Gabriel felt miserable as he crawled back into his den. He just wanted to curl up in a steaming cauldron and end his pitiful existence. But he decided that it was better to follow Grit’s advice and give the warrior mouse a chance. He made his way to the wash room and got himself cleaned up.
A cold basin of water was where Gabriel washed himself and kept himself, well, reasonably groomed. If he kept it heated he might have washed more, but with his volatile magic he feared somehow blowing it all up. Though he had tracked the results for many of his spells, and he could predict with decent accuracy what would happen, sometimes the results were terrifying.
Just because he normally summoned water when he wanted fire did not mean he couldn’t accidentally loose a blast of electricity and fry everything around him.
Brrr! Maybe I should clean one of those cauldrons and use it instead for a bath!
But thinking about cold water and cleaning only distracted Gabriel for so long. There was something even more pressing on his mind. Michael’s quest to save Rodentia. A war brewing somewhere far away. How the town treated him. Maria’s rejection of his feelings.
There were too many thoughts tumbling through his head. His failed magic, Bella’s words, Grit’s encouragement, and a desire to prove himself. He wished he could just give up the cursed magic that coursed through his veins. He had once tried, but spells tumbled through his head. And nightmares plagued him if he did not give in.
His parents had told him many magicians had gone insane trying to live a normal life. They all gave into the nightmares eventually.
I have to do something about all of this, he told himself resolutely, toweling off. His fur stuck out at odd angles. I have been an embarrassment to my family, to my fellow mages, to my town, and to myself. If only I was better at magic! Maria was right.
He buried his face in the towel.
Arg! I’m such a failure! If only I could be better! There has to be a way.
Gabriel dressed himself in his singed robes, fuming over his situation. Grit said he would stop by and talk things over with him. In the back of his mind, he hoped that the large mouse would come up with a plan to somehow make him a part of Michael’s expedition.
That would be amazing, but…
The mage already knew how the other mice would treat him, even with Grit nearby. The guards, the butler, even Maria had not held back. They would never see him as anything other than a failure. And in Michael’s presence they would only see him as a hindrance.
While in his mind images and dreams of becoming a hero alongside proven ones were fantastical and alluring, they were hollow. Deep in his heart, Gabriel knew that if he was going ever prove himself, better himself, he would have to stick it out alone. But something was still holding him back.
Gabriel wracked his brains. Why could he not bring himself to act and do what he knew needed to be done? The answer was quite simple. It was Maria. He feared what might happen to her. A selfish part of him also hoped that once Michael and the others were off that he might be able to dazzle her somehow.
What if he took Bella’s offer and became a war hero?
What if Pencil attacked the town out of anger and Gabriel repelled him?
What if he studied harder and managed to get his magic working right?
What if…
“No!” Gabriel bellowed to the ceiling. “It just won’t do! I’m not war hero material! My magic isn’t good enough to take on a dog, and let’s face it, it would take a miracle for me to get my powers to work the way they’re supposed to! All of these ‘if’s’ are nothing but fantastical dreams that will never become reality!
“What am I supposed to do?”
Again, the answer was clear, he needed to strike out on his own. Staying in Rodentia wasn’t going to fix a thing. Michael would never let him tag along for his quest, no matter what Grit said. And even if such a possibility existed, no one would want him along. They would find a way to ditch him eventually. In short, the Mage Mouse was not the hero Rodentia wanted.
I want to help though, he thought miserably to himself. And if I am going to help, it will have to be in my own way. Which I have no idea what that even is! But if it is to be my way, then it means that I must do it myself.
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Somewhere, deep within his heart, a spark of courage and adventure lit. It was just enough for a small fire to take place in Gabriel’s heart. Without another thought, he tore for some of his books. Dusty tomes were soon raining onto his floor and he scrambled to find the records that sprang into his mind.
Covered in filth, making his recent wash totally unnecessary, the mage teetered over to a table, three large books in his arms. Using his elbow he cleared room for them and quickly flipped them open. Each book was dry retelling of ancient mouse history and held musing about where the other ice colonies should be in the Underworld.
I’m pretty certain Michael and the others know where they want to go to try and find new allies for Rodentia. And I’ll let them do that; talking to people and getting them to follow him is what Michael is good at. Inspiring others is what Grit is good at, and knocking them around, he thought with a giggle.
