover?”

“Um, I am not so sure.”

“Alright then. Mort! You will escort Xixi to her hut, is that clear?”

“Of course, my king!” Mort answered, before leaving the plane with Xixi. That left the duo to discuss other matters.

“So, how did it go yesterday? Did you find our guests a place to sleep in?"

“Yes, KJ, but only for the penguins. The giants told me they don’t mind sleeping on the sand.”

“Excellent job, Maurice. Just make sure we will be charging them all rent, in a few weeks.”

“Um, Your Majesty, I doubt they have anything on them to give us all beneficial.”

“Really? Not even money?”

“The last time we did anything involving printed money, Mort enslaved the entire kingdom, made Clover his personal bodyguard, and pretty much forced you to give up your crown. Do you really think we should be going that pathway again?”

“Well…Alright, fair point. But still, they should be giving us at least something small in return, like food or something. I mean, I know they are here involuntarily and they saved our buts and whatnot, but they could still give us something if they stay long enough.”

“Aah. I'll... I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Very good. Oh, by the way, where will be the penguins’ quarter?”

“Well, that one was tricky. See, there are surprisingly no available houses. The only empty ones are Becca and Abner’s hideout, Andy’s house, and Clover’s hut. And since we are counting on those three to come back, I could only give them her house. I just couldn’t risk things going sour with them before we even started.”

“Wait, really—” was all Julien could say before the doors to the plane opened. And stepping into the throne room were penguins, their faces slightly red from over-sunbathing.

“Wow! Now this is a solid base of operations, Ringtail!”

“Thank you.”

“Now let’s get down to the business. First things first, you said you want us to teach the entire kingdom some basics of self-defense?” Skipper started the discussion and negotiations.

“Yes.”

“And why precisely? Don’t you have some kind of army or at least a unit that can defend the kingdom?”

“Yeah, that’s the problem. You see, until very recently, we had Clover, Captain of the Ringtail Guard, as our first, and frankly, the only line of defense. She has more or less the exact skillset as you guys have, and she pretty much kicked the foosa’s buts every time they attacked. But three days ago, she got married to Sage, the king of the Mountain Lemurs, which made her a queen. Therefore, she can no longer protect our kingdom.”

“Wait, really? She was the only one guarding this place?” asked Skipper, baffled by the negligent approach to the security of the kingdom.

“I’m afraid so.”

“And you seriously didn’t prepare for her departure?”

“Well, we did, only Maurice’s— Sorry, my methods weren’t so…successful.”

“And unfortunately, all of us got so distracted by the wedding, that we completely forgot about it until the foosa attacked,” Maurice added.

“Well, that is quite reckless, Ringtail! Not to mention a bit unbelievable. I mean, a single girl defending an entire kingdom? Surely not.”

“Trust me, Clover is highly experienced. The fact she is a girl doesn’t matter. She saved this kingdom and me more times than I can count,” Julien fired back.

“Well, I’ll have to see it in person to believe it, but whatever floats your boat.” Skipper then changed the subject: “I do have to warn you that our time schedule is limited, so we might be able to teach your people only the most basic things. Go ahead, Kowalski.”

“According to my calculations,” Kowalski brought up his abacus, “it could take around 2-3 months to teach some basic self-defense moves, not to mention preparing the training regimes specific to each type of lemur for maximum effect. Not only that, but it could take an extra 1-2 months also to teach you all some basic tactics and strategies specific to each potential threat, so we need to discuss the dangers your kingdom faces and might face in the future to decide which threats we need to prioritize. Or to be more accurate, which threat.”

“I see. If you could give us a timeout, that would be great.”

“Sure thing, Ringtail.”

Julien and Maurice went behind the throne for the timeout.

“What do you think, Mo-Mo?”

“I’m not so sure about this, KJ. Getting anywhere near Clover’s level in such a short time is just impossible.”

“I know, but it’s the only option we have. Right now, some skills are better than none.”

“Alright, but when they leave, then what?”

“Well…I guess we ask Clo-Clo for help, as much as I don’t want to bother her. Hopefully, by then she has settled in as a queen and she can send in that captain of hers, Bison, I think?”

“Benson, Your Majesty. And I'm certain her captain is named Captain.”

“Pretty sure it was Bison. Either way, she sends him and some other guys to help us without trouble. Just enough that we learn to kick some booty with little trouble.”

“Yeah, that’s the thing I worry about. Can we actually rely on their help? Sage is a peaceful guy, like really extremely peaceful, not to mention a bit shortsighted, so he might not allow this kind of help if it means it could lead to "senseless" violence.”

“But Clo-Clo is the queen, remember? That is like, equal partnership, no?”

“I dunno, the power between king and queen varies from kingdom to kingdom.”

“Even then, this is Clover we are talking about, right? No matter what other people might say, she loves this kingdom. I’m certain she would even go behind Sage’s back if it means protecting the kingdom.”

“Well,” Maurice then pondered for a moment, “in theory once she settles in as queen, she could find or create a loophole in the laws that might allow her to send in those lemurs to help us. Hmm…I’m still not 100 percent sure about this, but we might as well roll with it,” Maurice concluded.

“Very good.” The duo then rejoined the negotiations.

“Alright, penguins. Despite the worries you listed, we still want your help. A little self-defense is better than no self-defense, am I right?”

The awkward silence was the penguins’ response.

“Ah, okay,” Julien awkwardly said.

“Well, anyway,” Skipper took control of the proceedings, “so we will help you learn some basic moves in exchange for something. What it is, we don’t know yet. But we will talk about that at the very end. Is that clear?”

“Yes.” “Yes.”

“Very good. Now we will teach you basic moves and tactics specific to the foosa since they are de facto your main threat. But as they are for the time being out of the picture, we will also have to focus on the secondary main threat. Who is endangering your kingdom the most, second to the foosa?”

“Ah yes, secondary threat, that is…um…” was all Julien could say, for his mind came up blank. “Um, what else is endangering us, Maurice?”

“I…actually can’t think of anything. In fact, it is one of the reasons why we haven’t thought of a substitute defense since pretty much every other threat was neutralized! Well, "out of the kingdom" neutralized, not "dead" neutralized. Even the foosa weren’t an issue anymore! At least they were supposed to be, before…”

“How come? Surely you primates didn’t create a peace treaty with the foosa, did you?” Skipper interrupted Maurice’s ramble.

“Not exactly. Well, sort of. You see, one of the foosas who is also, or at least was a leader, is much more intelligent than anyone else in her own kind. Her name is Mary Ann. And the reason for this so-called peace is, as unbelievable as it sounds, she is married to Horst, one of the lemurs.

“What?!” was the collective response of the penguins, with Rico accidentally throwing up a bomb, making Private take care of the situation by throwing said bomb out before it could explode. (A faint “We are gonna die!” was heard moments later.) “But that is straight-up impossible! It’s like a marriage between a penguin and a leopard seal!” Kowalski argued, followed up by Skipper’s comment: “Nature’s snakes!”

“Trust me, if I had a mango for every time someone said that, I would drown in them already. Not the snake comment, the whole foosa-lemur marriage,” Maurice continued.

“Uh…well anyway!” Skipper bounced back from the shock, “What happened to this Mary Ann?”

“We don’t know for sure, but judging by our last encounter, I’d say a coup d’etat happened on her,” was Maurice’s suggestion, which prompted a gasp from Private.

“Oh, a coup d’etat? That sounds fancy! Is it some special kind of party?” asked Julien, oblivious.

“King Julien, a coup d’etat is an illegal takeover of the government, or in our case, the kingdom, by overthrowing the current leader, which is you.”

“…Oh.”

“Anyway, that is probably how the "peace treaty" failed. Combine that with some of our people idiotically stumbling into the foosa kingdom, and the probable spillage of Clover’s departure, and we nearly got eaten by them just a few hours after her departure. That is also why we are asking for your help because if you and especially the giants leave, and that info spreads to the foosa, we will be back to square one.”

“Huh. I see. That does change perspective.”

“Um, and what about those lemurs who went into the kingdom? What happened to them?” Private showed concern for their fates.

“We…We don’t know yet. We are considering starting a search party for those three if they don’t return today, but right now, we need to discuss this stuff first,” Maurice begrudgingly changed the subject, with Skipper following suit: “He is right, we can’t focus on those AWOL-ers. Perish those concerns about them, Private.”

“But—”

“That’s an order!”

As Private put on a sad face, Kowalski cut to the chase: “And what about the other threats you mentioned? Are you sure they are neutralized as you say if this is how the situation with the foosa evolved?”

“No worries, penguins. We are absolutely sure,” said Julien, who took the mantle from Maurice. “The biggest threats to the throne, Uncle King Julien and Karl, a self-proclaimed arch-nemesis of mine, have both left the kingdom voluntarily after countless failed attempts to take over the kingdom and assassinate me respectively.”

“So that means there is no other threat? Are you absolutely sure?” Skipper enquired.

“Um, pretty sure. Right, Maurice?”

“I think so…actually, I’m not so sure.” Maurice second-guessed himself.

“Really? I mean, what else can threaten us?”

“I dunno, but I have a feeling there is something else. Something that happens rarely, but is still a genuine threat.”

“Something seasonal perhaps?” Private suggests, which prompts a "eureka" moment for Maurice.

“AH! Of course! The Red Night Goblin!”

“Oh. OH!”  is Julien’s response, for the memories of a terrible attack which occurs yearly on Julianuary the 24th come rushing in.

“Huh? What the heck is a Red Night—” is all Skipper can gather before the doors are flung open again, revealing a very distressed, beverage-less Horst,

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry for interrupting you, but this is extremely urgent!”

“Who the heck is this, Ringtail?”

“Horst, this better be important, buddy!”

“Horst? Isn’t this the freak who supposedly married Mary Ann?” asks Skipper bafflingly.

“Um, yes, Skipper. Now Horst, you better spill out this extremely urgent stuff, or you won’t be a DJ for a week!”

“Of course, of course! When you saved those New York giants, did you by any chance stumble upon Mary Ann?”

“Oh, uhh…no, actually. We were too busy trying to stay alive.”

“Well, could you please go find out? I need to know if the love of my life is alive or not!” Horst pleads with all his might, going on his knees.

“Um…” Julien was completely surprised by Horst’s request, leaving Maurice to deal with the situation: “Well, I’m not sure if we find her there…”

Any response Horst had for Maurice was cut off by Skipper: “Now hold there for a minute. What was your last encounter with her?”

“She stopped her people before they could eat us.”

“And?”

“Together they left, presumably to their kingdom.”

“And you said that you believe that she was overthrown, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then that means she was probably overthrown while at the foosa kingdom. In other words, that place is her last known location.”

Skipper’s quick deduction made Maurice realize that the aforementioned rescue mission may just go underway, albeit under different circumstances. And Julien was of the same mind: “Hold on there, penguins, does that mean you are willing to go to the foosa kingdom to save Mary Ann? And everyone else as well?”

“Hmm...” Skipper mulled over the proposal, “Give us a moment, will you, Ringtail?”

“No problem.”

The penguins take a knee to discuss the situation at hand privately, which lasts a few seconds before Skipper gives their decision: “Alright Ringtail, we will go to the foosa kingdom to save this Mary Ann and your AWOL lemurs. However, I ask all three of you to aid us. I trust there are no objections?”

“Um, dunno what that fancy word means, but I have no problem going with you. Mo-Mo?”

“No problems here, Your Majesty.”

“And you, Horst?”

“Of course, Your Majesty! I need to see if my wife is alive and well!”

The answers satisfied Skipper: “Very good! Now, we will divide into two groups. I, Private, this freak, and Ringtail will go to the foosa kingdom to find her. You two will be there to explain to her we are not on her menu, just in case. Kowalski, Rico, and Maurice will gather any food and water they can find and bring it to her, as I suspect she must be very hungry and thirsty if she is still alive. Is that clear?”

Everyone nods in response. “Good, now let’s get to it!”

A few minutes later, Julien, Skipper, Horst, and Private were on their way to the now-abandoned foosa kingdom to hopefully find Mary Ann, Becca, Abner, and Andy safe and sound, at the very least alive, or at least find out where they all went. Skipper and Julien were at the front, while Private and Horst covered the rear, which meant a sort of private conversations between the two lemur-penguin duos.

“So,” Julien started the conversation, “how long are you the leader of your, eh, unit?”

“That’s a bit of confidential info, Ringtail, but I will say that we have been brothers in arms ever since we saved Private from a bunch of leopard seals when he was just an egg.”

“An egg, you say?”

“It’s how us avians reproduce. You do know what reproduction is, right?”

“Of course,” said Julien, as the naïve thinking of finding a baby in a baby patch was smashed to smithereens by Clover, as she gave him a talk not too long ago after dragging her to a walk through said baby patch as a bodyguard one time too many.

“Very good. Now, what about you and Maurice? You two seem pretty close for a bunch of primates.”

“Close? Hah! That is an understatement, buddy! We have been best buddies since forever! Ever since I found him as an abandoned baby, we have gone through everything, and nothing could separate us, even when I briefly lost my kingdom.

“Oh?”

“One time, this guy Koto invaded the kingdom with his mountain lemur army. I, Maurice, and two others had to run away, leaving my people at his mercy. When I faced worry and guilt for that, he was there for me, he gave me hope, and when we were on the verge of defeat, he and Clover were the ones who gave me the strength to lead my people and every single kingdom that fell to Koto to victory.”

“Ah, I see. I would have enjoyed seeing that. I assume it was quantity that prevailed over quality if we exclude Clover, right?”

“Eh, I suppose so. Well, she wasn’t the only warrior per se. Sage, Koto’s brother and current Mountain Lemur king, was there as well. Very muscle-y and a skilled warrior, but otherwise a very peaceful guy who likes to talk in those weird metaphors.”

“Ah, a hippie of sorts,” said Skipper quietly with a tint of disdain.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Their talk was interrupted by Private’s giggles. “Oh, my!”

“What’s going on there, Private?”

“Oh, nothing Skipper. Mister Horst was just telling me…a funny joke.”

“Private, don’t fraternize with a guy who marries his predator!” Skipper scolded.

“Oh, sorry Skipper,” Private apologized while Horst gave Skipper an angry glare.

“Now, now, Skipper,” Julien reassured, “Horst might be a bit of a freak, but he is a very good DJ at parties! That for me totally cancels out the whole marriage thing.”

“Whatever floats your boat, Ringtail. I don’t want him to poison the young Private’s mind. Next thing I know, he is getting hitched with a leopard seal, nature’s snakes!”

“Um, aren’t snakes nature’s snakes?”

Before Skipper could answer the question, the quadruple had reached their destination: the foosa kingdom, which was now completely desolate.

“No time for that, Ringtail. Alright, everyone, split up and search for any signs of life! Should you two find something, tell me immediately! Understood?”

The two lemurs nodded, and so, the party split up and the search began. All four screamed Mary Ann’s name in the hope of getting an immediate response, but so far, no dice. Julien cried out the lemur-bat trio’s names as well, with similar results. And for the king, exploring the abandoned kingdom was a feeling like no other, for many past visits to this place were met with fear. Now that the foosas were driven out of the kingdom, this should be a piece of cake. And yet, even when the threat was completely gone, there was still an aura of uncanniness that made his blood run cold. The place just didn’t have…anything. No trees, nature, or anything that gives his kingdom life. A barren wasteland, where all that is good in this world comes to perish. Only rocks, rocks, and a…campfire…

Wait…

Julien slowly approached the extinguished campfire, as a dreadful premonition started to dig in. The place was clearly put out days ago, the smell of fire non-existent. Looking around, he saw made-up primitive plates, forks, and just behind the campfire, s…skeletons.

Three skeletons.

Oh no. No, no, no, no…

“MARY ANN!”

Horst’s scream cut off his thoughts. Skipper’s commands followed suit: “Contact, in the cave! Move, move!”

The trio entered the cave and witnessed a horrible scene before them: Horst, on his knees, his arms on Mary Ann’s face, the latter in a cage, and looking completely white. It seemed as though they were too late.

“Mary Ann, please wake up! Please!”

Seconds pass, as does hope. Surely not, it won’t end like this…it can’t end like this…

…

“Uhhh… H-Horst? Is t-that y-you?”

The words that were faint and barely heard came out of Mary Ann’s mouth, surprising everyone.

“Oh thank Frank you are alive, my love. Please, just hang in there, we are here to rescue you!”

“…W-We?” asks Mary Ann, opening her eyes as Julien steps into her view.

“H-Hello, Mary Ann.”

“…King Julien? You…came…to rescue…me?”

“Yes. Don’t worry, food and water are on their way,” said Julien, somehow keeping his voice in check amidst the terrible truth that may be revealed the moment he checks up on those skeletons.

A silence passes as the penguins hold the rear for either a sign of help or trouble.

“…King Julien,” Mary Ann speaks weakly, “I’m so sorry…Bone Foosa…overthrew me…couldn’t stop him…some lemurs…and a bat were…brought in…”

It doesn’t take a second for Julien and Horst to figure out who she is talking about.

“Wait, you mean…!”

“…They squealed…Clover’s departure…attack the next morning…”

For Julien, this means only one thing: she was present during the trio’s capture…meaning if something else happened…

Horst has other concerns at hand, for he sees the light from his wife’s eyes fade away with each passing second. He turns to Skipper, desperately pleading: “Where the heck are those three?!”

“We don’t know yet, freak,” answers Skipper.

“Well, can’t you go to tell them to hurry up?! She might die any second!”

“And leave you two at her mercy? No chance!”

“What mercy?! She can barely speak, darn it!”

“Negative, freak, and that’s final!”

“But sir—” Private wanted to object, but was immediately cut off by his superior: “Private, leave the talking to the grown-ups and be on the lookout!”

As he saw the situation unfold before him, Julien knew he had to ask one question he dreaded the answer to. There might not be another opportunity to reveal the truth. A truth that he desperately hopes is not what he thinks it is, despite what he saw. A truth that might change the future of the kingdom. A truth that will shake him to his very core. A truth that at this moment can be told by only one person before him. And now no longer able to contain himself, he in panic asks:

“Mary Ann, do you know what happened to those that were captured? Becca, Abner, Andy! Please, please, I need to know!!”

For a good while, ragged, rough breaths were his only answer. However, Mary Ann gathered some strength to tell Julien the truth:

“…Before the…attack…they…bring them…out the cage…food…heard screams…smell good…”

And the answer knocks the air out of Julien. The truth, the reality of the situation, and the harsh reminder of his failed self-defense program put him on his knees and in complete shock. After everything, after his concerns, after the reassurance by Maurice, after those desperate denials, after all of that…The worst-case scenario has occurred. And it cannot be denied any longer. Becca, Abner, and Andy…

are dead.

And it is all his fault.

Someone puts his hand on his shoulder, screaming something to him. But he pays them no mind. How could he? His mind is still processing the truth. His heart is pumping at full speed, his breathing increasingly erratic. And in this scenario, reliving all the memories of the trio, good and (mostly) bad… He can only cry and scream in desperation.

“This way!” orders Maurice to Kowalski and Rico, with the former carrying a bucket of water, and the latter two carrying lots of food on a mini stretcher. The hunt for food took longer than expected, and now the trio is running with haste and through almost treacherous shortcuts to make up for the lost time. And it isn’t long before they rejoin the same path that they went on yesterday, now very close to the entrance to the foosa kingdom, right where Mr. Alex ‘banished’ the foosa.

“Oy vey, I hope I’ll never have to go through that again. Everything okay back there?”

“Yes, Maurice!” Kowalski replied, with Rico’s ‘uhuh’ following suit.

“Good. Now that we are on the right path, let’s just take it a bit— Wait a minute, is that…?”

Whatever thought Maurice had died in his throat as he saw in the distance three figures carrying something. A cage…containing Mary Ann!

“I presume that the specimen in the cage is Mary Ann, right?”

“Yes! But why on earth are they—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the two parties met just near the entrance, with Skipper very quickly barking orders: “No time to explain! Give her water and food, now!”

Seeing her in a very pale state, Maurice immediately gives her some water, followed by Kowalski and Rico putting some mangoes and pineapples in her mouth, helping her swallow in the process.

For a while, no one spoke as they carefully listened to Mary Ann’s breathing, as Horst’s heart kept beating at an all-time high. You could hear a leaf dropping.

…

…

…

…

“…More…”

It was Mary Ann who said the word, much to the sheer relief of Horst and the others. Maurice, Kowalski, and Rico obliged, giving her refreshments that would save her life— nay, did save her life. Amidst the coughing and swallowing, the food and water were all spent by the weakened foosa. Despite being at death's door mere seconds ago, the quick thinking of the two parties spared Mary Ann from reaching Frank-ri-La.

“Horst…thank you so much for saving me, my love. You and your friends.”

Her voice was still weak, but there was no doubt that she was gonna make it.

“Mary Ann…thank Frank you are alive…oh thank goodness,” was Horst’s joyful reply as he hugged his wife, his eyes full of tears. Happy tears.

“That food was sooo good after days of not eating…and you smell good too.”

“…Huh? Mary Ann…”

“Oh dear,” was all Maurice could say, before in a blink of an eye Skipper and Rico grabbed Horst away from Mary Ann as she made a dive for Horst’s flesh before she regained her senses.

“Oh good grief, I’m so sorry Horst!”

A moment passes before Skipper makes his stance on the situation very clear: “Yeah, I think we are just gonna keep you in the cage until you regain your senses, crazy. Or when we are as far away from you as possible.”

Mary Ann silently nodded, before turning her attention to her husband, her eyes full of love, not hunger. And Horst, who was still shedding tears…was in utter delight. A delight that was somehow stronger than that time he met her for the first time…getting mauled. Stronger than getting married to her in secret, followed up by another mauling…Stronger than every single reunion with her, stronger than that declaration of love at the Watring Hole when captured…

It was pure bliss.

It was at that moment when Maurice noticed something off.

“Um, where is King Julien?”

“Oh, we left him in the cave, seemed to be in shock, but should be alright,” Skipper describes roughly what happened.

“Huh? Wait, why is he in shock? And why did you leave him there?”

“We had to get the freak’s wife to you, couldn’t wait. She was about to meet Manfredi and Johnson. As for why, well I’m afraid we have some casualties.”

Despite Skipper’s nonchalant tone, the very last word made Maurice’s heart skip a beat. “C-Casualties? What casualties?”

The talk between the advisor and the captain broke the moment between Horst and Mary Ann and replaced their faces of love with somber expressions. And despite feeling weak, the former leader of the foosas told Maurice what happened: “King Julien…asked me what happened to those lemurs and that bat that was captured.”

“A-And?”

The silence was not a response he wanted to hear, as it slowly but surely gave him a dreadful picture.

“Oh no…Surely not…”

“I’m so sorry…”

“N-No, that is impossible…Surely they talked their way out of that mess…”

“Maurice, I…I heard their screams. I smelled their flesh…I—”

Maurice did not hear the rest of her sentence, for he immediately ran to the foosa kingdom to see it for himself. Or rather, see nothing that supports her claims. It could have easily been someone else, someone outside the kingdom…She is dazed and exhausted from dehydration, surely she is misremembering things… His eyes darted everywhere, trying to find evidence, or lack thereof, of her claims, in vain hope that it wasn’t them…

And they eventually land on the campfire, and skeletons.

As he feels his hope die out, he approaches the skeletons and examines them. Three skeletons. And although he is no expert in the anatomy of animals, even he notices the difference between one and the rest…with a notable one being fangs…And the other two resemble that of a lemur…

“Oh dear Frank, no…”

He covers his face in disbelief, seeing his vision of the trio’s fates go up in flames. It is…

How is this possible?

How come they fell prey, of all people? The ones capable of attempting multiple takeovers of the kingdom, and multiple scams?

Why? Why did this happen? After everything that has happened? After Uncle KJ’s departure, after Karl’s departure, after Clover’s wedding, after the events of the last two days, including the banishments of the fossa and the goodbye party, after all the threats were gone and things were looking up for the better…

Why did they fall? Why?

All they needed to do was to solve the issue of self-defense…but now, this just threw a spanner in the works. And the reaction…

He is unsure as to when the rest of the party rejoined him, but he doesn’t really care. Right now, amidst his desperate battle to not cry, he has to talk to Julien. Now.

He passes through his allies, and remembering Skipper’s words, goes into the cave. There, he finds Julien shaking and facing away from him.

“King Julien?”

A sharp breath escaped his king’s lips.

“M…Mo-Mo?” Julien turned around, revealing bloodshot eyes to his friend.

“King Julien, I…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Julien threw himself onto him and buried himself into his fur, as his rainfall of tears started.

“Mo-Mo…I’m so…so s-sorry…t-they are d-dead… because o-of…me…”

Maurice remained silent, letting his friend cry in his fur. And as his friend shed tears, it made him realize that this might be the first time ever his king had ever cried out of sadness, out of desperation. Did he even cry when Koto took over? Or when his fellow lemurs fell during the war? He couldn’t for the life of him remember.

Eventually, he couldn’t resist anymore and gave in to his tears as well. His tears aren’t uncommon to him, for he cried more than he likes to admit. But these tears were different. They were the tears of hurt. Grief. Misery. And torment.

And so, the two members of the royal entourage, the two best friends shed tears, silently wishing that this was just a nightmare from which they would wake up.

Chapter Text

When the dust had settled and the tears were shed, the lemurs, the penguins, and Mary Ann all regrouped near the cave where they shared their experiences over the past few days. There Mary Ann explained how she was overthrown on the same night Clover left for the Mountain Lemur Kingdom, while Maurice told her what the foosa had done in her absence, and everything afterward.

“And so that’s how we ended up here,” Maurice concluded his explanation to Mary Ann who shared her space with Horst. It took a while for her to respond.

“I…I know I already said it King Julien, but I will say it again: I’m so sorry for letting your people down. If only I could have kept Bone-fossa in check…”

The silence was Julien’s response, too tired to muster a reply. Instead, it was Horst who answered her: “Mary Ann, please don’t beat yourself about it.”

“But Horst, I am— Was a leader of my kind. I was supposed to keep us away from you. Instead, I let Bone-fossa take over my kingdom twice and let innocent lemurs die as a result.”

“Horst is right,” Maurice interjected, ignoring the small lie in her statement, “You can’t take full responsibility for what happened. We should have been prepared for something like this. Instead, we all got caught up in that wedding so much that none of us actually thought to check up on you to tell you Clover was leaving or if you were alright in the first place. If anything, I should take much of the blame. I am supposed to be the one to keep everything in check, and yet not one time between the proposal and the wedding did it occur to me that we might be defenseless! Others might be excused for their short-sightedness, but not me.”

“No.”

All eyes turned to Julien, his words quieter than a drop of a tear that rolled down his cheek.

“Maurice, I will not let you nor Mary Ann take the blame for my failures.”

“But—”

“Cork that but. As king, I have to take full responsibility for this tragedy.”

Maurice wanted to argue back but then thought otherwise. He knew there was no way he was going to convince Julien otherwise at this stage. And this was not the place nor time to do such a thing. The king's mind (and his as well) needs to process such a harrowing scene. He will tackle this today, there's no doubt about that. And so, silence followed. The events that transpired seemed to affect the penguins as well, or at the very least Private, for he was unquestionably on the same page as the royal entourage as evidenced by a frown on his face, his chipper eyes now full of sadness. Rico was fidgeting all over the place, either out of uncomfortableness or boredom, Skipper had an unreadable face, and Kowalski was deep in thought. And indeed it would be the brains of the penguins that suddenly broke the silence: “One thing puzzles me though.”

“Hmm? What’s that, soldier?” Skipper asked in his usual tone as if nothing happened.

“Well, when Mary Ann was overthrown, how come she wasn't disposed of?”

“Wha— What are you talking about?” Horst asked in an irritated tone.

“It’s quite simple: Once she was overthrown and captured, the next logical solution would be to, well, kill her. It was clear she was on lemur's side, and would no doubt try to escape to warn them of danger, and/or explain what transpired. Keeping her alive makes no sense.”

“You are seriously overestimating the intelligence of the other foosa,” Maurice responded, his voice harsh, “Apart from Mary Ann, everyone else is dumb. Like very dumb. I doubt that they knew how dangerous keeping her alive was.”

“Actually, that’s not true, Maurice,” Mary Ann suddenly said, “They were actually considering whether to keep me alive or not. In the end, they decided to spare, in the hopes of…re-educating me.”

“Re-what now?”

“I overheard Bone-Foosa saying that they are going to make me starve, then feed me some lemurs in the hopes of making me embrace my former side. To what purpose, I don’t know. But I know for sure that I would never eat another lemur in my life again. Not after declaring my love to Horst.”

She then locked eyes with Horst again, faces once again full of love. It was a sight that made Maurice sigh dejectedly, for during the summarisation of the events, he analyzed the consequences of the revelation, and amidst the ifs and buts, there was one thing certain. Horst and Mary Ann’s reunion…will be short-lived.

“Mary Ann, I am afraid we have to say goodbye to you. For the last time.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Horst, not following his words.

Maurice sighs before explaining his reasoning: “Horst, as much as it pains me to say this… while we are grateful for Mary Ann’s survival, people will not welcome her after what happened. I am afraid to say she cannot come back with us.”

“But…”

“I understand.”

Horst turned his attention to his wife, not believing what he had heard.

“But Mary Ann, surely we can figure something out…”

“Horst, it is as Maurice says. Lemurs have died due to an illusion of peace between your kind and my kind, a peace that I inadvertently failed to uphold. Even if King Julien would figure something out, people would consider me a liability. And they would consider you a freak.”

“But…” Horst’s resolve faded with each convincing argument.

“It is not the end of the world. We can still meet from time to time, just not deep in Lemuria.”

Horst stood there for a moment. Then a single tear went down his cheek.

“It is not fair…King Julien, isn’t there anything you can do?”

Julien heard his desperate plea, but try as he might, his mind could not conjure another brilliant plan.

“I…I am sorry Horst, but I can’t figure out anything. Trust me, I know it is unfair, but I frankly don’t know what to do to make Mary Ann feel welcome.”

“There isn’t much you can do in the first place, Ringtail.”

All eyes turned to Skipper, who delivered his first contribution to this discussion, his voice full of resolve, not wavering.

“If there is one thing that I learned, it’s that people, especially primates and mammals, are stupid in large groups. They do not listen for reason or logic. It is primal instincts or some smarty pants that they will give heed to when all hell breaks loose, or when they are pushed out of their comfort zones. The only way to keep them in check, to make sure they will not overthrow you, is by brutal force and rule, which you are incapable of as I have seen. Therefore, your best option is to make as few brain-dead decisions as possible. And bringing Mary Ann with us is not just a brain-dead decision, it’s a one-way ticket to a good old-fashioned revolution. And if you want us to help you with what we discussed with no issues, you will do what you have to.”

The silence went on as Julien pondered Skipper’s words. Words that he wants to argue against. Words that were cold, merciless, unforgiving. And yet, as painful as they sound, correct. How many times has he been overthrown by his own people that he loves so much? Overthrown for the silliest reasons? Heck, some were – are – willing to throw Clover under the bus after everything she had done for the kingdom!

The risk is too great. Even if LALA is indirectly no more, another similar movement might take its place, perhaps in honor of Becca and Abner.

After what seemed like an eternity for people around him, he turned his attention to Horst, and with what little mental strength he still had, told him his decision:

“Horst, I am sorry, but the penguin is right. It will land us all in trouble. Maurice can help you arrange future meetings outside the kingdom, but apart from that, there is nothing else we can do.”

Horst stood there, more tears going down his cheek. With a weak voice, he gave Julien one last plea: “Could you at least give us some alone time? In case we may not meet again?”

Julien gave a simple nod.

“T-Thank you.”

And so the penguins and the royal entourage left the lemur-foosa couple alone, albeit the penguins were on guard in case Mary Ann tried to maul Horst again.

But no screams of terror were heard. After a few minutes, Horst rejoined the group, and with a weak and bitter “Let’s just go,” they went back to the kingdom, with deafening silence being their companion.

After some time, the group returned to the kingdom, where life seemingly went back to normal. As they passed through the main area around the baobab tree, people noticed their presence, and a few started whispering. Still, other than that, no one paid mind to them, which suited Maurice and especially Julien just fine, for he was in no mood to talk, which made avoiding Mort on his way to his quarters his main objective. Unfortunately for him, Mort was amongst the crowd, and immediately pounced on his king’s feet.

“Oh, King Julien, thank goodness you are alright! I was wondering where you've been!”

“Mort, please get off my feet,” Julien asked Mort with almost no energy.

“But my king, please let me hold on to your beautiful feet, they deserve all the cuddling in the world!”

“Mort. Off my feet. Now.”

To Maurice’s relief, Mort seemed to notice the king’s unusual tone, and (with some restraint) let go of his king’s feet. He then quietly asked Maurice: “What happened? He seems really weird today.”

“I’ll…I’ll tell you later, privately.”

Mort simply nodded, joining the group and escorting Julien to his premises. As they drew closer to Julien’s quarters, Skipper came out of nowhere, and quickly asked Maurice:
“Hey, can you meet us at our headquarters today?”

“Why? Can’t it wait?”

“I’m afraid not. It’s about what happened today, and the negotiations. We need to clear things up.”

“Alright.”

With a future meeting arranged, the penguins excused themselves to their temporary quarters, leaving the lemurs. Later down the road, Horst excused himself with a simple, yet almost hostile "bye", leaving just the royal entourage, which reached Julien’s hut soon after. Before stepping inside, Julien turned to his friends: “Maurice, Mort, would you please leave me be for a time being? I have some major whimpering to do.”

Not wishing to go against his king’s wishes, Maurice and Mort merely nodded. As Julien stepped into his home, Maurice added: “We will talk about this later, right?”

“Of course, Mo-Mo…I just need some alone time to think all this through.”

Then the door closes, leaving Maurice and Mort alone and prompting the latter to open up the conversation in a rather aggressive fashion: “Alright Maurice, what did you do this time?”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Don’t play any tricks with me, Maurice. Every time King Julien is sad, it means you rejected his great ideas or went against his wishes because you are a fun-hating lunatic!”

“Fun-hating what now—” Maurice sighs. “Look, can we at least have this conversation outside His Majesty’s earshot? As he requested?”

“Okay,” was Mort’s straightforward answer, suddenly devoid of any hostility.

They went to the plane, where it all started. There, Maurice recounted the events that transpired today.

“Oh. Suddenly I don’t feel like cuddling those majestic feet out of delight, but out of sadness.”

“You…could say that.” A beat of silence before Maurice shared his thoughts on the matter: ”Man, it is still difficult to believe that some people actually died, you know. I can’t even remember the last time we had a death on our watch. Maybe during the war against Koto?.”

“What about my grandpa?”

“Mort, you and your whole…kind is not included for a very good reason. Anyway, it just goes to show how capable Clover was at her job. No wonder King Julien wants the penguins’ help if things went so horribly wrong in just a few days since her departure. Even with the giants staying for some time, and the foosa threat now gone…for the time being, we need to learn to defend ourselves. If only that had crossed my mind before the wedding…”

“Now, now, Maurice, it is no use to think what you should have done before. What happened has happened. It is important to concentrate your energy on the present. If you truly wish to help my King Julien and his dashing feet, you will help him in his time of need.”

Mort’s astute advice, combined with a weird tone, stunned Maurice, rendering him speechless for a few moments.

"What happened has happened," huh?

"Concentrate your energy on the present," huh?

Easier said than done. Seeing the corpses of your people is not something many people can shake off in a few weeks or even months, let alone after witnessing it a mere moments ago. Even now, he can tell this memory will last with him until the end of his days. A part of a "unique" collection, joining the dreadful moments in the submarine, or that time Karen revealed the truth...

But…

Just moping will not help anyone, especially his king. The king who is feeling much worse than he is right now. Who now needs comfort.

And he can provide that comfort only by putting on a brave face, moving forward, and making sure something like that will never happen again. Whatever pain he feels right now, he can and will stomach if it means his king, his best friend will get back on track.

