1Back with the duel, both fighters showed some damage from the fight although the Baron looked the worst for it. He had to change tactics to have a chance. "We seem to be on our way to fighting to a draw; might I suggest something else?"
Leslie drew his sword up and evaluated the situation. He was winning - slowly. It would take some time to wear down the Baron, and any mistake could either negate his advantage or even be his downfall. "What do you have in mind? We've tried foils before, as you recall."
"Nothing as simple as that. Ever joust before?"
"No. I've ridden a horse many a time, but never that. I, ah, doubt that we'd manage that here - I seem to have forgotten to bring a stallion."
"Of course you did" the Baron said, finding no levity for the moment. "No, I propose a different type. I will charge in my chair while you defend from your seated position. Does the challenge appeal to you, or is it too much out of your comfort zone?" Rolfe asked, trying to goad the daredevil.
Leslie didn't take the bait, but he considered the situation. Surely there had been enough time for Maggie and Fate to make it to the physician; it was best to end this thing quickly if possible. "Equal lances?"
"Naturally. No fair one of us getting a longer reach." He waved to another wall that held several. Leslie nodded and with an eye on the Baron walked to the wall and selected two similar lances, carrying them back to Rolfe before holding them both out for inspection. The Baron waved the right to first choice and Leslie shrugged, pulling one back for himself while continuing to extend the other which was taken. Leslie returned to his chair while Rolfe backed up his chair before adjusting the direction so it pointed just to Leslie's right.
Leslie nodded, the Baron copied the gesture, and then started pumping his wheels to gather speed for the contest. As they met, both weapons hit the hand guard of the opponent's lance simultaneously, causing them to clatter to the floor while each fighter shook his hand from the sting of the impact. Small splinters from the tips were the only other indication that something had happened.
A tie.
"Again?" Leslie asked.
"Again" the Baron agreed. Both picked up their weapons and returned to their positions to repeat the process. Leslie noticed Rolfe doing something to his side but couldn't quite make it out while he waited. After a short time the Baron yelled "Charge!" and started forward again. Leslie decided to brace the butt of his lance against the back of his chair under his arm in an attempt to steady it. Suddenly there was a flash behind the Baron, and smoke and flame belched from behind his chair as he raced forward at much greater speed.
With nerves of steel Leslie waited, watching his point and ignoring the lance of his opponent. Just before he reached his opponent, Rolfe's front wheel skidded momentarily on a splinter which caused his chair to aim slightly to his right. He put his hand on the left wheel to correct, but applied too much pressure and the chair veered too far left just as the lances were to meet. Rolfe's lance glanced off the side of Leslie's arm, cutting through his shirt and gouging the skin. Leslie's lance, however, found its mark as it impacted the Baron's chest. The momentum of the Baron's chair continued to carry him further forward, driving the lance inward as the impact spun Leslie's chair around and took the lance out of his grasp. Rolfe went down on his side, the chair still sliding across the floor from the force of a small rocket on the back that finally sputtered and popped as it went out. Leslie bounded up and leaped over to the Baron but stopped short of rolling him over; the lance protruded out both front and back.
Rolfe looked up with rapidly fading eyes at his opponent. "No rematch" he muttered before expiring. Shaken, Leslie closed the man's eyes and gathered his strength before setting off to catch up with Fate and Maggie.
...
That night, Fate received the most intensive training he had ever had - becoming the King of Carpania. What the doctor didn't know about the King was eagerly supplied by Anna. How he walked, how he talked, and just who everyone was turned out to be too much even for the professor. Leslie and Maggie had already retired for the evening.
He rubbed his temples. "I appreciate all your work, but there just isn't enough time to become an exact copy of King Hapnick."
Exhausted, the Dieder agreed. "Maybe if we had more time. A LOT more time." Even though the threat of the Baron was eliminated, the kingdom still lacked leadership and it was still possible to have some type of power struggle.
"Does he have to be an exact copy?" Anna asked.
"What do you mean?"
"People have been known to come out of injuries different than before they were hurt. Why not an illness? A severe fever could have caused problems that left him...different."
"Go on" Fate prodded.