Even if I’m rubbish at it, magic is my thing. There is no other mouse in Rodentia remotely capable of what I am. What I need, then, is to find something that will help us. Something that only I could do. If I can pull off a quest like that, then I will be finally become a hero! And maybe Maria will finally take me seriously. The other mice will finally respect me. And maybe I’ll just find a way to help myself out in the process!
Flipping through the pages, he caught traces of different mouse legends. There was the Hole of Endless Bounty, the Ghost Ship of Bradly the Bastard, the Dream Wall, the Gods’ Stone, and many more. But endless food was not exactly what the mice needed, nor were ghosts or long lost religious icons. Other stories he found spoke of amazing, long-lost heroes. Still, nothing that immediately sounded helpful.
Until he came across the legend of the Eternal Dragon.
There! That is something, Gabriel thought, reading frantically.
The Eternal Dragon… An ancient being deep within the Underworld. Survive your journey to him and he will grant you either a boon of knowledge or a single wish. Surrounded by the treasures and bones of those who have sought to slay him, the Eternal Dragon is invincible. Well, this sounds promising!
He knew of other legends regarding a dragon. Some said that he ate thousands of mice every day, forcing them away from their ancestral homes. A couple of legends regarding Rodentia’s founding stated that it was because of some ancient, evil dragon that the mice settled here. Bedtimes stories meant to frighten children into obeying their parents told of a dragon who waited in the waters outside of the town, or under their beds, to eat up disobedient mice.
Other legends said that the gods from above warred against the Eternal Dragon and his brood, until they all destroyed each other. Some said the Eternal Dragon locked himself away long ago so he could finally have peace from champions seeking out his guidance or chance to slay him. Others finally said that he had been slain by one of several different heroes, from Tanya Mighty Paw to Old Snapper, the great hound’s last heroic act.
When there exist so many tellings of the same being, then there must be truth to him. Most that I know of do bespeak a creature of amazing power and knowledge. And they don’t call it the Eternal Dragon for nothing! If I find him, then I can either learn from him how to perfect my magic, or even ask him to come and save my town!
Or he might just eat me…
Gabriel shook his head, flopping his ears. Now was not the time to think such negative thoughts. He was finally onto something! True, the different legends did not entirely agree, that was something that he would have to risk. And even if he didn’t find the dragon, surely somewhere out there in the vast dark there must be something he could learn or use to help his people. He brightened considerably as he thought it over.
He continued flipping through the ancient tomes to track the routes the old mice had blazed to make their way to Rodentia. Beyond the great falls behind the town lay a mighty river. His ancestors had tracked up the river from wherever they had originated. Very old stories spoke of pirates along the waterways who had harassed them and kidnapped many. Large creatures like dogs and the fearsome cats came down from the realm of the gods feast on them. There were wide expanses of nothing. Some places were plentiful with good farmland and food, but predators stalked there, catching the unwary.
Far away lay massive, sprawling cities. Some mice had embraced these places as their home, but the others feared being swallowed up the vastness of such uncaring places; they had pressed on. The further back he went, the more fantastical everything sounded. And it was somewhere back that, along the wide and winding waterway where the Eternal Dragon resided.
That’s a far way to go, he realized. It could take me forever to find the Dragon, if he even exists!
He flicked his ear to get himself to stop thinking negative thoughts. They were valid concerns, but if he dwelt on them too long he might lose all hope and motivation.
Gabriel moved to start sketching a rude map of where he needed to go and what he expected to find along the way. After that, he retrieved a bag his grandfather had enchanted to survive all forms of travel. Into it he stuffed some useful spell books (even though he was certain that he would get all the spells wrong), a change of clothes, a small knife, a blanket, and some food. It all weighed heavily on his back, but he felt he could manage.
He then set about to dousing all of the fires in his place. It would be too much to clean up before he left, so he creaked all the windows open to provide some small sense of ventilation to keep the place from becoming musty. He wrote a quick letter to Grit, another to Maria, and one to all of Rodentia, explaining what he was going to do.
Again, Grit, I’m sorry for leaving you like this. But I have to do this on my own! It’s the best way to appease everyone.
He walked out of his house, fealty sweaty with nervousness. He didn’t lock the door. He wanted Grit to be able to let himself in. He trusted the larger mouse to take care of the house while he was gone, at least to make sure that no one broke in. Grit was thankfully a trustworthy friend.
There were mice still milling about on the street, but none of them so much as paid him a glance. That was okay. He did not need to announce his departure. They would find out soon enough. Without a second, betraying thought, Gabriel rushed to the back of the town and to the great waterfall.