And he can start by talking to the penguins, as Skipper requested.

“Wow. That is actually great advice, Mort. Of all the people to get me back on my feet, I was not expecting you. Thanks, buddy.”

“About what?”

“…What you mean "about what"?”

“Oh, sorry Maurice, I wasn’t paying attention.”

“How come you weren’t paying attention when— Actually, never mind,” Maurice conceded, putting this weirdness as another typical Mort moment. His newly found determination did not disappear, however: “Anyway, I’ll get my butt moving and set things in motion. And thankfully, by the looks of things, the penguins want the "negotiations" so to speak to resume today.”

“Oh, may I join, Maurice?”

“Ehh…” He didn’t know how to respond. Even in the short time he spent with the penguin, it is clear that Skipper is carefree when it comes to Julien, as evidenced by his "Ringtail" comment instead of calling him by his title. Any potential mention of that nickname, or some back-handed compliment might rub Mort the wrong way, and his reaction could sour the so-called relations with the penguins. He can’t risk that. But how can he dismiss him?

“Well…Skipper said he only wants to clear things up, so I don’t expect the meeting to last long.”

“So?”

“So…” As Maurice struggled to find a convenient excuse, an idea struck his mind. “Oh! Because of all this chaos, we don’t know if Dr. S and Nurse Phantom came back from that operation! I think it might be a good idea if we split up – I will meet up with the penguins, and you will go to the hospital and check if those two have returned. To make sure King Julien doesn’t have to worry about them.”

“Alright! FOR MY KING JULIEN!” And Mort speeded off into the distance, giving Maurice a sigh of relief. Without further ado, he went to the penguins’ headquarters – Clover’s hut. Or her former hut. A funny feeling of irony grew inside him at the thought – potential future protectors living in the house of a former protector.

Then it struck him, as some of the newfound joy and determination disappeared. He and King Julien aren’t going to be the only ones people will blame for the deaths. They are going to blame Clover as well.

He slowed his pace, wanting to process this new revelation first - actually, not just that, but Clover’s position in this tragedy.

All this time, they have done everything they could to make sure Clover doesn’t have to return so soon after getting married just three days ago. And it is something they did as a thank you of sorts for everything she has done for the kingdom. Even if she could have given at least a few people some training, once the situation was taken care of, he and Julien deemed it not too grave to not ask for her help. At least before the penguins and the giants leave, obviously.

But that line of thought was under different circumstances. Before they went to the foosa kingdom.

Had no one died, Clover would still be upset that she left the kingdom vulnerable, but with the solution now present, there wouldn't be a sense of urgency for her to drop everything to help her friends. Heck, she might be even happy and grateful that they went all the way to make sure her honeymoon wasn’t interrupted.

But now that they lost three people…would she still be content? Or would she face overwhelming guilt, just like he and Julien? Even if it is regarding people she had no qualms beating up to make certain the kingdom is safe? Her record was unquestionable - it was common for his people to fall to the foosa during Uncle KJ's reign of terror, but ever since her promotion, he can't ever recall anyone mourning someone after a foosa attack. But something tells him that fact may be a distant memory for her once she learns what happened...

He didn’t find an answer to those questions, for his line of thought was interrupted by a slam to the door. Recovering, he took a good look to make sure he was at the right place, and after confirming that he didn’t subconsciously go to someone else’s hut, he knocked on the door. Private’s face meets him soon after, albeit the door is only partially opened.

“Oh, Mr. Maurice. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Hi, Skipper has asked me to visit you to discuss what happened today. Can I enter?”

“Just one sec,” was Private’s answer, before closing the door. Noises of machinery were heard in the hut to Maurice’s concern. After a short while, the door was opened again, this time fully. “Come in.”

When he entered, Maurice could barely recognize the place, for, in a single day, the penguins had transformed it from a typical house (which he thought was always unusual for someone like Clover) to a military-esque base, consisting of four wooden, probably improvised bunks, weaponry, tools, and a barrage of devised equipment that seemed to work as traps.

“What in the world is this?”

“Ah, hello there! Glad you could make it,” Skipper greeted Maurice, oblivious to his reaction.

“Um, yeah…uh, mind explaining to me how you turned this place into…whatever the heck this is?”

“Oh, this? Well, since we will be here for some time, might as well make this place look a bit like our previous HQ in New York!”

Maurice didn’t know how to respond to that. Instead, he raised an issue with the quick redesign: “Um, and what about Clover’s things? You didn’t throw them out, did you?”

“Oh, those photos and whatnot? They are over there,” Skipper pointed to the back of the hut, which seemed to be the only part of the house still in its original form. Letting a sigh of relief, Maurice then noticed one particular photo – a photo of Clover as a kid and her Grandma Rose.

“What in the world?”

“What? Something matter? Missing something?” Skipper asked.

"No, more like the opposite. Something that should not be here. This,” he pointed at the photo, before handing it to Skipper, “is Clover’s most prized possession.”

“Um…what does it say?” Skipper noticed the text, “As much as I don’t want to admit, we have severe issues with reading documents and intel.”

“Huh, I wasn’t expecting a weakness like that.”

“That is a confidential info, my friend. Don’t tell it to the public, capiche?”

“Yeah, ka-pi-cie. Anyway, it says "To my little bruiser. Love always, Grandma Rose".”

“Grandma Rose?”

“From what I understand, Clover’s guardian and her idol. She is the reason why she is so good at fighting.”

“Ah, most interesting. And you say this is that Four-Leaf’s most prized possession?”

Maurice chose not to respond to another nickname: “Uh, yeah. That’s the thing I don’t understand. Why would she leave this here when it is so important to her?”

“Hmm. Maybe it isn’t so important to her after all?”

“No, trust me, I know for a fact that this is something precious to her. The only possible reasoning is that she forgot all about it because of that wedding.”

“Well, from what I heard and saw today, it looks like that wedding has brought you all nothing but trouble, eh?”

Maurice sighs. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, yes. I still don’t understand how…no, I am not going to pity myself over that again.” He puts the photo back in its place, before focusing his attention on Skipper: “Anyway, you said you wanted to clear things up.”

“Ah, yes. There are a few things that I want to know in advance of signing a deal. Obviously, there is no point in actually concluding the negotiations just yet since your king is moping mindlessly, but one thing is certain – we are going to give you primates some self-defense skills one way or another.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear— Wait, what did you say about KJ?”

“I mean the whole feeling sad about some people he barely knew dying. So what?”

“…So what? Are you serious man?!” Maurice was utterly flabbergasted.

“Um, yes. Surprised you do not share the same opinion, seeing as you are the brains of the kingdom.”

“The brains— What does being smart have to do with all of this?! People died. King Julien’s people died. Even if they did not like him, he still cared about them, because that is a sign of a good leader! Surely you can understand that?!”

“Now, I’ll give him credit for sort of caring for his people as I care for my men, probably the only thing we might have in common,” Skipper conceded, his posture and tone firm amidst the outrage from Maurice, “but here is the difference: My unit consists of four people, myself included. This place probably has hundreds, maybe thousands of lemurs. Even if you care for your people, you can’t just break down like that when few eventually meet their end.”

“Well, our track record with deaths has been very good thanks to Clover, so sorry that we all got very upset that some of us have died! Especially since me, King Julien, and her are all indirectly responsible!”

“With all due respect,” Kowalski entered the argument, “neither of you can take the blame, at least a major chunk of it. From what I gathered, those three actually went to the kingdom voluntarily, at night, without telling anyone, and according to one of the lemurs, they were carrying some wedding food to the foosa, who were by the looks of things back to their old ways.”

“Exactly! People going AWOL is not something you can control, especially when you have thousands of lemurs at your disposal! Even Private once went AWOL a few months ago, and that was for a good reason! But from the looks of things, these folks had nefarious reasons.”

“But…” Maurice tried to argue back but to no avail.

“No buts, my friend! This is the reality. You can be upset, but not to the extent that we have witnessed today. A true leader must not show weakness. If he does, his enemies will pounce on it. And speaking of enemies, I want some top intel on those casualties, because from what you said back at the foosa kingdom, they are not what you might say an ideal citizen.”

Maurice let the debate slide away, seeing no point in further arguing: “I…I can’t argue with that. It is as I said back there: they were not good people, especially Becca and Abner.”

“Do tell,” Skipper asked as Rico and Private also joined in the discussion.

“Well, Andy Fairfax, the bat guy, was a shady businessman, selling all kinds of rubbish to the public, and occasionally robbing homes. But even he is squeaky clean compared to the other two. Becca and Abner were revolutionaries.”

“A what?!” was Skipper’s shocked response, before Kowalski asked for more details: “For how long?”

“About a few weeks into His Majesty’s reign, so for a good while, I'll say... 6 seasons ago.”

“W— What in the name of incense and peppermints?! How did that even happen so early?!”

“Well…um…King Julien may or may not have accidentally started and led an uprising against himself.”

The awkward revelation was met with complete silence and shocked expressions. Eventually, Skipper with a twitchy eyebrow managed to respond with: “…I don’t even want to know how you can pull off something so stupid…”

“Yeah. On the plus side, he managed to convince everyone that Banana Guy Mike – the "leader" – was a phony, causing almost everyone to abandon the revolution.”

“Except for Becca and Abner,” Kowalski caught on.

“Precisely. Since then, they have been the only members of the uprising, specifically the LALA group, and also made numerous attempts to take over the kingdom. However, more-or-less every attempt has been thwarted by Clover.”

Maurice’s explanation was enough for Kowalski, Rico, and Private. Skipper however remained unimpressed: “Hmm, but I have to ask one thing: why haven’t they been given capital punishment, or at the very least sentenced to life imprisonment? It seems obvious that they were a clear danger to the kingdom.”

“Well, that’s the thing with King Julien: despite occasionally being a self-obsessed jerk, he has a good heart, and he would never have someone killed unless it was absolutely necessary. As long as Clover was around, he didn’t see a need to go to extreme lengths. As for the whole life sentence thing, Clover was really the only one capable of guarding them, but she also had to protect King Julien from his shenanigans, so most of the time we didn’t even bother putting them in jail.”

“Well, I…I frankly don’t know what to say about that,” Skipper was dumbfounded, probably the first time Maurice had seen the leader caught off-guard.

“I think we know more than enough about those fellows,” Kowalski took charge, “tell us about that supposed threat you mentioned on the plane before we ventured to the foosa kingdom.”

“Right. The creature we call the Marauding Red Night Goblin has been harassing our kingdom for years. Every year on Julianuary 24th…”

“J-Julianuary?” Private interrupted.

“A festive holiday named after His Majesty. Well, Majesties, as every king has carried the name Julien, but anyway. It always starts the same way: first, the red glow, then the horrible laughter of the Goblin, and then it pelts us with hundreds of rocks! Just saying that gives me the heebie-jeebies. Not even Clover was able to prevent the attack last time out, only minimize the damage.”

As Maurice shakily completed his explanation, the penguins stood there bewildered for a second before Kowalski carefully asked: “And this Julianuary, how long until it takes place?”

“Well, I think it is in approximately 5 months.”

“5 months…Oh my, that must be S—” was all Private could say before Skipper covered his mouth. “Um, could you, like, give us a minute?”

“Eh, sure thing.”

The penguins gathered for a group meeting and communicated in hushed whispers. All Maurice could understand was "leverage", "sleigh", and "home". Before long, the group meeting ended, and three penguins looked pleased, almost smug. Private, however, looked deeply concerned.

It was Skipper who was the first to respond: “Alright Maurice, looks like we have ourselves a deal in making. All we need is some detailed intel on this "Marauding Red Night Goblin" guy, and some time to think of payment for our services, and you can consider this kingdom, ehm, MRNG-free! Oh, and also some basic stuff against the foosa. That too.”

Maurice was beyond delighted that despite the rather aggressive exchange of words, the negotiations – albeit not over – were certain to succeed!

“Oh, thank Frank. You have no idea how much weight is off my shoulders thanks to this.”

“Don’t mention it. Now, with that sorted, could you leave our premises?”

“Heh, sure thing,” was Maurice’s response. Before he could lay a single step, however, Rico moaned, clearly unhappy about something.

“What’s the matter, Rico?” Skipper asked before Rico pointed at Clover’s things. “Ah, I see. Rico wants to get rid of Four-Leaf’s things.”

“Oh, well, moving them might be a bit troublesome—”

“No, I mean getting rid of them, as in—”

“Kaboom!” Rico vomited a stick of dynamite, ready to blow Clover’s things to oblivion.

“What the— Stop that!”

“Rico, stand down! Not yet!”

Rico begrudgingly stops in his tracks.

“So I guess that’s a no?”

“Of course, dang it! We’re not going to destroy her possessions!”

“Well, we thought that since she left them behind—”

“Again, that wedding made us all forget a lot of things, Clover included. They are very valuable to them, and we are not getting rid of them.”

“Oh, well. Sorry Rico,” Skipper denied his man his fun, causing him to eat the dynamite sadly. “Could you at least take them with you?”

“Well, as I was saying, it might be problematic. First off, there is no way I am carrying all of that—”

“Then Kowalski and Private will help you.”

“Okay, but I am not sure where to put them—”

“To the plane! It clearly has enough space to hold all of that until Four-Leaf comes back to pick them up.”

The quick responses from Skipper ticked off Maurice for some reason. However, not wanting to make all the progress he made earlier go to waste, Maurice reluctantly agreed: “Argh, fine.” Grabbing some of Clover’s stuff, he noticed Skipper whispering something to Kowalski and Private out of the corner of his eye. The two immediately grabbed the rest of her stuff before he could even ponder what or why.

Compared to the chaotic sprint to the foosa kingdom earlier, carrying Clover’s stuff was despite its quantity a piece of cake in comparison, allowing the trio to take their time to make sure everything went smoothly. Or it should have been. For as they went past the kingdom square, the ever-present crowd noticed their efforts, and this time, a few approached, led by Ted. And a light-hearted exchange could easily turn into probing about what happened on their journey…

“Hey Maurice, what you got there?”

“Ehm, just some stuff, nothing important.”

“Oh golly, that’s a lot of things to be carrying! No wonder you got these penguin friends to help you.”

“Yep, now if you could excuse us—”

“Hey, why are you in such a hurry?”

“It’s nothing, Ted—”

Whatever excuse Maurice had was cut off by one of the photos falling from the pile he was carrying, which Ted picked up.

“Oh, oh my, this is a cute photo. Why didn’t you say this stuff is Clover’s?”

As he says the question, he shows Maurice the photo, and out of all the darn luck, it is the one with Grandma Rose. Thankfully, it seems no damage was done to it, but now it no doubt raises some questions.

“Well, yes, this stuff is Clover’s. We are just, uhm, taking it to the plane.”

“Oh, alright—”

“Why are her belongings still here?”

The attention turned to a golden bamboo lemur at the back. Maurice quickly answered: “Eh, it's just a couple of things Clover left behind, that's all.”

“Oh no, you seem to have misunderstood me,” the lemur responded in an all-too casual tone, but whereas it was avoiding the subject and being rather emotionless in Skipper's case, this one made Maurice feel very, very worried, for it held the slightest bit of bitterness. “Then what do you mean?”

“I mean, why are her belongings still here, and not yet burned or turned into a scrap pile?” The venom in his voice would be too strong even for a snake.

“I beg your pardon?!” Maurice nearly dropped the belongings in a fit of shock and rage.

“You heard me. Now that we have those New York giants and those penguins, any trace of that coward should be erased at once.”

“W-W-What the heck, man?! How could you say that?!” Maurice’s screams could be heard all over the square, catching the attention of more people.

“I understand that you might feel the need to defend her, but I won't mince my words: she failed at her job. What those giants did in just two days makes her entire effort as a Captain of the Ringtail Guard, for the lack of a better term, useless.”

“I’ll show you useless, you—” Maurice cut himself off, as indirectly threatening someone is a great recipe for disaster. Taking a breath to calm himself down, he continued his defense: “Look, if she was useless as you say, then guess what? We wouldn’t be having this discussion, because we would be dead! Every time the foosa attacked, she was there for us! She sends them packing all the time!”

“Yes, you are right, she did that,” the golden bamboo lemur snapped his fingers, “and yet she should have done so much more. After every single attack, she only made them retreat, and therefore allowed them to regroup and attack again. Our delightful guests are here for three days, and in the space of two days, they bless us by sending them where the sun don’t shine!”

The intensifying argument caused whispers from the developing crowd, and Maurice's anger quickly turned to panic, for the thoughts of the crowd were not good.

“Hmm, those giants did make a bigger impact in two days than she ever did, that's true.”

“Yeah, and yet we gave her a goodbye wedding and everything!”

“And the king has the gall to do that to Hector when he calls her out? Unbelievable!”

“Now fellas, I don’t think it’s fair to blame Clover for what happened, alright?” Ted took a stand, his nervous laugh managing to cut off the mumbles of the crowd, “Sure, this wasn't her finest hour, but she did everything for the kingdom—”

“I beg to disagree,” the golden bamboo lemur interrupted again, “As a matter of fact, you are a perfect evidence to showcase her failure!”

“Oh, well how dare you, sir, calling me an object!”

“I assure you that wasn't my intention. But regardless, let me ask you a question: you are the current Captain, having held the position of Assistant Captain of the Ringtail Guard, right?”

“Well, yes—”

“And your skillset as a warrior is?”

Ted fidgeted, the question putting him into a corner. “Not great.”

“See? Clover failed to prepare her successor to take up the mantle, putting us all in grave danger. Now are you seriously telling me, after your own admission, that she did a good job?”

Ted scratched his arm awkwardly. “Alright, when you put it that way, it does sound bad, but come on, at the end of the day, no one died, right Maurice?”

“That is correct, no one died.”

It was a response not from Maurice, but from Kowalski, who then shared a knowing look with the advisor. He continued: “And I believe this is not the right time to have a discussion like this. We are a bit busy at the moment, so could you give Maurice some peace and talk about this later, at some debate club, if you have something like that?”

“We do not, sir. But you are absolutely correct, Maurice has his hands full, so let’s leave him be, shall we, fellas?”

Everyone turned their eyes to the one who started it, with Maurice fearing this tirade would continue. To his shock (and relief), the lemur just shrugged, saying: “Very well. If the saviours of Madagascar wish so, then so be it.”

The group reluctantly cleared out. Maurice thanked Ted for his help and proceeded to lead the penguin duo to the plane, where they put her things in the back. “Man, I know you saying that lie is gonna bite us later on, but thank you for covering me, Kowalski.”

“Don’t mention it. I saw you in quite a pickle and I simply had to get you out of it. Well, at the very least I prevented Private from accidentally revealing the truth.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry, but you do know how you mumble something without thinking, right?”

“…Yes.”

“See? And don’t you worry about that sentence being a lie,” Kowalski turned his attention to Maurice, “we can easily say we weren’t present, or something to that extent.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Maurice said to himself.

Having put Clover’s belongings in the back, Maurice walked towards the exit. However, he noticed that neither Kowalski nor Private joined him. “Um, guys?”

“Oh, nothing of note, my friend, just inspecting this marvelous creation," Kowalski replied, intensely studying the plane.

“Oh really?” Maurice questioned, his gut telling him something wasn't right.

“Yep, I love to study all kinds of machinery, all part of the fun being the brains of the operation!” Kowalski continued, giving Maurice a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

“I see. And what about you, Private?” 

“Oh, me? Well, this plane is so, well, black and whatnot,” Private replied with an unconvincing tone, his eyes refusing to meet Maurice's, raising the advisor's suspicion.

“Alright, what’s this about?”

“Oh, nothing, I f-frankly don’t know what you are talking about,” Private responded even more unconvincingly.

“Does it have to do with what Skipper was whispering to you guys back at Clover’s house?”

The young penguin's wide eyes made it clear that he hit the nail on the head. And if that wasn't enough, then Kowalski's disapproving frown at Private confirmed this wasn't a "routine inspection". Whatever Skipper talked with them must have some reasoning for it, and after everything that had happened, he wasn’t going to ignore it.

“Why is this plane so important to you, or at least Skipper?”

“Well, um, it’s, well, um…”

As Private struggled to come up with a response, Kowalski suddenly sighed before replying: “Alright, here is the deal: Skipper wanted us to do a thorough search of this place to make sure it is secure when the deal is signed.”

“Why?” Maurice remained skeptical.

“Well…as much as I deeply respect Skipper, he does tend to be a bit…paranoid. He trusts only us. The rest are kept at his flipper’s length, which includes you. And he doesn’t take risks. So, yeah, that’s why we are here.”

The way the second-in-command talked about his commander, laying down his weakness with a tone of honesty...there was a small part of him that remained suspicious, but the rest of his mind was not going to dig in deeper, the reasoning being satisfactory enough. “Alright, you may have a look. But only for a short moment.”

Kowalski and Private exchanged glances, before the former replied: “Fair enough. Come on Private, let’s make the best use of this.”

“Roger that.”

And so, under Maurice’s supervision, the duo quickly explored the inner parts of the plane in detail. Only one noteworthy thing happened during it, and that was Private taking interest in the skeleton next to the throne room: “Um, how long has this…person been here?”

“Can’t say for sure, but she has been here probably for a long time.”

“She?”

“Well, King Julien at least considers it a she. He named her Amelie, and I caught him talking to her from time to time.”

“But a dead skeleton…Actually, skeletons in general can’t speak, right?” Kowalski interjected.

“True, but that has never stopped KJ from having a conversation. I consider it an internal conversation, if you will.”

“Aha. Most…interesting.”

Apart from that, the search went quiet, and no longer after that particular conversation, Maurice decided it was enough: “Alright, time’s up.”

“Very well, thank you,” Kowalski thanked before heading with Private for the exit. The latter, however, did not leave the plane just yet, turning around to speak with Maurice: “Um, Mister Maurice?”

“Oh, no need to be that polite, just call me Maurice.”

“Oh, um, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened back there at the foosa kingdom.”

“Ah, that isn’t necessary, but thanks regardless,” Maurice's heart nearly skipped a beat, seeing at least one of the penguins show some respect to the fallen. “One thing before you go?”

“Hm?”

“Could you tell Skipper to, I dunno…take it easy? I know he can’t trust everyone, but surely he doesn’t need to resort to things like this? Just tell him me and King Julien are allies with him and you.”

“S-sure thing, Mr. Maurice.”

Without further ado, Private left to join Kowalski on his way back to their hut, leaving Maurice alone for a while. He paced back and forth, his mind pondering. His eyes then fell on the king's throne, the sight of that without his friend whose turmoil is great. He stood for a moment, completely alone with his thoughts. On everything.

The deal…

The horrible truth…

The goodbye with Mary Ann…

The penguins’ odd behavior…

And of course, what happened near the baobab tree mere moments ago…

Quite frankly, all of that was too much to take in. Not to mention what is going to happen once they break the news…

To think that everything was well in the world, only for the blissful future to completely fall apart…

Andy, Becca, and Abner…He disliked them, of course he did, but to go out like that…

Then he remembered Private’s short but kind words and the silent tears started to drop once again. Tears of fear. Fear of the fallout. Never before was he more afraid of the consequences of his actions, their actions in his life. Before all this, the people eventually forgot the damage that King Julien’s ideas caused and moved on. For thanks to Clover, everyone was safe and well. But now…the repercussions will not be forgotten. And the reputation of both King Julien and Clover, especially hers, will take a hit.

The tears intensified.

It’s…It’s not fair… Why are people treating her like a second-rate criminal? Sure, she isn’t blameless, but should that one mistake nullify everything she has done for the people, for the kingdom, for them? After everything she has gone through in her life, after all the lives she has saved, after she saved the king time and time again, does she deserve to have her former people, some of whom she talked to a mere few weeks ago, turn on her? Even if she decides to remedy her great error of judgement?

Oh dear Frank, why?

Why?

Why?

…

…

…

“…Maurice? Maurice?”

Mort’s face was not what he expected to see upon opening his eyes.

“Huh? Mort? What are you doing here?”

“Um, waking you up?”

“W-Waking me up?”

He then looked around and noticed that a starry night and a bright moon dominated the skies.

“Dang. It’s evening already?”

“Uhuh,” Mort nodded, “looks like you were out like a light.”

“…Good grief.”

Maurice stood up from where he unexpectedly slept.

“Um, anything interesting happened while I was asleep?”

“Eh, nothing really, except for the fact that I had an operation at Dr. S.”

“Oh, wait, they are back?” Maurice’s joy was minuscule, yet clear as day and sincere.

“What do you mean "they are back"? They have been here since forever.”

“…What?”

“What what?”

“You went there to see if they came back.”

“Oh, Maurice, that nap must have knocked up real good!”

“…Never mind,” Maurice gave up on correcting him, considering it to be another one of his "moments". Instead, he focused on a detail that worried him: “Uh, on what did you have an operation?”

“Oh, just my tummy, to add some starfish parts. You know, to improve my diet.”

“And, well, how are you feeling? Because I’m certain that you shouldn’t be standing here as if nothing happened.”

“Maurice, Maurice, don’t you know that I have multiple operations? I mean—”

As if on cue, Mort dropped to the floor, all of his energy seemingly gone. Focusing on other tasks, Maurice quickly realized that there was one thing he had to do: visit King Julien. And with some food as well, as there was a good chance he didn't eat anything. Grabbing some mangoes on the way, he later entered KJ’s hut and subsequently, his bedroom. The scenery before him was as just as he feared: used paper tissues everywhere, not a single light in the room, and his king slightly trembling on his bed.

“Um, King Julien?”

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice devoid of his usual cheeriness, and joy, and clearly hoarse from crying.

“Are you okay?”

“What does it look like?”

“Have…Have you eaten anything?”

“Why should I? A failure like me doesn’t deserve food.”

Internally sighing, he put the food aside, as he knew he wasn’t going to make him eat unless they addressed the elephant in the room.

“Alright…do you wanna talk about it?”

A few seconds pass. “Sure, why not,” he responds, putting himself in a sitting position, with Maurice following suit. An uncomfortable silence enters the room, as neither side knows how to approach the subject. His pity and hesitancy deepen as he notices the bloodshot eyes of his king, the tear strains still present on his face. However, eventually, after what seems to be forever, he starts the talk: “Look, about what happened back there…”

“It’s all my fault.”

“No, it isn’t—”

“Of course, it is, Mo-Mo! Like, the reason they are…you know, in Frank-ri-La is that I fooled everyone by that silly training that didn’t help anyone!”

“You know you meant well!”

“Doesn’t matter when I have blood on my hands!”

“Fine! In that case, I have blood on my hands too!”

“No Mo-Mo, you can’t blame yourself!”

“Of course I can! I am your royal advisor, and yet I couldn’t see the disaster waiting to happen!” Maurice almost screams the last sentence, refusing to back down, even surprising his king. However, he forces himself to calm down with a deep breath. “I should have seen that the training didn’t work, I should have. I can’t leave you taking all the blame.”

“But you know me. I would probably ignore your advice as per usual like the foolish, ignorant king I am.”

“No, not this time. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Hm?”

“When I brought the fact that the security of the kingdom is at risk after the foosa attacked, you immediately issued an emergency meeting and devised both a plan and a backup plan. The plan that despite needing some luck did work. Most of the time, you do ignore my advice, and that is true. And it happened again with Mr. Alex going savage. But, when things got rough, and I mean really rough, you didn’t hesitate to take action, to create the best solution possible, no matter how flawed it was. And you also took full responsibility when everything went wrong at the Watering Hole. The matter of fact is, no, you wouldn’t ignore my advice if I brought it up earlier, you would have devised an alternative plan, and you are not a foolish king.”

The words that spilled from Maurice’s mouth nearly brought him to cry again for the umpteenth time, but Julien just, just managed to hold it together: “T-thanks, Mo-Mo…but that doesn’t change the fact that I am responsible for what happened.”

“Then share that responsibility with me. Me… and Clover.”

“But Clover…”

“You know very well that she would be just as sad and angry at herself as both of us for what happened today. And…I…” Maurice struggled for a moment to put his previous thoughts into words. He takes a few deep breaths, and starts again: “We both know why we did everything we did. When you "blocked" her return, when you attacked Hector for that stupid word… We want what’s best for her. We want her to be happy, to finally have some comfort after all she has gone through, after defending us all the time, after losing her grandma…she deserves that. But…do you really think she is gonna be ruling without a worry in the world when she learns what happened? And how our actions – or lack thereof – put us not only in real danger but also cost someone their lives? She is gonna be gutted, even if it was the most problematic people in the kingdom that suffered the most. She won’t rest until she fixes the consequences of her actions, no matter how less grave they are compared to ours. She won’t. So yeah, even if we have made sure, even if we are going to make sure that her honeymoon isn’t ruined, even if we try to take the blame on ourselves, on me numerous times, she will come back and help us, no matter what. Because she is still loyal to this kingdom and to you. So please, let’s face the consequences and fix this mess together.”

“I…I…” Julien couldn’t answer, for his friend’s speech broke the already shattered dam and the waterworks started again. Maurice, without shedding tears himself by sheer control, patiently waited for his friend to cry himself out, before becoming his literal support as he cried into his fur again. They both lost track time of how long they sat there, but eventually, Julien’s tears stopped, and he managed to get from himself a simple response: “Okay.”

They then sat there in silence, with the noise of the wild and their own thoughts accompanying them.

“I’m afraid, Mo-Mo.” Julien suddenly said.

“Of what exactly?”

“Of how my peeps are gonna handle the news about the… y’know. Or how I am gonna tell them in the first place.”

“…I’m scared too.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I? You and I both know how reactive our people are. When this breaks through the reception is not going to be great. At all. For either of us. Or Clover.”

“…Oh man, poor Clo-Clo…I just hope they are not going to treat her badly…what do you think? You think it’s gonna be just as bad, if not worse than what happened on the plane?”

Recalling the events of the night two days ago, Maurice shivered as his mind also thought of a similar incident today. “I…I think it’s not going to be pretty,” he sugar-coated his thoughts.

“I see. Um, can you…um…give me a mango?”

“Sure thing, KJ,” Maurice sighs internally in relief as his king decides to, at last, eat some food.

Another silence passes as Julien slowly eats the mango. For him, the joy of eating the food is now non-existent, with his friend’s words and deep hunger in his belly the only things making him swallow the juicy fruit.

“How on earth are we gonna tell this to my peeps?”

“Well, I’m afraid our only choice is announcing it in front of the kingdom. And… in a few days.”

“Are you sure? Shouldn’t they immediately know what happened?”

“KJ, you are in no condition to do that. You need to rest, to process what happened today. If you break down during the speech, or when people start pointing fingers at you, it’s going to look bad for you. Not to mention despite their…status, they are well-known, so we need to be careful, otherwise we might get LALA 2.0.”

“And what about the relatives of the vic—” Julien stopped himself short.

“No worries, I got it. First thing in the morning, I'll…tell them. Although I am not sure if they have any relatives…or friends.”

“Andy was Pancho’s buddy of sorts,” Julien whispers, thoughts in his head just swirling as to how he will take the news.

“Oh, right. And also Horst might want a chat.”

After that, Julien said nothing for a while, only nibbling at the mango.

“Still, announcing all of that to my peeps is gonna suck real bad.”

“Yeah. Unless…” An idea strikes Maurice.

“Unless what?”

“A while ago, I went to visit the penguins, to discuss the whole "self-defense training".”

“And?” Julien asks, his voice full of energy for the first time since they split up on the plane.

“Well, there were some difficulties, and Skipper was getting on my nerves at one point, but we managed to strike up a deal!”

“Really?!”

“Yep, and not only are they going to help us defend against the foosa, but also prepare us for the Red Night Goblin!”

What should have been a noise of excitement was replaced by silence. Maurice looked at his king, who had a strange look in his eyes. Suddenly, he lunged at his friend, capturing him in a hug, as a wave of laughter ensued from the king. “Mo-Mo…you…are…amazing!”

Seeing his friend in such his spirits out of nowhere made Maurice happily ignore the fact his hug was powerful enough that he could barely breathe, instead allowing him to show his excitement. For a moment.

“A-Alright, K-KJ, could-d you…?”

“Hmm? Ah, sorry, Mo-Mo, got excited there.”

“No problem—”

“But hold on, what has that got to do with the announcement?”

“Well, we fear that the people are going to be understandably upset about that whole ordeal, and will probably start pointing fingers, or panic. Not only that, there was also little enthusiasm during the last self-defense training, so motivation is also a problem. So I thought, why not kill two birds with one stone?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, if we combine the two announcements—”

“No, what do you mean by two birds? I mean, Xixi is like the only bird in the kingdom. Don’t know where you can find a second one.”

“Oh, sorry, that's a…saying. What I mean is, if we combine that announcement and news of the new self-defense program, we might avoid some scenes.”

“Oh?”

“If we only announce that, people will question what are we doing, and start pointing fingers at you or Clover. On the other hand, people will not be happy about some "outsiders" giving them "unnecessary" training. With both statements announced at the same time, people will still be upset with both of those things, but will understand the program must start to avoid something like that ever again.”

“Ah, clever, Mo-Mo. If a bit cold.”

“Can’t be too careful, KJ. Public scrutiny is not what we need right now.”

“Yeah.”

Silence followed suit again for a while.

“I guess that’s it? Anything else interesting while I was whimpering?”

Maurice pondered: “Well, nothing too worthwhile… Oh! Doctor S and Nurse Phantom have returned safe and sound.”

“Great.”

With everything sorted, Maurice stood, putting the plate with food aside, preparing to leave: “See you at the plane?”

“Yes. And Mo-Mo?”

“Yes?”

“Could…” the king's voice was full of meekness, “Could you stay with me for a while? At least until I fall asleep?”

“Of course,” Maurice accepted without hesitation.

“Thanks, buddy.”

And so, the king put his crown beside him, and attempted to enter the realms of dreams, his best friend sitting beside him on the other side. The sights that he wished he would never see haunted him for a while, but were soon replaced by good memories, comfort, and the feeling that everything was gonna be alright, and after a good while, the king fell asleep. Hearing his friend's deep breaths, Maurice knew it was time to do the same, hesitantly leaving his friend's side. It would be a tough period, but the advisor believes with all his heart that they will get through this. After everything they went through, in his mind, there is no obstacle that neither he nor his king can't overcome. A thought that stayed with him even as he entered his hut, crashed onto the bed, and fell asleep, as a new chapter of the kingdom began…

Chapter Text

As the morning sun shone on the island and its unsuspecting citizens, Maurice stirred from his slumber. For a minute, he thought and hoped that the events of yesterday were just a terrible, terrible dream. And it seemed that way, as on his walk to the throne room, all was well, his fellow lemurs just chatting along, not paying attention to him. As he entered the throne room, however, a single look at Julien, slumped on his chair, looking like there was no joy in the world anymore, and at Mort, his body full of energy just lying down on the floor, lazily gripping his tail, made his tiny hopes fade out.

“Hey, guys.”

A lazy "hm" was the only answer from both parties.

“I'll...I'll get to work,” he excused himself, knowing what his first task of the day was: spilling the bad news to Becca, Abner, and Andy’s family and friends. Searching at the back of the plane, he eventually found what he was looking for: Clover’s report about the three to find out if and what relatives they had.

His yesterday's intuition came true, as the reports on the two deceased revolutionaries reported that both of their parents and grandparents are long dead, and neither had a sibling, a cousin, or any other blood relatives. As for Andy, there was very little information about his origins, apart from his time in prison with Pancho (or "summer camp for grown-ups" as he put it). Not only that, but the "professions" of both parties no doubt gave them a hard time making friends. An extremely guilty sense of relief went through Maurice, as it meant he had to spread the terrible news to only one person: Pancho. Not only that, but as KJ promised back at the foosa kingdom, he is now required to arrange meetings between Horst and Mary Ann, or at the very least try to, so it shall be two visits today.

