Angry eyes followed Gabriel as he made his way through the roads. They were still packed with mice from the rally earlier that morning. Word of his ride into town on the bag of a large dog was spreading like wildfire. The mage quickly realized that his fellow mice were whispering behind his back.
Whispers of betrayal. That the Mage Mouse had turned on all of them.
In retrospect, I should have made my way up there in a more discreet fashion. Better yet, I should have declined Bella’s offer! Oh no! This is terrible! I need to find Maria fast and head off the rumors!
He might as well have torn down the sky and exposed the mythical sun.
Still, Gabriel hurried to the mayor’s house. That was the first place he needed to go to begin his search for Maria. The mayor’s mansion was open to the people, but it was guarded by a dozen burly mice. The mayor was highly protective of his daughter and wanted to keep away mischievous younger mice.
The towering mice gave Gabriel withering looks. One of them barked, “Be off with you worthless magician! You bring bad luck with you! We need none of that here!”
“B-But, I must speak immediately with the woman of the house, Rosa,” Gabriel began.
“Are you looking for a black eye?” another mouse asked, striding over.
“N-No,” he stammered. “B-But, this is really important!”
“Not as important as what the good woman of the house is working on,” A third guard sniffed. They began hemming Gabriel in.
I’m about to get the fur beaten off me, he thought frantically.
“Hey! What’s all this? Who have you caught?” a familiar voice shouted.
The guards all jumped to attention and saluted. And even larger, scruffier mouse ambled into view. Grit was a tall, muscular, and scarred mouse. A large sword was slung over his shoulder. He smiled with jagged teeth back at Gabriel, and his good eye squinted to match his other damaged eye.
His black armor rustled as he extended a hand to the Mage Mouse. “Gabriel, old buddy! How have you been? It’s been a while.”
Gabriel heaved a sigh of relief. Grit the berserker had always been friendly towards him. And he was one of the few mice in Rodentia that everyone respected. In no small part because he could easily have hugged any of them in two. He was even larger than some rats.
“I’m feeling a little anxious, to tell you the truth, Grit,” Gabriel replied. “I need to talk with Rosa immediately. I have learned some really important information that she should hear. Especially before Michael leaves on his quest.”
“Then it is well that we have arrived at the same time,” Grit smiled. “I have also come to speak with her about Michael’s self-proclaimed quest.”
“Are you looking to join,” Gabriel asked.
“Michael came to me before he announced his intention,” Grit rumbled. “He wanted some muscle on his side before he began. And he heard that I was coming back.”
The mage’s whiskers dropped. “I hadn’t received word about it.”
“Spending too much time in the laboratory again?” the other mouse asked.
“Probably,” Gabriel said with a sheepish shrug.
The guards all shuffled on their feet, looking uncomfortable.
“Well, let’s not dally and get going,” Grit roared happily and he pushed Gabriel along. He leaned down and whispered to him, “You’re lucky that I came along when I did. They were ready to beat you into next week! Seems like there are some funny rumors going around about you.”
“Well, that’s better than the usual fair I get. It’s usually nasty,” Gabriel said honestly.
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“Aye… I’m sorry about that, Gabriel. Maybe if you manage to get those spells of yours to work, our people will be more understanding and kind towards you.”
The two entered the lavish house with a worried looking butler ushering them in. The entire house was packed with magnificent artifacts and fine artwork. The windows were uncovered and small crystal sat in the sils to absorb and shine back the light from above. It gave the entire manor a cheery feel while inside it. There was no other place like in all of Rodentia.
Grit inquired after Maria and the two mice were led into a large study. There, Maria was working with two other maid mice to sew together and pack bags with food and supplies. Gabriel was quick to notice the one Maria was working on, embellishing it with her signature embroidery. He saw the likeness of herself and Michael already stitched prominently along the side. His heart plummeted, but he mentally readied himself for the conversation he knew he must have with her.
Maria looked up and smiled broadly, causing Gabriel’s heart to suddenly soar out from the pit in his stomach. But the smile was not for him.
“Grit! It’s so wonderful to see you again! I take it that you got Micahel’s message,” she said quickly. “Please, please come and take a seat there!”
Grit held up a scarred paw and shook his head. “No, I will need to meet with Michael soon. Can you tell me where he currently is?”
“Oh, you know Michael, he’s always about doing stuff. I find that he comes to me when I need him,” she twittered away.
“Lucky for you,” Grit grumbled. “Actually, I was helping Gabriel along. I think he needed to speak with someone here, urgently. The guards were giving him a hard time.”
Maria’s face dropped and she said, “Oh, the Mage Mouse. Well, be quick! I haven’t all day! As you can see I’m very busy!”
