| “ | When the shrill piercing clarion of duty sounds, those of a heroic soul have no choice but to answer the call. | „ |
| ~ Lord Mountbatten to Darien Wolf, Fables #116 — "Cubs in Toyland, Part 3: Clockwork Tiger" |
Lord Mountbatten is a Fable of a dual nature; a clockwork tiger in the real world, but a real tiger in the toy world, cursed to live oppositely in two realms. He first appears in Fables #78 — "The Jungle Book, Part Two of Five." Mowgli met Mountbatten in The Indu and brought him to the Farm. Mountbatten was killed while accompanying Darien Wolf on a mission to save Darien's sister Therese in Toyland.
History
Last Viceroy of the Raj
Lord Mountbatten was a clockwork tiger forged by the Maharaja Sindhu Baba Singh's finest craftspeople in The Indu, the Homelands version of India.[1] He lived at Singh's palace and played with his children,[6] but was eventually presented as a gift to[1] the children of[5] Lord Viceroy Lovejoy, the last person to rule the Raj.[1] Infused with magic, he is the product of two disciplines, sorcery and the watchmaker's arts. As a result, he is cursed with a divided nature, to live oppositely in two realms: In the real world, Mountbatten is a toy, while in the toy world he is a real tiger; always with one foot in each.[5]
Mountbatten lived in the Raj's palace and played with his children;[1] much like he did with his former owner.[6] However, when the Adversary invaded, all the white rulers of the Raj were killed and the Empire took over. Lord Mountbatten was left as the only survivor because the goblin troops thought that he was a mere toy. As the last surviving member of the Raj, he took it upon himself to assume the office of Viceroy and lead the local resistance. He chose the name Mountbatten for himself, as his former owners never gave him one. All the resistance troops eventually deserted, except for Bad Sam, a drunken kinkajou from an exotic land. By the time they meet Mowgli, the two have been fighting together for hundreds of years, while Sam has kept Mountbatten repaired, and rewound him when needed.[1]
Meeting Mowgli
Mowgli meets Mountbatten in the jungle while on a mission in The Indu. The clockwork tiger introduces himself as Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of the Raj, and presents Sam as his last loyal Sepoy.[4] Mowgli allies himself with them[2] and brings Sam and Mountbatten with him[7] to the Farm.[2]
Cubs in Toyland
Lord Mountbatten in clockwork form on the Farm
Mountbatten, accompanied by another toy named Ranger Mike Danger, and Darien Wolf head to Toyland in search of Darien's sister Therese, with the hopes of bringing her back home.[5] However, they are unexpectedly ambushed and attacked by the toys, resulting in the destruction of Ranger Mike Danger.[8] To make matters worse, he's now alone and his companion Darien has been severely wounded.[9]
The toys capture him and take him to face the judgment of Therese in her court. He desperately claims he came to rescue Therese and begs for her mercy. But she remains unmoved, whether due to her own hunger or the effects of the cursed land. Therese commands his execution. The toys kill him in a brutal, swift manner. Therese feasts on his raw meat with savage hunger, not wasting any time. She commands for the remaining flesh to be cooked, even if it means utilizing the wooden toys as firewood.[10]
Afterward, Therese is overwhelmed with remorse and shame for her actions: When she learns that her brother had been on Toyland and gave his life to activate a magical cauldron in order to rescue her, she is consumed with sorrow. As she grieves for her brother's sacrifice, Therese undergoes a transformation and realizes the mistakes she has made. As time passes in Toyland, the once youthful and naive Therese grows older and wiser. She sends out the toys on a mission to save the lives of children, hoping to redeem them for their past sins.[3]
As the toys fulfill this duty, the land transforms back into its lush and fruitful state, restoring the toys to their original form. Despite her skill in restoring toys, Therese is unable to fix Mountbatten. This remains a source of deep regret for her, as he is the only toy she has not been able to bring back to life. Mountbatten believes it is because he was never part of her kingdom.[3]
Mountbatten's clockwork form lives on in the real world, where grown tree roots and flower vines keep his empty body propped up, but he never moves again. He regrets never being able to Snow White and Bigby Wolf, Darien and Therese's parents, what became of their children. Eventually, Therese returns to the mundane world and apologizes to his clockwork form.[3]
Powers and abilities
- Speech: Mountbatten can sometimes talk, when the repairs are kept up or the magic is strong in him.[5]
- Shapeshifting: Mountbatten is of a dual nature and can leave his clockwork body behind in the real world and take the form of flesh and blood in the toy world.[5]
- World-crossing: In his flesh and blood form, Mountbatten can travel between worlds, although he can only set one step in each world at a time, as they are stepping stones between the distant poles of his divided nature.[5]
Appearances
Fables
Fairest
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Trivia
- According to the Fables Encyclopedia, one possible inspiration for Fables' Lord Mountbatten is Tipu's Tiger, the mechanical tiger of Tipu Sultan.[11]
- The historical Lord Mountbatten is Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Fables #79 — "Fabletown Unbound: Chapter Three of The Dark Ages"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fables #82 — "Home From The Jungle, Part Five Of Five"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Fables #121 — "Toy Repair: Chapter 8 of Cubs in Toyland"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fables #78 — "The Jungle Book, Part Two of Five"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Fables #116 — "Cubs in Toyland, Part 3: Clockwork Tiger"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Fairest #20 — "Charming to the Last: The Return of the Maharaja Part Six"
- ↑ Fables #80 — "Mowgli For Dinner, Part Four of Five"
- ↑ Fables #117 — "Cubs in Toyland Chapter 4: Action Figures"
- ↑ Fables #118 — "Cubs in Toyland, Part 5: Broken Kite"
- ↑ Fables #119 — "Cubs in Toyland, Part 6: Wooden Toys"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Fables Encyclopedia pg. 143