Before that, he took one last peek at his dejected friends, wondering how and even if he might be able to improve their mood ever so slightly. Alas, he cursed himself, his mind coming up short for now. “I'll be back in a minute, okay?”

Once again, all he received were grunts, devoid of energy.

Without wasting time, he arrived at Pancho’s house on the outskirts of the kingdom, taking deep breaths to get ready to deliver the bad news to the felon. Knocking twice on the red door, he heard no movement, so he knocked again to see if he was asleep. This time around, a loud crash could be heard.

“Pancho?”

Nothing could be heard.

“It’s me, Maurice. I just want to talk to you.”

Again, nothing. Maurice then moved to the door to see if he could hear something. The only thing he heard was some quiet but quick footsteps. Then, a voice came from the house: “Uhh, yeah Maurice, be right with you, just uhm need to clean up the mess!”

More shuffling was heard, as Maurice pondered if he went on another "run" of stealing. Before long, the door opened: “Alright, come in.”

Entering the room, Maurice noticed a half-closed trapdoor that probably contained some stolen items, with a gunny sack on top of it. Considering the circumstances, however, he just could not find himself to care.

“So, what brings you here?”

“It’s…something important.”

“It better be. You interrupted my nap.”

Maurice's heart started to beat at a rapid rate, yet he kept his composure. “You are friends of sorts with Andy Fairfax, right?”

“Yeah, met at the…summer camp for grown-ups. Why? Whatever he stole— Er, did, I had nothing to do with it!”

“No, it’s not about that. You remember how he was one of the few people who went missing after the foosa attack?”

“Yeah, did some…exchange with the foosa before that. Nothing shady about that, so?”

“Well… Yesterday, we found him, along with Becca and Abner, in the foosa kingdom.”

“Oh, really? Huh, so the foosa got them after all.”

Maurice froze for a second, completely caught off-guard by him hitting the nail on the head and his nonchalantness.

“Er, Maurice?”  Pancho raised his brow, “You alright, buddy?”

It took the advisor a while to respond: “S-Sorry, I- I am surprised you are taking it so well.”

“Why should I? You helped him and others escape, right?”

“W-Wha?”

“I mean, he was captured by the foosa, right?”

It seemed like an arrow pierced through his chest as Maurice finally figured out what he truly meant.

“N-No. I mean, yes, he was captured, but, er...”

“Er, what, Maurice?”

Once again, Maurice was at a loss for words. Just then, something in Pancho's expression changed. His eyes went wide, he took a step back, and his jaw dropped a bit. He stumbled with his words, but he managed to squeak out: “R-Really? Is he...?”

Maurice could only sigh and hang his head in shame as he confirmed Pancho's realisation: “We found only their bones. I...I'm so sorry, Pancho.”

It seemed like hours passed since then, Maurice not willing to speak another word out of guilt that seemed to eat him alive, while Pancho just stared into nothingness. Eventually, he managed to respond: “I…I think I need to lie down a bit.”

Pancho sits on his bed shakily, with Maurice following suit.

“So he is really dead then, huh…”

“I’m afraid so. Both he, Becca, and Abner.”

“Wow. This is…an odd feeling I have. Like, I feel like I’m in the dark here,” Pancho doesn’t scream the last bit, “but not the usual kind.”

“I can't even describe how horrible we feel, me and KJ, for what happened to your friend. We tricked them into thinking our kingdom was fully safe, and they paid the ultimate price. I...I'm sorry.”

Pamcho hesitated for a bit, trying to find the right words, his mind and feelings all over the place.

“I mean, yeah, you got us all in danger by not finding Clover’s replacement. And Clover herself shouldn't have left us behind without preparing us. But at the same time…”

The slightly nonchalant, yet subtle hostile tone that he gave was replaced with a hint of somberness, understanding, and even nostalgia:

“At the same time, Andy was never like afraid of danger as long as it gave us— Er, him a profit. Even going as far as dealing with the foosa. A completely legal transaction, but still risky considering who he was dealing with. For him…and for me, the danger of getting caught and even death was just part of the game. So, I guess that’s why I feel weird because I did sort of like expect him to bite the dust one day. From either the foosa, or those crocodiles, or maybe even some of those mountain lemurs. Still gonna miss him a lot.”

Maurice didn’t know how to respond to those words, words that were too…casual, even if it were Pancho’s. Another agonizing silence followed. Maurice frankly didn’t know what to do next, internally cursing himself. Does he just leave Pancho be? Does he stay with him, even if not a single word will be said, let alone a conversation? How come he didn’t plan ahead, beyond just telling him what happened? 

His thoughts are interrupted by a sniffle. Looking at the source, he could see a single tear running down Pancho’s cheek, his head down, rubbing his arms in comfort, ever so slightly shaking. A behavior that is foreign to the felon and something Maurice has never seen before.

“Pancho…”

“Huh— What? I’m not crying!” He says, quickly getting rid of the evidence.

“Pancho, no need to be embarrassed over grieving for your friend.”

Despite the immediate, sincere concern, Pancho refused to look at him. However, it wasn’t an act of ignoring, for he spoke again, his voice timid and…genuine: “It isn’t that, alright? I don’t want you to worry about me.”

“Don’t say that. You know we are here for you.”

“I know. It’s just that…before the whole brainwashed agent thing and me becoming a third wheel to KJ, or fourth so to speak, Andy was my partner, my best bud. That time in…prison was not a good time for me. I wasn’t a popular guy there and got picked a lot by other fellows. Andy was the only one who gave a damn about me. He taught me all sorts of tricks of thievery, which I definitely don’t use anymore. And while I love being with KJ, Andy is irreplaceable. So yeah, I’m going to miss him a lot, and I do feel like crying.

And I won’t lie, the fact that you may have been indirectly responsible for his death, even if it wasn’t your intention at all, makes me…like a bit disappointed in you. And I want to berate you, to insult you; heck, a small, very small part of me wants to pick a bunch of dynamites and blow you up. But you know…after everything I went through, after all that brainwashing and whatnot, I don't think it seems…worthwhile to cry that much or to be angry at you. Not because it’s weak or a weird bonding thing, but because it’s just how life goes. And most of my life is shredded in the dark, I'm kinda used to things not working out for me. So him being gone is not the worst thing in the world, even if it sucks a lot. I am going to miss him, I am going to feel some pain when I think of him. But I just have to move on, you know?”

When Pancho finished his speech, it was Maurice who struggled to keep his tears at bay, the words that were heartfelt and beyond beautiful. It was a sight that, for a few precious few seconds, made Pancho’s frown turn upside down: “Oh, come here, you old grizzly bear!”

Pancho brought Maurice to himself, letting him cry in his fur as the gates opened for the advisor. The lighthearted chuckle that the felon gave away disappeared as quickly as it came, however, for the advisor kept mumbling three words, many times indistinguishable, but their meaning all the same: “I am sorry.”

As the aye-aye before him continued to cry into his fur, memories of all the times he had with the bat flooded through his mind, the times spent in prison, stealing people's possesions, selling useless junk... For many people, they would gladly want to forget, perhaps because it served as a reminder of them being in a desperate, hopeless position, but for him, it was some of the best fun he had, the time he felt alive the most...

And as Maurice's tears slowed down, a couple of his own went down the cheek again, albeit now only partially out of longing for a friend he would never see again. The other reason why...he couldn't find the right word for it.

He would ponder these feelings, these thoughts later, for Maurice at last stopped crying, causing the two to separate. Despite the reassurance, Maurice couldn’t help but worry, trying his best to talk properly amidst the full nose he had now: “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“No worries, Maurice. I just need time to process all of this, okay? Maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month or two. Maybe some time alone might help me. Whatever it may be, you don’t have to worry about me shutting you off, okay? After everything you guys did for me, after helping me find my real family, you guys are going to be my friends until the very end. Okay?”

Maurice was filled with pure, unadulterated joy seeing the sincere smile on Pancho's face. He felt grateful to have him as an ally, or more accurately, a friend of His Majesty. He stood by them when Koto attacked, so to see that somehow he doesn't hate his or the king's guts, that he is willing to forgive them in his own way, and that he will continue to support them through any challenges that the kingdom may face in the future put a goofy, giant smile on his face. “…Yeah, okay.”

Brief peace followed after that, the eyes of the two lemurs now focused on the floor as they once again let the words that were told echo in their minds. The smiles remained on their faces until Pancho changed the subject:

“Um, Maurice, how is KJ handling this situation?”

His smile dropped, as did a part of his heart. “Badly…I don't think I have seen him that distressed in his entire life. Not when his parents left him, not during any of the foosa attacks, not even during the war. It was...harrowing. But I have hope that he will get through it. I'll help him any way I can just to see that annoying, grin-like smile on his face, and his laughter full of joy.”

“Wow. No wonder you are his best bud. I sure hope you are successful. The kingdom already feels weird without Clover, but KJ not being in the mood to party? He makes things interesting, and without him, this place feels empty. Even if the last party turned out to be a total disaster. Actually…” Pancho remembers something important, “…last two parties. What even happened back there while I and Ted were gone?”

“Well, we tried to— Wait a minute,” Maurice stopped himself, “you don’t know already?”

“Well, no, I didn’t have time to gather info, apart from the short debrief you gave us when we returned.”

“Ted seemed to know more than enough when you all decided to trash the throne room while I and KJ checked the ship. The aftermath I had to clean up, thank you very much!” Maurice showed his displeasment, the worries he has about the king being put aside for the time being.

“Well, I was rather tired after the adventure, so I dozed off, but when I smelled fighting going on, I just joined in for the heck of— Er, I mean to protect the innocent bystanders. Sorry about that, should have made myself clear. What I mean is, why did KJ just straight-up choke Hector?”

"Oh boy," Maurice thought, "that can of worms."

“Well, KJ was apologizing to all the people for the mess we were in, I reminded the people that we could still rely on Clover coming back and helping us out…And then Hector decided to chime in with that…that…awful word!”

“Ehm, I think I heard something like that just before I dozed off, or maybe after I woke up, I dunno…what was it…cow?”

“Don’t say that!!”

“Okay, jeesh, sorry! Just paraphrasing, alright?”

Maurice catches his breath, completely rattled to say at least. “Sorry, it’s just…How could he say such a thing? I mean, it is Hector we are talking about, but still! To say that about Clover! I berated KJ for reacting like that, but frankly, if he didn't jump him, I would have cursed him out of this kingdom!”

“I’m more surprised he actually jumped him and choked him in the first place! That’s the sort of thing you would expect Clover to do, not KJ!”

“I know. That’s what I find most worrying. Not gonna lie, I was scared of him. Never in my life have I seen him act like this. Especially since he does call me, Clover, and especially Mort by some stupid names. Like, I know it is a bad word, but a reaction like that, even with all that was happening…”

Pancho didn’t respond immediately, seemingly thinking his next words carefully.

“Well, it is KJ we are talking about, a very light-hearted guy. I think he calls you and Clover by some of those names just for fun, nothing too serious. The same can’t be said about Mort, but he is another story, so I understand that he has less patience for him. But if what you say is accurate, Hector meant that fully with malice, as per usual. Combine that with the stress he probably got over this situation, and the result is… that. Probably the best I can decipher from that.”

“Yeah.”

“Now, don’t kill me for this,” Pancho warned after a bit of quiet, “but when I hear all of this, I don't see or recognize our KJ. I see...Uncle KJ.”

Maurice looked at him as if he said Frank didn’t exist. However, hearing his wishes, he allowed him to continue.

“Like, when it comes to making threats, Uncle KJ and KJ the Terrible come to mind first, not our KJ. And yet you saw what happened. And as much as I can’t believe it, I think what everyone saw is an important reminder to all of us: when you push him enough, and I mean really enough, he will show you that he is still a Julien: a terrifying creature who everyone fears.”

Maurice sighs dejectedly, for as much as he wants to deny that theory of his, to defend his king, his friend, it is, alas, in some way correct. “I hate that you are right. I really hope I won’t see that sight again.”

“Thank Frank our KJ is more interested in partying than ruling with an iron fist. Oh, and by the way, thanks for defusing the situation at the plane, otherwise we might have seen a very angry KJ once again.”

“Oh, you are welcome,” Maurice told Pancho.

Another silence filled the room. Having exhausted all the relevant topics to discuss, Maurice considered it a sign that it was time to leave and give Pancho the space he desired.

“Well, I’ll get going.”

He stood up and headed for the door. Pancho, however, stopped him in his tracks: “Maurice, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

”What about the others? Will they learn what happened?”

“We’ll tell them in a few days when KJ has…recovered. I’m sure you understand,” Maurice answered sombrely.

“Yeah, no problem, just checking. Oh, and Maurice? Thank you for telling me beforehand, honestly. Finding out during the speech would have sucked big time. And tell KJ I don’t hold a grudge, alright? Just need time alone to get through this, okay?”

“W…Will do. Thanks, Pancho. You really are a good lemur after all, y’know, being a felon and all.”

“Aha,” Pancho wagged a finger, “former felon. I’ve been institutionalized, remember?”

“Sure thing,” Maurice said, giving a knowing glance at the gunny sack.

“See you later, Pancho.”

“You…too, Maurice.”

Maurice left Pancho’s house, feeling weirdly grateful for how everything went. To see, in his eyes, one of the most hot-tempered people he has ever known not cuss him or his friends out, even though he had the right...it was relieving. And yet, there was a shred of fear of how Pancho might react later on. For now, it seems like he is still on good terms with him and Julien for what happened, but his feelings towards them can just as easily turn sour and bitter. After all, he did say there was a tiny part of him that was furious at them for what happened. But as of now, he could only hope that the feeling of fury would not spread further before their next meeting.

Now, onto his second visit: Horst, whose house was much closer to the kingdom.

Just like last time, Maurice knocked on the door; this time, the footsteps were heard immediately, and the door opened without delay, showing Horst with a beverage.

“Oh, it’s you,” he said as his expression immediately upon seeing him turned to a visible frown.

“Um, hey, Horst, can we talk?”

“I have no desire to speak with you,” Horst said, already shutting the door. Maurice, however, did not want to give up just yet, and so knocked a few more times.

"Look, I know you are not happy with what happened yesterday, but I just want to resolve a couple of things, then I’ll be off your hair. Alright?”

The door opened again, and this time Horst, without the beverage, glared at Maurice with an intensity that could kill even the stongest Mountain Lemur, and a tone that was beyond hostile: “If this is about that whole "arranging meeting" nonsense, then I ask of you to stay out of my business! I will visit Mary Ann on my own accord, without your help!”

Maurice did not speak, already regretting his stubbornness and now trying to find a way to back out of this situation he put himself in. Alas, Horst beat him to it with more vile words: “And you can tell your king that he can kiss goodbye to any DJ work from me! May he enjoy those stupid parties of his without me!”

It was a sheer miracle that the door wasn’t smashed in his face after that. Safe to say, this was a conversation that would go nowhere. So, Maurice wanted to leave things be, albeit with one small request: “…Alright, I get your point. Sorry to disturb you. Just don’t tell anyone what happened, okay? At least until we announce what happened to the kingdom?”

“Don’t have a choice, do I? If I spit a word on what happened, everyone is going to consider me a freak and blame me, instead of our beloved king.”

“…Thank you.”

Maurice wanted to leave, having achieved the best possible outcome of this one-sided heated exchange. However, while most of his mind wanted to leave ASAP, there was this feeling that grew inside him. A small one, but one that grew and spread like a fire. A sense of being wronged. Maybe it was the different contrast of both the fate of Horst’s wife and Pancho’s best bud and their reactions. Perhaps it was the events of the last few days taking their toll on him. In either case, it made him whisper some final words to Horst with some ounce of venom: “You know, considering what happened and all, you should be feeling a bit more grateful. Mary Ann is still alive. Pancho won’t see Andy again.”

To that, Horst’s nostrils flared, and his body tensed up, before slamming the door to Maurice’s face. Turning around, he noticed a small crowd staring at him, before breaking off their gazes and minding their own business. Sighing dejectedly, he moved on to the plane.

Upon arriving at the throne room, Maurice saw a slightly different scene: Julien sat on his throne, eating a mango this time, although with the same dejected look on his face, while Mort mindlessly walked around the place.

“Hi, KJ.”

“Hey.”

“Oh, hi, Maurice! Where have you been?” Whatever dark thoughts Mort had in his mind disappeared upon seeing Maurice.

“Hey, Mort. Good to see you. I’ve just been to Pancho and Horst regarding what happened yesterday.”

“How did it go?” asked Julien, the dull tone in his voice still being a bit more energetic than the advisor expected.

“Well, Pancho took the news of Andy’s death surprisingly well, all things considered, and he also says he doesn’t hold a grudge against you for what happened.”

“That…that’s good to hear,” Julien said earnestly, “Pancho has been a blast to be with. It would have been a real shame to see all that go to waste.”

“Yep. He did say he needs time to process the news, so we shouldn’t bother him for the time being.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind. And Horst?”

“Ehm…not so much.”

The king just sighed. “Let me guess: he hates my guts.”

“I'm afraid so.”

“Grrr, how dare he! My precious KJ doesn't need that meanie anyway!” Mort spat out the words like poison.

“Mort, I understand why he doesn't like me, alright?”

“But—”

“Mort, I respect his decision, end of discussion,” he cut off Mort with willpower that came out of nowhere and disappeared as quickly as it came, slumping on the chair.

“Well, anyway,” Maurice changed the subject, “Anything you want to do today, KJ?”

The king splurted. “Nothing. Just maybe stay on the plane for a while. As long,” he straightened himself, his orange eyes finding Maurice's similarly coloured ones, “as you are here, Mo-Mo. I don't want to be left alone here...and him.”

“Hee-Hee.” 

“Oh, KJ.” It was then that Maurice got an idea: “Hey, how about I read some of the kingdom's rules? I need to freshen up my memory. What you think?”

The king thought for a while before replying with the tiniest smile: “Sure, Mo-Mo.”

And so Maurice went on reading the vast rules of the kingdom, His Majesty and Mort occasionally getting a small shut-eye. After he had read every single one, he then read a book about cooking, and after he was done with that, he read another one about art. By the time he finished his "critique" about the modern art pieces, the sunset was upon the island, the two occasional sleeping participants feeling in a slightly better mood. Julien in particular got out of his throne from time to time, stretching himself a bit. In his mind, Maurice gave himself a high-five, seeing his plan work out perfectly. It won't matter how many words he will have to read; as long as it improves his friend's mood and helps him recover from the terrible experience, he will read a thousand books if he has to.

As the advisor recapitulated the most important rules with Julien and Mort "paying" attention, the door suddenly opened, startling the trio. Into the throne room came the penguins, with Private holding some sort of paper.

“Ah, Ringtail, thank goodness you are still here!”

“Um, hey there, penguins.”

“What are you guys doing here?” Maurice asked.

“It’s regarding the deal, my friend.”

This caught the trio’s attention, with Maurice quickly putting the pieces together: “Wait a minute. Is that paper the official deal?”

“Precisely! I’m not sure how much your advisor told you Ringtail, but short to a point, this paper contains your and our conditions.”

Private shows the contents of the paper to the lemurs:

Penguin Self-defense Aid deal:

From this day onward to “Julianuary 23^rd”, the Penguins will help the lemur population learn basic and advanced self-defense tactics in preparation for the “The Red Night Goblin” attack that occurs on “Julianuary 24^th” and any foosa attacks in the (hopefully) distant future. As repayment, the Lemur Kingdom will be obliged to help the Penguins and other potential friends in leaving the kingdom of Madagascar, should the guests believe they have overstayed their welcome.

Signed

----------

Skipper, leader of the Penguins

----------

King Julien the XIII, King of the Lemur Kingdom

Julien and Mort were left speechless before shock turned to joy as both jumped around, the king in particular: “Oh, thank you, thank you penguins for wanting to help us!”

“Don’t mention it. Just remember that you will need to hold your part of the deal.”

“No problem.”

Maurice, however, wasn’t celebrating just yet, for he noticed an inconsistency regarding the document. Well, not the words in the document, but rather the document’s existence: “Now hold on a minute there, Skipper. How did any of you manage to write these words?”

“Um, what do you mean, Maurice? Surely you are not implying something terrible about our guests?”

“He knows what I’m talking about.”

Skipper quickly caught on: “Very astute observation, my friend. Not to worry, we had Mason and Phil at our disposal.”

“The who-now?”

“Maeisonafil? Is that another fancy word, Mo-Mo?”

“Hehe, silly penguin using astute as a word!”

Ignoring Julien and Mort’s comments, Kowalski explains: “The two chimpanzees who were with us on the ship. One of them – Phil – can read and write, so that’s how we got this deal done.”

“Hmm. And how come we haven’t seen them?” Maurice asks, doubt still in his mind.

“For some reason, they don’t mind the cages they are in. Besides, your people definitely saw them when carrying food on the ship, so you can ask anyone in the kingdom if you want to.”

“And the hippies can attest to that as well.”

“The hippies?”

“The New York giants as you call them,” Kowalski explained the weird nickname to Maurice.

 “Oh, who cares about that, Maurice,” Julien interjected, “What’s important is that the deal is here! Everyone will be able to kick some booty, Clover won’t have her honeymoon interrupted that much, and the kingdom will be safe, I win, everyone wins!”

Before he can even consider signing the deal, Maurice puts him and Mort aside, before briefly telling the penguins: “Could you give us a minute?”

“If you must.”

Safe to say, neither Julien nor Mort was happy with his intervention:

“What are you doing, Maurice? This is like literally it! A way to fix our grave mistake!”

“Yeah, Maurice!”

“Look, I am as happy as both of you are, don’t get me wrong, but we need to think about how on earth we are gonna honor our part of the deal!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, how are we gonna help them get out of Madagascar? That ship has no gas, and all of our attempts to leave the place over the years did not end well!”

“We’ll ask Timo, he’s our science wizard.”

“As good as Timo is, he always misses one crucial thing that causes all sorts of problems. He needs to work with someone just as smart as him, like Stanislav!”

“Or like Smart Mort! Isn’t that right, Mort?”

“For you and your feet, King Julien, I’ll do anything,” Mort chuckles. Maurice continued his reasoning regardless: “I’m afraid we cannot rely on him. He needs coffee to come out, and after the whole Bruce business, we are a little short on coffee.”

“But that’s impossible, man! We have like an infinitive supply of coffee beans that washed up on the beach not long time ago!”

“Most of which were held at Bruce’s megastores. Which were blown up by Pancho.”

“…Oh. Whatevs, man!”

“But—”

“Cork that but! We have like 5 months to think of something! Until Julianuary 24^th arrives, those penguins are staying with us for sure. Plenty of time! And who knows, maybe Judy can bring us some like last time! Now, can we sign this thing before they change their minds?”

“Hmm…hopefully they are not going to rope us into some ridiculous shenanigans, but I hope you are right. Okay, sign the deal, Your Majesty.”

The lemurs turn to the penguins, with Julien stepping forward: “Alright, discussion chat over! We are happy with the conditions and terms and other fancy words corporate CEOs use, so let’s get this thing done!”

“I’m glad we could reach an agreement. Rico!”

Rico spits out an ink pad. Skipper puts his flipper on it and then presses it onto the blank line above his name.

“Your turn.”

Julien, despite some hesitation from putting his feet on the ink pad that was in Rico’s stomach, does the same as Skipper.

“Well, that’s that,” Skipper says as he picks up the document, “Before we go, I have to tell you that we will be exploring this island for a couple of days to find a suitable place for numerous training regimes and potential hidden threats.”

“And to have fun!” Private adds, which is promptly followed by a slap from his CO.

“After that, we will be holed up in our HQ for the time being to calculate and prepare said training regimes. Better keep your visits at a minimum unless absolutely necessary. In say... 2 weeks, you can announce to your folk that the self-defense program codenamed "Aegis" will commence from that day onwards!”

Julien nods in response, unable to keep the growing grin off his face.

“That is all. Farewell, Ringtail!”

The penguins leave the plane, allowing Julien to breathe a huge sigh of relief he has been holding since they arrived with the deal. The calmness would not last for very long, for in the blink of an eye, he started giggling and jumping about again, the plan that may bring security to his kingdom succeeding just nicely.

“Well, it is good to see you in good spirits, Your Majesty— Oof!”

The hug that engulfed him took Maurice by surprise, to say at least. And seeing his king in a jolly mood, Mort decided it was time to tackle his feet and join the hug. Such was KJ’s delight that the usual response to Mort touching the royal feet was not met, and Mort could enjoy the moment. The trio stood there for a few moments as Maurice’s surprise and previous doubts were cast aside for joy to take over, having seen his efforts the day before be rewarded not just by the new self-defense plan, but also by witnessing his king being full of joy again, a sight that given the past two days was a feat like no other.

Eventually, the hug ended, and KJ proclaimed with an even bigger smile on his face: “Oh man, I am glad to see this entire thing be a success! Don’t know what "edzis" is, but whatever, we did it!”

“You can say that again, Your Majesty.”

“See? Dunno why you were so worried about earlier.”

“Sorry, KJ, just want to be careful with them.”

“Anyhow, I think it is time to call it quits, don’t you think?”

“Sure thing, KJ. Mort?”

“Of course, my king!”

However, the trio’s plans for an early exit to their premises came to a halt as Julien noticed something unusual in the back of the plane.

“Huh, don’t remember this much stuff in here— Wait a minute! Maurice!”

Maurice and Mort, who were already at the door, stopped and rejoined their king.

“Maurice, explain to me why Clo-Clo’s stuff is here, pronto!”

“Yeah. Maurice!”

“Alright, alright, no need to be irate. Remember how I visited the penguins at Clover’s hut?”

“Hmm,” Julien nodded with a judging look on his face this time.

“Well, they "wanted" me to move her belongings out of her hut, and when I say "wanted", I mean "get this stuff out of here, otherwise we will blow it up for fun", so didn’t really have a choice.”

“Wait, what?! Why would they do that?”

“Well, firstly, only Rico, the crazy and spitting one, wanted to do that. Secondly, they are like completely oblivious to other people’s preferences. One of them even told me that Skipper pretty much cares only about his men.”

“Oh dear. Alright, firstly, thank Frank you were there, secondly, why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

Maurice’s response is not a sigh of frustration like usual, but instead a quick rebuttal: “This is why I want to be careful with them, especially from this moment. Anything sensitive we give them may be used as leverage, especially since they could very easily define the word "help" as using the entire kingdom as labor force and also taking half of our supplies.”

“Oh, come now, Maurice, surely the penguins wouldn’t do that, haha…Right?” Julien’s brief laugh turns into a frown of worry.

“I…I am afraid we can’t fully trust them. Not yet. Until then, I suggest we keep our conversations with them purely professional.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure if you can withstand all of that busybody talk rubbish, but sure, why not.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Maurice said with a tiny smile on his face. “Anything else?”

“Hmm…hold on,” Julien ponders, “about Clover’s stuff. Since she left so much here, does that mean she might come back to get them?”

Maurice’s eyes opened wide, surprised by that revelation that didn’t strike him at all previously. “I think she might! There’s no way she is gonna leave all of this stuff behind forever, especially…this!” Maurice digs into the pile of things and picks up the photo of Clover and Grandma Rose.

“Wait a minute, I remember this! This is like a significant thing to her, like my crown! How come it is still here?”

“I thought about it too. Maybe the wedding was so important to her that she forgot…everything else.”

“…Including the security of the kingdom. Like we did.” Julien dejectedly finished his and Maurice’s thoughts as a sad frown appeared on the king’s face again.

“KJ, we have to keep our heads high. There really is no point thinking about how plain stupid we became at the wedding. Let’s just focus on making sure the next two weeks will fly by without a hitch, the announcement goes without an issue, and behold the new self-defense plan. It will be as you said: the people will be able to defend themselves at least partially, Clover will eventually come back to fix her mistake, and before long, everything is going to be alright. Okay?”

Maurice’s words were able to get partially rid of Julien’s expression that dominated his face for the last few days. “Yeah, I know what you mean. It’s just…I hope Clo-Clo doesn’t get the wrong idea about this,” he points at her belongings, “like we are already forgetting about her.”

“No worries, KJ, nothing like that will happen. Although, I hope she doesn’t visit her hut before explaining the situation first; otherwise, she might start a fight with the penguins and get hurt in the process.”

“Ha, more like the opposite!” The frown disappeared completely this time, “Those guys may be good, but our Clo-Clo is the best, no doubt!”

“Agreed,” Maurice agreed with a smile. “Now let’s go home, it is already nighttime!”

“Oh dear Frank, you are right. Come on, Mort, escort your king to his precious home!”

“Of course, my King!”

“Alright, see you later, KJ,” Maurice said his goodbyes, followed up by King Julien and Mort’s synchronized response: “Bye, Maurice!”

Responses that had energy, joy, and were devoid of pain and heartbreak, made the advisor very, very pleased. As long as he can keep the frown away from the king's face and the terrible memories from their minds, the advisor will be the happiest person in the world.

Chapter Text

Wake up, eat breakfast, meet up at the plane, read a book, grab food for his sleepy friends, continue reading, comfort Julien if his thoughts stumble into darkness, escort Julien to his hut, go home, crash onto the bed, fall asleep, repeat. That was the routine for the advisor over the past few days. Not the most ideal, for sure, but utterly necessary.

The deal may have been signed, but Maurice could already feel the tension between the penguins and the royal entourage develop ever since they arrived. From the contrasting views on the lost souls to the penguins' occasional suspicious behaviour, it was clear to him that should he, Julien, or even Mort mess up at any time, Skipper might...reconsider the promise he signed on the paper. Sure, it might be Clover's left-over paranoia talking, and sure, on the surface, things seem to be just fine between the two groups, but he certainly doesn't want to be taking any risks. And so, having seen his effort on the day of the deal-signing pay off, he convinced Julien that they should spend the remaining time until the big day on the plane, reading books, notes, and recalling certain happy events of the past.

The king was, understandably, against the idea at first, for spending around two weeks on a plane, sitting on the throne, doing almost nothing, wasn't his ideal way of spending time. He would rather dance his booty...which he couldn't, the guilt ever present in his mind would almost certainly affect his performance at any time, raising questions. What also would raise questions is the absence of Horst as DJ. Granted, most of the people wouldn't bat an eyelid over such a detail, but if someone more thoughtful like Ted might figure that someone was missing, that could be disastrous.

And what felt like a gut punch to Maurice, when it came to crazy plans the king's fond of, he just...came up short. Not sure if because of trauma or if he subconsciously put the penguins into the equation, but the amount of plans where the king would do something stupid, have fun, and then fix the consequences and help his people was...zero.

And so, here they were, just one day before Skipper's so-called "Aegis" would commence. Maurice decided to spice things up and borrowed some of Thighsander Plunderhorse's stories, and boy did that gamble pay off, for what seemed since forever, his king just laughed, and laughed. Even Mort was having the time of his life (although his creepy comments made their unwelcome return as well). He may not have been a therapist, far, far from it, but even he could, to his delight, see that his plan seems to have been working. The first days were particularly rough, the king sometimes going for hours before biting a single mango, and on two occasions, the advisor had to sit beside his king as he struggled to get some sleep. But thankfully, these last couple of days brought the most joy from the king ever since the "goodbye" party to the New York giants. He hoped that his efforts would have long-term effects and that the king would put the terrible experience past him for good.

And yet...there was this feeling of dread inside him. And for better or worse, he knew the cause: the whispers of his people. It was barely noticeable at first, but the mumbles of the people every time he went past them on his to or from the plane, or when escorting KJ, seemed to intensify with each passing day. And if his hearing wasn't failing him, it seemed that even the people noticed the unusual behavior of the king. Thankfully, no one dared to ask him or the king, or even Mort the details, and he hoped it would stay like that.

And he hoped that that golden bamboo lemur wasn't spouting lies about Clover, or so help him, he was gonna—

“Um, Mo-Mo?”

Julien speaking out caught him completely off guard, nearly dropping the book.

“You alright, Mo-Mo? You went silent for a while.”

It took the advisor a while to respond. “Oh, sorry, got lost in thought there.”

“Hmm, been there too, Maurice,” Mort chimed in, “Especially when thinking about those beautiful feet!”

“Mort, for the love of Frank, keep those thoughts in your head!”

“Hee-hee!”

And so, Maurice resumed his reading duties. Or at least, he would have, for all of a sudden, the door burst open, making Maurice drop the book this time.

“Oh, hey, King Julien, sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation down there,” It was Ted, his breathing a bit uneven.

“Is it urgent?” Maurice asked, hoping that he would leave them be.

“I’m afraid so. Those giants came by to chat for a bit and also requested your help. Not only that, but it seems one of them might be feeling under the weather.”

“Um—” was all that came out of the advisor before the king interrupted him: “Sure thing, Ted!”

Ted left to tell the news, while Maurice gave his friend a puzzled look, caught off guard by his friend's sudden burst of energy: “Are you sure about this?”

The king dropped from his chair, his eyes glowing a small amount of fire in them, unlike these past few days. “The giants need my help, Mo-Mo, and I can't just sit here and do nothing.”

The advisor was left nearly speechless, but he managed to squeak out: “Alright, then. Good to see you up and about.”

“Heh, don't worry about me. Besides, someone is gonna have to convince them Dr. S is a good doc.”

A chuckle escaped his lips, the signs of the old Julien coming back to his delight. Without further ado, the trio went to the center of the ruckus; the giants were surrounded by a dozen lemurs, with Marty looking particularly awful, with noisy, ragged breaths and relying on Gloria for support.

“Oh, King Julien, thank you for coming!” Alex hastily greeted him, “We are so sorry for interrupting you, but we need your help.”

“No worries, freak. Now, what can Maurice do for you?”

“Well, Marty is not feeling well, like at all. He has been like that for like a couple of days, and we fear it might only get worse for him. Do you fuzzbuckets have a hospital or something to that extent?”

“Yes, we do. It is a bit far off, though.” Maurice replied.

“Could you lead us there? Please?” Alex pleaded.

“No problem, freaks,” Julien replied instantly.

“Oh, thank you so much! Hear that, Marty? They got a hospital, you are gonna be okay.”

“I really…hope so. Dangnabbit, I haven’t felt this bad since…” A nasty cough cuts off the rest of the sentence. Gloria slightly taps his shoulder: “Just hang in there, buddy. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

The lemurs lead the way, with Alex carrying Marty on his back and Gloria and Melman covering the rear. Not a single word was shared between anyone, the only thing interrupting the silence being an occasional violent cough. As the group eventually makes it to the front of the hospital, however, the giants stop in their tracks when they notice the massive skull above the entrance. The lion in particular looks bewildered, if the look of pure disbelief is any indication.

“Um, King Julien? Are you sure this is a hospital?”

“Yes, freak, this is it.”

“Doesn’t look like any hospital I have ever been in,” Melman also shares his doubts.

“Trust us, this is it. Now sure, the doctor and his nurse are a bit… unhinged, but at the end of the day, they do know their stuff. Apart from that time when they diagnosed me with some Mad Horse disease, and when they tried to cut my head and replace it with a shark one—”

Maurice, seeing the giants’ disturbed faces, immediately covers Julien’s mouth. “Let’s just get Mr. Marty to the doctor ASAP.”

Despite their understandable concerns, the giants have no choice but to follow the trio inside the hospital, which proves to be no small feat due to how small the place is, especially for Melman. There, Nurse Phantom greets them.

“Hi, Julie.”

“Hey there, Nurse Phantom!”

“Good to see you alive and...” slurp, “well.”

“Oh, thanks, buddy! Good to see your healthy, slightly hideous face as well.”

“Don't mention it. Ah, I see you brought with you those giants we heard about.”

“Yep, and right now, one of them needs some help. Is Dr. S free?”

“Sure thing,” he says, slurping in the process.

Nurse Phantom directs the guests to the hospital room, where Doctor S is tinkering with a machine.

“Aah, Mr. King Julien, I see you brought some subjects!”

“Ehm, that’s one way of putting it. One of the giants requires immediate attention!”