Gabriel flinched at the change of tone in her voice. Grit gave him an encouraging nod. Clutching his oversized staff he steppe closer.
“Maria, I’ve just come back from talking with the dogs. And they have some news that i don’t mice know about or have considered.”
“And what haven’t we considered yet?” she asked darkly.
“Duke GrrGruff is planning on going to war with the outlining kingdoms and gangs. Rodentia will soon be pressed for recruits and supplies. If they find out that we are staging a quest to free ourselves of their control they will attack us! We can’t fend them off as we are!”
Maria gave him a cold look and replied, “We might be better prepared if we had magicians who could perform their craft properly. And what does it matter if the dogs are planning war? They will be unable to fend us off when Michael and the others return with an army!
“In fact, it is better this way! At least your news is not so dire as you made it seem, what with your appearance and all.”
The other maids snickered at her comment and bobbed their heads along in agreement. Gabriel was stunned. How could she not take this threat seriously?
Grit cut in and said, “Maria, what gabriel has to say is worth considering. I agree that we should break ourselves away from the dogs. We need to be free. But we cannot just leave Rodentia defenseless! And if what he is saying is true-”
“So that Mage Mouse’s words cannot be confirmed?” Maria slashed back. “If that is the case, then I’d say we should not waste anymore time. Simon, please see the Mage Mouse to the front door and make sure that he goes!”
“Hold on!” Grit rumbled. “I know that every mouse is anxious around gabriel’s powers, such as they are. But that is no reason to treat him so! And he at least had the backbone to go and speak with the dogs. A delegation should be sent to confirm his words.”
“And what good will that do, pray tell?” Maria asked. “Make the people feel nervous? Believe that the quest will lead us to ruin? You just said that you supported Michael’s venture to free our people. Do not act in a way that would undermine it.
“And as for you,” she said, looking pointedly at Gabriel. “I know why you came here, and I will be forthright with you. It’s the best way to cut to the quick. You came here not out of any desire to help the mice of Rodentia. To came here to make yourself look good. I have seen how you gaze after me. I don’t like it, and I will not accept your help! Only if you can prove yourself useful to our people will I even consider thinking differently.”
Gabriel slumped in place. He felt absolutely heartbroken. His warnings were going to fall on deaf ears. Maria wanted nothing to do with him. And, she had in part been correct about him.
But I do care for my people, he thought miserably. I’m just a failure who ruins everything he touches.
“I suggest that you get back to your study and try to at least perform part of the job that we’ve come to expect of you,” Maria said coldly. “At least your parents knew their duty. Now, begone!”
Gabriel allowed himself to be led outside roughly by the butler. He barely registered that Grit followed him out. The butler shoved him through the door and he stumbled outside. Grit passed through the threshold and the butler squeaked in pain.
“I hate mice like him. Like all of them. Why they treat you this way, I’ll never understand. Less so why you let them all walk over you!”
Gabriel turned to look up at Grit. The larger mouse was not pleased at all. He felt his whiskers droop even further.
“I’m sorry-”
“You don’t have to be sorry!” Grit roared.
“But that’s just it!” the mage protested. “You heard Maria! If only my spells were of use to our people! I could have stopped the deaths. I could have pushed back the desperation! I could give our town hope!”
Grit shook his scared head and rumbled, “Look Gabriel, you do yourself a disservice. These mice do not appreciate that they have a mage in their presence. And one who works so hard to better himself, even though it is an uphill battle. And you continue to hurt yourself by looking up to Maria.
“It’s clear that she does not reciprocate your feelings. You are hurting yourself by measuring yourself up to her unreasonable standards.”
“Is it that apparent?’ Gabriel asked with a wince.
“Painfully.”
He sighed and said, “Grit, I’m just not the mouse you all need. The dogs want to take me away, to help out with their wars. I think that might be the best way I could serve everyone. Leave this place and take my curses with them.”
Grit’s face softened a bit and he patted the mage’s shoulder. Gabriel stumbled from the force of the kind gesture.
“My friend. You are too harsh on yourself. Go home, Gabriel, and wash yourself. Take some rest, and we’ll talk later. You’ll see in time that all of these choices are the wrong ones. There are better options in front of you. We’ll work together to make the mice here like you.”
“That would be a miracle,” Gabriel grumbled.
“Ha! With us working together, I don’t see how we could fail,” Grit said happily.
“Thank you, Grit,” Gabriel said honestly. “Really. You have lifted my spirits. I’ll do as you say.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” the larger mouse replied. “I’ll fetch you once I’ve spoken with Michael.”
They waved and went their separate ways. However, Gabriel did not feel hopeful, even with Grit’s kind words still burning fresh in his mind and heart. The truth was clear. He was unwanted, and Maria would not accept his assistance or insight. And if she wouldn’t no one would.