"For instance, it could be doctor's orders not to drink so much. Maybe it gave you memory problems, although I think the professor here has a far better mind than Hapnick ever had." She smiled, and Phineas returned the gesture before reaching for his face and feeling his lips. Something was happening to him; it must have been the pressure of the events.
"It could work. Maybe if we tell them you fell out of bed and struck your head it would be more believable" her father suggested.
"But all those people I'm supposed to know" Fate bemoaned.
"I'll stay by you as your nurse" Anna volunteered. "For the most part people know the King, not the other way around. I can give you hints and help where it's needed."
"I could do that" Phineas said dreamily, then cleared his throat. "At least until things settle down." For settling down, things got noisy very quickly when there was the sound of a large POW coming from the area of the courtyard.
"Gunshots!" Dieder yelled. "The Baron's men - he must have survived" he said, panicking.
"No...a backfire!" Fate corrected him. "My car! They must have found it!" He started to jump up to see his beloved Hannibal when Anna put her hand on his shoulder.
"Wait! If you must go down, are you going as Fate or as the King?" she asked.
"What difference does...oh...I see." He thought furiously. "Better make it the King. We'll pretend Max is the driver." Throwing on some of Hapnick's clothes, they hurried down to the courtyard and Fate saw his vehicle standing at rest with Max climbing out. Nearby, Hezekiah stood checking the Leslie Special. Both had spent a long day tracking down the vehicles; ultimately it was Hezekiah's sense of smell that the traced the machines to a large barn near the palace.
Fate started to speak to his friend when Anna interrupted. "Excuse me, but the King would like to see this amazing car if it's okay with you, sir" she addressed Max.
Max scratched his head, but then went along with the gag. "Sure. This is the Hannibal Twin-8..." he continued as he 'showed' the car to the King; anyone standing nearby might have noticed that the King had a remarkable grasp of engineering and a keen insight how things worked when in fact he was checking the car for any damage. He slid into the passenger seat beside Max and ran his finger along the dashboard, smiling. "Let me start it up for you" Max offered, jumping out of the vehicle.
Not understanding, Anna got in and sat down behind the steering wheel while Max turned the engine crank up front. The engine shook and roared to life, then settled into a steady idle. Anna felt the wheel, the shift knob, and the seats to soak it all in - she was sitting in an actual automobile. Adjusting her position, she pulled down a lever as she braced for leverage. Aghast, Phineas grabbed her and hurled both out of the vehicle. She was about to object when the driver's seat she had been sitting in launched itself through the roof of the car and over a nearby wall.
Lying on top of the professor, Anna looked into his eyes. "You saved me."
"It was my pleasure" he murmured back. If she said something after she kissed him he didn't hear it; too filled were his ears with a roar as his senses tuned themselves to only soak in the beauty of her face.
...
"And thus it is with regret that I withdraw from the Paris to New York automobile race" Fate continue to dictate. "My retirement is effective immediately, but this in no way eliminates the need for the Great Leslie to finish the race to claim victory. However, it is my estimation that if anyone can do it, he is the one most capable. Signed, Professor Fate." He gave a flourish and Leslie finished writing the note and handed it to Anna. "The last we shall hear of Professor Fate."
"Remarkable. Men are pushed to great achievements by great opponents. I shall miss your competitive spirit" Leslie said as he shook hands with his former rival.
"Don't get too melancholy. When my next prototype rolls out of the new workshop I'm going to build I will be needing a top driver to test it out."
"Deal. Goodbye Max, you and the professor make a great team."
"You too Leslie. You and Maggie take care now, and come back to see us."
"I will." Leslie bounded out of the room and Phineas and Anna made their way to the window in time to see him jump over the door of the Leslie Special and land in the driver's seat. With a roar he and Maggie waved and were off in a cloud of dust.
"You know, he really IS great" Phineas said. "Now on to business. I've got the Eiffel Tower to pay for."
"I think you're pretty great too," Anna said as she hugged him "but I think we already knew that."
The End
A/N: This turned out a bit longer than I intended, but I wanted to resolve the end of the movie and my usual length short story just wouldn't cover it.
Not having seen this movie in many years, I actually got parts of this film mixed up with "Monte Carlo or Bust" ("Those Daring Young Men in their Jaunty Jalopies" in the USA) since both were made during the same era and both had Tony Curtis in the lead. But it WAS a fun movie.