“I see. Bring him to the table while I perform tests that I don’t understand!”

Alex puts Marty on the small table, with the giants getting visibly more scared with every passing minute. And even though they have beeen here plenty of times, the royal entourage (minus Mort) were also getting the creeps. Old habits die hard.

“So,” Melman hesitantly opens the conversation as Dr. S continues to tinker with his machine, “you a real doctor?”

“Yes, a self-thought one.”

“Self-taught?”

“There haven't been doctors around here for hundreds of years! I had to learn most of my stuff by homeschooling out of a CAVE!” A lightning bolt strikes, bewildering the giants, especially Alex and Marty.

“W-What the heck was that?”

“Uhh, am I so sick that I imagined a lightning strike?”

“No, buddy, that was real. Now stay still, the, uhm, good doc will take care of you,” Gloria does her best to calm his (and her) nerves.

“Well, anyway, uh, wow, that is pretty neat! Wonder how you managed to learn…so much,” the giraffe tries to continue on.

“It took a lot of learning and many botched up surgeries, but it was worth it. And what about you, Mr. Giraffe? Are you a self-taught doctor too?”

“N-Not really, I'm more used to being checked up by doctors 24/7, b-but I am interested in becoing a doctor.”

“Hmm, I see.” The doctor's tinkering with the machine slows down, seemingly deep in thought. “Say, you wouldn't happen to know a Dr. Munish, right?”

The giraffe was taken aback, before replying with a slight happiness in his voice: “Er, yes, I know him! He frequently gives me acupuncture for my back pain!”

“Aha! I knew it! He wrote one of the books I learned from!”

Almost everyone else was reacting to this revelation as if the pigs had started flying. Dr. S stopped tinkering with the machine, with Melman nervously looking around the place, seemingly happy to find common ground with someone else.

“Ah, most splendid! Tell me, Mr. Giraffe, what other treatments did you go through?”

“Well—”

Any reply Melman had was cut off by probably the most severe coughing spree of Marty’s anyone has heard so far.

“Oh, sorry there, Mr. Zebra, I’ll get to you shortly.” Before getting back to work, he exchanged some final words with Melman: “Hopefully, we can both discuss this matter later, Mr…”

“Melman.”

“Melman. If you have time, you can come to visit and have a chat if you would like.”

“S-Sure thing,” Melman accepted the offer with a mix of hesitancy and excitement, much to the confusion and amusement (mostly confusion) of his friends.

“Very well. Now, back to the procedure.”

“Um, guys,” Marty rasped, his voice utterly weak and hoarse, “whfill you keeip me kompainy?”

“Of course, buddy,” Gloria responded without hesitation, “we ain’t leaving you behind!”

“You can count on us, Marty!” Alex agreed, before silently whispering to the lemurs, “Besides, I’m still not so sure about that doc of yours, so we'd rather keep an eye on him.”

“Not to worry, freak, your friend is in capable hands! Or, well, tail.”

“Well, that concludes our business here then,” Maurice said, excusing himself, the king, and Mort.

“OK. King Julien, thank you once again for your help. And sorry for bothering you.”

“No worries, pansy, we weren’t doing anything interesting anyway. Alright, freaks, enjoy yourselves! Oh, and keep an eye on that saw of his; he really wants to use it on somebody’s head one day. Okay, see y’all soon, bye!” Julien and co quickly left the hospital, back into the sunny day.

“So, back to the plane, then,” Maurice suggested, much to Mort's delight, “Yay! Can't wait to hear more bedtime stories!”

“Y-Yeah, sure, let's go.”

There was a hint of uncertainty in Julien's voice that made the advisor stop in his tracks. “Something on your mind, KJ?”

“O-Oh, nothing, Mo-Mo, nothing to worry about!” He blurted out, his fake laugh giving the advisor an odd sense of deja vu.

“Er, are you su—”

“Maurice, I don't wanna be on the plane anymore!”

Maurice and Mort stood there frozen for a second, neither really sure how to respond.

“Look, I really enjoyed all the stories you told me to make me feel better, but, like, I just want to do something! I can't just sit on my booty anymore! Just helping the giants like that, I felt, like, happiness and joy! And I know we don't want to upset those penguins, but I just want to do something, anything!”

It took Maurice a while to respond: “A-Are you sure? It has been only two weeks since...that.” 

The king shuddered at what the advisor meant, but that tiny flame he saw before refused to disappear: “Maybe, maybe not. Look, it still pains me what happened to them and how much I messed up, but... I just...even if someone might ask me about them, I just want to at least be with my peeps. It...It isn't too much, right?”

“Of course not, KJ,” the asvisor responded immediately, but it took a while for his next few words to escape his lips, “It's just that the people are already getting...suspicious. Look, just stomach these last few days, and when the people won't be asking for anyone's heads, then we can give one of your other plans a go, okay?”

Julien stood there for what seemed like eons. “But—”

At that moment, a shrieking kee cal startled the trio.

“What the heck was that, Mo-Mo?”

“Look, King Julien!” Mort quickly points to the sky. Up there, two hawks commandered by unknown figures flew by, before descending near the baobab tree.

“Hawks? Huh, that’s weird. What on earth are they doing—” Maurice abruptly paused.

“Maurice? Why did you stop speaking? Are you sick, too?”

“N-No, Your Majesty. But I think we better get to the baobab tree, post-haste!” The advisor picks up the pace tremendously, forcing the other two to speed up.

“A-Alright! Not sure why we are running, or using made-up words, but OK!” Julien quickly catches up to his friend.

“King Julien, there is only one kingdom that uses the hawks for transportation: the Mountain Lemur Kingdom!”

“So? Don’t see how that is…Oh!” A thought crossed his mind, a possibility that the person paying them a visit was her. “Wait, you think that…?”

“Only one way to find out, KJ!”

The trio speed up as if the foosa were on their tails, and before you could blink, they made it back to the square, albeit with air leaving their lungs for a while. Oce Julien caught his breath, he noticed the crowd seemed to multiply, with two hawks at the center of the commotion this time. One seemingly young, reddish-brown with a small, black mark on its forehead; the other yellow-brown, approaching its twilight years, given by a couple of grey feathers. Near one of them were Ted and a mountain lemur with an eyepatch arguing about something (if you could call Ted getting an earful an "argument") before noticing the newcomers.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” The mountain lemur gave his polite greetings first, with Ted following suit: “Ah, KJ, good to see you! How did it go?”

“It went well, but that doesn’t matter now! What are you doing here, er, Lieutenant? Sergeant? Squire?”

“Captain, actually. Well, to keep things simple, Her Majesty wants to speak to you urgently.”

The euphoria the trio, especially the king, felt was beyond immense. “R-Really?! She is here?! Where?!”

“Well, you have to ask your friend here. He sent her somewhere before I had the chance to acknowledge the situation,” he discreetly scowled at the lemur.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Ted awkwardly scratched his head.

“Why did you do that?” the king asked impatiently and in slight disbelief.

“Uhh… I just wanted to avoid a…scene, Your Majesty,” he gave Maurice a knowing look, unnoticed by the king.

“W-What scene?”

“That doesn’t matter now. Where is she?” the advisor quickly changed the subject.

“She is waiting on the plane—”

Before anyone could respond, Julien, with what seemed like the speed of sound, ran straight to the plane and entered his throne room.

The moment his eyes spotted her, it seemed like time had stopped. It was mere weeks since she had departed, yet it felt like many moons had passed. Her bright orange fur shined brighter than the sun, her eyes that locked onto his the moment he stepped into the room were greener than a lush meadow, and the smile that replaced her sudden surprise gave him butterflies in his gut.

“K-King Julien—”

The king did not waste a second more and hugged her with all his might, the pain in his heart disappearing in an instant.

“Whoa!”

“Oh, Clo-Clo, I…I missed you so much.”

“Heh…So have I, Your Majesty,” Clover returned the hug with similar vigor. The two lemurs stood there, not letting go as if their lives depended on it, the sounds of nature going silent. It felt as if all was well in the world.

“Clover!!!” Maurice and Mort yelled her name in delight, embracing her with that same fondness. No one dared to speak a single word for the fear of breaking this moment as it were a dream. 

Eventually though, after what seemed like a blissful eternity, Clover broke off the hug. “You guys have no idea how much I missed you.”

“Hah, you kidding me? We missed you a lot more! Especially Maurice! He’s been crying like a baby every single night!” Julien’s exaggeration brought a feeling of nostalgia and amusement to the advisor and the former bodyguard.

“Uh-uh, sure thing, Your Majesty.”

“Oh, and where is your crown, by the way?” Julien noticed a distinct lack of a kingly trait.

“Er, well—”

“And how is it being a queen? Do you guys have parties there?”

“Uh—”

“And what about cake o’clock? Surely you have cake o’clock?”

“C-calm down, Your Majesty! One thing at a time,” She begged with a tint of bemusement rather than annoyance.

“Oh, sorry. Wait, hold on a sec,” he went past her and sat on his throne, “Alright, you may speak.”

Another wave of deja vu washed over Maurice as the advisor found himself and Mort at the king's side (the latter trying everything to touch the feet), while Clover faced the trio and the throne.

“Oh dear, I don’t know where to even begin. So much has happened since that beautiful day in such a short time.”

“Why don’t you start by your coronation? If you had one,” Maurice suggested.

“Good idea. Well, when Sage and I returned to the Mountain Lemur kingdom, there was immediately a ceremony for the new queen, i.e. me. It was…quite frankly disgusting at one point, with too much burping and farting, but apart from that, it was amazing. I had a tour of everything in the kingdom: the throne room, my— Well, our private quarters, the war room, the barracks, the training area, my personal army, I’ve got an army to command and train!!” Clover’s excitement was off the charts, much to the delight of everyone else.

“Sorry, got a bit too excited. Anyway, things settled down afterwards, so Sage and I immediately split our duties: I make sure our soldiers are in tip-top shape while he does some meditation and whatnot to give them some peace in their minds and to make sure they do not fight unprovoked or at the very least do not resort to violence immediately, and to make sure we won’t have another Koto problem. Our Captain handles diplomatic stuff.”

“You mean that guy we met at the baobab tree? Wasn’t he, like, Koto’s right-hand man?” Maurice showed some concern.

“Well, yeah, but Sage immediately pardoned him and made him his, well now our, royal advisor. And honestly, he isn’t that bad once you get to know him. A bit dense, though. Oh, and I do have a crown, Your Majesty, but I don’t think it is necessary to wear one when visiting my friends.”

The collective sigh from her said friends made her heart skip a beat, and her cheeks flush a bit.

“It is rather small, though, much smaller than yours, King Julien.”

“Oh, Clo-Clo, you don’t need to call me "King Julien" now that you are a queen. Or even "Your Majesty". Heck, you can just call me "Julie"! We can be the bestest royal buds!”

The former bodyguard was taken back ever so slightly, but she quickly recovered: “Thank you for your offer, but quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to not calling you the way I used to…Your Majesty.”

“Hmm…to be fair, I don’t think Mo-Mo will be able to call you "Your Majesty" either, so maybe we should drop this idea for a bit,” Julien concluded, prompting a half-annoyed, half-amused eye-roll from his best friend. “Anything else?”

“Er… oh, I also got my personal hawk!”

“That’s good to hear! I wonder, is it one of those we saw before the baobab tree?” the king asked.

“Yep! Most of our hawks are very similar, but mine has a small, yet distinct mark on her face.”

“Hmm,” Maurice recollected their encounter with the hawks, “now that I think about it, there was something odd on the forehead of one of them. Thought it was just an odd, blackish stain.”

“Yep, that’s her. It didn’t deter me, though. In fact, it made me more interested in her. Apparently, not only is she the youngest one, but she is also one of, if not the fiercest hawk the kingdom knows, ready to dive into any sign of danger, no matter what.”

“I can see why you took a liking for her,” the advisor complimented her choice with a smirk.

“Heh, it wasn’t easy. During our first few meetings, I had to rely on Sage’s knowledge of hawk language to somewhat understand and talk to her. And quite frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever learn that language. Thankfully, things have been working between us as smoothly as a perfect peach since then. Only a few minor hiccups on our journey here. And at least one thing is for certain: I won’t have to talk in an incoherent mess to call for help.”

The tiny joke caused a chuckle from her friends. Julien then asked a question that had been on his lips since she mentioned her hawk: “Oh, and what is she called? Something heroic and fancy like "Julien Airway"? Or maybe "Xixi Flight"?”

“Those sound more like names for a flag carrier, King Julien,” she replied with confusion and a tint of brief irritation evident in her voice. “But anyway, her name is India.”

Julien howled with laughter as if he heard a funny story. “Oh, Clover, don’t be silly! India isn’t a name you give to a hawk. India is a continent!”

“Um, King Julien, India is a country,” Maurice corrected his king, with little success: “Oh come now, Maurice, everyone knows India is a continent, haven’t you learned nothing in high school? It’s like one of the first things we learn there!”

Maurice sighed, leaving Clover to continue: “Your Majesty, I was as surprised as you are now, but believe me, that is her name. Or at least it is, according to the rough translation. Anyhow, apart from that, nothing else happened, everything was going smoothly…until…”

Clover’s sudden, hesitant halt inadvertently caused a shift in the atmosphere, a shift that, as minor as it might have been and should have been, felt rather grave for the king and his advisor. Even Mort stopped planning his usual antics. “Until what, Clover?” the advisor spoke, an unexplainable dread clearly heard from him.

“Until one of our scouts reported an activity. Which is also the reason why I am here. The activity in question…is foosa activity.”

The trio gasped, especially Julien, the reminder of a giant elephant in the room rearing its ugly head. Clover continued: “Numerous kingdoms have seen a sudden rise in foosa attacks, which got our scout's attention. Obviously, my kingdom doesn’t fear a foosa attack, but the fact that the foosa has been a pain in the…butt of other kingdoms, especially at such an alarming rate made me realise that something must have happened. Something…bad.

Do you guys have any idea…what happened?”

And there it was.

A dreadful silence filled the room. A scenario they scrutinized many times in person and in their heads came back in full force. Mort didn't want to talk about it, Maurice didn't either, and Julien especially didn't want to answer her question. He wanted nothing more than to reassure her that nothing had happened, that the foosa simply went to other kingdoms because of the "peace treaty", that Mary Ann hadn't gotten get overthrown, and that they didn't—

He then remembered what he and Maurice had talked about on that fateful day and realized that she must know the truth.

“Guys?” She asked after what felt like hours, her tail twitching ever so slightly. Julien took a deep breath and, with a shaky voice, replied: “Clover…It’s…It’s…”

The horror of the surprise foosa ambush, the joy for the new saviours, the turmoil of one of them turning savage, the newly kindled hope upon the arrival of the penguins, the delight at banishing the foosa, all the way to the heart-shattering revelation…all of that was told by Julien, who felt like a wound inside his heart had reopened, yet he stood fast, not allowing the tears to fall down his cheek.

By the time he finished, the air around them had turned cold. And Clover’s face…was full of horror and regret, her hand covering her mouth.

“I…I don’t believe it…they are…dead?”

“I…I’m afraid so, Clover.”

“N-No one else knows? Apart from Horst and those penguins that went with you?”

“Pancho knows as well,” Maurice replied instead, “I…We felt he deserved to know the fate of his friend.”

“I…I see.”

Clover stood there, seemingly trying to figure out what to say. Everyone else waited patiently, giving her time to process all of the information they had just told her. Suddenly, however, her sad expression, rarely seen by the king and the advisor, was replaced with a scowl: “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Huh?” Julien was caught off guard.

“Why didn’t you tell me the kingdom was in serious trouble?”

“Um, well, we didn’t want to ruin your honeymoon.”

Clover didn’t respond immediately. When she did, her voice was full of anger and fury: “Honeymoon? Honeymoon?! You didn’t call me back when the kingdom was at its weakest just because of a honeymoon?!!! And instead of getting my help, you sought a freakin lion to defend you?! What the heck was that, Your Majesty?!”

“Um, Clover,” Maurice interjected, “although it required some unexpected help and sheer dumb luck, his plan actually worked—”

“I don’t care! I should have been the one kicking those, those bloody foosas back where they came from, and more! You should have called me!”

“C-Clover, we didn’t even have a chance to get your help! Xixi was getting drunk at Aye-Aye kingdom, and with foosa at large, anyone venturing outside the kingdom was gonna end up d-d-dead!” Julien could barely finish the sentence.

“Oh, so sending Ted and Pancho on a bloody goose chase is fine, but getting my help isn't?”

“Ehh...” Julien was taken aback, but Maurice stepped in instead: “Clover, we send them to get Xixi back, as a back-up plan. The Aye-Aye kingdom is much closer to us than yours.”

“Y-Yeah, precisely!” Julien found his voice.

“And what about that "super top-secret body doubly" distress signal you have with Sage? The one that’s just screaming for help, but works like all the time!”

The trio, Julien especially, were flabbergasted at that solution.

“…I could have done just that? Wait, no, that’s not the point! The point is we didn’t want to interrupt your honeymoon! Especially after a few hours!”

“Your Majesty, I would without hesitation help the kingdom, honeymoon or no honeymoon!”

“B-But you are not my bodyguard anymore! You are a queen now! Of another kingdom!”

“That may be so, but my duty until then was to protect the kingdom. And I…failed.”

“W-what are you talking about? You protected the kingdom like 24/7! Successfully! Each time!”

“Yes! Alone! Without passing anyone else my skills!”

The tirade between the two rulers goes quiet, the implication of what she meant hitting everyone hard. Clover then continued, with her commanding voice overwhelmed by sadness and regret: “I should have done that training a long time ago. Properly, because what I did with Ted was just awful. And I should have figured the kingdom would be in trouble when I was getting married, but no. Instead, while I and Sage were enjoying ourselves in our kingdom, my friends were figuring out what to do to survive.”

“Clo-Clo…”

“And to hear how severe the consequences were…it’s too much to bear for me.”

Jaw clenched, tail motionless, face losing its color, and her eyes that seemed to lose their light…it was an alien sight to the king.

“Clover,” Maurice stepped in, “I should take a huge chunk of responsibility for this. I am a royal advisor, and I failed—”

“No, Maurice,” Clover cut him off, a spark in her eyes lighting up, “it’s my fault, and I am gonna make sure nothing like this happens again.”

“Clo-Clo—”

“I will train everyone to defend themselves.”

“But, Clover,” Julien tried to argue,  “We already have those penguins—”

“No, Your Majesty, you can’t trust some random strangers to train you off the top of the hat!”

“But they are professionals, Clover! We’ve seen them in action, twice!”

“Not good enough! Besides, they obviously want to gain something out of this, and I’m sure as heck sure it ain’t gonna be good for the kingdom!”

“Um, newsflash, Clover, we have no choice! We have already signed the deal with them!”

“Then cancel it!”

“But that would be unfair to them!”

“Not at all! As long as they don’t help us, we are not obliged to help them!”

“But—”

“No, Your Majesty, I will help you, and that’s final!”

“No, it isn’t!”

“Enough!”

Maurice’s shriek surprised everyone, the advisor included. His friends looked at him as if he had been possessed. The advisor then took advantage of the silence that occurred: “Look, this isn’t getting us anywhere. We need to reach a compromise.”

“How?” Both Clover and Julien impatiently asked.

“Look, Clover, I will admit that, yes, we need your help, but not yet.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Clover was dumbfounded.

“Look, the penguins themselves told us they can only teach us some very basic defense skills at best. To make sure we are completely independent from you, we need, well, you to teach us. But you are a queen now, remember? And you need to take care of your people as well. We can’t just put your kingdom in jeopardy like that. So, my suggestion is that you settle in while the penguins give you a head start. Then, once they leave, you will help us, but with a detailed and already prepared time plan so that you can focus on training us and taking care of your kingdom as well. Or even better, get one of your guys here to train us from time to time! It would improve our relations with your kingdom, and before you know it, the whole kingdom is prepared to fight an entire army of foosa, you don’t have to worry about us anymore, and you can spend your time with Sage. So what do you say?”

The room became quiet once again as the rest of the entourage and the queen processed the proposition they had just heard. Eventually, with a deepening smile on his face, Julien broke the silence: “Mo-Mo, that is beyond cool! That is, like, a perfect solution! Don’t you agree, Clover?”

Clover’s expression was unreadable. For a moment, the king feared that even that wouldn’t satisfy her. Then, the tiniest smirk appeared on her face as she addressed Maurice: “That is…wow, it makes perfect sense, a perfect balance!”

As Maurice, Mort, and Julien wanted to celebrate, Clover stopped them with a raised finger, as her face became serious once again: “But I’m still not sure about those penguins. I’m gonna meet them, talk to them, and observe their training methods for a few days to see if they are legit. If yes, I’ll leave it in their hands. Well, flippers. However, if at any point I sense incompetence, foolishness, or even treachery, I’ll take charge, and until everyone can at least somewhat defend themselves, I’ll stay here. My kingdom can handle itself. So, are we clear?”

Maurice and Julien looked at each other. And in their looks alone, both agreed that not taking Clover’s "offer" would be foolish. "Besides," the king thought to himself, "her sticking around wouldn’t cause issues…right?"

“Alright, Clo-Clo, although this isn’t a negotiation, I think we can agree on those terms.”

“Yaaay!” came a cry of joy from Mort, “My big sister is staying with us! Time to celebrate by rewarding the feet!!”

As expected, Mort lunged at his king’s feet, prompting Julien to kick him yet again. This time, Mort bounced around the throne room several times, nearly taking Maurice with him, before stopping at Amelia.

“I’m okay…”

He then fell down, seemingly losing consciousness yet again.

Ignoring that, Clover turned to Julien: “Alright, now that we have that settled, where are those penguins? Need to speak with them, chop-chop.”

“W-Well…” Julien hesitantly started, fearing her reaction, “They currently live at your hut.”

“Oh, that’s great— Wait, WHAT?! You gave them MY HUT?!”

“Argh, I’m sorry, Clover, it’s, it’s all Maurice’s fault!”

“Seriously, man?” the advisor complained, half annoyed and half scared at what sort of fury he shall face now.

“Maurice, you better explain to me why those fellows are living in my quarters – former ones, I know, but still!” The stare she gave could turn lava into ice.

“Ehm, well,“ Maurice awkwardly started, knowing where the conversation would go, “there were only three places available: yours,…Becca and Abner’s, and Andy’s.

Clover’s anger disappeared, foreign awkwardness taking hold instead. “Oh. Ehm, right, sorry.” After a brief moment, she awkwardly coughed before slowly backing away: “Anyway, I think I’ll evaluate them now.” Clover hastily left before either Julien or Maurice could respond.

“Um, that was weird from her. Not Clo-Clo-esque weird, but normal weird.”

“Yeah, she isn’t usually awkward like that. Maybe she is still processing what we told her.”

“Yeah,” the king said, his unsure tone betraying the meaning of his words. A sudden, unknown feeling washes all over him, and without even thinking about it, he blurts out: “I’m gonna check on her.”

“Huh?”

“I said I’m gonna check on her. Y‘know, to make sure everything goes well,” he hastily adds. Before he can leave, though, Maurice grabs his hand.

“W-What, Mo-Mo?”

“King Julien, there…there is something I need to tell you,” The advisor’s nervous look in his eyes was enough to make the king stop in his tracks and heed his words.

“What is the matter, Maurice?”

“Look, there is something you need to know. Remember when I and a couple of those penguins brought her stuff here?”

“Yes?”

“Well, we got slowed down a bit by Ted at the square, and then an argument broke out between me and one of the people.”

Intrigue was written all over the king's face. “About what?”

“Uh…It was about Clover. And…whether she was actually useful.”

“Wha— Of course she was useful! Actually, no — she is useful!” The anger that the advisor had feared to see was back in full force, only now directed at whoever dared to question Clover’s skills.

“I tried to argue back, but that guy was not budging. Anyway, Ted was trying to calm down the situation, and so casually told everyone that no one died.”

“Oh, alright, that’s not…Uh-oh.”

“Yep. Thankfully, or unfortunately, Kowalski managed to get us out of that situation…by "confirming" that no one died.”

“Oh…Oh no, no, no, no…Maurice, do you know how much trouble we are in?” The king starts pacing uncontrollably around the room, “When we announce that, and someone points out that one of those penguins lied, the peeps are gonna be so angry! Wh-What are we going to do?!”

“I am not entirely sure, but I think Kowalski might be able to find a solution.”

“How?”

“I don’t remember the exact details, but when we brought her items here, and I brought up the issue with him, he said he might be able to create a convenient excuse. Sort of. In any case, it might be a good idea to talk with them about this. In fact, I think it is time we had a chat on what to expect, so I recommend inviting them, Your Majesty,” he concluded, his calmness having an effect on the king as well, for he stopped walking around the room aimlessly.

“Okay, okay, good idea, Maurice. I better get going then.”

However, before stepping outside his throne room, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, remembering something. “Uh, one more thing, Mo-Mo.”

“Yes?

“Well, now that Clover is gonna be staying with us for a few days, where is she gonna sleep?”

This surprised Maurice: “I haven’t thought about that. In fact, what about the Captain and their hawks?”

“Er…” the king pondered for a moment, “I got it! Mo-Mo, make a thorough search of all the huts in the kingdom, just like last time. Only now, check to see if there are any spaces left for Clover and the Cap to crash in for a few days. Also, find Ted, as I think he might have some weird expertise on random animals, so maybe he can help with finding their hawks a place to crash in as well.”

“Very well. And what about Mort?”

The duo looked at where Mort still was: near Amilia and seemingly unconscious.

“Yeah, no need to worry about him,” Julien said smugly, “If he wakes up, give him some meaningless task to make sure he doesn’t interrupt my session with the penguins. Ok?”

Maurice nodded, and so the duo split up to their duties.

Chapter Text

Even if it were two weeks, it was a strange feeling for Julien to take a walk to visit something other than his throne room or his personal chambers, even more so when no one asked him anything on the way. A few members of the public gave him strange looks, for sure, but most were preoccupied by the new hosts in hawks. It was mostly a calm affair.

Mostly.

While no one bothered him, his mind was going into overdrive at the fact that Clover was here. Of course, he was happy that she came back, but the reason for her arrival meant he was replaying everything regarding that forsaken incident for the millionth time. And above all, the fact that he was going to announce his terrible mistake to the public tomorrow seemed to dawn on the king more than he would like to. After all, announcing that three of your people have passed away due to your actions is...frankly beyond terrifying. Even with Maurice spending time with him on the plane, trying his best to help him cope with what he had witnessed, the pain in his heart was still there.

And he feared that this one time, he wouldn't be able to take the grand stage without breaking down or making a terrible mistake. And it wasn't just that. His people may very easily ask for Clover's head, or even Maurice's. He could stomach his people being righteously furious with him, but not his best friends. Not them.

Before his mind could dwell even deeper into the rabbit hole, his ears took notice of strange yet familiar noises. Getting closer and closer, he suddenly figured out why it felt like deja vu: it was the sound of a fight.

Suddenly fearing the worst, Julien hurried up, yanking the door open to witness an unprecedented scene:

Clover, in the middle of the hut that has been damaged, with Skipper and his crew circling her, and attacking her with karate attacks. Despite being outnumbered, Clover deflected every single strike with ease, looking confident as well – a massive contrast to the other attackers, who seemed dazed and in Private’s case a bit scared.

Then, Rico, by the looks of things, charges at Clover. Skipper screams at him to hold position, but it is too late: the opportunistic move fails completely as she catches him off guard, and throws him into the wall, right next to where Julien is standing, shell-shocked at what he has just seen and what he just avoided.

“Rico!” Private screams, now petrified. Clover wastes no time and launches a barrage of fist attacks at him, her tail fending off the assault of the two other still-standing opponents, allowing her to easily overwhelm the young penguin's defences and knock him out to the opposite wall.

“Private!! Kowalski, options!” Skipper orders his right-hand man in desperation, fatigue from the battle evident in his voice, as the two fend off her assault now.

“I—” He evades another punch. “I suggest an unorthodox strategy, sir, otherwise—”

Before he can finish his sentence, Clover kicks him hard in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall, next to Rico, with the same battered look. Now it was Skipper, the last penguin standing. The two challengers lock eyes, hers confident and cocky as ever, his full of building hatred. “Alright, I don’t know who the heck you are, but you will not get away with taking out my men!”

The two start going in circles, gathering strength for the final attack, waiting for each other to create an opening. At that moment, Julien finally wakes up from his shell-shocked state: “Guys, what are you doing?!”

“K-King Julien—” Julien’s sudden outburst catches Clover off-guard ever so slightly, but just enough to allow Skipper to lay down without trouble a decisive kick in the ribs, knocking her to the ground. Skipper then, without breaking eye contact, addresses the unexpected guest: “Ringtail, what are you doing here?”

Julien was dumbfounded for a moment before addressing the current situation: “Alright, time out! Everyone chill, you all have got some explaining to do!”

Clover stands up to her feet, now standing between the king and the penguin CO. The remaining participants remained in their positions, extremely tired, and gazed for now to get up, instead focusing their now deficient energy to check for any bruises and injuries.

“Alright, now tell me why you guys started fighting with Clover!”

“We?!” Skipper replied with pure disbelief, leaving Kowalski to painfully finish his thought: “It was she who attacked us! We were just defending ourselves!”

“Wha—” Julien turns to Clover, who is holding her chest in pain, “Clover, what the heck?! Why did you attack these guys?!”

“Your Majesty, I…I can explain everything.”

“You better! You said you were gonna talk to them, not beat them up! Or are like the meanings of the words "talk" and "fight" the same back in your kingdom?” The fury in his words was replaced by sheer confusion and curiosity.

“Not exactly. Well, it…” Clover hesitated, avoiding death glares from the other penguins, “It was a test.”

“What?”

“A test. To see if their skills are worthy enough.”

Safe to say, this explanation went in one ear and out the other for the king. “What in the world are you talking about? Aren’t tests like those stupid quiz things at high school?”

“Ah, I see!”

Everyone turned to Skipper, who was no longer shooting her daggers. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face, his posture now slightly relieved.

“A surprise attack to test out the reflexes and quick thinking! Nice idea there!”

“Oh, thank you!”

“I…I’m still at a loss for words. I don’t…”

“King Julien,” Clover turned to him, “the only way I could trust these guys to actually be good at fighting, and I mean really good at fighting, was to surprise them out of nowhere with an attack. No prep time, no plans, just fighting on pure instinct. And since they not only landed some good hits, including the final, decisive, winning one (abitofacheaponethough), and the battle was probably the longest one I ever had, I can say with certainty and surprise that you were right, Your Majesty! These guys…are actually good!”

“R-Really?” Private was astounded and a bit satisfied at her compliments, as the other KO-ed penguins started smiling as well. Skipper’s one disappeared, though.

“Don’t celebrate, boys,” he turns to Clover, “Although your praise is a worthy one, I can’t help but feel dissatisfied. After all, we outnumbered you, yet we would be on the verge of defeat if not for Ringtail’s interference. If it were an actual threat, I fear we would be sleeping with our food. Not good enough.”

“Ah, no worries, I defied the odds plenty of times. Besides— Wait, who is Ringtail?”

“Oh, that’s me, Clo-Clo. He gives plenty of guys nicknames, it is his thing.”

“Huh, I see.”

“Still not happy. Better make some adjustments to our training,” Skipper mumbled to himself, before addressing the queen, “But anyway, I think it is time to introduce ourselves properly.”

“Oh, right. My name is Clover, queen of the Mountain Lemur kingdom, previous Captain of the Ringtail Guard, and King Julien’s former personal bodyguard.”

“My name is Skipper, leader of this unit. The men you just beat up are Kowalski, Rico, and Private,” Skipper pointed at his men as they saluted, albeit with some difficulty. “I trust your former king has already told you of the situation at hand?”

“Yep, that’s why I am here.”

“Very good. I must say, I thought he had a creative imagination, but he was not lying: you are an exceptionally capable fighter, even for a girl. And given what happened, I’ll swallow my pride and say you are better than my men, although whether you might be stronger than me remains to be seen.”

“Oh, thanks. You guys aren’t too shabby either. Y’know, considering you have flippers instead of fists.”

“Thanks for that, sister.”

“Er,” Julien cut in sheepishly, “so you guys are cool now?”

“Eh, more or less,” Skipper replied, followed by Clover’s nod. The commanding penguin continued on, changing the subject: “Now, your expertise will be most helpful, sister. With your knowledge of your former people, we can vastly improve our training program for every single citizen here, Ringtail included!”

“Huh? Why do you want me to train?” The king immediately opposed the idea.

“Isn’t it obvious? If everyone needs to know basic fighting 101, then so must you!”

“But I don’t want to train! I have to do all those push-ups and squats and all of that tedious nonsense! I barely do one of those things before my body just gives up!”

“Really? Most unusual,” Kowalski chimed in, prompting Private to ask: “What’s the matter, Kowalski?”

“Skipper, permission to do some tests on the king.”

“Uhh, sure thing, soldier,” Skipper acknowledged the request rather hesitantly, and Julien was too confused to deny the opportunity.

Kowalski, with some difficulty, stood up and went to the remains of his bunk to rummage through his equipment, eventually finding a measuring tape. He then approached the king and started taking measurements of the king’s numerous body parts, disturbing him in the process: “Um, not sure what you are doing, but it’s making me a bit uncomfortable, sooo…”

“Just a minute…got it! It’s as I suspected.”

“Just spill it out, soldier!” Skipper ordered.

“Well, looking at the data… Despite his belly size being, shall we say, slightly above average—”

“Hey, not cool, man!”

“I can conclude that for a lemur of his age and stature, King Julien is remarkably fit, probably one of the best in comparison to other lemurs.”

“Wait, really?” Julien’s tone was a mix of bewilderment and delight. Everyone else, Private included, was merely confused: “But, Mr Julien just said he can’t do one push-up! We have to do at least 100 per day to be in good shape, right Skipper?”

“You are right, Private. But Kowalski’s calculations are never wrong. Just what could explain this?”

“Dancing,” Clover answered.

“…Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. King Julien’s biggest hobby is dancing, and I mean a lot of dancing. He does it almost every day, which could clarify why he is as fit as he is despite a complete lack of exercise.

“That is plausible. It also explains how his legs and hips are exceptionally toned compared to the rest of his body,” Kowalski concluded.

“Heh,” Skipper gave a minor chuckle, “I always thought that dancing was just some weird, nonsensical activity for hippies, but I guess even that works. However, that doesn’t matter, you are still taking part in the self-defense program.”

“But—”

“No buts, my friend. It is pretty straightforward: if everyone else in the kingdom knows some self-defense tricks, then so must you; otherwise, you risk getting overthrown by your people.”

“Oh, come on, that is silly! Right, Clover?” The king pleaded desperately.

“I hate to say it, King Julien, but he is right. Sage and I are exceptionally skilled in fighting, and so was Koto. And while your predecessors weren’t what you would call a strong type, they had other means of keeping everyone at bay. And by that, I mean complete fearmongering, which let’s be honest, you doing that is even less probable than exercising, or not dancing for the rest of your life. And besides, a bit of extra strength wouldn't hurt you, Your Majesty.”

Julien gave a disapproving "tsk", before adding: “Alright, fine! But I’ll want to do it in privacy! And Maurice also has to do it! If I have to suffer, then so must he!”

“Fair enough,” Clover smugly agreed.

“So, that’s settled, then. Now, anything else to discuss, Ringtail?”

“Well,” the king’s speech ground to a halt, for he remembered one crucial detail he discussed with Maurice, “could I speak with Kowalski for a bit? Like, alone?”

“Sure thing. I’ll discuss with Four-Leaf here, Private and Rico will clear up this mess,” Skipper’s tone suddenly went awkward, “Er, can I call you Four-Leaf?”

“Oh, um, sure thing! Doesn’t sound too bad. Rather cute, actually. Although only if I call you by…well…by something amusing, but right now, my mind is going blank, so I’ll come back to it later.”

Without further ado, Julien and Kowalski went to the least damaged corner of the hut to have some privacy.

“What did you want to speak with me, King Julien?”

“Well, Maurice told me about the incident that happened when you were dragging Clover’s things to the plane.”

“Yes, what about it?”

“Y’know, the whole "telling everyone no one died when some people did die" thing. Maurice fears it might come up when the announcement takes place.”

“I see. The announcement is tomorrow, unless there are changes on your part?”

“Nuhuh.”

“Good. Tell you what, we were considering talking with you today to discuss how the event should go. This could be one of the talking points. Is that okay?”

Julien thought over the proposition. “Sure thing, I don’t see a problem.”

“Very good.”

The two then rejoined the other talking parties, with Kowalski approaching Skipper.

“Skipper, if I may ask for your time.”

“No problem, soldier, what’s up?”

“I believe we should go along with the proposition we discussed earlier this morning. The king is on the same page.”

“Splendid!”

“What proposition?” Clover asked.

“We thought of visiting Ringtail to discuss the plans for tomorrow’s announcement.”

“I see.”

It didn't take long for Rico and Private to restore the hut to its optimal state.

“There we go, good as new,” Skipper happily concluded the clean-up.

“Wow. I must say you guys really are professionals in decorating. I mean, I spent almost my whole life here, and now, just a few weeks later, it’s almost unrecognizable.”

“Improvisation is one of many things we need to know, Four-Leaf. Now, I suggest meeting up at Ringtail’s throne room at nineteen hundred hours for a debriefing. Is that okay?”

While Clover nodded, Julien stood there confused. “Um, I don’t think a day has nineteen hundred hours, silly penguin.”

“Your Majesty, that is military talk for 7:00 PM,” Clover hastily explained.

“Really? Why would the military have nineteen hundred hours? It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Just trust me on this one.”

“Anyway, with that settled, I think it’s time to part ways, Four-Leaf, for now at least.”

“Very well, Skip—” Clover suddenly gasped, grabbing Julien, “Hold on, where’s my stuff? Where are my photos?!”

“Clover, no need to worry, we have your stuff on the plane!”

“R-Really?” As quickly as it came, Clover’s panic disappeared, her grip on the king now gone, “Oh thank Frank, I thought you guys threw it out. I still can’t believe I forgot most of my stuff here, especially my photo with Grandma Rose. It’s like the wedding made me forget everything else.”

“Same here, Clo-Clo. Same here,” the king turns his attention to the penguins, “Anyway, thank you for his convo, see you guys later, peace!”

And so, the two depart, feeling like a burden has fallen off their shoulders. The king, in particular, felt happy as Maurice's fears about the penguins were unfounded after all. And yet, there was one matter that plagued his mind: “Alright, Clover, I have to ask: was that weird goodbye back at the plane because you were hiding your true purpose of the visit?”

“Um…yeah, sorry, Your Majesty, but it was the only way. You and Maurice would have stopped me otherwise.”

“Oh, come on, we wouldn’t! You just had to explain it to us, we would have understood!”

“Really? Would you?” Clover doubted.

“Well…probably not, but that doesn’t matter!”

Clover’s smirk and snort were her only response as they continued on their return trip to the plane. When they entered, Mort was still knocked out, with Maurice nowhere in sight.

“Where is Maurice?”

“Doing some house searchin to find you, Cap, and those two hawks a place to sleep in for the next few days.”

“I see. Good to know.”

And in the blink of an eye, everything went silent. Too silent. The two rulers just stood there, awkwardness taking hold as any and all interesting themes seemed to disappear. Julien's mind went into overdrive again, as it tried to find a topic that wasn't talked about or would bring their mood down faster than one of Karl's plans to take him out.

As the two lemurs awkwardly looked around, one topic, or to be more precise, one mountain lemur, entered the king's mind, making him shoot the question: “So, how’s it going with Sage?”

“Oh, Sage?” Clover seemed to be caught out by his question, “Well, it’s been rather peaceful. We had some fun nights, great dinners, and, well, other stuff…”

Her hesitancy caused a tiny seed of worry for Julien. That's not the Clover he knows. She would boast about the stuff she did with Sage, like any other time. Unless…she wasn't happy? Unless…

An unfathomable, most unlikely, out-of-this-world possibility hit the king like a train…surely that is beyond ridiculous…and yet he had to make sure…

“Uhm, he…he is treating you well, right?”

“Wha— Of course he is!” Unsurprisingly, Clover took offense to his remark, causing him to wince. She then, in a calmer manner, explained: “Sorry, it’s just that the way he speaks… You know he speaks in metaphors and whatnot, right?”

“The stuff I can barely understand?”

She nodded. “Well, it turns out he speaks like that all the time. And I mean all the time. There is only so much I can decipher before words start to lose all their meaning. I will get used to it eventually, but right now, this visit seems like a "needy" break from him, even if the circumstances could have been better.”

“Oh. OK.”

Even despite what he heard, the king couldn't help but be worried. After all, it should have been a perfect marriage, right?

The king’s uncertainty did not go unnoticed by the former bodyguard, who tried to comfort her friend with an even calmer tone: “King Julien, I understand your worries, but don’t worry, everything is fine between Sage and me. I just have to get fully used to him speaking like that for pretty much the rest of his life. And that I have to take some literature classes to recognise and even talk metaphorically.”

The tiny joke was enough for the king to snap out of this worried state, for he burst into giggles. “Okay, I understand. I just want you to be happy.”

“I…Thank you, Julien,” she wholeheartedly expressed her gratitude, before resuming her professional stance, “but right now, we have more pressing issues to deal with.”

“Er, right, right. We have, like, a few hours until the meeting starts. So, um,” a yawn interrupted his talk, “a nap sounds nice right now.”

“Are you sure about this? You know how many times you overslept.”

“No worries, Clo-Clo. I’ll just sleep on my throne!”

He sat on the said throne, preparing himself to take a well-deserved sleep. “Oh. By the way, could you take Mort with you? I don’t want him to interrupt my kingly sleep, or to wake up to him hanging onto my feet,” he shuddered at that thought.

“If you insist, Your Majesty.”

Clover grabbed Mort’s unconscious body and was ready to leave the plane. However, Julien suddenly shouted: “Wait, Clover!”

“Y-Yes?”

“Um, one thing. Actually, two things. One, your belongings are at the back of the plane. Two, tell Maurice about our meeting with the penguins.”

“Very well. See you later, Julien. Oh, and thank you for taking care of my things.”

“Don’t mention it. Anything for you.”

And with that, she left, letting the now-comfortable silence take hold of the room. And for once, his mind lost the battle with tiredness in a few minutes.

…

…

…

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a field of flowers rather than his throne. Immediately getting up, he found himself in the middle of a meadow, with a rainbow, mountains, and most importantly, the baobab tree in the distance. Realizing that he might miss the meeting, he started jogging, feeling light and yet heavy at the same time. He wondered for a moment how on earth he ended up here. Did one of the hawks grab him and throw him here? Did he somehow moonwalk his way here? And above all, how come no one managed to stop him, or try to look for him?

As his journey continued, he couldn't help but take a look at the flowers around him. No matter where he looked, he was surrounded by what seemed like an army of three-leaf clovers.

Then, he felt it. A drop of water on his nose. Looking up, the clear skies and the rainbow disappeared in the blink of an eye, with dark clouds surrounding the field. As the heavens opened up, he picked up the pace, trying to find shelter. He ran, and ran, and ran, yet it seemed like he was walking at snail's pace, the distance between him and the mountain before him all the same.

“Hello? Anyone here? A king is in need...of assistance!”

The words he could barely get out were met only by loud thunder.

The rain poured down even more, his fur soggy, his movement sluggish and slippery, his energy almost depleted. At this stage, he would never make it in time, his legs and above all his chest burning from all the running. His mind barely registered a roaring sound behind him, and before he could turn around, he was taken by a massive wave that seemed to go on forever, the torrent of water throwing him around like a hopeless leaf during a tornado, his mouth full of water, struggling for air.

Then, as quickly as it came, the treacherous wave shorebreaked, throwing the king several metres away. Julien, for a few good minutes, could do nothing but cough up the excessive water he swallowed, a sting of a headache compounding the misery. Every fiber of his body hurt like he had been hit by electricity. Eventually, the king very, very slowly stood up, and took in his surroundings: a desert wasteland, the sun now nearly burning him alive. The king wasn't even gonna try to find an answer as to how on earth he managed to find himself here. Despite that, he trudged on, desperate to find some sort of settlement that would protect him from the harsh conditions. What else could he do?

Nothing but piles of sand were around him, the act of making a single step sucking up what little energy he has, the sun even blocking his view. It seemed like hours had passed ever since he woke up. It didn't matter that he would miss the meeting; right now, he wanted to get out of this place alive. Then, he saw it.

It wasn't a house, or a hut, or even a rock. Instead, in the middle of the desert, defying all odds, was a green flower. He walked up to it, dropping to his knees, and inspected it. It was a four-leaf flower..a four-leaf clover, to be more precise. It was...beyond beautiful. He took it in his hands, taking a closer look. It seemed to shine even brighter when he inspected it. Such a flower is supposed to symbolize something, but whatever it is, he couldn't remember...

At that moment, he heard a voice.

“Dance party at a baobab tree!”

…

The mere mention of the beautiful event made his eyes shoot open. As he looked around excitedly, he then realized a) he was still in his throne room, and b) he was once again tricked. And the common perpetrator, along with Clover and Captain, was present as well.

“Mo-Mo, for the last time, don’t do that!”

“Heh, that actually wasn’t me,” the advisor smugly denied the accusation.

“Then who?!”

“It was me.”

His eyes looked at the crowned lemur, who was grinning inanely and on the verge of laughter.

“C-Clover?! You naughty minx!” He scolded her lightly, “Why on earth would you do that?”

“Well, sorry, but I just had to see if Maurice’s apparent "tried and tested method of waking up the king" actually worked, and it did!” She couldn’t keep herself in check any longer, and a loud, joyous laughter echoed across the room. Julien couldn't help but smile at her laughter.

And to be honest, that wake-up call was for the best. What a weird fantasy/nightmare. 

Taking time to check the surroundings, he noticed a dark, blue sky from one window, and an almost hidden sun from the other.

“Ah, so it is time already?”

“Almost, Your Majesty. We thought we would wake you up early to prepare for the meeting.”

“Oh well,” he stretched himself, “hopefully those silly penguins won’t be late.” He then noticed the absence of a certain mouse lemur. “Um, where is Mort?”

“Keeping guard, Your Majesty,” Maurice answered, “I figured his "outbursts" might disturb them, so I persuaded him to stand outside and be on the lookout in case someone spies on us.”

“Hmm, not sure who would want to spy on us, but still, good job, Maurice. Now,” he straightens himself further with a yawn, “Anything interesting happened while I was napping?”

“Not particularly, KJ,” the advisor shrugs, holding a clipboard.

“Ok.”

A couple of minutes and a small chit-chat later, the penguins arrive, right on time.

“Here we are, Ringtail! Oh, and I see you have a guest here as well!” he pointed at the mountain lemur.

“Captain of the Mountain Lemurs, sir.”

“Very good. I trust he has also been briefed about the situation?”

“Correct,” Clover replied.

“Excellent. And where is Sad Eyes?”

“Sad what-now?” Maurice quizzically looked at the penguin.

“The brown mouse lemur who is a friend of yours,” Kowalski clarified.

“Well, I wouldn’t say a friend, more like a nuisance,” Julien replied, “but he is making sure no one may interrupt this super-top-secret talk.”

“Not sure how the little guy can do that, but whatever floats your boat,” Skipper took over, “Let’s get this show underway!”

The king dropped from his throne, and everyone present formed a circle.

“Now,” Skipper started, “first things first: the announcement. Tomorrow, Ringtail is going to announce our training program, is that correct?”

The king nodded.

“Good. Now, as discussed previously, we will require your services after our work is done. After your kingdom survives the attack by your Goblin, we will put our own plan into action. Any objections?” Silence. “Good. Onwards to the announcement itself. We need to look at the crowd control and other dangers that might arise. Anything springs to mind?”

Maurice raised his hand. “Not a danger exactly, but we figured that we would also tell the people what happened at the foosa kingdom. We do that, the people won’t complain about the "unnecessary" need for training, and at the same time won’t be asking for mine, King Julien’s, and Clover’s heads.”

“Hmm…a bit risky. Let's keep that intel a secret for the time being.”

“Absolutely not. My peeps need to know the truth,” Julien vehemently disagreed.

“Why should they? What would you gain from this?”

“Er…” He hesitated for a bit before blurting out: “A clear conscience!”

“Sure, and also a mob to overthrow you.”

“Skipper,” Maurice interjected, “Sooner or later, the kingdom will find out about their…fates. And I can guarantee you that if the people find out we have been hiding that from them, the fallout is gonna be much bigger than if we just say it tomorrow! The fact that no one seemed to bat an eyelid at their absence already is a miracle in itself! Especially since everyone falsely believes that no one died!”

This earned a raised eyebrow from the Mountain Lemur's inner circle and made Skipper think for a moment. Neither was able to form a response, for Maurice wasn’t finished yet: “And also another thing: we are not the only ones who know the truth! Horst and Pancho are two guys outside this circle who learned it the hard way!”

“Horst? You mean that freak who has a foosa for a wife?”

“Yes.”

“And Pancho? Who is Pancho?” Skipper asked, more annoyed than confused.

“A former felon who tagged along with us from time to time. He was Andy’s friend, so I told him what happened to him.”

“An even more riskier strategy. How can we know this felon didn’t just tell everyone what happened?”

“One, if he did, everyone would be talking about it, two, emphasis on the word "former", and three, he means no trouble, trust me.”

“Hm…” The penguin turned his attention to Clover: “And you, Four-Leaf?”

“With respect, penguin,” Captain intervened, “you are going to give Her Majesty some respect and call her by her full title.”

Skipper’s expression darkened for a split second before Clover calmed down the situation: “There is no need for that, Captain. I kinda like the nickname.”

“Oh, my deepest apologies, Your Majesty.”

“Anyway,” she addressed the now slightly calmer penguin, “I trust Maurice and King Julien’s judgement. After all, Pancho was a valuable ally for His Majesty when he lost his kingdom that one time. Er, not sure he mentioned that fact to you.”

“He did, some Koto guy.”

“Besides,” she continued with a more somber tone, her tail dropping to the floor, “I...I have to take responsibility. I...I put everyone in such danger, and because of my naivety—”

“Four-Leaf, they foolishly stumbled there, don't have them on your conscience,” Skipper interrupted.

“Yeah, they did, but so many more could have died. If it weren't for you, or those giants, this kingdom would have...would have...” Clover takes a deep breath. “They have to know. End of.”

For a split second, a look of uncertainty was on Skipper's face. He quickly shook his head, and said almost softly: “This is a terrible idea, but if you have to get it out of your system, then so be it. But,” he turns his attention to Julien, his commanding tone returning, “you will have to clean up the mess when your people start throwing things at you!”

While Maurice and Captain frowned at the leader penguin, Julien, with a faint smile, earnestly replied: “Thank you.”

“Anyhow, onto another issue! Kowalski.”

The brains of the group stepped forward slightly. “Thank you, Skipper. Now, King Julien raised an issue regarding what I said back when moving Her Majesty’s equipment here.”

“You mean, my belongings?”

“That is correct.”

“Huh, this is the first time I have heard this,” Clover was puzzled at this new revelation. Maurice went on to explain: “Long story short, an argument about you broke out while moving your stuff, and Ted, who was present, in his attempt to calm down the situation, pointed out that no one died, and Kowalski here ‘verified’ the fact.”

“…Oh dear. That’s bad. Like, really bad,” Clover’s worry at the consequences started to grow at an alarming rate, already pacing back and forth. However, Kowalski beat everyone to the punch: “No need to worry, ma’am. We already have a solution.”

“H-How?”

“We will tell everyone that the discovery happened after the conflict. Only a few hours off the truth. Simple, really.”

That surprisingly calmed down the nerves of the former bodyguard, at least slightly. However, Maurice was quick to point out a problem in the plan: “Hang on. Horst was with us during the rescue. And I can firsthand say he hates our guts for de facto banishing Mary Ann. While he wasn’t present during the argument, if he figures it out, he will reveal it out of spite.”

A chuckle escaped Skipper's lips. “I have a very simple solution: we make sure he doesn't make it to the announcement.”

“What the—” Maurice could barely get the words out.

“We tranquilize the guy before he makes it. Problem solved.”

“Tranquilize? You mean hitting him with those sleepy darts?” Julien nervously asked.

“Yep. I hope you are onboard with this at least?”

All eyes turned to Julien, who was in deep thought. He then whispered to Maurice: “Mo-Mo, what do you think?”

“This seems a bit unethical to me, Your Majesty. Surely there is a better solution to this,” the advisor shared his opinion.

“I fear there is no other choice, King Julien,” Clover cuts in, “He reveals that lie, all hell will break loose.”

“But Clover, using tranquilizers? That's nuts!”

“Yeah, but we are gonna be in deep water as it is, but it will be manageable. But if he opens his mouth, and given that he hasn't got anything to lose at this point, he will, it might start a revolt.”

“A-Are you sure?” Julien nervously asked.

“I fear so.”

Before Maurice could say his counter-argument, Julien turned his attention to the penguins: “Very well. If it is absolutely necessary, then go for it, penguins. Mort will guide one of you to his house.”

“Excellent,” Skipper puts his flippers on his hips, “Alright, unless someone else has a problem, that is the announcement done and dusted.”

A quick silence. “Good. Now, onto the training program. We will have a deep discussion with Four-Leaf tomorrow about specific details, but currently, the program will have a weekly plan. Days 1, 3, and 5 will consist of basic techniques and routine exercises; day 2 will concentrate on intelligence and battle plan; day 4 will clarify weaponry; day 6 will have a bit of everything. The final day will be a rest day. I will oversee all days; D1, 3, 5, and 6 as the main instructor; D2 and 4 as a supervisor. Kowalski and Rico shall be the instructors on those days, respectively.”

“Oh, and what about me, Skipper?” Private asked out of nowhere.

“You, my boy, will be cute and cuddly, as per usual. Give these folks something to cheer while they will be doing 200 push-ups!”

“Um, okay, Skipper,” Private accepted, albeit with a tinge of nearly hidden disappointment, while Maurice and Julien prayed that the insane number was just an exaggeration.

“As for you, your advisor, and Sad Eyes, you will receive personal training from Four-Leaf during her stay.”

“A personal-what now?”

“Who will take charge after her departure, along with further details, will be sorted out with Four-Leaf tomorrow. I will repeat this: we can only teach your people some of the most basic moves, and make them accustomed to exercise. If you want to raise an army properly, which is recommended, you have to get extra training from someone else.”

“I see. Maurice will take care of that later.”

“Alright then, that is all for now from us. Anything else you would like to share?”

Maurice’s hand was raised again. “It is about sleeping arrangements for Clover, her Captain, and their hawks over the next few days.”

“Does it concern us?”

The advisor pondered for a bit. “No. Not really.”

“Alright. We’ll let you figure this out.” The penguins took a step back and formed their own circle, mumbling something, as a humph escaped the advisor's lips. Regardless, he continued on: “Clover, I looked to see where you four could sleep, now that your home is, well, occupied.”

“And?” She nervously asked.

“Bad news. Only Becca’s, Abner’s, and Andy’s places are available, and from what Ted told me, neither of those is a good place for your hawks!”

Clover’s eyes went wide, before turning her attention to Captain, who was already contemplating this dilemma: “Surprised that only three places of residence are at our disposal. I thought this kingdom would have more people welcoming the long-time protector.”

“Well,” Maurice hesitated, fidgeting all over the place, “Clover isn’t an easy-going person to have around. Some don’t want to be the hosts out of fear, a…select few have other issues with her, and the remaining folk who were welcome to the idea were put off by having to host another person and a couple of hawks.”

Clover hugged herself, a frown appearing on her face. Captain, meanwhile, expressed resilience: “Alright then, how about the penguins move into one of those available places, leaving the quarters to Her Majesty?”

At that suggestion, the penguins stopped their talk, with Skipper and Rico shooting daggers at Captain. Before any of them could reply, Clover stepped in: “That won’t be necessary. They have already made the place unrecognisable to me, and besides, it would be rude to take away the temporary home from the hosts just after they settled in.”

That was enough for the penguins to calm down, with Skipper giving the queen a quick nod before resuming their conversation.

“We have to figure out something else,” she continued, “Any ideas?”

“There is one, but it might be complicated,” Maurice offered.

“Go on.”

“Firstly, Ted has told me hawks have a difficult time sleeping in lower altitudes, correct?”

“Correct,” Captain replied, “Specifically, when in foreign territories. This is especially apparent with the younger ones.”

“Okay, so, my, er, unusual idea is this: how about the hawks sleep on King Julien’s balcony?”

“W-What?” was the collective response of not only the queen and her Captain, but also King Julien. Clover then put a hand on her neck, before replying: “Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad. What do you think, King Julien?”

The king thought over the proposal. “Do they snore?”

“Not particularly.”

“Hmm. Alright, I’ll allow it!”

Before Maurice could show his happiness, Captain interjected: “Hold on there. That still doesn’t resolve where we two will sleep.”

“Well, it is rather simple: you two sleep in my place.”

“R-Really?” Clover was beyond surprised at the proposal, “Isn’t your hut a bit small?”

“No worries, I can sleep at KJ’s place if necessary.”

“Um, Mo-Mo, I have, like, one bed, and I don’t want to get kicked by you in your sleep.”

“Then I’ll bring myself a makeshift bed or something. I can manage, Your Majesty.”

Whatever response Julien had was cut off by a cough from the Captain: “I’m afraid there is another problem.”

“W-What?” Maurice asked, now slightly exasperated.

“I’m not sure if that friend of yours told you this, but the younger hawks have trouble sleeping outside the close vicinity of their rider when in an enemy—er, I mean, foreign territory.”

Maurice was taken aback slightly. “Oh, okay, then I guess you,” he points at Clover, “could sleep there instead.”

“I highly advise against the idea,” the Captain bluntly cut in.

“How come?”

The mountain lemur suddenly struggled for a bit to find the right words, his right arm gesticulating. “Well, if someone saw Her Majesty enter and sleep in His Majesty’s quarters, well, they might think that…uh…”

For a brief moment, the lemurs watched the mountain lemur struggle to finish his thought.

“Er, you alright, Captain?” Clover asked, her eyebrow raised.

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty, it's just that I'm trying to find the right words without implying something awful.”

“What do you mean, man?” Maurice quizzed as well.

A sharp breath followed, but not from the mountain lemur. It was Julien, whose eyes had widened and mouth had opened up almost comically: “Sergeant, how dare you suggest I would do childery with Clover!! That’s totally uncool, man!”

The incorrect term put off Clover and Maurice for a few seconds, before both realized what the mountain lemur meant. A bewildered look was all that Maurice could give his fellow advisor, while Clover's face went red and her pupils dilated.

“Captain, why in Frank’s name would anyone think that?! King Julien is the definition of a great friend, one of the best people I have ever met! No one sane would ever jump to that conclusion, especially since I married Sage mere weeks ago!!”

“I-I wasn’t implying he would do that, Your Majesty!” he desperately tried to calm down the ire of his queen.

“Then what?! Better start talking, soldier, and fast!”

The Captain took a breath to compose himself. “I assure you, I wasn’t suggesting something so far-fetched as that. However, from what I have seen, it is clear that His Majesty will have issues with some members of the public in the near future. Even as implausible as it is, the rumor that could surround you two will have disastrous consequences on not just this kingdom’s morale, but ours as well, provided it is spun correctly by a schemer.”

After that, no one spoke a word. Even the penguins seemed somewhat interested in what was going on.

“Captain,” she started slowly, her fist shaking, “just for that outrageous suggestion, I should have you stripped of your rank. I should have you banished from the kingdom! And yet,” a tone of bitterness and defeat took over as her fist stopped shaking and he posture dropped, “as much as it pains me to say, knowing how gullible our—er, King Julien’s people are, there is a merit to your concerns.” This earned the mountain lemur a huge sigh of relief, the penguins a disappointing conclusion as they chatted quietly again, and a shocked look on Julien’s face.

“Oh, come on, Clo-Clo, surely my peeps wouldn’t fall for that! Everyone knows I’m just friends with you, and you’re taken as well! Right, Mo-Mo?”

He looked at his friend, the bewildered look replaced by a calm expression on his face. “That is true, King Julien, and everyone in the kingdom knows it. But I’m afraid he has a point: they are gullible. And having to deal with that is just a headache one too many.”

The king spluttered, not yet ready to yield: “Seriously guys? I know my peeps can be a bit like Mort when it comes to intelligence, but surely they wouldn’t believe such a nonsense plot trope from some book series!”

“Er, just in case?” the advisor awkwardly shuffled around the place. A few seconds passed before the king facepalmed and turned his attention to Captain: “Alright then! Then what the heck do you suggest, then, Lieutenant?”

“Captain, King Julien,” Clover corrected.

“That too!”

“I suggest we go along with Maurice’s overall proposition, but with one key difference: I will guard the hawks while Her Majesty sleeps in Maurice’s residence. My presence will keep my hawk calm, and hopefully, it will also keep India calm as well. If not, we will revisit this point of interest.”

“Er. One thing. If we are so worried about people thinking I and Clover are sleeping together, which we are definitely not, then how come they won’t be talking about Maurice and Clover, or I and you?”

“It is extremely uncommon for the advisors to become romantically involved with their rulers. In fact, it is more likely that the advisor might overthrow said ruler.”

Julien gave Maurice a stern stare, to which he replied: “Hey, don’t give me that look! You know I would never do that!”

“In either case,” the Captain continued, “there have been cases in the past of kings and queens of different kingdoms marrying each other, and therefore creating deep alliances. Heck, during our...well, dark moment, we nearly pulled that off with the crocodiles! So any schemer could point to those. The advisor-ruler couple? Not so much.”

“Hmm…” Julien thought over what he heard, “I know that Maurice isn’t convinced,” he got a quick, annoyed peek from the advisor, “and I still think we are worrying ourselves too much, but I have decided to go along with this plan of yours!”

The Captain slightly bowed as a result.

“Brilliant! Now anything else?”

The Captain immediately raised his hand. “I was just wondering if we could discuss a potential deal that would see us giving your kingdom some self-defense techniques, or raise an army, as the penguin put it. And if yes, then when.”

“We figured that you could lend us a hand after Julianuary 24th,” Maurice answered, “Although it is too early to figure out the details.”

The Captain thought over the answer. However, Clover beat him to the punch: “I think Captain can give you guys a visit, say a month before the attack, and discuss the deal then. I would arrive a short while later, to hopefully sign off the deal and give you guys and the penguins a helping hand in preparing for the Marauding Red Night Goblin. That good?”

The advisor and the king shared a glance, with the latter replying: “Yep, no problems here.”

“Good. That is everything from our side. Anything else?”

“Nope,” both lemurs replied.

“One thing,” Skipper’s voice rang through the plane, “when is the announcement going to take place, Ringtail? A precise time, I mean.”

“Uh…” Julien was stunned by the question, before quickly blurting out: “Is 10 o’clock a good time?”

“Eh, sure, why not,” the penguin nonchalantly replied.

“Everyone else?”

The other lemurs gave him quick nods.

“Good. Good. Alright, penguins, see ya all at the baobab tree tomorrow!”

The penguins then left without a reply (aside from Skipper’s minor nod and Private’s hand wave). The king turned to Clover and the Captain, with the former replying: “Now then, we will get our hawks to your hut, Your Majesty. Maurice, see if you can find any spare beds for both of us.”

“Sure thing, Clover.”

The queen and the Captain headed out to escort their hawks, who still stood near the baobab tree, to the king’s chambers. Maurice stayed behind, wanting a quick one-on-one chat before doing his duties: “Well, this went alright. What do you think, King Julien?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m still mad at that ridiculous suggestion of me and Clover doing that, but after this, tomorrow should be a piece of cake!”

It was supposed to be a reassurance, yet Maurice took notice of the way his voice went a few octaves higher, his eyes fidgeting over the place, his left leg slightly twitching. “Something bothering you, KJ?”

“Pfft, no, what should worry me? The fact that my peeps might go crazy, and not good crazy? Oh, Maurice, what a silly suggestion!”

A weak, hollow laugh that escaped his lips was immediately replaced by a sigh, as his eyes faced the floor, before focusing on Maurice.

“I…I have a feeling something bad is going to happen tomorrow. I fear that even with all this planning, it might not be enough.”

The advisor sighed, his figure sinking over slightly. “Can’t say I’m looking forward to what happens tomorrow either. Especially since I already witnessed firsthand how some are already distrusting Clover.”

“I know, I know,” the king slumped over on his throne, “It’s so unfair, man. Yeah, that’s what I am afraid of. Everyone just destroying her, insulting her even though she had done so much good for us…”

A familiar, now shared dread swept through the advisor, as countless scenarios of tomorrow raged in his mind. And as much as he wanted to pry away the negative ones, he could envision very few happy outcomes. The fear of either him, Julien, or Clover being chewed out by their people still rang deep in his mind.

However, as silence took over, with neither he nor KJ further sharing their fears, he recalled a certain conversation with a certain felon, and it was then and there that the gloomy feeling disappeared as quickly as it appeared for Maurice, and was replaced by sudden, yet very helpful determination. A determination he had not felt since the War of the Beasts: “Yeah. But…you know what, King Julien? We will get through this. We have endured so much worse in the past. Even if it doesn’t look good and even if the perception of Clover might sink to the bottom, I hope, no, believe that everything will turn out good in the end, that we will remedy that grave mistake of ours. And eventually, people will trust her again and give her peace. The people have forgiven us time and time again, and even if it will take a while, even if some might have trouble forgiving her, forgiving us for what happened, if we are honest, if we show them all we are trying to fix it, they may give us, give her a second chance. We just have to get through tomorrow, and if nothing disastrous happens, everything will be fine in the end.”

With every word spoken by his best friend, his understandable fear of what might happen disappeared into the darkness, and in its place, a desire, an ambition took over, and the droopy body was no more, for he now was sitting straight, confidence radiating from his body. The tinge of dread was still present in his eyes, but it was overwhelmed by that almost familiar flame that was now more than ready to tackle tomorrow’s big event.

“And heck, we were already overthrown by our people a few times, so I don’t think this will be the worst thing ever.”

A merry, cheerful laughter full of life echoed through the plane, as the familiar smile crept onto Julien’s face. “Thanks, Maurice,” he let a satisfied sigh of relief, “I needed that.”

“So did I, Your Majesty. So did I.”

And with that, the advisor left to take care of his duties, leaving the king alone in the ever-growing darkness of his throne room. Yet, it felt like sunshine was shining all over the place, for he felt as warm as—

“Feeeeet!”

Before he knew what was going on, Mort, in his military-esque gear (and a suspicious glove) grabbed onto his feet, kissing them in the process. A common want to kick him as far away as possible unsurprisingly took over, yet somehow, he did no such thing, much to his confusion. Almost every single time, he gives Mort his just desserts in the form of a head knockout, yet now…calmness was there instead. And while he wouldn’t say he enjoyed his action in a thousand years, this time, it felt…okay.

With the voice of kindness, one rarely delivered to the mouse lemur, he said: “Alright, Mort, you can cuddle them. But only for five minutes, not a second more!”

“Yayyyyyy!”

Of course, five minutes were not enough for Mort, and eventually, Julien had to kick him away (although trying his best to be gentle), but he still felt content with what he had just done, even if that feeling still mystified him. But there would be time to ponder later. Right now, an early sleep was in order. Without further ado, he ventured to his hut, where by now, hawks were on the balcony.

Going in, he saw Captain and Clover in a discussion, with the latter registering him with a nod.

“Oh, and one thing. If she at any point causes trouble during the night or gets frightened, you are to inform me immediately. Got it?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Now, securing breakfast for them should be…”

He didn’t pay attention to the rest of their discussion, instead waiting for Maurice to arrive. And before long, the advisor did just that, holding (with some difficulty) a makeshift bed.

“There…there…there you go, Captain… managed to find one…oh dear,” he sat down from exhaustion, breathing deeply and erratically.

“I give you my gratitude, Mister Maurice. Although you didn’t have to carry it by yourself.”

“Oh…no need to worry, I had it…covered…uh,” he now dropped to the floor, much to the amusement of Clover and Julien.

“Alright, big guy, let’s get you home,” she jokingly said, grabbing Maurice and giving him support as well, “Okay, see you in the morning, Captain. Good night, Julien.”

“G-Good night, Clo-Clo,” he nervously replied, somewhat caught off guard for a split second by the way she addressed him. With his advisor and former bodyguard leaving, that just left him and the Captain.

“So, I guess this means good night, Sergeant? Er, Captain, sorry.”

“Yes, King Julien. I will be sleeping right next to the doors of the balcony, just in case. Oh, and one thing.”

He gave the king a wooden peg, much to the latter’s confusion.

“Er, on Her Majesty’s orders. You see, us Mountain Lemurs usually, er…let’s just say we have a smelly habit during sleeping. Thankfully for others, this "effect" decreases dramatically when sleeping alone, but putting one of these on your nose might still be a good idea, so we don’t have to resuscitate you in the morning. Heh,” he gave a weak laugh.

“Firstly, gross, man. Secondly, thanks for the warning.” And with that, he went to his private chambers. However, something came up in his mind that made him stop in his tracks and look at the Mountain Lemur: “Captain? How is life back home?”

“Oh, er,” he was caught out by such a question, “well, things have been calm since the wedding. Everyone is getting accustomed to the new status quo.”

“Ah, good, good. And is everything fine with Sage?”

“Yep, fine and dandy. While I did relish in the previous king’s want for domination, which I do feel guilty about, His Majesty’s lessons have been most calming. The only bad thing I can think of is that he and the queen have been having a few disagreements over the last couple of days,” he added absent-mindedly.

“R-Really?” He asked, clear worry in his voice.

“Yeah.” Captain then took notice of Julien’s now lowly posture. “But I assure you, King Julien, it was nothing major. Just the after-glow effect of the wedding wearing off. Even perfect marriages have these downsides. The "issues" at home are extremely minor compared to what might arise here.”

“I…If you say so,” he conceded, as the growing tiredness no doubt would have made it a hassle for him to tackle this subject. And besides, they have enough on the plate as it is. If Clover didn’t mention it, then it isn’t a problem.

“Good night, Captain.”

“I wish you a splendid night as well, King Julien.”

And with what, he pretty much crashed onto the bed, and immediately started snoring like a chainsaw. Although not seeing the evidence of the supposed tradition, Julien decided to lightly put the peg on his nose before heading to his bed as well. The nap he took earlier proved to be no issue, his kingly mind drifting away to the land of dreams rather easily…

…

…

When he opened his eyes, he noticed he wasn’t in his room anymore. Instead, familiar trees surrounded him, with the baobab tree right in front of him.

“What on earth…?”

He stood up, wondering how he ended up here. Perhaps he overslept, and Captain dragged his booty to the baobab tree. He turned around—

And froze completely.

In front of him were lemurs, his people carrying pitchforks, torches, bats, and other weaponry. That was nothing compared to what he saw behind the crowd: Clover and Maurice, tied to wooden poles, their mouths gagged by mangoes, and their expressions full of terror.

“What the heck?! Guys, what are you doing?!” the king screamed, his body rigid.

“Burning the traitors, King J,” Ted replied in a demonic voice, his eyes a shining red.

“W-What for?!”

“They let us defenseless, King J. For that, they will pay.”

As he said those words, the traps his friends were in started burning, the screams of anguish loud enough even with their mouths gagged. Before he could do anything, someone or something grabbed his legs and dragged him away.

“N-No! Stop! Don’t, don’t hurt them!”

“Oh, don’t you worry, my beloved tyrant king, you will be joining them soon enough.”

His heart froze, for he recognized that accent from anywhere. Now wiggling, he tried his best to get a good look at Becca, to try and appeal to her…and gasped. It wasn’t just Becca dragging him, but Abner and Andy as well, all bloodied up. The horror would continue, for in the blink of an eye, the bodies turned into skeletons.

“You did this to us!”

“Yeah, your government tyranny caused us so much suffering!” Abner joined, followed by Andy: “How am I supposed to gain profits like this?!”

“Please, guys, I’m so sorry! Please, don’t!”

“Too late, King Julien. Say goodbye, for LALA has at last reigned supreme!”

And before he realized the implications, he was thrown into the volcano. His scream pierced through the fiery hell before reaching the burning lava…

…and waking up from his terrible slumber.

His ragged breathing lasted a mere second, for he started coughing, the peg on his nose making his gasps for air very, very difficult. Grabbing and throwing it aside, he started breathing heavily but quietly, doing his best not to wake up the hawks or Captain. Eventually, after what seemed like eons, his breathing slowed down, letting him consider the darn dream he just had.

“What in the name of Frank was that?! That was something like from Mort’s mind! Well, maybe not, because he wouldn’t dream of me getting killed, but the creepiness is still there!”

He pondered and pondered, whether it was just his mind playing tricks on him, or if this was some sort of warning from the Sky Gods. Minutes and minutes passed. His kingly brain still fully awake, he knew that right now, his body would not get a single iota of rest, and so decided that the best course of action was a nice, long walk through the jungle.

Grabbing his crown and carefully slipping away in order not to wake up the Captain, he soon found himself wandering through the forest, his kingdom. The kingdom that might see its biggest uproar yet. Perhaps on the same level as the terrible dream he had…if not for those penguins, he remembered.

The moon wasn’t shining fully, for a few clouds were up in the sky, slightly blocking the light from reaching him, and making the atmosphere a bit hazy. Just like his mind, which was replaying numerous events that happened so far, that might happen, might not happen. A humorless chuckle escaped his lips at the whole situation. It was a bit ironic, really, how the kingdom was supposed to be the safest it has ever been, how the departures of the biggest dangers it has ever seen should have turned a new leaf of peace, safety, and above all, unlimited fun, yet his conscience was more worried than ever, now that it might be his people he will have to challenge.

This so-called "adventure" they spoke so highly of during the wedding party was proving to be a hassle greater than some of the encounters he had with his enemies. How come? Is it a test from the Sky Gods? A culmination of nothing but unfortunate events? Or something else entirely?

Perhaps…

“King Julien?”

The king outright screamed as he turned around to face whoever jumped him. Once his panic passed, he noticed it was not his fellow Madagascarian, though, for the person in question had a white face with two round eyes, flippers for hands, and an orange beak. Although he couldn’t make out the bigger details in the darkness, it was the cute fake British accent that gave away the identity of the penguin before him.

“Oh, my deepest apologies, King Julien!” Private profusely apologised, quickly recovering from a minor scare of his own.

“W-What the heck, silly penguin? Can’t you see my kingly mind was doing some deep kingly thinking?”

“I’m sorry for that, it’s just I was wondering what you were doing within our vicinity.”

“Your vicinity? Are we using made-up words again—” His ramble is cut off when he looks upwards, for the hut that lies high is somewhat familiar. It then hit him.

“Oh, I see. Er…Taking long walks through the kingdom at night is just part of my daily ritual!”

“Don’t you mean "nightly", sir?”

“Um, yes, yes! And in fact,” he put on his best irate expression, “I should be asking you that question! Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping with your fellow fish companions?”

“Not the best phrase, I think,” Private mumbled to himself.

“What?”

“I mean, I’m just doing my night patrol routine!”

“Oh, really?” Julien’s interest took over, wanting to know more.

“Yeah, one of us usually stays up late, making sure that no one tries to jump us during the night!”

The king put his finger on his chin, thinking over the explanation. “Hmm, sounds like something Clover would do! But still,” his tone contained annoyance again, his hands now on his hips, “you had to scare me like that?”

“Sorry again, sir. But a king wandering around at night is a bit suspicious, even to me, so I had to investigate.”

“It…” he was nervous all of a sudden, “It is as I said! Just taking a stroll. Not like I am overthinking stuff and getting scared of tomorrow, heh heh heh!”

The nervous laugh did not help matters, for the penguin observed him more closely. However, it was worry that dominated his tone during his next question: “King Julien, is something troubling you? I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“Troubling me? No, no, it’s…it’s Maurice who is feeling down!”

“Really?”

“Y’know, the whole "people turning against us" thing. He kept waking me up with his rambles, so I had to get some peace from him,” he said with a fake coolness.

After that, neither of them spoke for a while, with Julien now fidgeting all over the place, anxiously hoping Private had bought it, as the penguin thought deeply.

“Hmm… I wonder if…” he hesitantly spoke in a quiet voice, but just loud enough for the king to hear him correctly.

“What is it, silly penguin? Tell me.”

“I…How about I tell him a story? About our adventures back in New York.”

“Oh my, fancy tales of that mysterious place! Was hoping to ask the giants about that, but I guess you will have to do.”

“Er, I meant Maurice, sir.”

The king was caught off guard. “Um, what I mean is, you will enlighten me first with those stories. Then I will tell them to Maurice later, improved with my KJ charm. That good?”

“Yeah, sure thing,” he answered with a faint smile on his face. The two sat down near a tree, where Private started retelling.

“Where to start? I know, a few months ago, during what you consider "Julianuary 24th", there was this polar bear who was completely alone. We celebrate that day by being together and giving each other gifts, so I decided to get him a present. But things did not go so smoothly…”

…

…

“After that, it turned out he invited everyone, so we all decided to do a massive sing-along of Jingle Bells! Happy end for everyone!”

The cheerfulness of the story caused excitement, joy, and nostalgia to rush through his body. Safe to say, the same number of penguins and entourage companions (at least before the wedding) wasn’t the only connection between the two parties. That alone made him wish for more stories.

“Ah, an excellent tale. Not as good as my adventures, but I still enjoyed it. And Maurice will enjoy it as well,” the king quickly added.”

“Want to hear more?”

“Yes! Er, so that Maurice can be completely at peace.”

“Very well,” the penguin replied with joy. “A week before we left for Antarctica, we went out of our HQ to get some food supplies for the trip. However, somehow we accidentally ended up somewhere in New Jersey. I won’t lie to you, sir: it is a dump. The worst place ever. Naturally, we tried to get out of there ASAP…”

…

…

…

…

“Oh dear, you met that awful lady again?”

“Hmm. And this time, it was Mr Alex who took a beating from her. Let me tell you, it was not pretty. Unfortunately, he and his friends brought over the cops, and before long, we were hit by those darts. Next thing we knew, we were on a boat…”

…

…

“And so we decided to ditch Antarctica and head where the maps led, which is here. The end.”

Julien sat there, processing the stories told before him. A newfound intrigue crept into his heart even more, for everything he heard so far was becoming more and more familiar to his many adventures… if all of them had Clover’s desire for violence. Yet a tiny wave of sadness washed over him as he repeated the final words of the final tell in his mind.

“So, you guys won’t be coming back to where you were born? Your home?”

“I’m afraid so, sir,” Private’s long-lasting joy disappeared, and in its place, a shared unhappiness and disappointment took over. “And I was looking forward to it as well. I can’t really remember much about the place, so Skipper’s recollection gave me hope that it was going to be something out of this world. And then we arrive, and it is just…snow, snow, and more snow. We were all so disappointed.”

“Yeesh. Now…Now what are you going to do? Once you are gonna leave?”

Private waited for a moment to ponder that. “Not sure. Maybe New York to strategise a new home. Or we just figure out something on the spot. Either way, we don’t plan on staying here too long. Once we help you guys, we will build a boat or…something else.”

“Hmm…Since we are now like contractually obliged to help you, we could lend you Timo, our science Wizard!”

“The science-what?”

“Science Wizard! He builds lots of useful stuff, including a Mega Gecko, some rockets, a Jacuzzi, you name it, Timo has or will make it.”

“Oh my,” Private was pleasantly surprised, “he sounds really clever! Although Kowalski is already that, I will mention it to him in case he ever wants someone equally clever to talk to!”

Julien quietly laughed, before a loud yawn caught him and Private off guard. “Well, silly penguin, thanks for all these stories, but I must go. Can’t go speaking to everyone while looking like a zombie!”

“Very well, sir. Perhaps next time you might share with me some of your adventures?”

“We’ll see. We’ll see.”

And so, the two night owls part ways, both very happy and a bit tired, as midnight has long since passed. Quickly walking back to his hut, he saw the Captain exactly where he left him, and so quietly slipped past him into his bedroom. There, he laid down his crown and attempted to fall asleep again. The first few minutes, his mind replayed the terrible nightmare again, but as he recalled the funny stories, and Private’s downright infectious cheeriness, his mind at last put the dread of tomorrow (or today) behind him, and eventually, his vision went black as he falls asleep.

Chapter Text

“Xixi here reporting live from the Kingdom Square, where the king has gathered everyone to announce something huge! What’s it gonna be? A giant party? A new TV show? I can’t wait!”

This was it. After weeks of recovery, planning, and occasional praying, it would come down to this. An announcement to the people, a daily, regular, and light-hearted occurrence under normal circumstances, now an event that could shape the future of the kingdom.

And to say that the two entourages, especially Julien and Clover, were stressed would be…an understatement.

“Wow, Mo-Mo, you sure did manage to bring everyone here!” Julien said, doing his best to keep himself calm while looking at the massive crowd that had gathered, also wondering if he had ever had this many people during other announcements.

“It was nothing, KJ. Having Ted and Dorothy spread the word helped greatly as well.”

“Uh-uh. Did, er, did they ask anything about this?”

“Not really,” a nervous chuckle escaped the advisor’s lips.

The king looked around, seeing that two members of the party were still missing. “Where is Mort and that vomiting penguin?”

Maurice looked around as well, worry evident on his face: “Not sure, they were supposed to be back by now.”

Earlier that day, it was decided that Rico would perform the "honor" of tranquilizing Horst, with Mort showing him the way. The fact that neither of them was back yet made the advisor extremely worried. The speech hasn’t even started yet, and already, there are hiccups in their plans. What if Mort lost himself in his Mortishness and forgot to guide Rico? What if Horst somehow escaped? What if…

Maurice shook his head. Now was not the time to panic or let his imagination run wild.

“Well, hopefully,” Julien turned his attention to the giant crowd, “they get back here soon. Right, Clover?”

“Uh-huh,” she answers weakly, prompting the king to look at her. He notes how small, dark circles have formed under her eyes, how she kept biting her finger, and how Captain kept looking at her anxiously, worried sick.

“Everything alright with her?” Julien asks Maurice in private, “Seems like she had a terrible night.”

“You noticed it too? Can’t say for sure. I did, however, see her moving about when I went to the toilet during the night.”

“Oh dear,” A feeling of concern emerged in the pit of his stomach. He thought he didn’t have enough sleep (being woken up by Captain’s morning exercise…at 5 in the morning is not an ideal start to a difficult day), but clearly, Clover had it much rougher.

“Well, one thing is for certain: she had some sleep at least. Poor Private didn’t,” Maurice points at the penguin, who was fast asleep, using the rock as a pillow.

“Huh, I wonder what happened to him,” the king asked rather unconvincingly and all-too-knowingly.

“Ready, Ringtail?”

Skipper’s voice startled the king a bit, but the penguin paid no attention: “Prepared to foolishly turn your people against you?”

“They will do no such thing!” Maurice responded harshly in the king’s place.

“You can still change your mind and tell only the training bit. Would save us a lot of trouble,” Skipper continued, regardless.

It took Julien a while to respond, but it was with a resilient voice, free of nervousness: “No, silly penguin. As I said time and time again, my peeps deserve the truth.”

Skipper sighed dejectedly but with a lack of surprise. “Very well. Kowalski, status report!”

The second-in-command grabbed a ticking clock: “ETA: 5 minutes, Skipper.”

“Right. Kowalski, scout the crowd for Rico and his escort, and any potential troublemakers!”

Kowalski saluted before doing as Skipper ordered. The penguin leader then walked up to Private, who was still fast asleep.

“Rise and shine, Private,” He shook him, waking him up almost immediately.

“Huh-wha? Oh, so, sorry, sir—”

“Save your breath, soldier. Just be on the lookout with Kowalski until Rico comes back.”

“Yessir!”

Private immediately joined Kowalski while Skipper paced around the place, creating a calm before the storm for the lemurs. It was then that Julien took another good look at the crowd and noticed someone missing.

“Uh, where are the New York giants?”

“They are still at the hospital,” Maurice responds, “According to Dr. S, Marty will be sick for at least a few days, so the other giants are staying there to keep him company. They will take care of food and water themselves.”

“G-Good, good.”

A few seconds later, Private came down from his scouting position to inform the others: “Skipper, Rico and Mort are here.”

“Ah, good.”

Rico and Mort arrived, with the former looking rather dejected. A couple of hmphs from him made Skipper’s eyebrows rise up.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Ringtail,” he turned his attention to the king, “that freak of yours went AWOL.”

“AWOL? What is that weird code, penguin?”

“It seems Horst isn’t home,” Captain responded in Skipper’s place.

“R-Really?” Maurice beat everyone to the punch, before asking Mort: “Mort, did you go to Horst’s place?”

“Of course! Wait, who is Horst?”

“Black lemur, Mary Ann’s husband, occasionally a DJ.”

A lack of response and a blank stare made Maurice sigh before angrily adding: “A guy with a beverage!”

“Don’t scream at me, Maurice, or I will… Oh, right, Horst! Yeah, his house was empty, l knocked like 23 times.”

“Hold on,” Julien asked, “where did he go?”

“Kowalski, check if the freak is hiding in the crowd!” Skipper yelled at his second-in-command.

“Yes, sir! Checking…checking…” Kowalski drops from the rock.

“Well?”

“Negative, sir. He is not here.”

“Hmm, at least we won’t have to deal with him,” Skipper looked at the clock, “Only 87 seconds to go. Ringtail, how do you plan on speaking to the masses?”

“Well, I…I… Maurice, what should I say?” This prompted a facepalm from Skipper, which Maurice ignored.

“Er, I think you should first reveal the training.”

“Are you—”

“I recommend going with "bad news first, good news second" strategy instead, Your Majesty,” Captain interjected out of nowhere, “No one likes to leave with their spirits dampened.”

“What the— No, people might go crazy before we even have a chance to explain the good stuff to them,” Maurice quickly rebutted.

“Us Mountain Lemurs like to get the bad stuff out of the way so as not to have a drop in morale.”

“Yeah, but out there are regular lemurs, not war veterans!”

“Maurice, let’s just do what the Captain says,” Clover joined the conversation, her voice lacking enthusiasm and full of tiredness, “The sooner the better.”

“Oh come on, Clover, you know how our people react at the slightest whiff of something even remotely grim! They won’t listen to us properly if we do this!”

“But if that’s the case, isn’t revealing that altogether completely detrimental?” Kowalski questioned.

“That’s not—”

“We can still drop the bad news off the table, just saying,” Skipper butted in as well.

“We already put this matter to bed!”

“15 seconds, everyone!” Private urgently informed the rest of the group.

“It’s up to you, Ringtail, your choice!”

The king stood there frozen for a couple of seconds, before closing his eyes and franticly moving his pointer finger about: “Errr, eeny, meeny, miny, moe!” Upon opening his eyes, he yelped when he saw his finger pointing at Mort, smiling weirdly, before immediately closing them again: “Eenymeenyminymoe!!”

When he opened his eyes again, he saw his finger this time pointing at Maurice. At that moment, the clock started ringing, before being swallowed by Rico (much to the disgust of the lemurs minus Mort).

“Alright, everyone, let’s roll!” Skipper concluded the chit-chat, although with an eye roll that didn’t go unnoticed by Maurice. Regardless, everyone went onto the rock, just managing to fit into the small space, to greet almost the entire kingdom. There, Julien cleared his throat and addressed his people with his usual tone: “People of Madagascar!”

The cheers from the crowd were almost overwhelming.

“Thank you all for coming here today! Now…” the king hesitated for a bit, “As you know, a few weeks ago, our guests, the New York giants, and these penguins, helped us get rid of the foosa threat once and for all!”

More applause and praise were heard, making Julien feel a bit more confident.

“And with my uncle and Karl both leaving Madagascar as well, our kingdom has never been safer! With that, we should be partying 24/7 as a result!”

The crowd’s acclaim could be heard all over the island, but before the people could make the last statement true, Julien continued: “But here is the thing, my peeps: someone,” he points at Maurice, who annoyedly hmphs, “is feeling a bit down and totally not in a partying mood like he should be. In fact, he fears that when the giants leave for their precious New York, and the penguins go, er, somewhere else, the foosa might come back!”

This time, the cheers were replaced by gasps of shock and fear. The king continued: “Now normally, I would graciously ignore the silly warning of my advisor. Unfortunately, for once, he has a point.”

“At least you are back to normal,” Maurice grumbled silently, albeit with the tiniest smirk on his face.

“So, given the fact that the giants will leave very soon, we have to be ready. Let me tell you, the foosa interrupting that awesome wedding party was a real mood killer, especially since everything felt so hopeless before Mr. Alex saved us all! So, to make sure they won’t pull that off again, we will prepare for their attacks by training ourselves! Again.”

As expected, the crowd did not react to this positively, as grumbles and annoyed, concerned whispers were heard all over the square.

“Now I know what y’all are thinking. In hindsight, Mau… I didn’t do a good job last time, so this time, my kingly mind has enlisted the help of these penguins!”

As the king introduced the new trainers, a deafening silence was heard instead of the applause that was supposed to arrive. Noticing this, Julien added: “Er, not only will they teach us some basic foosa booty-kicking skills, but they will also help us prepare for the Marauding Red Night Goblin!”

More gasps were heard from this, the terrible memories flooding through every citizen, allowing the king to build up his case in the process. “As you all know, every single Julianuary 24th has been plagued by this evil, evil laughing menace! With their help,” he once again points at the penguins, “the Goblin will stand no chance, and we can properly celebrate the yearly tradition of honoring me! But to prepare for our brave last stand, we have to start over. What do y’all say, huh?”

The people mumbled to themselves again, but this time with calm, relaxed postures and faces. For a moment, it seemed like the "good news" part was going smoothly. That is, until Ted opened his mouth, wielding his ‘Logic Police’ I.D.

“Ah, Logic Police here, wee-woo, wee-woo! Put your hands up, you are all surrounded, hahaha! KJ, I fear what you just said didn’t make sense.”

“And how so, Ted?” The king asked, annoyed.

“Well, you said that you, or Maurice at least, feel worried that the foosa might come back. Yet you also said that the giants have gotten rid of the foosa threat once and for all. A clear contradiction there.”

Julien groans. “Minor details there, Ted. What, you have a law degree or something?”

“I do not, sir. Regardless, I don’t really see the point in us doing this training. I mean, the only threat remaining is the Goblin attack, and even then, that is almost five months away. Surely we don’t need to prepare ourselves for that long, right?”

“Um, actually, we do, because it isn’t just the Goblin we have to be ready for. No one knows if the foosa might be gone forever.”

“I dunno, sir, I mean if I were scared to death by that lion I would never come back even if he were gone for years.”

“And that’s the thing, Ted. When Clover left, the foosa attacked mere hours later. Who is to say they won’t find out the giants and the penguins left and attack us again?”

“Well, if that’s the case, how about we make sure that doesn’t happen?”

Julien stood there, confused. “W-What do you mean?”

“I mean, their ship is outta gas, so we should instead make sure they will love our kingdom so much they will never leave us again!” Ted proudly explained his idea.

“That will not happen,” Julien quickly rebuked, “As we love our kingdom, so they love their New York. Even if they fell in love with Madagascar, eventually, they would just want to get back home sooner or later.”

“Alright then, how about we make it difficult for them to get home?”

It took the king a few seconds to realize what Ted was aiming at. “You mean sabotage?”

“Yeah! A little screw loose there, an oil shortage there…”

“That is utterly crazy and unethical, Ted!” Maurice berated angrily, surprising Julien in the process, “We can’t just do that to them after saving our skins multiple times!”

“Didn’t stop you from sabotaging the Russian monkeys’ zeppelin back then,” Ted annoyedly reminded, raising the penguins’ eyebrows and catching Maurice off-guard for a bit.

“Okay, first of all, you agreed to that plan, secondly, it was a desperate situation, thirdly, it blew up in our faces when they figured out the truth and tried to kill us!”

“So we will be more discreet then! And we will make sure no one will give away the truth when under interrogation, unlike a certain someone,” he cheekily muttered the last remark to himself.

“I must say, his weirdness notwithstanding, I like his style,” Skipper added to the debate.

“Not helping! Okay, let’s just assume we do what you suggest, Ted. And let’s say they do find out we have been keeping them here against their wishes. What would happen if all of them decide to punish us the same way the monkeys tried to, hmm?”

Having heard the retelling of the king’s encounter with the monkeys during one of the war victory parties, the crowd gasped, before all sharing their thoughts, fear present in their voices.

“Oh man, as if I didn’t have enough nightmares about Alex going foosa mode…”

“That giraffe would probably send us to the other island with those legs of his!”

“And the hippo! Wouldn’t want to mess with her!”

“If that happens, we, we are all gonna die!”

Seeing everyone afraid, Ted started awkwardly playing with his fingers, fidgeting all over the place. “Oh my, didn’t know things would escalate this way.”

“It’s fine, honey, at least you tried,” Dorothy reassured him, before suddenly putting her finger on her chin, seemingly now in deep thought. Regardless, Julien seized the opportunity.

“Good, so we won’t be repeating that mistake. Any other doubting Debbies out here?” Only one person responded, albeit accidentally, as Ted sadly blurted out: “Oh man, I don’t want to exercise…”

“Suck it up, Ted! Everyone else is happy with the idea, and come on, a bit of exercise won’t hurt you. You are Captain of the Ringtail Guard after all.”

It took Ted a few seconds to respond. “Well, I guess if everyone else is okay with it, I can adjust…”

“No, wait, Ted,” Dorothy suddenly interrupted. “Something isn’t right here.”

“Oh, what now, Dorothy?” Julien impatiently responded.

“Well, I’m not opposed to the idea, but I feel something is missing here. Actually, no, someone is missing here. Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that only Ted has problems with this idea? Like, not even Hector complained.”

“If doing this ding-dong nonsense increases the chances of me dying from a heart attack and not having to deal with you morons anymore, I won’t mind, “Hector enthusiastically replied.

“Thanks for the input, Hector. Anyway, the entire kingdom is here, yet it feels like someone is missing. Someone important. Someone who usually makes a fuss about everything that comes out of the king’s mouth.”

“Huh, now that you mention it, you are right, it does feel… incomplete,” Ted caught on, “Who on earth could it be? It could take us a while to find out!”

Everyone present, bar the king and his companions, looked around the place. For they knew exactly who Dorothy was referring to.

Julien took a deep breath, turned around, and took a good look at his friends and allies, trying to find an answer in their eyes. Even as they settled this a thousand times, there was a difference between agreeing to do it and actually doing it.

Now or never?

Captain looked calm. Almost calm, for his eyes darted around the place from time to time. Clover rubbed her hands, her eyes pointing firmly at the ground, refusing to look at anyone, the guilt— no, the anguish written on her face like a textbook. On her right, Skipper subtly and slowly shook his head, mouthing constantly: “Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it…”

And on Captain’s left was Maurice. Fear was evident in his eyes, yet he calmly nodded and quietly said: “You got this, KJ.”

That did it. He turned to his people, who were still figuring out the missing lemurs. In his mind, he remembered what Skipper said back at the foosa kingdom:

“…it’s a one-way ticket to a good old-fashioned revolution.”

Well, that’s one flight he won’t book today. Not a chance.

“My peoples,” he started hesitantly, catching the attention of everyone, “that’s not the only thing I want to tell you. You see, as much as I don’t want to ruin everyone’s mood, this has to be said.” A moment of silence, as Julien tried to find the right words.

“As you remember, 6 people went missing after the foosa wrecked the wedding party. Xixi returned the next day, as did Dr. S and Nurse Phantom a few days later. Andy, Becca, and Abner, however, did not.”

Gasps erupted as the public looked around to confirm what they heard.

“I thought they already escaped? You know those guys are tough cookies,” Ted stated in confusion as Julien continued.

“As for what happened to our favorite bat conman and everyday revolutionaries, they, they…we found their…”

“Ah, so they are alive, safe, and sound! What a relief!” Ted misinterprets the last word, the innocent-like joy on his face sending a dagger through Julien’s heart. Yet, he does not relent, pushing on:

“No, Ted. Not safe, or sound. Or…alive.”

“W-What do you mean?” Ted asks with a sudden hesitancy, while Dorothy gasps, eyes growing wide as the epiphany hits her earlier than anyone else in the crowd.

“We…We found their b-bodies in the foosa kingdom.”

A second passed before everyone else in the crowd gasped in shock and horror. A dreadful quiet ensued, during which the light wind was felt and heard more intensely than ever, the breeze of the trees sending a shiver down the spine of nearly everyone. It was then broken by Dorothy, who quietly mutters in shock: “No, oh dear Frank no…”

“Y-Yes, my peoples,” Julien’s voice breaks in the process, the realization that their deaths weren’t some horrific nightmare and the last few weeks really did happen tying a knot in his stomach, that it was all real and it was all his fault—

“They are gone, now up there in Frank-ri-La.”

With that admission, the crowd erupted, sorrow heard from everyone as they shared their thoughts on the ones now lost.

“That’s terrible…”

“Andy, Andy Fairfax, dead? That’s…I can’t believe it…”

“Trying to kill the king aside, they were really fun to hang out…”

“B-But hold on a sec!” Ted exclaimed loudly enough to quell the gossip, his voice full of anger rather than sadness, “If I remember correctly, Maurice said no one lost their life to the foosa! Did you lie to us, Maurice?!”

“No, he didn’t,” Kowalski replied, fully prepared for the change of topic.

“Oh really? I may be a lot of things, but forgetful ain’t one of those, mister! I’m certain he said that when I asked him!”

“At the time, we had no knowledge of their status,” Kowalski continued, “Later that day, we checked out the location of the foosa kingdom for recon, and then and there we stumbled upon your fallen comrades.”

That explanation only caused more fury from Ted: “Wait, but that was like 2 weeks ago! You all knew, yet only now you are telling us?!”

The hot rage seemed to have spread to the public, for they were staring daggers at the king, who had a frown on his face, the implications of keeping them in the dark much, much bigger than he feared. With a somber tone, he explained: “Yes, my peeps. I have been keeping it from you. I am sorry for taking it this long. And I also have to take responsibility for their deaths. It was my pathetic excuse of a training that caused this. I should have prepared our kingdom more diligently. Yet I neglected my duties. I made you all vulnerable to the foosa, and three people paid the ultimate price as a result. For that, I can only apologize. And,” he quickly added, keeping the accusations of his people at bay, “this is why we need their help! For the giants and the penguins won’t be here forever. And the foosa might return. And if they do, we need to be prepared. I can’t teach you all properly. These penguins will be able to do it so that when they leave, and the foosa might attack again, we will not be defenseless.”

A quick beat of uncomfortable silence ensued, during which the king took a gander at his people. For many, their faces were indistinguishable. Some seemed furious. Others were in disbelief. And few looked…sympathetic.

“And how can we be sure these birds will train us? Do they even know a fifth of what Clover possesses?” Dorothy harshly cut in.

“Oh, trust me, they are skilled. I’ve seen them in action twice already,” Julien responded, a bit of self-belief returning to him, “Even Clover admitted that!”

“But even so, since she is here, can’t she, you know, do it herself? If we are gonna train, it should be done by someone familiar,” Ted asked, dumbfounded and irritated.

“Clover is the queen of the Mountain Lemur Kingdom, remember? She can’t stay here too long.” Julien took a quick look at her, only to be startled by how pale she looked all of a sudden. His attention, however, turned to Ted’s sudden outburst: “Then what the heck is she doing here?!”

“Clover will aid the penguins in the first week of the job, then take care of her kingdom. If deemed necessary, we might get some extra help from her army later on.”

“Phah! As if she and her lackeys would be of any use!” A cold voice full of venom spoke through the crowd, drawing ire from Julien and catching his lemur companions off guard.

“Okay, that was a low blow, but I’ll let it slide since we are all a bit shaken up, so—”

“An even lower blow is having her and that Koto’s underling around!” The voice continued its mockery, further irritating Julien.

“Right, whoever it is making all that noise, keep quiet!”

“I won't, my king. In fact, I have a lot of things to say.”

The crowd made way for a golden bamboo lemur, his mint green eyes burning with wrath. It was then that Maurice, Kowalski, and Private tensed up. It was the lemur who voiced his disapproving comments about Clover two weeks ago.

“Buddy, you are really starting to get under my skin, so zip it!”

“I wish no offense, my king, but I just can’t stand around while you continue to defend her and her unaccountability!”

“U-Unaccountability?! Is that even a word, like what are you talking about?!”

“Only the truth, my king, the truth that many here acknowledge, but are afraid to speak loudly,” the new speaker continued, calm as a motionless lake.

“And what is this "truth," exactly?” Julien crossed his arms, while Maurice waited anxiously, not liking the way this was headed.

“Quite simple: she was, is, and always will be a useless, arrogant, thick-headed numbskull who let everyone down!” He nearly shouted the last few words, the cold, sharp eyes now firing daggers at Clover, even through her friends.

“H-How dare you speak such nonsense, you…” Julien’s fist shook with unbridled rage, a small part of him already considering pouncing on the filthy liar, while Captain stepped forward, eye burning: “You will withdraw your scandalous comments immediately!”

“No, I won’t,” his cold demeanor came back as quickly as it disappeared, “You won’t stop me from telling the truth. And my king, I urge you not to make me "choke" on my words, as it happened to Hector. It will only make things worse,” he boldly challenged the king, making him freeze on the spot.

“What is he talking about?” Clover was taken back, her voice meek and trembling, but the troublemaker continued: “And I do hope you aren’t giving that "honor" to our penguin friends and their darts, either.”

The attention turned to the avians, who were completely caught off guard, with Rico dropping the armed tranquilizer gun, and Skipper sputtering: “What the— How in the name of peppermints did he figure us out?!”

“Just what are you getting at, man?” Maurice took over, fear rather than irritation dominating his voice.

“What I am getting at, to be more specific, is how Clover, our supposed guardian, failed at her job in every. Single. Way.”

“That is a LIE!” Julien screamed, scaring almost half the crowd in the process, his mind torn at the fact someone could be so, so wrong about her, “Every single time the foosa attacked, or my uncle tried to take over the throne, or Karl pulled another of his crazy plots, she was there to save me, and you guys! Without her, many of us would have been in Frank-ri-La by now!”

The lemur below just chuckles. “I couldn’t disagree more. It has been a good while, but does anyone recall the king’s coronation and the following attack?”

“Oh come on, dude, that was like 6 seasons ago!”

“Alright. And what about you, former bodyguard of the king?”

Clover, who slowly stepped forward, looked completely lost. “I don’t really remember if I am honest—”

“Well, let me remind you. I still remember it like yesterday. You took out one foosa, then got tackled by a stampede like an amateur!”

The harsh words stabbed her like a knife. “W-Well, I…”

“Half the kingdom escapes in panic or is captured by the foosa. In the end, the king himself has to risk his life to do your job!”

Clover stands there frozen, sweat pouring out of her, while her allies shoot daggers at the lemur who continues his rant.

“And unfortunately, this wasn’t a one-time incident. Remember the start of the War of the Beasts? Koto invades, his army takes us all prisoners, the king is captured and sentenced to death, and where is his personal bodyguard and our Captain of the Ringtail Guard? Absolutely nowhere! Seconds after they invade, she and that buffoon of a Mountain Lemur retreat like cowards!”

“Now hold on there, you—” Captain tries to rebuke, but the lemur does not let him: “As a former right-hand man of Koto, you have no right to share your opinions on this matter, so be silent!” A cry of anger follows suit, making the Captain and the queen fall behind the other royal entourage, with Maurice now deeply concerned about how much heavier her breathing has gotten.

“And now this. Despite what she has done, or more accurately, what she failed to do, we all give her the benefit of the doubt, we let her have the honor of being the king’s bodyguard, we grant her the opportunity of a glorious wedding, a farewell worthy for a hero, all of us are there to give witness, and what does she do? She bails on us without gifting everyone else even a width of her skills, and allows the foosa to bother us again!”

“ENOUGH!” Julien’s shriek, full of rage and panic, makes everyone gasp, aside from the troublemaker, who barely flinches. With ragged breathing, Julien continues: “Why are you putting all of that blame on her?! May I all remind you that my coronation brought the foosa, I stupidly allowed Koto in, and my training caused everyone to believe we were ready when clearly not?! If I realized how lucky we were at Ted’s surprise-attack-turned-real-foosa-attack, I would have figured out we weren’t safe and asked her for help!!”

“And that’s precisely the point, my king! All of those actions you mentioned were caused because you had to take action! As the head of security, she should have prevented all of those tragedies, yet her incompetence reached such heights that it forced you to step into uncharted territories!”

“Wha— That doesn’t make any sense!”

“How come?” He asked with the tiniest hint of anger.

“L-Like hello, Clover is not a prophet! She can’t just predict what’s gonna happen!”

“Then she should have taken extra measures!!” The sudden burst of fury made the king take a step back. “She should have raised a competent army a long time ago!! She should have marched to the foosa kingdom and killed those animals herself!!! Maybe if she had done that, we wouldn’t have fallen to Koto, and many good lemurs wouldn’t have died under his rule!!!! Instead, she leaves all of us to die, to become a queen of a kingdom that enslaved us all!!!! Just to get in the pants of that stupid, ignorant, ARROGANT, TRAITOROUS BASTARD!!!

…

Everything goes quiet.

The slight breeze flowing through the kingdom is now ten times louder than normal. A fearful, grim dread surrounds the minds of almost everyone, the kind of dread that makes you shiver, tremble with fear, and maybe even suffocate from it. A premonition, a feeling that something terrible is about to happen, and you can’t do anything but watch and pray that it will be all over soon.

It is something that even Julien felt. For as much as he wanted to argue back, to say— no, demand that he take those awful, vile words back, or to even submit to that small part of him that wants to give that liar a rightful hammering that he would feel for several years, even he was held back by this spell that has bewitched the crowd. Because he knows that his fury doesn’t even match a tenth of what she is feeling.

“How dare you…”

Slow steps and ragged breathing break the hold. Everyone turns to the source. Clover takes the front stage, her fists gripped, her jaw clenched, and her entire body shaking. For Julien, Mort, and Maurice, the situation before them is somehow more terrifying than anything else. For them, this isn’t the anger they usually see from her. Her eyes, which were full of hurt and shame, now hold not her crazy, yet controlled anger, but an indescribable fury, pure savagery that was ready to obliterate everything in its path.

And yet, that is not what creeped them out the most. It was the looks of the crowd before them. Many were still scared, but the dozens that managed to break out from the spell didn’t show any sympathy. Didn’t berate the lemur who besmirched the names of their friends. Nothing like that. They somehow showed looks of defiance that dared Clover to make her move.

“If you dare say that about my husband one more time, I’ll…”

“Kill you? And add me to the people you sent to Frank-ri-La by your sheer incompetence?”

Her eye twitch was akin to a timer to a bomb. Julien and Maurice looked at each other, silently agreeing to prepare to stop her incoming onslaught.

“Tell me,” the troublemaker asked almost innocently, “did you perhaps ponder how many people died because of your husband’s inactivity?”

“What the hell are you blabbering about?!” She asked, her mad eyes daring him to finish his thought.

“You know, when he abdicated his throne to his brother?”

“W-W-What?” Clover broke out of her rageful trance, completely caught off guard as the crowd gasped. Captain steps forward, a mix of confusion and anger in his voice as he questions the lemur: “How in the world do you know such sensitive information?!”

“How I got the info doesn’t matter. But yes, my fellow lemurs,” he turns to address the crowd, his calm tone turning into one of pity, “Sage was supposed to become the next in line. Not only that, but he also knew of the danger his brother was capable of. Yet he left his responsibilities. Because of his abdication, Koto caused so much misery, so much suffering…plenty of our allies and friends perished during his tenure.”

A wave of sadness rolled over everyone present. Even the penguins, for the briefest of moments, felt the lemurs’ pain. Captain subtly stepped back, his guilt in playing the part of the tyranny making him vulnerable…maybe for the first time in his life. Clover stood there, silent as a mouse, her breathing heavy yet again, but for a different reason.

As for Julien and Maurice…

…it was like a gut punch.

Their minds recalled the events of Koto’s first visit to the kingdom and Sage’s arrival soon after. They recalled Sage’s explanation of his abdication. They thought it was silly, yet ironic that he would leave his destiny for…something, only to become the king he was meant to be in the end. Yet now, if what he says is true…if Sage knew of the dangers his brother possessed, yet still left his kingdom behind…

They desperately hoped that he didn’t know. That he didn’t know his brother was a monster, that him claiming the throne would spark so much pain… That, for him not being the sharpest tool in the shed, he would have put a stop to his cruel ambitions before they could hurt someone…

Yet in their hearts, they knew he was speaking the truth. A single glance at Clover gave them the answer they feared. There were no protestations. No looks of anger at a bald-faced lie. Nothing like that. She remained still. The color drained from her face. Her breathing erratic, her head down, her eyes not daring to look anywhere else but the floor. An even bigger look of guilt.

Then the lemur below them spoke again, his sincere, sorrowful tone slowly replaced by a cold fury: “His armies ravaged our kingdom, every single kingdom in fact. They put us all in prison camps as slaves, butchered plenty of not just us, but the aye-ayes, rats, and more in just two battles. Yet their new king did not apologize. He didn’t repay us for all the damage they caused. Nor did the Crocodile Kingdom, which so selfishly betrayed us all! Why, I hear you ask? Because instead of demanding reparations, instead of doing her job, she went with the new king personally to find them a new home! While we were still recovering, she, with a drop of a hat, became allies with the ones who would have butchered us all if they had won! Instead, we gifted them a place to get married! All of the suffering, all of the losses, caused by them! Yet now they have the gall to leave their precious heaven and pity us?! Now that we are blessed with warriors who made foosa disappear for a long time, warriors who are keen to bless us with their skills, they dare try to interfere?!! I think not!”

He turned to the king as a warcry roared throughout the square, the crowd’s anger multiplying with each passing second. As does the horror of entourages.

“Oh, come on, guys! This is ridiculous!” Julien desperately tried to turn things around. “We can’t just blame them for everything that has happened to us!”

The lemur below just sighed, out of disappointment, rather than annoyance. “I understand from a certain point of view that you would defend her to the bitter end. And while I…respect the relationship you and your advisor have with her, enough is enough. Since the Mountain Lemur kingdom is so adamant about not helping us, I say we comply with their stance.”

“W-What are you—”

“We have the New York giants to protect us, and the penguins to train us. I have no doubt that their teaching methods will be good enough for us to defend ourselves for a long time. I see no point in having her or her "subordinate" around here now, or ever. The time to repay us all has passed. With that, I firmly believe that any and all residents of the Mountain Lemur Kingdom should be considered… persona non grata as punishment. Or in other words, unwelcome to be here. It is time for both kingdoms to live and blossom in peace, separately from each other,” The cold, harsh, demanding voice made the king stutter in place, the situation now completely out of control.

“W-We won’t force them to leave!” Maurice yelled suddenly, his confidence now in pieces, and desperation set in his mind.

“Can’t say I am surprised. But I don’t believe it is up to you to decide. For as much damage as they have caused, I do hope there is a shred of decency and common sense left in them to know they aren’t welcome. Now, if you would be so kind…Get…OUT!”

GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!

The rallying cry, akin to a call for someone’s head, shook throughout the square, almost the entire kingdom supporting the troublemaker. The only ones who weren’t in favor, as far as the king could see, were Ted, Dorothy, and Xixi, all of whom looked more flabbergasted than anything else in the world.

Julien frantically looked around for a solution that would never come. The terrible dream is now a mere foreshadowing to him, as the worst-case scenario imploded right in front of him. Maurice in complete paralysis. Mort running around in panic. Captain sweating bullets. The penguins half-ready for potential violence, with Skipper briefly shaking his head in sheer disappointment.

But none of that shattered his heart more than a single look at Clover.

She stood there— no, trembled, her hands holding her panting chest, sweat pouring out of her, her face the palest he had ever seen, and an aura of dizziness that seemed to suffocate her. It was…soul-crushing.

All because he didn’t defend her properly. All because he didn’t explain the plan properly. All because of him, she is about to be remembered not as a cunning warrior, a brave defender of the kingdom, but as a failure. A title that should not be associated with her…or Maurice, or even Mort.

It's a title that should belong to him.

How could he have been so, so foolish…

Maurice notices his gaze and slightly frees himself from his paralysis to look in his direction. He jumps a bit, before snapping out of it and rushing to her, taking her hands and trying to calm her down. Captain then notices them too, ducking down and putting his hand on her shoulder, his normally calm, cool posture gone completely. Maurice says something to Mort that makes the mouse lemur put a stop to his panicking, and in the blink of an eye, he is immediately by Clover’s side, helping both advisors try to give her support through words the king cannot hear, for it was drowned by the calls of his people.

He should get to her too, to comfort her and tell her everything is gonna be alright. He should stop this madness, for his people still need her. He should berate the people who turned on her, he should condemn the one who started this and made her so vulnerable in the process. Yet the two words exclaimed by the people were like a spell, keeping him in one place, unable to move.

“You hear that, "Queen" Clover?! This is the cry of the people you have failed so many times!” The instigator’s booming voice could be heard even as the crowd fully and wildly gave in to their anger, “Time for you to fall back to that cowardly husband of yours! Time for you to leave us alone for good! Time to—”

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!

The sudden explosion made everyone stop and a few shriek. The king frantically looked at the penguins, only to see the avians in shock as well, before getting into their fighting stances.

No screams of pain were thankfully heard, although Julien could swear he went a bit deaf. He once again looked at Maurice, Mort, and Captain, who were focused on reassuring Clover, whose breathing barely calmed down. Julien’s attention then turned to the crowd, as the smoke caused by the explosion soon cleared. And in that time, a rather familiar voice came from the crowd.

“Alright, everyone, calm the jeesh down!”

The crowd for the second time made way, this time…for Pancho, holding a lighter.

“King Julien, may I speak for a moment?” He asked hastily and with a tint of desperation. Before Julien could respond, Skipper cut in, his posture as tense as ever: “No way, no how, Crown Boy! Ringtail, end this madness, now!”

“Please, Julien, give me a chance!”

“You have already messed up, Ringtail! Want to cause more damage?!”

“Could you all stop yapping for a moment?!” Julien demanded, stopping the bickering. His mind frantically raced, desperately weighing the pros and cons of allowing Pancho to speak. In the end, he reacted on instinct: “Alright, Pancho, get up here!”

“Oh, for the love of—” Skipper slapped his forehead, while his men relaxed (and Rico grunted in disappointment).

“Thank you so much!” Pancho climbed up in a hurry, addressing the crowd in a shaky voice: “Okay, guys, I think we all need to calm down a bit.”

“Says the guy who used a dynamite!” Willie exclaimed, anger overriding his usual fear for once, and making Pancho throw the lighter away.

“I know, but it was the only way to get everyone quiet! And hey, at least give me credit for throwing it into the air!” Pancho then clears his throat, straightens up, and with a calmer tone, speaks his mind: “Anyway, that is not the point. The point is that we should really consider the implications of banishing Clover. Like, isn’t that going too far?”

“Too far? Banishing her is mercy compared to what she deserves!” One member of the crowd voices his frustration.

“Oh, come on! She did her best, no need to banish her like a criminal!” Dorothy fired back, her usual timid voice not holding her back.

“Her "best" got us all in danger and sometimes killed!”

“Alright, points taken!” Pancho hastily took back control of the discussion, “Look, I get that many of us are angry, and I am as well. But sending her to exile is…is…is just wrong! Especially since she did save our butts multiple times!”

“How interesting,” the bamboo lemur finds his voice, seemingly unfazed by Pancho’s sudden appearance, “that you would defend her because of your loyalty to the king.”

“Loyalty? Buddy, that is not true! Er, I mean that I am good friends with KJ, but that’s not the reason why I am defending Clover!”

“Really? Because, as far as I am aware, you have suffered the most from her latest mishap.”

“Mishap? Elaborate,” he asked, crossing his arms.

“The crux of the entire problem: not training us, creating a false sense of security, which led to the foosa attacking us by surprise, which led to…you know.”

It took a couple of seconds for the realization to hit Pancho, causing him to drop his guard and slouch as his eyes gazed at the ground he stood on.

“Many of us know of your partnership with Andy, and as such, we know how difficult this is to digest. We can only offer you our sympathies. No one should lose their friend like that,” the troublemaker’s voice was soothing, full of comfort, as if he spoke to a brother. He continued, a bit of conviction slowly seeping into his tone: “But I assure you, defending her, as noble and brave as it is, will lead us nowhere. She chose her path while ignoring our concerns, and we should…respect that.”

Julien looked at Pancho, whose body shook, worry in his heart that his friend would break down right in front of thousands. Any comfort he had in mind flew out of the window when Pancho spoke again with an almost hoarse voice, holding back tears: “No, you are wrong! This whole banishment is wrong!”

“Pancho,” caution evident in the bamboo lemur’s voice, “this is the best way to get justice for those who have fallen thanks to her. Surely even you feel the need, the desire to punish her for her negligence?”

A beat of silence ensued yet again, Julien and others anxiously waiting for Pancho’s response.

A weak laugh escaping his lips was the last thing on the king’s mind.

“You think I haven’t thought about it? I did…a couple of times. That feeling of indescribable anger at the fact it could have been prevented, a sting of disappointment over the fact my friends haven’t thought in advance? That feeling of emptiness inside my heart, knowing that I won’t be able to see my best bud anymore because of a stupid mistake? Yes. I did. And in those moments, I imagined doing terrible things to her because of it.”

Pancho looks at Clover, her breathing progressively calming down, her mind registering the words that came from his mouth. Their eyes lock with each other for a split second, hers bleak, teary, his bloodshot, angry, hurt, before turning to address the crowd yet again: “But I told myself: No, I won’t give in to that darkness inside me. I will not lift a finger on her, even if I wanted to, because I am better than that. We are better than that.”

A few whispers went through the crowd, igniting the tiniest flame of hope in Julien’s heart.

“And what do you propose we do, then?” The bamboo lemur’s gentle tone was replaced with a stern one.

“Well, it’s simple: we give her a second chance.”

“But why should we? It won’t bring back the ones we lost, nor will it bring justice to them.”

“Yes, you are right, it won’t bring them back. But just because a few people died under her watch, doesn’t mean she is worthless.”

An irritable sigh escaped the troublemaker’s lips. “I’ll remind you again: king’s coronation, during which she displayed an amateurish display worthy enough for a sack as the Captain of the Ringtail Guard with an immediate effect!”

Pancho opened his mouth to argue, only to suddenly close it, his nose twitching as his fingers rested on his chin.

“Hmph. Cat got your tongue, I suppose?”

“No. Not at all. Buddy, you are wrong, and I don’t mean from a moral wise of view, even though you clearly are, but also objectively.”

“Do tell,” he challenged Pancho, a mix of annoyance and intrigue in his dare.

“Alright. So, you are saying that she failed miserably during the coronation, which she did to be fair, and that she deserved to be fired from her job as the Captain of the Ringtail Guard right on the spot, right?”

“Indeed. Don’t know why you decided to repeat almost everything I said…”

“That’s the thing, buddy: Captain of the Ringtail Guard. Now, my memory is a bit hazy, but I think that she wasn’t Captain yet, right?”

He turns his attention to Julien, who ponders for a bit, before snapping his fingers: “Ah, you are right, Pancho! When the coronation resumed, I promoted her to the position of Captain! Didn’t I, Mo-Mo?”

“Y-Yes, you did, King Julien!” Maurice stutters for a bit.

“Bingo! Everyone else besides Ted ran away from their posts!”

“Exactly! Which means…wait, what does it mean?” Pancho stood there confused.

“I’ll tell you what it means,” the bamboo lemur responded instead, ”whatever position she held before on that day, she failed miserably! And yet she still bluffed her way to the promotion, putting several of us in great peril!”

Julien started shaking, partly from fear, but mostly from fury at the words from his "opponent." Before he could even think of a response, Pancho’s hand stopped him in his tracks. The crowned lemur took a sharp breath, his eyes widening for a brief second, before advancing forward to the edge of the rock he stood on: “Guys, I want to ask you all a question. Before her promotion, before KJ’s ascension…Tell me, during the previous king’s reign, how many of us died?”

It was a question that caught many off guard, but after a few seconds, everyone in the crowd started counting. It lasted a mere moment before Pancho’s voice broke the whispers: “That’s right, too many. The previous KJs used whatever means necessary to keep us "safe," which consisted of minimal movement, minimal fun, and just outright tyranny and authoritarianism. And yet, every time the foosa attacked, their attacks were deadly. Every time we had to take part in the post-attack report, someone would announce a dozen of guys missing! It was so bad that we didn’t even do funerals anymore because someone dying was a regular occurrence!”

Memories of the previous king’s tenure flashed through everyone’s minds, especially Julien, nostalgia over his previous role as a party animal prince clouded by the events of what Pancho just described in the dark, forgotten pits of his mind. And even then, the good memories of the almost distant past were rather empty as well, having really known only Maurice and Xixi. No Clover, no Ted, no Pancho, not even Mort in his life. Just mindless partying and an occasional foosa attack.

“And then this KJ arrived on the scene. And one of the first things he did was make Clover Captain of the Ringtail Guard. And ever since that happened, the quality and quantity of foosa attacks went down really fast!”

A few heads nodded, creating a small smile on Julien’s lips. His allies behind him were moved by Pancho’s words as well, especially Clover, whose breathing seemed to have finally calmed down, her drowsiness dropping to a minimal level if their eyes did not deceive them.

“And yes, you could argue she could have killed all the foosa to save us a lot of trouble, but here is the thing: not only would that be an extremely risky gamble, but it is also something that probably never crossed her mind! Because she didn’t know any better! None of us did! We were all used to foosa regularly attacking us, and eating some of us as well! Regardless of all the what-ifs you could think of, you can’t deny that she greatly improved the security of this kingdom! Back then, rarely anyone aside from the closest ones would have batted an eye over three people going to Frank-ri-La. But thanks to this sense of safety she brought, we are all thinking about how to make this kingdom more secure because of three people dying!”

More whispers could be heard from the crowd. Julien could hardly believe it. Could this really be the miracle they hoped for?

A single clearing of the throat interrupted the small talk between the people. The bamboo lemur seemed extremely calm, his words not showing any sign of anger or panic: “Alright, when you put it like that, you could say that she did her job well. However, what I still have an issue with are her actions during the most critical moments. Namely, the very start of the War of the Beasts.”

“And what could that be, buddy?” Julien sternly cuts in, “Koto attacked us all by surprise because I let him through!”

“I don’t have an issue with that, my king. It was, in the end, a cheap tactic by him, taking advantage of his friendship with you. I can even excuse her being caught off guard. However, her retreating immediately with…with Sage is a whole different matter.”

“Now hold on there, mister! How can you even say that without any proof?” Ted suddenly chimed in, almost offended by his claim, “It was complete chaos when those pesky Mountain Lemurs – no offense, Captain – attacked and captured us all!”

“True, it was complete chaos. But one sound I distinctly heard, and will remember for a long time, was the shriek of a hawk. Logically speaking, it could only have been Sage’s companion.”

Julien opened his mouth, only to close it, his mind racing. As much as he wants to deny it, even his mind slightly recalls the yell of Sage’s hawk…

“Nevertheless, I think it is only right that the Queen herself challenges my claim,” the lemur below continued, his words as sharp as a knife, “isn’t that right?”

Julien’s nostrils flared, his nails digging into his palms: “After everything you have put her through, she won’t answer to your—”

“He is right.”

Everyone’s eyes snapped to Clover, who cautiously, achingly walked towards the edge of the rock, her words lacking the spark they usually have.

“My…my memories are a bit foggy…but I do remember amidst all of that chaos…Sage and his bird picked me up and took me away…I tried to protest but to no avail…”

“And there you go.”

A few members of the crowd yelled as a result, but Pancho quickly stepped in: “Okay, so she retreated, but wasn’t that a smart thing?”

“You consider cowardice a smart thing?” The bamboo lemur scoffed at the idea.

“Not cowardice. Tactical retreat. Besides, it’s not like she and Sage were goofing off during the entire war. You were searching for, eh, what was it called, the ultimate weapon?”

“Uh, yeah, we were—”

“And you used it to save us, to save KJ, right?”

“Y-Yes—”

“See? Sage taking her away to safety was a good thing!”

“It sounds good,” the troublemaker’s voice had a tint of sarcasm, “but I can think of a better plan: killing Koto in that chaos, and ending the war before it started!”

It took a moment for Pancho to respond back: “Yeah, she could have killed him, or she could have gotten herself killed, leaving us all at his mercy. The point is, she didn’t make a single mistake during the war. Her quest led to two battles, which ended in a decisive win.”

“The battles that took the lives of many lemurs. Not just lemurs, but also rats, aye-ayes, monkeys, and even snails.”

“Yes, we lost a good chunk of people. But buddy, that is war! People usually die during it.” A section of the crowd gasps at his nonchalance. “The fact that there were only two battles with only a few losses is a miracle in itself! If Clover perished during her potential attempt on Koto’s life, things would have been so much worse. Either only like 5 percent of us present would have been alive, or we all would be in Frank-ri-La. Think about it!”

The crowd whispers among itself again, while the bamboo lemur stands almost emotionless. Unsurprisingly, he again breaks the silence after a few seconds: “Alright. Perhaps it was in Frank’s eyes as to how the war should have proceeded. But surely, you can’t defend her for leaving us all defenseless, right?”

At that, Pancho sighed, disappointment evident in his voice: “Yeah, that’s one thing I can’t defend, Not just because it sent my buddy to…y’know, but because it was stupid. But not just from her. From everyone involved. KJ should have done a much better job at preparing us, we should have realized we were still useless at defending ourselves—”

“Incorrect, it was her job to realize how screwed we were, not ours,” the troublemaker continued his tirade, but Pancho did not relent: “Yes, it was also her job to get it done beforehand, but the bigger picture is that she screwed up, she knows how idiotic it was, and is now doing everything to fix it despite being a queen of another kingdom! She has probably been cooperating with KJ for days! Why do you think she arrived all of a sudden? Why do you think all of us are hearing this story now? It was because they had been preparing to make sure that everything went well this time! Not rush things like last time! Planning everything to a T! And if KJ’s plan has to include Clover, then so be it!”

The passion in his speech could be felt throughout the square. It was as if he was rallying the troops before the battle, the fire in his heart heating up the atmosphere as he defended the one person he should have hated the most.

“Those birds are more than enough!” Someone from the crowd screamed.

“Yeah, send her back to that goofus of hers!” Another one shouted. However, these cries for justice lacked conviction, and not just because the speakers’ voices didn’t have that imposing, commanding edge of the bamboo lemur. And the crowned lemur, who seems to be winning the hearts of more and more people, knows this.

“Clover is the only one who can judge if these birds live up to the task! Only she can decide if we have enough skill to fight for our lives, or if we need more help from her, or even her army!”

“After everything they had done to us, we just invite them back?! They don’t feel even a shroud of guilt, nor will they repay us for all they have caused!” The troublemaker snapped, his cold demeanor vanishing in an instant. However, the majority of the crowd didn’t seem to share his opinion publicly, for whispers were heard instead, making the bamboo lemur turn around quizzically, the tiniest sign of nervousness evident for the first time ever. Pancho continued, regardless, a calm presence in his voice: “Yeah, that’s not true, is it? Clover’s presence here, heck, the fact that she is proposing to send her army or even train us by herself, is a sign that the Mountain Lemur Kingdom is ready to compensate for all they have done to us in the war! It might be impossible to return the lost lives they have taken, but to say that they are not willing to pay is, is…is just a lie!”

More and more whispers spread throughout the square, every citizen deep in thought over everything they had heard. Save for the bamboo lemur, who simply stood there, mint eyes jumping from Julien to Pancho to Clover, not piercing through either of them, but still looking at them deeply. The two male lemurs stared back at him defiantly, while Clover was unable to hold her gaze, her eyes shifting to the floor.

It was then that a single hand raised up from the crowd, silencing the whispers instantly.

“Um…can I ask you something, Pancho?”

It took him a few seconds to respond, taken by surprise at the politeness in these crucial moments. “Er, sure thing, Willie, what’s up?”

“Well, it’s just…isn’t it a bit dangerous to give those Mountain Lemurs a chance? Like, I don’t have much of an issue with Clover, but I am not sure about her guys. What if they try to take over our kingdom like Koto? What if they treat us like garbage?”

A quiet that seemingly lasted years made everyone ponder what the answer was going to be. Yet again, however, it was a light chuckle that escaped Pancho’s lips out of nowhere, a tiny smile plastered on his face: “Guys. Tell me, what is it that has made this KJ stand out the most among the other kings? Is it his great parties? His crazy, yet fun and entertaining ideas? His will to sacrifice himself to save us?”

The crowd muttered for a bit, but Pancho continued, making everyone silent again: “It is his good-hearted nature towards everyone. He is self-centered, selfish sometimes, and makes bone-headed decisions at times, but when things get tricky, he will always make a decision that will benefit everyone. He has made many people shine by just letting them be themselves. Look at Ted, for example. Ted was a bit closed to himself, not interacting with many people, and when he did, he was a bit hesitant. And yet…Tell me, how many of you enjoyed spending time with him, and want to do so again in the future?”

Dorothy’s hand raised up instantly, followed by a huge section of the crowd.

“And that is all thanks to KJ. Ted spent only a few weeks with KJ, and since then he is able to communicate with everyone, embracing his wacky ideas and just being himself, with no filters.” Ted awkwardly scratches his head out of embarrassment, his cheeks a tiniest amount of red.

“He has helped me overcome my dark past, something for which I will be in debt for a long time. Even with his life on the line, he aided me in uncovering the truth about myself, and when I was at my lowest point, he was there to comfort me, to tell me it was going to be alright, and for that, I am grateful.”

The way he laid his heart out to the public, to the king, to his friend, and his calculating demeanor taking a backseat, made so many people feel not just happy, but proud as well. Private, whose concentration was going on and off, was enchanted by it all. Kowalski and Rico had the tiniest smiles on their faces. Skipper’s stoic and vigilant posture remained, but in his eyes, there was something that could not be described, almost a foreign feeling to the leader.

“But that is not the best part about KJ. For me, it is his mercy towards anyone who ever tried to strike him down. Time and time again, he has faced many challenges from many enemies, yet he would not take their lives unless absolutely necessary. Uncle KJ and Karl tried to take the throne several times, and KJ could have very easily and understandably sent Clover to end both of them. Many would have done so, I certainly would have done it if I were in KJ’s boots, but he didn’t, and you know why? Because he would not stoop to their level. Such a thought probably didn’t even cross his mind. And look where they are now. Karl and his cockroach friend are in Florida, while Uncle KJ has left his conquest for that mountain lemur chick. No more pains in the butt, but no blood spilled.”

“He had to cross the line sometimes, but that was extremely rare, when there was no other choice, when it was do or die. Whereas many of us would have disposed of them the first chance we got, and the past rulers would have done so much worse, here we have a king who just wants everyone to be happy.”

The song of praise enticed many lemurs, as seen by their shining smiles.

“So, what I am saying is that we should do the same. If KJ can give multiple second chances to his biggest enemies, then we should give our long-time protector… and a friend a chance at redemption. So, let’s decide this once and for all. All who want to banish Clover for a single mistake, raise your hand.”

Unsurprisingly, the bamboo lemur raised his hand instantly. However, the number of people who followed was low, and even fewer were certain about their choice.

“Okay. Now, the guys and gals who want to give Clover a chance to fix her mistake today, in the next few days, and in the future.”

Almost the entire square showed their newfound confidence in Clover, to the utter delight and relief of the entourages. Julien in particular wanted to jump for joy at his people wisening up and giving Clover an opportunity to help them one more time.

“Well, there we go, guys! As easy as robbing a house!”

A couple of people chuckled at Pancho’s joke before someone clapped. It was Ted, giving it all like his life depended on it. Dorothy joined soon after, and a mere second later, the entire square roared with applause.

Pancho stood there, almost in shock as the realization of what he had managed to pull off dawned on him. He takes a look at Julien, who is beaming at him, silent appreciation worth a thousand words with a single look.

Eventually, the applause quiets down, and Julien takes the stage once more.

“Alright, peeps, now I’ll leave all this military stuff to the penguins!”

Skipper gives a tiny nod before getting the attention of everyone with a cough: “Alright, primates, here’s how we will do business: we’ll rendezvous at the Ringtail’s holiday spa in 5 minutes. There, we will do evaluation tests and divide you into groups depending on your strength.”

A silence of confusion from the crowd earned a facepalm and a more direct and agitated response from Skipper: “Just get your butts to the king’s watering hole to find out how strong all of you are!”

Multiple nods were seen, nearly prompting another facepalm, but Skipper resisted, instead turning his attention to Clover: “Can I count on you to supervise, Four-Leaf?”

“Y-Yeah, I think so,” she nods, her mind still a bit hazy.

“…Good, good,” A brief flash of uncertainty overrides Skipper’s commanding tone, but only for a bit, “The same applies to you, Captain. Good job on crowd control, felon.”

“Er, thanks—”

“And you.”

Julien gulps at the growl escaping Skipper’s voice.

“I want you to go to my HQ, where you and I are gonna have a nice little chat. You will wait before the doors. Do not enter the HQ, do not attempt to breach the HQ, just don’t do anything stupid until I arrive. Is that clear?”

“Well, I—”

“Is that clear?”

“Y-Yes, Skipper.”

“Good. The rest of you can disperse.”

And with that, Skipper and his men left for the Waterring Hole, leaving a mere 6 people at the square.

“Thanks for helping us out, Pancho. We don’t know what we would have done without your help there,” Maurice thanked from the bottom of his heart.

“Y-Yeah, you are welcome.”

The nervous answer made any sort of conversation grind to a halt, even if for a brief moment. Clover stepped up, her eyes darting from place to place, before setting on his, her hands awkwardly held together: “Pancho. I…I just want to say—”

“Save it, Clover,” the sudden harsh tone made her stop in her tracks, and made Pancho himself flinch a bit. “Er, sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like…you know what, never mind. Look, what I want to say is…” He fidgeted for a bit, taking a deep breath, before continuing:

“Look, as much as I want to…I just can’t forgive you. Even if he went into that place foolishly, he did so because of the false belief that we were safe. Yes, KJ didn’t help matters. But as much as it pains me to say…that guy was right about one thing. You should have trained us a long time ago. And I…I just…just can’t.”

At those words, she closed her eyes, slightly stepping back. As everyone else watched in pain, she, with the most timid voice they had ever heard, asked: “Then why did you defend me so much?”

Pancho looked at his answer: “Because of KJ. I truly meant it: I am in debt to you. And I want to repay it in any way I can.”

“Pancho, you don’t owe me anything—”

“Yes, I do. The endless nights, the unrelenting nightmares…they stopped hurting me when you helped me uncover my past. And as much as I wanted to let the crowd eat her up… I couldn’t bring myself to let it happen, seeing how much in pain you were at that moment. It just wouldn’t be right. It would be beyond cruel. Heh,” he gave away a humorless laugh, “you know, it’s funny. I never really gave a damn about morals or anything like that. I lived by my own rules, stealing anything with Andy at any opportunity. It stayed like that, even when you burst into my life. And then…since then, I have been thinking a lot. A bit too much.”

“What do you mean, precisely?” Maurice asked carefully.

“Thinking about everything. Not just all the times we had fun, all the adventures and parties and that…but, y’know, the lemurs we have lost. So much pain we have seen and avoided at the same time…Thinking about morals…heck, about half of what I said there I wouldn’t have believed in a long time ago, heck, I still have trouble believing it at all! It is a mess, it feels like I am in the dark here, and I frankly…need fresh air.”

He stepped down from the rock, going back to where he had stood previously. When he came back, the five saw him holding… a red bindle.

“P-Pancho,” Julien could barely get the words out of his mouth, “You are leaving us?”

“…Yes, but not forever, alright?” He tried to reassure them with a hollow laugh, “I just need a few weeks, maybe months to figure out some stuff about me, and then I’ll return, okay?”

It took a few seconds for Julien to respond, trying his best not to cry, the fact that this isn’t the first time a friend left to "find themselves" and he still had nightmares—

“P-P-Promise us you’ll come back, alright? This place ain’t the same without you, you know…”

Pancho put his hand on the king’s shoulder, a faint smile on his face: “Heh, don’t you worry. I won’t abandon you guys.” A beat of silence. “Y’know, the funny thing is I wanted to dip outta here a bit earlier. But then, Ted told me about this, so I decided to stick around a bit more. A good thing I did, huh?”

An almost unheard laugh escaped the king’s lips, but at a flick of a switch, a gloomy atmosphere took over again. Pancho gripped his bindle, his eyes slightly sparkling with tears. “So, I guess…see you around, KJ?”

The king just barely nodded.

“…Yeah. Bye, Maurice. Bye, Mort. And… Goodbye, Clover.”

And with that, the institutionalized felon went past the entourages, into the wild, into a brand new adventure…all alone…alone…

…

“Come on, Captain. Skipper is waiting for us,” Clover ordered almost robotically, catching the Mountain Lemur and her friends by surprise. She paid no attention to them, already walking away from the group.

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Clover, shouldn’t we talk—”

“Later, Maurice,” Clover cut him off quickly, picking up her pace, “please.”

Maurice and his compatriots stood there in silence. Neither answered in time, for Clover and her right-hand man disappeared soon after.

“Your Majesty,” Maurice tried his luck with the other ruler, “can we talk?”

It took Julien a few good moments to respond, his fist shaking, his breathing erratic, his eyes misty: “No, not yet.”

“But—”

“No, Maurice, I need some alone time to wonder what the heck I did wrong here, alright?!” Julien almost screamed at him, a few tears escaping his eyes, before regret hit him hard like a truck. “Just…just do something useful, alright? I need to prepare for that bossy penguin.”

Without waiting for a response, he hastily left, leaving his friends in an eerily quiet atmosphere, despite the wind picking up its pace.

“Wow, fantastic job, Maurice!” Mort made his thoughts very clear.

“Mort, don’t even start.” He then sighed, mumbling, pondering the last command his king had given him. Not just that, but Clover’s breakdown, and everything else… He rubbed his head, a small resolve returning to him. He then asked Mort: “Mort, could you please explain to me what happened with Horst?”

Chapter Text

Ever found yourself in a situation where you screwed up so spectacularly that you can only wait for the inevitable scolding that will put your confidence on an indefinite hiatus? That’s the question King Julien has been asking ever since he arrived at the penguins’ temporary home, and waited for Skipper for about… an hour at least?

He could do nothing but pace around the de facto entrance/balcony, replaying that damn fiasco at the square. His plan did succeed, but not without pain. Not without his people, his people calling for Clover’s head, not without his friend breaking down in front of the people, in front of him…his head was swarming, mood constantly changing between the disappointment in himself for allowing things to get out of hand so quickly, and anger, fury at that lemur who instigated the brief wave of hatred.

It was a mess. A complete mess.

It just doesn’t make any sense. His plans failed countless times, yet he was always able to turn things around, to undo the wrongs he caused. Yet now it seems that ever since Clover left, all attempts to get everything fixed blew up in his face. The giants, the penguins, and now Pancho…they all fixed his mess.

Is this going to be a pattern?

His thought process was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. He turned his attention to Skipper, who appeared on the balcony. A scowl, nay, a glare dominated his face, and it was aimed at him.

“Get inside,” Skipper told Julien coldly, heading for the door. The king obeyed, not daring to speak a single word. Once they were inside, all he could hear was the sound of the wild as Skipper continued to glare at him, his flippers crossed.

“Well,” Skipper said after a while, “what do you have to say for yourself?”

Julien gulped, fidgeting all over the place, playing with his fingers. “Uhm…I guess that didn’t go well—”

“Oh, really! Didn’t notice,” Skipper interrupted, rolling his eyes for a brief second before they resumed creating a hole in Julian’s forehead.

“And, um, I guess, I screwed up—”

“Screwed up? Screwed up?!”

“…Royally?”

“Ringtail, that wasn’t a simple screw up, oh no! That was a full-on FUBAR with a capital F! If not for your thieving friend, we all would have been sleeping with the fishes!” Skipper yelled at Julien, his flippers forming into fists.

“L-Look, yes, that was a disaster, but I—”

“Didn’t know it wouldn’t end up like that? This is exactly what I predicted would happen! People want a scapegoat, someone to pin the blame upon, and your idiotic performance allowed Four-Leaf to be thrown into the wolves!”

“I-I know, but I was prepared to take the blame! I didn’t know someone was gonna pin the blame on her!”

“Argh!” Skipper just groaned, pacing around the room for a bit. “All this for a bunch of no-lives.”

“H-Hey!” Julien returned the glare, “Don’t call my people like that!”

“I wasn’t talking about your people, though they clearly show the finest qualities a mammal can possess. No, I was talking about those revolutionaries and that con-man!”

“Oh, I see…Hang on, you can’t call them like that either!”

“And why? And don’t give me that ‘they are my people’ nonsense,” Skipper pointed at him, “they were the enemies of the state!”

“Well, because, because…”

“Hmph. Thought so.”

Julien took a deep breath, before also pointing at Skipper, “Look, bossy penguin, regardless of the fact they tried to kill me multiple times, they were still my people, and they died because my training gave them a false sense—”

“Oh, for the love of…” Skipper interrupts, facepalming in the process, “Ringtail, I will say this only once: you are not responsible for their deaths. Their deaths are of their own making: they wandered into the lion’s den at night, and paid the price.”

“…Wow,” Julien could only say in disbelief, “So, that’s it? I shouldn’t care at all what happens to my people?”

“You can’t take care of everyone, Ringtail. There are some who will find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, most likely out of their stupidity. You can’t make a whole deal of a single guy biting the dust. You've got to accept it.”

Julien started digging his nails into his palms, the calm, cold demeanor of the penguin before him, combined with the memories of finding their bodies, just too much for him to bear. “Yeah, then how come you are helping us, then?! If you don’t care about my people, then why do a deal with us in the first place?!”

Both parties freeze for a split second, Julien already regretting his words, while Skipper seemed to be taken by surprise. However, in the blink of an eye, a smirk appeared on his face: “A challenge.”

“A challenge?” Julien was flabbergasted.

“Indeed. You see, I have trained my boys to be the best they can be. And that requires intensive, and above all, effective training. Getting 3 guys to their peak is no easy feat, and giving such valuable intel is not something I would share with anyone. But your…troubles have presented me with an opportunity. For me, getting hundreds of almost hopeless mammals to defend their lives properly in a space of a few months is no easy feat, but it is a challenge I cannot refuse. Granted, most of them have some decent strength for a bunch of lemurs, but that’s all they have going for.  I pull it off, it may well be my greatest achievement.”

A plethora of emotions ran through Julien’s mind as Skipper stood there, proud of his explanation. One, however, stood out the most: disgust. To hear that Skipper is helping them not because it’s right, but because of some self-made challenge, felt beyond wrong. And yet, it felt familiar…

Before he could react, however, Skipper continued, his smirk slowly replaced by a scowl: “Now, Ringtail, while I don’t care for you, I would prefer to avoid any coup d’etats during our stay. So, given what happened today, I don’t want you to yap on about those three in any shape or form until it all dies down. No grand speeches, no buildings, monuments in their name, no funerals to honor them, just don’t mention them at all. And above all—”

“N-No funerals? Are you crazy?” Julien sneered at the penguin, “Seriously, this is just…just…argh!”

“Your kingdom has been neglecting the need to bury the dead for quite some time, if your thieving friend wasn’t talking nonsense back there. Was he?”

“No, of course we have been doing funerals. Like…like…” Julien’s rant stops in its tracks, unsure of when he last attended a funeral. Or when a funeral was conducted. Or…if maybe there were any funerals altogether.

“I see. As I was saying, you should above all keep a very, very close eye on that usurper. He was as quiet as a mouse during the evaluation, but he could easily be plotting another way to get people on his side. Understand?”

Julien merely nodded, his brain too preoccupied with trying to recall any funerals during his reign. Annoyingly, his mind always kept going back to Sage’s “burial” and his own “burial” a few seasons ago, but everything else came up…blank.

“Good. Glad we sorted this problem. Now, your training begins at 1000 hours in the morning. Four-Leaf will deal with you personally, while Private will keep watch on you and then take over her duties, as frankly, he is the only one who can stomach training you. That will be all. Dismissed.”

With that, Skipper turned his back on Julien, snapping the king out of his recollection. He stomped away, slamming the door on his way out, and left the hut without a reply. His annoyed behaviour did not leave him as he stormed his way to his throne room, ignoring curious looks along the way. Neither did numerous pacing around the empty throne room, nor did sitting on his throne, grumpily waiting for someone to come by so he could complain to them.

However, a quick glance to his left told him there was someone there to hear his troubles…as she always did.

“Ah, Amelia, you could not believe the day I had! Everything seemed to blow up in my face!”

The skeleton did not reply, sitting still.

“I know we haven’t spoken to each other in a while, especially when I spent so much time here these last few days, but I wasn’t feeling well, y’know.”

“…”

“Yeah. It’s been tough, not gonna lie. Abner, Becca, and Andy are gone, completely my fault. People nearly banished Clover, I made her really panicky, like it was really scary, man, and all because some doofus couldn’t keep his mouth shut. And now, that noisy penguin is talking to me like my parents do!”

As fresh wind blows through the cabin, giving Julien slight chills, Amelia slightly turns her head.

“Okay, not that bad, but still, he was really mean, man. He wants me to forget them! Heck, he doesn’t want me to honor them at all, not even a funeral! Could you believe it?”

Julien jumps to the seat with Amelia, playing with her hand for a few moments.

“I know, he is so insensitive. Which, uh, reminds me…”

A much bigger silence ensued, during which Julien once again played with fingers, occasionally scratching his back with Amelia’s hand.

“I just realised…you know, remember when I had that awesome funeral where I buried my ‘old party animal’ self? And do you remember the War of the Beasts, where I took my kingdom back in a big battle and we had those great parties for like 3 weeks?”

Amelia cocks her head as Julien drops her hand, his voice becoming a bit more timid.

“Uh, I just realised, that you know, I haven’t thought about what we did with our guys who didn’t make it. Like, did we actually give them funerals? Did we completely forget about them? And if not, then how come I didn’t, like, participate in honoring them, and…stuff. Shouldn’t it be my duty to do so?”

This time, Amelia can only stare at Julien, unnerving the king.

“Yeesh, if you don’t have an answer to that, then what now?... Wait a minute… Aha! Maurice! Maybe he knows what happened! But wait, I sent him to do, er, something, so I have no clue where to look for him.”

Julien slumped in a chair dejectedly, before having a look around the throne room. For a few seconds, he lazily eyed it, the emptiness of the place making him uncomfortable. Eventually, he once again locked eyes with Amelia.

“What do you think, Amelia? What should I do now?”

“…”

“Yeah, you are right. I should just wait for him here. Or for Clover. Or even Mort. Thanks.”

With that, he once again took his spot on the throne, crossing his arms and legs as he patiently waited for Maurice or someone to come through the curtains. And waited.

And waited. And waited.

…

…

“Yeesh. This guy packed up real quick.”

That was Mort’s response as he and Maurice entered Horst’s hut. After knocking a couple of times and receiving no response, both decided to go inside to see if Horst had left the kingdom. And sure enough, their suspicions were confirmed as the place was devoid of Horst’s belongings. A quick search for a possible note didn’t bear fruit either. It’s as if he completely disappeared.

“Dang it,” was all Maurice could say about the situation before him, “first Pancho, now Horst?”

“Well, technically, Horst probably left first, if we look at this from a time perspective,” Mort corrected him in a slightly posh accent.

“Doesn’t help,” Maurice only shook his head. The advisor paced around, wondering what to do next.

“Perhaps we should find out where he went,” Mort replied to his unspoken question in the same accent.

“I’m not sure if we should. I mean, if he didn’t leave a note and didn’t tell anyone, he probably doesn’t want people to know where he is going.”

“True, but we should at least know he is alright, even if from afar.”

Maurice considered the situation for a moment. Mort’s words were convincing, but there was also something else that was telling him to not just find out where Horst is, but also to keep an eye on him. Their last conversation kept bugging him.

“Okay, I guess I leave it to you, Mort. Check the foosa kingdom and its surrounding areas.”

“B-But what about the foosa there?!” Mort’s normal, squeaky voice returned.

“Don’t worry, there aren’t any, we saw the place completely empty. You will be fine.”

Mort stays in place, still hesitant. With an eyeroll, Maurice says some magic words to motivate him: “Do it for King Julien—”

In the blink of an eye, Mort disappears into the woods, leaving Maurice alone. With nothing else to do, he leaves the hut, slowly walking back to the kingdom square.

There, he sees a group of people hanging out, albeit it seems most of them have pained expressions and/or hunched backs. In the corner of his eye, he spots Ted and Dorothy having a conversation, which immediately quiets down once they spot him. Ted’s face hardens, while Dorothy crosses her hands, a contemplative look on her face.

He wonders if he should just continue walking, but Dorothy quickly calls to him: “Maurice, a moment, please?”

“Oh, please, Dorothy, we are not talking—”

“Hush, honey.”

Maurice carefully approaches the duo: “Um, hi.”

“Hi,” Dorothy replied with the same awkwardness, while Ted continued to give him the stink eye.

“So…how did it go?”

“The training, you mean? Well, it—”

“It was humiliating,” Ted interrupted, “Those penguins were so mean to me!”

“Oh, sorry to hear that, Ted,” Maurice replied.

“Not the only thing you should be sorry about,” Ted crossed his arms, now refusing to look at Maurice.

“Ted, don’t be rude to Maurice.”

“No, Dorothy! You expect me to just forgive him immediately?”

The square turned silent at Ted’s outburst and made Maurice feel uncomfortable. Dorothy replied slowly and silently: “Look, Ted, I’m not happy about it either, but if we just hear him out why—”

“No, I refuse to listen to him! And you know why.”

And with that, Ted stormed out.

“Ted! Where are you going?”

No reply came from Ted. With a sigh of frustration, Dorothy turned her attention to Maurice: “Sorry about that.”

“No, I understand why he is mad. Surprised you aren’t, too.”

“Well, can’t say I am happy about this either,” Dorothy crossed her arms, irritated, “but you could tell me why you kept it from us for so long.”

Maurice looked around, seeing that the onlookers returned to their conversations. “I…I want to say because we had to organize the announcement, but to be completely honest…”

He motions Dorothy to get closer, leaning in to speak in a hushed voice: “When we discovered them, Julien…he was beyond crushed. Y’know, I thought hiding in a sub, having his kingdom stolen by Koto, having to abandon you guys just so he could survive, was the most dejected I have ever seen him.”

“But seeing the bodies of people he loves was much, much worse, right?”

Maurice could only nod. He desperately tried to shake away the terrible memory of that day as Dorothy’s face softened, a sigh escaping her lips.

“I get it, Maurice. I wouldn’t blame you if you had kept it from us for a lot longer. Julien looked like he was gonna lose it back there.”

“Yeah. Too bad Clover did lose it,” Maurice added bitterly.

Dorothy could only stare, whatever anger she had at Maurice disappearing, being replaced by pity. “That guy was way, way too harsh. Rude, even. Is…Is she gonna be alright?”

Maurice sighs. “I don’t know. I have not seen her react like that ever.”

“…I see.”

For a few seconds, no word was shared between the two. Maurice bit his lip, wondering if he should just leave or if he should continue this conversation. Dorothy, however, beat him to a punch: “Their…bodies…are they still there?”

The advisor gulped. “Y-Yes. But…only skeletons.”

Dorothy merely nodded. “I’ll tell Ted and we will…you know.”

Maurice nodded back, before the two went silent yet again. And once again, he thought if he should continue this conversation. He probably should leave now for his hut, but in his mind, there is still one matter he wants to talk about.

“So, how did the training go for you?”

“Me? Well,” She stretched her back, “Not gonna lie, I feel really sore. Those penguins were rude as well. But, I’ll admit that I felt…happy? Relieved? Satisfied? It just felt good to…do that.”

Maurice allowed a small smile to decorate his face. “That’s good to hear. Did anything interesting happen as well?”

“Hmm, not really.”

“Really? Did…did he not say anything?” Maurice’s voice hardened at the thought of him.

“Who? Oh, him? Yeah, he was silent, actually. Everyone was, aside from the penguins.”

“I see,” Maurice replied, slightly doubtful, which Dorothy noticed.

“No, seriously, he did not say a word, at all. The one time I had a look at him, he looked in thought. He certainly wasn’t planning to drag Clover’s name through the mud again to me.”

“I hope so. I have a few choice words for him and a couple of more if he dares again.” Maurice took a breath, “Do you know his name by any chance?”

“Nope, I think it’s the first time I have seen his face. Maybe a quiet guy who just lost it?”

“Hmm…anyway, thanks, Dorothy. And I am sorry.”

“I…”Dorothy hesitated, “You should save your sorrys for Ted, to be honest.”

And with that, both Dorothy and Maurice left the square in separate directions. The advisor didn’t waste any time getting back to his hut. After such a difficult day, nothing sounded better than a nap. Before he knew it, he was already approaching his hut…

…only to spot the Captain of the Mountain Lemurs standing before him. The Captain’s posture immediately relaxed as he made eye contact with Maurice.

“Maurice.”

“Uh, where is Clover?”

“Inside. Er…”

Before Captain could continue, Maurice’s ears picked up the sounds of female grunts and broken furniture, making his sleepiness disappear. “Ah, I see. How long has she been there?”

“Half an hour at least. And I fear it’s gonna last a lot longer.”

Maurice merely stood there as an awkward silence ensued, the faint sounds of karate kicks and broken furniture becoming a white noise. The memory of a particular moment earlier today played through Maurice’s mind, and maybe Captain’s, too. Every time Maurice opened his mouth to speak, the words died on his tongue, and his mouth closed off as a result. Meanwhile, the Captain’s hold over his spear got tighter and tighter to the point it started to creak.

Eventually, Captain cleared his throat, breaking the silence: “I assume you want to ask me about Sage’s abdication?”

Maurice flinched at the mountain lemur’s bullseye guess, before merely nodding.

“In that case, may we give the queen a bit more space?”

“Sure.”

The two moved a few meters away from the hut, the sounds of Clover’s destruction fading away until they were no longer heard.

“So,” Captain started awkwardly, “what exactly do you want to know?”

Maurice sighed, already dreading the answers that will follow. “Is it true? What he said?”

For a split second, the tough demeanor of the mountain lemur vanished, and the face of guilt took place. But it disappeared as quickly as it came.

“Yes. It is a common knowledge among us mountain lemurs. In fact, we have… had a saying that when someone is about to give up easily, they are pulling a Sage.”

“Hmph,” was all Maurice could say, the feeling of utter disappointment used fully in a single word. He took a few calming breaths, which didn’t help him, for anger burning like fire took place in his heart for the briefest of moments: “Dang it, why on earth did he abdicate, knowing Koto was a monster—”

He stopped himself, throwing his hands wildly in the process. His calming breaths continued, and still, he was unable to calm down, for like a plague, the memories of the war continued to hound him.

When his breathing finally slowed down, Captain carefully asked him: “If I may…”

Maurice didn’t respond, only stared at him, a small part of him wanting to yell at him, yet he resisted. Captain, nevertheless, continued: “Even before he became king, Koto was power-hungry. I say this as someone who, with full shame, assisted his campaigns and even was his personal advisor when he was a prince: his eyes were set on the throne and power for a long time. I do believe that even if Sage took his rightful place as my king when he should have, Koto would have overthrown him. And…maybe even with my help as well.”

Captain stopped speaking for a while, letting the words sink in and waiting for Maurice’s response. When that didn’t come, Captain continued: “I realize that I have a debt to pay. For all that I have caused. I can’t change the past, but I am willing to make up for it any way I can.”

Maurice continued to stare at him. A multitude of emotions passed through his eyes, flashbacks to the war playing in his mind, a battlefield almost between forgiveness and some sort of punishment.

Just like his people demanded early on.

Eventually, with a weary voice, he responded: “Look, I don’t know how to feel about all of this, but…if you can help Clover and be by her side when necessary, that will be enough for me for now.”

Captain bowed to Maurice. “Thank you for giving me an opportunity. Now, are there any other questions?”

“Hmm,” Maurice pondered for a moment, “How did that guy actually know about Sage’s…you know.”

“Ah, yes, I have been wondering that myself. Sharing any information with strangers was a taboo for many common mountain lemurs, as per Koto’s ‘teachings.’ But sharing such sensitive information to an outsider, whose kingdom suffered the most, is getting very, very close to committing treason. Whoever did this must be foolish, or they have nefarious goals. I assure you that I will get to the bottom of this.”

Maurice nodded in response. “I just hope we won’t have a new Uncle KJ or Koto on our hands.”

“Indeed. Anything else?”

Maurice thought for a moment.

“Have you or Clover eaten anything today?”

As if on cue, a stomach growl erupted throughout the area.

“I must admit, with everything going on, I fear both me and Queen Clover neglected our eating duties. The Queen, I fear, especially.”

“Say no more,” and without further ado, Maurice was off, hunting down mango and other fruit. He spotted Mr. Alex doing the same, but both merely said hello to each other before heading to their destinations.

Captain ate his meal without a second thought, thanking Maurice along the way (or at least he thinks he thanked him, given how he spoke with a full mouth), but Clover’s portion remained by his side, as the sounds of karate kicks and broken furniture continued for what must have been hours.

By the time evening arrived, the dreaded sounds finally, finally started to ease off, until there was nothing but ragged, female breathing. Even despite that, Maurice waited a while before slowly entering his hut with food.

His hut was a mess. Pieces of furniture were all over the place, turning his hut into a minefield of splinters and sharp objects. The only piece of furniture still standing was his bed, on which Clover was sitting.

She looked terrible; there was no way of sugar coating it. Her fur is disheveled like she hasn’t slept in a week, her face completely red, her eyes firmly shut, and her breathing low.

But that was not why Maurice’s heart nearly stopped beating. That would be Clover holding her right hand, which was slowly bleeding, a red stain on the floor below her feet.

Maurice dropped the tray in panic, pulling her out of a trance, looking at him with red eyes. He quickly tiptoed to her, making sure not to injure himself. “Clover, you okay?!”

“I…”

“Captain, I need some help here!”

Without a second thought, the door smashed open, with the Captain immediately at their side, holding Clover’s hand and inspecting it.

“Hmm... It could be worse. I should get some medical supplies.”

“It’s a small cut,” Clover meekly tried to protest.

“That you are bleeding from,” Maurice swiftly replied, “Captain, get to Club Moist, it should have something to treat this wound. It’s a cave with a skull in front, you can’t miss it.”

“Understood,” Captain swiftly left, leaving Maurice to attend to Clover. He looked around the hut, trying to find something to stop the bleeding. However, with nothing but destruction around him, he just could not find anything; instead, he had to resort to holding her bleeding palm. The cut wasn’t long, thankfully, only covering her palm from her thumb to her wrist. However, he doesn’t need to be a doctor to know it was deep.

It wasn’t awful, as Captain said, but it wasn’t looking good either. Within a couple of minutes, his left hand was wet and sloppy as he continued in vain to try to find something to stop the bleeding.

“Maurice, it’s fine, you don’t need to do this,” Clover broke the ice in a calm yet distant tone that mystified him.

“Clover, this is not ‘fine.’ You are bleeding, Captain won’t return in a while, and I can’t find anything to stop this damn bleeding!”

He tried to focus on once again finding something when Clover spoke again: “I’m sorry.”

“F-For what?”

“Everything.”

The way her voice broke was like a gut punch to Maurice. She seemed to choke on something, and before he knew it, fresh tears escaped Clover’s eyes. He couldn’t do anything but stand there, dumbfounded, as she unraveled in front of him.

“I…I f-f-failed you, f-failed Julien, failed everyone…”

“Clover, please,” Maurice begged, gently hugging her with his free arm, “You haven’t failed anyone, okay?”

Clover’s weep was her answer as she continued to cry, twisting a knife into Maurice’s heart. Tears pricked at his eyes as well, but he refused to let them out, because right now, Clover needed him.

“Clover, please, you can’t let him get to you, alright? He doesn’t know what he is saying. You have done so much for us, saved us so many times…”

Clover lays her head on his shoulder, her body shaking as she mumbles into his shoulder: “I’m sorry, I’m sor-rry, I’m s-sorry, I-I’m sorry…”

Maurice tightens his hold on her as he gently massages her back, whispering to her: “It’s okay, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here with you, I’m with you…”

It could have been a couple of minutes he stayed by her side, or even half an hour, it felt like a century before her crying started to slow down, her shaking disappearing as well. But he refused to let go of her until he was sure she was alright.

“That’s it, Clover, it’s okay, I am here for you.”

More ragged breaths erupted from Clover as she slowly lifted her head, before a coughing fit ensued.

“It’s okay, Clover, take it slowly, okay?”

He kept massaging her back as she recovered, taking deep breath after deep breath. When her breathing finally slowed down, she looked at him, eyes redder than before, yet somehow managing to produce the tiniest smile possible, squeaking out with a hoarse, low voice: “T-Thank you.”

At that moment, Captain entered the hut with the medical supplies in one hand.

“So sorry for being late, my Queen. The main doctor was extremely tough to negotiate with. Maurice, if you could.”

“Huh? Oh, right away,” the advisor let go of Clover’s hand, but then sat next to her left side, still massaging her as Captain took care of the wound.

After a couple of minutes, a small bandage was wrapped around her right palm, with Captain making sure to keep her thumb free.

“That should do it. I have brought some tissues to clean up the blood. If you need anything else, I’ll be outside.”

Captain left, once again not paying attention to all the debris as he made a beeline for the door, before trying to gently close the door (keyword trying), leaving the two lemurs alone. And after what just happened, neither was sure how to proceed. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, the two lemurs made eye contact. Even now, her eyes were redder than the blood that stained his floor, the green in her eyes lacking that spark Maurice was used to seeing.

Eventually, they stopped staring at each other, taking the tissues Captain brought, Clover to sneeze, Maurice to clean his hand, mostly.

“So…”

“…So…”

He hated that he couldn’t say anything, when he should give her words of encouragement, like he did a few minutes before, yet something held him back.

As his struggles continued, it was Clover once again who spoke first, with that timid tone he couldn’t get used to: “When I became a bodyguard for Uncle King Julien, I was prepared for casualties. If I had dared save someone else during a foosa attack, I would have been branded a traitor. So I stood by as, with each passing attack, more and more people got taken and were never seen again.

And eventually, I got used to it. When I found out half the kingdom got eaten by the foosa in Uncle’s final year, I wasn’t horrified. Appaled. I just… shrugged. Terrible, eh?”

She went quiet for a bit as guilt wrapped around Maurice like shackles. Memories of those attacks resurfaced and attacked his soul, but not as much as the fact that he also got used to how terrible things had gotten under Uncle KJ. He wouldn’t even be surprised if he also shrugged when he counted how many were still standing.

Clover continued on: “So, when Julien took over, and made me Captain, I was prepared to guard him and the people with all my life. Even when my suspicions of someone couping the king were high, I made sure the foosa didn’t get a single one. I couldn’t fail Julien. I couldn’t.

So, when I found out what happened to them…I…”

She looked away from him. Maurice let the silence ensue for a bit before adding: “It’s alright, take your time. I won’t judge you.”

She looked at him again, her green eyes still bloodshot, a frown on her face, before she stared at the ground, whispering: “For a second, I felt… relieved. Abner and Becca would have attempted to overthrow Julien again, so I was…glad they wouldn’t bother him anymore.”

Instead of a reply, Maurice massaged her back again, making sure that she knew he won’t judge. He will not.

“But of course, it hit me. How could I have been glad? Sure, they were stupid to head to the foosa kingdom despite the fact that the foosa attacked, but I should have stepped in in the first place! And I know you and Julien want to share the blame, but I was still Captain at that point! I should have checked on Mary Ann, I should have gotten you all in shape! Instead, I put my personal ambitions ahead of my responsibilities, and…”

She did not finish the thought. Nor did Maurice.

“But the worst part is that, not only have they died because of my negligence, but I failed my people, I failed you, I failed myself…

But the worst part is, I failed Julien.”

She let the words hang over them, as Maurice held back tears. He quickly rubbed his eyes as Clover continued, soon after: “I won’t ask you this, I just know Julien is hurting over what happened, a lot more than either of us. He loves his people, even ones who try to usurp him. And, I won’t lie, his love for the people rubbed off on me. Even Abner and Becca, and even Andy. So, the fact that I am responsible for what Julien is going through, just, just pains me.”

A part of him wanted to say it wasn’t her fault, but he remembered that he had gone through this before with Julien. And he knew there wasn’t anything he could say to change her mind. And so he just took hold of her non-injured hand and gently said: “Clover, you are here to fix it, that’s all that matters, and I won’t let anyone say otherwise. You will make this right.”

This time, a genuine smile found its way onto Clover’s face, and before he knew it, he was engulfed in a hug.

“Thanks, Maurice.”

She hugged him as if her life depended on it, as new tears escaped her eyes. But Maurice is thanking the Sky Gods they are happy ones, as happy as they can be. However, he then has to tap on her shoulder, for her hug is so strong that he is starting to choke.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry about that,” she said, half-laughing, and Maurice couldn’t help but let a chuckle escape his lips. As quickly as it came, though, the happy mood vanished, and so did those happy tears, as a dull look accompanied her once again.

Maurice decides to try his luck: “Listen, about what happened at the square…”

She looks away from him, shame radiating from her. “Can…can we not talk about it?”

A part of him wants to push on, to help her process that terrible moment, but deep down, he knows he should give her space, wait until she is ready. And so he will, as he once again takes hold of her non-injured hand: “Of course, Clover. You can tell me only when you are comfortable enough. Okay?”

For the second time that evening (or night?), a smile as warm as the sun shows on her face, before suddenly jumping to her feet, trying to proclaim in her usual tone: “Alright, I guess we can call it a night, then! Although, uh, I was a bit careless with the furniture and my make-shift bed.”

“You don’t say,” he replies sarcastically with a smile on his face as well. “Don’t worry, my bed is still standing. I think I can survive you kicking me in your sle—”

At that moment, the bed he sits on falls apart, making him fall on the floor with a loud thud.

“Why do I have to open my mouth like that…”

Then, out of nowhere, Clover started laughing. A small cackle at first, but then turning into full-blown laughter. And she kept laughing, and laughing, until she couldn’t stand on her feet anymore, holding onto her stomach as she howled on the floor as if it were the greatest and funniest joke in the entire world, as if she were tickled non-stop. And Maurice couldn’t help but join in as well, his chuckles joining a duet of uncontrollable laughter.

Eventually, the two lemurs slowly got their bearings as their laughter was replaced with an occasional chuckle.

“Oh, gosh, that was… I haven’t laughed like that in a while,” Clover said, still holding her stomach.

“Glad to be of service,” Maurice replied, which was followed by a light punch to the shoulder from Clover. By her standards. “Ouch.”

“Sorry. So…where are we gonna sleep?” She asked, picking up and eating some of the food from the fallen tray.

“Hmm,” the advisor pondered for a moment, “I can’t think of anything.”

“Maybe we can give Julien some company?” Clover offered.

“You sure? There is that whole ‘cheating’ worry we discussed yesterday.”

“Eh, we can put Captain on guard if necessary.”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t need to worry, Maurice,” she grabbed his shoulder, “If, pray tell, someone tries to spin that ridiculous story, Captain will have ‘stern’ words with him. Now come on, it’s already getting late.”

And without waiting for a reply, she left Maurice’s hut with Captain on her tail, with the advisor quickly following. Before they advanced even a dozen steps, however, they all registered movement behind the trees.

“My Queen, get behind me!” Captain said, readying his spear, as Clover and Maurice got behind the mountain lemur. Before they could react, a familiar voice cut through the silent forest: “Hold your spear, Captain! No need to damage this booty!”

All three eased off at the sound of the voice, with Clover and Maurice addressing the ‘intruder’: “Julien?”

The king stepped out of the shadows, approaching the trio. “What are you guys doing here?”

“What are you doing here, Julien?” Clover politely asked back.

“Uh-uh, I asked first!”

Maurice stepped forward, noticing how Julien’s fur was ever so slightly disheveled. “We were actually about to ask you if—”

“Oh, finally!” Julien yelled out, irritation radiating from him. “I have been waiting for you at the plane all day! This booty was getting sore from all the sitting— What’s up with your hand?”

The king pointed at Maurice’s left hand, which still had small traces of blood around his fingertips. The advisor was left stumped, unsure how to answer. “Uh…”

“He was helping me, King Julien,” Clover answered instead, lifting her bandaged palm, “I cut myself while exercising.”

While Maurice’s eyebrow raised at Clover’s quick response, Julien immediately went to her, inspecting the wound. “Does it hurt, Clover?”

“Not at all, Julien, just a small cut, nothing to worry about.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. But enough about me. What are you doing here? You said you had to talk to Maurice?” She put her hands on her hips.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I totally wanted to talk to him!” He sputtered his words as he turned, nervously laughing in the process, “I, uh, wanted to ask you something about the, uh, war.”

Once again, Maurice’s eyes went wide, alongside Clover’s this time. “What about it?”

“It’s, well,” the king scratched his neck, eyes darting everywhere, “Well, I had a chat with Skipper and…”

“And? What did you talk about?”

“Well…we talked about how today went, and…oh man, he was so mean to me! He talked about my people being stupid, and how I shouldn’t care about what happens to them, and just…argh!”

Julien throws his hands around in frustration as Maurice huffs in annoyance. “Hmph. Skipper is getting on my nerves, man. He should really keep his beak shut if he is gonna be insensitive. Right, Clover?”

“Probably,” Clover answers casually. Too casually.

“You sound rather calm about this. Wasn’t Skipper rude to our people during that evaluation test?”

“He did what?” Julien growled furiously, but Clover answered regardless.

“Yes, and I had to resist the urge to slap him multiple times, but,” she sighs, “making a scene in front of everyone wouldn’t bode well, would it? Besides, considering I also didn’t regard my people highly at the start of my Captain duties, that would be hypocritical of me.”

“I reckon you should straighten him out a bit so he can at least pretend to be nice, but I’m going off-topic.” Maurice turns his attention back to Julien, “Is that what was bothering you?”

Julien played with his fingers, his eyes finding the patch of grass below him very interesting. “Uh, sort of. You see, while we were arguing, we talked about, uhm, funerals.”

“…Okay…”

“Well, uh, it just occurred to me…remember those awesome parties we had when we won the war?”

Maurice cautiously nods.

“Well, I was wondering…about the guys that didn’t make it…did we, like, honor them?”

Maurice’s eyes went wider than ever before as he took a sharp intake of breath. Julien didn’t seem to notice, for he continued: “Because, I don’t remember like being at any funeral after the war, and like, should I have been? Like, not giving them a proper goodbye while we were partying seems not kingly, y’know?”

Before Maurice could even contemplate giving an answer, Clover replied instead, stepping closer to the king: “Julien, this will be tough to hear, but bear with me. You see, a couple of days after the war was over, I had a look at the battlefield to see how many have fallen. But, when I got there, all the… ‘bodies’…disappeared.

“D-Disappeared? How?”

“I dunno,” she squeezes Julien’s shoulder with her uninjured arm, “I searched everywhere, but I couldn’t find them.”

Julien took a step back, blinking several times, seemingly shaken back. “I…I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Clover looks to the side, taking a deep breath. “I wanted to tell you, but…you were so happy, so full of joy, and I just couldn’t dampen your spirit. And not just you, but everyone else was enjoying themselves. I just couldn’t ruin that.”

“…So, everyone just forgot about them? Not just me?”

A sigh escapes Clover’s lips, her eyes staring into his: “No. Eventually, when everything had settled, I checked to see who was missing, and also talked to ones close to them.”

Julien ran his hand through the fur on his head as a sigh escaped his lips. “I…I dunno what to say.”

“I’m sorry.”

Julien calmly, slowly approached Clover with an indescribable look on his face. His left hand slowly hovered in the air, as if he wanted to put it on her shoulder, or even hug her. However, he suddenly retracted it, turning to Maurice instead: “And you? Did you know about this?”

Maurice stammered, fumbling for words. And that was enough for Julien, his brows furrowing. “I see.”

“We’re sorry, Julien,” Clover immediately replied.

“I know, I know, it’s just…argh…” he rubbed his face, “this is so weird to process, you know. I, I…”

Then, without warning, he turned around and slowly walked away from the group. “My kingly mind needs some alone time to process this. I think I’ll give Amelia some company for a bit. Captain, I’ll see you at my hut.”

And without waiting for a reply, the king walked away. The warm breeze that flowed through the kingdom now gave Maurice nothing but chills.

“Well. I guess giving him company is out of the picture for tonight. Now what?”

“We’ll figure something out,” Clover’s calm tone returned, “Captain, you are free to go. Make sure Julien and India are safe.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

“And, please be gentle with Julien.”

Captain hesitated for a second before he repeated his steady reply: “Yes, my Queen.”

And that just left two lemurs in the woods, wondering where to sleep.

“I guess we can just sleep outside the hut?” Maurice offered, “we are lemurs after all.”

“Looks like—” Before she could finish her sentence, the warm breeze in an instant turned cold, giving both lemurs shivers. Looking up, Maurice could no longer see the moon that was up in the air, as dark clouds surrounded the kingdom.

“Oh great, even the darn weather is giving us a hard time,” Maurice couldn’t help but complain, “now what?”

“Any houses that are unoccupied?”

“None that I can think of. Aside from Abner and—”

“Nope, absolutely not,” Clover immediately refused, her tone trembling, and not because of the sudden cold.

“Alright, not there,” Maurice wanted to kick himself for accidentally opening a small wound in her heart, but instead tried to think of anything else. Andy’s was out of the picture, and the same could be said about Pancho’s. Everything else was occupied. The plane seemed like the best option, but Julien was there, and by the time he would leave, the damn wind would give them a cold. He knew from experience.

“Come on, Maurice…” He muttered to himself.

Then it hit him.

It would be very ill-timed…

But they had no choice.

Julien was shivering by the time he made it to his hut. He spent Frank knows how long at the plane, letting his thoughts race as he sat beside Amelia, the uncomfortable truth making him second-guess himself over and over and over again.

Was the fact that his fallen people disappeared without a trace painful? Yes. Did it sting that Clover and Maurice kept it from him? Also yes.

But then again, was it really horrible from them? When he did the same thing to Clover, keeping her in the dark about what was happening in his kingdom, so that she could enjoy herself with Sage?

Should he have known so he could comfort the ones who lost their loved ones? Or did the fact that no one approached him mean that they had accepted and moved on? Should he? Does Skipper actually have a point? Is it really impossible to care for everyone? Should he listen to his advice? Or should he go behind his back and give them a proper farewell?

For every question he managed to find an answer to, five more would pop up, and the answers kept contradicting each other.

So, after a long while, he decided to leave Amelia be and head in for the night. He needed some beauty sleep, after all. Tomorrow, he would participate in a torturous experience of getting fit, battle-ready, and preparing for any danger that might be thrown at his kingdom. And he couldn’t do that, dead-tired and with some emotional turmoil to boot, could he? The latter is more than enough.

Assuming, of course, the cold wind wouldn’t knock him out and put him into prolonged bed duty before he had the chance to embarrass Maurice (himself).

He quickly entered his hut, the familiar place already showing more warmth than what was going on outside. Inside, the Captain was lying on his bed, his spear in his hand. He opened his eye, tension easing off once he saw who it was, standing up. “King Julien, good to see you. It seems that the weather has taken a turn for the worse.”

“Yep, Captain. We rarely have such unpleasant winds, so of course, when I have to have a deep session with my kingly mind, it appears.”

“Hmm,” Captain had a look through the window, “looks like it might rain tomorrow. Cloudy and cool at best.”

Julien only groaned, not even bothering to ask how he knew all of that, before a thought hit him: “Your hawks, are they alright out there?”

Captain shifted his gaze to the balcony entrance, where his and Clover’s hawk were resting. “They have suffered worse conditions, they will be fine. But thank you regardless.”

After that, not much was said for a while. The eyelids were getting heavy for Julien, yet there was still something he wanted, no, needed to ask. “Captain, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, King Julien.”

“I wonder…Captain, is Clover alright? After what happened at the square?”

Captain’s posture tensed for a second, and his eye shifted to the side, but he immediately relaxed, and made eye contact: “She did appear mute during the evaluation tests, but as far as I can gather, she talked it out with your advisor, and she seemed alright, the hand injury aside.”

“Aha.” Was all Julien could say…and yet, something didn’t seem right. She looked fine when they talked, and he could trust Maurice to take care of her, which he did…

So why did it still feel wrong for him?

“I should have been there for her,” he blurted all of a sudden, surprising himself completely.

“Hmm?” Captain asked, having not heard his comment.

“Er, nothing, it’s just…nothing.”

After that, silence ensued again. When nothing was spoken for a few seconds, Captain aimed his attention at his ‘bed’: “Well, I think it’s time for both of us to have a good night’s rest. I bid you good night, King Julien.”

Captain put his spear down, but before he could lie down on his bed, Julien blurted out again: “Captain, wait.”

“Hmm? Yes, King Julien?”

“Can…can you keep an eye out for Clover when you leave?”

That got Captain’s full attention, as Julien stood there, holding his left hand, silently mumbling, almost unheard by Captain’s ears: “I just want to make sure she is alright and safe. T-That’s all.”

Captain studied the king before replying: “King Julien, our kingdom might be the most secure on the entire island, especially with King Sage as her husband. But, if you deem it necessary, I will keep a close eye on her in the next few weeks, and even write to you should something occur. Will that be alright?”

A breath he didn’t know he was holding escaped Julien’s lips as tension left his body, his posture relaxed: “Thanks, Captain. I owe you a lot.”

“On the contrary, King Julien. It’s the least I can do, after…my involvement in the war.”

The smile left Julien’s lips for a brief moment, but it was back, tone solemn: “No need to kick yourself up about that, Captain. Good night.”

“Good…good night,” Captain answered hesitantly, before turning his attention to his bed. In seconds, he was out like a light, prompting Julien to go to his bedroom. Without wasting time, he dropped onto his bed, putting his crown beside him. As his body prepared for a good night’s sleep, one thought, or shall he say, one person kept him awake for a few more minutes. Clover. He shouldn’t be worried about her, and yet…He might not know a thing about exercises or army discipline…perhaps you can get injured from trying too hard…

But does exercise make your eyes red from crying?